There seems never to have been a civilization without toys, but when and how they developed is unknown. They probably came about just to give children something to do.
In the ancient world, as is today, most boys played with some kinds of toys and most girls with another. In societies where social roles are rigidly(严格地) determined, boys pattern their play after the activities of their fathers and girls are being prepared, even in play, to step into the roles and responsibilities of the adult world.
What is remarkable about the history of toys is not so much how they changed over the centuries but how much they have remained the same. The changes have been mostly in terms of craftsmanship, mechanics, and technology. It is the universality(普遍性) of toys with regard to their development in all parts of the world and their persistence to the present that is amazing. In Egypt, America, China, Japan and among the Arctic people, generally the same kinds of toys appeared. Differences depended on local customs and way of life because toys imitate their surrounding. Nearly every civilization had dolls, little weapons, toy soldiers, tiny animals and vehicles.
Because toys can be generally regarded as a kind of art form, they have not been subject to technological leaps that characterize(具有…的特征) inventions for adult use. The progress from the wheel to the cart to the automobile is a direct line of ways up. The progress from a rattle(拨浪鼓) used by a baby in 3,000 BC to one used by an infant today, however, is not characterized by inventiveness. Each rattle is the product of the artistic tastes of the time and subject to the limitations of available materials. The reason why the toys most boys play with are different from those that girls play with is that______.
| A．boys like to play with their fathers while girl with their mothers |
| B．they like challenging activities |
| C．most boys would like to follow their fathers' professions |
| D．their social roles are rigidly determined |
One aspect of "the universality of toys" lies in the fact that________.
| A．the basic characteristics of toys are the same all over the world |
| B．technological advances have greatly improved the durability of toys |
| C．the exploration of the universe has led to the creation of new kinds of toys |
| D．the improvement of craftsmanship in making toys depends on the efforts of universities |
Regarded as a kind of art form, toys________.
| A．reflect the pace of social progress |
| B．changes a lot as time goes by |
| C．are not characterized by technological progress |
| D．also appeal greatly to adults |
The author uses the example of a rattle to show that________.
| A．it often takes a long time to introduce new technology into toy-making |
| B．even the simplest toys can reflect the progress of technology |
| C．even a simple toy can mirror the artistic tastes of the time |
| D．in toy-making there is a continuity in the use of materials |
As the pace of life continues to increase, we are fast losing the art of relaxation．Once you are in the habit of rushing through lift, being on the go from morning till night, it is hard to slow down．But relaxation is essential for a healthy mind and body．
Stress is a natural part of everyday life and there is no way to avoid it．In fact, it is not the bad thing it is often supposed to be．A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation and give purpose to life．It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health．
The amount of stress a person can withstand depends very much on the individual．Some people are not afraid of stress, and such characters are obviously prime material for managerial responsibilities．Others lose heart at the first signs of unusual difficulties．When exposed to stress, in whatever form, we react both chemically and physically．In fact we make choice between “fight” or “flight” and in more primitive days the choice made the difference between life or death．The crises we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme, but however little the stress is, it involves the same response．It is when such a reaction lasts long, through continued exposure to stress, that health becomes endangered．Such serious conditions as high blood pressure and heart disease have established links with stress．Since we cannot remove stress from our lives （it would be unwise to do so even if we could）, we need to find ways to deal with it．
71．People are finding less and less time for relaxing themselves because ____．
A．they do not know how to enjoy themselves
B．they do not believe that relaxation is important for health
C．they are travelling fast all the time
D．they are becoming busier with their work
72．According to the writer, the most important character for a good manager is his _____．
A．not fearing stress
B．knowing the art of relaxation
C．high sense of responsibility
D．having control over performance
73．Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A．We can find some ways to avoid stress．
B．Stress is always harmful to people．
C．It is easy to change the habit of keeping oneself busy with work．
D．Different people can withstand different amounts of stress．
