阅读理解，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。

　　Tongue clicking is an important part of language for some southern African groups．And it could help disabled people control their wheelchairs．The key is a device that is put in the ears and listens for tongue clicks and then translates the sounds into commands for a wheelchair．

　　Mouth interfaces(接口)that interact with wheelchairs are already common for seriously disabled people．One device that fits within the roof of the mouth houses buttons that can be pressed with the tongue．

　　“But everything that involves tongue movement requires putting something in the mouth, ” says Ravi, from the University of Bristol, UK．Besides issues of hygiene(卫生), these devices make it difficult for the user to eat or speak, if they are able to, while using it．Monitoring tongue movements through the ear avoids these problems．

　　The new device, a simple microphone that looks like an earphone for listening to music, picks up certain sounds made by four sorts of tongue clicks．The microphone sends the information to a signal processor which sorts out the clicks and passes the information to the wheelchair, where each click type moves the chair in a distinct direction．

　　Ravi's group has used the interface to control a virtual wheelchair．They have also used it to control the reaching and grasping movements of a robotic arm．The four tongue clicks can be mastered in a couple of hours, say the researchers．”This is a promising technique, ” says Jose del R．Millan, who has been working on brain interfaces for controlling wheelchairs at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne．If it can be combined with real wheelchairs and shown to work reliably it could be very valuable for patients, he says．

　　The researchers plan to start using real wheelchairs, but in the meantime they are looking at whether the number of commands can be increased by using a microphone in each ear, to get clearer signals to the wheelchairs．“Even if four clicks prove to be the limit, it only takes 0.2 second to detect each sound, so it's possible to spread high-level commands through combinations of clicking sounds, ” the researchers say．

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阅读理解，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。

　　The Cathedral of Augsburg in the Bavarian region of German is credited with the world's oldest stained glass windows from the 12^th century．Originally constructed in the 9^th century, this Romanesque style church is a short 40-mile drive north of Munich．

　　These windows are typically found in churches and were first made for this purpose．Natural light is used to light the stained glass window in order to help tell the story described by the church．The illustrations(图示)on each window appear to be alive with the natural light which is result of God's symbolic presence．Each design told a story from the Bible or of an important individual in history in pictures, rather than words since most people could not read．Visitors who wanted to learn more about the exciting story being told in the stained glass window could ask the guide of monks for more details．

　　The Renaissance(文艺复兴)which began in the late 13^th century saw the usage of stained glass windows expand from churches to other public buildings．However, many of the medieval(中世纪)era windows were removed during the 18^th century as they were viewed to be old and replaced with painted glass．The former half of the 19^th century saw the Gothic Revival movement in England where artists made new bathroom stained glass windows in the medieval style for new Gothic buildings．These Gothic works were used to decorate churches by replacing the simple painted glass ornamental windows that had crept into churches．

　　John LaFarge and Louis Comfort Tiffany took the lead in the American glass movement in the late 19^th century, when they made stained glass windows．LaFarge and Tiffany were American painters, who worked independently at first and then competed with each other．Harvard University's Memorial Hall, Boston's Trinity Church, and New York City's Judson Memorial Church are some of Lafarge's most famous works．In 1879, it was Tiffany who became a leading figure within the American glass movement．

　　Today, stained glass is used in homes as an accent for windows not only for light, but to match artwork that allows light to shine through．Some will even hang a frame of stained glass on a blank wall for decoration．As history has shown, the usage of these works has developed from just churches to public buildings and then to private homes．

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阅读理解，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。

JOB OPPORTUNITIES

　　Mature and energetic professional to handle administration, management and operations for the firm．

　　Responsibilities：Responsible for daily operations of the firm．Including handling important and confidential matters for the firm and clients．The position requires the ability to interact with all members of the staff and a diverse group of clients．Organize President's emails and schedules as well as coordinate staff meetings and events．Must have the ability to analyze and solve problems．Experienced in managing people, processes and procedures．Minimum HR duties are part of the position．Candidates will work closely with the accounting department in several projects．Must have excellent time management and organizational skills, attention to details．

　　Education Requirement：Bachelor's Degree．Bilingual English/Spanish a plus．Excellent benefits and work environment．Salary is commensurate with experience．

　　Send resume(简历)with cover letter in confidence to：

　　EMAIL：info@greencards．com

　　ADDRESS：

　　Alan Gordon Immigration and Naturalization Law 1018 East Boulevard – Suite 7 Charlotte, NC 28203

　　FAX：7043771172

　　Excellent work ethic, energetic and committed professional with background on family based and business immigration law．Must have excellent communication skills both verbal and written and the ability to interact with all members of the staff and different group of clients．Proven time management and organization skills．Attention to details．Must be proficient in computer programs．Flexibility and positive attitude are important．Bachelor's degree is required．Must pass credit and background checks．Salary is good and satisfying．

