阅读理解

　　People had known about steam power for hundreds of years．But they did not know how to apply(适用)it to machines．About 300 years ago, some engineers discovered that they could use steam power to force water out of deep mines(矿井)．This helped miners dig deeper than ever．But little more was done with steam power until one man, James Watt, discovered to make steam turn a wheel．

　　When he was a boy, James Watt’s parents had scolded(责骂)him for playing with mechanical(机械的)things．There were few advanced machines then．And almost nobody could make a living by fixing them．So Wart’s parents thought that playing around with machines was a waste of time．But someone asked Watt to repair a steam coal-mine pump．Watt fixed the pump and he began to build models of other pumps．

　　Once Watt had built his first steam engines, steam power was used to do many things．Machines were built that could weave(编织), grind(磨)flour, drive a boat or a train, and even make other machines．

　　Nearly anything that needed pushing or turning could be powered by steam．Within 50 years of Watt’s invention, steam engines were producing and transporting things in ways that were impossible by hand, wind, or water power．

阅读理解

　　PITTSBURGH －For most people, snakes seem unpleasant or even threatening(有威胁的)．But Howie Choset sees in their delicate(灵敏的)movements a way to save lives．

　　The 37-year-old Carnegie Mellon University professor has spent years developing snake-like robots he hopes will eventually slide(滑)through fallen buildings in search of victims trapped after natural disasters or other emergencies(紧急情况)．

　　Dan Kara is president of Robotics Trends, a Northboro, Mass-based company that publishes an online industry magazine and runs robotics trade shows．He said there are other snake-like robots being developed, mainly at universities, but didn’t know of one that could climb pipes．

　　The Carnegie Mellon machines are designed to carry cameras and electronic sensors and can be controlled with a joystick(操纵杆)．They move smoothly with the help of small electric motors, or servos, commonly used by hobbyists(业余爱好者)in model airplanes．

　　Built from lightweight materials, the robots are about the size of a human arm or smaller．They can sense which way is up, but are only as good as their human operators, Choset added．

　　Sam Stover, a search team manager with the Federal Emergency Management Agency based in Indiana, said snake-type robots would offer greater mobility(灵活性)than equipment currently available(可利用的), such as cameras attached(系)to extendable poles．

　　“It just allows us to do something we’ve not been able to do before,” Stover said, “We needed them yesterday．”

　　He said sniffer dogs(嗅探犬)are still the best search tool for rescue(救援)workers, but that they can only be used effectively when workers have access(接近)to damaged buildings．

　　Stover, among the rescue workers who handled(处理)the aftermath(后果)of Hurricane Katrina, said snake robots would have helped rescuers search flooded houses in that disaster．

　　Choset said the robots may not be ready for use for another five to ten years, depending on funding(资金)．

阅读理解

　　What’s your dream vacation? Watching wildlife in Kenya? Boating down the Amazon? Sunbathing in Malaysia? New chances are opening up all the time to explore the world．So we visit travel agents, compare packages and prices, and pay our money．

　　We know what our vacation costs us．But do we know what it might cost someone else? It’s true that many poorer countries now depend on tourism for foreign income．Unfortunately, though, tourism often harms the local people more than it helps them．

　　It might cost their homes and lands．In Myanmar, 5 200 people were forced to leave their homes among the pagodas(佛塔)in Bagan so that tourists could visit the pagodas．

　　Tourism might also cost the local people their livelihood and dignity(尊严)．Local workers often find only menial(卑微的)jobs in the tourist industry．And most of the profits(利益)do not help the local economy．Instead, profits return to the tour operators in wealthier countries．When the Maasai people in Tanzania were driven from their lands, some moved to city slums(贫民窟)．Others now make a little money selling souvenirs(纪念品)or posing for photos．

　　Problems like these were observed more than 20 years ago．But now some non-government organizations, tour operators and local governments are working together to begin correcting them．Tourists, too, are putting on the pressure．

The result is responsible tourism, or “ethical(道德的)tourism”．Ethical tourism has people at its heart．New international agreements and codes of conduct can help protect the people’s lands, homes, economies and culture．The beginnings are small, though, and the problems are complex．

　　But take heart．The good news is that everyone including us, can play a part to help the local people in the places we visit．Tour operators and companies can help by making sure that local people work in good conditions and earn reasonable wages．

They can make it a point to use only locally owned hotels, restaurants and guide services．They can share profits fairly to help the local economy．And they can involve the local people in planning and managing tourist．

　　What can tourists do? First, we ask tour companies to provide information about the conditions of local citizens．We can then make our choices and tell them why．And while we’re abroad, we can：

　　*Buy local foods and products, not imported ones．

　　*Pay a fair price for goods and services and not bargain(讨价还价)for the cheapest price．

　　*Avoid showing off wealth．

　　*Ask before taking photographs of people．They are not just part of the landscape!

