Feeling blue about the 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 for nature.”
Ridley calls himself a rational optimist—rational, because he’s carefully weighed the evidence; optimistic, because that evidence shows human progress to be both unavoidable and good. And this is what he’s set out to prove from a unique point of view in his most recent book, The Rational Optimist . He views mankind as grand enterprise that, on the whole, has done little but progress for 100,000 years. He backs his findings with hard facts gathered through years of research.
Here’s how he explains his views.
1）Shopping fuels invention
It is reported that there are more than ten billion different products 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 cars, and, of course, more pounds and dollars than any who lived before us. This will continue as long as we use these things to make other things. The 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 ever before is that the four most basic 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 welfare as climate change itself. A child that dies from indoor smoke in a village, where the use of fossil-fuel(化石燃料) electricity is forbidden by well- meaning members of green political movements trying to save the world, is just as great a tragedy as a child that dies in a flood caused by climate change. If climate change proves to be mild, but cutting carbon causes real pain, we may well find that we have stopped a nose-bleed by putting a tourniquet(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 poverty 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 climate change may be dangerous.
C. People’s health is closely related to climate change.
D. Careless medical treatment may cause great pain.
5. According to the passage, which of the following statements is True?
A. Matt Ridley doesn’t think the world is a good place to live in.
B. Climate change won’t cause a child’s death.
C. Matt Ridley based his unique point of view on his long-term research.
D. People will have more freedom for the development of the world.
As a first –year teacher at a Christian school ,I was expecting my fifth grade students to be prefect , perfect in behavior , in attitude , and I even expected the home-life of each student to be nearly perfect . I found , of course , that these students were not different from the children I taught in public school .These kids had behavior problems , bad attitudes ,and some even had strikingly difficult family lives .
One of my students in particular stands out in my mind .I’ll call him Timothy for safety’s sake. During the first day of class , I noticed that Timothy was different .Not only in physical appearance , but he also spoke strangely , as though a 35-year-old man were trapped inside his tiny , weak body .On many occasions , I heard Timothy speak of hate, how he hated his family .
I observed Timohy for several months and read up on his background and searched for any clue that would lead me closer to understanding this child’s strange behavior .Finally I was directed to Timothy’s older brother’s cheating in an exam and had taken his anger out on Timothy at home .Timothy’s parents , in turn , had contacted the school, blaming them for Timothy’s problems.
I had written a letter to the administration asking that Timothy see a counselor(咨询师). The school was in the process of contacting a counselor when Timothy was transferred to another school. His father hurried around my room collecting Timothy’s things and left. That is the last we have seen or heard from Timothy. I was left with an empty desk and a broken heart. I cried for days afterwards. I felt as though I had done Timothy a disservice …I did not help him when he needed me. I still think about Timothy every day, and pray for him every morning.
1. What was wrong with Timothy?
A. He seemed to have deep emotional problems.
B. He seemed not to be getting along well with his classmates.
C. He mainly had behavior problems at school.
D. He wanted to transfer to another school.
2. What was Timothy like during the first day of class?
A. He looked old in appearance but lively in spirit.
B. He looked common but talked strangely.
C. He spoke strangely and looked weak in body.
D. He acted as if he were as experienced as a 35-year-old man.
3. The reason why Timothy hated his family included that________.
A. his father treated him differently from his brother.
B. his family didn’t care about what he was doing at school.
C. his father blamed the teachers for his problems.
D. his brother treated him in an unreasonable way.
4. The underlined word “disservice” in the last paragraph probably refers to_______.
A. something meaningless B. something harmful
C. something secret D. something funny.
5.. From the passage we know that____________.
A. Timothy’s father blamed the author for reading his son’s file.
B. The school didn’t approve Timothy’s seeing a counselor.
C. The author felt guilty for not helping Timothy in time.
D. Students at the Christian school don’t have family problems except Timothy.
A world-famous Canadian author, Margaret Atwood, has created the world’s first long-distance signing device(装置), the LongPen.
