Most of us spend our lives seeking the natural world. To this end, we walk the dog, play golf, go fishing, sit in the garden, drink outside rather than inside the pub, have a picnic, live in the suburbs, go to the seaside, buy a weekend place in the country. The most popular free time activity in Britain is going for a walk. And when joggers (慢跑者) jog, they don’t run the streets. Every one of them automatically heads to the park or the river. It is my firm belief that not only do we all need nature, but we all seek nature, whether we know we are doing so or not.

But despite this, our children are growing up nature-deprived (丧失). I spent my boyhood climbing trees. These days, children are robbed of these ancient freedoms, due to problems like crime, traffic, the loss of the open spaces and strange new ideas about what is best for children, that is to say, things that can be bought, rather than things that can be found.

The truth is to be found elsewhere. A study in the US: families had moved to better housing and the children were assessed for ADHD (多动症). Those whose housing had more natural views showed an improvement of 19%; those who had the same improvement in material surroundings but no nice view improved just 4%.

A study in Sweden indicated that kindergarten children who could play in a natural environment had less illness and greater physical ability than children used only to a normal playground. A US study suggested that when a school gave children access to a natural environment, the entire school would do better in studies.

Another study found that children play differently in a natural environment. In playgrounds, children create a hierarchy (等级) based on physical abilities, with the tough ones taking the lead. But when a grassy area was planted with bushes, the children got much more into fantasy play, and the social hierarchy was now based on imagination and creativity.

Most bullying (恃强凌弱) is found in schools where there is a tarmac (柏油碎石) playground; the least bullying is in a natural area that the children are encouraged to explore. This reminds me unpleasantly of Sunnyhill School, with its hard tarmac, where I used to hang about in corners dreaming about wildlife.

But children are frequently discouraged from involvement with natural spaces, for health and safety reasons, for fear that they might get dirty or that they might cause damage. So, instead, the damage is done to the children themselves: not to their bodies but to their souls.

One of the great problems of modern childhood is ADHD, now increasingly and expensively treated with drugs. Yet one study after another indicates that contact with nature gives huge benefits to ADHD children. However, we spend money on drugs rather than on green places.

The life of old people is much better when they have access to nature. The most important for the growing population of old people is in quality rather than quantity of years. And study after study finds that a garden is the single most important thing in finding that quality.

In wider and more difficult areas of life, there is evidence to indicate that natural surroundings improve all kinds of things. Even problems with crime and aggressive behaviour are reduced when there is contact with the natural world.

Dr William Bird, researcher from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, states in his study, “A natural environment can reduce violent behaviour because its process helps reduce anger and behavior that people might regret later.” Wild places need encouraging for this reason, no matter how small their contribution.

We tend to think human beings are doing nature some kind of favor when we are protecting nature. The error here is far too deep: not only do humans need nature for themselves, but the very idea that humanity and the natural world are separable things is damaging.

Human beings are a species of animals. For seven million years we lived on the planet as part of nature. So we miss the natural world and long for contact with non-human life. Anyone who has patted a dog, stroked a cat, sat under a tree with a glass of beer, given or received a bunch of flowers or chosen to walk through the park on a nice day, understands that.

We need the wild world. It is necessary to our well-being, our health, our happiness. Without other living things around us we are less than human.

1.What is the author’s firm belief?

　　A. People seek nature in different ways.

　　B. People should spend most of their lives in the wild.

　　C. People have quite different ideas of nature.

　　D. People must make more efforts to study nature.

2.What does the author say people prefer for their children nowadays?

　　A. Personal freedom.　　            B. Things that are natural.

　　C. Urban surroundings.　　          D. Things that are purchased.

3.What does a study in Sweden show?

　　A. The natural environment can help children learn better.

　　B. More access to nature makes children less likely to fall ill.

　　C. A good playground helps kids develop their physical abilities.

　　D. Natural views can prevent children from developing ADHD.

4.Children who have chances to explore natural areas ________.

　  A. tend to develop a strong love for science　    

B. are more likely to dream about wildlife

　  C. tend to be physically tougher in adulthood　   

D. are less likely to be involved in bullying

5.What does the author suggest we do to help children with ADHD?

