阅读理解

　　British potato farmers were angry and wanted the expression “couch potato” to be taken out of the dictionary because it harmed the vegetable’s image．

　　The British Potato Council wants the Oxford English Dictionary to replace the expression with the term “couch slouch”, with protests being outside Parliament in London and the offices of Oxford University Press．

　　Kathryn Race, head of marketing at the Council, which represents some 4,000 planters and processors, said the group had complained in writing to the OED but had yet to receive a response．

　　“We are trying to get rid of the image that potatoes are bad for you,” she said on Monday．

　　“The potato has had its knocks in the past．Of course it is not the Oxford English Dictionary’s fault but we want to use another term instead of “couch potato” because potatoes are naturally healthy．”

　　The OED says that “couch potato” began as American slang, meaning “a person who spends his or her leisure time sitting around, especially watching television or video tapes．”

　　The Potato Council says its campaign is backed by dieticians(饮食学家)who say the vegetable is low in fat and high in vitamin C．

　　Supporting the campaign, famous cook Antony Worrall Thompson said the vegetable was one of Britain’s favorite foods．

　　Not only are they healthy, they are also convenient and yummy(美味)．Life without potato is like a sandwich without a filling,” he said．

　　John Simpson, chief editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, said the dictionary first included the term “couch potato” in 1993 and said “dictionaries just reflect the words that society uses．”

　　Simpson said words were never taken out of the full-length dictionary, which includes some 650,000 words in 20 volumes．

　　But little-used words can be removed from the smaller dictionaries to make way for newer ones．

　　“If society stops using words then they get taken out of the smaller dictionaries,” he added．

　　The first known recorded use of the expression “couch potato” was in an article in Los Angeles Times, in 1979, Simpson said．

　　Nigel Evans, a member of Parliament for the Ribble Valley in Lancashire, has made a motion in support of the campaign, highlighting the nutritional value of the British potato．

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　　Drunken driving－sometimes called America's socially accepted form of murder－has become a national epidemic．Every hour of every day about three Americans on average are killed by drunken drivers, adding up to an incredible 250, 000 over the past decade．

　　A drunken driver is usually defined as one with a 0．10 blood alcohol content or roughly three beers, glasses of wine or shots of whisky drunk within two hours．Heavy drinking used to be an acceptable part of the American macho image and judges were lenient in most courts, but the drunken slaughter has recently caused so many well-publicized tragedies, especially involving young children, that public opinion is no longer so tolerant．

　　Twenty states have raised the legal drinking age to 21, reversing a trend in the 1960s to reduce it to 18．After New Jersey lowered it to 18, the number of people killed by 18-20-year-old drivers more than doubled, so the state recently upped it back to 21．

　　Reformers, however, fear raising the drinking age will have little effect unless accompanied by educational programs to help young people to develop “responsible attitudes” about drinking and teach them to resist peer pressure to drink．

　　Though new laws have led to increased arrests and tests and, in many areas already, to a marked decline in fatalities．Some states are also penalizing bars for serving customers too many drinks．A tavern in Massachusetts was fined for serving six or more double brandies to a customer who “obviously intoxicated” and later drove off the road, killing a nine-year-old boy．

　　As the fatalities continue to occur daily in every state, some Americans are even beginning to speak well of the 13 years of national prohibition of alcohol that began in 1919, what President Hoover called the “ noble experiment．” They forgot that legal prohibition didn't stop drinking, but encouraged political corruption and organized crime．As with the booming drug trade generally, there is no easy solution．

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　　Some people who like to eat very hot chili(辣椒)peppers say that they can help you breathe better if you have a cold．Others believe that chilies give you added energy．People have been growing chilies for centuries, and there are many kinds．

　　Want to fire up your meals with homegrown chilies? They need a warm climate．If you plant the seeds outside when the weather is cool, place the seeds under a glass．That will add warmth from the sun and protect them from wind．You can also start the seeds in your home or a greenhouse．

　　If you plant inside, fill a 7.5-centimeter pot with soil．The pot should have holes in the bottom so water can run out．Tap the sides of the pot to settle the soil．Drop several seeds over the surface of the pot and cover it with a thin layer of vermiculite(蛭石), a substance that can hold air, water and nutrients．Then cover the top of the pot with a see-through plastic bag．Place the pot in a warm area．

　　When the chilies start growing, take off the bag．When the plants have reached about two centimeters high，place each one carefully in its own 7.5-centimeter pot．

　　When the roots show through the holes in the bottom of the pot, transplant each seeding into a twelve-centimeter pot．When the plants are twenty centimeters high, tie the plants to a stick placed in the pot to support them．

　　When the chili peppers are thirty centimeters high, pinch the tops off with your finger．That should make new branches grow．When the first flowers show, give the plants some potash fertilizers(化肥)．When the weather is warm, put them into five-liter pots and place them outside．Make sure they get a good amount of light and water．

