游客
题文

With the development of society and economy, animals and their habitats are getting pushed aside as households decrease in size and increase in number.
Small numbers of people per household on average use more energy and goods per person. Greater numbers of households require more natural resources for construction. The possible result of this problem may be insufficient natural resources to meet consumer demand without endangering habitats important to biodiversity.
Personal freedom and social choice may come at huge environmental cost. Direct costs include visible damage to animal habitats and plant life. Indirect costs include the release of more greenhouse gases.
The effects of such “personal freedom and social choice” have already surfaced in south-west China’s Wolong Nature Reserve. In Wolong, they found that a reduced average household size was directly tied to an increase in homes, and thus an increase in the amount of firewood consumed for cooking and heating. The rise in wood fuel use has contributed to disappearance of forests and to the loss of habitats for giant pandas. 
Curious about whether other parts of the world were experiencing similar phenomena, they got the support of a team of researchers including Stanford’s Paul Ehrlich, well-known for his population studies, to find out the household dynamics in 141 countries between 1985 and 2000. Their study proved that the difficult choice of Wolong is part of a global trend.
In the 76 countries considered biodiversity “hotspots”, such as the United States, Brazil, Australia, and Kenya, the number of households grew by 3.1% every year, while the population increased just 1.8%. Meanwhile, the number of people per home dropped from 4.7 to 4.0. The decline in household size has resulted in 155 million additional households in hotspot countries, almost always limiting biodiversity.
In the 10 non-hotspot countries — those without high-density areas of animal and plant species — similar results were found, though on a lesser scale. Even in countries experiencing population decline, such as New Zealand, the number of households still increased because of a reduction in household size.
What does the underlined word “insufficient” mean?

A.Plenty of. B.Not enough. C.Abundant. D.Little.

It can be learned from the passage that China’s Wolong Nature Reserve_____

A.is facing the same threat as many other parts of the world
B.sets a good example in protecting animals
C.is a place where giant pandas and their habitats are not affected
D.is a place where animals and their habitats are seriously damaged

Which of the following is best supported by the last two paragraphs?

A.Biodiversity is better kept in countries with smaller populations.
B.Biodiversity is better kept in hotspot countries.
C.The threat to nature from reduction in household size is a worldwide problem.
D.Both hotspot countries and non-hotspot countries face the threat of the same scale.

What does the passage mainly talk about?

A.Reduced household size leads to an increase in household number.
B.Modern homes consume more natural resources.
C.How to meet consumer demand without endangering animals and their habitats.
D.Reduction in household size as well as increase in household number threatens nature.
科目 英语   题型 阅读理解   难度 中等
登录免费查看答案和解析
相关试题

Monthly Talks at London Canal Museum
Our monthly talks start at 19:30 on the first Thursday of each month except August. Admission is at normal charges and you don’t need to book. They end around 21:00.
November 7th
The Canal Pioneers, by Chris Lewis. James Brindley is recognized as one of the leading early canal engineers. He was also a major player in training others in the art of nanal planning and building. Chris Lewis will explain how Brindley made such a positive contribution to the education of that group of early “civil enginerrs”.
December 5th
Ice for the Metropolis, by Malcolm Tucker. Well before the arrival of freezers, there was a demand for ice for food preservation and catering, Malcolm will explain the history of importing natural ice and the technology of building ice wells, and how London’s ice trade grew.
February 6th
An Update on the Cotsword Canals, by Liz Payne. The Smoudwater Canal is moving towards reopenling. The Thames and Severn Canal will take a little longer. We will have a report on the present state of play.
March 6th
Eyots and Aits- Thames Islands, by Miranda Vickers. The Thames had many islands. Miranda has undertaken a review of all of them. She will tell us about those of greatest interest.
Online bookings:www.canalmuseum.org.uk/book
More into:www.canalmuseum.org.uk/whatson
London Canal Museum
12-13 New Wharf Road, London NI 9RT
www.canalmuseum.org.uk www.canalmuseum.mobi
Tel:020 77130836
When is the talk on James Brindley?

A.February 6th B.March 6th
C.November 7th D.December 5th

What is the topic of the talk in February?

