Do you have a younger brother? Does he always get in trouble? Well, there might be some science behind that.
According to a report from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, second-borns are more likely than first-borns to behave badly, which could be why you from time to time consider your younger brother or sister sprites.
Researchers, who explored data from tens of thousands of sibling(兄弟姐妹) pairs from Denmark and Florida, found second-borns are 20% to 40% more likely to have behavioral problems. If you’re the second-born child you may want to have a little chat with your parents. The reason why second-born siblings may be worse behaved than first-born is that parents tend to pay less attention to them.
“Second-born children tend to have less attention from the mother than their older siblings because first-born children experience their mother’s maternity leave (产假). First-borns enjoy the rewards of not only their own time with Mum following their birth, but the time Mum takes off with younger siblings, too.” the authors explain.
It’s not just about the parents, however. Speaking to NRP, co-author Joseph Doyle said, “The first-born has role models, who are adults. And the second, later-born children have role models who are slightly unreasonable 2-year-olds, you know, their older siblings. The difference of parental investments and the sibling influences probably contribute to these differences we see in the labor market and what we find in behaviors against regulations, even against laws. It’s just very difficult to separate those two things because they happen at the same time”
The results, the authors argue, have an important effect on social policy.
1. What does the underlined word “sprites” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Losers |
| B．Troublemakers |
| C．Close companions |
| D．Parents’ pets |
| A．Challenges of their elder siblings |
| B．The amount of attention they receive from parents |
| C．More family problems they are faced with |
| D．Fewer chances of talking with others |
| A．have the same role models as their younger ones |
| B．are not to blame for their younger siblings’ failure |
| C．are partly responsible for their younger siblings’ problems |
| D．affect the parental investment and the labor market participation |
| A．Parents Prefer First-Born Kids |
| B．How Parents Improve Family Relationships |
| C．Social Policy Guides Family Education |
| D．Why the Second-Born Tend to be Misbehaved |
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【推荐1】Celebrity has become one of the most important representatives of popular culture. Fans used to be crazy about a specific film, but now the public tends to base its consumption on the interest of celebrity attached to any given product. Besides, fashion magazines have almost abandoned the practice of putting models on the cover because they don’t sell nearly as well as famous faces. As a result, celebrities have realized their unbelievably powerful market potential, moving from advertising for others’ products to developing their own.
Celebrity clothing lines aren’t a completely new phenomenon, but in the past they were typically aimed at the ordinary consumers, and limited to a few TV actresses. Today they’re started by first-class stars whose products enjoy equal fame with some world top brands. The most successful start-ups have been those by celebrities with specific personal style. As celebrities become more and more experienced at the market, they expand their production scale rapidly, covering almost all the products of daily life.
However, for every success story, there’s a related warning tale of a celebrity who overvalued his consumer appeal. No matter how famous the product’s origin is, if it fails to impress consumers with its own qualities it begins to resemble(类似) an exercise in self-promotional marketing. And once the initial attention dies down, consumer interest might fade, loyalty(忠诚) returning to tried-and-true labels.
Today, celebrities face even more severe embarrassment. The pop-cultural circle might be bigger than ever, but its rate of turnover has speeded up as well. Each misstep threatens to reduce a celebrity’s shelf life, and the same newspaper or magazine that once brought him fame has no problem picking him to pieces when the opportunity appears. Still, the self potential for expansion is limitless. Having already achieved great wealth and public recognition, many celebrities see fashion as the next frontier to be conquered. As the saying goes, success and failure always go hand in hand. Their success as designers might last only a short time, but fashion-like celebrity-has always been temporary
1. Fashion magazines today ________| A．seldom put models on the cover | B．no longer put celebrities on the cover |
| C．need not worry about celebrities’ market potential | D．judge the market potential of every celebrity correctly |
| A．celebrity branded products can be an instant success |
| B．to consumers, quality matters more than the outside of products |
| C．ordinary consumers are more concerned with price rather than brand name |
| D．consumer’s enthusiasm for celebrity branded products proves to be inconstant |
| A．influence the price of a celebrity’s products |
| B．cut short the artistic career of a celebrity in show business |
| C．damage the image of a celebrity in the eyes of the general public |
| D．decrease the popularity of a celebrity and the sales of his products |
| A．celebrity and clothing industry | B．celebrity and fashion design |
| C．celebrity and market potential | D．celebrity and personal style |
【推荐2】“Sorry, I’m just now seeing your email!” (You sent it 15 minutes ago.)
