Smuggling

    It is not unusual for a pet ¹ to be sent by air cargo ²  from ColumbiatoNew York, but last December"s shipment of a 4-year-old sheep dog caught a New York Kennedy Airport Customs inspector"s eye ³. The dog looked to be on its last legs ⁴, and there was an unusual lump on the side of its body. An X-ray and emergency surgery revealed the presence of 10 condoms tightly packed with five pounds of cocaine that had been surgically implanted in the dog"s abdomen一yet another first for" Customs in the war on drugs ⁵.

    When it comes to transporting drugs, the methods used are only as limited as a smuggler"s imagination ⁶. Kilo bricks of cocaine ⁷ are routinely concealed beneath false bottoms ⁸ of containers that hold poisonous snakes. "You"ve got snakes that are 12 feet long," says a United States Fish and Wildlife Service agent一and sometimes the drug is in the snake. "Who"s going to pull it out and feel it?"

    In 1994, United States Customs seized 204,391 pounds of cocaine,559,286 pounds of marijuana ⁹ and 2,577 pounds of heroin ¹⁰. Just how much actually flows into the country is anyone"s guess. Some Customs officials estimate that only 10 percent of the drugs coming into the country are ever seized. InMiami, the District Attorney won"t even prosecute small fry. "It"s got to be over five kilos of cocaine, above a kilo of heroin and more than 5,000 pounds of marijuana or it"s not something that we"re going to stop the presses on ¹¹,"says Tom Cash, a retired agent.

    Given this deluge ¹², one can only wonder if agents are ever confounded by some of the smuggling methods. "There are things we haven"t seen before, "says John McGhee, a Miami Customs special agent, "but nothing really surprises us."

词汇：

emergency /i"mə: dʒənsi/ n．紧急情况

surgery /"sə:dʒəri/n．外科手术，外科；手术室，诊所

condom /"kəndəm/n．避孕套

surgically /"sə:dʒəri/adv．以外科手术的方式，通过外科手术

implant /im"pla: nt/vt．植人，插人，嵌人；灌输，牢固树立；移植

abdomen /"æbdəmen/n．腹部

kilo /"kiləu/n．千克；千米

attorney /ə"tə:ni/n．检察长，检察官；律师，代理人

prosecute / "prɔsikju: t/vt．起诉，告发

deluge / "delju: dʒ/n．洪水般的泛滥；洪水；大雨，暴雨

confound /kən"faund/vt．使吃惊，使惊惶失措；混淆，使（思想等）混乱

注释：

1．pet：爱畜，宠物

2．air cargo：空运货物，空运邮件

3．…caught a New York Kennedy Airport Customs inspector"s eye.……引起了纽约肯尼迪海关一位检查员的注意。catch somebody"s eye：被人看到，引起某人注意。又如：The dress in the window caught her eye when she passed the store．当她经过店铺时，橱窗里的那件连衣裙引起了她的注意。

4．The dog looked to be on its last legs．那只狗看上去奄奄一息。be on one"s last legs：濒于死亡。又如：By the mid-1980s, the copper industry in the U. S. was on its last legs．到了20世纪80年代中期，美国的铜业已经衰落了。

5．...yet another first for Customs in the war on drugs.……这是反毒战争中该海关创下的又一个第一。

6．When it comes to transporting drugs, the methods used are only as limited as a smuggler"s imagination．说到运输毒品，走私者所使用的方法只要他们想得到的都用。when it comes to用于引入另一个话题或同一个话题的不同方面。又如：Most of us know that we should cut down on fat. But knowing such things isn"t much help when it comes to shopping and eating．我们中的大多数人都知道应该少吃肥肉，不过一到买东西和吃饭的时候，这些道理也就顾不上了。

7．cocaine：可卡因

8．false bottoms：夹层的假底板，活板

9．marijuana：大麻毒品

10．heroin：海洛因

11．…or it"s not something that we"re going to stop the presses on...：……或者说这个数量应是新闻界感兴趣的。

12．Given this deluge：考虑到走私毒品的数量如此之大。given something：考虑到，把……考虑进去。

What is this article about?

A:Drug transportation from Columbia to New York B:A new method for drug smuggling. C:Varied chug transportation methods D:Types of drug.

The Sahara

    The nameSaharaderives from the Arabic word for "desert" or "steppe". At 3. 5 million square miles，an area roughly the size of the United States，the Sahara Desert in northern Africa is the largest desert in the world. lt spans the continent from theAtlantic Oceanto theRed Sea. Daytime temperatures can reach as high as 130°F. The humidity sometimes gets into the teens. But it can also be as low as 2. 5 percent，the lowest in the world. Most of the Sahara receives less than five inches of rain per year，while large areas sometimes have no rainfall at all for years.

    At the heart of the Sahara is the landlocked north African country ofNiger. Here the sand dunes can be 100 feet tall and several miles long. Here sand plains stretch over an area larger thanGermanywhere there is neither water nor towns. Yet sitting in the midst of the surrounding desert is the town ofBilma. Suddenly there are pools of cIear water. Surprisingly，there are groves of date palms. Underground water resources，or oases，sufficient to support irrigated agriculture are found in dry stream beds and depressions. ¹Irrigation ditches run off a creek to water fields. ²  Corn，cassava，tea，peanuts，hot peppers，and orange，lime，and grapefruit trees grow in these fields. Donkeys and goats graze on green grass. ³

    The Sahara of Niger is still a region where you can see a camel caravan of 500 camels tied together in loose lines as long as a mile，traveling toward such oasis towns. There a caravan will collect life-sustaining salt，which is mined from watery basins，and transport it up to 400 miles back to settlements on the edges of the desert. The round trip across the vast sands takes one month.

词汇:

Humidity / hju:ˈmɪdəti / n. 湿度

irrigate / " lrlgelt/ v. 灌溉

stretch / stretʃ / v. 伸展

camel / "kæml / n. 骆驼

date palms n. 椰枣树

注释:

1. Underground water resources，or oases，sufficient to support irrigated agriculture are found in dry stream beds and depressions. 在干河床和洼地处可找到充足的地下水资源或者绿洲来支持灌溉农业。

2. Irrigation ditches run off a creek to water fields. 灌溉沟渠通过一条小溪到达水田中。

This passage is mostly about _______.

A:life in the Sahara B:the deserts of Africa C:Bilma D:how camels travel in the desert

Tales of the Terrible Past

    It is not the job of fiction writers to analyze and interpret history. Yet by writing about the past in a vivid and compelling manner，storytellers can bring earlier eras to life and force readers to consider them seriously. ¹Among those taking on the task of recounting history are some black writers who attempt to examine slavery from different points of view.

    Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison deals specifically with the legacy of slavery in her book Beloved. The main character in this novel，a former slave called Sethe，lives in Ohio in the years following the Civil War，but she cannot free herself from her horrific memories. Through a series of flashbacks and bitter reminiscences，the reader learns how and why Sethe escaped from the plantation she had lived on; the fate of her husband，who also tried to escape; and finally，what happened to the child called Beloved. Morrisons scenes of torture and murder are vivid and strongly convey the desperation of the slaves and the cruelty of their owners.

    Charles Johnsons Middle Passage approaches slavery from a different，yet no less violent，vantage point. His main character，Rutherfprd Calhoun，is a ne’er-do-well free black American who stows away on a slave ship bound for Africa to collect its "cargo" ². Put to work after he is discovered，Calhoun witnesses firsthand the appalling conditions in which the captured Africans are transported. When they finally rebel and take over the ship，he finds himself in the middle -- and is forced to come to terms with who he is and what his values are.

Neither Beloved nor Middle Passage is an easy read，but both exemplify African American writers attempts to bring significant historical situations alive for a modem audience.

词汇:

interpret [ɪn"tɜ:prɪt] v. 解释，翻译

desperation [ˌdespəˈreɪʃn] n. 绝望的境地

recount [rɪ"kaʊnt] v. 叙述

capture ["kæptʃə(r)] v. 俘获

slavery [ˈsleɪvəri] n. 奴隶制度

注释:

1. Yet by writing about the past in a vivid and compelling manner，storytellers can bring earlier eras to life and force readers to consider them seriously. 然而通过用一种生动有趣的方式来描写过去，小说家可以将早期时代重现，并引起读者的重视。

Beloved is set__________.

A:on a slave ship B:on a plantation before the Civil War C:in Ohioafter the Civil War D:in an African town

Some things we know about language

    Many things about language are a mystery, and many will always remain so．But some things we do know．

    First, we know that all human beings have a language of some sort．There is no race of men anywhere on earth so backward that it has no language, no set of speech sounds by which the people communicate with one mother．Furthermore, in historical times, there has never been a race of men without a language．

    Second, there is no such thing as a primitive language．There are many people whose cultures are undeveloped, who are, as we say, uncivilized. but the languages they speak are not primitive．In all known 1anguages we can see complexities that must have been ¹ tens of thousands of years in developing．

    This has not always been well understood；indeed, the direct contrary ²  has often been stated． Popular ideas of the language of the American Indians will illustrate．Many people have supposed that the Indians communicated in a very primitive system of noises．Study has proved this to be nonsense．There are, or were, hundreds of American Indian languages, and a11 of them rum out ³ to be very complicated and very old. They are certainly different from the languages that most of us are familiar with, but they are no more primitive than English and Greek ⁴．

    A third thing we know about language is that all languages are perfectly adequate．That is, each one is a perfect means of expressing the culture of the people who speak the language．

Finally, we know that language changes．It is natural and normal for language to change； the only languages which do not change are the dead ones．This is easy to understand if we look backward in time．Change goes on in all aspects of language．Grammatical features change as do speech sounds, and changes in vocabulary are sometimes very extensive and may occur very rapidly．Vocabulary is the least stable part of any language ⁵.

词汇：

race/[reɪs] n.种族

primitive [ˈprɪmətɪv] adj.原始的

uncivilized [ʌnˈsɪvəlaɪzd] adj.不开化的, 落后的

complexity [kəm"pleksətɪ] n.复杂性, 复杂现象

nonsense [ˈnɔnsəns] n.胡说, 没有根据的话

extensive/[ɪkˈstensɪv] adj.广泛的

vocabulary [və"kæbjələrɪ] n.词汇

注释：

1．must have( been) done:must+动词的完成式，表示对过去发生的事情的猜测。

2．the direct contrary:完全相反（的观点，看法）

3．turn out:结果（是），原来（是）

4．no more... than...：同……一样不……

According to the author, people of undeveloped cultures can have languages．

A:complicated B:uncivilized C:primitive D:well-known

The Changing Middle Class

    The United Statesperceives itself to be a middle-class nation. However, middle class is not a real designation, nor does it carry privileges. ¹ It is more of a perception, which probably was as true as it ever could be right after World WarⅡ. The economy was growing, more and more people owned their own homes, workers had solid contracts with the companies that employed them, and nearly everyone who wanted a higher education could have one. Successful people enjoyed upward social mobility. They may have started out poor, but they could become rich. Successful people also found that they had greater geographic mobility. In other words, they found themselves moving to and living in a variety of places.

    The middle class collectively holds several values and principles. One strong value is the need to earn enough money to feel that one can determine one"s own economic fate. In addition, middle-class morality embraces principles of individual responsibility, importance of family, obligations to others, and believing in something outside oneself. ²  

    But in the 1990s those in the middle class found that there was a price for success. A U. S. News & World Report survey in 1994 indicated that 75 percent of Americans believed that middle-class families could no longer make ends meet. ³ Both spouses now worked, as did some of the children, long commutes became routine; the need for child care put strains on ⁴ the family; and public schools were not as good as they once were. Members of the middle class were no longer financing their lifestyles through earnings but were using credit to stay afloat. The understanding of just what middle class meant was changing.

词汇：

designation /dezig"neiʃən/ n．称号

commute /kə"mju:t/n．上下班路程

mobility /məu"biləti/ n．流动性

注释：

1.However, middle class is not a real designation, nor does it carry privileges．然而，中产阶级既不是一个真实的称号，也不会带来特别待遇。

2.In addition, middle-class morality embraces principles of individual responsibility, importance of family, obligations to others, and believing in something outside oneself．另外，中产阶级的道德观包括个人的责任感、家庭的重要性、对他人的使命感以及相信自我以外的事物。

3.make ends meet：收支相抵，维持生活

The word collectively means ______.

A:as a group B:hesitatingly C:unknowingly D:weakly

Smuggling

    It is not unusual for a pet ¹ to be sent by air cargo ²  from ColumbiatoNew York, but last December"s shipment of a 4-year-old sheep dog caught a New York Kennedy Airport Customs inspector"s eye ³. The dog looked to be on its last legs ⁴, and there was an unusual lump on the side of its body. An X-ray and emergency surgery revealed the presence of 10 condoms tightly packed with five pounds of cocaine that had been surgically implanted in the dog"s abdomen一yet another first for" Customs in the war on drugs ⁵.

    When it comes to transporting drugs, the methods used are only as limited as a smuggler"s imagination ⁶. Kilo bricks of cocaine ⁷ are routinely concealed beneath false bottoms ⁸ of containers that hold poisonous snakes. "You"ve got snakes that are 12 feet long," says a United States Fish and Wildlife Service agent一and sometimes the drug is in the snake. "Who"s going to pull it out and feel it?"

    In 1994, United States Customs seized 204,391 pounds of cocaine,559,286 pounds of marijuana ⁹ and 2,577 pounds of heroin ¹⁰. Just how much actually flows into the country is anyone"s guess. Some Customs officials estimate that only 10 percent of the drugs coming into the country are ever seized. InMiami, the District Attorney won"t even prosecute small fry. "It"s got to be over five kilos of cocaine, above a kilo of heroin and more than 5,000 pounds of marijuana or it"s not something that we"re going to stop the presses on ¹¹,"says Tom Cash, a retired agent.

