阅读理解

　　Nearly everyone is shy in some ways．If shyness is making you uncomfortable, it may be time for a few lessons in self-confidence．You can build your confidence by following some suggestions from doctors and psychologists．

　　Make a decision not to hold back in conversations．What you have to say is just as important as what other people say．And don't turn down party invitations just because of your shyness．

　　Prepare yourself for being with others in groups．Make a list of the good qualities you have．Then make a list of ideas, experiences, and skills you would like to share with other people．Think about what you would like to say in advance．Then say it．

　　If you start feeling self-conscious in a group, take a deep breath and focus your attention on other people．Remember, you are not alone．Other people are concerned about the impression they are making, too．

　　No one ever gets over being shy completely, but most people do learn to live with their shyness．Even entertainers admit that they often feel shy．They work at fighting their shy feelings so that they can face the cameras and the public．Just making the effort to control shyness can have many rewards．But perhaps the best reason to fight shyness is to give other people a chance to know more about you．

阅读理解

　　For the person keeping a journal, whatever he experiences and wants to hold he can write down．But to get it down on paper begins another adventure．For he has to focus on what he has experienced, and to be able to say what, in fact, the experience is．What of it is new?What of it is remarkable because of associations in the memory it stirs up?It is a good or bad thing to have happened?And why, specifically?The questions multiply(增多)themselves quickly．As one tries to find the words that best represent this discovery, the experience becomes even clearer in its shape and meaning．

　　Beyond the value of the journal as record, there is the value of the discipline it teaches．The journalist begins to pay closer attention to what happened to and around himself．He develops and sharpens his skills of observation．He learns the usefulness of languages as a means of representing what he sees, and gains skill and certainty in the expression of his experiences．To have given up one's experience to words is to have begun marking out the limits and potential of its meaning．In the journal that meaning is developed and clarified(澄清、阐明)to oneself．When the intention of the development of that meaning is the consideration of another reader, the method of the journal redirects itself and it becomes the essay．

阅读理解

　　The small unframed painting called“Fisherman”was signed by a little-known Italian artist, Maveleone(1669-1740)．When it was sold recently in New York for ＄27,000, the seller, Mr．Oliver Pitt, was asked to explain how the picture had come into his possession．

　　Pitt said,“I didn't know it was so valuable．I'm not an art expert．Photography is my hobby．I bought‘Fisherman’in Italy in 1970 for ＄140．The picture was dirty, and I couldn't see the artist's signature．But anyway it wasn't the picture that I liked．I bought it because of the frame．”

　　“It's a most unusual frame, made of tiny, silvery sea-shells．They are set in such a way that they reflect perfect light onto the surface of a picture．I now have a photograph of my wife in that frame, and I'll never part with it．”

　　“When I returned to New York I showed the painting in its frame to a customs officer．I told him that I had paid ＄140 for it but admitted I didn't know its actual worth．The customs man valued it at ＄140, and I was asked to pay duty on that value．I did so, there and then．”

　　“Later, I took off the frame, and that uncovered Maveleone's signature．My wife suggested in fun that the painting might be a valuable one, so I cleaned it and put it up for sale．”

　　As a result of this explanation, Oliver Pitt had to appear in court．He was accused of knowingly making a false statement of the value of a picture so as to cheat the Customs Department．

　　Pitt was not happy．“I told the truth as I knew it then,”he said,“What else could I say?”

　　And then the judge agreed with him．“The Customs Department is to be responsible,”he said,“for making a true valuation of goods brought into the country, so that the correct amount of duty may be charged．Mr．Pitt did not cause or try to cause the mistake that was made．He paid the duty that was demanded．If, now, the Customs Department finds that its valuation was not correct, it cannot be allowed to have another try．Pitt is not guilty”．

阅读理解

　　For several years, scientists have been testing a substance called interferon(干扰素), a possible wonder drug that is proving to be effective in treating a variety of diseases, including virus infections, bacterial infections, and cancers．To date, the new drug has no side effect of great influence to discourage its use．But in spite of its success, last year only one gram was produced in the entire world．

　　The reason for the shortage lies in the structure of interferon．A special protein, the interferon produced from one animal species cannot be used in treating another animal species．In other words, to treat human beings, only interferon produced by human beings may be used．The drug is produced by infecting white blood cells with a virus．Fortunately, it is so effective that the amount given to each patient each time is very small．

　　Unlike antibiotics(抗生素), interferon does not attack germs directly．Instead, it protects healthy cells from being infected, and prevents the reproduction of viruses within cells．

　　As you might conclude, one of the most special uses of interferon has been in the treatment of cancer．Dr．Hans Strander, a research physician at Sweden's famous Karolinska Institute, has treated more than one hundred cancer patients with the new drug．Among a group of selected patients who had received operations for advanced cancer, half were given traditional treatments and the other half were given interferon．Among those treated with interferon 70 percent of them remained alive over three years, as compared with only 10 to 30 percent among those who had received the traditional treatments．

