阅读理解

　　Parents often believe that they have a good relationship with their teenagers．But last summer, Joanna and Henry noticed a change in their older son：suddenly he seemed to be talking far more to his friends than to his parents．“The door to his room is always shut, ”Joanna noted．

　　Tina and Mark noticed similar changes in their 14-year-old daughter．“She used to cuddle up(蜷伏)with me on the sofa and talk, ”said Mark．“Now we joke that she does this only when she wants something．Sometimes she wants to be treated like a little girl and sometimes like a young lady．The problem is figuring out which time is which．”

　　Before age 11, children like to tell their parents what’s on their minds．“In fact, parents are first on the list, ”said Michael Riera, author of Uncommon Sense for Parents with Teenagers．“This completely changes during the teen years, ”Riera explained．“They talk to their friends first, then maybe their teachers, and their parents last．”

　　Parents who know what’s going on in their teenagers’ lives are in the best position to help them．To break down the wall of silence, parents should create chances to understand what their children want to say, and try to find ways to talk and write to them．And they must give their children a mental break, for children also need freedom, though young．Another thing parents should remember is that to be a friend, not a manager, with their children is a better way to know them．

　　本文谈论的是父母与孩子关系的问题。乔安娜和亨利发现他们的儿子与他们交谈少了而与朋友交谈多了。提娜与马克夫妇在他们14岁的女儿身上也发现了同样的问题。文章最后一段建议父母做孩子的朋友而不是管理者。

阅读理解

　　Here in the Northeast Georgia mountains live an old man and his young grandson．A small sum of money given by the government is their only regular income．Man and boy walk up and down the highway daily collecting soft-drink bottles for resale．I stopped once, and tried to give the man a carton(硬纸盒)of empty bottles．Polite, but firmly, he refused my “charity”．

　　Exercising what I thought was the only reasonable matter．I was driving their part of road, throwing bottles out of the car window, when the flashing blue light of a Georgia(乔治亚州)State patrol(巡逻)car filled my mirror．I took my lecture on litter(在公共场所扔废物)laws, and then told the officer about the man and the boy．We could see the old man from where we were stopped, bending over to pick up a bottle．The officer warned me again, and told me to move on．

　　As we both pulled onto the road, I looked in my mirror just in time to see two bottles sail out of the passenger window of the patrol car and land unbroken on the grass．

　　本文中的老人和他的孙子靠捡拾饮料瓶来维持生计。作者出于同情想把自己的一些空瓶子送给老人，但是遭到了老人的拒绝。

阅读理解

　　A young girl and a man were recently found murdered in a parked car in a Boston suburb．The police found no sign in the car．Then they found a witness who had seen a car pass by the murdered couple’s car．His description placed the car as a 1950 or 1951 Chevrolet．

　　Ordinarily, searching through the files for owners of elderly Chevrolets would have been an impossible difficult task because there were two and a half million such cars．In this case, however, the police had a powerful tool－the computer．

　　The Boston Registry of Motor Vehicles programmed its computer to screen all 1950 and 1951 Chevrolets within a fifteen-mile radius(半径)of the suburb－the area in which the police believed the murderer was most likely to be found．Within minutes, the computer uncovered one thousand of wanted cars．A few hours of hand screening turned up a 1950 Chevrolet owner who lived close to the scene of the crime(犯罪)and who had received many traffic tickets．He was among the first suspects(嫌疑犯)to be investigated, and signs connecting him with the murdered couple were found．He was arrested, and is now waiting for trial．

　　本文描述了一个借助于先进的电脑技术得以迅速破案的事情。一个女孩和一个男子被杀害于车中。警方了解到一辆1950年或1951年制造的Chevrolet牌的车似乎与这件事有牵连。于是借助电脑迅速确定了嫌疑车辆并将嫌疑犯迅速捉获。

阅读理解

　　Both warm-blooded and cold-blooded desert animals have ways to escape the desert heat．Warm-blooded desert animals, such as rats and mice, rest during the day, often staying in cool underground burrows．At night they search for food．Animals that are out during the day, such as cold-blooded lizards and snakes, are active only for short periods．As their body temperature rises, these reptiles move into the shade in order to cool down．In the early evening, when the sun grows weaker, the reptiles become more active and begin their search for food again．

　　　　Getting enough water to survive is a major problem for all desert animals．Some desert animals, like desert birds, manage to find water holes．Other desert animals, such as the kangaroo rat and the related jerboa, get water only from the food that they eat．Because these animals eat mainly dry seeds, they must survive on a tiny amount of water．

