Reading

The Artist and Light

　　Painters use their unique qualities of perception to create visually stimulating images, whether realistic or abstract．The way in which Vincent Van Gogh portrayed a starry sky or Claude Monet created a landscape resulted in part from the way each of their minds responded to information conveyed by their eyes．Similarly, viewers of art use their eyes and minds to interpret paintings, forming their own ideas and opinions．Understanding the mechanics of vision is a starting point for understanding how art is created and appreciated．

　　Sight is a complex sense．The process of seeing begins when light rays pass through the lens at the front of the eye．The lens focuses the light to form an inverted image on the retina, the back surface of the eyeball．The retina contains two different kinds of light-sensitive cells called rods and cones．More than 100 million rods and cones cover the retina．These rods and cones convert light into neural, or nerve, impulses．The neural impulses travel to the brain, which converts them to a mental image．Light is a form of energy that has wavelike properties．The color of an object is determined by the wavelength of the light that the object reflects．Although there are just seven base colors, the human eye is capable of detecting up to 10 million shades of color．

　　In an attempt to understand more about how vision works, psychologist G．T．Buswell examined people's eyes while they viewed works of art．He was able to show that a person's gaze will follow the most distinctive line, whether straight or curved, in a work of art．In his experiment, Buswell used The Great Wave off Kanagawa, a 19^th century woodblock print by me Japanese artist Hokusai．Buswell found that eyes spent the most consecutive(连贯的)moments following curve of the wave．These results revealed that the eye and brain do not work like copying machines．Rather, they choose selective on the basis of interest and intelligence what to focus on．

　　Scientists are trying to understand the psychological connection between vision and emotional responses．They have shown that the color yellow or red can raise a person's blood pressure．Shades of blue, on the other hand, have been shown to lower blood pressure．Therefore, a painter can create a certain mood by emphasizing certain colors．Likewise, creators of advertisements can use colors to manipulate the emotions of consumers．

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Reading

HEALTH TIPS FOR THE FALL SEASON

　　With autumn coming, the weather becomes cooler and drier．According to traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), pathogenic dryness affecting the lungs, skin and digestive system．

　　Many people experience dry flaking skin, dry nasal cavity, frequent nose bleeds, sore throat, coughing and constipation, if they fail to take enough fluids．

　　Here's a look at some foods that can help nourish and moisten vulnerable areas of the body．

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Reading

　　I had the meanest mother in the world．While other kids ate candy for breakfast, I had to have cereal, eggs and toast．Others had cokes and candy for lunch, while we had to eat a sandwich．As you can guess, my supper was different than the other kids'．But at least I was not alone in my suffering．My sister and two brothers had the same mean mother as I did．

　　My mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times．She had to know who our friends were and what we were doing．We had to wear clean clothes every day．Other kids always wore their clothes for days．We reached the height of disgrace because she made our clothes herself, just to save money．

　　The worst is yet to come．We had to be in bed by 9：00 each night and up at 7：45 the next morning．So while my friends slept, my mother actually had the courage to break Child Labor Law, She made us work．I believed she lay awake all night thinking up mean things to do to us．

　　Through the years, our friends' report cards had beautiful colors on them, black for passing, red for failing．My mother, however, would merely be content with black marks．None of us was allowed the pleasure of being a dropout．

　　She forced us to grow up into educated and honest adults．Using this as a background, I'm now trying to bring up my three children．I'm filled with pride when my children think I am mean because now I thank God every day for giving me the meanest mother in the world．

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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。

　　A high school in Hiroshima City has been the first to do something with DNA in the world．Its students have won praise not only for doing this research but also for presenting their findings to groups of expert scientists．The school is one of the Super Science High Schools allowed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology, where students are given an opportunity to study science at an advanced level．Here, students use the same type of high-tech experimental laboratories as those found at universities．In these labs, they conduct experiments and research in new fields of study not found in textbooks．As part of this science course, the students, with the help of Hiroshima University, used a machine called sequencer(音序器), and over the course of a year and a half they succeeded in decoding(解译)the DNA．They then presented their results to academic groups．Achieving a world first might sound very wonderful, but the process of decoding the DNA involved very hard work．The students were also responsible for maintaining the equipment, and they had to read difficult research papers and put in extra study beyond their regular schoolwork．

　　"Researchers need to work hard．The work was tiring, but the students worked toward their ambitious goal of achieving a world first．They have a great sense of achievement, and the number of students who hope to become biologists has increased, " said Taruma Akinori, who is in charge of the science course．

　　In addition to the results being added to the scientific community, the students’ research paper will be translated into English and made available overseas．Moreover, the students have decided to take on a new challenge in DNA decoding．

