The right to die
It was 3:45 in the morning when the vote was finally taken. After six months of arguing and final 16 hours of hot parliamentary(议会的) debates, Australia’s northern Territory became the first legal authority in the world to allow doctors to take the lives of incurably sick patients who wish to die.
The measure passed by the convincing vote of 15 to 10. Almost immediately word flashed on the Internet and was picked up, half a world away, by John Hofsess, executive director of the Right to Die Society of Canada. He sent it on via the group's on line service, Death NET. Says Hofsess: "We posted bulletins all day long, because of course this isn't just something that happened in Australia. It's world history."
The NT Rights of the Terminally III law has left physicians and citizens alike trying to deal with its moral and practical implications. Some have breathed sighs of relief, others, including churches, right to life groups and the Australian Medical Association, bitterly attacked the bill and the haste of its passage（通过）.
But the tide is unlikely to turn back. In Australia - where an aging population, life extending technology and changing community attitudes have all played their part, other states are going to consider making a similar law to deal with euthanasia(安乐死). In the US and Canada, where the right to die movement is gathering strength, observers are waiting for the dominoes to start falling.
Under the new Northern Territory law, an adult patient can request death, probably by a deadly injection or pill, to put an end to suffering. The patient must be diagnosed(诊断) as terminally ill by two doctors. After a "cooling off" period of seven days, the patient can sign a certificate of request. After 48 hours the wish for death can be met. For Lloyd Nickson, a 54-year-old Darwin resident suffering from lung cancer, the NT Rights of Terminally III law means he can get on with living without the haunting fear of his suffering: a terrifying death from his breathing condition. "I'm not afraid of dying from a spiritual point of view, but what I was afraid of was how I'd go, because I've watched people die in the hospital fighting for oxygen and clawing at their masks," he says. This passage is mainly about ________.
| A．the development and function of euthanasia |
| B．the passage（通过）of a law on euthanasia and its worldwide influence. |
| C．some successful examples about euthanasia |
| D．conditions and procedures to perform euthanasia in Australia. |
What does “observers are waiting for the dominoes to start falling” mean?
| A．Observers are taking a wait-and –see attitude towards the future of euthanasia. |
| B．There is a possibility of similar bills being passed in the US and Canada. |
| C．Observers are waiting to see the movement end up in failure. |
| D．The process of the bill taking effect may finally come to a stop. |
During a “cooling off” period, a patient will _________.
| A．wait for two doctors’ diagnosis |
| B．sign a certificate of request |
| C．think over his decision of euthanasia |
| D．turn to his doctors for more advice |
What’s the author’s attitude towards euthanasia?
| A．Hostile | B．doubtful | C．Favorable | D．Indifferent |
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My mother moved a lot when she was growing up on account of Grandpa being in the army．She hated having to adjust to new schools and make new friends．That’s why I thought she was joking when she put forward the idea of moving．But she was completely serious. “For just the two of us，” my mother said， “an apartment in the city will suit our needs much better．” Personally, I think she lost her mind．I guess I can understand why she would want to move，but what about me and what this house means to me?
I suppose if you looked at my house，you might think it was just another country house．But to me it is anything but standard．I moved into this house with my parents ten years ago. I can still remember that first day like it was yesterday．The first thing I noticed was the big front yard．To me it seemed like an ocean of grass—couldn’t wait to dive in．The backyard was full of gnarled(扭曲的，粗糙的)and scary trees that talked on windy nights．But I grew to like them and the shadows they cast in my room．My father and I even built a small tree house，where I often go to remember all the wonderful time we had before Father’s death.
This house is special—maybe only to me—but special nevertheless. It’s the little seemingly insignificant things that make this house so special to me; the ice-cold tile floors that make me tremble on midnight snake runs; the smell of my fathers pipe that still exists; the towering bookcases of my mother; the view outside my bedroom window.
This house bears too many memories, memories which would be lost if we gave it up.
50．Why did the author’s mother decide to move?
A．Because she hated the countryside．
B．Because Grandpa was on constant move．
C．Because Dad’s death made her lose her mind．
D．Because she thought a city flat more fit for them．
51．What impressed the author when she first moved into the house?
A．The tree house B．The big trees C．The cold floors D．The green grass
52．How did the author let us feel that the house was special to her?
A．By arguing whether the house was standard
B．By explaining why the house suited their needs
C．By describing the small things related to her house．
D．By comparing the differences between country and city life．
53．The author describes the house with．
A．love B．responsibility C．promise D．enthusiasm
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If you are a male and you are reading this, congratulations: you are a survivor. According to statistics, you are more than twice as likely to die of skin cancer than a woman, and nine times more likely to die of AIDS. Assuming you make it to the end of your natural term, about 78 years for men in Australia, you will die on average five years before a woman.
