Comera is the only place in the world which has a whistle language. We do not know how and why it began because we do not know the complete history of the island. But we can certainly imagine the reasons for the beginning of the whistle language. There are many deep valleys on the island. A person on one side of valley can not easily shout to a person on the other side. But he can whistle and be heard from four miles away, and the record is seven miles. The people who live on the island usually have good teeth, and this helps them to whistle well. They must also have good ears so that they can hear other whistlers.

We can understand why the whistle language continues. It is very useful on the island, and quite easy to learn. When somebody is hurt or ill, the whistle language takes the place of telephone. If the sick person is a long way from the town, boys and men pass the news from one to another. A boy guarding cattle on a hillside whistles to a man fishing from his boat. The last one is able to describe the trouble fully and exactly to the doctor in town. People help each other in the same way when a car breaks or a cow is lost.

The whistle language is hundreds of years old, and probably it will continue to live for hundreds of years more. Radio and TV often kill the special ways of speaking in the different parts of a country. But on Comera you are nobody if you cannot whistle. Perhaps soon after TV arrives on the island, the people there will be whistling the news and other facts and opinions.

4. If a person on Comera island is ill,      .

  A. others will phone the doctor in town

  B. whistle language will pass the news to the doctor

  C. his family will take him to the doctor

  D. people will take him to the hospital

5. From the passage we know radio and TV       at that time.

  A. killed the special way of speaking

  B. whistled all the news and opinions

  C. helped Comera people to communicate

  D. did not appear on Comera island yet

6. Comera island is special in that      .

  A. it attracts visitors every year

  B. no visitors have ever been there

  C. people there have special ears to hear whistles

  D. people there use the whistle language to communicate with each other

7. Which of the following is not true according to the passage?

  A. It is not easy for a person to live on Comera island if he cannot whistle.

  B. The whistle language can only be found in Comera.

  C. The whistle language has been used for hundreds of years on the island, but will not be used any longer.

  D. The record shows that one best whistler can be heard by others seven miles away.

Comera is the only place in the world which has a whistle language. We do not know how and why it began because we do not know the complete history of the island. But we can certainly imagine the reasons for the beginning of the whistle language. There are many deep valleys on the island. A person on one side of valley can not easily shout to a person on the other side. But he can whistle and be heard from four miles away, and the record is seven miles. The people who live on the island usually have good teeth, and this helps them to whistle well. They must also have good ears so that they can hear other whistlers.

We can understand why the whistle language continues. It is very useful on the island, and quite easy to learn. When somebody is hurt or ill, the whistle language takes the place of telephone. If the sick person is a long way from the town, boys and men pass the news from one to another. A boy guarding cattle on a hillside whistles to a man fishing from his boat. The last one is able to describe the trouble fully and exactly to the doctor in town. People help each other in the same way when a car breaks or a cow is lost.

The whistle language is hundreds of years old, and probably it will continue to live for hundreds of years more. Radio and TV often kill the special ways of speaking in the different parts of a country. But on Comera you are nobody if you cannot whistle. Perhaps soon after TV arrives on the island, the people there will be whistling the news and other facts and opinions.

49. If a person on Comera island is ill,      .

  A. others will phone the doctor in town

  B. whistle language will pass the news to the doctor

  C. his family will take him to the doctor

  D. people will take him to the hospital

50. From the passage we know radio and TV       at that time.

  A. killed the special way of speaking

  B. whistled all the news and opinions

  C. helped Comera people to communicate

  D. did not appear on Comera island yet

51. Comera island is special in that      .

  A. it attracts visitors every year

  B. no visitors have ever been there

  C. people there have special ears to hear whistles

  D. people there use the whistle language to communicate with each other

52. Which of the following is not true according to the passage?

  A. It is not easy for a person to live on Comera island if he cannot whistle.

  B. The whistle language can only be found in Comera.

  C. The whistle language has been used for hundreds of years on the island, but will not be used any longer.

D. The record shows that one best whistler can be heard by others seven miles away.

Comera is the only place in the world which has a whistle language. We do not know how and why it began because we do not know the complete history of the island. But we can certainly imagine the reasons for the beginning of the whistle language. There are many deep valleys on the island. A person on one side of valley can not easily shout to a person on the other side. But he can whistle and be heard from four miles away, and the record is seven miles. The people who live on the island usually have good teeth, and this helps them to whistle well. They must also have good ears so that they can hear other whistlers.
We can understand why the whistle language continues. It is very useful on the island, and quite easy to learn. When somebody is hurt or ill, the whistle language takes the place of telephone. If the sick person is a long way from the town, boys and men pass the news from one to another. A boy guarding cattle on a hillside whistles to a man fishing from his boat. The last one is able to describe the trouble fully and exactly to the doctor in town. People help each other in the same way when a car breaks or a cow is lost.
The whistle language is hundreds of years old, and probably it will continue to live for hundreds of years more. Radio and TV often kill the special ways of speaking in the different parts of a country. But on Comera you are nobody if you cannot whistle. Perhaps soon after TV arrives on the island, the people there will be whistling the news and other facts and opinions.

