阅读理解

　　Monday－9∶00 p.m.

　　I love to answer questions about children’s health．Some questions and their answers become articles, FAQ’s, Updates, Fast Facts, Top Tips, or Guidelines here on the site．I answer others in real time during chat．Either way, here is how to submit a question．

　　I am available live, for one hour, every weekday．No appointments are necessary!All you have to do is log on to chat and ask your question．In most cases, you’ll get your answer right there!Some of the questions from chat are selected for me to write about in greater depth．Even if you don’t have time to stay at chat, send your question to the chat host to be considered for a future article．

　　Please join me in chat, Monday－November 22, 2009 at 9∶00 p.m.

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阅读理解

　　The name of Macau comes from the word Magao(A-Ma Temple), which were shrines(圣地)dedicated to Mazu, a holy sea goddess worshiped by Macau people．It was said that when the Portuguese people first came here in the middle of sixteenth century, one of the officers asked a fisherman the name of the land．The man misunderstood the officer’s question, and answered“Magao”－the name of A-Ma Temple in front them．

　　Many people wonder how Macau is spelled．Is it“Macao”or“Macau”?Both are actually correct．Macao is Portuguese, and this is the official spelling backed by Macau SAR Government．Macau is English, that’s how they spell it in the U．S．and other parts of the world．However, most publications use“Macau”as the preferred spelling．

　　Members of the Southern Song Dynasty and some 50,000 followers were the first recorded inhabitants(居民)of the area, seeking shelter in Macau from invading Mongols in 1277．They were able to defend their settlements and establish themselves there．

　　The Hoklo Boat people were the first to show commercial interest in Macau as a trading center for the southern provinces．During the Ming Dynasty(1368－1643), fishermen migrated to Macau from various parts of Guangdong and Fujian provinces and built the A-Ma Temple in which they prayed for safety on the sea．

　　Chinese fishermen have been living and working in the Pearl River Delta for more than four thousand years．The small peninsula and islands that came to be called Macau were first settled by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century．

　　In 1998, Chinese(Cantonese)was given official status and the same legal power as Portuguese, the official language．The Chinese government assumed sovereignty over Macau on December 20, 1999, ending 329 years of Portuguese rule．

阅读理解

　　Some people worry about being the target of laughter．These people are frightened．They suffer from an emotional disorder called gelotophobia．That long name comes from the Greek language．The word Gelos means laugh, while phobos means fear．

　　Victor Rubio is an expert on human behavior at the Autonomous University of Madrid．He says people laugh at others for many different reasons．He says being laughed at causes a fear response in the victim．That fear leads the victim to avoid social situations．Sadly, gelotophobia limits the way they lead their lives．

　　Victor Rubio was among researchers in a huge international study about laughter．The researchers wanted to understand the difference between normal shyness and true gelotophobia．Another goal was to measure the fear of being laughed at within different cultures．

　　A team from the University of Zurich led ninety-three researchers from many countries in search of answers．

　　The researchers surveyed more than twenty-two thousand people．They used questions provided in forty-two languages．Their findings were reported in the scientific publication Humor．

　　Some of the people questioned said they felt unsure of themselves in social situations．But they hid their feelings．Others said they avoided social situations where they had been laughed at before．People also admitted to differing levels of fear that they themselves were the targets of other people’s laughter．The researchers measured and compared all these reactions．

　　Fear of being laughed at, being made fun of, is a common emotion．But the researchers learned that these feelings differed from nation to nation．

　　For example, the study found that people in Turkmenistan and Cambodia are likely to hide insecure(不安)feelings when they are around others’ laughter．But people in Iraq, Egypt and Jordan who feel they have been victims before may avoid such situations．

　　People in Finland were the least likely to believe that people laughing in their presence were making fun of them．Only eight and a half percent of Finns said they would－compared to eighty percent of those questioned in Thailand．

阅读理解

　　BEIJING, Nov．30－The Bird’s Nest may have been built for last year’s Summer Games but Beijing’s Olympic stadium will soon be aiming at fans of winter sports．

　　As temperatures have begun to drop in recent weeks, so too has the number of visitors to the 80,000-seater venue, which cost 3.6 billion yuan(＄527 million)to build．

　　And, fearing another harsh(寒冷的)winter, National Stadium Co Ltd, which owns the Bird’s Nest, yesterday planed to spend 50 million yuan on a“snow festival”．

　　From Dec 19, visitors will be able to pay 120 yuan to enjoy skiing and snowboarding, among other things, on its newly constructed slopes．

　　The stadium owners expect to attract more than 20,000 visitors a day－twice as many as it currently does－during the two-month festival, which will include events for both the Western and Chinese new years．

　　Officials revealed it would take just 5,000 visitors a day to cover the costs of the project．

　　“It’s not a bad idea．You can ski on man-made snow in Dubai, so why not here?”said Heiko Grasse, a tourist from Germany, yesterday．

　　Famous outdoor equipment makers and local brands are in talks over sponsorship for the event, the Bird’s Nest owners said yesterday, while the capital’s television network will also provide 500 hours of coverage．

