Below is a selection from a popular science book.
If blood is red, why are veins(静脉) blue?
Actually, veins are not blue at all. They are more of a clear, yellowish colour. Although blood looks red when it's outside the body, when it's sitting in a vein near the surface of the skin, it's more of a dark reddish purple colour. At the right depth, these blood-filled veins reflect less red light than the surrounding skin, making them look blue by comparison.
Which works harder, your heart or your brain?
This question depends on whether you're busy thinking or busy exercising. Your heart works up to three times harder during exercise, and shifts enough blood over a lifetime to fill a supertanker. But, in the long run, your brain probably tips it, because even when you're sitting still your brain is using twice as much energy as your heart, and it takes four to five times as much blood to feed it.
Do old people shrink as they age?
Yes and no. Many people do get shorter as they age. But, when they do, it isn't because they're shrinking all over. They simply lose height as their spine(脊柱) becomes shorter and more curved due to disuse and the effects of gravity(重力). Many (but not all) men and women do lose height as they get older. Men lose an average of 3－4 cm in height as they age, while women may lose 5 cm or more. If you live to be 200 years old, would you keep shrinking till you were, like 60 cm tall, like a little boy again？No, because old people don't really shrink！It is not that they are growing backwards—their legs, arms and backbones getting shorter. When they do get shorter, it's because the spine has shortened a little. Or, more often, become more bent and curved.
Why does spinning make you dizzy(眩晕的)?
Because your brain gets confused between what you're seeing and what you're feeling. The brain senses that you're spinning using special gravity and motion sensing organs in your inner ear, which work together with your eyes to keep your vision and balance stable. But when you suddenly stop spinning , the system goes out of control, and your brain thinks you're moving while you're not!
Where do feelings and emotions come from?
Mostly from an ancient part of the brain called the limbic system. All mammals have this brain area—from mice to dogs, cats, and humans. So all mammals feel basic emotions like fear, pain and pleasure. But since human feelings also involve other newer bits of the brain, we feel more complex emotions than any other animal on the planet.What is the colour of blood in a vein near the surface of the skin?
| A．Blue. | B．Light yellow. |
| C．Red. | D．Dark reddish purple. |
Why do some old people look a little shrunken as they age?
| A．Their spine is in active use. |
| B．They are more easily affected by gravity. |
| C．They keep growing backwards. |
| D．Their spine becomes more bent. |
Which of the following statements about our brain is TRUE?
| A．In the long run, our brain probably works harder than our heart. |
| B．When our brain senses the spinning, we will feel dizzy. |
| C．The brains of the other mammals are as complex as those of humans. |
| D．Our feelings and emotions come from the most developed area in our brain. |
What is the main purpose of the selection?
| A．To give advice on how to stay healthy. |
| B．To provide information about our body. |
| C．To challenge new findings in medical research. |
| D．To report the latest discoveries in medical science. |
When Johnson called again, the manager received him very politely. “That is a most remarkable oil you brought us, Mr Johnson,” he said. Johnson nodded his smooth, dark head. That was something he knew very well.“I've never seen anything like it,” the manager admitted. Johnson nodded again.“No?” he said politely. Then he added, “But I think you will, sir. A very great deal of it.” He appeared to think for a moment. “I think you will find it will be on sale seven, perhaps, eight years from now.” He smiled.
The manager thought that was uncertain. He said, “It is better than our fish oils. I admit that.”“So I am told, sir,” agreed Johnson.
“Have you any plans to produce it yourself, Mr Johnson?” Johnson smiled again.
“Would I be showing it to you if I had?”
“We might add some chemicals to one of our own fish oils,” said the manager.“It would be expensive to do that, even if you could,” Johnson said gently.“Besides,” he added,“I am told that this oil will be much cheaper than your best fish oils. Cheaper than any vegetalbe oil, in fact.”
“Perhaps,” said the manage.“Well, I suppose you want to make an arrangement, Mr Johnson. Shall we discuss it?”
“Of course,” said Johnson. “There are two ways of dealing with a situation of this sort. The usual one is to prevent it altogether or at least to delay it as long as possible. That is, of course, the best way.” The manager nodded. He knew plenty about all that.
“But I am so sorry for you, because, you see, that is not possible this time.” The manager had his doubts, but all he said was an inquiring(asking), “Oh?”
“The other way,” continued Johnson,“is to produce yourself before the trouble starts.”
49.The manager thought of adding chemicals to the fish oil to make it ______.
