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。

　　Becoming a teacher is one of the best ways to make a difference in the life of a child and even older students．Here are some great scholarships and grant opportunities to get the ball rolling on your dreams of becoming a teacher．

　　This is one of the most popular and unique scholarships available for students working towards becoming teachers．The foundation offers their scholarships every three months as opposed to each year．During each payment, four students receive a ＄500 scholarship．

　　While this scholarship is available only to students in the state of North Carolina, it is so incredibly helpful that many students choose to study in the state for the only purpose of receiving it．It is offered to college students who come from low-income high schools or families that are interested in pursuing a long term career in education at any level．

　　Officials in the state of New York founded this program to award students who want to give back to their community through their ability to teach．The catch for this scholarship is that the students must be pursuing a teaching career in mathematics or science at the secondary level．

　　Also, because the program was designed to improve the education system in New York, the candidates must sign a service contract agreeing to work full time within the state for at least five years after graduation．

　　You may have many opportunities for grants and scholarships through The Coca Cola Foundation．There is the Coca Cola Teaching Foundation that will provide free money for students pursuing an education in the teaching field．This is the most obvious for teachers, but do not be afraid to check out their other offers．

　　Not all scholarships or grants are for students entering or already in college．The Funds for Teachers scholarships are for graduates who are already working in the field, but want to improve their possibilities, skills and education in an effort to increase their ability to teach the students that cross their path more effectively．Teachers in PreK through 12 th grade are applicable no matter where they teach or what subject they specialize in．

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阅读理解

　　Are some people born clever, and others born stupid? Or is intelligence developed by our environment and our experience? Strangely enough, the answer to these questions is yes．To some degree our intelligence is given to us at birth, and no amount of education can make a genius out of a child born with low intelligence．On the other hand, a child who lives in a boring environment will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in rich and different surroundings．Thus the limits of persons’ intelligence are fixed at birth, and whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on his environment．This idea, now held by most experts, can be supported in a number of ways．

　　It is easy to show that intelligence is to some degree something we are born with．The closer the blood relationship between two people, the closer they are likely to be intelligent．Thus if we take two unrelated people at random from population, it is likely that their degree of intelligence will be completely different．If, on the other hand, we take two twins, they are very likely to be as intelligent as each other．Relations like brothers and sisters, parents and children, usually have similar intelligence, and this clearly suggests that intelligence depends on birth．

　　Imagine now that we take two identical twins and put them in different environments．We might send one, for example, to a university and the other to a factory where the work is boring．We would soon find differences in intelligence developing, and this shows that environment as well as birth plays a part．This conclusion is also suggested by the fact that people who live in touch with each other, but who are not related at all are likely to have similar degree of intelligence．

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阅读理解

　　Renting textbooks is a relatively new idea for everyone．Back in the old days, the idea of renting one never existed since the books are affordable or readily available in libraries．But the time has changed and with the changes in educational system and various economic challenges happening across the globe, the price of textbooks increased．

　　Given such fact, textbook renting is now a new fashion among college students．Research was made to find out if renting helps one save money and time rather than buying new textbooks and realized that it really is．Let's examine carefully further and see why renting books is a cost-effective way to still get to have your textbooks without shelling too much money from your pocket．

　　You don't have to buy all of your textbooks．Those non-major subjects, are better acquired through renting．It saves one money and helps you give out the money you save on some other personal possessions you need in college．

　　Renting textbooks allows you to save at least 50％ off the standard retail(零售)price for each item．You can tell, with a little research, that renting is a lot cheaper compared to buying used books aside from looking way better than the former．

　　You can save a great deal of time when renting a textbook．Instead of browsing your way for hours trying to look for better deals online, you can simply go to a popular book renting marketplace online and just order away．There is literally no need to skimming for hours and see where you can find a great deal．Often, the rental company gives you prepaid postage slip just to get you going and do the same when you decide to return the book．

