You’re sitting on the train home and the person opposite you yawns(打哈欠). Suddenly, you’re yawning with him, though you’re not tired.

   This phenomenon confused scientists for years until a recent study found that people tend to sympathize with fellow humans. Supporting this claim was the discovery that those children who were unable to form normal emotional ties with others did not experience contagious(有感染力的) yawning, which showed that humans communicate regularly with out words.

   Hugo Critchley, a neuroscientist, has conducted an experiment recently, which will prove that happiness and sadness can spread like the common cold. According to Critechley, our mind and body are in constant exchange about how we’re feeling. “Emotions are closely linked with states of internal(內(nèi)部的) responses,” he explained. “ There are also more visible changes in our gestures and facial expression. When we’re in a group, these signals can spread to another person. For example, there’s the obvious tendency to smile when smiled at and there are less obvious changes that reflect emotions of surprise, anger or sadness such as a change in our heart rate and blood pressure.

Hugo Critchley further explained, “Our bodies synchronies and when we like the other person, we ever copy his behavior. Next time you chat with a friend, take note of how you’re sitting— it’s pretty likely that you will be the same. Scientists believe it’s our way of telling each other that we’re partners. Through body language, humans give each other very subtle(微妙的) but clear signals that show emotions.”

So, what lessons can we learn from this? “ Spend time with happy people— otherwise your health could suffer,” said Critchley.” When we’re sad, our body goes into fight or flight mode. But when we’re happy, our body works normally and we feel relaxed and positive. So we look bright, our skin glows, we feel healthy and it affects everyone around us.”

According to Hugo Critchley, ________.

  A. emotions are as visible as facial expressions

  B. we yawn more frequently when we have a cold

  C. emotions are connected with states of internal responses

  D. the change of blood pressure is not linked with the change of emotions.

The underlined word “synchronies” in Paragraph 4 means “_____”.

  A. move slowly  B. change rapidly  C. relax temporarily  D. respond accordingly

From the passage we can learn ________.

  A. sadness is as contagious as happiness

  B. anger is less contagious than friendliness

  C. surprise is more contagious than smile

  D. surprise is the most contagious among emotions

Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

  A. Emotions have delicate influence on fellow humans.

  B. Children like copying the actions of the fellow humans.

C．Scientists are still confused about contagious yawning

D．People tend to communicate more with body language. 

TV’s Harmfulness

       Yes, but what did we use to do before there was television? How often we hear statements like this! Television hasn’t been with us all that long, but we are already beginning to forget what the world was like without it. Before we admitted the one-eyed monster into our homes,  we never fond it difficult to occupy our spare time. We used to enjoy civilized pleasures. For instance, we used to have hobbies, we used to entertain our friends and be entertained by them, we used to go outside for our amusements to theatres, cinemas, restaurants and sporting events. We even used to read books and listen to music and broadcast talks occasionally. All that belongs to the past. Now all our free time is regulated by the goggle box. We rush home or gulp down our meals to be in time for this or that programme. We have even given up sitting at table and having a leisurely evening meal, exchanging the news of the day. A sandwich and a glass of beer will do – anything, providing it doesn’t interfere with the programme. The monster demands and obtains absolute silence and attention. If any member of the family dares to open his mouth during a programme, he is quickly silenced.

       Whole generations are growing up addicted to the telly（電視）. Food is left uneaten, homework undone and sleep is lost. The telly is a universal pacifier. It is now standard practice for mother to keep the children quiet by putting them in the living-room and turning on the set. It doesn’t matter that the children will watch rubbishy commercials or spectacles of sadism and violence – so long as they are quiet.

       There is a limit to the amount of creative talent available in the world. Every day, television consumes vast quantities of creative work. That is why most of the programmes are so bad: it is impossible to keep pace with the demand and maintain high standards as well. When millions watch the same programmes, the whole world becomes a village, and society is reduced to the conditions which obtain in preliterate communities. We become utterly dependent on the two most primitive media of communication: pictures and the spoken word.

