阅读理解

　　When it comes to friends, I desire those who will share my happiness, who possess wings of their own and who will fly with me．I seek friends whose qualities illuminate(light)me and train me up for love．It is for these people that I keep the best hours．

　　When I was in the eighth grade, I had a friend．We were shy and “too serious” about our studies when it was becoming fashionable with our classmates to learn acceptable social behaviors．We said little at school, but she would come to my house and we would sit down with pencils and paper, and one of us would say：“Let's start with a train whistle(笛)today．” We would sit quietly together and write separate poems or stories that grew out of a train whistle．Then we would read them aloud．At the end of that school year, we, too, were changing into social creatures and the stories and poems stopped．

　　When I lived for a time in London, I had a friend, He was in despair(disappointment)and I was in despair．But our friendship was based on the idea in each of us that we would be sorry later if we did not explore this great city because we had felt bad at the time．We met every Sunday for five weeks and found many excellent things．We walked until our despairs disappeared and then we parted．We gave London to each other．

　　For almost four years I have had a worthy friend whose imagination illuminates mine．We write long letters in which we often discover our strangest selves．Each of us appears, sometimes in a funny way, in the other's dreams．She and I agree that, at certain times, we seem to be parts of the same mind．In my most interesting moments, I often think：“Yes, I must tell…．” We have never met．

　　It is such comforting friends I wish to keep．One bright hour with their kind is worth more to me than the lifetime services of a psychologist, who will only fill up the healing(becoming healthy)silence necessary to those darkest moments in which I would rather be my own best friend．

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阅读理解

　　Isn't it ironic(讽刺的)that perhaps the most loved toy a child has is a teddy bear? It is also ironic that lovers often give teddy bears to their partners with a few hearts and loving messages on them．You may ask what is ironic about that．Well, the way living bears are treated by humans is extremely cruel．

　　Did you know that over 12,000 bears are kept in cages in Asia where they cannot stand up and can barely turn around? They cannot hibernate as other bears do as they cannot lie down because of the bars they have to lie on．These bears are kept for their bile(胆汁)and the process of extracting(提取)it would make you weep．These beautiful creatures have tube inserted into their abdomens(腹部)leading to their gall bladder(皮囊)to extract the bile．The wound is opened up to three times a day to prevent it from recovering so that the bile can be extracted as it builds up．This of course often leads to infection, abscesses(脓肿), and great pain．

　　Perhaps some bear paw soup? In Cambodia, Vietnam or Japan, if you are prepared to pay＄1,000 you can have your fill of bear paw soup．They don't have to catch the bear; he is in a cage and kept alive．His paw is cut off and your order is prepared．Of course when the next order comes in, another paw is cut off and so on until he has no paws left．He is then hit to death eaten．I cannot tell you the manner of killing．It distresses me too much, but you can source this information from the Internet if interested．

　　Fortunately there are organizations out there trying to stop these horrific practices．We all need to lend our weight and support to these agencies; they rely on donations and volunteers．

　　I am sure that you now appreciate the irony of the beloved teddy bear that children take to bed with them．The bear is a beautiful creature and I find it hard to comprehend man's lack of sympathy and the depth of his cruelty．

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阅读理解

　　Foreign drivers will have to pay on the spot fines of up to ￡900 for breaking the traffic law to be carried out next month．

　　If they do not have enough cash or a working credit card, their vehicles will be clamped(扣留)until they pay－and they will face an additional fee of ￡ 80 for getting back their vehicles．

　　The law will also apply to British citizens．The fines will be described officially as “deposits” when the traffic law takes effect, because the money would be returned if the driver went to court and was found not guilty．In practice, very few foreign drivers are likely to return to Britain to deal with their cases．

　　Foreign drivers are rarely charged because police cannot take action against them if they fail to appear in court．Instead, officers often merely give warnings．

　　Three million foreign registered vehicles enter Britain each year．Polish vehicles make up 36 percent, French vehicles 10 percent and German vehicles 9 percent．

　　Foreign vehicles are 30 percent more likely to be in a crash than British registered vehicles．The number of crashes caused by foreign vehicles rose by 47 percent between 2003 and 2008．There were almost 400 deaths and serious injuries and 3,000 slight injuries from accidents caused by foreign vehicles in 2008．

　　The new law is partly intended to settle the problem of foreign lorry drivers ignoring limits on weight and hours at the wheel．Foreign lorries are three times more likely to be in a crash than British lorries．Recent spot checks found that three quarters of lorries that failed safety tests were registered overseas．

　　The standard deposit for a careless driving offence－such as driving too close to the vehicle in front or reading a map at the wheel－will be￡300．Deposits for speeding offences and using mobile phones will be ￡60．Foreign drivers will not get points as punishment added to their licenses, while British drivers will．

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阅读理解

　　We considered a list of the best American books．Here are five that may help accurately show the national character．Most from a century or so ago, they still entertain, teach, and inspire：

　　Moby－Dick by Herman Melville

　　First published in 1851, the adventure stories of Captain Ahab and his monomaniacal(偏执的)pursuit of the white whale draw us into a universe full of fascinating characters and stories．

