Fromaplanewecanseethefields,ci-优题课

Prolonging human life has increased the size of the human population. Many people alive today would have died of childhood diseases if they had been born 100 years ago. Because more people live longer, there are more people around at any given time. In fact, it is a decrease in death rates, not an increase in birthrates, that has led to the population explosion.
Prolonging human life has also increased the dependency load. In all societies, people who are disabled or too young or too old to work are dependent on the rest of society to provide for them. In hunting and gathering cultures, old people who could not keep up might be left behind to die. In times of famine (饥荒), infants might be allowed to die because they could not survive if their parents starved, where as if the parents survived they could have another child. In most contemporary societies, people feel a moral obligation (责任) to keep people alive whether they can work or not. We have a great many people today who live past the age at which they want to work or are able to work; we also have rules which require people to retire at a certain age. Unless these people were able to save money for their retirement, somebody else must support them. In the United States many retired people live on social security checks which are so little that they must live in near poverty. Older people have more illnesses than young or middle-aged people; unless they have wealth or private or government insurance, they must often “go on welfare” if they have a serious illness.
When older people become senile (衰老的) or too weak and ill to care for themselves, they create grave problems for their families. In the past and in some traditional cultures, they would be cared for at home until they died. Today, with most members of a household working or in school, there is often no one at home who can care for a sick or weak person. To meet this need, a great many nursing homes and convalescent (疗养的) hospitals have been built. These are often profit making organizations, although some are sponsored by religious and other nonprofit groups. While a few of these institutions are good, most of them are simply “dumping (倒垃圾的) grounds” for the dying in which “care” is given by poorly paid, overworked, and under skilled personnel (员工).
The author believes that the increased size of the human population results from _______.

A．an increase in birthrates	B．the industrial development
C．a decrease in death rates	D．childhood diseases

It can be inferred from the passage that in hunting and gathering cultures _______.

A．it was a moral responsibility for the families to keep alive the aged people who could not work

B．the survival of infants was less important than that of their parents in times of starvation

C．old people were given the task of imparting (传授) the cultural wisdom of the tribe to new generations

D．death was celebrated as a time of rejoicing for an individual freed of (免除) the hardships of life

The phrase “this need” in the last paragraph refers to ________.

A．prolonging the dying old people’s lives

B．reducing the problems caused by the retired people

C．making profits through caring for the sick or weak people

D．taking care of the sick or weak people

According to the passage, which of the following statements about the old people in the United States is true?

A．Many of them live on social security money which is hardly enough.

B．Minority of them remain in a state of near poverty after their retirement.

C．Many nursing homes are sponsored by religious and nonprofit groups.

D．Older people have wealth or private insurance if they have a serious illness.

It helps to choose the colors you plan to live with in your home with awareness of how different colors affect your emotional and physical states. Every color has a unique meaning, and this can significantly affect how you feel in a room.
Simple Solution:
Using this simple chart, you can choose a room’s color to be in balance and harmony with the role you want a room to have in your and your family’s life.

Red: A room that is painted red will energize, inspire activity and movement, help passion, and be powerful and stimulating. it is a great choice for such gathering places. Orange enhances parties,	Orange: Orange rooms encourage happy, joyful, social gatherings. While an orange dining room or family room can stimulate the appetite, it is a great choice for such gathering places. Orange enhances parties, communication, positive feelings, and general good cheer.
Yellow: Yellow rooms inspire intellectual clarity, organization, clear-headed thinking, and happy energy. Yellow is considered a color for the logical left side of the brain. Yellow is also very bright and somewhat energizing.
Blue: Blue rooms are often chosen for bedrooms and meditation (冥想) rooms because its cool energy is very calming, restful, peaceful, and spiritual. Blue helps inspire a quiet meditative quality, and color therapy with blue has been found to reduce blood pressure. Blue is also useful to make one to sleep.
Green: Green rooms are very restful but combine with an energizing quality. Green is the color of outdoors, calm and active at the same time. Green brings balance and harmony to a room, and can be used as a calming place for people who are troubled or in need of refreshment.

What impression can green rooms give to you?

A．Passionate and powerful.	B．Refreshing and harmonious.
C．Cool and calming.	D．Inspiring and bright.

If you are going to hold a family gathering, which color of the room can best enhance your atmosphere?

A．Red.

B．Orange.

C．Blue.

D．Green.

Which of the following statements about color is NOT true?

A．Yellow rooms inspire logical and clear thinking.

B．Blue creates a quiet meditative quality.

C．Different colors affect you emotionally and physically.

D．Red rooms are acceptable when you are in a bad mood.

A new study of 8,000 young people in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior shows that although love can make adults live healthily and happily, it is a bad thing for young people. Puppy love (早恋) may bring stress for young people and can lead to depression (忧郁症). The study shows that girls become more depressed than boys, and younger girls are the worst of all.
The possible reason for the connection between love and higher risk of depression for girls is “loss of self”. According to the study, even though boys would say “lose themselves in a romantic relationship”, this “loss of self” is much more likely to lead to depression when it happens to girls. Young girls who have romantic relationships usually like hiding their feelings and opinions. They won’t tell that to their parents.
Dr Marian Kaufman, an expert on young people problems, says 15% to 20% young people will have depression during their growing. Trying romance often causes the depression. She advises kids not to jump into romance too early. During growing up, it is important for young people to build strong friendships and a strong sense of self. She also suggests the parents should encourage their kids to keep close to their friends, attend more interesting school activities and spend enough time with family.
Parents should watch for signs of depression -- eating or mood changes -- and if they see signs from their daughters or sons, they need to give help. The good news is that the connection between romance and depression seems to become weak with age. Love will always make us feel young, but only maturity (成熟) gives us a chance to avoid its bad side effects.
What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．Puppy love may bring young people depression.

