阅读理解

　　Oil prices dropped more than 7％ after Western nations released the biggest amount of oil from their emergency strategic stocks since 1991，in a warning shot aimed at OPEC, the oil producers' cartel．

　　The International Energy Agency(IEA)agreed to release 60 million barrels of oil in the coming month to offset the daily production loss of 1．5 million barrels of high quality oil from Libya(利比亚)．

　　The US led the release, providing 50％ of the oil, with Japan, Germany, France, Spain and Italy providing most of the rest．The IEA said that it was in consultations(磋商)with China, the world's second-largest oil consumer but declined to say whether Beijing would join the effort．

　　Brent oil prices dropped 7.4％ to＄105.72 after the news was released, before settling at ＄106．12 in late afternoon trade in London on June 23．

　　The move is only the third time in the history of the IEA, established in 1974 as a counterbalance to OPEC after the Arab oil crisis：Western governments are concerned about the impact of high oil prices on the economic recovery．

　　"Greater tightness in the oil market threatens the fragile global economic recovery," the IEA warned．

　　Steven Chu, US a energy secretary, said "we are taking this action in response to the ongoing loss of oil due to supply decrease in Libya and other countries and their impact on the global economic recovery．"

　　"As we move forward, we will continue to monitor the situation and stand ready to take additional steps if necessary．" The US special oil reserve is currently at a record high level of 727million barrels．

　　Earlier this month, OPEC members failed to agree an official increase in production quotas despite a concerted effort by Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest producer and traditionally seen as the OPEC leader, to boost output．Iran opposed the increase．Iran's OPEC governor argued that there was no evidence of a supply shortage．

　　The IEA said in May that it would use all tools at its disposal to increase supply unless the cartel raised production．

阅读理解

　　It takes less than six seconds to leave a first impression．It is said that we ought not to judge a book by its cover, but come on, isn't it the color, the design, the layout, and the title that draws us to pick up a book we've never heard of before? Notice what your assumptions are about a person when you are first introduced to her or him．

　　Something that most of us don't take notice is how we stand or walk．Let's say you are going for a job interview．Within seconds you have already said a lot about yourself by the way you walk．The majority of us walk around every day without paying any attention to what we are saying even though we are from the clothes you wear not saying a word．There is a lot that can be said about body language to the gestures you make．

　　I took notice of this topic recently as I recalled something about changing my posture to improve my level of confidence．I was about to venture，on a new project, which would take me out of my comfort zone．My inside gremlins(爱捣乱的小精灵)were having a field day with me uttering all kinds of reasons why I couldn't do a good job with this new opportunity．I put my shoulders back, held my head high, and took a walk．Soon thereafter, I felt so much better．I approached the project with new possibility．Wow, what a difference！Try it!

　　The ability to capture your audience when you walk into a room is sure to start you off on the right foot when going on an interview．Non-verbal(非语言的)signals have five times the impact of verbal signals．So you can count on losing your audience when you walk in with head down, dragging your feet regardless how much you try to change it．

阅读理解

Little Touch LeapPad

Product Description

　　Little Touch LeapPad provides early learning in every book, on every page, with every touch．From your first reading experience to the independent toddler years, Little Touch LeapPad is designed to build essential skills at an early age．Your little learner can bring stories to life with the simple touch of a finger．And because babies grow so quickly, this new system is designed to grow right along with them．Besides, the Little Touch LeapPad library of books keeps your child engaged and asking for more．Each book lets you choose from three learning experiences that stimulate(刺激)development．

　　Setting 1：Designed musical rhythms and sounds stimulate early brain development．

　　Setting 2：Short descriptive phrases introduce word-object association and build early language skills．

　　Setting 3：Fun-filled rhymes and early learning interactions(相互作用)develop pre-school readiness．

　　The product includes a Little Touch LeapPad starter book and activity cards with over 100 early learning activities that introduce ABCs, letter sounds, numbers, colors, shapes and more．

　　Little Touch LeapPad books and additional programs are sold separately．4 "AA" batteries are required; not included．

　　Product Details

　　Brand：Leapfrog

　　Model：10090

　　Dimensions：16.10"(high)x 12.20"(wide)x 4．20"(long), 3.90 pounds

　　Price：＄99.99

　　Customer Reviews

　　Sarah：I bought Little Touch LeapPad for my grandson who lives 3 states away．Though I haven't seen him learn with the toy, I can imagine how he uses it for the advertisement gives very detailed information, and my daughter thinks very highly of it．I was happy to find out that she received the toy in 3 days…I thought it would take a week or so．

　　Mike：This product appeals more to the parents than to the babies and the quality is unacceptable．When my baby finally got old enough to play with it, it only worked a few weeks before it broke down．Like the countless parents who have been influenced by the advertisement．I made the mistake twice to buy Leapfrog products, I hope that someone will learn from my mistakes and not buy their products．

