Britain is set to face an increase in cold winters, with up to one-in-seven hitting the UK with longer periods of time when temperatures are below freezing, a study has suggested．The prediction was based on research that found out how low solar activity affected winter weather patterns．

    However, the researchers were eager to stress that their findings did not suggest that the region was about to fall suddenly into a "little ice age"．The findings appear in the journal Environmental Research Letters．"We could get to the point where one-in-seven winters are very cold, as we had at the start of last winter and all through the winter before last," said co-author Mike Lockwood, professor of space environment physics at the University of Reading．

    Using the Central England Temperature （CET） record, the world's longest instrumental data series that dates back to 1659, the team said that in general temperatures during recent winters had been obviously lower than the longer-term temperatures．"The mean CET for December, January and February for the recent relatively cold winters of 2008 ~ 2009 and 2009~2010 were 3．50℃ and 2．53℃ respectively," they wrote． "However, the mean value for the previous 20 winters had been 5．04℃．The series of lower winter temperatures in the UK during the last three years had raised questions about the probability of more similar, or even colder, winters occurring in the future．"

    Last year．Professor Lockwood and colleagues published a paper that found a link between fewer sunspots and atmospheric conditions that "blocked" warm westerly winds reaching Europe during winter months, opening the way for cold easterly winds from the Arctic and Russia to sweep across the region．Professor Lockwood, while acknowledging that there were a range of possible meteorological factors （气象因素） that could influence blocking events, said the latest study moved things forward by showing that there was "improvement in the predictive skill" when solar activity was taken into consideration．

1.We can know from the second paragraph that _____．

    A．research shows that Britain will soon fall into an ice age

    B．Mike Lockwood's research focuses on space environment physics

    C．it was quite cold in Britain over the entire winter last year

    D．so far one-in-seven winters have been very cold in Britain

2.The．underlined word "mean" in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to "_____"．

A．average              B．stable           C．ungenerous       D．changeable

3.What can we infer from the last paragraph?

    A．It was sunspots that blocked warm westerly winds reaching Europe．

    B．Meteorological factors hardly have any influence on blocking events．

    C．The latest study done by Professor Lockwood was of little practical value．

    D．Considering solar activity or not affects the accuracy of weather forecasting．

4.What's the best title of the passage?

    A．Another big danger approaching the UK

    B．Research finds out solar activity is to blame for the cold

    C．UK faces more cold winters due to weaker solar activity

    D．Changes in weather patterns should be responsible for low solar activity

 

 

When did you last see a polar bear(北极熊）?On a trip to a zoo,perhaps?If you had attended a winter activity in New York a few years ago,you would have seen a whole polar bear club.These "Polar Bears" are people who meet frequently in the winter to swim in freezing cold water.That day,the air temperature was 3℃,and the water temperature was a little higher.The members of the Polar Bear Club at Coney Island,New York are usually about the age of 60.Members must satisfy two requirements.First,they must get along well with everyone else in the group;this is very important because there are so many different kinds of people in the club.Polar Bears must also agree to swim outdoors at least twice a month from November to February.

　　Dcotors don't agree about the medical effects of cold-winter swimming.Some are worried about the dangers of a condition in which the body's temperature drops so low that finally the heart stops.Other doctors,however,point out that there is more danger of a heart attack during summer swimming because the difference between the air temperature and water temperature is much greater in summer than in winter.

　　The Polar Bears themselves are satisfied with the benefits of cold-water swimming.They say that their favorite form of exercise is very good for the circulatory system(循环系统）because it forces the blood to move fast to keep the body warm.Cold-water swimmers usually turn bright red after a few minutes in the water.A person who turns blue probably has a very poor circulatory system and should not try cold-water swimming.

　　The main benefits of cold-water swimming are probably mental.The Polar Bears love to swim all year round;they find it fun and relaxing.As one 70-year-old woman says,"When I go into water,I pour my troubles into the ocean and let them float away."

72.The members of the Polar Bear Club must meet the following requirements except that_____.[来源:学+科+网]

　　A.they must swim outdoors at least 8 times in the four cold months

　　B.they must reach the age of 60

　　C.they should be easy to make friends with

　　D.they must agree to swim outdoors from November to February

73.According to the passage,some doctors believe it is true that_____.

