Any foreigner who has tried to learn Chinese can tell how hard it is to master the tones required to speak and understand. And anyone who has tried to learn to play the violin or other instruments can report similar challenges.
Now researchers have found that people with musical training have an easier time learning Chinese. Writing in the online edition of Nature Neuroscience，researchers from Northwestern University say that both skills draw on the same parts of the brain that help people discover changes in pitch(音调)．
One of the study’s authors，Nina Kraus，said the findings suggested that studying music “actually tunes our sensory system”．This means that schools that want children to do well in languages should hesitate before cutting music programs，Dr.Kraus said. She said music training might also help children with language problems.
Mandarin(普通话)speakers have been shown to have a more complex encoding(编码) of pitch patterns in their brains than English speakers do. This is because in Mandarin and other Asian languages，pitch plays a central role. A singlesyllable word can have several meanings depending on how it is intoned.
For this study，the res
earchers looked at 20 nonChinese speaking volunteers，half with no musical background and half who have studied an instrument for at least six years.
As they were shown a movie，the volunteers also heard an audio tape of the Mandarin word “mi” in three of its meanings：squint，bewilder and rice. The rese
archers recorded activities in their brain stems to see how well they were processing the sounds. Those with a music background showed much more brain activities in response to the Chinese sounds.
The lead author of the study，Patrick C．M.W
ong，said it might work both ways. It appears that
native speakers of tonal languages may do better at learning instruments.When learning Chinese，a foreigner will find ________.
| A．he has a difficult time learning music at the same time |
| B．he has an easier time learning music at the same time |
| C．it is hard to master the tones required to speak and understand |
| D．it is easy to use the brain to help him discover changes in pitch |
Why does Chinese learning have something to do with music training?
| A．Because there is the same difficulty in learning Chinese and music. |
| B．Because skills to learn the two make use of the same parts of the brain. |
| C．Because music training might help people with language study. |
| D．Because people who do well in Chinese study do well in music. |
The underlined word “intoned” in the fourth paragraph can be replaced by the word “____”．
| A．created | B．spelled |
| C．seemed | D．pronounced |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．Mandarin Speakers Are Smarter than English Speakers |
| B．Skilled Ear for Music May Help Language Study |
| C．Pitch Plays a Central Role in Chinese Learning |
| D．Schools Need to Develop Music Programs |
Unusual incidents are being reported across the Arcitc. Inuit(因纽特人)families going off on snowmobiles to prepare their summer hunting camps have found themselves cut off from home by a sea of mud .There are also reports of sea ice breaking up earlier than usual, carrying seals beyond the reach of hunters. Climate change may still be a rather abstract idea to most of us ,but in the Arctic it is already having great effects –if summertime ice continues to shrink at its present rate ,the Arctic Ocean could soon become almost ice-free in summer .The knock –on effects are likely to include more warming, cloudier skies ,and higher sea levels .Scientists are increasingly eager to find out what’s going on in the Arctic.
For the Inuit the probkm is mgent. They live in unsteady baiance with one of the toughest environments on earth. Climate change, whatever its causes, is a direct danger to their way of life. Nobody knows the Arctic as well as the locals, which is why they are not content simply to stand back and let outsider experts tell them what’s happening. In Canada, where the Inuit people are trying hard to guard their hard-won autonomy in the country’s newest land, Nunavut, they believe their best hope of survival in this changing environment lies in combining their ancestral knowledge with the best of modern science. This is challenge in itself.
The Canadian Arctic is a vast , treeless polar desert that’s covered with snow for most of the year. Adventure into this area and you get some idea of the hardships facing anyone who calls this home. Farming is out of the question and nature offers few pickings. Humans first settled in the Arctic a mere 4,500 years ago, surviving by taking advantage of sea fist. The environment tested them to the limits: sometimes the settlers were successful, sometimes they failed and disappeared. But around a thousand years ago, one group appeared that was uniquely well adapted to deal with the Arctic environment. These Thule people moved in from Alaska, bringing dogs, iron tools and the like. They are the ancestors of today’s Inuit people.
67．Which of the following is not likely to be the effect of climate change?
A．Shorter and shorter summertime.
B．Ice-free summer around the Arctic.
C．Higher sea levels.
D．More dloudy skies.
68．The Inuit people believe the solution to the climate change problem is______.
A．to change their way of life
B．to use their ancestral knowledge
C．to make the best of modem science
D．to use their ancestral knowledge and modern science
69．It can be concluded from the last paragraph that______.
A．the first settlers in the Arctic survived by taking advantage of sea fish
B．it’s hard to farm in the Arctic due to the climate change
C．the ancestors of Inuit people stood out among the settlers
D．the Thule people from Alaska invented iron tools
70．Which of the following is the best title of this passage?
