阅读理解

　　Rae Armantrout, who has been a poetry professor at the University of California San Diego(UCSD)for two decades, has won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in the poetry category for her most recent book, “Versed”．

　　“I'm delighted and amazed at how much media recognition that the Pulitzer brings, as compared to even the National Book Critics Award, which I was also surprised and delighted to win,” said Armantrout．

　　“For a long time, my writing has been just below the media radar, and to have this kind of attention, suddenly, with my 10th book, is really surprising．”

　　Armantrout, a native Californian, received her bachelor's degree at UC Berkeley, where she studied with noted poet Denise Levertov, and her master's in creative writing from San Francisco State University．She is a founding member of Language Poets, a group in American poetry that analyzes the way language is used and raises questions to make the reader think．

　　In March, she won the National Book Critics Circle Award for “Versed．”

　　“This book has gotten more attention,” Armantrout said, “but I don't feel as if it's better．”

　　The first half of “Versed” focuses on the dark forces taking hold of the United States as it fought the war against Iraq．The second half looks at the dark forces casting a shadow over her own life after Armantrout was diagnosed with cancer in 2006．

　　Armantrout was shocked to learn she had won the Pulitzer but many of her colleagues were not．“Rae Armantrout is a unique voice in American poetry,” said Seth Lerer, head of Arts and Humanities at UCSD．

　　“Versed”, published by the Wesleyan University Press, did appear in a larger printing than her earlier works, which is about 2,700 copies．The new edition is scheduled to appear in May．

阅读理解

　　Ask someone what they have done to help the environment recently and they will almost certainly mention recycling．Recycling in the home is very important of course．However, being forced to recycle often means we already have more material than we need．We are dealing with the results of that over-consumption in the greenest way possible, but it would be far better if we did not need to bring so much material home in the first place．

　　The total amount of packaging increased by 12％ between 1999 and 2005．It now makes up a third of a typical household's waste in the UK．In many supermarkets nowadays food items are packaged twice with plastic and cardboard．

　　Too much packaging is doing serious damage to the environment．The UK, for example, is running out of it for carrying this unnecessary waste．If such packaging is burnt, it gives off greenhouse gases which go on to cause the greenhouse effect．Recycling helps, but the process itself uses energy．The solution is not to produce such items in the first place．Food waste is a serious problem, too．Too many supermarkets encourage customers to buy more than they need．However, a few of them are coming round to the idea that this cannot continue, encouraging customers to reuse their plastic bags, for example．

　　But this is not just about supermarkets．It is about all of us．We have learned to associate packaging with quality．We have learned to think that something unpackaged is of poor quality．This is especially true of food．But is also applies to a wide range of consumer products, which often have far more packaging than necessary．

　　There are signs of hope．As more of us recycle, we are beginning to realise just how much unnecessary material are collecting．We need to face the wastefulness of our consumer culture, but we have a mountain to climb．

阅读理解

　　Christopher Thomas, 27, was a writer by night and a teacher by day when he noticed he was always tired and was losing weight fast．Diagnosed with diabetes(糖尿病), Thomas would need to inject himself with insulin(胰岛素)three times a day for the rest of his life or risk nerve damage, blindness, and even death．And if that weren't bad enough, he had no health insurance．

　　After a month of feeling upset, Thomas decided he'd better find a way to fight back．He left Canton, Michigan for New York, got a job waiting tables, nicknamed himself the Diabetic Rockstar, and created diabeticrockstar．com, a free online community for diabetics and their loved ones－a place where over 1,100 people share personal stories, information, and resources．

　　Jason Swencki's son, Kody, was diagnosed with type diabetes at six．Father and son visit the online children's forums(论坛)together most evenings．"Kody gets so excited, writing to kids from all over," says Swencki, one of the site's volunteers．"They know what he's going through, so he doesn't feel alone．"

　　Kody is anything but alone：Diabetes is now the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, with 24 million diagnosed cases．And more people are being diagnosed at younger ages．

　　These days, Thomas's main focus is his charity(慈善机构), Fight It, which provides medicines and supplies to people－25 to date－who can't afford a diabetic's huge expenses．Fight-it．org has raised about ＄23,000－in products and in cash．In May, Thomas will hold the first annual Diabetic Rockstar Festival in the Caribbean．

　　Even with a staff of 22 volunteers, Thomas often devotes up to 50 hours a week to his cause, while still doing his full-time job waiting tables．"Of the diabetes charities out there, most are putting money into finding a cure," says Bentley Gubar, one of Rockstar's original members．"But Christopher is the only person I know saying people need help now．"

阅读理解

　　Every day we experiencc one of the wonders of the world around us without even realizing it It is not the amszing complexity of television．Nor the impressive tcchnology of transport The universal wonder we share and Experience is our ability to make noises with our mouths, and so transmit ideas and thoughts to each other's minds．This ability comes so naturally that tend to forget what a miracle(奇迹)it is．

