NewYorkTimes(DINITIASMITH)Tomo-优题课

Early people had very little effect on the environment. They lived in caves in very small ‘clan’groups. They collected or killed only enough for the clan’s survival. Early clans were nomadic, which means that they did not stay in one place. Instead, they moved around, following the animals that were their main food source and seeking areas where seasonal plants grew wild. Moving around seasonally helped to protect the environment. The land had time to recover and animals had time to breed (繁殖) before the clan returned for the next season.
As time went by, these small family clans joined with others to form larger groups for protection. Joining with other clans gave them more hunters and more women to help cut up the meat and share it between families. Eventually , people tamed(驯养) wild animals such as dogs and horses. People settled around rivers and fertile plains to share responsibilities and duties. Then, people began to plant crops instead of moving to areas where the plants grew. This development changed the environment.
Traditional forms of work also changed. Some people were better at performing a particular task than other clan members, so they began to specialize in things they were good at doing. This also meant that they began to exchange their goods for things that others produced.
People began to communicate with distant tribes. Land was cleared for roads. Foreign plants and animals were transported to places where they had not existed before. Specialization also gave people more free time. So art, dance and music became important ways of expressing feelings and thoughts. This was how many great civilizations started.
Compared to the past, modern civilization has experienced many changes to become the highly developed society that exists today. Populations have increased rapidly. Forests have been cleared for farms. Inventions and technology have made work easier.
However, pollution and other serious problems have also resulted from human progress. As concerned citizens, it is up to us to learn from past mistakes and to help maintain and improve our environment.
64. Early tribes didn't have much effect on animal population because __ .
A. they kept animals for themselves B. they ate only vegetables
C. they killed only enough for food D. they loved animals
65. The main purpose for small clans to join together was .
A. to hunt animals B. to seek safety C. to share cavesD. to protect environment
66. Which of the following is TRUE according to this passage?
A. Early people moved to new places looking for new sources of food.
B. Modem civilization began when people started to live together in big groups.
C. Modem advancements are always good for the environment.
D. People began to exchange goods because they didn't have enough money.
67. It can be concluded from the passage that .
A. human progress has brought civilization to the society
B. civilization has improved traditional forms of work
C. our environment has been affected by human progress
D. early people understood environmental protection

Most people think of racing when they see greyhounds (灰狗) and believe they need lots of exercise. They can actually be quite lazy! Greyhounds are good at fast races but not long-distance running. They do need regular exercise but they like to run for a short burst and then get back on the bed or a comfortable seat. Another misunderstanding is that greyhounds must be aggressive(好斗的) because they are big in size. In fact greyhounds love people and are gentle with children.
Greyhounds can live for 12 – 14 years but usually only race for two or three years, and after that they make great pets. They don’t need a lot of space, don’t make a lot of noise, and don’t eat a lot for their size.
Normally, greyhounds can be as tall as 90 cm. There is, however, a small-sized greyhound, which stands only 33cm. Greyhounds come in a variety of colors. Grey and yellowish-brown are the most common. Others include black, white, blue, red and brown or a mix of these.
Greyhounds have smooth body coats, low body fat and are very healthy. Because they’re slim (苗条的) they don’t have the leg problems like other dogs the same height. But they do feel the cold, especially since they would much rather be at home in bed than walking around outside.
56. The text is written mainly______.
A. to tell people how to raise greyhounds B. to let people know more about greyhounds
C. to explain why greyhounds are aggressive D. to describe greyhounds of different colors
57. It can be inferred that greyhounds_______.
A. love big doghouses B. like staying in bed all day
C. make the best guard dogs D. need some exercise outdoors
58. Why does the author say that greyhounds make great pets?
A. They are big in size. B. They live a very long life.
C. They can run races for some time. D. They are quiet and easy to look after.
59. If you keep a pet greyhound, it is important________.
A. to keep it slim B. to keep it warm C. to take special care of its legs
D. to take it to animal doctors regularly

Sorry to say, our brains pastorally start slowing down at the cruelly young age of 30. It used to be thought that this couldn’t be helped，but new studies show that people of any age can train their brains to work faster.“Your brain is a learning machine,” says University of California scientist Dr. Michael Merzenich. Given the right tools, we can train our brains to act like they did when we were younger. All that’s required is the practice designed just for the purpose: a few exercises for the mind.
Merzenich has developed a computer-based training method to speed up the process (过程) in which the brain deals with information (positscience com ). Since much of the data we receive comes through speech, the Brain Fitness Program works with language mad hearing to better speed and accuracy (准确性).
Over the course of training, the program starts asking you to distinguish (辨别)sounds (between “dog” and “bog”, for example) at an increasingly faster speed. It’s a bit like tennis instructor, says Merzenich, hitting balk at you faster and faster to keep you challenged(受到挑战). You may start out slow, but before long you’re pretty quick.
The biggest finding in brain research in the last ten years is that the brain at any age is highly plastic. If you ask your blain to learn，it will learn. And it may even speed up while in the process.
To keep your brain young and plastic you can do one of a million new activities that challenge and excite you：playing table tennis or bridge，doing crossword puzzles，learning a language....“When it comes to preventing ageing，you really do use it or lose it’s，”says Barbara Sahakian, professor at Cambridge University.
67. Dr. Merzenich’s training method mainly depends on______________.
A. speech trainingB. computer languages
C. the activities one joins inD. the information being dealt with
68. By saying “the brain to any is highly plastic”, the writer probably means the brain can be___________.
A. usedB. masteredC. developedD. researched
69. What can we learn from the text?
A. Practice makes a quick mind.
B. Brain research started ten yeas ago.
C. Dr. Merzenich is a scientist in computer.
D. People believed nothing could stop the brain slowing down.
70. Which of the following agrees with the writer’s idea?
A. The training methods work better for the old.
B. People should use the brain to stop it from ageing.
C. The training of the brain should start at an early age.
D. It’s necessary to take part in as many activities as possible.

