Every fall, like clockwork, Linda Krentz of Beaverton, Oregon, felt her brain go on strike. “I just couldn’t get going in the morning,” she says. “I’d get depressed and gain 10 pounds every winter and lose them again in the spring.” Then she read about seasonal affective disorder, a form of depression that occurs in fall and winter, and she saw the light-literally. Every morning now she turns on a specially constructed light box for half an hour and sits in front of it to trick her brain into thinking it’s still enjoying those long summer days. It seems to work.
Krentz is not alone. Scientists estimate that 10 million Americans suffer from seasonal depression and 25 million more develop milder versions. But there’s never been definitive proof that treatment with very bright lights makes a difference. After all, it’s hard to do a double-blind test when the subjects can see for themselves whether or not the light is on. That’s why nobody has ever separated the real effects of light therapy from placebo(安慰剂) effects.
Until now. In three separate studies published last month, researchers report not only that light therapy works better than a placebo but that treatment is usually more effective in the early morning than in the evening. In two of the groups, the placebo problem was resolved by telling patients they were comparing light boxes to a new anti-depressant device that emits negatively charged ions. The third used the timing of light therapy as the control.
Why does light therapy work? No one really knows. “Our research suggests it has something to do with shifting the body’s internal clock,” says psychiatrist Dr. Lewey. The body is programmed to start the day with sunrise, he explains, and this gets later as the days get shorter. But why such subtle shifts make some people depressed and not others is a mystery.
That hasn’t stopped thousands of winter depressives from trying to heal themselves. Light boxes for that purpose are available without a doctor’s prescription. That bothers psychologist Michael Terman of Columbia University. He is worried that the boxes may be tried by patients who suffer from mental illness that can’t be treated with light. Terman has developed a questionnaire to help determine whether expert care is needed.
In any event, you should choose a respectable manufacturer. Whatever product you use should emit only visible light, because ultraviolet light damages the eyes. If you are photosensitive, you may develop a rash. Otherwise, the main drawback is having to sit in front of the light for 30 to 60 minutes in the morning. That’s an inconvenience many winter depressives can live with.What is the probable cause of Krentz’s problem?
| A．An unexpected gain in body weight. |
| B．Unexplained impairment of her nervous system. |
| C．Weakening of her eyesight with the setting in of winter. |
| D．Poor adjustment of her body clock to seasonal changes. |
By saying that Linda Krentz saw the light” (Line 4, Para. 1), the author means that she _______.
| A．learned how to lose weight |
| B．realized what her problem was |
| C．came to see the importance of light |
| D．felt sleepy and blue |
What is the CURRENT view concerning the treatment of seasonal depression with bright lights?
| A．Its effect remains to be seen. |
| B．It serves as a kind of placebo. |
| C．It proves to be an effective therapy. |
| D．It hardly produces any effects. |
What is psychologist Michael Terman’s major concern?
| A．Winter depressives will be addicted to using light boxes. |
| B．No mental patients would bother to consult psychiatrists. |
| C．Inferior light boxes will emit harmful ultraviolet lights. |
| D．Light therapy could be beyond the tolerance of certain mental patients. |
C
A technique that controls immediate gas explosions by spraying them with large droplets of water is being tested by scientists at the University of Wales, United Kingdom．Instead of using the traditional fine water sprays when a gas leak is detected, the researchers have discovered that large droplets help to draw in some of the force of any explosion and provide a better way of controlling fire．
The research is based on studies made of the Piper Alpha oil rig （油井） explosion that occurred in the North Sea nine years ago killing 167 workers．The Welsh team found that by covering the gas-leak area with water droplets, the explosion and its effect can be greatly reduced．
Dr Gerand Thomas, a good lecturer in physics at the university’s Center for Explosion Studies, said that it was impossible to deal with gas explosions in the same way as fires because the whole event may only last a quarter of a second and normal water sprays do not have time to be effective．
Using the droplets of water to hold explosions resulted in the water being turned into a mist that allows some force of the explosion to be reduced．The mist slows down the combustion （燃烧） process and can stop a large amount of the gas igniting （点火,燃烧）, thus greatly reducing damage by limiting pressure development．With such a system, the operator has to decide at what point after a gas leak to activate the sprays．
The Center for Explosion Studies is the first of its kind in the UK and has been purposely-built for the study and implication of industrial explosions on land and sea．Research is developed to the causes of accidental explosions and they might be prevented．Full-sized imitative buildings can be built at the center where explosions and fires are created to test preventative equipment using sensors to monitor their efficiency．
Another area that the Welsh researchers have been looking at is how materials respond to explosions．The center also carries out research requested by individual customers．
64．Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A．Piper Alpha Oil Rig Explosion
B．Large Droplets of Water
C．A New Way of Controlling Gas Explosions
D．The center for Explosion Studies
65．The research finds that _____ in holding immediate explosion．
A．small water sprays are better than large droplets of water
B．small water sprays are not as good as large droplets of water
C．both small water sprays and large droplets of water are good
D．neither small water sprays nor large droplets of water is good
66．Dr Geraint Thomas implies that ______．
A．normal water sprays can put out fire effectively
B．gas explosions break out more quickly than fires
C．fires are easier to be held than explosions
D．gas explosions break out so quickly that there is no way to control it
67．Which of the following is not included in the research area of the Center for Explosion Studies?
