Climate change is making it harder than usual for scientists to figure out what the future will bring and what impact weather changes will have on society and the economy. An upsurge of severe weather events has already destroyed homes, businesses and lives. Some fairly simple changes may reduce the toll.
In a laboratory test, a house built with conventional techniques is falling apart in hurricane-force winds.
The survivor has stronger shingles, thicker roof boards, and metal straps holding floors together.
Wind tunnel tests were done by the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety. It says stronger construction costs a little more, but holds up much better to extreme weather.
The growing number of unusually strong storms, like Typhoon Haiyan, has convinced the Chairman of the U. S. Senate Homeland Security Committee, Tom Carper, that extreme weather is the “new norm（标准）.”
"Extreme weather events have increased in frequency over the past 50 years and are expected to become even more common, more intense, and more costly," said Carper.
Hurricane Sandy hit beachfront businesses along the U.S. East Coast, including Carper's home state. Insurance companies had to pay out huge claims. To limit such losses, the insurance industry can raise premiums（保险费） for businesses in vulnerable（易受攻击的）locations and offer discounts to clients who make their buildings more resilient with upgraded construction techniques.
Managing risks is the job of insurance brokers like Kevin Connelly of the Graham Company, who spoke to VOA via Skype.
“We are either going to price your insurance at a huge markup, or we are not going to write (sell it) it at all, which is just as bad obviously," said Connelly.
Drought is another suspected consequence of climate change, and dry ground means more wildfires in California. Current mathematical models of climate change do a poor job of predicting the economic impact of drought and other weather events, says Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Robert Pindyck, who spoke via Skype.
“I think all we can do, taking all of that into account, is come up with some very rough numbers, very rough estimates, "said Pindyck. "Consensus estimates that maybe experts provide, that give us a view of what would the catastrophic outcome look like if we don’t do anything?”
To help deal with this serious problem, Pindyck says policymakers should take actions such as imposing a tax on carbon dioxide emissions. A carbon tax would encourage companies and families to use less energy and generate fewer of the gases thought to be driving changes in the climate. But other analysts say it is unlikely a new tax will get approval in the U.S. Congress any time soon. What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．There are many severe weather events destroying homes, businesses and lives. |
| B．Stronger construction will save the expense in the long run. |
| C．Government should be totally responsible for the weather change. |
| D．Typhoon Haiyan hit Tom Carper's home state. |
What natural disasters are not mentioned in the passage?
| A．Drought | B．Hurricanes | C．earthquakes | D．wildfires |
In a laboratory test , what kind of houses can stay up?
| A．a house built with conventional techniques |
| B．A house with stronger shingles |
| C．A house with thinner roof boards |
| D．a house with metal floors . |
What won’t insurance companies do to limit such losses?
| A．pay out huge claims |
| B．raise premiums（保险费） for businesses in vulnerable（易受攻击的）locations |
| C．offer discounts to clients who make their buildings more resilient with upgraded construction techniques. |
| D．price insurance at a huge markup |
What is the attitude of other analysts towards the new tax on carbon dioxide emissions?
| A．supportive | B．doubtful | C．indifferent | D．positive |
TAIBEI －Increasing numbers of Taiwanese students are joining the island’s “China rush”, seeking education on the Chinese mainland．
According to official Chinese figures, the number of Taiwanese students admitted into college and postgraduate（研究生）programs on the mainland totaled 461 in 1996, 928 in 1997 and 839 in 1998．Although no latest official numbers were available,” Netbig. Com Said this number had risen between 30 to 50 percent annually in the past two years with well over 1000 entering mainland campuses last year.
The Internet site, based in the Chinese city of Shenzhen, provides education service and information on Chinese mainland college and universities. “Many Taiwanese believe a Chinese education giving more knowledge about the people and culture in the mainland will increase their chances in the Chinese job market, Net. Com vice-president Ingrid Huang said．“I believe it will give me hands-on experience in the business field in the Chinese mainland and a better understanding of the Chinese mainland people,” said Lydia Chang, a 19-year-old majoring in journalism at Shih Shin University. Chang plans to go on to get a master’s degree in business administration in Shanghai, which she says offers the best environment for such studies.
A journalism graduate student, surnamed Lin, at the National Taiwan University said he would like to study law on the Chinese mainland since “there will be better career prospects now that more Taiwanese companies are going there”. “They hope the children could build up connections which could later become useful in their business operations,” said Yang Ching-yao, professor of the Chinese mainland studies. A Netbig. Com survey showed the campuses favored by Taiwan students included Beijing, Qinghua and Renmin universities in Beijing, and Jinan and Zhongshan universities in Guangzhou. The most popular studies were law, business and Chinese medicine.
At present, Chinese Taibei doesn’t recognize diplomas earned in the Chinese mainland nor help with any inquiries about studying there. But recognizing the trend, education authorities are giving a final form to a policy accepting certificates（证书）from selected universities.
31.ore Taiwanese students study on the Chinese mainland because ___________.
