阅读理解

　　So long as teachers fail to distinguish(区分)between teaching and learning, they will continue to undertake to do for children that which only children can do for themselves．Teaching children to read is not passing reading on to them．It is certainly not endless hours spent in activities about reading．Douglas insists that “reading cannot be taught directly and schools should stop trying to do the impossible”．

　　Teaching and learning are two entirely different processes．They differ in kind and function．The function of teaching is to create the conditions and the climate that will make it possible for children to devise the most efficient system for teaching themselves to read．Teaching is also public activity．It can be seen and observed．

　　Learning to read involves all that each individual does to make sense of the world of printed language．Almost all of it is private, for learning is an occupation of the mind, and that process is not open to public scrutiny．

　　If teacher and learner roles are not interchangeable, what then can be done through teaching that will aid the child in the quest(探索)for knowledge? Smith has one principal rule for all teaching instructions．“Make learning to read easy, which means making reading a meaningful, enjoyable and frequent experience for children．”

　　When the roles of teacher and learner are seen for what they are, and when both teacher and learner fulfill them appropriately, then much of the pressure and feeling of failure for both is eliminated．Learning to read is made easier when teachers create an environment where children are given the opportunity to solve the problem of learning to read by reading．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

阅读理解

(1)

(2)

(3)

阅读理解

　　About 2 percent of American students are now taught at home．Educators are confused about how this growing practice should be regulated, and also wonder whether children who are not fully registered in school should get some public services．The issue shows how dim the line between public and private education can become, even when that private education is delivered at home．

　　Probably about half the parents who teach at home are religiously motivated and use lessons by mail(or Internet)from church schools．Perhaps an additional fourth have some doubts about public education, think schools are unsafe of the fact that their children have special need that regular schools don't meet．In some cases, parents home-school to escape compulsory(义务的)education; they do least teaching while having older children care for younger sisters or brothers or work in home businesses．Although children often learn well at home, weak regulations in most states mean that officials rarely challenge or monitor parents who say they are home-schooling．With glowing frequency, however, public schools offer services to the home-schooled．Districts may permit them to enroll part time for instance; educators fear that otherwise these children could later return full time with serious academic weaknesses, and in any case some districts wanting to qualify for state aid can benefit from part-timers filling empty seats．

　　Here in Helena,Mary Brown has taught her 12 children at home while manufacturing clothing there in her non-teaching hours．Mrs Brown says her motive is to give more training in basics, like phonics(发音学)than public schools offer．Most of her curriculum is from a church school, with tests returned by mail．

　　Two years ago her seventh child, Andrea, wanting to join regular athletic programs, enrolled at Capital High School．Andrea soon changed her mind and continued home study．But she had liked gym and chorus, so Mrs Brown asked that she be allowed to continue in them while taking other courses at home．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

阅读理解

　　People can be addicted to different things－e．g．alcohol, drug, certain foods, or even television．People who have such an addiction are compulsive(强迫的)：they have a very powerful psychological need that they feel they must satisfy．According to psychologists, many people are compulsive spenders．They feel that they must spend money．This compulsion, like most others, is impossible to explain reasonably．For compulsive spenders who buy on credit, charge accounts are even more exciting than money．In other words, compulsive spenders feel that with credit, they can do anything．Their pleasure in spending large amounts is actually greater than the pleasure that they get from the things they buy．

　　There is even a special psychology of bargain hunting．To save money, of course, most people look for sales, low prices, and discounts．Compulsive bargain hunters, however, often buy things that they don't need just because they are cheap．They want to believe that they are helping their budgets, but they are really playing an exciting game．When they can buy something for less than other people, they feel that they are winners．Most people, experts claim, have two reasons for their behavior：a good reason for the things that they do and the real one．

　　It is not only scientists, of course, who understand the psychology of spending habits, but also business people．Stores, companies, and advertisers use psychology to increase business．They consider people's needs for love, power, or influence, their basic values, their beliefs and opinions, and so on in their advertising and sales methods．