阅读理解

　　In our culture, the sources of what we call a sense of “mastery”(control)－feeling important and worthwhile－and the sources of what we call a sense of “pleasure”－finding life enjoyable－are not always the same．Women often are told “You can’t have it all．” Sometimes what the speaker really is saying is：“You choose a career, so you can’t expect to have closer relationships or a happy family life．” or “You have a wonderful husband and children－what’s all this about wanting a career?” But women need to understand and develop both aspects of well-being, if they are to feel good about themselves．

　　Our study shows that, for women, well-being has two aspects．One is mastery, which includes self-respect, a sense of control over your life, and low levels of anxiety and depression．Mastery is closely related to the “doing” side of life, to work and activity．Pleasure is the other aspect, and it is made up of happiness, satisfaction and optimism．It is tied more closely to the “feeling” side of life．The two are independent of each other．A woman could be high in mastery and low in pleasure, and vice versa(反之亦然)．For example, a woman who has a good job, but whose mother has just died, might be feeling very good about herself and in control of her work life, but the pleasure side could be damaged for a time．

　　The concepts of mastery and pleasure can help us identify the sources of well-being for women, and correct past mistakes．In the past, women were encouraged to look only at the feeling side of life as the source of all well-being．But we know that both mastery and pleasure are important．And mastery seems to be achieved largely through work．In our study, all the groups of employed women were valued significantly higher in mastery than women who were not employed．

　　A woman’s well-being is developed when she takes on various roles．At least by middle adulthood, the women who were involved in a combination of roles－marriages, motherhood, and employment－were the highest in well-being, in spite of warnings about stress and strain(极度紧张)．

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　　Back in the fifteenth century, in a tiny village near Nuremberg, lived a family with eighteen children．In spite of the hopeless condition, two of the children, Albrecht Durer and Albert, had a dream．They both wanted to pursue their talent for art．After many long discussions, the two boys finally worked out an agreement．They would toss a coin．The loser would go down into the nearby mines and, with his earnings, support his brother who attended the academy．Then, when that brother who won the toss completed his studies, in four years, he would support the other brother at the academy．

　　Tossing a coin, Albrecht Durer won and went off to Nuremberg．Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, supported his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation(轰动)．By the time he graduated, he had earned considerable fees for his outstanding works．

　　When the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a festive dinner to celebrate Albrecht’s triumphant(胜利的)homecoming．Albrecht drank a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled him to complete his dream．“And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it is your turn．Now you can go to Nuremberg to look for your dream, and I will take care of you．”

　　Tears streaming down his pale face, Albert sobbed, “No…no…It is too late for me．Look…look at what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been broken at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis(关节炎)so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less draw delicate lines with a pen or a brush．”

　　To show thanks to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albrecht Durer painstakingly drew his brother’s injured hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward．He called his powerful drawing simply “Hands”, but the entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed it “The Praying Hands”．The next time you see a copy of that touching creation, let it be your reminder－no one ever makes any success alone!

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　The expression “Go for it!” is a way of encouraging someone to try something．

　　“Go for it!” means you should not worry about failure or be too careful．You should take a chance, be brave, and act firmly．

　　“Go for it!” gets name from football．Not football as it is played in most countries such as England, Egypt or Japan, but the kind of football played in the United States and Canada．

　　One of the most exciting times in football comes when a team has failed, after three attempts, to move the ball forward ten yards．The team must make a critical decision．

　　The conservative choice is to kick the ball and accept temporary defeat in order to gain a good position for your team the next time it gets the ball．The more exciting choice, however, is to try a fourth and final time to gain the remaining yards needed．

　　In the nineteen eighties, people began using this expression in many kinds of situations to encourage someone to act bravely．

　　There is no guarantee that the action you “Go for it!” will succeed．But that is the chance you take when you decide to go for it．You put your fears behind．You choose courage over safety．You hold your breath and go for it．

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　What's in the news? Here are some articles from the Winfield Daily News．

　　Engaged to be married

　　Mr．and Mrs．Eduardo Silva of Bogota, Colombia, are happy to announce that engagement of their daughter Cristina Ana Silva to Gino Antonio Leone．Miss Silva is studying art history at Winfield Community College and Mr．Leone is working at the Roma Restaurant．The wedding will take place at St．Mark's Church in Winfield on October 5th．The reception(接待)will be at the Roma．

　　Black History Month

　　Winfield Public Library is please to announce a special program to celebrate Black History Month．The well－known actor Albert Eaton will perform a one－man show named MLK：His life and Times．In the show, Eaton recreates(重现)the life and times of the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr．, through music and drama．Performances are at 3∶30 and 7∶30, Thursday through Saturday．Admission free．Telephone：5365400．

　　Benjamins have a daughter

　　Mr．and Mrs．Leon Benjamin are proud to announce the birth of their first child, Andrea Jean．She was born at Winfield Hospital on June 9 at 11∶10 PM．

　　SPORTS

　　High School－Parents Beat Students

　　The parents’ football team beat the students 4 to 2 in a wild and exciting match yesterday at Winfield Stadium．It was the first win for the parents since the yearly event started five years ago．Adela Logan led the parents to victory with three goals．Her son, Bob Logan, scored the only two goals for the losing team, it was both a happy and a sad day for the Logan family!

