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. TV and computer games are leading to a 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 wondering outdoors will not grow up to be protectors of natural landscapes. “If the decline in parks 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 of their lives. That applies to everything from their physical health and mental health, to stress levels, creativity and cognitive (认知的) skills. 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 develop 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 he 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 overprotected 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 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 landscape. As parents, we should devote some of our energies to taking our kids into nature. This could yet be our greatest cause.The main idea of Paragraph 2 is that____.
A.Kids are missing the sense of wondering outdoors |
B.Parks are in danger of being gradually encroached |
C.Richard Louv is the author of Last Child in the Woods |
D.Children are expected to develop into protectors of nature |
According to the passage, children without experiencing nature will ____.
A.keep a high sense of wonder |
B.be over-protected by their parents |
C.be less healthy both physically and mentally |
D.change wild places and creatures for the better |
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 their repetitive stress from computers |
What does “sea of technology” mean in the first paragraph?
A.The technology of TV and computer games. |
B.The technology of food. |
C.The technology of sea food. |
D.The technology of catching animals in the sea. |
In writing this passage, the author mainly intends to ____.
A.blame children for getting lost in computer games |
B.encourage children to protect parks from encroachment |
C.show his concern about children’s lack of experience in nature |
D.inspire children to keep the sense of wonder about things around |
III阅读(共两节,满分40分)
第一节 阅读理解(共15小题;每小题2分,满分30分)
阅读下面短文,掌握其大意,然后从41~55各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卷上将该项涂黑。
Language learning begins with listening. Children are greatly different in the amount of listening they do before they start speaking, and later starters are often long listeners. Most children will “obey” spoken instructions some time before they can speak, though the word “obey” is hardly accurate as a description of the eager and delighted cooperation usually shown by the child. Before they can speak, many children will also ask questions by gesture and by making questioning noises. Any attempt to study the development from the noises babies make to their first spoken words leads to considerable difficulties. It is agreed that they enjoy making noises, and that during the first few months one or two noises sort themselves as particularly expressive as delight, pain, friendliness, and so on. But since these can’t be said to show the baby’s intention to communicate, they can hardly be regarded as early forms of language. It is agreed, too, that from about three months they play with sounds for enjoyment, and that by six months they are able to add new words to their store. This self-imitation(模仿)leads on to deliberate(有意的)imitation of sounds made or words spoken to them by other people. The problem then arises as to the point at which one can say that these imitations can be considered as speech. It is a problem we need to get out. The meaning of a word depends on what a particular person means by it in a particular situation and it is clear that what a child means by a word will change as he gains more experience of the world .Thus the use at seven months of “mama” as a greeting for his mother cannot be dismissed as a meaningless sound simply because he also uses it at other times for his father, his dog, or anything else he likes. Playful and meaningless imitation of what other people say continues after the child has begun to speak for himself, I doubt, however whether anything is gained when parents take advantage of this ability in an attempt to teach new sounds.
41. Before children start speaking________.
A. they need equal amount of listening
B. they need different amounts of listening
C. they are all eager to cooperate with the adults by obeying spoken instructions
D. they can’t understand and obey the adult’s oral instructions
42. Children who start speaking late ________.
A. may have problems with their listening
B. probably do not hear enough language spoken around them
C. usually pay close attention to what they hear
D. often take a long time in learning to listen properly
43. A baby’s first noises are ________.
A. an expression of his moods and feelings
B. an early form of language
C. a sign that he means to tell you something
D. an imitation of the speech of adults
44. The problem of deciding at what point a baby’s imitations can be considered as speech________.
A. is important because words have different meanings for different people
B. is one that should be properly understood because the meaning of words changes with age
C. is not especially important because the changeover takes place gradually
D. is one that should be completely ignored(忽略)because children’s use of words is often meaningless
45. The author implies________.
A. parents can never hope to teach their children new sounds
B. even after they have learnt to speak, children still enjoy imitating
C. children no longer imitate people after they begin to speak
D. children who are good at imitating learn new words more quickly
Two magazines recently listed the best cities to live in. Here are two of the cities listed as “the world’s best.”
SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA The city has comfortable weather all year round (15°C to 26°C ). Housing is not very expensive in San Jose. Also, many of the city’s older neighborhoods are very beautiful and have small hotels and cafés(咖啡馆). Beautiful mountains are around the city. You can visit them easily from San Jose. So lots of people go sightseeing there every year. But air pollution is a problem in the city center.
HONG KONG, CHINA This lively city—once a small fishing village—is today an international business center. It is an interesting mix of East and West, old and new. Modern tall buildings are next to small temples (庙宇). Popular nightclubs are close to traditional teahouses. Busy people fill the streets at all hours of the day. But outside the city, there are parks for walking or relaxing. Hong Kong is famous for its wonderful native dishes. There’s also food from Europe, North America, and other parts of Asia. However, this small city has a large population. Nearly seven million people live in Hong Kong! That’s why housing is often very expensive. Traffic and air pollution are also a problem.
