阅读理解 The city can seem a cold, mean place. In the middle of so many people h
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business, a person can feel alone among the millions of others.
There is a popular view that in cities, strangers are less likely to help an elderly person cross a street or call the police when they see a bike being stolen. Recently, a New Yorker named Casey Neistat did an
experiment. He chained up his bike in several public places, then "stole" it in a number of obvious ways,
such as using a hacksaw (钢锯). He filmed everything to see whether other New Yorkers would try to
stop a shameless bike theft. The result? People just walked on by.
Is this evidence of an immoral, selfish urban society? Not necessarily. According to another recent
study, the way city people mind their own business is about other factors besides morality (道德).
This is called the Bystander Effect, the theory that city people do not react because of the urban
enviromnent they live in.
Psychologist Dr. Harold explained why people did not involve themselves in Neistat"s bike theft
experiment with the Bystander Effect.
First, people who live in cities are surrounded by so much activity that they stop noticing what is going
on around them. Second, they are less easy to surprise and assume every activity has a logical explanation.
"The third is that people notice it, but they don"t know what to do," he continued. "And the fourth is fear they know they should do something, but they"re afraid to challenge someone with a hacksaw." A lack of
concern is only a small reason why people don"t take action, concludes Dr. Harold.
Despite the results of Neistat"s experiment, there is also evidence of a sense of team spirit that connects people in cities. All it takes is a funny joke or a shared interest to start a conversation with someone at a
bus stop. When city folk are in trouble, they come together for support - famously in New York on
September 11, 2001.
City society is different, but that doesn"t mean it"s cold or mean - it just means it"s busy!
A. proving that he was not the thief
B. telling people that bike theft was immoral
C. finding out who had a sense of right and wrong
D. making his experiment well-known to the public
2. We can infer from the third paragraph that morality _____.
A. can partly explain a selfish urban society
B. is what our society should pay special attention to
C. is the only factor that leads to a selfish urban society
D. is the root of the Bystander Effect mentioned in the passage
3. The underlined part September 11, 2001 in Paragraph 9 serves as_____.
A. a reminder of the sad memories
B. a way to prove Dr Harold"s Bystander effect
C. evidence that city life can be really dangerous
D. an example to show team spirit connecting city people
4. As can be inferred from the passage, the writer probably_____.
A. criticizes the loss of morality in urban society
B. feels sad about the result of Neistat"s experiment
C. thinks city people are too busy to care about others
D. disagrees that city life sometimes can be cold and mean
答案
举一反三
Now we’re always hearing about road accident, and when we’re in a car we try to drive carefully, but how many of us take the same degree of care in our homes? Any large hospital will tell you the number of
the accidents that happen in the home is almost the same as those on the road.
One of the commonest and most dangerous causes of home accidents is wrong and careless use of
electrical equipment. People will continue to use a loose plug or pull out a plug without first turning off the
power. In spite of warnings, one will carry an electric heater into the bathroom when he is going to have a bath. Sometimes one forgets to cut off the power before mending a lamp or something else. All this will
cause accidents. So the rule about anything that work by electricity is: Switch off before you touch
anything and don’t pretend you know when you actually don’t.
If you’ve got children in the house, it"s always best to keep medicines of any kind out of their reach.
Otherwise, they may be taken for candies or a new kind of drink. When there are older people living with you, you have to take particular care in a number of ways in order to make them safe and happy.
Fire, of course, is always a risk. So, remember not to dry clothes in front of fires, or leave stoves in the middle of rooms where they can easily be knocked over. And don’t forget to keep the children away from fire. Smoking, too, may cause fire. So you’d better give it up. Safety first may mean a little more time and
care, but it may save you a lot of trouble.
