初二英语阅读20篇

初二英语阅读20篇

（1）

Livinganddealingwithkidscanbeatoughjobthesedays,butlivingand

dealingwithparentscanbeeventougher.IfIhavelearnedanythinginmy16years,it

isthatcommunicationisveryimportant,bothwhenyoudisagreeandwhenyouget

along.Withanyrelationship,youneedtoletotherpersonknowhowyouarefeeling.

Ifyouarenotabletocommunicate,youdriftapart.Whenyouaremadatyourparents,

oranyoneelse,nottalkingtothemdoesn'tsolveanything.Communicationbegins

withtheconcerns（关，心）ofanother.Itmeansthatyoucan'tjustcomehomefrom

school,gouptoyourroomandtakenonoticetoanyone.Evenifyoujustsay"Hi”,

andseehowtheirdaywasforfiveminutes,itisbetterthannothing.Ifyoulookedup

theword“communication"inadictionary,itwouldsay“theexchangeofideas,

theconveyance（表达）ofinformation,correspondence（通信）,meansof

communication:aletteroramessage”.

Tokeepagoodrelationship,youmustkeepcommunicationstrong.Letpeople

knowhowyoufeel,evenifit'sjustbywritinganote.Whendealingwithparents,you

alwayshavetomakethemfeelgoodabouthowtheyaredoingasaparent.Ifyouare

tryingtomakethemseesomethingasyouseeit,tellthemthatyou'lllistentowhat

theyhavetosay,andaskthempolitelytolistentoyou.Shoutingorwalkingaway

onlymakesthesituationworse.

Hereisanexample:onenight,Sophiewenttoastreetpartywithherfriends.She

knewshehadtobehomebymidnightafterthefireworks,butshedidn'tfeelshe

couldjustasktogohome.Thatwouldberude.Afterall,theyhadbeenniceenoughto

takeheralongwiththem.Needlesstosay,shewaslategettinghome.Herparents

weremadatfirst,butwhenSophieexplainedwhyshewaslate,theyweren'tasmad

andletitgo.

Communicationisthekeyhere.IfSophie'sparentshadnotbeenwillingto

listen,Sophiewouldhavebeeninalotoftrouble.Communicationisn'taone-way

matter:itgoesbothways.Justremember:ifyougetintoasituationlikeSophie's,

tellingtheotherpersonhowyoufeel------listeningisthekeytocommunication.

1.Inthewriter'sview,dealingwithparentsisthanwithchildren.

A.moredifficultB.mucheasierC.lessinterestingD.moreinteresting

2.Theunderlinedphrase“driftapart“inParagraph2means.

A.keepupwithothersB.movealongsmoothly

C.distanceyourselfformothersD.comeclosertoeachother

3.TheexampleinParagraph6showsthat.

A.Sophieisverypolitetoherparents

B.Sophie'sparentsarewillingtolistentoher

C.Sophiedidwellinexplainingherbeinglate

D.communicationisthesolutiontomisunderstanding

4.A11thefollowingstatementsarecorrectexcept"

A.Communicationisatwo-waymatter

B.Itisbettertosay"Hi"toothersthansaynothing

C.Ifyoudon'tagreewithothers,you'dbetterletthemknow

D.Whendealingwithparents,youonlyneedtolistentothem

(2)

OneofthemoststrikingfindingsofarecentpollintheUKisthatofthepeople

interviewed,oneintwobelievesthatitisbecomingmoredifficulttomeetsomeoneto

startafamilywith.

Whyaremanyfindingitincreasinglydifficulttostartandsustainintimate

relationships?Doesmodemlifereallymakeithardertofallinlove?Orarewe

makingitharderfbrourselves?

Itiscertainlythecasetodaythatcontemporarycouplesbenefitindifferentways

fromrelationships.Womennolongerrelyuponpartnersforeconomicsecurityor

status.Amandoesn*texpecthisspousetobeinsolechargeofrunninghishousehold

andraisinghischildren.

Butperhapstheknowledgethatwecanliveperfectlywellwithoutapartnership

meansthatittakesmuchmoretopersuadepeopletoabandontheirindependence.

