E
Before we start a voyage, we usually try to find out more or less definitely where we are bound and how we are supposed to get there.
I happen to have the “Concise Oxford dictionary” on my desk and that will do as well as any other. The word I am looking for appears at the bottom of Page 344. edition 1912.
“Geography: the science of the earth's surface, form, physical features, natural and political divisions, climate, productions and population.”
I could not possibly hope to do better, but I still stress some of the aspects of the case at the expenses of others, because I intend to place man in the centre of the stage. This book of mine will not merely discuss the surface of the earth and its physical features, together with its political and natural boundaries. I would rather call it a study of man in search of food and shelter and leisure for himself and for his family and an attempt to his background or has reshaped his physical surroundings in order to be comfortable and well nourished and happy with his limited strength.
Among the two million human beings in the world, there is of course the widest possible range for all sorts of experiments of an economic and social and cultural nature. It seems me that those experiments deserve our attention before anything else. For a mountain is after all merely a mountain until it has been seen by human eyes and has been walked on by human feet and until its and slopes and valleys have been occupied and fought over and planted by a dozen generation of hungry settlers.
The Atlantic Ocean was just as wide and deep and as wet and salty before the beginning of the 13th century as after, but it took the human touch to make it what it is today—a bridge between the New World and the Old, the highway for the commerce between East and West.
For thousands of years the endless Russian plains lay ready to offer their abundant harvest to whoever should take the trouble to sow the first grain. But the aspect of that country today would he a very different one if the hand of a German or a Frank, rather than that of a Slav, had guided the iron-pointed stick that plowed the first furrows (犁沟).
The island of Nippon would shake and quake just as continually, whether they happened to be settled by Japanese or by the Tasmanian race, but in the latter case they would hardly be able to feed 60,000,000 people.
Generally speaking, I have paid more attention to the purely “human” side of geography than to the commercial problems which are so important in a day and age devoted to mass production.
1.In the first four paragraphs, the author wants to share with the readers ______.
A. his approach to planning a voyage
B. his emphasis on using a dictionary
C. his definition of the word “geography”
D. his altitude to the earth's physical features
2.Which of the following will the author NOT consider to be on experiment according to Paragraph 5?
A. Exploring a mountain.
B. Climbing a mountain.
C. Planting on slopes and valleys.
D. Becoming hungry.
3.Which of the following is implied about the Atlantic Ocean?
A. It is wide, deep, wet and salty.
B. Human touch makes it important.
C. There is a bridge over it.
D. The highway is busy there.
4.The author mentioned the Russian plains and the island of Nippon to show that _____.
A. they both feed a lot of people
B. they enjoy very good natural conditions
C. different people may make the same place different
D. their natural conditions haven't changed for many years
D
“The really big concern over the last decade,” according to Dr. David Whitehead, “is the relative loss of opportunities for children to engage in child-led play.” That's true. One of the exhausting aspects of modern parenting is that everything, even doing nothing, has to be purposeful. Now that “parenting” has become a verb — a state of doing, rather than simply being — it can fed unnatural to leave your children to their own devices. Yet it creates spaces in which good things can happen. The psychology lecturer is responding to a survey showing that 80 percent of parents of small children feel under pressure to fill their days with “structured” activities. This, says Dr. Whitehead, is a mistake. Leaving your children to play on their own or with their peers enables them to develop “self-regulation abilities”, which in turn leads to better academic achievement.
One afternoon last autumn, sitting on a bench doing no parenting at all, I suddenly felt I was getting the hang of it.
That afternoon, my sister and I took our children to the park. We had lots to talk about, so we sat down on a bench and drove the children away. After briefly complaining, the cousins wandered off and started jumping into puddles (水洼).
They jumped and jumped, and then one of them kicked some muddy water at the others. My sister and I, deep in conversation, didn't notice this. So my nephew became more adventurous. He scooped up a handful of mud and threw it on my son's head. My son caught his breath happily, wiped the mud out of his eyes, and threw one back. My nephew, who has a talent for naming things, puffed out his tiny chest and roared: “Let's play Muddikins!”
The rules of Muddikins are simple. You run around throwing mud at each other until everyone is so thickly coated that you can no longer be sure which child is whose. Nothing is learnt from it; nobody is improved. It is pure fun, of the sort that can only happen when parents drop the reins (缰绳). They did it. “ Whoa, that's so cool,” said one. “I wish my mum was like you.”
1.What is stressed in Paragraph 1?
A. Child-led play matters in the development of children.
B. Parents' concern over their children is unnecessary.
C. Children's activities should be well organized.
D. Parenting is everything in a family.
2.What does the author think of the behavior of the children in the puddles?
A. Amazing. B. Troublesome.
C. Adventurous. D. Worthwhile.
3.By saying “They did it” in the last paragraph, the author means that ______.
