九年级英语时文阅读4月23日内参

初三英语时文阅读（2009.4.17）
（材料一）经济一不景气，三大时尚风向标便不由自主地反映出消费者微妙的心理变化……
Three Fashion Indexes amid(在…的包围中) the Depression
1. lipstick indicator 口红指数
In 2001, when the American economy turned down after the 9/11 attacks (9·11恐怖袭击事件), lipstick sales increased greatly. That trend in discretionary spending is known as the lipstick indicator.
In bad economies, lipsticks offer a cheaper promise(和解，妥协). If a woman longs for a new luxury handbag that is far beyond her budget(预算), choosing a $30 tube of lipstick may feel like a thrifty(节约的) shopping decision. Also, women wear lipstick every day, such instant (迫切的) satisfaction can ease the urge to shop more.
2. Hemline index 裙长指数
In 1926, a US economist introduced the theory of the hemline index. As the theory goes, the shorter the skirt, the stronger the economy.
Applying this theory to the New York autumn/winter 2008 shows (2008年纽约秋冬时装发布会), you will find that hemlines of many famous brands were below the knee! Yes, everyone is struggling during
a recession(衰退). Looking back over the decades, it is easy to see why the connection has been made: a glimpse(瞥) of leg gives a sense of independence and confidence; a sweeping skirt is a sign of modesty (谨慎) and austerity(紧缩).
3. Hairstyle index 发型指数
Now the length of women’s h air is no longer seen as a signal of fashion, but as a barometer(晴雨表) of a nation’s wealth.
Japanese researchers have found that when economies are doing well, women wear their hair long; when there is a slump(物价暴跌), they cut it short.
“People enjoy fewer material pleasures in periods of recession, so they want more visual pleasures. And there’s more styles among short haircuts than long ones,” said a researcher.
（材料二）巴拉克·奥巴马(Barack Obama)，步入白宫的道路并不平坦。

The success story of Barack Obama
History was forever changed when a young Senator(参议员) from Illinois (美国伊利诺伊州) was elected to be the first African-American President of the United States. In front of the world on January 20, 2009, Barack Obama, alongside his wife and two daughters, was sworn in as the
44th President of the United States.
Early life Obama was born in Hawaii on August 4, 1961. He is the son of an African man and an American woman. His parents divorced in 1964, when Obama was just three years old. In 1967, Obama’s mother remarried and the family moved to Indonesia. In 1971, Obama moved back to Hawaii to go to school and lived with his grandparents.
New political career
While Obama was working as a lawyer, he felt like he could do more. In 1996, he became a State Senator. Obama was working for his munity in the Illinois Senate till 2000, when he decided to run for Congress. He lost the election badly, but he learned a lot of important lessons on how to run a campaign(竞选). In 2004, he won the election and became a U.S. Senator, representing his home state of Illinois.
His college years
After graduating from high school in 1979, Obama went to a college in L.A. Two years later, he transferred to ColumbiaUniversity in New York —he graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor’s degree in politi cal science. After college, he moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he worked to help poor people.
A few years later, when Obama was studying at Harvard Law School (哈佛大学法学院), he was elected the first African-American president
of the Harvard Law Review. He graduated with a degree in law in 1991. Then Obama moved back to Chicago and in 1992 he married his wife. He worked as a lawyer, helping poor people who had been treated unfairly. Winning the White House
On February 11, 2007, Obama announced that he would run for President of the United States in 2008. He first won the nomination(提名) from his political party, the Democratic Party. Then he beat John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate(候选人) in the general election and became the 44th, and the first ever African-American President of the United States.
（材料三）当人们发现牛群是温室效应的元凶之一时，养牛最多的印度便成了“众矢之的”。

然而最近，印度牛的“国际地位”竟然提升了！Cows with Gas: India’s Contribution to Global Warming
Lovely cows chew hay(干草) while motorists drive their vehicles through them, this is a stereotypical(铅版的) Indian image. Now, however, India’s cows are not very lovely.
India’s livestock of nearly 485 million (more than half are cows) contribute much more to global warming than its vehicles. Why? Because they burp(排出气体) and excrete(排泄) great amounts of methane(甲烷，沼气) — a greenhouse gas that causes 20 times more heat than carbon dioxide. But can Indians kill cows to solve the problem?
Certainly not. Already the world’s largest producer of milk, India will still have to increase the dairy production to keep up with its growing population. So livestock such as cows play an important role in the economy.
To find the solution, scientists are working at designing diets to help cows and other livestock eat better, stay more active and thus lessen the amounts of the unpleasant gas. But most Indian farmers can only afford to buy poor quality feed(饲料) for their livestock.
So the solution must be cheaper. Now here es one. It is adding herbal(草本的) additives(添加剂) to the feed because some mon Indian herbs can decrease the methane in cows’ burps. The additives have been put into use and the cows don’t seem to mind the taste.
Besides, quite a few projects are undergoing. One of them is biogas production —cows’ excretion is used t o make biogas for use in kitchens and vehicles. By replacing traditional sources of energy, that helps prevent global warming.
（材料四）当文明成为一种习惯，城市才有真正的文明。

