A baby born in India has been declared the world's seven billionth person by child rights group Plan International. Baby Nargis was born at 07:25 local time (01:55GMT) in Mall village in India's Uttar Pradesh state. Plan International says Nargis has been chosen symbolically as it is not possible to know where exactly the seven billionth baby is born. In addition to baby Nargis in India, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Cambodia have all identified seven billionth babies. The United Nations estimated that on Monday 31 October, the world's population would reach seven billion.
Populations are growing faster than economies in many poor countries in Africa and some in Asia. At the same time, low birth rates in Japan and many European nations have raised concerns about labor shortages.
Population experts at the United Nations estimated that the world reached six billion in October 1999. They predict nine billion by 2050 and ten billion by the end of the century. China's population of one and a third billion is currently the world's largest. India is second at 1.2 billion. But India is expected to pass China and reach one and a half billion people around 2025.
India will also have one of the world's youngest populations. Economists say this is a chance for a so-called demographic dividend. India could gain from the skills of young people in a growing economy at a time when other countries have aging populations. But economists say current rates of growth, although high, may not create enough jobs. Also, the public education system is failing to meet demand and schooling is often of poor quality. Another concern is health care. Nearly half of India's children under the age of five are malnourished(营养不良).
Michal Rutkowski, the director of human development in South Asia at the World Bank, says reaching seven billion people in the world is a good time for a call to action. He says, “I think the bottom line of the story is that the public policy needs to become really, really serious about sex equality and about access to services—to fight against malnutrition, and to provide for access to health services, water and schooling.”What is true about the world's seven billionth person?
| A．Baby Nargis is not the only child chosen as the seven billionth baby. |
| B．Baby Nargis has been chosen carefully so it is exactly the seven billionth baby. |
| C．Three countries have all declared Baby Nargis as the seven billi011th baby. |
| D．The United Nations declared Baby Nargis as the world's seven billionth person. |
Which of the following problems do many European countries worry about?
| A．Labor shortage. | B．Poor health care. |
| C．Not enough jobs. | D．Schooling of poor quality. |
According to population experts, how long will it take for population to grow from six billion to nine billion?
| A．About 12 years. | B．About 40 years. | C．About 50 years. | D．About 110 years. |
What does the underlined phrase “demographic dividend” in the fourth paragraph refer to?
| A．Possibility of lower birth rate. |
| B．Benefit gained by working young people. |
| C．Chances for more employment. |
| D．Disadvantages caused by aging population. |
Which of the following public policies does Michal Rutkowski call on?
| A．To encourage late marriage. | B．To reduce world's population. |
| C．To gain economic equality. | D．To improve health and education. |
Why should I teach my children history? That sounds like a stupid question to even ask. But, as I hear different home schooling teachers discuss history, I get the idea that there may be different reasons for teaching history. Let me briefly explain the three good reasons for studying history and two bad reasons for studying history.
The major reason I see for studying history is that we can learn from the past. I am convinced that the world would be a much better place if more people understood the successes and failures of the past and the things that made these successes and failures. However, as the unfortunately true statement goes “the one thing we seem to learn from history is that we don’t seem to learn from history. ”Perhaps at least in teaching history, to my children I can do a small part in changing this.
A second major reason for studying history is that it is hard to understand the current political climate in the absence of an understanding of its historical context. We can not even understand who we are and where we are without history, much less try to figure out where we are going or how we should get where we want to be.
I teach my children history, for one more reason. I purchased a set of historical audio tapes for our children. My seven-year-old son listened to them over and over. It was my hope that he would become inspired by the accomplishments of people like the Wright brothers to accomplish things by himself. I think that it is good that we celebrate the accomplishments of people like Martin Luther King Jr. In doing so, young people are called on to stand for the principles that he stood for and accomplish what he accomplished. I also think that by studying people like Adolph Hitler, people can learn to stand against the things that he stood for.
1. What message can we get from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2?
A. Many people aren’t clever enough to learn well from the past.
B. Many people fail to make good use of history and make the same mistakes.
C. Many people feel it hard to understand history.
D. Many people have no interest in studying history.
2. In Paragraph 3, the author shows that history is useful because
A. it makes the current political situation go smoothly
B. it helps us realize the importance of historical events
C. it helps us understand why things are the way they are
D. it helps people accept the present situation where they live
3. Some historical figures are mentioned in the last paragraph to show
A. people can be inspired to do good, while also learning to fight against evil
B. people may also learn from bad historical figures
C. more celebrations should be held to honor their achievements
D. today’s people can also achieve what they achieved
4. What would be talked about in the following paragraph?
A. How to teach history effectively.
B. Some negative reasons for studying history.
C. How to get more people to study history.
D. Some bad historical figures.
第三部分阅读理解(共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项A、B、C和D中，选出最佳选项。
Tears are nature’s way of making us feel more comfortable. When our eyes are made uncomfortable by some small pieces of pollution, or when we are cutting onions, or when we are exhausted and “red-eyes” from over work and late hours, tears form in our eyes to clean and refresh them.
Tears are also a sign of strong emotion. We cry when we are sad and we cry when we are happy.
And tears seem to be uniquely human. We know that animals also experience emotion--fear, pleasure, loneliness, but they do not shed (流) tears.
