阅读理解

　　Many businesses today use conferences as a means of discussing new plans of the company．As people are paying more attention to the environment and green problems, more businesses are looking for ways to reduce their negative effect on the environment．Many businesses do this by using web conferencing．

　　Web conferencing is a technology that allows people to communicate more effectively over the Internet．It is an easy way of hosting and attending conferences without having to leave the office．Each of the people involved in a web conference will be posted an invitation to the conference with the time and date of the Web conference on it．When the conference is ready to begin, all participants(参与者)must sit at their computers and they will be connected over the Internet．

　　With Web conferencing all participants attend the conference from the comfort of their own desk．Obviously, in doing this no fuel is used in traveling to and from a conference, and less work time is taken up in attending a conference．

　　Any material to be used during the Web conference is simply e-mailed to all the participants before the conference．Participants can then either choose to print material or read it on screen．This not only saves paper but also greatly reduces mailing cost for the business．

　　As a conference hall or business center isn't being used, it means that the only power that is used is the power used by the participants' personal computers．Similarly conference organizers don't have to arrange for food or overnight accommodation(住宿)for participants of their conferences．All this means that less energy is used．

　　Often in business some companies actively choose to do business with other companies that do many things to reduce their negative impact on the environment．And Web conferencing helps you show other businesses that you are willing to work hard for the green cause．

　　So Web conferencing is much cheaper and greener and more people are willing to host and attend a web conference．

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　　If you are planning a visit to Chicago, make sure you see the city best before you head back home．

　　Chicago is home to some of the most fascinating architecture in the country．One of the oldest buildings in the city is the Water Tower, which was built in 1869．It is one of the structures to survive the Chicago Fire in 1871．It is a fascinating builging to see, and is nearby the Water Tower Place, which has great shopping．It's a paradise for the young．Another stop must be the Willes Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower．Go to the top and walk out on the clear walkway to take a look straight down on the city．If you have the time, be sure to have dinner or a cocktail in the Signature Room on the 95th floor．Not only is the food great, but the views are breathtaking．

　　If architecture is your thing, Wendella Boats offers a great architecture tour of Chicago．You can see some of the beautiful buildings from the Chicago River, which is a side of the buildings you don't usually get to see．There are several other boat tours that are just great, too, and many will even take you from the river out to Lake Michigan where you can see the Chicago skyline at any time of day．These tours are great ways to gain knowledge of this spectacular city, and it's also a funny way to rest your legs between walking tips．

　　You cannot come to Chicago without trying some famous, deepdish pizza．There are many places to get this delicious, thick pizza, but three stores stand out from the rest．Gino's East, Giordano's, and Lou Malnati's are the best places to get authentic, Chicago-style, deep-dish pizza．Try it with all the toppings or just cheese, but be sure you try it at some point．Many think that much pizza and cheese seems disgusting, but don't knock it till you try it．You might find a new favorite way of eating this Italian classic．

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　　A blog can be a very effective way of spreading the words about yourself, and your other writing．It can unshroud your knowledge, and create an ongoing relationship with your readers．A good blog is more than just a marketing tool; it's also an expression of your personality．

　　An obvious starting point is to post samples of your work that not only show off your skills and writing ability but also leave people wanting more．Post elections from the most exciting parts of your stories but end them just as the action reaches its peak．If you write nonfiction(写实文学), show people what they could achieve, and give them a few steps to get them started．

　　Give tips, information and advice about the subjects you cover．For example, something about struggling with difficulty and many other issues like this．Your writing tips can also be included, as well as interesting, strange or funny things you discovered during your research．Whenever you contact an expert, ask if he or she has any interesting stories you could use．You many also give background information about your stories and locations

　　Give details of coming posts on your blog, so people can watch out for you, or come and meet you．Personal news will help people feel better connected to you Include photos of objects and locations in your writing, famous people you meet, the views from your window, and your favorite things – with a note about where they came from and what they mean to you．Look out for things that will help your readers get to know you better, know the subject better, or anything else you think they might find useful, inspiring or entertaining．

　　If you only occasionally post things on your blog, people have a tendency to forget you．As a writer you shouldn't ever run out of interesting materials to fill your blog with －and your readers will love you for it．

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　　To win an Oscar is an achievement at any age．To do so at 22, as Jennifer Lawrence has, is just amazing．Recently, the American star won Best Actress at this year's Academy Awards for her role in the film The Silver Linings Playbook．According to Time magazine's Richard Corliss, Lawrence is that rare young actress who "lends a mature intelligence to any role"．

　　Though Lawrence has found great success through her big screen work, Lawrence wasn't sure what she really liked doing before the age of 14．She thought she'd go to college and maybe find a career as a doctor or a travel agent．

