阅读理解

　　Many a young person tells me he wants to be a writer．I always encourage such people, but also explain that there's a big difference between "being a writer" and writing．In most cases these individuals are dreaming of wealth and fame, not the long hours alone at a typewriter．"You've got to want to write, "I say to them, "not want to be a writer"．

　　The reality is that writing is a lonely, private and poor-paying affair．For every writer kissed by fortune there are thousands more whose longing is never rewarded．When I left a 20-year career in the U．S．Coast Guard to become a freelance writer(自由撰稿人)，I had no prospects at all．What I did have was a friend who found me my room in a New York apartment building．It didn't even matter that it was cold and had no bathroom．I immediately bought a used manual typewriter and felt like a genuine writer．

　　After a year or so, however, I still hadn't gotten a break and began to doubt myself．It was so hard to sell a story that barely made enough to eat．But I knew I wanted to write．I had dreamed about it for years．I wasn't going to be one of those people who die wondering．What if? I would keep putting my dream to the test－even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure．This is the Shadow land of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there．

阅读理解

　　Do you find getting up in the morning so difficult that it's painful? This might be called laziness, but Dr．Kleitman has a new explanation．He has proved that everyone has a daily energy cycle．

　　During the hours when you labor through your work you may say that you're "hot"．That's true．The time of day when you feel most energetic is when your cycle of body temperature is at its peak．For some people the peak comes during the forenoon．For others it comes in the afternoon or evening No one has discovered why this is so, but it leads to such familiar monologues as："Get up, John! You'll be late for work again!" The possible explanation to the trouble is that John is at his temperature-and -energy peak in the evening．Much family quarrelling ends when husbands and wives realize what these energy cycles mean, and which cycle each member of the family has．

　　You can't change your energy cycle, but you can learn to make your life fit it better．Habit can help, Dr．Kleitman believes．Maybe you're sleepy in the evening but feel you must stay up late anyway．Counteract your cycle to some extent by habitually staying up later than you want to．If your energy is low in the morningbut you have an important job to do early in the day, rise before your usual hour．This won't change your cycle, but you'll get up steam and work better at your low point．

　　Get off to a slow start which saves your energy．Get up with a leisurely yawn and stretch．Sit on the edge of the bed a minute before putting your feet on the floor．Avoid the troublesome search for clean clothes by laying them out the night before．Whenever possible, do routine work in the afternoon and save tasks requiring more energy or concentration for your sharper hours．

阅读理解

　　Normally a student must attend a certain number of courses in order to graduate, and each course which he attends gives him a credit which he may count towards a degree．In many American universities the total work for a degree consists of thirty-six courses each lasting for one semester．A typical course consists of three classes per week for fifteen weeks; while attending a university a student will probably attend four or five courses during each semester．Normally a student would expect to take four years attending two semesters each year．It is possible to spread the period of work for the degree over a longer period．It is also possible for a student to move between one university and another during his degree course, though this is not in fact done as a regular practice．

　　For every course that he follows a student is given a grade, which is recorded, and the record is available for the student to show to prospective employers．All this imposes a constant pressure and strain of work, but in spite of this some students still find time for great activity in student affairs．Elections to positions in student organizations arouse much enthusiasm．The effective work of maintaining discipline is usually performed by students who advise the academic authorities．Any student who is thought to have broken the rules, for example, by cheating has to appear before a student court．With the enormous numbers of students, the operation of the system does involve a certain amount of activity．A student who has held one of these positions of authority is much respected and it will be of benefit to him later in his career．

阅读理解

　　Can people change their skin color without suffering like pop king Michael Jackson? Perhaps yes．Scientists have found the gene that determines skin color．

　　The gene comes in two versions, one of which is found in 99 per cent of Europeans．The other is found in 93 to 100 per cent of Africans, researchers at Pennsylvania State University report in the latest issue of Science．

　　Scientists have changed the color of a dark-striped zebra fish to uniform gold by inserting a version of the pigment(色素)gene into a young fish．As with humans, zebra fish skin color is determined by pigment cells, which contain melanosomes(黑色素)．The number, size and darkness of melanosomes per pigment cell determines skin color．

　　It appears that, like the golden zebra fish, light-skinned Europeans also have a mutation(变异)in the gene for melanosome production．This results in less pigmented skin．

　　However, Keith Cheng, leader of the research team, points out that the mutation is different in human and zebra fish genes．

　　Humans acquired dark skin in Africa about 1．5 million years ago to protect bodies from ultra-violet rays of the sun(太阳光紫外线), which can cause skin cancer．

