阅读理解

　　Language learning begins with listening．Children are greatly different in the amount of listening they do before they start speaking, and later starters are often long listeners．Most children will “obey” spoken instructions some time before they can speak, though the word “obey” is hardly accurate as a description of the eager and delighted cooperation usually shown by the child．Before they can speak, many children will also ask questions by gesture and by making questioning noises．Any attempt to study the development from the noises babies make to their first spoken words leads to considerable difficulties．

　　It is agreed that they enjoy making noises, and that during the first few months one or two noises sort themselves as particularly expressive as delight, pain, friendliness, and so on．But since these can’t be said to show the baby’s intention to communicate, they can hardly be regarded as early forms of language．It is agreed, too, that from about three months they play with sounds for enjoyment, and that by six months they are able to add new words to their store．This self-imitation(模仿)leads on to deliberate(有意的)imitation of sounds made or words spoken to them by other people．The problem then arises as to the point at which one can say that these imitations can be considered as speech．It is a problem we need to get out．The meaning of a word depends on what a particular person means by it in a particular situation and it is clear that what a child means by a word will change as he gains more experience of the world．Thus the use at seven months of “mama” as a greeting for his mother cannot be dismissed as a meaningless sound simply because he also uses it at other times for his father, his dog, or anything else he likes．Playful and meaningless imitation of what other people say continues after the child has begun to speak for himself, I doubt, however whether anything is gained when parents take advantage of this ability in an attempt to teach new sounds．

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　　The biggest safety threat facing airlines today may not be a terrorist(恐布分子)with a gun, but the man with the portable computer in business class．In the last 15 years, pilots have reported well over 100 incidents that could have been caused by electromagnetic(电磁)interference(干扰)．The source of this interference remains unconfirmed, but increasingly, experts are pointing the blame at portable electronic device such as portable computers, radio and cassette players and mobile telephones．

　　RTCA, an organization which advises the aviation(航空)industry, has recommended that all airlines ban(禁止)such devices from being used during “critical” stages of flight, particularly take-off and landing．Some experts have gone further, calling for a total ban during all flights．Currently, rules on using these devices are left up to individual airlines．And although some airlines prohibit(禁止)passengers from using such equipment during take-off and landing, most are reluctant to enforce a total ban, given that many passengers want to work during flights．

　　The difficulty is prediction how electromagnetic fields might affect an aircraft’s computers．Experts know that portable device emit radiation which affects those wavelengths which aircraft use for navigation and communication．But, because they have not been able to reproduce these effects in a laboratory, they have no way of knowing whether the interference might be dangerous or not．

　　The fact that aircraft may be vulnerable(易受损的)to interference raises the risk that terrorists may use radio systems in order to damage navigation equipment．Another worrying though, is the passenger who can’t hear the instructions to turn off his radio because the music is too loud．

阅读理解

　　The Barbie doll first appeared at the toy fair in New York in 1959．Its creator was Ruth Handler, an American businesswoman．She and her husband Elliott along with Harold Matt Matson started the toy company Mattel．She based the design of the new doll on a German doll named Bild Lilli and named her after their daughter Barbara．

　　The first Barbie wore a black and white swimsuit and had her hair in a ponytail(马尾辫)．She looked very grown-up．But any concerns that parents would not want to buy it for little girls were soon proved wrong．

　　Mattel sold 300,000 Barbie dolls in the first year at a price of three dollars．Today, a fifty-year-old Barbie in good condition might cost more than 27,000 dollars．

　　Barbie dolls have represented 50 different nationalities and are sold in 150 countries．Mattel says 90% of girls in the United States between the ages of three and ten own at least one Barbie doll．It says girls between the ages of three and six own an average of about 12．

　　Barbie also faced her share of critics．A well-known example was when women’s education groups objected to a talking Barbie doll that declared, among other things, “Math class is tough!” Mattel agreed to change it．Saudi Arabia has banned Barbie dolls．And a lawmaker in the American state of West Virginia would like to do the same．Last month, he proposed banning sales of Barbie and other dolls that influence girls to put too much importance on physical beauty．

　　Some people say Barbie is an unhealthy role model for young girls．Robin Gerber disagrees．She wrote a book about Barbie．She points out dolls like scientist Barbie and race car driver Barbie．She says people who criticize Barbie should tell girls the story of the businesswoman who created her．She says Ruth Handler wanted the dolls to help girls think about what they wanted to do with their lives．

