A subject which seems to have been insufficiently studied by doctors and psychologists is the influence of geography and climate on the psychological and physical health of mankind. There seems no doubt that the general character of the landscape, the relative length of day and night, and the climate must all play a big part in determining what kind of people we are.

It is true that a few studies have been made. Where all the inhabitants of a particular area enjoy exceptionally good or bad health, scientists have identified contributory factors such as the presence or absence of substances like iodine, fluoride, calcium, or iron in the water supply, or perhaps types of land that provide breeding places for pests like mosquitoes or rats.

Moreover, we can all generalize about types of people we have met. Those living in countries with long dark winters are apt to be less talkative and less vivacious than inhabitants of countries where the climate is more equable. And where the olive and the orange grow, there the inhabitants are cheerful, talkative, and spontaneous.

But these commonplace generalizations are inadequate: the influence of climate and geography should be studied in depth. Do all mountain dwellers live to a ripe old age? Does the drinking of wine, rather than beer, result in a sunny and open temperament? Is the strength and height of one of the Kenyan tribes due to their habitual drinking of the blood of cows?

We are not yet sure of the answers to such questions, but let us hope that something of benefit to mankind may eventually result from such studies.

1._____ might serve as a suitable title for this selection.

2.Using context clues we may infer that " iodine, fluoride and calcium" are _____.

3.We may infer from the third paragraph that geography and climate play an important role in determining the inhabitants' _____.

4.According to the author, research into the influence of geography and climate should_____.

5.The author hopes that studies on the influence of geographical environment will enable us to           

     One would have to be a fool to overlook the importance of using positive thinking for you rather than snowing negative thinking to work against you. In recent years, research in psychopharmacology(精神药理学) has proved what many people have known over the centuries: a positive attitude is good for you, good for your health, good for your wealth, good for everything.

      Researchers have found that a positive attitude produces a specific chemical reaction which makes people feel better, while negative thinking results in a reduction of hormone(荷尔蒙) and shuts down the immune system. This leads to illness and depression. Positive thoughts will make you feel better. Even if

you must begin by forcing yourself to be positive, it will become contagious and the positive thoughts will produce nice little chemicals and good feelings which will reinforce the positive thoughts.

      For example, if you force yourself to smile or laugh, even when you "don't feel like smiling or laughing, if you keep at it for a few minutes, you will soon feel like it. Feelings can make thoughts alive, and thoughts can do it, too. Control your thoughts and you can control your feelings. Positive thinking is important in all aspects of our lives. There is probably no single factor more important in determining your success in achieving your career purposes than your own attitude.

      It's often been said that in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. And in the office of militant(好战的) negativism, the positive workers shine like gold. You cannot control external events, but you can learn to control your reaction to those events and thereby have a positive attitude and be happy. This important key to success is totally within your control. Use it.

We can infer from the passage that       .

   A. positive thinking can cure you of your diseases

   B. positive thinking can easily be generated by anyone

   C. a reduction of hormone may cause you to be depressed

   D. a specific chemical reaction is the cause of negative thinking

According to the passage, which of the following is true?

     A. Feeling and thoughts can react to each other.

     B. It's easier to control thoughts than to control feelings.

     C. Your success depends wholly on your attitude.

     D. Keeping smiling will surely make you successful.

Just like a one-eyed man in the land of the blind, you should       .

     A. take positive attitude in the office of militant negativism

     B. be kind in your office

     C. pay no attention to what is going on around you

     D. control your feeling to what is happening to you

  The best title to the passage is      .

     A. Thinking Benefits People                    B. Why Should People Think

     C. Positive Thinking and Negative Thinking       D. Thinking: The Important Way

Imagine a training course that helps you in your specific job. Imagine tools and techniques that are so closely connected with your work that you can apply them directly to it. Imagine receiving an Open University (OU) certificate (证书) in a course which states what you have studied and achieved.

It may sound fantastic, but it’s a reality at the Open University’s CCPD, which is making learning while you work more flexible (灵活的) than ever before.

The courses are starting to change workplace learning completely. Paige, who took CCPD’s courses, said the study had changed her whole way of thinking. “It was excellent for so many reasons,” she said. “It developed me as a person and as an employee and taught me particular techniques. I was always able to bring what I’d learned into the office the next day and apply it to my job.”

Even better news for Paige was that her employer paid the full cost of her study. She became one of thousands of OU students whose fees were paid by employers who recognized the value of an OU education.

“These courses are designed for CCPD rather than as part of a formal certificate,” said Kathy, an OU teacher. “We pay more attention to development rather than assessment (评估). Our role is to give them personal developmental advice, not a mark.”

