阅读理解

　　To understand the marketing concept, it is only necessary to understand the difference between marketing and selling．Not too many years ago, most industries concentrated primarily on the efficient production of goods, and then relied on“persuasive salesmanship”to move as much of these goods as possible．Such production and selling focuses on the needs of the seller to produce goods and then convert(使转换)them into money．

　　Marketing, on the other hand, focuses on the wants of consumers．It begins with first analyzing the preferences and demands of consumers and then producing goods that will satisfy them．This eye-on-the-consumer approach is known as the marketing concept, which simply means that instead of trying to sell whatever is easiest to produce, the makers and dealers first find out what the consumer wants to buy and then go about making it available for purchase．

　　This concept does not imply that business is benevolent(慈善的)or that consumer satisfaction is given priority over profit in a company．There are always two sides to every business transaction－the firm and the customer－and each must be satisfied before trade occurs．Successful merchants and producers, however, recognize that the surest route to profit is through understanding and catering to(迎合)customers．A striking example of the importance of catering to the consumer presented itself in mid-1985, when Coca Cola changed the flavor of its drink．The non-acceptance of the new flavor by a significant portion of the public brought about a prompt restoration(恢复)of the Classic Coke, which was then marketed alongside the new．

阅读理解

　　In the computer age, most of us take a broadband Internet connection for granted．Whether cable or mobile broadband, today's connections are many times faster than those in the early days．Videos play smoothly, complex websites load quickly, and files download much faster than ten years ago．And the files are much bigger too．

　　There's a catch, of course．You have to live near enough to a major city to get broadband Internet．If you don't, it's slow dial-up access for you．And for those living really far out, there may be no Internet access at all．

　　Technology experts often talk about the“last mile”problem, which refers to the difficulty of bringing Internet access to remote locations．In cities and suburbs, it's relatively easy to provide access for everyone．It is much more difficult to deliver access to those living far from cities, especially in developing countries．Internet service providers, for their part, have been reluctant to provide access to sparsely(稀疏地)populated areas．The handful of Internet users they would reach wouldn't cover the expense．

　　But every year, technological advancements allow of more and more Internet users．Most broadband connections today run over existing cable TV and telephone lines although these technologies aren't available everywhere．Some companies have delivered the Internet over standard power lines．Advancements in cheaper, more efficient fiber optics cables(光纤电缆)promise to bring extremely fast Internet connections to more users．

　　Still, the“last mile”problem remains hard to deal with．There will always be somewhere that doesn't have an affordable broadband connection．But someday that might not matter．If the rapid progress in cell phone technology is any indication(迹象), it may not be too long before an Internet connection simply follows you wherever you go．

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　　Parents who smoke often open a window or turn on a fan to clear the air of second-hand smoke, but experts now have found another smoking-related threat to children's hearth：third-hand smoke．

　　That's the expression which is used to describe the invisible yet poisonous gases that stick to smokers' hair and clothing and other things in the room．These gases stay long after smoke has cleared from the room．Young children can get them on their hands, especially if they are playing on the floor．

　　“Everyone knows that second-hand smoke is bad, but they don't know about this,”said Dr．Jonathan P．Winickoff, the lead author of the study at Harvard Medical School．

　　“When their kids are out of the house, they might smoke．Or they smoke in the car．They think it's okay because the second-hand smoke isn't getting to their kids．”Dr Winickoff continued．

　　Third-hand smoke is what one smells when a smoker gets in an elevator(电梯)after going outside for a cigarette, or in a hotel room where people smoked．“Your nose isn't lying．”he said．“The smell is so bad that your brain is telling you：‘Get away’”．

　　But far fewer people realized the risks of third-hand smoke．Since the expression is so new, the researchers asked people if they agreed with the statement that“breathing air in a room today where people smoked yesterday can harm the health of children．”Only 65％ of nonsmokers and 43％ of smokers agreed with that statement．

　　“The central message here is that simply closing the kitchen door to take a smoke is not protecting the kids from the effects of that smoke,”said another doctor．“There are substances(物质)in this third-hand smoke, and they are a cancer risk for anybody of any age who comes close to them．”

　　The fact that third-hand smoke is harmful will most probably lead to a strict smoking ban(禁止)at home．

阅读理解

　　A healthy dose of sunshine may be the secret to staying young, British scientists have revealed．Vitamin D is produced naturally by the skin in response to sunlight and may help to slow the ageing process and protect against heart disease, according to the study．Researchers from King's College London studied 2,160 women aged between 18 and 79, looking at their telomeres-a biological marker of ageing found in DNA．As people get older their telomeres get shorter and they become more susceptible to certain illnesses．