　　This process not only saves you time, it also saves other resources like gas if you decide to go to the nearest bookstore to buy books or spend hours using electricity just to find a good deal．

　　User Friendly

　　Aside from being able to save money and time, renting textbooks brings convenience to all users．Imagine trying to scan the virtual bookshelf and checking on comments of previous users and figuring out which ones got bad comments and which had great ones．It could be fun at first but if you are short of time, the process can become annoying．

　　If you rent books, you will only be needing the book's ISBN number and find it right away．No more time-wasting site search．Type in the ISBN number, order the book, and wait for it to get shipped to your home．

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　　NBA commissioner David Stern was in Orlando on Thursday night, getting ready for Sunday's All-Star Game．Of course, all he could talk about was the only player anyone wants to talk about these days： New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin．

　　Hours before Lin took the court against the Heat, a few hundred miles South down I-95 in Miami, Stern told reporters that Lin's instant popularity hasn't ever been matched in sports history, not even by Sunday's biggest names, LeBron James or Kobe Bryant．

　　The Associated Press had the details．

　　“I haven't done a calculation, but it's fair to say that no player has created the interest and the craze in this short period of time, in any sport, that I'm aware of like Jeremy Lin has, ” Stern said Thursday．

　　Lin, an undrafted(未选秀的)guard from Harvard, has become the NBA's biggest story since coming off the Knicks’ bench earlier this month to lead them to nine wins in 11 games heading into their matchup with Miami on Thursday night．

　　With Lin's popularity in Asia as the league's first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent, and with the religious community because of his strong Christian faith, Stern says he's “never quite seen anything like” the attention on Lin．

　　“It's fascinating, ” Stern said after the All-Star Jam Session opening ceremonies．

　　The top five videos on NBA．com since Feb．4, when Lin joined the circulation, are all Lin or Knicks related．Lin went from 190, 000 followers on Sina, China's version of Twitter, on Feb．2 to more than 1 million as of Feb．16．

　　Indeed, Lin's popularity is so out of this world that the NBA made a late list switch to ensure his participation in the Rising Stars Challenge on All-Star Saturday, a game that includes the NBA's best rookies(新秀球员)and sophomores．Lin is in such high demand that all of the game's other participants will meet with the media following a team practice on Friday while Lin will have his own, separate press conference later in the night．

　　This is Jeremy's world, folks．We’re all just living in it．Even David Stern and the rest of the league's All-Stars, at least for the moment．

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　　We were driving on the right road when, all of a sudden, a black car pulled out of a parking space right in front of us．My taxi driver stepped on his brake, skidded(打滑), and missed the black car's back end by just inches! The driver of the black car, who almost caused a major accident, turned his head angrily and started shouting bad words at us．

　　My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy．I mean, my taxi driver was friendly．So, I said, “Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to hospital! ” And the following is what my taxi driver told me, which I now call “the law of the Garbage Truck”．

　　“Many people are like garbage trucks．They run around full of garbage, full of anger, and full of disappointment．As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump(倾卸)it．And if you let them, they dump it on you．When someone wants to dump on you, don't take it personally．Just smile, wave, wish him well, and move on．Believe me．You'll be happier．”

　　So this is “The Law of the Garbage Truck”．I started thinking： How often do I let “Garbage Trucks” run right over me? And how often do I take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets? It was then that I said, “I'm not going to do it any more．”

　　I began to see “Garbage Trucks”．I see the load they’re carrying．I see them coming to drop it off．And like my taxi driver, I don't make it a personal thing; I just smile, wave, and move on．

　　Good leaders know they have to be ready for their next meeting．Good parents know that they have to welcome their children home from school with hugs and kisses．What about you? The mark of a successful person is how quickly he can get back his focus on what's important．

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阅读理解

　　Lie in bed, by an open window, and listen…

　　“No air conditioning? How can you sleep? ” a friend asks, horrified．I tell her my family has decided to shut the air conditioner off and reduce our electric bill．On this first night of our cost-cutting plan, it's only 85 degrees．We’re going to suffer, but the three kids complain anyway．

