Reading Comprehension

　　New technology links the world as never before．Our planet has shrunk．It’s now a “global village” where countries are only seconds away by fax or phone or satellite link．And, of course, our ability to benefit from this high-tech communications equipment is greatly improved by foreign language skills．

　　Deeply involved in this new technology are a group of modern business people who have a growing respect for the economic value of doing business abroad．In modern markets, success overseas often helps support domestic(国内的)business efforts．

　　Overseas assignments are becoming increasingly important to advancement within executive ranks．The executive(执行人员)stationed in another country no longer need fear being “out of sight and out of mind．” He or she can be sure that the overseas effort is central to the company's plan for success, and that promotions often follow or accompany an assignment abroad．If an employee can succeed in a difficult assignment overseas, superiors will have greater confidence in his or her ability to cope back in the United States where cross-cultural considerations and foreign language issues are becoming more and more popular．

　　Thanks to a variety of relatively inexpensive communications devices with business applications, even small businesses in the United States are able to get into international markets．English is still the international language of business．But there is an ever-growing need for people who can speak another language．A second language isn’t generally required to get a job in business, but having language skills gives a candidate the edge when other qualifications appear to be equal．

　　The employee posted abroad who speaks the country’s principal language has an opportunity to fast-forward certain negotiations, and can have the cultural insight to know when it is better to move more slowly．The employee at the home office who can communicate well with foreign clients(客户)over the telephone or by fax machine is an obvious advantage to the firm．

Reading Comprehension

　　I once had my Chinese MBA students brainstorming on “two-hour business plans”．I separated them into six groups and gave them an example：a restaurant chain．The more original their idea, the better, I said．Finally, five of the six groups presented plans for restaurant chains．The sixth proposed a catering service．Though I admitted the time limit had been difficult, I expressed my disappointment．

　　My students were middle managers, financial analysts and financiers from state owned enterprises and global companies．They were not without talent or opinions, but they had been shaped by an educational system that rarely stressed or rewarded critical thinking or inventiveness．The scene I just described came in different forms during my two years’ teaching at the school．Papers were often copied from the Web and the Harvard Business Review．Case study debates were written up and just memorized．Students frequently said that copying is a superior business strategy, better than inventing and creating．

　　In China, every product you can imagine has been made and sold．But so few well developed marketing and management minds have been raised that it will be a long time before most people in the world can name a Chinese brand．

　　With this problem in mind, partnerships with institutions like Yale and MIT have been established．And then there’s the “thousand talent scheme”：this new government program is intended to improve technological modernization by attracting top foreign trained scientists to the mainland with big money．But there are worries about China’s research environment．It’s hardly known for producing independent thinking and openness, and even big salary offers may not be attractive enough to overcome this．

　　At last, for China, becoming a major world creator is not just about setting up partnerships with top Western universities．Nor is it about gathering a group of well educated people and telling them to think creatively．It’s about establishing a rich learning environment for young minds．It’s not that simple．

Reading Comprehension

　　●Health, Wellness and the Politics of Food

　　9∶00－9∶45 a. m．Blue Tent

　　panelists(成员)：Jami Bernard, David Kamp, Marion Nestle and Peter Singer．

　　Hosted by Denise Gray, science writer for The New York Times．

　　How does what we eat not only affect our bodies, but also the world? The food and nutrition experts debate the role that the diet plays in both personal and global health, and present a look at food politics．

　　●Sports writing：For the Love of the Game

　　9∶50-10∶35a. m．Blue Tent

　　Panelists：Christine Brennan, Ira Rosen, Joe Wallace and Joe Drape．

　　Hosted by William C．Rhoden, sports writer for The New York Times．

　　Whether catching that key moment of victory or defeat, or covering breaking news, sports writers are anything but audience．Listen as some professionals discuss the special experience in reporting of sports news．

　　●The Art of the Review

　　11∶15－12∶00a. m．Green Tent

　　Panelists：John Freeman, Barry Gewen, David Orr, Celia McGee and Jennifer Schuessler．

　　Hosted by Sam Tanenhaus, editor for The New York Times Book Review．

　　How much of an effect does the book review have on book sales? Join this group of critics as they discuss the reality of the book review and bestseller lists, and how they choose books for review．

　　●New York Writers, New York Stories

　　3∶00－3∶45p. m．Green Tent

　　Panelists：Gindy Adams, Richard Cohen, Ric Klass and Lauren Redniss．

　　Hosted by Clyde Haberman, columnist for the City Sectsion of The New York Times．

　　Join this inspiring group of New York－centric writers as they talk about why New York is a gold mine of ideas for their work．

