It’s puzzling, isn’t it? No matter where you try to tickle（使人发痒）yourself, even on the soles（脚底） of your feet or under your arms, you just can’t.
To understand why, you need to know more about how your brain works. One of its main tasks is to try to make good guesses about what’s going to happen next. While you’re busy getting on with your life, walking downstairs or eating your breakfast, parts of your brain are always trying to predict the future.
Remember when you first learned how to ride a bicycle? At first, it took a lot of concentration to keep the handlebars steady and push the pedals（踏板）. But after a while, cycling became easy. Now you’re not aware of the movements you make to keep the bike going. From experience, your brain knows exactly what to expect so your body rides the bike automatically. Your brain is predicting all the movements you need to make.
You only have to think consciously about cycling if something changes---like if there’s a strong wind or you get a flat tyre. When something unexpected happens like this, your brain is forced to change its predictions about what will happen next. If it does its job well, you’ll adjust to the strong wind, leaning your body so you don’t fall.
Why is it so important for our brains to predict what will happen next? It helps us make fewer mistakes and can even save our lives. For example, when a chief fireman sees a fire, he immediately makes decisions about how best to position his men. His past experiences help him foresee what might happen and choose the best plan for fighting the fire. His brain can instantly predict how different plans would work out, and he can rule out any bad or dangerous plans without putting his men at risk in real life.
So how does all this answer your question about tickling? Because your brain is always predicting your own actions, and how your body will feel as a result, you cannot tickle yourself. Other people can tickle you because they can surprise you. You can’t predict what their tickling actions will be.What is the best title for this passage?
| A．How Does the Brain work? |
| B．Why Can’t I Tickle Myself? |
| C．The importance of Prediction |
| D．The Importance of Our Brains |
Our brains cannot predict what will happen when we______.
| A．walk down the stairs |
| B．eat our breakfast |
| C．suddenly lose our balance and fall |
| D．ride a bike |
The phrase “rule out” in Paragraph 4 means______.
| A．decide that something is not suitable | B．think about |
| C．act according to the rules | D．expect |
The passage is probably taken from______.
| A．a scientific report for experts |
| B．a textbook for medical students |
| C．a book for children |
| D．a research paper for doctors |
C
The villagers of Yaluma in Southern Mexico are some of the poorest people in the country. But now they have an extra source of income.They are being paid to grow and develop forests by the organization in charge of Formula One racing (一级方程式赛车),which pumps 5,500 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the air every year.The idea is that the forests being planted around Yaluma will absorb this amount. It will also provide people there with money while wiping out motor racing's environmental debt.
Projects like this go under the name of "carbon trading". The basic idea is that governments and companies can buy the right to pump CO2 into the air by investing in green projrvyd. They can buy so-called "carbon credits" from countries which have succeeded in reducing CO2 emissions(排放物).
Supporters of carbon trading say that it brings money and green technology to poorer countries.It also provides a new way of doing busingess and spreading prosperity. They point out that the process of globalization will give people everywhere the most possible choice of products and services. Carbon trading is just another way of bringing that about. It is a "win - win" situation.
Opponents argue that nature comes before lifestyle. CO2 emissions need to be reduced, not bought and sold. And they believe that the rich world should lead the way.People might be willing to change the way they live to help save the world, but not to help the rich countries keep a lifestyle that depends on pollution.
Supporters of carbon trading believe in unlimited growth.Opponents believe that nature sets limits to the choices we make on how to live.It is "don't do " against "can do". It is life against lifestyle.
It is believed that modern lives are about choice.For example,the world can choose to take the danger of global warming seriously.And the sooner we choose to do it, the more choices we have about what to do next and the more time we have to do it in. We can also choose to pay no attention to the danger of global warming to keep our lifestyles. Then one day nature may give us no choice at all,and maybe not much of a life,either.
64.Carbon trading is discussed in the text in order to show the importance of ______ .
A.reducing pollution B.taking care of forests
C.spreading prosperity D.choosing lifestyle or nature
65."Carbon credits" may be used to ______.
A.get the right to pump CO2 into the air
B.get the right to pump CO2 into poor countries
C.learn about the way to reduce CO2 emissions
D.improve the way to reduce CO2 emissions
66.We can infer from the text that in the "win - win" situation _____.
A.rich countries perform their duty to help poor countries
B.poor countries get what they need from rich countries
C.both rich countries and poor countries get what they need
D.rich countries learn from poor countries in reducing pollution
67.In the opinion of people who are against carbon trading,the rich countries should ____.
