阅读理解

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。

　　Until last spring, Nia Parker and the other kids in her neighborhood went to school on Bus 59．But as fuel rose, the school district needed to find a way to cut its transportation costs．So the school's busing company redrew its route map, cancelling Nia's bus altogether．Now, Nia and her neighbors travel the half mile to school via a “walking school bus” － a group of kids, guarded by an adult or two, who make the walk together．

　　Like the rest of us, school districts are feeling affected by rising fuel costs－and finding new ways to adapt．The price of fuel has gone up 34 percent in the past two years．For the typical American school district, bus bills total 5 percent of the budget．As administrators look to cut down budget, busing is an inviting target, since it doesn't affect classroom instruction (or test scores)．More than one third of school administrators have cancelled bus stops or routes in order to stay within budget．

　　Many parents are delighted to see their kids walking to school, partly because many did so themselves：according to a 1969 survey, nearly half of school kids walked or biked to school, compared with only 16 percent in 2001．Modern parents have been leery of (对……存有戒心) letting kids walk to school for fear of traffic, crime or simple bullying, but with organized adult supervision(监护), those concerns have disappeared．

　　Schools and busing companies are finding other ways to save．In rural areas where busing is a must, some schools have even chosen four-day school weeks．Busing companies instruct drivers to avoid extra stops from routes and to turn off the engine while waiting．They are also using computer software to determine the most fuel-efficient routes, which aren't always the shortest ones．

　　There could be downsides, however, to the busing cutbacks．If every formerly bused student

　　begins walking to school, it's an environmental win－but if too many of their parents decide to

　　drive them instead, the overall carbon footprint can grow．Replacing buses with many more parent-driven cars can also increase safety risks：a 2002 report concluded students are 13 times safer on a school bus than in a passenger car, since buses have fewer accidents．And some students complain about the long morning hikes, particularly when the route contains a really big hill．

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阅读理解

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。

　　LOS ANGELES，Feb 12-Whitney Houston, whose amazing voice lifted her to the top of the pop music world but whose personal decline was fueled by years of drug use, died on Saturday afternoon in a Beverly Hills hotel room．She was 48．

　　The pop superstar died on the eve of the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles at the same hotel where her lifelong friend, record master Clive Davis, was holding an annual pre-event party featuring scores of music industry celebrities．

　　A dramatic scene unfolded at the Beverly Hilton hotel as guests arriving for the party expressed shock at her death, while reporters poured into the hotel, fans gathered outside to light candles in her memory and helicopters hovered overhead．

　　Beverly Hills police said they were called to the Beverly Hilton at around 3∶43 p.m.PST, and fire department personnel who were already at the location responded immediately．Houston was in her fourth-floor room but was unresponsive to CPR, and she was pronounced dead at 3∶55 p.m.

　　"She has been positively identified by friends and family (who) were with her at the hotel, and next of kin(最近的血亲) have already been informed," Lieutenant Mark Rosen told reporters．Police said there were no obvious signs of criminal intention．

　　Los Angeles County coroners(验尸官) removed Houston's body from the hotel after midnight through a backdoor to avoid the crush of media set up to cover her shocking death．

　　Typically, coroners conduct an examination within a day or two, at which point they might release some information about the death．If drugs or alcohol are involved, however, an official cause of death would not be released until after toxicology(毒理学) tests, which could take six to eight weeks．

　　Tributes(赞词) poured in from around the world for a singer whose remarkable vocal power and range produced some of the most memorable music of her generation, including her signature hit, "I Will Always Love You．"

　　"I don't have to mask my emotion in front of a room full of so many dear friends," Davis told a grief-stricken crowd at his gala dinner and party just hours after Houston's death．"I am personally beaten down by the loss of someone who has meant so much to me for so many years．"

　　Neil Portnow, president of the Recording Academy, which runs the Grammys, told the audience at Davis's party that Jennifer Hudson would sing a tribute to Houston at Sunday night's Grammy Awards．“We will do something appropriate tomorrow, and nothing could be more appropriate than having Jennifer Hudson sing on stage for Whitney," Portnow said．” In our community, we celebrate things…let's celebrate Whitney Houston．"

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阅读理解

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。

　　Bananas, always the fashion victims of the produce section, are wearing another new label this spring．Bananas with “Fair Trade Certified” stickers have been available in the United States since October．They represent the new front of an international effort to help first-world consumers improve the living standards of the third-world farmers who grow much of their food．

　　By expanding its reach to the produce section, Fair Trade is now trying to reach the American supermarket shopper．Fair Trade deals directly with farmer cooperatives (合作社)．It helps organize, avoiding brokers (代理人) and middlemen．It guarantees higher prices for the farmers' goods and helps them set up schools and health clinics．

