Back in old times, people had little knowledge about the universe and nature. Things we now consider to be common sense were mysteries to our ancestors.
Over the years, major breakthroughs have been made in science and many phenomena have been explained. But still, there are always questions we can't yet answer, and The Guardian has listed some of them.
1. What makes us human?
Just looking at your DNA won't tell you - human DNA is 99 percent identical to that of the chimpanzee and, believe it or not, 50 percent identical to a banana's! A lot of the things we once thought were unique about us - language and tool use, recognizing ourselves in the mirror and so on – have since been seen in other animals. Perhaps it's our culture that makes the difference or maybe our ability to use fire. It's also possible that our capacity (能力) for co-operation and our trading skills are what make us unique.
2. Why do we dream?
Given the fact that we spend around a third of our lives sleeping, shouldn't we know everything about it? Unfortunately, scientists are still searching for a complete explanation of what happens when we sleep and why we dream.
Austrian psychologist Sigmund Freud believed dreams were the expressions of wishes that we can't fulfill in our real lives. Others have wondered whether dreams are just random "noise" coming from a sleeping brain.
3. Could we someday live forever?
Apart from accidents, most people die because of diseases that can be treated and aging. And since many diseases, such as diabetes（糖尿病） and cancer, are diseases of aging, treating aging itself could be the key to extending our lives.
Our knowledge of what causes us to age - and what allows some animals to live longer than others - is expanding rapidly. And though we haven't quite worked out all the details, we've worked out some pieces of the puzzles such as DNA damage and metabolism (新陈代谢), which are all leading to the invention of drugs that can slow down the aging process.
If we're lucky enough to lengthen our lives, we might even get to see the day when all of these questions are answered.The main point of the passage is ______.
| A．to inform people of the knowledge about the universe and nature |
| B．to introduce major breakthroughs that have been made in science |
| C．to present some questions we can't yet answer |
| D．to explain what were once mysteries to our ancestors |
Chimpanzees and bananas are mentioned as examples to prove that ______.
| A．human beings are actually not different from other animals |
| B．animals have completely different DNA from that of plants |
| C．both animals and plants share the same amount of DNA |
| D．DNA alone is not good enough to make humans different |
The underlined word "identical" is closest in meaning to ______.
| A．mysterious | B．unique | C．advanced | D．same |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．What were mysteries to our ancestors are considered to be common sense now. |
| B．Now we know much more about dreams than our ancestors did in the past. |
| C．With the invention of new drugs people can possibly live even longer. |
| D．If all the diseases can be treated people can theoretically live forever. |
Little Brother
By Cory Doctorow, 382 pages, $19.95
In the very near future, Marcus Yallow is walking with his friends in San Francisco when a 9/11-sized terrorist attack occurs blocks away. Everyone around is secretly taken away by the Department of Homeland Security to see whether they're terrorists. However, during the investigation, one of his friends dies mysteriously. The friends try to find out the truth. If you read only one science-fiction novel this year, make it this one.
The Flying Troutmans
By Miriam Toews, 274 pages, $32
The heart of the book is a road journey in Canada made by Hattie，Thebes and Logan to find Cherkis, the kids' dad. It's rich in dialogue, sometimes funny, sometimes surprisingly sad, always character-true. Toews is an extraordinarily gifted writer, with tough-minded compassion (同情) for her characters.
Reading By Lightning
By Joan Thomas, 388 pages, $22.95
We're in 1930s Canada, where Lily's father arrived three decades earlier to be promised fertile agricultural land. But they had been cheated and thrown in the middle of Manitoba. Now William Piper and his wife farm their land and place little hope in this life.
