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 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 finding 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 ears, 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．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． |
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． |
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． |
Since the first Earth Day in 1970,American have gotten a lot “greener” toward the environment . “We didn’t know at that time there even was an environment, let alone that there was a problem with it,” says Bruce Anderson, president of Earth Day USA.
But what began as nothing important in public affairs has grown into a social movement .Business people, political leaders, university professors, and especially millions of grass-roots Americans are taking part in the movement. “The understanding has increased many ,many times,” says Gaylord Nelson, the former governor from Wisconsin, who thought up the first. According to US government reports , emissions (排放)from cars and trucks have dropped from 10.3 million tons a year to 5.5 tons .The number of cities producing CO beyond the standard has been reduced from 40 to 9 .Although serious problems still remain and need to be dealt with , the world is a safer and healthier place .A kind of “Green thinking ” has become part of practices .
Great improvement has been achieved .In 1988 there were only 600 recycling programs ,today in 1995 there are about 6,600 .Advanced lights ,motors , and building designs have helped save a lot of energy and therefore prevented pollution .
Twenty –five years ago , there were hardly any education programs for environment .Today , it’s hard to find a public school , university , or law school that does not have such a kind of program .” Until we do that , nothing else will change! ” say Bruce Anderson .According to Anderson , before 1970, Americans had little idea about ___
| A．the social movement |
| B．recycling techniques |
| C．environmental problems |
| D．the importance of Earth Day |
Where does the support for environmental protection mainly come from?
| A．The grass –roots level |
| B．The business circle |
| C．Government officials |
| D．University professors |
What have \Americans achieved in environmental protection ?
| A．They have cut car emissions to the lowest |
| B．They have settled their environmental problems |
| C．They have lowered their CO levels in forty cities. |
| D．They have reduced pollution through effective measures . |
What is especially important for environmental protection according to the last paragraph ?
| A．Education | B．Planning | C．Green living | D．CO reduction |
Wisdom teeth are normally the last teeth to appear.This usually happens when people are in their late teen years or early twenties，in other words，when they are older and wiser.
Wisdom teeth can grow into place normally and never cause a problem.But often there is not enough room for them in the mouth；they might crowd other teeth.Sometimes they even push sideways through the gums (齿龈)．
An impacted wisdom tooth is one that fails to completely rise through the gums.Wisdom teeth that only partly break through can leave space for bacteria to enter around the teeth.Infection (感染) is a risk in these cases.
Wisdom teeth that are not well lined and become impacted are often removed.The American Dental Association says removal is generally advised when wisdom teeth only partly break through the gums.Removal is also advised if there is a chance that wisdom teeth ate poorly lined.The best time to remove is before the teeth cause any problems or pain.Young adults are the best candidates for wisdom teeth removal.
But why do we have wisdom teeth if we often need to get them removed？One theory has to do with our diets.Scientists say the diet of ancient humans probably required more chewing teeth.Life was probably a little rougher on the teeth back then，too.So it was good to have extras.According to the passage，which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．Just older and wiser people can have wisdom teeth. |
| B．Wisdom teeth can cause problems if not in their right place. |
| C．Impacted wisdom teeth can’t grow out of the gum fully. |
| D．Wisdom teeth that only partly break can get bacterial infections. |
Wisdom teeth should be removed________.
| A．when they break through the gums |
| B．when they are below the gums |
| C．if they are not well lined or get impacted |
| D．if they take up enough room in the mouth |
We can learn from the passage that________.
| A．impacted wisdom teeth have the risk of getting infected |
| B．ancient humans need chewing teeth because of their happy life |
| C．older adults are the best candidates for wisdom teeth removal |
| D．more chewing teeth are needed for the diet of modern humans |
The main purpose of the passage is to________.
| A．advise | B．persuade | C．comment | D．introduce |
I left university with a good degree in English Literature, but no sense of what I wanted to do. Over the next six years, I_was_treading_water,_just trying to earn an income. I tried journalism, but I didn’t think I was any good, then finance, which I hated. Finally, I get a job as a rights assistant at a famous publisher. I loved working with books, although the job that I did was dull.
I had enough savings to take a year off work, and I decided to try to satisfy a deepdown wish to write a novel. Attending a Novel Writing MA course gave me the structure I needed to write my first 55,000 words.
It takes confidence to make a new start－there’s a dark period inbetween where you’re neither one thing nor the other. You’re out for dinner and people ask what you do, and you’re too ashamed to say, “Well, I’m writing a novel, but I’m not quite sure if I’m going to get there.”My confidence dived. Believing my novel could not be published, I put it aside.
The I met an agent(代理商)who said I should send my novel out to agents. So, I did and, to my surprise, got some wonderful feedback. I felt a little hope that I might actually become a published writer and, after signing with an agent, I finished the second half of the novel.
The next problem was finding a publisher. After twoandahalf years of no income, just waiting and wondering, a publisher offered me a book deal－that publisher turned out to be the one I once worked for.
