阅读理解

　　Let us say there is something you don’t know how to do．

　　In the past if you were determined to learn, you might have called a friend or relative, taken a night class or walked down to the local library for a research term．But now a host of websites are springing up to provides free practical advice on these subjects and actually anything else you can think of．

　　In one sense, these “how-to” sites represent(表明)a part of the growing world of on line learning．This tradition found one of its earliest forms in the FAQs－or Frequently Asked Questions files－that began on Usenet, the Internet’s global discussion group．These FAQs, many of which still circulate(go round continuously), took a specific subject－and explained it to complete novices．

　　But “how to” sites take the FAQs idea in a somewhat different direction by addressing subjects that aren’t necessarily related to discussion forums(论坛)．These sites take the style of a written tutorial(teaching period)and a tone of friendly advice．Possibly the biggest and best known of these sites is learn2．com(www．learn2．com)．It offers nearly 1000 free tutorials and adds new ones frequently for a job interview．

　　At ehow．com(www．ehow．com)you can learn how to train for your first marathon, how to buy a vacation home or how to make a movie in eight steps．

阅读理解

　　Blind imitation(模仿)is self-destruction．To those who do not recognize their unique worth．Imitation appears attractive：to those who know their strenghth．Imitation is unacceptable．

　　In the early stages of skill or character development, imitation is helpful．When I first learned to cook, I used recipes(菜谱)and turned out some tasty dishes．But soon I grew bored．Why follow someone else’s way of cooking when I could create my own? Imitating role models is like using training wheels on a child’s bicycle; they help you get going, but once you find your own balance, you fly faster and farther without relying on them．

　　In daily life, imitation can hurt us if we subconsciously(下意识地)hold poor role models．If, as a child, you observed people whose lives were bad, you may have accepted their fear and pain as normal and gone on to follow what they did．If you do not make strong choices for yourself, you will get the results of the weak choices of others．

　　In the field of entertainment, our culture glorifies celebrities．Those stars look great on screen．But when they step off screen, their personal lives may be disastrous．If you are going to follow someone, focus on their talent, not their bad character or unacceptable behaviors．

　　Blessed is the person willing to act on their sundden desire to create somrthing unique．Think of the movies, books, teachers, and friends that have affected you most deeply．They touched you because their creations were motivated by inspiration, not desperation．The world is changed not by those who do what has been done brfore them, but by those who do what has been done inside them．Creative people have an endless resource of ideas．The problem a creator faces is not running out of material; it is what to do with the material knocking at the door of imagination．

　　Syudy your role models, accept the gifts they have given, and leave behind what does not server．Then you can say, ”I stand on the shoulders of my ancestors” tragedies and tory, and know that they are cheering on．

阅读理解

　　One type of South American ant is spreading around the world and is living in huge super-colonies．Not only that, but these natural fighters seem to know they are family, according to the latest scientific findings．

　　Over the years, the light brown Argentine ant has moved to other parts of the globe, possibly by hiding in people's suitcases and in cargo(货物)．This hasn't always been a good thing since the insects can destroy local plants and affect what animals in that area eat．

　　Ants are fierce fighters．They protect their territory(领地)from outsiders, including other types of ants and insects．But Argentine ants, though they live on separate continents, are rather friendly towards each other when they come together, scientists say．

　　There are three known super-colonies of Argentine ants．In Europe, one super-colony is located along the Mediterranean Sea．It is believed to be 3,700 miles long．Another super-colony is located in California．It covers about 560 miles．The third super-colony is on the west coast of Japan．

　　Scientists have discovered that the insects in the three super-colonies share similar chemical composition(成分)．This helps them recognize one another．To prove this, the scientists matched each super-colony with ants from a different colony in a similar part of the world．The Mediterranean ant colony couldn't get along with a smaller one from Spain．And the ants from the west coast of Japan couldn't get along with those from another area in Japan．But when the ants from the three super-colonies came together, they acted like old friends, greeting each other by rubbing antennae(摩擦触角)to say hello．

　　The scientists think that the Argentine ant super-colonies are one big family．Because they have similar chemical composition, the scientists believe they are genetically related．The ants recognize each other by the chemical composition of their outer shells．