四级阅读强化练习2

阅读强化练习二

Part ⅡReading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes) Why Our Children Need to Get Outside and Engage with Nature In an age of cable TV, Nintendos(任天堂游戏机), Facebook and YouTube, is it actually important to be able to tell the species of one flower from another? Well, it obviously can?t do any harm to know a bit about the natural world beyond the screen and the front door. And if, as a result of that, you develop a love for nature, you may care something for its survival, which is probably no bad thing.

But a growing body of evidence is starting to show that it?s not so much what children know about nature that?s important, as what happens to t hem when they are in nature (and not just in it, but in it by themselves, without grownups). Respectable scientists—doctors, mental health experts, educationalists, sociologists—are beginning to suggest that when kids stop going out into the natural world to play, it can affect not just their development as individuals, but society as a whole.

“There?s a paradox,” says Stephen Moss, naturalist, broadcaster and author. “More kids today are interested in the natural world than ever before; they watch it on the tele, they may well visit a nature reserve or a National Trust site with their families. But far fewer are experiencing it directly, on their own or with their friends, and that?s what counts: this is about more than nature.”

The American writer Richard Louv, author of the bestseller Last Child in the Woods, has defined the phenomenon as “nature deficit disorder”. Something “very profound” has happened to children?s relationship with nature over the last couple of decades, he says, for a number of reasons. Technology, obviously, is one: a recent report from the Kaiser Family Foundation in the US found that the average 8-to-18-year-old American now spends more than 53 hours a week “using entertainment media”.

Then there?s the fact that children?s time is mu ch more pressured than it once was. Spare time must be spent constructively: after-school activities, coaching, organised sports—no time for kicking your heels outdoors. Except kids never did really kick their heels. “I was out on my own and with my friend s all the time, from the age of about eight,” says Moss, now 50. “Climbing trees, building dens, collecting birds? eggs and frogspawn. Today, parents don?t even want their kids to get dirty.”

But the biggest obstacles to today?s children being allowed out in this way (or even to the nearest park or patch of wasteground) stem more from anxiety than prudence. “Stranger danger”, the fear of abduction by an unknown adult, is why most parents won?t allow kids out unsupervised. Blanket media coverage of the few such incidents that do occur may have contributed to this; in fact, there is a risk but it?s minimal—the chance of a child being killed by a stranger in Britain is, literally, one in a million, and has been since the 70s. “A far more serious issue, a massiv e issue in fact, is traffic,” says Moss. “That has grown exponentially(以指数方式), and it?s a very real problem.”

It?s a problem we need to address, because the consequences of failing to allow our children to play independently outside are beginning to make themselves felt. On the website https://www.360docs.net/doc/b77353180.html,, Louv cites a lengthening list of scientific studies indicating that time spent

in free play in the natural world—a free-range childhood, perhaps—has a huge impact on health.

Obesity is perhaps the most visible symptom of the lack of such play, but literally dozens of studies from around the world show regular time outdoors produces significant improvements in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, learning ability, creativity and mental, psychological and emotional wellbeing.

Just five minutes? “green exercise” can produce rapid improvements in mental wellbeing and self-esteem, with the greatest benefits experienced by the young, according to a study this year at the University of Essex.

Free and unstructured play in the outdoors boosts problem-solving skills, focus and self-discipline. Socially, it improves cooperation, flexibility, and self-awareness. Emotional benefits include reduced aggression and increased happiness. “Children will be smarter, be tter able to get along with others, healthier and happier when they have regular opportunities for free and unstructured play in the out-of-doors,” concluded one authoritative study published by the American Medical Association in 2005.

“Nature is a tool,”says Moss, “to get children to experience not just the wider world, but themselves.” So climbing a tree, he says, is about “learning how to take responsibility for yourself, and how—crucially—to measure risk for yourself. Falling out of a tree is a very good lesson in risk and reward.”

Ask anyone over 40 to recount their most treasured memories of childhood play, and few will be indoors. Fewer still will involve an adult. Independent play, outdoors and far from grown-up eyes, is what we remember. As things stand, today?s children will be unlikely to treasure memories like that: 21% of today?s kids regularly play outside, compared with 71% of their parents.

The picture isn?t entirely hopeless, though. In the US, nature deficit disorder is big news: Louv is d elivering the keynote speech at the American Academy of Pediatrics? annual conference; city parks departments are joining with local health services to prescribe “outdoor time” for problem children. Here, organisations such as the RSPB, National Trust and Natural England are “moving mountains” to get families outdoors, Moss says. Often, though, this remains what he calls a “mediated experience”—determined by adults.

One project, in Somerset, could show the way ahead. Two years ago the Somerset Play and Part icipation Service, a voluntary sector scheme run by children?s charity Barnardo?s in collaboration with a local authorities and a number of natural environment agencies, began putting time and money into encouraging children to play independently outdoors. Part of the scheme is a website, https://www.360docs.net/doc/b77353180.html,, detailing more than 30 sites across the county, from hilltops to forests and headlands to beaches, where kids can play unsupervised.

“We aim for children to experience true free play,” says Kris ten Lambert, who runs the scheme?s PlayRanger service. “Play that?s not set up according to an adult agenda—in forests and open spaces, not designated play areas. There are no specific activities, no fixed equipment; there are tree branches and muddy slopes. The spaces themselves are inspiring. Children set their own challenges, assess their own risks, take their own responsibility, have their own adventures, and learn from them. And what they learn can?t be taught. You should see them.”

