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     It is not easy to become a doctor in the United States. The first step is getting into medical schools. More than 120 American schools offer study programs for people wanting to be doctors.
     Advice about medical schools can be got from books and magazines like The Princeton Review, which provide information about medical schools, study programs and jobs. Competition (竞争) to enter medical schools is strong. American medical schools have only about 16,000 openings for students each year. However, more than two times this many want to enter medical schools.
     An important part of their application (申请) is the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). The Association of American Medical Colleges provides the test by computer. It is offered in the United States and in other countries. Applicants need to do well on MCAT. They also need a good record in their college studies.
     An interview (面试) is also required for entrance to medical schools. The interviewer wants to know if the applicant understands the demands of life as a medical student and doctor in training. He also wants to know about the applicant’s goals for a life in medicine.
     People who want to become doctors often study a lot of biology, chemistry or other science. Some students work for a year or two in a medical or research job before they attempt to enter medical schools.
     A medical education can cost a lot, from 15,000 dollars to 40,000 dollars a year or more. Most students need to borrow money to pay for the education.

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     A woman heads into a popular New York City coffee shop on a cold winter morning. Just ahead of her, a man drops a few papers. The woman pauses to help gather them. A clerk at a busy store thanks a customer who has just bought something. "Enjoy," the young woman says, smiling widely. "Have a nice day." She sounds like she really means it. These are the common situations we may see every day.
     However, in her best-selling book Talk to the Hand, Lynne Truss argues that common good manners such as saying "Excuse me" almost no longer exist. There are certainly plenty who would agree with her. According to one recent study, 70 percent of the U. S. adults (成人) said people are ruder now than they were 20 years ago.
     Is it really true? We decided to find out if good manners are really hard to see. In this politeness study, reporters were sent to many cities in the world. They performed three experiments: "door tests" (would anyone hold the door open for them?); "paper drops" (who would help them gather a pile of "accidentally" dropped papers?); and "service tests" (which salesclerks would thank them for a purchase [购物]?)
     In New York, 60 tests (20 of each type) were done. Along the way, the reporters met all types of people: men and women of different races, ages, professions (职业), and income levels. And guess what? In the end, four out of every five people they met passed their politeness test—making New York the most polite city in the study.

    Scientists have long tried to be able to know more about floods. So far, the best that scientists can do is to recognize the conditions for flooding.

    Although deep snow alone seldom causes floods, when it occurs together with heavy rain and sudden warmer weather, it can lead to serious flooding. If there is a fast snow melt（融化）on top of frozen or very wet ground, flooding is likely to occur. Melting snow also causes high water levels in rivers. Whenever rivers are already at their highest possible levels, heavy rains will result in the rivers' flooding the nearby land.

    Rivers covered in ice can also lead to flooding. When ice begins to melt, it breaks into large pieces. These pieces of ice move and float down the river. They can block the river, causing the water to rise and flood the land up the river. If the ice dam（坝）breaks suddenly, the large quantity of water held behind it can flood the areas down the river too.

    Broken ice dams are not the only problem that can cause flooding. When a large human-made dam breaks or fails to hold the water collected behind it, it will also cause serious damage.

    Although scientists cannot always know when floods will occur,they do know a great deal about when floods are likely, or probably, going to occur. 

    It was Sharing Day! The teacher had asked the students to bring something interesting to class.
    Jimmy found the little box he and Dad had made. Inside was a piece of rock, a sand dollar and a shark （鲨鱼）tooth. Nobody could have anything as interesting as these!

    In class, Jimmy waited anxiously, hoping to be called on first by the teacher. But Kara was first. She held up a sand dollar. Jimmy' s eyes grew big. 

    "I found this on the beach, "Kara said. " It's interesting. The little holes that make the sand dollar look like a flower are breathing holes. See all the needles? They help the sand dollar move and dig into the sand. ” 

    Jimmy was a little uneasy. Oh, well, he still had his rock and shark tooth.
    Then Mark stood up. "This is my favorite rock, called pumice （浮石）.”Then Mark dropped the rock into a glass of water. " Look! Pumice is the only rock that floats! ” 

Jimmy put up his hand and waved, but the teacher called on Justin instead. .

    “I found this shark tooth in Hawaii last Christmas, ” Justin said.

    The class was excited, but Jimmy lowered his head.

