阅读理解

　　One evening I went out and left my 17-year-old son in charge of his 8-year-old brother and 4-year-old sister．On this occasion, the work was made less troublesome by the presence of his girlfriend．I left with complete confidence that the older children would do a wonderful job of babysitting the younger children．Later, I discovered that complete confidence was the last thing I should have left home with．

　　I had decided to return home earlier than planned so that my son and his girlfriend could go out．I called home with this happy news．But instead of hearing his cheerful, grateful voice on the other end of the line, all I heard was the sound of a telephone ringing．

　　It was, I should point out, after 10 p.m., when the two younger children should have been in bed, and when the two older children should have been answering the phone．“I'll give him a lesson,”I said．I decided they must be outside．Why they might be outside at 10∶30 on a winter night I had no idea, but it was the only explanation I could come up with．

　　Finally, in desperation, I called his girlfriend's house．After what seemed like countless rings, his girlfriend answered．“Yes,”she said brightly,“He's right here．”

　　He came on the phone．I was not my usual calm, rational(理智的)self．After all, one of the rules of survival for modern parents is that you can't trust modern teenagers．“Where are the children?”I said．He said they were with him．They had done nothing wrong．My son had taken the younger children over to his girlfriend's house just for ice cream and cake．This was too good to be believed．Well, it turns out that I shouldn't have believed it．It was only part of the truth．

　　The following Saturday evening we were at my parents'home, celebrating my birthday．My oldest son gave me the children's gifts．Mounted and framed were a series of lovely color photographs of my children, dressed in their best clothes, and wearing their most wonderful expressions．They are pictures to treasure a lifetime, all taken by the father of my son's girlfriend．

阅读理解

　　Does traveling green necessarily mean we have to pay more?Nowadays as eco-tourism has become a new trend, travelers have started debating the seemingly high costs of such tourism．“I vote for green travel, but if it's more expensive that way, then I would probably reconsider it．”Such was the concern voiced by many individual travelers and international leaders at this year's Copenhagen Climate Summit．If you want to take an eco-trip and avoid overspending, here are some tips that we recommend．

　　Print out maps and information before setting off．Set aside those expensive and heavy guidebooks and use online resources to plan and book your trip．Only when necessary, print out maps and other materials at home on recycled paper．

　　Pack lightly．Make a packing list, edit it several times, and cross off everything you don't absolutely need．By reducing the weight of their luggage, travelers can significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions．

　　Use Solar-powered chargers．Use solar-powered chargers for your camera, cell phone and music player．Solar-powered chargers can reduce carbon emissions and free you from electrical plugs．

　　Eat local．Visit a local farmer's market, shop at a locally owned grocery store and qhoose locally owned restaurants that buy local food．Locally produced food is a tastier and better option．Buy handicrafts．Try to support the local people．You can do so by buying locally made eco-friendly handicrafts．Never buy any animal products or anything that may be harmful to the environment．

　　Change clothes less often．Take some pure cotton and quick-dry clothes on your trip．Clothing that dries quickly makes life easier．If you arent into doing laundry too often, take some older clothing that you are almost ready to throw away, and then you can lighten your luggage when you go home by tossing them out．

　　Use greener methods of transportation．Use alternative modes of transportation as much as possible．For example, you can choose to travel on foot or by bicycle rather than by taking a taxi or driving yourself．These options are the best low-carbon ways to travel and you don't have to pay more for your environmental guilt．

阅读理解

　　I had my first job at a local diner called the Buttercup Bakery when I was 22．I worked there for seven years and learned so many lessons, especially from a fellow waitress Helen who had incredible self-respect and did what she loved－serving people．She made everyone smile and feel good, customers and co-workers alike．

　　Being a waitress changed my life．One of my regular customers was Fred Hasbrook, an electronics salesman．Thanks to the newfound confidence I picked up from Helen, I dreamed of having my own restaurant．But when I called my parents to ask for a loan, they said,“We just don't have the money．”

　　The next day, I shared my dream with him and said,“Fred, I know I can do more if somebody would just have faith in me．”

　　He walked over to some of the other diner regulars and the next day handed me checks totaling ＄50,000－along with a note that I have to this day．It reads,“The only collateral(担保)on this loan is my trust in your honesty as a person．Good people with a dream should have the opportunity to make that dream come true．”

　　I took the checks to Merrill Lynch－the first time I had ever entered a brokerage(经济业)house－where the money was invested for me．I continued working at the Buttercup, making plans for the restaurant I would open．My investments soured, though, and I lost the money．

　　After great deliberation(考虑)I decided to apply for a job at Merrill Lynch．Even though I had no experience, I was hired and ended up becoming a pretty good broker．Eventually I paid back Fred and my customers the ＄50,000, plus 14-percent annual interest．Five years later, I was able to open my own firm．

　　I got a thank-you note from Fred, which will be imprinted on my heat forever．He had been sick and wrote that my check had helped cover his mounting medical bills．His letter read,“That loan may have been one of the best investments that I will ever make．”

