6.A Long and Healthy LifeHave you wished for a magic pill or magic formula (方法) that would let you live happily forever ? If you have, don’t feel alone! It’s a very common, natural wish that has a long history. Spanish explorers of the sixteenth century even tried to find a fountain of youth in what is now the state of Florida. The water of this legendary (传说中的) fountain, which no one has yet found ,was believed to restore youth and good health to those who drank it.Biologists today don’t expect that anyone will find a magical fountain of youth. Growing older is a natural part of the life cycle that can’t be reversed(倒退) .As human beings grow older ,organs such as the heart and lungs may stop functioning properly. Sight and hearing may become weak .And the human body becomes more likely to come down with serious illness from which it cannot recover.Considered together, changes that bring about the decline(衰退) of an organism are called aging .Because of aging ,many biologists believe that there may be a maximum(最大的) age limit to which even the healthiest organisms can live. For human beings, this maximum age limit is about 110 years.Perhaps the most important thing that you can learn from your study of human biology is that you have a lot of control over the aging process in your own life .In fact; within our control are many physical and mental factors that have much to do with aging. For example ,each of us ,as recent research indicates, can do many things to help prevent heart and vessel(血管) disease ,which causes half the deaths each year in the United States .We can avoid eating a lot of fatty meat. Eating too much of these types of animal fats can lead to the clogging(阻塞) and hardening of blood vessels . We can cut back on smoking and hopefully of sugar we eat. We can exercise regularly and strengthen the heart and other organs. And we can remember to take time out each day for ourselves, time just to relax. Exercise ,recreation(娱乐), and relaxation all reduce stress－inner tension that is hard on all body organs.One final thing we can do is to try to keep aware of advances made in health education. Information is often available free of charge from health clinics or schools.(406 words)Comprehension ExercisesⅠ. Choose the best answers to the following questions.1.Which of the following is the leading cause of death in the United States?A. Heart disease.B. Cancer.C. Alcohol.D. Smoking.2. What happens as people grow older?A. They dream of a magic pill to help them live a happy and long time.B. They come down with serious illnesses.C. Their organs become weak and may stop working properly.D. Their blood vessels become clogged.3. In the opinion of biologists,＿＿＿.A. the aging process can be reversedB. the aging process can be controlled and slowed downC. the aging process can be got rid ofD. the aging process can go beyond its limit4. We can slow down the weakening of all our body organs by＿＿＿.A. not eating animal fatB. limiting drinking and smokingC. exercise, recreation and relaxation to blood vesselsD. preventing the clogging and hardening of blood vessels5. Besides physical and mental factors, which of the following also contributes to living a long and healthy life according to the passage?A. Health education.B. Traditional medicine.C. Artificial organs.D. The invention of magic pills.Ⅱ. Judge whether or not the following statements agree with the information given in the passage,and mark Y for YES,N for NO ,or NG if information is not given in the passage.( ) 1.Few people have the wish of finding a magic pill that would be of help to live happily forever.( ) 2.Many biologists believe that each species has a natural maximum age limit.( ) 3.From the passage we know that there is much we can do to help prevent many diseases.( ) 4.Mental factors have little to do with good health. ( ) 5.Doctors believes that regular exercise reduces the chances of getting heart disease.7.The Earth's PastIf the history of the earth could be compressed （压缩）into the span of one year's time,the story of the human race would be written as the the last two hours of the final day!This fact gives you an idea of just how old the Earth is no written record to tell us the Earth's geological past ,the Earth has left a record in the form of fossils.A fossil is the preserved remains or traced of an ancient living thing.Fossils are most often found buried in rock,but they may bones,shells,and woodyalso be found in caves,ancient tar(沥青) beds,and the solid ice that covered the Earth's polar regions.In all these places,fossils are protected from damaging effects of weathering and erosion(侵蚀).Usually only the hard parts are preserved.The hard part can include ones,shells,and woody tissues.The soft parts,like flesh,either decay or are eaten by animals before they can be preserved.One exception is when an organism is subjected to extreme cold.Then the entire body may be preserved in ice.Sometimes the remains of an organism are preserved after after having been changed into a completely different form.For instance,coal deposits on the Earth are actually the fossilremains of plants.When plants decompose(腐烂),eventually only deposits of carbon remain.When the carbon is under extreme pressure for a long period of time,it is slowly transformed into coal.Coal is called a"fossil fuel"because of the way it is created.Fossils can help geologists(地质学家)learn about how animal and plant species have changed over time.Since geologists can date the rocks that the fossils are in,they can also tell during what time period in the past a species lived.For example,on the geologic calendar,you can see that fish first appear in the era labeled Paleozoic(古生代).This means that the oldest rocks discovered to contain fish fossils are between 225 million and 600 million years old.We can assume that fish existed in the world at least 225 million years ago.Fossils are also used to study extinct(灭绝的) species.There are no longer any living woolly mammoths(猛犸) on the Earth,but we can know what a woolly mammoth looked like by studing the frozen bodies found in Siberia.