　　College－Winfield Community College Senior Wins State Tournament

　　Ginny Lewis took the title away from defending state tennis winner, Susan Murray, yesterday in three straight sets, 6－1, 6－3, 6－4．This was the first time a Winfield student has played in the state finals．Ginny brought home a trophy(奖杯)and a ＄1000 prize for her studies at college．

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　It was Molly's job to hand her father his brown paper lunch bag each morning before he headed off to work．

　　One morning, in addition to his usual lunch bag, Molly handed him a second paper bag．This one was worn and held together with staples(订书钉)。

　　“Why two bags?” her father asked．“The other is something else,” Molly answered．“What's in it?” “Just some stuff．Take it with you．”

　　Not wanting to discuss the matter, he put both bags into his briefcase, kissed Molly and rushed off．At midday he opened Molly's bag and took out the contents：two hair ribbons(丝带), three small stones, a plastic dinosaur, a tiny sea shell, a small doll, and 13 pennies… The busy father smiled, finished eating, and swept the desk clean into the wastebasket, Molly's stuff included．

　　That evening, Molly ran up behind him as he read the paper．“Where's my bag?” “What bag?” “The one I gave you this morning．”“I left it at the office．Why?” “I forgot to put this note in it,” she said．“And, besides, Daddy, the things in the sack are the things I really like－I thought you might like to play with them．You didn't lose the bag, did you, Daddy?” “Oh, no,” he said, lying．“I just forgot to bring it home．I'll bring it tomorrow．” While Molly hugged her father's neck, he unfolded the note that read：：“I love you, Daddy．” Molly had given him her treasures－all that a 7-year-old held dear．

　　Love in a paper bag, and he missed it－not only missed it, but had thrown it in the wastebasket．So back he went to the office．Just ahead of the night janitor(看门人), he picked up the wastebasket．He put the treasures inside and carried it home carefully．The bag didn't look so good, but the stuff was all there and that's what counted．

　　After dinner, he asked Molly to tell him about the stuff in the sack．It took a long time to tell．Everything had a story or a memory．

　　“Sometimes I think of all the great times in this sweet life,” he thought．

　　We should all remember that it's not the destination that counts in life, but the journey．That journey with the people we love is all that really matters．It is such a simple truth but it is so easily forgotten．

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　What do you want to be when you grow up? A teacher? A doctor? How about an ice－cream taster?

　　Yes, there really is a job where you can get paid to taste ice－cream．Just ask John Harrison, an “Official Taste Tester” for the past 21 years．Testing helps manufacturers to be sure of a product's quality．During his career Harrison has been responsible for approving large quantities of the sweet ice cream－ as well as for developing over 75 flavors(味道)．

　　Some people think that it would be easy to do this job：after all, you just have to like ice cream, right? No－ there's more to the job than that, says Harrison, who has a degree in chemistry．He points out that a dairy or food－science degree would be very useful to someone wanting a career in this “cool” field．

　　In a typical morning on the job, Harrison tastes and assesses 60 ice－cream samples．He lets the ice cream warm up to about 12 F．Harrison explains, “You get more flavor from warmer ice cream, which is why some kids like to stir it, creating ice－cream soup．”

　　While the ice cream warms up, Harrison looks over the samples and grades each one on its appearance．“Tasting begins with the eyes,” he explains．He checks to see if the ice cream is attractive and asks himself, “Does the product have the color expected from that flavor?” Next it's time to taste!

　　Continuing to think up new ideas, try out new flavors, and test samples from so many kinds of ice cream each day keeps Harrison busy but happy－working at one cool job．

阅读理解

　　Twenty years ago, I drove a taxi for a living．One night I went to pick up a passenger at 2∶30 a. m．When I arrived to collect, I found the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window．

　　I walked to the door and knocked, “Just a minute,” answered a weak, elderly voice．

　　After a long pause, the door opened．A small woman in her eighties stood before me．By her side was a small suitcase．

　　I took the suitcase to the car, and then returned to help the woman．She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the car．

　　She kept thanking me for my kindness．"It's nothing,"　I told her．"I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated．"

　　"Oh, you're such a good man．"She said．When we got into the taxi, she gave me an address, and then asked, "Could you drive through downtown?"

　　"It's not the shortest way," I answered quickly．

　　"Oh, I'm in no hurry," she said．"I'm on my way to a hospice．I don't have any family left．The doctor says I don't have very long．

　　I quietly reached over and shut off the meter．

　　For the next two hours, we drove through the city．She showed me the building where she had once worked, the neighborhood where she had lived, and the furniture shop that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl．

　　Sometimes she'd ask me to slow down in front of a particular building and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing．

　　At dawn, she suddenly said, "I'm tired．Let's go now．"

　　We drove in silence to the address she had given me．

　　How much do I owe you?" she asked．

　　"Nothing．" I said．

　　You have to make a living," she answered．"Oh, there are other passengers," I answered．

　　Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug．She held onto me tightly．Our hug ended with her remark, "You gave an old woman a little moment of joy．"