Pain in the neck

　　We all know what it is like to be unable to turn your head because of a cold in the muscles of your neck，or because an unexpected twist has made your neck ache and stiff．Your whole body feels tight．The slightest move makes you jump with pain．Nothing could be worse than a pain in the neck．

　　That is why we use the phrase to describe some people who give you the same feeling．We have all met such people．

　　One is the man who always seems to be clapping his hands–often at the wrong time–during a performance in the theater．He keeps you from hearing the actors．

　　Even worse are those who can never arrive before the curtain goes up and the play begins．They come hurrying down to your row of seats．You are comfortably settled down, with your hat and heavy coat in your lap．You must stand up to let them pass．You are proud of your self-control after they have settled into their seats…Well, what now…Good God, one of them is up again．He forgot to go to the men’s room, and once more you have to stand up, hanging on to your hat and coat to let him pass．Now, that is “a pain in the neck．”

　　Another, well–known to us all, is the person sitting behind you in the movies．His mouth is full of popcorn；he is chewing loudly, or talking between bites to friends next to him．None of them remain still．Up and down, back and forth, they go–for another bag of popcorn, or something to drink．

　　Then, there is the man sitting next to you at a lunch counter smoking a smelly cigar．He wants you to enjoy it too, and blows smoke across your food into your mouth．

　　We must not forget the man who comes into a bus or subway car and sits down next to you, just as close as you will let him．You are reading the newspaper and he leans over and stretches his neck so that he can read the paper with you．He may even turn the paper to the next page before you are ready for it．

　　We also call such a person a “rubber neck, ” always stretching his neck to where it does not belong, like neighbors who watch all your visitors．They enjoy invading your privacy．People have a strong dislike for rubbernecks．They hate being spied upon．

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Britain is facing a sharp rise in its rat population as growing numbers of people leave fast food scraps in the street, an environment group warned．Keep Britain Tidy said the rodents(啮齿动物)were stopping their traditional hunts underground and were roaming the streets, tempted by discarded burgers, pizzas and crisps．“The rat population is on the rise and soon it’ll be as common to see a rodent on our street as it is to see a dog or a cat, ” said group Director, Sue Nelson．The practice of dumping fast food litter and scraps on the street rather than in the trash–with young men the worst offenders–was behind the rise．According to the National Rodent Survey in 2005, Britain’s rat population has grown by nearly one quarter since 2000 and is now estimated at 60 million, two million more than the human population．On average a rat can give birth every 24–28 days and just a single pair of rats can produce a colony of 2,000 a year．Around 200 people a year get Weil’s Disease–an infection which can lead to liver or kidney(肝肾)failure and eventually death and which is carried in rat’s waste．To highlight the issue, Keep Britain Tidy launched a cinema ad entitled “How close do you want them to get?” The ad gave a shocking image of a young woman sleeping in a bed of rats–echoing the nightmare scene from James Herbert’s classic horror tale The Rats, in which mutant rodents begin to prey on(捕食)humans．

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　　But I wonder about my Momma sometimes，and all the other Negro(blacks)mothers who got up at 6 a.m.to go to the white man’s house with sacks over their shoes because it was so wet and cold．I wonder how they made it．They worked very hard for the man, they made his breakfast and they scrubbed his floors and they took care of his babies．They didn’t have too much time for us．

　　I wonder about my Momma, who walked out of a white woman’s clean house at midnight and came back to her own where the lights had been out for three months, and the pipes were frozen and the wind came in through the holes in the wall．She’s have to make deals with the rats：leave some food out for them so they wouldn’t bite the doors or the babies．The roaches(蟑螂)？Oh，they were just like part of the family!

　　I wonder how she felt telling those white kids she took care of to brush their teeth after they ate，to wash their hands after they finish bathroom．She could never tell her own kids because there wasn’t soap or water back home．

　　I wonder how my Momma felt when we came home from school with a list of vitamins and pills the school nurse said we had to have．Momma would cry all night, and then go out and spend most of the rent money for pills．A week later, the white man would come for his eighteen dollars’ rent and Momma would beg him to wait until tomorrow．She had to lie to him that she had lost her wallet or the relief check was coming soon or the white people had some money for her．Tomorrow I’d be hiding in the closet because there was only supposed to be two kids in the flat, and I could hear the rent man shout at my Momma and call her a cheat．And when he finally went away, Momma put the sacks on her shoes and went off to the rich white man’s house to dress the rich white kids so their mother could take them to a special baby doctor．

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阅读理解

How Do Animals Catch Their ZZZ’s?

