The United Nations is warning that the world is not prepared to deal with the fast growth of cities. The World Economic and Social Survey 2013 calls for new ways to meet the needs of city populations. More than 6.5 billion people are expected to be living in cities by 2050.
Most new city dwellers will be in developing countries. The United Nations says the effect on limited resources in many countries will be huge. The World Economic and Social Survey points to the increasing demand for energy, water, sanitation, public services, education and health care.
The world population is expected to rise to more than nine billion by 2050, two-thirds of all people are expected to live in cities. The United Nations says about 80 percent of this growing urban population will be found in Africa and Asia.
The report says sustainable development of urban areas requires coordination and investments to deal with important issues, these include land-use, food security, job creation and transportation.
Willem Van Der Geest is with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, he says cities need to work closely with rural communities, so that food supplies can be secured, and the environment can be protected.
"We need enough integration(整合，融合) with cities... An integration between the rural and urban economies is absolutely vital for issues of nutrition, food security, and environmental sustainability."
The report says development in a sustainable（可持续发展）way is important to end poverty. The report also examines the problem of food insecurity, which affects hundreds of millions of people around the world. One in eight people still severely lack nutrition.
UN officials say some things are clear. The Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development, Shamshad Akhtar, says world food production will have to increase by 70%, that increase will be needed to feed the additional 2.3 billion people expected on the planet by the middle of the century. She says an important part of meeting that need is to waste less food. "There has to be efforts to reduce food wastage. ."
Food and nutrition security are core elements of the sustainable development agenda.The survey includes the following statements except that ______.
| A．varieties of demands are hard to meet because of the increasing population in Africa and Asia. |
| B．one way to put an end to poverty is to be able to develop for a long time. |
| C．transportation is an important issue to deal with when it comes to sustainable development of urban areas. |
| D．hundreds of millions of people around the world are affected by the problem of food insecurity. |
From the passage we can infer that ______.
| A．cities grow so fast that the world can’t find out new ways to deal with the growing population. |
| B．the growing city dwellers who mainly come from the developing countries greatly challenge limited resources in the world. |
| C．sustainable development of urban areas requires coordination and investments to deal with important issues |
| D．food wastage is an effective way to feed the additional 2.3 biilion people by the middle of the century. |
What is the best titile of the passage?
| A．The World Economic and Social Survey 2013. |
| B．City Population Will Increase to 9 Billion. |
| C．Cities Need to Cooperate with Rural Areas. |
| D．The World Is Not Prepared to Deal with the Fast Growth of Cities. |
The passage is chosen from ______.
| A．a textbook | B．a travel guide | C．a novel | D．a newspaper |
Motherhood may make women smarter and may help prevent dementia(痴呆) in old age by bathing the brain in protective hormones(荷尔蒙) , U.S. researchers reported on Thursday.
Tests on rats show that those who raise two or more litters of pups do considerably better in tests of memory and skills than rats who have no babies, and their brains show changes that suggest they may be protected against diseases such as Alzheimer’s(早老痴呆症). University of Richmond psychology professor Craig Kinsley believes his findings will translate into humans.
“Our research shows that the hormones of pregnancy(怀孕) are protecting the brain, including estrogen(雌激素), which we know has many neuroprotective (保护神经的) effects,” Kinsley said.
“It’s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals,” he added in a telephone interview. “They go through pregnancy and hormonal changes.”
Kinsley said he hoped public health officials and researchers will look to see if having had children protects a woman from Alzheimer’s and other forms of age-related brain decline.
“When people think about pregnancy, they think about what happens to babies and the mother from the neck down,” said Kinsley, who presented his findings to the annual meeting of the Society of Neuroscience in Orlando, Florida.
“They do not realize that hormones are washing on the brain. If you look at female animals who have never gone through pregnancy, they act differently toward young. But if she goes through pregnancy, she will sacrifice her life for her infant—that is a great change in her behavior that showed in genetic alterations (改变) to the brain.”How do scientists know “Motherhood may make women smarter”?
| A．Some researchers have told them. |
| B．Many women say so. |
| C．They know it by experimenting on rats. |
| D．They know it through their own experience. |
What does the phrase “litters of pups” mean in the second paragraph?
| A．Baby rats. | B．Animals. |
| C．Old rats. | D．Grown-up rats. |
What can protect the brain of a woman according to the passage?
| A．Estrogen. | B．The hormones of pregnancy. |
| C．More exercise. | D．Taking care of children. |
Which title is the best for this passage?
| A．Do You Want to Be Smarter? |
| B．Motherhood Makes Women Smarter |
| C．Mysterious Hormones |
| D．An Important Study |
Some people are lucky enough to be born with a good sense of direction and even if they have only visited a place once, they will be able to find it again years later.
