I made a promise to myself on the way down to the vacation beach cottage. For two weeks I would try to be a loving husband and father. Totally loving. No ifs, ands or buts.
The idea had come to me as I listened to a talk on my car radio. The speaker was quoting a Biblical passage about husbands and their wives. Then he went on to say, “Love is an act of will. A person can choose to love.” To myself, I had to admit that I had been a selfish husband. Well, for two weeks that would change.
And it did. Right from the moment I kissed Evelyn at the door and said, “That new yellow sweater looks great on you.” “Oh, Tom, you noticed”, she said, surprised and pleased. Maybe a little puzzled. After the long drive, I wanted to sit and read. Evelyn suggested a walk on the beach. I started to refuse, but then I thought, “Evelyn’s been alone here with the kids all week and now she wants to be alone with me.” We walked on the beach while the children flew their kites.
So it went. Two weeks of not calling the Wall Street firm where I am a director; a visit to the shell museum though I usually hate museums. Relaxed and happy, that’s how the whole vacation passed. I made a new promise to keep on remembering to choose love.
There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment, however. Evelyn and I still laugh about it today. On the last night at our cottage, preparing for bed, Evelyn stared at me with the saddest expression.
“What’s the matter?” I asked her.
“Tom,” she said in a voice filled with distress, “ I don’t?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well…that checkup I had several weeks ago…our doctor…did he tell you something about me? Tom, you’ve been so good to me…am I dying?”
It took a moment for it all to be understood. Then I burst out laughing.
“No, honey,” I said, wrapping her in my arms. “You’re not dying; I’m just starting to live.”
56. In the first paragraph, “No ifs, ands or buts” probably means ______.
A. Unintentionally B. Independently
C. Impressively D. Unconditionally
57. From the story we may infer that Tom drove to the beach cottage ______.
A. with his family B. with Evelyn
C. alone D. with his children
58. During the two weeks on the beach, Tom showed more love to his wife because ______.
A. he was determined to be a good husband
B. he had made a lot of money in his Wall Street firm
C. she looked lovely in her new clothes
D. the doctor said his wife was seriously ill
59. The author says, “There was one thing that went wrong with my experiment.” What does “one thing” refer to?
A. He praised her sweater, which puzzled her.
B. She insisted on visiting a museum, which he hated.
C. He knew something about her illness but didn’t tell her.
D. He was so good to her that she thought she must be dying.
60. By saying “I’m just starting to live,” Tom means that ______.
A. he is just beginning to understand the real meaning of life
B. he is just beginning to enjoy life as a loving husband
C. he lived an unhappy life before and is now starting to change
D. he is beginning to feel regret for what he did to his wife before
PEOPLE who have had a painful experience may wish they could wipe the memory from their minds. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University, US, say that this may someday be possible.
A drug remains far off, but researchers have laid a foundation with their discovery that proteins can be removed from the brain’s fear center to cut memories forever.
Previous research had already shown that a special behavior therapy (治疗) could cut painful memories. But relapse (复发) was possible because the memory hadn’t necessarily disappeared.
By looking at that process, Richard Huganir and Roger Clem, two researchers from Johns Hopkins University, discovered a “window of vulnerability (脆弱的窗口)” when proteins are created. The proteins help signals travel within the brain as painful memories are made. Because the proteins are unstable, they can be easily removed with drugs or behavior therapy to cut memories.
Researchers used mice to find the window, but think the process would be the same in humans. They used electric shocks to make the mice fear a certain sound. The sound triggered (触发) the creation of the proteins, called calcium-permeable (钙通透性) AMPARS, which formed for a day or two in the fear centers of the mice’s brains.
The researchers are working on ways to reopen the window by recalling (唤醒) the painful memory and using drugs to remove the protein. They published their report online last month in Science Express.
Their research has drawn interest and concern from experts in mental healthcare.
Kate Farinholt, a mental health expert with the National Alliance on Mental Illness, Maryland, US, said many people suffering from a painful event might benefit from erasing a memory. “Erasing a memory and then everything bad built on that is an amazing idea, and I can see all sorts of potential ,” she said.
But there are a lot of unanswered questions, too.