(406 words)Comprehension ExercisesⅠ.Choose the best answers to the following question.1.How old is the Earth?A.Over 225 million years.B.Over 600 million years.C.Between 225 and 600 million years.D.Over 4 billion years.2.We know the age of the life on the Earth because ____.A.there is written record of the Earth's geological pastB.some fossils are found in good shape.C.the earth contains a record in the form of fosssils.D.some scientists have studied some extinct animals3.Where can we find fossils besides in rock and caves?A.In water.B.In woody tissues.C.In solid ice.D.In coal.4.How is coal created?A.The remains of dead plants are transformed into depositsof coal under extreme pressure over a long time.B.The remains of dead animals have been changed into a completed different form.C.Rocks and tar beds have bee different form over time.n changed into a completely different form over time.D.The soft parts of organisms have been changed into a completely different form.5.Fossils are usually found in rock,caves,ice and so on.Why?A.Because these are the places where fossils can form.B.Because these are the places where fossils can be protected from the damage of weathering and erosion.C.Because these are the places where fossils can be changed into a completely different form.D.Because these are the places where dead animals and plants can decompose and be transformed.Ⅱ.Complete the following sentences with the informationgiven in the passage.1.____ of ancient animals and plants in rock are known as fossils.2.Fossils are most often found in rock,caves,tar beds andice,where they can be preserved from the damage of ____.3.Coal is made from the remains of ____ that have been changed into a completely different form.4.____ of an organism can not be preserved except in solid ice.5.Fish are estimated to have on the Earth for____.8.Plastic Trash an environmental ConcernWith the invention of polymers(聚合物),chemists gives us plastic.As a consumer product,plastic is strong,versatile(用途广泛的),and durable(耐用的).It can hold up under heat and pressure and can be subjected to total submersion(浸泡)in water (even ocean water)and not be affected.You canleaveit outside,and the weather.Unlike most other materials,plastic does not naturally decay（腐烂）.For useful consumer products,this remarkable durability is a blessing.Plastic bottles are light and unbreakable;plastic bags do not leak or tear as easily as paper bags do.But when these items are ready for the garbage,it's an environmental nightmare!Millions of tons of plastic garbage litter ourhighways and beaches.Plastic trash even affects marine life in the oceans.According to the National Academy of Sciences,more than 600,000 plastic containers and bags are thrown into the oceans every day.Fisherman lose or throw away an estimated 150,000 tons of plastic fishing gear (渔具)each year.At least forty-two species of seabirds are known to snack on plastic ,a habit that is often fatal(致命的).In addition tens of thousands of seals,sea lions,and turtles die each year after becoming caught in bits of fish netting.What should we do with the hundreds of millions of tons of plastic and other polymer products that end up in the garbage each year?We could burn it.However,that creates a thick,black smock that is not only intolerable but is also a dangerous form of air pollution.We could bury it,but solid waste dumps have their own pollution problems.Too often,trash in the dumps is not buried for a long period of time and becomes a health hazard(危险) for birds and other land animals,including nearby human residents.What's more,highly populated countries with limited land may find that land is far too valuable to use as a dump site.Obviously,a large-scale solution to the plastic trashproblemis not yet in sight.However,individuals can help by keeping some of that plastic out of the garbage for as long as possible.For example,people who get plastic bags from the grocery store could save them and reuse them.Some people may choose not to buy plastic products when the same item is available in paper or glass.Of course,these are only small steps,but they could eventually be part of a large solution.(412 words) Comprehension ExercisesⅠ.Choose the best answers to the following question.1.What's the main idea of passage?A.Plastic is an ideal material.B.Plastic garbage has become an environmental concern.C.Plastic is a consumer product.D.No way has been found to solve the plastic trash problem.2.What are the main properties(特性)of plastic as a useful consumer product?A.Strong,versatile,durable.B.Cheap,convenient,reusable.C.Soft,light,unbreakable.D.Waterproof,unable to decay,burnable.3.Plastic trash affects the life of seabirds.For example,____.A.they are often caught in bits of netting.B.sea water is polluted by plastic trash.C.they mistake plastic trash for food.D.sea beaches are littered with plastic garbage.4.Which of the following properties of plastics makes plastic garbage a great environmental concern?A.Light weight.B.Strength.C.Fire-proofD.Resistance to weathering and decay.5.Which of the following methods is environmentally sound in dealing with plastic trash?A.Dumping it in the ocean far away from shore.B.burning it at sea.C.Not mentioned in this passage.D.Leaving it in the open air.