Smoggy weather has become common in China. But these days, air pollution levels in the north eastern city of Harbin surpassed the previous record levels.
The city was essentially shut down after PM2. 5, fine Particulate(微粒物) pollution that is considered hazardous(有害的) . reached levels of 1000 micrograms per cubic meter-40 times the safety level remended by the World Health Organization. Schools, motorways and an airport were closed on Tuesday as visibility in some areas of the city dropped to less than 10 meters.
Photos from Harbin showed residents covering their mouths with masks and scarves, and moving like ghostly shadows through the fog. Cars and motorcycles are moving slowly as traffic came to a standstill with traffic lights barely visible. .
Just days previously , the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified air pollution as a carcinogen(致癌物) . It stated that there is " sufficient evidence" that exposure to outdoor air pollution causes lung cancer and also linked it with an increased risk of bladder cancer. It's said that exposure has increased significantly particularly in " rapidly industrial countries with large populations".
"The air we breathe has become polluted with a mixture of cancer-causing substances" , Dr Kurt Straif , head of the IARC said in a press released. "We now know that outdoor air pollution is not only a major risk to health in general, but also a leading environmental cause of cancer deaths. "
On the Chinese social media site Weibo , many users complained about the pollution and shared their concerns. References to "feed people with smog "have become popular on Weibo and there is a sarcastic play on the expression "serve the people" , as the two have a similar pronunciation.
"The impact of air pollution on people will be gradual. There won't be a sudden outbreak of symptoms, but normally three to five days after the smoggy weather occurs, there is a peak in the number of people seeing doctors, " Deng Ying, a doctor at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University was quoted as saying. As thick smog has become a common scene in Harbin, ______
A.students there can go to school as usual |
B.residents in the city can see as far as 20 meters |
C.traffic lights can be easily visible |
D.the urban traffic has been seriously influenced |
When exposed to outdoor air pollution, what kind of disease can be caused?
A.Cancer of stomach | B.Breast cancer | C.Bladder cancer | D.Ovarian cancer |
According to Dr Kurt Straif , we can learn that_______.
A. the effect of the. smoggy weather is gradual |
B. air pollution is the man environmental cause, of cancer deaths |
C.exposure has greatly increased in countries with large populations |
D."feed people with smog" has bee a hot word |
The purpose of this passage is to
A.awaken people's environmental awareness |
B.warn people not to go out in smoggy weather |
C.call for the public to wear their masks |
D.advise people not to live in Harbin |
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 |
I fell in love with England because it was quaint (古色古香的)—all those little houses, looking terribly old fashioned but nice, like doll’s house. I loved the countryside and the pubs, and I loved London. I’ve slightly changed my mind after seventeen years because I think it’s an ugly town now.
Things have changed. For everybody, England meant gentleman, fair play, and good manners. The fair play is going, unfortunately, and so are the gentlemanly attitudes and good manners—people shut doors heavily in your face and politeness is disappearing.
I regret that there are so few comfortable meeting places. You are forced to live indoors. In Paris I go out much more, to restaurants and nightclubs. To meet friends here usually has to be in a pub, and it can be difficult to go there alone as a woman. The cafes are not terribly nice.
As a woman, I feel unsafe here. I spend a bomb on taxis because I will not take public transport after 10 p.m. I used to use it, but now I’m afraid.
The idea of family seems to be more or less non-existent in England. My family is well united and that’s typically French. In Middleses I had a neighbor who is 82 now. His family only lived two miles away, but I took him to France for Christmas once because he was always alone.The writer doesn’t like London because she___________.
A. is not used to the life there now
B. has lived there for seventeen years
C prefers to live in an old-fashioned house
D. has to be polite to everyone she meets there Where do people usually meet their friends in England?
A.In a café | B.In a restaurant | C.In a nightclub | D.In a pub |
The underlined word “it” in Para.4 refers to__________.
A.a taxi | B.the money | C.a bomb | D.public transport |
The writer took her neighbor the France for Christmas because she__________.
A.felt lonely in England | B.had never been to France |
C.was from a typical French family | D.didn’t like the British idea of family |