The stereotype(固有观念)of computer scientists as nerds who stay up all night coding and have no social life may be driving women away from the field, according to a new study published this month. This stereotype can be brought to mind based only on the appearance of the environment in a classroom or an office.
“When people think of computer science the image that immediately pops into many of their minds is about the computer geek(怪人)surrounded by such things as computer games, science fiction and junk food,”said Sapna Cheryan, a University of Washington assistant professor of psychology and the study’s lead author. “That stereotype doesn’t appeal to many women who don’t like the portrait of masculinity(男性化).”
Cheryan set up four experiments involving more than 250 female and male students who were not studying computer science to look at possible reasons why the proportion of women in the field is dropping while the proportion of women in such disciplines as biology, mathematics and chemistry is increasing.
In the first experiment,students entered a small classroom that either contained objects stereotypically associated with computer science such as Star Trek posters, video game boxes and Coke cans, or non-stereotypical items such as nature posters, art, a dictionary and coffee cups. The students were told to ignore these objects because the room was being shared with another class. After spending several moments in the classroom, the students filled out questionnaires(调查问卷)that asked about their attitude toward computer science.
Women exposed to the stereotypical setup expressed less interest in computer science than those who saw the non-stereotypical objects. Men placed in the same situations did not show a similar drop in interest in computer science. Cheryan said this study suggests that a student’s choice of classes or a major can be influenced by the appearance of classrooms, halls and offices.
1. The underlined word “nerds” in Paragraph 1 probably refers to “______”
A. dull persons B. active persons C. intelligent persons D. funny persons
2. Women are less likely to choose computer science because__________.
A. it is too difficult for them
B. they have wrong understanding of it
C. the lifestyle of computer scientists turns them away
D. they don’t like the social life of computer scientists
3. A woman would probably lose interest in computer science when she sees a ______.
A. Star Trek poster B. nature poster C. dictionary D. coffee cup
4. What can influence a woman’s choice of classes, according to the passage?
A. The contents of computer science.
B. The space in the classroom.
C. The number of students in the classroom.
D. The classroom environment.
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。
Hsieh.a never--say--die young man,has mastered the technique of painting hy holding
the paintbrush in his mouth.When he was sixteen,Hsieh had a terrible electrical accident.
Both of his arms and the lower part of his right leg were cut off.He also lost sight in his
rigllt eye.But Hsieh didn’t lose heart.He decided to learn art,and took the first difficult
step toward changing his life.
“At first.I tried to hoht a pen in my mouth.But I couldn’t control it,”Hsieh said,“Fi—nally,after trying over and over again,I learned tO write my OWn name.”
Learning to paint was even more difficuh.At first,every brushstroke he made caused
deep cuts in his mouth.It was ext remely painful.But Hsieh didn’t let the pain discourage
him.“lnstead,I held the painlbrusb even tighter,”Hsieh explained in a firm voice.“l
knew if I gave up.it would not only be the end of my painting,hut also the end of my
struggle for a better life.”No matter what the obstacle(障碍)is,Hsieh always manages to
find the bright side of the situation.
Hsieh works hard tO inspire others.He is a tireless lecturer,giving about four hundred
formal speeches a year!“If a person like me can lead a happy life,”Hsieh explained,“why
would regular people feel unhappy?It doesn’t always take tWO arms tO achieve your dreams.
A11 it lakes is a warm heart.”
56.What happened tO Hsieh when he was young?
A.He was struck by electricity.
B.His left leg was hurt.
C.He lost heart because of failure.
D.He was ill for two months.
57.Which of the following is his character?
A.Realistic thought. B.Impressive works.
C.Unexpected news. D.Belief in SUCCESS.
58.Which is right?
A.Hsieh once got the help from the government.
B.Only such a person like Hsieh can succeed.
C.He touched himself before he began to paint.
D.It doesn’t always take tWO arms to realize one’S dream.
59.Which is the best title of the passage?
A.How to learn painting. B.A painter without hands.
C.A man who was hurt. D.How to make oneself well—known.
Disposing(处理) of waste has been a problem since humans started producing it. As more and more people choose to live close together in cities, the waste-disposal problem becomes increasingly difficult.
