READING COMPREHENSION

　　Britons stranded(搁浅)at sea or in flooded homes could find a real-life prince riding to their rescue．Prince William announced on Monday that he is to train to be a full-time pilot with the Royal Air Force's Search and Rescue Force(SARF)．

　　William, who is currently a Lieutenant(中尉)in the Army's Household Cavalry Regiment(皇家骑兵团), will transfer to the RAF and begin an 18-month training course in January 2009．

　　If successful, he will become a fully operational Search and Rescue pilot in 2010, flying Sea King helicopters at one of the six SARF units based in Britain．

　　"The time I spent with the RAF earlier this year made me realize how much I love flying," the prince, who spent two weeks with a SARF team while on work experience in 2005, said in a statement．

　　"Joining Search and Rescue is a perfect opportunity for me to serve in the Forces operationally, while contributing to a vital part of the country's Emergency Services．"

　　It means he will follow a similar career to that of his uncle, Prince Andrew, who was a Sea King helicopter pilot during the 1982 Falklands war．

　　The Search and Rescue teams' main duty is to recover RAF personnel but in peacetime they mainly respond to civilian emergencies, dealing with more than 1,000 calls a year．

　　The units deal with incidents ranging from helping those trapped by sudden major floods to rescuing people lost while out walking on hills．

　　William, who has spent the last year on secondment(借调)to the various branches of the military to prepare for his future role as head of the armed forces, received his RAF wings(飞行勋章)following a four-month stint(持续的工作)with the service earlier this year．

　　However, his time with the RAF was clouded when the Defense Ministry was forced to fend off criticism for allowing the prince to fly military helicopters to a bachelor party for his cousin and to the family home of his girlfriend Kate Middleton．

READING COMPREHENSION

　　Charles Willson Peale's George Washington at Princeton is on show at the Museum which was lent from a private collection．This visually(视觉上)striking and finely made life-size portrait records Washington's 6-foot-2-inch figure in a pose highlighting strength, calmness, and elegance．It is put up in a room neighboring to the Powel House parlor, a period room from one of Philadelphia's greatest eighteenth-century private homes, where Washington was frequently entertained by his friends, Samuel and Elizabeth Powel．Both spaces contain important examples of furniture by Philadelphia's finest craftsmen(工匠), such as Thomas Afflect and John Aitken．Among these is a side chair specially ordered by the Washington when living in Philadelphia．

　　Painted in Philadelphia in 1779, Peale's painting was immediately sent to Europe to raise Washington's reputation as a leader and the cause of the American Revolution, then in progress．Later, during Europe's Napoleonic Wars, a Spanish with strong sympathies with American Revolution owned the picture．At that time he added the complicated carved explanation to it, which describes Washington as “a liberator of his country who gave up absolute power．”

　　Curators(博物馆馆长)

　　American Art Department Staff, website commentary by Carol Soltis

　　Location

　　Galleries 286 and 287, second floor

Read the following four passages．Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements．For each of them there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D．Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage．

　　I've always known that my son uses his cellphone a lot, but his cellphone bill last month really got my attention, He had received nearly 2, 000 text messages(短信), and had sent nearly as many．Of course, he was out of school for the summer, and communicating more with friends who were far away．However, I had to wonder how he found time to keep a summer job and complete a summer course in between all that typing with his thumb．

　　I was even more surprised to learn that my son is normal．Teenagers with cellphones send and receive an average of 2.272 text messages a month, Nielsen Mobile says, author of a book called The Dumbest Geheraiion：How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes(危害)Our Future

　　Some experts say that all that text messaging is making our children stupid, and unable to read nonverbal cues(非语言暗示)such as facial expressions, gestures, postures and other silent signals of mood and attitude．“Unlike telephoning, text messaging doesn^'t even allow tones or pauses to be sent to others,” says Mark Bauerlein

　　Beyond that, though, I^'m not sure I see as much harm as critics of the trend do．I^’ve written before on how I initially tried to control my sons texting．But over time, I^’ve seen that my son suffers no apparent bad effects, and that he gains a big benefit of easy and continuing contact with many friends．Also, the time he spends texting replaces the hours teenagers used to spend on the phone; he dislikes talking on the phone, and says he really doesn't need to do so to stay in touch．

　　I don't think texting makes children stupid．It may make them annoying, when they try to text and talk to you．And it may distract them from math problems or what they have to do for school．

　　I don^'t see that texting harms the ability of teenagers to communicate, either．My son is as good at interpreting nonverbal cues as any of the older members of our family．If anything, I’ve found him more engaged and easier to communicate with from a distance, since he's constantly available through texting, and responds with faithfulness and speed that any mother would find reassuring(安心的)．

Read the following four passages．Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements．For each of them there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D．Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage．

　　CWU

　　The communications union

　　Head of Research

　　Salary：￡55, 271

　　We are looking for a Head of Research to manage the CWU Research Department and Information Centre．You would be required to exercise control of all research work of the department and manage a team of three researchers and four support staff．