Intheory,findingapartnershouldbemuchsimplerthesedays.Onlyafew

generationsago,yourchoiceofsoulmate(心上人)wasconstrainedbygeography,

socialconventionandfamilytradition.Althoughitwasneverexplicit,many

maniageswereessentiallyaiTanged.

Nowthosebarriershavebeenbrokendown.Youcanapproachabuilderorabrain

surgeoninanybarinanycityonanygivenevening.Whentheworldisyouroyster

(牡蛎),yousurelyhaveabetterchanceoffindingapearl.

Butitseemsthattheoldconventionshavebeenreplacedbyaneventighter

constraint:thetyrannyofchoice.

Theexpectationsofpartnersareinflatedtoanunmanageabledegree:goodlooks,

impressivesalary,kindtograndmother,andrightsocks.ThereisnoroomfbreiTorin

thefirstimpression.

Wethinkthatarelationshipcanbeperfect.Ifitisn't,itisdisposable.Weworkto

protectourselvesagainstfutureheartacheanddon*tputinthehardemotionallabor

neededtobuildastrongrelationship.Ofcourse,thisiscomplicatedbyrealities.The

costofhousingandchild-rearingcreatespressuretohaveastableincomeandcareer

beforealifepartnership.

1.Whatdoestherecentpollshow?

A.Itisgettingmoredifficultforawomantofindherhusband.

B.Itisgettingincreasinglydifficulttostartafamily.

C.Itisgettingmoredifficultforamantofindhiswife.

D.Itisgettingincreasinglydifficulttodevelopanintimaterelationshipwithyour

spouse.

2.WhichofthefollowingisNOTtrueaboutacontemporarymarriedcouple?

A.Thewifedoesn'thavetoraisethechildrenallbyherself.

B.Thehusbanddoesn'thavetosupportthefamilyallbyhimself.

C.Thewifeisnolongertheonlypersontomanagethehousehold.

D.Theywillreceivealargesumofmoneyfromthegovernment.

3.WhichofthefollowingwasNOTaconstraintonone'schoiceofsoulmateinthe

olddays?

A.Thehealthconditionofhisorhergrandmother.

B.Thegeographicalenvironment.

C.Thesocialconvention.

D.Thefamilytradition.

4.WhichofthefollowingisNOTexpectedofapartneraccordingtothispassage?

A.Goodlooks.

B.Animpressivecareer.

C.Ahighsalary.

D.Afinesenseofhumor.

5.Theword"sustain"(paragraph2)couldbebestreplacedby

A."reduce”.

B.nshake".

C."maintain0.

D."weaken”.

(3)

Thissummer'sWorldCupcompetitionwillseeteamscompetingtoplaythe

world'sbestfootball.Butthefootballtheyplaywillnotallbeofthesamekind.The

fansexpectdifferentstylesofplayfromBrazil,Germany,orItaly.

WhatmakesBrazilianfootballBrazilian?Ourstyleofplayingfootballcontrasts

withtheEuropeansbecauseofacombinationofqualitiesofsurprise,accuracyand

goodjudgment.ThisstylehaswonBrazilfiveworldcups.YetmanyBrazilianfans

onlycountfourofthesevictories.In1994,theteamabandonedthisstyleformodern,

scientifictrainingandtactics.Theteamwonthecup,butinaboringway.

TheItaliansthinkdifferently."TomanyItalians,thescore0-0hasaglorious

quality,suggestingperfection/saystheBritishfootballwriterSimonKuper.Inthe

Italianculture,theideaoffaceisveryimportant.ThisiswhyItalianteamsare

traditionallybuiltaroundstrongdefences.TheDutchfootballerJohanCruyffonce

saidthatItalianteamsneverexactlybeatyou.It'sjustthatyouoftenlosetothem.

InHolland,thereisatraditionofdecisionmakingthroughargumentand

discussion.Itisasocietywhereeverybodyisexpectedtohaveapointofview."Every

Dutchplayerwantstocontrolthegame,"saysArnoldMuhren."Youplayfootball

withyourbrainsandnotyourfeet."

