高考英语阅读理解50篇

2009年高考英语

阅读理解训练50篇（1）

1

Doctorssayangercanbeanextremelydamagingemotion,unlessyoulearnhowtodealwith

it.Theywarnthatangercanleadtoheartdisease,stomachproblems,headaches,emotional

problemsandpossiblycancer.

Angerisanormalemotionthatweallfeelfromtimetotime.Somepeopleexpressanger

openlyinacalmreasonableway.Othersburstwithanger,andscreamandyell.Butotherpeople

keeptheirangerinside.Theycannotorwillnotexpressit.Thisiscalledrepressinganger.

Foryearsmanydoctorsthoughtthatrepressingangerwasmoredangeroustoaperson's

healththanexpressingit.Theysaidthatwhenapersonisangry,thebrainreleasesthesamehor­

mones（荷尔蒙）.Theyspeedtheheartrate,raisebloodpressure,orsugarintotheblood,etC.In

generalthepersonfeelsexcitedandreadytoact.

Somedoctorssaythatbothrepressingandexpressingangercanbedangerous.Theybelieve

thatthosewhoexpressangerviolentlymaybemorelikelytodevelopheartdisease,andthey

believethatthosewhokeeptheirangerinsidemayfaceagreaterdangerofhighbloodpressure.

Doctorssaythesolutionislearninghowtodealwithanger.Theysaythefirststepistoadmit

thatyouareangryandtorecognizetherealcauseoftheanger,thendecideifthecauseisserious

enoughtogetangryabout.Ifitis,theysay,“Donotexpressyourangerwhileangry.Waituntil

yourangerhascooleddownandyouareabletoexpressyourselfcalmlyandreasonably.^^

Doctorssaythatagoodwaytodealwithangeristofindhumorinthesituationthathasmade

youangry.Theysaidthatlaughterismuchhealthierthananger.

Thereisapopularbeliefamongparentsthatschoolsarenolongerinterestedinspelling.No

schoolIhaveevertaughtinhaseverignoredspellingorconsidereditunimportantasabasicskill.

Thereare,however,differentideasabouthowtoteachit,orhowmuchpriority（优先）itmustbe

givenovergenerallanguagedevelopmentandwritingability.Theproblemishowtoencouragea

childtoexpresshimselffreelyandconfidentlyinwritingwithoutholdinghimbackwiththe

complexities（复杂性）ofspelling.

Ifspellingbecomestheonlyfocal（焦点的）pointofhisteacher*sinterest,clearlyabright

childwillbelikelyto“playsafe”.Hewilltendtowriteonlywordswithinhisspellingrange,

choosingtoavoidadventurouslanguage.That'swhyteachersoftenencouragetheearlyuseof

dictionariesandpayattentiontocontentratherthantechnicalability.

Iwasonceshockedtoreadonthebottomofasensitivepieceofwritingaboutapersonal

experience:'Thisworkisterrible!Therearefartoomanyspellingerrorsandyourwritingis

terrible."ItmayhavebeenasharpcriticismofthepupiTstechnicalabilitiesinwriting,butitwas

alsoasadreflectionontheteacherwhohadomitted（省略）toreadtheessay,whichcontained

somebeautifulexpressionsofthechild'sdeepfeelings.Theteacherwasnotwrongtodraw

attentiontotheerrors,butifhisprioritieshadcenteredonthechild*sideas,anexpressionofhis

disappointmentwiththepresentationwouldhavegiventhepupilmoremotivation（动机）toseek

improvement.

Perhapsthemostfamoustheory,thestudyofbodymovement,wassuggestedbyProfessor

RayBirdwhistelLHebelievesthatphysicalappearanceisoftenculturallyprogrammed.Inother

words,welearnourlooks-wearenotbornwiththem.

Ababyhasgenerallyinformedfacefeatures.Ababy,accordingtoBirdwhistell,learnswhere

tosettheeyebrowsbylookingatthosearound-familyandfriends.Thishelpsexplainwhythe

peopleofsomeareasoftheUSlooksmuchalike.

