When you think of the tremendous technological progress we have made, it’s amazing how little we have developed in other respects. We may speak contemptuously of the poor old Romans because they relished the orgies of slaughter that went on in their arenas. We may despise them because they mistook these goings on for entertainment. We may forgive them condescendingly because they lived 2000 years ago and obviously knew no better. But are our feelings of superiority really justified? Are we any less blood-thirsty? Why do boxing matches, for instance, attract such universal interest? Don’t the spectators who attend them hope they will see some violence? Human beings remains as bloodthirsty as ever they were. The only difference between ourselves and the Romans is that while they were honest enough to admit that they enjoyed watching hungey lions tearing people apart and eating them alive, we find all sorts of sophisticated arguments to defend sports which should have been banned long age; sports which are quite as barbarous as, say, public hangings or bearbaiting.
It really is incredible that in this day and age we should still allow hunting or bull-fighting, that we should be prepared to sit back and watch two men batter each other to pulp in a boxing ring, that we should be relatively unmoved by the sight of one or a number of racing cars crashing and bursting into flames. Let us not deceive ourselves. Any talk of ‘the sporting spirit’ is sheer hypocrisy. People take part in violent sports because of the high rewards they bring. Spectators are willing to pay vast sums of money to see violence. A world heavyweight championship match, for instance, is front page news. Millions of people are disappointed if a big fight is over in two rounds instead of fifteen. They feel disappointment because they have been deprived of the exquisite pleasure of witnessing prolonged torture and violence.
Why should we ban violent sports if people enjoy them so much? You may well ask. The answer is simple: they are uncivilized. For centuries man has been trying to improve himself spiritually and emotionally – admittedly with little success. But at least we no longer tolerate the sight madmen cooped up in cages, or public floggings of any of the countless other barbaric practices which were common in the past. Prisons are no longer the grim forbidding places they used to be. Social welfare systems are in operation in many parts of the world. Big efforts are being made to distribute wealth fairly. These changes have come about not because human beings have suddenly and unaccountably improved, but because positive steps were taken to change the law. The law is the biggest instrument of social change that we have and it may exert great civilizing influence. If we banned dangerous and violent sports, we would be moving one step further to improving mankind. We would recognize that violence is degrading and unworthy of human beings.It can be inferred from the passage that the author’s opinion of nowadays’ human beings is
| A．not very high. | B．high. |
| C．contemptuous. | D．critical. |
The main idea of this passage is
| A．vicious and dangerous sports should be banned by law. |
| B．people are willing to pay vast sums money to see violence. |
| C．to compare two different attitudes towards dangerous sports. |
| D．people are bloodthirsty in sports. |
That the author mentions the old Romans is
| A．To compare the old Romans with today’s people. |
| B．to give an example. |
| C．to show human beings in the past know nothing better. |
| D．to indicate human beings are used to bloodthirsty. |
.How many dangerous sports does the author mention in this passage?
| A．Three. | B．Five. |
| C．Six. | D．Seven. |
The purpose of the author in writing this passage is
| A．that, by banning the violent sports, we human beings can improve our selves. |
| B．that, by banning the dangerous sports, we can improve the law. |
| C．that we must take positive steps to improve social welfare system. |
| D．to show law is the main instrument of social change. |
Vocabulary
relish 从……获得乐处，享受
orgy 狂欢，放纵
arena 竞技场，活动或斗争的场所
blood-thirsty 残忍的，嗜血的
bear-baiting 逗熊游戏
bull-fight 斗牛
batter 猛击，连续地猛打/捶，乱打
pulp 成纸浆，成软块
burst into flames 突然燃烧起来/着火
grim 令人窒息的，简陋的
coop up 把……关起来
难句译注
bear-baiting 逗熊游戏。这是一种十六、十七世纪流行于英国的游戏――驱狗去咬绑着的熊，很残忍，后被禁止。
…two men batter each other to pulp in the boxing ring.
【结构简析】batter one to pulp =" beat" one to a pulp 狠揍某人，打瘫某人
【参考译文】两个人在拳击场内彼此狠揍，知道一个人被打倒在地，爬不起来。
…unmoved by the sight of one or a number of racing cars crashing and bursting into flames.