　　Send resume with cover letter in confidence to：

　　Email：info@greencards．com

　　ADDRESS：

　　Alan Gordon immigration and Naturalization Law 1018 East Boulevard – Suite 7 Charlotte, NC 28203

　　FAX：7043771172

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阅读理解，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。

　　“What are you doing asleep on a park bench in the middle of the day naked? ”

　　“Well, you see, officer, it all started this morning．I woke up to the sound of the big master's alarm clock and jumped off my doggy bed．I wandered down into the kitchen and sat down to wait for breakfast．”

　　“Hang on! What do you mean by doggy bed? ”

　　“Well, I am actually a dog．Let me finish my explanation．Anyway, when the big master came downstairs I could tell that it would be a busy day, because he was rushing around．He fed me quickly and ran out of the door, not even bothering to get some breakfast for himself．This was fairly normal-he hardly ate in the morning．”

　　I finished my breakfast soon, and then I went upstairs to wake up the little master．After that, I had to wake up the big mistress．Because I knew how much she hates it, I cautiously walked into the big room and tried to wake her up gently．Unfortunately, as soon as my nose touched her side, she jumped straight up and yelled at me to get out of her room．I did that straight away．I headed downstairs again．The little master was already downstairs．After eating breakfast, he ran out．I followed him as usual and made sure he got to school safely．

　　On my way home, a van stopped beside me．Then I was stuck in a net and thrown into the van．I started struggling and barking．Immediately I was given a needle and calmed down．When I woke up, I was lying on a bed．Looking around, I realized I was in a science lab．Strangely, I found I wasn't a dog anymore! I was human! I started yelling for help and an old man walked in．On seeing me, he shouted excitedly, ‘It worked! It worked! ’ Then I was given another needle．The next thing I remember is that you woke me up．So that's why I ended up asleep here naked．”

“Very funny son, now come with me．By the way, what's your name? ”

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阅读理解

　　A punctual person is in the habit of doing a thing at the proper time and is never late in keeping an appointment．

　　The unpunctual man, on one hand, never does what he has to do at the proper time．He is always in a hurry and in the end loses both time and his good name．A lost thing may be found again, but lost time can never be regained．Time is more valuable than material things．In fact, time is life itself．The unpunctual man is forever wasting and mismanaging his most valuable asset(财产)as well as other's．The unpunctual person is always complaining that he finds no time to answer letters, or return calls or keep appointments promptly．But the man who really has a great deal to do is very careful of his time and seldom complains of want of it．He knows that he can not get through his huge amount of work unless he faithfully keeps every piece of work when it has to be attended to．

　　Failure to be punctual in keeping one's appointments is the sign of disrespect towards others．If a person is invited to dinner and arrives later than the appointed time, he keeps all the other guests waiting for him．Usually this will be regarded as a great disrespect to the host and all other guests present．

　　Unpunctuality, moreover, is very harmful when it comes to do one's duty, whether public or private．Imagine how it would be if those who are put in charge of important tasks failed to be at their proper place at the appointed time．A man who is known to be habitually unpunctual is never trusted by his friends or fellow men．

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阅读理解

　　In the six months that he'd worked at his aunt's shelter, Bryan had never grown close to a dog, but Patch was different．Aunt Kim had warned him, “Bryan, your mom says no dogs．” The fact that Patch was deaf did not help．

　　“It's not your fault you're deaf, ”Bryan said, “Don't worry, because I've got a plan!” Later, Bryan got ready to leave．Making sure no one was coming; he secretly put the dog into his bag, and waved his aunt goodbye．

　　Two hours after arriving home with Patch, Bryan sat sadly in his room．He had told his mother he would take care of Patch, but Mom didn't agree．

　　Bryan lay awake that night, Patch jumped onto his bed, and soon he fell asleep．

　　Unbearable barks woke Bryan sometime later．Bryan got up to quiet the dog, but he froze when he saw black smoke snaking into his room．He pulled the door open．Red-yellow flames licked(窜)greedily at the hallway entrance, blocking the front door．Suddenly, Patch ran down the hall．Bryan followed and found the dog in his sister Sarah's room．Bryan pushed Sarah to the window and shouted, “Jump with Patch!”

　　Racing back into the smoky hallway, Bryan saw his mom．She seemed hardly able to catch her breath．Bryan tried to drag her to the hall window．But he failed．He looked up just in time to hear voices and feel strong arms pull them both to safety．

　　A neighbor had heard Patch's barks and called 911．The firefighters thought a few candles had caused the fire．

　　“I can't believe I forgot to blow out my candles,” Mom said．

　　“Sorry about the house, Mom,”Bryan said quietly．

　　To his surprise, Mom smiled．It's OK．The important thing is that our family is safe．“She patted Patch's head．“Our whole family．”

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阅读理解

　　In Sonoma County, California, growers are planting grapevines in a new way．As they plant the vines, they add a package of water called DRiWATER．This method of planting grapevines along with the water supply saves time and work．It gives the plant enough water to keep growing．The workers can go on to other chores．

