Tens of thousands of ancient pictures carved into the rocks at one of France’s most important tourist sites are being gradually destroyed. Scientists and researchers fear that the 36,000 drawings on rocks in Mont Bego in the French Alps are being damaged so rapidly that they will not survive for future generations.
The mountain, believed to have once been a site for prayer, is scattered (散布) with 4,000-year-old drawings cut into bare rock. They include pictures of cows with horns, cultivated fields (耕地) and various gods and goddesses. But as the popularity of the site increases, the pictures are being ruined by thoughtless graffiti (涂鸦).
Jean Clottes is the chairman of the International Committee on Rock Art. He says, “People think that because the pictures have been there so long they will always continue to be there. But if the damage continues at this rate there will be nothing left in 50 years.”
He describes seeing tourists stamping on the drawings, wearing away the rock and definition (清晰) of the artwork as they do so. Some visitors, he says, even cut off parts to take home as souvenirs. “When people think they can’t take a good enough photograph, they rub the drawings to get a clearer picture,” he said. “The drawings are polished by the weather, and if the sun is shining and the visitors can’t see them properly they simply rub them to make them look fresher.” Other researchers describe how people arrive carrying long sticks with sharp ends to scratch (刮) their own drawings, or even their names, in the rocks.
But experts are divided over the best way to preserve the drawings. Henry de Lumley, director of the Museum of Natural History in Paris, believes that the only way to save the site is to turn the whole mountain into a “no-go” area, preventing the public from going there except on guided tours. Otherwise, he says, not only will the site be completely destroyed but important research work will be reduced.
Clottes disagrees, “The measure suggested by Henry de Lumley is the most severe, and while it is the most effective, it is also certain to bring about protests from people who live there,” he said. “The site was classified as a historic monument years ago by the Ministry of Culture, and we must do as much as possible to save what is there.”
David Lavergne, the regional architect, also wants to avoid closing the site. “Henry de Lumley’s idea isn’t ideal,” he said. “Our department feels that the best solution is to let people look at the site, but because the area is very big it is difficult to prevent visitors from damaging it. I would prefer that everyone was able to look at it, but the main problem is money. We do not have the funds to employ the necessary number of guards. We may have to consider charging a fee. It doesn’t seem to be possible to get the government support.”
In Nice, Annie Echassoux, who also worked on researching the site, is alarmed that as the mountain becomes easier to reach — tourists can now avoid the three-and-a-half-hour walk by hiring vehicles — the damage will increase rapidly. She thinks that the only solution is to rope off the area and provide guides. “You can’t say the plan can’t go ahead because there is no money,” she said. “That is not good enough. Money must be provided because the Ministry of Culture has classified this area as a historic site. If we don’t take steps, we will be responsible for losing the drawings for the next generation.”Jean Clottes says that people who visit the mountain____.
| A．do not believe the drawings are old. |
| B．believe they are allowed to paint there |
| C．think the drawings should be left alone |
| D．think the drawings will not disappear |
According to Jean Clottes, some of the visitors to the area have____.
| A．helped to clean the drawings |
| B．taken bits of the rock home |
| C．been unable to take photographs |
| D．misunderstood what the pictures mean |
Henry de Lumley is eager to ____.
| A．set up research projects |
| B．protect public rights |
| C．keep out individual visitors |
| D．ban traffic in the area |
Which word best describes Annie Echassoux’s attitude towards saving the historic site?
| A．Supportive. | B．Disappointed. |
| C．Worried. | D．Hesitant. |
This passage has been written about Mont Bego to ____.
| A．advertise the closing of the site |
| B．warn visitors about the dangers of the site |
| C．encourage scientists to visit the site |
| D．describe fears for the future of the site |
People have wondered for a long time how their personalities and behavior are formed. It is not easy to explain why one person is intelligent and another is not, or why one is cooperative and another is competitive.
Social scientists are of course extremely interested in these types of questions. They want to explain why we possess certain characteristics and exhibit certain behavior. There are no clear answers yet, but two distinct schools of thought on the matter have developed. As one might expect, the two approaches are very different from each other, and there is a great deal of debate between proponents of each theory. The controversy is often conveniently referred to as “nature and nurture”．
Those who support the “nature” side of the conflict believe that our personalities and behavior patterns are largely determined by biological factors. That our environment has little, if anything, to do with our abilities, characteristics and behavior is central to this theory. Taken to an extreme，this theory states that our behavior is predetermined to such a great degree that we are almost completely governed by our instincts(本能)．
Proponents of the “nurture” theory, or, as they are often called, behaviorists, claim that our environment is more important than our biologically based instincts in determining how we will act. A behaviorist, B. F. Skinner, sees humans as beings whose behavior is almost completely shaped by their surroundings. The behaviorists' view of the human being is quite mechanistic. They state that, like machines, humans respond to environmental stimuli (刺激) as the basis of their behavior.