There are many reasons for this, men take more risks than women and are more likely to drink and smoke, but perhaps more importantly, men don’t go to the doctor.
“Men aren’t seeing doctors as often as they should,” says Dr. Gullotta, “This is particularly so for the over-40s, when diseases tend to strike.” Gullotta says a healthy man should visit the doctor every year or two. For those over 45,it should be at least once a year.
According to a recent survey, 95%of women aged between 15 and early 40s see a doctor once a year, compared to 70% of men in the same age group.
“A lot of men think they are invincible （不可战胜的）”Gullotta says “They only come in when a friend drops dead on the golf course and they think 'Dear me, if it could happen to him, …' ”
Then there is the ostrich (鸵鸟)approach, “Some men are scared of what might be there and would rather not know, ” says Dr. Ross Cartmill.“ Most men get their cars serviced more often than they service their bodies,” Cartmill says. He believes most diseases that commonly affect men could be addressed by preventive check-ups. Regular check-ups for men would inevitably(不可避免地) place stress on the public purse. Cartmill says. “But prevention is cheaper in the long run than having to treat the diseases. Besides, the final cost is far greater.”
46. Which is the most important reason why men die five years earlier on average than women according to the passage ?
A. Men drink and smoke much more than women.
B. Men aren’t as cautious as women in face of danger.
C. Men don’t seek medical care as often as women.
D. Men are more likely to suffer from fatal diseases.
47.Which of the following best completes the sentence “Dear me, if it could happen to him,…”in paragraph5 ?
A. I should avoid playing golf.
B. I should consider myself lucky.
C. it would be a big misfortune.
D. it could happen to me, too.
48. What does Dr. Ross Cartmill mean by “the ostrich approach” in paragraph 6 ?
A. A new treatment for certain psychological problems.
B. Refusal to get medical treatment for fear of the pain involved.
C. Unwillingness to find out about one’s disease because of fear.
D. A casual attitude towards one’s health conditions.
49. What does Cartmill say about regular check-ups for men?
A. They may increase public expenses.
B. They will save money in the long run.
C. They may cause psychological stress on men.
D. They will enable men to live as long as women.
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第二部分．阅读理解（共25小题。第一节每小题2分，第二节每小题1分；满分45分）
“Linda, if beating yourself up were an Olympic sport, you’d win a gold medal!”
Annabel, my close friend, stunned（使…震惊）me with that frank observation after I told her how I had mishandled a situation with a student in a third-grade class where I was substituting（代替）. “I should never have let him go to the boy’s room without a pass! It was my fault he got into trouble with the hall monitor! I’m so stupid!”
My friend burst out laughing, and then made her “Olympic” comment. After a brief period of reflection I had to admit that she was right. I did put myself down an awful lot. Why, just during the previous day I had called myself “a slob” for having some papers spread out on my desk, “ugly” when I left the house without makeup and “an idiot” when I left the house for an emergency substitute job without my emergency lesson plan.
In a more reflective tone, Annabel said, “I once took a workshop at church where the woman in charge had us list all the mean things we say about ourselves.”
“How many did you have on your list?” I asked.
“Fifteen,” she confessed. “But then the teacher said, ‘Now turn to the person next to you and say all the items on your list as if you were speaking to that person!’ ”
My jaw dropped，“What did you do?”
“Nothing. Nobody did. We all just sat there, until I said, ‘I could never say these things to anyone else!’ ”
“And our teacher replied, ‘Well, if you can’t say them to anyone else, then don’t ever say them to yourself!’ ”
My friend had a point. I would never insult a child of God---and I’m God’s child, too!
God, today let me be as kind to myself as I would be to another of Your children.
