阅读理解The Ivy League is an association of eight universities in the northeast United States, which have high academic and social status. It comprises Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale. All of the Ivy League universities share some general characteristics: They are among the most prestigious and selective universities in the U.S.; they consistently place close to the top of college and university rankings; they rank within the top one percent of the world''s universities in terms of financial endowment; they attract top-tier students and faculty (although many undergraduate classes are taught by graduate students or adjunct faculty — the extent of this practice varies greatly, for example, Brown University and Columbia University require all their professors to teach undergraduates as part of their university-college models, and Dartmouth College simply avoids letting graduate students teach undergraduates in most cases); and they have relatively small undergraduate populations, ranging between 4,100 for Dartmouth College and 13,700 for Cornell University. The Ivies are among the oldest universities in the country — all but Cornell University were founded during America''s colonial era. Notably, the Ivies also prohibit the offering of athletic scholarships to students in most cases; this ban differentiates Ivy teams from those of schools that permit students to be paid to attend or to join a team. The Ivy League universities are privately owned and controlled. Although many of them receive funding from the federal or state governments to pursue research, only Cornell has state-supported academic units, termed statutory colleges-, that are an integral part of the university. In 1936 the undergraduate newspapers of these universities ran an editorial at the same time advocating the formation of an "Ivy League," but the first move toward this end was not taken until 1945. In that year, the presidents of the eight schools signed the first Ivy Group Agreement. As late as the 1960s many of the Ivy League universities'' undergraduate programs remained open only to men, with Cornell the only one to have been coeducational from its founding (1865) and Columbia being the last (1983) to become coeducational.

阅读理解"Interest in learning Chinese among American youth and their parents has grown (47) in the past five years," said Vivien Stewart, vice president at the Asia Society, a US group trying to bridge the (48) between Americans and the peoples of Asia and the Pacific. China''s rapid progress is driving the interest to (49) the language, experts say. "The Chinese rich cultural traditions and (50) economy mean that it is now essential for all of our students to be better prepared to engage them and seize opportunities together," said Michael Levine, Asia Society'' s executive director of education. A 2004 College Board survey found that 2,400 high schools--an (51) number--would be interested in (52) the Advanced Placement (AP) courses in Chinese language and culture when the courses become available in 2006. China, the world'' s most populous (人口稠密的) nation, is (53) to the United States because it is a leading trader, consumer and investor. It has (54) the United States as the world''s largest consumer and could become the second largest economy in the world, in the next two to three decades. Even though the US State Department has regarded the Chinese language extremely important to national prosperity , the" (55) conditions to support recruitment of students and teachers as well as the growth of high quality programs is (56) inadequate," an Asia Society study says. WORD BANK A) thriving I) incredible B) automatically J) efficient C) dramatically K) gap D) important L) scarcely E) regained M) current F) replaced N) offering G) pursue O) discouragingly H) request

阅读理解Dogs are social animals and without proper training, they will behave like wild animals. They will soil your house, destroy your belongings, bark excessively, fight other dogs and even bite you. Nearly all behavior problems are perfectly normal dog activities that occur at the wrong time or place or are directed at the wrong thing. The key to preventing or treating behavior problems is learning to teach the dog to redirect its normal behavior to outlets that are acceptable in the domestic setting. One of the best things you earl do for your dog and yourself is to obedience train (驯服) it. Obedience training doesn''t solve all behavior problems, but it is the foundation for solving just about any problem. Training opens up a line of communication between you and your dog. Effective communication is necessary to instruct your dog about what you want it to do. Training is also an easy way to establish the social rank order. When your dog obeys a simple request of "come here, sit," it is showing obedience and respect for you. It is not necessary to establish yourself as top dog or leader of the dog pack (群) by using extreme measures. You can teach your dog its subordinate (从属的) role by teaching it to show submission to you. Most dogs love performing tricks for you to pleasantly accept that you are in charge. Training should be fun and rewarding for you and your dog. It can enrich your relationship and make living together more enjoyable. A well-trained dog is more confident and can more safely be allowed a greater amount of freedom than an untrained animal.

阅读理解The author is afraid that the Obama administration will end up ___________ America's economy.

