Eco City Farms are becoming more popular in cities and towns around the Unites S
题型：不详难度：来源：
Eco City Farms are becoming more popular in cities and towns around the Unites States.
Eco City Farms in Edmonton, Maryland, is located near shopping centers, car repair shops and homes. The neighborhood is a working-class community. People do not have very much money. And they have limited access to fresh food in markets.
Over the past two years, the farm has attracted volunteers form the community like Marcy Clark. She schools her four children at home. On a recent day she brought them to Eco City Farms for a lesson, her son Alston Clark thinks his experience is very valuable. “I like coming out here,” he says, “You know, you connect with the earth, where your food comes from. You appreciate the food a little bit more.”
Margaret Morgan started Eco City Farms. She thinks of it as a place where people can learn to live healthier lives. “Growing food in a community brings people together, ”she continues, “Every piece of what we do here is a demonstration (范例) to show people everything about how to have an eco-friendly community.” she says. From the Eco City Farms people come to know that they are not only growing food and raising chickens and bees, but improving the soil with compost (肥料) made from food waste.
Eco City Farms is an experimental operation. The farm gets its power not from the local electricity networks, but from the sun with solar panels (板). In winter, the green house use a geothermal (地热) system.
Vegetables can be grown all year. So once a week, all winter long, neighbors like Chris Moss and her three children bike to the farm to pick up a share of the harvest.
“I like eating the vegetables” say five-year-old Owen Moss.
小题1:What is mainly talked about in the passage?| A．Eco City Farms save a lot of energy. | | B．Eco City Farms are influencing community life. | | C．Eco City Farms helps the working-class live better. | | D．Eco City Farms are gaining popularity. |
小题2:What is the author’s attitude toward Eco City Farms?| A．Enthusiastic. | B．Disappointed. | | C．Surprised. | D．Doubtful. |
小题3:According to the passage, Eco City Farms are close to the following places EXCEPT______.| A．shopping centers | | B．car repair shops | | C．fast-food restaurants | | D．working-class community |
小题4:In which of a newspaper can you most probably read this article?| A．People. | B．Travel. | | C．Environment. | D．Education. |
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答案
小题1:D
小题2:A
小题3:C
小题4:C |
解析
试题分析：这篇文章介绍的是生态城市农场在美国的城市乡村越来越受欢迎，它如何运作，会环境的好处。
小题1:主旨题：从第一段的句子：Eco City Farms are becoming more popular in cities and towns around the Unites States.可知生态城市农场在美国的城市乡村越来越受欢迎。选D
小题2:作者态度题：从字里行间，特别是第三段的句子;Every piece of what we do here is a demonstration (范例) to show people everything about how to have an eco-friendly community.” 可知作者对生态城市农场是很有热情的。选A
小题3:排除题;从第一段的句子：Maryland, is located near shopping centers, car repair shops and homes. The neighborhood is a working-class community.可知ABD都是对的，选C
小题4:文章出处题：这篇文章介绍的是生态城市农场，这是以环保为理念的农场。选C
点评：本文考查题型多样，答题时在文章找到对应的地方，用笔进行标记，这有利于后期有时间检查时可以立刻找到答案的位置。仔细理解作者所讲的意思，再结合选项，通过排除法和自己对全文的把握，选出正确答案。 |
举一反三
Certain animals know without analysis the difference between a number of objects and a smaller number. In his book The Natural History of Selbourne (1786), the naturalist Gilbert White tells how he surreptitiously removed one egg a day from a kind of bird Plover’s nest, and how the mother laid another egg each day to make up for the missing one. He notes that other kinds of birds ignore the loss of a single egg, but if more than one egg has been removed, they will give up their nests. It has also been noted that a certain type of bees always provides five—never four, never six—caterpillars (毛虫) for each of their eggs so that their young have something to eat when the eggs have hatched out. Research has also shown that both mice and pigeons can be taught to distinguish between odd (奇数) and even (偶数) numbers of food pieces.
These have led some people to think that creatures can actually count. They also point to dogs that have been taught to respond to questions about numbers with the correct number of barks.
Animals respond to quantities only when they are connected to survive as in the case of the eggs, or survive as in the case of food. They can “count” only when the objects are present and only when the numbers involved are small—no more than seven or eight. In lab experiments, animals which are trained to count one kind of objects were unable to count any other type. What interests them are the objects, not the numbers. Animals’ achievements simply are not equal to evidence of counting. They only show the results of clever, careful training.
