The Pacific island nation of Nauru used to be a beautiful place. Now it is an ecological(生態(tài)的) disaster area. Nauru’s heartbreaking story could have one good consequence — other countries might learn from its mistakes.
For thousands of years, Polynesian people lived the remote island of Nauru, far from western civilization. The first European to arrive was John Fearn in 1798. He was the British captain of the Hunter, a whaling ship. He called the island Pleasant Island.
However, because it was very remote, Nauru had little communication with Europeans at first. The whaling ships and other traders began to visit, bringing guns and alcohol. These elements destroyed the social balance of the twelve family groups on the island. A ten-year civil war started, which reduced the population from 1,400 to 900.
Nauru’s real troubles began in 1899 when a British mining company discovered phosphate (磷酸鹽)on the island. In fact, it found that the island of Nauru was nearly all phosphate, which a very important fertilizer for farming. The company began mining the phosphate.
A phosphate mine is not a hole in the ground; it is a strip mine(帶狀礦). When a company strip-mines, it removes the top layer(層) of soil. Then it takes away the material it wants. Strip mining totally destroys the land. Gradually, the lovely island of Nauru started to look like the moon.
In 1968, Nauru became one of the richest countries in the world. Every year the government received millions and millions of dollars for its phosphate.
Unfortunately, the leaders invested the money unwisely and lost millions of dollars. In addition, they used millions more dollars for personal expenses. Soon people realized that they had a terrible problem — their phosphate was running out. Ninety percent of their island was destroyed and they had nothing. By 2000, Nauru was financially ruined. Experts say that it would take approximately $433,600,000 and more than 20 years to repair the island. This will probably never happen.
小題1:What might be the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A.To seek help for Nauru’s problems.B.To give a warning to other countries.
C.To show the importance of money.D.To tell a heartbreaking story of a war.
小題2:What was Nauru like before the Europeans came?
A.Rich and powerful. B.Modern and open.
C.Peaceful and attractive. D.Greedy and aggressive.
小題3:The ecological disaster in Nauru resulted from           .
A.soil pollutionB.phosphate over mining
C.farming activity D.whale hunting
小題4:Which of the following was a cause of Nauru’s financial problem?
A.Its leaders misused the money.B.It spent too much repairing the island.
C.Its phosphate mining cost much money.D.It lost millions of dollars in the civil war.
小題5:What can we learn about Nauru from the last paragraph?
A.The phosphate mines were destroyed.B.The leaders will take the experts’ words seriously.
C.The island was abandoned by the Nauruans.D.The ecological damage is difficult to repair.

小題1:B
小題2:C
小題3:B
小題4:A
小題5:D

試題分析:瑙魯在歐洲人到來之前是一個安定而美麗的地方。現(xiàn)在卻變成了生態(tài)災區(qū)。因為含有磷酸鹽使得瑙魯曾經(jīng)富甲一方,但是領(lǐng)導人使用資金不當使瑙魯陷入財政困難。專家說修復瑙魯(島)需要花$433,600,000的錢、20年的時間。而這幾乎不可能!
小題1:主旨大意題。文章第一段提到瑙魯前后的變化以及該段最后一句“...other countries might learn from its mistakes.”可知,作者的寫作目的是為了引起其他國家的重視,以示警告。故選B項。
小題2:細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第一段第一句“...used to be a beautiful place.”以及第二段第一句“...lived on the remote island of Nauru,far from western civilization.”可知,瑙魯在歐洲人到來之前是一個安定而美麗的地方。
小題3:細節(jié)理解題。文章第四段提到一家英國礦業(yè)公司發(fā)現(xiàn)瑙魯含有豐富的磷酸鹽后開始開采,第五段又說明了其實這種露天礦的開采破壞了土壤的表層,最終使得“the lovely island of Nauru started to look like the moon”。因此可以看出其生態(tài)災難是由過度的采礦引起的,故B項正確。
小題4:細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)最后一段前兩句“...the leader invested the money unwisely and lost millions of dollars.In addition,they used millions more dollars for personal expenses.”可知,領(lǐng)導人使用資金不當,致使瑙魯陷入財政困難。故選A項。
小題5:推理判斷題。結(jié)合文章最后一段倒數(shù)第二句專家所說的修復瑙魯(島)需要花的錢和時間,以及最后一句“This will probably never happen.”可以推斷一旦造成生態(tài)破壞,是很難修復的。故選D項。
練習冊系列答案
相關(guān)習題