阅读理解How Babies Learn Language During the first year of a child''s life, parents and careers are concerned with its physical development very carefully. It is interesting just how easily children learn language. Children who are just three or four years old, who cannot yet tie their shoelaces, are able to speak in full sentences without any specific language training. Language as Instinct? The current view of child language development is that it is an instinct—something as natural as eating or sleeping. According to experts in this area, this language instinct is innate—something each of us is born with. But this prevailing view has not always enjoyed widespread acceptance. Learning as Repetition? In the middle of last century, experts of the time, including a renowned professor at Harvard University in the United States, regarded child language development as the process of learning through mere repetition. Language "habits" developed as young children were they used incorrect forms of language. Over time, a child, according to this theory, would learn language much like a dog might learn to behave properly through training. The Role of Interaction Yet even though the modern view holds that language is instinctive, experts like Assistant Professor Lise Eliot are convinced that the interaction a child has with its parents and caregivers is crucial to its developments. The language of the parents and caregivers is so important that the child will learn to speak in a manner very similar to the model speakers it hears. Baby Talk Given that the models parents provide are so important, it is interesting to consider the role of "baby talk" in the child''s language development. Baby talk is the language produced by an adult speaker who is trying to exaggerate certain aspects of the language to capture the attention of a young baby. Dr. Roberta Colinkoff believes that babies benefit from baby talk. Experiment show that immediately after birth habits respond more to infant-directed talk than they do to adult-directed talk. When using baby talk, people exaggerate their facial expressions, which helps the baby to begin to understand what is being communicated. She also notes that the exaggerated nature and repetition of baby talk helps infants to learn the difference between sounds. Since babies have a great deal of information to process, baby talk helps. Although there is concern that baby talk may persist too long, Dr. Golinkoff says that it stops being used as the child gets older, that is, when the child is better able to communicate with the parents. Recognition of Sounds Professor Jusczyk has made a particular study of babies'' ability to recognize sounds, and says they recognize the sound of their own names as early as four and a half months. Babies know the meaning of Mummy and Daddy by about six months, which is earlier than was previously believed. By about nine month, babies begin recognizing frequent patterns in language. A baby will listen longer to the sounds that occur frequently, so it is good to frequently call the infant by its name. An experiment at Johns Hopkins University in USA, in which researchers went to the homes of 16 nine-month-olds, confirms this view. The researchers arranged their visits for ten days out of a two-week period. During each visit the researcher played an audio tape that included the same three stories. The stories include odd words such as "python" or "hornbill", words that were unlikely to be encountered in the babies'' everyday experience. After a couple of weeks during which Nothing was done, the babies were brought to the research lab, where they listened to two recorded lists of words. The first include words heard in the story. The second included similar words, but not the exact ones that were used in the stories. Jusczyk found the babies listened longer to the words that had appeared in the stories, which indicated that the babies had extracted individual words form the story. When a control group of 16 nine-month-olds, who had not heard the stories, listened to the two groups of words, they showed no preference for either list. This does not mean that the babies actually understand the meanings of the words, just the sound patterns. It supports the idea that people are born to speak, and have the capacity to learn language from the day they are born. This ability is enhanced if they are involved in conversation. And, significantly, Dr. Eliot reminds parents that babies and toddlers need to feel they are communication. Clearly, interaction with another speaker encourages the baby to use language and speed up their process of learning to talk.

