阅读理解

　　People need to relax and enjoy themse1ves．One way they can have a good time is to watch a baseball game or another sports event．Even thousands of years ago, groups of people gathered(聚集)to watch skilled athletes(运动员)．

　　　Over 2000 years ago in Greece, certain days in the year were festival days．These were holidays when people stopped work and enjoyed themselves．They liked to watch athletes take part in races and other games of skill．

　　The most important festival was held every four years at the town of Olympia．It was held in honor of the Greek god Zeus(Zus)．For five days, athletes from all parts of the Greek world took part in the Olympic Games．At the Olympic Games, people could watch them box, run, jump and so on．There was a relay race between two teams of men in which a lighted torch(火矩)was passed from runner to runner．The Olympic Games were thought to be so important that cities which were at war with one another had to stop fighting．People were allowed to travel to the games safely．Thousands of people came to Olympia from cities in Greece and from her colonies(殖民地)in Africa, Asia and Italy．They met as friends to cheer their favorite athletes and to enjoy themselves．

阅读理解

Dear Mom and Dad,

　　I'm afraid I have some very bad news for you．I have been very naughty(淘气的)and the school master is very angry with me．She is going to write to you．You must come and take me away from here．She does not want me in the school any longer．The trouble started last night when I was smoking a cigarette(香烟)in bed．As I was smoking, I heard footsteps(脚步)coming towards the room．I did not want a teacher to catch me smoking, so I threw the cigarette away．Unfortunately(不幸地), the cigarette fell into the waste－paper basket．It caught fire．

　　There was a curtain near the waste－paper basket．It caught fire too．Soon the whole room was burning．The master phoned the fire brigade(消防队)．The school is a long way from the town and before the fire brigade arrived, the whole school was on fire．The master said that the fire was all my fault(过错)and I must pay for the damage(损坏)．She will send you a bill for about a million dollars．

　　I'm very sorry for this．

Much love

Sarah

阅读理解

　　2.26-meter-tall Yao Ming made his NBA debut(初次登台)on October 23, 2002 and got 6 points for the Houston Rockets in the game．The next day, he got 13 points(得分)in another game．

　　Most people think that Yao Ming is a born basketball player．But Yao said,“When you watch it on TV, it looks very easy．But when you are playing in the NBA, it is really not so easy．”He said that joining the Houston Rockets was a new start and a new challenge．“I hope that through very hard work I can make everyone happy and help the Rockets win more games,”he said．

　　Yao Ming speaks some English．Both he and his teammates can understand each other．They don't think there is a language problem．While Yao Ming faces this new challenge(挑战), the people of Houston have shown great interest in him and they hope Yao Ming will bring new energy(活力)to the Rockets．The team has started having lessons to learn more about China, and many people who work for the Rockets have learned to speak some Chinese．

阅读理解

Welcome to our school．You can do a lot of things here．Come and join us．

阅读理解

　　We have learned a great deal about how physical traits(特征)are passed from generation to generation．Scientists know that DNA molecules(分子)in human cells carry inherited physical traits in a sort of chemical code．

　　Some day we may learn how to change these DNA molecules so as to change the physical traits they carry．Eventually, parents may be able to choose what traits their children will inherit(遗传)；blue eyes or brown, tall bodies or short．

　　Most children of today are taller than their parents, but this may be due to better nutrition(营养)rather than to an inherited change．In some population groups, height is increasing one inch per generation．

　　Is it a good thing for people to get taller than taller?No, say certain experts．The human skeleton(骨骼)would be strained carrying the weight of a very tall body．(In a world where workers use power tools for heavy work, there is no special advantage in great height or strenghth．)It might be better, some say, if people got smaller．

　　Smaller humans would need less food and could live in smaller houses．They would fit more comfortably into cramped spacecraft．They would drive smaller cars on narrower roads．Smaller people would make the world seem large and less crowded．The world's natural resources would last longer．So it is possible that if scientists learn to control inherited physical traits, they might speak out for a reduction in human size．

