.
That little “a” with a circle curling around it that is found in E – mail addresses is most commonly referred to as the “at” symbol.
Surprisingly though, there is no official, universal name for this sign. There are dozens of strange terms to describe the "@" symbol.
Before it became the standard symbol for electronic mail, the "@" symbol was used to represent the cost of something or how heavy something is. For instance, if you purchased 6 apples, you might write it as 6 apples "@" $1.10 each.
With the introduction of e-mail came the popularity of the "@" symbol. The "@" symbol or the "at sign" separates a person's online user name from his mail server(服务器) address. For instance, joe@uselessknowledge.com. Its widespread use on the Internet made it necessary to put this symbol on keyboards in other countries that have never seen or used the symbol before. As a result, there is really no official name for this symbol.
The actual origin of the symbol remains a mystery. History tells us that the @ symbol came from the tired hands of the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages before the invention of printing machines, every letter of a word had to be copied with great efforts by hand for each copy of a published book. The monks that performed these long, boring coping duties looked for ways to reduce the number of individual strokes (笔画) per word for common words. Although the word “at” is quite short to begin with, it was a common enough word in text and documents so that those monks thought it would be quicker and easier to shorten the word “at” even more. As a result, the monks changed the shape of “t” into a circle to surround “a”, thus leaving out two strokes in the spelling “t”.
58．Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A．How “at” developed into @. B．How @ came into being.
C．How monks invented @. D．How people wrote the cost of something.
59．Which is NOT the reason for the monks to spell “at” as @?
A．Though “at” is short, it was used very often.
B．The monks wanted to be quicker and easier with their copying.
C．The monks wanted to invent a new word.
D．Copying work was long and boring for them.
60．According to paragraph 5, which is TRUE about the symbol of @ today?
A．When you are online, you must use the @ symbol.
B．Kittly 163.com@is an email address.
C．In countries where @ is used, governments have given it an official name.
D．It is likely to find the @ symbol on computer keyboards worldwide.
There are many thoughts on the origins of civilization. One of the major factors involved was the increase in population. The development of techniques, primarily irrigation and flood control, which permitted agriculture in special areas such as the flood plain of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, made possible the support of large population. Once populations reach a certain number, the older pattern of social organization breaks down and new ones develop. Specifically the older system, whereby each individual participated in food production and maintained a similar standard of living and whereby kinship(家属关系) served as the basic method of social organization, was replaced by the occupational division of labor, political and religious hierarchies(等级制度), public works such as road and public building construction, class systems, codes of law, markets, new forms of warfare, and urban centres. Allied with these important sociological traits are material traits, such as monumental architecture and the development of science and, in many cases, metallurgy(冶金学) and writing sustems.
The earliest civilization, Sumer, developed in the Middle East. This was the Bronze Age of the Old World, during which people first developed the art of metallurgy, civilization also arose in other parts of the Old World, first in Eygpt, China, and India, and later in Europe and Africa. At this time, civilization also developed independently in the New World, in the Mexican area and in Peru and its adjacent(邻近的) areas.
In the Old World the Bronze Age was followed by the Iron Age, which saw the rise and fall of great empires and the shift of power from the Middle East to Greece and Rome and then to Western Europe. In the 1700s the Industrial Age began, leading directly to the modern civilization of today.
46. The author of this passage __________________________________.
A. gives a comparison between ancient civilization and modern civilization
B. suggests that population increase is most important in the development of civilization
C. tries to explain how civilization developed in human history
D. explore the relation between agriculture and industry
47. According to the first paragraph, the increase in population _____________________.
A. resulted in the development of agricultural technology
B. resulted from the breakdown of old social organization
C. caused the occupational division of labor
D. was impossible without the development of agriculture
48. The word “traits” in Paragraph One most likely means ___________________________.
A. main appearances B. great achievements
C. distinguishing features D. outstanding successes
49. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. The Bronze Age is one of the earliest civilizations.
B. The Industrial Age started in the Middle East.
C. The Bronze Age developed into the Iron Age.
D. The use of metal instruments started from the Bronze Age.
50. Which of the following is NOT included in the expression “the Old World” used in the passage?
A. American continent. B. Both Western and Eastern Europe.
C. African continent. D. Asian countries.
Moving in with a boyfriend causes women to eat more unhealthily and put on weight. But the opposite is true for men, whose long-term health benefits when they move in with a female partner.
Dieticians at Newcastle University said both partners try to please one another, and so change their dietary habits to suit their other half.