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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。

　　In today's Internet age, the demand for online games continues to grow．Online computer game centers exist in many cities and towns throughout Asia．Facing the pressures of school and life, people tend to the virtual world, expecting an escape from these problems．Too often, however, they can lead to problems and unhealthy addictions．

　　This is most clearly seen in the example of South Korea．The country has the world's highest percentage of high-speed Internet services．It also has a high number of online game players and related problems．In 2002, a young man fell down suddenly and died while playing online games．He had been playing almost nonstop for 86 hours at an Internet café．Another young man killed his sister after becoming confused between the online world and real life．A 12-year-old boy stole US ＄ 16, 000 from his father and ran away from home．He did this to continue his addiction with an online game．Such problems, however, don't just happen in South Korea．They are spreading to other parts of Asia, as well．

　　What kinds of people develop online game addiction? What does the problem look like? Dr．SueHuei Chen, a clinical(临床的)psychologist, researches Internet addiction．She discovered some signs of at-risk individuals(个人)such as lacking friendships and good social skills．Those problem individuals feel it so difficult to stop playing online games that they could sacrifice things such as school or family．They feel the need to spend more and more time online．And they become upset if anyone tries to limit(限制)their online game playing．

　　How many problem game players are there? In mainland China, the number of problem online gamers is frightening．In 2004, the China daily reported that China had 13.8 million online game players．Furthermore, it stated that 80 percent of these were under 25 and had signs of addiction．Such numbers point toward a growing problem among Chinese young people．

　　Make sure to keep control over your online game playing．If you don't control it, it can get control of you．

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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。

　　In America, drivers’ education is part of the regular high school curriculum(课程)．Every student in his or her second year of high school is required to take a class in driver's education．However, unlike other courses, it is not given during the regular school year．Instead it is a summer course．

　　The course is divided up into two parts： class time for learning laws and regulations, and driving time to practise driving．Class time is not unlike any other class．The students study the basic traffic laws from a text to pass the written driving test that is given to anyone who wants to get a driver's license．

　　Driving time is a chance for the students to get behind the wheel and practise starting steering, backing up, parking, switching lanes, turning corners, and all the other maneuvers(操作)required to drive a car．Each student is required to drive a total of six hours．The students are divided up into groups of four．The students and the instructor go out driving for two hour blocks of time．Thus, each student gets half an hour driving time per outing．The instructor and “driver” sit in the front seats and the other three students sit in the back．

　　After the student has passed the driver's education course and reached the appropriate age to drive(this age differs in every state but in most cases the person must be 16 years old), they can go to a designated(指定的)state office to take their driver's test, which is made up of an eye examination, a written test, and a road test．The person must pass all three tests in order to be given a driver's license．If the person did well in his or her driver's education class, he or she will pass the test with flying colors and get a driver's license．

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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。

　　Sarah Williams went to a boarding school．Here is one of the letters she wrote to her parents from the school：

　　Wentworth Girls’ school

　　Beachside

　　July 20th

　　Dearest Mom and Dad,

　　I'm afraid I have some very surprising news for you．I have been very naughty and the school headmaster is very angry with me．She is going to write to you．You must come and take me away from here．She does not want me in the school any longer．

　　The trouble started last night when I was smoking in bed．This is against the rules, of course．We are not supposed to smoke at all．

　　As I was smoking, I heard footsteps coming towards the room．I did not want a teacher to catch me smoking, so I threw the cigarette away．

　　Unfortunately, the cigarette fell into the waste-paper basket, which caught fire．

　　There was a curtain near the waste-paper basket which caught fire, too．Soon the whole room was burning．

　　The headmaster phoned the fire department．The school is a long way from the town and by the time the fire department arrived, the whole school was on fire．Many of the girls are in hospital．

　　The headmaster says that the fire was all my fault and you must pay for the damage．She will send you a bill for about a million dollars．

　　I'm very sorry about this．

　　Much love,

　　Sarah

　　P．S．None of the above is true, but I have failed my exams．I just want you to know how bad things could have been．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　In 1999, twelve percent of public elementary schools in the United States required students to wear uniforms．Just three years later, estimates were almost double that．

　　A study of six public schools in Ohio showed students who were required to wear uniforms had improved graduation, behavior and attendance rates．Academic performance was unchanged．

　　Some middle and high schools in Texas have also joined the movement．Yet studies find mixed results from requiring uniforms．And some schools have turned away from such policies．

　　Supporters believe dressing the same creates a better learning environment and safer schools．The school district in Long Beach, California, was the first in the country to require uniforms in all elementary and middle schools．The example helped build national interest in uniforms as a way to deal with school violence and improve learning．

