The energy crisis has made people aware of how the careless use of the earth’s energy has brought the whole world to the edge of disaster. The over-development of motor transport, with its increase of more cars, more traveling, has contributed to the near-destruction of our cities and the pollution not only of local air but also of the earth’s atmosphere.
Our present situation is unlike natural disasters of the past. Worldwide energy use has brought us to a state where long-range planning is vital. What we need is not a continuation of our present serious state, which endangers the future of our country, our children, and our earth, but a movement forward in order to work rapidly and effectively on planetary problems.
This country has been failing back under the continuing exposures of loss of morality and the revelation(揭露) that lawbreaking has reached into the highest place in the land. There is a strong demand for morality to turn for the better and for some devotion that is vast enough and yet personal enough to enlist the devotion of all. In the past it has been only in a way in defense of their own country and their own benefits that people have been able to devote themselves wholeheartedly.
This is the first time that we have been asked to defend ourselves and what we hold dear in cooperation with all the other people of this planet, who share with us the same endangered air and the same endangered oceans. There is a common need to reassess our present course, to change that course and to employ new methods through which the world can survive. This is a priceless opportunity.
To grasp it, we need a widespread understanding of nature if the crisis we and the world are facing is no passing inconvenience, no byproduct of the ambitions of the oil-producing countries, no environmentalists’ only fears, no byproduct of any present system of government. What we face is the result of the invention of the last four hundred years. What we need is a transformed life style. This new life style can flow directly from science and technology, but its acceptance depends on a sincere devotion to finding a higher quality of life for the world’s children and future generation.Which of the following has nearly destroyed our cities?
| A．The loss of beliefs and ideas. |
| B．More of law-breaking. |
| C．Natural disasters in many areas. |
| D．The rapid growth of motors. |
By comparing past problems with present ones, the author draws our attention to the .
| A．seriousness of this crisis |
| B．ineffectiveness of laws |
| C．similarity of the past to the present |
| D．hopelessness of the situation |
Which of the following is used as an example to show the loss of morality?
| A．Disregard for law. | B．Lack of devotion. |
| C．Lack of understanding. | D．Destruction of cities. |
The author wrote the passage in order to .
| A．make a recommendation for a transformed life style |
| B．limit ambitions of the people of the whole world |
| C．demand devotion to nature and future generation |
| D．encourage awareness of the decline of morality |
People have been painting pictures for at least 30,000 years. The earliest pictures were painted by people who hunted animals. They used to paint pictures of the animals they wanted to catch and kill. Pictures of this kind have been found on the walls of caves in France and Spain. No one knows why they were painted there. Perhaps the painters thought that their pictures would help them to catch these animals. Or perhaps human beings have always wanted to tell stories according to pictures.
About 5,000 years ago, the Egyptians and other people in the Near East began to use pictures as kind of writing. They drew simple pictures or signs to represent things and ideas, and also to represent the sounds of their language. The signs these people used became a kind of alphabet.
The Egyptians used to record information and to tell stories by putting picture writing and pictures together. When an important person died, scenes and stories from his life were painted and carved on the walls of the place where he was buried. Some of these pictures are like modern comic strip stories. It has been said that Egypt is the home of the comic strip. But, for the Egyptians, pictures still had magic power. So they did not try to make their way of writing simple. The ordinary people could not understand it.
By the year 1,000 BC, people who lived in the area around the Mediterranean Sea had developed a simpler system of writing. The signs they used were very easy to write, and there were fewer of them than in the Egyptian system. This was because each sign, or letter, represented only one sound in their language. The Greeks developed this system and formed the letters of the Greek alphabet. The Romans copied the idea, and the Roman alphabet is now used all over the world.
These days, we can write down a story, or record information, without using pictures. But we still need pictures of all kinds: drawing, photographs, signs and diagrams. We find them everywhere: in books and newspapers, in the street, and on the walls of the places where we live and work. Pictures help us to understand and remember things more easily, and they can make a story much more interesting.Pictures of animals were painted on the walls of caves in France and Spain because______.
| A．the hunters wanted to see the pictures |
| B．the painters were animal lovers |
| C．the painters wanted to show imagination |
| D．the pictures were thought to be helpful |
The Greek alphabet was simpler than the Egyptian system for all the following reasons EXCEPT that______.
| A．the former was easy to write |
| B．there were fewer signs in the former |
| C．the former was easy to pronounce |
| D．each sign stood for only one sound |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．The Egyptian signs later became a particular alphabet. |
| B．The Egyptians liked to write comic strip stories. |
| C．The Roman alphabet was developed from the Egyptian one. |
| D．The Greeks copied their writing system from the Egyptians. |
In the last paragraph, the author thinks that pictures ______.
| A．should be made comprehensible |
| B．should be made interesting |
| C．are of much use in our life |
| D．have disappeared from our life |
When she was twelve, Maria made her first important decision about the course of her life. She decided that she wanted to continue her education. Most girls from middle-class families chose to stay home after primary school, though some attended private Catholic "'finishing" schools. There they learned a little about music, art, needlework, and how to make polite conversation. This was not the sort of education that interested Maria or her mother. By this time, she had begun to take her studies more seriously. She read constantly and brought her books everywhere. One time she even brought her math book to the theater and tried to study in the dark.
