落堕市安心阳光实验学校2014高考英语抓分训练：科普知识型阅读理解(二)
less is more英文理解A
Last night's meteor(流星)shower left many people in the community dissatisfied and demanding answers.According to Gabe Rothschild, Emerald Valley's mayor, people gathered in the suburbs of the city, carrying heavy telescopes, expecting to watch the brightly burning meteors passing through the sky.What they found instead was a sky so brightened by the city's lights that it darkened the light of the meteors passing overhead.
“My family was so frustrated，” admitted town resident Duane Cosby.“We wanted to make this an unforgettable family outing, but it turned out to be a huge disappointment.”
Astronomers—scientists who study stars and planets—have been complaining about this problem for decades.They say that light pollution prevents them from seeing objects in the sky that they could see quite easily in the past.They call on people and the government to take measures to fight against it.
There is yet a population besides professional and amateur star observers that suffers even more from light pollution. This population consists of birds, bats, frogs，snakes，etc.For example, outdoor lighting severely affects migrating (迁徙的)birds.According to the International Dark­Sky Association，“100 million birds a year throughout North America die in crashes with lighted buildings and towers.”
Countless more animal casualties(伤亡) result from the use of artificial lighting.Clearly，people enjoy the benefits of lighting their evenings, but some scientists think it can be harmful for humans，too.They worry that exposure to light while sleeping can increase a person's chances of getting cancer.
Emerald Valley is only one community that is becoming aware of the negative effects of light pollution.For years, Flagstaff, Arizona, has enforced lighting regulations in its city in order to assist astronomers at the Lowell Observatory.Similar efforts have been made worldwide, and a movement is underway to remind us to turn off lights when we are not using them, so that other creatures can share the night.
1．It happened last night that  ________．
A. the city's lights affected the meteor watching
B．the meteors flew past before being noticed
C．the city light show attracted many people
D．the meteor watching ended up a social outing
2．What do the astronomers complain about?
A．Meteor showers occur less often than before.
B．Their observation equipment is in poor repair.
C．Light pollution has remained unsolved for years.
D．Their eyesight is failing due to artificial lighting.
3．What is the author concerned about according to Paragraph 4?
A. Birds may take other migration paths.
B．Animals' living habits may change suddenly.
C．Varieties of animals will become sharply reduced.
D．Animals' survival is threatened by outdoor lighting.
4．Lighting regulations in Flagstaff, Arizona are put into effect to________．
A．lessen the chance of getting cancer
B．create an ideal observation condition
C．ensure citizens a good sleep at night
D．enable all creatures to live in harmony
5．What message does the author most want to give us?
A．Saving wildlife is saving ourselves.
B．Great efforts should be made to save energy.
C．Human activities should be environmentally friendly.
D．New equipment should be introduced for space study.
B
Studying volcanoes is a demanding profession. Hazel Rymer frequently has to struggle through rainforests, climb to the top of mountains, then climb 200 metres into the crater of active volcanoes. But the 38­year­old volcanologist does her best to make it sound less alarming than it is. “Driving to work is more risky，” she insists. “And the deepest I go into the crater of a volcano is about 300 metres，” she adds, trying to make it all sound as ordinary as taking the dog for a walk.
Hazel has been studying volcanoes for a long time, so it's not surprising she is used to the danger. Her interest in volcanoes began at school. A teacher gave her a book about Pompeii. “I remember reading about the eruption of Vesuvius and the destruction of the city，” she explains. “The thought of all those people just frozen in time had quite an effect on me and I am still excited by their dangerous beauty today.”
Nowadays, volcanoes are getting more and more unpredictable. There have been many changes in sea level caused by global warming and melting ice caps. These have resulted in some dormant volcanoes erupting, so studying them is more dangerous than ever before. Hazel says that although she doesn't take any unnecessary risk, she has had some frightening moments. Her worst experience was on the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily, when she was slowly surrounded by lava. “I had a choice of walking ten hours to get around the lava flow or just walking across it，” she explains. She chose to pick a path across the cooler rocks in the lava stream. “I guess it was five metres. The flow was 1，000°C, so if you hesitated, your boots would begin to melt. It was scary, but it really was a practical decision—there wasn't time to do anything else.”

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