It leads men to eat more light meals, such as salads, fruit and vegetables, while women choose to make creamier, heavier dishes curry or rich pasta sauces, which may please their partner.
Women still have the strongest long-term influence over the couple’s diet and lifestyle, as they still have the traditional role of shopper and cook in most households.
The report, by Newcastle University’s Human Nutrition Research Centre, reviewed the finding of a variety of research projects from the UK, North America and Australia, which looked at the eating and lifestyle habits of couples.
The research shows that women are more likely to put on weight and increase their consumption of foods high in fat and sugar when they move in with their partner.
Women also use food as a comfort when dealing with emotional stress and have been found to gain weight when a relationship ends, while the same finding has not been observed in men.
Many couples reported food as being central to their partnership, and eating together in the evening was particularly important to many.
Report author and registered dietician Dr. Amelia Lake said, “The research has shown that your partner is a strong influence on lifestyle and people who are trying to live healthier lives should take this factor into consideration.”
41. According to the passage, moving in with a girlfriend, men _______.
A. have few changes of their dietary habits
B. have to eat more unhealthy foods
C. don’t like foods high in fat and sugar at all
D. try to eat foods that their girlfriends like
42. The underlined word “light”(in Paragraph 4 ) probably means ________.
A. not very heavy
B. less in fat and sugar
C. gentle
D. not serious or important
43. According to the report by Newcastle University’s Human Nutrition Research Centre, ________.
A. women put on weight only because they want to suit their other half
B. when men are faced with emotional stress, they will change their dietary habits
C. eating together in the evening is a good way to communicate for couples
D. it is wrong to change your dietary habits to suit your partner
44. From the passage, we can infer that _________.
A. women should pay more attention to their partner’s influence on them
B. more men will play roles of shopper and cook in most households
C. couples will not change their dietary habits and lifestyle to please their partner
D. long-term health of men benefits when they move in with a female partner
45. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Don’t be silly any more, women!
B. Which are better dietary habits?
C. Boyfriends make you fat
D. Dr. Amelia Lake and his study
Can people change their skin colour without suffering like pop king Michael Jackson? Perhaps yes. Scientists have found the gene that determines skin colour.
The gene comes in two versions, one of which is found in 99 per cent of Europeans. The other is found in 93 to 100 per cent of Africans, researchers at Pennsylvania State University report in the latest issue of Science.
Scientists have changed the colour of a dark-striped zebrafish to uniform gold by inserting a version of the pigment(色素) gene into a young fish. As with humans, zebrafish skin colour is determined by pigment cells, which contain melanosomes(黑色素). The number, size and darkness of melanosomes per pigment cell determines skin colour.
It appears that, like the golden zebrafish, light-skinned Europeans also have a mutation(变异) in the gene for melanosome production. This results in less pigmented skin.
However, Keith Cheng, leader of the research team, points out that the mutation is different in human and zebrafish genes.
Humans acquired dark skin in Africa about 1.5 million years ago to protect bodies from ultra-violet rays of the sun(太阳光紫外线), which can cause skin cancer.
But when modern humans leave Africa to live in northern latitudes, they need more sunlight on their skin to produce vitamin D. So the related gene changes, according to Cheng.
Asians have the same version of the gene as Africans, so they probably acquired their light skin through the action of some other gene that affects skin colour, said Cheng.
The new discovery could lead to medical treatments for skin cancer. It also could lead to research into ways to change skin colour without damaging it like chemical treatment did on Michael Jackson.
51. The passage mainly tells us that ________.
A. people can not change their skin colour without any pain
B. the new discovery could lead to search into ways to change skin colour safely
C. pop king Michael Jackson often changed his skin colour as he liked
D. scientists have found out that people’s skin colour is determined by the gene
52. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A. nowadays people who want to change their skin colour have to suffer a lot from the damage caused by the chemical treatment
B. Europeans and Africans have the same gene
C. the new discovery could help to find medical treatments for skin cancer
D. there are two kinds of genes
53. Scientists have done an experiment on a dark-striped zebra fish in order to ________.
A. find the different genes of humans’
B. prove the humans’ skin colour is determined by the pigment gene
C. find out the reason why the Africans’ skin colour is dark
D. find out the ways of changing peopl’s skin colour
54. The reason why Europeans are light-skinned is probably that ________.
A. they are born light-skinned people
B. light-skinned Europeans have mutation in the gen for melanosome production
C. they have fewer activities outside
D. they pay much attention to protecting their skin
55. The writer’s attitude towards the discovery is ________.
A. neutral B. negative C. positive D. indifferent
Among various programs, TV talk shows have covered every inch of space on daytime television. And anyone who watches them regularly knows that each one is different in style. But no two shows are more opposite in content, while at the same time standing out above the rest, than the Jerry Springer and Oprah Winfrey shows.
