题目内容
2010 was the year the Earth struck back.
Earthquakes, heat waves, floods, volcanoes, super typhoons, blizzards (暴风雪), landslides and droughts killed at least a quarter million people in 2010 – the deadliest year in more than a generation. More people were killed worldwide by natural disasters this year than have been killed in terrorism attacks in the past 40 years combined.
“It just seemed like it was back-to-back(接二连三) and it came in waves,” said Craig Fugate, who heads the US Federal Emergency Management Agency. It handled a record number of disasters in 2010.
“The term “100-year event’ really lost its meaning this year.”
And we have ourselves to blame most of the time, scientists and disaster experts say.
Even though many disasters have the ring of random chance, the hand of man made this a particularly deadly, costly, extreme and strange year for everything from wild weather to earthquakes.
Poor construction and development practices make earthquakes more deadly than they need be. More people live in poverty in vulnerable buildings(危房) in crowded cities. That means that when the ground shakes, the river floods, or the tropical cyclone hits, more people die.
Disasters from the Earth, such as earthquakes and volcanoes “are pretty much constant,” said Andreas Schraft, vice president of catastrophic perils for the Geneva-based insurance giant Swiss Re. “All the change that’s made is man-made.”
The January earthquake that killed well more than 220,000 people in Haiti is a perfect example. Port-au-Prince has nearly three times as many people – many of them living in poverty- and more poorly built shanties(棚户区) ,than it did 25 years ago. So had the same quake hit in 1985 instead of 2010; total deaths would have probably been in the 80,000 range, said Richard Olson, director of disaster risk reduction at Florida International University.
Climate scientists say Earth’s climate also is changing thanks to man-made global warming, bringing extreme weather, such as heat waves and flooding.
The excessive(过多的) amount of extreme weather that dominated 2010 is a classic sign of man-made global warming that climate scientists have long warned about. They calculate that the killer Russian heat wave – setting a national record of 111 degrees – would happen once every 100,000 years without global warming.
Data show that 18 countries broke their records for the hottest day ever.
“The Earth strikes back in response to bad human decision-making,” said Debarati Guha Sapir.” “It’s almost as if the policies, the government policies and development policies, are helping the Earth strike back instead of protecting from it. We’ve created conditions where the slightest thing the Earth does is really going to have a surprising impact.” White House science adviser John Holdren said we should get used to climate disasters or do something about global warming. “The science is clear that we can expect more and more of these kinds of damaging events unless and until society has sharply reduced the amount of heat-trapping gases and particles(颗粒).”
【小题1】From paragraph 1 to paragraph 3, we learn ___________________________.
A.what natural disasters mean to the people all over the world |
B.how terrorism attacks struck in the past four decades |
C.how the Earth struck back in 2010 |
D.why the world saw so many disasters in 2010 |
A.poor construction largely accounts for more deaths than expected |
B.man’s behaviours are to blame for the constant occurrence of natural disasters |
C.the extreme weather mainly contributes to the disaster of the quake |
D.the country’s poverty and over- crowdedness results in the disaster |
A.Environment protection should be taken into account in policy-making. |
B.Natural disasters are causing increase. |
C.The earth wouldn’t strike back but for the destruction by man. |
D.Conditions should be created to rid the influence of disasters. |
A.to forecast the happening of natural disasters accurately |
B.to build stronger houses that can stand severe earthquakes and floods |
C.to make better decisions and policies of city development |
D.to send out much fewer greenhouse gases and particles |
A.The major causes of natural disasters. |
B.The human unawareness of environment protection. |
C.The harmonious relationship between humans and nature. |
D.The serious results of global warming and earthquakes. |
【小题1】C
【小题2】B
【小题3】A
【小题4】D
【小题5】C
解析试题分析:
【小题1】C 段落大意题。本文前三都都是讲述的是2010年在世界各地所发生的接二连三的自然灾害,故C正确。
【小题2】B 推理题。根据前一段最后一句. “All the change that’s made is man-made.”说明很多的灾难都是人为因素导致的,接下来就列举海地的地震灾难,主要就是为了说明人类的行为导致了自然灾难的频繁爆发。故B正确。
【小题3】A 推理题。根据最后一段前三行“The Earth strikes back in response to bad human decision-making,” said Debarati Guha Sapir.” “It’s almost as if the policies, the government policies and development policies, are helping the Earth strike back instead of protecting from it说明Debarati Guha Sapir认为人们在做决定的时候一定要考虑到环境的因素,故A想的观点与他的观点是一致的,故A正确。
【小题4】D 推理题。根据文章最后三行White House science adviser John Holdren said we should get used to climate disasters or do something about global warming. “The science is clear that we can expect more and more of these kinds of damaging events unless and until society has sharply reduced the amount of heat-trapping gases and particles(颗粒).”说明他认为我们要减少温室气体的排放以此来减少全球变暖的驱使。故D项与之相符。故D正确。
【小题5】C 主旨大意题。本文主要讲述的就是人类的行为导致了自然的报复,担心人和自然之间的关系。故C正确。
考点:考查环境类短文阅读
点评:本文主要讲述的就是人类的行为导致了自然的报复,担心人和自然之间的关系。集中考查推理题,解推断题最主要的方法是根据词义关系推断具体细节,在文章中要准确定位考查点。
When Gretchen Baxter gets home from work as a New York City book editor, she checks her Blackberry (黑莓手机) at the door. ‘I think we are attached to these devices in a way that is not always positive,’ says Baxter,who’d rather focus at home on her husband and 12-year-old daughter. ‘It’s there and it beckons (召唤). That’s human nature (but)…we kind of get crazy sometimes and we don’t know where it should stop.’
