Greenspace facilities (设施) are contributing to an important degree to the quality of the city environment. Fortunately it is no longer necessary that every lecture or every book about this subject has to start with the proof of this idea. At present it is generally accepted, although more as a self-proved statement than on the base of a closely reasoned scientific proof. Recognizing the importance of greenspaces in the city environment is a first step on the right way, this does not mean, however, that enough details are known about the functions of greenspace in towns and about the way in which people are using these spaces. As to this subject I shall within the scope (范围) of this lecture, enter into one aspect only, namely the recreative function of greenspace facilities.
The theoretical separation of living, working, traffic and recreation which for many years has been used in town and country planning, has in my opinion resulted in more attention for forms of recreation far from home, while there was relatively little attention for improvement of recreative possibilities in the direct neighborhood of the home. We have come to the conclusion that this is not right, because an important part of the time which we do not pass in sleeping or working, is used for activities at and around home. So it is obvious that recreation in the open air has to begin at the street door of the house. The city environment has to offer as many recreation activities as possible, and the design of these has to be such that more required activities can also have recreative aspect.
The very best standard of living is nothing if it is not possible to take a pleasant walk in the district, if the children cannot be allowed to play in the streets because the risks of traffic are too great, if during shopping you can nowhere find a spot for enjoying for a moment the nice weather, in short, if you only feel yourself at home after the street door of your house is closed after you. . The importance of greenspaces in the city environment _____.
| A．is still unknown | B．is paid little attention to |
| C．is accepted on the base of scientific proof | D．has been recognized |
For many years town and country planning has _____.
| A．brought living areas and places of entertainment close together |
| B．separated recreation facilities far from home |
| C．improved recreative possibilities in the neighborhood |
| D．enabled people to reach the best standard of living |
. The word “recreation” in the passage probably means,_____.
| A．activities done for pleasure or enjoyment | B．doing something again in a creative way |
| C．doing something important after work | D．required activities done after work |
According to the author, greenspaces should be designed _____.
| A．to reduce the number of recreative activities |
| B．to attract more and more people |
| C．for people to use more conveniently |
| D．for people to do recreative activities at the street door of the house |
The main idea of this passage is that _____.
| A．attention must be paid to the improvement of recreation |
| B．greenspace facilities should be used better to improve the quality of life |
| C．the city environment is providing more recreative activities |
| D．we should try our best to raise our living standard |
Informal conversation is an important part of any business relationship. Before you start a discussion, however, make sure you understand which topics are suitable and which are considered taboos(禁忌) in a particular culture. Latin Americans enjoy sharing information about their local history, art, and customs. They expect questions about their family and are sure to show pictures of their children. You may feel free to ask similar questions of your Latin American friends. The French think of conversation as an art form, and they enjoy the value of lively discussions as well as disagreements. For them, arguments can be interesting — and they can cover pretty much or any topic — as long as they occur in a respectful and intelligent manner.
In the United States, business people like to discuss a wide range of topics, including opinions about work, family, hobbies, and politics. In Japan, China, and Korea, however, people are much more private. They do not share much about their thoughts, feelings, or emotions because they feel that doing so might take away from the harmonious business relationship they’re trying to build. Middle Easterners are also private about their personal lives and family matters. It is considered rude, for example, to ask a businessman from Saudi Arabia about his wife or children.
As a general rule, it’s best not to talk about politics or religion with your business friends. This can get you into trouble, even in the United States, where people hold different views. In addition, discussing one’s salary is usually considered unsuitable. Sports is typically a friendly subject in most parts of the world, although be careful not to criticize a national spor
t. Instead, be friendly and praise your host’s team.The author considers politics and religion ________.
| A．cheerful topics | B．taboos |
| C．rude topics | D．topics that can never be talked about |
Which is typically a friendly topic in most places according to the author?
| A．Sports. | B．Children. |
| C．Personal feelings. | D．Families. |
Why are people from Asia more private in th
eir conversation with others?
| A．They don’t want to talk with others much. |
| B．They don’t want to have their good relationship with others harmed by informal conversation. |
| C．They are afraid to argue with their colleagues. |
| D．They want to keep their feelings to themselves. |
What shouldn’t you do when talking about sports with colleagues from another country?
| A．Praising your own country’s sports. |
| B．Criticizing your own country’s sports. |
| C．Praising the sports of your colleagues’ country. |
| D．Criticizing the sports of your colleagues’ country. |
It is quite reasonable to blame traffic jams, the cost of gas and the great speed of modern life, but manners on the road are becoming horrible．Everybody knows that the nicest men would become fierce tigers behind the wheel．It is all right to have a tiger in a cage, but to have one in the driver’s seat is another matter altogether.
