题目内容
There has been a dramatic increase in the number of natural disasters over the past few years，and it is assumed that global warming and climate change could cause even more disasters in the future．Some of the world’s leading cities are facing disasters like floods and heat waves．
London’s flood defenses are getting older．Since 1 982，the Thames Barrier(水闸)has protected the city from the threat of flooding，but it was only designed to last until 2030 and close once every two or three years．About 26 years later the barrier now closes five or six times a year and according to Environment Agency predictions，by 2050 the barrier will be closed on almost every tide if the problem is not addressed．
There are 26 underground stations，400 schools，1 6 hospitals，an airport and 80 billion worth of property in London’s flood risk area, so large scale flooding would be disastrous．
Over a six week period in July and August 2003，more than 1 1,400---mainly elderly people―died in France from dehydration(脱水)and extremely high body temperature in a deadly heat wave．Heat waves of similar intensity(强度)are expected every seven years by 2050，so what can be done to make sure such a disaster does not happen again?
One solution is to have air-conditioners installed in elderly care homes．But this is considered a short-term solution，as the increase in demand for electricity also increases carbon emissions(排放)．
In
such as the building“Flower Tower,”which uses a covering．of bamboo to act as a natural
air-conditioner．
Shanghai is the fastest growing city on Earth．It has a population of 1 8 million and is only 4 meters above sea level．Sea levels are predicted to rise by 20 cm within the next century．
An estimated 250，000 people move to Shanghai every year in search of work, placing extra demands on energy consumption．China relies heavily on coal―fired power stations，but these emissions increase temperatures and，in turn，warmer seas increase the risk of typhoons．
56．Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A．Big Cities Facing Big Disasters B．Big Disasters in the Future
C．The Increase of Natural Disasters D．Solutions to Natural Disasters
57．What problem should be settled now in London?
A．How to protect the city’s property．
B．Where to build its flood defences．
C．How to use the Thames Barrier to protect the city．
D．How to improve the function of the old flood defences．
58．Which of the following measures can’t solve the heat wave disaster in Paris?
A．Putting up new types of buildings with a covering of bamboo．
B．Having air-conditioners installed in elderly care homes．
C．Forbidding the city to build“Flower Tower”
D．Encouraging architects to design new types of buildings．
59．The major threats to Shanghai are ．
A．increasing population and coal-fired power stations
B．rising sea levels and typhoons
C．extremely high temperature and rising sea levels
D．extra demands on energy consumption and typhoons
60．The purpose of the passage is ．
A．to tell us how to protect the big cities
B．to give advice on how to defend natural disasters
C．to explain what causes flood and heat waves
D．to warn us of the increasing natural disasters in big cities
Learning to play a musical instrument can change your brain, with a US review finding musical training can lead to improved speech and foreign language skills.
Although it was suggested in the past that listening to Mozart’s music or other classical music could make you smarter, there has been little evidence to show that music can boost(使增长) brain power.
But a data-driven review by Northwestern University has pulled reaserch together that links musical training to learning that spills over into (波及) skills including language, speech, memory, attention and even vocal emotion.
Researcher Nina Kraus said the data strongly suggested that the nervous connections made during musical training also prepared the brain for other aspects of human communication.
“ The effect of musical training suggests that, like physical exercise and its effect on body fitness, music is a resource that tones the brain for auditory fitness and thus requires society to re-examine the role of music in shaping individual development, ” the researchers said in their study.
Kraus said learning musical sounds could improve the brain’s ability to adapt and change and also enable the nervous system to provide constructing patterns that are important to learning.
The study, published in Nature Review Neuroscience , looked at the explosion of research in recent years focusing on the effect of musical training on the nervous system which could have impacts for education.
The study found that playing an instrument prepares the brain to choose what is related in a complex process that may involve reading or remembering a score, timing issues and coordination with other musicians.
【小题1】What is the text mainly about ?
| A．The effect of physical exercise. | B．The researcher named Kraus. |
| C．The benefit of musical training. | D．Musicians’ improved skills. |
| A．of the body | B．connected with seeing |
| C．of the mind | D．connected with hearing |
| A．add to your intelligence | B．improve your speech |
| C．boost your memory | D．make you think faster |
| A．body fitness | B．the way to speak |
| C．langugage learning | D．mental concentration |
C
Holding a cell phone against your ear or storing it in your pocket may be dangerous to your health. This explains a warning that cell phone manufacturers include in the small print that is often ignored when a new phone is purchased. Apple, for example, doesn’t want iPhones to come closer to you than 1.5 centimeters; Research In Motion, BlackBerry’s manufacturer, recommends 2.5 centimeters.
If health issues arise from cell phone use, the possible effects are huge. Voice calls - Americans chat on cell phones 2.26 trillion(万亿)minutes annually - earn $109 billion for the wireless carriers.
Devra Davis, an expert who has worked for the University of Pittsburgh, has published a book about cell phone radiation, “Disconnect.” The book surveys scientific research and concludes the question is not settled.
Brain cancer is a concern that Ms. Davis examines. Over all, there has not been an increase in its incidence since cell phones arrived. But the average masks an increase in brain cancer in the 20-to-29 age group and a drop for the older population.
“Most cancers have multiple causes,” she says, but she points to laboratory research that suggests low-energy radiation could damage cells that could possibly lead to cancer.
Children are more vulnerable to radiation than adults, Ms. Davis and other scientists point out. Radiation that penetrates only five centimeters into the brain of an adult will reach much deeper into the brains of children because their skulls are thinner and their brains contain more absorptive fluid（易吸收的液体）. No studies have yet been completed on cell phone radiation and children, she says.
Henry Lai, a research professor in the bioengineering department at the University of Washington, began laboratory radiation studies in 1980 and found that rats exposed to radiation had damaged DNA in their brains.
Ms. Davis recommends using wired headsets or the phone’s speaker. Children should text rather than call, she said, and pregnant women should keep phones away from the abdomen（腹部）.
【小题1】Why is the warning in the small print?
| A．They think people will not care about it. |
| B．There is not enough space for the warning. |
| C．They don’t want the users to pay attention to it. |
| D．The warning is not important at all. |
| A．acceptable | B．valuable | C．accessible | D．easily affected |
| A．Pregnant women should keep cell phones away. |
| B．People should use cell phones in the correct way. |
| C．If you are a child, you’d better text than make phone calls. |
| D．When you use a cell phone, use a wired headset or the phone’s speaker. |
| A．Be careful when using cell phones. |
| B．Don’t hold your cell phone against your ear. |
| C．Rats exposed to radiation have damaged DNA in their brains. |
| D．Low-energy radiation could damage cells that could lead to cancer. |