D

Americans are pound of their variety- and individuality(多样性与个性), yet they love and respect few things more than a uniform（制服）, whether it is the uniform of an elevator operator or the uniform of a five-star general. Why are uniforms so popular in the United States?

Among the arguments for uniforms, one of the first is that in the eyes of most people they look more professional than civilian (百姓的) clothes. People have become conditioned to expect superior quality from a man who wears a uniform. The television repairman who wears uniform tends to inspire more trust than one who appears in civilian clothes. Faith in the skill of a garage mechanic is increased by a uniform. What easier way is there for a nurse, a policeman, a barber, or a waiter to lose professional identity (身份) than to step out of uniform ?

Uniforms also have many practical benefits. They save on other clothes. They save on laundry bills. They are tax-deductible (可减税的). They are often more comfortable and more durable than civilian clothes.

Primary among the arguments against uniforms is their lack of variety and the consequent loss of individuality experienced by people who must wear them. Though there are many types of uniforms, the wearer of any particular type is generally stuck with it, without change, until retirement. When people look alike, they tend to think, speak, and act similarly, on the job at least.

Uniforms also give rise to some practical problems. Though they are long-lasting, often their initial expense is greater than the cost of civilian clothes. Some uniforms are also dear to maintain, requiring professional dry cleaning rather than the home laundering possible with many types of civilian clothes.

1.It is surprising that Americans who worship variety and individuality________.

A．still judge a man by his clothes

B．hold the uniform in such high regard

C．enjoy having a professional identity

D．will respect an elevator operator as much as a general in uniform

2. People are used to thinking that a man in uniform________.

A．suggests quality work

B．discards his social identity

C．appears to be more practical

D．looks superior to a person in civilian clothes

3.The chief function of a uniform is to________.

A．provide practical benefits to the wearer

B．make the wearer catch the public eye

C．inspire the wearer’s confidence in himself

D．provide the wearer with a professional identity

4.According to the passage, people wearing uniforms________.

A．are usually helpful

B．have little or no individual freedom

C．tend to lose their individuality

D．enjoy greater popularity

Mr. Harris used to work in Dover, but then he changed his work, and he and his wife moved to another town. They did not have many friends there, but they soon met a lot of interesting people, and after a few weeks, they often went to dinner or to parties at other people’s houses.

Then Mrs. Harris said to her husband, “We’ve been to a lot of other people’s houses, and now we must invite them to our house, mustn’t we?”

“Yes, certainly,” answered her husband, “A big party will be the easiest thing, won’t it? Then we can start to invite people to dinner in small numbers next month.”

So Mrs. Harris said, “Yes, I’ll invite all our friends here to a big party on 5th December.”

“How many will that be?” Mr. Harris asked. “Don’t invite too many.”

Mrs. Harris was beginning to write the invitations when her husband saw that she was writing, “Party. 6.30 to 8.30 p.m.”

“That isn’t very nice, is it?” he said. “You’re telling our guests that they must go at 8.30.” So Mrs. Harris just wrote “Party. 6.30 p.m.”

A lot of guests came, and they all had a good time, so they did not go home at 8.30. In fact they were still there at mid-night when the door bell rang and a policeman arrived. He said, “You must stop making a noise, because someone has complained.”

Mr. Harris said he did not want to quarrel with the policeman, so everyone went home. They were sorry to have to go.

When Mr. and Mrs. Harris were alone again, she said to him. “That was a surprise, wasn’t it? Who complained about the noise?”

“I did,” Mr Harris answered in a tired voice.

1.Why did Mr. Harris and his wife move to another town?

A．They wanted to make some new friends.

B．Mr. Harris changed his work.

C．They wanted to meet a lot of interesting people.

D．They enjoyed going to parties and visiting other people’s houses.

2.What made Mr. and Mrs. Harris hold a party at their house?

A．It was easy to hold a big party at home.

B．They could ask people to dinner in small numbers.

C．They had gone to other people’s parties many times.

D．They liked making friends with others.

3.How long would Mrs. Harris like the party to last?

A．From the morning till night.                B．About fourteen hours.

C．About two hours.                       D．Till midnight

4.When did the party end that evening?

A．At about 8.30.

B．When the policeman talked with Mr. Harris on the phone.

C．About twelve o’clock..

D．When someone telephoned the police station.

5.Why did Mr. Harris telephone the policeman about the noise?

A．Because someone rang his door bell many times at mid-night.

B．He did not want his friends to stay late that night.

C．His friends had a good time that night and also feel tired.

D．Because he hated the noise.

Bringing Art into Hospitals.

The medical world is slowly realizing that the quality of the environment in hospitals may play an important role in helping patients to recover(康复).