　　Different creatures have developed some pretty creative ways to get their rest and stay safe．The lizard(蜥蜴)likes to sleep at the far end of small branches hanging out over a pond or lake in the rain forest．If a snake tries to slither up the branch to eat it, it will shake the branch and knock the lizard off, and the lizard will fall safely into the water．Chameleons can change color to match their surroundings in order to hide even while sleeping．

　　Gorillas(大猩猩)like to sleep high in the trees．They build a new bed every night, sometimes taking up to half an hour to pile branches, twigs, and leaves into a comfortable bed．Birds also find it safe to sleep in the trees, but unless they have eggs or young chicks, they don’t use a nest．They just lock their feet around a branch and hang on．A special tendon(腱)in their legs is automatically tight when they are at rest, so they won’t let go and fall．

　　Dolphins live underwater, but must come to the surface to breathe．Scientists now believe that dolphins may sleep with only half their brain, while the other half stays awake to keep them safe and breathing, Seals also do this, lying on their sides on the surface of the water with one flipper underwater paddling to keep their noses above the surface．Some ducks may also have this ability, and actually sleep with one eye closed and one eye open．

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阅读理解：

　　Some children are natural-born bosses．They have a strong need to make decisions, manage their environment, and lead rather than follow．Stephen Jackson, a Year One student, “operates under the theory of what’s mine is mine and what’s your is mine,” says his mother．“The other day I bought two new Star Wars light sabers(剑)．Later, I saw Stephen with the two new ones while his brother was using the beat-up ones．

　　“Examine the extended family, and you’ll probably find a bossy grandparent, aunt, uncle or cousin in every generation．It’s an inheritable trait,” says Russell Barkley, a professor at the Medical University of South Carolina．Other children who may not be particularly bossy can gradually gain dominance(支配地位)when they sense their parents are weak, hesitant, or in disagreement with each other．

　　Whether it’s inborn nature or developed character at work, too much control in the hands of the young isn’t healthy for children or the family．Fear is at the root of a lot of bossy behavior, says family psychologist John Taylor．Children, he says in his book From Defiance to Cooperation, “have secret feelings of weakness” and “a desire to feel safe．” It’s the parents’ role to provide that protection．

　　When a “boss child” doesn’t learn limits at home, the stage is set for a host of troubles outside the family．The overly willful and unbending child may have trouble obeying teachers or coaches, for example, or trouble keeping friends．It can be pretty lonely as the top dog if no one likes your bossy ways．

　　“I see more and more parents giving up their power,” says Barkley, who has studied bossy behavior for more than 30 years．“They bend too far because they don’t want to be as strict as their own parents were．But they also feel less confident about their parenting skills．Their kids, in turn, feel more anxious．”

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阅读理解：

　　At a few minutes past five, Dave noted that the blanket of darkness was lifting．He was just able to make out the heavier masses that eventually appeared as the familiar trees that lined the road at the base of the hill．The upper reaches of the sky showed lighter shades of gray．

　　Dave got out of bed quietly and dressed quickly．He mixed a spoonful of instant chocolate into a glass of cold water, and his impatience forced him to finish the drink in gulps．

　　As he walked down toward the lake, Dave paused to reach for the fishing pole and gear box on the bench where he had left them the night before．

　　By the time he reached the small boat, a thick white mist(雾)had spread over the surface of the water．He stepped into the boat, sat down, and rowed out of the weed beds that lined the edge of the shore．

　　The outer fringe(边缘)of the lake disappeared as the boat moved forward noiselessly．All he could see was the enveloping whiteness．He could not tell where the boat and the surrounding air met the surface of the lake．

　　Dave rowed steadily ahead, relying on a mental picture of the surroundings．Then the mist began to rise, slowly．It soon rested inches above the still surface of the lake．The heavy silence was now being broken by the fish breaking through the surface as they leaped out of the water for low-flying insects．

　　The magic time had arrived．Dave raised his pole．Dawn was broken．He was excited with expectancy．

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　　“There is a senseless idea that children, grow up and leave home when they are 18, and the troth is far from that,” says sociologist Lary Bumpass of the University of Wisconsin．Today, unexpected numbers of young adults are living with their parents．“There is a major shift in the middle class,” declares sociologist Allasan Schnailberg of Northwestern University, whose son, 19, moved back in after an absence of eight months．

　　Analysts cite a variety of reasons for this remm to the nest．The marriage age is rising, a condition that makes home and its pleasantness particularly attractive to young people．A high divorce rate and a declining remarriage rate are sending economically pressed and emotionally hurt survivors back to parental shelters．For some, the expense of an away-from-home college education has become so excessively great that many students now attend local schools．Even after graduation, young people find their wings cut by skyrocketing housing costs．

　　Living at home, says Knighton, a school teacher, continues to give her security and moral support．Her mother agreed, “It’s ridiculous for the kids to pay all that money for rent．It makes sense for kids to stay at home．” But sharing the family home requires adjustments for all．There are the hassles over bathrooms, telephones and privacy．Some families, however, manage the delicate(微妙的)balancing act．But for others, it proves too difficult．Michelle Del Turco, 24, has been home three times and left three times．“What I considered a social drink, my dad considered an alcohol problem,” she explains．“He never liked anyone I dated, so I either had to hide away or meet them at friends’ houses．”

　　Just how long should adult children live with their parents before moving on?Most psychologists feel lengthy homecomings are a mistake．Children, struggling to establish separate identities, can end up with “a sense of inadequacy, defeat and failure．” And again parents, who should be enjoying some financial and personal freedom, find themselves stuck with responsibilities．Many agree that brief visits, however, can work beneficially．

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