“ADutchplayerargues,nsaysSimonKuper."AnEnglishplayerobeyshis

superior.Heisasoldier.nThequalitiesvaluedinEnglishfootballaremilitary-strength,

aggressionandcourage.Thiscanmakeforexcitingfootball.Butitalsomeansthatthe

Englishfinditdifficulttouseskillfulplayers.DavidBeckhamisusuallycriticizedfbr

hisfailuretodefend-despitethefactthatheisanattacker.

IftheEnglishliketofight,theGermansliketowin.Inrecentyears,Germanyhas

triedtochangeitsimageasacountryofruthlessefficiencyandadesireforvictoryat

allcosts.ButGermansarequitehappyforthesequalitiestoremainintheirnational

footballteam."Footballisasimplegame/GaryLinekeroncesaid."Youkickaball

aboutforninetyminutesandintheendtheGermanswin."

It'sdifficulttopredictwhowillwinthisyear'sWorldCup.Thereisnostrong

favorite.Butalookatthetrackrecordofpreviouswinnersshowsthatitisthenations

withthestrongestnationalcharacteristicsinthefootballthatperformbest.Itseems

thatyouneedtoknowwhereyoucomefromifyouwanttogettothetop.

1.WhichofthefollowingisNOTacharacteristicoftheBrazilianstyleofplaying

football?

A.Accuracy.

B.Surprise.

C.Goodjudgment.

D.Ruthlessefficiency.

2.WhydomanyItaliansthinkthatthescore0-0hasagloriousquality?

A.Becauseitmakesnooneloseface.

B.BecausetheItalianteamisnotverystrong.

C.BecauseItaliansarenicepeople.

D.Becausethatscoreiswhattheirteamcouldobtain.

3.WhatisoneexpectedtodoinHolland?

A.Toplayfootball.

B.Toexpresshisorheropinionfreely.

C.Tomakeafussaboutnothing.

D.Tobeathisorheropponentsruthlessly.

4.WhichofthefollowingisNOTtrueoftheBritishfootballplayers?

A.Theyareaggressive.

B.Theyarecourageous.

C.Theyplayfootballforfriendship.

D.Theyobeytheirsuperiors.

5.Whowillwinthisyear'sWorldCup?

A.TheBrazilianteam.

B.TheItalianteam.

C.TheGermanTeam.

D.Itisunpredictable.

(4)

Nopoemshouldeverbediscussedor“analyzed”,untilithasbeenreadaloudby

someone,teacherorstudent.Betterstill,perhaps,isthepracticeofreadingittwice,

onceatthebeginningofthediscussionandonceattheend,sothesoundofthepoem

isthelastthingonehearsofit.

Alldiscussionsofpoetryare,infact,preparationsforreadingitaloud,andthe

readingofthepoemis,finally,themosttelling“interpretation”ofit,suggestingtone,

rhythm,andmeaningallatonce.Hearingapoetreadtheworkinhisorherownvoice,

onrecordsoronfilm,isobviouslyaspecialreward.Buteventhoseaidstoteaching

cannotreplacethestudentandteacherreadingitor,bestofall,recitingit.

Ihavecometothink,infact,thattimespentreadingapoemaloudismuchmore

importantthan"analyzing"it,ifthereisn'ttimeforboth.Ithinkoneofourgoalsas

teachersofEnglishistohavestudentslovepoetry.Poetryis“acriticismoflife”,and

“aheightening(提升)oflife,\Itis"anapproachtothetruthoffeeling^^,andit"can

saveyourlife".Italsodeservesaplaceintheteachingoflanguageandliteraturemore

centralthanitpresentlyoccupies.

IamnotsayingthateveryEnglishteachermustteachpoetry.Thosewhodonet

likeitshouldnotbeforcedtoputthatdislikeonanyoneelse.Butthosewhodoteach

poetrymustkeepinmindafewthingsaboutitsessentialnature,aboutitssoundas

wellasitssense,andtheymustmakeroomintheclassroomforhearingpoetryas

wellasthinkingaboutit.

1.Tohaveabetterunderstandingofapoem,oneshould

Adiscussitwithothers.

