阅读理解

　　I heard many parents complaining that their teenage children are rebelling(叛逆)．I wish it were so．At your age you ought to be growing away from your parents．You should be learning to stand on your own two feet．But take a good look at the present rebellion．It seems that teenagers are taking the same way of showing that they disagree with their parents．Instead of striking out boldly on their own, most of them are clutching at one another’s hands for reassurance．

　　They claim they want to dress as they please．But they all wear the same clothes．They set off in new directions in music．But somehow they all end up huddled round listening to the same record．Their reason for thinking or acting in thus-and-such a way is that the crowd is doing it．They have come out of their cocoon(蚕茧)into a larger cocoon．

　　It has become harder and harder for a teenager to stand up against the popularity wave and to go his or her own way．Industry has firmly carved out a teenage market．These days every teenager can learn from the advertisements what a teenager should have and be．And many of today’s parents have come to award high marks for the popularity of their children．All this adds up to a great barrier for the teenager who wants to find his or her own path．

　　But the barrier is worth climbing over．The path is worth following．You may want to listen to classical music instead of going to a party．You may want to collect rocks when everyone else is collecting records．You may have some thoughts that you don’t care to share at once with your classmates．Well, go to it．Find yourself．Popularity will come－with the people who respect you for who you are．That is the only kind of popularity that really counts．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

阅读理解

　　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．

What is fuel 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(一氧化碳)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．

Creating environmentally friendly cars

　　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．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

　　In the spring, when the weather starts to get warm, it’s time to get to work．You’ll need to take up a shovel and dig up your garden．It’s a big job, so find a helper if you can．Dig your garden when the ground isn’t too wet．

　　In digging your garden, first get rid of all the grass and weds．Pull them up and shake off the good dirt．Then dig up the soil to make it nice and soft．Dig down at least twelve inches, and turn over the soil as you dig．The soil that was at the bottom will now be on the top．It will be loose and soft．

　　Help make your garden better for planting by mixing two things into the soil：peat moss and fertilizer．You’ll need to go to the garden store to buy these things．They come in large packages．Fertilizer is measured in pounds．If your garden is about 6 feet wide and 8 feet long, you will need about 1 pound of fertilizer．Peat moss is measured in cubic feet．Your garden will need about 1 cubic foot of peat moss．

　　At last, you’re ready to plant your garden! You’ve decided what vegetables to plant．You know how many plants you need and where in your garden you’ll plant them．Now it is time to make a shopping list and go back to the garden store to buy your seeds or seedlings．But before you go, you need how much money you can spend．Talk to the other members in your family．Together, decide how much you want to spend on plants for your garden．This is called making a budget for your garden．

　　When you get to the garden store, find out how much the seeds and seedlings on your shopping list cost．Add up the prices of what you want to buy．Can you afford everything? If you can’t afford everything you had planned to buy, you can cut costs by buying fewer plants or by buying seeds instead of seedlings．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

　　If you want to go to a place of interest, you’d better find a proper time．To avoid crowds at the sights, it is always best to visit famous places in the morning and less famous ones in the afternoon．It should be mentioned that they’re always crowded on weekends．The typical rush hour for traveling to work is from 7∶00-9∶00, and from work is from 16∶00-18∶30．

　　On the street：If possible, do not walk alone even on well-lit main roads．It is a particularly safe idea to know exactly where you are at night．And you’d better make a schedule for your trip and carry only credit cards and cash only as needed．

　　At your destination：You are warned against robbers or pickpockets around the beach．You also need protection for your skin from the sun．It is good to make a plan before going camping and to tell your friends or relatives this plan in advance．There is always a possibility that wild animals may show up, so you should always be careful．In the desert, you must bring sweaters, because the temperatures are extremely depending on altitude, and do not forget to carry extra gas and water．

　　In the hotel：Do not speak your room number loudly．Once you enter the room, lock the door carefully and before opening the door, make sure that no one is standing outside of your room．Never let someone you don’t know come into the room! Also, hotels do not take responsibility for valuable things that are stolen from the room, so always keep the things secured in the hotel depository(存放处)．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

　　Beijing’s markets will soon be flooded with more and cheaper colorful fruit such as orange mangos and green durian all year around．

　　Thanks to a new free trade agreement signed last Monday between China and the Association of Southeast Asia Nations(ASEAN), more and more tropical(热带的)South-east Asian fruit will enter the country．

　　The agreement means that from July 1,2005, China and ASEAN countries will begin to cut tariffs(关税)．There are about 7,000 products included in the cuts．

　　As global communication develops, countries are trading more and more goods with each other．When products are sold across national boundaries(边界)，countries put a tax on them．This type of tax is called a tariff．

　　Just like removing an obstacle(障碍)from the path of these goods, the reduction of tariffs will encourage trade between China and ASEAN countries．It means more productions and lower prices．

　　The agreement will bring real benefits for Chinese customers, said a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman．“In the Beijing markets you will easily find more tropical fruit like durian, which used to be very, very expensive．Now they will be cheaper.”The current tariff rate on durian is 22 percent but will fall to zero in 2005．

