阅读理解

　　There is a measurable relation between how much a person learns and that individual’s attitude toward the subject to be learned．When faced with a difficult learning assignment, one path toward success is to seek out and concentrate on the positive aspects of the subject matter．If a student has boring and ineffective teacher in a required course, one solution is to look for the positive aspects of completing the course, regardless of how boring the instructor happens to be．To accomplish this might require a private tutor or some independent reading, but with the right attitude, success is possible．

　　Over-achievers-those students who do better than their test scores indicate-usually have a positive interest toward learning．They may learn some things more slowly, and it may take more effort, but, to compensate, they are often better at applying what they have learned．As long as they do not stress themselves into emotional problems, they are successful．

　　Under-achievers-those who function below their ability indicated by test scores-often tend to permit a few negative factors to sidetrack them．Because of their negative attitudes, they sometimes become unfairly critical of teachers．They allow themselves to get bored when it is not necessary．In short, their attitudes often cause them to learn less than over-achievers．

　　If you learn to replace a negative mind-set toward learning with something more positive, you are on the road to achieving virtually any goal you desire．For example, if you realize a personal computer with a word processor would improve your performance, but have an attitude that keeps telling you that you cannot learn to operate a computer you tend to make all kinds of excuses．In short, you resist making full use of a terrific tool, simply because your negative attitude prevents you from learning．

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阅渎理解

　　A small dog should be belly-up after eating a handful M＆M’s, at least according to conventional wisdom．But watching“Moose”, a friend’s five-pound Chihuahua, race around a living room after his sweet snack makes one wonder: Is chocolate truly poisonous to dogs?

　　Dogs and humans have similar tastes．But unlike humans, our companions experience dangerous effects from eating chocolate－it can poison them and in some cases is fatal．Chocolate’s danger to dogs depends on its quality．

　　Chocolate is processed from the bitter seeds of the cocoa tree, which contain a family of compounds known as methylxanthines(一种衍生物)．This class of substances includes caffeine and the related chemical theobromine(可可碱)．Chocolate contains a significant amount of theobromine and smaller amounts of caffeine．These chemicals can cause a dog’s heart to race up to twice its normal rate, and some dogs may run around as if“they drank a gallon of espresso,”according to Hackett．

　　Dogs are capable of handling some chocolate, but it depends on the animal’s weight and the type of chocolate it eats．Unsweetened baking chocolate contains more than six times as much theobromine as milk chocolate, although amounts vary between cocoa beans as well as different brands of chocolate．Less than four ounces of milk chocolate is potentially fatal for Moose and other small dogs．

　　Around every confection-centered holiday－Valentine’s Day, Easter and Christmas－at least three or four dogs are hospitalized overnight in the animal medical center at Colorado State．But in 16 years, Hackett has seen just one dog die from chocolate poisoning, and he suspects it may have had an underlying disease that made it more exposed to chocolate’s heart –racing effect．

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阅渎理解

　　Are some people born clever，and others born stupid?Or is intelligence developed by our environment and our experience?Strangely enough, the answer to these questions is yes．To some extent our intelligence is given to us at birth, and no amount of 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 person’s intelligence are fixed at birth, 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 intelligent．Thus if we take two unrelated people at random from population, it is likely that their degree of intelligence will be completely different．If, on the other hand, we take two identical twins, they will very likely to 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 a part．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 degree of intelligence．

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阅渎理解

　　I began working in journalism when I was eight．It was my mother’s idea．She wanted me to“make something”of myself, and decided I had better start young if I was to have any chance of keeping up with the competition．

　　With my load of magazines I headed toward Belleville Avenue．The crowds were there．There were two gas stations on the corner of Belleville and Union．For several hours I made myself highly visible, making sure everyone could see me and the heavy black letters on the bag that said THE SATURDAY EVENING POST．When it was supper time, I walked back home．

　　“How many did you sell, my boy?”my mother asked．

　　“None．”

　　“Where did you go?”

