Olaf Stapledon wrote a book called First and Last Men, in which he looked millions of years ahead．He told of different men and of strange civilisations(文明)，broken up by long dark ages' in between．In his view, what is called the present time is no more than a moment in human history and we are just the First Men．In 2,000 million years from now there will be the Eighteenth or Last Men．

　　However, most of our ideas about the future are really very short-sighted．Perhaps we can see some possibilities for the next fifty years．But the next hundred?The next thousand?The next million?That's much more difficult．

　　When men and women lived by hunting 50,000 years ago, how could they even begin to picture modern life?Yet to men of 50,000 years from now, we may seem as primitive(原始的)in our ideas as the Stone-Age hunters do to us．Perhaps they will spend their days gollocking to make new spundels, or struggling with their ballalators through the cribe．These words, which I have just made up, have to stand for things and ideas that we simply can't think of．

　　So why bother even to try imagining life far in the future?Here are two reasons．First, unless we remember how short our own lives are compared with the whole human history, we are likely to think our own interets are much more important than they really are．If we make the earth a poor place to live on becaus we are careless or greedy(贪婪)or quarrelsome, our grandchildren will not bother to think of excuses for us．

　　Second, by trying to escape from present interests and imagine life far in the future, we may arrive at quite fresh ideas that we can use ourselves．For example, if we imagine that in the future men may give up farming, we can think of trying it now．So set your imagination free when you think about the future．

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　　Traveling is a very good activity．When you are fed up with your work and when you can get a holiday, you can go to the beautiful spots to enjoy the beauty of nature and the special character of other cities．You can breathe fresh air, visit some places of interest, meet different people and make friends with them．If you do so, you will forget your tiredness and troubles and build up your health．As a result, you will feel fully relaxed and you will have the energy to undertake the new tasks waiting for you．

　　But sometimes, traveling is not an enjoyable thing．For example, when the bus or car you take has a bad accident, you just sit in and wasted your time．What's more, the weather can be changeable．If you are climbing a mountain, it may rain suddenly．You may be caught in the rain and may catch a cold．The worst thing is that you may have your money stolen and you may have an injury．All these are terrible things that can happen to a tourist．

　　Therefore, when you are going on a trip, you must prepare yourself carefully．Firstly, you must have clear information about the weather．Secondly, you should choose a good companion so that you can help each other．Thirdly, you must be careful everywhere and try to avoid accidents．If you do this, you'll surely enjoy your travels and avoid any unnecessary trouble．

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阅读理解

　　The tsunami(海啸)caused by an earthquake in the Indian Ocean on Sunday killed tens of thousands of people in Asia．Wild animals, however, seem to have escaped the Indian Ocean tsunami, showing that they possess a“sixth sense”for disasters, experts said on Thursday．

　　Sri Lankan wildlife officials have said the giant waves that killed over 24,000 people along the Indian Ocean island's coast seemingly missed wild beasts, with no dead animals found．“No elephants are dead, not even a dead hare or rabbit．I think animals can sense disaster．They have a‘sixth sense’．They know when things are happening,”H．D．Ratnayake, deputy director of Sri Lanka's Wildlife Department, said on Wednesday．

　　The waves washed floodwaters up to 3 km(2 miles)inland at Yala National Park in the ruined southeast, Sri Lanka's biggest wildlife reserve(保护区)and home to hundreds of wild elephants and several leopards．“There have been a lot of stories about dogs barking or birds migrating(迁徙)before volcanic eruptions or earthquakes．But it has not been proven,”said Matthew Van Lierop, an animal behaviour(行为)specialish at Johannesburg Zoo．

　　“There have been no specific studies because you can't really test it in a lab or field setting,”he said．The Romans saw owls(猫头鹰)as omens(预兆)of coming disaster and many ancient cultures thought of elephants as sacred(神圣的)animals given to special powers or attributes．Other authorities agreed with him．