       Television encourages passive enjoyment. We become content with second-hand experiences. It is so easy to sit in our armchairs watching others working. Little by little, television cuts us off from the real world. We get so lazy, we choose to spend a fine day in semi-darkness, glued to our sets, rather than go out into the world itself. Television may be s splendid medium of communication, but it prevents us from communicating with each other. We only become aware how totally irrelevant television is to real living when we spend a holiday by the sea or in the mountains, far away from civilization. In quiet, natural surroundings, we quickly discover how little we miss the hypnotic tyranny of King Telly.

What is the biggest harm of TV?

A It deprives people of communication with the real world.

B People become lazy.

C People become dependent on second-hand experience.

D TV consumes a large part of one’s life.

In what way can people forget TV?

A Far away from civilization.  B To a mountain.  C By the sea.  D In quiet natural surroundings.

What does a mother usually do to keep her children quiet?

A Let them watch the set.       B Put them in the living room.

C Let them watch the rubbish.   D Let them alone.

What does the first sentence in the first paragraph mean?

A We found it difficult to occupy our spare time.      B We become addicted to TV.

C What we used to do is different from now.         D We used to enjoy civilized pleasures.

The Neutrality of American in the Early World War II

       The establishment of the Third Reich influenced events in American history by starting a chain of events which culminated in war between Germany and the United States. The compete destruction of democracy, the persecution of Jews, the war on religion, the cruelty and barbarism of the Nazis, and especially the plans of Germany and her allies, Italy and Japan, for world conquest caused great indignation in this country and brought on fear of another world war. While speaking out against Hitler’s atrocities, the American people generally favored isolationist policies and neutrality. The Neutrality Acts of 1935 and 1936 prohibited trade with any belligerents or loans to them. In 1937 the President was empowered to declare an arms embargo in wars between nations at his discretion.

       American opinion began to change somewhat after President Roosevelt’s “quarantine the aggressor” speech at Chicago (1937) in which he severely criticized Hitler’s policies. Germany’s seizure of Austria and the Munich Pact for the partition of Czechoslovakia (1938) also aroused the American people. The conquest of Czechoslovakia in March, 1939 was another rude awakening to the menace of the Third Reich. In August, 1939 came the shock of the Nazi-soviet Pact and in September the attack on Poland and the outbreak of European war. The United States attempted to maintain neutrality in spite of sympathy for the democracies arrayed against the Third Reich. The Neutrality Act of 1939 repealed the arms embargo and permitted “cash and carry” exports of arms to belligerent nations. A strong national defense program was begun. A draft act was passed (1940) to strengthen the military services. A Lend Act (1941) authorized the President to sell, exchange, or lend materials to any country deemed necessary by him for the defense of the United States. Help was given to Britain by exchanging certain overage destroyers for the right to establish American bases in British territory in the Western Hemisphere. In August, 1940 President Roosevelt and Prime Minister Churchill met and issued the Atlantic Charter which proclaimed the kind of a world which should be established after the war. In December, 1941, Japan launched the unprovoked attack on the United States at Pearl Harbor. Immediately thereafter, Germany declared war on the United States.

One item occurring before 1937 that the author does not mention in his list of actions that alienated the American public was

A the burning of the Reichstag.   B German plans for conquest.

C Nazi barbarism.             D the persecution of religious groups.

The Lend-Lease Act was designed to

A help the British.

B strengthen the national defense of the United States.

C promote the Atlantic Charter.

D avenge Pearl Harbor.

American Policy during the years 1935-1936 may be described as being

A watchful.  B isolationist.  C peaceful.   D indifferent.

The Neutrality Act of 1939

A permitted the selling of arms to belligerent nations.

B antagonized Japan.

C permitted the British to trade only with the Allies.

D led to Lend-Lease Act.

We entered the war against Germany

A because Germany declared war.

B because Japan was an ally of Germany.

C after Germany had signed the Nazi-soviet Pact.

D after peaceful efforts had failed.

It is a great        for a person to be able to drive when he is seeking a job.

A. advantage               B. chance              C. fun           D. importance

                            Preface

Science is a dominant(占優(yōu)勢(shì)的) theme in our culture. Since it touches almost every facet of our life, educated people need at least some acquaintance with its structure and operation. They should also have an understanding of the subculture in which scientists live and the kinds of people they are. An understanding of general characteristics of science as well as specific scientific concepts is easier to attain if one knows something about the things that excite and frustrate the scientist.

