MaryCassattisoneofthefirstgrea-优题课

Comprehensive lifestyle changes including a better diet and more exercise can lead not only to a better physique, but also to swift and dramatic changes at the genetic level, U.S. researchers said on Monday. In a small study, the researchers tracked 30 men with low-risk prostate cancer（前列腺癌）who decided against conventional medical treatment such as surgery and radiation or hormone therapy.
The men underwent three months of major lifestyle changes, including eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and soy products, moderate exercise such as walking for half an hour a day, and an hour of daily stress management methods such as meditation（冥想）. As expected, they lost weight, lowered their blood pressure and saw other health improvements. But the researchers found more profound changes when they compared prostate biopsies taken before and after the lifestyle changes. After the three months, the men had changes in activity in about 500 genes -- including 48 that were turned on and 453 genes that were turned off. The activity of disease-preventing genes increased while a number of disease-promoting genes, including those involved in prostate cancer and breast cancer, shut down, according to the study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The research was led by Dr. Dean Ornish, head of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, California, and a well-known author advocating lifestyle changes to improve health. "It's an exciting finding because so often people say, 'Oh, it's all in my genes, what can I do?' Well, it turns out you may be able to do a lot," Ornish, who is also connected with the University of California, San Francisco, said in a telephone interview. "'In just three months, I can change hundreds of my genes simply by changing what I eat and how I live'. That's pretty exciting," Ornish said. "The implications of our study are not limited to men with prostate cancer."
60. The article basically states that a healthy lifestyle__________.
A. can even change your genes for the better.
B. has no effect on your genes.
C. is good for the environment.
D. helps men recover from prostate cancer.
61. Apart from eating healthy food and exercising, the men in the study__________.
A. were put under a lot of stress.
B. were walking for hours a day..
C. were taught stress management methods.
D. were thinking for a whole day.
62. In total, how many disease-preventing genes turned on as a result of the healthy lifestyle?
A. 30 B. 453 C.500 D. 48
63. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the article?
A. The men with low-risk prostate in the study lost weight and lowered their blood pressure.
B. A famous author and Dr. Dean Ornish led this research.
C. Dr. Dean Ornish expressed his optimism about this research in a telephone interview.
D. Conventional medical treatment has no effect on the men with prostate cancer.

第三部分：阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）
选择题（共17小题：每小题2分，满分34分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Three armed robbers stole two Pablo Picasso prints from an art museum in downtown Sao Paulo on Thursday, which was the city's second high-profile art theft in less than a year. The bandits also took two oil paintings by well-known Brazilian artists Emiliano Di Cavalcanti and Lasar Segall, said Carla Regina, a spokeswoman for the Pinacoteca do Estado museum.
The Picasso prints stolen were "The Painter and the Model" from 1963 and "Minotaur, Drinker and Women" from 1933, according to a statement from the Sao Paulo Secretary of State for Culture, which oversees the museum. The prints and paintings have a combined value of $612,000, the statement and a museum official said.
About noon, three armed men paid the $2.45 entrance fee and immediately went to the second-floor gallery where the works were being exhibited, bypassing more valuable pieces, authorities said. "This indicates to us that they probably received an order" to take those specific works, Youssef Abou Chain, head of Sao Paulo's organized crime unit, told reporters at a news conference. The assailants overpowered three unarmed museum guards and grabbed the works, officials said. The robbery took about 10 minutes and the museum was nearly empty at the time. The assailants took the pieces — frames and all — out of the museum in two bags. The institution has no metal detectors.
In December, Picasso's "Portrait of Suzanne Bloch" and "O Lavrador de Cafe" by Candido Portinari, an influential Brazilian artist, were stolen from the Sao Paulo Museum of Art by three men who used a crowbar（铁撬棍）and car jack to force open one of the museum's steel doors. The framed paintings were found Jan. 8, covered in plastic and leaning against a wall in a house on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, South America's largest city. One of the suspects in that robbery — a former TV chef — turned himself over to police in January, who already had two suspects in custody（监禁）.
56. What did the armed men steal on Thursday?
A. Two prints by Pablo Picasso
B. Two oil painting by Brazilian artists
C. Two prints by Pablo Picasso and two oil paintings by two Brazilian artists.
D. Two prints by two Brazilian artists and two oil paintings by Picasso Pablo.
57. Why didn't the thieves take other more valuable works?
A. Because they didn't know that the other pieces were worth more.
B. Probably because they had received an order for the prints that they took.
C. Because they didn't have enough time.
D. Because they were in such a hurry that they couldn’t get them all.
58. How many people were in the museum during the robbery?
A. A lot. The museum was crowded.
B. Not too many. It was almost empty.
C. There were a lot of people outside the museum.
D. Only three of them.
59. According to the passage, which of the followings is TRUE?
A. In December, "Portrait of Suzanne Bloch" and "O Lavrador de Cafe" painted by Candido Portinari were stolen.
B. There are steel doors and no detectors in Sao Paulo Museum of Art.
C. Three robbers defeated three armed museum guards and took away the works on Thursday.
D. Three suspects in the first high-profile art theft in less than a year were arrested.