A．Climate change and the Inuit
B．Climate change around the Arctic
C．Global warming around the world
D．The Inuit and their ancestors around the world
Are you a problem shopper? The answer is “Yes” , if you or someone else thinks that you sometimes get carried away with shopping .In other words ,do you or does someone else think you are occupied in extreme shopping ? If people have regrets later about their shopping , or have an “out-of-control” feeling about the quantities of what they buy or the amount of credit they use , they may be considered to be problem shoppers.
Extreme shopping can lead to a more serious problem –addictive shopping . Addictive shoppers feel driven by the desire to shop and spend money . They experience great tension which drives them to shop and spend money and they feel a “rush” during the time they are occupied with the shopping activity.
Extreme or addictive shopping may result from long-time unpleasant feelings, of which anxiety ,pain and shame are common ones,. When we feel bad inside ,we often do something to make ourselves feel better . In this case ,we often go shopping .
A few people shop to relieve their boredom or emptiness .For some people ,the motivation is a desire for status ,power ,beauty or success .Some love to shop as it makes them feel valued in the eyes of the shop assistants .Others shop simply because it makes them forget , at least temporarily , tension ,fear or unhappiness in their life.
Besides ,shopping malls are designed to encourage continual shopping . For instance ,there are some malls where you can’t see clocks displaying the time because they don’t want you to become too aware of the time you spend there .What’s more ,food courts, coffee shops and restrooms are provided ,so you don’t have to leave the mall because of your physical needs.
Therefore ,once you become aware of how market forces work ,you will certainly come to control your shopping behavior .For example ,how much time you will spend an d what areas you will visit can be decided before you enter the mall. Keep a written account of what items you will buy and how much money you will spend . Make a plan for what you are going to buy before you feel the urge to shop and then stick to it . That is vital for gaining self0control.
63．Which of the following people may not be problem shoppers?
A．Those who cannot control the amount of credit they use.
B．Those who just walk around the shopping malls.
C．Those who are occupied in too much shopping.
D．Those who feel sorry for their shopping.
64．According to the passage, what may not result in addictive shopping?
A．The awareness of how market forces work.
B．The desire for status ,power ,beauty or success.
C．Boredom, emptiness ,tension ,fear or unhappiness in people’s life.
D．Long-time bad feelings of anxiety ,pain and shame.
65．What does the author suggest to control our shopping behaviour?
A．Never going to the shopping malls because there are many tricks.
B．Applying for a credit card before we go shopping.
C．Making the shopping time as short as possible.
D．Making a shopping list before we go shopping.
66．The author writes this passage to______.
A．inform the shopping malls how to attract more shoppers
B．provide solutions to the problem shopping.
C．scold the problem shoppers
D．tell a shopping story
Eddie’s father used to say he’d spent so many years by the ocean, breathing seawater .Now, away from that ocean ,in the hospital bed ,his body began to look like a beached fish. His condition went from fair to stable and from stable to serious .Friends went from saying , “He’ll be home in a day,” to “He’ll be home in a week .” In his father’s absence ,Eddie helped out at the pier(码头), working evenings after his taxi job.
When Eddie was a teenager ,if he ever complained or seemed bored with the pier ,his father would shout, “What ? This isn’t good enough for you?” And later ,when he’d suggested Eddie take a job there after high school ,Eddie almost laughed, and his father again said, “What? This isn’t good enough for you ?” And before Eddie went to war , when he’d talked of marrying Marguerite and becoming an engineer ,his father said , “What? This isn’t good enough for you ?”
And now ,regardless of all that ,here he was ,at the pier ,doing his father’s labor.
Parents rarely let go of their children ,so children let go of them .They move on. They move away .It is not until much later, as the heart weakens ,that children understand ;their stories, and all their accomplishments ,sit on top of the stories of their mothers and fathers ,stones upon stones , beneath the waters of their lives.
Finally ,one night ,at his mother’s urging ,Eddie visited the hospital .He entered the room slowly .His father ,who for years had refused to speak to Eddie ,now lacked the strength to even try.
“Don’t sweat it ,kid,” the other workers told him. “Your old man will pull through .He’s the toughest man we’ve ever seen.”
When the news came that his father had died ,Eddie felt the emptiest kind of anger ,the kind that circles in its cage.
In the weeks that followed, Eddie’s mother lived in a confused state . She spoke to her husband as if he were still there .She yelled at him to turn down the radio . She cooked enough food for two .One night ,when Eddie offered to help with the dishes ,she said. “Your father will put them away.” Eddie put a hand on her shoulder. “Ma,” he said ,softly , “Dad’s gone.”
“Gone where?”
59．In Paragraph 4, the writer indicates that_____ .
A．Children like moving away from them parents
B．Children often feel regretful because they leave their parents
C．Children wouldn’t have achieved so much without their parents’ support
D．Children can never understand how much their parents have devoted to them
60．The underlined sentence probably means “______ ”.
