評論
打印
Part B
Text 1
Ashley
Ashley was reading a magazine when she came across an article about antibiotics and other drugs discovered in European rivers and tap water. If such drugs were present there, she reasoned, they might also be found near her home in West Virginia.
Ashley feared that antibiotics in the waters could lead to resistant bacteria, or supergerms, which can kill untold numbers of people.
The girl, then 16, began testing her area's river -- the Ohio. With a simple device she herself had designed, she collected 350 water samples from the Ohio and its tributaries over ten weeks. Reading scientific journals, she taught herself to analyze the samples. It was the most scientifically sound project for someone her age.
Her experiment, one of the first of its kind in the United States, showed that low levels of three antibiotics are indeed present in local waters. Ashley's study won the International Stockholm Junior Water Prize, a virtual Nobel Prize for teenagers. She received a $5,000 scholarship and an audience with Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria.
Her interest in science was sparked by walks in the woods with her mother. But it was the day-to-day stuff -- how water comes to the tap, how rain sticks to glass, that most fascinated her. "Science is not a dead thing," she says. "It's happening all around us."
By the sixth grade, she was winning at science fairs. She has won $70,000 in prize money, which she has put aside for college. She plans to attend Harvard University. "I want to make my own discoveries, and not just read about what others have done," she said. Her teachers predict that she will one day win a Nobel Prize.
Statements:
1. Ashley lives in the state of Virginia.
2. Antibiotics in streams and rivers can lead to the emergence of supergerms.
3. Bacteria found in European local waters and tap water have killed countless people.
4. Using simple equipment designed by herself, Ashley collected 350 water samples in ten weeks.
5. Ashley's experiment proved that antibiotics did exist in the Ohio River.
6. Ashley developed a strong interest in science when she was in her sixth grade.
7. Ashley wants to make discoveries by herself and knows how to make use of what she has read.
8. The International Stockholm Junior Water Prize is a Nobel Prize for teenagers.
9. Ashley got a $5,000 scholarship from Harvard University.
10. Ashley can be regarded as a role model for young people.
Text 2
Young People Say No to Smoking
On February 16, 2001, the teens from a youth group called REBEL launched their advertising campaign at the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey. By now just about everybody has heard the "Not for Sale" commercial on television and the radio against tobacco companies. What many people don't know is that teenagers from West New York and across New Jersey worked on various aspects of the campaign, and even appeared in some of the advertisements. The campaign organizer thought it would be better than using actors if actual REBEL members were in the commercials.
REBEL, which stands for Reaching Everybody by Exposing Lies, is a statewide youth initiative against tobacco companies. The movement, which began in November last year, carries the message that teens no longer want to be targeted by tobacco companies in their advertisements. Knowing that peer pressure on teens to smoke or do drugs is one of the biggest problems that teens face, the group is working hard to ensure that their message reaches all teenagers at New Jersey schools.
When the group was first formed, there were only five members, all eighth grade students. But by this summer the group had grown to close to 90 members. At a recent recruiting party, a pizza and pool party, at the West New York swimming pool, more than 50 new members were attracted to the group.
"We don't think that too many people would be interested," said Jackie, one of its founding members. "But everyone knows our message. They know who we are now."
Questions:
1. When did REBEL launch their advertising campaign?
2. How many members did REBEL have by the summer of 2001?
3. Who are the members of REBEL?
4. What did REBEL do for their campaign against tobacco companies?
5. What did REBEL do recently?
Part C
Skatescooters
In Hong Kong these days, you will often see people riding skatescooters in the streets. Depending on which way you look at them, they can be great for performing tricks or are just the latest fashionable commodity. Fung is one of the more experienced skatescooter riders, as he has been practising his technique for about a year. His curly hair and baggy jeans show his devotion to street fashion and being comfortable. He has a deep passion for and understanding of this sport.
"I started riding skatescooter a year ago, but at that time there was no one to share the experience with or learn new tricks from," he explained. "Now that it has caught on and more people take part in it, it is more enjoyable."
Most of the best brands of skatescooters are made in Switzerland and began to be imported to Hong Kong in 1999. No one took much notice of them, however, until they became popular in Japan. When people saw skatescooters in Japanese magazines they were soon trying to buy them in Hong Kong. Very quickly Hong Kong had its own group of skatescooter riders and the number is still growing.
However, not all who enjoy skatescooters regard riding them as a sport. For some people they are simply a quick way to get from home to the underground or from a bus stop to the office. As they can be folded up without difficulty and are easy to carry about, they have become popular with a variety of people from school students to business executives.
Statements:
1. Skatescooters are very popular in Hong Kong. You'll find riders performing tricks on skatescooters in the streets.
2. Fung is the person who introduced skatescooters to Hong Kong.
3. Fung is a devoted performer and the most skillful rider of skatescooters in Hong Kong.
4. It took Fung about a year to practise and became one of the more experienced skatescooter riders in Hong Kong.
5. Magazines play an important role in popularizing skatescooters in Japan.
6. Now skatescooters has been listed as one of the competitive sports around the world.
7. People like to ride skatescooters as a sport as well as a convenient means of transportation.
Part D
She Doesn't Seem Ready for College
Hi, Jenny, you don't look happy. What's wrong?
Jenny: Well, Roger, I've got a problem.
Roger: What is it?
Jenny: You know my daughter Jane is 16 years old now. And we've begun talking about college. She says she wants to go, but she's let her grades slip and no matter how I urge her to study, all she seems interested in are clothes and boys. We're not wealthy, you know. And it won't be easy for us to afford the tuition if she can't get a scholarship. Is going to college the best choice for her right now?
Roger: Do you mean that she doesn't seem ready for college?
Jenny: You're right.
Roger: Then you'd better have a serious talk with Jane about college.
Jenny: A serious talk with her?
Roger: Yes, to my mind it's quite normal for girls her age to be wrapped up in fashion and dating, but as a mother you have a right to expect her to pay attention to her studies too.
Jenny: Yes, but how?
Roger: Ask her how serious she is about college and how hard she's willing to work for it. Jane may be more committed than you realize. But if not, tell her she should think about putting college off for a while. That could give her the push she needs to take her education seriously.
Jenny: Sounds like a good idea.
Roger: And if you decide she should wait, she can get a job, take classes at a community college or do an internship to get experience. She may be just one of those who need to see a bit of real life before they settle down.
Questions:
1. What is Jenny worried about?
2. What is Jenny's daughter interested in?
3. What does Roger recommend Jenny do with her daughter now?
4. Which of the following is not a suggestion given by Roger?
5. What can you infer about the relationship between Roger and Jenny?
adj. 抵抗的，反抗的
n. 抵抗者
