单选题It is predicted that people who will live on other planets would have to ______.A appreciate the harsh conditions they encounter there.B depend on the natural resources available there.C take most daily necessities along with them.D engage in scientifi

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第二篇

Human and the Earth

In terms of the evolution of life on Earth,human beings have just arrived.Despite their shori time on Earth,however,people have brought about enormous changes to the surface of the planet一changes far out of proportion to the interval of time they have occupied it.
People have more control over their surroundings than any other species on Earth.With the combination of intelligence and manual skill(allowing us to make and use tools),people have found ways to use plant and animal resources,mineral ores,fuels,and many other materials and resources from the Earth.
As the number of people on Earth increases,it becomes increasingly difficult for the population to survive on the resources of the land.The amount of land is limited.Although agricultural production can be increased by use of machinery such as tractors and the addition of fertilizer,the land ultimately can produce only so much food and no more.
As the human population grows,people consume more.Clearly,some locations on Earth already have too many people;in many of these areas,future increases will surely bring about more poverty and suffering. Yet people in rich nations use proportionally far more of the available resources than people in poorer nations.As they consume these resources without restraint,they also waste large amounts of them.
People are only a very small fraction of all the living things on the planet.Yet their numbers create a drain on resources that can't be renewed.For example,the amount of water on Earth is limited,this water is cleaned through natural processes.However,the natural processes for filtering water can clean only a certain amount of water by removing the pollution.Likewise,a limited amount of petroleum can be found under the Earth's surface.Petroleum is a valuable resource.Should people use it up to manufacture petrol for automobiles?As people work to control the planet and make life comfortable,are they using up resources that are needed for their survival?

Why have people more control over their surroundings than any other species on Earth?
A:Because of their intelligence and manual skill.
B:Because they can use plant and animal resources,mineral ores and fuels.
C:Because they are cleverer than any other animals on Earth.
D:Both A and B.

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A Country's Standard of Living

The"standard of living" of any country means the average person's share of the goods and services the country produces.A country's standard of living,________(51),depends first and ________(52)on its capacity to produce wealth."Wealth"in this sense is not money,for we do not live on money________( 53)on things that money can buy:"goods"such as food and clothing, and"services"such as transport and entertainment.
A country's capacity to produce wealth depends upon many factors,most of_________(54) have an effect on one another. Wealth depends_________(55)a great extent upon a country's natural resources.Some regions of the world are well supplied with coal and minerals,and have fertile soil and a favorable climate;other regions possess none of them.
Next to natural resources_________(56) the ability to turn them to use.Some countries are perhaps as well-off_________(57)the USA in natural resources,but suffered for many years from civil and external wars,and________(58)this and other reasons were________(59)to develop their resources.Sound and stable political conditions,and________(60)from foreign invasions, enable a country to develop its natural resources peacefully and steadily,and to produce more wealth than another country equally well favoured by nature but less well ordered.
A country's standard of living does not only depend upon the wealth that is produced and consumed_________(61)its own borders,but also upon what is directly produced through international trade.________(62),Britain's wealth in foodstuffs and other agricultural products would be much less if she had to depend only on________(63)grown at home.Trade makes it possible for her surplus manufactured goods to be traded abroad for the agricultural products that would________(64)be lacking.A country's wealth is,therefore,much influenced by its manufacturing capacity, ______(65)that other countries can be found ready to accept its manufactures.

_________(52)
A:primary
B:all
C:foremost
D:mainly

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A Country's Standard of Living

The"standard of living" of any country means the average person's share of the goods and services the country produces.A country's standard of living,________(51),depends first and ________(52)on its capacity to produce wealth."Wealth"in this sense is not money,for we do not live on money________( 53)on things that money can buy:"goods"such as food and clothing, and"services"such as transport and entertainment.
A country's capacity to produce wealth depends upon many factors,most of_________(54) have an effect on one another. Wealth depends_________(55)a great extent upon a country's natural resources.Some regions of the world are well supplied with coal and minerals,and have fertile soil and a favorable climate;other regions possess none of them.
Next to natural resources_________(56) the ability to turn them to use.Some countries are perhaps as well-off_________(57)the USA in natural resources,but suffered for many years from civil and external wars,and________(58)this and other reasons were________(59)to develop their resources.Sound and stable political conditions,and________(60)from foreign invasions, enable a country to develop its natural resources peacefully and steadily,and to produce more wealth than another country equally well favoured by nature but less well ordered.
A country's standard of living does not only depend upon the wealth that is produced and consumed_________(61)its own borders,but also upon what is directly produced through international trade.________(62),Britain's wealth in foodstuffs and other agricultural products would be much less if she had to depend only on________(63)grown at home.Trade makes it possible for her surplus manufactured goods to be traded abroad for the agricultural products that would________(64)be lacking.A country's wealth is,therefore,much influenced by its manufacturing capacity, ______(65)that other countries can be found ready to accept its manufactures.