A.The Canal Pioneers.
B.Ice for the Metropolis
C.Eyots and Aits- Thames Islands
D.An Update on the Cotsword Canals

Who will give the talk on the islands in the Thames.

A.Miranda Vickers
B.Malcolm Tucker
C.Chris Lewis
D.Liz Payne

Last week I visited my friend Pete in the new home where he lives with his wife and daughter. Pete used to spend his holidays travelling the world, visiting the pyramids in Egypt or scuba diving(潜水) in the Caribbean. Nowadays he prefers to spend his holidays and weekends making his house look more beautiful. Like hundreds of thousands of other British people, he has discovered the joy of DIY (Do It Yourself), which means if there are any things that need fixing around the house, he will try to do the job himself.
As he showed me the new kitchen he put together by himself and the newly painted walls, I asked Pete where he got his inspiration (灵感) from. He told me that his favorite source of ideas was a DIY program on TV.
This got me thinking about the great popularity of DIY programs in the UK. Each major channel has at least one home or garden improving show and there’s even a satellite channel completely about the subject.
I guess it is not really surprising that DIY programs are so popular. Two common sayings in Britain- ‘an Englishman’s home is his castle’ and ‘there’s no place like home’-show how important our houses are to us. With the present economic downturn, many people can’t afford to buy a bigger house so they are looking at how they can make their house better without spending a lot of money. DIY is the perfect choice.
But be careful! I read a report that said over 230,000 people were injured while doing home improvements in the UK in just one year, including 41,000 who fell off ladders(梯子) and 5,800 who were seriously hurt by hammers. So I won’t be going down to the hardware store.
How did Pete spend his holiday in the past?

A.Visiting his friends.
B.Diving.
C.Travelling around the world.
D.Making his house beautiful.

Which might NOT be shown in a DIY program on TV?

A.Scuba diving
B.A garden improving feature.
C.Home improvements.
D.Fixing things in kitchens

Which is NOT the reason why DIY is popular among British people?

A.They enjoy DIY.
B.They want to make their houses better themselves.
C.They can improve their houses without spending much money.
D.They want to be on TV.

At the end of the article the writer wants us to remember _____.

A.not to go to the hardware store
B.to be careful not to get hurt while doing DIY
C.to keep watching DIY on TV while drinking a nice cup of tea
D.not to climb ladders or use hammers

As we all know, it was Thomas Jefferson who wrote the Declaration of Independence (《独立宣言》). He wrote it in two weeks, and after a few changes, it was accepted by the Congress (国会). As a result, he became famous.
Born in 1743 in Virginia, Thomas Jefferson, a wonderful student at school and almost talented(天才的 ) lawyer later, was much interested in politics.
Jefferson was elected the Governor of Virginia in 1779, and he was sent to France as the representative of the American government in 1784. Sixteen years later, at the age of 57, he was elected president after Washington and Adams.
Far from a handsome man, he was tall with long arms and big hands. Jefferson, who was an amusing(令人愉快的) talker in conversation but a poor speaker, was generally good-natured.
Jefferson was regarded as a defender of freedom in America. As a president, he protected the right of free speech. Interestingly enough, in his eight years as president, Jefferson never vetoed (否决) a bill which the Congress had passed. He did a lot in organizing the new University of Virginia.
Thomas Jefferson died on July the fourth, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of American Independence.
From the passage we can infer that America won its independence in _______.

A.1786 B.1800 C.1842 D.1776

How old was Thomas Jefferson when he was elected President of the U.S.A.?
A. He was 47. B. He was in his forties.
C. He was 57.D. We don’t know.
Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A.Jefferson was an amusing talker, but not good at speaking in public.
B.Jefferson was not an easy person to get along with.
C.Jefferson was not only very talented but also very handsome.
D.Not being politically minded, Jefferson never vetoed a bill passed by the Congress.

Jefferson died when he was ________.

