选择知识点

                                                       D

It seems that great artists and scientists often suffer from mental problems. Both Einstein and Dickens had mental illness. Now scientists have started to look at whether mental illness and genius are linked(联系).
    Dr. Adele Juda studied 5,000 creative people in Germany. She found there were more people with mental illness in this group than in the general population. Poets had the highest rate(比例) of mental illness, followed by musicians, with lower numbers for painters and architects.
    Other scientists did research which also showed a strong link between mental problems and creativity. But, it did nothing to explain it.
    Dr. Ruth Richards of Harvard University made a breakthrough. Instead of studying creative people, she took a group of psychiatric(精神病的) patients and tested them for creativity. The patients got much higher scores than a normal group.
    Also, the patients’ close relatives were much more creative than the patients and a normal group. This suggests that the key to the link between creativity and mental illness is in our genes.But this is a problem. According to Darwinism, harmful genes should be removed. Some scientists believe that evolution(进化) has created a balance, where the madness of a few people leads to the development of the whole human race.
    Geniuses may be mad, bad or just difficult to understand, but their discoveries have improved the world we live in. It seems that a little creative madness is good for us all.

(1) According to Dr. Adele Juda, which of the following group has the lowest rate of mental illness?
   

A. Painters.	B. Musicians.
C. Poets.	D. Bus drivers.

(2) Which of the following statements is NOT true?
   

A. Among the 5,000 creative people in Germany, more people suffer from mental diseases than    the general population.

B. There is a strong link between mental problems and creativity.

C. Psychiatric patients make greater contributions than common people.

D. The key to the link between creativity and mental illness is in our genes.

(3) What is the writer’s attitude toward madness?
   

A. Madness is harmful to the whole society.

B. A little creative madness is good for us all.

C. All the talented people are mad.

D. Only the people with mental illness have more creativity.

It was another day to jump rope（绳子） in gym class. Lynn and Mike turned the long rope in big, slow circles（圈）. The whole class hurried to get in line to wait for their turn to jump. Millie stood at the back of the line and frowned.

Nick went first. He watched the rope and ran in at just the right time. Everyone counted（数）. He made it all the way to 30 jumps. One after another, the kids watched the rope, ran in, and jumped. Then it was Millie’s turn. She watched the rope go around and around, but she didn’t move. She felt like everyone was looking at her.

Millie’s friends cheered. “Go, Millie, go!”

Millie’s face turned red. At last, she gave it a try, but she failed.

The truth was that Millie had been jumping rope at home every day. With a short rope, she could jump 100 times without missing. She just didn’t know how to run in and start jumping with a long rope. Since she was the only kid on her street, there was no one to help turn the long rope.

Just then, Ms Miles, the gym teacher, brought out a bunch of short jump ropes.

"Let's see how long each one of you can jump without missing," she said as she gave each student a short rope, "Ready, set. Go!" 

Millie smiled for the first time ever in gym class. As she jumped, she sang rhymes quietly to herself.

After a while, Millie realized that everyone was cheering, "Go, Millie, go!"

She was the only one still jumping rope! The surprise almost made her miss a step, but she kept going. When at last she was too tired to go on, she stopped. The whole class cheered. Everyone was looking at her and smiling. Millie smiled back!

(1) Which word is the opposite（反义词） of the underlined word frowned?

A. Sat.	B. Hid.
C. Smiled	D. Cried

(2) What problem did Millie have at the beginning of the story?

A. She didn't have any friends in her class.

B. She felt sad because Nick made fun of her.

C. She didn't know the cheers that the other kids knew.

D. She didn't know how to start jumping with a long rope.

(3) Why did Millie smile for the first time in gym class?

A. She did something well at last.

B. She knew the class would cheer for her.

C. She thought that she was going to make a friend.

D. She believed that she would be the winner of the contest.

(4) Which sentence can be put in the empty box?

A. The class decided to play baseball.

B. Millie was the last one still jumping rope.

C. Nick won the rope-jumping contest.

D. Millie tried to hide in the back of the line.

(5) How might Millie feel when she stopped jumping at last?  

A. Proud.	B. Bored.
C. Mad.	D. Silly.

Like all big cities, Paris has a traffic problem: lots of cars, lots of traffic jams (阻塞) and lots of pollution from exhaust fumes (废气). So the city began a scheme (计划) to improve the situation.

