IcametostudyintheUnitedStatesa-优题课

There is one difference between the sexes on which every expert and study agrees: men are more aggressive than women．It shows up in 2-year-olds．It continues through school days and persists into adulthood．It is even constant across cultures．And there is little doubt that it is rooted in biology．
If there's a woman’s trait（特点） which is the same as men’s aggressiveness, it's what social scientists refer to as the result of "education"．Feminists have argued that the caring nature of women is not biological in origin, but rather has been forced into women by a society that wanted to keep them in the home．But the signs that it is at least partly inborn are too numerous to ignore．Just as tiny infant girls respond more readily to human faces, female toddlers（学步者） learn much faster than males how to pick up nonverbal cues（非言语暗示） from others．And grown women are far more skilful than men at interpreting facial expressions: A recent study by University of Pennsylvania brain researcher Ruben Gur showed that they easily read emotions such as anger, sadness and fear．The only such emotion men could pick up was disgust．
What difference do such differences make in the real world? Among other things, women appear to be somewhat less competitive--or at least competitive in different ways--than men．At the Harvard Law School, for instance, female students enter with qualities just as outstanding as those of their male peers．But they don' t qualify for the well-known Law Review in proper numbers, a fact some school officials owe to women' s discomfort in the incredibly competitive atmosphere．
Students of management styles have found fewer differences than they expected between men and women who reach leadership positions, perhaps because many successful women deliberately imitate men．But an analysis by Purdue social psychologist Alice Eagly of 166 studies of leadership style did find one difference: Men tend to be more “autocratic”-making decisions on their own--while women tend to consult colleagues more often． Studies of behavior in small groups turn up even more differences．Men will typically dominate the discussion, says University of Toronto psychologist Kenneth Dion, spending more time talking and less time listening．
53．The passage mainly discusses__________．
A．how sex differences are demonstrated in social relations
B．how hormone determines sex differences
C．why there are differences between males and females
D．why men and women have different social roles
54．According to the writer, women’s caring nature is .
A．not inborn in any sense B．inspired by women’s families
C．caused by social prejudice D．partly biological in origin
55．The Harvard Law School example in paragraph 3 suggests that_________．
A．women are not as competitive as men
B．law is not the fight profession for women
C．women are as excellent as men when they are young
D．academic qualities are not equal to performance
56．We can say from paragraph 4 that ___________.
A．men leaders should consult colleagues and subordinates more often．
B．female leaders' success is due to their imitating male leaders．
C．men and women are different in their leadership style．
D．decisiveness is an important quality for a successful politician．

Brittnie Pemberton listened attentively as Jim Herrick took her and her mother, Tanya, on a brief tour of San Diego State University on Thursday．Her dream is much closer to reality after she received a promise from the university．The university promised that she would get a full four-year scholarship to the school as long as she met the entrance requirements．
Brittnie, 10, laughed．Her mom cried．
They live at the Salvation Army Door of Hope, a living center for homeless women and their children．Photojournalist Linda Solomon met them in August when she came to the facility and taught boys and girls, ages three-and-a-half to 13, how to take pictures．She gave them all disposable cameras and told them to capture images that reflected their dreams．The children's images - a big house, a church, a playground, a backyard and more - are kept．This is a project called“Pictures of Hope" organized by the Salvation Army
"I wish to go to college, so I took a picture of the sign out in front of San Diego State University," Brittnie said last month．The Fletcher Elementary School fifth-grader was pointing to the Christmas card bearing her photograph．
Adrienne Finley, development director at the Salvation Army, hosted a reception for Solomon, who told Finley about the president of a small university who gave a child the scholarship she dreamed of last year．
Finley called his old friend, Herrick, who serves as the SDSU President．"We have a wonderful opportunity here to make a difference in a little girl's life," Finley said．Soon her mom and Brittnie were face to face with SDSU President Jim Herrick．
"You must be Brittnie," he said, reaching out to shake her hand．She quickly pulled her hands out of the pockets of the new SDSU sweatshirt she had been given that morning．
They sat down at a table in his office and talked about college, about science, about her love of math and his hope that she and other girls wouldn't lose interest in those subjects, as happens to many girls as they grow older．
Then they talked about how much discipline she would need over the next eight years to make her dream come true．Both signed the paper outlining their agreement to the terms of the scholarship．Back outside on the sunny campus, Brittnie admitted she's tempted sometimes not to do her homework．"But not anymore," she said．
49．According to the first paragraph, we can know that________．
A．it is certain that Brittnie will be admitted into SDSU
B．Brittnie will not need to pay for her university education if she can study in SDSU．
C．Jim Herrick promised Brittnie’s mother to offer her a job in SDSU．
D．Brittnie made a promise that she would never give up her dream．．
50．The Salvation Army Door of Hope is intended to ______．
A．call on young men and young women to help others
B．provide shelters for homeless moms and their children
C．carry out some projects to help those who are in trouble
D．help homeless people no matter who they are
51．According to the passage, the following statements are true EXCEPT_______．
A．Linda Solomon taught children photography to inspire them．
B．Children told people about their dreams through their pictures．
C．Brittnie took a picture standing at the gate of SDSC．
D．Brittnie’s picture was so good that it was printed on a Christmas card．
52．From what Ferrick said to Brittnie, we can infer that_______．
A．Ferrick has a strong belief that Brittnie will be a scientist in the future．
B．Brittnie, as well as some other girls, is interested in both science and math．
C．some girls would not be so good in science and math as boys as they grow older．
D．Brittnie will never lose interest in science because of her deep love