After many tiring book-signing tours from city to city, Atwood thought there must be a better way to do them. She hired some technical experts and started her own company in 2004. Together they designed the LongPen. Here’s how it works: The author writes a personal message and signature on a computer tablet(手写板) using a special pen. On the receiving end, in another city, a robotic arm fitted with a regular pen signs the book. The author and fan can talk with each other via webcams(网络摄像机) and computer screens.
Work on the LongPen began in Atwood’s basement(地下室). At first, they had no idea it would be as hard as it turned out to be. The device went through several versions, including one that actually had smoke coming out of it. The investing finally completed, test runs were made in Ottawa, and the LongPen was officially launched at the 2006 London Book Fair. From here , Atwood conducted two transatlantic book signings of her latest book for fans in Toronto and New York City.
The LongPen produces a unique signature each time because it copies the movement of the author in real time. It has several other potential applications. It could increase credit card security and allow people to sign contracts from another province. The video exchange between signer and receiver can be recorded on DVD for proof when legal documents are used.
“It’s really fun”, said the owner of a bookstore, who was present for one of the test runs. “Obviously you can’t shake hands with the author, but there are chances for a connection that you don’t get from a regular book signing.”
The response to the invention has not been all favorable. Atwood has received criticism from authors who think she is trying to end book tours. But she said, “It will be possible to go to places that you never got sent to before because the publishers couldn’t afford it.”
1.Why did Atwood decide to invent the LongPen?
A. To set up her own company.
B. To win herself greater popularity.
C. To write her books in a new way.
D . To make book signings less tiring.
2.How does the LongPen work?
A.It copies the author’s signature and prints it on a book.
B. It signs a book while receiving the author’s signature.
C. The webcam sends the author’s signature to another city.
D. The fan uses it to copy the author’s signature himself.
3.What do we know about the invention of the LongPen?
A. It has been completed but not put into use.
B. The basement caught fire by accident.
C. Some versions failed before its test run.
D. The designers were well-prepared for the difficulty.
4.How could the LongPen be used in the future?
A. To draft legal documents.
B. To improve credit card security
C. To keep a record of the author’s ideas.
D. To allow author and fan to exchange videos
5.What could be inferred from Paragraphs 5 and 6?
A. Atwood doesn’t mean to end book tours.
B. Critics think the LongPen is of little use
C. Bookstore owners don’t support the LongPen
D. Publishers dislike the LongPen for its high cost.
Wealth starts with a goal saving a dollar at a time. Call it the piggy bank strategy(策略). There are lessons in that time-honored coin-saving container.
Any huge task seems easier when reduced to baby steps. I f you wished to climb a 12,000-foot mountain, and could do it a day at a time, you would only have to climb 33 feet daily to reach the top in a year. If you want to take a really nice trip in 10 years for a special occasion, to collect the $15,000 cost, you have to save $3.93 a day. If you drop that into a piggy bank and then once a year put $1,434 in a savings account at 1% interest rate after-tax, you will have your trip money.
When I was a child, my parents gave me a piggy bank to teach me that, if I wanted something, I should save money to buy it. We associate piggy banks with children, but in many countries, the little containers are also popular with adults. Europeans see a piggy bank as a sign of good fortune and wealth. Around the world, many believe a gift of a piggy bank on New Year’s Day brings good luck and financial success. Ah, but you have to put something in it.
Why is a pig used as a symbol of saving? Why not an elephant bank, which is bigger and holds more coins? In the Middle Ages, before modern banking and credit instruments, people saved money at home, a few coins at a time dropped into a jar or dish. Potters(制陶工) made these inexpensive containers from an orange-colored clay(黏土) called “pygg,” and folks saved coins in pygg jars. The Middle English word for pig was “pigge”. While the Saxons pronounced pygg, referring to the clay, as “pug”, eventually the two words changed into the same pronunciation, sounding the “i” as in pig or piggy. As the word became less associated with the orange clay and more with the animal, a clever potter fashioned a pygg jar in the shape of a pig, delighting children and adults. The piggy bank was born.
