From the 18th through the mid-19th century, whale oil provided light to much of the Western world. At its peak, whaling employed 70,000 people and was the United States’ fifth-largest industry. The U. S. stood as the world’s foremost whale slayer. Producing millions of gallons of oil each year, the industry was widely seen as unassailable, with advocates scoffing at would-be illumination substitutes like. lard oil and camphene. Without whale oil, so the thinking went, the world would slide backward toward darkness.
By today’s standard, of course, slaughtering whales is considered barbaric. Two hundred years ago there was no environmental movement to speak of. But one wonders if the whalers, finding that each year they needed to go farther afield from Nantucket Island to kill massive sea mammals, ever asked themselves: what will happen when we run out of whales Such questions today constitute the cornerstone of the ever-louder logic of sustainability.
Climate alarmists and campaigning environmentalists argue that the industrialized countries of the world have made sizable withdrawals on nature’s fixed allowance, and unless we change our ways, and soon, we are doomed to an abrupt end. Take the recent proclamation from the United Nations Environment Program, which argued that governments should dramatically cut back on the use of resources. The mantra has become commonplace: our current way of living is selfish and unsustainable. We are wrecking the world. We are cutting down the rainforest. We are polluting the water. We are polluting the air. We are killing plants and animals, destroying the ozone layer, burning the world through our addiction to fossil fuels, and leaving a devastated planet for future generations. In other words, humanity is doomed.
It is a compelling story, no doubt. It is also fundamentally wrong, and the consequences are severe. Tragically, exaggerated environmental worries—and the willingness of so many to believe them—could ultimately prevent us from finding smarter ways to actually help our planet and ensure the health of the environment for future generations.
Because, our fears notwithstanding, we actually get smarter. Although Westerners were once reliant on whale oil for lighting, we never actually ran out of whales. Why High demand and rising prices for whale oil spurred a search for and investment in the 19th-century version of alternative energy. First, kerosene from petroleum replaced whale oil. We didn’t run out of kerosene, either: electricity supplanted, it because it was a superior way to light our planet.
For generations, we have consistently underestimated our capacity for innovation. There was a time when we worried that all of London would be covered with horse manure because of the increasing use of horse-drawn carriages. Thanks to the invention of the car, London has 7 million inhabitants today. Dung disaster averted.
In fact, would-be catastrophes have regularly been pushed aside throughout human history, and so often because of innovation and technological development. We never just continue to do the same old thing. We innovate and avoid the anticipated problems.
The author’s attitude to the environmentalists’ alarming rhetoric is

A:negative. B:supportive. C:impersonal. D:defensive.

Research is commonly divided into "applied" and "pure". This classification is arbitrary and loose, but what is usually meant is that applied research is a deliberate investigation of a problem of practical importance, in contradistinction to pure research done to gain knowledge for its own sake. The pure scientist may be said to accept as an act of faith that any scientific knowledge is worth pursuing for its own sake, and, if pressed, he usually claims that in most instances it is eventually found to be useful. Most of the greatest discoveries, such as the discovery of electricity, X-rays, radium and atomic energy, originated from pure research, which allows the worker to follow unexpected, interesting clues without the intention of achieving results of practical value. In applied research it is the project which is given support, whereas in pure research it is the man. However, often the distinction between pure and applied research is a superficial one as it may merely depend on whether or not the subject investigated is one of practical importance, For example, the investigation of the life cycle of a protozoon in a pond is pure research, but if the protozoon studied is a parasite of man or domestic animal the research would be termed applied. A more fundamental differentiation, which corresponds only very roughly with the applied and pure classification is (a) that in which the objective is given and the means of obtaining it are sought, and (b) that in which the discovery is first made and then a use for it is sought.
There exists in some circles a certain amount of intellectual snobbery and tendency to look contemptuously, on applied investigation. This attitude is based on the following two false ideas: that new knowledge is only discovered by pure research while applied research merely seeks to apply knowledge already available, and that pure research is a higher intellectual activity because it requires greater scientific ability and is more difficult. Both these ideas are quite wrong. Important new knowledge has frequently arisen from applied investigation; for instance, the science of bacteriology originated largely from Pasteur’s investigations of practical problem in the beer, wine and silkworm industries. Usually it is more difficult to get results in applied research than in pure research, because the worker has to stick to and solve a given problem instead of following any promising clue that may turn up. Also in applied research most fields have already been well worked over and many of the easy and obvious things have been done. Applied research should not be confused with the routine practice of some branch of science where only the application of existing knowledge is attempted. There is need for both pure and applied research for they tend to be complementary.

