Advanced Reading — 第四冊

🔊It’s the morning of Derek’s first day of kindergarten. The little boy is so excited that he can hardly contain himself. All he has been doing for the last week is talking about everything he will do when he finally gets there.

🔊Derek and his mother pull up to the gate at his new school. Derek hops off the back of the tattered old scooter and takes off his helmet. He can’t believe he is actually here. A big smile crosses his face.

🔊The eager boy looks up at the big black gate and tall brick fence surrounding the school. His big smile begins to fade. In his mind the kindergarten hadn’t looked like that at all; in fact, in his daydreams the kindergarten had no fence at all, it was an endless playground in every direction. What is before him now seems more like a prison? The young boy freezes.

🔊Derek’s mom tries to take his hand, but he is scared stiff and refuses to hold it. His smile is gone and only a look of bewilderment and slight terror remain.

🔊“Come on Derek. Let’s go inside,” she says in a kind voice. But her words do little to comfort him or to break the hold that fear has on him.

🔊Derek can only shake his head in disapproval. There is no way he is going inside that jail of a school. He even thinks about making a run for it, but where would he go?

🔊“But you’ve been talking about this all week. Remember?” she tries to persuade him.

🔊Still the frightened boy just shakes his head. He isn’t going to be coaxed so easily. And besides, his feet seem to be glued to the sidewalk.

🔊“Come on Derek,” her voice now sounding less sympathetic and a lot more impatient. “Mommy is going to be late for work.”

🔊She takes Derek’s hand and begins to walk, but Derek’s feet still won’t move. It becomes an all-out tug-of-war. Mommy pulls and Derek tries to pull back, mommy pulls and Derek tries to pull back and on and on. Unfortunately for Derek, he is only 4 and doesn’t have the strength to win a tug-of-war with any adult. His small size is against him and mommy is winning the battle.

🔊Derek realizes that he is losing ground quickly and sits down as if to put on the brakes. If she is going to get him inside, she’ll have to drag the distraught little fellow. And that’s exactly what she does. She starts to drag him through the ominous black gate.

🔊“No! No!” Derek screams. “I don’t want to go.” He starts sobbing and screaming. The tears stream down his face like a river of betrayal. Anyone passing by might assume that the poor boy is being beaten to death because of such a display.

🔊Suddenly, a lady in a long white dress appears. It is the principal of the Happy Time Kindergarten. She kneels down beside the terribly anxious boy and gently rubs his back.

🔊“It’s ok,” she says in a soothing voice. “No one is going to hurt you.”

🔊Derek’s tears slow for a moment and he stops screaming. The nice lady seems to make him feel a bit at ease.

🔊“Do you want to see our new swing set?” she says enticingly.

🔊Derek stops crying completely and wipes away the tears with his shirtsleeve. A new swing set seems to be tempting enough to get him through the big black gate, even tempting enough to return a smile to his face, albeit a small one. The kind lady takes his hand and he quite happily stands up to go with her.

🔊“Bye bye, mommy,” he waves to her and follows the principal through the gate to see the swings.

🔊“Bye, Derek. Have fun,” she says.

🔊“I will,” he declares.

🔊The principal winks to Derek’s mom as the gate closes. Derek’s mother is relieved that he is in such capable hands. He will be just fine, she thinks, just fine.

🔊My name is Penelope. I am a student at the Jhutang Junior High School and I have been a ballerina for almost 8 years. My years of training for ballet have made me unbelievably flexible and strong. Although my amazing condition helps me to resist injuries while doing anything physical, I don’t often get the chance to put my athleticism to the test. That is until last week.

🔊You see, last week there was a limbocontest at my school. It was just for fun, but still it gave me an opportunity to show off my superhuman-like flexibility. The contest took place on the track field during lunch break. Word of the competition must have gotten around quickly, as the entire field and part of the bleachers were packed with students eager to watch us crawl under a bar. But, as I found out, few had the courage to actually sign up.

