阅读理解

　　It was a cold grey day in late November．The weather had changed overnight, when a backing wind brought a pale sky and a muzzling rain with it, and although it was now only a little after two o'clock in the afternoon the gray of a winter evening seemed to have closed upon the hills, surrounding them in mist．It would be dark by four．The leather seats felt damp to the hands, and there must have been a small crack in the roof, because now and again little drips of rain fell softly through, polluting the leather and leaving a dark－blue stain like a spot of ink．The wind came in, at times shaking the coach as it traveled round the bend of the road, and in the exposed places on the high ground it blew with such force that the whole body of the coach trembled and swayed, rocking between the high wheels like a drunken man．

　　The driver, muffled(裹住)in a greatcoat to his ears, bent almost double in his seat in a faint endeavor to gain shelter from his own shoulders．The few passengers pressed together for warmth, exclaiming all together when the coach sank into a heavier rut(车辙)than usual, and one old fellow, who had kept up a constant complaint ever since he had joined the coach at Truro, rose from his seat in anger; and, feeling with the window－frame, let the window down with a crash, bringing a shower of rain upon himself and his fellow－passengers．He thrust his head out and shouted up to the driver, scolding him in a angry voice for a rogue and a murderer; that they would all be dead before they reached Bodmin if he persisted in driving at dangerous speed; they had no breath left in their bodies as it was, and he would never travel by coach again．

阅读理解

　　I'm from the South Bronx．At 7, my neighborhood was the beginning and end of my universe．It was a small town to me．Everyone knew each other, so if you got into trouble in school, chances are your mom knew about it before you got home．I felt watched over and safe．

　　But just before I turned 8, things began to change．I watched two buildings on my block burn down．I remember seeing my neighbor Pito go up and down the fire escape to get people out．Where were the firemen?Where was the truck?Somebody must have called them．

　　That same summer, after serving two tours in Vietnam, my brother was killed in the South Bronx．He was shot above the left eye and died instantly．

People who could moved out of the neighborhood, and all I wanted to do was get out, too．I used education to get away from there and got good at avoiding the topic of where I was from．To be from the South Bronx meant that you were not a good person．It felt like a stain．

　　After college, I didn't want to come back to the South Bronx, but in order to afford graduate school, I had to．I was almost 30 and could only afford to live at my parents' home．It felt like a defeat, and I hated it．

　　At the same time, the city was planning a huge waste facility here, and no one seemed to care－including many of us who lived here．They were like, "Well, it's a poor community; what's the difference?"

　　I was very angry．It drove me to act．It moved my spirit in a way that I didn't know was possible．And it changed my beliefs－it changed the way I felt about myself and my community．I worked hard with others who felt the same way, and together, we defeated the plan．

　　After that, I realized it's just as important to fight for something as it is to fight against something．So we dreamed up a new park on the site of an illegal waste dump－and after many community clean-ups, along with ＄3 million from the city, we have one．And it's a glory．It was the seed from which many new plans for our community have grown．

　　Today, the South Bronx is no longer a stain; it's a badge(象征)of honor for me．I believe that where I'm from helps me to really see the world．Today, when I say I'm from the South Bronx, I stand up straight．This is home, and it always will be．

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　　Invented in Turkey and patented by Nanopool, a German company, the spray-on liquid glass might become one of the most useful inventions in the field of nanotechnology．The product was tested at the Saarbrücken Institute for New Materials．

　　It is worth mentioning that the invention is transparent and non-poisonous．The liquid glass can protect any type of surface from damages caused by water, UV radiation, dirt, heat, and bacterial infections．Besides, it is flexible and breathable, which means that the liquid glass can be applied on plants and seeds as well．Researchers found that the spray greatly increases the resistance of plants to bacteria-caused diseases．The trials also showed that the sprayed seeds grew faster．

　　Depending on the type of surface that is to be covered, researchers can add water or ethanol to the spray．Scientists say that their latest invention has a long-lasting anti-bacterial effect．The spray produces a coating that is just 100nm thick．Trials by food processing plants in Germany have concluded that foods covered with the glass can store longer than those stored in normal condition．

　　According to Neil McClelland, UK project manager with Nanopool, due to its capabilities, the spray-on liquid glass can become one of the most useful inventions around the world, ending up being used by a lot of industries that will cover their products．At present, the invention is being used by a train company and a hotel chain in the UK, as well as a hamburger chain in Germany that are carrying out tests of the liquid glass for various uses．

　　The spray-on liquid glass was also tested in a Lancashire hospital, where it showed “very promising” results, being used to cover medical equipment and bandages．The invention could be also used on clothing, because it cannot be seen by the naked eye, thus clothes could become stain resistant．Due to its unique characteristics, the liquid glass can be used to cover bathrooms, sinks and many other surfaces in the home．According to the researchers, the spay-on glass can last for a year．It is expected to hit the DIY stores across Britain at a price of 5 pounds．

阅读理解

　　People do love their pets．Some people bring dogs into their families while others prefer cats．And then there are the people who love their spiders．Many spider-lovers like tarantulas(狼蛛), big, hairy creatures that don't have venom(毒液)．And because tarantulas are usually calm, some people even buy them for their children．

　　If you're considering taking home a tarantula, however, just think about the recent case of a 29-year-old tarantula owner in England．It may show why these spiders makes terrible pets．He had conjunctivitis(结膜炎)in his right eye．

　　His doctors were puzzled because the swelling wasn't responding to medicine．In a recent study, the doctors reported seeing“fine hair-like projections(投影)”sticking out of the man's eye．When told about his hairy eye, the man knew exactly what the fine hair-like projections were：tarantula hairs．

　　In this study, the tarantula owner told his doctors about something that happened as he cleaned the spider's home．He was trying to remove a stain when he saw the tarantula move．He turned to look at the spider, and the spider released a mist of hairs which hit his eyes and face．The doctors couldn't remove the hairs, so they prescribe(开药)eye drops containing a strong medicine．After eight months, the man's eye still wasn't completely healed．

　　In 1997, a report described three patients with“itchy, red eyes”．Guess what?These three people had crossed paths with annoyed tarantulas too．One of the patient's eyes didn't heal for three years．The other two were still experiencing pain in their eyeballs 2 to 6 years later．In 2003, a report told the story of a 14-year-old boy who had also received an eyeful of tarantula hairs and bee bitten．

　　There's no explaining why people love particular kinds of animals．But people who decide to keep tarantulas should be prepared to handle their beloved pets with goggles and gloves．