Biologically speaking, tears are actually drops of saline fluid, which is a little bit salty, produced by a gland (腺) in the body. Because salt is an important component, tears may actually constitute the most conclusive evidence that the human animal is the end product of a long evolutionary process that began in the sea.
And it is clear that, in addition to the emotional benefits, the shedding of tears has a specific biological function as well. Through tears, we can eliminate from our body certain chemicals which build up in response to stress and create a chemical imbalance in the body. Crying actually makes us feel better by correcting that imbalance and making us feel good again. And thus the emotional and the biological functions of tears merge (合并) into one and make us even more “human” than we would otherwise be.
1. According to the passage, human beings may have originated in
A. the sea B. the salt C. chemicals D. animals
2. Which of the following is NOT a function of tears?
A. Biological. B. Emotional. C. Political. D. Chemical.
3 According to the article, which of the following is unique to humans?
A. The feeling of loneliness. B. The state of feeling good.
C. The ability to shed tears. D. The feeling of fear.
4. The underlined word "eliminate" probably means
A. add B. produceC. replace D. remove
It is easy to understand the way a culture approaches disagreements by looking at the communication styles in that culture. In societies where open discussion is encouraged, conflict is much more common and accepted. On the other hand, cultures that strive to reduce conflicts and maintain harmony do not see such interaction appropriate, particularly in the workplace.
In Australia, Great Britain, and the United States, for example, disagreements are considered a natural part of communication. People in these countries typically have open and honest discussions, even if people’s differences of opinion lead to confrontation(对抗，对立). In business setting, this may mean debating with a colleague or a supervisor over the approach to a task. Or, co-workers might have a discussion about whether an agenda(议程)item during a meeting is suitable or not. Conflict is not necessarily negative ，though. And many people feel that debating an issue is as rewarding as resolving it. Successful conflict resolution(冲突解决) is also seen as a valuable skill, most people at the management level are expected to be very good at handling conflicts that arise in the workplace.
The Asian style of communication is quite different. In almost parts of eastern Asia, individuals present their ideas and then wait for others to do the same. They prefer to seek agreement from a group without rejecting another’s opinions out loud. In business meetings, subordinates (下级) will hardly disagree openly with their supervisor. This shows respect for supervisor, and it reflects the cultural importance placed on politeness and building harmony and trust.
1. The best title for this passage is ______.
A. Approaching Disagreements B. Differences of Opinion
C. Culture and Communication D. Conflict Resolution
2. In Australia, people would consider disagreement______.
A. a negative part of communication B. necessary in their communication
C. normal and beneficial D. Unimportant in communication
3. Which of the following is true according to the author?
A. Subordinates in the USA don’t try to show their respect in the supervisors.
B. Asian people at management level are not good at handling conflicts.
C. People in Asia always try to avoid conflicts.
D. People in some western countries like to have conflicts.
4. What does the underlined word “harmony” probably mean?
A. Difference B. Agreement C. Respects D. Communication
The energy crisis (危机) 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 falling back under the continuing exposures of loss of morality (道德) 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 by-product（副产品）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 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.
1. 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.
2. 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
3. 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.
4. 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
The massive 8.8 quake, the seventh strongest in recorded history, hit Chile（智利） and should have shortened the length of an Earth day by 1.26 milliseconds. More impressive is how much the quake shifted the Earth’s axis（地轴）.
The computer model used to determine the effects of the Chile earthquake effect also found that it should have moved the Earth’s figure axis by about 8 cm. The Earth’s figure axis is not the same as its north-south axis, which Earth turns around once every day at a speed of about 1,604 kph. The figure axis is the axis around which the Earth’s mass is balanced. It is offset（偏离）from the Earth’s north-south axis by about 10 meters.
Strong earthquakes can change Earth’s days and its axis. The 9.1 Sumatran earthquake in 2004, which set off a deadly tsunami（海啸）, should have shortened Earth’s days by 0.0068 milliseconds and shifted its axis by about 7cm.
One Earth day is about 24 hours long. Over the course of a year, the length of a day normally changes gradually by one millisecond. It increases in the winter when Earth moves more slowly, and decreases in the summer.
The Chile earthquake was much smaller than the Sumatran quake, but its effects on the Earth are larger because of its location. The fault（断层） responsible for the 2010 Chile quake also cuts through Earth at a larger angle(角度) than the Sumatran quake’s fault. This makes the Chile fault more effective in moving the Earth’s mass vertically and hence more effective in shifting the Earth’s figure axis.
The findings are based on early data available on the Chile earthquake. The Chile earthquake has killed more than 700 people and caused widespread damage in the South American country.
1. What’s the biggest problem caused by the Chile quake?
A. It is the seventh strongest in recorded history.
B. It should have shortened the length of an Earth day.
C. It shifted the Earth’s axis.
D. It made the day longer on Earth.
2. Comparing the Sumatran earthquake with the Chile earthquake, we know that ______.
A. the Sumatran earthquake had more effect on Earth
B. the location of the Chile earthquake is responsible for its larger effects on Earth
C. the Sumatran earthquake was less destructive
D. the Chile earthquake fault changed the Earth’s mass
3. What does the word “It” in the 4th paragraph refer to?
A. The length of a day. B. The axis.
C. One millisecond. D. The change of the day.
4. This article is most probably taken from .
A. A travel book B. A fiction
C. A science research report D. A fashion journal