One reaction to all the concern about tropical deforestation（毁林） is a blank stare that asks the question, "Since I don't live there, what does it have to do with me?"
The answer is that your way of life, wherever you live in the world, is tied to the tropics in many ways. If you live in a house, wash your hair, eat fruits and vegetables, drink soda, or drive a car, you can be certain that you are affected by the loss of tropical forests.
Biologically, we are losing the richest regions on earth when, each minute, a piece of tropical forest, the size of ten city blocks, disappears. As many as five million species of plants, animals, and insects (40 to 50 percent of all living things) live there, and are being lost faster than they can be found and described. Their loss is immeasurable.
Take rubber for example. For many uses, only natural rubber from trees will do. Synthetics are not good enough. Today over half the world's commercial rubber is produced in Malaysia and Indonesia, while the Amazon's rubber industry produces much of the world's four million tons. And rubber is an important material in making gloves, balloons, footwear and many sporting goods. Thousands of other tropical plants are valuable for their industrial use.
Many scientists strongly believe that deforestation contributes to the greenhouse effect -- or heating of the earth from increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As we destroy forests, we lose their ability to change carbon dioxide into oxygen.
Carbon dioxide levels could double within the next half-century, warming the earth by as much as 4.5 degrees. The result? A partial melt-down of polar ice caps, raising sea levels as much as 24 feet; even 15 feet could threaten anyone living within 35 miles of the coast. Unbelievable? Maybe. But scientists warn that by the time we realise the severe effects of tropical deforestation, it will be 20 years too late.
Can tropical deforestation affect our everyday lives? Now, you should have got the answer.The underlined word "synthetics" probably means_________.
| A．natural rubber | B．tropical materials |
| C．man-made material | D．commercial rubber |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The forests are losing their function in turning carbon dioxide into oxygen. |
| B．Many of our daily uses are related to the tropical forests. |
| C．Tropical plants can be used to make industrial products. |
| D．High carbon dioxide levels will make the earth warmer. |
The author's attitude towards the tropical deforestation is _________ .
| A．puzzling | B．cold | C．supporting | D．opposed |
Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
| A．Tropical Forests | B．The Value of Tropical Forests |
| C．Tropical Forests and Our Life | D．The Greenhouse Effects |
Salt plays an important role in our daily diet. Even a small reduction in salt in the diet can be a big help to the heart. A new study used a computer model to predict -how just three grams less a day would affect heart disease in the United States.
The result: Thirteen percent fewer heart attacks. Eight percent fewer strokes. Four percent fewer deaths. Eleven percent fewer new cases of heart disease. And two hundred forty billion dollars in health care savings. Researchers found it could prevent one hundred thousand heart attacks and ninety-two thousand deaths every year．
The study is in the New England Journal of Medicine. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo at the University of California San Francisco was the lead author. She says people would not even notice a difference in taste with three grams,or one-half teaspoon, less salt per day. The team also included researchers at Stanford and Columbia University. Each gram of salt contains four hundred milligrams of sodiu(钠), which is how foods may list their salt content．
The government says the average American man eats ten grams of salt a day. The American Heart Association advises no more than three grams for healthy people. It says salt in the American diet has increased fifty percent since the nineteen seventies, while blood pressures have also risen. Less salt can mean a lower blood pressure.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is leading an effort called the National Salt Reduction Initiative.The idea is to put pressure on food companies and restaurants. Critics call it government interference.
Mayor Bloomberg has already succeeded in other areas, like requiring fast food places in the city to list calorie information. Now a study by the Seattle Children's Research Institute shows that the calorie information on the menu can influence what parents order for their children. Ninety-nine parents of three to six year olds took part. Half had calories between the two groups for foods that the parents would have chosen for themselves. McDonald's menus clearly showing how many calories were in each food. Parents given the counts chose an average of one hundred two fewer calories when asked what they would order for their children. Yet there was no difference in calories between the two groups for foods that the parents would have chosen for themselves.
Study leader Pooja Tandon says even small calorie reductions on a regular basis can prevent weight gain over time.The study was published in the journal Pediatrics．Which of the following benefits does less salt diet in the passage NOT cover?
| A．The decrease of strokes | B．The prevention of weight gain |
| C．Fewer heart attacks | D．The drop in medical care cost |
It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
| A．Americans ate no more than 5 grams of salt per day in the 1970s |
| B．the American Heart Association suggests less than 3 grams of salt a day for everyone |
| C．the less salt one eats, the healthier he will be |
| D．all the heart diseases result from eating too much salt |
The National Salt Reduction Initiative aims to_______.
| A．inform people of the harm that salt does to health |
| B．attract the public attention to the problem |
| C．require fast food places to list salt information |
| D．put pressure on food companies and restaurants |
The underlined sentence "Yet there was no difference in calories between the two groups for foods that the parents would have chosen for themselves." implies that _______.