Jerry Springer could easily be considered the king of "rubbish talk". The topics on his show are as surprising as can be. For example, the show takes the ever-common talk show titles of love, sex, cheating, and hate, to a different level. Clearly, the Jerry Springer show is about the dark side of society, yet people are willing to eat up the troubles of other people's lives.
Like Jerry Springer, Oprah Winfrey takes the TV talk show to its top. But Oprah goes in the opposite direction. The show is mainly about the improvement of society and different quality of life. Contents are from teaching your children lessons, managing your work week, to getting to know your neighbors.
Compared to Oprah, the Jerry Springer show looks like poisonous waste being poured into society. Jerry ends every show with a "final word". He makes a small speech about the entire idea of the show. Hopefully, this is the part where most people will learn something very valuable.
Clean as it is, the Oprah show is not for everyone. The show's main audience are middle-class Americans. Most of the people have the time, money and ability to deal with life's tough problems. Jerry Springer, on the other hand, has more of a connection with the young adults of society. These are 18-to 21year-olds whose main troubles in life include love, relationship, sex, money and drug. They are the ones who see some value and lessons to be learned through the show's exploitation.
46. Compared with other TV talk shows, both the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey shows are ______.
A. more interesting B. unusually poplar C. more detailed D. more formal
47. Though the social problems Jerry Springer talks about appear unpleasant, people who watch the shows ______.
A. show disbelief in them B. are ready to face up to them
C. remain cold to them D. are willing to get away from them
48. Which of the following is likely to be a topic of the Oprah Winfrey show?
A. A new type of robot. B. National hatred.
C. Family income planning. D. Street accident.
49. We can learn from the passage that the two talk shows ____.
A. have become the only ones of its kind B. exploit the weaknesses in human nature
C. appear at different times of the day D. attract different people
50. What is the advantage of the Jerry Springer show?
A. The show exposes the dark sides of society.
B. The show pours poisonous waste into society.
C. Jerry sums up the whole idea of the show.
D. Jerry talks abou the improvement of society.
阅读理解（时间：20分钟）
A
Many years ago my student asked me the question, "Mrs. Kindred, why do you teach?" Without taking time to reflect, I answered, "Because someday I might say something that might make a difference in someone's life." Even though I was sincere, that wasn't a very good answer and my student didn't let it slide.
"Let me get this straight," he said, "You went to college for four years so you could come here every day because you have the hope that someday you might say something that will influence someone?" He shook his head as if I were crazy and walked away looking confused. I'm one of those people who look back and wish they had said something smart or witty, or swift.
Even though that particular student might no longer wonder why I teach, there are days when I wonder. On those days, I remind myself of the real reasons I teach:
It's in my blood. My mother was my most influential teacher, and she was a 6th grade reading teacher until her death in 1990. She instilled(逐渐灌输) in me a love of reading and the knowledge that education opens doors.
Teaching is a way to make a difference. If you throw a stone in a pond the ripples go on and on until they reach the shore. You can't have ripples without a "stone." Good teachers throw stones that make a positive difference, and that's what I strive to do.
I genuinely love teenagers.
I want to share with others what I know and what I have learned through the years. Life is full of ups and downs, and if I can help students avoid some potholes on the road of life, I want to do so. If they'll allow me to celebrate their victories with them, I want to do too.
Teaching isn't for everyone, but I know I made the right career choice.
41. Why did the student continue to ask the question about the writer’s being a teacher?
A. Because he thought her answer was unbelievable.
B. Because the writer was insincere.
C. Because the student was naughty.
D. Because the answer was difficult to understand.
42. What do you think of the writer?
A. Stupid. B. Honest. C. Conservative. D. Polite.
43. According to the text, which of the following is NOT true?
A. The writer’s mother has the greatest influence on her.
B. The writer’s answer made the student confused.
C. In the writer’s opinion, some people in the world are unfit to teach.
D. The writer annoyed the student who asked the question.
44. We can infer from the text that _________.
A. the writer was also a good teacher in school
B. the writer often plays with her students beside a pond
C. the writer devotes herself to teaching and her students
D. the writer often accompanies the students on their way home
45. What’s the main idea of the text?
A. A student’s silly question. B. A good teacher who likes students.
C. A confused student. D. The reason why I teach.