A．To test the result of gas explosion．
B．To get some implications of industrial explosions on land and sea．
C．To find out how materials respond to explosions．
D．To find out when material respond to explosions．
B
New evidence shows that getting enough Vitamin D may be the most important thing you can do for your health．
You know the usual prescription for good health: a balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, regular exercise, no smoking．Now add this: Spend a little more time in the sun．
Huh? That may sound like medical heresy （反面观点）．After all, we've been warned for decades about the dangers of the sun: wrinkles, age spots and the increasing threat of skin cancer．But new and impressive medical evidence suggests that sunlight is beneficial．The vitamin D it prompts our bodies to make may prevent cancer, protect against heart disease and ward off a long list of disorders such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and gum disease．It is even showing promise as a treatment for heart disease and some cancers．
Long recognized as vitally important for bone building （it's needed for calcium absorption）, vitamin D has now achieved superstar status among nutrients．While all doctors may not agree, many experts are confident enough of its wide-ranging powers to urge that we get much more of it, from the sun and from supplements, as even the best diet in the world may not give us enough．
60．Which of the following is NOT the usual way of keeping healthy?
A．To do exercise now and then．
B．To eat plenty of fruits and vegetables．
C．To avoid staying in the sun for a long time．
D．To keep away from cigarettes．
61．What does the underlined word “prompts” in the third paragraph mean?
A．causes B．forces C．motivates D．encourages
62．According to the passage, vitamin D ________．
A．can be got by doing regular exercise
B．can be used to prevent some cancers
C．can be got from the sunlight
D．can be used to remove the wrinkles
63．The passage is most likely from a（an） ________．
A．advertisement B．news report C．magazine D．medical prescription
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，共40分）
第一节（共15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。
A
What secret force drives us into the arms of one person, while pushing us away from another who might appear equally desirable to any fair observer? Of the many factors influencing our idea of the perfect mate, one of the most telling is our “lovemap” ---- a group of messages formed in our brains that describes our likes and dislikes．It shows our preferences in hair and eye color, in voice, smell, body build．It also records the kind of personality that attracts us, whether it’s the warm and friendly type or the strong silent type．In short, we fall for and go after those people who most clearly fit our lovemap．And this lovemap is determined in childhood．By age eight, the pattern for our ideal mate has already begun to float around in our brains．
The mother has special influence on her sons: she not only gives them clues to what they will find attractive in a mate, but also influences how they feel about women in general．So if she is warm and nice, her sons are going to think that’s the way women are．They will likely grow up warm and responsive lovers and also be helpful around the house．
Just as mothers influence their son’s general feelings toward women, fathers influence their daughter’s general feelings about men．If a father lavishes praise on his daughter and shows that she is a worthwhile person, she’ll feel very good about herself in relation to men．But if the father is cold, critical or absent, the daughter will tend to feel she’s not very lovable or attractive．
While the mother determines in large part what qualities attract us in a mate, it’s the father ----- the first male in our lives ----- who influences how we relate to the opposite sex．Fathers have a great effect on their children’s personalities and chances or marriage happiness．
56．What is the proper title for this passage?
A．Why we love who we loveB．What is a lovemap
C．Different influence from parents D．Ideal mate in the mind
57．A perfect mate is a person who ____．
A．is fair to everyone B．is the most desirable
C．fits one’s lovemap D．is perfect in everything
58．If the husband hardly does any housework, ____．
A．his mother must be warm B．his father must be critical
C．his mother must be cold D．his wife can’t be attractive
59．The passage leads to a belief that ____．
A．parents’ personalities decides the children’s lovemap
B．mothers have no influence on daughters’ marriage life
C．fathers care more about children’s marriage happiness
D．mothers influence children’s choices of perfect mates
C
If you are a male and you are reading this, congratulations: you are a survivor. According to statistics, you are more than twice as likely to die of skin cancer than a woman, and nine times more likely to die of AIDS. Assuming you make it to the end of your natural term, about 78 years for men in Australia, you will die on average five years before a woman.