NewEnglandersorSouthernershavecertaincommonfacefeaturesthatcannotbeexplained

bygenetics（遗传学）.Theexactshapeofthemouthisnotsetatbirth,itislearnedafter.Infact,

thefinalmouthshapeisnotformeduntilwellafternewteethareset.Formany,thiscanbewell

intogrown-ups.Ahusbandandwifetogetherforalongtimeoftencometolooksomewhatalike.

Welearnourlooksfromthosearoundus.

Thisisperhapswhyinasinglecountrythereareareaswherepeoplesmilemorethanthosein

otherareas.IntheUS,fbrexample,thesouthisthepartofthecountrywherethepeoplesmile

mostfrequently.InNewEnglandtheysmileless,andinthewesternpartofNewYorkStatesstill

less.ManysouthernersfindcitiessuchasNewYorkcoldandunfriendly,partlybecausepeoplein

MadisonAvenuesmilelessthanpeopleonPeachtreeStreetinAtlanta,Georgia.Peopleinlargely

populatedareasalsosmileandgreeteachotherinpubliclessthanpeopleinsmalltownsdo.

/i,

California—UpsetbythewarinIraq,JuliaWilsonexpressedherangerandimpatiencewith

PresidentBushlastspringonherwebpageonMyS.Shepostedapictureofthe

president,wrote“KillBush“acrossthetopanddrewaswordstabbinghisoutstretchedhand.She

laterreplacedherpageafterlearninginhereighth-gradehistoryclassthatsuchthreatsarea

federaloffense.

Itwastoolate,FederalauthoritieshadfoundthepageandplacedWilsonontheirchecklist.

Theyfinallyreachedherthisweekinherbiologyclass.The14—year-oldwastakenoutofclass

Wednesdayandquestionedforabout15minutesbytwoSecretServiceagents.Theincidenthas

upsetherparents,whosaidtheagentsshouldhaveincludedthemwhenquestioningtheirdaughter.

Theteenagersaidtheagents,questioningledhertotears.wasn'tdangerous/*saidWilson,

anhonorstudentwhodescribesherselfaspoliticallyenthusiastic.t4rmapeace-lovingperson.Tm

againstthewarinIraq.Tmnotgoingtokillthepresident.^^

Hermother,KirstieWilson,saidtwoagentsshowedupatthefamily'shomeWednesday

afternoon,questionedherandpromisedtoreturnonceherdaughterwashomefromschool.

Aftertheyleft,KirstieWilsonsentanextmessagetoherdaughter'scallphone,askingherto

comestraighthomeandtellingherthattwomenfromthesecretservicewantedtotalkwithher.

Butmomentslater,KirstieWilsonreceivedatextmessagefromherdaughtersayingagents

hadpulledheroutofclass.

JuliaWilsonsaidtheagentsthreatenedher,sayingshecouldbesenttocourtformakingthe

threat.4Theyyelledatmealot,“shesaid.'Theywereunnecessarilymean.”

Wilsonandherparentssaidtheagentswerejustifiedinquestioningheroverher

MySposting.Buttheysaidtheagentswenttoofarbynotwaitinguntilshewasoutof

schoolandtheagentsshouldhavemorequicklyfiguredouttheyweren'tdealingwithareal

danger.

AssistantPrincipalPaulRobinonsaidtheagentsgavehimtheimpressionthegirl'smother

knewtheywereplanningtoquestionherdaughteratschool.Thereisnolegalrequirementthat

parentsbenotified.

'Thishasbeenanon-goingproblem.,,saidAnnBrick,alawyerwiththeAmericanCivil

LibertiesUnioninSanFrancisco.

FormergovernorsPeteWilsonandGrayDavisvetoed（否决）billsthatwouldhaverequired

thatparentsgivepermissionorbepresentwhentheirchildrenarequestionedatschoolbylaw

enforcementofficers.

4.Theauthorwrotethisstorymainlyto.