Originally you had to break the bank to get to the money, bringing in a sense of seriousness into savings. While piggy banks teach children the wisdom of saving, adults often need to relearn childhood lessons. Think about the things in life that require large amounts of money--- college education, weddings, cars, medical care, starting a business, buying a home, and fun stuff like great trips. So when you have money, take off the top 10%, put it aside, save and invest wisely.
1.What is the piggy bank strategy?
A. Paying 1% income tax at a time.
B. Setting a goal before making a travel plan.
C. Aiming high even when doing small things.
D. Putting aside a little money regularly for future use.
2.Why did the writer’s parents give him a piggy bank as a gift?
A. To delight him with the latest fashion.
B. To encourage him to climb mountains.
C. To help him form the habit of saving.
D. To teach him English pronunciation.
3.What does the underlined word “something”(Paragraph 3) most probably refer to?
A. Money B. Gifts
C. Financial success D. Good luck
4.The piggy bank originally was _________.
A. a potter’s instrument
B. a cheap clay container
C. an animal-shaped dish
D. a pig-like toy for children
5.The last paragraph talks about ________.
A. the seriousness of educating children
B. the enjoyment of taking a great trip
C. the importance of managing money
D. the difficulty of starting a business
A large variety of languages exist in the world. Every language has 1. own special words and expressions. And a story can be told about each of them.
Hot is a simple, 2. (easy) understood word. So are most of the 3. (express) made with the word hot. 4. not always, as we shall see. The words hot and potato, for example, give you no idea at all to the meaning of the expression, hot potato.
The potato is a popular vegetable in the United States. Many people like 5. (bake) potatoes, cooked in an oven or fire. Imagine trying to carry a hot potato in your hand. It would be difficult, even painful, to do so.
Now we are getting close to the meaning of hot potato. Some publicly disputed （广泛争议的 ）issues are highly sensitive. The issues must be treated carefully, or they will be difficult and painful if 6. elected official has to deal with them. They will be as difficult and painful 7. holding a hot potato.
One such hot potato is taxes. Calling for 8. (high) taxes can mean defeat for a politician. And yet, 9. taxes are not raised, some very popular government programs could be cut. And that also can make a politician very unpopular. So the questions must 10. (deal) with carefully, the same way you would handle any other hot potato.
As a general rule, all forms of activity lead to boredom when they are performed on a routine(常规)basis. As a matter of fact, we can see this at work in people of all ages. For example, on Christmas morning, children are about playing with their new toys. But their soon wears off and by January those same toys can be found put away in the basement. The world is full of stamp albums and unfinished models, each standing as a monument to someone’s interest. When parents bring home a pet, their child bathes it and brushes its fur. Within a time, however, the burden of caring for the animal is handed over to the parents. Adolescents enter high school with great excitement but are soon looking forward to . The same is true of the young adults going to college. And then, how many , who now complain about the long drives to work, drove for hours at a time when they first their driver’s license ? Before people retire, they usually to do a lot of things, which they never had time to do while working. But soon after retirement, the golfing, the fishing, the reading and all of the other pastimes (消遣) become as boring as the jobs they . And, like the children in January, they go searching for “new ” .
1.A. principle B. habit C. weakness D. power
2.A. surprised B. moved C. excited D. satisfied
3.A. confidence B. interestC. anxiety D. sorrow
4.A. well-organizedB. colorfully-printed C. newly- collected D. half-filled
5.A. missingB. passingC. developingD. falling
6.A. silently B. impatientlyC. gladlyD. worriedly
7.A. interestingB. short C. long D. boring
8.A. graduation B. independence C. responsibilityD. success
9.A. childrenB. students C. adults D. retirees
10.A. carefully B. eagerly C. nervously D. bravely
11.A. requiredB. obtained C. noticed D. discovered
12.A. needB. learn C. start D. plan
13.A. great B. strong C. difficult D. correct
14.A. lostB. chose C. left D. quit
15.A. pets B. toys C. friends D. colleagues
