初二阅读

Harry: I''m no heroWOULD it be wonderful to be a prince (王子) or a princess? To be sure, a life of wealth(财富) and privilege (特权) has its nice side. But Britain''s Prince Harry might tell you another story.Last week the 23-year-old returned to London after serving only 10 weeks with British troops (军队) in Afghanistan (阿富汗). He had to leave the front as foreign newspapers had broken news of his service. These reports made the prince a target (目标) in Afghanistan.But the prince says he is far from happy at going back. He says he is sad that he can't live the life of a soldier. "It''s a shame," said the red-headed prince. "My men are disappointed by my leaving. I want very much to be back with them." Prince Harry says his days in Afghanistan were among the happiest times of his life and he doesn''t like England that much now.The prince used to be a wild child. But some people today think he is a brave young man. However, Harry says he is not a hero. He spoke of two wounded (受伤的) soldiers who flew home with him. "Those are the heroes, guys blown up (爆炸) by mines (地雷) serving their country. It''s enough to make you want to cry," he said.Opera's backHOW much do you know about Peking Opera? Do you listen to it? Do you go to see it? Anyway, in the near future, you may be learning how to perform (表演) it at school.To promote (提倡) traditional culture among young people, this year, about 200 schools around China will make Peking Opera a compulsory (必修的) course.Most students think it's a good idea. Han Lang, a 14-year-old Beijinger, especially welcomes it."We don't need to be Peking Opera experts," said Han. "But it's a good idea to know something about a traditional art.""The Beijing Olympics is coming," added Han. "If we cannot tell foreign friends anything about Peking Opera, it will be a shame (羞愧)."But students like Ji Xuan are not as enthusiastic (热心的) as Han. The 14-year-old Shanxi girl said the idea is not bad. But if she had a choice, she'd prefer to study Jinju Opera, a local art of Shanxi."Tastes differ from place to place," said Jin. "Peking Opera should be taught only in Beijing."Some students, however, don't care what kind of opera they learn. They only care about learning."Learning Peking Opera won't be a easy job," said Ding Peiqi, a 14-year-old Shanghai girl. "I hope it can be taught in a fun and exciting way. If not, we won't become interested in it "In with the newAS New Year nears, people look forward to starting again.Kids get very excited about the holiday. "New Year's Day means a day off, a big dinner and great fun with friends," said 14-year-old Cai Yun from Beijing.But New Year's Day used to mean more than just a good time. In ancient times, people needed to mark time. They had to know when they should start planting crops (庄稼) and when they should harvest (收割). But different peoples had different ways of marking time. Some based their calendar (日历) on the Sun; some based it on the moon. Others used both.In Syria (叙利亚) in the Mid East New Year is at harvest time in October. In Uganda (乌干达) in Africa a year lasts six of our months. The people have their holiday at the beginning of the rains, which happen twice a year. The Inuits (爱斯基摩人) of North America don't even have a fixed holiday. They celebrate New Year when the first snow falls.So you see, New Year is a different kind of holiday in different parts of the world.His grandfather's boyIF you think Declan Galbraith is an ordinary 15-year-old boy, you are wrong. The British boy is a singing genius. He released (发行) his first album at 10. He is one of the most popular young singers in the world.Last week, Declan had a news conference(新闻发布会) in Beijing. He will do a concert tour in China next May. Declan's Chinese fans must be very happy about this.Declan's singing gift was found while he was a child. His grandfather was a musician. He often brought Declan along with him when he played music. Declan would sit for hours just watching and listening.At the age of 8, he started taking part in competitions. He won 16 of them in 14 months. Soon EMI, a big record company, paid him 15, 000, 000 yuan to make records.His first album Declan came out in 2001. It was a big hit and Declan become well-known. People said he has "a powerful voice that really soars (飞翔)". In 2006, Declan put out another album, called Thank You.Declan works hard at his singing. Every day he practices for two hours. When he is not singing, Declan is like most other 15-year-olds. He likes computer games, swimming, cycling, football and Harry Potter.Yi makes a good startPEOPLE are saying he's the next Yao Ming. But Yi Jianlian, the latest Chinese player to join the NBA, thinks differently. He doesn't like this kind of talk. Back in June he said, "I am not going to be the next any one. I am who I am." He also said it doesn't make any sense. He and Yao "play different positions and we are totally different players."The 2.12-meter forward(前锋) from Shenzhen played his second game for the Milwaukee Bucks(密尔沃基雄鹿队) last Wednesday. His 12 points helped Milwaukee to a 93-88 win over Utah Jazz. In his first outing for Milwaukee he hadn't played well. This time he did much better. "I feel better compared with the first game," he said.Both Yi and his team agree that he has to get used to life in the NBA. Yi said he had "a lot of bad habits to