The first bullet "train designed and manufactured in China with a speed of 300 kilometers per hour roiled off the production line on Saturday morning. The train was the latest model in the country' s China Railway High-speed (CRH) Series. This marks that China has joined a leading world club after Japan, France and Germany to become the fourth country capable of turning out such high speed trains. Previously, China' s fastest selfdeveloped trains ran at a service speed of up to 250 km per hour.
Those trains, which presented to public on April 18, served the Beijing-Harbin, Beijing-Shanghai and Beijing-Guangzhou routes. The new streamlined train was made of aluminum alloy(铝合金). The train body was the lightest of its kind in the world; Such a design was for the sake of energy economization. The train' s power was 12.7 kilowatts, lower than other high-speed trains, which was normally about 15 kilowatts.
The new train, which features a bar in the dining car and double-faced LCD TV screens in the first-class cars, was equipped with shock absorbers between carriages. As the train is running at a high speed, the shock absorbers are used to reduce shocking force and rocking of the train body. A train with eight carriages could seat about 600 passengers. They were expected to run on the 115-km Beijing-Tianjin route starting from August before the Beijing Olympic Games. It would reduce the journey time from the current 80 minutes to around 30 minutes.
77. From the 1st paragraph we learn that_______.
A. The latest model of CRH Series ran at a service speed of up to 250 km per hour
B. China became the fourth country in the world able to produce bullet trains
C. The first self-developed bullet train roiled off the production line at a speed of 300 km per hour
D. China has joined a leading world club consisting of Japan ; France and Germany
78. The new bullet train_______.
A. has been put into use in China B. has double-faced LCD TV sets in first carriage
C. is slower than high-speed trains D. is made of the lightest material in the world
79. "It" in the last paragraph refers to_______.
A. a train with eight carriages B. the speed of 115 km per hour
C. the Ministry of Railways D. the use of the new train
80. What is mainly talked about in this passage.'?
A. The bullet trains designed and made in China have been put into operation.
B. The bullet trains serve many of the main routes between big cities in China.
C. The new bullet trains are equipped with some advanced facilities.
D. The new bullet trains are expected to run for the Beijing Olympic Games.

The Media Village and Media Hotel for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games will provide a collection of convenient services to the host broadcasters, rights holding broadcasters, and other media this summer.
Located near the Beiyuanlukou North Station of the Line 5 subway, the Media Village is northeast of the Olympic Green and the Olympic Forest Park in the north of the city -- just five kilometers(km) from the Main Press Center (MBC) and two km from the International Broadcast Center (IBC).
It will take just 15 minutes by car to reach the National Stadium and other core stadiums. In addition, shuttle buses to the different stadiums will run daily. Journalists will be able to pass the security check for their destination stadium when they get on the buses and be able to enter the stadium upon arrival.
The Media Village is being completed in two phases (阶段). Composed of two sections, the 640,000-sqm Media Village will accommodate 7,000 journalists. The project can continue to adopt changes according to the requirements of the Olympics.
Journalists staying at the Media Village will enjoy an attractive selection of services, including completely furnished rooms, a 24-hour media workroom, ADSL, 24-hour dining service, UPS delivery service, banking, Olympic licensed product store, newspaper and magazine booth, dry cleaning, post office, and gym.
In line with the concepts of " Green Olympics," " Hi-tech Olympics," and " People's Olympics," the Media Village makes use of green construction materials and surpasses the city's energy-saving standards by 60 percent.
Completed last May, the Media Village is undergoing decoration and outside greening at present. It is scheduled to be open from July 25 to August 29, 2008.
73. The Media Village is _______.
A. in the northeast of the Olympic Forest Park
B. five kilometers from the Main Press Center
C. two kilometers from the International Broadcast Center
D. a-quarter car ride from the National Stadium
74. Journalists staying at the Media Village must receive security check when_______.
A. entering any destination stadiums before their arrival
B. getting on the buses or entering any stadiums
C. getting on the buses to their destination Stadium
D. entering any destination stadiums upon their arrival
75. As for the Media Village, we know from the passage that _______.
A. Journalists at the Media Village will enjoy all kinds of services they need
B. It is designed to provide excellent services and built with higher standards
C. The Media Village reaches 60 percent of the city' s energy-saving standards
D. It will be completed in May, 2008 and will be open in July or August, 2008
76. What does the whole passage tell us about the Media Village?
A. Its convenience, accommodations and decoration.
B. Its function, safety, standards and transportation.
C. Its location, security, services and construction.
D. Its importance, security check and use.

Music died here last spring, or rather, it was killed by members of the school committee who ignored the importance of music and drama as part of the high-school curriculum.
The committee decided that teaching students how to take a standardized test is more important than a curriculum in which students can explore their interests in the arts as well as academics. Because the school system is running out of funding, it needs to make sure that students pass the mastery test or even more money will be lost. If students fail the state standardized test, it is not the fault of drama and music classes - they are failing because the "academic" classes are not sufficient.
It is painful to think of how many students will be discouraged from singing, acting, and playing instruments because school programs are no longer offered. Many families cannot afford private music lessons, and many potential musicians and artists may not find their calling if they are not exposed to it in school. The fact that the school committee thinks the arts are not worth the investment will certainly make some students believe the arts are not worth their time or support and the cycle will continue.
Teaching for a test does not shape students into complete, well-rounded people. It blocks the natural sense to create and express feelings through art - there is more to life than the analytical thinking that math and English provide. What happens after a test? Sure, a student might graduate, but they will have limited knowledge - certainly not a good preparation for the real world.
69. Music and drama are not included in the high-school curriculum mainly because_______.
A. the school committee pays no attention to them
B. the school is afraid of losing financial support
C. the students are not interested in both of them
D. the state standardized test is more important
70. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The sufficiency of the classes determines students' performance in the mastery test
B. Quite a few students are discouraged from music and art in today' s school system
C. Students can be musicians and artists only if they can afford private music lessons
D. The school committee completely influences students' attitude towards the arts
71. We can learn that music and art can _______.
A. motivate students in creativity and expression
B. make students round-shaped people in future
C. provide students with analytical thinking
D. prevent students graduating from high school
72. The best title of the passage can be _______.
A. "Who Killed Music and Drama?" B. "Can Curriculum Go Without Music?"
C. "Why is Music So Important?" D. "How To Prepare For the Real World?"