阅读理解

　　Joanne was stuck in a traffic jam in central Birmingham at 5∶30 and at 6∶30 she was expected to be chairing a meeting of the tennis club．At last, the traffic was moving．She swung quickly racing to her house．As she opened the door, she nearly tripped(绊)over Sheba．

　　“Hey, Sheba,” she said, “I've got no time for you now, but I'll take you out as soon as I get back from tennis club．” Then she noticed Sheba seemed to be coughing or choking．Obviously, she could hardly breathe．Immediately, Joanne realized she would have to take her to the vet(兽医)．

　　When she got there, the vet was just about to close for the day．Seeing the state of Sheba, Dr．Sterne brought her quickly into his office．

　　“Listen, doctor, I'm really in a rush to get to a meeting．Can I leave her with you, and go and get changed? I'll be back in ten minutes to pick her up, and then I'll take her on to the meeting with me．Is that OK?”

　　“Sure．” said the doctor．

　　Joanne made the quick trip back to her house in a couple of minutes．As she was once more entering the hallway, the phone by the door began to ring．

　　“This is Dr．Sterne,” said an anxious voice．“I want you to get out of that house immediately,” said the doctor's voice．“I'm coming round right away, and the police will be there any time now．Wait outside!”

　　At that moment, a police car screeched to a stop outside the house．Two policemen got out and ran into the house．Joanne was by now completely confused and very frightened．Then the doctor arrived．

　　“Where's Sheba? Is she OK?” shouted Joanne．

　　“She's fine, Joanne．I took out the thing which was choking her, and she's OK now．”

　　Just then, the two policemen reappeared from the house, half-carrying a white-faced man, who could hardly walk．There was blood all over him．

　　“My God,” said Joanne, “how did he get in there? And how did you know he was there?”

　　“I think he must be a burglar．” said the doctor．“I knew he was there because when I finally removed what was stuck in Sheba's throat：it turned out to be three human fingers．”

阅读理解

　　Singles Day falls on every November 11th, and as the name indicates, this relatively new holiday is one exclusively for people who are still living the single life．I was a bit surprised when I googled “Singles Day” on the Internet, to find that China is the only country in the world that has set aside a special day for singles to celebrate their lives．To find out more about this celebration, please read on．

　　An old story goes that once there were four single men, leading very boring lives．None of them were married, or had lovers, or did anything exciting．They just sat around all day and played Mahjong．

　　One day they played Mahjong from 11 in the morning until 11 at night．During the game, no matter who won, the winning card was always the “four columns” card(the card shows four independent, parallel columns in two lines)．Even more of a coincidence, it was Nov 11, or 11/11．In order to commemorate the day, they nicknamed it Singles Day．

　　Singles Day was first celebrated at various universities in Nanjing, capital city of Jiangsu Province during the 1990s．It got the name Singles Day because the date consists of four “ones”．These college students have since graduated, and carried their university tradition into society．Singles Day is now a special day for all fashionable youths．

　　The main way to celebrate Singles Day is to have dinner with your single friends, but it's important that each person pay their own fee to show their independence．People also hold “blind date” parties in an attempt to say goodbye to their single lives．

　　Many singles also choose to say goodbye to their single lives on this day．Many attend “blind date” parties and many people choose to marry on this day．In addition to meaning “single” the four “ones” of the date can also mean “only one” as in “the only one for me．” Some people will use this date and this meaning to tell their special someone that they are the only “one” in their heart．

阅读理解

　　Jeremy Wirick, 9, has been back in school for less than two months, but he has already had several asthma(哮喘)attacks．A recent attack happened on October 2, after he pushed himself too hard in physical exercise．Running, power walking, jogging and push-ups took their toll．When Jeremy got home an hour or two later, he was out of breath．He needed to use a nebulizer(喷雾器), a machine that helps send medicine quickly to the lungs, to get his breathing back to normal．

　　Asthma attacks like Jeremy increase in September and October．More than six times as many asthma sufferers who are primary-school age need hospital treatment in the fall as in the summer．

　　Experts believe many factors can cause back-to-school asthma．Kids get together in close spaces, they start passing viruses around．A viral infection(感染)can cause an asthma attack．There are also certain fall allergies(过敏症)that can cause attacks．Exercise is another common cause of an attack．Besides, the stress of school can make asthma worse．

