阅读理解

阅读理解

　　WASHINGTON–Barack Obama swept to victory as the first black president in the US history Tuesday night in an electoral(选举的)college landslide that overcame racial barriers as old as America itself．"Change has come," he told a huge group of cheering supporters．

　　In his first speech as victor, Obama stated the challenges ahead．"The greatest of a lifetime," he said, "two wars, a planet in danger, the worst financial crisis in a century．"

　　He added, "There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president, and we know that government can't solve every problem．But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face．"

　　The son of a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas, the Democratic senator(民主党参议员)from Illinois sealed his historic triumph by defeating Republican Sen．John McCain in a string of wins in hard-fought battleground states－Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Iowa and more．

　　In his speech, Obama invoked(引用)the words of Lincoln and echoed John F．Kennedy．"So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in(努力投入)and work harder," he said．

　　He and his running mate, Joseph Biden of Delaware, will take their oaths(宣誓)of office as president and vice president on Jan．20, 2009．

　　Obama will move into the Oval Office as leader of a country that is almost certainly in recession(不景气), and fighting two long wars, one in Iraq, the other in Afghanistan．

　　Obama has said his first order of presidential business will be to deal with the economy．He has also promised to withdraw most US combat troops from Iraq within 16 months．

阅读理解

　　It's obviously true that not all people like to work, but everyone likes to play．All over the world, men and women, young and old, enjoy recreational activities．So, beyond doubt, entertainment plays an important role in our daily lives．In modern society, there is a broad range of recreational activities–from online computer games to lovely picnics–that meet the needs of different groups of people．Therefore, it won't be difficult for you to find some recreation to refresh your body and mind．

　　Recreational activities have a number of benefits, especially in this highly competitive society．They can help us relax, have fun and relieve stress．In fact, I believe there is no better way to get exercise and relieve stress than to take an active part in recreational activities．But can recreational activities do us harm?Of course they can．Let's take TV as an example．There is no denying that TV offers access to the latest news and to useful knowledge, while providing us with entertainment．However, if we spend too much time watching TV, it will numb our mind and destroy our creativity, which is exactly the opposite of what we really want．What's more, TV can also show some pornographic programs, which are absolutely unsuitable for us young students．So, just as the old saying goes, every coin has two sides, and watching TV is no exception．

　　As a student, I think recreational activities are very important for us．But this doesn't mean we should take up whatever recreational activities are available．Instead, we should strike a balance between work and rest．We should have our own judgment, which means knowing what is good for us and what is not．And we should exercise self-control so as not to become addicted to them．I believe moderate recreational activity will benefit us in many ways and help us live a full, meaningful life．

阅读理解

　　Your accent might be different from everybody else's．Your clothes may also be very different from those around you．Sometimes it can be really difficult being different, especially when compared to the other kids at school．But some people at your school will want to get to know you because your differences seem really cool．Other people, though, might try to give you a hard time．

　　Some of the people who may try to tease(戏弄)you might do so because of stereotypes．Stereotypes are simplified ideas, often exaggerated(夸大)or distorted in a negative way, that one group of people holds about another．An example of a stereotype would be everyone with curly hair is lazy．Like this example, stereotypes are often wrong, and they can be hurtful．

　　If someone bothers you, walk away－don't give the person the satisfaction of seeing that his or her comments bother you．If you can't shake off the comments, talk about it with good friends, siblings, or parents．The people who love you and know that you're a great person can often help you understand that the bully(仗势欺人者)has no idea what he or she is talking about．It also helps to find people at school to hang out with who are cool enough not to care what the bully says．

　　As much as you would hate to be boxed into a certain type, try and get away from doing the same to others．These characterizations(界定法)are just as unfair as the ones people might use to describe you．And beliefs in these can get in the way of making some good friends．

阅读理解

　　Sometimes you'll hear people say that you can't love others until you love yourself．Sometimes you'll hear people say that you can't expect someone else to love you until you love yourself．Either way, you've got to love yourself first and this can be tricky．Sure we all know that we're the apple of our parents' eyes, and that our Grandmas think we're great talents and our Uncle Roberts think that we will go to the Olympics, but sometimes it's a lot harder to think such nice thoughts about ourselves．If you find that believing in yourself is a challenge, it is time you built a positive self-image and learnt to love yourself．

　　Self-image is your own mind's picture of yourself．This image includes the way you look, the way you act, the way you talk and the way you think．Interestingly, our self-images are often quite different from the images others hold about us．Unfortunately, most of these images are more negative than they should be．Thus changing the way you think about yourself is the key to changing your self-image and your whole world．

