Australian people love swimming and going to its beautiful beach. But it wasn’t always that way.

       Different climate leads to different habits. When Europeans first invaded Australia, the only people here who were good at swimming were the Aboriginal people. The Europeans came from climates where it was too cold to swim. However the warm climate of Australia soon changed their attitude to swimming. At first, only men swam. They swam without any clothes on—there were no women to see them.

       Cover up! By the 1880 and 1890s visiting the beach was very fashionable. People wore everyday street clothes—much more than people wear at the beach today. In those days it’s believed people should cover their most body so as not to be seen by the opposite sex. Special bathing costumes were designed for women. This costumes used a lot of cloth and were very heavy when wet, making it difficult to swim.

       Laws made and laws changed. The government decided to stop men swimming naked(裸体). It passed a law which forbade bathing between 6 am and 7 am. But in 1903, the laws changed; people could swim in the daytime, but they had to wear neck-to-knee costumes.

        Costume is shrinking. As time passed, swimming costumes became smaller and more convenient. At first men and women were covered from neck to knee. Then arms became bare. Then more of the legs were uncovered. Each new change was regarded by many as shocking and rude and people wrote letters to the newspapers complaining about the new costume.

Nowadays some people go to special “nude beaches” to swim naked. However, most people cover their bodies more than they did ten years ago—not because they think bare skin is shocking—but to protect their skin from the harmful rays of the sun.

68. Which of the following statements about the climate of Australia is TRUE?

       A. It changed European settlers’ attitude to swimming.

       B. It changed European settlers’ swimming costume.

       C. It made European settlers feel much hotter.

       D. It made European settlers have to swim naked.

69. During the late 19^th century, swimmers should_________.
       A. wear a lot of heavy clothes on beaches.

       B. wear special wet costumes designed for them.

       C. hide when they come across a person of the opposite sex.

       D. cover their body to avoid being seen by the opposite sex.

70. What does the underlined sentence mean?

       A. People were surprised by each new change and criticized it.

       B. People were amazed by each new change and welcomed it.

       C. Only newspapers were in favor of each new change.

       D. Only newspapers thought poorly of each new change.

71. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

       A. People worry about getting skin disease from too much sun.

       B. People protect their swimming costumes from too much sun.

       C. People sometimes go swimming on the nude beaches.

       D. People today cover their bodies more than before.

Australia is famous for its beautiful beaches. And Australian people love swimming and going to the beach. But it wasn’t always that way.

       Different Climate, Different Habits

       When Europeans first invaded Australia, the only people here who were good at swimming were the Aboriginal people. The Europeans came from climates where it was too cold to swim. However the warm climate of Australia soon changed their attitude to swimming. At first, only men swam. They swam without any clothes on—there were no women to see them.

       Cover up!

       By the 1880 and 1890s visiting the beach was very fashionable. People wore everyday street clothes—much more than people wear at the beach today.

       In those days people believed they should cover their most body so it would not be seen by the opposite sex. Special bathing costumes were designed for women. This costumes used a lot of cloth and were very heavy when wet, making it difficult to swim.

       Laws Made and Laws Changed

       The government decided to stop men swimming naked. It passed a law which forbade bathing between 6 am and 7 am. But in 1903, the laws changed; people could swim in the daytime, but they had to wear neck-to-knee costumes.

       The Shrinking Costume

       As time passed, swimming costumes became smaller and more convenient.

       At first men and women were covered from neck to knee. Then arms became bare. Then more of the legs were uncovered. Each new change was regarded by many as shocking and rude and people wrote letters to the newspapers complaining about the new costume. Nowadays some people go to special “nude beaches” to swim naked.

       However, most people cover their bodies more than they did ten years ago—not because they think bare skin is shocking—but to protect their skin from the harmful rays of the sun.

Which of the following statements about the climate of Australia is TRUE?

       A. It made European settlers think differently about swimming.

       B. It changed European settlers’ swimming costume.

       C. It made European settlers feel much hotter.

       D. It made European settlers have to swim naked.

What should swimmers do during the late 19^th century?

       A. They should hide when they meet a person of the opposite sex.

       B. They should cover their body to avoid being seen by the opposite sex.

       C. They should wear many heavy clothes on beaches.

       D. They should wear special wet costumes designed for them.

What does the underlined sentence mean?

       A. People were surprised by each new change and criticized it.

       B. People were amazed by each new change and praise it.

       C. Only newspapers were in favor of each new change.

       D. Only newspapers thought poorly of each new change.

What can we conclude from the last paragraph?

       A. People worry about getting skin cancer from too much sun.

       B. People protected their swimming costumes from too much sun.

       C. People are greatly shocked by the nude beaches.

       D. People think it rude to swim with the smaller costumes.

Australia is famous for its beautiful beaches. And Australian people love swimming and going to the beach. But it wasn’t always that way.

         Different Climate, Different Habits

         When Europeans first invaded Australia, the only people here who were good at swimming were the Aboriginal people. The Europeans came from climates where it was too cold to swim. However the warm climate of Australia soon changed their attitude to swimming. At first, only men swam. They swam without any clothes on—there were no women to see them.

         Cover up!

         By the 1880 and 1890s visiting the beach was very fashionable. People wore everyday street clothes—much more than people wear at the beach today.

         In those days people believed they should cover their most body so it would not be seen by the opposite sex. Special bathing costumes were designed for women. This costumes used a lot of cloth and were very heavy when wet, making it difficult to swim.

         Laws Made and Laws Changed

         The government decided to stop men swimming naked. It passed a law which forbade bathing between 6 am and 7 am. But in 1903, the laws changed; people could swim in the daytime, but they had to wear neck-to-knee costumes.

