单选集
单选集
People, like most animals, are naturally lazy. So the ascent of mankind is something of a mystery. Humans who make their livings hunting and gathering in the traditional way do not have to put much effort into it. Farmers who rely on rain to water their crops work significantly harder, and lead unhealthier lives. But the real back-breaking is that carried out by farmers who use irrigation. Yet it was the invention of irrigation, at first sight so harmful to its practitioners that actually produced a sufficient surplus to feed the priests, scholars, artists and so on whose activities are collectively thought of as "civilization".
In the past 10,000 years, the world’s climate has become temporarily colder and drier on several occasions. The first of these, known as the Younger Dryas, after a tundra-loving plant that thrived during it, occurred at the same time as the beginning of agriculture in northern Mesopotamia. It is widely believed that this was not a coincidence. The drying and cooling of the Younger Dryas adversely affected the food supply of hunter-gatherers. That would have created an incentive for agriculture to spread once some bright spark invented it.
Why farmers then moved on to irrigation is, however, far from clear. But Harvey Weiss, of Yale University, thinks he knows. Dr. Weiss observes that the development of irrigation coincides with a second cool, dry period, some 8,200 years ago. His analysis of rainfall patterns in the area suggests that rainfall in agriculture’s upper-Mesopotamian heartland would, at this time, have fallen below the level needed to sustain farming reliably. Farmers would thus have been forced out of the area in search of other opportunities.
Once again, an innovative spark was required. But it clearly occurred to some of these displaced farmers that the slow-moving waters of the lower Tigris and Euphrates, near sea level, could be diverted using canals and used to water crops. And the rest, as the cliche has it, is history.
So climate change helped to intensify agriculture, and thus start civilization. But an equally intriguing idea is that the spread of agriculture caused climate change. In this case, the presumed criminal is forest clearance. Most of the land cultivated by early farmers in the Middle East would have been forested. When the trees that grew there were cleared, the carbon they contained ended up in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Moreover, one form of farming—the cultivation of rice in waterlogged fields—generates methane, in large quantities. William Ruddiman, of the University of Virginia, explained that, in combination, these two phenomena had warmed the atmosphere prior to the start of the industrial era. As environmentalists are wont to observe, mankind is part of nature. These studies show just how intimate the relationship is.
According to Dr. Weiss, the second cool and dry period eventually
A:changed the growing season. B:spurred the use of canals. C:forced the farmers to desert agriculture. D:led to declining populations.
Text 4
People, like most animals, are naturally lazy. So the ascent of mankind is something of a mystery. Humans who make their livings hunting and gathering in the traditional way do not have to put much effort into it. Farmers who rely on rain to water their crops work significantly harder, and lead unhealthier lives. But the real back-breaking is that carried out by farmers who use irrigation. Yet it was the invention of irrigation, at first sight so harmful to its practitioners that actually produced a sufficient surplus to feed the priests, scholars, artists and so on whose activities are collectively thought of as "civilization".
In the past 10,000 years, the world’s climate has become temporarily colder and drier on several occasions. The first of these, known as the Younger Dryas, after a tundra-loving plant that thrived during it, occurred at the same time as the beginning of agriculture in northern Mesopotamia. It is widely believed that this was not a coincidence. The drying and cooling of the Younger Dryas adversely affected the food supply of hunter-gatherers. That would have created an incentive for agriculture to spread once some bright spark invented it.
Why farmers then moved on to irrigation is, however, far from clear. But Harvey Weiss, of Yale University, thinks he knows. Dr. Weiss observes that the development of irrigation coincides with a second cool, dry !0eriod, some 8,200 years ago. His analysis of rainfall patterns in the area suggests that rainfall in agriculture’s upper-Mesopotamian heartland would, at this time, have fallen below the level needed to sustain farming reliably. Farmers would thus have been forced out of the area in search of other opportunities.
Once again, an innovative spark was required. But it clearly occurred to some of these displaced farmers that the slow-moving waters of the lower Tigris and Euphrates, near sea level, could be diverted using canals and used to water crops. And the rest, as the elieh6 has it, is history.
So climate change helped to intensify agriculture, and thus start civilization. But an equally intriguing idea is that the spread of agriculture caused climate change. In this case, the presumed criminal is forest clearance. Most of the land cultivated by early farmers in the Middle East would have been forested. When the trees that grew there were cleared, the carbon they contained ended up in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Moreover, one form of farming—the cultivation of rice in waterlogged fields—generates methane, in large quantities. William Ruddiman, of the University of Virginia, explained that, in combination, these two phenomena had warmed the atmosphere prior to the start of the industrial era. As environmentalists are wont to observe, mankind is part of nature. These studies show just how intimate the relationship is.
A:changed the growing season. B:spurred the use of canals. C:forced the farmers to desert agriculture. D:led to declining populations.