A.guide poor countries in reducing CO2 emissions
B.show by example how to reduce emissions
C.offer more help to save the world
D.improve their lifestyles to keep the world clean
B
Fever has usually been regarded as a threat to health.However,no one has actually proved that fever is dangerous.This fact attracted the attention of Matthew J.Kluger.Imagining that fever might not be as harmful as it had been supposed,Kluger set up a series of experiments with lizards(蜥蜴).
What Kluger and his team did his team did in their first experiment was simple.They put some lizards in a sand-box,one end of which was heated to 44℃,while the other was at a room temperature.It was found that the lizards moved form one part of the box to the other in order to keep a constant temperature of about 38℃.Having shown that normal lizards regulate(调节) their own temperature,Kuger,in a second experiment,then set out to show that lizards,like most other animals,develop fever when infected.This was done by making lizards infected with bacteria (细菌) that were known to cause disease.As the team expected,the infected lizards remained longer in the heated part of the box,until they had raised their body temperatures to two or three degrees above normal.In other words,the sick lizards gave themselves fever.
In a third experiment,the team observed the effect of temperature on the survival of the lizards.One group of infected lizards was given a fever - suppressing(退烧) drug.The other group was given no drug and ran a fever,that is to say,they kept a highter temperature for four or five days before seeking a cooler environment.The results were impressive.Of those which raised their body temperature,all but one remained alive.Of those given the fever - suppressing drug,more than half died.Similar results have since been produced in other animals.For example,infeced fish swim to warmer water,and will die if not allowed to do so.
An important conclusion can be drawn from these experiments.As Kluger points out,lizards have been on earth for hundreds of millions of years.It is reasonable to suppose that a response that is so old has been kept by nature for some purpose.It would appear, therefore, that fever does not make disease worse.Rather it its part of the mechanism(机能) by which infection is controlled.
60.In his experiments,Kluger was hoping to prove that fever ________.
A.is not harmful to lizards
B.is not necessarily bad
C.is necessary for both humans and animals
D.has the same effect on humans and animals
61.The lizards put in the sand - box in the first experiment _____.
A.had a fever B.were not sick C.recovered from disease D.died of heat
62.In the third experiment,the lizards given a fever - suppressing drug died because _____.
A.they had no more fever that they needed
B.they were normal ones and had no fever
C.the drug had no iffect on sick lizards
D.the drug made their body temperature too low
63.How would you understand the underlined words"a response" in the last paragraph?
A.Gause of disease. B.Recovery from disease.
C.Relationship between living D.Natural defense in the body against disease.
第三部分阅读理解（共两节，满分40分）
第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30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，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
JSC Boggs is an artist who makes money.To be exact,he draws money.In the United States he draws dollars,in Britain pounds and in France francs.Each are almost perfect reproductions,apart from the fact that he writes "Bank of Boggs" or another humorous message on them.
When Boggs goes shopping or for a meal,he offers "Boggs dollars" in the payment for what he wants.He also offers real money.It is up to the people selling the goods to take whichever they prefer.
When a shopkeeper or a restaurant owner takes a "Boggs dollar",he or she gives a receipt in return for the things bought.Boggs then sells the receipt at face value to art collectors.This is how he makes actual money for the times when people will not accept his drawings.
The collector uses the receipt to find the person holding the actual "Boggs dollar" and the two talk over what they think would be a fair price.This gives the shop or restaurant owner the chance to make another profit on the goods he or she sold to Boggs.It means Boggs actually gets paid for buying things.And it means that the collector has a unique work of art---each "Boggs dollar" is separately drawn.
Artists like to make us think.What Boggs wants us to think about is the nature of value and money. What is money really worth? Is value of money the same as personal value? Once "Boggs dollars " have been given away by the artist,they often continuew to circulate and grow on value A "Boggs one dollar bill" may have bought the artist a cup of coffee in New York.Now it may be worth a car or an expensive meal.It all depends on that value a person chooses to give it.
Money used to be worth a certain weight in gold or silver.Now it is just worth whatever the government or the banks.JSC Boggs is trying to start another type of money.People can choose "Boggs dolars" or not.And their value is up to whoever uses them.In a way,"Boggs dollars" are "people's money".
56.How much will Boggs get if he buys a cup of coffee with a "Boggs one dollar bill"?
A.One dollar. B.More than one dollar.
C.Less than one dollar. D.Much more than one dollar.
57.According to the text,the main difference between"value of money "and "personal value" is that ______.
A.they rise or fall separately B.they refer to different people
C.they are decided by different people D.they are decided by different banks
58.What does the writer mean by saying "Boggs dollars are people's money"?
A.They are two different types of money.
B.In fact they are not real money.
C.People can share them and use them among themselves.
D.People are free to use them and deck their value.