Paige is just one of 200,000 students who are learning at OU. CCPD itself is just a part of an organization that offers courses and qualifications in 360 subjects and has so far helped to develop the skills and knowledge of more than two million people.

 “Education does not stop with getting a degree,” said Charles Edwards, CCPD’s director. “In a fast-moving economy you cannot afford to rely on the degree you got some time ago. You must keep updating your knowledge.”

For details on CCPD’s courses and to register with the 10% discount available to members, visit www.open.ac.uk.

According to the passage, CCPD’s courses are ________.

A. required courses for formal academic qualifications

B. training courses for professional development

C. special courses for a master’s degree

D. elective courses for university students

The example of Paige is given to show ________.

A. the benefits of lifelong learning

B. how completely learning has changed

C. the value of CCPD’s courses of the OU

D. the importance of hard work

It can be inferred from Paragraph 4 that ________.

A. Paige has got promoted after learning CCPD’s courses

B. an OU education has been accepted by many employers

C. Paige is the best employee in her company

D. most employers care for their employees

According to the passage, CCPD’s courses focus on ________.

A. assessment of learners

B. learners’ personal development

C. the academic knowledge of learners

D. classroom learning

One would have to be a fool to overlook (忽视)the importance of using positive(积极的) thinking for you rather than allowing negative thinking to work against you. In recent years, research in psychopharmacology (精神药理学) has proved what many people have known over the centuries: a positive attitude is good for you, good for your health, good for your wealth, good for everything. Researchers found that a positive attitude produces a specific chemical reaction which makes people feel better, while negative thinking results in a decline of hormone (荷尔蒙) and shuts down the immune (免疫的) system. This leads to illness and depression. Positive thoughts will make you feel better. Even if you must begin by literally forcing yourself to be positive (faking it, so to speak), it will become contagious (会传播的) and the positive thoughts will generate nice little chemicals and good feelings which will reinforce the positive thoughts.
For example, if you force yourself to smile or laugh, even when you don't feel like smiling or laughing, if you keep at it for a few minutes, you will soon feel like it. Feelings can generate (导致)thoughts, but thoughts can also generate feelings. Control your thoughts and you can control your feelings. Positive thinking is important in all aspects of our lives. There is probably no single factor more important in determining your success in achieving your career objectives than your own attitude.
It's often been said that in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. And in the office of militant (好战) negativism, the positive workers shine like gold. You cannot control external events, but you can learn to control your reaction to those events and thereby have a positive attitude and be happy. This vital key to success is totally within your control. Use it.
【小题1】We can infer from the passage that         .

In a few states where racial prejudice is serious, violence has so come to be taken for granted as a means of solving differences, that it is not even questioned. There are states where the white man imposes his rule by force; there are states where the black man protests by setting fire to cities and by looting and pillaging. Important people on both sides, who would in other respects appear to be reasonable men, get up and calmly argue in favor of violence – as if it were a legitimate solution, like any other. What is really frightening, what really fills you with despair, is the realization that when it comes to the crunch, we have made no actual progress at all. We may wear collars and ties instead of war-paint, but our instincts remain basically unchanged. The whole of the recorded history of the human race, that tedious documentation of violence, has taught us absolutely nothing. We have still not learnt that violence never solves a problem but makes it more serious. The sheer horror, the bloodshed, the suffering mean nothing. No solution ever comes to light the morning after when we dismally contemplate the smoking ruins and wonder what hit us.
The truly reasonable men who know where the solutions lie are finding it harder and harder to get a hearing. They are despised, mistrusted and even persecuted by their own kind because they advocate such apparently outrageous things as law enforcement. If half the energy that goes into violent acts were put to good use, if our efforts were directed at cleaning up the shabby houses at improving living-standards and providing education and employment for all, we would have gone a long way to arriving at a solution. Our strength is weakened by having to mop up the mess that violence leaves in its wake. In a well-directed effort, it would not be impossible to fulfill the ideals of a stable social programme. The benefits that can be derived from constructive solutions are everywhere apparent in the world around us. Genuine and lasting solutions are always possible, providing we work within the framework of the law.
Before we can even begin to reflect on peaceful co-existence between the races, we must appreciate each other's problems. And to do this, we must learn about them: it is a simple exercise in communication, in exchanging information. "Talk, talk, talk," the advocates of violence say, "all you ever do is talk, and we are none the wiser." It's rather like the story of the famous lawyer who carefully explained his case to the judge. After listening to a lengthy argument the judge complained that after all this talk, he was none the wiser. "Possible, my lord," the lawyer replied, "none the wiser, but surely far better informed." Knowledge is the necessary prerequisite to wisdom: the knowledge that violence creates the evils it pretends to solve.
【小题1】  What is the best title for this passage?