阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Vincent Willem Van Gogh(30 March 1853～29 July 1890)was a Dutch Post-Impressionist artist．He was considered one of the greatest artists with great influence on 20th century art．

　　Van Gogh spent his early adult lire working for a firm of art dealers．After a brief period as a teacher, he became a missionary(传教士)worker in a very poor mining region．He did not begin his career as an artist until 1880：however during the last ten years of his l讧e, he produced more than 2,000 pieces, including around 900 paintings and 1,100 drawings and sketches(素描)．He worked only with sombre(昏暗的)colours until he met Impressionism and Neo-Impressionism in Paris．Van Gogh incorporated(合并)their brighter colours and style of painting into a uniquely recognizable style．Most of his best-known works were produced during his final two years, when he was suffering from serious mental illness．

　　In 1890, at the age of 37, Van Gogh shot himself in the chest．He died two days 1ater, with Theo, his brother and his best friend, at his side, who reported his last words as “The sadness will last forever”．Theo unable to come to terms with his brother's death died 6 months later and was buried next to him．It would not take long before his fame grew higher and higher．

　　Vincent Van Gogh's mother threw away quite a number of his paintings during Vincent's lire and even after his death．But she would live long enough to see her son become a world famous painter．

　　The only painting he sold during his lifetime, The Red Vineyard, was created in 1888．It is now on display in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, Russia．Several paintings by Van Gogh rank among the most expensive paintings in the world．On March 30, 1987 Van Gogh's painting Irises was sold for a record＄53.9 million at Southeby's, New York．On May 15,1990 his Portrait of Doctor Gachet was sold for＄82.5 million at Christie's, thus establishing a new price record．

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项。

　　I am one of the many city people who are always saying that given the choice we would prefer to live in the country away from the dirt and noise of a large city．I have managed to convince myself that if it weren't for my job I would immediately head out for the open spaces and go back to nature in some sleepy village buried in the county．But how realistic is the dream?

　　Cities can be frightening places．The majority of the population live in massive tower blocks, noisy, dirty and impersonal．The sense of belonging to a community tends to disappear when you live fifteen floors up．All you can see from your window is sky, or other blocks of flats．Children become aggressive and nervous-cooped up at home all day, with nowhere to play; their mothers feel isolated from the rest of the world．Strangely enough, whereas in the past the inhabitants of one street all knew each other, nowadays people on the same floor in tower blocks don't even say hello to each other．

　　Country life, on the other hand, differs from this kind of isolated existence in that a sense of community generally binds the inhabitants of small villages together．People have the advantage of knowing that there is always someone to turn to when they need help．But country life has disadvantages too．While it is true that you may be among friends in a village, it is also true that you are cut off from the exciting and important events that take place in cities．There's little possibility of going to a new show or the latest movie．Shopping becomes a major problem, and for anything slightly out of the ordinary you have to go on an expedition to the nearest large town．The city-dweller who moves to the country is often oppressed by a sense of unbearable stillness and quiet．

　　What, then, is the answer?The country has the advantage of peace and quiet, but suffers from the disadvantage of being cut off：the city breeds a feeling of isolation, and constant noise batters the senses．But one of its main advantages is that you are at the centre of things, and that life doesn't come to an end at half-past nine at night．Some people have found(or rather bought)a compromise between the two：they have expressed their preference for the “quiet life” by leaving the suburbs and moving to villages within commuting distance of large cities．However, this is a strange idea about change and improvement which they force on to the unwilling original inhabitants of the villages．

　　What then of my dreams of leaning on a cottage gate and murmuring “morning” to the locals as they pass by?I'm keen on the idea, but you see there's my cat, Toby．I'm not at all sure that he would take to all that fresh air and exercise in the long grass．I mean, can you see him mixing with all those hearty males down the farm?No, he would rather have the electric imitation-coal fire any evening．

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项。

　　Psychiatrists(精神病专家)who work with older parents say that maturity can be an asset(资产)in child rearing-older parents are more thoughtful, use less physical discipline and spend more time with their children．But raising kids takes money and energy．Many older parents find themselves balancing their limited financial resources, declining energy and failing health against the growing demands of an active child．Dying and leaving young children is probably the older parents' biggest, and often unspoken, fear．Having late-life children, says an economics professor, often means parents, particularly fathers, "end up retiring much later．" For many, retirement becomes an unobtainable dream．

　　Henry Metcalf, a 54-year-old journalist, knows it takes money to raise kids．But he's also worried that his energy will give out first．Sure, he can still ride bikes with his athletic fifth grader, but he's learned that young at heart doesn't mean young．Lately he's been taking afternoon naps(午睡)to keep up his energy．"My body is aging," says Metcalf．"You can't get away from that．"

