Treat with Respect

The speed with which Man is changing the face of Earth has outstripped（超过）all the mighty processes of nature put together. In his haste to supply himself with increasing quantities of Earth’s treasures he risks destroying one he greatly needs, his natural surroundings. Some countries set aside unspoiled areas of natural beauty. Canada has the largest system of national parks in the world, 29 in all covering about 13 million hectares, preserving the different landscapes and the plant and animal life.

Other countries are restoring areas which have been reduced to waste land by mining. At Broken Hill in Australia drifting sand from rock crushing turned the area into a desert swept by sand storms. This is now being irrigated, fertilized and planted with grass and trees. In Great Britain quarries and gravel pits(深坑) are being filled in or made into lakes, industrial wasteland is being turned into playing fields and waste tips into sloping green hills.

However Man tries to look after Earth, the fact is that he is using up at a great rate resources, especially fuel resources, which have taken millions of years to accumulate and which he cannot renew. Yet every day the Earth receives a huge supply of energy from the Sun. Man has made several experiments in using solar energy to heat furnaces(熔炉), cookers, and water-distillers. In space technology, e.g. on satellites, solar cells convert(使转变) sunlight into electricity. Houses and offices have been designed which are centrally heated by water or air heated by the sunlight. When Man can trap and store this energy, so that he can use it exactly as he needs it, he will have not only an endless supply, but a clean and safe one.

60．The main idea of the second paragraph is ________.

A．Many areas throughout the world have been transformed into wasteland by mining.

B．Australia and Great Britain are the only two countries that are changing the face of the Earth.

C．Some countries are taking effective measures to make use of the wasteland and to beautify the Earth.

D. Developing countries should learn from developed countries to look after our natural surroundings.

61．According to this selected passage, which energy is considered to be endless, clean and safe?

       A．Energy from lake waters.

       B．Energy from fuel resources which have taken millions of years to accumulate.

       C．Energy from forests.

       D．Energy from the Sun.

62．Which country has the largest scale of nature protection according to this passage?

      A．Great Britain           B．Australia                C．the U.S.A．          D．Canada

63．Which of the following statements do you think is true after reading the passage?

A．Man is destroying the natural surroundings on purpose because the surroundings cannot make them satisfied to get enough treasures.

B．All the wasteland throughout the world is now being irrigated, fertilized and planted with grass and trees.

       C．Where there is a desert, there can be sand storms.

D．Energy from waters, forests, fuel resources and the sun takes millions of years to accumulate.

"Yes, but what did we use to do before there was television?" How often we hear statements like this! Television hasn't been with us all that long, but we are already beginning to forget what the world was like without it. Before we admit the one-eyed monster into our homes,  we never found it difficult to occupy our spare time. We used to enjoy civilized pleasures. For instance, we used to have hobbies, we used to entertain our friends and be entertained by them, we used to go outside for our amusements to theaters, cinemas, restaurants and sporting events. We even used to read books and listen to music and broadcast talk occasionally. All that belongs to the past. Now all our free time is regulated by the "goggle-box". We rush home or gulp down（吞咽）our meals to be in time for this or that program. We have even given up sitting at table and having a leisurely evening meal, exchanging the news of the day. A sandwich and a glass of beer will do-anything providing it doesn't interfere with the program. The monster demands and obtains absolute silence and attention. If any member of the family dares to open his mouth during a program, he is quickly silenced.

The whole generations are growing up addicted to the telly (television). Food is left uneaten, homework undone and sleep is lost. The telly is universal pacifier（抚慰者）．It is now standard practice for mother to keep the children quiet by putting them in the living-room and turning on the set.It doesn’t matter that the children will watch rubbishy commercials or violence－so long as they are quiet.

There is little limit to the amount of creative talent available in the world. Television consumes vast quantities of creative work. That is why most of programs are bad:  it is impossible to keep pace with the demand and maintain high standards as well. When millions watch the same programs,  the whole world becomes a village, and society is reduced to the conditions which obtain in preliterate（无文字的）communities. We become completely dependent on the two most primitive media of communication: pictures and the spoken word.

Television encourages passive enjoyment. We become content with secondhand experiences. It is so easy to sit in our armchairs watching others working. Little by little, television cuts us off from the real world. We got so lazy; we choose to spend a fine day in semi-darkness, glued to our sets, rather than go out into the world itself. Television may be a splendid medium of communication, but it prevents us from communicating with each other. We only become aware how totally irrelevant television is to real living when we spend a holiday by the sea or in the mountain, far away from civilization. In quiet, natural surroundings, we quickly discover how little we miss the repetitive oppression of King Telly.

According to this passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. We used to have hobbies and go to theaters and sporting events.

B. We have a leisurely evening meal and exchange the news when we watch TV.

C. We quickly finish our meals so as to be in time for TV programs.

D. We are usually silent and attentive in front of TV.

The main idea of the second paragraph is to show that_____.

A. children are very noisy

B. TV is full of rubbishy commercials or violence

C. television disturbs our sleep

D. the whole generations are fascinated with TV

Which is the best title for this passage?

A. Television Encourages Passive Enjoyment

B. Television Is Doing Irreparable（不能挽回的）harm

C. Television Is a Universal Pacifier

D. We Can't Live Without TV

This passage is an article of_____.

A. narration                          B. description

C. criticism                          D. argumentation