阅读理解

　　Cheating can happen in a lot of different ways．When people cheat, it’s not fair to other people, like the kids who studied for the test or who were the true winners of a game．

　　Many people like the action of cheating．It makes difficult things seem easy, like getting all the right answers on the test．But it doesn’t solve the problem of not knowing the material and it won’t help in the next test－unless the person cheats again．

　　Some people lose respect for cheaters and think nothing of them．The cheaters themselves may feel bad because they know they are not really earning that good grade．And, if they get caught cheating, they will be in trouble at school, and maybe at home, too．

　　Some kids cheat because they’re busy or lazy and they want to get good grades without spending time studying．Other kids might feel like they can’t pass the test without cheating．Even when there seems to be a “good reason” for cheating, cheating isn’t a good idea．

　　If you were sick or upset about something the night before and couldn’t study, it would be better to talk with the teacher about this．And if you don’t have enough time to study for a test because of swim practice, you need to talk with your parents about how to balance swimming and school．

　　A kid who thinks cheating is the only way to pass a test needs to talk with the teacher and his or her parents so they can find some solutions together．Talking about these problems and working them out will feel better than cheating．

阅读理解

　　As prices and building costs keep rising, the "do it yourself "(DIY)trend(趋势)in the U．S．continues to grow．"We needed furniture(家具)for our living room," says John Ross, "and we just didn't have enough to buy it．So we decided to try making a few tables and chairs．" John got married six months ago, and like many young people these days, they are struggling to make a home at a time when the cost of living is very high．The Rosses took a 2-week course for ＄280 at a night school．Now they build all their furniture and make repairs around the house．

　　Jim Hatfield has three boys and his wife died．He has a full-time job at home as well as in a shoe making factory．Last month, he received a car repair bill for ＄420．"I was deeply upset about it．Now I've finished a car repair course, I should be able to fix the car by myself．"

　　John and Jim are unusual people．Most families in the country are doing everything they can to save money so they can fight the high cost of living．If you want to become a "do-it-yourselfer", you can go to DIY classes．And for those who don't have time to take a course, there are books that tell you how you can do things yourself．

阅读理解

　　Many animals recognize their food because they see it．So do humans．When you see an apple or a piece of chocolate you know that these are things you can eat．You can also use other senses when you choose your food．You may like it because it smells good or because it tastes good．You may dislike some types of food because they do not look, smell or taste very nice．Different animals use different senses to find and choose their food．A few animals depend on only one of their senses, while most animals use more than one sense．

　　Although there are many different types of food, some animals spend their lives eating only one type．The giant panda eats only one particular type of bamboo(竹子)．Other animals eat only one type of food even when given the choice．A kind of white butterfly(蝴蝶)will stay on the leaves of a cabbage, even though there are plenty of other vegetables in the garden．However, most animals have a more varied diet．The bear eats fruits and fish．The fox eats small animals, birds and fruits．The diet of these animals will be different depending on the season．

　　Humans have a very varied diet．We often eat food because we like it and not because it is good for us．In countries such as France and Britain, people eat foods with too much sugar．This makes them overweight, which is bad for their health．Eating too much red meat and animal products, such as butter, can also be bad for the health．Choosing the right food, therefore, has become an area of study in modern life．

阅读理解

　　I travel a lot in my work, and what I dislike about my job is eating alone．It always makes me feel lonely to see others laughing and talking．So, room service for several nights was a better choice for me．

　　After having room service three nights at a hotel in Houston, however, I needed to get out of my room．Although the restaurant opened at 6：30, I arrived at 6：25．The waiter at the front desk made a comment(评论)about my “being there really early”．I explained my dislike of eating alone in restaurants．He then seated me at a lovely table and asked me whether I would mind if he sat down with me for a while．

　　I was glad! He sat and talked with me about his career goals and the difficulty of being at work on nights, weekends and holidays．He said he hadn’t enough time to be with his family．After 15 minutes, he saw some customers at the front desk and excused himself．I noticed that before he went to the front desk, he stopped in the kitchen for a moment．

　　Then another waiter came out of the kitchen and had a wonderful chat with me．Before I left that night, some other waiters, even the cook, had come out of the kitchen and sat with me!

