第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
请认真阅读下列短文，从短文后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。s5u.com
A
Your Genes, Your Future
How would you feel if someone gave you an envelope with a description of every one of your genes? Supposing this information could tell you what illnesses you were likely to get, or even what illness you might die of, would you open the envelope?
It's a difficult question to answer. But the fact is that scientists have already begun to discover how certain genes influence us. And in the next decade, they will learn a lot more.
We have known for a long time that many of our physical characteristics are inherited. For example, our eye colour and certain diseases are decided by our genes. As long as you have a good diet, scientists can predict your height by looking at your parents' heights. And we now know that the need to wear glasses has a genetic cause. Our eating habits also appear to be decided by our genes!
With other characteristics, things are not so clear. Certainly, scientists have now shown that some traits are strongly influenced by our genes. Do you prefer getting up early or late? To a great extent, it's your genes that decide, Do you enjoy dangerous sports such as car racing? There is a gene that influences how much excitement we need.
But with most psychological characteristics, scientists are learning that both our genes and our environment affect us. This is true of things such as how violent we are, and how well we get on with other people. So, even though scientists may soon be able to describe our genes in detail, it does not mean they will be able to predict our future with any real success.
Nonetheless, the fact is that scientists will be able to "read" our genes in the near future. This will create new problems. To give a few examples, insurance companies may not want to insure people whose genes predict certain illnesses. Employers may not want to employ people who have a gene for violence. One thing is already clear -- with these new developments, life is going to become even more complicated!
56. Which characteristics is mostly likely to be inherited?
A. Eye colour. B. Interest. C. Future. D. Ability.
57. What kind of problem will these new developments create?
A. You may die of a certain illness described in the envelope.
B. There will be an increased number of violent people.
C. People may take part in dangerous sports such as car racing.
D. Insurance companies may refuse to insure people with a gene for certain disease.
58. Why won’t scientists be able to tell us a lot about our future?
A. Because we’re affected not only by our genes but also by our environment.
B. Because scientists will not able to read our genes in the near future.
C. Because life in the future will be more complicated.
D. Because scientists can’t describe our genes in detail.
Some people in Manchester, Britain, will soon be paying for goods and services with so-called “smart” credit cards. These cards are more secure than the traditional magnetic-strip version and can be used to travel on buses, check bank accounts and do shopping.
The Manchester project is one of the biggest smart card schemes in the world. Every time people use the cards on a bus or train, the fare is deducted (reduced) from the value of the card. When they have no credit left, the cards can be recharged at a local shop.
A smart card looks just like a normal plastic card but it has a silicon chip in it. It is possible for the same silicon chip to perform a number of different functions, so one plastic card in your pocket could do a large number of different jobs. The card has much more memory space than a magnetic-strip card, so many more things can be recorded on it.There are two types of smart cards. One is the contact card which is used in the same way as a magnetic-strip card.
Information is transferred by running the card through a narrow opening in an electronic reader. In the slot, electronic probes make contact with the magnetic-strip or silicon ship and read the information. The other type is the contactless smart card where the electronic reader communicates with the card by short-range radio waves. This makes the card quicker and more convenient to use because it does not have to leave your wallet. It is also more reliable as it is not easily influenced by scratches or dirt. However, the biggest advantage that smart cards have over magnetic-strip cards is that they are more secure. They are much more difficult to make than conventional cards and they have to be made by specially trained manufacturers. In addition, they have a large number of extra security features on them and if a smart card gets lost or stolen a quick phone-call to the distributor ensures that its individual number is made invalid and unreadable. This can be done more quickly than with a magnetic-strip card.A smart credit card can do many kinds of jobs because ____ .
| A．it is smart | B．it is a plastic card |
| C．it has a silicon chip in it | D．it can be recharged |
“ The cards can be recharged” means that ____ .
| A．the card can be put into a new charge of electricity |
| B．the cards can be changed into new ones |
| C．the cards can be put to use again |
| D．the cards can be recycled |
What are the advantages of smart credit cards over traditional ones?
| A．they can store more information | B．they are more secure |
| C．they are more convenient to use | D．all of the above |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Contactless cards are more convenient to use than contact ones |
| B．Smart cards are more expensive to manufacturer |
| C．By means of long-range radio waves contactless cards can communicate with the electronic reader |
| D．A smart credit card and a normal plastic card are the same thing |
About six years ago I was eating lunch in a restaurant in New York City when a woman and a young boy sat down at the next table. I couldn’t help overhearing parts of their conversation. At one point the woman asked,“So, how have you been?”And the boy who could not have been more than seven or eight years old replied,“Frankly, I’ve been feeling a little depressed lately.”
