阅读理解

　　Once upon a time, there was a beautiful bird, which was very curious about hell．When she was little, her mother always told her that if she didn't master the flying skills, she would go to hell．She was so curious about hell that she always asked others what hell looked like, but no one was sure, because none of them had ever been there．Some said hell was a place full of water, and others told her that hell was full of burning fire．However, the bird knew they were lying．She wanted to find out what hell was．

　　When other birds were learning flying skills, she always hid herself and watched them．She thought in this way she could go to hell and see what hell looked like．However, she spent so little time learning flying skills that one day she was caught by a little boy．The little boy gave her to his grandpa in the countryside as a gift．The old man liked her very much．He made a delicate cage and put her in it．The bird was very worried because she thought she couldn't find out what hell was like staying in this small cage．However, she couldn't escape．Day after day, she just stayed in the cage, watching other birds flying．She lost her freedom and she became sadder and sadder．At last, she became ill．The old man finally opened the cage, but she was too weak to fly．Lying no the ground, she thought of the question that she ever asked all the time．

　　“What does hell look like?”

　　“Hell is a small well-decorated cage．”Before she closed her eyes forever, she finally answered that question herself．

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　　In the 19^th century Americans from the eastern states moved out west to settle in the rich new lands along the Pacific Coast．The most difficult part of their trip was crossing the“Great American Desert”in the western part of the United States by horse and wagon．

　　The western desert can be very dangerous．There is little water and there are few trees．But the desert also has scenery of great beauty．Tall towers of red and yellow stone rise sharply from the flat sandy valley floor．The scene has been photographed many times and appears in movies and on TV．

　　In Arizona, man-made dams across the Colorado River have made two large lakes in the middle of the dry desert country．At Lake Powell, the red stone arch of Rainbow bridge rises high above the blue lake．

　　There are few roads．Many areas of Lake Powell's shore can only be reached by boat or on foot．But hikers in this empty desert land sometimes find very old native American pictures painted on the rocks．

　　In Death Valley, California, the summer temperature rises to 130－165 degrees Fahrenheit．There is less than two inches of rain each year．Death Valley is the lowest place in America－925 metres below sea level．In the 1800s, many travelers died when they tried to cross this waterless valley in the terrible heat．

　　Although the desert is dry and seems empty, there is plenty of life if you look closely．Small insects, snakes, and rats have learned how to live in the desert heat．They live underground and come out at night when it is cool．Plants such as cacti need very little water．When it does rain in the desert(sometimes only once or twice a year), plants grow quickly, and flowers open in a single day．For a short time, the desert is covered with splendid color．

阅读理解

　　Since 1989, Cave Thomas, who died at age 69, was one of the most recognizable faces on TV．He appeared in more than 800 commercials(advertisements)for the hamburger chain named for his daughter．“As long as it works,”he said in 1991,“I'll continue to do those commercials．”

　　Even though he was successful, Thomas remained troubled by his childhood．“He still won't let anyone see his feet, which are out of shape because he never had proper-fitting shoes,”Wendy said in 1993．Born to a single mother, he was adopted as a baby by Rex and Auleva Thomas of Dalamazoo in Michigan．After Auleva died when he was 5, Thomas spent years on the road as Rex traveled around seeking construction work．“He fed me,”Thomas said,“and if I got out of line, he'd beat me．”

　　Moving out on his own at 15, Thomas worked, first as a waiter, in many restaurants．But he had something much better in mind．“I thought if I owned a restaurant,”he said,“I could eat for free．”A 1956 meeting with Harland Samders led Thomas to a career as the manager of a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant that made him a millionaire in1968．

　　In 1969, after breaking with Sanders, Thomas started the first Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers, in Columbus, Ohio, which set itself apart by serving made-to-order burgers．With 6,ooo restaurants worldwide, the chain now makes ＄6 billion a year in sales．

　　Although troubled by his own experience with adoption, Thomas married since 1954 to Lorraine, 66, and with four children．He started the Dave Thomas Foundation(基金会)for Adoption in 1992．

　　In 1993, Thomas, who had left school at 15, graduated from Coconut Creek High School in Florida．He even took Lorraine to the graduation dance party．The kids voted him Most Likely to succeed．

　　“The Dave you saw on TV was the real Dave,”says friend Pat Williams,“He wasn't a great actor or a great speaker．He was just Joe Everybody．”

