We all know what it is like to be unable to turn your head because of a cold in the muscles of your neck，or because an unexpected twist has made your neck ache and stiff．Your whole body feels tight．The slightest move makes you jump with pain．Nothing could be worse than a pain in the neck．

　　That is why we use the phrase to describe some people who give you the same feeling．We have all met such people．

　　One is the man who always seems to be clapping his hands – often at the wrong time – during a performance in the theater．He keeps you from hearing the actors．

　　Even worse are those who can never arrive before the curtain goes up and the play begins．They come hurrying down to your row of seats．You are comfortably settled down，with your hat and heavy coat in your lap．You must stand up to let them pass．You are proud of your self-control after they have settled into their seats… Well，what now… Good God，one of them is up again．He forgot to go to the men’s room，and once more you have to stand up，hanging on to your hat and coat to let him pass．Now，that is “a pain in the neck．”

　　Another，well – known to us all，is the person sitting behind you in the movies．His mouth is full of popcorn；he is chewing loudly，or talking between bites to friends next to him．None of them remain still．Up and down，back and forth，they go – for another bag of popcorn，or something to drink．

　　Then，there is the man sitting next to you at a lunch counter smoking a smelly cigar．He wants you to enjoy it too，and blows smoke across your food into your mouth．

　　We must not forget the man who comes into a bus or subway car and sits down next to you，just as close as you will let him．You are reading the newspaper and he leans over and stretches his neck so that he can read the paper with you．He may even turn the paper to the next page before you are ready for it．

　　We also call such a person a “rubber neck，” always stretching his neck to where it does not belong，like neighbors who watch all your visitors．The enjoy invading your privacy．People have a strong dislike for rubbernecks．They hate being spied upon．

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Britain is facing a sharp rise in its rat population as growing numbers of people leave fast food scraps in the street，an environment group warned．Keep Britain Tidy said the rodents(啮齿动物)were stopping their traditional hunts underground and were roaming the streets，tempted by discarded burgers，pizzas and crisps．“The rat population is on the rise and soon it’ll be as common to see a rodent on our street as it is to see a dog or a cat，” said group Director，Sue Nelson．The practice of dumping fast food litter and scraps on the street rather than in the trash – with young men the worst offenders – was behind the rise．According to the National Rodent Survey in 2005，Britain’s rat population has grown by nearly one quarter since 2000 and is now estimated at 60 million，two million more than the human population．On average a rat can give birth every 24 – 28 days and just a single pair of rats can produce a colony of 2,000 a year．Around 200 people a year get Weil’s Disease – an infection which can lead to liver or kidney(肝肾)failure and eventually death and which is carried in rat’s waste．To highlight the issue，Keep Britain Tidy launched a cinema ad entitled “How close do you want them to get?” The ad gave a shocking image of a young woman sleeping in a bed of rats – echoing the nightmare scene from James Herbert’s classic horror tale The Rats，in which mutant rodents begin to prey on(捕食)humans．

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　　t I wonder about my Momma sometimes，and all the other Negro(blacks)mothers who got up at 6 a．m．to go to the white man’s house with sacks over their shoes because it was so wet and cold．I wonder how they made it．They worked very hard for the man，they made his breakfast and they scrubbed his floors and they took care of his babies．They didn’t have too much time for us．

　　wonder about my Momma，who walked out of a white woman’s clean house at midnight and came back to her own where the lights had been out for three months，and the pipes were frozen and the wind came in through the holes in the wall．She’s have to make deals with the rats： leave some food out for them so they wouldn’t bite the doors or the babies．The roaches(蟑螂)? Oh，hey were just like part of the family!

　　wonder how she felt telling those white kids she took care of to brush their teeth after they ate，to wash their hands after they finish bathroom．She could never tell her own kids because there wasn’t soap or water back home．

　　wonder how my Momma felt when we came home from school with a list of vitamins and pills the school nurse said we had to have．Momma would cry all night，and them go out and spend most of the rent money for pills．A week later，the white man would come for his eighteen dollars’ rent and Momma would beg him to wait until tomorrow．She had to lie to him that she had lost her wallet or the relief check was coming soon or the white people had some money for her．Tomorrow I’d be hiding in the closet because there was only supposed to be two kids in the flat，and I could hear the rent man shout at my Momma and call her a cheat．And when he finally went away，Momma put the sacks on her shoes and went off to the rich white man’s house to dress the rich white kids so their mother could take them to a special baby doctor．

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How Do Animals Catch Their ZZZ’s?

