阅读理解

　　“Soon, you’re going to have to move out!” cried my neighbor upon seeing the largest tomato plant known to mankind, or at least known in my neighborhood．

　　One tiny 9-inch plant, bought for ＄1.25 in the spring, has already taken over much of my rose bed, covering much of other plants, and is well on its way to the front door．

　　Roses require a good deal of care, and if it weren’t for the pleasure they give, it wouldn’t be worth the work．As it is, I have a garden full of sweet-smelling roses for most of the year．Bushes must be pruned(剪枝)in early spring, leaving ugly woody branches until the new growth appears a few weeks later．It was the space available in the garden that led me into planting just one little tomato plant．A big mistake．

　　Soil conditions made just perfect for roses turn out to be even more perfect for tomatoes．The daily watering coupled with full sun and regular fertilizing(施肥)have turned the little plant into a tall bush．The cage I placed around it as the plant grew has long since disappeared under the thick leaves．

　　Now the task I face in harvesting the fruit is twofold; First, I have to find the red ones among the leaves, which means I almost have to stand on my head, and once found I have to reach down and under, pick the tomatoes and withdraw(缩回)my full fist without dropping the prize so dearly won．I found two full-blown white roses completely hidden as I picked tomatoes in June．But they were weak and the leaves already yellow for lack of light．

　　Here I am faced with a painful small decision：to tear up a wonderful and productive tomato plant that offers up between ten and twenty ripe sweet tomatoes each day or say goodbye to several expensive and treasured roses．Like Scarlett in Gone With the Wind, I’ll think about that tomorrow．

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阅读理解

　　In American schools there is something called Homecoming Day．Many high schools and colleges with a football team have a Homecoming game．This can be the most important event of the year except graduation of commencement(毕业典礼)day．Students plan Homecoming day for many weeks in advance．

　　Several days before Homecoming, students start to decorate the school．There are signs to wish luck to the team, and many other signs to welcome all the graduates．Many people still come to Homecoming twenty or thirty years after their graduation．

　　The members of school clubs build booths(摊位)and sell lemonade(柠檬汁), apples and sandwiches．Some clubs help to welcome visitors．

　　During the day people like to look for teachers that they remember from long ago．Often they see old friends and they talk together about those happy years in school．

　　Everyone soon comes to watch the football game．When the game is half over, the band comes onto the field and plays school songs．Another important moment is when the Homecoming Queen or King appears．All the students vote a most popular student Homecoming Queen or King．It is a great honor to be chosen．

　　Homecoming is a happy day but it is not perfect unless the football team wins the game．Even if the team loses, the students still enjoy Homecoming．Some stay at the school to dance and others go to a party．For everyone it is a day worth remembering．

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阅读理解

　　I remember the first day I saw her playing basketball．I watched in wonder as she ran circles around the other kids．She managed to shoot jump shots just over their heads and into the net．The boys always tried to stop her but no one could．

　　I began to notice her at other times, basketball in hand, playing alone, sometimes until dark．One day I asked her why she practiced so much．Looking directly in my eyes, she said without a moment of hesitation, “I want to go to college．The only way I can go is if I get a scholarship．I like basketball．

　　I decided that if I were good enough, I would get a scholarship(奖学金)．I am going to play college basketball．

　　My Daddy told me if the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count．”

　　I watched her through those junior high years and into high school．Every week, she led her team to victory．One day in her senior year, I saw her sitting in the grass, head cradled in her arms．I walked across the street and sat down in the cool grass beside her．Quietly I asked what was wrong．“Oh, nothing,” came a soft reply．“I am just too short．” The coach told her that at 5′5″she would probably never get to play for a top ranked team－much less offered a scholarship－so she should stop dreaming about college．

　　She was heartbroken and I felt my own throat tighten as I sensed her disappointment．I asked her if she had talked to her dad about it yet．

　　She lifted her head from her hands and told me that her father said those coaches were wrong．

　　They just did not understand the power of a dream．He told her that if she really wanted to play for a good college, if she truly wanted a scholarship, that nothing could stop her except one thing－her own attitude．He told her again, “If the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count．”

　　The next year, as she and her team went to the Northern California Championship game, she was seen by a college recruiter(招生人员)．She was indeed offered a scholarship, a full ride, to a Division I,NCAA women’s basketball team．

　　It’s true：If the dream is big enough, the facts don’t count．

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阅读理解

　　Most of us lead unhealthy lives; we spend far too much sitting down．If in addition we are careless about our diets, our bodies soon become loose and fatty and our systems slow moving．There are some aspects(方面)of our unhealthy lives that we cannot avoid．I am thinking of such features of modern city life as pollution, noise, rushed meals and stress．But keeping fit is a way to reduce the effects of these evils．The usual suggestion to a person who is looking for a way to keep fit is to take up some sport or other．While it is true that every weekend you will find people playing football and hockey in the local park, they are outnumbered a hundred to one by the people who are simply watching them．

　　For those who do not particularly enjoy competitive sports－and it is especially difficult to do so if you are not good at them－there are such separate activities as cycling, walking, jogging and swimming．What often happens though is that you do them in such a leisurely way, so slowly, that it is doubtful if you are doing yourself much good, except for the fact that you have at least managed to get up out of your armchair．