I am one of those unfortunate people who have poor sense of direction and I may have visited a place time after time but I still get lost on my way there. When I was young I was so shy that I never dared ask complete strangers the way and so I used to wander round in circles and hope that by some chance I would get to the spot I was heading for.
I am no longer too shy to ask people for direction, but I often receive replies that puzzle me. Often people do not like to admit that they didn’t know their hometown and will insist on telling you the way, even if they do not know it; others, who are anxious to prove that they know their hometown very well, will give you a long list of directions which you cannot possibly hope to remember, and still others do not seem to be able to tell between their left and their right and you find in the end that you are going in the opposite direction to that in which you should be going.
If anyone ever asks me the way to somewhere, I always tell them I am a stranger to the town in order to avoid giving them wrong direction but even this can have embarrassing results.
Once I was on my way to work when I was stopped by a man who asked me if I would direct him the way to the Sunlight Building. I gave my usual reply, but I had not walked on a few steps when I realized that he had asked for directions to my office building. However, at this point, I decided it was too late to turn back and search for him out of the crowd behind me as I was going to meet with someone at the office and I did not want to keep him waiting.
Imagine my embarrassment when my secretary showed in the very man who had asked for directions of my office and his astonishment when he recognized me as the person he had asked.What is the writer going to do when someone asks him for direction?
| A．He will direct the right way to the person willingly. |
| B．He will reply to it by the means of being a stranger to the town. |
| C．He will give the very person long list of direction. |
| D．He is going to show the man an opposite direction. |
Why did the writer consider himself to be an unlucky dog?
| A．Because of his poor sense of direction. |
| B．Because he always forgot the way home. |
| C．Because he did not have any friend. |
| D．Because he used to be shy and dared not ask others the way. |
How did the visitor feel when he was showed into the very room?
| A．He felt strange. | B．He felt embarrassed. |
| C．He felt very sad. | D．He felt astonished. |
Who showed the right way to the interviewee according to the passage?
| A．Someone we don’t know. |
| B．The writer did it for himself. |
| C．The secretary did so. |
| D．A warm-hearted old lady did such a thing. |
Here is some information about several famous local bakeries(面包烤房) in Indiana, the US. They serve as a social gathering place for locals.
Maple Lane Bakery
At 8260 S. State Rd. Claypool, IN. (574) 566-2917, it offers a variety of cooked pies, cookies, and bread. With 20 years’ experience Maple Lane Bakery has specialized in the making of pies. The menu includes peach pie $7.19, berry pie $7.70, apple pie $7.19 and banana pie $6.99. Feel free to place an order at least 24 hours in advance.
Betty’s Cakes & Candy Shop
At 816 E. Winona Avenue Warsaw, IN. (574) 269-1231, it specializes in cakes and offers cookies and candies. The chocolate cookies are sold at $8.99 a dozen. Betty’s Cakes & Candy Shop, started half a century ago, specializes in wedding cakes and birthday cakes. Buying a cake from Betty’s will not disappoint you as they are always excellent.
Crepes’ Quality Bakery
At 217 S. Cavin Street Ligonier, IN. (260) 894-3024, this third generation bakery is located downtown Ligonier. It offers cookies and cupcakes, and specializes in rolls and bread. If you plan to buy cookies for the office or work area, you had better get there early as the building workers arrive just before 5:00 am waiting for the doors to open.
Olympia Candy Kitchen
At 136 N. Main Street Goshen, IN. (574) 533-5040, it has been welcoming visitors for almost a century in its unchanged location in downtown Goshen, Indiana. Its tradition began in 1912 when Greek Nicholas began making his own chocolates. Today this family-owned operation offers all kinds candies and boxed candies.
