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。

　　As kids, my friends and I spent a lot of time out in the woods．“The woods” was our part-time address, destination, purpose, and excuse．If I went to a friends house and found him not at home, his mother might say, “Oh, he's out in the woods, ”with a tone(语气)of airy acceptance．It is similar to the tone people sometimes use nowadays to tell me that someone I'm looking for is on the golf course or at the gym, or even “away from his desk．”For us ten-year-olds, “being out in the woods” was just an excuse to do whatever we feel like for a while．

　　We sometimes told ourselves that what we were doing in the woods was exploring(探索)．Exploring was a more popular idea back then than it is today．History seemed to be mostly about explorers．Our explorations, though, seemed to have less system than the historic kind： something usually came up along the way．Say we stayed in the woods, throwing rocks, shooting frogs, picking blackberries, digging in what we were briefly persuaded was an Indian burial mound．

　　Often we got “lost” and had to climb a tree to find out where we were．If you read a story in which someone does that successfully, be skeptical：the topmost branches are usually too skinny to hold weight, and we could never climb high enough to see anything except other trees．There were four or five trees that we visited regularly－tall beeches, easy to climb and comfortable to sit in．

　　It was in a tree, too, that our days of fooling around in the woods came to an end．By then some of us had reached seventh grade and had begun the rough ride of adolescence(青春期)．In March, the month when we usually took to the woods again after winter, two friends and I set out to go exploring．We climbed a tree, and all of a sudden it occurred to all three of us at the same time that we really were rather big to be up in a tree．Soon there would be the spring dances on Friday evenings in the high school cafeteria．

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。

　　For many of us, printed books are satisfying in ways beyond the words they contain．Billions of printed books have been published, read and saved in the 600 years since movable type was invented, so why mess with a good things?

　　Sony Electronics is doing just that, betting that readers will be won over by the convenience of readability of its new electronic book devices．Sony's reader, the PRS-505, can hold 160 books in its fixed memory, enough to line the shelves on a good-sized wall in the average American home．The ＄299 device is about the size of a paperback book, but a half-inch thick and weighs less than a pound．

　　The Sony book reader is revolutionary not only in its storage capacity．The font(字体)is highly readable and adjustable by size．Unlike laptop computers, you can put the Sony in your purse, read it in direct sunlight and even bookmark the pages．And you can connect it to your PC to download books．

　　Surprisingly, though the reader has liberated the book from paper, electronic books aren't always a bargain．For example, David Baldacci's "Stone Cold" download retails(零售)for ＄15.19 at the Sony site, while Amazon(卓越网)will deliver a hard copy to your mailbox for ＄16.19．

　　The Sony reader also lets you store and play or display music．So what's not to like about the Sony? Well, for many bibliophiles, a lot．Book lovers like to have, hold and keep their volumes, which don't need charging．You can write notes in the margins, and enjoy the ambience they provide on your book shelves．

　　The need for electronic reading devices is likely to grow as more people worried about the billions of tons of paper used for printed material．Many believe the time will come when devices like the Sony reader are as common as printed newspapers and magazines today．

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。

　　One warm May day, two eighteen–year–old students from San Francisco State College decided to cool off with a swim at Bakers’ Beach．The two students were named Robert Kogler and Shirley O’Neill．They headed out to sea for a distance of 50 metres．Robert was in front．

　　“Suddenly, I heard him scream,” Shirley recalls．“I looked round and saw this great grey thing going up in the air．The water seemed to be alive．”

　　Robert screamed again．“It's a shark! Get out of here!”

　　An eye–witness, Army Sergeant Leo P．Day was on guard at the nearby army post．He saw exactly what happened next．“I could see this boy struggling with the shark in the water,” he said．“The sea was red with blood．He was shouting and signalling someone to go back, go back．Then I saw the girl．She was swimming towards him．She completely ignored his warning．”

　　Shirley reached Robert, and tried to take his hand．

　　“When I pulled, all I could see was his arm, handing by a thread,” she said．

　　So she put her arm about Robert's back, and started to swim towards the shore．She kept praying “Don't’ let it attack again!” That journey to the shore seemed to last for hours．At last, as they neared the shore, a fisherman threw them a line, and pulled them both the rest of the way．

　　The young man had lost a lot of blood, and died two and a half hours later, From the teeth marks, experts identified the attacker as a Great White Shark．

　　For what Sergeant Day called “the greatest exhibition of bravery I have ever seen,” the President of the US gave Shirley a medal for bravery．

阅读理解

　　The biggest safety threat facing airlines today may not be a terrorist(恐布分子)with a gun, but the man with the portable computer in business class．In the last 15 years, pilots have reported well over 100 incidents that could have been caused by electromagnetic(电磁)interference(干扰)．The source of this interference remains unconfirmed, but increasingly, experts are pointing the blame at portable electronic device such as portable computers, radio and cassette players and mobile telephones．