This incident stuck in my mind because it strengthened my growing belief that children are changing. As far as I can remember, my friends and I didn’t find out we were“depressed”until we were in high school.
The evidence of a change in children has increased steadily in recent years. Children don’t seem childlike any more. Children speak more like adults, dress more like adults and behave more like adults than they used to.
Whether this is good or bad is difficult to say, but it certainly is different. Childhood as it once was no longer exists. Why?
Human development is based not only on born biological states, but also on patterns of access to social knowledge. Movement from one social role to another usually involves learning the secrets of the new situation. Children have always been taught adult secrets, but slowly and in stages: traditionally, we tell sixth graders things we keep hidden from fifth graders.
In the last 30 years, however, a secret-revelation machine has been fixed in 98 percent of American homes. It is called television. Television passes information, indiscriminately, to all viewers alike, whether they are children or adults. Unable to resist the temptation, many children turn their attention from printed texts to the less challenging, more vivid moving pictures.
Communication through print, as a matter of fact, allows for a great deal of control over the social information to which children have access. Reading and writing involve a complex code of symbols that must be memorized and practised. Children must read simple books before they can read complex materials.Traditionally, a child is supposed to learn about the adult world _________ .
| A．through touch with society |
| B．gradually and under guidance |
| C．naturally and by biological instinct |
| D．through exposure to social information |
In the author’s opinion, the phenomenon that today’s children seem adultlike is caused by _____.
| A．the widespread influence of television |
| B．the poor arrangement of teaching content |
| C．the fast step of human intellectual development |
| D．the constantly rising standard of living |
Why is the author in favor of communication through print for children?
| A．It enables children to gain more social information. |
| B．It develops children’s interest in reading and writing. |
| C．It helps children to memorize and practise more. |
| D．It can control what children are to learn. |
What does the author think of the change in today’s children?
| A．He feels amused by the children’s adultlike behavior. |
| B．He thinks it is a phenomenon worthy of note. |
| C．He considers it a positive development. |
| D．He seems to be upset about it. |
Sometimes, the simplest ideas are the best. For example, to absorb heat from the sun to heat water,you need large, flat, black surfaces. One way to do that is to build those surfaces specially, on the roofs of buildings. But why go to all that trouble when cities are full of black surfaces already, in the form of asphalt (柏油) roads?
Ten years ago, this thought came into the mind of Arian de Bondt, a Dutch engineer. He finally persuaded his boss to follow it up. The result is that their building is now heated in winter and cooled in summer by a system that relies on the surface of the road outside.
The heat-collector is a system of connected water pipes. Most of them run from one side of the street to the other, just under the asphalt road. Some, however, dive deep into the groun.
When the street surface gets hot in summer, water pumped through the pipes picks up this heat and takes itunderground through one of the diving pipes. At a depth of 100 metres lies a natural aquifer(蓄水层) into which heat several heat exchangers (交换器) have been built. The hot water from the street runs through these exchangers, warming the ground-water, before returning to the surface through another pipe. The aquifer is thus used as a heat store.
In winter, the working system is changed slightly. Water is pumped through the heat exchangers to pick up the heat stored during summer. This water goes into the building and is used to warm the place up. After performing that task, it is pumped under the asphalt and its remaining heat keeps the road free of snow and ice.Which of the following is true according to the first two paragraphs?
| A．Arian de Bondt got his idea from his boss. |
| B．Large, flat, black surfaces need to be built in cities. |
| C．The Dutch engineer's system has been widely used. |
| D．Heat can also be collected from asphalt roads. |
For what purpose are the diving pipes used?
| A．To absorb heat from the sun. |
| B．To store heat for future use. |
| C．To turn solar energy into heat energy. |
| D．To carry heat down below the surface. |
From the last paragraph we can learn that __
| A．some pipes have to be re-arranged in winter |
| B．the system can do more than warming up the building |
| C．the exchangers will pick up heat from the street surface |
| D．less heat may be collected in winter than in summer |
What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?
