阅读理解

“Write All About It”

Centerville High School Essay(论文)Contest

　　Rules

　　1．Students are asked to hand in essays of 500 to 700 words of their own work．Any essay containing material copied from another source will be disqualified．

　　2．Manuscripts should be typed double-spaced, with the students` name, address, and grade level on a separate sheet of paper．

　　3．Essays must be turned in by 4∶00 pm on November 30．

　　They can be brought to Mrs．Elton in Room 104 or to Mr．Markham in the school library．

　　Essay-Writing Tips

　　1．Catch your reader's interest－Your opening should immediately pull your reader into your essay．Asking a question or starting with a story, or surprising statement are some good ways to do this．

　　2．Create a picture－Use active words that show your reader what is happening．Instead of telling your reader that “the room was disordered,” paint a picture using active verbs and lively adjectives．

　　3．Have a purpose－Well written essays do more than just describe an event or express a viewpoint; they also communicate a message．

　　4．Check for mistakes－Read your paper over to check for mistakes．Ask another student to read your paper．Another pair of eyes will often spot a mistake you have missed．

　　5．Format your essay－Neatly type your essay on white paper．Choose an attractive cover for handing in．The computer lab will be open after school from 3∶15 to 4∶45 pm each day this month so that students can use the computers．

　　Prizes

　　Winning essays will be published in the Centerville Times．Everyone who takes part in it will also receive a free pass to enter one school activity this year．

　　First Prize：＄50 savings bond

　　Second Prize：Dictionary and reference book

　　Third Prize：Pen set and journal

阅读理解

A Tight Situation

　　Sometimes funny memories are the best special way to remember a beloved lover．It helps take away some of the feeling of loss．Before he passed away, my husband loved to share this story with our friends．Now, it makes a smile to share this story with you．

　　Our neighbor's son was getting married in 1971 at a church, and we were invited．We immediately rushed out for the store, and I bought a nice dress with a jacket．The dress was a little tight, but I had a month before the June 30- wedding and I would lose a few pounds．

　　June 29 came and, of course, I had not lost a single pound; in fact, I had gained two．But, I thought a new girdle(健美裤)would solve my problem．So on our way to the wedding, we stopped once again at the store．I ran in and told the clerk I needed a size large girdle．

　　The clerk found the box with the described girdle, marked “L”, and asked if I would like to try it on．“Oh, no, large will fit just right．I won't need to try it on．”

　　The next morning was hot, so I waited to get dressed until about forty-five minutes before time to go．I opened the girdle box only to find a new ＄ 49.95 girdle in a size small．Since it was too late to find another one and the dress wouldn't fit right without a girdle, a fight broke out between me and the girdle．Have you ever tried to shake twenty pounds of potatoes into a five-pound bag?Finally, my husband, laughing like crazy, got hold of each side and shook me down into it, and I was ready to go．

　　As we walked into the church, he asked if I could make it．Now, he was getting worried because I was breathing funny．I told him that I would．It lasted one hour, twenty-two minutes and eight-and-one-half seconds, and the minister blessed everything except my girdle!

　　My knees were blue and my legs lost all the feeling．My husband was asking questions and trying to comfort me．

　　As soon as the minister pronounced them married, I rushed out with my husband．“Please, just get me out of here!” I said．

　　We ran out to our car, and once there he opened the front and back passenger doors against the next car．Right there, before God, human and the wedding party, I took off that girdle．When the girdle flew out of my hand and landed under the car next to ours, my husband was laughing so hard and we drove away．

　　Over the years, he and I had wondered what the people of that church thought the next morning when they found＄49.95, size small girdle in their parking lot．

阅读理解

　　Will you get a good job?What will you do?Many new graduates feel lost when they consider the endless list of career choices．They have invested a lot of money for their diploma(文凭)and now an important question stares them in the face．

　　I have seen so many new graduates who do not know how to use the degree they have just earned．An example was Dave, who loved sports and had played baseball throughout his college years．He had his heart set on working for Nike．But he had never made clear in his own mind what kind of job he could do for Nike, so nothing ever happened．Another example was Allison, who was a history major．She wanted to work as an event planner but, unfortunately, no one hired her．Why?No experience．

　　Failing to do some solid career exploration first, to get a clear idea of the types of jobs you can do, is a big error that many college students make．After our suggestions, Dave and Allison both found their jobs．to ensure brighter future, follow these effective strategies：