Ⅱ.Judge whether or not the following statements agree withthe information given in the passage,and mark Y for YES,N for NO ,or NG if information is not given in the passage.( )1.Presently efforts to deal with plastic trash have got somewhere.( )2.Burying plastic trash will lead a shortage of land for human use.( )3.The durability of plastics is of great help to daily life in every respect.( )4.Obviously a large-scale solution to the plastic trash problem is to keep plastic out of garbage for as long as possible.( )5.It is suggested in this passage that we use more paper or glass instead of plastic products so as to reduce plastic trash.9.Meat Industries Are Destroying the PlanetRisk of mad cow disease，and heart disease isn't the only reason to eat less meat：the planet simply cannot sustain a population that increasingly feeds on animal protein(蛋白质),says the U.K. Government's Sustainable Development Commission. The problem lies in that animals consume vast supplies of land, crops, water and other resources in order to produce a much smaller quantity of animal protein for human consumption. The fast growing population of animals for use in the human food supply is being described as,"...one of the biggest environmental crises we're now facing."Then, there's the environmental impact of raising so many animals for food in the first place. Thousands of acres of rain forest continue to be cleared in South American in order to convert jungle to grazing land(牧场)for cattle. That alone is alarming, and yet that's only the beginning. Cows, chickens and pigs produce waste on a massive scale, and that waste is often drained directly into rivers or-this is true-fed back to other animals. Then, there's the use of water while they grow. As water becomes increasingly scarce in decades to come, this will become an issue of great contention(争论). So,it seems that from an environmental point of view, responsible citizens should greatly reduce their consumption of animal protein. Finally,there's the ethics(行为准则)of eating meat. One of the reasons I don't eat red meat in particular is because red meat comes from intelligent mammals(哺乳动物): cows and pigs.These beings have social structures, they communicate with each other, and they communicate with each other, and they most definitely feel pain. To raise an intelligent animal for no purpose other than to slaughter(屠杀) it and sell its flesh is, in my opinion, evil. The further you go down the scale of intelligence, the less evil this becomes. Killing a chicken and eating it is not so evil, since chickens don't have the intelligence of cows and pigs. Consuming bacteria(in yogurt(乳酸), for example) is not at all evil, since bacteria are not capable of feeling pain, it seems. But Pigs? Pigs are as intelligent as dogs. Would you slaughter your pet dog and eat it? If not, then why would you support the slaughter of animals with similar intelligence? And remember: every time you buy bacon or sausage, you are indirectly slaughtering another pig, another intelligent being.What do you think? Do you believe mammals have souls? Do you think cows and pigs are capable of feeling and understanding pain? Does your pet dog understand pain? Can the planet sustain a population that consumes that consumes large quantities of animal protein? How could societies shift to plant sources of protein? Give it some thought.1题，Choose the best answers to the following questions.1.What is the main idea of the first two paragraphs?A.The earth will not sustain us if we continue to raise animals.B.Eating meat will do harm to our health.C.Meat consumption is becoming one of the biggest environmental crises.D.Intelligent animals lake cows and pigs have feelings and souls.2.Why does the author hold that meat industries are destroying the planet?A. Because they increase the risk of mad cow disease and heart diseaseB. Because animals raised for food consume a vast amount of resources like land,water and so onC. Because killing and eating intelligent animals has destroyed our ethics and souls.D. Because the number of intelligent animals has been greatly reduced3.What does the writer mean by saying"The further you go down the scale of intelligence,the less evil this becomes"?A. Killing low-intelligence animals is less evil than killing high-intelligence animalsB. It is not evil to raise animals for human foodC. Responsible citizens should greatly reduce their consumption of animals proteinD. Animal intelligence is still an issue of great contention4.What attitude does the author take towards the consumption of animal protein?A. OptimisticB. PessimisticC. CriticalD. Positive5.What does the author suggest at the end of passage?A. People should care much about animal intelligenceB. The human population should be considerably reducedC. People should consume more plant protein while reducing animal proteinD. We should raise cows and pigs just as we raise our dogs2题:Complete the following sentences with the