Something big is happening to the human race, something that could be called the Great Transformation.
The Transformation consists of all the changes that are occurring in human life due to advancing technology. For thousands of years such progress occurred slowly. Now everything is changing so fast that you may find yourself wondering where all this progress is really leading.
Nobody knows what all these changes will really mean in the long run. But this mysterious Transformation is the biggest story of all times. It is the story of the human race itself.
Some people worry about what will happen when the deposits(蕴藏)of petroleum are gone, but already researchers are finding all kinds of new ways to get energy. Someday, solar power collected by satellites circling the earth or fission(裂变) power produced by mankind may give us all the energy we need for an expanding civilization(文明).Space exploraton promises to open up much new land for human settlement, as well as leading to the harvest of mineral resources.
Like it or not, our advancing technology has made us masters of the earth. We not only control all the other animals, but also reshape the world’s plant life and even its soil and rocks, its waters and surrounding air.
Technology gives us the power to build a great new civilizaion, if we can just agee on what we want it to be, bu today, there is little global agreement on goals and how we should achieve them.
So it remanins to be seen what will happen as a result of our technology. Pessimists(悲观主义者) worry that we will use the technology eventually to blow ourselves up. But they have been saying that for decades, and so far we have escaped. Whether we will continue to do so remains unknown, but we can continue to hope.
68.The Great Transformation is caused by ________.
A. changes in human life B.the development of science and technology
C. space exploration D. unknown reasons
69.Today it is impossible for people to build a remarkable new civilization because __________. A.nobody is optimistic about the future
B.human beings aare unabale to do so
C.people diagree with each other in many ways
D.people are worried too much
70.Advancing technology could possibly make us_______.
A.hesitate B.decisive C.powerless D.mysterious
A year ago, I paid no attention to English idioms, though my teacher emphasized(强调)the importance again and again. But soon, the importance of English idioms was shown in an amusing experience
One day, I happened to meet an Englishman on the road, and soon we began to talk. As I was talking about how I was studying English, the foreigner seemed to be surprised . Gently shaking his head, shrugging his shoulders, he said, “You don’t say!” “You don’t say!” I was puzzled. I thought , perhaps this is not an proper topic. “Well, I’d better change the topic. “ So I said to him, “Well, shall we talk about the Great Wall? By the way, have you ever been there?” “Certainly, everyone back home will laugh at me if I leave China without seeing it. It was wonderful.” He was deep in thought when I began to talk like a tourist guide. “The Great Wall is one of the wonders in the world. We are very proud of it.” Soon I was stopped again by his words: “You don’t say!” I couldn’t help asking, “Why do you ask me not to talk about it ?” “Well, I didn’t ask you to do so,” he answered, greatly surprised. I said, “Didn’t you say ‘you don’t say’?” Hearing this, the Englishman laughed to tears. He began to explain, ‘You don’t say.’actually means ‘really’! It is an expression of surprise. Perhaps you don’t pay attention to English idioms.” Only then did I know how foolish I had been. Since then I have been more careful with idiomatic expressions. Remember: what the Engl
ish teachers said is always right to us students.
At first, on hearing “You don’t say”, I thought the foreigner meant____.
A.He was not interested in the topic | B.He was only interested in the Great Wall |
C.I had talked too much | D.I had to stop talking |
The underlined word in the first paragraph probably means____.
A.interesting | B.important | C.terrible | D.unlucky |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A.The Englishman left China without seeing the Great Wall. |
B.The Englishman wanted to see the Great Wall after I talked about it. |
C.The Englishman wanted me to act as his guide. |
D.The Englishman visited the Great Wall and thought it worth (值得) visiting. |
After the Englishman explained the idiom, _____.
A.I thought the Englishman had made me a fool. |
B.The Englishman became a real fool. |
C.I felt very foolish |
D.I became more careful in everything. |
BRITAIN is a popular tourist place. But tours of the country have advantages and disadvantages .
ADVANTAGES
Free museums. No charge for good collections of art works
Pop music. Britain is the only country to rival(与…匹敌)the US on this point.
Cabs. London taxi drivers well know where they are going.
Choice of food. Visitors can find food from every corner of the world .
Fashion. Not only do fashion junkies love deeply and respect highly brand names such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen; street styles are justly loved, too.
DISADVANTAGES
Poor service. People can dine out on the rudeness they have experienced,” says Professor Tony Seaton, of Luton University’s International Tourism Research Center.
Poor public transport. Trains and buses are promised to defeat tourists who have the most patience, so the over- crowded London tube is inexplicably(难以理解的) popular.
Rain. Still in the number one complaint.
Overpriced hotels. The only European country with a higher rate of tax on hotel rooms is Denmark.
Drinking hours. Alcohol(酒) is in short supply after 11 pm even in “24-hour cities”. What do tourists complain most?
A.Poor service. | B.Poor public transport. |
C.Rain. | D.Overpriced hotels. |
When is alcohol not able to get?
