It is natural that children are curious about the world around them. For example, they want to know how their hearts beat. They want to know why the ocean water tastes salty.
As children gr
ow up, they become curious about different kinds of things. When they are babies, they are interested in the parts of their bodies and in the smiles of their mothers. They become interested in the physical world around them: the plants, the animals, the sky. Later, they become interested in the things that people have made: wheels, bicycles, cars. And when they are adults, their curiosity continues. Sometimes this curiosity leads to a career (生涯、职业) in science.
Scientists spend their lives trying to find out about the world．Those who work with the earth sciences study the earth, the oceans, and the skies. Other scientists who study living things work with the biological sciences. A third group of scientists study the physical sciences, e. g. physics, chemistry.
These scientists have already discovered a lot about our world．For example, they tell us why your heart beats fast when you run. They say that when you are quiet, your heart normally beats sixty-five or seventy-five times a minute. Your heart is a pump (泵) that pumps blood to all parts of the body. The blood carries oxygen and nutrition. When you run, your muscles work very hard and use the nutrition that the blood carries to them. The muscles need oxygen, too . So your brain sends a signal to the heart. The signal means that the muscles need more nutriti
on and oxygen. Then the heart beats fast and sends blood quickly to the muscles. It may beat 90 to 140 times a minute.
Of course, scientists cannot answer all of our questions. If we ask, “Why does the ocean water taste salty” scientists will say that the salt comes from rocks. When a rock gets very hot or very cold, it cracks. Rain falls into cracks. The rain then carries the salt into the earth and into the rivers. The rivers carry the salt into the ocean. But then we ask , “What happens to the salt in the ocean? The ocean does not get saltier every year.” Scientists are not sure about the a
nswer to this question.
We know a lot about our world, but there are still many answers that we do not have, and we are curious.According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
| A．People of different ages are interested in different things |
| B．People in different countries are interested in different things. |
| C．Men and women are curious about different things. |
| D．People are curious in the same way. |
Scientists who work with the biological sciences study____.
| A．the earth , the oceans and the sky | B．plants and animals |
| C．man-made things | D．ocean water |
When you run, your muscles need ____.
| A．more nutrition and oxygen | B．more signals | C．more salt | D．water |
A rock cracks _____.
| A．in wet regions | B．in dry regions |
| C．at very high or very low temperatures | D．when salty water falls in |
People are always curious because ____.
| A．they cannot explain many things | B．they know nothing about the world |
| C．they know little about the world | D．they want to be scientists |
The British National Health Service (NHS) was set up in 1948 and was designed to provide equal basic health care, free of charge, for everybody in the country. Before this time health care had to be paid for by individuals.
Nowadays central government is directly responsible for the NHS although it is administered by local health authorities. About 83 percent of the cost of the health service is paid for by general taxation and the rest is met from the National Insurance contributions paid by those in work. There are charges for prescription and dental care but many people, such as children, pregnant women, pensioners, and those on Income Support, are exempt from payment.
Most people are registered with a local doctor (a GP, or General Practitioner) who is increasingly likely to be part of a health centre which serves the community.
As the population of Britain gets older, the hospital service now treats more patients than before, although patients spend less time in hospital. NHS hospitals—many of which were built in the nineteenth century—provide nearly half a million beds and have over 480, 000 medical staff. The NHS is the biggest employer in Europe although Britain actually spends less per person on health care than most of her European neighbours.
During the 1980s there was considerable restructuring of the Health Service with an increased emphasis on managerial efficiency and the privatization of some services (for example, cleaning). At the end of the 1980s the government introduced proposals for further reform of the NHS, including allowing some hospitals to be self-governing, and encouraging GPs to compete for patients. Patients would be able to choose and change their family doctor more easily and GPs would have more financial responsibility. The political questions continue of how much money should be provided to support the NHS and where it should come from. We can know from the first paragraph that ______.
| A．the original aim of the NHS was to provide equal basic health care for everybody |
| B．people didn’t have to pay for health care since the NHS was set up |
| C．patients were charged for receiving health care before 1948 |
| D．the NHS was an organization which gave free advice to villagers |
What do we know about the NHS?
| A．It’s managed by the central government. |
| B．Its cost is mainly paid for by the National Insurance contributions. |
| C．It hires more people than any other unit in Europe. |
| D．Fewer patients go to its hospitals than before because they spend less on health care. |
All the following statements about GPs are true except that they ______.
| A．take care of the local people’s health |
| B．often take part in competitions to see who is the best |
| C．work under high pressure nowadays |
| D．have more responsibilities than before |
What does the underlined word “exempt” probably mean?
| A．suffering | B．different | C．prevented | D．free |
The biggest problem for the NHS is ______.
| A．many hospitals are too old to be used |
| B．some services are in the charge of individuals |
| C．more and more patients go to GPs for treatment |
| D．there is not enough money for further reform |
NEWS BRIEF
●Prime Minister Tony Blair new allegations(指控) on Thursday that he misled Parliament and the public in making the case for the war in Iraq after he disclosed his chief legal adviser’s written opinion raising questions about the legality(合法) of the war.
