READING COMPREHENSION

　　Peek－the real-life“savant”on whom Dustin Hoffman’s character in the film Rain Man is based knows 9,000 books off by heart; he can direct people around US cities from maps he has memorized years ago; and he has total recall of the dates of all major world events．

　　Now studies of Peek’s abilities are being used by scientists to shed light on the human mind, and to open the way for men and women to exploit(利用)far more of their intellectual potential, as the latest issue of Scientific American reveals．

　　“Kin’s story tells us that the human brain is far more flexible than we had thought,”said Darold Treffert, a psychiatrist(心理学家)of the Scientific American Paper and told The Observe．

　　“Like many other savants, he has suffered disability in one area of his brain, but has been rewarded by acquiring remarkable new abilities in other areas．This shows we all have considerable hidden intellectual potential．By studying Kim and other savants, we can learn how to develop those powers．”

　　Kin, now 54, was born with a malformed cerebullum(畸形的小脑),and at the base of his brain, lacks a corpus calosum(数据储存区), the thick bundle of nerves that normally connects the brain’s two hemispheres(半球)．In 1988 he was given an IQ rating of 87, well below the average．

　　Kin has poor physical condition, cannot button his shirts but has remarkable memory power and has started to develop as an accomplished pianist in the last two years．This latest development－in a man in his 50s with large chunks of his brain missing－is particularly significant, added Treffert．“His brain is still adapting to his condition, even in mid-life”．

　　“He remembers 98 percent of what he reads,”said his father Fran．“It’s like down loading data on a hard disk－expect his never crashes．”

READING COMPREHENSION

　　Modern technology has allowed scientists to map the parts of the brain that are active when we dream．The brainstem(脑干)is very active, but so are other important areas at the front of the brain．These are the frontal lobes(额叶)that control emotions, memory, and experiences that come through the senses like hearing and vision．If these areas are injured, the person stops dreaming．On the other hand, the areas that control rational, logical thought are not active at all．This could explain why dreams are so strange．They have no logical sequence or time, which makes them very difficult to explain to other people when they wake up．Those dreams that combine recent events with long past events and our emotions while we are dreaming are often very strong．

　　Psychologists have also done studies on people who kept dream diaries for long periods of time(up to fifty years in some cases)and have found that what we dream is very much connected with how we think and behave when we are awake．So an extrovert, adventurous person will have extrovert, adventurous dreams．A shy person will be a shy person in his dreams．People who are important to us will often be in our dreams and so will things that worry us or make us happy．

　　So what’s the conclusion?Well, nobody really knows．But scientists are now suggesting that dreams have absolutely no purpose at all．When we are awake we are“thinking”all the time．Some of the thinking is useful and has a purpose．But we often just“think”about nothing in particular while we’re waiting for the bus or walking to work．And that’s what the brain is doing when we are asleep－just thinking．Sometimes it’s interesting and sometimes it’s boring．

　　Doing the research for this article had made me more interested in my dreams rather than less．I might even start a dream diary!But nothing that I’ve read explains why I sometimes have an embarrassing dream．

READING COMPREHENSION

　　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(癞蛤蟆),who at the best of times would not have been fast enough to 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 on 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 bush and held 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 railing, landing by the gorse(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．

阅读理解

　　Betty and Harold have been married for years．But one thing still puzzles old Harold．How is it that he can leave Betty and her friend Joan sitting on the sofa, talking, go out to a ballgame, come back three and a half hours later, and they’re still sitting on the sofa?Talking?What in the world, Harold wonders, do they have to talk about?

　　Betty shrugs．Talk?We’re friends．

　　Researching this matter called friendship, psychologist Lillian Rubin spent two years interviewing more than two hundred women and men．No matter what their age, their job, their sex, the results were completely clear: women have more friendships than men, and the difference in the content and the quality of those friendships is“marked and unmistakable．”More than two-thirds of the single men Rubin interviewed could not name a best friend．Those who could were likely to name a woman．Yet three-quarters of the single women had no problem naming a best friend, and almost always it was a woman．More married men than women named their wife/husband as a best friend, most trusted person, or the one they would turn to in time of emotional distress(感情危机)．“Most women,”says Rubin,“identified at least one, usually more, trusted friends to whom they could turn in a troubled moment, and they spoke openly about the importance of these relationships in their lives．”

　　“In general,”writes Rubin in her new book,“women’s friendships with each other rest on shared emotions and support, but men’s relationships are marked by shared activities．”For the most part, Rubin says, interactions(交往)between men are emotionally controlled－a good fit with the social requirements of“manly behavior．”

