阅读理解

　　During my elementary school years, I used to compare my mom with my best friend Tiffany's mom．

　　Tiffany's mom always gave her lots of money to buy the most fashionable clothes and favorite food．Her mom allowed her to do anything she liked．I really admired Tiffany．My mom didn't give me much pocket money and she always told me that I should behave myself．I was annoyed with her．

　　Whenever I didn't get what I wanted, I would complain to my mom, Tiffany's mom would give her that! I wish she were my mom．"Every time, my morn would calmly say "Poor Tiffany"．I couldn't understand her．"She shouldn't be feeling sorry for Tiffany!" I thought．"She should be feeling sorry for me．"

　　One day, I couldn't help saying to Mom, "Poor Tiffany? Lucky Tiffany! She gets everything she wants! Why do you feel sorry for her?" I burst into tears．

　　My mom sat down next to me and said softly．"Yes, I do feel sorry for her．I have been teaching you a lesson that she will never be taught．"

　　I looked up at her．"What are you talking about?"

　　Mom said with care, "One day she will really want something．Maybe she'll find out that she can't have it．Her mother won't always be around to give her money, and what's more, money can't buy everything．"

　　She continued, "I have taught you valuable lessons by not giving you everything you want．You'll know how to look for bargains and save money, but she won't．You'll understand that you need to work hard to get the things that you want but she won't．When Tiffany is a grown woman, she'll wake up one day and she will be wishing that she had a mom like the one you've got．Life lessons are more important than modern clothes and delicious food．"

　　It took some time, but I eventually understood my mom's words．Now I am a happy and successful woman．

Reading comprehension

　　Holidaymakers who are bored with baking beaches and overheated hotel rooms head for a big igloo．Swedish businessman Nile Bergqvist is delighted with his new hotel, the world's first igloo hotel．Built in a small town in Lapland, it has been attracting lots of visitors, but soon the fun will be over．

　　In two weeks? time Bergqvist's ice creation(作品)will be nothing more than a pool of water． “We don't see it as a big problem,” he says．“We just look forward to replacing it．”

　　Bergqvist built his first igloo in 1991 for an art exhibition．It was so successful that he designed the present one, which measures roughly 200 square meters．Six workmen spent more than eight weeks piling 1, 000 tons of snow onto a wooden base; when the snow froze, the base was removed． “The only wooden thing we have left in the igloo is the front door,” he says．

　　After their stay, all visitors receive a survival certificate recording their success．With no windows, nowhere to hang clothes and temperatures below 0℃, it may seem more like a survival test than a relaxing(轻松的)hotel break． “It's great fun,” Bergqvist explains, “As well as a good start in survival training．”

　　The popularity of the igloo is beyond doubt： it is now attracting tourists from all over the world．At least 800 people have stayed at the igloo this season even though there are only 10 rooms．“You can get a lot of people in,” explains Bergqvist．“The beds are three meters wide by two meters long, and can fit at least four at one time．”

Reading comprehension

　　When I was a boy, I belonged to the Boy Scouts so I used to go camping every summer, and once something happened which I have never been able to explain．

　　We were camping in a place above a river．After arriving, we all rushed down to the river and had a swim．Standing by the river, we noticed that it was surrounded(环绕)by cliffs(悬崖)．If someone wanted to reach the river at this point, he had to walk past our camp．

　　Several days later, the scoutmaster had to be away for a day．That afternoon, we had supper early．We were sitting round the fire, eating and talking, when a man walked past and went down towards the river．We all felt that this man looked very strange, but, because each of us was afraid of looking very stupid, no one said anything．

　　We ate rather slowly, taking as long as possible．After finishing, we collected our plates together so that we could take them to the river where we always washed them．But no one moved towards the river梬e stood looking at each other ashamed．Then all shouting at once, we began talking about the man who had walked past us．We agreed how strange he looked and we wondered what he could be doing by the river．We knew that he could only return by passing through our camp．

　　An hour passed．Then one of the boys suggested we should creep(悄悄移动)down by the river so that we could see what the man was doing．Moving very slowly and keeping in the shadow, we crept down towards the bank．One boy climbed a tree so that he could see everything clearly．He called to us that there was no one there, so we ran down to the bank, looking everywhere carefully．We could not understand where the man had gone．

　　When it got dark, we went back to our camp feeling bewildered．We told the scoutmaster what had happened in the evening．Smiling, he doubted that we had seen the man, but finally suggested we go and look again．We did, but there was no one there．

　　Many years have passed, but I still remember it as if it were yesterday．What did we see? I do not know．

Reading comprehension

　　Every year thousands of tourists visit Pompeii, Italy．They see the sights that Pompeii is famous for－its stadium and theatres, its shops and restaurants．The tourists do not, however, see Pompeii's people．They do not see them because Pompeii has no people．No one has lived in Pompeii for almost 2000 years．

　　Once, Pompeii was a busy city of 22000 people．It lay at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, a grass－covered volcano(火山)．Mount Vesuvius had not erupted(喷发)for centuries, so the people of Pompeii felt safe．But they were not．