If you need an order, you should call ahead of time to see if they can meet your request.Which of the following pies is the most expensive?
| A．Banana pie. | B．Berry pie. |
| C．Peach pie. | D．Apple pie. |
If you want to order a birthday cake, you are advised to call _________.
| A．(574) 533-5040 | B．(574) 566-2917 |
| C．(260) 894-3024 | D．(574) 269-1231 |
Which of the following bakeries has the shortest history?
| A．Maple Lane Bakery | B．Crepes’ Quality Bakery |
| C．Olympia Candy Kitchen | D．Betty’s Cakes & Candy Shop |
The author wrote this passage mainly to __________.
A. warn customers to order bakeries in advance
B. tell readers some travel information
C. make the bakeries better known to readers
C. persuade more people to eat pies
We spent a day in the country, picking wild flowers. With the car full of flowers we were going home. On our way back my wife noticed a cupboard (柜厨) outside a furniture shop. It was tall and narrow. “Buy it, ” my wife said at once. “We’ll carry it home on the roof rack. I’ve always wanted one like that.”
What could I do? Ten minutes later I was ￡20 poorer; and the cupboard was tied on the roof rack. It was six feet long and eighteen inches square, quite heavy too.
In the gathering darkness I drove slowly. Other drivers seemed unusually polite that evening. The police even stopped traffic to let us through. Carrying furniture was a good idea.
After a time my wife said, “There’s a long line of cars behind. Why don’t they overtake, I wonder?” In fact a police car did overtake. The two officers inside looked at us seriously as they passed. But then, with great kindness, they led us through the rush-hour traffic. The police car stopped at our village church. One of the officers came to me.
“Right, sir, ” he said. “Do you need any more help?”
I was a bit puzzled. “Thanks, officer, ” I said. “You have been very kind. I live just on the road.”
He was staring at our car, first at the flowers, then at the cupboard. “Well, well, ” he said, laughing. “It’s a cupboard you’ve got there! We thought it was something else.”
My wife began to laugh. The truth hit me like a stone between the eyes. I smiled at the officer. “Yes, it’s a cupboard, but thanks again.” I drove home as fast as I could.Other drivers thought the author and his wife were _______.
| A．carrying a cupboard to the church |
| B．sending flowers to the church |
| C．carrying nothing but a piece of furniture |
| D．going to attend a funeral at the church |
The police will be more polite to those who are _______.
| A．driving in gathering darkness |
| B．in great sorrow |
| C．driving with wild flowers in the car |
| D．carrying furniture |
What did the husband think of this matter?
| A．It was very strange. | B．He took great pride in it. |
| C．He felt ashamed of it. | D．He was puzzled at it. |
Scientists fear rising energy bills may lead to an increase in obesity （肥胖） after discovering a link between poorly-heated homes and higher body -fat．
Researchers from the University of Stirling’s Behavioural Science Centre set out to explore claims that warm indoor temperatures have contributed to rising obesity levels in winter．Instead, the team found that people who live in well-heated homes are more likely to have low body mass index （体重指数） levels while those who keep their heating turned down or off tend to be heavier．
Dr Michael Daly, behavioral scientist and senior lecturer, said: "We set out to investigate the scientific claims that cooler indoor temperatures help us maintain a healthy weight by pushing our bodies to use up more energy. In fact, the research suggests people may eat less and burn more energy when in a warmer indoor environment．
The 13-year study, published in the journal Obesity, involved more than 100,000 adults across England．
Researchers found reduced weight levels among people living in homes heated to above 23°C（73F）, which involved about 15,000 of the households studied．
Dr Daly said: "As national gas bills continue to rise faster than the rate of inflation, this research suggests the obesity could worsen where heating is turned down below comfortable levels or off for long periods to cut costs．"
This is not just about people who live in well-heated homes being in the financial position to afford more expensive low-calorie foods, exercise classes and sporting activities, and therefore finding it easier to maintain a low BMI level．The study took age, sex, social class and other factors into account．
"The comfortable temperature of 20°C -23°C is where we feel comfortable in our clothes and are neither hot nor cold．At temperatures above this, we use more energy and we eat less because our appetite is affected．" The findings of the research can be described as ___ ．
| A．horrible | B．surprising |
| C．funny | D．encouraging |
According to the passage, with rising gas bills, people may turn down or off their heating to______.
| A．stay in shape | B．maintain a low BMI level |
| C．save money | D．avoid eating more |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Obesity links to poorly-heated homes |
| B．Well-heated home's contribute to obesity |
| C．Obesity--- A weighty problem in England |
| D．Rising energy bills help maintain a healthy weight |
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