What They Wanted
By Donna Morrissey, 325 pages, $32
A father has a heart attack; a brother and a sister leave Newfoundland and go to Alberta, Canada to work； a tragedy brings reconciliation (和解), but also terrible loss. Primarily a novel of character, it's also a novel of Canada, of two very specific and vividly drawn places. Donna Morrissey's characters are troubled, sensitive, quick to be moved to anger or pain, and just as quick to laughter and affection.If Jim only has 20 dollars, which book could he buy?
| A．The Flying Troutmans. | B．What They Wanted. |
| C．Little Brother. | D．Reading By Lightning. |
According to the text, we know that The Flying Troutmans is .
| A．full of dialogue | B．a sad story | C．about tourism | D．a real story |
In Reading By Lightning, why did William Piper arrive in Canada?
| A．To carry out his promise. | B．To work in a big city. |
| C．To get work experience. | D．To seek his fortune. |
Ireland has had a very difficult history. The problems started in the 16th century when English rulers fried to conquer (征服) Ireland. For hundreds of years, the Irish people fought against the English. Finally, in 1921, the British government was forced to give independence to the south of Ireland. The result is that today there are two “Irelands”. Northern Ireland, in the north, is part of the United Kingdom. The republic of Ireland, in the south, is an independent country.
In the 1840s ,the main crop, potatoes was affected by disease and about 750, 000 people died of hunger. This, and a shortage (短缺) of work, forced many people to leave Ireland and live in the USA, the UK, Australia and Canada. As a result of these problems, the population fell from 8.2 million in 1841 to 6.6 million in 1851.
For many years, the majority of Irish people earned their living as farmers. Today, many people still work on the land but more and more people are moving to the cities to work in factories and offices. Life in the cities is very different from life in the countryside, where things move at a quieter and slower pace.
The Irish are famous for being warm-hearted and friendly, Oscar Wilde, a famous Irish writer, once said that the Irish were “the greatest talkers since the Greeks”. Since independence, Ireland has revived (复兴) its own culture of music, language, literature and singing. Different areas have different styles of old Irish songs which are sung without instruments. Other kinds of Irish music use many different instruments such as the violin, whistles, etc.What does the author tell us in Paragraph 1?
| A．How the Irish fought against the English. |
| B．How Ireland gained independence. |
| C．How two “Irelands” came into being. |
| D．How English rulers tried to conquer Ireland. |
The last paragraph is mainly about____.
| A．the Irish character | B．Irish culture |
| C．Irish musical instruments | D．a famous Irish writer |
We learn from the text that in Ireland _____.
| A．different kinds of old Irish songs are all sung with instruments |
| B．people are moving to the cities for lack of work in the countryside |
| C．it is harder to make a living as a farmer than as a factory worker |
| D．food shortages in the 1840s led to a decline in population |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．Life in Ireland | B．Ireland, Past and Present |
| C．A Very Difficult History | D．The Independence of Ireland |
If you planning to study in the United States, you need to consider several factors （因素）. Everyone has different opinions about where is the best place to live in. Also, the best places to live in are not always home to the best schools. What’s more, many schools specialize in different areas of study. They Massachusetts Institute of Technology, for example, is a great school for computer science. And if you want to study oceanography, your interests may be better served by attending school in a place which is near the ocean.
Now I will tell you about which states I believe are the best to live in. California is a nice state. Northern California especially has very good weather. As for me, I enjoyed the time I spent in Massachusetts, Virginia and Mary land. These states have a lot of history and culture. The weather is not so perfect as that in California, but is still quite nice. My favourite of America is the Midwest. Middle America, I think, is home to the true American sense of values. Besides, there are many good universities, too.
Also you need to think about your likes and dislikes and then research the different areas. You like sunshine and hate snow? Then you probably won’t like the Midwest or even the Northeast. Open space, nature, peace and quiet? Then you’d better stay away from America’s larger cities. Are you interested in government? Then Washington D.C. is the only place for you. Whatever you decide, put some thought into it.From the first paragraph we can infer that in the USA .
| A．all colleges and universities lie in big cities |
| B．all colleges and universities lie in beautiful places |
| C．famous colleges and universities lie in nice places |
| D．famous colleges and universities may not lie in nice places |
____should be considered first if you want to study in the USA.
A. The climate
B. The scenery
C. The study condition
D. The living condition The writer likes Middle America best because .
| A．he feels the real character of the nation here |
| B．the weather is fine here |
| C．the life is full of excitement |
| D．he likes sunshine and hates snow |
The passage mainly .
| A．tells us something about American universities |
| B．gives us some advice on studying in America |
| C．lets us know about America |
| D．describes the scenery of America |
Last Friday, after doing all the family shopping in town I wanted a rest before catching the train, so I bought a newspaper and some chocolate and went into the station coffee shop. It was a cheap self-service place with long table to keep a place and went to get a cup of coffee.