1. According to many respectable scientists, kids stop going out into the natural world to play can affect .

2. What did a recent report from the Kaiser Family Foundation in the US find?

3. According to Moss, today w hat is parents? attitude towards activities like climbing trees?

4. The biggest obstacles to today?s ch ildren being allowed out in nature arise from .

5. What does a long list of scientific studies cited by Louv suggest?

6. What may be the most obvious problem caused by the lack of free play in the natural world?

7. What are the emotional benefits of playing freely in the outdoors?

8. Moss regards falling out of a tree as a lesson for children to learn about .

9. In the US, city parks departments and local health services are giving troubled children “outdoor time” as a .

10. On the website, https://www.360docs.net/doc/b77353180.html,, more than 30 sites across Somerset are listed for kids to play without .

Part ⅣReading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes) Section A

Questions 47 to 56 are based on the following passage.

Choose wisely when considering a partner, whether to attend church and how you look after your body. These decisions could have a 47 effect on your overall life satisfaction. That?s according to a study that 48 the theory that life happiness is largely predetermined by your genes. The widely accepted “set-point” theory of happiness says that an individual?s long-term happiness tends to be stable because it depends 49 on genetic factors. The idea is based in 50 on studies that show identical twins to have more similar levels of life satisfaction than non-identical twins, and suggests that although your level of happiness may 51 be thrown off by major life events, it will always 52 to a set level within two years.

Bruce Headey at the University of Melbourne in Australia and his team found that certain changes in lifestyle led to significant long-term changes in reported life satisfaction, rather than causing the 53 deflections (偏差) in happiness that set-point theory would suggest. One of the biggest influences on a person?s happiness was their partner?s level of neuroticism (神经质).

Those with partners who scored highly on tests for neuroticism were more likely to be unhappy—and to stay unhappy for as long as the 54 lasted. Altruism (利他主义) and family values also influenced long-term happiness. People whose annual survey responses changed to place a higher 55 on altruistic behaviors and family goals were rewarded with a long-term increase in life satisfaction. Those who prioritized career and material success, however,56 a corresponding lasting decline.

Section B

Passage One

Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.

A new study reports that men whose parents divorced before they were 18 are two to three times as likely to seriously consider taking their own lives as men whose parents were not divorced by that age. Women whose parents divorced by age 18 were not affected as significantly. They, too, thought about suicide more often than other women, but the thoughts were explained by other distressing experiences they?d had, like childhood abuse.

Divorce might be expected to have a bigger overall impact on daughters than on sons, since in general women tend to be more liable than men to depression and suicidal thoughts. But the findings were not a surprise to the study?s lead author, Dr.Esme Fuller-Thomson, a professor of family and community medicine at the University of Toronto.

She noted that in most cases of divorce, at least until recently, mothers obtained custody (监护权) of the children, and the lack of regular contact with a father may take a particular emotional and developmental toll on sons. “The loss of a male role model for the boys may seriously impact their well-being,” she said. “Other research has indicated a positive father figure is very important for young men and boys, to develop their gender identity and learn ways to regulate their emotions and enhance their mental health.” Dr. Fuller-Thomson emphasized that serious thoughts of suicide affect only a minority, and that a vast majority of children of divorce do fine.

Boys may also be more likely to keep silent and internalize their grief, whereas girls are more likely to “talk it out,” she said. Men, in general, are reluctant to reach out for help, said Da na

Alonzo, who has done similar studies. They are also more prone to drug abuse, which is linked with suicidal feelings.

“They?re socialized to be strong, not to show weakness, not to show their feelings,” she said. “If they?re living in a home just being raised by a mom, who encourages more expression of emotions and closeness, that sort of contradicts the message they?re getting from society as a whole, that …you should be able to handle this on your own.?”

57. Women thought about suicide mainly because of .

58. What is the misperception of the effect of divorce?

59. To learn to regulate emotions and enhance mental health, it is important for boys to .

60. According to Dana Alonzo, what is the different attitude towards grief between boys and girls?

61. What do we learn about boys growing up with a single mother from the last paragraph?

Passage Two

Questions 62 to 66 are based on the following passage.

Once the decorations have been removed, many of our Christmas trees end up in the trash. Soon they could be put to better use, however: a special roasting process could make it practical for power stations to burn large quantities of biomass(生物质), such as pine and spruce trees, instead of coal. Compared with fossil fuels, biomass can provide a carbon-neutral form of energy. Many coal-fired power stations already burn biomass, but only small amounts can be used because of the difficulty and expense of crushing wood to a powder that can be burned alongside processed coal dust.

To overcome this problem, Jenny Jones at the University of Leeds, UK, and colleagues have been experimenting with “torrefaction” (烘焙). Torrefaction is already used to produce biochar (生物炭). Jones and her colleagues discovered that a different roasting recipe can make biomass suitable to burn alongside coal.

Working with willow and also with Miscanthus (芒草) grass, the team found that both types of plant matter had to be heated to around 300℃, though the cooking time depended on the diameter of the branches. During this process the plant material lost a small fraction of their mass but retained almost all of their capacity to generate heat when burned—their energy yield was about 75 percent that of coal. Furthermore, roasting made the plant matter more brittle, so that it could be ground into a fine powder just as easily as good-quality coal.

The torrefaction process brought other ben efits too. “It makes the biomass hydrophobic, which means it doesn?t absorb moisture and can be stored more easily without the fuel rotting,” Jones says. The team is now experimenting on other biomass sources, including spruce and pine trees. They are also investigating how practical it will be to carry out the process on an industrial scale and what the safety and environmental implications might be.

62. Only small amounts of biomass can be used in power stations because .

63. What do we know about Jenny Jones?s experiment?

64. The word “brittle” (Line 5, Para. 3) most probably refers to something .

65. Another benefit of the torrefaction process is that .

66. Jenny Jones and her colleagues are also exploring .