_________(62)
A:In short
B:On the other hand
C:As a result
D:For example

共用题干
Prolonging Human Life

1.Prolonging human life has increased the size of the human population.Many people alive today would have died of childhood diseases if they had been born 100 years ago.Because more people live longer,there are more people around at any given time.In fact,it is a decrease in death rates,not an increase in birthrates,that has led to the population explosion.
2.Prolonging human life has also increased the dependency load.In all societies,people who are disabled or too young or too old to work are dependent on the rest of society to provide for them. In hunting and gathering cultures,old people who could not keep up might be left behind to die.In times of famine,infants might be allowed to die because they could not survive if their parents starved,whereas if the parents survived they could have another child.
3.In most contemporary societies,people feel a moral obligation to keep people alive whether they can work or not. We have a great many people today who live past the age at which they want to work or are able to work.We also have rules which require people to retire at a certain age.Unless these people were able to save money for their retirement,somebody else must support them.In the United States many retired people live on social security checks which are so little that they must live in near poverty. Older people have more illness than young or middle-aged people.Unless they have wealth or private or government insurance,they must often"go on welfare"if they have a serious illness.
4.When older people become senile or too weak and ill to care for themselves,they create grave problems for their families.In the past and in some traditional cultures,they would be cared for at home until they died.Today,with most members of a household working or in school,there is often no one at home who can care for a sick or weak person.To meet this need,a great many nursing homes and convalescent hospitals have been built. These are often profit-making organizations, although some are sponsored by religious and other nonprofit groups.While a few of these institutions are good,most of them are simply"dumping grounds"for the dying in which"care"is given by poorly paid,overworked,and under-skilled personnel.

When older people become_______to care for themselves,they create grave problems for their families.
A:too weak and ill
B:hunting and gathering cultures
C:childhood diseases
D:no one at home
E:epidemic diseases
F: traditional cultures

共用题干
第二篇

Human and the Earth

In terms of the evolution of life on Earth,human beings have just arrived.Despite their shori time on Earth,however,people have brought about enormous changes to the surface of the planet一changes far out of proportion to the interval of time they have occupied it.
People have more control over their surroundings than any other species on Earth.With the combination of intelligence and manual skill(allowing us to make and use tools),people have found ways to use plant and animal resources,mineral ores,fuels,and many other materials and resources from the Earth.
As the number of people on Earth increases,it becomes increasingly difficult for the population to survive on the resources of the land.The amount of land is limited.Although agricultural production can be increased by use of machinery such as tractors and the addition of fertilizer,the land ultimately can produce only so much food and no more.
As the human population grows,people consume more.Clearly,some locations on Earth already have too many people;in many of these areas,future increases will surely bring about more poverty and suffering. Yet people in rich nations use proportionally far more of the available resources than people in poorer nations.As they consume these resources without restraint,they also waste large amounts of them.
People are only a very small fraction of all the living things on the planet.Yet their numbers create a drain on resources that can't be renewed.For example,the amount of water on Earth is limited,this water is cleaned through natural processes.However,the natural processes for filtering water can clean only a certain amount of water by removing the pollution.Likewise,a limited amount of petroleum can be found under the Earth's surface.Petroleum is a valuable resource.Should people use it up to manufacture petrol for automobiles?As people work to control the planet and make life comfortable,are they using up resources that are needed for their survival?

in terms of the evolution of life on Earth,the history of human beings is_______.
A:very short
B:very long
C:as long as that of other animals
D:as long as that of the Earth

