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Week 9Passage 1Activity which was almost unknown to the learned in the early days of the history, while during the fifteenth century the term reading undoubtedly meant reading aloud. Only during the nineteenth century did silent reading become popular.One should be careful, however, of supposing that silent reading came about simply because reading aloud is distraction (分散留意力) to others. Examination of reasons connected with the historical development of silent reading shows that it became the usual mode of reading for most adult reading tasks mainly because the tasks themselves changed in character.The last century saw a gradual increase in literacy (读写能力) and thus in the number of readers. As readers increased, so the number of listeners dropped, and thus there was some reduction in the need to read aloud. As reading for the benefit of listeners grew less common, so came the popularity of reading as a private activity in such public places as libraries, trains and offices, where reading aloud would disturb other readers in a way.Towards the end of the century there was still heated argument over whether books should be used for information or treated respectfully, and over whether the reading of material such as newspapers was in some way mentally weakening. Indeed this argument remains with us still in education. However, whatever its advantages, the old shared literacy culture had gone and was replaced by the printed mass media (媒介) on the one hand and by books and magazines for a specialized readership on the other.By the end of the century students were being advised to have some new ideas of books and to use skills in reading them which were not proper, if not impossible, for the oral reader. The social, cultural, and technological developments in the century had greatly changed what the term reading referred to.1. Why was reading aloud common before the nineteenth century?A. Because silent reading had not been discovered.B. Because there were few places for private reading.C. Because few people could read for themselves.D. Because people depended on reading for enjoyment.2. The development of silent reading during the nineteenth century showed .A. a change in the position of literate peopleB. a change in the nature of readingC. an increase in the number of booksD. an increase in the average age of readers3. Educationalists are still arguing about _.A. the importance of silent readingB. the amount of information provided by books and newspapersC. the effects of reading on healthD. the value of different types of reading material4. What is the writer of this passage attempting to do?A. To explain how present day reading habits developed.B. To change peoples way to read.C. To show how reading methods have improved.D. To encourage the growth of reading.Passage 2In some ways, the United States has made some progress. Fires no longer destroy 18,000 buildings as they did in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, or kill half a town of 2,400 people, as they did the same night in Peshtigo, Wisconsin. Other than the Beverly Hill Supper Club fire in Kentucky in 1977, it has been four decades since more than 100 Americans died in a fire.But even with such successes, the United States still has one of the worst fire death rates in the world. Safety experts say the problem is neither money nor technology, but the indifference(无所谓) of a country that just will not take fires seriously enough.American fire departments are some of the worlds fastest and best-equipped. They have to be. The United States has twice Japans population, and 40 times as many fires. It spends far less on preventing fires than on fighting them. And American fire -safety lessons are aimed almost entirely at children, who die in large numbers in fires but who, against popular beliefs, start very few of them.Experts say the error is an opinion that fires are not really anyones fault. That is not so in other countries, where both public education and the law treat fires as either a personal failing or a crime(罪行). Japan has many wood houses; of the 48 fires in world history that burned more than 10,000 buildings, Japan has had 27. Punishment for causing a big fire can be as severe as life imprisonment.In the United States, most education dollars are spent in elementary schools. But, the lessons are aimed at too limited a number of people; just 9 percent of all fire deaths are caused by children playing with matches.The United States continues to depend more on technology than laws or social pressure. There are smoke detectors in 85 percent of all homes. Some local building laws now require home sprinklers (喷水装置). New heaters and irons shut themselves off if they are tipped.1. The reason why so many Americans die in fires is that _.A. they took no interest in new technologyB. they did not pay great attention to preventing firesC. they showed indifference to fighting firesD. they did not spend enough money on fire equipment2. It can be inferred from the passage that_.A. fire safety lessons should not be aimed only at American childrenB. American children have not received enough education of fire safety lessonsC. Japan is better equipped with fire equipment than the United StatesD. Americas large population leads to more fires3. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?A. There has been no great fire in the USA in recent 40 years that leads to high death rate.B. There have been several great fires in the USA in recent 40 years that lead to high death rate.C. There has been only one great fire in the USA in recent 40 years that led to high death rate.D. The fire in Kentucky in 1977 made only a few people killed.Passage 3Nuclear powers(核能的) danger to health, safety, and even life itself can be described in one word; radiation(辐射).Nuclear radiation has a certain mystery about it, partly because it cannot be detected (探测) by human senses. It cant be seen or heard, or touched or tasted, even though it may be all around us. There are other things like that. For example, radio waves are all around us but we cant detect them, sense them, without a radio receiver. Similarly, we cant sense radioactivity without a radiation detector. But unlike common radio waves, nuclear radiation is not harmless to human beings and other living things.At very high levels, radiation can kill an animal or human being outright by killing masses of cells (细胞) in important organs (器官). But even the lowest levels can