InAmerica,whentheeighthgraders-优题课

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，共40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Did you know that women’s brains are smaller than men’s? The average women’s brain weighs 10% less than men’s．Since research has shown that the bigger the brain, the cleverer the animal, men must be more intelligent（聪明的） than women．Right? Wrong．Men and women always score similarly on intelligence tests, despite the difference in brain size．Why? After years of study, researchers have concluded that it’s what’s inside that matters, not just the size of the brain．The brain consists of “grey matter” and “white matter”．While men have more of the latter, the amount of “thinking” brain is almost exactly the same in both sexes．
It has been suggested that smaller brain appears to work faster, perhaps because the two sides of the brain are better connected in women．This means that little girls tend to learn to speak earlier, and that women can understand sorts of information from different sources at the same time．When it comes to talking to the boss on the phone, cooking dinner and keeping an eye on the baby all at the same time, it’s women who come out on top every time．
There are other important differences between two sexes．As white matter is the key to spatial（空间的） tasks, men know better where things are in relation to other things．“A great footballer always knows where he is in relation to the other players, and he knows where to go,” says one researcher．That may explain one of life’s great mysteries: why men refuse to ask for directions…and women often need to!
The differences begin when fetuses（胎儿） are about nine weeks old, which can be seen in the action of children as young as one．A boy would try to climb a barrier （障碍物） before him or push it down while a girl would attract help from others．These brain differences also explain the fact that more men take up jobs that require good spatial skills, while more women speech skills．It may all go back to our ancestors（祖先）, among whom women needed speech skills to take care of their babies and men needed spatial skills to hunt, according to one research．
If all this disappoints you, it shouldn’t．“The brain changes throughout our lives according to what we do with it．” says a biologist．
56．The passage mainly tells us ________．
A．the difference between men’s and women’s brains
B．the changes in brain throughout our lives
C．that men are better at spatial tasks
D．that brain differences are related to our ancestors
57．Which of the following is true according to the first paragraph?
A．Women’s brain is 10% less than men’s
B．Grey matter plays the same role as white matter．
C．Grey matter controls thinking in the brain．
D．Both sexes have the same amount of white matter．
58．What can we infer from the second and third paragraphs?
A．Women prefer doing many things at a time．
B．Men do better dealing with one job at a time．
C．Women do not need to tell directions．
D．Men have weaker spatial abilities．
59．Which of the following do you agree with according to the fourth paragraph?
A．Young boys may be stronger than young girls．
B．More women take up jobs requiring speech skills
C．Women may have stronger feelings than men．
D．Our ancestors needed more spatial skills．
60．What is the writer’s attitude in writing this passage?
A．Defensive． B．Persuasive． C．Supportive． D．Objective．

It may help you to know that there is no such thing as a perfect speech. At some point in every speech, every speaker says something that is not understood exactly as he has planned. Fortunately, such moments are usually not obvious to the listeners. Why? Because the listeners do not know what the speaker plans to say. They hear only what the speaker does say. If you lose you place for a moment, wrongly change the order of a couple of sentences, or forget to pause at a certain point, no one will be any the wiser. When such moments occur, don't worry about them. Just continue as if nothing happened.
Even if you do make an obvious mistake during a speech, that doesn't really matter. If you have ever listened to Martin Luther King's famous speech---"I have a Dream", you may notice that he stumbles(结巴) over his words twice during the speech. Most likely, however, you don't remember. Why? Because you were paying your attention to his message rather than to his way of speech- making.
People care a lot about making a mistake in a speech because they regard speech-making as a kind of performance rather than as an act of communication. They feel the listeners are like judges in an ice-skating competition. But, in fact, the listeners are not looking for a perfect performer. They are looking for a well-thought-out speech that expresses the speaker's ideas clearly and directly. Sometimes a mistake or two can actually increase a speaker's attractiveness by making him more human.
As you work on your speech, don't worry about being perfect. Once you free you mind off this, you will find it much easier to give your speech freely.
68. The underlined part in the first paragraph means that no one will ______.
A. be smarter than you B. do better than you
C. notice your mistakes D. know what you are talking about
69. You don't remember obvious mistakes in a speech because ______.
A. you don't fully understand the speech
B. you fix your attention on the content
C. you don't know what the speaker plans to say
D. you find the way of speech-making more important
70. It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
A. giving a speech is like giving a performance
B. the listeners should pay more attention to how a speech is made
C. one or two mistakes in a speech may not be bad
D. the more mistakes a speaker makes, the more attractive he will be.
71. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. How to Be a Perfect Speaker
B. How to Make a Perfect Speech
C. Don't Expect Mistakes in a Speech
D. Don't Expect a Perfect Speech

