阅读理解

　　Supermarkets are trying out new computers that make shopping carts more intelligent(具备智能的)．They will help shoppers find paper cups or toilet soap, and keep a record of the bill．

　　The touch-screen devices(触摸屏装置)are on show at the Food Marketing Institute’s exhibition here this week, “These devices are able to create value and get you around the store quicker,” said Michael Alexander, manager of Springboard Retail Networks Inc．, which makes a smart cart computer called the Concierge．

　　Canadian stores will test the Concierge in July．A similar device, IBM’s “Shopping Buddy”, has recently been test-marketed at Stop & Shop stores in Massachusetts．

　　Neither device tells you how many fat grams or calories are in your cart, but they will flash you with items on sale．The idea is to make it easier for people to buy, not to have second thoughts that maybe you should put something back on the shelf．

　　“The whole model is driven by advertisers’ need to get in front of shoppers,” said Alexander．“They’re not watching 30-second TV ads anymore．”

　　People can use a home computer to make their shopping lists．Once at the store, a shopper can use a preferred customer card to start a system(系统)that will organize the trip around the store．If you’re looking for toothpicks, you type in the word or pick it from a list, and a map will appear on the screen showing where you are and where you can find them．

　　The device also keeps a record of what you buy．When you’re finished, the device figures out your bill．Then you go to the checker or place your card into a self-checkout stand and pay．

　　The new computerized shopping assistants don’t come cheap．The Buddy devices will cost the average store about ＄160 000,and the Concierge will cost stores about ＄500 for each device．

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　　JAPAN escaped the world’s most powerful earthquake in two and half years on Friday with only 400 injuries, most of them minor．

　　Damage from the pre-dawn quake－measuring 8 on the Richter scale－was relatively light, not only because it struck deep under the ocean but because Japan’s population was prepared for such an event．

　　Power and water supplies were cut off for several hours after the event．There were no reports of deaths directly caused by the quake, which struck at 4∶50 am(local time)．Two fishermen are still missing, though．Police suspect they have been swept away by the tsunami(huge ocean wave)that followed the earthquake．

　　A wide area of the island suffered damage：roads were blocked, fishing boats sunk, and part of the ceiling of Kushiro airport,900 kilometres northeast of Tokyo, caved in．Kushiro, a city of 190 000 people, was believed to be the hardest hit．

　　In the nearby city of Tomakomai, black smoke and flames rose into the sky from an oil tank fire．There were no injuries though, and the fire was contained within hours．Officials said 188　700 barrels of crude oil were lost．

　　Residents were shaken by the event, but stayed calm despite some 25 aftershocks－at least one registering 7.1 on the Richter scale．

　　The quake was the strongest worldwide since the 8．4-magnitude quake of June 23,2001．That, near the coast of Peru(秘鲁), killed 74 people．

　　Takeshi Matsumura, a Hokkaido government official, said 455 people were confirmed injured by late Friday．

　　Only 28 were seriously hurt, mostly suffering from broken bones．Located along the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, Japan is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries．(21st Century, October 2,2003, Tuesday)

阅读理解

　　Of all systems of symbols(符号), language is the most highly developed．It has been pointed out that human beings, by agreement, can make anything stand for anything．Human beings have agreed, in the course of centuries of mutual(相互的)dependency, to let the various noises that they can produce with their lungs, throats, tongues, teeth, and lips systematically stand for certain happenings in their nervous systems．We call that system of agreements language．

　　There is no necessary connection between the symbol and that which it stands for．Just as social positions can be symbolized by feathers worn on the head, by gold on the watch chain, or by a thousand other things according to the culture we live in, so the fact of being hungry can be symbolized by a thousand different noises according to the culture we live in．

　　However obvious these facts may appear at first glance, they are actually not so obvious as they seem except when we take special pains to think about the subject．Symbols and the things they stand for are independent of each other, yet we all have a way of feeling as if, and sometimes acting as if, there were necessary connections．For example, there are people who feel that foreign languages are unreasonable by nature：foreigners have such funny names for things, and why can’t they call things by their right names?This feeling exhibits itself most strongly in those English and American tourists who seem to believe that they can make the natives of any country understand English if they shout loud enough．Like the little boy who is reported to have said：“Pigs are called pigs because the are such dirty animals,” they feel that the symbol is inherently(内在地)connected in some way with the things symbolized．

阅读理解

　　As children grow up, they become curious about different kinds of things．When they are babies, they are interested in the parts of their bodies and in the smiles of their mothers．Then they become interested in the physical world around them：the plants, the animals, the sky．Later, they become interested in the things that people have made：wheels, bicycles, cars．And when they are adults, their curiosity continues．Sometimes this curiosity leads to a career(生涯)in science．

　　Scientists spend their lives trying to find out about the world．Those who work with the earth sciences study the earth, the oceans, and the skies．Other scientists who study living things work with the biological sciences．A third group of scientists study the physical sciences, e．g．physics, chemistry．

