阅读理解

　　When you are at odds with someone close to you, the One-Minute Drill can show you how to express your feelings effectively-and how to listen more skillfully．All it requires is two individuals who are committed to improving their relationship．

　　Set aside at least ten minutes, and then sit facing each other．Decide who will be the Talker and who will be the Lastener．It makes no difference, because later you will change roles．

　　For approximately 30 seconds, the Talker can say anything he or she wants．Your job will be to express your thoughts and feelings．You can discuss problems you've had a hard time talking about．Remember to limit yourself to about 30 seconds．When the Talker finishes, the Listener will summarize what the Talker just said, as well as how the Talker was feeling inside, as accurately as possible．

　　The Talker now gives the Listener a grade between 0 and 100 percent to indicate how accurate the summary was．If the rating is 95 percent or more, you can change roles; the new Talker can continue with the same topic or move on to something entirely new．

　　However, if the grade is below 95 percent, the Talker should point out what the Listener missed or got wrong, and repeat the process until the overall rating is 95 percent or more．Then you can change roles and repeat the exercise for as long as you both like．

　　How it works

　　Thirty seconds of emotionally charged information is sufficiently challenging for anyone．Express your feelings in strong, clear, direct language, but as your partner will be listening attentively, you won't need to shout, exaggerate or put your partner down．

　　The Listener should sit and listen respectfully without interrupting．Look into your partner's eyes, but avoid using negative body language．If you like, take a few notes．

　　So the Talker might say：“When I come home from work, I feel tired and I need some quiet time．But you tell me I'm supposed to spend time with the kids．This makes me feel frustrated．I work hard and I'm exhausted at the end of the day．I feel like I deserve a little time to relax, not listen to more demands．”

　　In response, the Listener might summarize like this：“You just told me that you feel exhausted when you come home at night because you've been working hard all day．When l tell you l want you to spend time with the kids, you feel frustrated and ticked off because you're tired and you need time to relax．You see me as very demanding, and you're probably feeling like I don't appreciate you．”

　　The first time you attempt the One-Minute Drill, you may get a low score．Don't worry, because you'll get up to speed quickly．Once you've tried this exercise a few times, you'll find that you can nearly always get ratings of 95 percent or better on the first or second try．

阅读理解

　　WASHINGTON－A chaotic scene unfolded near the U S．Capitol(美国国会大厦)on Wednesday after police shot and killed an armed man in what authorities described as a rush hour traffic stop that turned deadly．

　　U S．Capitol Police spokeswoman Sgt．Kim Schneider said the unidentified 35-year-old man sped away in a white car after being stopped a few blocks from the Capitol．The man drove the wrong way down a street and crashed into a police car in a heavily guarded area about a block north of the Capitol grounds, striking two officers with his car along the way, she said．

　　Police then opened fire after seeing the man hold up his handgun and refuse to put it down, said Schneider, who described the melee(人群)as“very fast moving”．“The officers felt they were being threatened-they were in fear for their lives,”Schneider said．

　　She did not know if the man ever fired at police．He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead．

　　The officers who were hit——one of whom was on a motorcycle——had minor injuries, Schneider said．

　　The late afternoon scare occurred as lawmakers were wrapping up a third day of hearings for Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor．Police briefly closed up part of the Capiltol as a precaution, but the buildings were reopened about a half－hour later．Authorities said the shooting was not related to the Capitol．

　　Carol Lanigan, of Toledo, Ohio, described how she save a white car come flying down the street with two police cars chasing it．She said she heard about four or five shots．

　　“There were so many gunshots being fired, my family got down．”said Robert Drumm of Oklahoma, who was touring the nation's capital with his family．

　　Numerous emergency vehicles came together quickly on the area．

　　Lanigan's husband, Dale Lanigan, described a similar scene, saying that as the car sped past him the driver had one hand on the wheel and it looked like he was reaching for something．

阅读理解

　　I still remember the days when l was a youthful student in an engineering school．I lived a casual life, without caring about the future．I smoked, drank with friends and made girl friends．Little did I realize that casualness would certainly lead to loss．

