Almost everyone wants to get smarter. We struggle to improve our 36_ , intelligence and attention. We drink cup after cup of coffee to help us 37_ the day.
38 __, a new study published in Current Directions in Psychological Science warns that there are 39___ to how smart humans can get.
Each of our body parts develops in a certain way for a reason. 40 _, we are not 3 meters tall 41 _ most people’s hearts are not strong enough to send 42 _ up that high. Scientists say that our thinking ability works in the same way. A baby’s brain size is limited by a series of __43 , such as the size of the mother’s pelvis (骨盆). If our brains developed to be bigger, there could be more 44 during childbirth.
The study of Jews, who have an average IQ much _ 45_ than other Europeans, showed they were more _46_ to develop diseases of the _47_ system. This might be because of their increased brainpower.
If intelligence cannot be improved, can we at least get better at _ 48 _ ? Not really, say scientists. They studied _49_ like caffeine (咖啡因)that improve attention. They found the drugs only helped people with serious 50 _ problems. For those who did not have trouble paying attention, the drugs could have the 51 _ effect. Scientists say that this suggests there is a(n) 52 limit to how much people can or should concentrate.
Our memory is also a “double-edged sword”. People with extremely good memories could 53__ having a difficult life because they cannot _54 bad things that happen to them.
Thomas Hills, one of the authors of the paper, said that 55 all the problems in trying to get smarter, it’s unlikely that there will ever be a “super mind”.
A．ability B．character C．memory D．emotion
A．go through B．put through C．get through D．carry through
A．Though B．Therefore C．However D．Meanwhile
A．standards B．measures C．ranges D．limits
A．At first B．In addition C．For example D．Above all
A．until B．because C．before D．so that
A．blood B．information C．breath D．strength
A．factors B．reasons C．aspects D．effects
A．chances B．deaths C．choices D．lives
A．smarter B．better C．lower D．higher
A．likely B．possible C．probable D．sure
A．physical B．bodily C．personal D．nervous
A．exercising B．concentrating C．memorizing D．thinking
A．poisons B．drinks C．plants D．drugs
A．attention B．family C．health D．living
A．same B．opposite C．different D．similar
A．lower B．smaller C．upper D．higher
A．end up B．make up C．start up D．come up
A．forget B．remember C．perform D．share
A．supposing B．concerning C．considering D．regarding
It was the end of my first day as waitress in a busy New York restaurant. My cap had gone away, and my feet 26 . The loaded plates I carried 27 to be heavier and heavier. Tired and discouraged, I didn’t seem able to do anything 28 . As I made out a check for a family with several children who had changed their ice cream 29 a dozen times, I was ready to stop. Then the father 30 at me as he handed me my tip. “Well done,” he said, “you’ve 31 us really well.” Suddenly my tiredness 32 . I smiled back, and later, when the manager asked me how I’d like my first day, I said, “ 33 ! Those few words of praise had 34 everything. Praise is like 35 to the human spirit; we cannot flower and grow without it. And 36 , while most of us are only too 37 to apply to others the cold wind of criticism (批评), we are 38 to give our fellows the warm sunshine of praise. Why so when one word of praise can bring such 39 ?”
It’s strange how chary (吝啬的) we are about praising. Perhaps it’s 40 few of us know how to accept it. It’s 41 rewarding to give praise in 42 in which an effort generally goes unnoticed or unmentioned. An artist gets admiration for a wonderful picture, a cook for a 43 meal. But do you ever tell your laundry manager how pleased you are when the shirts are 44 just right? In fact, to give praise 45 one nothing but a moment’s thought and moment’s effort.
26．A．rested B．hurt C．broke D．slipped
27．A．remained B．became C．seemed D．had
|
28．A．new B．special C．nervous D．right
29．A．order B．price C．material D．chairEvery year, almost 2 million Americans are injured while they're 21work every day, 240 are killed on the job. The 22 job is cutting down trees. Being a policeman is safer than many jobs, including driving a truck, collecting garbage and 23 airplanes. One of the safest jobs is being a librarian.
