阅读理解

　　One of the most striking(显著)characteristics of English life is the good manners of people from all walks of life．There is little noisy behavior, and practically no loud arguing in the street．People don’t rush excitedly for seats in buses and trains, but wait in queues at bus stops in a quiet and orderly manner．

　　English people are naturally very polite and never tired of saying “Thank you”, “I’m sorry” and “I beg your pardon”．If you follow anyone who is entering a building or a room, he will hold the door open for you．Many foreigners have commented on the remarkable politeness of the English people．

　　English people don’t like showing their emotions even in dangerous and tragic situation, and ordinary people seem to keep good-tempered and cheerful under difficulties．They often see the good aspect of things．

　　English people don’t like any boasting or showing off in manners, dress or speech．Sometimes they conceal their knowledge; a linguist, for example, may not mention his understanding of a foreigner’s language．

　　An Englishman prefers his own house to an apartment in a block of flats, because he doesn’t want his activities to be overlooked by his neighbors．“An Englishman’s home is his castle．”

　　Many Englishmen help their wives with housework．They clean the windows on Saturday afternoon, and they often wash the dishes after supper in the evening．

　　Although times may have changed and cultures have changed, too, the English people still have special characteristics which set them apart from other nationalities．

阅读理解

　　8∶30 p. m．

　　Outlook

　　Outlook is back with a new series of reports to keep you up-to-date with all that’s new in the world of entertainment．Stories go all the way from the technical to the romantic, from stage to screen．There will be reports of the stars of the moment, the stars of the future and the stars of the past．The director with his new film, the designer with the latest fashion, and the musician with the popular song are part of the new Outlook．The program is introduced by Fran Levine．

　　9∶00 p. m．

　　Discovery

　　When a 10-year-old boy gets a first class degree in mathematics or an 8-year-old plays chess like a future grand master, they are considered as geniuses(天才)．Where does the quality of genius come from? Is it all in the genes(基因)or can any child be turned into genius? And if parents do have a child who might become genius in the future, what should they do? In this 30-minute film, Barry Johnson, the professor at School of Medicine, New York University will help you discover the answer．

　　10∶00 p .m．

　　Science/Health

　　Is it possible to beat high blood pressure without drugs? The answer is “yes”, according to the researchers at Johns Hopkins and three other medical centers．After a study of 800 persons with high blood pressure, they found that after 6 months, those devoted to weight loss exercise and eating a low-salt, low-fat food lost about 13 pounds and became fitter．Plus, the blood pressure of 35％ of them dropped into the “normal” category(范畴)．This week, Dr．Alan Duckworth will tell you how these people reduce their blood pressure to a level similar to what’s achieved with Hypertension drugs．

阅读理解

　　Imagine living locked inside a closet．You can't choose when and what to eat or how you will spend your time．You can't even decide when the lights go on and off．Think about spending your whole life like this．

　　This is the life of lab animals．

　　Now consider the needs of these animals．Chimpanzees(黑猩猩), in their natural homes, are never separated from their families．They spend hours together every day．But in a lab, chimpanzees are put in cages alone．There are no families, only cold, hard cages, and loneliness that goes on for so many years that most of them lose their minds at last．

　　Worse yet are the experiments．Animals are given diseases they would never normally get．Experimenters force－feed(给……强行喂食)chemicals to them, conduct repeated surgeries(手术), and much more, Think of what it would be like to put up with these and then be thrown back into a cage, usually without any painkillers．Often animals see other animals being killed right in front of them．

　　Hundreds of thousands of animals are poisoned, blinded, and killed every year in product tests for shampoos, skin creams and new cancer drugs．Although more than 500 companies have stopped testing on animals, some of them still force chemicals into monkeys' stomachs and rabbits' eyes．

　　Although some facilities are better than others at caring for animals－not every lab worker kills a mouse by cutting off its head with scissors－there are no happy animals inside laboratories．Will the lab life end? When will it end?

阅读理解

　　In the last few years the Internet has become a widespread phenomenon(现象)around the world．People have started to use the computers just like they used to watch TV．Whenever we get hungry, we simply order a pizza through the Internet and while we are waiting for the food, we can send an important business e－mail concerning some sales for tomorrow．It is, in fact, very comfortable to just simply sit down and have a chat with somebody from South Africa about fishing and get some important advice．Sometimes when you are sad and are feeling lonely, if you go on the Internet, you can find good entertainment that will keep you busy．

　　To make a long story short, we just don't have the time to communicate with people in person anymore．Besides, there is so much information easy to get on the Internet that when we start surfing, we find it hard for us to get away from the computer．There are a lot of people who are addicted(沉溺于)to TV and watch it 5 to 7 hours a day, while recently addiction to the Internet has become a very serious problem．You might think that these kinds of things could never happen to you, but it is not really true．To prevent yourself from getting addicted, the most important thing is to make sure that you are not spending too much time in front of the screen．Although it might seem to be easy to pull yourself away from the Web, it is simply not the case．You might have to make an effort to place some limits(限制)on yourself．

