Most of us spend our lives seeking the natural world. We go fishing, sit in the garden, have a picnic, live in the suburbs or go to the seaside. The most popular leisure activity in Britain is going for a walk. When joggers jog, they don’t run the streets. Every one of them tend to go to the park or the river.
But despite this, our children are growing up nature deprived(剥夺). I spent my boyhood climbing trees. These days, children are robbed of these ancient freedoms, due to problems like crime, traffic, the loss of the open spaces and strange new ideas about what is best for children, that is to say, things that can be bought, rather than things that can be found.
The truth is to be found elsewhere. A study in the US: families had moved to better housing and the children were assessed for ADHD—attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (多动症). Those whose accommodation had more natural views showed an improvement of 19%; those who had the same improvement in material surroundings but no nice view improved just 4%.
ADHD is one of the great problems of modern childhood. One study after another indicates that contact with nature gives huge benefits to ADHD children. However, we spend money on drugs rather than on green places.
The life of old people is measurably better when they have access to nature. The increasing concern for the growing population of old people is in quality rather than quantity of years. And study after study finds that a garden is the single most important thing in finding that quality. Even problems with crime and aggressive behaviour are reduced when there is contact with the natural world.
We need the wild world. It is essential to our well-being, our health and our happiness.
| A．jogging on the street |
| B．sitting in the garden |
| C．shopping in the supermarket |
| D．running in the gym |
| A．adults deprive the children of their rights to approach nature |
| B．climbing trees will certainly do good to the children |
| C．children probably spend less time in nature nowadays |
| D．children tend to be happier as a result of their material satisfaction |
| A．Children with ADHD can be cured. |
| B．A garden nearby improves the quality of old people’s life. |
| C．Problems with crime and violent behavior will easily be solved. |
| D．Children’s performance at school is greatly improved. |
A. Access to nature improves our life.
B. Nature treats children with ADHD.
C. Getting close to nature reduces crime.
D. Man can’t live without natural areas.
Everyone needs friends. We all like to feel close to someone. It is nice to have a friend to talk, laugh and do things with. Surely, there are times when we need to be alone. We don't always want people around. But we would feel lonely if we never had a friend.
No two people are the same. Sometimes friends don't get along well, which doesn't mean that they no longer like each other. Most of the time they will go on being friends. Sometimes friends move away, then we feel very sad. We miss them much, but we can call them and write to them. Maybe we would never see them again, and we can make new friends. It is surprising to find out how much we like new people when we get to know them. Families sometimes name their children after a close friend. Many places are named after men and women, if they are friendly to people in a town. Some libraries are named this way. So are some schools. We think of these people when we go to these places.
There's more good news for people, if they have friends. These people live longer than those people if those don't have friends. Why? It could be that they are happier. Being happy helps you stay well. Or it could be just knowing that someone cares, if someone cares about you, you take better care of yourself.The first paragraph tells us __________.
| A．none needs friends |
| B．we always need friends around us |
| C．making friends is the need in people's life |
| D．we need to be alone |
Which of the following is what the writer doesn't say in the passage?
| A．People are happy when their friends leave them. |
| B．People may never see their friends after their friends move away. |
| C．People can know their friends in different ways. |
| D．People like their friends very much if they get to know them. |
Which of the following is the most probable place people name after friendly people?
| A．A house. | B．A room. |
| C．A library. | D．A village. |
If people have friends, they would live longer, because __________.
| A．they feel happier and healthier |
| B．they get a lot of help from their friends |
| C．they take better care of themselves |
| D．both A and C |
This passage tells us __________.
| A．that people are all friends |
| B．that people need friends |
| C．how to get to know friends |
| D．how to name a place |
The oldest and most common source (来源) of renewable energy known to man, biomass is one of the most important forms energy production in the United States and elsewhere. Since such a wide variety of biomass materials is everywhere —- from trees and grasses to agricultural and city —- life wastes —-biomass promises to play a continuing role in providing power and heat for millions of people around the world.
