阅读理解

　　Early on Saturday morning, one of the largest earthquakes ever recorded hit central Chile．The powerful quake killed more than 800 people, destroyed or badly damaged 1.5 million homes and affected almost 2 million people．

　　The 8.8-magnitude earthquake struck around 3∶34 a. m., jolting(震摇)people awake all over the country．The earthquake came from underwater, off the coast of Chile．

　　Fernando Abarzua was in one of the many buildings that collapsed(倒塌)there．“I was on the eighth floor and all of a sudden I was down here,” he said, adding that he was surprised to have escaped with no major injuries．

　　The earthquake triggered(引发)a tsunami that swept across the Pacific Ocean, setting off warnings in 53 countries．In the end, the tsunami's waves caused major damage and several deaths in Chile but nowhere else．

　　Dozens of aftershocks, or smaller earthquakes, rattled(使颤动)the area in the days following Saturday's massive quake．

　　Chile has a history of earthquakes．The largest recorded earthquake in the world－a 9.5-magnitude quake－struck the country in May 1960．Since 1973, there have been 13 quakes there with a magnitude of at least 7.0．As a result, Chile's newer buildings were built to withstand(经受住)the shocks．

　　That is one reason that Chile's quake－though 500 times stronger－has caused much less damage than the earthquake that struck Haiti in January．

　　On Sunday, Bachelet ordered troops in Chile to help hand out food, water and blankets and to clear rubble(瓦砾堆)from the roads．Temporary hospitals were planned for the hardest-hit areas．

　　She later requested help from the international community．On Monday, the United Nations prepared earthquake relief efforts as well as 30 tons of food and other help．

　　Even before Bachelet's request, President Obama announced that the U．S．was prepared to help．“The United States stands ready to assist in the rescue and recovery efforts,” he said．

阅读理解

　　Online shopping started not so long ago．Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web in 1990．The first online bank opened in 1994．In 1995, Amazon started operating and is not one of the largest online shopping malls．Then in 1996, eBay started its online shopping site．

　　By sitting at home you can now buy anything from knives to cars．The worry you may have about traveling and parking can be avoided(避免)while you shop online．With online shopping, you need not worry about the weather．Online shops have no holidays, closing times or any other problems．You can shop 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year．Some online shops also keep customers'opinions about each product, so you can easily find out what other customers think about the product before buying it．

　　When you go for real-world shopping, you can actually touch and feel it, but in online shopping you can only see the pictures．Also if you are shopping online, you have to be careful with your credit cards．

　　The first step in online shopping is to search for what you want to buy．Once you find the required product, put it in a “shopping cart” and continue shopping．After you have got enough in your “shopping cart”, check out the product．You can add or take out the products in your shopping cart．The next step is to login(登录)using a username and a password．Enter the address where you want the product to be sent．Some sites even ask for your email, phone numbers, ect．

　　Then wait for the confirmation(确认)of your order．You can also cancel(取消)the order if needed．Online shopping is a different experience and you can make shopping online easy when you get used to it．

阅读理解

　　Two Chinese farmers who became an overnight sensation(轰动)when their heart-rending version of a famous pop song appeared on the Internet took to the stage in front of thousands of fans in Shanghai last Saturday．

　　Wang Xu, 44, and Liu Gang, 29, sang “In the Spring” alongside the song’s star composer Wang Feng, in front of about 80,000 people at the Shanghai Stadium．

　　The audience buzzed with excitement and let out deafening cheers, the moment as they were introduced on the stage and then when Liu started the first sentence of their parts of the song．

　　The two migrant workers became stars after singing the tearjerker(催人泪下的)song during an evening drinking session in a 6-square-meter rented room in a late August evening．A friend recorded the performance on a cell phone and posted it on the Internet．

　　“If someday I am dead, please bury me in the spring,” they sing．Wang’s penetrating chorus(合唱), delivered with his eyes closed, has moved thousands to tears．

　　Wang and Liu consider the song a true portrait of lower-class groups like themselves．“With no credit card, no girlfriend, or a home with hot water, but only a guitar, I am singing happily, on streets, under bridges or in the wild country, though nobody pays attention to the music,” they sing．

　　To support his wife and two sons, Wang came to Beijing in 2000 from the countryside and has worked as a boiler man, and street peddler, before becoming a medical warehouse keeper, with a monthly pay of around 1,500 yuan．Little is left after he pays 600 yuan for rent and buys food．

　　Liu came to Beijing in 2002．“I wanted to try my luck in the big city,” he said．He had worked as a guard, roadside peddler, and porter, but never had a stable job．Street performing was his main income, even after he married and became a father three years ago．

　　Wang and Liu are still uncertain where their fame will lead．Wang has started learning to use a computer．They even have a microblog(微博)account to communicate with fans．

阅读理解

　　The common cold is the world’s most widespread illness, which is plagues(疫病)that flesh receives．

　　The most widespread mistake of all is that colds are caused by cold．They are not．They are caused by viruses passing on from person to person．You catch a cold by coming into contact, directly or indirectly, with someone who already has one．If cold causes colds, it would be reasonable to expect the Eskimos to suffer from them forever．But they do not．And in isolated Arctic regions explorers have reported being free from colds until coming into contact again with infected people from the outside world by way of packages and mail dropped from airplanes．?

