1
What is time? Is it a thing to be saved or spent or wasted, like money? Or is it something we have no control over, like the weather? Americans see time as a valuable resource. Maybe that's why they are fond of the expression, "Time is money."
The early American hero Benjamin Franklin expressed this view best: "Do you love life? Then do not waste time, for that is the stuff（材料） life is made of."
American lifestyles（生活方式） show how much people respect（尊重） the time of others. When people plan an event, they often set the time days or weeks in advance. Once the time is fixed, it takes almost an emergency（紧急情况） to change it.
Even Americans would admit that no one can master（掌控） time. Time-like money-slips（溜掉） all too easily through our fingers. And time-like the weather-is very hard to predict（预料）. Nevertheless, time is one of life's most precious gifts. And unwrapping（撕开） it is half the fun.
2
A study（研究） done in the United States confirmed（证实） that people gain weight during the holiday season more than at other times of the year.
When faced with a threat（威胁）, our common responses（反映） are to fight, or take flight. However, when we are faced with an overwhelming variety（琳琅满目的）of food, our response seems to be to eat all we can.
Experts say that when people are faced with an all-you-can-eat buffet（自助餐）, they eat more because they think they are getting more for their money. They often forget they are paying the same amount whether they eat just what they need, or everything they want.
In fact, behavior（行为） like this puts people on the same level（水准） as laboratory（实验室） mice（老鼠）. When mice are faced with many different foods to choose from, they too cannot help but overeat（吃的过饱）.
* 3
A Hollywood producer（制片人） was determined to give his mother a birthday gift that would be better than any his brothers were giving her. He heard about an amazing bird, which could talk in twelve languages and sing ten famous operas（歌剧）. He immediately bought the bird and sent it to his mother．It cost him＄50,000.
The day after her birthday,he phoned his mother．“What did you think of the bird, Mother?”He asked eagerly（热切地）．His mother replied（回答）,“Delicious!”
一位好莱坞制片人决定送给他母亲一份生日礼物,那将比他的兄弟们送的任何礼物都要好.他听说有一只令人惊异的鸟能说十二种语言,能唱十种著名歌剧,便立即买下了这只鸟,寄给了他的母亲.这花了他五万美元.他母亲生日的翌日,他打电话给她.“妈妈,您觉得那只鸟儿怎么样?”他急切地问.他母亲回答说：“味道好极了!”
4
Many people believe sharks are dangerous and will always try to hurt or even kill humans. In fact, 94 per cent of the world's 400 species（物种） are harmless（无害的） to humans.
Most people fail to realize（了解、认识） that shark attacks don't happen very often. Humans are more likely to be killed by lightning（闪电） than by a shark.
A shocking（令人震惊的） 100 million sharks are killed every year around the world by humans.
It is a worrying（让人忧虑的） situation and some areas have put measures（措施、手段） in place to protect these special fish.
5
First, you should compare（比较） prices（价格）. This means（意味着） going to different shops and see how much something costs at each place. When you bargain, never let the shopkeeper（店员） know how much you want something. Instead（代替,而非）, act（行动,表现）like you do not care if you buy it or not. You should also criticize（评价）the thing you want to buy. Such as, I don't like the color. The style（款式）is a little bit old. I saw it at another store and the price is lower.
这个范围太大了...所以比较难找,我找了难易程度有些许不同的5篇,其中的一些生词都有注解...个人比较推荐第三篇,第三篇难易程度一般,而且是个幽默的小笑话.希望你能喜欢!