阅读理解

　　Beldon and Canfield are two seashore towns, not far apart．Both towns have many hotels, and in summer the hotels are full of holiday-makers and other tourists．

　　Last August there was a fire at the Seabreeze Hotel in Beldon．The next day, this news appeared on page two of the town's newspaper．The Beldon Post：

　　FIRE AT SEABREEZE

　　Late last night firemen hurried to the Seabreeze Hotel and quickly put out a small fire in a bedroom．The hotel manager said that a cigarette started the fire．We say again to all our visitors：“Please don't smoke cigarettes in bed．” This was Beldon's first hotel fire for five years．

　　The Canfield Times gave the news in these words on page one：

　　ANOTHER BELDON HOTEL CATCHES FIRE

　　Last night Beldon firemen arrived just too late to save clothing, bedclothes and some furniture at the Seabreeze Hotel．An angry holiday-maker said, “An electric lamp probably started the fire．The bedroom lamps are very old at some of these hotels．When I put my bedside light on, I heard a funny noise from the lamp．” We are glad to tell our readers that this sort of adventure does not happen in Canfield．

　　What are the facts, then?It is never easy to find out the exact truth about an accident．There was a fire at the Seabreeze Hotel last August：that is one fact．Do we know anything else?Yes, we know that firemen went to the hotel．

　　Now what do you think of the rest of the “news”?

阅读理解

　　Have you ever been afraid to talk back when you were treated unfairly?Have you ever bought something just because the salesman talked you into it?

　　Many people are afraid to assert(坚持)themselves．Dr Robert Alberti, author of Stand Up, Speak Out, and Talk Back, thinks it's because their self-esteem(自尊)is low．“Our whole society makes people doubt themselves,” says Alberti．“There's always a 'superior' around－a parent, a teacher, a boss－who 'knows better'”．

　　But Alberti and other scientists are doing something to help people to assert themselves．They offer “assertiveness training” courses(AT)．In the AT courses people learn that they have a right to be themselves．They learn to speak out and feel good about doing so．They learn to be aggressive(敢闯, 闯劲儿)without hurting other people．

　　In one way, learning to speak out is to overcome fear．A group taking an AT course will help the timid person to lose his fear．But AT uses an even stronger motive－the need to share．The timid person speaks out in the group because he wants to tell how he feels．AT says you can get to feel good about yourself．And once you do, you can learn to speak out．

阅读理解

　　I came to live here where I am now between Wounded Knee Greek and Grass Greek．Others came too, and we made these little grey houses of logs that you see, and they are square, It is a bad way to live, for there can be no power in a square．

　　You have noticed that everything an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the Power of the World always works in circles, and everything tries to be round．In the old days when we were a strong and happy people, all our power came to us from the respectful circle of the nation, and so long as the circle was unbroken, the people were getting rich．The flowering tree was the living center of the circle, and the circle of the four quarters nursed it．The east gave peace and light, the south gave warmth, the west gave rain, and the north with its cold and strong wind gave strength and continuous power．This knowledge came to us from the outer world with our brief．Everything the Power of the World does is done in a circle．The sky is round, and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars．Birds make their nests in circle, for theirs are the same as ours．The sun comes forth and goes down again in a circle．The moon does the same, and both are round．Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were．The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves．Our places were like the nests of birds, and these were always set in a circle, the nation's circle, a nest of many nests, where the Great Spirit meant for us to nurse our children．

　　But the Wasichus(Indian word for “white people”)have put us in these square boxes．Our power is gone and we are dying, for the power is not in us any more．You can look at our boys and see how it is with us．Where we were living by the power of the circle in the way we should, boys were men at twelve or thirteen years of age．But now it takes them very much longer to be bull-grown．

阅读理解

　　My father was a foreman of a sugar-cane plantation in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico．My first job was to drive the oxen that ploughed the cane fields．I would walk behind an ox, guiding him with a broomstick．For＄1 a day, I worked eight hours straight, with no food breaks．

　　It was very tedious work, but it prepared me for life and taught me many lasting lessons．Because the plantation owners were always watching us, I had to be on time every day and work as hard as I could．I've never been late for any job since．I also learned about being respectful and faithful to the people you work for．More important, I earned my pay; it never entered my mind to say I was sick just because I didn't want to work．

