题目内容
Spending two or three hours playing outdoors each day can reduce a child’s chance of becoming short-sighted, a research shows．It challenges （挑战） the belief that short- sightedness is caused by computer use, watching TV or reading in weak light．
The Australian government researchers believe that sunlight is good for people’s eyes． They compared the vision（视力）and habits of 100 seven-year-old children in Singapore and Australia．In all, 30% of the Singaporean children were short-sighted--this rate（比率）was ten times higher than Australian children．
Both groups spent a similar amount of time reading, watching television and playing computer games．However, the Australian children spent an average（平均）of two hours a day outdoors—90 minutes more than the Singaporean children．
Professor（教授）Ian Morgan, from the Australian Research Council’s Vision Centre, said, “Humans are naturally long-sighted, but when people begin to go to school and spend little or no time outdoors, the number of short-sighted people gets larger．We’re also seeing more and more short-sighted children in cities all around the world—and the main reason may be that city children spend less time outdoors． “
Daylight can be hundreds of times brighter than indoor light．But why does playing outside prevent us from becoming short-sighted? Scientists believe that natural light has a special chemical（化学物质）which stops the eyeball from growing out of shape and prevents people becoming short-sighted．
So be outdoors．It doesn’t matter if that time is spent having a picnic or playing sports．
1．How much time did the Singaporean children spend outdoors on average every day in the research?
A． 2 hours． B． 90 minutes． C． 1 hour． D． 30 minutes．
2．What is the fifth paragraph mainly about?
A． Why people become short-sighted．
B． Why natural light has a special chemical．
C． Why playing outside is good for one’s eyesight．
D． Why daylight is much brighter than indoor light．
3．Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A． People will all become short-sighted after they begin to go to school．
B． Playing outdoors for 2 or 3 hours every day can help protect your eyesight．
C． Children in Australia are more likely to get short-sighted than those in Singapore．
D． If you spend two or three hours playing outside each day, you won’t get short-sighted．
DCB
One of the most famous scientists to study adaptations(适应能力) was Charles Darwin(达尔文). He was born in England in 1809. He wasn’t the best student in his school, but when he was 16, his father sent him to a medical school. Charles liked spending time outdoors observing(观察) nature more than having medical classes. He dropped out without graduating.
Next, Charles’ father sent him to school to become a minister(牧师). This time he made it to graduation, but he didn’t want to do the work of a minister. His friends encouraged him to follow his interest in science.
Luckily, Charles was invited to sail on the Beagle as an unpaid scientist after graduation. The Beagle was to travel to South America and then around the world. Their task was to make maps of the places they visited.
On December 27th, 1831. Charles Darwin sailed from England on the Beagle. The trip was planned to last two years. In fact, it lasted five. During this time, he saw many amazing things. He collected lots of plants and animals and took them back to England to begin his scientific study.
Twenty-three years later, Darwin published a scientific paper with another man named Wallace. Darwin described how some animals have adaptations that help them survive. They are passed on to offspring(后代). Darwin’s ideas about adaptations are still very important to the study of living things.
【小题1】Darwin was very interested in ____________.
| A．having medical classes | B．the work of a minister |
| C．sailing around the world | D．science and nature |
| A．five | B．four |
| C．three | D．two |
| A．twenty | B．twenty-three |
| C．forty-five | D．fifty |
| A．adaptations | B．Darwin and Wallace |
| C．animals | D．Darwin’s ideas |
Reading is a good habit, but the problem is there’s too much to read these days and too little time to read every word of it. There are hundreds of skills to help you read more in less time. Here are two skills that I think are especially good.
Preview — if it’s long and hard. Previewing is especially useful for getting a general idea of heavy reading like long magazine articles and business reports.
Here’s how to preview.
Read the first two paragraphs and the last two paragraphs carefully.
Then read only the first sentence of the other paragraphs.
Previewing doesn’t give you all the details. It keeps you from spending time on things you don’t really want － or need － or read.
Skim － if it’s short and simple. Skimming is a good way to get a general idea of light reading like popular magazines or the sports and entertainment of your daily paper.
Here’s how to skim.
Get your eyes to move fast. Sweep them across each line.
Pick up only a few key words in each line.
Everybody skims differently. You and I may not pick up the same words when we skim the same piece, but we’ll get a similar idea of what it’s all about.
【小题1】 How many skills does the writer introduce to help us in reading?
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．Read every word of it. | B．Read all the details. |
| C．Pick up a few key words in each line. | |
| D．Read the first and the last two paragraphs carefully. |
| A．Previewing. | B．Skimming. | C．Reading. | D．Sweeping. |
Bamboo (竹子) is one of nature’s (自然) most surprising plants. Many people call this plant a tree, but it is a kind of grass.
Like other kinds of grass, a bamboo plant may be cut very low to the ground, but it will grow back very quickly. A Japanese scientist reported one bamboo plant which grew 1. 5 metres(4 feet) in 24 hours! Bamboo grows almost everywhere in the world except Europe. There are more than 1, 000 kinds of bamboo.
Not all bamboo looks the same. Some bamboo plants are very thin. They may only grow to be a few centimetres wide while others may grow to more than 30 centimetres (1 foot) across. This plant also comes in different colours, from yellow to black to green.
Bamboo has been used to make many things such as hats and kitchen tools( 厨房用具). Because it is strong, bamboo is also used to build buildings.
Many Asian countries have used bamboo for hundreds of years. They often use bamboo for buildings and supporting (支撑) new buildings and bridges while they are being built.
In Africa, poor farmers are taught how to find water using bamboo. These African countries need cheap way to find water because they have no money, and their fields often die from no rain and no water. Bamboo pipes( 管子) help poor farmers bring water to their thirsty fields without spending a lot of money.
【小题1】 How is bamboo like grass?
| A．It grows quickly. | B．It’s wood. ` | C．it is easy to cut. | D．It is very thin. |
| A．in China | B．in Europe | C．on mountains | D．in Africa |
| A．it is cheap | B．it has different colours |
| C．it is strong | D．it has been used by Asians |
| A．make money | B．be trees | C．grow quickly | D．carry water |
| A．a short time |
| B．many thousands of years |
| C．many hundreds of years |
| D．about 100 years |