While in-car satellite navigation systems are considered a great surprise of the technological age, they are also destroying our ability to read maps and weakening our very sense of self, according to one of the nation’s leading geographers.

       Rita Gardener, president of the Royal Geographical Society, said, “If you are looking at a road map of Great Britain, apart from looking at roads, you will get a feel for the natural environment you are moving through and that will tell you something about the economy and the history.”

       “An ability to place oneself in a spatial (空间的) setting in this way is important,” Dr Gardner added, “because it provides an insight (洞察力) into the societal, environmental and economic changes that govern all our lives. It also sharpens our hunter instincts (本能) and sense of discovery.”

       “Look, for example, at a map of rural East Anglia,” she said, “and you will see the route from Cambridge to the coast with the A14 running through it. You’ll see that Bury St Edmunds has grown dramatically in the last 15 years because there are lots of new development and new light industry. This tells you that it is on the route between the Midlands and the coast at Harwich and it has benefited from increased traffic to the Continent.” She said, “You would get none of that information from a sat-nav.”

       While emphasizing the importance of being able to read a map, Dr Gardner is less concerned about teaching children to memorize maps of continents, rivers and capital cities. A recent survey by National Geographic Kids magazine found that 20 per cent of children in Britain cannot find their own country on a world map, she said.

       “It is much more important that kids know about major continents and different climate zones than that they know the name of a particular country, providing they know how to look it up in a map.”

       “What’s important is that when they fly on holiday from Manchester to Malaga, they have an understanding that they are moving into a different geographical zone and they know why the Mediteranean landscape is different from what they see at home,” she said.

1.The passage mainly deals with _____.

      A.the importance of geography knowledge in our life

       B.the differences between sat-nav systems and maps

       C.the importance of the ability to read maps

       D.the advantage of a sat-nav system

2.What does the underlined word “it” refer to in Paragraph 4?

       A.Harwich                                             B.Midlands

C.Bury St Edmunds                                D.East Anglia

3.In Dr Gardner’s opinion, kids in Britain _____.

      A.should memorize all the continents, rivers and capital cities in maps

       B.had better fly to Malaga to realize different landscapes between Mediterranean and UK

       C.should master some basic principles of geography

       D.can turn to a sat-nav for help for a lack of geography knowledge

4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

       A.The road map tells us more than just the route from one place to another.

       B.We can tell the history and economy of a region with the help of a sat-nav.

       C.A sat-nav contains as much information as a map.

      D.Children who know about different climate zones can find their own country in a world map.

       Have you ever noticed what happens to an idea once you express it? Just talking about it or writing it down causes you to make it clear in your own mind.How can you use this to increase your brain power? Start writing.

       By putting thoughts into words, you are telling yourself the logic behind what you think, feel, or only partly understand.Often, explaining a thought is the process of understanding. In other words, you increase your brain power by exercising your “explain power.”

       Another benefit of writing is that it helps you remember. Many, if not most, highly productive people are always taking notes. You can try keeping it all in your head, but if you keep a journal (日志) of your ideas the next time you’re working on a big project, you’ll probably have more success.

       Want to understand a topic? Write a book about it. That’s an extreme example, but if you are learning something new, write a letter to a friend about it, and you will understand it better. Want to invent something? Write an explanation of the problem--- why you want to solve it, and why it is worth solving, and you’re half-way there.

       Writers don’t always write because they clearly understand something beforehand.Often, they write about something because they want to understand it. You can do the same. Writing will help bring you to an understanding. Give it a try.

1.What would be the best title for the passage?

       A.A Way on How to Write

       B.Increase Your Brain Power Through Writing

       C.Brain Power Helps Improve Your Writing

       D.How to Start Your Writing

2.According to the passage, writing can help you a lot EXCEPT_____.

       A.to increase your brain power

       B.to improve the ability to remember

       C.to develop your interest in study

       D.to strengthen the understanding of a topic

3.The underlined sentence “You’re half-way there” in the fourth paragraph means that _____.

      A.you are already successful

       B.there’s a long way for you to go to reach your goal

       C.you are left wondering what to do

       D.you have been on the way to success

4.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

       A.Writing can cure people of their brain disease.b

       B.People who can keep all thoughts in mind are more likely to succeed.

       C.Writing a book about one topic is the only way to understand it.

       D.The more you write, the more logical you will be.

Tom, James, Brown, Li Mei and Li Hua正在查找网站来帮助他们解决问题。阅读第1至5题中的各人情况说明和A至F六家网站的介绍,选出符合各人情况的最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。选项中有一项是多余选项。

1._____ Tom: The weather report said that a hurricane would hit the city. Tom wants to find information on how to protect his family from being destroyed during the hurricane.

2._____ James: Before learning about a butterfly, James was asked by his biology teacher to learn more about a butterfly in the process of doing research and then write a letter to humankind.

3._____ Brown: Thousands of animals around the world face extinction. Many more are threatened each year. Brown focuses on the situation of endangered animals and tries to understand how all living things are connected.

4._____ Li Mei: Modern technology makes fishing easier. Yet overfishing has caused a lot of problems. China has taken some measures to solve the problem. Li Mei wants to gain a deeper understanding of the effects of overfishing on some threatened species and tries to find out effective solutions.

5.______ Li Hua: Great leaders changed our lives. Li Hua, who studies politics, wants to find out detailed information about some famous political leaders of foreign countries.

       A.http: //www.net.org/marine/csb/

       This site is devoted to saving the Chilean sea bass, or Patagonian toothfish, from extinction. It suggests actions people can take to protect the fish, and it offers the flash movie “Please Don’t Eat Me!”

       B.http: //www.uky.edu/Agriculture/Entomology/ythfacts/entyouth/

       This site, created by the University of Kentucky Entomology (昆虫学) Department, provides

photographs and facts about various insects we live with. You will find what you want to know about insects here.

       C.http: //www.mountvernon.org/learn/index.cfm/

       This is the definitive (最完整可靠的) site for thoroughly researched historical data on President George Washington. The educational resources include biographical information, a feature (专题节目) on George Washington and slavery, electronic trading cards, and an online quiz.

       D.http: //www.artlex.com/

Here you will find definitions of more than 3,200 terms used in discussing visual culture, along with thousands of supporting images, pronunciation notes, great quotations, and cross-references.

       E.http: //www.fema.gov/kids/

     This visually appealing government site teaches kids how to be prepared for disasters and prevent disaster damage. The site also tells teachers and parents what to do to help children after a disaster. It is appropriate for all ages.

       F.http: //www.nwf.org/

       Find information on wildlife protection programs and wild animals through the articles, photos, quizzes, and games at this site. Learn how you can help protect wildlife which has close relation-ship to human beings.

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