1. Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write an essay based on the picture below. You should start your essay with a brief description of the picture and then discuss the changes in lifestyle caused by the advances of technologies. You should give sound arguments to support your views and write at least 150 words but no more than 200 words.
The Changes in Lifestyle and the Technological Advances
In the picture, we can tell a gradual change of writing tools ranging from the brush to the pen and then to the computer with the handwriting growing poorer and poorer. This is the epitome of people's changes in lifestyle caused by the advances of technologies. As is obviously demonstrated, the development of technology is a double-edged sword. It cannot be denied that people's life becomes more convenient and comfortable with the emergence of new and advanced technologies. However, modern technologies have also caused some negative impacts, which cannot be ignored either. In fact, people are confined by technologies to a mechanical cage where they use machines at work and live like an ever-running machine, stiff and inflexible. Therefore, to live a healthy life, people should make full use of the benefits and convenience brought by the technological advances and preserve the essence of the previous lifestyles.
Part Ⅱ Listening Comprehension
Section A Directions:In this section, you will hear two long conversations. At the end of each conversation, you will hear four questions. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.
A.A journal reporting the latest progress in physics.
B.An introductory course of modern physics.
C.An occasion for physicists to exchange ideas.
D.A series of interviews with outstanding physicists.
A B C D
D
[听力原文] M: Good evening and welcome to Physics Today. Here we interview some of the greatest minds in physics as they help us to understand some of the most complicated theories. Today, I'm very pleased to welcome Dr. Melissa Phillips, professor of theoretical physics. She's here to tell us a little about what it is she studies. Dr. Phillips, you seem to study everything. W: I guess that would be fair to say, I spend most of my time studying The Big Bang Theory and where our universe came from. M: Can you tell us a little about that? W: Well, I'm very interested in why the universe exists at all. That may sound odd, but the fact is at the moment of the big bang, both matter and anti-matter were created for a short time, and I mean just a fraction of a second. The whole universe was a super-hot soup of radiation filled with these particles. So what's baffled scientists for so long is "why is there a universe at all?" M: That's because matter and anti-matter are basically opposites of each other. They are exactly alike, except that they have opposite electrical charges. So when they collide, they destroy each other? W: Exactly. So during the first few moments of the big bang, the universe was extremely hot and very small Matter and the now more exotic anti-matter would have had little space to avoid each other This means that they should have totally wiped each other out, leaving the universe completely barren. M: But a recent study seems to point to the fact, that when matter and anti-matter were first created, there were slightly more particles of matter, which allowed the universe we all live in to form? W: Exactly. Because there was slightly more matter, the collisions quickly depleted all the anti-matter and left just enough matter to create stars, planets, and eventually us.
[解析] 女士说自己研究的是宇宙的起源,接着男士让女士做更进一步的介绍。女士解释自己对宇宙为什么存在这一问题很感兴趣,D项是原文why the universe exists at all的同义转述,故为正确答案。 A项、B项和C项都是利用文中个别字词拼凑而成,均不是女士所感兴趣的事情,所以都不选。
4.
A.Matter and anti-matter are opposites of each other.
B.Anti-matter allowed humans to come into existence.
C.The universe formed due to a sufficient amount of matter.
D.Anti-matter exists in very high-temperature environments.
A B C D
C
[听力原文] What seems to be the finding of the recent study?
[解析] 男士指出最近一项研究表明,当物质和反物质最开始出现时,由于物质微粒稍多,所以宇宙得以形成,并问女士对此的看法。女士回答说“准确无误”,并接着对这个说法作进一步解释(left just enough matter to create... us)。C项为此处的同义转述,故选。 A项复现录音原词,但此处并不是最新研究的结果,故不选。研究结果表明是因为物质微粒比反物质微粒多宇宙才得以形成,因此是物质徽粒而不是反物质微粒刨造了人类,故排除B项。D项是利用The whole universe was a super-hot soup of radiation filled with these particles. 这句话设置的干扰项,但这里同样只是之前的研究结果,并不是最新研究结果,故排除。
B.She is busy with a program about endangered species.
C.She is busy reading some books on economics.
D.She is busy reading some books on economics.
A B C D
D
[听力原文]
W: Hi, Bill, how is it going?
M: Oh, hi, Jan. I'm OK. How about you?
W: You can probably tell just by looking at me. I've been really busy. Hey, what are you reading?
M: A pretty interesting article. My biology professor assigned it, and I thought I just look it over. But I got really involved in it. It's about endangered species.
W: That sounds pretty interesting. I'm getting frustrated with the two research papers I'm struggling with.
M: Oh?
W: And can you believe they are both due on the same day?
M: That's tough.
W: I'll get through it. So what's this you are reading?
