Feeling blue about world ? “Cheer up.” Says science writer Matt Ridley.”The world has never been a better place to live in, and it will keep on getting better both for humans and got nature.”
Ridley calls himself a tat ional optimist—tactical .because he’s carefully weighed the evidence optimistic .because that offence shows human progress to be both unavoidable and good .And this is what he’s set out to prone from unique point of view in his most recent book. The Rant anal Opting .He views mankind as grand enterprise that .on the whole .has done little but progress for 100.000 years. He backed his finding with hard gathered though years of research.
Here’s how he explains his views.
Shopping fuels invention
It is reported that there are more than ten billion different producers for sale in London alone. Even allowing for the many people who still live in poverty .our own generation has access to more nutritious food .more convenient transport .bigger houses, better ears .and of course, more pounds and dollars than any who lived before us .This will continue as long as we there things to make other things, This more we specialize and exchange, the better off we’ll be.
2) Brilliant advances
One reason we are richer, healthier, taller, cleverer, longer-lived and freer than ener before is that the four most basie human needs -food, clothing, fuel and shelter- have grown a lot cheaper. Take one example. In 1800 a candle providing one hour’s light cost six hours’ work. In the 1880s the same light from an oil lamp took 15 minutes’ work to pay for. In 1950 it was eight seconds. Today it’s half second.
3) Let’s not kill ourselves for climate change
Mitigating(減輕) climate change could prove just as damaging to human welface as climate change itself. A child that dies from indoor smoke in a village, where the use of fassil-fuel(化石燃料) electrieity is forhidden by well meaming members of green polucal movements trying to save the world, is just as great a tragedy as a child that mes in a flood caused by climate change. If chmaic change proves to be xxxx, but cutting carbon canses realparn, we may well find that we have stopped a nose bleed by putting a tournquet(止血帶) around our necks.
1.What is the theme of Ridley’s most recent book?
A. Weakness of human nature.
B. Concern about climate change.
C. Importance of practical thinking.
D. Optimism about human progress.
2.How does Ridley look at shopping?
A. It encourages the creation of things.
B. It results in shortage of goods.
C. It demands more fossil fuels.
D. It causes a poverry problem.
3.The candle and lamp example is used to show that .
A. oil lamps give off more light than candles
B. shortening working time brings about a happier life.
C. advanced technology helps to produce better candles.
D. increased production rate leads to lower cost of goods.
4.What does the last sentence of the passage imply?
A. Cutting carbon is necessary in spite of the huge cost.
B. Overreaction to cliamate change may be dangerous.
C. People’s health is closely related to climate change.
D. Careless medical treatment may cause great pain.
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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:廣西桂林十八中2009-2010學(xué)年度高二下學(xué)期4月段考(英語(yǔ)) 題型:閱讀理解
Psychologists in Britain have said that the last full week of January is the most depressing time of the year, and have labeled the Monday of that week “Blue Monday”, the most depressing day of the year. Mondays are generally seen as the worst day of the week because people feel grumpy(煩躁的) and tired at having to go back to work after a weekend with a different sleep pattern.
There are various reasons why more people feel depressed at this time of year. Many people have unpaid credit card bills for the Christmas presents they bought. As the party season is over, people feel stressed because they have to go back to real life — work and commuting; they may be unhappy with their body image after eating too many cakes, chocolates, and other food at Christmas-time. People may have already failed in their New Year’s plans, such as giving up smoking. The bad weather in January can also contribute to people feeling fed up.
Some companies are taking this quite seriously and offering suggestions for all the staff who are feeling depressed. They hope that helping people as soon as there are signs of depression will keep people from taking time off. Evidence shows that unreasonable managers who contribute to their staff feeling fed up at this time can expect an uncooperative (不合作的) workforce.
However, it’s not all bad! Many people feel optimistic at this time — that things can only get better. Psychologists offer suggestions of how to fight against feeling blue. These include spending 15 minutes doing a “gratitude exercise”, thinking about and writing down what you are grateful for, such as health, family, friends and so on. Taking up a new hobby, doing some exercise, going to bed earlier, eating a healthy breakfast, and listening to some cheerful music are all recommended (推薦) as ways to feel more cheerful.
68. How many reasons are mentioned in this passage for feeling depressed in January?
A. 2. B. 3. C. 4. D. 5.
69. We can learn from the passage that if we say someone is blue, we mean he is ______.
A. wearing blue clothes B. feeling down
C. very scared D. very worried
70. What can we learn from the passage?
A. Everyone feels depressed during the last full week of January.
B. Many workers leave their jobs during the most depressing time of the year.
C. Some people are not sad in January as they know that all the following months will be better.
D. Psychologists are working hard on how to solve the “Blue Monday” problem.
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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:2012-2013學(xué)年遼寧盤錦市第二高級(jí)中學(xué)高二第一次階段考試英語(yǔ)試卷(帶解析) 題型:閱讀理解
Girls can easily get sad. If your friend is feeling blue and calls you, what will you do? Here are some tips on how you can make her smile again.
Listen to her. When people feel sad, they often have the feeling of needing to be heard. So, listen carefully to what she is saying and do nothing else. Your friend will surely thank you for being the shoulder she can cry on.
Once you are done with listening, you can offer some advice or remain silent and let her feel everything and let it all out by crying. As a friend, you might think you should give her some advice. But if you have no idea about what to say, just remain silent and be there for her.
