Science has a lot of uses. It can uncover laws of nature, cure diseases, make bombs, and help bridges to stand up. Indeed science is so good at what it does that there’s always a temptation(诱惑) to drag it into problems where it may not be helpful. David Brooks, author of The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement, appears to be the latest in a long line of writers who have failed to resist the temptation.
Brooks gained fame for several books. His latest book The Social Animal, however, is more ambitious and serious than his earlier books. It is an attempt to deal with a set of weighty topics. The book focuses on big questions: What has science revealed about human nature? What are the sources of character? And why are some people happy and successful while others aren’t?
To answer these questions, Brooks surveys a wide range of disciplines(学科). Considering this, you might expect the book to be a dry recitation of facts. But Brooks has structured his book in an unorthodox(非常规的), and perhaps unfortunate, way. Instead of introducing scientific theories, he tells a story, within which he tries to make his points, perhaps in order to keep the reader’s attention. So as Harold and Erica, the hero and heroine in his story, live through childhood, we hear about the science of child development, and as they begin to date we hear about the theory of sexual attraction. Brooks carries this through to the death of one of his characters.
On the whole, Brooks’s story is acceptable if uninspired. As one would expect, his writing is mostly clear and, to be fair, some chapters stand out above the rest. I enjoyed, for instance, the chapter in which Harold discovers how to think on his own. While Harold and Erica are certainly not strong or memorable characters, the more serious problems with The Social Animal lie elsewhere. These problems partly involve Brooks’s attempt to translate his tale into science.
1.The author mentions the functions of science at the beginning of the passage to __________.
A. illustrate where science can be applied
B. demonstrate the value of Brooks’s new book
C. remind the reader of the importance of science
D. explain why many writers use science in their works
2.According to the author, which of the following could be a strength of the book?
A. Its strong basis. B. Its convincing points.
C. Its clear writing. D. Its memorable characters.
3.What is the author’s general attitude towards the book?
A. Contradictory. B. Supportive.
C. Cautious. D. Critical.
4.What is the author likely to write about after the last paragraph?
A. Problems with the book. B. Brooks’s life experiences.
C. Death of the characters. D. Brooks’s translation skills.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Tell a story and tell it well, and you may open wide the eyes of a child, open up lines of communication in a business, or even open people’s mind to another culture or race.
People in many places are digging up the old folk stories and the messages in them. For example, most American storytellers get their tales from a wide variety of sources, cultures, and times. They regard storytelling not only as a useful tool in child education, but also as a meaningful activity that helps adults understand themselves as well as those whose culture may be very different from their own.
“Most local stories are based on a larger theme,” American storyteller Opalanga Pugh says, “Cinderella, or the central idea of a good child protected by her goodness, appears in various forms in almost every culture of the world.”
Working with students in schools, Pugh helps them understand their own cultures and the general messages of the stories. She works with prisoners too, helping them knowing who they are by telling stories that her listeners can write, direct, and act in their own lives. If they don’t like the story they are living, they can rewrite the story. Pugh also works to help open up lines of communication between managers and workers. “For every advance in business,” she says, “there is a greater need for communication”. Storytelling can have a great effect on either side of the manager-worker relationship, she says.
Pugh spent several years in Nigeria, where she learned how closely storytelling was linked to the everyday life of the people there. “The benefits of storytelling are found everywhere,” she says.
“I learned how people used stories to spread their culture,” she says, “What I do is to focus on the value of the stories that people can translate into their own daily world of affairs. We are all storytellers. We all have a story to tell. We tell everybody’s story.”
1.What do we learn about American storyteller from Paragraph 2?
A. They share the same way of storytelling.
B. They prefer to tell the stories from other cultures.
C. They learn their stories from the American natives.
D. They find storytelling useful for both children and adults.
2.The underlined sentence (Paragraph 4) suggests that prisoners can _____.
A. start a new life B. settle down in another place
C. direct films D. become good actors
3.Pugh has practiced storytelling with _____ groups of people.
A. 2 B. 3 C. 4 D. 5
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
Trends come and go but style is eternal. So what is the latest fashion trend that defines this season? Let’s take a look at the fashion trend in 2016 and be the first ones to embrace the latest trend.
Head—It seems like everyone will be wearing a bucket hat this season. Bucket hat might sound a bit old-fashioned for some people, but the 90s trend is in season again! Spring and summer are always the seasons for casual clothes, so pairing the bucket hat with casual shorts or skirts would be your outfit to go in this spring and summer in 2016.
Bottom—Summer is the season when everyone gets ready for the humid weather. The current season trend is making everyone have a more comfortable summer because wide-leg bottoms is in trend again. Perhaps not everyone likes wide-leg bottoms because this could possibly make people look shorter, choosing a high-waist wide-leg bottom and matching it with crop top will definitely make you look taller and trendy in 2016.
Dress—Be prepared for embracing the feminine details this season. Ruffles(荷叶边) around the sleeve or ruffles all-over the dress will be everyone's favorite in 2016. All these little details will transform your look in season. Simple colors like pink and black are designer’s favorites in this season too.
