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　　Somewhere on the South Coast

　　England

　　Dear Mum and Dad,

　　It was a great idea to send me over to Britain to learn English this summer! I’ve met so many students－from Sweden, France and all over the world．And there are lots of students from Germany here too．It’s just like being at home．What a relief to find normal people, even in England, and to speak in a normal language most of the time．

　　Of course, we do have English lessons in the day, and I have to talk to the family I stay with here．Do you know, some of my friends have said they won’t go out with us in the evening any more－they want to speak English and find English friends．I think they’re mad．

　　The family I live with are very nice．But they have some strange habits．They drink tea all day：at breakfast, in the afternoon and at bedtime．And they eat butter with salt in it! If I go out in the evening, I often eat fish and chips．The food is wrapped up in a newspaper; at least reading the paper takes your mind off the fish and chips! Here at the coast, we travel by bus．The buses are always late．I was knocked down by an old lady the other day because I didn’t stand in the queue．English people seem very quiet and reserved, so I was very surprised to see how violent they become about queues．Also, if you ask them directions, they suddenly become very chatty and go on for hours．

　　I’d like to come back here next year to see all my friends again－oh yes, and to learn some more English…

Your son,

Hans

　　本文是一封书信，是应用文的一种。信中叙述了作者在英国学习的情况和感受。他结识了许多来自其他国家的学生，他们都是来英国学习英语的。他介绍了他所寄宿的家庭和他们喝茶的习惯。他还讲述了他乘车没有站队的经历和体会。信的开头和结尾都表达了作者对这次来英国学习的喜爱。学习本文时还应注意信的格式。

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　　A hobby can be almost anything a person likes to do in his spare time．Hobbyists raise pets, build mode ships, weave baskets, watch birds, hunt animals, climb mountains, raise flowers, fish, ski, skate, and swim．Hobbyists also paint pictures, attend concerts and plays, and perform on musical instruments．They collect everything from books to butterflies, and from shells to stamps．

　　People take up hobbies because these activities offer enjoyment, friendship, knowledge and relaxation．Sometimes they even yield financial profit．Hobbies help people relax after periods of hard work, and provide a balance between work and play．Hobbies also offer interesting activities for persons who have retired．Anyone, rich or poor, old or young, sick or well, can follow a satisfying hobby, regardless of his age, position, or income．

　　Hobbies can help a person’s mental and physical health．Doctors have found that hobbies are valuable in helping patients recover from physical or mental illness．Hobbies give bedridden or wheel-chair patients something to do, and provide interests that keep them from thinking about themselves．Many hospitals treat patients by having them take up interesting hobbies or pastimes．

　　In early times, most people were too busy making a living to have many hobbies．But some persons who had leisure did enjoy hobbies．The ancient Egyptians played games with balls made of wood or pottery．

　　People today have more time than ever before for hobbies．Machines have reduced the amount of time they must spend on their jobs．Hobbies provide variety for workers who do the same monotonous(单调的)tasks all day long．More people are retiring than ever before, and at an earlier age．Those who have developed hobbies never need to worry about what to do with their newly-found leisure hours．

　　Sir William Osler, a famous Canadian doctor, expressed the value of hobbies by saying “No man is really happy or safe without a hobby．”

　　本文是一篇说明文。介绍了业余爱好的种类及其必要性。

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Who Is Kimberly Kirberger？

　　Kimberly Kirberger is the president and founder of Inspiration and Motivation for Teens, Inc．(I．A．M．for Teens, Inc．)a corporation formed exclusively(专有地)to work for teens．It is her goal to see teens represented in a more positive light and it is her strong belief that teens deserve(应受)better and more positive treatment．

　　She spends her time reading the thousands of letters and stories sent to her by teen readers and traveling around the country speaking to high school students and parents of teens．She has appeared as a teen expert on many television and radio shows．