A.struggleagainstthewarinIraqstartedbytheUS

B.discusswhetherparentsshouldbeincludedwhenchildrenarequestioned

C.warnteenagersnottopostwebpagesonwebsites

D.criticizetheformergovernorswhovetoedthebill

、-

八

WhenNathanWinogradannouncedthathewasleavinghisjobasalawyerinCaliforniato

runananimalshelterinTompkinsCounty,NewYork,hisfatherlookedathimforalongminute

andthenasked,“Whatdodogsandcatsneedalawyerfor?”

Themovemeantgivingupeightweeks'vacation,anofficewithaviewoftheSanFrancisco

Bayandabighouseamongtheredwoods,andmovingtoaruralareaknowforitsharshwinters.

ButWinograd^wife,Jennifer,alsoananimallover,wasallforit.Sotheypackedeverythingthey

owned,andwithtwoyoungchildren,plustwodogs,andabunchofcatsWinogradhadrescued,

drovecross—country.

Onthesecondday,theyhadnoroomforsixmorepuppiestheyreceived.Theyfoundanold

horsetrough,filleditwithhayandnestledtheanimalsinside.Theyplaceditnexttothefrontdesk,

andwithinadayortwo,allsixhadhomes,adoptedbypeoplewhowalkedintotheshelterand

couldn'tresist.

Blinddogs,catswithmissinglimbs—allfindhomes.4Thereisnodogorcattooold,too

uglyortooundesirablenottobeadoptedbysomeone,MsaysWinograd.

Today,TompkinsCountyisconsideredtheonlyno-killcountyintheUnitedStates.Nineout

oftendogscatsthatcomethroughtheshelterdoorsaresaved.Onlyanimalswithincurable

injuriesorillnesses,andthetrulyevil,areputdown.Thenationalaverageishalfofalldogsand

70percentofcats,totalingmorethanfourmillionanimalslastyearalone.

Eventhoughhedrivesanoldcarthatleakswhenitrains,andhisfamilylivesonatight

budgetwhilehisclassmatesfromStanfordLawearnsix-figuresalaries,Winogradsayshe'sdoing

whathe'dalwayswantedtodowhenhegrewup;runananimalshelterandsavealltheanimals.

Asayoungdistrictlawyer,hekepthisgoalinmind,startingwhenheraisedhisfirstanimal

crueltycase.Amanwasaccusedofintentionallysettinghisbrowncatonfire.Winogradmadehis

case,andtheabusiveownerwassentencedtoprison.

Itwasthefirstofmanysuchcases,andheraisedeachwithvigor.Butthesenselessviolence,

neglectandignoranceneverfailedtoshockhim.Hedecidedsimply,“Ineedtogettotheother

sideandstartsavingtheseanimals.^^

Now,Winogradishelpingtosavethousands,evenmillions,'Tmconvincedthatanokill

nationispossible,Tmjustheretryingtoshortenthetimeuntilitarrives.”

4.Whichcouldbethebesttitleofthepassage?

A.BeingRichisImportantB.Animals,OurBestFriends

C.NoPetLeftbehindD.TheWinogradFamily

七

Thiswebsiteismeantfortheshortstoryandforthoseinterestedinreadinglightarticles.

Ifyouhavea“classic“shortstoryyouwouldlikeaddedhere,pleasedon'tbeshyabout

e-mailingmeinthisregardasIwouldbehappytogiveyourfavoritestoryconsideration.Ihavea

fairlylargecollectionofshortstories;however,ifyouwanttosendastorytome,Iwould

appreciatedit(thiswouldsavemescanningtime).

Pleasenotethreethingsaboutthissite.One,someofthebiographiesarenotavailable(the

focusofthissiteisthestory,notthebiographies).IftheyarenotinthebookfromwhichIam

scanningthestory,Iwillnotgothroughmycollectionlookingforabio.Two,Iwillbefocusing

onshortershortstories.NoTolstoiorF.ScottFitzgeraldhere(unlessyouarewillingtosendme

thestoryreadytogoonline)!MaybesomedayIwillwanttospendanentiredayortwoonone

story,butnotatthistime.Three,Ihavenosummariesoranalyses,soyouneedn'task.Ireadshort

storiesoften,butonlyfortheenjoymentofdoingso.IhaveverylittledesiretoanalyzewhatIam

readingforthatdeep,hiddenmeaning.