🔊I joined the ten other competitors at centerfield shortly after 12:15. I started to do a few warm-ups to loosen up my cold, stiff muscles. The others looked on as if I was weird or something because I was stretching. None of them were doing any sort of warm-ups at all, but I knew it was to my advantage, so I didn’t care.

🔊The judge called us to the area where we would compete and explained the rules to us. The rules were simple: don’t touch the ground with anything but your feet, and most importantly don’t knock the bar off. We all nodded in understanding and it was game on.

🔊The first three boys thought it would be easy at first because the bar was set quite high. As each of them tried to bend over backwards and scoot underneath they touched the bar and it hit the ground. They seemed fairly disappointed to be out so quickly and asked if they could have another chance, but the judge ruled against it.

🔊The next two competitors were Mike and Brian. They both passed under the limbo bar with no problem and then gave each other a high five and sat down to watch the rest of us.

🔊Lily, my best friend, was up sixth and almost made it, but the back of her head touched the ground so she was disqualified, as were girls 7, 8, and 9. Finally it was my turn.

🔊I wasn’t about to waste my time with the preliminary height or waiting around as the others were eliminated one by one. I asked the judge what the school record was and he told me that it was 16 inches. It didn’t seem that low to me so I instructed him to lower the bar to 14. There were several oohs from the crowd as the bar was set down and the other contestants just shook their heads as if to say I wasn’t going to be able to get under it.

🔊I lined myself up about 8 inches behind the bar and took a deep breath. Slowly I bent my knees forward as I leaned backward. Down and down I went until my body was almost parallel to the ground. The crowd began chanting something, but I blocked it out as I went into an almost hypnotic state, taking full control of my body and mind. I could feel my hair was touching the grass as I inched my left foot forward, then my right. My knees were so bent that my calf muscles were straining against the back of my thighs.

🔊My lower body was now past the bar and still I inched forward like a two-legged crab. I kept my arms tucked closely to my side and tried to maintain my balance. Then my chest was clear. And finally I watched as the bar past directly above my eyes. I had made it.

🔊I stood up to a roar from the crowd. Even the other challengers clapped loudly and ran to pat me on the back. Mike and Brian hoisted me up onto their shoulders and we walked through the crowd of students. Everyone was high-fiving me and slapping me on the legs. It was great to be appreciated.

🔊I will always remember that cool summer day. The day that I was so popular and everyone wanted to be my friend. I know that someday there will be someone who will beat my record, but, until then, I will be remembered as the girl who could limbo better than anyone.

🔊Oscar was wandering around his neighborhood one day, checking things out. He stopped here and there sniffing everything he encountered. Occasionally, he would lift his left hind leg to mark his territory on a tree, power pole, tire or anything else that seemed suitable to pee on. It was just another average day in the life of Oscar.

🔊Then Oscar smelled something out of the ordinary on one of his usual marking spots. It was the scent of another dog, one that he didn’t recognize. He had to investigate.

🔊The curious black dog put his nose to the ground and followed the scent trail that the intruder had left behind. His pace quickened as the smell grew stronger. I’m getting close, he thought.

🔊Rounding a corner next to an old apartment building, he saw a stray standing in the middle of the street. Oscar stood still for a moment to size up the trespasser.

🔊The strange dog appeared to be a mix of some kind, perhaps beagle and a native species. She definitely had the coloration and markings of a beagle and their trademark floppy ears, but the similarities stopped there. The bony dog was too tall to be a beagle and lacked the sad eyes that they are also known for. Oscar figured she was just a mutt and a homeless one at that, judging by the lack of a collar.

🔊“What are you doing in my territory?” Oscar barked. He stood tall and in a way that said ‘I mean business’.

🔊“Oh, I’m sorry,” the other dog barked apologetically. She cowered submissively and then added, “I was just passing through, looking for something to eat. I wasn’t looking for any trouble.”

🔊“You may not have been looking for it, but you found it,” Oscar meanly barked.

