Some nations think they must have more and more babies, more and more people, if they are to remain strong and free.
Actually, this is not so. Very often in history, small nations have conquered large ones. It’s not so much the size of the army as its organization and the technical level of its weapons. Thus, Greece took over Persia in the 300s B.C., Great Britain took over India in the 1700s, even though Persia and India had far bigger population than Greece and Great Britain.
If a nation wishes to avoid being dominated by its neighbors, its best chance is to raise its standard of living and its level of technology.This can be done best by not allowing its population to grow to such a point that it is sunk in misery and poverty. In fact, the worst way in which a nation can try to avoid being dominated by its neighbor is to increase its population to the point of misery and poverty.
If every nation tries to compete with its neighbors by raising its population, then the whole world will be sunk in misery and poverty. The nations will become weak in a disaster that will leave nothing behind that is worth dominating. No one will have gained anything. Everyone will have lost everything.
Once all this is understood, and people generally agree that population growth must not be allowed to continue, they must also come to understand how that growth can be stopped. Population grows because more people are being born than are dying. There are two ways, then, in which the growth can be stopped. You can increase the number of people who die until it matches the number of people who are being born. Or else you can decrease the number of people who are born until it matches the number of people who are dying.
The first method—increasing the death rate—is the usual way in which population is controlled in all species of living things other than ourselves, but we don’t want that, for disaster lies that way. The intelligent way is to reduce the birth rate. But how can the birth rate be reduced? In paragraph 3, the word “This” refers to ______.
| A．avoidance of poverty | B．improvement of life and technology |
| C．growth of population | D．enhancement of living standard and competition |
It can be inferred from the passage that if a country had fewer people, ______.
| A．it could still remain strong | B．it would be defeated by a strong neighbour |
| C．its standard of living could be high | D．its people would live misery |
What might the author be further discussing after the passage?
| A．Needs to balance population. | B．Problems involved in birth control. |
| C．Methods of decreasing population. | D．Opposition from some nations. |
The passage mainly focuses on ______.
| A．why we must control population | B．where we can find a solution |
| C．how to stop population growth | D．how to become a strong nation |
D
Larry was on another of his underwater expeditions(探险)but this time, it was different. He decided to take his daughter along with him. She was only ten years old. This would be her first trip with her father on what he had always been famous for.
Larry first began diving when he was his daughter’s age. Similarly, his father had taken him along on one of his expeditions. Since then, he had never looked back. Larry started out by renting diving suits from the small diving shop just along the shore. He had hated them. They were either too big or too small. Then, there was the instructor. He gave him a short lesson before allowing him into the water with his father. He had made an exception. Larry would never have been able to go down without at least five hours of theory and another similar number of hours on practical lessons with a guide. Children his age were not even allowed to dive.
After the first expedition, Larry’s later diving adventures only got better and better. There was never a dull moment. In his black and blue suit and with an oxygen tank fastened on his back, Larry dived from boats into the middle of the ocean. Dangerous areas did not prevent him from continuing his search. Sometimes, he was limited to a cage underwater but that did not bother him. At least, he was still able to take photographs of the underwater creatures.
Larry’s first expedition without his father was in the Cayman Islands. There were numerous diving spots in the area and Larry was determined to visit all of them. Fortunately for him, a man offered to take him around the different Spots for free. Larry didn’t even know what the time was, how many spots he dived into or how many photographs he had taken. The diving spots afforded such a wide array of fish and sea creatures that Larry saw more than thirty varieties of creatures.
Larry looked at his daughter. She looked as excited as he had been when he was her age. He hoped she would be able to continue the family tradition. Already, she looked like she was much braver than had been then. This was the key to a successful underwater expedition.In what way was this expedition different for Larry?
| A．His daughter had grown up. |
| B．He had become a famous diver. |
| C．His father would dive with him. |
| D．His daughter would dive with him. |
What can be inferred from Paragraph2?
| A．Larry had some privileges. |
| B．Larry liked the rented diving suits. |
| C．Divers had to buy diving equipment. |
| D．Ten-year-old children were permitted to dive. |
Why did Larry have to stay in a cage underwater sometimes?
| A．To protect himself from danger. |
| B．To dive into the deep water. |
| C．To admire the underwater view. |
| D．To take photo more conveniently. |
What can be learned from the underlined sentence?
| A．Larry didn’t wear a watch. |
| B．Larry was not good at math. |
| C．Larry had a poor memory. |
| D．Larry enjoyed the adventure. |
What did Larry expect his daughter to do?
| A．Become a successful diver. |
| B．Make a good diving guide. |
| C．Take a lot of photo underwater. |
| D．Have longer hours of training. |
C
Denmark is one of the happiest nations on earth with some of the best quality of life . You don’t need statistics to understand the Dane’s happy lot . Walk around any Danish town and you’ll experience some of the most harmonious civic spaces anywhere . Their intimate scales and perfect transport systems combine the rich history and bold modern lines of the built environment to delight the eye , and the locals’ manners and sense of humor is refreshing .