　　The Education of Henry Adams by Henry Adams

　　Published in 1918, the book was an autobiography(自传)．Born in one of America's most famous political families, Adams provides insight into his family, including his experience as private secretary to his father, minister to England during the American Civil war．

　　Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman

　　When Whitman published Leaves of Grass in 1855, he wanted to accurately describe the American experience and reflect the great changes in the American literary world that had taken place during his lifetime．

　　Poems by Emily Dickinson

　　An enthusiastic poet whose works have had considerable influence on modern poetry, Dickson's frequent use of dashes, occasional capitalization(大写)of nouns, and unconventional metaphors(隐喻)have contributed to her reputation as one of the most inventive poets of the 19^th century American literature．However, most of her poems were not published during her lifetime．

　　The Song of Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

　　First published in 1855, this is Longfellow's most popular and most recognized poem, the heroic life and death of a magic American Indian, sent by the Great Spirit to guide the nations in the ways of peace．

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阅读理解

　　Farmer Joe was in his cart when he was hit by a truck．He decided his injuries from the accident were serious enough to take the trucking company to court．In court the trucking company's lawyer was questioning farmer Joe．“Didn't you say, at the scene of the accident, ‘I'm fine'?” said the lawyer．

　　Farmer Joe responded, “Well, I'll tell you what happened．I had just loaded my favorite donkey Bessie into the…”

　　“I didn't ask for any details,” the lawyer interrupted, “just answer the question．Didn't you say, at the scene of the accident, ‘I'm fine'?”

　　Farmer Joe said, “Well I had just got Bessie into the cart and I was driving down the road…”

　　The lawyer interrupted again and said, “Judge, I am trying to establish the fact that, at the scene of the accident, this man told the highway policeman on the scene that he was just fine．Now several weeks after the accident he is trying to sue my client．I believe he is a cheat．Please tell him to simply answer the question．”

　　By this time the Judge was fairly interested in Farmer Joe's answer and said to the lawyer, “I'd like to hear what he has to say about his favorite donkey Bessie．”

　　Joe thanked the Judge and continued, “Well, as I was saying, I had just loaded Bessie, my favorite donkey, into the cart and was driving her down the highway when this huge semi-truck ran the stop sign and hit my cart right in the side．I was thrown into one ditch(路边的沟)and Bessie was thrown into the other．”

　　“I was badly hurt and wasn't able to move．However, I could hear old Bessie moaning and groaning(呻吟)．I knew she was in terrible shape just by her groans．Shortly after the accident a highway policeman came on the scene．He could hear Bessie moaning and groaning so he went over to her．After he looked at her, he took out his gun and shot her between the eyes．Then the policeman came across the road with his gun in his hand and looked at me．He said, ‘Your donkey was in such bad shape, so I had to shoot her．How are you feeling?'”

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阅读短文，从每小题后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　A famous teacher was speaking to the students at our school．He began his lesson by holding up a ￥100 bill．Then he said to the three hundred students, “Who would like this ￥100 bill?” The students began to put up their hands at once．

　　Then he said, “I am going to give this ￥100 to one of you, but first, let me do this．” He then made the bill into a ball．Then he said, “Who wants it now?” The hands went back into the air．

　　“Well, ” he said, “What if I do this? ” and he dropped it on the floor and stepped on it．He picked up the dirty, crumpled bill and said, “Who still wants it?”Hands went back into the air．

　　“My friends, ” he said, “you have learned a valuable lesson today．No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not go down in value．It was still worth ￥ l00!”

　　Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and stepped on by the chances we take and the things that happen to us．We feel as if we are worth nothing．But remember, no matter what has happened to you, you will never lose your value： you are always valuable to those people who love you．Your value doesn't come from what you do or whom you know, but WHO YOU ARE．

　　You are special and valuable．Don't ever forget it!

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阅读短文，从每小题后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　In the kitchen of my mother's houses there has always been a wooden stand(木架)with a small notepad(记事本)and a hole for a pencil．

　　I'm looking for paper on which to note down the name of a book I am recommending to my mother．Over forty years since my earliest memories of the kitchen pad and pencil, five houses later, the current paper and pencil look the same as they always did．Surely it can't be the same pencil? The pad is more modern, but the wooden stand is definitely the original one．

　　“I'm just amazed you still have the same stand for holding the pad and pencil after all these years．” I say to her, walking back into the living－room with a sheet of paper and the pencil．“You still use a pencil．Can't you afford a pen?”

