What would you think if someone suggested knocking down St Paul’s Cathedral to widen the road? Or pulling down Big Ben to make way for a car park? It would be ridiculous, right? But when it comes to devastation (毁灭) of the natural world, we aren’t so easily shocked. But we should be…or we’ll be in a lot of trouble.
Nature is shrinking by the day. Ancient forests are destroyed. Wetlands are becoming dry. Woodland is disappearing, and all in the name of progress. This is bad in itself, but it’s devastating for biodiversity.
Biodiversity refers to the variety of plants, animals and other living things that are all interconnected. The ecological services provided by biodiversity are vital to everyday life. The air we breathe is a product of photosynthesis (光合作用) by green plants. Insects, worms and bacteria break down waste and make soils rich. And tiny organisms clean the water in rivers and sea. In fact, all life on the earth exists thanks to the benefits of biodiversity. More than 90 percent of the calories consumed by people worldwide are produced from 80 plant species. And 30 percent of medicines are developed from plants and animals. Maintaining a wide diversity of species in each ecosystem is necessary to preserve all living things.
The loss of biodiversity could be devastating. “It is wrong to think that biodiversity can be reduced indefinitely without threatening humans,” said Harvard University biologist Edward O. Wilson, known as the “father of biodiversity”. He warned, “We are about to reach a critical point beyond which biodiversity loss will become irreversible (不可挽回的).”
But what can we do? The present problem is that the concept of biodiversity is so vague (含糊的). People might care about giant pandas, but it is much harder to excite them about the fate of tiny sea creatures which are being boiled to death in the cooling systems of power stations along coastlines. The Guardian newspaper is trying to help. It has launched the Biodiversity 100 campaign to try to convince governments around the world to take action to deal with the widespread concerns about biodiversity. This includes persuading the UK government to create a series of marine reserves to reserve the decrease in the sea-life caused by industrial fishing, stopping fishing sharks by the Japanese fishermen and banning the killing of dingoes (wild dogs) in Australia, among many other things.
There is a lot to do. And we’d better act quickly if we don’t want to end up with a planet that can’t sustain life!
1.The writer thinks it ________ to pull down Big Ben to make way for a car park.
A．unreasonable B．necessary C．difficult D．reasonable
2.The underlined sentence “Nature is shrinking by the day.” means that ________.
A．nature is badly polluted by humans
B．species are becoming fewer and fewer day by day
C．rainforests are being cut down every day
D．nature is full of mysteries
3.Edward O. Wilson thinks that ________.
A．it doesn’t matter to reduce biodiversity
B．people have done enough to preserve biodiversity
C．the situation of biodiversity is very serious
D．biodiversity loss has become irreversible
4.When it comes to biodiversity, the present problem is that ________.
A．people might not clearly know what is biodiversity and what should be protected
B．people are not aware that giant pandas are endangered
C．people don’t realize that biodiversity is vital to everyday life
D．people hunt sea creatures for food
5.What does the underlined word “It” in paragraph 5 refer to?
A．The UK government. B．The concept of biodiversity.
C．The action to deal with the problem. D．The Guardian newspaper.
I told my friend Graham that I often cycle two miles from my house to the town centre but unfortunately there is a big hill on the route. He replied, “You mean fortunately.” He explained that I should be glad of the extra exercise that the hill provided.
My attitude to the hill has now changed. I used to grumble as I approached it but now I tell myself the following. This hill will exercise my heart and lungs. It will help me to lose weight and get fit. It will mean that I live longer. This hill is my friend. Finally I comfort myself with the thought of all those silly people who pay money to go to a gym and sit on stationery exercise bicycles when I can get the same value for free. I have a smile of satisfaction as I reach the top of the hill.
Problems are there to be faced and overcome. We cannot achieve anything with an easy life. Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person to gain a university degree. Her activism and writing proved inspirational. She wrote, “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can vision be cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved.”
One of the key factors of success in life is our attitude towards adversity (逆境). From time to time we all face hardships, problems, accidents, afflictions and difficulties. Some are of our making but many confront us through no fault of our own. While we cannot choose the adversity we can choose our attitude towards it.
Douglas Bader was 21 when in 1931 he had both legs cut off following a flying accident. He was determined to fly again and went on to become one of the leading flying aces in the Battle of Britain with 22 aerial victories over the Germans. He was an inspiration to others during the war. He said, “Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that you can’t do this or that. That’s nonsense. Make up your mind, and you’ll never use crutches (拐杖) or a stick, and then have a go at evening. Go to school, and join in all the games you can. Go anywhere you want to. But never, never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible.”
The biographies of great people are full of examples of how they took steps to overcome the difficulties they faced. The common thread is that they did not become depressed. They chose their attitude. They chose to be positive. They took on the challenge. They won.
Nevertheless, there is still the problem of how you change your attitude towards adversity.
1.The underlined word “grumble” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to ________.
A．tremble B．complain C．speed up D．slow down
2.Which of the following is true according to the author of the passage?
A．Climbing hills on bicycles is the best way to take exercise.
B．People are wise to pay to go to the gym.
C．Those who want to achieve success can’t expect to live an easy life.
D．People’s attitude towards adversity is the only factor that determines whether they will succeed.
3.By quoting what Douglas Bader said, the author intends to tell us “________”.
A．Failure is the mother of success.
B．A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit.
C．If you venture nothing, you will have nothing.
D．Nothing is difficult to the man who will try.