　　I was only six years old, but I was doing a man's job．Our family needed every dollar we could make because my father never earned more than＄18 a week．Our home was a three-room wood shack with a dirty floor and no toilet．Nothing made me prouder than bringing home money to help my mother, father, two brothers and three sisters．This gave me self-esteem(自尊心), one of the most important things a person can have．

　　When I was seven, I got work at a golf course near our house．My job was to stand down the fairway and spot the balls as they landed, so the golfers could find them．Losing a ball meant you were fired, so I never missed one．Some nights I would lie in bed and dreamt of making thousands of dollars by playing golf and being able to buy a bicycle．

　　The more I dreamed, the more I thought．Why not?I made my first golf club out of guava limb(番石榴树枝)and a piece of pipe．Then I hammered an empty tin can into the shape of a ball．And finally I dug two small holes in the ground and hit the ball back and forth．I practiced with the same devotion and intensity．I learned working in the field－except now I was driving golf balls with club, not oxen with a broomstick．

阅读理解

　　Every day we go to school and listen to the teacher, and the teacher will ask us some questions．Sometimes, the classmates will ask for your opinions of the work of the class．When you are telling others in the class what you have found out about these topics, remember that they must be able to hear what you are saying．You are not taking part in a family conversation or having a chat with friends－you are in a slightly unnatural situation where a large group of people will remain silent, waiting to hear what you have to say．You must speak so that they can hear you－loudly enough and clearly enough but without trying to shout or appearing to force yourself．

　　Remember, too, that it is the same if you are called to an interview whether it is with a professor of your school or a government official who might meet you．The person you are seeing will try to put you at your ease(not worried)but the situation is somewhat different from that of an ordinary conversation．You must take special care that you can be heard．

阅读理解

　　Have you ever suddenly felt that someone you knew was in trouble－and was he? Have you ever dreamed something that came true later? Maybe you have ESP(超感觉知觉)．

　　ESP stands for Extrasensory Perception．It may be called a sixth sense．It seems to let people know about events before they happen, or events that are happening some distance away．

　　Here's an example．A woman was ironing clothes．Suddenly she screamed, "My father is dead! I saw him sitting in the chair!" Just then, a telegram came．The woman's father died of a heart attack．He died sitting in a chair．

　　There are thousands of stories like this one on record．Scientists are studying them to find out what's behind these strange mental messages．Here's another example－one of hundreds of dreams that have come true．

　　A man dreamed he was walking along a road when a horse and carriage came by．The driver said, "There's room for one more．" The man felt the driver seemed dead, so he ran away．The next day, when the man was getting on a crowded bus, the bus driver said, "There's room for one more．"

　　Then the man saw that the driver's face was the same face he had seen in the dream．He wouldn't get on the bus．As the bus drove off, it crashed and burst into flames．Everyone was killed!

　　Some people say stories like these are coincidences．Others, including some scientists, say that ESP is real．From studies of ESP, we may someday learn more about the human mind．

阅读理解

　　About six years ago I was eating lunch in a restaurant in New York City when a woman and a young boy sat down at the next table, I couldn’t help overhearing parts of their conversation．At one point the woman asked, “So, how have you been?” And the boy－who could not have been more than seven or eight years old－replied．“Frankly, I’ve been feeling a little depressed lately．”

　　This incident stuck in my mind because it confirmed(确认)my growing belief that children are changing．As far as I can remember, my friends and I didn’t find out we were “depressed”, that is, in low spirits, until we were in high school．

　　Undoubtedly a change in children has increased steadily in recent years．Children don’t seem childlike anymore．Children speak more like adults, dress more like adults and behave more like adults than they used to．

　　Whether this is good or bad is difficult to say, but it certainly is different．Childhood as it once was no longer exists．Why?