A．Taiwan will reunite with the mainland sooner or later
B．the fees asked for are lower than those of Taiwan
C．what they have learned on the mainland will bring them a bright future
D．there are many famous universities for them to choose
32．Some business executives were sending their children to study in the Chinese mainland so that their children ___________.
A．could receive better education B．could learn more about the policy there
C．could do well in the business operations D．could make more friends there
33．The underlined word “it” in the third paragraph refers to __________.
A．Netbig. Com B．a Chinese education on the mainland
C．the Chinese job market D．the university
34．The author wrote the article to tell us ______________.
A．more Taiwanese students are studying on the mainland
B．the number of Taiwanese students going to universities on the mainland had been increasing year after year
C．education on the mainland is more attractive compared with that of Taiwan
D．Taiwan and the mainland should cooperate with each other in every field.
35．Which is true according to the passage?
A．Chinese Taibei recognizes diplomas earned on the Chinese mainland
B．The number of Taiwanese students going to study on the mainland will surely be increasing in the next few years.
C．Chinese Taibei doesn’t help with any inquiries about Taiwanese studying in the mainland
D．Education of Taiwan is far behind the mainland.
Ⅱ 阅读(共两节，满分50分)
第一节：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
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。
So long as teachers fail to distinguish between teaching and learning, they will continue to undertake to do for children that which only children can do for themselves. Teaching children to read is not passing reading on to them. It is certainly not endless hours spent in activities about reading. Douglas insists that“ reading cannot be taught directly and schools should stop trying to do the impossible”.
Teaching and learning are two entirely different processes. They differ in kind and function. The function of teaching is to create the conditions and the climate that will make it possible for children to devise the most efficient system for teaching themselves to read. Teaching is also public activity. It can be seen and observed.
Learning to read involves all that each individual does to make sense of the world of printed language. Almost all of it is private, for learning is an occupation of the mind, and that process is not open to public scrutiny.
If teacher and learner roles are not interchangeable ,what then can be done through teaching that will aid the child in the quest（探索）for knowledge? Smith has one principal rule for all teaching instructions. “Make learning to read easy, which means making reading a meaningful, enjoyable and frequent experience for children. ”
When the roles of teacher and learner are seen for what they are, and when both teacher and learner fulfill them appropriately, then much of the pressure and feeling of failure for both is eliminated. Learning to read is made easier when teachers create an environment where children are given the opportunity to solve the problem of leaning to read by reading.
26.he problem with the reading course as mentioned in the first paragraph is that _______________.
A. it is one of the most difficult school courses
B. students spend endless hours in reading
C. reading tasks are assigned with little guidance
D. too much time is spent in teaching about reading
27.he teaching of reading will be successful if _______________.
A. teachers can improve conditions at school for the students
B. teachers can enable students to develop their own way of reading
C. teachers can devise the most efficient system for reading
D. teachers can make their teaching activities observable
28．The underlined word“ scrutiny” most probably means“______________”.
A. inquiry B. observation
C. control D. suspicion
29．According to the passage, learning to read will no longer be a difficult task when ______________.
A. children become highly motivated
B. teacher and learner roles are interchangeable
C. teaching helps children in the search for knowledge
D. reading enriches children’s experience
30．The main idea of the passage is that ______________.
A. teachers should do as little as possible in helping students learn to read
B. teachers should encourage students to read as widely as possible
C. reading ability is something acquired rather than taught
D. reading is more complicated that generally believed
A friend of mine named Paul received an expensive car from his brother as a Christmas present．On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin （顽童） was walking around the shining car．“Is this your car, Paul?” he asked．
Paul answered, “Yes, my brother gave it to me for Christmas．” The boy was surprised．“You mean your brother gave it to you and it cost you nothing? Boy, I wish…” He hesitated．
Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for．He wished he had a brother like that．But what the boy said surprised Paul greatly．
“I wish,” the boy went on, “that I could be a brother like that．” Paul looked at the boy in surprise, and then he said again, “Would you like to take a ride in my car?”
“Oh yes, I’d love that．”
After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes shining, said, “Paul, would you mind driving in front of my house?”