　　The Fair Trade movement took root in Europe in the 1990's as a way of supporting coffee farmers as prices were collapsing．Since Fair Trade began, more than a million coffee growers and other farmers have joined cooperatives that sell their products through Fair Trade channels instead of directly to a commercial producer．

　　Not everyone is greeting the Fair Trade label with open arms．Several American coffee importers recently pulled out of Fair Trade, saying TransFair's “corporate friendly” policies that allow large companies to use the Fair Trade logo in their marketing even if only a small amount of the company's overall purchases are Fair Trade certified．

　　Edmund LaMacchia, the national produce coordinator(协调员) for Whole Foods, said Fair Trade is only one of many consumer choices．“Whole Foods has its own team of inspectors and has no plans to carry Fair Trade products”, Mr．LaMacchia said．“Our standards are higher than Fair Trade's, actually．” Fair Trade is only one of several labels your bananas might be wearing this year．Another is that of the Rainforest Alliance, which certifies the use of sustainable(可持续发展) agriculture methods．

　So far, though, Fair Trade is the biggest．A Fair Trade label by itself does not guarantee an organic product, but most Fair Trade bananas are also organic, Ms．Bourque said, because pesticides are usually too costly for the small farmers who grow them．If the bananas are organic, they will be labeled as such, and will probably be wearing a sticker to prove it．

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阅读理解

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 decision of the New York philharmonic to hire Alan Gilbert as its next music director has been the talk of the classical-music world ever since the sudden announcement of his appointment．For the most part, the response has been favorable, to say the least “Hooray! At last!” wrote Anthony Tommasini, a classical-music critic．

　　One of the reason why the appointment came as such a surprise, however, is that Gilbert is comparatively little known．Even Tommasini, who had advocated Gilbert's appointment in the Times, calls him “an musician with no air of the formidable(令人敬畏的)conductor about him．” As a description of the next music director of an orchestra that has so far been led by musicians like Gustav Mahler and Pierre Boulez, that seems likely to have struck at least some Times readers as faint praise．

　　For my part, I have no idea whether Gilbert is a great conductor or even a good one．To be sure, he performs an impressive variety of interesting compositions, but it is not necessary for me to visit Avery Fisher Hall, or anywhere else, to hear interesting orchestral music．All I have to do is to go to my CD shelf, or open my computer and download still more recorded music from iTunes．

　　Devoted concertgoers who reply that recording are no substitute for live performance are missing the point．For the time, attention, and money of the art-loving public, classical instrumentalists(演奏家) must compete not only with opera houses, dance groups , theater companies, and museums, but also with the recorded performances of the great classical musicians of the 20 th century．Their recordings are cheap, available everywhere, and very often much higher in artistic quality than today's choosing．The widespread availability of such recording has thus brought about a crisis in the institution of the traditional classical concert．

　　One possible response is for classical performers to program attractive new music that is not yet available on records．Gilbert's own interest in new music has been widely noted：Alex Ross , a classical-music critic, has described him as a man who is capable of turning the Philharmonic into “a markedly different, more energetic organization”．But what will be the nature of that difference? Merely, expanding the orchestra's repertoire(曲目)will not be enough．If Gilbert and the Philharmonic are to succeed, they must first change the relationship between America's oldest orchestra and the new audience it hopes to attract．

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阅读理解

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。

　　If your preschoolers turn up their noses at carrots or celery, a small reward like a sticker for taking even a taste may help get them to eat previously disliked foods, a UK study said．

　　Though it might seem obvious that a reward could encourage young children to eat their vegetables, the idea is actually controversial, researchers wrote in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition．That's because some studies have shown that rewards can backfire and cause children to lose interest in foods they already liked, said Jane Wardle, a researcher at University College London who worked on the study．Verbal praise, such as “Brilliant! You're a great vegetable taster,” did not work as well．

　　The study found t hat when parents gave their small children a sticker each time they took a “tiny taste” of a disliked vegetable, it gradually changed their attitudes．The children were also willing to eat more of the vegetables-either carrots, celery, cucumber, red pepper, cabbage or sugar snap peas-in laboratory taste tests, the study said．

　　Researchers randomly assigned(分派)173 families to one of these groups．In one, parents used stickers to reward their children each time they took a tiny sample of a disliked vegetable．A second group of parents used verbal praise．The third group, where parents used no special vegetable-promoting methods, served as a “control”．

　　Parents in the reward groups offered their children a taste of the “target” vegetable every day of 12 days, Soon after, children in the sticker group were giving higher ratings to the vegetables-and were willing to eat more in the research lab, going from an average of 5 grams at the start to about 10 grams after the 12-day experience．The turnaround also seemed to last, with preschoolers in the sticker group still willing to eat more of the once disliked vegetable three months later．