　　When I asked for my bill about one hour later, all the people who had sat down with me came over in a big group to my table, and presented me with a red rose．And I cried! What had begun as a lonely night ended as a beautiful experience．

阅读理解

　　For shopoholics, the post-Christmas period means only one thing－sales! Across the country, prices are reducing sharply on clothing, electronics and home furniture, but London is the place for serious shopping, and you can certainly pick up some amazing bargains．

　　The sales start on Boxing Day－26th December, and continue for the month of January, but the keenest bargain hunters get there early to be first through the doors．In Oxford Street queues formed outside shops ahead of before-dawn openings for the start of their sales．At Brent Cross, in north London, more than 1,000 people were queuing at 3．30 am for the ‘Next’ clothing store’s sale which began at 4 am．Some eager individuals even camped outside the shops to be first in the line．

　　Consumers who hit the shops were rewarded with discounts of as much as 80％ as department stores joined the bargain sales．The shops are very crowded as the sales reached the boiling-point, with more than half a million people gathering on London’s West End．

　　Famous sales include the biggest, most popular shops such as Harrods, Selfridges, Liberty and John Lewis．Department stores are always a good bet－you’re likely to find everything you need under one roof, including much-needed food and drinks!

　　It’s a good time to stock up on cheap small tools, and there’s no better time to invest in some designer clothes．

　　Some people are taking their partners shopping with them, and buying their Christmas presents in the sale－a practical but unromantic way of making sure you get the gift you really want．For a less exciting but less stressful shopping experience, online sellers are also getting in on the act with January sales of their own．

　　The most organized of all are those who are already doing their present shopping for next Christmas, in the January sales!

阅读理解

　　Visitors to the Big Apple(纽约)will soon be breathing in cleaner air after Mayor(市长)Bloomberg extended(延长)the city’s smoking ban(禁令)to some of New York’s most popular outdoor spaces．Car free areas of Times Square, parks, beaches and boardwalks will now all be ash free．Smokers will not be allowed to light up when hanging out along sidewalks across the five districts, in all parts of Central Park or along the famous Coney Island boardwalk．

　　“The science is clear：Long-time exposure to second-hand smoke－whether you’re indoors or out－hurts your health．Today, we’re doing something about it．” Mayor Bloomberg said in announcing the widespread ban．

　　Violators(违反者)of the new law could face a fine for as much as ＄250, but City officials say they expect New Yorkers and tourists to observe(遵守)the new law．

　　Parks and Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe said, “By introducing this law, we welcome the chance to improve the beauty and health of the city’s public outdoor spaces．Tens of millions of visitors－New Yorkers and tourists alike－enjoy our beaches and parks year round．We hope this new law makes it even safer and more pleasant for our children and adults to play sports and for visitors of all interests to enjoy healthier and cleaner parks and beaches．”

　　The ban also extends to 29,000 acres(英亩)of parkland in the city and 14 miles of public beaches．Smoking was already banned in some parks’ facilities including playgrounds, but not in most open recreational(娱乐的)areas．Several other cities across the U．S．have similar bans, including Los Angeles which saw its law change in 2007．

　　Councilwoman Gale Brewer who introduced the law said, “New York is the national leader in creating healthy cities, and encouraging a healthy lifestyle．”

阅读理解

　　Emily Bear, from Rockford, Illinois, is one of the youngest concert pianists in the United States．When she was 2, her grandmother noticed her unusual talent．She started piano lessons at the Music Institute of Chicago when she was 5．Emily comes from a musical family．Her brother plays the guitar, and her sister plays the harp(竖琴)．Emily plays jazz and classical music, but composes(创作)all styles．She began her career in July of 2007 at the 100-year-old Ravinia Music Festival．Emily was just 5 at the time．

　　At age 6, Emily played a concert at the White House．And that same year she performed at the McDonald’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in Chicago．When she was 7, Emily performed Mozart’s Piano Concerto No．23 with two major symphony orchestras(交响乐管弦乐队)．She has also performed original pieces, jazz and classical music on television’s Good Morning America show．Last summer Emily became an international star when she played in Italy and China．At present she studies classical piano with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s pianist．

　　Emily may be a very famous person, but she isn’t treated like one．She and her family don’t use words like “prodigy” in their house．They stay modest(谦虚的)．Emily also gives a large part of the money she earns to charities(慈善机构)like UNICEF．Many people don’t understand how a girl so young can play so well．She has a gift, but she says, “I’m just a normal kid that plays the piano．I like inspiring kids．”