During the eighteenth century, it was usual for several neighboring towns to get together to select a faraway spot as a dumpsite. Residents or trash haulers(垃圾托运者) would transport household rubbish, rotted wood, and old possessions to the site. Periodically(定期的) some of the trash was burned and the rest was buried. The unpleasant sights and smells caused no problem because nobody lived close by.
Factories, mills, and other industrial sites also had waste to be disposed of. Those located on rivers often just dumped the unwanted remains into the water. Others built huge burners with chimneys to deal with the problem.
Several facts make these choices unacceptable to modern society. The first problem is space. Dumps, which are now called landfills, are most needed in heavily populated areas. Such areas rarely have empty land suitable for this purpose. Property is either too expensive or too close to residential(住宅区的)neighborhoods. Long-distance trash hauling has been a common practice, but once farm areas are refusing to accept rubbish from elsewhere, cheap land within trucking distance of major city areas is almost nonexistent.
Awareness of pollution dangers has resulted in more strict rules of waste disposal. Pollution of rivers, ground water, land and air is a price people can no longer pay to get rid of waste. The amount of waste, however, continues to grow.
Recycling efforts have become commonplace, and many towns require their people to take part. Even the most efficient recycling programs, however, can hope to deal with only about 50 percent of a city's reusable waste.
72. The most suitable title for this passage would be ______.
A. Places for Disposing Waste B. Waste Pollution Dangers
C. Ways of Getting Rid of Waste D. Waste Disposal Problem
73. During the 18th century, people disposed their waste in many ways EXCEPT for ______.
A. burying it B. recycling it
C. burning it D. throwing it into rivers
74. What can be inferred from the fourth paragraph?
A. Farm areas accept waste from the city in modern society.
B. There is cheap land to bury waste in modem society.
C. It is difficult to find space to bury waste in modem society.
D. Ways to deal with waste in modem society stay the same.
75. The main purpose of writing this article is to ________.
A. draw people's attention to waste management
B. warn people of the pollution dangers we are facing
C. call on people to take part in recycling programs
D. tell people a better way to get rid of the waste
Sheep, like turkeys and ostriches, are not considered the cleverest animals. British scientists said last Wednesday human may have underestimated(低估) the woolly creatures. They could be much smarter than we think.
Researchers at the Babraham Institute in Cambridge, southern. England, have shown that animals have a good memory system and are extremely good at recognizing faces--which they think is a sure sign of intelligence.
Behavioral scientist Keith Kendrick and his friends trained 20 sheep to recognize and distinguish(区别) 25 pairs of sheep faces and used electrodes(电极) to measure their brain activity, which showed they could remember 50 faces for up to two years.
"If they can do that with faces, the fact is that they have to have reasonable intelligence, otherwise, what is the point of having a system for remembering anything else," Kendrick said in an interview.
So hours of seemingly mindless eating grass may not be so mindless after all.
Kendrick believes sheep got their reputation as dumb animals because they live in large groups and do not appear to have much individuality and are frightened of just about everything.
"All animals, including humans, once they are frightened don't tend to show signs of intelligent action," he explained.
In research reported in the science journal Nature, Kendrick and his team showed that sheep, like humans, have a specialized system in the brain, which allows them to distinguish between many different faces that look extremely similar.
"The most important findings of the study is that they are able, both from a behavioral point of view and from looking at the way the brain is organized, to remember a large number of faces of individuals for a very long time," said Kendrick. "It is a very strange system. They are showing similar abilities in many ways to humans. "
68. From the first paragraph we can find that ______.
A. people used to think sheep are smarter than the other animals
B. people used to raise sheep in a wrong way
C. people don't consider sheep as clever animals
D. people have done a lot of research on sheep
69. From what Kendrick said in the interview we learn that ________.
A. scientists have learned a lot about sheep's intelligence
B. scientists have learned little about sheep's intelligence
C. scientists can't do anything more about sheep's memory
D. scientists don't have to research animals' memory
70. As is shown in the passage _________.
A. sheep are among the weak animals
B. it is not right for people to raise sheep in groups
C. when sheep eat grass in the fields their minds may be active
D. if people feel frightened, they may become more brave
71. When scientists found that sheep show similar abilities in many ways to humans they may think it _____.
A. worrying B. moving C. frightening D. interesting
When I opened my e-mail the other day, a pretty woman named Rachel appeared on my computer screen. She greeted me by name and started talking with great enthusiasm. Every now and then she stopped to smile at me or blow a kiss. She was reading to me an e-mail from my brother, and a lot of it was about his getting the phone company to give him a high-speed Internet connection. It was pretty cool.
