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　　江苏省英语任务型阅读专练  
　　01
　　Time talks. It speaks more plainly than words. Time communicates in many ways.In social life, time plays a very important part. In the United States, guests tend to feel they are not highly regarded if the invitation to a dinner party is extended only three or four days before the party date. But this is perhaps not true in some other countries. There it may be considered foolish to make an appointment too far in advance because plans which are made for a date more than a week away tend to be forgotten. w.w.w..c.o.m
　　The meanings of time differ in different parts of the world. Thus, misunderstandings arise between people from cultures that treat time differently. Promptness is valued highly in American life. For example, no one would think of keeping a business associate waiting for an hour. It would be too impolite. When equals(同辈) meet, a person who is five minutes late is expected to make a short apology. If he is less than five minutes late, he will say a few words of explanation, though perhaps he will not complete the sentence.
　　In the western world, particularly in the United States, people tend to think of time as something fixed in nature, something from which one cannot escape. As a rule, Americans think of time as a road stretching into the future, along which one progresses. The road has many sections which are to be kept separate—“one thing at a time”. People who cannot plan events are not highly regarded. The American idea of the future is limited, however. It is the foreseeable future, not the future of the South Asian, which may involve centuries. Someone has said of the South Asian idea of time. “Time is liseum with endless halls and rooms. You, the viewer, are walking through the museum in the dark, holding a light to each scene as you pass it. God is in charge of the museum, and only he knows all that is in it. One lifetime represents one room.”
　　Since time has such different meanings in different cultures, communication is often difficult. We will understand each other a little better if we can keep this fact in mind.
　　Time
　　Different places In the USA In other places  1  South Asia
　　Different  2
　　of time 1. It is impolite that one is  3  of an appointment only three days earlier.
　　2. Future is  4  and foreseeable.  1. It is considered foolish that you plan an appointment too  5 .
　　2. Future is far away and may involve a very long period of time.
　　Attitudes toward  time 1. Time is like a road stretching into the future. People should do one thing at a time.
　　2. People are in charge of time by  6  events reasonably. 1. Time is liseum with endless halls and rooms. One lifetime  7 
　　one room.
　　2. God takes charge of time.
　　8 1. It’s impossible to keep a business associate waiting for an hour.
　　2. A person who is five minutes late will  9  to the other briefly. w.w.w..c.o.m
　　Conclusion It’s difficult to communicate  10  understanding the different meanings of time in different cultures.
　　02
　　The modern Olympic Games were founded with the intention of improving health and education, promoting world peace and encouraging fair and equal competition. But over the years, the Olympic famous saying, “Faster, higher, stronger”, has pushed scientists as well as athletes to do everything possible to reach new levels.
　　Doctors, engineers and coaches all use everything science can offer to achieve that little bit extra in competition. The reason modern technology has become part of sport is very simple: Winning is just as important as it was 2,500 years ago at the Olympics of ancient Greece.
　　Development in technology has often been reflected in the methods of training and performance used at the Olympics through history. This technology falls into two main groups: improving an athlete’s performance in competition, and allowing results to be measured more accurately.
　　One of the creations that have drawn the most attention is the new high-tech swimsuit from Speedo, which was used by most US swimmers in Athens. Until Sydney 2000, it was thought that the smaller the swimsuit, the faster the swimmer would travel.
　　“However, the fact that at the Sydney Olympics, 28 of the 33 gold medallists were wearing the body covering Fastsit proved the theory was out of date,” said Andy Thomas, vice-president of Speedo. w.w.w..c.o.m
　　The company’s full body suit is supposed to make swimmers 3 to 4 percent faster, particularly when turning or diving into the water. It is believed that the suit creates less water resistance as it moves, behaving more like a shark skin than a human skin.
　　The introduction of high-tech equipment means that athletes