“Sorry that you completely misinterpreted that thing I said.”
“Sorry you just rammed into me with your grocery-store cart.”
“Sorry” has become commonplace in daily conversations and communications. We drop it indiscriminately for all manner of things we really shouldn’t be sorry for. Is it time to stop?
“I wasn’t really that sorry,” admits Louise Julig, a freelance writer in Encinitas, Calif., who found she was constantly apologizing for the “delay” when replying to notes, even when there wasn’t much of a delay at all. “Sorry has lost its meaning, no longer a heartfelt declaration of remorse (悔恨) but just a subconscious response,” said Louise Julig. Now, faced with a blank email, Ms. Julig asks herself, did I miss something, or mess someone else up? If the answer is no, she’s not sorry.
I understand very well how she feels. When I searched my sent emails for the phrase, “Sorry for the delay,” the result was too many hits for Gmail to give me an exact count. I tried, in the course of reporting this column, to cut back on my apologies. Mostly I failed, catching myself exclaiming sorry! I apologized to the person I contacted for this piece when I called three minutes later than I was supposed to; then I apologized for only being able to meet him on the day I suggested, not the other; I even apologized in advance for any offence I might cause to him during the conversation.
While apologizing too much in daily life may not have serious consequences, doing so in business, especially when you’ve actually done something wrong, is just asking for trouble—you’re giving away your power, says Jeffrey Pfeffer, a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford Graduate School of Business.
People are never satisfied with an apology, he adds. Exhibiting vulnerability (脆弱) only makes you look weak. Standing your ground comes with risks. You might not be liked. But he thinks it’s worth it. “You can either give in to what people want you to be, or you can decide that you are going to risk offending people. Life is about trade-offs (权衡),” he says.
1. What did Louise Julig realize at last?| A．She couldn’t help but delay replying to others’ notes. |
| B．She had a misunderstanding of the meaning of “sorry”. |
| C．She didn’t have to say “sorry” under many circumstances. |
| D．She often got people into trouble by delaying answering emails. |
| A．Apologizing by making a phone call. | B．Reducing the frequency of apologies. |
| C．Stopping someone from apologizing. | D．Finding out why people often apologize. |
| A．To take others’ apologies seriously. | B．To avoid offending people on purpose. |
| C．To maintain power by avoiding apologizing. | D．To make sincere apologies whenever necessary. |
| A．Why we can gain benefits by apologizing. | B．Why apologies are unnecessary in society. |
| C．Why apologizing too much is not favored. | D．Why apologizing can offend people sometimes. |
【推荐3】About six years ago I was eating lunch in a restaurant in New York City when a woman and a young boy sat down at the next table. I couldn’t help overhearing parts of their conversation. At one point the woman asked, “So, how have you been?” And the boy —who could not have been more than seven or eight years old — replied. “Frankly, I’ve been feeling a little depressed lately.”
This incident stuck in my mind because it confirmed my growing belief that children are changing. As far as I can remember, my friends and I didn’t find out we were “depressed”, that is, in low spirits, until we were in high school.
Undoubtedly a change in children has increased steadily in recent years. Children don’t seem childlike anymore. Children speak more like adults, dress more like adults and behave more like adults than they used to.
Whether this is good or bad is difficult to say, but it certainly is different. Childhood as it once was no longer exists. Why?
Human development is depended not only on born biological states, but also on patterns of gaming social knowledge. Movement from one social role to another usually involves learning the secrets of the new social positions. Children have always been taught adult secrets, but slowly and in stages; traditionally, we tell sixth graders things we keep hidden from fifth graders.
In the last 30 years, however, a secret-revelation machine has been equipped in 98 percent of American homes. It is called television. Television passes information to all viewers alike, whether they are children or adults. Therefore, many children turn their attention from printed texts to the less challenging, more attractive moving pictures.
Communication through print, as a matter of fact, allows for a great deal of control over the social information which children will gain. Children must read simple books before they can read complex materials.