　　Parents can play a big role in helping kids with asthma start the school year right．Dawne Gee's 10-year-old son, Alexander, has had asthma since he was a baby．Before the school year starts, she tells school workers in writing about her son's asthma．

　　The Gees live in Kentucky, which has passed laws allowing students to carry their asthma medication(药物治疗)with them at school．Alexander's mom makes sure he has his inhaler(人工呼吸器)with him when he goes to school and that he keeps it on hand at all times．In Delaware, where Jeremy lives, kids are allowed to carry their inhalers at school．

　　The American Lung Association says that about 6.2 million American children suffer from asthma．Asthma is the chronic(慢性)illness that causes students to miss the most days of school．There are many things that schools can do to help students control their asthma

阅读理解

　　Recently Dr．Cleiman has proved that everyone has a daily energy cycle．During the hours when you labor through your work, you may say that you are “hot”．That is true, the time of day when you feel most energetic(full of energy)is when your cycle of body temperature is at its peak(top)．For some people the peak comes during the forenoon(上午前)．For others it comes in the afternoon or evening．No one has discovered why this is so．

　　Much family quarrelling ends when husbands and wives realize what this energy cycle means and which cycle each member of the family has．

　　You cannot change your cycle, but you can learn to make your life fit it better．“Habits can help,” Dr．Cleiman believes．If your energy cycle is low in the morning but you have an important job early in the day, rise before your usual hour, and then you will work better at your low point．

　　Get off to a slow start which saves your energy．Get up with a lazy yawn(哈欠)and stretch．Sit on the edge of bed before putting your feet on the floor．Avoid the troublesome searching for clean clothes by laying them out the night before．

阅读理解

　　For centuries, the body's blood has been linked closely with the emotions．People who show no human emotions or feelings, are said to be cold-blooded killer．For example, the police are searching for a cold-blooded killer．He seems to kill for no reason, and no emotion, as if taking someone's life as nothing．

　　Cold can affect other parts of the body．The expression “get cold feet” has nothing to do with cold or your feet．The expression means being afraid to do something you have decided to do．For example, you agree to be president of an organization．But then you learn that all the other officers have resigned, and all the work of the organization will be your responsibility．You are likely to get cold feet about being president when you understand the situation．

　　The expression “give someone the cold shoulder” probably comes from the physical act of turning your back toward someone, instead of speaking to him face to face．You may give a cold shoulder to a friend who has not kept a promise he made to you．Or, to someone who has lied about you to others．

　　A cold fish is not a fish．It is a person．But it is a person who is unfriendly, unemotional and shows no love or warmth．A cold fish does not offer much of himself to anyone．Someone who is a cold fish could be cold-hearted．Now a cold-hearted person is someone who has no sympathy(同情心)．Several popular songs in recent years were about cold-hearted men or cold-hearted women who, without feelings, broke the hearts of their lovers．

　　Out in the cold means not getting something that everybody else got．A person might say that everybody but him got a pay raise-he was left out in the cold．And it is not a pleasant place to be．

阅读理解

　　“What is the most important thing you've done in your life?” The question was put to me during a presentation I gave to a group of lawyers．

　　The answer came to me in an instant．It's not the one I gave, because the situation was not right．As a lawyer in the entertainment industry, I knew the audience wanted to hear some amusing stories about my work with well-known people．But here's the true answer：

　　The most important thing I've ever done occurred on October 8, 1990．I began the day playing tennis with an old friend I hadn't seen for a while．Between points we talked about what had been happening in each other's lives．He and his wife had just had a baby boy, who was keeping them up at night．

　　While we were playing, a car came screaming up the road toward the courts．It was my friend's father, who shouted to my friend that his baby had stopped breathing and was being rushed to the hospital．In a flash my friend wasin the car and gone, disappearing in a cloud of dust．

　　For a moment I just stood there, paralyzed(呆若木鸡)．Then I tried to figure out what I should do．Follow my friend to the hospital? There was nothing I could accomplish there, I convinced myself．My friend's son was in the care of doctors and nurses, and nothing I could do or say would affect the outcome．Be there for moral support? Well, maybe．But my friend and his wife both had large families, and I knew they'd be surrounded by relatives who would provide more than enough comfort and support, whatever happened．All I could do at the hospital, I decided, was to get in the way．Also, I had planned a full day with my family, who were waiting for me to get home．So I decided to head back to my house and check in my friend later．

