阅读理解

　　It was my first day at school in London and I was half-excited and half-frightened．On my way to school I wondered what sort of questions the other boys would ask me and rehearsed(practiced)all the answers：“I am nine years old．I was born here but I haven’t lived here since I was two．I was living in Farley．It’s about thirty miles away．I came back to London two months ago．”I also wondered if it was the custom for boys to fight strangers like me, but I was tall for my age．I hoped they would decide not to risk it．

　　No one took any notice of me before school．I stood in the center of the playground, expecting someone to say“hello”, but no one spoke to me．When a teacher called my name and told me where my classroom was, one or two boys looked at me but that was all the curiosity my arrival aroused．

　　My teacher was called Mr Jones．There were 42 boys in the class, so I didn’t stand out there, either, until the first lesson of the afternoon．Mr Jones was very fond of Charles Dickens and he had decided to read aloud to us from David Copperfield, but first he asked several boys if they knew Dickens’ birthplace, but no one guessed right．A boy called Brian, the biggest in the class, said：“Timbuktu”, and Mr Jones went red in the face．Then he asked me．I said：“Portsmouth”, and everyone stared at me because Mr Jones said I was right．This didn’t make me very popular, of course．

　　“He thinks he’s clever,”I heard Brian say．

　　After that, we went out to the playground to play football．I was in Brian’s team, and he obviously had Dickens in mind because he told me to go in goal．No one ever wanted to be the goalkeeper．

　　“He’s big enough and useless enough,”Brian said when someone asked him why he had chosen me．

　　I suppose Mr Jones remembered Dickens, too, because when the game was nearly over, Brian pushed one of the players on the other team, and he gave them a penalty．As the boy kicked the ball hard along the ground to my right, I threw myself down instinctively and saved it．All my team crowded round me．My bare knees were grazed and bleeding．Brian took out a handkerchief and offered it to me．

　　“Do you want to join my gang(team)?”he said．

　　At the end of the day, I was no longer a stranger．

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 elegance has given way to a stoneware(粗陶)and stainless informality, with dresses assuming an equally casual-Friday look．For hosts and guests, the change means greater simplicity and comfort．For makers of fine china in Britain, it spells economic hard times．

　　Last week Royal Doulton, the largest employer in Stoke-on-Trent, announced that it is eliminating 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(陶瓷)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 t

　　Yet the loss of formality has its down side．The fine points of etiquette(礼节)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．Some companies now offer etiquette seminars for employees who may be able professionally but inexperienced socially．

阅读理解

　　By far the most common difficulty in study is simple failure to get down to regular concentrated work．This difficulty is much greater for those who do not work to a plan and have no regular routine of study．Many students muddle along, doing a bit of this subject or that, as the mood takes them, or letting their set work pile up until the last possible moment．

　　Few students work to a set timetable．They say that if they did work out a timetable for themselves they would not keep to it, or would have to change it frequently, since they can never predict(foresee)from one day to the next what their activities will be．

　　No doubt some students take much more kindly to a regular routine than others．There are many who shy away from a self-controlled weekly timetable, and dislike being tied down to a fixed programmed of work ．Many able students state that they work in cycles．When they become interested in a topic they work on it attentively for three or four days at a time．On other days they avoid work completely．It has to be admitted that we do not fully understand the motivation to work．Most people over 25 years of age have become used to a work routine, and the majority of really productive workers set aside regular hours for the more important areas of their work．The“tough-minded”school of workers doesn’t fully accept the idea that good work can only be done naturally, under the influence of inspiration．

　　Those who believe that they need only work and study as the fit takes them have a mistaken belief either in their own talent or in the value of“freedom”．Freedom from control and discipline leads to unhappiness rather than to“self-expression”or“personality development”．Our society insists on regular habits, timekeeping and punctuality(准时), and whether we like it or not, if we mean to make our way in society, we have to meet its demands．

阅读理解

　　Most people would agree that it would be wonderful if humans could regenerate(再生)limbs．Those who have lost their arms or legs would be complete again．The day is still far off when this might happen．But in the last 10 years, doctors have reported regeneration in smaller parts of the body, most often fingers．

　　Regeneration is not a newly-discovered process．For centuries, scientists have seen it work in some kinds of animals．Scientists now are looking for a way to turn on this exciting ability in more highly-developed animals, including humans．Their experiments show that nerves(神经), cell chemistry and the natural electric currents in the body all seem to have a part in this process．

　　The body of every animal contains general purpose cells that change into whatever kind of cells the body needs．These cells collect around the wound．They form a mass called a blastema(芽基)．The cells of the blastema begin to change．Some became bone cells, some muscle cells, some skin cells．Slowly, a new part re-grows from the body o

　　More than 200 years ago, Italian scientist Luigi Spallanzani showed that younger animals have a greater ability to regenerate lost parts than older animals．So do animals lower on the ladder of evolutionary(进化的)development．The major differences seem to be that less-developed animals have more nerves in their tails and legs than humans do in their arms and legs．

