We each have a unique genetic(基因的, 遗传的)make-up. Every cell of our body has the same set of about 100, 000 separate genes made of DNA. These are the instructions for producing a person. Genes decide everything from the colour of our skin to the way our brain works. We have one of several billion combinations of DNA which come from the random mixing of our parents’ genes. Except for identical twins(同卵双胞胎), no one has the same combination as another person. We are unique! We are unique in another way, too: in the way we are raised and all the experiences we have from before birth to adult life. These experiences influence us, our behaviour and attitudes, and the choices we make.
But are genes or life experiences more important in shaping our appearance and personality? Scientists are studying twins to find out. One set of twins occurs every 70 births—some are identical and others are non-identical twins. Identical twins are special because they share exactly the same genes and often the same environment. Non-identical twins are more like ordinary brothers and sisters.
Some identical twins have been adopted and brought up in different homes. With identical genes but a different home environment, scientists can study twins to see how much a particular feature depends on the genes we inherit(继承). For example, we know that eye problems, like short-sightedness, are mostly genetic. But resistance to pain is largely dependent on experiences. Genes also influence our eating habits. Identical twins brought up apart often like to eat at the same time of day and feel full after eating the same amount. Non-identical twins in similar circumstances have more varied eating habits. Identical twins are also more likely to follow the same patterns for marriage and divorce than non-identical twins.
Scientists are trying to identify the different genes that influence our behavior. Some people are thrill-seekers and get into risk-taking and adventurous activities. They take up extreme sports like bungee jumping and possibly take drugs. Scientists have discovered a gene which affects this.
We could ask, “Are our lives determined by our genes or our upbringing? ”Scientists are learning more all the time, but it is certainly true that both are important in making us who we are.What is the main idea of the first paragraph?
| A.Both our genes and our experiences make us who we are. |
| B.How we turn out depends on our parents’ genes. |
| C.Everyone has a physical double somewhere in the world. |
| D.We cannot easily change our physical appearance. |
Why are scientists studying twins?
| A.To find out how many twins are born every year. |
| B.To discover what shapes us as individuals. |
| C.To compare differences between twins. |
| D.To study brother-and-sister relationships. |
According to the passage, .
| A.one in 70 twins are genetically identical |
| B.non-identical twins are usually not of the same sex |
| C.twins separated at birth behave exactly the same |
| D.identical twins are genetically the same |
What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
| A.Our love of sports. | B.Our attitude to risk-taking. |
| C.Our skill at bungee jumping. | D.Our ability to take drugs. |
IQUIQUE, Chile (Reuters) — Rescue workers at the San Jose gold and copper mine in northern Chile had reason to sing this week. A small hole drilled into the earth became a passage to freedom for 33 trapped miners, who spent 69 days underground. “Never have people been trapped for so long so deeply,” says a doctor at NASA, the American space agency, which helped in the rescue.
But the chief medical officer for the miners said most are in good enough health to leave the hospital within a day or so. The first three recovered and went home Thursday night.
For much of the day the miners relaxed with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera. The 32 Chileans and 1 Bolivian still wore special sunglasses to protect their eyes.
A partial mine collapse on 5th August trapped them more than half a kilometer underground. They had to stretch a two-day food supply. For two weeks no one knew if they were alive or dead. Later, they received supplies.
The first miner rescued on Wednesday was Florencio Avalos. The second was Mario Sepulveda, who talked about how the experience tested his faith. The last miner up was Luis Urzua, who was the shift leader when his crew became trapped.
Rescuers used a metal cage to pull the miners to safety in less than 24 hours — faster than expected. The rescue capsule was a half-meter wide and known as the Phoenix, an imaginary bird from ancient stories. It bursts into flames but is continually reborn and rises from the ashes.
Chile’s Navy built the capsule with advice from mining experts and NASA engineers. It worked like an elevator, traveling up and down on a cable through a shaft(竖井)drilled 622 meters into the rocks.
Millions of people around the world watched the rescue. More than one thousand journalists traveled to the mine in the Atacama Desert to report on the rescue. They joined family members of the miners and rescue crews housed in an area of tents known as Camp Hope.
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A.Rescued miners speak out |
| B.Miners’ life deep underground |
| C.A rebirth for 33 rescued miners in Chile |
| D.Chilean president honors rescued miners |
How many rescued miners are still in hospital?
| A.3. | B.30. | C.33. | D.69. |
We can infer from the passage that ______.
| A.all the trapped miners are Chileans |
| B.the Chileans rescued the miners alone |
| C.the rescue caught the world’s attention |
| D.the trapped miners lived easily underground |
Which of the following is true of the Phoenix?
| A.It was a wooden cage like a capsule. | B.It worked efficiently in the rescue. |
| C.It was named after a real Chilean bird. | D.It was built by NASA engineers. |
The rescue is great for the reason that ______.
| A.33 trapped miners were saved |
| B.the American space agency took part |
| C.Chilean President was on the rescuing spot |
| D.it lasted so long and the miners were trapped so deep |
1. TODAY, Friday, November 12
JAZZ with the Mike Thomas Jazz Band at The Derby Arms. Upper Richmond Road West, Sheen.
