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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。
Environmentalists said our planet was doomed to die. Now one man says they are wrong.

“Everyone knows the planet is in bad shape,”thundered a magazine article last year. Species(物种) are being driven to die out at record rates,and the rivers are so poisonous that fish are floating on the surface,dead.
But there's a growing belief that what everyone takes for granted is wrong:things are actually getting better. A new book is about to overturn our most basic assumptions about the world's environment. Rivers,seas,rain and the atmosphere are all getting cleaner. The total amount of forests in the world is not declining. The Skeptical Environmentalist by Bjorn Lomborg,professor of statistics at the University of Aarhus in Denmark,is an attack on the misleading claims of environmental groups,and the “bad news” culture that makes people believe everything is getting worse.
Now the attacks are increasingly coming from leftwing environmentalists such as Lomborg,a former member of Greenpeace. The accusation is that,although the environment is improving,green groups-with profits of hundreds of millions of pounds a year-are using scare tactics(谋略) to gain donations. Lomborg's book doesn't deny global warmingprobably the biggest environmental threat-but destroys almost every other environmental claim with many official statistics.
The Worldwatch Institute claims that “deforestation has been accelerating over the last 30 years”.But Lomborg says that is simply rubbish. Since the dawn of agriculture the world has lost about 20 per cent of its forest cover,but in recent decades the forest area's depleting has come to a stop. According to UN figures,the area of forests has remained almost steady,at about 30 per cent of total land area,since the 1940s.Forests in countries such as the US,the UK and Canada have actually been expanding over the past 40 years. Despite all the warnings the Amazon rainforest has only shrunk(缩小) by about 15 per cent.
Nor are all our species dying out. Some campaigners claim that 50 per cent of all species will have died out within 50 years. But other studies show only 0.08 per cent of species are dying out each year. Conservation efforts have been successful. Whales are no longer threatened and the bald eagle is off the endangered list.
Environmental groups claim that many of the improvements are the results of the success of their campaigns. Stephen Tindale,director of Greenpeace UK,said,“There are important examples,such as acid rain and ozone,where things aren't as bad as predicted,and that's because behavior has changed.”
In his book,The Skeptical Environmentalist,what is Lomborg's main argument?

A.Our planet is in bad shape.
B.The world's environment is improving.
C.The total amount of forests in the world is not declining.
D.Conservation efforts have been successful.

What is Lomborg's main accusation of environmentalists?

A.They scared people into making donations.
B.They overturned our basic assumptions about the world's environment.
C.They changed their behavior toward the environment.
D.They only told people bad news about the environment.

The underlined word “depleting” in Paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to “________”.

A.reducing
B.limiting
C.expanding
D.accelerating

According to the passage,which of the following statements is true?

A.The total area of forests in the world has increased significantly.
B.The effects of global warming are not as bad as first expected.
C.It appears that the bald eagle will survive.
D.In the last 50 years the number of whales has increased.
科目 英语   题型 阅读理解   难度 中等
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TEENSGIVING in SPRING 2010
Frequently Asked Questions
What is TEENSGIVING?
TEENSGIVING is an exciting yearly event where hundreds of New York City teens gather together annually for a remarkable day of community service. This year, TEENSGIVING in SRING 2010 participants will once again better New York City and impact thousands of lives!
When is TEENSGIVING in SPRING2010?
SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2010
Where is TEENSGIVING?
All over New York City. Everyone will meet at the 92nd Street Y (92nd and Lexington) at 9:00 AM for the event kick-off. Then, all TEENSGIVING volunteers will disperse across the city to work with our partnering agencies where they will make a HUGE difference and have fun!
Who participates in TEENSGIVING?
Hundreds of teenagers from around the city. Teens come from the 92nd Street Y, various city schools, youth groups, and organizations in the area. In addition, many adult volunteers (aged 21 and older) will donate their time to TEENSGIVING in SPRING 2010.
What projects do participants do at the agencies?
Sample projects include painting park benches, plantinggardens,visitingand playing with underprivileged children, assembling craft kits for children in hospitals, assisting at animal shelters, working at soup kitchens, delivering meals and celebrating with families at homeless shelters.
Do I get anything for participating in TEENSGIVING?
Yes! Everybody benefits! Teen volunteers willreceive*6hours*ofcommunity service credit, goodtowardshonorsociety,highschoolgraduationandcollege application requirements. Adult volunteers will be “thanked” with a light breakfast, a gift certificatefor their troubles, and the satisfactionofhelping our city’s youth contribute to their community. In addition, all teen and adult volunteers will receive a cool TEENSGIVING in SPRING 2010 T-shirt.
This sounds awesome! How do I register for TEENSGIVING in SPRING2010? Interested teens and/or adults should e-mail the TEENSGIVING Coordinator Josh Hyman at jhyman@92Y.org(subjet:TEENSGIVING) to receive more information and to register for this fantastic event!
**Teenscanalsocontacttheirschool’sCommunityServiceAdvisor**
TEENSGIVINGissponsoredbythe92ndStreetY.
TEENSGIVINGisaneventwhichisheld______.

