阅读理解

　　A man was on the side of the road hitchhiking(搭便车)on a very dark night in the middle of a terrible rainstorm, with no cars on the road．The storm was so strong that the man could hardly see a few feet ahead of him．Suddenly, he saw a car come towards him and stop．The man, without thinking about it, got in the car and closed the door and only then did he realize that there was nobody behind the steering wheel(方向盘)!

　　The car started to move very slowly．The man looked at the road and saw a curve(拐弯处)coming his way．Terrified, he started to pray, begging for his life．He had not come out of shock when, just before the car hit the curve, a hand suddenly appeared through the window and moved the wheel．The man, paralyzed with fear, watched how the hand appeared every time the car was drawing near a curve．Finally, although terrified, the man managed to open the door and jump out of the spooky(幽灵般的)car．Without looking back, the man ran through the storm all the way to the nearest town．In a state of complete horror, the man walked into a nearby bar and asked for two glasses of Scotch whisky．

　　Then, still shaking with fright, he started telling everybody in the bar about the horrible experience he just went through in the spooky car．Everyone in the bar listened in silence and became frightened, with hair standing on end, when they realized the man was telling the truth because he was crying and he was certainly not drunk!

　　About half an hour later, two other young men walked into the same bar and one said to the other, “Hey, there’s a stupid man who jumped into the car while we were pushing it!”

阅读理解

　　Everybody has one of those days when everything goes wrong．This is what happened to Harry．

　　He got up one morning very late because he had forgotten to wind up his alarm clock(闹钟)．He tried to shave(刮脸)quickly and cut himself．When he got dressed he got blood all over his clean shirt, so he had to find another one．The only other shirt that was clean needed ironing(熨), so he ironed it．While he was ironing it, there was a knock at the door．It was the man to read the electricity meter(表)．He showed him where the meter was, said good-bye and found that the iron had burnt a hole in his shirt．So he had to wear the one with the blood on it after all．By this time it was very late, so he decided he couldn’t go to work by bus．He telephoned for a taxi to take him to work．The taxi arrived and Harry got in and began to read the newspaper．

　　In another part of the town, a man had killed a woman with a knife and was seen to run away in a taxi．When Harry’s taxi stopped outside his office, a policeman happened to be standing there．He saw the blood on Harry’s shirt, and took him to the police station．He was kept till 3 o’clock in the afternoon before the police were sure that he was not the man they wanted．When he finally arrived at the office at about four, his boss took a look at him and told him to go away and find another job．

阅读理解

　　The oldest forms of medicine are enjoying a comeback．Modern holistic(整体的)medicine is an approach that treats the whole patient, not just the disease．It is a way to maintain good health rather than cure illness．The most important influences on today’s holistic medicine are ancient Chinese medicine and Indian Ayurvedic medicine, both of which promoted whole body health．

　　Holistic medicine usually combines diet, physical exercise and meditation, together with other alternative techniques such as massage(按摩)and acupuncture(针灸)．Herbal treatment, a practice of treating illness by using plants, is influenced by the writings of Culpeper as well as Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine．Homeopathy(顺势疗法)is one of the forms of holistic medicine which is widely practiced in Europe and the USA．Homeopathy began in Germany in the early 1800s, when Samuel Hahnemann described how very tiny doses(剂量)of a drug had an effect on his patients．According to Hahnemann, the more the drug was diluted(稀释), the stronger its effects．The substance selected would produce similar effects to the disease itself if given in large doses．In the UK homeopathy is regarded as a non-traditional but just about acceptable treatment．

　　Meditation and contemplation have an important role in holistic medicine．They were brought to Europe by Indian teachers who combined Indian Ayurvedic medicine with Western beliefs．Transcendental meditation(超脱静坐)is one of the best known of these techniques．People repeat words inside their head to reach a state of deep relaxation．

　　The holistic movement has made many doctors look at the whole patient, not just the disease．Life-style, emotional problems and diet are just some of the factors that can affect a person’s health．Holistic medicine emphasizes good diet，exercise and fresh air, all of which contribute to health．Some clinics now offer holistic medicine along with traditional treatments, so that their patients can choose a combination of treatments that suits them．One problem with holistic medicine is that it is difficult for people to be sure a doctor is reliable．To solve this, many countries want alternative doctors to form professional bodies．

阅读理解

　　Five million people visit Grand Canyon in the US every year．For the purpose of helping project Grand Canyon for your fellow visitors and future generations, please follow the guidelines below．

