阅读理解

　　Among various programs, TV talk shows have covered every inch of space on daytime television．And anyone who watches them regularly knows that each one is different in style(风格)．But no two shows are more opposite in content, while at the same time standing out above the rest, than the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey shows．

　　Jerry Springer could easily be considered the king of “rubbish talk”．The contents on his show are as surprising as can be．For example, the show takes the ever-common talk show titles of love, sex, cheating, and hate, to a different level．Clearly, the Jerry Springer show is about the dark side of society, yet people are willing to eat up the troubles of other people’s lives．

　　Like Jerry Springer, Oprah Winfrey takes TV talk show to its top．But Oprah goes in the opposite direction．The show is mainly about the improvement of society and different quality(质量)of life．Contents are from teaching your children lessons, managing your work week, to getting to know your neighbors．

　　Compared to Oprah, the Jerry Springer show looks like poisonous waste being poured into society．Jerry ends every show with a “final word”．He makes a small speech about the entire idea of the show．Hopefully, this is the part where most people will learn something very valuable．

　　Clean as it is, the Oprah show is not for everyone．The show’s main viewers are middleclass Americans．Most of these people have the time, money, and ability to deal with life’s tough problems．Jerry Springer, on the other hand, has more of a connection with the young adults of society．These are 18-to-21-year-olds whose main troubles in life include love, relationship, sex, money and drug．They are the ones who see some value and lessons to be learned through the show’s exploitation．

阅读理解

　　Cloning is suggested as a means of bringing back a relative, usually a child, killed tragically．Some parents can understand that wish, but it must first be recognized that the copy would be a new baby and not the lost child．Here lies the difficulty, for the sad parents are seeking not a new baby but a return of the dead one．Since the original would be fondly remembered as having particular talents and interests, would not the parents expect the copy to be the same? It is possible, however, that the copy would develop quite differently．Is it fair to the new child to be placed in a family with such unnatural expectations?

　　Copying is also suggested as a means by which parents can have the child of their dreams．Couples might choose to have a copy of a film star, baseball player or scientist, depending on their interest．But because personality is only partly the result of genetic inheritance(遗传), conflicts would be sure to arise if the cloned child failed to develop the same interests as the original．What if the copy of Einstein shows no interest in science? Or the baseball player turns to acting? Success also depends upon fortune．What if the child does not live up to the hopes and dreams of the parents simply because of bad luck?

　　Every child should be wanted for itself, as an individual．In making a copy of oneself or some famous person, a parent is deliberately(深思熟虑地)specifying(详细说明)the way he or she wishes that child to develop．In recent years, particularly in the U．S．, much importance has been placed on the right of individuals to reproduce in ways that they wish．So I suggest there is a greater need to consider the interests of the child and to reject these proposed uses of cloning．

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．

阅读理解

　　Ten years ago, Pierre Omidyar, a software engineer working in California’s Silicon Valley, began thinking about how to use the internet for a trading system in which buyers and sellers could establish a genuine market price．Over a long holiday weekend he wrote the computer code．At first, a trickle(细流)of users arrived at his website－including his girlfriend, who traded PEZ candy dispensers．By the end of 1995, several thousand auctions had been completed and interest in eBay was growing．And it grew and grew．From this modest beginning, eBay has become a global giant, with around 150m registered users worldwide who are set to buy and sell goods worth more than ＄40 billion this year．

　　The remarkable tale of eBay’s growth points to some important lessons for any business trying to operate online－and today that includes, one way or another, most firms．The commercial opportunities presented by an expanding global web seem almost limitless．But the pace of change is rapid, and so is the ferocity(残暴)of competition．To succeed, firms need agility, an open mind and the ability to reinvent themselves repeatedly．Most of all, they need to listen carefully to their customers, paying close attention to what they do and don’t want．

　　Such qualities, of course, would be valuable in any kind of business．Yet for online firms they are not a luxury, but necessary for mere survival．This is true for a variety of reasons．The internet is not only growing, but changing rapidly－which, in turn, changes the rules of the game for any business relying on it．The barriers to entry are still low compared with those for most offline businesses, which means that just keeping track of your existing rivals is not enough．These may not represent the greatest competitive threat tomorrow or the next day．That could come from a number of directions－a firm in a different type of online business; one that does not yet exist; or even from one of your own customers．On top of all this, the behavior of many consumers is constantly changing as well, as individuals discover new ways to shop and interact with each other via the web．