There are many reasons for this, typically, men take more risks than women and are more likely to drink and smoke but perhaps more importantly, men don’t go to the doctor.
“Men aren’t seeing doctors as often as they should,” says Dr. Gullotta, “This is particularly so for the over-40s, when diseases tend to strike.”
Gullotta says a healthy man should visit the doctor every year or two. For those over 45, it should be at least once a year.
Two months ago, Gullotta saw a 50-year-old man who had delayed doing anything about his smoker’s cough for a year.
“When I finally saw him it had already spread and he has since died from lung cancer,” he says, “Earlier detection and treatment may not have cured him, but it would have prolonged his life.”
According to a recent survey, 95% of women aged between 15 and early 40s see a doctor once a year, compared to 70% of men in the same age group.
“A lot of men think they are invincible(不可战胜的),” Gullotta says. “They only come in when a friend drops dead on the golf course and they think, “Geez, if it could happen to him, __________.”
Then there is the ostrich approach, “some men are scared of what might be there and would rather not know,” says Dr. Ross Cartmill.
“Most men get their cars serviced more regularly than they service their bodies,” Cartmill says. He believes most diseases that commonly affect men could be addressed by preventive check-ups.
“Regular check-ups for men would inevitably place strain(紧张) on the public purse,” Cartmill says. “But prevention is cheaper in the long run than having to treat the diseases. Besides, the ultimate cost is far greater: it is called premature death.”
65..Why does the author congratulate his male readers at the beginning of the passage?
A. They are more likely to survive serious diseases today.
B. Their average life span has been considerably extended.
C. They have lived long enough to read this article.
D. They are sure to enjoy a longer and happier life.
66. What is the most important reason why men die five years earlier on average than women according to the author?
A. men drink and smoke much more than women
B. men don’t seek medical care as often as women
C. men aren’t as cautious as women in face of danger
D. men are more likely to suffer from fatal diseases
67. Which of the following best completes the sentence “Geez, if it could happen to him, _______”?
A. it could happen to me, too B. I should avoid playing golf
C. I should consider myself lucky D. it would be a big misfortune
68. What does Dr. Ross Cartmill mean by “the ostrich approach”?
A. a casual attitude towards one’s health conditions
B. a new therapy for certain psychological problems
C. refusal to get medical treatment for fear of the pain involved
D. unwillingness to find out about one’s disease because of fear
B
Students’ Insurance
What Is Covered under Contents?
Under the “Contents” section your possessions---which you do not have to be listed---will be protected on “new for old” basis where items will be replaced as new---regardless of their age or condition.
“Contents” include books, radios, audio and video players, TVs, jewellery, home computers, furniture, household goods, other electrical equipment and sports equipment. They will be insured as follows:
Theft
Fire, Lighting, Explosion
Malicious(恶意)Damage
Storm, Flood and other natural disasters
But new-for-old cover does not include clothing and linen.
Where Does Cover Apply?
Anywhere in Australia whether in:
Your Living Place While at College
Your Parents’ Home or Any Temporary Residence(临时住处)---where you are staying when away from College
Your College or Students’ Union Building
College Storage during Vacations
Plus The Following Benefits Included Free
Loss or Damage to:
Gas, water and electricity meters and telephones---up to$300
TVs and videos rented in your name
Library books---up to $300
Daily things bought---up to $500 as to cover described under “Contents”
College or Landlord’s Possessions in your rooms by Fire or Theft (if you are legally responsible---up to $2,000)
Personal Money: from your room---up to $60
PLUS fraudulent(欺诈)use of your Credit Card---up to $1,000
61. If you lose an old video player, the insurance company will _____.
A. replace it with a new one B. pay you up to $30 in insurance
C. pay you nothing for it is old D. replace it with a used one
62. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Your household goods will not be insured due to natural disasters.
B. Your computer is insured when you are away from college.
C. You can be paid $2,000 for fraudulent use of your Credit Card.
D. Your rented car is completely insured if it is damaged.
63. All of the following are included in the insurance project except _____.
A. audio and video players, TV B. jewellery, library books
C. clothing, linen and cars D. furniture, home computers
64. It can be inferred from the passage that _____.
A. if you lose a radio you can get another one
B. if you have your possessions stolen outside Australia they are not insured
C. if a fire breaks out in your room you can get everything back
D. if your jewellery is stolen you will be paid as much as $300