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　　To understand the marketing concept, it is only necessary to understand the difference between marketing and selling．Not too many years ago, most industries concentrated primarily on the efficient production of goods, and then relied on “persuasive salesmanship” to move as much of these goods as possible．Such production and selling focuses on the needs of the seller to produce goods and then convert(使转换)them into money．

　　Marketing, on the other hand, focuses on the wants of consumers．It begins with first analyzing the preferences and demands of consumers and then producing goods that will satisfy them．This eye-on-the-consumer approach is known as the marketing concept, which simply means that instead of trying to sell whatever is easiest to produce, the makers and dealers first find out what the consumer wants to buy and then go about making it available for purchase．

　　This concept does not imply that business is benevolent(慈善的)or that consumer satisfaction is given priority over profit in a company．There are always two sides to every business transaction－the firm and the customer－and each must be satisfied before trade occurs．Successful merchants and producers, however, recognize that the surest route to profit is through understanding and catering to(迎合)customers．A striking example of the importance of catering to the consumer presented itself in mid-1985, when Coca Cola changed the flavor of its drink．The non-acceptance of the new flavor by a significant portion of the public brought about a prompt restoration(恢复)of the Classic Coke, which was then marketed alongside the new．

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　　In the computer age, most of us take a broadband Internet connection for granted．Whether cable or mobile broadband, today’s connections are many times faster than those in the early days．Videos play smoothly, complex websites load quickly, and files download much faster than ten years ago．And the files are much bigger too．

　　There’s a catch, of course．You have to live near enough to a major city to get broadband Internet．If you don’t, it’s slow dial-up access for you．And for those living really far out, there may be no Internet access at all．

　　Technology experts often talk about the “last mile” problem, which refers to the difficulty of bringing Internet access to remote locations．In cities and suburbs, it’s relatively easy to provide access for everyone．It is much more difficult to deliver access to those living far from cities, especially in developing countries．Internet service providers, for their part, have been reluctant to provide access to sparsely(稀疏地)populated areas．The handful of Internet users they would reach wouldn’t cover the expense．

　　But every year, technological advancements allow of more and more Internet users．Most broadband connections today run over existing cable TV and telephone lines although these technologies aren’t available everywhere．Some companies have delivered the Internet over standard power lines．Advancements in cheaper, more efficient fiber optics cables(光纤电缆)promise to bring extremely fast Internet connections to more users．

　　Still, the “last mile” problem remains hard to deal with．There will always be somewhere that doesn’t have an affordable broadband connection．But someday that might not matter．If the rapid progress in cell phone technology is any indication(迹象), it may not be too long before an Internet connection simply follows you wherever you go．

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　　You can live longer and feel wonderful-by following the top eight secrets to longevity(长寿)provided by America's leading experts, Franklin Williams．

　　1．EXERCISE：Studies show that 30 minutes of mild(not hard)exercise a day will increase your life span．This doesn't mean you have to run three miles or start high-jumping．Simple activities such as walking, gardening or taking exercise will work．

　　2．ENJOY PEOPLE：Contacts with family and friends help fight depression and stress．Studies show that people who socialize regularly live longer than loners．So join social clubs or church groups so that that you can laugh and share life's joys．

　　3．STAY MENTALLY ACTIVE：People who are not mentally active run the risk of shortening their lives through falls and other injuries, and not being able to take care of themselves．Read the newspaper, visit the public library, balance your checkbook without a calculator, exercise your brain by doing crossword puzzles．

　　4．DIET：The key words are "high-fiber, low fat．" Cut back on red meat, salt, white flour, white sugar, alcohol and coffee．Start eating a balanced diet including lots of fruit, grains, raw(not ripe)vegetables and nuts．

　　5．VOLUNTEER：Helping others increases your self-esteem and make you feel like a useful person．Join a house of worship, visit an old folks home, ask your Chamber of Commerce for information on agencies that need volunteer help．

　　6．REGULAR CHECKUPS：Make CHECKUP for cancer, high blood pressure and other illnesses that threaten your longevity．By taking care of your health, you are taking the most important step in living a longer life．

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　　The U．S．government may issue(发布)stronger regulations(规则)about the use of tobacco．

　　Many governments and private buildings have "No Smoking" regulations．In airplanes, on trains and at cinemas, Golf courses are seriously thinking of keeping out smokers, so are schools, shopping malls and even football fields．

　　So where do people go to fill their lungs with nicotine? The government is working on it．

