初三英语时文阅读(2009.4.22).doc

初三英语时文阅读（2009.4.22） （材料一）“美国第一家庭”迎来“白宫第一狗”！早在竞选总统的时候，奥巴马就承诺送给两个女儿一条宠物狗，无论成败。 Meet the First Pet: Bo, the Portuguese Water Dog! Last Tuesday, the U.S. first family officially welcomed their first pet—Bo, a 6-month-old Portuguese water dog*. The selection was one of the White House’s most tightly kept secrets.They’ll love the dog!　　President Barack Obama’s daughters, 10-year-old Malia and 7-year-old Sasha, never had pets before. The black and white puppy is a gift from Sen. Edward Kennedy (爱德华·肯尼迪参议员), who owns three Portuguese water dogs himself.　　“We couldn’t be happier to see the joy that Bo is bringing to Malia and Sasha,” Kennedy said in a statement. “We love our Portuguese water dogs and know that the girls—and their parents—will love theirs, too.”Why Bo?　　Malia and Sasha have named the dog Bo, after a cousin’s cat and in honor of Michelle Obama’s grandfather, who was nicknamed Diddley. The name for the dog was an apparent (明显的) reference (参考) to the singer “Bo” Diddley.　　White House aides (助手) told the AP (美联社) that the office of the first lady arranged an exclusive (排他的,独家的) deal (交易) on the dog story with the Washington Post (《华盛顿邮报》).That’s top secret!　　Before the official announcement, many websites were abuzz with rumors (谣言，流言) of the first family’s selection; one website even claimed it had pictures of the first pet. Hearing the rumors, Obama joked to reporters: “Oh, man, now, that’s top secret.”　　“That was a campaign promise,” Obama said in a talk show last month. The president made a lot of promises during his election campaign, but none more important than (没有比…更重要的) this one to his young daughters; he vowed to buy them a dog, win or lose.　　Now, he has fulfilled the promise. *water dog: 会游水的狗, (俚语) 老练的水手 be abuzz with 热烈…(讨论) 假期在即，手头却有数不清的作业？试试“留在家里的假期”吧！最美的风景就在身边！ Getting Away by Staying Home What will you be doing for the Labor Day holiday? For many, the extra days off provide an ideal opportunity to go and see new places. This is a gre