Million
s of youngsters across Europe could suffer permanent hearing loss after five years if they listen to MP3 players at too high a volume for more than five hours a week, EU scientists warned.
The scientists’ study, requested by the European Commission, attacked the concept of “leisure noise,” saying children and teenagers should be protected from increasingly high sound levels---with loud mobile phones also coming in for criticism(批评).
“There has been increasing concern about exposure from the new generation of
personal music players which can reproduce sounds at very high volumes without loss of quality,” the Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said in a statement.
“Risk for hearing damage depends on sound level and exposure time,” it said. More and more young people were exposed to the great threat(威胁)that leisure noise posed to hearing, it said.
Commission experts said that between 50 and 100 million people listen to portable music players on a daily basis.
If they listened for only five hours a week at more than 89 decibels(分贝), they would already be beyond EU limits for noise allowed in the workplace, they said. But if they listened for longer periods, they risked permanent hearing loss after five years.
The scientists calculated the number of people in that risk category at between five and 10 percent of listeners, meaning up to 10 million people in the European Union.
Sales of personal music players have soared in EU countries in recent years, particularly of MP3 players.
"I am worried that so many young people ... who are frequent users of personal music players and mobile phones at high acoustic levels, may be unknowingly damaging their hearing ," she said in the statement.
62. Which of the following can be the best title of the article?
A. Youngsters across Europe: suffer permanent hearing loss.
B. MP3 players: sell best but do harm to youngsters
C. The scientists’ study: requested by the EU
D. EU warns youth: turn your MP3 players down!
63. This passage is most likely to be taken from a _________.
A. textbook B. medical report
C. teen magazine D. governmental newspaper
64. The underlined part in the forth paragraph most probably means________.
A. were uncovered B. felt C. realized D. were faced with
65. From the passage we know that________.
A. besides the high sound levels, scientists also criticized loud mobile phones.
B. if one listened for 5 hours more a week at 100 decibels, he would risk permanent hearing loss.
C. it is only the level of the sound that can do damage to hearing.
D. the scientists said there were 5-10 percent of MP3 listeners risking hearing loss around the world.
An earthquake happens when two plates rub (碰撞) together. The earth plates travel in different directions and at different speeds. If one plate is slowly forced underneath the other, pressure builds up until the plates break apart. This process causes the ground to move. It is an earthquake. In other words, earth-quakes are the shaking of the earth’s surface caused by the earth’s rocky outer layer as a result of the energy stored within the earth. The strain within the rocks is suddenly released (释放).
The damage an earthquake causes depends on where it is and the time it is happening. If an unpopulated region is struck, there will be low loss of life or property. If it hits a large city, there may be many in-juries and much destruction. Many of the areas at risk are largely populated now. Major earthquakes hitting those areas today could produce terrible damage.
Actually, there are several million small earth-quakes every year. Large earthquakes such as the 1964 Alaskan quake that measured 9.2 on the Richter scale, cause millions of dollars in damage. In the last 500 years, millions of people have been killed by earth-quakes around the world — including 240,000 in the 1976 Tangshan earthquake in China.
A 60-second or less earthquake can cause devastation that continues for years after the first tremor (小震). In 1972, a series of severe earthquakes struck Managua, Nicaragua. Fifteen years later, the city still looked the way it had a week after the earthquake hit, because the country did not have the necessary money to rebuild it.
The shaking of the earth is sometimes not the greatest disaster. It is in the ensuing fires and floods that often the greatest damage occurs. In the 1906 earthquake, it was the fires caused after it that did the majority of the damage. An earthquake can also destroy dams high above a city or valleys, causing floods to sweep down and sweep away everything in their path. Which of the following is the main idea of the first paragraph?
| A.An earthquake comes from inside the earth. |
| B.The earth has great energy in storage. |
| C.How the earth plates move. |
| D.How an earthquake happens. |
How many examples are used in the passage to show the damage and destruction earthquakes cause?
