(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A篇)

They say there are three ways to experience the Grand Canyon：on foot, on mules(騾子) or by air. We chose the first. Up early, my husband and I and our three children couldn’t wait to get started. We decided to walk along a lovely path named Bright Angel Trail.

As we set out, I was shocked at how narrow the path was. And I couldn’t help noticing that the other tourists weren’t like us. They had heavy backpacks, water bottles, and hats. But as usual we were dressed.As the sun rose higher, Arizona’s famous heat seemed to roast(烘烤)us. There was no shade and our legs were aching. We decided to go back, with the girl on my back and the boys far behind. By the time we finally got back,our legs were like jelly.

The next day, after we’d had a long rest and a good breakfast, we were ready for another view of the Canyon—by air. After our last walk, this would be the easiest thing in the world.

We called to each other excitedly as the plane took off and circled around the Canyon. But the smiles on our faces disappeared as the pilot tossed(翻轉)　the plane around, pretending he was going to hit the ground. I shouted, “STOP, TAKE US BACK!” When we finally arrived back on land, once again our legs were like jelly. We hardly spoke as we drove back.

As I said, there are three ways to view the Grand Canyon. We never tried the mules, but personally I’d suggest a fourth: buy yourself a good magazine like National Geographic. That way, you can see the Canyon, without fear or tiredness.

41. Which of the following is TRUE according to the second paragraph?

A. They made a careful preparation before the trip.

B. The children were more joyful than their parents.

C. Bright Angel Trail was not as lovely as they expected.

D. The summer heat prevented them from enjoying the view.

42. The underlined expression “our legs were like jelly” probably means         .

A. we were weak                                            B. we were unhappy   

C. we were dissatisfied                                     D. we were disappointed

43. Which of the following best describes their Canyon trip by air?

A. It proved to be frightening.                         B. It was more comfortable.

C. It turned out to be exciting.                        D. It made each of them tired.

44. We can infer from the passage that          .

A. experiencing the Canyon on mules would be the best way

B. one needs to dress less when visiting the Grand Canyon

C. the writer was not serious when she made the suggestion

D. the whole family narrowly escaped from the air accident

  

 (08·陜西C篇)

This was no ordinary class. The students who came together were all science or engineering professors at Cornell University. They had interrupted their research to accept an invitation to take part in an unusual experiment: “an interesting week of poetry”. This class was part of a study to answer the questions: Why is science difficult for many nonscience students? What can teachers learn about teaching if they take a class that is not in their field?

The students in the poetry class listened to lectures and took notes. They had reading tasks and had to write three short papers. All students noticed one thing—the importance of spoken words. In science and engineering classes, the instructors put tables and drawings on the blackboard. But in this poetry class, the instructors just talked. They didn’t write anything on the board.

The scientists and engineers noticed one similarity between science and poetry. In both subjects, students need to find layers (層次)　of meaning . Some layers are simple, clear, and on the surface; other layers are deeper and more difficult. This search for different levels of meaning doesn’t happen much in undergraduate(本科)　science classes, but it is important later, in graduate school. And it is always important in humanities(人文科學).

Both the poetry instructors and their students learned something about teaching from this experience. One poetry instructor, for example, now sees the importance of using informative as he teaches. Most of the scientists agreed on several points. First, humanities classes might help science students to see patterns and decide which information is important. Second, the poetry class was fun. One engineer decided, “We need to change the way we teach engineering to make it an enjoyable experience for students.”

But perhaps the most important result of the experience was this:All of the professors began to think about how they teach and how they can teach better.

49. What do we know about this unusual class?

A. The teachers did lots of writing on the board.

B. The teacher were invited to attend several lectures.

C. The students were professors from a university.

D. The students were studying science and humanities.

50. The experiment was designed to find out       .

   A. how to teach the students in the science class

B. whether poetry is difficult for science students

C. what to be taught in the humanities class

D. why many humanities students find science hard

51. Finding levels of meaning is       .

   A. important for graduate students in humanities

B. difficult for graduate students in humanities

C. common for undergraduate students in science

D. easy for undergraduate students in science

52. What did the science professors learn after the experiment?

   A. They should change the way they teach.

B. A poem could be explained in clear definitions.

C. A poetry class could be more informative.

D. Their teaching was an enjoyable experience.

 (08·陜西)

A woman in her sixties lived alone in her little cottage with a pear tree at her door. She spent all her time taking care of the tree. But the children nearby drove her  21  by making fun of her. They would climb her tree and then run away with pears,  22  “Aunty Misery” at her.