As part of a nationwide effort in Britain to bring art out of the museums and into public places, some of the country’s best artists have been called in to change older hospitals and to soften the hard, modern buildings. Of the 2500 national health service hospitals in Britain, almost 100 now have collections of art in passages(走廊), waiting areas and treatment rooms.

These recent movements were first started by one artist, Peter Senior, who set up his studio at a Manchester hospital in northeastern England during the early 1970’s. He felt the artist had lost his place in modern society, and that art should be enjoyed by more people.

A common hospital waiting room might have as many as 5000 visitors each week. What a good place to hold exhibitions(展览) of art! Senior held the first exhibition of his own paintings in the waiting area of the Manchester Royal Hospital in 1975. Believed to be Britain’s first hospital artist, Senior was so much in demand that he was soon joined by a team of six young art school graduates.

The effect is amazing. Now in the passages and waiting rooms the visitors experience a full view of fresh colors, playful images(形象) and restful courtyards.

The quality of the environment may reduce the need for expensive drugs when a patient is recovering from an illness. A study has shown that a patient who had a view onto gardens needed half the number of strong pain killers compared with(与……相比) patients who had no view at all or only a brick wall to look at.

1.Some best artists of Britain have been called in to_____

2.After the improvement of the hospital environment, _____

3.It can be inferred from the passage that_____

Just as the world’s most respected scientific bodies have confirmed that the world is getting hotter, they have also stated that there is strong evidence that humans are driving the warming． Countless recent reports from the world’s leading scientific bodies have said the same thing． For example, a 2010 summary of climate science by the Royal Society stated that: “There is strong evidence that the warming of the Earth over the last half-century has been caused largely by human activity．”

The idea that humans could change the planet’s climate may be counter-intuitive（与直觉不符的）, but the basic science is well understood． Each year, human activity causes billions of tons of greenhouse gases to be released（释放）into the atmosphere． As scientists have known for years, these gases hold heat that would otherwise escape to space, wrapping the planet in an invisible blanket．

Of course, the planet’s climate has always been changing thanks to “natural” factors（因素） such as changes in solar or volcanic（火山的）activity, or cycles relating the Earth’s going around the sun． According to the scientific literature, however, the warming recorded to date matches the pattern of warming we would expect from a build-up of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere – not the warming we would expect from other possible causes．

Even if scientists did discover another reasonable explanation for the warming observed so far, that would beg a difficult question． As Robert Henson puts it in The Rough Guide to Climate Change: “If some newly discovered factor can account for the climate change, then why aren’t carbon dioxide（二氧化碳）and the other greenhouse gases producing the warming that basic physics tells us they should be?”

The only way to prove with 100% certainty that humans are responsible for global warming would be to run an experiment with two identical Earths – one with human influence and one without． That obviously isn’t possible, and so most scientists are careful not to state human influence as an absolute certainty．

1.In most scientists’ opinion, the global warming is mainly caused by      ．

    A． solar activity                                   B． volcanic activity

    C． the Earth’s going around the sun                  D． human activity

2.The text is developed by      ．

    A． giving typical examples                           B． following the order of space

    C． analysing a theory and arguing it  D． comparing and finding differences

3.The underline word “identical” means      ．

    A． totally different      B． exactly the same 

    C． extremely important    D． relatively independent

Mr. Harris used to work in Dover, but then he changed his work, and he and his wife moved to another town. They did not have many friends there, but they soon met a lot of interesting people, and after a few weeks, they often went to dinner or to parties at other people's houses.
Then Mrs. Harris said to her husband, "We've been to a lot of other people's houses, and now we must invite them to our house, mustn't we?"
"Yes, certainly," answered her husband, "A big party will be the easiest thing, won't it? Then we can start to invite people to dinner in small numbers next month."
So Mrs. Harris said, "Yes, I'll invite all our friends here to a big party on 5th December."
"How many will that be?" Mr. Harris asked. "Don't invite too many."
Mrs. Harris was beginning to write the invitations when her husband saw that she was writing, "Party: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m."
"That isn't very nice, is it?" he said. "You're telling our guests that they must go at 8:30." So Mrs. Harris just wrote "Party: 6:30 p.m."
A lot of guests came, and they all had a good time, so they did not go home at 8:30. In fact they were still there at mid-night when the door bell rang and a policeman arrived. He said, "You must stop making a noise, because someone has complained(抱怨)."
Mr. Harris said he did not want to quarrel with the policeman, so everyone went home. They were sorry to have to go.
When Mr. and Mrs. Harris were alone again, she said to him. "That was a surprise, wasn't it? Who complained about the noise?"
"I did," Mr. Harris answered in a tired voice.
【小题1】Why did Mr. Harris and his wife move to another town?