　　Findings in Long Beach suggested that the policy resulted in fewer behavior problems and better attendance．But researcher Viktoria Stamison, who has looked at those findings, says they were based only on opinions about the effects of uniforms．

　　She says other steps taken at the same time to improve schools in Long Beach and statewide could have influenced the findings．The district increased punishments for misbehavior．And California passed a law to reduce class sizes．

　　In Florida, for example, researcher Sharon Pate found that uniforms seemed to improve behavior and reduce violence．In Texas, Eloise Hughes found fewer discipline problems among students required to wear uniforms, but no effect on attendance．

　　Sociologist David Brunsma has studied school uniform policies since 1998．He collected the reports in the book．In his own study, he found that reading and mathematics performance dropped after a school in rural Pennsylvania required uniforms．

　　Political and community pressures may persuade schools to go to uniforms to improve learning．But David Brunsma and others believe there is not enough evidence of a direct relationship．In fact, he says requiring uniforms may even increase discipline problems．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　If you struggled to get up for work on Wednesdays, there could be a good reason-it is the day our mood reaches its lowest point．

　　Psychologists have found that, on average, people's moods remain about the same on each day throughout the week．

　　Monday has traditionally been thought of as the most depressing day of the week but according to psychologists, midweek gives more cause for concern in reality．

　　Wednesday represented the lowest point in the week as people were furthest away from the weekend that has either just gone or is coming up and often feel bogged down with work．

　　To start their research, the University of Sydney scientists asked around 200 people what they thought their mood would be on each day of the week．

　　Most said their worst moods were on Monday mornings and evenings but they became increasingly cheerful as the week wore on, with their best moods falling on Friday and Saturday momings and evenings．

　　When asked why they believed that Friday and Saturday were best, respondents said they saw them as less-structured days when they could choose how to spend their time．

　　The psychologists then asked a further 350 people how they felt each day．They found that, on average, people's moods remained about the same on each day throughout the week．

　　Mondays were not as depressing as they had feared and Fridays and Saturdays were not as exciting as predicted．

　　Professor Charles Areni, who led the study, said the day-of-the-week stereotypes stem from a cultural belief that people are generally happier when they are free to choose their activities compared to when they are engaged in paid work．

　　In reality, he said, weekends do not often see moods soar because they are frequently dominated by productive activities that may require large amounts of energy and begin to feel tired like work．

　　"Day-of-the-week stereotypes like 'Monday Moming Blues' and 'Thank God It's Friday' are largely illusions, " he said．

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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　America

　　In America, an expensive gift is definitely out, which is considered a waste．An appropriate alternate to a gift is to take the deserving person to dinner, or to an entertainment or sporting event．On the contrary, gift giving is an institution and a revered custom in Japan．According to Business Tokyo magazine, among the Japanese "gift giving is a necessity, not merely a nicety as in the West．" In Japan the proper gift is thought to express the giver's true friendship, gratitude, and respect far better than words can．So if you plan to visit Japan or to have Japanese visit you here, be prepared．

　　So you know gift giving plays a very important role in nowadays society．Now let's see what's happened in other countries．

　　Australia

　　Australia is known for its friendly informality and lack of pretentiousness．So modest gifts, such as a business diary, a paperweight, or a coffee mug might be presented as a memento(纪念物)of a visit of business meeting．At a trade show, T-shirts, ties, baseball caps, or a pin may be appropriate mementos．Anything more than these types of gifts could cause embarrassment．

　　Greece

　　The most common form of showing appreciation in Greece is probably an evening's entertainment．If you do present a gift, avoid personal items, such as ties and shirts．If you are invited to a Greek home, flowers or a cake for the hostess are an appropriate gift．

　　Germany

　　Social gift giving is popular and well-established in Germany but has certain do's and don'ts．

　　Flowers are often taken to a hostess of a dinner party at her home, but there are three taboos to remember：1)red roses signify a romantic interest; 2)an even number of flowers signifies bad luck, as does the number thirteen; 3)and always unwrap the flowers before presenting them．This West Virginia was making what amounted to a pass at his customer's wife．

　　When visiting a German home, gifts that reflect your home country are popular, and you might want to bring small gifts for the children of the family you are visiting．

　　Gifts are customarily wrapped and many Germans spend considerable time designing elegant wrappings．Most shops offer gift-wrapping services, too．

　　Italy

　　When you are invited to a person's home for dinner, it might be nice to bring flowers or a box of chocolates for your hostess, although it is just as considerate to have the flowers sent the next day．

　　Yellow roses can signify "jealousy"．And in Italy never send chrysanthemums, since they suggest death．

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