　　A.Polar Bears are bears swimming in freezing water

　　B.cold-water swimming can make the body temperature dangerously high

　　C.you are healthy if cold-water swimming turns your skin color blue

　　D.cold-water swimming causes more heart attacks in summer than in winter

74.The Polar Bears like to swim year-round,for_____.

　　A.it is an easy way ot keep the body warm in winter

　　B.they can remain young

　　C.they find it enjoyable and interesting

　　D.they might meet fewer troubles in life

75.The passage is mainly about_____.[来源:]

　　A.the requirements of the Polar Bear Club

　　B.a group of cold-water-swimming livers

　　C.the Polar Bears' life in New York

　　D.doctors' ideas about cold-water swimming

 

Have you winterized your horse yet? Even though global warming may have made our climate more mild, many animals are still hibernating(冬眠)．It’s too bad that humans can’t hibernate．In fact, as a species, we almost did．

Apparently, at times in the past, peasants in France liked a semi-state of human hibernation．So writes Graham Robb, a British scholar who has studied the sleeping habits of the French peasants．As soon as the weather turned cold people all over France shut themselves away and practiced the forgotten art of doing nothing at all for months on end．

In line with this, Jeff Warren, a producer at CBC Radio’s The Current, tells us that the way we sleep has changed fundamentally since the invention of artificial(人造的) lighting and the electric bulb．

When historians began studying texts of the Middle Ages, they noticed something referred to as “first sleep”, which was not clarified, though．Now scientists are telling us our ancestors most likely slept in separate periods．The business of eight hours’ uninterrupted sleep is a modern invention．

In the past, without the artificial light of the city to bathe in, humans went to sleep when it became dark and then woke themselves around midnight．The late night period was known as ”The Watch” It was when people actually kept watch against wild animals, although many of them simply moved around or visited family and neighbours ．

According to some sleep researchers, a short period of insomnia(失眠) at midnight is not a disorder ．It is normal．Humans can experience another state of consciousness around their sleeping, which occurs in the brief period before we fall asleep or wake ourselves in the morning．This period can be an extraordinarily creative time for some people．The impressive inventor, Thomas Edison, used this state to hit upon many of his new ideas．

Playing with your sleep rhythms can be adventurous, as anxiety may set in．Medical science doesn’t help much in this case．It offers us medicines for a full night’s continuous sleep, which sounds natural; however, according to Warren’s theory, it is really the opposite of what we need．

The example of the French peasants shows the fact that________．

 A．people might become lazy as a result of too much sleep

 B．there were signs of hibernation in human sleeping habits

C．people tended to sleep more peacefully in cold weather

D．winter was a season for people to sleep for months on end

The late night was called “The Watch” because it was a time for people_______．

 A．to set traps to catch animals        B．to wake up their family and neighbours

 C．to remind others of the time       D．to guard against possible dangers

What does the author advise people to do?

 A．Sleep in the way animals do．    B．Consult a doctor if they can’t sleep．

 C．Follow their natural sleep rhythm．D．Keep to the eight-hour sleep pattern．

What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

A．To give a prescription for insomnia．   

B．To urge people to sleep less．

C．To analyze the sleep pattern of modern people．  

D．To throw new light on human sleep．

When did you last see a polar bear?On a trip to a zoo,perhaps?If you had attended a winter activity in New York a few years ago,you would have seen a whole polar bear club.These "Polar Bears" are people who meet frequently in the winter to swim in freezing cold water.That day,the air temperature was 3℃,and the water temperature was a little higher.The members of the Polar Bear Club at Coney Island,New York are usually about the age of 60.Members must satisfy two requirements.First,they must get along well with everyone else in the group;this is very important because there are so many different kinds of people in the club.Polar Bears must also agree to swim outdoors at least twice a month from November through February. 

Dcotors don't agree about the medical effects of cold-winter swimming.Some are worried about the dangers of a condition in which the body's temperature drops so low that finally the heart stops.Other doctors,however,point out that there is more danger of a heart attack during summer swimming because the difference between the air temperature and water temperature is much greater in summer than in winter. 