　　Camping

　　To project the park, camping is allowed only within permitted campgrounds．Permits are required for overnight camping at the North Rim．Advance booking can be received by mail．Please write：Information Center, P．O．Box 129, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023

　　Fires

　　Because of the extreme fire danger, campfires are not allowed except at Mather and Desert View campgrounds．Collection of firewood is not allowed either．

　　Hiking(远足)

　　Please stay on permitted paths．Otherwise you may destroy desert plants．Pack out what you pack in, so you leave no signs of your visit．It is important to keep in mind that you are in a national park where wildlife exists．

　　Weather

　　The weather at Grand Canyon can change very quickly．With so much rock, lightning(闪电)causes a particular danger during sudden summer storms．These storms also frequently bring floods inside valleys, a danger to hikers．Watch the skies and check daily weather reports．

　　Wildlife

　　Do not feed park wildlife．There have been a few cases at Grand Canyon National Park where deer(鹿)were purposely shot because they ate plastic bags that left them sick and weak．Hungry deer can be danger and have kicked and bitten visitors at Grand Canyon．Some other animals will also beg and bite．For your own safety and the well-being of the animals, please do not feed wildlife, no matter how gentle they may appear．

阅读理解

　　The meaning of the word “volunteer” may be a little different in different countries, but it usually means “one who offers his or her services．” There are many different ways in which people can volunteer, such as taking care of sick people, working on homes for homeless children, and picking up garbage(垃圾)from beaches and parks．Volunteers may work within their countries or in other countries．They are often people with a strong wish to help those who are less fortunate than themselves．Volunteers don’t expect any kind of pay．

　　At the root of volunteering is the idea that one person may have the ability to offer services that can help other people．Tracy, a good friend of mine, however, recently came back from India with a new idea of what being a volunteer means．She worked for two and a half weeks in one of Mother Teresa’s homes in Calcutta．The following is her story．

　　“I first heard about Mother Teresa in my high school, we watched a video(录像)about her work in India and all over the world．I was so moved by her spirit to help others and her endless love for every human being that after I graduated from high school, I too wanted to try her kind of work．So with two friends I flew to Calcutta for a few weeks．”

　　“I was asked to work in a home for sick people．I helped wash clothes and sheets, and pass out lunch．I also fed the people who were too weak to feed themselves and tried to cheer the up．I felt it was better to share with them than to think that I have helped them．To be honest, I don’t think I was helping very much．It was then that I realized that I had not really come to help, but to learn about and experience another culture(文化)that helped improve my own understanding of life and the world．”

阅读理解

　　Honesty comes in many forms．First there’s self-honesty．Is what people see the real article or do you appear through smoke and mirrors? I find that if I try to be something I’m not．I feel unsure of myself and take out a part from my PBA(personal bank account)．I love how singer Judy Garland put it．“Always be a first-class version(版本)of yourself, instead of a second-class version of somebody else．”

　　Then there’s honesty in our actions．Are you honest at school, with your parents, and with your boss? If you’ve ever been dishonest, I think we all have, try being honest, and notice how whole it makes you feel．Remember, you can’t do wrong and feel right．This story by Jeff is a good example of that：

　　In my second year of study, there were three kids in my math class who didn’t do well．I was really good at it．I would charge them three dollars for each test that I helped them pass．I’d write on a little piece of paper all the right answers, and hand them off．

　　At first I felt like I was making money, kind of a nice job．I wasn’t thinking about how it could hurt all of us．After a while I realized I shouldn’t do that anymore, because I wasn’t really helping them．They weren’t learning anything, and it would only get harder down the road．Cheating certainly wasn’t helping me．

　　It takes courage to be honest when people all around you are getting away with cheating on tests, lying to their parents, and stealing at work．But, remember, every act of honesty is a deposit(储蓄)into your PBA and will build strength．

阅读理解

　　It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005．While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work．On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does．After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone．

　　The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport．Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family．And the bike was also used to get groceries(食品杂货)，saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live．

　　I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story．Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help．One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up．Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job．It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before．

　　People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so．This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity(人性)as a whole．And it has influenced(影响)us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others．No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares．And the results can be everlasting．