　　“The corner of Belleville and Union Avenues．”

　　“What did you do?”

　　“Stood on the corner waiting for somebody to buy a Saturday Evening Post．”

　　“You just stood there?”

　　“Didn’t sell a single one．”

　　“My God, Russell!”

　　Uncle Allen put in,“Well, I’ve decided to take the Post．”I handed him a copy and he paid me a nickle(五分镍币)．It was the first nickle I earned．

　　Afterwards my mother taught me how to be a salesman．I would have to ring doorbells, address adults with self-confidence, and persuade them by saying that no one, no matter how poor, could afford to be without the Saturday Evening Post in the home．

　　One day, I told my mother I’d changed my mind．I didn’t want to make a success in the magazine business．

　　“If you think you can change your mind like this,”she replied,“you’ll become a good-for-nothing．”She insisted that, as soon as school was over, I should start ringing doorbells, selling magazines．Whenever I said no, she would scold me．

　　My mother and I had fought this battle almost as long as I could remember．My mother, dissatisfied with my father’s plain workman’s life, determined that I would not grow up like him and his people．But never did she expect that, forty years later, such a successful journalist as me would go back to her husband’s people for true life and love．

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阅读理解

　　There are a great many careers in which the increasing emphasis is on specialization．You find these careers in engineering, in production, in statistical work, and in teaching．But there is an increasing demand for people who are able to take in a great area at a glance, people who perhaps do not know too much about any one field．There is, in other words, a demand for people who are capable of seeing the forest rather than the trees, of making general judgments．We can call these people“generalists”．And these“generalists”are particularly needed for positions in administration, where it is their job to see that other people do the work, where they have to plan for other people, to organize other people’s work, to begin it and judge it．

　　The specialist understands on field; his concern is with technique and tools．He is a“trained”man; and his educational background is properly technical or professional．The generalist－and especially the administrator－deals with people; his concern is with leadership, with planning, and with direction giving．He is an“educated”man; and the humanities are his strangest foundation．Very rarely is a specialist capable of being an administrator．And very rarely is a good generalist also a good specialist in a particular field．Any organization needs both kinds of people, though different organizations need them in different proportions．It is your task to find out, during your training period, into which of the kinds of jobs you fit, and to plan your career accordingly．

　　Your first job may turn out to be the right job for you－but this is pure accident．Certainly you should not change jobs constantly or people will become suspicious of your ability to hold any job．At the same time you must not look upon the first job as the final job; it is primarily a training job, an opportunity to understand yourself and your fitness for being an employee．

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阅读理解

　　Scholars and researchers have tried to discover what personality characteristics go along with success in intercultural experiences．Their findings have often been unclear or incomplete．But three characteristics stand out in their reports: patience, a sense of humor, and the awareness of being unclear．

　　Patience, of course, is the ability to keep calm even when things do not go as one wants them to, or hopes they will, or has even been sure they will．Impatience sometimes brings improvements in relations with other people, but usually it does not．

　　A person with a sense of humor is less likely to take things too seriously and more ready to see the humor in her own reactions than is a humorless person．The value of a sense of humor really needs to be paid more attention to．

　　“The awareness of being unclear”is a more difficult concept than patience or a sense of humor．Foreigners often find themselves in situations that are unclear to the newcomers．That is, they do not know what is happening in the situation．Perhaps they do not understand the local language well enough, or they do not know how some system or organization works, or they can’t be sure of different people’s roles in what is going on．“It’s like I just got here from the moon,”a Chinese graduate student who newly arrived in the United States said,“things are just so different here．”

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阅读理解

　　People do not analyze every problem they meet．Sometimes they try to remember a solution from the last time they had a similar problem．They often accept the opinions or ideas of other people．Other times they begin to act without thinking．They try to find a solution by trial and error．However, when all these methods fail, the person with a problem has to start analyzing．There are six stages in analyzing a problem．