Under the Velib scheme (‘Velib’ comes from vélo liberté, or ‘bicycle freedom’) people can take a bicycle, use it for as long as they want, and then leave it at the same or another bicycle station. The first half-hour on the bike is free, but if you don’t return it after 30 minutes, you have to pay. But it’s only − 1 a day or − 29 a year! The bicycles are heavy ( 25 kg), and they are all grey and have baskets. There are about 20,000 of them in the city, and around 1,450 bicycle stations. So there are a lot more Velib stations than the 298 subway stations!

Paris is not the first city to have a scheme like this. But not everybody thinks it’s a great idea. One Parisian said, ‘These bicycles are only for short journeys. If people want to travel across the city, they won’t use a bicycle — they’ll still use their cars.’

A city spokesman said, ‘The bicycle scheme won’t solve all our traffic problems, of course. But it might help reduce air pollution. Traffic, together with factory fumes, is a big problem. There aren’t any simple answers to traffic problems and pollution in cities. But unless we do something now, there will be more traffic jams and temperatures will continue to rise, so the problems in our environment will get worse. The bikes might help people to lead a healthier life, too.’

(1) What can we learn about the Velib scheme?

A. Its bikes have no baskets.

B. Its bikes are light and colorful.

C. It aims to make traveling easier.

D. It owns more stations than the subway.

(2) If you use a Velib for 1 hour, you should pay _____.

A. −1	B. −30
C. −29	D. no money

(3) Why do some people disagree with the Velib scheme?

A. The cost is rather high.

B. It’s hard to find a Velib station.

C. It’s not suitable for a long journey.

D. The distance between two Velib stations is long.

(4) What’s the city spokesman’s attitude towards the bicycle scheme?

A. Doubtful.	B. Positive.
C. Uncaring.	D. Worried.

A 
　　             Grandparents Answer a Call
　　As a third generation native of Brownsville，Texas，Mildred Garza never pleased move away. Even when her daughter and son asked her to move to San Antonio to help their children，she politely refused . Only after a year of friendly discussion did Ms Garza finally say yes. That was four years ago. Today all three generations regard the move to be a success, giving them a closer relationship than they would have had in separate cities.
　　No statistics show the number of grandparents like Garza who are moving closer to the children and grandchildren. Yet there is evidence suggesting that the trend is growing. Even President Obama’s mother-in-law，Marian Robinson，has agreed to leave Chicago and into the White House to help care for her granddaughters. According to a study grandparents .com, 83 percent of the people said Mrs. Robinson ’s decision will influence the grandparents in the American family. Two-thirds believe more families will follow the example of Obama’s family.
　　“In the 1960s, we were all a little wild and couldn’t get away from home far enough fast enough to prove we could do it on our own,”says Christine Crosby，publisher of grate manazine for grandparents . We now realize how important family is and how important to be near them，especially when you’re raising children.”
　　Moving is not for everyone. Almost every grandparent wants to be with his or her grandchildren and is willing to make sacrifices, but sometimes it is wiser to say no and visit frequently instead. Having your grandchildren far away is hard，especially knowing your adult child is struggling，but giving up the life you know may be harder.

(1) Why was Garza’s move a success?

A. It enabled her make more friends

B. It strengthened her family ties

C. It improved her living conditions

D. It helped her know more new places

(2) What was the reaction of the public to Mrs.Robinson’s decision?

A. The majority thought it was a trend

B. Few people responded sympathetically

C. 83% believed it had a bad influence

D. 17% expressed their support for it

(3) What did Crosby say about people in the 1960s?

A. They were unsure of raise more children

B. They were eager to raise more children

C. They had little respect for their grandparents

D. They wanted to live away from their parents

(4) What does the author suggest the grandparents do in the last paragraph?

