阅读理解

　　Beldon and Canfield are two seashore towns, not far apart．Both towns have many hotels, and in summer the hotels are full of holiday－makers and other tourists．

　　Last August there was a fire at the Seabreeze Hotel in Beldon．The next day, this news appeared on page two of the town's newspaper．The Beldon Post：

　　FIRE AT SEABREEZE

　　Late last night firemen hurried to the Seabreeze Hotel and quickly put out a small fire in a bedroom．The hotel manager said that a cigarette started the fire．We say again to all our visitors：“Please don't smoke cigarettes in bed．” This was Beldon's first hotel fire for five years．

　　The Canfield Times gave the news in these words on page one：

　　ANOTHER BELDON HOTEL CATCHES FIRE

　　Last night Beldon firemen arrived just too late to save clothing, bedclothes and some furniture at the Seabreeze Hotel．An angry holiday－maker said, “An electric lamp probably started the fire．The bedroom lamps are very old at some of these hotels．When I put my bedside light on, I heard a funny noise from the lamp．” We are glad to tell our readers that this sort of adventure does not happen in Canfield．

　　What are the facts, then? It is never easy to find out the exact truth about an accident．There was a fire at the Seabreeze Hotel last August：that is one fact．Do we know anything else? Yes, we know that firemen went to the hotel．

　　Now what do you think of the rest of the “news” ?

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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 moon is made of ice－cream．Little green men live in the center of the earth．Nearly everyone tells lies．Only the third statement is true．Or at least that is what Dr．Robert Feldman of the University of Massachusetts says．Dr．Feldman conducted an experiment in which he asked 240 students to talk to each other for minutes．He filmed the conversations and then asked the students to watch themselves to confirm if all that they had said was true．

　　It turned out that nearly all of them had lied at least once．It seems that we not only lie, we do it naturally and without thinking．

　　“It's so easy to lie, ” said Dr．Feldman “We teach our children to be honest, but also to be polite and avoid offending people．Kids get a mixed message and that affects how they behave as adults．”

　　According to Dr．Wendy Gamble of the University of Arizona, kids don't need any instructions in lying．It comes naturally to them．Dr Gamble, a psychologist, has identified four different types of lies that both children and adults tell．The “pro－social” lie is told to help or protect other people．The “self－enhancement” lie is told by someone who wants to look good to other people．The “selfish lie” protects the speaker by harming someone else．And worst of all, the “anti－social” lie is told for the pleasure of getting someone else into trouble．

　　According to Dr．Feldman, men and women lie in different ways as well．“Women are more likely to lie to make the person they are with feel good．Men lie to make themselves look better, ” he says．The husband tells his wife he's due for a promotion at work．“Of course you are, ” she replies．

　　“Honesty is the basis of healthy relationships, ” says Dr．Gamble．“But rather than dismiss all lying as bad, we should reflect that deception is common and often socially acceptable．”

　　Perhaps we already do．In the English language, the word liar is usually only used to describe the person who tells selfish or anti－social lies．The rest are referred to as “white lies” ．These are joke words which show that we can tolerate people who don't tell the truth all the time．If people did not make up stories, there would be no literature, poetry or films．

　　Some psychologists argue that the lies people tell each other help hold society together．They make us feel good about each other and ourselves and encourage tolerance and trust．Just think what the world would be like if everybody said exactly what they thought all the time．

　　Yet there are times when people also need to hear the truth．It would be wrong to say that lying makes the world go round．It's the little green men in the center of the earth who do that．

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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。

　　Prague

　　Prague is an ancient European city, featuring one of the most magnificent Old Towns in Europe, along with delicious food, inexpensive shopping and friendly people．Prague is also famous as being home to one of the most famous 20th century writers, Franz Kafka．The famous Czech beer is also one of the reasons to visit Prague．

　　The narrow streets of the older parts of the town are appealing to the visitors to take nice long walk and settle in some of the many restaurants, which offer top－quality foods at a low price．The buildings there are mostly tower－shaped，and so Prague is called “city of a hundred spires．”

　　Mauritius

　　Also known as the Paradise on Earth, Mauritius lies about 560 miles(900 km)east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean．It is a place of magnificent natural beauty coupled with excellent customer service, which makes for an unforgettable romantic experience at the edge of the world's warmest ocean．

　　There are lots to see and do in Mauritius：the coral reefs(珊瑚礁)surrounding the island offer stunning beauty and great underwater adventures to those who want to dive into the precious waters．The nature of Mauritius mostly resembles that of Paradise, allowing every couple visiting this island to feel like Adam and Eve．That is an experience nobody would want to miss!