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　　Body Power：This class uses weights and aerobic movements to increase strength while burning fat．It is suitable for all levels of fitness．

　　Aerobics：This is a low to medium level of difficulty aerobics class．It is good for beginner to average levels of fitness．

　　Beginner Aerobics：This class has low levels of difficulty and simple aerobic movements．It is mainly for people who have not exercised before or who are just returning after a long break or injury．

　　Body Stretch：This is relaxation class which stretches all the muscle groups．It is suitable for all levels of fitness．People who exercise regularly or have a stressful lifestyle would also benefit from this class．

　　Body burn：This is a high level of difficulty aerobics class that mainly targets fat burning．It is only for those people with a very high level of fitness．

阅读理解

　　Around the world many people are taking part in dangerous sports and activities．Of course, there have always been people who have looked for adventure-those who have climbed the highest mountains, traveled in unknown parts of the world or sailed in small boats across the greatest oceans．Now, however, there are more and more people who hunt for an immediate excitement from a dangerous activity which may only last a few minutes or even seconds．

　　Bungee jumping is a good example of such an activity．You jump from a high place 200 metres above the ground with an elastic(弹性的)rope tied to your ankles．You fall at up to 150 kilometres an hour until the rope stops you from hitting the ground．It is said that 2 million people around the world have now tried bungee jumping．Other activities which most people would say are as risky as bungee jumping include jumping from tall buildings and diving into the sea from the top of high mountains．

　　Why do people take part in such activities as these?Some scientists suggest that it is because life in modern societies has become safe and uninteresting．Not very long ago, people's lives were constantly in danger．They had to go out and hunt for food．If they were badly ill, it was not easy for them to get well again．In fact, life was a continuous battle for living and existing．

　　Nowadays, according to many people, life offers little excitement．They live and work in safe conditions; they buy food in shops; and there are doctors and hospitals to look after them if they become ill．The answer for some of these people is to look for danger in activities such as bungee jumping．

阅读理解

　　There is, for many of us, a moment in life when we make a choice that changes us forever．This moment marks a turning point, when we realize that the life we're living is not a mirror of who we really are．

　　For some, the moment comes as a result of something dramatic：the sudden loss of a job, or the death of a loved one．For others, they have to deal with difficult situations, such as financial hardship．In these challenging times, it's more critical(关键时刻的)than ever for us to seize the possibility of positive change．As I travel and talk to people about their lives, I often see a distant, vacant look in their eyes－a look that says“I'm so busy trying to survive my life that no soul left to live it”．

　　As a result, we end up feeling lonely．Yet we keep on going the way we've been going．We tolerate high levels of stress at work, take important relationships for granted, or put our health needs on hold．We get so caught up in the details of living that our busyness becomes an excuse from the inner voice that begs us to listen．When you finally pay attention to that little voice and begin to make even small changes, you will slowly improve yourself．

　　To start positive change, you need the power of your mind．I've come up with a five-step strategy that will help you．You will be able to identify what you want and then go after it．It's easier than you might think．

　　1．Reset your happiness set point．Don't limit yourself!When I decided that I wanted more control over my life, I set goals in physical, emotional, financial, professional, material, and play．I challenged myself to consider every possible choice．Imagine things you've never believed you could achieve．Don't let your past determine your future．

　　2．Trust your courage．Too often, when you're first learning to take control of your life, you doubt yourself．It's important to develop a strong connection with your inner guidance system．I've heard many stories about the persistent voice inside your head．

　　3．Take action．Once you have set goals, adjusted your beliefs, and got ready, you can start making things happen．Again, turn to those people you respect－the ones achieving what you desire－for support and guidance．They will both inspire you and give you practical advice on what steps you need to take．

　　4．Have faith．Believe that the positive energy of grace will support your efforts to improve your life．When you've done all you can, let go and trust that the right result will occur．When we have faith, we give up the need to be in control, and we set ourselves up to actually enjoy the process of change．

　　5．Be patient．This can be the toughest step．It's not easy to trust that your life will improve in a best way．Remind yourself of the benefits of patience．In my experience, those life changes are always worth the wait．

阅读理解

阅读理解

　　We now think of chocolate as sweet, but once it was bitter．We think of it as a candy, but once it was a medicine．Today, chocolate can be a hot drink, a frozen dessert, or just a snack．Sometimes it is an ingredient in the main course of a meal．Mexicans make a hot chocolate sauce called mole and pour it over chicken．The Mexicans also eat chocolate with spices like chili peppers．