M: Well, it's basically about the choices conservationists faced with. You know, on these days when funding is so hard to come by.
W: Wait a minute. Is the focus on biology or economics?
M: Both. Conservationists don't have enough funding to save every endangered species in the world, so they have to decide based on what would be lost if a species became extinct.
W: Can you give me an example of what you mean?
M: Take for instance, two animals, the spotted owl and the tailed toad. The article says the toad is unique. It has no relatives. But there are a lot of varieties of owls.
W: So, if that toad became extinct, we'd lose an important link in the chain of evolution, right?
M: Exactly. But that isn't so for the owl. So for conservationists, it might be clear choice of which animal to save.
W: I see. I am glad I don't have to make that kind of decision. Aren't you?
Why is the woman so busy?
[解析] 女士说自己很忙,同时问男士在读什么,男士回答说在读一本导师布置的关于濒危物种的书,女士说自己在忙于两篇论文,这让她感到很沮丧,故选D。
6.
A.Some species are impossible to conserve.
B.People are less conscious of saving endangered species.
C.Funds are difficult to get to conserve endangered species.
D.It is difficult to determine which animals are endangered.
A B C D
C
[听力原文]
What problems do conservationists have?
[解析] 对话中男士说他看的书是关于在资金难以筹集的今天,自然资源保护论者所面临的选择。他们没有足够的资金去挽救全球濒危动物,因此他们不得不根据某个物种灭绝所带来的损失来做出决定。由此可知,本题答案为C。
7.
A.The relatives of the tailed toad have been extinct.
B.The varieties of the tailed toad are helpful to the research of evolution.
C.If the tailed toad is well conserved, many other species will be better saved.
D.If the tailed toad was extinct, some myth about evolution would lose.
A B C D
D
[听力原文]
What can be inferred about the tailed toad?
[解析] 对话最后男士说这种长尾蟾蜍独特之处在于它没有任何的亲缘同类,女士于是得出结论说如果这种蟾蜍绝种的话,对于进化研究就少了一个重要的线索,随后男士对此表示肯定,故选D。
8.
A.The man is busy preparing the research paper.
B.The woman should hand two papers in on the same day.
C.The man is reading a book only about biology.
D.The woman is glad to make a decision on which animal to save.
A B C D
B
[听力原文]
What can we learn from the conversation?
[解析] 对话中女士提到她最近在忙着写两篇研究论文,而且提到And can you believe they are both due on the same day?即这两篇论文要在同一天上交,故答案为B。其他选项均与对话内容不符,排除。
Section B Directions:In this section, you will hear two passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear three or four questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D. Then mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.
B.Because they think small houses are more comfortable to live in.
C.Because big houses are usually built in the countryside.
D.Because they prefer apartments.
A B C D
A
[听力原文] In the United States, many people once lived in large, two-and-three-story homes. Today, many people would like to live in such houses but most people can't. They don't have enough money to buy them or even to make the first payment. So, many people rent from month to month. But some Americans really want to live in a house of their own. So they build their own home. They buy a house that is situated in an area where houses are cheaper. It is better to reside in a bad part of town, they think, than not to live in a house at all. Or they buy an old house and redesign it. Then they decorate it with old style furniture. Sometimes they can make an old house look more beautiful than a new one. Usually, it is not difficult for people to find an old home to buy. Many older people decide that they don't need a big home after their children leave. So they sell their house and move into a comfortable apartment. But when people move into a house, they sometimes have problems. Homeowners have to do their own maintenance. For example, if the roof leaks, one cannot ask the landlord to fix it. On the other hand, people can redesign their homes in any way they want without having to be afraid of being thrown out by the landlord. Why don't many Americans live in large, two-and-three-story houses? [解析] 选项均以Because开头,可知本题问原因。再结合can't afford to small houses are more comfortable. big houses...usually built in...countryside等关键词,推测题目可能问某类人为何不住大房子。短文说,他们没有足够的钱去买大房子,所以A正确。
2.
A.Because many young people have moved into comfortable apartments.
B.Because many old houses in the poor area of the town are not inhabited.
C.Because many older people sell their houses after their children leave.
D.Because many people have quit their old houses to build new ones.
A B C D
C
[听力原文]
Why is it easy to find old houses for sale?
[解析] 根据选项可以预测题目大致是问为什么有很多旧房空出来。短文提到,人们不难发现有老房子可供购买。接着说明原因:很多上了年纪的人在孩子们离开后会卖掉大房子搬进公寓。C项中的关键词older people,sell,children leave都是听到的原词组合,故选C。A错在主语,录音中说搬到舒适的公寓里的也是老人,不是年轻人。
3.