DISCO Satin Sounds Disco. Free at The Lord Napier, Mort lake High St., from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tel: 652 - 1158.
2. SATURDAY, November 13
JAZZ Lysis at The Bulls Head, Barnes. Admission 60p.
MUSICAL HALL at The Star and Garter, Lower Richmond Road, Putney, provided by the Aba Daba Music Hall company. Good food and entertainment fair price. Tel: 789 – 6749 .
FAMILY night out? Join the sing-along at The Black Horse. Sheen Road, Richmond.
JAZZ The John Bennett Big Band at The Bull’s Head, Barnes. Admission 80p.
THE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion(手风琴). Tel: 789—4536
3. SUNDAY, November 14
DISCO Satin Sounds Disco, free at The Lord Napier, Mort Lake High Street, from 8 a. m. to 8 p. m.
FOLK MUSIC at The Derby Arms. The Short Stuff and residents the Norman Chop Trio. Non-remembers 70p. Tel: 688-4626.
HEAVY MUSIC with Tony Simon at The Bull, Upper Richmond Road West, East Sheen.
THE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion.
Where and when can you hear the Norman Chop Trio?
| A.At the Bull’s Head on Sunday. | B.At the Derby Arms on Sunday. |
| C.At the Bull on Saturday. | D.At the Black Horse on Saturday. |
Where and when can you hear the Mike Thomas Jazz Band?
| A.At the Derby Arms on Friday. | B.At the Black Horse on Friday. |
| C.At the Star and Garter on Saturday. | D.At the Derby Arms on Sunday. |
You want to enjoy the electric accordion on Saturday. Which telephone number do you have to ring to find out what time it starts?
| A.789—6749. | B.789—4536. | C.682—1158. | D.688—4626. |
You want to spend the Saturday by joining the entertainment with your family. Where should you go?
| A.Disco at The Lord Napier. |
| B.The sing-along at The Black Horse. |
| C.The electric accordion at The Derby Arms. |
| D.Jazz at The Bull's Head. |
You want to spend the same day at two different places and don't want to cross any street.Which or the following is your best choice?
| A.The sing-along at the Black Horse and Jazz at The Bull's Head. |
| B.The sing-along at The Black Horse and Folk Music at The Derby Arms. |
| C.Folk Music at The Derby Arms and Heavy Music with Tony Simon at The Bull. |
| D.Musical Hall at The Star & Garter and Disco at The Lord Napier. |
Researchers found that people become happier and experience less worry after they reach the age of fifty. In fact, they say by the age of eighty-five, people are happier with their life than they were when they were eighteen years old.
The findings came from a survey of more than 340,000 adults in the United States. The Gallup(民意调查) Organization questioned them by telephone in 2010. At that time, the people were between the ages of eighteen and eighty-five.
The researchers asked questions about emotions like happiness, sadness and worry. They also asked about mental or emotional stress.
Arthur Stone at Stony Brook University in New York led the study. His team found that levels of stress were highest among adults between the ages of twenty-two and twenty-five. The findings showed that stress levels dropped sharply after people reached their fifties. Happiness was highest among the youngest adults and those in their early seventies. The people least likely to report feeling negative emotions were those in their seventies and eighties.
Researchers say they do not know why happiness increases as people get older. One theory is that, as people grow older, they grow more thankful for what they have and have better control of their emotions. They also spend less time thinking about bad experiences.
Professor Stone says the emotional patterns could be linked to changes in how people see the world, or maybe even changes in brain chemistry.
The researchers also considered possible influences like having young children, being unemployed or being single. But they found that influences like these did not affect the levels of happiness and well-being related to age.
The study also showed that men and women have similar emotional patterns as they grow older. However, women at all ages reported more sadness, stress and worry than men.
What can be the best title of the text?
| A.Happiness Varies with Ages | B.Experience More, Worry Less |
| C.The Older, the Wiser | D.Being Young, Being Happy |
We can learn from the research that _________.
| A.only when people get older will they feel happier |
| B.stress levels among the youngest are the highest |
| C.older people tend to be grateful |
| D.older people usually have no worries |
According to the research, when people get older, _________.
| A.they miss the old days | B.they are physically weak |
| C.they have better self-control | D.they are more emotional |
What would the author probably talk about next?
| A.What influences happiness. | B.How to live better. |
| C.How to keep happier. | D.Why women are less happier. |
The purpose of the passage is to _________.
| A.advise how to reduce stress | B.introduce a scientific finding |
| C.describe how to do research | D.talk about human emotions |
A woman renewing her driver’s license at the County Clerk’s office was asked to state her occupation.She hesitated, uncertain how to classify herself.
