阅读理解

　　We live in a technological society where most goods are mass-produced by unskilled labor．Because of this, most people that craft(手艺)no longer exists．

　　One of the ways these people wrongly support their view is by pointing to 100-year-old homes which are still solid, and arguing that it is the craftsmanship that is responsible for their durability(持久性)．“Homes in those days were well-built,” they say．No doubt these homes were well-built, but what these people have done is mix up the quality of material used in the house with the quality of the craftsmanship．

　　Homes today could be built to last just as long as those old homes if people were willing or able to pay the price．For example, more people can no longer afford solid oak stairways, although they were once fairly common in older homes．Nor can they afford the high labor cost of employing a carpenter(木匠)to built the stairway．Yet if someone can pay the high cost, there are still plenty of carpenters around able to make those stairways．And not only would these carpenters know how to built them, they would probably do a better job than carpenters of old．

　　One thing the modern carpenter has which enables him to do a better job is much more advanced tools．Such tools as laser beams and power planes help them lay out a house better and make more precision cuts(精确切割)on the wood．Also, it is not uncommon any more to find carpenters with college degrees and carpenters with a solid knowledge of mathematics, which would enable them to deal with more difficult house designs．

　　The problem of modern quality, then, really boils down to the problem of material, for the modern carpenter is just as able to produce craftsmanship as the carpenter of fifty years ago, but only if given proper material．

阅读理解

　　New York Yankees relief pitcher Cory Lidle left the field during Game 4 of the American League Division Series playoff baseball game in Detroit, Michigan, on October 7, 2006．

　　New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle was involved in a plane crash in New York on Wednesday afternoon．Lidle was onboard a small propeller plane that crashed into a high-rise apartment building．His flight instructor, Taylor Stanger, was also onboard the plane．Both men were killed in the crash．

　　For many New Yorkers, the day was a fearful reminder of September 11, 2001, when planes crashed into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center．New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg held a news conference soon after yesterday’s crash to announce that it was not a terrorist attack．Authorities have not determined which passenger was flying the plane．

　　“It’s very tragic, ” Bloomberg said．“We have to say a little prayer for those we lost．” The world of Major League Baseball was shocked when news spread that Cory Lidle was involved in the crash．A Major League pitcher for nine years, Lidle had been a member of the Yankees since July．He pitched in a postseason game against the Detroit Tigers just a few days before the crash．

　　“This is a terrible and shocking tragedy that has stunned the entire organization,” said George Steinbrenner, owner of the Yankees．

　　Jason Giambi, a fellow Yankee, had known Lidle for years．The two were teammates on the Oakland Athletics and even played on the same team in high school．“Right now, I am really in a state of shock, ” Giambi wrote in a statement to the press．“We were excited to be reunited in New York this year, and I am just devastated to hear this news．” For many Yankee fans, Lidle’s plane crash brought back memories of Yankee catcher Thurman Munson’s death in a plane crash in 1979．

　　The Flight

　　Lidle and Stanger left a small airport in Teterboro, New Jersey, around 2∶30 p. m., on Wednesday．The plane circled the Statue of Liberty and then headed north up the East River, along the eastern shore of the island of Manhattan．The plane veered off its path as it approached East 72nd Street, crashing into the high-rise apartment building at about 2：45 p．m．Residents in and around the building said they heard a huge explosion．Many people saw large flames coming from the windows high above the street．Pieces of debris from the plane and the building fell to the street as the fire spread．Mayor Bloomberg said 11 firefighters were injured while fighting the fire．

阅读理解

　　The English, as a race, are very different from all other nationalities, including their closest neighbors, the French, Belgians and Dutch．It is claimed(声称)that living on an island separated from the rest of Europe has much to do with it．Whatever the reasons, it maybe fairly slated(预定；注定)that the Englishman has developed many attitudes and habits which distinguish him from other nationalities．

　　Broadly speaking, the Englishman is a quiet, shy, reserved person who is fully relaxed only among people he knows well．In the presence of strangers or foreigners he often seems embarrassed．You have only to see a city train any morning or evening to see the truth of this．Serious-looking businessmen and women sit reading their newspapers or having a light sleep in a corner, no one speaks．In fact, to do so would seem most unusual．An Englishman, pretending to be giving advice to overseas visitors, once suggested, “On entering a railway carriage shake hands with all the passengers．” Needless to say, he was not being serious．There is an unwritten but clearly understood code of behavior which, if broken, makes the person immediately suspect(怀疑)．

