Our forefathers had no idea that human population would increase faster than the supplies of
raw materials; most of them, even until very recently, had the foolish idea that the treasures
were "limitless" and "inexhaustible". Most of the citizens of earlier generations knew little or
nothing about the complicated and delicate system that runs all through nature, and which
means that , as in a living body, an unhealthy condition of one part will sooner or later be harmful to all the others.
Fifty year ago nature study was not part of the school work; scientific forestry was a new
Idea; timber was still cheap Because it could be brought in any quantity from distant woodlands;
soil destruction and river floods were not national problems; nobody had yet studied long- term
climatic cycles in relation to proper land use; even the word "conservation" had nothing of the
meaning that it has for us today.
For the sake of ourselves and those who will come after us, we must now set about repairing the mistakes of our forefathers. Conservation should, therefore, be made a part of everyone'
s daily life. To know about the water table(水位) in the ground is just as important to us as a
knowledge of the basic arithmetic formulas. We need to know why all watersheds (上游源头森
林地带集水区) need the protection of plant life and why the running current of streams and
rivers must Be made to yield their full benefit to the soil before they finally escape to the sea. We
need to be taught the duty of planting trees as well as of cutting them. We need to know the
importance of big, mature trees, because living space for most of man' s fellow creatures on this
planet is figured not only in square measure of surface but also in cubic volume above the earth.
In brief, it should be our goal to restore as much of the original beauty of nature as we can.
26. The author's attitude towards the current situation in the exploitation of natural resources
is
A) positive B) neutral C) suspicious D) critical
27. According to the author, the greatest mistake of our forefathers was that
A) they had no idea about scientific forestry
B) they had little or no sense of environmental protection
C) they were not aware of the significance of nature study
D) they had no idea of how to make good use of raw materials
28. It can be inferred from the passage that earlier generations didn't realize
A) the interdependence of water, soil, and living things
B) the importance of the proper land use
C) the harmfulness of soil destruction and river floods
D) the extraordinary rapid growth of population
29. With a view to correcting the mistakes of our forefathers, the author suggests that
A) we plant more trees
B) we be taught environmental science, as well as the science of plants
C) environmental education be directed toward everyone
D) we return to nature
30. What does the author imply by saying "living space ——' is figured -" also in cubic volume
above the earth" (Lines 8 - 9, Para. 3) ?
A) Our living space on the earth is getting smaller and smaller.
B) Our living space should be measured in cubic volume.
C) We need to take some measures to protect space.
D) We must create better living conditions for both birds and animals.
Passage Three
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:
Judging from recent surveys, most experts in sleep behavior agree that there is virtually an
epidemic(流行病) of sleepiness in the nation. "I can't think of a single study that hasn't
found Americans getting less sleep than they ought to," says Dr. David. Even people who think
they are sleeping enough would probably be better off with more rest.
The beginning of our sleep - deficit (睡眠不足) crisis can be traced to the invention of the
light bulb a century ago. From diary entries and other personal accounts from the 18th and 19th
centuries sleep scientists have reached the conclusion that the average person used to sleep
about 9.5 hours a night. "The best sleep habits once were forced on us, when we had nothing to
do in the evening down on the farm, and it was dark. "By the 1950s and 1960s, that sleep
schedule had been reduced dramatically, to between 7.5 and eight hours, and most people had
to wake to an alarm clock. "People cheat on their s
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