阅读理解

　　Are some people born clever, and others born stupid? Or is intelligence developed by our environment and our experiences? Strangely enough, the answer to both these questions is yes．To some extent our intelligence is given us at birth, and no amount of special education can make a genius out of a child born with low intelligence．On the other hand, a child who lives in a boring environment will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in rich and varied surroundings．Thus the limits of a person's intelligence are fixed at birth, but whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on his environment．This view, now held by most experts, can be supported in a number of ways．

　　It is easy to show that intelligence is to some extent something we are born with．The closer the blood relationship between two people, the closer they are likely to be in intelligence．Thus if we take two unrelated people at random from the population, it is likely that their degrees of intelligence will be completely different．If on the other hand we take two identical twins they will very likely be as intelligent as each other．Relations like brothers and sisters, parents and children, usually have similar intelligence, and this clearly suggests that intelligence depends on birth．

　　Imagine now that we take two identical twins and put them in different environments．We might send one, for example, to a university and the other to a factory where the work is boring．We would soon find differences in intelligence developing, and this indicates that environment as well as birth plays．

　　This conclusion is also suggested by the fact that people who live in close contact with each other, but who are not related at all, are likely to have similar degrees of intelligence．

阅读理解

　　What’s your idea of a good time? What about dancing in a rainy field with one hundred and fifty thousand other people while a famous rock band plays on a stage so far away that the performers look like ants?

　　It may sound strange but that is what many hundreds of thousands of young people in the UK do every summer．Why? Because summer is the time for outdoor music festivals．

　　Held on a farm, the Glastonbury Festival is the most well-known and popular festival in the UK．It began in 1970 and the first festival was attended by one thousand five hundred people each paying an admission price of ￡1－the ticket included free milk from the farm．

　　Since then the Glastonbury Festival has gone from strength to strength－in 2004 one hundred and fifty thousand fans attended, paying ￡112 each for a ticket to the three-day event．Tickets for the event sold out within three hours．Performers included superstars, such as Paul McCartney and James Brown, as well as new talent, like Franz Ferdinand and Joss Stone．

　　Although many summer festivals are run on a profit-making basis, Glastonbury is a charity event, donating millions of pounds to local and international charities．

　　Glastonbury is not unique in using live music to raise money to fight global poverty．In July of this year, the Live 8 concerts were held simultaneously(同时)in London, Paris, Rome and Berlin．Superstars such as Madonna, Sir Elton John and Stevie Wonder performed in order to highlight international poverty and debt．

阅读理解

　　Where we live, on the eastern shore of Maryland, the gentle waters run in and out like fingers slimming at the tips．

　　The Canada geese know this place, as do the white swans and ducks．In the autumn, they come home for the winter．Once or twice each year, snow and frozen rain move into the area．When this happens, if the river is at its narrowest, there is a freeze which hardens the water to the ice．

　　One morning, a friend of mine set the breakfast table beside the huge window, which overlooked the Tred Avon River．Suddenly she leaned forward and cried out, “There is a goose out there．”

　　We saw the figure of a large Canada goose, very ill, its wings folded tight to its sides, its feet frozen to the ice．

　　Then from the dark sky, she saw a line of swans．They floated from the top of the sky downward and at last landed on the ice．My friend was on her feet now, with one unbelieving hand against her mouth．As the swans surrounded the frozen goose, she feared what life it still had might be pecked(啄)out by those great swan beaks．

　　Instead, those beaks began to work on the ice．The long necks were lifted and curved down, again and again．It went on for a long time．At last, the goose’s head lifted．Its body pulled．Then the goose was free and standing on the ice．And the swans stood in the air watching．Then, as if it had cried, “I cannot fly,” four of the swans came down around it．Their powerful beaks chipped off the ice and held in the feathers．Slowly, the goose spread its wings as far as they could go, and moved slowly into the sky．

　　This is a true story．I just think of it in the bad moments, and from it comes only one hopeful question：“ If so for birds, why not for man?”

阅读理解

　　Maybe it is true that we do not know what we have got until we lose it, but it is also true that we do not know what we have been missing until it arrives．

　　It takes an hour to like someone, and a day to love someone, but it takes a lifetime to forget someone．Giving someone all your love is never an assurance that they will love you back．Do not expect love in return; but if it does not, be content it has grown in yours．Do not rely on one’s appearance; it can trick you．Do not rely on wealth; even that fades away．Rely on someone who makes you smile, because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright．

　　There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them．Dream what you want to dream; go where you want to go; be what you want to be, because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do．

　　The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past．You cannot go on well in life until you let your past failures and heartaches go off．May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trails to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, enough hope to make you happy．The happiest of people do not necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way．Happiness waits for those who cry, those appreciate the importance of people who have touched their lives．Always put yourself in others’ shoes．If you feel that it hurts you, it probably hurts the other person, too．

　　When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling．Live your life so that when you die, you are the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying．