The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina is a wake-up call. It is a call for every American to pay attention to the destruction we risk by allowing human-induced(导致的) climate change to continue. It is impossible to prove that Hurricane Katrina was caused by global warming, or even that human activities made the storm more severe. However, a paper published in the scholarly journal Nature reports that the force of dangerous hurricanes has increased by 50% during the last 50 years. It also reports that a global warming-induced rise in temperature near the ocean’s surface has probably contributed to this increase in dangerous storms, and thus to property(财产) damage and human death.
On August 30, the Los Angeles Times summed up(总结) the view of many scientists who agree that if the frequency of hurricanes does not decrease in the next few years, then we will be fairly certain that humans, and not natural storm cycle, are at the root of the problem. I believe there is at least a chance that by reducing U.S. reliance on fossil fuels for energy, we can prevent future tragedies like Hurricane Katrina. Let the change begin now.
There are many ways to reduce the volume of greenhouse gas emissions. My family drives the most fuel-efficient car we can afford, but I prefer to take public transportation whenever possible. My family buys locally grown food instead of produce that was transported thousands of miles on fuel-burning vehicles. We also replaced our incandescent light bulbs(白炽灯泡)with more energy-efficient compact fluorescents(荧光灯). This might sound like a trivial move, but the Union of Concerned Scientists reports that if every household in the United States replaced one incandescent bulb with a compact fluorescent, it would have the same effect on U.S. carbon-dioxide emissions as removing 7.5 million cars from the roads. Now think if every household replaced not just one but all of their incandescent bulbs!
The United States, with just five percent of the world’s population, is responsible for close to one quarter of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, yet our country is doing far less than most European nations to fight global warming. We don’t have to sacrifice our lifestyles; Europeans enjoy the same standards of living as Americans. So what are we waiting for? It is time to act. Which of the following is a fact?
| A.Hurricane Katrina was caused by global warming. |
| B.Human activities made the storm more severe. |
| C.The force of dangerous hurricanes has increased by 50 percent during the last 50 years. |
| D.A global rise in temperature near the ocean’s surface accounts for more dangerous storms. |
From Paragraph 2 we can infer that many scientists agree ________.
| A.it might be human activities that lead to global warming. |
| B.natural storm cycles have caused global warming. |
| C.hurricanes are likely to come more frequently. |
| D.burning fossil fuels for energy is a better alternative. |
If every household in the U.S. replaced all their incandescent bulbs, ________.
| A.it would have the same effect as removing 7.5 million cars from the roads. |
| B.it would save 7.5 million tons of carbon-dioxide from going into the air. |
| C.this would reduce the total output of CO₂emissions in huge amounts. |
| D.cars will be much more environmentally friendly. |
According to the writer,_______in reducing the volume of greenhouse gas emissions.
| A.Europe does a better job. |
| B.Europe should follow the example of America. |
| C.he, as an European, wants to see more efforts made by Americans. |
| D.Europeans should shoulder a greater responsibility. |
B
had just gone to bed after a very hard day when the phone rang.It was a strange farmer.I had never met him before although I had often heard people talk about him.He sounded quite nervous and he had been talking for a minute or so before I understood anything.Even then all I could make out was that someone called Milly had had a very bad accident.I really didn’t know who she was but I had to go.
It had been snowing heavily that day and I didn’t know the way.I had been driving for at least an hour when I finally found his place.He was standing there, waiting for me.It seemed that Milly had died.“She meant more to me than anyone even my own wife!” he said.I could see that he had been crying.I thought something terrible had taken place, a possible scandal(丑闻).I was even more surprised when he told me he had put her in the barn(厩).“I couldn’t leave her in the cold!” he said.Milly had clearly been a secret lover of his.I was about to tell him he could not expect me to cover anything up when he opened the barn door.He lifted his candle and I saw a dark figure on the ground.
“She was such a good cow! I wouldn’t let anyone except a doctor touch her!” he said and cried again.
60.The farmer wished that the writer might.
A.look into the matter
B.bring Milly back to life
C.free him from a scandal
D.keep the whole thing a secret[
61.The underlined phrase in the first paragraph means “ ”.
A.expect B.understand C.see clearly D.hear clearly
62.Before he arrived at the farmer’s house, the writer expected to see Milly lying.
A.on the ground of a barn B.on the floor of a room
C.in bed in a room D.in bed in a barn
63.What do we know about Milly for the story?
A.She had met with an accident. B.She had caused a scandal.
C.She was seriously ill. D.She was hidden somewhere.
64.The person who told the story is probably a.
A.farme B.policeman C.country doctor D.newspaper re5-6porter
D
Festival Activities Program
TIME AND PLACE
October 24 ~ 30
Oct.24 ~ 30: 9:00 a.m ~ 4:00p.m
Oct.25 ~ 29: 12:00 p.m ~ 9:00p.m
at Kerry Center Hotel
Classroom area
(1)English Taster Lesson(2)Food health-keeping method presentation
Computer area
(3)E-photography and Techno-Music(4)Education Software Demonstration
Internet Training area
SINA and Capital On-line will provide Internet Training for the public.The focus(焦点) will be on browsing the Internet; how to find useful information on the web; and how to design an elementary web page.
Foyer Activity area
(5)The students from Beijing TV University for the aged will provide a calligraphy (handwriting) demonstration.
(6)Children activities
69.A 70-year-old teacher wants to see how to use writing brush well, he should go to.
A.Classroom area
B.Computer area
C.Internet Training area
D.Foyer Activity area
70.The programs will last for.
A.a week B.a month C.five days D.two days
71.The word “browsing” in the passage probabl
y means.
A.seeing everywhere
B.going here and there
C.staring everywhere
D.reading here and there in books, etc.
Ⅳ.阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
A
At one time or another most farmers have problems with mice.This is especially true for grain farmers.Mice eat a lot of grain.They also carry diseases(疾病), which people can get from eating or touching grain the mice have made dirty.Farmers can use special grain storage building or they can kill the mice.However, both methods can be costly.Farmers must buy materials to build the special grain storage buildings or chemical poisons to kill the mice.
Here is a way to kill mice without spending a lot of money.It is a simple but effective king of mouse trap.The method is first used by some farmers in the west African country of Mali.An agricultural expert in Mali reported about the Mali mouse trap in a magazine.The expert reported that his gardener caught 150 mice in just one night.The gardener used four traps.The trap is easy to make.First, remove the top from a 20 liter metal or plastic container(容器).Put it
n a hole in the ground.The top edge of the container should be the level with the surface of the
ground.Fill the container with water to within eight centimeters of the top.Add tiny pieces of grain wastes.They should float on the water.Also put some wastes on the ground near the trap.During the night, mice will come out to eat the grain wastes.They will fall into the container and drown.Replace the food in the trap every night.
56.According to the passage, used the mouse trap first.
A.an agricultural expert in the west Africa
B.farmers in the United States
C.an American gardener
D.farmers in Mali
57.What does the passage mainly tell us?
A.A simple and effective method used by farmers to kill mice.
B.Methods used by farmers to kill mice.
C.Farmers have problems with mice.
D.How to kill mice.
58.is not needed in making the mouse trap.
A.Water B.A container C.chemical poison D.Food
59.Which of the following can’t protect grain from being eaten by mice?
A.A special grain storage building. B.Chemical poisons.
C.A mouse trap. D.A hole in the ground.
D
The regular use of text messages and e-mails can lower the IQ more than twice as much as smoking marijuana(大麻). That is the claim of psychologists who have found that tapping away on a mobile phone or computer keypad or checking them for electronic messages temporarily knocks up to ten points off the user’s IQ.
This rate of decline in intelligence compares unfavorably with the four-point drop in IQ associated with smoking marijuana, according to British researchers, who have labeled(贴标签于,指……为,分类) the fleeting phenomenon of enhanced stupidity as “infomania”.
The noticeable drop in IQ is believed to be the result of the constant distraction of “always on” technology when employees should be concentrating on what they are paid to do. Infomania means that they lose concentration as their minds remain fixed in an almost permanent state of readiness to react to technology instead of focusing on the tasks in hand.