A.They have to do their own maintenance.
B.They have to furnish their own houses.
C.They will find it difficult to make the rest of the payment.
D.They will find it difficult to dispose of their old-style furniture.
A B C D
A
[听力原文]
What problem will people have after they buy a house?
[解析] 短文说,homeowners要自己来维修房子。A项是录音信息的原词复现,故为答案。
B.Double walls were built in icehouses to keep cool.
C.Blocks of ice were packed with weed in icehouses.
D.Ice was put into icehouses in winter.
A B C D
C
[听力原文] Years ago before there were refrigerators, an ice house was a building used for storing ice. The first icehouses were in the cellars of farmhouses. Pieces of ice, mixed with snow and meadow grass, were piled in winter and kept until the following summer. Soon farmers began to build separate houses for storing ice. These icehouses had double walls with hay stuffed between to keep out any heat. Blocks of ice were put inside the icehouse and packed with straw or sawdust. Where did the ice for these ice-houses come from? Workers took it from a frozen pond or river. They sawed the ice into even blocks. They then pulled the ice blocks from the water with hooks and carried them to the icehouses on sleds. Special tools helped the workers cut and handle the ice.Ice axes chopped large holes in the ice. Ice saws cut the ice into even blocks. Choppers loosened these blocks from one another. Ice hooks fastened themselves into the large blocks. Then they could be carried over the frozen surface of the pond or river. Tongs were used to pick up the smaller blocks of ice. Ships carried ice all over the world. In 1799 the first boatload in the United States was sent from New York City to icehouses in New Orleans, Louisiana. A boatload was sent from Boston, Massachusetts, to the West Indies to help fight yellow fever in 1805. Ice merchants in Boston also shipped tons of ice from ponds and rivers to cities in Europe.
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a step for farmers to store ice in icehouses?
[解析] 细节题。文中说到冬天把冰放在冰库里,农民建立独立屋子储存冰块,为了防止热量进入,建造了双层墙。原文中谈到将冰块放到冰屋后塞满稻草或锯屑(straw or sawdust),而非杂草(weed)。
5.
A.The ice was cut and handled with the help of some special tools.
B.The ice was taken from the flowing river with hooks and carried by sleds to icehouses.
C.The ice was carried on the frozen surface of the pond or river.
[听力原文] Which of the following is the correct order in which workers cut and handle ice?
[解析] 细节题。削切和处理冰块先后用到的是斧子、冰锯、斩刀、冰钩和钳子。
Section C Directions:In this section, you will hear three recordings of lectures or talks followed by three or four questions. The recordings will be played only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer from the four choices marked A, B, C and D. Then mark the corresponding letter on answer Sheet 1 with a single line through the centre.
A.Why its first year-on-year quarterly revenue declined since 2003.
B.How to reassure the investors to continue supporting Apple company.
C.How to improve the sale of Apple products.
D.Whether Apple will ever have another product as favorable as the iPhone.
A B C D
D
[听力原文] The world's most valuable company needs another mega hit. "Our product pipeline has amazing innovations in store," Tim Cook, the boss of Apple, declared on April 26th. He hoped to sound reassuring after the company reported its first year-on-year quarterly revenue decline since 2003. But he was not convincing enough. Shares of Apple fell by around 8% in the hours after its results emerged, erasing more than $46 billion in market value. Investors' immediate concern is the popularity of the iPhone. It accounts for the bulk of Apple's revenues and profits; sales were 18% lower than a year ago. The broader smartphone market is sluggish, says Mr. Cook. Apple hopes that the flashy new features of the iPhone 7, which it is expected to introduce in September, will convince customers to abandon older models. Until then, the company will probably face a further fall in revenue. The bigger question that Mr. Cook must answer is whether Apple will ever have another product as successful as the iPhone, the most lucrative in the technology business to date. Enthusiasm has waned for some of its other older products, such as iPads, and its newer ones remain niche offerings. The Apple Watch celebrated its first full year on the market on April 24th. It sold more in its first year than the iPhone did in 2007. But today's consumers are better primed to buy gadgets now than they were then; watch sales should be far higher. The cost of the Apple Watch—which starts at $300—puts people off. So does its dependence on a smartphone for most activities, such as providing directions. The firm will sell a mere 8m watches in 2016, generating $4 billion in sales, thinks Toni Sacconaghi of Sanford C. Bernstein, a research firm. One bright spot is Apple's services business, which is expected to grow steadily. As it sells more gadgets—over 1 billion devices are in use—it can also sell content and services, and gain revenue from music, its app store and more. In the second quarter Apple had $6 billion in services revenues, more than for Macs or iPads. Apple's biggest problem is its past success. It is the most valuable company in the world by market capitalisation because investors believe the firm can make new technologies popular. Mr. Cook, who took over as chief executive in 2011, soon before the death of the firm's co-founder, Steve Jobs, has led Apple competently. But there are lingering doubts about whether he can produce the sort of smash for which Jobs was so feted.