　　“Wildlife seems to be able to detect certain phenomenon, especially birds．There are many reports of birds digging out(发现)coming disasters,”said Clive Walker, who has written several books on African wildlife．Animals certainly rely on(依靠)the known senses such as smell or heating to avoid danger such as meat-eating animals．

　　The quarrel of an animal“sixth sense”－or some other mythical power－is a lasting one, but what happened on Sri Lanka's destroyed coast has offered further support．

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　　When I opened the first“Body Shop”in 1976, what I wanted to do was to earn(挣)enough money to feed my children．Today“The Body Shop”is a great company growing fast all around the world．In the years since we began, I have learned a lot．Much of what I have learned will be found in this book, because I believe that we, as a company, have something worth saying about how to run a successful business without giving up what you really believe in．

　　It's not an ordinary business book．It is not just about my life, either．The message is that to succeed in business you have to be different．Business can be fun; business can be run with love and it can do good．In business, as in life, I need to enjoy myself, to have a felling of my family and to feel excited by something unusual．I have always wanted the people who work for“The Body Shop”to fell the same way．

　　Now this book sends these ideas out into the world, and makes them public．I'd like to think there are no limits to our“family”, no limits to what can be done．I find that an exciting thought．I hope you do, too．

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　　A bike tour and race will be held on August 26 and 27(Sat．＆Sun．)At 5∶30 am, the riders will leave Tian'anmen Square and ride the first 35 kilometres as a training leg．

　　Then the next 55 kilometre leg, from Yanjiao to Jixian, will be the first competitive(竞争性的)part of the tour．The riders and their bikes will then be taken front Jixian to Changli．

　　The second racing leg of the tour will be from Changli to the seaside of Nandaihe, covering a distance of 20 kilometres．Saturday night includes the stay at Nandaihe and supper．Sunday morning is free for play at the seaside．At noon all the people and their bikes will be taken back to Beijing．

　　Cost：200 yuan

　　Telephone：4675027

　　The Brazilian Football Club will paly Beijing Guo'an Team at the Workers Stadium on August 26．The club has four national team players．Also coming is 1994 US World Cup star Ronario who has promised to play for at least 45 minutes．

　　Ticket prices：150 yuan

　　Time/Date：4∶30 pm, August 26(Sat．)

　　Telephone：5012372

　　The Third National Rock Climbing Competition will be held on August 26－27 at the Huairou Mountain-climbing Training Base．More than 10 team from Beijing, Wuhan, Dalian, Jilin and other places will take part in it．A Japanese team will give an exhibition climbing．Free for spectators(观众)．

　　Take a long-distance bus from Dongzhimen to Huairou．

　　Time/Dates：9－12 am, August 26 and 27

　　Telephone：7143177,7144850, Wang Zhenghua

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　　Fire-stations are strangely exciting places．The great doors are shut, and behind them, the fire-engines wait peacefully．But the moment a fire breaks out, the large doors open suddenly and the firemen come rushing．

　　But firemen are not only called out to fight fires．They are often asked to advise on fire prevention．They are also summoned(召唤)to do other work．Recently, during the cold weather, little Sandra walked across the ice of the lake in the park near her home to a small island in the middle and played there happily for a few hours in the afternoon sunshine．She did not realize that the weather had got much warmer, and when she wanted to go home, she found that the ice had disappeared and she was stuck on the island．Her cries for help soon drew the attention of the people in the park, and they called the firemen．In less than ten minutes, the firemen arrived with a long ladder(梯子)which stretched across the water to the island．Sandra managed to reach the other side without even getting her feet wet．

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　　Byme turned the key in the heavy lock and put it calmly in his pocket．He did so much more from caution(小心翼翼)from any kind of fear．This was the only entrance to the house, and he did not want to be caught by any danger from outside．He wondered if Tom Corbin had been as careful the night before．Though Tom would be away for at least three days, Byme had a strange feeling of his fearness．In the stillness he seemed to hear Tom's voice．He looked around quickly, for the tricks of hearing were the most realistic of all．But there were only the women．It seemed impossible that Tom should not be there．