　　Cyprus

　　The very name Cyprus, it has been said, glitters with an age－old myth．Today, history and hedonism(快乐论)are comfortably mixed on the island．Some five－star resorts within walking distance of well－preserved Greek and Roman ruins offer the convenience the modern traveler has come to expect．

　　Cyprus features a romantic history, as it was Anthony's gift to his beloved Cleopatra during the glorious days of the Roman Empire．Maybe that is why you feel always a little special once you set foot on Cyprus．

　　For more information about many other most romantic places in the world, just log on at http：//www．jurgita．com．

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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。

　　Downloading music over the Internet is pretty common among high school and college students．However, when students download and share copyrighted music without permission, they are against the law．

　　A survey of young people's music ownership has found that teenagers and college students have an average of more than 800 illegally copied songs each on their digital music players．Half of those surveyed share all the music on their hard drive(硬盘), enabling others to copy hundreds of songs at any one time．Some students were found to have randomly linked their personal blogs to music sites, so as to allow free trial listening of copyrighted songs for blog visitors, or adopted some of the songs as the background music for their blogs．Such practices may be easy and free, but there are consequences．

　　Sandra Dowd, a student of Central Michigan University, was fined US＄7, 500 for downloading 501 files from LimeWire, a peer－to－peer file sharing program．Sandra claimed that she was unaware that her downloads were illegal until she was contacted by authorities．Similarly, Mike Lewinski paid US＄4, 000 to settle a lawsuit(起诉)against him for copyright violation(违反)．Mike expressed shock and couldn't believe that this was happening to him．“I just wanted to save some money and I always thought the threat was just a scare tactic(战术)．” “You know, everyone does it, ” added Mike．

　　The RIAA(Recording Industry Association of America), the organization that files lawsuits against illegal downloaders, states that suing(控告)students was by no means their first choice．Unfortunately, without the threat of consequences, students are just not changing their behavior．Education alone is not enough to stop the extraordinary growth of the illegal downloading practice．

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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。

　　He lost his arms in an accident that claimed his father's life－who was the main source of support for the family．Since then, he has had to depend on the arms of his younger brother．For the sake of taking care of him, his younger brother became his shadow, never leaving him alone for years．Except for writing with his toes, he was completely unable to do anything in his life．

　　One late night, he suffered from diarrhea(腹泻)and had to wake up his younger brother．His younger brother accompanied him into the toilet and then went back the dorm to wait．But being so tired, his younger brother fell asleep, leaving him on the toilet for two hours till the teacher on duty discovered him．As the two brothers grew up together, they had their share of problems and they would often quarrel．Then one day, his younger brother wanted to live separate from him, living his own life, as many normal people do．So he was heart－broken and didn't know what to do．

　　A similar misfortune happened to a girl, too．One night her mother, who suffered from chronic mental illness, disappeared．So her father went out looking for her mother, leaving her alone at home．She tried to prepare meals for her parents, only to overturn(弄翻)the kerosene light on the stove, resulting in a fire which took her hands away．

　　Though her elder sister who was studying in another city, showed her willingness to take care of her, she was determined to be completely independent．At school, she always studied hard．Most of all she learned to be self－dependent．Once she wrote the following in her composition："I am lucky．Though I lost my arms, I still have legs; I am lucky．Though my wings are broken, my heart can still fly．"

　　One day, the boy and the girl were both invited to appear on a television interview program．The boy told the TV host about his uncertain future at being left on his own, whereas the girl was full of enthusiasm for her life．They both were asked to write something on a piece of paper with their toes．The boy wrote：My younger brother's arms are my arms；while the girl wrote：Broken wings, flying heart．

