Passage Three

　　What can we do about global warming? The agreements forged at the 1992 Earth Summit and the 1997 Kyoto Global Climate Conference aim to mitigate the problem by controlling emissions of greenhouse gases. It is, however, mainly developed countries that are willing to consider this course of action. Yet the authors of the 1996 Global Burden of Disease Study calculate that the output of greenhouse gases from developing countries will increase over fourfold between 1990 and 2030, accounting for more than 60 per cent of total emissions by that date.

　　Trying to curb emissions is one thing, but what do we do about the climatic upheavals occurring in the meantime? An adaptational approach to climate change was suggested by the American Council on Science and Health in its 1997 report, Global Climate Change and Human Health. If global warming occurs as gradually as predicted by the IPCC, there will be several decades to plan a sensible, coordinated response.

　　General adaptational measures include ensuring that a country has adequate nourishment and clean drinking water, programmes to control infectious diseases, basic medical, obstetric(产科的) and infant care, and immunization(免疫) as well as relief programmes for emergencies such as hurricanes.

　　This approach can be applied to many of the direct and indirect effects of climate change. Cities whose location and population make them vulnerable to heat waves can reduce the urban heat load by installing building insulation, using reflective materials on roofs, roads and parking areas, and planting trees. Public education campaigns aiming to help people at risk are needed, as are accurate local weather recordings to predict very hot weather. And in preparing for storms and other extreme weather, early warning systems and evacuation plans are key, as are healthcare programmes that can cope with epidemics of infectious disease and other crises during the aftermath.

　　41.The controlling over the emission of greenhouse gases will probably be undertaken by ________.

　　A. the 1992 Earth Summit and the 1997 Kyoto Global Climate Conference

　　B. the developed countries

　　C. the developing countries

　　D. the Third World countries

　　42.Which of the following is NOT a way to prevent global warming?

　　A. To control the emission of greenhouse gases.

　　B. To adopt an adaptational approach.

　　C. To let global warming occur gradually.

　　D. To plan a sensible, coordinated response.

　　43.One of the measures to help stop global warming might be ________.

　　A. the accurate prediction of hurricanes

　　B. the provision of healthcare

　　C. the strict birth control policy

　　D. the programmes to avoid natural disasters

　　44.In preparing for extreme weather the most important thing to do is to ________.

　　A. use reflective materials on roofs, roads and parking areas

　　B. promote public education campaigns

　　C. establish early warning systems and make evacuation plans

　　D. carry out healthcare programmes

　　45.The word “aftermath” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to ________.

　　A. growth

　　B. development

　　C. happening

　　D. consequence

　　Passage Four

　　Involving males in the care of young is a successful strategy for animals that have long, complex developments – the price of having a lame brain, says John Allman, a neurobiologist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Species like humans need some out-of-womb experience to develop fully, and time the parents spend nurturing that growing brain is not available for producing more offspring. “So you’re going to have to take awfully good care of those few babies you have,” he says.

　　The good news is that caregivers seem to be heartily rewarded in terms of longevity. When Allman looked at records of birth and death in eight captive primate species, he found that the doting sex always lives longer. “It sort of dazzled me,” he admits. “It’s a very clear relationship.”

　　In chimpanzees, for instance, where fathers hardly know their children, mothers live an overwhelming 42 per cent longer. Similarly, female orangutans(猩猩) survive 20 per cent longer than their partners and gorillas 12 per cent longer. But in species where males were the caregivers, the tables were turned: male titi monkeys, for example, lived 20 per cent longer than females.

　　Humans fit somewhere in between. Allman studied records from 18th-century Sweden – a time and place where there were no major wars to kill off men – and found that females lived on average 5 per cent longer. And this despite women’s high risk of death during childbirth, Allman concludes that survival advantage in the care-giving sex is reinforced by natural selection. He believes the increased longevity is linked to an ability to deal with stress, which also increases the likelihood of successful parenting. “Gene” that enhance stress tolerance would be favoured in the caregiving sex.”

　　That human males play a big role in child-rearing should come as no surprise, Allman says. Taking brain size as an indicator, humans probably don’t fully mature until about 40. Yet we become reproductively mature long before that. “I would maintain that that could only come about if there are other caregivers around to help out,” he says. Other species with the big-brain/slow development dilemma have figured it out: recruit males. “That’s the way out of this box,” he says.

　　46.Species like humans should involve males in the care of the young because ________.

　　A. it may bring about a lame brain

　　B. they can produce more offspring

　　C. they have long, complex developments

　　D. their brains are often lame

　　47.After studying the birth and death records in eight captive primate species, Allman concluded that ________.

　　A. caregivers expect to have good rewards

　　B. the more care you give to offspring, the longer you live

　　C. caregiving has little or nothing to do with longevity

　　D. the death rate in captive primate species is higher than that in wild ones

　　48.Male ________ live longer than female ones.

　　A. chimpanzees      B. orangutans

　　C. human beings     D. titi monkeys

　　49.In 18th-century Sweden women lived on average 5 per cent longer than men because ________.

　　A. there were no major wars to kill off men

　　B. women had high risk of death during childbirth

　　C. men had to work much harder than women

　　D. women developed stronger stress tolerance during care- giving

　　50.From this passage we can infer that ________.

　　A. human reproductive maturity is earlier than that of his brain

　　B. it is surprising to see man play a big role in child-rearing

　　C. women are better suited for child-rearing

　　D.the big brain/slow development species live in boxes

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