阅读理解

　　Alia Sabur, from North, NY, US, went to college at the age of 10．And by at the age of 14, Sabur was earning a bachelor of science degree in applied mathematics from stony Brook University－the youngest female in US history to do so．Her education continued at Drexel University, where she earned an MS and a Phd．(博士学位)in materials science and engineering．

　　With an unlimited future ahead of her, Sabur directed her first career choice to teaching．“I really enjoy teaching, ” she said．She was three days short of her 19th birthday in February, 2008, when she was hired to become a professor at Konkuk University in Seoul, South Korea．This distinction(差异)made her the youngest college professor in history, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, beating the previous record held by Colin Maclaurin, a student of physicist Isaac Newton, in 1717．

　　Although she doesn’t start until next month, Sabur has taken up teaching math and physics courses at Southern University in New Orleans．Sabur is old enough to teach, but not to join her fellow professors in a bar after work．In South Korea, where the drinking age is 20, she might have more luck．In traditional Korean culture, children are considered to be 1 year old when they are born, and add a year to their age every New Year instead of their actual birthday, so in Korea Sabur is considered 20．

　　On top of her unprecedented(空前的)academic achievements, Sabur has a black belt in Tae Kwon Do(跆拳道)．She is also a talented clarinet(竖笛)player who has performed with musicians like Lang Lang and Smash Mouth．So is there anything Sabur can’t do?

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

　　“Hey, Jenna, do you tin we’ll still be friends when we’re eighty－two?” I asked my friend．It was clear she was wondering where I had come up with such a question．Losing Jenna would be like losing a very close sister．We hung out together．We gave each other advice．

　　“Of course, we’ll still be friends when we’re eighty－two．” Jenna announced loudly．

　　The next year, in fourth grade, we met Jamie．The three of us soon became close friends．We played together almost every day．I thought even time couldn’t pull us apart, but I was sadly mistaken．

　　The three of us started fighting a lot．Before Christmas, we had a really big fight, and Jamie and Jenna were against me, both saying I was bossy．I felt helpless and lonely．I thought Christmas would be horrible!

　　I was surprised when Jenna came to my house and gave me an awesome Christmas card she had made for me．I was so sure that she was still disappointed with me．

　　“Wow,” I said．breaking the silence as we stood on either side of my front door．“Thanks．”

　　“Okay…well…I have to go,” she said softly．

　　“Okay．See you late then…” and I closed the door．

　　“Who was that at the door?” my mum asked．

　　The card stared off with “Merry Christmas”, but then it said, “I am so glad we’re friends．I am sorry about what I said when we were fighting．A fight won’t stop us from being friends．Besides, we said we were going to be friends even when we’re eight－two．”

　　I stopped reading and started laughing．I couldn’t believe I had forgotten what she said that day in her back yard．I couldn’t believe I had been so selfish in trying to get even and making my friends feel sorry for me that I had forgotten about real friendship．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

　　The case for college has been accepted without question for more than a generation．All high school graduates ought to go, because college will help them earn more money, become “better” people, and learn to be more responsible citizens than those who don’t go．

　　But college has never been able to work its magic for everyone．And now that close to half our high school graduates are attending, those who don’t fit the pattern are becoming more and more obvious．College graduates are selling shoes and driving taxis; college students get in the way of each other’s experiments and write false letters of recommendation in the competition for admission to graduate school．Others find not interested in their studies, and drop out－often encouraged by college leaders．

　　Some observers say the fault is with the young people themselves－they are spoiled and they are expecting too much．But that is to blame the students as a whole, and does not explain all campus unhappiness．Others blame the state of the World, and they are partly right．We’ve been told that young people have to go to college because our economy cannot take in an army of untrained eighteen-year-olds．But disappointed graduates are learning that it can no longer take in an army of trained twenty-two-year-olds, either．

　　Some adventuresome educators and campus watchers have openly begun to suggest that college may not be the best, the proper, the only place for every young person after the completion of high school．We may have been looking at all those surveys upside down, it seems, and thinking of the rosy glow of our own remembered college experiences．Perhaps college does not make people intelligent, ambitious, happy, liberal, or quick to learn things－maybe it is just the other way round, and intelligent, ambitious, happy, liberal, quick－learning people are only the ones who have been attracted to college in the first place．And perhaps all those successful college graduates would have been successful whether they had gone to college or not．This is heresy(异端邪说)to those of us who have been brought up to believe that if a little schooling is good, more has to be much better．But opposite evidence is beginning to mount up．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

　　Sacramento SAN FRANCISC0－Same－sex marriage might not be recognized in most states, but it is in the dictionary．

　　Merriam－Webster included a secondary definition(定义)of marriage to recognize same－sex relationships several years before gay couples were allowed to tie the knot anywhere in the United States, but the change had gone largely unnoticed until the World Net Daily news site reported it Tuesday．