　　Often, older parents hear the ticking of another kind of biological clock．Therapists who work with middle-aged and older parents say fears about aging are nothing to laugh at．"They worry they'll be mistaken for grandparents, or that they'll need help getting up out of those little chairs in nursery school," says Joann Galst, a New York psychologist．But at the core of those little fears there is often a much bigger one："that they won't be alive long enough to support and protect their child," she says．

　　Many late-life parents, though, say their children came at just the right time．After marrying late and undergoing years of fertility(受孕)treatment, Marilyn Nolen and her husband．Randy, had twins．"We both wanted children," says Marilyn, who was 55 when she gave birth．The twins have given the couple what they desired for years, "a sense of family．"

　　Kids of older dads are often smarter, happier and more sociable because their fathers are more involved in their lives．'The dads are older, more mature," says Dr．Silber, "and more ready to focus on parenting．"

阅读理解

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项。

　　In Western countries people have been using the installment plan since the first half of the twentieth century．Today, a large number of families in Great Britain buy furniture, household goods and cars by installments．In the U．S．, the figure is much higher than in Great Britain, and people there spend over 10 percent of their income on the installment plan．

　　The price of an article bought on installments is always higher than the price that would be paid by cash．There is a charge for interest．The buyer pays one quarter or one third of the price as a down payment when the goods are delivered to him．He then makes regular payments, weekly or monthly, until the full price is paid up．The legal ownership of the goods remains with the seller until the final payment has been made．

　　Installment buying has advantages and disadvantages．It can help couples with small incomes to furnish their homes and start housekeeping．It increases the demand for goods, and in this way helps business and employment．There is, however, the danger that when business is bad, installment buying may end suddenly, making business much worse．This may result in a great increase in unemployment．If the people on the installment plan lose their jobs, they will probably not be able to make their payments．If great numbers of people are not able to pay their installment debts there is a possibility that businessmen cannot collect their debts and will therefore lose money．If businessmen lose money or fail to make a satisfactory profit, it becomes more likely to have a depression．This is why, in some countries, the government controls the installment plan by fixing the amount of the down payment and installments to discourage people from buying more than they can pay for on the installment plan．

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中选出最佳选项。

　　COPENHAGEN－The world is gathered in Copenhagen for the U．N．climate summit, but Denmark's bicycle-friendly capital has also given its name to a movement of cities trying to find a kinder way to commute．

　　Nearly 40 percent of Copenhagen's population cycle to work or school on ubiquitous(无处不在的)paved cycle paths．Many residents take to their bikes year-round, braving rain and snow through the winter in a city where the bicycles outnumber the people．

　　Amsterdam and Beijing too are known for their bicycles, but the Danish capital is where urban planners from around the world have been looking for ways to get their people out of cars and up onto bikes, an effort known as Copenhagenisation．

　　Klaus Bondam, Copenhagen's technical and environmental chief, calls himself a“mega cyclist”and says the bike's popularity stems partly from high taxes on cars which meant working-class Danes could not afford to drive in the 1930s and ‘40s．“Today you'll meet everybody on the bicycle lanes－women and men, rich and poor, old and young,”Bondam said．

　　The local government has during the last three years invested more than 250 million crowns(＄49.42 million)in bicycle lanes and to make the traffic safer for bicyclists．Today around a third of the population drive cars to work or study, another third take public transport, while 37 percent cycle-a figure the city aims to boost to 50 percent by 2015．

　　There are many benefits when citizens choose bicycles over cars：pollution and noise decline, public health improves, and more people on bikes or walking creates a sense of safety in the city．Fewer parked cars leaves more space for playgrounds, parks, shopping areas and other useful public places．

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中选出最佳选项。

　　The more television that a three-year-old watches, the more likely he or she is to behave aggressively, according to a U．S．study．

　　Just having the TV on in the background, even if the child wasn't watching it, was also linked to aggressive behavior although the relationship wasn't as strong, said the researchers．

　　“Parents should be smart about TV use,”researcher Jennifer Manganello from the University at Albany, State University of New York, told Reuters Health．“They should limit the time that children use TV, pay attention to the content of TV programs, and consider how TV is used throughout the home．”

　　The study looked at 3,128 women from 20 U．S．cities who had a child between 1998 and 2000．While there was some diversity of education among the study participants, one-third hadn't graduated from high school．

　　Two-thirds of the mothers said their three-year-old watched more than two hours of TV a day, and the average viewing time for children was around three hours．On average, the TV was on for about five additional hours on a typical day．

　　After accounting for factors known to be associated with aggressive behavior, such as living in a violent neighborhood or having a mother who suffers from depression, TV watching and household TV time were both still significantly associated with aggressive behavior, such as hitting others, having angry moods, being disobedient, and screaming a lot．

　　The American Academy of Pediatrics(小儿科)recommends no TV at all for children two and younger, and two hours a day or less for older kids, lead researcher Jennifer Manganello and her team from the Tulane University School of Public Health noted in their report．

