“综合英语”课程第二学期英语阅读训练 材料提供人：张少林
Reading Material_2-13
Passage 1
The most exciting kind of education is also the most personal. Nothing can exceed the joy of discovering for yourself something that is important to you! It may be an idea or a bit of information you come across accidentally—or a sudden insight, fitting together pieces of information or working through a problem. Such personal encounters are the “payoff” in education. A teacher may direct you to learning and even encourage you in it—but no teacher can make the excitement or the joy happen. That’s up to you.
A research paper, assigned in a course and perhaps checked at various stages by an instructor, leads you beyond classroom, beyond the texts for classes and into a process where the joy of discovery and learning can come to you many times. Preparing the research paper is an active and individual process, and ideal learning process. It provides a structure within which you can make exciting discoveries, of knowledge and of self, that are basic to education. But the research paper also gives you a chance to individualize a school assignment, to suit a piece of work to your own interests and abilities, to show others what you can do. Writing a research paper is more than just a classroom exercise. It is an experience in searching out, understanding and synthesizing, which forms the basis of many skills applicable to both academic and nonacademic tasks. It is, in the fullest sense, a discovering, an education. So, to produce a good research paper is both a useful and a thoroughly satisfying experience!
To some, the thought of having to write an assigned number of pages, often more than ever produced before, is disconcerting. To others, the very idea of having to work independently is threatening. But there is no need to approach the research paper assignment with anxiety, and nobody should view the research paper as an obstacle to overcome. Instead, consider it a goal to accomplish, a goal within reach if you use the help this book can give you.
1. According to the writer, personal discoveries ______.
A) will give one encouragement and direction
B) are helpful in finding the right information
C) are the most valuable part of one’s personal education
D) will help one to successfully complete school assignments
2. It can be inferred from the passage that writing a research paper gives one chances ______.
A) to fully develop one’s personal abilities
B) to use the skills learnt in the classroom
C) to prove that one is a productive writer
D) to demonstrate how well one can accomplish school assignment
3. From the context, the word “disconcerting” (Para. 3, Line 2) most probably means ______.
A) misleading
B) embarrassing
C) stimulating
D) upsetting
4. The writer argues in the passage that ______.
A) one should explore new areas in research
B) one should trust one’s own ability to meet course requirements
C) one should consider research paper writing a pleasure, not a burden
D) one should use all one’s knowledge and skills when doing research
5. What will probably follow this passage?
A) How to write a research paper.
B) The importance of research in education.
C) How to make new discoveries for oneself.
D) The skill of putting pieces of information together.
Passage 2
Recent research has claimed that an excess of positive ions in the air can have an ill effect on people's physical or psychological health. What are positive ions？Well，the air is full of ions，electrically charged particles，and generally there is a rough balance between the positive and the negative charged. But sometimes this balance becomes disturbed and a larger proportion of positive ions are found. This happens naturally before thunderstorm，earthquakes when winds such as the Mistral，Hamsin or Sharav are blowing in certain countries. Or it can be caused by a build-up of static electricity indoors from carpets or clothing made of man-made fibres，or from TV sets，duplicators or computer display screens.
When a large number of positive ions are present in the air many people experience unpleasant effects such as headaches，fatigue，irritability，and some particularly sensitive people suffer nausea or even mental disturbance. Animals are also affected，particularly before earthquakes，snakes have been observed to come out of hibernation，rats to flee from their burrows，dogs howl and cats jump about unaccountably. This has led the US Geographical Survey to fund a network of volunteers to watch animals in an effort to foresee such disasters before they hit vulnerable areas such as California.
Conversely，when large numbers of negative ions are present，then people have a feeling of well-being. Natural conditions that produce these large amounts are near the sea，close to waterfalls or fountains，or in any place where water is sprayed，or forms a spray. This probably accounts for the beneficial effect of a holiday by the sea， or in the mountains with tumbling streams or waterfalls.
To increase the supply of negative ions indoors，some scientists recommend the use of ionisers：small portable machines，which generate negative ions. They claim that ionisers not only clean and refresh the air but also improve the health of people sensitive to excess positive ions. Of course，there are the detractors，other scientists，who dismiss such claims and are skeptical about negative/positive ion research. Therefore people can only make up their own minds by observing the effects on themselves，or on others，of a negative rich or poor environment. After all it is debatable whether depending on seismic readings to anticipate earthquakes is more effective than watching the cat.
6.What effect does exceeding positive ionization have on some people？
A.They think they are insane.
B.They feel rather bad-tempered and short-fussed.
C.They become violently sick.
D.They are too tired to do anything.
7.In accordance with the passage，static electricity can be caused by___.
A.using home-made electrical goods.
B.wearing clothes made of natural materials.
C.walking on artificial floor coverings.
D.copying TV programs on a computer.
8.A high negative ion count is likely to be found___.
A.near a pound with a water pump.
B.close to a slow-flowing river.
C.high in some barren mountains.
D.by a rotating water sprinkler.
9.What kind of machine can generate negative ions indoors？
A.Ionisers.
B.Air-conditioners.
C.Exhaust-fans
D.Vacuum pumps.
10.Some scientists believe that___.
A.watching animals to anticipate earthquakes is more effective than depending on seismography.
B.the unusual behavior of animals cannot be trusted.
C.neither watching nor using seismographs is reliable.
D.earthquake