B．Parents should forbid their children’s love.

C．Romance is a two edged sword for adults.

D．Romance is good for young people.

Which of the following is more likely to have depression?

A．Young people who have a strong sense of selfishness.

B．Young boys whose parents watch for their behavior.

C．Young girls who always hide their feelings and opinions.

D．Careless parents whose children are deep in love.

What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Lacking love can lead young people to grow up more quickly.

B．Early love makes young people keep close to their friends and parents.

C．Parents should help their children to be aware of the signs of depression.

D．The older a woman is，the less likely she seems to lose herself in romance.

What’s the author’s attitude towards puppy love?

A．Confused.

B．Disapproving.

C．Disinterested.

D．Scared.

Will it matter if you don't take your breakfast? Recently a test was given in the United States. Those tested included people of different ages, from 12 to 83. During the experiment, these people were given all kinds of breakfasts, and sometimes they got no breakfast at all. Special tests were set up to see how well their bodies worked when they had eaten a certain kind of breakfast. The results show that if a person eats a proper breakfast, he or she will work with better effect than if he or she has no breakfast. This fact appears to be especially true if a person works with his brains. If a student eats fruit, eggs, bread and milk before going to school, he will learn more quickly and listen with more attention to class.
Opposite(相反的) to what many people believe, if you don't eat breakfast, you will not lose weight. This is because people become so hungry at noon that they eat too much for lunch, and end up gaining weight instead of losing. You will probably lose more weight if you reduce your lunch and super!
During the test, those who were tested were given ________.

A．no breakfast at all	B．very rich breakfasts
C．little food for breakfast	D．different breakfast or none

The results of the test show that ________.

A．breakfast has great effect on work and studies

B．breakfast has little to do with a person’s work

C．a person will work better if he has a simple breakfast

D．those working with brains should have much for breakfast

The passage mentions that many people believe that if you don't eat breakfast, you will _________.

A．lose weight	B．not lose weight
C．be healthier	D．gain a lot of weight

Which of the following is not true according to the passage?

A．Poor breakfasts affect those who work with brains.

B．Morning diet may cause one person to get fatter.

C．Reducing lunch and supper is of less help in weight losing.

D．Eating less in lunch and supper may help to lose weight.

According to the passage, if a student does not eat breakfast, ___________.

A．he will fall ill

B．he will not listen to his teacher

C．he will not make progress in his study

D．his mind will work more slowly

Jungle(丛林) country is not friendly to man，but it is possible to survive there. You must have the right equipment and you must know a few important things about woodcraft(山林野外知识). Then your chances of staying alive are very good.
No one should go into the jungle without the right equipment. You need lightweight clothing, a good knife, and a compass. Fishhooks and a line，a rifle，matches in a waterproof container and a poncho(雨披) are necessary too. So is a mosquito net(蚊帐) to protect the head.
In the jungle you can get hopelessly lost within five minutes after leaving known landmark(地界碑). That is why you should always carry a compass. In open country during the day, you can tell which way to go by studying the sun. At night the stars are sure guides to direction. But in most places the jungle rooftop is so thick that it is impossible to see the sun or the stars. Again and again you must check your position by the compass.
Keep alert(警惕的). Watch the ground in front of you carefully. Stop and listen now and again. Avoid haste(匆忙), and rest often. In a place that is hot and humid(潮湿的), the person who sets a fast pace will soon become tired. A steady and even pace is wisest in the long run.
If you lose your way, don't panic. Try to decide how long it has been since you were sure of your position. Mark the spot where you are with blazes on a tree. Put them on four sides of the tree, so that you will be able to see them from any direction. Then you can begin retracing your steps(going back exactly the way you have come), knowing that you can always find the spot from which you started. Except in an emergency, never try to travel the jungle at night.
Whenever possible, it is wise to follow streams and rivers that are going in your general direction. This may cause you many extra miles of travel. But in the end it will save time and energy. Nothing is more exhausting (extremely tiring) than hacking(cutting) a way through unbroken jungle.
Surviving in the jungle is a science. The jungle people have become perfect in this science, and you can too. Learn as much as you can about what to expect in the jungle. Make sure you have the right equipment. Then no part of the jungle will seem completely or frightening. In fact, you will be able to “live off” it for a long time.
To keep alive in the jungle, you should make it clear that the right equipment is _________.

A．more important than a knowledge of woodcraft

B．less important than a knowledge of woodcraft

C．just as important as a knowledge of woodcraft

D．not as important as a knowledge of woodcraft

If you lose your way in the jungle, which of the following can NOT be done?

A．Check your position by the compass again and again.

B．Decide how long ago it was that you got lost.

C．Tell which way to go by studying the sun/the stars.

D．Mark blazes on four sides of a tree and be sure to see them from any direction.

The author is strongly against traveling at night probably because __________.

A．one tends to move too slowly at night

B．some animals will attack you

C．emergencies occur most frequently at night

D．it is more difficult to check your position

“It is wise to follow streams and rivers”, which will ensure you to _________.

A．avoid animals’ attacks

B．save many extra miles of travel

C．avoid hacking a way through unbroken jungle

D．have a rich supply of drinking water