阅读理解

　　Pottery(陶器)is the name given to all kinds of useful or artistic objects made from clay．Pottery can be plates or water pots or baskets．Pottery can be large or small, fancy or plain．Pottery is part of the large family of ceramics(陶器)．Ceramics are synthetic materials．For example, bricks and tiles(瓦片)are both ceramics．

　　How is pottery made?First, a potter takes some clay．Clay is a soft, red material from the earth．It looks a little like red dirt, but it’s very different．Clay is thick and rich．Wet clay can be worked into any shape．When the clay dries, it will keep that shape．The potter takes some clay and pushes and squeezes(挤压)it until it is soft and smooth．After that, the clay can be shaped into anything．There are several ways to shape clay．Sometimes potters use their hands．Sometimes they use a special wheel．They place the clay in the center of a round, flat wheel．The wheel moves very fast, and the potter shapes the clay．

　　After the potter has shaped the clay, it can be decorated(装饰)．Potters use glaze(釉，覆罩的一层), which is a kind of paint, to decorate their work．Some glazes are very simple．Other glazes have beautiful colors and designs．The glaze is not just beautiful．It is also useful．The glaze makes the pottery smooth and waterproof．Potters also make some decorative lines and designs on the surface．After it is decorated, the clay must be baked, or fired, in a special oven．

　　Baking the clay at very high temperature makes it hard and strong．Firing also makes the glaze stick to the pottery．When the firing is over, the potter carefully removes the pottery from the oven and lets it cool slowly．If it cools too quickly, it could crack and break．

　　Since pottery is waterproof, it is very popular for dishes．You can find examples of pottery in almost any home．But pottery can also be found in museums．Some pieces of pottery are valuable and beautiful pieces of art．

阅读理解

　　People bury treasure to stop other people from taking it．They choose a quiet place, dig a deep hole and bury the treasure in it．Then they make a map of where the treasure is or write down other clues(线索)that will help them or someone else to find it again．

　　In Britain a few years ago, a writer wrote about some treasure that he had buried．He put clues in the story to help readers find it．Thousands of people hunted for the treasure．They dug holes all over Britain, hoping to find it．

　　One of the most popular adventure stories ever written is Robert Louis Stephenson's “Treasured Island”, an exciting story about a young boy, Jim Hawkins, who is captured by pirates(海盗)and later finds some buried treasure．

　　Then there is the true story about a man who had to travel overseas for a year．He did not trust banks, so he buried his life savings in a park．Then he went away．On his return, he went straight to the park．But the park was no longer there．In its place there was a huge building．

　　And then there was the man who buried his savings, all in bank notes, in a waterproof(防水的)bag．When he dug it up years later, there was nothing left．Worms and insects had eaten the bag and everything in it．

　　And of course, these are stories about people who bury things and either forget where they have buried them or lose the map．

　　Although it is true that people sometimes lose their money because a bank fails, banks are still the safest place to keep our savings and treasures．

阅读理解

　　People bury treasure to stop other people from taking it．They choose a quiet place, dig a deep hole and bury the treasure in it．Then they make a map of where the treasure is or write down other clues(线索)that will help them or someone else to find it again．

　　In Britain a few years ago, a writer wrote about some treasure that he had buried．He put clues in the story to help readers find it．Thousands of people hunted for the treasure．They dug holes all over Britain, hoping to find it．

　　One of the most popular adventure stories ever written is Robert Louis Stephenson's “Treasured Island”, an exciting story about a young boy, Jim Hawkins, who is captured by pirates(海盗)and later finds some buried treasure．

　　Then there is the true story about a man who had to travel overseas for a year．He did not trust banks, so he buried his life savings in a park．Then he went away．On his return, he went straight to the park．But the park was no longer there．In its place there was a huge building．

　　And then there was the man who buried his savings, all in bank notes, in a waterproof(防水的)bag．When he dug it up years later, there was nothing left．Worms and insects had eaten the bag and everything in it．

　　And of course, these are stories about people who bury things and either forget where they have buried them or lose the map．

　　Although it is true that people sometimes lose their money because a bank fails, banks are still the safest place to keep our savings and treasures．

阅读理解

　　MADRID(AFP)－Some 40 000 Spaniards were gathering in the eastern town of Bunol ready to create a “human gazpacho(人体西班牙凉菜汤)”,hurling(投掷)some 100 000 kilograms(220 000 pounds)of tomatoes at one another to mark La Tomatina, surely one of the world’s messiest festivals．

　　Madcap fans from around the world converge(集中)on the normally sleepy town on the last Wednesday of August, many clad(穿衣的)in waterproof capes(防水衣)to stave(抵挡)off the onslaught(冲击)of juice and pulp(果肉)in a manic(狂轰滥炸)free-for-all believed to have begun life as an argument between two carnival(狂欢节)participants in 1945．

　　In keeping with local tradition local people and tourists join the fun and games from midday, when five lorries(卡车)groaning under the weight of tomatoes move into place in the central plaza of the town．

　　That is the signal for participants to hurl fruit at anything that moves and everybody gets drenched(“落汤鸡”)in the process．

　　The rules say the tomatoes have to be squashed up(被压碎)a little before they are thrown to make them all the squishier(粘糊糊的)．

　　After pelting(大战)each other for an hour revelers(狂欢者)jump in a nearby river to clean themselves while the fire brigade hose(用水冲)down the streets．