阅读理解

　　Patricia Blues, 29, has a new aim in life：to keep drivers' hands on their steering wheels and off their cell phones．On November 2, 2007, Blues lived through a horrible experience．A motorist dialing a cell phone drove through a stop sign at 45 miles per hour and run into the side of Blues' car．Blues' 2-year-old daughter was killed immediately in the crash．

　　Blues has since dedicated her time to pushing for laws that would prevent this type of tragedy from happening again．

　　Cell phones are not the only distractions(分神)that cause accidents．Eating, changing CD, reading maps, talking to passengers, and just reaching for an object on the floor can be dangerous．Therefore, the emphasis should be on educating drivers to avoid all distractions．However, talking on cell phones might be easier to regulate than eating or changing music．At least 34 states have already passed laws to restrict cell phone use in moving cars．No state has banned it yet, but several U．S．cities have．Worldwide, 13 nations, including Australia, England, Germany, Japan and China have banned drivers' use of cell phones in moving cars．

　　To date, no scientific evidence has been published showing that talking on the phone affects driving safety．But according to a test by some high school students, "driving while on the phone does affect safety and probably shouldn't be done"．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

　　Is it possible to persuade mankind to live without war?War is an ancient custom which has existed for at least six thousand years．It was always evil and usually foolish, but in the past the human race managed to live with it．Modern skill has changed this．Either man will stop war, or war will stop man．For the present, it is nuclear weapons that cause the greatest danger, but bacteriological(细菌的)or chemical weapons may, before long, offer an even greater threat．If we succeeded in stopping war, there would be no danger for us．To do this, we need to persuade mankind to look upon international questions in a new way, not by contests of force, in which the victory goes to the side which is most skillful in massacre(大屠杀)，but by arbitration(仲裁)in accordance with agreed principles of law．It is not easy to change old mental habits, but this is what must be attempted．

　　There are those who say that the adoption of this or that ideology(意识形态)would prevent war．I believe this to be a complete error．All ideologies are based upon beliefs without proof which are, at best, doubtful, and at worst, totally false．Those people who believe them are willing to go to war in support of them．

　　The movement of world opinion during the past two years has changed very largely such as we can welcome．It has become a common belief that nuclear war must be avoided．Of course, very difficult problems remain in the international world, but the spirit in which they are being approached is a better one than it was some years ago．It has begun to be thought, even by the powerful men who decide whether we shall live or die, that agreements should be reached even if both sides do not find these agreements wholly satisfactory．It has begun to be understood that the important conflict(冲突)nowadays is not between East and West, but between Man and the Hbomb．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

　　People just naturally associate kangaroo, koala and fine beaches with Australia．Yes, you can find many fine sand beaches, white or brown, to enjoy the sunshine and seaside breeze．However, in Queensland, the eastern state of Australia, a night beach tour at this time of year may bring you a more exciting sight of the miracle of life：You can watch hatching baby turtles making their first steps in a natural environment．

　　On Mon Repos beach, about 14 kilometres east of the city of Bundaberg in Queensland, Australia, lies Mon Repos Conservation Park．

　　By day, Mon Repos beach is a sweeping bay of brown sand, a quiet spot for people to sunbathe, surf and fish．

　　By night, it’s home to the largest concentration of endangered marine turtles on the eastern Australian mainland．And the miracle of egglaying and hatching occurs from around mid October to the end of April every year．

　　In order not to disturb the turtles, tourists have to follow the instruction of the guides．

　　But this may make the tour more like an adventure：Tourist are usually told to huddle close together, hold hands and walk close to the shoreline in the dark．

　　At the start of the season(October and November), tourists can view turtles laying their eggs．Nature turtles first use all four flippers to dig a body pit in the sand and then lay eggs in it．It’s not uncommon for a turtle to lay more than 100 eggs at a time．And her mission isn’t done until she uses her flippers to flick sand and cover the nest．

　　If you go there at the end of the season(March to April), you can see groups of hatchlings walk down to the water．It is an astonishing sight as the small creatures, barely two minutes old, race instinctively to the sea．

　　If they survive, the same hatchings will return in 50 years' time to lay eggs on the very beach where they first emerged(出现)．

(1)

(2)

(3)

　　"Wild animals seem to have escaped the Indian Ocean tsunami(海啸)，adding weight to the notion they possess a‘sixth sense’for disasters," experts said．

　　Sri Lankan wildlife officials have said the giant waves that killed hundreds of thousands of people along the coast of Indian Ocean island seemingly missed the wild beasts, with no dead animals found．

　　"No elephants are dead, not even a dead hare or rabbit．I think animals can sense disasters．They have a sixth sense．They know when things are happening," H．D．Ratnayake, deputy director of Sri Lanka’s Wildlife Department, said．

　　The waves washed floodwaters up to 3 km(2 miles)inland at Yala National Park in the ravaged southeast, Sri Lanka’s biggest wildlife reserve and home to hundreds of wild elephants and several leopards．"There has been a lot of evidence about dogs barking or birds migrating before volcanic eruptions or earthquakes．But it has not been proven,"said Matthew van Lierop, an animal behaviour specialist at Johannesburg Zoo．

