Why don’t so many Americans accept the theory of evolution? A 2001 Gallup Poll found that 45 percent of Americans agree with the statement “God created the human being pretty much in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years or so ”, while 37 percent preferred a mixed belief that “Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God guided this process”, and only 12percent accepted the standard scientific theory that “Human being have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God had no part in this process”.
There are at least four reasons to make people resistant to accepting evolution.
1. The warfare model of science and religion. The belief that there is a war between science and religion where one is right and the other is wrong, and that one must choose one over the other.
2. The belief that evolution is a threat to specific religious tenets(信条). Many people attempt to use science to prove certain religious tenets, but when they do not appear to fit, the science is rejected.
3. Misunderstanding of evolutionary theory. A significant problem is that most people know so little about the theory. In the 2001 Gallup Poll, for example, a quarter of the people surveyed said they didn’t know enough to say whether they accepted evolution or not, and only 34 percent considered themselves to be “very informed ” about the theory.
4. The fear that evolution degrades our humanity. Darwin revealed us to be “mere animals”, subject to the same natural laws and historical forces as all other animals.
Believers should embrace science, especially evolutionary theory, for what it has done to uncover the magnificence of the divinity(神学) in a depth never dreamed by our ancient ancestors. We have learned a lot in 4,000 years, and that knowledge should never be denied. Instead, science should be welcomed by all who cherish human understanding and wisdom.According to the Poll, most people in America believe_____________.
A.human beings have developed from less advanced forms of life |
B.God contributed to the present form of human beings |
C.God created human beings in the present form |
D.God guided the process of human beings’ development |
Which of the following is NOT the reason why people don’t accept evolution?
A.There is always a war between evolution and religion. |
B.Some religious tenets can’t be proved by science. |
C.Many people don’t know enough about evolution. |
D.They fear that we will become “mere animals”. |
What can we learn form the passage about evolutionary theory?
A.Whether evolutionary theory is science is a question. |
B.It has explained the brilliance of the divinity better than before. |
C.It must make religion disappear and they can’t exist at the same time. |
D.Darwin made little contribution to the theory. |
What is the writer’s view on the evolutionary theory?
A.It is not science and should be resisted. |
B.It is science but should be resisted. |
C.It is not science but should be accepted. |
D.It is science and should be accepted. |
The author wrote the passage to_________________.
A.tell the readers that many Americans refuse evolution theory. |
B.tell the readers why so many Americans refuse evolution theory. |
C.advise the readers to value science, including evolution theory. |
D.tell the difference between science and religion. |
A mosquito is an insect that is found all over the world.There are thousands of different kinds of mosquitoes in many different sizes and colors.The female mosquito needs blood from vertebrates (脊椎动物)to lay eggs and produce more mosquitoes.She has a special part of her mouth that she uses to suck blood,and her saliva(spit)thins the blood so she can drink it.In fact.It’s the mosquito’s saliva that makes the bites itch(痒)!
A person who gets bitten by a mosquito will notice a wheal,which is a bump around the bite.
The wheal will be round,with pink or red around the edge and white in the middle.The wheal will witch a lot.Soon the wheal will disappear, but the itch will stay.
If you’ve been bitten by a mosquito,wash the bite with soap and waterk#s^5*u.Put on some calamine lotion to help stop the itching,or an adult can find an anti-itch cream at the drugstore for you.Placing an ice pack on the bite may also help.Tell an adult you’ve been bitten by a mosquito,especially if you live in the easterk#s^5*un United States.But if you develop an allergic reaction and feel dizzy or sick,tell a doctor immediately.He can treat allergic reactions with sole medicine.
The best way to avoid mosquito bites is to wear an insect repellent.Repellents that include one of these ingredients are best:BEET and lemon eucalyptus.Ask a parent to help you apply them.
Since mosquitoes lay their eggs in water,it’s also a good idea to empty out buckets,flower pots,toys and other things in your yard that may have collected water during a rainstorm.And when it’s possible,you’d better wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants to keep mosquitoes away from your skin.
60.What makes you itch after the mosquitoes’ bites?
A.A bump around the bite. B.The mosquito’s saliva.
C.Some calamine lotion. D.An antic-itch cream.
61.The underlined word “wheal”(Paragraph 2)is closest in meaning to________.
