Olaf Stapledon wrote a book called First and Last Men, in which he looked millions of years ahead. He told of different men and of strange civilizations（文明），broken up by long "dark ages" in between. In his view, what is called the present time is no more than a moment in human history and we are just the First Men. In 2，000 million years from now there will be the Eighteenth or Last Men.
However, most of our ideas about the future are really very short-sighted. Perhaps we can see some possibilities for the next fifty years. But the next hundred? The next thousand? The next million? That's much more difficult.
When men and women lived by hunting 50，000 years ago, how could they even begin to picture modern life? Yet to men of 50，000years from now, we may seem as primitive（原始的）in our ideas as the Stone-Age hunters do to us. Perhaps they will spend their days gollocking to make new spundels, or struggling with their ballalators through the cribe. These words, which I have just made up, have to stand for things and ideas that we simply can't think of.
So why bother even to try imagining life far in the future? Here are two reasons. First, unless we remember how short our own lives are compared with the whole human history, we are likely to think our own interests are much more important than they really are. If we make the earth a poor place to live on because we are careless or greedy （贪婪）or quarrelsome, our grandchildren will not bother to think of excuses for us.
Second, by trying to escape from present interests and imagine life far in the future, we may arrive at quite fresh ideas that we can use ourselves. For example, if we imagine that in the future men may give up farming, we can think of trying it now. So set your imagination free when you think about the future. A particular mention made of Stapledon's book in the opening paragraph __________.
| A．serves as a description of human history |
| B．serves as an introduction to the discussion |
| C．shows a disagreement of views |
| D．shows the popularity of the book |
The text discusses men and women 50，000 years ago and 50，000 years from now in order to show that __________.
| A．human history is extremely long |
| B．life has changed a great deal |
| C．it is useless to plan for the next 50 years |
| D．it is difficult to tell what will happen in the future |
Spundels and ballalators are used in the text to refer to __________.
| A．tools used in farming |
| B．ideas about modern life |
| C．unknown things in the future |
| D．hunting skills in the Stone Age |
According to the writer of the text, imagining the future will __________.
| A．serve the interests of the present and future generations |
| B．enable us to better understand human history |
| C．help us to improve farming |
| D．make life worth living |
There are many reasons that goals go unfulfilled. For many, goal setting is a never ending circle that starts, stops, and begins again. To help us succeed in reaching our goals, let’s examine the reasons why many people fail at reaching them. Here are 7 Reasons That You Won’t Reach Your Goals:
1. You Don’t Have Any Goals
Too many people are afraid to “set” their goals. Afraid of failing. Afraid of disappointment. Well, you definitely won’t complete them if you don’t try. Make a choice and set your goals. Otherwise you will end up wherever life takes you.
2. You Don’t Start
OK, so you have a goal. What have you done about it? Have you started it yet? What are you waiting for? Procrastination is responsible for the failure of many goals.
3. You Aren’t Willing to “Buy” Your Goals
Yes, you have to buy your goals. Why? Because every goal has a price. It has a cost. Time. Money. Sweat. Sacrifice. You will have to “pay” for your goals in some manner.
4. Your Goals Are Unrealistic.
Make sure that your goals are possible and that you set an adequate time frame for success.
5. You Won’t Stick With It
Over half of goals will be given up within 30 days. You set your goals .You started them. And then...you gave up. Are you using life’s daily happenings as excuses? Goals are not reached through one effort. Rather, they are made in small steps over time.
6. You Will Fail...And You Won’t Get Back Up!
No one succeeds immediately. Those who appear to have effortlessly succeeded have usually put in years of preparation and practice. You have to fall down many times before you will succeed. Skill is learned by doing.
7. You Quit Before The Finish Line
Too many people stop...right before the finish line. It’s almost like they are afraid of succeeding. Often a life event is used as the reason for not finishing. Something always comes up before you finish.
Are you reaching your goals? Which of these is keeping you from succeeding? Set your goals. Stay the course. Always get back up when you fail. And make sure you cross the finish line.What’s the author’s purpose of writing this passage?
| A．To remind people of the importance of setting life goals. |
| B．To convince people of keeping to their life goals. |
| C．To clarify the reasons leading to the failure of achieving goals. |
| D．To persuade people to have big life goals. |
What’s the probable meaning of the underlined word “procrastination” in the second tip?
| A．hesitation | B．delay | C．importance | D．contradiction |
According to the passage, you will not reach you goals, if you _______.
| A．are not willing to spend money seeking helping hands. |
| B．do not take time to make plans for them. |
| C．do not let life take you where it goes. |
| D．are not afraid of succeeding. |
What can be learned from the sixth tip?
| A．He who has hope has everything. |
| B．Two heads are better than one. |
| C．Practice makes perfect. |
| D．Keeping up contributes to success. |
Humans might be the most highly-evolved species on the planet, but most animals possess skills we can only dream of having. Imagine how much electricity we could save if we could see in the dark the way cats do. Imagine leaping from tree to tree like a monkey. Giraffes, which are otherwise calm and good-natured, sleep only 4.6 hours a day.