 This book is written for the intelligent student or lay person whose acquaintance with science is superficial; for the person who has been presented with science as a musty storehouse of dried facts; for the person who sees the chief objective of science as the production of gadgets; and for the person who views the scientists as some sort of magician. The book can be used to supplement a course in any science, to accompany any course that attempts to give an understanding of the modern world, or – independently of any course – simply to provide a better understanding of science. We hope this book will lead readers to a broader perspective on scientific attitudes and a more realistic view of what science is, who scientists are, and what they do. It will give them an awareness and understanding of the relationship between science and our culture and an appreciation of the roles science may play in our culture. In addition, readers may learn to appreciate the relationship between scientific views and some of the values and philosophies that are pervasive（普遍的；深入的）in our culture.

 We have tried to present in this book an accurate and up-to-date picture of the scientific community and the people who populate it. That population has in recent years come to comprise more and more women. This increasing role of women in the scientific subculture is not a unique incident but, rather, part of the trend evident in all segments of society as more women enter traditionally male-dominated fields and make significant contributions. In discussing these changes and contribution, however, we are faced with a language that is implicitly sexist, one that uses male nouns or pronouns in referring to unspecified individuals. To offset this built-in bias, we have adopted the policy of using plural nouns and pronouns whenever possible and, when absolutely necessary, alternating he and she. This policy is far form being ideal, but it is at least an acknowledgment of the inadequacy of our language in treating half of the human race equally.

 We have also tried to make the book entertaining as well as informative. Our approach is usually informal. We feel, as do many other scientists, that we shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously. As the reader may observe, we see science as a delightful pastime rather than as a grim and dreary way to earn a living.

According to the passage, ‘scientific subculture’ means

A  cultural groups that are formed by scientists. B  people whose knowledge of science is very limited.

C  the scientific community.    D  people who make good contribution to science.

We need to know something about the structure and operation of science because

A. it is not easy to understand the things that excite and frustrate scientists.

B Science affects almost every aspect of our life.

C Scientists live in a specific subculture.  D It is easier to understand general characteristics of science.

The book mentioned in this passage is written for readers who

A are intelligent college students and lay person who do not know much about science.

B are good at producing various gadgets.

C work in a storehouse of dried facts.    D want to have a superficial understanding of science.

According to this passage,

A English is a sexist language.  B only in the scientific world is the role of women increasing rapidly.

C women are making significant contributions to eliminating the inadequacy of our language.

D male nouns or pronouns should not be used to refer to scientists.

This passage most probably is

A. book review. B the preface of a book.  C the postscript of a book.  D the concluding part of a book.

It's killed at least two dozen people, damaged hundreds of homes, cost some 22 billion Yuan in direct economic losses so far and has left thousands of family-bound travelers stranded. The massive snow and ice storm that has swept through the southern part of China has put this country into full disaster management mode. Tens of thousands of soldiers have been activated and the government has already provided 126 million Yuan in aide to six provinces in the south slammed by the unexpected winter blast. But is enough being done? And what else can be done to ensure that the effects of natural disasters like the one in southern China are minimized in the future?

“Ni hao, you're listening to People In the Know, your window into the world around you, online at www.crienglish.com here on China Radio International. In this edition of the show, we'll be talking about the southern China snow and ice storm. So let's get started.

First, let's get a Chinese perspective of how well the ice and snow storm in southern China is being handled from a logistical point of view. For this we're joined on the line by Professor Peng Xizhe, Dean of the School of Social Development and Public Policy at Fudan University in Shanghai.

(Dialogue with Peng)

    And after a short break, we'll talk about the broader view of disaster management.”

   “Ni hao, you're listening to People In the Know, your window into the world around you, online at www.crienglish.com here on China Radio International. I'm Paul James in Beijing. In this edition of the show, we're talking about the massive winter storm that has ravaged southern China. For a broader look at disaster management, we're joined on the line now by Mr. Aloysius Rego and Ms. Jiang Lingling, both with the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center in Thailand.