【参考译文】眼见一辆或多辆赛车相互撞击，突然烧起来而无动于衷。
A world heavy weight championship match is front page news.
【参考译文】世界重量级冠军赛总是头版头条新闻。
写作方法与文章大意
作者采取先对比、后分析的写作手法。先是今人和古罗马人对暴虐体育上对此两者都欣赏。后者坦率成人“欣赏暴力体育”，前者施以各种接口、实际都是嗜血成性者。第二段进一步剖析今人欣赏暴虐体育的种种实例，最后指出改善“暴虐”的根本嗜为改善法律采取积极的步骤，法律才能施以巨大的文明影响，否则人类很难改变。
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
The new species of monkey was officially unveiled in a scientific journal last week.
The animal kingdom has a new member. On September 12, researchers unveiled（揭开）to the world a newly discovered species of monkey. The primate(灵长类动物) is called the lesula, short for its Latin name, Cercopithecus lomamiensis. The lesula is only the second monkey species discovered in 28 years.
Meet the Lesula
Scientists first saw the lesula in June 2007 in the town of Opala in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Democratic Republic of Congo, often called the DRC, is located in Central Africa. The lesula lives in the lowland rainforests of central DRC. The monkey found in Opala was the pet of a local family. Researchers say the species was already well known to hunters. The found additional lesulas in the wild.
The lesula has been compared to another species of monkey calledCercopithecus hamlyni, better known as the owl-faced monkey. This animal earns its name for having a long, flat nose and a face that that looks like that of an owl. The lesula and the owl-faced monkey are similar in size and both have a stripe on their nose. These new findings on the lesula prove that the two monkeys are close relatives, but different species. Scientists say the lesula usually weighs about 12 pounds and measures about 20 inches. It has a mane of long blond hair and a cream-colored stripe running down its nose. The lesula eats a vegetarian diet. Its habitat extends nearly 11,000 square miles across the DRC’s eastern central basin.
Robert Kityo is a zoology professor at Uganda’s Makerere University. He says that the lesula discovery is proof that the eastern central basin is filled with species yet to be discovered. This new find also creates awareness about the importance of preserving, or protecting, African rainforests. Many forests are threatened by illegal logging and hunting. Preserving these rainforests allows new species like the lesula to continue to grow and change.The monkey found in Opala __________.
| A．was the only living lesula |
| B．got lost from its group |
| C．was raised by a local family |
| D．was unknown to the hunters |
Why was the Cercopithecus hamlyni called the owl-faced monkey?
| A．It has the same color as owl. |
| B．Its face looks like that of an owl. |
| C．It eats the same diet as owls. |
| D．It has the same strip on its nose as owls. |
What has been found about the lesula and the owl-faced monkey?
| A．They were found in the same area. |
| B．They belong to the same species. |
| C．They are close relatives. |
| D．Both of them eat a vegetarian diet. |
The lesula discovery indicates that _______.
| A．many species remain to be discovered in eastern central basin |
| B．illegal logging and hunting are the main threats to African rainforests |
| C．effective measures should be taken to control the exploration of the African rainforests |
| D．African rainforests are disappearing gradually because of lack of protection |
D
Amazon is taking a leap into movie production, planning to fund a dozen original feature films each year, and to compress the time it takes to move them from theatres to viewers’ homes.
The first film projects are expected to begin production at Amazon Studios later this year, and to make their first public appearance in U.S. theatres. But Amazon plans to push them to its Prime Instant Video subscription service as little as 30 to 60 days later.
The long-standing timeline for movie releases is already under pressure, and Amazon’s latest move is another step toward collapsing it to satisfy increasingly impatient audiences. But where competitor Netflix Inc. has sought to do away with wait times entirely.
When Netflix promised last October to commission a sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and to release it on its streaming site the same day when it would open in theatres in the fall of 2015, cinema owners refused. “We believe the theatrical window is an important part of the overall movie sales cycle,” a spokesperson for theatre chain said.
Paul, a senior media analyst, expects many of Amazon’s original movies will have the feel of independent films with their more challenging subject matter, often made for $10-million or less. The goal isn’t to go toe to toe with “the big blockbuster machine,” with their $100-million-plus production budgets.“I don’t see this as laying down the gauntlet,” Mr. Dergarabedian said. “It’s a strategy of co-existence.”
