As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows, there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.
Lewis and his co-workers carried out their study by videotaping(录像) the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger, conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control the loud noise they make. That can have an important effect on the children. “In general, the more question-asking the parents do, the higher the children’s IQ scores,” Lewis says. “And the more children there are, the less question-asking there is. ”
The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings(兄弟姐妹). Lewis found that in families with three or four children, dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child, who has the most to talk about, and the youngest, who needs the most attention. “Middle children are invisible,” says Lewis. “When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner, chances are it’s the middle child.” There is, however, one thing that stops all conversation and prevents anyone from having attention: “When the TV is on,” Lewis says, “dinner is a non-event.”The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to ______.
| A．report on the findings of a study |
| B．teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table |
| C．show the relationship between parents and children |
| D．give information about family problems |
Parents with large families ask fewer questions at dinner because ______.
| A．they are busy serving food to their children |
| B．they have to pay more attention to younger children |
| C．they are busy keeping order at the dinner table |
| D．they are tired out having prepared food for the whole family |
By saying “Middle children are invisible” in paragraph 3, Lewis means that middle children ______.
| A．have to help their parents to serve dinner |
| B．find it hard to keep up with other children |
| C．are often kept away from the dinner table |
| D．get the least attention from the family |
Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?
| A．Parents should talk to each of their children frequently. |
| B．It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner. |
| C．It is important to have the right food for children. |
| D．Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner. |
For more than twenty years scientists have been searching for signs of life on other planets. Most of these searches have been done over the radio. The hope is that someone in outer space may be trying to get in touch with us. Scientists also have sent radio and television messages on spaceships travelling through space, on the chance that someone may be receptive to such message.
Scientists are using powerful radio telescopes to listen to signals from about 1,000 stars, all within 100 light years of Earth. In addition, they will scan the entire sky to "listen" for radio messages from more distant stars. Using a computer, they will be able to monitor more than eight channels at one time. Scientists are looking for any signal that stands out from the background noise.
Of the 200 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy, scientists find that five percent are like our sun. Perhaps half of them have a planet like Earth. Such a planet would be a reasonable distance from the star for temperatures to be right for the evolution (进化) of life. Based on the inhabitable (that can be lived in) planets in our galaxy, most scientists agree that chances are likely that one or more of these planets support some life.
However, many scientists wonder whether intelligent life exists on other planets. Some believe that twenty years of searching without any intelligible messages shows that no one is out there. They say that the evolution of intelligence comparable to ours is unlikely.
Other scientists believe that our search hasn’t been long enough to rule out the possibility that intelligent life exists in our galaxy. Although our sun family is only about five billion years old, our galaxy is about 20 billion years old. In that time, some scientists think it is likely that civilization much more advanced than ours have developed. Perhaps these civilizations send us no signals; perhaps we have not recognized the signals they have sent us. If we hope to find intelligent life, these scientists believe that we have to keep looking.
64. According to the passage, how many planets in our galaxy might be inhabitable?
A. 5 billion B. 10 billion C. 15 billion D. 200 billion
65.. The first paragraph in this passage is mainly about _____.
A. how scientists are looking for signs of life on other planets
B. why scientists are looking for signs of life on other planets
C. where scientists are looking for signs of life on other planets
D. When scientists are looking for signs of life on other planets
66.. The underlined word “ monitor” in Paragraph 2 means “_______”.
A. findB. followC. check D. form
67.. Which of the following is TRUE based on the information in the passage?