　　Even after you have found a way for keeping in shape, through sport or gymnastics, you are still only half way to good health, because, according to the experts, you must also master the art of complete mental and physical relaxation(放松)．It has to do with deep breathing, emptying your mind of all thoughts, meditation, and so on．Yoga, as practiced in the West, is the most widely known and popular of the systems for achieving the necessary state of relaxation．It seems ironical(讽刺性的),though, that as our lives have improved in a material sense we have found it increasingly necessary to go back to forms of activity－physical effort on the one hand and relaxation on the other－which were the natural way of life of our forefathers．

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阅读理解

　　Fred Ames and I haven’t much in common．I sometimes wonder why we are friends at all．Perhaps it is Fred’s skill as a craftsman that I find so attractive．He’s always busy making things．Everything he makes is so perfect that I sometimes feel a little of disappointment．If I knock over a vase and it is broken into a thousand pieces, Fred puts it together again in such a way that only an expert would see the difference．

　　My trouble is that I am one of those hopelessly impractical and incurably lazy people．Outside my work at the office which is dull enough, the only thing that interests me is listening to classical music．I have a big collection of records and all day long the only thing I think about is when I am going to get home to listen to a new symphony or concerto．

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阅读理解

　　People’s tastes in recreation(消遣)differ widely．At a recent festival of pop music in the Isle of Weight, crowds of teenagers gathered to listen to their favorite singers and musicians．They went with single railway tickets and slept in the open, a very dangerous thing to do in the climate of Britain, even in August．They were packed together like sardines for four days．There were countless thieves, a group of trouble-makers tried several times to break things up, and the police were everywhere．At the end of the festival many young fans found themselves broke, and they had difficulty in getting back home．Most people would consider these conditions a bad dream of discomfort：the fans appeared to enjoy it all especially．

　　Even in the overcrowded United Kingdom there are large areas of open unspoiled country, where people with more traditional tastes can go for quiet, and for the sense of freedom they get from closeness to nature．In the national parks especially, modern development of housing and industry is strictly controlled．Visitors may walk for miles through landscape of the greatest beauty and wildness, and often of considerable historic or scientific interest．Along the coasts of some of the seaside countries, public pathways have been created; these paths stretch for many miles along cliffs that look out on the Atlantic or the English Channel．Another path, lying in-land, goes along the range(排)of mountains in the north of England．It is called the Pennine Way．Here, the long-distance walker and the nature-lover can find much to enjoy, without feeling breathless closed by large numbers of their fellows．

　　Yet few people make full use of the national parks set up for everyone’s benefit．The commonest thing nowadays is for family groups to motor out to a beautiful spot and park their cars in the lay-by(路边停车处)．A picnic basket is produced, along with a folding table and chairs, a kettle and a movable stove．They then settle down to a picnic in the lay-by beside the car．Clearly their idea of enjoyment is to get into the fresh air and among the country sights and sounds without having to walk a yard．They seem almost to like to hear and to smell the traffic．

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阅读理解

　　A is for always getting to work on time．

　　B is for being extremely busy．

　　C is for the conscientious(勤勤恳恳的)way you do your job．

　　You may be all these things at the office, and more．But when it comes to getting ahead, experts say, the ABCs of business should include a P, for politics, as in office politics．

　　Dale Carnegie suggested as much more than 50 years ago：Hard work alone doesn’t ensure career advancement．You have to be able to sell yourself and your ideas, both publicly and behind the scenes．Yet, despite the obvious rewards of engaging in office politics－a better job, a raise, praise－many people are still unable or unwilling to “play the game”．

　　“People assume that office politics involves some manipulative(工于心计的)behavior,” says Deborah Comer, an assistant professor of management at Hofstra University．“But politics derives from the word ‘polite’．It can mean lobbying(游说)and forming associations．It can mean being kind and helpful, or even trying, to please your superior, and then expecting something in return．”

　　In fact, today, experts define office politics as proper behavior used to pursue one’s own self-interest in the workplace．In many cases, this involves some form of socializing within the office environment－not just in large companies, but in small workplaces as well．

　　“The first thing people are usually judged on is their ability to perform well on a consistent basis,” says Neil P．Lewis, a management psychologist．“But if two or three candidates are up for a promotion, each of whom has reasonably similar ability, a manager is going to promote the person he or she likes best．It’s simple human nature．”

　　Yet, psychologists say, many employees and employers have trouble with the concept of politics in the office．Some people, they say, have an idealistic vision of work and what it takes to succeed．Still others associate politics with flattery(奉承), fearful that, if they speak up for themselves, they may appear to be flattering their boss for favors．

　　Experts suggest altering this negative picture by recognizing the need for some self-promotion．

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阅读理解

　　Every one needs friends．We all like to feel close(亲密的)to someone．It is nice to have a friend to talk, laugh and do so many things together with．Surely, there are times when we need to be alone．We don’t always want people around．But we would feel lonely if we never had a friend．

　　No two people are the same．Sometimes friends don’t get along well．That doesn’t mean that they no longer like each other．Most of the time they will go on being friends．Sometimes friends move away．Then we feel very sad．We miss them very much．But we can call them and write to them．Maybe we would never see them again．And we can make new friends．It is surprising to find out how much we like new people when we get to know them．Families sometimes name their children after a close friend．Many places are named after men and women, if they are friendly to people in a town．Some libraries are named this way．So are some schools．We think of these people when we go to these places．

　　There’s more good news for people, if they have friends．These people live longer than those who don’t have friends．Why? It could be that they are happier．Being happy helps you stay well．Or it could be just knowing that someone cares about you．If someone cares about you, you take better care of yourself．

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City and Country

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A Perfect Day？

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