Prime Instant Video offers online access to a wide array of films and television shows for $99 (U.S.) a year. But it is not currently available in Canada, unless viewers use a virtual private network to disguise their location.
The new company, Amazon Original Movies, will be led by Ted Hope, an American independent filmmaker.
“Audiences already recognize Amazon has raised the bar with productions in the episodic realm, coping with bold material in unique ways and teaming with top talent, both established and emerging,” Mr. Hope said.Why does Amazon begin to make original feature films?
| A．To attract more Prime Instant Video customers |
| B．To win the Golden Globe Award |
| C．To cooperate with Netflix Inc. |
| D．To contribute to the film industry. |
The original films that Amazon release _______.
| A．may not use new actors |
| B．will first be shown in Canadian theatres |
| C．may be seen at home two months after they are released |
| D．may not be welcome in the US |
From the passage we can infer the theatre _______.
| A．doesn’t want to show Amazon’s new films |
| B．prefers to co-operate with Netflix Inc. |
| C．will make more profits because Amazon’ films cost less. |
| D．doesn’t like the time being shortened from theatres to homes |
What does the underlined word “compress” mean?
| A．Lengthen. | B．Shorten. |
| C．Increase. | D．Quit. |
What can be the best title?
| A．Amazon comes into world market. |
| B．Amazon has a bright future. |
| C．Amazon jumps into movies |
| D．The competition in film industry becomes serious. |
C
The spread of Western eating habits around the world is bad for human health and the environment. Those findings come from a new report in the journal Nature.
There are ways to solve this diet-health-environment problem. But they will require a change in eating habits. And what we eat can be a product of culture, personal taste, price and ease.
David Tilman , a professor of ecology, examined information from 100 countries to identify what people ate and how diet affected health and found as nations industrialized, population increased and earnings rose, more people began to adopt what has been called the Western diet.
The Western diet is high in refined or processed sugar, fat, oil and meat. By eating these foods, people began to get fatter -- and sicker.
David Tillman says overweight people are at greater risk for non-infectious diseases like diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.
Unfortunately when people become industrialized, if they adopt this Western diet, they are going to have these same health impacts, and in some cases if you are Asian, you have them more seriously than what happens in the West."
China, he says, is an example where the number of diabetes cases has jumped. And that’s happening all across the world, in Mexico, Nigeria and so on.
A diet bad for human beings is also bad for the environment. As the world's population grows, experts say more forests will become farmland for crops or grasslands for grazing cattle.
"We are likely to have more greenhouse gas released in the future from agriculture because of this dietary shift than all the greenhouse gas that comes out of cars, airplanes, boats and ships. So our change in diet is likely to be worse for the world for climate warming than all the transportation sources we use right now."
He says one possible solution is leaving the Western diet behind.What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．The advantage of the Western diet |
| B．The disadvantage of the Western diet. |
| C．The diseases caused by the Western diet. |
| D．The popularity of the Western diet. |
Why do more and more people eat Western diet?
| A．Because Western diet is good for health. |
| B．Because people have more money. |
| C．Because Western diet is cheaper. |
| D．Because Western diet can make people thin. |
According to the passage, what is good for our environment?
| A．Giving up the Western diet. |
| B．Returning to Chinese diet. |
| C．Growing more crops |
| D．Raising more cattle. |
In which section of a newspaper can you find this passage?
| A．Science and Technology. |
| B．Education and Culture. |
| C．Environment and Health. |
| D．Agriculture and Climate. |
Which statement is true?
| A．The Western diet has little effect on Asians . |
| B．The China diet is rich in fat and oil. |
| C．Leaving the Western diet behind is easy for people. |
| D．More forests will become farmland as the world's population grows . |
B
Ceaseless technology. A punishing workweek. That to –do list that keeps multiplying. It is no wonder many of us find it difficult to have a sufficient amount of sleep. But will sleeping more on the weekend make up for hours of lost snoozing (小睡)? One sleep expert, W. Christopher Winter raised the question.
