Anyone who ever wondered why a dying plant, say, a freshly-cut red rose may appeal to a lady friend, might take some comfort in science, which once again offers us a reasonable answer to one of the world’ s great mysteries.
Beyond a common preference in people for blue, “the long history of color preference studies has been described as ‘confusing and contradictory(矛盾的)’,” write scientists Anya Hurlbert and Yazhu Ling of England’ s Newcastle University, authors of a new study in the journal Current Biology. “This fact is perhaps surprising,” they said, “though the popularity of the concept that little girls differ from boys in preferring pink.”
But the scientists believe they have an answer to this scientific mystery, discovering women’s preference for red, hidden above the average liking for blue.
In their study, the pair quickly flashed color cards, displaying many different aspects, at 208 volunteers, mostly Britishers but with a number of Han Chinese, who moved to the United Kingdom recently. Tested in three different experiments, the researchers found out a small but significant preference for reddish colors in the female volunteers.
Puzzled, the authors realized that most of the difference between men and women came in the form of a preference for green VS red in the color cards, regardless of the other slight differences such as the slightly blue ones that everyone liked. Why might this be?
Evolution might offer an answer, they reason. Human color perception(感知), the assessment of three separate color types — red — green — blue— in our vision (视觉) is a relatively recent addition to our line of mammals(脯乳动物)
Adding weight to their argument, they found the women who are most typically feminine(女性的) on a psychological survey also had the biggest preference for reddish colors. “My love is like a red, red rose,” wrote the Scottish poet Rober Burns in 1794.What does the first paragraph probably tell us ?
| A．Scientific research can help people solve the mystery. |
| B．When we are tired, we can turn to science for help. |
| C．Science can make our study interesting and contradictory. |
| D．We should turn to scientific invention for comfortable life. |
The word “pair” in Para.4 refers to _____.
| A．boy and girl | B．the two authors |
| C．research and result | D．pink and blue |
According to the passage, ______________.
| A．boys like blue better than girls |
| B．girls like pink better than boys |
| C．men like red better than women |
| D．men and women both like green |
How did the scientist do the research?
| A．By asking questions | B．By telephoning the interviewees |
| C．By adding numbers | D．By doing experiments |
What is the purpose of writing this article?
| A．To sell products packed in red | B．To introduce the history of color |
| C．To inform us of a research finding | D．To analyze men’s taste for color |
Here are two letters from our readers expressing their concern about school assessment:
(1)
Students should be allowed to study without worrying about grades. Fortunately, most educators realize that students have different interests and abilities. However, gradebased assessment(评价) is still very common.Grades often hold back creativity. Competing for better grades causes many students to turn down opportunities to go in for music,drama and sports.Grades are also an unfair measure of a student’s ability. I do not demand,as some extremists do,that grades should no longer be recorded.However,I do believe that less importance should be placed on grades.I hope that someday grades will become optional(可要可不要) at Village High School.
Magdalena Smith, President,
Drama Club
(2)
Let’s face the facts about grades.Grades perform three basic functions.First,grades get students to work at their highest level of competence.Second,they act as an encouragement for hardworking students and as a warning to those who are not.Finally,grades are an effective standard by which to measure students achievement.Good grades help students to get jobs and to get into university.I’ve spoken with a number of students who have jobs,and most of them say that they were hired mainly because of their grades.My grades helped me get a parttime job and will help me get into university next year.I think grades are extremely important at Village High School.
Simon Harper, Member,
Science Club Simon Harper writes from the viewpoint of someone who _______.
| A．insists grades should become optional in the near future |
| B．believes in the advantages of assessment based on grades |
| C．is concerned about improving students creativity |
| D．supports using students interests to measure their abilities |
Magdalena Smith thinks it is important for _______.
| A．educators to assess the students by grades |
| B．educators to pay more attention to grades |
| C．students to compete for better grades |
| D．students to take part in music, drama, and sports |
According to the letters, which of the following is true about Village High School?
| A．Grades are effective in every way. |
| B．Grades hold back students creativity. |
| C．Grades bring about unnecessary competition. |
| D．Grades are still in use at present. |
What are the two letters mainly about?
| A．The role that grades should play in assessing students. |
| B．The importance of art and music in students life. |
| C．The need to have a standard measure for students success. |
| D．The reasons why grades shouldn’t be used to assess students. |
If women are exploited year after year,they have only themselves to blame.Because they tremble at the thought of being seen in public in clothes that are out of fashion(过时),they are always made use of by the designers and the big stores.Clothes which have been worn only a few times have to be put aside because of the change of fashion.When you come to think of it,only a woman is able to stand in front of a wardrobe(衣柜) packed full of clothes and announcing sadly that she has nothing to wear.