Banalyzeitbyoneself.

Ccopyitdowninanotebook

Dpractisereadingitaloud

2.WhichofthefollowingisNOTmentionedasafunctionofpoetry?

AExtendingyourlife.

BSavingyourlife.

CCriticizinglife.

DHeighteninglife.

3.Accordingtothewriter,oneofthepurposesofteachingEnglishisto

getstudents

Atounderstandlife.

Btoenjoypoetry.

Ctobecometeachers.

Dtobecomepoets

4.Whatdoesthelastsentenceinthethirdparagraphimply?

AMorestressshouldbelaidontheteachingofpoetry.

BPoetryismoreimportantthananyothersubject.

COnecannotenjoylifefullywithoutanunderstandingofpoetry

DPoetryisthefoundationofalllanguageandliteraturecourses

5.Thephrase“makeroom“inthelastparagraphcouldbebestreplaced

by

A“buildabooth^^

B"provideequipment”.

C“leaveacertainamountoftime”.

D“setasideenoughspace”.

（5）

EvenancientEgypt'smightypyramid（金字塔）builderswerepowerlessinthe

faceofthefamine（饥荒）thathelpedbringdowntheircivilizationaround2180

B.C..NowevidencecollectedfrommuddepositedbytheRiverNilesuggeststhata

shiftinclimatethousandsofkilometerstothesouthwasultimatelytoblame—andthe

sameorworsecouldhappentoday.

TheancientEgyptiansdependedontheNile'sannualfloodstoirrigatetheir

crops.ButanychangeinclimatethatpushedtheAfricanmonsoons（季风）southwards

outofEthiopiawould

havereducedthesefloods.

DecliningrainsintheEthiopianhighlandswouldhavemeantfewerplantsto

stabilizethesoil.Whenrainfell,itwouldhavewashedlargeamountsofsoilintothe

BlueNileandintoEgypt,alongwithsediment（沉积）firomtheWhiteNile.

BlueNilemudhasadifferentisotope（同位素）signaturefromthatofthewhite

Nile.SobyanalyzingisotopedifferencesinmuddepositedintheNileDelta.Michael

KromofLeeds

Universityworkedoutwhatproportionofsedimentcamefromeachbranchofthe

river.Kromreasonsthatduringperiodsofdrought,theamountofBlueNilemudin

theriverwouldberelativelyhigh.Hefoundthatoneoftheseperiods,from4500to

4200yearsago。

immediatelycamebeforethefalloftheEgypt'soldKingdom.

TheweakenedwaterswouldhavebeendisasterfortheEgyptians.„„Changesthat

affectfoodsupplydon'thavetobeverylargetohavearipple（波浪）effectin

societies,“saysBillRyanoftheLamontDohertyEarthObservatoryinNewYork.

Similareventstodaycouldbeevenmoredevastating,saysteammemberDaniel

Stanley,a

scientistfromtheSmithsonianInstitutioninWashingtonD.C."Anythinghumansdo

toshifttheclimatebeltswouldhaveanevenworseeffectalongtheNilesystemtoday

becausethe

populationshaveincreaseddramatically.”

1.Whydoestheauthormention“Egypt'smightypyramidbuilders""?

A.Becausetheyonceworkedmiracles.

B.Becausetheywerewell-built.

C.Becausetheywereactuallyveryweak.

D.Becauseeventheywereunabletorescuetheircivilization.

2.Whichofthefollowingfactorswasultimatelyresponsibleforbringingd

ownthecivilizationofancientEgypt?

A.Changeofclimate.

B.Corrulption.

C.flood.

D.Populationgrowth.

3.whichofthefollowingstatementsistrue?

A.TheWhiteNileisthetrunkoftheRiverNile.

B.TheWhiteNileisthetrunkoftheBlueNile.

C.TheWhiteNileisabranchoftheBlueNile.

D.TheWhiteNileisabranchoftheRiverNile.

4.AccordingtoKrom,theEgypCsoldKingdomfell

A.immediatelyafteraperiodofdrought.

B.immediatelyafteraperiodofflood.

C.justbeforeadroughtstruck.

