BHowtoimproveourlife?Manypeopl-优题课

In the atmosphere, carbon dioxide acts rather like a one-way mirror or the glass in the roof of a greenhouse which allows the sun's rays to enter but prevents the heat from escaping.
　　 According to a weather expert' s prediction, the atmosphere will be 3℃ warmer in the year 2050 than it is today, if man continues to burn fuels at the present rate. If this warming up took place, the ice caps in the poles would begin to melt, thus raising sea level several metres and severely flooding coastal cities. Also, the increase in atmospheric temperature would lead to great changes in the climate of the northern hemisphere (北半球), possibly resulting in an alteration of the earth's chief food growing zones.
　　 In the past, concern about a man-made warming of the earth has concentrated on the Arctic because the Antarctic is much colder and has a much thicker ice sheet. But the weather experts are now paying more attention to West Antarctic, which may be affected by only a few degrees of warming, in other words, by a warming on the scale that will possibly take place in the next fifty years from the burning of fuels.
　　 Satellite pictures show that large areas of Antarctic ice are already disappearing. The evidence available suggests that a warming has taken place. This fits the theory that carbon dioxide warms the earth.
　　 However, most of the fuel is burnt in the northern hemisphere, where temperatures seem to be falling. Scientists conclude , therefore, that up to now natural influences on the weather have gone beyond those caused by man. The question is: Which natural cause has most effect on the weather?
　　 One possibility is the variable behavior of the sun. Astronomers at one research station have studied the hot spots and "cold" spots (that is, the relatively less hot spots) on the sun. As the sun rotates (使旋转), every 27. 5 days, it presents hotter or "colder" faces to the earth, and different aspects to different parts of the earth. This seems to have a considerable effect on the distribution of the earth's atmospheric pressure, and consequently on wind circulation. The sun is also changeable over a long term: its heat output goes up and down in cycles, the latest trend being downward.
　　 Scientists are now finding shared relations between models of solar weather interactions and the actual climate over many thousands of years, including the last Ice Age. The problem is that the models are predicting that the world should be entering a new Ice Age and it is not. One way of solving this theoretical difficulty is to assume a delay of thousands of years while the solar effects overcome the inertia (惯性) of the earth's climate. If this is right, the warming effect of carbon dioxide might thus be serving as a useful opposed balance to the sun's fading heat .
66. It can be concluded that a concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would_________.
A. mean a warming-up in the Antarctic
B. raise the temperature of the earth' s surface
C. prevent the sun's rays from reaching the earth's surface
D. explain the cause of great changes in the climate in the northern hemisphere
67.The article was written to explain ___________.
A. the greenhouse effect
B. the solar effects on the earth
C. the causes affecting weather
D. the models of solar-weather interactions
68. Although the fuel consumption is greater in the northern hemisphere, temperatures there　seem to be falling. This is__________.
A. mainly because the levels of carbon dioxide are rising
B. partly due to changes in the output of solar energy
C. possibly because the ice caps in the poles are melting
D. only due to the effect of the inertia of the earth' s climate
69. On the basis of their models, scientists believe the opinion that__________.
A. the climate of the world should be becoming cooler
B. the new Ice Age will be delayed by the greenhouse effect
C. the man-made warming effect helps to increase the solar effects
D. it will take thousands of years for the inertia of the earth's climate to take effect
70. If the assumption about the delay of a new Ice age is correct, ____________.
A. ice would soon cover the northern hemisphere
B. the greenhouse effect could work in favor of the earth
C. the best way to overcome the cooling effect would be to burn more fuels
D. the increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could warm up the earth even more quickly

Remember how great exercise was when you were a little kid? Back then, racing around the playground or skipping rope for hours, you weren’t thinking fitness, you were thinking entertainment. But in this age of high-tech home equipment and underused gym memberships, the simple joy of jumping rope has been forgotten, Rediscovering it will give you a total-body exercise you can find.
Although considered an excellent form of exercise, jumping rope has never gained widespread acceptance because of two fundamental reasons. First, most people recognize jumping rope as an excellent form of cardiovascular(心血管的)exercise, but they also believe that it is simply too difficult. In other words, they don’t think they’ll be able to continue jumping for the near 20 minutes that it takes to achieve a beneficial physical outcome. Second, many view it as somewhat boring and overly repetitive not as something fun or enjoyable.
As a matter of fact, jumping rope can be great fun if you find a proper way to practice it. Instead of doing the usual two-foot bounce over and over again, people good at rope-jumping often change their pattern every 10 or 20 jumps. A single bounce, a double-bounce, a skip, a knee-up, side swings, as well as a variety of other easy-to-learn free-style rope-jumping.
Now researchers are learning that jumping rope also prepares the brain for learning. It is an exercise allowing both brain hemispheres to perform in parallel to each other. In short, jumping rope can be a life-long activity requiring little equipment, time and space, yet leading to a much healthier life.
61. From the first paragraph we learn that_________.
A. jumping rope has faded from people’s memories
B. people now have more advanced equipment
C. racing around the playground was preferred
D. people now like to have exercise in a gym
62.Rope jumping has not spread widely because_________.
A. it benefits the cardiovascular system
B. it is neither easy nor enjoyable
C. it is considered boring and repetitive
D. it requires little equipment, time and space
63.The first sentence in the 3^rd paragraph implies_________.
A. there is only one proper way to follow
B. the usual way should not be used
C. the easiest way is always the best
D. there are many ways to follow
64.According to the researchers, jumping rope_________.
A. only prepares the brain for learning
B. is suitable for students only
C. helps both brain hemispheres work together
D. can be dangerous for old people
65.What is the author’s attitude towards rope jumping?
A. He is arguing against it
B. He is in favor of it
C. He is sitting on the fence of it
D. He is not clear about it

