词汇：

dioxide [daɪˈɒksaɪd] n. 二氧化物

lava ["lɑ:və] n. 熔岩

Permian [ˈpə:miən] adj. 二叠纪

gigaton ["dʒɪgətʌn] n. 十亿吨梯恩梯

genera ["dʒenərə] n. 种类

dinosaurs ["daɪnəsɔ:z] n. 恐龙

asteroid [ˈæstərɔɪd] n. 小行星

注释：

1.The Permian extinction:二叠纪物种灭绝

Why did older volcanic eruptions do more damage than more recent ones？

A:Because they killed off life more easily. B:Because they were brighter. C:Because they were larger. D:Because they were hotter.

The moral high ground has always been female territory. Men, after all, lie and cheat and rob and pollute the environment and disproportionately populate the prisons, while women do their best to appreciate their good qualities. Some women, at least.
But with the rise of feminism, the assaults on men’s moral probity have become more frequent, and the belief in their arrogance and lack of concern for anything but their own selfish ends has become a truism. It’s the men who are greedy. It’s the men who are disloyal. It’s the men who will do anything for money. It’s the men who are immature.
In the world of sport, pouty male athletes are Whipping boys of talk radio. They have graced the cover of Sports Illustrate, and on the inside have been vilified for a litany d sins, among them greed, disdain for the fans who pay their exorbitant salaries, and a lack of respect for the game that the fans love and that has made them rich.
Female athletes, on the other hand, have been placed on a pedestal--but it has been a pretty easy one to climb. For one thing, there hasn’ t been enough money to get greedy about. For another, there haven’ t been any fans. And for third, those who didn’t love the game had absolutely no reason to keep playing.
But thanks to the rise of women’ s basketball, female basketball players are going to find themselves tempted by the same vanities that have seduced so many men- and though we know some will give in, we don’ t know how many.
For women’s basketball to become a major sport in America, as opposed to a profitable one like arena football, something is going to be offered other than just pure skill. That something should be, and if fact will have to be, a different attitude, a purer sense of sport, than the men deliver. It may be asking too much of women to withstand the temptations that have sucked male athletes into prima donna poses, but then again it may be true that women have occupied the high moral ground for so long because they actually are more sensitive to what’s important in the long run.
I honestly don’ t know how this drama will play out, but the process will tell us about more than just the fate of women’ s basketball. If women, who are steadily gaining more and more control in this world, ’can truly respond in a more reasoned way to the pull of power, then there is hope for the 21st century. But if women, as a gender, can do no hatter than men when given the chance, then in basketball as in life, we can only look ahead to more of the same.
Women have occupied the high moral ground for so long because______.

A:they are more sensible to what’s wrong than men B:they are more sensitive to what’s important in the long run than men C:they are more sagacious to wrongdoings than men D:they are more intelligent than men in some areas

The moral high ground has always been female territory. Men, after all, lie and cheat and rob and pollute the environment and disproportionately populate the prisons, while women do their best to appreciate their good qualities. Some women, at least.
But with the rise of feminism, the assaults on men’s moral probity have become more frequent, and the belief in their arrogance and lack of concern for anything but their own selfish ends has become a truism. It’s the men who are greedy. It’s the men who are disloyal. It’s the men who will do anything for money. It’s the men who are immature.
In the world of sport, pouty male athletes are Whipping boys of talk radio. They have graced the cover of Sports Illustrate, and on the inside have been vilified for a litany d sins, among them greed, disdain for the fans who pay their exorbitant salaries, and a lack of respect for the game that the fans love and that has made them rich.
Female athletes, on the other hand, have been placed on a pedestal--but it has been a pretty easy one to climb. For one thing, there hasn’ t been enough money to get greedy about. For another, there haven’ t been any fans. And for third, those who didn’t love the game had absolutely no reason to keep playing.
But thanks to the rise of women’ s basketball, female basketball players are going to find themselves tempted by the same vanities that have seduced so many men- and though we know some will give in, we don’ t know how many.
For women’s basketball to become a major sport in America, as opposed to a profitable one like arena football, something is going to be offered other than just pure skill. That something should be, and if fact will have to be, a different attitude, a purer sense of sport, than the men deliver. It may be asking too much of women to withstand the temptations that have sucked male athletes into prima donna poses, but then again it may be true that women have occupied the high moral ground for so long because they actually are more sensitive to what’s important in the long run.
I honestly don’ t know how this drama will play out, but the process will tell us about more than just the fate of women’ s basketball. If women, who are steadily gaining more and more control in this world, ’can truly respond in a more reasoned way to the pull of power, then there is hope for the 21st century. But if women, as a gender, can do no hatter than men when given the chance, then in basketball as in life, we can only look ahead to more of the same.

