After another down session on the European markets, the talk is how long and deep the recession(衰退)will be．

　　The European markets have had a lot to digest．during the past few days．With Euro Zone growth coming to a stop and further in places like Japan, where the economy has officially joined the ranks of countries in recession, optimism is in short supply．

　　And that gloomy sentiment(信心低迷)is evident in the downward trend in European trade．Despite the mood, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, back in London after last weekend's G-20 economic summit in Washington, says the way out of this global problem is a coordinated(协调一致的)global approach．

　　“The managing director of the International Monetary Fund has joined many other people today in calling for a financial stimulus(刺激),”Brown said．“A financial stimulus means helping families and helping businesses now through this difficult position and as long as you have, as we will have, a medium-term framework for financial sustainability(持续性), then this is the right thing to do facing the downturn．It is right, as now almost evrybody accepts this across the world and every country is now looking at this, that we help．people through these difficult times．”

　　IMF head Dominique Strauss-Kahn says the body is likely to．need at least＄100 billion of additional funding during the next half year if it is to play a larger role in aiding a global economic recovery．

　　But 2009 promises to be a financially difficult year around the world and in Britain, like elsewhere, that means further economic pain．

　　Britain's largest business lobbying(游说)group, the Confederation of British Industry(英国工业联合会)warned rising British unemployment levels will probably peak toward the end of next year．CBI Chief Economic advisor Ian McCafferty says it will be a tough time．

　　“We are currently seeing the fastest rises for some 17 years and I think we believe that we will see two million unemployed by the end of this year, ”McCafferty said,“and by the time we see the end of 2009 or early 2010, it will have peaked out at not far short of three million．So that is rising at eight or nine percent of the workforce．Thus, that is a significant increase from where we have been in recent years．”

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　　Sibford School is located in Oxfordshire with easy access to London, Oxfoxd and Stratford-upon-Avon．

　　Port Regis School is well situated for exploring the beautiful South and West of England and Wales．

　　Each school has excellent hotels and guest houses in the locality for parents who are dropping off or collecting children from the school．

　　Please note：

　　·All students attending English Country Schools must live residentially on site．

　　·We do not recommend that parents live locally while their child is at the school：experience suggests that this often upsets the child and disrupts progress．

　　About 15 minutes from Port Regis School, Howard's House is set in large gardens hidden away in the quietness of the lovely Nadder valley．

　　Plumber Manor

　　Plumber Manor is a comfortable Jacobean manor house built of local stone, situated about 20 minutes from Port Regis School．The 17th Century house, is surrounded by lawns and is set in tranquil Dorset countryside．The Develish stream runs through the grounds．

　　Woodville Farm Bed & Breakfast self-catering(自己提供食物)

　　Woodville Farm．is a family run arable(可耕地)& livestock farm set in the Dorset countryside about 5 minutes from Port Regis School．Bed and Breakfast accommodation：one double bedroom & one twin bedroom both with bathrooms, tea &．coffee making facilities, color television & hairdryer．There is also a self-catering．2-bedroom bungalow(平房)nearby．

　　Stock Hill Country House Hotel and Restaurant

　　Stock Hill Country House Hotel and Restaurant is a late Victorian mansion set in eleven acres of mature and beautifully nurtured, wooded grounds on the borders of Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire．About 10 minutes from Port Regis School．

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　　In the future, humans may no longer have to slave over a hot stove．It's the end of a tiring day at work and you can't face cooking dinner．In this situation, most people would order a pizza or run down to the neighborhood noodle shop for takeout．

　　What if there was another option?What if you arrived home to find a delicious hot meal waiting for you, prepared by your very own kitchen robot?It might sound like science fiction, but professors at the University of Tokyo have taken the first steps toward making this scenario(情景)a reality．The team recently introduced a humanoid(像人的)kitchen robot that can pour tea and other drinks into cups and serve them to guests．When teatime is over, the robot can even wash the dishes and put them away．

　　In California, another interesting kitchen robot has been developed．Called the Readybot, it can pick up objects and either store them in cabinets or put them in the trash．It also carries a separate floor-cleaning robot that can operate by itself．Unlike the Japanese robot, Readybot is not humanoid．Instead, it looks more like a large box with arms and wheels．

　　Readybot was created by engineers and designers who established a club called the Readybot Challenge．They believe that in the future millions of robots will be needed in homes to perform ordinary household tasks．Readybot is just the first step in their plan to create a robot that can tackle jobs not only in kitchen but in other rooms of homes and in offices as well．

