The research carried out by the University of Bari in Italy could help prove hospitals who are accused of wasting money on art and decoration as it suggests a pleasant environment helps patients ease discomfort and pain.
A team headed by Professor Marina de Tommaso at the Neurophysiopathology Pain Unit asked a group of men and women to pick the 20 paintings they considered most ugly and most beautiful from a selection of 300 works by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli. They were then asked to look at either the beautiful paintings, or the ugly painting, or a blank panel while the team zapped(照射) a short laser pulse at their hand, creating a sensation as if they had been stuck by a pin. The subjects rated the pain as being a third less intense while they were viewing the beautiful paintings, compared with when looking at the ugly paintings or the blank panel. Electrodes measuring the brain's electrical activity also confirmed a reduced response to the pain when the subject looked at beautiful paintings.
While distractions, such as music, are known to reduce pain in hospital patients, Prof de Tommaso says this is the first result to show that beauty plays a part.
The findings, reported in New Scientist, also go a long way to show that beautiful surroundings could aid the healing process.
"Hospitals have been designed to be functional, but we think that their artistic aspects should be taken into account too," said the neurologist. "Beauty obviously offers a distraction that ugly paintings do not. But at least there is no suggestion that ugly surroundings make the pain worse. " "I think these results show that more research is needed into the field how a beautiful environment can alleviate suffering."
Pictures they liked included Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh and Botticelli’s Birth of Venus. Pictures they found ugly included works by Pablo Picasso, the Italian 20th century artist Anonio Bueno and Columbian Fernando Botero. "These people were not art experts so some of the pictures they found ugly would be considered masterpieces by the art world," said Prof de Tommaso.The underlined word "alleviate" in the fifth paragraph probably means"__________"
| A．cure |
| B．ease |
| C．improve |
| D．kill |
How many artists have been mentioned in the passage?
| A．4. |
| B．5. |
| C．6. |
| D．7. |
Which of the following is TURE about the view of Prof de Tommaso's?
| A．Beautiful surroundings could help to heal sufferings completely. |
| B．Hospitals must take their artistic aspects into consideration first. |
| C．Ugly surroundings will surely make the pain worse. |
| D．Both music and beauty can reduce pain in hospital patients. |
From the last paragraph, we know that __________.
| A．some artists' paintings were beautiful, so they were masterpieces |
| B．only art experts could judge they were masterpieces or not, though ugly |
| C．the artists mentioned above were not really art masters |
| D．some of them were art masters, while otherswere not |
Which of the following is the suitable title for the passage?
| A．Beautiful Surroundings can Ease Pain. |
| B．Ugly Paintings could be Masterpieces. |
| C．More Research should be Done in the Field. |
| D．Latest Environmental Research. |
A middle-aged couple from California got to the Pacific Ocean after a 4,900- mile-cross-country walk, becoming the first to backpack the American Discovery Trail by walking．
Marcia and Ken started the travel across 13 states, through 14 national parks and 16 national forests from Delaware and finally reached their destination a day nearly eight months later.
“We are sad that a great adventure is over. Now we just go home and do housework” said the couple, who went through cities, desert, mountains and farmland before reaching the Pacific alone.
They overcame deep snow in the East, a quicksand in Utah, close lightning strikes in the Mid- west and strong desert sandstorms in the West while averaging 22 miles a day and taking only four days off．But they enjoyed the French history of St.Louis and the beauty of the Colorado Rockies. They particularly remember kindness of strangers they met along the way.