A. The reins were dropped.
B. She failed to distinguish her child.
C. The children learned from the Muddikins.
D. She confirmed Dr. David Whitehead's theory.
4.The text is mainly about the relationship between _____.
A. parents and children
B. individual and group
C. play and acquisition
D. theory and practice
C
In 1932 the warning of the British politician, Stanley Baldwin, that “the bomber will always get through” made a deep impression in Britain, the only state to make serious plans to evacuate civilians from large towns before the war started.
The British Government developed plans for evacuating 1 million children to the United States and Canada and other Commonwealth nations. It established the Children's Overseas Reception Board (CORB) in May 1940. After the fall of France, many people thought the war was lost and some saw this as one way of ensuring that Britain could survive even if invaded.
The Germans eventually began bombing British cities in September. Some children were evacuated by ship to British Dominions, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa. The CORB selections were not done on a first-come, first-served basis. CORB classified and prioritized the children. Charges soon appeared in the press that the well-to-do were being given priority. CORB arranged for the transportation. The Government paid the passages. Quite a number of children had already been evacuated. This tended to be children from rich families with money and overseas contacts. The British public eventually demanded the government pay so that less privileged children were also eligible.
World War II occurred before the beginning of trans-Atlantic air travel. Liners were used to transport the children and this proved to be dangerous because the U-boats quickly emerged as the greatest threat. And this put the evacuee children trying to cross the Atlantic to safety in danger. Two ships carrying child evacuees were torpedoed (破坏)in 1940. One was the Dutch liner Volendam with 320 children on August 30. The crew managed to get the life boats off and saved the children. They were returned to Glasgow. The other was the City of Benares, an ocean liner with 200 British and foreign civilian passengers and 93 British children with a guard of nurses, teachers, and a clergyman. It was torpedoed on September 13. The crew attempted to launch the life boats as Benares began to sink. The rough weather made this difficult, so many of the passengers in the life boats died in the extreme conditions. Only 15 children survived. Churchill, when he learned of the disaster, decided to end the overseas evacuation scheme.
1.The whole passage is mainly about _____.
A. bombing Britain
B. children evacuation
C. German U-boats
D. loss of children
2.What can we learn about the British people according to the passage?
A. They were concerned about their children.
B. They were threatened by Stanley Baldwin.
C. They were frightened by German invasion.
D. They longed to go to commonwealth nations.
3.The underlined word “eligible” in the last sentence of Paragraph 3 probably means _____.
A. qualified B. accessible
C. hopeful D. popular
4.Churchill decided to end the evacuation scheme mainly because _____.
A. so many people needed evacuating
B. the weather in the Atlantic was rough
C. the crew were inexperienced in saving people
D. liners easily became the targets of the German U-boats
B
The Sieferts are the kind of environmentally conscious family who has solar panels atop their home. They use timers on their kids' showers and have planted drought-tolerant landscaping. But they feel kind of guilt. “I haven’t thought about the pool as much as I probably should,” said Annette Siefert.
As California's drought worsens, swimming pools have become a target for those who think the classic backyard greens waste water. Some water districts have banned new pools from being filled and have limited how much water existing pools can use.
But some of those agencies are walking back the rules as they make a surprising discovery: Pools aren't the water wasters some have made them out to be. Analyses by various water districts, along with scientific studies, conclude that pools and their surrounding landscapes use about the same amount of water as a lawn(草坪) of the same size. Over time, pools might even use less water. With pool covers, experts say water evaporation(蒸发)can be cut by almost half, making pools significantly less wasteful than grass and about as efficient as drought-tolerant landscaping.
Facing complaints over a recent ban on filling pools, the Santa Margarita Water District conducted its own water-use analysis. It found that pools require thousands of gallons of water to fill initially, but they use about 8,000 gallons less water than a traditional landscape after that. By the third year, the analysis found, the savings add up, and a pool's cumulative water use falls below that of a lawn.
Water agencies such as the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power have come to similar conclusions. Armed with new information, Santa Margarita Water District officials will reconsider their ban next week.
“We want to respect the people's rights to use their property. There are many families we know that have saved for pools,” said Jonathan Volzke, spokesman for the 155,000-customer district. “But at the same time, the reality around us is that we're in the third year of a serious drought, and we don't know if we're in the third year of a three-year drought or the third year of a 10-year drought.”
1.Annette Siefert feels guilty mainly because of ______.
A. being a typical water waster
B. the water-use of their swimming pool
C. her control over her kids' showers at home
D. the construction of the drought-tolerant landscaping
2.According to analyses and scientific studies, a swimming pool ______.
A. had belter be filled up in the beginning
B. becomes more efficient against drought
C. isn't what people think to be wasteful of water
D. consumes more water than a lawn of the same size
3.What does Jonathan Volzke try to express in the last paragraph?
