Just as the world’s most respected scientific bodies have confirmed that the world is getting hotter, they have also stated that there is strong evidence that humans are driving the warming. Countless recent reports from the world’s leading scientific bodies have said the same thing. For example, a 2010 summary of climate science by the Royal Society stated that: “There is strong evidence that the warming of the Earth over the last half-century has been caused largely by human activity.”
The idea that humans could change the planet’s climate may be counter-intuitive(与直觉不符的), but the basic science is well understood. Each year, human activity causes billions of tons of greenhouse gases to be released(释放)into the atmosphere. As scientists have known for years, these gases hold heat that would otherwise escape to space, wrapping the planet in an invisible blanket.
Of course, the planet’s climate has always been changing thanks to “natural” factors(因素) such as changes in solar or volcanic(火山的)activity, or cycles relating the Earth’s going around the sun. According to the scientific literature, however, the warming recorded to date matches the pattern of warming we would expect from a build-up of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere – not the warming we would expect from other possible causes.
Even if scientists did discover another reasonable explanation for the warming observed so far, that would beg a difficult question. As Robert Henson puts it in The Rough Guide to Climate Change: “If some newly discovered factor can account for the climate change, then why aren’t carbon dioxide(二氧化碳)and the other greenhouse gases producing the warming that basic physics tells us they should be?”
The only way to prove with 100% certainty that humans are responsible for global warming would be to run an experiment with two identical Earths – one with human influence and one without. That obviously isn’t possible, and so most scientists are careful not to state human influence as an absolute certainty. In most scientists’ opinion, the global warming is mainly caused by .
A.solar activity | B.volcanic activity |
C.the Earth’s going around the sun | D.human activity |
The text is developed by .
A.giving typical examples | B.foll![]() |
C.analysing a theory and arguing it | D.comparing and finding differences |
The underline word “identical” means .
A.totally different | B.exactly the same |
C.extremely important | D.relatively independent |
The first and best of victories is for a man to conquer himself; to be conquered by himself is, of all things, the most shameful, says Plato. Self-control is at the root of all the advantages. Let a man give in to his impulses (冲动) and feelings, and from that moment he gives up his moral freedom.
A single angry word has lost many a friend. When Socrates found in himself any temper or anger, he would check it by speaking low in order to control himself. If you are conscious of being angry, keep your mouth shut so that you can hold back rising anger. Many a person has dropped dead in great anger. Fits of anger bring fits of disease. Whom the gods would destroy they first make mad. Keep cool, says George Herbert, for fierceness (狂怒) makes error a fault.
To be angry with a weak man is to prove that you are not strong yourself. Anger, says Pythagoras, brings with folly(愚蠢) and ends with regret. You must measure the strength of a man by the power of the feelings he conquers, not by the power of those which conquer him.
Self-control is man’s last greatest victory.
If a man lacks self-control he seems to lack everything. Without it he can have no patience, no power to govern himself; he can have no self-confidence, for he will always be controlled by his strongest feeling. If he lacks self-control, the very backbone and nerve of character are lacking also.What does the reader learn from the first paragraph?
A.The greatest victory for a man is to conquer everything except himself. |
B.One’s moral freedom is based on the control of himself. |
C.To control oneself is the most difficult in one’s life. |
D.If a person is too stubborn, he will feel most shameful. |
What is the correct interpretation of “Whom the gods would destroy they first make mad ”in paragraph 2 ?
A.If the gods want to kill you, they make you crazy first. |
B.If you always lose your temper, you will soon be finished. |
C.If you cannot control yourself, you will become crazy. |
D.If you are mad, you will be punished by the gods. |
If a man lacks self-control, he lacks all of the following EXCEPT _______.
A.the very backbone and nerve of character |
B.the![]() |
C.strong feelings |
D.self-confidence |
The author’s main purpose in writing this article is to _______.