阅读理解

　　Have you ever noticed what happens to an idea once you express it?Just talking about it or writing it down causes you to make it clear in your own mind．How can you use this to increase your brain power?Start writing．

　　By putting thoughts into words, you are telling yourself the logic(逻辑)behind what you think, feel, or only partly understand．Often, explaining a thought is the process of understanding．In other words, you increase your brain power by exercising your“explain power．”

　　Try this experiment．Explain how you'll increase your brain power, even if you have no idea how right now．Just start with anything, and create an explanation．For example, start with“I'll learn chess,”or“I'll read an article on the mind every week．”Explain how that will help．You'll be surprised how often this becomes a workable plan, and if you actually do this, you'll have a better understanding of your brain from now．

　　Another benefit of writing is that it helps you remember．Many, if not most, highly productive people are always taking notes．You can try keeping it all in your head, but if you keep a journal of your ideas the next time you're working on a big project, you'll probably have more success．

　　Want to understand a topic?Write a book about it．That's an extreme example, but if you are learning something new, write a letter to a friend about it, and you will understand it better．Want to invent something?Write an explanation of the problem, why you want to solve it, and why it is worth solving, and you're half-way there．

　　Writers don't always write because they clearly understand something beforehand．Often, they write about something because they want to understand it．You can do the same．Writing will help bring you to an understanding．Give it a try．

阅读理解

　　Many years ago, there was a story of a school teacher－Mrs.Thompson．She told the children on the first day that she loved them all the same．But that was a lie．There in the front row was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard．He didn't play well with the other children and he always needed a bath．She did not like him．

　　Then Mrs.Thompson got to know that Teddy was actually a very good boy before the death of his mother．Mrs.Thompson was ashamed of herself．She felt even worse when, like all her other students, Teddy brought her a Christmas present too．It was his mother's perfume．

　　Teddy said,“Mrs.Thompson, today you smell just like my Mom used to．”After the children left she cried for at least an hour．On that very day, she stopped teaching reading, writing and maths．Instead, she began to teach children．

　　Mrs.Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy．The boy's mind seemed to come alive．The more she encouraged him, the faster he improved．By the end of the sixth grade, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class．

　　Six years went by before she got a note from Teddy．He wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life．He went to college．Mrs.Thompson got two more letters from him with the last one signed, Theodore F.Stoddard, M.D.(医学博士)．

　　The story doesn't end there．On his wedding day, Dr．Stoddard whispered in Mrs.Thompson's ear,“Thank you, Mrs.Thompson, for believing in me．You made me feel important and showed me that I could make a difference．”

　　Mrs.Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back,“Teddy, you have it all wrong．You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference．I didn't know how to teach until I met you．"

阅读理解

　　Have you ever dreamed of visiting a planet in the Milky Way(银河系)?While the trip sounds exciting, it would take years and years to reach your destination．So in the future, bedtime for astronauts may be more than a few hours of regular shut eye．They would have to sleep for years．

　　European researchers are now conducting hibernation experiments．The study may help them understand whether humans could ever sleep through the years it would take for a spaceflight to distant planets．“If there was an effective technology, it could make deep-space travel a reality,”said Mark Ayre of the European Space Agency last month．

　　What seems like a science fiction is not completely unlikely．Researchers have been able to use chemicals to put living cells into a sleep-like state where they don't age．They have now moved on to the small, non-hibernating mammals(哺乳动物)like rats．

　　A major challenge is the fact that cells can be very simple systems, whereas body organs are far more complex(复杂的)．“It's like moving from a simple Apple computer to a supercomputer,”said Marco Biggiogera, a hibernation researcher at Italy's University of Pavia．Just like bears and frogs, the hibernation of human beings would cause a person's metabolism(新陈代谢)to lower so they would need less energy．

　　Medical research, however, is just half of a spaceflight hibernation system．There is a challenge of designing a suitable protective shelter(栖身所)．Such a shelter would provide the proper environment for hibernation, such as the proper temperature．It would also have to monitor(监控)life functions and serve the physiological needs of the hibernator．

　　According to Ayre, the six-person Human Outer Planets Exploration Mission(使命)to Jupiter's moon(木星的卫星)Callisto, could be an opportunity to use human hibernation．The mission aims to send six persons on a five-year flight to Callisto, where they will spend 30 days, in 2045．

阅读理解

　　Some time ago ,I discovered that one of my chairs had a broken leg．I didn't think there would be any difficulty in getting it mended, as there are a whole lot of antique(古董)shops near my home．So I left home one morning carrying the chair with me．I went into the first shop expecting a friendly reception(接待)．I was quite wrong．The man wouldn't oven look at my chair．

　　The second shop, though slightly more polite, was just the same, and the third and the fourth-so I decided that my approach must be wrong．