74．In Paragraph 3, “such a reaction” refers to ____．
A．“making a choice between ‘flight’ or ‘fight’”
B．“reaction to stress both chemically and physically”
C．“responding to crises quickly”
D．“losing heart at the signs of difficulties”
75．In the last sentence of the passage, “do so” refers to ____．
A．“expose ourselves to stress”
B．“find way to deal with stress”
C．“remove stress from our lives”
D．“establish links between diseases and stress”
Thousands of people in the world are a hundred years old－or more and certain parts of the world are famous for the long lives of their inhabitants: the Vilacamba Valley in Ecuador, and the home of the Hunzas in the Himalayas．
Why do so many people live to a healthy old age in certain parts of the world? What is the secret of their long lives? Three things seem to be very important: fresh air, fresh food and a simple way of life．People work near their homes in the clean,
mountain air instead of travelling long distances to work by bus, car or train．They do not sit all day in busy offices or factories, but work hard outdoors in the fields．They take more exercise and eat less food than people in the cities of the West．For years the Hunzas of the Himalayas did not need policemen, lawyers or doctors．There was no crime, no divorce and not much illness in their society． They were a happy, peaceful people, famous all over India for their long, healthy lives．
Do you want to live to a hundred years old? Here are some rules for success．Firstly, choose your parents and grandparents carefully．If they lived or live to a good old age, so will you．Secondly, live in the right place．Thirdly, choose the right
kind of job．Doctors, dentists and bus-drivers die young．Farmers, priests and orchestral conductors live much longer．If you are in the wrong kind of job, you can still improve your way of life．
An old man in the Caucasus was talking about his past life．"I was young then," he said, as he described his 87th year．His secret was: "Think young and stay young．" An old woman from Missouri, USA, gave this advice, "Drink a little whisky and some warm beer every day．" An English lady just said, "Take a cold bath every morning．" The shortest, simplest piece of advice came from Mr．Jim Chapman, aged 103．"Just keep breathing," he told reporters．
67．Who is most likely to live a long life?
A．A doctor． B．A bus-driver．
C．A dentist． D．An orchestral conductor．
68．We can see from the passage that long-lived people avoid ____．
A．working hard B．drinking
C．eating too much D．taking cold baths
69．The passage indicates that we can change our _____to live a long life．
A．jobs B．places of living
C．ways of living D．ways of thinking
70．What is mainly talked about in the last paragraph?
A．Whose advice is the best．
B．Who is the most long-lived person in the world．
C．Lifestyles of long-lived people．
D．How long-lived people think of' their life．
I was glad when somebody told me, "You may go and collect Negro folklore（民间传说）．" In a way, it would not be a new experience for me． When I pitched head first into the world of Negroism, it was fitting me like a tight chemise （衬衣）．I couldn't see it for wearing it．It was only when I was out of college, away from my native surroundings that I could stand off and look at my garment．Then I had to have the spy-glass of anthropology to look through．
I was asked where I wanted to work and I said, "Florida． It's a place that draws people─Negroes from every Southern state and some from the North and West．" So I knew that it was possible for me to get across the section of the Negro South in one state．And then I realized that I felt new myself, so it looked sensible for me to choose familiar ground．
I started in Eatonville, Florida, because I knew that the town was full of material and that I could get it without causing any hurt or harm． As early as I could remember, it was the habit of the men particularly to gather on the store porch in the
evenings and exchange stories．Even the women would stop and break a breath with them at times．As a child when I was sent down to the store, I' d drag out my leaving to hear more．
Folklore is not as easy to collect as it sounds．The ideal source is where there are the fewest outside influences, but these people are．reluctant at times to reveal that which the soul lives by．I knew that even I would have some hindrance（障碍）among strangers．But here in Eatonville I knew everybody was going to help me．
63．In the first paragraph, the author' s claim "In a way, it would not be a new experience for me" refers to the fact that ____．
A．she had already attended college in Florida
B．she had already received permission to conduct the study
C．she had already experienced new cultures by leaving home
D．she was already familiar with the Negro folklore that she was to collect
64．In the second paragraph, the author indicates that one reason why she chose to work in Florida was that she wanted to collect folklore _____．
A．from Negroes of different geographical backgrounds
B．as her teachers advised
C．from a place she had never visited
D．in a state far from where she grew up
65．Which of the following statements about the interactions on the porch is true?