　　·Make educated career choices．Identify the job you want．Conduct research．Ask parents to advise you on actual job duties．Consider what your natural talents are, and look for positions where you can use them．

　　·Don't rely on the Internet．Networking is an effective tool－be sure it's a job-hunting strategy you use．New studies from the Department of Labor state that only 4% of job-seekers found their jobs on the Internet．The fact is that 63% of all jobs are filled by contacts．

　　·Employers are making quick decisions．Most people lose the job in the first minute of the interview．It's deadly to let employers focus quickly on how well you can perform the job．

　　·Practice your interviewing skills．Be ready for the tough questions by first writing out good answers to possible questions and having a role-playing interview with your friends．

阅读理解

　　The first bullet train designed and manufactured in China with a speed of 300 kilometers per hour rolled off the production line on Saturday morning．The train was the latest model in the country's China Railway High-speed(CRH)Series．This marks that China has joined a leading world club after Japan, France and Germany to become the fourth country capable of turning out such high speed trains．Previously, China's fastest self-developed trains ran at a service speed of up to 250 km per hour．

　　Those trains, which presented to public on April 18, served the Beijing－Harbin, Beijing－Shanghai and Beijing－Guangdong routes．The new streamlined train was made of aluminum alloy(铝合金)．The train body was the lightest of its kind in the world．Such a design was for the sake of energy economization．The train's power was 12.7 kilowatts, lower than other high-speed trains, which was normally about 15 kilowatts．

　　The new train, which features a bar in the dinner car and double-faced LCD TV screens in the first-class cars, was equipped with shock absorbers between carriages．As the train is running at a high speed, the shock absorbers are used to reduce shocking force and rocking of the train body．(A train with eight carriages could seat about 600 passengers．They were expected to run on the 115－km Beijing –Tianjin route starting from August before the Beijing Olympic Games．)It would reduce the journey time from the current 80 minutes to around 39 minutes．

阅读理解

　　Long bus rides are like television shows．They have a beginning, a middle, and an end with commercials(商业广告)thrown in every three or for minutes．The commercials are unavoidable．They happen whether you want them or not．Every couple of minutes a billboard glides by outside the bus window．“Buy Super Clean Toothpaste．” “Drink Good Wet Root Beer．” “Fill up with Pacific Gas．” Only if you sleep, which is equal to turning the television set off, are you spared the unending cry of “You Need It!Buy It Now!”

　　The beginning of the ride is comfortable and somewhat exciting, even if you've traveled that way before．Usually some things have changed new houses, new buildings, sometimes even a new road．The bus driver has a style of driving and it's fun to try to figure it out the first hour or so．If the driver is particularly reckless(鲁莽的)or daring, the ride can be as thrilling(惊心动魄)as a suspense story, will the driver move into the right―or the left-hand lane?After a while, of course, the excitement dies down．Sleeping for a while helps pass the middle hours of the ride．Food always makes bus rides more interesting．But you've got to be careful of what kind of food you eat．Too much salty food can make you very thirsty between stops．

　　The end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning．You know it will soon be over and there's a kind of expectation and excitement in that．The seat of course, has become harder as the hours have passed．By now you have sat with your legs crossed, with your hands in your lap, with your hands on the arm rest even with your hands crossed behind your head．The end comes just at no more ways to sit．

Reading Comprehension

RMB’s appreciation to remain gradual

　　BEIJING - French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe will visit Beijing on Wednesday for talks ahead of the G20 summit in France in November．The summit will discuss the global economic crisis and high levels of sovereign debt owed to China．

　　The Chinese government has been under pressure from Washington and other trading partners to ease currency policies and other measures that they complain keep the yuan undervalued and swell China's trade surplus(贸易顺差)．

　　But Wei Jianguo, secretary-general of the China Center for International Economic Exchange, said too rapid appreciation of the renminbi will chill the country's exports next year, especially when the global economy is expected to slow down．

　　"Next year will be a critical period for China's trade, as the ongoing debt crises in the European Union and United States reduce their demand while yuan appreciation and ever-increasing trade protectionism hit China's exports," said Wei, who was a former vice-commerce minister．

　　While China's exports to emerging economies grow rapidly, they account for just one-third of those lost to developed economies, Wei said, China's trade surplus will decrease to less than ＄100 billion for 2011 from last year's ＄183 billion．