1. Why does the author mention the incident in the restaurant?| A．Because he feels as depressed as the boy. | B．Because it reminds him of his childhood. |
| C．Because he is curious about other people’s talk. | D．Because it proves his view on today’s children. |
| A．the widespread influence of television | B．the fast arrangement of teaching content |
| C．the development of social knowledge | D．the rising standard of living |
| A．It enables children to gain more social information. |
| B．It develops children’s interest in reading and writing. |
| C．It is simple for children read and write. |
| D．It is controllable to what children are to learn. |
| A．He seems to be upset about it. | B．He considers it a rapid development |
| C．He thinks the change worthy of concern. | D．He feels their adult like behavior is so funny. |
【推荐1】Children spend more time messaging each other on phones and websites than talking in person, a survey has revealed. Text messages and social networking sites have become the common mode of youngsters aged 8 to 14.
A survey of modern childhood found that many youngsters are conscious that they are spending too much time on their computers and enjoy themselves the most when playing outside. But the lure (诱惑) of electronic products proves too strong for a quarter, while a fifth say their parents don’t like them playing outside because they are worried about strangers and injuries.
The “I Generation report” suggested that youngsters are increasingly health-conscious and skeptical (持怀疑态度的) of commercialization, including gender-based labelling on toys and pop videos released by singers. More than half of those questioned care about eating healthily and one in 10 lectures their own parents about the food they are eating or buying, 42 percent of those questioned own a smartphone, with 36 percent admitting spending more time communicating with friends via instant messaging, such as texts or networking websites, than talking in person. Only one child in 100 said that being happy, having a loving family and being clever were taken as the most crucial (决定性的) elements in their lives.
Cary Cooper, the professor of organizational psychology and health at Lancaster University, said social media were contributing to youngsters becoming more independent. They had a sense of individuality due to exposure to a range of media.
The survey follows major state-backed research which found that youngsters are turning their back on drink, drugs and smoking. It found a dramatic drop in the number of secondary school students trying and regularly using drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Some analysts said that thanks to the rise of social media, millions of teenagers are spending their time at home in their rooms rather than out on the streets.
1. What is the topic of this article?| A．Childhood. | B．Time. | C．Media. | D．Life. |
| A．They are not allowed to hang out long. |
| B．They are protected from strangers and injuries. |
| C．They enjoy themselves most when playing outside. |
| D．They can’t resist the temptation of the products. |
| A．are fans of the pop videos released by singers |
| B．message each other more rather than chat in person |
| C．are doubtful about possessing the latest smartphones |
| D．pay no attention to their lifestyle nowadays |
| A．objective | B．negative |
| C．supportive | D．unclear |
| A．the benefits of social media | B．the drop of taking drugs in youngsters |
| C．the exposure to a range of media | D．youngsters are becoming more conscious |
“Rest, relaxation, and stress reduction are very important for people’s well-being and health. This can be accomplished through daily activities, such as exercise and meditation, but vacation is an important part of this as well,” said primary care physician Natasha Withers from One Medical Group in New York. Withers lists a decreased risk of heart disease and improved reaction time as some of the benefits from taking some time off. “We also know that the mind is very powerful and can help with healing, so a rested, relaxed mind is able to help the body heal better,” said Withers.
Psychologists confirm the value of vacations for the mind. “The impact that taking a vacation has on one’s mental health is great,” said Francine Lederer, a clinical psychologist in Los Angeles who specializes in stress and relationship management. “Most people have better life perspective and are more motivated to achieve their goals after a vacation, even if it is a 24- hour time-out.” The trips could be good for their health, good for their family and good for their businesses.
The online travel agency Expedia conducted a survey about vacation time in 2010, and according to their data the average American earned 18 vacation days—but only used 14 of them. France topped the list, with the average worker earning 37 vacation days and using all but two of them. Americans’ responses may not be surprising in a culture where long hours on the job often are valued, but that’s not always good for the individual, the family or the employer.
Psychologists have also found that people who don’t take enough time to relax may find it harder to relax in the future. “Without time and opportunity to do this, the nerve connections that produce feelings of calm and peacefulness become weaker, making it actually more difficult to shift into less-stressed states,” Mulhem said.
