“Iris scan （虹膜扫描）, please,” the bank’s computer voice tells you. You step up and the computer reads your eye, comparing it to the stored file it has of your iris. The images had better match---otherwise, you won’t be able to get your money.
Iris scanning and other technologies, such as fingerprint and voice scanning, have appeared in many science fiction movies in the past. Today, these advanced technologies are part of the real world. They are common at work, the bank, the airport, and your local prison. The iris scan, fingerprint scan, and voice scan are all examples of biometrics(生物测定学), a fast developing area of automatic personal identification technology. Basically, biometrics uses various ways to verify a person’s identity, based on the individual’s unique characteristics, including fingerprints, signature, and so on.
Biometrics identification systems have a number of advantages over password systems. The primary advantage is that an individual has to be physically present in order to be identified. Another important advantage is that there are no passwords to remember, forget, lose, or steal.
The voice scan is the simplest and most affordable form of biometrics. It only requires a computer, a microphone, and the correct software. The software records a subject’s voice and then compares it to a stored voice sample for identification purpose.
For additional safety, fingerprint and handprint scans can also be employed. Fingerprint scans take the image of a fingerprint and compare it to a stored file of prints. Handprint scans identify the unique features of a hand.The first paragraph serves as a(n) ________.
| A．example | B．explanation |
| C．comment | D．conclusion |
The underline word “verify” in Paragraph 2 probably means “________”.
| A．protect | B．confirm |
| C．develop | D．change |
Which is the most accurate form of biometrics?
| A．The voice scan |
| B．The fingerprint scan |
| C．The iris scan |
| D．The facial scan |
What is the author’s attitude towards the future of biometrics?
| A．He is uncertain about it. |
| B．He feels doubtful about it. |
| C．He is worried about it. |
| D．He feels hopeful about it. |
What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?
| A．To explain the importance of identification technology. |
| B．To discuss the potential of biometrics systems. |
| C．To introduce the technology of biometrics. |
| D．To show the advantages of iris scanning. |
Little Tommy was doing very badly in math. His parents had tried everything—tutors (家庭教师), cards, special learning centers—in short, everything they could think of. Finally they took Tommy to a catholic (天主教的) school.
After the first day, little Tommy came home with a very serious look on his face. He didn’t kiss his mother hello. Instead, he went straight to his room and started studying. Books and papers were spread (铺开) out all over the room and little Tommy was hard at work. His mother was surprised. She called him down to dinner and as soon as he finished eating, he went back to his room, without a word. In no time he was back hitting the books as hard as before. This went on for some time, day after day while the mother tried to understand what was happening.
Finally, little Tommy brought home his report card. He quietly put it on the table and went up to his room and hit the books. His mom looked at it and to her surprise, little Tommy got an A in math. She could no longer hold her curiosity. She went to his room and asked, “Son, what was it? Was it the nuns (修女)?”
Little Tommy looked at her and shook his head, “No. ”
“Well then,” she asked again. “WHAT was it?”
Little Tommy looked at her and said, “Well, on the first day of school, when I saw that man nailed (钉) to the plus sign (加号), I knew they weren’t joking. ”Why did Tommy’s parents send him to a catholic school?
| A．Because he could eat well there. |
| B．Because he could learn more about nuns. |
| C．Because his parents wanted him to do better in his math. |
| D．Because his parents didn’t want him to learn math any more. |
Tommy’s mother felt surprised that his son _______.
| A．was still the same as usual |
| B．ate so much at dinner |
| C．kissed her hello after school |
| D．worked hard but said little |
“Hitting the books” means “_______” in Chinese.
| A．用功 | B．捶书 | C．发泄 | D．振作 |
The last sentence in the passage shows that _______.
| A．Tommy felt sorry for the man |
| B．Tommy was afraid of being nailed |
| C．Tommy didn’t like the plus sign |
| D．Tommy liked playing jokes on others |
From the passage, we can infer (推断) that _______.
| A．teachers should be strict with their students |
| B．mistaking (误解) might do good sometimes |
| C．a catholic school is much better than other ones |
| D．nuns are good at helping children with their math |
Linda Evans was my best friend—like the sister I never had. We did everything together: piano lessons, movies, swimming, horseback riding.
When I was 13, my family moved away. Linda and I kept in touch through letters, and we saw each other on special time—like my wedding (婚礼) and Linda’s. Soon we were busy with children and moving to new homes, and we wrote less often. One day a card that I sent came back, stamped “Address (地址) Unknown. ” I had no idea how to find Linda.