　　In August of AD 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted．The entire top of the mountain exploded, and a huge black cloud rose into the air．Soon stones and hot ash began to fall on Pompeii．When the eruption ended two days later, Pompeii was buried under 20 feet of stones and ashes．Almost all of its people were dead．

　　For centuries, Pompeii lay buried under stone and ash．Then, in the year 1861, an Italian scientist named Ginseppe began to uncover Pompeii．Slowly, carefully, Ginseppe and his men dug．The city looked almost the same as it had looked in AD 79．There were streets and fountains, houses and shops．There was a stadium with 20000 seats．Perhaps the most important of all, there were everyday objects, which tell us a great deal about the people who lived in Pompeii．Many glasses and jars had some dark blue colour in the bottom, so we know that the people of Pompeii liked wine．They liked bread, too; metal bread pans were in every bakery．In one bakery there were 81 round, flat loaves of bread? a type of bread that is still sold in Italy today．Tiny boxes filled with a dark, shiny powder tell us that women liked to wear eye－makeup．

　　Ginseppe has died, but his work continues．One－fourth has not been uncovered yet．Scientists are still digging, still making discoveries that draw the tourists to Pompeii．

Reading comprehension

　　Excused from recycling because you live in a high rise with a rubbish chute? You won't be for long．Miami's Mark Shantzis has made it simple for those living in tall buildings to use the chute and recycle too．

　　In Shantzis’ Hi－Rise Recycling System, a chute leads to a pie－shaped container with six boxes that can turn around when operated．The system, which fits in the same space as the chute and container now in use, enables glass, plastic, paper, metal, and other rubbish to go into separate boxes．

　　The system is controlled from a board fixed next to the chute door．The board has a button for each class of recycling materials(as well as for unrecyclables)．At the press of a button, a microcomputer locks all other floors’ chute door and sets the recycling container turning until the right box comes under the chute．The computer also counts the loads and gives a signal by phone when the box is full．And a particular piece of equipment breaks up the nonrecyclables．

　　Sorting(分类)recyclables before they are collected saves the use of expensive materials recovery equipment which otherwise has to do the sorting．Such equipment often makes recycled materials very expensive, so expensive that tons of recyclables remain wasted．Shantzis believes his system could help recycled materials become more cost－effective．

Reading comprehension

　　Olaf Stapledon wrote a book called First and Last Men, in which he looked millions of years ahead．He told of different men and of strange civilizations(文明), broken up by long “dark ages” in between．In his view, what is called the present time is no more than a moment in human history and we are just the First Men．In 2, 000 million years from now there will be the Eighteenth or Last Men．

　　However, most of our ideas about the future are really very short－sighted．Perhaps we can see some possibilities for the next fifty years．But the next hundred? The next thousand? The next million? That's much more difficult．

　　When men and women lived by hunting 50, 000 years ago, how could they even begin to picture modern life? Yet to men of 50, 000 years from now, we may seem as primitive(原始的)in our ideas as the Stone－Age hunters do to us．Perhaps they will spend their days gollocking to make new spundels, or struggling with their ballalators through the cribe．These words, which I have just made up, have to stand for things and ideas that we simply can't think of．

　　So why bother even to try imagining life far in the future? Here are two reasons．First, unless we remember how short our own lives are compared with the whole human history, we are likely to think our own interests are much more important than they really are．If we make the earth a poor place to live because we are careless or greedy(贪婪)or quarrelsome, our grandchildren will not bother to think of excuses for us．

　　Second, by trying to escape from present interests and imagine life far in the future, we may arrive at quite fresh ideas that we can use ourselves．For example, if we imagine that in the future men may give up farming, we can think of trying it now．So set you imagination free when you think about the future．

阅读理解

Adult Basic Education(ABE)and GED Preparation

　　Task：

　　The Adult Basic Education Department serves a huge population of learners．Our task is to teach basic skills and help learners to get more knowledge to function effectively as a family member, citizen, worker, and lifelong learner in a changing world．

　　Description：

　　ABE is a non-credit program of self-improvement designed to improve basic skills for students who are of different educational level．Development of reading, writing, and math skills are paid special attention to, as well as life skills, employability, and technology．Students without a high school diploma(文凭)also have the opportunity to prepare for the GED exams in the five subject areas writing, social studies, science, literature, and math．

　　Prerequisites(条件)：

　　ABE classes are open to anyone 18 or over who desires to improve basic reading, writing, and math skills at the pre-college level．Students who are 16 or 17 must first obtain an official release(证书)from high school before attending class．

　　To be accepted, students must attend an Educational Planning Session．During the Educational Planning Session students will be given an overview of the ABE programs as well as PCC policies, fees, etc．Students will also have their reading, writing, and math abilities assessed(评估)during the Educational Planning Session The results of their assessment will help the teachers develop individual programs of study for students to guide them toward their personal goals．Students needing special help must get in touch with the Office for Students with Disabilities(503-977-4341)at least two weeks before the session is held．