　　“One of the nation’s most well－known dictionary companies has settled the argument over whether the term ‘marriage’ should apply to same－sex duos or be only used for the traditional institution that has held families together for ages by simply writing a new definition,” World Net wrote this Tuesday．

　　In its web and print editions．Merriam－Webster defines marriage as “the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a relationship recognized by law．” In 2003 the company added a secondary meaning for “marriage” as “the state of being united to a person of the same sex in a relationship like that of a traditional marriage．”

　　Merriam－Webster said in a statement Wednesday that the added definition merely reflected the frequency with which the term “same－sex marriage” had popped up in print and become part of the general lexicon．“Its inclusion was a simple matter of providing dictionary users with accurate information about all of the word’s current uses, ”the company said, adding that it was surprised by the recent attention because it was “neither news nor unusual．”

　　“We were one of the last ones among the major dictionary publishers to do this．”said Merriam－Webster spokesman Arthur Bicknell．

　　Boston－based Houghton－Mifflin．publisher of the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, modified its definition of marriage in 2000, adding a fourth example to the entry：“A union between two persons having the customary but usually not the legal force of marriage：a same－sex marriage．”

　　Only two states of the country, Connecticut and Massachusetts, legally recognize gay marriage five years ago．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

　　History is full of cases where dreams have been a pathway to creativity and discovery．A striking example is provided by Dr．Otto Loewi, a pharmacologist and winner of a Nobel Prize．Loewi had spent years studying the chemical transmission of nerve impulses(脉搏)．A major breakthrough in his research calile when he dreamed of an experiment three nights in a row．The first two nights he woke up and wrote down the experiment quickly and untidily on paper．But the next morning, he couldn’t tell what the notes meant．On the third night, he got up after having the dream．This time, instead of making notes he went straight to his laboratory and performed the important experiment．Loewi later said that if the experiment had occurred to him while awake he would not have given it another thought．

　　Loewi’s experiment gives some insight into using dreams to produce creative solutions．Nervous feelings are reduced during dreaming, which may be especially useful in solving problems that require a fresh point of view．

　　Being able to take advantage of dreams for solving is improved if you “set” yourself before retiring．Before you go to bed, try to think intently about a problem you wish to solve．Bury yourself in the problem by stating it clearly and reviewing all relevant information．Then use the suggestions listed in the previous section to catch your dreams．Although this method is not guaranteed to produce an original solution or a new insight, it is certain to be an adventure．About half of a group of college students using the method for a week recalled a dream that helped them solve a personal problem．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

阅读理解

　　I revisited Beichuan on Mid－Autumn Festival．As the car drove into the ruined city, tears streamed down my cheeks．Giant rocks from the mountain destroyed the road and houses collapsed breaking into bricks and pieces of cement．Beichuan Middle School, which was once filled with energy and laughter, now so unrecognizable, so empty, so quiet, so still, was a death valley．

　　I couldn’t really imagine at that split second, how much pain they had suffered or how desperate they felt as they waited to be rescued．Those unfortunate ones watched the devil of death march over them．taking them away．I can’t really imagine how heartbroken their parents or beloved ones were．

　　As I wandered in the ruins．I was lost in deep thoughts．

　　The day before, we were sitting in the brightly lit classroom, heatedly debating the importance of shapes, colors and styles in architecture, comparing ancient time housing to the modem ones．Their similarities, their differences, their pros and cons…

　　Now, facing the terrible scene, I realized how childlike we were and how easily we forgot the most important element of architect is SAFETV it is how housing is supposed to be：to shelter us from burning sun and pouring rain, to provide us with a cozy warm place to sleep and relax．Undeniably, the style and shape do play important roles in architecture．But when a natural disaster such as this earthquake came upon us without warning, will beauty stay over anybody’s life? From this trip, we can no doubt give the clear and loud answer：NO!!!

　　Words after such scale of disaster could appear nothing but empty and pointless．So many people’s lives were taken．so much damage was done and a whole city was wiped out．Beichuan has become a history．Nevertheless, I still keep on dreaming and still long for a better future：to make our homes prettier yet safer．

　　May victims rest in peace．May survivors live to be stronger．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

　　Today we tell about the expression “down to earth”．Down to earth means being open and honest．It is easy to deal with someone who is down to earth．Such people could be important members of society, but they do not consider themselves to be better than others who are less important．They do not let their importance “go to their heads．” Someone who lets something go to his head feels he is better than others．He has a “big head．”

　　A person who is filled with his own importance and pride is said to have “his nose in the air．”Often the person who has a big head and his nose in the air has no reason to feel better than others．

　　Americans use another expression that is similar in some ways to down to earth－“both feet on the ground．” Someone with both feet on the ground is a person with a good understanding of reality．She has what is called “common sense．” She does not allow her dreams to block her understanding of what is real．

