阅读理解 The need to feed a growing population is putting much pressure on the w

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阅读理解     The need to feed a growing population is putting much pressure on the world"s supply of water.With
97% of the world"s water too salty to be drunk or used in agriculture, the worldwide supply of water
needs careful management, especially in agriculture.Although the idea of a water shortage(短缺)seems
strange to someone fortunate enough to live in a high rainfall country, many of the world"s agricultural
industries experience constant water shortages.
      Although dams can be built to store water for agricultural use in dry areas and dry seasons, the costs
of water redistribution(重新分配)are very high.Not only is there the cost of the engineering itself, but
there is also an environmental cost to be considered.Where valleys(山谷)are flooded to create dams,
houses are lost and wildlife homes destroyed.Besides, water may flow easily through pipes to fields, but
it cannot be transported from one side of the world to the other.Each country must therefore rely on the
management of its own water to supply its farming requirements.
      This is particularly troubling for countries with agricultural industries in areas dependent on irrigation (灌溉). In Texas, farmers" overuse of irrigation water has resulted in a 25% reduction of the water stores.
In the Central Valley area of southwestern USA, a huge water engineering project provided water for
farming in dry valleys, but much of the water use has been poorly managed.
      Saudi Arabia"s attempts to grow wheat in desert areas have seen the pumping of huge quantities of
irrigation water from underground reserves.Because there is no rainfall in these areas, such reserves can
only decrease, and it is believed that fifty years of pumping will see them run dry.

1. From the first two paragraphs we learn that________.

    A. much of the world"s water is available for use
    B. people in high rainfall countries feel lucky
    C. the costs of water redistribution should be considered
    D. water can be easily carried through pipes across the world

2. Which of the following is true?

    A. The water stores in Texas have been reduced by 75%.
    B. Most industries in the world suffer from water shortages.
    C. The underground water in Saudi Arabia might run out in 50 years.
    D. Good management of water use resulted from the project in the Central Valley.

3. What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?

    A. Steps to improving water use management.
    B. Ways to reduce the costs of building dams.
    C. Measures to deal with worldwide water shortages.
    D. Approaches to handling the pressure on water supply.

4. The text is mainly about________.

    A. water supply and increasing population
    B. water use management and agriculture
    C. water redistribution and wildlife protection
    D. water shortages and environmental protection

答案

1-4: CCAB

举一反三

阅读理解     Camping wild is a wonderful way to experience the natural world and, at its best, it makes little
environmental influence.But with increasing numbers of people wanting to escape into the wilderness,
it is becoming more and more important to camp unobtrusively (不引人注目地) and leave no mark.
     Wild camping is not permitted in many places, particularly in crowded lowland Britain.Wherever
you are, find out about organizations responsible for managing wild spaces, and contact them to find
out their policy on camping and shelter building.For example, it is fine to camp wild in remote parts of
Scotland, but in England you must ask the landowner"s permission, except in national parks.
     Camping is about having relaxation, sleeping outdoors, experiencing bad weather, and making do
without modern conveniences.A busy, fullyequipped campsite (野营地) seems to go against this, so
seek out smaller, more remote places with easy access to open spaces and perhaps beaches.Better
still, find a campsite with no road access: walking in makes a real adventure.
     Finding the right spot to camp is the first step to guaranteeing a good night"s sleep.Choose a campsite
with privacy and minimum influence on others and the environment.Try to use an area where people have obviously camped before rather than creating a new spot.When camping in woodland, avoid standing
dead trees, which may fall on a windy night.Avoid animal runs and caves, and possible homes of biting
insects.Make sure you have most protection on the windward side.If you make a fire, do so downwind
of your shelter.Always consider what influence you might have on the natural world.Avoid damaging
plants.A good campsite is found, not made-changing it should be unnecessary.

1. You needn"t ask for permission when camping in ________.

A. national parks in England
B. most parts of Scotland
C. crowded lowland Britain
D. most parts of England

2. The author thinks that a good campsite is one ________.

A. with easy access
B. used previously
C. with modern conveniences
D. far away from beaches

3. The last paragraph mainly deals with ________.

A. protecting animals
B. building a campfire
C. camping in woodland
D. finding a campsite with privacy

4. The passage is mainly about ________.

A. the protection of campsites
B. the importance of wild camping
C. the human influence on campsites
D. the dos and don"ts of wild camping