(Dialogue with Jiang and Rego)

    And with that we close out this edition of People In the Know, online at www.crienglish.com here on China Radio International. Though it may seem small consolation now for the thousands who remain stranded because of the storm, it's important to remember that as long as patience prevails, you will get home. Questions or comments for us can be sent to crieng@crifm.com. For Executive Director Wang Lei and Producers Yang Jingjie and Xu Yang, I'm Paul James in Beijing. Take care.”

What style does this passage according to?

   A. 說(shuō)明文   B. 議論文   C. 描寫(xiě)文   D. 新聞報(bào)道

What’s the main idea of this article?

   A. Tell the stories about the snow storm in the southern part of China

   B. Tell us some facts about the people in the disaster.

   C. What have been done or will be done to rescue the people in the disaster.

   D. Let’s know the measures about the disaster.

How many people died from the snow disaster before this report?

   A. more than 30    B. more than 24    C. many    D. 50

Never before______ so highly successful in his attempts to forecast the weather accurately on a small scale．

         A．man has been    B．man is       C．has man been    D．will be man

Beauty has always been regarded as something admirable .Almost everyone thinks that attractive people are happier and healthier; they have better marriages and have more respectable jobs. Personal consultants（顧問(wèn)）give them better advice for finding jobs. Even judges are softer on attractive persons. But in the executive circle, beauty can become a liability.

While attractiveness is a positive thing for a man’s rise, it is harmful to a woman’s .Handsome male executives were considered as having more honesty than plainer men; effort and ability were thought to be the reasons for their success .Attractive female executives were considered to have less honesty than unattractive ones; their success was attributed not to ability but to factors such as luck. All unattractive women executives were thought to have more honesty and to be more capable than the attractive female executives.

Why are attractive women not thought to be able? An attractive woman is thought to be more feminine（女性的）and an attractive man more masculine（男性的）than the less attractive ones. Thus , an attractive woman has an advantage in traditionally female jobs, but an attractive woman in a traditionally masculine position appears to lack the “masculine”qualities required.

This is true even in politics. Anne Bowman recently published a study on the effects of attractiveness on political candidates（候選人）.She asked 125 undergraduate students to rank two groups of photographs, one of men and one of women ,in order of attractiveness. The students were told the photographs were of candidates for political offices. They were asked to rank them again, in the order they would vote for them.

The results showed that attractive males completely defeated unattractive men , but the woman who had been ranked most attractive always received the fewest votes.

In traditionally female jobs, attractiveness __________________ .

A. strengthens the feminine qualities required

B. makes women look more honest and capable

C. is of great importance to women

D. often enables women to succeed quickly

Bowman’s experiment shows that when it comes to politics, attractiveness _____________________.

A. turns out to be an obstacle to men

B. affects men and women alike

C. has as little effect on men as on women

D. is more of an obstacle than a benefit to women

It can be inferred from the passage that people’s views on beauty are often ____________ .

A. practical    B. old-fashioned    C. prejudiced（偏見(jiàn)的）  D. serious

The author writes this passage to_______________________ .

A. discuss the negative aspects of being attractive

B. give advice to job-seekers who are attractive

C. demand equal rights for women

D. emphasize the importance of appearance

Amazed zoo visitors watch as an orangutan(猩猩) named Bonnie swings along cables way above their heads. She’s not making a great ape escape; she’s taking a “highway” to higher learning.

Bonnie is traveling on the Orangutan Transit System, called the O-Line, at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C. The O-Line stretches from the Great Ape House, where Bonnie lives, to an exhibit called Think Tank. There she and other orangutans participate in a study trying to answer the questions: Do animals think?  If so,  how?

    Think Tank scientists look for clues that an animal is thinking. A baby orangutan following its mother is probably not thinking. But an orangutan using a stick to reach honey in a beehive probably is thinking. It’s figuring out how to obtain a sweet treat.

    To learn more about what the orangutans are thinking, Think Tank scientists are teaching orangutans a language of symbols. The apes don’t actually speak. They point to the symbols to show their thoughts.

    Each symbol stands for a word. Different categories of the symbols have their own shapes. Food symbols, for example, are rectangles(矩形); object symbols are circles; and verbs are diamonds.

