When We Are Asleep
Everyone dreams，but some people never recall their dreams，or do so very rarely. Other people always wake up with vivid recollections (記憶) of their dreams，though they forget them very quickly. In an average night of eight hours' sleep，an average adult will dream for around one hundred minutes，probably having three to five dreams，each lasting from ten to thirty minutes. Scientists can detect when someone is having a dream by using an instrument which measures the electrical waves in the brain. During dreaming, these waves move more quickly. Breathing and pulse rate also increase，and there are rapid eye movements under the lids, just as though the dreamer were really looking at moving objects. These signs of dreaming have been detected in all mammals (哺 乳動物) studied, including dogs, monkeys, cats, and elephants, and also some birds and reptiles (爬行動物). This period of sleep is called the "D" state for around 50% of their sleep;the period reduces to around 25% by the age of 10.
Dreams take the form of stories，but they may be strange and with incidents not connected，which make little sense. Dreams are seldom without people in them and they are usually about people we know. One estimate says that two-thirds of the "cast" of our dream dramas are friends and relations. Vision seems an essential part of dreams，except for people blind from birth. Sound and touch are senses also often aroused，but smell and taste are not frequently involved. In "normal" dreams，the dreamer may be taking part，or be only an observer. But he or she cannot control what happens in the dream.
However, the dreamer does have control over one type of dream. This type of dream is called a "lucid"(清醒的) dream. Not everyone is a lucid dreamer. Some people are occasional lucid dreamers. Others can dream lucidly more or less all the time. In a lucid dream，the dreamer knows that he is dreaming.
16.Some people dream but cannot remember their dreams.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
17.In an average night，males dream longer than females.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
18.When we dream，there is less movement of electrical waves in our brains.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
19.Babies dream less than older children.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
20.Most dreams involve the people we played with when we were young.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
21.We rarely smell things in dreams.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
22.In a lucid dream we can use Morse code to communicate with others.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
答案: 16.A 17.C 18.B 19.B 20.C 21.A 22.C
It's in the Cards
In recent years, more and more people have been paying for things with credit cards. There are now 565 million credit cards worldwide, but it doesn't stop there. Debit cards (電子記賬卡) are being issued by banks, and store cards are being offered by many department stores. Bills and coins are gradually being replaced by "plastic money." In many countries, phone cards have been introduced for people to use in pay phones. In addition, cards made of paper are being replaced by plastic ones by many organizations and clubs. For example, if you belong to a sports club, your membership card may well be made of plastic.
How safe is the plastic used to make these cards, though? Until now, most cards have been made from a plastic called PVC. While PVC is being produced, harmful chemicals are released into the atmosphere. One of the most dangerous chemicals that is released is dioxin, which is known to cause cancer in humans. A further problem is that, when a PVC card is thrown away, it is not biodegradable; this means that it does not "break down" and cannot be recycled. Obviously, recycling reduces pollution of the environment.
The executive director of the environmental organization and charity Greenpeace, Peter Melchett, says, "If there is a solution to this - and an alternative then it would be madness not to use it." Greenpeace has found a solution and an alternative. Their new credit card is made entirely from a biodegradable plastic that uses plants. The card breaks down in around three months in soil; in this way, it is recycled. In contrast, a PVC card lasts for centuries Greenpeace hopes that many organizations will soon follow their example and issue cards that do not threaten the public health.
1 Fewer and fewer credit cards are made of paper,
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
2The plastic used in credit cards is fairly safe.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
3The cards that are wildly used now are credit cards.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
4Most credit cards are biodegradable
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
5 The new credit card that is being introduced by Greenpeace is not made of plastic.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
6 The new Greenpeace card breaks down in a few months
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
7 Greenpeace cards are widely used in many organizations now.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
答案:
1. A 2. B 3. C 4. B 5. B 6. A 7. B
The First settlement in North America
It is very difficult to say just when colonization began. The first hundred years after Christopher Columbus's journey of discovery in 1492 did not produce any settlement on the North America continent but rather some Spanish trading posts further south, a great interest in gold and adventure, and some colorful crimes in which the English had their part. John Cabot, originally from Genoa but a citizen of Venice, was established as a trader in Bristol, England, when he made a journey in 1497. But his ship, the Matthew, with its crew of eighteen, did no more than see an island (probably off the New England coast) and return home. He and his son made further voyages across the north Atlantic which enabled the English crown to claim a "legal" title to North America. But for a long time afterwards the Europeans' interest in America was mainly confined to the Spanish activities further south.
The first beginning of permanent settlement in North America were nearly a hundred years after Columbus's first voyage. The Englishman Sir Walter Raleigh claimed the whole of North America for England, calling it Virginia. In 1585 he sent a small group of people who landed in Roanoke Island, but they stayed only for a year and then went back to England with another expedition, led by Drake, in 1587. A second group who landed in 1587 had all disappeared when a further expedition arrived in 1590.
The first permanent settlement in North America was in 1607. English capitalists founded two Virginia companies, a southern one based in London and a northern one based in Bristol. It was decided to give the name New England to the northern area. The first settlers in Virginia were little more than wage slaves to the company. All were men and the experiment was not very successful. Many died. Those who survived lived in miserable conditions. By 1610 the colony had only a thousand people.
1. We know for sure that colonization began at the end of the 15th century
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
2. Among the early settlers in South America in the 16th century were Spanish traders.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
3. With John Cabot's arrival at an island off the New England coast in 1497, the British Crown claimed to be the legal owner of North America.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
4. There were eighteen people on board the Matthew during its voyage to North America in 1497
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
5. The first attempt made by European people to settle down permanently in North America occurred in the 1580s
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
6. The name Virginia was given to North America by Sir Walter Raleigh
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
7. The name New England was given to the northern area of North America by the boss of one of the two Virginia companies
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
KEY: BABBAAC