Sleeping binge
Getting eight hours of shut-eye each night is generally recommended, but many people don’t. As the week rolls from Monday to Friday, they accumulate a sleep debt. Spending a few extra hours in bed on a Saturday morning, people assume, will help them “ catch up” on lost sleep. They’re likely right, “ Nobody knows how long the horizon is, probably a few nights, but studies show that recovery sleep in the short term does work,” says Dr. Winter, a member of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
Sleep banking
Recent data suggests that banking sleep in advance of a long night can actually offset (补偿) upcoming sleep deprivation. If you knew you were going to have to stay up all night on a particular day, for example, you could sleep for 10 hours a day for multiple days before the event, and be fine, Dr. Winter says. Just plan ahead.
Routine naps
A scheduled nap is healthier than catching up on or banking sleep. “ Because sleep extension can make you feel groggy (昏昏沉沉), I always recommend a short nap (if a person feels they need it ), at the same time, every day,” says Dr. Winter. He adds that 25 minutes is ideal. “ When you schedule a short nap, your body anticipates it and slows down, without falling into a deep dream sleep,” he says. That refreshing, scheduled break is better than an occasional weekend lie-in. “ The body likes routine,” he says, “ When it’s prepared, it works more efficiently.”What is the topic of this passage?
| A．The bad effect of lacking sleep. |
| B．Advantages of enough sleep. |
| C．Some knowledge about sleep. |
| D．The ways to get sound sleep. |
Why do people accumulate a sleep debt during the week?
| A．Because they have a tight weekday. |
| B．Because they watch TV late into night. |
| C．Because they have to look after children. |
| D．Because they want to catch up on lost sleep on weekend. |
Which is the recommended way to keep healthy ?
| A．Banking sleeping. |
| B．Catching up on lost sleep. |
| C．An occasional weekend lie-in. |
| D．Scheduled naps. |
what is the meaning of the underlined word “deprivation”.
| A．Increase. | B．Loss. | C．Time. | D．Problem. |
Which is right according to the passage?
| A．Most people always get 8-hour-sleep each night. |
| B．Recovery sleep can make a difference. |
| C．Everyone should have a short nap. |
| D．A nap won’t work as expected. |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
Can you believe everything that you read? It seems as if every day, some new articles come out about a new discovery about this or that. For example, water is bad for you, or good for you. The answer depends on which scientific study has just come out. People cannot decide which food items are healthy, how pyramids were constructed, and why dinosaurs disappeared. When we look for answers we sometimes can believe persuasive researches and scientists. But how trustworthy are they really? Here are two examples of scientific hoaxes.
As far back as 1726, Johann Beringer was fooled by his fellow scientists into thinking he had made an amazing discovery. The fossils of spiders, lizards, and even birds with the name of God written on them in Hebrew were unlike anything that had been found before. He wrote several papers on them and was famous for those only to have it revealed that they were planted by jealous colleagues to ruin his reputation.
When an early human being was discovered in 1912, scientists at this time were wild with excitement over the meaning it had for the theory of evolution. There were hundreds of papers about this Piltdown man over the next fifty years until it was finally discovered to be a complex hoax. The skull (头骨) of a man had been mixed with the jawbone of an orangutan (猩猩) to make the ape (猿) man.
The next time you read the exciting new findings of a study of the best scientist, do not automatically assume that it is true. Even qualified people can get it wrong. While we certainly should not ignore scientific research, we do need to take it with a grain of salt. Just because it is accepted as the truth today does not mean it will still be trustworthy tomorrow.What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Everything in the newspaper is doubtful. |
| B．People are encouraged to suspect everything. |
| C．Not everything you read is believable. |
| D．Sometimes scientists may make mistakes. |
What does the underlined word “ hoaxes” mean?
| A．Truths. | B．Tricks. |
| C．Researches. | D．Result. |
From the second paragraph we can know______.
| A．Johann Beringer was envied by his colleagues. |
| B．Johann Beringer lived in the seventeenth century. |
| C．Johann Beringer found the Piltdown man. |
| D．Johann Beringer found he was fooled by others in time. |
According to the passage ,the discovery of Piltdown man______.
| A．was significant to the theory of evolution. |
| B．proved orangutan developed from man. |
| C．didn’t prove false until 50 years later. |
| D．proved that scientists were very careless. |
From the last paragraph we can infer the author thinks_____.
| A．scientists are unreliable. |
| B．everyone can make a mistake. |
| C．we should ignore scientific research. |
| D．we should treat scientific research reasonably. |
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