阅读理解

　　The British policeman has several nicknames, but the most frequently used are“copper”and“bobby”．The first name comes from the verb“cop”meaning“to take”or“capture”, and the second comes from the first name of Sir Robert Peel, a 19th century politician, who was the founder of the police force．An early nickname for the policeman was“peeler”, but this name had died out．

　　Visitors to England seem，nearly always, to be very impressed by the English police．In fact, it has become a joke that the visitors to Britain, when asked for his views of the country, will always say，at some point or other,“I think your policemen are wonderful．”

　　Well, the British bobby may not always be wonderful but he is usually a very friendly and helpful character．

　　A music-hall song of some years ago was called,“If you want to know the time, ask a policeman．”Nowadays, most people own watches but they still seem to find plenty of other questions to ask the policeman．In London, the policemen spend so much of their time directing visitors about the city that one wonders how they ever find time to do anything else!

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阅读理解

　　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 apartment．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 effects．Landlords know that they cannot increase their profits．Therefore, they invest 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 experts 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．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 theory predicts the results of economic decision, such as decisions about farm production, rent control, and the minimum wage．The predictions may be corrected 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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阅读理解

　　Children are in need of adoption because some birth parents are unable or unavailable to provide adequately for the needs of their child．There are numerous reasons for making an adoption plan．Birth parents may feel they cannot take on responsibility of an unplanned child because they are too young or because they are financially or emotionally unable to provide proper care．They do not feel ready or able to be good parents．

　　In other cases children are in need of adoption because courts have decided that their birth parents are unable to function adequately．Many of these children are victims of abuse or neglect．Regardless of how children come to need adoption, they are put with adoptive parents through private or public social service agencies．Other adoptions may be arranged independently, as when birth parents and adoptive parents come to know each other outside of an agency and then complete the adoption according to the laws and regulations of their states of residence．

　　In the early 1970s there was a dramatic increase n the number of families seeking to adopt, a condition which persists today．For this reason, the number of those who wish to adopt regularly exceeds(超过)the number of infants available．Reasons for this dramatic increase are varied．A major factor has been the choice of many people to delay the start of a family until later in life．Many of these people, in turn, have found themselves to be less fertile at that time, and so they have decided that their desire to have children might best be fulfilled through adoption．

　　In every state, however, there are children who are legally free to be adopted but are desperately waiting for parents．The children in this group are usually older and often have special needs．They may require additional care from a parent because of their physical, emotional, or mental disabilities(which may have been caused by abuse, neglect, or medical or genetic factors)．Because of their special needs, these children are challenging to rear．In fact, adoption experts believe that people who adopt these children need special training and preparation in order to successfully rear the child and to integrate(使融入)the child into the family and eventually into society．

　　In cases of international adoption, Americans have adopted orphaned children from places like Korea, India, and Latin America．United States immigration laws allow such children to reside in the United States through a special visa under which the children are classified as immediate relatives of the adopting family．The laws, regulations, and attitudes toward international add option vary a great deal from one country to another．Because of this, people wishing to adopt should use experienced agencies or organizations in order to adopt a child from another country successfully．

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阅读理解

　　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 our 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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阅读理解

　　We all know what it is like to be unable to turn your head because of a cold in the muscles of your neck, or because an unexpected twist has made your neck ache and stiff．Your whole body feels tight．The slightest move makes you jump with pain．Nothing could be worse than a pain in the neck．

　　That is why we use the phrase to describe some people who give you the same feeling．We have all met such people．

　　One is the man who always seems to be clapping his hands－often at the wrong time－during a performance in the theater．He keeps you from hearing the actors．

　　Even worse are those who can never arrive before the curtain goes up and the play begins．They come hurrying down to your row of seats．You are comfortably settled down, with your hat and heavy coat in your lap．You must stand up to let them pass．You are proud of your self-control after they have settled into their seats…Well, what now…Good God, one of them is up again．He forgot to go to the men’s room, and once more you have to stand up, hanging on to your hat and coat to let him pass．Now, that is“a pain in the neck”．

　　Another, well-known to us all, is the person sitting behind you in the movies．His mouth is full of popcorn; he is chewing loudly, or talking between bites to friends next to him．None of them remain still．Up and down, back and forth, they go－for another bag of popcorn, or something to drink．

　　Then, there is the man sitting next to you at a lunch counter smoking a smelly cigar．He wants you to enjoy it too, and blows smoke across your food into your mouth．

　　We must not forget the man who comes into a bus or subway car and sits down next to you, just as closes you will let him．You are reading the newspaper and he leans over and stretches his neck so that he can read the paper with you．He may even turn the paper to the next page before you are ready for it．

　　We also call such a person a“rubber-neck”, always stretching his neck to where it does not belong, like neighbors who watch all your visitors．They enjoy invading your privacy．People have a strong dislike for rubber-necks．They hate being spied upon．