According to the author,（）

A:the investigation of the life cycle of a protozoon is pure research. B:applied investigation is looked down upon in modern society. C:the discovery of X-rays was made in applied research. D:the common classification of research is neither accurate nor impersonal.

According to the author,

A:the investigation of the life cycle of a protozoon is pure research. B:applied investigation is looked down upon in modern society. C:the discovery of X-rays was made in applied research. D:the common classification of research is neither accurate nor impersonal.

I think that a successful old age is easiest for those who have strong impersonal interests involving appropriate activities. (46) It is in this sphere that long experience is really fruitful, and it is in this sphere that the wisdom born of experience can be exercised without being oppressive. It is no use telling grown-up children not to make mistakes, both because they will not believe you, and because mistakes are an essential part of education. (47) But if you are one of those who are incapable of impersonal interests, you may find that your life will be empty unless you concern yourself with your children and grandchildren. In that case you must realize that while you can still render them material services, such as making them an allowance or knitting them jumpers, you must not expect that they will enjoy your company.
Some old people are oppressed by the fear of death. In the young there is a justification for this feeling. (48) Young men who have reason to fear that they will be killed in battle may justifiably feel bitter in the thought that they have been cheated of the best things that life has to offer. But in an old man who has known human joys and sorrows, and has achieved whatever work it was in him to do, the fear of death is somewhat abject and ignoble. (49) The best way to overcome it—so at least it seems to me—is to make your interests gradually wider and more impersonal, until bit by bit the walls of the ego recede, and your life becomes increasingly merged in the universal life . An individual human existence should be like a river—small at first, narrowly contained within its banks, and rushing passionately past rocks and over waterfalls. Gradually the river grows wider, the banks recede, the waters flow more quietly, and in the end, without any visible break, they become merged in the sea, and painlessly lose their individual being. The man who, in old age, can see his life in this way, will not suffer from the fear of death, since the things he cares for will continue. And if, with the decay of vitality, weariness increases, the thought of rest will not be unwelcome. (50) I should wish to die while still at work, knowing that others will carry on what I can no longer do and content in the thought that what was possible has been done. (423 words)

But if you are one of those who are incapable of impersonal interests, you may find that your life will be empty unless you concern yourself with your children and grandchildren.

[参考译文]
但如果你没有什么广泛的爱好，那么你就会觉得，如果不将心思放在儿孙身上的话，生活就会空虚无望。

I think that a successful old age is easiest for those who have strong impersonal interests involving appropriate activities. (46) It is in this sphere that long experience is really fruitful, and it is in this sphere that the wisdom born of experience can be exercised without being oppressive. It is no use telling grown-up children not to make mistakes, both because they will not believe you, and because mistakes are an essential part of education. (47) But if you are one of those who are incapable of impersonal interests, you may find that your life will be empty unless you concern yourself with your children and grandchildren. In that case you must realize that while you can still render them material services, such as making them an allowance or knitting them jumpers, you must not expect that they will enjoy your company.
Some old people are oppressed by the fear of death. In the young there is a justification for this feeling. (48) Young men who have reason to fear that they will be killed in battle may justifiably feel bitter in the thought that they have been cheated of the best things that life has to offer. But in an old man who has known human joys and sorrows, and has achieved whatever work it was in him to do, the fear of death is somewhat abject and ignoble. (49) The best way to overcome it—so at least it seems to me—is to make your interests gradually wider and more impersonal, until bit by bit the walls of the ego recede, and your life becomes increasingly merged in the universal life . An individual human existence should be like a river—small at first, narrowly contained within its banks, and rushing passionately past rocks and over waterfalls. Gradually the river grows wider, the banks recede, the waters flow more quietly, and in the end, without any visible break, they become merged in the sea, and painlessly lose their individual being. The man who, in old age, can see his life in this way, will not suffer from the fear of death, since the things he cares for will continue. And if, with the decay of vitality, weariness increases, the thought of rest will not be unwelcome. (50) I should wish to die while still at work, knowing that others will carry on what I can no longer do and content in the thought that what was possible has been done. (423 words)

The best way to overcome it—so at least it seems to me—is to make your interests gradually wider and more impersonal, until bit by bit the walls of the ego recede, and your life becomes increasingly merged in the universal life