　　My mother replies a little sharply．“It works perfectly well．I’ve always kept the stand in the kitchen．I never knew when I might want to note down an idea, and I was always in the kitchen in those days．”

　　Immediately I can picture her, hair wild, blue housecoat covered in flour, a wooden spoon in one hand, the pencil in the other, her mouth moving silently．My mother smiles and says, “One day I was cooking and watching baby Pauline, and I had a brilliant thought, but the stand was empty．One of the children must have taken the paper．So I just picked up the breadboard and wrote it all down on the back．It turned out to be a real breakthrough for solving the mathematical problem I was working on．”

　　This story－which happened before I was born－reminds me how extraordinary my mother was, and is, as a gifted mathematician．I feel embarrassed that I complain about not having enough child－free time to work．Later, when my mother is in the bathroom, I go into her kitchen and turn over the breadboards．Sure enough, on the back of the smallest one, are some penciled marks I recognize as mathematics．Those symbols have travelled unaffected through fifty years, rooted in the soil of a cheap wooden breadboard, invisible(看不到的)exhibits at every meal．

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阅读短文，从每小题后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　Few people ever took notice of Mr．Jimmy Tan whenever he entered a room．He was a shy, quiet and simple man who preferred to keep to himself in public．On the other hand, Mr．Thomas Kim, a fellow scientist, was a man everyone would notice on the streets．He wore bright outfits with huge flower prints, spoke with a booming voice, and his laughter could be heard from all corners of a room．In addition to the differences in their characters, Mr．Kim and Mr．Tan were also great rivals at work in the Institute of Future Science．

　　On Christmas Eve, everyone left work early to celebrate the special occasion, except for Mr．Tan and Mr．Kim．They were in their laboratory analyzing the results of their latest experiments．Mr．Tan realized that something special was taking place in his experiment－the bacteria he had cultured were growing extremely quickly under high pressure and at a very low temperature．After noting down the findings in his notebook, he left the room to prepare for another round of tests．Shortly after, Mr．Kim entered．

　　“Hey Jimmy, ” Mr．Kim called out, “do you have an extra copy of the laboratory booking form?”

　　There was no reply, so Mr．Kim looked through Mr．Tan's things．He soon found Mr．Tan's notebook and was horrified to see that Mr．Tan had managed to make one of the most important discoveries in modern science．He then looked into the deep－freeze cupboard where a dish containing the bacteria was kept．He put them into his pocket and returned to his own laboratory．

　　Mr．Tan came back an hour later to find his notebook and the dish missing．He knew that Mr．Kim had taken them and went to Mr．Kim's laboratory to find out．When he opened the door, he found Mr．Kim lying on the floor motionless．His face was pale and his skin had turned black．The deadly bacteria had been handled improperly．He shook his head and left．

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阅读理解

　　An 18-year-old student has won a local election to become mayor(市长)of his hometown in the US state of Michigan．Michael Sessions won by just two votes to beat his only rival(对手), the 51-year-old former mayor．Mr．Sessions owed his electoral success to the votes cast by his parents．He will now have to balance schedules between attending school and fulfilling his civic duties．He will attend his school classes between 8am to 3pm and carry out his new job as the elected mayor of Hillsdale before dinner at 6pm．He aims to deliver on his campaign promises of increasing the number of full-time fire-fighters from three to four, revitalizing(复兴)the local economy and enabling townsfolk to air their views and grievances(抱怨)on town life．

　　Mr．Sessions was too young to enter the election when it was first announced – he turned 18 only in September, which meant he had just four weeks of campaigning．Although he is the youngest elected official in America, he cannot celebrate his success with champagne because he would be seized by the police for underage drinking．He ran for office with a budget of ＄700, which he made from his summer job of selling toffee apples．His new position does not come with an office．Instead, he will receive a yearly salary of ＄3,600 to cover basic expenses．He starts his four-year position on November 21．Mr．Sessions has become famous overnight since his victory and has already done a series of television chat show interviews．

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阅读理解

　　Nothing evokes(唤起)Alaska like a whale exploding out of the water or an eagle pulling a silver fish from the river．Combine these images with high mountains, brilliant icebergs and wonderful meals and you really do have the best of Alaska! Join us for an unforgettable 7-day excursion(远足)to the last frontier!

　　Juneau：Juneau, the state capital, is rich in culture and scenic beauty．It is here that we start and end our trip．

　　Haines：Haines is a small community located along the fjords(海湾)．The natural beauty and expansive wilderness found here have made Haines a premier center for adventure in Alaska．

　　Alaska Indian Arts：Alaska Indian Arts is a nonprofit corporation dedicated to the preservation and continuation of traditional native craft and culture of the Northwest Native Tribes．We spend a few hours learning carving, native beading and culture from these master artists．

　　Skagway：Skagway is a lively town, which still reflects its gold rush roots and contains colorful shops．In Skagway, we stop by the Klondike Gold Rush National Park Visitor’s Center and ride the White Pass Yukon Route Railway．

　　Gustavus：Gustavus is the gateway to the Glacier Bay National Park．We’ll stay at a comfortable lodge(旅馆)here for two nights．This will be the base for both the whale-watching excursion and a full day cruise(乘船游览)in Glacier Bay．

　　May 16, June 20, July 18, and August 15．

　　7 days－＄3,500, including lodging, all meals, excursions, guides, park fees, sales taxes, and transportation between Juneau, Skagway, Haines, and Gustavus．Not included：alcohol, personal items, airfare to and from Juneau．

　　E-mail：info@alaskamountainguides．com

　　Telephone：1．800-766-3396

　　Address：Alaska Mountain Guides & Climbing School, P．O．Box 1081, Haines AK 99827

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