Fewerandfewerpeoplethesedaysreadshortstories.Thisisunfortunate-sofewwillever

experiencethejoythatreadingsuchfineworkcangive.Thegoalofthissiteistogiveanicecross

sectionofshortstoriesinthehopethattheseshortstorieswillexcitethesepeopleinto

rediscoveringthisexcellentsourceofentertainment.

Happyreading!Ohyes,visitthebanneredsitesonthispage.Thisishowwesurviveandthus

keepthisfreesiteonline.Ifyouarefamiliarwiththecostsinvolvedwithbandwidth,youwill

understandthatasitesuchasthisonerequiresalotofbandwidth(asitisvisitedheavily),which

canbequiteexpensive.So,ifyouappreciatethiscollection,gobuysomething.Thankyou!

1.Thepassageismainlyabout.

A.whatthewebsitefocuseson

B.howtoemailshortstoriestothewebsite

C.whyfewerandfewerpeopleenjoyreading

D.howtofindshortstoriesonthiswebsites

4.Thepurposeofwritingthisarticleisto.

A.advertisehisorherwebsiteandbooks

B.explainhowthiswebsiteiskept

C.explainwhothiswebsiteisfor

D.discusswhetherweshouldreadonline

九

Neverforgetwhereyoucomefrom

ManyofusrememberthetouchingtelevisionadvertisementwheretheactorIronEyesCody

shedsatearoverlitter.SuchNativeimagesareoftenusedtoconveytheideaofsavingmother

earth.Peoplewhoacceptthisimagefinditdifficulttobringtogetherwhattheyhaveseenofsome

reservations—shabbyhomes,brokencars,underfeddogs,weedsinwinds,andcoalstripmines.

ThosewhomostromanticizeAmericanIndiansarethequickesttobedisappointedanddiscover

thatthingsarenotasgoodastheyhaveoncebelieved.However,Indians'relationshipwiththe

landismuchmorecomplicated(复杂的)thanthosetwoblackandwhiteimageswhichappearedin

thetelevision.

Historically,tribal(部落的)peoplearoundtheglobehavehadclosetieswiththeearth.Lakota

historianVineDeloria,Jr.,tellsthestoryofthePoncapeoplewhoweretakenfromtheirrange

overacenturyagoandtransportedagainsttheirwilltoOklahoma.Otherwisehealthy,manyPonca

wastedanddiedfromnootherclearcausethanseparationfromtheirhome.AsCherylCrazyBull

saysinthisissue,叮helandisourrelative.Withoutland,tribalpeoplelosetheiridentity—the

landalongwithlanguage,spiritualbeliefs,andsocialsystemsdistinguishestribalpeoplefrom

others.”

TomanypeopleintheUnitedStates,theIndianreservationisanembarrassment.Itrepresents

theAmericanversionofracialseperation—aprisonwithoutwallswherethegovernmentconfined

IndianstokeepthemapartfromotherAmericans.ToIndianpeoplethereservationishome,

regardlessofwhatitlookslike.Theyhavespiritual,emotional,andfamilyties.Manyoftheir

relativesstilllivethereorareburiedthere,andtheircreationstoriesarecenteredthere.

Americanstendtopulluprootsandseparatefromtheirbirthplace,movingfromcitytocity

manytimes.Manyofusnon—Indianshavenevervisitedtheplaceswhereourancestorsare

buriedorthehouseswhereourparentswerebom.WesternnationsuseEarthinthesameway,asif

wecangotoanotherplanetwhentheairandwaterbecometoodirty.Ontheotherhand,tribesare

veryfamiliarwiththeconceptoflimitedresource.Theycannotgetanotherreservationiftheirs

becomestoopolluted.

1.Whatdoesthewritermainlyintendtostateinthispassage?

A.AmericanIndiansaredisappointedwiththeirlivingenvironment.