    Given this deluge ¹², one can only wonder if agents are ever confounded by some of the smuggling methods. "There are things we haven"t seen before, "says John McGhee, a Miami Customs special agent, "but nothing really surprises us."

词汇：

emergency /i"mə: dʒənsi/ n．紧急情况

surgery /"sə:dʒəri/n．外科手术，外科；手术室，诊所

condom /"kəndəm/n．避孕套

surgically /"sə:dʒəri/adv．以外科手术的方式，通过外科手术

implant /im"pla: nt/vt．植人，插人，嵌人；灌输，牢固树立；移植

abdomen /"æbdəmen/n．腹部

kilo /"kiləu/n．千克；千米

attorney /ə"tə:ni/n．检察长，检察官；律师，代理人

prosecute / "prɔsikju: t/vt．起诉，告发

deluge / "delju: dʒ/n．洪水般的泛滥；洪水；大雨，暴雨

confound /kən"faund/vt．使吃惊，使惊惶失措；混淆，使（思想等）混乱

注释：

1．pet：爱畜，宠物

2．air cargo：空运货物，空运邮件

3．…caught a New York Kennedy Airport Customs inspector"s eye.……引起了纽约肯尼迪海关一位检查员的注意。catch somebody"s eye：被人看到，引起某人注意。又如：The dress in the window caught her eye when she passed the store．当她经过店铺时，橱窗里的那件连衣裙引起了她的注意。

4．The dog looked to be on its last legs．那只狗看上去奄奄一息。be on one"s last legs：濒于死亡。又如：By the mid-1980s, the copper industry in the U. S. was on its last legs．到了20世纪80年代中期，美国的铜业已经衰落了。

5．...yet another first for Customs in the war on drugs.……这是反毒战争中该海关创下的又一个第一。

6．When it comes to transporting drugs, the methods used are only as limited as a smuggler"s imagination．说到运输毒品，走私者所使用的方法只要他们想得到的都用。when it comes to用于引入另一个话题或同一个话题的不同方面。又如：Most of us know that we should cut down on fat. But knowing such things isn"t much help when it comes to shopping and eating．我们中的大多数人都知道应该少吃肥肉，不过一到买东西和吃饭的时候，这些道理也就顾不上了。

7．cocaine：可卡因

8．false bottoms：夹层的假底板，活板

9．marijuana：大麻毒品

10．heroin：海洛因

11．…or it"s not something that we"re going to stop the presses on...：……或者说这个数量应是新闻界感兴趣的。

12．Given this deluge：考虑到走私毒品的数量如此之大。given something：考虑到，把……考虑进去。

What is this article about?

A:Drug transportation from Columbia to New York B:A new method for drug smuggling. C:Varied chug transportation methods D:Types of drug.

The Changing Middle Class

    The United Statesperceives itself to be a middle-class nation. However, middle class is not a real designation, nor does it carry privileges. ¹ It is more of a perception, which probably was as true as it ever could be right after World WarⅡ. The economy was growing, more and more people owned their own homes, workers had solid contracts with the companies that employed them, and nearly everyone who wanted a higher education could have one. Successful people enjoyed upward social mobility. They may have started out poor, but they could become rich. Successful people also found that they had greater geographic mobility. In other words, they found themselves moving to and living in a variety of places.

    The middle class collectively holds several values and principles. One strong value is the need to earn enough money to feel that one can determine one"s own economic fate. In addition, middle-class morality embraces principles of individual responsibility, importance of family, obligations to others, and believing in something outside oneself. ²  

    But in the 1990s those in the middle class found that there was a price for success. A U. S. News & World Report survey in 1994 indicated that 75 percent of Americans believed that middle-class families could no longer make ends meet. ³ Both spouses now worked, as did some of the children, long commutes became routine; the need for child care put strains on ⁴ the family; and public schools were not as good as they once were. Members of the middle class were no longer financing their lifestyles through earnings but were using credit to stay afloat. The understanding of just what middle class meant was changing.

词汇：

designation /dezig"neiʃən/ n．称号

commute /kə"mju:t/n．上下班路程

mobility /məu"biləti/ n．流动性

注释：

1.However, middle class is not a real designation, nor does it carry privileges．然而，中产阶级既不是一个真实的称号，也不会带来特别待遇。

2.In addition, middle-class morality embraces principles of individual responsibility, importance of family, obligations to others, and believing in something outside oneself．另外，中产阶级的道德观包括个人的责任感、家庭的重要性、对他人的使命感以及相信自我以外的事物。

3.make ends meet：收支相抵，维持生活

The information in this passage deals with ______.

A:an individual B:a social and economic group C:a political organization D:government