阅读理解

　　On the morning of November 18, 1755, an earthquake shock Boston．John Winthrop, a professor at Harvard College, felt the quake and awoke．“I rose”, Winthrop wrote, “and lighted a candle, looked at my watch, and found it to be 15minutes after four．” John Winthrop hurried downstairs to the grandfather clock．It had stopped three minutes before, at 4∶12．Except for stopping the clock, the quake had only thrown a key from the mantel(壁炉台)to the floor．

　　The clock had stopped because Winthrop had put some long glass tubes he was using for an experiment into the case for safekeeping．The quake had knocked the tubes over and blocked the pendulum(钟摆)．Winthrop, therefore, had the key on the floor．The quake had thrown it forward in the direction of the quake’s motion by a shock coming from the northwest, perhaps in Canada．

阅读理解

　　Oh, boy! Time for a game now．oldest brother is the seeker so k have to hide extra good because he’s smart and will find me quickly．But where? Behind the garage won’t work．The barn is too easy．Wait, I know．The door leading under the porch is perfect．No one would look for me under there．

　　It smells unpleasant under this porch．Wish I had picked another place to hide．Smelly cats! Too late now, I can hear brother seeking everyone out．I’ll just sit here quiet as a mouse．Hah hah hah! I can hear you out by the barn! You’ll never find me over there!

　　It’s been a while and he hasn’t found me yet．What’s that I hear? Now all my brothers are looking for me．They’ve all been caught, but not me．They’ll never trick me into coming out to catch me．Wait, is that Dad I hear calling my name? Oh no, now I hear someone going to call Grandpa to help look for me．I’m not coming out now because I’m in really big trouble．

　　What to do? If I come out and say I heard them calling me, I’ll be in big trouble．Think, think! How do I get out of trouble? I know what to do! I’ll tell them I fell asleep while waiting．Is that Grandpa’s voice? Heh heh heh! Now’s my chance．I’ll crawl out slowly and rub my eyes．Now that I see Grandpa go towards me quickly, I say．“I feel asleep．”

　　“Oh! You had us all worried!” says Grandpa．“You little devil, I’m just glad you’re all right, but next time try not to fall asleep and scare us like that, okay?” says Dad．Whew! I pulled it off(成功)．Now to keep my mouth shut．And I did, for over 42 years．Once in a while, a kid pulls the wool over people’s eyes．So that’s one of my little secrets I’ve never revealed before．Don’t tell anyone now!

阅读理解

　　If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong．Haven't you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?

　　According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power．Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter．This is the area of the brain which processes information．It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles．

　　The study also found the effect is greater, the younger people learn a second language．

　　A team led by Dr Andrea Mechelli, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English．They were compared with a group of "early bilinguals" who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners．

　　Scans showed that grey matter density(密度)in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language．But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference．

　　"Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language," said the scientists．

　　It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn．

　　Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills．"Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible(灵活的),"he said．"You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas．"

　　The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of two and 34．Reading, writing, and comprehension were all tested．The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better．"Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world," explained the scientists．

阅读理解

　　Who says Americans worship the almighty(全能的)dollar? It's not true．Having enough free time is more important to most Americans than being rich, according to a new survey．

　　Only 13 percent of more than 2,400 people questioned in the telephone survey ranked being wealthy as most important to them, while 67 percent ranked free time as their top priority(优先考虑的事), higher than having a successful career, getting married, and having children．"Everyone wants free time to do the things they want to do, young, middle-aged or old," said Richard Morin, of the Pew Social～Demographic Trends Project, which conducted the survey．"So our desire to play unites us．"

　　The survey also showed that people who were educated in university valued career success over wealth, so did middle-aged people．Not surprisingly, those who didn't have money, ranked wealth very highly．This included minorities, first generation Americans and less educated people．The survey also revealed that a disproportionate(不成比例的)number of people under the age of 30 and retired people in the group made ＄ 20,000 or less a year．But the emphasis on wealth lessens with age, with younger people putting value on it but hardly any seniors．"It just diminishes(减弱)with time as the reality sets in that you would never be rich," Morin said．"But also, as for old people the reality sets in that you don't have to be rich to lead a very comfortable and fulfilling life．"

　　While wealth was not at the top of people's list of priorities, 43 percent still said it was somewhat important．

阅读理解

　　If you were to walk up to Arthur Bonnet and say, "Hey, Butterfly Man," his face would break into a smile．The title suits him．And he loves it．

