With the development of society and economy, animals and their habitats are getting pushed aside as households decrease in size and increase in number. Small numbers of people per household on average use more energy and goods per person. Greater numbers of households require more natural resources for construction. The possible result of this problem may be _ natural resources to meet consumer demand without endangering habitats important to biodiversity. Personal freedom and social choice may come at huge environmental cost. Direct costs include visible damage to animal habitats and plant life. Indirect costs include the release of more greenhouse gases. The effects of such "personal freedom and social choice" have already surfaced in south-west China's Wolong Nature Reserve. In Wolong, they found that a reduced average household size was directly tied to an increase in homes, and thus an increase in the amount of firewood consumed for cooking and heating. The rise in wood fuel use has contributed to disappearance of forests and to the loss of habitats for giant pandas. Curious about whether other parts of the world were experiencing similar phenomena, they got the support of a team of researchers including Stanford's Paul Ehrlich, well-known for his population studies, to find out the household dynamics in 141 countries between 1985 and 2000. Their study proved that the difficult choice of Wolong is part of a global trend. In the 76 countries considered biodiversity "hotspots", such as the United States, Brazil, Australia, and Kenya, the number of households grew by 3.1% every year, while the population increased just 1.8%. Meanwhile, the number of people per home dropped from 4.7 to 4.0. The decline in household size has resulted in 155 million additional households in hotspot countries, almost always limiting biodiversity. In the 10 non-hotspot countries -- those without high-density areas of animal and plant species -- similar results were found, though on a lesser scale. Even in countries experiencing... It can be learned from the passage that China's Wolong Nature Reserve _ A) is facing the same threat as many other parts of the world B) sets a good example in protecting animals C) is a place where giant pandas and their habitats are not affected D) is a place where animals and their habitats are seriously damaged
A
(Question)
In England, Christmas is the most important holiday in the year. Two important things, apart from its religious significance, help to set this holiday apart from all others: the custom of giving presents and the habit of spending it with the family. In the present highly commercialized age we are reminded of Christmas many weeks before the event. In the shops the special Christmas displays appear and outside them the special Christmas decorations. In the shopping centers of very large towns decorations are put up in the streets. In London thousands of people crowded into the centre of the town to see the decorations. The advertisements in all the newspapers remind us every day that there are "Only X more shopping days to Christmas". The Post Office vans are covered with brightly color1ed pictures advising us to "Post Early for Christmas", for hundred of millions of Christmas cards and millions of parcels are sent every year. Everywhere one turns, one is made aware that Christmas, which comes "but once a year", is coming once again. Many people feel sorrow about what they consider the over-commercialization of a sacred holiday, but, underneath all the business activities, a great deal of Christmas spirit is to be found. The custom of giving presents to one's family and friends is a very pleasant one so long as one remembers that it is the spirit behind the present which matters most and not the present itself. And how good it is at Christmas to return to the family home and meet parents, grandparents and as many aunts, uncles and cousins as can be expected to meet. Without the modern means of transport, however, many families would have the Christmas reunion. The writer thinks that _ . A) people can feel the existence of Christmas spirit anyhow B) our society is over-commercialized C) there are too many business activities before Christmas D) there are too many displays and decorations in shops and streets
(Answer)
A
Ques: What do you think life would be like if whenever you were asked to do something you had to answer "yes"?Would it be more exciting?Dangerous?A little crazy? Well,that's the premise of a new American comedy called Yes Manthat stars Jim Carry. In the film,Carry plays a divorced loser named Carl,whose idea of a good time is to sit on his couch watching DVDs.Carl's working life is just as boring--he's been at the same bank for five years,and still hasn't got the promotion he wants. But everything changes when he bumps into an old friend on the street,who invites him to attend a seminar about the power of the word "yes".At the seminar,the speaker preaches that if you say "yes" to every opportunity,you'll have a much happier and more fulfilled life than if you let opportunities pass you by. Carl takes this to heart,which sees him offering lifts to homeless people,bungee jumping,and learning to speak Korean and to play the guitar.He also meets a beautiful girl. While the power of "yes" seems to change Carl's life in a positive way,he soon discovers that if you don't make your own decisions,you can end up in some very _ situations. Yes Mansees Carry returning to a comedic role after starring in several serious movies.It came out on December 19thin the US and ranks No.1 at the box office. While the majority of Carry's movies are comedies,he actually considers himself quite a serious person,he said recently on the American talk show "Larry King Live".Carry told Larry King he first started out doing comedy because his mother suffered from depression,and he wanted to find a way to cheer her up or "fix her". And as for whether or not he's a "yes man",Carry said that he hires a whole group of "people who say no for me"so that he can "stay the nice guy everybody knows and loves". According to the passage,Carl learns that _ . A) you should always accept what life presents B) life becomes color1ful when you take it to your heart C) you have to decide for yourself before saying yes or no D) the wonderful power of "yes" can solve all the problems in life
Ans: C
It was the last day of my four-month interview to hold the job as a salesman in the World Trade Center -- in simpler words, an end to being perfect for four months. I took the last drop of my coffee, pushed in my chair, and said goodbye to my family -- little did they know, this could have been my final goodbye. I went to room 911, as I had the past three times, to meet my boss, Mr. Clarke. I was just about to have a seat, when suddenly I heard the sound of explosion. Then, the floor beneath my feet began shaking, which was when I began to realize that something had gone completely wrong. "Run! Let's get out of here!" Mr. Clarke cried. Seconds after the first massive explosion, I heard another explosion from way above. My heartbeat seemed to be the drum of a heavy-metal song and all the employees were rushing to get out; the lifts were out of order, and only screaming could be heard up and down the stairwell. All of us were unaware at the time that this was the airplane hitting the tower. Fire then began to swallow the walls and all you could see is gray smoke. Mr. Clarke had fallen and went unconscious. I used all my strength to throw his heavy weight on my shoulders and run down the steps. I then felt myself sinking into the floor. I ran and ran, but I was not going anywhere. The only option left was to jump. With Mr. Clarke still lying in my arms, I closed my eyes and jumped. My boss safely reached the edge of the trampoline a group of firemen held beneath us. However, I landed on the concrete floor and suffered a broken back and neck, which was considered lucky. When the disaster took place, people in the building were _ . A) calm B) excited C) brave D) frightened
D