　　During the First World War soldiers who spent long periods in the trenches(战壕), cold and wet, showed no increased tendency to catch colds．?

　　In the Second World War prisoners at the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp(奥斯维辛集中营), naked and starving, were astonished to find that they seldom had colds．?

　　At the Common Cold Research Unit in England, volunteers took part in experiments in which they put themselves into the discomforts of being cold and wet for long stretches of time．After taking hot baths, they put on bathing suits, allowed themselves to be with cold water, and then stood about dripping wet in drafty room．Some wore wet socks all day while others exercised in the rain until close to exhaustion．Not one of the volunteers came down with a cold unless a cold virus was actually dropped in his nose．?

　　If, then, cold and wet have nothing to do with catching colds, why are they more frequent in the winter? Despite the most pains－taking research, no one has yet found the answer．One explanation offered by scientists is that people tend to stay together indoors more in cold weather than at other times, and this makes it easier for cold viruses to be passed on．

　　No one has yet found a cure for the cold．There are drugs and pain suppressors(止痛片)such as aspirin, but all they do is to relieve the symptoms．

阅读理解

　　Some people believe that international sport creates goodwill between the nations and that if countries play games together they will learn to live together．Others say that the opposite is true：international contests encourage false national pride and lead to misunderstanding and hatred．There is probably some truth in both arguments, but in recent years the Olympic Games have done little to support the view that sports encourage international brotherhood．Not only was there the incident of tragedy involving murders of athletes, but the Games were also ruined by lesser incidents caused principally by minor national contests．

　　One country received its second-place medals with visible anger after the hockey final．There had been noisy scenes at the end of the hockey match, as the losers disagreed with the final decisions．They believed that one of their goals should have been allowed and that their opponents’ victory was unfair．Their manager was in great anger when he said：“This isn’t hockey．Hockey and the International Hockey Federation are finished．” The president of the Federation said later that such behavior could result in the suspension(停赛)of the team for at least three years．

　　The American basketball team announced that they would not yield first place to Russia, after a disputable(有争议的)end to their contest．The game had ended in disorder．It was thought at first that the United States had won by a single point, but it was announced that there were three seconds still to play．A Russian player then threw the ball from one end of the court to the other, and another player popped it into the basket．It was the first time the US had ever lost an Olympic basketball match．An appeal jury(评审委员会)debated the matter for four and a half hours before announcing that the result would stand．The American players then voted not to receive the silver medals．

　　Incidents of this kind will continue as long as sport is played competitively rather than for the love of the game．The suggestion that athletes should compete as individuals or in non-national teams, might be too much to hope for．But in the present organization of the Olympics there is far too much that encourages aggressive patriotism(爱国主义)．

阅读理解

　　JAZZ with the Mike Thomas Jazz Band at The Derby Arms．Upper Richmond Road West, Sheen．

　　DISCO Satin Sounds Disco．Free at The Lord Napier, Mort lake High St．, from 8 a. m. to 8 p. m．Tel：682-1158．

　　JAZZ Lysis at The Bull’s Head, Barnes．Admission 60p．

　　MUSICAL HALL at The Star and Garter, Lower Richmond Road, Putney, provided by the Aba Daba Music Hall company．Good food and entertainment fair price．Tel：789-6749．

　　FAMILY night out? Join the sing-along at The Black Horse．Sheen Road, Richmond．

　　JAZZ The John Bennett Big Band at The Bull’s Head, Barnes．Admission 80p．

　　THE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion(手风琴)．Tel：789-4536

　　DISCO Satin Sounds Disco, free at The Lord Napier, Mort Lake High Street, from 8 a. m. to 8 p. m．

　　FOLK MUSIC at The Derby Arms．The Short Stuff and residents the Norman Chop Trio．Non-members 70p．Tel：688-4626．

　　HEAVY MUSIC with Tony Simon at The Bull, Upper Richmond Road West, East Sheen．

　　THE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion．

阅读理解

　　Mr．Peter Johnson, aged twenty-three, battled for half an hour to escape from his trapped car yesterday when it landed upside down in three feet of water．Mr．Johnson took the only escape route－through the boot(行李箱)．

　　Mr．Johnson’s car had finished up in a ditch(沟渠)at Romney Marsin, Kent after skidding on ice and hitting a bank．“Fortunately, the water began to come in only slowly,” Mr．Johnson said．“I couldn’t force the doors because they were jammed against the walls of the ditch and dared not open the windows because I knew water would come flooding in．”

　　Mr．Johnson, a sweet salesman of Sitting Home, Kent, first tried to attract the attention of other motorists by sounding the horn and hammering on the roof and boot．Then he began his struggle to escape．

　　Later he said, “It was really a half penny that saved my life．It was the only coin I had in my pocket and I used it to unscrew(拧开)the back seat to get into the boot．I hammered desperately with a hammer trying to make someone hear, but no help came．”

