阅读理解

　　Beijing-“Ma”, a Chinese character for horse, is the 13^th most common family name in China, shared by nearly 17 million people．That can cause no end of confusion when Mas get together, especially if those Mas also share the same given name, as many Chinese do．

　　Ma Cheng's book-loving grandfather came up with an elegant solution to this common problem．Twenty-six years ago, when his granddaughter was born, he consulted his library of Chinese dictionaries and lighted upon a character pronounced “cheng”．Cheng looks just like the character for horse, except that it is condensed(压缩)and written three times in a row．

　　The character is so rare that once people see it, Miss Ma said, they tend to remember both her and her name．That is one reason she likes it so much．

　　Chinese parents' desire to give their children a spark of individuality(个性)is colliding(冲突)with the Chinese government's desire for order．Seeking to modernize its vast database on China's 1.3 billion citizens, the government's Public Security Bureau has been replacing the handwritten identity card that every Chinese must carry with a computer-readable one, complete with color photos and microchips．The new cards are harder to forge(伪造)and can be scanned at places like airports where security is a priority．

　　The bureau's computers, however, are programmed to read only 32,252 of the roughly 55,000 Chinese characters according to a 2006 government report．The result is that Miss Ma and at least some of the 60 million other Chinese with obscure characters in their names cannot get new cards – unless they change their names to something more common．

　　Moreover, the situation is about to get worse or, in the government's view, better．Since at least 2003, China has been working on a standardized list of characters for people to use in everyday life, including when naming children．The list will aim to control the use of obscure names．

阅读理解

　　It didn't take long at all for me to decide to come and study in the UK．With the approach of globalization, more and more people realize that it is necessary to study in an English-speaking country．UK does not only offer the chance to study the original English, it also has so many first-class universities, whose qualifications are widely respected all over the world．Besides the academic, there are many fun elements too; its famous football environment is definitely one for me!Since UK has such a diverse society, I feel there is less chance that there would be any racism(种族歧视)at boarding school．This is one reason why I did not take any summer courses before I started my school．It was just so easy to settle in and pick up the language as you go along, because everyone is so friendly and helpful．At the moment I am doing 5 A-levels and 1 AS, which are Maths, Further Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Government and Politics and Chinese．I am aiming to achieve A's in all my exams, and I hope to go to Oxford University to study Engineering Science in the autumn．

　　I still remember my first day at Merchiston Castle School, and I was really nervous about it, because I have never visited the school before and didn't take any summer courses．Despite my anxiety, I soon relaxed once I arrived; the staff members were so nice that I felt that my spoken English was better than it actually was!As soon as I walked into the day room(日间休息室)of my boarding house, I was absolutely amazed by the friendly atmosphere：Everyone was so friendly that a boy as shy as I had no difficulty in setting in, and I made many new friends on my very first day, although I was struggling to remember all the names．

阅读理解

　　Some futurologists have assumed that the vast increase of women in the workforce may portend(预示)an increase in divorce．The opposite of this concern is that the outlook of becoming a multi-paycheck household could encourage marriage．The earning ability of a woman can make her more attractive as a marriage partner．

　　The increase in divorce rates follows to the increase in women working outside the home．Yet, it may be wrong to jump to any simple cause-and-effect conclusions．The effect of a wife's work on divorce is no less cloudy than its effect on marriage decisions．The realization that she can be a good provider may increase the chances that a working wife will choose divorce over an unsatisfactory marriage．But the reverse is equally reasonable．Tensions grounded in financial problems often play a key role in ending a marriage．By raising a family's standard of living, a working wife may strengthen her family's financial and emotional stability．

　　Psychological factors also should be considered．For example, a wife blocked from a career outside the home may feel caged in the house．She may view her only choice as seeking a divorce．On the other hand, if she can find fulfillment through work outside the home, work and marriage can go together to create a stronger and more stable union．

　　A working wife may rob a husband of being the master of the house．Meanwhile, an attractive woman who finds her value in work may play an important role in a stable marriage．Depending upon how the couple reacts to these new conditions, it could create a stronger equal partnership or it could create new insecurities．

阅读理解

　　As I was thinking about language learning the other day, the image of baking bread came into my mind．I compared some of the exercises and drills that we put ourselves through in order to learn a language to the various ingredients (原料) that go into baking a loaf of fresh bread．

　　Real language learning takes place in human relationships．No one sits down and eats a cup of flour, even if he is hungry and in a hurry．You don' t become bilingual (双语的) by learning lists of vocabulary．You don' t become a speaker of a language by memorizing grammatical rules．You become bilingual by entering a community that uses that other language as its basic means of communication．

　　I am not suggesting that we can make bread without ingredients．Flour is necessary, as are yeast (酵母), salt, water and other ingredients．Vocabulary is part of any language and will have to be learned．Grammatical rules exist in every language and cannot be ignored．But merely combining the appropriate ingredients in the recommended proportions does not result in bread．At best, you only end up with a ball of dough (面团)．