　　Another helpful piece of information was discovered in the late 1800s．Scientists found that when a creature is injured, an electrical current flows around the wound．The strength of the current depends on how severe the wound is and on how much nerve tissue(组织)is present．

阅读理解

　　TOKYO－A child-like robot that combines the roles of nurse, companion and security guard is to go on the market to help the growing ranks of elderly Japanese with no one to look after them．

　　The“Wakamaru”robot can walk around a house 24 hours a day, warning family, hospitals and security firms if it perceives(notices)a problem．It will, for example, call relatives if the owner fails to get out of the bath．

　　Cameras implanted in the“eye-brows”of the robot enable it to“see”as it walks around an apartment．The images can be sent to the latest cellphones, which display the pictures．

　　Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which developed Wakamaru, plans to start selling the metre-high robots by April, 2005, for about ＄15,000 Cdn．

　　Wakamaru, which speaks with either the voice of a boy or girl, is also designed to provide companionship, greeting its“papa”when he comes home．

　　It is the first household robot able to hold simple conversations, based on a vocabulary of around 10,000 words．It cannot only speak but can understand answers and react accordingly．

　　It will ask“Are you all right?”if its owner does not move for some time．If the answer is no, or there is no answer, it will telephone preset numbers, transmitting images and functioning as a speakerphone．

　　Wakamaru will in form a xecurity firm if ther is a loud bang or if an unknown person enters the house while the owner is out or asleep．It can recognize up to 10 faces．

　　But like nost robots it cannot climb stairs．

　　It can be set to remind forgetful people when it is time to take medicine, eat and sleep．

　　Mitstubishi adapted Wakamaru from robots it already makes to go around nuclear power facilities．The idea to use the technology in the home came from a company employee．

　　The project chief said,“Looking at the ageing of society and the falling birth rate we decide that this could work as a business．We want to offer Wakamaru as a product that helps society．”

　　The technology has gained nation-wide publicity in Japan among increasing xoncern over how to look after the ever-growing number of old people．The life expectancy of Japanese women has shot up to almost 85, the highest in the wolrld．

　　At the same time, extended families are being rdplaced by nuclear families．This has left many Japanese anxious about their elderly parents, whom they rarely see because of their long hours at the office．

阅读理解

　　It was my first day at school in London and I was half-excited and half-frightened．On my way to school I wondered what sort of questions the other boys would ask me and rehearsed(practiced)all the answers：“I am nine years old．I was born here but I haven’t lived here since I was two．I was living in Farley．It’s about thirty miles away．I came back to London two months ago．”I also wondered if it was the custom for boys to fight strangers like me, but I was tall for my age．I hoped they would decide not to risk it．

　　No one took any notice of me before school．I stood in the center of the playground, expecting someone to say“hello”, but no one spoke to me．When a teacher called my name and told me where my classroom was, one or two boys looked at me but that was all the curiosity my arrival aroused．

　　My teacher was called Mr Jones．There were 42 boys in the class, so I didn’t stand out there, either, until the first lesson of the afternoon．Mr Jones was very fond of Charles Dickens and he had decided to read aloud to us from David Copperfield, but first he asked several boys if they knew Dickens’ birthplace, but no one guessed right．A boy called Brian, the biggest in the class, said：“Timbuktu”, and Mr Jones went red in the face．Then he asked me．I said：“Portsmouth”, and everyone stared at me because Mr Jones said I was right．This didn’t make me very popular, of course．

　　“He thinks he’s clever,”I heard Brian say．

　　After that, we went out to the playground to play football．I was in Brian’s team, and he obviously had Dickens in mind because he told me to go in goal．No one ever wanted to be the goalkeeper．

　　“He’s big enough and useless enough,”Brian said when someone asked him why he had chosen me．

　　I suppose Mr Jones remembered Dickens, too, because when the game was nearly over, Brian pushed one of the players on the other team, and he gave them a penalty．As the boy kicked the ball hard along the ground to my right, I threw myself down instinctively and saved it．All my team crowded round me．My bare knees were grazed and bleeding．Brian took out a handkerchief and offered it to me．

　　“Do you want to join my gang(team)?”he said．

　　At the end of the day, I was no longer a stranger．

阅读理解

　　Contrary to the impression that grandmothers are delighted to help their grown daughters and care for their grandchildren, a study of multigenerational families shows that many older women hate the frequent demands that the younger generations make on their time and energy．

　　“Young women with children are under a lot of pressure these days, and they expect their mothers to help them pick up the pieces,”noted Dr．Bertram J．Cohler, a behavioral scientist at the University of Chicago．“This is often the strongest source of complaint on the part of Grandmother, who has finished with child caring and now has her own life to live．Grandmothers like to see their children and grandchildren, but on their own time．”

　　Dr．Cohler is director of a study, sponsored by the National Institute of Aging, of 150 workingclass families that live in a Midwestern suburb．He and Dr．Henry U．Gruebaum of Harvard Medical School, have already completed their study of four such families in New England．

