阅读理解

　　Wearing ties was originally the mark of Britain's most powerful classes．That made the tie itself a symbol of power and respect．And that led it to be adopted by a much larger tribe(部族)－the business tribe．

　　You cannot wear a tie if you work with machinery．So wearing a tie became a sign that you were a man who used his brain to make a living, rather than his hands．It showed you were serious．It showed you were a professional．It meant that everyone who wanted a job in business had to wear one．It was just impossible to take seriously a man who didn't wear a piece of colored silk around his neck．

　　This is how millions of people came to be wearing ties across the world．They are part of the uniform of business．

　　“Ties offer a point of difference,” says John Milne, head of the British Guide of Tie Makers．“They give a chance to say something about their own personality．”

　　So if you happen to meet a man with a very brightly colored tie, there's a good chance that he is the office joker．There's also a good chance that he will be wearing brightly colored socks．

　　Is there a future for ties? The signs are not promising．Tie wearing seems to be rare amongst the new bread of entrepreneurs(创业者)in the internet and new technology industries．Many political leaders, including British Prime Minister Tony Blare, now go without ties．This shows they are men of the people－but not the people wearing ties．

　　Up until around 1960, it was common for men across the western world to wear hats as part of their business uniform．That changed with the election of John F．Kennedy to the presidency of the United States．Kennedy never wore a hat-in fact his nickname was “hatless Jack”．Seeing that the most powerful man in the world did not have to wear a hat, millions of other men decided that they did not have to either．Hats simply vanished across the western world．Perhaps “tieless Tony”(UK Prime Minister Tony Blare)will have the same effect as “hatless Jack”．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

US students push parents’limits

　　In the US, only teenagers have curfews(宵禁)．They are the battle line in the age-old struggle between kids who want more freedom and parents who don't want them to go．I was no exception．

　　I never minded my curfew until my senior year of high school when many of my friends moved out of their parents' house and away to school．

　　I visited the ones who still lived close, but I had to head home when their fun was just starting．My curfew felt like a prison sentence．I began counting down the days until freedom．

　　My release came with college．With my parents a safe four-hour drive away, no one cared if I came crawling back to my dorm room at 1∶30 a. m. or 2∶30 a. m. or 6 a.m.．

　　Freshman year parties were the best．Every weekend, I and a group of friends went out to parties．I never mattered if we were invited．A bout 10 p.m., we met outside the residence halls, climbed up away from the dorms, moved quietly past the dark lecture halls, and ran down the town's main street into the student section．The freedom to stay out to 5 a.m. going from house party to the bars thrilled us．The following afternoon, we'd gather in the cafeteria and exchange war-stories from the night before reliving every detail．

　　By the spring, my circle of friends had fallen apart．I had a new off-campus friend．Other members had started quarrelling and moved to other friends．The parties weren't as exciting：the beer was warm and cheap, the music repetitive and the guests too familiar．The no curfew life became boring．

　　Years later as a senior, my roommates and I threw a party in our own messy apartment．A whole new class of uninvited freshmen came．As the party died down, some stayed in our living room among the empty beer bottles at 4 a.m.．

　　“Your party was so cool,” some 18-year-old art major told my roommates and I．“You guys are so cool,” “Yeah,” we said, tidying up the room．“We know．”

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

　　For many creatures, the danger of global warming is more than too much heat．You can get temperature-related effects that may not be what you expect．Slight environmental change can affect physiological(生理的)needs and weaken the ability of animals to keep a large enough population for them to live on even when the temperature rise is too mild to kill any creatures．

　　Biologists usually don't know enough about an animal to assess this risk．Their knowledge comes largely from laboratory research on bits and pieces of a creature's physiology．This method doesn't tell how an animal as a living whole responds to climate change in where it lives．

　　Now, 10 years of research that joined laboratory study with field work has explained the decrease in the populations of eelpout, a kind of fish in the southern part of the North Sea．Dr．Portner and Knust have shown that a mild rise in water temperature can reduce the water's ability to hold oxygen, and, at the same time, it increases the fish's need for more oxygen to keep active, otherwise they will be killed or have to move away．

　　The researchers discovered that, over the past five decades, eelpout populations decreased when summer temperatures rose．They also found that warmer summers reduced eelpout populaion the following year．