　　“Even when a man is said to be a best friend,”Rubin writes,“the two share little about their innermost feelings．Whereas a woman’s closest female friend might be the first to tell her to leave a failing marriage, it wasn’t unusual to hear a man say he didn’t know his friend’s marriage was in serious trouble until he appeared one night asking if he could sleep on the sofa．”

阅读理解

　　Hee-haw!Scores of farmers across the country are opening up to overnight guests．The best have all the appeal of a first-rate inn－plus here a moo, there a moo．

　　Sure, you and your kids plan to conquer the theme parks．In the meanwhile, why not make a little hay?Farm stays are fast becoming the great American alternative to the pre-packaged vacation．

　　Rochester, Vt．; 802/767-3926; www.libertyhillfarm.com．Adults$75, teens $50, kids 12 and under $35, including breakfast and dinner; shared baths．

　　Beth and Bob Kennett run a farm straight out of a storybook．You’ll find Beth in the kitchen, rolling out dough(生面团)for a pie．Bob’s busy with other work．Guests sleep in seven sunny bedrooms right in the farmhouse and can participate in any of the farm jobs．Maybe you and your kids won’t be up at 6 a.m.to meet the milk truck, but you can help with the milking twice a day, collect eggs, and pick sweet corn and wild blackberries in season．

　　Durham, N．Y．; 518/239-6950; www.hull-o.com; Adults $110, kids 10－14 $60, 5－9 $50, 2－4 $35, under 2 free, including breakfast and dinner; private baths．

　　It started in 1993 as a way to bring in some extra money at a time of falling milk prices．But soon after Frank and Sherry Hull opened their Catskill Mountains dairy farm to overnight visitors, they discovered they loved it．As you drive up, Sherry greets you on the porch of the 1825 farmhouse with a cow-shaped cookie jar．Before long your kids are playing around with the cows, sheep, ducks, goats and getting ready for a hayride．

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　　American researchers say drinking tea may help strengthen the body’s defense system against infection．Doctors at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, did the study．The team studied a chemical found in black, green, oolong and pekoe tea．This chemical is an amino acid(氨基酸)called L-theanine．The scientists say it may increase the strength of Gamma delta T cells, which are part of the body’s defenses．

　　First, the researchers mixed some of these cells with antigens(抗原)found in the amino acid Antigens help the body react to infection．Then the scientists added some bacteria．Within twenty-four hours, the cells produced a lot of interferon, a substance that fights infection．Cells not mixed with the antigens did not produce interferon．

　　In the second part of the study, eleven people drank five to six cups of black tea every day．Ten other people drank the same amount of instant coffee．That is dried coffee mixed with hot water．Two weeks later, and again two weeks after that, the researchers tested the blood of all twenty-one people．They also looked at what happened when they added bacteria to the blood cells．They found that the tea drinkers produced five times more interferon after they started drinking tea．The coffee drinkers did not produce interferon．

　　Doctor Jack Bukowski led the study．He says the antigens added to the Gamma delta T cells were responsible for the increased reaction to the bacteria．He says the study also showed that the cells were able to remember the bacteria and fight them again the next time．

　　Earlier research already has found that tea can help prevent heart disease and cancer．Doctor Bukowski says the new study must be repeated with more people．If the findings prove to be true, he says, then tea drinking might also help protect against bacterial infections．He says the amino acid L-theanine could be removed from tea and used as a drug to strengthen the body’s defenses．

阅读理解

　　When families gather for Christmas dinner, some will stick to formal traditions dating back to Grandma’s generation．Their tables will be set with the good dishes and silver, and the dress code will be Sunday-best．

　　But in many other homes, this china-and-silver custom has given way to a stoneware(粗陶)-and-stainless informality, with dresses appearing an equally casual-Friday look．For hosts and guests, the change means greater simplicity and comfort．For makers of fine china in Britain, it means economic hard times．

　　Last week Royal Doulton, the largest employer in Stoke-on-Trent, announced that it is cutting down 1,000 jobs－one-fifth of its total workforce．That brings to more than 4,000 the number of positions lost in 18 months in the pottery region．Wedgwood and other pottery factories made cuts earlier．

　　Although a strong pound and weak markets in Asia play a role in the downsizing, the layoffs in Stoke have their roots in earthshaking social shifts．A spokesman for Royal Doulton admitted that the company“has been somewhat slow in catching up with the trend”toward casual dining．Families eat together less often, he explained, and more people eat alone, either because they are single or they eat in front of television．

　　Even dinner parties, if they happen at all, have gone casual．In a time of long work hours and demanding family schedules, busy hosts insist, rightly, that it’s better to share a takeout pizza on paper plates in the family room than to wait for the perfect moment or a“real”dinner party．Too often, the perfect moment never comes．Iron a fine-patterned tablecloth?Forget it．Polish the silver?Who has time?

