B
In February 2006, Lydia Angyiou and her two sons were walking through their village in northern Canada．The sound of children shouting made her turn around．To her horror, Lydia saw a 700-pound polar bear behind her eyeing her seven-year-old son．Getting between the bear and her child, Lydia yelled at the children to run away．She then began hitting and kicking the animal as hard as she could．A neighbor who heard all the noise came and shot the bear．But everyone agreed it was Lydia who had saved her children's lives．A local policeman described it this way: "…I guess when your back is up against the wall, …we come up with super-human strength．"
Where does this "super-human strength" , courage and quick thinking come from? Experts say it comes from stress! In stressful situations, the body releases chemicals that prepare it to take action．These chemicals give people the speed and strength they need to fight danger or run away from it．
When we think of stress, we usually think of its negative effects．Studies, though, show that moderate levels of stress are actually helpful．In fact, the way we perform is usually affected by the amount of stress we feel．
Stress causes the brain to release adrenaline （肾上腺素） which in turn increases our energy and excitement．The chemical gives us clearer minds and helps us to do more．This is why some people say they work better under a deadline．
Adrenaline that is not released for long periods of time can cause us to increase and strengthen our abilities instead of weakening them．We sometimes turn out our very best work when we push ourselves to the limit．Stress can also make us more confident．Handling small amounts of stress now prepares us for handling serious situations in the future．Who knows? Today's stress may even prepare for the next polar bear that comes along!
55．In the first paragraph, the case of Lydia Angyiou is mentioned to ______．
A．introduce the topic to be followed
B．praise Lydia Angyiou for her bravery
C．remind us of the unexpected danger of life
D．show the importance of super-human strength
56．What does the policeman probably mean by saying "your back is up against the wall"?
A．You are helped． B．You are inspired．
C．You are confident． D．You are cornered．
57．What would be the best title for the passage?
A．Brave Mother B．The Cause of Stress
C．The Benefit of Stress D．Super-human Strength
What’s delicious to eat and comes in a variety of colors? Eggplant! And no, it has nothing to do with chickens! This strangely named vegetable is, however, as versatile as an egg．It can be steamed, fried, and baked．It can be eaten by itself or combined with meats and other vegetables．
Eggplant was first grown in India in the 5th century B．C．．Its popularity soon spread to China and then throughout Asia．Finally, during the Middle Ages the vegetable made its way to Europe．At that time, eggplant was not the shiny purple vegetable most people know today．Instead, it’s like a white egg．Due to this egg - like appearance, eggplant got its name．In its early days, the vegetable was so bitter that people often called it a “mad apple．” This nickname started because people believed its bitterness was bad for one' s health．People actually thought eggplant could cause madness and cancer．
Fortunately today people know that eggplant doesn't cause insanity or cancer．In fact eggplant is so healthy that it may prevent cancer．In addition, the brain and the heart benefit from this super vegetable．Since it's high in fibre, eggplant can improve digestion．
Italy, Turkey, Egypt, China and Japan are the leading growers of eggplant in the world today．Depending on its location, eggplant may be purple, green, orange or yellow - white．And it can be as small as a tomato or as large as a cucumber．Dish varieties range from simple to complex, with all of them being delicious．
Today, thousands of people gather in Loomis, Calif, for the annual Loomis Eggplant Festival．The main activity at the festival is eating delicious eggplant dishes．There is plenty more to do and see, though．Recipe contests, arts and crafts, performers, races and children's activities all “egg – cite” festival - goers．Most people at the festival would agree—eggplant is an “egg—cellent” vegetable．Eggplant got its name because of its _____．
| A．appearance | B．taste | C．color | D．value |
Which of the following does NOT belong to the qualities of eggplant?
| A．It can be cooked in various ways． | B．It is helpful in digesting． |
| C．It may prevent cancer． | D．It is valuable and priceless． |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Eggplant can be eaten to cure cancer |
| B．Eggplant used to taste bitter． |
| C．India produce the most eggplant in the world today． |
| D．Eggplant has a history of nearly 1,000 years． |
Most people come to the Loomis Eggplant Festival to_____．
| A．see arts and crafts | B．enjoy food with eggplants |
| C．take part in recipe contests | D．promote eggplant |
It can greet people, show DVDs and hand out balloons. “Ubiko”, a robot-on –wheels with a catlike face, is joining the crew of temporary workers supplied by a Japanese job-referral company, Ubiquitous Exchange, to stores, events and even weddings. Next month, the 44-inch tall robot will be selling mobile phones at a store.
