In the mid﹣1990s，Tom Bissell taught English as a volunteer in Uzbekistan．He left after seven months，physically broken and having lost his mind．A few years later，still attracted to the country，he returned to Uzbekistan to write an article about the disappearance of the Aral Sea．
His visit，however，ended up involving a lot more than that．Hence this book，Chasing the Sea：Lost Among the Ghosts of Empire in Central Asia， which talks about a road trip from Tashkent to Karakalpakstan，where millions of lives have been destroyed by the slow drying up of the sea．It is the story of an American travelling to a strange land，and of the people he meets on his way：Rustam，his translator，a lovely 24﹣year﹣old who picked up his colorful English in California，Oleg and Natasha，his hosts in Tashkent，and a string of foreign aid workers．
This is a quick look at life in Uzbekistan，made of friendliness and warmth，but also its darker side of society．In Samarkand，Mr Bissell admires the architectural wonders，while on his way to Bukhara he gets a taste of police methods when suspected of drug dealing．In Ferghana，he attends a mountain funeral（葬礼）followed by a strange drinking party．And in Karakalpakstan，he is saddened by the dust storms，diseases and fishing boats stuck miles from the sea．
Mr Bissell skillfully organizes historical insights and cultural references，making his tale a well﹣rounded picture of Uzbekistan，seen from Western eyes．His judgment and references are decidedly American，as well as his delicate stomach．As the author explains，this is neither a travel nor a history book，or even a piece of reportage．Whatever it is，the result is a fine and vivid description of the purest of Central Asian traditions．
（1）What made Mr Bissell return to Uzbekistan？
| A． | His friends' invitation． |
| B． | His interest in the country． |
| C． | His love for teaching． |
| D． | His desire to regain health． |
（2）What does the underlined word "that" in paragraph 2 refer to？
| A． | Developing a serious mental disease． |
| B． | Taking a guided tour in Central Asia． |
| C． | Working as a volunteer in Uzbekistan． |
| D． | Writing an article about the Aral Sea． |
（3）Which of the following best describes Mr Bissell's road trip in Uzbekistan？
| A． | Romantic． |
| B． | Eventful． |
| C． | Pleasant． |
| D． | Dangerous． |
（4）What is the purpose of this text？
| A． | To introduce a book． |
| B． | To explain a cultural phenomenon． |
| C． | To remember a writer． |
| D． | To recommend a travel destination． |
D
The regular use of text messages and e-mails can lower the IQ more than twice as much as smoking marijuana(大麻). That is the claim of psychologists who have found that tapping away on a mobile phone or computer keypad or checking them for electronic messages temporarily knocks up to ten points off the user’s IQ.
This rate of decline in intelligence compares unfavorably with the four-point drop in IQ associated with smoking marijuana, according to British researchers, who have labeled(贴标签于，指……为，分类) the fleeting phenomenon of enhanced stupidity as “infomania”.
The noticeable drop in IQ is believed to be the result of the constant distraction of “always on” technology when employees should be concentrating on what they are paid to do. Infomania means that they lose concentration as their minds remain fixed in an almost permanent state of readiness to react to technology instead of focusing on the tasks in hand.
The brain also finds it hard to deal with keeping lots of tasks in motion at once, reducing its overall effectiveness. While modern technology can have huge benefits, excessive(过度的) use can be damaging not only to a person’s mind, but to his or her social life.
Eighty volunteers took part in clinical (临床的)trials on IQ damage and 1,100 adults were interviewed.
More than six in ten people polled admitted that they were addicted to checking their e-mails and text messages so that they examined work-related ones even when at home or on holiday. Half said that they always responded immediately to an e-mail and one in five would interrupt a meeting to do so.
Furthermore, Informania is having a negative effect on work colleagues, increasing stress and disagreeing feelings. Nine out of ten polled thought that colleagues who answered e-mails or messages during a face-to-face meeting were extremely rude. Yet one in three Britons believed that it was not only acceptable, but actually diligent and efficient to do so.
