阅读理解。     Sustainable development is applied to just about everything from energ

阅读理解。     Sustainable development is applied to just about everything from energ

题型:0115 期中题难度:来源:
阅读理解。     Sustainable development is applied to just about everything from energy to clean water and economic
growth, and as a result it has become difficult to question either the basic assumptions behind it or the way
the concept is put to use. This is especially true in agriculture, where sustainable development is often taken
as the measure of progress without a proper appreciation of historical and cultural perspectives.   
     To start with, it is important to remember that the nature of agriculture has changed markedly throughout
history, and will continue to do so. Medieval agriculture in northern Europe fed, clothed and sheltered a mainly
rural society with a much lower population density than it is today. It had minimal effect on biodiversity, and
any pollution it caused was typically localized. In terms of energy use and the nutrients captured in the product
it was relatively inefficient.   
    Contrast this with farming since the start of the industrial revolution. Competition from overseas led farmers
to specialize and increase yields. Throughout this period food became cheaper, safer and more reliable. However, these changes have also led to habitat loss and to reducing biodiversity.   
    All this means that agriculture in the 21st century will have to be very different from how it was in the 20th.
This will require thorough thinking. For example, we need to move away from the idea that traditional practices
are certainly more sustainable than new ones. We also need to abandon the notion that agriculture can be "zero
impact". The key will be to abandon the rather simple and static (稳定的) measures of sustainability, which
centre on the need to maintain production without increasing damage. Instead we need a more dynamic
interpretation, one that looks at the pros and cons of all the various way land is used. There are many different
ways to measure agricultural performance besides food yield: energy use, environmental costs, water purity,
carbon footprint and biodiversity. It is clear, for example, that the carbon of transporting tomatoes from Spain
to the UK is less than that of producing them in the UK with additional heating and lighting. But we do not know whether lower carbon footprints will always be better for biodiversity.   
     What is important is recognizing that sustainable agriculture is not just about sustainable food production. 1. How do people often measure progress in agriculture?A. By its impact on the environment
B. By its contribution to economic growth
C. By its productivity
D. By its sustainability2. Specialization and the effort to increase yields have resulted in _____. A. Localized pollution
B. The shrinking of farmland
C. the decrease of biodiversity
D. competition from overseas 3. What does the author think of traditional farming practices? A. They are not necessarily sustainable  
B. They have not kept pace with population growth
C. They have remained the same over the centuries
D. They are environmentally friendly4. What will agriculture be like in the 21st century?A. It will abandon traditional farming practices  
B. It will mainly keep traditional farming
C. It will go through complete changes   
D. It will cause zero damage to the environment 5. What is the author"s purpose in writing this passage?   A. To remind people of the need of sustainable development.   
B. To urge people to rethink what sustainable agriculture is.   
C. To advance new criteria for measuring farming progress.   
D. To suggest ways of ensuring sustainable food production.
答案
1-5: DCACB
举一反三
阅读理解。     A scientist turns out to be able to see the future by offering each of four-year-olds a piece of candy and
watching how he or she deals with it. Some children reach eagerly for the treat they see. Some last a few
minutes before they give in. But others are determined to wait until the last moment.
    By the time the children reach high school, something remarkable has happened. A survey found that those
who as four-year-olds had enough self-control to hold out generally grew up to be more popular, adventurous,
confident and dependable. The children who gave in to temptation (诱惑) early were more likely to be lonely,
easily frustrated and inflexible (固守己见的).
     Actually, the ability to delay reward is a sign of emotional intelligence which doesn"t show up on an IQ test.
     The hardware of the brain and the software of the mind have long been scientists" concerns. But brain
theory can"t explain what we wonder about most, like the question why some people remain upbeat in the face
of troubles that would sink a less resistant soul.
     Here comes the theory of Daniel Goleman, writer of Emotional Intelligence: when it comes to predicting
people"s success, brain ability as measured by IQ may actually matter less than the qualities of mind once
thought of as"character".
     EQ is not the opposite of IQ. What researchers have been trying to understand is how they work together;
how one"s ability to handle stress, for instance, affects the ability to concentrate and put intelligence to use.
Among the ingredients (要素) for success, researchers now generally agree that IQ counts for about 20%;
the rest depends on everything from social class to luck.