　　Two years had passed and l was staring down a report card that highlighted FAII in more than half the subjects．I didn't care, at least not till my dad found out about it．You see．I studied in India and unlike the United States where the students are expected to finance their own education, my dad financed me．

　　Then came the day when my dad found out my habit of smoking．He lost his temper but he just told me,“Son, your allowance is cut in half from this moment on”．It hit me like a roundhouse kick(回旋踢)from Bruce Lee．I was jolted(震摇)out of my bones!I couldn't comprehend how to pay off the debts that I had accumulated in college．I owed everybody money：the grocery store, the bars．the restaurants, my friends, etc．I was living a life filled with credit．

　　When I went back to college, I knew that if I don't change the way I live my life I won't be able to pay everybody off．So I decided to make some changes．drastic changes．I quit smoking, cut off from my friends who led me down the wrong road, starting hanging out in libraries and reading my engineering books．

　　One year later, I went from a miserable failure to a magna curn laude(优等成绩)．Life was never the same again．This incident made me know that anything is possible if you take action and do something about it, however small or large．Even today it still motivates me when I feel that I'm about to lose or give up．It reminds me that I can do it!

阅读理解

　　Today in schools, it's not unusual for students to sit in the same kinds of desks in the same kinds of classrooms as their parents did．

　　Schools have made progress by making use of computers and PDAs in the classroom, yet one design company believes that changes are needed, so they describe what a future classroom may look like．“Kids are being taught to sit at these wooden desks that are basically designed for writing,”said Mark Dziersk, the senior vice president of the design．“They're being lectured in a structured environment．”

　　The solution is a“customizable(按顾主的意思制造的)education system”called Gooru that reorganizes the classroom and replaces books, desks, pens, and so on．The three-part technology system consists of an interactive PDA called the GooBall, a backpack and a removable LCD screen for each student．Students can Sit, stand or lie down when using the devices, and are not limited to desks．

　　The idea was presented at last month's South by Southwest Interactive Conference．While some educators think the idea is interesting, they doubt whether schools will pay for the expensive and complicated system．

　　The GooBall is a co-operative communication device with six layers of learning software．The device monitors a student's heart rate and body temperature and uses GPS(Global Position System)to track where they are．It includes instant messaging, a compass, a watch, and a topic-specific quick-thinking system that directs a student to related articles and books about whatever they are studying．Students can also choose an animal painting to show their personality．The backpack provides the main power supply for the system and holds some personal items．The pocket keeps items locked tight with a fingerprint security zipper． The portable screen functions like a laptop, providing wireless Internet access and streaming video．It also has a touch screen surface．

　　“I think it's an excellent idea,”said Gary Tankard, a sixth-grader who has seen the prototype(原型)．“I'm sure that 90 percent of kids would really like to have it．”

阅读理解

　　Children of all ages love birthday parties at the Staten Island Zoo．Where else can you invite real party animals to join in the fun?

　　Who is invited?

　　Parties at the Staten Island Zoo are designed for children who are turning 4 years old and older, with a maximum group size of 15 children and 4 adults．Along with your human guests, 2－3 live animals will also be invited into your party room．No need for more introductions．By the end of your party, our teachers will make sure everyone is well familiar with their new scaly(有鳞的), feathery or furry friends．

　　What is included?

　　Each party lasts an hour and a half(two hours if pizza is included)and includes live animal demonstration, games or stories, and animal skills．Each member will receive a bag of attractive things to take home for fun．Besides, birthday invitations will be given to you for giving to your guests．

　　Birthday party themes

　　Choose from four different themes：

　　Animal Tracks

　　Discover different types of animal's feet and their purpose．Track some animals and then make a take-home piaster mould(石膏模型)．

　　African Savannah

　　Join in the fun at exploring the mysteries of the African Savannah．Learn about favorite foods of the Savannah's people and make an animal mask to enjoy the fun．