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第二篇

Human and the Earth

In terms of the evolution of life on Earth,human beings have just arrived.Despite their shori time on Earth,however,people have brought about enormous changes to the surface of the planet一changes far out of proportion to the interval of time they have occupied it.
People have more control over their surroundings than any other species on Earth.With the combination of intelligence and manual skill(allowing us to make and use tools),people have found ways to use plant and animal resources,mineral ores,fuels,and many other materials and resources from the Earth.
As the number of people on Earth increases,it becomes increasingly difficult for the population to survive on the resources of the land.The amount of land is limited.Although agricultural production can be increased by use of machinery such as tractors and the addition of fertilizer,the land ultimately can produce only so much food and no more.
As the human population grows,people consume more.Clearly,some locations on Earth already have too many people;in many of these areas,future increases will surely bring about more poverty and suffering. Yet people in rich nations use proportionally far more of the available resources than people in poorer nations.As they consume these resources without restraint,they also waste large amounts of them.
People are only a very small fraction of all the living things on the planet.Yet their numbers create a drain on resources that can't be renewed.For example,the amount of water on Earth is limited,this water is cleaned through natural processes.However,the natural processes for filtering water can clean only a certain amount of water by removing the pollution.Likewise,a limited amount of petroleum can be found under the Earth's surface.Petroleum is a valuable resource.Should people use it up to manufacture petrol for automobiles?As people work to control the planet and make life comfortable,are they using up resources that are needed for their survival?

What makes people feel hard to live on Earth?
A:Fertilizer.
B:Lse of machinery.
C:Limited land.
D:Limited mineral resources.

共用题干
Prolonging Human Life

1.Prolonging human life has increased the size of the human population.Many people alive today would have died of childhood diseases if they had been born 100 years ago.Because more people live longer,there are more people around at any given time.In fact,it is a decrease in death rates,not an increase in birthrates,that has led to the population explosion.
2.Prolonging human life has also increased the dependency load.In all societies,people who are disabled or too young or too old to work are dependent on the rest of society to provide for them. In hunting and gathering cultures,old people who could not keep up might be left behind to die.In times of famine,infants might be allowed to die because they could not survive if their parents starved,whereas if the parents survived they could have another child.
3.In most contemporary societies,people feel a moral obligation to keep people alive whether they can work or not. We have a great many people today who live past the age at which they want to work or are able to work.We also have rules which require people to retire at a certain age.Unless these people were able to save money for their retirement,somebody else must support them.In the United States many retired people live on social security checks which are so little that they must live in near poverty. Older people have more illness than young or middle-aged people.Unless they have wealth or private or government insurance,they must often"go on welfare"if they have a serious illness.
4.When older people become senile or too weak and ill to care for themselves,they create grave problems for their families.In the past and in some traditional cultures,they would be cared for at home until they died.Today,with most members of a household working or in school,there is often no one at home who can care for a sick or weak person.To meet this need,a great many nursing homes and convalescent hospitals have been built. These are often profit-making organizations, although some are sponsored by religious and other nonprofit groups.While a few of these institutions are good,most of them are simply"dumping grounds"for the dying in which"care"is given by poorly paid,overworked,and under-skilled personnel.

Today,with most members of a household working or in school,there is________who can care for a sick or weak person.
A:too weak and ill
B:hunting and gathering cultures
C:childhood diseases
D:no one at home
E:epidemic diseases
F: traditional cultures

共用题干
A Country's Standard of Living

The"standard of living"of any country means the average person's share of the goods and services the
country produces.A country's standard of living,therefore____________(51)first on its capacity to produce
wealth."Wealth"in this____________(52)is not money,for we do not live on money but on things that money
can buy:"goods",such as food and clothing,and"services",such as transport and entertainment.
A country's capacity to____________(53)wealth depends upon many factors,most of____________(54)
have an effect on one another.Wealth depends_(55)a great extent upon a country's natural re-
sources.Some regions of the world are well supplied with coal and minerals, and have fertile（肥沃的）soil
and a favorable climate;other regions_____________(56)none of them.
Next to natural resources comes the ability to_____________(57)them to use.China is perhaps as rich as
the USA in natural resources,but she suffered for many years____________(58)civil and external wars,and
for this and other_____________(59)was unable to develop her resources.Sound and stable political conditions,
and_____________(60)from foreign invasions,enable a country to develop its natural resources peacefully and
steadily,and to produce more_____________( 61)than another country equally well favored by nature but less
well ordered.
A country's standard of living does not only depend upon the wealth that is produced and_____________(62)
within its own borders,but also upon what is directly produced through international trade.For example,
Britain's wealth in food stuffs and other agricultural_____________(63)would be much less if she had to de-
pend only on those grown at home.Trade makes it possible for her surplus（剩余的）manufactured goods to
be traded abroad for the agricultural products_____________(64)would otherwise be lacking.A eountry'B
wealth is,therefore,much influenced by its manufacturing capacity,_____________(65)that other countries can
be found ready to accept its manufactures.

