The2014RankingofTopUniversitie-优题课

C
Our brains work in complex and strange ways．There are some people who can calculate the day of the week for any given date in 40,000 years, but who cannot add two plus two．Others can perform complex classical piano pieces after hearing them once, but they cannot read or write．
Dr．J．Langdon Down first described this condition in 1887．He called these people idiot savants．An idiot savant is a person who has significant mental impairment （损伤） , such as in autism or retardation．At the same time, the person also exhibits some extraordinary skills, which are unusual for most people．The skills of the savant may vary from being exceptionally gifted in music or in mathematics, or having a photographic memory．
One of the first descriptions of a human who could calculate quickly was written in 1789 by Dr．Benjamin Rush, an American doctor．His patient, Thomas Fuller, was brought to Virginia as a slave in 1724．It took Thomas only 90 seconds to work out that a man who has lived 70 years, 17 days, and 12 hours has lived 2,210,500,800 seconds．Despite this ability, he died in 1790 without ever learning to read or write．
Another idiot savant slave became famous as a pianist in the 1860s．Blind Tom had a vocabulary of only 100 words, but he played 5 ,000 musical pieces beautifully．
In the excellent movie Rain Man, made in 1988 and available on video cassette, Dustin Hoffman plays an idiot savant who amazes his brother played by Tom Cruise, with his ability to perform complex calculations very rapidly．
Today we more clearly recognize that the idiot savant is special because of brain impairment．Yet not all brain impairment leads to savant skills．Some studies have shown that people who have purposeful interruption of the left side of the brain can develop idiot savant skills．However few people wish to participate in such experiments．There are many excellent reasons for not undergoing unnecessary experimentation on one's brain．The term idiot savant is outdated and inappropriate．Virtually all savants have a high degree of intelligence and are thus not idiots．
63．What does the passage mainly talk about?
A．Idiot savants have areas of outstanding abilities．
B．Human Beings have complicated thinking process．
C．The brains of the idiot savants are partly impaired．
D．The reasons why people have wonderful skills vary．
64．Which of the following can be done by Rain Man?
A．He can play wonderful pieces of classical music．
B．He can guess out exactly the length of a man's life．
C．He can memorize the contents of the pictures fast．
D．He can count matches dropped on the floor quickly．
65．What can you infer from the passage?
A．Idiot savants have real talents for art and math．
B．Dr．Down is the first person who found idiot savants．
C．Few people wish to risk becoming savants by brain operations．
D．Intentional left brain impairments will surely lead to idiot savants．
66．Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?

1—5refer to paragraph 1—5.

B
In today's fast paced, high stress world people are working longer hours than ever, and often exhaust themselves at．day's end in front, of the television to relax enough to begin again in the morning．However, television watching, for most people, does not really lower stress．Studies show that TV viewing more than an hour or so actually creates stress and, especially in women, may lead to the blues．Most individuals are unaware that doing some exercise after work makes them more energetic since it increases energy levels．
Wise use of free time does not mean getting an advanced degree, although the mental encouragement gained through education is unbeatable in keeping your mind active．Learning new things nearly always adds a spark to your daily life, especially if it is a favorite topic, such as sport, fashion, or art．Also, look through your bookstore or library to find books on your interests．Try to replace a half hour TV watching with reading．
Itis reported that in the United States recently, many individuals have as few as two good friends．Long work hours and car commute act to separate people from each other．This separation is deadly．Find ways to meet people at the end of the day and on weekends．Often this can be best done by combining activities, such as by joining a walking group to get both exercise and companionship．Taking a class will lift your spirits and allow you to meet others with similar interests．Hobbies are great for reducing stress and provide another opportunity for social interaction．
Using your free time to aid your health may include these elements and many more, such as going to concerts and spending time with family．Overall, the key is to spend less free time being passive．The best ways to use free time are to be mentally and physically active, spend some time outdoors, and interact with other people on a regular basis．
60．What can we learn from the passage?
A．Watching television may cause women to feel depressed．
B．Finding interests and hobbies in common means taking a class．
C．Going to concerts is the best way to make you mentally active．
D．Getting an advanced degree in education always lights up your life．
61．What does the underlined word "commute" in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
A．The arrangement to work every day． B．The journey to work every day
C．The communication between people． D．The separation between people
62．Which would be the best title for the passage?
A．Live a Happy and Healthy Life B．Relax Yourself in Various Ways
C．Spend Your Free Time Wisely D．Interact With Others Outdoors

第三部分：阅读理解（共两节，40分）
第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，共30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。
A
The Hearst Castle
Hearst Castle is a palatial park on the central California coast and a National Historic Landmark．It was designed by architect Julia Morgan for William Randolph Hearst from 1919 until 1947．In 1957 , the Hearst Coiporation donated the fortune to the state of California．Since that time it has been maintained as a state historic park where the estate and its considerable collection of art and antiques are open for public tours．Despite its location far from any urban center, the site attracts roughly one million visitors per year．
Guided Tours
There are several tours which highlight various parts of the castle and gardens．
●Tour One is recommended for first time visitor．It now includes the movie, Hearst Castle Building the Dream．
●Tour Two gives visitors a closer look at the main house's upper floors, Mr．Hearst's private suite, the libraries, and the kitchen．
●Tour Three looks at the Castle's North Wing, guest rooms and guest house Casa Del Monte．
●Tour Four features the impressive gardens and grounds, the largest guesthouse, the wine basement, and the Hidden Terrace．
●The evening tour is a special tour that allows visitors to experience the Castle at night as one of the Hearst's own visitors might have．
Ticket Prices
Hearst Castle accepts VISA, MasterCard, American Express and Discover．Free day use parking is available for automobiles, motorcycles, tour buses and recreational vehicles．