　　In many parts of the world it is quite normal to show openly extremes of enthusiasm, emotion, excitement, etc．The Englishman is somewhat different．Of course, an Englishman feels no less deeply than any other nationality, but he tends to display his feelings far less．This is reflected in his use of language．Imagine a man commenting on the great beauty of a young girl．Whereas a more emotional man might describe her as “an excellent jewel” “extremely beautiful” “precious”, the Englishman will flatly state “Um, she is all right．”

阅读理解

　　Insurance is the sharing of risks．Nearly everyone is exposed to risks of some sort．The house owner, for example, knows that his property can be damaged by fire; the ship owner knows that his vessel(船)may be lost at sea; the father knows that he may die at an early age and leave his family the poorer．On the other hand, not every house is damaged by fire nor every vessel lost at sea．If these persons each put a small sum into a pool, there will be enough to meet the needs of the few who do suffer loss．In other words, the losses of the few are met from the contributions of the many．This is the basis of insurance．Those who pay the contributions are known as “insured” and those who control the pool of contributions as “insurers”．

　　Not all risks lead themselves to being covered by insurance．Broadly speaking, the ordinary risks of business cannot be covered．The risk that buyer will not buy goods at the prices offered is not of a kind that can be estimated(估计)in numbers－and risks can only be insured against if they can be estimated．

　　The legal basis of all insurance is the “policy”．It states that in return for regular payment by the insured of a named sum of money, called the “premium(保险费)”, which is usually paid every year, the insurer will pay a sum of money for loss, if the risk or event insured against actually happens．

阅读理解

　　England is not a big country：from north to south and from east to west it is only about three hundred miles across．But for a small country it has a surprising range of climate(多样性的气候)．People who have never visited England or who have visited only one part of it often makes the mistake of thinking that it is a cold and wet country．Except for the summer months of June to September, this is probably true of the north of England and the Midlands(英格兰中部诸郡)．In the south, however, the climate is much more pleasant．One result is that when people retire(退休)from the job in the north, they often prefer to move down to the south．

　　Perhaps the warmest part of the country is the southwest, which consists of(is made up of)the counties(郡)of Devon and Cornwall, where palm trees, bamboo and many semitropical(亚热带)plants grow well．Flowers and vegetables ripen(成熟)as much as a month earlier than those elsewhere．Farmers in the areas gain a higher price for their vegetables and flowers because they are ready earlier．In winter there may be several feet of snow in other parts of England but there will probably be no snow at all in the southwest．This may be one of the reasons why the southwest is one of England’s most popular holiday areas．

　　How many people have I met who have told me about the book they have been planning to write but have never yet found the time? Far too many．

　　This is Life, all right, but we do treat it like a rehearsal(排演)and, unhappily, we do miss so many of its best moments．

　　We take jobs to stay alive and provide homes for our families always making ourselves believe that this style of life is merely a temporary state of affairs along the road to what we really want to do．Then, at 60 or 65, we are suddenly presented with a clock and several grandchildren and we look back and realize that all those years waiting for Real Life to come along were in fact real life．

　　In America they have a saying much laughed at by the English：“Have a nice day” they speak slowly and seriously in their shops, hotels and sandwich bars．I think it is a wonderful phrase, reminding us, in effect, to enjoy the moment：to value this very day．

　　How often do we say to ourselves, “I’ll take up horse-riding(or golf, or sailing)as soon as I get a higher position, ”only to do none of those things when I do get the higher position．

　　When I first became a reporter I knew a man who gave up a very well paid respectable job at the Daily Telegraph to go and edit a small weekly newspaper．At the time I was astonished by what appeared to me to be his completely abnormal(反常的)mental state．How could anyone turn his back on Fleet Street in central London for a small local area？I wanted to know．

　　Now I am a little older and possibly wiser, I see the sense in it．In Fleet Street the man was under continual pressure．He lived in an unattractive London suburb and he spent much of his life sitting on Southern Region trains．

阅读理解

　　Dear Mr．Expert,

　　I grew up in an unhappy and abusive home．I always promised myself that I’d get out as soon as possible．Now, at age 20, I have a good job and a nice house, and I’m really proud of the independence I’ve achieved．

　　Here’s the problem：several of my friends who still live with their parents wish they had places like mine－so much so that they make mine theirs．

　　It started out with a couple of them spending the weekends with me．But now they seem to take it for granted that they can show up any time they like．They bring boyfriends over, talk on the phone and stay out forever．

　　I enjoy having my friends here sometimes－it makes the place feel comfortable and warm－but this is my home, not a party house．I was old enough to move out on my own, so why can’t I seem to ask my friends to respect my privacy(隐私)?