　　The person appointed would be expected to carry out research work of a strategic nature across the range of businesses in which the CWU has or seeks membership and to contribute to the strategic thinking and direction of the union as a whole．

　　You will need：proven line management skills, especially in managing and motivating a team; good research skills, holding a good degree in a related subject or other similar experience; a high level of mathematical and calculating skills; the ability to produce high quality work under pressure; a commitment to and knowledge of the trade union movement and social democratic politics; and knowledge and/or experience of the postal and/or telecommunications industry．

　　To apply, please request an application pack by emailing hr@ cwu．org or by telephoning HR(Human Resources)on 020 8971 7482．When applying please state your source．

　　Closing Date for Applications：4^th August 2010

　　Anticipated interview date：17^th August 2010

　　No agencies please

Read the following four passages．Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements．For each of them there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D．Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage．

　　Batteries can power anything from small sensors to large systems．While scientists are finding ways to make them smaller but even more powerful, problems can arise when these batteries are much larger and heavier than the devices themselves．University of Missouri(MU)researchers are developing a nuclear energy source that is smaller, lighter and more efficient．

　　“To provide enough power, we need certain methods with energy density(密度),” said Jae kwon, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at MU．“The radioisotope(放射性同位素)battery can provide power density that is much higher than chemical batteries．”

　　Kwon and his research team have been working on building a small nuclear battery, recently the size and thickness of a penny, intended to power various micro/nano－electromechanical systems(M/NEWS)．Although nuclear batteries can cause concerns, Kwon said they are safe．

　　“People hear the word ‘nuclear’ and think of something very dangerous,” he said．“However, nuclear power sources have already been safely powering a variety of devices, such as pace－makers, space satellites and underwater systems．”

　　His new idea is not only in the battery's size, but also in its semiconductor(半导体)．Kwon's battery uses a liquid semiconductor rather than a solid semiconductor．

　　“The key part of using a radioactive battery is that when you harvest the energy, part of the radiation energy can damage the lattice structure(晶格结构)of the solid semiconductor,” Kwon said．“By using a liquid semiconductor, we believe we can minimize that problem．”

　　Together with J．David Robertson, chemistry professor and associate director of the MU Research Reactor, Kwon is working to build and test the battery．In the future, they hope to increase the battery's power, shrink its size and try with various other materials．Kwon said that the battery could be thinner than the thickness of human hair．

阅读理解

　　ATLANTA, Georgia-Alternative medicine-including yoga, meditation, herbs(草药)and the Atkins diet(艾特金斯饮食法)-appears to be growing in popularity in the United States, perhaps because of dissatisfaction with conventional care, the government said Thursday．

　　More than a third of American adults used such practices in 2002, according to the government survey of 31,000 people, the largest study on non-conventional medical approaches in the United States．If prayer is included, about 62 percent of U．S．adults used some form of alternative medicine．

　　The results seem to indicate more people are turning to alternative medicine, though the 2002 survey could not be directly compared to previous studies because of differences in size and survey methods, health officials said．

　　The top alternative therapies(疗法)included prayer(43 percent of adults), natural products(19 percent), meditation(8 percent)and diets such as Atkins, Ornish, or the Zone(4 percent)．More people also are using natural products such as herbs or enzymes(酶)to treat chronic or recurring pain(慢性或经常性疼痛), said Richard Nahin of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health．

　　“Many conditions are not easily treated with conventional medicine,” Nahin sad．“It may be the public that is turning to complementary(补充的)and alternative medicine because it's not getting relief from conventional medicine．”

　　But people should not be turning away from conventional treatments that are proven safe, said Dr．Stephen Straus, director of the alternative medicine center．

　　“People are making individual decisions to neglect those therapies and we have concerns about those choices,” he said．

　　Health officials said they were concerned that 13 percent of those surveyed said they turned to alternative medicine because regular medicine is too expensive．

　　“It needs to be explored-we need to find out whether they were insured or not” Nahin said．

　　Health officials also were surprised that 6.6 percent of those surveyed used the supplement kava(卡瓦提取物), which has been associated with liver disease．

　　“People make the assumption that because something is natural that it's safe” Nahin said．

　　“But a number of studies have shown that natural products can be unsafe when used inappropriately or with other drugs．”

　　He said people considering using alternative medicine should consult their doctor first．

阅读理解

　　“Image is everything．” An entire industry has been built upon the precondition that image is everything, but when it comes down to it, an appealing image is not enough．If there is no substance behind the image, the product, service or person will fail at length．

　　First of all, one should consider how important image is in the selling of products and services．Advertising agencies have raised the art of creating an image to a state of near perfection．Public concept of that product or service is certainly managed by the images created by the advertising agencies．But if the product or service does not live up to the image that was created, the customer will be very dissatisfied and possibly ask for their money back．For example, the Arthur Andersen accounting firm had spent decades building up an image of trustworthiness．But the recent scandal(丑闻)showed that behind that image, it had dishonest business practices．Despite the previous positive image, the firm is being accused of criminal actions and it will probably not survive as a business unit．Although the image had been nearly perfect, the reality behind the image has led to the downfall of the world famous accounting firm．