　　Anthropologists(人类学家)have estimated the heights of ancient(古代的)people from fossil(化石)bones．They have compared these heights with the heights of people now living in all parts of the world．The evidence appears that most people are getting taller．The human of tomorrow may be still taller－unless he or she decides to be smaller．

阅读理解

　　Britain's oldest man made his first visit to London yesterday at the age of 101．Mr．John Evans had never found the time or money to make the trip from his home in Forestfach, near Swansea．But, when British Rail offered him an all-expense-paid birthday treat to the capital he just could not refuse．

　　He arrived at Paddington Station and smartly turned out in his best suit, favorite Panama hat and a red rose in his buttonhole．“It's very exciting．There's no doubt about it,” he said．

　　Until yesterday he had never been far from home, except for one trip to Aberdeen．“But I've been on the seas to that faraway land called Ilfracombe 21 miles from home,” he joked．

　　Mr．Evans, who spent 60 years working as a miner in South Wales, almost made the journey to London once before, at the turn of the century．“There was a trip to the White City but it was ten shillings return from Swansea－too much I thought．All my money went to the family then,” he said．

　　During the next two days Mr．Evans will be taken on a short tour of London to see the sights．Top of his list is a visit to the House of Parliament organized by his MP, Mr Gareth Wardell．

　　The only arrangement he does not care for is the wheelchair provided for him if he gets tired．“I don't like the chair－people will think I am getting old,” he said．His secret for a long and healthy life has been well publicized－no wine, no tobacco and no anger．

　　Before setting off from Swansea with his 76-year-old son, Amwell, he said jokingly, “I'm glad to see they've given me a return ticket．”

阅读理解

　　David Beckham is the king of the football world, but it is his wife Victoria, former “Posh Spice” girl, who makes it possible．She was the person who turned him from a footballer into a world-famous attractor．Even now that he has left Manchester United for Real Madrid, instead of Barcelona or Milan, it might be because of her．

　　“Posh Spice” has become a name for Victoria．The Collins Dictionary even has the term “Posh and Becks”(Victoria and David Beckham)．

　　Before meeting Victoria Adams, Beckham was a good-looking and likeable footballer with a bright future at Manchester United, but that was about all．

　　Since he married her in 1999, he has become the most famous player British sport has ever produced, and, some say, the most influential(有影响的)man in the country．“When they got together, she was clearly the more popular of the two,” said Andrew Parker, a sports expert at Warwick University in Britain．“She certainly introduced him to a new circle of people and, all of a sudden, he was a top list celebrity(名人)．”

　　It's believed that, behind the high walls and iron gates of their “Buckingham Palace”, it is Victoria who decides everything．

　　When their baby boy, Brooklyn, fell in 2000, Beckham left a united training session to look after him, and this led to his being dropped from the team．Many were sure it was Victoria who had asked her husband to stay at home．During a trip to the United States this year, Victoria has worked hard to push her husband to the US public．They would not have recognized him if they met him in a car park．

　　She may appear to have taken a back seat, but Victoria is still at the forefront of the “Posh and Becks” project．

阅读理解

　　A few years ago, a pilot had to have perfect eyesight and a college degree if he or she wanted to land a job with an American airline．But today, airlines have quitted those requirements because they can't find enough qualified pilots．

　　Airlines must hire up to 62 000 new pilots in the next decade．But qualified pilots are few and far between in the United States．Every year there are more planes being flown．At the same time, 12 to 15 foreign countries are recruiting American pilots．

　　As a result, pilots are earning attracting salaries．The going rate for skilled pilots is well over ＄90 000 a year．Some pilots can earn about ＄160 000 plus free housing working for foreign airlines．

　　Because of the shortage, some people say unqualified pilots are being allowed to fly planes．They fear the number of crashes will go up quickly．Each year, more and more pilots with less than 2 000 hours of experience are being hired．Airlines are also bringing on board many more pilots who are older than 50, although law requires pilots to retire at 60．