    “Sharks have rows of teeth. Every time a shark loses a tooth, another one takes its place. "Justin passed the tooth around.

    Jimmy heard the teacher call him. He stood on one foot and then the other. "Well, ah, see...my treasure box is interesting! It was just a piece of wood until Dad and I cut it into pieces and finally made a box out of it. It smells good, reminding us of camping. ” 

    “ What's in side？” asked Lisa.
    Jimmy opened his box. "A sand dollar, a piece of pumice and a shark tooth. ”

    His classmates' mouths dropped open. The teacher looked at the objects in the box and smiled.“Now that's interesting！” he said. 

    Some farmers in California are having a hard time picking their crops. There are not enough workers to help them with the harvest.

    One farmer used to grow peaches（桃子）,but will soon grow almonds （杏仁）instead. Peaches require more labor to harvest. They are easy to be damaged and need careful hand picking. He is now removing his peach trees. Then he will plant almond trees in their places. Almonds are harvested differently. It does not take as many workers to pick them because a machine shakes the almond trees. The nuts fall on the ground and then are gathered up. The farmer does not have to hire many workers.

    Some farmers think there are two reasons why they can't find enough farm workers. One reason is that there are a lot of well-paid construction jobs in the area. Many people are taking these jobs instead of picking fruit. The other reason is that it has become more difficult for workers to come from Mexico into California. Fewer workers are allowed to get into the country to work on the fruit farms. To settle the problem, farmers hope the government might allow these workers to work as guests. That would help workers provide for their family and help farmers harvest their crops. When the harvest season is over they'll go back home. Farmers say that unless things change, more fruits will come from other countries. This is because labor is cheaper in those countries than in the United States. 

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     Most musicians agree that the best violins (小提琴) were made in Cremona, Italy, about 200 years ago. They even sound better than violins made today. Violin makers and scientists try to make instruments (乐器) like the Italian violins, however, they are not the same. Why are these old Italian violins so special? No one really knows. But many people think they have an answer.
     Some people think it is the age of the violins. But there is a problem here. Not all old violins sound wonderful. Only the old violins from Cremona are special. So age cannot be the answer.
     Other people think the secret to those violins is the wood. It must be from certain kinds of trees. It must not be too young or too old. Perhaps the violin makers of Cremona knew something special about wood for violins.
     But the kind of wood may not be so important. It may be more important to cut the wood in a special way. Wood for a violin must be cut into the right size and shape. The smallest difference will change the sound of the violin. Musicians sometimes think that this is the secret of the Italians.
     Size and shape may not be the answer either. Scientists make new violins that are exactly the same size and shape. But the new ones still do not sound as good as the old ones. Some scientists think the secret may be the varnish (清漆). It makes the wood look shiny, but it also helps the sound of the instrument. Since no one knows what the Italian violin makers used in their varnish, no one can make the same varnish today.
     There may never be other violins like the violins of Cremona. And there are not many of the old violins left. So these old violins from Cremona become more and more precious.

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     Many people thought babies were not able to learn things until they were five or six months old. But doctors now say babies begin learning on their first day of life. A baby will smile if his or her mother does something the baby likes. A baby learns to get the best care by smiling to please her mother or other caregivers. This is when babies learn to connect and "talk" with other people.
     Language skills are believed to develop best in the first three years when the place is rich with sounds and sights. Scientists say children should hear the speech and language of other people again and again. The first signs of communication (交际) happen during the first few days of life, when a baby learns that crying will bring food and attention.
     Research shows that most children recognize the general sounds of their native language by six months of age. By that time, a baby usually begins to make sounds. By the end of their first year, most children are able to say a few simple words, although they may not understand the meaning of the words. By 18 months of age, most children can say between eight and ten words. By two years of age, most children are able to make simple sentences. By ages three, four and five, the number of words a child can understand quickly increases. It is at these ages that children begin to understand the rules of language.

    Nineteen-year-old Melissa Goza couldn't figure out why she failed to get a bank card time and time again. It only became clear when she was unsuccessful while looking for a new job in a Target store: Three different people are using her Social Security number （社会保障号）.

    Target is one of the companies using credit （信用）reports when hiring new workers. At least one credit report didn't favor Goza in getting the job. A very low credit rate （评价）was under Goza‘s Social Security number. Target, as required by law, told Goza why the company couldn't offer her the job.