People, like most animals, are naturally lazy. So the ascent of mankind is something of a mystery. Humans who make their livings hunting and gathering in the traditional way do not have to put much effort into it. Farmers who rely on rain to water their crops work significantly harder, and lead unhealthier lives. But the real back-breaking is that carried out by farmers who use irrigation. Yet it was the invention of irrigation, at first sight so harmful to its practitioners that actually produced a sufficient surplus to feed the priests, scholars, artists and so on whose activities are collectively thought of as "civilization".
In the past 10,000 years, the world’s climate has become temporarily colder and drier on several occasions. The first of these, known as the Younger Dryas, after a tundra-loving plant that thrived during it, occurred at the same time as the beginning of agriculture in northern Mesopotamia. It is widely believed that this was not a coincidence. The drying and cooling of the Younger Dryas adversely affected the food supply of hunter-gatherers. That would have created an incentive for agriculture to spread once some bright spark invented it.
Why farmers then moved on to irrigation is, however, far from clear. But Harvey Weiss, of Yale University, thinks he knows. Dr. Weiss observes that the development of irrigation coincides with a second cool, dry period, some 8,200 years ago. His analysis of rainfall patterns in the area suggests that rainfall in agriculture’s upper-Mesopotamian heartland would, at this time, have fallen below the level needed to sustain farming reliably. Farmers would thus have been forced out of the area in search of other opportunities.
Once again, an innovative spark was required. But it clearly occurred to some of these displaced farmers that the slow-moving waters of the lower Tigris and Euphrates, near sea level, could be diverted using canals and used to water crops. And the rest, as the cliche has it, is history.
So climate change helped to intensify agriculture, and thus start civilization. But an equally intriguing idea is that the spread of agriculture caused climate change. In this case, the presumed criminal is forest clearance. Most of the land cultivated by early farmers in the Middle East would have been forested. When the trees that grew there were cleared, the carbon they contained ended up in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Moreover, one form of farming—the cultivation of rice in waterlogged fields—generates methane, in large quantities. William Ruddiman, of the University of Virginia, explained that, in combination, these two phenomena had warmed the atmosphere prior to the start of the industrial era. As environmentalists are wont to observe, mankind is part of nature. These studies show just how intimate the relationship is.
A:changed the growing season. B:spurred the use of canals. C:forced the farmers to desert agriculture. D:led to declining populations.
One of the many pleasures of watching Mad Men, a television drama about the advertising industry in the early 1960s, is examining the ways in which office life has changed over the years. One obvious change makes people feel good about themselves: they no longer treat women as second-class citizens. But the other obvious change makes them feel a bit more uneasy: they have lost the art of enjoying themselves at work.
The ad-men in those days enjoyed simple pleasures. They puffed away at their desks. They drank throughout the day. They had affairs with their colleagues. They socialised not in order to bond, but in order to get drunk. Nowadays many companies are obsessed with fun. Software firms in Silicon Valley have installed rock-climbing walls in their reception areas and put inflatable animals in their offices. Wal-Mart orders its cashiers to smile at all and sundry. The cult of fun has spread like some disgusting haemorrhagic disease.
This cult of fun is driven by three of the most popular management fads of the moment: empowerment, engagement and creativity. Many companies pride themselves on devolving power to front-line workers. But surveys show that only 20% of workers are" fully engaged with their job ". Even fewer are creative. Managers hope that " fun" will magically make workers more engaged and creative. But the problem is that as soon as fun becomes part of a corporate strategy it ceases to be fun and becomes its opposite—at best an empty shell and at worst a tiresome imposition.
The most unpleasant thing about the fashion for fun is that it is mixed with a large dose of pressure. Boston Pizza encourages workers to send" golden bananas" to colleagues who are "having fun while being the best". Behind the" fun" there often lurks some crude management thinking: a desire to brand the company as better than its rivals, or a plan to boost productivity through team-building. Twitter even boasts that it has" worked hard to create an environment that spawns productivity and happiness".
While imposing fake fun on their employees, companies are battling against the real thing. Many force smokers to huddle outside like furtive criminals. Few allow their employees to drink at lunch time, let alone earlier in the day. A regiment of busybodies— from lawyers to human resources functionaries—is waging war on office romance, particularly between people of different ranks.
The merchants of fake fun have met some resistance. When Wal-Mart tried to impose alien rules on its German staff—such as compulsory smiling and a ban on affairs with coworkers—it touched off a guerrilla war that ended only when the supermarket chain announced it was pulling out of Germany in 2006. But such victories are rare. For most wage slaves forced to pretend they are having fun at work, the only relief is to poke fun at their tormentors. Mad Men reminds people of a world they have lost—a world where bosses did not tbink that"fun" was a management tool and where employees could happily quaff Scotch at noon. Cheers to that.