　　Different creatures have developed some pretty creative ways to get their rest and stay safe．The lizard(蜥蜴)likes to sleep at the far end of small branches hanging out over a pond or lake in the rain forest．If a snake tries to slither up the branch to eat it，it will shake the branch and knock the lizard off，and the lizard will fall safely into the water．Chameleons can change color to match their surroundings in order to hide even while sleeping．

　　Gorillas(大猩猩)like to sleep high in the trees．They build a new bed every night，sometimes taking up to half an hour to pile branches，twigs，and leaves into a comfortable bed．Birds also find it safe to sleep in the trees，but unless they have eggs or young chicks，they don’t use a nest．They just lock their feet around a branch and hang on．A special tendon(腱)in their legs is automatically tight when they are at rest，so they won’t let go and fall．

　　Dolphins live underwater，but must come to the surface to breathe．Scientists now believe that dolphins may sleep with only half their brain，while the other half stays awake to keep them safe and breathing．Seals also do this，lying on their sides on the surface of the water with one flipper underwater paddling to keep their noses above the surface．Some ducks may also have this ability，and actually sleep with one eye closed and one eye open．

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　　Phobia is extreme and continuous fear of a specific object，situation，or activity．Because of this fear，the phobic person often leads a limited life．The anxiety is typically far greater than it should be in the real situation，and the sufferer is well aware that the fear is unreasonable．

　　Phobic anxiety is distinguishable (辨别) from other forms of anxiety only in that it occurs specifically in relation to a certain object or situation．This anxiety is characterized by physiological (生理) signs such as a rapid heartbeat，stomach disorders and so on．Some phobic people are able to face their fears．More commonly，however，they avoid the situation or object that causes the fear — an avoidance that reduces the sufferer’s freedom．

　　Psychiatrists (精神科医生) recognize three major types of phobias．Simple phobias are fears of specific objects or situations such as animal，closed spaces，and heights．The second type，agoraphobia，is a fear of open，public places and situations，from which escape is difficult；agoraphobics tend increasingly to avoid more situations until in the end they become unable to go out of their house．Social phobias，the third type，are fears of appearing stupid or shameful in social situations．Taken together，the phobias are believed to affect 5 to 10 persons in 100．Agoraphobia and simple phobia are more commonly recognized in women than in men．

　　Behavioral techniques have proved successful in treating phobias，especially simple and social phobias．One technique，systematic desensitization，is gradually facing the phobic person with situations or objects that are increasingly close to the feared ones．Exposure therapy，another behavioral method，has recently been shown more affective．In this technique，phobics are repeatedly faced with the feared situation or object so that they can see that can see that no harm happens to them；the fear gradually fades．Antianxiety drugs have also proved successful in treating some phobias．

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Are teachers doing their jobs?

　　The speaker，a teacher from a college in California，addressed a supportive audience．Heads nodded in agreement when he said，“High school English teachers are not doing their jobs．” He described the inability of his students，all high school graduates who can use language only at a grade 9 level．I was unable to determine from his answers to my questions how this grade 9 level had been set up．

　　In my view，what the speaker was really saying is that he is no longer young；he has been teaching for sixteen years，and is able to think and speak in a sensible and reasonable way．

　　My point is that the frequent complaint (指责) of one generation about the one immediately following it is unavoidable．It is also human nature to look for the reasons for our dissatisfaction．Before English became a school subject in the late nineteenth century，it was difficult to find the focus of the blame for language imperfection．But since then，English teachers have been under continuous attack．

　　The complainers think they have hit upon an original idea．As their own ability to use the language improves，they notice that young people do not have this same ability．Unaware that their own ability has developed through the years，they assume the new generation of young people must be hopeless in this case．To the eyes and ears of sensitive adults，the language of the young always seems not good enough．

　　Since this concern about the decline and fall of the English language is not seen as something happens to a generational but rather as something new and strange to today’s young people，t naturally follows that today’s English teachers cannot be doing their jobs．Otherwise，young people would not have such poor language abilities．

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　　The Barbican Centre has its children’s festival once a year，Summer in the City，on 1—5 August．Each day’s timetable is handed out as you enter．It may include magic shows，face painting，hat making and music．One ticket (￡4．50 for children，￡1 for adults，and no children or adults allowed on their own) buys a full day’s activity so you can have a go at everything．

　　At the South Bank Centre young dancers can join in Sleeping Beauty workshops with the English National Ballet on 3 August．On 4 August Peter Bdejo encourages all comers to join in African dance and there’s outdoor dance，theatre and music for all the family at weekends．For example，on 21 August the Teatro Buendia from Cuba will present a show for children of all ages．

　　The Museum of the Moving Image is about the cinema．Its guides are actors dressed as cowboys and film stars．You can learn about film－making in special classes and there is a special exhibition at eye－level for very young children under one meter tall．

　　If adults are ready for a rest，why not book Sunday lunch at the Russell Hotel? The Jumping Jelly Bean Club offers an exercise class (with qualified instructors) for children while you have a drink．Sit down to lunch together (￡14．25 for adults，￡3．95 for the children’s menu)，then while you have your coffee，the jumping Jelly Beaners watch children’s films．The Club is held every Sunday lunchtime and it’s free to children with families who eat in the hotel．

