阅读理解

　　When I was in the third grade, I was picked to be the princess(公主)in the school play．For weeks my mother had helped me practice my lines．But once on stage, every word disappeared from my head．Then my teacher told me she had written a narrator’s(解说者的)part for the play, and asked me to change roles．Though I didn’t tell my mother what had happened that day, she sensed my unhappiness and asked if I wanted to take a walk in the yard．

　　It was a lovely spring day．We could see dandelions(蒲公英)popping through the grass in bunches, as if a painter had touched our landscape with bits of gold．I watched my mother carelessly bend down by one of the bunches．“I think I am going to dig up all these weeds, ”she said．“From now on, we’ll have only roses in this garden．”

　　“But I like dandelions, ” I protested．“All flowers are beautiful－even dandelions!”

　　My mother looked at me seriously．“Yes, every flower gives pleasure in its own way, doesn’t it?” she asked thoughtfully．I nodded．“And that is true of people, too, ” she added．

　　When I realized that she had guessed my pain, I started to cry and told her the truth．

　　“But you will be a beautiful narrator, ”she said, reminding me of how much I loved to read stories aloud to her．

　　Over the next few weeks, with her continuous encouragement, I learned to take pride in the role．The big day finally came．A few minutes before the play, my teacher came over to me．“Your mother asked me to give this to you, ” she said, handing me a dandelion．After the play, I took home the flower, laughing that I was perhaps the only person who would keep such a weed．

阅读理解

　　Fat and shy, Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team．“Football, tennis, cricket－anything with a round ball, I was useless, ” he says now with a laugh．But back then he was the one always made fun of in school gym classes in Devonshire, England．

　　It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him．At first he went biking alone in a nearby forest．Then he began to ride the bike along with a runner friend．Gradually, Saunders set up his mind on building up his body, increasing his speed and strength．At the age of 18, he ran his first marathon．

　　The following year he met John Ridgway and was hired as an instructor at Ridgway’s School of Adventure in Scotland, where he learnt about Ridgway’s cold-water exploits．Greatly interested, Saunders read all he could about North Pole explorers and adventures, then decided that this would be his future．

　　In 2001, after becoming a skillful skier, Saunders started his first long-distance expedition(探险)towards the North Pole．It took unbelievable energy．He suffered frostbite(冻伤), ran into a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit, pulling his supply-loaded sled(雪橇)up and over rocky rice．

　Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole, and he’s skied more of the North Pole by himself than any other British man．His old playmates would not believe the change．

　　Next October, Saunders, 27, heads south from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, a 2900-kilometer journey that has never been completed on skis．

阅读理解

　　Pierre de Coubertin was born on January 1, 1863, in Paris, France．As a child of a noble family, he received a good education and developed a strong interest in literature and history．He refused the military career planned for him by his family, as well as giving up a political career in order to serve his people better．

　　Coubertin was a very active sportsman and practiced the sports of boxing, fencing(击剑), horse-riding and rowing．He believed that sport was the tool for moral energy and he defended his idea with rare tenacity(坚韧)．

　　His study of history made him wish the Olympics could still be held．He thought it was the ideal that everyone should try to reach．He was sure that bringing athletes together would make friendly relations between the countries．It was this idea that led him to announce at the age of 31 that he wanted to revive the Olympics．

　　He made this announcement in a meeting at the Union of French Societies of Athletic Sports, for which he was Secretary General(秘书长)．No one really believed him and his statement was greeted with little enthusiasm．Coubertin, however, was not discouraged and on June 23, 1894 he founded the International Olympic Committee(IOC)in a ceremony held at the University of Sorbonne in Paris．Demetrius from Greece became the first president of the IOC．

　　Two years later, in 1896, the first Olympic Games of the modern era was held in Athens．On that occasion Coubertin was elected the second president of the IOC and he remained president until 1925．Due to the 1st World War, Coubertin requested permission to establish the headquarters of the IOC in Lausanne, Switzerland, which was a neutral(中立的)country．Coubertin withdrew from the IOC in 1925 to devote himself to his pedagogical(教育学的)work, which he called his “unfinished symphony(交响乐)”．

　　Coubertin suddenly died of a heart attack on September 2, 1937, in a park in Geneva, and thus his “symphony” remained unfinished．The city of Lausanne had decided to award him honorary citizenship(荣誉市民)of the city, but he died just before the ceremony．

　　In accordance with Coubertin’s last wish he was buried in Lausanne, although his heart was buried separately in a monument near the ruins of ancient Olympia．

阅读理解

　　After winning China’s first ever Olympic Games gold medal in men’s track and field events, Liu Xiang has become one of China’s biggest new stars, only 21 years old at the time of his victory．And his gold medal is said to be “the heaviest” of the 32 that China won in the Athens Olympics．

