阅读理解

　　The e-mail, which is also called email , stands for "electronic(电子)mail"．You can send messages in only a few seconds by e-mail．

　　On the Internet there are many powerful computers called "servers(服务器)”to help people send and receive emails．The sending and receiving servers are just like post offices．If you want to use the email service, you have to open at least an email account called a "mailbox" ,just like we set up a mailbox in a post office．Some mailboxes are provided free of charge by ISPs, which you can get when you open an Internet account．Most widely used mailboxes are provided free by the ISPs, and anyone can apply for(申请)one even if he had no ISP account．

　　How to apply for a free mailbox?First you have to connect to the Internet and go to the homepage(主页)of the ICP providing free mailboxes．Then you'll find an icon

(符号)showing "apply for a free mailbox"．Click(点击)the icon, an agreement about the rules for using the free mailbox will appear．If you want to go on, click the icon "I agree"．Then you have to fill in a form about your basic personal data, and the name and PIN of the mailbox．The PIN is the key to the mailbox．After finishing these, you'll get a mailbox like this：your-name @mail server(for example：tvguide @ mail.cctv.com.cn."tvguide" is the name of the mail-box and "mail.cctv.com.cn" is the name of the mail-server．)．The mailbox is separated into two parts by a separator "@", which is read as "at"．The former part is the name of the mailbox．The latter is the domain name of the mail server．All mails to you will be received by the server and put into your mailbox．You can read this mail on any computer in the world as you have the name and PIN of the mailbox．

阅读理解

　　It seems school children all over the world complain about their school food．After a chef in the United Kingdom found that an average of ￥35 was spent on food for each student．Cherie Blair, the wife of Prime Minister Tony Blair, said that she would prepare a packed lunch for her son Leo if school dinners do not improve．So what do students eat for lunch at school?

　　Japan

　　High schools operate canteens, which serve everything from noodles to curry(咖哩饭菜), but no burgers(碎肉夹饼)and chips．Other children bring food from home such as cold rice balls, meat or fish, pickles(泡菜)and vegetables．

　　Students take home a menu for the coming month containing notes on nutrition(营养)．Twice a year parents are invited to have a taste of the food．The class with the fewest leftovers(剩饭)at the end of the month receives a certificate．

　　United States

　　A typical menu from a US school consists of a hamburger with fried potatoes or roast chicken, lettuce(莴苣，生菜)and pickles, fruit and cookies．School lunches must also provide at least one-third of the daily dietary allowances of protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium(钙), and calories．

　　Australia

　　Meat pies, sausage(香肠)rolls and hotdogs are all traditional dishes in Australian school shops．But as the nation battles childhood obesity(肥胖症), healthier foods have started to find their way onto school menus．

　　Many schools have used a traffic light system．The sale of red labeled foods, including chocolate and soft drinks, is limited to only twice a term．Healthier green-labeled foods such as sushi, sandwiches, corn and watermelon slices are available every day．

　　South Africa

　　Most of South Africa's schools do not serve meals at all．Classes end at 1∶30 pm and students get their own lunches．Many students bring food from home, usually sandwiches．Fast food, fried food and crisps sell the best among students．This has led to a rise in obesity among children．But some schools in towns have led the way towards better nutrition．Now students at these schools are provided with lunches of maize porridge with vegetables, such as cabbage, onions, beans, carrots and tomatoes．

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　At one time, computers were expected largely to remove the need for paper copies of documents(文件)because they could be stored electronically．But for all the texts that are written, stored and sent electronically, a lot of them are still ending up on paper．

　　It is difficult to measure the quantity of paper used as a result of use of Internet-connected computers, although just about anyone who works in an office can tell you that when e-mail is introduced, the printers start working overtime．“I feel in my bones this revolution is causing more trees to be cut down,”says Ted Smith of the Earth Village．

　　Perhaps the best sign of how computer and Internet use pushes up demand for paper comes from the high-tech industry itself, which sees printing as one of its most promising new markets．Several Internet companies have been set up to help small businesses print quality documents from a computer．Earlier this week Hewlett-Packard Co．announced a plan to develop new technologies that will enable people to print even more so they can get a hard copy of a business document, a medical record or just a one-line e-mail, even if they are nowhere near a computer．As the company sees it, the more use of the Internet the greater demand for printers．

