Could you stand the noise of a street-sweeper truck going up and down the street outside of your house three times a week at 4 a.m.? The noise —described by Blomberg as “loud as a NASCAR(全国赛车联合会) race car but at a speed of 5 miles per hour” — annoyed him so much that he tried to persuade the city to reschedule street sweeping to begin at 6 a.m. He also founded the nonprofit Noise Pollution Clearinghouse, an organization that provides research and information to others whose request for quiet might otherwise fall on deaf ears.
Hearing loss, in fact, is the most obvious medical consequence of noise pollution, but it is hardly the only one, explains environmental psychologist Arline Bronaft. In her research, Bronzaft found that constant noise exposure could reduce children’s learning ability and cognitive(认知的) development. Beyond all that, regularly, “you’ve got to take a break
from sound,” says Bronzaft.
The bad news, says Blomberg, is that “the last century was the noisiest in history.” The good news, he continues, is that the greener we get, the quieter we’ll also get. Electric cars and lawn equipment, for instance, make less noise, just as more fuel-efficient vehicles do. Improved technology can also provide measures to make the problem less serious. Fire engines and police cars could replace those loud sirens(警报器) with other models; and you can turn down the volume inside your home by replacing noisy household appliances with quieter, energy-saving models.
“ I don’t think you can name a noise source that I can’t find a way to make quieter,” says Blomberg. But the real challenge is to change people’s attitudes. “ In the 1960s, we made it unacceptable to throw litter out of the window of your car,” he says. Today it’s time to recognize that “noise is to the soundscape as litter is to the landscape.” The goal is to “create a culture where you do not throw your aural (听觉的) litter out of the window.
64. What do we know about the Noise Pollution Clearinghouse?
A. It was founded by the city leaders.
B. It was supported by NASCSR.
C. It can rearrange the time of street sweeping.
D. It aims to help those who want more peace and quiet.
65. Which of the following makes the most noise?
A. Electric cars.         B. Loud sirens.                  C. Lawn equipment.     D. Police cars.
66. As Blomberg says, _____________.
A. it’s impossible to make a noise-maker quieter
B. it’s difficult to quiet people down
C. in the 1960s, throwing “sound” out of the window was forbidden
D. street sweeping should be stopped forever
67. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A. Reducing Noise Pollution                      B. Children’s Mental Development
C. Vehicles that Make Less Noise                        D. Forbidding Throwing Litter

AAAGH! The Generation 90s is coming!

Wearing earphones, using complex Net language and constantly text messaging friends, the Gen-90s following the Gen-80s begin to make their world debut (初次登台).

Each generation or age group has its own symbols and lifestyle. Read on and judge for yourselves if you fit the Gen-90s group.                

Earphones

These little devices seem to grow on the heads of the Gen-90s. They might lead to MP3, MP4 or MP101 players, giving these young people a plugged-in, cool and perhaps self-addicted look, of course, life is not always music to the ears.      

Martian language

They have created their own code-like online language. It’s a mixture of English, Japanese and Chinese that perhaps only Martians can understand. This is an imaginative generation, though they need to be careful to keep it out of their term papers.                 

Self-Portrait

Saying “cheese” to their own digital cameras is usual for this generation. A little bit of narcissism (自恋) never hurts anyone. It helps them reflect a little on their own lives．But be aware of the risks of posting private photos online.

Text-messaging

They can type their mobile phones as fast as they can speak. This is a generation that respects efficiency. However, oral communication is important and will never go out of style.

1.According to the passage, if you belong to the Gen-90s , you will _______ .

       A. just appreciate yourself and ignore others’ strengths.

       B. have your own symbols and lifestyle.

       C. have the same symbols and lifestyle of the Gen-80s．

       D. like music and dance very much.

2.According to the text, the writer will choose ______ as a good example to the Gen-90.

       A. Li Hua likes music and always wearing iPod

       B. Zhang Chao is not only an imaginative boy but do everything efficiently.

       C. Lily is a shy girl and she doesn’t like making friends.

       D. Fangfang likes being taken photos and often posting them on line.

3.According to this passage, which is FALSE?

       A. Not all teens are cautious about posting photos． 

       B. They type their mobile phones so fast that it can catch the speed of speaking.

C. The Gen-90s have a preference for some music players, and even regard them as a   necessary part of life.

       D. They don’t use the cool and complex online language in formal writing.

4.The main idea of the passage is about________.

       A. the Gen-90s’ happy life

       B. the difference between the Gen-80s and the Gen-90s

       C. the Gen-90s’ unique lifestyle and some practical warnings

       D. the similarities between the Gen-80s and the Gen-90s

Learning style theory suggests that different people have different ways of obtaining information and use various methods to demonstrate（证明）their intelligence and ability. Although experts have many ideas and categories of learning, it is evident that people learn in three basic styles.

When learning something new, if you prefer to read the information, you are probably a student who learns through seeing. These learners like to see teacher’s facial expressions and body language clearly and rend to sit at the front of the classroom. They take detailed notes, think in pictures and can most easily absorb information from textbooks with diagrams, graphs, photographs and drawings.

Students who find it easiest to learn a new concept by hearing a teacher explain it are learning through listening. Reading aloud, using a tape recorder, hearing anecdotes（趣闻）and talking things through are the best methods for these learners to acquire new information. They give close attention to both the content of the discussion and the way that things are said, such as how the sound of the voice and speed of speech show the mood of the speaker.

Learning through doing means being active in exploring the environment and finding out about things by moving and touching. Students who have this learning style take a hands-on approach to education and enjoy experiments or surveys. They do not like to sit still for long periods of time and sometimes find it hard to concentrate when reading or listening.

Teachers study people’s various ways of learning as part of their training. They select a variety of activities to suit their students’ different learning styles. However, restrictions of time, space and resources often make it impossible for teachers to provide the best exercises for all learners. If you are aware of you own learning style, there is a lot you can do personally to improve your study skills and find the most appropriate ways to approach your study tasks. As a result, you will be able to manage your own learning and study more effectively.

完形填空

　　If you want to stay young, .sit down and have a good think. This is the research finding of a team of Japanese doctors, who said that most of our brains are not getting enough 1 ; and as a result, we are growing old unnecessarily 2 .

　　Professor Matsuzsawa wanted to fund out why quite 3 farmers in northern Japan appeared to be losing their ability to 4 and reason (推理) at a rather early age, and how the speed of getting old could be 5 down.

　　With a team of researchers at Tokyo National University, he set about 6 brain volumes (容量) of a thousand people of different ages with different jobs.

　　Computer technology helped the researchers to get most 7 measures of the volume of the front and side parts of the brain, which 8 something to do with intellect (智力) and feelings, and 9 the human characters. As we all know, the back part of the brain, which 10 tasks like eating and breathing, does not contract (萎缩)with ages.

　　Contraction of front and side parts was 11 in some people in their thirties, 12 it wag still not found in some sixtyyearold.

　　Matsuzawa concluded from his tests that there is a simple way to 13 the contraction 14 the head.

　　The findings show that contraction of the brain begins 15 in people in the 16 than in the towns, Those with 17 possibility are lawyers, 18 by university professors and doctors. 19 workers doing the same work 20 in government offices are as likely to have contracting brains as the farm workers.

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