　　Clearly there are technological hurdles to overcome before robots can cook a complete dinner, and there are also many safety concerns．Not everyone(especially parents)would be comfortable with the idea of robots in their house, manipulating(使用，操作)hot pans and sharp knives．The European Commission recently funded a project to study these concerns．According to lead researcher Professor Chris Melhuish,“Enabling robots to interact safely with humans is a key need for the future development of robotics．”

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阅读理解

　　BALTIMORE-When 15-year-old Michael Thomas left home for school last May, he couldn't have been prouder．On his feet, thanks to his mother's hard work, were a pair of new Air Jordans－＄100 worth of leather, rubber and status(身份)that to today's youth are the Mercedes-Benz(梅赛德斯·奔驰)of athletic footwear．

　　The next day it was James David Martin, 17, who was walking down the street in Thomas' new sneakers, while Thomas lay dead in a field not far from his school．Martin was arrested for murder．

　　For the Baltimore school system, Thomas', death was the last straw．He was the third youngster to have been killed over his clothes in five years．Dozens of others had been robbed of name brand sneakers, designer jogging suits, leather jackets and jewelry．This fall, the school board announced a dress code(规定)preventing leather skins and jackets, jogging suits, gold chains and other expensive items．

　　Clothes, said board president Joseph Smith, had just gotten out of hand．

　　Across the nation;parents, school officials, psychologists and even some children agree．

　　They say that today's youngsters, throughout the nation, have become clothes fixated(专注)．They worry about them, compete over them, neglect school for them and sometimes even rob and kill for them．

　　In many cases, students are so concerned about what they and their classmates are wearing, they forget what they come to school for, educators said．

　　In response, many public schools, mainly in Eastern cities, have adopted school uniforms to cut down on competition．Educators say, in the current fashion climate, dressing students alike allows them more freedom to be individuals．

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　　Venice hoteliers(旅馆经营者)are urging tourists to enjoy the tourist mecca(圣地)despite constant flooding, offering free rubber boots for guests to wander around the Renaissance city．

　　“Venetian hoteliers and Mayor Massimo Cacciari reassure tourists who want to come in Venice：Don't worry, there is no danger：high water is a phenomenon that quickly disappears,”says an industry website, www．veneziasi．it．A special 190 euros(250 dollar)a night package includes "free use of rubber boots to walk during the high water,”along with a map showing where special platforms are erected along the canal city’s streets during the flooding．

　　Venice has been under water for nearly two weeks, reaching a 22-year high on December 1 at 1.56 meters(5 feet, 2 inches)．Thursday and Friday are expected to see highs of up to 1.30 meters．The lagoon city(水城)was flooded 50 times between 1993 and 2002, but by far the worst incident was on November 4, 1966, when it remained under water by 1.94 metres of water amid catastrophic flooding throughout Italy．

　　Every new flood brings disputes over a complicated project to place hinged panels(活动闸门)at the entrance leading into the lagoon．Mayor Cacciari is among critics of the so-called Moses Project, which was launched in 2003 and is not expected to reach completion until 2012．Under the scheme, 78 steel panels will lie on the seabed．When high tide is more than 1.1 metres above normal, compressed air will then force the panels to rise up on their hinges, forming a slanting(倾斜的)barrier to the incoming tide from the Adriatic Sea．Another approach under consideration is to raise the city's buildings．Under Operation“Rialto”, piston-supported poles(活塞柱)would be placed beneath each structure and gradually lift buildings by up to a metre．

　　Experts say the severity and frequency of floods is becoming worse due to silt deposits raising the floor of the lagoon and a rise in sea levels caused by global warming．

　　Bad weather has affected much of Italy in recent days, with snow storms in the north, heavy rain in Umbria and Tuscany and thunder storms over Rome and as far south as Sicily．

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　　Scotland is a unique place, laden with history, where you can find aristocratic(贵族的)palaces and castles, as well as the traditional parades in national costumes．

　　In order to see and discover the true soul of Scotland today, what forged the character of this splendid region, we have to go towards the northern regions, to the Grampian Mountains(格兰扁山区), beautiful and unspoiled．The Scots overpowered the environment with simple spades and strong arms, for it was difficult to farm．

　　The history of this ancient struggle, and its people’s ancient love affair with the hard land, is enclosed within the walls of the Angus Folk Museum．You are able to get a feel of the typical rural atmosphere of times past from the everyday artifacts displayed here．