　　Most deserts have only a small number of frogs and toads because these animals must be near water to survive．Yet even these creatures have adapted(适应)to desert conditions．When small amounts of water collect in temporary streams, the desert-living frogs and toads become active．After a rainfall, they lay their eggs．The eggs grow into tadpoles in a few days and into adults in just four weeks．When the puddles(水坑)dry up, the adult frogs or toads dig into the ground．Their metabolism(新陈代谢)slows, and they stay beneath the ground until the next rain, which may be as good as a year away．Until then, their bodily activities continue at a reduced rate．

　　The camel－often called the ship of the desert－is one of the most successful desert animals．Camels can go for long periods without water, but eventually they must drink．When water becomes available to them after a long drought, they may drink 95 liters of water or more．When water is not available, what helps camels survive the desert heat is the fat stored in their humps(驼峰)．A camel’s hump contains about 12 kilograms of fat．Fat is rich in hydrogen．As the fat is digested, hydrogen from the fat combines with oxygen in the air that the camel breathes．The result is H₂O,or water．Each kilogram of fat that a camel digests produces about a liter of water．

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　　Shundagarh is a village on India’s east-facing coast．It is a village of simple mud and grass houses built on the beach just above the waterline．The Khadra Hills rise immediately behind the village, to a height of one hundred and fifty meters．A simple, good-hearted old man, whose name was Jalpur, farmed two small fields on the very edge of these hills．From his fields he could see the fishing boats that traveled up and down the coast．He could see the children playing on the sands; their mothers washing clothes on the flat stones where the Shiva River flowed into the sea; and their fathers landing the latest catch or repairing nets and telling stories that had no end．

　　All Jalpur owned in the world were the clothes he wore day in and day out, the miserable(蹩脚的)hut that he slept in at night, a few tools and cooking pots－and his fields．The corn that he grew was all that made life possible．If the weather was kind and the harvest was good, Jalpur could live happily enough－not well, but happily．When the sun was fierce, and there was little or no rain, then he came close to the line between life and death．

　　Last year the weather had been so kind, and the harvest promised to be so good, that Jalpur had been wondering whether he could sell all that he had and live with his son farther up the coast．He had been thinking about doing this for some years．It was his dearest wish to spend his last days with his son and his wife．But he would go only if he could give; he would not go if it meant taking food out of the mouths of his grandchildren．He would rather die hungry than do this．

　　On the day when Jalpur decided that he would harvest his corn, sell it, and move up the coast, he looked out to sea and saw a huge wave, several kilometers out, advancing on the coast and on the village of Shundagarh．Within ten minutes everyone in Shundagarh would be drowned．Jalpur would have shouted, but the people were too far away to hear．He would have run down the hill, but he was too old to run．He was prepared to do anything to save the people of Shundagarh,so he did the only thing that he could do：he set fire to his corn．In a matter of seconds the flames were rising high and smoke was rising higher．Within a minute the people of Shundagarh were racing up the hill to see what had happened．There, in the middle of his blackened cornfield, they found Jalpur; and there they buried him．

　　On his grave, they wrote the words：Here lies Jalpur, a man who gave, living：a man who died, giving．

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　　China’s 110 m hurdles(栏)world record holder Liu Xiang and Jamaica’s(牙买加)100 metres world record holder Asafa Powell made the most impressive marks on the opening day of the IAAF World Grand Prix finals．

　　Powell ran yet another sub 10 second race though he didn’t threaten his record of 9.77 sec and Liu made a stunning return to the international circuit after taking time off since breaking the world mark in July in Lausanne．

　　Liu timed 12.93 sec in the event and admitted to not feeling too surprised at his excellent run．

　　“I felt really well before the race and I knew I was in really good shape,” said the 23-year-old Olympic champion．

　　“After my world record(12.88 sec breaking Colin Jackson’s 13 year old mark of 12.91)I returned to Beijing and got a lot of rest,” added Liu．

　　However Liu promised more of the same at the World Cup in Athens this weekend．

　　“The World Cup has been my end of season objective and that is why I didn’t give it my all,” said Liu．

　　Unlike Liu, Powell was undecided about the World Cup．

　　“I feel a little tired, the season has been long but a rich one,” said Powell, who started way back in March at the Commonwealth Games where he won the 100 m title．

　　“I will see whether I run in Athens next week．”

　　Powell admitted that he had not threatened his world record because he was nervous of false starting(抢跑)．

　　“There had already been one so I didn’t want to be disqualified for doing the second one．I am not disappointed in my time at all．”

阅读理解

　　Museums have changed．They are no longer places that one “should” go but now they are places to enjoy．