Shoes—Many people thought wedges are also the shoes to go in spring and summer time, but in 2016, very flat flats are in trend again. Shoe designers are trying to have more combinations flats or low-heels with less of gender identity.
Accessories—No outfit goes perfect without accessories. Adding statement accessories to your simple and natural outlook this summer is your day-to-night outfit. These jewels are doing to make you feel completed in day time and sparkled at night.
1.What kind of people will benefit a lot more from this passage?
A. Scientists. B. Teachers. C. Designers. D. Lawyers.
2.Which of the following is true about bucket hats in the second paragraph?
A. Everyone is wearing a bucket hat.
B. Bucket hats in the 90s were old-fashioned.
C. Nowadays most people do not like bucket hats.
D. Maybe you will match the bucket hat with casual shorts this spring.
3.From the passage we know that in 2016 ________.
A. accessories will be an important part of the fashion
B. shoe designers are trying to have high-heels
C. jewelry is not considered a fashionable item
D. simple and natural outlook this summer is your day-to-night outfit
4.What will fashion icons do in 2016 except ________.
A. prefer flat shoes
B. prefer complex colors
C. wear dresses with ruffles(荷叶边) around the sleeves
D. choose a high-waist wide-leg bottom and match it with crop top
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Research on embryonic stem cells (胚胎干细胞) is debatable because it requires the destruction of live human embryos.
Supporters find it easy to minimize the significance of this fact because the embryos are only a few days old—nothing more than “blastocysts (胚泡)”.
But if it’s OK to destroy 5-day-old embryos to further scientific inquiry, is it OK to destroy embryos that are five weeks old? Five months? Eight months? Science can’t answer that question.
You don’t have to be part of the pro-life group to have concerns about this kind of scientific research. James Thomson, the University of Wisconsin biologist has said, “If human embryonic stem cell research does not make you at least a little bit uncomfortable, you have not thought about it enough.” However, the president’s new order suggests we should not think too much.
Recently, supporters of embryonic stem cell research called on president to allow experiments using “surplus (多余的)” fifty frozen embryos in fertility clinics, arguing that they would be disposed of anyway. But Obama didn’t limit his new policy to these fertilized eggs.
On the contrary, he left open the possibility of funding studies using embryos created specifically so their cells can be harvested. He did, however, reject another option. “We will ensure,” he said, “that our government never open the door to the use of cloning for human reproduction. It is dangerous, profoundly wrong and has no place in our society, or any society.”
But this position is hard to square with his claimed approach. On one hand, the president says his policy is “about letting scientists do their jobs, free from pressure”. On the other, he will use pressure to keep them from doing reproductive cloning.
What this policy means is simple: It may be permissible for scientists to create cloned embryos and kill them. It’s not permissible to create cloned embryos and let them live. Their cells may be used for our benefit, but not for their own.
It’s the policy that is risky not just to days-old human embryos. The rest of us are sure to receive important medical benefits from this research one day. But we may lose something even more important in a moral sense.
1.It’s implied in the fourth paragraph that pro-life group ________.
A. support the research on embryonic stem cells
B. don’t agree with any kind of scientific research
C. agree with James Thomson’s opinion
D. rarely think of the consequences of embryonic stem cell research
2.The underlined phrase “square with” in the passage is closest in meaning to ________.
A. find a square tool for B. be in line with
C. quarrel with D. pay off
3.Which of the following statement is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The author thinks there’s a big difference between a 5-day embryo and a 8-month embryo.
B. In Obama’s policy, embryonic researchers can only use surplus embryos in fertility clinics.
C. President Obama hasn’t expressed his attitude toward human reproductive cloning.
D. The research on embryonic stem cells may bring people medical benefits in the future.
4.The author thinks the policy is worrying because ______.
A. the research is against the law
B. we may suffer morally for the research
C. scientists are not really working without pressure
D. ban on human cloning is in the long run harmful to human development
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Evaluating Sources (来源) of health Information
Making good choices about your own health requires reasonable evaluation. A key first step in bettering your evaluation ability is to look carefully at your sources of healthy information. Reasonable evaluation includes knowing where and how to find relevant information, how to separate fact from opinions, how to recognize poor reasoning, and how to analyze information and the reliability of sources. 1.
Go to the original source. Media reports often simplify the results of medical research. Find out for yourself what a study really reported, and determine whether it was based on good science. Think about the type of study. 2.
Watch for misleading language. Some studies will find that a behavior “contributes to” or is “associated with” an outcome; this does not mean that a certain course must lead to a certain result. 3. Carefully read or listen to information in order to fully understand it.
Use your common sense. If a report seems too good to be true, probably it is. Be especially careful of information contained in advertisements. 4. Evaluate “scientific” statements carefully, and be aware of quackery(江湖骗术).
5. Friends and family members can be a great source of ideas and inspiration, but each of us needs to find a healthy lifestyle that works for us.
