Feeling blue about world ? “Cheer up.” Says science writer Matt Ridley.”The world has never been a better place to live in, and it will keep on getting better both for humans and got nature.”
Ridley calls himself a tat ional optimist—tactical .because he’s carefully weighed the evidence optimistic .because that offence shows human progress to be both unavoidable and good .And this is what he’s set out to prone from unique point of view in his most recent book. The Rant anal Opting .He views mankind as grand enterprise that .on the whole .has done little but progress for 100.000 years. He backed his finding with hard gathered though years of research.
Here’s how he explains his views.
Shopping fuels invention
It is reported that there are more than ten billion different producers for sale in London alone. Even allowing for the many people who still live in poverty .our own generation has access to more nutritious food .more convenient transport .bigger houses, better ears .and of course, more pounds and dollars than any who lived before us .This will continue as long as we there things to make other things, This more we specialize and exchange, the better off we’ll be.
2) Brilliant advances
One reason we are richer, healthier, taller, cleverer, longer-lived and freer than ener before is that the four most basie human needs -food, clothing, fuel and shelter- have grown a lot cheaper. Take one example. In 1800 a candle providing one hour’s light cost six hours’ work. In the 1880s the same light from an oil lamp took 15 minutes’ work to pay for. In 1950 it was eight seconds. Today it’s half second.
3) Let’s not kill ourselves for climate change
Mitigating(减轻) climate change could prove just as damaging to human welface as climate change itself. A child that dies from indoor smoke in a village, where the use of fassil-fuel(化石燃料) electrieity is forhidden by well meaming members of green polucal movements trying to save the world, is just as great a tragedy as a child that mes in a flood caused by climate change. If chmaic change proves to be xxxx, but cutting carbon canses realparn, we may well find that we have stopped a nose bleed by putting a tournquet(止血带) around our necks.
1.What is the theme of Ridley’s most recent book?
A. Weakness of human nature.
B. Concern about climate change.
C. Importance of practical thinking.
D. Optimism about human progress.
2.How does Ridley look at shopping?
A. It encourages the creation of things.
B. It results in shortage of goods.
C. It demands more fossil fuels.
D. It causes a poverry problem.
3.The candle and lamp example is used to show that .
A. oil lamps give off more light than candles
B. shortening working time brings about a happier life.
C. advanced technology helps to produce better candles.
D. increased production rate leads to lower cost of goods.
4.What does the last sentence of the passage imply?
A. Cutting carbon is necessary in spite of the huge cost.
B. Overreaction to cliamate change may be dangerous.
C. People’s health is closely related to climate change.
D. Careless medical treatment may cause great pain.
In today’s throw away society, dealing with the city’s growing mountain of waste is an inereasing challenge for the city countil(市议会)。
Recently. Edinburgh is faced with the problem of dssposing of(处理)about250,000
Million tons of waster a year . Despite different ways to dispose of much of it in a green manner---largely through encouraging tecycling---its aging facilities such as the Powderhall landfill do not have the ability to deal with it.
The European Union(EU) has issued a new policy, regulating how such mountains of waster are to hr disposed of. The five councils (Edinburgh. East Lothian. West Lothian. Midlethian and Borders) face fine around $18million a year from 2013 it they don’t inerease recycling levels and rely less on landfill. With this in mind, the coumlls got together with the idea of building a lage incinerator plant (垃圾焚烧厂)to burn half of the waste produced in their districts. But the plan fell apart after the change of target levels by a new UK government waste policy which required that no more than 25% of the city’s waste should be disposed of in this way by 2025.
After the plan was abandoned, a private company which already transported millions of tons of the city’s wast by train to a landfill site near Dunbar, offered an alternative soution when it suggested opening a huge waste site near Portobello.
Since Powderhall is supposed to close in 2015, it seemed necessary for the members of the Edinburgh Council to accept the suggestion. But soon they turned it down—after 700 local objections reached them—because it would have meant hundreds of lorries a day making loud noise through heavily populated areas.
That still leaves eth council with a problem. By 2013,only50%of 1995 levels of waste will benllewed to be sent to landfill. Even if recveling large are met, there will still be a large amount of rubbish to be burnt up. Due build an Edinburgh and Midlothian councils have now decided to work together to build an ineinerator plant as time to find a solution is fast running out.
