Dr. Sylvia Earle wants you to stop eating fish. It’s not because fish are endangered, though wild fish stocks in many oceans are very low. It’s not because they’re bad for you, though fish in many areas are exposed to poisonous substances in the water. It’s because they’re smart.
“Fish are sensitive, they have personalities,” says the marine biologist. For Earle, eating a fish would be like eating a dog or a cat. “I would never eat anyone I know personally.”
There’s a lot more to fish than meets the eye: they talk to each other, they like to be touched, and they engage in behavior that can seem very human. They can remember things and learn from experience. Earle and a growing number of animal rights activists see these as strong arguments against eating fish altogether.
The activists also point out that fish feel pain and fish suffer horribly on their way from the sea to the supermarket. “While it may seem obvious that fish are able to feel pain, like every other animal, some people think of fish as swimming vegetables,” says Dr. Lynne Sneddon. “Really, it’s kind of a moral question. Is the enjoyment you get from fishing (or eating fish) more important than the pain of the fish?”
Fishermen and (fried) fish lovers are doubtful. “I’ve never seen a smart fish,” says Marie Swaringen as she finishes off a plate of fish at a Seattle seafood restaurant. “If they were very smart, they wouldn’t get caught.”
“For years, everyone’s been telling us to eat fish because it’s so good for us,” says another diner. “Now I’ve got to feel guilty while I’m eating my fish? What are they going to think of next? Don’t eat salad because cucumbers have feelings?”
1.
Dr. Sylvia Earle discourage people from eating fish because _____________.
A. there are not that many wild fish in the ocean
B. fish actually are sensitive and have personalities
C. some ocean fish contain poisonous substances
D. fish are like dogs or cats that people know personally
2.
We can infer from the passage that _____________.
A. all people don’t agree with the idea to stop eating fish
B. people will be persuaded not to eat fish in the future
C. stopping eating fish will lead to people’s not eating vegetables
D. we shouldn’t care too much about the feeling of fish
3.
By saying “There’s a lot more to fish than meets the eye,” the writer means ______.
A. there are far more fish than other animals in the world
B. there are more fish in the world than people can see
C. people can see more fish if they pay more attention
D. fish are not that simple as they appear to people’s eyes
4.
What is the writer’s attitude towards people eating fish?
A. Neutral. B. Indifferent. C. Approving. D. Opposed.
At the age of sixteen, I joined a volunteer group with my dad. I went on my first volunteer project in West Virginia. On the night we arrived, we discovered that “our family” was living in a trailer(拖车) that was in poor condition. A crew had been working on it for two weeks, but every time they finished one problem, another surfaced.
We decided the only reasonable solution was to build a new house – something unusual but necessary under these circumstances. The family was overjoyed with their new house that was twenty by thirty feet with three bedrooms, a bath and a kitchen.
On Tuesday of that week, while we ate lunch together, I asked the family’s three boys, Josh, Eric and Ryan, "What do you want for your new room?" Expecting toys and other gadgets that children usually ask for, we were surprised when Josh responded, "I just want a bed."
The boys had never slept in a bed! They were accustomed to plastic mats. That night we had a meeting and decided that beds would be the perfect gift. On Thursday night, a few adults in our group drove to the nearest city and bought beds and new bedding.
When we saw the delivery truck coming, we told the family about the surprise. We could hardly contain ourselves. It was like watching excited children on Christmas morning.
That afternoon, as we fitted the frames of the beds together, Eric ran into the house to watch us. Too dirty to enter his room, he observed with wide-eyed enthusiasm from the doorway.
As my father slipped a pillowcase onto one of the pillows, Eric asked, "What is that?"
"A pillow," he replied.
"What do you do with it?" Eric continued to ask.
"When you go to sleep, you put your head on it,” I answered softly. Tears came to our eyes as he handed Eric the pillow.
"Oh . . . that's soft," he said, hugging it tightly.
Now, when my sister or I start to ask for something that seems urgent, my Dad gently asks, "Do you have a pillow?"
We know exactly what he means.
1.
The writer’s first volunteer project was .
A．working on a poor trailer B．helping a poor family
C．donating beds and bedding D．dealing with a housing problem
2.
On hearing Josh’s answer, the writer was shocked because .
A．the family lived in a trailer B．he expected to get some toys
C．he didn’t know what a bed was D．the boys had no bed to sleep in
3.
From the passage, we can learn that Eric had never seen before.
A．a trailer B．a truck C．a pillow D．a house
4.
By saying “Do you have a pillow?”, the writer’s father means that .
A．what they want to get may be unnecessary
B．they should not waste money on small things
C．they should do more volunteer work for the poor
D．what he will buy is not what they want but a pillow
One day I jumped into a taxi and took off for the airport.
We were driving in the right lane 36 suddenly a black car jumped out of a
parking space 37 in front of us. My taxi driver immediately put his foot on the 38 . The taxi slid a short distance quickly and 39 the other car by just inches! The driver of the black car moved his head around and started 40 at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy; and I mean he was 41 friendly, which is truly beyond my expectation.
42 I asked, “Why did you just do that? This guy almost 43 your car
and sent us to the 44 !” This is when my taxi driver 45 me what I now call “the Law of the Garbage Truck.”
He 46 that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, disappointment, frustration (挫败感) and 47 . As their garbage 48 , they need a place to dump (丢弃) it and sometimes they’ll dump it on 49 . Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move 50 . Don’t take it 51 . Don’t take their garbage and 52 it to other people at work, at home or on the streets.
The 53 line is that successful people don’t let garbage trucks take over their day. Life’s too short to wake up in the morning with 54 , so “Love the people who treat you 55 . Pray for the ones who don’t”.
1.
A. as B. when C. before D. while
2.
A. even B. still C. right D. only
3.
A. brakes B. airbags C. seats D. gases
4.
A. left B. hit C. attacked D. missed
5.
A. nodding B. looking C. yelling D. frowning
6.
A. really B. exactly C. almost D. rarely
7.
A. Since B. So C. But D. Yet
8.
A. blocked B. ruined C. passed D. followed
9.
A. airport B. prison C. court D. hospital
10.
A. returned B. showed C. taught D. brought
11.
A. imagined B. explained C. argued D. advised
12.
A. doubt B. eagerness C. anger D. panic
13.
A. piles up B. breaks down C. runs out D. cuts down
14.
A. none B. me C. themselves D. you
15.
A. on B. along C. in D. out
16.
A. formally B. personally C. immediately D. permanently
17.
A. save B. present C. offer D. spread
18.
A. finish B. life C. front D. bottom
19.
A. losses B. regrets C. dreams D. plans
20.
A. well B. differently C. actively D. hard
_________ your composition carefully, some spelling mistakes can be avoided.
A. Having checked B. Check C. If you check D. To check
It was very wise of you to ______ well trained workers______ untrained ones in today’s society.
A. substitute; for B. in place; of C. replace; by D. substitute; with
-----What is the noise?
-----Oh, I forgot to tell you. The new machine _________.
A. was tested B. will be tested C. is being tested D. has been tested
