英语阅读练习6

2021年1月22日发(作者：邓志谟)
1.

In 1993 New York State ordered stores to charge a deposit on beverage containers. Within a
year consumers had returned millions of aluminum cans and glass and plastic bottles. Plenty
of
companies
were
eager
to
accept
the
aluminum
and
glass
as
raw
materials
for
new
products. But because few could figure out what to do with the plastic, much of it wound be
buried in landfills (
垃圾填埋场
). The problem was not limited to New York. Unfortunately,
there were too few uses for second-hand plastic.
Today, one out of five plastic soda bottles is recycled in the United States. The reason for the
change
is
that
now
there
are
dozens
of
companies
across
the
country
buying
discarded
plastic soda bottles and turning them into fence posts,paint brushes, etc.
As the New York experience shows, recycling involves more than simply separating valuable
materials from the rest of the rubbish. A discard remains a discard until somebody figures
out how to give it a second life and until economic arrangements exist to give that second life
value.
Without
adequate
markets
to
absorb
materials
collected
for
recycling,
throwaways
actually depress prices for used materials.
Shrinking
landfill
space
and
rising
costs
for
burying
and
burning
rubbish
are
forcing
local
governments
to
look
more
closely
at
recycling.
In
many
areas,
the
East
Coast
especially,
recycling
is
already
the
least
expensive waste-management
option.
For every
ton
of
waste
recycled, a city avoids paying for its disposal, which, in parts of New York, amounts to saving
of more than $$100 per ton. Recycling also stimulates the local economy by creating jobs and
trims
the
pollution
control
and
energy
costs
of
industries
that
make
recycled
products
by
giving them a more refined raw material.
2.

Swimming is one of those activities that can be learned early in life. Little children can learn
to swim as soon as they walk. In fact, you need the same skills in walking as in swimming.
However, I believe that five is the best age to learn. By five or six, a child knows fear of water,
a very important thing to know. It's wise to be afraid, to recognize true danger. Young ones
understand that the water can sometimes be very dangerous.

To
really
benefit
from
swimming,
every
swimmer
should
learn,
as
soon
as
possible,
these
four basic strokes; butterfly, backstroke, Breast stroke, and crawl. I feel that one of these-the
breaststroke-is
different
from
the
others,
since
some
young
swimmers
use
this
stroke
naturally, without any training.

In swimming there are certain rules every swimmer should follow:

1.
Never
swim
alone!
No
matter
how
good
you
are
in
the
water,
don't
risk
drowning
by
swimming alone. If you swim by yourself, with no life guards or friends with you, you may get
into trouble.

2. Don't go beyond your abilities. Most swimmers know enough not to swim too far from the
bank or the beach, Showing off by doing dangerous tricks is no good. Swim safely and you
will continue to swim and alive.

3. Don't smoke. Swimming depends on a healthy body; good lungs are part of it.

4. Work at any activity that builds muscles.
3.

The clock struck eleven at night. The whole house was quiet. Everyone was in bed except me.
Under the strong light, I looked sadly before me at a huge pile of that troublesome stuff(
东西
)
they call
“
books
”
.
I was going to have my examinati
on the next day. “When can I go to bed?” I asked myself. I
didn’t answer, In fact I dared not.

The clock struck twelve.” Oh, dear!” I cried. “Ten more books to read before I can go to bed!”
We pupils are the most wretched creatures in the world. Dad does not agree with me on this.
He did not have to work so hard when he was a boy.
The clock struck one. I was quite desperate(
绝望的
) now. I forgot all I had learned. I was too
tired to go on. I did the only thing I could. I prayed,
“
Oh, God, please help me pass the exam
tomorrow.
I
do
promise
to
work
hard
afterwards,
Amen.
”

My
eyes
were
so
heavy
that
I
could hardly open them A few minutes later, with my head on the desk, I fell asleep.
4.

Museums are places where collections of objects are preserved and displayed. The objects
may
be
anything
found
in
nature
or
made
by
man.
There
are
museums
devoted
to
art,
science, history, industry, and technology. But museums are no longer just storehouses for
collections.
Today
nearly
all
museums,
large
and
small,
carry
on
educational
programs.
Museums offer guided tours, lectures, films, music recitals, art lessons, and other attractions.
Museums
work
constantly
to
improve
their
collections
and
ways
of
displaying
them.
All
museums are always on the watch for new additional to their collections. Works of art are
bought
from
art
dealers
and
private
collectors
or
at
auction
(
拍卖
)
sales.
Museums
also
accept gifts and bequests (
遗物
), but the large museums no longer accept everything that is
offered to them. They accept only objects or collections that meet their high standards.
What is to be gained from visiting museums? Museum exhibits can teach us about the world
in
which
we
live----the
materials
it
is
made
of,
the
trees
and
plants
that
cover
it,
and
the
animals
that
have
lived
on
it
since
its
beginning.
We
can
learn
about
the
activities
of
man-----his history and development and his accomplishments in arts and crafts.
5.

Early in the 16th century men were trying to reach Asia by traveling west from Europe. In
order to find Asia they had to find a way past South America. The man who eventually found
the way from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific was Ferdinand Magellan.
Magellan sailed from Seville (
塞维利亚
) in August 1519 with five ships and about 280 men.
Fourteen months later, after spending the severe winter on the coast of Patagonia (
巴塔哥尼
亚
),
he
discovered
the
channel
which
is
now
called
Magellan
’
s
Strait
(
海峡
).
In
November
1520,
after
many
months
of
dangers
from
rocks
and
storms,
the
three
remaining
ships
entered the ocean on the other side of South America.
They then continued, hoping to reach Asia. But they did not see any land until they reached
the
islands
off
the
coast
of
Asia.
Before
they
arrived
at
these
islands,
later
known
as
the
Philippines,
men
were
dying
of
starvation.
While
they
were
staying
in
the
Philippines,
Magellan
was
killed
in
battle.
The
remaining
officers
then
had
to
get
back
to
Spain.
They
decided to sail round Africa. After many difficulties, one ship with eighteen men sailed into
Seville three years after leaving. They were all that remained of Magellan
’
s expedition (
探险
).
However, their achievement was great. They were the first men to sail round the world.
6.

Goethe said,
true. Home is the warmest place in the world. Home is the matter where you are,
you would like to be back home in the end.
Home
is
the
place
which
we
often
need
to
build.
In
order
to
create
a
kind
of
warm
and
intimate
atmosphere,
we
must
respect
and
understand
each
other.
As
a
member
of
the
family, it is not right to demand perfection from each other. The proper way is to cultivate
flexibility, patience, and sense of humor. Parents can be more open-minded and trust their
children, and the children should understandtheir parents' pains. If we have spare time after