A. The earth is the oldest planet in our galaxy.
B. All scientists believe that there is intelligent life on other planets.
C. Scientists are trying different ways to find signs of life on other planets.
D. Scientists will give up the search for signs of life on other planets.
A simple piece of clothesline hangs between some environmentally friendly Americans
and their neighbors．
On one side stand those who see clothes dryers(干衣机)as a waste oi energy and a
major polluter of the environment．As a result，they are turning to clotheslines as part of the
“what—l—can—do environmentalism(环境保护主义)．”On the Other side a．re people who
are against drying clothes outside，arguing that clotheslines are unpleasant tn look at。They
have Dersuaded Homeowners Associations (HOAs) access the U．S．to ban outdoor
clotheslines，because clothesline drying also tends 10 lower home value in the neighborhood．
This has led to a’Right—to--Dry Movement that is calling for laws to be passed to protect
people’s right tO use clotheslines．So far，only three states have laws to protect clotheslines．
Right—Lo—Dry supporters argue that there should be more．
Matt Reck，37，is the kind of eco—conscious(有生态意识的)person who feeds his trees
with halhwal er and reuses water drops from his air conditloners to water plants．His family
also uses a clothesline．But on July 9，2007，the itOA in Wake Forest，Norlh Ca rolina．told
him that a dissatisfied neighbour had telephoned them about hi
s clothesline．The Recks paid
no attention tO the warning and still dri'ed their clothes on a
line in the yard．“Many people
say they are environmentally friendly but they don’t take matters in their own hands。”says
Reck．The local HoA has decided not tO take any action，unless more neighbors co~le 10
them．
North Carolina lawmakers are saying that banning clotheslines is not the right thing to
do．But HO
As and housing businesses believe that clothesline drying reminds people o
f poor
neighborhoods．They worry that if buyers think their future neighbors can’t even afford
dryers，housing prices will fall．
Environmentalists say such worries are not necessary，and in view of global warming，
that idea needs to change．As they say，“The clothesline is beautiful”．Hanging clothes
outside should be encouraged．We a11 have to do at least something to slow down the process
of glohal warming．
60．One of the reasons why supporters of clothes dryers are trying to ban clothesline drying
iSthat
A．clothes dryers are more efficient
B．clothesline drying reduces home value
C．clothes dryers are energy--saving
D．clothesline drying is not allowed in nlost U．S．slates
61．Which of the following best describes Matt Reck?
A．He is a kind～hearted man．B．He is an impolite man．
C．He is an experienced gardener． D．He is a man of social responsibility
62．Who are in favor of clothesline drying?
A．Housing busmesses．B．Environmentalists．
C．Homeowners Associations．D．Reck’8 dissatisfied neighbors．
63．What is mainly discussed in the text?
A．Clothesline drying：a way to save energy and fnnRey
B．Clot hesline drying：a lost art rediscovered．
C．Opposite opinions on clothesline drying．
D．Different varieties of clotheslines．
Failure is probably the most fatiguing (令人疲劳的)experience a person ever has. There is nothing more tiring than not succeeding, being blocked, not moving ahead. It is an evil circle. Failure causes fatigue, and fatigue makes it harder to get to work, which adds to the fatigue.
We experience this tiredness in two main ways: start-up fatigue and performance fatigue. In the former case, we keep putting off a task that we are forced to take up. Either because it is too boring or because it is too difficult, we avoid it. And the longer we put it off, the more tired we feel.
Such start-up fatigue is very real, even not actually physical, not something in our muscles and bones. The remedy (治疗法) is obvious, though perhaps not easy to apply: willpower exercise. The moment I find myself turning away from a job, or putting it under a pile of things I have to do, I clear my desk of everything else and attack the difficult item first. To prevent start-up fatigue, always treat the most difficult job first.
Performance fatigue is more difficult to handle. Here we are willing to get started, but we can't seem to do the job right. Its difficulties appear to be insurmountable and however hard we work, we fail again and again. The mounting experience of failure carries with it an ever-increasing burden of mental fatigue. In such a situation, I work as hard as I can, then let the unconsciousness take over.
72.. Which of the following can be called an evil circle？
A. Success-zeal-success-zeal.
B. Failure-tiredness-failure-tiredness.
C. Failure-zeal-failure-tiredness.
D. Success-tiredness-success-tiredness.
73.. According to the passage , when keeping putting off a task, we can experience _______.
A. tiredness B. performance fatigue C. start-up fatigue D. unconsciousness
74.To overcome start-up fatigue, we need ________ .
A. toughness B. prevention C. muscles D. strong willpower
75.. The underlined word "insurmountable" in the last paragraph probably means ________ .
A. that can not be overcomeB. that are known
C. that can not be imagined D. that can not be objected
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 causeddeep 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．“lknew if I gave up．it would not only be the end of my painting，hut also the end of mystruggle for a better life．”No matter what the obstacle(障碍)is，Hsieh always manages tofind the bright side of the situation． Hsieh works hard tO inspire others．He is a tireless lecturer，giving about four hundredformal speeches a year!“If a person like me can lead a happy life，”Hsieh explained，“whywould 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