　　Yet the loss of formality has its down side．The fine points of table manners that children might once have learned at the table by observation or instruction from parents and grandparents(“Chew with your mouth closed”．“Keep your elbows off the table．”)must be picked up elsewhere．

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　　It was shortly before midnight, and Dr．Patricia was getting ready for bed．The phone rang．On the other end of the line was a woman about to break a promise．

　　The woman was her mother’s neighbor．Flora Harris had made the neighbor swear she wouldn’t tell her daughter she’d had a heart attack and was in the hospital, for fear her daughter would worry．The neighbor wisely decided to disobey orders．

　　Harris desperately wanted to get to the hospital immediately, but she couldn’t．She lives in Washington, D．C．, and her mother lives in California．

　　For the past year and a half, Harris has gone to Los Angeles every other month to take care of her mother．Flora Harris takes care of her husband, James, who’s 91 and has Alzheimer’s disease．They live in their own home, and a caregiver comes to help them a few hours a day．

　　Harris is one of many Americans facing the heartache of how to take care of aging parents from afar．She’s often worried, not to mention extremely busy with a demanding job, two teenage daughters and the frequent trips to California．

　　In some ways, Harris is lucky．She has the resources to make the trips to Los Angeles．Plus, Harris is a doctor who treats the elderly．

　　“But it’s still tough,”she says．“I can foresee what the next few years are going to look like, and it’s not a pretty picture．My father’s going to need diapers(尿布)．There will come a time when he won’t recognize me and he’s easily excited．I worry he’s going to be violent and hurt my mother．”

　　So what do you do when you live a continent away from your aging, sick parents?There are no magic answers．You can hire someone to help, but you can’t outsource it completely．

阅读理解

　　You’ve no doubt heard people say how much they“need”a holiday, when what they really mean is that they want one．Certainly, people working under pressure feel a very strong desire to escape from work and become less tight during their holidays, and experience a changed environment．For this reason, holidays away from home are now seen by most people as necessary to their quality life．However, work for many people today are office work and mental, rather than physical tasks．These people may seek much more energy taking activities while on holiday, rather than simply lying on a beach．

　　Once people become used to going on holiday, taking holidays becomes a habit．Even in a recession(经济萧条时期), for many people the holiday is one of the last things to be given up, and indeed many workers have chosen to spend some of their last pay when being laid off on a holiday, perhaps to give themselves a“lift”before facing a gloomy(暗淡的)future．

　　Perhaps we don’t like to admit it, but most of us also enjoy showing off about the places we have been to, and the lovely tans：dark skins we have got．The idea of tanning, however, is becoming less attractive than it was．So many tourists are now able to afford holidays in the sun that tans have become quite common; and although we join a tan together with health(and it is true that a certain amount of sunshine gives us a feeling of being healthy), it has been fully shown that sunshine, especially when received over a short, focused period of time, results in high danger of skin problems, as well as drying out one’s skin and leading to more lines on your face later in life．

阅读理解

　　How can we get rid of garbage? Do we have enough energy sources to meet our future energy needs?

　　These are two important questions that many people are asking today．Some people think that men might be able to solve both problems at the same time．They suggest using garbage as an energy source．

　　For a long time people buried garbage or dumped it on empty land．Now, empty land is scarce．But more and more garbage is produced each year．But garbage can be a good fuel to use．The things in garbage do not look like coal, petroleum, or natural gas; but they are chemically similar to these fossil fuels．As we use up our fossil-fuel supplies, we might be able to use garbage as an energy source．

　　Burning garbage is not a new idea．Some cities in Europe and the United States have been burning garbage for years．The heat that is produced by burning garbage is used to boil water．The steam that is produced is used to make electricity or to heat nearby buildings．In Paris, France, some power plants burn almost 2 million metric tons of the city’s garbage each year．The amount of energy produced is about the same as the world produced by burning almost a half million barrels of oil!

　　But there are problems in using garbage as a fuel．Garbage that burns easily, such as food scraps and paper, must be separated from metals, glass, and other materials that do not burn easily．This separation process is normally costly．Another problem is that burning garbage can pollute the air．

　　Our fossil fuel supplies are limited．Burning garbage might be one kind of energy source that we can use to help meet our energy needs．This method could also reduce the amount of garbage piling up on the earth．