阅读理解

　　Everyone knows the story of Benjamin Franklin's famous kite experiment．He was a man of many gifts and interests．His natural curiosity(好奇心)about things made him try to find ways to make them work better．Although he made important discoveries, Ben didn't“invent”electricity．He did, however, invent the lightning rod(避雷针)which protected buildings and ships from lightning damage．

　　In America, most people warmed their homes by building a fire in a fireplace even though it was kind of dangerous and used a lot of wood．Ben said that he had another better way．His invented an iron stove which allowed people to warm their home less dangerously and with less wood．The stove that he invented is called a Franklin stove．Ben also set up the first fire company and the first fire insurance company in order to help people live more safely．

　　As the postmaster, Ben had to find out the best way for delivering(发送)the mail．He went out riding in his carriage(马车)to measure(测量)the routes and needed a way to record the miles．He invented a simple odometer for it．

　　In his old age, Ben retired from business and public service and wanted to spend his time reading and studying．He found, however, that his old age had made it difficult for him to reach books from the high shelves．Even though he had many grandchildren to help him, he invented a tool called a long arm to reach the high books．The long arm was a long wooden pole with a grasping claw at the end．

　　Later, other famous inventors, like Thomas A．Edison and Alexander Graham Bell, would follow in Ben's footsteps by trying to find ways to help people live better．Today's curious thinkers are keeping Ben's traditions alive by inventing new and improved ways to make things work．

阅读理解

　　Did you know it takes 21 days to develop a good habit?Research shows that when you keep on doing something for three weeks you are probably to reach your goals(目标)．This is important for language learners．

　　People who try something new often“fall off the wagon(马车)”．Whether it is a plan to lose weight or a decision to learn something, life often gets in the way．Those who make up their minds to learn English are more likely to succeed if they have a short-term goal at the beginning．

　　How to make learning English a habit：

　　1．Set a specific goal

　　Example：Break up the four main skills(listening, speaking, reading and writing)and plan to do one hour of practice in each skill at the same time every day．

　　2．Find a learning partner

　　Choose a friend to keep you moving to your goal．Your friend doesn't need to be a language learner．He can be someone who wants to start exercise．He can be someone who wants to write a novel．It is best if you both have a goal．

　　3．Write out how your life will change when you reach your goal

　　If I improve my English, I will be able to get a better job．

　　If I take the TOEFL test, I will be able to get into an American university．

　　If I improve my pronunciation, foreigners will understand me better．

　　4．Keep track of your progress

　　Write down your effort in a notebook．Share them with your partner．

　　When you reach 21 days, reward yourself!Go out for a dinner or a movie．It will be easier to stay on your program now that you are in the habit．If you ever fall off again, put yourself back on the 21-day challenge．

阅读理解

　　Millions of young people are writing blogs(博克)．Millions of others are reading them．The word“blog”is a short way of saying Web log．

　　Many popular Web sites now offer free, easy ways to create personal Web pages and fill them with writings and pictures．Web sites called“Face book”and“My Space”are some of the most popular blog sites for young people．

　　Blogs offer young people a place to show their writings and feelings．They can also be helpful to connect young people with others．But blogs can become dangerous when they are read on the Internet by millions of people all over the world．

　　Recent studies show that young people often tell their names, age and where they live on the Internet．That may not be safe for them．This personal information puts them in danger when found out by dangerous people who want to hurt them．Students can also get into trouble when they put information about others on their blogs．

　　As a result, many schools don't allow using blogging web sites on school computers．Many schools have also begun teaching parents about the web sites．Parents should know what their children are doing online and should read their blogs to make sure they are not giving out personal information．One way to keep away from these problems is to use programs(程序)so that blogs can be read by“friends only．”people can read the website only if they know a secret word chosen by the blogger．

阅读理解

Our eating habits are very important for good health and a strong body．There are times when most of us would rather eat sweets and ice-cream than meat and rice．Sweets and ice-cream are not bad if we eat them at the end of a meal．If we eat them before a meal, they may take away our appetite(食欲)．It is important for us to eat our meals at the same time each day．When we feel hungry, it is a sign that our body needs food．When we feel angry or excited, we may not want to eat．A long time ago, in England, some judges(法官)used to decide whether a man was telling the truth by giving him some dry bread．If the man could not eat the bread, it showed that he was telling lies．Although this seems very strange and rather foolish, it is indeed a very good way of finding out the fact．A man who is worrying about something has difficulty in eating anything dry．Because he is worrying, he loses his appetite and does not want to eat．