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

China is going green. In order to reduce air pollution and oil shortages, automobile manufacturers have announced their plans to develop hybrid vehicles (混合燃料汽車) for the Chinese market. Toyota's hybrid car Prius will be ready to drive in China this week. Let's have a look at the new car.
Any vehicle is a hybrid when it combines two or more sources of power. Hybrid cars run off a rechargeable battery and gasoline. Hybrid cars have special engines, which are smaller than traditional gasoline engines. They run at 99 percent of their power when the car is cruising (勻速行駛). A specially designed battery motor provides extra power for running up hills or when extra acceleration is needed.
Step into a Prius, and turn on the engine. The first thing you notice is how much quieter it is than a traditional car. At this point, the car's gasoline engine is dormant (休眠). The electric motor will provide power until the car reaches about 24 km/h. If you stay at a low speed, you are effectively driving an electric car, with no gasoline being used, and no waste gas gives off.
The onboard (車載的) computer makes the decision about when to use a gas engine, when to go electric, and when to use a combination of the two. If you go over 24 km/h, when you step on the gas pedal (油門), you are actually telling the computer how fast you want to go.
The electronic motor recharges automatically using a set of batteries. When driving at high speed, the gasoline engine not only powers the car, but also charges the batteries. Any time you use the brake, the electric motor in the wheels will work like a generator and produce electricity to recharge the batteries. As a consequence, the car's batteries will last for around 200,000 miles.
小題1:The author writes this passage mainly to________.
A.teach people how to drive a hybrid car
B.introduce a new kind of “green” car
C.show how to save their gasoline when driving a car
D.a(chǎn)nnounce plans to develop hybrid vehicles for China
小題2:Which of the followings is NOT true?
A.The hybrid cars reduce air pollution and oil shortages.
B.The car's gasoline engine doesn't work until it reaches about 24 km/h.
C.This kind of car is completely controlled by an onboard computer.
D.A specially designed battery motor provides extra power when needed.
小題3:What is the most important feature of hybrid cars?
A.They are powered by both a rechargeable battery and gasoline.
B.They are much quieter than traditional cars.
C.They only use 99 percent of their power to run up hills.
D.They have smaller engines than traditional gasoline ones.
小題4:What can we conclude from the story?
A.The batteries can be recharged at any time you want.
B.Using the brake suggests that the gasoline engine should work.
C.The batteries will last for 200, 000 miles without being recharged.
D.The gasoline engine charges the batteries as well as powers the car.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Not long ago, people thought babies were not able to learn things until they were five or six months old. Yet doctors in the United States say babies begin learning on their first day of life.
Scientists note that babies are strongly influenced by their environment. They say a baby will smile if her mother does something the baby likes. A baby learns to get the best care possible by smiling to please her mother or other caregiver. This is how babies learn to connect and communicate with other human beings.
One study shows that babies can learn before they are born. The researchers placed a tape recorder on the stomach of a pregnant woman. Then, they played a recording of a short story.  On the day the baby was born, the researchers attempted to find if he knew the sounds of the story repeated while in his mother. They did this by placing a device in the mouth of the newborn baby. The baby would hear the story if he moved his mouth one way. If the baby moved his mouth the other way, he would hear a different story. The researchers say the baby clearly liked the story he heard before he was born. They say the baby would move his mouth so he could hear the story again and again.
Another study shows how mothers can strongly influence social development and language skills in their children. Researchers studied the children from the age of one month to three years. The researchers attempted to measure the sensitivity of the mothers. The women were considered sensitive if they supported their children’s activities and did not interfere unnecessarily. They tested the children for thinking and language development when they were three years old. Also, the researchers observed the women for signs of depression.
The children of depressed women did not do as well in tests as the children of women who did not suffer from depression. The children of depressed women did poorly in tests of language skills and understanding what they hear.
These children also were less cooperative and had more problems dealing with other people. The researchers noted that the sensitivity of the mothers was important to the intelligence development of their children. Children did better when their mothers were caring, even when they suffered from depression.
小題1:According to the passage, which of the following is NOT the factor that influences intelligence development in babies?
A.The environment.B.Mother’s sensitivity.
C.Their peers (同齡人)D.Education before birth.
小題2:What is the purpose of the experiment in which newborn babies heard the stories?
A.To prove that babies can learn before they are born.
B.To prove that babies can learn on the first day they are born.
C.To show mothers can strongly influence intelligence development in their babies.
D.To indicate early education has a deep effect on the babies’ language skills.
小題3:Which group of children did the worst in tests of language skills?
A.The children of depressed mothers who cared little for their children.
B.The children of women who did not suffer from depression.
C.The children of depressed but caring mothers.
D.Children with high communication abilities.
小題4:What is the main idea of the passage?
A.Scientific findings about how babies develop before birth.
B.Scientific findings about how the environment has an effect on babies’ intelligence.
C.A study shows babies are not able to learn things until they are rice or six months old.
D.Scientific findings about how intelligence develops in babies.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:完形填空