[参考译文]
克服这种恐惧的最好方法是——至少在我看来如此——逐渐拓展你的兴趣范围，使之越来越超出个人之外，最终你的自我意识会逐步消失，生命也将越来越融入整个社会生活。

I’m seventeen. I had worked as a box boy at a supermarket in Leangles. People came to the counter and you put things in their bags for them and carried things to their cars. It was hard work.
While working, you wear a plate with your name on it. I once met someone I knew years ago. I remembered his name and said, "Mr. Castle, how are you" We talked about this and that. As he left, he said, "It was nice talking to you, Brett." I felt great, he remembered me. Then I looked down at my name plate. Oh no. He didn’t remember me at all, he just read the name plate. I wish I had put "Irving" down on my name plate. If he’d have said, "Oh yes, Irving, how could I forget you" I’d have been ready for him. There’s nothing personal here.
The manager and everyone else who were a step above the box boys often shouted orders. One of these was: you couldn’t accept tips (小费). Okay, I’m outside and put the bags in the car. For a lot of people, the natural reaction (反应) is to take a quarter and give it to me. I’d say, "I’m sorry, I can’t." They’d get angry. When you give someone a tip, you’re sort of being polite. You take a quarter and put it in their hand and you expect them to say, "Oh, thanks a lot." When you say, "I’m sorry, I can’t," they feel a little put down. They say, "No one will know." And they put it in your pocket. You say, "I really can’t." It gets to a point where you almost have to hurt a person physically (身体上的) to prevent him from tipping you. It was not in agreement with the store’s belief in being friendly. Accepting tips was a friendly thing and made the customer feel good. I just couldn’t understand the strangeness of some people’s ideas. One lady actually put it in my pocket, got in the car, and drove away. I would have had to throw the quarter at her or eaten it or something.
I had decided that one year was enough. Some people needed the job to stay alive and fed. I guess I had the means and could afford to hate it and give it up.
From the second paragraph, we can infer that ______.

A:the writer didn’t like the impersonal part of his job B:with a name plate, people can easily start talking C:Mr. Castle mistook Irving for Brett D:Irving was the writer’s real name

Why does the writer say that the American society today is an "impersonal" society (last paragraph)

A:Because American people do not like to talk to each other. B:Because the society does not have small communities now. C:Because not many people say "hello" to each other when they meet. D:Because people no longer maintain close relations with each other.

When school was out, I hurried to find my sister and get out of the schoolyard before seeing anybody in my class. But Barbara and her friends had beaten us to the playground entrance and they seemed to be waiting for us. Barbara said, "So now you’re in the A class. " She sounded impressed. "What’s the A class" I asked. Everybody made superior yet faintly envious giggling sounds. "Well, why did you think the teacher moved you to the front of the room, dopey Didn’t you know you were in the C class before, way in the back of the room" Of course I hadn’t known. The Wenatchee fifth grade was bigger than my whole school which had been in North Dakota, and the idea of subdivisions within a grade had never occurred to me. The subdividing for the first marking period had been done before I came to the school, and 1 had never, in the six weeks I’d been there, talked to anyone long enough to find out about the A, B, and C classes.
I still could not understand why that had made such a difference to Barbara and her friends. I didn’t yet know that it was shameful and dirty to be a transient laborer and ridiculous to be from North Dakota. I thought living in a tent was more fun than living in a house.
I didn’t know that we were gypsies, really (how that thought would have excited me then!), and that we were regarded with the suspicion felt by those who plant toward those who do not plant. It didn’t occur to me that we were all looked upon as one more of the untrustworthy natural phenomena, drifting here and there like mists or winds. I didn’t know that I was the only child who had camped on the Baumann’s land ever to get out of the C class. I didn’t know that school administrators and civic leaders held conferences to talk about the problem of transient laborers.
I only knew that for two happy days I walked to school with Barbara and her friends, played hopscotch and jumped rope with them at class intervals, and was even invited into the house for some ginger ale—a strange drink I had never tasted before.
The tone of this passage as a whole is______.

A:reflective B:enthusiastic C:impersonal D:defensive

下面有3篇短文，每篇短文后有5道题，每题后面有4个选项。请仔细阅读短文并根据短文回答其后面的问题。
{{B}}第一篇{{/B}}

The tone of the author’s conclusion concerning pandas’ survival is______.

A:worried B:optimistic C:angry D:impersonal