A.fromtimetotime B.onceeveryyear
C.everytwoyears D.twiceayear

TeenagersmaydoallthefollowingintheeventEXCEPT____

A.wateringflowers
B.cooking
C.cleaningstreets
D.takingcareofanimals

Anadultvolunteermayget____forhistimedevotedtoTEENSGIVINGinSPRING2010.

A.communityservicecreditandaT-shirt
B.ahighschoolcertificateandalightbreakfast
C.aT-shirtandagiftcertificate
D.agiftcertificateandcommunityservicecredit

Thewriter’spurposeinwritingthispassageisto_______.

A.informreadersofsomefrequentlyaskedquestions
B.introduceTEENSGIVINGinSPRING2010toreaders
C.encouragereaderstoaskmorequestionsaboutTEENSGIVING
D.callonreaderstoparticipateinTEENSGIVINGinSPRING2010

A few days ago I got a call from my old college friend whom I haven’t seen for a very long time. The topic, which was about all the good old times that we had changed to a touching story when he started talking about his father.  
His father’s declining health made him stay at the hospital. Because of his illness, his father suffered from insomnia (失眠) and often talked to himself. My friend, who had not been able to sleep for a few days as he had to keep watching his father’s condition, became irritated and told his father to keep silent and try to get some sleep. His father said that he really wanted to sleep well because he was very tired and told my friend to leave him alone in the hospital if he did not want to keep him company.  
After his father finished talking, he fell unconscious (失去知觉). My friend was very sorry for speaking the ill words towards his father. My friend, whom I knew as a tough person, cried as a baby on the other end of the telephone. He said that from that moment on, he prayed every day, asking God to let his father wake up from his coma. He promised himself that whatever words came out from his father’s mouth after he regained his consciousness, he would gladly take them. His only hope for God was to give him a chance to rectify his past mistake.  
Often, we complain when we have to accompany or watch over our parents for years, months, days, hours or even minutes. But do we realize that our parents keep us company and watch over us for as long as we (or they) live? From the day we were born to our adulthood, and even when deaths come to us, they are always at our side.
Imagine how sad our parents will be when they hear a seemingly innocent word of “no” come out from our mouths. We can make promises to ourselves that from now on there will be no more complaints that come out from our mouths when we have to watch over or accompany our parents. No more complaints come out from our mouths when we feel that our parents have treated us like little children. There are so many unlucky ones who have neither fathers nor mothers. They long to have the things that we most complain about, but never have them.
Actually, it takes only a second to think and light the lamp that will bring us to a place where peace is dwelling.
Which of the following word can be used to describe the writer’s friend?

A.Sad B.Sorry C.Regretful D.Pitiful

What does the underlined word “rectify” mean in Para. 3?

A.put…right B.recite…by heart C.realize D.recognize

What does the writer want to tell us in the passage?

A.Your parents will keep talking to themselves when they are old.
B.Be good to your parents when you still have the chance.
C.You will regret in your life if you don’t show your kindness to your parents.
D.It is not easy to take good care of sick old parents.

Bardithch High School decided to have an All-School Reunion. Over 450 people came to the event. There were tours of the old school building and a picnic at Confederate Park. Several former teachers were on hand to tell stories about the old days. Ms. Mabel Yates, the English teacher for over fifty years, was wheeled to the Park.
Some eyes rolled and there were a few low groans (嘟囔声) when Ms. Yates was about to speak. Many started looking at their watches and coming up with excuses to be anywhere instead of preparing to listen to a lecture from an old woman who had few kind words for her students and made them work harder than all the other teachers combined.
Then Ms. Yates started to speak:
“I can’t tell you how pleased I’m to be here. I haven’t seen many of you since your graduation, but I have followed your careers and enjoyed your victories as well as crying for your tragedies. I have a large collection of newspaper photographs of my students. Although I haven’t appeared in person, I have attended your college graduations, weddings and even the births of your children, in my imagination. ”
Ms. Yates paused and started crying a bit. Then she continued:
“It was my belief that if I pushed you as hard as I could, some of you would succeed to please me and others would succeed to annoy me. Regardless of our motives, I can see that you have all been successful in your chosen path.”
“There is no greater comfort for an educator than to see the end result of his or her years of work. You have all been a great source of pleasure and pride for me and I want you to know I love you all from the bottom of my heart.”
There was a silence over the crowd for a few seconds and then someone started clapping. The clapping turned into cheering, then into a deafening roar (呼喊). Lawyers, truck drivers, bankers and models were rubbing their eyes or crying openly with no shame all because of the words from a long forgotten English teacher from their hometown.
What activity was organized for the school reunion?