　　Let’s enjoy our vacation and make sure others do, too．

阅读理解

　　HOLIDAY HOMES IN MALLORCA

　　Holiday houses in Mallorca sailing and fishing port－quiet even in summer season．Beautifully situated houses with sights of sea and mountains, yet near to shops and restaurants．Cars and bicycles for hire．Sailing and sports clubs nearby．

　　ITALY IN COMFORT

　　Luxury coach(carriage)trips of Italy, out of normal holiday season．21 days to visit five Italian cities starting from London 1st May,1st September．The trips are guided by professor Martin Davis．Head of Italian Studies, London University．See the arts and culture of historic Italy．

　　KIBBUTZ HOLIDAYS IN ISRAEL(以色列)

　　Working holidays on a kibbutz(co-operative farm)in Israel．All nationalities welcome for one to three months, if prepared to work morning with kibbutz members．Accommodation(住宿), food and trips to historic sights all provided free －you pay only for the special low-cost return flight．

　　TWO WEEKS ON A CARIBBEAN ISLAND

　　Two-week holidays in the Hotel Splendid, on a lovely beach with golden sands and deep-blue sea．Tennis, golf, sailing and all water sports, trips around the island arranged．Near to town of Castries with lively evening entertainment－dancing．

　　1st November-31st March＝￡720 per person

　　1st April-30th October＝￡850 per person

　　Jack and his wife Mary, who have recently retired, want to see places of cultural and historic interest abroad, but Mary hates flying．

　　Peter and Maria, university students, want to travel as far as possible on little money, and would like to get to know a country by working there for three months with other young people．

　　Michael, a young computer programmer, has been working hard and needs a holiday to relax in winter．He would like to go somewhere warmer and sunny, where he can swim in the sea, and he enjoys sports and dancing．

　　Herry and Kate, both teachers, and their two sons, have to take their holiday during the school summer holidays．There must be plenty for the boys to do, although Harry and Kate just want to have beautiful scenery, good food and wine－and peace．

阅读理解

　　Erik Weihenmayer wants to climb Mount Everest．He loves to climb, and there is no place greater for climbers than the peak of 29 035 feet, the world’s highest mountain．

　　Weihenmayer is blind．He has been blind since age 13, when an eye disease robbed him of his sight．In his new book, Touch the Top of the World, he describes his blindness and climbing．He is the first blind man to attempt Everest．The team reached the base camp at 17 800 feet last Wednesday and began its climb Saturday．If all goes well, Weihenmayer will reach the top on about May 15．

　　“I’m not just some broken blind guy,” Weihenmayer, aged 32, said for hours before he left Los Angeles on Friday for Katmandu, Nepal．“I put my life in my fellow climbers’ hands, and they put their lives in my hands．It’s an honor to reach that state．”

　　“I want to experience the scene of adventure．Blindness has nothing to do with that．But a message of the climb is that a blind person can join a team and climb the highest mountain in the world．”

　　Weihenmayer has climbed the highest peaks on four continents：North America’s Mount McKinley, South America’s Aconcagua, Africa’s Kilimanjaro and Antarctica’s Vinson Massif．He is an expert rock and ice climber, having scaled EL Captain in Yosemite National Park．When he was 16, he attended a school that taught blind people to be independent．One day, a group went rock-climbing．“I really liked it,” Weihenmayer said, “You can solve problems．It is sense in your inner mind．People didn’t think blind people could go out and become expert rock climbers．”

阅读理解

　　She must be the wisest woman on this planet, for she has lived up to the three words “Seize the moment”．Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven’t thought about it, or because they are unwilling to try something new．

　　My sister died a few years ago．We never did have lunch together．I can’t remember how many times I was refused when I called her to go to lunch．She would say to me：“I can’t．I have clothes on the line．” “My hair is dirty．I wish I had known yesterday．” “I had a late breakfast．” “It looks like rain．” Only after her death did I choose to be a little more flexible(灵活的)．

　　Life is not made up of thing that you do at a particular time, but it demands variety and adventure．As we grow older, the list of promises made to ourselves may get longer．Perhaps one morning, when we awaken, we will find to our surprise that our life is full of “I’m going to”, “I plan to” and “Someday, when things are settled down a bit．”

　　My seize-the-moment friend is open to adventure and ready at any moment to make a new start．She keeps an open mind about new ideas．Her great interest in life is contagious．With her around you, you may trade your bad feet for good shoes．

　　I have not touched ice cream for 10 years．The other day, I stopped off and bought a triple-decker．If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy．

阅读理解

　　Nick was tired of life．Every day was exactly the same．

　　“What I need is a little adventure!” Nick thought as he waited at the bus stop one morning．Nick’s little adventure happened sooner than he had expected．

　　While he was on the bus, reading his newspaper, the man sitting next to him suddenly pushed a large brown envelope in his hands．“Here, take this!” he murmured．Then he stood up and got off the bus before Nick could say a word．

　　Nick sat there holding the envelope．It felt heavy．There were papers inside, or money perhaps．“I’d better hand it over to the police,” he thought．There was a police station close to his office．But as he got off the bus, a man came up to him．He was obviously waiting for something．“He wants the envelope．” Nick thought．Nick began to walk quickly and the man hurried after him．Nick started to run and the man began to run, too．But then, just before he got to the police station, Nick managed to lose the man in the crowds when he entered the police station, the man was no longer in sight．

　　Inside the police station, the envelope was full of money－false money．“Obviously the man made a mistake,” the inspector said, “He thought you were one of the gang! Well, congratulations!”

