The twentieth century saw greater changes than any century before: changes for the better, changes for the worse; changes that brought a lot of benefits to human beings, changes that put man in danger. Many things caused the changes, but, in my opinion, the most important was the progress in science.
Scientific research in physics and biology has vastly broadened our views. It has given us a deeper knowledge of the structure of matter and of the universe; it has brought us a better understanding of the nature of life and of its continuous development. Technology—the application of science—has made big advances that have benefited us in nearly every part of life.
The continuation of such activities in the twenty-first century will result in even greater advantages to human beings: in pure science — a wider and deeper knowledge in all fields of learning; in applied science — a more reasonable sharing of material benefits, and better protection of the environment.
Sadly, however, there is another side to the picture. The creativity of science has been employed in doing damage to mankind. The application of science and technology to the development and production of weapons of mass destruction has created a real danger to the continued existence of the human race on this planet. We have seen this happen in the case of nuclear weapons, Although
their actual use has so far occurred only the Second World War, the number of nuclear weapons that were produced and made ready for us was so large that if the weapons had actually been used, the result could have been the ruin of the human race, as well as of many kinds of animals.
William Shakespeare said, “The web of our life is of a mingled yarn(沙线), good and ill together.” The above brief review of the application of only one part of human activities — science seems to prove what Shakespeare said. But does it have to be so? Must the ill always go together with the good? Are we biologically programmed for war?
1．Which of the following best shows the structure of the passage?
①=Paragraph 1, ②=Paragraph 2, ③=Paragraph 3, ④=Paragraph 4, ⑤=Paragraph 5
2．From the fourth paragraph, we can infer that ___________.
A．a great many nuclear weapons actually used for war
B．a large number of nuclear weapons should have been used for war
C．the author is doubtful about the ruin of human beings by nuclear weapons
D．the author is anxious about the huge number of nuclear weapons on the earth
3．The underlined word “mingled” in the last paragraph most probably means ___________.
A．simple B．mixed C．sad D．happy
4．What do you think the author is most likely to suggest if he continues to write?
A．Further application of science to war.
B．More reading of William Shakespeare.
C．Proper us of science in the new century.
D．Effective ways to separate the good from the ill.
uChildren start out as natural scientists, eager to look into the world around them. Helping them enjoy science can be easy; there’s no need for a lot of scientific terms or expensive lab equipment. You only have to share your children’s curiosity. Firstly, listen to their questions. I once visited a classroom of seven-year-olds to talk about science as a job. The children asked me “textbook questions” about schooling, salary and whether I liked my job. When I finished answering, we sat facing one another in silence. Finally I said, “Now that we’ve finished with your lists, do you have questions of your own about science?”
After a long
pause, a boy raised his hand,” Have you ever seen a grasshopper（蚱蜢） eat? When I try
eating leaves like that, I get a stomachache. Why?”
This began a set of questions that lasted nearly two hours.
Secondly,
give them time to think. Studies over the past 30 years have shown that, after
asking a question, adults typically wait only one second or less for an answer,
no time for a child to think. When adults increase their “wait time” to three
seconds or more, children give more logical（符合逻辑的）,complete and creative answers.
Thirdly, watch your language. Once you have a child involved in a science discussion, don’t jump in with “That’s right” or “Very good”. These words work well when it comes to encouraging good behavior. But in talking about science, quick praise can signal that discussion is over. Instead, keep things going by saying, “That’s interesting” or “I’d never thought of it that way before”, or coming up with more questions or ideas.
Never push
a child to “Think”. It doesn’t make sense, children are always thinking,
without your telling them to. What’s more, this can turn a conversation into a
performance. The child will try to find the answer you want, in as few words as
possible, so that he will be a smaller target for your disagreement.
Lastly, show doesn’t tell. Real-life impressions of nature are far more impressive than any lesson children can learn from a book or a television program. Let children look at their fingertips through a magnifying glass（放大镜）, and they’ll understand why you want them to wash before dinner. Rather than saying that water evaporates （蒸发）,set a pot of water to boil and let them watch the water level drop.
1.
According to the passage, children are natural scientists, and to raise their
interest, the most important thing for adults to do is__________
A. to share the children’s curiosity
B. to let them see the world around
C. to
explain difficult phrases about science
D. to supply the children with lab equipment
2. In the last sentence of the first paragraph, the word “lists” could best be replaced by_______
A. any
questions
B. textbook questions
C. questions about science D. questions seven-year-olds are curious about
3.
According to the passage, children can answer questions in a more logical,
complete and creative way if adult____________.
A. wait at least for three seconds after a question
B. tell them to answer the next day
C. ask them to answer quickly
D. wait for one or two seconds after a question
4. In which of the following paragraph（s） does the author tell us what to say to encourage children in a science discussion?
A. The
second and third. B. The fourth and fifth.
C. The fifth and sixth. D. The seventh.
第三节 阅读理解（共20题，每题2分，共40分）
President Barack Obama has apologized for a gaffe (失言) in which he described his bowling
skills as akin to participants in the Special Olympics, a sports program for
people with intellectual disabilities.