| A.Three. | B.Four. | C.Five. | D.Six. |
Which of the following is mentioned to show that an earthquake can kill too many people?
| A.The 1964 Alaskan quake. |
| B.The 1976 Tangshan earthquake. |
| C.The 1972 Managua earthquake. |
| D.The 1906 earthquake. |
The underlined word “ensuing” in the last paragraph probably means ______.
| A.causing too much heat and great damage |
| B.causing many injuries and much destruction |
| C.happening as a result of another event |
| D.happening suddenly and unexpectedly |
By giving the example in Paragraph 4, the author wants to show that ______.
| A.an earthquake doesn’t last long |
| B.the damage can last long |
| C.people in Managua suffered too much |
| D.Nicaragua is still a poor country |
A traveller was staying in an Egyptian village. One day, she held up her camera to take pictures of the children. Suddenly the young ones began to shout at her. The traveller's face turned red and she apologized to the head for what she was doing, and told him she had forgotten that people in some places believed a person would lose his soul(灵魂) if his picture was taken. She explained to him the operation of a camera for a long time. Several times the head tried to say something, but he couldn't. When she believed that the head didn't fear any longer, the traveller then let him speak. With a smile, he said, "The children were trying to tell you that you forgot to take off the lens(镜头) cap!" The children shouted when the traveller was taking pictures of them because ______.
| A.they didn't want to stop playing |
| B.the traveller forgot to take off the cap on her head |
| C.they didn't want to have their pictures taken |
| D.the traveller was not doing well with her camera |
The traveller made an apology to (向……道歉) the head because _______.
| A.she thought it was not right to take people's pictures without telling them beforehand(事先) |
| B.the children would lose their souls |
| C.she had stayed in the village too long |
| D.she didn't take a picture of the head first |
The traveller explained how to use a camera to the head because _______.
| A.the head was very interested in her camera |
| B.the head wanted to learn to take pictures |
| C.she was afraid of the head |
| D.she wanted the head not to worry about what she was doing |
When the head smiled, it's clear that _______ .
| A.the children wanted to play with her |
| B.the traveller didn't know what the children meant |
| C.he wanted the traveller to tell him something else |
| D.the traveller didn't let him speak |
Which of the following is NOT right?
| A.The traveller knew something about people in some countries. |
| B.The children wouldn't mind if the traveller took pictures of them. |
| C.The head was afraid that the traveller's camera would hurt the children. |
| D.The traveller didn't understand why the children shouted. |
Learning a Second Language
Some people learn a second language easily. Others have trouble learning a new language. How can you help yourself learn a new language, such as English? There are several ways to make learning English a little easier and more interesting.
The first step is to feel positive about learning English. If you believe that you can learn, you will learn. Be patient. You do not have to understand everything all at once. It is natural to make mistakes when you learn something new. We can learn from our mistakes. In other words, do not worry about taking risks.
The second step is to practice your English. For example, write a diary every day. You will get used to writing it in English, and you will feel comfortable expressing your ideas in English. Several weeks later, you will see that your writing is improving. In addition, you must speak English every day. You can practice with your classmates outside class. You will all make mistakes, but gradually you will become comfortable communicating in English.
The third step is to keep a record of your language learning. You can write this in your journal. After each class, think about what you did. Did you answer a question correctly? Did you understand something the teacher explained? Perhaps the lesson was difficult, but you tried to understand it.