　　"There have been no specific studies because you can’t really test it in a lab or field setting," he said．

　　Other authorities(权威)agreed with this judgment．

　　"Wildlife seem to be able to pick up certain phenomenon, especially birds．There are many reports of birds detecting coming disasters," said Clive Walker, who has written several books on African wildlife．

　　Animals certainly rely on the known senses such as smell or hearing to avoid danger such as predators(食肉动物)．

　　The notion of an animal "sixth sense"－or some other mythical power－is an enduring one which the evidence on Sri Lanka’s battered coast is likely to add to．

　　The Romans saw owls(猫头鹰)as omens of coming disasters and many ancient cultures viewed elephants as sacred(神圣的)animals endowed with special powers．

　　The tsunami was triggered by an earthquake in the Indian Ocean．It killed tens of thousands of people in Asia and East Africa．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

WELCOME TO YOUR FREE ISH MEMBERSHIP

Your Membership

　　International Students House is a unique(独特的)，cultural and recreational(娱乐的)centre providing a wide programme of events for students 310 days a year．

　　Located in a fashionable and safe neighbourhood, close to Regent’s Park, ISH is a central place to meet students from Britain and around the world．

　　ISH provides all its members with the opportunity to enjoy a wide variety of sports and hobbies in a friendly and fun environment．Many of the activities are free of charge as part of membership, while some charge a small fee．

　　Membership is open to all full time students, professional trainees and student nurses．

　　ISH organizes a number of lively, topical lectures of political and contemporary(同时代的)interest by famous speakers．

　　A variety of weekly language classes which in the past have included English, Spanish, Japanese and Italian．

　　ISH tries to offer as many development and educational programmes as possible for its members．Look out for additional workshops and leadership programmes．E-mail：learn @ish.org.uk．

　　Sunday Cinema：

　　Films are shown every Sunday evening at 19∶30 including recent blockbusters(大片), theme(主题)nights and classics．

　　Show your talents(才能)or learn from the beginning with our various classes and workshops which include Life Drawing, Photography, and Drama．

　　Throughout the year ISH holds numerous exhibitions, recitals(公演)and performances put on by the students．To get more information, e-mail：create @ish.org.uk．

　　The Travel Club runs a comprehensive(广泛的)schedule of day and weekend trips to British and European destinations．Students get the chance to explore new parts of the UK and meet people from all over the world．Sightseeing, canoeing, hiking, eating out, socializing and meeting local people are what you can expect to experience during the trips．E-mail：travel @ish.org.uk．

　　Classes：

　　Try out our Martial Arts and Fitness Classes every week night including Kick Boxing, Tai Chi, Kung Fu and Shaolin as well as Yoga, and Aerobics classes．All our classes are run by qualified and professional instructors．

　　Sports：

　　Join in our recreational and team sports such as football, volleyball, running, table tennis, and chess．

　　We also organize such activities as go karting, painballing and adventure weekends．E-mail：active @ish.org.uk．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

　　Nate suffered a devastating blow when he lost his job．His boss had spoken rudely, "Your services are no longer needed．" Nate left the building filled with despair．By the time he reached home, he was in a deep depression．When he entered his house, he blurted out to his wife Sophia, "I lost my job．I am a complete, utter failure．" A tense silence followed．Then a smile crept across Sophia’s face．"What great news!" she responded．"Now you can write the book you have always wanted to write．"

　　"But I have no job and no prospect of a job," he objected, completely without hope．"If I struggle to be an author, then what will we live on?Where will the money come from?"

　　Sophia took her husband by the hand and led him to the kitchen．Opening a drawer, she took out a box that was full of cash．"Where on earth did you get this?" Nate gasped．"To whom does it belong?"

　　"It’s ours!" Sophia replied．"I always knew that one day you would become a great writer if only you were given the chance．From the money you gave me for housekeeping every week, I have saved as much as I could so you would have your chance．Now there is enough to last us a whole year．"

　　What a surprise!What encouragement!What a wife!The unemployed husband did concentrate on writing that year, and the novel he wrote became a literary masterpiece．The book is The Scarlet Letter．Sophia had an even greater achievement, and she turned Nathaniel Hawthorne from a poor clerk into a world famous master．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

　　One bitterly cold day, a snowstorm blew into our area．Needing firewood, I quickly set out with my best friend, Bruce, to look for a tree to cut down．I was glad to have Bruce along．Cutting down a tree in a snowstorm can be dangerous．So it was important to have a friend who could warn me of dangers．

　　When I chose a big 23-meter-tall tree and prepared to cut it down, my best friend suddenly warned me,“Don’t cut down that tree! It’s too close to the power line!”I wasn’t sure about it．So I decided to disregard his warning．I wanted to finish the job quickly and go home．So I began cutting down the tree．When the tree fell, there was no longer any doubt whether my friend was right．

　　The tree caught the power line, bringing it to the ground．I considered cutting the tree off the line．After all, electricity can’t travel through wood, so I could safely remove the tree．As I reached out my finger to touch the tree, pain ran up my arm and through my head．I had been shocked!