A．Don’t give it up B．Don’t worry about it
C．Don’t let him down D．Don’t touch it
61．Which of the following shows the right order of the story?
a．Eddie’s father died.
b．Eddie worked as a taxi driver.
c．Eddie married Marguerite.
d．Eddie was bored with his father’s job.
A．baed B．deab C．beda D．deba
62．From the last part of the passage ,we learn that______.
A．Eddie’s mother liked to listen to the radio
B．Eddie often helped his mother wash the dishes
C．Eddie and his wife lived in his mother’s apartment
D．Eddie’s mother missed her husband so much that she was at a loss
第三部分：阅读理解（共两节，40分）
第一节：（共15小题；每小题2分，共30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的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。
STUDY CENTER COURSES
| From Paragraph to essay Of particular relevance to students who wish to improve their organizational skills and who feel that their final product is never clear enough. Thursday 10:00—12:00 Kiran Singh |
| Source Material How do you gather information for a project or paper? A practical course which looks at sources of information and how to use cataloguing systems. Monday 10:00—11:00 Kiran Singh |
| Express Yourself An advanced course suitable for students who are about to step into organizations where they may have to voice their opinions often. Monday 12:00—2:00 Dave Parrin |
| Media Use Open to all students ,this course focuses on the many ways we can benefit from the radio and television. Group projects form part of course. Tuesday 9:00—11:00 Steve Ansell |
| The Short Story A research into the world of popular writers. One story is selected for adaptation into a short play and group performance. Pre-arranged groups welcome. Thursday 11:00—1:30 Mrs Owen |
| Caught for Speeding Open to all students .Simple eye exercises to help you with speed reading. How to be selective on the page . Using headings, topic sentences and paragraphs for easy access. Wednesday 11:00—1:00 Mrs Owen |
| Tense about Tenses For those who worry about their use of words—a look at tenses and other aspects of the language through poetry and song. Good voice helps but not a must. Saturday 10:00—12:00 Steve Ansell |
56．If a student takes the course The Short Story, he can’t take______.
A．From Paragraph to Essay B．Tense about Tenses
C．Source Material D．Media Use
57．Which of the courses can develop the students’ team work?
A．From Paragraph to Essay B．The Short Story
C．Caught for Speeding D．Express Yourself
58．From where can a student read this?
A．On the radio. B．On television.
C．In a local newspaper. D．On a school notice board.
Some years ago, a Miami woman walking through an office building noticed two men standing together．Several minutes after her leaving, the men murdered a person working in the building．The police determined that the woman was the only witness and could possibly describe them．However, her memory of the men proved disappointingly unclear．Several days later, psychologist Ronald Fisher was brought in to obtain a more complete account from the woman．His interview produced a breakthrough—the woman reported a clear picture of one of the suspects．The important information enabled the police lo arrest the suspect and close the case．
The police asked Fisher for help because of his rich knowledge in cognitive interview, a kind of memory - rebuilding process．Memory researchers have found that people trying to remember a past event often only recall part of the relevant information．Human memory is selective and it is often distorted by stress．But a person's accurate recall of an event or understanding of a question can be improved using specific interviewing techniques．The "cognitive interview" was developed in the late 1990s．It encourages the witness to take an active role in recalling information rather than giving answers only to someone else's questions．The witness first describes what happened in his or her own words, with no interviewer interruptions．The interviewer then goes further with specific techniques, such as having the witness tell the details of what happened from different perspectives （角度）．
The cognitive interview focuses on guiding witnesses through four general recalling techniques: thinking about physical surroundings and personal feelings that existed at the time of past events; reporting everything that conies to mind about those events, no matter how broken it is retelling events in a variety of time orders, such as from beginning to end, end to beginning, forward or backward; and adopting different perspectives while recalling events．
Experiments with police detectives trained in this demanding interview method find that they obtain nearly 50% more information from witnesses than before training, while error rates remain about the same．It is proved that cognitive interviews are quite important tools in improving the accuracy and completeness of witness testimony （证词）．
67．The purpose of the passage is to _____．
A．give an account of a murder case
B．introduce an idea of cognitive interview
C．prove Fisher was an expert in cognitive interview
D．help a witness to recall information in a cognitive interview
68．What is required to recall in a cognitive interview for a witness?
A．The exact time at which a murder took place．
B．The information about the event in the time order．
C．The important things that come to his or her mind．
D．The surroundings and feelings at the time of the event．
69．The key point in a cognitive interview is that______
A．the witness is encouraged to take part in recalling information
B．the interviewer should interrupt the witness from time to time
C．the interview should take place outside the police station
D．the witness should recall details at the scene of the event
70．The underlined word "distorted" in the passage probably means " ____
A．arranged B．balanced C．, changed D．examined