　　Psychologists often use a method called “behavior therapy(疗法)” to help individuals solve their person ability problems．In the same way, they can help people who feel that they have problems with money．

(1)

(2)

(3)

阅读理解

　　I was six when I joined my father and two brothers at sunrise in the hay fields of Eufaula, Oklahoma．By the time I was eight I was helping Dad fix up low-income rent properties．He gave me a penny for every nail I pulled out of old boards．

　　I got my first real job, at JM’s restaurant in town, when I was 12．My main responsibilities were cleaning tables and washing dishes, but sometimes I helped cook．

　　Every day after school I would head to JM's and work until ten．On Saturdays I worked from two until eleven．At that age it was unlucky going to work and watching my friends run off to swim or play．I didn't necessarily like work, but I love what working allowed me to have．Because of my job I was always the one buying when my friends and I went to the local bar Tastee Freez．This made me proud．

　　Word that I was honest and hard-working got around town．A local clothing store offered credit to me although I was only in the seventh grade．I immediately charged a ＄ 68 sports coat and a ＄ 22 pair of trousers．I was making only 65 cents an hour, and I was already ＄ 90 in debt! So I learned early the danger of easy credit．I paid it off as soon as I could．

　　　My first job taught me discipline, responsibility and brought me a level of personal satisfaction few of my friends had experienced．As my father, who worked three jobs, once told me, “If you understand sacrifice and commitment, there are not many things in life you can't have．” How right he was!

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

　　For some time past it has been widely accepted that babies, and other creatures, learn to do things because certain acts lead to “rewards”; and there is no reason to doubt that this is true．But it used also to be widely believed that effective rewards at least in the early stages, had to be directly related to such basic physiological(生理的)“drives” as thirst or hunger．In other words, a baby would learn if it got food or drink or some sort physical comfort, not otherwise．

　　It is now clear that this is not so．Babies will learn to act in ways that produce results in the world with no reward except the successful outcome．

　　Papousek began his studies by using milk in the normal way to “reward” the babies and to teach them to carry out some simple movements, such as turning the head to one side or the other．Then he noticed that a baby who had had enough to drink would refuse the milk but would still go on making the learned response(反应)with clear signs of pleasure．So he began to study the babies' responses in situations where no milk was provided．He quickly found that babies as young as four months would learn to turn their heads to right or left if the movement “turned on” a light－and indeed that they were able to learn quite complex(复杂)turns to bring about this result．For example, two left or two right, or even to make as many as three turns to one side．

　　Papousek's light display(演示)was placed directly in front of the babies and he watched carefully with interest that sometimes they would not turn back to watch the lights closely although they would “smile and bubble” when the display came on．Papousek concluded that it was not the sight of the lights that pleased them; it was the success they were achieving in solving the problem, in mastering the skill, and that there exists a basic human desire to make sense of the world and bring it under intended control．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

　　People who speak or perform before the public sometimes may suffer from “Stage Fright”．Stage fright makes a person nervous．In the worst case, it can make one's mind forget what one ought to say, or act．Actors, musicians, dancers, lawyers, even radio show hosts have suffered from “Stage Fright” at one time or another．

　　Bonny Miles is an expert in helping people free themselves from “Stage Fright” at a medical center in New York City．She helps actors learn self-control．Miss Miles says some people have always been afraid to perform before audience．Others, she says, develop “Stage Fright” after a fearful experience．

　　She offers them ways to control fear．One way is to smile before going onto the stage．Taking two deep breaths also helps．Deep breathing helps you get control of your body．

　　Miss Miles persuades her patients to tell themselves that their speech or performance does not have to be perfect．It's all right to make a mistake．She tells them they should not be too cautious(紧张的)while they are performing．It is important that they should continue to perform while she is helping them．After each performance, they discuss what happened and find out what advice helped and what did not．As they perform more, they will fear less, by as much as 50％．Miss Miles says the aim is only to reduce “Stage Fright”, not to eliminate it completely．This is because a little “Stage Fright” makes a person more cautious, and improves their performance．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