D.justbeforeafloodstruck.

5.Theword“devastating“inthelastparagraphcouldbebestreplacedby

A."frustrating".

B.”damaging".

C."defeating?

D."worrying".

（6）

WhenPatriciaRochesterdecidedtogobacktoschoolaftertenyearsasastaff

nurseatTorontoWesternHospital,heremployernotonlycheeredheron.butalso

Paidhertuitionandgaveheradayoffwithpayeveryweektostudy.Throughouther

yearsatthehospital,Rochester

hasalsotakenworkshopsoneverythingfromcoachingpeerstocareer

development------coursesthatshebelieveshavehelpedheradvanceatwork.'Tm

nowheadofthementoring（指导）programfornewhires.studentsandstaff

nurses."shesays."There'salotofroomforpersonalimprovementhere.”

Perhapsasimportant,Rochestersaysheremployersupportsandvaluesher

work."Ifyouputinovertime,“thenursepointsOut."yougetyourmeals-they'11

orderinpizzaorGreekfoodorChinese."Andifstaffersfeelstiffandstressedfrom

toomanyhoursontheward,theycancallforaflee15-minuteshoulder-and-neck

massage（按摩）orevensignupforaneight-week

eveningcourseonmeditationskillsandstress-relief.Ifthat'snotenough,employees

cantakeadvantageoffivefamilydaysayearthatcanbeusedifthekidscomedown

withthefluoran

agingparentneedsferryingtoanimportantdoctor'sappointmentAndtheyhave

accesstoa

rangeofperks（好处）suchasspecialratesonhotelrooms,drugstorepurchases,and

scholarshipsforemployees9children.

Youmightwonderhowanorganizationcanprovidesuchresourcesandstill

survive.ButUniversityHealthNetworkisoneofanumberofprogressiveemployers

inCanadathathavediscoveredthatinvestinginstaffisgoodbusiness.

Ifsuchinitiativeshelpcompaniescutdownonturnover（人员更替）alone,they're

wellworthwhile,saysPremBenimadhu,avice—presidentattheConferenceBoardof

Canada.Itcosts

anywherefrmn$3.300torehiresupportstaff,anaverage$13,300fortechnicalstaff

andawhopping（巨资）$43,000foranexecutiveposition,accordingtoonestudyof

ConferenceBoardmembersInnovativeinitiativeshelpcompaniesattracttalented

employees,cutdownonsickdays（whichcostCanadianbusinessesanestimated$17

billionayear,oranaverageof$3,550perEmployee）andkeepemployeesmore

interestedintheirwork.Withthesubstantialtalentshortagethatalreadyexistsin

Canadaandtheprospectofmassretirementoverthenextfiveyears-asmanyas50

or60percentinsomesectors-Benimadhusaysthatintelligentemployersareputting

arenewedfbcusonthepeoplewhoworkforthem.

1.WhenRochesterdecidedtogotoschool,heremployer

A.persuadedhertochangehermind

B.firedher.

C.cheeredheron.

D.discouragedher.

2.WhichofthefollowingisNOTmentionedasawaytoeaseonewSstiffn

essandstress?

A.Totakeaneight-weekeveningcourseonmeditationskillsandstress-reli

ef.

B.Tocallforaflee15-minuteshoulder-and-neckmassage.

C.Tousefivefamilydays

D.TOaskforsickleave

3.Investmentinstaffhasbeenmotivated

A.toattractthepublic'sattention

B.toreducestaffturnover,

C.tosolvelabordisputes.

D.toshowofffinancialresources

4.Canadahasbeenshortof

A.talentedpeople.

B.timber.

C.fleshwater.

D.money.

5.Inparagraph2,thephrase"comedownwith“couldbebestreplacedby

A.shakeoff

B.getridof

c.get

D.cure

(7)

SpendingalotoftimewatchingTV,playingvideogamesandsurfingtheWeb

makeschildrenmorepronetoarangeofhealthproblemsincludingobesityand

smoking,USresearcherssaidyesterday.

