阅读理解

　　In a US city, a woman parked her car in an attended lot．Hoping to get a discount on the cost of parking, she asked, “Do you give validation(批准)?” “Certainly,”replied the store's manager：“You are an excellent person and I love your hair．” That might be worth the cost of parking．I mean，who wouldn't pay a couple of dollars for this kind of validation?

　　Author Alan McGinIlis cites an interesting study about the power of positive encouragement．A second-grade teacher complained that her children were spending too much time standing up and roaming around the room rather than working．

　　Two psychologists observed the behavior of the children and the teacher．Every ten seconds they noted how many children were out of their seats．They counted 360 unseated children throughout each 20-minute period．They also noted that the teacher said "Sit down!" seven times during the same period．

　　The psychologists tried an experiment．They asked the teacher to tell the children to sit down more often．This time they noted that she commanded her students to sit down 27.5 times in an average 20-minute period, and now 540 were noted to be out of their seats during the same average period．Her increased scolding actually made the problem worse．

　　Then the experimenters tried a different task．They asked the teacher to quietly praise those children who were seated and working．At this time, children's roaming was decreased by 33％．They showed their best behavior when they were praised more and blamed less．

　　People who motivate others to take great action are almost always those who encourage more than criticize; who praise more and blame less．

　　Perhaps the woman's question is the correct one after all．"Do you give validation?" I hope I can always answer “YES”．

阅读理解

　　For the last couple of weeks, I had been stuck in front of my computer working on a project that was very important to me．My every waking hour was consumed by the project and although I imagined that I would feel happy after completing parts of the project, I was confused to find that instead, I was feeling rather depressed．I tried a range of methods to help cheer myself up．I had a relaxing bath, cooked a delicious meal to enjoy with my family and even watched a lighthearted movie, but to no avail．It was only when I turned to meditation(沉思)for a solution that the answer came to me：turn to nature!

　　The very next day, I grabbed my camera and a bottle of water and set off to spend a few hours walking in a nature reserve, even though it was pouring with rain．Within a couple of minutes I felt alive again．To be honest, I felt like a young school girl again and had to stop myself from hopping along the path singing, "I'm singing in the rain", a song I used to sing when I was a child．I think as adults we often try too hard to control our inner children and as a result we restrain(限制)our own spirits, which only leads to depression and stress．

　　Interestingly, it has been shown that people who spend 40 minutes walking in a nature reserve have a drop in their blood pressure levels, but this does not happen when they spend a similar amount of time walking in a busy city centre．

　　If you feel a little low in spirit and know that you have spent too much time indoors, relax completely, remove your shoes and let your inner child come out and play．

阅读理解

　　Brighton is in the county of East Sussex, on the South coast of England．Situated between the English Channel and the South Downs, Brighton is 90 km from London．Brighton's nearby neighbor, Hove, is seen by some as a more desirable location than Brighton and it is often referred to by locals as "Hove, actually"．

　　Brighton is a small city but there's probably as much going on here as anywhere in the country except London．Brighton has numerous entertainment facilities, which additionally serve a considerable business conference industry．There's a huge range of entertainment venues, including comedy at the Brighton Komedia, world music, opera and ballet at the Brighton Dome, jazz at the Joogleberry, top stars at the Brighton Centre and pre-West End shows at the Theatre Royal．The live music scene is also alive and well with several bands originating from the Brighton area going on to have commercial success in recent years．

　　Every year in May, Brighton hosts the "Brighton Festival"－the largest arts festival in England．Brighton's theatres, concert halls, streets and some of the city's most extraordinary venues host an array of art, entertainment and extravaganza(盛大表演)．The earliest feature of the festival, "Open Houses" ------ homes of artists and crafts people, opened up to the public as galleries and usually sell the works of the inhabitants and their friends．

　　Students at the two universities in the area give the city a youthful vitality(活力), and in the summer, thousands of young students from all over Europe gather in the city to attend language courses．In addition to the usual coastal attractions, vacationers are drawn to the city's Georgian architecture, trendy shops, and fine restaurants．Points of interest also include the Edwardian Preston Manor, the ornate Royal Pavilion, the engaging Sea Life Center, and a　variety of museums and art galleries．