The Polar Bears themselves are satisfied with the benefits of cold-water swimming.They say that their favorite form of exercise is very good for the circulatory system(循环系统）because it forces the blood to move fast to keep the body warm.Cold-water swimmers usually turn bright red after a few minutes in the water.A person who turns blue probably has a very poor circulatory system and should not try cold-water swimming. 

The main benefits of cold-water swimming are probably mental.The Polar Bears love to swim all year round;they find it fun and relaxing.As one 70-year-old woman says,"When I go into water,I pour my troubles into the ocean and let them float away." 

1.The members of the Polar Bear Club must meet the following requirements except that_____. 

A．they must swim outdoors at least 8 times in the four cold months

B．they must reach the age of 60

C．they should be easy to make friends with

D．they must agree to swim outdoors from November through February

2.According to the passage,some doctors believe it is true that_____. 

A．Polar Bears are bears swimming in freezing water

B．cold-water swimming can make the body temperature dangerously high

C．you are healthy if cold-water swimming turns your skin color blue

D．cold-water swimming causes more heart attacks in summer than in winter

3.The Polar Bears like to swim year-round,for_____. 

A．it is an easy way ot keep the body warm in winter	B．they can remain young
C．they find it enjoyable and interesting	D．they might meet fewer troubles in life

4.The passage is mainly about_____. 

A．the requirements of the Polar Bear Club	B．a group of cold-water-swimming livers
C．the Polar Bears' life in New York	D．doctors' ideas about cold-water swimming

 

When did you last see a polar bear? On a trip to a zoo, perhaps? If you had attended a winter activity in New York a few years ago, you would have seen a whole polar bear club. These "Polar Bears" are people who meet frequently in the winter to swim in freezing cold water. That day, the air temperature was 3℃, and the water temperature was a bit higher. The members of the Polar Bear Club at Coney Island, New York are usually about the age of 60. Members must satisfy two requirements. First, they must get along well with everyone else in the group. This is very important because there are so many different kinds of people in the club. Polar Bears must also agree to swim outdoors at least twice a month from November through February.

　　Doctors do not agree about the medical effects of cold-water swimming. Some are worried about the dangers of a condition in which the body's temperature drops so low that finally the heart stops. Other doctors, however, point out that there is more danger of a heart attack during summer swimming because the difference between the air temperature and water temperature is much greater in summer than in winter.

The Polar Bears themselves are satisfied with the benefits (or advantages) of cold-water swimming. They say that their favorite form of exercise is very good for the circulatory system（循环系统）because it forces the blood to move fast to keep the body warm. Cold-water swimmers usually turn bright red after a few minutes in the water. A person who turns blue probably has a very poor circulatory system and should not try cold-water swimming.

　　The main benefits (or advantages) of cold-water swimming are probably mental. The Polar Bears love to swim year-round; they find it fun and relaxing. As one 70-year-old woman says. "When I go into the water, I pour my troubles into the ocean and let them float away."

1. The members of the Polar Bear Club must meet the following requirements except that

__________.

A．they must reach the age of 60

B．they should be easy to make friends with

C．they must swim outdoors at least 8 times in the four cold months

D．they must agree to swim outdoors from November through February

2. Doctors __________.

A．encourage people to take part in cold-water swimming actively

B．point out the possible danger of blood illness during cold-water swimming

C．believe swimming is helpful both in winter and in summer

D．have different ideas about the medical effects of cold-water swimming

3.According to the passage, some doctors believe it is true that __________.

A．you are healthy if cold-water swimming turns your skin color blue

B．cold-water swimming causes more heart attacks in summer than in winter

C．cold-water swimming can make the body temperature dangerously high

D．Polar Bears are bears swimming in freezing water

4.The Polar Bears like to swim all the year round, for __________.

A．they can remain young	B．it is an easy way to keep the body warm in winter
C．they find it enjoyable and interesting	D．they might meet fewer troubles in life

5. The passage is mainly about __________.

A．a group of cold-water swimming lovers

B．the polar bears' life

C．doctors' ideas about cold-water swimming

D．the requirements of the Polar Bear Club