阅读理解

　　Some years ago industries had more freedom than they have now，and they did not need to be as careful as they must today．They did not need to worry a lot about the safety of the new products that they developed．They did not have to pay much attention to the health and safety of the people who worked for them．Often new products were dangerous for the people who used them; often conditions in the work place had very bad effects on the health of the workers．

　　Of course sometimes there were real disasters which attracted the attention of governments and which showed the need for changes．Also scientists who were doing research into the health of workers sometimes produced information which governments could not ignore．At such times, there were inquiries into the causes of the disasters or the problems．New safety rules were often introduced as a result of these inquiries; however, the new rules came too late to protect the people who died or who became seriously ill．

　　Today many governments have special departments which protect customers and workers．In the U．S．, for example, there is a department which tests new airplanes and gives warnings about possible problems．It also makes the rules that aircraft producers must follow．Another department controls the foods and drugs that companies sell．A third department looks at the places where people work, and then reports any companies that are breaking the laws which protect the health and safety of workers．Of course, new government departments and new laws cannot prevent every accident or illness, but they are having some good results．Our work places are safer and cleaner than before．The planes and cars which we use for travel are better．Producers are thinking more about the safety and health of the people who buy and use their products．

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　　A California family drives a car that could help protect the environment．When Jon and Sandy go to the store or to their daughters’ soccer games, they drive in high-tech style．They drive a $ 1 million, fuel-cell-powered car．It may be the world’s most expensive car and one of the most environmentally friendly cars．The FCX is the first fuel-cell-powered car to be used by a family anywhere in the world．The FCX uses hydrogen and oxygen for fuel．Car makers have been working to develop vehicles that are better for the environment．They are developing cars that use fuel other than gasoline．And then what is fuel cell technology?Fuel cell technology works by changing the chemicals hydrogen and oxygen into water．This process produces electricity, and water vapor which comes out of the exhaust pipe．Most cars release dangerous gases such as carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide．Many scientists say these gases are major contributors to global warming．“The FCX is driven just like any other vehicle on the road, but without the gases which pollute the environment,”scientists say．Fuel cell technology has been around since the 1800s, but scientists have yet been to perfect it．They say it may take years before the technology is ready for widespread use．Another earth-friendly car is already on the market．Hybrid cars use both gasoline and an electric motor．They are becoming more popular with customers because they cut pollution and improve fuel efficiency．

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　　Learning English is a great challenge, but with a little help from technology it can be as easy as a piece of cake．

　　As well as the classroom, teachers and textbooks, the Internet, TV and radio programs can play an active role in helping learn English．The Internet is full of rich and up-to-date information．English learners might wish to try http：//www.in2english.com.cn．This website is co-established by the British Council, the BBC World Service and Central Radio and TV University．It provides cultural information about Britain and has an example of the IELTS(International English Language Testing System)that students can use for practice．Different levels of grammar tests can also be found．

　　Another useful website for middle school students and teachers is．Besides reading 21st Century School Edition online, students are also invited to put their views on different topics up on the website．

　　Users have the opportunity to make friends with people who share their interests．

　　In the teaching and learning section, there are reading and vocabulary tips for students．

　　Compared with the Internet, TV programs have their own advantages：one does not have to sit at a computer and the audio and visual effects can even be relaxing．

　　One popular English-learning program is called“Modern English”．This focuses on oral English in practical situations such as taking photos and shopping．

　　The short dialogues and useful phrases may help students to express themselves if they go abroad or meet foreigners in China．More than 50 TV stations in about 300 cities have aired the program．

　　If you watch Beijing Television Channel 8, you might see a program titled“Study Abroad”．On this show Professor Wang Qiang from New Oriental School hosts“From Word to World”．

　　He selects words with a deep cultural background and teaches useful phrases related to that word．Cartoons are also used to explain how to use the word in daily life．Listening to the radio may not be a new way to learn English but it is easy．

　　China Radio International airs a program called“Studio Classroom”at 6∶30 a．m．every day．This 25-minute program is aimed at middle school students and covers subjects from current news to travel and history, all in simple language．

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　　Anxiety is the appropriate(适当的)emotion when the immediate personal terror－of a volcano, an arrow, a stab(刺伤)in the back and other disasters, all directed against one’s self－－disappears．

　　The kind of world that produces anxiety is actually a world of relative safety, a world in which no one feels that he himself is facing sudden death．The anxiety exists as an uneasy state of mind, in which one has a feeling that something unspecified(不具体的)and indeterminable may go wrong．If the world seems to be going well, this produces anxiety－for good times may end．If the world is going badly－it may get worse．Anxiety tends to be without focus; the anxious person doesn’t know whether to blame himself or other people．He isn’t sure whether it is the current year of the administration or a change in climate or the atom bomb that is to blame for this undefined sense of unease．

