职称英语阅读.doc

They Say Ireland's the Best
Ireland is the best place in the world lo live for 2005．according to a life quality ranking that appeared in Britain.s Economist magazine last week．
The ambitious attempt to compare happiness levels around the World is based ol3 the principle that wealth is not the only measure of human satisfaction and well-being．
The index of 111 countries uses data on incomes．health．unemployment．climate, political stability, job security, gender equality as well as what the magazine calls "freedom，family and community life"．
Despite the bad weather, troubled health service.traffic congestion（拥挤）, gender inequality, and the high cost of living.Ireland scored an impressive 8.33 points out of l0．
That put it well ahead of second-place Switzerland, which managed 8.07. Zimbabwe. troubled by political insecurity and hunger, is rated the gloomiest（最差的）, picking up only 3.89 points．
"Although rising incomes and increased individual choices are highly valued," the report said. "some of the factors associated with modernization such as the breakdown（崩溃）in traditional institutions and family values in part take away from a positive impact."
"Ireland wins because it successfully combines the most desirable elements of the new with the preservation of certain warm elements of the old, such as stable family and community life."
The magazine admitted measuring quality of life is not a straightforward thing to do, and that its findings would have their critics.
N0.2 on the list is Switzerland．The other nations in the top 10 are Norway, Luxembourg, Sweden, Australia, Iceland, Italy, Denmark and Spain.
The UK is portioned at N0.29, a much lower position chiefly because of the social and family breakdown recorded in official statistics. The US, which has the second highest per capita GDP（人均国内生产总值）after Luxembourg, took the 13th place in the survey．China was in the lower haft of the league at 60th．
16 For 2,005 years，Ireland has been the best place for humans to live in.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
17 Job security is the least important measure of life quality.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
18 Cost of living in Ireland is pretty high.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
19 Family life in Zimbabwe is not stable．
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
20 lreland is positioned at N0．1 because it combines the most desirable elements of the new with some good elements of the old.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
21 To measure life quality is easy．
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
22 The United States of America is among the top 10 countries.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
参考答案：16. B 17. C 18. A 19. C 20. A 21. B 22. B
Norwich
Norwich, the capital of the part of Britain known as East Anglia, has been in existence for more than two thousand years. It began as a small village beside the River Wensum. At the time of the Norman invasion in 1066 it had grown to become one of the largest towns in England.
With two cathedrals and a mosque （清真寺）, Norwich has long been a popular centre for various religions. The first cathedral was built in 1095 and has recently celebrated its 900th anniversary, while Norwich itself had a year of celebration in 1994 to mark the 800th anniversary of the city receiving a Royal Charter. This allowed it to be called a city and to govern itself independently.
Today, in comparison with places like London or Manchester, Norwich is quite small, with a population of around 150,000, but in the 16th century Norwich was the second largest city of England. It continued to grow for the next 300 years and got richer and richer, becoming famous for having as many churches as there are weeks in the year and as many pubs as there are days in the year.
Nowadays, there are far fewer churches and pubs, but in 1964 the University of East Anglia was built in Norwich. With its fast-growing student population and its success as a modern commercial centre （Norwich is the biggest centre for insurance services outside London）, the city now has a wide choice of entertainment: theatres, cinemas, nightclubs, busy cafes, excellent restaurants, and a number of arts and leisure centres. There is also a football team, whose colours are green and yellow. The team is known as "The Canaries （金丝雀）", though nobody can be sure why.
Now the city's attractions include another important development, a modern shopping centre called 'The Castle Mall'. The people of Norwich lived with a very large hole in the middle of their city for over two years, as builders dug up the main car park. Lorries moved nearly a million tons of earth so that the roof of the Mall could become a city centre park, with attractive water pools and hundreds of trees. But the local people are really pleased that the old open market remains, right in the heart of the city and next to the new development. Both areas continue to do good business, proving that Norwich has managed to mix the best of the old and the new.
16 The River Wensum flows by Norwich
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
17 People have lived by the River Wensum for at least 2,000 years
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
18 Norwich has been a city since its first cathedral was built
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
19 Norwich has always been one of the smallest English cities
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
20 The number of foreign students in Norwich has been increasing since 1964.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
21 The football team is called "The Canaries" because of the colours the players wear.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
22 It took more than two years to build "The Castle Mall"
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
参考答案：16. A 17. A 18. B 19. B 20. C 21. B 22. A
Fairy Tales for All the World
This year, the world is marking the 200m anniversary of Danish author Hans Christian Andersen with a wide range of events.
Andersen's tales have attracted millions of readers for more than a century. They continue to be among the best-known works of world literature. "The Ugly Duckling （小鸭）" and "The Little Mermaid （美人鱼）" are among the most famous.
He was born on April 2, 1805, in the slums of Odense, Denmark. His father was a shoemaker and his mother worked as a washer-woman. Andersen received very little education, but his fascination with fairy tales inspired him to compose his own stories and arrange puppet （木偶） shows.
His father died when he was 11. He was forced to go to work, first as an apprentice to a weaver and tailor and then in a tobacco factory. At the age of 14, he moved to Copenhagen to try a career as a singer, dancer and actor. He sang in a boy's choir（合唱团）, but he made very little money. He also tried the ballet, but his awkwardness made this impossible.
Finally, when he was 17, Jonas Collin, a director of the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen discovered Andersen. After hearing Andersen read a play, Collin realized that he had talent. And he got money from the king for Andersen's education.
In 1828, Andersen passed the entrance examinations to the university in Copenhagen. His writings were first published in 1829. In 1833, he received grant money for travel, which he used to visit Germany, France, Switzerland, and Italy. These journeys were recorded in his travelogues（旅行见闻）. In 1835, Andersen published "Fairy Tales for Children," which contained four short stories. He eventually wrote around 168 fairy tales. They achieved success in his life-time and were widely published and translated.