Over the years, I missed Linda very much. I wanted to share happiness of my children and then grandchildren. And I needed to share my sadness when my brother and then mother died. There was an empty place in my heart that only a friend like Linda could fill.
One day I was reading a newspaper when I noticed a photo of a young woman who looked very much like Linda and whose last name was Wagman — Linda’s married name. “There must be thousands of Wagmans,” I thought, but J still wrote to her.
She called as soon as she got my letter. “Mrs Tobin!” she said excitedly, “Linda Evans Wagman is my mother. ”
Minutes later I heard a voice that I knew very much, even after 40 years, laughed and cried and caught up on each other’s lives. Now the empty place in my heart is filled. And there’s one thing that Linda and I know for sure: We won’t lose each other again!The writer went to piano lessons with Linda Evans _______.
| A．at the age of 13 |
| B．before she got married |
| C．after they moved to new homes |
| D．before the writer’s family moved away |
They didn’t often write to each other because they _______.
| A．got married |
| B．had little time to do so |
| C．didn’t like writing letters |
| D．could see each other on special time |
There was an empty place in the writer’s heart because she _______.
| A．was in trouble |
| B．didn’t know Linda’s address |
| C．received the card that she sent |
| D．didn’t have a friend like Linda to share her happiness or sadness |
The writer was happy when she _______.
| A．read the newspaper |
| B．heard Linda’s voice on the phone |
| C．met a young woman who looked a lot like Linda |
| D．wrote to the woman whose last name was Wagman |
They haven’t kept in touch _______.
| A．for about 40 years |
| B．for about 27 years |
| C．since they got married |
| D．since the writer’s family moved away |
Have you seen Jurassic Park? In this film, scientists use DNA kept for tens of millions of years to clone dinosaurs. They find trouble, however, when they realize that the cloned creatures are smarter and more dangerous than expected. That’s nothing more than a fiction.
But could we really clone endangered animals?
To date, the most successful attempt to do so was the cloning of a gaur, a rare ox-like animal from southeast Asia. Scientists used a cow to bring the cloned baby gaur, named Noah. Two days after birth, however, Noah died from a common bacterial infection. Other endangered species that may be cloned include the African bongo antelope (邦戈羚羊), the Sumatran tiger, the cheetah (猎豹), and the giant panda. Next, could we really clone extinct animals?
In theory? Yes. To do this, you need a well-kept source of DNA from the extinct animals such as wool mammoth (毛象), Tasmanian tiger, or even dinosaur, and a closely related species, still living, which could serve as a surrogate mother.
In reality? Probably not. On the one hand, it’s not likely that extinct animals’ DNA could survive undamaged for such a long time. Cloning extinct animals as wool mammoth, Tasmanian tiger, or dinosaur is much more difficult due to the lack of properly well-preserved DNA. On the other hand, for example, a gaur can have a cow as a surrogate mother, definitely not a monkey. But what about an extinct animal as unique as the panda? What species could possibly serve as a surrogate mother?
Cloning presents many exciting possibilities. However, even if extinct animals are brought back, they could not survive in today’s world. Not only do most extinct animals have no habitat to live in, but the other plants and animals they depended on for food may also be gone as well. It can be learned from the passage that ________.
| A．scientists have cloned the African bongo antelope |
| B．both the cheetah and the giant panda live in Asia |
| C．the gaur lives in Asia and is endangered |
| D．the gaur is an extinct species |
The underlined words “a surrogate mother” probably refer to a female who __________.
| A．contributes its eggs to another female |
| B．gives birth to a baby for another female |
| C．gives birth to a baby of its own |
| D．cannot give birth to a baby |
The difficulty in cloning an extinct species is the lack of ______.
| A．both the well-preserved DNA and plants to live on |
| B．both the habitat to live in and the well-preserved DNA |
| C．both habitat to live in and plants to live on |
| D．both the well-preserved DNA and a surrogate mother |
In the author’s opinion, it is possible that ______.
| A．some extinct species may be cloned, but not survive |
| B．extinct species may be cloned and easily survive |
| C．a gaur can have a monkey as a surrogate mother |
| D．all the extinct species may be cloned |
Which of the following statements is true according the passage?
| A．Jurassic Park is a cloned animal. |
| B．The cloned creatures are the same as the real one. |
| C．We could clone extinct animals in reality. |
| D．We could clone extinct animals in theory. |
The Ministry of Health has called for more awareness from the public on the mental health of the young，as part of efforts to mark World Mental Health Day.
