阅读理解

　　What time is it?Most people are pretty accurate in their answer．And if you don’t know for sure, it’s very likely that you can find out．There may be a watch on your wrist; there may be a clock on the wall, desk, or computer screen; or maybe you’re riding in a car that has a clock in the dashboard(仪表板)．

　　Even if you don’t have a timepiece of some sort nearby, your body keeps its own beat．Humans have an internal clock that regulates(调节)the beating of our heart, the pace of our breathing, the discharge(排出)of chemicals within our bloodstream, and many other bodily functions．

　　Time is something from which we can’t escape．Even if we ignore it, it’s still going by, ticking away, second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour．So the main issue in using your time well is, “Who’s in charge?” We can allow time to slip by and let it be our enemy．Or we can take control of it and make it our ally．

　　By taking control of how you spend your time, you’ll increase your chances of becoming a more successful student．Perhaps more importantly, the better you are at managing the time you devote to your studies, the more time you will have to spend on your outside interests．

　　The aim of time management is not to schedule every moment so we become alsaves of a timetable that governs every waking moment of the day．Instead, the aim is to permit us to make informed choices as to how we use our time．Rather than letting the day go by, largely without our awareness, what we are going to discuss next can make us better able to control time for our own purposes．

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　　A new study has found no evidence that sunscreen, commonly used to reduce the risk of skin caner, actually increases the risk．

　　Researchers from the University of lows based their firdings on a review of 18 earlier studies that looked at the associstion between sunscreen use and melanoms(黑素瘤)．They said that they found flaws in studies that had reported associations between sunscreen use and higher risk of melanoma．

　　Most health experts believe that by protecting the skin from the harmful effects of the sun, sunscreen helpsprevent skin cancer, which is increasing in incidence(发生率)faster than any other cancer in the United States．

　　But questions have been raised about sunscreen and whether it may have the opposite effect, perhaps by allowing people to remain exposed to the sun longer without burning．

　　The researchers said that among the problems with some earlier studies is that they often failed to take into account that those people most at risk for skin concer－people with fair skin and freckles(雀斑)，for example－are more likely to use sunscreen．As a result, it may appear that sunscreen users get cancer more often．

　　The studies, which generally relied on volunteers to recall their sunscreen use, were also unable to prove how well the products had been applied, said the new study．

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　　The global energy crisis is approaching．What can we do?Here are some steps you can take．

　　Cooling puts the greatest stress on your summer energy bill and the power grid(电网)．Just as a tune-up for your car can improve your gas mileage, a yearly tune-up your heating and cooling system can improve efficiency and comfort．Clean or replace filters monthly or as needed．

　　For central air conditioning systems and room sir conditioners, look for the ENERGY STAR, the federal government’s symbol for energy efficiency．For central air, purchase the system with the highest possible Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio(SEER)．

　　Use energy-efficient ceiling fans either alone or with air conditioning Ceiling fans do a great job of circulating air．When used with air conditioning, fans allow you to raise the thermostat(恒温器)and cut costs．Ceiling fans cool people, not rooms, so before you leave, turn off the ceiling fan．

　　Let a programmable ibermostat“remember for you”to automatically adjust the indoor climate with your daily and weekend patterns to reduce cooling bills by up to 10 percent．You can come home to a comfortable house without wasting energy and cresting pollution all day while you are at work．

　　Try to make your home airtight enough to increase your comfort, make your home quieter and cleaner and reduce your cooling costs up to 20 percent．

　　Cut your air conditioning load, and reduce pollution by planting leafy trees around your home and fixing reflective bricks on your roof．

　　Close blinds or shades on south-and west-facing windows during the day, or fix shading equipment to avoid beat build-up．

　　Turn off everything not in use：lights, TVs, computers．And use fluorescent bulbs(荧光灯)，which provide bright, warm light while using at least two-thirds less energy, producing 70 percent Jess beat and lasting up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs(白炽灯)．

　　Drive the car that gets better gas mileage whenever possible if you own more than one vehicle．If you drive 12,500 miles a year, switching 10 percent of your trips from a car that gets 20 miles per gallon to one that gets 30 mpg will save you more than ＄65 per year．

　　Carpool．The average U．S．commutes(乘车上班族)could save about ＄260 a year by sharing cars twice a Week with two other people in a car that gets 20.1 mpg－assuming the three passengers share the cost of gas．

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　　We have deaigned all our bank cards to make your life easier．

　　How to use your NatWest Servicecard．

　　As a Switch card, it lets you par for all sorts of goods and services, wherever you see the Switch logo．The money comes straight out of your account, so you can spend as much as you like as long as you have enough money(or an agreed overdraft(透支) to cover it．It is also a cheque guarantee(担保)for up to the amount ahown on the card．And it gives you free access to your money from over 31,000 each machines across the UK．

