阅读理解

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Women turn to online shopping

　　Women have jumped ahead of men for the first time in using．the Internet to do their holiday shopping, according to a study published last week in the US．

　　For Years men have been more likely to shop on the Internet than women, but during the 2004 holiday season 58 percent of those making online purchases were women．

　　“It shows how mainstream the Internet is becoming”, said Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet and American Life Project group, which carried out the study．

　　Rainie said it was only a matter of time before women shoppers caught up with men．This is because women traditionally make decisions about spending．

　　Users were more likely to shop online to save time．Internet users between the ages of 18 and 29 were responsible for some of the most dramatic(显著的)increases in the online gift-buying population this time around．

　　However, three-quarters of the US Internet users did not buy holiday gifts online in 2004．They worried about credit card security, or just compared online prices with off-line prices, then dashed off to the shops to get the best deals．

　　“But even if shoppers don’t buy online, websites are becoming promotion tools for stores, ”said Dan Hess, vice president of ComScore Networks Inc．Hess said that actually most stores’ websites can make customers fully believe the security of their credit card numbers．And most are able to ensure that gifts arrive on time．

　　“It’s all about making the shopping experience more efficient, more reliable and more comfortable ,”Hess said．

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阅读理解

请认真阅读下列短文，从短文后备题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

　　There is an old saying：No one thinks he’s a bad driver．Here’s an updated 21st century version：No one thinks he sends annoying(令人烦恼的)e-mails．

　　But, plenty of us do．

　　A Princeton University research found that 22 per cent of Americans．say e-mail has added to their work pressures and caused misunderstandings．Here’s a guide on e-mail etiquette(礼节)to help you avoid being annoying．

　　Experts say there are three．types of e-mails with different rules-close friends, office and public e-mails．

The close friends e-mail

　　You can send your lover, your closest friends and your siblings(brothers and sisters)anything, from jokes to “you got to see this!”．But bear in mind that not everyone shares your sense of humour and you may expose them to viruses．

The office e-mail

　　Don’t add to people’s workload．Keep e-mails short and to the point．

　　◆Make the subject line factual and brief．

　　◆Write in clear, concise(简练的)sentences．

　　◆Provide your name and phone number at the end．

The public e-mail

　　Occasionally we have to send an e-mail to a group of people．If possible, write your public e-mails with a who, what, when, where structure．For example：

　　Who：All members of the soccer team

　　What：Team photo

　　When：Saturday, March 25, at noon

　　Where：Playing field 2．

　　Finally, before you hit “Send”, check the following：

　　◆Is the e-mail a “flame”? Never send an e-mail in anger, It could stay around forever and haunt(萦绕心头)your professional and personal life．

　　◆Check the“To”field．Is this really who you want to send the message to?

　　◆Spell-check the message．Does it have an error that can affect you badly?

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Reading comprehension．

　　The challenge to drink to the limits of one’s endurance has become a celebrated part of college life．In one of the most extensive reports on college drinking thus far , a 1997Harvard School of Public Health study found that 43 percent of college students admitted binge drinking in the preceding two weeks (Defined as four drinks in a sitting for a woman and five for a man , a drinking binge is when one drinks enough to risk health and well - being)

　　Experts estimate that excessive drinking is involved in thousands of student deaths a year．And the Harvard researchers found that there has been a dramatic change in why students drink 39 percent drank “to get drunk” in 1993 , but 52 percent had the same objective in 1997．

　　“What has changed is the across - the - board acceptability of intoxication (喝醉) ,” says Felix Savino at UW - Madison．Many college students today see not just drinking but being drunk as their primary way of socializing”．

　　The reason for the shift are complex and not fully understood．But researchers guess that it may have something to do with today’s instant - satisfaction life - style－－and young people tend to take into the extreme．

　　While binge drinking isn’t always deadly , it does have other , wide - ranging effects．Academics is one area where it takes a heavy toll (something paid , lost or suffered)．Perhaps because alcohol increases aggression and affects judgment , it is also related to 25 percent of violent crimes and roughly 60 percent of vandalism on campus．Facing the many potential dangers; college campuses are searching for ways to reduce binge drinking．

