Ayoungmanwantedtolearntheartof-优题课

What will man be like in the future — in 5,000 or even 50,000 years from now? We can only make guesses, of course, but we can be sure that he will be different from what he is today, for man is slowly changing all the time.
Let us take an obvious example. Man, even five hundred years ago, was shorter than he is today. Now, on average, men are about three inches taller. Five hundred years is a relatively short period of time, so we may assume that man will continue to grow taller. Again in the modern world we use our brains a great deal. Even so, we still make use of only about 20% of the brain’s capacity (容量). As time goes on, however, we shall have to use our brains more and more, and eventually we shall need larger ones! This is likely to bring about a physical change too: the head, in particular the forehead, will grow larger.
Nowadays our eyes are in constant use. In fact, we use them so much that very often they become weaker and we have to wear glasses. But over a very long period of time it is likely that man’s eyes will grow stronger.
On the other hand, we tend to make less use of our arms and legs. These, as a result, are likely to grow weaker. At the same time, however, our fingers will grow more sensitive because they are used a great deal in modern life.
But what about hair? This will probably disappear from the body altogether in course of time because it does not serve a useful purpose any longer. In the future, then, both sexes are likely to be bald.
Perhaps all this gives the impression that future man will not be a very attractive creature to look at! This may well be true. All the same, in spite of all these changes, future man will still have a lot in common with us. He will still be a human being, with thoughts and emotions similar to our own.
46. The size of man’s forehead will probably grow bigger because _______.
A. he will use his brain more and more as time goes on
B. he makes use only 20% of the brain’s capacity
C. his brain has grown larger over the past centuries
D. the other 80% of his brain will grow in due time
47. What serves as the evidence that man is changing?
A. Man has got stronger eyes now than he ever had.
B. Man has been growing taller over the past 500 years.
C. Man’s hair is getting thinner and thinner.
D. Man’s arms and legs have become lighter and weaker.
48. What will be true about a human being in the future?
A. He will be hairless because hair is no longer useful.
B. He will have smaller eyes and will wear better glasses.
C. His fingers will grow weaker because he won’t have to make use of them.
D. He will think and feel in a different way.
49. It is implied that __________________.
A. human beings will become more attractive in the future
B. body organs will become poorer if they are not used often
C. human beings hope for a change in the future life
D. future life is always predictable
50. The passage mainly tells us that _______________.
A. man’s life will be different in the future
B. man is growing taller and uglier as time passes
C. future man will look quite different from us
D. human beings’ organs will function weaker

Individuality is the particular character, or aggregate (total) of qualities that distinguishes one person or thing from others. Many artists late in the last century were in search of a means to express their individuality. Modern dance was one of the ways some of these people sought to free their creative spirit. At the beginning there was no exacting technique, no foundation from which to build. In later years, trial, error and genius founded the techniques and the principles of the movement. Eventually, innovators (改革者) even drew from what they considered the dread ballet, but first they had to get rid of all that was academic so that the new could be discovered. The beginnings of modern dance were happening before Isadora Duncan, but she was the first person to bring the new dance to general audiences and see it accepted and acclaimed (称赞).
Her search for a natural movement form sent her to nature. She believed movement should be as natural as the swaying of the trees and the rolling waves of the sea, and should be in harmony with the movements of the Earth. Her great contributions are in three areas.
First, she began the expansion of the kinds of movement that could be used in dance. Before Duncan danced, ballet was the only type of dance performed in concert. In the ballet the feet and legs were emphasized, with virtuosity (高超技巧) shown by complex, codified positions and movements. Duncan performed dance by using her body in the freest possible way. Her dance stemmed from her soul and spirit. She was one of the pioneers who broke tradition so others might be able to develop the art.
Her second contribution lies in dance costume. She rejected ballet shoes and stiff costumes. These were replaced with flowing Grecian (希腊式的) tunes, bare feet, and unbound hair. She believed in the natural body being allowed to move freely, and her dress displayed this ideal.
Her third contribution was in the use of music. In her performances she used the symphonies of great masters including Beethoven and Wagner, which was not the usual custom.
She was as exciting and eccentric(怪异) in her personal life as in her dance.
46．According to the passage, what did nature represent to Isadora Duncan?
A．Something to conquer. B．A model for movement.
C．A place to find peace. D．A symbol of disorder.
47．Compared to those of the ballet, Isadora Duncan’s costumes were less _________.
A．costly B．colorful C．graceful D．restrictive
48．Which of the following is not mentioned as an area of dance that Duncan worked to change?
A. The stage set. B. The music. C. Costumes. D. Movements.
49. We can infer from the passage that the author _________.
A. appreciates modern dance very much B. dislikes Isadora Duncan’s dance
C. thinks highly of individuality D. knows a lot about modern arts
50. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A．Artists of the Last Century B．Evolution of Dance in the 20th Century
C．Natural Movement in Dance D．A Pioneer in Modern Dance

