1．If humans were truly at home under the light of the moon and stars，we would go in darkness happily，the midnight world as visible to us as it is to the vast number of nocturnal（夜间活动的）species on this planet．Instead，we are diurnal creatures，with eyes adapted to living in the sun's light．This is a basic evolutionary fact，even though most of us don't think of ourselves as diurnal beings．Yet it's the only way to explain what we've done to the night：We've engineered it to receive us by filling it with light．
The benefits of this kind of engineering come with consequences---called light pollution---whose effects scientists are only now beginning to study．Light pollution is largely the result of bad lighting design，which allows artificial light to shine outward and upward into sky．Ill-designed lighting washes out the darkness of night and completely changes the light levels---and light rhythms---to which many forms of life，including ourselves，have adapted．Wherever human light spills into the natural world，some aspect of life is affected．
In most cities the sky looks as though it has been emptied of stars，leaving behind a vacant haze（霾） that mirrors our fear of the dark．We've grown so used to this orange haze that the original glory of an unlit night---dark enough for the planet Venus to throw shadows on Earth---is wholly beyond our experience，beyond memory almost．
We've lit up the night as if it were an unoccupied country，when nothing could be further from the truth．Among mammals alone，the number of nocturnal species is astonishing．Light is a powerful biological force，and on many species it acts as a magnet（磁铁）．The effect is so powerful that scientists speak of songbirds and seabirds being"captured"by searchlights on land or by the light from gas flares on marine oil platforms．Migrating at night，birds tend to collide with brightly lit tall buildings．
Frogs living near brightly lit highways suffer nocturnal light levels that are as much as a million times brighter than normal，throwing nearly every aspect of their behavior out of joint，including their nighttime breeding choruses．Humans are no less trapped by light pollution than the frogs．Like most other creatures，we do need darkness．Darkness is as essential to our biological welfare，to our internal clockwork，as light itself．
Living in a glare of our own making，we have cut ourselves off from our evolutionary and cultural heritage---the light of the stars and the rhythms of day and night．In a very real sense，light pollution causes us to lose sight of our true place in the universe，to forget the scale of our being，which is best measured against the dimensions of a deep night with the Milky Way---the edge of our galaxy---arching overhead．
50．According to the passage，human beingsB．
A．prefer to live in the darkness
B．are used to living in the day light
C．were curious about the midnight world
D．had to stay at home with the light of the moon
51．What does"it"（Paragraph 1）most probably refer to？A
A．The night B．The moon C．The sky D．The planet
52．The writer mentions birds and frogs toB．
A．provide examples of animal protection
B．show how light pollution affects animals
C．compare the living habits of other species
D．explain why the number of certain species has declined
53．It is implied in the last paragraph thatD．
A．light pollution does harm to the eyesight of animals
B．light pollution has destroyed some of the world heritages
C．human beings cannot go to the outer space
D．human beings should reflect on their position in the universe．C．
54．What might be the best title for the passage？
A．The Magic Light B．The Orange Haze
C．The Disappearing Night D．The Rhythms of Nature．
分析 如果人类正常的生活在月光和星光下，我们将会快乐地走到黑暗中．我们可见的午夜世界，是在这个星球上的大量夜间活动的物种．相反，我们是日行动物，眼睛适应了太阳的光线．这是一个进化的基本事实，尽管我们大多数人不认为自己是日间活动的生物，但这是唯一的方法去解释我们对于夜晚做了什么：我们设计了光，让光充满星空．
这种工程的益处带来的是所谓的光污染---科学家只是现在才开始研究它的影响．光污染很大程度上是设计光线的结果，它允许人造的光照向天空．设计不充分的灯光会洗刷夜晚的黑暗，彻底改变光的水平---和光的节奏---包括我们自己在内的许多生命形式都已经适应了，只要人造的光照到自然界，生活的某些方面就会受到影响．
在大多数的城市，天空好像被掏空了星星，只留下一个空的阴霾，反射了我们对黑暗的恐惧．我们已经如此的习惯了这种橙色霾以致于一个黑夜原本的壮观---黑暗足以让金星在地球上投下阴影--已经完全超越我们的感受，几乎超出了我们的记忆．
当什么也不可能是事实的时候，我们已经点亮了夜晚，好像它是一个没被占领的国家．仅哺乳动物中，夜行动物的数量都是惊人的．光是一个强大的生物力，并在许多物种中担当着一块磁铁的角色．影响是如此的强大，以致于科学家说到鸣禽和海鸟被"捕获"都是通过在陆地上的探照灯或是在海上石油平台的轻气弹的光．夜间迁徙的时候，鸟往往撞向明亮的高层建筑．
生活在灯火通明的公路附近的青蛙遭受的夜间光照水平比正常情况下要高一百万倍，在几乎每个方面它们的行为都发生混乱，包括夜间育种．人类所受到的光污染并不比青蛙少．像其他大多数的生物一样，我们也需要黑暗，黑暗和光本身一样是我们必不可少的生物福利，是我们内部的发条．
生活在一个我们自己制造的强光里，我们已经远离了进化和文化遗产---星星及昼夜节律的光．在一个非常真实的意义上，光污染使我们在宇宙中失去真我，忘记了我们权衡与银河系在一起的深夜的范围---银河系的边缘---空中的拱的生存规模．
解答 答案：
50 选B 细节理解题 据第一段第二行with eyes adapted to living in the sun's light眼睛适应了太阳的光线，可知道答案．其中adapted to和 used to 同义，译为习惯于，故选B
51 选A 词义猜测题 Yet it's the only way…filling it with light．但这是唯一的方法去解释我们对于夜晚做了什么：我们设计了光，让光充满星空．根据语境分析可知it指代the night．故选A
52 选B 写作目的题 根据第二段的第一句 The benefits of this kind…consequences这项工程带来好处的同时也带来了坏处．和最后一句Wherever human…life is affected．无论光洒在什么地方，生活都会受到影响．由此可知，光影响了人们的生活及地球上的环境．所以，答案是show how light pollution affects animals，作者举例是为了说明光污染影响动物．故选B
53 选D 推理题 根据最后一段we have cut…of day and night．生活在一个刺眼的世界，我们已经远离了进化与文化遗产：星星与昼夜节律的光．"In a very real sense，…forget the scale of our being．""在一个非常真实的意义上，光污染使我们在宇宙中失去真我等语句可知：光污染使我们失去了很多．D．human beings should reflect on their position in the universe．人类应该反思自己的行为．符合语境，故选D
54 选C 主旨大意题 根据文章最多出现light和night我们可以知道答案是C．之所以不选A，是因为它所使用的形容词Magic意思是奇幻的，这个单词具有褒义的意思．故选C
点评 由于本文是健康环保类的说明文，读起来或者是理解起来有难度，所以不必要一句句翻译，要了解文章的结构，抓住文章的主旨---本文介绍了光污染对于动物和人类的影响，呼吁我们反思我们的行为．
