阅读理解

　　It was a great hit．Yet for Peek－the real-life“savant”on whom Dustin Hoffman’s character in the film Rain Man is based－such recall only gives a glimpse of his powers．He knows 9,000 books off by heart; he can direct people around US cities from maps he has memorized years ago; and he has total recall of the dates of all major world events．

　　Now studies of Peek’s abilities are being used by scientists to shed light on the human mind, and to open the way for men and women to exploit far more of their intellectual potential, as the latest issue of Scientific American reveals．

　　“Kin’s story tells us that the human brain is far more flexible(灵活的)than we had thought,”said Darold Treffert, a psychiatrist of the Scientific American Paper told The Observer．

　　“Like many other savants, he has suffered disability in one area of his brain, but ahs been rewarded by acquiring remarkable new abilities in other areas．This shows we all have considerable hidden intellectual potential．By studying Kim and other savants, we can learn how to tap those powers．”

　　Kim, now 54, was born with a malformed cerebellum(畸形的小脑)，and at the base of his brain, lacks a corpus callosum(数据储存区)，the thick bundle of nerves that normally connects the brain’s two hemispheres．In 1988 he was given an IQ rating of 87, well below the average．

　　Kin has poor physical condition, cannot button his shirts but has remarkable memory power and has started to develop as an accomplished pianist in the last two years．This latest development－in a man in his 50s with large chunks of his brain missing－is particularly significant, added Treffert．“His brain is still adapting to his condition, even in mid-life．”

　　Kim displays little personal interest in people outside the arithmetical details of their lives．When I talked to him by phone on his home in Salt Lake City last week, he asked for my birthday．I told him．“Ah you were born on a Sunday, and you are scheduled to retire on a Thursday,”he replied correctly．

　　“He remembers 98 per cent of what he reads,”said his father Fran．“It’s like down loading data on to a hard disk－－except his never crashes．”

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阅读理解

　　The curtain of the Beijing Olympics dropped on August 24^th with a closing ceremony featured with carnival(狂欢节)festiveness;however ,it seems that the atmosphere of gathering and celebration still goes on in people’s hearts．The readers of People’s Daily Online have left many messages expressing their admiration for the organizers and share their views on the whole games．

　　Most of them speak highly of the games by using such words as“extremely successful”,”memorable”and“flawless(无暇的)”．The opening and closing ceremonies have also received wide laud for being“exceptional”,“most attracting”,“unforgettable”,“unique”,“wonderful”,and“splendid”．

　　The following are some of the messages：

　　“Wo Ai Beijing!!!Such a great event held by an exceptional host．Well done to all in Beijing and many thanks to the volunteers．The Chinese government did very well to keep the games safe for all．By Sudesh”．

　　“It was the most attracting show I’ve ever seen．Unlikely some country will ever be able to measure up!My deepest respect for all of you and sincere congratulations for these amazing ,unique and breathtaking OG．Breathtaking!By Griet”．

　　“With great respect for the Chinese people and with much interest I have watched closely these unforgettable and unique Olympic Games．I’ve enjoyed the amazing and breathtaking opening and closing ceremonies in Belgium．Please accept my feelings of gratitude and respect．You were all amazing!Congratulations．by Nancy”

　　“All the Americans I know think that China did a great job in the Olympics, and that the games and ceremonies were a pleasure to watch and were a triumph of China ‘s creativity．Jim Richards, Randolph,Mass ,USA”．

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Reading comprehension．

　　It was like a door that had been left open invitingly．Bob stepped through , and immediately regretted it．He was standing in a dim low - ceilinged cave , the walls carved out of solid ice．

　　There were five children there , huddling (拥抱) together in corner , their eyes fixed hopefully on his．They were dressed exactly as he was , in pale sheepskin jackets and trousers , with matching boots , and caps pulled down over their ears．All of them were in their mid teens , and their faces , pinched (皱缩) as much by fear as with cold , seemed strangely familiar , as though he had known them all his life．A girl with intense dark eyes nodded towards the end of the room．When he failed to respond , she nodded again , more urgently than before , her lips forming words soundlessly．

　　He saw then what he should have seen earlier , a second door set low in the end wall．It was much smaller and far less noticeable than the first , yet he felt drawn to it just the same．Or was he merely being encouraged by his silent companions? Another of them , a timid boy , gave him a smile of encouragement , which was instantly reflected in all the other faces．He found it difficult to resist , as if this , after all , was why he was here to help them out in their mysterious adventure．And under the pressure of their combined request , he bent down and crawled through the low opening．This time he emerged onto a windswept ledge (岩壁)．Above him , dark grey clouds racked across an even grey sky Below－far below－lay a deserted valley heaped with slabs (厚片) of ice．

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