_________（55）
A:for
B:to
C:in
D:by

In any country, the "standard ofliving" means the average person′s share of the goods and services whichthe country produces. Therefore, a country′s standard of living depends firstand foremost on its capacity to produce wealth. "Wealth" in thissense is not money, but "goods" such as food and clothing, and"services" such as transport and entertainment.
The capacity to produce wealth depends uponmany factors, most of which have an effect on one another. To a great extent,wealth depends upon a country′s natural resources, such as coal, gold, andother minerals, water supply and so on. Some regions of the world are wellsupplied with coal and minerals, and some are not.
Next to natural resources comes the abilityto turn them to use. Some countries are perhaps well off in natural resources,but unable to develop their resources. They suffered for many years from civiland external wars. Peaceful political and stable conditions enable a country todevelop its natural resources effectively, and to produce more wealth thananother country equally well served by nature but less well ordered. Anotherimportant factor is the technical efficiency of a country′s people.Industrialized countries that have trained numerous skilled workers andtechnicians produce wealth more than countries whose workers are largelyunskilled.
A country′s standard of living does notonly depend upon the wealth that is produced and consumed within its ownborders, but also upon what is indirectly produced through international trade.
For instance, Britain′s wealth isfoodstuffs and other agricultural products would be much less if she had todepend only on those grown at home. Trade makes it possible for her surplusmanufacture goods to be traded abroad for the agricultural products. In thisaspect, a country′s wealth is much influenced by its manufacturing capacity,provided that other countries can be found ready to accept its manufactures.
The standard of living in a countryis determined by ______.

A.its goods and services
B.the type of wealth produced
C.how well it can create wealth
D.what an ordinary person can share

共用题干
Prolonging Human Life
Prolonging human life has increased the size of the human population. Many people alive
today would have died of childhood diseases if they had been born 100 years ago.Because
more people live longer,there are more people around at any given time. In fact,it is a decrease in death rates,not an increase in birthrates,that has led to the population explosion.
Prolonging human life has also increased the dependency load. In all societies,people who are disabled or too young or too old to work are dependent on the rest of society to provide for them. In hunting and gathering cultures,old people who could not keep up might be left behind to die. In times of famine,infants might be allowed to die because they could not survive if their parents starved,whereas if the parents survived they could have another child. In most contemporary societies,people feel a moral obligation to keep people alive whether they can work or not. We have a great many people today who live past the age at which they want to work or are able to work;we also have rules which require people to retire at a certain age. Unless these people were able to save money for their retirement,some-body else must support them. In the United States many retired people live on social security checks which are so little that they must live in near poverty. Older people have more illness than young or middle-aged people;unless they have wealth or private or government insur-ance,they must often“go on welfare” if they have a serious illness.
When older people become senile or too weak and ill to care for themselves,they create grave problems for their families. In the past and in some traditional cultures,they would be cared for at home until they died. Today,with most members of a household working or in school,there is often no one at home who can care for a sick or weak person. To meet this need,a great many nursing homes and convalescent hospitals have been built.These are of-ten profit-making organizations,although some are sponsored by religious and other nonprofit groups.While a few of these institutions are good,most of them are simply“dumping grounds”for the dying in which“care”is given by poorly paid,overworked,and under-skilled personnel.

Which of the following best describes the writer's attitude toward most of the nursing homes,and convalescent hospitals?
A: Sympathetic.
B: Unfriendly.
C: Optimistic.
D: Critical.