What is the bigger question that Mr. Cook must answer?
[听力原文]
Talk Show Host: Good evening and welcome to tonight's program. Our guest is the world-known Dr. Charles Adams, who has sparked a great deal of attention over the past several years for his research in the area of language learning. His new book, Learning a Language over Eggs and Toast, has been on the best seller list for the past six weeks. Welcome to our program. Now, Dr. Adams. Tell us about your book and how to learn a Language.
Dr. Adams: Ah, it's a pleasure to be here. Well, one of the most important keys to learning another language is to establish a regular study program, like planning a few minutes every morning around breakfast time. But I'm not implying that we can become fluent speakers in a matter of a few minutes here and there, but rather following a regular, consistent, and focused course of study can help us on the way to the promised land of language mastery, and remember there is a difference between native fluency and proficiency in a language, and I am proposing the latter.
Talk Show Host: So what are some of the basic keys you are suggesting in the book?
Dr. Adams: Well, as I just mentioned, people need to plan out their study by setting realistic and attainable goals from the beginning. I mean, some people get caught up the craze of learning the language in 30 days, only to become disappointed when they don't perform up to their expectations. And small steps, little by little, are the key. For example, planning to learn five new vocabulary words a day and to learn to use them actively is far better than learning 30 and forgetting them the next day. And people often have different ways of learning and approach learning tasks differently. Some people are visual learners who prefer to see models of the patterns they are expected to learn; others are auditory learners who favor hearing instructions, for example, over reading them. Now, our preferences are determined by many factors, for example, personality, culture, and past experience. For me, I'm a very tactile learner. It might seem a little unusual, but moving around while trying to learn and memorize material helps me a great deal. While I cut up tomatoes and onions for my omelet in the morning, I might recite aloud vocabulary to the rhythm of the knife. But it is important to remember that often our learning styles are not singular in nature, but are often very multidimensional, and we tend to learn differently in different situations.
How long has Dr. Adams' new book been on the best seller list?
[解析] 听力原文中明确提到His new book,Learning a Language over Eggs and Toast,has been on the best seller list for the past six weeks. 故此书在过去六个星期位列畅销书榜单。故答案为选项B。
6.
A.To learn the words as many as you can.
B.To recite all grammar rules as fast as you can.
C.To do whatever you want without a plan.
D.To establish a regular study program.
A B C D
D
[听力原文]
According to Dr. Adams, what is one of most important keys to learning another language?
[解析] 在听力原文开始亚当斯博士就提到one of the most important keys to learning another language is to establish a regular study program,即“学习另一门语言最重要的关键之一是制定一个规律的学习计划”;随后亚当斯博士又强调了设定学习目标时要small steps,little by little,are the key,即“学习要循序渐进,慢慢地学”,综上可知答案为D。其他三个选项均为干扰项,应排除。
7.
A.They see models of the patterns they like.
B.They hear instructions or to read them loudly.
C.They write down keys points of learning subjects.
D.They have different ways of learning styles.
A B C D
D
[听力原文]
According to Dr. Adams, how do people learn and approach learning tasks?
[解析] 听力原文中对于人们的学习方式,亚当斯博士谈到And people often have different ways of learning and approach learning tasks differently. 由此可知,他认为每个人对于不同的学习任务的方法都不同,而在听力原文最后他又强调了人们的学习方式并不是单一的,而是多样化的,不同情况下学习的方式也不同,故选项D为答案,其他选项均为人们的一种学习方式,不具有普遍性,均排除。
[听力原文] There is a common opinion that if you study hard and graduate with an "A diploma," it will guarantee you will find a great job that pays well. Unfortunately, the reality is different. Although, most positions require you to have a diploma, no one will look through your grades. When you graduate, the only thing that matters is your knowledge and the ability to operate within the system. So why is it that students that you could barely get their "C" at the end of a semester manage to become super successful? Let's look through some reasons why "C" students will be the most successful people in the world. "C" students don't spend much time on the unnecessary classes we all have to do. If you are trying to become a technician, you obviously don't need to write hundreds of annoying essays about culture and your summer experience. They stop taking the required classes and focus on vocation-related subjects that can help them during their work. World famous innovator and entrepreneur Steve Jobs never finished college and made it to the top of IT industry only because he was focused on doing what he liked. During his famous speech to Stanford graduates he emphasized that "The only way to succeed, is to love what you do. Keep looking; don't settle." Most "C" students start working earlier than their peers, which lowers their marks as they have to skip classes to make a living. At the same time, they get priceless experience every "A+ " graduate is missing. And we all know that you are less likely to be hired without actual experience. While "A" students are stuck learning unnecessary subjects, "C" students read tons of useful literature and communicate with dozens people every day. In real life, knowing powerful people as well as the ability to communicate can make a difference in your career. When in college, they visit parties and come to the lessons a little bit hangover, nevertheless, they enjoy their life. Same happens when they start working. Plain and simple: Happy people are more successful than those who are not. It happens because they are fun to be around, and they are proactive team players who will cheer up the entire team, which is one of the best skills your boss can look for. Stressful, negative people, no matter how intelligent they are, won't be in the top list of candidates.