　　How to use your NatWest Cashcard

　　You can use your Cashcard as a Sulo card to pay for goods and services wherever you see the Solo logo．It can also give you access to your account and your cash from over 31,000 cash machines nationwide．You can spend or withdraw(提取) what you have in you account, or as much as your agreed overdraft limit．

　　Using your cards abroad

　　You can also use your Servicecard and Cashcard when you're abroad．You can witludraw cash machines and pay for goods and services wherever you acc the Cirrus or Macatro logo displayed．

　　We take a commission charge(手续费)of 2.25％ of cash withdrawal you make(up to ＆4)and a commission．

　　Charge of 75 pence every time you use Maestro to pay for goods or services．We also apply a foreign-exchange transaction fee of 2.65％．

　　How to use your Nat West Credit Card

　　With your credit card you can do the following：

　　* Pay for goods and services and enjoy up to 56 days interest-free credit．

　　* Pay in over 24 million shops worldwide that display the Mastercard or Viss logos．

　　* Collect one AIR MILE for every ￡20 of spending that appears on your statement(结算单)．

　　(This does not include foreign currency or traveller’s cheques bought，interest and other charges．)

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　　For years we have been told that encouraging a child's self-respect in important to his or her success in life．But child experts are now learning that too much praise can lead to the opposite effect, Praise-aholic kids who expect it at every turn may become teens who seek the same kind of approval form their friends when asked if they want to go in the backscat of the car．

　　The implication(含义)of saying “You are the prettiest girl in class, ” or talking about the goals she scored but not her overall effort, is that you love her only when she looks the best, scores the highest, achieves the most．And this carrics over to the classroom．

　　Social psychologist Carol Dweck, PhD, tested the effects of overpraise on 400 fifth graders while she was at Columbia University．She founffffd that kids praised for “trying bard ” did better on tests and were more likely to take on difficult assigurnents than those praised for being “smart ”．

　　Praising attributes(品质)or abilities makes a feles promise that anocess will come to you because you．have that quality, and it devoulues effort, so children are afrail to take on challenges,” says Deeck, now at Stanford University．“They figure they'd better quit while they're ahead．”

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阅读理解

　　After the Summer Olympics are over, when all the athletcs and viewers have gong home and the television audience has swiched off, another group of athletcs and fans will arrive at the host city, and another compctition will begin．These are the Parnlympics, the games for athlctcs with a disability．But in Beijing in 2008, for the first time, one of the greatest parulympians will not be taking part．

　　Sbc is a Britishby the name of Tanni Grey-Thompsun．Boyn with spina hifida(脊椎裂)which left her paralysed from the waint down, Tanni used a wheelchair from the age of 7．At first, she was not keen on sporn, apart from horse-riding, which gave her a sense of freedom．But in her teens, she started tsking sports more seriously．She tried swimming, basketball and tennis．Eventually she found athletics, and never looked back．

　　Indeed, Tanni's athletic career took off．In 1984, when she was 15, she pulled off a surpaise victort in the 100 metres at the Junior National Wheelchair Games．

　　In 1988, Tanni went to her first Paralympic Games in Scoul．She bronze in the 400 metres．Even greater success followed at the 1992 Barcelona．Paralympics．Tanni won gold in the 100,200,400 and 800 metres relay, setting two world records in the proceas．In the same year she achicved the first of her six London Wheelchair Marathon victories．

　　Tanni's enduring success has been part motivation(动机)，part preparation．“The training I do that enable me to be a good sprinter(短跑运动员)enable me to be good at a marathon too．I train 50 weeks of the year and that keeps me prepared for whatever distance I went to race …I am still competing at a very high level, but as I get oider things get harder and I went to retire before I fall apart．”

　　Indeed Tanni retired finally after the Visa Paralympic World Cup in 2007．Her wish is to coach young athletes for Beijing 2008 Olympic Gammes．

　　In spite of ups and downs, she never takes her fate lying down．In her splendid life, she has won an amazing eleven gold medals, four silvers and one bronze in a series of Paralympics－a top lever athletic career covering two decades．She has won the London Wheelchair Marathon six times, more than any other competitor, and she has set over thirty would records．

　　What advice does she have for young athletes?“ Work hard at your studies, and then train, train again．”

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The Diet Zone：A Dangerous Place

　　Diet Coke, diet Pepsi, diet pills, no-fat diet, vegetable diet…We are surrounded by the word “diet” everywhere we look and listen．We have so easily been attracted by the promise and potential of diet products that we have stopped thinking about what diet products are doing to us．We are paying for products that harm us psychologically and physically(身体上)．

　　Diet products significantly weaken us psychologically．On one level, we are not allowing our brain to admit that our weight problems lie not in actually losing the weight, but in controlling the consumption of fatty, high-calorie, unhealthy foods．Diet products allow us to jump over the thinking stage and go straight for the scale(秤)instead．All we have to do is to swallow or recognize the word “diet” in food labels．