阅读理解How to be a great test taker Sometimes it seems that life is just one big test. Pop quizzes. Chapter tests. Final exams. The daunting national examinations for those planning to go to college. You can''t even get your driver''s license without passing a test. "Tests are a part of life,'' says Judy S. Richardson, professor of reading at Virginia Common wealth University in Richmond, Virginia. "We take tests all of the time. I recently had to take one, even at my age, just to apply for a research grant. We may have to take them to apply for a job; or to joint the armed forces." Importance of Tests Tests are not just commonplace; they''re also important. "Our society places an emphasis on test scores," says Maureen D. Gillette, associate dean of the College of Education at William Paterson University in New Jersey. "Most colleges and universities look at SAT or ACT tests as a measure of a student''s potential for success in college. Students should realize that some people and institutions will make certain judgments about them, whether accurate or not, based on test scores." Talk about pressure! With so much depending on the results, exams can be over whelming. But they don''t have to be. The right frame of mind and the use of smart test taking strategies can help any student succeed. Benefits of Tests Too often, people take a negative view of tests. Yet they actually have some positive ''features, according to Richardson. "Tests help us practice sharp, alert thinking," she says. "Answering test questions involves more than knowing a specific, literal answer. It also means knowing how to read between the lines, and then apply it to a situation. That is what we are expected to do every day, and so tests may help us be ready for that daily experience. Goals of Test-taking In addition to these benefits, though, the primary goal in test taking is to do well. For some students, the objective might be a passing score. For others, the desired outcome might be an A grade. But what is the best guarantee of doing well in the testing process? Proper Preparation The most basic factor, experts agree, is preparation. "Always be prepared for the test,'' Richardson advises. "Take notes, ask questions, read the material, guess what the teacher will be asking. Then when you see the test, you will have a confident reaction. You will be able to think clearly and do better on the test." On the other hand, failing to prepare is the biggest mistake you can make. This may seem obvious. But in addition to lacking the necessary knowledge, lack of preparation can weaken your mental state. "If you do not prepare all along, when you see the test, you may panic," Richardson notes. When fear creeps in, even the best student is unlikely to succeed. Making Use of Your Materials Preparing for exams can include a variety of strategies. At a minimum, any important material should be read at least once, and preferably more, until you have absorbed the main points. Simply scanning over textbooks or notes is not enough. "Reading it once is not studying," says Dr. Michael Epstein, professor of psychology at Rider University in New Jersey. He advocates taking a structured approach in which students review information both before a test and afterward. Before taking an exam, you should commit important concepts to memory through focused study. Try using whatever memory techniques work best for you. This might mean writing notes, asking yourself questions and then answering them aloud, or employing clever memory devices. Managing Time Key to the process is time management. Don''t assume you can wait until the last minute and then make up for lost study time. Rather, be sure to prepare in advance. After all, you know tests will be coming up in virtually every course you take. Similarly, test dates for standardized test are published months ahead of the actual dates. "The most effective way to study for a test is to review briefly all along and then re view some more before the test," Richardson says. "Cramming is not too effective." Advance preparation need not be a solitary process. In fact, most teachers will work with you because they want students to succeed. So in the days or weeks preceding an ex am, make sure to consult with your teacher and determine just what to expect. According to Dr. Douglas B. Reeves, author of The 20-Minute Learning Connection, A Practical Guide for Parents Who Want to Help Their Children Succeed in School, asking questions far in advance of a test is always a good idea. Techniques of Advance Preparation "First, learn the rules of the game," "he says. "It''s OK to ask the teacher what the test covers. Teachers appreciate it when students express an interest and want to do well. You are not cheating if you ask about the material on the test and the types of questions that will be used. Another strategy is to create practice test questions. Put yourself in the teachers shoes, "Reeves says. "How would you test someone about this material.''? Of course, you can''t create test questions unless you take time to read and learn the material." Don''t just mimic the efforts of other students. Analyze your own learning style, and employ methods that work best for you. "Learn the ways you learn best," says Richardson. "I learn by taking notes and making charts. Some learn by making diagrams. Be active in listening to your teacher and reading the material. And try to summarize in your own mind what you learned each day. You can do this in the car on the way home, on the bus, and so forth--it takes just minutes to do." Another tip is to hone your writing skills. "Of all the skills you can practice, the mastery of nonfiction writing is the one that will help you most in almost any test situation," says Reeves. "Even with a multiple-choice test, practice writing the reasons that a given answer: is right or wrong. '' Tackling Standardized Tests What about standardized tests such as the SAT? Many of the same strategies apply as for other types of examinations. In addition, it''s wise to avoid getting caught up too much in the hype often associated with these exams. "Prepare, but don''t stress out," says Gillette. "If you study hard during the year, take appropriate courses in school, and do some test preparation, it is likely that you will do fine." She adds that it can be worthwhile to take step such as purchasing commercially made practice test material, studying in small groups as well as alone, doing practice problems, and using the answer key to discuss right and wrong answers. "With measures like these, good students should have all the preparation they need," Gillette notes. "Many parents spend a lot of money on test preparation courses. Some people may value this route, but I really do not think it is necessary." On-line Preparation If you''d like to learn more about test-taking strategies, check out books on the subject along with Web sites such as the one provided by the National Council of Teachers of English at www. ncte. org. But don''t depend too heavily on the World Wide Web. "Remember, you can drown in Internet information," Reeves says. "When you are preparing for a test, you need focus, not 300 pages downloaded from the Web. Learn the rules of the game, get the information, you need, and then write practice questions and practice responses. That''s your best plan."