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists(UCS), biomass is a kind of renewable energy source that produces no carbon dioxide, because the energy it contains comes from the sun. When plant matter is burned, it gives off the sun’s energy. In this way, biomass serves as a sort of natural battery(电池) for storing the sun’s energy. As long as biomass is produced continuously —-with only as much grown as is used— the “battery” lasts forever.
According to the Energy Information Administration, biomass has been one of the leading renewable energy sources in the United States for several years running through 2007, making up between 0.5 and 0.9 percent of the nation’s total electricity supply. In 2008—-although the numbers aren’t all in yet—-wind power probably took over first place because of the rapid development of wind farms across the country.
Producing power from biomass helps reduce some 11 million tons of carbon dioxide each year. Some homeowners also try to make their own heat by using biomass materials. Such practice may save homeowner’s money, but it also produces a lot of pollution. So, the best way is to encourage power plants to use it.Why is biomass considered as “a sort of natural battery”?
| A．It burns simply plant matter. |
| B．It stores the energy from the sun. |
| C．It keeps producing electricity. |
| D．It produces zero carbon dioxide. |
We learn from the text that in 2008 ______.
| A．0.5~0.9 of power supply came from biomass |
| B．biomass might become the main energy source |
| C．there was a rapid growth of electricity production |
| D．Wind power would be the leader of renewable energy. |
Why does the author encourage power plants to use biomass?
| A．To save money. |
| B．To prevent the waste of energy. |
| C．To reduce pollution. |
| D．To increase production safety. |
Where does the text probably come from?
| A．A book review. | B．A business report. |
| C．A research plan. | D．A science magazine |
The biggest threat to the future of Oxfordshire’s economy is transport.
That is the key finding of a major new report which interviewed more than 120 county companies. The results show 76 percent of the company owners and directors believe traffic jams and the quality of transport are affecting their business.
More than 30 percent say this is costing them dearly in the form of extra fuel(燃料) costs, while some say the situation of being stuck in jams on key roads such as the A34 and A40 every day is making it harder to employ workers.
But lack of safer cycling plans is encouraging 72 percent of people to continue to go to work by car.
The report has led the government to try to work out a solution to the situation on the county’s crowded roads.
Nicola Blackwood, an official of Oxfordshire, recently brought transport minister Stephen Hammond to the county and said he became stuck in a traffic jam on the A34.
As a result, he has promised that he will aim to look at entire roads, rather than individual projects such as improving junctions (交叉路口).
Ms Blackwood said: “If we are able to achieve anything like our economic growth, we need to solve the problems that not only affect the new companies but also the growth of existing local businesses. What I want to see most of all is the quick production of a plan to solve the problem of the A34.”
John Cardy, co-founder of Garden Games, said he had considered moving his business from a farm in Garford to Witney but traffic fears had made him reconsider. He added: “Most of our employees were not prepared to use the A40 which is always crowded.”According to the report, _____.
| A．the A34 and A40 are the most crowded roads |
| B．more and more workers are losing their jobs |
| C．companies spend more on fuel than before |
| D．there is a serious lack of fuel |
What do we know about the report mentioned in the text?
| A．It aims to develop safer cycling plans. |
| B．It focuses on the unemployment problem. |
| C．It has attracted the government’s attention. |
| D．It is based on Stephen Hammond’s experience. |
According to Ms Blackwood, what’s the most important thing to do?
| A．To solve the problem of heavy traffic. |
| B．To limit the growth of new businesses. |
| C．To invite the transport minister to Oxfordshire. |
| D．To find ways to develop the county’s economy. |
John Cardy’s worry shows _____.
| A．his employees are always caught in traffic jams on the A40 |
| B．most of his employees aren’t satisfied with him |
| C．transport is holding back business growth |
| D．business growth leads to traffic jams |
How Children Succeed, by Paul Tough
Journalist Tough spent five years reporting his previous (先前的) book, Whatever It Takes, a description of education activist Geoffrey Canada and the families influenced by his organization, the Harlem Children’s Zone. In this 2012 follow-up, Tough sets out to answer the difficult questions raised by Whatever It Takes: Why do some kids — particularly poor ones — succeed while others fail? And how can parents and educators help guide more children towards success?