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Reading comprehension．

　　Ang Lee the director of “Brokeback．Mountain” , won the Best Director Award at the 78th Academy Awards Lee is the first Chinese to receive the honour , considered the highest in American cinema and the most influential worldwide．

　　“I’m deeply proud of him” , guched Kate Wang , granddaughter of Wang Dulu , whose marual arts novel inspired lee’s “Crouching Tiger , Hidden Dragon” in 2000．

　　“Ang Lee’s movie is very touching．It’s simple but perfect , ” commented Zhang Yuan , a Chinese film director of the “Sixth Generation” “I sincerely congratulate him．He is the pride of all Chinese directors everywhere”

　　Despite the Best Director Award , the film “Brokeback Mountain” lost to “Crash” in the Best Picture．It was widely seen as an upset because “Brokeback” had been winning all kinds of prizes , from the Golden Bear in Venice , to the Golden Globe and the Independent Spirit Awards , and was seen by most observers as shoo - in for the highest Oscar．

　　An anonymous (匿名的) posting on Sina com summed up what many moviegoers expressed in one way or another , “Now that Ang Lee has got all the big international awards , Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige need not compete for the title of No．1 Chinese Director anymore”

　　Other voices were less congratulatory．Dayyan Eng , a Chinese American who started his filmmaking career in Beijing , did not think “Brokeback” is as good as “The Ice Storm” an Ang Lee film from 1997．

　　Liu Miaomiao , a director of independent films , rationalized that Hollywood would not give the top award to “Brokeback” because of political reasons．

　　Sai Ren , a film critic with CCTV6 , a film channel , noted that Lee’s achievement had little to do with Chinese cinema．He suggested that people watch the show just to enjoy it．

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Reading comprehension．

　　Trip 1 Black Bear Count

　　There have been fires in this area in the last few years and the Office of the National Park is not sure how many black bears are still living．Some bears have been seen since the fires , and the Office has asked for young people to help count them．The entire trip will last three hours．

　　Booking necessary．

　　Cost：Free 　　　　　　　　　When：May 8

　　Trip 2 Garland Valley

　　Bring your drink and lunch for this walk in a beautiful area of the Blue Mountains．Garland Valley is close to the town of Garland but is part of the National Park．Many wild animals live in this area including many rare birds．This is a great walk for bird - loves．The trip lasts four hours．

　　Booking necessary．

　　Cost：￡ 15　　　　　　　When：May 8，May 15

　　Trip 3 Flashlight Adventure

　　Put on your warm clothes , bring a flashlight and a pair of glasses , and come for a night walk along the Dungog Valley．A guide will lead the tour Many of the animals you will see on this trip can only be seen at night．The guide will tell you about the lives of the animals you see Numbers are strictly limited on night trips．So be sure to book early．This walk lasts two and a half hours．

　　Cost：￡ 12　　　　　　　When：May 8，May 15 , May 22

　　Equipment to the needed

　　●Please bring enough water and food for all walks．

　　●Wear good walking shoes－no high heels．

　　●Wear a hat for day walks．

　　●Dress warmly for night walks．

　　●Children must be with an adult．

　　●Make sure your flashlight works well and bring extra batteries for night walks．

　　●Follow all instructions from guides during the walks．

　　The mountains are dangerous places．

　　Bookings：

　　*Bookings for the above trips can be made by telephone (893－4847) or on the Internet at WWW．blue mountaintour．com

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Reading comprehension．

　　A “blogger” is a person who writes on an Internet computer Web site called a “blog”．The word “blog” is a short way of saying Web log , or personal Web site．Anyone can start a blog , and they can write about anything they like．

　　There are millions of blogs on the Internet today．They provide news , information and ideas in many people who read them．They contain links to other Web sites．And they provide a place for people to write about their ideas and react to the ideas of others．