4.Following this passage, the author will further talk about ________.
A．how his friend helped him to change his attitude towards the adversity he faced
B．what steps to take to change your attitude towards the adversity you face
C．what great people have in common
D．why it is important to keep optimistic in face of adversity
5.Which of the following can best function as the title of the passage?
A．Face adversity with a smile
B．Different attitudes towards adversity
C．Nothing is impossible
D．Life is full of adversity
James Cleveland Owens was the son of a farmer and the grandson of black slaves. His family moved to Cleveland when he was 9. There, a school teacher asked the youth his name.
“J.C.”, he replied.
She thought he had said “Jesse”, and he had a new name.
Owens ran his first race at age 13. After high school, he went to Ohio State University. He had to work part-time so as to pay for his education. As a second-year student, in the Big Ten games in 1935, he set even more records than he would in the Olympic Games a year later.
A week before the Big Ten meet, Owens accidentally fell down a flight of stairs. His back hurt so much that he could not exercise all week, and he had to be helped in and out of the car that drove him to the meet. He refused to listen to the suggestions that he give up and said he would try, event by event. He did try, and the results are in the record book.
The stage was set for Owens’ victory at the Olympic Games in Berlin the next year, and his success would come to be regarded as not only athletic but also political. Hitler did not congratulate any of the African-American winners.
“It was all right with me,” he said years later. “I didn’t go to Berlin to shake hands with him, anyway.”
Having returned from Berlin, he received no telephone call from the president of his own country, either. In fact, he was not honored by the United States until 1976, four years before his death.
Owens’ Olympic victories made little difference to him. He earned his living by looking after a school playground, and accepted money to race against cars, trucks, motorcycles, and dogs.
“Sure, it bothered me,” he said later. “But at least it was an honest living. I had to eat.”
In time, however, his gold medals changed his life. “They have kept me alive over the years,” he once said. “Time has stood still for me. That golden moment dies hard.”
1.Owens got his other name “Jesse” when ________.
A. he went to Ohio State University
B. his teacher made fun of him
C. his teacher took “J.C.” for “Jesse”
D. he won gold medals in the Big Ten meet
2.In the Big Ten meet, Owens ________.
A．hurt himself in the back
B．succeeded in setting many records
C．tried every sports event but failed
D．had to give up some events
3.We can infer from the text that Owens was treated unfairly in the US at that time because ________.
A．he was not of the right race
B．he didn’t talk to the US president
C．he didn’t shake hands with Hitler
D．he was the son of a poor farmer
4.When Owens says “They have kept me alive over the years,” he means that the medals ________.
A．have been changed for money to help him live on
B．have made him famous in the US
C．have encouraged him to overcome difficulties in life
D．have kept him busy with all kinds of jobs
5.Which of the following is a suitable title for the text?
A．Jesse Owens, a Great American Athlete
B．Golden Moment — a Life-time Struggle
C．Making a Living as a Sportsman
D．How to Be a Successful Athlete?
“Forgiveness is the sweetest revenge.” I saw this wonderful old saying again in a book recently. It got me thinking about all the times that I have been 31 to forgive others in my life and all the joy that it has brought me. One 32 stands out particularly well.
I was a young boy at a summer camp. I was having a great time and 33___ everything about it except for another young boy of my age. To say we didn’t
34 would be a statement that made the situation less serious than it really was. We spent most of the week irritating, insulting (侮辱), and picking on each other.
35 finally came to a fight on the next to last day of camp. We got into a fist fight which I lost. 36 older boys broke it up before I was hurt too much. I spent the rest of the day alone, refusing to speak andlost in my own 37 .
The next day my spirits were 38 when Mom brought the boys in our cabin some of her delicious homemade 39 . I was enjoying a few slices of it when I saw the other boy sitting by himself at the bottom of the steps outside. He seemed very 40 right then. I am not sure what moved me to do so, but I took my pizza down and 41 it with him. It made all the anger and pain inside me 42 . We became friends after that. I never got into another fist fight either. I had found out that sharing and forgiving were much more fun and a lot less painful.
Forgiveness is 43 the sweetest revenge. It can turn an enemy into a friend. It can 44 a heart from the chains of anger, hatred, and pain. It can open a soul to the sweetness of love and joy once again. May your life always be 45 of sweet forgiveness.
1. A．disappointed B．satisfied C．unwilling D．able
2. A．memory B．lesson C．incident D．week
3. A．struggling B．exploring C．enjoying D．remembering
4. A．get across B．get along C．hold on D．hold up
5. A．Thoughts B．Words C．Friends D．Conflicts
6. A．Surprisingly B．Thankfully C．Unexpectedly D．Regretfully
7. A．fight B．regret C．luck D．anger
8. A．sunk B．broken C．lifted D．shown
9. A．pizza B．hamburger C．pie D．sandwich
10. A．angry B．proud C．ashamed D．lonely
11. A．presented B．shared C．distributed D．divided
12. A．go away B．go on C．crowd in D．build up
13. A．nearly B．merely C．truly D．hardly
14. A．keep B．cure C．comfort D．free
15. A．full B．aware C．confident D．certain
_______ that it was already the fourth time that he _______ abroad.
A．So lucky he was; traveled
B．So lucky was he; traveled
C．So lucky he was; had traveled
D．So lucky was he; had traveled
I hate _______ when people talk with their mouths full.
A．it B．that C．these D．them