A.explain that self-control is the key to success |
B.teach people how to control everything in order to make a great success |
C.distinguish all kinds of self-control and suggest ways for keeping it |
D.advise people not to lose temper so as to make and keep more friends |
The passage is mainly developed by _____.
A.analyzing causes | B.making comparisons |
C.examining differences | D.listing quotations |
When you’re surfing the Internet on your laptop from your dorm or home, do you know your personal details are being gathered secretly? And would you be surprised to know the information may be sold cheaply to advertisers and marketers?
According to an investigation by The Wall Street Journal, all it takes is a tiny file in a computer-a single code consisting of a long series of numbers and letters- to record the computer user’s age, gender, location, favorite movies and hobbies.
The newspaper reports that Lotame Solutions Inc., a New York company, uses sophisticated(高科技) software called a "beacon" to capture what people are typing on a website.
Lotame packages that data into profiles(个人资料)about individuals, only without their names, and sells the profiles to companies seeking customers.Batches of such data may be sold for a few dollars.
The Wall Street Journal survey discovered that spying on Internet users is one of the fastest-growing businesses on the World Wide Web.
The "cookie"- a tiny text file put on your PC by websites or marketing firms which might be used to remember your preferences for one site, or to track you across many sites is already old news.There are new and more complex tools such as "beacons" which scan in real time what people are doing on a webpage.These beacons instantly assess the Internet user’s location, income, shopping interests and even medical conditions.
Millions of Internet users around the world also face unprecedented(空前的)threats.Private, sensitive, personal and business information is being gathered and sold without their knowledge.
Companies insist the information they gather is anonymous and the data is used harmlessly. But the technology has grown so powerful that even some of the biggest websites in the US don’t know that they were installing intrusive files on visitors’ computers.These include MSN.com and Yahoo.com.
Next time you visit a webpage and find an ad banner advertising something you’ve been planning to buy, don’t be amazed that your computer can read your mind.The purpose of the passage is to .
A.introduce a tiny file in a computer-a single code |
B.show how your individual information was let out when you surf the Internet |
C.show how to protect your privacy |
D.introduce a sophisticated software called a "beacon" |
.All of the following statements are Wrong except .
A.Lotame sells the profiles about individuals to companies seeking customers with their age, gender, location, hobbies and names |
B.spying on Internet users is the fastest-growing businesses on the World Wide Web |
C.some of the biggest websites in the US know they were installing intrusive files on visitors’ computers |
D.a tiny file in a computer-a single code consisting of a long series of numbers and letters can record users’ information |
It can be inferred that .
A.because the data is used harmlessly.Internet users around the world will not face threats |
B.when a person surf the Internet, his personal details may be let out without his knowledge |
C.your computer can really read your mind |
D.MSN.com and Yahoo.com.use software to capture what people are typing on a website |
According to the passage, “beacon” .
A.is a tiny text file put on your PC by websites |
B.is a soft ware that can package that data into profiles about individuals |
C.can assess the Internet user’s location, income, shopping interests and even medical conditions |
D.is not more complex than the "cookie" |
What’s the writer’s attitude to this problem?
A.Neutral | B.Worried | C.Optimistic | D.Indifferent |
It is pretty much a one-way street. While it may be common for university researchers to try their luck in the commercial world, there is very little traffic in the opposite direction. Pay has always been the biggest deterrent, as people with families often feel they cannot afford the drop in salary when moving to a university job. For some industrial scientists, however, the attractions of academia (学术界) outweigh any financial considerations.
Helen Lee took a 70% cut in salary when she moved from a senior post in Abbott Laboratories to a medical department at the University of Cambridge. Her main reason for returning to academia mid-career was to take advantage of the greater freedom to choose research questions. Some areas of inquiry have few prospects of a commercial return, and Lee’s is one of them.