　　It took ten minutes to unscrew the seat, and a further five minutes to clear the sweet samples from the boot．Then Mr．Johnson found a wrench and began to work on the boot lock．Fifteen minutes passed by．“It was the only chance I had．Finally it gave, but as soon as I moved the boot lid, the water and mud poured in．I forced the lid down into the mud and climbed out as the car filled up．”

　　His hands and arms cut and bruised, Mr．Johnson got to Beckett Farm nearby, where he was looked after by the farmer’s wife, Mrs．Lucy Bates．Huddled in a blanket, he said, “That thirty minutes seemed like hours．” Only the tips of the car wheels were visible, police said last night．The vehicle had sunk into two feet of mud at the bottom of the ditch．

阅读理解

　　It was in 1865 that two Frenchmen were looking into the future．Edouard de Laboulaye, who studied history, admired the United States greatly．Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was a famous artist．De Laboulaye was thinking about 1876, when the country he respected so much would celebrate its 100th birthday．What gift would be good enough for the people of France to give?Right away, Bartholdi thought of a giant statue．

　　Bartholdi kept thinking about a statue for several years．Then, in 1871, he visited the United States and saw the perfect place for a huge statue．It was Bedloe's Island in New York．

　　The project－the Statue of Liberty－got started almost immediately, and Bartholdi went home to France to begin work．However, the statue was not finished in time for the 100th birthday．The United States Congress approved(批准)the use of Bedloe's Island on February 22, 1877．During the 100th celebration in 1876, the arm of the statue that would hold the torch was shown in Philadelphia．In 1879 the huge head was put on display in France．For the face of the statue, Bartholdi used his mother as a model．

　　The statue was finally completed in 1884．The work had been difficult enough, but then some really hard work began．The statue had to be taken apart and packed into boxes．It was not until May 1885 that the statue－in pieces－left France for its new home．

　　The statue arrived in June．However, the Americans fell behind on their part of the project．They hadn't raised enough money for building the base of the statue．People wondered if the country really needed or wanted such a gift．Finally, though, the money was raised and the base was completed．The last piece of the statue was put in place on October 28, 1886．

阅读理解

　　The gray-haired lady can't wait to leave the building to search for her dad．Unless watched, she will walk in the streets in an effort to find her father, who died 30 years ago．

　　Not all cases of Alzheimer's disease look like this, but Alzheimer's is a serious disease that is said to be the fourth or fifth leading cause of death for people over age 75．

　　It is said that about three percent of the U．S．population over age 65 have Alzheimer's．In the early stages, people may exhibit short term memory loss．Some may experience changes in personality, easy to be angry．As the disease progresses, patients might lose the ability to move and may be unable to speak or move at all．This progressive disease generally lasts 8 to 10 years before death occurs．

　　While no one is certain what causes these changes in the brain's nerve fibers(神经纤维), their effect is certain．Alzheimer's destroys not only the patients, but also spouses(配偶), friends and families．

　　What should you do if you notice progressive memory loss in yourself or a loved one? Have the person examined by a doctor who is a specialist in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease．Though many reasons other than Alzheimer's disease may cause memory loss, its early diagnosis(诊断)and treatment may delay some of the most serious effects．

　　What feeling will you likely experience should a loved one suffer from Alzheimer's disease? A person will often go through the various stages of sadness, shock, anger, and so on．If the spouse develops the disease, you may experience hurt and disappointment when he or she doesn't remember you are married．

　　Life for the Alzheimer's patients and their loved ones will never be the same as the disease progresses, bringing a deep sorrow, loss and even anger towards God．No matter what feelings are present, facing them honestly will serve one better than burying them．

阅读理解

　　As the world watched the twin towers of the World Trade Center come under attack, a common phrase was repeated：“It looks like a movie．”

　　But this time there was no superman to save the people or the famous building．The attack destroyed one of the world's highest skyscrapers and left 5,000 people dead or missing．

　　Movie fans have become used to such events after years of Hollywood films showing disasters, terrorism(恐怖主义)and danger, The Empire State Building, the White House, New York City and even the American president himself have all been threatened by terrorist attacks in these exciting films．

　　The film “True Lies”, released(发行)in 1994 is considered to be a good example of this kind of movie．The special effects, including explosions and missiles, make the action look like a real thing．

　　“Independence Day” in 1996 took this type of movie one step further by blowing up the White House．This science fiction movie is about a war between human beings and aliens(外来人)from another planet．In the movie, the World Trade Center towers are destroyed．

　　Violence has become a major part of Hollywood movies．And this is what people enjoy．Soon after the attacks, many famous film companies stopped the planned releases of some of their new movies, especially if their films showed terrorist attacks or plane crashes．“Swordfish” was top of the American box office in June, 2001．But the movie's story was frighteningly similar to the Sept．11 disaster．The film would have been stopped in American and British cinemas after the attack．

　　But it's unlikely that Hollywood will stay quiet for long．It is already waiting for the feeling in America to calm down．