41. What does Annabel mean by the first sentence of the passage?
A. The writer is a good athlete. B. The writer scolds herself too much.
C. She is encouraging the writer. D. A gold medal is not a big deal.
42. What does the writer intends to tell us through the second and third paragraphs?
A. She has low self-esteem over some small things.
B. She often makes serious mistakes in daily life.
C. She is a third-grade teacher.
D. She cares too much about her appearance.
43. We can infer that the underlined word “slob” might be _____.
A. something untidy B. someone dangerous C. something dirty D. someone lazy
44. What can we learn about Annabel?
A. She used to put herself down a lot.
B. She often goes to church.
C. She was in charge of a workshop.
D. She used to be too shy to talk to others.
45. What does the writer mean by the last sentence of the passage?
A. She is ready to turn to God for help.
B. She will be kind to all children.
C. She won’t insult(侮辱) herself as well as others.
D. She is willing to be a child of God.
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This is a web version of October15,2009 which Live Earth emails to members. Click here to join and receive weekly updates from Live Earth
Live Earth is pleased to announce the largest worldwide water initiative(倡议) in history to help fight the global water crisis. The Dow Earth Run for Water-----to take place on April 18,2010----will consist of a series of 6 km run/walks ( the average distance many women and children walk every day to get water ) talking place over the course of 24 hours in countries around the world featuring concers and water education activities, raising awareness and funds to help solve the water crisis. Jessica Biel, Alexandra Cousteau, Pete Wentz, Angelique Kidijo and Jenny Fletcher will lend their time in support of this global event.
Water shortage is a major issure affecting countries, communities and families all over the wold .One in eight people don’t have access to safe,clen drinking water, Communities in Farica,
Latin America and Asia suffer 1.8 million deaths every year from diarrhea diseases and the death of 5,000 children each day due to inadequate(不足) water infrastructure (基础设施) . In these areas, women and children are forced to walk 6 km (3.7 miles ) each day to get water that is likely unsuitable for drinking .However, the water crisis not only limited to developing nations. Adding to these existing issures, the effects of climate change are increasing affecting both supply and quality of available fresh water throughout the world.
In 60﹪of European cities with population greater than 100.000, groundwater is being used faster than it can be replenished{补充}。 By 2025,two-thirds of the world’s population could be living under water__stressed conditions.
You can help solve the water crisis by participating in the April 18th even.Run/walk registration is now officially open! Sign up now at
Thanks and be sure to visit liveearth. Org for the latest water conservation tips and more on The Dow Live Earth Run!
LIVE EARTH
72.Which of the following activities will the Dow Live Earth organize on April 18,2010 ?
A.Receing the latest news from Live Earth.
B.Putting on musical performances.
C.Calling on pop stars to walk 6 km to get water.
D.Lending names and time to support the event.
73. According to the passage , which of the following statements is tue?
A. You can turn to http://live earth.org for water statements is true?
B. Jessica Biel can’t take part in event if she signs up.
C. The information on Live Earth is updated every month.
D. Every year 1.8 million people in the world die from the disease related to water.
74. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.An Introduction tohe April 18 Event
B. An Email to Live Earth
C.Global Water Crisis Is Becoming Serious
D.Live Earth Announces an Initiative to Water Crisis
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Last month ,studenrs from 103 universities in 88 coontries took part in international computer programming contest. The Battle of the Brain took place in Harbin, China. Three---person terms from each school had hours to solve eleven real world problems.
Jerry Cain coached the team from Standford University in Palo Alto,California. He says the problems involved, among other things, paperweights, robots, castles and lakes.
JERRY CAIN: “One of the programming problems was trying to figure out how to break an chocolate bar into a certain number of pieces of a certain number of sizes and to do it as quickly as possible. And that’s probably the simplest of all them.”
The students first listed the problems in order of difficulty and then they wrote the needed software systems. They designed ways to test their solutions. And they wrote the needed software systems , Even the winning team from Shanghai Jiaotong University in China was not able to solved all the problems within the given time limit. Stanford’s team solved five problems and finished in fourteenth place. Standford was one of twenty---one America universities that took part in the conest this year. The conest began in 1970 at Texa A and M University. The first final competition was held in 1977 at the Association for Computer Machinery Computer Science Conference. It developed and grew as more and more schools took part in local and area contests.
Contest spokenman Doug Heintzman says the world champions receive prizes and scholarships. They are also guaranteed an offer of employment or practice period with IBM. “We’re had past world champions that IBM has given a post to in our Zurich research Iaboratory and they are now working on some of the Ieading edge materials in science and physics. So this competition is an opportunity to be recognized and to be recruited by some of the top technology and firms around the world “
68. It can be inferred that__________.
A .the contest is increasingly unpopular with the universities
B..the contest this year was not easy for the participants
C. most of the American universities took part in this contest
D. whether to win or not has nothing to do with the participants’ future
69. Which of the following is true about contest?
A. Every team consisted of five members.
B. The participants from Shanghai Jiaotong University in China performed best.
C. Except American, there are sixty---seven countries taking part.
D. Finally Stanford’s team came fourth in the contest
70. The underline word in the text can be best replaced by_________.
A. promoted B. fired C. given a salary increase D.employ
71. The purpose of this passage is to__________.
A.provide some information on how to enter for the contest
B.call on university students to take part in the contest
C.introduce the international computer programming contest. held this year
D.inform the readers of the result of the contest