(08·全國(guó)ⅡD篇)

Something in chocolate could be used to stop coughs and lead to more effective medicines,say UK researchers.

Their study found that theobromine,found in cocoa,was nearly a third more effective in stopping coughs than codeine,which was considered the best cough medicine at present.

The Imperial College London researchers who published their results online said the discovery could lead to more effective cough treatments.“While coughing is not necessarily harmful(有害的) it can have a major effect on the quality of life,and this discovery could be a huge step forward in treating this problem,”said Professor Peter Barnes.

Ten healthy volunteers(志愿者) were given theobromine,codeine or a placebo,a pill that contains no medicine,during the experiment.Neither the volunteers nor the researchers knew who received which pill.The researchers then measured levels of capsaicin,which is used in research to cause coughing and as a sign of how well the medicines are stopping coughs.

The team found that,when the volunteers were given theobromine,the capsaicin needed to produce a cough was around a third higher than in the placebo group.When they were given codeine they needed only slightly higher levels of capsaicin to cause a cough compared with the placebo.

The researchers said that theobromine worked by keeping down a nerve activity(神經(jīng)活動(dòng)),which causes coughing.They also found that unlike some standard cough treatments,theobromine caused no side effects such as sleepiness.

53.According to Professor Barnes,theobromine         .

A.cannot be as effective as codeine

B.can be harmful to people’s health

C.cannot be separated from chocolate

D.can be a more effective cure for coughs

54.What was used in the experiment to cause coughing?

A.Theobromine.              B.Codeine.                 C.Capsaicin.              D.Placebo.

55.We learn from the text that volunteers in the experiment         .

A.were patients with bad coughs

B.were divided into three groups

C.received standard treatments

D.suffered little side effects

56.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A.Codeine:A New Medicine

B.Chocolate May Cure Coughs

C.Cough Treatment:A Hard Case

D.Theobromine Can Cause Coughs

 (08·天津C篇)

Michael Fish may soon be replaced as a weather forecaster by something truly fishier—the shark(鯊魚(yú)).

Research by a British biology student suggests that sharks could be used to predict storms.

Lauren Smith, 24, is close to completing her study on shark’s ability to sense pressure.

If her studies prove the theory, scientists may be able to monitor the behaviour of sharks to predict bad weather.

Miss Smith had previously studied the behaviour of lemon sharks in the Bahamas.

She then used their close relatives, lesser spotted dogfish, for further research at Aberdeen University.

Her work—thought to be the first of its kind to test the pressure theory—resulted from the observation that juvenile blacktip sharks off Florida moved into deeper water ahead of a violent storm in 2001.

Miss Smith said: “I’ve always been crazy about traveling and diving and this led me to an interest in sharks.”

“I was delighted to have been able to research in the area for my degree. I know there’s so much more we need to understand—but it certainly opens the way to more research.”

It has been discovered that a shark senses pressure using hair cells in its balance system.

At the Bimini Shark Lab in the Bahamas, Miss Smith fixed hi-tech sensors to sharks to record pressure and temperature, while also tracking them using GPS (Global Positioning System) technology.

In Aberdeen, she was able to study the effects of tidal(潮汐的) and temperature changes on dogfish—none of which were harmed. She also used a special lab which can mimic(模擬) oceanic pressure changes caused by weather fronts.

She is due to complete her study and graduate later this year. She says she will be looking for a job which will give her the chance to enrich her experience of shark research.

44.The passage is most probably taken from _____.

A. a short-story collection                                 B. a popular science magazine

C. a research paper                                   D. a personal diary

45. What do we learn from the first four paragraphs of the passage?

A. Sharks may be used to predict bad weather.

B. Sharks’ behaviour can be controlled.

C. Michael Fish is not qualified for his job.

D. Lauren Smith will become a weather forecaster.

46. Lauren Smith conducted her research by _______.

   A. removing hair cells from a shark’s balance system

   B. measuring the air pressure of weather fronts

   C. recording sharks’ body temperature

   D. monitoring sharks’ reaction to weather changes

47. What is the passage mainly about?

   A. A popular way of forecasting weather.

   B. A new research effort in predicting storms.

   C. Biologists’ interest in the secrets of sharks.

   D. Lauren Smith’s devotion to scientific research.

 (08·陜西E篇)

Did you know that women’s brains are smaller than men’s? The average women’s brain weighs 10% less than men’s. Since research has shown that the bigger the brain, the cleverer the animal, men must be more intelligent(聰明的) than women. Right? Wrong. Men and women always score similarly on intelligence tests, despite the difference in brain size. Why? After years of study, researchers have concluded that it’s what’s inside that matters, not just the size of the brain. The brain consists of  “grey matter” and  “white matter”.      While men have more of the latter ,the amount of “thinking” brain is almost exactly the same in both sexs.