Paul smiled a little．He thought he knew what the boy wanted．He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big car．But Paul was wrong again．“Will you stop where those two steps are?” the boy asked．
He ran up to the steps．Then in a short while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast．He was carrying his little crippled （残疾） brother．He sat him down on the step and pointed to the car．
“There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs．His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn’t cost him a cent．And some day I’m going to give you one just like it… Then you can see for yourself all the nice things in the Christmas window that I’ve been trying to tell you about．”
Paul got out and lifted the boy to the front seat of his car．The shining-eyed older brother climbed in and the three of them began an unforgettable holiday ride．The street urchin was very surprised when __________．
| A．he saw the shining car |
| B．Paul told him about the car |
| C．he was walking around the car |
| D．Paul received an expensive car |
From the story we know that the urchin __________．
| A．wished to give his brother a car |
| B．wished Paul’s brother to give him a car |
| C．wished Paul could be a brother like that |
| D．wished he could have a brother like Paul’s |
The urchin asked Paul to stop his car in front of his house ______．
| A．to show he had a rich friend |
| B．to show his neighbors the car |
| C．to let his brother ride in the car |
| D．to tell his brother about his wish |
We can infer from the story that __________．
| A．Paul couldn’t understand the urchin |
| B．the urchin’s wish came true in the end |
| C．the urchin wished to have a rich brother |
| D．the urchin had a deep love for his brother |
The best title for the story probably is __________．
| A．A Christmas Present | B．A Street Urchin |
| C．A Brother Like That | D．An Unforgettable Ride |
Doctors have known for a long time that extremely loud noises can cause hearing damage or loss．The noise can be the sound of a jet airplane or machines in factories of loud music or other common sound at home and at work．A person only needs to hear the noise for little more than one second to be affected．
An American scientist has found that using aspirin （阿斯匹林） increase the temporary （暂时的）hearing loss or damage from loud noise．He did an experiment using a number of students at a university who all had normal hearing．He gave them different amounts of aspirin for different periods of time, then he tested their hearing ability．He found that students who were given four grams of aspirin a day for two days suffered much greater temporary hearing loss than those who did not use aspirin．The hearing loss was about two times as great．
The scientist said millions of persons in the U．S．use much larger amounts of aspirin than were used in his experiment．He said these persons face a serious danger of suffering hearing loss from loud noise．Doctors have long known that__________．
| A．one may lose his hearing when he hears a terribly loud noise． |
| B．one may become deaf when he hears a loud noise． |
| C．loud noises can cause damage to the hearing of the young people only |
| D．common sounds at home are not harmful to the ear |
This passage suggests that one’s hearing________．
| A．will be damaged even if he has heard a loud noise for only little more than one second |
| B．will be damaged even if he has heard a loud noise less than one second |
| C．will not be damaged if he has heard a loud noise for only little more than one second |
| D．will not be damaged if he has little more than one second to get ready |
One conclusion you can draw from the passage is that aspirin________．
| A．makes hearing damage from loud noise worse |
| B．should never be taken more than four grams |
| C．can damage one’s hearing when it is given more than four grams daily |
| D．always increases hearing loss by two times |
Millions of Americans are in danger of suffering hearing loss because they__________．
| A．take too much aspirin |
| B．often take air trips |
| C．like listening to loud music |
| D．have too much loud noises at home and at work |
The American scientist did his experiment in order to find ________．
| A．how much aspirin would affect a person’s hearing |
| B．how much aspirin should be given in the treatment of the patients with hearing damage from loud noise |
| C．whether aspirin would increase the temporary hearing damage from loud noises |
| D．whether the people who had hearing damage should use aspirin |
Chinese are very generous when it comes to educating their children．Not caring about the money, parents often send their children to the best schools or even abroad to England, the United States or Australia．They also want their children to take extra-course activities where they will learn a musical instrument or ballet or other classes which will give them a head start in life．The Chinese believe that the more expensive an education is, the better it is．So the parents will spend an unreasonable amount of money on education．Even poor couples will buy a computer for their son or daughter．
However, what most parents fail to see is that the best early education they can give their children is usually very cheap．
Parents can see that their children’s skills vary, skilled in some areas while poor in others．What most parents fail to realize though, is that today’s children lack （缺乏） self-respect and self-confidence．
The problem is that parents are only educating their children on how to take multiple-choice tests and how to study well, but parents aren’t teaching them the most important skills they need to be confident, happy and clever．
Parents can achieve this by teaching practical skills like cooking, sewing and doing housework．
Teaching a child to cook will improve many of the skills that he will need later in life．Cooking demands patience and time．It’s an enjoyable but difficult experiment．A good cook always tries to improve his cooking, so he will learn to work hard and gradually to finish his job successfully．His result, a well-cooked dinner, will give him much satisfaction and a lot of self-confidence．
Some old machines , such as a broken radio or TV set that you give your children to play with will make him curious （好奇） and arouse his interest He will spend hours looking at them, trying to fix them; your child might become an engineer when he grows up．These activities aren’t merely teaching a child to read a book, but rather to think, to use his mind．And that is more important．Parents in China, according to this passage, _________．
| A．are too strict with their children |
| B．are too rich to educate their children |
| C．have some problems in educating their children correctly |
| D．are too poor to educate their children |
Generally speaking, children’s skills_______．
| A．come from their parents |
| B．have nothing to do with their education |
| C．may be different |
| D．have something to do with their marks in the exams |
The writer of this passage doesn’t seem to be satisfied with_______．
| A．the parents’ idea of educating their children |
| B．the education system |
| C．children’s skills |
| D．children’s hobbies |
Doing some cooking at home helps children_________．
| A．learn how to serve their parents |
| B．learn how to become strong and fat |
| C．benefit from it and prepare themselves for the future |
| D．make their parents believe that they are clever |
According to the last paragraph, we can conclude that_________．
| A．broken radios and television sets are useful |
| B．one’s curiosity may be useful for his later life |
| C．an engineer must fix many broken radios |
| D．a good student should spend much time repairing radios |
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