阅读理解

　　St James's Palace has announced that while Miss Middleton will wear a wedding ring．Prince William has chosen not to．

　　Rings are typically exchanged by couples during their wedding to represent commitment(承诺)to each other．Does it matter if husbands don’t wear a wedding ring?

　　Prince William's father wears one, his grandfather doesn't and their decisions weren't seen as strange．But reactions to Prince William's decision show that wedding rings for husbands are now the norm．One young man, who spoke to the BBC, thinks William is setting a bad example, saying："I think it's disgraceful(不光彩的)．It's a tradition．You have to wear a ring really．And for someone of the royal family to do that, it's not right．"

　　Broadly speaking, modem husbands tend to wear their wedding rings as a symbol of loyalty and faithfulness．So not wearing one can seem unusual or even dishonest to some, although men haven't always worn them．

　　The wearing of wedding rings has been the done thing for centuries among wives but only became common practice among husbands during World War II．Men fighting overseas usually wore them as a reminder of wives and families back home．

　　Wearing rings is a safety issue(问题)for men in certain manual jobs．But how does William explain his decision?A royal officer has said he "isn't one for jewelry"．

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　　Mr．Brown was on his way home from the railway station．It was very late, and he was alone on the dark road．Suddenly he heard someone behind him．He began to walk faster．The man behind him walked faster, too．He walked more slowly, and the man moved more slowly, too．He began to run, and the man was following him and he was really scared．

　　There was a wall on one side of the road, and he quickly climbed up on it and jumped down on the other side．“If he passes and doesn’t stop,” Mr．Brown thought, “everything will be all right．” But the man didn’t pass．He climbed up on the wall and jumped down, too．Mr．Brown’s only thought was, “I’m in great danger!” He stood up and shouted, “What do you want? Why are you following me?”

　　The man was so tired that at first it was difficult for him to speak．“I didn’t know that you were a very good runner,” he said at last, “I have to go to Mr．White’s house, but I don’t know the way．A man at the station told me that you lived next to Mr．White’s and he told me to follow you．I’m too tired to go any farther(更远)．”

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　　It was quite late at night．I was reading a newspaper in my room when I heard someone knocking at the door．I opened it and saw a young man with glasses standing there．Of course, I didn’t know him．He said that he was a friend of my sister’s and wanted to have a talk with her．I wanted to know if my sister had such a friend，but I had to let him in．

　　As he talked, I found that he knew nothing about my sister．Then I came to know that his words were not true．Suddenly my sister came back and the young man was so surprised that he didn’t know what to do for a moment．I caught the man by the arm at once while my sister was calling the police．

根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。

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　　In 1981, there were more than 1．3 million elephants in Africa．But in 1991, that number was cut down to 600,000．African elephants are hunted for their valuable ivory tusks(象牙)．More have been killed by poachers(偷猎者)．Poachers are hunters who kill animals illegally．An adult(成年)elephant eats as much as 300 pounds a day．In their search for food, elephants often move great distances．When they cannot find the grasses they prefer, they may strip(剥光)the land of trees．

　　Today, the area in which elephants herds live is smaller than it used to be．Many areas in their path have been turned into farms．And some elephants have been killed by farmers for trampling(践踏)their crops．

　　What can we do here in our country about a threatened animal that lives so far away? Our government has passed a law to protect it．People cannot import or bring in items made from ivory or any part of the elephant’s body．

　　Most countries throughout the world have also stopped ivory imports．It is hoped that the ban(禁令)on the sale of ivory will help save the African elephant．But the world’s largest land animal needs other help．The countries where these animals live are often poor and unable to manage the herds．If the elephant is to survive, this animal is going to need our support for many years to come．

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　　It was on a warm day last summer．I was walking by the sea．The waves came and went．But I didn’t see them．I was lost in my thoughts．

　　A row of small holes soon caught my eyes．They lay in the sandy earth by the side of a road．In a minute I would have stepped on them．

　　What are these holes? I wondered．It had an answer soon．A fat, hairy insect crawled up from the earth．It had a wide tail．It was using the tail to dig in the ground．

　　The insect moved round and round in one spot(地点)．Soon it had made another hole．When it was finished, the insect hid at the bottom．It covered its head with sand．