　　Obviously, the ability to talk is something that marks humans off from animals．Of course, some animals have powers just as amazing．Birds can fly thousands of miles by observing positions of the stars in the sky in relation to the time of day and year．In Nature's went show, humans are a species of animal that have deve pod their own special act．If we reduce it to basie ferms, it's a ability for communicating information to ther by varying sounds we make as we breathe out．

　　Not the to don't have other powers of communication．Our facia．expressions convey our emotions, such as anger, or jout or disappointment．The way we hold our beads can indicate to others whether we are happy or sad．This is so-called “body language”．Bristling(直立的)fur is an unmistakable warning of attack among many animals．Similarly, the bowed bead or drooping tail shows a readiness to take second place in any animal gathering．

　　Such a means of communication is a basic mechanism that animals, including human beings, instinctively acquire and display．Is the ability to speak just another sort of instinct?If so, how did human beings acquire this amazing skill?Biologists can readily indicate that particular area of our brain where speech mechanisms function, but this doesn't tell us how that part of our bodies originated in our biological history．

阅读理解

　　Modcm inventions have speeded up people's lives amazingly．Motor-cars cover a bundred miles in little more than an hour．Aireraft cross the world a day, while computers operate at lightning speed．Indeed, this love of speed seems never-ending．Every ycar motor-cars are produced which go even faster each new computer boasts(吹嘘)of saving preeious seconds in handling tasks．

　　All this saves timc, but at a prick．When we lose or gain half a day in speeding aeross the world in an airplane, our bodies tell us so．We get the uncomfoerable feeling known as jet-lag; our bodies feel tlru they have been left bebind in anot ar nine zoors Again pending too long at compulers resul's in painti ninrts and fingers．Mobile phones also to dange according to some seientists; too much uss may thesmit h bul radiation into our brains, a we do not like to think about．

　　Howave, what do we do with the time we have saved?Certainly not or so it seems．We are so accustomed to constant activity that we find it difficult to sit and do nothing, or even just one thing at a time．Pcrhaps the days are long gone when we might listen quietly to a story on the radio, letting imavination take us into another world．

　　There was a time when some people's lives were devotcd simply to the cultivation of the land or the eare of eattle．No multi-tasking there; their lives wenl on at a much gentler pace, and in a familiar pattern．There is much that we might envy about a way of life like this．Yet before we do so, we must think of the hard tasks our ancestors faeed;：they farmed with bare hands, often lived close to hunger, and had to fashion tools from wood and stone．Modem machinery has freed peope fre that primitive existcnee．

阅读理解

　　Kong Zi called Confucius(551-479 B．C．)．and Soerates(469 B．C．)lived only a hundred years apart, and during their lifetimes there was no contact between China and Greece, but it is interesting on look at how the world that each of there great philosophers came from shaped their ideas, and how these in turn, shaped their societies．

　　Neither philosopher lived in times of peace, though there were more wars in Greece than in China．The Chinese states were very large and feudal, while the Greek city-states were small and urban．The urban environment in which Socrates lived allowed him to be more radical(激进的)than Confucius．Unlike Confucius, Soeraes was not asked by rulers how to goversn offectively．Thus Soerates was able to be more idealistic, foeusing on issues like freedom and knowledge for its own sake, on the other hand, advised those in gowernnent and many of his students went ment

Conful suggested Rule as a principle for the corduet of “Lo not others what you would not want to you．”He assumed that all men were equal at some potential than others, are that it was knowledge that set men apart．Socraes focusesd on individual, and thought that the greatest purpose of man was to seek wisdom．He believed that some had more potential a develop their reason than others did．Like Confucius, he believed that the superior class should rule the inferior(下层的)classes．

　　For Socrates, the family was of no importance, and the community of little concerm．For Confucius, however, the family was the centre of society, with family relations considered much more important than political relations．

　　Both men are respected much more today than they were in their lifetimes．

阅读理解

　　Head of Research

　　Satary：＆ 55.27

　　We a looking for a Head of Research to manage the CWU research Depart and informating Certre．You would be required to excrcise conrol of all researchers work of the depertend and manage a team of three researchers and uppor aff．

　　The person appointed would be expected to carry out research work of a strategic nature across the range of businesses in which the CWU has or seeks membership and to contribute to the strategic thinking and direction of the union as a whole．

　　You will need：proven line management skills, especially in managing and motivating a team; good research skills, holding a good degree in a related subject or other similar experience; a high level of mathematical and calculating skills; the ability to produce high quality work under pressure; a commitment to and knowledge of the trade union movement and social demomic politics; and knowledge and/or experience of the ostal and/or l wlecinmuy auions adnstry．