　　They have grown up in 72-degree comfort, protected from the world outside．

　　“It's too hot to sleep, ” my 13-year-old daughter complains．“I'm about to die from this heat, ” her brother complains down the hall．“Just try it tonight, ” I tell them．In truth I'm too tired to turn for long．My face is sweaty, but I lie quietly listening to the cricket choirs outside that remind me of childhood．

　　The neighbor's dog howls．Probably a passing squirrel．It's been years since I took the time to really listen to the night．

　　I think about grandma, who lived to 92 and still helped with my mom's gardening until just a few weeks before she died．And then, I'm back there at her house in the summer heat of my childhood．I move my pillow to the foot of grandma's bed and turn my face toward the open window．I turn the pillow, hunting for the cooler side．

　　Grandma saw me turn over and over．“If you just watch for the breeze(清风), ” she said, “you'll cool off and fall asleep．” I stare at the filmy white curtain, willing it to move．Lying still, waiting, I suddenly notice the life outside the window．The bug chorus．Neighbors, porch(门廊)-sitting late, speak in unclear words that calm me．

　　“Mom, did you hear that? ” my seven-year-old son cries, “I think it was an owl(猫头鹰)family．”

　　“Probably, ” I tell him, “just keep listening…”

　　Without the working air conditioner, the house is peaceful, and the natural night noises seem close enough to touch．I hope I'm awake tonight when the first breeze comes in．

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阅读理解，阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C、D中，选出最佳选项。

　　Canadian scientists have found a method to help aging people get less forgetful by improving their cognitive(认知)abilities through well-designed training．Everyone experiences some degree of memory loss and cognitive decline as they get older．The decline usually becomes noticeable after 50, when people may find it slightly more difficult to focus on tasks, organize everyday jobs and remember how to do things in the right order．

　　A team of psychologists in Toronto created a strategy of cognitive training to help people preserve these abilities．“Our primary emphasis was on improving the use of general strategic abilities because they are particularly weak to the aging process, ”Dr．Donald Stuss, director of the study, said in a press release．The team examined 49 healthy older adults with normal cognitive decline．All of the participants were between the ages of 71 and 87．Over the course of 12 weeks, psychologists taught them methods to improve their strategic abilities．Afterwards, researchers saw a 15 to 40 percent improvement in the memories of all participants．“Over a period of six months their improvement not only maintained, but increased, ”said Dr．Gordon Winocur, coordinator of the study．The 12-week course was broken up into three four-week sections, focusing on a different skill involved in strategic abilities：memory, goal management and psychosocial function．

　　The memory training emphasized how to preserve and recover information, while goal management focused on methods to lower the chance of memory slips．Psychosocial training was aimed at increasing the participants’ confidence in their mental abilities．

　　“We wanted to develop a cognitive training program that would produce improvement over a relatively short period of time, so participants could benefit more on that while they’re still functional and slow down the rate of decline, ”said Winocur．“If we can work with people in the early stages of cognitive decline, then we can slow down the rate of this decline and help them maintain a higher level of function for a longer period of time．”

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阅读理解，阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C、D中，选出最佳选项。

　　Wanted, Someone for a Kiss

　　We’re looking for producers to join us on the sound of London Kiss 100 FM．You'll work on the station's music programs．Music production experience in radio is necessary, along with rich knowledge of modern dance music．Please apply in writing to Producer Vacancies, Kiss 100．

　　Father Christmas

　　We’re looking for a very special person, preferably over 40, to fill our Father Christmas suit．

　　Working days：Every Saturday from November 24 to December 15 and every day from December 17 to December 24 except Sundays, 10∶30－16∶00．