“Americans are truly warm-hearted and wonderful. We got to meet people that we would never meet in our daily living at home. It' s an amazing country.” Marcia said．Which of the following is the most suitable title?
| A．The first couple to backpack the Pacific Ocean alone |
| B．The first couple to cover a 4,900 mile cross-country walk |
| C．A husband-and-wife team suffered a lot during an adventure |
| D．A husband-and-wife team got much help during an adventure |
Which of the statements is TRUE?
| A．The couple travelled across 16 states. |
| B．Their walk lasted nearly half a year. |
| C．They prefer housework to adventure |
| D．They took four days off during the travel |
We know that during the walk, the couple_________.
| A．were worried about their housework |
| B．once covered 22 miles within four days |
| C．were treated warm-heartedly by strangers |
| D．met strong desert sandstorms in the East |
Which place do you suppose can replace the underlined word “destination”?
| A．Delaware |
| B．Colorado Rockies |
| C．California |
| D．Pacific Ocean |
Living in a modern society with more and more out-of-date but still useful computers, many people have to face such a troubling problem: How to deal with those old computers? Some old ones are put away in homes. Many more are just thrown out with the rubbish.
Don’t worry! Some companies are coming up with new ways to cut the number of old computers. Sony, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and other companies now agree to take back some old computers.
In some countries, there are laws about what to do with old computers. By law, computer companies will have to pay for collecting and recycling their used products. And 70% of computer waste must be recycled. The idea behind the laws is that computer companies themselves should pay the cost. That will encourage them to make computers that are easier and cheaper to repair and upgrade（升级）.
While many people are throwing away good computers, others cannot afford them at all. Hundreds of organizations（组织）are working to solve this problem. They collect and repair old computers before sending them to schools, charities（慈善团体）and people who need them. In this way, we can turn one person's rubbish into someone else's useful things-and cut down on waste.What do many people do with old computers?
| A．They sell them to others. |
| B．They try to repair them. |
| C．They give them to others. |
| D．They stop using them |
According to laws in some countries mentioned in the passage, computer companies must_____.
| A．recycle most of their products |
| B．make their computers cheaper |
| C．repair and upgrade old computers |
| D．collect all their used products |
The last paragraph mainly tells us that hundreds of organizations are working to _________.
| A．help the computer companies to collect old ones |
| B．repair old ones and send them to whoever needs them. |
| C．advise people not to throw away good computers. |
| D．encourage people to turn rubbish into useful things. |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．How to repair old computers. |
| B．Avoid producing too many computers. |
| C．Encourage to recycle old computers. |
| D．How to turn rubbish into useful things |
Garden of small inventions
Visitors of all ages are invited to Port Discovery to see the new exhibit—a garden of small inventions, which features interactive activities and gadgets(小器械，小物件，小玩意) for the environmental protection. The exhibit runs through Sept.4. Fee is $10.75; free for ages younger than two. Contact 410-727-8120 or portdiscovery.org.
Rain-barrel workshop
The Parks and People Foundation presents a workshop on building water-efficient rain barrels for the home between 6pm-8pm on Wednesday at the foundation’s Stieff Silver Building. Cost is $50 and includes the barrel and all materials. Contact 410-448-5663, ext.109.
Pruning(修剪)plants
Visitors can attend a workshop on pruning plants between 9:30am-10am on Tuesday at Ladew Topiary Gardens. Visitors should meet in the Visitors Center at Ladew, Jarrettsville Pike, Monkton. $10; free for Ladew members, and includes admission to the gardens and the nature walk. Contact 410-557-9570 or www.ladewgardens.com.
Landscape exhibit
Photographs, paintings and drawings will be shown at Landscape and Nature—a view from Maryland, through Sept.9 at the University of Maryland. Opening reception is between 5pm-7:30pm on Tuesday. Contact 301-985-7937 or um.edu/art.It will cost a couple with their newly-born baby________ to visit Port Discovery.
| A．$ 30 | B．$100 | C．$21.5 | D．nothing |
To learn how to make your flowers grow better, you will probably go to __________.
| A．Port Discovery |
| B．Stieff Silver Building |
| C．Ladew Topiary Gardens |
| D．the University of Maryland |
You will call _______ to get information about learning something about art.
| A．410-727-8120 | B．410-448-5663 |
| C．410-557-9570 | D．301-985-7937 |
Which activity is offered only on Wednesday according to the ads?
| A．Garden of small inventions | B．Rain-barrel workshop |
| C．Pruning(修剪)plants | D．Landscape exhibit |
Do you want to live another 100 years or more? Some experts say that scientific progress will one day help humans to last tens of years longer than what is now seen as the natural limit（限制）of the human life span（寿命）.