　　Lawrence's two brothers were star athletes and one of them was a straight-A student．Unlike them, she suffered through school, never quite finding where she belonged．However, during a trip to New York, Lawrence suddenly realized that she wanted to be an actress．When she was enjoying the beautiful city, a model seeker asked if he could take her picture, and the next day he called her in for an audition(试镜)．

　　"I read the script and it was the first time I had that feeling like I understand this," Lawrence said．"Within 20 minutes, in the cab ride from the hotel room, I decided I didn't want to be a model．In fact, I wanted to be an actress．" Having appreciated this young lady's performance, the agency was so impressed with her reading that they signed her on the spot．But she insisted on finishing high school so she could give her full attention to her acting career．

　　Lawrence burst onto the Hollywood scene last year with The Hunger Games, which established her as the highest-grossing(票房最高的)female action hero of all time．Rolling Stone called her “the most talented young actress in America"．

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　　Gay marriage, and especially gay parenting, has been in the cross hairs in recent days．

　　On Jan．6, Rick Santorum told a New Hampshire audience that children are better off with a father in prison than being raised in a home with lesbian parents and no father at all．And last Monday(Jan．9), Pope Benedict called gay marriage a threat “to the future of humanity itself”, citing the need for children to have heterosexual homes．

　　But research on families headed by gays and lesbians doesn't back up these above views．In fact, in some ways, gay parents may bring talents to the table that straight parents don't．

　　Gay parents “tend to be more motivated, more committed than heterosexual parents on average, because they chose to be parents．” Said Abbie Goldberg, a psychologist at Clark University who researches gay and lesbian parenting．Gays and lesbians rarely become parents by accident, compared with an almost 50 percent accidental pregnancy rate among heterosexuals, Goldberg said．“That translates to greater commitment on average and more involvement”．

　　And while research indicates that kids of gay parents show few differences in achievement, mental health, social functioning and other measures, these kids may have the advantage of open-mindedness, tolerance and role models for equal relationships, according to some research．Not only that, but gays and lesbians are likely to provide homes for difficult-to-place children in the foster system, studies show．

　　Children of gay parents also show less care about gender difference．That's likely because gays and lesbians tend to have more equal relationships than straight couples, Goldberg said．

　　“Men and women felt like they were free to pursue a wide range of interests,” Goldberg said．“Nobody was telling them, ‘Oh, you can't do that, that's a boy thing,' or That's a girl thing．”

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　　Anger at the practice of demanding dowries(嫁妆), which can lead to violence against brides, has prompted a takeoff of “Angry Birds” called “Angry Brides” that aims to highlight the illegal practice still prevalent in many South Asian countries．

　　Dowries-such as jewelry, clothes, cars and money-are traditionally given by the bride's family to the groom and his parents to ensure she is taken care of in her new home．

　　The custom was outlawed more than five decades ago．But it is still widely practiced, with the groom's family demanding even more money after marriage, leading to mental and physical annoyance that can drive the woman to suicide．

　　“The Angry Brides game is our way of throwing a spotlight on the nuisance(陋习)of dowry．” said Ram Bhamidi, senior vice president and head of online marketing for Shaadi．com, a matrimonial(婚姻的)website with two million members．

　　“According to a 2007 study, there is a dowry-related death every four hours in India, We condemn this and have consistently run campaigns on social media to help create awareness of the issue”．

　　The name of the app, available on the group's home page, is a spinoff from the globally popular “Angry Birds” game, Its home page shows a red-clad, eight-armed woman resembling a powerful female Hindu goddess．Underneath, there is a caption：“A woman will give you strength, care and all the love you need…NOT dowry!”

　　To play the game, users have to try and hit three dodging grooms-a pilot, a builder and a doctor．There are a variety of weapons to choose from, including a frying pan, broomstick, tomato and loafer．

　　Each groom has a price tag, starting at 1.5 million rupees(＄29,165)．Every time the player hits a groom, his value decreases and money is added to the player's Anti-Dowry Fund,which is saved posted on their Facebook page．

　　“Since we launched the game last week, more than 270,000 people have liked the app．Both men and women seem to be playing it”, said Bhamidi．

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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。

　　About this time every year, I get very nostalgic(怀旧的)．Walking through my neighborhood on a fall afternoon reminds me of a time not too long ago when sounds of children filled the air, children playing games on a hill, and throwing leaves around in the street below．I was one of those children, carefree and happy．I live on a street that is only one block long．I have lived on the same street for sixteen years．I love my street．One side has six houses on it, and the other has only two houses, with a small hill in the middle and a huge cottonwood tree on one end．When I think of home, I think of my street．Only I see it as it was before．Unfortunately things change．One day, not long ago, I looked around and saw how different everything has become．Life on my street will never be the same because neighbors are quickly grown old, friends are growing up and leaving, and the city is planning to destroy my precious hill and sell the property to contractors．