It has been suggested that smaller brain appears to work faster, perhaps because the two sides of the brain are better connected in women. This means that little girls tend to learn to speak earlier, and that women can understand sorts of information from different sources at the same time. When it comes to talking to the boss on the phone, cooking dinner and keeping an eye on the baby all at the same time, it’s women who come out on top every time.

   There are other important differences between two sexes. As white matter is the key to spatial(空間的) tasks, men know better where things are in relation to other things. “A great footballer always knows where he is in relation to the other players, and he knows where to go,” says one researcher. That may explain one of life’s great mysteries:Why men refuse to ask for directions … and women often need to!

   The differences begin when fetuses(胎兒) are about nine weeks old, which can be seen in the action of children as young as one. A boy would try to climb a barrier (障礙物) before him or push it down while a girl would attract help from others. These brain differences also explain the fact that more men take up jobs that require good spatial skills, while more women speech skills. It may all go back to our ancestors(祖先) ,among whom women needed speech skills to take care of their babies and men needed spatial skills to hunt, according to one research.

   If all this disappoints you, it shouldn’t. “The brain changes throughout our lives according to what we do with it,” says a biologist.

57. Which of the following is TRUE according to the first paragraph?

   A. Women’s brain is 10% less than men’s.

   B. Grey matter plays the same role as white matter.

   C. Grey matter controls thinking in the brain.

   D. Both sexes have the same amount of white matter.

58. What can we infer from the second and third paragraphs?

   A. Women prefer doing many things at a time.

   B. Men do better dealing with one job at a time.                                                                 

   C. Women do not need to tell directions.

   D. Men have weaker spatial abilities.

59. Which of the following do you agree with according to the fourth paragraph?

   A. Young boys may be stronger than young girls.

   B. More women take up jobs requiring speech skills.

   C. Women may have stronger feelings than men.

   D. Our ancestors needed more spatial skills.

60. What is the writer’s attitude in writing this passage?

A. Defensive.          B. Persuasive.         C. Supportive.            D. Objective.

 (08·陜西D篇)

Runners in a relay(接力) race pass a stick in one direction. However, merchants passed silk, gold, fruit, and glass along the Silk Road in more than one direction. They earned their living by traveling the famous Silk Road.

The Silk Road was not a simple trading network. It passed through thousands of cities and towns. It started from eastern China, across Central Asia and the Middle East, and ended in the Mediterranean Sea. It was used from about 200 B. C. to about A.D.1300, when sea travel offered new routes(路線(xiàn)).It was sometimes called the world’s longest highway. However, the Silk Road was made up of many routes, not one smooth path. They passed through what are now 18 countries. The routes crossed mountains and deserts and had many dangers of hot sun, deep snow and even battles. Only experienced traders could return safe.

The Silk Road got its name from its most prized product. Silk could be used like money to pay taxes or buy goods. But the traders carried more than just silk. Gold, silver, and glass from Europe were much found in the Middle East and Asia. Horses traded from other areas changed farming practices in China. Indian merchants traded salt and other valuable goods. Chinese merchants traded paper, which produced an immediate effect on the West. Apples traveled from Central Asia to Rome. The Chinese had learned to graft(嫁接)　different trees together to make new kinds of fruit. They passed this science on to others, including the Romans. The Romans used grafting to grow the apple. Trading along the Silk Road led to worldwide business 2,000 years before the World Wide Web.

The people along the Silk Road did not share just goods. They also shared their beliefs. The Silk Road provided pathways for learning, diplomacy(外交), and religion (宗教).