　　As I started my car, I realized that my friend had left his truck and keys at the courts．I now faced another problem．I couldn't leave the keys in the truck．So I decided to go to the hospital and give him the keys．

　　When I arrived, I was directed to a room where my friend and his wife were waiting．As I had thought, the room was filled with family members silently watching my friend comfort his wife．I went in and stood by the door, trying to decide what to do next．Soon a doctor appeared．He approached my friend and his wife, and in a quiet voice told them that their son had died．

　　For a long time the two held each other and cried, unaware of the rest of us standing around in pained silence．After they had calmed themselves, the doctor suggested they spend a few moments with their son．

　　My friend and his wife stood up and walked past their families．When they reached the door, my friend saw me standing in the corner．He came over and hugged me and started to cry．My friend's wife hugged me, too, and said, “Thanks for being here．”

　　For the rest of that morning, I sat in the emergency room of that hospital and watched my friend and his wife hold the body of their infant son, and say goodbye．

　　It's the most important thing I have ever done．

　　The experience taught me two lessons．

　　First：The most important thing I've ever done happened when I was completely helpless．None of the things I had learned in university, in three years of law school or in six years of legal practice were of any use in that situation．Something terrible was happening to people I cared about, and I was powerless to change the outcome．All I could do was standing by and watching it happen．And yet it was critical that I do just that－just be there when someone needed me．

　　Second：The most important thing I've done almost didn't happen because of things I had learned in classroom and professional life．Law school taught me how to take a set of facts, break them down and organized them．These skills are critical for lawyers．When people come to us for help, they're often stressed out and depend on a lawyer to think logically．But while learning to think, I almost forget how to feel．Today I have no doubt that I should have leapt into my car without hesitation and followed my friend to the hospital．

　　From that one experience I learned that the most important thing in life isn't the money you make, the status you attain or the honors you achieve．The most important thing in life is the kids' team you coach or the poem you write－or the time when you're just somebody's friend．

阅读理解

　　NASA's twin Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have been exploring the Red Planet since 2004．But a little more than a year ago, NASA lost contact with Spirit．The space agency has tried several ways to make contact with the rover, but Spirit has not sent back any signals．

　　Spirit landed on Mars on January 4, 2004．Three weeks later, Opportunity arrived．Soon after, the rovers went to the opposite side of Mars．Spirit's original mission was only designed to last for three months, but Spirit has worked for more than five years doing additional missions．Both rovers have made important discoveries about ancient Mars．They have taken thousands of images and found evidence in the rocks of a water, warmer past in Mars' history．

　　Spirit is solar-powered．It got stuck in a sand trap in April 2009, trapped deep into the soil and with its wheels turning around and around but not able to move forwards or backwards．Spirit had to agree that there is nothing that can be done to change the situation－it's never going to move again．However, even if it is a not moving station, it can still study the planet's atmosphere and deep interior．

　　NASA has been concentrating on trying to position its solar panels to get as much energy from the sun as possible, or to get the rover leaning in a manner that will allow the most amount of sunlight falling on its solar panels, in order to keep it alive during the coming winter months．Engineers have planned to rock the vehicle back and forth to acquire a more favorable position．However, no matter how many efforts have been made, Spirit still could not get out of the soft soil and could not lean itself toward the sun as the Martian winter approached．Without enough energy reaching its solar panels and with so little energy in its batteries, it went into hibernation, just like a polar bear, and has not communicated with Earth since March 22, 2010．

　　Whatever the future holds for Spirit, its mission has been an outstanding success．When it landed on the Red Planet in January 2004, no one was really sure how long it would continue working in the cold and dusty environment．As a matter of fact, three months was its original goal．

　　After so many fruitless efforts, NASA scientists are losing hope of ever reconnecting with Spirit, but they will give it one more try．Ground controllers are contacting Spirit over a range of frequencies and at different times during the day in case its internal clock stopped working and it lost track of time．They also are commanding the rover to turn on its backup radio transmitter in case the main one is dead．

　　If this final effort to connect isn't successful, NASA will shift the focus to its twin robot, Opportunity, which is in a different part of Mars．Opportunity is still on the move and continues to travel freely to this day．It has traveled 16.6 miles so far, and is currently rolling towards another crater it has yet to explore．