Many people think the search for cleaner energy leads only to renewable resources like sun, wind and water．But it also leads to a fossil fuel．Natural gas is considered the cleanest of the fossil fuels, the fuel created by plant and animal remains over millions of years．Burning it releases fewer pollutants than oil or coal．The gas is mainly methane （甲烷）．It produces half the carbon dioxide of other fossil fuels．So it may help cut the production of carbon gases linked to climate change．
Russia is first in what are called "proved reserves" of natural gas．The United States is sixth．Over the years, big oil and gas companies recovered much of the easily reached supplies of gas in America．They drilled straight down into formations where gas collects．As these supplies were used up, big drillers looked for similar formations in other countries．
But now the industry is taking a new look．Companies are developing gas supplies trapped in shale （页岩） rock two to three thousand meters underground．They drill down to the shale, then go sideways and inject high-pressure water, sand or other material into the rock．This causes the rock to fracture, releasing the gas．Huge fields of gas shale are believed to lie under the Appalachian Mountains, Michigan and the south-central states．Gas shale exploration is being done mainly by small to medium sized companies．Eric Potter, a program director, says more than half the gas in the United States is now coming from these new reserves．
But hydraulic （液压的） fracturing can also produce debate and anger over the risk of groundwater pollution．This method of drilling is not federally supervised under the Safe Drinking Water Act．Some in Congress want to end that exemption （豁免） from the law．
Natural gas provides Americans with about one fourth of their energy．And, unlike oil, most of it is produced in America．Gas producers invested heavily in reaching new supplies when prices were high．But prices are down sharply now because the depression cut demand for energy．So energy expert Eric Potter says it is too early to know how the changing market prices will affect the market for gas shale exploration．
45．We can learn from the first paragraph that ________．
A．natural gas releases methane and carbon dioxide
B．natural gas is considered as the cleanest energy
C．natural gas is more environmentally friendly than other fossil fuels
D．natural gas is a renewable source of energy
46．The word “fracture” in Paragraph 4 probably means _______．
A．create B．break C．change D．decrease
47．Gas shale exploration may cause disagreement because ______．
A．it may cause water pollution B．it brings too high profits
C．it breaks the law D．it is out of states’ control
48．According to Eric Potter, the new gas shale exploration ______．
A．will provide America with about one fourth of their energy
B．will increase demand for energy
C．will make gas producers invest a big sum of money
D．may be influenced by the changing market prices

