阅读理解

　　Many trees in the Brackham area were brought down in the terrible storms that March．The town itself lost two great lime trees from the former market square．The disappearance of such striking features had changed the appearance of the town centre entirely, to the annoyance of its more conservative inhabitants(居民)．

　　Among the annoyed, under more normal circumstances, would have been Chief Inspector Douglas Pelham, head of the local police force．But at the height of that week's storm, when the wind brought down even the mature walnut tree in his garden, Pelham had in fact been in no fit state to notice．A large and healthy man, he had for the first time in his life been seriously ill with an attack of bronchitis．

　　When he first complained of an aching head and tightness in his chest, his wife, Molly, had tried to persuade him to go to the doctor．Convinced that the police force could not do without him, he had, as usual, ignored her and attempted to carry on working．Predictably, though he wouldn't have listened to anyone who tried to tell him so, this had the effect of fogging his memory and shortening his temper．

　　It was only when his colleague, Sergeant Lloyd, took the initiative(主动)and drove him to the doctor's door that he finally gave in．By that time, he didn't have the strength left to argue with her．In no time at all, she was taking him along to the chemist's to get his medicine and then home to his unsurprised wife who sent him straight to bed．

　　When Molly told him, on the Thursday morning, that the walnut tree had been brought down during the night, Pelham hadn't been able to take it in．On Thursday evening, he had asked weakly about damage to the house, groaned(含糊不清地说)thankfully when he heard there was none, and pulled the sheets over his head．

　　It wasn't until Saturday, when the medicine took effect, his temperature dropped and he got up, that he realized with a shock that the loss of the walnut tree had made a permanent difference to the appearance of the living-room．The Pelhams' large house stood in a sizeable garden．It had not come cheap, but even so Pelham had no regrets about buying it．The leafy garden had created an impression of privacy．Now, though, the storm had changed his outlook．

　　Previously, the view from the living-room had featured the handsome walnut tree．This had not darkened the room because there was also a window on the opposite wall, but it had provided interesting patterns of light and shade that hid the true state of the worn furniture that the family had brought with them from their previous house．

　　With the tree gone, the room seemed cruelly bright, its worn furnishings exposed in all their shabbiness．And the view from the window didn't bear looking at．The tall house next door, previously hidden by the tree, was now there, dominating the outlook with its unattractive purple bricks and external pipes．It seemed to have a great many upstairs windows, all of them watching the Pelhams' every movement．

　　“Doesn't it look terrible?” Pelham whispered to his wife．But Molly, standing in the doorway, sounded more pleased than dismayed．“That's what I've been telling you ever since we came here．We have to buy a new sofa, whatever it costs．”

阅读理解

　　Generations of Americans have been brought up to believe that a good breakfast is essential to one's life．Eating breakfast at the start of the day, we have been told, and told again, is as necessary as putting gasoline in the family car before starting a trip．

　　But for many people, the thought of food as the first thing in the morning is never a pleasure．So in spite of all the efforts, they still take no breakfast．Between 1977 and 1983, the latest year for which figures could be obtained, the number of people who didn't have breakfast increased by 33％－from 8.8 million to 11.7 million－according to the Chicago-based Market Research Corporation of America．

　　For those who dislike eating breakfast, however, there is some good news．Several studies in the last few years have shown that, for grown-ups especially, there may be nothing wrong with omitting(省略)breakfast．“Going without breakfast does not affect work,” said Arnold E．Bender, former professor of nutrition at Queen Elizabeth College in London, “nor does giving people breakfast improve work．”

　　Scientific evidence linking breakfast to better health or better work is surprisingly inadequate, and most of the recent work involves children, not grown-ups．“The literature,” says one researcher, Dr Earnest Polite at the University of Texas, “is poor．”

