第二节：完形填空(共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分)
阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
It was almost Christmas. We wrote to my father, asking him to 36 an artificial tree for us and _37 it to us in several smaller boxes. Two days before Christmas we were in a 38 . All of the boxes that my father had sent us arrived except for the one with the tree 39 . We decided to wait one more day.
Meanwhile, in Bremerhaven, a young mail clerk 40 a box under a counter. He 41 that someone would be without a tree for Christmas. Although he was closing up and there was no 42_ on Christmas, he processed the mail and got it to Mannheim.
After putting the 43 on the proper shelf, he headed to the snack bar. The place was 44 and he ended up sharing a table. Two men were speaking and the clerk discovered that one of his 45 at the table was working in Mannheim. He said to the man, "You could 46 play Santa for someone in Mannheim tonight if you'd like to." The man 47 to deliver it and the two walked to the mail room to 48 the package.
At home in Mannheim, we were busily 49 to think up some way to put our tree together, but couldn't 50 a workable solution. We were ready to give up 51 the door bell rang. There stood a stranger holding a long 52 carton, our tree trunk. We invited him in, 53 it was Christmas Eve and he was 54 to get home to his own family.
The next day as we watched our little boy's eyes light up at the 55 of our beautiful tree, I whispered a little prayer: "Bless the stranger who brightened up our Christmas with his kindness."
36. A. sell B. buy C. deliver D. bring
37. A. send B. pass C. carry D. take
38. A. surprise B. hunger C. pleasure D. panic
39. A. leaf B. trunk C. stand D. branch
40. A. watched B. caught C. spotted D. broke
41. A. directed B. whispered C. realized D. confirmed
42. A. delivery B. customer C. money D. letter
43. A. present B. tree C. mail D. package
44. A. crowded B. small C. noisy D. normal
45. A. friends B. colleagues C. relatives D. companions
46. A. really B. confidently C. kindly D. patiently
47. A. overcame B. agreed C. astonished D. struggled
48. A. fetch B. transform C. post D. consult
49. A. solving B. explaining C. trying D. worrying
50. A. come across B. come back to C. come upon D. come up with
51. A. while B. when C. as D. since
52. A. slim B. beautiful C. thick D. heavy
53. A. but B. so C. because D. or
54. A. in surprise B. it, the, way C. in a hurt7 D. in lime
55. A. sight B. back C. corner D. scene
Unhappy people glue（使粘牢） themselves to the television 30 percent more than happy people.
The finding, announced on Thursday, 1 from a survey of nearly 30,000 American adults conducted between 1975 and 2006 as part of the General Social Survey.
2 happy people reported watching an 3 of 19 hours of television per week, unhappy people reported 25 hours a week. The results held even after 4 into account education, income, age and marital status.
In addition, happy individuals were more socially 5 , attended more religious services, voted more and6 a newspaper more often than their less-chipper（没有精神的） counterparts.
The researchers are not sure, though, whether unhappiness7 more television-watching or more viewing leads to unhappiness.
In fact, people say they like watching television: Past research has shown that when people watch television they8 it. In these studies, participants reported that on a9 from 0 (dislike) to 10 (greatly enjoy), TV-watching was nearly an 8.
But perhaps the high from watching television doesn't10 .
"These conflicting data11 that TV may provide viewers with short-run12 , but at the expense of long-term malaise(精神欠爽)," said researcher John Robinson, a sociologist at the University of Maryland, College Park.
In this case, even the happiest campers could turn into Debbie-downers if they continue to13 at the TV. The researchers suggest that over time, television-viewing14 push out other activities that do have more lasting15 . Exercise and sex come to mind, as do parties and other forms of socialization known to have psychological benefits.
Or, maybe television is simply a refuge(慰藉物) for people who are already16 .
"TV is not judgmental 17 difficult, so people with18 social skills or resources for other activities can engage in it," Robinson and UM colleague Steven Martin write in the December issue of the journal Social Indicators Research.
They add, "19 , chronic unhappiness can be socially and personally debilitating（使人衰弱的） and can interfere with work and most social and personal activities, but even the unhappiest people can click a remote and be passively20 by a TV."