　　DRiWATER is a package of jelled(凝结的)water．It melts slowly, watering the plant for two or three months．DRiWATER is a 100％ natural, non-poisonous product used for the long-term watering of plants．It was invented by a well-known food chemist who recognized the potential of a filler product he was using to thicken peanut butter．He tested and applied his theory that water could be released over time as naturally occurring microbes(微生物)in the soil fed on the filler and released the water into the soil．

　　The inventor, Harold Jensen, tried for a long time to get the right recipe．He and his family worked nights and weekends testing different formulas．Jensen finally found the right formula and patented it．

　　What are the ingredients in DRiWATER? It is made up of 97.85％ water, 2％ vegetable gum, and 0.15％ aluminum sulfate．When the DRiWATER is planted in the soil, the water is released as bacteria eat the jell．

　　Buchanan Vineyard Services has bought ten thousand packages of DRiWATER．They will plant the jelled water with their new grapevines．

　　What about countries like Egypt that have large deserts? Maybe DRiWATER will help grow trees in the desert．Two million trees have been planted near a town in the Sahara Desert．Two quarts were planted with each tree．The tree must live on the water for months until its roots touch ground water．Harold Jensen hopes to see forests spring up in the deserts．This is the reason that he invented DRiWATER．Seedlings, DRiWATER, and desert may be the perfect fit．

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阅读理解

　　It's great fun to explore new places－it feels like an adventure, even when you know you're not the first to have been there．But make sure not to get lost or waste time going round in circles．

　　●Do the map reading if you're being driven somewhere．It'll be easier if you keep turning the map so it follows the direction you're traveling in．Keep looking ahead so that you can give the driver lots of warning before having to make a turn, or you'll have to move to the back seat．

　　●Get a group of friends together and go exploring．You'll need a good map, a compass, a raincoat, a cell phone to call for help in case you get lost, and a bit of spare cash for emergencies．Tell someone where you're going before you set out and let them know what time you expect to be back．The test is in not getting lost, not in seeing how fast you can go, so always stick together, waiting for slower friends to catch up．

　　●See if your school or a club organizes orienteering activities, in which you need a map and a compass to find your way．This can be done as a sport, with teams trying to find the way from A to B(and B to C, etc．)in the fastest time, or simply as a spare-time activity．Either way, it's not only good fun, but a great way to keep fit．

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阅读理解

　　Tom Hanks has one of the most successful and extensive careers in Hollywood．He has acted in television shows and movies, and done voice work for animated(动画片的)films．He's also a movie director, producer and writer．He won the Academy Award for best actor in back to back years．Spencer Tracy is the only other actor to have done that．

　　Tom Hanks was born in California in1956．His father and mother ended their marriage when he was five．Tom and his two older siblings(兄弟姊妹)lived with their father．The youngest child stayed with his mother．

　　He once told a reporter that he had had three mothers, four fathers, five schools and ten houses while growing up．The movie star said he thinks the many changes helped him develop a sense of independence．

　　Tom Hanks started acting in high school．He took drama classes in college but left before completing his studies．He said he could not get parts in college plays so he left for New York to follow his professional dream．

　　His first major parts were on television．He won a lead role in the situation comedy Bosom Buddies in 1979．But he became a star with the movie Splash in 1984．More success came four years later with his starring part in the hit movie Big．He played a 13-year-old boy who wakes up one day in a grown man's body．

　　Tom Hanks mainly worked in comedies in the early years of his career．His starring part in the 1993 movie Philadelphia changed his image．He was honored with his first Best Actor Oscar for his work in Philadelphia．

　　His interest in the experiences of World War Two soldiers led him to his involvement in the TV series Band of Brothers．He was also named an honorary member of the US Army Rangers(突击队员)as a result．He also produced the 13-part series From the Earth to the Moon because of his support for human space travel．He is a member of the National Space Society．

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阅读理解

　　During his life Dr James Naismith worked as a doctor, taught P．E and wrote several books．While he never thought it very important, Dr Naismith is today best known for one thing．He was the inventor of basketball．

　　Dr James Naismith was born in Canada in 1861 and his first job was at a special sports school in the USA．One day the school principal told James he was having a problem with the students．Because of heavy snow, the students could not go outside．He told James that they needed a sport the boys could play indoors and gave the teacher two weeks to think of something．

　　It was on the very last day that James came up with his idea．The “birth of basketball” is said to be on December 21, 1891, when two teams from the school played the first game．It was quite different from the basketball games of today．It had 9 players on each team and footballs were used instead of basketballs．Soon after, the game changed to 5 players on each side, using special “basketballs” through nets．

　　Although Dr Naismith did not live to see basketball become the worldwide game it is today, in 1936, just three years before his death, basketball became an Olympic sport at the Games in Berlin．

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