DID you get a flu shot this year? For the first time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the US is recommending that all children aged from 6 months to 18 years receive the flu vaccine．
Vaccines battle diseases caused by bacteria and viruses．A weakened form of the germ （微生物） is introduced into the body．The body makes special substances called antibodies to fight the germs．If the actual germs were to attack, the antibodies would fight it．
Because there are many kinds of flu viruses, scientists must create a new vaccine formula （方程式） each year．Researchers must make a prediction．
It is like forecasting the weather．Sometimes they are right on, and sometimes they are off．But even when the vaccine does not closely match circulating flu types, it can make the illness less serious．
"The flu vaccine is not as effective as the polio （小儿麻痹症） vaccine or the measles vaccine," says Dr William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine．"It's not a great vaccine, but it is quite a good vaccine．"
But a flu vaccine doesn't work for everyone．There are certain people who should be careful about taking it．
Because the vaccine is produced in eggs, those who are allergic （过敏的） to eggs should not take it．If you have a fever, you should wait until you recover．
Some people are afraid that they might get the flu from the flu shot．Scientists say that it is not possible, because the viruses in the flu shot are inactivated．But some minor side effects such as low-grade fever and body ache could occur．If they do, they begin soon after the shot and usually last only one to two days．
Did you know?
Smallpox was the first disease people tried to prevent by putting a virus into a healthy person．In 1796, English scientist Edward Jenner placed some infected material under a boy's skin．
64．By saying "It's not a great vaccine, but it is quite a good vaccine", the author means the flu vaccine．
A．does help to make illness less serious
B．is not effective, compared with the polio and measles vaccines
C．is not as effective as the polio and measles vaccines
D．is quite good because it works for everyone
65．We can infer from the passage that．
A．those who are allergic to eggs should not take flu vaccine
B．you should go to a doctor if you have a fever or body ache after taking the flu vaccine
C．all the flu vaccines are not effective for everyone
D．it is possible that some people might get the flu from the flu shot
66．It is not advisable for everyone to take flu vaccine because．
A．there are many kinds of virus
B．the flu vaccine is not as effective as the polio and measles vaccines
C．it has some minor side-effects
D．someone may be allergic to it
67．What topic will be discussed in the following paragraph?
A．How the smallpox vaccine worked on the boy．
B．The side-effects of smallpox vaccine．
C．The origin of the flu vaccine．
D．What kind of people should be careful about taking smallpox vaccine．