The researchers say follow-up studies are needed to tease out the relationship between television and happiness.
( ) 1. A. comes B. arrives C. differs D. results
( ) 2. A. When B. As C. While D. Therefore
( ) 3. A. average B. amount C. number D. effort
( ) 4. A. speaking B. talking C. taking D. getting
( ) 5. A. active B. positive C. crazy D. cozy
( ) 6. A. look B. read C. see D. take
( ) 7. A. builds up B. cuts down C. leads to D. tends to
( ) 8. A. hate B. enjoy C. adopt D. adapt
( ) 9. A. fashion B. group C. scale D. rate
( ) 10. A. last B. decrease C. widen D. disappear
( ) 11. A. report B. suggest C. improve D. admit
( ) 12. A. excitement B. pleasure C. suffering D. sadness
( ) 13. A. glare B. look C. stare D. fix
( ) 14. A. should B. must C. could D. need
( ) 15. A. comforts B. laughter C. pressures D. benefits
( ) 16. A. tired B. lonely C. bored D. unhappy
( ) 17. A. and B. neither C. nor D. but
( ) 18. A. few B. little C. many D. quantity
( ) 19. A. Therefore B. Furthermore C. However D. Yet
( ) 20. A. controlled B. transformed C. persuaded D. entertained
It seems parents have long been right. Going to bed early is key to getting enough sleep and helping adolescents feel on top of the world, a new study reported.
A 1 of sleep among youngsters may 2 depression and suicidal (自杀的)thoughts, according to the study by the Columbia University Medical Center.
"Our results are 3 with the theory that inadequate sleep is a risk factor for depression, working with other 4 and protective factors through multiple possible causal pathways to the development of this 5 disorder," said lead author James Gangwisch.
" 6 quality sleep could therefore be a preventative measure against 7 and a treatment for depression," he added in the study 8 in the Friday issue of Sleep magazine.
The study followed the nightly habits of some 15,659 college and high-school students, and 9 those who consistently went to bed 10 midnight had a 24 percent higher risk of depression than those who turned in before 10:00 pm.
Night owls（夜猫子）also ran a 20 percent 11 risk of battling suicidal thoughts, the study added.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine 12 that adolescents should sleep at least nine hours or more a night. Those who were tucked in before 10:00 pm reported they slept13 about eight hours and 10 minutes.
But that amount of sleep 14 significantly for those in bed after midnight.
And adolescents who slept five hours or less a night were 71 percent more 15 to suffer depression and 48 percent more16 becoming suicidal, the study said.
"It is a common perception and societal 17 that adolescents do not need as much sleep as pre-adolescents, yet studies suggest that adolescents may 18 require more sleep," said Gangwisch.
"Studies have found that adolescents do not go to bed 19 enough to make up for earlier school start times, and transitions to earlier school start times have been shown to be 20 with significant sleep deprivation（剥夺）. "
( ) 1. A. night B. moderation C. limit D. lack
( ) 2. A. result in B. lie in C. come about D. bring in
( ) 3. A. opposed B. mixed C. related D. consistent
( ) 4. A. risk B. chance C. potential D. reason
( ) 5. A. mood B. body C. feeling D. mind
( ) 6. A. little B. lack C. Adequate D. over
( ) 7. A. suffering B. depression C. disorder D. sadness
( ) 8. A. reported B. published C. reflected D. noted
( ) 9. A. found B. investigated C. appraised D. supported
( ) 10. A. before B. from C. by D. after
( ) 11. A. lower B. higher C. more D. less
( ) 12. A. appeals B. recommends C. calls D. plans
( ) 13. A. on average B. in place C. ahead of D. in number
( ) 14. A. increased B. disappeared C. strengthened D. dropped
( ) 15. A. likely B. probable C. possible D. perhaps
( ) 16. A. at sight of B. at risk of C. in front of D. as a result of
( ) 17. A. wish B. expectation C. suggestion D. attempt
( ) 18. A. exactly B. immediately C. directly D. actually
( ) 19. A. early B. lately C. soon D. quickly
( ) 20. A. separated B. associated C. divided D. depended
Don't blame genes for aging facial skin. A new study of twins suggests you can 1 those coarse(粗糙的) wrinkles, brown or pink spots, and dilated(膨胀的) blood vessels on too much time in the sun, smoking, and being overweight.
