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。

　　Dr．Jack M．Gwaltney, Jr．a professor at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, infected six student volunteers with virus, the most common cause of colds．A few days later, when they were coughing and sneezing, he gathered 37 more people and divided them into three groups．Group 1 members spent three days and nights in the same room with one of the infected students, separated by a screen so they couldn't touch one another．Group 2 sat around a table while an infected volunteer talked, coughed and sang to them．Group 3 held hands with an infected student for ten seconds, and then touched their own noses or eyes．

　　Although most scientists at the time, the mid-70s, believed colds were spread by virus-laden droplets spread through the air when infected people coughed or sneezed, Gwaltney suspected physical contact might play an important role．Sure enough, of the 15 people who had touched a student volunteer, 11 became infected－compared with only one of those who had been sitting at the table, and none who had spent three days and nights together．

　　"The best evidence we have is that hand-to-hand contact is the most efficient way of transmitting virus, " says Gwaltney．The study was one of a series that helped establish Gwaltney's reputation as a leading authority．Dr．Robert Couch says, "It would not be inappropriate to call him Mr．Common Cold．"

　　When Gwaltney is asked how close scientists are to finding a cure, he replies： "If you mean ‘get rid of’, I don't think we're going to be able to do that with cold viruses any time soon．But if you look in the dictionary, you'll see that 'cure' is explained as a successful treatment．And we're not just getting more effective at treating the symptoms(症状)-we're getting at the root cause too．"

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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。

　　By the mid-nineteenth century, the term "icebox" had entered the American language, but ice was still only beginning to affect the diet of ordinary citizens in the United States．The ice trade grew with the growth of cities．Ice was used in hotels, taverns(酒馆), and hospitals, and by some forward-looking city dealers in fresh meat, fresh fish, and butter．After the Civil War(1861-1865), as ice was used to refrigerate freight cars, it also came into household use．Even before 1880, half of the ice sold in New York, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, and one-third of that sold in Boston and Chicago, went to families for their own use．This had become possible because a new household convenience, the icebox, a precursor(前身)of the modern fridge, had been invented．

　　Making an efficient icebox as not as easy as we might now suppose．In the early nineteenth century, the knowledge of the physics of heat, which was essential to a science of refrigeration, was rudimentary(未发展的)．The commonsense notion that the best icebox was one that prevented the ice from melting was of course mistaken, for it was the melting of the ice that performed the cooling．Nevertheless, early efforts to economize ice included wrapping up the ice in blankets, which kept the ice from doing its job．Not until near the end of the nineteenth century did inventors achieve the delicate balance of insulation(绝缘)and circulation needed for an efficient icebox．

　　But as early as 1803, and ingenious Maryland farmer, Thomas Moore, had been on the right track．He owned a farm about twenty miles outside the city of Washington, for which the village of Georgetown was the market center．When he used an icebox of his own design to transport his butter to market, he found that customers would pass up the rapidly melting stuff in the tubs of his competitors to pay a premium price(高价)for his butter, still fresh and hard in neat, one-pound bricks．One advantage of his icebox, Moore explained, was that farmers would no longer have to travel to market at night in order to keep their produce cool．

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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。

　　We once had a poster competition in our fifth grade art class．

　　“You could win prizes, ” our teacher told us as she wrote the poster information on the blackboard．She passed out sheets of construction paper while continuing, “The first prize is ten dollars．You just have to make sure that the words on the blackboard appear somewhere on your poster．”

　　We studied the board critically．Some of us looked with one eye and held up certain colors against the blackboard, rocking the sheets to the right or left while we conjured up our designs．Others twisted their hair around their fingers or chewed their erasers while deep in thought．We had plans for that ten-dollar grand prize, each and every one of us．I'm going to spend mine on candies, one hopeful would announce, while another practiced looking serious, wise and rich．

　　Everyone in the class made a poster．Some of us used parts of those fancy paper napkins, while others used nothing but colored construction paper．Some of us used big designs, and some of us preferred to gather our art tidily down in one corner of our poster and let the space draw the viewer's attention to it．Some of us would wander past the good students’ desks and then return to our own projects with a growing sense of hopelessness．It was yet another grown-up trick of the sort they seemed especially fond of, making all of us believe we had a fair chance, and then always-always-rewarding the same old winners．

　　I believe I drew a sailboat, but I can't say that with any certainty．I made it．I admired it．I determined it to be the very best of all of the posters I had seen，and then I turned it in．

　　Minutes passed．

　　No one came along to give me the grand prize, and then someone distracted me, and I probably never would have thought about that poster again．