    Sacramento lawyer Jennifer Shaw, a specialist in workplace law, says credit reports are just one more way employers use to find dishonest job seekers. "I think we need to know that, right now, there's more information out there. And that means, there's more information that can be used against us,” said Shaw.

    Goza's dark cloud may, however, have a silver lining. Target told her she'd be considered again for the job if she could get a letter from the Social Security Department proving that she's the right owner of the Social Security number.

    Now that Goza knows she's suffered from other people's wrongdoings, she will order copies of her credit reports to see what she can do to put things right. 

阅读下列短文，然后根据短文的内容从每小题的四个选择项中选出最佳的一项。

阅读下列短文，然后根据短文的内容从每小题的四个选择项中选出最佳的一项。

     In January 2004, a 20-year-old woman ran a red light while talking on a cell phone. Her car knocked into another car crossing with the green light directly in front of her. The police found the driver never touched her brakes (刹车) and was traveling 48 mph when she hit the other car. The police were told that the driver was not looking down, pressing buttons. She was looking straight out of the windshield (挡风玻璃) talking on her cell phone as she passed four cars and a school bus.
     Vision is the most important sense for safe driving. Yet, drivers using cell phones are likely to "look at" but not "see" objects. It is said that drivers using cell phones look but fail to see up to 50 percent of the information while driving. Drivers are looking out of the windshield, but they do not really deal with the situation on the road.
     Although the public appear to be turning against cell phone use while driving, many admit they regularly talk or text while driving. The police say that nine percent of the drivers at any given time are using cell phones, and about one in four car accidents are directly related to cell phone use.
     Using cell phones while driving has become a serious public health threat (威胁). A few states have passed laws making it unlawful to use a handheld cell phone while driving, but these laws give the false message that using a hand-free phone is safe.

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     "Are you crazy?" people around him shouted as Alex Bien, a 33-year-old immigrant (移民), ran toward three cars in a chain accident along the highway in Miami, which were burning down. Alex didn't think twice.
     The article "Against the Flames" reported how he put out the fire on a car and pulled a couple out of another. But when he returned to his own car, steam was coming out from it. It was damaged beyond repair.
     Back in his tiny flat, alone and with little money, Alex didn't know what to do. He was already working, going to college and supporting his wife, Aline, and children back in Haiti. He worried about his wife's health; doctors thought she had cancer (癌症). Every cent was important to him. And now this.
     Within weeks of reading the article, readers sent hundreds of letters offering jobs, money and best wishes. One delivered a car—used, but in fine condition. Others helped Aline come to Miami, where a medical team found out it was not cancer.
     Readers also wrote to U. S. government officials to support the immigration of Alex's family to Miami. Consul General Roger Daley even invited Alex to discuss the matter. Aline, together with their children, joined Alex in Miami this past March. Alex says, "I would like to say a beautiful thanks to the readers. There are good people everywhere in this world."

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     My wife and I moved into our home nine years ago. We have a yard and a "rock garden". There the rocks appear to be just thrown up onto the dirt as if someone were in a hurry to finish. Very often when we have more flowers, Denise or I would plant them between the rocks, just to add some color to the area.
     Last summer I found, in the rock garden, a tiny little plant that I could not immediately recognize. I knew I didn't plant it and Denise said she didn't either. We decided to let it continue growing until we could find out what it was.
     Weeks passed and as I made my way back to the strange plant, it appeared to be a sunflower. It looked thin and tall with only one head on it. I decided to baby it along and weed (除草) around it. As I pulled rocks from the area to get to the weeds, I noticed something unusual. The sunflower had not started where I saw it begin. It actually had begun under a big rock and grown under and around it to reach the sun.
     If a tiny little sunflower didn't let a big rock stand in its way of developing, we too have the ability to do the same thing. If we believe in ourselves like that little sunflower, we can reach where we aim to go and get what we need for growth.
     We need to believe in ourselves knowing we have the ability to achieve our goals. Like the sunflower, it knew it had the ability to get over the rocks because it had faith in itself that it would succeed. Stand tall like the sunflower and be proud of who and what we are, then other things will begin to support us. We will find a way to go under or around any "rocks" in order to realize our goals.