1. According to the writer, we try to drive carefully in a car while __________.
A. we take the same degree of care in our homes
B. We don’t care much about the accidents in large hospitals
C. We don’t pay enough attention to home accidents
D. We seldom think a lot about the road accidents
2. We can learn from the text that __________.
A. people should never be allowed to carry an electric heater into the bathroom
B. the improper use of the electrical equipment is the most dangerous cause of home accidents
C. people should cut off the power first before using the electrical equipment
D. both the children and the older people should be taken special care of at home
3. It can be inferred in the text that our life at home will be much safer if __________.
A. we know more about the accidents that happen in the home
B. all of us give up smoking as soon as possible
C. we take more time and care in our life
D. we keep the stoves at the corner of the rooms
4. The main purpose of writing the text is __________.
A. to tell how and why home accidents happen
B. to persuade people to get rid of bad habits
C. to explain how to use electrical equipment
D. to instruct people how to prevent home accidents
teenager problem. Whatever you do or however you choose to deal with it , at certain times a wonderful
reasonable and helpful child will turn into a terrible animal.
I"ve seen friends deal with it in all kinds of different ways. One strict mother insisted that her son right
from a child, should stand up whenever anyone entered the room, open doors and shake hands like a
gentleman. I saw him last week when I called round. Sprawling himself (懒散地躺) on the sofa in full
length, he made no attempt to turn off the loud TV he was watching as I walked in , and his greeting
was no more than a quick glance at me . His mother was ashamed. " I don"t know what to do with him
these days," she said. "He"s forgotten all the manners we taught him."
He hasn"t forgotten them. He"s just decided that he"s not going to use them. She confessed(坦白) that
she would like to come up behind him and throw him down from the sofa onto the floor.
Another good friend of mine let her two daughters climb all over the furniture, reach across the table,
stare at me and say ,"I don"t like your dress, it"s ugly." One of the daughters has recently been driven out
of school. The other has left home.
"Where did we go wrong?" her parents are now very sad. Probably nowhere much. At least, no more
than the rest of that unfortunate race, parents.
B. a headmaster of a middle school
C. a parent with teenage children
D. a doctor for mental health problems
B. die way that parents often blame themselves
C. the opinion that a child has of his parents
D. the advice that parents want their children to follow
B. quiet
C. unusual
D. rude
B. are too busy to look after them
C. have come to hate them
D. feel helpless to do much about them
B. Parents should pay still more attention to the change.
C. Parents should work more closely with school teachers
D. Parents are at fault for the change in their children.
one group, Intervac, has been making such an arrangement easier since 1953. But trading online is gaining popularity these days, with several sites in operation,
including Home Exchanges. Founded in 1992, with about 28,000 listings, this company bills itself as the
world"s largest home exchange club.
The annual fee is usually less than US$100. Members can access thousands of sites for apartments,
cottages, urban homes and farms around the world. Original contact is made through e-mail, with the
following communication usually by phone. Before a match is made, potential swappers tend to discuss a
lot.
However, the concept may sound risky to some people. What about theft? Damage? These are
reasonable causes for concern, but equally unlikely. As one swapper puts it, "Nobody is going to fly across the ocean or drive 600 miles to come to steal your TV. Besides, at the same time they"re
staying in your home, you are staying in their home."
Exchange sites
recommend that swappers discuss such matters ahead of time. They may fill out an agreement spelling out who shoulders which responsibilities if a problem arises. It does not matter if the
agreement would hold up in court, but it does give the exchangers a little satisfaction.
Generally, the biggest complaint among home exchangers has to do with different standards of
cleanliness. Swappers are supposed to make sure their home is in order before they leave, but one
person"s idea of "clean" may be more forgiving than another"s. Some owners say if they come back to a
less-than-sparkling kitchen, it may be inconvenient but would not sour them on future exchanges.
A. replaces
B. contributes
C. advertises
D. participates
2. Home exchangers normally begin their communication ________.
A. through e-mail
B. by phone
C. through media
D. by letter
3. To deal with theft and damage concerns, exchange sites advise the swappers that ________.
A. one should ask a lawyer for some legal help
B. both parties should stay in the swapper"s home
C. both parties should sign an agreement in advance
D. one should damage the home of the other swapper in return
4. According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. Members cannot access the sites for home exchanges without paying a yearly fee.
