A subject which seems to have been insufficiently studied by doctors and psychologists is the influence of geography and climate on the psychological and physical health of mankind. There seems no doubt that the general character of the landscape, the relative length of day and night, and the climate must all play a big part in determining what kind of people we are.
It is true that a few studies have been made. Where all the inhabitants of a particular area enjoy exceptionally good or bad health, scientists have identified contributory factors such as the presence or absence of substances like iodine, fluoride, calcium, or iron in the water supply, or perhaps types of land that provide breeding places for pests like mosquitoes or rats.
Moreover, we can all generalize about types of people we have met. Those living in countries with long dark winters are apt to be less talkative and less vivacious than inhabitants of countries where the climate is more equable. And where the olive and the orange grow, there the inhabitants are cheerful, talkative, and spontaneous.
But these commonplace generalizations are inadequate: the influence of climate and geography should be studied in depth. Do all mountain dwellers live to a ripe old age? Does the drinking of wine, rather than beer, result in a sunny and open temperament? Is the strength and height of one of the Kenyan tribes due to their habitual drinking of the blood of cows?
We are not yet sure of the answers to such questions, but let us hope that something of benefit to mankind may eventually result from such studies. _____ might serve as a suitable title for this selection.
| A．The Importance of Geographical Environment |
| B．The Influence of Geographical Environment on Man |
| C．Generalization of Types of People |
| D．Geographical Environment, a Mysterious Subject |
Using context clues we may infer that " iodine, fluoride and calcium" are _____.
| A．substances which act positively or negatively on man's health |
| B．harmful substances in the water supply |
| C．substances which help provide breeding places for pests |
| D．substances contributory to good health |
We may infer from the third paragraph that geography and climate play an important role in determining the inhabitants' _____.
| A．health condition | B．personality | C．life-span | D．all of the above |
According to the author, research into the influence of geography and climate should_____.
| A．focus on some unknown aspects | B．be pursued on a larger scale |
| C．be carried out within a larger scope | D．go much deeper |
The author hopes that studies on the influence of geographical environment will enable us to
| A．generalize better about types of people | B．find better water supplies |
| C．gain an insight into its influence on mankind | D．live to a ripe old age |
Do you suppose Darwin, one of the greatest scientists of all time, really did foolsexperiments? Or did he do experiments that were so simple and basic that other people just thought they were foolish?
Sometimes, people think they already know the answer to a question or the solution (解决办法) to a problem. Sometimes, they really do know an answer or a solution, but without thinking they are important.
Charles Darwin didn’t settle for (满足于) just thinking he knew something. And, he believed all things could be important however simple they seemed to be.
Suppose you drop sheets of paper that are of exactly the same size and shape. If you drop them at the same time in the same place, they will fall in the same way. Now make one of the sheets of paper into a tight (紧的) little ball and let it drop along with the other sheets. What happens? You have done an experiment that is so simple that you might think it couldn’t be worth anything.
But this simple experiment is important. It explains part of our present-day understandings of physics, ideas that were worked out long ago by Galileo and Newton. And these understandings set aside some of ancient Greek physics.
Scientist sometimes stops to look at very simple things and to think very hard about them. Even the simplest idea, which we might think is foolish, can shake the foundations of science.
1. The passage tells us that Charles Darwin ____.
| A．was a great English scientist |
| B．always liked doing the experiments that others thought difficult |
| C．thought even the simplest thing was important |
| D．didn’t get well with others |
2.The phrase “set aside” most probably means____ .
| A．throw away | B．store up |
| C．put to use | D．realize |
3. The author of the passage tries to ________.
| A．convince us that Charles Darwin, Galileo and Newton are the greatest scientists in the world |
| B．draw the conclusion that basic sciences are simple things |
| C．prove that two sheets of paper, with the same size and shape, will fall at the same speed |
| D．draw our attention to everyday happenings around us |
4Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Darwin really did fools experiments. |
| B．According to some people Darwin did foolish experiments. |
| C．It is believed by all the people that things could be important though they seemed to be simple. |
| D．Galileo and Newton worked out ancient Greek physics. |
For as long as humans have lived on the earth, they have made use of various forms of communication. Generally, this expression of thoughts and feelings has been in the form of oral speech. When there is a spoken language problem, communication can be carried out through sign language, in which gestures stand for letters, words, and ideas. Tourists and people unable to hear or speak have often had to turn to this form of expression. When gestures describe words or ideas, they can often be used internationally. When used for spelling words however, where each gesture stands for a single letter, people must share the same written language.
Body language sends ideas or thoughts by certain actions, either meaningfully or not. A wink can be a way of showing that the person is only joking. A nod means agreement, while shaking the head indicates disagreement.
Other forms of language can be found in Braille (a reading system of raised dots read with the fingertips used by the blind), signal flags, Morse code, and smoke signals. Road maps and picture signs also guide and warn people. While language is the most common form of communication, other systems and techniques also express human thoughts and feelings.What does the author mainly want to say?
| A．People can communicate in many different ways. |
| B．Everybody uses only one form of communication. |
| C．Language is invaluable to foreigners. |
| D．Non-spoken communication is of little value. |
According to the text, which part of the body can be used to show you are joking?
| A．Fingers. | B．Eyes. | C．Head. | D．Feet. |
What can’t be effectively communicated by sign language when people belong to different language groups?
| A．Spelling. | B．Idea. | C．Whole words. | D．Expressions. |
How many different forms of communication are mentioned in the text?
| A．Three. | B．Five. | C．Six. | D．Nine. |
Body language is a very powerful tool of a communication, not only between people but in the animal world as well.