Road politeness is not only good manners, but good sense too．It takes the most cool-headed drivers great patience to give up the desire to beat back when forced to face rude driving．On the other hand, a little politeness goes a long way towards reducing the possibility of quarrelling and fighting．A friendly nod or a wave of thanks in answer to an act of politeness helps to create an atmosphere of good will and calm so necessary in modern traffic condition．But such behaviors of politeness are by no means enough．Many drivers nowadays don’t even seem able to recognize politeness when they see it.
However, misplaced politeness can also be dangerous．Typical examples are the driver who waves a child crossing the street at a wrong place into the path of oncoming cars that may be not able to stop in time．The same goes for encouraging old ladies to cross the road wherever and whenever they want to．It always amazes me that the highways are not covered with the dead bodies of these grannies.
An experienced driver, whose manners are faultless, told me it would help if drivers learnt to correctly join in traffic stream without causing total blockages that give rise to unpleasant feelings．Unfortunately, modern drivers can’t even learn to drive．Years ago, experts warned us that the fast increase of the car ownership would demand more give-and-take from all road users．It is high time for all of us to take this message to heart.According to the passage, troubles on the road are often caused by .
| A．road conditions |
| B．the speed of modern life |
| C．the behavior of the drivers |
D．the large number of cars  |
In the writer’s opinion, .
| A．drivers should avoid traffic jams |
| B．strict traffic rules are badly needed |
| C．unskillful drivers should be punished |
| D．drivers should show road politeness properly |
The underlined word “give-and-take” in the passage means .
| A．politeness and impoliteness |
| B．good manners and bad manners |
| C．offering help to others as much as possible |
| D．willingness to give in to each other’s wishes |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Road Politeness |
| B．Traffic Problems |
| C．Bad Manners on the Road |
| D．Good Drivers and Bad Drivers |
Nobody Benefits
NEW YORK—America has been experiencing the longest economic increase in its history．Incomes have risen, unemployment has fallen, and cities such as New York are bursting with new office buildings．
But just a short walk from Manhattan's skyscrapers, George Brown sits on the side-walk, cooking a lunch of rice and bits of fish over a can of cooking fuel．
Brown is homeless — one of the 2.3 million people in the US who end up on the street．
During the day, Brown collects aluminium cans and sells them for five cents a piece．At night, he sleeps on the street．
"I have been on the street about eight or nine years, something like that," said the 62-year-old former construction worker．
Brown admits he's had problems with alcohol and has smoked cocaine．But he said he still wants a more stable housing arrangement．He could afford it just with the money he earns by collecting cans and small pieces of metal, if only truly low-income housing were available．
However, he sees no hope of finding affordable housing in New York．
With the strong economy and unemployment down, beautiful housing is being built to meet demand．
A US report shows rents in New York city rose more than 27 percent between 1984 and 1999, from US $549 to US $700 a month．
One of the side effects of the strong economy is that rents have been going up．
The majority of people who experience homelessness really just need some affordable housing help．
But few housing companies have been built for the poor．Many small apartments in the city now rent for US $1,500 a month or more．
Brown, the homeless New Yorker, said he has a daughter who lives in the city but he rarely sees her．She is angry about his drinking and won't allow it in her house．
Smiling, he said he also has seven grandchildren whom he'd like to see more often．
"All I've got to do is clean up my act," he said．What kind of life does George Brown lead?
| A．Homeless and dangerous． |
| B．Homeless and childish． |
| C．Homeless and miserable （痛苦的）． |
| D．Homeless and sleepless． |
From George Brown's life we can find that ______.