A.cheaper than the new oil B.more quickly
C.more expensive D.as good as the new oil
50.Johnson's new oil would be ______.
A.more expensive than fish oil, but betterB.less expensive, and better
C.less expensive, but not goodD.more expensive, and not so good
51.Johnson expressed his regret that the manager ______.
A.could not stop the new oil being made B.would never know how to make it
C.had spent a lot of money on it D.didn't know enough about it
52.Johnson showed his new oil to the manager because he wanted ______.
A.to produce it himself B.to prevent it being produced
C.to be paid not to produce it D.the manager to produce it
Archaeology as a profession faces two major problems. It is the poorest of the poor. Only small sums are available for excavating(挖掘)and even less is available
for publishing the results and preserving the sites once excavated. Yet archaeologists deal with priceless objects every day. Besides, there is the problem of unlawful excavation, resulting in museum-quality pieces being sold to businessmen at the highest price..
I would like to make a suggestion that would at once provide money for archaeology and reduce the amount of diggings against law. You might say that professionals excavate to get knowledge, not money. Moreover, ancient artifacts(古器
物) are part of our global cultural heritage(遗产), which should be there for all to appreciate, not sold at the highest price. I agree. Sell nothing that has scientific value. But, you might reply, everything that comes out of the ground has scientific value. Here,
we disagree. In theory, you may be correct in saying that every artifact has hidden scientific value..
People can not help appreciate every unearthed treasure but there is not enough money even to put the finds in good order; as a result, they cannot be found again and become as inaccessible as if they had never been discovered. Indeed, with the help of the Internet, sold artifacts could be more reachable than are the pieces stored in museum basements. Before sale, each could be photographed and the list of the purchasers could be maintained on the computer. A purchaser could even be required to agree to return the piece if it should become needed for scientific purposes.
53.What’s the problems that archaeology as a profession has to face?
A. Money and unlawful excavation . B. Effectively duplicates.
C. Scientific purposes. D. Excavation law.
54.To let most people enjoy ancient artifacts, the practical way could be_______.
A. putting them in the museumB. having sold artifacts returned
C. making use of the Internet D. solving the money problem
55.Which of the following four suggestions about archaeology is from the author?
A. No selling of any unearthed ancient artifacts.
B. Some money should be raised for the purpose.
C. Selling some unearthed ancient artifacts and having them returned when needed.
D. Ancient artifacts, our global cultural heritage, should be evenly shared by us all.
New York Times---( DINITIA SMITH )Tomorrow is the 433d anniversary of Shakespeare's birth. A recent survey shows that more people are watching him, reading him and studying him than ever before.
Consider the recent yearly conference of the Shakespeare Association of America in Washington, where more than 600 people who study or admire Shakespeare from 18 countries took in topics like ''Whither Attribution Studies,'' ''Unpopular Shakespeare'' and ''Sex Me Here,'' a talk on breast-feeding and Lady Macbeth.
''The national media is saying that fewer students' taking Shakespeare,'' Barbara Mowat, the editor of The Shakespeare Quarterly, observed in a speech at the conference. ''But Shakespeare is thriving.'' The association's membership has increased by a third since 1990.
The Shakespeare business is so good these days that W. W. Norton is introducing a huge new collections of the plays into the already crowded field just in time for tomorrow's birthday anniversary. Priced at $44.95, ''The Norton Shakespeare: Based on the Oxford Edition'' runs for 3,420 pages, offering introductions, illustrations and notes and three versions(版本) of ''King Lear.''
Today, movies and videos have made the plays even more accessible. Last year, ''William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet'' was No. 1 at the box office when it opened, and it grossed nearly $50 million. In New York in January, crowds lined up in the freezing cold to see Kenneth Branagh's four-hour ''Hamlet.'' The students select a scene and then have a violent discussion about it.'' Influenced by films, professors are increasingly teaching students by having them perform the plays.
49.Why people from 18 countries came to Washington this year?
A. To celebrate Shakespeare’s 433d birth day only.
B. To watch some plays by Shakespeare as planned.
C. To celebrate Shakespeare’s birthday and study his works.
D. To discuss how to teach students using Shakespeare’s plays.
50. What does the underlined word “ field” in the fourth paragraph refer to?
A. Washington D.C.B. Shakespeare Association.
C. The birthday anniversary. D. The Shakespeare business.
51.Which of the many plays by Shakespeare was most popular the year before?
A. King Lear. B. Hamlet. C. Macbeth. D. Romeo and Juliet.
52.What does the author want to prove by using so many examples about Shakespeare?