　　Similarly, personal consultants can build up a public image for politicians and movie stars．Putting out positive news releases, making sure that only the best photographs are published, and ensuring that the person is seen in all the right places can build up a very positive image in the view of the general commons．But once again, history is filled with examples of both politicians and movie stars that fell from grace(体面)like the story of the Hollywood actor giving in to the pressures of fame and fortune．With people, just as with products and services, image is certainly important, but without positive substance behind the image, failure is close．

　　To summarize, it is clear that an appealing image is extremely important to success, whether that image is related to selling a product or service or to the "selling" of a person．But image is only half of the equation．What lies behind that image is every bit as important as the image itself－the person or product must deliver on that image or there is little chance for long-term success．

阅读理解

　　Not long ago, people thought babies were not able to learn things until they were five or six months old．Yet doctors in the United States say babies begin learning on their first day of life．

　　Scientists note that babies are strongly influenced by their environment．They say a baby will smile if her mother does something the baby likes．A baby learns to get the best care possible by smiling to please her mother or other caregiver．This is how babies learn to connect and communicate with other human beings．

　　One study shows that babies can learn before they are born．The researchers placed a tape recorder on the stomach of a pregnant woman．Then, they played a recording of a short story．On the day the baby was born, the researchers attempted to find if he knew the sounds of the story repeated while in his mother．They did this by placing a device in the mouth of the newborn baby．

　　The baby would hear the story if he moved his mouth one way．If the baby moved his mouth the other way, he would hear a different story．The researchers say the baby clearly liked the story he heard before he was born．They say the baby would move his mouth so he could hear the story again and again．

　　Another study shows how mothers can strongly influence social development and language skills in their children．

　　Researchers studied the children from the age of one month to three years．The researchers attempted to measure the sensitivity of the mothers．The women were considered sensitive if they supported their children's activities and did not interfere unnecessarily．They tested the children for thinking and language development when they were three years old．Also, the researchers observed the women for signs of depression．

　　The children of depressed women did not do as well in tests as the children of women who did not suffer from depression．The children of depressed women did poorly in tests of language skills and understanding what they hear．

　　These children also were less cooperative and had more problems dealing with other people．The researchers noted that the sensitivity of the mothers was important to the intelligence development of their children．Children did better when their mothers were caring, even when they suffered from depression．

阅读理解

　　This hotel in the trees is famous in the world．People who know very little about Kenya, know of Treetops．When King George VI died, Princess Elizabeth was staying on the Treetops, and when she came down from there, “She succeeded in as the queen of the country”．This hotel in the middle of the forest shows the pleasure of Africa．When you visit it, you will be sent into the heart of the forest by hotel buses, and then a guide, with a gun to protect you against big game, will go with you to the Treetops．Before and after dinner, for the whole night if you wish, you can sit on the corridor, watching animals come to the water pool．The earliest hotel Treetops was built round a large tree on the opposite side of the water, but that was destroyed by fire and the new hotel Treetops, which is built round several trees, is much bigger．

　　The dining room at Treetops is small, and the waiters cannot walk round to serve guests, a clever “railway service” has been invented．Guests take their food as it passes slowly in front of them, along a line in the center of the table．

　　There are many animals around the Treetops．When you visit them, you can see：

　　－Animals and their babies are waiting to greet the guests．

　　－Animals, enjoying the Treetops pool in the daylight．

　　－A long bodied, long ring tailed very active cat-like animal is a special one coming out at night．He hunts and eats anything he can overpower and is very destructive．He lives in the trees at Treetops．He comes for his food every evening．Do not get too near to him, as his teeth and claws can do you harm．These animals can be trained and become lovely pets．

　　－Some other animals who have a thick coating of fur to keep them warm in the cold forest nights．

　　－Many buffaloes coming to the Treetops for water and salt during the day or night．

阅读理解

　　I was waiting for a phone call from my agent．He had left a message the night before, telling me that my show was to be cancelled．I called him several times, but each time his secretary told me that he was in a meeting and that he would call me later．So I waited and waited, but there was still no call．Three hours passing by, I became more and more impatient．I was certain that my agent didn't care about my work, and he didn't care about me．I was overcome with that thought．I started to shout at the phone, “Let me wait, will you?Who do you think you are?”

　　At that time I didn't realize my wife was looking on．Without showing her surprise, she rushed in, seized the phone, tore off the wires, and shouted at the phone, “Yeah!Who do you think you are?Bad telephone!Bad telephone!” And she swept it into the wastebasket．

　　I stood watching her, speechless．What on earth?

　　She stepped to the doorway and shouted at the rest of the house, “Now hear this!All objects in this room-if you do anything to upset my husband, out you go!”

　　Then she turned to me, kissed me, and said calmly, “Honey, you just have to learn how to take control．” With that, she left the room．

　　After watching a crazy woman rushing in and out, shouting at everything in sight, I noticed that something in my mood had changed．I was laughing．How could I have trouble with that phone?Her antics helped me realize I had been driven crazy by small things．Twenty minutes later my agent did call．I was able to listen to him and talk to him calmly．