The government inspects(检查) most factories and offices. 24have to 25fines(罚款) if their factories or offices are unsafe. In California, employers often go to prison if one of their workers is 26because a factory didn't 27safety measures. But President Bush cut down the number of government inspectors(检查员) 2815 percent. 29, many people say working is less safe now.
For women workers, the greatest danger so far is murder. Forty--two percent of all 30who died at work were killed. Many of them work 31clerks in stores 32they are alone at night. Experts say they can protect themselves by putting the cash desk in full 33.
The numbers of deaths and accidents at work don't take into 34people who become sick from 35that they are exposed to （暴露）at work. Doctors don't know 36some chemicals cause illness.There are no government rules for many new chemicals.
Inspectors say employers 37their backs on safety problems because they don't want to pay the bill for fixing them. They also say some workers don't want to complain about dangers because they may 38 their jobs.
The government should force business to improve safety. There's no 39for workers dying or 40in an accident that could have been prevented.
21. A. in B. at C. on D. during
22. A. safest B. most dangerous C. easiest D. most tiring
23. A. flying B. making C. doing D. riding
24. A. Officers B. Workers C. Employers D. Employees
25. A. give B. offer C. pay D. buy
26. A. saved B. hit C. shot D. killed
27. A. use B.do C. break D. take
28. A. to B. by C. from D. at
29. A. As a result B. As C. At last D. Then
30. A. adults B. youths C. men D. women
31. A. for B. as C. like D. to
32. A. which B. that C. where D. why
33. A. view B. opinion C. scene D. scenery
34.A thought B mind C thinking D consideration
35. A. machines B. chemicals C. air D. work
36. A. because B. when C. whether D. even if
37. A. do B. turn C. make D. refuse
38. A. lose B. miss C. give up D. save
39. A. need B. reason C. time D. excuse
40. A. injuring B. being injured C. be injuring D. be injured
At a time when hiring qualified people is becoming more difficult, employers who can 36 biases (偏见) from the process will surely gain a big advantage 37 his opponents.
As a manager, Miss Tiffany is 38 for interviewing applicants for some of the 39 with her company. During one interview, she noticed that the 40 never made direct eye contact. She was puzzled and a little 41 because she liked the person on the whole.
He had a perfect resume and gave good 42 to her questions, 43 the fact that he never looked her in the eye said “untrustworthy”. Several days later, she decided to offer the job to her 44 choice. “It wasn’t until I 45 a diversity workshop that I realized the person we passed over was the perfect person,” Tiffany says. What she hadn’t known at that time was that that person behaved 46 was simply a cultural misunderstanding. He was an Asian-American 47 in a household where 48 for those in authority was shown by averting (避开) your eyes.
“Attending the diversity workshop helped me 49 how much I could learn by simply asking questions and 50 dialogues with employees, 51 making assumptions and trying to be a know-it-all,” Miss Tiffany admits. “The biggest thing I 52 from the workshop is learning how to be more ‘inclusive(包容的)’ to 53 .”
“I was just thrown off by the lack of eye contact; not realizing it was cultural,” Tiffany says. “I missed out, but will not miss that opportunity again.”
Many of us have had similar problems with 54 we consider as different. As the world becomes smaller and our workplaces more diverse, it is becoming necessary to 55 our understanding of others and to reexamine some of our false assumptions.
36. A. replace B. remove C. refresh D. recover
37. A. of B. above C. over D. on
38. A. desperate B. responsible C. ready D. punctual
39. A. positions B. businesses C. conditions D. trades
40. A. girl B. opponent C. client D. candidate
41. A. disappointed B. excited C. worried D. annoyed
42. A. suggestions B. responses C. impressions D. comments
43. A. so B. and C. or D. but
44. A. first B. immediate C. second D. careless
45. A. closed B. started C. attended D. organized
46. A. politely B. carelessly C. skillfully D. differently
47. A. raised B. found C. treated D. adopted
48. A. concern B. envy C. respect D. sympathy
49. A. imagine B. realize C. predict D. expect
50. A. creating B. continuing C. practising D. directing
51. A. other than B. rather than C. more than D. less than
52. A. cut away B. put away C. gave away D. took away
53. A. misunderstandings B. shortcomings C. faults D. mistakes
54. A. behaviors B. words C. habits D. thoughts
55. A. ignore B. express C. limit D. expand
完形填空（共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从第31至40小题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将项涂黑。
Alfred Nobel became a millionaire and changed the ways of mining，construction，and warfare as the inventor of dynamite（炸药）. On April 12，1888，Alfred's brother Ludwig died of heart attack. A major French newspaper 31his brot
her for him and carried an article 32the death of Alfred Nobel. “The merchant of death is dead.” the article read. “Dr. Alfred Nobel，who became 33by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before，died yesterday.” Nobel was 34to find out not that he had died，but that，when his time was up, he would be thought of only as one who profited from 35and destruction.