Socially and politically, the consequences of these two theories are far-reaching. In the US，for example, blacks often score below whites on standardized intelligence tests. This leads some “nature” proponents to conclude that blacks are genetically lower in status than whites. Behaviorists, on the contrary, say that the differences in scores are due to the fact that blacks are often robbed of many of the educational and other environmental advantages that whites enjoy, and that, as a result, they do not develop the same responses that whites do.
Neither of these theories can yet fully explain human behavior. In fact, it is quite likely that the key to our behavior lies somewhere between these two extremes and that the controversy will continue for a long time is certain.This passage is mainly concerned with ________.
| A．relation between personality and behavior |
| B．relation between behavior and environment |
| C．different accounts of patterns of human behavior |
| D．different theories of the formation of human behavior |
The underlined word “proponents” in Paragraph 2 means ________.
| A．creators | B．advisors |
| C．advocates | D．judges |
In Paragraph 5, the author mainly writes about ________.
| A．the considerable influence of the two theories |
| B．differences between the blacks and whites |
| C．racial discrimination in the United States |
| D．different responds to intelligence tests |
What's the author's purpose in writing the passage?
| A．To call our attention to the changes of human behavior. |
| B．To urge scientists to do more research in social science. |
| C．To give us a detailed explanation of human behavior. |
| D．To present an argument in the field of social science. |
Mr. Hungerton, her father, really was absolutely centered upon his own silly self. If anything could have driven me from Gladys, it would have been the thought of such a father-in-law. I am convinced that he really believed in his heart that I came round to the Chestnuts three days a week for the pleasure of his company, and very especially to hear his views upon bimetallism (金银双币制).
For an hour or more that evening I listened to his tiring talk about bad money driving out good, and the true standards of exchange.
“Suppose,” he cried, “that all the debts in the world were called up at once, and immediate payment insisted upon, what under our present conditions would happen then?”
I gave the self-evident answer that I should be a ruined man, upon which he jumped from his chair, scolding me for my thoughtless quickness, which made it impossible for him to discuss any reasonable subject in my presence.
At last I was alone with Gladys, and the moment of Fate had come! She sat with that proud, slim figure of hers outlined against the red curtain. How beautiful she was! Gladys was full of every womanly quality.
I was about to break the long and uneasy silence, when two critical, dark eyes looked round at me, and the proud head was shaken disapprovingly. “I have a feeling that you are going to propose(求婚), Ned. I do wish you wouldn’t; for things are so much nicer as they are.”
I drew my chair a little nearer. “Now, how did you know that I was going to propose?” I asked in wonder.
“Don’t women always know? Do you suppose any woman in the world was ever taken unawares? But．．．oh, Ned, our friendship has been so good and so pleasant! What a pity to spoil it! Don’t you feel how splendid it is that a young man and a young woman should be able to talk face to face as we have talked?”
She had sprung from her chair, as she saw signs that I proposed to announce some of my wants. “You’ve spoiled everything, Ned,” she said. “It’s all so beautiful and natural until this kind of thing comes in! It is such a pity! Why can't you control yourself?”
“But why can’t you love me, Gladys? Is it my appearance, or what?”
“No, it isn’t that.”
“My character?”
She nodded severely.
“What can I do to mend it?”
She looked at me with a wondering distrust which was much more to my mind than her whole-hearted confidence.
“Now tell me what’s wrong with me?”
“I’m in love with somebody else,” said she.
It was my turn to jump out of my chair.
“It’s nobody in particular,” she explained, laughing at the expression of my face: “only an ideal. I’ve never met the kind of man I mean.”
“Tell me about him. What does he look like?”
“Oh, he might look very much like you.”
“How dear of you to say that! Well, what is it that he does that I don’t do? I’ll have a try at it, Gladys, if you will only give me an idea what would please you.”
“Well, it is never a man that I should love, but always the glories he had won; for they would be reflected upon me. Think of Richard Burton! When I read his wife’s life with him I could so understand her love! And Lady Stanley! Did you ever read the wonderful last chapter of that book about her husband? These are the sort of men that a woman could adore with all her soul, and yet be the greater, not the less, on account of her love, honored by all the world as the inspirer of noble deeds.”
