阅读理解

　　Don’t be surprised if you find yourself sitting next to a Fido on your next flight．Several airlines now allow dogs and cats to fly in airplane cabins with people．

　　Those in favor of the pet-friendly policy say it’s safer for dogs and cats to fly first class．They point out that animals could get injured while traveling in an aircraft’s cargo area with suitcases．

　　However, the idea of sharing a flight with furry friends does not “fly” with everyone．Some people are allergic(过敏的)to animals．They say flying with pets could make them sick．

　　What do you think? Should dogs and cats be allowed to fly in an airplane cabins? WR News student reporters Isabella Pena and Peter Brosnan each fetched a side．

　　Pets should be allowed to fly in airplane cabins with their owners．Did you know that there have been injuries to animals flying in cargo? Cargo areas are not equipped to deal with situations such as delays or extreme temperatures．

　　Also, dogs and cats can feel nervous in new situations．“Pets can feel anxious and stressed when they’re expecting new, scary things without the comfort of their owners,” explains Nicole Kagan, a vet from Manhattan Beach, Calif．

　　The pets’ stress can be reduced if they are allowed to travel with their owners in an airplane cabin．That is especially important for pets on longer flights．

Isabella Pena,

California

　　I really like dogs and cats, and that is why I don’t think it is a good idea for them to fly in airplane cabins with people．Pets can be afraid of strangers, and that could cause them to bark．The noise could be upsetting to everyone on board．

　　Also, for passengers who have allergies or asthma(哮喘), sitting next to pets can be dangerous．“I could put myself at risk for an asthma attack,” explains Kristina Krops, a teacher at Helen Morgan School in Sparta, N．J．“Passengers need to feel safe．” If people really need their dogs and cats to travel, they can have them fly on a special airline just for pets, such PET Airways．

Peter Brosnan

New York

阅读理解

　　Many animals recognize their food because they see it．So do humans．When you see an apple or a piece of chocolate you know that these are things you can eat．You can also use other senses when you choose your food．You may like it because it smells good or because it tastes good．You may dislike some types of food because they do not look, smell or taste very nice．Different animals use different sense, to find and choose their food．A few animals depend on only one of their senses．while most animals use more than one sense．

　　Although there are many different types of food, some animals spend their lives eating only one type．The giant panda(大熊猫)eats only one particular type of bamboo(竹子)．Other animals eat only one type of food even when given the choice．A kind of white butterfly(蝴蝶)will stay on the leaves of a cabbage, even though there are plenty of other vegetables in the garden．However, most animals have a more varied diet(多样化饮食)．The bear eats fruits and fish．The fox eats small animals, birds and fruits．The diet of these animals will be different depending on the season．

　　Humans have a very varied diet．We often eat food because we like it and not because it is good for us．In countries such as France and Britain, people eat foods with too much sugar．This makes them overweight, which is bad for their health．Eating too much red meat and animal products, such as butter, can also be bad for the health, Choosing the right food, therefore, has become an area of study in modern life．

阅读理解

　　It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005．While most people were warming up their ears, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work．On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does．After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone．

　　The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport．Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family．And the bike was also used to get groceries(食品杂货)saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live．

　　I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story．Shortly after that，several people in our area offered to help．One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, and then called my husband to pick it up．Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job．It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before．

　　People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so．This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity(人性)as a whole．And it has influenced(影响)us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others．No matter how or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares．And the results can be everlasting．

阅读理解

　　A man was selling medicine at a fair(集市)．At first he sold bottles of a cure(药剂)for colds(感冒)for just a dollar a bottle．

　　Many people wanted to buy it and the man's young assistant moved quickly through the crowd collecting money and handing out bottles of the cure．

　　Then, when he had a big crowd, the man held up a very small bottle．

　　“And now, ladies and gentlemen, he shouted, “Here is the medicine you have been waiting for．The cure for old age．Drink just one bottle of this and you will live forever．?