　　Arthur Bonnet works with the Palos Verdes blue butterfly, once thought to have died out．Today the butterfly is coming back thanks to him．But years ago if you'd told him this was what he'd be doing someday, he would have laughed, "You're crazy．" As a boy, he used to be a little tough guy on the streets"．At age thirteen, he was caught by police stealing．At eighteen, he landed in prison for shooting a man．

　　"I knew it had hurt my mom," Bonner said after he got out of prison．"So I told myself I would not put my mom through that pain again．"

　　One day he met Professor Mattoni, who was working to rebuild the habitat for an endangered butterfly called E1 Segundo blue．

　　"I saw the sign 'Butterfly Habitat' and asked, 'How can you have a habitat when the butterflies can just fly away?'" Bonner recalls．"Dr．Mattoni laughed and handed me a magnifying glass(放大镜), "Look at the leaves．' I could see all these caterpillars(蝴蝶的幼虫)on the plant．Dr Mattoni explained, 'Without the plant, there are no butterflies．'"

　　Weeks later, Bonner received a call from Dr．Mattoni, who told him there was a butterfly that needed help．That was how he met the Palos Verdes blue．Since then he's been working for four years to help bring the butterfly back．He grows astragals, the only plant the butterfly eats．He collects butterflies and brings them into a lab to lay eggs．Then he puts new butterflies into the habitat．

　　The butterfly's population, once almost zero, is now up to 900．For their work, Bonner and Dr．Mattoni received lots of awards．But for Bonnet, he earned something more：he turned his life around．

　　For six years now Bonnet has kept his promise to stay out of prison．While he’s bringing back the Palos Verdes blue, the butterfly has helped bring him back, too．

阅读理解

　　BEIJING－Seven prestigious universities in China announced Sunday that they would begin using the same independent exam－besides the national one－to test students hoping to gain entrance to them in 2011．

　　The seven are Peking University, Beihang University, Beijing Normal University, Nankai University, Fudan University, Xiamen University and Hong Kong University．

　　Students who want to gain entrance to any of the seven universities will only have to sit one independent exam, according to the joint announcement．

　　"This will help lighten the students' load, otherwise they must take several exams for different universities," said the announcement．

　　Passing the exam could result in more than one interview chance, giving the students more opportunities to choose their favorite universities．

　　China's college entrance exam system is undergoing reform as universities aim to select students based on independent criteria rather than just using the results of the national exam．

　　In 2003, Peking University and another 21 universities were allowed to pilot(试用)the reform by using their own criteria to independently select five percent of their students．

　　Now nearly 80 universities across the country have the right to select talented students based on their own exams．

　　Education experts regard universities selecting students according to independent examinations as conducive(有助的)to better understanding where the students' talents lie．

　　Although this may be the case, it has also created problems as students may sit many different exams as they often apply for a number of universities．

　　To relieve students from such pressures, the national education outline(2010--2020)released in July this year encourages high-level universities to group together to use the same exams．

阅读理解

　　Skinner Creek ESL Guest Ranch offers a unique outdoor adventure camp for inter- national students．

　　Students who come to Skinner Creek have the opportunity to learn English in an environment entirely different from a regular school setting．English classes are designed to meet the academic and spoken levels of each student．All English classes will be taught by instructors qualified in Teaching English as a Second Language．All levels of English are available．

　　After class, students can enjoy many outdoor activities in a controlled safe environment．Experienced managers and camp teachers will prepare each activity to the level appropriate for each student．

　　Students' safety is a priority(优先考虑的事)for the staff of Skinner Creek ESL Guest Ranch．Students are monitored at all times and supervisors are in the cabins with the students at night．An emergency clinic is nearby and accessible 24 hours．

　　Class hours are from Monday to Friday, 9∶00 a. m.－2∶00 p. m. with a one-hour break for lunch．

　　Students are challenged in reading, writing, grammar, vocabulary building and conversational English．

　　Vocabulary is specific to related outdoor activities in some classes．

　　Great after-class activities on site include：horseback riding lesson, hiking, base ball, volleyball, badminton, mountain hiking, bonfires(篝火)and much more．

　　Time to watch videos and TV and play games．

　　Experience Canadian family life．

　　Special all-day and overnight weekend activities include：camping, days at the lake(fishing, swimming, boating), church and more．

