阅读理解

　　Attractions in Wisconsin

　　30 N．Carroll Street on Madison’s Capitol Square

　　Discover Wisconsin’s history and culture(文化)on four floors of exhibits．Open for public program．Admission is free．

　　Open Tuesday through Saturday, 9∶00am－4∶00 pm．

　　(608)264-6555 www．wisconsinhistory．org/museum

　　612 Seventh Ave．, New Glarus

　　The Swiss Historical Village offers a delightful look at pioneer life in America’s heartland．14 buildings in the village give a full picture of every day life in the nineteenth-century Midwest．

　　Tue．－Fri．, May 1st－October 31st, 10∶00 am－4∶00 pm．Admission is ＄20．

　　(608)527-2317 www．swisshistoricalvillage．com

　　6858 Paoli Rd．, Paoli, WI

　　One of the largest collections of fine arts and crafts(手工艺品)in Wisconsin．Over 5000 sp．ft．of exhibition space in a historic creamery．While visiting enjoy a wonderfully prepared lunch at our café overlooking the Sugar River．Just minutes from Madison!

　　Gallery open Tue．–Sun．, 10∶00 am－5∶00 pm．

　　Café open Wed．–Sat．, 11∶00 am－3∶00 pm．

　　Sun．brunch with wine, 10∶00－3∶00 pm．

　　(608)845-6600 www．artisangal．com

　　239 Whitney St．, Columbus

　　World-class exhibit－2000 quality souvenirs(纪念品)marking Chicago’s 1893 World Columbian Exhibition．Tour buses are always welcome．

　　Open daily, 8∶15 am－4∶00 pm．

　　(920)623-1992 www．columbusantiquemall．com

阅读理解

　　“The first and best of victories is for a man to conquer himself; to be conquered by himself is, of all things, the most shameful, ” says Plato．Self-control is at the root of all the advantages．Let a man give in to his impulses(冲动)and feelings, and from that moment he gives up his moral(道德上的)freedom．

　　A single angry word has lost many a friend．When Socrates found in himself any temper or anger, he would check it by speaking low in order to control himself．If you are conscious of being angry, keep your mouth shut so that you can hold back rising anger．Many a person has dropped dead in great anger．Fits of anger bring fits of disease．“Whom the gods would destroy they first make mad．” “Keep cool”, says George Herbert, “for fierceness(狂怒)makes error a fault．”

　　To be angry with a weak man is to prove that you are not strong yourself．“Anger, ” says Pythagoras, “brings with folly(愚蠢)and ends with regret．” You must measure the strength of a man by the power of the feelings he conquers, not by the power of those which conquer him．

　　Self-control is man’s last greatest victory．

　　If a man lacks self-control he seems to lack everything．Without it he can have no patience, no power to govern himself; he can have no self-confidence, for he will always be controlled by his strongest feeling．If he lacks self-control, the very backbone and nerve of character are lacking also．

阅读理解

　　My friend must be the wisest woman on this planet, for she has lived up to the three words “Seize the moment”．Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven’t thought about it, or because they are unwilling to try something new．

　　My sister died a few years ago．We never did have lunch together．I can’t remember how many times I was refused when I called her to go to lunch．She would say to me：“I can’t, my brother．I have clothes on the line．” “My hair is dirty．I wish I had known yesterday．” “I had a late breakfast．” “It looks like rain．” Only after her death did I choose to be a little more flexible(灵活的)．

　　Life is not made up of things that you do at a particular time, but it demands variety and adventure．As we grow older, the list of promises made to ourselves may get longer．Perhaps one morning, when we wake up, we will find to our surprise that our life is full of “I’m going to”, “I plan to” and “Someday, when things are settled down a bit．”

　　My seize the-moment friend is open to adventure and ready at any moment to make a new start．She keeps an open mind about new ideas．Her great interest in life is contagious．With her around you, you may trade your bad feet for good shoes．

　　I have not touched ice cream for 10 years．The other day, I stopped off and bought a triple-decker(三层冰淇淋)．If my car had hit an iceberg(冰山)on the way home, I would have died happy．

　　German Prime Minister Otto Von Bismarck may be most famous for his military and diplomatic talent, but his contributions includes many of today’s social insurance programs．During the middle of the 19th century, Germany, along with other European nations, experienced an unprecedented rash of workplace deaths and accidents as a result of growing industrialization．Motivated in part by Christian sympathy for the helpless as well as a practical political impulse(冲动)to get the support of the socialist labor movement, Chancellor Bismarck created the world’s first workers’ compensation(赔偿)law in 1884．

　　By 1908, the United States was the only industrial nation in the world that lacked workers’ compensation insurance．America’s injured workers could sue for damages in a court of law, but they still faced a number of tough legal barriers．For example, employees had to prove that their injuries directly resulted from employer negligence and that they themselves were ignorant about potential hazards in the workplace．The first state workers’ compensation law in this country passed in 1911, and the program soon spread throughout the nation．