　　The best way to defeat a passive self-image is to step back and decide to stress your successes．That is, make a list if you need to, but write down all of the great things you do every day．Don't allow doubts to occur in it．

　　It very well might be that you are experiencing a negative self-image because you can't move past one flaw or weakness that you see about yourself．Well, roll up your sleeves and make a change of it as your primary task．If you think you're silly because you aren't good at math, find a tutor．If you think you're weak because you can't run a mile, get to the track and practice．If you think you're dull because you don't wear the latest trends, buy a few new clothes．But remember, just because you think it doesn't mean it's true．

　　The best way to get rid of a negative self-image is to realize that your image is far from objective, and to actively convince yourself of your positive qualities．Changing the way you think and working on those you need to improve will go a long way towards promoting a positive self-image．When you can pat yourself on the back, you'll know you're well on your way．Good luck!

阅读理解

　　He met her at the party．She was so outstanding, with many boys around her, while he was so normal, with nobody paying attention to him．

　　At the end of the party, he invited her to have coffee with him．She was surprised, but due to being polite, she agreed．

　　They sat in a nice coffee shop．He was too nervous to say anything, and she felt uncomfortable, thinking, “Please let me go home．”

　　Suddenly he asked the waiter, “Would you please give me some salt?I'd like to put it in my coffee．”

　　Everybody stared at him－so strange!His face turned red, but, still, he put the salt in his coffee and drank it．

　　She asked him curiously, “Why do you have this hobby?”

　　He replied, “When I was a little boy, I lived near the sea．I liked playing in the sea, and I could feel the taste of the sea, just like the taste of the salty coffee．Now every time I have the salty coffee, I always think of my childhood．I miss my hometown so much．I miss my parents who are still living there．”

　　While saying that, tears filled his eyes．She was deeply touched．That's his true feeling, from the bottom of his heart．A man who can tell about his homesickness must be a man who loves home, cares about home, and has a good sense of responsibility．

　　Then she also started to speak, about her faraway hometown, her childhood, her family．That was a really nice talk, also a beautiful beginning of their story．

　　They continued to date．She found that actually he was a man who meets all her demands：he was kind-hearted, warm and careful．He was such a good person but she almost missed him!

　　Thanks to his salty coffee!Then the story was just like every beautiful love story, the princess married the prince, then they were living a happy life…And, every time she made coffee for him, she put some salt in the coffee．

　　After 40 years, he passed away, leaving her a letter which said, “My dearest, please forgive my whole-life lie．This was the only lie I said to you－the salty coffee．”

　　“Remember the first time we dated?I was so nervous at that time．Actually I wanted some sugar, but I said salt．It was hard for me to change so I just went ahead．”

　　“I tried to tell you the truth many times in my life, but I was too afraid to do that, as I have promised not to lie to you for anything．”

　　“Now I'm dying, I'm afraid of nothing so I tell you the truth：I don't like the salty coffee．What a strange and bad taste!But I have had the salty coffee for my whole life!”

　　“Since I knew you, I never feel sorry for anything I do for you．Having you with me is my biggest happiness for my whole life．If I can live for a second time, I still want to know you and have you for my whole life, even though I have to drink the salty coffee again．”

　　Her tears made the letter totally wet．

　　Someday, someone asked her, “What's the taste of salty coffee?” “It's sweet,” she replied．

阅读理解

　　When 7-year-old Warren Buffett said,“I will be the richest man one day,” his friends made fun of his “daydreaming”．But ever since then the little boy has set about learning how to make money by selling drinks, delivering newspaper and buying stocks．The American had already earned ＄9,000(equal to ＄90,000 today)by the time he graduated from high school．

　　And this month the 78-year-old man, who earned his fortune by making a lot of sound investment in the stock market, took the place of Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, as the world's richest man．Gates' worth declined ＄1.5 billion to ＄55.5 billion in 33 days after the recent financial storm, according to Forbes Magazine．

　　Buffett, the only son of a stockbroker, was ready to think outside the box to develop his business from a very early age．At 8, he went to golf courses collecting and selling the used balls．At 11 when he sold soda pop door-to-door with a friend, the pair collected lids on streets to judge which flavor was the most popular．

　　As a paper boy during high school, Buffett delivered two competitor papers, so that even when customers canceled one of the subscriptions, he could still make a profit from the other．With his paper delivery savings, Buffett bought 162,000 square meters of farmland and collected rent．Young Buffett stepped into the stock market at 11 but earned only ＄5．The experience taught him one of the virtues in investing, patience．