阅读理解

　　Be aware of those who use the truth to deceive．When someone tells you something that is true, but leaves out important information that should be included, he can create a false impression．For example, someone might say, “I just won a hundred dollars on the lottery．It was great．I took that dollar ticket back to the store and turned it in for one hundred dollars!” This guy’s a winner, right? Maybe, or maybe not．We then discover that he bought two hundred tickets, and only one was winner．He’s really a big loser! He didn’t say anything that was false, but he omitted important information on purpose．That’s called a half-truth．Half-truths are not technically lies, but they are just as dishonest．

　　Untrustworthy candidates in political campaigns often use this tactic．Let’s say that during Governor Smith’s last term, her state lost one million jobs and gained three million jobs．Then she seeks another term．One of her opponents runs an advertisement, saying “During Governor Smith’s term, the state lost one million jobs!” That’s true．However an honest statement would have been, “During Governor Smith’s term, the state had a net gain of two million jobs．”

　　Advertisers will sometimes use half-truths．It’s against the law to make false claims so they try to mislead you with the truth．An advertisement might boast, “Nine out of ten doctors recommend Yucky Pills to cure nose pimples(粉刺)．” It fails to mention that they only asked ten doctors and nine of them work for the Yucky Corporation．

　　This kind of deception happens too often．It’s a sad fact of life：Lies are lies, and sometimes the truth can lie as well．

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　　The city of Rome has passed a new law to prevent cruelty to animals．All goldfish bowls are no longer allowed and dog owners must walk their dogs．

　　This comes after a national law was passed to give prison sentences to people who desert cats or dogs．

　　“The civilization of a city can be measured by this,” said Monica Carina, the councilor behind the new law．

　　The newspaper reported that round bowls don’t give enough oxygen for fish and may make them go blind．

　　“Rome has tried to protect fish more than anywhere else in the world．It stands out for recognizing that fish are interesting animals that deserve over respect and pity every bit as much as dogs and cats and other animals,” said Karin Robertson, a director of the People for the Ethical treatment of Animals．

　　Lat year a law was passed in Italy that gives people who desert pets big fines and prison sentences．Since then local governments have added their own animal protection rules．

　　The northern city of Turin passed a law in April to give pet owners fines of up to ＄598 if they do not walk their dogs three times a day．

　　The new law in Rome also says that owners mustn’t leave their dogs in hot cars or cut their dogs’ tail to make them look lovelier．The law also gives legal recognition to the “cat ladies” who feed homeless cats．The cats live all over the city from ancient ruins to modern office car parks．

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　　Free energy is everywhere around us．There are many ways to make and collect energy from various sources like sun, wind and water．People also realize that everyday stuff can be a source of energy too．For example, riding a bike, running or just walking, etc．We simply have to change our way of thinking if we want to change the world．

　　So comes the idea of solar roadways．Are they the road of future? Why use roads just for driving and collecting tolls(过路费)? Why don’t we use them for collecting energy?

　　The US Department of Transportation recently awarded ＄100,000 to Solar Roadways to build the first ever Solar Road Panel．So how do these future roads work?

　　The Solar Road Panels will contain embedded(嵌入的)LEDs which “paint” the road lines from beneath to provide safer nighttime driving as well as to give drivers instant instructions such as detour(绕行)ahead．The road will be able to sense wildlife on the road and can warn drivers to “slow down”．There will also be embedded heating elements in the surface to prevent snow and ice buildup, providing safer winter driving．

　　Replacing asphalt(沥青)roads and parking lots with Solar Roadway Panels will be a major step toward stopping climate change．Fully electric vehicles will be able to recharge along the roadway and in parking lots, finally making electric cars practical for long trips．

　　We just can’t wait to see more of these roads all over the world in the near future．

阅读理解

　　Mom noticed that something was wrong when I started getting so thirsty, I’d have a lot to drink before bed, which was unusual for me．One time, I opened a big container of apple juice and kept refilling my glass．Before I knew it, I’d drunk the entire container! My mom call my doctor．I then had a few blood tests, and the results were certain－I had diabetes, which meant that the amount of sugar in my blood was very high．That can be dangerous, so I had to learn how to control my blood-sugar level．