A. He expects the serious drought to come to an end.
B. He thinks highly of those who have saved for pools.
C. He appeals for reasonable use of the swimming pools.
D. He tries to maintain the right to use the swimming pools.
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Water Crisis In California
B. Strict Ban On Filling Pools
C. The Sieferts—Real Environmentalists?
D. Pools—A Big Factor During Drought?
A
While growing up in Jersey in the 1960s, I always seemed to be building things. One summer I build a model car with my father. It was a simple affair, and as a capable 12-year-old, I could have easily done it alone. But my father spent the time together with me, and before I knew it, we were both out in the garage, working away.
I wish I had thought about this when I was raising my first son. We never built anything together. Oh, we had a lot of fun, for sure. But we never undertook a common work of our hands.
A few years ago, when Anton, my second son, asked if we could build a treehouse in the big silver maple behind our house, his suggestion immediately reminded me of the memory. Yes, I thought. Of course. My second chance. And so, one day while Anton was in school and I had some free time, I bought some wood. But one thing led to another and we got only as far as the ladder and a simple platform. His vision for the treehouse was not fulfilled that summer, and the three following summers saw me involved with other things. In the middle of our quiet supper last night, I looked at Anton, a high school student now and asked, “Anton, are you still interested in finishing the treehouse?” “Sure, Dad,” he said, and within that “sure” was contained, perhaps, his own self-awareness of a childhood to which he was still attached.
We continued where we had left off. I was surprised at how good a worker Anton had become. Where four years ago all he could really do with confidence was hammer nails, now he was measuring and cutting. In one moment that took my breath away, he attempted to center a support beam(支撑梁)while looking to me for direction. “Is it centered, Dad?” I waved him a little to the right. Then a little more. Then I said. “Perfect.”
And it was perfect. As was this second chance, I finally realized that my father hadn't had to help me build that model car in 1966. He wanted to. And that made all the difference.
1.Not having built anything together with his first son, the author felt _____.
A. disappointed B. satisfied
C. regretful D. relieved
2.Why didn't they finish building the treehouse at first?
A. It was too hot those summers.
B. Anton wasn't confident enough.
C. They gradually lost interest in it.
D. They were both occupied with other things.
3.From the fourth paragraph, we can see that the father _____.
A. was proud of his son
B. missed the last chance
C. felt content with the treehouse
D. hoped to finish the work perfectly
4.It can be inferred that the author realized _____.
A. the quiet passing of childhood
B. the difficulty in raising children
C. the children's dependence on their father
D. the significance of undertaking a common work with children
“When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace.”
As we live through life, we tend to get caught up in our individual world, our problems — our life. When we our world to include others in a meaningful way, by making a difference in their life, we increase our experience at the same time.
Think back on a time when someone made a difference in your life.
Here is one of mine: I was going to college, working part-time, and just getting by financially. Standing in line at a local supermarket, I a woman in the same line, thinking that she was not very attractive. As I was , I discovered that I did not have enough money to pay; without , that same woman I had been judging offered to the difference. It wasn’t , but what that person did made a lasting impression on me. She was a beautiful, caring soul who was willing to help a stranger in a(an) situation. That happened over forty years ago and I remember it as as if it was yesterday.
Other examples are the numerous times I have had people smile at me, which my day. I've often wondered if it was because I was smiling, which I to do all the time, or because they were smiling to be , which encouraged me to smile as well. It has probably been some of both. In case, that simple gesture (a smile) makes a difference in my day.
There are ways to make a significant difference in another's life. The question is: Are we doing it? It does not anything, but it does require some effort on our part. I have found that as I do this consistently, the go far beyond the energy required to do the deed. Looking for ways to brighten another person's day raises our vibration(共鸣),and when we act on it, we the other person to raise their vibration as well — it is to each other.
Make a difference in someone's life today, and doing so every day. Today is a perfect time to start! If you are already doing so. bravo!
1.A. rebuildB. establishC. expandD. develop
2.A. directB. minorC. remarkableD. positive
3.A. thoroughlyB. smoothlyC. barelyD. actually
4.A. observedB. witnessedC. inspectedD. accompanied
5.A. hanging outB. checking outC. setting outD. working out
6.A. expectationB. hesitationC. assumptionD. intention
7.A. deal withB. take inC. make upD. cut down
8.A. muchB. enoughC. littleD. awful
9.A. urgentB. absurdC. hopelessD. embarrassing
10.A. roughlyB. clearlyC. correctlyD. dimly
11.A. brightensB. ruinsC. beginsD. influences
12.A. undertookB. triedC. promisedD. failed
13.A. dynamicB. appealingC. friendlyD. merciful
14.A. neitherB. eitherC. noD. another
15.A. limitedB. vitalC. necessaryD. countless
16.A. deserveB. chargeC. determineD. cost
17.A. effortsB. achievementsC. returnsD. consequences
18.A. assistB. remindC. permitD. persuade
19.A. similarB. beneficialC. fundamentalD. appropriate
20.A. admitB. preferC. recommendD. consider