　　“The Bird’s Nest will not have a cold winter again,”Wu Jingjun, the new president of National Stadium Co Ltd, told China Daily yesterday．“We will create seasonal events almost every month from now on with assistance from the government and, importantly, the public．”

　　Yang Cheng, a newly appointed vice-president of National Stadium Co Ltd, said the snow festival would run for five consecutive winters if successful．

阅读理解

　　All over my garden I’ve planted nothing but roses, sweet and－if looked at far away－bright with color like sunset clouds, I’d be very happy if anyone of my visiting friends should desire to pick and take some for their homes．I trust that any friend of mine carrying the rose would disappear into the distance feeling that his emotions had been rekindled(重燃)．

　　A close friend came for a visit the other day．I know her to be a lover of flowers and plants．And for that reason I told her at her departure that she should pick a bunch of roses to grace her bedroom．I promised that the smell of the roses would be wafted far, far away．

　　That girl friend of mine, tiptoeing into the garden in high spirits, smelt here and there, but in the end she didn’t pick a single rose．I said there were so many of them that she would pick as many as she’d like to; I told her that I was not a flower farmer and didn’t make a living out of them．Saying so I raised the scissors for the sacrifice of the flowers, but she stopped me, crying no, no, no!

　　To cut such beautiful roses would hurt one, she said．With her hands seizing at my sleeves, she told me that by no means should they be cut．Roses are the smiling face of the earth, and who could be so iron-hearted as to destroy a smile so charming?

　　My mind was thoroughly shocked：the ugly earth, the rough earth, the plain earth－it is for the reason of that smile that it wins the care and pity of people．

阅读理解

　　Illegal removal of coral(珊瑚)along Sri Lanka’s coastline increased the amount of destruction on the island by last December’s tsunami, say researchers．

　　Harindra Fernando, a fluid dynamicist(力学家)at Arizona State University in Tempe, made the connection after a visit to his native Sri Lanka earlier this year．While serving as a scientific expert and translator for a BBC-documentary team, he chatted with locals who said they saw the tsunami turn sideways when it hit coral－which would have made it less powerful than in coral-free areas．Fernando linked this to trucks he had seen last year carrying piles of coral away from the sea．

　　Using the eyewitness reports, estimates(估算)of wave heights, and a series of divers to check the presence or absence of corals, Fernando and his colleagues produced a map of coral gaps and wave flooding along Sri Lanka’s southwest coast．

　　The tsunami reached significantly farther inland through the gaps：in one instance, the water traveled 1.5 kilometres long and knocked a passenger train off its tracks, killing 1,700．But only a few kilometers away, where the coral was still undamaged, the wave travelled just 50 metres inland and caused no deaths．

　　There is a similar phenomenon．In Nicaragua in 1992, a tsunami poured through a break in the coral reef made to let boats through．“Within this passage, water went one kilometre inland,”says Fernando．“But nearby, where the coral was undamaged, there were still beach umbrellas standing．”

　　In Sri Lanka, coral is illegally mined to provide souvenirs for tourists, or to be used in house paint．Coral harvesters sometimes blow it up with dynamite(炸药)in order to collect fish at the same time．Often, the reefs in the best shape are those in front of hotels, as the hotel owners maintain them for the tourists．Fernando hopes that his findings will encourage the Sri Lankan government to enforce(实施)its laws against coral mining．

阅读理解

　　Coal mine accidents are frequently headline makers in China, offering a plentiful supply of long lists of the dead．Before this, five major coal mine accidents since January have already claimed lives of 287 coal miners．

　　Once an accident happens, the safety measures are scrutinized, officials and owners responsible are punished or warned or fined．But the accidents keep happening time and again．

　　The background of this endless disaster is a country thirsty for energy to satisfy the appetite of its economic engine．

　　With the rich reserve(储存)of coal and relatively limited petroleum(石油)reserve, the former makes up 67.12 percent of energy consumption．By contrast, petroleum and natural gas take about 60 percent of the energy consumption in other countries．

　　Such a situation is unlikely to change within a foreseeable future because the country still counts heavily on coal for more and more energy．If no measures with great effects are taken to improve the safety in the mines, the accidents will remain a long-term headache for China．

　　Digging coal underground is, by its nature, a dangerous job．No equipment can guarantee 100 percent safety for the miners working underground because numerous uncertainties exist．

　　Most of China’s coal mines are far from being mechanized．The average output of coal for each Chinese coal miner every day is 1 ton, while the number in the US coal mines, where the production is highly mechanized, is 40 tons．

　　Mechanized production in coal mines can cut down the number of miners who have to work on the dangerous coal face．It can also enhance the capability of the mines to detect potential danger．In this way mine accidents will be decreased．

　　Admittedly, the mechanized production demands financial support．

　　But what is the price of a life, or a dozen, a score－a hundred?Compare these awful figures with the misery they bring, heavy investment is worthy．