Obama made the mistake during an interview on Thursday night on “The Tonight Show” with host Jay Leno, the first time a sitting U.S. president had been on the show.
Talking about living in the White House, Obama said he had been practicing his bowling in the home’s bowling alley and had scored a 129 out of a possible 300.
It was an improvement on the embarrassing 37 he had rolled during a stop on the presidential campaign trail a year ago. “It’s like—it was like Special Olympics or something,” Obama said.
The Special Olympics is a global nonprofit organization serving some 200 million people with intellectual disabilities, with a presence in nearly 200 countries worldwide.
Soon after the Jay Leno interview, Obama telephoned Special Olympics chairman Tim Shriver to apologize.
Shriver told ABC’s “Good Morning America” television show that Obama had apologized “in a way that I think was very moving” and that he said “he did not intend to humiliate (羞辱) the population, didn’t want to embarrass or give anybody any more reason for pain or kind of suffering.”
Shriver said people should gain a lesson from the incident.
“I think it’s important to see that words hurt. Words do matter. And these words in some respect, can be seen as humiliating or a put-down to people with special needs, do cause pain. And they do result in stereotypes,” Shriver said.
White House spokesman Bill Burton said Obama “made an offhand remark making fun of his own bowling that was in no way intended to look down upon the Special Olympics.”
“He thinks that the Special Olympics are a wonderful program that gives an opportunity to shine to people with disabilities from around the world,” Burton said.
1. What does the underlined word “akin” in Paragraph 1 mean?
A. skillful B. similar C. appealing D. superior
2. Which of the following statements is true?
A. Obama loves sports and is especially gifted at bowling.
B. Obama apologized for his remarks via ABC’s TV show.
C. The Special Olympics are for various disabled people.
D. The Special Olympics don’t intend to make any money.
3. What does Shriver mean by saying people should gain a lesson from the incident?
A. Disabled people cannot be humiliated. B. One should be careful with his words.
C. An apology for wrong words is wanted. D. Words matter even more than actions.
4. The passage is mainly about ________.
A. Obama receiving a TV interview B. Obama looking down on the disabled
C. Obama apologizing for his gaffe D. Obama being attacked for his words
第二节 完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，共30分)
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
In some
cities, workaholism （废寝忘食工作） is so
common that people don’t consider it unusual. They accept the lifestyle
as 36 . Government workers in Washington, D. C.,
37 , frequently work sixty to seventy hours a week. They don’t do this
because they have to; they do it because they 38 . Workaholism can
be a 39 problem. Because true workaholics would
rather work than do anything else, they 40 have no idea
of how to relax ; that is, they might not 41 movies, sports,
or other types of entertainment. Most of all, they 42
to sit and do nothing. The lives of workaholics are usually stressful , and the
tension（紧张）and worry
can cause 43 problems such as heart attacks and
stomach diseases. 44 , typical workaholics don’t pay much
attention to their families. Their marriages may end in
45 as they spend little time with their families.
Is workaholism 46 dangerous? Perhaps not. There are, certainly, people who work 47 under stress. Some studies show that many workaholics have great energy and interest in work. The 48 is so pleasurable that they are actually very happy. For most workaholics, work and entertainment are the same thing. Their jobs 49 them with a challenge; this keeps them busy and creative. 50 do workaholics enjoy their jobs so much? There are several 51 to work. Of course , it provides people with paychecks, and this is important. But it offers 52 financial security. It provides people with self-confidence; they have a feeling of satisfaction 53 they have produced a challenging piece of work and are able to say “I 54 it”. Psychologists claim that their work gives people an identity（自身价值）. After they take part in work, they 55 a sense of self and individualism.
36．A．strange B．boring
C．pleasant D．normal
37．A．for example B．on the other hand C．what’s more D．after all
38．A．agree B．promise
C．dare
D．want
39．A．slight B．serious C．obvious D．difficult
40．A．still B．probably C．certainly D．mostly
41．A．afford B．enjoy C．watch D．allow
42．A．dream B．decide
C．intend D．hate
43．A．physical B．cultural C．social D．mental
44．A．Therefore B．However C．Anyway D．Besides
45．A．happiness B．silence C．failure D．surprise
46．A．sometimes B．always
C．seldom D．hardly
47．A．sadly B．differently C．efficiently D．slowly
48．A．study B．family
C．life
D．work
49．A．equip B．pack C．provide D．fill
50．A．When B．Why
C．How
D．Where
51．A．factors B．advantages C．steps D．ways
52．A．no more B．more or less C．no more than D．more than
53．A．when B．before C．unless D．until
54．A．valued B．failed
C．caught D．made
55．A．give B．lose C．get D．need
She thought herself _______ to her friends because her family was rich.
A. superior B. better C. richer D. higher
I have no _______ to the plan, so long as it would not cost too much.
A. refusal B. comment C. idea D. objection
