阅读理解

　　At night, bats fly through the air, catching hundreds of insects and other small animals．But during the day, they hardly move at all．Instead, bats pass the time hanging upside down from a secret spot．

　　There are a couple of reasons why bats rest this way．First of all, it puts them in a position for takeoff．Unlike birds, bats can't fly into the air from the ground．Their wings don't produce enough lift to take off from a dead stop, and their hind legs are so small and underdeveloped that they can't run to build up the necessary takeoff speed．Instead, they use their front claws to climb to a high spot, and then fall into flight．

　　During the hours when most enemies are active, bats gather where few animals would think to look and most can't reach．This allows them to disappear from the world until night comes again．There's also little competition for these resting spots, as other flying animals don't have the ability to hang upside down．

　　Bats have a unique physiological adaptation that lets them hang around this way without using any energy．For you to hold your fist around an object tight, you contract(紧缩)several muscles in your arm, which are connected to your fingers by tendons(腱)；as one muscle contracts, it pulls a tendon, which pulls one of your fingers closed．A bat's talons(爪)close in the same way, except that their tendons are connected only to the upper body, not to a muscle．To hang upside down, a bat pulls its claws open with other muscles．To get the talons to take hold of the surface, the bat simply lets its body relax．The weight of the upper body pulls down on the tendons connected to the talons, causing them to hold tight．Therefore, the bat doesn't have to do anything to hang upside down．

阅读理解

　　What time is it?Most people are pretty accurate in their answer．And if you don't know for sure, it's very likely that you can find out．There may be a watch on your wrist; there may be a clock on the wall, desk, or computer screen; or maybe you're riding in a car that has a clock in the dashboard．

　　Even if you don't have a timepiece of some sort nearby, your body keeps its own beat．Humans have an internal clock that regulates(调节)the beating of our heart, the peace of our breathing, the discharge(排出)of chemicals within our bloodstream, and many other bodily functions．

　　Time is something from which we can't escape．Even if we ignore it, it's still going by, ticking away, second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour．So the main issue in using your time well is, “who's in charge?” We can allow time to slip by and let it be our enemy．Or we can take control of it and make it our ally．

　　By taking control of how you spend your time, you'll increase your chances of becoming a more successful student．Perhaps more importantly, the better you are at managing the time you devote to your studies, the more time you will have to spend on your outside interests．

　　The aim of time management is not to schedule every moment so we become slaves of a timetable that governs every waking moment of the day．Instead, the aim is to permit us to make informed choices as to how we use our time．Rather than letting the day go by, largely without our awareness, what we are going to discuss next can make us better able to control time for our own purposes．

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　In the US and Britain, the slogan around colleges was“Save water．Shower with a friend．”Now, Wuhan University has come up with another system for the campus bathhouse．It charges students for the amount of time in a shower．Before entering the bathhouse, students pay for the amount of time they want in the shower with cash or their student ID card．The clock starts ticking the minute the tape is turned on．It pauses when a button is pressed for soap．An integrated circuit(IC)card reader at each tap shows the time．No money, no water．The benefits of the new system can be seen with the old system, which charged 1 Yuan for each person regardless of time in the shower．The university used about 320 tons of water daily under the old system, but only 160 tons now．

　　Many students use the new system but opinions on it are divided．Some students say it is bad because bathing had become a sort of race．Many people using it for the first time are not sure how long they need to shower．Some might be embarrassed if their time is up and they’re still covered in soap．They have to ask the bathhouse worker to help them buy extra time．

　　“It's a flaw in the system that you can not buy extra time on the ID card,”said Ren, a freshman in Wuhan University．The university is also considering some students’ suggestions that they be allowed to pay after they’ve finished the shower．Not surprisingly, some are complaining about losing the hour shower．But many students say the move helps them develop a water-saving sense．

　　Without the time limits, most students tended to shower for 30 to an hour in the bathhouse．

　　Some even used the hot water to wash their clothes．“In my experience, 10－20 minutes is enough,”said Dai Zhihua, a third-year student who usually takes 8 minutes．

　　A similar system has been installed in other universities．Shanghai Normal University introduced it at its Fengxiang Campus in September．The bathing fee there is 0.2 Yuan per minute．One male student responded by setting a record with a two-minute shower．

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Five years ago, David Smith wore an expensive suit to work every day．“I was a clothes addict,”he jokes．“I used to carry a fresh suit to work with me so I could change if my clothes got wrinkled．”Today David wears casual clothes－khaki pants and sports shirt－to the office．He hardly ever wears a necktie．“I'm working harder than ever,”David says, “and I need to feel comfortable．”