　　But when modern humans leave Africa to live in northern latitudes, they need more sunlight on their skin to produce vitamin D．So the related gene changes, according to Cheng．

　　Asians have the same version of the gene as Africans, so they probably acquired their light skin through the action of some other gene that affects skin color, said Cheng．

　　The new discovery could lead to medical treatments for skin cancer．It also could lead to research into ways to change skin color without damaging it like chemical treatment did on Michael Jackson．

阅读理解

　　Economics(经济学)is the study of how societies with limited resources decide what to produce, how to produce and for whom to produce．What, how, and for whom to produce are problems all over the world because human needs are practically unlimited, but all societies have only limited quantities of resources that can be used to produce goods or services．

　　A knowledge of basic economics is important for understanding both the problems and opportunities that will face the world economy in the 21st century．As a student of economics, one will have the chance to discover how commerce, govern-

　　ment policies, and day-to-day decisions made by consumers affect his living standards．The study of economics can help him understand the influence of such events as the move to free markets in Poland and Russia, or of ups and downs in interest rate and the foreign exchange rate．Economics is influenced by developments in the many different areas of business, politics, science, nature, religion and history．And whether or not one is aware of it, economics is an important part of his life．

　　From a practical point of view, one's study of economics will help improve his decision-making(决策)skills．He learns a logical way to compare different courses of action．As he studies the concept(概念)of opportunity cost, for instance, he will discover that every choice he makes has both a benefit and a cost．Let us suppose someone decides to get a part-time job so he can earn enough money to buy a car．He will have the benefit of owning the car, but he will pay a cost in terms of the leisure hours he gives up for working so as to pay for the car and keep it in good condition．After weighing his choice in cost-benefit terms, he may decide he does not need a car any more．

阅读理解

　　Being a mother is apparently not like it was in the good old days．

　　Today’s parents yearn for the golden age that their own mothers enjoyed in the 1970s and 1980s, researchers found．Mothers have less time to themselves and feel under greater pressure to handle work and family life than the previous generation．As a result, 88 per cent said they felt guilty about the lack of time they spent with their children．

　　The survey of 1,000 mothers also found that more than a third said they had less time to themselves than their mothers did－just three hours a week or 26 minutes a day．And 64 per cent said this was because they felt they ‘had’ to go out to work, while nearly a third(29 per cent)said they were under constant pressure to be the ‘perfect mother’, the report found．

　　Other findings showed social networking and parenting websites, as well as technology such as Skype, were important in providing help and support among female communities．Kate Fox, a member of the Social Issues Research Centre, which conducted the survey for Procter & Gamble, said, ‘With increasing pressure on mothers to work a “double shift”－to be the perfect mother as well as a wage-earner－support networks are more important than ever．

　　It comes as a separate report examining childcare in the leading industrialized nations found that working mothers in Britain spend just 81 minutes a day caring for their children as a ‘primary activity’．Mothers who stay at home, on the other hand, manage twice as much time－more than two and a half hours－looking after their offspring, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development．

　　Critics say the pressure on women to work long hours, and leave their offspring in the hands of nurseries or child minders, is putting the well-being of their children at risk．

　　The study also reveals that, despite the fact that more and more modern mothers go out to work, the burden of childcare still falls on them－even if their husband is not in work．A father who is not in work tends to spend just 63 minutes a day looking after his child－18 minutes less than a mother who goes out to work．Working fathers spare less than three quarters of an hour with their children．

阅读理解

　　Eleven years ago, three people decided to sit in silence for an hour, in an everyday Silicon Valley living room．No teachers or experts．No set agendas(议程)or proposed beliefs either．Just silence for an hour every week with one strong principle－when you change within, the world changes．

　　And instead of closing the door, they left it open…open to all．The rest, as they say, is history．

　　Simply put, Wednesday evenings are about sharing．In the spirit of an ashram(僻静), we offer the space for everyone to walk their own walk．A random group of 20－40 folks conference once a week; we meditate(沉思)for an hour and follow it up with a roundtable sharing of "aha" moments from everyday life, based on the wide-ranging weekly journey reading．

　　While each journey takes different routes, the paths have many similarities．Along that road, sometimes, it is useful to have a place to share…our conviction, compassion, presence or even something indescribable．We grow and learn by listening both to ourselves and the people around us, by looking within－and without．

　　Over the years, thousands of folks have come; some offered much, some received much, but all were present with the same heart．We don't really understand how this spontaneous(自发的)gathering of goodness happens every Wednesday, but as hosts, we feel fortunate to have such an opportunity to be of service, and to be home for such sincere and powerful inspiration．

　　These meetings are open to anyone who wishes to attend．For many of us they have been and continue to be a constant source of inspiration, insight－and joy．

　　And you're invited to join us this Wednesday!

