Global warming is causing more than 300,000 deaths and about $125 billion in economic losses each year, according to a report by the Global Humanitarian Forum, an organization led by Kofi Annan, the former United Nations secretary general.
The report, to be released Friday, analyzed data and existing studies of health, disaster, population and economic trends. It found that human-influenced climate change was raising the global death rates from illnesses including malnutrition and heat-related health problems.
But even before its release, the report drew criticism from some experts on climate and risk, who questioned its methods and conclusions. Along with the deaths, the report said that the lives of 325 million people, primarily in poor countries,were being seriously affected by climate change. It projected that the number would double by 2030.
Roger Pielke Jr., a politicalscientist at the University of Colorado, Boulder, who studies disaster trends, said the Forum’s report was “a methodological embarrassment” because there was no way to distinguish deaths or economic losses related to human-driven global warming amid（在...中间） the much larger losses resulting from the growth in populations and economic development in vulnerable(易受伤害的) regions. Dr. Pielke said that “climate change is an important problem requiring our utmost attention.” But the report, he said, “will harm the cause for action on both climate change and disasters because it is so deeply flawed(有瑕疵的).”
However, Soren Andreasen, a social scientist at Dalberg Global Development Partners who supervised the writing of the report, defended it, saying that it was clear that the numbers were rough estimates. He said the report was aimed at world leaders, who will meet in Copenhagen in December to negotiate a new international climate treaty.
In a press release describing the report, Mr. Annan stressed the need for the negotiations to focus on increasing the flow of money from rich to poor regions to help reduce their vulnerability to climate hazards while still controling the emissions of the heat-trapping gases. More than 90% of the human and economic losses from climate change are occurring in poor countries, according to the report. What is the finding of the Global Humanitarian Forum?
| A．Rates of death from illnesses have risen due to global warming. |
| B．Global temperatures affect the rate of economic development. |
| C．Malnutrition has caused serious health problems in poor countries. |
| D．Economic trends have to do withpopulation and natural disasters. |
What do we learn about the Forum’s report from the passage?
| A．It caused a big stir in developing countries. |
| B．It was warmly received by environmentalists. |
| C．It caused a lot of interest in the scientific circles. |
| D．It was challenged by some climate and risk experts. |
What is Soren Andreasen’s view of the report?
| A．Its conclusions are based on carefully collected data. |
| B．It is vulnerable to criticism if the statistics are closely examined. |
| C．It will give rise to heated discussions at the Copenhagen conference. |
| D．Its rough estimates are meant to draw the attention of world leaders. |
What does Kofi Annan say should be the focus of the Copenhagen conference?
| A．How human and economic losses from climate change can be reduced. |
| B．How rich countries can better help poor regions reduce climate hazards. |
| C．How emissions of heat-trapping gases can be reduced on a global scale. |
| D．How rich and poor regionscan share responsibility in curbing global warming. |
Children are quick to ask “why” and “how’’ when it comes to new things, but research suggests that they learn more when teachers turn the questions back on them. “When children explain events, they learn more than when just getting the results,’’ said Cristine H. Legare, a professor at the University of Texas.
Ms. Legare brought in 96 children aged 3 to 5 and set before them a complex toy made up of colorful, interlocking gears (齿轮). With the first group, the researchers asked, “Can you explain this to me?” With the second one, they said, “Look, isn’t this interesting?’’
The two groups of children focused on different things, researchers found. Children who were asked to observe noticed the colors of the toy, while those asked to explain focused on the chain of gears working on each other.
Children who had explained the toy were better at re-creating it and not being disturbed by decorative gears, and they were better able to use what they had learned who had observed the toy outperformed the children in the explanation group on a memory task focused on the toy’s colors.
Dedre Gentner, the director of the cognitive science program at Northwestern University, said that teachers introducing a concept can improve students’ understanding by giving examples of close comparisons, and then asking children to explain how concepts are related.
In a series of experiments with 3-to 7-year-olds, she focus children can be con be confused by comparisons that focus on a relationship rather than a direct-object match.
For example, a 3-year-old shown a picture of two rabbits facing each other and told “this is a toma ’’ and then asked to find another “tome” will choose a picture of a rabbit over one of two cats facing each other 98 percent of the time. A 7-year-old is more likely to recognize the more abstract comparison of a relationship.