　　RTCA, an organization which advises the aviation(航空)industry, has recommended that all airlines ban(禁止)such devices from being used during “critical” stages of flight, particularly take-off and landing．Some experts have gone further, calling for a total ban during all flights．Currently, rules on using these devices are left up to individual airlines．And although some airlines prohibit(禁止)passengers from using such equipment during take-off and landing, most are reluctant to enforce a total ban, given that many passengers want to work during flights．

　　The difficulty is prediction how electromagnetic fields might affect an aircraft's computers．

　　Experts know that portable device emit radiation which affects those wavelengths which aircraft use for navigation and communication．But, because they have not been able to reproduce these effects in a laboratory, they have no way of knowing whether the interference might be dangerous or not．

　　The fact that aircraft may be vulnerable(易受损的)to interference raises the risk that terrorists may use radio systems in order to damage navigation equipment．As worrying though, is the passenger who can't hear the instructions to turn off his radio because the music is too loud．

阅读理解

　　The Barbie doll first appeared at the toy fair in New York in 1959．Its creator was Ruth Handler, an American businesswoman．She and her husband Elliott along with Harold Matt Matson started the toy company Mattel．She based the design of the new doll on a German doll named Bild Lilli and named her after their daughter Barbara．

　　The first Barbie wore a black and white swimsuit and had her hair in a ponytail(马尾辫)．She looked very grown-up．But any concerns that parents would not want to buy it for little girls were soon proved wrong．

　　Mattel sold 300,000 Barbie dolls in the first year at a price of three dollars．Today, a fifty-year-old Barbie in good condition might cost more than 27,000 dollars．

　　Barbie dolls have represented 50 different nationalities and are sold in 150 countries．Mattel says 90％of girls in the United States between the ages of three and ten own at least one Barbie doll．It says girls between the ages of three and six own an average of about 12．

　　Barbie also faced her share of critics．A well-known example was when women's education groups objected to a talking Barbie doll that declared, among other things, “Math class is tough!” Mattel agreed to change it．Saudi Arabia has banned Barbie dolls．And a lawmaker in the American state of West Virginia would like to do the same．Last month, he proposed banning sales of Barbie and other dolls that influence girls to put too much importance on physical beauty．

　　Some people say Barbie is an unhealthy role model for young girls．Robin Gerber disagrees．She wrote a book about Barbie．She points out dolls like scientist Barbie and race car driver Barbie．She says people who criticize Barbie should tell girls the story of the businesswoman who created her．She says Ruth Handler wanted the dolls to help girls think about what they wanted to do with their lives．

阅读理解

　　To understand the marketing concept, it is only necessary to understand the difference between marketing and selling．Not too many years ago, most industries concentrated primarily on the efficient production of goods, and then relied on “persuasive salesmanship” to move as much of these goods as possible．Such production and selling focuses on the needs of the seller to produce goods and then convert(使转换)them into money．

　　Marketing, on the other hand, focuses on the wants of consumers．It begins with first analyzing the preferences and demands of consumers and then producing goods that will satisfy them．This eye-on-the-consumer approach is known as the marketing concept, which simply means that instead of trying to sell whatever is easiest to produce, the makers and dealers first find out what the consumer wants to buy and then go about making it available for purchase．

　　This concept does not imply that business is benevolent(慈善的)or that consumer satisfaction is given priority over profit in a company．There are always two sides to every business transaction－the firm and the customer－and each must be satisfied before trade occurs．Successful merchants and producers, however, recognize that the surest route to profit is through understanding and catering to(迎合)customers．A striking example of the importance of catering to the consumer presented itself in mid-1985, when Coca Cola changed the flavor of its drink．The non-acceptance of the new flavor by a significant portion of the public brought about a prompt restoration(恢复)of the Classic Coke, which was then marketed alongside the new．

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　　In the computer age, most of us take a broadband Internet connection for granted．Whether cable or mobile broadband, today's connections are many times faster than those in the early days．Videos play smoothly, complex websites load quickly, and files download much faster than ten years ago．And the files are much bigger too．

　　There's a catch, of course．You have to live near enough to a major city to get broadband Internet．If you don't, it's slow dial-up access for you．And for those living really far out, there may be no Internet access at all．

　　Technology experts often talk about the “last mile” problem, which refers to the difficulty of bringing Internet access to remote locations．In cities and suburbs, it's relatively easy to provide access for everyone．It is much more difficult to deliver access to those living far from cities, especially in developing countries．Internet service providers, for their part, have been reluctant to provide access to sparsely(稀疏地)populated areas．The handful of Internet users they would reach wouldn't cover the expense．