Changing fashions are nothing more than the intentional(故意的) waste.Many women spend vast sums of money each year to replace clothes that have hardly been worn.Women who cannot afford to throw away clothing in this way waste hours of their time changing the dresses they have.Skirts are lengthened; necklines are lowered or raised, and so on.
No one can say that the fashion industry makes anything really important to society.Fashion designers are seldom concerned with important things like warmth and that woman will put up with any amount of discomfort,as long as they look right.There can hardly be a man who hasnt at some time in his life smiled at the sight of woman shaking in a thin dress on a winter day,or picking her way through deep snow in high-heeled shoes.What do you think of the writer’s idea about “fashion” ?
| A．It is neither a waste of money nor a waste of time. |
| B．It makes something really important to the society. |
| C．It makes its followers suffer a lot. |
| D．It is practical opinion to women. |
Who are to blame, according to the passage, for the quickly changing fashion industry in the following?
(a)Women themselves (b)Men themselves (c)Fashion designers
(d)Attractive clothes (e)Big stores (f)High-heeled shoes
| A．(a); (c); (e) | B．(a); (b); (d) |
| C．(c); (e); (f) | D．(a); (e); (f) |
We can learn from the passage that _______.
| A．most men share different opinions with women on dressing,as well as fashion designers |
| B．a woman doesn’t feel cold while she’s in a thin dress on a winter day |
| C．whenever women find their clothes out of date, they’ll get rid of them |
| D．you didn’t feel strange when seeing a young girl walking in deep snow in high-heeled shoes |
Fashion designers care little for _______.
| A．outward appearance | B．woman’s interests |
| C．the comfort of the clothes | D．the cost of the materials |
Skateboarding has become one of several non-traditional activities that PE teachers around America are introducing to inspire kids to exercise regularly. Some PE classes feature in-line（滚轮） skating, yoga, and even rock climbing. Experts have called those types of activities “the new PE”.
Such activities are part of a larger effort to help kids develop lifelong fitness habits and to keep them from becoming overweight. Now, 9 million U.S. children and teens are overweight. Obesity (肥胖) can lead to health problems such as diabetes and heart disease later in life.
"Our children and youth are becoming unhealthy and obese," says Johnson. "Skateboarding is a great activity that keeps kids doing physical movement and gives them new skills and interest."
Some schools don't allow skateboarding because they say it is dangerous. Tim, however, argues that regular practice eliminates a great deal of the danger. "We teach students how to do it and how to do it safely," he says.
Some people say skateboarding teaches life lessons. “Skateboarding teaches kids to believe that if they stick with something they will finally succeed. ”says education expert Richard Savor from College in Portland.
Skateboarding inspires kids not to give up in learning difficult skills. "It's natural for kids to want to learn and get better at things," adds Tim. "When it comes to skateboarding, they'll try a trick hundreds of times before they succeed." That same effort could be made in schoolwork.
Eric Brown agrees that skateboarding requires kids to stop saying a task is too hard for them. "A baby will attempt to walk 600 to 900 times before he or she is successful," says Eric, "We tell students that they shouldn't say 'I can't do it' unless they've tried 600 to 900 times.
72. Skateboarding is introduced into American schools to ______________.
A. encourage students to compete bravely in competition
B. teach students how to deal with risk.
C. prevent students suffering from heart disease later in life.
D. help students form the habit of doing sports
73. The underlined word "eliminates" in Paragraph 4 probably means ______________.
A. reduces. B. increases C. addsD. brings
74. What life lesson do kids learn from skateboarding?
A. To succeed in life you have to learn skateboarding.
B. You will succeed in life if you don't give up.
C. Only after failing 600 to 900 times can you succeed.
D. There is no hard work after learning skateboarding well.
75. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. The dangerous PE B. Skills of skateboarding. C. The new PE. D. The change of PE.