Because twins share genes, but may have2 exposures to environmental factors, studying twins allows an, "opportunity to control for genetic susceptibility(敏感性)," Dr. Elma D. Baron, at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio, and colleagues3 in the latest issue of Archives of Dermatology.
Their analysis of environmental skin-damaging factors in 65 pairs of twins hints that skin aging is4 more to environment and lifestyle than5 factors.
But when it 6 skin cancer, the researchers say their findings support previous reports that 7 environment and genes affect skin cancer risk.
Baron's team 8 facial skin of 130 twins, 18 to 77 years old, who lived9 in the northern Midwest and Eastern regions of the U.S. who were10 the Twins Days Festival in Ohio in August 2002.
At this time, each of the twins also11reported how their skin burned or tanned12 sunscreen(防晒霜), their weight, and their history of skin cancer, smoking, and alcohol drinking.
The study group 13 of 52 fraternal and 10 identical twin pairs, plus 3 pairs who were unsure of their twin status. Identical(同卵的) twins share all of their genes and fraternal twins share only about half.
From these data, the researchers14 strong ties, outside of twin status, between smoking, older age, and being overweight, and having facial skin with evidence of environmental15
16 contrast, sunscreen use and drinking alcohol appeared correlated with 17 skin damage.
Baron and colleagues say the current findings, which highlight ties between facial 18 and potentially avoidable 19 factors -- such as smoking, being overweight, and 20 overexposure to the sun's damaging rays -- may help motivate people to minimize these risky behaviors.
( ) 1. A. blame B. owe C. take D. bring
( ) 2. A. same B. different C. similar D. common
( ) 3. A. explain B. confirm C. declare D. shout
( ) 4. A. equal B. related C. close D. strict
( ) 5. A. characteristic B. personal C. natural D. genetic
( ) 6. A. comes to B. talks of C. refers to D. gets to
( ) 7. A. all B. neither C. both D. either
( ) 8. A. examined B. checked C. inspected D. interviewed
( ) 9. A. most B. usually C. mostly D. always
( ) 10. A. joining B. representing C. attending D. remarking
( ) 11. A. separately B. lonely C. commonly D. truly
( ) 12. A. with B. on C. in D. without
( ) 13. A. consisted B. made up C. contained D. included
( ) 14. A. documented B. recorded C. reported D. noted
() 15. A. damage B. exploration C. protection D. material
( ) 16. A. In B. By C. As D. At
( ) 17. A. lesser B. more C. no D. fewer
( ) 18. A. look B. aging C. expression D. wrinkle
( ) 19. A. environmental B. genetic C. emotional D. psychological
( ) 20. A. protected B. planned C. unprotected D. prevented
Cutting meat production and consumption by 30 percent would help to reduce carbon emissions(排放) and improve health in the most meat-loving nations, scientists said on Wednesday.
Using prediction models, British and Australian researchers1 that improving efficiency, increasing carbon capture and2 fossil fuel dependence in farming would not be enough to3 emissions targets.
But combining these steps4 a 30 percent reduction in livestock（家畜） 5 in major meat-producing nations and a similar6 in meat-eating, would lead to "substantial population health benefits" and cut emissions, they said.
The study found that in Britain, a 30 percent7 intake of animal-source saturated（饱和的） fat by adults would reduce the8 of premature（过早的） deaths from heart disease by some 17 percent -- equivalent to 18,000 premature deaths reduced in one year.
In Sao Paulo, Brazil, it could mean as9 as 1,000 premature deaths reduced in a year, they said.
10 the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, 18 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions are from meat production and experts say rising11 for meat, particularly in countries with growing economies, could12 livestock production up by 85 percent from 2000 levels13 2030.
The scientists said global action was needed to maximize the benefits of cutting meat production and14 , and that the environmental15 "may apply only in those countries that currently have high production levels."
The study was16 in The Lancet medical journal as part of a series in climate change and health17 the Copenhagen global climate summit scheduled next month.