　　All these factors make the internet a dangerous place to do business, as well as one full of promise．eBay’s history demonstrates both of those things．It is probably safe to say that nothing like eBay could have existed without the internet－or could have grown so fast．Even though there have been signs of the firm’s rapid pace slowing a bit in America, its most “mature” market, there remain vast opportunities overseas, particularly, some argue, in China．Meg Whitman, eBay’s chief executive, believes the company is still only at the beginning of what it could achieve．

阅读理解

　　Have you ever wondered what you would look like if you were an Asian, Middle Eastern, black, white or Indian person? By stepping into the Human Race Machine, you can find out．When you sit inside it, the machine creates a digital image of your face．After pushing certain buttons, the machine uses various photos of people of a certain ethnic group mixed with your own facial features．From this, it can come up with an image showing how you would look as a member of a different race．

　　The machine is part of a traveling retrospective(回顾展)called “ Seeing and Believing：The Art of Nancy Burson．” Burson is a famous American photographer and inventor．The show of 100 photos and multimedia works was on view at the Grey Art Gallery in New York on April 20．

　　“It is a strange feeling, just like stepping into someone else’s skin．” said Hathy Zajchenko, a museum visitor from Pennsylvania, US．As soon as she sat down, she tried out a range of ethnic groups．“The Middle Eastern image worked pretty well for me,” she said with a smile．

　　According to Burson, the machine is a prayer for unity．It is about seeing through differences to find the things we all share in common．Burson added the database of Middle Eastern faces, both Arab and Jewish, after the terrorist attacks on September 11．“I have always wanted to allow people to see differently．I am a photographer．I am recording the unseen, because what we can not see is so much more interesting than what we can see,” Burson said．

　　For those who missed the show, the Human Race machine will be on view at the New York Hall of Science in the Queens district full-time as of June．

阅读理解

　　All Ric O Barry wants is to stop the dolphin-killing, so he is headed to this seaside Japanese town, Taiji．The American activist, who is the star of a new award-winning documentary that portrays the dolphin-killing here, got an unwelcome reception when he showed up here this week for the start of the annual hunt．

　　His movie, The Cove(海豚湾), directed by National Geographic photographer Louie Psihoyos, was released in the United States a month ago but has not yet to come out in Japan．

　　Scenes in the film, some of which were shot secretly, show fishermen banging on metal poles stuck in the water to create a wall of sound that scares the dolphins－which have supersensitive sonar(声纳系统)－and sends them fleeing into a cove．

　　There, the fishermen sometimes pick a few to be sold for aquarium shows, for as much as ＄150,000．They kill the others, spearing(刺)the animals repeatedly until the water turns red．The meat from one dolphin is worth about 50,000 yen, and is sold at supermarkets across Japan．

　　Greenpeace and other groups have tried to stop the hunt for years．Activists hope The Cove will bring the issue to more people internationally－and eventually in Japan．

　　Already, the Australian town of Broome dropped its 28-year sister-city relationship with Taiji last month, partly because of the movie．

　　“Some regions have a tradition of eating dolphin meat,” said fisheries official Toshinori Uoya．“Dolphin-killing may be negative for our international image, but it is not something orders can stop．”

　　The town government in Taiji－which has made whales and dolphins its trademark－refused to comment about The Cove, or the growing international criticism against dolphin-killing．

　　Many in Taiji take the dolphin hunt for granted as part of everyday life．They are defensive about The Cove, seeing themselves as powerless victims of overseas pressure to end a simple and honest way of making a living．

阅读理解

　　Vincent Van Gogh was a man in a hurry, an artist of tremendous energy and prodigious(巨大的)output．He killed himself when he was only 37, but he left behind him more than 2,000 paintings and drawings, which established his reputation in a way he would never have considered possible．