TOURS	ADULT	Ages 6 – 17
Experience Tour	$24	$12
Tours 2, 3 or 4	$ 24	$ 12
Evening tour	$30	$15

* Children under 6 are free when accompanied by a paying adult．
Reservation Information
While tickets may be purchased at the Visitor Center upon arrival, tour reservations are strongly recommended and may be reserved online now or by calling 1 - 800 - 444 - 4445, see below for times．

Reservation Call Center Hours
Dates	Monday-Friday	Saturday-Sunday
March-September	8AM to 6PM	8AM to 6PM
October-February	9AM to 5PM	9AM to 3PM

Visit www．hearstcastle．org for more information．
56．Who does the Hearst Castle belong to at present?
A．William Randolph Hearst． B．Julia Morgan．
C．The state of California． D．The Hearst Corporation．
57．If you are quite interested in wine, which tour will you choose?
A．Tour One． B．Tour Two． C．Tour Three． D．Tour Four．
58．If a young couple take Tour One with their 5-year-old son, how much will they pay for the tickets?
A．36． B．60． C．48． D．75．
59．Which of the following is the available time to book tickets by phone?
A．At 8 AM on Monday in February． B．At 9 AM on Sunday in March．
C．At 7 PM on Friday in September． D．At 6 PM on Saturday in October．

B
When TV news programs report wars or disasters, the editors rarely use the most horrifying pictures of dead or wounded victims because they don’t want to upset their viewers. Even so, viewers are usually warned in advance that they may find some of these scenes disturbing, so they can look away if they choose. But the men and women whose job is to record those scenes－the TV cameramen－have no such choice. It is their duty to witness the horrors of the world and record them, no matter how terrible and unpleasant they may be. Consequently, it is one of the most dangerous, exposed and emotionally taxing jobs the world has to offer.
Today, the demand for their work is rising. The explosion of satellite broadcasting and 24-hour news in recent years has created an almost insatiable (贪得无厌的) demand for TV information. But major broadcasters and the TV news agencies—such as Reuters and WTN－have never had enough staff to meet the worldwide demand for up-to-date pictures, so increasingly they turn to “freelance” TV cameramen.
These freelance cameramen are independent operators tied to no particular organization. They will work for any company which hires them, be it for just a few hours or for several weeks in a war zone. But if the freelance cameraman is injured in the course of the job, the TV company is not responsible for him. The freelancer must survive on his own.
TV will always need hard, vivid moving pictures which are fresh, but these companies feel uncomfortable with large numbers of employees on their books, explains Nick Growing, once foreign editor for Britain Channel 4 News and now a BBC news presenter.
By hiring freelancers, they can buy in the skills they need only when they need them. It also enables them to contract out the risk, he says.
69. The freelance cameramen .
A. have better skills than other cameramen
B. are tied to many TV news agencies
C. have to take tremendous(巨大的) risks in the course of work
D. need to contract out risks of work for TV companies
70. It is implied in the passage that .
A. TV cameramen have to witness disasters and killing whether they like them or not
B. TV cameramen are a special group of people who enjoy horrifying pictures
C. TV cameramen should be given greater choice of work
D. the development of TV resulted in the growing demand for TV cameramen’s work
71. According to this passage, some major broadcasters and TV news agencies .
A. have employed enough cameramen
B. are not willing to employ many cameramen
C. are very mean to freelancers
D. are responsible for the freelancer if he is injured
72. The author of this passage shows his the freelance cameramen.
A. respect for B. sympathy to C. anger to D. admiration to

第三部分阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
A
Ten years ago, Sang Lan, a 17-year-old Chinese gymnast, was competing at the Goodwill Games in New York. During a routine warm-up vault (跳马), Sang landed on her head and suffered an injury that left her paralyzed from the chest down. Ten years later, she is a college graduate, and has many admirers.
According to New York Times, what happened was that, as Sang was making her sprint (短跑) down the runway, a coach moved the springboard (跳板) in a misguided (搞错的) attempt to help her. She was running at full speed, and had no time to stop. Unfortunately, there was no cushion to receive her fall. "I heard a terrible sound," Octavian Belu, the Romanian coach, said at the time.
"I don’t feel bad about it now," Sang said in an interview over the weekend, explaining that she still follows gymnastics. She provided her professional opinion on television and on the Internet during the Beijing Olympics. "I’ve had to learn to face reality. Sometimes, when I watch old videos of me flying in gymnastics, I’m proud that I used to be so good."
She’s getting on with her life. At Peking University, from which Sang graduated last year with a broadcasting (播音) degree, friends had to carry her up stairs from class to class. She has her own caretaker (看护) and a personal assistant, or manager, provided to her by China’s General Sports Administration. "I can’t say I never feel regret, but I never complain," Sang said. "There’s no use in being regretful. You can’t live your life over again. I still love sports."
66. What caused Sang Lan to become injured according to the passage?
A. She was running too fast at that time.
B. She landed on the cushion in the wrong place.
C. The coach didn’t know she was going to fall.
D. A coach moved the springboard to a wrong place.
67. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. Sang faces her past bravely.
B. It was not Sang’s fault that she was injured.
C. A caretaker has been provided by Sang’s own family.
D. Sang feels a little regret sometimes.
68. Which of the following have helped Sang Lan since her
injury?
a. Octavian Belu b. Her caretaker c. Her manager
d. China’s General Sports Administration e. The interviewer
A. b, c, e B. b, d, e C. a, d, e D. b, c, d