1.The main way of handling waste in a green manmer in Edinburgh is .
A. recyeling B. restoring C. burying D. burning
2.The five councils worked out a plan to build an incinerator plant to .
A. reduce the roast of burying waste
B. meets the EU requirements
C. speed up waste recycling
D. tempter landfill sites
3.The city council of Edinburgh rejected the suggestion to open a huge landfill site near Portobello because .
A. a name from a private company
B. the comelier was not interested in it
C. it was not supports by EU
D. the local poodle was waist it
4.What is the final dream an Edinburgh and Midlothian Country?
A. To open a new landfill nearby
B. To close the powder hall landfill in 2015
C. To set up a plan for burning waste
D. To persuade people to deduce their waste.
Howling is a behavior commonly observed among a wolf nark. An animals, wolves work together to hunt and rely on howling was an important means of communication each other. There are different explants of a wolf’s howl and it appears that there may be more to discover. One theory is that wolves howl to bend better together. It’s almost as if howling together helps the pack stay together. Perhaps something similar to people feeling a sense of involvement with each other when singing a song together . But this theory may be wrong, explains Fred H. Harington, a professor who studies wolf behavior. Indeed, there have been tines when wolves have been seen one moment howling in a exhorts, and the next, quarreling anions each other. It appears that usually the lowest-tanking menthes of the pack may actually be “punished” for
Joining in the churs at times. So is howling a way to strcagthen a social boad or just a way to reconfirm status among its members? ——Why do welves howl for sure?
What is cleat, however, is that howling is often used among packmates to locate each other. Hunting grounds are distant and it happens that woloves may separate from one another at times. When this happens, howling appcars to be an ercellent means of gathering.
Howling, interestingly, is a contagious behaviour. When one wolf starts to howl, very likely others will follow. This is often seen to occat in the morning, as if wolves were doing some sotr of “roll rall”where wolves all howl togeter to howl, very likely others will follow. This is often seen to occar in the morning, as if wolves were doing w some sotr of “roll call”where wolves all howl together to repotr their pteence.
1..What the por similarity between wolves’ how humaes ting in chorus?
A.The act of calling each other.
B.the sense of accomplishment.
C.The act of hunting for something.
D.The sense of belonging to a group.
2..Why does Harrington think the“secial boad”theory may be wrong?
A.Wolves separate from each other after howling.
B.Wolves tend to protect their hunting grounds.
C.Wolves sometimes have quarrels after howling together.
D.Wolves of low rank are encouraged to join in the chorus.
3.Reseatchers are sure that wolves often howl to______.
A.show their ranks
B.find their companion
C.report the missing ones
D.express their lonelingess
4..“Howling… is a contagious behaviour”(in the last paragraph)means_______.
A.howling is a signal for hunting
B.howling is a way of communication
C.howling aften occurs in the morning
D.howling spreads from one to another
Honesty, my mum always used to tell me, is the best policy. Of course, this didin’t include her when she told me that if I didn’t eat all my vegetables Father Christmas would find out and wouldn’t give me any presents.
But when it comes to medicine, I had assumed it was important to always be honest with my patients. After all, the doctor patient relationship is based on trust, and therefore honesty is essential, Or so I thought.
I had just started working in geriatrics(老年病科). Mr. McMahon was brought in when his baby was faound very swollen. I took a medical history from his daughter would accompanied him in the ambulance. She’d been his main carer for years. I stood looking at him as she gave a detailed history. “Has he lost any weight recently?” I asked, “Well, it’s funny you should mention that, but yes.” She said slowly. There was silence for a few moments. “Why? What are you worried about?” she asked, I hesitated. She was obviously very involved in his care and it was only fair that I told her the truth. “Well, we need to prove it’s not cancer.” I said and talked briefly about some of the tests I was going to order.
