Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are a major cause of climate change, and now a new study has confirmed that atmospheric CO2 is also affecting the ocean chemistry and potentially harming sea life.
Montana State University scientist Robert Dore has been researching the water in the Pacific Ocean for almost two decades. We've been going to the same spot in the Pacific Ocean, and we try and characterize long-term change in the open ocean environment. And one of the key things that we measure is CO2 levels. And we've been able to record this increasing quantity of atmospheric CO2 into the ocean.
Scientists expected that as atmospheric CO2 increased, more and more of the carbon dioxide would be absorbed into the ocean, affecting the chemical balance of the sea water, with a potentially harmful impact on shellfish and coral in particular.
"As carbon dioxide dissolves(溶解) in the water, or seawater in this case, it forms a weak acid, carbonic acid," Dore explains. "And therefore, as the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere goes up and that exchanges with the surface seawater, it drives the PH down, and makes it more acidic."
The seawater Dore and his colleagues have analyzed confirms what the theory predicts.
The effect was particular striking at about 250 meters down, and again at 500 meters. Dore and his colleagues came up with two possible explanations. It could be that surface water picked up CO2 and then moved to those depths. Or there could be a biological explanation.
"It's important to realize that the oceans are really becoming acidic. And it can have negative(消极的) impacts on a whole variety of sea life from fish to coral. It's potentially catastrophic."What can be the best title of the passage?
A.Sea Life Facing Danger |
B.Scientist Researching Seawater |
C.Oceans Becoming More Acidic |
D.Climate Change Affecting Seawater |
With the increase of atmospheric CO2, .
A.more corals will appear in the sea |
B.the surface water is becoming warmer |
C.the chemical balance of the seawater is affected |
D.the PH of the ocean out here has been increasing |
Which of the following shows the process of the impact of atmospheric CO2 on sea life?
a.Sea life is endangered.
b.CO2 goes into the surface water.
c.The ocean chemistry is affected.
d.CO2decreases the PH and makes the seawater more acidic.
e.CO2 levels in the atmosphere go up.Scientist Robert Dore came to the conclusion based on .
A.his research and analysis |
B.the expectation of other scientists |
C.some former theory |
D.a major cause of climate change |
“In real life, the daily struggles between parents and children are around these narrow problems of an extra hour, extra TV show, and so on” said Avi Sadeh, psychology professor at Tel Aviv University. “Too little sleep and more accidents,” he said.Sadeh and his colleagues found an extra hour of sleep can make a big difference. The children who slept longer, although they woke up more frequently during the night, scored higher on tests, Sadeh reported in the March/April issue of journal Child Development. “When the children slept longer, their sleep quality was somewhat weak, but in spite of this their performance for study improved because the extra sleep was more important than the reduction in sleep quality. ”Sadeh said. “Some studies suggested that lack of sleep as a child affects development into adulthood and it’s more likely to develop their attention disorder when they grow older. ”
In earlier studies, Sadeh’s team found that fourth graders slept an average of 8.2 hours and sixth graders slept an average of 7. 7 hours. “Previous research has shown children in elementary school need at least nine hours of sleep a night on a regular basis, said Carl Hunt, director of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research in Bethesda, and high-school-age children need somewhat less, he said, adding that the results of lack of sleep could be serious.
“A tired child is an accident waiting to happen,” Hunt said. “And as kids get older, toy get bigger and the risks higher. ” Hunt also said too little sleep could result in learning and memory problems and long-term effects on school performance. “This is an important extension of what we already know, ” Hunt said of Sadeh’s research, adding sleep is as important as nutrition(营养) and exercise to good health. “To put it into reality,” Hunt said, “parents should make sure they know when their children actually are going to sleep and their rooms are helpful to sleep instead of playing. ”
68. What is Child Development?
A. A new story B. An organization
C. A periodical magazine D .A TV programme
69. How many persons are exactly mentioned in the text?
A OneB Two C Three D Four
70. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A. There are some daily struggles between parents and children because of having
nothing in common with extra rest time.
B. The children who sleep longer are weak in their study.
C. Lack of sleep as a child has great effect on their development into adulthood.
D. In general, children in elementary school need at least nine hours of sleep a night.
Everyone would like to be a millionaire but can you imagine having over $30 million and only being 20 years old? Britney Spears from Kentwood, a small town in Louisiana, is only 20 years old; she is an international pop superstar with not only $30 million but also a $2 million house in LA. At her young age, she can look after her family financially all her life.
This year is a big year for Britney. She is currently on a 31 day tour of the US and every concert is a sell-out. That means she plays in front of a crowd of around 18,000 every time. It’s tiring schedule but brings great rewards. When touring, she goes to bed around l a.m. and then has a lie-in until l p.m. or 2 p.m. the next day. Her philosophy(人生观)is to take care of the body and relax but always make sure you work hard and have fun.
Spears is not satisfied with only touring and selling nearly 40 million records, so she decided to branch out into the movie business and try a bit of acting. She made an appearance in “ Austin Powers 3” this year and she is filming a teenage comedy that will be released in March 2003. In this movie, she has a starring role. The movie was her own concept and she picked the writer.
For Britney, acting is another way to express herself and she is enthusiastic about it all. If her movies are successful, her bank account is sure to grow by another few million dollars but she has been quoted as saying she does it for the love, not the money.