　　By now my thoughts of the early morning had gone．This new hole and the insect were all my world．So I sat quite still by the side of the road．And I waited．

　　As I watched, a small ant crossed the road．It passed my foot, and then it crossed the sandy earth．In a little while it reached the edge of the hole．I saw it start to fall in．The ant tried to turn back．But it couldn’t．

　　And then I knew．I knew why the holes were there．For just then the fat insect came up out of the hole．It ate the ant who was trapped there．

　　Later I learned the insect’s name．It’s called ant lion．It digs holes to catch ants．

　　I’ll never forget that day．The holes looked so small to me．But to the ant and the ant lion they were the whole world．

　　I took my walks by the sea that summer．But I never again learned as much as I did on the one．

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　　Dick was a twenty-year-old man．His father was a teacher and taught chemistry in a middle school and his mother worked in a shop．They lived a happy life until his parents died one night when suddenly an earthquake broke out．Luckily his sister took him to see their aunt in the city and they did not stay at home．Everything was destroyed in the earthquake and the two children got into trouble．Thanks to their aunt who was not rich enough, they grew up but they lived a hard life．His sister was so sad that she became a nun(修女)．After he finished middle school, he was introduced to an owner of a hotel and began to work there．

　　One day the young man fell to the ground while he was cleaning a window on the second floor．He was sent to the hospital and the doctor looked him over．One of his legs was broken and he had to be in hospital．He said to the nurse, “I’m a poor man, madam．Arrange a third-class ward(病房)for me, please．”

　　“Can’t anybody help you?”

　　“No, madam,” answered Dick．“I have only a sister．She’s a nun and she’s poor, too．”

　　“I don’t think so,” the nurse said angrily．“Nuns usually marry God．And God is the richest in the world, you know!”

　　“Well, then,” Dick said with a smile．“Please arrange a first-class ward for me and post the bill(账单)to my brother-in-law(姐夫)．

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　　Many people have low iron in their blood．But pregnant women need extra iron for their own health and their baby's health．Iron is important to the development of a baby's brain and central nervous system．

　　In poor countries, however, providing all pregnant women with iron supplements(补品)can be a financial issue．Some experts say giving supplements to babies after they are born is enough．

　　Someone who disagrees is Parul Christian, a nutritionist at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in Maryland．She and other scientists have been doing research in Nepal．She says their latest

　　findings should settle any question about the value of making sure every pregnant woman receives iron supplements．

　　Iron is a micronutrient(微营养素)．Micronutrients are important substances that are found in small amounts in foods．

　　The researchers first completed a study among poor women in Nepal ten years ago．During pregnancy some of the women received supplements containing iron and another micronutrient, folic acid．

　　Professor Christian says that study showed the supplements could improve child survival．

　　Now the children are older．The researchers returned to Nepal and tested their neurological(神经的)development．They found improved intellectual(智力的)and fine motor abilities among those whose mothers had received iron and folic acid during pregnancy and for three months after．

　　The findings appear in the Journal of the American Medical Association．

　　Another new study, published in the journal Pediatrics, looks at levels of vitamin D in babies．It says newborns with the lowest levels were twice as likely to develop respiratory infections(呼吸道感染)as those with normal levels of vitamin D．

　　Vitamin D helps build strong bones and strengthens the body's defenses against disease．The vitamin is commonly added to cow's milk and also found in supplements．But vitamin D is called the sunshine vitamin．The body naturally produces it from sunlight．

　　Carlos Camargo from Harvard Medical School in Massachusetts and other researchers did the study．It followed more than nine hundred children in New Zealand until they were five years old．