1. 1.

   If a person on Comera island is ill,      .

   1. A.
      others will phone the doctor in town
   2. B.
      whistle language will pass the news to the doctor
   3. C.
      his family will take him to the doctor
   4. D.
      people will take him to the hospital5.
2. 2.

   From the passage we know radio and TV       at that time.

   1. A.
      killed the special way of speaking
   2. B.
      whistled all the news and opinions
   3. C.
      helped Comera people to communicate
   4. D.
      did not appear on Comera island yet6.
3. 3.

   Comera island is special in that      .

   1. A.
      it attracts visitors every year
   2. B.
      no visitors have ever been there
   3. C.
      people there have special ears to hear whistles
   4. D.
      people there use the whistle language to communicate with each other7.
4. 4.

   Which of the following is not true according to the passage?

   1. A.
      It is not easy for a person to live on Comera island if he cannot whistle.
   2. B.
      The whistle language can only be found in Comera.
   3. C.
      The whistle language has been used for hundreds of years on the island, but will not be used any longer.
   4. D.
      The record shows that one best whistler can be heard by others seven miles away.

It was a party. I was 18 and it was fresher(大一新生) week. I was at the beginning of a course in English Literature and full of enthusiasm for my subject. She was also 18 and enrolled in a course in physics.

“Your major is of no use to society. What will you do with it when you graduate, other than teach? Plus, you’re going to be poor your whole life,” she said. “You have no soul and your degree is boring. I don’t care how much money you’re going to earn. I’d rather be poor and don’t mind being a teacher. If I love my work I’ll have something far more meaningful than a big bank account!” came the reply.

And so it went, back and forth, neither of us giving the other an inch, each of us stubbornly committed to our prejudice. We were both ignorant, but our ignorance was also society’s ignorance. It had always been that way. Scientists mocked(嘲笑) humanists; humanists laughed at scientists. Back in the 1960s, the physicist-turned novelist C. P. Snow labeled the sciences-humanities divide “a problem of ‘the two cultures’” . He said it was bad for society. The modern world needed well-rounded people.

I think I know better now, but it would have helped if we had been encouraged to think a little more outside our science and arts “boxes”.

That’s why I believe it is healthy that China is beginning a debate on whether it’s wise for young people to have to choose which direction their careers – and lives – will take at such an early age. At the moment, in their second year of high school, students must choose either the sciences or the humanities. After making the choice, they focus their energies on passing the appropriate college entrance exam.

But now, people in China are asking: Is this forced, early decision good for young people or society? Young people need time to explore, to discover where their real talents and interests lie. There are more than just a few middle-aged people out there, stuck in jobs they hate because they made the wrong choice at the wrong time.

And from the point of view of society, isn’t it better for students to delay a while before they decide what to study? Scientists can benefit from learning to develop the critical skills associated with the humanities; students in the humanities, surely, only stand to gain by finding out a little more about science and technology, which are so important to the future of a developing country like China.

With any luck, in the future young people fresh to college will be better informed about the possibilities of education than people of my generation.

1.The author describes what happened at a fresher party to ________.

A. show that he was ready to defend the subject he enjoyed

B. lead up his argument that the sciences-humanities divide is harmful

C. prove that doing something meaningful is better than having a lot of money

D. describe how fierce students of different majors can be when arguing with each other

2.What was C. P. Snow’s attitude towards the sciences-humanities divide?

A. Indifferent.         B. Uncertain.            C. Positive.          D. Negative.

3.In the sixth paragraph, an example mentioning middle-aged people is used to show that ________.

A. students should not make decisions too early

B. not all people have a talent for or are interested in the sciences

C. these people did not have the chance to make a choice earlier in life

D. the earlier young people make a decision, the better it will be for them

4.According to the text, it is safe to say that ________.

A. sciences are more practical in the modern world

B. C. P. Snow was a novelist who became a physicist

C. future generations will be able to get more out of education

D. a command of both the sciences and humanities is important to society

5.What’s the best title for the article?

A. The sciences or the humanities, which to choose?

B. High school education in China

C. Isn’t it better to delay the choice of the career direction?

D. A better time to decide what to study