　　Courses：

阅读理解

　　Fifteen years after the fall of the Berlin wall, a private museum is rebuilding a 200-metre section of it．The site, close to Checkpoint Charlie, the famous Cold War border crossing, is meant to satisfy tourists．The new copy consists of large concrete(混凝土)pieces taken from the actual wall．But it must follow a slightly different course because of new buildings on the site of the original wall．

　　Alexandra Hildebrandt, the manager of the Checkpoint Charlie museum, said it would remind people of the history when East and West Berlin were separated by the wall．Some young people tend to forget it．

　　After World War II, Berlin was divided into four parts：the Soviet, US, UK, and French．Each had a part of the city under its control．At first, the citizens of Berlin were allowed to move freely．However, as the Cold War continued, movement became restricted(受限制的)．The border between West Germany and East Germany was closed in 1952．

　　Work on a wall around the three western parts began on August 13, 1961 in East Berlin．It was backed by the Soviet Union．The wall was a 155-kilometre-long wall with an average height of 3.6 meters．West Germany would hold their babies above the wall for relatives to see．

　　After 28 years of separation, travel restrictions on East Germans were lifted by the East German Government on November 9, 1989．Tens of thousands of people immediately went to the wall, where the border guards opened passages and allowed them through．November 9 is considered the day when the wall fell．The fall of the Berlin Wall marked the end of the Cold War．West and East Germany were unified on October 3, 1990．

　　"It's a very strange feeling," Wolfgang Mtiller,53, a worker who used to live in East Berlin, said as he carefully smoothed cement(水泥)on to the blocks, "I never thought I would be building the Berlin Wall again．"

阅读理解

　　For your information if you should ever be in the same situation, this is how my son was able to survive for five nights without a　phone or money as a teen runaway．He was actually more prepared for the adventure than I thought．

　　He did not have any money but begged．Someone gave him as much as ＄40.00．He was also seen in front of Safeway where he was able to get free food．

　　In his backpack were newspaper clippings(剪报)from the free newspapers advertising different locations, things to do, head shops in the area．Anything that was free clinics, shelters(庇护所)and food．There was one small book on how to be homeless and another piece of paper with a listing of the homeless shelters．

　　When he arrived into a town he would talk to the homeless people to find out where he could stay．Interestingly enough, the adult homeless wanted nothing to do with underage kids．They would tell him where the “homeless teen camps” were or how to get in touch with them．

　　While looking for him, most of the teens that we talked to did not want to give us any information, but once we got into a conversation with them, they became forthright．They also would give us their opinion on how we should be parenting our kid．

　　My son claimed he did not hitchhike(yeah!!)．He took the bus from place to place．The bus for teens I think is roughly one dollar．

　　He went to the library and checked his My Space．He did receive the messages we had written him but did not reply．

　　A teen runaway is not a crime in California, therefore, the police or law enforcement is not actively looking for your kid．There are over 28,000 teen runaways in California alone．Our son was found by a friend and picked up by the police in the Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco．The Haight is a favorite for homeless teen runaways and somehow they all know it．I think they know they can survive there．He told us he met kids from all over the country．I always felt like he was hiding from us or watching us and it seemed like we were always one day behind him．

阅读理解

Convenience Foods

　　Instead of buying only fresh foods, Americans nowadays buy many more convenience foods．These are foods which are ready partly or completely prepared．Many of them are frozen, such as frozen dinner, heated-serve French fries, and frozen pizzas．There are also many canned convenience foods, such as ready-made spaghetti, soups, stews, and vegetables．

　　Convenience foods save time and trouble．They are popular with people who are busy or who don' t like to cook or wash dishes．But they often cost more than fresh, unprepared foods and may contain man-made additives．Also, many people feel they don't taste as good as home-cooked foods．

Health Food and Co-ops

　　In the 1960s, a "back-to-the-earth" movement was started by young people in the United States．The movement was a reaction against the harmful effects of technology．From the movement came a new understanding of food and health．Many people now prefer natural and Organic(有机物)foods to the prepared foods sold in health food stores and in food co-ops, which are small stores where customers help manage the store．In co-ops, food is usually not packaged．Customers bring their own bags and jars and take their food out of boxes or baskets．

The Diet Craze(节食热)

　　These days Americans are more and more concerned with their weight．Perhaps as many as 70 million Americans are on weight-dollar business．

　　American supermarkets sell a variety of diet foods such as diet soft drinks, diet candy, and diet salad dressings．Dieters also spend money on diet pills, exercise machines, and jogging suits(健美服)．Each year dozens of new diets are popularized．They have such names as the Miracle(奇效的)Diet, the Nine-day Wonder Diet, and the East 24-hour Diet．There is even one called the Ice Cream Diet, which advises dieters to eat only ice cream for lunch and dinner! For dieters who cannot lose weight on their own, there are many well-organized diet groups, which offer help and encouragement．