Everywhere man is altering the balance of nature．He is facilitating the spread o
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Everywhere man is altering the balance of nature．He is facilitating the spread of plants and animals into new regions, sometimes deliberately, sometimes unconsciously．He is covering huge areas with new kinds of plants, or with houses, factories, slag-heaps and other products of his civilization．He exterminates some species on a large scale, but favours the multiplication of others．In brief, he has done more in five thousand years to alter the biological aspect of the planet than has nature in five million．
Many of these changes which he has brought about have had unforeseen consequences．Who would have thought that the throwing away of a piece of Canadian waterweed would have caused half the waterways of Britain to be blocked for a decade, or that the provision of pot cacti for lonely settlers’ wives would have led to Eastern Australian being overrun with forests of Prickly Pear? Who would have prophesied that the cutting down of forests on the Adriatic coasts, or in parts of Central Africa, could have reduced the land to a semidesert, with the very soil washed away from the bare rock? Who would have thought that improved communications would have changed history by the spreading of disease-sleeping sickness into East Africa, measles into Oceania, very possibly malaria into ancient Greece?
These are spectacular examples; but examples on a smaller scale are everywhere to be found．We make a nature sanctuary for rare birds, prescribing absolute security for all species; and we may find that some common and hardy kind of bird multiplies beyond measure and ousts the rare kinds in which we were particularly interested．We see, owing to some little change brought about by civilization, the starling spread over the English country-side in hordes．We improve the yielding capacities of our cattle; and find that now they exhaust the pastures which sufficed for less exigent stock．
小题1:The following examples except ________ reflect man altering the balance of nature．| A．man is covering huge areas with new kinds of plants | | B．man is facilitating the spread of animals into new regions． | | C．man is killing some species on a large scale | | D．man is getting to know the importance of keeping the balance of nature． |
小题2:What had a piece of Canadian waterweed cause? | A．Eastern Australian was overrun with forests． | | B．Half the waterways of Britain blocked for a decade． | | C．In parts of central Africa, the land reduced to a semidesert． | | D．Disease-sleeping has been caused． |
小题3:What have spread diseases? | A．Disease-sleeping sickness． | B．Measles． | | C．Improved communications． | D．Malaria． |
小题4:We make a nature sanctuary for rare birds but __________| A．some common and hardy kind of bird multiplies | | B．rare kinds multiply | | C．all bird multiply | | D．no bird multiply |
小题5:The main idea of the passage is _________．| A．that man is deliberately destroying the balance of nature | | B．that man has foreseen the consequences of altering the balance old nature | | C．that improved communications have changed history | | D．that man is altering the balance of nature |
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答案
小题1:C
小题2:B
小题3:C
小题4:A
小题5:D |
解析
小题1:由全文内容可知。
小题2:第二段第二句给出答案：
小题3:细节题。第二段后半部分给出此答案。
小题4:细节题。第三段头两句给出此答案。
小题5:主旨题。文章的主题是人类正改变着自然界的平衡。 |
举一反三
This year some twenty-three hundred teenagers（young people aged from 13 —19）from all over the world will spend about ten months in U. S. homes. They will attend U.S. schools, meet U.S. teenagers, and form impressions of the real America. At the same time, about thirteen hundred American teenagers will go to other countries to learn new languages and gain a new understanding of the rest of the world.
Here is a two-way student exchange in action. Fred, nineteen, spent last year in Germany with George’s family. In turn, George’s son Mike spent a year in Fred’s home in America.
Fred, a lively young man, knew little German when he arrived, but after two months’ study, the language began to come to him. The school was completely different from what he had expected — much harder. Students rose respectfully① when the teacher entered the room. They took fourteen subjects instead of the six that are usual in the United States. There were almost no outside activities.
Family life, too, was different. The father’s word was law, and all activities were around the family rather than the individual. Fred found the food too simple at first. Also, he missed having a car.
“Back home, you pick up some friends in a car and go out and have a good time. In Germany, you walk, but you soon learn to like it.”
At the same time, in America, Mike, a friendly German boy, was also forming his idea. “I suppose I should criticize② American schools,” he says. “It is far too easy by our level. But I have to say that I like it very much. In Germany we do nothing but study. Here we take part in many outside activities. I think that maybe your schools are better in training for citizens. There ought to be some middle ground between the two.”