　　At a science museum in Canada, you can feel your hair stand on end as harmless electricity passes through your body．At the Children’s Museum in New York, you can play an African drum．There are no “Do Not Touch” signs in some other museums in the USA．

　　More and more museum directors have realized that people learn best when they can become part of what they are seeing．In many science museums, the visitors are encouraged to touch, listen, operate and experiment so as to discover scientific rules for themselves．

　　The purpose is not only to provide fun, but also help people feel at home in the world of science．If people don’t understand science, they will be afraid of it;and if they are afraid of science, they will not make the best use of it．

　　One cause of all these changes is the increase in wealth and spare time．Another cause is the growing number of young people in the population．Many of them are college students or college graduates．They see things in a new and different way．They want art that they can take part in．The same is true of science and history．

　　The old museums have been changing and the government is encouraging the building of new, modern museums．In the United States and Canada, there are more than 6000 museums, almost twice as many as there were 25 years ago．

阅读理解

　　The time you spend at the office may be the most stressful part of your day, but it doesn’t have to be．You have a greater ability to shape your office environment than you may realize．

　　Take breaks throughout the day．It will help clear your mind and relieve pressure．Something as simple as going to the water cooler for a drink may do the trick．

　　Take part in a noontime or an after-work exercise class．This will give you a chance to relax and a way to relieve stress．

　　To help your workday go smoothly, try arranging your activities：Do more demanding work in the morning, when your energy level is higher, and easier work later in the day, when you may be tired．

　　Try listening to music recordings, such as a pounding surf or songbirds, to help you relax．Such tapes are sold in many shops．Use headphones if you are listening to them in the middle of the workday．

　　Get to work early or stay late once a week．You may be able to complete more when you change your daily work．

　　If your stress comes from job insecurity, take stock of yourself．Renew your knowledge, and remind yourself of your skills and strengths．Also, make sure you keep up with new developments in your fields．This will make you valuable to employers．

　　Don’t let rumors(谣言)go at work, which are usually false, cause you worry．A co-worker may just be thinking out loud about worst-case imagined events．

　　If your office is less structured(or if you are the boss), consider a company mascot(吉祥物)A cat or dog can do wonders for workers’ morale(士气)．

阅读理解

　　World Cup soccer causes joy and despair and even ends marriages but now doctors are studying whether the thrill of it all can be heart stopping．

　　In the new FIFA－approved study researchers will receive blood samples from heart attack victims all over Germany watching football．

　　“So far, on the days when Germany has played we have received a lot more blood samples,” David Leistner of Munich’s Ludwig Maximilians University said．

　　First results are due in October．

　　A study in 1998 found the number of heart attacks increased by 25 percent on the day and in the two days after England lost to Argentina in a penalty shoot(点球)out at the 1998 World Cup．

　　Researchers in Switzerland also found heart attacks in the country increased by 60 percent during the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea－even though the Swiss team was not even competing．

　　The findings suggested emergency heart attack equipment be installed(安装)in stadiums during Europe 2004．

　　“If it really is the case that higher stress levels can increase the chance of a heart attack then attending soccer games may have to carry a health warning,” said Leistner．

　　Doctors advise those soccer fans who may be at greater risk of heart attack anyway due to obesity(肥胖症),high-cholesterol(高胆固醇)or diabetes(糖尿病),to refrain(限制)from drinking excessively during the World Cup tournament．

阅读理解

　　In bringing up children, every parent watches eagerly the child’s acquisition(学会)of each new skill－the first spoken words, the first independent steps, or the beginning of reading and writing．It is common that parents hurry the child beyond his natural learning rate, but this can set up dangerous feelings of failure and states of worry in the child．This might happen at any stage．A baby might be forced to use a toilet too early, and a young child might be encouraged to learn to read before he knows the meaning of the words he reads．On the other hand, though, if a child is left alone too much, or without any learning opportunities, he loses his natural enthusiasm for life and his desire to find out new things for himself．

　　Parents vary greatly in their degree of strictness towards their children．Some may be especially strict in money matters; others are severe over time of coming home at night or punctuality(准时)for meals．In general, the controls imposed(强加的)represent the needs of the parents and the values of the community as much as the child’s own happiness．

　　As regards the development of moral standards in the growing child, consistency is very important in parental teaching．To forbid a thing one day and excuse it the next is no foundation for morality．Also, parents should realize that “example is better than precept”．If they are not sincere and do not practise what they preach(说教),their children may grow confused, and emotionally insecure when they grow old enough to think for themselves, and realize they have been to some extent fooled．

　　A sudden awareness of a marked difference between their parents’ principles and their morals can be a dangerous disappointment．