People always say that the earlier one learns a language, the     it is to do so, in theory it is that,     , in my opinion, that refers to spoken language. Capability(能力) to practice some essential(基本的)     of a language and read between the lines can only be trained through proper reading ways and hard work     .So spending money to help      learn English may    up with disappointment. It is likely that the more you     ,the more you are let down.
The daughter of one of my friends     English in primary school,     her foreign teacher’s blindness     psychology. She did not want to go on     English until middle school,     a college student studying English slowly     her interest in the language.
It is better to have the child learn Chinese than to have some difficulty     learning English for several years. Having been engaged in English education,     find that despite(盡管) their excellent     , many students have     command of English words and phrases. So I suggest that children
   classical Chinese prose(散文),rather than     them to learn English hurriedly. Otherwise, they may let go the best time to    the language ability of their mother tongue.
小題1:
A.easyB.difficultC.easierD.more difficult
小題2:
A.but B.howeverC.thoughD.yet
小題3:
A.opinionsB.regardsC.requestsD.expressions
小題4:
A.directlyB.orallyC.properlyD.indirectly
小題5:
A.peopleB.girlsC.childrenD.boys
小題6:
A.begin B.startC.finishD.end
小題7:
A.pay B.getC.buyD.take
小題8:
A.lovedB.likedC.dislikedD.learned
小題9:
A.because ofB.becauseC.instead of D.instead
小題10:
A.ofB.a(chǎn)tC.inD.to
小題11:
A.learningB.to learnC.with learningD.for learning
小題12:
A.while B.whereC.when D.a(chǎn)s
小題13:
A.introducedB.practicedC.explained D.developed
小題14:
A.in B.to C.a(chǎn)t D.of
小題15:
A.HeB.IC.She D.They
小題16:
A.pronunciationB.phraseC.language D.writing
小題17:
A.fewB.less C.little D.fewer
小題18:
A.writeB.doC.rememberD.memorize
小題19:
A.haveB.letC.causeD.make
小題20:
A.studyB.improveC.learnD.master