共用题干
Prolonging Human Life
Prolonging human life has increased the size of the human population. Many people alive
today would have died of childhood diseases if they had been born 100 years ago.Because
more people live longer,there are more people around at any given time. In fact,it is a decrease in death rates,not an increase in birthrates,that has led to the population explosion.
Prolonging human life has also increased the dependency load. In all societies,people who are disabled or too young or too old to work are dependent on the rest of society to provide for them. In hunting and gathering cultures,old people who could not keep up might be left behind to die. In times of famine,infants might be allowed to die because they could not survive if their parents starved,whereas if the parents survived they could have another child. In most contemporary societies,people feel a moral obligation to keep people alive whether they can work or not. We have a great many people today who live past the age at which they want to work or are able to work;we also have rules which require people to retire at a certain age. Unless these people were able to save money for their retirement,some-body else must support them. In the United States many retired people live on social security checks which are so little that they must live in near poverty. Older people have more illness than young or middle-aged people;unless they have wealth or private or government insur-ance,they must often“go on welfare” if they have a serious illness.
When older people become senile or too weak and ill to care for themselves,they create grave problems for their families. In the past and in some traditional cultures,they would be cared for at home until they died. Today,with most members of a household working or in school,there is often no one at home who can care for a sick or weak person. To meet this need,a great many nursing homes and convalescent hospitals have been built.These are of-ten profit-making organizations,although some are sponsored by religious and other nonprofit groups.While a few of these institutions are good,most of them are simply“dumping grounds”for the dying in which“care”is given by poorly paid,overworked,and under-skilled personnel.

The writer believes that the population explosion results from______.
A: an increase in birthrates
B: the industrial development
C: a decrease in death rates
D: cultural advances

共用题干
Prolonging Human Life

1.Prolonging human life has increased the size of the human population.Many people alive today would have died of childhood diseases if they had been born 100 years ago.Because more people live longer,there are more people around at any given time.In fact,it is a decrease in death rates,not an increase in birthrates,that has led to the population explosion.
2.Prolonging human life has also increased the dependency load.In all societies,people who are disabled or too young or too old to work are dependent on the rest of society to provide for them. In hunting and gathering cultures,old people who could not keep up might be left behind to die.In times of famine,infants might be allowed to die because they could not survive if their parents starved,whereas if the parents survived they could have another child.
3.In most contemporary societies,people feel a moral obligation to keep people alive whether they can work or not. We have a great many people today who live past the age at which they want to work or are able to work.We also have rules which require people to retire at a certain age.Unless these people were able to save money for their retirement,somebody else must support them.In the United States many retired people live on social security checks which are so little that they must live in near poverty. Older people have more illness than young or middle-aged people.Unless they have wealth or private or government insurance,they must often"go on welfare"if they have a serious illness.
4.When older people become senile or too weak and ill to care for themselves,they create grave problems for their families.In the past and in some traditional cultures,they would be cared for at home until they died.Today,with most members of a household working or in school,there is often no one at home who can care for a sick or weak person.To meet this need,a great many nursing homes and convalescent hospitals have been built. These are often profit-making organizations, although some are sponsored by religious and other nonprofit groups.While a few of these institutions are good,most of them are simply"dumping grounds"for the dying in which"care"is given by poorly paid,overworked,and under-skilled personnel.

Many people would have died of_______if they had been born 100 years ago.
A:too weak and ill
B:hunting and gathering cultures
C:childhood diseases
D:no one at home
E:epidemic diseases
F: traditional cultures

共用题干
Prolonging Human Life
Prolonging human life has increased the size of the human population. Many people alive
today would have died of childhood diseases if they had been born 100 years ago.Because
more people live longer,there are more people around at any given time. In fact,it is a decrease in death rates,not an increase in birthrates,that has led to the population explosion.
Prolonging human life has also increased the dependency load. In all societies,people who are disabled or too young or too old to work are dependent on the rest of society to provide for them. In hunting and gathering cultures,old people who could not keep up might be left behind to die. In times of famine,infants might be allowed to die because they could not survive if their parents starved,whereas if the parents survived they could have another child. In most contemporary societies,people feel a moral obligation to keep people alive whether they can work or not. We have a great many people today who live past the age at which they want to work or are able to work;we also have rules which require people to retire at a certain age. Unless these people were able to save money for their retirement,some-body else must support them. In the United States many retired people live on social security checks which are so little that they must live in near poverty. Older people have more illness than young or middle-aged people;unless they have wealth or private or government insur-ance,they must often“go on welfare” if they have a serious illness.
When older people become senile or too weak and ill to care for themselves,they create grave problems for their families. In the past and in some traditional cultures,they would be cared for at home until they died. Today,with most members of a household working or in school,there is often no one at home who can care for a sick or weak person. To meet this need,a great many nursing homes and convalescent hospitals have been built.These are of-ten profit-making organizations,although some are sponsored by religious and other nonprofit groups.While a few of these institutions are good,most of them are simply“dumping grounds”for the dying in which“care”is given by poorly paid,overworked,and under-skilled personnel.