　　It is hard for me to accept that many of my wonderful neighbors are growing old and won't be around much longer．I have fond memories of the couple across the street, who sat together on their porch swing almost every evening, the widow next door who yelled at my brother and me for being too loud, and the crazy old man in a black suit who drove an old car．In contrast to those people, the people I see today are very old neighbors who have seen better days．The man in the black suit says he wants to die, and another neighbor just sold his house and moved into a nursing home．The lady who used to yell at us is too tired to bother any more, and the couple across the street rarely go out to their front porch these days．It is difficult to watch these precious people as they near the end of their lives because at once I thought they would live forever．

　　The “comings and goings” of the younger generation of my street are now mostly “goings” as friends and peers move on．Once upon a time, my life and the lives of my peers revolved around home．The boundary of our world was the gutter at the end of the street．We got pleasure from playing night games or from a breathtaking ride on a tricycle．Things are different now, as my friends become adults and move on．Children who rode tricycles now drive cars．The kids who once played with me now have new interests and values as they go their separate ways．Some have gone away to college like me, a few got married, two went into the army, and one went to prison．Watching all these people grow up and go away makes me long for the good old days．

　　Perhaps the biggest change on my street is the fact that the city is going to turn my precious hill into several lots for now homes．For sixteen years, the view out of my kitchen window has been a view of that hill．The hill was a fundamental part of my childhood life; it was the hub of social activity for the children of my street．We spent hours there building forts, sledding, and playing tag．The view out of my kitchen window now is very different; it is one of tractors and dump trucks tearing up the hill．When the hill goes, the neighborhood will not be the same．It is a piece of my childhood．It is a visual reminder of being a kid．Without the hill, my street will be just another pea in the pod．

　　There was a time when my street was my world, and I thought my world would never change．But something happened．People grow up, and people grow old．Places changes, and with the change comes the heartache of knowing I can never go back to the times I loved．In a year or so, I will be gone just like many of my neighbors．I will always look back to my years as a child, but the place I remember will not be the silent street whose peace is interrupted by the sounds of construction．It will be the happy, noisy, somewhat strange, but wonderful street I knew as a child．

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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。

　　One thing the tour books don't tell you about London is that 2, 000 of its residents are foxes．They ran away from the city about centuries ago after developers and pollution moved in．But now that the environment is cleaner, the foxes have come home, one of the many wild animals that have moved into urban areas around the world．

　　“The number and variety of wild animals in urban areas is increasing, ” says Gomer Jones, president of the National Institute for Urban Wildlife, in Columbia, Maryland．A survey of the wildlife in New York's Central Park last year tallied the species of mammals, including muskrats, shrews and flying squirrels．A similar survey conducted in the 1890s counted only five species．One of the country's largest populations of raccoons(浣熊)now lives in Washington D．C．, and moose(驼鹿)are regularly seen wandering into Maine towns．Peregrine falcons(游隼)dive from the window ledges of buildings in the largest U．S．cities to prey on(捕食)pigeons．

　　Several changes have brought wild animals to the cities．Foremost is that air and water quality in many cities has improved as a result of the 1970s pollution-control efforts．Meanwhile, rural areas have been built up, leaving many animals on the edges of suburbs．In addition, urban wildlife refuges(避难处)have been created．The Greater London Council last year spent￡750, 000 to buy land and build 10 permanent wildlife refuges in the city．Over 1, 000 volunteers have donated money and cleared rubble from derelict lots．One evening last year a fox was seen on Westminster Bridge looking up at Big Ben．

　　For peregrine falcons, cities are actually safer than rural cliff dwellings(悬崖栖息地)．By 1970 the birds had died out east of the Mississippi because the DDT had made their eggs too thin to support life．That year, scientist Tom Cade of Cornell University began raising the birds for release in cities, for cities afforded abundant food．

　　Cities can attract wild animals without turning them harmful．The trick is to create habitats where they can be self-sufficient but still be seen and appreciated．Such habitats can even be functional．In San Francisco, the local government is testing different kinds of rainwater control basins to see not only which ones retain(保持)the cleanest water but which will attract the most birds．

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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。

　　Below is some advice on how to prevent cancer：

　　Aside from being a healthy and delicious snack, blueberries contain pterostilbene, which has important colon(结肠)cancer-fighting prosperities．But wait, it gets better．Blueberries also offer a large dose of vitamins C(14 milligrams per cup)．So at breakfast, try to take in a cup and a half of blueberries in your cereal or yogurt, or mixed with other berries．

　　2．Drink Pomegranate(石榴)Juice

　　The deep red juice of the pomegranate contains polyphenols, isoflavones and ellagic acid, which together create a powerful anticancer mixture．Most recently, researchers from the University of Wisconsin at Madison has discovered that 16 ounces of pomegranate juice per day also may inhibit the growth of lung cancer．

　　3．Relax

　　Feeling stressed or worried? Find ways to relax and you may reduce your chances of developing cancer．Purdue University researchers tracked 1, 600 men over 12 years and found that half of those with high levels of worry died during the study period．Only 20 percent of the optimists died before the study were completed, while 34 percent of the extremely anxious men died of some type of cancer．Instead of stressing about the past or future, focus on the present and relax!

