Have you ever had the strange feeling that you were being watched? You turned around and，sure enough，someone was looking right at you!
Parapsychologists(灵学家)say that humans have a natural ability to sense when someone is looking at them．To research whether such a“sixth sense”really exists，Robert Baker，a psychologist(心理学家)at the University of Kentucky，performed two experiments．
In the first one．Baker sat behind unknowing people in public places and stared at the backs of their heads for 5 to 15 minutes．The subjects(受试者)were eating，drinking，reading，studying，watching TV，or working at a computer．Baker made sure that the people could not tell that he was sitting behind them during those periods．Later，when he questioned the subjects, almost all of them said they had no sense that someone was staring at them．
For the second experiment，Baker told the subjects that they would be stared at from time to time from behind a two-way mirror in a laboratory setting．The people had to write down when they felt they were being stared at and when they weren’t．Baker found that the subjects were no better at telling when they were stared at and when they weren’t．Baker found that the subjects were no better at telling when they were started at than if they had just guessed．
Baker concludes that people do not have the ability to sense when they’re being stared at．If
people doubt the outcome of his two experiments，said Baker，“I suggest they repeat the
experiments and see for themselves．”
64．The purpose of the two experiments is to ．
A．prove why humans have a sixth sense
B．explain when people can have a sixth sense
C．show how people act while being watched in the lab
D．study whether humans can sense when they are stared at
65．In the first experiment，the subjects ．
A．were not told that they would be stared at
B．lost their sense when they were stared at
C．were not sure when they would be stared at
D．were uncomfortable when they were stared at
66．What can be learned from the passage?
A．People are born with a sixth sense．
B．People have a sixth sense in public places．
C．The experiments support parapsychologists’ idea．
D．The subjects do not have a sixth sense in the experiments．
(2013·重庆，B)
One of the greatest gifts one generation can give to other generations is the wisdom it has gained from experience. This idea has inspired the awardwinning photographer Andrew Zuckerman. He interviewed and took photos of fifty oversixtyfiveyearolds all over the world.His project explores various aspects of their lives. The photos and interviews are now available on our website.
Click on the introductions to read the complete interviews.
Let us now have a culture of peace.
—Federico Mayor Zaragoza, Spain
Federico Mayor Zaragoza obtained a doctorate in pharmacy(药学)from the Complutense University of Madrid in 1958. After many years spent in politics, he became DirectorGeneral of UNESCO in 1987. In 1999, he created the Foundation for a Culture of Peace, of which he is now the president. In addition to many scientific publications, he has published four collections of poems and several books of essays.
Writing is a discovery.
—Nadine Gordimer, South Africa
Due to a weak heart, Nadine Gordimer attended school and university briefly. She read widely and began writing at an early age. She published her first short story at the age of fifteen, and has completed a large number of works, which have been translated into forty languages. In 1991, Gordimer won the Nobel Prize for Literature.
Jazz is about the only form of art today.
—Dave Brubeck, USA
Dave Brubeck studied music at the University of the Pacific and graduated in 1942. After World War Two he was encouraged to play jazz. In 1951, he recorded his first album (专辑). Brubeck's 1959 album has beco
me a jazz standard. He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996.
For more figures CLICK HERE.Why did Andrew Zuckerman choose the fifty elders for his project?
| A．Because their wisdom deserves to be passed on. |
| B．Because they are physically impressive. |
| C．Because their accomplishments inspired him. |
| D．Because they have similar experiences. |
According to the web page, Federico Mayor Zaragoza ______.
| A．has won many awards for his work in politics |
| B．has served as the president of a university |
| C．has devoted all his life to the field of science |
| D．has made achievements in different areas |
Who most probably said “My education has been the library and books” in the interview when reflecting on his/her experience?
| A．Andrew Zuckerman. |
| B．Federico Mayor Zaragoza. |
| C．Nadine Gordimer. |
| D．Dave Brubeck. |
What is the main purpose of this web page?
| A．To show Zuckerman's awards. |
| B．To publicize Zuckerman's project. |
| C．To spread the wisdom of the three people. |
| D．To celebrate the achievements of the three people. |
(2013·重庆，A)
The morning had been a disaster. My tooth was aching, and I'd been in an argument with a friend. Her words still hurt: “The trouble with you is that you won't put yourself in my place. Can't you see things from my point of view？” I shook my head stubbornly—and felt the ache in my tooth. I'd thought I could hold out till my dentist came back from holiday, but the pain was really unbearable. I started calling the dentists in the phone book, but no one could see me immediately. Finally, at about lunchtime, I got lucky.
