Reading Comprehension

Black Boxes

　　Although they are called“black boxes”, aviation recorders are actually painted orange．This distinct color, along with the strips of reflective tape attached to the recorders' exteriors, helps investigators locate the black boxes following an accident．These are especially helpful when a plane lands in the water．There are two possible origins of the term“black boxes”; Some believe it is because early recorders were painted black, while others think it refers to the charring that occurs in post-accident fires．

　　In addition to the paint and reflective tape, black boxes are equipped with an underwater locator beacon(ULB)．If you look at the picture of a black box, you will almost always see a small, cylindrical object attached to one end of the device．This cylinder(圆筒)is actually a beacon．

　　If a plane crashes into the water, this beacon sends out an ultrasonic pulse that cannot be heard by human ears but is readily detectable by sonar and acoustical locating equipment．There is a sensor on the side of the beacon that looks like a bull's eye．When water touches this sensor, it activates the beacon．

　　The beacon sends out pulses at 37.5 kilohertz(kHz)and can transmit sound as deep as 14,000 feet(4,267 m)．Once the beacon begins“pinging”, it pings once per second for 30 days．This beacon is powered by a battery．In rare instances, the beacon may get snapped off during a high-impact collision．

　　In the United States, when investigators locate a black box, it is transported to the computer labs at the National Transportation Safety Board(NTSB)．Special care is taken in transporting these devices in order to avoid any(further)damage to the recording medium．In the lab, investigators download the data from the recorders and attempt to recreate the events of the accident．This process can take weeks or months to complete．In the United States, black-boxes manufacturers supply the NTSB with the readout systems and software needed to do a full analysis of the recorders' stored data．

　　A team of experts is usually brought in to interpret the recordings stored on a black box．This group typically includes a representative from the airline, a representative from the airplane manufacturer, an NTSB transportation-safety specialist and an NTSB air-safety investigator．This group may also include a language specialist from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and, if needed, an interpreter．This board attempts to interpret 30 minutes of words and sounds recorded by the black box．This can be a painstaking process and may take weeks to complete．

　　The black box is an invaluable tool for any aircraft investigation．It is often the lone survivor of airplane accidents, and as such provides important clues to the cause that would be impossible to obtain any other way．As technology evolves, black boxes will continue to play a tremendous role in accident investigations．

Reading Comprehension

Tui Na and Your Emotional Health

　　In Traditional Chinese Medicine the body, mind and spirit cannot be divided and so the unique whole-body treatment in Tui Na can also be a useful treatment correcting any imbalances in the body's energy before symptoms and disease can develop．It also works to restore emotional harmony as well as physical health．This is why after a Tui Na treatment many people“feel good”．Many people in China use Tui Na regularly to keep healthy and to deal with some specific illnesses．

　　Tui Na is performed on the clothed body and the patient is either lying on a couch or sitting on a chair．Therapists using a variety of strokes or movements will control the intensity and direction of pressure in an exact way．The unique rolling movement in Tui Na is one of the most difficult strokes to learn and students have to practice sometimes for many months on a rice bag before they are allowed to practice on the human body．

Stress

　　Tui Na is of course very useful for treating stress．

　　It distributes the energy around the whole body．It is believed that Tui Na moves the strong energy in the tense muscles to the weaker areas, thus making a more balanced body．When your Qi(energy in the body)flow is balanced you feel relaxed and comfortable．Tui Na is especially useful for stiff shoulders and tense neck muscles．

Emotions

　　In Traditional Chinese Medicine each major organ is linked to an emotion．By balancing the energy in the organ, the relevant emotion will be calmed．When your emotions are out of control, you would usually turn to your doctor or perhaps a psychotherapist．But perhaps some people would not like to be seeing a psychotherapist or feel nervous about discussing their problems with others．With Tui Na one does not need to tell the therapist anything one does not want to．The treatment of Tui Na can deal with the problem itself－although if one does need to talk, then the safe space is there to do so．An active dialogue between the therapist and the patient will help to get a better effect．