　　From coastal Aberdeen in towards the interior of the Grampian Mountains there runs the Castle Trail, a road that touches on many fortresses(堡垒), which are witnesses of continual fights against the control of neighboring England in Scottish history．

　　Perhaps the most exciting moment for Scottish autonomy(自治)is the one experienced inside this ancient abbey of Arbroath, where, in 1320, the Declaration of Independence was celebrated, at the instigation of King Robert the Bruce．He carried out the plan for autonomy drawn up by the great popular hero William Wallace, for whom cinema has designed the wonderful film Braveheart, the winner of the five Oscars．

　　This is Glamis Castle．It is often remembered for being the residence of King Macbeth and Queen Elizabeth in her childhood．Among the most frequent guests here are the predictable ghosts, if not actually created, by ancient popular beliefs．These have been handed down over the centuries by a people tended to live with mystery, with the forces of the supernatural．

　　Another attraction here is a legendary monster：the Loch Ness Monster．Is it real or imaginary that this monster, which has been nicknamed Nessie, has collected a good 3000 sightings over the last 50 years．

　　The true flag of Scotland, tartan, is recognizable from the brightly colored plaid patterns which are used to distinguish the various social groups．

　　Bagpipes and dancing open the competitions of local sporting events, which are called Highland Gatherings．

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　　Sure enough, at that very moment as they looked back, they saw the man bend down to examine something on the pavement．Then he looked all around for some moments．They held their breath．The man bent down again, and prodded(以尖物推或刺)the pavement with his shoe．

　　Toad, who at the best of times would not have been fast enough escape pursuit, was so tired that he could hardly move at all．As he felt the toe of the man’s shoe touch him, he shuffled(慢吞吞地走)a mere couple of inches towards the road．His friends were all on the safe side of the road and he felt completely abandoned．The man’s shoe started to move towards him again．The next thing he knew, there was a flurry(阵风)of wings above him, followed by a sharp cry of pain．

　　Then Fox was by his side,“Fast as you can, up my tail,”he whispered．Toad grasped Fox’s thick brush and grasped tightly with his front feet, pulled himself slowly up．Fox did not stop more than a moment．Once he was sure Toad was off the ground, he raced back across the road again, with Toad hanging grimly on behind．

　　Tawny Owl(]猫头鹰)had stretched out his claws and skimmed(掠过)the man’s head, raking through his hair．The man’s arms flailed(用力挥动)wildly upwards and caught the bird a glancing blow on the back, but Tawny Owl, seeing that Fox and Toad were out of danger, flew steadily upwards in a wide arc(弧)until the man could no longer see him．Then he flew back over the road, and over the railings, landing by the gorse([植] 金雀花)patch．The moment of danger had passed．

　　Tawny Owl looking through, most of the animals seemed to be silent, and in the dimness(朦胧)he could make out various shapes crowded together around the gorse．

　　“Thanks, Owl”, he heard Fox whisper．“All safe now．Everyone’s exhausted——no wish to talk at the moment…”he broke off to yawn．“We’re well hidden here…oh, I’m so tired…I think I’m the only one still awake．Toad’s asleep already．”

　　“Good night, Fox．”

　　“Good night, Owl．”He whispered．“See you in the evening．”

　　Tawny Owl flew slowly away to join the other birds before it grew light．The first stage of the journey was complete．

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阅读理解

　　Congratulations!You are Times person of the year!

　　Previous winners have included Adolf Hitler, Bill Gates and Ayatollah Khomeini．This year it is you．

　　Time magazine has named“You”as its“Person of the Year”in recognition of the way that ordinary internet users have revolutionized the media through blogs, file-sharing and websites such as Wikipedia, YouTube and MySpace．The magazine designed special cover——a white keyboard with a mirror for a computer screen where buyers can see their reflection——for the issue, reflecting the importance of user-generated(使用者自创)Internet content as a driving force in the modern world．

　　User-generated content on websites such as YouTube has proved the latest twist(转折)in the Internet revolution．YouTube has attracted millions of users and earned its founders＄1.65 billion when it was bought by Google earlier this year．

　　Normally, the magazine describes its person of the year not necessarily as an honor, but as“the person or persons who most affected the news and our lives, for good or for ill, and represented what was important about the year”．Mr．Stengel said in an interview that to select the“Person of the Year”is to look for someone who’s a symbol．