The impact of a salary cut is probably less severe for a scientist in the early stages of a career. Guy Grant, now a research associate at the Unilever Centre for Molecular Informatics at the University of Cambridge, spent two years working for a pharmaceutical (制药的) company before returning to university as a post-doctoral researcher. He took a 30% salary cut but felt it worthwhile for the greater intellectual opportunities.
Higher up the ladder, where a pay cut is usually more significant, the demand for scientists with a wealth of experience in industry is forcing universities to make the transition (转换) to academia more attractive, according to Lee. Industrial scientists tend to receive training that academics do not, such as how to build a multidisciplinary team, manage budgets and negotiate contracts. They are also well placed to bring something extra to the teaching side of an academic role that will help students get a job when they graduate, says Lee, perhaps experience in manufacturing practice or product development. “Only a small number of undergraduates will continue in an academic career. So someone leaving university who already has the skills needed to work in an industrial lab has far more potential in the job market than someone who has spent all their time on a narrow research project.”By “a one-way street” (Line 1, Para. 1), the author means ________.
A.university researchers know little about the commercial world |
B.there is little exchange between industry and academia |
C.few industrial scientists would quit to work in a university |
D.few university professors are willing to do industrial research |
What was Helen Lee’s major consideration when she changed her job in the middle of her career?
A.Flexible work hours. | B.Her research interests. |
C.Her preference for the lifestyle on campus. | D.Prospects of academic accomplishments. |
Guy Grant chose to work as a researcher at Cambridge in order to ________.
A.do financially more rewarding work | B.raise his status in the academic world |
C.enrich his experience in medical research | D.exploit better intellectual opportunities |
What contribution can industrial scientists make when they come to teach in a university?
A.Increase its graduates’ competitiveness in the job market. |
B.Develop its students’ potential in research. |
C.Help it to obtain financial support from industry. |
D.Gear its research towards practical applications. |
The crisis at the damaged Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Station in northern Japan has raised worries about radiation risks. We spoke Tuesday with Jonathan Links, an expert in radiation health sciences. He is a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Maryland.
Professor Links says workers within the nuclear plant are the only people at risk of extremely high doses of radiation.
JONATHAN LINKS: "Of course, we don't know what doses they've received, but the only persons at risk of acute radiation effects are the workers."
For other people, he says, there may be a long-term worry. People can get cancer from low doses of ionizing radiation, the kind released in a nuclear accident.
Professor Links says scientists can use computers to quickly model where radioactive material has blown and settled. Then they measure how large an area is contaminated. He says if the situation is serious enough, officials could take steps like telling people not to eat locally grown food or drink the water.
JONATHAN LINKS: "But that would only be the case if there was a significant release and, because of wind direction, the radioactive material was blown over the area, and then settled out of the air into and onto water, plants, fruits and vegetables."
The reactors at Fukushima are on the Pacific coast. But Professor Links says people should not worry about any radioactive material leaking into the ocean.
JONATHAN LINKS: "Even in a worst-case scenario accident, the sea provides a very high degree of dilution. So the concentration of radioactivity in the seawater would still be quite low."
Japan is the only country to have had atomic bombs dropped on it. That memory fromWorld War Two would create a stronger "psychological sensitivity" to radiation exposure, Professors Links says.
Next month is the twenty-fifth anniversary of the explosion and fire that destroyed a reactor at Chernobyl in Ukraine. The nineteen eighty-six event was the world's worst accident in the nuclear power industry.
A new United Nations report says more than six thousand cases of thyroid cancer have been found. These are in people who were children in affected areas of Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. The report says that by two thousand five the cancers had resulted in fifteen deaths.
The cancers were largely caused by drinking contaminated milk. The milk came from cows that ate grass where radioactive material had fallen.
To get the latest updates, go to www.unsv.com.
Contributing: James BrookeThe passage mainly tells us __________.
