Passage four(preface)

  Science is a dominant theme in our culture. Since it touches almost every facet of our life, educated people need at least some acquaintance with its structure and operation. They should also have an understanding of the subculture in which scientists live and the kinds of people they are. An understanding of general characteristics of science as well as specific scientific concepts is easier to attain if one knows something about the things that excite and frustrate the scientist.

  This book is written for the intelligent student or lay person whose acquaintance with science is superficial; for the person who has been presented with science as a musty storehouse of dried facts; for the person who sees the chief objective of science as the production of gadgets; and for the person who views the scientists as some sort of magician. The book can be used to supplement a course in any science, to accompany any course that attempts to give an understanding of the modern world, or – independently of any course – simply to provide a better understanding of science. We hope this book will lead readers to a broader perspective on scientific attitudes and a more realistic view of what science is, who scientists are, and what they do. It will give them an awareness and understanding of the relationship between science and our culture and an appreciation of the roles science may play in our culture. In addition, readers may learn to appreciate the relationship between scientific views and some of the values and philosophies that are pervasive in our culture.

  We have tried to present in this book an accurate and up-to-date picture of the scientific community and the people who populate it. That population has in recent years come to comprise more and more women. This increasing role of women in the scientific subculture is not an unique incident but, rather, part of the trend evident in all segments of society as more women enter traditionally male-dominated fields and make significant contributions. In discussing these changes and contribution, however, we are faced with a language that is implicitly sexist, one that uses male nouns or pronouns in referring to unspecified individuals. To offset this built-in bias, we have adopted the policy of using plural nouns and pronouns whenever possible and, when absolutely necessary, alternating he and she. This policy is far form being ideal, but it is at least an acknowledgment of the inadequacy of our language in treating half of the human race equally.

  We have also tried to make the book entertaining as well as informative. Our approach is usually informal. We feel, as do many other scientists, that we shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously. As the reader may observe, we see science as a delightful pastime rather than as a grim and dreary way to earn a living.

1.According to the passage, ‘scientific subculture’ means

A.cultural groups that are formed by scientists.

B.people whose knowledge of science is very limited.

C.the scientific community.

D.people who make good contribution to science.

2.We need to know something about the structure and operation of science because

A.it is not easy to understand the things that excite and frustrate scientists.

B.Science affects almost every aspect of our life.

C.Scientists live in a specific subculture.

D.It is easier to understand general characteristics of science.

3.The book mentioned in this passage is written for readers who

A.are intelligent college students and lay person who do not know much about science.

B.are good at producing various gadgets.

C.work in a storehouse of dried facts.

D.want to have a superficial understanding of science.

4.According to this passage,

A.English is a sexist language.

B.only in the scientific world is the role of women increasing rapidly.

C.women are making significant contributions to eliminating the inadequacy of our language.

D.male nouns or pronouns should not be used to refer to scientists.

5.This passage most probably is

A.a book review.

B.the preface of a book.

C.the postscript of a book.

D.the concluding part of a book.

In the past, man did not have to think about protection of the environment. There were very few people on the earth, and natural resources seemed to be unlimited.

Today things are different. The world has become too crowded. We are using up our natural resources too quickly, and at the same time we are polluting our environment with dangerous chemicals. If we continue to do this, human life on the earth will not survive.

Everyone realizes today that if too many fish are taken from the sea, there will soon be none left. Yet, with modern fishing methods, more and more fish are caught. We know that if too many trees are cut down, forests will disappear and nothing will grow on land. Yet, we continue to use more powerful machines to cut down more and more trees.

We realize that if rivers are polluted with waste products from factories, we will die. However, in most countries waste is still put into rivers, but there are few laws to stop this.

We also know that if the population of the countries in the world is to rise at the present rate in a few years, there will not be enough food.

What can we do to solve these problems?

If we eat more vegetables and less meat, there will be more food available for everyone. Land that is used to grow crops can feed five times more people than land where animals are kept.

Our natural resources will last longer if we learn to recycle them.

The world population will not rise so quickly if people use modern methods of birth control.

Finally, if all of us think about the problem, we will have a better and cleaner planet in the future.

1.This passage mainly tells us about ______.