How the major organs rule your emotions

　　Each major organ－the heart, the stomach, the spleen, the liver, the bladder, the kidneys, the lungs, etc．－is linked to a relevant emotion．

　　The heart is linked to joy, excitement and sadness．If the heart is out of balance, the patient may dream a lot at night and often forget something important in the day．

　　The stomach and spleen are connected with too much thinking or worrying－over anxiety．When the stomach is out of balance there is often a lack of energy．The patient often feels very tired and has no interest in doing anything at all．

　　The liver and gall bladder are linked to anger．In Chinese Medicine the eyes are connected with the liver, and many people who suffer from anger often suffer from eye problems．The gall bladder rules decision-making and too much energy here can lead to rashness, while if there is too little it can bring about indecision．Where there is a history of depression, the therapist would look to the liver．

　　The bladder and kidneys are linked to fear of all kinds, from simple anxieties and phobias to vague fears and worries．

　　The lungs are connected with feelings of grief and sadness．When there is a history of grief, the therapist would look to the lungs．

　　Tui Na is used in almost all the hospitals in China and very popular among Chinese people．It is a useful and valuable method of restoring Qi balance, when emotional and physical health is out of balance．Tui Na is one of the remaining secrets of Chinese Medicine．

阅读理解

　　It's interesting that the arrival of snow has different effects on people in different countries．For some countries it is an important happening to celebrate each year, while for others a catastrophe(灾难)or even a wonder．

　　But there are countries between these two kinds that normally expect snow some time over the winter months, but never receive snow regularly or in the same quantities every year．Britain is one of them, for which the arrival of snow quite simple creates problems．Within hours of the first snowfalls, however light, roads are blocked, trains and buses have to stop in the middle of the way．Normal communication is affected as well：telephone calls become difficult and the post immediately takes more time than usual．And almost within hours there are also certain shortages(短缺)－bread, vegetables and other things－not because all these things can no longer be produced or sent to shops, but mainly because people are frightened and go out and store up with food and so“just for fear that something bad should happen”．

　　But why does snow have this effect?After all, the Swiss, the Austrians and the Canadians don't have such problems．It is simple because there is not enough planning and preparation．We need money to buy equipment to deal with snow and ice．To keep the roads clear, for example, requires snow-ploughs(扫雪机)and machines to spread(撒)salt．The reason why a country like Britain does not buy snow-ploughs in that they are only used for a few days in the year, and that money could be more useful for other things such as hospitals, education, helping the old, and so on．

阅读理解

　　Should airlines charge overweight passengers more if they need extra seats?Yes, according to three quarters of travellers in a poll．

　　A survey by the travel website Skyscanner found that 76 percent of people believe airlines should charge a“fat tax”．Only 22 percent of the 550 people questioned disapproved of introducing extra payments to overweight passengers．

　　The poll was conducted after a heated debate that started after Air France was misreported earlier this month to be planning an extra charge for the passenger unable to fill into a single seat．

　　Skyscanner co-founder Barry Smith said the so-called“fat tax”was very sensitive issue for airlines that would need to act carefully so as not to alienate(疏远)overweight passengers．

　　“On one hand, it's not unreasonable for airlines to charge passenger extra if they take up more than one seat．On the other hand, many would argue that it should be the responsibility of airlines to adjust their seat sizes, enabling them to suit all passengers,”he said in a statement．

　　Some people in the poll said it was airlines' responsibility to make seats for all sizes of passengers, while the others suggested that the charge should be calculated on the weights of passengers plus their luggage．

　　In the United States, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines have a policy where an overweight passenger needs to buy a second seat and can claim a refund(退款)if the plane is not full．This followed complaints from neighbouring passengers．

　　The Supreme Court in Canada ruled that overweight people travelling on airplanes cannot be forced to buy second seats．

阅读理解

　　Danielle Steel, America's sweetheart, is one of the hardest working woman in the book business．Unlike other productive authors who write one book at a time, she can work on up to five．Her research alone before writing takes at least three years．Once she has fully studied her subjects, ready to dive into a book, she can spend twenty hours nonstop at her desk．