Denmark’s capital Copenhagen is a remarkable city with well-preserved medieval streets , renowned art galleries , Michelin-starred restaurants and a healthy business center . Finding something to do is never a problem and if all else fails , just admiring the streets with a hotdog in hand is an enjoyable way to spend a few hours .
Beyond the capital and the bigger cities , Denmark offers a mix of lively towns such as Ribe and Odense plus rural countryside , medieval churches , Renaissance castles and tidy 18th-century villages .
The coastline of Denmark with its sand dunes and greenery is a sight that always attracts visitors . So , no matter what time of year you’re in Denmark , you shouldn’t miss out on a trip to the nearest beach .
It’s hard , in short , to find fault with the place . The visitor’s most heartfelt complaint is usually the cost of visiting Denmark . True , it is not a cheap destination , but no more so than the UK , and which nation’s public transport system would you rather use ?
Cheer yourself up by thinking of the country’s remarkable organization and clockwork railway timetable as being financed by the extremely high taxes paid by your hosts . When viewed in this way , this first-rate destination seems like good value , and you get the fairy tales thrown in for free : the Danish royal family is genuinely loved and respected by the vast majority of its citizens , not least handsome Prince Frederik , his beautiful Australian-born princess-bride , Mary , and their young family .Which of the following words can best describe Danes ?
| A．Polite and humorous. | B．Happy and romantic . |
| C．Kind and friendly . | D．Out-going and humorous . |
The writer implies in the last two paragraphs that __________ .
| A．Visiting the U.K. will cost less than travelling in Denmark . |
| B．The transport system in the UK can’t equal that in Denmark . |
| C．People in Denmark pay high taxes to welcome visitors . |
| D．The Danish royal family plays an important role in politics . |
How does the passage mainly develop ?
| A．By providing examples . |
| B．By making comparisons . |
| C．By giving descriptions . |
| D．By following time order . |
What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage ?
| A．To introduce Danish culture . |
| B．To show the attractions of Denmark . |
| C．To share experiences of travelling in Denmark . |
| D．To describe the happy life people live in Denmark . |
B
Dear Dad ,
Today I was at the shopping mall and I spent a lot of time reading the Father’s Day cards . They all had a special message that in some way or another reflected how I feel about you . Yet as I selected and read , it occurred to me that not a single card said what I really want to say to you.
You’ll soon be 84 years old , Dad , and you and I will have had 55 Father’s Days together . I haven’t always been with you on Father’s Day but I’ve always been with you in my heart.
You know , Dad , there was a time when we were separated by the generation gap . You stood on one side of the Great Divide and I on the other.
The Father-Daughter Duel shifted into high gear（档位）when you taught me to drive the old Dodge and I decided I would drive the 54 Chevy whether you liked it or not . The police officer who sent me home after you reported the Chevy stolen didn’t have much tolerance for a stubborn 16 year old , while you were so tolerant about it , Dad , and I think that was probably what made it the worst night of my life.
Our relationship picked up when I married a man you liked , and things really turned around when we began making babies right and left . Somewhere along the line , the generation gap disappeared . I suppose I saw us and our relationship as aging together , rather like a fine wine.
But the strangest thing happened last week . I was at a stop sign and I watched as you turned the corner in your car . It didn’t immediately occur to me that it was you because the man driving looked so elderly and fragile behind the wheel of that huge car . It was rather like a slap in the face delivered from out of nowhere. Perhaps I saw your age for the first time that day.
I guess what I’m trying to say , Dad , is what every son and daughter wants to say to their Dad today . Honoring a father on Father’s Day is about respect and sharing and acceptance and tolerance and giving and taking . It’s about loving someone more than words can say , and it’s wishing that it never had to end.
I love you , Dad.
Love,
JennyWhat caused Jenny to write the letter ?
| A．Getting along well with her father . |
| B．Being away on previous Father’s Day . |
| C．Visiting a card exhibition at a mall . |
| D．Failing to find a satisfactory card . |
What does the underlined phrase “ turned around ” in Para. 5 mean ?
| A．Because better. | B．Changed unexpectedly . |
| C．Went worse . | D．Progressed unsteadily . |
What can we learn from Para. 6 ?
| A．Jenny seldom saw her father drive that huge car . |
| B．Jenny had never realized her father’s being weak . |
| C．Jenny’s father slapped her on the face somewhere . |
| D．Jenny knew her father’s real age from that day on . |
Jenny wrote her father this letter to __________ .
| A．inform him of their conflicts |
| B．apologize for her being stubborn |
| C．express her genuine love to him |
| D．remind him of the early incident |
A
One morning, Ann’s neighbor Tracy found a lost dog wandering around the local elementary school. She asked Ann if she could keep an eye on the dog. Ann said that she could watch it only for the day.