Rachel was there thanks to a new technology called Facemail. Facemail lets you send e-mail that gets ready to the receiver by an attractive male or female form or by a clown(小丑). The software, which is free, can be downloaded at www. Facemail.com.
Facemail faces are lifelike, and they simulate(模拟) emotions based on emotions that you put in your text. For example, type in-X, and Rachel blows a kiss.
LifeFX, the company that develops the Facemail, is sure there are broad business uses. The reason e-business is not popular, the company says, is that buying over the Internet lacks the human touch. But what if you went to the Nike website and Michael Jordan greeted you by name, waited on you and personally closed the sale? And it is talking with Whirl(惠而浦公司) about using the technology in a computer screen on a fridge. Then if Morn can't be home when the kids get back from school, she can leave a note with voice and image telling them what there is to eat.
Facemail could get hot fast. Personally, I'm a fan. But Facemail should be used with care. The clown looks lively and funny at first. But if you select the clown, put a few rude words in an e-mail and add some angry emotions, you've got a Psycho-mail(疯人型电子邮件).
64. The pretty woman that appears on the writer's computer screen was ______.
A. a woman working on the Internet B. his brother's girlfriend
C not a real person D. the picture of his pen-friend
65. The main advantage of Facemail is that ______.
A. you can hire a beautiful woman to read the e-mail to you
B. you can see the person who sends you the e-mail
C. yon can send an e-mail free of charge
D. e-mail can be attractive in a more lovely way
66. The writer mentioned Nike website and Michael Jordan to show that _______.
A. Famous people like Michael Jordan also like to use Facemail
B. Facemail can make shopping on the Internet more interesting
C. Nike website will increase its sales by Jordan
D. Michael Jordan will serve you himself on Nike website
67. What is the writer's attitude towards Facemail?
A. He thinks it needs further improvement.
B. He thinks it cool and funny.
C. He thinks it a danger to the Internet.
D. He thinks people should be careful with Facemail.
Alzheimer's disease is a major national health problem. Nearly 2 million Americans over the age of 65 have Alzheimer's disease. It is a leading cause of death among the elderly. But Alzheimer's disease is not confined(限于) to the aged. There may be a million or more people under the age of 65 suffering from the disease.
At one time, people suffering from the disease were said to be "getting old". The disease was thought to be a natural part of growing old, but it is now known that Alzheimer's disease strikes young and old alike. It is an organic(器官的) disease that destroys brain cells.
Alzheimer's disease affects the patient's memory, speech, and movement. In the beginning stages of the disease, the patient may seem slightly confused. He may have trouble speaking. Then the patient's memory begins to fail. He may forget dates, telephone numbers, names and plans.
As the disease progresses, the patient may not recognize family and friends. These symptoms(症状) often cause terrible anxiety in the patient. He may feel lost and frightened. Sometimes the patient reacts with wild and bad behavior.
In the last stages of the disease, the patient may not be able to take care of himself. He may have lost the ability to speak and walk.
Scientists don't know exactly what causes Alzheimer's disease. It may be caused by a virus(病毒). It may be caused by a poisonous substance(物质) in the environment. At present, there is no cure for the disease. But there are ways to slow its progress. Exercise and physical treatment can help the patients of this disease.
60. The main idea of the passage is that Alzheimer's disease _______.
A. is a terrible part of the aging process B. is an organic disease that affects young and old
C. can be cured by physical treatment D. causes forgetfulness
61. All of the following are symptoms of Alzheimer's disease EXCEPT _______.
A. forgetfulness B. difficulty in speaking C. loss of sight D. loss of the ability to walk
62. According to the passage, which of the following may be a cause of Alzheimer's disease?
A. Poisons produced by the brain. B. Getting old. C. A virus. D. Lack of exercise.
63. The progress of Alzheimer's disease can be slowed by ______.
A. operation B. a change in environment C. medicines D. physical treatment and exercise