II、阅读（共两节，满分50分）
第一节阅读理解（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A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A teenage girl is fighting for her life today after being struck by lightning as severe thunderstorms swept across Britain. The girl was one of four teenage girls from London who were hit by lightning in the Parade Ground area of Hyde Park during a storm. Earlier, Joseph Wharton, 14, died as he was struck by lightning while camping in his friend’s backyard in the West Midlands.
A spokesman for Scotland Yard said the girl remained in serious condition at St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington. She had stopped breathing by the time the first paramedic (护理人员) arrived on the scene just two minutes after the strike at 5:40 p.m. yesterday.
The other three girls hit by the bolt all had injuries, and were taken to University College Hospital. Their conditions were not serious, the spokesman added.
The strike lifted the girls into the air and then dropped them to the ground, a witness reported.
A spokesman for the London Ambulance Service said paramedics risked their lives to treat the girls. “The storm was still overhead and lightning was still coming down while they were treating the patients,” he said. “All staff involved acted very professionally in providing fast treatment to these patients in very difficult circumstances.” Scotland Yard said the incident was being looked into by officers from the Royal Parks’ Operational Command Unit.
Joseph Wharton of Byland Way, Bloxwich, was hit during the extended thunderstorm which struck the region yesterday morning. He was pronounced dead at Walsall Manor Hospital.
He had been sleeping in a tent while staying with school friend Michael Lees at a house on nearby Cresswell Crescent.
West Midlands Ambulance Service said paramedics were called at 7:50 a.m. and unsuccessful attempts were made to revive（使苏醒）the sports-mad teenager. A spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said four or five people die each year as a result of lightning strikes in the UK.
26、All four girls________.
A. were killed by the lightning B. were seriously injured
C. were being treated at the same hospital D. were lifted up and dropped to the ground
27、The underlined word “bolt” probably means “________”.
A. thunder B. rain C. storm D. lightning
28、Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The boy was killed after the four girls had been hit.
B. The paramedics began to treat the girls after taking them to the hospital.
C. First-aid was given to the girls during the storm.
D. The boy was hit by lightning in the Parade Ground area of Hyde Park.
29、It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A. many British people die from lightning strikes every year
B. the writer blames the government for the accident
C. the paramedics could also have been hit by lightning while aiding the girls
D. Joseph had been playing in the open air before the strike
30、This passage is probably taken from a ________.
A. magazine B. newspaper C. science fiction D. weather report
In June, 2007, a group of students from eight high schools in Winnipeg, the capital of Canada’s Manitoba province, will begin test-launching (试发射) a satellite the size of a Rubik’s cube.
The one-kilogram Win-Cub satellite, named for its home city and its shape, will be put into low orbit. Once in space, it can perform for a few months or up to several years, communicating information that could help find the signs of earthquakes.
There are 80 similar satellite projects worldwide, but this is the first high-school based program of its kind in Canada. 30 Manitoba high school students are having a hand in designing and building the satellite, in cooperation with aerospace (航空航天的) experts and 10 students from the University of Manitoba, and with support from two other organizations.
The Win-Cube project is not something that goes on a piece of paper; it is real-world engineering, allowing high school students to have an opportunity to learn more about the exciting world of engineering through their participation in this challenging program. It is also taken as a wonderful example of the unique partnerships within Manitoba. Designing, building and launching a satellite with high-school participation will bring this world-class educational project into reality and Manitoba closer to space.
“These Manitoba high school students deserve congratulations for their enthusiasm, innovation (创新), and a strong love for discovery,” said Education, Citizenship and Youth Minister Peter Bjomson. “We want to make science more relevant (相关的), interesting and attractive to high school students by showing them how classroom studies can relate to practical experience in the workplace or, in this case, in space,” Bjomson added.
The Win-Cube program is mainly named at inspiring a strong desire for discovery on the part of the students. It also shows Manitoba’s devotion to research and innovation and the development of a skilled workforce—all important drivers of knowledge-based economic growth.
