阅读理解

　　Most earthquakes occur within the upper 15 miles of the earth’s surface．But earthquakes can and do occur at all depths to about 460 miles．Their number decreases as the depth increases．At about 460 miles one earthquake occurs only every few years．Near the surface earthquakes may run as high as 100 in a month, but the yearly average does not vary much．In comparison with the total number of earthquakes each year, the number of disastrous earthquakes is very small．[JP]

　　The extent of the disaster in an earthquake depends on many factors．If you carefully build a toy house with an erect set, it will still stand no matter how much you shake the table．But if you build a toy house with a pack of cards, a slight shake of the table will make it fall．An earthquake in Agadir, Morocco, was not strong enough to be recorded on distant instruments, but it completely destroyed the city．Many stronger earthquakes have done comparatively little damage．If a building is well constructed and built on solid ground, it will resist an earthquake．Most deaths in earthquakes have been due to faulty building construction or poor building sites．A third and very serious factor is panic．When people rush out into narrow streets, more deaths will result．

　　The United Nations has played an important part in reducing the damage done by earthquakes．It has sent a team of experts to all countries known to be affected by earthquakes．Working with local geologists and engineers, the experts have studied the nature of the ground and the type of most practical building code for the local area．If followed, these suggestions will make disastrous earthquakes almost a thing of the past．

　　There is one type of earthquake disaster that little can be done about．This is the disaster caused by seismic sea waves, or tsunamis．(These are often called tidal waves, but the name is incorrect．They have nothing to do with tides．)

　　In certain areas, earthquakes take place beneath the sea．These submarine earthquakes sometimes give rise to seismic sea waves．The waves are not noticeable out at sea because of their long wave length．But when they roll into harbors, they pile up into walls of water 6 to 60 feet high．The Japanese call them“tsunamis”, meaning“harbor waves”, because they reach a sizable height only in harbors．

　　Tsunamis travel fairly slowly, at speeds up to 500 miles an hour．An adequate warning system is in use to warn all shores likely to be reached by the waves．

　　But this only enables people to leave the threatened shores for higher ground．There is no way to stop the oncoming wave．

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阅读理解

Before the mid 1860’s, the impact of the railroads in the United States was limited, in the sense that the tracks ended at this Missouri River, approximately the center of the country．At the point the trains turned their freight, mail, and passengers over to steamboats, wagons, and stagecoaches．This meant that wagon freighting, stagecoaching, and steamboating did not come to an end when the first train appeared; rather they became supplements or feeders．Each new“end of track”became a center for animal drawn or waterborne transportation．The major effect of the railroad was to shorten the distance that had to be covered by the older, slower, and more costly means．Wagon freighters continued operating throughout the 1870’s and 1880’s and into the 1890’s．Although over constantly shrinking routes, and coaches and wagons continued to crisscross the West wherever the rails had not yet been laid．The beginning of a major change was foreshadowed in the later 1860’s, when the Union Pacific Railroad at last began to build westward from the Central Plains city of Omaha to meet the Central Pacific Railroad advancing eastward from California through the formidable barrier of the Sierra Nevada．Although President Abraham Lincoln signed the original Pacific Railroad bill in 1862 and a revised, financially much more generous version in 1864, little construction was completed until 1865 on the Central Pacific and 1866 on the Union Pacific．The primary reason was skepticism that a Railroad built through so challenging and thinly settled a stretch of desert, mountain, and semiarid plain could pay a profit．In the words of an economist, this was a case of“premature enterprise”, where not only the cost of construction but also the very high risk deterred private investment．In discussing the Pacific Railroad bill, the chair of the congressional committee bluntly stated that without government subsidy no one would undertake so unpromising a venture; yet it was a national necessity to link East and West together．

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　　George’s father came to America alone in 1911 and raised his sons on the water fishing．George joined the US navy at 19 in 1942．One day in August 1945, he went back home on leave and stayed with his cousin Rita’s family in New York City for a few days．

　　George and Rita went to a movie on the 14^th of August．The show was interrupted by the announcement that Japan had surrendered and the war was over．The streets came alive with wildly happy people pouring out from every building, celebrating the VJ Day (Victory over Japan Day)．They had all been waiting for．George and Rita stopped for a few drinks as they headed for the 42^nd Street subway station through the wildly agitated crowd．

　　As they passed through Times Square, a nurse in uniform walked along in the crowd．George took her in his arms as she passed and started to kiss her．As he did, Alfred Eisenstadt walked up and took photographs which would record the moment in American history．

　　George says that he really can’t explain the kiss．Perhaps that’s because the joy and the sight of the nurse brought to mind the careful care he had received in a hospital ship during the war．

　　George did not know the Kissing Sailor picture was taken until 1980 when Life Magazine asked for the sailor and the nurse to come forward in celebration of the 35^th anniversary of the picture．A friend recognized George as the sailor in the photo．George contacted Life Magazine．