　　But the study found women with high levels of vitamin D had comparatively longer telomeres-a sign of being biologically younger and healthier．The study suggests vitamin D may help to slow down the ageing process of DNA, and therefore the ageing process as a whole．

　　Lead researcher Dr Brent Richards said：“These results are exciting because they demonstrate for the first time that people who have higher levels of vitamin D may age more slowly than people with lower levels of vitamin D．”This could help to explain how vitamin D has a protective effect on many ageing related diseases, such as heart disease and cancer．“He said further studies are required to confirm the findings．”

　　Professor Tim Spector, head of KCL's twin research unit, and a co-author of the report, added：“Although it might sound absurd, it's possible that the same sunshine which may increase our risk of skin cancer may also have a healthy effect on the general ageing process．”

　　Vitamin D made by the action of sunlight on the skin accounts for 90 per cent of the body's supply, but lower levels can also be obtained through food such as fish, eggs and breakfast cereals．Other studies have suggested the vitamin plays a key role in protecting against cancer and heart disease．

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　　Mr．Peter Johnson, aged twenty-three, battled for half an hour to escape from his trapped car yesterday when it landed upside down in three feet of water．Mr．Johnson took the only escape route－through the boot(行李箱)．

　　Mr．Johnson's car had finished up in a ditch(沟渠)at Romney Marsin, Kent after skidding on ice and hitting a bank．“Fortunately, the water began to come in only slowly,”Mr．Johnson said．“I couldn't force the doors because they were jammed against the walls of the ditch and dared not open the windows because I knew water would come flooding in．”

　　Mr．Johnson, a sweet salesman of Sitting Home, Kent, first tried to attract the attention of other motorists by sounding the horn and hammering on the roof and boot．Then he began his struggle to escape．

　　Later he said,“It was really a half penny that saved my life．It was the only coin I had in my pocket and I used it to unscrew the back seat to get into the boot．I hammered desperately with a hammer trying to make someone hear, but no help came．”

　　It took ten minutes to unscrew the seat, and a further five minutes to clear the sweet samples from the boot．Then Mr．Johnson found a wrench and began to work on the boot lock．Fifteen minutes passed by．“It was the only chance I had．Finally it gave, but as soon as I moved the boot lid, the water and mud poured in．I forced the lid down into the mud and scrambled clear as the car filled up．”

　　His hands and arms cut and bruised(擦伤), Mr．Johnson got to Beckett Farm nearby, where he was looked after by the farmer's wife, Mrs．Lucy Bates．Huddled in a blanket, he said,“That thirty minutes seemed like hours．”Only the tips of the car wheels were visible, police said last night．The vehicle had sunk into two feet of mud at the bottom of the ditch．

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　　Don't be surprised if you find yourself sitting next to a Fido on your next flight．Several airlines now allow dogs and cats to fly in airplane cabins with people．

　　Those in favor of the pet-friendly policy say it's safer for dogs and cats to fly first class．They point out that animals could get injured while traveling in an aircraft's cargo area with suitcases．

　　However, the idea of sharing a flight with furry friends does not“fly”with everyone．Some people are allergic(过敏的)to animals．They say flying with pets could make them sick．

　　What do you think?Should dogs and cats be allowed to fly in an airplane cabins?WR News student reporters Isabella Pena and Peter Brosnan each fetched a side．

　　Pets should be allowed to fly in airplane cabins with their owners．Did you know that there have been injuries to animals flying in cargo?Cargo areas are not equipped to deal with situations such as delays or extreme temperatures．

　　Also, dogs and cats can feel nervous in new situations．“Pets can feel anxious and stressed when they're expecting new, scary things without the comfort of their owners,”explains Nicole Kagan, a vet from Manhattan Beach, Calif．

　　The pets' stress can be reduced if they are allowed to travel with their owners in an airplane cabin．That is especially important for pets on longer flights．

Isabella Pena,

California

　　I really like dogs and cats, and that is why I don't think it is a good idea for them to fly in airplane cabins with people．Pets can be afraid of strangers, and that could cause them to bark．The noise could be upsetting to everyone on board．

　　Also, for passengers who have allergies or asthma(哮喘), sitting next to pets can be dangerous．“I could put myself at risk for an asthma attack,”explains Kristina Krops, a teacher at Helen Morgan School in Sparta, N．J．“Passengers need to feel safe．”If people really need their dogs and cats to travel, they can have them fly on a special airline just for pets, such PET Airways．

Peter Brosnan

New York

阅读理解

　　More than anything, people remember Deamonte Driver's smile．The 12-year-old Clinton, Maryland, boy would smile when he got to school, sometimes after working on cars with his granddad．He'd smile when he played football or made practical jokes with his classmates, even when he was nervous or scared．“He was just sunshine and he would draw you in,”says Laurie Norris, a lawyer with the Public Justice Center in Baltimore, who worked for months to help Deamonte's mother, Alyce, find a dentist to treat her children．

