Reading Practice:
Passage 1
Students often ask their teachers: “What is the best way to study?” “How can I learn faster?” Here are a few guidelines to help us to learn better.
    The first guideline is “Take it easy”. Don’t overdo it. When learning complex things, such as a foreign language or a science, it is advisable to take breathing spells (一段时间) between learning periods. Most beginners push themselves too long at a time. Instead of practicing for two solid hours, practice only one hour. Then take a breather before doing the second hour of practice of study. Such spaced practice or study is better for learning than continuous practice of the same total length.
    Motivation (动机) is an important factor. People learn much faster when they really want to learn. Learning is more efficient when it is fun, less efficient when it is drudgery (辛苦烦人的工作).
    The learner needs to be able to measure the progress made. This can be done by testi
ng or by comparing present performance with past performances. Don’t expect your learning skills to increase at the same rate. As you progress, the rate of increase slows down. You mustn’t be discouraged by this. The gains may be smaller, but they are still gains, small steps closer to perfection.
1.    The best explanation of “solid” in Para. 2 is “______________”.
        A)    hard    B)    continuous    C)    strong    D)    long
2.    Which of the following statements is NOT true?
    A)    Studying for two continuous hours will always make one feel tired.
    B)    A learner will study a subject more efficiently if he has interest in it.
    C)    It’s good to compare your present performance with those in the past.
    D)    Spaced study is important for beginners.
3.    It can be inferred from the passage that ____________________.
    A)    if you are not interested in study, you can not learn well
    B)    most beginners study too long at a time
    C)    beginners generally make more obvious progress
    D)    you can only make small progress in the course of study
4.    According to the passage, if you want to study well, you have to _______________.
    A)    enjoy the study    C)    be strict with yourself
    B)    work hard    D)    keep up with your classmates
5.    An advanced learner will do anything but __________________.
    A)    relax when learning    C)    study efficiently
    B)    find fun in studying    D)    increase skills at a great speed
Passage 2
Nearly everyone agrees that money doesn’t buy as much as it used to, no matter where you want to spend it. This is certainly true of the paper money that passes so quietly through one’s hands. Inflation steadily eats away its buying power. But what about coins? Unlike notes, metal money becomes more valuable the longer it is held, especially if it is put away where it won’t get scratched or worn. Why is this? One reason is that coins, being more durable, fall more readily into a category for collectors. Naturally, the rarer gold pieces must become more valuable as the price of this metal goes up.
    But, curiously, one of the rarest coins in the world is not made of gold, but of the relatively cheaper silver. In 1804, the United States mint struck 19,570 silver dollars. That is what its records show. Today only six of this original number remains and these six are unlikely ever to reach the auction (拍卖) market. So what happened to some 19,564 large silver coins, not the easiest sort of things to lose? One of the more romantic theories is that they were part of the payment to Napoleon for the American territory then known as Louisiana. But they never reached France. Somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico, the ship transporting them was sunk, either by a storm or by pirates (海盗). The probable answer t
o the mystery is that they were melted down since the silver value was greater than the actual value of the coin. What really happened to the rest will probably always remain a mystery. What is known is that whoever can come up with one will find himself instantly rich.
6.    People agree that paper money buys _________________.
    A)    as much as it used to    C)    more than it used to
    B)    less than it used to    D)    nearly as much as it used to
7.    The value of coins __________________.
    A)    increases with time    C)    never changes
    B)    increases wherever it changes hand    D)    decreases with time
8.    One of the rarest coins in the World is ___________________.
    A)    gold    B)    silver    C)    nickel    D)    an alloy
9.    Something happened to the other silver dollars. Which of the following answer is TRUE?
    A)    They went to France.
    B)    They went down with a ship in bad weather.
    C)    They were melted down.
    D)    Nobody knows the truth.
10.    The best title for the passage should be __________________.
    A)    The Value of Money    B)    Paper Money    C)    Metal Money    D)    Coin-Collecting
Passage 3
Extinction has recently become a catchword(时髦话).Every day entire species of plants a
nd animals die out, and for the first time in history this is due to the actions of just one species: humans. We already know about five mass extinctions, and now a sixth seems to be under way. This one is different, because it is man-made. Deforestation(毁林)of the rain forests is just one aspect of the phenomenon. Most people may have heard about that, but few people know that most of the species existing in the rain forests have never been described by science. Often they die out before we ever know they existed. Nobody can tell what treasures we lose, perhaps a cure for cancer or other modern-day disease.
World-famous Harvard professor Edward O. Wilson examines life on our planet in his book The Diversity(多样性)of Life. He doesn’t lecture his readers, but states in a matter-of-fact way what is known about the Earth’s past and the impact of mankind on its plant and animal life. Meanwhile, he suggests solutions for the present crisis.
If you are interested in the future of planet Earth and want to learn to see the bigger picture, this is the book for you. This is no light bedtime reading and will probably leave you feeling uneasy. However, it’s important for people living in the 21st century to think ab
out how we can pass at least part of this diversity on to our children. Recent research shows that Earth needs about 10 million years to restore the lost diversity of species after a great crisis. Ten million years are not much in terms of the life of a planet, but the period is way too long for mankind. Wilson’s book should help us to start a process of reconsideration.

版权声明：本站内容均来自互联网，仅供演示用，请勿用于商业和其他非法用途。如果侵犯了您的权益请与我们联系QQ:729038198，我们将在24小时内删除。