What really matters to us at a workplace?
9.
A.Diplomas are less important than experience.
B.College courses are not all necessary.
C.You should focus on doing what you like.
D.You should keep looking for what you love.
A B C D
C
[听力原文] What do we learn from Steve Jobs' example?
10.
A.They study hard but have lower marks.
B.They start working earlier than their peers.
C.They spend much time on finding part-time jobs.
D.They visit parties instead of taking the required classes.
A B C D
B
[听力原文] What can we learn about "C" students?
11.
A.Being persuasive.
B.Being pressure-proof.
C.Being intelligent.
D.Being fun and proactive.
A B C D
D
[听力原文] What is one of the best skills employers emphasize?
Part Ⅲ Reading Comprehension
Section A Directions:In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once. Research on animal intelligence always makes us wonder just how smart humans are. Consider the fruit-fly experiments described by Carl Zimmer in the Science Times. Fruit flies who were taught to be smarter than the average fruit fly 1 to live shorter lives. This suggests that dimmer bulbs burn longer, that there is a(n) 2 in not being too bright. Intelligence, it turns out, is a high-priced 3 . It takes more upkeep, burns more fuel and is slow off the starting line because it depends on learning—a(n) 4 process—instead of instinct. Plenty of other species are able to learn, and one of the things they've apparently learned is when to stop. Is there an adaptive value to limited intelligence? That's the question behind this new research. Instead of casting a wistful glance 5 at all the species we've left in the dust I.Q.-wise, it implicitly asks what the real costs of our own intelligence might be. This is on the 6 of every animal we've ever met. Research on animal intelligence also makes us wonder what experiments animals would 7 on humans if they had the chance. Every cat with an owner, for instance, is running a small-scale study in operant conditioning. We believe that if animals ran the labs, they would test us to 8 the limits of our patience, our faithfulness, our memory for locations. They would try to decide what intelligence in humans is really for, not 9 how much of it there is. Above all, they would hope to study a 10 question: Are humans actually aware of the world they live in? So far the results are inconclusive. A. mind E. advantage I. aptly M. tended B. fundamental F. happened J. overcome N. inclination C. gradual G. spontaneous K. option O. perform D. determine H. backward L. merely
[解析] 空格处应填入可数名词,来概括其后的not being too bright,具有的特性。注意此处的bright一语双关,即可指灯泡不“明亮”,也可指人不那么“聪明”。由果绳实验可知,暗的灯泡更耐用,不聪明的人更长寿,这可以看作是一种“优势”,have an advantage in意为“在某方面具有优势”,故用advantage。
[解析] 空格处为插入语,填入形容词来说明learning是一个怎样的过程。由下文的instead of instinct可知,此处将学习过程与本能作对比:和“与生俱来”的本能不同,学习是后天的。gradual“逐渐的”符合学习过程循序渐进,的特点。
5.
H
[解析] 首先要理解空格所在句的意思。后缀-wise表示“在……方面”,I. Q. -wise是个生造词,意为“在智力方面”。leave...in the dust指“远远超过”,we've left表明人类智商已经超越了那些物种,因此我们看它们的时候,就是“往回”看了,故用backward。
6.
A
[解析] 这里缺少名词,从结构来看该名词应与on the一起构成固定搭配。on the mind的意思是“担心,总是想着”,这句话表达的是“这是每一个我们所遇到的动物都在思索的问题”。
7.
O
[解析] 空格处应填入动词,作wonder后面的宾语从句中的谓语。从句子结构来看,what experiments其实是从句的宾语,还原语序之后为animals would ______ what experiments on humans。词库中只有perform可以与experiments搭配,意为“做实验”。
8.
D
[解析] 根据空格前的to和其后的宾语the limits得知这里填入动词,表目的。再根据下句出现的They would try to decide,推测填入的动词应与decide意思相近。determine“测定”符合句意。
Section B Directions:In this section, you are going to read a passage with ten statements attached to it. Each statement contains information given in one of the paragraphs. Identify the paragraph from which the information is derived. You may choose a paragraph more than once. Each paragraph is marked with a letter. Answer the questions by marking the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2.