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

My house is made of wood, glass and stone. It is also made of software.
If you come to visit, you'll probably be surprised when you come in: Someone will give you an electronic PIN to wear. The PIN tells the house who you are and where you are. The house uses this information to give you what you need. When it's dark outside, the PIN turns on the lights near you, and then turns them off as you walk away from them. Music moves with you, too. If the house knows your favorite music, it plays it for you. The music seems to be everywhere, but in fact other people in the house hear different music or no music. If you get a telephone call, only the nearest telephone rings.
Of course, you are also able to want something. There is a home control console (控制臺) which is a small machine that turns things on and off around you.
The PIN and the console are new ideas, but they are in fact like many things we have today. If you want to go to a movie, you need a ticket. If I give you the key to my car, you can use my car. The car works for you because you have the key. My house works for you because you wear the PIN or hold the console.
I believe that in ten years from now, most new houses will have the systems that I've put in my house. The systems will probably be even bigger and better than the ones I've got.
I like to try new ideas. I know that some of my ideas will work better than others'. But I hope that one day I will stop thinking of these systems as new, and ask myself instead, ”How did I live without them?”
小題1:The writer’s house is made of the following EXCEPT_________.
A.bamboo B.woodC.glassD.software
小題2:What is the writer most likely to be according to the passage?
A.An IT expert.B.A famous doctor.
C.A sportsman.D.An experienced teacher.
小題3:The writer's new house is different from ordinary ones mainly because______________.
A.it has your favorite music following you
B.you can make a telephone call anywhere
C.the writer is able to change his new idea into practice
D.it is controlled by computers
小題4:What does the passage mainly discuss?
A.How to develop a new system.B.The function of the PIN.
C.How great the computers are.D.Easy life in the future.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Monkeys , face to face
DISCOVER magazine once reported on a curious event in the woods : a group of monkeys applied mud (泥) to their faces in order to keep away insects , but when they were done they seemed to have lost their ability to recognize each other ---two monkeys that were supposed to be friends even started fighting.
“Faces are really important to how monkeys and apes (猿)can tell one another apart,” explained Michael Alfaro, a biologist at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), to the New York -based International Science Times . This is quite different from many other animals , which depend heavily on smells.
Since faces play such a crucial part in the social lives of monkeys , could this explain why certain monkey species have such colorful faces while others have simpler, plainer ones ?
To test this theory , a group of researchers from UCLA studied 139 monkey species , mainly from Asia and Africa, and analyzed hundreds of headshot (頭像)photos of those monkeys from their databases.
It was found that species that live in larger groups have faces with more complex color patterns than those that live in smaller groups. According to Live Science, researchers believe that this is nature’s way of making it easier for monkeys to recognize each other since those living in larger groups have to distinguish between a greater number of faces.
This is actually not that hard to understand . Just imagine if there were 10 people standing in front of you, all wearing white clothes. It would be much more difficult to tell them apart than if they wore clothes with colorful patterns. However, if there were only two people that you had to identify, a lack of color wouldn’t be much of a problem.
Apart from the need to recognize group members , researchers found that geography and environment also affect monkeys’ facial colors. Species that live closer to the equator in thick, humid (潮濕的)forests were found to have darker faces than those who live in dry areas further away from the equator. This is because darker faces help camouflage (偽裝)the monkeys in the woods so that they go unnoticed by predators (捕食者).
小題1:We can learn from the article that monkeys mainly recognize each other by their __.
A.SmellsB.Facial appearancesC.body shapesD.Voices
小題2:Which of the following statements about monkeys’face patterns is TURE according to the article ?
A.Larger monkeys have more complex face color patterns.
B.Monkeys with colorful face patterns usually take higher social positions within groups.
C.Monkeys living in smaller groups usually have simpler, plainer face patterns.
D.Colorful face patterns keep monkeys safe from predators.
小題3:What is article mainly about?
A.The social lives of monkeys.
B.How monkeys tell each other apart.
C.A comparison between the face patterns of monkeys and those of human beings.
D.The different factors that determine monkeys’ face patterns.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Some say college is wasted on the young. So many of us look back at our own college years and realize what we could have done differently to make the most of them. While we can’t go back, we certainly can offer our sons and daughters our best advice to help them make the right choices in college. Hopefully, they will have fewer regrets than we do. Following are five guidelines parents can share with their college-bound kids to put the whole experience in perspective.
EDUCATION IS YOUR FIRST PRIORITY
As soon as you arrive on campus, there will be competing interests. Feel free to check them out but always remember that you are there first and foremost for your education. Go to class prepared and on time. Be engaged during class. Make sure your professor knows you and realizes that you care.
BE RESPONSIBLE
There are many layers of responsibility. Do what you say you will do and, if you can’t, own up to it early and communicate clearly. But being responsible isn’t just about meeting your commitments; it is also about taking care of you, your body, and your friends. For example, more than 1800 college students die annually from alcohol-related injuries. Look out for yourself and other people. Make moderate, sensible decisions so you aren’t reeling from the consequences later.
TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY
Incredible opportunities will present themselves: studying abroad, interning at a unique place, trying new things. Don’t let fear prevent you from taking advantage of them. There may never be so much time or as many resources devoted to your betterment again in your life. Say yes to opportunities that will help you grow.
FIND AND BE A MENTOR
Some of the best lessons available to us can come outside of the classroom in the form of a mentor. One of the most powerful growth opportunities is being a mentor. Early on, find someone on campus who you feel can help you grow and develop a relationship with him or her. Also find someone for you to mentor. You will reinforce and enrich your own learning experience by teaching someone else.
GET THE JOB DONE
It is natural to occasionally feel you want to quit, when it makes more sense to you to go find a full-time job. Resist that urge. As Jocelyn Negron-Rios, a mother of two, who is currently completing her degree, advises, “No matter how difficult it seems, keep at it because however insurmountable it feels now multiply that by 10,000 and that is how it feels when you are in your thirties with a full-time job and a family and are trying to pursue a degree.”
小題1:According to the passage, the most important thing for college students is ______.
A.taking part in different activities
B.working hard to get a degree
C.seizing every chance to try new things
D.improving themselves by learning from the others
小題2:Which of the following about college life is true?
A.Passing on what you’ve learned in college can help you enrich your learning experience.
B.Make sure that you are responsible for yourself rather than others.
C.Professors will not assess your performances in class but the grades you get in exams.
D.You can make full use of the opportunity whenever you want.
小題3:What can we infer from the words said by Jocelyn in the last paragraph?
A.Persistence is the key to success when you meet with difficulties in your learning process.
B.It is better if you gain more working experience before you finish your education.
C.As long as you work hard, you can gain a degree even when you are in your thirties.
D.Youth is the best time to learn since you have less burden.
小題4:What is the main purpose of the passage?
A.To give some rules for the college students.
B.To call on the students to make full use of college years.
C.To summarize some tips for parents to share with their children.
D.To analyze the benefits and difficulties of college life.