　　One suggestion is that the government set aside a piece of land somewhere in the United States where smokers could go when they want a cigarette．Yellow Stone Park has been in the list, but many people don't agree because they fear that second-hand smoking would make the bears there sick．

　　The Mojave Desert in California is also being studied, and so are Las Vegas Casinos(拉斯维加斯赌场)．

　　The smokers were not too nervous about the government idea．

　　They say they are not going to California just to light up．They have a right to smoke at home．To make life more pleasure for those who find it hard to give up smoking, the government is seriously thinking of getting somewhere for the smokers．

　　The tobacco companies are fighting the idea like mad．They say nobody has proved that cigarettes are bad for you．They say as a matter of fact, the doctors have proved that a cigarette saved a person's life after that person was shot．

　　Other places under consideration are：the cold areas in Alaska, the Rocky Mountain in Colorado and the Whitewater River in Arkansas．

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　　One in every five young people has a sleep problem, so you’re not alone; Getting enough sleep has become as important as eating vegetables and exercising regularly．It’s very important for your body．

　　Most young people only get seven hours of sleep each night, when they actually need nine hours．And making up for lost sleep during the week by sleeping in on weekends doesn’t really work．In fact, sleeping late on weekends may actually do you more harm than good, if you have sleep problems．

　　What happens if you don’t get enough sleep? If your sleep problem continues for a few nights, you could suffer serious problems．Lack of sleep can affect learning and memory．Worse, if your sleep difficulties last a long time, that could lead to anxiety or depression(抑郁)．Therefore, you’ve got to have some healthy sleep habits．Below are some suggestions：

　　●GO TO BED AT THE SAME TIME－including weekends, if possible．

　　●WAKE UP AROUND THE SAME TIME EVERY MORNING．When you sleep late just one morning during the week, it may disturb your body clock．This will make it hard for you to sleep that night．

　　●DO SMOETHING REALXING before going to bed．

　　●EXERCISE DURING THE DAY．Don’t exercise right before going to bed．

　　● AVOID DRINKING ALCOHOL．Alcohol makes you excited．This prevents you from falling asleep or wakes you up during the night．

　　●DON’T SMOKE．Smoking is always bad for the body．Smoking before bedtime keeps you awake．

　　If trying these tips over a couple of weeks does not help you, speak to your doctor．Do not take any sleeping pills without first asking your doctor．Many have strong side effects．

阅读理解

　　Mr．Green works in a hospital．He is busy driving a car every day．His wife was in a school library．She’s strict with her only son, Tommy．

　　Half a year ago, when Tommy was six, Mrs．Green took him to her school．The boy was clever and studied well．But at first he couldn’t adapt(适应)himself to the new life．In the morning he woke up late and in the evening he did't go to bed on time．But his mother tried to make him to do everything on time．

　　One evening when Mr．Green was driving in a street, a traffic accident happened．He had to take the wounded(受伤的)persons to the hospital and it took him about two hours．When he got home, he began to tell his family about it．

　　“It’s time for you to go to bed, Tommy．” said Mrs．Green．

　　The boy wanted to listen to his father tell the accident, but he had to do what his mother told him．When he lay down, he said, “I don’t think Mom can look after me at all!”

　　“Oh, why?” asked his father

　　The boy said, “She always makes me go to bed when I’m not sleepy(困), but she wakes me up when I’m asleep!

阅读理解：

　　BEIJING－China will further open its financial sector in “an active and safe” way, the country’s central bank vowed on Friday．

　　“China will gradually broaden the chance for the participation of foreign capital in the domestic financial market,” said the People’s Bank of China in a sport．

　　“We will strengthen the connections between China’s financial market and international ones by attracting more foreign capital in Renminbi-denominated financial products,” the report said．

　　Meanwhile, channels will also be expanded to allow Chinese investment in foreign financial markets．

　　The bank said it would ease restrictions on enterprises and individuals possessing and using foreign currencies and increase the number of qualified foreign institutional investors and the value of their investment quotas(份额)．“We will make use of the financial market to achieve balanced international payments,” said the bank．

　　Last year, the State Administration of Foreign Exchange(SAFE)raised the annual quota for individuals buying foreign currency from US＄20,000 to US＄50,000．

　　“China will work hard for a more efficient and vigorous financial market that can better serve international needs,” the bank said．

　　The country will adjust its financial market rules so they are accepted around the world, encourage reforms and promote more flexible, diversified ways of trading, according to the bank．

　　China fully opened its financial market to foreign capital on December 11 last year, ending a five-year transitional(过渡的)period after entering WTO．