A:they are more sensible to what’s wrong than men B:they are more sensitive to what’s important in the long run than men C:they are more sagacious to wrongdoings than men D:they are more intelligent than men in some areas

(Many) a woman (feel) (entitled) to (more) in life than just housework.

A:Many B:feel C:entitled D:more

Premature Smoking: A Serious Problem The third report on smoking and health from the Royal College of Physicians, which was published this month, contains important new sections on the smoking habits of children and the possible effect, on their future health. These include a twenty fold in the increase in the risk of lung cancer in heavy smokers and an increase of about three and a half times in the risk of dying from coronary(冠状的) heart disease; chronic(慢性的) oronchitis (支气管炎) and emphysema(肺气肿) are also much commoner. Teachers play an important part in determining the attitude of children to smoking, whether or not the children start to smoke, and in providing knowledge about the consequences of smoking. Whenever I see children of school age openly smoking in public, I wonder whether they really understand what they are doing. Probably most do not. I at least know that my clinical practice in lung disease will not be short of patients for the rest of my working life. About 34 percent of boys aged 15 smoke, and two thirds of this number of girls. Over the past ten years there has been a small but welcome reduction in the number of boys who smoke at this age, but an increase in the number of girls. One large study has shown that of those children who smoke more than one cigarette, as many as 85 percent become habitual (习惯的) smokers. This is partly because nicotine is one of the most dependent—producing drugs known, on a par with heroin and other hard drugs in this respect. One in three smokers start before the age of nine, some even as young as five. The causes of premature death which one-third of smokers will suffer, and of the prolonged illnesses which affect so many of them, are described in the report; its enough to say that the younger a child starts to smoke the greater are his chances of dying early. It has been shown that children who smoke have certain characteristics. Compared with nonsmokers they are more rebellious(__的), their work deteriorates(使变坏) as they move up school, they are more likely to leave school early, and are more often delinquent(违法的) and sexually(性的) precocious(早熟). Many of these features can be summarized as anticipation of adulthood. There are a number of factors which determine the onset(开始) of smoking, and these are largely psychological and social. They include availability of cigarettes, curiosity, rebelliousness, appearing tough, anticipation of adulthood, social confidence, example of parents and teachers, and smoking by friends and older brothers and sisters. It should be much easier to prevent children from starting to smoke than to persuades adults to give up the habit once established, but in fact, this has proved very difficult. The example set by people in authority, especially parents, health care workers, and teachers, is of prime importance. School rules should forbid smoking by children on the premises (场所). This rule has even been introduced at Summerhill School where I spent my school days. There is, however, a risk of children smoking just to rebel against the rules, and even in those schools which have tried to enforce no smoking by corporeal (肉体的) punishment there is much smoking as in other schools, Nevertheless, banning smoking is probably on balance beneficial. Teachers too should not smoke on school premises, at least not in front of children. People who smoke heavily______.

A:run a twenty-to-one risk of contracting lung cancer B:are most certain to suffer from one or more of lung and heart complaints C:are more prone than other people to certain lung complaints D:many run more risk of contracting certain lung and heart disease

