阅读理解

How to Make a Budget(预算)

　　Most likely, you aren’t the family bread winner．But doing a small job or getting a weekly allowance(零花钱)would put some money in your pocket．For kids and grown-ups alike, money is easy to spend．If you aren’t careful, it can be going in no time．

　　Being responsible with your money is an important skill to learn－and the sooner you start the better．Whether you are tracking your spending or saving for something special, creating a budget can help you deal with your expenses and plan for the future．All you need are paper and a pencil－and some self-control．

　　First, take a look at our sample monthly budget．Then, use a separate sheet of paper to plan your own．In the first two columns(栏), list your sources(来源)of income and how much you expect to earn from them．In the third and fourth columns, list what you expect to spend your money on and the amount．

　　The left-hand total should be more than or equal to the right-hand total．If it is, you have an effective budget．

　　Budgets are not complex, but sticking to them can be tough．When planning your budget, be realistic about your expenses．If you know that you drop ＄18 at a movie, don’t write ＄12 in that space simply because you wish you were spending less．

　　If you are eyeing a big purchase, such as a ＄150 skateboard, spend less and save more until you have the total amount．No matter how attractive it may be, avoid spending your savings．One day, you will thank yourself!

What Causes Culture Shock？

　　Culture shock is caused by the anxiety that results from losing all the familiar signs and symbols of social intercourse(交往)．These signs include a great many ways with which we are familiar in the situation of daily life：when to shake hands, how to go shopping, when to accept and when to refuse invitations, when to take statements seriously and when not．

　　When a person is suffering from culture shock, there may appear some important symptoms．First he rejects the new environment that causes the shock．He grumbles(抱怨)about the host country and its people．Another symptom of culture shock is regression(消退)．The home environment suddenly takes on the tremendous importance．To him everything there becomes irrationally(不合理地)glorified．All the difficulties and problems are forgotten and only the good things back home are remembered．There are also some other symptoms of culture shock, such as the excessive(过度的)washing of the hands, the excessive concern over drinking water, food dishes and bedding, the fear of physical contacts with attendants, the absent-minded stare, a feeling of helplessness and a desire for dependence on long-term residents of one’s own nationality．

阅读

　　Money and happiness are two good things so that every person wants to own them．You could earn money through your hard work, but happiness is not easy to gain．Can money buy happiness? Various people have various answers．Some people think that money is the source of happiness．With money, one can buy whatever he enjoys．With money, one can do whatever he likes．And in their minds, money means massive houses, beautiful clothes, or luxurious cars．They even believe that money can bring power, comfort, security, friendship, love and so on．

　　But there are still a lot of others who think that money is the root of all evils(罪恶)．Money drives people to steal, rob, and to break the law in many other ways．A lot of people become criminals just because they are greedy for money．

　　Each coin has two sides．In my opinion, money is useful but merely a medium of exchange．Whether it brings you happiness or disasters largely depends on how it is used．So people must be masters, rather than slaves of money and must gain and use it lawfully．

阅读理解

　　At five he was collecting old newspapers to make money．And when he was 15 he signed his schoolmates up to start a baby-sitting circle．

　　Now 20, third-year Cambridge University student, Peter Blackburn is managing director of a company with a ￡ 30 000 plan．And he thinks it will make more than ＄15 000 by next summer．

　　He set up Peter Blackborn Ltd．last year to bring out a new, color term-planner that now students all over the UK are using．

　　“I felt that most of the planners going around were pretty unimaginative, ”he says, “I believed that I could do a better job and decided to have a go．”

　　Blackburn admits that he is putting far more effort into business than his computer studies course at university．While fellow students are out with their friends, he keeps in touch with his business office in Lancashire by movable phone．Before he set up the company he spent one holiday preparing a plan that would persuade his bank to lend him money．

　　“Most students work hard for a good degree because they believe that will help them get a job to support themselves, ” he says “I work hard at my company, because that is what will support me next year, after I leave college．”

　　Friends believe that Blackburn will make ￡ 1 million within 5 years．

　　He is not quite so sure, however．“There’s a lot to be done yet, ” he says．

阅读理解

　　Richard Williams works hard．He’s clever, careful, and fast．His work is dangerous．Richard thinks of himself as a professional－a professional thief．

　　Yesterday was a typical day．Richard dressed in a business suit, took his briefcase(手提箱), and drove to a town about ten miles from his home．He parked his car in a busy area, then began to walk along the street．No one looked at him．He was another businessman walking to work．

　　At 8∶05, Richard saw what he wanted．A man was leaving his house．Richard walked around the block again．At 8∶10, he watched a woman leave the same house．After she left, Richard worked quickly．He walked to the side of the house and stood behind a tree．He took a screwdriver(螺丝刀)out of his briefcase and quickly opened the window and climbed in．First, he looked through the desk in the living room．He found ＄200 in cash．In the dining room, he put the silverware(银器)into his briefcase．The next stop was the bedroom．Richard stole a diamond ring and an emerald(祖母绿宝石)necklace．Richard passed a color TV, a stereo(音响), and a camera, but he didn’t touch them．Everything had to fit into his briefcase．In less than five minutes, Richard climbed back out the window．He looked around carefully, then began his walk down the street again．No one looked at him．He was just another businessman, walking to work．