Spinal-Fluid Test Is Found to Predict Alzheimer's
A. Researchers report that a spinal fluid test can be 100 percent accurate in identifying patients with significant memory loss who are on their way to developing Alzheimer's disease. Although there has been increasing evidence of the value of this and other tests in finding signs of Alzheimer's, the study, which will appear Tuesday in the Archives of Neurology, shows how accurate they can be. The new result is one of a number of remarkable recent findings about Alzheimer's. B. After decades when nothing much seemed to be happening, when this progressive brain disease seemed untreatable and when its diagnosis could be confirmed only at autopsy, the field has suddenly woken up. C. Alzheimer's, medical experts now agree, starts a decade or more before people have symptoms. And by the time there are symptoms, it may be too late to save the brain. So the hope is to find good ways to identify people who are getting the disease, and use those people as subjects in studies to see how long it takes for symptoms to occur and in studies of drugs that may slow or stop the disease. D. Researchers are finding simple and accurate ways to detect Alzheimer's long before there are definite symptoms. In addition to spinal fluid tests they also have new PET scans of the brain that show the telltale amyloid plaques that are a unique feature of the disease. And they are testing hundreds of new drugs that, they hope, might change the course of the relentless brain cell death that robs people of their memories and abilities to think and reason. "This is what everyone is looking for, the bull's-eye of perfect predictive accuracy," Dr. Steven DeKosky, dean of the University of Virginia medical school, who is not connected to the new research, said about the spinal tap study. Dr. John Morris, a professor of neurology at Washington University, said the new study "establishes that there is a signature of Alzheimer's and that it means something. It is very powerful." E. A lot of work lies ahead, researchers say—making sure the tests are reliable if they are used in doctors' offices, making sure the research findings hold up in real-life situations, getting doctors and patients comfortable with the notion of spinal taps, the method used to get spinal fluid. But they see a bright future. Although the latest PET scans for Alzheimer's are not commercially available, the spinal fluid tests are. F. So the new results also give rise to a difficult question: Should doctors offer, or patients accept, commercially available spinal tap tests to find a disease that is yet untreatable? In the research studies, patients are often not told they may have the disease, but in practice in the real world, many may be told. G. Some medical experts say it should be up to doctors and their patients. Others say doctors should refrain from using the spinal fluid test in their practices. They note that it is not reliable enough—results can vary by lab—and has been studied only in research settings where patients are carefully selected to have no other conditions, like strokes or depression, that could affect their memories. "This is literally on the cutting edge of where the field is," Dr. DeKosky said. "The field is moving fast. You can get a test that is approved by the F.D.A., and cutting edge doctors will use it." But, said Dr. John Trojanowski, a University of Pennsylvania researcher and senior author of the paper, given that people can get the test now, "How early do you want to label people?" Some, like Dr. John Growdon, a neurology professor at Massachusetts General Hospital who wrote an editorial accompanying the paper, said that decision was up to doctors and their patients. H. Sometimes patients with severe memory loss do not have the disease. Doctors might want to use the test in cases where they want to be sure of the diagnosis. And they might want to offer the test to people with milder symptoms who want to know whether they are developing the devastating brain disease. I. One drawback, though, is that spinal fluid is obtained with a spinal tap, and that procedure, with its reputation for pain and headaches, makes most doctors and many patients nervous. The procedure involves putting a needle in the spinal space and withdrawing a small amount of fluid. Dr. Growdon and others say spinal taps are safe and not particularly painful for most people. But, he said, there needs to be an education campaign to make people feel more comfortable about having them. He suggested that, because most family doctors and internists are not experienced with the test, there could be special spinal tap centers where they could send patients. J. The new study included more than 300 patients in their 70s, 114 with normal memories, 200 with memory problems and 102 with Alzheimer's disease. Their spinal fluid was analyzed for amyloid beta, a protein fragment that forms plaques in the brain, and for tan, a protein that accumulates in dead and dying nerve cells in the brain. To avoid bias, the researchers analyzing the data did not know anything about the clinical status of the subjects. Also, the subjects were not told what the tests showed. K. Nearly every person with Alzheimer's had the characteristic spinal fluid protein levels. Nearly three quarters of people with mild cognitive impairment, a memory impediment that can precede Alzheimer's, had Alzheimer's-like spinal fluid proteins. And every one of those patients with the proteins developed Alzheimer's within five years. And about a third of people with normal memories had spinal fluid indicating Alzheimer's. Researchers suspect that those people will develop memory problems. L. The prevailing hypothesis about Alzheimer's says that amyloid and tau accumulation are necessary for the disease and that stopping the proteins could stop the disease. But it is not yet known what happens when these proteins accumulate in the brains of people with normal memories. They might be a risk factor like high cholesterol levels. Many people with high cholesterol levels never have heart attacks. Or it might mean that Alzheimer's has already started and if the person lives long enough he or she will with absolute certainty get symptoms like memory loss. M. Many, like Dr. DeKosky, believe that when PET scans for amyloid become available, they will be used instead of spinal taps, in part because doctors and patients are more comfortable with brain scans. N. And when—researchers optimistically are saying "when" these days—drugs are shown to slow or prevent the disease, the thought is that people will start having brain scans or spinal taps for Alzheimer's as routinely as they might have colonoscopies or mammograms today. O. For now, Dr. DeKosky said, the days when Alzheimer's could be confirmed only at autopsy are almost over. And the time when Alzheimer's could be detected only after most of the brain damage was done seem to be ending, too. "The new biomarkers in CSF have made the difference," Dr. DeKosky said referring to cerebral spinal fluid. "This confirms their accuracy in a very big way."