56. According to the passage, the Win-Cube satellite is _________.
A. named after Manitoba and its shape
B. intended for international communication
C. designed like a Rubik’s cube both in shape and size
D. challenged by university students around the world
57. According to Mr. Bjomson, ___________.
A. those Manitoba high school students are worth praising
B. the study of space can be practically made in classrooms
C. Manitoba high schools are famous for the study of space
D. scientific research is too far away from high school students
58. The primary purpose of the project is to _________.
A. find the early signs of earthquakes B. relate studies to practical
C. help high school students study real-world engineering
D. inspire a strong desire for discovery among the students
59. The best title for this passage may be ________.
A. Manitoba School B. Win-Cube Program C. Space Co-operation
D. Satellite Launching
Over the last 70 years, researchers have been studying happy and unhappy people and finally found out ten factors that make a difference. Our feelings of well-being at any moment are determined to a certain degree by genes. However, of all the factors, wealth and age are the top two.
Money can buy a degree of happiness. But once you can afford to feed, clothe and house yourself, each extra dollar makes less and less difference.
Researchers find that, on average, wealthier people are happier. But the link between money and happiness is complex. In the past half-century, average income has sharply increased in developed countries, yet happiness levels have remained almost the same. Once your basic needs are met, money only seems to increase happiness if you have more than your friends, neighbors and colleagues.
“Dollars buy status, and status makes people feel better,” conclude some experts, which helps explain why people who can seek status in other ways-scientists or actors, for example-may happily accept relatively poorly-paid jobs.
In a research, Professor Alex Michalos found that the people whose desires-not just for money, but for friends, family, job, health-rose furthest beyond what they already had, tended to be less happy than those who felt a smaller gap (差距)。Indeed, the size of the gap predicted happiness about five times better than income alone. “The gap measures just blow away the only measures of income.” says Michalos.
Another factor that has to do with happiness is age. Old age may not be so bad“Given all the problems of aging, how could the elderly be more satisfied？”asks Professor Laura Carstensen.
In one survey, Carstensen interviewed 184 people between the ages of 18 and 94, and asked them to fill out an emotions questionnaire. She found that old people reported positive emotions just as often as young people, Some scientists suggest older people may expect life to be harder and learn to live with it, or they’re more realistic about their time running out, older people have learned to focus on things that make them happy and let go of those that don’t.
“People realize not only what they have, but also that what they have cannot last forever,” she says. “A goodbye kiss to a husband or wife at the age of 85, for example, may bring far more complex emotional responses than a similar kiss to a boy or girl friend at the age of 20.”
72.According to the passage, the feeling of happiness .
A.is determined partly by genes B.increases gradually with age
C.has little to do with wealth D.is measured by desires
72.Some actors would like to accept poorly-paid jobs because the jobs .
A.make them feel much better B.provide chances to make friends
C.improse their social position D.satisfy their professional interests
74.Aged people are more likely to feel happy because they are more .
A.optimistic B.successful C.practical D. emotional
75.Professor Alex Michalos found that people feel less happy if .
A.the gap between reality and desire is bigger B.they have a stronger desire for friendship
C.their income is below their expectation D.the hope for good health is greater
Dogs wag(摇摆) their tails in different directions depending on whether they are excited and wanting to move forward or threatened and thinking of moving back, a study has found.
Researchers in Italy examined the tail wagging behaviour of 30 dogs, catching their responses to a range of stimuli(刺激物) with video cameras. To conduct the study they chose 15 male dogs and 15 female ones aged between one and six years. The dogs were all family pets whose owners had allowed them to take part in the experiment at Bari University. The dogs were placed in a large wooden box with an opening at the front to allow for them to view various stimuli. They were tested one at a time.
The researchers led by Professor Giorgio Vallortigara of the University of Trieste found that when the dogs were shown their owners—a positive experience—their tails wagged energetically to the right side. When they were shown an unfamiliar human they wagged to the right, but with somewhat less enthusiasm. The appearance of a cat again caused a right-hand side wag, although with less intensity again. The appearance of a large unfamiliar dog, similar to a German shepherd, changed the direction of tail wagging to the left. Researchers supposed the dog was thinking of moving back. When the dogs were not shown any stimuli they tended to wag their tails to the left, suggesting they preferred company. While the changes in the tail wagging were not easily noticed without the aid of video, it was thought that the findings could help people judge the mood (心情) of dogs. Computer and video systems, for example, could be used by professional dog trainers to determine the mood of dogs that they were required to approach.
71.The video cameras were used to catch the dogs’ responses because .
A.it was easier to catch the dogs’ response changes in the tail wagging
B.the dogs were put in the wooden boxes and tested one at a time.