　　A. Find more effective drugs for them.　　   

B. Provide more green spaces for them.

　　C. Place them under more personal care.　　

D. Engage them in more meaningful activities

6. In what way do elderly people benefit from their contact with nature?

　　A. They look on life optimistically.　　    B. They enjoy a life of better quality.

C. They are able to live longer.            D. They become good-humored

　　Rats eat our food or make it so dirty that it isn't fit for people at all. That's why people often kill them by laying down poison. After a day or two, they find the poison still there. The rats haven't touched it, even though it is near the food which they eat. People think they must be clever and cunning. Some scientists have been trying to find the best way to poison rats. They have watched to see just what a rat does day and night. They have found out that rats aren't so clever. They are just very shy.

　　Rats usually live in holes. They run from these holes to the places where they eat and drink. They have special paths on which they travel each time. So they know their paths quite well.

　　If anything new, such as stone or wood, is put in the path, the rats won't go near it at first as they are too frightened. It will take them many days to get over the fear. They are also frightened to go near a place that they know, where something has been taken away. If a path goes around a rock, the rats follow the same path around the rock each time. If the rock is taken away, they will still run round the place where the rock was! They won't cross the empty place, which is now open to them, even though it would be quicker.

　　Rats will always keep away from anything unusual to them. That's why they won't eat poison on the first or second night. They usually won't go anywhere near it for about four days until they get used to being there. Even then they only eat a little at a time.

　　If people want to kill rats with poison, all they have to do is to leave it out for a few days. Once the rats have got used to it, they will eat it and die.

　　1．This passage mainly tells us

　　　　A. how a rat destroys our food

　　　　B. how to poison a rat

　　　　C. what's a rat's habit

　　　　D. poisoning a rat is not easy

　　2．How does the writer feel about rats?

　　　　A. They are clever and cunning.

　　　　B. They are the most dangerous enemy.

　　　　C. They are smart and shy.

　　　　D. It's easy for them to get close to an unknown object.

　　3．________ rats have special paths to travel each time.

　　　　A. Because they live in holes most of the time

　　　　B. To find more food to eat and water to drink

　　　　C. In order not to eat anything poisonous

　　　　D. To protect themselves

　　4．If you want to kill a rat, ________.

　　　　A. you should make it get used to the poison

　　　　B. you should drive it out of the hole

　　　　C. you should place a rock on the path along which it runs

　　　　D. you should make it get over the fear to cross the empty place

　Not everyone in the world requires the same amount of living space. The amount of space a person needs around him is a cultural (文化的) difference, not an economic one. Knowing your own psychological (心理的) space needs is important because they strongly affect your choices, including, for example, the number of bedrooms in the home. If you were brought up in a two-child family and both you and your sister or brother had your own bedrooms, the chances are if you have two children or more, that you also will offer separate bedrooms for them. In America, for example, they train people to want to have their own rooms by giving them their own rooms when they are babies. This is very unusual in the world. In many other countries, the baby sleeps in the same bed with his parents or in bed near them.

　　 The space in the home also shows a lot about psychological space needs. Some families gather closer to each other and the size of their house has nothing to do with it. Others have separate little corners where family members go to be alone.

　　 Although it is true that psychological space needs are not decided by economic reasons, they sometimes have to be changed a little because of economic pressure（压力）. It is almost impossible, however, to completely change your psychological space needs.

　1.The first sentence in Paragraph 1 “Not everyone in the world requires the same amount          of space” means “______”.

　　 A. Not two people need exactly the same amount of living space

　　 B. Living space requirements are not always the same

　　 C. The world requires the same amount of living space

　　 D. Nobody needs a required amount of living space

2.Some families gather closer to each other at home than others because ______.

　　 A. they have limited living space　　　

　　 B. they are brought up in a large family

　　 C. it satisfies（满足） their psychological space needs

　　 D. the children in the family sleep in the same bed with their parents

3.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

　　 A. Americans are trained to live in the large rooms at birth.

　　 B. Economic situation decides one's amount of space needs.

　　 C. People in different countries demand(need) different psychological space.

　　 D. Knowing your psychological space needs is important, as it has effect on your future.

4.The best title for this passage is ______.