　　Chocolate is a product of the tropical cacao tree．The beans taste so bitter that even the monkeys say“Ugh!”and run away．Workers must first dry and then roast the beans．This removes the bitter taste．

　　The word“chocolate”comes from a Mayan word．The Mayas were an ancient people who once lived in Mexico．They valued the cacao tree．Some used the beans for money, while others crushed them to make a drink．

　　When the Spaniards came to Mexico in the sixteenth century, they started drinking cacao too．Because the drink was strong and bitter, they thought it was a medicine．No one had the idea of adding sugar．The Spaniards took some beans back to Europe and opened cafes．Wealthy people drank cacao and said it was good for the digestion．

　　In the 1800s, the owner of a chocolate factory in England discovered that sugar removed the bitter taste of cacao．It quickly became a cheap and popular drink．Soon afterwards, a factory made the first solid block of sweetened chocolate．Later on, another factory mixed milk and chocolate together．People liked the taste of milk chocolate even better．

　　Besides the chocolate candy bar, one of the most popular American snacks is the chocolate chip cookie．Favorite desserts are chocolate cream pie and of course an ice cream sundae with hot fudge sauce．

阅读理解

　　Chinese politeness have always been formal to follow strict rules, although sometimes Chinese people seem to be impolite according to Western standards in public places．To well understand Chinese, some concepts should not be ignored．

　　Mianzi

　　The idea of shame, usually expressed as 'face' could be loosely defined as the 'status' or 'self-respect' in Chinese and by no means alien to foreigners．It is the worst thing for a Chinese to lose face．Never insult, embarrass, shame, yell at or otherwise demean a person．Since all these actions would risk putting a Chinese in a situation that he might lose face, neither try to prove someone wrong nor shout at him in public．In order to get a successful effect without letting a Chinese lose face, any criticism should be delivered privately, carefully, or else, just opposite to what you wish．

　　Guanxi

　　Throughout much of Chinese history, the fundamental glue that has held society together is the concept of guanxi, relationships between people．It is very important for the Chinese to have good relationships．They often regard good social relations as a symbol of personal ability and influence．Someone who has no connections would be disrespected and is only half-Chinese．

　　Keqi

　　Keqi not only means considerate, polite, and well mannered, but also represents respect and modesty．It is impolite to talk too proudly about oneself or one's inner circle．The expression is most often used in the negative, as in buyao keqi, meaning“you shouldn't be so kind and polite to me,”or“you're welcome．”

　　Besides, Chinese seldom express what they think directly and they prefer a roundabout way．Neither show their emotions and feelings in public．They rarely greet people with a handshake, though it is very popular among foreigners, and say nothing of embracing or kissing when greeting or saying good-bye．Consequently, it is better not to behave too carefree in public, even though you are well-intentioned．Also, it is advisable to be fairly cautious in political discussions．Do not particularly push yourself forward, or else you are unwelcome．

　　To sum up, do in Rome as Rome does, but you need not worry about these cultural barriers since most Chinese are hospitable and friendly and will not mind your no accomplishment．

阅读理解

　　A chicken or egg question about the early universe has been answered by astronomers saying black holes came before galaxies(星系)．

　　Most if not all galaxies, including our Milky Way, are believed to have massive black holes in central parts．But did the black holes come first, helping to build galaxies by pulling material towards them, or did they arise in the centre of already formed galaxies?According to new research, the former is most likely to be true．

　　“It looks like the black holes came first,”said Dr Chris, from the US Astronomy Observatory．“The evidence is piling up．”

　　Earlier studies had shown a link between the masses of black holes and the central“bulges”of stars and gas in galaxies．Generally, the black hole's mass was about one 1,000th the mass of the surrounding galactic bulge．This indicated a relationship between the black hole and the bulge．What was not clear was whether one grew before the other, or whether they grew together．

　　New radio telescope observations reaching back almost to the birth of the first galaxies may have answered that question．Radio waves received from these galaxies were sent out about a billion years after the Big Bang(大爆炸)which started the universe．These young distant galaxies had much larger black holes in relation to their bulge mass than older and closer galaxies．

　　“The implication is that the black holes started growing first,”said Dr Fabian, a German scientist．

　　The next challenge is to work out how the black hole and the bulge affect each other's growth, said the astronomers．