　　The opposite kind of person is one who has his “head in the clouds．” Someone with his head in the clouds is a person whose mind is not on what is happening in real life．Such a person may be called a “daydreamen．”

　　The person who is down to earth usually has both feet on the ground．But the opposite is not always true．Someone with both feet on the ground may not be as open and easy to deal with as someone who is down to earth．

　　When we have both our feet firmly on the ground, and when we are down to earth, we do not have our noses in the air．We act honestly and openly to others．And our lives are like the ground below up－solid and strong．

(1)

(2)

(3)

阅读理解

　　Books are not Nadia Konyk’s thing．Her mother brings them home from the library, but Nadia rarely shows interest．Instead, like so many other teenagers, Nadia, 15, is addicted to the Internet．She regularly spends at least six hours a day in front of the computer, spending most of her time reading and commenting on stories written by other users．Her mother, Deborah Konyk, would prefer that Nadia read books for a change．

　　As teenagers’ scores on reading tests have declined, some argue that the hours spent surfing the Internet are the enemy of reading－destroying a precious common culture that exists only through the reading of books．Critics have warned that electronic media would destroy reading．

　　Others say the Internet has created a new kind of reading．The Web inspires a teenager like Nadia, who might otherwise spend most of her leisure time watching television, to read and write．What is different now, some literacy experts say, is that spending time on the Web engages viewers with text．

　　Web supporters believe that strong readers on the Web may eventually surpass those who rely on books．Reading five Web sites, experts say, can be more enriching than reading one book．“It takes a long time to read a 400-page book,” said Spiro．“In a tenth of the time,” he said, the Internet allows a reader to “cover a lot more of the topic from different points of view．”

　　Some literacy experts say that reading itself should be redefined．Interpreting videos or pictures, they say, may be as important a skill as analyzing a novel or a poem．“Kids are using sound and images so they have a world of ideas to put together,” said Donna Alvermann, a professor of literacy education at the University of Georgia．“Books aren't out of the picture, but they’re only one way of experiencing information in the world today．”

　　Next year, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which gives reading, math and science tests to 15-year-old students in more than 50 countries, will add an electronic reading component(软件)．The United States says it will not participate because an additional test would overburden schools．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

WILD WEATHERMAN

　　Name：Sam Champion

　　Hot job：TV Weatherman

　　Where：WABC-TV, New York City

　　I wanted to be a foreign journalist．I took courses in weather science at Eastern Kentucky University, but I majored in broadcasting news．

　　My first job in the early 80’s was at the local TV station in Paducah, Kentucky．I did everything from turning on the lights in the morning to writing and delivering morning news．I put together weather forecasts, and became interested in them．

　　Independent companies collected computer information that showed, for example, how a single weather system might split into snow or snow mixed with rain．The information was often opposite and the job of a weatherman was to study the information and make the best educated guess about the storm．

　　Advanced computers, satellites, and Doppler radar(sound waves used to track storms)have made forecasting more exact．But we still know very little about how weather is shaped．So far, we just have theories．

　　To me, weather is the most exciting field in the world．There are still so many more questions about weather than answers．After all, if we can’t foresee floods or hurricanes, how safe a society are we?Weather forecasting is wide open for scientists who love to solve puzzling problems．The next generation of meteorologists(weather scientists)will unlock many of Earth’s weather secrets．So get a general knowledge of Earth science, and study meteorology(weather science)in college．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

阅读理解

George F．R．Ellis ＆ Ruby

BOOK REVIEWED－George’s Secret Key to the Universe

by Lucy ＆ Stephen Hawking

　　Stephen Hawking’s book A Brief History of Time was a huge commercial success．Its achievements in bringing difficult scientific ideas to a wide audience are not so clear．Now the distinguished physicist has teamed up with his daughter Lucy to produce a children’s book designed to communicate contemporary physics．Will it capture the attention of young minds and teach them some real science?Or will it be boring and over the heads of the prospective readers?

　　George’s Secret Key to the Universe is an adventure story complete with villains(反面人物)and hero and is illustrated with enjoyable line-drawings．It involves a lost pig, a humorously portrayed(描写)intelligent computer, school bullies and a trip through the Solar System．Didactic discussions on aspects of modern physics, such as supernova(超新星)explosions and black-hole physics are hung on this set-up．There are also fact boxes on physics and astronomy, and some photographs of astronomical phenomena：planets, comets, galaxies(星系)and so on．Overall, the book is a serious effort to convey facts and ideas in present day astronomy and astrophysics, within a science-fiction adventure story．

　　The mixture is great．Children love facts and adventure stories．The combination will catch their interest and keep them occupied for hours．After ten minutes of leafing through the book, my granddaughter Ruby was deeply absorbed and I had to promise to bring it back for her to read after I had completed my review．Like any educational tool, it will succeed for some and not for others．I suppose there should be more of the former．

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)