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阅读理解     It"s time for forgetting to get some respect, says Ben Storm, author of a new article on memory in
Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
"We need to rethink how we"re talking about forgetting and realize that under some conditions it actually
does play an important role in the function of memory." says Storm, who is a professor at the University
of Illinois at Chicago.
     "Memory is difficult. Thinking is difficult." Storm says. Memories and associations accumulate rapidly. "These things could completely overrun our life and make it impossible to learn and retrieve new things if
they were left alone, and could just overpower the rest of memory." he says.
     But, fortunately, that isn"t what happens. "We"re able to get around these strong competing
inappropriate memories to remember the ones we want to recall."Storm and other psychological scientists are trying to understand how our minds select the right things to recall-if someone"s talking about beaches
near Omaha,  Nebraska, for example, you will naturally suppress (压制) any knowledge you"ve collected about Omaha Beach in Normandy.
      In one kind of experiment, participants are given a list of words that have some sort of relation to
each other. They might be asked to memorize a list of birds, for example. In the next part of the test,
they have to do a task that requires remembering, half the birds. "That"s going to make you forget the
other half of the birds in that list." Storm says. "That might seem bad-It"s forgetting."But what the research
shows is that this forgetting is actually a good thing.
     "People who are good at forgetting information they don"t need are also good at problem solving and
at remembering something when they"re being distracted by other information. This shows that forgetting
plays an important role in problem solving and memory." Storm says.
      There are plenty of times when forgetting makes sense in daily life. "Say you get a new cell phone and you have to get a new phone number, do you really want to remember your old phone number every time someone asks what your number is?" Storm asks. "Or where you parked your car this morning-It"s important information today, but you"d better forget it when it comes time to go get your car for tomorrow
afternoon"s commute. We need to be able to update our memory so we can remember and think about
the things that are currently relevant."

1. With the accumulation of memories and associations,______.

A. it is impossible for us to get back the lost memory
B. we might fail to memorize more information
C. our daily life and overloaded memory could be out of control
D. inappropriate memories challenge our memory ability

2. The underlined phrase "get around" in Paragraph 3 probably means ________.

A. recall
B. strengthen
C. lose
D. avoid

3. It can be learnt from the passage that ________.

A. forgetting makes great sense to most people
B. the more you forget, the more you memorize
C. forgetting plays a part in developing memory
D. forgetful people are good at solving problems

4. Which is the best title for the passage?

A. Forgetting Is Part of Remembering.
B. Why Should People Forget.
C. How Forgetting Improves Remembering.
D. Remembering Relies on Forgetting.

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阅读理解     The seventh game of any playoff series is always special, win or lose.It always has an edgeofyourseat,
heartinyourthroat intensity unlike any others.One play, one shot or one save may make all the difference.
      But there are other things that make our games and sports so special.
      For example, where we play our sports is often one of the best things about the games.Think of it:
What is as perfect as a fresh sheet of ice after the Zamboni machine (赞博尼磨冰机)has made its final
pass and left the surface as smooth as glass? Or a swimming pool on a summer morning, clear and calm,
before the first swimmer has broken the water?
      To me a freshly mowed and lined soccer field is as beautiful as any painting.So is a golf course in the
early morning, or in the evening when the sun is setting.
      The stuff we play with is wonderful, too.Is there anything that feels as good in your hand as a brandnew baseball? Or a nice leather football? Grab hold of either, and you just have to play a game of catch.
      The clothes are good too.Sports uniforms are much more colorful and comfortable than regular clothes.Maybe that"s why so many kids stay in their sports uniforms long after their games are over.
      No shoes feel better on my feet than my golf shoes.Maybe that"s because I know I am going to have
fun whenever I put them on.
     We talk so much about winning in sports.But if you are the kind of kid who is happy only when their
team wins, then sports will let you down.After all, no team or player wins all the time.
      But if you can learn to enjoy the parts of sports that have nothing to do with winning or losing-the feel
of a favorite bat or a stick in your hand, or how your heart beats when you put on your uniform and run
onto the field-then sports will always be fun, whether you win or lose.

