(完整)初三英语时文介绍五月最新

初三英语时文阅读（2009.5.18）

（材料一）博客早就不新鲜了，如今，许多人喜欢在网上“唠唠叨叨”。Twitter*: What are you doing?

Twitter is a free social networking* service. It is for friends, family, and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?

Users answer the question by sending short text messages called “tweets,” which are up to 140 characters in length. The short format of the tweet allows quick information sharing that provides a break from rising email and IM* fatigue.

Users can send and receive tweets through the Twitter website, Short Message Service (SMS)*, or applications such as Tweetie, Twitterrific, etc. Tweets are displayed on the user’s profile page (个人信息页面) and sent to

other users, known as “followers,” who have subscribed to them.

Twitter is a great way to keep in touch with people and quickly broadcast information about where you are and what you’re doing. For example, “I’m downtown and aching for some sushi. Anyone like to join me?”You can share information with people that you wouldn’t normally exchange emails or IM messages with, opening up your circle of contacts to an ever-growing community of like-minded people. That may explain partly the increasing popularity worldwide since the creation of Twitter in 2006.

Besides personal use, Twitter has also become an important marketing tool (营销工具) for celebrities, politicians, and businesses. It promises a

level of intimacy never before reached online, and gives the public the ability to speak directly to people who were once on a pedestal. U.S. President Barack Obama is a perfect example. During the U.S. Presidential

Election (美国总统大选) last year, Obama and his team set up a twitter

Election page, which contributed to his popularity. Now Mr. Obama is still the most followed Twitter user.

（材料二）如今，手机的衍生功能可谓是五花八门：拍照、听音乐、邮件……还可以看电影。

Putting Movies on Mobiles

Movies in the theater get their recognition at awards ceremonies such as the Oscars. But how about movies for phones? They are getting their turn at MoFilm*—the first mobile film festival.

The first MoFilm competition received 250 entries from more than 100 countries. Entries were restricted to films that were five minutes or less in length—ideal for viewing and sharing on mobile phones. An independent jury then selected a shortlist of five film-makers. The winner was chosen from the shortlist by an audience voting using their phones.

●New platforms

The awards highlight the increasing impact that mobile phones are making in the entertainment industry. Many grassroots filmmakers start out with short films. They are frustrated by the lack of opportunities to screen their work. Therefore, mobile phones are increasingly being seen as a new platform for these short works.

It is a good place for anyone who wants to express themselves and find a way to have that expression be seen by a wide audience. Just think about how many people have mobile phones in the world!

●New technology advances

MoFilm is pioneering content for mobile and online services that is a world away from Hollywood (好莱坞). The majority of films made for

mobiles are now short in length, taking into account the screen size. However this could be overcome as technology advances.

In the near future, longer films will likely be seen on the mobile phone. And there are mobile companies creating phones where users can watch movies at higher quality.

Wherever you see movies, one thing is certain: The quality of work, the simple ability at story telling, and the thing that inspires someone to tell a story can really come from anywhere.

（材料三）近日，寻找类地行星的天文学家发现了两颗与地球极为相似的行星：一个接近于合适的大小，而另一个则处于合适的位置。Earthlike Planets Found!

They probably wouldn’t feel exactly like home, but the planets named Gliese 581e and Gliese 581d have a lot in common with the Earth.

?Gliese 581e

Two weeks ago, some astronomers said they found the smallest planet ever detected outside the solar system, less than twice the size of our own.

The planet is called Gliese 581e after the star (恒星) it circles. With its relatively small size, it is likely to be rocky (岩石的), like Earth.

Gliese 581e orbits its star in just 3.15 days, and lies outside a so-called (所谓的) “habitable zone.” The planet “probably doesn’t look too different to Earth, except that it will be very hot, because it is so close to its star.”

?Gliese 581d

While Gliese 581e is outside the “habitable zone,” Gliese 581d, another planet in the same system, is inside the zone.

“It (Gliese 581d) is inside a zone where there could be water in a liquid state on the surface of the planet,”said an astr onomer.

Weighing in (重达) at around seven Earth masses, Gliese 581d is

unlikely to be made of rocks alone. The team believes, “It may have a rocky core, encased in an icy layer, with a liquid ocean at the surface, and an atmosphere.”