“ I think we are knocking at the door of immortality (永生),” said Michael Zey, a Montclair State University business professor and author of two books on the future. “ I think by 2075 we will see it and that’s a conservative estimate（保守估计）.”
At the conference in San Francisco, Donald Louria, a professor at New Jersey Medical School in Newark said progress in using genes as well as nanotechnology（纳米技术）makes it likely that humans will live in the future beyond what has been possible in the past. “ There is a great push so that people can live from 120 to 180 years,” he said. “ Some have suggested that there is no limit and that people could live to 200 or 300 or 500 years.”
However, many scientists who research into aging are doubtful about it and say the human body is just not designed to last about 120 years. Even with healthier lifestyles and less disease, they say failure of the brain and organs will finally lead all humans to death.
Scientists also disagree on what kind of life the super aged might live. “It remains to be seen whether you could be healthy enough to have good quality of life when you pass 120.” said Leonard Poon, director of the University of Georgia Gerontology Center. “ At present people who could get to that point are not in good health at all.”By saying “ we are knocking at the door immortality”, Michael Zey means_____.
| A．they believe that there is no limit of living |
| B．they are sure to find the truth about long living |
| C．they have got some ideas about long living |
| D．they are able to make people live beyond the present life span |
Donald Louria’s attitude toward long living is that_____.
| A．people can live from 120 to 180 |
| B．it is still doubtful how long humans can live |
| C．the human body is designed to last about 120 years |
| D．it is possible for humans to live longer in the future |
The underlined “ it” (Para. 4) refers to_____.
| A．a great push |
| B．the idea of living beyond the present life span |
| C．the idea of living from 200 to 300 |
| D．the conservative estimate |
What would be the best title for this text?
| A．Living longer or not |
| B．Science, technology and long living |
| C．No limit for human life |
| D．Healthy lifestyle and long living |
I was working as a consultant in a beer company, helping the president and senior vice-presidents form and carry out their new planning projects. It was really a great challenge.
At the same time, my mother was in the final stages of cancer.
I worked during the day and drove 40 miles home to be with her every night. It was tiring and stressful, but it was what I wanted to do. My commitment was to continue to do excellent consulting during the day, even though my evenings were very hard. I didn’t want to bother the president with my situation, yet I felt someone at the company needed to know what was going on. So I told the vice-president of Human Resources, asking him not to share the information with anyone.
A few days later, the president called me into his office.
I figured he wanted to talk to me about one of the many issues we were working on. When I entered, he asked me to sit down. He faced me from across his large desk, looked at me in the eye and said, “I hear your mother is very ill”.
I was totally caught by surprise and burst into tears. He just looked at me, let my crying subside(平息), and then gently said a sentence I will never forget: whatever you need.
That was it. His understanding and his willingness to both let me be in my pain and to offer me everything were qualities of sympathy（同情）that I carry with me to this day.When the author was working in a beer company, his mother .
| A．was concerned about him | B．drew the president’s attention |
| C．was seriously ill | D．was proud of her son |
Although he felt tired and stressed, he felt it his duty .
| A．to help plan some new projects |
| B．to avoid bothering the president |
| C．to tell the vice-president his difficult situation |
| D．to do his job well and look after his mother |
Most probably, the president got the information from .
| A．a relative of the author’s | B．the vice-president |
| C．the author’s good friends | D．the author’s workmates |
Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?
| A．Understanding Is Nowhere | B．Generous President |
| C．Sympathy Is Needed | D．An Unforgettable Memory |