If the eyes are the romantic’s window into the soul, then the teeth are an anthropologist’s ( 人类学家 ) door to the stomach.
In a study published last month in the journal Science, Peter Ungar of the University of Arkansas and his partner, Matt Sponheimer of the University of Colorado, US, examined the teeth of our early human ancestors to find out what they were really eating.
They already knew that different foods cause different marks on teeth. Some cause scratches, while others cause pits (坑).The carbon left on teeth by different foods is also different. Tropical grasses, for example, leave one kind of carbon, but trees leave another kind because they photosynthesized ( 光合作用 ) differently.
Traditionally, scientists had looked at the size and shape of teeth and skulls ( 头骨 ) to figure out what early humans ate. Big flat teeth were taken to be signs that they ate nuts and seeds, while hard and sharp teeth seemed good for cutting meat and leaves. But this was proven wrong.
The best example was the Paranthropus (傍人), one of our close cousins, some of which lived in eastern Africa. Scientists used to believe Paranthropus ate nuts and seeds because they had big crests(突起)on their skulls, suggesting they had large chewing muscles and big teeth. If this had been true, their teeth should have been covered with pits like the surface of the moon. They would also have had a particular type of carbon on their teeth that typically comes from tree products, such as nuts and seeds.
However, when the two scientists studied the Paranthroupus, it turned out to have none of these characteristics. The teeth had a different kind of carbon, and were covered with scratches, not pits. This suggests they probably ate grass, not nuts and fruit stones. It was the exact opposite of what people had expected to find.
Carbon “foodprints” give us a completely new and different insight into what different species ate and the different environments they lived in. If a certain species had the kind of carbon on its teeth that came from grasses, it probably lived in a tropical grassland, for example.The underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 probably means that _____.
| A．anthropologists can study the structure of human stomachs by studying their teeth. |
| B．anthropologists can study the diet of early humans by studying their teeth |
| C．anthropologists can learn whether humans were healthy by looking at their teeth |
| D．anthropologists can get the most useful information about humans from their teeth |
According to Paragraph 3 to 5, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Scratches on teeth are caused by eating nuts or seeds. |
| B．Pits on teeth are caused by eating grass or leaves. |
| C．Early humans with hard and sharp teeth ate meat and leaves. |
| D．Different foods leave different marks and carbon on teeth. |
The example of the Paranthropus was mentioned in the article in order to _____.
| A．tell readers that they are one of our close cousins living in eastern Africa |
| B．tell readers they had different eating habits from modern humans |
| C．prove that size and shape of skulls does not show accurately what early humans ate |
| D．tell readers that living environment makes a difference to skull structure |
Preparing for the Next Job Market
The latest spike in the unemployment rate is being felt across the board ?in 98 percent of metropolitan areas, in high-wage and low-wage jobs, among young and old, women and men, but especially men．
This landscape means that young Americans who are trying to plan their futures right now have some hard choices．Do they go to college and take on debt without hope of getting a job? And what about high school students? Do they have any chance of securing a job without a college degree? Perhaps the education system needs to react to this rapidly moving economic crisis．
In our current economic collapse, the connection between education and employment could not be more different than it was during the Depression．Education must now hold center stage, not because of an enemy abroad but because of the global economy．The jobs of the future will demand levels of education, particularly skills in mathematics, technology and science, which exceed those now taught in high school．
A healthy society should strive for full employment．In our times, that goal cannot be realized, or even approximated by creating jobs for the unskilled．The long-term prospect for economic recovery depends on the extent to which we improve our educational system．And this is where America is now at its weakest．
Our high schools produce graduates who do not write well enough, have limited reasoning skills and are unable to use the tools of mathematics．Their command of science is far inferior to that of their counterparts in other nations．And all too many young people drop out．We may still have the best university system, but it benefits only a minority．
We will need more engineers, scientists and service providers, particularly in the health professions, with a quality of education that cannot be obtained in the current system．Radical change, not reform, is called for．
What should be done? First, high school should be cut short and end when students are 16．Second, a new generation of two-year college programs tied to a wide range of specific skills that the economy needs should be created．Third, access to four-year colleges should be expanded, giving more Americans the chance to acquire the deep learning that makes breakthroughs in technology possible．Fourth, we need to recruit more public school teachers and train them better, particularly in physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics, so that our children can be prepared to compete．
68．Nowadays, students graduating from high school____．
A．write well enough
B．have limitless reasoning skills
C．can't use the tools of mathematics
D．command science as much as their counterparts in other nations
69．What should we do to improve the quality of education?
