Promised yourself to quit smoking in the new year, but just can't stop lighting up? You're not alone, with an Australian survey showing that only 3 percent of smokers who made such resolutions stuck with them.

An online poll of just over 1,000 people, conducted ahead of the launch of a video game designed to help smokers quit, showed one in four Australians made New Year's resolutions to quit —— but more than half went back on their word within a week.Some 15 percent lit up within hours of making the pledge, the survey showed,

The research revealed that seven out of ten smokers have tried to kick the habit at some point.

"Our research shows that the majority of smokers in Australia want to quit but are struggling to stick to their resolution.For most people, the desire to stop smoking is not enough, "Edward Fong, general manager of Ubisoft, the videogame manufacturer selling the anti— smoking software, said in a statement.

According to the survey, Australian smokers light up an average of 13.8 cigarettes every day or 5,037 cigarettes a year.There are currently 2.63 million smokers in Australia, which equates to 16 percent of the population over the age of 18, with women on average making more attempts to quit than men.The World Health Organization says smoking kills about 4 million people each year, causing a quarter of deaths related to heart disease.The organization estimates that by 2030, more than 8 million people will die from tobacco - related causes each year, mainly in developing countries.

1.According to the passage, _______ succeeded in giving up smoking.

A.most of the smokers B.None of the smokers

C.a few of the smokers D.a quarter of the smokers

2.The research shows that ______.

A.some 70% of smokers have quitted smoking

B.about 15% of smokers give up smoking only a few hours

C.the number of men smokers are more than that of women ones

D.all the smokers want to quit smoking

3.What is the population over the age of 18 in Australia?

A.2.63million. B.4 million.

C.16.44 million.D.8 million.

4.The number of smokers dying from tobacco — related causes each year by 2030 is .

A.about one million B.about two million

C.more than 4 million D.more than 8 million

5.Where do you suppose this passage is probably taken from?

A.Health magazine. B.Evening paper.

C.Office Report. D.Science-Journal.

 

Our first winter in Canada was the happiest we have experienced. We were living in the countryside then and had just arrived from Hong Kong that autumn. One evening in mid December snow began to fall. When we looked out of the window and saw that it was snowing, we all cheered. It was the first snow we had ever seen and we were excited. We could hardly wait for the snow to stop so that we could go out to play. Next morning when we woke up, it was still snowing. We switched on the radio and learned that more than ten inches of snow had falled during the night and that since the roads were blocked there would be no school that day. We jumped up and down for joy and begged mother to let us go outside to play in the snow. She said we could go out after breakfast if we dressed ourselves warmly and promised to come back as soon as we felt cold.

When we went out, the snow had almost stopped. The roads , paths, gardens, and playing grounds were all hidden under a white blanket of soft snow. It was the most beautiful sight we had ever seen. Just then, we saw some neighbour’s children coming out to play. We ran over to join them. Together we built a snowman and a snow house. After that, we took turns sliding down a hill on a large piece of cardboard. We were having so much fun when supper time came. Mother almost had to force us to go in and eat.

1.The children all cheered when they saw the snow because ________.

A. they knew they would have no school for the next day

B. it was the first time they had seen snow

C. they knew that winter had come

D. they liked cold weather

2.The children didn’t have to go to school because ________.

A. their teachers were sure that children liked snow

B. they wanted to play on the snow field

C. heavy snow blocked the roads

D. their mother allowed them to play truant

3.The writer and his brothers and sisters built ________.

A. a snowman and a cardboard house of their own

B. a snowman and a snow house for themselves to live in

C. a snowman and a snow house with their neighbors’ children

D. a white blanket on the roads

 

Scientists today are making greater effort to study ocean currents (洋流) . Most do it using satellites and other high-tech equipment. However, ocean expert Curtis Ebbesmeyer does it in a special way --- by studying movements of random floating garbage. A scientist with many years’ experience, he started this type of research in the early 1990s when he heard about hundreds of athletic shoes washing up on the shores of the northwest coast of the United States. There were so many shoes that people were setting up swap meets to try and match left and right shoes to sell or wear.

Ebbesmeyer found out in his researches that the shoes — about 60,000 in total — fell into the ocean in a shipping accident. He phoned the shoe company and asked if they wanted the shoes back. As expected, the company told him that they didn't. Ebbesmeyer realized this could be a great experiment. If he learned when and where the shoes went into the water and tracked where they landed, he could learn a lot about the patterns of ocean currents.

The Pacific Northwest is one of the world's best areas for beachcombing(海滩搜寻) because winds and currents join here, and as a result, there is a group of serious beachcombers in the area. Ebbesmeyer got to know a lot of them and asked for their help in collecting information about where the shoes landed. In a year he collected reliable information on 1, 600 shoes. With this data, he and a colleague were able to test and improve a computer program designed to model ocean currents, and publish the findings of their study.

As the result of his work, Ebbesmeyer has become known as the scientist to call with questions about any unusual objects found floating in the ocean. He has even started an association of beachcombers and ocean experts, with 500 subscribers from West Africa to New Zealand. They have recorded all lost objects ranging from potatoes to golf gloves.

1. The underlined phrase swap meets in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ___________.

A. fitting rooms B. trading fairs

C. business talks D. group meetings

2.Ebbesmeyer phoned the shoe company to find out ___________.

A. what caused the shipping accident

B. when and where the shoes went missing

C. whether it was all right to use their shoes

D. how much they lost in the shipping accident

3. How did Ebbesmeyer prove his assumption?

A. By collecting information from beachcombers.

B. By studying the shoes found by beachcomber.

C. By searching the web for ocean currents models.

D. By researching ocean currents data in the library.

4. Ebbesmeyer is most famous for _________________.

A. traveling widely the coastal cities of the world

B. making records for any lost objects on the sea

C. running a global currents research association

D. phoning about any doubtful objects on the sea

5.What is the purpose of the author in writing this passage?

A. To call people's attention to ocean pollution.

B. To warn people of shipping safety in the ocean.

C. To explain a unique way of studying ocean currents.

D. To give tips on how to search for lost objects on the beach.

 

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网