The brain also finds it hard to deal with keeping lots of tasks in motion at once, reducing its overall effectiveness. While modern technology can have huge benefits, excessive(过度的) use can be damaging not only to a person’s mind, but to his or her social life.
Eighty volunteers took part in clinical (临床的)trials on IQ damage and 1,100 adults were interviewed.
More than six in ten people polled admitted that they were addicted to checking their e-mails and text messages so that they examined work-related ones even when at home or on holiday. Half said that they always responded immediately to an e-mail and one in five would interrupt a meeting to do so.
Furthermore, Informania is having a negative effect on work colleagues, increasing stress and disagreeing feelings. Nine out of ten polled thought that colleagues who answered e-mails or messages during a face-to-face meeting were extremely rude. Yet one in three Britons believed that it was not only acceptable, but actually diligent and efficient to do so.
67. What does the underlined part mean?
A. A person’s IQ drops ten points if he or she always checks electronic messages.
B. The person who has a higher IQ enjoys checking electronic messages.
C. The person who has a lower IQ enjoys checking electronic messages.
D. A person’s IQ is ten points higher if he or she always checks electronic messages.
68. What happens to people with infomania?
A. People with infomania can only concentrate on their tasks in hand.
B. People with infomania are addicted to smoking marijuana.
C. People with infomania can’t respond to technology immediately.
D. People with infomania can’t concentrate on their tasks in hand.
69. From the passage, we can learn that.
A. about 550 interviewees responded to an e-mail immediately
B. about 670 interviewees responded to an e-mail immediately
C. about 40 taking part in clinical trials on IQ were addicted to checking e-mail
D. about 16 taking part in clinical trials on IQ refused to answer e-mails immediately
70. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. The regular use of text messages and e-mails can be compared to smoking marijuana.
B. Modern technology can damage a person’s mind.
C. The regular use of text messages and e-mails can harm your IQ.
D. Electronic messages can have effects on the user’s life.
C
If you’re in charge of a project, the key to success is getting everyone to want to help you. As a director, I suggest, I gently push the actors in the direction I want them to go.
In the 1986 movie Nothing in Common, Jackie Gleason’s character, Max Basner, gets fired from his job as a clothing salesman. The scene, shot on a boat, shows Max’s hopelessness about being out of work. I was looking for some ways that would allow Max to show his feelings.
Jackie had far more experience at everything than I did, and at first I was frightened. What could I possibly tell “The Great One” about acting? Out of fear I decided to direct by suggestion, and I sat down with Gleason to talk about the scene.
“So Max is sad, right?” I said.
Gleason nodded.
“And he’s probably still carrying his pens with his name on them-the ones he used to hand out to his customers, right?”
Gleason nodded.
“So what would you want to do with the pens after you were fired?”
He was silent for a moment. “Why don’t I throw them overboard?”
I stood up and turned toward the crew. “Hey, everybody, Jackie has a wonderful idea. Let’s shoot it.”
After filming the scene, Gleason called me over and said with a smile, “Garry, what kind of wonderful idea am I going to have tomorrow?”
You and your team can discover the answers to problems tighter. When there are no prizes or gold stars for those who get the solution first, you’ll all benefit when everything turns out right.
63. The writer tells us that, to succeed in the project you are in charge of, you should _______.
A. make everyone work for you
B. get everyone willing to help you
C. let people know you have the final say
D. keep giving orders to everyone
64. From the passage we can know _________.
A. Jackie Gleason is the director of the film Nothing in Common
B. Jackie Gleason is very angry when he is fired from his job
C. Max, a character in the film, is in very low spirits when he loses his job
D. Jackie Gleason writes the play of the film Nothing in Common
65. The underlined part “The Great One” (in Paragraph 3) refers to __________.
A. Gleason B. the director himself C. Max D. Max’s boss
66. Why did Gleason call the director over and smile at him?
A. Gleason thought his wonderful idea was accepted by the director.
B. Gleason succeeded in hitting upon a wonderful idea.
C. Gleason was confident about his work the next day.
D. Gleason appreciated the director’s way of directing films.