　　I was still sitting at my desk, thinking, What poster? when the teacher gave me an envelope with a ten-dollar bill in it and everyone in the class applauded for me．

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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。

　　I was walking along the deserted main street of a small seaside town in the north of England looking somewhere to make a phone call．My car had broken down outside the town and I wanted to get in touch with the Automobile Association．Low gray clouds were drifting across the sky and there was a cold damp wind blowing off the sea．It had rained in the night and water was dripping from the bare trees that lined the street．I was glad that I was wearing a thick coat．

　　I could see no call box, nor was there anyone at that early hour I could ask．I had thought I might find a shop selling the Sunday papers or a milkman doing his job, but the town was completely dead．

　　Then suddenly I found what I was looking for．There was a small post office, and almost hidden from sight in a dark narrow street next to it was the town's only public call box, which badly needed a coat of paint, I hurried forward but stopped in astonishment when I saw through the dirty glass that there was a man inside．He was very fat, and was wearing a cheap blue plastic raincoat and rubber boots．I could not see his face-he was bending forward over the phone with his back pressed against the glass and didn't even raise his head at the sound of my coming nearer and nearer．Carefully and surprisedly, I remained standing a few feet away and lit a cigarette to wait my turn．It was when I threw the dead match on the ground that I noticed something bright red trickling from under the call box door．

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阅读理解，阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　Asked to name their favorite city, many Americans would select San Francisco which began as a small Spanish outpost located on a magnificent bay．The town was little more than a village serving ranchers when the United States took possession of it in 1846 during the war with Mexico．

　　San Francisco sprang into a city overnight because of the nearby discovery of gold in 1848．A great rush to California took place．Wagon trains plodded their dangerous way across 2000 miles of prairie and mountains, while hundreds of sailing vessels made the equally hazardous trip around the Horn．The vessels disgorged thousands of passengers-then the crews deserted their ship and hundreds of vessels were left to rot in the bay．Within two years, California had enough population to become a state and San Francisco was for many years the hub of that newly-arrived population．

　　The city's present popularity is due to an excellent climate, an easy style of living, good food, and numerous tourist attractions．The city is famous for its cable cars which "clang and bang" up the steep hills, and for its excellent seafood stalls along the wharf．Most visitors arriving from nations in the Pacific Basin spend several days getting to know the town．

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阅读理解，阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　During recent years, floods and flash floods have caused billions of dollars in damage．They are among the most common and widespread of all natural disasters．Even more importantly, they’re the No．1 weather-related killer．A food can happen anywhere along the Mississippi, in New England, even in the desert．

　　The following are some fascinating facts about floods and flash floods．

　　A flood(commonly called a river flood)is the high flow of water from a river of similar body of water, happening over a period of time too long to be considered a flash flood．Flooding is caused in many ways．Winter or spring rains, together with melting snows, can fill rivers too quickly．Heavy rains from hurricanes or other tropical systems can also produce river flooding．The Mississippi River Flood of 1993 was caused by repeated heavy rain from thunderstorms over a period of weeks．

　　Flash floods are quickly-rising floods which are usually the result of heavy rains over a short period of time, often only several hours or even less．They can also be caused by ice jams(冰塞)on rivers related to a winter or spring melting, or occasionally even a dam break．The constant influx(汇集)of water finally causes a great overflow to begin, powerful enough to sweep vehicles away, roll big stones into roadways, uproot trees, level buildings, and knock bridge down．The speed of the rising of water is the most frightening thing．

　　Remember：Move to higher ground and stay away from low areas during heavy rain．Stay out of flooded areas．Never allow children to play or walk in flowing water．Never drive your car into water of unknown depths．

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阅读理解，阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　As the pace of life continues to increase, we are fast losing the art of relaxation．Once you are in the habit of rushing through life, being on the go from morning till night, it is hard to slow down．But relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body．

　　Stress is a natural part of everyday life and there is no way to avoid it．In fact, it is not the bad thing it is often supposed to be．A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation and give purpose to life．It is only when stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health．

　　The amount of stress a person can withstand depends very much on the individual．Some people are not afraid of stress, and such characters are obviously prime material for managerial responsibilities．Others lose heart at the first signs of unusual difficulties．When exposed to stress, in whatever form, we react both chemically and physically．In fact we make choice between “fight” or “flight” and in more primitive days the choices made the difference between life or death．The crises we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme, but however little the stress, it involves the same response．It is when such a reaction lasts long, through continued exposure to stress, that health becomes endangered．Such serious conditions as high blood pressure and heart disease have established links with stress．Since we cannot remove stress from our lives(it would be unwise to do so even if we could), we need to find ways to deal with it．