1. How did the author introduce the topic of the text?
| A．By making comparisons. | B．By giving an example. |
| C．By raising questions. | D．By providing data. |
| A．dislike family gatherings |
| B．have the shortest vacation |
| C．enjoy as many vacations as the French |
| D．think much of spending long hours on the job |
| A．One should never wait to relax. |
| B．Work and rest go against each other. |
| C．Time and opportunity wait for no man. |
| D．A relaxed mind determines everything. |
【推荐3】Nearly 40 years ago, Peter Harrison, a marine ecologist witnessed the first recorded large-scale coral bleaching（珊瑚白化）event. Diving in the Great Barrier Reef（大堡礁）, he was shocked by the scene before him. "The reef was made up of healthy corals and badly bleached white corals, like the beginnings of a ghost city," he says. Just months before, the same site was filled with colorful tropical life.
"Many of the hundreds of corals that I'd carefully tagged and monitored finally died," he says. "It was shocking and made me aware of just how weak these corals really are.”
Coral exists together with photosynthetic algae（藻类）, which live in its tissues and provide essential nutrition（and coloration）. But high temperatures and other stresses can turn algae poisonous. When this occurs, the algae may die or be removed by the coral, a process known as bleaching because the coral's clear tissue and white calcium carbonate skeleton（碳酸钙骨骼）are exposed. If the coral can't reestablish its link with algae, it will starve or become ill.
The widespread destruction Harrison saw in 1982 was repeated on many other Pacific Ocean reefs that year and the next. In 1997 and 1998 the phenomenon went global, killing some 16 percent of the world's corals. With rising temperatures, pollution, disease, increased ocean acidity, invasive species, and other dangers, Harrison's ghost cities are expanding
Scientists suppose that about four decades ago severe bleaching occurred roughly every 25 years, giving corals time to recover. But bleaching events are coming faster now—about every six years—and in some places soon they could begin to happen annually.
"The absolute key is dealing with global warming," says marine biologist Terry Hughes. "No matter how much we clean up the water, the reefs will die." In 2016, a record-hot year in a string of them, 91 percent of the reefs that consist of the Great Barrier Reef bleached.
1. Peter Harrison was shocked when diving in the Great Barrier Reef, because___________.| A．the reefs were made up of precious corals | B．the corals were ruined badly and quickly |
| C．he found a ghost city with tropical life | D．he saw the corals he had tagged before |
| A．the causes of coral bleaching | B．the weakness of corals and algae |
| C．the elements that make algae die | D．the process of building a link with algae |
| A．global warming | B．the polluted ocean | C．the white corals | D．invasive species |
| A．With algae living in its tissues, coral's white skeleton is exposed. |
| B．Solving global warming is the real solution to coral bleaching. |
| C．The reefs die because the water hasn't been cleaned thoroughly |
| D．The severest coral bleaching occurred about four decades ago. |
【推荐1】Cetaceans(鲸目动物) communicate through sound to find food and to interact socially. Their sounds vary between species and within communities. The long-finned pilot whales can mimic（模仿） artificial noise, but nobody had previously recorded them. A new study, however, found overlap in the cetacean sound book.
Pilot whales and orcas, the two largest species of cetaceans, are often seen in the same environments and are similar sizes, and both live in social groups with strong union, says Charlotte Curé, a bioacoustics researcher at CEREMA Lab in France, who was not involved in the study. Orcas compete for food with long-finned pilot whales and are potentially their predators.
Evidence from orca stomachs shows they do occasionally eat pilot whales. But pilot whales can mob and chase them away, the only cetaceans seen defending themselves from the strong enemies in this way.
Mimicry could serve as an additional defense: “One assumption is that if they use similar sounds, they may not be recognized as prey,” Erbe says. Pilot whales eating orcas’ food remains might go unnoticed if they use orca-like calls. “This is all underwater,” she adds, “so these animals rely on sound for detecting their prey and predators.” Long-finned pilot whales have shown an ability to distinguish between orca calls with different meanings; Curé suggests that instead of tricking orcas, the callers could instead be presenting a new orca sound to other group members.
Additional work would confirm whether mimicry is actually occurring. Researchers could pair their listening data with direct observations of the animals’ interactions in the wild or perhaps even play orca sounds and watch the whales’ reactions.