1. Researchers are also trying PET scans method to detect the symptoms of Alzheimer's besides the spinal fluid test.
D
...a unique feature of the disease.”可知,研究人员除了使用抽取骨髓的实验方法之外,还运用PET扫描大脑的方法检测痴呆症的特征。
2. The disadvantage of obtaining spinal fluid is that the procedure makes patients think the spinal tap is painful and causing headaches.
I
根据I段第一句话“One drawback, though, is that the spinal fluid is obtained with a spinal tap, and that procedure, with its reputation for pain and headaches...”可知,人们认为抽取骨髓的方法会造成痛苦和头痛。
3. According to the passage decades of years ago it seemed very difficult to diagnose, let alone treat the Alzheimer's disease.
5. The passage mentions that doctors and patients still prefer PET scans for amyloid to spinal taps.
M
由M段内容“...believe that when PET scans for amyloid become available, they will be used instead of spinal taps...”可知,医生和病人还是更喜欢使用PET进行脑部扫描,而不愿意使用抽骨髓的办法确定脑部问题。
6. Medical experts hope that good ways are to be found to identify people who are getting Alzheimer's.
C
根据文章C段第三句话“So the hope is to find good ways to identify people who are getting the disease...”可知,医学专家希望找到好的识别老年痴呆症的方法,并且把这些人作为研究实验人员,看看这种疾病究竟需要多长时间才显现出来,然后研究一些可以减缓和阻止疾病发生的药物。
7. The important research element of judging the possibility of developing brain disease mentioned in the passage is about the analysis of protein and tau in the brain.
J
由J段第二句话内容“Their spinal fluid was analyzed for amyloid beta, a protein fragment that forms plaques in the brain,and for tau,a protein that accumulates in dead and dying nerve cells in the brain.”可知,研究人员分析了骨髓中的一种protein and tau,用以确定患有脑部疾病的重要因素。
8. Dr. DeKosky seems very optimistic about the future treatment of Alzheimer's.
9. According to the passage we know that patients as subjects of tests are not told the truth of whether they develop the disease or not.
F
根据F段第二句话“In the research studies, patients are often not told they may have the disease, but in practice in the real world, many may be told.”可知,作为实验对象,病人不会被告知是否得了老年痴呆症这种疾病的。
10. In order to stop the brain disease the prevailing hypothesis is to prevent the amyloid and tan accumulation in the brain.
L
根据L段第一句话“The prevailing hypothesis about Alzheimer's says that amyloid and tau accumulation are necessary for the disease and that stopping the proteins could stop the disease.”可知。防止the amyloid and tau在大脑里积累,就是预防痴呆症的一种假设。amyloid and tau就是protein。
Section C Directions:There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre.