阅读理解Educating girls quite possibly yields a higher rate of return than any other investment available in the developing world. Women''s education may be unusual territory for economists, but enhancing women''s contribution to development is actually as much an economic as a social issue. And economics, with its emphasis on incentives (激励), provides guideposts that point to an explanation for why so many girls are deprived of an education. 　　Parents in low-income countries fail to invest in their daughters because they do not expect them to make an economic contribution to the family: girls grow up only to marry into somebody else''s family and bear children. Girls are thus seen as less valuable than boys and art kept at home to do housework while their brothers are sent to school —— the prophecy （预言) becomes self-fulfilling, trapping women in a vicious circle (恶性循环) of neglect. 　　An educated mother, on the other hand, has greater earning abilities outside the home and faces an entirely different set of choices. She is likely to have fewer but healthier children and can insist on the development of all her children, ensuring that her daughters are given a fair chance. The education of her daughters then makes it much more likely that the next generation of girls, as well as of boys, will be educated and healthy. The vicious circle is thus transformed into a virtuous circle. 　　Few will dispute that educating women has great social benefits. But it has enormous economic advantages as well. Most obviously, there is the direct effect of education on the wages of female workers. Wages rise by 10 to 20 per cent for each additional year of schooling. Such big returns are impressive by the standard of other available investments, but they are just the beginning. Educating women also has a significant impact on health practices, including family planning.

阅读理解Large companies need a way to reach the savings of the public at large. The same problem, on a small scale, faces practically every company trying to develop new products and create new jobs. There can be little prospect of raising the sort of sums needed from friends and people we know. While banks may agree to provide short-term finance, they are generally unwilling to provide money on a permanent basis for long-term projects. So companies turn to the public, inviting people to lend them money, or take a share in the business in exchange for a share in future profits. This they do by issuing stocks and shares in the business through the Stock Exchange. By doing so they can put into circulation the savings of individuals and institutions, both at home and overseas. When the saver needs his money back, he does not have to go to the company with whom he originally placed it. Instead, he sells his shares through a stock-broker to some other saver who is seeking to invest his money. Many of the services needed both by industry and by each of us are provided by the government or by local authorities. Without hospitals, roads, electricity, telephones, railways, this country could not function. All these require continuous spending on new equipment and new development if they are to serve us properly, requiring more money than is raised through taxes alone. The government, local authorities, and nationalized industries therefore frequently need to borrow money to finance major capital spending, and they, too, come to the Stock Exchange. There is hardly a man or woman in this country whose job or whose standard of living does not depend on the ability of his or her employers to raise money to finance new development. In one way or another, this new money must come from the savings of the country. The Stock Exchange exists to provide a channel through which these savings can reach those who need finance.