A. Get to know themselves better

B. Ask their children to pay more visits to them

C. Sacrifice for their struggling children

D. Make decisions in the best interests of their own

C

If you could have one superpower，what would it be?
   Dreaming about whether you would want to read minds，see through walls，or have superhuman strength may sound silly，but it actually gets to the heart of what really matters in your life.
   Every day in our work，we are inspired by the people we meet doing extraordinary things to improve the world.
   They have a different kind of superpower that all of us possess: the power to make a difference in the lives of others.
   We’re not saying that everyone needs to contribute their lives to the poor. Your lives are busy enough doing homework，playing sports，making friends，seeking after your dreams. But we do think that you can live a more powerful life when you devote some of your time and energy to something much larger than yourself. Find an issue you are interested in and learn more. Volunteer or，if you can，contribute a little money to a cause. Whatever you do,don’t be a bystander. Get involved. You may have the opportunity to make your biggest difference when you’re older. But why not start now?
   Our own experience working together on health，development，and energy the last twenty years has been one of the most rewarding parts of our lives. It has changed who we are and continues to fuel our optimism about how much the lives of the poorest people will improve in the years ahead.

(1) What does the underlined part in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A. Your life style

B. Your trouble in life

C. Your life value

D. Your life experience

(2) Why does the author say they are inspired every day?

A. They possess different kinds of superpowers

B. Some people around them are making the world better

C. They have got the power to change the world

D. There are many powerful people in their life and work

(3) What does the author stress in Paragraph 5?

A. Rising above self and acting to help others

B. Learning more and contributing more to a cause

C. Working hard to get a bigger opportunity

D. Trying your best to help the poor

(4) What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A. Much more progress will be made in the near future

B. The author believes the lives of the poorest will get better

C. The work on health is the most valuable experience

D. People’s efforts have been materially rewarded

C

The amount of fish caught worldwide is much larger than has been reported．And that could mean serious problems for the environment and nations that depend on fisheries(渔业)．A new estimate shows that it is 32 million tons higher than countries have been reporting yearly．

The same report notes that the world’s fish catch has been declining since the late 1990s．Countries report their industrial catches to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization．But they do not report other kinds of fishing．This include the catches of small commercial fisher，which are called artisanal fisheries，and fishing for recreation and individual food．

Daniel Pauly at the University of British Columbia in Canada led the study．He noted that a huge amount of some catches is thrown away．“For example，shrimp trawlers(拖网渔船)keep only the shrimp and the fish that they catch-often eight to ten times as much as the shrimp-gets thrown away．”

Pauly told VOA that better estimates of the actual global catch will help ensure there will be enough fish in the future．“But our figures suggest that since 1996 a rapid decrease is happening．And if you project this forward you end up in a few decades having much less catch，literally no catch．So that is potentially dangerous．”

Researchers also found ways the world’s fisheries are changing．They found that fishing fleets of larger nations are catching fish in the waters of developing countries more and more．

Pauly said he was surprised by the amount of fishing done by foreign fleets in competition with local fishers．“In West Africa，the figure that was most astonishing is the enormous role of foreign fishing-of European and Asian vessels fishing legally or illegally-and competing against local fishers．On the other hand for the U．S．，Australia and some developing countries，such as the Bahamas，what was apparent is the enormous contribution of recreational fisheries，which also never get reported to the FAO．”

Researchers say inaccurate data also harms the development and supervision(监管)of effective policy and management measures．

 

(1) What’s the main idea of the passage?

A. False reports of fish caught harms economy environment．

B. The world’s fish catch has been declining．

C. The global fishing competition is serious．

D. The management of global fishing need improving．

(2) What does the underlined word“it”(in para．1)refer to?

A. The amount of foreign fishing．

B. The amount of local fishing．

C. The amount of recreational fishing．

D. The amount of all fish caught worldwide．

(3) Which kind of the fishing has been reported to the FAO?

A. Industrial fish catches．

B. Commercial fishing．

C. Fishing for entertainment．

D. Fishing for individual food．

(4) Which part is this article possibly chosen from on the Internet?