overcome". NBAbasketball is very different from the kind of game he's used to. But the support the 19-year-old is getting from Milwaukee fans will encourage the young man. Club manager Larry Harris says he's surprised at the excitement Yi's arrival has caused.It's all a matter of practice. It's a different style of play in the big league. Bucks coach Larry Krystkowiak says Yi is not the typical NBA beginner: "He's played a lot of basketball. He's mature (成熟的)." Some day soon the NBA may have another Chinese star to stand beside Yao Ming.The land of the RhineGERMANY is nearer than you think. Yes, if you want to go there you have to catch a plane. But German products are all around us. The lamps in your home, the cellphone you call your friends on. They may well be made by German companies!The Central European country is a very important friend of China. This is why German Chancellor (总理) Angela Merkel came to China. It's the second time in two years!Angela Merkel's visit is mainly for working together on trade. China sells canned foods, toys, jewellry and watches to Germany. Germany sells cars and technical products to China.China and Germany have been friendly with each other for a long time. For 30 years, Germany has been China's biggest European business partner. And China is the third largest exporter to Germany.Germany and China both care about the environment and global warming. Merkel and top Chinese leaders had talks to see what the countries could do together about the problem.Germany is planning a program, "Germany and China - Moving Ahead Together". The program will show German works of art and culture in some big cities, including Nanjing, Guangzhou and Chengdu. It is said to be the largest and longest program to show German culture in a foreign country.Bread - the food that goes with everythingIN Western countries, bread is one of the most important foods. When they get up in the morning many people eat toast (烤面包) - grilled until brown. They spread butter (黄油) and jam on their toast. People eat bread at other times of the day too. For example, at main meals, they often eat bread with soup.It's also very common to eat sandwiches. A sandwich is two pieces of bread with a filling inside - say, cheesp or fish. A hamburger is a kind of sandwich.There are many different kinds of bread. Some are special to certain countries. For example, the baguette (法国棍子面包) is a long, thin loaf (条形面包) that began in France.There is also white bread and whole-wheat (全麦面) bread. What's the difference? White bread is refined (精制的). It has things taken out of it to make it softer and easier to eat. The trouble is, white bread also has lots of the goodness taken out. Although some people dislike the taste of whole-wheat bread, it is much healthier.Some kinds of bread have additives (添加剂). Thesp are put into the bread for many reasons. Some additives are good for you - for example vitamin C. Others are there to make the bread last longer. Still others to make it taste better - but they do not necessarily make the bread healthier to eat!Guey's little secretWHO is the luckiest (幸运的) girl this summer? Perhaps it's 24-year-old Taiwanese actress Guey Lun-mei.She acts with pop star Jay Chou in the movie The Secret that Cannot be Told (《不能说的秘密》). She plays his first love in it. Guey first acted in a movie when she was still in high school. She likes acting, but decided to go on with her studies."I wanted to make my parents happy. They didn't want me to be an actress," she says.So she went to France. She studied and learned about French culture (文化) there. It was a difficult time for her."At first, I couldn't speak any French at all," she says. But she learnt to do things for herself there.After The Secret that Cannot be Told, Guey says she doesn't want to play a school girl any more. What kind of role does she want to try?"I want to try something different, like acting in a comic (喜剧的) movie. That would make a change," she says.Go NanningCHEERLEADERS usually cheer for sports players. But earlier this month they cheered for themselves. It was at the National All-star Cheerleading (啦啦队) Competition in Guangzhou.The team from Nanning No 26 Middle School, Guangxi, became middle school group champions. They were the youngest cheerleaders there. Next year they will play for China in an international competition in the US.Xu Duoduo, 15, is one of the older members of the team. She said it was teamwork that brought them victory (胜利).Xu said the teams had to do all sorts of things in the competition. They made pyramids (叠罗汉), threw each other about and did jumping exercises."When we tried to lift someone up, we had to use all our strength together," said Xu. "Without teamwork, you can't do it." Besides skill, you need to be bright and cheerful to do well.Liang Qi, 14, is a girl who laughs a lot. She said you have to show your "best side" when cheerleading. "If you have energy and look happy and confident, people see it on your face," said Liang. "That's what cheerleading is all about – cheering people up." Success doesn't come easily though. According to coach Wu Guoling, students practice every day after school from 5:30 pm to 8 pm. After that, they still have to finish homework. There's also the pressure (压力) of exams,"They have to work much harder than others," said Wu. "That's why they've done so well."。