　　But Deamonte and his family had little to smile about in early January, when he was admitted to Southern Maryland Hospital Center with a serious headache．After two surgeries, doctors had diagnosed a brain infection(感染)and removed its source：an abscessed(脓肿的)tooth．For weeks afterward, Deamonte seemed to be improving, working with physical and occupational doctors to regain full use of his right arm and leg, which the brain infection and surgery had hurt．But on February 25, the infection struck again．By the time Alyce Driver made it to the hospital early that morning, her son was gone．

　　“I don't think anyone would have imagined that in 2010 we should have had children who would die of dental disease in the United States,”says Kathleen Roth, DDS, president of the American Dental Association．Deamonte had no obvious symptoms until the headache that sent him to the emergency room, but it's clear he died in large part because he didn't regularly see a dentist, who could have caught his tooth infection before it spread．Dental care would also have helped Deamonte's ten-year-old brother, DaShawn, who needed six teeth pulled．

　　At the time, Alyce Driver had five boys, no job and little money．When she got in touch with Norris, she had been trying for months to find a dentist who was able to treat her children．

阅读理解

　　Which gender is more talkative?No matter what you answer, you are partially right．

　　A recent Gallup Poll showed that both men and women believe that women possess the gift of talking and some even believe women are biologically built for conversation, but all of that is challenged in a research published in the November issue of Personality and Social Psychology review．

　　In a recent research by Campbell Leaper and Melanie Ayres, they collected all of the available evidence from decades of scientific study and systematically combined the findings into an overall picture of the differences between men and women regarding talkativeness．

　　They found a small but reliable tendency(趋势)for men to be more talkative than women in certain cases, such as when they were having a conversation with their wives or with strangers．Women talked more to their children and to their college classmates．

　　The type of speech was also explored in the research．The researchers discovered that, with strangers, women were generally more talkative when it came to using speech to ensure her connection to the listener, while men's speech focused more on an attempt to influence the listener．With close friends and family, however, there was very little difference between genders in the amount of speech．

阅读理解

　　My mom taught me to read Chinese at a very young age．My parents and neighbours tell me that I was three when I started to read newspapers and books．Anyway, I do remember people called me“shen tong”,which means“gifted child”．So my dad decided that I should go to elementary school early．

　　In China you are supposed to enter the first grade if you are six by June 30^th of the school year．I was born in the latter half of the year, so I wasn't supposed to enter elementary school until I was almost seven．However, I was still sent to school．As a result, my classmates were older than me．But I did pretty well in class, and stood out in math and language tests．

　　I remember that none of the girls wanted to play with me for some reason and my best friends were boys．Maybe it is because my maturity level was the same as boys' since it's generally accepted that boys are 1 to 2 years less mature(成熟)than girls．I liked bugs, dirt and I liked running around．I finished the 4^th grade in China, and all the friends I remember are boys．

　　After the 4^th grade, I moved to America, and I didn't know any English．At first I was put into the fifth grade class．Since I didn't understand anything, it was pretty tough．So my mom decided that I should still stay in the fourth grade class．This turned out to be a good choice．After a year or so I was able to catch up in English and I was really glad to be with kids the same age as me．I have pretty fond memories of secondary school in America because for the most part I was normal, and I had plenty of friends．

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　　About

　　Shoe the Boat!Guided snowshoe tours through Steamboat's backcountry．All equipment and transportation provided．We provide：snowshoes, poles, water bottles, and day pack．Lunch is included on all day trips．Guides carry first aid kit, extra hat, gloves, cell phone, maps, compass, sunscreen and more．You should bring hiking boots, a hat, sunglasses, and a camera．

　　It is best to dress in layers．Depending on the temperature you will generally have one or two additional clothing layers made of thin to medium thickness“breathable”material．Always bring a good quality water proof in case of unexpected showers．

　　Location

　　Guides will pick you up at their location within the town and the mountain area．Call upon arrival to make sure of reservation and pick-up time．Transportation is provided from town or the mountain area．Your guide for the day will pick you up and drop you off at your lodging for half day tours．

　　Hours

　　Half day tours are available at 9∶00am or 1∶00pm．Full day tours start at 9∶00am and return at 4∶00 p.m．Full moon tours area available at 6∶00pm and return around 9∶00pm．Wildlife tours are available at 9∶00am or 1∶00pm．All half day tours are nearly 3-3.5 hours long,(actual snowshoeing is about 2-2.5 hours)．

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