　　Why didn't the verbal praise work? Wardle said the parents' words may have seemed “insincere” to their children．

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阅读理解

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。

　　Jack London had endured more hardships by the age of twenty-one than most people experience in a lifetime．His struggles developed in him sympathy for the working class and a lasting dislike of hard work and provided inspiration for his career as a writer．

　　London grew up in San Francisco in extreme poverty．At an early age, he left school and supported himself through a succession of un skilled jobs －working as a paper boy, in bowling alleys, on ice wagons, and in canneries(罐头食品厂) and mills．Despite working long hours at these jobs, London was able to read constantly, borrowing travel and adventure books from the library．

　　The books London read inspired him to travel, and his job experiences led him to become active in fighting for the fights of workers．He sailed to Japan on a journey aiming at catching seals and joined a cross-country protest march with a group of unemployed workers．After being arrested for vagrancy near Buffalo, New York, London decided to educate himself and reshape his life．He quickly completed high school and entered the University of California．

　　After only one term, however, the appeal of fortune and adventure proved uncontrollable．London gave up his studies and traveled to the Alaskan Yukon in 1897 in search of gold．Jack London was among the first of these miners．He may have searched for more than gold, however．London once commented, “ True, the new region was mostly poor; but its several hundred thousand square miles of coldness at least gave breathing space to those who else would have choked at home．” Although he was unsuccessful as a miner, London's experiences in Alaska taught him about the human desire for wealth and power and about humankind's inability to control the forces of nature．While in Alaska, London also absorbed memories and stories that would make him known one hundred years later．

　　Once back in California, London became determined to earn a living as a writer．He rented a typewriter and worked up to fifteen hours a day, spinning his Alaskan adventures into short stories and novels．

　　According to legend, London's piles of rejection slips from publishers grew to five feet in height!

　　Even so, London preserved．In 1903, he earned national fame when he published the popular novel The Call of the Wild．He soon became the highest paid and most industrious writer in the country．During his career, he produced more than fifty books and earned more than a million dollars．Several of his novels, including The Call of the Wild(1903),the Sea-Wolf(1904),the White Fang(1906),have become American classics．In fact, he was a creative writer whose fiction explored several regions and their cultures：the Yukon, California, Hawaii, and the Solomon Islands．He experimented with many literary forms, from traditional love stories and dystopias(反面乌托邦小说)to science fantasy．His noted journalism included war communication, boxing stories, and the life of Molokai lepers(麻风病患者)．He was among the most influential figures of his day, who understood how to create a public persona and use the media to market his self-created image of poor-boy-turned-success．London's great passion was agriculture, and he was well on the way of creating a new model for spreading through his Beauty Ranch when he died of kidney disease at age 40．He left over fifty books of novels, stories, journalism, and essays, many of which have been translated and continue to be read around the world．His best works describe a person's struggle for survival against the powerful forces of nature．“To Build a Fire”, for example, tells the story of a man's fight to survive the harsh cold of the Alaskan winter．

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阅读理解

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。

　　Have you ever picked a job based on the fact that you were good at it but later found it made you feel very uncomfortable over time? When you select your career, there's a whole lot more to it than assessing your skills and matching them with a particular position．If you ignore your personality, it will hurt you long-term regardless of your skills or the job's pay．There are several areas of your personality that you need to consider to help you find a good job．Here are a few of those main areas;

　　There are isolating(使孤立)jobs that will drive an outgoing person crazy and also interactive jobs that will make a shy person uneasy．Most people are not extremes in either direction but do have a tendency that they prefer．There are also positions that are sometimes a combination of the two, which may be best for someone in the middle who adapts easily to either situation．

　　Most jobs these days have some elements of change to them, but some are more than others．If you need stability in your life, you may need a job where the changes don't happen so often．Other people would be bored of the same daily routine．

　　I do see this as a kind of personality characteristic．There are people who are happy to spend more than 40 hours a week on a computer, while there are others who need a lot of human interaction throughout the day．Again, these are extremes and you'll likely find a lot of positions somewhere in the middle as well．

　　This can range from being in a large building with a lot of people you won't know immediately to a smaller setting where you'll get to know almost all the people there fairly quickly．

　　Some people are motivated by the pay they get, while others feel too stressed to be like that．The variety of payment designs in the sales industry is a typical example for this．

　　Anyway, these are a great starting point for you．I've seen it over and over again with people that they make more money over time when they do something they love．It may take you a little longer, but making a move to do what you have a passion for can change the course of your life for the better．

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阅读理解

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。

　　From good reading we can derive pleasure, companionship, experience, and instruction．A good book may absorb our attention so completely that for the time being we forget our surroundings and even our identity．Reading good books is one of the greatest pleasures in life．It increases our contentment when we are cheerful, and lessens our troubles when we are sad．Whatever may be our main purpose in reading, our contact with good books should never fail to give us enjoyment and satisfaction．