64. We can infer from the text that most millionaires are .
A. in their 30s B. around 20 C. older than 20 D. in their 40s
65. The underlined word “you” in the second paragraph refers to .
A. a person in general B. a particular person
C. Britney Spears herself only D. the reader
66. Which of the following is not true according to the text ?
A. Though young, Britney can support her family now.
B. While touring, Britney sleeps about 12 hours a day.
C. Britney will be even richer with her movies successful.
D. The teenage comedy movie was based on Britney’s own story.
67. According to Britney Spears, she works___________.
A. to be a great actress B. for the enjoyment
C. for money D. to be more famous
第三部分:阅读理解(第一节15小题,共30分,第二节5小题,共10分,满分40分)
第一节:阅读下列短文,从每题所给的选项中选出最佳选项。
There is an English saying: “Laughter is the best medicine.” Until recently, few people took the saying seriously. Now however, doctors have begun to look into laughter and the effects it has on the human body. They have found that laughter really can improve people’s health.
Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body. People watched funny films while doctors checked their hearts, blood pressure, breathing and muscles. It was found that laughter had similar effects to physi
cal exercise. It increases blood pressure, the heart beating and breathing; it also works several groups of muscles in the face, the stomach, and even the feet. If laughter exercises the body, it must be beneficial.
Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be able to reduce the effect of pain on the body. In one experiment doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programmes. The group that tolerated (忍耐) the pain for the longest time was the groups which listened to a funny programme. The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemicals in the brain which diminish both stress and pain.
As a result of these discoveries, some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics, in which they help to improve their patients’ condition by encouraging them to laugh. They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing, making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar to those caused by laughter.
56. Doctors have proved the following EXCEPT that____ .
A. smiling does good to healthB. laughter can be tolerated
C. there is a way to reduce pain D. laughter can work the muscles in the feet
57. The main idea of the passage is that ____
A. laughter and physical exercise have similar effects on the human body
B. smile can produce the same effects as laughter
C. pain can be reduced by laughter
D. laughter is the best medicine
58. The students who____ tolerated the pain for the longest time.
A. listened to different radio programmes B. could produce a kind of chemical
C. don’t have stress or pain D. listened to a funny programme
59. The underlined word “diminish” in the second paragraph is similar to “____ ’’.
A. test B. stop C. reduce D .increase
When you are talking to somebody at a party, do you focus entirely on the person you are speaking with or does your attention keep jumping around the room to all the other people there? General1y, if the person is someone you really want to talk to, you will focus on him. Most other people will only get about half of your attention.
You may think that this is OK, because if you don’t really want to talk to him, then what does it matter if you don’t give him your full attention? Consider two things. First, you may just not realize the importance of that conversation. If you are at a networking meeting and you hope to meet the CEO of Company X, but you end up talking to someone who has a low-level job at a different company, then you may let your attention wander (走神) as you speak to him. But maybe you don’t realize that this person has already met the CEO and could introduce you. Do you think he will do that if he feels you don’t really care about speaking to him? This doesn’t mean you need to spend the whole time talking to him. Five or ten minutes of real attentive (专心的) conversation can be worth 30 minutes to an hour of partial attention.
Second, whether you want to speak to someone is based on the situation. You can love your wife, but if she tries to talk to you while you are watching something you like on TV, where is your attention going? Make your own decision, but if you want her to feel valued, give her your 100% attention. The nice thing is that in many cases you can give her your attention for a few minutes and then return to what you were doing. You miss very little, she feels valued, and all is good.
60.The author’s opinion is made believable mainly by ________.
A. giving examples B. using figures C. asking questions D. description
61.The second paragraph mainly tells you that ________.
A. you should focus on whoever you are talking to
B. you should be interested in everyone at a party
C. you can refuse to talk to someone you don’t like at a party
D. you should be patient with everyone at a party
62.A person who has a low-level job probably ________.
A. would like to talk to you B. is the one you’re looking for
C. wants to make friends with you D. is well worth focusing on
63. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Always be friendly to others at a party.
B. Improve your communication skills by focusing on others.
C. It is important for you to be active at a party.
D. You should respect your wife at any time.
A popular saying goes, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” However, that’s not really true. Words have the power to build us up or tear us down. It doesn’t matter if the words come from someone’s else or ourselves --- the positive and negative effects are just as lasting.
We all talk to ourselves sometimes. We’re usually too embarrassed to admit it, though. In fact, we really shouldn’t be because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit.
This “self-talk” helps us motivate ourselves, remember things, solve problems, and calm ourselves down. Be aware, though, that as much as 77% of self-talk tends to be negative. So in order to stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves. We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back. The next time you finish a project, do well in a test, or finally clean your room, join me in saying “Good job!”
Often, words come out of our mouths without us thinking about the effect they will have. But we should be aware that our words cause certain responses in others. For example, when returning an item to a store, we might use warm, friendly language during the exchange. And the clear will probably respond in a similar manner. Or harsh(刻薄的)and critical language will most likely cause the clerk to be defensive.
Words possess power because of their lasting effect. Many of us regret something we once said. And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves: Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn’t pass this test, then it’s better left unsaid.
Words possess power: both positive and negative. Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively. We can offer hope, build self-esteem(自尊)and motivate others to do their best. Negative words destroy all those things. Will we use our words to hurt or to heal? The choice is ours.
57. The main idea of the first paragraph is that ________.
A. not sticks and stones but words will hurt us
B. inspiring words give us confidence
C. negative words may let us down
D. words have a lasting effect on us
58. There is no sense for us to feel embarrassed when we talk to ourselves because _______
A. almost everybody has the habit of talking to themselves
B. we can benefit from talking to ourselves
C. talking to ourselves always gives us courage
D. it does no harm to have “self-talk” when we are alone
59. The underlined part in the third paragraph means that we should also timely _______
A. praise ourselves
B. remind ourselves
C. make ourselves relaxed
D. give ourselves amusement
60. The author would probably hold the view that ___________
A. encouraging words are sure to lead to kind offers
B. negative words may stimulate us to make more progress
C. people tend to remember friendly words
D. it is better to think twice before talking to others