　　After World War II, benefit payments to American workers did not keep up with the cost of living．In fact, real benefit levels were lower in the 1970s than they were in the 1940s, and in most states the maximum benefit was below the poverty level for a family of four．In 1970, President Richard Nixon set up a national commission to study the problems of workers’ compensation．Two years later, the commission issued 19 key recommendations, including one that called for increasing compensation benefit levels to 100 percent of the states’ average weekly wages．

　　In fact, the average compensation benefit in America has climbed from 55 percent of the states’ average weekly wages in 1972 to 97 percent today．But, as most studies show, every 10 percent increase in compensation benefits results in a 5 per cent increase in the numbers of workers who file for claims．And with so much more money floating in the workers’ compensation system, it’s not surprising that doctors and lawyers have helped themselves to a large slice of the growing pie．

　　The American Family Immigration History Center is an exciting new interactive area at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum where more than 100 million Americans may search for their family’s beginnings in the New World．Now, for the first time, the passengers records of the ships that landed some 22 million immigrants, crewmembers and other passengers at the Port of New York and Ellis Island from 1892 to 1924 have been computerized, making it easier than ever to discover your own family history．

　　Five years in the making, the center was developed and funded by the Statue of the Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc．, which was responsible for the restoration and preservation of the Statue of the Liberty and Ellis Island, and the creation of the Immigration Museum．

　　For visitors to the Museum, the excitement begins at a welcoming kiosk where you can enter ancestors’ names and see if their arrival records are included in the database and are available in the History Center in the Museum’s West Wing．Once inside the Center itself, in the very place where your ancestors(grand-grandparents)may have ended their long journey, you and your family can log on the one of 41 computers, type in name, and, within seconds, set in motion your own special journey of discovery．

　　Imagine the excitement you’ll share with your family as you use the latest technology to sort through a vast computerized archive(档案馆)with millions of records, and see your family’s own personal story in America come to life before your eyes．

　　Millions of hours were spent creating this vast database and, if you find your ancestors’ names, you’ll discover answers to questions you’ve always wondered about… What ship did my family members take? When did they arrive? How old were they? Were they married? Then, take these valuable records and create your own Family History Scrapbook, preserving forever the story of the past while keeping the legacy of your family alive．

　　In the current economic downturn, many American schools are adding a new subject to the curriculum(课程); financial literacy．One program in Virginia even gets students out of the classroom for a day to learn how far their money will go in the real world．

　　What looks like a shopping mall is actually an educational field trip experience for a group of young people．Finance Park is a special facility where students apply what they have been taught in class about money management．

　　“They become, essentially, adults for the day,” says Alice Reilly, social studies coordinator for Fairfax County Public Schools．“They are asked to develop a budget for 18 line items that you and I might have in our budget; things like utilities, insurance, groceries, housing．”

　　Each budget item is represented by a storefront where students collect an option sheet．Students must refer to a card that shows their income and their family size, when they choose what to buy．There’s also a stock ticker so students can keep track of shares in their portfolios(投资组合)．

　　The facility opened last year in Fairfax, Virginia．It is the fifteenth Finance Park built in the last decade by Junior Achievement USA, a non-profit organization dedicated to preparing young people for financial success．

　　“Since the financial crisis, the demand for Finance Parks around the country has grown exponentially," says Ed Grenier, president of the Washington, DC chapter．"We have a number under way in the planning and building stages．”

　　Financial literacy has only recently become part of the regular curriculum in Fairfax County．“Some students, some teachers, some schools did it, but now it is much more systematic," Reilly says, "and it is much more consistent to ensure that all students get this background information．”

　　That is why every eighth grade student in Fairfax County will eventually spend a day here．Thirteen-year-old Sam says she has learned an important life lesson．“I didn’t know how expensive everything would be．”

　　Anthony, also 13, is looking forward to telling his parents what he learned．“I’ll probably tell them I want to stay a kid a little longer and take my time to become an adult．”

　　This isn’t the end of financial studies for Anthony and the other students here．Virginia is one of 13 states which requires students to take a financial education in high school in order to graduate．

Reading Comprehension

　　Imagine being on a treadmill(跑步机), wearing a face mask connected to oxygen-measuring equipment．You are walking at a leisurely pace, at the slowest setting, so your oxygen consumption is fairly low．As the speed of the treadmill increases, your metabolism(新陈代谢)increases, and as a result, your oxygen consumption goes up as well．Your muscle cells are using the extra oxygen to break down carbohydrates, which they use for fuel, and turn them into energy, so their metabolism is said to be aerobic(with air)．You are now jogging along at a comfortable speed, still supplying sufficient oxygen to your muscle cells, so your exercise is still aerobic．As you increase your speed, your oxygen consumption will continue to rise, but at some point, it will stop rising．That is because your heart and lungs have reached their maximum capacity for supplying oxygen to the muscles via the bloodstream．But you can still run a lot faster．Your speed keeps increasing and eventually you are running as fast as you can, but your oxygen consumption has not changed．Your muscle cells can keep on firing without getting the extra oxygen they need because they are able to break down carbohydrates without using oxygen．This is called anaerobic(without air)metabolism．Sprinters(短跑运动员), who run at top speed, perform most of their hundred-meter race anaerobically; in contrast, long-distance runners, who have time to vary their speed, perform most of their event aerobically．