USNationalInstitutesofHealth,YaleUniversityandtheCaliforniaPacific

MedicalCenterexpertsanalyzed173studiesdonesince1980inoneofthemost

comprehensiveassessmentstodateonhowexposuretomediasourcesimpactsthe

physicalhealthofchildrenandadolescents.

Thestudies,mostconductedintheUnitedStates,largelyfocusedontelevision,

butsomelookedatvideogames,films,music,andcomputerandInternetuse.Three

quartersofthemfoundthatincreasedmediaviewingwasassociatedwithnegative

healthoutcomes.

Thestudiesofferedstrongevidencethatchildrenwhogetmoremediaexposure

aremorelikelytobecomeobese,startsmokingandbeginearliersexualactivitythan

thosewhospendlesstimeinfrontofascreen,theresearcherssaid.

“Thefactthatitwasprobablymoreamatterofquantitythanactualcontentis

alsoaconcern.Wehaveamedia-saturatedliferightnowinthe21stcentury.And

reducingthenumberofhoursofexposureisgoingtobeabigissue.n

Expertsfordecadeshaveworriedabouttheimpactonyoungviewersofthe

violenceinsomeTVprograms,moviesandvideogames.Anotherissueisthatkids

arespendingtootimesittingonacouchwatchingTVorplayingcomputergames

whentheycouldberunningaroundoutside.

Onestudycitedinthereportfoundthatchildrenwhospentmorethaneight

hourswatchingTVperweekatage3weremorelikelytobeobeseat7.Andresearch

showsthatmanyUSchildren,eventoddlers,watchfarmore.

DrCaryGrossofYaleUniversitySchoolofMedicineinNewHaven,

Connecticut,anotheroftheresearchers,saidTVandothermediacontentcanhavea

profoundimpactonchildren'sattitudesandbeliefs,mostnotablyamongteens.

Anwerthefollowingquestionsaccordingtothepassage:

1.WhatmakesChildrenmorepronetoarangeofhealthproblemsincludingobesity

andsmoking?

2.Whydidexpertsanalyzethestudiesinoneofthemostcomprehensive

assessments?

3.Whatdidthestudiesfocuson?

4.Whichismoreimportant,thequantityorthecontentofmediaexposure?

5.Whatareexpertsfordecadeswomedabout?

6.TVandothermediacontentcanhaveaprofoundimpactonchildren'sattitudesand

beliefs,can'tit?

7.WhatdoyouthinkofspendingalotoftimewatchingTV,playingvideogamesand

surfingtheWeb?

（8）

Yangyang,12,fromNanjing,likesice-creamatMcDonald's.Theyusedtocost

twoyuan,butrecentlythepricebecame2.5yuan.WhileYangandotherice-cream

fanswonder,expertssayitcouldbebecauseofhighersugarprices.

Worldsugarpricesclimbed60percentin2005and12percentthisyear.In

China,akilogramofsugarsoldfor5.04yuanlastFebruary.It's5.7yuanthis

February.Thepriceofdrinksandcakesusingsugaralsorose.

Manythingscometogethertopushpricesup.

4Oilismoreexpensive,badweatherisnotgoodforsugarcane（甘蔗），andso

productionisdown/saysBritishexpertSudakshinsaUnnikrishnan.'Butdemandfor

sugarisstillhigh,sothepricegoesup.'

Brazilproducesaboutone-tenthoftheworld'ssugar.Butinthepasttwoyears,

theworldoilpricedoubledandoilbecamemoreexpensive.Brazilbeganusinghalf

itssugarcanetoproduceethanol（酒精）asfuel.Itischeaper.

BadweatherhitAustralia,theworld'sthird-biggestsugarseller.Cyclone（飓

风）LarryinFebruaryruinedmorethan10percentofAustralia'ssugarcane.Notlong

ago,dryweatherhitThailand,theworld'ssecond-biggestsugarseller.

Whileproductiondropped,peoplewantedmoresugar.Developingcountries

likeChinaandIndiaareusingmore.Inthepast10years,theuseofsugarinChina

rosebyalmost50percent.

Answerthequestions:

1.Whydoesthepriceofice-creamatMcDonald'sgoup?

2.HowmuchdoyoupayfortwokilogramsofsugarthisyearinChina?