　　His parents wanted him to study computer engineering or some other professions befitting his middle-class Shanghai upbringing(抚养), but Liu was fond of athletics．He entered a local sports school as a high jumper until the school asked him to give up the event because a bone test showed that he would not grow tall enough to become a world-class jumper．

　　He began training as a hurdler(跨栏人)in 1999, although some coaches thought a Chinese athlete shouldn’t even bother(费功夫)．But Liu, who hurdled for joy rather than expectation, was hooked(上瘾)．“I liked the fact that so much of hurdles is about technique and that you have to approach the sport very scientifically, ” says the 1．89-metre-tall athlete．“For some reasons, the sport felt very Chinese to me, even though Chinese have not been so successful at it．”

　　The fact that genetic differences have made Asian athletes slower sprinters than their American, African or European rivals(竞争对手)is widely accepted by Chinese athletes and coaches．But Liu Xiang has proved what many Chinese have long felt was not possible：that yellow men can jump and sprint, too．“This is a miracle(奇迹), but I believe a lot more miracles will take place in China, ” he said．

　　He broke the world youth and Asian record with a time of 13．12 at IAAF Grand Prix in 2001．To everyone’s surprise, Liu Xiang got the first place in the 2004 Olympic Games．

　　Liu Xiang listed among top ten athletes of China in 2004．He is the proud of China．

阅读理解

　　I always felt sorry for the people in wheelchairs．Some people, old and weak, cannot get around by themselves．Others seem perfectly healthy, dressed in business suits．But whenever I saw someone in a wheelchair, I only saw a disability, not a person．

　　Then I fainted(昏倒)at Euro Disney due to low blood pressure．This was the first time I had ever fainted, and my parents said that I must rest for a while after first aid．I agreed to take it easy, but as I stepped toward the door, I saw my dad pushing a wheelchair in my direction! Feeling the color burn my cheeks, I asked him to wheel that thing right back to where he found it．

　　I could not believe this was happening to me．Wheelchairs were fine for other people but not for me, as my father wheeled me out into the main street, people immediately began to treat me differently．

　　Little kids ran in front of me, forcing my father to stop the wheelchair suddenly．Bitterness set in as I was thrown back and forth．

　　“Stupid kids! They have perfectly good legs．Why can’t they watch where they are going?” I thought．People stared down at me, pity in their eyes．Then they would look away, maybe because they thought the sooner they forgot me the better．

　　“I’m just like you! ” I wanted to scream．“The only difference is you’ve got legs, and I have wheels．”

　　People in wheelchairs are not stupid．They see every look and hear each word．Looking out at the faces, I finally understood：I was once just like them．I treated people in wheelchairs exactly the way they did not want to be treated．I realized it is some of us with two healthy legs who are truly disabled．

阅读理解

　　People have smoked cigarettes for a long time now．The tobacco which is used to make cigarettes was first grown in what is now part of the United States．Christopher Columbus, who discovered America, saw the Indians smoking．Soon the dried leaves were transported to Europe．In the late 1800s, the Turks made cigarettes popular．

　　Cigarette smoke contains at least two harmful substances, tar and nicotine．Tar, which forms as the tobacco burns, damages the lungs and therefore affects breathing．Nicotine, which is found in the leaves, causes the heart to beat faster and increases the breathing rate．Nicotine in large can kill a person by stopping a person’s breathing muscles．Smokers usually take in small amounts that the body can quickly break down．

　　Nicotine can make new smokers feel dizzy(头晕)or sick to their stomachs．The heart rate for young smokers increases 2 to 3 beats per minute．Nicotine also lowers skin temperature and reduces blood flow in the legs and feet．It plays an important role in increasing smokers’ risk of heart disease and stroke．

　　Smoking cigarettes is dangerous．Cigarette smoking was the cause of lung cancer and several other deadly diseases．

阅读理解

　　I really hadn’t meant to yell(吼叫)at them．But that grey afternoon saw it just as my son and daughter were making a terrible mess on the floor in the kitchen．

　　With a tiresome report to write, I felt bothered at my desk．Suddenly, it occurred to me that my kids were at fault．A voice inside me insisted that I do something quickly．

　　“OK, you two here, but what an awful thing you are attempting! ”shouting angrily．I made for them, while it became evident that the boy wanted no part of me．“Get away from us! ”he shouted back．There being expression of support from his sister．

　　All of a sudden, I found the fault in myself．Quickly I shaped my hands into pincers(螃蟹螯)and crawled towards them, “Crabby(似螃蟹的)Daddy is here．Ha, Ha, Ha, he likes to yell at children, and then eat them! ”My son continued to keep me away, but now he was laughing and crying at the same time．My mission to repair the damage caused by my yelling seemed to work well．Still, I regretted not having controlled myself first in a right way that my children could do after．

　　Need I let them know how badly they were acting by blaming?This is a lesson that serves myself．It only shows just how to get rid of something(ill-feelings, responsibility…)by blaming others．It’s not my“best self”．

　　We have to search for our “best self” when with our children．They don’t need perfect parents, but they do need parents who are always trying to get better．Here, I’m reminded of the words of a great thinker．“When a man lives with God, his voice shall be as sweet as the murmur of the brook…”Then, in our lifetime．Couldn’t we always speak to our kids in such a sweet voice since most of us consider them as the most precious in the world?And before we reach this level, what should we do when we come across various difficult cases with our children?