“What I mean is,” explained the recorder, “do you have a job, or are you just a …”
“Of course I have a job,” said Emily.“I’m a mother.”
“We don’t list ‘mother’ as an occupation… ‘housewife’ covers it,” said the recorder.
One day I found myself in the same situation.The clerk was obviously a career woman, confident and possessed of a high sounding title.“What is your occupation?” she asked.
The words simply popped out.“I’m a Research Associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations.”
The clerk paused, ballpoint pen frozen in midair.
I repeated the title slowly, and then I stared with wonder as my statement was written in bold, black ink on the official questionnaire.
“Might I ask, ” said the clerk with new interest, “Just what you do in this field?”
Coolly, without any trace of panic in my voice, I heard myself reply, “I have a continuing program of research (what mother doesn’t), in the lab and in the field (normally I would have said indoors and out).Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities (any mother care to disagree?), and I often work 14 hours a day (24 is more like it).But the job is more challenging than most careers and rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money.”
There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk’s voice as she completed the form, stood up, and showed me out.
As I drove into our driveway, buoyed up (依托) by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants---ages 13, 7, and 3.
Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model (a 6 month old baby), in the child-development program, testing out a new vocal pattern.
I felt proud! I had gone on the official records as someone more distinguished and indispensable (不可缺少的) to mankind than “just another mother.”
Motherhood…What a glorious career! Especially when there’s a title on the door.
What can we infer from the conversation between the woman and the recorder at the beginning of the passage?
| A.The woman felt ashamed to admit what her job was. |
| B.The recorder was impatient and rude. |
| C.The author was upset about the situation that mothers faced. |
| D.Motherhood was not recognized and respected as a job by society. |
How did the female clerk feel at first when the author told her occupation?
| A.curious | B.indifferent | C.puzzled | D.interested |
How did the author feel when describing her job to the clerk?
| A.calm | B.panic-stricken | C.confident | D.cool |
Why did the woman clerk show more respect for the author?
| A.Because the author cared little about rewards. |
| B.Because she admired the author’s research work in the lab. |
| C.Because she thought the author did admirable work. |
| D.Because the writer did something she had little knowledge of. |
What is the author’s purpose of writing the passage?
| A.To show how you describe your job affects your feelings toward it. |
| B.To argue that motherhood is a worthy career and deserves respect. |
| C.To show that the author had a grander job than Emily. |
| D.To show that being a mother is hard and boring work. |
Astronauts aboard the space station celebrated a space first on Wednesday by drinking water that had been recycled from their urine(尿), sweat and water got from air. They said “cheers,” clicked drinking bags and toasted NASA workers on the ground.

The urine recycling system is needed for astronaut stations on the moon and Mars. It also will save NASA money because it won’t have to ship up as much water to the station by space shuttles or rockets. Besides, it’s important as the space station is about to expand from three people living on board to six.
The recycling system had been brought up to the space station last November by space shuttle Endeavour, but it couldn’t be used until samples(样品) were tested back on earth. So when it came time to actually drink up, NASA made a big deal of it. The three-man crew stood holding their drinks and thankedengineers in two NASA centers that worked on the system.
“This is something that had been the stuff of science fiction,” American astronaut Michael Barratt said before taking a small mouthful. “The taste is worth trying.”
The new sy
stem takes the combined urine of the crew from the toilet, moves it to a big tank, where the water is boiled off, and the steam is collected. The rest of the urine is thrown away. Then the water steam is mixed with water from air, and then it goes through filters (过滤器). When six crew members are aboard it can make about 18 liters from urine in about 6 hours.
“Some people may find the idea of drinking recycled urine distasteful, but it is also done on earth, but with a lot longer time between urine and the tap,” said Marybeth Edeen, the space station’s national lab manager.
The technology NASA developed for this system has already been used for quick water purification after the 2004 Asian tsunami. According to the text, the recycling system is important because __________.
| A.it makes traveling to the moon for the average person possible |
| B.it can help meet the need for more water after the crew is expanded |
| C.with it NASA won’t need to ship any water up the space station |
| D.it protects the environment in space by reducing the amount of waste |
From Paragraph 5 we can know __________.
| A.the processof recycling urine |
| B.the effect of the recycling system |
| C.the theory behind the recycling system |
| D.an opinion on recycling urine |
What did Edeen say about recycled urine and the recycling system?
| A.The taste of recycled urine is not as good as that of common water. |
| B.The recycling system has made a science fiction story come true. |
| C.The idea of drinking recycled urine makes astronauts feel unpleasant. |
| D.It takes a longer time on earth to make water from urine than in space. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A.The Research of NASA Has Made Great Progress |
| B.New Technology Is Used in the Space Station |
| C.Drink up: Space Station Recycles Urine to Water |
D.Good News:Water Recycled from Urine Tastes Good |