A:they are free to enjoy simple and spontaneous fun B:they are empowered to make individual decisions C:they are not forced to boost creavitivity and productivity D:they can take a relief to poke fun at their boss
A:beat back when forced to face rude driving B:be able to recognize politeness when he sees it C:encourage old ladies to cross the roads whenever they want to D:join in traffic stream quickly however other people feel
My father died when l was a few months old．After his death，my mother moved back to Louis,ville，Kentucky，where she had grown up．We lived in a small house with her older sister，Marion，and their mother．This was a time when being a single l6 was still considered unusual． When l was small，there was a children’S book called The Happy Family，and it was a realpiece of work．Dad worked all day log at the office，Mom cooked in the kitchen，and brother and sister always had friends sleeping over．The image of the family in this book was typical(典型的)of the time． It looked l7 like my family，but luckily that wasn’t the way I heard it．The way my Aunt Marion read it to me made the story really 18 ． Kind—hearted and openminded，my aunt was the one who played baseball with me，who took me horseback riding，who took me to the father—son dinners and who gave me lessons on how to drive．Believing that anything 19 badly good for，she 20 to get a loan(贷款)SO that I could go to Africa to work as a volunteer，which was my most important experience． As a young girl，Aunt Marion always planned to have a large number of children of her own，but she never got married．This 21 that she was free to spend all her time taking care of me．Many people say we have a lot in common．She always 22 me to do my best．She never 23 to make me believe that I could do anything that l wanted with my life．if I only tried hard enough． For more than sixty years，Aunt Marion didn’t and still don’t think of herself．24 she is forced to come up to the front，my aunt will stand in the back in family photos，and she doesn’t think that her efforts have made much 25 ．I honor my aunt，who taught me the things my father couldn’t．So every June for the past 40 years，in growing thankfulness to my Aunt Marion，I’ve senther a Father’S Day card．
A:allowed B:encouraged C:offered D:forced
My father died when l was a few months old．After his death，my mother moved back to Louis,ville，Kentucky，where she had grown up．We lived in a small house with her older sister，Marion，and their mother．This was a time when being a single l6 was still considered unusual． When l was small，there was a children’S book called The Happy Family，and it was a realpiece of work．Dad worked all day log at the office，Mom cooked in the kitchen，and brother and sister always had friends sleeping over．The image of the family in this book was typical(典型的)of the time． It looked l7 like my family，but luckily that wasn’t the way I heard it．The way my Aunt Marion read it to me made the story really 18 ． Kind—hearted and openminded，my aunt was the one who played baseball with me，who took me horseback riding，who took me to the father—son dinners and who gave me lessons on how to drive．Believing that anything 19 badly good for，she 20 to get a loan(贷款)SO that I could go to Africa to work as a volunteer，which was my most important experience． As a young girl，Aunt Marion always planned to have a large number of children of her own，but she never got married．This 21 that she was free to spend all her time taking care of me．Many people say we have a lot in common．She always 22 me to do my best．She never 23 to make me believe that I could do anything that l wanted with my life．if I only tried hard enough． For more than sixty years，Aunt Marion didn’t and still don’t think of herself．24 she is forced to come up to the front，my aunt will stand in the back in family photos，and she doesn’t think that her efforts have made much 25 ．I honor my aunt，who taught me the things my father couldn’t．So every June for the past 40 years，in growing thankfulness to my Aunt Marion，I’ve senther a Father’S Day card．
A:allowed B:encouraged C:offered D:forced
My father died when l was a few months old．After his death，my mother moved back to Louis,ville，Kentucky，where she had grown up．We lived in a small house with her older sister，Marion，and their mother．This was a time when being a single l6 was still considered unusual． When l was small，there was a children’S book called The Happy Family，and it was a realpiece of work．Dad worked all day log at the office，Mom cooked in the kitchen，and brother and sister always had friends sleeping over．The image of the family in this book was typical(典型的)of the time． It looked l7 like my family，but luckily that wasn’t the way I heard it．The way my Aunt Marion read it to me made the story really 18 ． Kind—hearted and openminded，my aunt was the one who played baseball with me，who took me horseback riding，who took me to the father—son dinners and who gave me lessons on how to drive．Believing that anything 19 badly good for，she 20 to get a loan(贷款)SO that I could go to Africa to work as a volunteer，which was my most important experience． As a young girl，Aunt Marion always planned to have a large number of children of her own，but she never got married．This 21 that she was free to spend all her time taking care of me．Many people say we have a lot in common．She always 22 me to do my best．She never 23 to make me believe that I could do anything that l wanted with my life．if I only tried hard enough． For more than sixty years，Aunt Marion didn’t and still don’t think of herself．24 she is forced to come up to the front，my aunt will stand in the back in family photos，and she doesn’t think that her efforts have made much 25 ．I honor my aunt，who taught me the things my father couldn’t．So every June for the past 40 years，in growing thankfulness to my Aunt Marion，I’ve senther a Father’S Day card．
A:allowed B:encouraged C:offered D:forced
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