　　Danielle Steel comes from New York and was sent to France for her education．After graduation, she worked in the public relations and advertising industries．Later she started a job as a writer which she was best fit for．Her achievements are unbelievable：390 million copies of books in print, nearly fifty New York Times best-selling novels, and a series of“Max and Martha”picture books for children to help them deal with the real-life problem of death, new babies and new schools．Her l998 book about the death of her son was shot to the top of the New York Times best-selling list as soon as it came out．Twenty-eight of her books have been made into film．She is listed in the Guinness Books of World Records for one of her hooks being the Times best-seller for 381 weeks straight．

　　Not content with a big house, a loving family, and a view of the Golden Gate Bridge, Danielle Steel considers her readers to be the most important resource and has kept in touch with them by e-mail．While she is often compared to the heroines(女主人公)of her own invention．,her life is undoubtedly much quieter．But if she does have anything in common with them, it is her strength of will and her inimitable(独特的)style．There is only one Danielle Steel．

阅读理解

　　If you want to get kids outside to appreciate nature, get some fresh air, or for some plain old fun, here's where to start．

　　Get out there．The best way to experience nature and all that it offers is to get outside．You won't get all the great benefits of connecting with nature through any book or movie．

　　Keep it simple．You don't need to plan anything complex, or spend a lot of money．Some of our best“finds”have been from our own yard．Last summer we found our first salamander(蝾螈)in our yard．We had never seen one in our area before and it was really cool．We watched its behavior, looked it up on the internet to find out what kind it was, what it ate and where it spent its time．My son even took its picture to school to show and tell something about it to his classmates．He got so much more involved in finding out more about it because we actually had found a real live one in our yard．What a great teachable moment!

　　Don't pretend to know what you don't know．You can teach a child to appreciate nature by exploring with him/her．It's not about naming everything you come across．No matter how many years of study I've had in the field of natural science, there will always be things I don't know．If you come across something you can't identify, just say,“I don't know．Let's look it up together．”

　　Get excited about their discoveries．Yes, even bugs, worms and dirt．The more exhilaration you show, the more likely they are to head out and explore more．Fostering(培养)a sense of curiosity in a child is one of the greatest gifts you can give him/her．

阅读理解

　　Some kids start to drink alcohol(酒精)at a young age．They think it is part of becoming an adult．They also think drinking is not that bad because so many people do it．They feel it is not as bad as taking drugs．It is easy for kids to get liquor(酒精饮料)by using fake identification(伪造证件)．

　　Parents may start to notice a change in their child's behavior if the child starts drinking．Kids who drink sometimes stop doing things they normally liked to do．They may keep telephone calls and meetings a secret and not want anybody to touch their things．They act moody(喜怒无常)and do not have the same eating and sleeping habits．

　　Parents need to stay involved in their kids' lives．They should talk to their children about their problems to be aware of any change．

　　Parents can be the best protection．Children who get a lot of love can feel good about themselves．It helps them resist(抵抗)doing bad things even when other kids are doing them．Parents can help set a good example by not drinking and driving．They can have firm rules in the home that everyone follows．

　　Give the children good ideas on how to say“no”to drinking, even when they are at a party．Try not to overreact or panic if the child tries alcohol．How you handle it can affect their attitude．It may be helpful to talk to other parents about setting up curfews(宵禁令)and rules about parties or other events．

阅读理解

　　One night in February 1962, John H．Glenn．Jr．flew over Australia．The man in the Mercury capsule was alone, but friendly voices reached him by radio．On the dark land 100 miles below, he saw a sprinkling of light．They marked the city of Perth, where people had turned on their lights as a greeting to him．In Friendship Ⅶ, Glenn radioed,“The lights show up very well．Thanks for everybody for turning them on．”His capsule raced on to the east．

