阅读理解

　　Many of the most damaging types of weather begin quickly, strike suddenly, and disappear rapidly, destroying small areas while leaving neighboring areas untouched．Such event as a tornado(龙卷风)struck the northeastern part of Edmonton, Alberta, in July 1987．Total damages from the tornado went beyond $250 million, the highest ever for any Canadian storm．

　　Traditional computer models of the atmosphere have limited value in predicting short-lived local storms like the Edmonton tornado, because the available weather data are generally not detailed enough to allow computers to study carefully the slight atmospheric changes that come before these storms．In most nations, for example, weather-balloon observations are taken just once every twelve hours at places separated by hundreds of miles．With such limited data, traditional forecasting models do a much better job predicting general weather conditions over large areas than they do forecasting specific local events．

　　Until recently, the observation intensive method needed for exact, very short-range forecasts, or “Nowcasts, ” was not possible．The cost of equipping and operating many thousands of conventional weather stations was extremely high, and the difficulties concerned in rapidly collecting and processing the weather data from such a network were hard to overcome．

　　Fortunately, scientific and technological advances have overcome most of these problems．Radar(雷达)systems and satellites are all able to make detailed, nearly continuous observation over large areas at a lower cost．Communications satellites can send out data around the world cheaply and immediately, and modern computers can quickly collect and analyze this large amount of weather information．

　　Meteorologists(气象学者)and computer scientists now work together to design computer programs and video equipment able to change weather data into words and graphic displays(图解)that forecasters can understand easily and quickly．As meteorologists have begun using these new technologies in weather forecasting offices, nowcasting is becoming a reality．

阅读理解

　　Disposing(处理)of waste has been a problem since humans started producing it．As more and more people choose to live close together in cities, the waste-disposal problem becomes increasingly difficult．

　　During the eighteenth century, it was usual for several neighboring towns to get together to select a faraway spot as a dump site．Residents or trash haulers(垃圾拖运者)would transport household rubbish, rotted wood, and old possessions to the site．Periodically some of the trash was burned and the rest was buried．The unpleasant sights and smells caused no problem because nobody lived close by．

　　Factories, mills, and other industrial sites also had waste to be disposed of．Those located on rivers often just dumped the unwanted remains into the water．Others built huge burners with chimneys to deal with the problem．

　　Several facts make these choices unacceptable to modern society．The first problem is space Dumps, which are now called landfills, are most needed in heavily populated areas．Such areas rarely have empty land suitable for this purpose．Property is either too expensive or too close to residential neighborhoods．Long-distance trash hauling has been a common practice but once farm areas are refusing to accept rubbish from elsewhere, cheap land within trucking distance of major city areas is almost nonexistent．

　　Awareness of pollution dangers has resulted in more strict rules of waste disposal．Pollution of rivers, ground water, land and air is a price people can no longer pay to get rid of waste．The amount of waste, however, continues to grow．

　　Recycling efforts have become commonplace, and many towns require their people to take part．Even the most efficient recycling programs, however, can hope to deal with only about 50 percent of a city’s reusable waste．

阅读理解

　　Your chair is your enemy．That is the conclusion of several recent studies．Among people who sit in front of the television for more than three hours each day, those who exercise are as fat as those who don’t．

　　So what’s wrong with sitting? The answer seems to have two parts．The first is that sitting is one of the most passive things you can do．Compared to sitting, standing in one place is hard work．To stand, you have to tense your leg muscles, and engage the muscles of your back and shoulders; while standing, you often shift from leg to leg．All of this burns energy．

　　You may think you have no choice about how much you sit．But this isn’t true．Suppose you sleep for eight hours each day, and exercise for one．That still leaves 15 hours of activities．Even if you exercise, most of the energy you burn will be burnt during these 15 hours, so weight gain is often the cumulative(累积的)effect of a series of small decisions：Do you take the stairs or the elevator? Do you walk to the corner store, or drive?

　　But it looks as though there’s a more sinister aspect to sitting．Some evidence suggests that when you spend long periods sitting, your body actually does things that are bad for you．

　　Lipoprotein lipase(蛋白脂酶)is a molecule that plays a central role in how the body processes fats．Low levels of lipoprotein lipase are associated with a variety of health problems．Studies in rats show that leg muscles only produce this molecule when they are actively being moved．The result is that when you sit, an important part of your metabolism(新陈代谢)slows down．You may also have a higher risk of suffering from diabetes(糖尿病)．

　　Some people have advanced radical solutions to the sitting syndrome(综合症)：replace your sit-down desk with a stand-up desk, or watch television in a rocking chair．But whatever you choose, know this．The data is clear; look out for your chair．

阅读理解

　　According to some talk, the younger generation in Smithville is the most antisocial in history．This seems far from the truth．Young people today as a whole are better, more informed, more ambitious, healthier, and more smart than ever before．Why then, it may be asked, do we see such restlessness and such antisocial behavior among our young people?