To make sure that he was 36with love and respect, Nobel arranged in his 37to give the largest part of his money to 38the Nobel prizes，which would be awarded to people who made great 39to the causes of peace，literature，and the sciences. So 40，Nobel had to die before he realized what his life was really about.
31. A. found B. misunderstood C. mistook D. judged
32. A. introducing B. announcing C. implying D. advertising
33. A. famous B. sick C. rich D. popular
34. A. upset B. anxious C. excited D. pleased
35. A. death B. disease C. trouble D. attack
36. A. repaid B. described C. supported D. remembered
37. A. book B. article C. will D. contract
38. A. establish B. form C. develop D. promote
39. A. additions B. sacrifices C. changes D. contributions
40. A. generally B. basically C. usually D. certainly
完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，从各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
There is one thing better than making a new friend, and that is keeping an old one.
——Elmer G Letterman
Two years ago my family moved. The day we left, my best friend and I cried together in my 36 bedroom for hours. I was miserable during the five-hour car ride to my new house. Life was 37 ．
On the first day of school, I called my best friend to tell her how it had gone. Then on Halloween, I sent her a letter and a picture of my new friends and me．
Finally, she wrote me a letter. It wasn’t 38 a letter—a piece of paper saying, “Best friends forever”．
When I finally got her e-mail address, I e-mailed her the 39 letter I have ever written. After the third e-mail with no 40 , my messages grew shorter and shorter. 41 each passing day, my 42 grew．I never received a reply from her．
Mom said that I 43 try calling my other friends, and that I didn’t need to always call her. 44 my best friend, the girl that I had known from my childhood?
My first 45 was automatic．“No way!” But after five more e-mail messages, I started to consider what my mom had 46 ．Every night for about a week, I stayed up in bed, 47 , “Should I keep trying or．．．?”
The way I looked at it was that: if I’m her best friend, she’d 48 a minute to push a few buttons on the phone, or type a short “hello” on the computer. To me, keeping in touch is part of being a friend and it is important. To her, it really didn’t seem to 49 ．
After two years of 50 , I finally got a phone call from her—my best friend. It was a big 51 ．She told me how sorry she was for not writing, and about how busy she had been. I forgot about everything that had happened and how annoyed I had been with her．I 52 her．I guess keeping in touch just isn’t her 53 ．
I have realized true friends never really lose their special 54 ．Even after two years, it felt like we had just talked yesterday.
Now she and I write regularly—or at least she tries to, 55 she tries hard.
What more could a friend ask for?
36．A．cold B．empty C．small D．dirty
37．A．uneasy B．uncertain C．uninteresting D．unbearable
38．A．just B．only C．even D．hardly
39．A．longest B．best C．simplest D．funniest
40．A．return B．information C．message D．response
41．A．On B．For C．With D．As
42．A．patience B．anger C．worry D．curiosity
43．A．must B．had to C．would D．could
44．A．Put away B．Leave out C．Give up D．Cut off
45．A．reaction B．opinion C．thought D．impression
46．A．reminded B．offered C．stated D．suggested
47．A．asking B．thinking C．whispering D．struggling
48．A．save B．spend C．take D．waste
49．A．matter B．care C．value D．mind
50．A．disappointment B．fear C．silence D．regret
51．A．step B．surprise C．advance D．change
52．A．ignored B．accepted C．criticized D．forgave
53．A．style B．hobby C．idea D．nature
54．A．way B．connection C．heart D．image
55．A．but B．so C．and D．though