●U.S. Forest Service officials are reminding people to stay off Forest Service roads that are closed. The fine for disobeying the rule of road closures is a maximum of ＄5,000 fine and/ or six months in prison. Those who enter the area and cause road damage may also be required to pay for repairs.
●In a second study presented at the meeting, scientists from the UK and Denmark showed that even a few days of high temperatures can severely reduce production of crops such as wheat, soybeans, rice and groundnuts, if it occurs when the plants are flowering.
●A bomb exploded in Thailand’s mainly Muslin south on Sunday, killing two policemen and wounding three others, a day after Thailand’s queen condemned those behind a 15-month wave of violence(暴力).
●Mechanicsburg 3, West York 1: Ken Stamper and Rusty Bowman had seven kills each, and Ryan Warfield had six to lead the Wildcats past the Bulldogs, 25-11, 25-15, 15-25, 25-23, in a non-league match.The news brief covers _____________.
| A．war, law, violence, culture and agriculture |
| B．sports, war, violence, politics and climate |
| C．politics, culture, violence, climate and sports |
| D．violence, sports, politics, law and agriculture |
From the news brief, we can learn that ____________.
| A．the Bulldogs defeated the Wildcats by 3-1 in a non-league match |
| B．Forest Service roads are closed for repairs before they are opened again |
| C．quite a few violent accidents happened in Tailand before the latest one |
| D．the British people think the decision made by Blair about the war is of legaliry |
According to the U.S. Forest Service officials, those who enter the area and damage the closed roads __________.
| A．shall have to pay a $ 5,000 fine for the repairs to them |
| B．shall be fined or put in prison, and may pay for the repairs |
| C．shall be fined $ 5,000 and kept in prison for six months |
| D．shall pay a fine and repair the roads as a punishment |
The study of the scientists from the UK and Denmark is about ____________.
| A．the importance of climate and the growth of crops |
| B．the damage caused by high temperatures to some crops |
| C．the relationship between crops flowering and high temperatures |
| D．the effect of high temperatures on the production of some crops |
Taiwan police cannot decide whether to treat it as an extremely eleven act of stealing or an even cleverer cheat . Either way , it could be the perfect crime (犯罪), because the criminals are birds—horning pigeons !
The crime begins with a telephone message to the owner of a stolen car : if you want the car back, pay up then, the car owner is directed to a park, told where to find a bird cage and how to attach money to the neck of the pigeon inside . Carrying the money in a tiny bag , the pigeon flies off .
There have been at least four such pigeon pick-ups in Changwa. What at first seemed like the work of a clever stay-at-home car thief, however , may in face be the work of an even lazier and more inventive criminal mind—one that avoid (避免)not only colleting money but going out to steal the car in the first place . Police officer Chen says that the criminal probably has pulled a double trick: he gets money for things he cannot possibly return . Instead of stealing cars , he lets someone else do it and then waits for the car-owner to place an ad (启事) in the newspaper asking for help .
The theory is supported by the fact that , so far , none of the stolen cars have been returned . Also, the amount of money demanded-under 3,000 Taiwanese dollars –seems too little for a car worth many times more .
Demands for pigeon-delivered money stopped as soon as the press reported the story. And even if they start again, Chen holds little hope of catching the criminal . “We have more important things to do, ” he said .
1．After the car owner received a phone call. He
A．went to a certain pigeon and put some money in the bag it carried
B．gave the money to the thief and had his car back in a park
C．sent some money to the thief by mail
D．told the press about it
2．The “lazier and more inventive” criminal refers to .
A．the car thief who stays at home
B．one of those who put the ads in the paper
C．one of the policemen in Changwa
D．the owner of the pigeons
3．The writer mentions the fact that “none of the stolen cars have been returned” to show .
A．how easily people get fooled by criminals
B．what Chen thinks might be correct
C．the thief is extremely clever
D．the money paid is too little
4．The underlined word “they” in the last paragraph refers to .
A．criminals B．pigeons
C．the stolen cars D．demands for money
5．We may infer from the text that the criminal knows how to reach the car owners because .