小题1:The author refers to Gilbert’s book in paragraph 1 in order to_______.| A．support the idea that animals can count | | B．show attitudes have changed since 1786 | | C．prove that some animals are aware of quantities | | D．indicate that more research is needed in this field |
小题2:The author mentions all of the following are aware of quantities in some way EXCEPT _______.| A．caterpillars | B．bees | | C．mice | D．plovers |
小题3:The underlined word “surreptitiously” probably means _______.| A．quickly | B．carefully | | C．occasionally | D．secretly |
小题4:Where does this text probably come from?| A．A news report. | B．A science fiction. | | C．A park guide. | D．A biology magazine. |
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The sea horse is a magical animal, which has puzzled （使困惑） people for thousands of years. In ancient Rome sea horses were believed to be the babies of Neptune’s horses. And Neptune was the god of the ocean. Now we know they are not horses at all — they are a kind of fish. They still seem as magical as ever, especially to divers who have watched them horsing around(瞎闯) in the sea. But today, sea horse populations face an uncertain future. Fishermen are catching too many of them, and their undersea habitats （栖息地） are being destroyed.
At least 20 million sea horses are taken from the ocean each year. More than 95% are used for traditional medicines in Asian countries. The sea horses are usually dried and then made into powder which is used to treat such problems as asthma（哮喘）, throat infections, skin diseases and cuts. How well the medicines work is unclear.
Sea horses are also bought and sold in large numbers as pets. Sea horse expert Amanda Vincent warns against buying pet sea horses. “A lot of people treat them as if they’re goldfish,” she says. But sea horses require very special care and live food. Most captive (被猎取的) sea horses pick up diseases and die.
Sea horse experts are trying to teach fishermen to become sea horse farmers. Instead of pulling nets of sea horses from the ocean, fishermen could learn to raise them in specially designed saltwater “farms”. That way, fishermen would have sea horses to sell, but ocean populations would not be hurt.
Vincent and her team have only discovered the 35 different species of sea horses, and they still have plenty of sea horse secrets left to unlock. That is why, Vincent told TFK, protecting future sea horse populations is especially important: “I promise your readers that by the time they grow up to be marine biologists, we’ll still have a lot to learn.”
小题1:In the past, Romans thought the sea horse to be ______.| A．a kind of horse | B．a kind of fish | | C．the god of the ocean | D．one of Neptune’s pets |
小题2:Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?| A．People in Asian countries hunt sea horses for food. | | B．Most sea horses caught are used as medicine. | | C．The effects of the powder of sea horses are uncertain. | | D．35 different kinds of sea horses have been discovered. |
小题3:The underlined phrase “pick up” in Paragraph 3 probably means “______”.| A．follow | B．collect | C．get | D．create |
小题4:It can be inferred that the best way to protect sea horses is to ______.| A．do more research on sea horses | | B．teach fishermen how to farm sea horses | | C．stop hunting sea horses | | D．ban the sea horse trade |
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The south and east of the Great Lakes is famous for the huge amounts of snow it receives. When the snow starts to fall every year, people start discussing the phrase “lake-effect snow”.
Lake-effect snow which is influenced by the movement of cold air over the relatively warm water of the Great Lakes often comes in late autumn and early winter. Because of the at least 20 degrees’ difference between the lake water and the overrunning air, it’s easy to form huge amounts of snow.
As the cool air crosses the water of Great Lakes, the lowest levels of the atmosphere begin to warm and pick up moisture. This newly warmed atmosphere is lighter than the cold air above it, so it starts rising. As the changed air continues to climb higher and higher, it finally meets much colder atmosphere which changes the moisture into water drops and ice, forming clouds. After this course repeats a number of times, the clouds become heavier and heavier, and then they are changed into snow and fall down.
The most important point that decides the amount of snowfall is the direction of the wind. If the wind runs perpendicularly（垂直地）across the lake, there won’t be plenty of time for clouds to develop. However, if the wind runs in the opposite direction, clouds will form easily. The longer the cold air travels over the lake, the more moisture it is able to produce, which leads to a greater amount of snow.
The largest amount of the lake-effect snow was found across the U.P. of Michigan, the northwestern Pennsylvania and the far southwestern and northwestern New York, which are all along the south or east of the Great Lakes. It has been over 100 inches of snowfall in a winter season.
小题1:The level of the snowfall depends on ________.| A．the size of the lake | | B．the direction of the wind | | C．the temperature of the lake | | D．the strength of the wind |
小题2:From the passage, we can learn that ________.| A．clouds are easy to produce with the help of the perpendicular wind | | B．cold air always falls down and picks up moisture to form clouds | | C．the temperature of the lake water is the same as the overrunning air’s above it | | D．the longer journey of the cold atmosphere can make a grater amount of snow |
小题3:The passage is mainly about ________.| A．the influences of the lake-effect snow for local people | | B．the weight between moisture and atmosphere | | C．how the phrase “lake-effect snow” comes in New York | | D．how the lake-effect snow forms around the Great Lakes |
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For most of us, the rain that falls on our roof runs off into the ground or the sewer(下水道) system. But if you want to save a little water and reuse it on your lawns or plants --- or even use it for laundry, dishes, or other needs --- collecting rainwater from your gutter’s downspouts(檐槽的水落管) is a no-brainer.
According to John C. Davis, writing in E / The Environmental Magazine, just about any homeowner can collect rainwater, given that the roof and gutters do most of the work. And since an inch of rain falling on a 2,000-square-foot roof produces some 1,200 gallons of water, you can harvest enough to water your lawn or garden.