　　In the United States, a large-scale project supported by the American Cancer Society is now under way．If the experiment were successful, interferon could become one of the greatest medical discoveries of our time．

阅读理解

　　While in Banff, make time for a walk around town．A special treat is to go up the mountainside on the Banff Gondola for a surprising view of the valley below．Here is The pines, whose cook has developed a special way of mixing foreign food such as caribou, wild boar, and reindeer with surprising sauces．

　　Best time to visit is during the off-season, from early May to mid-June, or in October．This way you can avoid sharing the high way with mobile homes which can be pulled by cars．But whatever the season, take some lunch with you from Banff, because there are only a few food stops on the road．

　　Forty minutes north of Banff, side by side with the Banff National Park, sits world-famous Lake Louise．This surprisingly small body of water is attractive with towering mountains around it．Glaciers, huge masses of ice, moving very slowly against rocks, produce what is called glacier rock flour, making its water dark to see．It is worth taking a walk around the grounds of the Chateau Lake Louise, another beauty, proud of its early 20^th century history．

　　Back on the road, and it's time to continue north past the astonishing Columbia Icefield, then turn off the highway and take the short road to the base of the Athabaska Glacier．You can rent ice cleats(夹板)and do some climbing or do a more pleasant snowmobile tour．Either way, you can enjoy endless beautiful sights．

　　Finally you'll reach Jasper, the usual turning around the place for the Banff-Jasper loop(回路)．It's worth riding the Jasper Skytram, and be sure to visit the wonderful Jasper Park Lodge, also dating back to the 1920s．If you can have lunch there, do it．The restaurant has an adventurous menu and their wine list would put a smile on any visitor's face．

阅读理解

　　Only two countries in the advanced world provide no guarantee for paid leave from work to care for a newborn child．Last spring one at the two, Australia, gave up the bad distinction by setting up paid family leave starting in 20ll．I wasn't surprised when this didn't make the news here in the United States－we're now the only wealthy country without such a policy．

　　The United States does have one explicit family policy, the Family and Medical Leave Act, passed in 1993．It entitles workers to as much as 12 weeks' unpaid leave for care of a newborn or dealing with a family medical problem．Despite the modesty of the benefit, the Chamber of Commerce and other business groups fought it bitterly, describing it as“government-run personnel management and a”dangerous precedent(先例)．“In fact, every step of the way, as(usually)Democratic leaders have tried to incroduce work-family balance measures into the law, business groups have been strongly opposed．”

　　As Yale law professor Anne Alstott argues, justifying parental support depends on defining(定义)the family as a social good that in some sense, society must pay for．Parents are burdened in many ways in their lives：there is“no exit”when it comes to children．Society expects－and needs－parents to provide their children with continuity of care．And society expects－and needs－parents to persist in their roles for 18 years, or longer if needed．

　　While most parents do this out of love, there are public punishments for not providing care．What parents do, in other words, is of deep concern to the state, for the obvious reason, that caring for children is not only morally urgent but important to the future of society．To classify parenting as a personal choice for which there is no collective responsibility is not merely to ignore the social benefits of good parenting：really, it is to steal those benefits because they accrue(累积)to the whole of society as today's children become tomorrow's citizens．In fact, by some estimates, the value of parental investments in children, investments of time and money, is equal to 20－30％ of GDP．If these investments bring huge social benefits－as they clearly do－the benefits of providing more social support for the family should be that much clearer．

阅读理解

　　Getting your teen to think beyond his own immediate needs can be more difficult than cracking a nut with a plastic fork．But don't worry．It's not impossible．There are many ways to encourage your teen to care about those outside his immediate circle of friends．As he begins to have responsibility towards others, he will realize he feels even better about himself．

　　“Teens are thinking about career, college, and what their future might look like,”explains Michelle Maidenberg, a clinical director of Westchester Group Works, a center for group treatment in New York．“This is very challenging and just one of the reasons why they are so focused on their own world．”Once teens participate h community service, however, they begin to look beyond their personal needs．They also learn firsthand about the challenges others face, and they experience a sense of authority as they realize they can make a real difference in others' lives．

　　Not sure how to convince a teen to get away from the cell phone and into a community project?Teens buy into community service when the project or program is in an area of their interest．

　　“Finding something in an area of interest for them keeps them motivated and inspired,”Maidenberg says．For instance, if he is interested in culinary(烹饪)school, he could volunteer in a soup kitchen or bake for a project that supports families in need．Volunteer projects in your teen's area of interest will build her knowledge base as well as help others．

　　Parents can do their part by participating in community service themselves．Teens can learn directly from their parents that personal enjoyment is not, all that matters．

　　Let teens know the benefits they will obtain．“Give them every reason in the world to volunteer,”Maidenberg advises．She says that working on community service projects builds confidence．“By working with others, teens improve managerial, interpersonal and communication skills．Community service helps to approach maturity when they take a step back to see the needs of other people,”she adds．Another reward：service hours look great on a resume!