B.AmericanIndiansleadamiserablelifenow.

C.Televisionadvertisementscanhaveanunexpectedeffectonpeople.

D.Landisveryimportanttopeople,especiallytribalpeople.

4.Whattopicdoesthisarticlefocuson?

A.FamilylifeoftheIndians.

B.People'sattitudetowardsland.

C.Thehistoryoftribalpeople.

D.Environmentalpollutionnowadays.

十

Theoctopus,s（章鱼）reputationasahuman-killerisn^simplyanexaggeration（夸张）一

itisatotalmyth.Theoctopuscanindeedbeadeadlyhunter,butonlyofitsnaturalvictims.Some

shellfish（壳类动物）andanoccasionalsickorincautiousfishhavereasontobefrightenedofthis

multi-armedhunter,butapersonismuchtoolargetointeresteventhebiggestoctopus.Eventhe

largestamongoctopiismuchsmallerthanmostpeopleimagine.Farfrombeinglargeenoughto

swallowaship,asmonsteroctopiinmovieshavebeenknowntodo,thelargestoctopus,foundon

thePacificcoast,weighsaround110poundsandgrowstonomorethantenfeetinwidth.

Thehard,parrot-likebeak（喙）ofanoctopusisnotusedforattackingdeep-seadivers,butfor

cuttingopenshellfish.Indeed,theoctopuspossessessuchatinythroatthatitcannotswallowlarge

piecesofmeat.Instead,itfeedsbypouringdigestivejuicesintoitsvictims,andthensuckingup

thesoupyremains.Ashellfishthatfindsitselfinthegraspofanoctopushasonlyashorttimeto

live.Buthumanbeingsareperfectlysafe.Still,peoplerarelycaretogocloseenoughtothese

carefulcreaturestogetagoodlookatthem.

1.Thispassageismainlyabout.

A.thehorrorsoftheoctopus

B.thelargestoctopusintheworld

C.octopiandtheirbehaviour

D.theoctopus\deadlyhuntingmethod

十一

Weallhatespeedcameras,don'twe?They'renottheretoslowdriversdownandlowerthe

roadaccidents;theyjustmakemoneyforthegovernment.Theytrickus,costuscoldhardcash,

disturbusfromdrivingproperlyandareunfair.

Well,here'sasurprisingthing:whatiftherewerefactsthattheboringcamerasactuallysaved

lives?It'saconclusiondifficulttoignorewhenyoulookatwhat'shappeninginFrance,acountry

withahistoricallypoorrecordofroadsafety.

Therewere16,617roaddeathsin1972inFranceforexample,butthatdroppedto8412by

1995followingrulessuchascompulsoryseatbeltwearingin1990andaloweringoftheblood

alcohollimitto0.05in1995.

Lastyear,theroaddeathsdroppedbelow5,000forthefirsttime,or4.9percentlessthan

2004.Comparingroaddeathstopopulationin2005,that'sabout817permillionpeoplecompared

withAustralia's806.

Andguesswhat?LastyearthenumberofspeedcamerasonFrenchroadsreached1,000and

thegovernmentplanstodoublethatwithinthenextthreeyears.

Okay,youknowtheargumentsregardingincreasedtrafficsafetyandcameras-for-income,

butitseemsinFrancethere'sbeenamajorculturalchangebroughtonbyradarsandotherlaws.A

three-hour,wine-soakedlunchwithaquickrushbacktotheofficeisnolongeron.

Travellingonthehighways,itisraretoseeanyonebreakingthe130km/hspeedlimitwhen

oncefewtraveledbelowit.Thespeedcamerasareclearlysignedsodriversknowwhentheyare

coming.There'sevenanofficialwebsitelistingfixedandmobilecameralocationsanditis

updatedregularly.

Maybeitisbecauseofsuchtransparencybygovernment,ratherthantheconcealmenttoo

oftenusedbyauthoritiesinmanyothercountriesthatmoreFrenchcanenjoylajoidevivrethanks

tospeedcameras.