第四部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，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，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A simple piece of clothesline hangs between some environmentally friendly Americans and their neighbors.
On one side stand those who see clothes dryers(干衣机) as a waste of energy and a major polluter of the environment. As a result, they are turning to clotheslines as part of the “what-I –can do environmentalism(环境保护主义).”
On the other side are people who are against drying clothes outside, arguing that clotheslines are unpleasant to look at. They have persuaded Homeowners Associations (HOAs) access the U.S. to ban outdoor clotheslines, because clothesline drying also tends to lower home value in the neighborhood. This had led to a Right-to-Dry Movement that is calling for laws to be passed to protect people’s right to use clotheslines.
So far, only three states have laws to protect clothesline. Right-to-Dry supporters argue that there should be move.
Matt Reck, 37, is the kind of eco-conscious(有生态意识的) person who feeds his trees with bathwater and reuses water drops from his air conditioners to water plants. His family also uses a clothesline. But on July 9, 2007, the HOA in Wake Forest, North Carolina, told him that a dissatisfied neighlzir had telephoned them about him clothesline. The Recks paid no attention to the warming and still dried their clothes on a line in the yard. “Many people say they are environmentally friendly but they don’t take matters in their own hands,” says Reck. The local HOA has decided not to take any action, unless more neighbors come to them.
North Carolina lawmakers are saying that banning clotheslines is not the right thing to do. But HOAs and housing businesses believe that clothesline drying reminds people of poor neighborhoods. They worry that if buyers think their future neighbors can’t even afford dryers, housing prices will fall.
Environmentalists say such worries are not necessary, and in view of global warming, that idea needs to change. As they say, “The clothesline is beautiful”. Hanging clothes outside should be encouraged. We all have to do at least something to slow down the process of global warming.”
56. One of the reasons why supporters of clothes dryers are trying to ban clothesline drying is that ____.
A. clothes dryers are more efficient
B. clothes dryers are energy-saving
C. clothesline drying reduces home value
D. clothesline drying is not allowed in most U.S. states
57. Which of the following best describes Matt Reck?
A. He is a kind-hearted man. B. He is an impolite man.
C. He is an experienced gardener. D. He is a man of social responsibility.
58. Who are in favor of clothesline drying?
A. Environmentalists. B. housing businesses.
C. Homeowners Associations. D. Reck’s dissatisfied neighbors.
59. What is mainly discussed in the text?
A. Clothesline drying: a way to save energy and money.
B. Opposite opinions on clothesline drying.
C. Clothesline drying: a lost art rediscovered.
D. Different varieties of clotheslines.

Just five one-hundredths of an inch thick, light golden in colour and with a perfect “saddle curl”( 马鞍状卷曲 ), the Lay’s potato chip seems an unlikely weapon for global domination. But its maker, Frito-Lay, thinks otherwise. “Potato chips are a snack food for the world,” said Salman Amin, the company’s head of global marketing. Amin believes there is no corner of the world that can resist the charms of a Frito-Lay potato chip.
Frito-Lay is the biggest snack maker in America owned by PepsiCo, and accounts for over half of the parent company’s $3 billion annual profits. But the U.S. snack food market is largely saturated( 市场基本饱和 ), and to grow, the company has to look overseas.
Its strategy rests on two beliefs: First, a global product offers economies of scale with which local brands cannot compete. And second, consumers in the 21st century are drawn to “global” as a concept. “Global” does not mean products that are consciously identified as American, but ones that consumers--- especially young people--- see as part of a modern, innovative( 创新的 ) world in which people are linked across cultures by shared beliefs and tastes. Potato chips are an American invention, but most Chinese, for instance, do not know that Frito-Lay is an American company. Instead, Riskey, the company’s research and development head, would hope they associate the brand with the new world of global communications and business.
With brand perception a crucial factor, Riskey ordered a redesign of the Frito-Lay logo. The logo, along with the company’s long-held marketing image of the “irresistibility” of its chips, would help facilitate the company’s global expansion.
The executives ( 行政主管 )acknowledge that they try to swing national eating habits to a food created in America, but they deny that amounts to economic imperialism(帝国主义). Rather, they see Frito-Lay as spreading the benefits of free enterprise across the world. “We are making products in those countries, we’re adapting them to the taste of those countries, building businesses and employing people and changing lives,” said Steve Reinemund, PepsiCo’s chief executive.
72. It is the belief of Frito-Lay’s head of global marketing that _____.
A. People over the world enjoy eating their company’s potato chips
B. Their company must find new ways to promote domestic sales
C. The light golden color enhances the charm of their company’s potato chips
D. Potato chips can hardly be used as a weapon to dominate the world market
73. One of the assumptions on which Frito-Lay bases its development strategy is that _______.
A. products identified as American will have promising market value
B. local brands cannot compete successfully with American brands
C. products suiting Chinese consumers’ needs bring more profits
D. consumers worldwide today are attracted by global brands
74. Why did Riskey have the Frito-Lay logo redesigned? ______
A. To suit changing tastes of young consumers.
B. To change the company’s long-held marketing image.
C. To promote the company’s strategy of globalization.
D. To compete with other American chip producers.
75. Frito-Lay’s executives claim that the promoting of American food in the international market ______.
A. won’t affect the eating habits of the local people
B. will be in the interest of the local people
C. will lead to economic imperialism
D. won’t spoil the taste of their chips