阅读理解

　　Is it possible that the people of the world today could agree upon a single international language that everyone would be able to speak and understand?

　　In the United Nations there are five official languages English, Chinese, Russian, French and Spanish. How about making one of them into an international language? English has been worked on for this purpose. A basic word list of about 850 English words named Basic English was made. These are the only verbs in the entire list:“come, go, give, keep, let, do, put, make, say, be, seem, may, will, have, send”. Writing in Basic English may require you to use a greater number of words——as in having to say“it came to my ears”instead of “I heard”——but you can still say anything you want to with about 850 different words and a few suffixes and prefixes. This is a much smaller number of words to have to memorize than the ordinary number offered to the students of a foreign language.

　　But people have always had a need to do more than simply“tell it as it is”. Language is for reporting not only one's work. For this, a language needs idioms, needs all kinds of grammar and style that reflect its history and development just as a person needs eyebrows. Is there some special reason why our lips should be a different color from our skin? Perhaps not, but this is how people——real people——are. For communication between people, languages in all diversity(各种各样)will remain to reflex the growth and soul of the societies that speak them.

(1)If we write a composition in Basic English, it will be ________.

[　　]

A．longer than usual

B．shorter than usual

C．hard for us to express what we want to

D．able to express ourselves in different style as we like to

(2)In the passage“tell it as it is”means ________.

[　　]

A．people can use Basic English to say what they want to

B．people think Basic English can express what they see or hear

C．people say what they want to according to the fact

D．tell something they like to

(3)This passage begins with a question. According to the writer's opinion, the answer to the question may be“________.”

[　　]

A．It will be possible in the future

B．It seems to be possible if people agree to use Basic English

C．It seems impossible that people can use a simple language to express themselves in various lives

D．It is impossible except that the five official UN languages are used at the same time

(4)Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

[　　]

A．The words used in Basic English are strictly limited to 850, and nothing more.

B．Basic English seems not to be so easy to learn.

C．Basic English can be used to express our complicated thought easily.

D．Basic English is not a natural development of the English language.

Scientists used to explore(探测)on the surface of the ocean. Now they are exploring below the surface， too. They want to know about ocean water and the plant and animal life deep in the ocean.

In 1934 the scientist William Beebe dived 3 000 feet below the surface in a hollow steel ball. In 1935 August Piccard dived 10 330 feet. In 1960 his son Jean dived to a depth of 35 800 feet.

All these early dives were deep. But the divers could not stay down for very long. They had to come back up to the surface after a few seconds. Scientists needed to stay down longer to study life below surface. Gradually they succeeded.Cousteau，a Frenchman，was able to keep men down to a depth of 36 feet for one month and to a depth of 90 feet for a week.

Now scientists are developing even better equipment. With this new equipment，men can stay below the surface for days or even weeks. In 1962 Cousteau set up a research station 35 feet below the surface. Then，in 1964，he set up another station on the ocean floor of the Red Sea.This was the first undersea station to operate without help from the surface.

Many countries are now studying undersea living. The former Soviet Union has an undersea laboratory in the Crimean Sea.The United States has a laboratory 50 feet down on the ocean floor off the Virgin Islands. In 1970 five men lived there for two weeks. Then a team of five women scientists stayed in the laboratory. Next came other teams of men. All were there to explore the ocean depths and to make plans for the use of its resources. Scientists hope to find enough mineral，vegetable，and animal wealth there to provide food for the entire world.

1.In order to　　　　 ，scientists are exploring below the surface of the ocean.

A.know about the ocean water deep in the ocean

B.stay down longer to study life of the plant and animal below the surface

C.know about the plant and animal life deep in the ocean

D.both A and C

2.Who made the deepest dive?

A.William Beebe.　　　　　　　　　　 B.August Piccard.

C.Jean Piccard.　　　　　　　　　　　 D.Cousteau.

3.Who set up the first undersea station?

A.A Frenchman.　　　　　　 　　　　　 B.An American.

C.A Russian. 　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.The passage made no mention.

4.Which of the following statements is true?

A.The early divers could not stay down for very long.

B.Up to now only five women scientists have stayed in the undersea laboratory.

C.The purpose of setting up the undersea laboratories is to make plans for the use of the resources in the ocean.

D.None of the above is true.

5.The author wants to tell us　　　　 .

A.that scientists try to explore the ocean depths

B.that scientists try to make use of resources in the ocean

C.about the secret of the plant and animal life in the ocean

D.both A and B

 