十二

Sometimeearlyinthenextcentury,humanbeingswillmovetoMars.Theywilllivetherefor

aboutayear,andthenwillbereplacedwithanothergroupofpioneers.BuildingthebaseonMars

willadvanceourknowledgeofthesolarsystemandaidinourunderstandingoftheearth.

WealreadyknowthatMarsresemblestheearthinmanyaspects:generalsize,presenceof

water,lengthofday,rangeoftemperatures.Theseresemblanceshavecausedmanypeopleto

consideracenturies-longproject:toterraformMars.Terraformingmeansalteringaplanet's

surfacesothatEarth'slifeformscansurvivethere.Thisconcept,previouslyfoundonlyinscience

fictionisnowbeingseriouslyconsideredbyscientists.

TerraformingMarsistheoreticallysimple:addnitrogenandoxygentotheatmosphere;pump

watertothesurface;andaddtheearth'splantsandanimalsintheorderinwhichtheydeveloped

onEarth.Butitwilltakeatleast300years.

Somepeoplethinkthatsuchaprojectistoohugeforhumanstoundertake,buttherearevery

goodreasonstomaketheattempt.Theearthnowcontainssome6billionpeople,andnoonehas

anyideaofhowmanyhumanstheearthcansupport.Ourveryexistenceandnumbersare

threateningmanyotherspecies.Wealsohavehadsomeexperiencewithterraformingourown

planet:alteringthelandscape,theatmosphereandtheclimate.Currentlyterrafonningearthhas

becomeawiseractivityaswetrytocontrolglobalwarming,airandwaterpollution,andpreserve

somenaturallivingplaces.

Whilethepossibilityofsuchaprojectissmall,itisnotimpossible.Evenifearth-bound

societiescomeandgointhenext300years,theprojectcancontinuethroughtheworkoftheMars

settlerswithouttheneedforconstantbackingfromtheearth.

Thefutureexistenceofallthepeopleinourworldmayverywelldependuponourabilityto

terraformMars.

1.Whatwouldbethebesttitleforthispassage?

A.TerraformingMars.B.SavingtheEarth.

C.TravellingtoMars.D.ANewly-foundPlace.

十三

WhensixtheverybeststudentsfromdifferentcitiesinGuandongprovincealltogetherchose

universitiesinHongKong;whentheverybeststudentofBeijingpickedupHKUniversitywhile

givingupthenearbyPekingorTsingbuaUniversity;whenthehighestenrollment（录取）rateof

HongKongScienceandIndustryUniversityreached48:1,it'sthehightimetoaskwherethereal

educationheavenforstudentsinChinais.

Yearsago,theanswercertainlywouldbe“PekingorTsinghuaUniversity^^.Butnownoone

couldgivetheexactreactionwithouthesitation.TheonlysurethingisthatHKuniversitieshave

graduallyshowedanunusualattractiontoagreatmanymainlandstudents.

It'snodoubttocallthisHKcraze（狂热）,whichisevenoutoftheexpectationofthoseHK

universitiesthemselves.

HowcanHKuniversitiesshakethesteadyfoundationsofPekingandTsinghuaandattractso

manymainlandstudents?

First,HongKonguniversitiesofferlarge-amountscholarship,especiallyforthetopstudents

whocanreceivethesumscholarshipasmuchas400,000HKdollars.Sincehighereducationhas

becomeakindofheavyburdenofmanyfamilies,it'seasytounderstandwhythereactiontothe

generousofferingofHKuniversitiesisgreat.

Second,mostHKuniversitiesreceiveprofessorsandstudentsfromallovertheworldand

carryoutbilingual（双语）education.Thiskindofexcellentlanguageatmosphereisanother

attractionformainlandstudents.

Furthermore,universitystudentsinHongKonghaveabetterchancetostudyabroadas

exchangestudents.

CanmainlandtopuniversitieslikePekingorTsinghuaUniversitycalmasbeforewhenfacing

theunexpectedcompetitionfromHK?Willtheytakerelevantmeasurestowinbackthetop

studentswhooncehelpthemsettheworldwidereputation?Timewillexplainit.