But if a future experiment used predatory sounds, it would need to be done very carefully. “A reaction to a predator can be very strong,” Curé says. “In some protected areas, you are not allowed to do more than two predatory playbacks per year.”
1. Which of the following is not the pilot whales and orcas share in common?| A．They communicate through sound. |
| B．They always live together with other group members. |
| C．They often live in the same environments. |
| D．They can defend themselves through mimicry. |
| A．The pilot whales mimic the sounds to detect their prey. |
| B．The pilot whales can pretend to be orcas to share the food remains. |
| C．The pilot whales only mimic one kind of the sounds of the orcas. |
| D．The pilot whales can distinguish different meanings of orcas calls to trick them. |
| A．By mimicking the sounds in the experiment. |
| B．By analyzing the data from the cetacean sound book. |
| C．By listening or playing the sounds and watching the whales’ reactions. |
| D．By observing the whales from the distance. |
| A．Pilot Whales: Copy Orca Calls |
| B．Pilot Whales and Orcas: Two Largest Animals |
| C．Orcas: Predators in the Sea. |
| D．Pilot Whales: Ways to Defend Themselves |
【推荐2】In ancient times, our ancestors relied on stars to guide them on a clear night. Today, we have navigational systems to help us find our way, with the latest being the Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS).
The BDS is entirely built by Chinese engineers. With the launch of the last satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on June 23, the global network of 59 satellites has been completed. On July 31, Beidou started providing full-scale global services. It’s difficult to imagine the dramatic impact those satellites, orbiting the Earth, have on our daily lives.
When you unlock one of Hellobike’s bicycles, you are using the BDS. The popular bike-sharing company came out with two new bike models this year that are equipped with the positioning service. “The intelligent lock on each bike receives Beidou satellite signals and sends positioning information to the data center, which will help collect big data on the bikes and estimate users’ riding demands in advance according to the data,” Chu Yiqun, a manager of Hellobike told Xinhua News Agency. Users can also find shared bikes more accurately thanks to Beidou’s global positioning accuracy of 2.34 meters.
However, the BDS doesn’t just work one way. As the country’s largest space-based system and one of four global navigation networks, along with the United States’ GPS, Russia’s GLONASS and the European Union’s Galileo, Beidou adopts a unique two-way communication system, including its ability to receive messages sent by people from areas with poor communication signals. Obviously, this exclusive function isn’t designed for users to chat online. Instead, it plays a role when disasters occur and communications are blocked.
After the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008, all ground-based communication facilities were interrupted. Though the first generation of Beidou could only send 120 characters in a single message at that time, communication between affected areas and rescue centers was successful. Now, Beidou’s messaging capacity has been increased to 1,200 Chinese characters in a single message. It is widely used in disaster alarms, automatic identification and information release.
As Sun Jiadong, former chief designer of the BDS said: “The application of Beidou is merely limited by imagination.”
1. What can we know about Beidou from the passage?| A．It’s able to provide worldwide coverage for navigation. |
| B．Its last satellite was launched in Xichang on July 31. |
| C．It’s one of the five global navigation networks. |
| D．It’s jointly developed by Chinese and foreign engineers. |
| A．To present the benefits and limitations of the BDS. |
| B．To highlight the high positioning accuracy of the BDS. |
| C．To show how the BDS makes people’s daily lives easier. |
| D．To explain the unique way in which the BDS works. |
| A．To collect instant feedback sent by global users. |
| B．To allow users to chat online more conveniently. |
| C．To make communication more fun and efficient. |
| D．To help people when communication signals are weak. |
| A．Beidou stimulates users’ imagination. | B．Beidou may be more helpful than we know. |
| C．Beidou is currently limited in application. | D．Beidou needs to be further perfected. |
【推荐3】Bumblebees are in rapid decline (下降) across Europe and North America due to hotter and more frequent extremes in temperatures, scientists say. A study suggests the possibility of a bumblebee population surviving in any given place has declined by 30% within a single human generation.
Peter Soroye, a PhD student at the University of Ottawa and the study’s lead author, said, “We found that populations were disappearing in areas where the temperatures had gotten hotter. If declines continue at this pace, many of these species could disappear forever within a few decades.”