　　Being an airline pilot is a difficult job that requires people to make life and death decisions under pressure．Some pilots crack under the pressure．

　　The military is also having a hard time keeping pilots．Air Force pilots must commit to spending at least six years in the Air Force．The Air Force invests millions of dollars to train each pilot, so it doesn't want to lose them．

　　Experts say this problem is going to get a lot worse．Congress may establish a commission(a research group)to study the country's pilot needs．In the meantime, salaries of pilots will continue to rise and the number of crashes may keep pace．

阅读理解

　　LONDON Thursday July26(Reuters)－Eddy missed his girlfriend Anna so much that he flew back to Britain from Australia to propose(求婚)to her．The problem is she did the same in the opposite direction．

　　He and Anna even managed to miss each other when they sat in the same airport waiting room in Singapore at the same time to wait for connecting flights．

　　Anna, heartbroken when she arrived at Eddy's Sydney flat to find he had flown to London, told The Times：“It was as though someone was playing a cruel joke on us．”

　　“He is the most romantic person I have ever known．I think our problem is that we are both quite impulsive(冲动的)people．We are always trying to surprise each other．”

　　After an 11,000-mile flight across the globe, she was greeted by Eddy's astonished roommate asking what she was doing there．

　　Eddy, a 27-year-old engineer, had taken a year off to travel round Australia．But he was missing Anna, a 26-year-old secretary, so much that he got a job on a Sydney building site(工地)and started saving for a surprise．

　　He then flew home to Britain and went to her flat armed with an engagement(订婚)ring, wine and flowers．

　　“I really missed Anna and I'd been thinking about her all the time．I was so excited when she phoned me from Australia,” he said．

　　Eddy then asked Anna to marry him on the phone．“I didn't know whether to laugh or cry but I accepted,”she said．

　　Anna was given a tour of Sydney by Eddy's friends before going back home．Eddy had to stay in Britain for two weeks because he could not change his ticket．

阅读理解：

　　“To be or not to be”．Outside the Bible, these six words are the most famous in all the literature of the world．They were spoken by Hamlet when he was thinking aloud, and they are the most famous words in Shakespeare because Hamlet was speaking not only for himself but for every thinking man and woman．To be or not to be－to live or not to live, to live richly and abundantly and eagerly, or to live dully and meanly and scarcely．A philosopher once wanted to know whether he was alive or not, which is a good question for everyone to put to himself occasionally．He answered it by saying,“I think, therefore I am．”

　　But the best definition of existence I ever saw was one written by another philosopher who said,“To be is to be in relations．”If this is true, then the more relations a living thing has, the more it is alive．To live abundantly means simply to increase the range and intensity(强度)of our relations．Unfortunately, we are so constituted that we get to love our routine．But other than our regular occupation, how much are we alive?If you are interested only in your regular occupation, you are alive only to that extent．So far as other things are concerned－poetry and prose, music, pictures, sports unselfish friendships, politics, international affairs－you are dead．

　　On the contrary, it is true that every time you acquire a new interest－even more, a new accomplishment－you increase your power of life．No one who is deeply interested in different kinds of subjects can remain unhappy．The real pessimist is the person who has lost interest．

　　Bacon said that a man dies as often as he loses a friend．But we gain new life by contacts with new friends, and new ideas and thoughts, too．Where your thoughts are, there will be your life also．If your thoughts are limited only to your business, only to your physical welfare, only to your narrow circle of the town in which you live, then you live in a narrow restricted life．But if you are interested in the characters of a good novel, then you are living with those highly interested people; if you listen intently to fine music, you are always away from immediate surroundings and living in a world of passion and imagination．

　　To be or not to be－to live intensely and richly, or merely to exist, that depends on ourselves．Let us widen and intensify our relations．While we live, let us live．