Maria knew that she wanted to go on learning in a serious way. That meant attending the public high school, something that very few girls did. In Italy at the time, there were two types of high schools: the "classical" schools and the "technical" schools. In the classical schools, the students followed a very traditional program of studies, with courses in Latin and Greek language and literature, and Italian literature and history. The few girls who continued studying after primary school usually chose these schools.
Maria, however, wanted to attend a technical school. The technical schools were more modern than the classical schools and they offered courses in modern languages, mathematics, science, and accounting. Most people including Maria's father believed that girls would never be able to understand these subjects. Furthermore, they did not think it was proper for girls to study them.
Maria did not care if it was proper or not. Math and science were the subjects that interested her most. But before she could sign up for the technical school, she had to win her father's approval. She finally did, with her mother's help, though for many years after, there was tension in the family. Maria's father continued to oppose her plans, while her mother helped her.
In 1883, at age thirteen, Maria entered the "Regia Scuola Tecnica Michelangelo Buonarroti" in Rome. Her experience at this school is difficult for us to imagine. Though the courses included modern subjects, the teaching methods were very traditional. Learning consisted of memorizing long lists of facts and repeating them back to the teacher. Students were not supposed to ask questions or think for themselves in any way. Teachers were very demanding, discipline in the classroom was strict, and punishment was severe for those who failed to achieve or were disobedient.In those days, most Italian girls________.
| A．went to classical schools |
| B．went to "finishing" schools |
| C．did not go to high school |
| D．went to technical schools |
Maria's father probably________.
| A．had very modern views about women |
| B．had very traditional views about women |
| C．had no opinion about women |
| D．thought women could not learn Latin |
High school teachers in Italy in those days were________.
| A．very modern | B．very intelligent |
| C．quite scientific | D．quite strict |
We can infer from this passage that________.
| A．girls usually attended private primary schools |
| B．only girls attended classical schools |
| C．girls did not like going to school |
| D．Maria was a girl of strong will |
One of our biggest fears nowadays is that our kids might some day get lost in a “sea of technology” rather than experiencing the natural world. Fear-producing TV and computer games are leading to serious disconnect between kids and the great outdoors, which will change the wild places of the world, its creatures and human health for the worse, unless adults get working on child’s play.
Each of us has a place in nature we go sometimes, even if it was torn down. We cannot be the last generation to have that place. At this rate, kids who miss the sense of wonder outdoors will not grow up to be protectors of natural landscapes. “If the decline in park use continues across North America, who will defend parks against encroachment（蚕食）?” asks Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the woods.
Without having a nature experience, kids can turn out just fine, but they are missing out a huge enrichment to their lives. Experts predict modern kids will have poorer health than their parents—and they say a lack of outside play is surely part of it; research suggests that kids do better academically in schools with a nature component and that play in nature fosters（培养）leadership by the smartest, not by the toughest, Even a tiny outdoor experience can create wonder in a child. The three-year-old turning over his first rock realizes be is not alone in the world. A clump of trees on the roadside can be the whole universe in his eyes. We really need to value that more.
Kids are not to blame. They are over-protected and frightened. It is dangerous out there from time to time but repetitive stress from computers is replacing breaking an arm as a childhood rite（仪式）of passage.
Everyone, from developers, to schools and outdoorsy citizens, should help regain for our kids some of the freedom and joy of exploring, taking friendship in fields and woods that strengthen love, respect and need for the landscapes. As parents, we should devote some of our energy to taking our kids into nature. This could yet be our greatest cause. According to the author, what causes kids’ getting lost in a “sea of technology”?
| A．The wild places of the world |
| B．The kids themselves |
| C．The outdoor activities |
| D．TV and computer games |
The underlined words “that place” in paragraph 2 can most probably refer to _______.
| A．a hill | B．a library | C．a bar | D．a classroom |
According to the author, children’s breaking an arm is _______.
| A．the fault on the part of their parents |
| B．the natural experience in their growing up |
| C．the result of their own carelessness in play |
| D．the effect of stress from computer |
What’s the author’s opinion on children’s experiencing the nature world?
| A．It leads to children’s escape from school. |
| B．It’s helpful only in a limited way. |
| C．It helps develop children from all sides. |
| D．It increases the chance of getting injured. |
Disneyland may look like a straightforward theme park. But there’s a secret world hidden behind the balloons, castles and cotton candy — a place where wild cats wander at midnight, Mickey Mouse hides in the wallpaper, and movie stars drink martinis behind closed doors.
