If there is one thing scientists have to hear, it is that game is over. Raised on the belief of an endless voyage of discovery, they recoil(畏缩)from the suggestion that most of the best things have already been located. If they have, today's scientists can hope to contribute no more than a few grace notes to the symphony(交响乐)of science.
A book to be published in Britain this week, The End of Science, argues persuasively that this is the case. Its author, John Horgan, is a senior writer for Scientific American magazine, who has interviewed many of today's leading scientists and science philosophers(哲学家). The shock of realizing that science might be over came to him, he says, when he was talking to Oxford mathematician and physicist Sir Roger Penrose.
The End of Science provoked(激怒)a wave of denunciation(谴责)in the United States last year. “The reaction(反应)has been one of complete shock and disbelief，” Mr. Horgan says.
The real question is whether any remaining unsolved problems, of which there are plenty, lead themselves to universal solutions. If they do not, then the focus of scientific discovery is already narrowing. Since the triumphs(胜利)of the 1960s—the genetic code, plate tectonics(板块构造说), and the microwave background radiation that went a long way towards proving the_Big_Bang—genuine(真正的)scientific revolutions have been scarce. More scientists are now alive, spending more money on research, than ever. Yet most of the great discoveries of the 19th and 20th centuries were made before the appearance of state sponsorship, when the scientific enterprise was a fraction(小部分)of its present size.
Were the scientists who made these discoveries brighter than today's? That seems unlikely. A far more reasonable explanation is that fundamental(基础的)science has already entered a period of diminished returns. “Look, don't get me wrong，” says Mr. Horgan, “There are lots of important things still to study, and applied(应用的)science and engineering can go on forever. I hope we get a cure for cancer, and for mental disease, though there are few real signs of progress.”The sentence “most of the best things have already been located” could mean________.
| A．most of the best things have already been changed |
| B．most of the best things remain to be changed |
| C．there have never been so many best things waiting to be discovered |
| D．most secrets of the world have already been discovered |
John Horgan ________.
Ⅰ. has written a book entitled The End of Science
Ⅱ. has been working as an editor of Scientific American
Ⅲ. has been working many years as a literary critic
Ⅳ. is working as a science writer
| A．Ⅰand Ⅱ | B．Ⅰ only |
| C．Ⅰand Ⅳ | D．Ⅰ，Ⅱand Ⅳ |
There have not been many genuine scientific revolutions in the past few decades because________.
| A．there have been decreased returns in the research of fundamental science |
| B．there are too many important things for scientists to study |
| C．applied science and engineering take up too much time and energy |
| D．today's scientists are not as intelligent as those in the past |
The term “the Big Bang” probably refers to________.
| A．the genetic code theory |
| B．a theory of the origin(起源)of the universe |
| C．a geological theory |
| D．the origin and the power of atomic energy |
Many years ago，a French naturalist，the Count de Buffon，wrote some books about natural history．The books were a great success even though some critics did not like them．Some critics said，“Count Buffon is more of a poet than a scientist．”
Thomas Jefferson did not like what the Count had said about the natural wonders of the New World．It seemed to Jefferson that the Count had spoken of natural wonders in America as if they were unimportant．
This troubled Thomas Jefferson．He too was a naturalist，as well as a farmer，inventor，historian，writer and politician．He had seen the natural wonders of Europe．To him，they were no more important than those of the New World．
In 1788，Thomas Jefferson wrote about his home state，Virginia．While writing，he thought of its natural beauty and then of the words of the Count de Buffon．At that moment．Jefferson created a new word—belittle．He said．“The Count de Buffon believes that nature belittles her productions on this side of the Atlantic．”
Noah Webster，the American word expert，liked this word．He put it in this English language dictionary in 1806，“Belittle—to make small，unimportant．”
Americans had already accepted Jefferson’s word and started to use it．In 1797，the Independent Chronicle newspaper used the word to describe a politician the paper supported．“He is an honorable man，”the paper wrote，“so let the opposition try to belittle him as much as they please．”
In 1872，a famous American word expert decided that the time had come to kill this word．He said，“Belittle has no chance of becoming English．And as more critical writers of America，like those of Britain，feel no need of it，the sooner it is forgotten，the better．”
This expert failed to kill the word．Today．belittle is used where the English language is spoken．Why did Thomas Jefferson disagree with the Count de Buffon?
| A．The Count said something silly about the Atlantic． |
| B．The Count wasn’t a true scientist in natural history． |
| C．The Count was a poet from a different country． |
| D．The Count belittled the natural wonders in America． |
We can infer that Jefferson created the word“belittle”out of his ．
| A．anger | B．excitement | C．kindness | D．responsibility |
From the text we can know that ．
| A．all critics thought little of the Count de Buffon |
| B．Europe has better wonders than the New World |
| C．the word“belittle”survived from disagreements |
| D．word experts can change the future of a new word |
Which of the following is true of the word“belittle”?