Nowadays people are troubled by the violence that spreads throughout the media. Movies, television and video games are full of gunplay and bloodshed, and one might reasonably ask what’s wrong with a society that presents videos of violence as entertainment.
Viewing large amounts of violent television and video games may well contribute to violent behavior in certain individuals. The trouble comes when researchers downplay uncertainties in their studies or overstate the case for causality（因果关系）. Skeptics were dismayed several years ago when a group of societies including the American Medical Association tried to end the debate by issuing a joint statement: “At this time, well over 1,000 studies… point to a causal connection between media violence and aggressive behavior in some children.”
Freedom-of-speech advocates accused the societies of catering to politicians, and even disputed the number of studies (most were review articles and essays, they said). When Jonathan Freedman, a social psychologist at the University of Toronto, reviewed the literature, he found only 200 or so studies of television-watching and aggression. And when he weeded out “the most doubtful measures of aggression”, only 28% supported a connection.
The critical point here is causality. The alarmists say they have proved that violent media cause aggression. But the assumptions behind their observations need to be examined. When labeling games as violent or non-violent, should a hero eating a ghost really be counted as a violent event? And when experimenters record the time it takes game players to read “aggressive” or “non-aggressive” words from a list, can we be sure what they are actually measuring? The intention of the new Harvard Center on Media and Child Health to collect and standardize studies of media violence in order to compare their methodologies, assumptions and conclusions is an important step in the right direction.
Another appropriate step would be to tone down the criticism until we know more. Several researchers write, speak and testify quite a lot on the threat posed by violence in the media. That is, of course, their privilege. But when doing so, they often come out with statements that the matter has now been settled, drawing criticism from colleagues. In response, the alarmists accuse critics and news reporters of being deceived by the entertainment industry. Such clashes help neither science nor society.
46. Why is there so much violence shown in movies, TV and video games?
A. Showing violence is thought to be entertaining.
B. Something has gone wrong with today’s society
C. Many people are fond of gunplay and bloodshed.
D. There is a lot of violence in the real world today.
47. What is the skeptics’ view of media violence?
A. Violence on television is fairly accurate reflection of real-world life.
B. Most studies exaggerate(夸大) the effect of media violence on the viewers.
C. A causal relationship exists between media and real-world violence.
D. The influence of media violence on children has been underestimated.
48. The author uses the term “alarmists” to refer to those who _________.
A. use standardized measurements in the studies of media violence
B. initiated the debate over the influence of violent media on reality
C. insist on a direct link between violent media and aggressive behavior
D. use appropriate methodology in examining aggressive behavior
49. The underlined phrase “weeded out” in Paragraph 3 most probably means _________.
A. got rid of things that are not good B. removed unwanted parts from something
C. picked out things that are useful D. took away unnecessary details of a report
50. What does the writer think of the debate concerning the relationship between the media and violence?
A. He more than agrees with the views held by the alarmists.
B. It should come to an end since the matter has now been settled.
C. The past studies in this field have proved to be misleading.
D. More studies should be conducted before conclusions are drawn.