　　NASA has spent more than ＄900 million on the project but shows no sign of giving up on these determined and hard-working robots．The rovers are, though, experiencing gradual wear and tear, the expected damage to something caused by using it repeatedly over a period of time．Even before Spirit got trapped, one of its wheels had failed．And NASA says it's just a matter of time before both robots break down completely．

阅读理解

　　The following are four books that will help you change your mind and change your life．

　　1)You Can Heal Your Life, Louise Hay：A groundbreaking book when it was released in 1982．It is still the book that I turn to when I have physical unrest that requires deeper understanding．Louise Hay is the pioneer in looking at the connection between the physical unrest that we have in our body and the emotional connection．At the time that she wrote the book many people scoffed at this idea, but it is now widely accepted and millions of people refer to it on a daily basis．

　　2)The Four Agreements, Don Miguel Ruiz：Maintaining a sense of reliability and faith is developed through understanding to The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz written in 1997．We are faced with rules and regulations; don't do this, don't do that, watch what you are doing, be kind, loyal, faithful etc．The four agreements represent a simple system of maintaining your own inner authority while practicing being a true person with other people．

　　3)Slowing Down to the Speed of Life, Richard Carlson and Joseph Bailey：This is a new one in my “bedside collection” and one that has made the biggest impact on me lately．Written in 1997, it is even more relevant today than it was when it was written．The idea of “slowing down” to get there faster was extremely hard for me to understand．As a human species we seem to enjoy moving fast and expecting quick results, especially from ourselves．I should be successful now, I should be slim now, get me to my destination now－in contrast to “in the fullness of time” when I am ready．

　　4)The Game of Life and How to Play It, Florence Scovel-Shinn：A classic book that was first published in 1925 and remains one of my favorite books of all time．Scovel-Shinn understood the power of our words to express either our deepest desires or our most horrible nightmares．

　　So where does this leave you? The way I see it is if you want to ‘Heal Your Life” then you had better learn how to play “The Game of Life” by learning how to “Slow Down to the Speed of Life” and keep the “Four Agreements”．The solution may not be easy to do but it is simple．In fact, most solutions are pretty simple, and it is us humans that want to complicate it．

阅读理解

　　He almost didn't see the old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help．So he pulled up in front her Mercedes and got out．

　　Even with the smile on his face, she was worried．No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so．Was he going to hurt her? He didn't look safe; he looked poor and hungry．He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold．He knew how she felt．

　　He said, “I am here to help you, ma'am．Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson．”

　　Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough．Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two．Soon he was able to change the tire．But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt．

　　As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him．She told him that she was from St．Louis and was just passing through．She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid．

　　Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk．The lady asked how much she owed him．Any amount would have been all right with her．She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened, had he not stopped．Bryan never thought twice about being paid．This was not a job to him．This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were many people who had given him a hand in the past．He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way．

　　He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan added, “And think of me．”

　　He waited until she started her car and drove off．It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight．

阅读下列文章，根据文章内容，从文后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳答案。

　　BEIJING(Associated Press美联社)－China has a growing middle class, a tradition(传统)of expecting education and 21 million new babies every year．Selling educational toys should be easy．

　　While China may be the worlds biggest toy maker, many of the best are exported．Department stores here do not have enough high quality toys．It is said that the demand for educational toys is low．

　　A US company, BabyCare, is trying to change that with a new way to sell toys in China．

　　BabyCare works basically together with doctors in Beijing hospitals．People who join the company's "mother club" can get lectures and newsletters on baby and child development at no extra cost, if they agree to spend 18 dollars a month on the company's educational toys and child care books．

　　"We want to build a seven－year relationship with those people, " said Matthew J．Estes, BabyCare's president．"It starts during pregnancy(孕期), when the anxiety and needs are highest．" BabyCare works on a one to one basis．Doctors, nurses, and teachers paid by BabyCare advise parents, explain toys that are designed for children at each stage(阶段)of development to age six．

　　BabyCare opened its first store in China last June in a shopping center in central Beijing and another near Beijing Zoo．It plans to have 80 stores in China within six years．

　　It is a new model for China and develops a market in young children's education and health that no other companies are in．