　　Excellent pay．

　　Please contact the Enterprise Shopping Centre, Station Parade, Eastbourne．

　　Accountants Assistant

　　When you join the team in our Revenue Administration Unit, you will be providing assistance within all parts of the Revenue Division, dealing with post and other general duties．If you are educated to GCSE grade C level we would like to talk to you．This position is equally suitable for a school leaver or for somebody who has office experience．

　　Wealden District Council

　　Software Trainer

　　If you are aged 24-45 and have experience in teaching and training, you could be the person we are looking for．You should be good at the computer and have some experience in program writing．You will be allowed to make your own decisions, and to design courses as well as present them．Pay upwards of ￡15,000 for the right person．Please apply by sending your CV(简历)to Mrs．R．Oglivie, Palmlace Limited．

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阅读理解，阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C、D中，选出最佳选项。

　　Australia has passed regulations that will enable more international students to further their education in the country．The new measures were released by the Australian Department of Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations in September and will take effect in mid-2012．As a result, the student visa application process for overseas students has been simplified, and the deposit(押金)required to study in Australia has been reduced．Language requirements for overseas students have also been eased．Also, overseas students receiving a higher education in Australia will be granted a working visa lasting from two to four years after graduation, as long as they meet the basic IELTS requirement．

　　“This change will definitely make Australia a more attractive destination for Chinese students planning to study overseas, ”says Wang Lan, a consultant from Education International Cooperation Group(EIC), a Beijing-based company that provides services to students wishing to study overseas．However, in the past few years, many of Wang's student clients(客户)could not start studies in Australia because they did not meet the language requirements, visa processing took a long time and deposit regulations were tough．The change in policy is good news for the parents of students wishing to study in Australia, Wang says．A 22year?old female student surnamed Li, in Beijing, who is planning to do her postgraduate studies in Australia, learned about the policy change several weeks ago．“According to the previous deposit requirement for my student visa, my family was required to put down 550, 000 yuan(＄86, 850)．Now we only need to prepare 410, 000 yuan．This is a relief for my parents, ”Li says．

　　She also says that the two to four years working visa makes her feel much clearer about her study plans．

　　“I believe several years of working experience abroad will strengthen my competitiveness when I return to China, ”she says．Gaining a competitive advantage is the major reason for Chinese students to study abroad, according to the report by EIC．

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阅读理解，阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C、D中，选出最佳选项。

　　How do you feel about watching other people work?

　　Nothing is more refreshing on a warm summer day than watching someone else work．

　　Right now, I'm sitting on my porch and watching young Beth baling(打捆)the big field on top of the hill．She's been haying that field for over ten years．I know：I put her on the tractor when she was just twelve years old．

　　She picked a great day for baling．It's not too hot, and there's a nice breeze．On Monday, when she cut the field, it was so hot I thought the corn would start popping in the field．Didn't stop her, though．She just stuck that big hat on her head, wrapped a wet handkerchief around her neck, and set to work．I remember when I would have done the same thing．

　　While I'm here sucking a lemonade, Beth is driving the “hay(干草)train”, a tractor pulling a baler and an old wagon．You'd think someone her size would never be able to see over the tractor．But somehow she manages．When she's finished, her tracks are very straight．

　　The whole time she's haying, that dog of hers is working just as hard, running along beside her like he's afraid she'll drive away without him．Beth sure knew what she was doing when she trained him．

　　The way the machine works is pure poetry．Each row is pushed into shape．When just enough hay is in a bale, it is wrapped up and fastened together．A second or so later, the bale comes flying out and into the old wagon．The person who invented that machine sure was some kind of genius．

　　That's not to say it works perfectly．Every once in a while a bale misses the mark, especially when you are turning the machine at the end of a row．That means, of course, that you have to go back and pick up those bales and throw them into the wagon．

　　I can remember when Beth's mother was her age．She looked an awful lot like Beth does now．Makes a man proud to see his daughter and granddaughter taking such good care of themselves．

　　Well, I suppose I should get up and fill this glass again．Not much fun sitting here with an empty glass．

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