🔊“I beg you,” the stray pleaded. “I’ll leave immediately. I’m hungry, weak and couldn’t put up much of a fight anyway.”

🔊Big black Oscar wasn’t known for his kindness. Rarely a dog had managed to sneak into his zone without leaving a piece of its ear behind or worse. He had let a hot little poodle through once, but only because he wanted to watch her walk seductively by. Other than that, there were no exceptions.

🔊Oscar could see the stray’s ribs jutting out from her side. Her legs too were scrawny, like chicken legs they were all bone and no meat. He figured she wouldn’t put up much of a fight. Besides, she looked like she might have worms or something and if she happened to get in a lucky bite, he might get an infection. It wasn’t worth the risk.

🔊“Alright then,” he barked softly in a rare moment of compassion. “Be on your way and I won’t bother you.”

🔊“Thank you, thank you,” she barked cheerfully. Her tail wagged in a fleeting moment of happiness in her otherwise depressing life.

🔊“But!” Oscar said in a way that meant that his sympathy wasn’t unconditional. “Don’t tell anyone that you were here. And I mean absolutely no one. Got it? I’ve got a reputation to uphold, you know.”

🔊“Of course,” she conceded. “I would never…”

🔊“Just get out of here now before I change my mind,” he barked in an attempt to restore his tough demeanor.

🔊The skinny homeless dog turned and headed out of his territory. She was almost gone when Oscar beckoned for her to stop.

🔊“There’s a diner across the street from the river. It’s not much, but you’ll find a few scraps behind it in the alley,” Oscar barked almost as if such kind words were hard to say.

🔊The stray bowed her head in appreciation. She knew it was hard for such a proud dog to be kind. Though she knew she would never pass this way again, she would long remember the tough black dog that showed her mercy.

🔊Many people enjoy having a fish aquarium at home. Though they may not be as interactive as cats and dogs, fish can be fun to watch and they don’t leave hair and little messes everywhere. And all it takes to get started is a tank, some water, and a little know-how.

🔊Some people prefer fish that are easier to keep, like guppies and goldfish, while more enthusiastic fish-lovers may try more exotic breeds. But whether you choose easy to keep fish or a more finicky breed, there are some basic requirements that must be met as there are with any pet.

🔊Water, of course, is the most important of these requirements and without it you may have some trouble keeping your fish alive—though there are breeds that can survive in mud or even completely out of water for extended periods.

🔊The water should be cycled with a hardy breed such as the goldfish as they are more likely to survive the initial shock or you can buy additives that will introduce the needed bacteria to help the “cycling” process (for more information about cycling a fish tank, search the Internet for “nitrogen cycle.” Regardless, you have to remember that water straight out of the tap contains chlorine and chloramines that kill bacteria and make it safe for us to drink, but both can be lethal to fish. Chlorine will evaporate over time, but chloramines must be removed by using chemicals you can buy from your local pet store. Using bottled water is a good idea, provided the Ph level is right, but it too has to be matured. Give your tank some time to culture detoxifying bacteria in the substrate and filter before you add your new friends.

🔊After your tank is matured (usually about a week or so) you shouldn’t have to worry too much about the water. It should never be completely drained, nor should too much new water be added. As part of your maintenance, I recommend taking out about 25% of the water once a month and replacing it with treated fresh water that is the same temperature as the water already in the tank. If you take out any more, you run the risk of upsetting the balance and you will create a nitrate problem (you’ll know this when the water turns a milky color).

🔊You may need to clean some of the waste from the tank from time to time. A net is useful for removing floating debris or dead fish and can also be used to remove excess food if you overfeed your fish, as too much food can create an ammonia spike in the water as it rots (again because of the nitrogen cycle). To use your net for this purpose, just dip it into the water and strain out the food. Make sure to discard the food and clean your net when you’re finished. Waste can also accumulate on the bottom of the tank. The best method for removing this is to use a gravel-cleaner which is more or less a siphon that sucks out small particles. You can also buy one or two bottom feeders to help clean the tank (I recommend a corydora, a small catfish). Let them do the work.