“Completely deleting a memory is a little scary. How do you remove a memory without removing a part of someone’s life,” Farinholt said. “And is it best to do that, considering that people grow and learn from their experiences?”What have researchers at Johns Hopkins University found recently?
| A．A new drug to erase painful memories from human brains. |
| B．A special behavior therapy to erase painful memories. |
| C．Removing certain proteins from the brain can wipe painful memories. |
| D．Erasing memory damages a patient’s brain functions. |
What makes it possible to erase painful memories according to Paragraph 4?
| A．The way the brain cells are created. |
| B．The unstable character of the proteins in the brain. |
| C．The strength of the signals the proteins send. |
| D．The drugs that can stop the formation of memories. |
Which of the following shows the stages of the process done on mice?
a. removal of fear proteins b. making mice fear a certain sound
c. fear proteins created in mice brains d. making mice recall painful memories
| A．a-b-c-d | B．d-a-c-b | C．b-c-d-a | D．c-b-d-a |
What is Kate Farinholt’s opinion of the research?
| A．People may lose the chance to learn from their bad experiences. |
| B．The research will be a great breakthrough in treating painful memories. |
| C．People could suffer long-term memory loss. |
| D．People could forget happy memories as well. |
While all my classmates seem to be crazy about a one-way ticket to Mars, I’d rather say Mars is totally unsuitable for human existence. People won’t have enough food supplies there, and the terrible environment would make it impossible for them to live a long life. Besides, the journey won’t be safe. Can anybody explain to me just why people would go to Mars, never to return? Steve Minear, UK
Here are the things you can think of: the desire to explore a foreign and unique environment, the excitement of being the first humans to open up a new world, the expectation of fame and glory┅. For scientists there is another reason. Their observations and research will probably lead to great scientific achievements. Donal Trollop, Canada
There are already too many people on the Earth. I think that something before the end of the century, there will be a human colony on Mars. It will happen when people finally realize that two-way trips to the red planet Mars are unnecessary. Most of the danger of space flight is in the launches and landings. Cutting the trip home would therefore reduce the danger of accidents, save a lot of money, and open the way to building an everlasting human settlement in another world. Enough supplies can be sent on ahead, and every two years more supplies and more people will be sent to the new colony. Mars has all the materials for a colony to produce or make everything it needs, and Mars is far more pleasant than the other planets in the outer space. Paul Davies, USAThe main purpose of Steve Minear’s writing is_________. .
| A．to report his classmates’ discussion | B．to invite an answer to his question |
| C．to explain the natural state of Mars | D．to show his agreement on going to Mars |
Which of the following best states Donal Trollop’s ideas?
| A．There is a plan to send humans to Mars |
| B．There are many reasons for going to Mars |
| C．Scientists become famous by doing research on Mars |
| D．It is possible to build an Earth-like environment on Mars |
Paul Davies points out that______.
| A．humans need only a one- way ticket to Mars |
| B．two-way trips to mars will be made safe soon |
| C．It is easy to reduce the danger and cost of flights to Mars |
| D．It is cheap to build an everlasting human settlement on Mars |
What does Paul Davies think of human existence on Mars?
| A．Humans will have to bring all they need from the earth |
| B．Humans will find Mars totally unsuitable for living |
| C．Humans can produce everything they need |
| D．Humans can live longer in the colony on Mars |
Federal regulators(调整者) Wednesday approved a plan to create a nationwide emergence alert (警报) system using text messages delivered to cell phones.
Text messages have exploded in popularity in recent years, particularly among young people. The wireless industry’s trade association, CTIA, estimates（估计） more than 48 billion text messages are sent each month.
The plan comes from the Warning Alert and Response Network Act, a 2006 federal law that requires improvements to the nation’s emergency alert system. The act tasked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) with coming up with new ways to alert the public about emergencies.
"The ability to deliver accurate and timely warnings and alerts through cell phones and other mobile services is an important next step in our efforts to help ensure that the American public has the information they need to take action to protect themselves and their families before, and during, disasters and other emergencies," FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said following approval of the plan.
Participation in the alert system by carriers –telecommunications companies is voluntary, but it has received solid support from the wireless industry.
The program would be optional for cell phone users. They also may not be charged for receiving alerts.
There would be three different types of messages, according to the rules.
The first would be a national alert from the president, likely involving a terrorist attack or natural disaster. The second would involve "approaching threats," which could include natural disasters like hurricanes or storms or even university shootings. The third would be reserved for child abduction (绑架) emergencies, or so-called Amber Alerts.