阅读理解

　　An idea came to me, and I turned off the lights in the studio．In the darkness, I took off my shirt and took up the cello(大提琴); it was the first time in my life I'd felt the instrument against my bare chest．I'd never thought about that; music scholars always talk about the resonating properties(共振)of various instruments, but surely the performer's own body must have some effect on the sound．As I dug into the notes I imagined that my own chest and lungs were extensions of the sound box; I seemed to be able to change the sound by the way I sat, and by varying the muscular tightness in my upper body．

　　After improvising for a while, I started playing, still in the darkness．I heard the music through my skin．For the first time I didn't think about how it would sound to anyone else, and slowly, joyfully, gratefully, I started to hear again．The notes sang out, first like a trickle, then like a fountain of cool water bubbling up from a hole in the middle of a desert．After an hour or so I looked up, and in the darkness saw the outline of the cat sitting on the floor in front of me, cleaning her paws and purring loudly, I had an audience again, humble as it was．

　　So that's what I do now with my cello．At least once a clay I find time to tune it, close my eyes and listen．It's probably not going to lead to the kind of comeback I'd be thirsty for－years of playing badly have left scars on my technique－but I might eventually try giving a concert if I feel up to it．

　　Occasionally I feel a stab of longing, and I wish I could give just one more concert on a great stage before my lights blink off, but that longing passes more quickly now．I take comfort in the fact that, unlike the way I felt before, I can enjoy playing for myself now．I feel relaxed and expansive when I play, as if I could stretch out my arms and reach from one end of the apartment to the other．A feeling of completeness and dignity surrounds me and lifts me up．

阅读理解

　　Monday：Here I am, in the middle of nowhere．This camping trip idea is not getting off to a very good start．It's raining and the tent leaks．The hiking seemed to take forever, and I still can't understand how it could all have been up hill!How did I ever let my brother talk me into this?When we get home－if we ever get home－he's going to have to do something great to get back on my good side．Maybe he should sponsor a shopping spree(狂购)at the mall!

　　Tuesday：Things are looking up．The sun came out today, so we were able to leave the tents and dry out．We're camped at the edge of a small lake that I couldn't see before because of the rain and fog．The mountains are all around us, and the forest is absolutely beautiful．We spent most of the day dragging out everything out of our backpacks or tents and putting it where the sun could dry it out．Later in the afternoon we tried to catch the fish for dinner, hut the fish were smarter than we were．At night we built a fire and sang songs happily．

　　Wednesday：We hiked to the far side of the lake and climbed to the top of a small peak．From there we could see how high the other mountains were and how far the forest spread around us．On the way up we passed through a snowfield!

　　Thursday：I caught my first fish!We followed the stream that fed the lake．After about two miles, we came to a section that Carol said looked“fishy”．She had a pack rod(竿), which can be carried in a backpack．I asked to cast it, and I caught a fish on my first try．Carol caught a few more．But they were just too pretty to eat for lunch, so we put them back in the stream．

　　Friday：I can't believe we are going home already．It will be nice to get a hot shower, sleep in a real bed, and eat junk food, but the trip has been wonderful．We're already talking about another camping adventure next year where we canoe down a river．It's hard to believe, but I think this city girl has a little country blood in her veins．

Reading Comprehension

　　LONDON－Life for Cathy Hagner and her three children is set to permanent(永久的)fast-forward．

　　Their full school day and her job as a lawyer's assistant are busy enough．But Hagner also has to take the two boys to soccer or hockey or basketball while dropping off her daughter at piano lessons or Girl Scout Club．

　　Often, the exhausted family doesn't get home until 7 pm．There is just time for a quick supper before homework．In today's world, middle-class American and British parents treat their children as if they are competitors racing for some finishing line．

　　Parents take their children from activity to activity in order to make their future bright．It seems that raising a genius has become a more important goal than raising a happy and well-balanced child．

　　“Doctors across the country are reporting a growing number of children suffering from stomachaches and headaches due to exhaustion and stress,”says child expert William Doherty of the University of Minnesota．

　　Teachers are dealing with exhausted kids in the classroom．It's a very serious problem．Many children attend after-school clubs by necessity．But competitive pressures also create an explosion of activities．They include sports, language, music and math classes for children as young as four．

　　“There is a new parenting trend under way which says that you have to tap all your child's potential at a young age; otherwise you will let him down,”says Terry Alter, a Cambridge-based child and adolescent psychiatrist(青少年精神病专家)

　　“It isn't entirely new：there have always been pushy parents．But what was previously seen as strange behaviour is now well accepted．”