　　Dr．Cohler tells of a middle-aged Boston woman who works as a cook all week and for her parish(教区)on Sundays．Every Saturday, her one day off, her daughter and family visit, expecting mother to make lunch, shop, and visit．“That’s not how she wants to grow old,”said Dr．Cohler, who was told by the older woman,“My daughter would never speak to me if she knew how angry and unhappy I get．”

　　In all the four New England families studied, the older women disliked the numerous phone calls and visits from their grown daughters, who often turned to the mothers for advice, physical resources, love, and companionship as well as baby-sitting services．“American society keeps increasing the burdens for older people, particularly those in their 50s and 60s,”Dr．Cohler said in an interview here．“They’re still working and they’re taking care of their grown children and maybe also their aged parents．Sometimes life gets to be too much．”

阅读理解

　　It is natural that children are curious about the world around them．For example, they want to know how their hearts beat．They want to know why the ocean water tastes salty．

　　As children grow up, they become curious about different kinds of things．When they are babies, they are interested in the parts of their bodies and in the smiles of their mothers．They become interested in the physical world around them：the plants, the animals, the sky．Later, they become interested in the things that people have made：wheels, bicycles, cars．And when they are adults, their curiosity continues．Sometimes this curiosity leads to a career in science．

　　Scientists spend their lives trying to find out about the world．Those who work with the earth sciences study the earth, the oceans, and the sky．Other scientists who study living things work with the biological sciences．A third group of scientists study the physical sciences, e．g．physics, chemistry ．

　　These scientists have already discovered a lot about our world．For example, they tell us why your heart beats fast when you run．They say that when you are quiet, your heart normally beats 65 or 75 times a minute．Your heart is a pump that pumps blood to all parts of the body．The blood carries oxygen and nutrition．When you run, your muscles work very hard and use the nutrition that the blood carries to them．The muscles need oxygen, too．So your brain sends a signal to the heart．The signal means that the muscles need more nutrition and oxygen．Then the heart beats fast and sends blood quickly to the muscles．It may beat 90 to 140 times a minute．

　　Of course, scientists cannot answer all of our questions．If we ask,“Why does the ocean water taste salty”scientists will say that the salt comes from rocks．When a rock gets very hot or very cold, it cracks．Rain falls into cracks．The rain then carries the salt into the earth and into the rivers．The rivers carry the salt into the ocean．But then we ask,“What happens to the salt in the ocean?The ocean does not get saltier every year．”Scientists are not sure about the answer to this question．

　　We know a lot about our world, but there are still many answers that we do not have, and we are curious．

阅读理解

　　Just at that time, a telegram arrived from his brother．Mr．Jameson opened it quickly．It said,“Come home at once．Your wife is ill and in a critical condition．West End Hospital．”Mr．Jameson began to think．Since the work at the mine was going well, he decided to go home at once．He just told himself again and again that he couldn’t lose his wife, or his life would be meaningless．

　　At about 6 the next morning, he and one of his assistants reached Lamesa, where they were going to Chicago at 6∶30．There was still half an hour left before the train started, so Mr．Jameson decided to telephone to Chicago to ask about his wife．And after that, if still enough time was left he could see a doctor and have the piece of coal or the piece of metal removed out of his eye．His eye and his whole head ached now．

　　After he sent his assistant to the railway station to buy tickets for the train, he went to make the phone call．When the operator put through his call, he sat down and waited．His eye felt like a piece of hot iron．And he was worried about his sick wife．The phone rang．Soon Mr．Jameson talked with the hospital in Chicago．A voice said,“Yes, sir!Your wife is here．She is much better．There is no danger now．You don’t have to return．”

　　Everything was all right．His wife was going to live．He would not lose his wife．Quite excited, Mr．Jameson began to cry like a little child and could not stop．Big tears rolled out of his eyes and down his cheeks．Soon his eye felt better．He touched his eye and felt something in the corner of his eye．That was a small piece of coal．His tears had washed it out of his eye!

阅读理解

　　We often hear the phrase：“You have a greater chance of being struck by lightning．”It is used to describe something that hasn’t got much chance of happening．However, the common saying undermines(掩盖)the very real dangers of lightning．

　　Last Friday, at least 5 people were killed by lightning in Nepal(尼泊尔)．

　　Lightning strikes are the second most common cause of deaths during natural disasters in the US．The first is floods．Around 400 people nationwide are struck by lightning each year, and of those, 70 people die．That is, more people are killed by lightning than by tornadoes and hurricanes．

　　Because lightning kills only one or two people at a time, its danger does not receive as much attention as other disasters．

　　“If you hear thunder, you are in danger from lightning,”said Rocky Lopes, a disaster educator at the American Red Cross．

　　“Thunder means that lightning is close enough to hit you at any time, so you should move indoors immediately and stay there until the storm has ended．The most important thing to remember is to seek shelter,”Lopes said．

　　Summer is the peak time for lightning storms, so when lightning strikes across the sky, remember these safety tips：

　　*Stop working, fishing, swimming or playing in open fields．

　　*Do not stand under a tree．

　　*Get off bicycle and motorcycles．

　　*Crouch down(蹲下)if there is no shelter．

　　*Avoid open spaces, wire fences, metal objects and electrical objects such as hair driers．