Americans are connected at unprecedented (前所未有的) levels一93% now use cell phones or wireless devices;one third of those are ‘smart phones’ that allow users to browse the Web and check e-mail,among other things. The benefits are obvious: checking messages on the road,staying in touch with friends and family,efficiently using time once spent waiting around. The downside:often,we’re effectively disconnecting from those in the same room.
That's why,despite all the technology that makes communicating easier than ever,2010 was the Year We Stopped Talking to One Another. From texting at dinner to posting on Facebook from work or checking e-mail while on a date,the connectivity revolution is creating a lot of divided attention,not to mention social anxiety. Many analysts say it's time to step back and reassess.
‘What we’re going to see in the future is new opportunities for people to be plugged in and connected like never before,’ says Scott Campbell. ‘It can be a good thing,but I also see new ways the traditional social fabric (社会结构) is getting somewhat torn apart.’
Our days are filled with beeps and pings·----many of which pull us away from tasks at hand or face-to-face conversations. We may feel that the distractions are too much,but we can’t seem to stop posting,texting or surfing.
‘We're going through a period of adjustment and rebalancing,’ says Sherry Turkle and she wants to remind people that technology can be turned off.
‘Our human purposes are to really have connections with people,’ she says. ‘We have to reclaim it. It’s not going to take place by itself.’
【小题1】What can be the best title for the passage?
A.2010: The year technology developed quickly. |
B.2010: The year technology sped up our life pace. |
C.2010: The year technology replaced talking. |
D.2010: The year technology made communicating easier. |
A.the new technology always influences people’s life in a positive way |
B.the new technology is so tempting that she could even put her daughter and husband behind |
C.it is encouraging to see progress on the new technology every year |
D.people are too dependent on the new technology to let go |
A.The wide use of mobile devices has nothing to do with the ‘traditional social fabric’. |
B.Mobile devices play a less important part in American life. |
C.Mobile devices create a lot of divided attention and social anxiety. |
D.Many analysts speak highly of the wide popularity of mobile devices. |
A.Something must be done to get connection with people in reality again· |
B.Using mobile services can help people get connection with each other. |
C.Mobile services have a strong impact on people’s life. |
D.The connection with people can happen naturally. |
The whole world was talking about Octopus(章鱼)Paul Allen since it had a 100%correct prediction record of the matches,including Germany in the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2010.The question was whether there be a prediction of the grand final, since it did not include Germany.
The answer to that much awaited question is yes. Celebrity Octopus Paul Allen does have a winner. It has picked Spain over Holland to lift the wishful prize. In a live television show all over Europe, Paul picked out a mussel(蚌)from the tank with the Spanish flag, ignoring the tank that had the Dutch flag. This means the prediction is that Spain will be FIFA World Cup 2010 champion.Regarding the place 3 and 4 playoff, Octopus Paul A11en has predicted that Germany will beat Uruguay to take the 3 rd place, which was right.
Octopus Paul Allen has become a worldwide celebrity after it has predicted with 100% accuracy all of Germany’s World Cup games’ outcomes. It even stopped critics and experts when it correctly predicted a Serbia win over the strong Germans. Much to the sorrow of German fans,it also rightly predicted Spain having an advantage over Germany in the semifinals. And when this came true,there were many calls from angry and sad Germans fans to kill and eat it.Now let’s wait and see if this final prediction by Octopus Paul Allen comes true and its 100%accuracy record stays the same.It goes without saying. Spain will be smiling, at least right now!
【小题1】 Octopus Paul Allen became a hot topic because__________.
A.it predicted records of FIFA World Cup 2010 matches correctly |
B.it was the mascot of FIFA World Cup 2010 |
C.it took part in the game with Germany and other teams |
D.it lent a helping hand to Germany to win the game |
A.Spain | B.Holland | C.Germany | D.Uruguay |
A.FIFA World Cup 2010 has come to an end |
B.Spain has already beaten Germany in the semifinals |
C.Spain has already won the World Cup 2010 champion |
D.the sad German fans have killed Octopus Paul Allen |
A.Spain will be FIFA World Cup 2010 champion |
B.Octopus Paul Allen won’t predict anything in the future |
C.Octopus Paul Allen will surely leave |
D.everything goes on well |