A.At 9: 00 pm | B.At 10: 00 pm | C.At 11: 00 pm | D.At 12: 00 pm |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A.You have to pay to visit the museums. |
B.Only clothing with brand names are sold in London . |
C.You cannot find Chinese food there. |
D.The public transport is poor there. |
Dear Editor,
I’m a Senior I student in a middle school. This term, my favorite teacher, Miss Mao, no longer teaches us. I want to see her, but I’m afraid that she no longer likes me and I don’t want to trouble her. I really miss her. What should I do?
Tian Yan
Dear Tian Yan,
It’s bad luck that you have lost your favorite teacher, But if she is still in your school , nothing can stop you going to see her. When she isn’t busy, ask her if she minds having a quick chat. You can then tell her she was your favorite teacher------ everyone is happy to know that they are liked!
If she has left the school, it will be more difficult to meet her. It will be hard, but remember people always come and go in their lives. We can’t rely on them to be with us all the time.
You may be sad to say goodbye to her, but we can remember and learn from her. Think of her best qualities.
You could also try looking for similar qualities in your other teachers. Study hard and give your new teacher a chance.In time, you might start to see that he or she has different qualities to learn from.
Finally, you can not completely rely on other people to get you through your studies , or even your life.
EditorThe letters are from________.
A book B newspaper C poster D advertisementWhich of the following does the editor advi
se Tuan Yan NOT to do?
A Find a time to see Miss Mao B Have a short chat with Miss Mao
C Tell Miss Mao she likes her D Keep quiet about the thing According to the passage, students can make progress in their studies _______.
A completely by their favorite teachers B completely by their favorite classmates
C mainly by their parentsD mainly by themselves
The food we eat seems to have a great effect on our health. Although science has made big steps in making food more fit to eat, it has, at the same time, made many foods unfit to eat. Some research has shown that perhaps eighty percent of human illness is related to food and forty percent of cancer is related to food as well. That food is related to illness is not a new discovery. In 1945, some researchers realized that things commonly used to keep colour in meats and other food additives(添加剂)caused cancer.
Yet, these additives remain in our food, and it is difficult to know which things on the wrappings(包装)of foods are helpful or harmful. The additives which we eat are not all so direct. Farmers often give penicillin to their animals, and because of this, penicillin has been found in the milk of cows. Sometimes similar things are supplied to animals not for their health, but just to make a profit.
The farmers are simply trying to fatten the animals in order to get a higher price on the market. Although some countries have tried to control such things, the practice continues.According to this passage, we can know .
A.perhaps most of human illness is caused by what we eat |
B.perhaps most kinds of cancer are related to what people eat |
C.cancer was discovered in 1945 |
D.science has made food unfit to eat |
Things that are used to keep colours in meats are .
A.harmful | B.useless | C.helpless | D.dangerous |
All the additives .
A.are bright and colourless |
B.are not bright and colourful |
C.have indirect effects on our health |
D.have direct effects on our health |
People use additives .
A.to make food more unfit to eat |
B.to improve the colour and taste of the food |
C.to change colour of the food |
D.to take off the diseases of the food |
Which of the following is not true?
A.Some wrappings of food are harmful. |
B.Farmers try to make more money on the market by fattening their animals. |
C.“The practice continues” means “things are still going on like that”. |
D.We needn’t take care of what we eat. |
Doctors say anger can be an extremely damaging emotion, unless you learn how to deal with it. They warn that anger can lead to heart disease, stomach problems, headaches, emotional problems and even cancer.
Anger is a normal emotion that we all feel from time to time. Some people express anger openly in a calm reasonable way. Some burst with anger, and scream and yell (大叫). But others keep their anger inside. They can not or will not express it. This is called repressing anger.
For years many doctors thought that repressing anger was more dangerous to a person's health than expressing it. They said that when a person is angry, the brain releases the same hormones . They speed the heart rate, raise blood pressure, or sugar into the blood, etc. In general the person feels excited and ready to act.
Some doctors say that both repressing and expressing anger can be dangerous. They believe that those who express anger violently may be more likely to develop heart disease, and they believe that those who keep their anger inside may face a greater danger of high blood pressure.
Doctors say the solution is learning how to deal with anger. They say the first step is to admit that you are angry and to recognize the real cause of the anger, then decide if the cause is serious enough to get angry about. If it is, they say, "Do not express your anger while angry. Wait until your anger has cooled down and you are able to express yourself calmly and reasonably."
Doctors say that a good way to deal with anger is to find humor in the situation that has made you angry. They said that laughter is much healthier than anger. "Damaging emotion" means that _____________.
A.the emotion is harmless | B.the emotion is harmful |
C.the feeling is very strong | D.the feeling is hard |
Which of the following statement is right?
A.Were you angry, you would be cancered. |
B.Once you are angry, you must be cancered. |
C.Angry as you are often, you can't be cancered. |
D.Anger may cause you to suffer from a cancer. |
Expressing anger violently ________ repressing it according to some scientists.
A.is not as danger as | B.is more harmful than |
C.is no better than | D.is much better than |
According to the author, you'd better __________
A.never be angry |
B.cool down your anger before you express it |
C.laugh and laugh when you get angry |
D.admit you are wrong when you are angry |
What is the passage mainly about?
A.The types of anger. | B.How to release anger. |
C.Causes of anger. | D.The damage to health caused by being angry. |