阅读理解

　　A fox in the deep forest of long ago had lost its front legs．No one knew what caused so．A man, who lived on the edge of the forest, seeing the fox from time to time, wondered how in the world it managed to get its food．One day when the fox was not far from him he had to hide himself quickly because a tiger was approaching．The tiger had fresh game in its claws．Lying down on the ground, it ate its fill, leaving the rest for the fox．

　　Again the next day the tiger did the same and the fox appeared again．Seeing this, the man began to think, "If this fox is taken care of in this mysterious way, its food sent by some unseen higher power, why don't I just rest in a corner and have my daily meal provided for me?"

　　Because he had a lot of faith, he let the days pass, waiting for food．Nothing happened．He just went on losing weight and strength until he was nearly a skeleton．Close to losing consciousness, he heard a voice which said, "Oh you, who have mistaken the way, see now the truth! You should have followed the example of that tiger instead of imitating the disabled fox．"

　　So from the above story, we may have some questions to think about：

　　In what ways do you feel like the disabled fox or the tiger?

　　Is it OK for the disabled fox to continue living, or would it be better off either dead or never alive in the first place?

　　Are there any people in your life who are like the disabled fox, but you wish they were more like the tiger?

阅读理解

　　In the animal kingdom, weakness can bring about aggression in other animals．This sometimes happens with humans also．But I have found that my weakness brings out the kindness in people．I see it every day when people hold doors for me, pour cream into my coffee, or help me to put on my coat．And I have discovered that it makes them happy．

　　From my wheelchair experience, I see the best in people, but sometimes I was sad because those who appear independent miss the kindness I see daily．They don’t get to see this soft side of others．Often, we try every way possible to avoid showing our weakness, which includes a lot of pretending．But only when we stop pretending we’re brave or strong do we allow people to show the kindness that’s in them．

　　Last month, when I was driving home on a busy highway, I began to feel unwell and drove more slowly than usual．People behind me began to get impatient and angry, with some speeding up alongside me, horning(按喇叭)or even shouting at me．At that moment, I decided to do something I had never done in twenty-four years of driving I put on the flashlights and drove on at a really low speed．

　　No more angry shouts and no more horns!

　　When I put on my flashlights, I was saying to the other drivers, “I have a problem here, I am weak and doing the best I can．” And everyone understood．Several times, I saw drivers who wanted to pass．They couldn’t get around me because of the stream of passing traffic．But instead of getting impatient and angry, they waited, knowing the driver in front of them was in some way weak．

　　Sometimes weakness calls for us to act strong and brave even when we don’t feel that way．But those are few and far between．More often, it would be better if we don’t pretend to feel strong when we feel weak or pretend that we are brave when we’re scared．(343 words)

阅读理解

　　Looking back on China’s road to outer space, people can easily find it has not been very smooth．In the past years, Chinese people have made hard and determined efforts to realize the dream their ancestors had for thousands of years．

　　After China’s first satellite into the Earth’s orbit in 1970 came four flights of unmanned Shenzhou missions(飞行)from 1999 to 2002．The country carried out its first one-piloted space flight in October, 2003, making China the third country in the world to have independent human spaceflight ability after the Soviet Union and the United States．Then came another breakthrough on October 12, 2005, when Shenzhou 6, China’s second human spaceflight, was launched, with a crew of two astronauts．What’s more, the landmark spacewalk done by Zhai Zhigang, one of the three boarding Shenzhou 7, launched on Sept．25, 2008, leads the country further in its space exploration．

　　Meanwhile, China’s moon exploration project, started in 2004, has also been progressing satisfactorily．Fifty years after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the world’s first man-made satellite, China’s first circumlunar satellite Chang’e 1 took off on Oct．24, 2007, which became another milestone in China’s space achievements after the above-mentioned manned flights．Chang’e 1 was expected to fulfill four scientific goals, one of which was to probe(勘探)mineral elements on the moon, especially those not existent on Earth．It’s said that the lunar regolith(月壤)is abundant in helium-3, a clean fuel that may support the Earth’s energy demands for more than a century．Nearly 3 years later, Oct．1, 2010 witnessed the blasting off of Chang’e 2, China’s 2nd unmanned lunar probe, marking another step forward in moon exploration．This time the aim is to test the key techniques of Chang’e 3 and Chang’e 4, as a preparation for a soft lunar landing in the future．

　　With great expectations, people all over the world are looking forward to China’s greater space achievements．(332 words)