阅读理解

　　"Get on Your Bike" provides the ultimate experience for all customers wanting to explore the Gold Coast in the best way possible－on bicycle．Our bikes are modern and the funkiest beach cruisers hitting the streets．

　　With over 600km of dedicated bikeways on the Gold`Coast there is no better way to explore the Gold Coast．

　　Thinking of hiring a bike? Think "Get on Your Bike" for all your bike hire needs．

　　We hire bikes via 2 methods：

　　1．Via our Hire Venues

　　We have over 40 venues from Coolongatta to Labrador．If you would like to hire a bike for a few hours or a day--contact us to find out where your nearest hire venue is or determine if we can deliver the bikes directly．

　　2．Via Direct Hire

　　We directly deliver hikes to meet customer bike hire requirements where you are seeking to hire multiple bikes or for multiple days．Contact us today for a quote on your bike hire requirements．Delivery is free for all mufti-day or mufti-bike requirements for delivery from Burleigh Heads to Labrador．

　　Our hire products include：

　　＊Adults bikes

　　＊Children's bikes

　　＊Baby seats, tag-along and carry all carts

　　＊Tandem bike

　　HIRE RATES

　　Our standard daily rates are：

　　＊Adults Cruiser Bike(no gears)－＄25

　　＊Child's Bike(16" or 20")－＄20

　　＊Adult Bike with Tag along or Carry along cart－＄40

　　＊Adult Bike with a baby seat－＄ 35

阅读理解

　　Henry Loomis served as director of the Voice of America for seven years starting in 1958．Mr．Loomis played an important role in creating the Special English service．

　　Henry Loomis was born in 1919 in Tuxedo Park, New York．His father was Alfred Lee Loomis, a wealthy New York City businessman． In 1940, Henry Loomis　dropped out of Harvard University to join the United States Navy．He was able to put to good use his knowledge of radar technology that he had learned about because of his father’s work．After graduating at the top in his naval training class, Henry Loomis became a teacher at the Navy's radar training school in Hawaii．By the end of World War Two, Henry Loomis had received many honors for his service, including a Bronze Star and an Air Medal．He left the Navy in 1946 to begin graduate studies．

　　Henry Loomis later moved to Washington, D．C．to begin another stage of his career in public service．He held positions in the Department of Defense and other agencies．In 1958, he became director of the Voice of America．

　　During his travels around the world, Mr．Loomis saw that English was becoming an important international language．He believed that it was important to make English easier to understand by listeners of VOA broadcasts whose native language was not English．So Mr．Loomis asked VOA program manager Barry Zorthian to develop a way to broadcast to listeners with a limited knowledge of English：

　　The result of this effort was Special English．The first Voice of America broadcast in Special English took place on October 19th, 1959．Critics at the time said the Special English method of broadcasting at a slower rate with a limited vocabulary would never work．American embassies demanded that the program be cancelled．But Mr．Loomis supported the program．

　　Soon, VOA began to receive hundreds of letters from listeners praising the program．Special English programs became some of the most popular on VOA．We are pleased to say that our programs still are．

阅读理解

　　The iPhone, the iPad, the iPod：each of Apple’s products sounds cool and has become a fad(时尚)．Apple has cleverly taken advantage of the power of the letter “i”－and many other brands are following suit．The BBC’s iPlayer－which allows Web users to watch TV programs on the Internet －adopted the title in 2008．A lovely bear－popular in the US and UK－that plays music and video is called “iTeddy”．A slimmed-down version of London’s Independent newspaper came out last week under the name “i”．

　　In general, single-letter prefixes have been popular since the 1990s, when terms such as e-mail and e-commerce first came into use．

　　Most “i” products are aimed at young people and considering the major readers of Independent’s “i”, it is no surprise that they’ve selected this fashionable name．

　　But it’s hard to see what’s so special about the letter “i”．Why not use “a”, “b” or “c” instead? According to Tony Thorne, head of the Language Center at King’s College, London, “i” works because its meaning has become ambiguous．When Apple uses “i”, no one knows whether it means Internet, information, individual or interactive, Thorne told BBC Magazines．“Even when Apple created the iPad, it seems it didn’t have one clear definition ,” he says．

　　“However, thanks to Apple, the term is now associated with portability(轻便)．” adds Thorne．

　　Clearly the letter “i” also agrees with the idea that the Western World is centered on the individual．Each person believes they have their own needs, and we love personalized products for this reason．

　　Along with “Google” and “Twitter”, readers of BBC Magazines voted “i” as one of the top 20 words that have come to define the last decade．

　　But as history shows, fads come and go．From the 1900s to 1990s, products with “2000” in their names became fashionable as the year was associated with all things advanced and modern．However, as we entered the new century, the trend inevitably(不可避免地)disappeared．

阅读理解

　　Trees are useful to man in three important ways：They provide him with wood and other products; they provide him shade;．and they help to prevent droughts(早灾)and floods．

