任務型閱讀專題強化訓練

2009-04-29 00:00:00謝勇

中學課程輔導·高考版 2009年5期

Every year there are hundreds of earthquakes in different parts of the world. In Sept.1923， Tokyo and Yokohama were both destroyed by an earthquake and the fires that followed it. They had to be completely rebuilt. One of the most serious earthquakes was in China’s Shanxi Province in 1556. It killed almost one million people.

We measure an earthquake’s strength on the Richter scale. The Richter scale was introduced in 1935 in Southern California in the USA. It measures earthquakes on a scale of one to ten. Any earthquake measuring five or more is usually serious.

The earth’s crust (地殼) is made up of layers of rock called plates. As these plates move， they sometimes crash against each other， causing the crust to quake. In cities such as Tokyo， where small quakes happen quite often， many modern buildings are designed to be flexible so when the earth moves， they move with it.

Earthquakes can also break up gas or oil pipes. This can cause fires to break out， which can do as much damage as the earthquake itself.

Another effect of earthquakes is tsunamis (海嘯). These are huge waves created by earthquakes beneath the sea. They can be many metres high and cause great damage to coastal towns and cities.

China， Japan， Russia and the USA have the highest occurrence (發生) of earthquakes in the world.

Brazil’s next super star

Rom Ronaldo and Ronaldinho to Kaka and Robinho， Brazil is never short of football stars. If you have ever wondered who could be the next big name， 18-year-old Alexandre Pato is a player to watch.

The teenage striker scored the only goal of the game on March 20 to help AC Milan beat Torino 1-0. The win ensured Milan can still maintain their push for a Champions League spot despite the absence of star playmaker Kaka.

Pato made his start in Serie A only in January and has scored seven goals for his club so far. He also helped Brazil’s national football team win the 2007 South American Youth Championship， which qualified the country for the football competition at the Beijing Olympic Games.

Pato is good at controlling football and moves intelligently. But most of all， he is quick. Looking at him play， it becomes evident why many people have connected him with a young Ronaldo. Yet Pato insists that the praise does not put him under pressure. Instead， he welcomes it. “I was happy to listen to people saying I was a great player. It makes me want to do my best.”

Pato started to play indoor football at the age of three. At only 11， he signed with the Brazilian football club Internacional where he started sharing a house with 83 other teenagers. Much like him， they wanted to make a name for themselves in the club’s senior team.

Luckily， Pato was the one who quickly made his way to the senior team and landed in AC Milan at the end of 2007.

Was it easy for him to settle down in a totally different culture? Pato insists that he has settled in with no problems thanks largely to his compatriots (同胞) in the Italian league. “These are the players I played with on Playstation and watched on television，” he admitted. “My dream of playing with my idol Ronaldo has finally come true.”

United States President George W. Bush is expected to issue a directive (法令) in the next few weeks. It will give the US Air Force a green light for the development of space weapons， US media reported last week.

This would potentially start a new global arms race， some experts warn.

However， last Wednesday the White House explained that it is not considering putting weapons in space. It said it is making a shift in US space policy to allow for protection of satellites.

But some defense analysts and arms control advocates argue that the policy will clear the way for the US to put both defensive and offensive weapons in space.

“No one should be fooled，” said Theresa Hitchens， an American weapons expert.

The US is now restricted by a 1996 directive signed by President Bill Clinton. Plans for space weapons were vetoed (否決)by the Clinton cabinet. The directive emphasized the peaceful use of space， in agreement with almost unanimous (一致的) global opinion.

The US military has place importance on space and has sent up numerous satellites for troop communications and to provide intelligence and data to guide bombs to their targets.

The US Air Force wants to develop space-based weapons that can strike targets anywhere in the world within 90 minutes of receiving the order to open fire.

These new weapons under development cover a wide range. They include hunter-killer satellites and orbiting weapons. And they use lasers， radio waves or even dense metal tubes， known as “Rods from God”， dropped from space to do the damage.

There many barriers to the setting up of this kind of program， experts say.

First is the cost. It is estimated that the budget may be US $220 billion to US $1 trillion.

The technical difficulties of developing reliable space weapons are also a problem.

And， the program will draw strong criticism from around the world. Experts worry about starting a space arms race.

Ten is not just a number. For Hong Kong， it means change. That change began 10 years ago on July 1， 1997， when Hong Kong was returned to the mainland. A year later， putonghua became a major subject in middle schools there. Street chatter now is trilingual: Cantonese， English and putonghua.

But language is just one of the many changes. Over the past 10 years， the flow of people has left its mark， especially on the young people.

The first sign is in the job market. Before 2006， about 10，000 young professionals from the mainland found jobs in Hong kong. At the same time， around 240，000 Hong Kong residents had worked or were working on the mainland. More than 60 percent of them were aged 23 to 25， according to official statistics.

Geng Chun， 26， a native of northern China， managed to start his own IT business after completing his university degree in Hong Kong three years ago.

“I like Hong Kong，” Geng said. “Hong Kong needs us. We’re young， well-educated and energetic.”

Education is the next thing to change. After the return， more people from both the mainland and Hong Kong began crossing the border to get an education.

According to China’s Ministry of Education， in 2006， 914 Hong Kong students were admitted to mainland universities. In all， 7060 studied in the mainland that year. Before that time， Hong Kong students were rarely seen in mainland schools.

There was a growth on the other side as well. In the early 1990s， about 100 mainland students went to Hong Kong every year to study. Last year， 1300 studied in Hong Kong universities.

Besides social and cultural changes in Hong Kong， business exchanges between the mainland and Hong Kong have greatly increased.

According to a Xinhua report， by the end of 2006， the mainland’s total investment in Hong Kong had reached $40 billion since 1997， which makes up 57 percent of all investments to places outside the mainland.