A. the problems we are facing today about environment and the ways to solve them

B. the unlimited natural resources in the world

C. our rivers are being polluted by waste from factories

D. the ways early man protected the environment

2. Which of the following is NOT true?

A. If we eat more vegetables, more food can be saved.

B. In the past, there was no need for people to think about environmental protection.

C. If we keep on cutting trees, forests will disappear.

D. We shouldn’t take more and more fish out of the sea, or there will soon be no fish left.

3.What is implied (暗示) in the passage?

A. Man is cleverer than any other animal.

B. Man will destroy himself if he doesn’t solve the problem.

C. Modern fishing methods are helpful in our fishing industry.

D. We should make more laws in order to survive.

4.From the passage we can see that the world’s natural resources ______.

A. will never be used up              B. are being polluted

C. are as plentiful as in the past     D. are being used up very quickly

 

       Gmail tmned five years old this week．It's somewhat amazing to think we've only had it since 2004; Gmail changed the webmail game forever by offering features we now take for granted: a streamlined interface （界面]） , powerful search, pioneering use ofAjax and a then-huge 1 GB of mailbox space． “You'll never need to delete another message " was how Google described it at the time．

       Back then, I was still making do with Hotmail．But its clumsy interface and tiny amount of storage space made the decision to move on an easy one．Getting an account made all the difference in the world to my email experience．Suddenly I was freed from having to delete emails every few days to make space in my mailbox．And the app（application） was smooth and responsive, like a desktop client （客户端程序）—and pretty fast in comparison to Hotmail．" Conversation view" and using labels instead of folders took a little getting used to, but in all Gmail felt far more professional and made me much more productive．

       Gmail is a favorite app of ours ever on WebWorkerDaily, and with good reason．It's still the best webmail client for web workers as it lets us access our email whenever and wherever we need to, on any device, with minimum effort．And Google hasn't spent the five years sitting on its Gmail success, either, but has introduced improvements to the service that include Gmail Tasks, chat, video chat and voice chat, combined with Google Calendar and Docs, Google Apps for Domains, and, of course, even more storage．We've recently covered the many features found in Gmail Labs: a way to "undo" seat messages, using canned responses for smart autoresponders, offline support using Gears and how to customize the way you．view your mailbox using multiple inboxes．

The underlined sentence in the first paragraph implies that_____．

       A．we shouldn't take Gmail for granted

       B．you can try to write any kind of message

       C．Gmail can correct your mistakes of itself

       D．you needn't worry about the mailbox space

Which of the following is not Gmail's striking feature?

       A．Offline support．                     B．Using labels．

       C．Undo sent messages．                  D．Mailbox space．

Gmail is _____．

       A．first introduced by WebWorkerDaily

       B．a tool merely used to send messages

       C．a great success just the same as Hotmail

       D．a webmail client with multiple functions

What can we infer from the passage?

       A．It is easier and more convenient to use folders．

       B．Quantities of people have chosen to use Gmail．

       C．Gmail had a video chat function when invented．

       D．Gmail and Hotmail were invented at the same time．

What is the best title of this passage?

       A．Gmail— favourite app of ours

       B．Functions of a special email service

       C．Comparison between Gmail and Hotmail

       D．Advantages and disadvantages of Gmails

                            Preface

Science is a dominant(占优势的) theme in our culture. Since it touches almost every facet of our life, educated people need at least some acquaintance with its structure and operation. They should also have an understanding of the subculture in which scientists live and the kinds of people they are. An understanding of general characteristics of science as well as specific scientific concepts is easier to attain if one knows something about the things that excite and frustrate the scientist.

 This book is written for the intelligent student or lay person whose acquaintance with science is superficial; for the person who has been presented with science as a musty storehouse of dried facts; for the person who sees the chief objective of science as the production of gadgets; and for the person who views the scientists as some sort of magician. The book can be used to supplement a course in any science, to accompany any course that attempts to give an understanding of the modern world, or – independently of any course – simply to provide a better understanding of science. We hope this book will lead readers to a broader perspective on scientific attitudes and a more realistic view of what science is, who scientists are, and what they do. It will give them an awareness and understanding of the relationship between science and our culture and an appreciation of the roles science may play in our culture. In addition, readers may learn to appreciate the relationship between scientific views and some of the values and philosophies that are pervasive（普遍的；深入的）in our culture.