　　More and more companies are allowing their office workers to wear casual clothes to work．In the United States, the change from formal to casual office wear has been gradual．In the early 1990s, many companies allowed their employees to wear casual clothes on Friday, but only on Friday．This became known as“dress-down Friday”or“casual Friday”．“What started out as an extra one-day-a-week benefit for employees has really become an everyday thing．”said business consultant Maisly Jones．

　　Why have so many companies started allowing their employees to wear casual clothes?One reason is that it's easier for a company to attract new employees if it has a casual dress code．“A lot of young people don't want to dress up for work,”says the owner of a software company, “so it's hard to hire people if you have a conservative dress code．”Another reason is that people seem happier and more productive when they are wearing comfortable clothes．In a study conducted by Levi Strauss Company, 85 percent of employers said that they believe that casual dress improves employee morale(士气)．Only 4 percent of employers said that casual dress has a negative effect on productivity．Supporters of casual office wear also argue that a casual dress code helps them save money．“Suits are expensive, if you have to wear one every day,”one person said．“For the same amount of money, you can buy a lot more casual clothes．”

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　“In only six days I lost seven pounds of weight．”

　　“Two full inches in the first three days!”

　　These are the kinds of statements used in magazine，newspaper, radio and television ads, promising new shapes and new looks to those who buy the medicine or the device．The promoters of products say they can shape the legs, slim the face, smooth wrinkles, or in some other way to add to beauty or desirability．

　　Often such products are nothing more than money-making things for their promoters．The results they produce are questionable, and some are dangerous to health．

　　To understand how these products can be legally promoted to the public, it is necessary to understand something of the laws covering their regulation．If the product is a drug, FDA(Food and Drug Administration)can require proof under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act that is safe and effective before it is put on the market．But if the product is a device, FDA has no authority to require premarketing proof of safety or effectiveness．If a product already on the market is a danger to health, FDA can request the producer or distributor to remove it from the market voluntarily, or it can take legal action, including seizure(查封)of the product．

　　One notable case a few years ago involved an electrical device called the Relaxacisor, which had been sold for reducing the waistline．The Relaxacisor produced electrical shocks to the body through contact pads．FDA took legal action against the distributor to stop the sale of the device on the grounds that it was dangerous to health and life．

　　Obviously, most of the devices on the market have never been the subject of court proceedings(法律诉讼)，and new devices appear continually．Before buying, it is up to the consumer to judge the safety or effectiveness of such items．

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Everybody has one of those days when everything goes wrong．This is what happened to Harry．

　　He got up one morning very late because he had forgotten to wind up his alarm clock(闹钟)．He tried to shave(刮脸)quickly and cut himself．When he got dressed he got blood all over his clean shirt, so he had to find another one．The only other shirt that was clean needed ironing(熨), so he ironed it．While he was ironing it, there was a knock at the door．It was the man to read the electricity meter(表)．He showed him where the meter was, said good-bye and found that the iron had burnt a hole in his shirt．So he had to wear the one with the blood on it after all．By this time it was very late, so he decided he couldn't go to work by bus．He telephoned for a taxi to take him to work．The taxi arrived and Harry got in and began to read the newspaper．

　　In another part of the town, a man had killed a woman with a knife and was seen to run away in a taxi．When Harry's taxi stopped outside his office, a policeman happened to be standing there．He saw the blood on Harry's shirt, and took him to the police station．He was kept till 3 o’clock in the afternoon before the police were sure that he was not the man they wanted．When he finally arrived at the office at about four, his boss took a look at him and told him to go away and find another job．

阅读理解

　　Beijing opera or Peking opera(Pinyin：Jīngjù)is a form of Chinese opera which arose in the late 18th century and became fully developed and recognized by the mid-19th century．The form was extremely popular in the Qing Dynasty court and has come to be regarded as one of the cultural treasures of China．Major performance troupes(剧团，戏班子)are based in Beijing and Tianjin in the north, and Shanghai in the south．The art form is also enjoyed in Taiwan, and has spread to other countries such as the United States and Japan．

　　Beijing opera features four main types of performers．Performing troupes often have several of each variety, as well as numerous secondary and tertiary performers．With their elaborate(认真的，精心的)and colorful costumes, performers are the only focal points on Beijing opera's characteristically small stage．They make use of the skills of speech, song, dance, and combat in movements that are symbolic and suggestive, rather than realistic．Above all else, the skill of performers is evaluated according to the beauty of their movements．Performers also hold a variety of stylistic conventions that help audiences navigate the plot of the production．The layers of meaning within each movement must be expressed in time with music．The music of Beijing opera can be divided into the Xipi and Erhuang styles．Melodies include arias(唱腔), fixed-tune melodies, and percussion patterns．The repertoire of Beijing opera includes over 1,400 works, which are based on Chinese history, folklore, and, increasingly, contemporary life．

