2010 was the year the Earth struck back.
Earthquakes, heat waves, floods, volcanoes, super typhoons, blizzards (暴风雪), landslides and droughts killed at least a quarter million people in 2010 – the deadliest year in more than a generation. More people were killed worldwide by natural disasters this year than have been killed in terrorism attacks in the past 40 years combined.
“It just seemed like it was back-to-back(接二连三) and it came in waves,” said Craig Fugate, who heads the US Federal Emergency Management Agency. It handled a record number of disasters in 2010.
“The term “100-year event’ really lost its meaning this year.”
And we have ourselves to blame most of the time, scientists and disaster experts say.
Even though many disasters have the ring of random chance, the hand of man made this a particularly deadly, costly, extreme and strange year for everything from wild weather to earthquakes.
Poor construction and development practices make earthquakes more deadly than they need be. More people live in poverty in vulnerable buildings（危房） in crowded cities. That means that when the ground shakes, the river floods, or the tropical cyclone hits, more people die.
Disasters from the Earth, such as earthquakes and volcanoes “are pretty much constant,” said Andreas Schraft, vice president of catastrophic perils for the Geneva-based insurance giant Swiss Re. “All the change that’s made is man-made.”
The January earthquake that killed well more than 220,000 people in Haiti is a perfect example. Port-au-Prince has nearly three times as many people – many of them living in poverty- and more poorly built shanties(棚户区) ,than it did 25 years ago. So had the same quake hit in 1985 instead of 2010; total deaths would have probably been in the 80,000 range, said Richard Olson, director of disaster risk reduction at Florida International University.
Climate scientists say Earth’s climate also is changing thanks to man-made global warming, bringing extreme weather, such as heat waves and flooding.
The excessive(过多的) amount of extreme weather that dominated 2010 is a classic sign of man-made global warming that climate scientists have long warned about. They calculate that the killer Russian heat wave – setting a national record of 111 degrees – would happen once every 100,000 years without global warming.
Data show that 18 countries broke their records for the hottest day ever.
“The Earth strikes back in response to bad human decision-making,” said Debarati Guha Sapir.” “It’s almost as if the policies, the government policies and development policies, are helping the Earth strike back instead of protecting from it. We’ve created conditions where the slightest thing the Earth does is really going to have a surprising impact.” White House science adviser John Holdren said we should get used to climate disasters or do something about global warming. “The science is clear that we can expect more and more of these kinds of damaging events unless and until society has sharply reduced the amount of heat-trapping gases and particles(颗粒).”From paragraph 1 to paragraph 3, we learn ___________________________.
| A．what natural disasters mean to the people all over the world |
| B．how terrorism attacks struck in the past four decades |
| C．how the Earth struck back in 2010 |
| D．why the world saw so many disasters in 2010 |
The author gives the example of the big earthquake in Haiti to show that ___________ .
| A．poor construction largely accounts for more deaths than expected |
| B．man’s behaviours are to blame for the constant occurrence of natural disasters |
| C．the extreme weather mainly contributes to the disaster of the quake |
| D．the country’s poverty and over- crowdedness results in the disaster |
Which of the following would Debarati Guha Sapir most probably agree with?
| A．Environment protection should be taken into account in policy-making. |
| B．Natural disasters are causing increase. |
| C．The earth wouldn’t strike back but for the destruction by man. |
| D．Conditions should be created to rid the influence of disasters. |
According to John Holdren, the best way to cut back on the number of natural disasters is __________________ .
| A．to forecast the happening of natural disasters accurately |
| B．to build stronger houses that can stand severe earthquakes and floods |
| C．to make better decisions and policies of city development |
| D．to send out much fewer greenhouse gases and particles |
What is the real concern of the writer of this article?
| A．The major causes of natural disasters. |
| B．The human unawareness of environment protection. |
| C．The harmonious relationship between humans and nature. |
| D．The serious results of global warming and earthquakes. |
LONDON ( Reuters)-- Ecotourism ( 生态旅游) is causing a lot of damage to wildlife and may be endangering the survival(生存) of the very animals people are flocking to see, according to researchers.
Biologists and conservationists ( 自然环境保护论者) are worried because polar bears, dolphins, penguins and other creatures are getting stressed and losing weight and some are dying.
"Evidence is growing that many animals do not react well to tourists in their backyard,” New Scientist magazine said.
The immediate effects researchers have noticed are changes in behavior, heart rates, or stress hormone levels but they fear it could get much worse and over the long term "could endanger the survival of the very wildlife they want to see".
Although money produced through ecotourism, which has been growing at about 10--30 percent a year, has major benefits for poor countries and people living in rural areas, the Swiss-based World Conservation Union and some governments fear not all projects are audited (审计) and based on environmentally friendly policies, according to the magazine,
"The transmission(传播) of disease to wildlife, or small changes to wildlife health through disturbance of daily life or increased stress levels, while not obvious to the casual observer, may translate to lower survival and breeding ,"said Philip Seddon, of the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand.