“And if I do——”
Her dear hand rested upon my lips. “Not another word, Sir! You should have been at the office for evening duty half an hour ago; only I hadn’t the heart to remind you. Some day, perhaps, when you have won your place in the world, we shall talk it over again.”Why did the writer often come round to the Chestnuts?
| A．To hear Mr. Hungerton’s views upon bimetallism. |
| B．To find the opportunity of staying with Gladys. |
| C．To learn Mr. Hungertong’s standards of exchange. |
| D．To discuss the present economy with Gladys |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．It took great patience and courage for the writer to propose to Gladys. |
| B．Mr. Hungerton tried to stop the writer from proposing to his daughter. |
| C．It was difficult for Gladys to choose an ideal husband from her friends. |
| D．It was impossible for the writer to have any chance to marry Gladys. |
Which of the following words can best describe Gladys?
| A．Careful, choosy and stubborn. |
| B．Unfriendly, cold and self-centered. |
| C．Lovely, confident, and idealistic. |
| D．Simple-minded, active and attractive |
Grasshoppers are having to change their song — one of the iconic sounds of summer — to make themselves heard above the noise of road traffic, ecologists have discovered. The study, published in the British Ecological Society's journal Functional Ecology, is the first to show that human-made noise affects natural insect populations. Animals use sound to communicate for many reasons, including marking out territory, warning of predators and finding mates, and although previous research shows birds, whales and even frogs change their calls in noisy environments, the impact of human-made noise on insects has been neglected until now. Ulrike Lampe and colleagues from the University of Bielefeld in Germany caught 188 male bow-winged grasshoppers, half from quiet locations and half from beside busy roads. The grasshoppers use their song to attract mates.
The team then studied the differences in the two groups' songs in the laboratory. To encourage them to sing they exposed the males to a female grasshopper, and then recorded their courtship songs. Analysis of almost 1,000 recordings revealed grasshoppers living beside noisy roads produced different songs to those living in quieter locations.
According to Lampe: "Bow-winged grasshoppers produce songs that include low and high frequency components. We found that grasshoppers from noisy habitats increase the volume of the lower-frequency part of their song, which makes sense since road noise can mask signals in this part of the frequency spectrum(频谱)."
The team's findings are important because traffic noise could be upsetting the grasshopper's mating system(交配系统). "Increased noise levels could affect grasshopper courtship in several ways. It could prevent females from hearing male courtship songs properly, prevent females from recognizing males of their own species, or impair females' ability to estimate how attractive a male is from his song," Lampe explains.
Having discovered that human-made noise affects insect communication, the researchers now want to learn more about how the mechanism works, and whether the grasshoppers adapt to noise during their development as larvae（幼虫）, or whether males from noisy habitats produce different songs due to genetic differences.
The bow-winged grasshopper is a common species in Central Europe. Adults occur mainly between July and September, preferring dry grasslands. Around 1.5 cm long, they vary in colour from green and browns to red and purple. The male's song consists of 2 second-long phrases that increase in amplitude (振幅) towards the end. The beginning of a phrase is characterized by slower ticking sounds that increase in speed and amplitude, leading to a buzzing sound towards the end of the phrase. A courtship song usually includes 2 phrases.The author wrote the article to _________________.
| A．introduce how grasshoppers make noises to attract mates. |
| B．raise the awareness of protecting bow-winged grasshoppers. |
| C．inform us of a recent discovery of ecological research. |
| D．warn us that human-made noise has changed ecological system. |
Which of the following could be the main idea of the passage?
| A．Bow-winged grasshoppers use their songs to communicate. |
| B．Grasshoppers change their songs to adapt to the noisy environment. |
| C．Grasshoppers’ songs include both low and high frequency components. |
| D．Bow-winged grasshoppers are a common species in Central Europe. |
What does the underlined word “impair” in the fourth paragraph mean?
| A．repair | B．develop |
| C．weaken | D．improve |
Which of the following statements is true according the passage?
