The growth of the world’s population influences the environment strongly. According to the UN, the world’s population reaches eight billion on November 15th of this year. Here is the world population by continent in 2016. Let’s see the change.
World population by continent(2016)
Continent | Population(millions) | Most populous country |
Asia | 4,436 | 1,382,300,000—China |
Africa | 1,216 | 186,987,000—Nigeria |
Europe | 738 | 145,939,000—Russia |
North America | 579 | 324,991,600—United States |
South America | 422 | 209,567,000—Brazil |
Oceania | 39.9 | 24,458,800—Australia |
Population density(人口密度)
2. Asia has a population of less than four billion back then.
3. The biggest country in South America is Brazil according to the form.
4. Africa has more people and a higher population density than Europe.
5. The world’s population has increased over 500 million since 2016.
2 . Walking
If you want to get healthy or stay healthy, there is one easy activity for you-walking.
You may think that simply taking a walk is not enough to make a big difference. You may think that you need to do something like running to stay healthy.
Well, a new study says that is not true. It finds out that walking may be as good for us as running.
Running is a high-impact（高强度的）activity and can be hard on the body. So, many people cannot run. Walking seems to have all of the advantages and none of the disadvantages of running.
Dr Russell Pate is a professor of exercise science at the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina. He says, “Walking is one of the easiest and safest exercises a person can do. You do not need to learn a lot to get results.”
Walking needs no special skills or equipment. You can do it anywhere. It fits easily into your daily schedule (日程表). You can walk at work. You can walk if you want to go shopping. You can take the stairs instead of the lift.
Walking is a great exercise for beginners. If you are out of shape or getting back into shape after an illness or accident, walking is perfect. You can do a little at a time, or as we like to say, take baby steps.
1. If you want to get healthy or stay healthy, one easy activity for you is _________.| A．swimming | B．walking | C．skating | D．shopping |
| A．running is better than walking | B．walking is the best way of exercising |
| C．walking is as good as running | D．walking and running are not good enough |
| A．Because walking is a high-impact activity and can be easy on the body. |
| B．Because walking needs skills. |
| C．Because running has more advantages than walking. |
| D．Because walking needs no special skills or equipment, and we can do it anywhere. |
| A．The advantages of walking | B．The results of walking |
| C．The impact of walking | D．The disadvantages of walking |
| A．To tell people that walking is a waste of time |
| B．To tell people that they don’t need to run any more. |
| C．To tell people that they should walk more. |
| D．To tell people that they shouldn’t walk more. |
3 . Many people say that they are working too many hours. They don't have enough time to relax or to stay with their family.
Work hours are different from one country to another. In France, people spend about 1,646 hours a year at work. In Japan, however, people work about 2,159 hours a year. That means a Japanese worker works 513 more hours a year than a French worker.
Why do people work so many hours? Some people work extra hours because they want to make more money. However, many companies don't pay overtime. Their workers don't get more pay for more work. Some people think it's their duty to work more hours. Some are afraid of losing their jobs if they don't work more hours.
Many people say that their vacations are too short. In France, people get five weeks of paid vacation a year. In Germany, they get four to six weeks, and in the United States, two weeks. One study shows fewer than half of workers used all their vacation days. In Great Britain, there is a saying, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull (迟钝的) boy." If that is true, there must be a lot of dull people in the world.
1. A Japanese worker works ________more hours a year than a French one.| A．513 | B．1,646 | C．2,159 | D．3,805 |
| A．正常的 | B．额外的 | C．有用的 | D．少量的 |
| A．they are not afraid of losing their jobs. | B．they don’t think it’s their duty. |
| C．they have other jobs to do. | D．they want to make more money. |
| A．France | B．Germany | C．the United States | D．Great Britain |
| A．Many workers have to work long hours. |
| B．Many people have vacations long enough. |
| C．Work hours are the same around the world. |
| D．There are a lot of dull people in the world. |
4 . There are about 7 billion people on the Earth now. The world's population is a big problem because it will cause lots of problems in the future. More people will need more food and will need more room to live in as well.
The world's population growth rate rose from about 1.5 percent per year during 1950-1951 to over 2 percent in the early 1960s. Although the growth rate thereafter started to fall due to (由于) people getting married later as well as the development of technology, the rate is on the rise again now.
The important thing is not how large the population of the world is, but how fast the rate increases. The world population increased from 3 billion in 1959 to 6 billion by 1999. The world population will grow from 6 billion in 1999 to 9 billion by 2050. This great growth of the population will create a big problem by the year 2100—there will be over 10 billion people in the world then.