A．Students shouldn't study in high school until 16．
B．We should create a new generation of two-year college programs tied to a wide range of specific skills the economy needs．
C．We should limit access to four-year colleges．
D．We ought to recruit more private school teachers and train them better．
70．What does the word "collapse" in the third paragraph mean?
A．success B．failure C．development D．booming
71．Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A．Young Americans planning their futures have difficult choices．
B．Education must hold center stage due to the global economy．
C．The best university system benefits a majority．
D．A health society should struggle for full employment．
Most people feel lonely sometimes, but it usually lasts only a few minutes or a few hours．This kind of loneliness is not serious．In fact, it is quite normal．For some people, though, loneliness can last for years．Now researchers say there are three different kinds of loneliness．
The first kind of loneliness is temporary．This is the most common type．It usually disappears quickly and does not need any special attention．
The second kind, situational loneliness, is a natural result of a certain situation, for example, a family problem, the death of a loved one, or moving to a new place．Although this kind of loneliness can cause physical problems, such as headaches and sleeplessness, it usually does not last for more than a year．
The third kind of loneliness is the most severe．Unlike the second type, chronic （长期的） loneliness usually lasts more than two years and has no specific cause．People who experience habitual loneliness have problems socializing and being close to others．Unfortunately, many chronically lonely people think there is little or nothing they can do to improve their condition．
Psychologists agree that one important factor in loneliness is a person's social contacts, such as friends, family members, co-workers, etc．We depend on various people for different reasons．For instance, our families give us emotional support, our parents and teachers give us guidance, and our friends share interests and activities．However, psychologists have found that, though lonely people have many social contacts, they sometimes feel they should have more．They question then" own popularity．
Psychologists are trying to find ways to help habitually lonely people for two reasons: they are unhappy and unable to socialize and there is a connection between chronic loneliness and serious illness such as heart disease．While temporary and situational loneliness can be a normal and healthy part of life, chronic loneliness can be a very sad and sometimes dangerous condition．
64．Which of the following can be the cause of situational loneliness?
A．Sleeplessness． B．Changing work．
C．Heart disease． D．Social contacts．
65．The underlined word "it" in the last sentence of the third paragraph refers to _____ ．
A．headaches B．situational loneliness
C．sleeplessness D．temporary loneliness
66．How would you treat temporary loneliness according to the passage?
A．Just ignore it． B．Talk to friends．
C．Go to see a doctor． D．Ask your teachers for guidance．
67．What can we learn from the passage?
A．People feel lonely in a certain situation．
B．There are only three types of loneliness in our life．
C．Loneliness doesn't affect people much．
D．Scientists have found ways to help habitually lonely people．
I was born and raised in Hong Kong．For the past six years, I've been living in the United States．I work as a salesgirl in a large department store．Right now I'm going through a difficult period of my life which is hard for me to talk about．
A few months ago, I went to Hong Kong for a visit．It was the first time I'd gone back there since coming to the United States．I was eager to see my parents, my brothers, my sisters and my friends．
I really got a shock when I arrived．Hong Kong was not the same city as I left six years ago．Things had changed so much that I didn't recognize parts of it．My primary school was gone．The houses on the street where I used to live had been torn down and replaced by office buildings．
The shock from the physical changes in the city, however, was nothing compares to the confusion and hurt I soon began to feel in my parents' home．My family greeted warmly when I arrived．While my mother was busy preparing a special dinner in my honor, the rest of the family eagerly asked me questions about my life in the United States．I felt happy that day and for a couple of days after, but then I began to feel that something was wrong．I noticed that my family, especially my mother, would sometimes glance at me in a strange way when I was speaking．They gradually became less warm and friendly towards me, I became uncomfortable and confused as to why they were behaving that day．
I decided to talk to my mother．She asked me, "Have you forgotten your Chinese way?" I asked her what she meant．She asked, "You've forgotten the place of women in a Chinese home．You talk when you should remain silent．You speak on matters that of concern only to men．You speak openly of your inner feelings and desires．That's not the way of a Chinese woman．We keep our thoughts and feelings to ourselves．
60．"I was born and raised in Hong Kong．Here raise means______．
A．bring up B．stay C．become higher D．live
61．What shocked the author most during her visit in Hong Kong?
A．The physical changes in Hong Kong．
B．Her primary school didn't exist any longer．
C．She couldn't recognize parts of Hong Kong．
D．The confusion and hurt she experienced in her parents' home．
62．Why did the author's family become less warm and friendly towards her?
