阅读理解

阅读理解

　　A popular saying goes,“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me．”However, that's not really true．Words have the power to build us up or tear us down．It doesn't matter if the words come from someone's else or ourselves－the positive and negative effects are just as lasting．

　　We all talk to ourselves sometimes．We're usually too embarrassed to admit it, though．In fact, we really shouldn't be because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit．

　　This“self-talk”helps us motivate ourselves, remember things, solve problems, and calm ourselves down．Be aware, though, that as much as 77％ of self-talk tends to be negative．So in order to stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves．We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back．The next time you finish a project, do well in a test, or finally clean your room, join me in saying“Good job!”

　　Often, words come out of our mouths without us thinking about the effect they will have．But we should be aware that our words cause certain responses in others．For example, when returning an item to a store, we might use warm, friendly language during the exchange．And the clear will probably respond in a similar manner．Or harsh(刻薄的)and critical language will most likely cause the clerk to be defensive．

　　Words possess power because of their lasting effect．Many of us regret something we once said．And we remember unkind words said to us!Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves：Is it loving?Is it needed?If what we want to say doesn't pass this test, then it's better left unsaid．

　　Words possess power：both positive and negative．Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively．We can offer hope, build self-esteem(自尊)and motivate others to do their best．Negative words destroy all those things．Will we use our words to hurt or to heal?The choice is ours．

阅读理解

　　Charles Plumb was a US Navy jet fighter pilot in Viet Nam．After 75 missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile．Plumb parachuted down into enemy hands．He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison．

　　One day, Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant when a man from another table came up and said“You're Plumb!You flew jet fighters in Viet Nam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk．You were shot down!”

　　“How in the world did you know that?”asked Plumb．

　　“I packed your parachute,”the man replied．“I guess it worked”．Plumb assured him,“It sure did．If your chute(降落伞)hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today．”

　　Plumb couldn't sleep that night, thinking about that man．Plumb says,“I kept wondering what he looked like in a Navy uniform：a white hat, a bib in the back, and bell-bottom trousers．I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said‘Good morning．How are you?’or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was‘just a sailor’”．

　　Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent at a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds(伞罩)and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know．

　　Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important．We may fail to say hello, please, thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason．As you go through this week, this month, this year, recognize people who pack your parachutes．

阅读理解

　　American society is not nap(午睡)friendly．In fact, says David Dinges, a sleep specialist at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine．“There's even a prohibition(禁止)against admitting we need sleep”．Nobody wants to be caught napping or found asleep at work．To quote a proverb：Some sleep five hours, nature requires seven, laziness nine and wickedness eleven?Wrong．The way not to fall asleep at work is to take naps when you need them．

　　“We have to totally change our attitude toward napping”, says Dr．William Dement of Stanford University, the godfather of sleep research．

　　Last year a national commission led by Dement identified an“American sleep debt”which one member said was as important as the national debt; the commission was concerned about the dangers of sleepiness：people causing industrial accidents or falling asleep while driving．This may be why we have a new sleep policy in the White House．According to recent reports, President Clinton is trying to take a half hour snooze(打瞌睡)every afternoon．

　　About 60 percent of American adults nap when given the opportunity．We seem to have“a mid-afternoon quiet phase”also called“a secondary sleep gate．”Sleeping 15 minutes to two hours in the early afternoon can reduce stress and make us refreshed．Clearly, we were born to nap．We Superstars of Snooze don't nap to replace lost shut eye or to prepare for a night shift．Rather, we“snack”on sleep, whenever, wherever and at whatever time we feel like it．I myself have napped in buses, cars, planes and on boats; on floors and beds; and in libraries, offices and museums．

阅读理解

　　For several days I saw little of Mr.Rochester．In the morning he seemed much occupied with business, and in the afternoon gentlemen from the neighbourhood called and sometimes stayed to dine with him．When his foot was well enough, he rode out a great deal．

　　During this time, all my knowledge of him was limited to occasional meetings about the house, when he would sometimes pass me coldly, and sometimes bow and smile．His changes of manner did not offend me, because I saw that I had nothing to do with the cause of them．

　　One evening, several days later, I was invited to talk to Mr.Rochester after dinner．As I was looking at him, he suddenly turned, and asked me,“Do you think I'm handsome, Miss Eyre?”