67. What does the underlined part mean?
A. A person’s IQ drops ten points if he or she always checks electronic messages.
B. The person who has a higher IQ enjoys checking electronic messages.
C. The person who has a lower IQ enjoys checking electronic messages.
D. A person’s IQ is ten points higher if he or she always checks electronic messages.
68. What happens to people with infomania?
A. People with infomania can only concentrate on their tasks in hand.
B. People with infomania are addicted to smoking marijuana.
C. People with infomania can’t respond to technology immediately.
D. People with infomania can’t concentrate on their tasks in hand.
69. From the passage, we can learn that.
A. about 550 interviewees responded to an e-mail immediately
B. about 670 interviewees responded to an e-mail immediately
C. about 40 taking part in clinical trials on IQ were addicted to checking e-mail
D. about 16 taking part in clinical trials on IQ refused to answer e-mails immediately
70. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. The regular use of text messages and e-mails can be compared to smoking marijuana.
B. Modern technology can damage a person’s mind.
C. The regular use of text messages and e-mails can harm your IQ.
D. Electronic messages can have effects on the user’s life.
C
If you’re in charge of a project, the key to success is getting everyone to want to help you. As a director, I suggest, I gently push the actors in the direction I want them to go.
In the 1986 movie Nothing in Common, Jackie Gleason’s character, Max Basner, gets fired from his job as a clothing salesman. The scene, shot on a boat, shows Max’s hopelessness about being out of work. I was looking for some ways that would allow Max to show his feelings.
Jackie had far more experience at everything than I did, and at first I was frightened. What could I possibly tell “The Great One” about acting? Out of fear I decided to direct by suggestion, and I sat down with Gleason to talk about the scene.
“So Max is sad, right?” I said.
Gleason nodded.
“And he’s probably still carrying his pens with his name on them－the ones he used to hand out to his customers, right?”
Gleason nodded.
“So what would you want to do with the pens after you were fired?”
He was silent for a moment. “Why don’t I throw them overboard?”
I stood up and turned toward the crew. “Hey, everybody, Jackie has a wonderful idea. Let’s shoot it.”
After filming the scene, Gleason called me over and said with a smile, “Garry, what kind of wonderful idea am I going to have tomorrow?”
You and your team can discover the answers to problems tighter. When there are no prizes or gold stars for those who get the solution first, you’ll all benefit when everything turns out right.
63. The writer tells us that, to succeed in the project you are in charge of, you should _______.
A. make everyone work for you
B. get everyone willing to help you
C. let people know you have the final say
D. keep giving orders to everyone
64. From the passage we can know _________.
A. Jackie Gleason is the director of the film Nothing in Common
B. Jackie Gleason is very angry when he is fired from his job
C. Max, a character in the film, is in very low spirits when he loses his job
D. Jackie Gleason writes the play of the film Nothing in Common
65. The underlined part “The Great One” (in Paragraph 3) refers to __________.
A. Gleason B. the director himself C. Max D. Max’s boss
66. Why did Gleason call the director over and smile at him?
A. Gleason thought his wonderful idea was accepted by the director.
B. Gleason succeeded in hitting upon a wonderful idea.
C. Gleason was confident about his work the next day.
D. Gleason appreciated the director’s way of directing films.
B
Your Genes, Your Future
How would you feel if someone gave you an envelope with a description of every one of your genes? Supposing this information could tell you what illnesses you were likely to get, or even what illness you might die of, would you open the envelope?
It's a difficult question to answer. But the fact is that scientists have already begun to discover how certain genes influence us. And in the next decade, they will learn a lot more.
We have known for a long time that many of our physical characteristics are inherited（继承）. For example, our eye colour and certain diseases are decided by our genes. As long as you have a good diet, scientists can predict your height by looking at your parents' heights. And we now know that the need to wear glasses has a genetic cause. Our eating habits also appear to be decided by our genes!
With other characteristics, things are not so clear. Certainly, scientists have now shown that some traits（特性，特质） are strongly influenced by our genes. Do you prefer getting up early or late? To a great extent, it's your genes that decide. Do you enjoy dangerous sports such as car racing? There is a gene that influences how much excitement we need.
But with most psychological characteristics, scientists are learning that both our genes and our environment affect us. This is true of things such as how violent we are, and how well we get on with other people. So, even though scientists may soon be able to describe our genes in detail, it does not mean they will be able to predict our future with any real success.
Nevertheless, the fact is that scientists will be able to "read" our genes in the near future. This will create new problems. To give a few examples, insurance companies may not want to insure people whose genes predict certain illnesses. Employers may not want to employ people who have a gene for violence. One thing is already clear -- with these new developments, life is going to become even more complicated!