Unhappiness also found its way into many of his tales which were not meant merely for children but for adults as well. He used very simple language and style to disguise the moral teachings of his tales.
Andersen also wrote novels, plays and poems. He died at his home in Rolighed on August 4, 1875.
16 Andersen died on April 4, 1875.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
17 Chinese children are particularly fond of Andersen's tales.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
18 Andersen was not a good ballet dancer.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
19 Collin managed to get money for Andersen to receive more education.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
20 Andersen's fairy tales didn't achieve success until after he died.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
21 Andersen's tales not only tell stories but also teach moral lessons.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
22 Andersen's novels, plays and poems are not well-known.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
参考答案：16. B 17. C 18. A 19. A 20. B 21. A 22. C
Plants in Desert
Only special plants can survive the terrible climate of a desert， for these are regions where the annual range of the soil temperature can be over 75℃. Furthermore， during the summer there are few clouds in the sky to protect plants from the sun's ray. Another problem is the fact that there are frequently strong winds which drive small， sharp particles of sand into the plants， tearing and damaging them. The most difficult problem for all forms of plant life， however， is the fact that the entire annual rainfall occurs during a few days or weeks in spring.
Grasses and flowers in desert survive from one year to the next by existing through the long， hot， dry season in the form of seeds. These seeds remain inactive unless the right amount of rain falls. If no rain falls， or if insufficient rain falls， they wait until the next year， or even still the next. Another factor that helps these plants to survive is the fact that their life cycles are short. By the time that the water from the spring rains disappears —— just a few weeks after it falls —— such plants no longer need any.
The perennials have special features which enable them to survive as plants for several years. Thus， nearly all desert perennials have extensive root systems below ground and a small shoot system above ground. The large root network enables the plant to absorb as much water as possible in a short time. The small shoot system， on the other hand， considerably limits water loss by evaporation.
Another feature of many desert perennials is that after the rainy season they lose their leaves in preparation for the long， dry season， just as trees in wetter climates lose theirs in preparation for the winter. This reduces their water loss by evaporation during the dry season. Then， in next rainy season， they come fully alive once more， and grow new branches， leaves and flowers， just as the grasses and flowers in desert do.
16. Ordinary plants are unable to survive in the desert mainly because of the changeable weather.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
17. Grasses and flowers in desert are able to survive because they stay in the form of seeds to wait for the right amount of water to come.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
18. Grasses and flowers in the desert whose life cycles are short shows their ability to adapt to the quick disappearance of rainwater there after it falls in spring.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
19. Winter is the toughest season for grasses and flowers to survive in desert
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
20. The shoot system of perennials can help the plants absorb less of the sun's ray.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
21. The theme of the second last paragraph is why the perennials can survive as plants for several years.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
22. Desert perennials lose their leaves after the rainy season just as trees lose theirs in wetter climates before winter arrives， but the reasons for this feature are
different.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
参考答案：16. B17. A18. A19. C20. B 21. A22. B
Motion Sickness
Living in space looks like lots of fun. You can do certain things in space (like floating around, or pushing huge objects) that you cannot do on earth. But being in space can do things to you, too. If you stay too long in a gravity-free environment, your bones could become weak, and a small spaceship just might annoy you after a while, because space travel could make you seasick!
On July 4, 1982, after seven days orbiting the earth, astronauts Thomas K. Mattingly and Henry W. Hartsfield returned home. Although not all of the experiments on board worked properly, the flight basically seemed to be a success except for one "little" thing: early in the flight, astronaut Hartsfield became "seasick".
Thomas Mattingly, who is also a jet pilot and is highly resistant to motion sickness on earth, did much better. Mattingly sailed through space with a steady stomach. But no one knows why Hartsfield felt uneasy and Mattingly did not.
So far it seems there is no reliable way to predict who will become motion sick in outer space and who will not. in all, at least four astronauts have suffered from space motion sickness. Russian and American scientists are working together to try to understand and solve the motion sickness. Space program officials worry that if so many highly-trained pilots get sick in space, what will happen when civilians start flying in the shuttle?
Motion sickness is a disagreeable feeling that comes from the pitching, rolling, swaying, or just the moving of the object you are riding in or on. Symptoms of motion sickness include: dizziness, headache, a sinking feeling in the stomach, and vomiting.
Why does motion make some people ill?
Doctors believe that motion sickness is caused by a disturbance in the inner ear. Our ears do more than give us hearing. A part of the ears gives us a sense of balance and helps make us aware of whether we are right side up or upside down.
If you know that you get carsick or seasick, what can you do?
Speak to your doctor. There are certain medicines available that can help stop that uneasy feeling. But many of them can also make you sleepy. Usually they work best taken before you begin feeling ill.
Some people also recommend water, ice cubes, mints, or plain toast. But these remedies do not always work for everyone.
Perhaps, since motion sickness is such a big problem in outer space, researchers may soon find a way to cure the astronauts - and those of us who stay on earth.
16 Floating in space for too long a time may also do harm to one's lungs and heart.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
17 At the end of the flight, Hartsfield became "seasick".
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
18 Mattingly was much thinner than Hartsfield.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
19 Russian and American scientists are working together to solve the problem of motion sickness in astronauts.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
20 Untrained civilians are more likely to suffer from motion sickness in a spacecraft
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
21 The motion sickness some astronauts suffered from during space travel had been caused by the defective digestive system.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
22 People suffering from motion sickness during space travel can alleviate its symptoms by eating or drinking something.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
参考答案：16. C 17. B 18. C 19. A 20. A 21. B 22. C
Mother Nature Shows Her Streng