information given in the passage.1.The passage tells us that killing and selling the flesh of _______is evil.rge areas of ______are being cleared in order to create moregrazing land.3.The author thinks it is not evil at all to consume ______,because they cannot feel pain.4.It is reasonable for human beings to reduce ______from an environment point of view.5.It is less evil to kill a chicken than to kill a pig because chicken are ______as pigs.10.The HuntersA guy buys a brand new Lincoln Navigator for $42,500.He and a friend go duck hunting in winter,and of course all the lakes are frozen.These two guys go out on the lake with the guns,the dog,and of course the new vehicle.They drive out onto the lake ice and get ready.Now,they want to make some kind of a natural landing area for the ducks,something for the decoys to float on.In order to make a hole large enough to look like something a wandering duck would fly down and land on,it is going to take a little more effort than an ice hole drill.So,out of the back of the new Navigator comes a stick of dynamite with a short,40-second fuse.Now these two men do takeinto consideration that they want to place the stick of dynamite on the ice at a location far from where they are standing and the new Navigator,because they don't want to take the risk of slipping on the ice when they run from the burning fuse and possibly go up in smoke with the resulting blast.They light the 40-second fuse and throw the dynamite.What happens then?Their dog,highly trained for seeking and picking back things thrown by the owner,takes off at a high rate of doggy speed on the ice and captures the stick of dynamite with the burning 40-second fuse about the time it hits the ice.The two men yell,scream,wave their arms and wonder what to do now.The dog,cheered on,keeps coming.One of the guys grabs the shotgun and shoots at the dog.The shotgun is loaded with buckshot,hardly big enough to stop it.The dog stops for a moment,slightly confused,but continues on.Another shot and this time the dog,still standing,because really confused, and of course terrified,thinking these two geniuses have gone mad. The dog takes off to find cover under the brand-new Navigator. —BOOM!—The dog and the Navigator are blown to bits and sink to the bottom of the lake in a very large hole,leaving the two idiots standing there with this "I can't believe this happened"look on their faces.1题：Choose the best answers to the following questions.1.The Lincoln Navigator in this passage is .A. a carB. A stick of dynamiteC. A decoyD. A dog2.Why do the two men yell and scream when they see the dog capture the stick of dynamite?A. Because they what will result from the dog's actionB. Because that is what they expectC. Because they are pleased to see itD. Because they quite appreciate the dog's skill3.Why do the two guys use dynamite?A. Because they want to make a large hole in the iceB. Because they want to smoke ducks downC. Because they want to go up in smoke with the resulting blastD. Because they want to frighten ducks and make them fly out4.Why dose one of the two men shoot at the dog?A. Because the dog is frightened by the dynamite and has gone madB. Because the dog tries to run away from themC. Because the dog is cheered by the two men's shoutingD. Because the dog picks up the dynamite and runs toward them5.In the passage,an"I can't believe this happened"look on one's face is .A. a disappointed lookB. a pitiful lookC. a surprised lookD. an embarrassed look2题:Judge whether or not the following statements agree with the information given in the passage,and mark Y for YES,N for NO,or NG if information is not given in the passage.( )1.From the story we know that the dog is smart and understands his masters very well.( )2.The two guys do consider placing the dynamite far away form where they are standing and the Navigator.( )3.Their dog is well trained for running after and picking back things thrown by the owner.( )4.The dog,confused and terrified by the gunshot,tries to find some place to hide itself.( )5.The blast sends the dog and the two men up in smoke.11.The Woman Who Thought She Was Going to Be RobbedOn a recent weekend in Atlantic City,a woman won a bucketful of quarters(面值25美分的硬币)at a slot machine(投币赌博机).She took a break from the slots for dinner with her husband in the hotel dining room.But first she wanted to put the quarters in her room.She carried the coinladen bucket to the elevator she noticed two en already aboard.Both were black.One of them was big,very big.The first thought was:These two are going to rob me.Her next thought was:Don't be silly;they look like perfectly nice gentlemen.But she could not move a step out of fear.She stood and stared at the two men.She feltanxious,nervous and ashamed.She hoped they didn't read her mind.Surely they knew that her hesitation(犹豫)about joining them in the elevator was all too obvious.Her face became red.She couldn't just stand there,so with a mighty effort of will she picked up one foot and stepped forward and was on the elevator.Avoiding eye contact,she turned around stiffly and faced the elevator doors as they closed.A second passed,and thenanother second,and then another.Her fear increased!The elevator didn't move.Panic consumed her."My God,"she thought," I'm trapped and about to be robbed!"Her heart sank.Then... One of the men said,"Hit the floor."Instinct(本能)told her:Do what they tell you.The bucket of quarters flew upwards as she threw out her arms and collapsed on the elevator carpet.A shower of coins rained down on her."Take my money and spare me,"she prayed.More seconds passed.She heard one of the en say politely,"Ma'am,if you'll just tell us what floor you're going to,we'll push the button."She lifted her head and looked up at the two men.They reached down to help her up.Confused,she struggled to her feet."When I told my man here to hit the floor,"said the average-sized one,"I meant that he should hit the elevator button for our floor,ma'am".She was too ashamed to speak.She wanted to burst out an apology,but words failed her.How do you apologize to two perfectly respectable gentlemen for behaving as though theyoing to rob you?