　　Customs data showed China's imports growth surged to 30.2 percent in August, up from July's 22.9 percent, showing that Chinese demand remained robust despite government efforts to steer economic growth to a more sustainable level．

　　Zhou Xiaoehuan, China's central bank governor, said in February that the yuan's appreciation will not compromise to foreign pressure, and China will write its own ticket on the pace of its currency appreciation．On Aug 11, the yuan strengthened beyond 6.4 versus the dollar for the first time in I7 years, and visited its all-time trading peak in August 30 to 6.38．

　　Robert Zoellick, president of the World Bank, said last week that inflation was "the most important" issue for China, and he suggested the yuan appreciation would help ease inflation(通货膨胀), because "an appreciated currency lowers prices at home of the foreign goods"．

　　But Lian Ping, chief economist at the Bank of Communications, said that to curb inflation should not be entirely dependent on the yuan's appreciation．

　　"To lower the domestic inflationary pressure via the yuan's appreciation will have to require sharp increase in a short term," Lian said．

　　"It will be undoubtedly at the cost of a sharp decline of the export and loads of jobs lost the loss outweighs the gain．"

Reading Comprehension

　　In a little-known part of the counter-terrorism world, one of the most effective detection systems is a 600-pound animal that works for about 20 pounds of fish a day．

　　Since the 1960s, the United States and a handful of other countries have trained dolphins and sea lions to detect sea mines and swimmers, to recover inert torpedoes and to test objects used in Naval exercises．

　　Program officials estimate that the sea lions in the Marine Mammal Program have recovered millions of dollars of U．S．Naval torpedoes and instrumentation dropped on the sea floor．

　　The U．S．Navy kept its Marine Mammal Program a secret until the 1990s, and this spring CNN became one of only a handful of media outlets to see firsthand how the program works．

　　The program has trained about 75 Pacific bottlenose dolphins, with natural biosonar(生物声纳)that tracks better than any manmade device; and 35 California sea lions, with superb underwater eyesight．

　　Not only do these trained marine mammals track and retrieve millions of dollars in U．S．military equipment, they are also helping to save lives．

　　The Navy won't disclose whether the dolphins and sea lions have effectively intercepted terrorists attempting to do harm to any U．S．facilities．

　　"Either way, it serves as a deterrent effect．" says Christian Harris, operations supervisor for the program．The mammals can be deployed via C-130 cargo aircraft to perform their missions anywhere in the world within 72 hours．They have been used in exercises from Alaska to Hawaii, operating in great temperature and environmental ranges．They also have the capability to operate off vessels．

　　Dolphins most recently were deployed in the Iraq war, performing mine detection and clearance operations in the Persian Gulf to ensure safe passage for humanitarian ships delivering aid．Some of these Iraq war "veterans" are now back home, tasked with a new mission：guarding nuclear submarines in their homeports of Bremerton, Washington, and Groton, Connecticut．

Reading Comprehension

2011 TEEN TRIP TO THE LELAND HIGH SNOW PLAY

For Teens Currently in 6th to 12th Grades

　　LELAND HIGH SNOW PLAY－Class #8389

　　Saturday, February 12, 2011

　　8∶00 a. m. to 7∶00 p. m．

　　Meet at THE UNDERGROUND(Veteran's Building－2203 Central Avenue)

　　Cost per person：＄50(＄60 after January 2g, 2011)Includes Lunch, Admission and Transportation

　　With a 4,000 sq．Ft．day-use lodge, the Leland High Snow Play has a huge supply of tubes to choose from, along with awesome tows(拖车)that will tow you up to the top of the hill! Our varied terrains(地形)have something for everyone, while the lodge provides a snack bar, video games, pool tables, five indoor rest rooms, a warm fire, and a sun deck with plenty of tables and chairs overlooking the play area outside．ADDITIONAL LIABILITY FORM REQUIRED FOR THIS TRIP．

　　Be sure to bring warm clothing and prepare for the cold, but dress in layers in case it warms up．Wear dry boots, socks, and sunscreen．If possible, bring a mobile phone in case of emergency, as well as money for snacks and a light dinner：or bring your own food and drinks．

　　Meet at The Underground(Veteran's Building－2203 Central Avenue)－don't be late!