　　It is clear that we have developed a society which depends on having the right amount of anxiety to make it work…While we agree that too much anxiety is harmful to mental health, we have come to rely on anxiety to push us into seeing a doctor about a symptom(症状)which may indicate cancer, into checking up on that old life-insurance policy which may have out-of-date provisions in it, into having a conference with Billy’s teacher even though his report card looks all right．

　　People who are anxious enough keep their car insurance up, have the brakes checked, don’t take a second drink when they have to drive．People who are too anxious either refuse to go into cars at all－and so complicate the ordinary course of life－or drive so tensely and carefully that they help cause accidents．People who aren’t anxious enough take chance after chance, which increases the terrible accidents of the roads．

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　　This year some twenty-three hundred teenagers(young people aged from 13－19)from all over the world will spend about ten months in U．S．homes．They will attend U．S．schools, meet U．S．teenagers, and form impressions of the real America．At the same time, about thirteen hundred American teenagers will go to other countries to learn new languages and gain a new understanding of the rest of the world．

　　Here is a two-way student exchange in action．Fred nineteen, spent last year in Germany with George’s family．In turn, George’s son Mike spent a year in Fred’s home in America．

　　Fred, a lively young man, knew little German when he arrived, but after two months’ study, the language began to come to him．The school was completely different from what he had expected-much harder．Students rose respectfully when the teacher entered the room．They took fourteen subjects instead of the six that are usual in the United States．There were almost no outside activities．

　　Family life, too, was different．The father’s word was law, and all activities were around the family rather than the individual．Fred found the food too simple at first．Also, he missed having a car．

　　”Back home, you pick up some friends in a car and go out and have a good time．In Germany, you walk, but you soon learn to like it．”

　　At the same time, in America, Mike, a friendly German boy, was also forming his idea．“I suppose I should criticize American schools,”he says．“It is far too easy by our level．But I have to say that I like it very much．In Germany we do nothing but study．Here we take part in many outside activities．I think that maybe your schools are better in training for citizens．There ought to be some middle ground between the two．”

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　　Most young people enjoy some form of physical activity．It may be walking, cycling, or swimming, or in winter, skating or skiing．It may be a game of some form－football, basketball, hockey, golf or tennis．It may be mountaineering,

　　Those who have a passion for climbing high and difficult mountains are often looked upon with astonishment．Why are men and women willing to suffer cold and hardship, and to take risks in high mountains?This astonishment it caused, probably, by the difference between mountaineering and other forms of activity to which men give their leisure．

　　Mountaineering is a sport and not a game．There are no man-made rules, as others, as there are for such games as golf．and football．There are, of course, rules of different kind which it would be dangerous to ignore, but it is this freedom from man-made rules that makes mountaineering attractive to many people．Those who climb mountains are free to use their own methods．

　　If we compare mountaineering and other more familiar sports, we might think that one big difference is that mountaineering is not a“team game”．We should be mistaken in this．There are, it is true, no “matches” between“teams”of climbers, but when climbers are on a rock face linked by a rope on which their lives may depend, there is obviously teamwork．

　　The mountain climber knows that he may have to fight forces that are stronger and more powerful than man．He has to fight the forces of nature．His sport requires high mental and physical qualities．

　　A mountain climber continues to improve in skill year after year．A skier is probably past his best by the age of thirty．But it is not unusual for men of fifty or sixty to climb the highest mountains in the Alps．They may take more time than younger men, but they perhaps climb with more skill and less waste of effort, and they certainly experience equal enjoyment．

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Monday-9∶00 p．m．PT(11∶00 p．m．CT)(Midnight ET)

　　I love to answer questions about children’s health．Some questions and their answers become articles, FAQ’s, Updates, Fast Facts, Top Tips, or Guidelines here on the site．I answer others in real time during chat．Either way, here is how to submit a question．

　　I am available live, for one hour, every weekday．No appointments are necessary!All you have to do is log on to Chat and ask your question．In most cases, you’ll get your answer right there!Some of the questions from chat are selected for me to write about in greater depth．Even if you don’t have time to stay at chat, come for a moment, and send your question to the chat host to be considered for a future article．

　　Please join me in chat, Monday-November 22, 2004 at 9:00 p．m．PT(11:00 p．m．CT)(Midnight ET)