Ⅲ 阅读（共两节，满分40分）
第一节阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下面短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
My newly-rented small apartment was far away from the centre of London and it was becoming essential for me to find a job, so finally I spent a whole morning getting to town and putting my name down to be considered by London Transport for a job on the underground. They were looking for guards, not drivers. This suited me. I couldn’t drive a car but thought that I could probably guard a train, and perhaps continue to write my poems between stations. The writers Keats and Chekhov had been doctors. T.S. Eliot had worked in a bank and Wallace Stevens for an insurance company. I’d be a subway guard. I could see myself being cheerful, useful, a good man in a crisis. Obviously I’d be overqualified but I was willing to forget about that in return for a steady income and travel privileges — those being particularly welcome to someone living a long way from the city centre.
The next day I sat down, with almost a hundred other candidates, for the intelligence test. I must have done all right because after about half an hour’s wait I was sent into another room for a psychological test. This time there were only about fifty candidates. The interviewer sat at a desk. Candidates were signaled forward to occupy the seat opposite him when the previous occupant had been dismissed, after a greater or shorter time. Obviously the long interviews were the more successful ones. Some of the interviews were as short as five minutes. Mine was the only one that lasted a minute and a half.
I can remember the questions now: “Why did you leave your last job?” “Why did you leave your job before that?” “And the one before that?” I can’t recall my answers, except that they were short at first and grew progressively shorter. His closing statement, I thought, revealed (揭示) a lack of sensitivity which helped to explain why as a psychologist, he had risen no higher than the underground railway. “You’ve failed the psychological test and we are unable to offer you a position.”
Failing to get that job was my low point. Or so I thought, believing that the work was easy. Actually, such jobs — being a postman is another one I still desire — demand exactly the sort of elementary yet responsible awareness that the habitual dreamer is least qualified to give. But I was still far short of full self-understanding. I was also short of cash.
41．The writer applied for the job chiefly because _________.
A．he wanted to work in the centre of London
B．he could no longer afford to live without one
C．he was not interested in any other available job
D．he had received some suitable training
42．The writer thought he was overqualified for the job because _________.
A．he often traveled underground B．he had written many poems
C．he could deal with difficult situations D．he had worked in a company
43．The length of his interview meant that _________.
A．he was not going to be offered the job
B．he had not done well in the intelligence test
C．he did not like the interviewer at all
D．he had little work experience to talk about
44．What does the writer realize now that he did not realize then?
A．How unpleasant ordinary jobs can be. B．How difficult it is to be a poet.
C．How unsuitable he was for the job. D．How badly he did in the interview.
45．What’s the writer’s opinion of the psychologist?
A. He was very aggressive. B. He was unhappy with his job.
C. He was quite inefficient. D. He was rather unsympathetic.

GENEVA(Reuters) -Pregnant women and other people at high risk should be vaccinated(注射疫苗) against the H1N1 swine flu virus as the cold weather begins to bite in the northern hemisphere(半球), the World Health Organization(WHO) said on Tuesday.
It voiced concern that some vulnerable(弱势的) people don’t have access to the pandemic(传染病) vaccine, which the WHO stressed had not caused any unusual side effects in hundreds of thousands of people to have received it worldwide so far.
“Certainly th e fact that the vaccine isn’t being used by those who would have access to it and who would be in priority risk groups is of concern, yes,” WHO spokesman Gregory Hartl told a news briefing.
At least 5, 712 people have died from the swine flu virus, according to the United Nations agency. Health workers, pregnant women and people with conditions such as asthma are deemed at greatest risk and should be top priority for getting the shot.
“We have seen many, many examples of people in high risk groups such as pregnant women who have very severe disease or outcomes. These outcomes could be in all likelihood avoided if one were to get vaccinated,” Hartl said.
Unlike seasonal flu, which is most dangerous to the elderly, H1N1 is hitting younger adults and children especially hard.
The WHO recommends a single vaccine dose for protecting adults against H1N1. It has also urged governments to consider giving a single dose to as many children under age 10 as possible, but says more research is needed into child dosages.
In the United States, studies show that children under the age of 9 will need two doses of the vaccine to be fully protected, officials there said on Monday.
Parts of North America and Europe have already crossed the epidemic (流行病) threshold( 开始了), ahead of the normal influenza season which peaks in January-February for the northern hemisphere, WHO says.
51. According to the passage, what is WHO probably most concerned about now?
A. Whether the vaccine has side effect or not.
B. How many people are infected by the H1N1 swine flu virus.
C. Whether pregnant women and those at high risk can get the vaccination.
D. What is the difference between H1N1 and seasonal flu.
52. According to the passage, what group of people are more vulnerable to H1N1 swine flu virus?
A. The elderly. B. A teenager with asthma.
C. An adult with heatstroke. D. A newly-born baby.
53. In paragraph 4, “getting the shot” means ____________.
A. being shot B. being vaccinated C. being cured D. getting killed
54. What can we learn from this passage?
A. Pregnant women will surely get severe disease if infected with H1N1.
B. Seasonal flu is more likely to hit younger adults and children.
C. one more dose of vaccine should be given to the children under 9.
D. About 6000 people have died from seasonal flu.
55. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Pregnant women need flu shot.
B. Differences between H1N1 flu and seasonal flu.
C. The harm caused by H1N1 swine flu virus.
D. A breakthrough in H1N1 cure: vaccination.