A.a small mouth that can prevent an insect
B.a small mark after an insect bite that usually itches
C.an illness after an insect bite that always spreads nearby
D.an illness from mosquitoes’ bites and other pollution diseases
62.Which of the following is TRUE according to this passage?
A.There are thousands of mosquitoes in the same sizes and colors.
B.The wheal will never disappear forever but the itch will disappear soon.
C.Ask a doctor for some medicine if you develop an allergic reaction for the bite.
D.Ask a parent for an insect repellent if you see mosquitoes laying their eggs in water.
My wife passed away a few years ago, and I went through the worst time in my life. I even wanted to kill myself. Just for my kids, I had to continue to live and work as a small town doctor at my medical clinic in Hawaii. My kids had gone to live on the mainland, and I was alone. Then they asked me to have a family trip.
On our trip, we turned on the TV at the motel and saw the second plane crash into the World Trade Center. Seeing it falling down, I said to my kids: "I'm going to Afghanistan". And a few weeks later, International Medical Corps sent me to set up 20 clinics in provinces where people had no health care. In these field clinics surrounded by frightening shoots or deadly bombs, we were eventually serving 27,000 patients a month in a very busy schedule. Tired and nervous, I gradually had a sense of achievement, a sense of purpose, and my depression went away.
In the years to follow, I went to Indonesia after the tsunami (海啸), Pakistan after the earthquakes, Sudan after the civil war, and Iraq after more and more bombs. Each time after disaster one after another, hundreds of people were killed, wounded and many more had to flee. We once set up movable clinics in an area with 19,000 refugees, and it was supposed to hold 13,000 originally. Flu broke out, one of the biggest killers of kids in refugee camps, and it spread like wildfire. Water and food were also serious problems. "Adventures or not?", I often asked myself.
When my wife passed away, I thought my life was done. But in reality, it was just getting started. At the end of her life, she went unconscious. I held her head in my hands and told her of all the places we would visit and the exciting adventures we would have.
I think about the moment many times during my "adventures". I didn't know how predictive those words would be. But I know that she is still with me.
56. Where has the doctor been in the past few years?
A. Some countries where he could set up clinics.
B. Some African countries where flu broke out.
C. The places where the earthquakes happened.
D. The places that the horrible disasters struck.
57. How would the doctor describe his life after he had worked in Afghanistan?
A. Tired and troublesome. B. Busy and risky.
C. Meaningful and helpful. D. Frightening and depressing.
58. The underlined word "refugees" means people
A. who are robbed, killed, or wounded
B. who suffer from flu in movable clinics
C. who like to take adventures
D. who have lost homes because of disasters
59. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The doctor's wife encouraged him to work in foreign countries.
B. What the doctor said to his wife before her death became reality.
C. The doctor's adventures made him understand the love of his wife.
D. With the true love of his wife; the doctor started to change his life.
Do you want to improve the way you study? Do you feel nervous before a test? Many students say that a lack of concentration is their biggest problem. It has bad effects on their ability to study, so do their test results.
If so, use these tips to help you.
Study Techniques You should always study in the same place. You shouldn’t sit in a position that you use for another purpose. For example, when you sit on a sofa to study, your brain will think it is time to relax. Don’t watch TV while you are studying. Experts warn that your concentration may be reduced by 50 percent if you attempt to study in this way. Always try to have a white wall in front of you, so there is nothing to distract (make less concentrated) you. Before sitting down to study, gather together all the equipment you need. Apart from your textbooks, pens, pencils and knives, make sure you have a dictionary. If your study desk or table is needed when you are not studying, store all your equipment in a box beside it.
Your eyes will become tired if you try to read a text which is on a flat surface. Position your book at an angle of 30 degrees.
Be realistic and don’t try to complete too much in one study period. Finish one thing before beginning another. If you need a break, get up and walk around for a few minutes, but try not to telephone a friend or have something to eat.
Test-taking Skills
All your hard work will be for nothing if you are too nervous to take your test. Getting plenty of rest is very important. This means do not study all night before your test! It is a better idea to have a long-term study plan. Try to make a timetable for your study which lasts a few months.
Exercise is a great way to reduce pressure. Doing some form of exercise every day will also improve your concentration. Eat healthy food too.