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

The energy crisis has made people aware of how the careless use of the earth’s energy has brought the whole world to the edge of disaster. The over-development of motor transport, with its increase of more cars, more traveling, has contributed to the near-destruction of our cities and the pollution not only of local air but also of the earth’s atmosphere.
Our present situation is unlike natural disasters of the past. Worldwide energy use has brought us to a state where long-range planning is vital. What we need is not a continuation of our present serious state, which endangers the future of our country, our children, and our earth, but a movement forward in order to work rapidly and effectively on planetary problems.
This country has been failing back under the continuing exposures of loss of morality and the revelation(揭露) that lawbreaking has reached into the highest place in the land. There is a strong demand for morality to turn for the better and for some devotion that is vast enough and yet personal enough to enlist the devotion of all. In the past it has been only in a way in defense of their own country and their own benefits that people have been able to devote themselves wholeheartedly.
This is the first time that we have been asked to defend ourselves and what we hold dear in cooperation with all the other people of this planet, who share with us the same endangered air and the same endangered oceans. There is a common need to reassess our present course, to change that course and to employ new methods through which the world can survive. This is a priceless opportunity.
To grasp it, we need a widespread understanding of nature if the crisis we and the world are facing is no passing inconvenience, no byproduct of the ambitions of the oil-producing countries, no environmentalists’ only fears, no byproduct of any present system of government. What we face is the result of the invention of the last four hundred years. What we need is a transformed life style. This new life style can flow directly from science and technology, but its acceptance depends on a sincere devotion to finding a higher quality of life for the world’s children and future generation.
小題1:Which of the following has nearly destroyed our cities?
A.The loss of beliefs and ideas.
B.More of law-breaking.
C.Natural disasters in many areas.
D.The rapid growth of motors.
小題2:By comparing past problems with present ones, the author draws our attention to the        .
A.seriousness of this crisis
B.ineffectiveness of laws
C.similarity of the past to the present
D.hopelessness of the situation
小題3:Which of the following is used as an example to show the loss of morality?
A.Disregard for law.B.Lack of devotion.
C.Lack of understanding.D.Destruction of cities.
小題4:The author wrote the passage in order to        .
A.make a recommendation for a transformed life style
B.limit ambitions of the people of the whole world
C.demand devotion to nature and future generation
D.encourage awareness of the decline of morality

查看答案和解析>>

科目:高中英語 來源:不詳 題型:閱讀理解

Most of us know little about the mental processes that lie behind our decisions. Luckily, what psychologists are finding may help us all make better choices. Here are some of their amazing discoveries to help you make up your mind.
Consider your emotions. You might think that emotions are the enemy of decision making, but in fact they’re a part of it. Whenever you make up your mind, your brain’s emotional center is active. University of Southern California scientist, Antonio Damasio, has studied people with damage to only the emotional parts of their brains, and found that they were unable to make basic choices about what to wear or eat. Damasio thinks this may be because our brains store emotional memories of past choices, which we use to help the present decision making.
However, making choices under the influence of an emotion can greatly affect the result. Take anger, for example. A study by Nitika Garg of the University of Mississippi and other scientists found the angry shoppers were more likely to choose the first thing they were offered rather than considering other choices. It seems anger can lead us to make quick decisions without much thinking.
All emotions affect our thinking and motivation, so it may be best to avoid making important decisions under their influence. Yet strangely there’s one emotion that seems to help us make good choices. The American researchers found that sad people took time to consider the various choices on offer, and ended up making the best choices. In fact many studies show that people who feel unhappy have the most reasonable view of the world.
小題1:According to the text, what may help us make better decisions?
A.To think about happy times.
B.To make many decisions at a time.
C.To stop feeling regretful about the past.
D.To learn about the process of decision-making.
小題2:Damasio’s study suggests that ______.
A.emotions are the enemy of decision making
B.our brain has nothing to do with decision making
C.people with physical damage find it hard to make up their minds
D.our emotional memories of past choices can affect present decisions
小題3:Why are angry shoppers more likely to choose the first thing they are offered?
A.They often forget their past choices.
B.They make decisions without much thinking.
C.They tend to save time when shopping.
D.They are too angry to bargain.
小題4:What do we learn from the text?
A.Emotions are a part of decision making.
B.Sad people always make the worst choices.
C.No emotion seems to help us make good choices.
D.Only sad feelings affect our thinking and motivation.

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習冊答案