| A．Road noise can cover the lower-frequency part of their song. |
| B．Animals make sounds only for the purpose of finding mates. |
| C．Grasshopper larvae learn to adapt to human-made noise. |
| D．Bow-winged grasshoppers grow up into adults in spring. |
Since 2004，Time magazine has six times made a survey to name the l00 most influential people in the world．Only one person has appeared on it for six times, Oprah Winfrey．
Born in l954 in Mississippi，Oprah Winfrey spent her early years living in poverty with her grandmother and later her absent mother, followed by unfair treatment by her unfriendly relatives．Worse still，she was addicted to drugs and at the young age of l4，she gave birth to a baby, who died after a few months．Finally she was sent to live with her strict father in Tennessee. Amazingly though，her father’s rules did make sure she received a good education and finally overcame her problems．
Oprah’s media career began at age l7．She became the co-author of local news in Baltimore in her early 20’s．Her first local talk show, People Are Talking, was first performed in l978，when she was 24．
In l986，Oprah moved to Chicago to host a low-rated half-hour morning talk show, AM Chicago．Oprah talks like a family member in your and my house．Within months she took over，the show became the highest-rated talk show in Chicago．It was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show．
Only two years after hosting the show, she was able to set up her own production company Harpo, and buy the full rights to The Oprah Winfery Show．She is also involved in magazine publishing，books，education and a lifestyle channel for women with the aim of improving people’s lives, inspiring and praising good honest values，making the world a better place for present and future generations．
As her business grew, so did her wealth and power, and she became the first ever black billionaire in 2003 and the most powerful woman in media broadcasting．The amazing influence she has over a large part of the American public means that anything she promotes on her shows is guaranteed to succeed.What do we know about Oprah’s childhood?
| A．She lived with her mother for 14 years． |
| B．She married young and brought up a baby． |
| C．she lacked concern and care． |
| D．She couldn’t stand her father's rules． |
Why was The Oprah Winfrey Show so popular?
| A．Oprah was very famous in the world． |
| B．Oprah talked in a family way in the show． |
| C．Oprah was the co-author of the show． |
| D．Oprah had the full rights to the show． |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．Oprah Winfrey was the most influential woman in America． |
| B．Oprah Winfrey hosted her first local talk show in her 20’s． |
| C．AM Chicago became the highest-rated immediately after Oprah hosted it. |
| D．Oprah Winfrey was the first billionaire in media broadcasting． |
What does the last paragraph mainly tell us?
A．Oprah was a quite successful woman．
B：Oprah aimed to be wealthy and powerful．
C．What Oprah promoted was sure to succeed．
D．Oprah became the most influential woman．
WASHINGTON The head of the World Bank says for the first time in human history, it is possible to end poverty around the world. Jim Yong Kim told a Washington audience Tuesday, he wants to make ending world poverty by 2030 a top goal for the bank and governments around the world.
World Bank President Jim Yong Kim says that the problems of poverty, hunger and inequality are wide, urgent and a matter of survival of millions.
“We know that despite the great successes of the last decade, there are still about 1.3 billion people living in extreme poverty, 870 million who go hungry every day, and 6.9 million children under five dying every year,” he said.
But Kim told a Washington audience that the previous successful efforts to cut the number of people living in extreme poverty by half give them hope.
“We are at an auspicious moment in history, when the successes of past decades and an increasingly favourable economic outlook combine to give developing countries a chance－for the first time ever－to end extreme poverty within a generation,” he said in a speech at Georgetown University. “Our duty now must be to ensure that these favourable circumstances are matched with deliberate decisions to realize this historic opportunity.”
Kim says success will require increasing the speed of economic growth, particularly in South Africa and South Asia.
But he warned that civil unrest could happen if economic growth does not help people at all income levels, and also include women and youth．
Kim says that the World Bank and other development agencies will have more resources to get this job done right. “Meeting this 2030 goal will take extraordinary effort,” he said.
However, Kim warned that all the progress in fighting poverty could be destroyed by climate disasters unless the nations of the world do more to prevent climate change.In the opinion of Jim Yong Kim, world poverty _____．
| A．is difficult but hopeful to end by 2030 |
| B．exists only in Africa and Asia |
| C．is not quite hard to end by 2030 |
| D．will be sure to disappear by 2030 |
Which of the following gives Jim Yong Kim the hope to end world poverty?
| A．Economic growth is increasing in developing countries． |
| B．Great successes have been achieved in science and technology． |
| C．A decreasing number of people are living in poverty． |
| D．All countries have started to fight poverty． |
The underlined word "auspicious" in Paragraph 5 most probably means "_____"．
| A．unforgettable | B．lucky |
| C．disappearing | D．important |
What’s the passage mainly about?
| A．The key of ending world poverty is preventing climate change. |
| B．A top goal－ending world poverty will possibly be achieved by 2030. |
| C．The success of ending poverty－economic growth. |
| D．The progress in fighting poverty. |