　　The answer somehow slipped from my tongue before I realized it：“No, sir．”

　　“Ah, you really are unusual!You are a quiet, serious little person, but you can be almost rude．”

　　“Sir, I'm sorry．I should have said that beauty doesn't matter, or something like that．”

　　“No, you shouldn't!I see, you criticize my appearance, and then you stab me in the back!You have honesty and feeling．There are not many girls like you．But perhaps I go too fast．Perhaps you have awful faults to counterbalance your few good points．”

　　I thought to myself that he might have too．He seemed to read my mind, and said quickly,“Yes, you're right．I have plenty of faults．I went the wrong way when I was twenty-one, and have never found the right path again．I might have been very different．I might have been as good as you, and perhaps wiser．I am not a bad man, take my word for it, but I have done wrong．It wasn't my character, but circumstances which were to blame．Why do I tell you all this?Because you're the sort of person people tell their problems and secrets to, because you're sympathetic and give them hope．”

　　“Don't be afraid of me, Miss Eyre．”He continued．“You don't relax or laugh very much, perhaps because of the effect Lowood school has had on you．But in time you will be more natural with me, and laugh, and speak freely．You're like a bird in cage．When you get out of the cage, you'll fly very high．Good night．”

阅读理解

　　Violin prodigies(神童), I learned, have come in distinct waves from distinct regions．Most of the great performers of the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries were born and brought up in Russia and Eastern Europe．I asked Isaac Stern, one of the world's greatest violinists, the reason for this phenomenon．“It's very clear,”he told me．“They were all Jews and Jews at the time were severely oppressed and ill-treated in that part of the world．They were not allowed into the professional fields, but they were allowed to achieve excellence on a concert stage．”As a result, every Jewish parent's dream was to have a child in the music school because it was a passport to the West．

　　Another element in the emergence of prodigies, I found, is a society that values excellence in a certain field and is able to nurture(培育)talent．Nowadays the most nurturing societies seem to be in the Far East．“In Japan, a most competitive society with stronger discipline than ours,”says Isaac Stern,“children are ready to test their limits every day in many fields, including music．When Western music came to Japan after World War II, that music not only became part of their daily lives, but it became a discipline as well．”The Koreans and Chinese, as we know, are just as highly motivated as the Japanese．

　　That's a good thing, because even prodigies must work hard．Next to hard work, biological inheritance plays an important role in the making of a prodigy．J．S．Bach, for example, was the top of several generations of musicians, and four of his sons had significant careers in music．

阅读理解

　　Women are now as likely to use the Internet as men－about two-thirds of both genders, yet a new study shows that gaps remain in what each sex does online．

　　American men who go online are more likely than women to check the weather, the news, sports, political and financial information, the Pew Internet and American Life Project reported Wednesday．They are also more likely to use the Internet to download music and software and to take a class．

　　Online women, meanwhile, are bigger users of e-mail, and they are also more likely to go online for religious information and support for health or personal problems．

　　“For men, it's just,‘give me the facts,’”said Deborah Fallows, who wrote the report based on six years of Pew surveys,“For women, its‘Let's talk about this．Are you worried about this problem?’It's keeping in touch and connecting with people in a richer way．”

　　About two-thirds of the 6,403 adults surveyed by Pew during 2005 said they use the Internet．By gender, it was 68％of the male respondents, and 66％of the female participants－a statistically insignificant(不重要的)difference given the study's margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2％points．In 2002, by contrast, the gap was slightly larger：61％vs．57％．

　　The surveys find that for many activities, such as getting travel information or looking up a phone number, men and women are equally likely to use the Internet．

阅读理解

　　I remember growing up, my mom always said,“Half the fun of doing anything is sharing it with others．”It is so true．Friends and mates allow us to enjoy our success and our joys, comfort us in our challenging moments, and provide a mirror for us to learn more about ourselves．I've always looked at friends as the family we choose．They enrich our lives．As Robert Louis Steven once said,“A friend is a present which you give yourself．”