　　Tropical Rainforest

　　Listen to the sounds of the jungle and find where the animals live．Create a colorful rainforest bird．

　　Barnyard Friends

　　Stories, games, activities and crafts will all focus on the differences between wild and domestic(家养的)animals．Make a small bookmark to use at home．

　　Costs

　　Pizza, ice cream cake, juice and party(includes cutlery, paper plates, cups and napkins)－＄370 Staten Island Zoo members/＄ 400 non-Members．

　　Party only－＄ 250 Staten Island Zoo members/＄ 275 non-Members

阅读理解

　　Winter depression(or winter blues)is a common suffering for those who live in our northern climate．Its clinical name is seasonal affective disorder(SAD)and up to 5％ of the population(especially in northern states)may suffer from it．SAD is characterized by(其特点是)feelings of sadness and depression that occur in the winter months when the temperature drops and the days grow short．The depression is often associated with excessive eating or sleeping and weight gain．Women are twice to three times more likely to suffer from the winter depression than men．

　　There are many effective treatments for winter depression, some of which you can do to help yourself．Increasing your daily exposure to as much natural light as possible can be helpful to many．Any time that you have the opportunity to gain access to more sunlight in the winter months, you should try to do so．Taking walks throughout the day(even if you don't normally do so), sitting next to a south-facing window at your office, in a classroom, or at home will increase your sunlight exposure．Exercising next to a window or outdoors when possible is another activity that can help．

　　Although it may be difficult to do, maintaining your schedule and lifestyle will help to keep the depression at bay．A regular pattern of sleep is the most important thing to maintain．It may be helpful, for example, to have your bedroom lights on a timer to turn on a half-hour before you wake．This may help in waking at a regular time every morning, when it is still dark outside in the winter months．

　　Light treatment has shown to be effective for seasonal affective disorder．While you can buy expensive and specialized light treatment lighting fixtures for your home or office, some inexpensive alternatives are also available．Another lighting technique to try is to replace commonly used light bulbs in your home with brighter full spectrum(also known as broad spectrum)light bulbs．While more expensive than regular light bulbs, these bulbs provide light that is similar to natural sunlight．

　　If none of these techniques seem to help your depressive symptoms, you should consider consulting a doctor or a mental health professional．The winter blues are a form of depression and can be readily treated with medicine or psychotherapy(心理疗法)when other self-help methods aren't effective．Don't be afraid to talk about this condition with a professional; it's nothing to be ashamed or afraid of．With a little effort, the winter blues can be beaten．

阅读理解

　　It was about midday．I'd left work early in the morning to cash a cheque．I walked along to the bank, and found that there weren't too many people about ten or eleven customers in there, which was pretty unusual for those central city banks．

　　I waited until it was my turn and just went up to the desk and started to talk to the bank clerk．He had a really strange expression on his face－just sort of blank stare at least I thought he was looking at me and then I realized he was staring over my shoulder．

　　I began to turn round to see what he was looking at．At the same moment the outside bank guard came flying through the door and lay face down on the floor and following him through the door were three frightening masked men．They were carrying guns; at least I think the one in front was carrying a gun．Whether or not they said anything at that point I can't remember to this day, or whether people just automatically put their hands up I've just no idea．

　　For a few moments there was just total silence, suddenly broken by the telephone ringing and I remember thinking and wondering who was on the other end of the telephone．Nobody went to answer the telephone, so this thing just kept on ringing and ringing．Then two of the masked men went to the counter, jumped over it and got the cashiers and the bank clerks to start filling the bags with cash．While the two were getting the money, the one at the door who was covering us with the gun was a bit frightened．He started swearing at them, and telling them to hurry up, to get a move on．They jumped back over the counter．One of them slipped as he landed on the floor and fell over and the other two swore at him again．They left through the door．Warning us,“Don't move, stay like that with your hands up for ten minutes．”And then they just disappeared．Again back to total silence．People put their hands down, I put my hands down but I just stayed exactly where I was．

阅读理解

　　You may or may not have heard that Denmark was voted the happiest place to live in the world．When people think of the happiest place, most think of Disneyland．But could Denmark truly be the happiest place to live? I would have to say, it does．Try to imagine what you would consider the happiest place for you to live．Most would say their ideal paradise has sunny weather, nice beaches and is tropical．However, Denmark is far from these．Denmark is a very cold country, where it rains a lot．So how can this cold place make you so happy?