You must be positive about learning English and believe that you can do it. It is important to practice every day and make a record of your achievements. You will enjoy learning English, and you will feel more confident in yourself.To feel positive about learning English means _______.
| A.if you are patient, you will learn |
| B.you can understand everything all at once |
| C.if you make mistakes, you can learn from your mistakes |
| D.if you believe you can learn, you will learn |
When you learn English, you do not need to ______.
| A.be patient | B.make mistakes |
| C.express your ideas in English | D.understand everything all at once |
What is not helpful for you to enjoy learning English?
| A.To communicate in English. |
| B.To worry about taking risks. |
| C.To think about what has been done after each class. |
| D.To make a record of the achievements. |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A.It is very important to learn a second language. |
| B.Some people learn a second language easily while other people do not. |
| C.There are ways to help you learn a second language more easily. |
| D.Don’t worry about taking risks when learning a second language. |
What does the underlined word “journal” in the 4th paragraphmean?
| A.Diary | B.Composition | C.Poem | D.Newspaper |
Your body, which has close relations with the food you eat, is the most important thing you own, so it needs proper treatment and proper nourishment (营养).The old saying “An apple a day keeps the doctor away ”is not as silly as some people think. The body needs fruit and vegetables because they contain vitamin C. Many people take extra vitamins in pill form, believing that these will make them healthy.
But a good diet is made up of nourishing food and this gives all the vitamins you need. The body doesn’t need or use extra vitamins, so why waste money on them?
In the modern western world, many people are too busy to bother about eating properly. They throw anything into their stomachs, eating hurriedly and carelessly. The list of illnesses caused or made worse by bad eating habits is frightening,“Your body has close relations with the food you eat.” It really means that ______.
| A.all kinds of food you eat can be made into your body |
| B.your body is made up of the food you eat |
| C.what you eat has great effect on your health |
| D.the more you eat, the fitter you will feel |
The old saying referred to in the passage tells us that ______.
| A.eating apples regularly does lots of good to our health |
| B.the apple is the best among all kinds of fruits |
| C.apples can take the place of doctors |
| D.an apple is a sure cure for illness |
In the second paragraph, the writer tries to let us know ______.
| A.our bodies need food or we can’t live |
| B.often eating apples is a good habit |
| C.taking extra vitamin pills is completely useless |
| D.a good diet is of great importance for our health |
In the modern western countries ______.
| A.people don’t want to pay more attention to their eating |
| B.lots of people’s illnesses are caused or made worse by bad eating habits |
| C.people throw everything into their stomachs without chewing |
| D.people are only too busy to cook meals for themselves |
From the passage we can draw a conclusion that if we want to keep healthy, we should ______.
| A.only eat an apple a day |
| B.eat properly |
| C.take as many vitamin pills as possible |
| D.throw something into our stomachs slowly and carefully |
IS IT TIME TO GET - MP3
Your computer has been playing music for years, one CD at a time.Now hundreds of songs can be stored in your PC if they’re in the MP3 format.
What is it?
MP3 compresses (压缩) music into small computer—friendly files.You access MP3 music several ways: Tunes can be downloaded from websites that have converted (转变) vast music libraries into MP3.Or you can prerecorded CDs into your PC and convert songs in minutes into MP3.Once MP3 music is on your PC’s hard drive, you can play it through your computer’s speakers, “burn” it onto blank CDs or swap (交换) MP3 files with friends using e—mail.
How much?
Software needed to play and convert MP3 music is often free.It is preinstalled (预先安装)on most new computers or can be downloaded from many websites, including MP3, com.Some MP3 sites are free.Just type at around $50 and can hold hundreds of songs.A blank CD on which you can record music costs about a dollar.
Advantages
MP3 turns your home PC into a jukebox (自动唱机).Tiny MP3 players are the size of a deck of cards, making it easy to take hundreds of songs with you.
Disadvantages
You may find that music at many sites is limited.And some only allow you to listen rather than download offerings.Others let you download music that then can’t be copied to MP3 players.And a growing number of new CDs make it impossible to copy songs to a computer.How can you get Mp3 music?
| A.By turning your home PC into jukebox. |
| B.By taking you own music or songs with you. |
| C.By copying songs to a PC through the speakers. |
| D.By downloading from websites which have converted music libraries. |
How much will you pay for a MP3 player?
| A.Free of charge | B.Free downloading |
| C.At least fifty dollars | D.About a dollar |
What is the closest meaning of the underlined word “burn”?
| A.Copy | B.Play | C.Store | D.Change |