Cat security — It’s not easy keeping the ground of Disneyland spotless, as well as free of unwanted pests. Every night after closing time, 200 wild cats were freed into the park to help keep the rodent（啮齿）population under control. Though Disney doesn’t comment on the matter, rumor（传闻）has it that the cat taskforce dates back to 1957. After unsuccessful attempts to chase them out of the park, Disney decided to put the cats to work instead.
Hidden Mickeys—At Disneyland the round-eared Mickey Mouse image is everywhere. But you can also see hundreds of “Hidden Mickeys” across the park, which are very difficult to spot: they’re camouflage （伪装）in the architecture and landscaping as well as in the smallest stylistic details.
Cocktail（鸡尾酒）behind closed doors—Disney is dry unless you can manage to get your name on the list at Club 33. The secret cocktail club has a limited membership of just 487 and a waiting list of approximately 14 years. Walt Disney designed the club as a special space to entertain possible investors; since then, it has hosted US presidents, film stars and foreign guests.
Always on stage—At Disneyland, a doorman isn’t a doorman, he is a “cast member”. So are the large numbers of cashiers, painters, ride operators, gardeners and performers. All “cast members” are trained to follow a specific rule that helps preserve the Disney magic. On the list of dos and don’ts? Never break character. If wearing a costume that belongs in Fantasyland, don’t set foot in Tomorrowland—it might Confuse visitors or break the park’s orderly image. Cast members have a Disney “look book” that details the fresh-faced ideal—no long fingernails, beards, or unnaturally colored hair allowed. It’s a return to Walt Disney’s All-American standards: when the park opened even guests with facial hair weren’t allowed entrance.The reason why there are many wild cats in Disneyland is that ________.
| A．they’re in charge of the cleaning of the park |
| B．they’re allowed to act as cleaners and guards |
| C．they have to keep watch in the daytime |
| D．they have a comfortable house to live in |
From the passage we can know that in Disneyland “Hidden Mickeys” are _________.
| A．small | B．obvious | C．everywhere | D．dishonest |
What do the underlined Words “Disney is dry” in paragraph 4 mean?
| A．It’s easy to join the Club 33. | B．The ground keeps dry. |
| C．It doesn’t often rain. | D．Drinking alcohol is forbidden. |
From the last paragraph, we can know the workers in Disneyland _______.
| A．must know the dos and don’t |
| B．needn’t have their facial hair shaved |
| C．can wear unnaturally colored hair |
| D．mustn’t get in Tomorrowland |
Can a fish hear fishermen moving along the stream? What are the facts about the ability of a fish to see? Can they tell the difference between colors?
The sharp hearing of a fish has been proved by two scientists, who trained a fish to expect its food when it heard the sound of a whistle. And a slight sound two hundred feet away could drive fishes away. That should make fishermen start thinking.
One scientist had made experiments to prove fish can recognize different colors such as red, brown, yellow and green.
Fish also have an eye for different shapes. One scientist proved this by teaching fish to connect certain patterns with food. He used a small circle and a square. If the fish swam towards the circle, they received food as a reward. If they swam towards the square, they received nothing. The fish learned in time to go to the circle but not to the square. Does this mean that in time fish might learn to leave alone all food on hooks that they have seen often before? Here is something for all fishermen to think about!
These facts help to make more believable some of the “believe it or not” stories that have been told about fish. It is clear that fish have sometimes shown their ability to gain knowledge as man does. A good example of what we might call “thinking” by a fish is given by an experience of Dr. Andrew Gage. Fishing over a bridge, he hooked a fish. It struggled and dragged the line two hundred feet away before he stopped it. Then it swam back to the bridge. The clever fish then swam round a pile and, with a sudden push, broke the line. If the story ended there, one could say that the fish had freed itself by chance. However, Gage went on fishing. Below him he could see the fish that had broken loose. After another twenty minutes the fish again seized the food on the hook. This time it did not swim out but swam round one of the piles and again broke the line.
Many stories are told of the fish that get away and the clever “old hand” ones that can’t be caught. The more often a fish is nearly caught, the more difficult it will be to interest it next time.The last two paragraph’s mainly discuss _________.
| A．whether a fish can think as man does |
| B．how a fish could escape from danger |
| C．how to catch a fish more easily |
| D．whether a fish is believable |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Fish can hear and see |
| B．How clever is a fish? |
| C．Fish can play tricks |
| D．How scientists help fishermen. |
We can infer from the last paragraph that _________.
| A．it’s difficult to catch fish; |
| B．fish are cleverer sometimes than fishermen |
| C．fish seem to learn by their experience |
| D．fewer people will be interested in fish |