　　Nick felt like a hero．He could already see his name in all the paper．He could imagine an interview on television!

　　“However,” the inspector went on, interrupting Nick’s daydreams．“I’m afraid I must ask you to keep quiet about this．We’re trying to catch some very clever thieves－and we don’t want them to know that we have some of the money．So you mustn’t say a word to anyone even your boss! Sorry!”

　　“So that’s that!” Nick said to himself on his way to the office．He was over an hour late．“I’ve had my little adventure, but I can’t tell anyone about it．So what’s the point? I’ve even got to make up an excuse to the boss!”

阅读理解

　　Short and shy, Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team．“Football, tennis, cricket－anything with a round ball, I was useless,” he says now with a laugh．But back then he was the object of jokes in school gym classes in England’s rural Devonshire．

　　It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him．At first the teen went biking alone in a nearby forest．Then he began to cycle along with a runner friend．Gradually, Saunders set his mind building up his body, increasing his speed, strength and endurance．At age 18, he ran his first marathon．

The following year, he met John Ridgway, who became famous in the 1960s for rowing an open boat across the Atlantic Ocean．Saunders was hired as an instructor at Ridgway’s School of Adventure in Scotland, where he learned about the older man’s cold-water exploits(成就)．Intrigued, Saunders read all he could about Arctic explorers and North Pole expeditions, then decided that this would be his future．

　　Journeys to the Pole aren’t the usual holidays for British country boys, and many people dismissed his dream as fantasy．“John Ridgway was one of the few who didn’t say,’ You are completely crazy,’” Saunders says．

　　In 2001, after becoming a skilled skier, Saunders started his first long-distance expedition toward the North Pole．He suffered frostbite, had a close encounter(遭遇)with a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit．

　　Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole, and he’s skied more of the Arctic by himself than any other Briton．His old playmates would not believe the transformation．

　　This October, Saunders, 27, heads south to explore from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, an 1800-mile journey that has never been completed on skis．

阅读理解

　　If the salinity(盐分)of ocean waters is analyzed(分析), it is found to differ only slightly from place to place．However, some of these small changes are important．There are three basic processes(过程)that cause a change in oceanic salinity．One of these is the subtraction(减少)of water from the ocean by means of evaporation－conversion(转化)of liquid water to water vapour．In this manner, the salinity is increased, since the salts stay behind．If this is carried to the extreme(极度), of course, white crystals of salt would be left behind; this, by the way, is how much of the table salt we use is actually got．

　　The opposite of evaporation is precipitation(降水), such as rain, by which water is added to the ocean．Here the ocean is being diluted(冲淡)so that the salinity is decreased．This may occur in areas of high rainfall or in coastal regions where rivers flow into the ocean．Thus salinity may be increased by the subtraction of the water by evaporation, or decreased by the addition of fresh water by rainfall or runoff．

　　Normally, in hot areas where the sun is very strong, the ocean salinity is somewhat higher than it is in other parts of the world where there is not as much evaporation．Similarly, in coastal regions where rivers dilute the sea, salinity is somewhat lower than in other oceanic areas．

　　A third process by which salinity may be different is associated with(与……有关)the formation and melting of sea ice．When seawater is frozen, the dissolved(溶解的)materials are left behind．In this manner, seawater directly under freshly formed sea ice has a higher salinity than it did before the ice appeared．Of course, when this ice melts, it will tend to decrease the salinity of the surrounding water．

　　In the Weddell Sea of America, the densest(浓的)water in the oceans is formed as a result of this freezing process, which increases the salinity of cold water．This heavy water sinks and is found in the deeper part of the oceans of the world．

阅读理解

　　Man is a land animal, but he is also closely tied to the sea．Throughout history the sea has served the needs of man．The sea has provided man with food and a convenient(便利的)way to travel to many parts of the world．Today, nearly two-thirds of the world’s population live within 80 thousand kilometers of the sea coast．

　　In the modern technological world, the sea offers many resources to help mankind survive．Resources on land are beginning to be used up．The sea, however, still can be hoped to supply many of man’s needs．

　　The list of riches of the sea yet to be developed by man’s technology is impressive(给人印象极深的)．Oil and gas explorations have been carried out for nearly 30 years．Valuable amounts of minerals exist on the ocean floor ready to be mined(开采)．

　　Fish farming promises to be a good way to produce large quantities of food．The culture of fish and shellfish(贝类动物)is an ancient skill practised in the past mainly by Oriental people．

　　Besides oil and gas, the sea may offer new sources of energy．Experts believe that the warm temperature of the ocean can be used in a way similar to the steam in a steamship．Ocean currents(水流)and waves offer possible use as a source of energy．

　　Technology is enabling man to explore even more deeply under the sea．The development of strong, new materials has made this possible．

　　The technology to harvest the sea continues to improve．Experts believe that by the year 2000 the problems that prevent us from exploiting(利用)fully the food, minerals, and energy sources of the sea will be largely solved．