　　Does all this mean environmental concerns(环境问题)have been forgotten?Some activists suggest people have been led to believe that a lot of dangers to the environment have gone away．“I guess people believe that the problem is taken care of, because of recycling(回收利用)”said Kelly Quirke, director of the Rainforest Action Network in San Francisco．Yet Quirke is hopeful that high-tech may also prove helpful．He says printers that print on both sides are growing in popularity．The action group has also found acceptable paper made from materials other than wood, such as agricultural waste．

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Reading to dogs is an unusual way to help children improve their literacy skills(读写能力)．With their shining brown eyes, wagging tails, and unconditional love, dogs can provide the nonjudgmental listeners needed for a beginning reader to gain confidence(自信心), according to Intermountain Therapy Animals(ITA)in Salt Lake City．The group says it is the first program in the country to use dogs to help develop literacy in children, with the introduction of Reading Education Assistance Dogs(READ)．

　　The Salt Lake City Public Library is sold on the idea．“Literacy specialists admit that children who read below the level of their fellow pupils are often afraid of reading aloud in a group, often have lower self-respect, and regard reading as a headache,”said Lisa Myron, manager of the children's department．

　　Last November the two groups started“Dog Day Afternoon”in the children's department of the main library．About 25 children attended each of the four Saturday-afternoon classes, reading for half an hour．Those who attended three of the four classes received a“pawgraphed”book at the last class．

　　The program was so successful that the library plans to repeat it in April, according to Dana Thumpowsky, public relations manager．

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出最佳选项。

The making of glass is a very old industry－at least 4, 500 years old．Glass has many extraordinary qualities and it is frequently being used in new ways．One of the most interesting new uses for glass is in telephone communication．Scientists have developed glass fibres as thin as human hair which are designed to carry light signals．When the light reaches the other end, it is first changed into electrical signals, which are in turn converted(转变)into sound messages．Called lightwave communication, the new system was used successfully in an experiment in Chicago in 1977．During the experiment two glass fibres were able to carry 672 conversations at the same time．The lightwave cable, containing 144 glass fibres, has the capacity(容量)to carry 50, 000 conversations at the same time．The lightwave communication system has two important advantages．First the glass fibre cables are smaller and weigh less than copper(铜)cables; second, they cost less．

阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　HOW TO BOOK

　　Booking opens for Beckett Shorts on 8 September．

　　BY TELEPHONE

　　For credit card(信用卡)bookings．Calls are answered．

　　BOX OFFICE

　　01789 295623 9a. m.－8 p. m.(Mon．－Sat．)

　　0541 541051(24hours, 7days, no booking charge)．

　　BYFAX

　　For credit card bookings．Please allow at least 48 hours for reply, if required．

　　BOX OFFICE

　　01789 261974 or 01862 387765

　　BYPOST

　　Please enclose(附上)a cheque or credit card details together with an SAE or add 50p to the total amount(总额)to cover postage．Please send to the Box Office, RST, Stratford-upon-Avon, CV376BB．

　　Booking opens for all other plays on 19 September．

　　IN PERSON

　　BOX OFFICE

　　RST hall, 9∶30a. m.－8p. m.(Mon．－Sat．)

　　(6p. m. when theatres are dosed)．

　　OVER SEAS BOOKING

　　The easiest method of payment is by credit card．

　　You can also pay by：Eurocheque(up to￡500)you're your card number written on the hack．

　　PAYING FOR YOUR TICKETS

　　CREDIT CARDS

　　We accept Visa, Master Card, American Express and Diners Club．Please give the card number, name and address of card holder．

　　CHEQUES

　　Cheques and postal orders should be payable to：Royal Shakespeare Theatre．

阅读理解

　　The idea of fighting a noise by making more noise sounds strange, but What's exactly that motor engineers are doing in Germany and some other countries．

　　Carmakers' research and development laboratories have already proved that mixing in more noise with the help of loudspeakers can reduce the unwanted noise．

　　Physicists have known about the technique for a long time．Sound is make up of pressure waves in the air．If two sound waves of the same frequency(频率)mix so that the highest point of one wave happens at the same time with the lowest point of the other wave, the result is no sound．Therefore, by producing a perfect copy of the noise and delaying it by half a wave cycle(周期), we can kill the unwanted noise．Using this technique many carmakers are racing to develop noise-killing systems both inside and outside the cars．Another good thing about the use of noise-killing systems is that it saves the need for a silencer, which not only reduces the weight of a car, but also makes the motor bum less oil and work better．