阅读理解Ken and I met and saw each other just three times before he left for Vietnam. He never gave me flowers or candy. There were no moonlight walks, no lingering good-byes on the front porch. Our courtship took place by mail. I felt sorry for him, far from home in the service of his country. Writing to him seemed almost a patriotic duty. But as we got better acquainted, our letter-writing pace increased—to as many as three a day. I started driving home at lunch to collect the mail. Then Ken came back in leave, and we surprised ourselves by getting married and going overseas together. Romantic? Not really, because then he left on a three -week mission, making our honeymoon a by-mail event too. We didn''t set out to defy romantic customs; it just turned out that way, and stayed that way. We had been married seven years before we remembered our anniversary—and then only because my mother phoned to wish us a happy one. It took another ten years for us to notice Valentine''s Day. To celebrate our alertness that year, we decided to have a conventionally romantic evening; a quiet, just-the-two-of-us dinner at a nice restaurant. When we arrived at the restaurant, we were told there would be a 40-minute wait, and so we headed for another nice, but not so romantic place. About halfway to our second choice, Ken realized that the restaurant would not honor our credit card and we were low on cash. I sighed and said, "I do have enough for a fast -food place. " Clearly, we were veering far off the conventional course. While Ken placed the order, I gathered napkins and straws and went to select a romantic spot in the nonsmoking area. There I found a woman methodically turning chairs up onto tables. "This section''s closed, " she said. "But it''s the only nonsmoking section," I protested. She pointed across the room. "You can sit over there. " That''s the smoking section," I argued. "I know," she said. "But you don''t have to smoke. I started to protest but stopped to choke back a laugh. Maybe because she thought I was going to cry, she removed the opened chairs from a table and said, "This okay?" I thanked her and, after she had gone, sat giggling until Ken arrived with the hamburgers. Surrounded by a forest of upsidedown chair legs, we had our Valentine dinner. It wasn''t exactly quiet, with grill workers yelling at each other in the kitchen past the swing door near our table. But it was just the two of us, if you didn''t count the person with the mop who kept bumping our chairs.

阅读理解The Frontier and the Family The impact of the frontier has been traditionally assumed by historians, who have studied its (47)______ on mountain men and cowboys, on different political and social institutions. Yet the impact of the frontier on the most common dimension of life—upon the family—remains largely (48)______. Although family has been (49)______ significant in the historical process, it is relatively a new area of historical research. In terms of westward migration, family played a special role. For people who (50)______ the church as much as the state, family was the only institution that could be entrusted with the enterprise of settling the continent. A Christian family was enough of the church; a Christian family was (51)______ expression of political and social order. In 1862, Congress provided for the (52)______ of lands to heads of households in a law, but that law merely recognized that settlement had been the business of families since the seventeenth century. Families took up the challenge of the western lands in a variety of ways. Some families moved west in loosely (53)______ groups made up of families in similar directions. They drew up constitutions and elected leaders and generally applied the democratic process to the journey west. The government, for its part, (54)______ little help — no maps or transportation, no tools or agricultural information, no medical services and little protection. Beyond the westward-running rivers there was no road until wagons left deep (55)______ on the ground so that one could see a trail — or until enough wagons became lost and doubled back to warn others against their mistakes. Nonetheless, the attraction of "free land" was irresistible. One day or another, in a wagon train or all alone, a family packed its (56)______ and livestock and set off toward the next "empty" space. Word Bank A) provided B) usually C) unexamined D) tracks E) sufficient F) bend G) organized H) effects I) mistrusted J) farming K) bargain L) especially M) considerable N) belongings O) distribution

阅读理解What happens when people try to quit smoking gradually?

阅读理解Studies have found that no single factor causes violence. Researchers have (47)______ many determinants, including both individual (48)______ and attributes of campus and community environments. These factors can be organized according to a "social ecological framework," a commonly used public health model. This model recognizes that health-and safety-related behaviors are shaped through (49)______ levels of influence — individual, group, institutional, and community as well as public policy and societal factors. The nature and strength of these factors will vary across settings and by type of violence. In a campus community, the following are examples of possible influences at each level: Individual factors, such as student, faculty, and staff attitudes and beliefs about violence; skills for (50)______ conflict. Interpersonal or group processes, such as group norms regarding appropriate behavior; responses of bystanders to violence. Institutional factors, such as campus policies and (51)______; existence of high-risk settings that contribute to violence; high levels of alcohol consumption in the campus environment. Community factors, such as high rates of violence and drug selling in the surrounding community; extent of community law (52)______. Public policy and societal influences that influence campus life and students, including the existence and enforcement of (53)______, state, and local laws and statutes; cultural contributors such as male gender role socialization and media images that glamorize violence. Any given violent event typically results from a convergence of some or all of the above factors. The National Research Council concluded: "A violent event requires the conjunction of a person with some (high or low) predisposing potential for violent behavior, a situation with elements that create some risk of violent events, and usually a (54)______ event". The (55)______ of violence suggests that efforts to reduce violence will require efforts to address the array of contributing factors. In addition, efforts should take into account the typical dynamics of campus violence. For example, most incidents of campus sexual assault are committed not by a stranger who jumps out of the bushes but by someone known to the (56)______. Word Bank A) complexity B) identified C) model D) negotiating E) multiple F) triggering G) procedures H) observe I) cause J) enforcement K) focus L) characteristics M) victim N) temporary O) federal