    Eight years ago, officials in Chicago. Illinois, decided to replace the black roof on the city government building with a planted garden. The aim was to reduce energy costs, improve air quality and control the rainwater entering the city' s waste system（系统）. Green roofs also help reduce a problem called urban heat islands （城市热岛现象）. During hot weather, the building' s root could reach temperatures of up to 76℃. With the garden, the temperature of the root area was reduced by at least 30℃. Workers planted over 150 kinds of plants that could stand bad weather. Now. the area is cooler, the building requires less energy to keep cool, and the root looks nice. Chicago also offers money to help people pay for building their own green roots.

    About five years ago. officials in Thane, India, decided to reduce the city's depending on power from coal. The city often experiences lack of power because of the large numbers of people using electricity. Officials decided to save energy by putting water heaters（热水器）powered by the sun on top of the city’s main hospital.

    The hospital saved thousands of dollars in energy costs each year. Officials then began building this kind of water heater around the city.

    China has announced plans to build a city called Dongtan The company designing the city says it will produce its energy from the wind, sun and waste. The aim is for the city to be an example to the rest of China. 

    There's a time to get angry, and it's best for your child if you do. Let's say your child hits a playmate with a toy-hard enough to make the other child cry. How can you teach your child to feel sorry so he or she won' t do it again? Researchers say the best way for parents to react （反应）is to show their anger and to let the child know exactly why they are mad.

    Many parents believe that it is best to control their feelings and to wait until they're calm before scolding their children. But the mother or father who explains reasonably to a child, Peter was crying because you hit him, " is not likely to attract much attention. Young children need to be scolded immediately, and strongly, before they'll take criticism（批评）to heart.

    When your young child does something wrong, scold him or her seriously at once. At the same time be sure to tell the child clearly what he or she has done wrong. An angry reaction without an immediate explanation does little good. Forbidding a child to play outside or not allowing him to watch TV as a punishment works well-but only when taken together with an explanation. Make certain your child understands that although his or her wrongdoing has made you angry, you still love him or her. Use simple, direct words such as, "You hurt Peter. How would you feel if he hit you? You must never, never hurt people." If your voice expresses strong feeling clearly, your message will carry enough weight. 

    Probably no other musical instrument（乐器） is as popular around the world as the guitar （吉他）. Almost every kind of music needs a guitar. Country and western music would not be the same without a guitar.  The Spanish music called flamenco could not exist without a guitar. The sound of American blues music would not be the same without the sad cry of the guitar. And rock and roll music would almost be impossible without this instrument.

    People do not agree about where the guitar was first played, but most agree it is very old. Some say an instrument very much like a guitar was played in Egypt more than one thousand years ago. Some others say that an old form of the modem guitar was brought to Spain from Persia sometime in the 12 century. The guitar continued to develop in Spain. In the 1700s it became similar to the instrument we know today.

    Many famous musicians played the instrument. The famous musician Niccolo Paganinni played and wrote music for the guitar in the early 1800s. Franz Schubert used the guitar to write some of his famous works. In modem times Andres Segovia helped make the instrument extremely popular.

    One kind of music for the guitar developed in the southern area of Spain called Adalusia. It will always be strongly connected with the Spanish guitar. 

    Forty—thousand of the world’ s young children die every day. Many of these deaths can be prevented. In fact，experts say，techniques now exist to save the lives of half of these children. The techniques are medically effective(有效的)，simple to use and low cost. The biggest task has been to inform parents about these life-saving techniques.
    Diarrhea(腹泻)is the main cause of death among children in developing countries. Diarrhea results when the body tries to clear itself of harmful bacteria(细菌). The body does this by getting our liquids，sometimes uncontrollably. If too much water，sugar and salt ale lost in this way，the body cannot work normally. The child may die.
    The United Nations International Children’s Fund，UNICF，introduces a technique. It uses a simple mixture of sugar and salt in water. The mixture does not stop diarrhea. But if used often as needed，it keeps fluid(体液)levels normal until the body has fought off the harmful bacteria.
    In Egypt，for example，the treatment was used in a children’s health care program in the province of Alexandria. It reduced by one—half the number of deaths caused by diarrhea. The technique has now been used throughout the country.