The Strength of “Please” and “Thank You”
Next year the people of Shanghai will invite the world to visit the city during World Expo 2010. I am sure you will want your visitors to see what a beautiful and harmonious (和谐的) city you live in. Good
manners will help to show the world that Shanghai is truly a world-class city.
By using simple words like “please” and “thank you,” you show
others that you have respect for them, but it is also a way of asking them
to show you respect in return. Being polite is also a way of telling others
that you have strength and confidence in yourself.
Having good manners does not happen suddenly overnight. They bee
part of who you are over time. If you learn to have good manners early in
your life, those positive habits will stay with you forever. Practice good manners whenever you can. You will not be late by holding a door open
for a stranger to pass, nor will it hurt to tell someone you appreciate(感激)
a kindness they have shown you. You can start these good habits by demonstrating(表示) good manners to everyone you meet whether they
are family members, friends or strangers.
Start with simple things like saying “please” and “thank you.” Just like
a small child learning to speak, you will watch as these powerful words
grow in strength and habit. People will appreciate your good manners,
and will treat you well in return.
（材料五）究竟是谁制造了麦田怪圈？是外星人的杰作还是自然现象呢？
Creators of crop circles
Most crop circles are in the south of England. But they have also been found in the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, India and other parts of the world.
By the 1990s, crop circles had bee something of a tourist attraction. In 1990 alone, more than 500 circles appeared in Europe. Within the next few years, there were thousands. Visitors from around the world went to see those great works of art. But the question is — who created them?
As most crop circles were created at night, how they were made is a mystery(神秘). Some people believe crop circles are the work of alien visitors. Others say they are just a kind of natural phenomenon(现象). And some teams of mischief-making(离间的) circle-makers claim that they made those crop circles. One circle-making team even made a documentary of the process of making a crop circle. They made a circle with plex pattern in 5 hours.
Who created crop circles, after all? The truth remains unknown.
（材料六）体重超标和体重不达标哪个对身体健康更有害呢？
Underweight or overweight: which is worse?
Many of us know the harm of being overweight, but we are not always aware of how dangerous it can be to be underweight. Being a little overweight, or being a little underweight, which is worse?
In fact, being too thin is worse for your health than being slightly
overweight. If you are underweight, you are probably not taking in enough nutrients. This affects your body’s immune(免疫的) system. You may be more likely to catch a cold or flu. In teenagers, being underweight can mean that muscles don’t develop well. If you want to have beautiful straight hair falling over your shoulders, being underweight may shatter(粉碎) your dream. It’s because being underweight can also affect hair growth. You may lose too much hair from your head. Being underweight can also cause some health problems, like anemia.
Growing well physically means not being too thin or too fat.
（材料七）近日，国务院总理温家宝表示，今年一季度中国经济已经出现积极变化。

Chinese Economy Shows Signs of Positive Changes
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, in an interview, said that the Chinese economy showed “positive changes.” The changes were better than expected in the first three months of this year. That is to say, some fields in China were in a process of gradual recovery.
The positive changes in economy make it clear that the government’s huge stimulus(刺激) plan is timely and correct, and is leading to success.
But Wen also noted that China’s economy is still facing serious hardships (艰难). This has affected many people and panies. He warned that as the international financial crisis is deepening and spreading,
people should never lose vigilance(警惕).
“As the crisis has not touched its bottom, we can hardly say that the Chinese economy alone has got out of the crisis. China cannot save the world, nor can it survive without the world,” Wen said. “What we should do is to make every effort to lessen(减轻) the effect of the crisis.”
（材料八）一曲《水手》让宝岛残疾歌手X智化红透半边天。

10多年后，一首《你是我的眼》唱红了萧煌奇，也让人们认识了这个乐观、坚强、勇敢而又才华横溢的盲人歌手。

Music is a colorful world
Xiao Huangqi is a pop singer and songwriter from Taiwan, China. Up till now, he has issued(发行) five albums(唱片) and won several music awards. Among his hit songs, the most popular one is “You Are My Eyes”, a song that tells his own true story, a blind man who loves music and the world so much.
Xiao was born blind. At the age of four, he gained some eyesight through an operation. He couldn’t be happier because he could see the world with his own eyes. He began to practice Judo (柔道) and learned to play the saxophone (萨克斯管) and the guitar.
But fate played a joke on him. He became blind again ten years later because he had used his eyes too much. It was a great blow. But Xiao is so strong and optimistic that he soon got out of his sadness. He began
writing songs and found a colorful world within. He hears and feels the world, and turns his thoughts and feelings into music.
“When one door closes, another door opens.” Music opened the door for Xiao and has led him into a wonderful and colorful world.。