　　They had both endured the same misfortune, but their different attitudes determined the nature of their lives．It is true that life is unpredictable．Disasters can strike at any time．How you handle misfortune when confronted with it actually is the true test of your character．If you choose only to complain and escape from the misfortune, it will always follow you wherever you go．But if you decide to be strong, the hardship will turn out to be a fortune on which new hopes will arise．

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阅读理解

　　In Daniel Gilbert's 2006 book "Stumbling(跌撞)on Happiness," the Harvard professor of psychology looks at several studies and concludes that marital(婚姻的)satisfaction decreases after the birth of the first child and increases only when the last child has left home．He also declares that parents are happier grocery shopping and even sleeping than spending time with their kids．

　　The most recent comprehensive study on the emotional state of those with kids shows us that the term "bundle of joy" may not be the most accurate way to describe our kids．"Parents experience lower levels of emotional well-being, less frequent positive emotions and more frequent negative emotions than their childless peers," says Florida State University's Robin Simon, a sociology professor．

　　Simon received plenty of hate mail in response to her research，which isn't surprising．Her findings shake the very foundation of what we've been raised to believe is true．In a recent NEWSWEEK Poll, 50 percent of Americans said that adding new children to the family tends to increase happiness levels．But which parent is willing to admit that the greatest gift life has to offer has in fact made his or her life less enjoyable?

　　Is it possible that American parents have always been this disillusioned(有幻觉的)? In pre-industrial America, parents certainly loved their children, but their kids also served a purpose－to work the farm, contribute to the household．Today, we have kids more for emotional reasons, but an increasingly complicated work and social environment has made finding satisfaction far more difficult．Raising children has not only become more complicated, it has become more expensive as well．The National Marriage Project's 2006 report says that parents have significantly lower marital satisfaction than nonparents because they experienced more single and child-free years than previous generations．

　　As for those of us with kids, all the news isn't bad．Parents still report feeling a greater sense of purpose and meaning in their lives than those who've never had kids．And there are other rewarding aspects of parenting that are impossible to quantify．

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阅读理解

Dear Michelle：

　　My Dad hates my Mom．He tells me that she is a liar and that I should not trust her．Of course, they are divorced but they have “joint custody(共同监护)”．What a joke! I am 15, my brother is nine, and we have a life of hell, frankly．

　　We live one week on and one week off．This was the brilliant idea of both of my parents, which was fair to them but ruining my life．I can't get away from his voice and his putting my mom down．Sometimes I think about running away．

　　A Hopeless Ant

　　Dear Hopeless Ant：

　　First, thank you for trusting me with your problem．If all you said is correct, then there are several

　　things that you can and should do to help yourself, your brother, and your parents．

　　●You need a family counselor(顾问)．Such a person could listen to each family member alone and then meet together to talk about the situation．

　　If refused, you need to talk to a counselor in your school．You need to be heard, and you need an adult who will listen．A school counselor can organize a meeting with your parents．

　　●Perhaps you need to write to her．Writing things down allows people to go over it more than one time．

　　I cannot imagine that she will stand passively by and do nothing at all to help once she reads how you feel．Your father needs a letter as well．He may not realize the destructive effect that it has on his children．

　　●Lastly, have a plan in mind when all else fails that is not self-destructive．Life passes very quickly, and you will grow up and have your own life．

　　Above all, you need to keep yourself safe．Never doubt that it will get better．Write back and let me know how everything is going．

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阅读理解

　　Any observant person has noticed that a wild animal will allow a man or other potential enemy to approach only up to a given distance before it flees．“Flight distance” is the term used for this interspecies spacing．As a general rule, there is a positive relationship between the size of an animal and its flight distance－the larger the animal, the greater the distance it must keep between itself and the enemy．An antelope will flee when the enemy is as much as five hundred yards away．The wall lizard's(壁虎)flight distance, on the other hand, is about six feet．Flight is the basic means of survival for mobile creatures．

　　Critical distance apparently is present wherever and whenever there is a flight reaction．“Critical distance” includes the narrow zone separating flight distance from attack distance．A lion in a zoo will flee from an approaching man until it meets a barrier that it cannot overcome．If the man continues the approach, he soon penetrates(进入)the lion's critical distance, at which point the cornered lion turns back and begins slowly to stalk(逼近)the man．