阅读理解

　　Of the thousands of different kinds of animals that exist in the world, man has learned to make friends with an enormous number．Some are pets, and offer him companionship; some give protection, and some do hard work which man cannot do for himself．Does, which serve man in all three capacities, are found in various breeds in all countries of the world．The Husky can live in the cold polar regions, and the Saluki is at home in the hottest parts of Central Africa．The inhabitants of certain countries are dependent for their very lives on the camel．In the West Indies the little donkey, strong and sure-fooled, carrying heavy loads even in mountainous places is a familiar sight．

　　Trained and tamed(驯养)for many generations, domestic(家养的)animals are not accustomed to roaming(到处走动))in search of food and shelter．They look to their masters to provide for their needs, and as long as these are supplied, they are content to do what their masters require．

　　All domestic animals need proper food．It must be suitable for them, enough in quantity, fresh and clean．Some people feed a pet dog or cat on leftovers of table food, and then wonder why the animal seems listless and dull．The quantity of food depends on the size of the animal and the amount of exercise it takes．Overfeeding is as bad as underfeeding．Containers for food and water must be washed regularly if the animal is to maintain good health．

　　Even well cared for animals may sometimes fall ill．If this happens, the wise master seeks the best advice he can get．All sorts of medicines and treatments are available for sick animals, and in some countries organizations exist to provide them free or at a cheap price．Useful, friendly, hardworking animals deserve to have some time, money and attention spent on their health．

阅读理解

　　By adopting a few simple techniques, parents who read to their children can greatly increase their children's language development．It is surprising but true．How parents talk to their children makes a big difference in the children's language development．If a parent encourages the child to actively respond to what the parent is reading, the child's language skills increase．

　　A study was done with 30 three-y ear-old children and their parents．Half of the children participated in the experimental study; the other half acted as the control group．In the experimental group, me parents were given a two-hour [raining session in which they were taught to ask open-ended questions rather man yes-or-no questions．For example, the parent should ask, "What is the doggie doing?" rather than "Is the doggie inning away?" The parents in the experimental group were also instructed in how to help children find answers, how to suggest alternative possibilities and how to praise correct answers．

　　At the beginning of the study, the children did not differ in measures of language development, but at the end of one month, the children in the experimental group showed 5.5 months ahead of the control group on a test of verbal expression and vocabulary．Nine months later, the children in me experimental group still showed an advance of 6 months over the children in the control group．

阅读理解

　　Treasure Island isn’t a true story, but the characters do seem to leap out of the pages alive, armed to the teeth and ready to go treasure hunting．But you will find, as you read this book, that although pirates can be murderous and treacherous(奸诈的), they can also be cowardly, superstitious, and easily led．As it turns out, that is fortunate for Jim Hawkins．

　　It's a brilliant story．Billy Bones, a retired seaman, comes to live at the Admiral Benbow inn．Jim is just a boy, but he can see that Billy Bones is a nervous man, always on the look-out for strangers arriving at the inn．And well he might be nervous, because he carries with him in his battered old sea-chest a map drawn by Captain Flint himself giving the whereabouts of all Flint's buried treasure! Captain Flint!－the most feared pirate ever to roam the high seas．

　　Well, Flint is dead, but there are plenty of men who served with Captain Flint still alive who feel they have a fair claim to the treasure．The map, though, ends up in the possession of Jim Hawkins -(it's a near thing, read the book to see how that happens)．

　　Jim tells the secret in the local doctor, who quickly join forces to acquire a ship and crew and provisions to sail for Treasure Island．

　　There's a famous scene where Jim, hiding in the apple barrel on deck, discovers that mutiny(叛乱)is planned．It's a bad moment．The numbers suggest that the pirates are going to have it all their own way．There are nineteen mutineers and seven honest men, including Jim．

　　And now, you will have to read the book for yourself．This is a fantastic tale of cheat, bravery and cowardice．I don't know how things would have turned out if it hadn't been for Jim Hawkins．For it is Jin who single-handedly steals the Hispaniola from under the very noses of the pirates and sails her round the island to a secret beaching place．

　　And do you know what happens to Long John Silver, the greatest double-crosser of them all? No? Well, don't expect me to tell you．

　　Don't be nervous of reading a 'classic'．I know it was published a long time ago, but that doesn't mean it is difficult to read．There is one piece of advice I will give, though．I don't think this book is ever out of print - there are hundreds of different copies around．If you can, choose a copy with large enough print to be able to read comfortably, and exciting illustrations．It makes all the difference．

　　Go ahead! Read the book．I think you'll love it．