Most of us spend our lives seeking the natural world. To this end, we walk the dog, play golf, go fishing, sit in the garden, drink outside rather than inside the pub, have a picnic, live in the suburbs, go to the seaside, buy a weekend place in the country. The most popular free time activity in Britain is going for a walk. And when joggers (慢跑者) jog, they don’t run the streets. Every one of them automatically heads to the park or the river. It is my firm belief that not only do we all need nature, but we all seek nature, whether we know we are doing so or not.
But despite this, our children are growing up nature-deprived (丧失). I spent my boyhood climbing trees. These days, children are robbed of these ancient freedoms, due to problems like crime, traffic, the loss of the open spaces and strange new ideas about what is best for children, that is to say, things that can be bought, rather than things that can be found.
The truth is to be found elsewhere. A study in the US: families had moved to better housing and the children were assessed for ADHD (多动症). Those whose housing had more natural views showed an improvement of 19%; those who had the same improvement in material surroundings but no nice view improved just 4%.
A study in Sweden indicated that kindergarten children who could play in a natural environment had less illness and greater physical ability than children used only to a normal playground. A US study suggested that when a school gave children access to a natural environment, the entire school would do better in studies.
Another study found that children play differently in a natural environment. In playgrounds, children create a hierarchy (等级) based on physical abilities, with the tough ones taking the lead. But when a grassy area was planted with bushes, the children got much more into fantasy play, and the social hierarchy was now based on imagination and creativity.
Most bullying (恃强凌弱) is found in schools where there is a tarmac (柏油碎石) playground; the least bullying is in a natural area that the children are encouraged to explore. This reminds me unpleasantly of Sunnyhill School, with its hard tarmac, where I used to hang about in corners dreaming about wildlife.
But children are frequently discouraged from involvement with natural spaces, for health and safety reasons, for fear that they might get dirty or that they might cause damage. So, instead, the damage is done to the children themselves: not to their bodies but to their souls.
One of the great problems of modern childhood is ADHD, now increasingly and expensively treated with drugs. Yet one study after another indicates that contact with nature gives huge benefits to ADHD children. However, we spend money on drugs rather than on green places.
The life of old people is much better when they have access to nature. The most important for the growing population of old people is in quality rather than quantity of years. And study after study finds that a garden is the single most important thing in finding that quality.
In wider and more difficult areas of life, there is evidence to indicate that natural surroundings improve all kinds of things. Even problems with crime and aggressive behaviour are reduced when there is contact with the natural world.
Dr William Bird, researcher from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, states in his study, “A natural environment can reduce violent behaviour because its process helps reduce anger and behavior that people might regret later.” Wild places need encouraging for this reason, no matter how small their contribution.
We tend to think human beings are doing nature some kind of favor when we are protecting nature. The error here is far too deep: not only do humans need nature for themselves, but the very idea that humanity and the natural world are separable things is damaging.
Human beings are a species of animals. For seven million years we lived on the planet as part of nature. So we miss the natural world and long for contact with non-human life. Anyone who has patted a dog, stroked a cat, sat under a tree with a glass of beer, given or received a bunch of flowers or chosen to walk through the park on a nice day, understands that.
We need the wild world. It is necessary to our well-being, our health, our happiness. Without other living things around us we are less than human.
【小题1】What is the author’s firm belief?

A．People seek nature in different ways.

B．People should spend most of their lives in the wild.

C．People have quite different ideas of nature.

D．People must make more efforts to study nature.

【小题2】What does the author say people prefer for their children nowadays?

A．Personal freedom.	B．Things that are natural.
C．Urban surroundings.	D．Things that are purchased.

【小题3】What does a study in Sweden show?
　　A. The natural environment can help children learn better.
　　B. More access to nature makes children less likely to fall ill.
　　C. A good playground helps kids develop their physical abilities.
　　D. Natural views can prevent children from developing ADHD.
【小题4】Children who have chances to explore natural areas ________.

A．tend to develop a strong love for science

B．are more likely to dream about wildlife

C．tend to be physically tougher in adulthood

D．are less likely to be involved in bullying

【小题5】What does the author suggest we do to help children with ADHD?

A．Find more effective drugs for them.

B．Provide more green spaces for them.

C．Place them under more personal care.

D．Engage them in more meaningful activities

【小题6】In what way do elderly people benefit from their contact with nature?

A．They look on life optimistically.	B．They enjoy a life of better quality.
C．They are able to live longer.	D．They become good-humored

Microsoft founder  Bill Gates said that he planned to give away almost all of his fortune(财富)，largely to the cause of global health，during the course of his lifetime.With an estimated(估计)worth of more than $40 billion，according to Forbes，the project will be no small fate(功绩) for Gates.Having already provided the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with $24 billion to address global health issues，Gates said that finally his entire fortune will be put towards the cause except “a few percent left for the kids”.

So what has made the richest man in the world to channel his resources so heavily into one interest？Gates believes that “the equality of opportunity（机会）”in which Americans take such pride needs to extend to other nations around the world. Improving the health of the populations，he says，has proven to be an essential method in helping poor countries to be financially successful.“National borders allow inequalities，”said Gates.“We all need  to take a more global view，rather than just saying my country is doing well.We have to step up these health issues，knowing how few resources are going into them.”

Gates said that both his parents set up an example for him as a child.His father，William H．Gates，was the head of the local Planned Parenthood，and his mother，Mary，volunteered for the United Way.As he gathered his fortune，Gates knew he would finally want to give back as well，but he didn’t expect to devote himself whole?heartedly to one project until he was about 60.

However，Gates,47，began to question his ability to wait that long.“It seemed there was a real time urgency，”Gates said.“I started to think how many lives I could save before then.”

1.Bill Gates will give away his vast fortune to　　　　.

A．improve the health of population all over the world

B．improve the health of population in America alone

C．avoid leaving his children too much money

D．spare the American government the burden of health care

2.Bill Gates believes that one important way of developing poor countries is　　　　.

A．to set up more foundations for them

B．to help them with natural resources

C．to put more efforts into the health issues in them

D．to help them take a more global view

3.It can be learned from the passage that Bill Gates thinks　　　　.

A．Americans can be world?famous by giving away vast fortune

B．Americans should treat fellow citizens well

C．Americans should devote themselves to certain projects

D．Americans should care about people in other countries