Passage One Technology can make us smarter or stupider, and we need to develop a set of principles to guide our everyday behavior and make sure that tech is improving and not hindering our mental processes. One of the big questions being debated today is: what kind of information do we need to have stored in our heads, and what kind can we leave "in the cloud", to be accessed as necessary? An increasingly powerful group within education are championing "digital literacy". In their view, skills beat knowledge, developing "digital literacy" is more important than learning mere content, and all facts are now Google-able and therefore unworthy of committing to memory. But even the most sophisticated digital literacy skills won't help students and workers navigate the world if they don't have a broad base of knowledge about how the world actually operates. If you focus on the delivery mechanism and not the content, you're doing kids a disservice. Indeed, evidence from cognitive science challenges the notion that skills can exist independent of factual knowledge. Data from the last thirty years leads to a conclusion that is not scientifically challengeable: thinking well requires knowing facts, and that's true not only because you need something to think about. The very processes that teachers care about most—critical thinking processes—are intimately intertwined(交织)with factual knowledge that is stored in long-term memory. In other words, just because you can Google the date of Black Tuesday doesn't mean you understand why the Great Depression happened or how it compares to our recent economic slump. There is no doubt that the students of today, and the workers of tomorrow, will need to innovate, collaborate and evaluate. But such skills can't be separated from the knowledge that gives rise to them. To innovate, you have to know what came before. To collaborate, you have to contribute knowledge to the joint venture. And to evaluate, you have to compare new information against knowledge you've already mastered. So here's a principle for thinking in a digital world, in two parts. First, acquire a base of factual knowledge in any domain in which you want to perform well. This base supplies the essential foundation for building skills, and it can't be outsourced(外包)to a search engine. Second, take advantage of computers' invariable memory, but also the brain's elaborative memory. Computers are great when you want to store information that shouldn't change. But brains are the superior choice when you want information to change, in interesting and useful ways: to connect up with other facts and ideas, to acquire successive layers of meaning, to steep for a while in your accumulated knowledge and experience and so produce a richer mental brew.
1. What is the author's concern about the use of technology? ______
A.It may leave knowledge "in the cloud".
B.It may misguide our everyday behavior.
C.It may cause a divide in the circles of education.
D.It may hinder the development of thinking skills.
Passage Two Now and again I have had horrible dreams, but not enough of them to make me lose my delight in dreams. To begin with, I like the idea of dreaming, of going to bed and lying still and then, by some queer magic, wandering into another kind of existence. As a child I could never understand why grown-ups took dreaming so calmly when they could make such a fuss about any holiday. This still puzzles me. I am mystified (迷惑的) by people who say they never dream and appear to have no interest in the subject. It is much more astonishing than if they said they never went out for a walk. Most people or at least more Western Europeans do not seem to accept dreaming as part of their lives. They appear to see it as an irritating little habit, like sneezing or yawning. I have never understood this. My dream life does not seem as important as my waking life, if only because there is far less of it, but to me it is important. As if there were at least two extra continents added to the word, and lightning excursions running to them at any moment between midnight and breakfast. Then again, the dream life, though queer and confusing and unsatisfactory in many respects, has its own advantages. The dead are there, smiling and talking. The part is there, sometimes all broken and confused but occasionally as fresh as a daisy. And perhaps, as Mr. Dunne tells us, the future is there too, winking at us. This dream life is often overshadowed (蒙上阴影) by huge mysterious anxieties, with luggage that cannot be packed and trains that refuse to be caught; and both persons and scenes there are not as dependable and solid as they are in waking life, so that Brown and Smith merge into one person while Robinson splits into two, and there are thick woods outside the bathroom door and the dining room is somehow part of a theatre balcony; and there are moments of loneliness or terror in the dream world that are worse than anything we have known under the sun. Yet this other life has its interests, its happiness, its satisfactions, and at certain rare interval's, a serene glow or a sudden joy, like glimpses of another form of existence altogether, that we cannot match with open eyes. Silly or wise, terrible or excellent, it is a further helping of experience, a bonus after dark, another slice of life cut differently, for which, it seems to me, we are never sufficiently grateful. Only a dream! Why only? It was there and you had it. "If there were dreams to sell, " Beddoes inquires, "What would you pay?" I cannot say off hand, but certainly the price would be rather more than I could afford.
1. When the author was young, he thought that ______ .
A.by dreaming people could live a better life indeed
B.he was puzzled by the mysterious quality of dreams
C.it was astonishing that adults loved holidays so much
D.it was a pity that adults could not enjoy dreams
Part Ⅳ Translation Directions:For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.
Chinese are the largest group of overseas shoppers for many Western countries, including the United States, France and the United Kingdom. Various luxury stores in the United States and Europe have become must-visit places for Chinese tourists, and it seems that these tourists would feel they had never truly been abroad if they didn't bring back several luxury goods from abroad. International luxury brands also gradually begin to list Chinese market as their top priority. In many luxury stores, assistants are required to speak Mandarin to serve Chinese tourists better. In fact, most luxury brands have stores in China. Why do Chinese consumers go all the way to another country to buy those luxury products? The root cause is that international luxury brands have been sold at much higher prices for a long time in China than in many other countries.
[解析] 1.似乎不从国外带几件奢侈品回去就不算真正出过国:该句实际上说的是说出国购物的人的一种感觉,故而在翻译时可采用增译法将句子的含义补全。
2.将中国市场放在首位:“将……放在首位”,除了可以用give priority to外,还可以用list...as one's top priority。