　　I was born and raised in Denmark and lived there for 11 years．The Danes are such nice people(usually)and really enjoy life to the fullest．The country itself is beautiful with so many amazing historical buildings and beautiful farmlands everywhere．

　　The capital Copenhagen is a fun and exciting place to live．You'll never find a dull moment there．Now Denmark does, however, have very high taxes．They pay between 50 percent and 70 percent of their incomes, but in return they get free health care and free education．Because of the high taxes, people don't find jobs to be bad jobs．People really take pride in their jobs, whatever they may be．

　　Denmark truly is, in my opinion, the happiest place to live in the world．I've lived in several different countries and none of them is better than Denmark．Sure enough, you may enjoy warmer weather, but the atmosphere and scenery of Denmark can't be beaten．

阅读理解

　　People fell in love with Elizabeth Taylor in 1944, when she starred in National Velvet-the story of Velvet Brown, a young girl who wins first place in a famous horse race．At first, the producers of the movie told Taylor that she was too small to play the part of Velvet．However, they waited for her for a few months as she exercised and trained-and added three inches to her height in four months!Her acting in National Velvet is still considered the best by a child actress．

　　Elizabeth Taylor was born in London in 1932．Her parents, both Americans, had moved there for business reasons．When World War II started, the Taylor moved to Beverly Hills, California, and there Elizabeth started acting in movies．After her success as a child star, Taylor had no trouble moving into adult(成人)roles and won twice for Best Actress：Butter field 8(1960)and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?(1996)

　　Taylor's fame(名声)and popularity gave her a lot of power with the movie industry, so she was able to demand very high pay for her movies．In 1963, she received ＄ 1 million for her part in Cleopatra-the highest pay received by any star up to that time．

　　Elizabeth Taylor is a legend(传奇人物)of our time．Like Velvet Brown in National Velvet, she has been lucky; she has beauty, fame and wealth．But she is also a bard worked．Taylor seldom acts in movies any more．Instead, she puts her time and efforts into her businesses, and into helping others-several years ago, she founded an organization that has raised more than ＄40 million for research and education．

阅读理解

　　Technology is making life easier for some dairy farmers．They use robotic systems to milk their cows．These systems are designed to reduce labor and increase milk production．

　　Cows are trained to follow a series of paths that lead to the milking stations．Only one cow at a time can enter the station．Once inside, the cow is rewarded with food．As the cow eats, a robotic arm cleans and connects the animal to the milking machine．A few minutes later, the milking is completed．The gate is lifted．The cow leaves and the next cow enters．The robotic systems are designed to operate twenty-four hours a day．Cows are milked on average about three times a day．Some are milked four to six times a day．The cows wear collars(颈圈)around their necks that identify them to the system．A computer keeps records on their eating and milking．A cow is released from the station if the computer decides it should not be milked．The system also measures the temperature and color of the freshly produced milk．Milk is thrown away if it does not pass the tests．Cows need two to four weeks to learn to use the robotic milking systems．Once trained, the cows no longer require human assistance, unless something goes wrong．

　　Professor Plaut heads the Department of Animal Science at Michigan State University．She believes the systems will attract especially the next generation of farmers who are more interested in technology and less interested in working all the time on the farm．Still, she says the price of robotic milking systems will continue to limit their use．Doug Suhr has more than one hundred milking cows on his farm．Last year it became the fourth farm in southeast Minnesota to get a robotic milking system．A recent story in a local agricultural newspaper said the first robot cost ＄175,000 and the second cost ＄150,000．Doug says the increase in milk production reaches a high of more than 6 kg per cow per day．