阅读理解

　　Someday a stranger will read your e-mail without your permission or scan the websites you've visited．Or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone bills to find out your shopping preferences or calling habits．

　　In fact, it's likely some of these things have already happened to you．Who would watch you without your permission?It might be a girlfriend, a marketing company, a boss, a policeman or a criminal．Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen－the 21^st century equal to being caught naked(裸露的)．

　　Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, though it's important to reveal(透露)yourself to friends, family and lovers in stages, at appropriate times．Actually few boundaries remain．The digital breadcrumbs(面包屑)you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are, where you are and what you like．In some cases, a simple Google search can reveal what you think．Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret．

　　The key question is：Does that matter?For many Americans, the answer apparently is“no”．

　　When opinion polls(民意调查)ask Americans about privacy, most say they are concerned about losing it．A survey found a majority of people are pessimistic(悲观的)about privacy, with 60 percent of respondents saying they feel their privacy is“slipping away, and that bothers me．”

　　But people say one thing and do another．Only a small part of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to protect their privacy．Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths(收费亭)to avoid using the EZ－Pass system that can track(跟踪)automobile movements．And few turn down supermarket loyalty cards．Privacy economist Alessandro Acquits has run a series of tests that reveal people will submit personal information like Social Security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cents-off coupon(优惠券)．

　　But privacy does matter－at least sometimes．It's like health; when you have it, you don't notice it．Only when it's gone do you wish you'd done more to protect it．

阅读理解

　　Bexley Middle School eighth-graders won the grand prize at the 2009 National Engineers Week Future City Competition(TM)on Feb．18 in Washington, D．C．They competed with 37 other schools across the country．

　　The students qualified for the national competition by winning a regional competition on Jan．17 in Columbus．By winning the national event, the students earned an all-expenses paid trip to Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala．, according to a Bexley school district news report．

　　Future City aims to stir(激发)interest in science, technology, engineering and math among young people．Bexley team members were Tom Krajnak, Abby Sharp, Wyatt Peery, Elizabeth Maher, Aaron Hutchinson and Truman Haycock．They work in teams under the guidance of a teacher, Margaret Englehardt, and a volunteer engineer, Mark Sherman, design and build a city of tomorrow．Mayor John Brennan presented the students during a recent Bexley City Council meeting．Each team in the Future City competition plans its city using Sim City software and creates a model to show a physical representation of one section of the city．Team members must write both an essay about the yearly theme and an abstract about their city．They also must make a presentation to judges．

　　Focusing on eco-responsibility, the Bexley team built“Novo-Mondum,”an Icelandic city in the year 2171．Krajnak said the team's project included a new water system for each resident unit and a 500-word essay on using bacteria to purify water．“We used our essay and abstract(摘要)to build a model,”he said．“It was hard to organize which building would go where, what each building does and how to make it look good．”

　　Englehardt said her students did a good job answering impromptu(即席)questions during the regional competition．“They can think on their feet,”she said．Principal Harley Williams said the school is very proud of the students' performance．

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　　What should you think about when trying to find your career?You are probably better at some school subjects than others．These may show strengths that you can use in your work．A boy who is good at mathematics can use that in an engineering career．A girl who spells well and likes English may be good at office work．So it is important to know the subjects you do well in at school．On the other hand, you may not have any specially strong subjects but your records show a general satisfactory standard．Although not all subjects can be used directly in a job, they may have indirect value．A knowledge of history is not required for most jobs but if history is one of your good subjects you will have learned to remember facts and details．This is an ability that can be useful in many jobs．

　　Your school may have taught you skills, such as typing or technical drawing, which you can use in your work．You may be good at metalwork or cookery and look for a job where you can improve these skills．If you have had a part-time job on Saturdays or in the summer, think what you gained from it．If nothing else, you may have learned how to get to work on time, to follow instructions and to get on with older workers．You may have learned to give correct change in a shop, for example．Just as important, you may become interested in a particular industry or career you see from the inside in a part-time job．

　　Facing your weak points is also part of knowing yourself．You may be all thumbs when you handle tools; perhaps you are a poor speller or cannot add up a column of figures．It is better to face any weakness than to pretend they do not exist．Your school record, for example, may not be too good, yet it is an important part of your background．You should not be apologetic(认错的)about it but instead recognize that you will have a chance of a fresh start at work．

