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Is True Friendship Dying Away

Just as our daily life is becoming more technologically connected， we are losing other more meaningful relationship．

To anyone paying attention these days， it's clear that social media ﹣﹣ whether Twitter， Facebook， or Iinkedln﹣﹣ are changing the way we conduct relationship． Face﹣to﹣face chatting is giving way to texting and messaging； people even prefer these electronic exchanges to， for instance， simply talking on a phone． Among these smaller trends， growing research suggests we could be entering a period of crisis for the entire concept of friendship． Where is all this leading modern﹣day society？ Perhaps to a dark place， a lonelier society where electronic craze slowly replaces the joys of human contact．

Typically， the pressures of urban life are blamed． Witness crowded bars and restaurants after work： We have plenty of acquaintances， though perhaps few individuals we can turn to and share close relationships． American sociologists have tracked related trends on a broader scale， well beyond the urban jungle． According to work published in the American Sociological Review， the average American has only two close friends， and a quarter don't have any．

While social networking sites and the like have grown dramatically， the crucial element is the quality of the connections they establish． A connection may only be a click away， but establishing a good friendship takes more． It seems common sense to conclude that "friending" online brings about shallow relationships as the term "friending" itself implies．

No single person is at fault， of course． The pressures on friendship today are broad． They arise from the demands of work， or a general busyness that means we have less quality time for others． How many individuals would say that friendship is the most important thing in their lives， only to move thousands of miles across the continent to take up a better﹣paid job？

Of course， we learn how to make friends or not in our childhood． Recent studies on childhood and how the contemporary life of the child affects friendships are illuminating （启示）． A central conclusion often reached relates to a lack of what is called "unstructured time"． Structured time results from the way an average day is arranged for our kids time for school time for homework， time for music practice， even time for play． Yet too often today， no period is left unstructured． After all， who these days lets his child just wander off down the street？ We simply "hang out"， with no tasks， no deadlines and no pressures． It is in those moments that children and adults alike can get to know others for who they are in themselves．

Aristotle had an attractive expression to capture the thought： close friends， he observed， "share salt together．" It's not just that they sit together， passing the salt across the meal table． It's that they sit with one another across the course of their lives， sharing its moments， bitter and sweet． "The desire for friendship comes quickly； friendship does not．" Aristotle also remarked．

If there is a secret to close friendship， that's it． Put down the device； engage the person．

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    What does home really mean? Is it the people around you who make a place familiar and loved, or is it the tie to land that's been in your family for generations? Anna Quindlen's new novel investigates both, seen through the eyes of Mimi Miller, who narrates the story of her life—and of the strike to the people and to the land she loves—her 1960s girlhood to the present day.

The book begins with the summer Mimi is 11 and everything around her is about to change in Miller's Valley. She lives with her parents, her older brothers—rakish Tommy and practical Eddie—and her Aunt Ruth, her mother's sister, who keeps a terrible secret, and who never leaves the confines of her small house behind Mimi's. The farm has been in their family for almost 200 years, and Mimi can't imagine life beyond it.

The land has always been wet, it seems to Mimi. There's always a sump pump running in Mimi's house, and when it storms, mud comes right up to the front porch. But then, the government steps in, deciding to flood “6, 400 acres of old family farms and small ramshackle homes and turn it into a reservoir by using the dam to divert the river,” transforming corn fields into strip malls, drowning the valley under water, along with a way of life that has been perpetuating itself for generations. They'll buy up homes and resettle everyone, insisting that new is so much better than old. At first the town stubbornly resists, except for Mimi's mother who announces, “Let the water cover the whole damn place.”

But Mimi is desperate to stay. She has no idea what else there is to want, or where else she could possibly live or who else she could possibly be other than a girl on a farm with her family. Her father, too, is tied to the land he loves, and Ruth balks at even stepping outside her house. But as the river is allowed in, dampening the ground,  loosening ties, it seems to drown people little by little, forcing secrets to float up to the surface and change things in ways you might never expect.

Quindlen makes her characters so richly alive, so believable, that it's impossible not to feel every doubt and dream they harbor, or share every tragedy that falls on them. Mimi's mother is mysteriously bitter toward Ruth,  and closemouthed about why. Eddie grows into an efficient man, more like a "friendly visitor" than a brother,  who sees and seizes opportunity, becoming an engineer and building new homes for the displaced, as if the future were like a bright, shiny penny. Tommy, the sibling Mimi adores, gets by working odd jobs, car repair, and later selling drugs and going off to war and prison, a man who just tragically never found his place.

But what's Mimi's place? “I knew there was a world outside,” she says. “I just had a hard time imagining it.” When she gets highest honors in school, her mother insists, “This is your road to something better than this.” And then to Mimi's astonishment, she gets a full scholarship to medical school. She doesn't want to leave, but finally,  slowly, she begins to move toward her future, to gather ambition and purpose, and to truly see beyond the confines of her life.