　　In order to get bread, you have to apply heat to the dough．And in language learning, that heat comes from the community．Anyone who has learned a second language has experienced that heat．It creeps up your neck when you ask the babysitter “Have you already been eaten?” when you meant to say, ‘‘Have you already eaten?” When you try to say something quite innocent and the whole room bursts into laughter, you are experiencing the heat that turns raw dough into good bread．

　　Remember the old saying, “If you can' t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen"．This is where language learning often breaks down because we find the heat uncomfortable and we stop the baking process．In other words, we can' t stand the heat, so we get out of the kitchen．

　　However, the language learner who stays in the kitchen－in the heat－until the combined ingredients are thoroughly transformed will enjoy the richness of a quality loaf of bread．He is glad that he did not "get out of the kitchen” at the important moment when the oven seemed too hot．

　　Now the baker enjoys good bread, seated at the table with family members and guests．However, he does not focus on "bread" but rather on enjoying the whole feast：fine salads, pastas, fresh vegetables, rich desserts and so on．And the language learner has arrived when he no longer needs to focus on language．Language merely becomes one element in the "feast" of membership in his chosen community．

阅读理解

　　Paris in the springtime was, is and always will be, something rather special．Why not experience it for yourself with this excellent break for four days?This attractive city has something to offer to everyone and with prices at just ￡129．

　　Your break begins with comfortable bus transfer (运送) from local pick-up points and travel to Paris is via cross-channel ferry, arriving at your hotel in the evening．The Ibis is an excellent quality hotel with private equipments in all rooms：satellite TV, radio, telephone and alarm clock．It has a bar and restaurant and is situated about two miles south of Notre Dame , enabling you to explore Paris with ease．

　　The following day, after continental breakfast (included), the bus takes you on a comprehensive sightseeing tour of the city, during which you will see the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, L'Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, in fact almost every famous landmark you have ever heard of．You then leave Paris and take a short drive to the magnificent Palace of Versailles, the home of Louis XIV．The tour ends mid-afternoon back in Paris where you will have the remainder of the day at your leisure．In the evening there is a “Paris by Night” tour showing you the beautiful buildings with bright lights．

　　Day three takes you to Montmarter, perhaps the most attractive quarter．In the afternoon you are free to explore this beautiful city as you wish, perhaps a pleasure voyage on the River Seine, wander around the beautiful gardens or look among the antique shops(古董店)．In the evening you will have the opportunity to visit the best nightclub in the city, the splendid Paradis Latain．On the final day it's back to the UK via channel ferry．

　　Included in the price of ￡129 per person ：

　　●Return comfortable bus travel to Paris

　　●Return ferry crossings

　　●3 nights housing in a twin bedded room in a Central Paris hotel with private facilities

　　●Continental breakfast during your stay

　　●Guided sightseeing tour of “Paris by Day” and “Paris by Night”

　　●Visit to the Chateau of Versailles (admission not included )

　　●Tour around Montmartre

阅读理解

　　Raymond Schneider politely elbowed his way through crowds of customers as he made for the candy bins at Dylan's Candy Bar in Manhattan．Since he was laid off in December, Mr．Schneider, a 33-year-old designer, says he has become a “gummy junkie,” buying a lot of sweets every time he shops for groceries．

　　“Sugar is comforting,” he said．“There's nothing more stressful than growing financial insecurity everywhere．”

　　The recession (经济衰退) seems to have a sweet tooth．As unemployment has risen, Americans, particularly adults, have been consuming growing amounts of candy, say candy makers, store owners and industry experts．

　　Theories vary on exactly why．For many, sugar lifts spirits dragged low by the economy．For others, candy also provides a reminder of better times．And not insignificantly, it is relatively cheap．

　　At Candyality, a store in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago, business has jumped by nearly 80 percent compared with this time last year, and the owner, Terese McDonald, said she was struggling to keep up with the demand for Bit-O-Honeys, Swedish Fish and Sour Balls．

　　“They put candy in their actual budget,” she said．

　　Many big candy makers are also reporting rising sales and surprising profits．

　　“Candy companies are relatively recession-proof,” said Peter Liebhold, chairman of the Smithsonian Institution's work and industry division．“During the Great Depression, candy companies stayed in business．”

阅读理解

　　Robby was 11 when his mother dropped him off for his first piano lesson．I prefer students to begin at an earlier age．Robby said that it had always been his mother's dream to hear him play the piano, so I took him on as a student．

　　Robby tried and tried while I listened and encouraged him and gave him more instructions．But he just did not have any inborn ability．

　　I only saw his mother from a distance．She always waved and smiled but never came in．Then one day Robby stopped coming to our lessons．I thought about calling him but I guessed he had decided to try something else．

　　I was also glad that he stopped coming for the sake of my career．However, several weeks before the recital (演奏会) of my students, Robby came, telling me that he never stopped practicing and begged me to allow him to take part in it．I agreed, but I made him perform last in the program, so I could save his poor performance through my “curtain closer”．

　　I was surprised when he announced that he had chosen one piece of Mozart's．Never had I heard a piece of Mozart's played so well by someone at his age．When he finished, everyone was cheering．

　　I ran up and put my arms around Robby in joy．“I've never heard you play like that, Robby!How could you do it?”