More than 15 percent of the Chinese youth have been found with mental problems，and about 30 million young people under 17 are suffering from depression，the Shanghai-based Wenhui Daily reported.
The World Health Organization estimated that before 2020，the rate of children with mental problems will increase to 50 percent，and mental problems will become a major factor behind death and illness in the young worldwide.
Deng Xiaohong，the spokesperson for the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau，said rapid social change is one of the reasons behind the rising number of youngsters with psychological problems.
If these mental diseases are not addressed on time，occurrence of crime，drugtaking and other dangerous behavior are expected to rise.
Experts said mental disease could be caused by many factors，such as the inability to handle interpersonal relations well，unstable emotions and pressure from the overload of study. A number of experts have also said the one-child policy is another reason leading to poor mental health in the young.
Children were said to be too “spoiled” and “selfish” in one-child families. Schools in many cities were reported to roll out measures to help students maintain their mental well-being. Yin Jingmiao，a teacher of the Beijing No. 105 Middle School，told China Daily that the school invites psychologists to provide counseling to students three times a month. “Students can be arranged to have 40-minute counseling sessions，” Yin said. The school also gives lectures on mental health to senior grade students before they take the national college entrance exams，to help ease any anxiety arising from the tests.What is the purpose of the passage?
| A．To urge awareness on mental health of the young. |
| B．To give the details of the problems the Chinese youth are facing today. |
| C．To recommend that schools should invite more psychologists to help solve the mental problems among the youth. |
| D．To show us the causes of the mental problems among students. |
The underlined word “addressed” in the fifth paragraph most probably means ________.
| A．talked about | B．dealt with |
| C．satisfied | D．introduced |
From the passage we can know that the causes of mental problems are mainly the following EXCEPT ________.
| A．one-child policy |
| B．lack of ability to handle interpersonal relations well |
| C．lack of special training in mental health |
| D．heavy burden from study |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．By 2020，about 50 percent of the students in China will have mental problems. |
| B．Mental problems mainly appear among the youth while they are seldom seen among adults. |
| C．China has the largest number of youngsters with psychological problems. |
| D．Many schools have realized the problem and taken measures. |
We can infer that to bring down the occurrence of mental problems among the youth， _______.
| A．Attention should be paid to the education of the only child |
| B．Psychology must be a necessary part of school |
| C．The government will cancel tests to ease the pressure on the students |
| D．Rapid social change plays the leading part in causing mental problems |
One of my wonderful memories is about a Christmas. Unlike other gifts, it came without wrap.
On September 11th, 1958, Mum gave birth to Richard. After she brought him home from hospital, she put him in my lap, saying, “I promised you a gift, and here it is. “ What an honor! I turned four a month earlier and none of my friends had such a baby doll of their own. I played with it day and night. I sang to it. I told it stories. I told it over and over how much I loved it!
One morning, however, I found its bed empty. My doll was gone! I cried for it. Mum wept and told me that the poor little thing had been sent to a hospital. It had a fever. For several days, I heard Mum and Dad whispering such words as “hopeless”， “pitiful”， and “dying”， which sounded ominous.
“Christmas was coming. Don't expect any presents this year，” Dad said, pointing at the socks I hung in the living room. “If your baby brother lives, that'll be Christmas enough.” As he spoke, his eyes were filled with tears. I'd never seen him cry before.
The phone rang early on Christmas morning. Dad jumped out of bed to answer it. From my bedroom I heard him say, “What? He's all right？” He hung up and shouted upstairs. “The hospital said we can bring Richard home！”
“Thank God！” I heard Mum cry.
From the upstairs window, I watched my parents rush out to the car. I had never seen them so happy. And I was also full of joy. What a wonderful day! My baby doll would be home. I ran downstairs. My socks still hung there flat. But I knew they were not empty; they were filled with love!What happened to the author on September 11th, 1958?
| A．He got a baby brother. | B．He got a Christmas gift. |
| C．He became four years old. | D．He received a doll. |
What does the underlined word “ominous” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
| A．Impossible. | B．Boring. |
| C．Difficult. | D．Fearful. |
The sock the author hung in the living room are probably used to ________.
| A．decorate the room | B．receive gifts |
| C．amuse his doll brother | D．wear on Christmas |
Which word can best describe the feeling of the father when Christmas was coming?
| A．Excitement. | B．Happiness. |
| C．Sadness. | D．Disappointment. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A． A sad Christmas day | B．Life with a lovely baby |
| C．A special Christmas gift. | D．Memories of a happy family |