　　After I returned home and told my mother what had happened, she quickly called the power company．Workers from the power company soon arrived on the scene．One of them asked if I had touched the tree, and when I told him I had, his face turned pale．

　　“You should have been killed,”he said．

　　So why am I still alive?It was my boots that saved my life．

　　Within two hours, the workers removed the tree．Soon the snowstorm calmed down－but not my mother．

　　Even though she was glad I wasn’t hurt, my mother was still serious with me．After all, I shouldn’t have brushed off my friend’s warning．

　　Through this experience, I learned it’s important to listen to people who offer a different perspective．Taking the time to listen might actually save a lot of time and trouble．It certainly would have kept me from getting the“shock of my life．”

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

　　Reading poems is not exactly an everyday activity for most people．In fact, many people never read a poem once they get out of high school．

　　It is worth reminding ourselves that this has not always been the case in America．In the nineteenth century, a usual American activity was to sit around the fireside in the evening and read poems aloud．It is true that there was no television at the time, nor movie theaters, nor World Wide Web, to provide diversion．However, poems were a source of pleasure, of self-education, of connection to other people or to the world beyond one’s own community．Reading them was a social act as well as an individual one, and perhaps even more social than individual．Writing poems to share with friends and relations was, like reading poems by the fireside, another way in which poetry has a place in everyday life．

　　How did things change?Why are most Americans no longer comfortable with poetry, and why do most people today think that a poem has nothing to tell them and that they can do well without poems?

　　There are, I believe, three factors：poets, teachers, and we ourselves．Of these, the least important is the third：the world surrounding the poem has betrayed us more than we have betrayed the poem．Early in the twentieth century, poetry in English headed into directions unfavorable to the reading of poetry．Readers decided that poems were not for the fireside or the easy chair at night, and that they belonged where other difficult-to-read things belonged．

　　Poets failed the reader, so did teachers．They want their students to know something about the skills of a poem, they want their students to see that poems mean something．Yet what usually occurs when teachers push these concerns on their high school students is that young people decide poems are unpleasant crossword puzzles．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

　　“Can I see my baby?” asked the happy new mother．The bundle(婴儿包)was placed in her arms and when she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she held her breath－the baby had been born without ears．Time, however, proved that the baby’s hearing was perfect except his appearance．

　　One day when he rushed home from school and threw himself into his mother’s arms, he cried out bitterly, “A boy, a big boy…called me－a f-…freak．” She sighed, knowing that his life was to be endless of heartbreaks．

　　He grew up, handsome for his misfortune．A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president but for that．He developed a gift for literature and music．

　　The boy’s father had a talk with the family doctor．Could nothing be done?“I believe we could transplant on a pair of outer ears, if they could be donated ,” the doctor decided．So the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice for a young man．Two years went by．Then, “You’re going to the hospital, son．Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need．But it’s a secret．” said the father．

　　The operation was brilliantly successfull．His talents blossomed into genius．School and college became a series of successes．Later he married and entered the diplomatic(外交)service．“But I must know!” he urged his father．“Who gave so much for me?I could never do enough for him．”

　　“I do not believe you could,” said the father, “but the agreement was that you are not to know…not yet．” The years kept the secret, but the day did come…one of the darkest days that ever pass through a son．He stood with his father over his mother’s casket(灵柩)．Slowly and tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish-brown hair to let out the secret．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

　　When I asked my daughter which item she would keep; the phone, the car, the cooker, the computer, the TV, or her boyfriend, she said “the phone”．Personally, I couldn’t do without the phone entirely, which makes me unusual, Because the telephone is changing our lives more than any other piece of technology．

　　Point 1 The telephone creates the need to communicate, in the same way that more roads create more traffic．My daughter comes home from school at 4∶00 pm and then spends an hour on the phone talking to the very people she has been with at school all day．If the phone did not exist, would she have anything to talk about?

　　Point 2 The mobile phone means that we are never alone．“The mobile saved my life,” says Crystal Johnstone．She had an accident in her Volvo on the A45 between Otley and Skipton．Trapped inside, she managed to make the call that brought the ambulance to her rescue．

　　Point 3 The mobile removes our secret．It allows marketing manager of Haba Deutsch, Carl Nicolaisen, to ring his sales staff all round the world at any time of day to ask where they are, where they are going, and how their last meeting went．

　　Point 4 The telephone separates us．Antonella Bramante in Rome says, “We worked in separate offices but I could see him through the window．It was easy to get his number．We were so near——but we didn’t meet for the first two weeks!”

　　Point 5 The telephone allows us to reach out beyond our own lives．Today we can talk to several complete strangers simultaneously(同时地)on chat lines(at least my daughter does．I wouldn’t know what to talk about)．We can talk across the world．We can even talk to astronauts(if you know any)while they’re space-walking．And, with the phone line hooked up to the computer, we can access the Internet, the biggest library on Earth．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)