In Paragraph 3,the phrase“this need” refers to______.
A: the need to prolong the lives of old people
B: the need to enrich the life of the retired people
C: the need to build profit-making nursing homes
D: the need to take care of a sick and weak person

共用题干
第二篇

Human and the Earth

In terms of the evolution of life on Earth,human beings have just arrived.Despite their shori time on Earth,however,people have brought about enormous changes to the surface of the planet一changes far out of proportion to the interval of time they have occupied it.
People have more control over their surroundings than any other species on Earth.With the combination of intelligence and manual skill(allowing us to make and use tools),people have found ways to use plant and animal resources,mineral ores,fuels,and many other materials and resources from the Earth.
As the number of people on Earth increases,it becomes increasingly difficult for the population to survive on the resources of the land.The amount of land is limited.Although agricultural production can be increased by use of machinery such as tractors and the addition of fertilizer,the land ultimately can produce only so much food and no more.
As the human population grows,people consume more.Clearly,some locations on Earth already have too many people;in many of these areas,future increases will surely bring about more poverty and suffering. Yet people in rich nations use proportionally far more of the available resources than people in poorer nations.As they consume these resources without restraint,they also waste large amounts of them.
People are only a very small fraction of all the living things on the planet.Yet their numbers create a drain on resources that can't be renewed.For example,the amount of water on Earth is limited,this water is cleaned through natural processes.However,the natural processes for filtering water can clean only a certain amount of water by removing the pollution.Likewise,a limited amount of petroleum can be found under the Earth's surface.Petroleum is a valuable resource.Should people use it up to manufacture petrol for automobiles?As people work to control the planet and make life comfortable,are they using up resources that are needed for their survival?

Which of the following statements about resources on Earth is not correct?
A:They can not be renewed.
B:Water is a kind of resource which can not be renewed.
C:Some of the resources are valuable.
D:Many resources can be recycled so we don't need to worry about them.

共用题干
Prolonging Human Life
Prolonging human life has increased the size of the human population. Many people alive
today would have died of childhood diseases if they had been born 100 years ago.Because
more people live longer,there are more people around at any given time. In fact,it is a decrease in death rates,not an increase in birthrates,that has led to the population explosion.
Prolonging human life has also increased the dependency load. In all societies,people who are disabled or too young or too old to work are dependent on the rest of society to provide for them. In hunting and gathering cultures,old people who could not keep up might be left behind to die. In times of famine,infants might be allowed to die because they could not survive if their parents starved,whereas if the parents survived they could have another child. In most contemporary societies,people feel a moral obligation to keep people alive whether they can work or not. We have a great many people today who live past the age at which they want to work or are able to work;we also have rules which require people to retire at a certain age. Unless these people were able to save money for their retirement,some-body else must support them. In the United States many retired people live on social security checks which are so little that they must live in near poverty. Older people have more illness than young or middle-aged people;unless they have wealth or private or government insur-ance,they must often“go on welfare” if they have a serious illness.
When older people become senile or too weak and ill to care for themselves,they create grave problems for their families. In the past and in some traditional cultures,they would be cared for at home until they died. Today,with most members of a household working or in school,there is often no one at home who can care for a sick or weak person. To meet this need,a great many nursing homes and convalescent hospitals have been built.These are of-ten profit-making organizations,although some are sponsored by religious and other nonprofit groups.While a few of these institutions are good,most of them are simply“dumping grounds”for the dying in which“care”is given by poorly paid,overworked,and under-skilled personnel.

According to the passage,which of the following statements about retired people in the United States is true?
A: Many of them have a very hard life.
B: They cannot live a decent life without enough bank savings.
C: They rely mainly on their children for financial support.
D: Most of them live with their children and therefore are well looked after.