When you arrive in the examination room, find your seat and sit down. Breathe slowly and deeply. Check the time on the clock during the test, but not too often. Above all, take no notice of everyone else and give the test paper your undivided attention.
31. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. You should study in a different place every day so that you don’t get bored.
B. Your concentration will improve if you study and watch TV at the same time.
C. Check the time during the exam at a certain time.
D. Staying up all night is tiring, but you will learn a lot using this method.
32. What does the underlined word “it” refer to?
A. Your study desk or table. B. Your textbook.
C. Your dictionary. D. The equipment you need.
33. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. You shouldn’t look at everyone else during the test.
B. You’ll have enough energy to deal with and concentrate on your study and exams better by eating healthy diet.
C. You’ll concentrate more if there is nothing to distract you.
D. If you need a break during study, you can walk around for a few minutes.
NOT all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad memories. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars.
Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which will help people forget bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a scary events. They hope it might reduce, or possibly erase, the effect of painful memories.
In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body producing chemicals that fix memories in the brain. So far the research has suggested that only the emotional effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are erased.
The research has caused a great deal of argument. Some think it is a bad idea, while others support it.
Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers’ troubling memories after war. They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories.“Some memories can ruin people's lives. They come back to you when you don’t want to have them in a daydream or nightmare. They usually come with very painful emotions,” said Roger Pitman.
But those who are against the research say that changing memories is very dangerous because memories make us different from others. They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past.
“All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were horrible at the time but make us who we are. I’m not sure whether we want to wipe those memories out,” said Rebecca Dresser, a medical ethicist.
46. What does the underlined word “erase” mean?
A. change B. forgive C. add D. remove
47. The passage is mainly about _________.
A. a new medical invention B. a new research on the pill
C. the argument about the research on the pill D. a way of erasing painful memories
48. The drug tested on people can _________.
A. cause the brain to fix memories B. stop people remembering bad events
C. prevent body producing certain chemicals D. wipe out the bad memories
49. Which of the following statements is true?
A. Some people doubt if the pills should be used to help people forget bad memories.
B. The pill will stop people’s bad memories.
C. Taking the pill will do harm to people’s health.
D. The pill has been produced in America.
50. Which of the following does Rebecca Dresser agree with?
A. Some memories can ruin people’s lives.
B. People want to get rid of bad memories.
C. The pill will reduce people’s sufferings from bad memories.
D. Having bad events makes us different from others.
What is eBay? The simple answer is that it is a global trading platform where nearly anyone can trade practically anything. People can sell and buy all kinds of products and goods, including cars, movies and DVDs, sporting goods, travel tickets, musical instruments, clothes and shoes — the list goes on and onThe idea came from Peter Omidyar, who was born in Paris and moved to Washington when he was still a child. At high school, he became very interested in computer programming and after graduating from Tuft University in 1988, he worked for the next few years as a computer engineer. In his free time he started Bay as a kind of hobby, at first offering the service free by word of mouth. By 1996 there was so much traffic on the website that he had to upgrade (升级) and he began charging a fee to members. Joined by a friend, Peter Skill, and in 1998 by his capable CEO, Meg Whitman, he has never looked back. Even in the great crashes of the late 1990s, ebay has gone from strength to strength. It is now one of the ten most visited online shopping websites on the Internet
Ebay sells connections, not goods, putting buyer and seller into contact with each other. All you have to do is lake an e-photo, write a description, fill out a sales form and you are in business. The world is your market place. Of course for each item, eBay gets a percentage and that is a great deal of money. Every day there are more than sixteen million items listed on eBay and eighty percent of the items are sold.
42. We learn from the text that eBay provides people with _________.
A. a way of buying and selling goods
B. a place to show their own photos
C. a website for them to upgrade
D. a chance to buy things at low prices
43. Why did Peter create eBay after graduating from university?
A. For fun B. To make money
C. For gathering the engineers D. To fulfill a task of his company
44. From “he has never looked back” in Paragraph 2 we learn that Peter _________.
A. did not feel lonely B. was always hopeful
C. did not think about the past D. became more and more successful
45. How does eBay make money from its website?
A. By bringing sellers together. B. By charging for each sale
C. By listing items online D. By making e-photos.