　　My eating habits had to change in a big way．With diabetes, I can’t eat a lot of sugar or carbohydrates．I have to figure out exactly how much sugar I plan to eat, and then I get an injection of insulin before the meals to help my body process the food．Also, I test my blood-sugar level often．I’m always trying to keep my blood sugar at a healthy level．The level can drop when I exercise, but that doesn’t keep me out of gym class or off the basketball court－I just keep some juice boxes around to boost my blood sugar if I need to．

　　It’s a lot of work－and not a lot of fun－to keep track of everything, but I’ve gotten used to my new habits．I was a little scared at first because I wasn’t sure how my life would change．Once I knew what I needed to do, though, it wasn’t a big deal．My life is different now from what it was before, but it has become completely regular to me．

阅读理解

　　What would you think if you went back to school on Monday and there were no desks or chairs in your classroom?

　　That's what some fourth-and-fifth-graders at a school in Minnesota discovered earlier this year when they took part in a research project to see if changing their classrooms would make them more active．

　　Researchers from the Mayo Clinic were concerned about reports that as many as half of American kids could be seriously overweight - or obese - by the year 2010．So they set up a different kind of classroom, which you might see in the future．

　　Instead of desks, the Elton Hills Elementary students had adjustable work stations where they could stand, kneel on mats or sit on big exercise balls．Students were given laptops and iPods that allowed them to move and learn at the same time．

　　Sensors(传感器)were attached to the kids' legs to calculate how many calories students burned in their new set-up．

　　Their typical school day was probably not anything like yours．One group of students downloaded an audio file(有声文件)of their teacher reading a book; they listened to it while walking for exercise．Another group took a spelling test by listening to their iPods．

　　Some students liked the freedom, but others missed the traditional classroom．

　　"I don't like standing up," Mariah Matrious said．"My legs get tired, and I like sitting down．"

　　So, did the experiment work? Researchers still are studying the data, but early results indicate that the kids did move around more in the new classroom．

　　"It showed us that, given the opportunity to move, kids will move," said researcher Lorraine Lanningham-Foster．

　　That's important because studies have shown that even simple movement - climbing stairs instead of taking an elevator(电梯), for example, or washing dishes by hand instead of loading the dishwasher - can be as important as formal exercise when it comes to controlling one's weight．

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　　Just getting accepted to an American college or university does not guarantee that you will get a visa．And getting a visa just lets you arrive in the United States．It does not guarantee that an immigration officer will permit you to enter the country．

　　If you are requesting a visa for the first time, you will probably have to go to an American embassy or consulate(领事馆)．You will need to bring a government form sent to you by your American school that shows you have been accepted．

　　You will also need banking and tax records that show you have enough money to pay for your education．And be prepared to provide evidence that you will return to your home country after your studies end．

　　All of this is important in satisfying the requirements to get a visa．A consular official will also take your picture and your fingerprints．

　　Foreign students must contact their local embassy or consulate to request an interview and to get other information．This includes directions about how and where to pay the visa application charge．The cost is two hundred dollars．

　　You should apply for the visa as soon as you have been accepted to a school in the United States．The government needs time to perform a background investigation．

　　You cannot receive a visa more than one hundred twenty days before the start of your program．And if you are coming as a student for the first time, you cannot enter the country more than thirty days before classes begin．

　　Once you come to the United States, you can stay for the length of your period of study．Your school is required to provide the Department of Homeland Security with reports on your status as a student．

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　　China’s government has been trying all measures to reduce pollution in the past few years．Now people can enjoy a fresh environment everywhere．The following two graphs are adopted from the column of “City Information” on the webpage of Beijing Review．

　　Notes：

　　**API stands for Air Pollution Index(指数)．

　　**Particulate matter(PM10)is a major component of air pollution that threatens both our health and our environment．It consists of very small liquid and solid particles floating in the air．

　　**Sulfur dioxide(SO₂)acts as an acid．Inhalation(吸入)results in labored breathing, coughing, or a sore throat and may cause permanent lung damage．