         The Shrinking Costume

         As time passed, swimming costumes became smaller and more convenient.

         At first men and women were covered from neck to knee. Then arms became bare. Then more of the legs were uncovered. Each new change was regarded by many as shocking and rude and people wrote letters to the newspapers complaining about the new costume. Nowadays some people go to special “nude beaches” to swim naked.

         However, most people cover their bodies more than they did ten years ago—not because they think bare skin is shocking—but to protect their skin from the harmful rays of the sun.

1.Which of the following statements about the climate of Australia is TRUE?

         A. It made European settlers think differently about swimming.

         B. It changed European settlers’ swimming costume.

         C. It made European settlers feel much hotter.

         D. It made European settlers have to swim naked.

2. What should swimmers do during the late 19^th century?

         A. They should hide when they meet a person of the opposite sex.

         B. They should cover their body to avoid being seen by the opposite sex.

         C. They should wear many heavy clothes on beaches.

         D. They should wear special wet costumes designed for them.

3.What does the underlined sentence mean?

         A. People were surprised by each new change and criticized it.

         B. People were amazed by each new change and praise it.

         C. Only newspapers were in favor of each new change.

         D. Only newspapers thought poorly of each new change.

4. What can we conclude from the last paragraph?

         A. People worry about getting skin cancer from too much sun.

         B. People protected their swimming costumes from too much sun.

         C. People are greatly shocked by the nude beaches.

         D. People think it rude to swim with the smaller costumes.

Britain is set to face an increase in cold winters, with up to one-in-seven hitting the UK with longer periods of time when temperatures are below freezing, a study has suggested．The prediction was based on research that found out how low solar activity affected winter weather patterns．
However, the researchers were eager to stress that their findings did not suggest that the region was about to fall suddenly into a "little ice age"．The findings appear in the journal Environmental Research Letters．"We could get to the point where one-in-seven winters are very cold, as we had at the start of last winter and all through the winter before last," said co-author Mike Lockwood, professor of space environment physics at the University of Reading．
Using the Central England Temperature （CET） record, the world's longest instrumental data series that dates back to 1659, the team said that in general temperatures during recent winters had been obviously lower than the longer-term temperatures．"The mean CET for December, January and February for the recent relatively cold winters of 2008 ~ 2009 and 2009~2010 were 3．50℃ and 2．53℃ respectively," they wrote．"However, the mean value for the previous 20 winters had been 5．04℃．The series of lower winter temperatures in the UK during the last three years had raised questions about the probability of more similar, or even colder, winters occurring in the future．"
Last year．Professor Lockwood and colleagues published a paper that found a link between fewer sunspots and atmospheric conditions that "blocked" warm westerly winds reaching Europe during winter months, opening the way for cold easterly winds from the Arctic and Russia to sweep across the region．Professor Lockwood, while acknowledging that there were a range of possible meteorological factors （气象因素） that could influence blocking events, said the latest study moved things forward by showing that there was "improvement in the predictive skill" when solar activity was taken into consideration．
【小题1】We can know from the second paragraph that _____．

Britain is set to face an increase in cold winters, with up to one-in-seven hitting the UK with longer periods of time when temperatures are below freezing, a study has suggested．The prediction was based on research that found out how low solar activity affected winter weather patterns．

    However, the researchers were eager to stress that their findings did not suggest that the region was about to fall suddenly into a "little ice age"．The findings appear in the journal Environmental Research Letters．"We could get to the point where one-in-seven winters are very cold, as we had at the start of last winter and all through the winter before last," said co-author Mike Lockwood, professor of space environment physics at the University of Reading．

    Using the Central England Temperature （CET） record, the world's longest instrumental data series that dates back to 1659, the team said that in general temperatures during recent winters had been obviously lower than the longer-term temperatures．"The mean CET for December, January and February for the recent relatively cold winters of 2008 ~ 2009 and 2009~2010 were 3．50℃ and 2．53℃ respectively," they wrote． "However, the mean value for the previous 20 winters had been 5．04℃．The series of lower winter temperatures in the UK during the last three years had raised questions about the probability of more similar, or even colder, winters occurring in the future．"

    Last year．Professor Lockwood and colleagues published a paper that found a link between fewer sunspots and atmospheric conditions that "blocked" warm westerly winds reaching Europe during winter months, opening the way for cold easterly winds from the Arctic and Russia to sweep across the region．Professor Lockwood, while acknowledging that there were a range of possible meteorological factors （气象因素） that could influence blocking events, said the latest study moved things forward by showing that there was "improvement in the predictive skill" when solar activity was taken into consideration．

1.We can know from the second paragraph that _____．

    A．research shows that Britain will soon fall into an ice age

    B．Mike Lockwood's research focuses on space environment physics

    C．it was quite cold in Britain over the entire winter last year

    D．so far one-in-seven winters have been very cold in Britain

2.The．underlined word "mean" in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to "_____"．

A．average              B．stable           C．ungenerous       D．changeable

3.What can we infer from the last paragraph?

    A．It was sunspots that blocked warm westerly winds reaching Europe．

    B．Meteorological factors hardly have any influence on blocking events．

    C．The latest study done by Professor Lockwood was of little practical value．

    D．Considering solar activity or not affects the accuracy of weather forecasting．

4.What's the best title of the passage?

    A．Another big danger approaching the UK

    B．Research finds out solar activity is to blame for the cold

    C．UK faces more cold winters due to weaker solar activity

    D．Changes in weather patterns should be responsible for low solar activity