　　Life Magazine chose to let the sailor’s identity remain a mystery until in 1994, when photo analysis expert, Richard Benson, confirmed “George Mendonsa is the sailor in Mr．Eisenstadt’s famous photograph．”

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　　The Chinese government plans to reactivate the housing market by reducing real estate taxes and fees．Despite the moves it may still be difficult to convince people to buy in the current climate．

　　Yang Meng has been working in Beijing for three years．His dream is to have his own home in the city．But soaring housing prices have dashed his hopes one time after another．He visits real estate agents for information whenever he is free, and high prices are a sore point．

　　Yang Meng said, "I am getting old and am ready to get married．I work in this area and have considered buying a home nearby．But the housing prices and loan rates are rising so fast that my salary increases and savings lag far behind．"

　　The Chinese government is stepping up efforts to help people like Yang Meng realize their dream of owning a home．According to the State Council, China is planning to cut tax rates and fees for real estate deals in the near future．

　　Song Yulan is a real estate agent and she doesn't think the government move will be much help to buyers．

　　Song Yulan said, "Some housing prices have started falling in the fourth quarter．But the price level remains very high．So the reduction of taxes will not be that helpful as it is calculated based on housing prices．"

　　According to statistics from the Beijing Housing Trading Administration, real estate transactions dropped by 34％ this August compared with the same period last year．Sellers are holding firm on prices while buyers are waiting for the market to cool down even more．

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　　(China Daily)About 1 million candidates have applied for the 2009 national civil services examination, an increase of 25 percent over this year, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security has said．

　　Altogether, 134 institutions directly under the central authorities and related sectors are likely to recruit more than 13,500 candidates next year, about 10 percent more than this year．

　　The candidates have to be below 35 years, and will write the exam on Nov 30．Successful candidates will be called for interviews after next year's Spring Festival．

　　The ministry accepted applications for "China's hottest exam" from 8 am on October 15 to Saturday midnight．

　　"Fresh and would-be university and college graduates make up the majority of candidates for the civil services exams, which have gained popularity in the past three or four years," said Yu Tianxiao, an exam consultant with the Zhonggong Education Group．

　　"The stable nature of civil services jobs, good welfare treatment and the social status of civil servants have been attracting a rising number of applicants," Yu said．"The job market has been tough for college graduates in recent years, and more people tend to find a 'rice bowl' in government organs．"

　　The Ministry of Education says about 30 percent college students who graduated in summer last year could not find a job till the end of 2007．

　　About 73 people will compete for one job position in the exam for 2009, the ministry said．

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　　Researchers who helped discover a new species of Mexican butterfly are offering to sell the naming rights to raise money to fund more research．Co-discoverer Andrew Warren is hoping to raise at least ＄50,000 by auctioning(拍卖) off the rights to name the 4-inch “owl eye” butterfly, which lives in Sonora, a Mexican state bordering Arizona．

　　“That would support at least two years of research for our team down in Mexico,” Warren said．“Money goes a long way down here in Mexico．”

　　According to the scientific tradition, discoverers of a new species have the say in naming it．In recent years, some discoverers have auctioned off their naming rights to raise money．

　　Warren said the amount being sought for the butterfly is not out of the question, noting that naming rights for a new monkey species brought in ＄650,000 two years ago．A group of 10 new fish species that went on the naming auction block at the same time earlier this year brought in a total of ＄2 million．

　　The butterfly discovered by Warren and researcher George Austin ranges as far north as Mexico．

　　The butterfly was actually in a collection,　misidentified as an example of another species, at the McGuire Centre for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity at the Florida Museum of National History in Gainesville, said Warren．They soon began the hard process of determining that it was indeed a “new ” model of butterfly．

　　After checking photos and comparing it with other known species, they determined it was a separate species．

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阅读理解

　　The crowd cheered and cheered．The man with the horn waved and smiled his great happy smile．“More!More!” cried the crowd．And Louis Satchmo Armstrong and began to play again．Here he was in England．Now a famous man, he was rich．He knew many important people．Wherever he went, people knew his name．They wanted to hear his music．As Louis played the sad, slow songs, he thought of his home in New Orleans．He lived there as a boy．How many years ago was it?It was a busy, exciting city．But Louis’s family was very poor．He went to work to help his mother．He also went to school．One of Louis’s teachers asked him to be in the school band “This horn is yours until you leave our school, ”his teacher said．Louis’ music was jazz and he loved it．He remembered all the music he heard ．He didn’t learn to read music until he was a man．

　　When he left school, he played in many bands．He loved his work and people loved him．They knew he had a wonderful talent．Louis played on the boats that sailed up and down the river．He played in little towns and in big cities．Satchmo’s horn had as many sounds as ten horns－sometimes slow and sweet; sometimes fast and hot, high and low．His music was always strong and exciting．“He does make wonderful music, ”said the man who listened happily．“Yes, ”said another man, “ He makes that horn speak．”Then the music jazz as I can play．I thought jazz was my music, but now I understand it is ours．Isn’t it beautiful how music brings us together!