In today's world, we rely on computers as never before. They are used for everything from ordering a pizza to running hospitals and military defense systems. Banking and credit card information is stored and accessed by computers. So what happens when a computer gets infected with a virus? One effect is that people's access to their e-mail accounts is cut off. A more serious possible consequence is that billions of dollars could be lost.
A virus is a computer program that copies itself onto other programs and infects them. Similar to an easily spread disease, a computer virus goes from computer to computer, either adding to or changing the tasks a program is designed to do.
The first computer viruses were created in the mid '80s and had varying effects. Some caused files to be deleted, or made the letters on the screen appear to fall off. Others displayed a specific message once the computer was turned on.
Viruses today are much more widespread and dangerous than ever before. Perhaps the most damaging to date has been the "I Love You" virus. "I Love You" appeared in May 2000 and has possibly been the most destructive virus in terms of monetary loss.
The virus is released when an attachment to a fake e-mail message is opened. By changing the names of files on computers, "I Love You" makes them difficult to access. It also searches for important personal information, including passwords, which it sends to a web site for others to see.
It is estimated that more than 45 million people in 20 countries have had their computers infected by the "I Love You" virus. Some say the cost of repair and lost business has been more than US$10 billion.
If you own a computer, it is important to keep it in good health by installing an anti-virus program. If updated frequently, it will protect your e-mail access--not to mention your wallet.
68. What does "virus" mean in the article?
A. An easily spread disease.
B. A contagious (传染的) computer program.
C. An extremely small organism (生物) which causes disease.
D. A parasite (寄生虫) in computer.
69. How does "I Love You" virus spread?
A. It is spread when an e-mail account is opened. B. It is spread through on-line chatting.
C. It is spread through e-mail.D. It spreads from web site to web site.
70. Which of the following is the best way to guard against virus?
A. To load an up-to-date anti-virus program into our computer
B. Not to use an e-mail account.
C. To upgrade our computer.
D. Not to use the Internet.
71. What is the purpose of the article?
A. To warn us against virus.B. To remind us the importance of being healthy.
C. To stress the importance of computer.D. To warn us to economic loss.
Several different stories are told about the origin of Saint Valentine’s Day. One story dates as far back as the days of Roman Empire. According to the story. Claudius, the Emperor of Rome, wanted to increase the size of the army. He knew that it would be easier to get young men who were not married to join the army; therefore, he made a rule that no young men could marry until he had served in the army for a number of years.
A priest(man working in church) named Valentine broke the rule and secretly married a great number of young people. Finally, Claudius found out about Valentine and put the priest in prison, where he remained until his death on February 14.
After his death, Valentine was made a saint(圣人) and the day of his death was named Saint Valentine’s Day----which is a time for people to send one another their greeting of many kinds.
February 14, Valentine’s Day, is sweetheart’s day, on which people in love with each other express their soft feelings.
People sometimes put their
love message in a heart shaped box of chocolate or a bunch of flowers tied with red ribbons. Words of letters may be written on the flower covered card, or something else. Whatever the form may be, the message is almost the same “Will you be my Valentine?”
64. According to the rule_______.
A. no young men could get married unless they were old enough.
B. Young men could get married if they had served the army for a number of years.
no one could get married without the emperor’s permission
young men could get married only in the army.
65. The passage mainly tells us about_______.
A. How Valentine died B. The emperor of Rome
C. How Valentine’s Day is celebrated D. The origin of Valentine’s Day
66. February 14 is chosen as Valentine’s Day because_______.
A. people want to remember Valentine
lovers express their soft feelings on this day
people send one another greeting of many kinds on this day
people want to fix a date for lovers to express their emotion
67. Valentine was put in prison for ________.
A. he helped the couples who were not supposed to get married
B. he got married
C. he fell in love with more than one woman.
D. he broke the emperor’s rule on purpose