If there is a weak link at all, it's Donald, a childhood friend of Mimi's who moves away, but hasn't made more effort to visit more often. Still, the novel is overwhelmingly moving. We experience how the land changes through the “foggy mist of summer” to “the dry-ice mist of winter.” And the floodwaters channel in, “so that on the evening of the third day the people in town thought Miller's Valley was having its first earthquake."

The ending fast-forwards like a tide, carrying all these lives we've come to deeply care for into middle age and beyond, as people marry, birth children, move on and, yes, die. Family bonds are restructured, and secrets are revealed that either wedge people apart or bind them together. But Quindlen also allows her characters mystery —and some of what's unknown stays unknown, which polishes her story with a kind of haunting grace and truthfulness.

1.Anna Quindlen investigates the meaning of home through the following EXCEPT　   　.

A.Mimi Miller and her life experiences B.the offence to the people in Miller's Valley

C.the invasion to the land in Miller's Valley D.different outlooks on leaving the family farm

2.The underlined word “perpetuating” in Paragraph 3 means　   　.

A.existing B.preserving C.involving D.keeping

3.What does the sentence “Ruth balks at even stepping outside her house.” in Paragraph 4 mean？

A.Ruth is reluctant to depart from her house.

B.Mimi's Aunt is greatly attached to the family farm.

C.Mimi's Aunt has a personality of natural reserve.

D.Ruth cannot resist walking around her house.

4.The characters in Quindlen's novel are　   　.

A.full of ambition and purpose B.weakly linked interpersonally

C.strikingly lifelike and impressive D.clearly revealed to the public in the end

5.What might Mimi's future fortune be like？

A.She is admitted to medical school through a full scholarship.

B.She seizes opportunity to become a female engineer.

C.She eventually finds her place beyond the confines of her life.

D.She steps into the road to something other than highest honors in school.

6.What could the passage most probably be classified into？

A.A biography. B.A book review. C.A news report. D.An argumentative essay.

    Right now in the Pacific Northwest， the local Lummi tribe is reminding us of our connection to nature， pushing us to question how we treat other species and demanding the release of a captive killer whale from Miami Seaquarium． Many local cultures have known for thousands of years that the success and sustainability of society depend upon our relationship to the natural environment  have tried at great lengths to share this knowledge with us． And it's about time that we listened．

As a conservation biologist， my job is to conduct research that helps protect Earth's biodiversity． From my scientific perspective， I back the Lummi's call to release Lolita back into her native waters． Unlike other captive killer whales that were born at amusement parks， Lolita was taken directly from her native environment， which luckily has remained． This means that the likelihood of a successful reintroduction is quite high．

Why？ First， because Lolita already knows how to hunt from her younger years in the Salish Sea before she was taken． Proponents of keeping killer whales captive often say that the whales are not equipped with the skills to know how to hunt and survive in the wild． This is not the case for Lolita．

Second， the fact that Lolita's family still exists and that her mother is still alive means the chances of her being accepted back into the family are quite high． In addition to their 80-year lifespans， killer whales have also been shown to long-term memories． That makes it very likely that Lolita's family will remember her and welcome her back． The fact that Lolita's mother is still alive is particularly exciting because killer whale families are matriarchal， meaning that the female members of the families largely shape the group's social structure．

From my conservationist perspective， I also back the call to free Lolita． Her family belongs to a group known as "southern resident killer whale，" an endangered species whose populations are not doing well． By bringing Lolita home to the Salish Sea， we are effectively adding one more re-productively mature female into the population． If Lolita reproduces， her offspring will help maintain the wild population of wild resident killer whales．

From an ethical perspective， I support the release of Lolita because it is the right thing to do． We know that killer whales are intelligent， and that they are highly social creatures， parallel to Primates （灵长类） and yes， humans too． What does it mean for us as a society that we allow the captivity of intelligent marine mammals for our own amusement？ If we cannot begin to value the diversity of life on this planet， how are we going to be able to value the diversity of life within the human race？

The release of Lolita would be a victory for the Lummi， for science-based conservation and for repairing the relationships between humans and other species． As Martin Luther King Jr． once put it， One day the ridiculousness of the almost universal human belief in the slavery of other animals will be apparent． We shall then have discovered our souls and become worthier of sharing this planet with them．

1.What does NOT contribute to the successful reintroduction of Lolita？

A.The native living environment of Lolita has remained．

B.Lolita learned the survival skills at Miami Seaquarium．

C.Killer whales have long lifespans and long-term memories．

D.Lolita's mother is still alive and plays a decisive role in the family．

2.What can be inferred if Lolita is released？

A.The ecological balance of Pacific Ocean will be disturbed．

B.The population of the endangered species may stop decreasing．

C.People will value the diversity of life within the human race．

D.The Lummi tribe may gain enormous economic benefits．

3.Which of the following shows the development of ideas in the passage？

I： Introduction            P： Point         Sp： Sub-point （次要点）       C： Conclusion