A. More and more people are becoming interested in Shakespeare.
B. Shakespeare business is being run well in America nowadays.
C. Plays by Shakespeare can be used at school for more studies.
D. Shakespeare belongs not only to Britain but also to the USA.
Did you ever wonder how some of your favorite foods, products or toys came about? Believe it or not, they may have been an accident, or a failure of some other intention. Below, we found three mistakes we're thankful for turned out to be what they are.
1. Most historians hold that the Chinese invented fireworks in the 9th century when they
discovered how to make gunpowder. Story has it that a Chinese cook accidentally mixed together what were then considered common kitchen items and noticed they burnt. When put tightly in a bamboo tube and lit, it blew up.
2. In May of 1886, a law led John Pemberton, a pharmacist（药剂师）, to rewrite the formula(配方) for "Pemberton's French Wine Coca,” his popular headache treatment. Containing sugar instead of wine as a sweetener, the outcome became something for Coke, which was later mixed with carbonated water. His bookkeeper suggested the name Coca-Cola because he thought the two C’s would look good together, which is how what we call Coca-Cola, a world –wide drink came into being.
3. During World War II, scientists at the University of Birmingham invented the magnetron—an important heat-producing part of the microwave oven(微波炉). While working for Raytheon Corporation after the war, the American engineer Percy Spencer was testing the magnetron when a chocolate bar in his pocket melted. He went on to test other foods including popcorn kernels, and found it to be a much more efficient way to cook. In 1947 Raytheon came out with the first restaurant microwave oven, which was six feet tall and weighed 750 lbs.
45.The right time order of the three inventions, according to the passage, should be______.
A. fireworks, the microwave and Coca-Cola
B. fireworks ,Coca-Cola and the microwave
C. Coca-Cola , fireworks and the microwave
D. the microwave, Coca-Cola and fireworks
46.Percy Spencer found the microwave efficient in cooking when he was _______
A. looking for a way to melt his chocolate
B. trying to know how a magnetron could cook
C. working to know how the magnetron works
D. asked to invent a restaurant microwave oven
47. What can we learn from the above invention stories?
A. Experiments make great inventors of our time.
B. Nothing is impossible if one tries each day.
C. Inventors come out of hard work at any time.
D. A small incident may lead to a great invention.
48.What’s the best title for the passage?
A. What great inventions they are! B. Inventions from Three Countries.
C. Stories of Accidental Inventions.D. The Human Inventions of time.
第二节：（共15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从各题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中选出最佳选项。
Writer and power chair adventurer Mary Laver has not walked for twenty years. Yet the cheerful and positive 60 year old is not only refusing to let her disability get her down ---- she is also planning to cross the length of Britain in a power wheelchair.
Getting ready for the trip is not easy. She has already run into many problems - not least officials and organizations who view her as a health and safety risk. One police officer wrote to Mary requesting:
1. The proposed route through our area with road numbers.
2. The dates and times each day that this will be taking place.
3. The location details of the proposed overnight stops.
4. The names and mobile phone contact details of the Support Crew.
Another police officer asked her to travel off road! As Mary told me, this was unacceptable - as a power wheelchair user with limited movement she needs to be "gettable".
There are other problems in her way though - she is, after all, in her 60's and has severe rheumatoid arthritis(风湿性关节炎). However, unlike many other people with arthritis, she is no longer in pain.
"When you are in a power chair and it is going at eight miles an hour, believe me it feels fast … to
me it is the Formula One(一级方程式赛车) chair of electric wheelchairs."
At the end of the interview, I asked Mary if she had a message for any other power chair users who wanted to do a challenge, and her reply was simple："Just do it!"
41.What is Mary Laver planning to do？
A. Travel to write a power wheelchair adventure.
B. Travel across Britain in a power wheelchair.
C. Prove she can do what a man can in driving.
D. Try a fast Formula One power chair sport.
42.Why did a police officer write to Mary requesting the four points?
A. He tried to stop her . B. Mary’s adventure is valueless.
C. The power chair is too fast.D. He wanted to ensure her safety.
43.The underlined word “She needs to be gettable” in the passage probably means “_______”
A. She’ll have a try whatever difficulties she may have.
B. A road for a power wheelchair user is a must for her.
C. Mary has to jump off her wheelchair once on the road.
D. With rheumatoid arthritis, she need some field help.
44. When Mary said “Just do it !” at the end of the interview, she meant “_______”
A. Be brave though disabled.B. Fear no challenges at all.
C. Take action right away. D. Make it whoever you are.