　　For the answer the citizens of this community must look at themselves．What have they done to the grounds that have been built in the last fifteen years? How many swimming pools are there? How many vocational training projects have been started? How many community－organized youth parties and picnics have been held?

　　The average citizen will answer that the responsibility for these activities belongs to the schools．But the schools cannot be held responsible for all the free－time activities of all the young people of this community．The job of the schools is formal education, not free－time recreation(娱乐)．

　　This community needs a youth center suitable for such activities as picnics, camping, sports, music, art and so on．There should be social and recreational activities to meet the needs and interests of every member of our school age youth．

　　Mayor Elmo D．Greely has proposed the formation of a Youth Club as the first step in the direction of a Youth Center．Mayor Greely has called a meeting at the City Hall on Friday, August 15, at noon．

　　Giving up a lunch hour is a very little sacrifice for a project that can be of great importance to this community．

　　This newspaper urges every adult and young person of Smithville to attend this important meeting．We believe our industrial, business, and professional leaders have an especially strong duty to be present．

　　This newspaper will be present and intends to support this project with vigor．

阅读理解

　　The number of speakers of English in Shakespeare’s time is estimated(估计)to have been about five million．Today it is estimated that some 260 million people speak it as a native language, mainly in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand．In addition to the standard varieties of English found in these areas, there are a great many regional and social varieties of the language as well as various levels of usage that are employed both in its spoken and written forms．

　　In fact, it is impossible to estimate the number of people in the world who have acquired an adequate(足够的)working knowledge of English in addition to their own languages．The purpose for English learning and the situations in which such learning takes place are so varied that it is difficult to explain and still more difficult to judge what forms an adequate working knowledge for each situation．

　　The main reason for the widespread demand for English is its present-day importance as a world language．Besides serving the indefinite needs of its native speakers, English is a language in which some of important works in science, technology, and other fields are being produced, and not always by native speakers．It is widely used for such purposes as meteorological and airport communications, international conferences, and the spread of information over the radio and television networks of many nations．It is a language of wider communication for a number of developing countries, especially former British colonies．Many of these countries have multilingual populations and need a language for internal communication in such matters as government, commerce, industry, law and education as well as for international communication and for entrance to the scientific and technological developments in the West．

阅读理解

　　Every day we experience one of the wonders of the world around us without even realizing it．It is not the amazing complexity of television, nor the impressive technology of transport．The universal wonder we share and experience is our ability to make noises with our mouths, and so transmit ideas and thoughts to each other's minds．This ability comes so naturally that we tend to forget what a miracle it is．

　　Obviously, the ability to talk is something that marks humans off from animals．Of course, some animals have powers just as amazing．Birds can fly thousands of miles by observing positions of the stars in the sky in relation to the time of day and year．In Nature's talent show, humans are a species of animal that have developed their own act．If we reduce it to basic terms, it's an ability for communicating information to others by varying sounds we make as we breathe out．

　　Not that we don't have other powers of communication．Our facial expressions convey our emotions, such as anger, or joy, or disappointment．The way we hold our heads can indicate to others whether we are happy or sad．This is so-called “ body-language”．Bristling(直立的)fur is an unmistakable warning of attack among many animals．Similarly, the bowed head or drooping tail shows a readiness to take second place in any animal gathering．

　　Such a means of communication is a basic mechanism that animals, including human beings, instinctively acquire and display．Is the ability to speak just another sort of instinct?If so, how did human beings acquire this amazing skill?Biologists can readily indicate that particular area of our brain where speech mechanisms function, but this doesn't tell you how that part of our bodies originated in our biological history．

阅读理解

　　For many parents, raising a teenager is like fighting a long war, but years go by without any clear winner．Like a border conflict between neighboring countries, the parent-teen war is about boundaries ：where is the line between what I control and what you do?

　　Both sides want peace, but neither feels it has any power to stop the conflict．In part, this is because neither is willing to admit any responsibility for starting it．From the parents' point of view, the only cause of their fight is their adolescents' complete unreasonableness．And of course, the teens see it in exactly the same way, except oppositely．Both feel trapped．

　　In this article, I'll describe three no-win situations that commonly arise between teens and parents and then suggest some ways out of the trap．The first no-win situation is quarrels over unimportant things．Examples include the color of the teen's hair, the cleanliness of the bedroom, the preferred style of clothing, the child's failure to eat a good breakfast before school, or his tendency to sleep until noon on the weekends．Second, blaming．The goal of a blaming battle is to make the other admit that his bad attitude is the reason why everything goes wrong．Third, needing to be right．It doesn't matter what the topic is－politics, the laws of physics, or the proper way to break an egg－the point of these arguments is to prove that you are right and the other person is wrong, for both wish to be considered an authority－someone who actually knows something－and therefore to command respect．Unfortunately, as long as parents and teens continue to assume that they know more than the other, they'll continue to fight these battles forever and never make any real progress．

阅读理解

　　Love, success, happiness, family and freedom－how important are these values to you?Here is one interview which explores the fundamental questions in life．

　　Question ：Could you introduce yourself first?