　　“And, ladies and gentlemen, the man continued, “I'm not going to charge(向……要价……)you a hundred dollars a bottle for this wonderful medicine．I'm not going to charge you fifty dollars a bottle．I'm not going to charge you twenty-five dollars a bottle．Now, ladies and gentlemen, I'm going to charge you just ten dollars a bottle．Think, my friends, for ten dollars you can live forever．?

　　Most of the people in the crowd did not believe this．

　　One person shouted, “If it can make you live forever, why don't you drink it?

　　Then an other person cried, “Yes, you look as if you're at least sixty years old．

　　“Thank you, sir, thank you, the man answered, “I'm so glad you said that．My real age is three hundred and twenty-nine．?

　　The crowd laughed at this but there were still some people who wanted to believe the man．One of them spoke to the man's assistant as she passed by, “Is that true? he asked．“Is he three hundred and twenty-nine?

　　“Don't ask me, the assistant said, “I've only worked for him for a hundred and fifty years．

阅读理解

　　Skin-diving is a new sport today．

　　This sport takes you into a wonderful new world．It is like a visit to the moon！When you are under water, it is easy for you to climb big rocks, because you are no longer heavy．

　　Here, under water, everything is blue and green．During the day, there is enough light．When fish swim nearby, you can catch them with your hands．

　　When you have tanks(罐子)of air on your back, you can stay in deep water for a long time．But you must be careful．

　　To catch the fish is one of the most interesting parts of this sport．On the other hand, you can clean the ships without taking them out of the water．You can get many things from the deep sea．

　　Now you can see that skin-diving is both useful and interesting．

阅读理解

　　A device that stops drivers from falling asleep at the wheel is about to undergo testing at Department of Transport laboratories and could go on sale within 12 months．

　　The system, called Driver Alert, aims to reduce deadly road accidents by 20％-40％ that are caused by tiredness．Airline pilots can also use it to reduce the 30％ of all pilot-error accidents that are related to fatigue．

　　Driver Alert is based on a computerized wristband．The device, worn by drivers or pilots, gives out a sound about every four minutes during a car journey．After each sound the driver must respond by squeezing the steering wheel(方向盘)．A sensor in the wristband detects this pressing action and measures the time between the sound and the driver’s response．

　　Tiredness is directly related to a driver’s response time．Usually, a watchful driver would take about 400 milliseconds to response, but once that falls to more than 500 milliseconds, it suggests that the driver is getting sleepy．

　　In such cases the device gives out more regular and louder sounds, showing that the driver should open a window or stop for a rest．If the driver’s response continues to slow down, the sounds become more frequent until a nonstop alarm warns that the driver must stop as soon as possible．

　　The device has been delivered to the department’s laboratories for testing．If these tests, scheduled for six months’ time, are successful, the makers will bring the product to market within about a year．

阅读理解

Attend the Next Forum！

　　For the last twelve years CPSB has had the pleasure of hosting a learning event we call a Forum．We started offering programs in Sarasota in February in 1991 and our first Forum was held in 1992 as a small group meeting．Being from the Northern USA, this was a particularly good time to go south for the warmth of our friendships with Dr．Treffinger and Dr．Noller and to keep away from the cold winter．

　　The Forum is the only chance to learn about various topics of the creativity and innovation(创新)and from those who have rich experience and interest in the field．The theme of the 2004 Forum includes searching for a few new methods, sharing lessons from experience, and learning and exchanging ideas on cutting-edge research．Space is limited, so early registration is welcome．

　　February 6 and 7, 2004

　　The Lido Holiday Inn

　　Sarasota, Florida

　　＄ 750(registration includes some meals and materials)

　　Interested in becoming qualified to use the VIEW assessment　of Problem Solving Style? The two days just before our Forum provides you just that chance．For more information on VIEW see pages 24-25．

　　February 4 and 5,2004

　　The Lido Holiday Inn

　　Sarasota, Florida

　　＄ 650(registration includes lunch and course materials)

