閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的四個選項（A、B、C和D）中，選出最佳選項。

（一）

While students in Hainan are quite used to clear skies， Beijing teenagers are not so lucky. As another warm winter approaches， the city can expect the normal clouds of smoke caused by air pollution.

But things could start to get better soon. The government is co-operating with a US-based environmental protection agency to update existing buses and trucks with clean fuel technology. The new technology could reduce air pollutants in existing diesel vehicles[柴油機] by 40 per cent. The programme will begin by testing buses in Beijing to see if the technology can be applied to them.

“We encourage the development of public transportation. But at the same time we need to reduce pollution from them，” said an official.

Efforts are being made to improve the capitals environment with tighter controls on emissions[排放]. Some heavily polluting factories and construction sites， such as those owned by the steel giant Shougang Group， have been asked to cut production in November and December or be closed.

Beijing was the third polluted city in the world at the end of last century， according to the UN. But thanks to recent measures， the capital has made some progress. Last year 224 clear days were rated as having good air quality. In 1998 the air quality index[指數(shù)] gave just 100 days as good.

“I am glad to see an improvement，” said a Senior 1 boy living in the northwest of Beijing. “Compared to other places， the air quality of Beijing is still worrying though. I hate the pollution. Once I was riding my bike in the morning when I almost had a traffic accident because I couldnt see a car only metres away from me in frog.”

In early October， the skies were covered by such a thick fog that a display show by the visiting French air force was called off.

Rapid development， industry， traffic fumes[煙] and sandstorms from the desert all contribute to the citys bad air.

1. The passage is mainly about ________？

A. a programme to improve Beijings air quality

B. progress made in Beijings air quality

C. Beijings air pollution

D. the difference between Hainan and Beijing

2. Which of the following is not the measure taken or to be taken to improve Beijings air？

A. Clean fuel technology will be used in public transportation.

B. Some factories have been asked to cut production.

C. Some construction sites have been told to be closed.

D. A display show of airplanes has been called off.

3. We can infer from the passage that， with the aim of being an ecological[生態(tài)的] city by the 2008 Olympics， ________.

A. far more still needs to be done

B. nothing else needs to be done

C. all traffic has to be closed

D. the development of the city has to be slowed down

4. Which is not correct according to the passage？

A. Beijings air quality is getting worse and worse.

B. Development， industry， traffic fumes and sandstorms are all the causes of bad air quality.

C. Clouds of smoke in the sky is the common feature in the winter of Beijing.

D. The government is making every effort to stop air pollution.

（二）

Everyone has good days and bad days.

Sometimes， you feel as if youre on top of the world. But occasionally you feel horrible， and you lose things and you cannot focus on your schoolwork.

For more than 20 years， scientists have suggested that high self-esteem[自尊] is the key to success. Now， new research shows that focusing just on building self-esteem may not be helpful. In some cases， having high self-esteem can bring bad results if it makes you less likeable or more upset when you fail at something.

“Forget about self-esteem，” says Jennifer Crocker， a psychologist[心理學家] at the University of Michigan， US. “Its not the important thing.”

Feeling good

Crockers advice may sound a bit strange because it is good to feel good about yourself.

Studies show that people with high self-esteem are less likely to be depressed， anxious， shy， or lonely than those with low self-esteem.

But， after reviewing about 18，000 studies on self-esteem， Roy Baumeister， a psychologist at Florida State University， has found that building up your self-esteem will not necessarily make you a better person.

He believes that violent and wicked people often have the highest self-esteem of all. He also said： “Theres no evidence that kids with high self-esteem do better in school.”

Problems

All types of people have problems. People with high self-esteem can have big egos[自我] that can make them less likeable to their peers[同齡人]， said Kathleen Vohs， a psychology professor at Columbia University.

People with high self-esteem tend to think more of themselves， Vohs says. People with low self-esteem are more likely to rely on their friends when they need help.

What to do

Researchers say it is best to listen to and support other people. Find positive ways to contribute to society. If you fail at something try to learn from the experience. “The best therapy[藥方] is to recognize your faults，” Vohs says. “Its OK to say， ‘Im not so good at that， and then move on.”

5. The new research comes to the conclusion that high self-esteem ________.

A. is not important at all B. has taken on a different meaning

C. may not be the key to success D. does not help you do better at school

6. One of the conclusions of the new research is that ________.

A. feeling good about oneself doesnt mean you lead a happier life

B. people with high esteem usually do not seek others help

C. people with high esteem tend to be proud

D. people with low esteem are often more popular

7. The underlined part “a better person” in the passage probably means a person who is ________.

A. helpful and supportive B. gentle and modest

C. likable and successful D. friendly and kind

8. From the text， we can infer the best therapy mentioned in the last paragraph is mainly for people ________.

A. with high self-esteem

B. with low self-esteem

C. of all kinds

D. who are focusing on building self-esteem

（三）

The physicians in a hospital form the center of medical staff. But they could not provide effective medical care to their patients without the help of numerous other medical employees. From the viewpoint of the patients， the nursing staff is particularly important. Nurses are usually in close contact with patients as long as they are in the hospital.

A nurse does not study for as many years as a doctor. However， each must be equally dedicated. Caring for sick persons requires a great deal of patience and concern. Most nurses work long days， and they often must work at odd hours or during the night.

Under the supervision[監(jiān)管] of the head nurse， the nursing staff must provide nursing services on a 24-hour basis and attend to patients needs. This responsibility continues around the clock， and so nurses must work in shifts. A shift is a period of duty， usually eight in length. The nurses on the ward rotate their shifts. Some take turns working night duty; others work odd shifts.

A nurse must always be alert. She can never afford to be careless. This is true in all nursing situation， but it is especially true in the intensive care unit. Patients under intensive care are critically ill， and they must be monitored at all times. The nurses who do intensive care duty have one of the most demanding jobs in the hospital.

Serving as a nurse can be a very rewarding job. But it is not an easy one. Not every person is suited to become a nurse. Only very dedicated people have chosen nursing as a profession.

9. The nursing staff ________.

A. are central to the medical staff

B. play an important role in caring for patients

C. can work effectively without physicians

D. are always in close contact with the patients

10. Why dont nurses study for as many years as doctors？

A. They dont treat patients for illness and injury.

B. Most nurses work long days.

C. Caring for sick patients requires patience and concern.

D. They are not dedicated.

11. Nurses work in shifts because ________.

A. they are careless.

B. nursing services must be provided continuously.

C. they work at night from time to time.

D. a shift is usually eight hours long.

12. What kind of person is suited to become a nurse？

A. A very careful person.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? B. An able person.

C. A very dedicated person.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?D. A specially trained person.

（四）

A“l(fā)ost tribe” that reached America from Australia may have been the first Native Americans， according to a new theory.

If proved by DNA evidence， the theory will break long established beliefs about the southerly migration of people who entered America across the Bering Strait， found it empty and occupied it.

On this theory rests the belief of Native Americans to have been the first true Americans. They would be classified to the ranks of escapee， beaten to the New World by Aboriginals[土著人] in boats.

To a European， this may seem like an academic argument， but to Americans it is a philosophical question about identity， Silvia Gonzales， of Liverpool University said.

Her claims are based on skeletons found in the California Peninsula of Mexico that have skulls quite unlike the broad Mongolian features of Native Americans. These narrow-skulled people have more in common with southern Asians， Aboriginal Australians and people of the South Pacific Region.

The bones， stored at the National Museum of Anthropology[人類學] in Mexico City， have been carbon-dated and one is 12，700 years old， which places it several thousand years before the arrival of people from the North. “We think there were several migration waves into the Americas at different times by different human groups，” Dr. Gonzales said. “The timing， route and point of origin of the first colonization of the Americas remains a most contentious topic in human evolution.”

But comparisons based on skull shape are not considered conclusive by anthropologists， so a team of Mexican and British scientists， backed by the Natural Environment Research Council， has also attempted to take out DNA from the bones. Dr. Gonzales declined yesterday to say exactly what the results were， as they need to be checked， but indicated that they were consistent[一致] with an Australian origin.

13. It is generally considered that the first Native Americans came from ________.

A. North Asia B. Australia

C. South Pacific D. South Asia

14. The skeletons found in the California Peninsula of Mexico have ________.

A. the broad skull shape

B. the narrow skull shape

C. different features of Aboriginal Australians

D. the same features of Native Americans

15. The underlined “contentious” is similar in meaning to “________”.

A. likely to cause great interest B. difficult to solve

C. well-known to al D. likely to cause argument

16. Which of the following statements is true according to the text？

A. Research on skulls can draw an exact conclusion.

B. DNA tests have proved the fact that the first Native Americans came from Australian.

C. Scientists are still not sure about the origin of the Native Americans.

D. People began to enter America across the Bering Strait about 12，700 years ago.

（五）

Wild animals seem to have escaped the Indian Ocean tsunami[海嘯]， adding weight to ideas they possess a “sixth sense” for disasters， experts said on Thursday.

Sri Lanka wildlife officials have said the giant waves that killed over 24，000 people along the Indian Ocean islands coast seemingly missed wild beasts， with no dead animals found.

“No elephants are dead， not even a dead hare or rabbit. I think animals can sense disaster. They have a sixth sense. They know when things are happening，” H.D. Ratnayake， deputy director of Sri Lankas Wildlife Department， said on Wednesday.

The waves washed floodwaters up to 3 km （2 miles） inland at Yala National Park in the southeast， Sri Lankas biggest wildlife reserve and home to hundreds of wild elephants. “There has been a lot of evidence about dogs barking or birds migrating before volcanic eruptions or earthquakes. But it has not been proven，” said Matthew van Lierop， an animal behaviour specialist at Johannesburg Zoo.

“There have been no specific studies because you cant really test it in a lab or field setting，” he said.

Other authorities agreed with this conclusion.

“Wildlife seem to be able to pick up certain phenomenon， especially birds. There are many reports of birds detecting coming disasters，” said Clive Walker， who has written several books on African wildlife.

Animals certainly rely on the known senses such as smell or hearing to avoid danger such as predators[食肉動物].

The idea of an animal “sixth sense” is a lasting one that the evidence on Sri Lankas damaged coast is likely to add to.

17. This passage is mainly about________.

A. the damage that was caused in the Indian Ocean tsunami

B. why animals can save them from natural disasters

C. how to protect the wildlife when disaster happens

D. the different opinions about animals natural power

18. Which of the following is true according to the text？

A. It has been proved that animals have a “sixth sense”.

B. Research has been made on the special movements of animals before disasters.

C. Its generally considered that animals can sense the coming of disasters.

D. Animals have depended on the known senses to escape the Indian Ocean tsunami.

19. What does the term “sixth sense” in the text means？

A. It is the natural ability of animals that can save them from danger.

B. It is the animals imagination in the brain.

C. It is some hidden power to say in advance that something will happen.

D. It is a kind of sense that is the same as smell or hearing.

20. Which section does the text most probably appear in a newspaper？

A. News Report.? ? B. Discovery.

C. Science Fiction.? ? ? D. Culture.

參考答案與解析

1. C 主旨大意題。通讀全文我們不難發(fā)現(xiàn)作者是在談論“北京的空氣污染”。A、B兩項表示的是政府在治理過程中的措施和進展。D項明顯不符文意。

2. D 細節(jié)歸納題。航空飛行表演是因為濃霧被取消，這不是治理空氣污染的措施，恰恰是空氣污染造成的結果。

3. A 推理判斷題。根據(jù)短文中一位高一男生所說的：盡管在治理方面取得了一些進展，但仍然令人擔憂（the air quality of Beijing is still worrying though），由此可推斷：到2008年北京奧運會時北京要達到生態(tài)城市的目標，治理工作任重道遠。

4. A 細節(jié)判斷題。根據(jù)短文第五段“But thanks to recent measures， the capital has made some progress”可知，北京的空氣質(zhì)量比以前有所改善。去年空氣質(zhì)量指數(shù)達到良的為224天，而1998年只有100天。

5. C 細節(jié)理解題。短文第三段表述“二十多年來，科學家們認為高度自信是成功的關鍵”，但從第四段中的“Now， new research shows that focusing just on building self-esteem may not be helpful”一句可知“新的研究表明高度自信可能不是成功的關鍵”。