     While many researchers in this relatively new field are glad to see emotional issues finally taken seriously,
some few fear EQ invites misuse.1. The experiment with the four-year-olds makes it clear that _____.A. the age of 4 is a proper time for scientific experiment
B. emotional intelligence won"t show up until adolescence
C. the ability of self-control plays a role in personal success
D. candy can be used to measure a person"s emotional intelligence 2. Which of the following is TRUE of EQ and IQ according to the text?A. There is no link between EQ and IQ.
B. The higher a person"s IQ is, the higher his or her EQ is.
C. Some people can be blessed with lots of both, but some with little of either.
D. Scientists are trying to discover the way in which EQ and IQ work together. 3. The underlined word "upbeat" in Paragraph 4 probably means _____.A. kind
B. floating
C. excited
D. optimistic4. What is most likely to be written in the paragraph that follows? A. Information about famous people with high EQ.
B. Examples showing the opposite voice about EQ.
C. Some reasons why EQ is a relatively new field.
D. Strong demand for basic emotional education.
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A. Solving Problems Scientifically
B. Making a Hypothesis
C. Recognizing the Problem
D. Organizing the Information
E. The Experiment
F. Collecting Information
阅读理解。
      Providing small classes for at least several grades starting in early primary school gives students the best
chance to succeed in late grades, according to groundbreaking new research from a Michigan State University
scholar.
     The research by Spyros Konstantopoulos, a professor of education, is the first to examine the effects of
class size over a period and for all levels of students. The study appears in the American Journal of Education.
     He is also a member of a group for the Department of Education"s Institute of Education Sciences that will
give official advice on class size to the states. He said the advice will mirror his research: the best plan is to
provide continuous small classes(13 to 17 students) for at least several years starting in kindergarten or first
grade.
     "For a long time states thought they could just do it in kindergarten or first grade for one year and get the
benefits," He said."I don"t believe that. I think you need at least a few years in a row where all students, and
especially low-achievers, receive the treatment, and then you see the benefits later."
     His research used data (数据)from the Project Star study in Tennessee that analyzed the effects of class
size on more than 11,000 students in primary and middle school. He found that students who had been in small
classes from kindergarten through third grade had actually higher test scores in grades four through eight than
students who been in larger classes early on.
     Students from all achievement levels benefited from small classes, the research found."But low-achievers
benefited the most, which narrowed the achievement gap (差距) with high -achievers in science, reading and
math," he said.
     Although the study didn"t consider classroom practices, he said the reason for the narrowing gap is likely
due to low-achieving students receiving more attention from teachers.
     "This is especially important in poorer schools because teacher effectiveness matters more in schools with
more disadvantaged and low-performing students," he said.
1. The professor argues about _____.
A. the size of the class
B. the period of the class
C. the attention from teachers
D. the achievements of students
2. The result of the research shows that _____.
A. small classes for one year in early grade are enough
B. continuous small classes help students achieve more
C. it"s best to attend small classes in kindergarten
D. small classes do equal good to students of all levels
3. What can we infer from the passage?
A. High achievers will not benefit from small classes.
B. Continuous small classes have not been widely accepted.
C. Low-achievers should be separated from high-achievers.
D. Teachers" attention matters less than classroom practices.
4. The underlined word "This" in the last paragraph refers to _____.
A. the gap between low and high achievers
B. continuous small classes
C. classroom practices in later grades
D. the Project Star Sturdy
选做题:阅读下面短文,并根据短文后的要求答题请注意问题后的词数要求。
     Called "The School of the Future" and created with help from software giant Microsoft, a recently-
opened public school in Philadelphia, US, is believed to be the first in the world to combine innovation
teaching methods with the latest technology. At this school, students work on wireless laptops, teachers
eschew traditional subjects for real-world topics and parents can track their children‘s work on the Internet.
     The school, which costs the school district $63 million to build, is free and has no entrance exams.
The 170 ninth-grade students were selected at random from l,500 applicants.
     Philadelphia School District Chief Executive Paul Vallas told students they would be observed by other
schools around the world. "You have become instant role models," Vallas said. "People are going to be
watching you."
     Students still sit in classrooms, but lessons rely heavily on information found on the Internet and on
interactive software. Students will be allowed to learn at their own pace. Homework is done on the computer
and sent to the teacher for grading and parents can access to the school‘s network to read the teacher’s
feedback on their children’s progress.