1. Which of the following words is closest in meaning to the phrases "edgeofyourseat,
    heartinyourthroat" in Para.1?

A. Uncertain.
B. Scared.
C. Nervous.
D. Enthusiastic.

2. According to the writer, people are advised________.

A. not to play a game of catch
B. to wear sports uniforms long
C. not to talk about winning in sports
D. to have fun in sports

3. Sports uniforms, as well as sports shoes, are mentioned in the text________.

A. as an example of the special feeling of sports
B. as comfortable sportswear
C. as particular desire of children
D. as the most favorite of sportsmen

4. Which would be the best title for the passage?

A. Whether You Win or Lose
B. Many Joys of Sports
C. Winning in Sports
D. Games and Sports

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阅读理解

     An idea that started in Seattle"s public library has spread throughout America and beyond.The
concept is simple: help to build a sense of community in a city by getting everyone to read the same
book at the same time.
      In addition to encouraging reading as a pursuit (追求) to be enjoyed by all, the program allows
strangers to communicate by discussing the book on the bus, as well as promoting reading as an
experience to be shared in families and schools.The idea came from Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl
who launched (发起) the  "If All of Seattle Read the Same Book" project in 1998.Her original
program used author visits, study guides and book discussion groups to bring people together with
a book, but the idea has since expanded to many other American cities, and even to Hong Kong.
     In Chicago, the mayor (市长) appeared on television to announce the choice of To Kill a
Mockingbird as the first book in the "One Book, One Chicago" program.As a result, reading clubs
and neighborhood groups sprang up around the city.Across the US, stories emerged of parents and
children reading to each other at night and strangers chatting away on the bus about plot and character.
     The only problem arose in New York, where local readers could not decide on one book to
represent the huge and diverse population.This may show that the idea works best in mediumsized
cities or large towns, where a greater sense of unity (一致) can be achieved.Or it may show that
New Yorkers rather missed the point, putting all their energy and passion into the choice of the
book rather than into discussion about a book itself.
     Ultimately, as Nancy points out, the level of success is not measured by how many people read
a book, but by how many people are enriched by the process, or have enjoyed speaking to someone
with whom they would not otherwise have shared_a_word.

1. What is the purpose of the project launched by Nancy?

A. To invite authors to guide readers.
B. To encourage people to read and share.
C. To involve people in community service.
D. To promote the friendship between cities.

2. Why was it difficult for New Yorkers to carry out the project?

A. They had little interest in reading.
B. They were too busy to read a book.
C. They came from many different backgrounds.
D. They lacked support from the local government.

3. According to the passage, where would the project be more easily carried out?

A. In large communities with little sense of unity.
B. In large cities where libraries are far from home.
C. In mediumsized cities with a diverse population.
D. In large towns where agreement can be quickly reached.

4. The underlined words "shared a word" in Paragraph 5 probably mean ________.

A. exchanged ideas with each other
B. discussed the meaning of a word
C. gained life experience
D. used the same language

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阅读理解      George Prochnik would like the world to_put_a_sock_in_it.He makes his case in a new book,
Listening for Meaning in a World of Noise.Here he explains himself (using his indoor voice):
     "We"ve become so accustomed to noise, there"s almost a deep prejudice against the idea that silence
might be beneficial.If you tell someone to be quiet, you sound like an old man.But it"s never been more
important to find continuing quiet.Silence focuses us,improves our health, and is a key to lasting peace
and satisfaction."
    "We need to excite people about the sounds you start to hear if you merely quiet things down a little.
During a Japanese tea ceremony, the smallest sounds become a kind of art-the spoons making a light
ringing sound on a bowl, the edges of a kimono(和服) brushing against the floor."
      "Deaf people are very attentive (专注的)in almost every aspect of life.If two deaf people are walking
together, using sign language, they constantly watch out for each other and protect each other by paying
steady attention to the other.They are connected yet also fully aware of their surroundings.Even deaf
teenagers! We in the hearing world can learn from them.If we remove the powerful blasts (一阵阵) of
noise, we become aware of an extraordinarily rich world around us-of little soft sounds and the sound
of footsteps, of bird songs and ice cracking (开裂声). It"s astonishing how beautiful things sound when
you can really listen."

1. What does the phrase" to put a sock in it" in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A. to be quiet
B. to be colorful
C. to be full of love
D. to be attentive to someone

2. What does Prochnik say about us?

A. We are used to quietness.
B. We have to put up with noise.
C. We do not think silence to be beneficial.
D. We do not believe lasting peace to be available.

3. Which of the following is true according to Prochnik?

A. We need more sounds in our lives.
B. There is nothing to be learned from the deaf.
C. We are not aware how rich the world around us is.
D. There is too much noise at a Japanese tea ceremony.

4. It can be inferred from the text that ________.

A. we can benefit a lot from old people
B. it is a good idea to use sign language
C. there is no escape from the world of sound
D. it is possible to find how beautiful things sound

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