53. It’s probable that traders along the Silk Road needed         .

A. to remember the entire trade route                     B. to know the making of products

C. to receive certain special training                      D. to deal with a lot of difficulties

54. The Silk Road became less important because          .

A. it was made up of different routes             B. silk trading became less popular

C. sea travel provided easier routes                D. people needed fewer foreign goods

55. New technologies could travel along the Silk Road because people          .

A. learned from one another                     B. shared each other’s beliefs

C. traded goods along the route                  D. earned their living by traveling

56. What is the best title for the passage?

   A. The Silk Road:Past and Present             B. The Silk Road:East Meets West

C. The Silk Road:Routes Full of Dangers           D. The Silk Road:Pathways for Learning

 (08·江西E篇)

Most people, when they travel to space, would like to stay in orbit for a few days or more．And this stands to reason, if you’re paying $20,000 for your trip to orbit! So in order for tourism to reach its full potential there’s going to be a need for orbital accommodation—or space hotels．What would a space hotel actually be like to visit? Hotels in orbit will offer the services you expect from a hotel—private rooms, meals, bars．But they’ll also offer two unique experiences: impressive views—of Earth and space—and the endless entertainment of living in zero gravity—including sports and other activities that make use of this．

   The hotels themselves will vary greatly—from being quite simple in the early days to huge luxury structures at a later date．It’s actually surprising that as later as 1997, very few designs for space hotels were published．This is mainly because those who might be expected to design them haven’t expected launch costs to come down far enough to make them possible．

    Lots of people who’ve been to space have described vividly what it’s like to live in zero gravity．There are obviously all sorts of possibilities for dancing, gymnastics, and zero-G sports．Luckily, you don’t need to sleep much living in zero gravity, so you’ll have plenty of time for relaxing by hanging out in a bar with a window looking down at the turning Earth below．

    Of course all good things have come to an end, unfortunately. And so after a few days you’ll find yourself heading back though you’ll be much more expert at exercising in zero gravity than you were when you arrived．You’ll be thinking how soon you can save up enough to get back up again—or maybe you should change jobs to get to work in an orbiting hotel!

72．When traveling in space, most people would like to stay in orbit for a few days because

_______．

A．It is expensive to travel in space

B．they would find the possible life in other star systems

C．they could enjoy the luxury of space hotels

D．they want to realise the full potential of tourism

73．Which of the following is a unique experience that space hotels will offer?

A．The gravitational pull.                         B．The special views．

C．The relaxation in a bar．                             D．The space walk．

74．Which of the following is NOT discussed in the passage?

A．When was the space traveling made possible?

B．What are the unique experiences that space hotels will offer?

C．Why were there not many published designs for space hotels?

D．How can the travelers enjoy themselves in space hotels?

75．This passage is mainly about ________．

A．traveling in space                                  B．the ways of living in space hotels

C．zero gravity and space hotels                 D．the description of space hotels

 (08·江西A篇)

Despite the fact that it has never been seen,almost everyone is familiar with the legendary

unicorn（獨(dú)角獸）．Descriptions of unicorns have been found dating from ancient times．The great philosopher Aristotle theorized that there were two types of unicorn— the so-called Indian Ass and the Oryx, a kind of antelope．Unicorns are often used in the logo of a noble family, town council or university as their special sign．Even Scotland is represented by a unicorn．

According to the legend, anyone attempting to catch a unicorn had to be extremely cautious

as it has a reputation for being very fierce．A clever trick suggested by unicorn-trappers, in order to catch this magnificent beast without being hurt by its horn, was for the hunter to stand in front of a tree and then to move quickly behind it as the unicorn charged．Hopefully, the creature could then be captured when its horn was stuck in the tree．

 When hollowed out and used as a drinking-cup, the unicorn’s horn was said to have the

power to offer protection against poison．It was believed that nobody could be harmed by drinking the contents of a unicorn’s horn．Right up until the French Revolution in 1789, the French court was said to have used cups made of “unicorn” horn in order to protect the king.In addition, the horn was said to have medicinal value, so much so that it could be sold for more than ten times the price of the same weight of gold．What, then, was “unicorn” horn? We know at times the rhino (犀牛) was confused with this legendary creature．A drinking-cup supposedly made of “unicorn” horn was discovered to be made of the horn of a rhino．

56．Which of the following is TRUE of the unicorn?

A．It was not historically recorded.

B．Its horn was first used in France.

C．It was similar to the Indian Ass and the Oryx.

D．It could be the symbol of a university.

57．To catch a unicorn, the unicorn-trappers had to try all of the following EXCEPT __   _  _．

A．tempting the unicorn to attack            B．making use of the tree as a protection

C．hiding quickly behind the unicorn          D．having the unicorn horn stuck in the tree

58．The last paragraph is mainly about __    __．

A．the properties of the unicorn horn       

B．the users of the unicorn horn

C．the price of the unicorn horn           

D．the comparison between the unicorn horn and the rhino horn

59．In the last paragraph, the word “unicorn ” is in quotation marks (引號(hào)) because ____   _．

A．the cup is designed only for a royal family         

B．the unicorn does not exist in reality

C．the unicorn is the rarest animal in the world

D．the medicinal value of the horn is appreciated

 (08·湖北E篇)

Downing the last drop of an expensive famous brand H₂O as well as remembering to throw the empty bottle in the recycling bin, makes you feel pretty good about yourself, right? It shouldn’t.Even when the bottles are recycled, there are all kinds of other consequences of swallowing bottled water, says Melissa Peffers, the air-quality program manager for Environmental Defense.