　　In recent years, Beijing opera has attempted numerous reforms in response to sagging audience numbers．These reforms, which include improving performance quality, adapting new performance elements, and performing new and original plays, have met with mixed success．Some Western works have been adopted as new plays, but a lack of funding and an adverse political climate have left Beijing opera's fate uncertain as the form enters the 21st century．

阅读理解

　　Of course, the main difference on the Chinese dinner table is chopsticks instead of knife and fork, but that's only superficial．Besides, in decent restaurants, you can always ask for a pair of knife and fork, if you find the chopsticks not helpful enough．The real difference is that in the West, you have your own plate of food, while in China the dishes are placed on the table and everyone shares．If you are being treated to a formal dinner and particularly if the host thinks you're in the country for the first time, he will do the best to give you a taste of many different types of dishes．

　　The meal usually begins with a set of at least four cold dishes, to be followed by the main courses of hot meat and vegetable dishes．Soup then will be served(unless in Guangdong style restaurants)to be followed by staple food ranging from rice, noodles to dumplings．If you wish to have your rice to go with other dishes, you should say so in good time, for most of the Chinese choose to have the staple food at last or have none of them at all．

　　Perhaps one of the things that surprises a Western visitor most is that some of the Chinese hosts like to put food into the plates of their guests．In formal dinners, there are always “public” chopsticks and spoons for this purpose, but some hosts may use their own chopsticks．This is a sign of genuine friendship and politeness．It is always polite to eat the food．If you do not eat it, just leave the food in the plate．

　　People in China tend to over-order food, for they will find it embarrassing if all the food is consumed．When you have had enough, just say so．Or you will always overeat!

阅读理解

　　The big opportunities in tomorrow's world lie in creating solutions to lessen daily inconveniences in urban India and to increase incomes in rural India．The PC Internet is limited by various factors?Low installed base of PCs, poor broadband systems that is for the majority of the audience limited to cybercafés．By contrast, a world built around teleputers can create new opportunities．

　　Imagine the nearby kirana store, Ajay Kirana．It can now publish regular updates on deals．My mother may want to subscribe to Ajay Kirana's updates on her teleputer．She can then decide once she gets the update if she wants to get the bread at half-price．Or, imagine a toy company providing regular updates to new parents on what are the best toys to buy along with parenting tips．This does not have to be limited to text?It can come with rich media attachments．Imagine a TV broadcaster sending out updates at 8∶30 pm providing a small preview of the 9 pm soap opera?My wife would love a service like that!

　　Small book publishers could build relationships by sending out regular updates of new books to subscribers, and even take orders and payments via the teleputer．For those who would like to listen, there could be audio serials sent out daily．Imagine getting a small abstract from religious scriptures to begin one's day．

　　In rural India, the teleputer can be the instrument for person-to-person classifieds．People could publish what they would like to buy or sell via their teleputer．

　　The multimedia-rich teleputer could also be used by job seekers for creating multimedia profiles of them．The same idea could be applied for those seeking marriage partners．

　　There are many such innovative ideas which can come into play once the digital infrastructure has been created．Perhaps, the biggest opportunities lie in rethinking education and healthcare around a school-in-a-box' concept(as put forth by Atanu Dey)and personal healthcare records, respectively．

阅读理解

　　Nelson Mandela's greatest pleasure, his most private moment, is watching the sun set with the music of Handel or Tchaikovsky playing．

　　Locked up in his cell during daylight hours, robbed of music, both these simple pleasures were denied him for decades．With his fellow prisoners, concerts were organised when possible, particularly at Christmas time, where they would sing．Nelson Mandela finds music very uplifting, and takes a keen interest not only in European classical music but also in African choral music and the many talents in South African music．But one voice stands out above all - that of Paul Robeson, whom he describes as our hero．

　　The years in jail strengthened habits that were already fixed：the disciplined eating rule of an athlete began in the 1940s, as did the early morning exercise．Still today Nelson Mandela is up by 4．30am, irrespective of how late he has worked the previous evening．By 5am he has begun his exercise routine that lasts at least an hour．Breakfast is by 6．30, when the day's newspapers are read．The day's work has begun．

　　With a standard working day of at least 12 hours, time management is critical and Nelson Mandela is extremely impatient with unpunctuality, regarding it as insulting to those you are dealing with．

　　Mandela accepted the Nobel Peace Prize as an accolade to all people who have worked for peace and stood against racism．It was as much an award to his person as it was to the ANC and all South Africa s people．In particular, he regards it as a tribute to the people of Norway who stood against the racial segregation while many in the world were silent．