阅读理解

LINDA MAYNARD

11 Windrift Circle

Methuen, MA

978－555－4539

　　JOB OBJECTIVE

　　Seek special education, primary school, or middle school math teaching position．

　　EDUCATION

　　Rivier College, Nashua, NH

　　Bachelor of Arts in Education－May, 2006

　　Major：Elementary Education

　　Have successfully completed PRAXIS I and PRAXIS II．Meet highly qualified testing requirements for Massachusetts and New Hampshire．

　　TEACHING EXPERIENCE

　　November, 2005－January, 2006

　　Wilkins Elementary School, Amherst, NH

　　Student Teacher

　　●Developed and completed student－centered lessons in all subject areas for various groups of fifth grade special and regular education students．

　　●Adapted lessons to meet students’ needs by reviewing their backgrounds and learning needs through IEPs．

　　●Communicated with parents on a regular basis via newsletters, daily or weekly progress reports, phone calls, and email, resulting in increased parental participation at home．

　　September, 2005－November, 2005

　　Charlotte Avenue Elementary School, Nashua, NH

　　Student Teacher

　　●Taught reading and writing through Language Experience Approach methods．

　　●Introduced a Writer’s Workshop appropriate for first grade students to help them to develop their writing skills．

　　●Developed learning stations in reading and science, enabling students to be more independent learners．

　　Spring, 2005

　　Wilkins Elementary School, Amherst, NH

　　Designed and taught a unit on Insects and Spiders, based on New Hampshire Standards to 23 self－contained, third and fourth grade students with disabilities．

　　Fall, 2004

　　Amherst Street Elementary School, Nashua, NH

　　Taught a class of 24 third grade students with a wide range of abilities．

　　ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE

　　●After-School Aid, Amherst School District, Amherst, NH(2004－2005)

　　●Summer Camp advisor, YMCA, Nashua, NH(Summers, 2002 and 2003)

　　●Big Brother/Big Sister Volunteer, Nashua, NH(2002－2005)

阅读理解

　　The easiest way for the English to deal with their social discomfort is to avoid social interaction altogether, by choosing either leisure(闲暇)activities that can be performed in the privacy of one’s own house, or outdoor activities that follow their interest without direct contact with anyone other than one’s own family members, such as going for a walk, or to the cinema, or shopping．

　　In recent survey, over half of all the leisure activities were of this private domestic type, and of the top ten pastimes, only two－having friends round for a meal or drink, and going to the pub－could be described as‘sociable’．The most domestic activities are the most popular：watching TV, listening to the radio, reading, DIY(Do It Yourself)and gardening．Even when the English are being sociable, the survey findings show that most of them would much rather entertain a few close friends or relatives in the safety of their own homes than venture out among strangers．

　　In the latest national census survey(人口普查), over half of the entire adult male population had been DIYing in the four weeks before the census date．Nearly a third of the female population had also been busily improving their homes, and their work with their gardens was equally obvious：52 percent of all English males and 45 percent of females had been out there, cutting branches and weeding grass．

　　Even among people claiming to belong to a particular religion, only two percent attend services every week．The rest of the population can be found every Sunday at their local garden center or DIY superstore．And when they want a break from caring about their own homes and gardens, they go on trips to visit bigger and better houses and gardens, such as the stately homes and gardens opened to the public by the National Trust and the Royal Horticulture Society．Visiting grand country houses always ranks as one of the most popular national pastimes．

阅读理解

　　There’s a man in the habit of hitting me on the head with an umbrella．At first I couldn’t stand it, now I’m used to it．

　　I don’t know his name．I know he’s average in appearance, wears a gray suit, and has a common face．I met him five years ago one hot morning when I was sitting on a tree-shaded bench in Palermo Park, reading the paper．Suddenly I felt something touch my head．It was the very same man who now, as I’m writing, keeps hitting me, mechanically(机械地)and impassively, with an umbrella．

　　On that occasion I turned around filled with anger．He just kept on hitting me．I asked him if he was crazy, he didn’t even seem to hear me．Then I threatened to call a policeman．Calmly, cool as a cucumber, he stuck with his task．After a few moments of hesitation, and seeing that he was not about to change his attitude, I stood up and hit him on the nose．The man fell down, but he immediately got back on his feet, obviously with great effort, and without a word again began hitting me on the head with the umbrella．His nose was bleeding and, at that moment, I felt sorry for him．I felt regret for having hit him so hard．After all, the man wasn’t exactly hitting me; he was merely tapping me lightly with his umbrella, not causing any pain at all．Of course, those taps were extremely bothersome．As we all know, when a fly lands on your forehead, you don’t feel any pain; what you feel is annoyance．Well then, that umbrella was one huge fly that kept landing on my head time after time．

　　Convinced that I was dealing with a madman, I tried to escape．But the man followed me, wordlessly continuing to hit me．So I began to run(I should point out that not many people run as fast as I do)．He took off after me, trying to land a blow．The man was out of breath so that I thought, if I continued to force him to run at that speed, he would drop dead right then and there．