We realized a long, long time ago that nature provides the best blueprint for invention. We’ve borrowed canals from beavers and reflectors from cat’s eyes. Although the words “bionics”(仿生学) became popular only after the 1960s, history shows that nature has always provided ideas on solving everyday problems. Our archives(档案) don’t go back to the time of Leonardo da Vinci and his bird-like flying machines, but we can take you to the late 19th century, where we applied those same principles for building our first practical airplanes.
To prepare for their flight at Kitty Hawk, the Wright brothers studied the movements of pigeons to figure out how they stayed high up when they were heavier than air. Their success inspired scores of successors to improve on the airplane by studying various aspects of nature. One of Orville Wright’s pupils caught and stuffed seagulls to examine their wingspan. Meanwhile, two French inventors examined spinning sycamore(梧桐) seeds in an effort to apply those same motions, reversed, to a helicopter .
Some examples are more obvious than others. The outside of the airplane designed by the Wright brothers looks like a minimalistic(简单抽象艺术) structure. On the other hand, Barney Connett’s fish submarine actually looks like a fish.
Some bio-inspired concepts have yet to be invented. In the 1960s, the US Army commissioned several university professors to conduct research on the motor skills animals in hope of applying those same abilities to tanks. Tanks that run like horses or jump like grasshoppers(蚂蚱)-sounds shocking, doesn’t it? But imagine how life would change if we could achieve that.“Cats”, “monkeys” and “giraffes” mentioned in paragraph 1 are examples to show______.
| A．they are highly-evolved species as humans |
| B．animals have skills that humans do not possess |
| C．humans can learn animals’ skills |
| D．they are skillful in different ways |
What happened after the Wright brothers’ success?
| A．People carried out a systematic study on pigeons. |
| B．People studied more animals and plants to develop the airplane. |
| C．People could fly their airplane for fun. |
| D．People kept their airplane at a French gallery. |
Which of the following is true about the research carried out by the US Army?
| A．It has cost a large sum of money. |
| B．It has changed our life. |
| C．It has improved the abilities of tanks |
| D．It has not succeeded yet. |
What does the writer want to tell in the passage?
| A．many inventions get ideas from nature. |
| B．Some animals possess unique skills. |
| C．People should protect nature. |
| D．Bionics is far from perfect |
Rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are a major cause of climate change, and now a new study has confirmed that atmosphere CO2 is also affecting the ocean chemistry and potentially harming sea life.
Montana State University scientist Robert Dore has been researching the water in the Pacific Ocean for almost two decades. “We’ve been going to the same spot in the Pacific Ocean, and we try and characterize long-term change in the open ocean environment. And one of the key things that we measure is CO2 levels. And we’ve been able to record this increasing quantity of atmosphere CO2 into the ocean.”
Scientists expected that as atmosphere CO2 increased, more and more of the carbon dioxide would be absorbed into the ocean, affecting the chemical balance of the sea water, with a potentially harmful impact on shellfish and coral in particular.
“As carbon dioxide dissolves in the water or seawater in this case, it forms a weak acid, carbonic acid,” Dore explains. “And therefore, as the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere goes up and that exchanges with the surface seawater, it drives the pH down, and makes it more acidic.”
The seawater samples Dore and his colleagues have analyzed confirm what the theory predicts.
The effect was particular striking at about 250 meters down, and again at 500 meters. Dore and his colleagues came up with two possible explanations. It could be that surface water picked up CO2 and then moved to those depths. Or there could be a biological explanation.
“It’s important to realize that the oceans are really becoming acidic. And it can have negative impacts on a whole variety of sea life from fish to coral. It’s potentially catastrophic.”What can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Scientist Researching Seawater |
| B．Sea Life Facing Danger |
| C．Oceans Becoming More Acidic |
| D．Climate Change Affecting Seawater |
With the increase of atmospheric CO2, _______.
| A．more corals will appear in the sea |
| B．the chemical balance of the seawater is affected |
| C．the surface water is becoming warmer |
| D．the pH of the ocean out here has been increasing |
Which of the following shows the process of the impact of atmospheric CO2 on sea life?
a. Sea life is endangered.
b. CO2 goes into the surface water.
c. The ocean chemistry is affected.
d. CO2 decreases the pH and makes the seawater more acidic.
e. CO2 levels in the atmosphere go up.
| A．a→b→c→d→e | B．e→b→c→d→a |
| C．a→e→b→c→d | D．e→d→c→b→a |
Scientist Robert Dore came to the conclusion based on_______.
| A．the expectation of other scientists |
| B．some former theory |
| C．his research and analysis |
| D．a major cause of climate change |
You have the ability to decide if you are happy or not. Happiness is a choice.
