Most important, scientists are beginning to realize that the climatic changes have had a major impact on the evolution of the human species. New research now suggests that climate shifts have played a key role in nearly every significant turning point in human evolution: from the dawn of primates (灵长目动物) some 65 million years ago to human ancestors rising up to walk on two legs, from the huge expansion of the human brain to the rise of agriculture. Indeed, the human history has not been merely touched by global climate change, some scientists argue, it has in some instances been driven by it.
The new research has profound implications for the environmental summit in Rio. Among other things, the findings demonstrate that dramatic climate change is nothing new for planet Earth. The benign (宜人的) global environment that has existed over the past 10,000 years — during which agriculture, writing, cities and most other features of civilization appeared — is a mere bright spot in a much larger pattern of widely varying climate over the ages. In fact, the pattern of climate change in the past reveals that Earth’s climate will almost certainly go through dramatic changes in the future — even without the influence of human activity.
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2011年6月大学英语六级网上报名入口
2011年大学英语六级考试阅读理解专项训练35篇汇总
英语六级考试考前备考时间分配原则介绍
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21. Farming emerged as a survival strategy because man had been obliged ______.
A) to give up his former way of life
B) to leave the coastal areas
C) to follow the ever-shifting vegetation
D) to abandon his original settlement
22. Earth scientists have come to understand that climate ______.
A) is going through a fundamental change
B) has been getting warmer for 10,000 years
C) will eventually change from hot to cold
D) has gone through periodical changes
23. Scientists believe that human evolution ______.
A) has seldom been accompanied by climatic changes
B) has exerted little influence on climatic changes
C) has largely been effected by climatic changes
D) has had a major impact on climatic changes
24. Evidence of past climatic changes indicates that ______.
A) human activities have accelerated changes of Earth’s environment
B) Earth’s environment will remain mild despite human interference
C) Earth’s climate is bound to change significantly in the future
D) Earth’s climate is unlikely to undergo substantial changes in the future
25. The message the author wishes to convey in the passage is that ______.
A) human civilization remains glorious though it is affected by climatic changes
B) mankind is virtually helpless in the face of the dramatic changes of climate
C) man has to limit his activities to slow down the global warming process
D) human civilization will continue to develop in spite of the changes of nature
Passage Two
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:
No woman can be too rich or too thin. This saying often attributed to the late Duchess (公爵夫人) of Windsor embodies much of the odd spirit of our times. Being thin is deemed as such a virtue.
The problem with such a view is that some people actually attempt to live by it. I myself have fantasies of slipping into narrow designer clothes. Consequently, I have been on a diet for the better — or worse — part of my life. Being rich wouldn’t be bad either, but that won’t happen unless an unknown relative dies suddenly in some distant land, leaving me millions of dollars.
Where did we go off the track? When did eating butter become a sin, and a little bit of extra flesh unappealing, if not repellent? All religions have certain days when people refrain from eating and excessive eating is one of Christianity’s seven deadly sins. However, until quite recently, most people had a problem getting enough to eat. In some religious groups, wealth was a symbol of probable salvation and high morals, and fatness a sign of wealth and well-being.
Today the opposite is true. We have shifted to thinness as our new mark of virtue. The result is that being fat — or even only somewhat overweight — is bad because it implies a lack of moral strength.
Our obsession (迷恋) with thinness is also fueled by health concerns. It is true that in this country we have more overweight people than ever before, and that, in many cases, being over-weight correlates with an increased risk of heart and blood vessel disease. These diseases, however, many have as much to do with our way of life and our high-fat diets as with excess weight. And the associated risk of cancer in the digestive system may be more of a dietary problem — too much fat and a lack of fiber — than a weight problem.
The real concern, then, is not that we weigh too much, but that we neither exercise enough nor eat well. Exercise is necessary for strong bones and both heart and lung health. A balanced diet without a lot of fat can also help the body avoid many diseases. We should surely stop paying so much attention to weight. Simply being thin is not enough. It is actually hazardous if those who get (or already are) thin think they are automatically healthy and thus free form paying attention to their overall life-style. Thinness can be pure vainglory (虚荣).
26. In the eyes of the author, an odd phenomenon nowadays is that ______.
A) the Duchess of Windsor is regarded as a woman of virtue.
B) looking slim is a symbol of having a large fortune
C) being thin is viewed as a much desired quality
D) religious people are not necessarily virtuous
27. Swept by the prevailing trend, the author ______.
A) had to go on a diet for the greater part of her life
B) could still prevent herself from going off the track
C) had to seek help from rich distant relatives
D) had to wear highly fashionable clothes
28. In human history, people’s views on body weight ______.
A) were closely related to their religious beliefs
B) changed from time to time
C) varied between the poor and the rich
D) led to different oral standards
29. The author criticizes women’s obsession with thinness ______.
A) from an economic and educational perspective
B) from sociological and medical points of view
C) from a historical and religious standpoint
D) in the light of moral principles
30. What’s the author’s advice to women who are absorbed in the idea of thinness?
A) They should be more concerned with their overall lifestyle.
B) They should be more watchful for fatal diseases.
C) They should gain weight to look healthy.
D) They should rid themselves of fantasies about designer clothes.
编辑推荐：
2011年6月大学英语六级网上报名入口
2011年大学英语六级考试阅读理解专项训练35篇汇总
英语六级考试考前备考时间分配原则介绍
www.dxs89.com