　　On another level, diet products have greater psychological effects．Every time we have a zero-calorie drink, we are telling ourselves without our awareness that we don’t have to work to get results．Diet products make people believe that gain comes without pain, and that life can be without resistance and struggle．

　　The danger of diet products lies not only in the psychological effects they have on us, but also in the physical harm that they cause．Diet foods can indirectly harm our bodies because consuming them instead of healthy foods means we are preventing our bodies from having basic nutrients(营养成分)．Diet foods and diet pills contain zero calorie only because the diet industry has created chemicals to produce these wonder products．Diet products may not be nutritional, and the chemical that go into diet products are potentially dangerous．

　　Now that we are aware of the effects that diet products have on us, it is time to seriously think about buying them．Losing weight lies in the power of minds, not in the power of chemicals．Once we realize this, we will be much better able to resist diet products, and therefore prevent the psychological harm that comes from using them．

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　　When it comes to friends, I desire those who will share my happiness, who possess wings of their own and who will fly with me．I seek friends whose qualities illuminate(照亮)me and train me up for love．It is for these people that I reserve the glowing hours, too good not to share．

　　When I was in the eighth grade, I had a friend．We were shy and “too serious” about our studies when it was becoming fashionable with our classmates to learn acceptable social behaviors．We said little at school, but she would come to my house and we would sit down with pencils and paper, and one of us would say：“Let’s start with a train whistle today．” We would sit quietly together and write separate poems or stories that grew out of a train whistle．Then we would read them aloud．At the end of that school year, we, too, were changing into social creatures and the stories and poems stopped．

　　When I lived for a time in London, I had a friend, He was in despair(失望)and I was in despair．But our friendship was based on the idea in each of us that we would be sorry later if we did not explore this great city because we had felt bad at the time．We met every Sunday for five weeks and found many excellent things．We walked until our despairs disappeared and then we parted．We gave London to each other．

　　For almost four years I have had remarkable friend whose imagination illuminates mine．We write long letters in which we often discover our strangest selves．Each of us appears, sometimes in a funny way, in the other’s dreams．She and I agree that, at certain times, we seem to be parts of the same mind．In my most interesting moments, I often think：“Yes, I must tell…．”We have never met．

　　It is such comforting companions I wish to keep．One bright hour with their kind is worth more to me than the lifetime services of a psychologist(心理学家)，who will only fill up the healing(愈合的)silence necessary to those darkest moments in which I would rather be my own best friend．

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Dear Hamilton,

　　We are fortunate that in such a large, high-pressure office we all get along so well．You are one of the people who keep the social temperature at such a comfortable setting．I don’t know anyone in the office who is better liked than you．

　　You can perhaps help with this．The collection of contributions towards gifts for employees’ personal-life events is becoming a little troubling．Certainly, the group sending of a gift is reasonable now and then．In the past month, however, there have been collections for two baby shower gifts, one wedding shower gift, two wedding gifts, one funeral(葬礼)remembrance, four birthday gifts, and three graduation gifts．

　　It’s not only the collected-from who are growing uncomfortable(and poor), but the collected-for feel uneasy receiving gifts from people who don’t know them outside the office, who wouldn’t even recognize their graduating children, their marrying daughters and sons, or their dead relatives．

　　This is basically a kind gesture(and one that people think well of you for), but the practice seems to have become too wide-ranging and feels improper in today’s office setting．

　　Thank you for understanding．

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　　Domestic(驯养的)horses now pull ploughs, race in the Kentucky Derby, and carry police．But early horses weren’t tame(驯服的)enough to perform these kinds of tasks．Scientists think the first interactions humans had with horses were far different from those today．

　　Thousands of years ago, people killed the wild horses that lived around them for food．Over time, people began to catch the animals and raise them．This was the first step in domestication．

　　As people began to tame and ride horses, they chose to keep those animals that had more desirable characteristics．For example, people may have chosen to keep horses that had a gentle personality so they could be ridden more easily．People who used horses to pull heavy loads would have chosen to keep stronger animals．Characteristics like strength are partly controlled by the animals’ genes．So as the domesticated horses reproduced, they passed the characteristics on to their young．Each new generation of houses would show more of these chosen characteristics．

　　Modern day horse breeds come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes．This variety didn’t exist in the horse population before domestication．The Shetland horse is one of the smallest breeds－typically reaching only one meter tall．With short, strong legs, the animals were bred to pull coal out of mine shafts(矿井)with low ceilings．Huge horses like the Clydesdale came on the scene around 1700．People bred these heavy, tall horses to pull large vehicles used for carrying heavy loads．

　　The domestication of horses has had great effects on societies．For example, horse were important tools in the advancement of modern agriculture．Using them to pull ploughs and carry heavy loads allowed people to farm more efficiently．Before they were able to ride horses, humans had to cross land on foot．Riding horses allowed people to travel far greater distance in much less time．That encouraged populations living in different areas to interact with one another．The new from of rapid transportation helped cultures spread around the world．

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