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阅读理解，阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　The advantages and disadvantages of a large population have long been a subject of discussion among economists．It has been argued that the supply of good land is limited．To feed a large population, inferior land must be cultivated(耕种)and the good land worked intensively．Thus, each person produces less and this means a lower average income than that could be obtained with a smaller population．Other economists have argued that a large population gives more scope for specialization and the development of facilities such as sports, roads and railways, which are not likely to be built unless there is a big demand to justify(证明……正确)them．

　　One of the difficulties in carrying out a worldwide birth control program lies in the fact that official attitudes to population growth vary from country to country depending on the level of industrial development and the availability of food and raw materials．In the developing country where a vastly expanded population is pressing hard upon the limits of food, space and natural resources, it will be the first concern of government to place a limit on the birthrate, whatever the consequences may be．In a highly industrialized society the problem may be more complex．A decreasing birthrate may lead to unemployment because it results in a declining market for manufactured goods．When the pressure of population on housing declines, prices also decline and the building industry is weakened．Faced with considerations such as these, the government of a developed country may well prefer to see a slowly increasing population, rather than one which is stable or in decline．

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阅读理解，阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　“It hurts me more than you, ” and “This is for your own good．” These are the statements my mother used to make years ago when I had to learn Latin, clean my room, stay home and do homework．

　　That was before we entered the permissive period in education in which we decided it was all right not to push our children to achieve their best in school．

　　The schools and the educators made it easy on us．They thought that it was all right to be parents who take a let-alone policy．We stopped making our children do homework．We gave them calculators, turned on the television, left the teaching to the teachers and went on vacation．

　　Now teachers, faced with children who have been developing at their pace for the past 15 years, are realizing we’ve made a terrible mistake．One such teacher is Sharon Klompus who says of her students-“so passive”-and wonders what happened．Nothing was demanded of them, she believes．Television, says Klompus, contributes to children's passivity; “We’re not training kids to work any more．” says Klompus．“We’re talking about a generation of kids who’ve never been hurt or hungry．They have learned somebody will always do it for them．Instead of saying go look it up, you tell them the answer．It takes greater energy to say no to a kid．”

　　Yes, it does．It takes energy and it takes work．It's time for parents to end their vacation and come back to work．It's time to take the car away, to turn the TV off, to tell them it hurts you more than them but it's for their own good, It's time to start telling them no again．

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阅读理解

阅读下列材料，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　I have a friend Monty Roberts who owns a horse ranch in San Ysidro．He has let me use his house to put on fund-raising events to raise money for youth at risk programs．

　　The last time I was there he introduced me by saying, “I want to tell you why I let Jack use my house．It all goes back to a story about a young man who was the son of an itinerant(游荡的)horse trainer who would go from stable to stable, race track to race track, farm to farm and ranch to ranch, training horses．As a result, the boy's high school career was continually interrupted．When he was a senior, he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up．”

　　“That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of owning a horse ranch someday．He wrote about his dream in great detail and he even drew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch, showing the location of all the buildings, the stables and the track．Then he drew a detailed floor plan for a 4,000-square-foot house that would sit on a 200-acre dream ranch．”

　　“He put a great deal of his heart into the project and the next day he handed it in to the teacher．Two days later he received his paper back．On the front was a large red F with a note that read, ‘See me after class．' ”

　　“The boy with the dream went to see the teacher after class and asked, ‘Why did I receive an F?'”

　　“The teacher said, ‘This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you．You have no money．You come from an itinerant family．You have no resources．Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money．You have to buy the land．You have to pay for the original breeding stock and later you'll have to pay large stud(马群)fees．There's no way you could ever do it．' Then the teacher added, ‘If you rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade．' ”

　　“The boy went home and thought about it long and hard．He asked his father what he should do．His father said, ‘Look, son, you have to make up your own mind on this．However, I think it is a very important decision for you．' ”

　　“Finally, after sitting with it for a week, the boy turned in the same paper, making no changes at all．He stated, ‘You can keep the F and I'll keep my dream．'”

　　Monty then turned to the assembled group and said, “I tell you this story because you are sitting in my 4,000-square-foot house in the middle of my 200-acre horse ranch．I still have that school paper framed over the fireplace．” He added, “The best part of the story is that two summers ago that same schoolteacher brought 30 kids to camp out on my ranch for a week．When the teacher was leaving, he said, ‘Look, Monty, I can tell you this now．When I was your teacher, I was something of a dream stealer． During those years I stole a lot of kids' dreams．Fortunately you had enough gumption not to give up on yours．'”

　　Don't let anyone steal your dreams．Follow your heart, no matter what．

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