Half an hour later, a nurse called me: “Mr. McMahon’s daughter broke down－she said you told her he had cancer.” My heart sank. By the time I arrived at the ward, my consultant was already there, explaining that we still had to run lots of tests and that it was by no means confirmed that he had cancer. I stood silently at the end of the bed. My consultant was obviously angry with me and as we left Mr. McMahon, she turned to me. “Why on carch did you do that?” she asked to disbelief. I looked at her andbit my hp. “She asked me what I was worried about and I told her.” I said, hanging my head. “And give her more to worry about?” replied my consultant. “You don’t say the word ‘cancer’ until it’s confirmed. Even if you suspect it, think very carefully before you tell people.”
As it turned out, it wasn’t cancer. But I did learn that when somecone is stressed and worried about their loved one they’re sometimes selective in what they hear－and as a doctor it’s important to be mindful of this. In being truthful, I’d made the situation worse.
1..The purpose of the first two paragraphs is to show that the author .
A. misunderstood the doctor-patient relationship
B. was anxious to receive Christmas gifts
C. regarded honesty as the best policy D. had an unhealthy eating habit
2.The author’s consultant was angry with him because .
A. he told the daughter what he suspected.
B. he delayed running the necessary tests.
C. he failed to confirm the parent’s disease.
D. he forgot what the consultant had advised.
3.The author hung his head (the underlined part in Para.4) because he was feeling A. guilty B. hurt C. disappointed D. helpless
4..What lesson has the author learnt from his experience?
A. Learning form parents is necessary.
B. Jumping to a conclusion is dangerous.
C. Telling the truth may not always be the best solution.
D. Selecting pleasant words may not be the perfect policy.
The young wonman entered the pool where an injured dolphin(海豚) was swimming. Despite her fear,she felt strong wearing her new leg.
In her second grade. Maja 31 her cousin.Jasmina.After Jasmina’s death.Maja swore she would honor the little girl by 32 with a dolphin,an animal that both girls 33 .”Jasmina never got the chance to do it.”says Maja.now32,”so I 34 that someday I’d do it for her.”
In high school,Maja was 35 about sports. she even planned to become an athlete. 36 ,in 1993. during the eivil war in her home country, a bomb 37 her left leg.
After two years’ 38 in the U.S.,Maja received her first artifierd (人造的)leg. But 39 it didn’t fit well, walking for Maja was painfei 40 she managed to graduart from a loca high school. Then after receiving a 41 from Saint Francis University, she got a job at an insurance firm and 42 started her own campany.
To relax. Maja 43 ofter watch the dolphins play at an auarium (水族馆)near her home.A young dolphin. Winter, who had lost its tail, eaught her 44 One day,Maja happened to see trainers 45 Winter with a high-teeh tail.When they were done.Winter swam freely in the water.Maja was 46 . She managed to find the inventors of Winter’s tail.Within ten days,she had a new leg which freed her the 47 that had troubled her for almost 16years.
Now, Maja was ready to keep her 48 .She went to the aquarium. Lowered herself into the pool and held out a hand to Winter, who approached 49 , then swum away. After a few minutes. The dollop hint let Maja 50 its back Finally .they began to swim around together.
1. A .lost B. visited C .rescued D. left
2. A. talking B. living C. swimming D. surfing
3. A.adored B. adopted C. possessed D. premised
4. A. pretended B.deeided C. perfected D. agreed
5. A. positive B. atheistic C. particular D. curious
6. A. Undoubtedly B. Surprisingly C. Strangely D. Unfurunaterly
7. A. took away B. took ever C. cut down D. cut out
8. A. study B. potation C. treatment D. experiment
9. A. until B. because C. although D. it
10. A. Otherwise B. Therefore C. Besides D. However
11. A. scholarships B. degree C. prize D. notice
12. A. gradually B. actually C. eventually D. niter
13. A. might B. should C. could D. would
14. A. eye B. leg C. nose D. hand
15. A. celebrating B. grueling C. marking D. firm
16. A. inspired B. passed C. shocked D. amused
17. A. worry B. sadness C. pain D. fear
18. A. appointment B. promise C. record D. halt
19..A. blindly B. angrily C. gratefully D. cautiously
20. A. strike B. cover C. touch D. wipe
When asked about their opinion about the schoolmaster ,many teachers would prefer to see him step aside __________ younger men.
A. in terms of B. in need of C. in favor of D. in praise of