3.Wheredoesone-tenthoftheworld'ssugarcomefrom?

4.WhydidBrazilusehalfitssugarcanetoproduceethanolasfuel?

5.Australiaisthethirdbiggestsugarsellerintheworld,isn'tit?

6.What'soneofthecausesofhighersugarprices?

7.Inyouropinion,whatwillthehighersugarpricesbringus?

（9）

Youmustbefamiliarwiththesituation：Dad'sdriving,Mum'stellinghim

wheretogo.He'ssurethattheyneedtoturnleft.Butshesaysit'snotforanothertwo

blocks.Whohasthebettersenseofdirection?Menorwomen?

Theybothdo,anewstudysays,butindifferentways.

Menandwomen.Canadianresearchershavefound,havedifferentmethodsof

findingtheirway.Menlookquicklyatlandmarks（土也标）andheadoffinwhatthey

thinkistherightdirectionWomen.However,trytopicturethewholerouteindetail

andthenfollowthepathintheirhead,“Womentendtobemoredetailed,“said

EdwardCornell,wholedthestudyo"whilementendtobealittlebitfasterandalittle

bitmoreintuitive（直觉感知的）“Infact,saidCornell,"senseofdirection"isn'tone

skillbuttwo.

Thefirstisthe“surveymethod”.Thisiswhenyouseeanareafromabove,such

asaprintedmapYoucansee.forexample,wherethehospitalis,wherethechurchis

andthatthesupermarketisonitsright.Thesecondskillisthe“routemethod^^Thisis

whenyouuseaseriesofdirections.Yonstartfromthehospital,thenturnleft,turn

right,gouphill-andthenyouseethesupermarket.

Menaremorelikelytousethesurveymethodwhilewomenaremorelikelyto

useonerouteandfollowdirections.Bothwork,andneitherisbetter.Somescientists

insistthatthesedifferentskillshavealonghistory.Theyargueitisbecauseofthe

differenceintraditionalroles.

Inancienttimes,youngmenoftenwentfarawaywiththeoldermentofishor

hunt.Thetriptookhoursordaysandcoveredunfamiliarplaces.Theonlywayto

knowwhereyouwerewastousethesurveymethodtorememberlandmarks一the

mountains,thelakesandsoon.Thewomen,ontheotherhand,tookyounggirlsout

tofindfruitsandplants.Theseactivitiesweremuchclosertohomebutrequired

learningwell-usedpaths.So,women'ssenseofspacewasbasedonlearningcertain

routes.

（10）

Ties,orneckties,havebeenasymbolofpolitenessandeleganceinBritainfor

centuries.ButthecasualPrimeMinisterTonyBlairhasproblemswiththem.Reports

suggestthateventhecivilservantsmaystopwearingties.So,arethefamouslyformal

Britishreallygoingtoabandontheneckties?

Maybe.Lastweek,theUK'sCabinetSecretaryAndrewTurnbullopenly

welcomedatielessera.Hehintedthatcivilservantswouldsoonbefreeofthe

costliest12inchesoffabricthatmostmeneverbuyintheirlives.

Infact,Blairshowedthisattitudewhenhehadhisfirstgueststoacocktail

party.Manyofthemwerecelebrities（矢口名人士）withoutties,whichwouldhavebeen

unimaginableevenintherecentpast.

ForsomemoreconservativeBritish,thetieisamustfbrproperappearance.

Earlier,LaborleaderJimCallaghansaidhewouldhavediedratherthanhavehis

childrenseeninpublicwithoutatie.ForpeoplelikeCallaghan,thetiewasasignof

beingcomplete,ofshowingrespect.Menweresupposedtowearatiewhengoingto

church,toworkintheoffice,toaparty-almosteverysocialoccasion.

Buttoday,peoplehavebeguntoacceptacasualstyleevenforformaloccasions.

Theoriginofthetieistricky.Itstartedassomethingcalledsimplya"band”.Theterm

couldmeananythingaroundaman'sneck.Itappearedinfinerwaysinthe1630s.

Frenchmenshowedaloveofthisparticularfashion