阅读理解The tropical rain forest belt extending around our planet at the equator (赤道) has taken some 60 million years to evolve to its present state. It is, quite simply, the most complex and the most important ecosystem (生态系统) (47)________ earth. Homo Faber, Man the Builder, has tragically always seen the jungle (48)________ an enemy, an environmerit (49)________, replaced with his own constructions. In the (50)________ twenty years the rate of destruction has increased alarmingly (51)________ huge areas of green, beautiful forest — an irreplaceable treasure house of living things—has given (52)________ to wasteland. The evidence is that man will redouble (53)________ destructive efforts until the forest system is smashed, and the jungle will (54)________ no more. Many experts predict the tropical rain forests will finally (55)________ around the end of our (56)________. Well done, 20th century. WORD BANK A. or B. vanish C. century D. his E. use F. as G. defeated H. verify I. function J. way K. their L. on M. and N. in O. past

阅读理解Culture is the sum total of all the tradition, customs, beliefs, and ways to life of a given group of human being. In this sense, every group has a culture, however savage, undeveloped, or uncivilized it may seem to us. To the professional anthropologists, there is no intrinsic superiority of one culture over another, just as to the professional linguist there is no intrinsic hierarchy(等级制度) among languages. People once thought of the languages of backward groups as savage, undeveloped forms of speech, consisted largely of grunts and groans. While it is possible that language in general began as a series of grunts and groans, it is a fact established by the study of "backward" languages that no spoken tongue answers the description today. Most languages of uncivilized groups are, by our most severe standards, extremely complex, delicate, and ingenious pieces of machinery for the transfer of ideas. They fall behind our western language not in their sound patterns or grammatical structure, which usually are fully adequate for all language needs, but only in their vocabularies, which reflect the objects and activities known to their speakers. Even in this department, however, two things are to be noted: 1. All languages seem to possess the machinery for vocabulary expansion, either by putting together words already in existence or by borrowing them from other languages and adapting them to their own system. 2, Tile objects and activities requiring names and distinctions in "backward" languages, while different from ours, are often surprisingly numerous and complicated. A western language distinguished merely between two degrees of remoteness ("this" and "that"); some languages of the American Indians distinguish between what is close to the speaker, or to the person addressed, or removed from both; or out of sight, or in the past, or in the future. This study of language, in turn casts a new light upon the claim of the anthropologists that all cultures are to be viewed independently, and without ideas of rank or hierarchy.

阅读理解Patricia Russo was now hired back to Lucent Technologies as president and chief executive to dazzle (使惊讶，使惊奇) Wall Street. She is widely regarded as a capable, "safe pair of hands," who will reassure shareholders, customers and employees as Lucent accelerates its radical restructuring. As one of the founding executives who launched Lucent out of AT her team building skills will be needed to keep the "new Lucent" together. Former colleagues say her ability to not take herself too seriously and a love for chocolate might come in handy, too. Those who have worked with Russo say she always has chocolates around wherever she goes — "probably to break the ice and show she''s a real person."