Tracy took photos of the dog and printed off 400 FOUND fliers（传单）, and put them in mailboxes. Meanwhile, Ann went to the dollar store and bought some pet supplies, warning her two sons not to fall in love with the dog. At the time, Ann’s son Thomas was 10 years old, and Jack, who was recovering from a heart operation, was 21 years old.
Four days later Ann was still looking after the dog, whom they had started to call Riley. When she arrived home from work, the dog threw itself against the screen door and barked madly at her. As soon as she opened the door, Riley dashed into the boys’ room where Ann found Jack suffering from a heart attack. Riley ran over to Jack, but as soon as Ann bent over to help him the dog went silent.
“If it hadn’t come to get me, the doctor said Jack would have died,” Ann reported to a local newspaper. At this point, no one had called to claim the dog, so Ann decided to keep it.
The next morning Tracy got a call. A man named Peter recognized his lost dog and called the number on the flier. Tracy started crying, and told him, “That dog saved my friend’s son.”
Peter drove to Ann’s house to pick up his dog, and saw Thomas and Jack crying in the window. After a few moments Peter said, “Maybe Odie was supposed to find you, maybe you should keep it.”What did Tracy do after finding the dog?
| A．She looked for its owner |
| B．She gave it to Ann as a gift. |
| C．She sold it to the dollar store. |
| D．She bought some food for it. |
How did the dog help save Jack?
| A．By breaking the door for Ann. |
| B．By leading Ann to Jack’s room. |
| C．By dragging Jack out of the room. |
| D．By attending Jack when Ann was out. |
What was Ann’s attitude to the dog according to Paragraph 4?
| A．Sympathetic | B．Doubtful |
| C．Tolerant | D．Grateful |
For what purpose did Peter call Tracy?
| A．To help her friend’s son. |
| B．To interview Tracy |
| C．To take back his dog. |
| D．To return the flier to her. |
What can we infer about the dog from the last paragraph?
| A．It would be given to Odie. |
| B．It would be kept by Ann’ family. |
| C．It would be returned to Peter. |
| D．It would be taken away by Tracy. |
D
Everyone has those nights-you lie in your bed for hours, tossing and turning, totally unable to fall asleep. You wish you could just turn your brain off as if it were a light. That would make things much easier, wouldn’t it?
Now it looks like you are one step closer to this wild dream of yours-scientists from Oxford University, UK have just discovered the “switch” that tells the brain to go to sleep, reported Forbes.
To understand the study, you first need to know that there are two mechanisms(机能) that regulate sleep. There’s one that we’re already familiar with —our body clock, which works in a 24-hour cycle based on the light changes throughout the day.
The other one is what scientists call the sleep “homeostat(动态平衡系统)”. This mechanism has nothing to do with daylight. Instead, it keeps track of the brain’s waking hours and urges it to rest if it has been awake for a long time. “It is similar to the thermostat(自动调温器) in your home. A thermostat measures temperature and switches on the heating if it’s too cold,” Professor Gero Miesenbock, who led the study, told The Telegraph.
Our bodies use both of the mechanisms to regulate sleep. “The body clock says it’s the right time, and the sleep thermostat has built up pressure during a long waking day,” explained Miesenbock.
There is no way that scientists can trick the body clock. But with the sleep homeostat, there might be something they can do.
The researchers found that the sleep homeostat works by activating a specific group of nerve cells, or neurons, in the brain. They tested their theory on fruit flies by removing the neurons from the insects’ brains. And as expected, they found that the flies without the homeostat neurons did not keep a regular sleep pattern anymore.
Now that scientists have pinpointed the exact place in the brain— or, the “switch”—that regulates sleep, they can begin investigating how to activate these cells at any given time so that people can be sent to sleep instantly.
More importantly, figuring out how sleep mechanisms work may also help us to one day unravel one of the oldest mysteries of all: why do we need to sleep in the first place?
What is the article mainly about?
| A．A new way to treat sleep disorders. |
| B．The discovery of the sleep “homeostat” |
| C．Advice on what to do when you fail to fall asleep. |
| D．A comparison of the two mechanisms that regulate sleep. |
How does the author explain the function of the sleep homeostat?
| A．Through examples. |
| B．With comparisons. |
| C．Through cause and effect analysis. |
| D．By presenting research findings. |
What can we conclude from the article?
| A．Generally, the sleep homeostat has less effect on people during the day than at night. |
| B．There is little scientists can do to affect the way the sleep homeostat works. |
| C．What makes us go to sleep at night is probably a combination of the two mechanisms. |
| D．The more homeostat neurons there are in one’s brain, the more easily one can fall asleep. |
The underlined word “unravel” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to .
| A．put up with | B．figure out |
| C．keep track of | D．take notice of |
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