　　To apply ase request an application pack by emailing her cur org or by telephoning HR(Hwian Resources)on 020 8970 7482．When applying plense stay your source．

　　Closing Date for Applications：4^th August 2010

　　Anticipated interview date：17^th August 2010

　　No agencies please

阅读理解

　　Andy rode slowly on his way to school, day-dreaming about the fishing trip that his father had prornised him．He was so busy dreaming about all the fish he would catch that he was unaware of everything else around him．

　　He rode along until a strange around drew him to the present．He came to a stop and looked curiously up to the heavens．What he saw him．A huge swarm of bees filled the sky like clack cloud and the buzzing mass towards him．

　　With no wast．Andy sped off in the opposite direction, riding without knowing how to escape the swarm a rapidly beating heart and his legs pumping furiously down the rough road．As the bees came closer, his panic incread．Andy knew that he was sensitive to bee stings(蜇)．The last sting had landed him in hospital-and that was only one bee sting!He had been forced to stay in bead for two whole days．Suddenly, his father's words came to him．“When you are in a tight situation, don't panie．Use your brain and think your ways out of it．”

　　On a nearby hill, he could see smoke waving slowly skywards form the chimney of the Nelson family home．“Bees don't like smoke,”he thought．“They couldn't get into the house．”Andy raced towards the Nelson house, but the bees were gaining ground．Andy knew be could not reach the house in time．He estimated that the bees would eatch up with him soon．

　　Suddenly, out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted a small dam used by Mr．Nelson to irnigate his vegetable garden．Off his bike and into the cool water he dived, disappearing below the surface and away from the savage insects．After holding his breath for as long as he could, Andy came up for air and noticed the bees has gone．Dragging himself out of the dang the struggled up the hilly slope and rang the doorbell．Mr Nelson took hism inside and rang his mother．

　　“You'll really red that aming break to help you recover,”laughed his mother with lelief．“Thank goodness you didn't paril But Andy did not hear her．He was dreaming once again at the she he would catch tomorrow．”

阅读理解

　　There were samng children all the way．Clearly they knew at what time the train passed their homes and they made it their business to stand along the railway, were to complete strangers and cheer them up as they rushed towards Penage．Often whole families stood outside their homes and waved and smiled as if those on the trains were their favorite relatives．This is the simple village people of Malaysia．I warmoved．

　　I had always traveled to Malaysia by plane or car, so this was the first time I was on a train．I did not partie relish the long train joumey and had brought along a dozen magazines to read and reread．I looked about the train．There was not one familiar I sighed and sat down to read my Economics

　　It was not long before the train was across the Causeway and in Malaysia．Johore Baru was just another city like Singapore, so I was tired of looking at the crods of people as they hurried past．As we went beyond the city, I watchd the smaight rows of rubber trees and miles and miles of green．Then the first village came into sight．Immediately I came alive, I decided to wave back．

　　From then on my joumey became interesting．I threw my magazine into the waste basket and decided to join in Malaysian life．Then everything came alive．The mountains seemed to speak to me．Even the trees were smiling．I stared t everything as if I was looking at it for the first time．

　　The day passed fast and I even forgot to have my lunch until I felt hungry．I looked at my wat ch and was surprised that it was 3∶00 p. m．Soon the train pulled up at Butterwi I looked at the people all around me．They all looked beautiful．When my uncle arrive with, I threw my around thim to give him a(拥抱)．I had never done this before．He seemed surprised and then his weather-beaten face warmed up with a huge smile．We walked arm in arm to his car．

　　I looked forward to the return journey．

阅读理解

　　Science can't explain the power of pets, but many studies have shown that the company of prts can help lower blood pressure(血压)and raise chances of recovering from a heart attack, reduce loneliness and spread all-round good cheer．

　　Any owner will tell you how much joy a pet brings．For some, an animal provides more comfort than a husband/wife．A 2002 study by Karen Allen of the State University of New York measured stress(紧张)levels and blood pressure in people-half of them pet owners –while they performed 5 minutes of mental arithmetic(算术)or held a hand in ice water．Subjects completed the tasks alone, with a husband/wife, a close friend or with a pet．People with pets did it best．Those tested with their animal friends had smaller change in blood pressure and returned most quick to base line beart rates．With pets in the room, people also made fewer math mistakes that when doing in front of other companions．It seems people feel more relaxed(放松)around pets, says Allen, who thinks it may be because pets don't judge．

　　A study reported last fall suggests that having a pet dog not only raises your spirits but may also have an effect on your eating habits．Researchers at Northwestern Memorial Hospital spent a year studying 36 fat people and their equally fatdogs on diet-and-exercise programs; a separate group of 56 people without pets were put on a diet program．On average, people lost about 11 pounds, or 5％ of their body weight．Dog owners didn't lose any more weight than those without dogs but, say researchers, got more exercise overall-mostly with their dogs-and found it worth doing．