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　　New York Helmsley Hotel

　　New York City, NY

　　KAYAK members are specially offered the New York Helmsmen Hotel, a world-class hotel located in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, within walking distance of Times Square, Grand Central Station and the United Nations, as well as the Theatre District and Rockefeller Center．

　　Gaylord Palms

　　Orlando, FL

　　Gaylord Palms Hotel and Convention Center offers excitement to KAYAK members with world-class restaurants, dynamic on-site recreation, and breathtakingly beautiful gardens under glass．The Gaylord offers great room and food service close to the world's most trilling places-Disney, Sea World, and Universal．

　　Affinia Chicago

　　Chicago, IL

　　Steps from the Magnificent Mile, the Affinia Chicago is best known for its perfect location at the Windy City's center of shopping, entertainment, culture and business．Known for its fast pace, famous museums, amazing buildings, and action-packed sporting events, Chicago offers something for every KAYAK member．

　　The Liaison Capitol Hill, An Affinia Hotel

　　Washington DC

　　KAYAK members seeking the typical DC experience are offered the Liaison Capitol Hill．Having a great location on Capitol Hill, The Liaison Capitol Hill is the closest hotel to the U．S．Captiol．The Smithsonian, Union Station and dozens of the country's most visited museums and monuments are within walking distance．

阅读理解

　　Hillary(希拉里)Rodham Clinton arrived at the White House after serving as First Lady of Arkansas for twelve year．On many occasions, Hillary Clinton has spoken about the need to find the right balance in our lives．For her, the elements of that balance are family, work, and public service．

　　Hillary Diane Rodham was born in Chicago, Illinois, on October 26, 1947．An excellent student．Hillary also enjoyed sports and was always interested in politics．Graduating from Wellesley College with high honors, she entered Yale Law School, where she developed her special concern for protecting the best interests of children and their families．It was there that she met Bill Clinton, a fellow student．

　　In 1973, Hillary became a lawyer for the Children's Defense Fund．In 1975 Hillary left Washington and followed her heart to Arkansas, marrying Bill Clinton．The couple taught together in the University of Arkansas．Their daughter, Chelsea, was born in 1980．

　　As First Lady of Arkansas, Hillary continued to work tirelessly for the benefit of children and families．She introduced a program training parents to work with their preschool children．Because of her efforts, Hillary was named Arkansas Mother of the Year in 1984．

　　Hillary Rodham Clinton brings her own special talents, experience, style and interests to the role of First Lady of the US．She played a leading part in national Health Care Reform．

　　Hilary Clinton was elected to the US Senate(参议院)in 2000, becoming the first Lady elected to public office and the first female senator to represent New York．In 2006, Senator Clinton won re-election to the Senate, and in 2007 she began her historic campaign for President．In 2008, she campaigned for the election of Barrack Obama and Joe Biden, and in November, she was chosen by President elect Obama as Secretary of State．

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Loving France

　　Landing in France, a sacred feeling suddenly arises which attracts you to know more about this country．

　　France, about hexagonal(六边形)in shape, has a boundary on the east with Germany, Switzerland and Italy, and is bounded on the southeast by Monaco and the Mediterranean Sea; on the south are Spain and Andorra, with the Bay of Biscay on the west and the English Channel on the north as natural borders．

　　A series of massive mountain ranges includes the Alps, which separate France and Italy, and the Jura Mountains that delineate(画出轮廓)the Franco-Swiss border．The Rhine River, at the northeast corner of France forms the Franco-German boundary．The Pyrenees Mountains, extending along the Franco-Spanish frontier from the Mediterranean to the Bay of Biscay, forms the other mountain boundary of France．

　　The plains region is a projection of the great plain of Europe．The outstanding features of the plains are the river valleys．Among all the rivers, totaling more than 200 with numerous tributaries which are almost all commercially navigable, the Rhine River is the largest in terms of discharge volume．

　　The capital and largest city in France is Paris, which attracts many visitors every year．Marseilles is a chief port and Lyon is an industrial center famous for its textiles．Other major cities include Toulouse, an industrial and trade center; Nice, a resort(胜地); Strasbourg, a Rhine River port and industrial and commercial center; Bordeaux, a seaport and most famous for its wine．

　　French perfume(香水), champagne(香槟酒), and bridges in Paris…want to know more?Then next time we will return to Paris, and you will learn more about her．