56. Which of the following is not mentioned about San Jose?
A. The weather. B. The mountains. C. The air. D. The traffic.
57. What makes Hong Kong the world’s best according to this passage?
A. The lively city and the wonderful dishes. B. The beautiful mountains and the lively city.
C. The expensive housing and the food. D. The city and the people.
58. The writer thinks housing in Hong Kong is expensive because .
A. it was a small fishing village B. it is a mix of East and West
C. it is famous for its wonderful food D. there are too many people in the city
59. What do the two cities have in common?
A. They both have beautiful mountains. B. They both have a large population.
C. Air pollution is a problem in both. D. They are both crowded.
60. From the passage, we can know that .
A. San Jose and Hong Kong are the only two cities of the world’s best
B. San Jose has more natural sights than Hong Kong does
C. the weather in both cities is fine
D. Hong Kong is the more popular city of the two
How old is “old”? The answer has changed over the years. Two hundred years ago,you were old at 35.At the beginning of the 20 th century,the average life span(平均寿命)was 45. In 1950,70-year-olds were really old.Today,a healthy 70-year-old is still thought young.
So,how old is old? The answer is one you’ve heard many times,from all kinds of people.“You are as old(or young)as you feel.”Your age simply tells you how many years you have lived.Your body tells you how well you’ve lived.
“Nobody grows old by living a number of years.” wrote a writer.“People grow old when they don’t have their ideals.”
People shouldn’t have the wrong ideas about aging.Sometimes,older minds can be as bright as young minds.Alice Brophy once said,“It makes me unhappy when people say,‘You look young for your age。’ What does that mean?
You know you can die old at 30 and live young at 80. ”
53.The meaning of the underlined word “aging” is “ ”
A.growing old B. staying young C. keeping healthy D. feeling unhappy
54.Which question is NOT answered in the passage?
A. Can older people be as bright as young people?
B. What tells you how well you’ve lived?
C. How old is “old”?
D. what is the average life span today?
55.The passage is mainly about __________ .
A. the average life span B. aging
C. the 20th century D. older people and young people
PDAs are very useful.They are like small computers.You can put a lot of information into them. For example.you can put in telephone numbers and e-mail addresses.Many people use PDAs to remember important dates.Some of these super machines can even send and receive e-mails.
PDAs are small and convenient.A few years ago,they were expensive.Now,they are cheap.Many people use them at work and at school.People can carry PDAs in their shirt pockets.
But,it’s important to be careful.These little machines are easy to lose.People put so much important information into their PDAs.It’s really terrible to lose them.
50.What is the main idea of the article?
A.PDAs are like small computers. B.PDAs are cheap.
C.You can do many things with a PDA.D.Too many people use PDAs
51.What do we learn about PDAs?
A.They are not very expensive now. B.Students do not like to use them.
C.All of them can send and receive e-mails.D.They are very large.
52.What kind of person would not use a PDA?
A.A business person.B.Someone who hates computers.
C.A student. D.A person with a busy schedule.
Ⅳ.阅读理解
He was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 15, 1929. He was black. He died in his thirties, but he became world-famous during that short time. He grew up in the southeastern part of the United States. He studied at Morehouse College, where he met many outstanding men whose ideas he found important and exciting. There he read the writings of Thoreau, which gave him many ideas about freedom.
After he finished studying in Morehouse, he went on to study at the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, and Boston University. At Boston University, he met his wife, Corretta. In 1954, after he got his Ph. D. degree (哲学博士学位), he became a minister (牧师) of a small church in the South. Then he became the leader of the black people, who were poor and powerless. He gave speeches and led parades. For his ideas and actions, he was in prison for a short time.
Many years later, in Washington D.C. he spoke to a crowd of 250,000 people. He told them "I have a dream". That speech is still famous today. In 1964 he won the Nobel Peace Prize. His work was not finished when he died on April 4. 1968. Who was he? He was Martin Luther King Jr..
46. Where did Martin Luther King Jr. get the ideas of freedom?
A. In the University of Pennsylvania. B. In Harvard University.
C. In Morehouse College. D. In Boston University.
47. Why was Martin Luther King Jr. in prison?
A. Because he was a minister of a small church.
B. Because he was black and world-famous.
C. Because he gave a speech called “I have a dream”.
D. Because he often gave talks in public and organized the parades .
48. How old was Martin Luther King Jr. when he died?
A. Twenty-five years old. B. Thirty-five years old.
C. Thirty-seven years old. D. Thirty-nine years old.
49. How is Martin Luther King’s speech “I have a dream” ?
A. It is so famous that people today still remember it.
B. It was such a famous speech that he won the Nobel Peace Prize.
C. It was famous only before he died.
D. It didn’t become famous until he died.