　　Human development is depended not only on born biological states, but also on patterns of gaining social knowledge．Movement from one social role to another usually involves learning the secrets of the new social positions．Children have always been taught adult secrets, but slowly and in stages; traditionally, we tell sixth graders things we keep hidden from fifth graders．

　　In the last 30 years, however, a secret-revelation(揭示)machine has been equipped in 98 percent of American homes．It is called television．Television passes information to all viewers alike, whether they are children or adults．Unable to resist the temptation(诱惑), many children turn their attention from printed texts to the less challenging, more attractive moving pictures．

　　Communication through print, as a matter of fact, allows for a great deal of control over the social information which children will gain．Children must read simple books before they can read complex materials．

阅读理解

　　“Here is the Eight O’ Clock News．”

　　“Chinese people spent about 120 billion yuan during the first three days of the May Golden Week last year．This year it has increased to 140 billion yuan．”

　　“The children of Beijing No．2 Middle School sang with students from Toronto in Canada to celebrate the 20th anniversary．They had been sister schools since 1986．They spent about two weeks together in Beijing．They visited the Great Wall and the Summer Palace．They took a lot of photos in Beihai Park．”

　　“Have you ever got tired of heavy shopping bags? A new shopping assistant robot which was invented by Japanese company could be the answer．The helpful robot can follow you around and carry several bags．The robot was tested at a shopping center in February 2006．”

　　“About 500 people from different countries were in the 2006 “Rock Paper Scissors(剪刀)” World Match in Canada．This event was founded in 1842．It is said playing this game is fun, and also a good way to solve problems among people．”

　　“And now it’s time for Morning Music．”

阅读理解

　　The other day, my friend Jane was invited to a 40th birthday party．The time printed on the invitation was 7∶30 pm．Jane went off with her husband, expecting a merry evening of wine, food, and song．

　　By 9∶45, everybody was having great fun, but no food had appeared．Jane and David were restless．Other guests began whispering that they, too, were starving．But no one wanted to leave, just in case some food was about to appear．By 11∶00, there was still no food, and everyone was completely off their heads．Jane and David left hungry and angry．

　　Their experience suggests that the words on the printed invitations need to be made clearer．Everyone reads and understands the invitations differently．Most of us would agree that 6∶30 -8∶30 pm means drinks only, go out to dinner afterwards; 8∶00 pm or 8∶30 pm means possible dinner, but 9∶30 pm and any time thereafter means no food, eat beforehand, roll up late．

　　But this is not always the case．If asked to a students’ party at 6∶30 pm, it is normal for guests not to appear before midnight, if at all, and no one cares．Being the first to arrive－looking eager－is social death．When my mother is asked to a party at 6∶30, she likes to be there, if not on time, then no later than seven．My age group(late thirties)falls somewhere between the two, but because we still think we’re young, we’re probably closer to student-time than grown-up time．

　　The accepted custom at present is confusing(混乱的), sometimes annoying, and it often means you may go home hungry, but it does lend every party that precious element(成分)of surprise．

阅读理解

　　One of Britain's bravest women told yesterday how she helped to catch suspected(可疑的)police killer David Bieber -- and was thanked with flowers by the police．It was also said that she could be in line for a share of up to ￡30,000 reward money．

　　Vicki Brown, 30, played a very important role in ending the nationwide manhunt．Vicki, who has worked at the Royal Hotel for four years, told of her terrible experience when she had to steal into Bieber's bedroom and to watch him secretly．Then she waited alone for three hours while armed police prepared to storm the building．

　　She said："I was very nervous．But when I opened the hotel door and saw 20 armed policemen lined up in the car park I was so glad they were there．"

　　The alarm had been raised because Vicki became suspicious(怀疑)of the guest who checked in at 3 pm the day before New Year's Eve with little luggage and wearing sunglasses and a hat pulled down over his face．She said："He didn't seem to want to talk too much and make any eye contact(接触)．" Vicki, the only employee on duty, called her bosses Margaret, 64, and husband Stan McKale, 65, who phoned the police at 11 pm．

　　Officers from Northumbria Police called Vicki at the hotel in Dunston, Gateshead, at about 11：30 pm to make sure that this was the wanted man．Then they kept in touch by phoning Vicki every 15 minutes．

　　"It was about ten past two in the morning when the phone went again and a policeman said 'Would you go and make yourself known to the armed officers outside?'．My heart missed a beat．"

　　Vicki quietly showed eight armed officers through passages and staircases to the top floor room and handed over the key．

　　"I realized that my bedroom window overlooks that part of the hotel, so I went to watch．I could not see into the man's room, but I could see the passage．The police kept shouting at the man to come out with his hands showing．Then suddenly he must have come out because they shouted for him to lie down while he was handcuffed(戴上手铐)．"