阅读理解

　　I found out one time that doing a favor for someone could get you into a lot of trouble．I was in the eighth grade at the time, and we were having a final test．During the test, the girl sitting next to me whispered something, but I didn’t understand．So I leaned over her way and found out that she was trying to ask me if I had an extra pen．She showed me that hers was out of ink and would not write．I happened to have an extra one, so I took it out of my pocket and put it on her desk．

　　Later, after the test papers had been turned in, the teacher asked me to stay in the room when all the other students were dismissed．As soon as we were alone she began to talk to me about what it meant to grow up; she talked about how important it was to stand on your own two feet and be responsible(负责任)for your own acts．For a long time, she talked about honesty and emphasized the fact that when people do something dishonest, they are really cheating themselves．She made me promise that I would think seriously about all the things she had said, and then she told me I could leave．I walked out of the room wondering why she had chosen to talk to me about all those things．

　　Later on, I found out that she thought I had cheated on the test．When she saw me lean over to talk to the girl next to me, it looked as if I was copying answers from the girl’s test paper．I tried to explain about the pen, but all she could say was it seemed very very strange to her that I hadn’t talked of anything about the pen the day she talked to me right after the test．Even if I tried to explain that I was just doing the girl a favor by letting her use my pen, I am sure she continued to believe that I had cheated on the test．

阅读理解

My father, at the death of his father, was six years old, and he grew up without education．He moved from Kentucky to Indiana when I was seven．We reached our new home about the time the state came into the Union．It was a wild area, with many bears and other wild animals still in the woods．I grew up there．There were some so-called schools, but what was required of a teacher never went beyond “reading, writing, and adding”．If a stranger supposed to understand Latin happened to live for a time in the area, he was looked on as wizard(奇才)．There was simply nothing to excite a desire for education．Of course, when I grew up, I did not know much．Still, somehow, I could read, write, and add, but that was all．The advance I have now made is on this store of education, which I have picked up under the pressure of necessity．

阅读理解

　　It doesn’t matter when or how much a person sleeps, but everyone needs some rest to stay alive．That’s what all doctors thought, until they heard about AI Herpin．AI Herpin, it was said, never slept．Could this be true?The doctors decided to see this strange man themselves．

　　AI Herpin was 90 years old when the doctors came to his home in New Jersey．They thought for sure that he got some sleep of some kind．So they stayed with him and watched every movement he made．But they were surprised．Though they watched him hour after hour and day after day, they never saw Herpin sleeping．In fact, he did not even own a bed．He never needed one．

　　The only rest that Herpin sometimes got was sitting in a comfortable chair and reading newspapers．The doctors were puzzled by this strange continuous sleeplessness．They found only one answer that might explain his condition．Herpin remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born．But that was all．Was this the real reason?No one could be sure．

　　Herpin died at the age of 94．

阅读理解

　　Driving a car at high speed along a highway seems to be fun．You need only to follow the bright traffic signs beside the highways and it will take you to where you wish．

　　But to a London taxi driver, driving is not an easy job．A taxi driver has to have not only good driving skills but also a good knowledge of the city of London, from the smallest lane(小巷)to the most popular bar around．He has to be at the service of all kinds of passengers at all times．

　　A certain London taxi driver told of his job as follows．

　　During the night it is quite usual for him to stop two or three times for some refreshments(点心)．He said．“I never drink when I’m working－I would lose my license．”

　　He normally goes home between 2 and 3 o’clock in the night．There are times he has to stay longer and try to make more runs．He said, “That’s the worst thing about working for yourself．If you don’t make the money, no one is going to give it to you．”

　　London taxi drivers not only “take” but also “give”．Every summer hundreds of children from London will go for a day at the sea－by taxi!Their rides are paid by the taxi drivers, and these fares(车费)all go to the “London Taxi Fund for Underprivileged Children”．At the sea, they are met by the mayor, and a lunch party is also held in honor of the taxi drivers and the children．After a happy day running around the sea beaches and visiting the market, the children go home－again by taxi, and free of charge, of course!

阅读理解

　　Except for the sun, the moon looks the biggest object in the sky．Actually it is one of the smallest, and only looks big because it is so near to us．Its diameter is only 2160 miles(3389 km), or a little more than a quarter of the diameter of the earth．

　　Once a month, or, more exactly, once every 29.5 days, at the time we call “full moon”, its whole disc looks bright．At other times only part of it appears bright, and we always find that this is the part which faces towards the sun, while the part facing away from the sun appears dark．People could make their pictures better if they kept this in mind－only those parts of the moon which are lighted up by the sun are brighter．This shows that the moon gives no light of its own．It only throws back the light of the sun, like a huge mirror hung in the sky．

　　Yet the dark part of the moon’s surface is not completely black; usually it is just light enough for us to be able to see its shape, so that we speak of seeing “the old moon in the new moon’s arms”．The light by which we see the old moon does not come from the sun, but from the earth．We know well how the surface of the sea or of snow, or even of a wet road, may throw back uncomfortably much of the sun’s light on to our faces．In the same way the surface of the whole earth throws back enough of the sun’s light on to the face of the moon for us to be back to see the parts of it which would otherwise be dark．