Joan

Edward’s reply to Joan

　　Dear Joan,

　　If your family didn’t pay attention to your needs when you were a child, you probably have trouble letting others know your needs now．

　　And if you’ve gathered your friends around you to rebuild a happy family atmosphere(气氛), you may fear that saying no will bring back the kind of conflict you grew up with－or destroy the nice atmosphere you now enjoy．You need to understand that in true friendship it’s okay to put your own needs first from time to time．

　　Be clear about the message you want to send．For example, “I really love your company but I also need some privacy．So please call before you come over．”

阅读理解

　　How will you remember September 11, 2001?A nonprofit group called One Day’s Pay wants you to do a good deed．The group has set up a Web site for the fifth anniversary of 9·11 to encourage people to honor that day by volunteering．The new program was announced at a press conference at Scholastic headquarters in New York City on Wednesday．U．S．Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, and U．S．Representative Peter King, both of New York, joined the Web site’s president and co-founder David Paine at the conference．

　　Senator Clinton and Representative King, along with U．S．Senator Charles Schumer of New York, co-sponsored a congressional resolution to designate 9·11 as a national day of service, charity, and compassion．

　　“This is such an appropriate way for us to mark the passing of the years since that horrible September morning, now nearly five years ago, ” said Senator Clinton on Wednesday．“Now we have a way for everyone to participate in coming forward in large ways and small to say I want to be part of showing what Americans are really like, showing our compassion, our caring and concern for one another．”

　　Senator Clinton told Scholastic News that 9·11 changed her as it did many people．

　　“It changed how I spent my time as a senator and it changed my view of what we need to do to make sure this never happens again, ” she said．

　　Representative King said 9·11 made him realize what is really important in life．

　　“The fact that so many people in their last moments reached our to their families, made us realize we should appreciate all our families more, ” the Congressman said．“On a governmental level, it’s important we dedicate all of our lives in protecting America and protecting New York．That has always been important．It became monumental after September 11．”

　　Senator Clinton and Representative King said they will both be taking the pledge(保证)to volunteer on 9·11．

　　If you want to participate, you can log on to www．mygooddeed．org and pledge your deed．To “Take the Good Deed Pledge, ” click on the “Post My Good Deed” button and fill out the form．What will you do?

阅读理解

　　NEWSPAPERS have certainly been around for a long time．Many New Zealand newspapers are now heading towards their 125th anniversary(周年纪念)of the first publication and some New Zealand papers are more than 140 years old．

　　However, some people think that newspapers are yesterday’s medium(传媒)and that new media, like television and even the Internet, will in the very near future cause newspapers to die．What is clear is that the growth of new media, and in particular the Internet, will cause newspapers to change themselves and change their product to meet customers’ needs．

　　People read newspapers because of their unique(独特的)strength．They have a large audience and yet a certain appeal(吸引力)．They reach the majority of the population each day through covering national and international news and yet they offer interest to gardeners, cooks and even slaves to fashion．

　　Newspapers also remain strong because of people’s continued love of reading．Reading is an active and involving(专注的)process, but people are able to read at their own speed and return to newspapers for reference purposes．

　　Newspapers will certainly not stop the Internet being a competitor(竞争者)．But no newly-introduced news medium has ever killed an old one, and if best guesses are to be made then it is likely that this will be the case with this new medium as well．

阅读理解

　　Newspapers in Great Britain vary greatly in their ways of carrying the news．There are serious papers for those who want to know about important happenings everywhere, both at home and abroad．

　　There are popular newspapers for those who prefer entertainment(娱乐)to information．The London newspaper that is best-known outside Great Britain is probably THE TIMES．It began in 1785, and has a high reputation(名声)for believable news and serious opinions on the news．It calls itself an independent(独立的)paper, which means that it does not give its support to a particular political party．Its leading articles give the opinions of the editors, not those of the owners of the paper．

　　Letters to the editor are printed in parts of the newspaper．These parts of THE TIMES are always interesting．Most of the letters are on serious subjects, but from time to time there will be long letters on the subject which is not at all serious, perhaps on a new fashion(款式)of dress, of the bad manners of the young people, compared with the manners of thirty years ago．