　　Unfortunately, in many parts of the world, man has not realized that the third of these services is the most important．In his eagerness to make money from trees, he has cut them down in large numbers, only to find that without them he has lost the best friends he had．And besides, he is usually too careless to plant and look after new trees．So the forests slowly disappear．

　　This does not only mean that man will have fewer trees．The results are even more serious：for where there are trees, their roots break up soil allowing the rain to sink in and also bind(固定)the soil, thus preventing it from being washed away easily；but where there are no trees, the rain falls on hard ground and flows away, causing floods and carrying away the rich top-soil．When the top-soil is gone, nothing remains but worthless desert．

　　Two thousand years ago，a rich and powerful country cut down its trees to build warships, with which to gain itself an empire(帝国)．It set up the empire, but, without its trees, its soil became poor and grew weak．When the empire fell to pieces, the home country found itself faced by floods and starvation(饥荒)．

阅读理解

　　If you are looking for the place that has everything, there’s only one place to visit, and that’s New York．It’s a whole world in a city．

　　The World of Theatre：All of New York is a stage．And it begins with Broadway．Where else can you find so many hit(成功)shows in one place? Only in New York．

　　The World of Music：Spend an evening with Beethoven at Lincoln Centre．Swing to the great jazz of Greenwich Village．Or rock yourself silly at the hottest dance spots found anywhere．

　　The World of Art：From Rembrandt to Picasso．From Egyptian tombs to Indian teepees．Whatever kind of art you like, you’ll find in New York．

　　The World of Fine Dining：Whether it’s roast Beijing duck in Chinatown, or the finest French coq au vin found anywhere, there’s a world of great taste waiting for you in New York．

　　The World of Sights：What other city has a statue of Liberty(自由女神像), a Rocketfeller Centre or a Bronx Zoo? Where else can you take a horse-drawn carriage through Central Park, only in New York．

阅读理解

　　There are two types of people in the world．Although they have equal degree of health and wealth and other comforts of life, one becomes happy and the other becomes unhappy．This arises from the different ways in which they consider things, persons, events and the resulting effects upon their minds．

　　People who are to be happy fix their attention on the convenience of things：the pleasant parts of conversation, the well prepared dishes, the goodness of the wine and the fine weather．They enjoy all the cheerful things．Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the opposite things．Therefore, they are continually dissatisfied．By their remarks, they sour the pleasure of society, offend(hurt)many people, and make themselves disagreeable everywhere．If this term of mind was founded in nature, such unhappy persons would be the more to be pitied．The intention of criticizing(批评)and being disliked is perhaps taken up by imitation(模仿)．It grows into a habit, unknown to its possessors．The habit may be strong, but it may be cured when those who have it realize its bad effects on their interests and tastes．I hope this little warning may be of service to them, and help them change this habit．

　　Although in fact it is chiefly an act of the imagination, it has serious results in life since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck．Those people offend many others; nobody loves them, and no one treats them with more than the most common politeness and respect．This frequently puts them in bad temper and draws them into arguments．If they aim at getting some advantages in social position or fortune, nobody wishes them success．Nor will anyone start a step or speak a word to favor their hopes．If they bring on themselves public objections, no one will defend or excuse them, and many will join to criticize their wrongdoings．These should change this bad habit and be pleased with what is pleasing, without worrying needlessly about themselves and others．If they do not, it will be good for others to avoid any contact(接触)with them．Otherwise, it can be disagreeable and sometimes very inconvenient, especially when one becomes mixed up in their quarrels．

阅读理解

　　Once upon a time, there was a man who was so famous that everyone in his country knew him．

　　One day, the famous man was sitting in a restaurant with his sister．“It must be great to be famous．Everyone tries to please you, and you can do whatever you want to,” said his sister．“It’s quite the opposite sometimes, in fact．Because I’m famous, I can’t do what I want to,” he denied．“But look, we’re sitting at the best table and eating the best food．We couldn’t sit here and eat this if you weren’t famous,” said his sister．“I’ll show you what I mean,” said he．

　　The next day, the famous man picked up his sister and took her to another country．“I’m not at all famous here,” he said．“Let’s see how we get on．” Soon they found a restaurant, but it was very busy, so they had to queue．“This wouldn’t have happened if you were famous,” said his sister, but the famous man just smiled．

　　When they finally got a table, it took the waiter years to bring what they ordered．And the food supposed to be hot was cold, and the food supposed to be cold was hot! Eventually, the famous man couldn’t stand any more and asked to see the manager．“This food is awful．We had to wait an hour for a seat, and the service is also very poor．Look, even my spoon is dirty!”

　　Showing his horribly yellow teeth, the manager, smiling, said, “Well, that’s just bad luck for you．”

　　“Don’t you know who I am?” asked the famous man．

　　“I’ve no idea,” replied the manager．

　　So the famous man and his sister ran away, without paying．