　　But every year, technological advancements allow of more and more Internet users．Most broadband connections today run over existing cable TV and telephone lines although these technologies aren't available everywhere．Some companies have delivered the Internet over standard power lines．Advancements in cheaper, more efficient fiber optics cables(光纤电缆)promise to bring extremely fast Internet connections to more users．

　　Still, the “last mile” problem remains hard to deal with．There will always be somewhere that doesn't have an affordable broadband connection．But someday that might not matter．If the rapid progress in cell phone technology is any indication(迹象), it may not be too long before an Internet connection simply follows you wherever you go．

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　　Although hurricane season doesn't begin until June 1, a Pacific storm has already struck．El Salvador, which was ruined by a Caribbean storm in 1995, was hit by Hurricane Adrian on Friday．This is the first Pacific-born hurricane to ever reach land in this Central American country．

　　Some 14,000 people left from the western coast of El Salvador．The storm weakened as it crossed land, heading east．Heavy rains created deadly flooding problems in the hurricane's wake．

　　Adrian is the first Pacific storm of the season．It reported maximum continuous winds of 75 miles per hour, the minimum strength of a hurricane．A Category 3 hurricane, Adrian also caused damage and flooding in Honduras．It is expected to break up before reaching the Caribbean Sea on the eastern coast of Central America．

　　Hurricane season typically begins June 1 and lasts through November 30．The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration(NOAA)has predicted(预告)seven to nine hurricanes for the 2005 season．

　　"It is difficult to make any kind of an exact prediction of how many of these will strike land," NOAA administrator Conrad Lautenbacher said．He predicts two to three hurricanes will strike the U．S．this season．

　　Last year, six of nine hurricanes reached Category 3 strength or higher．Four of those hit Florida within a six-week period．Altogether, Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne caused more than ＄40 billion in damage in the Sunshine State．

　　This year's forecast is based on ocean temperatures．Warmer temperatures produce more tropical storms, which can then turn into hurricanes．

　　"The issue, really, this year is the unusually warm sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic," said Frank Lepore of the National Hurricane Center．

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　　Ed Viesturs grew up in Rockford, Illinois, where the tallest thing on the horizon was the water tower．But on Thursday, Viesturs became the only American to climb to the top of the world's 14 highest mountains．

　　His last hike was up Mount Annapurna, in Asia's snowcapped Himalayas．At 26,545 feet, its peak is the 10th highest in the world．It is the mountain that inspired him to start climbing．

　　"It tends to be the trickiest, the most dangerous," said Viesturs．"There's no simple way to climb it．There are threatening avalanches(雪崩)and ice falls that protect the mountain．"

　　In high school, Viesturs read French climber Maurice Herzog's tale of climbing the icy AnnapurnA．Herzog's story was of frostbite(冻伤)and difficulty and near-death experiences．Viesturs was hooked right away．

　　Viesturs got his start on Washington's Mount Rainier in 1977, guiding hikes in the summer．Fifteen years ago, he set out to walk up to the world's highest peaks．Finally, he's done．

　　The pioneering climber talks about mountains as if they were living creatures that should be treated with respect．"You have to use all of your senses, all of your abilities to see if the mountain will let you climb it," said Viesturs．"If we have the patience and the respect, and if we're here at the right time, under the right circumstances, they allow us to go up, and allow us to come down．"

　　What's next for a man who can't stop climbing?"I'm going to hug my wife and kids and kind of kick back and enjoy the summer," says Viesturs．But for a man who's climbed the world's 14 tallest mountains, he will probably soon set off on yet another adventure．

阅读理解

　　Everybody in this world is different from one another．But do you know that understanding differences can help you better manage your money?

　　As we grow up, we gradually develop a set of our own values or beliefs．These are influenced by society, our family, the education we receive and so on．Once this value system is set up, it's not easy to change later in life．

　　Financial experts say that everyone also has their own belief of how to manage their finances．This is part of our value system and it has a great impact on the way we look after our money．

　　According to our different values, experts put us in three categories．They are：the ant, the cricket and the snail．

　　◆The ant－works first

　　Just like ants who work heart and soul in summer in order to store food for winter, these people don't care about enjoying the moment．They work very hard and save money they earn so that they can enjoy life when they get old and retire．The ant loves to save but they could make more out of their money if they were willing to invest in some funds and stocks with low risk．

　　◆The cricket－fun first

　　The cricket wants to enjoy everything now and doesn't think too much about the future．They even borrow money when they really want something．Many young people now belong to this group．These people have little savings．When they get old, they might have problems．They should learn to save and buy insurance．

　　◆The snail－lives under pressure

　　The snail refers to people who make life difficult for themselves．They take big long-term loans from the bank in order to buy things such as luxury houses．They are happy to take big loans even though they are not sure they can afford it．This can cause problems in the future．They should plan more carefully．