“If you come by right now，” the receptionist said, “the dentist will fit you in.”
I took my purse and keys and rushed to my car. But suddenly I began to doubt about the dentist. What kind of dentist would be so eager to treat someone at such short notice? Why wasn't he as busy as the others?
In the dentist's office, I sat down and looked around. I saw nothing but the bare walls and I became even more worried. The assistant noticed my nervousness and placed her warm hand over my icecold one.
When I told her my fears, she laughed and said，“Don't worry. The dentist is very good.”
“How long do I have to wait for him？” I asked impatiently.
“Come on, he is coming. Just lie down and relax. And enjoy the artwork，”the assistant said.
“The artwork？”I was puzzled.
The chair went back. Suddenly I smiled. There was a beautiful picture, right where I could enjoy it: on the ceiling. How considerate the dentist was! At that moment, I began to understand what my friend meant by her words.
What a relief!Which of the following best describes the author's feeling that morning?
| A．Cheerful. | B．Nervous. |
| C．Satisfied | D．Upset. |
What made the author begin to doubt about the dentist?
| A．The dentist's agreeing to treat her at very short notice. |
| B．The dentist's being as busy as the other dentists. |
| C．The surroundings of the dentist's office. |
| D．The laughing assistant of the dentist. |
Why did the author suddenly smile?
| A．Because the dentist came at last. |
| B．Because she saw a picture on the ceiling. |
| C．Because she could relax in the chair. |
| D．Because the assistant kept comforting her. |
What did the author learn from her experience most probably?
| A．Strike while the iron is hot. |
| B．Have a good word for one's friend. |
| C．Put oneself in other's shoes. |
| D．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
(2013·重庆，E)
It is idely known that any English conversation begins with The Weather. Such a fixation with the weather finds expression in Dr. Johnson's famous comment that “When two English meet, their first talk is of weather.” Though Johnson's observation is as accurate now as it was over two hundred years ago, most commentators fail to come up with a convincing explanation for this English weatherspeak.
Bill Bryson, for example, concludes that, as the English weather is not at all exciting, the obsession with it can hardly be understood. He argues that “To an outsider, the most striking thing about the English weather is that there is not very much of it.” Simply, the reason is that the unusual and unpredictable weather is almost unknown in the British Isles.
Jeremy Paxman, however, disagrees with Bryson, arguing that the English interest is by nature attractive. Bryson is wrong, he says, because the English preference for the weather has nothing to do with the natural phenomena. “The interest is less in the phenomena themselves, but in uncertainty.” According to him, the weather in England is very changeable and uncertain and it attracts the English as well as the outsider.
Bryson and Paxman stand for common misconceptions about the weatherspeak among the English. Both commentators, somehow, are missing the point.The English weather conversation is not really about the weather at all. English weatherspeak is a system of signs, which is developed to help the speakers overcome the natural reserve and actually talk to each other. Everyone knows conversations starting with weatherspeak are not requests for weather data. Rather, they are routine greetings, conversation starters or the blank “fillers”. In other words, English weatherspeak is a means of social bonding.The author mentions Dr. Johnson's comment to show that ________.
| A．most commentators agree with Dr. Johnson. |
| B．Dr. Johnson is famous for his weather conversation |
| C．the comment was accurate two hundred years ago |
| D．English conversations usually start with the weather |
What does the underlined word “obsession” most probably refer to?
| A．A social trend. |
| B．An emotional state. |
| C．A historical concept. |
| D．An unknown phenomenon. |
According to the passage, Jeremy Paxman believes that ________.
| A．Bill Bryson has little knowledge of the weather |
| B．there is nothing special about the English weather |
| C．the English weather attracts people to the British Isles |
| D．English people talk about the weather for its uncertainty |
What is the author's main purpose of writing the passage?
| A．To explain what English weatherspeak is about. |
| B．To analyse misconceptions about the English weather. |
| C．To find fault with both Bill Bryson and Jeremy Paxman. |
| D．To convince people that the English weather is changeable. |
(2013·重庆，D)
Not all bodies of water are so evidently alive as the Atlantic Ocean, an Sshaped body of water covering 33 million square miles. The Atlantic has, in a sense, replaced the Mediterranean as the inland sea of Western civilization. Unlike real inland seas, which seem strangely still, the Atlantic is rich in oceanic liveliness. It is perhaps not surprising that its vitality has been much written about by ancient poets.