A.What measures the Japan Government takes to solve the nuclear crisis . |
B.Worries and influences caused by the nuclear crisis . |
C.With great efforts of scientists , the Japan Government has put the nuclear crisis under control . |
D.To explain that the nuclear crisis has less effect on its neighboring countries. |
Which of the following is NOT the influences caused by the leak of Fukushima Dai-Ichi Nuclear Power Station?
A.Workers at the nuclear station are suffering the risk of death . |
B.People can get cancer from low doses of ionizing radiation, the kind released in a nuclear accident. |
C.The radioactive material may be blown over the area causing the pollution to water . |
D.The concentration of radioactivity in the seawater can not be diluted. |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word “dilution”?
A.chemical | B.salt | C.dissolution | D.elimination |
According to the passage which of the following is not TRUE ?
A.Water people drink ,food and vegetables people eat may be polluted by nuclear radiation . |
B.Japan is the only country to have had atomic bombs dropped on it. |
C.You can go to www.unsv.com. to get the latest news . |
D.The nuclear accident in Japan is the worst in the nuclear power industry. |
Life comes in a package. This package includes happiness and sorrow, failure and success, hope and despair. Life is a learning process. Experiences in life teach us new lessons and make us a better person. With each passing day we learn to handle various situations.
Love
Love plays a pivotal role on our life.Love makes you feel wanted.Without love a person could go Hayward(不归路) and also become cruel and ferocious.In the early stage of our life, our parents are the ones who show us with unconditional love and care, they teach us about what is right and wrong, good and bad.But we always tend to take this for granted.It is only after marriage and having kids that a person understands and becomes sensitive to others feelings.Kids make a person responsible and mature and help us to understand life better.
Love plays a pivotal role on our life.Love makes you feel wanted.Without love a person could go Hayward(不归路) and also become cruel and ferocious.In the early stage of our life, our parents are the ones who show us with unconditional love and care, they teach us about what is right and wrong, good and bad.But we always tend to take this for granted.It is only after marriage and having kids that a person understands and becomes sensitive to others feelings.Kids make a person responsible and mature and help us to understand life better.
Happiness and Sorrow
Materialistic happiness is short-lived, but happiness achieved by bringing a smile on others face gives a certain level of fulfillment.Peace of mind is the main link to happiness. No mind is happy without peace. We realize the true worth of happiness when we are in sorrow.Sorrow is basically due to death of a loved one, failure and despair. But these things are temporary and pass away.
Failure and Success
Failure is the path to success. It helps us to touch the sky, teaches us to survive and shows us a specific way. Success brings in money, fame, pride and self-respect. Here it becomes very important to keep our head on our shoulder. The only way to show our gratitude to God for bestowing success on us is by being humble, modest, courteous and respectful to the less fortunate ones.
Hope and Despair
Hope is what keeps life going. Parents always hope their children will do well.Hope makes us dream. Hope builds in patience. Life teaches us not to despair even in the darkest hour, because after every night there is a day. Nothing remains the same we have only one choice keep moving on in life and be hopeful.
Life teaches us not to regret over yesterday, for it has passed and is beyond our control. Tomorrow is unknown, for it could either be bright or dull. So the only alternative is work hard today, so that we will enjoy a better tomorrow.In the passage, the author compares life to .
A.package | B.joy and sorrow |
C.failure and success | D.hope and despair |
In which section can readers probably read the passage?
A.Opinions | B.Politics | C.Education | D.Lifestyles |
How is the passage organized?
A.In order of rules. B.In order of frequency.What’s the general meaning of the last sentence of the whole passage?
A.If you work hard, you’ll have a better life in the future. |
B.when choosing between “today” and “tomorrow”, you’d better enjoy tomorrow better. |
C.What you only can choose is to work hard today rather than tomorrow. |
D.Enjoying a better tomorrow is your only choice. |
What’s the purpose of the passage?
A.To encourage people to love each other. |
B.To tell people how to deal with happiness and sorrow. |
C.To remind people of keeping having a beautiful dream. |
D.To give readers some information about life. |