The containers are often filled in faraway lands, then shipped from abroad, and stored in refrigerators at your local store.Compare that with the influence on environment of turning on your tap, filling a glass, and drinking up!

Anyone who is choosing bottled water for health reasons is misguided, says Peffers, “Most bottled water is just tap water.” And what comes out of your tap is carefully monitored to follow the strict rules.Consider another fact that bottled water is surprisingly expensive, especially when compared with the alternative, which is almost free, and it is astonishing that America’s desire for bottled water seems impossible to satisfy, reaching nearly 30 billion bottles a year.

“My parents’ generation never had bottled water,” says Isabelle Silverman, an Environmental Defense legal adviser.She has made a commitment to going bottle free.“You don’t need to fetch it home from the store, and it’s cheaper,” she adds.

Bottled water’s role as a status symbol needs to change, Peffers points out.So when a waiter at an expensive restaurant offers “And what’s your drink?” that’s no reason to forget your conviction（信念）.“Don’t be afraid to say, ‘I’ll have tap.’Say it loud enough that the other tables nearby can hear you,” Peffers says.“And then spend that money on a dessert.”

77.In the first paragraph, the underlined sentence “It shouldn’t.” suggests that people _______.

A.shouldn’t feel pleased with finishing the water in the bottle

B.shouldn’t feel good about drinking an expensive brand H₂O

C.shouldn’t be content with just recycling empty bottles

D.shouldn’t be satisfied with drinking only bottled water

78.According to the author, tap water is _______.

A.as safe as bottled water                                    B.more likely to be polluted

C.healthier than bottled water                        D.less convenient than bottled water

79.The underlined part “going bottle free” (in Para.4) means “_______”.

A.making bottled water free                          B.abandoning bottled water

C.recycling used water bottles                       D.providing free water containers

80.Why does Peffers ask people to say “I’ll have tap.” loudly?

A.To encourage them to set an example for others to follow.

B.To advise them to save the money for one more dessert.

C.To remind them to be aware of their social status.

D.To persuade them to speak confidently in public.

 (08·遼寧D篇)

Far from the land of Antarctica (南極洲), a huge shelf of ice meets the ocean. At the underside of the shelf there lives a small fish, the Antarctic cod.

       For forty years scientists have been curious about that fish. How does it live where most fish would freeze to death? It must have some secrets. The Antarctic is not a comfortable place to work and research has been slow. Now it seems we have an answer.

       Research was begun by cutting holes in the ice and catching the fish. Scientists studied the fish’s blood and measured its freezing point.

       The fish were taken from seawater that had a temperature of -1.88℃ and many tiny pieces of ice floating in it. The blood of the fish did not begin to freeze until its temperature was lowered to -2.05℃. That small difference is enough for the fish to live at the freezing temperature of the ice-salt mixture.

       The scientists’ next research job was clear: Find out what in the fish’s blood kept it from freezing. Their search led to some really strange things made up of a protein(蛋白質(zhì)) never before seen in the blood of a fish. When it was removed, the blood froze at seawater temperature. When it was put back, the blood again had its antifreeze quality and a lowered freezing point.

       Study showed that it is an unusual kind of protein. It has many small sugar molecules(分子) held in special positions within each big protein molecule. Because of its sugar content，it is called a glycoprotein. So it has come to be called the antifreeze fish glycoprotein,or AFGP.

68. What is the text mainly about?

   A. The terrible conditions in the Antarctic.         B. A special fish living in freezing waters.

   C. The ice shelf around Antarctica.                   D. Protection of the Antarctic cod.

69. Why can the Antarctic cod live at the freezing temperature?

   A. The seawater has a temperature of -1.88℃.

   B. It loves to live in the ice-salt mixture.

   C. A special protein keeps it from freezing.

   D. Its blood has a temperature lower than -2.05℃.

70. What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 5 refer to?

   A. A type of ice-salt mixture.                               B. A newly found protein.

   C. Fish blood.                                                    D. Sugar molecule.

71. What does “glyco-” in the underlined word “glycoprotein” in the last paragraph mean?

   A.Sugar.                         B. Ice.                          C. Blood.                      D. Molecule.