A.Sightseeing in the park
B.A picnic on the school playground
C.Telling stories about past events
D.Graduates’ reports in the old building

What can be inferred from Paragraph 2?

A.Some graduates were too busy to listen to Ms. Yates’ speech
B.Many graduates disliked Ms. Yates’ ways of teaching
C.Some people got tired from the reunion activities
D.Most people had little interest in the reunion

We can learn from Ms. Yates’ speech that she _________.

A.kept track of her students’ progress
B.gave her students advice on their careers
C.attended her students’ college graduations
D.went to her students’ wedding ceremonies

Which of the following can best describe Ms. Yates?

A.Reliable and devoted
B.Tough and generous
C.Proud but patient
D.Strict but caring

Facial expressions carry meaning that is determined by situations and relationships. For example, in American culture the smile is in general an expression of pleasure. Yet it also has other uses. A woman’s smile at a police officer does not carry the same meaning as the smile she gives to a young child. A smile may show love or politeness. It can also hide true feelings. It often causes confusion (困惑) across cultures. For example, many people in Russia consider smiling at strangers in public to be unusual and even improper. Yet many Americans smile freely at strangers in public places (although this is less common in big cities). Some Russians believe that Americans smile in the wrong places; some Americans believe that Russians don’t smile enough. In Southeast Asian cultures, a smile is frequently used to cover painful feelings. Vietnamese people may tell a sad story but end the story with a smile.
Our faces show emotions (情感), but we should not attempt to “read” people from another culture as we would “read” someone from our own culture. The fact that members of one culture do not express their emotions as openly as do members of another does not mean that they do not experience emotions. Rather, there are cultural differences in the amount of facial expressiveness permitted. For example, in public and in formal situations many Japanese do not show their emotions as freely as Americans do. When with friends, Japanese and Americans seem to show their emotions similarly.
It is difficult to generalize about Americans and facial expressiveness because of personal and cultural backgrounds in the United States. People from certain cultural backgrounds in the United States seem to be more facially expressive than others. The key is to try not to judge people whose ways of showing emotion are different. If we judge according to our own cultural habits, we may make the mistake of “reading” the other person incorrectly.
What does the smile usually mean in the U.S.?

A.Love B.Politeness C.Joy D.Thankfulness

The author mentions the smile of the Vietnamese to prove that a smile can ________.

A.show friendliness to strangers
B.be used to hide true feelings
C.be used in the wrong places
D.show personal habits

What should we do before attempting to “read” people?

A.Learn about their relations with others
B.Understand their cultural backgrounds
C.Find out about their past experience
D.Figure out what they will do next

What would be the best title for the test?

A.Cultural Differences
B.Smiles and Relationships
C.Facial Expressiveness
D.Habits and Emotions

Once many years ago, I pulled a family out of a burning car somewhere in Wyoming. Last week I received a telephone call from a woman who could not stop crying as she told me that one of my stories had saved her son from committing suicide. In closing she called me a hero.
That got me thinking about what a hero is. Was I a hero because I pulled a family from a burning car? If so, how could I be a hero just because I wrote a story that saved someone’s life?
Today I looked up the word “hero” in the dictionary to see exactly what it meant. It read “a person who does something brave” and also “a person who is good and noble”.
That statement impressed me more than the part about being brave. So I thought about something very important. And I remembered what happened to me years ago.
After my marriage of twenty years ended, I was in such a condition. I was within hours trying to get up enough courage to end the pain and misery. When I returned home, someone had sent me a card in the mail which told me how much they would appreciate me as a friend. That wonderful card probably saved my life. That person, without even knowing it, saved a life and became a hero.
The many stories I kept writing in the following years saved the life of a teenage boy. In turn that makes the person who sent me the card a double hero. I suppose that is why I fight so hard to help the children now living in orphanages (孤儿院). Most children come out of these institutions with a very hard and bitter attitude against the world. The gifts we send them let them know that they have not been forgotten. Hopefully, most of them will never hurt anyone because of the kindness shown to them by those of us who cared. If it works, we will also become "heroes".
The main idea of the passage is _______________.

A.why the writer should be a hero
B.whether the writer is a hero
C.what a hero exactly is
D.that everyone is a hero

Why did the woman call the writer a hero at the end of the call?

A.Because he was cute and kind to everybody
B.Because he saved a family from a burning car.
C.Because he asked her son not to kill himself.
D.Because his story saved her son’s life.

What does the underlined word “it” in the last sentence of Paragraph 5 refer to?

A.The wonderful card the writer received.
B.The action of sending the card.
C.The fact that the sender helped the writer.
D.The fact that the sender was a friend of the writer.

According to the writer, who can be considered as a hero?

A.A person who helps someone in trouble.
B.A person who writes wonderful stories.
C.A person who can hold a door for others.
D.A person who is brave.

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