　　Danish scientists noted that “it remains difficult to determine that increased temperature is the cause for the eelpout population decrease．”Yet they accepted the connection between temperature and population size as recorded in the field with the effect of temperature on the fish's oxygen needs as recorded in the laboratory．They found this connection between laboratory and field data to be “persuasive”．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

　　Testing has taken the place of teaching in most public schools．Pretests, drills, tests, and retests．They know that the best way to read a textbook is to look at the questions at the end of the chapter and then read the text quickly for the answers．I believe that my daughter Erica, who gets excellent marks, has never read a chapter of any of her school textbooks all the way through．And teachers are often heard to say proudly and openly that they teach to the test．

　　Teaching to the test is a curious phenomenon(现象)．Instead of deciding what skills students ought to learn, helping students learn them, and then using some methods of assessment(评价)to discover whether students have mastered the skills, teachers are encouraged to teach the students in the opposite way．First one looks at a test．Then one chooses the skills needed not to master reading, but to do well in the test．Finally, the test skills are taught．

　　The ability to read or write might suggest the ability to do reasonably well on standardized tests．However, neither reading nor writing develops simply through being taught to take tests．We must be careful to avoid mistaking preparations for a test of a skill with the acquisition(习得)of that skill．Too many discussions of basic skills make this misunderstanding because people are tested rather than concerned with the nature and quality of what is taught．

　　Recently, many schools have faced what could be called the crisis of comprehension or, in simple words, the phenomenon of students with grammar skills still being unable to understand what they read．These students are quite good at test taking and filling in workbooks．However, they have little or no experience reading or thinking, and talking about what they read．They know the details but can't see or understand the whole．They are taught to be so concerned with grades that they have no time to think about meaning, and reread things if necessary．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

　　Most, if not all, Chinese have become richer thanks to 28 years of reform and opening up．But are we any happier?

　　Various surveys attempt to answer this question．Though experts have presented varying percentages based on different standards, their answers tend to find we are generally happier, and the number of optimists rises each year．The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' 2006 Blue Book on social progress says 70 per cent of rural and urban citizens surveyed in 2005 reported a feeling of happiness and were optimistic about their futures．

　　But each survey shows a worrisome fact that 10 per cent, at the lowest, of citizens were not content with their lives or not hopeful about the future．We cannot be content with the fact that at least 130 million of our countrymen are not happy．

　　Although a sense of happiness remains a luxury(奢望)for many of our countrymen because of poverty, we agree wealth is not the only factor of happiness．For most of us, except the extremely rich and naturally born optimists, there simply are too many variables(可变物)that may kill the feeling of happiness．These include, but are not limited to, rising housing prices, tight and instable job market, back-breaking schooling expenses and medical bills．

　　The most common one, however, is a low sense of security(安全)．Some experts pointed that in the low-and-middle income group there was too much uncertainty regarding employment, income, housing, medical situations, and education．How can you feel happy when you always have to prepare yourself for the unexpected?

　　It may be beyond the government's reach, not to mention duty, to guarantee(保证)higher income for every citizen．But it does have a burden to create an environment where all citizens can feel a reasonable level of security．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

　　“Mom, can I bake some bread?” We were 15, my best friend, Hanna, and I, determined to try our hands at creating some beautiful bread．

　　“It's not worth the trouble,” my mother said．“It takes lots of time and makes a big mess．Our bakery bread is delicious without all that effort．”

　　Begging was useless．Mom's “no” meant “No!”

　　But several weeks later, opportunity knocked：My parents were going out for the evening．I immediately invited Hanna to be my partner in bread-baking crime．

　　We studied the recipe．That was easy．“Mix oil into flour, then beat in four of the eggs, one at a time, with remaining sugar and salt．”

　　We were not good at breaking eggs．I tried to learn from my mother．

　　“Gradually add eight cups of flour．When dough(面团)holds together, squeeze it．”

　　We took turns working like that．“Is the dough ‘holding together’?” we asked each other．I remembered my neighbor's instructions：“If it's too sticky, add some flour; if too dry, add water．”

　　We added water．Then more flour．Then more water．By then, the mass of our dough had grown very much．

　　“Place dough on floured surface and squeeze till smooth,” the recipe instructed．We took turns burying our hands in the damp dough, pinching, squeezing, and feeling it leak between fingers．

　　“Clean and oil bowl, then return dough to bowl．Cover and let dough rise in warm place for 1 hour．”

　　This was good news－we'd have a break．On dirtied kitchen chairs, we dreamed about our beautiful bread．“See?” we would tell my mom．“Isn't it worth the work?”