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　　Emily Bear, from Rockford, Illinois, is one of the youngest concert pianists in the United States．When she was 2, her grandmother noticed her unusual talent．She started piano lessons at the Music Institute of Chicago when she was 5．Emily comes from a musical family．Her brother plays the guitar, and her sister plays the harp(竖琴)．Emily plays jazz and classical music, but composes(创作)all styles．She began her career in July of 2007 at the 100－year－old Ravinia Music Festival．Emily was just 5 at the time．

　　At age 6, Emily played a concert at the White House．And that same year she performed at the McDonald's Thanksgiving Day Parade in Chicago．When she was 7, Emily performed Mozart's Piano Concerto No．23 with two major symphony orchestras(交响乐管弦乐队)．She has also performed original pieces, jazz and classical music on television's Good Morning America show．Last summer Emily became an international star when she played in Italy and China．At present she studies classical piano with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's pianist．

　　Emily may be a very famous person, but she isn't treated like one．She and her family don't use words like “prodigy” in their house．They stay modest(谦虚的)．Emily also gives a large part of the money she earns to charities(慈善机构)like UNICEF．Many people don't understand how a girl so young can play so well．She has a gift, but she says, “I'm just a normal kid that plays the piano．I like inspiring kids．”

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　　Visitors to the Big Apple(纽约)will soon be breathing in cleaner air after Mayor(市长)Bloomberg extended(延长)the city's smoking ban(禁令)to some of New York's most popular outdoor spaces．Car free areas of Times Square, parks, beaches and boardwalks will now all be ash free．Smokers will not be allowed to light up when hanging out along sidewalks across the five districts, in all parts of Central Park or along the famous Coney Island boardwalk．

　　“The science is clear: Long－time exposure to second－hand smoke－whether you're indoors or out－hurts your health．Today, we're doing something about it．” Mayor Bloomberg said in announcing the widespread ban．

　　Violators(违反者)of the new law could face a fine for as much as ＄250, but City officials say they expect New Yorkers and tourists to observe(遵守)the new law．

　　Parks and Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe said, “By introducing this law, we welcome the chance to improve the beauty and health of the city's public outdoor spaces．Tens of millions of visitors－New Yorkers and tourists alike－ enjoy our beaches and parks year round．We hope this new law makes it even safer and more pleasant for our children and adults to play sports and for visitors of all interests to enjoy healthier and cleaner parks and beaches．”

　　The ban also extends to 29, 000 acres(英亩)of parkland in the city and 14 miles of public beaches．Smoking was already banned in some parks’ facilities including playgrounds, but not in most open recreational(娱乐的)areas．Several other cities across the U．S．have similar bans, including Los Angeles which saw its law change in 2007．

　　Councilwoman Gale Brewer who introduced the law said, “New York is the national leader in creating healthy cities, and encouraging a healthy lifestyle．”

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　　When I was going home to India last year, I called up my mother to ask if she wanted anything from China．

　　When India had not opened up its markets to the world, I carried suitcase loads of dark glasses and jeans．Thankfully, we can get all these anywhere in India now．

　　Still, her answer surprised me:“Green tea．”

　　As long as I can remember, she didn't even drink Indian tea．

　　I dutifully bought a big packet of Longjing and headed home to hear the story．My mother and her brother, both regular newspaper readers, believed that Chinese green tea was the wonder drug for all illnesses．

　　At the turn of the century, China was not really familiar to the average(普通的)Indian．It was a strange country．

　　How things change! And how soon!

　　Now every town of any size seems to have a “China Market”．And everyone is talking about China．

　　The government of India has planned to send a team to China to see how things are done．A minister once said that India must open the doors for more foreign investment(投资)and such a step would “work wonders(创造奇迹)as it did for China”．

　　But it's a two－way street．I just heard about a thousand Shenzhen office workers who have gone to Bangalore to train in software．Meanwhile, all the Indian IT majors are setting up a strong presence in China．

　　No wonder that trade, which was only in the millions just ten years ago, is expected to hit about US ＄15 billion for last year and US ＄20 billion by 2008, a goal set by both governments．