　　Do not bring electronic or fragile items during the trip．The ARPD is not responsible for your personal belongings or money．REFUNDS ARE ISSUED ONLY IF THE ARPD CANCELS THIS TRIP DUE TO WEATHER CONDITIONS．

　　Click here to download "2011 Leland High Snow Play" flyers and the registration form(PDF, 261KB)

　　Click here to download "Leland High Snow Play Liability Form"(PDF, 14KB)

　　1．You may register in person, or mail the completed form to Leland High Snow Play, Inc．

　　Send the liability form and payment to the ARPD Office, 2226 Santa Clara Avenue, Alameda, 94501．

　　2．Faxed registration and liability forms accepted with MasterCard/VISA,(510)747--7566．

　　3．Online registrations available at www．arpdeplay．com．Make sure you bring your completed liability form on the trip．

阅读理解

　　MANILA, Philippines(AP)－Villagers and veteran hunters have captured a one-ton saltwater crocodile which they plan to make the star of a planned ecotourism park in a southern Philippine town, an official said Monday．

　　Mayor Edwin Cox Elorde said dozens of villagers and experts captured the 21-foot(6.4-meter)male crocodile along a creek in Bunawan township in Agusan del Sur province after a three-week hunt．It could be one of the largest crocodiles to be captured alive in recent years, he said, quoting local crocodile experts．

　　Elorde said the crocodile killed a water buffalo in an attack witnessed by villagers last month and was also suspected of having attacked a fisherman who went missing in July．

　　He said he sought the help of experts at a crocodile farm in western Palawan province．

　　"We were nervous but it's our duty to deal with a threat to the villagers," Elorde told The Associated Press by telephone．"When I finally stood before it, I couldn't believe my eyes．"

　　After initial sightings at a creek, the hunters set four traps, which the crocodile destroyed．They then used sturdier traps using steel cables, one of which finally caught the enormous reptile late Saturday, he said．

　　About 100 people had to pull the crocodile, which weighs about 2,370 pounds(1,075 kilograms), from the creek to a clearing where a crane lifted it into a truck, he said．

　　The crocodile was placed in a fenced cage in an area where the town plans to build an ecotourism park for species found in a vast marshland(沼泽地)in Agusan, an impoverished region about 515 miles(830 kilometers)southeast of Manila, Elorde said．

　　"It will be the biggest star of the park," Elorde said, adding that villagers were happy that they would be able to turn the dangerous crocodile "from a threat into an asset．"

　　Despite the catch, villagers remain cautious because several crocodiles still roam the outskirts of the farming town of about 37,000 people．

　　They have been told to avoid venturing into marshy areas alone at night, Elorde said．

阅读理解

　　We keep reading that TV is bad for you．If this is true, how come the current generation of TV-addicted kids is much smarter than we are? In my home, the only people who can work the remote control are the children．

　　Perhaps TV does educate you．For example, you learn a useful medical fact：A person who has been shot always has time to speak an incomplete sentence before he dies．“The killer was…”(dies)

　　But I guess the biggest things we learn from TV can be regarded as “Life Skills”．Bad things only happen on dark and stormy nights．Emotional breakdowns cause people to wander in the heavy rain without umbrellas．And contrary to what scientists say, the crack(霹雳)of lightning and the accompanying flash happen at exactly the same time, wherever you are．

　　I’ve even acquired useful geographical facts from science-fiction shows：Aliens speak English no matter which planet they come from．

　　Making use of what we learn from TV can improve our security．Consider these truths．If you are ever attacked by 20 bad guys, don’t worry about being outnumbered．The criminals will hang back and take turns to approach you in ones and twos just so you can conveniently defeat them all．Bad guys who are completely covered in black clothes always remove their black masks to reveal that they are in fact, aha, women．

　　TV also teaches us important information about escaping from danger．Watch and learn．(1)If anyone is running after you down a passage, you will find that boxes have been conveniently placed near all the walls you need to jump over．(2)If you are tall and handsome, you can run from any number of armed criminals, and every shot will miss you．

　　Be warned, however．If your name card says “henchman”(帮凶)and you are part of a group of plain-looking people trying to catch a handsome individual, a single shot will kill you．But don’t be anxious：TV also delivers useful information for bad guys．All cars are inflammable(易燃的)and have amazing shock absorbers that enable them to fly into the air and land without damage－except police cars．

　　TV even teaches us about TV．Whenever anyone turns on a TV, it shows a news flash about someone they know．They then turn the box off immediately after that news item．