Since we are social beings, the quality of our lives depends in large measure on our interpersonal relationships .One strength of the human condition is our possibility to give and receive support from one another under stressful conditions .Social support makes up of the exchange of resources among people based on their interpersonal ties .Those of us with strong support systems appear better able to cope with major life changes and daily hassles(困难). People with strong social ties live longer and have better health than those without such ties. Studies over types of illnesses, from depression to heart disease, show that the presence of social support helps people fend off(挡开) illness, and the absence of such support makes poor health more likely.
Social support cushions stress in a number of ways .First, friends, relatives and co-workers may let us know that they value us .Our self-respect is strengthened when we feel accepted by others in spite of our faults and difficulties. Second, other people often provide us with informational support .They help us to define and understand our problems and find solutions to them. Third, we typically find social companionship supportive. Taking part in free-time activities with others helps us to meet our social needs while at the same time distracting (转移注意力)us from our worries and troubles. Finally, other people may give us instrumental support—money aid ,material resources, and needed services—that reduces stress by helping us resolve and cope with our problems.
56. Interpersonal relationships are important because _______.
A. they are indispensable(不可缺少的)to people’s social well-being
B. they awaken people’s desire to exchange resources
C. they help people to cope with life in the information era
D. they can cure a range of illnesses such as heart disease, etc
57. Research shows that people's physical and mental health _______.
A. relies on the social medical care systems which support them
B. has much to do with the amount of support they get from others
C. depends on their ability to deal with daily worries and troubles
D. is closely related to their strength for coping with major changes in their lives
58. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word “cushions”?
(Line 1, Para 2)
A. adds up to B. does away with
C. lessens the effect of D. lays the foundation for
59. Helping a sick neighbor with some repair work is an example of _______.
A. instrumental support B. informational support
C. social companionship D. the strengthening of self-respect
60. Social companionship is beneficial in that__________.
A. it helps strengthen our ties with relatives
B. it enables us to eliminate our faults and mistakes
C. it makes our leisure-time activities more enjoyable
D. it draws our attention away from our worries and troubles

　　 What caused this strange occurrence? This is a question that had long puzzled people who study fish. The answer turned out to be a combination of wind and storm.
　　When it is spring in the northern part of the world, it is fall in Australia. Throughout the autumn season, terrible storms arise and rains flood the land. The strong winds sweep over Australia like huge vacuum cleaners, collecting seaweed, pieces of wood, and even schools of fish. Strong winds may carry these bits of nature for many miles before dropping them on fields, houses, and astonished people.
　　Although they seem unusual, fish-falls occur quite frequently in Australia. When Bill Tapp was asked to describe the scene of fish, he remarked, “They look like millions of dead birds falling down.” His statement is not surprising. The wonders of the natural world are as common as rain. Nature, with its infinite wonders, can create waterfalls that flow upward and fish that fall out of the sky.
　　56. What is this passage about?
　　A. A sad story. 　　　　　　　　　　　　B. A rain of fish.
　　C. Australia’s northern part.　　　　　D. The damage done by floods.
　　57. Fish-falls occur in Australia_________ .
　　A. quite often 　　　　　　B. on large farms
　　C. only in winter　　　　　D. when the air is calm
　　58. It is a known fact that ________.
　　A. one should watch where one steps
　　B. Bill Tapp is a scientist who studies farming
　　C. the natural world can never create waterfalls that fall upward
　　D. the seasons in the southern part are different from those in the northern part
　　59. The word “infinite” is closest in meaning to _________.
　　A. easy 　　　B. difficult 　　　C. countless 　　　D. dangerous

Societies all over the world name places in similar ways. Quite often there is no official naming ceremony but places tend to be called names as points of reference by people. Then an organized body steps in and gives the place a name. Frequently it happens that a place has two names: One is named by the people and the other by the government. As in many areas, old habits died hard, and the place continues to be called by its unofficial name long after the meaning is lost.
Many roads and places in Singapore（新加坡） are named in order that the pioneers will be remembered by future generations. Thus we have names such as Stamford Road and Raffles Place. This is in keeping with traditions in many countries ---- in both the West and the East.
Another way of naming places is naming them after other places. Perhaps they were named to promote friendships between the two places or it could be that the people who used to live there were originally from the places that the roads were named after. The mystery is clearer when we see some of the roads named in former British bases. If you step into Selector Airbase you will see Piccadilly Circus ---- obviously named by some homesick Royal Air Force personnel.
Some places were named after the activities that used to go on at those places. Bras Basah Road is an interesting example, “Base Basah” means “wet rice” in Malay（马来语）. Now why would anyone want to name a road “Wet Rice Road”? The reason is simple. During the pioneering days, wet rice was laid out to dry along this road.
A few roads in Singapore are named by their shapes. There is “Circular Road” for one. Other roads may have part of their names to describe their shapes, like “Paya Lebar Crescent”. This road is called a crescent（月牙） because it begins on the main road, makes a crescent and comes back to join the main road again.
36. We learn from Paragraph 1 that _____.
A. the government is usually the first to name a place
B. many places tend to have more than one name
C. a ceremony will be held when a place is named
D. people prefer the place names given by the government
37. What does the underlined phrase “die hard” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
A. Change suddenly.
B. Change significantly.
C. Disappear mysteriously.
D. Disappear very slowly.
38. Which of the following places is named after a person?
A. Raffles Place.
B. Selector Airbase.
C. Piccadilly Circus.
D. Paya Lebar Crescent.
39. Bras Basah Road is named _______.
A. after a person
B. after a place
C. after an activity
D. by its shape
40. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Some place names in Singapore are the same as in Britain.
B. Some places in Singapore are named for military purposes.
C. The way Singaporeans name their places is unique.
D. Young Singaporeans have forgotten the pioneers.