| A．Parents pay less attention to the amount of calories in their diet. |
| B．Parents set a good example to their children in daily diet. |
| C．Parents take less salt than before while taking meals. |
| D．Most parents are on a diet for their health. |
Which of the following might be the best title for this passage?
| A．Relationship between Salt and Health |
| B．Less Salt Can Mean Being More Healthy |
| C．A Survey on People's Regular Diet |
| D．Mayor Michael Bloomberg and His Health Project |
Bedfordshire had its fair share of royal visits from the early stages of the 10th Century onwards and the importance that the county placed on this is evident in the monuments, country houses, churches and any number of other structures that are still present there to this day. Bedford Castle is one of those structures and, although it is nowhere near its former glory today, it is an essential attraction to visit if you really want to grasp what its heritage means to the county!
Bedford Castle was built initially as a fortress to help protect Bedfordshire on the south of the River Ouse after the people in the local towns and villages had already been subdued. It was erected in 919 on the orders of King Edward the Elder, although it was destroyed by a Danish invasion years later. This was when it was rebuilt as the castle, of which the ruins exist today!
There is a long history behind the castle that involves several kings as a result of the Duke of Bedford being an ardent royalist. Bedford Castle repeatedly offered the kings of England refuge against various storms in the form of onslaughts from abroad and various domestic threats against them, and this is where much of its fame lies, even though the castle itself is no longer there. There are various tours of the ruins that you can take when you visit though and all of the guides are extremely knowledgeable. They will happily tell you tales of the mound and the castle that preceded it.
The mound is open to the public all year round and is a proud part of the area’s heritage. It is recommended by the majority of people that visit Bedfordshire because it tells you much about why the county is currently how it is. You can view the river from the mound and the surrounding settlements as well as the remains of the castle, and every moment spent there is worth it so enjoy the history and the very nature of the county itself! What do we know from the first paragraph?
| A．The royals pay regular visits to Bedfordshire |
| B．Bedford Castle represents the heritage of the county |
| C．Most of the ancient buildings are in use today |
| D．Bedfordshire had its fair share of royal visits |
The underlined word “initially” in Paragraph 2 probably means _______.
| A．at first | B．since the beginning |
| C．for one particular purpose | D．for a short time |
The kings of England came to Bedford Castle ______.
| A．to escape from the bad weather | B．to visit the Duke of Bedford |
| C．to enjoy the beauty of nature | D．to seek temporary protection |
Why are visitors recommended to visit Bedfordshire? ______
| A．It reflects the history of the country |
| B．It is the major heritage in that region |
| C．The ancient castle is well worth visiting |
| D．The castle is still in good condition |
The purpose of writing the text is _______.
| A．to attract tourists to Bedfordshire | B．to tell the history of Bedfordshire |
| C．to introduce Bedford Castle | D．to show where the kings used to go |
Many parents have learned the hard way that what sounds like open communication is often the very thing that closes a youngster’s ears and mouth. One common mistake is the Lecture, the long monologue that often starts with “When I was your age….” Eighteen-year-old Kelly calls lectures “long, one-side discussions in which I don’t say much.”
Kids reflexively（条件反射地） shut down in the face of a lecture. Their eyes glaze over, and they don’t register any incoming information. Listen to 13-year-old Sarah describe her least favorite times with her mom and dad. “First, they scream. Then comes the ‘We’re so disappointed’ speech. Then the ‘I never did that to my parents’ lecture begins. After that, even if they realize how ridiculous they sound, they never take it back.”
Lines like “When you have children of your own, you’ll understand” have been seriously said by parents since time immemorial. But many of our expert parents, like Bobby, a registered nurse and mother of three, feel that by falling back on clichés（陈词滥调）to justify our actions, we weaken our position.
Since kids are creatures of here and now, the far-off future has no relevance to them. Therefore, good communicators like Bobby suggest, “Give specific reasons for your actions in present language: ‘I’m not letting you go to the party because I don’t think there will be enough adult supervisions（监护）.’”
Betty, who lives in Missiouri, uses an indirect approach. “I find that warnings are accepted more readily if I discuss a news article on a subject I am concerned about. My husband and I talk about it while our children absorb the information. Then they never think I’m preaching(布道).”