阅读理解Passage One The question of whether our government should promote science and technology or the liberal arts in higher education isnt an either/or proposition(命题)，although the current emphasis on preparing young Americans for STEM(science, technology, engineering, maths)-related fields can make it seem that way

阅读理解Some people would say that the Englishman''s home is no longer his castle, that it has become his workshop. This is partly because the average Englishman is keen on working with his own hands and partly because he feels, for one reason or another, that he must do for himself many household for which, some years ago, he would have hired professional help. The main reason for this is a financial one. The high cost of labour has meant that builders'' and decorators'' cost have reach a level which makes them prohibitive for houseproud English-people of modest means. So, if they wish to keep their houses looking bright and smart, they have to tackle some of the repairs and decorating themselves. As a result, there has grown up in the post-war years what is sometimes referred to as the " do-it-yourself movement". The "do-it-yourself movement" began with home decorating but has since spread into a much wider field. Nowadays there seem to be very few things that can''t be made by the "do-it-yourself movement" method. A number of magazines and handbooks exist to show hopeful handymen of all ages just how easy it is to build anything from a coffee table to a fifteen foot (4. 5 meters) sailing dinghy(小船). All you need, it seems, is a hammer and a few nails. You follow the simple instructions step by step and, before you know where you are, the finished article stands before you, completely in every detail. Unfortunately, alas, it is not always quite as simple as it sounds! Many a budding(初露头角的) "do-it-yourself" has found to his cost that one can not learn a skilled craftsman''s job overnight. How quickly one realizes, when doing it oneself, that a job which takes the skilled man an hour or so to completely takes the amateur handyman five or six at least. And then there is the question of tools. The first thing the amateur learns is that he must have the right tools for the job. But tools cost money. There is also the wear and tear on the nerves. It is not surprising then that many people have come to the conclusion that the expense of paying professional to do the work is, in the long run, more economical than " doing it oneself".

阅读理解Dad, Why Did You Do It? Every time the phone rings in my flat I jump, especially if it''s near midnight. Deep down I know it''s only Mum, ringing for a chat because, yet again, she can''t sleep. But for a fraction of a second I freeze. It was midnight. when the call came that changed the way I felt about the person I loved most--my dad. I''d watch his friends playing around with young girls and then look at Dad. "Ridiculous, "he''d say, and I''d smile, knowing he could never behave that way. Last October, as if to prove the point, he whisked Mum away for a romantic weekend in Rome to celebrate their silver wedding anniversary. She was so happy. I didn''t think any couple could be closer and I always dreamed that when I got married it would be the same for me--secure and caring. Dad always wanted the best for me and he made sure I got it. Thanks to his Army career and pension we were financially better off than most. But he always pushed me to achieve things for myself and not be too dependent on him and Mum. I loved him for that, but when he packed me off to America for a year to "find myself" I didn''t want to go. Hugging me at the airport, Dad wiped away my tears. "It''ll be character building, Emma," he said, adding: "Anyway, if you. don''t like it after a few months you can come back. But trust me Princess, you''ll love it." He was right. I loved the States, and living there built up my confidence. Still, I missed Dad like mad. I remember sitting in a coffee bar in Chicago and hiding behind the menu as tears poured down my face. I was frightened, alone and I knew Dad wasn''t there to put his arms around me and reassure me. I rushed out to a phone booth to call him. As soon as I heard his sleepy voice I felt okay. Then, when I got home 12 months later, nothing much had changed…I thought. Mum was as madly in love with Dad as she''d been since the day he''d first kissed her in the school playground; and Dad seemed to feel the same--on the outside. Except he''d finally left the Army and was now an area manager for a car manufacturer. Mum was over the moon--it meant he no longer had to travel all over the country and spend months away from home. Dad was excited about his new job, and when he started working late neither Mum nor I thought anything of it. He told us it was a new project, and so confidential he wasn''t allowed to tell us much about it. I believed he was at work, tucked away in his office--until I got that unforgettable midnight call. The woman s voice was hesitant but panicky. She asked if I was George s daughter. I didn''t realize who she was until she told me Dad was with her--at midnight. She said she hadn''t wanted to ring, that she''d never wanted me to find out about her, but she had no choice. Someone had to know that Dad was on his way to hospital. "He''s had a heart attack," she said, her voice trembling. As I paced up and down the hospital corridor, this strange woman explained that she''d been with my father when he'' d collapsed. The thought of them together made me feel ill. While I rushed to the toilet to splash water on my face, I heard a cry. It was her. As soon as I saw the doctor taking off his mask and laying a hand on her shoulder, I knew Dad had gone. I couldn''t make myself go and look at him. I would''ve seen a stranger lying there. The man who for 24 years had told me never to lie, to be true to myself and always to treasure family values above all else, had slipped away from my lift for ever. Only then did I discover this woman worked for the company. She was Dad''s so-called" confidential project". An hour or so later I broke the news to Mum. I said Dad had suffered a heart attack while he was at his friend Roy''s house; that has made me feel even more guilty, because I''ve had to draw Roy into it all. I told Mum that Dad had been going over the new project with Roy and had collapsed. Nothing could be done. I even remember saying he''d been working much too hard lately. The last image I have of my Dad was as he''d waved good-bye that night. He''d ruffled my hair and told me he loved me. Then he went to see her. If Mum ever found out that he'' d been deceiving her and had died in someone else''s arms, it would kill her. So I''ve tried to make sure that never happens. Sometimes I wonder how I''m strong enough to keep this secret Dad has burdened me With. But I must--for Mum''s sake. In the last six months I seem to have lost all sense of what is right and wrong. Worst of all, I''ve lost the person who meant so much to me. In my eyes, my Dad died once when I heard her voice on the phone. And he died again when his heart stopped beating. The pain of knowing I lost him twice makes it doubly hard to bear.