do serious damage. There is no level of radiation that is completely safe. If the radiation does not hit anything important, the damage may not be significant. This is the case when only a few cells are hit, and if they are killed outright. Your body will replace the dead cells with healthy ones. But if the few cells are only damaged, and if they reproduce themselves, you may be in trouble. They reproduce themselves in an unusual way. They can grow into cancer. Sometimes this does not show up for many years.This is another reason for some of the mystery about nuclear radiation. Serious damage can be done without the knowledge of the person at the time that damage has occurred. A person can be irradiated(放射治疗) and feel fine, then die of cancer five, ten, or twenty years later as a result. Or a child can be born weak or easy to get serious illness as a result of radiation absorbed by its grandparents.Radiation can hurt us. We must know the truth.1. According to the passage, the danger of nuclear power lies in _.A. nuclear mystery B. radiation detectionC. radiation level D. nuclear radiation2. Radiation can lead to serious results even at the lowest level _.A. when it kills few cellsB. if it damages few cellsC. though the damaged cells can repair themselvesD. unless the damaged cells can reproduce themselves3. Radiation can hurt us in the way that it can _.A. kill large numbers of cells in main organs so as to cause death immediatelyB. damage cells which may grow into cancer years laterC. affect the healthy growth of our younger generationD. lead to all of the above results4. Which of the following can be best inferred from the passage?A. The importance of protection from radiation cannot be overemphasized (过分强调).B. The mystery about radiation remains unsolved.C. Cancer is mainly caused by radiation.D. Radiation can hurt those who do not know about its danger.Passage 4Today is the date of that afternoon in April a year ago when I first saw the strange and attractive doll（玩具娃娃）in the window of Abe Sheftels toy shop on Third Avenue near Fifteenth Street, just around the corner from my office, where the plate on the door reads. Dr Samuel Amory. I remember just how it was that day: the first sign of spring floated across the East River, mixing with the soft - coal smoke from the factories and the street smells of the poor neighbourhood. As I turned the corner on my way to work and came to Sheftels, I was made once more known of the poor collection of toys in the dusty window, and I remembered the coming birthday of a small niece of mine in Cleveland, to whom I was in the habit of sending small gifts. Therefore, I stopped and examined the window to see if there might be anything suitable, and looked at the collection of unattractive objects-a red toy fire engine, some lead soldiers, cheap baseballs, bottles of ink, pens, yellowed envelopes, and advertisements for soft - drinks. And thus it was that my eyes finally came to rest upon the doll stored away in one corner, a doll with the strangest, most charming expression on her face. I could not wholly make her out, due to the shadows and the film of dust through which I was looking, but I was sure that a deep impression had been made upon me as though I had run into a person, as one does sometimes with a stranger, with whose personality one is deeply impressed.1. What made an impression on the author?A. The dolls unusual face.B. The collection of toys.C. A stranger he met at the store.D. The beauty and size of the doll.2. Why does the author mention his niece?A. She likes dolls.B. The doll looks like her.C. She lives near Sheftels.D. He was looking for a gift for her.3. Why did the writer go past Sheftels?A. He was on his way to school.B. He was looking for a present for his niece.C. He wanted to buy some envelopes.D. None of the above is right.4. The story takes place in the _.A. early summer B. early springC. midsummer D. late springPassage 5Technology is the application (应用)of knowledge to production. Thanks to modern technology, we have been able to increase greatly the efficiency of our work force. New machines and new methods have helped cut down time and expense while increasing overall output. This has meant more production and a higher standard of living. For most of us in America, modern technology is thought of as the reason why we can have cars and television sets. However, technology has also increased the amount of food available (有用的)to us, by means of modern farming machinery and animalbreeding techniques, and has extended our life span via()medical technology.Will mankind continue to live longer and have a higher quality of life? In large measure the answer depends on technology and our ability to use it widely. If we keep making progress as we have over the past fifty years, the answer is definitely yes. The advancement of technology depends upon research and development, and the latest statistics (统计) show that the united States is continuing to pump billions of dollars annually(每年) into such efforts. So while we are running out of some scarce resources (少的资源) we may well find technological substitutes (代用品) for many of them through our research programs.Therefore, in the final analysis the three major factors of production (land, labor and capital) are all influenced by technology. When we need new skills on techniques in medicine, people will start developing new technology to meet those needs. As equipment proves to be slow or inefficient, new machines will be invented. Technology responds to our needs in helping us maintain our standard of living.1. What is the best title for the passage?A. The definition of technologyB. Modern technologyC. The application of technologyD. The development of technology2. From the passage, we can infer that this article is probably _.A. a part of the introduction to American businessB. followed by the passage talking about factors of productionC. taken from a learned journalD. Both A and B3. Which is the main idea of the passage?A. Modern technology is the key to the improvement of standard of living.B. The three major factors of production-land, labor and capital are all influenced by technology.C. Technology is the response to our needs.D. The United States is making great efforts to advance its technology.4. According to the passage, people can live a long life with the help of _.A. higer quality of lifeB. medical technologyC. modem farming machineryD. technological substitute
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