In order to be able to help your friend in need, don’t be sad for yourself. How can you help your friend when you are also feeling down?
A hug can make a difference in the word. It makes you feel warm and special. A hug makes you feel safe. So give your friend a hug when she needs it the most.
Spend more time with your friend who wants to be happy. Do things together like washing dishes, cleaning, or going out for fun. The more time you spend together, the stronger your friendship will become.
Sometimes, it is much better that you avoid a crying friend in your life. But by doing so, you are also keeping your friend at a distance and will make her wonder if you are her true friend. If you are there when she needs you, your friendship will be much stronger.
【小題1】The writer wrote this passage mainly to tell us_______.
A.why girls can easily get sad. |
B.what to do when we are sad. |
C.how to make new friends with girls. |
D.how to make a sad female friend happy again. |
A.We should ask her why she feels sad. |
B.We should say something nice to her. |
C.We should spend time listening to her. |
D.We should give her some good advice. |
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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:2012年北師大版高中英語(yǔ)選修一Unit12練習(xí)卷(解析版) 題型:閱讀理解
Music comes in many forms; most countries have a style of their own. The US is well known for jazz (爵士樂), which has gained world-wide popularity.
In contrast to classical (古典的) music, which follows formal European traditions, jazz is natural and free-form. It is full of energy, expressing the moods, interests, and feelings of the people. It has a modern sound that makes people very excited. In the 1920s jazz sounded like America. And So it does today.
The origins of this music are as interesting as the music itself. Jazz was produced by American blacks, who were brought to the Southern States as slaves. They were sold to plantation owners (種植園主) and forced to work long hours in the cotton and tobacco fields. This work was hard and life was short. When a Negro died, his friends and relatives formed a group to carry the body to the cemetery.
A band often went with them. On the way to the cemetery the band played slow and sad music. But on the way home the mood changed. Spirits lifted. Everybody was happy. Death had removed one of their members, but the living were glad to be alive. The band played happy music, which made everyone want to dance. It was an early form of jazz.
Music has always been important in their lives. Coming mainly from West Africa, the black men who were brought to America already possessed a rich musical tradition. This music centered on religious ceremonies (宗教的儀式) in which dancing, singing, clapping and stamping (頓足) to the beat of a drum were important forms of musical expression. As these people settled in to their fields, they made up work songs. Singing made the hard work go faster.
Another musical form that helped to develop jazz was the blues. Blues songs always describe something sad — an unhappy love affair, a money problem, bad luck. To this day, the expression “feeling blue” means being sad.
1.Through jazz, people can express______.
A. their moods |
B. their feelings |
C. their interests |
D. all the above |
2.Which of the following is true according to the text?
A.Jazz follows European traditions. |
B.Jazz always describes something sad. |
C.Jazz was first produced by black slaves. |
D.Blues made the hard work of those slaves go faster. |
3.The underlined sentence “Spirits lilted,” suggested that______.
A.everybody was feeling blue |
B.everybody was still in a sad mood |
C.everybody became happy |
D.people’s souls went to the heaven |
4.What should be the best tide for this passage?
A. A Light Music.
B. Black men’s Music.
C. The Origin of the Jazz Music.
D. The Popular Music—Jazz in the U.S.A.
5.Why did the band play happy music on the way home from the cemetery?
A.Because they felt happy for the dead men. |
B.Because they were glad that they themselves were still alive. |
C.Because they would have a big dinner after they returned home. |
D.Because they hated that dead man |
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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:2014屆湖南省株洲市高一上學(xué)期期末考試英語(yǔ)試卷(解析版) 題型:閱讀理解
閱讀下面短文,根據(jù)所讀內(nèi)容在文后小題的空格里填上適當(dāng)?shù)膯卧~或短語(yǔ)。 注意:每空不超過3個(gè)單詞。
Colors can affect our feelings. Generally, they can be divided into four kinds. They are calm colors, warm colors, energetic colors and strong colors.
Calm colors Some colors make us feel calm and peaceful. Blue is one of those colors. Blue can also represent sadness, so you may say “I’m feeling blue” when you are feeling sad. White is another calm color. It makes you feel calm and peaceful.
Warm colors Some colors can give you a happy and satisfied feeling. Colors like orange or yellow belong to these. Orange represent joy. It can bring you success and cheer you up when you’re feeling sad. Yellow is the color of the sun and wisdom, too.
Energetic colors When you feel tired or weak, you should wear energetic colors, such as green. Green can give you energy as it is the color of nature and stand for new life and growth.
Strong colors Anyone who needs physical or mental strength should wear red clothes. Red is the color of heat and represent power and strong feelings.
Colors and feelings
1.__________of colors |
feelings |
examples |
calm colors |
Calm and peaceful |
2.__________ |
white |
||
warm colors |
3.__________ |
orange |
yellow |
||
energetic colors |
energetic |
4.__________ |
strong colors |
5.__________ |
red |
|
|
|
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科目:高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源:2013屆江蘇省北校高二上學(xué)期第二次學(xué)情檢測(cè)英語(yǔ)題 題型:單項(xiàng)填空
He was ________ after winning the competition.
A. hot under the collar B. on cloud nine C. down in the dumps D. feeling blue
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