A matter of time

“It is very exciting that such promising candidates for an Earthlike planet have been found so close to us. It means there are likely to be many more when we search further,” said a team member.

“It is only a matter of time,” the member added. “If life r eally does exist elsewhere in the universe, then within the next 10 to 15 years, I expect we may see the first signs of life.”

（材料四）父母是我们的启蒙老师，更是我们一辈子的导师!

What Price Is Wisdom?

Most of us accept the fact that our parents were our first teachers. Some of our earliest memories are of our families offering the guidance and support we needed to master basic life skills. As we grew in both age and maturity, our parents taught us about discipline, family values (家庭观念), and what society would expect of us as adults.

There comes a time when many young people believe that their parents should stop offering advice... and stop acting as teachers. You might even start to think that you know more about the world than your parents. Perhaps you believe their opinions and ideas are out of date. While your parents might not like the music, entertainment and sports you enjoy, they are still the keepers of all accumulated knowledge that has been passed down through generations of your ancestors.

Your generation is now standing at the top of a great pyramid, waiting to take your turn to lead society in this new century. I have great faith in your abilities and trust you will do a fine job. However, you should remember your parents represent the foundation of that great pyramid and all that has come before. Without a strong foundation, nothing of lasting value can be built.

Listen to the counsel (忠告,建议) of your parents, for they are doing what untold (数不清的) generations have done before them, and what you

will do someday with your own children. Your parent’s voices echo with the strength of all the generations that have come before. Their goal is to pass on to you this collected wisdom. Listen, young students, to your first and life long tutors. Their teaching comes from wisdom and is offered with love.

There is no greater (没有比…更好的) gift they can give to you. Accept it with gratitude.

（材料五）经济衰退使美国特有的车库甩卖(garage sale)更为盛行。卖家买家各取所需，这种旧货处理方式通常能达到“双赢”的效果。

The American Garage Sale

Nowhere has the garage sale become such an “exact science”* as in the United States. Google has some nine million references on this topic and every newspaper has an entire section devoted to garage sales. Libraries have “how to” books on garage sales, and radio stations advertise them.

A garage sale, also known as a “yard sale,” is an informal, irregularly scheduled event, in which private individua ls sell used goods and don’t have to obtain business licenses or collect sales tax (交营业税).

Popular motivations for a garage sale are “spring cleaning (春季大扫除)”or the owner’s move to a new residence. Sometimes a garage sale is

held to raise funds. In some areas garage sales have taken on a special meaning to a community and have become events of special local significance. In these situations, large areas of a community hold a big garage sale involving dozens or hundreds of families at the same time.

At a garage sale, the seller displays wares to the passers-by or those responding to signs, flyers, or newspaper ads. The sales venue is typically a garage, driveway (私用车道), front yard, or porch (门廊). The goods, which

may be new, like-new, or just usable, typically include old clothing, books, toys, and household knickknacks. Sometimes larger items like furniture and

domestic appliances (家用电器) are also sold.

Garage sales occur most frequently in suburban areas on good-weather

weekends, and usually have designated hours. Buyers who arrive before the hours of a sale to review the items are known as “early birds;” they often are professional resellers. Some other buyers are searching for rare and unusual items. But garage sales mainly attract people who are searching for bargains. Bargaining is a big part of the excitement of garage sales.

With the recession underway, garage sales are flourishing more than ever. It is said to have grown into a“$3-billion-a-year industry.”

（材料六）环保至上，回收先行。在这方面，德国一直是领跑者。The Forerunner of Recycling

How much waste does one person produce in a year? According to researches, each person produces more than 300kg of waste annually. It is said that with the garbage produced in America alone, you could form a line of filled-up garbage trucks and reach the moon!

How is such huge amount of waste disposed of? The oldest way is to bury garbage in landfills, but it’s not the best way. Recycling is a much better form of waste treatment (废品处理) because it actually reduces the

amount of waste.

Germany is the forerunner of recycling, which is the country’s greatest contribution to the global battle for the environment. Germany has been very successful in its fight against growing garbage heaps. Its recycling system, the “Green Dot” system, has been one of the best recycling initiatives.