A. Health report．

B. Science in the news．

C. Explorations．

D. Technology report．

D

    Manners nowadays in big cities like London are practically non-existent．It is nothing for a big strong schoolboy to push an elderly woman aside for the last remaining seat on a bus，much less stand up and offer his seat to her，as he ought to．In fact，it is saddening to note that if a man does offer his seat to an older woman，it is nearly always one from the older generation．

    This question of giving up seats in public transport is much argued about by young men，    who say that，since women have asked for equality，they no longer deserve to be treated with    courtesy and that those who go out to work should take their tum in the race like anyone else．Even if it is not agreed，that courtesy should be shown to the old，the sick and the burdened，are we really so lost to all ideals of unselfishness that we call sit there indifferently reading a newspaper or a book，saying to ourselves“First come，first served，”while a gray-haired woman，a mother with a young child or a disabled man stands? Yet this is all too often seen．

    Older people，tired and irritable from a day’s work，are not angels，either-far from it．Many an argument or an insulting(辱骂)quarrel breaks out as they feel tired of pushes in the queue and shove(猛推)each other to get on buses．

    If cities are to remain pleasant places to live in，however, it seems very necessary not only  that communications in transport should be improved，but also that communication between  human beings should be kept smooth and polite．Shop assistants won't bother to help，  taxi-drivers shout at each other as they drive dangerously round corners，bus conductors pull the bell before their passengers have had time to get on or off the bus，and so on. It seems to us that it is up to the young and strong to do their small part to stop such deterioration(恶化).

(1) What can be inferred from the first paragraph?

A. A big strong schoolboy never push the elderly for a seat on a bus.

B. Young persons are sure to offer seat to the elderly．

C. Older generation have better manners than the young.

D. Elderly woman are often treated politely．

(2) What’s the witer’s attitude towards the young men’s argument about offering seat in public?

A. Tolerant

B. Doubtful

C. Supportive

D. Critical

(3) What can we learn from the last paragraph but one?

A. Older people behave worse than the young.

B. Older people may also have unpleasant behaviors.

C. Older people don’t like taking buses.

D. Older people are good at argument and quarrel.

(4) Why does the author write this article?

A. To tell us that manners nowadays in big cities are non-existent.

B. To scold the persons who have no manners at all.

C. To warn us of the seriousness of young men’s lacking good manners.

D. To call on the young to improve the situation．

Music for Humans and Humpback Whales
As researchers conclude in Science，the love of music is not only a universal feature of the human species，but is also deeply fixed in complex structures of the human brain，and is far more ancient than previously suspected．
In the articles that discuss the field of bio-musicology，the study of the biological basis for the creation and appreciation of music，researchers present various evidence to，show that music-making is at once an original human"business"，and an art form with skillful performers throughout the animal kingdom．
The new reports stress that humans hold no copyright on sound wisdom，and that a number of nonhuman animals produce what can rightly be called music，rather than random sound．Recent in-depth analyses of the songs sung by humpback whales show that，even when their organ would allow them to do otherwise，the animals converge on the same choices relating to sounds and beauty，and accept the same laws of song composition as those preferred by human musicians，and human ears，everywhere．
For example，male humpback whales，who spend six months of each year doing little else but singing，use rhythms （节奏） similar to those found in human music and musical phrases of similar length-a few seconds．Whales are able to make sounds over a range of at least seven octaves （八度音阶），yet they tend to move on through a song in beautiful musical intervals，rather than moving forwards madly．They mix the sounds like drums and pure tones in a ratio （比例） which agrees with that heard in much western music．They also use a favorite technique of human singers，the so-called A-B-A form，in which a theme is stated，then developed，and then returned to in slightly revised form．
Perhaps most impressive，humpback songs contain tunes that rhyme．"This suggests that whales use rhyme in the same way we do：as a technique in poem to help them remember complex material，"the researchers write．

(1) The underlined words"converge on"in Paragraph 3probably means ______ ．

A. tend towards

B. refer to

C. turn into

D. put forward

(2) Which of the following shows the advanced musical ability in humpback whales？ ______

A. They can remember complex material．

B. They can create pleasing patterns of music．

C. They can make sounds like drums continuously．

D. They can sing along with rhythms of western music．

(3) What is the main idea of the article？ ______

A. Animals are able to compose and enjoy music like humans．

B. Human beings borrow ideas in music from humpback whales．

C. Humpback whales are skillful performers in the animal kingdom．

D. Music-making it an ancient activity of both humans and animals．

(4) The main purpose of the passage is to ______ ．

A. argue and discuss	B. inform and explain
C. compare and advertise	D. examine and assess．

When I first arrived in Taiwan to teach English, I had already taken several courses in university on Mandarin Chinese. I had done well in those courses and enjoyed them very much. I thought I would be able to have a conversation with Chinese speakers and improve my Chinese in the process.