A.72 B.83 C.73 D.92

Twelve-year-old Leonardo was born in a poor family in Bambamarca in Peru. He knew how to read but he had never seen a book in his life. So he asked the new priest(牧师)in his village to give him one. But there was no electricity. So Leonardo borrowed candles from the church and sat up all night reading it. The next morning, he was at the door of the priest asking for another book to read.
John Medcalf, the priest,was moved. He also realised that people would love to read if given a chance. But he knew how difficult it was for Leonardo and those in his village to get books. And yet, no one can be taught to read and write without books. To make people in a poor, faraway area grow to love books,they have to be with them. So he thought the only way was to bring books to people.
But how could this be done? Mobile libraries or car libraries would be too expensive and difficult to continue in the rocky, hilly land of Peru. So what other method could be used?
Medcalf got a new idea from the barefoot(赤脚)doctors of China. And that was how the barefoot librarians(图书管理员)first appeared in the villages of northern Peru,almost thirty years ago.
The librarians began by going from village to village, lending books to villagers. They helped start The 12ura1 Library Network of Peru.
At first,they were teachers of the village schools which these faraway libraries belonged to. But the teachers were not very interested in the job because it meant a lot of hard work.
So, village leaders took on the job themselves.
Today, there are 600 village libraries across Peru. The barefoot librarians who walk up to 15 hours a day with bags of books are their lifeline.
The first paragraph tells us that Leonardo
A. had a lot of books
B. bought candles from others
C, enjoyed reading books
D. lived in the church
The underlined word "this" in Paragraph 3 probably refers to(指)" "
A, to grow to love books
B. to bring books to people
C. to read and write
D. to build a new library
The passage doesn't mention
A, when the barefoot librarians appeared
B. who worked as village librarians at first
C. where Medcalf met Chinese doctors
D. how many village libraries Peru has today
It can be inferred(推断)from the passage that

A.the first church in Peru was set up by John Medcalf
B.car libraries used to be popular in Leonardo's village
C.teachers were interested in bringing books to villagers
D.the barefoot librarians are important to village libraries

The greatest scientific breakthroughs of 2014 have affected all aspects of modern life, from medicine, to space exploration, to the future of renewable technologies. Scientists all over the globe are publishing their findings and treating patients with new medicines and techniques that are changing everyday life for the human race, and adding to our vast banks of scientific knowledge.
Irish teens make a breakthrough in crop yields(产量)
16-year-old Ciara Judge, Emer Hickey, and Sophie Healy-Thow won the Google Science Fair2014, with their project “Natural Bacteria Fighting World Hunger”.
While learning about the food shortage in Africa, the three teens got thinking about how they could help. What they found may change the future of worldwide food production.. They experimented and were able to reduce germination(发芽)time by 50%and increase plants’ yield by up to 74%.
This could create the possibility of increased crop yields and reducing crop loss due to bad weather.
Cancer is cured?
In May 2014, the Mayo Clinic published a study in which they treated a 50-year-old female patient’s blood cancer with the measlesvaccine(麻疹疫苗).After receiving the vaccine, Stacy Erholtz’s body is completely free of cancer.
Stephen Russell, who led the research, said, “It’s a landmark. We’ve known for a long time that we can introduce a virus into the blood and destroy cancer in mice. Nobody’s shown that you can do that in people before.” The measles vaccine will not work for all types of cancer, but is an unbelievable step forward.
Water found on Saturn’s moon Enceladus
In April, scientists announced that NASA’s Cassini spacecraft discovered a body of water on Enceladus, a moon of Saturn(土星). Enceladus is an icy moon about 300 miles in diameter (直径).and its mysterious body of water appears to be 5 miles deep, around the size of Lake Superior.
Scientists have also discovered that the body of water features a rock is a possible sign of conditions good for the development of life.
The text is mainly about _______.

A.the new findings in medicine
B.the greatest scientists in 2014
C.the new techniques in space exploration
D.the greatest scientific breakthroughs of 2014

What’s the aim of the three Irish teens’ Project?

A.To attract Google’s attention.
B.To do research on Africa’s soil.
C.To solve the problem of world hunger..
D.To understand different plants’ germination time.

What can be inferred about the Mayo Clinic’s study?

A.Blood cancer is very is very easy to cure.
B.All kinds of cancer will be cured soon.
C.Medical experiments on people are not allowed.
D.The research is a breakthrough in cancer treatment.

What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A.Enceladus is a warm moon
B.Enceladus may be suitable for life.
C.Enceladus is as big as Lake Superior.
D.Enceladus has several rocky sea floors.

Copyright ©2020-2025 优题课 youtike.com 版权所有

粤ICP备20024846号