　　Anaerobic metabolism is far less efficient than aerobic metabolism but is capable of generating very high quantities of energy for short periods of time．It also generates lactic acid(乳酸)as a by-product．This is stored in the muscles and associated with muscle fatigue and general exhaustion．That is why sprinting cannot be kept up for very long．After sprinting, the lactic acid that has been stored in the muscles has to be broken down, and this requires oxygen, which explains why we breathe quickly after a hard run．

Reading Comprehension

　　Yeah, Osama got what he deserved, Iraq got what they deserved, and Afghanistan got what they deserved．Saddam got what he deserved, Hitler got what he deserved．The list goes on & on．

　　I hate saying this but I believe America deserved 9/11 …They have screwed up so many governments…．

　　I’m American and I and my brother suspected the whole story about dropping him into the ocean．We feel if they really killed him they would keep his body for proof．

　　All you Islamic haters are ignorant fools．The terrorists don’t have anything to do with the religion．They say they are part of the Islamic Religion but they are not．Nuking(kill somebody with nuclear bombs)Pakistan will do nothing by the way．

　　Please give me the 2 minutes of my life back that I watched your pointless and fake video．

　　Man? Why is this video fake? Rather than shouting about how it’s obviously not Osama, why not provide the arguments for it instead of coming off as if you simply want to deny it for the sake of denial．

　　What a load of nonsense, an insult to any intelligent person, Bin Laden dead for ages…watch Benazir Bhutto say so on YouTube a week before she herself was murdered．The Muslims murdered her for being an American spy!

　　I honestly don’t know what to believe, but … why did the terrorists confirm his death if it didn’t happen．

Reading Comprehension

　　Some say everyday miracles are predestined(注定的)－All that’s necessary is readiness, the right circumstance for the appointed meeting．And it can happen anywhere．

　　In 1999, 11-year-old Kevin Stephan was a bat boy for his younger brother's Little League team in Lancaster, New York．It was an early evening in late July．Kevin was standing on the grass away from the plate, where another youngster was warming up for the next game．Swinging his bat back and forth, and giving it all the power an elementary school kid could give, the boy brought the bat back hard and hit Kevin in the chest．His heart stopped．

　　When Kevin fell to the ground, the mother of one of the players rushed out of the stands to his aid．Penny Brown hadn't planned to be there that day, but at the last minute, her shift(轮班)at the hospital had been changed, and she was given the night off．Penny bent over the senseless boy, his face already starting to turn blue, and giving CPR, breathing into his mouth and giving chest compressions(按压)．And he came to life．

　　After his recovery, he became a volunteer junior firefighter, learning some of the emergency first-aid techniques that had saved his life．He studied hard in school and was saving money for college by working as a dishwasher in a local restaurant in his spare time．

　　Kevin, now 17, was working in the kitchen when he heard people screaming, customers in confusion, employees rushing toward a table．He hurried into the main room and saw a woman there, her face turning blue, her hands at her throat．She was choking(哽住)．

　　Quickly Kevin stepped behind her, wrapped his arms around her and clasped his hands．Then, using skills he'd first learned in Scouts, the food that was trapped in the woman's throat was freed．The color began to return to her face．

　　“The food was stuck．I couldn't breathe,” she said．She thought she was dying．“I was very frightened．”

　　Who was the woman?

　　Penny Brown．

阅读理解

　　You are standing in the kitchen and a voice says, “Add a little more salt to that soup．” Yes, it’s always nice to have someone help you when you’re cooking．But this voice is not from a man．You are alone! Then where does it come from? Is it from a ghost? No, this isn’t a ghost kitchen－it’s the kitchen of the future．

　　Scientists are working to improve everything in the kitchen, from fridges to tables, and even the ways we cook．They are making a system．It will help a person cook a meal．You don’t need cookbooks．You can hear how to cook food．

　　The fridge of the smart kitchen has a scanner．It looks at the foods in the fridge．It will order more milk from the store when your milk has gone bad or there is no more in the fridge．The gloves will test the temperature of everything they touch and say, “Need to cook longer” or “Hot and ready to eat”．If you leave them on the stove by mistake, they’ll say, “Fire!” Even the knives and spoons will speak．For example, if your food is bad, the knives and spoons will tell you not to eat it．

　　The future kitchen may look wonderful, but it’s not cheap．The multimedia fridge costs about 8,000 dollars．So even though high-tech kitchens are no longer a dream, not everyone can afford one．