　　After graduating from university, Buffett started his venture with stocks with his childhood earnings and money from friends．He researched the stocks and just bought those of solid companies that were undervalued and inexpensive at the time．By sticking to companies such as American Express and Coca-Cola, Buffett has become rich．

　　“Learning is important to Buffett's success．He is a learning machine who can spend his entire day reading．He keeps learning from books, street smarts and investigation, from both success and failure．In this way, he over-achieved his aptitude(能力)．” said Charlie Munger, his longtime business partner．

READING COMPREHENSION

　　It's become acceptable for people to say that women work less than men and therefore deserve less!It may have been true in the past when women were expected to stay at home and look after children, but women have changed over the years．They have “come out”!Gone are the days when they worked very hard at the kitchen stove all day long; they are now aware of their needs and are willing to fight for them．They expect to be given the respect they deserve, both at home and at work．They have realized their intellectual potential and have determined to do something with it!

　　Women on two wheels have become a familiar sight on the roads of most Asian countries during the past few years．It is common to find a woman who takes her children on her bicycle to school and then reaches her office in time．It would have been unimaginable a few years ago!She has become a major part of family decisions in every aspect and how those decisions are carried out．

　　“Super woman” though she is, it is rather difficult to combine a career and a decent(相当好的)home life．She needs to feel supported and satisfied．She may arrive at work feeling as if she has already done a full day's work．If colleagues doubt her commitment to her job, she would feel sad．At the same time, the women of today expect their husbands to contribute towards childcare and household chores．

　　Today's women are learning to avoid situations that make them feel more stressed and it is a hard struggle．Despite all this, the new woman, “the Superpower” has arrived．She still believes in the power and value of a family unit and she holds it in high esteem(尊重)．

READING COMPREHENSION

　　Throughout the history of the arts, the nature of creativity has remained constant to artists．No matter what objects they select, artists are to bring forth new forces and forms that cause change－to find poetry where no one has ever seen or experienced it before．

　　Landscape(风景)is another unchanging element of art．It can be found from ancient times through the 17th-century Dutch painters to the 19th-century romanticists and impressionists．In the 1970s Alfred Leslie, one of the new American realists, continued this practice．Leslie sought out the same place where Thomas Cole, a romanticist, had produced paintings of the same scene a century and a half before．Unlike Cole who insists on a feeling of loneliness and the idea of finding peace in nature, Leslie paints what he actually sees．In his paintings, there is no particular change in motion, and he includes ordinary things like the highway in the background．He also takes advantage of the latest developments of color photography(摄影术)to help both the eye and the memory when he improves his painting back in his workroom．

　　Besides, all art begs the age-old question：What is real?Each generation of artists has shown their understanding of reality in one form or another．The impressionists saw reality in brief emotional effects, the realists in everyday subjects and in forest scenes, and the Cro-Magnon cave people in their naturalistic drawings of the animals in the ancient forests．To sum up, understanding reality is a necessary struggle for Artists of all periods．

　　Over thousands of years the function of the arts has remained relatively constant．Past or present, Eastern or Western, the arts are a basic part of our immediate experience．Many and different are the faces of art, and together they express the basic need and hope of human beings．

READING COMPREHENSION

　　A young boy was sitting in the back seat of the car eating an apple．He asked his father, “Why does my apple turn brown?” his father answered, “When the skin is removed, air reaches the flesh of the apple and causes oxidation(氧化)．This changes the apple's molecular(分子的)structure and results in a brownish color．”The boy asked, “ Daddy, what are you talking about?”

　　I know how that boy feels．Sometimes I want answers to some of those confusing questions that we all meet with, such as how to get through difficult times or what to do in a tough situation．I just want to get it right．

　　The problem is that I don't always have the answer I need．Nobody else seems to have them, either．So I go on making mistakes and think that I'll never get it right．

　　Often I didn't know what to do．I often made poor choices, but I gradually improved．Then I realized that I don't HAVE TO always get it right．I don't have to always know what to do all the time．All I really need to do is try my best, learn from my mistakes and go on．

　　Dr．Leo Buscaglia once said,“No one gets out of this world alive, so the time to live, learn, care, share, celebrate and love is now．That would be pretty hard to do when you're waiting for all the answers first．”

　　So you got it wrong．You made a mistake．So what should you do next?Forgive yourself and try again．You may not get out of this world alive, but you can get plenty of life out of this world if you are not too worried about always getting it right．