Ubiko can be hired as a temporary worker for two hours for 105,000 yen, or $890.
“We see this as serious business. There are jobs that robots are better at,” Akiko Sakurai said “people do develop a relation with the robot, and it’s lovable.”
The $255,000 robot, which is equipped with a camera and sensors, greets customers with a nasal electronic voice, shows DVDs with a projector in its head and hands out balloons and other goods with wireless remote-controllable arms.
Ubiko sounds like a Japanese female name, which often ends with “ko”.
Tmsuk, the Japanese company that makes the robot, sold three last month to hospital, where they are working as full-time, rather than temporary, receptionists and guides. One of the hospital’s robots serves as a receptionist and has been programmed to greet visitors. It also has a touch-panel(控制板) on its body, and visitors can use it to get directions for where they want to go.
“Just give it electricity, and a robot can work for long hours, even do repetitive work, and you don’t have to worry about labor laws,” Sudo said.
Japan’s lower birth rate means that in the coming years it could face a labor shortage, and some experts believe robots could be part of the key to that problem. Robots are very popular in Japan partly because of the popularity of cartoons that describe robots as friends and assistants to humans.The news report is mainly to _________________.
| A．give praise to advanced robots in Japan |
| B．introduce the development of robots in Japan |
| C．tell readers the advantage of the robots in Japan |
| D．introduce a newly-developed robot in Japan |
We can learn from the passage that ____________.
| A．the price of Ubiko is $890 |
| B．the purpose for a store to buy the robot is to greet customers |
| C．Ubiko can work for long hours without using energy |
| D．three robots have been sold to a hospital |
Which of the following can be inferred about Ubiko according to the passage?
| A．It sounds beautiful, like a girl’s voice. |
| B．It is named after a Japanese girl. |
| C．It will have a wider market. |
| D．It was designed for hospitals. |
Which of the following makes robots more popular in Japan?
| A．The low price of robots. |
| B．The interesting shapes of robots. |
| C．The function of showing DVDs and handing out balloons. |
| D．Cartoon’s showing good relationship between robots and humans. |
Which of the following about Ubiko is NOT true?
| A．It has a face of female. |
| B．There is a projector in its head. |
| C．It is equipped with a camera and sensors. |
| D．It has wireless remote-controllable arms. |
Irene’s Thai
For Reservations Call 62473579
12.24 Christmas Eve Dinner 198 RMB per person including coffee and tea. Each guest invited to select a special surprise from our Xmas Tree.
12.25 Special Christmas Thai buffet brunch from 11 am to 4 pm. Includes soft drinks, coffee & tea. 98 RMB per person.
12.31 New Year Buffet Dinner 200 RMB per person. You can eat with exotic Thai Dancing. Show times at 8 pm & 9 pm.
Monday & Friday, you can eat AlaCarte Menu. 150 RMB, including soft drinks & draught beer.
Book now for your Christmas Party
The Place: Club Pegasus
The Party: New Year’s Eve!!!
The Price: 100 RMB Open Bar!!!
8:00 pm — 1:00 am
The Reason: Great Music, Beautiful People,
Life, Love, Fun, Excitement!!!
Merry Christmas from the crew at Pegasus
50 RMB Entrance includes two complimentary (赠送的) drinks.
Champagne Toast at Midnight
If ever there was a time to enjoy oneself, that time is now!!! The best way to make a reservation at Irene’s is by ______.
| A．phone | B．e-mail | C．fax | D．post |
The Thai buffet brunch costs per person ______.
| A．98 RMB | B．198 RMB | C．200 RMB | D．150 RMB |
Which of the following is NOT a reason to go to Pegasus?
| A．The music. | B．The excitement. | C．The price . | D．The people. |
50 RMB on Christmas at Pegasus will get you ______.
| A．a meal | B．a meal and drinks |
| C．an entrance ticket | D．an entrance ticket and 2 free drinks |
You can probably find the passage from ____________.
| A．a science fiction | B．a newspaper | C．a review | D．a survey |
“It's really cool to have a dad who flies fighter jets,”thought 11-year-old Casey as she was watching him fly overhead.