In a second study, British scientists found that increased walking and cycling, and18 cars, would have a much greater impact on health19 low-emission vehicles in rich and middle-income countries.
Andrew Haines, director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and head of the research series, said delegates at Copenhagen needed "to understand the potential20 impacts of their plans."
( ) 1. A. invented B. experimented C. found D. proved
( ) 2. A. increasing B. speeding C. stopping D. reducing
( ) 3. A. meet B. change C. break D. adapt
( ) 4. A. by B. with C. to D. in
( ) 5. A. sale B. eating C. production D. use
( ) 6. A. cut B. increase C. addition D. consumption
( ) 7. A. lower B. higher C. more D. less
( ) 8. A. amount B. number C. quantity D. deal
( ) 9. A. much B. many C. few D. little
( ) 10. A. According to B. Apart from C. As well as D. In addition to
( ) 11. A. resistance B. fear C. demand D. anxiety
( ) 12. A. weaken B. strengthen C. drive D. broaden
( ) 13. A. in B. by C. from D. after
( ) 14. A. evaluation B. consumption C. process D. store
( ) 15. A. advantage B. disadvantage C. pollution D. improvement
( ) 16. A. written B. claimed C. delivered D. published
( ) 17. A. along with B. from behind C. ahead of D. in front of
( ) 18. A. more B. fewer C. no . none
( ) 19. A. then B. as C. that D. than
( ) 20. A. health B. body C. spirit D. emotion
Are you a social butterfly, or do you prefer being at the edge of a group of friends? Either way, your genes and evolution may play a major 1 , US researchers reported on Monday.
While it may come as no surprise that genes may help explain 2 some people have many friends and others have 3 , the researchers said, their findings go just a little farther than that.
"Some of the things we find are 4 uncommon," said Nicholas Christakis of Harvard University in Massachusetts, who helped 5 the study.
"We find that how interconnected your friends are 6 on your genes. Some people have four friends who know each other and some people have four friends who don't 7 each other. 8Dick and Harry know each other depends on Tom's 9 ," Christakis said in a telephone interview.
Christakis and colleague James Fowler of the University of California San Diego are 10 known for their studies that show obesity, smoking and happiness spread in networks.
For this study, they and Christopher Dawes of UCSD used national data that 11 more than 1,000 identical(同卵的) and fraternal（异卵的） twins’ genes. Because 12 share an environment, these studies are good for showing the impact that genes have 13 various things, because identical twins 14 all their genes while fraternal twins share just half.
"We found there appears to be a genetic tendency to introduce your friends 15 each other," Christakis said.
There could be good, evolutionary reasons 16 this. People in the middle of a social network could be secret to useful gossip, 17 the location of food or good investment choices.
But they would also be at risk of catching effects from all sides -- in which case the advantage would 18 more cautious social behavior, they wrote in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"It may be that natural selection is19 not just things like whether or not we can resist the common cold, but also who it is that we are going to come into 20 with," Fowler said in a statement.
( ) 1. A. role B. rule C. roll D. pole
( ) 2. A. where B. why C. when D. how
( ) 3. A. a few B. several C. few D. some
( ) 4. A. generally B. mainly C. mostly D. frankly
( ) 5. A. conduct B. introduce C. conflict D. instruct
( ) 6. A. depends B. bases C. take D. put
( ) 7. A. see B. inspect C. learn D. know
( ) 8. A. When B. Where C. What D. Whether
( ) 9. A. genes B. brains C. appearances D. figures
( ) 10. A. much B. best C. very D. least
( ) 11. A. recorded B. illustrated C. described D. compared
( ) 12. A. brothers B. sisters C. twins D. cousins
( ) 13. A. with B. on C. for D. to
( ) 14. A. share B. have C. own D. show
( ) 15. A. into B. to C. in D. from
( ) 16. A. for B. with C. to D. at
( ) 17. A. in addition to B. due to C. as for D. such as
( ) 18. A. lie on B. bring in C. lie in D. send in
( ) 19. A. acting on B. putting on C. relying on D. sending on
( ) 20. A. contract B. face C. join D. contact