阅读理解

　　Taking the train is a wonderful way to see America．In the 19th century, train routes appeared from coast to coast, carrying both people and goods Today, a long－distance Amtrak train trip is a different way to experience the United States．

　　The long－distance Amtrak trains have lots of room．Coach seats have lots of leg room and wide aisles(走廊), sightseeing lounges(休闲室)have large windows, and sleeping areas can provide a good night's rest．On a train trip, there's time to talk, play cards or board games, and read to one another．On a car trip, parents have to drive while on a train, parents can sit back and watch the scenery go by．Unlike an airplane, traveling by train is not the quickest way to arrive at your destination;the train is the destination in itself．

　　Amtrak manages long－distance trains that run through the United States．Routes have different names, such as Empire Builder, California Zephyr, Sunset Limited and Southwest Chief．The long－distance trains have double－decker cars(Superliners), sightseeing lounges, and a real dining car．On shorter trains, such as from New York to Washington．DC, the cars are single level and only have a snack bar．In the Superliner trains, the sightseeing lounge is lined with windows on the second level while on the lower level a snack bar and tables can be found．In the evening, videos are shown in the lounge car－either entertaining movies or documentaries．

　　Tip：As delays are common on Amtrak trains, always call the station before you go there．Otherwise, you may be cooling your heels(脚后跟)for hours．

阅读理解

　　As we all know sewing－machine(缝纫机)repair is one of the fastest growing businesses in the world today．Newspapers, women's magazines, high schools and colleges are all encouraging millions of American women to do their own sewing, not only to make their own shirts and sweaters, but also to make nice clothes for their husbands, sons, or boyfriends．The lates figures(数字)show that over 89 million American women, because of the high costs of ready－to－wear clothing are now making almost all of their families' clothes．Most of these women get great satisfaction from making the family clothes on their own sewing machines．So it is natural that the demand(要求)for excellent service of sewing machines is growing．

　　Think of it!89 million or more sewing machines, not including another 10 million sewing machines in schools of all kinds, need service at least once a year, and quite possibly four or more times each year．I know some women who return their sewing machines to repairmen time after time to get them fixed properly．I've seen sewing machines come out of repair shops in worse condition than they were when they went in．

　　So I've decided to write an introduction book to sewing－machine repair and teach people how to repair their own sewing machines at home．It's not that difficult．In the book, I will teach you everything you need to know about how to repair your sewing machine．

阅读理解

　　Can you imagine exchanging the pleasure of city life for a quiet life in the countryside?

　　Many people want to move from the country to the city because they think that life in the city is more exciting and better than that in countryside, especially young people who like new, modern things．People like popular things and feel that they can only find the latest styles in the city．

　　However, it is possible to enjoy the higher quality of country life and still enjoy some of the advantages of living in the city．

　　Nowadays, traveling is fast and easy, and information can be found on the Internet, so many people are able to do their work in home offices．Because they have e－mail and personal computers, they don't have to be in big cities to manage their businesses．It is not important where they actually work because the results of their work can be sent everywhere with e－mails．Therefore, there is no need to put up with all of the disadvantages of the city．Now they can escape busy city life to enjoy the quiet country life and still be able to have successful jobs．

　　Other people are interested in technological things and high－tech jobs and think they can only find them in big cities．If they want to find a job, especially a good position in a company, they think that they have to live in a city．For these jobs, they are willing to put up with many of the disadvantages of city life, such as crime, heavy traffic, and pollution．

阅读理解

　　What do those countries have in common? People are killing each other or drive others out of their homes．Why is this happening? Very simple, in each of these, one group of people believes another group is different from them and dangerous to them．It has been thus through history．How different are humans from each other?

　　We come in different colors： red, black, white, yellow and brown; we have a variety of political systems, social systems, religious views or none at all; We are different in mind, have different educational systems, different economic classes．We speak different languages, and have different customs and dresses．

　　If we were to break each of these further, we would have quite a long list of qualities and characteristics that make humans appears to be different from each other．I say they appear to be different, because most of what have been listed stand for what we see or hear, not what is true of human．Man is man everywhere．It is only where he lives, when he lives there, with whom he lives there, and al the others that have effect on how he lives, that is, what he believes, what he wears, his customs, his language and so on．These are man－made facts that each group develops over tome, living together, facing the same problems, needing and desiring the same things．They are his culture．The truth is that we are much more same than different．If you wear one type of clothing and I wear another, we both wear some kind of clothing．Our culture demands it．If you speak one language and I another, we both speak so that others will understand us; we must communicate with each other．Nothing is gained by giving too many differences, but much is lost．If we understood our differences as the ones of culture, then we could make our world more peaceful．

　　Differences does not mean better or worse, right or wrong．It means only that differences have been made by society．Differences produce variety of thoughts, work out human problems peacefully．

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(经纪业)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 head 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 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．