Our surroundings are being polluted faster than ever and it seems that people cannot prevent it. Time is bringing us more people, and more people will bring us more industry’, more cars, larger cities, and the growing use of man-made materials.What can explain and settle this problem The fact is that pollution is caused by man—by his desire (欲望) for a modem way of life. We make "increasing industrialization" (工业化) our first aim. So we are often ready to offer everything: clean air, pure water, good food, our health and the future of our children. There is a constant flow of people from the countryside into the cities, eager for the achievements of our modem society. But as our technological achievements have grown in the last twenty years, pollution has become a serious problem.Isn’t it time we stopped to ask ourslves where we are going—and why It makes one think of the story about the pilot (飞行员) who told his passengers over the loudspeaker: "I’ve some good news and some bad news. The good news is that we’re making rapid progress at 530 miles per hour. The bad news is that we are lost and don’t know where we’re going." The sad fact is that this becomes a true story when speaking of our modern society. The story about the pilot tells us that ().
A. man knows where the society is going
B. people don’t welcome the rapid development of modem society
C. man can do little about the problem of pollution
D. the speaker is worried about the future of our society
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The Christmas TreeIn pre-Christian Europe, people believed that trees (fruit trees and evergreens in particular) were embodiment of powerful beings. In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the designated miracle play for December 25 was the story of Adam and Eve and in this play the chief prop was an apple-hung evergreen called the paradise tree. In the sixteenth century, German families began bringing evergreens into their homes during the Christmas season. By the seventeenth century, they were known as Christbaiime (Christ trees) and were being decorated with fruits, candies, cookies, candles and wafers resembling the eucharistic host.The first Christmas trees in America were set up by German immigrants in the 1820s and the almost universal adoption of the custom dates from the 1910s. Now at Christmas time decorated trees stand in about two-thirds of American homes. The modem American tree is usually covered with colored balls and strings of colored lights. The star on top represents the Star in the East which guided the three Wise Men to Bethlehem. Christmas trees became widespread in America().
A. in the 1920s
B. in the 1910s
C. in the 1820s
D. in the 1810s
Women have more problems than men in old age. First of all, they have less money—or no money at all—and because of this, they often feel they get less respect, even at home. Quite a large number have no pension (退休金) because they have never worked outside the home, and thirty-eight percent are supported mainly by their husbands or children. Second, a larger number of old women than old men become widows (single women). Men are normally older than the women they marry, and women generally live longer than men. The remarriage among older widows is lower than that among widowers (single men). Statistics (统计) from 1990 in Shanghai show only 52 percent of elderly women with husbands still living, compared to (与……相比) 82 percent of men.Because of lower incomes and the difficulty of remarriage, many elderly women who live alone, are poor and have almost no social life. Even an old couple lives with children, it is the woman who ends up doing the work around the house. She cleans the rooms, prepares meals, and takes care of the family. Some 75 percent of them carry out such heavy physical tasks as buying and carrying grain, coal and other supplies for the home. How to improve the quality of life of women in their later years is a problem that needs to be dealt with by all the society. According to the writer, ().
A. elderly women should be paid well
B. elderly women should live with their families
C. all people should do something for elderly women
D. housework should not be done by elderly women
Silas Minton’s funeral was a quiet (36) . It was (37) by the only (38) he had in the world, his niece and nephew, and by a few friends. The priest who (39) (40) a hundred miles into this wild part of the county was now getting (41) for the simple ceremony. Minton, (42) "Minty" as his friends (43) call him, (44) a hard life (45) for gold in a lonely part of Western Australia. He had always refused to work in a gold mine (46) he believed that he could do better (47) his own. Although he was not a boastful(夸口的)person, he had often declared that one day he (48) find a lump (块) of gold as big as his head and (49) he would retire and live in (50) for the rest of his life. But his dreams of great wealth (51) came true. For many years he had hardly earned enough money to keep himself (52) .Two men now gently lifted the rough wooden box that (53) Minty’s body, but they almost dropped it when they heard a loud cry from the grave-digger. His spade (铁锹)had struck something hard in the rocky soil and he was shouting excitedly. Then he held up a large stone. (54) it was covered (55) dirt, the stone shone curiously in the fierce sunlight: it was unmistakably a heavy piece of solid gold! 41().
A. ready
B. better
C. preparation
D. worse
[听力原文]M: Your new dresses are beautiful. Where did you find themW: Well, I bought three of them while I was in China, but I made the other one myself. What can we conclude from the conversation()
A. The woman bought all her clothes in China.
B. The woman can sew.
C. The woman bought no dress in China.
D. The woman bought one dress in Chin