阅读理解From childhood to old age, we all use language as a means of broadening our knowledge of ourselves and the world about us. When humans first (47)______. they were like newborn children, unable to use this (48)______ tool. Yet once language developed, the possibilities for human kind''s future attainments and cultural growth increased. Many linguists believe that evolution is (49)______ for our ability to produce and use language. They claim that our highly evolved brain provides us with an innate (天生的) language ability not found in lower organisms. Proponents (支持者) of this innateness theory say that our (50)______ for language is inborn, but that language itself develops gradually, as a function of the growth of the brain during childhood. Therefore there are critical (51)______ times for language development. Current reviews of innateness theory are mixed; however, evidence supporting the existence of some innate abilities is undeniable. Indeed, more and more schools are discovering that foreign languages are best taught in the lower grades. Young children often can learn several languages by being (52)______ to them, while adults have a much harder time learning another language once the (53)______ of their first language have become firmly fixed. Although some aspects of language are undeniably innate, language does not develop automatically in a vacuum. Children who have been (54)______ from other human beings do not possess language. This demonstrates that (55)______ with other human beings is necessary for proper language development. Some linguists believe that this is even more basic to human language (56)______ than any innate capacities. These theorists view language as imitative, learned behavior. In other words, children learn language from their parents by imitating them. Parents gradually shape their child''s language skills by positively reinforcing precise imitations and negatively reinforcing imprecise ones. WORD BANK A) responsible B) evolved C) potential D) valuable E) generated F) biological G) available H) exposed I) revealed J) psychological K) distinguished L) isolated M) interaction N) acquisition O) rules

阅读理解It will come as no surprise that the earth is going to be a much more crowded place in the next century. From a global population of about 5.4 billion today, the United Nations Fund for Population Activities says we''ll see a rise to 8.2 billion people in 2025. The U. N. expects the total population to stabilize (稳定) at Il. 6 billion sometime later in the 2000 s. More than ninety percent of the population growth will occur in developing countries. Eighteen of the world'' s twenty largest cities will be in these lands as the number of urban-dwellers (城市居民) swells from roughly two billion to 5.1 billion. The Unites States and Europe, which in 1950 accounted for twenty-two percent of the world'' s population, will be home to less than nine percent of its people in 2025. By contrast, Africa'' s share of the total will climb from nine percent in 1950 to nearly twenty percent by 2015. Ethiopia should double in size to almost 100 million people. In about the same time period, India will overtake China as the world''s most populous country. For the United States, the big news won''t be an abundance of new faces; experts predict the country will grow from its present 250 million population and stabilize at about 350 million sometime before the middle of the 21st century. The important changes will be in American ethnic (种族的) makeup. Twenty years from now, the United States white, non-Hispanic majority will peak at 195 million, and then may decline in numbers. Asian-Americans will become an increasingly important minority, while African-Americans--whose population growth rate is slowing dramatically--will become the second-largest minority behind Hispanics, a half million of whom are now thought to be emigrating to the United States legally and otherwise, each year.