A．She had forgotten her role as a woman．
B．She didn't follow the Chinese custom about how a woman should behave at home．
C．She spoke of her inner feelings and desires directly．
D．She talked about matters that were not concerned with women．
63．The best title for this passage is _______．
A．My Trip in Hong Kong B．The Changes in Hong Kong
C．Caught Between Two Cultures D．The Chinese Way
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题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。
Drunken driving sometimes called American's socially accepted form of murder has become a national epidemic（流行病）．Every hour of every day about three Americans on average are killed by drunken drivers, adding up to an incredible 250,000 over the past ten years．A drunken driver is usually referred to as one with 0．10-blood alcohol content or roughly three beers, glasses of wines or shots of whisky drunk within two hours．Heavy drinking used to be an acceptable part of the American manly image and judges were lenient in most courts, but the drunken killing has recently caused so many well-publicized tragedies, especially concerning young children, that public opinion is no longer tolerant．
Twenty states have raised the legal drinking age to 21, reversing a trend （逆转潮流） in the 1960s to reduce it to 18．After New Jersey lowered it to 18, the number of people killed by 18-20-year-old drivers more than doubled, so the state recently upped it back to 21．
Reformers, however, fear raising the drinking age will have little effect unless accompanied by educational programs to help young people to develop "responsible attitudes" about drinking and teach them to resist peer pressure to drink．
Some states are punishing bars for serving customers too many drinks．A bar in Massachusetts was fined for serving six or more double brandies to a customer who was "obviously drunk" and later drove off the land, killing a nine-year-old boy．
As the accidents continue to occur daily in every state, some Americans are even beginning to speak well of the 13 years national prohibition （禁令） of alcohol that began in 1919, which President Hoover called the "noble experiment"．They forget that legal prohibition didn't stop drinking, but encouraged political corruption （腐败） and organized crime．As with the booming drug trade generally, there is no easy solution．
56．It can be inferred from the passage that drunken driving has become a major problem in the United States because___．
A．most Americans like drinking
B．heavy dinking is hard to avoid
C．Americans are not shocked by traffic accidents
D．many Americans are killed by traffic accidents
57．What can be inferred from the fact of the traffic accidents in New Jersey?
A．Drivers should not be allowed to drink．
B．Young drivers were usually bad．
C．The legal drinking age should be raised．
D．Some drivers didn't reach the legal drinking age．
58．The underlined word "lenient" in the first paragraph means___．
A．cruel B．serious C．determined D．merciful
59．Which of the following best shows the writer's opinion of drunken driving?
A．It may cause organized crime．
B．The new laws can stop heavy drinking．
C．There should be no bars to serve drinks．
D．It is difficult to solve the problem．
Americans: Restless? Illiterate（没文化的）?
Americans are queer people: they can’t rest．They have more time, more leisure, shorter work hours, more holidays, and more vacations than any other people in the world．But they can’t rest．They rush up and down across their continent as tourists; they move about in great herds to conferences; they search the wilderness; they flood the mountains; they keep the hotels full．But they can’t rest．The scenery rushes past them．They learn it．Battles and monuments are announced to them on a tour bus．They hear them, but they don’t get them．They never stop moving; they rush up and down as Shriners, Masons, Old Graduates, Bankers—they are a new thing each day, always rushing to a reunion or something．So they go on rushing about till eventually the undertaker （殡葬工） gather them to a last conference．
Americans are queer people: they can’t read．They have more schools, and better schools and spend more money on schools and colleges than all Europe．But they can’t read．They print more books in a year than the French print．But they can’t read．They cover their country with one hundred thousand tons of Sunday newspapers every week．But they don’t read them．They’re too busy．They use them for fires and to make more paper with．They buy eagerly thousands of new novels at two dollars each．But they read only page one．Their streets are full of huge signs．They won’t look at them．Their streetcars are filled with advertising; they turn their eyes away．Transparent colors, cart wheels, and mechanical flares whirl and flicker in the crowded streets at night．No one sees them．Tons of letters pour into the mail boxes, through the houses, and down the garbage cans．No one reads them．
68．The underlined word “queer ” means ___________．
A．strange B．difficult C．forgetful D．friendly
69．According to the text, when do the Americans stop rushing about ?
A．When they are to allowed to．B．When they feel tired and sleepy
C．When they stop breathing eventually D．When they are seriously ill in bed
70．The Americans know the places of battles and monuments ___________．
A．by driving there in person B．when they are on the tour bus
C．from books and magazines D．by visiting them
71．Why does the writer write this passage?
A．To tell people the Americans are illiterate
B．To prove the Americans to be a queer nation
C．To make fun of the American way of life
D．To give the readers information about USA