In June, 2007, a group of students from eight high schools in Winnipeg, the capital of Canada’s Manitoba province, will begin test-launching (试发射) a satellite the size of a Rubik’s cube.
The one-kilogram Win-Cub satellite, named for its home city and its shape, will be put into low orbit. Once in space, it can perform for a few months or up to several years, communicating information that could help find the signs of earthquakes.
There are 80 similar satellite projects worldwide, but this is the first high-school based program of its kind in Canada. 30 Manitoba high school students are having a hand in designing and building the satellite, in cooperation with aerospace (航空航天的) experts and 10 students from the University of Manitoba, and with support from two other organizations.
The Win-Cube project is not something that goes on a piece of paper; it is real-world engineering, allowing high school students to have an opportunity to learn more about the exciting world of engineering through their participation in this challenging program. It is also taken as a wonderful example of the unique partnerships within Manitoba. Designing, building and launching a satellite with high-school participation will bring this world-class educational project into reality and Manitoba closer to space.
“These Manitoba high school students deserve congratulations for their enthusiasm, innovation (创新), and a strong love for discovery,” said Education, Citizenship and Youth Minister Peter Bjomson. “We want to make science more relevant (相关的), interesting and attractive to high school students by showing them how classroom studies can relate to practical experience in the workplace or, in this case, in space,” Bjomson added.
The Win-Cube program is mainly named at inspiring a strong desire for discovery on the part of the students. It also shows Manitoba’s devotion to research and innovation and the development of a skilled workforce—all important drivers of knowledge-based economic growth.
56. According to the passage, the Win-Cube satellite is _________.
A. named after Manitoba and its shape
B. intended for international communication
C. designed like a Rubik’s cube both in shape and size
D. challenged by university students around the world
57. According to Mr. Bjomson, ___________.
A. those Manitoba high school students are worth praising
B. the study of space can be practically made in classrooms
C. Manitoba high schools are famous for the study of space
D. scientific research is too far away from high school students
58. The primary purpose of the project is to _________.
A. find the early signs of earthquakes B. relate studies to practical
C. help high school students study real-world engineering
D. inspire a strong desire for discovery among the students
59. The best title for this passage may be ________.
A. Manitoba School B. Win-Cube Program C. Space Co-operation
D. Satellite Launching

Over the last 70 years, researchers have been studying happy and unhappy people and finally found out ten factors that make a difference. Our feelings of well-being at any moment are determined to a certain degree by genes. However, of all the factors, wealth and age are the top two.
Money can buy a degree of happiness. But once you can afford to feed, clothe and house yourself, each extra dollar makes less and less difference.
Researchers find that, on average, wealthier people are happier. But the link between money and happiness is complex. In the past half-century, average income has sharply increased in developed countries, yet happiness levels have remained almost the same. Once your basic needs are met, money only seems to increase happiness if you have more than your friends, neighbors and colleagues.
“Dollars buy status, and status makes people feel better,” conclude some experts, which helps explain why people who can seek status in other ways-scientists or actors, for example-may happily accept relatively poorly-paid jobs.
In a research, Professor Alex Michalos found that the people whose desires-not just for money, but for friends, family, job, health-rose furthest beyond what they already had, tended to be less happy than those who felt a smaller gap (差距)。Indeed, the size of the gap predicted happiness about five times better than income alone. “The gap measures just blow away the only measures of income.” says Michalos.
Another factor that has to do with happiness is age. Old age may not be so bad“Given all the problems of aging, how could the elderly be more satisfied？”asks Professor Laura Carstensen.
In one survey, Carstensen interviewed 184 people between the ages of 18 and 94, and asked them to fill out an emotions questionnaire. She found that old people reported positive emotions just as often as young people, Some scientists suggest older people may expect life to be harder and learn to live with it, or they’re more realistic about their time running out, older people have learned to focus on things that make them happy and let go of those that don’t.
“People realize not only what they have, but also that what they have cannot last forever,” she says. “A goodbye kiss to a husband or wife at the age of 85, for example, may bring far more complex emotional responses than a similar kiss to a boy or girl friend at the age of 20.”
72.According to the passage, the feeling of happiness .
A.is determined partly by genes B.increases gradually with age
C.has little to do with wealth D.is measured by desires
72.Some actors would like to accept poorly-paid jobs because the jobs .
A.make them feel much better B.provide chances to make friends
C.improse their social position D.satisfy their professional interests
74.Aged people are more likely to feel happy because they are more .
A.optimistic B.successful C.practical D. emotional
75.Professor Alex Michalos found that people feel less happy if .
A.the gap between reality and desire is bigger B.they have a stronger desire for friendship
C.their income is below their expectation D.the hope for good health is greater