59.Choose the girht order in which Boggs gets paid.
a.He buys things with his dollars.
b.He sells the receipt to an art collector.
c.He araws dollars.
d.The art collector finds the shopkeeper to buy his dollars.
e.The shopkeeper gives him a receipt.
A.c - a - e - b - d
B.c - e - b - d - a
C.e - c - b - d - a
D.e - b - c - a - d
D
BBC(May 11,2008) - Edinburgh Zoo makes plans to bring a pair of giant pandas from China to Scotland.Zoo representatives recently returned from China,where they signed a letter of intent(意向书) making a promise to bring giant pandas to Edinburgh.
It's been suggested that a breeding pair should be on loan(暂借) to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland(RZSS) for 10 years.It is hoped that they would give birth to cubs during that time.Edinburgh Zoo would be only the eighth Zoo in the Western hemisphere(半球) to care for the species if the project goes ahead.
Zoo chiefs said that looking after the endangered animals could benefit conservation.David Windmill,chief executive of RZSS,said,"Working with giant pandas means so much more to us than introducing a new species to our collection.It's an opportunity to work on a global level with other conservationists to gain a better understanding of giant pandas,the threats they face,and what we can do to ensure their survival."
At present there're only around 1,500 giant pandas in the wild.RZSS has been working on the project for almost a year,and hopes to have giant pandas at Edinburgh Zoo by 2009 ,the year of the society's centenary(一百周年纪念日).
Mr.Windmil said that the project had received strong support from the UK and the Scottish government and that this must continue if the zoo was to reach an agreement with the Chinese.As part of the proposed agreement with the Chinese government,Edinburgh Zoo will collaborate(合作) on research projects benefiting conservation in the wild.
RZSS will also provide considerable money to support giant panda conservation projects in the wild.Giant pandas live in a few mountain ranges in central China and feed almost only on bamboo,which makes up 99% of their diet.
68.What is the best title for the passage?
A.Edingburgh Zoo does research into giant pandas.
B.Giant pandas live happy at Edinburgh Zoo.
C.Edinburgh Zoo expects giant pandas from China.
D.Scotland supports giant panda conservation.
69.If Edingburgh Zoo can borrow giant pandas,what will happen?
A.RZSS will have a better understanding of living habits of giant pandas.
B.RZSS will celebrate its centenary in 2009.
C.Scotland will be the eighth country to have giant pandas.
D.Edinburgh Zoo will be the eighth zoo to have giant pandas in the world.
70.At present what seems to be the key factor for giant pandas to successfully go to Edinburgh Zoo?
A.RZSS's attitude.
B.The Scottish government's attitude.
C.Edinburgh Zoo's support.
D.The Chinese government's attitude.
C
A scientist who developed a way to calculate(计算) how much water is used in the produciton of anything form a cup of coffee to a hamburger was awarded the 2008 Stockholm Water Prize.
Professor John Anthony Allan of the University of London in Britain won the award for introducing the idea of "virtual water(虚拟水)",a calculation method that has changed the nature of trade policy and research.
Allan has written seven books and published more than 100 papers.
The Stockholm International Water Institute said this idea is now embedded(埋藏) in the production of foods and industrial products.The institute said Allan's work had made a big effect on global trade policy and research,especially in water - scarce(缺水) regions.
"The improved understanding of trade and water management issues on local,regional and global scales are of the highest value for the successsful and sustainable(可持续的) use of water resources,"it said.
"People do not only use water when they drink it or take a shower,"the institute said. "Behind the morning cup of coffee,there are 140 liters of water that was used to grow,produce,package and ship the beans."That is about as much water as a person in England uses on average for all daily drinking and household needs.
"For a single hamburger,about 2,400 liters of water are needed.In te USA ,the average person uses nearly 7,000 liters of virtual water every day" It said that was more than three times the average use of a Chinese person.
64.Allan was awarded the prize because ______.
A.he wrote seven books on trade policy
B.he published more than 100 papers on water management
C.he found a new kind of water in water - scarce areas
D.he came up with the idea of virtual water
65.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.The average American uses about 7,000 liters of water a day.
B.The average Chinese uses nearly 2,300 liters of virtual water a day.
C.An Englishman usually drinks about 140 liters of coffee a day.
D.A hamburger usually contains about 2,400 liters of water.
66.What effect does the idea of virtual water have?
A.It helps us realize the importance of trade.
B.It helps people do successful business.
C.It helps us make use of water scientifically.
D.It tells us how much water we use a day.
67.What does the underlined word "it" in the last paragraph refer to?
A.The University of London.
B.The calculation method.
C.The Stockholm International Water Institute.
D.The trade policy and research.