A．Men went there more frequently than women．
B．Most of the storytellers didn't grow up in Eatonville．
C．The author' s parents sent her to the porch to hear the stories．
D．One man in particular told most of the stories．
66．Which of the following is NOT the reason why the author decided to collect folklore in Eatonville?
A．The people of Eatonville would be grateful if she published their stories．
B．The people of Eatonville would have many stories for her collection．
C．She believed that she could collect stories without doing any harm．
D．She believed that the people of Eatonville would help her in her project．
If you' re feeling stressed, rather than wallow （沉迷） in watching television, try looking out of the window, with a US study finding scenes of nature can ease off minor stress levels．
Researchers at the Human Interaction with Nature and Technological Systems Lab at the University of Washington set out to look at whether nature, either the real thing or the one depicted （描述） technologically, can impact on minor stress levels．The study involved measuring people' s heart recovery rates from minor stress when they were exposed to a natural scene through a window and when exposed to the same scene shown on a high-definition plasma （等离子） screen, or a blank wall．
"The heart rates of people who looked at the scene through the window dropped more quickly than the others．In fact, the high-definition plasma screen had no more effect than the blank wall," the researchers said in a statement．They also found that when people spent more time looking at the natural scene their heart rates tended to decrease more．That was not the case with the plasma screen．
The study, involving 90 college students, is published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology．"Technology is good and it can help our lives, but let' s not be fooled into thinking we can live without nature," Peter Kahn, who led the research team, said in a statement．He said people were losing direct experiences with nature and instead experiencing nature represented technologically through television and other media with children growing up watching Discovery Channel and Animal
Planet．"But as a species we need interaction with actual nature for our physical and psychological well-being," he said．
59．According to the passage, watching an actual natural scene on a high-definition plasma screen __
A．is actually harmful to one' s health
B．is as good to one' s health as watching an actual natural scene
C．doesn't do any good to one' s health at all
D．may have some impact on minor stress levels
60．Peter Kahn believes that watching Discovery Channel and Animal Planet
A．is quite necessary for the growth of children
B．doesn't help in the growing process of children
C．does more harm than good to children
D．can't take the place of children' interaction with the real nature
61．The study shows that people' s heart rates decrease the most when they____
A．fix their eyes on a blank wall
B．watch a beautiful scene on a high-definition plasma screen
C．watch the natural scene out of a window
D．fix their eyes on a natural scene depicted technologically
62．Who would be most interested in the study mentioned in the passage?
A．People with minor stress levels．
B．People with high stress levels．
C．People with medium stress levels．
D．People with psychological problems．
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每小题2题，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A，B，C，和D）中，选出最佳选项。
Who says Americans worship the almighty dollar? It’s not true．Having enough free time is more important to most Americans than being rich, according to a new poll．
Only 13 percent of more than 2,400 people questioned in the telephone poll ranked being wealthy as most important to them, while 67 percent ranked free time as their top priority, higher than having a successful career, getting married, and having children．"Everyone wants free time to do the things they want to do, young, middle-aged or old," said Richard Morin, of the Pew Social & Demographic Trends Project, which conducted the survey．"So our desire to play unites us．"
The poll also showed that people who were university educated valued career success over wealth, as middle-aged people did．Not surprisingly, those who didn't have money, ranked wealth very highly．This included minorities, first generation Americans and less educated people．The survey also revealed that a disproportionate （不成比例的） number of people under the age of 30 and retirees in the group made $ 20,000 or less a year．But the emphasis on wealth lessens with age, with younger people putting value on it but hardly any seniors．"It just diminishes with time as the reality sets in that you would never be rich," Morin said．"But also, the reality sets in that you don't have to be rich to lead a very comfortable and fulfilling life．"
While wealth was not at the top of people' s list of priorities, 43 percent still said it was somewhat important．
56．The poll showed that the majority of American people ranked ____ as the most important．
A．wealth B．a successful career
C．marriage D．free time
57．Who cares least for wealth, according to the passage?
A．Young people． B．Middle-aged people．
C．Old people． D．Well-educated people．
58．The underlined word "diminishes" in the third paragraph probably means "____"．
A．to increase B．to decrease C．to change D．to stay