第二部分：阅读理解（共两节）
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、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
We already know the fastest, least expensive way to slow climate change: Use less energy. With a little effort, and not much money, most of us could reduce our energy diets by 25 percent or more—doing the Earth a favor while also helping our wallets．
Not long ago．My wife, PJ, and I tried a new diet—not to lose a little weight but to answer an annoying question about climate change．Scientists have reported recently that the world is heating up even faster than predicted only a few years ago, and that the consequences could be severe if we don’t keep reducing emissions（排放）of carbon dioxide（CO2）and other greenhouse gases that are trapping heat in our atmosphere．
We decided to try an experiment．For one month we recorded our personal emissions of CO2．We wanted to see how much we could cut back, so we went on a strict diet．The average US household produces about 150 pounds of CO2 a day by doing common-place things like turning on air-conditioning or driving cars．That’s more than twice the European average and almost five times the global average, mostly because Americans drive more and have bigger houses．But how much should we try to reduce?
For an answer, I checked with Tim Flannery, author of The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth．In his book, he had challenged readers to make deep cuts in personal emissions to keep the world from reaching extremely important tipping points, such as the meltingof the ice sheets in Greenland or West Antarctica．“To stay below that point, we need to reduce CO2 emissions by 80 percent,” he said．
Good advice, I thought．I’d opened our bedroom windows to let in the wind．We’d gotten so used to keeping our air-conditioning going around the clock．I’d almost forgotten the windows even opened．We should not let this happen again．It’s time for us to change our habits if necessary．
41．Why did the author and his wife try a new diet?
A．To take special kinds of food B．To respond to climate change．
C．To lose weight D．To improve their health
42．The underlined words “tipping points” most probably refer to .
A．freezing points B．burning points
C．melting points D．boiling points
43．It can be inferred from the passage that .
A．it is necessary to keep the air-conditioning on all the time
B．it seems possible for every household to cut emissions of CO2
C．the average US household produces about 3,000 pounds of CO2 a month
D．the average European household produces about 1,000 pounds of CO2 a month
44．Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A．Saving Energy Strats at Home B．Changing Our Habits Begins at Work
C．Changing Climate Sounds Reasonalbe D．Reducing Emissions of CO2 Proves Difficult

Austin Children’s Museum
This 7,000-square-foot museum aims to entertain and educate children up to age 9. In its Global City exhibit, people can go shopping for groceries, order lunch at a diner, pretend that they’re doctors or construction workers, and more. In other fun exhibits, they learn about Austin’s history, explore the world of water, and experience life on a large Texas farm.
Open time: From Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 am~ 5:00 pm
On Sunday, 12:00 am ~ 5:00 pm
Address: 201 Colorado St, Austin, Texas 78701
Phone: 512-4722499
Brooklyn Children’s Museum
Founded in 1899, it is the world’s oldest children’s museum, featuring interactive exhibits，workshops and special events. The Mystery of Things teaches children about cultural and scientific objects and Music Mix welcomes young virtuosos(名家)。
Open time: From Wednesday to Friday, 2:00 pm ~ 5:00 pm
On Saturday and Sunday, 10:00am ~ 5:00 pm
Address: 145 Brooklyn Ave, Brooklyn, New York 1213
Phone: 718-7354400
Children’s Discovery Museum
This museum’s hand-on exhibits explore the relationships between the natural and the created worlds, and among people of different cultures and times. Exhibits include Streets, a 5/8-scale copy of an actual city, with street lights, and waterworks, which shows how pumps can move water through a reservoir system.
Open time: From Monday to Saturday, 10:00 am~ 5:00 pm
On Sunday, from noon. Closed on holidays.
Address: 180 Woz Way, Guadalupe River Park, San Jose, California 95110
Phone: 408-2985437
Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
This museum is the largest of its kind. Exhibits cover science, culture, space, history, and explorations. Among them are the Space Quest Planetarium ( additional fee),the 33-foot-high Water Clock, the Playscape gallery for preschools, and the Dinosphere exhibit, along with hand-on science exhibits. The largest gallery, the Center for Exploration, is designed for ages 12 and up.
Open time: From Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 am ~ 5:00 pm
Closed on Thanksgiving Day and December 25.
Address: 3000 N Meridian St, Indianapolis, Indiana 46208
Phone: 317-3343322
72. Suppose that December 25 is Tuesday, which of the following museums can you visit?
A. Austin Children’s Museum.
B. Brooklyn Children’s Museum.
C. Children’s Discovery Museum.
D. Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.
73. If you want to see how pumps can move water through a reservoir system, you should visit the museum in ___.
A. Texas B. New York C. California D. Indiana
74. After entering the museum, you need to pay an additional fee to see ___.
A. the Center for Exploration B. the Space Quest Planetarium
C. the Global City exhibit D. Waterworks
75. The purpose of writing this passage is to ___.
A. ask adults to visit museums
B. compare some museums and decide which one is the best
C. introduce some museums and encourage parents to visit them with their children
D. introduce some exhibits and museums to foreigners