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　　SHANGHAI－The Chinese Shenzhou Ⅶ spacecraft lifted off at 9∶07 p.m.Thursday, carrying three Chinese astronauts into space on this country's third manned space mission in five years．

　　The Chinese government has spent billions of dollars in recent years building up a space program, hoping to help China establish a space station by 2020 and eventually put a man onto the moon, and the accomplishments would certainly promote the country's international status．

　　China sent into space three experienced fighter pilots, all of them 42-year-old men．One is expected to walk in space for 30 minutes on Friday or Saturday, according to the state media．The three astronauts are carrying traditional Chinese medicine on board, in case of sickness, and their diet includes pork and beef made in a certain way．

　　The suit is the most complex, advanced and expensive in the world, a ＄4.4 million space suit designed and produced in China．The spacecraft was launched by the Long March II-F carrier rocket, which took the spacecraft into a low orbit, about 210 miles above Earth．The mission, which is being reported widely in the Chinese media, is another milestone for a country that got a late start in space exploration but is now actively launching commercial satellites, putting humans in space and even shooting down aging satellites．

　　"It's a great start, even though it's nowhere near what the Russians and the U．S．have accomplished with space flight," said Roger D．Launius, referring generally to China's space program．

　　Russia and the United States conducted their first spacewalks in 1965, and in 1969 the United States became the first country to put a person on the moon．But Michael D．Griffin, the administrator of NASA, has repeatedly warned that despite the head start by other nations, the Chinese program is moving swiftly and could overtake American efforts to return to the moon by 2020．Mr．Griffin said, "It was likely that China will be able to put people on the Moon before we will be able to get back．"He added, "I admire what they have done．but I am concerned that it will leave the United States in the wake of China．"

　　The Chinese government also hopes the national space program will aid the nation economically by helping to create technological breakthroughs that may someday be applied to computers or other digital equipment．

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　　In the U．S．, the public has tended to believe that all motorcycles are ridden by wild, irresponsible lawless young men．

　　There are several things about motorcycling that the average citizen dislikes．A cyclist’s appearance has something to do with this dislike．Motorcyclists frequently look dirty；in fact, they are dirty．On the road there is little to protect them from mud, crushed insects and bird droppings．For practical reasons they often dress in old clothing which looks much less respectable than the clothing of people who ride in cars．For the same reason motorcyclists usually wear dark colors．Perhaps this helps to explain why they are sometimes suspected of having evil natures．In old plays of long ago, evil characters usually wore black．In cowboy movies the “bad guys” usually wear black hats while the “good guys” wear lighter colors．Something else about their appearance makes an unfavorable impression．In their practical, protective clothing they look very much like the men on military motorcycles in the movies of World War Ⅱ－cruel enemies who roared into peaceful villages filling people’s hearts with fear．

　　Probably the machine itself also produces anger and fear．Motorcycles are noisy, though some big trucks are even noisier．But trucks are big and carry heavy loads；they are accepted(if not really welcomed)because they perform a needed service, making America move．Motorcycles, on the other hand, make all unpleasant noise just to give their riders pleasure．That is what is commonly thought．In the woods motorcycles frighten animals．Roaring along quiet streets, they wake sleeping families and make babies cry．

　　Of course the danger of motorcycling also helps account for many people’s low opinion of the sport．Its defenders, however, claim that careful cyclists are in less danger than commonly believed．

　　A cyclist must drive as if everybody around him wanted to kill him．He must pay careful attention to his driving．From that point of view．a man on a motorcycle is safer than a man in a car．

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　　“Keep your eyes on the ball．”That is good advice when you are on the playing field, and good advice for everyday life．“Keep your mind on what’s important,” is the way I’d put it．But people are funny．They think too much about the details．

　　I had a secretary once．She was very hardworking．I ran a school and people used to call up to enroll for courses．Berry used to get angry at the phone．“If they keep on ringing, I’ll never get my typing done!” she’d shout．

　　People just don’t see the big picture．One evening, after leaving work, I was sitting next to a man on the train．I was feeling tired．My eyes fell on the paper spread out in front of him．You know how you feel to read over someone’s shoulder?

　　I read the page and leaned back．I guessed I was waiting for him to turn it．After a while, I realized－he wasn’t turning the page．He just kept on reading．

　　Now if you knew the rag he was reading, you’d know that there weren’t many words on the page to read anyway．The layout was mostly pictures．So I turned to the man and said,” You know, you really read very slowly．”

　　“What do you mean?” he asked．“Well,” I told him,” I read the page in about a minute, and you have taken about ten．And you are still reading．You know,” I went on” If you learned to read faster, you could get more reading done．”He remained silent for a minute or two．“If I read too fast, my paper wouldn’t last me to my station．”

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