　　Van Gogh was born on March 30, 1853 at Groot Zundert Province of Noord Nrabant in Dutch．He was the son of a clergyman．His first artist impressions were formed as a boy, from his uncle who was an art dealer．The motivation bore early fruit and from the age of 12 the young Vincent was drawing．The interest led to an apprenticeship(学徒)in an art dealer’s firm, Groupil’s, in the Hague．When he was only 20, he was transferred to the firm’s London office．

　　In London Van Gogh faced his first major crisis, when he was rejected in love．After that, he turned to religion, expressed disapproval with art-dealing and neglected his work．Groupil transferred him from London to Paris but, when his work was still unsatisfactory, dismissed him in 1876．

　　The young Van Gogh made religion a consuming interest and during the next few years travelled in Britain, Belgium and Holland, trying to establish himself as a preacher(传道人), but without success．

　　In 1880, at the age of 27, he found himself drawn back to art．He had a job as an assistant evangelist(传教士)in the mining village of Borinage in Belgium but realized an artist drive which was to motivate him unceasingly until his death 10 years later．

　　Late in 1881, he moved to the Hague and established a relationship with a woman, Christine Hoornik, with whom he lived for a time．He broke with her in 1883, however, and never again established a significant intimate relationship with a woman．

　　In 1886 Van Gogh left Holland forever and travelled via Antwerp to Paris, and to major changes in artistic style．Van Gogh’s work became more youthful in Paris．He lived with his brother, Theo, who managed the modern department of an art dealer’s．A new, more animated, painting style emerged and the impressionist tendencies of earlier work weakened somewhat．

　　Van Gogh developed a taste for personalized brushwork and brilliant, unmixed colors．Among his most prominent experiments with color were a series of some 30 flower paintings, a fascination which stayed with him until his death．

阅读理解

　　The house was quiet at 5 a. m. and Tim’s mother was asleep．Only the sound of the big freezer broke the quiet．He’d dreamt of the cave last night．The purring(轻微颤动声)of the freezer had been the sea．

　　Tim pulled on a sweater and put some apples into his schoolbag．It was too early for breakfast．He’d eat after he’d been through the cave, sitting on the rocks and staring at the sea．

　　He wished he had a proper pack．His schoolbag would have to do．What else? Sandwiches－but his mother might wake up if he started pulling out bread for sandwiches．She’d want to know why he had to leave so early．He settled for some biscuits, and left a note stuck at the table：Gone to Michael’s．Back tonight．Tim．

　　The sky was high and soft and light outside, though the sun still wasn’t up．Even the highway up the hill was quiet as he made his way down the street．The wind from the sea was fresh and sweet．

　　The sandhills still breathed heat from yesterday’s sun, though the top of the sand was cool．He ran down to the beach impatiently, but there was no one, just dry sand dancing in the early wind and seabirds marching up and down watching the waves．

　　The light changed suddenly．The first rays of sunlight stretched across the sea．The sun was pushing its way over the edge of the world．Over the first rocks, along to the point, Tim glanced back．The beach was still empty．The sun sailed higher in the sky．

　　He could see the cave now, even darker in the morning light．The sand turned silver then dark gold as the water flowed away from it．He had to force himself to go closer．Why was it so much more mysterious now? But it would be silly to go back now after so much trouble．He needn’t go in all the way…

阅读理解

　　Since we are social beings, the quality of our lives depends in large measure on our interpersonal relationships．One strength of the human conditions is our possibility to give and receive support from one another under stressful conditions．Social support consists of exchange of resources among people based on their interpersonal ties．Those of us with strong support systems appear better able to deal with major life changes and daily problems．People with strong social ties live longer and have better health than those without such ties．Studies over types of illnesses, from depression to heart disease, show that the presence of social support helps people defend themselves against illness, and the absence of such support makes poor health more likely．

　　Social support cushions stress in a number of ways．First, friends, relatives and co-workers may let us know that they value us．Our self-respect is strengthened when we feel accepted by others in spite of our faults and difficulties．Second, other people often provide us with informational support．They help us to define and understand our problems and find solutions to them．Third, we typically find social companionship supportive．Taking part in free-time activities with others helps us to meet our social needs while at the same time distracting(转移注意力)us from our worries and troubles．Finally, other people may give us instrumental support－money aid, material resources, and needed services－that reduces stress by helping us resolve and deal with our problems．