　　With a good book in our hands we need never be lonely．Whether the characters portrayed are taken from real life or are purely imaginary, they may become our companions and friends．In the pages of books we can walk with the wise and the good of all lands and all times．The people we meet in books may delight us either because they resemble human friends whom we hold dear or because they present unfamiliar types whom we are glad to welcome as new acquaintances．Our human friends sometimes may bore us, but the friends we make in books need never weary us with their company．By turning the page we can dismiss them without any fear of hurting their feelings．When human friends desert us, good books are always ready to give us friendship, sympathy, and encouragement．One of the most valuable gifts bestowed by books is experience．Few of us can travel far from home or have a wide range of experiences, but all of us can lead varied lives through the pages of books．Whether we wish to escape from the seemingly dull realities of everyday life or whether we long to visit some far-off place, a book will help us when nothing else can．To travel by book we need no bank account to pay our way; no airship or ocean liner or stream-lined train to transport us; no passport to enter the land of our heart's desire．Through books we may get the thrill of hazardous adventure without danger．We can climb lofty mountains, brave the perils of an Antarctic winter, or cross the scorching sands of the desert, all without hardship．In books we may visit the studios of Hollywood; we may mingle with the gay throngs of the Paris boulevards; we may join the picturesque peasants in an Alpine village or the kindly natives on a South Sea island．Indeed, through books the whole world is ours for the asking．The possibilities of our literary experiences are almost unlimited．The beauties of nature, the enjoyment of music, the treasures of art, the triumphs of architecture, the marvels of engineering, are all open to the wonder and enjoyment of those who read．

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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。

　　TOKYO－China's star hurdler (跨栏选手) Liu Xiang took the opening win in his outdoor season, storming to top podium (领奖台) in the men's 110-meter hurdles event at the IAAF Golden Grand Prix in Kawasaki, Japan on Sunday, May 6, 2012．

　　With the absence of big names including Cuba's world record holder Dayron Robles as well as America's David Oliver, Aries Merritt and Ryan Wilson, the 28-year-old Liu became the hottest favorite in Kawasaki．And Liu Xiang also proved his strength in the race, claiming the convincing victory in 13.09 seconds as he led from the start on a wet track．

　　Omo Osaghae of United States finished second in 13.33 while his countryman Ronald Brookins took the third position in 13.69．

　　Liu's winning mark is the second fastest time this season．America's Aries Merrittjust set his personal best and the season fastest time of 13.03 seconds two days ago in Fayetteville, USA．

　　After withdrawing from the Beijing Olympic Games due to a heel injury, Liu is keen to restore his glory in London this summer．It was the first outdoor race for the Athens Olympic champion who has adopted the strategy of seven steps to the first hurdle．

　　Liu will next return to his home town Shanghai and compete in the Samsung Diamond League Shanghai leg on May 19 as part of his buildup for the London Olympic Games．

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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 Power of Choice．Every one of us makes countless choices every day．Every choice we make has an impact on our lives．Even insignificant choices can affect what we experience and how we feel．When hunger strikes, we can reach for a healthy, nutritious snack, or we can choose the sugar high of junk food．The more important the decision, the more profound its effect．For instance, how do I act towards that person who treated me badly? Do I generally choose to be passive, or do I actively set clear intentions and create what I want in my life? Every choice we make, however big or small, affects us in some way．

　　How Do You Make Choices? If you are interested in living a richer, fuller life, there is a foundation upon which you can base all of your decisions which can make life better not only for you, but also for those around you．This foundation is to choose based on what's best for all．Imagine a world where every parent, spouse(配偶), friend, teacher, businessperson, and politician truly did their best to choose what's best for all involved in every decision they made We would certainly live in a more caring, supportive world．

　　It's the Intention．"But how do I know what is really best?" you might ask．The answer is simple．It doesn't matter．What matters is not the choice you make, but rather the intention behind your choice．What matters is that whatever decision you make, you are clear in your intention of choosing based on what's best for all．If it later turns out that you made what appears to have been a bad choice, there's no need for guilt．Knowing that you did your best to choose with a sincere desire for what's best for all, your conscience (良心)stays clear and open．This then allows you to more easily learn from your mistakes, and to live with a clear heart and mind．

　　What's Best for Me, Too! Choosing what's best does not mean you have to always sacrifice yourself for others．An overly exhausted mother can lose her temper easily．Some time off for this mother might seem selfish, yet in the long run, it can help her to be a better mother to her children．So as we move through each day of our lives, let us remember to include ourselves as we do our best to choose what's best for all．

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