We can begin our discussion of “population as a global issue” with what most person mean when they discuss “ the population problem”: too many people on earth and a too rapid increase in the number added each year. The facts are not in dispute. It was quite right to employ a similar matter that linked demographic(人口统计学）growth to “ a long, thin power fuse that burns steadily from time to time until it finally reaches the limit, and explodes”.
To understand the current situation, which is characterized by rapid increases in population, it is necessary to understand the history of population trends. Rapid growth is a comparatively recent phenomenon. Looking back at the 8,000 years of demographic history. We find that population have been really stable or growing very slightly for most of human history. For most of our ancestors, life was hard, often nasty, and very short. For most of human history, it was seldom the case that one in ten persons would live past forty, where infancy and childhood were especially risky periods. Often, societies were in clear danger of extinction because death rates could exceed their birth rates. Thus, the population problem throughout most of history was how to prevent extinction of the human race.
This pattern is important to know. Not only does it put the current problems of demographic growth into a historical perspective, but it suggests that the cause of rapid increase in population in recent years is not a sudden enthusiasm for more children, but an improvement in the conditions that traditionally have caused high rate of death.
Demographic history can be divided into two major periods: a time of long, slow growth which extended from about 8000B.C. till approximately 1650 A.D. And a period of rapid growth since 1650. In the first period of some 9,600 years, the population increased form some 8 million to 500 million in 1650. Between 1650 and the present, the population has increased from 500 million to more than 4 billion. And it is estimated that by the year 2020 there will be 8 billion people throughout the world. One way to appreciate this dramatic difference in such abstract numbers is to reduce the time frame to something that is more manageable. Between 8000B.C. and 1650, an average of only 50,000 persons was being added annually to the world’s population each year. At present, this number is added very six hours. The increase is about 80,000,000 persons annually.
1.According to the passage, “population as a global issue” ____.
A. is quite unlike the population problem and thus doesn’t need our concern
B. focuses on tracking down the reason of rapid population growth
C. deals with the same problem aroused by the population problem
D. will manage the population growth problem from global perspectives
2.It can be inferred from the example of a power fuse that _____.
A. too much population will one day lead to the doom of human beings
B. the trend of population growth will keep unsteady until the destruction of Earth
C. demographic growth will follow a certain pattern of ups and downs
D. it is likely in the near future that population will reduce gradually
3.What leads to a stable growth of population for most of human history?
A. Species competition B. Low fertility C. Tribal fights D. High rate of death
4.The reason for a rapid growth of population lies in the fact that ______.
A. people are permitted to have more children
B. people can live better than before
C. newborn babies die less than before
D. we have found the secret of longevity
5.How many people are born every six hours at present, according to the author?
A. Eighty million. B. Eight thousand
C. Fifty thousand D. Five million
On the high-speed train Avignon to Paris, my husband and I landed in the only remaining seats on the train, in the middle of a car, directly opposite a Frenchwoman of middle years. It was an extremely uncomfortable arrangement to be looking straight into the eyes of a stranger. My husband and I pulled out books. The woman produced a large makeup case and made up her face. Except for a lunch break, she continued this activity for the entire three-hour trip. Every once in a while she surveyed the car with a bright-eyed glance, but never once did she catch my eye. My husband and I could have been a blanket wall.
I was amused, but some people would have felt uncomfortable , even repulsed(厌恶的）.there is something about making up in public that calls up strong emotional reactions. Partly it’s a question of hygiene. And it’s a matter of degree. Making up --- a private act--- has a way of neglecting the presence of others. I was once seated at a party with a model-actress who immediately waved a silly brush and began dusting her face at the table, demonstrating that while she was next to me, she was not with me.
In fact, I am generally prohibited from making up in public, except when I am in the company of cosmetics moment. In a gathering more professional than social, I would do so.
Kathy Peiss, a history professor at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst says that nose-powdering in the office was an occasion for outrage in 1920’s and 30’s. Deploring the practice as a waste of company time, trade journals advises managers to discourage it among workers. Peiss theorizes that it was female’s making up in what has been an all-male field that disturb some gentlemen.
Peiss tells me that after the 30’s , pulling out a make-up case was no longer an issue. It became an accepted practice. I asked if she feels free to apply lipstick at a professional lunch herself. Sounding mildly shocked, she says she would save that for the privacy of her car afterward. Why? Because it would be “a gesture of inappropriate feminity(女性化）.” One guess is that most professional women feel this way. There is evidence of the popularity of the new lipsticks that remain in place all day without retouching.
1.According to the author, “My husband and I could have been a blanket wall.” (Line 6, Para.1) most probably means “________”.
A. We were treated with an expressionless face.
B. We looked at the French woman expressionlessly
C. We used books as a wall to avoid the woman’s eyes
D. We were of no existence in the French woman’s eyes
2.In the author’s opinion, she _______.
A. allows public making up on certain occasions
B. feels comfortable when making up in public
C. only makes up on social occasions
D. makes up before any professional gatherings
3.According to Peiss, nose powdering in an office was criticized mainly for the reason that ____.
A. normal office work was disturbed
B. it discouraged women’s interest in career
C. make dominance was emphasized there
D. it distracted make workers’ focus on work
4.Why do most professional women give up using lipsticks in public?
A. Because they are worried about being looked down upon
B. Because it emphasizes their female features in wrong situations
C. Because it implies women’s disadvantages in academic fields
D. Because they are ashamed to be seen making up in front of males/
5.It can be inferred that in a highly open society, the differences between men and women ______.
A. have attracted little attention
B. hinder the social development
C. are attractive topics in talk shows
D. still call for great concern
How can we measure animals’ emotions? A new study of animal’s emotions suggests that, as in humans, emotions can tell animals about how dangerous their world is, and guide the choices that they make. The article of the study by Bristol University’s professor Mike Mendl was published online.
An animal living in an environment where it is often threatened by predators(捕食者）will develop a negative emotion or “mood”, such as anxiety. However, one in an environment with plenty of opportunities to get resources for survival will be in a more positive mood state.
The researchers say that these emotional states not only show the animal’s experiences, but also help it decide how to make choices, especially in unclear situations. This could have good or bad results. An animal in a negative mood state will make a safety-first with a “pessimistic” response to an unclear event. For example, it considers a noise in the grass as a signal of the predator. At the same time, an animal in a positive mood state will benefit from a more “optimistic” response. It considers the noise as a signal of prey(猎物）.
Professor Mike Mendl, head of the Animal Welfare and Behavior Research Group at Bristol University’s School of Clinical Veterinary Science said, “ We can use “optimistic” or “pessimistic”decision-making as a symbol of an animal’s emotional state. Recent studies by our group and others suggest that this is a meritorious new approach to studying a variety of animal species.”
“Public interest in animal welfare remains high, with widespread concern about the way in which animals are treated, used and included in society. To understand how animals should be treated, we need to better understand their emotional lives,” Mike Mendl said. The researchers believe Mike Mendl’s study can help them to better understand and assess an animal’s emotions.
1.When an animal is in a negative mood state, _______.
A. its response to an unclear event is pessimistic
B. it will pay little attention to an unclear event
C. it is easy for it to make right decisions
D. it has more opportunities to get food
2.The underlined word “meritorious” in Paragraph 4 can be replaced by “_______”.
A. valuable B. useless C. fashionable D. hopeless
3.We can infer from the passage that ________.
A. the animals with positive emotions live longer
B. there is no way to assess an animal’s emotions
C. few people care about animal welfare nowadays
D. the environment can influence animal’s emotions
4.Mike Mendl advised people to better understand animal’s emotions in order to _____.
A. tell people to build more protected areas for animals
B. explain animals should be regarded as people’s friends
C. raise people’s interest in studying animals
D. make people know how to treat animals properly
5.What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Different kinds of Animals’ Emotions
B. Emotions Helps Animals to Make Choice
C. The Living Environment of Wild Animals
D. The Best Way to Measure Animals’ Emotions
Directions: Complete the following passage by filling in each blank with ONLY ONE WORD that best fits the context.
In our day to day life we have so many tasks in our to-do list. Some are smaller, some are bigger, some are highly important and __1.___ are least important. We keep working __2.__ these throughout our lives. Sometimes we prioritize and sometimes we don’t. However I would emphasize that ___3.__ we prioritize the tasks, our daily lives can improve dramatically.
However, do you really understand the differences __4.__ urgent and important? ___5.__ really matters if you do.
“important” is something which can not and should not be ignored at any cost. “Urgent” means that a quick action is required to be done as soon as possible. Sometimes, urgent things are not very important, for example, turning a running tap off to avoid wastage of water __6.__ save the bills. However there are times __7.__ urgent things are most important as well, for example, helping __8.__ crying baby in the kitchen due to the fire stove.
Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B,C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.
I hadn’t even got a chance to enter the store before an African American woman approached me and asked if I would help her return an item. The item she has _____ was intended for her daughter, but she had already received a similar one. The lady _____ to exchange the item for something else in the store but she was told she needed an ID or the deal could not take place.
I went to the ____ with the woman so we could use my ID. The sales associate immediately started ______ her of asking the first random person she saw to help her. Although that was ___ , I didn’t understand why it mattered. After all, not everyone is given the opportunity to ____ an ID in this country.
Then, we asked to speak with a manager, who explained that there was no way to return the item without a receipt and then went on to say the woman could not ______ she purchased the item.
“If I , a young white female, were to enter the store and request you to make an exchange without a receipt, I would not be _____ the privilege--- as I have proof from the past.” I said. He must have realized at that moment what he had done, because he _____ to exchange the item.
There are many valuable lessons in the story. The first is to help a stranger in need. I hesitated when the woman asked for my help, but ______ in my hand I asked myself, “ Why not? What valid reasons do I usually have?” I had none, so I helped her.
The second lesson is not to judge a book by its ______. The woman looked poor, but she _____ the same treatment as anyone else does.
1.A. purchased B. shown C. lost D. mended
2.A. managed B. wanted C. refused D. promised
3.A. counter B. department C. market D. window
4.A. warning B. informing C. reminding D. accusing
5.A. wrong B. true C. reasonable D. meaningful
6.A. leave B. pay C. find D. obtain
7.A. answer B. prove C. support D. admit
8.A. ordered B. asked C. denied D. given
9.A. agreed B. prepared C. failed D. remembered
10.A. totally B. gradually C. hardly D. quickly
11.A. design B. cover C. content D. price
12.A. deserved B. required C. received D. appreciated
Thanks to the Party’s opening and reform policy, people in China are _____ than they were thirty years ago .
A. worse off B. much better off C. more better off D. quite better off