　　The magazine did cite(提名)26“People Who Mattered”, from North Korean leader Kim Jong II to Pope Benedict XVI(教皇本笃十六世)to the troika(三人组合)of President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in the past．And in 2005, the winners were Bill and Melinda Gates and rock star Bono, who were cited for their charitable(慈善的)work aimed at reducing global poverty and improving world health．It was not the first time that the magazine went away from naming an actual person for its“Person of the Year”．In 1966, the 25-and-under generation was cited;in 1975, American women were named;and in 1982, the computer was chosen．

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　　Hidden Valley looks a lot like the dozens of other camps that dot the woods of central Maine．There's a lake, some soccer fields and horses．But the campers make the difference．They're all American parents who have adopted kids from China．They're at Hidden Valley to find bridges from their children's old worlds to the new．Diana Becker of Montville, Maine, watches her 3-year-old daughter Mika dance to a Chinese version of"Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star．""Her soul is Chinese,"she says,"but really she's growing up American．"

　　Hidden Valley and a handful of other"culture camps"serving families with children from overseas reflect the huge rise in the number of foreign adoptions, from 7,093 in 1990 to 15,774 last year．After cutting through what can be miles of red tape, due to different customs and cultures, parents often come home to find a new dilemma(进退两难的窘境)．"At first you think, 'I need a child',"says Sandy Lachter of Washington, D．C．, who with her husband, Steve, adopted Amelia, 5, from China in 1995．"Then you think, 'What does the child need?'"

　　The culture camps give families a place to find answers to those kinds of questions．Most grew out of local support groups;Hidden Valley was started last year by the Boston chapter of Families with Children from China, which includes 650 families．While parents address weighty issues like how to raise kids in a mixed-race family, their children just have fun riding horses, singing Chinese songs or making scallion pancakes．

　　The camp is a continuation of language and dance classes many of the kids attend during the year．"When we rented out a theater for 'Mulan,' it was packed,"says Stephen Chen of Boston, whose adopted daughter Lindsay is 4．Classes in Chinese language, art and calligraphy are taught by experts, like Renne Lu of the Greater Boston Chinese Cultural Center．"Our mission is to preserve the heritage,"Lu says．

　　Kids who are veteran campers say the experience helps them understand their complex heritage．Sixteen-year-old Alex was born in India and adopted by Kathy and David Brinton of Boulder, Colo．, when he was 7．"I went through a stage where I hated India, hated everything about it,"he says．"You just couldn't mention India to me．"But after six sessions at the East India Colorado Heritage Camp, held at Snow Mountain Ranch in Estes Park, Colo．, he hopes to travel to India after he graduates from high school next year．

　　Camp can be a learning experience for the whole family．Whitney Ning, 23, a counselor for four years, says the Korea Heritage Camp helped her become closer to her parents．"They were hesitant at first,"she says,"but when they saw how much it meant to me, they became very supportive．"Sometimes the most direct route around the world is across a campfire．

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　　NO one should be forced to wear a uniform under any circumstance．Uniforms are demanding to the human spirit and totally unnecessary in a democratic society．Uniforms tell the world that the person who wears one has no value as an individual but only lives to function as a part of a whole．The individual in a uniform loses all self-worth．

　　There are those who say that wearing a uniform gives a person a sense of identification with a larger, more important concept．What could be more important than the individual himself?If an organization is so weak that it must rely on cloth and buttons to inspire its members, that organization has no right to continue its existence．Others say that the practice of making persons wear uniforms, say in a school, eliminates all envy and competition in the matter of dress, such that a poor person who cannot afford good quality clothing need not be played down by a wealthy person who wears expensive, quality clothing．Those persons conveniently ignore such critical concepts as freedom of choice, motivation, and individuality．If all persons were to wear the same clothing, why would anyone strive to be better?It is only a short step from forcing everyone to wear the same clothing to forcing everyone to drive the same car, have the same type of house, eat the same types of foods．When this happens, all incentive(鼓励办法)to improve one's life is removed．Why would parents bother to work hard so that their children could have a better life than they had when they know that their children are going to be forced to have exactly the same life that they had?

　　Uniforms also hurt the economy．Right now, billions of dollars are spent on the fashion industry yearly．Thousands of persons are employed in designing, creating, and marketing different types of clothing．If everyone were forced to wear uniforms, artistic personnel would be unnecessary．Sales persons would be unnecessary as well;why bother to sell the only items that are available?The wearing of uniforms would destroy the fashion industry which in turn would have a ripple effect(连锁反应)on such industries as advertising and promotion．Without advertising, newspapers, magazines, and television would not be able to remain in business．One entire information and entertainment industries would founder．

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