Scientists have noticed that bottleneck dolphins along the northeastern coast of New Zealand become nervously excited when tourist boats arrive. Similar changes in behavior have been observed in polar bears and yellow-eyed penguins in areas visited by ecotourists are producing smaller babies.
Conservationists are now calling for more research into the effect of ecotourism on animals and say the industry must be developed carefully. They also want studies done before new ecotourism projects are started.
“The animals’ welfare should be very important because without them there will be no ecotourism,”said Rochelle Constantine of the University of Auckland in New Zealand.
1. What's the text mainly about?
A. Many animals are dying because of lack of money.
B. There will be no ecotourism without animals.
C. Ecotourism could endanger the survival of the wildlife people want to see.
D. More research should be done on ecotourism.
2. We may learn from the text that __
A. ecotourism must be developed properly
B. polar bears are losing weight without enough food
C. all the poor countries have stopped ecotourism
D. money produced through ecotourism should be spent on wildlife
3. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the text?
A. Many animals do not react well in their backyard..
B. Polar bears in areas visited by ecotourists are producing smaller babies.
C. Ecotourism has been growing at about 10--30 percent a year.
D. Studies should be done before new ecotourism projects are started.
4. What Rochelle Constantine said in the last paragraph implies that __
A. if people want to get high income, they must develop ecotourism
B. animals have rights to live their own life
C. animals are people’s good friends
D. people should take good care of wildlife
For as long as I can remember, I have been very bad at arguing with people. As soon as someone disagrees with me, I get angry because I feel attacked, like the other person is out to show that I am wrong. And for some reason, I hate being wrong! So my immediate reaction is to get very defensive, I raise my voice, and I end up saying something I later regret. Needless to say, the whole thing ends with me beating myself up, and the other person feeling alienated (疏远) from me. This bothers me especially because my mother does the exact same thing and I hate it!
I have noticed this tendency in me for a long time now, but I have never been able to stop. I did some anger management work with a therapist (治疗专家) a while ago, but because I moved and turned to an advisor at school who cannot see me regularly, I have not been able to continue this important work. They tell you to stop and count to 10, control your breathing, calm yourself down before you talk. But that's the whole problem, I could never think of stopping myself until it was too late! The hurtful things had already come out of my mouth, and I was stuck picking up the pieces.
Right now the problem is urgent because my relationship with a wonderful boyfriend is in danger because of my insecurity and hatred of being wrong. He is closing himself off to me because I have hurt him, and no doubt I am no longer attractive as a woman with no confidence in herself and a bad temper. How do I stop ruining my relationships and hating myself? How do I stop hating being wrong?
1. In what situation will the writer get angry easily?
A. When she has argument with people.
B. When people disagree with her.
C. When she is attacked.
D. When she does something wrong.
2. What does the underlined part in the first paragraph mean?
A. My mother disagrees with me.
B. My mother alienates herself from me.
C. My mother has the same problem with me.
D. My mother does the same wrong to me.
3. In the second paragraph, what does the underlined word "tendency" refer to?
A. Being bad at arguing with people.
B. Hating being wrong.
C. Being lost to others.
D. Hating my mother.
4. We can infer from the third paragraph that
A. the writer feels helpless with her problem
B. the writer finds it hard to count from one to ten
C. the writer has received effective advice about her problem
D. the writer is under the treatment of a therapist
5. What did the writer imply in the last paragraph?
A. She is closing herself off to her boyfriend.
B. She is much hurt by her boyfriend.
C. Her boyfriend has broken up with her.
D. She has to solve her problem in no time.
ISC (HS) Reference No. S006864 New South Wales
Student Date of Birth: 19/08/1988 Department of Education and Training
International Students Centre
Hong Xue 827-839 George Street PO Box 707
60 Waratah Street Broadway NSW 21007
Croydon Park NSW 2133Phone: (612) 9217 4801 1300 302 456
Fax: (612) 9212 6721
http://www.tafensw.edu.au/international/
WARNING LETTER
Dear Hong Xue,
As you are aware, your student visa regulations set out a number of conditions applying to your visa. It has come to our attention that you are failing to meet the following conditions: You must maintain accommodation, support and general welfare arrangements that have been approved by your education provider if you:
●have not turned 18; and
●are not staying in Australia with:
--a parent
--a custodian(监护人); or
--a relative who has been nominated(指定)by your parent or a custodian, is aged at least 21 and is of good character.
Note: You must not change those arrangements without the written approval of your education provider.
You must obey the following rules:
1. During term time you must:
a) remain in your homestay during the school term;
b) come home every night; and
c) inform your guardian at all times of your whereabouts.
2. On weekends you must:
a) have your guardian's permission to stay with friends; and
b) inform your guardian of the name, address and phone numbers of people you are visiting.
3. You must return your guardian's telephone calls.
This will be your only warning. If you continue to breach(违反)your student visa regulations we will report you to the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs. Such action may lead to the cancellation(取消)of your student visa. Please contact me on (612) 9217 4801 or fax (612) 9212 6721 if you have questions about your enrolment.