　　These scientists have already discovered a lot about our world．For example, they tell us why your heart beats fast when you run．They say that when you are quiet, your heart normally beats sixty-five or seventy-five times a minute．Your heart is a pump(泵)that pumps blood to all parts of the body．The blood carries oxygen and nutrition．When you run, your muscles work very hard and use the nutrition that the blood carries to them．The muscles need oxygen, too．So your brain sends a signal to the heart．The signal means that the muscles need more nutrition and oxygen．Then the heart beats fast and sends blood quickly to the muscles．It may beat 90 to 140 times a minute．

　　Of course, scientists cannot answer all of our questions．If we ask,“Why does the ocean water taste salty?” scientists will say that the salt comes from rocks．When a rock gets very hot or very cold, it cracks．Rain falls into cracks．The rain then carries the salt into the earth and into the rivers．The rivers carry the salt into the ocean．But then we ask,“What happens to the salt in the ocean?The ocean does not get saltier every year．” Scientists are not sure about the answer to this question．

　　We know a lot about our world, but there are still many answers that we do not have, and we are curious．

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　　George Markov was a famous writer in Bulgaria．In 1969, he suspected that he was going to be put into prison or killed because one of his plays was regarded as being an attack on the leaders of Bulgaria．Markov managed to reach England and got a job with the BBC, preparing broadcast in Bulgarian．

　　Some of the BBC broadcasts were critical of life in Bulgaria．Perhaps as a result of this, Markov received an anonymous telephone call warning him that he would be killed．In September 1978, Markov stopped his car in London and started to walk to his office．When he was passing a bus line, a man in the line appeared to drop his umbrella．Markov felt a sudden pain in the leg．

　　When Markov reached his office, he spoke about the accident to a friend．A few hours later, he began to feel ill．He was sent to hospital and died four days later．The doctor examined his body, and they were puzzled about the cause of his death．Scientists were asked to help and they found a tiny metal pellet in Markov’s leg．There were two tiny holes in the pellet, and scientists believed that there had been an unknown poison in them．

　　A few weeks before Markov was “shot” with poisonous pellet fired from an umbrella, another Bulgarian had the same experience in France．Towards the end of August 178, Kostov felt a sharp pain in the back when he was leaving a railway station in Paris．He was ill for a few weeks but became well．When the news of Markov’s death became known, Kostov was asked to return to hospital for examination．Doctors found a tiny pellet in his back, but it had stuck in an area which the poison had not been able to spread．

　　The police in both countries are still searching for the reasons why both men were attacked．They hoped to catch their attackers．

阅读理解

　　People fell in love with Elizabeth Taylor in 1944, when she starred in National Velvet－the story of Velvet Brown, a young girl who wins first place in a famous horse race．At first, the producers of the movie told Taylor that she was too small to play the part of Velvet．However, they waited for her for a few months as she exercised and trained－and added three inches to her height in four months!Her acting in National Velvet is still considered the best by a child actress．

　　Elizabeth Taylor was born in London in 1932．Her parents, both Americans, had moved there for business reasons．When World War Ⅱ started, the Taylors moved to Beverly Hills, California, and there Elizabeth started acting in movies．After her success as a child star, Taylor had no trouble moving into adult(成人)roles and won twice for Best Actress：Butterfield 8(1960)and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?(1966)．

　　Taylor’s fame(名声)and popularity gave her a lot of power with the movie industry, so she was able to demand very high pay for her movies．In 1963, she received ＄51 million for her part in Cleopatra－the highest pay received by any star up to that time．

　　Elizabeth Taylor is a legend(传奇人物)of our time．Like Velvet Brown in National Velvet, she has been lucky：she has beauty, fame and wealth．But she is also a hard worker．Taylor seldom acts in movies any more．Instead, she puts her time and efforts into her businesses, and into helping others－several years ago, she founded an organization that has raised more than ＄40 million for research and education．

阅读理解

　　Having one of those days or weeks－when everything seems to annoy you? Even if you do nothing about it, your bad mood will probably go away after some time．But with a little effort, you can forget it much faster－often within a day or two．

　　Walk it off

　　Exercise is the most popular bad-mood buster．A person who’s in a bad mood has low energy and high tension．Taking a fast ten-minute walk, or doing some quick exercises can do wonders towards changing that bad mood．

　　Tune it out

　　Listening to your favorite music for a while can also make tension go away quickly, because music starts associations with past positive experiences we’ve had．

　　Give yourself a pep talk

　　Stop and listen to what’s on your mind．Bad moods are often started by too many negative thoughts．Write them all down on paper;the pessimistic(悲观的)messages you’ve been giving yourself and then give optimistic answers．(“I still don’t have a job．” vs “I have two interviews next week．”)

　　Reduce your stress

　　Relaxation techniques are wonderful mood-lifters．These include deep breathing, stretching and visualizing(想像), all of which sound complicated but aren’t．One easy way to visualize：close your eyes and picture a favorite place, such as the beach．Another simple way to against distress is to make a to-do list．One reason for being in a bad mood is feeling you have no options(选择权)．By taking control over certain areas, you realize you’re not helpless．You can make changes in your mood and life．