Notes:
① respectfully adv. 尊敬地，谦恭地
② criticize vt. 批评，责备
Choose the best answers according to the above:
小题1:This year __ teenagers will take part in the exchange programme between America and other countries.| A．twenty-three hundred | B．thirteen hundred | | C．over three thousand | D．less than two thousand |
小题2:The whole exchange programme is mainly to __.| A．help teenagers in other countries know the real America | | B．send students in America to travel in Germany | | C．let students learn something about other countries | | D．have teenagers learn new languages |
小题3:What is particular in America schools is that __.| A．there is some middle ground between the two teaching buildings. | | B．there are a lot of outside activities | | C．students usually take fourteen subjects in all | | D．students go outside to enjoy themselves in a car |
小题4:After experiencing the American school life, Mike thought __.| A．a better education should include something good from both American and Germany | | B．German schools trained students to be better citizens | | C．American schools were not as good as German schools | | D．the easy life in the American school was more helpful to students |
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NASA is moving ahead with plans to put a long-armed lander on Mars’ icy north pole to search for clues①for water and possible signs of life.
The $386 million Phoenix Mars is planned to touch down in the Martian arctic in 2008. The stationary probe will use its robotic arm to dig into the icy land and pick up soil samples②to analyze. In 2002, the Mars Odyssey orbiter spotted evidence of ice-rich soil near the arctic surface.
Scientists hope the Phoenix mission will find clues to the geologic history of water on the Red Planet and determine whether microbes③existed in the ice.
Phoenix will be the first mission of the Mars Scout program, a renewed, low-cost effort to study the Red Planet. “The Phoenix mission explores new territory in the northern plains of Mars analogous to the permafrost regions on Earth,” Peter Smith said.
True to its name, Phoenix rose from the ashes of previous④missions. The lander for Phoenix was built to fly as part of the 2001 Mars Surveyor program. But the program broke down after the well-known disappearance of the Mars Polar Lander in 1999. The Polar Lander lost contact during a landing attempt near the planet’s south pole after its rocket engine shut off prematurely, causing the spacecraft to fall about 130 feet to almost certain destruction.
The Phoenix probe had been in storage at a Lockheed Martin clean room in Denver before it was reused for its present mission. It will carry science instruments that were designed for the Mars Surveyor program including an improved panoramic camera and a trench-digging robotic arm. Phoenix will lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in August 2007 and land on the planet nine months later.
Notes:
① clue n. 线索
② sample n. 标本，样品
③ microbe n. 微生物
④ previous adj. 先前的
小题1:The passage mainly tells readers that _________.| A．clues of water will be found in Phoenix | | B．Phoenix will be sent to find clues of water on Mars | | C．August 2007 will see Phoenix lift off | | D．the Mars Scout program will be carried out |
小题2: The underlined word “prematurely” (paragraph 5) means _________.| A．on time | B．behind the time | C．out of work | D．ahead of time |
小题3: According to the passage, we know Phoenix will land on Mars _________.| A．in May 2008 | B．in August 2007 | | C．in August 2008 | D．in September 2008 |
小题4: According to the passage, the name “Phoenix” is after the meaning of _________.| A．rebirth | B．death | C．energy | D．hope |
小题5:After Phoenix lands on Mars, we can infer it will firstly _________.| A．find soil samples and send them to the earth | | B．look for the icy land to dig for the soil samples | | C．take photos and send them to the earth | | D．find the remains of the Mars Polar Lander |
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An annoying problem for humans, who like to boast (夸耀) about all the distant planets and moons we have explored, is that we"ve never taken a good look right under our noses. The inside of the earth is relatively close, but how can we get there?
The deepest oil well enters a mere six miles into the crust (地壳) (the center of the earth is about 4,000 miles deeper). Russian scientists dug the deepest hole in Siberia, but bottomed out at about 7.5 miles below the surface. The Mohole project, a U.S. plan in the 1950s, called for drilling a hole 25 miles down to the boundary between the hard rocks of the crust and the soft mantle (地幔). Sadly the project involved government supporting.
It gets harder and harder to drill deep into the earth because rocks get softer and softer. Hard but easily broken at the surface, rocks become plastic at depth, and the pressure caused by the weight of the overlaying crust --- about 52,800 pounds per square inch at a depth of ten miles, makes further drilling impossible.
What little we know about the inside of the earth (like the fact that there"s a crust, a mantle, and a core) comes from indirect evidence, such as the analysis of earthquakes.
So maybe it"s time for a thorough new method to explore the earth"s inside. Scientist David Stevenson says we should forget about drilling holes. Instead, we should open a crack (裂缝).
Stevenson suggests digging a crack about a half mile long, a yard wide, and a half mile deep (not with a shovel) but with an explosion on the scale of a nuclear bomb. Next, he"d pour a few hundred thousand tons of molten (熔化的) iron into the crack, along with a robot. The iron, thicker than the surrounding crust, would move downward at about 16 feet per second, carrying the robot with it and opening the crack deeper and deeper. The iron mass would drop for about a week and 2,000 miles to the outer edge of the earth core, the robot sending out data to the surface.
Stevenson compares his idea to space exploration. "We"re going somewhere we haven"t been before,"he says. "In all possibility, there will be surprises.”