Plants and grass actually do better when fed rainwater instead of tap water, which is usually treated with substances that can hold back plant growth. Using rainwater can also extend the life of pipes, since the salts added to tap water may gradually damage the pipes. However, homeowners should set up a water purification system if they do plan to use rainwater for inside needs.
Rainwater harvesting can also be good for the local community, as it reduces the erosion, flooding, and pollution associated with heavy rainfall, and reduces dependence on public water supplies. So some states fund rainwater collection systems in their local communities.
Many varieties of rain barrel(桶) systems, starting at just $100, are available for home use. A typical setup is simply a rain barrel positioned under a gutter’s downspout. Skillful homeowners can make their own water harvesting systems, but buying one is a lot easier. Most garden centres offer a range of choices as well as tips.
小题1:The underlined word “no-brainer” in Para. 1 probably means something that ______.| A．is hard to deal with | B．is very easy | | C．is of no real value | D．deserves more attention |
小题2:From Paragraphs 3 and 4, we can learn _______.| A．how to set up a water harvesting system | B．how a rain barrel system works | | C．some advice on saving tap water | D．the benefits of using rainwater |
小题3:What is the topic of the passage ?| A．Basic gardening skills. | B．Water-saving techniques. | | C．Wastewater treatment systems. | D．Roof rainwater collection. |
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We like to think our intelligence is self-made; it happens inside our heads, the product of our inner thoughts alone. But the rise of Google, Wikipedia and other online tools has made many people question the impact of these technologies on our brains. Is typing in “Who has played James Bond in the movies?” the same as our knowledge about the names like Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig? Can we say we know the answer as long as we know how to rapidly get the information on Google?
Here the question is about how we define intelligence itself. The answer appears to be interesting, because the evidence from psychological studies suggests that much of our intelligence comes from how we coordinate ourselves with other people and our environment.
An influential theory among psychologists is that we"re cognitive misers(认知吝啬者). This is the idea that we are unwilling to do mental work unless we have to. We try to avoid thinking things fully when a short cut is available. If you"ve ever voted for the presidential candidate(总统候选人) with the most honest smile, or chosen a restaurant based on how many people are already sitting in there, then you are a cognitive miser. The theory explains why we"d much rather type a zip code into Google Maps than memorize and recall the location of a place – it"s so much easier to do so.
Research shows that people don"t tend to rely on their memories for things they can easily access. Buildings can somehow disappear from pictures we"re looking at, or the people we"re talking to can be changed with someone else, and often we won"t notice – a phenomenon called “change blindness”. This isn"t an example of human stupidity – far from it, in fact – this is an example of mental efficiency. The mind relies on the world as a better record than memory.
Philosophers have suggested that thinking is really happening in the environment as much as it is happening in our brains. The philosopher Andy Clark called humans "natural born cyborgs(电子人)", those naturally capable of absorbing and combining new tools, ideas and abilities. In Clark"s view, the route to a solution is not the issue – having the right tools really does mean you know the answers, just as much as already knowing the answer.
Rather than being forced to rely on our own resources for everything, we can share our knowledge. Technology keeps track of things for us so we don"t have to, while large systems of knowledge serve the needs of society as a whole. I don"t know how a computer works, or how to grow vegetables, but that knowledge is out there and I can get to benefit. The internet provides even more potential to share this knowledge. Wikipedia is one of the best examples – an increasingly large database of knowledge from which everyone can benefit.
So as well as having a physical environment – like the rooms or buildings we live or work in – we also have a mental environment, which means that when I ask you where your mind is, you shouldn’t point toward the centre of your forehead. As research shows, our minds are made up just as much by the people and tools around us as they are by the brain cells inside our skull.
小题1:Why did the writer raise the questions in Paragraph 1? | A．To find out who has played James Bond in the movies. | | B．To introduce the topic to be discussed in the passage. | | C．To show that he knows the answer to the questions. | | D．To attract readers’ attention by mentioning James Bond. |
小题2:What is the writer’s attitude towards the rise of technologies like Google and Wikipedia? | A．Supportive | B．Objective | C．Indifferent | D．Neutral |
小题3: Which of the following might the philosopher Andy Clark agree with? | A．Intelligence is something that is made by one’s brain itself. | | B．Intelligence is something that only happens inside one’s head. | | C．Intelligence is the product of one’s inner thoughts alone. | | D．Intelligence is a mixture of the environment, people and one’s brain cells. |
小题4:It is true about the phenomenon called “change blindness” that human beings____.| A．are stupid not to notice the changes | | B．are efficient in mental work | | C．are blind to changes around them | | D．rely on memory when dealing with things |
小题5:According to the text, how do technologies like Google, Wikipedia affect us? | A．They make us much more intelligent. | | B．They make us lazier and more stupid. | | C．They have little to do with our intelligence. | | D．They have a negative effect on our intelligence. |
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