　　First the person must recognize that there is a problem．For example, Sam’s bicycle is broken, and he cannot read it to class as he usually does．Sam must see that there is a problem with his bicycle．

　　Next the thinker must define the problem．Before Sam can repair his bicycle, he must find the reason why it does not work．For instance, he must determine if the problem is with the gears, the brakes, or the frame．He must make his problem more specific．

　　Now the person must look for information that will make the problem clearer and lead to possible solutions．For instance, suppose Sam decided that his bike does not work because there is something wrong with the gear wheels．At this time, he can look in his bicycle repair book and read about gears．He can talk to his friends at the bike shop．He can look at his gears carefully．

　　After studying the problem, the person should have several suggestions for a possible solution．Take Sam as an illustration．His suggestions might be: put oil on the gear wheels; buy new gear wheels and replace the old ones; tighten or loosen the gear wheels．

　　Eventually one suggestion seems to be the solution to the problem．Sometimes the final idea comes very suddenly because the thinker suddenly sees something new or sees something in a new way．Sam, for example, suddenly sees that there is a piece of chewing gum between the gear wheels．He immediately realizes the solution to his problem : he must clean the gear wheels．

　　Finally the solution is tested．Sam cleans the gear wheels and finds that afterwards his bicycle works perfectly．In short, he has solved the problem．

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阅读理解

　　We are all called upon to make a speech at some point in life, but most of us don’t do a very good job．This article gives some suggestions on how to give an effective speech．

　　So, you have to give a speech－and you are terrified．You get nervous, you forget what you want to say, you stumble over words, you talk too long, and you bore your audience．Later you think,“Thank Goodness, it’s over．I’m just not good at public speaking．I hope I never have to do that again．”

　　Cheep up!It doesn’t have to be that bad．Here are some simple steps to take the pain out of speech making．Ask yourself the purpose of your speech．What is the occasion?Why are you speaking?Then, gather as many facts as you can on your subject．Spend plenty of your time doing your research．Then spend plenty of your time organizing your material so that your speech is clear and easy to follow．Use as many examples as possible, and use pictures, charts, and graphs if they help you make your points more clearly．Never forget your audience．Don’t talk over their heads, and don’t talk down to them．Treat your audience with respect．They will appreciate your thoughtfulness．

　　Just remember：Be prepared．Know your subject, your audience, and the occasion．Be brief．Say what you have to say and then stop．And be yourself．Let your personality come through so that you make person-to-person contact with your audience．

　　If you follow these simple steps, you will see that you don’t have to be afraid of public speaking．In fact, you may find the experience so enjoyable that you volunteer to make more speeches!You’re not convinced yet?Give it a try and see what happens．

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阅读理解

　　Two American scientists told the people in industrial nations that they would be much healthier if they ate more of the same kind of foods eaten by humans living more than 10,000 years ago．

　　The scientists say that the human body has changed very little since human first appeared on earth, but the way we live has changed greatly．Our body has not been able to deal with these changes in life style and this has led to new kinds of sicknesses．These new sicknesses were not known in ancient times．So they are called“diseases of civilization(文明)”．Many cancers and diseases of the blood system, including heart attacks and strokes(中风)are examples of such diseases．

　　Scientists noted that early stone-age people used very little alcohol(酒精)or tobacco, probably none．Ancient people also got a great deal of physical exercise, but a change in food is one of the main differences between life in ancient times and life today．

　　Stone-age people hunted wild animals for their meat, which had much less fat than farm animals．They also ate a lot of fresh wild vegetables, and fruits．They did not use milk and other dairy products, and they made very little use of grains．But today, we eat a large amount of dairy products and grain foods．We eat six times more salt than stone-age people．We eat more sugar．We eat twice as much fat but only one third as much protein(蛋白质)and much less vitamin C．

　　People today probably do not want to live as people thousands of years ago did, but scientists say that we would be much healthier if we ate as those ancient people did, cutting the amount of fatty, salty and sweet foods．

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