🔊When feeding your fish, only give them as much food as they can consume in about 2 minutes. Lightly sprinkle the food in one spot in your aquarium, not all over the place. Floating food is best for guppies, as they have upturned mouths. Goldfish, on the other hand, prefer food that either sinks to the bottom or is suspended below the surface (ask you local pet expert which size and type of food is best for the fish you have). After a couple of minutes, remove any leftover food.

🔊Learning about keeping fish is not all that difficult. Having kept fish for a number of years and from talking to other enthusiasts, I can tell you that the number one reason for fish death is from inexperienced, impatient newcomers adding fish too early. Ignorance is no reason to kill a pet, even one as small and seemingly insignificant as a goldfish. 30 minutes of reading is probably more than enough time to learn everything you need to know to get started. Now, go and learn a little about your new friends.

🔊It was a warm winter day. The sun was shining, there was fresh snow on the slopes and it was the weekend. Brian just had to go skiing.

🔊The young man had lived in Banff for more than 5 years where he worked at one of the finer hotels. But despite his proximity to some of the finest ski resorts in the world, he rarely had time to take advantage of it.

🔊The sun was high atop the mountains already when he pulled into the parking lot at Sunshine Village Ski Resort. He parked his car and then got on the gondola for the ride up to the skiing area. The view from the gondola was breathtaking. Fresh snow and frost on the mountain pines sparkled in the sunlight. A lone white-tailed deer on the cutline beneath him scraped away at the snow with its hooves, foraging for dormant grass to eat. It was a perfect day for skiing.

🔊At the top, he went to the ski-rental shop which had two sets of skis leaning against the outside of it. There he picked up the gear he needed: skis, ski boots and poles. He didn’t have to pay because hotel employees where he worked received free rentals, probably in exchange for sending customers their way. It was a perk of his job he wished he could take more advantage of.

🔊He slipped the stiff ski boots on and fastened the buckles. They were very snug, but he liked them that way. He didn’t want his feet to be able to wiggle around inside the boots. With boots on, he laid the skis flat. He stuck the toe of the left boot into the binding and stepped down hard, so that the back of the binding would lock into place. He repeated the procedure with the right foot. With poles in hand, he was ready to roll.

🔊He pushed himself over the flat ground with his poles to the chairlift and got in line. The line moved quickly as the chairs whisked people up the mountain two by two. When it was his turn to get on, he stepped sideways into the chairs’ path and sat as the bench scooped underneath him. Away he went.

🔊From his vantage point high above the snowy slopes, he could see all the ski runs and the little specks that were skiers. The cold mountain wind was much cooler up there and an ice moustache soon formed on his upper lip, but he didn’t mind as his attention was on the skiers below who seemed to be having so much fun. The adrenalin in his blood probably helped to fight off the cold, too.

🔊The chair neared the summit and Brian prepared to get off. As his skis touched the ground, he stood up and used his hand to push himself away from the chair. He glided down the ramp and the chairlift made a loop then headed back down the mountain to pick up more waiting skiers.

🔊Brian skated over to his favorite run called The Waterfall. It was one of the most difficult runs on the mountain even though it wasn’t that long. It was extremely steep, covered in moguls and, as if that wasn’t enough, it was littered with small pine trees. But Brian was an accomplished skier and somewhat of a thrill seeker; you certainly wouldn’t find him on the Bunny Slope.

🔊On the edge of the run, he stopped to look down the slope and decide what his route would be. Once committed, the moguls wouldn’t allow him much opportunity to change course without risking a wipeout and on such a steep incline, a wipeout could be dangerous, so he thought carefully and weighed his options. Then Brian pointed his skis downhill, planted his poles firmly into the snow and pushed off. He zigzagged down the mountain and through the moguls as if he were a pro. He was in his glory at last.