1. The population of the world is about ________ now and may be over ________ by 2100.| A．7 billion; 10 billion | B．7 million; 10 million | C．6 billion; 10 billion | D．6 billion; 9 million |
| A．Before the 1960s. | B．After the late 1960s. | C．After the early 1960s. | D．Before the late 1960s. |
| A．early 1950s | B．early 1960s | C．late 1950s | D．late 1960s |
| A．the world's population is becoming smaller |
| B．the world's population is increasing |
| C．the world's population growth rate won't change |
| D．the world's population growth rate has been rising since the 1950s |
| A．More Food and Less Room | B．A New Problem |
| C．We Should Feed Many People | D．The Growth of the Population |
5 . Is there hope for nature?
David Attenborough is a well-known English broadcaster and natural historian. He has made over 40 documentaries over the last 67 years. At the age of 93, he made his most recent documentary—A Life on Our Planet (《地球的一段生命旅》). It depicts (描绘) everything he has seen and experienced in his life.
Looking back, Attenborough says what strikes（震撼）him most is that wild animals are becoming harder to find. The documentary shows how the global ecosystem is being destroyed （摧毁）by humans, whether it's the hunting of gorillas and whales or the mass destruction（大规模摧毁）of rain forests. All of these can lead to another mass extinction（大灭绝）. As Attenborough says, In the natural world, no one can stand alone.“The ecosystem relies on balance, and once the scale is tipped, the ecosystem starts to crumble（破碎）.”
At the end of his film, Attenborough sinks into silence（沉默）in front of the camera. It is a very tense（紧张的）moment because he is thinking about what he has just told us. As I watched it, I felt like I was carrying the weight of the story on my shoulders.
But the documentary doesn't end there. Attenborough still gives people hope.
He says there are ways for us to restore the natural balance. From small habit changes to large-scale government regulations（规定）, there are lots of things we can do to help our planet become wild again.
This is a documentary for everyone on Earth because we are all part of this. We need to take action now!
1. What do we know about Attenborough?| A．He started to make documentaries at 40. |
| B．He continued to make films in his 90s. |
| C．He is working on a film about his life. |
| D．He has made 67 documentaries. |
| A．How Attenborough built his career. |
| B．How Attenborough's films influence viewers. |
| C．What Attenborough talks about in his new film. |
| D．Why Attenborough decided to make a new film. |
| A．Because he feels too nervous to speak. |
| B．Because he needs some time to think. |
| C．Because he wants to end his story. |
| D．Because he forgets what to say. |
| A．We will face a new mass extinction. |
| B．We can create a new ecosystem. |
| C．We will not cause further destruction. |
| D．We still have a chance to make things right. |
6 . A hunter（猎人）once lost his way deep inside the jungle while chasing a deer. As hard as he tried, he could not find a way out of the jungle, nor could he find any food to eat. He started feeling so hungry that he could eat an elephant in one go. Disappointed, he lost all hope. And that was exactly when an apple tree caught his sight. He collected some apples to feed him for the rest of his search.
As he ate the first apple, he felt grateful for finding the tree. He thanked the jungle. He could not believe his luck when he ate the first apple, but he was less grateful while eating the second apple and even less grateful after eating the fifth apple. Somehow, with each passing apple, his hunger refused to go away and he became less happy. He couldn't enjoy his tenth apple at all.
Why? He had already taken for granted the gift of having found an apple tree in the middle of a forest. When he took the tenth apple in his hand, he was still very hungry, but he just did not feel like eating any more. Economics(经济学) calls this diminishing marginal utility（边际效用递减）. I like to call it diminishing gratitude(感恩递减), or in simpler words, taking things for granted. Or let's just call it the tenth apple effect（效应）.
The tenth apple did not lack flavor (味道), nor was it unable to end the man's hunger. The only thing lacking was his gratitude for finding food in the middle of the jungle.
1. What happened to the hunter in the jungle?| A．He was driven into the jungle by a deer. |
| B．He tried to eat an elephant. |
| C．An apple tree stopped him. |
| D．He found some apples to eat by chance. |
| A．more and more thankful |
| B．hungrier than he did before |
| C．less happy with each apple he ate |
| D．more and more disappointed |
| A．Feeling grateful for unexpected gifts. |
| B．Not being grateful for what you get. |
| C．Happiness goes away as time goes on. |
| D．The more things you find, the less useful they are. |
| A．It was not as delicious as the other apples. |
| B．It was unable to end the man's hunger. |
| C．The man didn't want to throw it away. |
| D．The man lacked gratitude for the tenth apple. |
Mary: I often download(下载) music and visit websites to get information for my homework. It's great!