    The home computer industry has been growing rapidly in the United States for the last ten years. Computers used to be large and expensive which were very difficult to use. But scientists and technicians have been making them smaller and cheaper while at the same time they have been made easier to use. As a result，their popularity has been increasing as more people have been buying computers for their homes and business. Computers have been designed to store information and computer problems that are difficult for human beings to work out. Some have voice that speak with the operators. Stores use computers to keep records of their inventories(存货清单)and to send bills to their customers. Offices use computers to copy letters，record business and keep in touch with other offices. People have been using computers in their homes to keep track of their money they spend.
    One important new use for computers is for entertainment. Many new games have been designed to be played on the computers. People of all ages have been playing these games. People also have been buying home computers to play computer games. Watch movies and listen to concert at home. They have become very popular indeed.

    ​You have probably seen ads （广告）in newspapers or on TV for mail-order shopping. Perhaps you have been sent a catalogue（商品目录）and have bought something by mail. Why do people buy things they have not seen with their own eyes? One of the reasons might be that some people believe that things can be bought more cheaply by mail. Another advantage of mail-order shopping is that it is more comfortable to sit at home and look through a catalogue than to rush around the stores. With the catalogue from a large company, you have your own shop window for almost everything you might want to buy. 

    The mail-order business is very wide-spread. Some companies hire people to show products listed in the catalogue to possible customers. Perhaps you have had one of these people call you or come by your home. 

Buying from a catalogue is so easy. It saves the shopper time and trouble. Sometimes, it save the shopper money, but people often buy more than they can really afford, since they can buy now and pay later on. Some companies allow a customer to pay for a product over a long period of time. People can also pay a certain percent of total price. This is called a down payment. Then the customer pays a certain amount of money every month until the product is completely paid for. People can buy almost everything by mail-order shopping-furniture, tools and even heavy machines. 

    I rushed into an ugly little shop to have the heels(鞋后跟)of my shoes repaired.“Please hurry.”I begged.
    The shoemaker looked at me over his glasses.“Now，lady，we won’t be long. I want to do a good job. You see，I have a tradition(传统)to live up to. My father was a shoemaker. He always told me，‘Son，do the best job on every shoe that comes into the shop，and be proud of you fine work.’”
    As he handed me the finished shoes，he said，“These will last a long time.’’
    I left the shop with a warm and grateful(感激的)feeling. This was the beginning of our friendship. Since then I went into his shop every few days just to talk with him.
    One day，I went in disappointed and angry because of a poor job some painters had done for me.
    “They had no pride in their work，” I said. “They didn’t want to work. They just wanted to collect their money for doing nothing. What can be done about it?’’
    “There's only one way. Every man or woman who hasn't a prideful tradition must start building one. No matter what sort of work a mall does，if he gives it his best each day. he's starting a tradition for his children to live up to. And he is making lots of happiness for himself.’’
    I went to Europe for a few months. When I returned, I learned that the old shoemaker suddenly had got sick two weeks ago，right there in his shop. He had died a few days later. I went home with a heavy heart. I would miss him. He had left me something——an important piece of wisdom(名言)I shall always remember：“If you have a prideful tradition，you must carry it on; if you have not，then start building one now.’’

    Copernicus was born in Torun, Poland, on February 19, 1473. Little is known about his early life except that his father died when he was 10. An uncle adopted（收养）him，his two sisters，and his brother. The uncle saw to it that the two boys received a good education. Copernicus went to the University of Cracow. There he studied such subjects as Latin，mathematics，and astronomy，It was probably at that time that he changed his Polish name， Niklas Koppernigk，to the Latin form of Nicolaus Copernicus. In 1496 Copernicus went to Italy，where he spent the next 10 years studying at various universities.
    In Copernicus' time people still believed that all things-the sun，the stars，and the planets-moved around the earth. It was an old belief that few men had ever questioned. Aristotle had based his theory of astronomy on this belief. Because the Chruch had long been the center of learning，the theory was also linked to religious（宗教的）beliefs.
    In 1506 Copernicus returned to his homeland. A few years later he began to work for the Church. All those years Copernicus carried on his work in astronomy. He had just the most basic equipment and，like other scientists of his day，made observations with only his eyes. Still，using mathematics and logic（逻辑），Copernicus worked out a different theory，which held that the planets went around the sun.
    Copernicus did not announce his ideas. He did not want to make trouble. But he could not hide the scientific truth. So he talked about his theory with his friends，who strongly advised him to have his work published. His great book， On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Bodies，appeared at the very end of his life. Copernicus saw the first copy on the day he died，May 24，1543.