In the early 1990s, Germany realized the problem: landfill capacity was shrinking, yet the amount of packaging waste generated by industries continued to grow. At the time, packaging accounted for 25 to 30 percent of the waste in European landfills and little was being done by industries to reduce the volume of packaging that accompanied their products. Faced with an impending long-term crisis, Germany passed a packaging law, which requires manufacturers to take care of the recycling or disposal of any packaging material they sell.

The key behind the system is that manufacturers and retailers have to pay for a “Green Dot” symbol on products: the more packaging there is, the higher the fee. This clever system has led to less paper, thinner glass and

less metal being used, thus creating less garbage. The net result of the system: a sharp decline of about one million tons less garbage than normal every year.

Other governments throughout Europe saw the wisdom of Germany's plan. In late 1994 the European Community (欧洲共同体) [now the European Union (欧盟)] passed the European Packaging Directive (欧洲包装法令) to deal with the packaging waste problem.

（材料七）日前，海峡两岸关系协会会长陈云林与海峡交流基金会董事长江丙坤在南京举行会谈。这是双方恢复协商后两岸领导人的第三次会谈。

Mainland, Taiwan in landmark financial services deal

The Chinese mainland (大陆) and Taiwan recently agreed to promote investment in the island by mainland companies. This is the latest step forward in rapidly improving ties (关系) between the two sides.

?Facing an opportunity

The agreement was reached in Nanjing between top negotiators meeting for the latest round of talks.

A joint statement was released after talks between Chen Yunlin*, president of the mainland-based Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits*, and Chiang Pin-kung*, chairman of the Taiwan-based Straits Exchange Foundation*.

According to the statement, “the two sides of the Taiwan Strait face a rare and historic opportunity,” and will “encourage and promote mainland businesses to invest in Taiwan to strengthen (强化) and deepen (深化) cross-Strait industry cooperation.”

?Loosening restrictions

Taiwanese enterprises have invested huge sums in the Chinese mainland over the years, but mainland Chinese firms still can’t invest directly on the island without approval from Taiwan.

Taiwan, whose economy plunged into recession last year, has been loosening various restrictions. The statement also said more investment in

Taiwan could help both sides weather (经历……而幸存) the global economic downturn (低迷).

The agreement was the latest advance in the cross-Strait relationship that has dramatically improved since Ma Ying-jeou* was elected Taiwan leader.

?Deepening ties

Chen also said that the two sides would deepen economic ties across the board.

“The mainland wi ll buy more products from Taiwan, and send more tourists to the island, while encouraging more Taiwan enterprises to set up branches on the mainland to maintain stable development.”

The meeting was the third since historic talks held in Beijing last June, the first dialogue in a decade. Another meeting followed in Taiwan last November.

（材料八）父母总觉得你太不懂事，你总指责父母不了解你。要消除“代沟”，不如换位思考。

Great Expectations

If I had a dollar for every time a disagreement with my parents has ended with ‘you just don’t understand!’, I’d probably be rich enough to rival Bill Gates (比尔·盖茨). From small issues such as cleaning my room, to much larger issues regarding my lifestyle choices, I find myself always at

logger-heads with my parents.

However, I often wonder how it would feel to be a parent of a

‘Generation Y*’child. I often see parents in stores, tagging behind a screaming child, demanding the latest toy and hope that I wasn’t once like that child.

Generation Y was raised with a silver spoon—needing nothing but wanting everything. Studies show that it has made us less appreciative, more self-centered and fickle with an insatiable thirst to have it all. As a whole, we face greater pressure to achieve. The pursuit of education, money and status has become an obsession and the thought of failure is frightening.

Do our parents really understand what it is like to have this burden? Music lessons, art classes, sports ... our schedule is filled with activities designed to make us more valuable human beings at one go. But at the same time, I wonder if it has made us miss out on just being a child.

In our parents’ day, being a child involved having adventures, playing outdoors, and being with friends. I look at all the artists and writers that inspire me today and I know that as ch ildren, they didn’t spend their weekends locked away in classrooms. While our generation has it all—I sometimes wonder if it really does.

This weekend, take some time off to enjoy the Spring weather—experience the world from the eyes of a child in your p arents’time and perhaps you will also learn to appreciate the vast opportunities that this world has to offer.