　　Avoid things that won’t improve your mood

　　TV may not help much：You need to increase your energy level and stimulate your mind something－that the TV show “Neighbors” won’t do．And before you reach for that piece of cake and coffee, think about how mood and food are linked．Sugar and caffeine contribute to depressed moods．The better choice?Research shows that carbohydrates, such as potatoes and pasta, produce a calming effect in people who have a desire for them．

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　　To：manager@ tastytreat．com．Ca

　　Date：Monday,7 October, 3∶34 p. m．

　　From：raymondyuen@ Canada．Net

　　Subject：Complaint

　　Dear Mr Price,

　　I have eaten in your restaurant many times and have always been happy with the food and service．This makes what happened last Saturday even more disappointing．

　　It was my son’s birthday so we booked a no-smoking table at your restaurant for 7∶30 p. m．We arrived on time but were told that our table was not yet ready．At 8∶00 p. m., we were given a table in the smoking section．I asked to move but I was told that there were no other tables．A lot of people were smoking so it was uncomfortable and unhealthy．

　　Our first waitress, Janet, was very polite and helpful．She gave us free drinks for waiting so long．Our food also came quickly and looked fresh and tasty．When my wife had eaten most of her meal, she found a dead cockroach(蟑螂)in her vegetables．She was shocked and wanted to leave．At first, the waitress told us it was a piece of garlic．When we told her that garlic does not have legs, she apologized and took the food away．

　　We asked for the bill, expecting not to pay for my wife’s meal．Nobody came．After 15 minutes, I asked to see the manager．The head waiter told us that you were on holiday．I complained again about the horrible cockroach．He told me Janet had finished work．He didn’t believe my story and gave me a bill for three meals．I argued with him but was forced to pay．

　　The waitress, Janet, was always friendly, but I would like an apology from your impolite head waiter and a full refund for our meal．It cost ＄ 68．Until then, I will not be eating at your restaurant or recommending it to anyone．

　　You can contact me at 742-3254 or through e-mail if you want more information．

　　Thank you for your attention．

　　Yours sincerely,

　　Raymond Yuen

阅读理解

　　The impression you make at the beginning of an interview is very important．Employers often decide to hire someone in the first three minutes of the interview．They judge you by your appearance, attitude(态度)and manners．

　　A friendly smile when you walk into the room is important．A smile shows a confident(自信的)and positive attitude．

　　When you introduce yourself, make eye contact with the interviewer．Some interviewers offer a handshake．Others don’t．

　　Try to be as natural as possible．But pay attention to your body language．The way you sit, walk, gesture, use your voice and show feelings on your face is all part of your body language．It makes the interviewer know how you feel about yourself and the situation you are in．Are you feeling positively about yourself? Your abilities?Your interest in the job?

　　Speak clearly and loudly enough．Show interest and enthusiasm in your voice．When you speak, look at the interviewer．Also, don’t say negative things about yourself, or former employer．

　　Listen to questions carefully．If you don’t understand a question, ask the interviewer to repeat or explain：

　　“I’m sorry, but I didn’t catch that．”

　　“I’m not sure exactly what you mean．”

　　Almost everyone is nervous in a job interview．Interviewers know that．They don’t expect you to be totally calm and relaxed．But they expect you to try to control your nervousness．They expect you to show confidence in your ability to do the job．

　　At the end of the interview, thank the interviewer for her or his time．

　　It’s a good idea to send a short thank-you letter right after the interview, or deliver it by hand．

　　Phone the company if you have not heard anything after one week．Ask if they have made a decision about the job．

　　Good luck!

阅读理解

　　Tests administered(实施)to most elementary and high-school students in the United States exert(发挥)an unfavorable influence on science and math teaching, according to a new ＄1 million study performed for the National Science Foundation．And because schools with high minority enrollments(入学)generally place a greater reliance(相信)on scores from these tests, the study finds, there tends to be “a gap in instructional emphases between high and low minority classrooms that differs from our national concern for the quality of education”．

　　George F．Madaus and his colleagues at Boston College analyzed not only the six most widely used national standardized tests, but also the tests designed to accompany(＝go with)the four most commonly used science and math texts in fourth-grade, eighth-grade, and high-school classrooms．Though curriculum(＝teaching program)experts argue that schools should place greater emphasis on problem solving and reasoning, the new study shows that the tests focus on lower-level skills－primarily mechanical memorization of routine formulas(公式)．

　　Researchers surveyed more than 2200 math and science instructors, interviewing in depth some 300 teachers and administrators．Especially in schools with high minority enrollments, teachers reported feeling pressured to help students perform well on these tests．Some states judge schools and some schools determine teacher assignments(工作安排)based on students’ test scores．

　　“With so much worry,”Madaus says,“teachers feel forced to focus their instruction on drilling what the tests will measure－at the expense of the more valuable, higher-level skills．”