Premature Smoking: A Serious Problem The third report on smoking and health from the Royal College of Physicians, which was published this month, contains important new sections on the smoking habits of children and the possible effect, on their future health. These include a twenty fold in the increase in the risk of lung cancer in heavy smokers and an increase of about three and a half times in the risk of dying from coronary(冠状的) heart disease; chronic(慢性的) oronchitis (支气管炎) and emphysema(肺气肿) are also much commoner. Teachers play an important part in determining the attitude of children to smoking, whether or not the children start to smoke, and in providing knowledge about the consequences of smoking. Whenever I see children of school age openly smoking in public, I wonder whether they really understand what they are doing. Probably most do not. I at least know that my clinical practice in lung disease will not be short of patients for the rest of my working life. About 34 percent of boys aged 15 smoke, and two thirds of this number of girls. Over the past ten years there has been a small but welcome reduction in the number of boys who smoke at this age, but an increase in the number of girls. One large study has shown that of those children who smoke more than one cigarette, as many as 85 percent become habitual (习惯的) smokers. This is partly because nicotine is one of the most dependent—producing drugs known, on a par with heroin and other hard drugs in this respect. One in three smokers start before the age of nine, some even as young as five. The causes of premature death which one-third of smokers will suffer, and of the prolonged illnesses which affect so many of them, are described in the report; its enough to say that the younger a child starts to smoke the greater are his chances of dying early. It has been shown that children who smoke have certain characteristics. Compared with nonsmokers they are more rebellious(__的), their work deteriorates(使变坏) as they move up school, they are more likely to leave school early, and are more often delinquent(违法的) and sexually(性的) precocious(早熟). Many of these features can be summarized as anticipation of adulthood. There are a number of factors which determine the onset(开始) of smoking, and these are largely psychological and social. They include availability of cigarettes, curiosity, rebelliousness, appearing tough, anticipation of adulthood, social confidence, example of parents and teachers, and smoking by friends and older brothers and sisters. It should be much easier to prevent children from starting to smoke than to persuades adults to give up the habit once established, but in fact, this has proved very difficult. The example set by people in authority, especially parents, health care workers, and teachers, is of prime importance. School rules should forbid smoking by children on the premises (场所). This rule has even been introduced at Summerhill School where I spent my school days. There is, however, a risk of children smoking just to rebel against the rules, and even in those schools which have tried to enforce no smoking by corporeal (肉体的) punishment there is much smoking as in other schools, Nevertheless, banning smoking is probably on balance beneficial. Teachers too should not smoke on school premises, at least not in front of children. People who smoke heavily______.

A:run a twenty-to-one risk of contracting lung cancer B:are most certain to suffer from one or more of lung and heart complaints C:are more prone than other people to certain lung complaints D:many run more risk of contracting certain lung and heart disease

Premature Smoking: A Serious Problem The third report on smoking and health from the Royal College of Physicians, which was published this month, contains important new sections on the smoking habits of children and the possible effect, on their future health. These include a twenty fold in the increase in the risk of lung cancer in heavy smokers and an increase of about three and a half times in the risk of dying from coronary(冠状的) heart disease; chronic(慢性的) oronchitis (支气管炎) and emphysema(肺气肿) are also much commoner. Teachers play an important part in determining the attitude of children to smoking, whether or not the children start to smoke, and in providing knowledge about the consequences of smoking. Whenever I see children of school age openly smoking in public, I wonder whether they really understand what they are doing. Probably most do not. I at least know that my clinical practice in lung disease will not be short of patients for the rest of my working life. About 34 percent of boys aged 15 smoke, and two thirds of this number of girls. Over the past ten years there has been a small but welcome reduction in the number of boys who smoke at this age, but an increase in the number of girls. One large study has shown that of those children who smoke more than one cigarette, as many as 85 percent become habitual (习惯的) smokers. This is partly because nicotine is one of the most dependent—producing drugs known, on a par with heroin and other hard drugs in this respect. One in three smokers start before the age of nine, some even as young as five. The causes of premature death which one-third of smokers will suffer, and of the prolonged illnesses which affect so many of them, are described in the report; its enough to say that the younger a child starts to smoke the greater are his chances of dying early. It has been shown that children who smoke have certain characteristics. Compared with nonsmokers they are more rebellious(__的), their work deteriorates(使变坏) as they move up school, they are more likely to leave school early, and are more often delinquent(违法的) and sexually(性的) precocious(早熟). Many of these features can be summarized as anticipation of adulthood. There are a number of factors which determine the onset(开始) of smoking, and these are largely psychological and social. They include availability of cigarettes, curiosity, rebelliousness, appearing tough, anticipation of adulthood, social confidence, example of parents and teachers, and smoking by friends and older brothers and sisters. It should be much easier to prevent children from starting to smoke than to persuades adults to give up the habit once established, but in fact, this has proved very difficult. The example set by people in authority, especially parents, health care workers, and teachers, is of prime importance. School rules should forbid smoking by children on the premises (场所). This rule has even been introduced at Summerhill School where I spent my school days. There is, however, a risk of children smoking just to rebel against the rules, and even in those schools which have tried to enforce no smoking by corporeal (肉体的) punishment there is much smoking as in other schools, Nevertheless, banning smoking is probably on balance beneficial. Teachers too should not smoke on school premises, at least not in front of children. People who smoke heavily______.

A:run a twenty-to-one risk of contracting lung cancer B:are most certain to suffer from one or more of lung and heart complaints C:are more prone than other people to certain lung complaints D:many run more risk of contracting certain lung and heart disease