American’s genius with high technology may have put men on the moon, but there is growing doubt about its ability to solve human problems closer to home.
In fact, a slight but significant change from purely technological solutions is already under way as scientists insist that answers to the world’s problems will not come from an attractive exhibition of electronics and machines. Instead, as they see it, solutions must develop from a better understanding of the humans that drive the system and from a fuller appreciation of the limits and potential(潜能) of the earth’s resources.
What this means is an increased emphasis on the life and earth sciences, on sociology, psychology, economics and even philosophy.
More and more of the best minds in science, particularly young researchers, are being drawn into these developing fields.
All this is not to say that technological creativity will not play a critical role in solving energy and food shortages, or that answers to environmental difficulties will not come from further advances in the same technologies that may have helped cause the problems.
Where the real challenge lies, in the view of the new generation of scientists, is in finding ways to produce goods and meet the world’s needs, using less of the raw materials that are becoming short. Which of the following would the author probably agree with?
| A．The environment crisis will not be solved unless we stop using virgin（原始）materials. |
| B．In scientific research, a higher priority（优先）should be given to understanding all living systems. |
| C．Exploration of outer space will finally lead to an improvement on human living conditions. |
| D．U. S. high-technology companies are welcoming this new change in scientific research. |
Which of the following best expresses the main idea?
| A．a growing number of Americans are doubtful about what high technology can do in solving the world’s problems. |
| B．Many scientists are beginning to believe that the better understanding of human beings will play a more decisive role in solving the world’s problems. |
| C．More and more young scientists are trying their best to find new ways to solve the world’s problems. |
| D．Technological creativity will still play a very important part in solving the world’s problems. |
Young scientists demand that in order to satisfy human needs ________.
| A．existing products be improved. |
| B．more complex machines and electronic equipment be designed. |
| C．ways be found to produce better goods using fewer raw materials. |
| D．any new invention and innovation be encouraged in technology |
In the passage “Human problems” or “world problems” refers mainly to ______.
| A．global food shortage | B．resources depletion（耗尽） |
| C．environmental pollution | D．all of the above |
The author states all the following CXCEPT that _______.
| A．the development of present techniques cannot provide any answers to today’s problems. |
| B．an increasing number of young scientists are taking a great interest in biological and social sciences. |
| C．many scientists have come to understand the limits of natural resources. |
| D．many scientists argue that high technology is something but not everything. |
If you want to become a fluent English speaker you should take some advice. There are four skills in learning English. They are reading, listening, speaking, and writing. The most important thing you must remember is that if you want to improve your speaking and writing skills, you should first master the skills of reading and listening.
Read as much as you can. But your reading must be active. It means that you must think about the meaning of the sentence, the meaning of the unfamiliar words, etc. There is no need for you to pay much attention to grammars or try to understand all the unfamiliar words you come across, but the fact that you see them for the first time and recognize them whenever you see them, for example, in other passages or books, is enough. It would be better to prepare yourself a notebook so you can write down the important words or sentences in it.
As for listening, there are two choices: besides reading, you can listen every day for about 30 minutes. You can only pay attention to your reading and become skillful at your reading, then you can catch up on your listening. Since you have lots of inputs in your mind, you can easily guess what the speaker is going to say. This never means that you should not practice listening. For listening you can listen to cartoons or some movies that are specially made for children. Their languages are easy. Or if you are good at listening you can listen to VOA or BBC programs every day. Again the thing to remember is being active in listening and preferably taking some notes.
If you follow these pieces of advice, your speaking and writing will improve quickly, and you can be a fluent English speaker one day.According to the writer, which should you improve first among the four skills?
| A．Reading and listening. | B．Reading and writing. |
| C．Writing and speaking. | D．Speaking and listening. |
To improve your reading, when you read you should ______.
| A．look up all the new words in the dictionary |
| B．think about what you are reading actively |
| C．spend more time studying grammars |
| D．copy as many words and sentences as possible |
The underlined phrase “come across” in Paragraph 2 can probably be replaced by “______”.
| A．meet | B．discover | C．hear | D．look for |
The passage is mainly about how to ______.
| A．choose suitable listening materials |
| B．deal with new words in reading |
| C．improve your reading ability as quickly as possible |
| D．become fluent in speaking and writing English |
Thomas Alva Edison was awarded more patents on inventions than any other American. When he died in 1931, Americans wondered how they could best show their respect for him. One suggestion was that the nation observe a minute or two of total blackout. All electric power would be shut off in homes, streets, and factories. Perhaps this suggested plan made Americans realize fully what Edison and his inventions mean to them. Electric power was too important to the country. Shutting it off for even a short time would have led to complete confusion. A blackout was impossible.