     Traditional education fails to teach students the skills of problem-solving, critical thinking and effective
communication, which they need to succeed in the 21st century
, Principal Shirley Grover said in an interview.
"It‘s not about memorizing certain algebraic equations (代数方程式) and then presenting them in 8 test,"
Grover said. "It’s about thinking how maths might be used to solve a quality of water problem or how it
might be used to determine whether or not we are safe in Philadelphia from the bird flu."
     David Terry, 14, said he was hoping to "turn over a new leaf" after discipline problems in his previous
school left him with an "average to really bad" academic record. "This is a great opportunity for me," he said.
"In other schools, I would not _____."
1. What‘s the best title of this passage? (Please answer within 10 words.)
    ______________________________________________________________________________________
2. Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one? Although the students have their
    lessons in classrooms, they mainly learn through the Internet and on some software.
    ______________________________________________________________________________________
3. Please fill in the blank in the last paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence. (Please
    answer within 10 words.)
    ______________________________________________________________________________________
4. Do you think this kind of school good? Why? (Please answer within 30 words.)
    ______________________________________________________________________________________
5. Please translate the underlined sentence in the fifth paragraph into Chinese.
    ______________________________________________________________________________________
阅读理解。
     There was great excitement on the planet of Venus (金星) this week. For the first time Venusian scientists
managed to land a satellite on the planet Earth, and it has been sending back signals as well as photographs ever
since.
     The satellite was directed into an area known as Manhattan (named after the great Venusian astronomer
Prof. Manhattan, who first discovered it with his telescope 20000 light years ago).
     Because of excellent weather conditions and extremely strong signals, Venusian scientists were able to get
valuable information as to feasibility (可行性) of a manned flying saucer (碟) landing on Earth. A press
conference was held at the Venus Institute of Technology.
     "We have come to the conclusion, based on last week"s satellite landing," Prof. Zog said, "that there is no
life on Earth."
     "How do you know this?" the science reporter of the Venus Evening Star asked.
     "For one thing, Earth"s surface in the area of Manhattan is made up of solid concrete and nothing can grow
there. For another, the atmosphere is filled with carbon monoxide (一氧化碳) and other deadly gases and
nobody could possibly breathe this air and survive."
     "What does this mean as far as our flying saucer program is concerned?"
     "We shall have to take our own oxygen with us, which means a much heavier flying saucer than originally
planned."
     "Are there any other dangers that you discovered in your studies?"
     "Take a look at this photo. You see this dark black cloud hovering (盘旋) over the surface of Earth? We
don"t know what it is made of, but it could give us a lot of trouble and we shall have further tests before we
send a Venus Being there."
     "Over here you will notice what seems to be a river, but the satellite findings indicates it is polluted and the
water is unfit to drink. This means we shall have to carry our own water, which will add even greater weight
to the saucer."
     "If all you say is true, won"t this set back the flying saucer program several years?"
     "Yes, but we shall continue as soon as the Grubstart gives us the added funds." Prof. Zog replied.
1. During the week of great excitement the Venusian scientists succeeded in getting important information as
    to _____.
A. the feasibility of landing a satellite on Earth
B. the possibility of making a first-rate flying saucer
C. the feasibility of sending a Venus Being to Earth
D. the possibility of directing a flying saucer into Manhattan
2. According to Prof. Zog, the Venusians will have to take their own oxygen with them when they carry out
    their flying saucer program because _____.
A. they need it in their way to the planet of Earth
B. the Earth"s atmosphere is filled with deadly gases
C. there is a low level of oxygen for Venusians
D. there is no air on the planet of Earth
3. The "dark black cloud" on the photo refers to _____.
A. the polluted air hovering over the surface of Earth
B. the mass of tiny drops of water floating above Earth
C. the mass of small things moving through the air
D. the dark clouds gathering before a storm breaks
4. The author wishes to call our attention to the fact that _____.
A. that modern man has polluted his environment to such an extend that he might destroy himself if he went
    on like this
B. that there is a point in spending billions to land a flying saucer on Earth
C. that pollution has become so serous a problem on Earth that even Venusians find life there unbearable.
D. that it is difficult if not altogether impossible, to land a manned flying saucer on Earth