　　4．Take Selenium(硒)

　　Selenium is well known for its cancer-fighting properties．In a study of almost 1, 000 men, researchers from the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that when men with the lowest initial levels of selenium in their bodies received a daily supplement over a 4 year period, they cut their prostate(前列腺)cancer risk by a remarkable 92 percent．However, it is possible to get too much of a good thing, so monitor your intake of selenium-containing supplements, Brazil nuts, tuna, meats and grains carefully．

　　5．Eat Sushi(寿司)

　　Seaweed may not be your idea of a great snack, but it is high in fiber, calcium and iron, and dry, roasted seaweed sheets used in sushi provide the additional benefits of vitamins A and C．Sushi rolls are also high in protein-a typical spicy tuna roll has only 290 calories but packs 24 grams of protein．So don't skimp(节省)on the Sushi!

　　6．Enjoy the Outdoors

　　Vitamin D causes early death of cancer cells．A study published in the American Journey of Clinical Nutrition reported that women who supplemented their diets with 1, 000 international．Units of vitamin D every day had a 60 percent to 77 percent lower incidence of cancer ever a four-year period that did women taking a placebo(无效对照剂)．Experts recommend supplementing your fun in the sun with 1, 100 to 2, 000IU of vitamin D each day．

　　7．Breathe Clean Air

　　There's no question that secondhand smoke kills．A recent American Journal of Public Health study showed that nonsmokers working in smoky places had three times the amount of carcinogen(致癌物质)in their urine(尿)than nonsmokers working in smoke-free locations．What's worse, their levels of the carcinogen rose 6 percent for every hour worked．Nine states have banned smoking in all workplaces, bars and restaurants．The message is clear： Do whatever you can to avoid the cloud of smoke．

　　8．Break a Sweat

　　Even a small amount of exercise can offer major cancer-fighting benefits．In a study of 29, 110 men published in the International Journal of Cancer, men who exercised just once a week had a percent lower risk of metastasis(转移性)prostate cancer than men who didn't work out at all．The better the frequency, duration and intensity of the exercise, the bigger the reduction in risk, according to the study．

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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 centenary(百年)of the birth of William Faulkner, one of the great modern novelists, was celebrated in September 1997．Faulkner wrote about the southern states of the United States of America where he grew up, and where his family had an important part to play in the history of that region．His work became a touchstone for insights into the troubled issues of southern American identity, race relations, and the family interrelationships of the old time southern gentry(贵族)．

　　Faulkner was born in New Albany, Mississippi on September 25, 1897．Despite his interest in writing, he left Oxford High School, Mississippi, without graduating．After World War I, he entered the University of Mississippi as a special student, a right to study which was granted to retired soldiers, although Faulkner had only finished training with the Air Force in Canada, and not entered combat(战斗)．

　　Faulkner began to write poems, a verse play, short stories and finished his first novel Sartoris in 1928．His fiction was centered for 14 of the 19 novels published during his lifetime in a fictional region called Yoknapatawpha County．The name is said to come from the Indian Chickasaw word meaning split land．

　　In December 1950, Faulkner was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature．When he accepted it in Stockholm, his speech emphasized that he wished to continue writing, but in a positive way that affirmed the power of humanity to prevail over adverse circumstances．As he said in his speech, he still felt that, despite the threat of nuclear war then hanging over the world, the central concern of the writer should be “the problems of the human heart in conflict with itself”．He wanted the tensions and problems that he had cast the spotlight on in the southern states of America to be resolved by the life-affirming attitudes and action of his characters．Like playwright Tennessee Williams, Faulkner was a major voice who spoke for the troubled heart of the southern states of America．His achievement is all the more remarkable because, as a schoolboy, he was not only a frequent absentee but also reportedly failed to reach pass grades in English class．His collected short stories, novels, poems, and other writings from a legacy of literature which casts profound illumination(启发)on the special culture of the South, a culture which developed from a history and social circumstances that were always unique．

　　From the focus on a fictional county, and by remaining true to his view of a close-knit but real society that reflected the greater world around him, Faulkner in the end fashioned a legend of the Deep South that is one of the major achievements of the 20th century literature．

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