专业英语四级精选阅读50篇——A Kind Neighbor

　　A Kind Neighbor

　　Mr. and Mrs. Jones apartment was full of luggage, packages, furniture and boxes. Both of them were very busy when they heard the doorbell ring. Mrs. Jones went to open it and she saw a middle-aged lady outside. The lady said she lived next door. Mrs. Jones invited her to come in and apologized because there was no place for her to sit. Oh, thats OK. said the lady. I just come to welcome to your new home. As you know, in some parts of this city, neighbors are not friendly at all. They are some apartment houses where people dont know any of their neighbors, not even the ones next door. But in this building, everyone is very friendly with everyone else. We are a big happy family. I am sure you will be very happy here. Mr. and Mrs. Jones said, But madam, we are not new dwellers in this apartment. Weve lived here for two years. We are moving out tomorrow.

　　14 That Isnt Our Fault

　　Mr. and Mrs. Williams got married when he was twenty-three, and she was twenty. Twenty-five years later, they had a big party, and a photographer came and took some photographs of them.

　　Then the photographer gave Mrs. Williams a card and said, Theyll be ready next Wednesday. You can get them from studio.

　　No, Mrs. Williams said, please send them to us.

　　The photographs arrived a week later, but Mrs. Williams was not happy when she saw them. She got into her car and drove to the photographers studio. She went inside and said angrily, You took some photographs of me and my husband last week, but Im not going to pay for them.

　　Oh, why not? the photographer asked.

　　Because my husband looks like a monkey, Mrs. Williams said.

　　Well, the photographer answered, that isnt our fault. Why didnt you think of that before you married him?15 A Guides Answer

　　In 1861, the Civil War started in the United States between the Northern and the Southern states. The war continued with great bitterness until 1865, when the Northerners were victorious. However, even today, many Southerners have not forgotten their defeat, or forgiven the Northerners.

　　A few years ago, a party of American tourists were going round one of the battlefields of the Civil War with a guide who came from one of the Southern states. At each place, the guide told the tourists stirring stories about how a few Southern soldiers had conquered powerful forces of Northerners there.

　　At last, one of the tourists, a lady who came from the North, stopped the guide and said to him, But surely that the Northern army must have won at least one victory in the Civil War?

　　Not as long as Im the guide here, madam, answered the Southern guide.16 A Qualified Pilot

　　The captain of a small ship had to go along a rocky coast, but he was unfamiliar with it, so he tried to find a qualified pilot to guide him. He went ashore in one of the small ports, and a local fisherman pretended that he was a pilot because he needed some money. The captain took him on board and asked him where to steer the ship.

　　After half an hour, the captain began to suspect that the fisherman did not really know what he was doing and where he was going.

　　Are you sure you are a qualified pilot? he asked.

　　Oh, yes, answered the fisherman. I know every rock on this part of the coast.

　　Suddenly there was a terrible crash from under the ship. At once the fisherman added, And thats one of them.17 Living Things React

　　You and all organisms live an environment. An environment is made up of everything that surrounds an organism. It can include the air, the water, the soil, and even other organisms.

　　An organism responds to changes in its environment. When an organism responds to a change, it reacts in certain ways. All living things respond in some way.

　　Have you ever noticed how plants and insects respond to light? Plants bend toward light. Insects fly toward light.

　　Living things also respond in other ways. The leaves on some trees respond to a change in season. In autumn, they change colors and then fall off the branches Animals also respond to a change in season. Squirrels save nuts for the winter. Bears sleep through the winter in a cave.

　　You respond to your environment in many ways, too. You may shiver if you are cold. What other ways do you respond to changes in your environment?18 Flowering Plants

　　What are the parts of a flower?

　　Flowers can have male parts and female parts. The female parts make eggs that become seeds. The male parts make pollen. Pollen is a powdery material that is needed by the eggs to make seeds. To make seeds, pollen and eggs must come together. The wind, insects, and birds bring pollen to eggs. Many animals love flowers bright colors. They also like a sugary liquid in flowers. This is called nectar. While they drink nectar, pollen rubs off on their bodies. As they move, some of this pollen gets delivered to the female flower parts.

　　Over time, the female parts turn into fruits that contain seeds. Animals often eat the fruits and the seeds pass through their bodies as waste. The animals do no know they are working for the plants by planting seeds as they travel to different places!

　　Useful words and expressions:

　　1. flowering 开花的

　　2. pollen 花粉

　　3. powdery 粉状的

　　4. sugar 含糖的，甜的

　　5. nectar花蜜，甘露

　　6. rub 磨擦