共用题干
第二篇

Human and the Earth

In terms of the evolution of life on Earth,human beings have just arrived.Despite their shori time on Earth,however,people have brought about enormous changes to the surface of the planet一changes far out of proportion to the interval of time they have occupied it.
People have more control over their surroundings than any other species on Earth.With the combination of intelligence and manual skill(allowing us to make and use tools),people have found ways to use plant and animal resources,mineral ores,fuels,and many other materials and resources from the Earth.
As the number of people on Earth increases,it becomes increasingly difficult for the population to survive on the resources of the land.The amount of land is limited.Although agricultural production can be increased by use of machinery such as tractors and the addition of fertilizer,the land ultimately can produce only so much food and no more.
As the human population grows,people consume more.Clearly,some locations on Earth already have too many people;in many of these areas,future increases will surely bring about more poverty and suffering. Yet people in rich nations use proportionally far more of the available resources than people in poorer nations.As they consume these resources without restraint,they also waste large amounts of them.
People are only a very small fraction of all the living things on the planet.Yet their numbers create a drain on resources that can't be renewed.For example,the amount of water on Earth is limited,this water is cleaned through natural processes.However,the natural processes for filtering water can clean only a certain amount of water by removing the pollution.Likewise,a limited amount of petroleum can be found under the Earth's surface.Petroleum is a valuable resource.Should people use it up to manufacture petrol for automobiles?As people work to control the planet and make life comfortable,are they using up resources that are needed for their survival?

Who use more available resources according to the passage?
A:Rich people on Earth.
B:Poor people on Earth.
C:People in developed countries.
D:People in developing countries.

共用题干
Prolonging Human Life
Prolonging human life has increased the size of the human population.Many people alive today would have died of childhood diseases if they had been born 100 years ago.Because more people live longer,there are more people around at any given time.In fact,it is a decrease in death rates,not an increase in birthrates,that has led to the population explosion.
Prolonging human life has also increased the dependency load.In all societies,people who are disabled or too young or too old to work are dependent on the rest of society to provide for them.In hunting and gathering cultures, old people who could not keep up might be left behind to die.In times of famine,infants might be allowed to die because they could not survive if their parents starved,whereas if the parents survived they could have another child.In most contemporary societies,people feel a moral obligation to keep people alive whether they can work or not.We have a great many people today who live past the age at which they want to work or are able to work;we also have rules which require people to retire at a certain age.Unless these people were able to save money for their retirement,somebody else must support them.In the United States many retired people live on social security checks which are so little that they must live in near poverty.Older people have more illness than young or middle-aged people;unless they have wealth or private or government insurance,they must often"go on welfare"if they have a serious illness.
When older people become senile or too weak and ill to care for themselves,they create grave problems for their families.In the past and in some traditional cultures,they would be cared for at home until they died.Today,with most members of a household working or in school,there is often no one at home who can care for a sick or weak person.To meet this need,a great many nursing homes and convalescent hospitals have been built.These are often profit-making organizations,although some are sponsored by religious and other nonprofit groups.While a few of these institutions are good,most of them are simply"dumping grounds"for the dying in which"care"is given by poorly paid,overworked,and underskilled personnel.

The writer believes that the population explosion results from______.
A:an increase in birthrates
B:the industrial development
C:a decrease in death rates
D:cultural advances

In any country, the "standard ofliving" means the average person′s share of the goods and services whichthe country produces. Therefore, a country′s standard of living depends firstand foremost on its capacity to produce wealth. "Wealth" in thissense is not money, but "goods" such as food and clothing, and"services" such as transport and entertainment.
The capacity to produce wealth depends uponmany factors, most of which have an effect on one another. To a great extent,wealth depends upon a country′s natural resources, such as coal, gold, andother minerals, water supply and so on. Some regions of the world are wellsupplied with coal and minerals, and some are not.
Next to natural resources comes the abilityto turn them to use. Some countries are perhaps well off in natural resources,but unable to develop their resources. They suffered for many years from civiland external wars. Peaceful political and stable conditions enable a country todevelop its natural resources effectively, and to produce more wealth thananother country equally well served by nature but less well ordered. Anotherimportant factor is the technical efficiency of a country′s people.Industrialized countries that have trained numerous skilled workers andtechnicians produce wealth more than countries whose workers are largelyunskilled.
A country′s standard of living does notonly depend upon the wealth that is produced and consumed within its ownborders, but also upon what is indirectly produced through international trade.
For instance, Britain′s wealth isfoodstuffs and other agricultural products would be much less if she had todepend only on those grown at home. Trade makes it possible for her surplusmanufacture goods to be traded abroad for the agricultural products. In thisaspect, a country′s wealth is much influenced by its manufacturing capacity,provided that other countries can be found ready to accept its manufactures. A country′s capacity to produce wealthdepends on all the factors EXCEPT FOR ______

A.people's share of its goods
B.political and social stability
C.qualities of its workers
D.use of natural resources