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Americans are more socially isolated(孤立)than they were 20 years ago, separated by work, commuting and the single life, researchers reported．Nearly a quarter of people surveyed said they had "zero" close friends with whom to discuss personal matters, while more than 50 percent named two or fewer confidants, most often immediate family members．'This is a big social change, and it indicates something that's not good for our society," said Duke University Professor Lynn Smith Lovin, lead author on the study．Smith Lovin's group used data from a national survey of 1,500 American adults that has been ongoing since 1972．She said it indicated people had a surprising drop in the number of close friends since 1985．At that time, Americans most commonly said they had three close friends whom they had known for a long time, saw often, and with whom they shared a number of interests．They were almost as likely to name four or five friends, and the relationships often developed from their neighborhoods or communities．Ties to a close network of friends create a social safety net that is good for society, and for the individual．Research has linked social support and civil participation to a longer life．Smith Lovin said．People were not asked why they had fewer close ties, but Smith Levin said that part of the cause could be that Americans are working more, marrying later, having fewer children, and commuting longer distances．It's one thing to know someone and exchange e-mails with them．It's another thing to say, "Will you give me a ride out of town with all of my possessions and pets? And can I stay with you for a couple or three months?” Smith Lovin said．

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　　Foreign English Teachers Wanted

　　at Longman English Training School

　　Requirements：

　　●Should be native speakers from USA, UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland

　　●At least one year's English teaching experience, prefer experience in teaching kids

　　●Enthusiastic, patient and fun-loving teachers

　　Workload：－20 classes with 2 days off/ week

　　If you are interested in this position, please contact us．

　　E-mail：yangtzelee2005@yahoo．com．cn．

　　Weekend English teachers wanted!

　　at Starwin in Beijing

　　●Native English teachers preferred [ non-native but proficient(精通的)in English considered]．

　　●Skilled in teaching and motivating students．

　　●Patient and responsible．

　　●AT LEAST one year commitment, the longer, the better!

　　If interested, email me a brief description of yours, and I will get back to you as soon as possible．

　　email：ericshen77@gmail．com．

　　Teaching Position in Beijing 10000 RMB

　　at Henry ESL in Beijing

　　●Nationality：American, Canadian

　　●Working Experience：one year or above teaching experience

　　●Contract duration(期限)：One year

　　●Worklead classes with 2 days off/week

　　●Monthly salary：10000 RMB

　　If you are interested, please contact us．E-mail：esljob2005@yahoo．cn

　　Hire 2 foreigners for teaching English

　　at New York Moment English Club in Beijing

　　●Our English training school is looking for 2 foreigners as English teachers．

　　●It is a part time job, paid by hours．

　　●Hope to find somebody who has teaching experience and has English as native language．

　　Please send your resume(简历)to wendysuen@126．com

　　We will contact you to come for interview．

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　　SYDNEY－Australia's economic boom is encouraging a steady stream of unexpected visitors looking for work：Americans．

　　U．S．citizens are heading to Australia in small but growing numbers as near-10％ unemployment at home drives more to look for jobs Down Under, where China's thirst for iron ore(矿石)and energy is transforming the Pacific nation into an economic powerhouse．

　　A bricklaying student from Silver Trowel, a leading provider of quality education and training in the building and construction industry, apprentices(当学徒)on a building project in Western Australia, where workers are in short supply．

　　Daniel Davila, a 23-year-old floorer from Camarillo, California made the 14-hour move across the Pacific two years ago．He had been forced to take a job stocking shelves at a local grocery store for ＄8.90 an hour when he couldn't get work fixing floors．

　　On a good day in Australia, he now makes as much as 50 Australian dollars(US＄50.21)an hour－about twice the amount for a typical flooring job in the U．S．He plans to start his own flooring business．

　　"I can make what I did in a week in the U．S．in less than a day here," said Mr．Davila, who lives near a mining boom town in Western Australia．

　　Australian government figures show just under 7,000 Americans currently working on long-term visas, an 80％ jump over the past five years．U．S．citizens are now the third-largest group applying for so-called 457 work visas, after British and Indian nationals．Americans with degrees in areas such as accounting or mine engineering, as well as other skilled workers, can obtain a nonrenewable(不可续期的)permit for as much as a three-year stay．After that, they can apply for the renewable 457, which allows up to a four-year stay．

　　The need for workers is particularly pressing in Western Australia．The mining state's unemployment rate was 4.5％ in November, below the national average of 5.2％．Drivers of heavy trucks can pull in six-figure salaries while experienced crane(起重机)operators can earn hundreds of thousands a year．Attracting skilled workers is a shift for Australia, which historically sent many of its most highly educated to the U．S．and Europe, according to migration data．

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