| A．old Americans lead a hard life |
| B．old Americans want to live alone |
| C．American cities are crowded with poor people |
| D．bad habits play a role in some poor people's Life |
It can be inferred from this passage that ______.
| A．America is short of housing companies |
| B．the poor can't benefit from the increasing economy |
| C．poor people in America will become rich |
| D．housing companies will build more houses for the poor |
If this passage comes from a paper, on which page would it be?
| A．Society． | B．Science． | C．Economy． | D．Business． |
8:30 PM
Outlook
Outlook is back with a new series of reports to keep you up date with all that’s new in the world of entertainment．Stories go all the way from the technical to the romantic, from stage to screen．There will be reports of the stars of the moment, the stars of the future and the stars of the past．The director with his new film, the designer with the latest fashion, and the musician with the popular song are part of the new Outlook．The program is introduced by Fran Levine.
9:00 PM
Discovery
When a 10-year-old boy gets a first class degreein mathematics or an 8-year-old plays chess like a future grand master, they are considered as geniuses．Where does the quality of genius come from? Is it all in the genes or can any child be turned into a genius? And if parents do have a child who might become a genius in the future, what should they do? In this 30-minute film, Barry Johnson, the professor at School of Medicine, New York University, will help you discover the answer.
10:00 PM
Science / Health
Is it possible to beat high blood pressure without drugs? The answer is “yes”, according to the researchers at Johns Hopkins and three other medical centers．After a study of 800 persons with high blood pressure, they found that after 6 months, those devoted to weight loss-exercise and eating a low-salt, low-fat food lost about 13 pounds and became fitter．Plus, 35% of them dropped into the normal category （范畴）．This week, Dr．Alan Duckworth will tell you how these people reduce their blood pressure to a level similar to what’s achieved with Hypertension drugs.The main purpose of writing these three texts is ______.
| A．to invite people to see films |
| B．to invite people to topic discussions |
| C．to attract more students to attend lectures |
| D．to attract more people to watch TV programs |
From Outlook, you can get a great deal of information about ______.
| A．story tellers | B．famous stars |
| C．film companies | D．music fans |
Who will be most probably interested in Discovery?
| A．Parents who want to send their children to a school of medicine. |
| B．Children who are good at mathematics. |
| C．Parents who want their child to become another Albert Einstein. |
| D．Children who are interested in playing chess． |
According to the third text, which of the following has almost the same effect as Hypertension drug?
| A．Exercise plus a healthy diet. |
| B．Loss of thirteen pounds in weight. |
| C．Six months of exercise without drugs. |
| D．Low-salt and low-fat food. |
Death Valley is one of the most famous deserts in the United States, covering a wide area with its alkali sand．Almost 20 percent of this area is well below sea level, and Badwater, a salt water pool, is about 280 feet below sea level and the lowest point in the United States．
Long ago the Panamint Indians called this place “Tomesha”— the land of fire．Death Valley’s present name dates back to 1849, when a group of miners coming across from Nevada became lost in its unpleasantness and hugeness and their adventure turned out to be a sad story．Today Death Valley has been declared a National Monument and is crossed by several well-marked roads where good services can be found easily．Luckily the change created by human settlement has hardly ruined the special beauty of this place．
Here nature created a lot of surprising, almost like the sights on the moon, ever-changing as the frequent wind moves the sand about, showing the most unusual colors．One of the most astonishing and colorful parts of Death Valley is the Devil’s Golf Course, where it seems hard for one to tell reality from dreams．Sand sculptures stand on a frightening ground, as evening shadows move and lengthen．The present name of the valley comes from _______．
| A．an Indian name | B．the death of the miners |
| C．the local people | D．a National Movement |
From the passage we can learn that _______．
| A．no one had ever known the desert before the miners |
| B．it’s still not easy to travel across the desert |
| C．people can find gas-stations, cafes and hotels in the desert |
| D．people have changed the natural sight of the desert |
The Devil’s Golf Course is famous for _______．
| A．the terrible sights | B．the moon-like sights |
| C．dream-like sights | D．the ever-changing sights |
From the passage we can see that the writer _______ the Death Valley．
| A．appreciates | B．is fearful of | C．dislikes | D．is tired of |