四、议论文

本刊试题研究中心

Task 1

A worrying rise in social media posts, suggesting that people leave their Halloween pumpkins in the woods to feed wildlife after October 31, has made wildlife experts concerned.Thousands of pumpkins are discarded in woods across Britain.While well-meaning pumpkin carvers might think they are doing the local animals a kindness,leaving your leftover jack-o'-lantern in the woodland is actually doing more harm than good.

“A myth seems to have built up that leaving pumpkins in woods helps wildlife,but behind it are many hidden issues,”said Paul Bunton, engagement and communication officer at the Woodland Trust,according toThe Telegraph.

One of the main issues is that the leftover of the Halloween pumpkins are often eaten by already struggling hedgehogs (刺猬).In early November, hedgehogs are looking to gain as much weight as possible to survive their winter hibernation.However,eating pumpkin is harmful to their little stomachs, leading to diarrhea and dehydration.This means they may struggle to put on weight,and in some cases can even be fatal.

Moreover, leftover Halloween pumpkins can contain candles and plastic decorations which can also be fatal to wildlife if mistakenly eaten.The rotting leftover can also attract less popular wildlife, such as rats, to an area.According to the Woodland Trust, the additional nutrients in the pumpkins can negatively affect the soil balance as well.“Pumpkin flesh can have a really harmful effect on woodland soils, plants, and fungi (真菌),”Bunton pointed out.

So what should you do with your beautifully carved pumpkin creation after October 31? Most experts recommend composting (堆肥) it yourself at home if you can, or asking if a local farm will accept it as a donation.You could even try some scientific experiments to produce more energy from the throwaway wasted.

1.What does the underlined word“discarded”mean in paragraph 1?

A.Processed.B.Recycled.C.Deserted.D.Preserved.

2.Why do hedgehogs try to eat so many pumpkins in early November?

A.To enjoy the sweet food.B.To fill their stomachs.

C.To prepare for the winter.D.To improve their health.

3.What is paragraph 4 mainly about?

A.The additional nutrients in the leftover pumpkins.

B.The damage of candles and plastic to the pumpkins.

C.The attraction of the rotting leftovers to some wildlife.

D.Further explanation for the effect of leftover pumpkins.

4.What are you advised to do with the leftover pumpkins after Halloween?

A.Stop leaving your pumpkins in the woods.

B.Keep your beautiful pumpkin creations at home.

C.Feed the hedgehogs with the leftover pumpkins.

D.Bury the leftover pumpkins deep under the ground.

Task 2

It's unlikely that you come home from a trip and stand on top of your bed still wearing your street shoes.For some travelers, putting their suitcase on their bed is just disgusting(令人反感的).The wheels of our luggage paced the same soiled path as our shoes, rolling through airport bathrooms,sidewalks and public transportation.

While it might sound terrible to put a worldly bag on your bed,is it actually harmful to your health? According to Phyllis Kozarsky, an expert travel health consultant, most public health professionals don't consider luggage a major transmitter(传播者)of disease.

“We have not identified outbreaks related to dirty luggage,”Kozarsky says.Travelers may benefit from cleaning their luggage if they suspect that their hotel rooms are overrun with bedbugs.“Then they certainly would benefit by cleaning it after they returned home,”Kozarsky says.

Even if your luggage touching your bed won't hurt you, you might still be disgusted.After all, travel is an experience full of bacteria.“You have people...carrying all types of different bacteria.Some of them are sick, and you now have them populating these public travel places,”says Colleen Costello,CEO of Vital Vio,a company that makes antibacterial LED lights.“Your fellow travelers have to touch all the same things you have to touch,from the TSA checkpoint to the airplane,the train ticketing machine to the handrail in your train car.”

For peace of mind, Costello recommends giving your bag quick disinfection or storing it on a luggage shelf.Of course, you could go beyond disinfecting your luggage wheels and clean thoroughly the rest of your travel experience—the airplane tray table,hotel room door and remote control.

But Kozarsky doesn't guarantee that lifestyle.“It's hard to keep up with every doorhandle and every railing,”Kozarsky says.“You can become a little neurotic (神经质的)that way.”

1.What's the function of paragraph 1?

A.To predict a conclusion.B.To present an argument.

C.To introduce a topic.D.To describe a phenomenon.

2.What does Kozarsky convey by explaining the luggage-cleaning case?

A.Luggage touching your bed won't hurt you.

B.Luggage spreads disease through your bed.

C.It's a must to clean your luggage after traveling.

D.Travelers should be careful of on-way dangers.

3.How does Costello support her opinion?

A.By giving examples.B.By stating facts.

C.By making comparisons.D.By listing figures.

4.What does Kozarsky think of Costello's suggestion?

A.It has gone too far.

B.It's absolutely worthless.

C.It sounds somewhat reasonable.

D.It's worth taking into consideration.