　　 A. American Way of Living

　　 B. Psychological Space

　　 C. Space Needs in Different Countries

　　 D. Psychological Space and Economic Pressure

D
　　For many year,motorcycle riding was considered a male sport.Women usually rode on the seat behind the men driving the two - wheeled vehicle.Now more and more women are taking the front seat.
　　More than twenty million people in the United States ride motorcycles.The number of female motorcyclists has increased greatly over the past few years.More than ten percent of motorcycle owners in the United States are women.
　　We spoke with "Lisa Russell,Briggit Pope,Rayna Evans and Angela Meeks-Odom".They are on the executive committee of Lady Sport Riders motorcycle club in Largo,Maryland.They say they ride for more than fun.They say it gives women a wonderful feeling,a sense of freedom and control.
　　In 1998 the number of female bikers rose sharply.Lady Sport Riders began in 1999 in the Washington,D.C. area.The women formed the organization to share,their love of motorcyle riding.They say female motorcycle clubs let women share a strong sisterhood.Like other motorcycle clubs,the members of Lady Sport Riders also help their community(社区).
　　Female riders have helped change motorcycle culture.The Motorcycle Industry Council says more than five years ago factories began producing equipment that makes riding more pleasant for women.Some bikes now have smaller,softer seats and controls that are easier to reach. Modern clothes for riding look good and still provide protection.Besides,women are now riding motorcycles that are as powerful as the ones men ride.Lady Sprot Riders believe women have earned their place in the sport of motorcycle riding.When speaking of male motorcyclists,the members of the club say:"They Made the Game…We Came to Play!"
　　68."Taking the front seat" means ______ in the first paragraph.
　　A.siiing in front of the driver
　　B.sitting in front of the driver
　　C.driving faster than male drivers
　　D.driving motorcycles themselves
　　69.What do we know about Lisa Russell,Briggit Pope,Rayna Evans and Angela Meeks-Odom?
　　A.They together wrote the passage.
　　B.they were interviewed by the writers.
　　C.They started a club to help the community.
　　D.They started riding motorcycles in 1999.
　　70.Which is the same with both male and female riders?
　　A.The size and quality of the seats.
　　B.The design of the controls.
　　C.The clothes for riding.
　　D.the engine power of the motorcycles.

Fish Ears Tell Fish Tales

　 Fish have ears. Really. They’re quite small and have no opening to the outside world carrying sound through the body. For the past seven years, Simon Thorrold, a university professor, has been examining fish ears, small round ear bones called otoliths (耳石).

　 As fish grow, so do their otoliths. Each day, their otoliths gain a ring of calcium carbonate (碳酸钙). By looking through a microscope and counting these rings, Thorrold can determine the exact age of a young fish. As a fish gets older, its otoliths no longer get daily rings. Instead, they get yearly rings, which can also be counted, giving information about the fish’s age, just like the growth rings of a tree.

　 Ring counting is nothing new to fish scientists. But Thorrold has turned to a new direction. They’re examining the chemical elements (元素) of each otolith ring.

　 The daily ring gives us the time, but chemistry tells us about the environment in which the fish swam on any given day. These elements tell us about the chemistry of the water that the fish was in. It also says something about water temperature, which determines how much of these elements will gather within each otolith ring.

　 Thorrold can tell, for example, if a fish spent time in the open ocean before entering the less salty water of coastal areas. He can basically tell where fish are spending their time at any given stage of history.

　 In the case of the Atlantic croaker, a popular saltwater food fish, Thorrold and his assistant have successfully followed the travelling of young fish from mid-ocean to the coast, a journey of many hundreds of miles.

　 This is important to managers in the fish industry, who know nearly nothing about the whereabouts of the young fish for most food fish in the ocean. Eager to learn about his technology, fish scientists are now lending Thorrold their ears.

1.What can we learn about fish ears from the text?

　A. They are small soft rings.

　B. They are not seen from the outside.

　C. They are openings only on food fish.

　D. They are not used to receive sound.

2.Why does the writer compare the fish to trees?

　A. Trees gain a growth ring each day.

　B. Trees also have otoliths.

　C. Their growth rings are very small.

　D. They both have growth rings.

3.Why is it important to study the chemistry of otolith rings?

　A. The elements of the otoliths can tell the history of the sea.

　B. Chemical contents of otoliths can tell how fast fish can swim.

　C. We can know more about fish and their living environment.

　D. Scientists can know exactly how old a fish is.

4.How would you understand “fish scientists are now lending their ears”?

　A. They are very interested in Thorrold’s research findings.

　B. They want to know where they can find fish.

　C. They lend their fish for chemical studies.

　D. They wonder if Thorrold can find growth rings from their ears.