However, Ms. Gentner found that 3-year-olds can think more like 7-yesr-olds if they are given more examples. When shown a “toma” with rabbits and another with cats, and then asked, “Can you say why both of these are tomas?” most of the children can give a good explanation.What is mainly described in the text?
| A．Observation comes first for a learner. |
| B．Children can learn more first for a learner. |
| C．pictures can learn more by explaining. |
| D．Teachers should be patient with children. |
As for the gear toy, the first group___.
| A．learned more about its history |
| B．focused on the design of the toy |
| C．had a clear memory of its colors |
| D．found it hard to create the toy again |
The author develops the text mainly___.
| A．by cause and effect |
| B．by order in space |
| C．by examples |
| D．by time and events |
A couple of weeks ago, my 12-year-old daughter, Ella threatened(威胁) to take my phone and break it. “At night you’ll always have your phone out and break you’ll just type,” Ella says. “I’m ready to go to bed, and try to get you to read stories for me and you’re just standing there reading your texts and texting other people,” she adds. I came to realize that I was ignoring her as a father.
Ella isn’t the only kid who feels this way about her parent’s relationship with devices. Catherine Steiner-Adair, a psychologist at Harvard, wrote The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age. For her book, Steiner-Adair interviewed more than 1,000 kids from the ages of 4 to 18. She talked to hundreds of teachers and parents.
One of the many things that knocked my socks off, ” she says, “was the consistency(一致性) with which children — whether they were 4 or 8 or 18 or 24— talked about feeling exhausted and frustrated or mad trying to get their parents’ attention, competing with computer screens or iPhone screens or any kind of technology.”
A couple of years ago, my daughter got a laptop for school. And because she was becoming more independent, we got her a phone. We set up rules for when she could use the device and when she’d need to put it away. We created a charging(充电) station, outside her bedroom, where she had to plug in these devices every night. Basically — except for homework— she has to put it all away when she comes home.
Steiner-Adair says most adults don’t set up similar limits in their own lives. “We’ve lost the boundaries that protect work and family life,’’ she says. “So it is very hard to manage yourself and be present in the moments your children need you.’’
After my daughter’s little intervention(介入),I made myself a promise to create my own charging station. To plug my phone in— somewhere faraway — when I am done working for the day. I’ve been trying to leave it there untouched for most of the weekendWhy did Ella threaten to break her father’s phone?
| A．Her father spent a lot of money on his phone. |
| B．Her father did not do any housework or read to her. |
| C．Her father made a lot of noise by talking on the phone. |
| D．Her father gave his attention to his phone instead of her. |
By saying “knocked my socks off ’’ , Steiner-Adair means “___’’.
| A．made fun of her |
| B．surprised her a lot |
| C．took her socks off |
| D．made her exhausted |
What does the author mainly talk about in paragraph 4?
| A．How he protected his daughter from devices. |
| B．Why his daughter was dissatisfied with him. |
| C．How to create a charging station at home. |
| D．Why children need a laptop or a phone. |
We can infer from the text the author___.
| A．will not use his phone form now on |
| B．plans to create more charging stations at home |
| C．is a man who learns from his mistakes |
| D．doesn’t think a laptop is helpful to his daughter |
The groundhog(土拨鼠) has been considered a weather prophet(预言家) for many years in north America. According to legend, all winter long the furry brown groundhog sleeps in his comfortable underground home, or hole. On February 2, he wakes up. The groundhog is very hungry and comes out to search for food. If the sun is shinning, the groundhog will see his own shadow. The sight of his shadow gives him such a fright that he quickly returns to his hole. This event means that spring will not come for six more weeks. If the sun is not shining, there will be no shadow. The groundhog will not be scared and he will stay outside his hole. Spring will come very soon.
The idea that animals could foretell the weather probably began in ancient Europe. At the time, most of the people were farmers and the weather was very important to them. If spring came early they could begin the planting season early and have an early harvest. They found some animals were good weather prophets. On February 2, when they celebrated Candlemas Day, a religious holiday around the time winter ends, all the people watched for an animal leaving its hole. In Germany, farmers watched for a badge. In England farmers looked for a hedgehog（刺猬）. They believed the animals could foretell the weather for the next six weeks.