However, as soon as I settled in Taiwan I became afraid to speak. Seeing all of the signs written in Chinese, constantly overhearing long streams of spoken Chinese, and seeing the effortless fluency of some foreigners who had been there for a while, I began to doubt my own ability to speak Chinese. It’s proved that things were different outside of the classroom.

What really happened to me was what happens every day to Chinese language learners. I became afraid and nervous at the foreignness of the language. Something happened a few weeks later. I tried to spend a lot of time in public, and the sound of spoken Chinese was becoming more ordinary to me. Despite the fact that I had not been practicing my Chinese and I had not consulted my vocabulary flashcards. I begin to notice some words that I recognized from my courses in university. At first, I heard only one word. “dianhua”- telephone. After that, I begin hearing other words. Sometimes, I would hear a couple of words in one sentence.

More and more words began to stand out to me. I started studying Chinese characters and began to be able to read small blocks of text in the advertisements. When I really began speaking in Chinese to Chinese people I met, I began to learn Chinese fast and the smiles that I received in return were a fantastic reward for the work that I had done in learning the language. It was a great feeling to order food from a restaurant in Chinese, or to make a comment about the weather to the lady who works at the bank.

(1) What can we conclude from the passage?

A. The author is sharing his Spoken Chinese experience.

B. The author is a fearful and cautious man.

C. The author didn’t get good grades at university.

D. The author couldn’t adjust to the life of Taiwan.

(2) According to the passage we know that_______.

A. Chinese dishes and weather attract the author deeply.

B. the author thought he could talk with Chinese in mandarin before he arrived in Taiwan.

C. the author failed to improve his spoken Chinese.

D. the language in reality is just the same as that taught in classroom.

(3) Why does the author doubt his ability to speak Chinese at first?

A. Everything in Taiwan is different from that in America.

B. People often misunderstand the author on purpose.

C. Other foreigners can’t communicate with him.

D. He has difficulty understanding the native language.

(4) What do you know about the author in the passage?

A. He only enjoys talking with the local people in Chinese.

B. He can speak fluent Chinese when ordering meals at last.

C. He loves to make a comment on woman.

D. He has been rewarded for speaking Chinese.

B

Several years ago, April Hollingsworth went to a local animal shelter, looking for her missing cat. She’d had no intention (意向) of coming home with a dog, but when she saw Piggy, the dog smiled at her.

“I’d never seen a dog smile before, so I had to have her,” she told KLS News. Piggy loved to run and play, but the dog’s life changed three and a half years ago when she was struck by a car outside Hollingsworth’s house. Hollings-worth came out to find her dog covered with blood, unable to move. When she took Piggy to the vet, the news wasn’t good. “It wasn’t until I picked her up that I really understood that she was paralyzed (瘫痪的),” Hollingsworth said. “No one came out and said, ‘You should put her down,’ but that was what they thought.”

But Hollingsworth decided that she would give her dog as much care and help as she needed to stay alive. She bought the dog a cart (手推车), letting her walk without use of her back legs. Now, Piggy is pretty good at getting around on her own and her favorite place to go to is the children’s wing of Shriners Hospital.

Piggy visits children who also have physical problems. “As soon as the children see her, they think of their own situation,” said Andrea Mathers, a nurse. “I think that is what makes her unique coming here to the hosp ital, so it is really something that these kids look forward to.”

“I think if we’re lucky we have something to give the world to make people happy,” said April. “I have a great dog who spreads happiness wherever she goes, so I feel it’s as much my duty as it is something that makes me really happy.”

(1) Hollingsworth took Piggy home from the animal shelter because      .

    

A. she would never find her missing cat

B. she loved dogs more than cats

C. the dog couldn’t walk

D. the dog smiled at her

(2) What is Hollingsworth’s attitude towards the dog?

   

A. She loves it all the time.

B. She thinks it is useless for her.

C. She is tired of taking care of it.

D. She loves it more than the kids.

(3) The kids in the hospital looked forward to Piggy’s coming because      .

    

A. their life in the hospital was boring

B. they needed a pet like Piggy

C. they could learn something from Piggy

D. they wanted carts to help them walk

(4) What would be the suitable title of the text?

   

A. Lucky dog, lovely kids

B. Love me, love my dog

C. The importance of keeping a dog

D. A disabled dog inspires the disabled kids