　　I will be in the chat room for one hour to answer your children's health questions．

　　To ask your question please type a”?”mark on the screen

　　A host will call upon you when it is your turn to ask a question．

　　Click here to chat

　　Click here to learn more about chat

　　Click here for a complete chat schedule

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　　I entered St Thoma’s Hospital as a medical student at the age of 18 and spent five years there． I was an unsatisfactory student, for my heart, as you might have guessed, was not in it．I wanted, I had always wanted to be a writer, and in the evening, after my high tea, I wrote and read．Before long, I wrote a novel, called Liza of“Lambeth”, which I sent to a publisher and was accepted．It appeared during my last year at the hospital and had something of a success．It was of course an accident, but naturally I did not know that．I felt I could afford to give up medicine and make writing my profession ; so, three days after I graduated from the school of medicine, I set out for Spain to write another book．Looking back now, and knowing as I do the terrible difficulties of making a living by writing, I realize I was taking a fearful risk．It never even occurred to me．

　　The next ten years were very hard, and I earned an average of ￡ 100 a year．Then I had a bit of luck．The manager of the Court Theatre put on a play that failed ; the next play he arranged to put on was not ready, and he was at his wits’ end．He read a play of mine and, though he did not much like it, he thought it might just run for the six weeks till the play he had in mind to follow it with could be produced．It ran for fifteen months．Within a short while I had four plays running in London at the same time．Nothing of the kind had ever happened before．I was the talk of the town．One of the students at St Thomas’s Hospital asked the eminent surgeon with whom I had worked whether he remembered me．“Yes, I remember him quite well,”he said．“One of our failures, I’m afraid．”

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　　THE PRESIDENT：Good morning．On Sunday, our nation will observe the fifth anniversary of the September the 11th terrorist attacks．Every American has memories of that day that will never leave them． We remember the images of fire and terror at the Pentagon(五角大楼), in Pennsylvania, and in the heart of New York City．

　　We remember the ruthlessness of those who murdered the innocent and took joy in their suffering．We remember the courage of the police and firefighters and rescue personnel who rushed into burning buildings to save lives, knowing they might never emerge(出现)．And we remember the victims－moms and dads, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives－and the loved ones they left behind．

　　As night fell on America on September the 11th, 2001, we felt grief and great sorrow．Yet we also saw that, while the terrorist could kill the innocent, they could not defeat the spirit of our nation; The despair and tragedy of that day were overcome by displays of selflessness, courage and compassion(同情)．

　　And in the days and weeks that followed, America answered history’s call to bring justice to our enemies and to ensure the survival and success of liberty．And that mission continues today．

　　Five years later, Americans remember the fears and uncertainty and confusion of that terrible morning．But above all, we remember the resolve of our nation to defend our freedom, rebuild a wounded city, and care for our neighbors in need．

　　Today, America is confronting another disaster that has caused destruction and loss of life．This time the devastation(破坏)resulted not from the malice(恶意)of evil men, but from the fury(狂怒)of water and wind．

　　Hurricane Katrina flattened entire towns along our Gulf Coast, and left one of America’s most storied cities under water．Tens of thousands have lost homes and loved ones and all their earthly(世间的)possessions．The storm took countless lives and forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee from their communities with no assurance of returning soon．

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　　Sliver Screen：The Myth

　　Updated：2006-10-08 12∶34

　　Genre：Martial Art

　　Plot Outline：Intrepid archeologist Jack and ambitious scientist William set out on an adventure that leads them to the greatest discovery in Chinese history．Their journey starts in Dasar, India, where they stumble upon an ancient sword from the Qin Dynasty, and a magical gemstone that appears to be able to defy the force of gravity．These finds not only lead them to a mythical mausoleum(陵墓), but also connects Jack to his dark past life．Through strange dreams, Jack sees himself reincarnated(使转生)as Meng Yi, a general who fell for the First Emperor’s beautiful consort(配偶)Ok Soo some 2,000 years ago．As Meng Yi commands his troops in an increasingly desperate war against rebels, he also has to battle his own inner desires in choosing between eternal love and loyalty．

　　Back to the present day, where the final secret of the First Emperor is about to be revealed, as the two adventurers successfully enter the Heavenly Palace－a fortress loaded with death traps and unspeakable evils．But the closer Jack comes to this precious and final truth, the more he gets lost between the past and the present．

　　Leading cast overview：

　　Jackie Chan…archeologist Jack

　　Tony Leung Ka Fai…scientist William

　　Kim Hee Seon…Ok Soo

　　Mallika Sherawat…Princess Samantha

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