阅读理解

　　Visiting a pub is one of Britain’s oldest forms of entertainment．The idea for the first public houses was brought to Britain thousands of years ago by the conquering Roman army．The first pubs served only wine, but after the discovery of hops(啤酒花)in the fourteenth century, pubs began to serve mainly beer, as they do today．

　　Today, there are 61,000 pubs in the United Kingdom．One of the oldest, Fighting Cocks in St．Albans, Herts, is located in a building that dates back to the 11th century．Modern pubs are often owned by English breweries(啤酒厂)and serve only their owner’s products．British pubs are required to have a license, which is difficult to obtain, and operate between 11 a. m. and 11 p. m. every day except Sunday, when they must close at 10∶30 p. m．

　　The drinking age in Britain is eighteen, but fourteen-year-olds may enter a pub unaccompanied if they order a meal．Children may enter a pub with their parents until 9 p．m．, which lets families enjoy reasonably priced pub meals together, and allows pubs to continue in their traditional roles as community centers．

　　Customs in British pubs differ from those in American bars．In Britain, you must go to the bar to order drinks and food and pay for your purchase immediately, there is no table service．Bartenders are called “landlords” and “barmaids” and they do not expect frequent tipping．To tip a landlord or barmaid, it is customary to tell him to “buy himself one”．He or she may or may not take you up on your offer．At the end of a visit, a polite customer will return his glass to the bar．

阅读理解

　　Years ago while lying in my hammock(吊床)and drinking JD from the bottle, I noticed my dog dragging something under the fence．Upon inspection, to my disappointment, I realized it was the next door neighbor' s 10-year-old daughter' s rabbit．For years I had watched her come home from school and head straight out to its cage, free it and play with it in the yard．I knew that day would be no different and fearing for our dog, I had to think fast．

　　The rabbit was quite dirty, as if it had put up quite a struggle, so I washed it, combed it with the dog brush and blew it dry with the leaf blower．Upon finishing its grooming I jumped the fence and replaced it back in its cage hoping its death would be written off as "natural caused"．

　　Back to the hammock and JD．Within the hour the neighbor' s Volvo pulled in as usual and out popped the little girl, and as usual she headed straight for the cage．Only this time she stopped about six feet away and screamed："D-A-D-D–Y！！！"

　　Her father, panic stricken, stood looking at the cage．Being the good neighbor that I am, I rushed to the fence and asked if there was anything I could do．

　　Her father less than calmly shouted, "What kind of sick individual would dig up a little girl's rabbit and put it back in its cage?"

阅读理解

　　"S．H．E．is going to sing at the CCTV annual Spring Festival Evening Party, is that true?" cried out Peng Weiye, a Senior 2 girl in Shanghai and die-hard S．H．E．fan．

　　After checking it on the Internet, Peng quickly phoned friends to spread the news．For fans like her, S．H．E．’s performance is perhaps the only part of the old fashioned evening to get excited about．

　　The Taiwanese band is made up of Selina, Hebe and Ella．Their name comes from the first letter of each of the singers' English names．

　　Last week S．H．E．announced they would perform in Las Vegas, US, over Christmas and then in Guangzhou on January 15．

　　At their Shanghai show on October 30, hundreds of parents waited outside the Hongkou Stadium．Inside, thousands of teenagers sang, cried and shouted as the band performed．

　　“I love their music, healthy image and everything related to them．Thank God that, although my parents don't understand why I love them so much, they still bought me a ticket for that show,”said Peng about the Shanghai performance．

　　It is not just on the mainland that the three girls have made audiences much excited．In the past year the band has passed through Taiwan, Hong Kong and even Singapore and Malaysia．

　　When the three high school girls entered a singing contest in Taiwan in 2000, none of them ever dreamed of being a superstar．“We had never met before, and we didn't talk at all at the beginning,” recalled Ella．

　　When asked about the secret of their success, she said, "Our average looks and not-so-expensive clothes keep us close to our fans．We are happy to be the girls next door, your singing sisters．"

　　"It's really a magical journey, from day-dreaming high school girls to singers performing on the same stage as our idols(偶像)．Nothing but magical," she said．