　　Kimberly says that the College Soul book has been an amazing journey．In getting close to and hearing from so many teenagers she kept hearing about this very emotionally packed time that begins with application(申请)to college and extends through the four-year experience．It became clear to her that this was a time of life that was filled with many challenges(挑战)and that college students could really benefit from a book like this．For her, it was simply a continuation of a commitment(义务)that she has made to teenagers to do what she can to inspire and motivate(激发)them while letting them know there are people who believe in them．

　　Kimberly is the co-author of the bestseller, ?Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul and the New York Times bestseller, Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul Ⅱ, as well as Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul Journal(期刊)．She is also the co-author of the forthcoming Chicken Soup for the Parent’s Soul and Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul Ⅲ, and the author of Teen Love：On Relationships, a Book for Teenagers．

　　Kimberly started the Teen Letter Project with Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Health Communications, Inc．The Project is responsible for answering the heartfelt(真心真意地)letters received from teenagers and also reaching out to teens in trouble and encouraging them to seek professional help．

　　To book Kimberly for a speaking engagement or for further information on any of her projects, please contact：

　　I．A．M．for Teens, Inc．

　　P．O．Box 936, Palisades, CA 90272 phone：310-573-3655

　　fax：．310-573-3657

　　e-mail for stories：stories @ teenagechickensoul, com

　　e-mail for letters：letters @ teenagechick

　　Web site：www．Teenagechickensoul．com

　　本文是广告阅读。全文介绍了Kimberly Kirberger的有关儿童教育等方面的书。

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　　Between 1977 and 1981, three groups of American women, numbering 27 in all, between the age of 35 and 65, were given month-long tests to determine how they would respond to conditions resembling those aboard the space shuttle．

　　Though carefully selected from among many applicants, the women were volunteers and the pay was barely above the minimum wage．They were not allowed to smoke or drink alcohol during the tests, and they were expected to accompany with each other for the entire period．Among other things they had to stand pressure three times the force of gravity and carry out both physical and mental tasks whole exhausted from strenuous physical exercise．At the end of ten days, they had to spend a further twenty days absolutely confined to bed, during which time they suffered backaches and other discomforts, and when they were finally allowed up, the more physically active women were especially subject to pain due to a slight calcium loss．

　　Results of the tests suggest that women will have significant advantages over man in space．They need less food and less oxygen and they stand up to radiation better．Men’s advantages in terms of strength and stamina, meanwhile, are virtually wiped out by the zero-gravity condition in space．

　　本文是说明文。但是文章大部分内容叙述了一次试验，所以前面部分也可以说是记叙文体。文章通过对27位年龄不等的妇女进行的模拟宇宙飞船上的试验得出结论：女性在太空比男性更有优越性。

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　　You got red with anger, green with envy, and white with fright．If you’re unhappy you’re blue, and if you’re a coward, you’re yellow．Whatever your feelings are you can find a color to describe them．

　　But colors not only describe feelings, they can also have a very strong effect upon us．Everybody has noticed how you feel colder in a blue room than a red room even though the rooms are at the same temperature．So colors can affect our moods．And it is also possible that our own choice of a favorite color can tell us something about ourselves．If green is your favorite color, you are strong-minded and determined．You do not wish to change, but you certainly wish to succeed and what’s more, you want other people to see you are successful．Red makes bulls charge and makes your blood pressure go up．You are fiercely competitive, very strong-minded and full of energy．If you choose blue, the color of calm seas and clear skies, you like peace and quiet and like to feel you belong to a group of trusted friends．Purple is a mixture of red and blue, and is a compromise between peaceful blue and aggressive red．You are romantic and tender and wish to charm and please others．

　　本文是说明文。文章说明了人们用颜色词表达思想的情况。不管你的感觉如何，你都可以用颜色来表达自己的心情。颜色本身对我们的感觉也有影响，它可以影响我们的心情。人们可以从你对颜色的偏爱了解你，因为你所喜爱的颜色表达了你的性格。