　　“Well, Miss Hondorf．Do you remember I told you my mom was sick?Actually she died this morning．She was born deaf, so tonight was the first time she could hear me play．I wanted to make it special．I knew I could．”

　　That night, Robby was the teacher and I was the student．He taught me so many important things about life．

阅读理解

　　It is said that in the United States much has been told about that anyone can become rich and successful if he works hard and has some good luck．

　　Yes, when one becomes rich he wants people to know it．And even though he does not become very rich, he wants people to think that he is．That's what“Keeping up with the Joneses”is about．The expression was first used in 1913 by a young American called Arthur Momand．Momand looked around him and noticed that many people did things to keep up with their neighbours：they tried to look as rich and successful as their neighbours．He saw the funny side of it and started to write a number of short stories．He called it“Keeping up with the Joneses”, because Jones is a very common name in the United States．“Keeping up with the Joneses”came to mean keeping up with the people around you．Momand's series appeared in different newspapers across the country for over 28 years．

　　People never seem to get tired of keeping up with the Joneses．That is one reason why they read“right”books, go to“right”universities and eat in“right”restaurants．

　　Every city has an area where people want to live because others will think better of them if they do．And there are Joneses in every city of the world．But one must get tired of trying to keep up with the Joneses, because no matter what one does, Mr Jones always seems to be ahead．

阅读理解

　　After the Summer Olympics are over, when all the athletes and viewers have gone home and the television audience has switched off, another group of athletes and fans will arrive at the host city, and another competition will begin．These are the Paralympics, the games for athletes with a disability．But in Beijing in 2008, for the first time, one of the greatest paralympians will not be taking part．

　　She is a British athlete by the name of Tanni Grey-Thompson．Born with spina bifida(脊柱裂)which left her paralysed from the waist down．Tanni used a wheelchair from the age of 7．At first, she was not keen on her sport, apart from house-riding, which gave her a sense of freedom．But in her teens, she started taking sports more seriously．She tried swimming, basketball and tennis．Eventually she found athletics, and never looked back．

　　Indeed, Tanni's athletic career took off．In 1984, when she was 15, she pulled off a surprise victory in the 100 metres at the Junior National Wheelchair Games．

　　In 1998, Tanni went to her first Paralympic Games in Seoul．She won bronze in the 400 metres．Even greater success followed at the 1992 Barcelona Paralympics．Tanni won gold in the 100, 200, 400 and 800 metres relay, setting two world records in the process．In the same year she achieved the first of her six London Wheelchair Marathon victories．

　　Tanni's enduring success has been part motivation(动机), part preparation．“The training I do that enables me to be a good sprinter(短跑运动员)and enables me to be good at a marathon too．I train 50 weeks of the year and that keeps me prepared for whatever distance I want to race…I am still competing at a very high level, but as I get older things get harder and I want to retire before I fall apart．”

　　Indeed Tanni retired finally after the Visa Paralympic World Cup in 2007．Her wish is to coach young athletes for Beijing 2008 Olympic Games．

　　In spite of ups and downs, she never takes her face lying down．In her splendid life, she has won an amazing eleven gold medals, four silver and one bronze in a series of Paralympics－a top level athletic career covering two decades．She has won the London Wheelchair Marathon six times, more than any other competitor, and she has set over thirty world records．

　　What advice does she have for young athletes?“Work hard at your studies, and then train, train and train again．”

Reading Comprehension

　　A new generation addiction is quickly spreading all over the world．Weboholism, a twentieth century disease, affects people from different ages．They surf the net, use e-mail and speak in chat rooms．They spend many hours on the computer, and it becomes a compulsive habit．They cannot stop, and it affects their lives．

　　Ten years ago, no one thought that using computers could become compulsive behavior that could affect the social and physical life of computer users．This obsessional behavior has affected teenagers and college students．They are likely to log on computers and spend long hours at different websites．

　　They become hooked on computers and gradually their social and school life is affected by this situation．They spend all free time surfing and don't concentrate on homework, so this addiction influences their grades and success at school．Because they can find everything on the websites, they hang out there．Moreover, this addiction to websites influences their social life．

　　They spend more time in front of computers than with their friends．The relation with their friends changes．The virtual life becomes more important than their real life．They have a new language that they speak in the chat rooms and it causes cultural changes in society．

　　Because of the change in their behavior, they begin to isolate themselves from the society and live with their virtual friends．They share their emotions and feelings with friends who they have never met in their life．Although they feel confident on the computer, they are not confident with real live friends they have known all their life．It is a problem for the future．This addictive behavior is beginning to affect all the world．