| A．What we shall do if the system goes wrong . |
| B．What shall we do if there are no asphalt roads |
| C．How the system cools the building in summer . |
| D．How the system collects heat in spring and autumn. |
High-tech machines have made life easier for millions around the world．However, some people still prefer low-tech ways of doing things．Here’s an example of why this is happening．You can microwave a frozen hamburger in 60 seconds．However, it won’t taste as good as one you cook on the stove．And if you’re in that much of a hurry, you probably won’t take time to toast the bun．High-tech cooking saves time, but it doesn’t make for better-tasting meals．
Most people get their news from high-tech sources like television or the Internet．This has many advantages．For example, electronic news is more up to date than newspapers or magazines．It’s also more exciting to see live and videotaped news events than photographs．However, newspapers and magazines have some important advantages．They give more background and details．They also let you read the parts that are important to you and skip the rest．
Other high-tech timesavers have similar disadvantages．For example, most people use the phone or e-mail to stay in touch with friends and family members who live in other places．But when you use the Internet or the phone, you won’t always think carefully about what you are saying, and sometimes you forget the important things you want to communicate．Similarly, when you word-process a homework assignment instead of handwriting it, you can check your spelling electronically and put in fancy headings．However, some students are so busy with the computer that they don’t pay enough attention to the actual words they are writing．Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage ?
| A．The writer likes high-tech cooking |
| B．Low-tech cooking produces better-tasting meals． |
| C．High-tech news programs always keeps you reading what is important to you． |
| D．Handwritten homework is better than word-processed homework． |
How does the writer feel about high-tech tools?
| A．Better late than never． | B．Easy come, easy go． |
| C．Every coin has two sides． | D．Learn to walk before you run． |
What is the main subject discussed in the text?
| A．High-tech vs low-tech． |
| B．Advantages vs disadvantages． |
| C．Newspapers and magazines vs television and the Internet． |
| D．Word-processing vs handwriting． |
How is the text organized?
| A．Main idea-Argument-Explanation |
| B．Opinion-Discussion-Description |
| C．Topic-Comparison-Supporting examples． |
| D．Introduction-Supporting examples-Discussion． |
After ten years, the world' s largest music festival, Rock in Rio, returned to its hometown Rio de Janeiro for seven days of concerts from Friday, September 23rd, attracting 700,000 people over the whole week．
It is the 10th edition of the Rock in Rio festival, but only the 4th to be held in Rio as the organizers exported the festival to Lisbon and Madrid ten years ago．The first edition of the festival was in 1985 and the most recent edition in Rio was held in January, 2001．A total of 700,000 tickets were sold out for this year' s festival．
The festival consists of four stages with the participation of International stars including Elton John, Katy Perry, and bands Metallica, Evanescence and System of a Down．Several stars which performed in previous editions are also on the list this year．．In addition, a number of local singers and bands will also join this year．
The performance site, named as Rock City, is a 150,000-square-meter area．Besides the concert area, the site also has a giant Ferns wheel, a roller coaster, and a small shopping mall．After the festival, the Rock City area will be converted into a leisure area to athletes in the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro
According to Rio' s tourism company Riotur, out of the 700,000 people expected in the festival, some 315,000 will be tourists, who raised the hotels' occupation rate to 98 percent．Riotur estimated that the Rock in Rio festival will bring 419 million U．S．dollars for the city and create 10,000 jobs．
The creator of the festival, Brazilian businessmen Roberto Medina, insisted on opening the Rock City gates himself, in the early afternoon, and greeted the first fans to enter the site．"We come to the gate because the Brazilian audience is even more important than the bands．We applaud them．They make the greatest show," he said．The first edition of the festival may be held in ____．
| A．Rio de Janeiro | B．Lisbon |
| C．Madrid | D．a place not mentioned |
Up to now, the festival has been held in Rio for at least _____．
| A．ten times | B．four times |
| C．three times | D．twice |
The number of native people to attend the festival is probably ____．
| A．700,000 | B．315,000 |
| C．10,000 | D．385,000 |
From the passage, we can know ____．
| A．Rock City is a great theatre |
| B．Only rock bands are invited to the festival? |
| C．the festival will improve the employment of Rio |
| D．The gate of Rock City was opened by the Brazilian audience |