60. Which characteristics is mostly likely to be inherited?
A. Eye color. B. Interest. C. Future. D. Ability.
61. What kind of problem will these new developments create?
A. You may die of a certain illness described in the envelope.
B. There will be an increased number of violent people.
C. People may take part in dangerous sports such as car racing.
D. Insurance companies may refuse to insure people with a gene for certain disease.
62. Why won’t scientists be able to tell us a lot about our future?
A. Because we’re affected not only by our genes but also by our environment.
B. Because scientists will not be able to read our genes in the near future.
C. Because life in the future will be more complicated.
D. Because scientists can’t describe our genes in detail.
第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30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
BEUING (Associated Press 美联社) —China has a growing middle class, a tradition of expecting education and 21 million new babies every year. Selling educational toys should be easy.
While China may be the world’s biggest toy-maker, many of the best are exported. Department stores here do not have enough high quality toys. It is said that the demand for educational toys is low.
A US company, BabyCare, is trying to change that with a new way to sell toys in China.
BabyCare works basically together with doctors in Beijing hospitals. People who join the company’s "mother club" can get lectures and newsletters on baby and child development at no extra cost, if they agree to spend 18 dollars a month on the company’s educational toys and child-care books.
"We want to build a seven-year relationship with those people," said Matthew J. Estes, BabyCare’s president. "It starts during pregnancy, when the anxiety and needs are highest." BabyCare works on a one-to-one basis. Doctors, nurses, and teachers paid by BabyCare advise parents, explain toys that are designed for children at each stage of development to age six.
BabyCare opened its first store in China last June in a shopping center in central Beijing and another near Beijing Zoo. It plans to have 80 stores in China within six years.
It is a new model for China and develops a market in young children’s education and health that no other companies are in.
56. What do the first two paragraphs mainly tell us?
A. Educational toys and foreign toy markets.
B. Problems with China’s toy market and education.
C. Reasons for pushing sales of educational toys in China.
D. Baby population and various kinds of toys made in China.
57. Which of the following is a fact according to the passage?
A. Club members buy BabyCare products for free child-care advice.
B. Doctors in Beijing help in making BabyCare products.
C. Parents are encouraged to pay $ 18 for club activities.
D. BabyCare trains Chinese doctors at no extra cost.
58. BabyCare is developing its business in China by________.
A. opening stores in Beijing hospitals
B. offering 18-month courses on child-care
C. setting up children’s education centers
D. forming close relationships with parents
59. Which of the following would be the most suitable title for the passage?
A. Mother’s Club in China.B. BabyCare and Doctors.
C. American Company Model. D. Educational Toys in China.
E
Twenty years ago, most experts believed that differences in how boys and girls behaved were mainly due to differences in how they were treated by their parents, teachers, and friends. It’s hard to cling to that belief today. Recent research has shown that there are biological differences between boys and girls. Understanding these differences is important in raising and educating children.
For example, girls are born with more sensitive hearing than boys, and the difference increases as kids grow up. So when a grown man speaks to a girl in what he thinks is a normal voice, she may hear it as yelling. Conversely (反过来), boys who appear to be inattentive in class may just be sitting too far away too hear the teacher.
Likewise, girls are better in their expression of feelings. Studies reveal that negative emotions are seated in an area of the brain called the amygdala. Girls develop all early connection between this area and the cerebral cortex (大脑皮层), enabling them to talk about their feelings. In boys these links develop later. So if you ask a troubled adolescent boy to tell you what his feelings are, he often cannot say much.
Dr. Sax, an advocate of single-sex education, points out that keeping boys and girls separate in the classroom has yielded striking educational, social, and interpersonal benefits. Therefore, parents and teachers should try to recognize, understand, and make use of the biological differences that make a girl a girl, and a boy a boy.
67．What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Boys tend to pay less attention in class than girls.
B. Girls are better than boys in their ability to detect sounds.
C. Boys and girls behave differently because of biological differences.
D. Single-sex schools are not good because they keep boys and girls separate.
68．Why do girls express negative feelings better than boys?
A. Girls are more emotional than boys.
B. Girls have more brain cells than boys.
C. The amygdala is located in different areas of the brain for boys and girls.
D. The links between certain parts of the brain develop earlier in girls than in boys.
69．Which of the following does the author believe?
A. Girls need more training in communication.
B. Boys and girls should be educated in different ways.
C. Parents should pay more attention to boys.
D. Sex differences should be ignored in education。
70．What does the phase “cling to” in the first paragraph mean?
A. maintain B. abandon C. evaluate D. challenge