A. B. C. D.

4.What's the main purpose of this passage？

A.To call on Seaquariums to stop using animals for entertainment．

B.To introduce the local Lummi culture to the world．

C.To support the proposal to free Lolita the killer whale．

D.To encourage people to live in harmony with animals．

    Gardeners may be able to cut down on the amount of weeds killer they use by dealing with invaders （入侵物） at specific times of the day， such as dawn， a new study suggests．

Researchers at the University of Bristol have discovered that the 24﹣hour rhythms of plants leave them more defenseless to herbicides （除草剂） at different points in their daily 24 hour cycle．

They believe the findings could help farmers by reducing crop loss and improving harvests． And gardeners could benefit from knowing which weeds respond better at certain times of the day． In recent years， pesticides and herbicides have been implicated in the decline of important pollinating insects， such as bees．

Dr． Antony Dodd， senior author of the new study， said， "The research suggests that， in future， we might be able to improve the use of some chemicals that are used in agriculture by taking advantage of the biological clock in plants．

Just like humans， plants have evolved to take advantage of cycles of night and day， with certain biological processes turning on at different times of the day． Scientists have discovered that many drugs work much better in humans if they are given at specific hours． Aspirin， for example， has doubled the impact on thinning the blood if taken at night as opposed to in the morning． The process is known as 'chronotherapy （时间疗法）' and researchers wanted to find out if the same concept could be applied to plants．

Many gardeners already know that plants drink in more water in the morning because their pores （气孔） are open to take advantage of early morning dew and water vapour． At the break of he day， plants are also not busy producing food through photosynthesis （光和作用）． The open pores could also be the reasons that chemicals are more effective at dawn and also at dusk．

The air is also likely to be stiller at dawn and dusk， meaning that pesticides or herbicides are less likely to be blown away to places where they are not wanted． Pesticide labels often warn against spraying on windy days in case they endanger people or animals． Many insects are active early in the morning and around dusk， also making very early morning and early evening effective times for insecticide．

Commenting on the study， Dr． Trevor Dines， Botanical Specialist at the conservation charity Plantlife， said， "This is fascinating research which will be of great interest to many gardeners like me． If anything they used to think the opposite was true ﹣that applying herbicides and pesticides late in the day would be better as they'd remain in wet contact with the plant for longer in the cool of the night and therefore be taken up or absorbed more effectively． This research knocks that assumption on its head．"

1.Which of the following can replace the underlined phrase "implicated in" in the third paragraph？

A.restored to

B.blamed for

C.limited to

D.composed of

2.According to the research， what are the reasons for using herbicides in the morning？

A.The process of photosynthesis is most active in the morning．

B.Insects are more defenseless in the morning than any other time of the day．

C.Bigger pores on the plants make herbicides work more effectively．

D.The stronger morning wind blows pesticides away to more places．

3.What is the main idea of this article？

A.New chemicals have been found to help kill harmful insects．

B.Biological clock of plants could help gardeners use less weed killer．

C.Plants' cycles can be taken advantage of to improve the environment．

D.The research on the effects of pesticides has enabled good harvests．

    Is there link between humans and climate change or not？ This question was first studied in the early 1900s． Since then， many scientists have thought that our actions do make a difference． In 1997， the Kyoto Protocol explained our role in the Earth's changing atmosphere and set international limits for gas emissions from 2008 to 2012． Some countries have decided to continue these reductions until 2020． More recently， the Paris Agreement， stuck by nearly 200 countries， also aims to limit global warming． But Just now how much warmer it will get depends on how deeply countries cut carbon emissions．

3.5℃

This is how much temperatures would rise by 2100 even if nations live up to the initial Paris promises to reduce carbon emissions； this rise could still put coastal cities under water and drive over half of all species to extinction．

2℃

To meet this minimum goal， the Agreement requires countries to tighten emissions targets every five years． Even this increase could sink some islands， worse drought （干旱） and drive a decline of up to a third in the number of species．

1.5°C

This is the most ambitious goal for temperature rise set by the Paris Agreement， after a push by low﹣lying island nations like Kiribati， which say limiting temperature rise to 1.5°C could save them from sinking．

0.8℃

This is how much temperatures have risen since the industrial age began， putting us 40% of the way to the 2°C point．

0℃

The baseline here is average global temperature before the start of the industrial age．

1.If nations could only keep the initial promises of the Paris Agreement， what would happen by the year 2100？

A.The human population would increase by one third．

B.Little﹣ever 50% of all species would still exist．

C.Nations would not need to tighten their emissions targets．

D.The Agreements minimum goal would not be reached．

2.If those island nations not far above sea level are to survive， the maximum temperature rise， since the start of the industrial age， should be ______．

A.0.8℃

B.1.5℃

C.2℃

D.3.5℃