“We have many clients from the mainland， and actually， they are becoming our biggest group of clients，” said Ho， a manager for a Hong Kong PR company. “The mainland has provided our company with more business opportunities， which are vital for our development.”

An Event of Imagination

The year is 2094. It has been announced that a comet is heading towards the Earth. Most of it will

miss our planet， but two pieces will probably hit the southern half of the Earth.

On 17 July， a piece four kilometers wide enters the Earth's atmosphere with a massive explosion.

About half of the piece is destroyed， but the remaining part hits the South Atlantic at 200 times the speed of sound. The sea boils and a huge hole is made in the seabed. Huge waves are created and spread outwards from the hole. The wall of water， a kilometer high， rushes towards southern Africa at 800 kilometers an hour. Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people are drowned.

Before the waves reach South America， the second piece of the comet lands in Argentina.

Earthquakes and volcanoes are set off in the Andes Mountains. The shock waves move north into California and all around the Pacific Ocean. The cities of Los Angeles， San Francisco and Tokyo are completely destroyed by earthquakes. Millions of people in the southern half of the earth are already dead， but the north won't escape for long. Because of the explosions， the sun is hidden by clouds of dust， and temperature around the world falls to almost zero. Crops are ruined. The sun won't be seen again for many years. Wars break out as countries fight for food. A year later， no more than 10 million remain alive.

Could it really happen? In fact， it has already happened more than once in the history of the Earth. The

dinosaurs (恐龍) were on the Earth for over 160 million years. Then 65 million years ago they suddenly disappeared. Many scientists believe that the Earth was hit by a piece of object in space. The dinosaurs couldn't live through the cold climate that followed and they died out. Will we meet the same end?

A new set of brain images shows why: Reading the Roman alphabets and Chinese characters uses different parts of the brain.

The results also suggest that Chinese schoolchildren have reading problems in a different part of the brain used in reading alphabet-based languages. This shows that the learning disorder dyslexia ( inability to read properly) is not the same in very culture and does not have a universal biological cause.

Scientists described the results as “ very important and revolutionary”. While dyslexia has certain common roots， they said， they now have some proof that this kind of functional problem works differently according to the different demands that Western and Eastern languages place on the brain.

Dyslexia is a common developmental disorder in which people of normal intelligence have difficulty learning to read， spell and master other language skills.

The results suggest that treating dyslexia around the world probably will require different treatments.

“Reading is complex，” said Guinevere Eden， Georgetown University professor. “ This shows we need to be more open-minded about diverse treatment approaches.”

Its origins are complex. There appears to be a genetic aspect to the illness. It also may result from brain injury before birth that changes visual and hearing pathways in the brain.

Earlier brain scans show that English-reading dyslexics don’t function properly in a left part of the brain associated with the awareness of 44 sounds from the English alphabet. However， according to the new study， reading Chinese uses some different parts of the brain located in the left-front of the brain. It is associated with symbol interpretation. Unlike alphabet letters， Chinese characters represent entire thoughts and physical objects.

Third-generation mobile phones， known as 3G， are the next big step for the telecom industry. Data speed in 3G networks is much quicker than that in present technology. This means users can have high-speed Internet access and enjoy video and CD-quality music on their phones.

“Mobile data is not a dream; it’s not an option but a requirement，” said Len Lauer， head of a US communications company， Sprint PCS， at a 3G conference in Bangkok earlier this month.

With 3G， you can forget about text messages telling you yesterday’s news; a 3G phone can receive video news programs， updated four times a day. Internet access will also be much quicker， making it easier to surf the Web on your phone than on your computer at home.

Face-to-face video calls

Don’t worry about getting lost. 3G phones offer map services so you can find a new restaurant just by pressing a few keys on your handset.

However， the most impressive part of 3G technology is video calling. With live two-way video communication， you can have face-to-face talks with friends and family on your mobile phone.

Many European countries have already launched the service. In May 2000 the US Government issued five license to run 3G wireless services， while the first 3G phones arrived in Italy in March this year.

International telecom companies can’t wait to sell 3G in China， the world’s largest mobile telecommunications market. But they will have to be patient. At the moment， China is busy testing its 3G-based technologies， networks and services. This will be followed by a trial period before the phones can finally hit the shops.

“We need to create a pool of 3G customers before the large-scale commercial launch of the service，” said Fan Yunjun， marketing manager for Beijing Mobile. “We expect that the 3G licenses will be issued late next year.”

Vegetables may aid the brain

A study suggests certain vegetables such as broccoli (西蘭花) and spinach (菠菜) might help older women keep their minds sharp.

Researchers have discovered that women in their 60s who eat more green leafy vegetables how less signs of mental decline over time， reported Wednesday’s CRI online.

They gave participants a bundle of tests measuring memory， oral ability and attention. The study didn’t include men， but researchers say a similar diet would likely have the same results.

Eating fish can cut risk of heart rhythm disorder

US scientists have found that eating fish can reduce the risk of deadly heartbeat disorders. They say baked fish can effectively reduce the risk of atria fibrillation (心房顫動) among older men and women， reported Tuesday’s CRI online.

Researchers say in their 12 years of research among 4，800 people over the age of 65， they found those who ate fish one to four times per week had an about 30 percent lower risk compared with those who ate fish less than once a month. They say the omega-3 fatty acid can reduce the risk of a range of heart disorders and is vital to brain development and function.

Red wine may extend life

US scientist have found that a mixture that makes red wine a healthy drink may also hold the secret to a longer life. They say antioxidant (抗氧化劑) in wine acted on fruited flies and worms in the same way as a method known to extend the life of many animals， which is by sharply limiting how much they eat.

Limiting calories has been shown to make animals such as dogs and monkeys live longer， but they are often tired and lose productivity. The researchers will begin testing the mixture in mice