When the early settlers came to North America there no badgers or hedgehogs near their homes. The farmers did not know when to plant their crops. In time they discovered an animal that left its hole at the end of winter. That animal was the groundhog, also called a woodchuck or a marmot. Every February 2 they watched for a groundhog. Finally, the day came to be called “Groundhog Day”. Many groundhog-watching clubs were formed. The members sometimes dressed in nightshirts and top hats made of silk. They would go to the hills in the dark morning and wait near a groundhog hole. Sometimes the groundhog-watching clubs would have other types of celebrations Which of the following will frighten a groundhog according to Paragraph 1?
| A．His own shadow | B．The shining sun |
| C．The coming spring | D．His underground home |
According to legend, if it is cloudy on February 2, _____ .
| A．spring will come in March |
| B．winter will end in a short time |
| C．the groundhog will go on sleeping |
| D．the groundhog will refuse to go out |
Why did ancient Europeans watch for animals on Candlemas Day?
| A．To amuse themselves. |
| B．To protect their harvest. |
| C．To say goodbye to winter. |
| D．To know when to plant crops. |
The early North American settlers ____ .
| A．wore formal clothes on Groundhog Day |
| B．tried to catch groundhogs near their homes |
| C．regarded the groundhog as a weather prophet |
| D．mistook groundhogs for badgers or hedgehogs |
Learners of English, especially self-taught learners may have trouble in understanding speeches by native speakers. The following ways might help improve their listening ability.
First of all, do things step by step. It is not good to listen to something beyond your level. Better choose a suitable course and start with the first book. Go on to the second book only after you are sure you understand the first one.
Secondly, stick to one course of study. Don’t change books often. Never let your attention be attracted by another course just because it seems to be more “fashionable”.
Thirdly, listen to the English news program over the radio from time to time. Better go through the news stories in the Chinese-language newspaper first. That will make it easy for you to understand the English news on the radio.
Fourthly, if you have time, listen to some interesting stories in “Special English from the V.O.A. or other listening materials of the same level as that of your textbook”. This is a piece of advice to learners of English on how to ________.
| A．improve their listening ability |
| B．read fast |
| C．write better English and read faster |
| D．speak correctly |
If you want to understand the English news program on the radio, you should ________.
| A．read the Chinese-language newspaper step by step |
| B．read again and again the Chinese-language newspaper |
| C．go through the Chinese-language newspaper first |
| D．be able to recite the Chinese-language newspaper |
The author advised that once you have taken up a course, you ________.
| A．should stick to it |
| B．should begin with the last book |
| C．should take up other courses if they are more fashionable |
| D．shouldn’t do anything else |
In this passage, V.O.A. stands for ________.
A. a bookB. a magazine
C. a text-book D. a radio station
As the pace of life continues to increase, we are fast losing the art of relaxation. Once you are in the habit of rushing through life,being on the go from morning till night,it is hard to slow down. But relaxation is necessary for a healthy mind and body.
Stress is a natural part of everyday life and there is no way to avoid it. In fact,it is not the bad thing it is often supposed to be. A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation and give purpose to life. It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health.
The amount of stress a person can bear depends very much on the individual. Some people are not afraid of stressand such characters are obviously important material for managerial responsibilities. Others lose heart at the first signs of unusual difficulties. When exposed to stressin whatever formwe react both chemically and physically. In fact we make choices between “fight” and “flight” and in more ancient days the choice made the difference between life and death. The crises (危机）we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme,but however little the stress,it involves the same response. It is when such a reaction lasts long,through continued exposure to stressthat health becomes endangered. Such serious conditions as high blood pressure and heart disease have established links with stress. Since we cannot remove stress from our lives(it would be unwise to do so even if we could),we need to find ways to deal with it.People are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because_________.
| A．they are travelling fast all the time |
| B．they are becoming busier with their work |
| C．they do not know how to enjoy themselves |
| D．they do not believe that relaxation is important for health |
In Paragraph 3,” such a reaction” refers to “___________”.
| A．responding to crises quickly |
| B．losing heart on seeing difficulties |
| C．making a choice between ‘flight'and ‘fight' |
| D．reacting to stress both chemically and physically |
We can learn from the text that _______.
| A．stress is always harmful to people |
| B．we can find some ways to avoidstress |
| C．different people can bear different amounts of stress |
| D．it is easy to change the habit of keeping oneself busy with work |
What would the passage deal with,if it were to continue?
| A．How to keep mentally fit. |
| B．Why we have a tight schedule. |
| C．How to handle stress correctly. |
| D．How we can benefit from stress. |