John: What about your parents?
Mary: My father often reads lots of news on the Internet. My mother sometimes listens to some popular songs. They never play computer games.
John: Do you send email?
Mary: Yes, I send email to my friends in England. Do you share your computer with your parents?
John: Yes, I do. My parents and I use it to do many things. I usually download games on the Internet. And I love them! I never send email to my classmates but I chat with them on the Internet. My father likes reading novels(小说) and my mother likes playing games.
根据对话内容，判断正(T)误(F)。
1. Mary's parents often play computer games.
2. Mary sends email to her Chinese friends.
3. Mary's father likes to read a lot of news on the Internet.
4. John's father likes reading novels.
5. John doesn't talk to his classmates on the computer.
8 . Today is Sunday. It's fine today. Jenny goes to the zoo with her mother. They can see many animals. There are tigers, lions, pandas, snakes and many more. Look! The pandas are over there. They're from Sichuan, China. Look at the baby panda! It's climbing the tree. How cute it is!
Next, they go to see the lions. The lions are so strong. Their mouths are too big. The tigers are next to them. They are from Asia. They are yellow and black. At last, Jenny and her mother go to see the monkeys. Some are climbing mountains, and some are eating bananas. The monkey is Jenny's favourite animal. It's so fun! Jenny sees a lot of animals at the zoo and she is so happy today!
1. The weather is ________ today.| A．fine | B．cold | C．hot | D．rain |
| A．go to school | B．go to the zoo | C．go to the park | D．do housework |
| A．Asia | B．Australia | C．Africa | D．Europe |
| A．Pandas | B．Lions | C．Monkeys | D．Tigers |
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
9 . Having a part-time job is an important part of growing up for American teenagers. They can learn some important skills by doing a part-time job. They can also make some money in this way. Many teenagers believe that making their own money makes them feel free and proud.
American teenagers can do part-time jobs at the age of 14. During the school year, teenagers may go to work a few hours a week after school, and they usually work for longer at weekends.
In summer, American teenagers are glad if they find part-time jobs at camps, swimming pools and amusement parks. These jobs can bring them much fun.
Some of the most stressful (压力大的) jobs are teaching, nursing, and police work. But these jobs can be useful for their future. When they grow up, the students with work experience are more likely to succeed than those without work experience.
A favorite job for many teenagers is taking care of babies, and they can start before the age of 14. What they only do is to stay in the house and make sure the kids are okay. At the same time, they can do their homework, watch TV, or talk on the phone with friends.
It is important to balance (平衡) school, homework, and a part-time job. However, many American teenagers value (珍视) their work experience and the skills they get from the job.
1. The American teenagers do a part-time job for ________.| A．talking on the phone with friends | B．learning skills and making money |
| C．helping their families in the future | D．living without their parents |
| A．one hour | B．one day | C．a few days | D．a few hours |
| A．Police work | B．Nursing | C．Working at camps | D．Teaching |
| A．Working at parks. | B．Working at a swimming pool. |
| C．Looking after babies. | D．Washing dishes in a restaurant. |
| A．American teenagers and their part-time jobs. | B．Popular part-time jobs among American teenagers. |
| C．How to make more money and learn more skills. | D．American teenagers' school work. |
10 . Nick is a 14-year-old school boy. His life is full of exams and studies on weekdays. He has little free time. He thinks playing computer games is the best way to make him relax. When he has free time, he sits in front of the computer. Just like that way, he neither eats nor drinks for several hours.
Last weekend, he played games on the computer again. He was too excited and didn't want to move. He didn't have anything for six hours. When he had to go to the bathroom, he found he could not move. He was taken to the hospital. The doctor told him he should do some more different kinds of activities. In other words, he needs more exercise and outdoor activities to make him have a healthy body.
After coming back from the hospital, Nick follows the doctor's advice. He often plays soccer with his friends. Sometimes he still plays computer games on weekends, but he never does it for long. Now, he lives a happy and healthy life.
1. How old is Nick?| A．13. | B．14. | C．15. | D．16. |
| A．riding a bike | B．playing the guitar | C．playing computer games | D．having a school trip |
| A．His dad. | B．His mom. | C．His neighbor. | D．We are not sure. |
| A．Because he was too excited. |
| B．Because he had a cold in the morning. |
| C．Because he was too nervous of his studies. |
| D．Because he couldn't move after playing computer games so long. |
| A．He doesn't follow the doctor's advice. | B．He often plays computers with his friends. |
| C．He doesn't move. | D．He often plays soccer with his friends. |