🔊(The following is based on a true story. Only the names, places and events have been changed.)

🔊“Holy cow, would you look at the size of that thing!” my friend Christian screamed. The sight of a monstrous creature emerging from the jungle and slowly lumbering onto a path in front of him caused his eyes to bug out of his head. He stopped dead in his tracks as if frozen in time.

🔊“What are you freaking outabout?” I asked as I rounded the corner behind him. From my vantage point which was slightly downhill of him, I saw nothing. “You see a bee or something, you little sissy?”

🔊Christian stuttered incoherently, “Bu, bu, bu, bu.”

🔊“Spit it out!” I yelled. “Bu, bu, bu, butterfly?”

🔊Maybe he had seen something. Why else would a 6 foot 2 inch black man be scared out of his wits? We had seen a sign warning of snakes in the area, so maybe that was it. It seemed to make sense.

🔊“Let me handle this,” I said confidently as I passed Christian and a small pool of urine that had trickled down his leg. I turned to face him and said reassuringly, “I know enough about snakes, so don’t worry. Just remain calm and show me where it is.”

🔊“Bu, bu, bu…” he stuttered again while slowly raising his stiffened-with-fright arm and pointing at the large creature behind me that I still assumed was a snake.

🔊I swung my head around to where he was pointing and then jumped back like a man who had just seen his wife without makeup for the first time. It definitely wasn’t a snake.

🔊“Bu, bu, bu,” I mocked. “You mean bu, bu, bu, BEETLE. Big freakin’ beetle. Look at the size of that thing.”

🔊The enormous rhinoceros beetle seemed to have little interest in us. He (the horn on his snout made him undeniably male) continued awkwardly walking across the path and was about to disappear into the undergrowth on the other side when I yelled for him to stop. Surprisingly enough, it did.

🔊“Are you crazy?” Christian whispered without moving his lips. “Just let him go.”

🔊“This is the chance of a lifetime,” I told my motionless friend. “I have to at least get a picture before it takes off. It could make me famous.”

🔊“Yeah, famous for being the first person eaten alive by a gigantic bug,” he said while unfreezing his body and slowly moving backwards. “Whatever dude. That thing gives me the heebie-jeebies.”

🔊I knew that rhinoceros beetles ate nectar and fruit, so I wasn’t too worried. But in the back of my mind I also knew that they were the strongest animals on the planet in relation to their size; if he wanted to, he could easily do me in or toss me into a tree. Still the opportunity to be the first to capture a picture of this enormous new species compelled me forward.

🔊Suddenly the beetle tried to take flight, but his massive weight prevented him from getting off the ground. Without thinking, I tossed the camera to Christian and ran for the massive beetle. I couldn’t let it get away.

🔊“Quick. He’s getting away. Take a picture!” I ordered Christian as I leapt onto the behemoth’s back.

🔊For some reason known only to the beetle, he stood still. Perhaps he was up for having his picture taken or maybe he was just shocked that someone would be stupid enough to jump on his back.

🔊“Take it! Take it!” I insistently yelled.

🔊Christian, still a bit hesitant about being anywhere near the beast, fumbled with the camera. Finally he managed to get a shot and not a moment too soon.

🔊When the beetle heard the sound of the shutter going off, he got spooked and sprang forward sending me head over heels onto the ground like a cowboy who had just been bucked off a wild horse. I laid there in a daze.

🔊“You okay man?” Christian loudly asked from a safe distance away.

🔊I stood up and dusted myself off.

🔊“Never better,” I responded. “Never better.”

🔊When the pictures of the new species of giant beetle hit the news, it sent the scientific community into a frenzy. Entomologists from across the globe flocked to the area where I had taken the renowned picture to see the beetle for themselves, but no one ever found it. It was if the colossal insect had just vanished back to a time when giants roamed the earth. The only proof that it actually ever existed is in the picture that Christian had taken and in the statue that locals erected in my honor, immortalizing me forever.