6. C 細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)短文中“People with high self-esteem can have big egos”和“People with high self-esteem tend to think more of themselves”兩句分析可知。

7. D 推斷題。從下文“He believes that violent and wicked people often have the highest self-esteem of all”一句推斷，句中的better 表示的意義必須是同violent and wicked的意義相反。

8. A 推斷題。從“藥方”的內(nèi)容上分析，建議人們放下架子，敢于承認錯誤，由此可推斷此“良方”是為過度自信的人所開的。

9. B 推斷題。根據(jù)短文第一段中的“they could not provide effective medical care to their patients…the nursing staff is particularly important.”兩句推斷可知。

10. A 推斷題。根據(jù)短文第三段中的“the nursing staff must provide nursing services on a 24-hour basis and attend to patients needs”一句可推斷，護士只為病人提供護理服務，不處理傷病。

11. B 細節(jié)題。分析第三段中的“This responsibility continues around the clock， and so nurses must work in shifts”一句可知。

12. C 歸納題。根據(jù)短文第二段“Caring for sick persons requires a great deal of patience and concern”及最后一句“Only very dedicated people have chosen nursing as a profession”可知。

13. A 推斷題。第二段的意義是“如果DNA檢測證實了這個理論的話，這將動搖長期以來人們一直堅信的觀點：一群往南遷徙的移民穿過白令海峽進入美洲后，發(fā)現(xiàn)無人在此居住，便占領了它?！?據(jù)此推斷可得。

14. B 細節(jié)題。根據(jù)第五段表述的意思“這些頭骨和美國土著居民那種蒙古人寬頭骨的特征極為不同。這些窄頭骨的人種和南亞人、澳洲土著和環(huán)南太平洋國家的人種有更多共同點?！笨芍?/p>

15. D 詞義猜測題?？茖W家一直在探討“誰是美洲最早的土著居民”這一問題，根據(jù)上下文可猜測出，在人類進化史上，最早在美國進行殖民活動的時間、路線和人口來源是一個最“有爭議的”話題。

16. C 事實確認題。本文提到的“新理論”和“長期以來人們一直堅信的觀點”都在探討研究之中。對于DNA檢測，岡薩雷斯博士拒絕透露確切的結果，因為研究結果還需要核對，他只是暗示這些DNA和澳大利亞人的血統(tǒng)是吻合的。由此可確認C是正確的。

17. B 主旨大意題。短文第一段提出了這樣一個事實：野生動物們似乎躲過了印度洋的海嘯。作者接下來極力想要揭示其中的奧秘，是不是真的因為動物有神秘的“第六感”呢？由此判斷可知。

18. C 事實細節(jié)題。短文中列舉一些權威人士的講話，如：斯里蘭卡負責野生動物的官員說，野生動物似乎都幸免于難，目前尚未發(fā)現(xiàn)一具動物的尸體;斯里蘭卡野生動物保護局副局長H·D·拉特納亞克說，“沒有大象喪生，甚至連野兔和兔子都活得好好的。動物們可以感覺到災難即將來臨。它們有第六感，能夠知道海嘯發(fā)生的時間”。南非約翰內(nèi)斯堡動物園的動物行為專家馬太·范倫內(nèi)普說，“每當火山爆發(fā)或地震發(fā)生前，動物們的行為就會發(fā)生許多異常，比如犬吠或鳥類遷徙”。其他權威人士同意這一看法。綜上所述：人們普遍持這種觀點。

19. C 詞義推測題。字面上的意義為“第六感”，根據(jù)短文第三段“I think animals can sense disaster. They have a sixth sense. They know when things are happening”進行推測，其含義為：動物的某種神秘力量能預測將要發(fā)生的事。

20. B 邏輯推理題。這次印度洋海嘯目前已造成成千上萬的人喪生，而動物卻能幸免，其中的奧秘有待去探究。由此推測此文可能是在報紙的“發(fā)現(xiàn)”版面上。而science fiction是“科幻”的意思，有較大的干擾性。