　　Some engineers believe that the noise-killing system will be used in most cars in 1996．But the carmakers haven't decided if they will put it into production because it would add several hundred dollars to the cost of their ears．

阅读理解

　　Around the world young people are spending unbelievable sums of money to listen to rock music．Forbes Magazine reports that at least fifty rock stars have incomes between two million and six million dollars per year．

　　“It doesn't make sense,”says Johany Mathis, one of the older music millionaires, who made a million dollars a year when he was popular in 1950s．“Performers aren't worth this kind of money．In fact, nobody is．”

　　But the rock star's admirers seem to disagree．Those who love rock music spend about two billion dollars a year for records．They pay 150 million to see rock stars in person．

　　Luck is a key word for explaining the success of money．In 1972 one of the luckiest was Kon Mclean, who wrote and sang“American Pie”．Mclean writes his own music, so he earns an additional(附加的)two cents on every single record of the song．

　　Neil Young who performs in torn blue jeans, sometimes sings to an audience(观众)of 10, 000, each of whom has paid five dollars for a ticket．After paying expenses, Young leaves with about ＄18, 000 in his blue jeans at the end of an evening．

　　How do the rock stars use their money?What do they do when the money starts pouring in like water?Most of the young stars simply show the money around．England's Eltom John gave someone a ＄38, 000 Rolls Royce car and bought himself 5, 000 pairs of eyeglasses, then lighted up and spelt E-L-T-O-M．He also bought himself two cars, “one for each foot”．

　　Many rock stars live like Grace Slick and Jefferson Airplane．Those performers return from a tour, pay their bills, and buy new toys．Then when they need money again, they do another tour．They save no money and live from hand to mouth．

　　In the end the rock stars' life is unrewarding．After two or three years riches and fame are gone．Left with his memories and his tax problems, the lonely ex-performer spends his remaining years trying to attract strangers．New stars have arrived to take his place．

阅读理解

　　A Nobel Prize is considered by most people one of the highest international honours a person can receive．As you know, the prizes were started by a Swede called Alfred Nobel．Alfred Nobel was born in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, and lived from 1833 to 1896．

　　Alfred Nobel was a chemist and inventor．He made two important inventions, and so he became very rich．Although he was rich, Nobel was not a happy man．He never married or had children．Also, he was a sick man in a large part of his life．Nobel died at the age of sixty-three．When he died, he left a fund of ＄9, 000, 000．The money was to be used in giving prizes to those who made outstanding achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and the promotion of world peace．

　　The first Nobel Prizes were given on December 10 th, 1901, five years after Nobel's death．Many famous people from all over the world have been given Nobel Prizes for their achievements．Albert Einstein was one of them．

　　Each Prize has three parts．The first part is a gold medal．Second, a winner of a Nobel Prize is given a diploma saying that he has been given the Prize．The third part of the Prize is a large amount of money－about ＄40, 000．

　　Often a Prize is given to just one person, but not always．Sometimes a Prize is shared．It may be given to two or three people who have worked together．Sometimes a Prize is not given at all if there is no outstanding achievement．In 1972, for example, no Nobel Peace Prize was given．It is the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm that decides whether to give the Prize or not．

阅读理解

　　June 26, 2000, the Human Genome(基因组)Project, a great ＄3 billion, 15-year task aimed at drawing the genetic map of humans, is now more than 90 percent completed．The scientific and medical communities are very excited about the chances genetic research provides for getting rid of diseases and prolonging human life．But those communities and policy makers also are careful about the scientific door they are opening as the project uncovers the mysteries of life．

　　For the last few years, the genetic advances in the fast developing field of biotechnology have provided material for all kinds of work, but the developments of modern science in unlocking the secrets of the human genetic code have opened a world of possibilities for human health, as well as for the popular imagination．

　　While European and Japanese researchers are making rapid progress in decoding(解码)human DNA, the leading organization for genetic research in the United States, which began in 1990, is“unlocking the code”of the human body to learn how to defeat fatal diseases．Already, the Human Genome Project has become widely known and praised for finding the genes connected with as yet terrible diseases, and making progress toward separating the genes that show a sign of breast cancer or AIDS．

　　Once these genes are found and studied, researchers can develop new ways to attack infections and genetic diseases．Medical companies are very interested in mapping the human genome, as they expect to develop a lot of new drugs for these illnesses．