 We have tried to present in this book an accurate and up-to-date picture of the scientific community and the people who populate it. That population has in recent years come to comprise more and more women. This increasing role of women in the scientific subculture is not a unique incident but, rather, part of the trend evident in all segments of society as more women enter traditionally male-dominated fields and make significant contributions. In discussing these changes and contribution, however, we are faced with a language that is implicitly sexist, one that uses male nouns or pronouns in referring to unspecified individuals. To offset this built-in bias, we have adopted the policy of using plural nouns and pronouns whenever possible and, when absolutely necessary, alternating he and she. This policy is far form being ideal, but it is at least an acknowledgment of the inadequacy of our language in treating half of the human race equally.

 We have also tried to make the book entertaining as well as informative. Our approach is usually informal. We feel, as do many other scientists, that we shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously. As the reader may observe, we see science as a delightful pastime rather than as a grim and dreary way to earn a living.

According to the passage, ‘scientific subculture’ means

A  cultural groups that are formed by scientists. B  people whose knowledge of science is very limited.

C  the scientific community.    D  people who make good contribution to science.

We need to know something about the structure and operation of science because

A. it is not easy to understand the things that excite and frustrate scientists.

B Science affects almost every aspect of our life.

C Scientists live in a specific subculture.  D It is easier to understand general characteristics of science.

The book mentioned in this passage is written for readers who

A are intelligent college students and lay person who do not know much about science.

B are good at producing various gadgets.

C work in a storehouse of dried facts.    D want to have a superficial understanding of science.

According to this passage,

A English is a sexist language.  B only in the scientific world is the role of women increasing rapidly.

C women are making significant contributions to eliminating the inadequacy of our language.

D male nouns or pronouns should not be used to refer to scientists.

This passage most probably is

A. book review. B the preface of a book.  C the postscript of a book.  D the concluding part of a book.

Gmail tmned five years old this week．It's somewhat amazing to think we've only had it since 2004; Gmail changed the webmail game forever by offering features we now take for granted: a streamlined interface （界面]） , powerful search, pioneering use ofAjax and a then-huge 1 GB of mailbox space．“You'll never need to delete another message " was how Google described it at the time．
Back then, I was still making do with Hotmail．But its clumsy interface and tiny amount of storage space made the decision to move on an easy one．Getting an account made all the difference in the world to my email experience．Suddenly I was freed from having to delete emails every few days to make space in my mailbox．And the app（application） was smooth and responsive, like a desktop client （客户端程序）—and pretty fast in comparison to Hotmail．" Conversation view" and using labels instead of folders took a little getting used to, but in all Gmail felt far more professional and made me much more productive．
Gmail is a favorite app of ours ever on WebWorkerDaily, and with good reason．It's still the best webmail client for web workers as it lets us access our email whenever and wherever we need to, on any device, with minimum effort．And Google hasn't spent the five years sitting on its Gmail success, either, but has introduced improvements to the service that include Gmail Tasks, chat, video chat and voice chat, combined with Google Calendar and Docs, Google Apps for Domains, and, of course, even more storage．We've recently covered the many features found in Gmail Labs: a way to "undo" seat messages, using canned responses for smart autoresponders, offline support using Gears and how to customize the way you．view your mailbox using multiple inboxes．
【小题1】The underlined sentence in the first paragraph implies that_____．

A．we shouldn't take Gmail for granted

B．you can try to write any kind of message

C．Gmail can correct your mistakes of itself

D．you needn't worry about the mailbox space

【小题2】Which of the following is not Gmail's striking feature?

A．Offline support．	B．Using labels．
C．Undo sent messages．	D．Mailbox space．

【小题3】Gmail is _____．

A．first introduced by WebWorkerDaily

B．a tool merely used to send messages

C．a great success just the same as Hotmail

D．a webmail client with multiple functions

【小题4】What can we infer from the passage?

A．It is easier and more convenient to use folders．[来源:学_科_网]

B．Quantities of people have chosen to use Gmail．

C．Gmail had a video chat function when invented．

D．Gmail and Hotmail were invented at the same time．

【小题5】What is the best title of this passage?

A．Gmail— favourite app of ours

B．Functions of a special email service

C．Comparison between Gmail and Hotmail

D．Advantages and disadvantages of Gmails