阅读理解

Overseas, I Won My Dignity

　　One day in the fall of 2006 I found a big roll of money on the roadway near the classrooms where I was teaching in Saudi Arabia．It is quite a lot of money－about US ＄1000．

　　The next day, after finishing my teaching duties, I walked over to the military headquarters and handed over the money to one of the officers in charge．I didn’t give the matter much thought, except for wondering whether or not they would be able to find the owner of the money．I’ve ?personally never met a Saudi thief or even heard of one．It’s against their religion．

　　Then, within a week I was informed that the owner had been found and the money returned．A local Saudi worker, who had been trimming(修整)the trees outside the classrooms and had dropped his pay．He had reported the loss to the office．The commander of the base asked to speak with me．

　　Foreign workers in Saudi Arabia have a name as mercenaries(唯利是图)：working for money and only money, whatever the level of skill or pay．

　　So, the base commander was surprised when a foreign worker turned in a roll of hard cash．He said something like,“Our Saudi tree trimmer was very happy to have his money ?returned to him．”I said something equally polite, like,“Where I come from, money belongs with the man who earns it．”

　　Then, the commander said the“magic words”．“Is there anything I can do for you, personally?”

　　“Not really, sir．”I responded．“I wanted the money returned to the owner, and that happened．I won’t take any more of your valuable time．”I turned and started for the door and, then, the commander’s aide called after me and asked me to wait outside for a few minutes．

　　In a few minutes, I was called back into the office and the commander said,“I understand you are a married man．Would you be interested in having a visit from your wife?”Believe me, as a matter of principle, policy and practice, the Islamic Kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not issue visiting visa to non Muslim women：never, anytime, anyhow－except in very, very special cases．

　　That’s how it happened!

(1)

(2)

(3)

　　Two students started quarreling at school．One student shouted dirty words at the other, and a fight began．

　　What can be done to stop fights like this at school? In some schools, the disputants(争执者) sit down with peer mediators(调停者)．Peer mediators are students with special training in this kind of problem．

　　Peer mediators help the disputants to talk in a friendly way．Here are some of the ways they use：

　　1．Put what you think clearly but don't say anything to hurt the other．Begin with “I feel．．．”instead of“You always…”

　　2．Listen carefully to what the other person is saying．Don't stop the other person's words．

　　3．Keep looking at the other person's eyes when he or she talks．

　　4．Try to see the other person's side of the problem．

　　5．Never put anyone down．Saying things like“You are foolish”makes the talk difficult．

　　6．Try to find a result that makes both people happy．

　　Peer mediators never decide the result or the winner．They don't decide who is right and who is wrong．Instead, they help the two students to find their own “winwin” result．A “win-win” result can make everyone feel good．

　　Peer mediators' work is often successful just because it gets people to talk to each other．And getting people to talk to each other is the first step in finding a“win-win” result．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

　　So what information should be given to young people about drugs? The simple message “don’t take drugs” is often said by parents and schools．Though this message can be said to have been effective in some degree, generations of young people still take drugs．The method of “better education” tried by various groups has not reduced drug use either．So there is no proven “Way” to prevent young people taking drugs．I think finally it will come down to the individual to make his or her choice about drugs．My theory of drugs goes along the lines of “the Bad and the Ugly”．But one thing is for sure, one day you might have to face your own choice about drugs．

　　The Bad：Drugs can affect how you think．They can slow your thought process and make you do things that you wouldn’t normally do．People who take drugs will find it difficult to pass their exams in school or hold down a regular job．

　　The Ugly：Drugs can kill．Heroin users in particular run the risk of overdosing or catching killer disease, like AIDS through sharing needles．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)