ThefiercecompetitionbroughtbyHKuniversitiescanbeagoodthingforanentire

improvementofeducationinChina.Aftertheawakeningandactiontakingofmainland

universities,theycanperformbettertogetherwithHKuniversities.

Atleast,itremindedthemainlanduniversitiesthetuitionfees（学费）areamongstudents9top

concernwhentheyarechoosinguniversities.It*stimetomove.

1.Whatisthepassagemainlytalkingabout?

A.SomethoughtbroughtbytheenrollmentofHKuniversities.

B.HighereducationinHongKong.

C.ThecompetitionbetweenHKUniversityandPekingUniversity.

D.Thefallofmainlanduniversities.

十四

OncewhenIwasateenager,myfatherandIwerestandinginlinetobuyticketsforthe

circus.Finallytherewasonlyonefamilybetweenusandtheticketcounter.Thisfamilymadea

bigimpressiononme.Therewereeightchildren,allprobablyundertheageof12.Youcouldtell

theydidn'thavealotofmoney.Theirclotheswerenotexpensive,buttheywereclean.The

childrenwerewell-behaved,allofthemstandinginline,two-by-twobehindtheirparents.The

childrenwereexcitedlytalkingabouttheclowns,elephantsandotheractstheywouldseethat

night.Onecouldsensetheyhadneverbeentothecircusbefore.

Thefatherandmotherwereaheadstandingproudascouldbe.

Theticketladyaskedthefatherhowmanyticketshewanted.Heproudlyresponded,uPlease

letmebuyeightchildren'sticketsandtwoadulttickets.^^

Theticketladyquoted(弓I用)theprice.

Thefatherleanedalittlecloserandasked,“Howmuchdidyousay?”

Theticketladyagainquotedtheprice.

Themandidn'thaveenoughmoney.Howwashesupposedtoturnandtellhiseightkidsthat

hedidn'thaveenoughmoneytotakethemtothecircus?

Seeingwhatwasgoingon,mydadputhishandintohispocket,pulledouta$20billand

droppeditontheground.(Wewerenotwealthyinanysenseoftheworld!)Myfatherreached

down,pickedupthebill,tappedthemanontheshoulderandsaid.uExcuseme,sir,thisfelloutof

yourpocket.”

Themanknewwhatwasgoingon.Helookedstraightintomydad'seyes,tookmydad's

handinbothofhis,pressedtightlyontothebill,andwithhislipquivering(颤抖)andatear

streamingdownhischeek,hereplied,Thankyou,thankyou,Sir.Thisreallymeansalottome

andmyfamily.M

MyfatherandIwentbacktoourcaranddrovehome.Wedidn'tgotothecircusthatnight,

butwedidn'tgowithout.

十五

Allen:I'veneverbeenabigfanofthebears,especiallythevacationshow.Onmylasttripto

Disneyland(1999)wepasseditby,becausewedidn'twanttospendthetimeonsomethingwe

didn'treallyenjoy.Ifwe'dknownitwouldbeclosedbyournextvisit.I'msurewewouldhave

watcheditonemoretime.Iwasjustmakingthepointthatitwasn'tuntilDisneyannouncedthe

closingthatthisfeelingsuddenlysprang(弹跳)upfortheCountryBearshowatDisneyland.

ButIthinktheideaofkeepingsomeattractionsopenforeverregardlessofthenumberof

visitorsitgetsisamistake.WeallhavegreatmemoriesoftheBears,butclearlyveryfewkids

today(orIshouldsayfamiliestoday)aremakingthosesamememoriesfromthisshow.Thatmay

beasadfact,butit'safact.Forwhateverreason,theshowdoesn'tpullinthenumbers.Isn'tit

righttousetheCountryBearspacetobringinamorepopularattractionsothatmorekidstoday

canmakethosemagicmemoriesofanattractiontheylike?Otherwisearen'twejusttellingkids

todaythatthey“haveto"makegreatmemoriesoftheBears,wheni