　　In the first 10 months of this year China did US $ 84.6 billion of trade with ASEAN countries．Experts believe this may reach US $100 billion next year．

　　Founded in 1967, ASEAN now includes Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

Eight honours and disgraces

　　The leader of China issued a list of honours and disgraces, helping Chinese people form life values．They are the following：

　　1．Love, do not harm, the motherland．　　　　2．Serve, don’t betray, the people．

　　3．Value science; don’t be ignorant．　　　　　4．Work hard, don’t be lazy and hate work．

　　5．Be united and help each other; don’t benefit at the expense of others．

　　6．Be honest and trustworthy; don’t chase profit at the expense of your values．

　　7．Obey the law, be disciplined; don’t break laws and violate discipline．

　　8．Know plain living and hard struggle; do not waste away in luxuries and pelasure．

(1)

(2)

(3)

阅读理解

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

　　In cities with rent control, the city government sets the maximum rent that a landlord can charge for an apartment．Supporters of rent control argue that it protects people who are living in apartments．Their rent cannot increase, therefore, they are not in danger of losing their homes．However, the critics say that after a long time, rent control may have negative effects．Landlords know that they cannot increase their profits, so they invest(投资)in other businesses where they can increase their profits．They do not invest in new buildings which would also be rent-controlled．As a result, new apartments are not built．Many people who need apartments cannot find any．According to the critics, the end result of rent control is a shortage of apartments in the city．

　　Some theorists argue that the minimum wage law can cause problems in the same way．The federal government sets the minimum that an employer must pay workers．The minimum helps people who generally look for unskilled low-paying jobs．However, if the minimum is high, employers may hire fewer workers．They will replace workers with machinery．Therefore, other things being equal, the number of workers that employers want decreases．Thus, critics hold the opinion that an increase in the minimum wage may cause unemployment．Some poor people may find themselves without jobs instead of with jobs at the minimum wage．

　　Supporters of the minimum wage say that it helps people keep their dignity(尊严)．Because of the law, workers cannot sell their services for less than the minimum．Furthermore, employers cannot force workers to accept jobs at unfair wages．

　　Economic theory predicts the results of economic decisions such as decisions about farm production, rent control, and the minimum wage．The predictions may be correct only if “other things are equal”．Economists do not agree on some of the predictions．They also do not agree on the value of different decisions．Some economists support a particular decision while others criticize it．Economists do agree, however, that there are no simple answers to economic questions．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

阅读理解

　　Fourteen-year-old Abu Mohammed knows what it is like to go hungry but his extraordinary talent for soccer means he no longer has to．

　　His life changed two years ago when he was offered a place at the Ghanaian(加纳)Football Academy run by Tom Vernon, the Africa scout(星探)for English soccer giants Manchester United．Impressed by Mohammed’s skill, the academy offered him a four-year academic scholarship．Mohammed cried when his parents failed to understand what was on and said “no”．Now when he goes home, his neighbors are surprised at how big he is：the difference is made by three meals a day．

　　For many poor children, football offers an escape from poverty．The first step can be getting a place at one of the handful of academies that offer education as well as soccer training．The hope of discovering stars is tempered by the realization that only a few students will make it．So far, only two graduates are currently in talks with European clubs．

　　“At least, it gives these boys an opportunity to build themselves a better life through talent for football．” Vernon says．

　　But getting the boys to take education seriously in case their dreams fall apart is difficult, he says．In Mohammed’s case, they had to ban him from the field to make him realize he had to improve his grades．

　　Fourteen-year-old Waris has been playing soccer in his hometown of Tamale in northern Ghana for several years before he came to the Academy．He knows how hard it will be to succeed．

　　“I want to be famous．I want to prove to the world that I have something important in me ,”he says．“When I was in Tamale, I thought I just had to play．When I came her, I know I have to train and work hard．”

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

　　My husband is on the front line in Iraq, not as a soldier, but as a reporter．When I told my friends about his latest task, each had the same reaction．“Did you tell him no?”

　　They reminded me, as if I’d somehow forgotten, that he would have left behind our three young children for weeks, perhaps months．He’ll be risking his life, they say, only for some news．

　　Is it worth it?

　　I understand the pity they feel for me because of the burden suddenly heaped on my shoulders．

　　My 5-year-old daughter designed a schedule to determine which of the children would keep me company in my empty bed at night．Whether it was her turn or not, I can usually wake to find her huddling against me．My 7-year-old son has many questions about the war and weapons．Though I’ve never allowed my children to watch the evening news, National Public Radio had been my constant companion, and he was interested in any mention of the war, and he questions me about “when will Dad go home…” Most troubling of all, my 9-year-old daughter has said nothing．She has asked no questions, shed no tears, and she merely glances at the photo of her father displayed on the page next to his article each morning．And all three are probably the only kids at their school who can find Iraq on a map．

　　In the end, when friends ask, “Is it worth it?” I can answer yes．He, like other reporters from other countries, is presenting us with the truth．

　　So when my friends ask, I tell them it isn’t a matter of letting him go or making him stay．My husband just does what his career asks him to do．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)