One evening, a passer-by asked to  23  for the night. Seeing that he had an  24  face, she let him in and gave him a nice   25  . The next morning the stranger, actually a sorcerer (巫師), thanked her by granting (允準) her  26  that anyone who climbed up her tree  27   not be able to come back down until she   28  it.

     When the children came back to steal her  29  , she had them stuck on the tree. They had to beg her long  30  she gave the tree permission to let  31   go. Aunty Misery was free from the

  32  at last.

One day another man   33  her door. This one did not look trustworthy to her,   34   she asked who he was . “I am Death, I’ve come to take you  35   me,” said he.

Thinking fast Aunty Misery said, “Fine, but I’d like to 36    some pears from my dear tree to remember the  37  it brought to me in this life. But I am too   38   to climb high to get the best fruit. Will you be so  39   as to do it for me?” With a deep sigh, Mr. Death climbed up the tree  40  and was immediately stuck to it. No matter how much he warned or begged, Aunty Misery would not allow the tree to let Death go.

21.  A. hopeless               B. painful                   C. dull                        D. crazy

22.  A. calling                 B. shouting                 C. announcing             D. whispering

23.  A. stay                   B. live                     C. hide                     D. lie

24.  A. interesting              B. honest                   C. anxious                 D. angry

25.  A. gift                     B. kiss                     C. treat                     D. smile

26.  A. suggestion           B. demand                C. permission               D. wish

27.  A. could                  B. should                  C. might                    D. must

28.  A. permitted              B. promised              C. answered              D. declared

29.  A. branch                 B. food                      C. tree                      D. fruit

30.  A. after                   B. while                    C. since                  D. before

31.  A. it                      B. them                    C. him                    D. her

32.  A. trick                   B. question                C. trouble                 D. difficulty

33.  A. stepped into           B. left for                C. stopped at             D. walked around

34.  A. so                      B. but                    C. although              D. because

35.  A. with                    B. off                    C. upon                 D. for

36.  A. choose               B. pick                     C. shake                  D. hit

37.  A. honor                B. pleasure                        C. hope                    D. excitement

38.  A. light                  B. short                   C. old                            D. thin

39.  A. proud                B. kind                    C. fine                     D. smart

40.  A. disappointedly     B. cheerfully      C. unwillingly            D. eagerly

    

 (08·陜西B篇)

Photographs are everywhere. They decorate (裝飾) the walls of homes and are used in stores for sales of different goods. The news is filled with pictures of fires, floods, and special events. Photos record the beauties of nature. They can also bring things close that are far away. Through photos, people can see wild animals, cities in foreign lands, and even the stars in outer space. Photos also tell stories.

Reporting the news through photos is called photojournalism. At times photojournalists tell their stories through a single picture. At other times, they use a group of pictures to tell a story. Each picture is like a chapter in a book, which can do more than record the facts. It can also be a strong force for social change.

Jacob Riis was among the first photojournalists. He took pictures of parts of New York City where the poor lived. Riis believed that poverty(貧窮)　caused crime, and he used photos to help him prove his point. A few years later, the photos of small children working in factories by Lewis Hine shocked the public. Hine’s pictures helped bring about laws to protect such children.

Hundreds of pictures may have to be taken in order to get one or two really good photos. It takes science to have the photo come out clearly and art to make a photo that has a good design and expresses feeling. Photojournalists make an actual record of what they see. A photo, however, can be both a work of art and an actual record. It can record an important event as a beautiful or exciting picture.

As historical and artistic documents(文獻) ,photos can become more important over time. Today photojournalists still have their pictures appear in newspapers and magazines. They also publish(發(fā)表) them in books and on the Internet.

45. The underlined word “They” in the first paragraph refers to         .

A. beauties                B. photos                 C. goods          D. events

46. The photos of the small children by Hine show us that photos            .

A. are also works of art                               B. are popular ways of reporting news

C. often shock the public                              D. can serve as a force for social change

47. What can we learn from the passage?

A. News with pictures is encouraging.           

B. Photos help people improve their life.

C. News photos mean history in a sense.    

D. People prefer reading news with pictures.

48. The text is mainly about       .

A. telling the story through pictures                B. decorating the walls of homes

C. publishing historical papers                     D. expressing feeling through pictures