“Storm at Sea”， a short poem written around 700, is generally regarded as one of mankind's earliest artistic representations of the Atlantic.
When the wind is from the west
All the waves that cannot rest
To the east must thunder on
Where the bright tree of the sun
Is rooted in the ocean's breast.
As the Atlantic is never dead and dull. It's an ocean that moves impressively and endlessly. It makes all kinds of noise—it is forever thundering, boiling, crashing and whistling.
It is easy to imagine the Atlantic trying to draw breath—perhaps not so noticeably out in midocean, but where it meets land, its waters bathing up and down a sandy beach. It mimics (模仿) nearly perfectly the steady breathing of a living creature. It is filled with symbiotic existences too；unimaginable quantities of creatures, little and large alike, mix within its depths in a kind of oceanic harmony, giving to the waters a few of heartbeat, a kind of subocean vitality. And it has a psychology. It has personalities: sometimes peaceful and pleasant, on rare occasions rough and wild; always it is strong and striking.Unlike real inland seas, the Atlantic Ocean is ________.
| A．always energetic |
| B．lacking in liveliness |
| C．shaped like a square |
| D．favored by ancient poets |
What is the purpose of using the poem “Storm at Sea” in the passage?
| A．To describe the movement of the waves. |
| B．To show the strength of the storm. |
| C．To represent the power of the ocean. |
| D．To prove the vastness of the sea. |
What does the underlined word “symbiotic” mean?
| A．Living together. | B．Growing fast. |
| C．Moving harmoniously. | D．Breathing peacefully. |
In the last paragraph, the Atlantic is compared to ________.
| A．a beautiful and poetic place |
| B．a flesh and blood person |
| C．a wonderful world |
| D．a lovely animal |
(2013·四川，C)
LONDON—A British judge on Thursday sentenced a businessman who sold fake (假冒的) bomb detectors (探测器) to 10 years in prison, saying the man hadn't cared about potentially deadly consequences.
It is believed that James McCormick got about $77.8 million from the sales of his detectors—which were based on a kind of golf ball finder—to countries including Iraq, Belgium and Saudi Arabia.
McCormick,57, was convicted (判罪) of cheat last month and sentenced Thursday at the Old Bailey court in London.
“Your cheating conduct in selling a great amount of useless equipment simply for huge profit promoted a false sense of security and in all probability materially contributed to causing death and injury to innocent people，” Judge Richard Hone told McCormick. “You have neither regret, nor shame, nor any sense of guilt.”
The detectors, sold for up to $42,000 each, were said to be able to find such dangerous objects as bombs under water and from the air. But in fact they “lacked any grounding in science” and were of no use.
McCormick had told the court that he sold his detectors to the police in Kenya, the prison service in Hong Kong, the army in Egypt and the border control in Thailand.
“I never had any bad results from customers，” he said.Why was McCormick sentenced to prison?
| A．He sold bombs. |
| B．He caused death of people. |
| C．He made detectors. |
| D．He cheated in business. |
According to the judge, what McCormick had done ________.
| A．increased the cost of safeguarding |
| B．lowered people's guard against danger |
| C．changed people's idea of social security |
| D．caused innocent people to commit crimes |
Which of the following is true of the detectors?
| A．They have not been sold to Africa. |
| B．They have caused many serious problems. |
| C．They can find dangerous objects in water. |
| D．They don't function on the basis of science. |
It can be inferred from the passage that McCormick ______.
| A．sold the equipment at a low price |
| B．was wellknown in most countries |
| C．did not think he had committed the crime |
| D．had not got such huge profit as mentioned in the text |