You can't depend on someone else to make you happy. That is a lesson I learned early on in my marriage. I realized that I couldn't rely on my husband as my source of happiness. I learned that my happiness depended on me and not my husband's actions. I learned that you have to choose to be happy.
You can choose your emotions. True happiness comes from within; it can't be forced by outside forces. So how do you choose happiness? The same way you choose to smile or choose to wear a certain outfit. You choose it because that's what you want to experience in your life.
You want to buy a new pair of shoes so you choose a pair that you like and feel good. You wouldn't buy a pair of shoes that you don't like or that don't fit well, right? So why do we keep choosing emotions and feelings that don't make us feel good?
Choosing to be happy after you realize your anger has shown up (or even choosing to be calm) can be beneficial. We choose our feelings; no one can do that for us. If we let others get to us, influence our emotions ---we are giving them power over us. When others cause us anger or pain, we are giving them our power.
We need to keep our feelings in check and not react automatically to what is thrown at us. We need to think our actions out instead of just reacting to what someone says or does.
Remember that we can always choose happiness. At first it will be difficult to just switch your thoughts and feelings from anger, self-doubt, or fear to joy and happiness. But it is only a thought away. Don't dwell on what happens to you unnecessarily but realize what is causing you to feel that way. Realize that thoughts, feelings and emotions can change. Then move on and choose to be happy.What’s the best title of this passage?
| A．Choose to Be Happy | B．Pretend to Be Happ |
| C．Choose Your Emotions | D．Find Happiness |
The lesson the writer learned in her marriage is ________.
| A．balancing the relationship between the husband and wife is an art |
| B．one can’t rely on someone else to make himself or herself happy |
| C．she can depend on her husband to find happiness |
| D．happiness can be influenced by outside forces |
Why did the writer mention buying shoes?
| A．To offer advice on how to choose comfortable shoes. |
| B．To compare choosing shoes and choosing an outfit. |
| C．To help to move to the next paragraph easily. |
| D．To use it as an example to show the importance of choosing to be happy. |
The writer suggests that we should ________.
| A．hold back our feelings properly |
| B．let others control our feelings |
| C．respond immediately to others’ words |
| D．pay more attention to words than actions |
Some people will do just about anything to save money. And I am one of them. Take my family’s last vacation for example. It was my six-year-old son’s winter break from school, and we were heading home from Fort Lauderdale after a weeklong trip. The flight was overbooked, and Delta, the airline, offered us $400 per person in credits to give up our seats and leave the next day. I had a meeting in New York, So I had to get back. But that didn't mean my husband and my son couldn't stay. So I took off for home.
The next day my husband and son were offered more credits to take an even later flight. Yes, I encouraged一okay, ordered一them to wait it out at the airport, to "earn" more Delta Dollars. Our total take: $1,600. Not bad, huh?
Now some people may think I'm a bad mother and not such a great wife either. But as a big-time bargain hunter, I know the value of a dollar. And these days, a good deal is something few of us can afford to pass up.
I've made living looking for the best deals and exposing the worst tricks. I have been the consumer reporter of NBC's Today show for over a decade. I have written a lot of books including one titled Tricks of the Trade: A Consumer Survival Guide. And I really do what I believe in. I tell you this because there is no shame in getting your money’s worth. I’m also tightfisted(小气的) when it comes to shoes, clothes for my children, and expensive restaurants. But I wouldn't hesitate to spend on a good haircut. It keeps its longer, and it's the first thing people notice. And I will also spend on a classic piece of furniture. Quality lasts.Why did Delta give the author's family credits?
| A．They took a later flight. |
| B．They had early bookings. |
| C．Their flight had been delayed. |
| D．Their flight had been cancelled. |
What can we learn about the author?
| A．She seldom makes a compromise. |
| B．She is very strict with her children. |
| C．She rarely misses a good deal. |
| D．She is interested in cheap products. |
What does the author do?
| A．She's a teacher. |
| B．She's a housewife. |
| C．She's a businesswoman. |
| D．She's a media person. |
What does the author want to tell us?
| A．How to spend money wisely. |
| B．How to expose bad tricks. |
| C．How to reserve airline seats. |
| D．How to make a business deal. |
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