　　No wonder, my colleague wrote some weeks ago about this being the Sino－Indian(中印的)century as the two countries started on January1 the Sino－Indian Friendship Year．

　　But what is still a wonder to me is my mother drinking Chinese tea．

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　　Mrs．Janes gave music lessons at a school．She had a good voice and enjoyed singing, except that some of her high tones sounded like a gate that had forgotten to oil．Mrs．Janes knew her weakness well, and took every chance she could find to practise these high tones．As she lived in a small house, where she could not practise without disturbing the rest of the family, she usually went for long walks along the country roads whenever she had time and practised her high tones there．Whenever she heard a car or a person coming along the road, she stopped and waited until she could no longer be heard before she started practicing again, because she was a shy person．

　　One afternoon, a fast, opened car came up behind her so silently and so fast that she didn't hear it until it was only a few yards from her．She was singing some of her highest and most difficult tones at that time and as the car passed, she saw an anxious expression came over the driver's face．He stopped his car suddenly, jumped out and began to examine all his tyres(轮胎)carefully．

　　Mrs．Janes didn't dare to tell him what the noise he had heard really was, so he got back into the car and drove off．

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　　China has recently been faced with serious issues of product safety．In Panama, it is said that medicine made with a poisonous chemical sickened some people．A Chinese company had identified it as diethylamide glycol([化]乙二醇), a low–cost substitute commonly used in automobile antifreeze(防冻剂)．

　　Some countries have banned Chinese－made toothpaste containing diethylamide glycol．China has now told companies to discontinue its use, even though it says the toothpaste is safe．Another industrial chemical, melamine, was found in wheat flour used to make pet food in North America．Thousands of dogs and cats became sick．

　　The United States has restricted some imports of Chinese seafood because they contained banned substance．And questions have been raised about other products, including children's toys covered with lead paint．

　　Chinese officials promised to provide the European Union, the biggest trading partner, with detailed reports on enforcement efforts against unsafe goods．

　　Meglena Kuneva, commissioner(理事)for consumer protection of the European Union said China should have kept its promise．

　　China recently closed three companies linked to the Panama and the pet food scare．And it dismissed the former head of its food and drug administration．He was found guilty of corruption(腐败)for approving unsafe drugs．This week, a conference of the State Council approved a proposed special measure on the supervision of food safety．The Xinhua News Agency said it calls for stronger controls over producers, greater responsibilities for government and more serious punishment for illegal activities．

　　But Chinese officials have accused some foreign media of overstating problems with goods made in China．They say food imports from the United States also fail inspection sometimes．Next Week, American and Chinese food safety officials are planning to hold 5 days of meetings in Beijing to discuss cooperation．

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　　BEIJING－Apple Inc is one step closer to beginning sales of iPad2 tablet computers with cellular(手机)network compatibility(兼容)for the first time in the Chinese mainland, where the consumer－electronics giant is in the midst of an aggressive expansion．

　　According to China's Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center, a device by Apple with third－generation high－speed wireless data capabilities was issued the network access license needed for the company to begin official sales in China．The device, listed under model number “A1396”, is compatible with the 3G standard WCDMA, and would work with the cellular network operated by Apple's local iPhone partner, China Unicom(Hong Kong)Ltd．

　　China Unicom declined(谢绝)to comment．

　　Apple already offers the 3G iPad2 in Hong Kong through its partners, but currently only offers Wi－Fi versions of the device in the Chinese mainland．Still, consumers in China, which according to research firm IDC surpassed(超过)the US as the world's largest PC market in the second quarter, have been purchasing 3G tablets through unofficial channels．

　　Separately, Apple spokeswoman Carolyn Wu said Sept 6 that the company's first Hong Kong store, set to open this quarter, will be located in the city's central shopping and business district in the International Finance Center's upscale(高档的)IFC mall, a commercial center and sightseeing spot along the city's waterfront．Wu also said that Apple is planning a new store in Shanghai later this quarter, which will be its biggest store in China．She declined to give more details or to comment on the 3G iPad2．