　　In 1974, the price of petrol in Britain rose by 120 percent; cars became expensive to run and train and bus fares increased．People who hadn't used a bicycle since they were children decided that they would buy bicycles．They discovered that cycling could be enjoyable and cheap．

　　Bicycle sales had been falling for many years but suddenly everything changed．In 1975, British people spent more than one million on bicycles．Bicycle traffic increased by 11 percent．

　　Bicycle fans compare the cost of running a car with the cost of running a bicycle．They also say bicycle-riding is a good form of exercise．In towns bicycles can often be faster than cars or buses．The bicyclists can ride through traffic jams and at the end of his journey he doesn't have to look for a parking space．Cycling through the countryside is a real pleasure; the cyclist has time to see things that the motorist, driving at over 100 kilometers an hour, never sees．

　　But in the cities, cycling can be dangerous．You need good concentration(专心)and strong nerves, especially when a truck or a bus is trying to pass you．Since cycling became popular again, there has been an increase in the number of accidents．

　　Cyclists say the answer to the problem is to separate bicycles from other traffic．Stevenage, a new town near London, has a system of “cycleways”, where only bicycles are allowed to travel．However, in most towns, cyclists say, the needs of the bicycle riders are overlooked．Cyclists have formed into “action groups” in many towns in Britain．They want to persuade local councils－who are in charge of the roads and traffic in their areas－to make sure there are safe facilities(设施)for cyclists．Or, they say, interest in cycling will die．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

　　Jack and his wife Mary, who have recently retired, want to see places of cultural and historic interest abroad, but Mary hates flying．

　　·Michael, a young computer programmer, has been working hard and needs a holiday to have a rest in winter．He would like to go somewhere warm and sunny, where he can swim in the sea, and he enjoys sports and dancing．

　　·Harry and Kate, both teachers, and their two teenage sons, have to take their holiday during the school summer holidays．There must be plenty for the boys to do, although Harry and Kate just want beautiful scenery, good food and wine and peace．

(1)

(2)

(3)

阅读理解

　　For more than two days in September 1974, the people of Honduras shut their windows, locked their doors and covered in their homes．Fifi was outside, and they were frightened．

　　By the time Fifi had left, 8 000 people were dead．Fifi wasn't a pet dog as the name suggests．It was a hurricane, one of the most destructive natural phenomena in the world．

　　Why do we give human names to storms and hurricanes?

　　We didn't always, Two hundred years ago, many hurricanes in the Caribbean were named after the saint’s(基督教徒的)day on which the storm occurred．Later, storms were known by the name of the city where they came ashore．

　　Meteorologists then tried naming storms after the latitude(纬度)and longitude(经度)where they occurred．

　　Finally, in 1953, hurricanes started getting people's names－specifically, female names．Male names were added in 1979．

　　There are six sets of names for what the experts call “Atlantic tropical cyclones”．

　　Each list is used every six years and consists of 21 names, starting with every letter but Q, U, X, Y and Z．The names alternate(交替)between male and female．

　　A storm won’t get a name until its winds reach 39 mph or about 62.4 kph, at which point it becomes a tropical storm．At 74 mph or 118.4 kph it's declared a hurricane．

　　The 126 names on the list are used only for stormas that form off the Atlantic coast of the US．There are separate lists for the Pacific．

　　So what happens if a hurricane should cross from the Atlantic to the Pacific? It's happened before．The storm just gets a new name and sometimes a new sex．

　　Max Mayfield is the director of the National Hurricane Centre, headquartered in Miami, Florida．He's in charge of picking new names for storms off the Atlantic coast．

　　He doesn't do it alone, though．His counterparts in two dozen other countries in the Caribbean, Central America and North America vote on what names will replace retired names．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)