Task 3

Technology seems to discourage slow reading.Reading on screens tires eyes easily,so online writing is more skimmable than print.The neuroscientist Mary Walt argued this“new norm”of skimming is producing“an invisible,dramatic transformation”in how readers process words.And brains now favor rapid absorption of information, rather than skills developed by deeper reading,like critical analysis.

We shouldn't overplay this danger.All readers skim.Skimming is the skill we acquire as we learn to read more skillfully.And fears about declining attention spans have proved to be false alarms.“Some critics worry about attention spans and see very short stories as signs of cultural decline,”the American author Selvin wrote.“But nobody ever said poems were evidence of short attention spans.”

Yet the Internet has certainly changed the way we read.First,it means there's more to read, because more people than ever are writing.And digital writing means rapid release and response.Once published, online articles start forming a comment string underneath.Such mode of writing and reading can be interactive and fun,but is probably lacking in profound reflection.

Perhaps we should slow down.Reading is constantly promoted as a source of personal achievement.But this advocacy emphasizes“enthusiastic”or“eager”reading—neither suggest slow absorption.To a slow reader,a piece of writing can only be fully understood by immersing oneself in his slow comprehension of words.The slow reader is like a swimmer who stops counting the number of pool laps he's done and just enjoys how his body feels and moves in water.

The human need for this kind of deep reading is too determined for any new technology to destroy.We often assume technological change can't be stopped, so older media are kicked out by newer, more virtual forms.In practice, older technologies can coexist with new ones.The Kindle hasn't killed off printed books any more than cars killed off bicycles.We still want to enjoy slowly-formed ideas and carefully-chosen words.Even in a fast-moving age,there is time for slow reading.

1.What is the author's attitude towards Selvin's opinion?

A.Favorable.B.Critical.C.Doubtful.D.Objective.

2.Which statement would the author probably agree with?

A.Advocacy of passionate reading helps promote slow reading.

B.Digital writing and reading tends to ignore careful reflection.

C.We should be aware of the impact skimming has on the brain.

D.The number of Internet readers declines due to technology.

3.Why is“swimmer”mentioned in paragraph 4?

A.To demonstrate how to immerse oneself in thought.

B.To stress swimming differs from reading.

C.To show slow reading is better than fast reading.

D.To illustrate what slow reading is like.

4.Which can be the best title for the text?

A.Slow reading is here to stay B.Technology prevents slow reading

C.Reflections on deep reading D.The wonder of deep reading

Task 4

Ralph Emerson once said that the purpose of life is not to be happy, but to be useful,to be loving, to make some difference in the world.While we appreciate such words of wisdom,we rarely try to follow them in our lives.

Most people prefer to live a good life themselves,ignoring their responsibilities for the world.This narrow perception of a good life may provide short-term benefits, but is sure to lead to long-term harm and suffering.A good life based on comfort and luxury may eventually lead to more pain because we spoil our health and even our characters, principles,ideals,and relationships.

What then, is the secret of a good life? A good life is a process, not a state of being: a direction, not a destination.We have to earn a good life by first serving others without any expectation in return because their happiness is the very source of our own happiness.More importantly, we must know ourselves inside out.Only when we examine ourselves deeply can we discover our abilities and recognize our limitations, and then work accordingly to create a better world.

The first requirement for a good life is having a loving heart.When we do certain right things merely as a duty, we find our job so tiresome that we'll soon burn out.However,when we do that same job out of love, we not only enjoy what we do, but also do it with an effortless feeling.

However,love alone is insufficient to lead a good life.Love sometimes blinds us to the reality.Consequently, our good intentions may not lead to good results.To achieve desired outcome, those who want to do good to others also need to equip themselves with accurate world knowledge.False knowledge is more dangerous than ignorance.If love is the engine of a car, knowledge is the steering wheel (方向盘).If the engine lacks power, the car can't move; if the driver loses control of the steering wheel, a road accident probably occurs.Only with love in heart and right knowledge in mind can we lead a good life.

With love and knowledge, we go all out to create a better world by doing good to others.When we see the impact of our good work on the world, we give meaning to our life and earn lasting joy and happiness.

1.What effect does the narrow perception of a good life have on us?

A.It makes us simple-minded.

B.It makes us short-sighted.

C.It leads us onto a busy road.

D.It keeps us from comfort and luxury.

2.According to the author,how can one gain true happiness?

A.Through maintaining good health.

B.By going through pain and suffering.

C.By recognizing one's abilities and limitations.

D.Through offering help much needed by others.

3.According to paragraph 4, doing certain right things with a loving heart makes one ________.

A.less selfish B.less annoyed

C.more motivated D.more responsible

4.According to paragraph 5,life can be made truly good when ________.

A.inspired by love and guided by knowledge

B.directed by love and pushed by knowledge

C.purified by love and enriched by knowledge

D.promoted by love and defined by knowledge