　　During his three orbits of the earth, Glenn could always reach one of eighteen tracking stations．Some of them were on ship at sea．Others were in the United States．Many of the stations had been built with the help of other countries．These countries allowed Americans to bring in radio equipment and set it up．Without the help of such lands as Nigeria(尼日利亚), Zanzibar(尚巴西，坦桑尼亚领土的一部分), and Mexico, there would have been breaks in the worldwide radio network．

　　John H．Glenn．Jr．was the first America to orbit the earth．For his flight, the tracking network(跟踪网络)covered 60,000 route miles．Five hundred men worked in the stations along the route．Since his flight, the network has grown．Today, it covers more than 100,000 route miles and has about one hundred stations．One-third of these stations are outside of the United States．

阅读理解

　　Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ is not only the queen of the United Kingdom, but she is also the queen of other 16 countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Jamaica．Her face is seen on stamps and coins all around the world．

　　Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor was born in London on April 21^st 1926．Her parents were George, the Duke of York, and Elizabeth, the daughter of the Earl and Count-ness of Strathmore．As a child, Princess Elizabeth lived with her parents and younger sister in London and Windsor．Every summer, she traveled to Scotland to visit her mother's parents．She was interested in all sorts of sports, but her favorites were horse riding and swimming．She was also fond of acting, art and music．

　　As princess Elizabeth grew older, she started to play a part in British public life．When she was 14, she broadcast a radio message to all the children of Britain and the Common-wealth(共和国)．Two years later, she carried out her first public engagement, and started to go on official tours shortly after that．After a tour to South Africa in 1946, she married Philip Mountbatten．The couple had four children：Prince Charles, born in 1948, Princess Anne, born in 1950, Prince Andrew, born in 1960 and Prince Edward, born in 1964．

　　After her father died, Princess Elizabeth became Queen Elizabeth in a ceremony held in London in 1953．As a queen, she has many duties, and leads a very busy life．She travels throughout the world, meeting the leaders of other countries, and attends a large number of official functions．She also holds a meeting every week with the British Prime Minister．Every year, on Christmas Day, she broadcast a message to the people of British and the Commonwealth, talking about her hopes for the future．

　　Queen Elizabeth has been on the throne for more than 40 years and has become one of the most famous women in the world．Lots of people in British believe that she tries hard to understand her people and be a good queen．More than her title, this quality has earned her much love and respect．

阅读理解

Sightseeing Tours in Germany

　　Germany has a variety of cities each with its own characteristics, from the busy city of Berlin, to the ancient city of Cologne, to the Bavarian capital of Munich．Thankfully, these major German cities offer sightseeing tours that offer the opportunity to better explore the surrounding regions and the country's most historic sites．

　　Berlin on Bike

　　Berlin on Bike takes visitors through the German capital via five bicycle tours, all with guides．Regular tours include the Wall Tour and Berlin's Best, with stops at some of the city's most famous landmarks, such as the Reichstag explores what life was like in East Berlin under Communist Rule．The cost of the tour includes the bike and helmet rental, and tourists may choose to continue renting their bikes once the tour has ended．

　　Berlinonbike.de/English/index.php

　　Munich City Sightseeing Tour

　　The Munich City Sightseeing Tour transports travelers throughout the city via an open-air, double-decker bus．Passengers can hop on and off at various stops throughout the day．This tour includes stops at such sites as the Munich central train station, the 1972 Olympic Stadium Park, Munich's opera house and Karlsplatz, the gate to the historic city．The bus features a narrated tour guide and offers an English-language option．

　　Raileurope.com/activities/munich-city-sightseeing-tour/index.html

　　Nice City Tours-Cologne

　　Nice City Tours offers three tours of Cologne, available to private or business groups in a variety of languages．The old Town Tour runs for two hours and includes a guided tour of the Cologne Cathedral and some of the city's old squares．The Brewery Pub Tour explores some of the city's most beloved breweries and pubs, and details the history behind Kolsch, Cologne's resident beer．Finally, the Old Town and Rhine Tour begins by visiting some of old town's most historic sites and ends with a ride down the Rhine River．

　　Nicecitytours.con/tours.htm