　　Apple currently has four full－service Apple stores in the mainland, which receive the most traffic of any Apple stores in the world．The company otherwise relies on resellers to get its products into the market．

　　The new stores reflect Apple's confidence in rising demand for its products such as smart phones and tablet computers．Sales in the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan helped boost(增长)the company's third－quarter results, newly appointed Chief Executive Tim Cook said in July．China revenue(收益)surged(激增)six-fold to about ＄3.8 billion during the three months ended June 25．

　　“This has been a substantial(重大)opportunity for Apple and I firmly believe that we're just scratching the surface right now,” Cook said at the time, referring to strong sales in China．“I see an incredible opportunity for Apple there．”

　　From China Daily 2011-09-08

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　　Increasingly, Americans are becoming their own doctors, by going online to diagnose their symptoms, order home health tests or medical devices, or even self－treat their illnesses with drugs from Internet pharmacies(药店)．Some avoid doctors because of the high cost of medical care, especially if they lack health insurance．Or they may stay because they find it embarrassing to discuss their weight, alcohol consumption or couch potato habits．Patients may also fear what they might learn about their health, or they distrust physicians because of negative experiences in the past．But playing doctor can also be a deadly game．

　　Every day, more than six million Americans turn to the Internet for medical answers．Most of them aren't nearly skeptical enough of what they find．A 2002 survey by the Pew Internet ＆ American Life Project found that 72 percent of those surveyed believe all or most of what they read on health websites．They shouldn't．Look up “headache” , and the chances of finding reliable and complete information, free from a motivation for commercial gain, are only one in ten, reports an April 2005 Brown Medical School study．Of the l69 websites the researchers rated, only l6 scored as “high quality” ．Recent studies found faulty facts about all sorts of other disorders, causing one research team to warn that a large amount of incomplete, inaccurate and even dangerous information exists on the Internet．

　　The problem is that most people don't know the safe way to surf the Web．“They use a search engine like Google, get l8 trillion choices and start clicking．But that's risky, because almost anybody can put up a site that looks authoritative(权威的), so it's hard to know whether what you're reading is reasonable or not,” says Dr．Sarah Bass from the National Cancer Institute．

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　　●Health, Wellness and the Politics of Food

　　9∶00－9∶45 a. m．Blue Tent

　　Panelists(成员): Jami Bernard, David Kamp, Marion Nestle and Peter Singer．

　　Hosted by Denise Gray, science writer for The New York Times．

　　How does what we eat not only affect our bodies, but also the world? The food and nutrition experts debate the role that the diet plays in both personal and global health, and present a look at food politics．

　　●Sports writing: For the Love of the Game

　　9∶50－10∶35 a. m．Blue Tent

　　Panelists: Christine Brennan, Ira Rosen, Joe Wallace and Joe Drape．

　　Hosted by WilliamC．Rhoden, sports writer for The New York Times．

　　Whether catching that key moment of victory or defeat, or covering breaking news, sports writers are anything but audience．Listen as some professionals discuss the special experience in reporting of sports news．

　　●The Art of the Review

　　11∶15－12∶00 a. m．Green Tent

　　Panelists: John Freeman, Barry Gewen, David Orr, Celia McGee and Jennifer Schuessler．

　　Hosted by Sam Tanenhaus, editor for The New York Times Book Review．

　　How much of an effect does the book review have on book sales? Join this group of critics as they discuss the reality of the book review and bestseller lists, and how they choose books for review．

　　●New York Writers, New York Stories

　　3∶00－3∶45 p. m．Green Tent

　　Panelists: Cindy Adams, Richard Cohen, Ric Klass and Lauren Redniss．

　　Hosted by Clyde Haberman, columnist for the City Section of The New York Times．

　　Join this inspiring group of New York－centric writers as they talk about why New York is a gold mine of ideas for their work．