　　I went into the fifth shop with a plan in my mind．I placed the chair on the floor and said to the shopkeeper,“Would you like to buy a chair?”He looked it over carefully and said,“Yes, not a bad chair．How much do you want for it, sir?”“Twenty pounds,”I said．“OK,”he said,“I'll give you twenty pounds．”“It's got a slightly broken leg,”I said．“Yes, I saw that, it's nothing．”

　　Everything was going according to plan and I was getting excited．“What will you do with it?”I asked．“Oh, it will be easy to sell once the repair is done．”“I'll buy it,”I said．“What do you mean?You've just sold it to me,”he said．“Yes, I know but I've changed my mind．I'm sorry, I'll give you twenty-seven pounds for it．”“Your must be crazy,”he said．Then, suddenly the penny dropped．“I know what you want．You want me to repair your chair．”“You're right,”I said．“And what would you have done if I had walked in and said, Would you mend this chair for me I wouldn't have agreed to do it,”he said．“We don't do repairs, not enough money in it and too much trouble．But I'll mend this for you, shall we say for a fiver?”He was a very nice man and was greatly amused(感到有趣)by the whole thing．

阅读理解

　　When Paul was a boy growing up in Utah, he happened to live near a copper smelter(炼铜厂), and the chemicals that poured out had made a wasteland out of what used to be a beautiful forest．One day a young visitor looked at this wasteland and called it an awful area．Paul knocked him down．From then on, something happened inside him．

　　Years later Paul was back in the area, and he went to the smelter office．He asked if they had any plans or if they would let him try to bring the trees back．The answer from that big industry was“No”．

　　Paul then went to college to study the science of plants．Unfortunately, his teachers said there weren't any birds or squirrels to spread the seeds．It would be a waste of his life to try to do it．Everyone knew that, he was told．Even if he was knowledgeable as he had expected, he wouldn't get his idea accepted．

　　Paul later got married and had some kids．But his dream would not die．And then one night he did what he could with what he had．As Samuel Johnson wrote,“It is common to overlook what is near by keeping the eye fixed on something remote．Attainable good is often ignored by minds busied in wide ranges．”Under the cover of darkness, he went secretly into the wasteland and started planting．

　　And every week, he made his secret journey into the wasteland and planted trees and grass．For fifteen years he did this against the plain common sense．Slowly rabbits appeared．Later, as there was legal pressure to clean up the environment, the company actually hired Paul to do what he was already doing．

　　Now the place is fourteen thousand acres of trees and grass and bushes, and Paul has received almost every environmental award Utah has．It took him until his hair turned white, but he managed to keep that impossible vow he made to himself as a child．

阅读理解

　　As the pace of life continues to increase, we are fast losing the art of relaxation．Once you are in the habit of rushing through life, being on the go from morning till night, it is hard to slow down．But relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body．

　　Stress is a natural part of everyday life and there is no way to avoid it．In fact, it is not the bad thing it is often supposed to be．A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation and give purpose to life．It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health．

　　The amount of stress a person can withstand depends very much on the individual．Some people are not afraid of stress, and such characters are obviously prime material for managerial responsibilities, others lose heart at the first sign of unusual difficulties．When exposed to stress, in whatever form, we react both chemically and physically．In fact we make choice between“flight or fight”and in more primitive days the choices made the difference between life or death．The crises we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme, but however little the stress, it involves the same response．It is when such a reaction lasts long, through continued exposure to stress, that health becomes endangered．Since we can't remove stress from our lives(it would be unwise to do so even if we could), we need to find ways to deal with it．

阅读理解

　　A week ago, I had the great pleasure of reading an e-book, When Money Talks, Listen!By Rich Ezzo．It took only about an hour to read．

　　When I first received a copy, I thought it was a Get Rich Quick type of publication．Nothing is wrong with Get Rich Quick, but my mind just doesn't chase after dreams of wealth．I think that if God ever wants me to be rich, he knows where to find my purse．

　　When I began reading When Money Talks, Listen!, I was overjoyed to find that Rich Ezzo isn't money hungry either．He, too, is hungry far more important than money．

　　Since I love this e-book so much, why wait a week to write the review?Simple．I wanted to see if the effect it had on me was a keeper．After reading the last word of the e-book, I totally agreed with the subtitle which promised to forever change the way we thought about money．I had so many thoughts running around my mind that I had to install(安装)a stoplight to stop some while others made their way into the picture, then I yielded(让路)them as a few ones arrived in town．I had a mental traffic jam, which only goes to show how slow the traffic usually is．

　　It has been a week and the effect is the same．I truly do look at money differently and have even done a few things differently this week．This is an e-book you'll want to read, I promise．I often recommend books to my daughter, and this is one that I didn't just“suggest”－I left it open at the bottom of the computer and told each one,“Read it, you'll love it．”

　　I would never point someone in a direction I wouldn't go myself．I urge you to visit the author's website, Myster Money, and to download the e-book．You won't regret it．