　　A research company called Perscus has studied more than 300 Web logs．It says that blogs are most popular with teenage girls．They use them to let their friends know what is happening in their lives．The study also says that more than 100 , 000 bloggers stopped taking part in the activity after a year．

　　However , some people develop serious blogs to present political and other ideas．For example , the Republican and Democratic parties in the southern state of Kentucky recently started their own blogs．And American companies are beginning to use blogs to advertise their products．

　　At the same time , some long - standing blogs have ended Last week , blogging leader Dave Winer closed his free blog service weblogs．com．He says the site became too costly to continue．He started the blog four years ago．And thousands of people had written on it．They are now upset because they did not know that the site was closing．

　　One blog that is still going strong is called Rebecca’s Pocket．Rebecca Blood created the Website in 1999．She wrote about the history of blogs on the site．That article led to a book called “ The Weblog Handbook” It has been translated into four languages so far．

　　Ms．Blood says Rebecca’s Pocket gets about 30 , 000 visitors a month．She writes about anything and everything－politics , culture and movies．She recently provided medical advice．And she wrote about how to prevent people from stealing money from on - line bank accounts．

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Reading comprehension．

　　It was like a door that had been left open invitingly．Bob stepped through , and immediately regretted it．He was standing in a dim low - ceilinged cave , the walls carved out of solid ice．

　　There were five children there , huddling (拥抱) together in corner , their eyes fixed hopefully on his．They were dressed exactly as he was , in pale sheepskin jackets and trousers , with matching boots , and caps pulled down over their ears．All of them were in their mid teens , and their faces , pinched (皱缩) as much by fear as with cold , seemed strangely familiar , as though he had known them all his life．A girl with intense dark eyes nodded towards the end of the room．When he failed to respond , she nodded again , more urgently than before , her lips forming words soundlessly．

　　He saw then what he should have seen earlier , a second door set low in the end wall．It was much smaller and far less noticeable than the first , yet he felt drawn to it just the same．Or was he merely being encouraged by his silent companions? Another of them , a timid boy , gave him a smile of encouragement , which was instantly reflected in all the other faces．He found it difficult to resist , as if this , after all , was why he was here to help them out in their mysterious adventure．And under the pressure of their combined request , he bent down and crawled through the low opening．This time he emerged onto a windswept ledge (岩壁)．Above him , dark grey clouds racked across an even grey sky Below－far below－lay a deserted valley heaped with slabs (厚片) of ice．

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阅读

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　　Read a whole book in English? Me?

　　Yes , you．Believe it or not , that may be easier than you think．Not all classics are too difficult or complicated．So you’re not limited to the simplified versions．And the easier books are not all for children．

　　Books in their original versions may send you to the dictionary．And you might not understand everything you read．But reading one from cover to cover will give you a real sense of accomplishment (成就)．

　　The key is to find the right books．Let’s take a look at these．

　　Stepping into an old wardrobe , four English schoolchildren find themselves in the magical world of Narnia．On this delightful land , they find friends among the many talking creatures．

　　The children soon discover , however , that Narnia is ruled by the White Witch．Edmund , one of the children , falls under her power．Who can free Narnia? Only Aslan , the great and noble lion．He alone knows the Deeper Magic．But the children themselves must help fight the battle against the White Witch and those who serve her．

　　Santiago , an old Cuban fisherman , hasn’t caught any fish in more than 80 days．Sailing far out from land , the old man hooks an enormous fish．That begins an agonizing three day battle．First he struggles against the great fish．Then he must fight off the sharks that circle the little boat and threaten to eat his fish．Exhausted and bleeding , the old man arrives back at shore．But his fish , his beautiful fish．．．

　　Hemingway won the Nobel Prize for this superb story of strength and courage , of victory and regret．

　　Meg’s father , a U．S．government scientist , has been missing for many months．He had been experimenting with time travel when he mysteriously disappeared．

　　Now Meg , her little brother Charles Wallace and her friend Calvin will try to rescue him．But first they must outwit the forces of evil they encounter (遇到) on their journey through time and space．Can they find Meg’s father before it’s too late?