In many instances, we produce idioms which are all understandable by borrowing examples from animal communication.
For example, we know that a frightened cat will arch（拱型）. From this starting-point we might hear the expression. “He gets my back up!” meaning “He makes me angry.”
In the same manner, we know that many animals, if challenged（挑战）by attackers, will not turn and run away because this will encourage the attackers to attack them more forcefully. Instead, they will move backwards slowly to get out of harm’s way, always facing their attacker. We call this action “backing off” and it can be used as well with humans as with animals.
In the case of humans, however, the back-off may not be physical but oral, as in using a kinder tone of voice and gentle words instead of fighting against the attackers.
8. When a cat arches its back high in a rigid curve, it shows that it is .
| A．angry | B．pleased | C．frightened | D．defeated |
9. In the article “back off” means .
| A．to escape from the attackers |
| B．to get away quickly |
| C．to keep out the attackers |
| D．to avoid the attackers in words |
10. Which of the following is wrong according to the article?
| A．To learn knowledge, humans must learn from animals. |
| B．Both humans and animals have the body language. |
| C．Both humans and animals have ways of getting out of harm. |
| D．“Face your attackers” means to encourage yourself. |
11. What is mentioned（提到）in this article belongs to study of English .
| A．grammar | B．idioms | C．expression | D．communication |
Comera is the only place in the world which has a whistle language. We do not know how and why it began because we do not know the complete history of the island. But we can certainly imagine the reasons for the beginning of the whistle language. There are many deep valleys on the island. A person on one side of valley can not easily shout to a person on the other side. But he can whistle and be heard from four miles away, and the record is seven miles. The people who live on the island usually have good teeth, and this helps them to whistle well. They must also have good ears so that they can hear other whistlers.
We can understand why the whistle language continues. It is very useful on the island, and quite easy to learn. When somebody is hurt or ill, the whistle language takes the place of telephone. If the sick person is a long way from the town, boys and men pass the news from one to another. A boy guarding cattle on a hillside whistles to a man fishing from his boat. The last one is able to describe the trouble fully and exactly to the doctor in town. People help each other in the same way when a car breaks or a cow is lost.
The whistle language is hundreds of years old, and probably it will continue to live for hundreds of years more. Radio and TV often kill the special ways of speaking in the different parts of a country. But on Comera you are nobody if you cannot whistle. Perhaps soon after TV arrives on the island, the people there will be whistling the news and other facts and opinions.
4. If a person on Comera island is ill, .
| A．others will phone the doctor in town |
| B．whistle language will pass the news to the doctor |
| C．his family will take him to the doctor |
| D．people will take him to the hospital |
5. From the passage we know radio and TV at that time.
| A．killed the special way of speaking |
| B．whistled all the news and opinions |
| C．helped Comera people to communicate |
| D．did not appear on Comera island yet |
6. Comera island is special in that .
| A．it attracts visitors every year |
| B．no visitors have ever been there |
| C．people there have special ears to hear whistles |
| D．people there use the whistle language to communicate with each other |
7. Which of the following is not true according to the passage?
| A．It is not easy for a person to live on Comera island if he cannot whistle. |
| B．The whistle language can only be found in Comera. |
| C．The whistle language has been used for hundreds of years on the island, but will not be used any longer. |
| D．The record shows that one best whistler can be heard by others seven miles away. |
Many people think that the most popular way of communicating with other people is through the mouth. But what they don’t know is that actual communication using the mouth accounts for only around 10% (or even less) of all the means to communicate a message.
Moreover, you can never determine the truthfulness or honesty of people by what they say alone. In fact, words expressed through the mouth often do not reflect what people really think or feel. The more reliable way you can determine their true inner feelings and thoughts is by reading their body language. Everybody communicates using these gestures and if you understand the gestures and their meanings you will be able to read people and know what they are really communicating to you. One researcher even went as far as to say that we speak to hide what’s on our minds. But gestures cannot lie.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you can “see through” the emotions of other people? Let’s say you ask a person whether he can do an important task. He says “OK”. But deep inside, you are questioning yourself, “Is he really willing to do this job?” or “Does he have the confidence in finishing this task?” You can’t question him directly because that would be like belittling him. And even if you ask him those questions, his replies will not tell you what he really feels or thinks. So the most useful way is to observe his body language. Expressions like smiling, frowning, pouting, facial reddening, sweating, toe curling and sideways glances are visible hints that can help you make a right judgment.
1. According to the passage, we know _______.
| A．words through the mouth are the most common way in communication |
| B．body language is the quickest way to help people understand each other |
| C．expressions are the most powerful tool to judge whether a man is confident or not |
| D．you may know what a person really thinks with the help of reading his body language |
2. What does the underlined sentence mean in the second paragraph?
| A．We can express ourselves well by body language. |
| B．We use words to prevent others knowing our true thoughts |
| C．Spoken words can fully reflect our true self. |
| D．We use body language to help express ourselves. |
3. The underlined word in the third paragraph can be replaced with ______.
| A．looking down upon | B．speaking highly of |
| C．laughing at | D．believing in |