(406 words)Comprehension ExercisesⅠ. Choose the best answers to the following questions.1.What was the woman doing in the hotel before she went to the elevator?A.She was having dinner with her husband.B.She was staying in her hotel room.C.She was taking a break from dinner.D.She was gambling.2.Why did the woman hesitate before she stepped into the elevator?A.Because there were two strangers in the elevator .B.Because she thought the men in the elevator would rob her.C.Because she froze and could not move herself.D.Because she did not want to join the men in the elevator.3.What did the average-sized man mean by saying"Hit the floor"?A.Throw your money on the floor.B.Lie down on the floor.C.Push the elevator button for our floor.D.Step heavily on the floor.4.What happened when the average-sized man said,"Hit the floor"?A.The bucket of quarters dropped to the floor.B.The woman's heart sank to the floor.C.The woman pushed the button for the floor.D.The woman collapsed onto the elevator floor.5.How did the woman feel at the end of the story?A.Shameful and embarrassed.B.Anxious and nervous.C.Confused and panicky.D.Wronged and angry.Ⅱ.Complete the following sentences with the information given in the passage.1.When she was walking to the elevator,the woman was carrying__.2.With a great effort of will the woman stepped into the elevator___.3.The woman turned around and faced the elevator doors so as to ___with the two men.4.The woman felt___ to apologize to the two gentlemen for behaving as if they were going to rob her.5.The average-sized man wanted the big man to___ when he said,"Hit the floor"12.E-Mail and Tomatoes.An unemployed man is desperate(拼命的)to support his family.He applies for a job as a janitor(看门人)at a large firm and easily passes a test.The human resources manager tells him,"You will be hired at a minimum wage of $5.15 an hour.Let me have your e-mail address so that we can get you in the loop.Our system will automatically e-mail you all the forms and advise you when to start and where to report on your first day."Taken aback,the man protests that he is poor and has neither a computer nor an e-mail address.To this the manager replies,"Without an e-mail address you can hardly expect to be employed by a hightech firm.Good day."Astonished,the man leaves.Not knowing where to turn and having $10 in his wallet,he walks past a farmers' market and sees a stand selling beautiful red tomatoes.He a crate(筐)of the tomatoes,carries it to a busy corner and displays the tomatoes.In less than two hours he sells all the tomatoes and makes a 100% profit.Repeating the process several times more that day,he ends up with almost $100 and arrives home that night with several bags of groceries for his family.During the night he decides to repeat the tomato business the next day.He is getting up early every day and working intothe night.He multiplies(使...成倍增加) his profits quickly.By the end of the second year he has a dozen very nice used trucks and employs fifteen previously unemployed people,all selling tomatoes.He continues to work hard.Time passes and at the end of the fifth year he owns a fleet of nice trucks and a warehouse,plus two tomato farms.Planning for the future,he decides to buy some life insurance(保险).Consulting with an insurance adviser,he picks an insurance plan to fit his new circumstances.Then the adviser asks him for his e-mail address in order to send the final documents electronically.When the man replies that he doesn't have time to mess(摆弄)with a computer and has no e-mail address,the insurance man is astonished,"What,you don't have e-mail?No computer?No Internet?Just think where you would be today if you'd had all of that five years ago!""Ha!"snorts the man."If I'd had e-mail five years ago I would be sweeping floors at Microsoft and making $5.15 an hour."(406 words)Comprehension ExercisesⅠ. Choose the best answers to the following questions.1.Why does the main apply for the job as a janitor?A.Because he is in urgent need of a job.B.Because he doesn't have any professional training.C.Because he passes the test.D.Because he has got some information and advice from the manager.2.What does the insurance man mean by saying,"Just think where you should be today if you'd had all of that five years ago!"?A.The man would have got the job as a janitor if he had had e-mail five years ago.B.It is impossible nowadays for a person not to have a computer and e-mail.C.The man's life would be much better now if he had e-mail and a computer five years ago.D.The man would be well-informed if he had a computer five years ago.3."...we get you in the loop."(paragraph 1)means that___.A.we can know where you are.B.We can put you on the staff of our company.。