On the day of Edison's funeral, many people silently dimmed their lights. In this way they honored the man who had done more than anyone else to put the great force of electricity at his countrymen's fingertips.This selection says that Thomas Edison ________.
| A．was the only important American inventor |
| B．received the first American patent |
| C．received more patents than any other American |
| D．was the first American inventor |
People decided to honor Edison when ________.
| A．he made the first electric light |
| B．electric power was 100 years |
| C．the country realized electricity's importance |
| D．he died in 1931 |
The suggested plan was to ________.
| A．turn off the lights in factories and schools |
| B．observe a few minutes of total silence |
| C．dim all electric lights |
| D．shut off all electricity for a short time |
When I was about 12, I had an enemy, a girl who liked to point out my shortcomings(缺点). Sometimes she said I was thin. Sometimes she said I was lazy. Sometimes she said I wasn’t a good student. Sometimes she said I talked too much, and so on. I tried to put up with(忍受) her as long as I could. At last, I became very angry. I ran to my father with tears in my eyes.
He listened to me quietly, and then he asked, “Are the things she said true or not? Mary, didn’t you ever wonder what you’re really like? Go and make a list of everything she said and mark the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said.”
I did as he told me and to my surprise, I discovered that about half the things were true.
I brought the list back to my dad. He refused to take it. “That’s just for you,” he said. “You know better than anyone else the truth about yourself. When something said about you is true, you’ll find it will be helpful to you. Don’t shut your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you think is right.”
Many years have passed. The situation often appears in my mind. In our life we often meet with some trouble and we often go to someone and ask for advice. For some advice you will treasure(珍惜) all your life!What did the writer’s father do after he heard her complaints(抱怨)?
| A．He agreed with her “enemy”. |
| B．he let her continue to put up with her “enemy”. |
| C．He told her to write down all her “enemy” had said about her. |
| D．He told her not to pay attention to what her “enemy” had said. |
The writer felt ______ when she did the things as her father had told her.
| A．surprised | B．angry | C．disappointed | D．sad |
Which of the following can we know from the passage?
| A．The “enemy” thought the writer was pretty. |
| B．The “enemy” thought the writer studied hard. |
| C．The writer and her “enemy” became best friends at last. |
| D．The writer is grateful to her father. |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．My Parents |
| B．A Serious Criticism(批评) |
| C．What People Say About You Is Always Right |
| D．The Best Advice I Ever Had |
In the United States, 30 percent of the people have a “weight problem”. To many people the cause is obvious (明显的): they eat too much. But scientific evidence (证据) does little to support this idea. Going back to America of 1910, we find that people were thinner than today, yet they at e more food. In those days people worked harder physically, walked more, used machines much less, and didn’t watch television.
Several modern studies, moreover, have shown that fatter people don’t eat more on average than thinner people. A 1979 study of 3,545 London office workers showed that fat people eat less than slim (苗条的) people.
Studies also show that slim people are more active than fat people. A study by a research group at Stanford University found the following interesting facts:
The more the man ran, the greater loss of the body fat.
The more they ran, the greater increase in food intake.
Thus, those who ran the most ate the most, yet lost the greatest amount of body fat.Nowadays many Americans have the problem that ______.
| A．they are too slim | B．they work too hard |
| C．they are too fat | D．they lose too much body fat |
According to the passage, how many people in 900 Americans have a “weight problem”?
| A．150. | B．300. | C．600. | D．270. |
Is there any scientific evidence to support the idea that eating too much is the cause of a “weight problem”?
| A．Yes, there is plenty of evidence. |
| B．Of course, there is some evidence to support this. |
| C．There is hardly any scientific evidence to support this. |
| D．We are not sure. |
The Americans in 1910 ________.
| A．ate more food and had more physical activities |
| B．ate less food but had more physical activities |
| C．ate less food and had less physical activities |
| D．had more problems |
Even a child knows that nodding the head means “Yes”. But some people will probably be puzzled when they first come to India. When they talk to an Indian, he often shakes his head. They might think that the Indian does not like what he said, but on the contrary he is expressing agreement.
The Indians have a habit of shaking their heads slightly when they talk to somebody. It doesn’t mean “No”, but “Yes”.
If a person doesn’t know this, it might cause misunderstanding.
At one time a foreigner in Indian told his driver who was an Indian to take him to his office. The driver shook his head. The foreigner repeated his request and the driver shook his head again. At last, the foreigner shouted angrily, “Drive me to my office at once!” The driver said in a low voice, “Yes, sir,” smiling and shaking his head again at the same time.Generally speaking, nodding the head means _______, and shaking the head means _______.
| A．Yes; No | B．No; Yes | C．Yes; Yes | D．No; No |
Why did the Indian driver shake his head when the foreigner asked him to drive him to his office? Because _________.
| A．the Indian driver had something important to do |
| B．the foreigner promised to give him only a little money |
| C．the driver felt uncomfortable at that time |
| D．in India shaking the head means agreement |
Why did the foreigner become angry? Because _______.
| A．the Indian driver didn’t want to send him to his office |
| B．he misunderstood the meaning of shaking the head in India |
| C．he asked the driver to send him to his office, but the Indian driver didn’t say any words |
| D．the Indian driver asked him for a lot of money |
The underlined phrase “on the contrary” means ________.
| A．just the opposite |
| B．clear difference between two things |
| C．doing what you want to do |
| D．on the other hand |