Dr. Tim Newbold, of London’s Centre for Biodiversity Environment Research, said, “We were surprised by how much climate change has already caused bumblebee declines. Our findings suggest that much larger declines are likely if climate change speeds up in the coming years, showing that we need great efforts to reduce climate change if we are to preserve bumblebee diversity.”
Bumblebees pollinate (授粉) plants such as cucumber, tomatoes and berries, and they are among the best pollinators we have in the wild life. Plants and crops that rely on pollination from bumblebees are likely to suffer if bumblebee population continues to drop, which could result in terrible results for the ecosystem.
Prof Jeremy Kerr, of the University of Ottawa and the study’s senior author, said, “It’s high time to prevent climate change worsening for bumblebees and others by keeping habitats (栖息地) that offer shelter, like trees, shrubs or slopes, that could let bumblebees get out of the heat.”
“Most importantly, we must deal with climate change itself and every effective action we take will help in the long run.”
1. What leads bumblebee population to decrease?| A．Competition of various species. | B．More and better habitats. |
| C．Increase of human populations. | D．Hotter and extreme weather. |
| A．Hopeful. | B．Worried. | C．Unconcerned. | D．Positive. |
| A．The shelters of bumblebees. | B．The drop of bumblebees. |
| C．The importance of bumblebees. | D．The change of climate. |
| A．Reducing climate change. | B．Keeping nature balance. |
| C．Decreasing other lives. | D．Preserving bumblebees diversity. |
【推荐1】Aspirin has long been praised as a wonder drug. An aspirin a day keeps the doctor away. Many Americans have been taking one aspirin a day, believing it would protect them from a heart attack, a stroke(中风), and even a cancer. But several recent studies have thrown this into question. Daily use of aspirin can have serious side effects(副作用).
One study followed more than 19,000 healthy people aged 65 and older. They were required to take either 100 mg of aspirin (a little more than the 81 mg dose that most people take) or a placebo (无效对照剂) every day for about years. Not only did people in the aspirin group not lower their risk of heart disease, or disability but they were also more likely to suffer from bleeding into the brain or stomach. And they were more likely to die because of an increased risk of giving in to cancer, Similarly, an experiment of more than 12, 500 people aged 55 and older who have a cardiovascular (心血管的) risk found no benefit to taking aspirin daily. In study of more than 15,000 people with diabetes(糖尿病), a daily aspirin did prevent heart attacks and strokes, but it also caused serious bleeding.
Although some earlier research has proved that aspirin can help people who have already had or are at high risk for heart attacks or strokes, the drug’s value is not so clear for people, especially older people. The bottom line is this: Be smart and be safe. You should not take daily low-dose aspirin without talking to a doctor if you.
● Are over the age of 70
● Drink wine regularly
●Are on any simple medical operations
1. Why do many Americans take one aspirin a day?| A．It has no side effects at all. | B．It makes people free from diabetes. |
| C．It’s proved to be a wonder drug. | D．It’s believed to prevent serious diseases |
| A．The side effects from taking aspirin. | B．The reasons for bleeding and diabetes. |
| C．The elderly having a cardiovascular risk. | D．The effort people make to prevent diseases. |
| A．People drinking wine frequently should take aspirin. |
| B．Aspirin helps healthy people lower risk of heart disease. |
| C．Most people have a good understanding of aspirin’s value. |
| D．Taking aspirin daily might cause health problems for healthy people. |
| A．This treatment is very helpful and simple. |
| B．People should be careful about the medicine. |
| C．Old people should start this kind of treatment. |
| D．It could be used to treat heart attack and stroke. |
【推荐2】Mr. Utterson was a lawyer who was good-natured to his friends. His companions were usually distant relations from his own family, or friends that he had known for a long time.
One friend in particular was Mr. Richard Enfield, a distant relative, and a well-known man in London. The two men were very different, but they always went for a long Sunday walk together. People who saw them out on their walk reported that they rarely spoke. However, they would even cancel other appointments in order to go and enjoy their walks without interruption.
One day, while they were out on their walk together, they were strolling (漫步) along a small quiet street. It was all clean and attractive except for one building two storeys high.
As they passed, Mr. Enfield asked Mr. Utterson if he had ever noticed the dirty door, because it reminded him of a very strange story.
“No,” said Mr. Utterson. “What story was that?”