    Computers help the orangutans learn the symbolic language. After the apes are shown an apple, for example, their task is to touch the apple symbol on a computer screen. They can do so. All six orangutans have learned a few symbols, but only Azy and Indah have learned eight symbols and can use the computer.

    Azy and Indah choose to live at Think Tank. The others commute(往返) from the Great Ape House on the O-Line. All attend Think Tank sessions, though none are made to do so. “They’re eager to learn”, one of the scientists says. “They never turn me down!”

What is the main idea of the passage?

Scientists are doing research on whether animals can think and how they think.

Biologists have found that orangutans are more intelligent than other animals.

Orangutans at the National Zoo can be taught to communicate with humans easily.

Animals are being taught by scientists to speak to one another at the National Zoo.

     The Orangutan Transit System refers to _____.

a way that can teach animals to learn things and communicate quickly

a place for various animals in the National Zoo to participate in the study

a walkway for the orangutans to travel to different sections of the zoo

a line for the orangutans to travel between the Great Ape House and the Think Tank

     According to the passage, scientists use a system of symbols to help _____.

find out which orangutan can learn the symbolic language fast

attract all the orangutans to live together at Think Tank

communicate with the orangutans and understand them better

understand whether animals can learn a language and express themselves by using it

     It can be inferred from the passage that _____.

a baby orangutan has his own intention though following his mother

many animals in the wild can learn symbolic languages to express their thoughts

the cleverer the animals are, the more knowledge they would like to learn

orangutans can form mental images in their minds when they see objects

A black hole is created when a large star burns out. Like our sun, stars are unbelievably hot furnaces (熔爐) that burn their own matter as fuel. When most of the fuel is used up, the star begins to die.

The death of a star is not a quiet event. First there is a huge explosion. As its outer layer is blasted off into space, the dying star shines as brightly as a billion suns.

After the explosion gravity pulls in what’s left of the star. As the outside of the star sinks toward the center, the star gets smaller and smaller. The material the star is made of becomes tightly packed together. A star is so dense that a teaspoon of matter from it weighs billion of pounds.

The more the star shrinks, the stronger the gravity inside it becomes. Soon the star is very tiny, and the gravity pulling it in is unbelievably strong. In fact, the gravity is so strong that it even pulls light into the star! Since all the light is pulled in, none can go out. The star becomes black when there is no light. Then a black hole is born!

That’s what we know about black holes. What we don’t know is this: What happens inside a black hole after the star has been squeezed into a tiny ball? Does it keep getting smaller and smaller forever? Such a possibility is hard to imagine.

But if the black hole doesn’t keep shrinking, what happens to it? Some scientists think black holes are like doorways to another world. They say that as the star disappears from our universe, it goes into another universe. In other words a black hole in our universe could turn into a “white hole” in a different universe. As the black hole swallows light, the white hole shines brightly—somewhere else. But where? A different place, perhaps, or a different time — many years in the past or future.

Could you travel through a black hole? Right now, no. Nothing we know of could go into a black hole without being crushed. So far the time being, black hole must remain a mystery.

Black holes are a mystery—but that hasn’t stopped scientists from dreaming about them. One scientist suggested that in the future we might make use of the power of black holes. They would supply all of Earth’s energy needs, with plenty to spare. Another scientist wondered if a black hole could some day be used to swallow earthly waste—a sort of huge waste disposal(處理) in the sky!

When the star begins to die ______.

A. there is no fuel left in it                                B. its outer layer goes into space first

C. a huge explosion will happen                         D. it doesn’t give off light any longer

Which of the following doesn’t help produce a black hole?

A. The gravity inside the star is very strong.        B. The light can’t go out of the star.

C. The star becomes smaller and smaller             D. The dying star shines very brightly.

The black hole ______.

A. continues becoming smaller and smaller all the time

B. goes into another universe and becomes a white hole

C. can pull in everything we know of in the world

D. will appear at another place at a different time

What’s the best title for this passage?

A. A New Scientific Discovery: Black Holes

B. How Do Black Holes Come Into Being?

C. What Are Black Holes?

D. Travel Through A Black Hole