This really helped when Betty’s kids began driving. Instead of constantly repeating “Don’t drink; don’t speed,” she would talk about articles in the paper and express sympathy for the victims of a car crash. Betty made no special effort to draw her kids into the conversation. She depended on a teenager’s strong desire to put in his opinions---especially if he thinks he isn’t being asked for them.The purpose of the passage is to _________.
| A．compare two ways of parents` communicating with their kids |
| B．explain why kids won’t listen to their parents |
| C．give parents advice on how to communicate with their kids |
| D．introduce kids` reaction to the communication between them and their parents |
Which of the following statements is NOT right?
| A．Kids won’t listen to their parents because they think what their parents say is boring. |
| B．Kids don’t like any discussion at all. |
| C．Some kids think their parents should apologize when they are wrong. |
| D．Many kids think they have no right to express their own opinions. |
What does the underlined word in the first paragraph mean?
| A．讨论 | B．对话 | C．插话 | D．独白 |
Which of the following topic may appeal to kids?
| A．Something related to kids’ present life |
| B．Kids possible life in the future |
| C．Parents` own experience |
| D．What parents have done to their own parents. |
In order to make kids follow their advice, parents should______.
| A．tell their kids to listen carefully |
| B．arouse kids’ desire to express themselves. |
| C．list out as many examples as possible |
| D．set out their warnings directly |
Education is not an end , but a means to an end. In other words, we do not educate children only for the purpose of educating them. Our purpose is to fit them for life.
In many modern countries it has for some time been fashionable（流行的）to think that by free education for all whether rich or poor, clever or stupid --- one can solve all the problems of society and build a perfect nation. But we can already see that free education for all is not enough: we find in such countries a far larger number of people with university degrees（学位）they refuse to do what they think "low" work; and in fact, work with hands is thought to be dirty and shameful in such countries. But we have only to think a moment to understand that the work of a completely uneducated farmer is far more important than that of a professor: we can live without education, but we die if we have no food. If no one cleaned our streets and took the rubbish away from our houses, we should get terrible diseases in our towns…
In fact, when we say that all of us must be educated to fit us for life, it means that we must be educated in such a way that, firstly, each of us can do whatever work suited to his brains and ability, and secondly, that we can realize that all jobs are necessary to society, and that it is very bad to be unwilling to do one's work. Only such a type of education can be considered valuable to society.In the writer’s opinion,_________
| A．free education for all probably leads to a perfect world |
| B．all the social problems can’t be solved by education |
| C．education can solve most of the world’s problems |
| D．free education will help to solve all the problems of society |
The writer wants to prove that _______
| A．a farmer is more important than a professor |
| B．our society needs free education for all |
| C．our society needs all kinds of jobs |
| D．work with hands is the most important |
The purpose of education is to ________
| A．build a perfect world | B．let everyone receive education |
| C．choose officials for the country | D．prepare children mainly for their future work |
What is mainly discussed in the text?
| A．The type of education | B．The value of education |
| C．The means of education | D．The system of education |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．Work with hands is thought to be shameful in some modern countries. |
| B．In all modern countries, free education has been fashionable. |
| C．A perfect nation can solve all the problems of society. |
| D．A professor is far more important than a farmer. |
While income worry is a rather common problem of the aged, loneliness is another problem that aged parents may face. Of all the reasons that explain their loneliness, a large geographical distance between parents and their children is the major one. This phenomenon(现象) is commonly known as "Empty Nest Syndrome”（空巢综合症）．
In order to find better chances outside their countries, many young people have gone abroad, leaving their parents behind with no clear idea of when they will return home. Their parents spend countless lonely days and nights, taking care of themselves, in the hope that someday their children will come back to stay with them. The fact that most of these young people have gone to Europeanized or Americanized societies makes it unlikely that they will hold as tightly to the value of duty as they would have if they had not left their countries. Whatever the case, it has been noted that the values they hold do not necessarily match what they actually do. This geographical and cultural distance also prevents the grown-up children from providing response in time for their aged parents living by themselves.
The situation in which grown-up children live far away from their aged parents has been described as "distant parent phenomenon", which is common both in developed countries and in developing countries. Our society has not yet been well prepared for "Empty Nest Syndrome".According to the passage, the loneliness of aged parents is mainly caused by ________.
| A．their earlier experience of living alone |
| B．the poor living conditions in their native countries |
| C．the common worry that they have not saved much money |
| D．the distance between where parents live and where their children live |
Many young people have gone abroad, leaving their aged parents behind, to ______.
| A．realize their dreams in foreign countries |
| B．seek a better place for their aged parents |
| C．live in the countries with more money |
| D．continue their studies abroad |
If young people go abroad, __________.
| A．they do not hold to the value of duty at all |
| B．they can give some help to their parents back home |
| C．they cannot do what they should for their parents |
| D．they believe what they actually do is right |
From the last paragraph, we can infer that __________.
| A．the situations in the developed and developing countries are different |
| B．"Empty Nest Syndrome" has arrived unexpectedly in our society |
| C．children will become independent as soon as they go abroad |
| D．the aged parents are not fully prepared for "Empty Nest Syndrome" |
The society discussed in the passage is most probably __________.
| A．France | B．America | C．China | D．Britain |