　　Hanna and I couldn't help glancing at the rising process every few minutes．But nothing was happening．

　　“Maybe something will happen in the hot oven, ”I said．

　　Unfortunately, when we removed the loaves from the oven, they were like hard stones．

　　Mom was right; it takes time and effort．Since that night, both Hanna and I have learned to do it right．It sometimes makes a mess．But still it feels good, somehow, to be part of that long, ongoing chain of bread bakers．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

　　Most young people enjoy some form of physical activity．It may be walking, cycling, or swimming, or in winter, skating or skiing．It may be a game of some form－football, basketball, hockey, golf or tennis．It may be mountaineering．

　　Those who have a passion(strong emotion)for climbing high and difficult mountains are often looked upon with astonishment．Why are men and women willing to suffer cold and hardship, and to take risks in high mountains? This astonishment is caused, probably, by the difference between mountaineering and other forms of activity to which men give their leisure．

　　Mountaineering is a sport and not a game．There are no man-made rules as others, as there are for such games as golf and football．There are, of course, rules of different kinds which it would be dangerous to ignore, but it is this freedom from man-made rules that makes mountaineering attractive to many people．Those who climb mountains are free to use their own methods．

　　If we compare mountaineering and other more familiar sports, we might think that one big difference is that mountaineering is not a “team game”．We should be mistaken in this．There are, it is true, no “matches” between “teams” of climbers, but when climbers are on a rock face linked by a rope on which their lives may depend, there is obviously teamwork．

　　The mountain climber knows that he may have to fight forces that are stronger and more powerful than man．He has to fight the forces of nature．His sport requires high mental and physical qualities．

　　A mountain climber continues to improve in skill year after year．A skier is probably past his best by the age of thirty, but it is not unusual for men of fifty or sixty to climb the highest mountain in the Alps．They may take more time than younger men, but they perhaps climb with more skills and less waste of effort, and they certainly experience equal enjoyment．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

　　Get a FREE YEAR! Order NOW and get a FREE YEAR of Parents Magazine! That's 2 full years(24 issues)for the regular 1-year rate－just ＄12．But HURRY, this offer won't last!(U．S．orders only, please．)

　　Every issue of PARENTS is filled with practical advice from leading doctors and child experts…toys and games that develop reader-tested products and more!

　　100％ Money-Back Guarantee：You must be pleased, or you may cancel any time during the life of your subscription(订阅)and get all your money back－no questions asked．Parents Magazine is published 12 times per year．Savings are based on ＄12.00 annual subscription rate．State taxes may apply to your order．

　　E-mail address required to access your account and member benefits online．We will not share your e-mail address with anyone．Click here：www．parents．com/privacy to view our privacy policy．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

　　If women are mercilessly exploited(剥削)year after year, they have only themselves to blame, because they tremble at the thought of being seen in public in clothes that are out of fashion．They are always taken advantage of by the designers and the big stores．Clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be put aside because of the change of fashion．When you come to think of it, only a woman is capable of standing in front of a wardrobe packed full of clothes and announcing sadly that she has nothing to wear．

　　Changing fashions are nothing more than the intentional creation of waste．Many women spend vast sums of money each year to replace clothes that have hardly been worn．Women who cannot afford to throw away clothing in this way, waste hours of their time altering the dresses they have．Skirts are lengthened or shortened; necklines are lowered or raised, and so on．

　　No one can claim that the fashion industry contributes anything really important to society．Fashion designers are rarely concerned with vital things like warmth, comfort and durability(耐用)．They're only interested in outward appearance and they take advantage of the fact that women will put up with any amount of discomfort, as long as they look right．There can hardly be a man who hasn't sometime in his life smiled at the sight of a woman shaking in a thin dress on a winter day, or delicately picking her way through deep snow in high-heeled shoes．

　　When comparing men and women in the matter of fashion, the conclusions to be drawn are obvious．Do the constantly changing fashions of women's clothes, one wonders, reflect basic qualities of instability(不稳定)?Men are too clever to let themselves be cheated by fashion designers．Do their unchanged styles of dress reflect basic qualities of stability and reliability? That is for you to decide．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)