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阅读理解

　　Walk through the Amazon rainforest today and you will find it is steamy, warm, damp and thick．But if you had been around 15,000 years ago, during the last ice age, would it have been the same?For more than 30 years, scientists have been arguing about how rainforests like the Amazon might have reacted to the cold dry climates of the ice ages, but until now, no one has reached a satisfying answer．

　　Rainforests like the Amazon are important for mopping up CO₂ from the atmosphere and helping to slow global warming．Currently the trees in the Amazon take in around 500 million tones of CO₂ each year：equal to the total amount of CO₂ giving off in the UK each year．But how will the Amazon react to future climate change?If it gets drier, will it still survive and continue to draw down CO₂?Scientists hope that they will be able to learn in advance how the rainforest will manage in the future by understanding how rainforests reacted to climate change in the past．

　　Unfortunately, getting into the Amazon rainforest and collecting information are very difficult．To study past climate, scientists need to look at fossilized pollen(花粉), kept in lake mud．Going back to the last ice age means drilling deep down into lake sediments(沉淀物), which requires specialize equipment and heavy machinery．There are very few roads and paths, or places to land helicopters and aeroplanes．Rivers tend to be the easiest way to enter the forest, but this still leaves vast areas between the rivers completely unsampled．So far, only a handful of cores have been drilled that go back to the last ice age and none of them provide enough information to prove how the Amazon rainforest reacts to climate change．

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阅读理解

　　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 apartment．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 effects．Landlords know that they cannot increase their profits．Therefore, they invest 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 experts 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．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 theory predicts the results of economic decision, such as decisions about farm production, rent control, and the minimum wage．The predictions may be corrected 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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(2)

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阅读理解

　　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 our 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．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

　　Children are in need of adoption because some birth parents are unable or unavailable to provide adequately for the needs of their child．There are numerous reasons for making an adoption plan．Birth parents may feel they cannot take on responsibility of an unplanned child because they are too young or because they are financially or emotionally unable to provide proper care．They do not feel ready or able to be good parents．

　　In other cases children are in need of adoption because courts have decided that their birth parents are unable to function adequately．Many of these children are victims of abuse or neglect．Regardless of how children come to need adoption, they are put with adoptive parents through private or public social service agencies．Other adoptions may be arranged independently, as when birth parents and adoptive parents come to know each other outside of an agency and then complete the adoption according to the laws and regulations of their states of residence．

　　In the early 1970s there was a dramatic increase n the number of families seeking to adopt, a condition which persists today．For this reason, the number of those who wish to adopt regularly exceeds(超过)the number of infants available．Reasons for this dramatic increase are varied．A major factor has been the choice of many people to delay the start of a family until later in life．Many of these people, in turn, have found themselves to be less fertile at that time, and so they have decided that their desire to have children might best be fulfilled through adoption．

　　In every state, however, there are children who are legally free to be adopted but are desperately waiting for parents．The children in this group are usually older and often have special needs．They may require additional care from a parent because of their physical, emotional, or mental disabilities(which may have been caused by abuse, neglect, or medical or genetic factors)．Because of their special needs, these children are challenging to rear．In fact, adoption experts believe that people who adopt these children need special training and preparation in order to successfully rear the child and to integrate(使融入)the child into the family and eventually into society．

　　In cases of international adoption, Americans have adopted orphaned children from places like Korea, India, and Latin America．United States immigration laws allow such children to reside in the United States through a special visa under which the children are classified as immediate relatives of the adopting family．The laws, regulations, and attitudes toward international add option vary a great deal from one country to another．Because of this, people wishing to adopt should use experienced agencies or organizations in order to adopt a child from another country successfully．

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阅读理解

　　Walk through the Amazon rainforest today and you will find it is steamy, warm, damp and thick．But if you had been around 15,000 years ago, during the last ice age, would it have been the same?For more than 30 years, scientists have been arguing about how rainforests like the Amazon might have reacted to the cold dry climates of the ice ages, but until now, no one has reached a satisfying answer．

　　Rainforests like the Amazon are important for mopping up CO₂ from the atmosphere and helping to slow global warming．Currently the trees in the Amazon take in around 500 million tones of CO₂ each year：equal to the total amount of CO₂ giving off in the UK each year．But how will the Amazon react to future climate change?If it gets drier, will it still survive and continue to draw down CO₂?Scientists hope that they will be able to learn in advance how the rainforest will manage in the future by understanding how rainforests reacted to climate change in the past．

　　Unfortunately, getting into the Amazon rainforest and collecting information are very difficult．To study past climate, scientists need to look at fossilized pollen(花粉), kept in lake mud．Going back to the last ice age means drilling deep down into lake sediments(沉淀物), which requires specialize equipment and heavy machinery．There are very few roads and paths, or places to land helicopters and aeroplanes．Rivers tend to be the easiest way to enter the forest, but this still leaves vast areas between the rivers completely unsampled．So far, only a handful of cores have been drilled that go back to the last ice age and none of them provide enough information to prove how the Amazon rainforest reacts to climate change．

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