|
When Columbus landed there were probably more people in the Americas than there were in Europe. The peoples of North America had such healthy life-styles that as late as the 19th century they continued to be the tallest people on earth. Facts have shown that the Amenicas were populated as long as 33,000 years ago. 4,000 years ago Mesoamerican famers developed com in a feat (技艺) of genetie engineering that still isn’t completely understood.
COMMENTS ON 1491 “In the tradition of Jared Diamond & John MePhee,a totally new view of precolunhian America”.
－Richard Rhodes “Attrnctively written and really absorbing Charles C.Mann has produced a book that’s part detective story,part cpie(史诗) and part tragedy(不幸).He has taken on a vast topic:thousands of years,two huge continents,and cultures.”
－Charles Matthews,San Jese Mercary News “Powerful and challenging”
－Alan Taylor,Washingto post
“A pleasure to read as well as a wonderful education”
－Howard Zinn
56.On the whole,1491 is a book mainly about America’s________. A.life-styles B.population C.history D.agrieulture 57.Which of the following as NOT TRUE about the comments on the book 1491? A. It is interesting and instructive. B. It is attractive and culturally related. C. It is challenging and revolutionary. D. It is hurnorous and persuasive. 58.From this passage,we can learn_________. A.people settled in the Amencas a little carlier than 1942 B.North Americans were the tallest in the 18th cenntry in the world C.Mesoamencan farmers knew genclic engineering 5,000 years ago D.the population in the Americas was smaller than that in Europe in 1492
BFor the first time in modern history,less than half of the U.S.adult population now reads literature,according to a recent survey.Reading at Risk A Survey of Lilerary Reading in America presents a detailed review of the decline of reading’s role in the nation’s culture. Reading at Risk is a survey of national fashion in adult literary reading.The data souree for Reading at Risk is as reliable and objective(客观的)as any such survey can be.The key results of the survey are presented in the “Surnmary”,but the report can be further exploined as:literary teading in America is not only declining rapidly among all groups,but the rate of decling has been speeded up,especially among the young.Rcading at Risk merely shows a great cultural change that most Americans have already noted－our society’s great turn to clectronic media for entertainment and information.
Reading a book requires a degree of active attention and devotion.Indced,reading itself is a progressive skillo that depends on years of cducation nand practice.On the contrary,most electronic media such as television,recordings,and radio make fewer demands on their audiences,and indced require no more than passive participation.While oral culture has a rich reality and electronic media offer the commdenbic atteation of variety.print culture affords irreplaceable forms of focused and thought than make varicen communications and views possible.The deline in reading.thenfore ,equals a larger retreat(减少)from participation in public and culutural life.
What is to be done?There is surely no single solution to the pretent problem.just as there is no single cause .The important thing now is to underwand that America can no longer take active and devoted reading for granted.
Reading is not a timeless,common ability.As more Americans love thus ability .out nation becomes less informed,active ,and independent minded .There are not speakeras that a free, inventive,or productive society can afford to love.
59.The main purpose of the survey is to _______.
A.focus on the role of electronic media ang reading
B.show that American young people read less and less
C.give a report of the national of literary reading
D.review that less that half of the population now reads litersture
60.According to the passage ,reading _______.
A.requires less attention and devotion
B.demsnds no more than passive participation
C.limits various communications and views
D.means active participation in pubnlic and cultural life
61.The underlined phrase “cultural chang”in Paragraph 2 refers to the change _______.
A.from oral culture to electronic media
B.from print culture to electronic to electronic media
C.from electronic media to oral
D.from electr onic media to print culture
62.The author of the passage ________.
A.misunderstands oral culture
B.doubts the Americans to read more
C.encourages the Americans to read more
D.agrees to the solution to present problem in reading
C
The coyote(丛林狼).that elever animal of wide-open space .has come to the nation’s captial.In fact ,coyotes have spread to every comer of the United States,changing their behaviors to fit new envioronments and causing researchers to deal with a troublesome new kind of creature:the city coyote.
The coyote originally lived in the middle of the continent.One of its most obvious characters is its smartness, which has made the animal a notorious（臭名昭著的） pest.Hunters trapped,shot and poisoned more than a million coyotes in the 1900s.It’s still one of America’s mosthunted animals. Yet the coyote has survived.How has the coyote shown this extraordinary ability?”I guess if you wanted to use one word,it’d be ‘plasticity’.”says Erie Gese,an expert at Utah State University. Coyotes can live alon, in pairs, or in large packs like wolves,hunt at night or during the day , occupy a small region or an area up to 40 square miles,and live on all sorts of food,from lizards（蜥蜴）and shoes, to ants and melons. Unbelicvadly people helpcd coyotes increase when they kiltcd most of the wolves in the United States. The sprcdding of coyotes into city areas,though.is rccent.They travel at night,crossing sidcwalks and bridges.running atong roads and ducking into cuinerts (钻入 洞and underpasscs .No one knows why coyotes are maving into cities.but expertsexplaih that clevcter,more human-tolerant(不怕人的)coyotes are teaching urban survivalskills to new generations. Occasionally.coyotes mighe attack human beings.There have been about 160 attacks on peoplc in reccnt years Therefore,people have bccn consistently told not feed coyotes or leave pct food unseeurcd.That ,plus a large trapping program in the neighborhood.has cur down on the coyote population. 63.The underlinged word “plasticity”in Paragraph 2refers to____________. A.the ability to fit the environment B.notonous smartness C.hunting ability D.being human-tolerant 64.The aim of the passage is to_____________. A.tell pcople how to fight against coyotes B.tell us why the coyote is the most hunted animal C.supply the reason why the coyote is a kind of motorious pest D.explain how the coyote has spread to and survived in cities 65.According to the passage,coyote__________. A.originally lived in the west of the continent B.sleep dung the day but look for food at night C.are teaching survival skills to therr younger generations D.suffered a population deerease because pcople killed wolves 66.According to the passage,to cut dowa on the coyolc population.people are advised to_______. A.leave pct food secured B.keep coyotes in small regions C.foree coyotes to live alone D.avond using trapping programs
上一页 [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] 下一页
|