When I came back with the coffee, there was someone in the next seat. It was one of those wild-looking boys, with dark glasses and old clothes, and his hair was colored bright red at the front. What did surprise me was that he’d started to eat my chocolate.
I was rather uneasy about him, but I didn’t want to make more trouble. I just looked down at the front page of the newspaper, tasted my coffee and took a bit of chocolate. The boy looked at me closely. Then he took a second piece of chocolate. I could hardly believe it. Still I didn’t say anything to him. When he took a third piece, I felt angrier. I thought, well, I shall have the last piece. “And I got it.”
The boy gave me a strange look, and then stood up. As he left he shouted out, “There is something wrong with the woman,” Everybody looked at me, but it was worse then I finished my coffee and got ready to leave. My face turned red when I knew I’d made a mistake. I wasn’t my chocolate that I had eaten. There was mine, just under my newspaper.In which order did the writer do the following things?
a. Went into a coffee shop. b. Got a cup of coffee,
c. Started to eat some chocolate. d. Did some shopping.
e. Found a seat in the shop. f. Bought some chocolate.
| A．a, e, f, b, c, d | B．a, d, f, b, e, c | C．d, f, a, e, b, c | D．d, a, f, c, b, e |
The writer went into the station coffee shop to______.
| A．buy a newspaper | B．meet a boy with dark glasses |
| C．put her heavy bag | D．take a short rest |
When the writer came back to the table, she was surprised because______.
| A．her chocolate had been eaten up |
| B．the boy was eating her chocolate |
| C．there was a boy sitting next to her |
| D．what the boy did seemed quite rude |
How do you think the writer felt at last?
| A．She felt disappointed | B．She felt ashamed |
| C．She became angrier. | D．She thought it very funny. |
People born in winter are more likely to suffer mental health disorders, according to a recent study carried out by researchers at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.
Researchers raised baby mice from birth to weaning (断奶) in either “summer” light cycles of 16 hours of light and 8 hours of dark or “winter” cycles of 8 hours of light and 16 hours of dark. A third group experienced 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark a day.
Then half the winter mice stayed in a winter cycle, while half switched to a summer schedule. The summer mice were similarly split. The mice raised in equal periods of light and dark were split into three groups, one of which stayed on the 12hour schedule, one of which joined the winter group, and one of which joined the summer group.
After 28 days, it turns out the summerborn mice behaved the same whether they stayed on the summer cycle or switched to winter. But among the winterborn mice, those stayed in winter kept their previous schedule, while those that switched to summer stayed active for an extra hour and a half, which indicates that mice born and weaned in a winter light cycle showed dramatic disruptions in their biological clocks.
The finding is the first of its kind in mammals, and it could explain why people born in winter are at higher risk for mental health disorders including bipolar depression, schizophrenia and seasonal affective disorder.
“We know that the biological clock regulates mood in humans，”said study researcher McMahon. “If the mechanism (机制) similar to the one that we found in mice operates in humans, then it could not only have an effect on a number of behavioral disorders, but also have a more general effect on personality.”How many groups of mice are there finally in all in the experiment?
| A．Four. | B．Five. | C．Six. | D．Seven. |
What's the main idea of the text?
| A．The biological clock regulates mood in humans. |
| B．People born in winter are at higher risk for physical health disorders. |
| C．Being born in winter has a negative effect on people's mental health. |
| D．The length of light will influence the behavior of the mice. |
The underlined word “split”(Paragraph 3) can be replaced by ________.
| A．ended | B．torn | C．hit | D．divided |
Who is the appropriate reader of the passage?
| A．A jobhunter. | B．A student in the university. |
| C．A newlymarried couple. | D．An experienced dentist. |