The service could be in place by 2010.What is the purpose of the approved plan?
| A．To warn people of emergencies via messages. |
| B．To popularize the use of cell phones. |
| C．To estimate the monthly number of messages. |
| D．To promote the wireless industry. |
The improvement to the present system is in the charge of ____.
| A．CTIA | B．the Warning Alert and Response Network |
| C．FCC | D．federal regulators |
The carriers’ participation in the system is determined by _____.
| A．the US federal government | B．mobile phone users |
| C．the carriers themselves | D．the law of the United States |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．Cell Phone Alerts Protecting Students | B．Cell Phone Alerts by Wireless Industry |
| C．Cell Phone Alerts of National Disasters | D．Cell Phone Alerts Coming Soon |
Humanity uses a little less than half the water available worldwide. Yet occurrences of shortages and droughts (干旱) are causing famine and distress in some areas, and industrial and agricultural by-products are polluting water supplies. Since the world’s population is expected to double in the next 50 years, many experts think we are on the edge of a widespread water crisis.
But that doesn’t have to be the outcome. Water shortages do not have to trouble the world---if we start valuing water more than we did in the past. Just as we began to appreciate petroleum more after the 1970s oil crises, today we must start looking at water from a fresh economic perspective. We can no longer afford to consider water a virtually free resource of which we can use as much as we like in any way we want.
Instead, for all uses except the domestic demand of the poor, governments should price water to reflect its actual value. This means charging a fee for the water itself as well as for the supply costs.
Governments should also protect this resource by providing water in more economically and environmentally sound (健康的) ways. For example, often the cheapest way to provide irrigation water in the dry tropics is through small-scale projects, such as gathering rainfall in depressions (凹地) and pumping it to nearby cropland.
No matter what steps governments take to provide water more efficiently, they must change their institutional and legal approaches to water use. Rather than spread control among hundreds or even thousands of local, regional, and national agencies that watch various aspects of water use, countries should set up central authorities to coordinate (调整) water policy.What is the real cause of the potentials water crisis.
| A．Only half of the world’s water can be used. |
| B．The world population is increasing faster and faster. |
| C．Half of the world’s water resources have been seriously polluted. |
| D．Humanity has not placed enough value on water resources. |
As is indicated in the passage, the water problem _________ .
| A．is already serious in certain parts of the world. |
| B．has been exaggerated by some experts in the field |
| C．poses a challenge to the technology of building reservoirs(水库) |
| D．is underestimated by government organizations at different levels |
According to the author, the water price should _______ .
| A．be reduced to the minimum | B．stimulate domestic demand |
| C．go with its real value | D．take into account the occurrences of droughts |
In order to raise the efficiency of the water supply, measures should be taken to ______ .
| A．guarantee full protection of the environment |
| B．centralize the management of water resources |
| C．increase the sense of responsibility of agencies at all levels |
| D．encourage local and regional water resources |
任务型读写（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）
阅读下面短文，根据所读内容在表格中的空白处填入恰当的单词。
注意：每空格只填一个单词。
As more students begin to use computers for longer periods of time, more of them are suffering from eyestrain （视疲劳）．Just a few hours in front of a computer screen can make a person’s eyes feel tired and painful．A number of eye doctors have studied this growing problem and have found ways to deal with it．Following their advice will help keep computer users more comfortable．Here is some of the advice．
The light in a room shouldn’t be brighter than the computer screen itself．In many classrooms, however, the lights are far brighter than they should be．．Students can block some of this light by wearing baseball caps if they’re allowed at school．
A special computer screen should be used to cut down on bright light because it is especially tiring to the eyes．Another problem to avoid is the wrong kind of contrast．It is best to have dark letters on a light background．This causes less eyestrain than light letters on a dark background．
Students should be seated so that they are looking down at the computer screen rather than straight ahead, which is a far more tiring angle．The top of the monitor should be slightly lower than the top of the head．
The length of time students spend in front of a computer screen leads greatly to eyestrain．Students should take frequent breaks by looking away from the screen every fifteen or twenty minutes．During that time they should either close there eyes or focus on an object at a distance. Long – term computer use can dry out the eyes, so students should remember to blink frequently while in front of the screen.
Title: Computers and Eyestrain
Common Problems Doctor’s
Room
lighting Much brighter in many classrooms Get the light bright.
something to block the light.
The screen Too bright light.
Wrong kind of contrast.
Light letters. the strong light.
Use the kind of contrast.
Have dark letters on a light background. The top of the screen
than the top of the head. Sit were you won’t look
at the serene.
Time Spending too much time a computer screen.
your eyes for a moment.
Look at something at a distance.
Blink often while using a computer.