B. It is not necessary for the swappers to worry about household theft or damage.
C. Different swappers have different standards of cleanliness.
D. A less-than-sparkling kitchen will prevent swappers from future exchanges.
Well, now it’s your chance to turn off your TV and _2_ ! TV-Turnoff Week is here.
The goal of TV-Turnoff Week is to let people leave their TV sets _3 and participate in activities
_4_ drawing to biking. The event was founded by TV-Turnoff Network, a non-profit organization which
started the event in 1995. In the _5_ , only a few thousand people took part. Last year more than 7.6
million people participated, _6_ people in every state in America and in more than 12 other countries! This
is the 11th year in which 7 are asking people to “turn off the TV and turn on 8 .”
According to the TV-Turnoff Network, the average 9 in the US spend 10 time in front of the TV
(about 1,023 hours per year) than they do in school (about 900 hours per year). Too much TV 11 has
made many kids grow fat. 12, in 2001’s TV-Turnoff Week, US Surgeon General David Satcher said,
“We are raising the most 13 generation of youngsters in American history. This week is about saving live
s.”Over the years, studies have shown that watching a lot of TV 14 poor eating habits, too little exercise,
and violence. Frank Vespe of the TV-Turnoff Network said that turning off the TV “is or 15 , part of a
healthy lifestyle”.
“One of the great lessons of 16 TV-Turnoff Week is the realization that 17 I turn on the TV, I’m
deciding not to do something else,” Vespe said.TV-Turnoff Week seems to be making a 18 . Recent US
Census（人口普查）data 19 that about 72 percent of kids under 12 have a limit on their TV time. That’s
20 about 63 percent ten years ago.
( )2. A. find out
( )3. A. away
( )4. A. like
( )5. A. end
( )6. A. besides
( )7. A. governments
( )8. A. the light
( )9. A. grown-ups
( )10. A. less
( )11. A.programmes
( )12. A. However
( )13. A.overweight
( )14. A. leads to
( )15. A. will be
( )16. A. organizing
( )17. A. wherever
( )18. A. living
( )19. A. shows
( )20. A. rising
B. go out
B. off
B. as
B. event
B. except for
B. parents
B. the radio
B. kids
B. enough
B. screen
B. On the contrary
B. overeaten
B. results from
B. should be
B. taking part in
B. every day
B. choice
B. says
B. down from
C. look out
C. on
C. from
C. beginning
C. including
C. organizers
C. life
C. clerks
C. little
C. hours
C. In fact
C. overgrown
C. develops
C. may be
C. participating
C. every time
C. difference
C. reads
C. up to
D. keep out
D. beside
D. such as
D. total
D. except
D. businessmen
D. the Internet
D. parents
D. more
D. watching
D. As a result
D. overseeing
D. keeps away
D. could be
D. asking for
D. this time
D. sense
D. writes
D. up from
Cambridge"s market center．Some ask people passing by for change and some just sit and wait to be
given money．A few use aggressive behavior to earn money．
To solve the problem of aggressive begging,an "alternative giving" plan has been suggested．Ten blue
money boxes will be placed in busy places such as the market and the railway station．It aims to
encourage people not to give money directly to beggars but instead to give generously to local homeless
causes．
Supporters of this plan think it will be an effective way to solve the beggars" alcohol and drug
problems．But the police oppose the plan arguing that beggars who do not receive cash may turn to
criminality( 犯罪) to feed their addictions．The homeless charity "Crisis" said the success of any plan will depend on its style．They think that imaginative and positive plans can help create local understanding and sympathy instead of hardness．Most of the beggars dislike the plan because they think they will not get
eough money from the boxes for their showers,food,and clothes．
Begging is a big social problem both in developing and developed countries．Governments must play a big role in solving this problem．Training beggars to work and helping them to find appropriate jobs is one option．This is especially true for developing countries where many low-skill jobs exist．The general
community should also be educated to see beggars not as dirty and dangerous,but as people who need
understanding and help．