 (08·北京B篇)

       Domestic (馴養(yǎng)的) horses now pull ploughs, race in the Kentucky Derby, and carry people. But early horses weren’t tame (馴服的) enough to perform these kinds of tasks. Scientists think the first interactions humans had with horses were far different from those today.

Thousands of years ago, people killed the wild horses that lived around them for food. Over time, people began to catch the animals and raise them. This was the first step in domestication.

As people began to tame and ride horses, they chose to keep those animals that had more desirable characteristics. For example, people may have chosen to keep horses that had a gentle personality so they could be ridden more easily. People who used horses to pull heavy loads would have chosen to keep stronger animals. Characteristics like strength are partly controlled by the animals’ genes. So as the domesticated horses reproduced, they passed the characteristics on to their young. Each new generation of horses would show more of these chosen characteristics.

Modern-day horse breeds come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. This variety didn’t exist in the horse population before domestication. The Shetland horse is one of the smallest breeds—typically reaching only one meter tall. With short, strong legs, the animals were bred to pull coal out of mine shafts (礦井) with low ceilings. Huge horses like the Clydesdale came on the scene around 1700. People bred these heavy, tall horses to pull large vehicles used for carrying heavy loads.

The domestication of horses has had great effects on societies. For example, horses were important tools in the advancement of modern agriculture. Using them to pull ploughs and carry heavy loads allowed people to farm more efficiently. Before they were able to ride horses, humans had to cross land on foot. Riding horses allowed people to travel far greater distances in much less time. That encouraged populations living in different areas to interact with one another. The new form of rapid transportation helped cultures spread around the world.

59. Before domestication horses were ______.

A. caught for sports                                           B. hunted for food

C. made to pull ploughs                                D. used to carry people

60. The author uses the Shetland horse as an example to show ______.

A. it is smaller than the Clydesdale horse

B. horses used to have gentle personalities

C. some horses have better shapes than others

   D. horses were of less variety before domestication

61. Horses contributed to the spread of culture by ______.

A. carrying heavy loads                                B. changing farming methods

C. serving as a means of transport                 D. advancing agriculture in different areas

62. The passage is mainly about _______.

A. why humans domesticated horses

B. how humans and horses needed each other

C. why horses came in different shapes and sizes                                                              

D. how human societies and horses influenced each other

 (08·江蘇B篇)

We experience different forms of the Sun’s energy every day.We can see its light and feel its warmth.The Sun is the major source of energy for our planet.It causes the evaporation (蒸發(fā)) of water from the oceans and lakes.Sunlight also provides the energy used by green plants to make their own food.These green plants then provide food for all organisms(生物) on the Earth.

Much of the energy that comes from the Sun never reaches the Earth’s surface.It is either reflected or absorbed by the gases in the upper atmosphere.Of the energy that reaches the lower atmosphere,30% is reflected by clouds or the Earth’s surface.The remaining 70% warms the surface of the planet,causes water to evaporate,and provides energy for the water cycle and weather.Only a tiny part,approximately 0.023%,is actually used by green plants to produce food.

Many gases found in the atmosphere actually reflect heat energy escaping from the Earth’s surface back to the Earth.These gases act like the glass of a greenhouse in that they allow energy from the Sun to enter but prevent energy from leaving.They are therefore called greenhouse gases.

When sunlight strikes an object,some of the energy is absorbed and some is reflected.The amount reflected depends on the surface.For example,you’ve probably noticed how bright snow is when sunlight falls on it.Snow reflects most of the energy from the Sun,so it contributes to the low temperatures of winter.Dark-coloured surfaces,such as dark soil or forest,absorb more energy and help warm the surrounding air.

59.According to the passage,the root cause for weather changes on the Earth is         .

A.the atmosphere surrounding the Earth

B.water from oceans and lakes

C.energy from the Sun

D.greenhouse gases in the sky

60.Only a small part of the Sun’s energy reaches the Earth’s surface because

most of it is         .

A.absorbed by the clouds in the lower atmosphere

B.reflected by the gases in the upper atmosphere

C.lost in the upper and lower atmosphere

D.used to evaporate water from the oceans and lakes

61.We learn from the passage that         .

A.all living things on the Earth depend on the Sun for their food

B.a forest looks dark in winter because it absorbs solar energy

C.only 0.023% of the energy from the Sun is made use of on the Earth

D.greenhouse gases allow heat energy to escape from the Earth’s surface