　　Answer：My name is Misbah, 27years old．I was born in a war-torn area．Right now I'm a web designer．

　　Question：What are your great memories?

　　Answer：My parents used to take us to hunt birds, climb trees, and play in the fields．For me it was like a holiday because we were going to have fun all day long．Those are my great memories．

　　Question：Does your childhood mean a lot to you?

　　Answer：Yes．As life was very hard, I used to work to help bring money in for the family．I spent my childhood working, with responsibilities beyond my age．However, it taught me to deal with problems all alone．I learnt to be independent．

　　Question：What changes would you like to make in your life?

　　Answer：If I could change something in my life, I'd change it so that my childhood could have taken place in another area．I would have loved to live with my family in freedom．Who cares whether we have much money , or whether we have a beautiful house?It doesn't matter as long as I can live with my family and we are safe．

　　Question：How do you get along with your parents?

　　Answer：My parents supported me until I came to age．I want to give back what I have got．That's our way．But I am working in another city．My only contact with my parents now is through the phone, but I hate using it．It filters out your emotion and leaves your voice only．My deepest feelings should be passed through sight, hearing and touch．

阅读理解

　　When Mary Moore began her high school in 1951, her mother told her, “Be sure and take a typing course so when this show business thing doesn't work out, you will have something to rely on．” Mary responded in typical teenage fashion．From that moment on, “the very last thing I ever thought about doing was taking a typing course,” she recalls．

　　The show business thing worked out, of course．In her career, Mary won many awards．Only recently, when she began to write Growing Up Again, did she regret ignoring her mom, “I don't know how to use a computer ,” she admits．

　　Unlike her 1995 autobiography, After All, her second book is less about life as an award-winning actress and more about living with diabetes(糖尿病)。All the money from the book is intended for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation(JDRF), an organization she serves as international chairman．“I feel there was a need for a book like this,” she says．“I didn't want to lecture, but I wanted other diabetes to know that things get better when we are self-controlled and do our part in managing the disease．”

　　But she hasn't always practiced what she teaches．In her book, she describes that awful day, almost 40 years ago, when she received two pieces of life-changing news．First, she had lost the baby she was carrying and second, tests showed that she had diabetes．In a childlike act, she left the hospital and treated herself to a box of doughnuts(甜甜圈)．Years would pass before she realized she had to grow up-again-and take control of her diabetes, not let it control her．Only then did she kick her three-pack-a-day cigarette habit, overcome her addiction to alcohol, and begin to follow a balanced diet．

　　Although her disease has affected her eyesight and forced her to the sidelines of the dance floor, she refuses to fall into self-pity．“Everybody on earth asks, ‘why me?' about something or other,” she insists．“It doesn't do any good．No one is immune to heart pain, and disappointments．Sometimes we can make things better by helping others．I've come to realize the importance of that as I've grown up this second time．I want to speak out and be as helpful as I can be．”

阅读理解

　　The Erie Canal was the first important national waterway built in the US．It crossed New York from Buffalo on Lake Erie Troy to Albany on the Hudson River．It joined the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean．The canal served as a route over which industrial goods could flow into the west, and materials could pour into the east．The Erie Canal helped New York develop into the nation's largest city．

　　The building of the canal was paid for entirely by the state of New York．It cost＄7 143 789, but it soon gained its price many times over．Between 1825, when the canal was opened, and 1882, when toll charges(过运河费)were stopped, the state collected＄121 461 891．

　　For a hundred years before the Erie was built, people had been talking about a canal which could join the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean．The man who planned the Erie Canal and carried the plan through was De Witt Clinton．Those who were against the canal laughingly called it “Clinton's Ditch(沟)”．Clinton talked and wrote about the canal and drew up plans for it．He and Governor Morris went to Washington in 1812 to ask for help for the canal, but they were unsuccessful．

　　Clinton became governor of New York in 1817, and shortly afterwards, on July 4, 1817, broke ground for the canal in Rome, N．Y．The first part of the canal was completed in 1820．As the canal grew, towns along its course developed fast．The length of the canal is 363 miles．