　　Students will be picked up in cars at Vancouver airport and dropped off again for their individual flights．Transportation to and from the ranch(农场)will be provided as well as overnight stays in Vancouver．

　　Please contact the ranch directly for prices：skinnercreek@telus, net．

阅读理解

　　Beijing;(13, July)China sent up a new data relay satellite, Tianlian I -02, on Monday at the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in South-western Sichuan province．The new satellite will promote the country's satellite communication network for space docking(对接)．

　　The satellite was launched on a Long-March-SC carrier rocket at 11∶41 p. m., sources at the centre told Xinhua News Agency．The satellite separated from the rocket 26 minutes after its launch and was then successfully delivered into a geostationary transfer orbit(地球同步转移轨道)．

　　Developed by the China Academy of Space Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, the satellite is the country's second data relay satellite．The first, Tianlian I -01, was launched on April 25.2008．

　　The two satellites will form a network to improve communications between China's spacecraft and bases on Earth, according to the centre．They will also be used to help the nation's first space docking, scheduled for the second half of this year．

　　As planned, China will launch space module Tiangong-I, which was designed as a platform that will dock with an unmanned spaceship, Shenzhou, for the county's first space-docking mission this year．

　　Two more Shenzhou spaceships will dock with Tiangong-I next year, and one will be manned by two or three astronauts, according to China Manned Space Engineering Office, which was the main user of the Tianlian I series data relay satellites．

　　"The new satellite can cover a greater area to track and command the country's space vehicles in low-Earth orbits, such as manned spacecraft and remote sensing satellites, from a higher position m outer space．Only three satellites of this kind are needed to form a global communication network, and China has two now．" Pang Zhihao, a researcher and deputy editor-in-chief of Space International, said．

　　The satellite could also equip astronauts with real-time communications, which will benefit the county s future manned space flights, he said．

阅读理解

　　Nuclear weapons(核武器)were first developed in the United States during the Second World War to be used against Germany．However, by the time the first bombs were ready for use, the war with Germany had ended and, as a result, the decision was made to use the weapons against Japan instead．Hiroshima and Nagasaki have suffered the consequences of the decision to the present day．

　　The real reasons why bombs were dropped on two heavily populated cities are not altogether clear．A number of people in 1944 and early 1945 argued that the use of nuclear weapons would be unnecessary, since American Intelligence was aware that some of the most powerful and influential people in Japan had already realised that the war was lost, and wanted to discuss a Japanese surrender(投降)．It was also argued that, since Japan has few natural resources, a blockade(封锁)by the American navy would force it to surrender within a few weeks, and the use of nuclear weapons would prove unnecessary．If a demonstration of force was required to end the war, a bomb could be dropped over an unpopulated area like a desert, in front of Japanese observers, or over an area of low population inside Japan, such as a forest．Choosing this course of action might decrease the loss of further lives on all sides, while the power of nuclear weapons would still be adequately demonstrated(展示)．

　　All of these arguments were turned down, however, and the general agreement was that the quickest way to end the fighting would be to use nuclear weapons against the centres of population inside Japan．In fact, two of the more likely reasons why the decision was reached seem quite shocking to us now．

阅读理解

　　Money is all surrounding us．Every day, we see it, use it, and it is on the tip of our tongue．Did you ever stop to consider where the money you carry around every day comes from?

　　Making new money is a very unique job and no easy task．It has up to 65 steps．When the money in use gets dirty and worn out, it is replaced with new money．The old money is taken from banks and brought to places where it is destroyed．Usually, the old money is burned．The burned money is replaced by new paper money．

　　If old money is being replaced, then new money is printed in a place called a mint(造币厂)．Large sheets of paper are printed with many pictures of some currency(流通货币)．These large sheets are cut into individual bills．The individual bills are then put together in big stacks and then sent to banks．

　　Sometimes the mint will make a new bill with a new picture(phtotos of statesman and places of interest are favoured)or a new colour．It is not easy for the government to make a new bill．It takes a long time, and there are many steps to go through before a new bill can be sent to banks．First, people in the government decide that a new kind of bill is needed．Then, they ask an artist to design the new bill．A different artist cuts the new picture into a soft piece of metal called a die．The dies are made and put onto large printing machines．Then, very special paper is used, which no one but the mint can have．Along with this special paper, the mint also prints currency using special colours．After the dies print the new currency onto the paper, the bills are cut, stacked, and sent off to the banks．