| A．It is gradually accepted by people． |
| B．It was invented by the Count de Buffon． |
| C．It was used to describe nature． |
| D．The Independent Chronicle made it popular． |
What is the main idea of the text?
| A．How the word“belittle”came into being． |
| B．The argument about natural wonders． |
| C．Every word has a long history behind． |
| D．Noah Webster supported Jefferson’s idea． |
As the new semester begins，millions of college students across the country are trying hard to remember how best to write a paper-or，more likely，how best to delay that paper．
Procrastination is the thief of time and a lot of students suffer from it．They can spend whole days in the library doing nothing but staring into space，eating snacks，surfing the Internet，watching videos and looking at their pretty peers sitting around them，who，most likely，are doing nothing either．
Paralyzed by their habit to procrastinate，they write micro blogs about their fears，asking their online friends if they sometimes have the same issue．But this does nothing to solve their problems．
According to a recent report by the BBC，95 percent of us procrastinate at some point and 20 percent of the world’s population are procrastinators，complicating their lives with their continual delaying of tasks．
Procrastinators like to find excuses to justify their behavior，but BBC columnist Rowan Pelling says they are all wrong．Many procrastinators tell themselves they are perfectionists who work best under pressure．Pelling says this is nonsense，as work done at the last minute is more likely to have mistakes than work done on time．
She says the behavior of procrastinators often makes them feel flustered and ashamed，inconveniences others，and annoys loved ones．
Fortunately，social seientists have made tireless efforts to understand this behavioral shortcoming and offer strategies to control it．Piers Steel，a Canadian social scientist and author of The Procrastination Equation，believes humankind is“designed”to procrastinate．Nevertheless，he suggests a couple of good ways to get through the task at hand．
The first one is obvious：Break the task down into small pieces and work your way through them methodically．
The second is clever：Give a trusted friend a sum of money and tell them that if you don’t complete the task you have undertaken by a specific time，they can keep it or donate it to a cause you hate.What does the underlined word“Procrastination” in the second paragraph refer to?
| A．A bad habit of putting work or tasks off． |
| B．A thief who steals time and money in college. |
| C．A college student who learns nothing． |
| D．A study way of doing nothing in the library. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the text?
| A．College students can have their papers written if they delay them． |
| B．Many students don’t know what to do in the library． |
| C．Students can’t solve their procrastination by writing micro blogs． |
| D．20％of the procrastinators make their life complicated． |
According to Rowan Pelling，we can learn that procrastinators .
| A．can find reasonable excuses for their behavior |
| B．are able to work best under pressure |
| C．are more likely to avoid mistakes at work[] |
| D．may upset themselves and their loved ones more frequently |
Which of the following may Piers Steel support?
| A．Human beings are not born to be procrastinators． |
| B．Complete your tasks or work step by step． |
| C．Give your trusted friend money and ask him to help you finish your tasks． |
| D．You can’t control procrastination but you can avoid it． |
What’she best title of the text?
| A．Who steals my time? |
| B．The solutions to procrastination |
| C．I’ll do it tomorrow，I swear! |
| D．Don’t do nothing! |
In Singapore，most of us love window-shopping while some others enjoy having a picnic at East Coast Park or Changi Beach on sunny days．Singaporeans are never bothered by the occasional thunderstorm．However，we know that if it rains for long continuous periods，there will be more serious effects．Just recently the main shopping street of Orchard Road was flooded and some part of Bukit Timah was impassable(不能通行的)to traffic．People reacted by writing in to the newspaper to complain about this! We forget that other countries suffer much worse effects.
Elsewhere，heavy tropical(热带的)storms often result in floods that ruin crops especially in Thailand and Malaysia．This in turn usually means that the price of rice and vegetables here in Singapore will rise because we import these products from them．If there is a typhoon or tsunami，thousands of lives are lost too．This happened in Indonesia and Phuket in Thailand in 2004 and It serves to remind us of how Mother Nature can cause great damage．
Weather patterns in general have changed dramatically in recent years．Scientists believe that global warming and the resulting melting of the polar ice-cap has caused the level of the ocean to rise．This in turn causes flooding of low-lying areas in countries where the land is rather flat and some parts of which is below water level．It is believed that human activities have caused Mother Nature to show her extreme anger，so it is now important that we really work together to cut down on harmful activities，for example，illegal logging(伐木)or irresponsible forest-burning to clear land for farming．From Paragraph 1，we can see that most Singaporeans love ．
| A．making complaints |
| B．going out for picnics |
| C．doing window-shopping |
| D．traveling along the coast |
What will happen in Singapore if there are floods in its neighboring countries?
| A．Heavy tropical storms will follow shortly． |
| B．The price of rice and vegetables will go up． |
| C．Many people will write in to the newspaper． |
| D．More rice and vegetables will be imported． |
The underlined word“it”in Paragraph 2 refers to ．
| A．the arrival of heavy tropical storms |
| B．the import of rice and vegetables |
| C．the rising price of rice and vegetables |
| D．the loss of lives in natural disasters |
What’s the right order of the following events?