C.they enabled the dogs’ owners to know about their dogs’ habit
D.the dogs wagged their tails in different directions when they were in different moods
72.The underlined word “intensity” in the passage means .
A.surprise B.worry C.excitement D.interest
73.When there are no stimuli, a dog will .
A.wag to the left B.wag to the right
C.not wag at all D.wag to the left and then to the right
74.The underlined word “they” refers to .
A.the dogs B.the trainers C.the systems D.the researchers
75.The purpose of doing the experiment is .
A.to train dogs for their owners B.to help people judge the mood of dogs
C.to help dogs find company D.to help people choose their pet dogs
Scientists have found what look like caves on Mars(火星), and say they could be protecting life from the planet’s terrible environment.
The first caves discovered beyond the Earth appear as seven mysterious black dots on the pictures sent back by NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter. Each as large as a football field, they may be openings into natural caves below the Martian surface.
“If there is life on Mars, there is a good chance you’d find it in caves,” said Jut Wynne,one of the researchers who noticed the features while working on a US Geological Survey Mars Cave Detection Program.
Jonathan Clarke, a geologist with the Mars Society of Australia, yesterday described the discovery as exciting.
One photo taken at night by an infrared imager(红外线成像器) showed one hole to be unusually warm, suggesting hot air trapped during the day is flowing out.
“I said:‘Wow, that’s a cave’” Dr. Clarke said excitedly. “People have been looking for these for a long time; now we have found them.”
He agreed such caves would be perfect places to hunt for life escaping from the bitterly cold, radiation-soaked(充满辐射的), dry surface.
“Tiny drops of water could collect inside,” he said. “If there are gases coming out, they could provide energy for a whole range of bacteria. A cave is also a protection from radiation; the surface of Mars is exposed to high levels of space radiation.”
The caves probably formed when tube-shaped lave flows(管状岩浆流) spread across the planet long ago. The outside of the tubes cooled, forming solid walls, while something hotter inside allowed the remaining have to flow out, forming caves.
64.What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. How the caves were formed on Mars.
B. How scientists found these caves on Mars.
C. Caves on Mars may be full of hot air or a sign of life.
D. Scientists have completely recognized the surface of Mars.
65.We can learn from the passage that .
A. water has already been found on Mars
B. the scientists found all the caves at night
C.it is certain that there is life in these caves
D.the surface of Mars is bitterly cold, radiation-soaked and dry
66.According to the passage, Dr. Clarke was so excited because .
A.such caves could provide energy for life
B.they had finally found the caves on Mars
C.such caves would be perfect places to hunt for life
D.scientists had long been looking for these caves
67.Necessary conditions for life on Mars mentioned in the passage may include .
A.lava and energy B.water and radiation from space
C.gases and lava D.water and protection from radiation
Thinking
| Some scientists claim that we humans are the only living things that are conscious(有意识的)-we alone are aware that we are thinking. No one knows how consciousness works –it is one of science’s last great mysteries. All your thoughts take place in the cerebrum(大脑皮质),which is at the top of your brain, and different kinds of thought are linked to different areas, areas, called association areas. Each half of the cerebrum has four rounded ends called lobes(脑叶)-two at the front (frontal and temporal lobes)and two at the back (occipital and parietal lobes). The frontal lobe is linked to your personality and it is where you have your bright ideas. The temporal lobe is where you hear and understand what people say to you. The occipital lobe is where you work out what your eyes see. The parietal lobe is where you record touch, heat and cold, and pain. The left half of the brain controls the right side of the body. The right half controls the left side. One half of the brain is always dominant (in charge).Usually, the left brain is dominant, which is why 90% of people are right-handed. |
68.Which part of your cerebrum is most active when you are making a telephone call?
A. The frontal lobe. B. The temporal lobe. C. The occipital lobe. D. The parietal lobe.
69.Which of the following statements is true?
A. One’s personality has something to do with the frontal lobe.
B. Bright ideas come from the parietal lobe.
C. The occipital and temperal lobes are at the back of the cerebrum.
D. The occipital lobe is in charge of sound.
70.From the passage, we know the reason why around 10% of people are left-handed is that _______.
A.their frontal lobe is usually dominant B.their temporal lobe is usually dominant
C.their right brain is usually dominant D.their left brain is usually dominant