阅读理解

　　For the first time in modern history, less than half of the U．S．adult population now reads literature, according to a recent survey．Reading at Risk：A Survey of Literary Reading in America presents a detailed review of the decline of reading’s role in the nation’s culture．

　　Reading at Risk is a survey of national fashion in adult literary reading．The data source for Reading at Risk is as reliable and objective(客观的)as any such survey can be．The key results of the survey are presented in the “Summary”, but the report can be further explained as：literary reading in America is not only declining　rapidly among all groups, but the rate of decline has been speeded up, especially among the young．Reading at Risk merely shows a great cultural change that most Americans have already noted－our society’s great turn to electronic media for entertainment and information．

　　Reading a book requires a degree of active attention and devotion．Indeed, reading itself is a progressive skill that depends on years of education and practice．On the contrary, most electronic media such as television, recordings, and radio make fewer demands on their audiences, and indeed often require no more than passive participation．While oral culture has a rich reality and electronic media offer the considerable advantages of variety, print culture affords irreplaceable(不能调换的)forms of focused attention and thought that make various communications and views possible．The decline in reading, therefore, equals a larger retreat(减少)from participation in public and cultural life．

　　What is to be done?There is surely no single solution to the present problem, just as there is no single cause．The important thing now is to understand that America can no longer take active and devoted reading for granted．

　　Reading is not a timeless, common ability．As more Americans lose that ability, our nation becomes less informed, active, and independent minded．These are not qualities that a free, inventive, or productive society can afford to lose．

阅读理解

　　Across the world, 1.1 billion people have no access to clean drinking water．More than 2.5 billion people lack basic sanitation(卫生设备)．

　　The combination proves deadly．Each year, diseases related to inadequate(不适当的)water and sanitation kill between 2 and 5 million people and cause an estimated 80 percent of all sicknesses in the developing world．Safe drinking water is a precondition for health and the fight against child death rate, inequality between men and women, and poverty．

　　Consider these facts：

　　●The average distance that women in Africa and Asia walk to collect water is 6 kilometers．

　　●Only 58 percent of children in sub-Saharan Africa are drinking safe water, and only 37 percent of children in South Asia have access to even a basic toilet．

　　●Each year in India alone, 73 million working days are lost to water-borne diseases．

　　Here are three ways you can help：

　　1)Write Congress

　　Current(当前的)U．S．foreign aid for drinking water and sanitation budgets only one dollar per year per American citizen．Few members of Congress have ever received a letter from voters about clean drinking water abroad．

　　2)Sponsor(赞助)a project with a faith-based organization

　　Many U．S．religious groups already sponsor water and sanitation projects, working with partner organizations abroad．Simply put a single project by a U．S．organization can make safe water a reality for thousands of people．

　　3)Support nonprofit water organizations

　　Numerous U．S．-based nonprofits work skillfully abroad in community-led projects related to drinking water and sanitation．Like the sample of non-profits noted as follows, some organizations are large, others small-scale, some operate worldwide, others are devoted to certain areas in Africa, Asia, or Latin America．Support them generously．

阅读理解

　　Cara Lang is 13．She lives in Boston, Massachusetts, in the U．S．Last Thursday, she didn’t go to school．She went to work with her father instead．Every year, on the fourth Thursday in April, millions of young girls go to work．This is Take Our Daughters to Work Day．The girls are between the ages of 9 and 15．They spend the day at work with an adult, usually a mother, father, aunt, or uncle．They go to offices, police stations, laboratories, and other places where their parents or other family members work．Next year, the day will include sons, too．

　　The Ms．Foundation, an organization for women, started the program about ten years ago．In the U．S．, many women work outside the home．The Ms．Foundation wanted girls to find out about many different kinds of jobs．Then, when the girls grow up, they can choose a job they like．

　　Cara’s father is a film director．Cara says, “It was very exciting for me to go to the studio with my dad．I saw a lot of people doing different jobs．” Many businesses have special activities for girls on this day．Last year, Cara went to work with her aunt at the University of Massachusetts．In the engineering department, the girls learned to build a bridge with toothpicks and candy．In the chemistry department, they learned to use scales．They learned about many other kinds of jobs, too．

　　Right now, Cara does not know what job she will have when she grows up．But because of Take Our Daughters to Work Day, she knows she has many choices．