Developing the ability to evaluate reasonably and independently about the health problems will serve you well throughout your life.
A. Make choices that are right for you.
B. The goal of an ad is to sell you something.
C. Be sure to work through the critical questions.
D. And examine the findings of the original research.
E. Distinguish between research reports and public health advice.
F. Be aware that information may also be incorrectly explained by an author’s point of view.
G. The following suggestions can help you sort through the health information you receive from common sources.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Standing on the top of a church tower not far from our home in Rome, Father said to me, “Look down, Elsa. Be brave.” I gathered all my ________ and looked down. I saw the crossing of twisting, turning streets ________ to the square in the center of the village. “See, my dear,” Father said gently. “There is more than one way to the square. Life is like that. If you can’t get where you want to go by one road, try ________.”
Now I understood why I was there. Earlier that day I had begged Mother to do something about the ________ lunches that were served at school. But she ________ because she could not believe the lunches were so bad. When I turned to Father for help, he would not ________. Instead, he brought me to this high tower to give me a lesson. By the time we reached home, I had a(n) ________.
At school the next day, I secretly ________ my lunch soup into a bottle and brought it home. Then I talked the cook into serving it to Mother at dinner. The plan worked ________. She swallowed one spoonful, “The cook must have gone mad!” Having known what I had done, Mother stated firmly that she would ________ the matter of lunches at school the next day!
In the years that followed I often remembered what Father told me. And on the way to my first small success I found the road ________. As a fashion-design lover, I was busy getting ready to ________ my winter fashions. Then just 13 days before the presentation the sewing girls were called out on ________. I felt so depressed that I was ________ that we would have to cancel the presentation ________ show the clothes unfinished. Then it ________ on me. Why not show the clothes unfinished?
We worked hurriedly and the showing took place as ________. Some coats had no sleeves; others had only one. Many of our clothes were only ________ made of heavy cotton cloth. But on these we pinned sketches and pieces of material. In this way we were able to show what colors and textures (结构) the clothes would have when they were finished. It was our ________ showing that caught the attention of the public, and ________ for the clothes poured in.
Father’s wise words had guided me again. There is always more than one way to the square.
1.A. strength B. breath C. courage D. concentration
2.A. linking B. appealing C. taking D. leading
3.A. each B. another C. none D. the other
4.A. awful B. special C. fascinating D. delicious
5.A. regretted B. agreed C. complained D. refused
6.A. respond B. admit C. oppose D. handle
7.A. conclusion B. plan C. rest D. image
8.A. drank B. spat C. poured D. flowed
9.A. terribly B. naturally C. perfectly D. shortly
10.A. get through B. take up C. look into D. make up
11.A. occupied B. smoothed C. blocked D. widened
12.A. show B. provide C. follow D. lead
13.A. business B. trip C. chance D. strike
14.A. curious B. skeptical C. determined D. sure
15.A. apart from B. or else C. rather than D. or rather
16.A. realized B. lighted C. dawned D. cleared
17.A. usual B. supposed C. scheduled D. unexpected
18.A. patterns B. dresses C. rags D. scarves
19.A. meaningful B. prepared C. ordinary D. unusual
20.A. criticisms B. orders C. designs D. budgets
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Liu Fang is a famous pipa soloist, 1. whose music is strongly influenced by traditional singing. 2. (graduate) from Shanghai Conservatory of Music, 3. she studied the pipa and the guzhen, she went back to work in her hometown Kunming. She then moved to Canada in 1996 and 4. (live) there since then. For her, the biggest challenge of playing the pipa is to respect the traditions but 5. (add) her own style. In her opinion, classical Chinese music and traditional Chinese painting are quite 6. (like). The former has 7. (silent) that is full of music 8. the latter features empty spaces which give life to the whole painting. As a soloist, she enjoys performing live, for she likes the atmosphere of a concert. Not having a concert for a long time may put her in a state of 9.(depress). She also enjoys the time immediately after the concert to share the feelings and ideas with the audiences, 10. (listen) to their opinions about the music.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用(＼)划掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意： 1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改 10 处，多者（从第 11 处起）不计分。
I would like to interview Yang Liwei because he is not only the first Chinese to going to space but also one of the greatest astronaut in the world. I have long been interested in space exploration but I believe I can learn a great deal with him about it. If I could interview him, I would ask him what makes him an astronaut and how he trained. I would also like to know how he felt in the space and whether space travel is such great fun that I have read. Finally, I would like to ask a few questions about her personal life, that must be very interesting.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
在当前，智能手机的使用为人们的生活与学习带来了许多便利，人们在日常生活中越来越依赖智能手机。然而，很多学校却禁止学生在正常上课时间使用手机，很多家长、老师与学生支持这种举措，但一部分人却持反对意见。你对此持什么意见？你的理由是什么？
请根据以上内容，写一篇以“Should students be allowed to use smart phones in school time?”的作文，表明自己的观点并陈述理由去支持你的观点（至少三点）。
要求：字数120词左右
难度: 中等查看答案及解析