This idea can probably be put in the drawer marked with Isn"t Going To Happen. The robot would have to survive temperatures that would melt pretty much anything. But Stevenson"s idea may inspire a new look at an old problem. Great things can come from what seems like impossible ideas.
小题1:Going inside the earth is _____ than going into space.| A．more interesting | B．more possible | C．easier | D．more challenging |
小题2:How deep have we gone into the earth until now?| A．6 miles. | B．4,000 miles. | C．7.5 miles. | D．25 miles. |
小题3:Which of the following is TRUE about David Stevenson"s idea?| A．It is an inspiring but not practical idea now. | | B．It is a practical proposal that has come into use now. | | C．It is a good proposal that will soon be put into practice. | | D．It is a false theory that cannot be carried out at all. |
小题4: What might be the most suitable title for the text?| A．An Annoying Problem for Humans | | B．To the Center of the Earth | | C．The Mohole Project | | D．David Stevenson"s Proposal |
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Art is for everyone. Parents can help kids appreciate art by making it available for them. Unfortunately, many adults do not enjoy art simply because they do not understand the stories or context (背景). Actually, children can appreciate art as well as any adult. Here are some simple ways to encourage children to appreciate art.
Find art that will allow children to easily make a connection with their lives. Choose the material according to their ages. Pictures and sculptures of children, for example, or dogs and cats are easily understood, and it is easy to start a conversation about how the themes in the art are connected with familiar people and animals in kids’ lives. Music and dance are very important to children and should also be used.
Explore the stories behind famous, and not so famous, art. Encourage children to make up their own stories about paintings and then research the real story behind the paintings.
Create art with children. Teach them that art is not something that they must only observe but something that they can create. Discuss art with children. Encourage them to express their views on art. Let them know that it is okay to dislike something, and listen to their preferences when planning events.
Visit museums and performances. Explore the artwork in local museums that will interest them. Most cities have children’s theaters and music groups, and often free performances are offered. Many art museums have special tours for children.
Through a variety of artistic experiences, kids will learn how to appreciate art and will enjoy it.
64. When choosing art for children, parents should________.
A. take their children’s ages and experiences into consideration
B. pay close attention to their children’s ability to understand
C. ask professional artists for some useful advice
D. try to find some art beyond their imagination
65. Which of the following should not be down in creating art with children?
A. Allowing children to speak out their own opinions on art.
B. Allowing children to have their own likes and dislikes.
C. Making children interested in everything about art.
D. Talking with children about something on art.
66. We can learn from the text that helping children appreciate art_________.
A. is highly necessary for their growth
B. will improve their school performance
C. can help them make more friends at school
D. needs parents’ encouragement and instruction |
Doomed beauties such as Cleopatra and Manilyn Monroe were far from alone in their misery. Very attractive people tend to form partnerships that are less stable and satisfying than those enjoyed by plain Janes.
According to research by Dr John Blaine of the University of Southern California, relationships between people whose professions largely depend on their appearances, such as models or actors, tend to end much faster than those between lawyers, doctors or students.
Blaine said the beautiful felt different from childhood. They are treated as special, which may create both arrogance(傲慢) and insecurity. All too often, beauty can be used as an alternative to education. Often they are pushed out of their class or town, told to go off and make their fortune in Hollywood or London and, when the majority fail, they have few talents(才能) to make a living.
Blaine added that beautiful people score poorly on the “big five” — the key factors American experts consider when helping distressed couples. These are neuroticism(神经过敏), including anger and anxiety; extroversion(性格外向); openness to new experiences; agreeableness; and conscientiousness, or sticking by agreements they have made. Attractive people often see no reason to try to change until their looks start to fade.
Krista Sutherland, of the University of California Los Angeles, said partnerships that appeared to be perfect from the outside, such as the former “dream teams” of Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise or Hugh Grant and Elizabeth Hurley, where backgrounds and aspirations(抱负) are often shared, did not necessarily lead to happiness.
小题1:What does the underlined sentence “Doomed beauties such as Cleopatra and Manilyn Monroe were far from alone in their misery. ” means?| A．Beautiful women always felt lonely. | | B．Beautiful women always were alone. | | C．Many beautiful women didn’t end up with a happy life. | | D．Beautiful women always lived a happy life. |
小题2:The underlined phrase “plain Janes” in the passage refer to ________. | A．ordinary-looking women | B．women called Jane | | C．common people | D．attractive women |
小题3:We can infer in the passage that ________.| A．Hugh Grant and Elizabeth Hurley were a couple | | B．Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise were very satisfied with their life | | C．When they fail in Hollywood, the beautiful have little trouble in making a living | | D．The marriage of the beautiful often last long |
小题4:Which of the following is the best title?| A．Five key factors affecting the partnership | B．Beauties are doomed to fail in love | | C．Beauties or common? | D．The beautiful are different. |
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