Yours sincerely
Tracey Carlon
Student Advisor
International Students Centre
NSW Department of Education and Training
1. What's the purpose of writing this letter?
A. To remind the recipient (收信人) of the conditions for applying for a student visa.
B. To warn the recipient not to do anything against his student visa regulations again.
C. To tell the recipient how to contact his student advisor.
D. To inform the recipient of the student visa regulations.
2. What can be learned about the recipient from this letter?
A. He is under 18 and studies in Australia with his parents.
B. He is required to come home every night according to the rules.
C. He can stay with his friends on weekends if permitted.
D. His student Visa has been cancelled.
3. To which address should the recipient reply if he feels like answering the letter?
A. Hong Xue at 60 Waratah Street, Croydon Park NSW 2133.
B. Tracey Carlon at the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs.
C. Hong Xue at NSW Department of Education and Training.
D. Tracey Carlon at 827-839 George Street, PO Box 707, Broadway NSW 21007.
The common cold is the world’s most widespread illness. People believe that colds are caused by cold. They are not. They are caused by viruses passing on from person to person. You catch a cold, and it would be reasonable to expect the Eskimos to suffer from them forever. But they do not. And in isolated arctic regions explorers have reported being free from colds until coming into contact again with infected people from the outside world by way of packages and mail dropped from airplanes.
During the First World War soldiers who spent long periods in the trenches(战壕), cold and wet, showed no increased tendency to catch colds.
In the Second World Was prisoners at the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp, naked and starving, were astonished to find that they seldom had colds.
At the Common Cold Research Unit England, volunteers took part in experiments in which they gave themselves to the discomforts of being cold and wet for long stretches of time. After taking hot baths, they put on bathing suits, allowed themselves to be dipped with cold water, and them stood about dripping wet in wind. Some wore wet socks all day while others exercised in the rain until close to exhaustion. Not one of the volunteers came down with a cold unless a cold virus was actually dropped in his nose.
In the cold we have nothing to do with catching colds. Why are they more frequent in the winter? Despite the most pains-taking research, no one has yet found the answer. One explanation offered by scientists is that people tend to stay together indoors more in cold weather than at other times, and this makes it easier for cold viruses to be passed on.
No one has yet found a cure for the cold. There are drugs and painkillers such as aspirin, but all they do is to relieve the symptoms(症状).
1. Besides the experiments in England, the writer offered more examples to support his argument.
A、3 B、4 C、5 D、6
2. Which of the following does not agree with the chosen passage?
A、The Eskimos do not suffer from colds all the time.
B、Colds are not caused by cold.
C、People suffer from colds just because they like to stay indoors.
D、A person may catch a cold by touching someone who already has one.
3. Arctic explorers may catch colds when .
A、they are working in the inolated arctic regions
B、they are writing reports in terribly cold weather
C、they are free from work in the isolated arctic regions
D、they are coming into touch again with the outside world
4. Volunteers taking part in the experiments in the Common Cold Research Unit .
A、suffered a lot B、never caught colds
C、often caught colds D、became very strong
第三部分：阅读理解(共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项。
Many people often say there is more stress (压力) in today's society than in years past. In fact, these people are comparing our lives with that of the cave man, who didn't have to worry about the stock market or the atomic bomb. They forget that the cave man worried about being eaten by a bear while he was asleep, or about dying of hunger--things that few people worry much about today.
Actually stress is a normal state of affairs, and it's important that people understand what they are talking about when they speak about stress. Whenever anyone experiences something unpleasant, for lack of a better word they say they are under stress. Yet there is such a thing as pleasant stress--as in the case of the Olympic winner at the moment of his glory, or a conductor as his orchestra(乐队) performs particularly well. They are just sending out excitement, and they are giving off all the stress hormones(荷尔蒙)exactly the same as if they were in low spirits or had just heard of a death in the family. We call the pleasant or healthy kind "eustress” and the unpleasant or unhealthy kind "distress".
Then how can people deal with stress? The secret is not to avoid it but to "do your own thing". It implies doing what you like to do and what you are made to do at your own speed. For most people, it is really a matter of learning how to live and how to behave in various situations, to decide: “Do I really want to take my father's business or be a musician?” If you really want to be a musician, then be one.
1. What can be inferred from the first paragraph?
A. Modern people experiences more stress than the cave man.
B. The cave man experienced more stress than modern people.
C. People don't suffer more stress today; it's just that they think they do.
D. Modern people have the same worries as the cave man did.
2. In which of the following situations will you feel "eustress"?
A. Your favorite football team has lost an important game.
B. You have failed an important examination.
C. You are informed of an accident of your best friend.
D. You have won the first prize in an English competition.
3. The purpose of writing the passage is to let us know
A. stress does not necessarily refer to unpleasant experience
B. distress is what people call the pleasant kind of stress
C. an Olympic winner feels the same stress as one who loses a family member
D. people will feel eustress and distress at the same time
4. According to the passage, how can people deal with stress?
A. Do things that you really want to do.
B. Do whatever you're expected to do.
C. Try to do things successfully.
D. Refuse to do whatever you're told to.