a．global warming b．the rise in ocean level
c．harmful human activities d．the flooding of low-lying areas
e．the melting of the polar ice-cap
| A．c→a→e→b→d | B．a→c→e→b→d |
| C．c→a→b→e→d | D．d→a→c→b→e |
What should we do in order not to make Mother Nature angry?
| A．Clear more land for farming． |
| B．Reduce harmful human activities． |
| C．Bring down the price of food． |
| D．Improve the quality of weather． |
On March 15．Dunes View Middle School held a contest for school bands．
Student bands tried out for the opportunity to perform at the school picnic，which will be held at the end of June．The winner of the contest was the band called Four Square.
“We’re very proud that we won the contest and are excited to perform at the picnic，” says Peter Zandt，who plays guitar in the band．“And since we hope to perform someday at other local places，like restaurants and parks，this will be a great first step.”
The contest was the creation of music teacher Mr．Lopez and drama teacher Ms．Cho. The two thought of the idea while discussing recent years' school picnics．“The picnic is one of the biggest events of the year，but it has become a bit formulaic，"said Ms．Cho．“The activities are the same every year .We thought that a performance by a student band would make the school picnic more interesting and fun．”
Mr．Lopez，Ms．Cho，and three other teachers judged the contest，which took place in the gym. To see if the bands could present a wide range of musical skills，the teachers asked them each to prepare two songs：one song with original words，and another in which students played instrumental music only．The judges finally chose the band Four Square as the winner of the contest．Four Square is a rock band with an unusual twist：it includes a violin player! The members of Four Square write their own songs and practice three times a week after schoo1．
Students and teachers agreed that the band competition was：a big success．All are looking forward to the school picnic in June．What can be the best title for the article?
| A．Famous Band Visits Schoo1． |
| B．Teachers Give Music Lessons． |
| C．Students Have Fun at School Picnic． |
| D．School Holds Student Band Contest． |
The underlined word“formulaic”in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to ____________．
| A．expensive | B．dull | C．1ong | D．uncertain |
Why did the teachers ask each band to play two songs?
| A．To decide which songs to play at the picnic． |
| B．To see if the bands could play a variety of songs． |
| C．To make sure the contest did not go on too long． |
| D．To make the concert more enjoyable for students． |
According to the article，what is unusual about the band Four Square?
| A．It is named after a popular children’s game． |
| B．Its members practice several times a week． |
| C．It is a rock band with a violinist． |
| D．Its members all play guitar． |
According to the article，what does the band Four Square hope to do in the future?
| A．Perform at the school picnic every year． |
| B．Perform in many different places． |
| C．Buy new instruments． |
| D．Record an album． |
Most city parks are places where you can escape from big，ugly structures of metal and stone．The Manhattan High Line is different．Raised 25 feet above the ground，this massive metal structure once supported a rail line．The line opened in 1934 but it was hardly used after the 1960s，and much of it was torn down．However，one stretch remained in a region of Manhattan．The railway structure was ugly and everyone knew that at some time，it would have to be removed．
But the High Line was not destroyed．In fact．now the old rail line serves as one of the most peaceful places in the city．The idea to change the rail line into a park came from Joshua David and Robert Hammond．In 1999，they attended a community meeting to decide the fate of the High Line．David and Hammond were the only people at the meeting interested in saving the historical structure. Later on，when they asked railway officials to take them up to look at the High Line，they saw a mile and a half of wild flowers growing in the middle of the city，and they realized that the High Line had potential to become a park．There was growing interest in improving urban centers，and so the project quickly gathered funds for construction．
The first section of the High Line opened in 2009 and immediately became popular with tourists and locals alike．Each part of the park has a different atmosphere．Some areas are like balconies with wonderful city views．Other sections have wide lawns and walkways planted with wild flowers．Only the final section remains the way it has been for the last fifty years—a railway line overgrown with weeds．What is the text mainly about?
| A．A park． | B．A train line． |
| C．City transport． | D．A historical monument． |
Which of the following is NOT true about the High Line?
| A．It is above ground level． | B．Only part of the line remains. |
| C．It is now a popular park． | D．Trains still use the line. |
Why did David and Hammond want to save the High Line at first?
| A．They thought it would make a good park． |
| B．They wanted to reopen the train line． |
| C．They thought it had historical value． |
| D．They were interested in improving the city. |
Why were people easily persuaded by David and Hammond’s idea?
| A．They wanted to make cities nicer places． |
| B．They wanted to see the wild flowers too. |
| C．They realized the High Line was important. |
| D．They knew that funds were available． |
We can infer from the last paragraph that the park is ______________.
| A．popular with tourists | B．similar to what it used to be |
| C．various in its design | D．1ike natural countryside |
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