　　This novel is more than just a science fiction adventure．It’s an exploration of the nature of our universe．

　　One day Kino , a poor Mexican pearl diver , finds a magnificent pearl．With it he dreams of buying a better life , new clothes and schooling for his son．Instead , it brings only evil．His wife pleads with him to get rid of it．"No ," says Kino．"I will have my chance．I am a man．" But when he kills a man who is trying to steal the pearl , Kino and his wife must run for their lives．

　　This tale of dreams , justice and the power of greed is told simply and beautifully．

　　It’s winter , 1880－1881 , on America’s northern prairies．Mr．and Mrs．Ingalls and their four girls stay near the kitchen stove to keep warm．Heavy snowstorms cut them off even from neighbors．With the trains stopped , no supplies can reach the town．Food and fuel are running out．Day after day the girls must grind wheat for bread and twist hay to burn．At times they nearly lose the battle to keep their spirits up．

　　This story provides a fascinating glimpse into the life of early American settlers．

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阅读

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　　Language learning begins with listening．Children are greatly different in the amount of listening they do before they start speaking , and later starters are often long listeners．Most children will“obey” spoken instructions some time before they can speak , though the word“obey” is hardly accurate as a description of the eager and delighted cooperation usually shown by the child．Before they can speak , many children will also ask questions by gesture and by making questioning noises．

　　Any attempt to study the development from the noises babies make to their first spoken words leads to considerable difficulties．It is agreed that they enjoy making noises , and that during the first few months one or two noises sort themselves as particularly expressive as delight , pain , friendliness , and so on．But since these can’t be said to show the baby’s intention to communicate , they can hardly be regarded as early forms of language．It is agreed , too , that from about three months they play with sounds for enjoyment , and that by six months they are able to add new words to their store．This self - imitation (模仿) leads on to deliberate (有意的) imitation of sounds made or words spoken to them by other people．The problem then arises as to the point at which one can say that these imitations can be considered as speech．

　　It is a problem we need to get out teeth into．The meaning of a word depends on what a particular person means by it in a particular situation and it is clear that what a child means by a word will change as he gains more experience of the world．Thus the use at seven months of“mama” as a greeting for his mother cannot be dismissed as a meaningless sound simply because he also uses it at other times for his father , his dog , or anything else he likes．Playful and meaningless imitation of what other people say continues after the child has begun to speak for himself , I doubt , however whether anything is gained when parents take advantage of this ability in an attempt to teach new sounds．

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阅读

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　　In cities with rent control , the city government sets the maximum rent that a landlord (房东) can charge for an apartment．Supporters of rent control argue that it protects people who are living in apartments．Their rent cannot increase; therefore , they are not in danger of losing their homes．However , the critics say that after a long time , rent control may have negative (负面的) effects．Landlords know that they cannot increase their profits．Therefore , they invest (投资) in other businesses where they can increase their profits．They do not invest in new buildings which would also be rent – controlled．As a result , new apartments are not built．Many people who need apartments cannot find any．According to the critics , the end result of rent control is a shortage of apartments in the city．

　　Some theorists argue that the minimum wage law can cause problems in the same way．The federal government sets the minimum that an employer must pay workers．The minimum helps people who generally look for unskilled , low – paying jobs．However , if the minimum is high , employers may hire fewer workers．They will replace workers with machinery．Therefore , other things being equal , the number of workers that employers want decreases．Thus , critics hold the opinion that an increase in the minimum wage may cause unemployment．Some poor people may find themselves without jobs instead of with jobs at the minimum wage．

　　Supporters of the minimum wage say that it helps people keep their dignity (尊严)．Because of the law , workers cannot sell their services for less than the minimum．Furthermore , employers cannot force workers to accept jobs at unfair wages．

　　Economic (经济的) theory predicts the results of economic decisions such as decisions about farm production , rent control , and the minimum wage．The predictions may be correct only if“other things are equal”．Economists do not agree on some of the predictions．They also do not agree on the value of different decisions．Some economists support a particular decision while others criticize it．Economists do agree , however , that there are no simple answers to economic questions．

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