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　　HAVANA(Reuters)-U．S．Cuban and Mexican scientists have drawn up plans for joint research in the Gulf of Mexico, in another sign of improvement in long-unfriendly U．S．-Cuba relations．

　　In a meeting in Havana this week, they agreed on collecting information about the Gulf, a body of water shared by the three countries but about which little cooperative research has been done in recent years．

　　“This is a logical, low-risk area in which to begin discussions with Cuba．It is without question in our common interest to share science and ideas on our shared resources like the Gulf of Mexico,”Environmental Defense Fund senior official Dan Whittle said on Tuesday．

　　Whittle was among 30 Americans, 30 Cubans and six Mexicans at the meeting, held on Sunday and Monday ahead of an international meeting on ocean science this week in the Cuban capital．

　　“We're starting now to enter a new era of cooperation,”said meeting organizer David Guggenheim, American marine scientist．

　　The plan assumes that U．S．-Cuba relations will continue to get better under President Barack Obama, who has said he wants to end five decades of bitterness between the two countries separated by just 90 miles of ocean．

　　He has initiated talks on migration and regain of postal service with Cuba and allowed Cuban Americans to travel and send money freely to their homeland．

　　But a general travel ban to Cuba for most Americans remains in effect, as does the United States' 47-year-long trade prohibition against the communist-led island．

　　There are also restrictions on travel of U．S．and Cuban academics between the two countries, although it has gotten easier under Obama to obtain permission, Guggenheim said．

　　Whittle said Obama needs to remove all obstacles for scientists to assure a“free flow of information”between the countries．

　　The plan of action calls for shared projects to track marine animals and to study such things as the effects of pollutants and climate change on coral reefs．

　　Cuba has rented out much of its offshore area for oil exploration, which when it begins will bring danger of oil spills(漏油)that computer models show would flow north to Florida．

　　“We need a dialogue to talk about coordinated emergency response．Everything points to the need for cooperation and communication, not continuation of a Cold War policy,”Guggenheim said．

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　　After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and a movie．The other woman my wife wanted me to visit was my mother, who has been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally．

　　That Friday after work, when I arrived at her house, my mother waited in the door with her coat on．She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary．

　　We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and cozy．My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady．

　　During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation nothing extraordinary but catching up on recent events of each other's life．We talked so much that we missed the movie．

　　As we arrived at her house later, she said,“I'll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you．”I agreed．

　　A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack．It happened so suddenly that I didn't have a chance to do anything for her．

　　Some time later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt from the same place Mother and I had dined．An attached note said：“I paid this bill in advance．I wasn't sure that I could be there; but, nevertheless, I paid for two plates－one for you and the other for your wife．You will never know what that night meant for me．I love you, son．”

　　At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time：‘I love YOU' and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve．

　　Nothing in life is more important than your family．Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till some“other”time．

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　●42 rooms, 33 of which are south facing with a balcony

　　●Wide range of facilities：safe, mini bar, hair dryer, dressing gowns, direct phone line…

　　●Heated swimming pool open in summer and winter

　　●Garages available, free off-street parking

　　●Ski room, bike room

　　●250m from the ski-lifts．

　　●Well located in the center of Chantemerle with its shops, bars, restaurants, ski hire, nightclubs…

　　●B&B for one week, two people sharing a double room：

　　●Winter：from 700 euros

　　●Summer：from 765 euros

　　●Out of season：from 500 euros

　　●250 km of pistes for all levels of skier or snowboarder

　　●A wide range of activities：cross country skiing, snow shoeing, snow park, ice skating, skiing, hot baths…

　　●An ideal holiday destination all year around

　　●The closest airport is Turin, Italy(approx．2 hours)followed by Lyon(2.5 hours)．

　　●Contact us for our minibus transfers．

　　●Visit the“Getting to Serre Che”page for further information to help you plan your journey．

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Most American kids love Halloween treats, but a bucket of Halloween candy can be a dentist's nightmare．Some parents try to get rid of half of the candy after their children go to bed, but dentists say parents also need to separate the good kinds of treats from the bad．

　　It is not exactly what a child eats that truly matters, but how much time it stays in his mouth．According to pediatric dentists Dr Kaneta Lott, the most damaging stuff is something that is sticky or very hard and thus stays in the mouth for a long time．This is because we all have bacteria in our mouths．When we eat, the bacteria take our food as their food and produce an acid that destroys the surface of the teeth, causing cavities to form．The longer the food stays in the mouth, the more likely cavities will develop．Therefore, potato chips are worse than candy because they get stuck between teeth．For the same reason, raisins and crackers are not the best choice．Hard candies take a long time to consume and are also a bad choice for Halloween treats．

　　If children really love candy, dentists recommend that they eat chocolate instead．Unlike hard candies, chocolate dissolves quickly in the mouth．Besides, chocolate contains tannins, which help to kill some of the bacteria in the mouth．But no matter what a child eats, brushing after each meal is still the best way to fight cavities．