　　Social animals need to stay in touch with each other．Loss of contact with the group can be fatal(致命的)for a variety of reasons including exposure to enemies．Social distance is not simply the distance at which an animal will lose contact with his group－that is, the distance at which it can no longer see, hear, or smell the group－it is rather a psychological distance, one at which the animal apparently begins to feel anxious when it goes beyond its limits．

　　Social distance is not always rigidly(刻板的)fixed but is determined in part by the situation．When the young of apes and humans are mobile but not yet under control of the mother's voice, social distance may be the length of her reach．When added control is needed because of danger, social distance shortens．To show this in man, one has only to watch a family with a number of small children holding hands as they cross a busy street．

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阅读理解

　　One of Lewis Gordon Pugh's first big attempts to put his cold-water skills to the test nearly ended in disaster．On a one-mile swim in Antarctica in December 2005, just yards from the finish, his body began to give in．The temperature inside his thigh muscle dropped to 87．8 degrees, the lowest ever measured in him．He was completely at the limits of his ability．

　　Despite what he called the “grueling(折磨人的)” Antarctic swim, Pugh scheduled an even more fearsome test for himself at the North Pole．Stepping off the way of the Russian icebreaker that had crunched(咯吱作响的穿过)through floating sea ice for five days to take him to the North Pole, Pugh walked across the ice to a pool of open water over one mile long and two and a half miles deep．The sea temperature was 29 degrees, only a little above the freezing point of salt water．

　　Pugh quickly took off his padded clothes．In only his bathing suit and cap, his skin already pink, he walked to the water's edge．“The only place I'm getting out is at the end,” he told himself．Then he removed his earphones and dived in．

　　The pain was immediate．His entire body felt on fire．The doctor kept pace with him in a boat．Through iced-up goggles(护目镜), Pugh could see the armed guards keeping watch for bears．

　　His friend Becker had broken down the huge task into manageable parts, each one marked by a flag planted in the ice that represented a friend, family member, or teammate．Fog started to roll in as Pugh headed for the final marker, the flag of Great Britain．He imagined his late father standing beside it－the man who had done so much to give him an interest in adventure．Then Pugh drove himself to the finish．After 18 minutes 50 seconds in the water, his body was not even hypothermic(体温过低的)．

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阅读理解

　　In Greek mythology(神话), fire is a gift from the God, stolen from Zeus(宙斯)by Prometheus and handed over to human suffering from cold．What could be more natural than sitting around a beautiful fire on a winter night, at a campsite in the Berkshires?

　　Hard as it may be to believe, the fireplace－long considered a trophy(奖杯), particularly in a city like New York－is acquiring a social shame．Among those who desire to be environmentally responsible , it is joining the ranks of bottled water and big houses．

　　Sally Treadwell, a 51-year-old public relations executive in Boone, N．C．, said nothing makes her happier than building a fire on a cold winter night．But most of the time she doesn't, because she feels too guilty about the damage it may do to the environment．Every time she builds a fire, it causes “inner conflict,” she said．“It's a guilty pleasure．” “The smoke from a fire smells very nice,” said Diane Baileym a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council in　San Francisco．“But it can cause a lot of harm．”

　　The tiny particles(颗粒)can cause illness, and can cross into the bloodstream, causing heart attacks as well as worsening other conditions．

　　Growing concerns about the air pollution and health problems caused by smoke from wood fires are urging a number of areas across the country to pass laws regulating them．Idaho offers a tax cut to people who replace uncertified(不合格)wood stoves with “greene” ones; San Joaquin County in California for-bids selling a home unless its wood stove is replaced with an E．P．A．-certified one; and Palo Alto and other governments in California forbid wood-burning fireplaces in new construction．

　　Certainly, many think otherwise．In any case, most fireplaces are used far too infrequently to cause any real damage to the environment, said Stephen Sears, the vice president of the Brick Industry Association , voicing an opinion shared by some．

　　Perhaps not coincidentally, sales of wood-burning equipment dropped to 235,000 in 2009 from 800,000 in 1999, according to the Brick Industry Association．It also reports that approximately 35,000 fireplaces were installed in the United States in 2009, compared to 80,000 in 2005．Certainly those numbers reflect the economic slowdown, but they may also be affected by growing mixed feelings to wood fires．

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