The Death and Life of the Great American School System, by Diane Ravitch
Ravitch, a professor in New York University, takes a hard look at how public education has changed over the past twenty years, offering a reasoned explanation of popular policies, such as the emphasis (强调) on testing, and a solution (解决方法) to how to improve America’s schools.
Saving the School, by Michael Brick
When Anabel Garza became headteacher of Reagan High in Austin, Tex, she was faced with a large number of seemingly very difficult problems: A high dropout rate (辍学率) and low test scores. But as Brick writes Saving the School, a first-hand account of a year in the life of Reagan High, Garza, along with other teachers, was determined to turn things around for her school and her students.
The Flat World and Education, by Linda Darling -Hammond
While scores on the tests required by “No Child Left Behind” have steadily (平稳地) risen, America’s students are always falling behind on international testing measures. Why? According to Stanford education professor Darling-Hammond, it’s because U.S. schools, “designed at the turn of the last century,” are in need of a complete change. In this book, she describes the latest education models used by schools all over the world, which she argues could offer a long-term road map to changing the American public school system.Which book answers questions from another book?
| A．Saving the School. |
| B．How Children Succeed. |
| C．The Flat World and Education. |
| D．The Death and Life of the Great American School System. |
Who writes about a particular high school?
| A．Diane Ravitch. | B．Michael Brick. |
| C．Paul Tough. | D．Linda Darling-Hammond. |
Both Diane and Linda are offering measures to _____.
| A．cut down the dropout rate |
| B．help students get high scores |
| C．improve schools in America |
| D．guide more children to success |
Imagination and fantasy(幻想) can play an important role in achieving the things we fear. Tom, a four-year-old boy with a cancer in his back bone, knew this very well. Fred Epstein, in his book If I Make It to Five, tells a story he heard from one of friends about Tom. He came through several operations and a lot of pain by mastering his imagination.
Tom loved to pretend, and he particularly loved to play superheroes. Dr. Epstein explained that it was actually a wonderful way for his young mind to manage the terrifying and painful life he led.
The day before his third trip to the operating room, Tom was terribly afraid. “Maybe I could go as Superman,” he said to his mom. Hearing this, the mother hesitated (犹豫) for a while. She had avoided buying the expensive costume (戏装), but finally she agreed.
The next day Tom appeared as the powerful Superman, showing off through the hospital halls and coolly waving his hand to the people greeting him along the way. And Tom, with the strength of his fantasy, successfully made it through the operation.
The power of imagination need not be reserved for children only. we all have the power to use our fantasies to attempt things we never thought possible, to go through those things that seem impossible, and to achieve what we never believed we could. Just as Dr. Epstein puts it, “If you can dream it, you can do it.”
It doesn’t mean that you should dress as a superhero for your next job interview. But, next time you are tested in a way that seems impossible, imagine what it would take to overcome it. Become the person you need to become to win over your challenge and do it in your mind first. So, let your imagination run wild, and dare to dream.What do we know about Tom?
| A．He was seriously ill | B．He was a dishonest boy. |
| C．He was crazy about magic. | D．He was Dr. Epstein’s patient. |
What can be inferred about Tom’s mother?
| A．She was a rich lady. |
| B．She refused Tom’s request. |
| C．She wanted Tom to be a superhero. |
| D．She wanted to get Tom through the pain. |
When Tom went for the third operation, he ______.
| A．pretended to be painful | B．acted like a superhero |
| C．appeared in poor spirits | D．argued with his mother |
In the last paragraph, you are advised ______.
| A．to go through some difficult tests |
| B．to wake up from your wild dreams |
| C．to become a powerful person in your mind |
| D．to wear expensive clothes for job interviews |
What is the purpose of the passage?
| A．To tell us an interesting story. |
| B．To help us make right decisions. |
| C．To advise us to care about children. |
| D．To encourage us to use our imagination. |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号