It feels like an unbelievable stroke of luck—of fate, really. When you set out to do something different, there's no end in sight, so to find myself in a position where I now have my own name on a contract(合同)of the publisher—to be a published writer—is unbelievably rewarding(有回报的)．What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 mean?
| A．I was waiting for good fortune. |
| B．I was trying to find an admirable job. |
| C．I was being aimless about a suitable job. |
| D．I was doing several jobs for more pay at a time. |
The author decided to write a novel________.
| A．to finish the writing course |
| B．to realize her own dream |
| C．to satisfy readers’ wish |
| D．to earn more money |
How did the writer feel halfway with the novel?
| A．Disturbed. | B．Ashamed. | C．Confident. | D．Uncertain. |
What does the author mainly want to tell readers in the last paragraph?
| A．It pays to stick to one’s goal. |
| B．Hard work can lead to success. |
| C．She feels like being unexpectedly lucky. |
| D．There is no end in sight when starting to do something. |
As a boy growing up in India, I had longed to travel abroad. I used to listen to the stories my father would tell me about his stay in Canada and tours to Europe in the 1970s, with great interest.
My big moment finally came in the summer of 1998 when I was able to accompany my parents to Europe, where my father was to attend a meeting. We planned to travel to Belgium, Netherlands and West Germany.
I have clear memories even today of going to Mumbai airport at night all excited about finally going abroad. I had heard several great things about Lufthansa till then but now I finally got to experience them first hand, during the flight to Frankfurt. We flew business class and even today I can remember the excellent service by the Lufthansa crew （工作人员）. The flight was really smooth and thoroughly enjoyable, even for someone like me, who is especially afraid of flying.
After spending almost two weeks in Europe, we took the Lufthansa airport express from Dusseldorf to Frankfurt airport, for our return flight. What a journey that was! All along the Rhine (莱茵河), it was simply an unforgettable experience. I had a sombre feeling on the flight back to Mumbai as it marked the end of a wonderful vacation, but the Lufthansa crew members were able to change it into a most enjoyable experience yet again, with the quality of their service.
Being the first airline to take me abroad, Lufthansa will always hold a special place in my heart. Even today，I continue to enjoy flights on Lufthansa and simply cannot dream of choosing any other airline. Flying, in general，for me，has always been a terrible and painful experience．Flying on Lufthansa，however, is something I always have and always will look forward to. Which country does the author live in now?
| A．India. | B．Canada. | C．Belgium. | D．Germany. |
What made the author so interested in traveling abroad?
| A．Growing up in India. |
| B．Once staying in Canada. |
| C．Once traveling to Canada with his father. |
| D．His father's stories about his traveling experiences. |
Which of the following is true about the author's trip to Europe in 1998?
| A．The author traveled with one of his parents. |
| B．Both their going and return were by air. |
| C．They traveled in spring that year. |
| D．They stayed in Europe for nearly two months. |
It can be inferred from the passage that Lufthansa is ________.
| A．a city in India | B．a city in Europe |
| C．an airline company | D．a travel agency |
The underlined word “somber” in the 4th paragraph probably means“________”.
| A．happy | B．sad | C．angry | D．enjoyable |
Using too much water or throwing rubbish into our rivers are clear ways that humans can
Put our water supply in danger ,but we also affect our water supply in less obvious ways .
You may wonder how paving(铺砌) a road can lead to less useable fresh water . A major
Part of the water we use every day is groundwater . Groundwater does not come from lakes or rivers .It come from underground . The more roads and parking lots we pave ,the less water can
Flow into the ground to become groundwater .
Human activity is not responsible for all water shortages(短缺). Driver climates are of course more likely to have droughts(干旱) than areas with more rainfall ,but in any case, good management can help to make sure there is enough water to meet our basic needs .
Thinking about the way we use water every day can make a big difference ,too In the United States ,a family of four can use 1.5tons of water a day ! This shows how much we depend on water to live ,but there’s a lot we can do to lower the number .
You can take steps to save water in your home .To start with ,use the same glass for your drinking water all day .Wash it only once a day .Run your dishwasher (洗碗机)only when it is full 。Help your parents fix any leaks in your home . You can even help to keep our water supply clean by recycling batteries instead of throwing them away .Which of the following is most likely to lead to less groundwater ?
| A．Using river water | B．Throwing batteries away . |
| C．paving parking lots | D．Throwing rubbish into lakes . |
What can be inferred from the text ?
| A．All water shortages are due to human behavior . |
| B．It takes a lot of effort to meet our water needs . |
| C．There is much we can do to reduce family size . |
| D．The average family in America makes proper use of water . |
The last paragraph is intended to .
| A．show us how to fix leaks at home |
| B．tell us how to run a dishwasher |
| C．prove what drinking glass is best for us |
| D．suggest what we do to save water at home |
The text is mainly about .
| A．Why paving roads reduces our water |
| B．how much we depend on water to live |
| C．why droughts occur more in dry climates |
| D．how human activity affects our water supply |
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