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　　Most employers say that they wish to employ the right person for the right job．A recent report by Britain’s Independent Institute of Manpower Studies，however，disagrees with this．The report states that most employers wish to avoid employing the wrong person．Rather than looking for the right person，they are looking for applicants to turn down．

　　The report also suggests that in Britain and in many other parts of the world，the selection methods used to pick out the right person for the job certainly do not match up to those used to judge a piece of new equipment．Employers used three main selection methods： interviewing，checking resume (简历) or application forms and examining references．Most of the employers asked in this survey (调查) stated that these selection methods were used more for “weeding out” unsuitable applicants rather than for finding suitable ones．

　　Interviews were considered to be more reliable (可信赖的) than either resume checks or references from past employers．Research，however，proves otherwise．Interviewers’ decisions are often strongly influenced by their earlier judgment of the written application．Also，different employers view facts differently．One may consider applicants who have frequently changed jobs as people with broad and useful experience．Another will see such applicants as unreliable and unlikely to stay for long in the new job．

　　Some employers place great importance on academic qualifications (专业资格) while the link between this and success in management is not necessarily strong．Some employers use handwriting as a standard．The report states that there is little evidence to support the value of the latter for judging working ability．References，also，are sometime unreliable as they are not very important，while checks on credit (信誉) and security records and applicants’ political opinions are often the opposite．

　　The report is more favorable towards trainability tests and those which test personality and personal and mental skills．The report concludes by suggesting that interviewing could become more reliable if the questions were arranged in a careful，organized system and focused on the needs of the employing organization．

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　　The dog，called Prince，was an intelligent animal and a slave to Williams．From morning till night，when Williams was at home，Prince never left his sight，practically ignoring all other members of the family．The dog had a number of duties，for which Williams had patiently trained him and，like the good pupil he was，Prince lived for the chance to show his abilities．

　　When Williams wanted to put on his boots (靴子)，he would say “Boots” very quietly and within seconds the dog would drop them at his feet．At nine every morning，prince ran off to the store，returning shortly not only with Williams’ daily paper but with a packet of cigarettes．A gun－dog by breed (品种)，Prince possessed a large soft mouth specially developed for the safe carrying of hunted creatures，so the paper and the cigarettes came to no harm，never even showing a tooth mark．

　　Williams was a railway man，an engine driver，and he wore a uniform which smelled of oil fuel．He had to work at odd times — “days”，“late days” or “nights”．Over the years Prince got to know these periods of work and rest，knew when his master would leave the house and return，and the dog did not waste this knowledge．If Williams overslept，as he often did，Prince barked at the bedroom door until he woke，much to the anger of the family．On his return，Williams’ slippers (拖鞋) were brought to him．

　　A curious thing happened to Williams during the snow and ice of last winter．One evening he slipped and fell on the icy road somewhere between the village and his home．He was so badly shaken that he stayed in bed for three days；and not until he got up and dressed again did he discover that he had lost his wallet containing over fifty pounds．The house was turned upside down in the search，but the wallet was not found．However，two days later — that was five days after the fall — Prince dropped the wallet into Williams’ hand．Very muddy and wet through，the little case still contained fifty－three pounds，Williams’ driving license (驾照) and a few other papers．Where the dog had found it no one could tell，but he had found it and recognized it probably by the slight oily smell on the worn leather (皮革)．

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阅读下列短文从每题所给的四个选项(A，B，C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　There seems never to have been a civilization without toys, but when and how they developed is unknown．They probably came about just to give children something to do．

　　In the ancient world, as is today, most boys played with some kinds of toys and most girls with another．In societies where social roles are rigidly determined, boys pattern their play after the activities of their fathers and girls are being prepared, even in play, to step into the roles and responsibilities of the adult world．

　　What is remarkable about the history of toys is not so much how they changed over the centuries but how much they have remained the same．The changes have been mostly in terms of craftsmanship, mechanics, and technology．It is the universality of toys with regard to their development in all parts of the word and their persistence to the present that is amazing．In Egypt, America, China, Japan and among the Arctic (北极的)people, generally the same kinds of toys appeared．Varations depended on local customs and way of life because toys imitate their surrounding．Nearly every civilization had dolls, little weapons, toy soldiers, tiny animals and vehicles．

　　Because toys can be generally regarded as a kind of art form, they have not been subject to technological leaps that characterize inventions for adult use．The progress from the wheel to the cart to the automobile is a direct line of ascent (进步)．The progress from a rattle (拨浪鼓)used by a baby in 3000BC to one used by an infant today, however, is not characterized by inventiveness．Each rattle is the product of the artistic tastes of the times and subject to the limitations of available materials．

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