“Well,” replied Mr. Enfield. “Once, I was coming home this way at about 3 am on a dark winter’s night, and the whole area was very quiet and deserted. But then suddenly I saw two people. One was a small unpleasant-looking man walking along this street at a good speed. The second was a small girl, about eight or nine years old, running as fast as she could. Well, the two met at the corner and ran into each other. The unusual thing was that instead of stopping and apologizing, the little man, quite on purpose, stamped (踩) hard on the girl as she lay on the ground, screaming with pain.”
“It was a terrible thing to see. I shouted out and chased the man, caught him and brought him back to where he had knocked down the girl. The noise had attracted a small crowd of people, including some of the girl’s family, who were very angry with the man. He did not apologize, nor was he sorry for what had happened. We all told him that we would make a lot of trouble for him if he did not pay for his actions.”
“The man agreed to pay one hundred pounds to the family. As he did not have that amount of money with him, he said he had to go and get a cheque. He went to the house with the door we are looking at now, and came out with another man’s cheque for almost one hundred pounds at four o'clock in the morning. Therefore w made him stay at my house until the banks opened. Then we went to cash the cheque. I handed it over myself and was sure that it would be a forgery, but to my surprise, it was real”
1. What can learn about Mr. Utterson and Mr. Enfield?| A．They often canceled their appointments. | B．They attached importance to their walks. |
| C．They became friends a long time ago. | D．They were often followed by reporters. |
| A．He knocked into the girl on purpose. | B．He chased the girl and shouted at her. |
| C．He attacked the small girl violently. | D．He stopped and apologized to the girl. |
| A．Because he had a feeling of guilt. | B．Because he was afraid to lose face. |
| C．Because he made a lot of trouble. | D．Because he was under great pressure. |
| A．Something mistaken. | B．Something unbelievable. |
| C．Something illegally copied. | D．Something poorly organized. |
【推荐3】Space is a dangerous place, not only because of meteors(流星), but also because of rays from the sun and other stars. The atmosphere again acts as our protective blanket on the earth. Light gets through, and this is necessary for plants to make the food which we eat. Heat, too, makes our environment suitable to live. Various kinds of rays come through the air from outer space, but enormous quantities of radiation from the sun are screened off. As soon as men leave the atmosphere they are exposed to this radiation but their spacesuits or the walls of their spacecraft, if they are inside, do prevent a lot of radiation damage.
Radiation is the greatest known danger to explorers in space. The unit of radiation is called “rem”. Scientists have reason to think that a man can put up with far more radiation than 0.1 rem without being damaged; the figure of 60 rems has been agreed on. The trouble is that it is extremely difficult to be sure about radiation damage a person may feel perfectly well, but the cells of his or her sex organs may be damaged, and this will not be discovered until the birth of deformed(畸形的) children or even grandchildren. Missions of the Apollo flights have had to cross belts of high radiation and, during the outward and return journeys, the Apollo crew accumulated a large amount of rems. So far, no dangerous amounts of radiation have been reported, but the Apollo missions have been quite short. We simply do not know yet how men are going to get on when they spend weeks and months outside the protection of the atmosphere, working in a space laboratory. Drugs might help to decrease the damage done by radiation, but no really effective ones have been found so far.
1. According to the first paragraph, the atmosphere is necessary to man because of the following reason EXCEPT________| A．protecting him against the harmful rays from space | B．providing sufficient light for plant growth |
| C．suppling the heat necessary for human survival | D．screening off the falling meteors |
| A．exposure to even tiny amounts of radiation is fatal |
| B．the effect of exposure to radiation is slow in coming |
| C．radiation is avoidable in space exploration |
| D．astronauts in spacesuits needn’t worry about radiation damage |
| A．is insignificant | B．is enormous | C．seems overestimated | D．remains unknown |
| A．the Apollo mission was very successful |
| B．the protection from space radiation is no easy job |
| C．astronauts may possibly have deformed children or grandchildren |
| D．radiation is not a threat to well-protected space explorers |
| A．Space is dangerous only because of meteors. |
| B．Explorers in space have to avoid the damage from radiation |
| C．We have got effective ways to treat illnesses caused by radiation. |
| D．The atmosphere doesn’t screen off radiation |