　　To be a good friend or partner, it's importable be a good listener．Hear what your friend or mate has to say first rather than jumping to conclusions or getting defensive．Sometimes it is useful to be their mirror, for when they hear their words repeated back to them; it can help them to realize that what they said was not exactly what they meant to say．

　　Patience, compassion and empathy are also important traits in being a good friend or partner．You know the old golden rule,“Care for others the way you would like them to care for you．”The support of a friend during a tough time could make the difference between success and failure．Encouragement and confidence are priceless gifts that can help change a person's life．

　　Take care, though, with whom you choose to have close relationship, for they can have a tremendous impact on your self-esteem and life path．As someone once told me,“the attitude of your friends is like the buttons on an elevator．They will either take you up or down．”

阅读理解

　　Alone in the wilderness．Nothing but jungle．A world of shadow with the rays of light falling like blonde hair from the crowns of the giant trees．Jungle in the midday sun．Everything motionless．Not a sound from sky or earth．Complete silence．Only some coconuts falling, at long intervals, very far away．The world reduced to the soft touch of cool grass along my naked back, and a sweet smell of rich soil and vegetation．Stretched out with closed eyes beside my heavy burden of fruit and firewood, I enjoyed the feeling of fresh blood streaming through every part of my body and fresh jungle air filling every corner of my lungs．

　　Resting motionless, I could see the sun through my closed eyelids, alone in the sky, as lonely as I, and as motionless and silent as everything else．The earth had surely stopped turning and somewhere on this planet there was supposed to be roaring traffic in busy streets．What a crazy, unbelievable thought!

　　Another coconut fell, to make the world come to a complete standstill．I had to roll over onto my stomach to feel that at least I could move and make noises．Then I found company．A little brown ant was struggling to find its way with a bit of dry straw through the jungle of leaves and grass below my nose．I wondered if I could give the little fellow a lift with its burden, but it showed not the slightest sign of tiredness and struggled on with all six legs, head first or head last, waving its feelers energetically as if the trip had just started．Who ever saw a tired ant?Tiredness, disagreeable tiredness, is restricted to hunted animals, slaves and modern man．It is as great an effort for an office clerk to walk five blocks with a loaded brief-case as it is for a jungle-dweller to cross a valley with a goat on his back．It is as hard to get up and climb or run when you have been seated for years as it is to get up and walk when you have been in bed for months．The body is strange．Spare it, and you get really tired for almost nothing; use it, and almost nothing makes you really tired．

　　I rose to my feet．I had heard a horse neighing down in the valley．Above me, on the open highland plains, there were wild horses．But down in the valley there was never a horse unless there was a man on it．Somebody was making his way up the valley and my wife was alone．

阅读理解

　　Many people influenced various aspects of my life, based on their personal characteristics, accomplishments, and values．I have been fortunate to have had numerous teachers and professors who I respect for their patience and intelligence．There are artists that have inspired me by their natural talents and original creativity．I value many political leaders, who have inspired me by their contributions to society, and their ability to change our futures．But of all the people I have known in my life, the person I admire most is my father．

　　As the youngest girl in my family, I always considered myself to be“Daddy's little girl”．While I grew up, it always made me sad to see so many of my friends and neighbors without a father or father-like figure around．This helped me appreciate how my father always takes an interest in his children's lives．In every aspect of my life my father continuously pushes me to excel, so I could accomplish my work outstandingly among my people．Whenever I feel like giving up, or have a question or a concern, I know I can always call on him for advice．From him I have also learned that sometimes you have to put others' needs ahead of your own, but you should make sure you are not taken advantage of by others．His strength seems to be unbreakable during hard times, and he is extremely determined to accomplish anything he sets his mind on, no matter how tiny it is．I highly respect him for how he stands up for what he believes in, and will never back down．I have always admired his open mind, compassion(同情)for people, and sense of understanding．He is a very reserved man, but to everybody's surprise, he has a great sense of humor, and always knows how to put a smile on the faces of his wife, his children and his friends．

　　Living in his affection and instruction, I am very proud of my father．He also professes(声称)how proud he is of his children, and is still there to support us in whatever we are involved in．