A．he reads the ads in the newspaper
B．he lives in the same neighborhood
C．he has seen the car owners in the park
D．he has trained the pigeons to follow them
Equipped only with a pair of binoculars (双筒望远镜) and ready to spend long hours waiting in all weathers for a precious glance of a rare bullfinch(红腹灰雀). Britain’s birdwatchers had long been supposed to be lovers of a minority sport. But new figures show birdwatching is fast becoming a popular pastime, with almost three million of us absorbed in our fluttering feathered friends.
Devoted birdwatchers, those prepared to travel thousands of miles for a sighting of a rare Siberian bird, are fast being joined by a new breed of follower whose interest is satiated by watching a few finches (雀科鸣鸟) on a Sunday walk or putting up a bird-box in the back garden.
“Almost three million UK birdwatchers is certainly possible if you include everyone with only a casual interest,” Stephen Moss said in his newly published book—A Bird in the Bush: a Social History of Birdwatching—which records the pursuit from the rich Victorian Englishman’s love of shooting rare birds to the less offensive observational tendencies of birdwatchers today.
Television wildlife programmes have helped to fuel the new trend. Last summer, BBC 2’s Britain Goes Wild was a surprise success. It pulled in three million viewers and led to bird-houses selling out across the UK as 45,000 people promised to put up a box.
Birdwatchers’ networking system first came to the attention of the nation in 1989, when a birdwatcher caught sight of the first Vermivora chrysoptera—a golden-winged songbird from North America—to be seen in Britain. He put a message out on the network service Birdline, and the next day 3,000 birdwatchers proved the full pull of a truly rare bird as they visited the Tesco car park in Kent, where it had settled. Today, birdwatchers can log on to www.birdline.co.uk or have news of the latest sightings texted to their phones.
“Multimillion-pound spending on binoculars, bird food and boxes point to the increasing numbers of birdwatchers,” said David Cromack, the editor of Bird Watching magazine, “The number of people involved is so big that they have great potential to influence government decisions affecting the environment.”The word “satiated” in paragraph 2 can best be replaced by “_______”.
| A．affected | B．shared | C．satisfied | D．narrowed |
What happened after the message of seeing a Vermivora chrysoptera was put on the network?
| A．Birdwatchers helped the rare bird settle in Kent. |
| B．Large numbers of birdwatchers went to view the bird. |
| C．Many birdwatchers logged on to the website for details. |
| D．Birdwatchers showed their determination to protect the rare bird. |
Which of the following CANNOT be true according to the passage?
| A．Television wildlife programmes started the popular pastime of birdwatching. |
| B．The network service has contributed to the rapid development of birdwatching. |
| C．Birdwatching in Britain was long considered a sport with a small group of followers. |
| D．The current situation of birdwatching may promote the protection of the environment. |
The passage mainly tells us about ________ in UK.
| A．the history of bird watching |
| B．a growing passion for bird watching |
| C．the impact of media on bird watching |
| D．bird watching as a popular expensive sport |
Pet owners are being encouraged to take their animals to work , a move scientists say can be good for productivity , workplace morale (士气), and the well-being of animals .
A study found that 25% of Australian women would like to keep an office pet . Sue Chaseling of Petcare Information Service said the practice of keeping office pets was good both for the people and the pets . “On the pets’ side , they are not left on their own and won’t feel lonely and unhappy,” she said . A study of major US companies showed that 73% found office pets beneficial (有益的) , while 27% experienced a drop in absenteeism (缺勤).
Xarni Riggs has two cats walking around her Global Hair Salon in Paddington . “My customers love them. They are their favorites ,” she said . “They are not troublesome . They know when to go and have a sleep in the sun .”
Little black BJ has spent nearly all his two years “working” at Punch Gallery in Balmain . Owner Iain Powell said he had had cats at the gallery for 15 years . “BJ often lies in the shop window and people walking past tap on the glass ,” he said .
Ms Chaseling said cats were popular in service industries because they enabled a point of conversation . But she said owners had to make sure both their co-workers and the cats were comfortable .The percentage of American companies that are in favor of keeping office pets is .
| A．73% | B．27% | C．25% | D．15% |
We know from the text that “BJ”
| A．works in the Global Hair Salon |
| B．often greets the passers-by |
| C．likes to sleep in the sun |
| D．is a two-year-old cat |
The best title for this text would be .
| A．Pets Help Attract Customers |
| B．Your Favorite Office Pets |
| C．Pets Join the Workforce |
| D．Busy Life for Pets |