　　The girl, carrying a smoky oil lamp, led Byme upstairs．He threw open one after another the doors along the passage．At this, the girl stopped and raised the lamp in each doorway, staring at him at the same time．Satisfied he was the only guest, Byme came to the last door, which the girl threw open herself．

　　“You sleep here, sir,”she said, giving him the lamp．“Your friend slept here too．It's our most comfortable bed．”

　　“Good night, miss,”he said politely．

　　Her lips moved in reply, but he did not catch the words．Her eyes never for a moment left his face．He stepped in, and as he turned to close the door she was still motionless(不动的)．He paused, and in the silence thought he again heard the sound of Tom's voice．The sound terrified him now, not only because it seemed much nearer but also because he imagined a note of warning in it．

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　　About one million years ago, the Ice Age began．The Ice Age was a long period of time in which four great glaciers(冰川)pushed southward to cover almost all the upper half of North America, and then melted away．Each glacier was a thick sheet of ice and snow that spread out from a center near what is now Hudson Bay in Canada．The winters were long, and the cool summers were too short to melt much of the ice and snow．The evergrowing sheet built up to a thickness of two miles at its center．

　　As all glaciers do, these great glaciers slid(滑动)．They pushed down giant trees in their paths and scraped(刮削)the(光秃秃的)of soil．Many animals moved farther south to escape．Others stayed and were destroyed．

　　When winters of little snow came, the summer suns into the edges to the ice sheets．As the glaciers melted, rocks, soil and other things that had mixed with the ice and snow were left．New hills, lakes and rivers were formed．

　　The last of the great glaciers began its melting about 11,000 years ago．Its melting formed the Great Lakes．These lakes are today little changed from their early sizes and shapes．The largest of the North American river systems was also influenced by the glaciers．This is the Mississippi-Missouri-Ohio system．These rivers were miles wide at first．Through the years they settle into their present channels．

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　　Is there anything more important than health?I don't think so．You can't be good at your studies or work well when you are ill．

　　If you have a headache, or a bad cough, if you run a high temperature and have a bad cold, I think you should go to the doctor．

　　The doctor will examine your throat, feel your pulse, take your temperature, sound your heart and lungs．After that he will advise some treatment, or some medicine．They only thing you have to do is to follow his advice．

　　Speaking of doctor's advice, I can't help telling you a funny story．

　　An old man came to see the doctor．The man was very ill．He told the doctor about his weakness, memory loss and serious problems with his heart and lungs．The doctor examined him and said there was no medicine for his disease．

　　He told his patient to go to a quiet place for a month and have a good rest．He also advised him to eat a lot of meat, drink two glasses of red wine every day and take long walks．In other words, the doctor advised him to follow the rule：“Eat at pleasure, drink with measure and enjoy life as it is．”The doctor also said that if the man wanted to be well again, he shouldn't smoke more than one cigarette a day．

　　A month later the gentleman came into the doctor's office．He looked cheerful and happy．He thanked the doctor and said that he had never felt a healthier man．

　　“But you know, doctor,”he said,“it's not easy to begin smoking at my age．”

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　　Two teenagers had to be saved from a steep mountain-side in Scotland earlier today．They were members of a part of youngest who were in the second week of a fortnight's camping in the mountains．The two boys, both from Birmingham, had been with a party of ten others who, with an experienced guide and mountaineer, had been on a two-day climb away from the main party．They had become separated from the others and it wasn't until late yesterday afternoon that the alarm was raised and a search party was organized．

　　The search which was called off late yesterday evening when thick fog set in, was begun again early this morning and the boys were seen halfway up on a steep cliff(悬崖)face．Climbers quickly discovered that one of the boys had broken his leg and he was taken off the mountain by helicopter and flown to the nearest hospital．It is believed that the two went off exploring on their own and then got stuck on the cliff．

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