Living on an Air Force base was not as bad as some people might think. Casey rather enjoyed being around friends who had something in common with each other. They had their own school, bowling area, and movie theatre. She especially loved it when her dad would come home each day and greet her with a new joke and tickles.
Today was different, though. When her dad walked into the room, he looked sad for some reason. He just kissed her on the forehead and told her mum that he needed to talk to her. Casey knew something was wrong.
When her mum and dad came out of the other room, mum was crying. Dad sat down and began to explain that he has been called to go to Iraq to help with the war effort. Casey was so surprised that she couldn't speak for a moment. She began to feel tears in her eyes. How could she live without her dad for a whole year?
Soon, the day came. Her dad was leaving. As Casey and her mom watched him climb up the steps to his cockpit, the tears began to flow and it felt like they would never end. It was hard for Casey to believe that she wouldn't be seeing her dad for so long. They depended on him for so many things. Who would fix the broken window? Who would greet her with jokes and tickles at the end of the day? And then the thought hit her, “ What if he doesn’t make it home?” Casey began to sob more than ever.According to the story, one thing Casey enjoyed on the base was that ___________.
| A．there was a friendly girl of her age living next door |
| B．she could travel around in her father’s jet |
| C．her friends had something in common with her |
| D．her dad was going to fight abroad |
Casey knew something was wrong from all the following EXCERT___________.
| A．her dad’s sad look |
| B．her dad’s joke |
| C．her dad’s simple kissing |
| D．her parents’ talking without her |
What does the underlined word “they” in the last paragraph refer to?
| A．Wars. | B．Days. | C．Difficulties | D．Tears |
What can we know from the story?
| A．Casey’s dad volunteered to help with the war. |
| B．Casey’s parents didn’t let her know the truth. |
| C．Casey’s dad amused her in the morning usually. |
| D．Children living on the base could see movies in their theater. |
What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
| A．Casey was worried that hey couldn’t live without her father. |
| B．Casey saw her father off at the airport. |
| C．Casey’s dad looked sad. |
| D．Casey’s father left home. |
Beauty has always been regarded as something admirable. Almost everyone thinks attractive people are happier and healthier, have better marriages and have more respectable jobs. Personal consultants (顾问) give them better advice for finding jobs. Even judges are softer on attractive persons. But in the executive circle (政界), beauty can become a liability.
While attractiveness is a positive thing for a man’s rise, it is harmful to a woman. Handsome male executives were considered as having more honesty than plainer men; effort and ability were thought to be the reasons for their success. Attractive female executives were considered to have less honesty than unattractive ones; their success was attributed not to ability but to factors such as luck. All unattractive women executives were thought to have more honesty and to be more capable than the attractive female executives.
Why are attractive woman not thought to be able? An attractive woman is thought to be more feminine (女性的) and an attractive man more masculine (男性的) than the less attractive ones. Thus, an attractive woman has an advantage in traditionally female jobs, but an attractive woman in a traditionally masculine position appears to lack the "masculine" qualities required.
This is true even in politics. Anne Bowman recently published a study on the effects of attractiveness on political candidates (候选人). She asked 125 undergraduate students to rank two groups of photographs, one of men and one of women in order of attractiveness. The students were told the photographs were of candidates for political offices. They were asked lo rank them again, in the order they would vote for them.
The results showed that attractive males completely defeated unattractive men, but the woman who had been ranked most attractive always received the fewest votes.In traditionally female jobs, attractiveness _____.
| A．strengthens the feminine qualities required |
| B．makes women look more honest and capable |
| C．is of great importance to women |
| D．often enables women to succeed quickly |
Bowman’s experiment shows that when it comes to politics, attractiveness _____.
| A．turns out to be an obstacle to men |
| B．affects men and women alike |
| C．has as little effect on men as on women |
| D．is more of an obstacle than a benefit to women |
It can be inferred from the passage that people's views on beauty are often _____.
| A．practical | B．old-fashioned | C．prejudiced (偏见的) | D．serious |
The author writes this passage to _____.
| A．discuss the negative aspects of being attractive |
| B．give advice to job-seekers who are attractive |
| C．demand equal rights for women |
| D．emphasize the importance of appearance |