Passage One Children should avoid using mobile phones for all but essential calls because of possible health effects on young brains. This is one of the expected conclusions of an official government report to be published this week. The report is expected to call for the mobile phone industry to refrain from promoting phone use by children, and to start labeling phones with data on the amount of radiation they emit. The Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones, chaired by former government chief scientist William Stewart, has spent eight months reviewing existing scientific evidence on all aspects of the health effects of using mobile phones. Its report is believed to conclude that because we don't fully understand the nonthermal effects of radiation on human tissue, the government should adopt a precautionary approach, particularly in relation to children. There is currently no evidence that mobile phones harm users or people living near transmitter masts. But some studies show that cell-phones operating at radiation levels within current safety limits do have some sort of biological effect on the brain. John Tattersall, a researcher on the health effects of radiation at the Defense Evaluation and Research Agency's site at Porton Down, agrees that it might be wise to limit phone use by children. "If you have a developing nervous system, it's known to be more susceptible to environmental insults," he says, "So if phones did prove to be hazardous—which they haven't yet—it would be sensible." In 1998, Tattersall showed that radiation levels similar to those emitted by mobile phones could alter signals from brain cells in slices of rat brain, "What we've found is an effect, but we don't know if it's hazardous," he says. Alan Preece of the University of Bristol, who found last year that microwaves increase reaction times in test subjects, agreed that children's exposure would be greater. "There's a lot less tissue in the way, and the skill is thinner, so children's heads are considerably closer," he says. Stewart's report is likely to recommend that the current British safety standards on energy emissions from cell-phones should be cut to the level recommended by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection, which is one-fifth of the current British limit. "The extra safety factor of five is somewhat arbitrary," says Michael Clark of the National Radiological Protection Board. "But we accept that it's difficult for the UK to have different standards from an international body."
1. Just because it has not been confirmed yet whether mobile phone emissions can harm human tissue, according to the government report, does not mean that ______.
A.the government should prohibit children from using cell-phones
B.we should put down the phone for the sake of safety
C.the industry can have a right to promote phone use
[解析] 本题题意是:“在这个问题上,Preece支持Stewart的态度。”在第二段中Stewart用了8个月的时间浏览现存的手机影响健康的科学证明。他在报告中下结论:由于我们不完全理解辐射对人体的影响,政府应该采取更审慎的态度,尤其在与孩子相关的方面。在第六段中Preece agreed that children's exposure would be greater. (Preece也认为孩子暴露于手机辐射的概率更大)。从此可以判断,Preece是支持Stewart的观点的。
4. What is worrisome at present is that the UK ______.
A.is going to turn deaf ears to the voice of Stesart's plan
B.finds it difficult to cut the current safety standards on phone use
C.maintains different standards on safety limit from the international ones
D.does not even impose safety limit on the mobile phones' energy emissions
Passage Two Long-suffering couples take heart. There is a good reason for those endless arguments in the front of the car; men and women use different parts of the brain when they try to find their way around, suggesting that the strategies they use might also be completely different. Matthias Riepe and his colleagues at the University of Ulm in Germany asked 24 healthy volunteers—half of them men, half women—to find their way out of three virtual-reality mazes displayed on video goggles. Meanwhile, the researchers monitored the volunteers' brain activity using a Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (FMRT) scanner. This showed that men and women called on strikingly different brain areas to complete the task. "I didn't expect it be so dramatic," says Riepe. Previous studies have been shown that women rely mainly on landmarks to find their way. Men use these cues too, but they also use geometric cues, such as the angle and shape of a wall or a comer. Such studies also suggest that men navigate their way out of unfamiliar spaces more quickly, as Riepe found in his study, too. Riepe discovered that both men and women used parts of the parietal cortex towards the top of the brain, the right side of the hippocampus and a few other well-established areas to find their way out. Neuroscientists think that the parietal regions help translate what the eyes see into information about where the body is in space, while the hippocampal region helps process how objects are arranged. But other regions seemed to be exclusively male or female. The men engaged the left side of their hippocampus, which the researchers say could help with assessing geometry or remembering whether they have already visited a location. The women, by contrast, recruited their right frontal cortex. Riepe says this may indicate that they were using their "working memory", trying to keep in mind the landmarks they had passed. "It fits very well with the animal studies," says Riepe. He points out that there seem to be similar differences in rats. For example, damage to the frontal lobe will impair a female's sense of direction but not a male's.
1. The studies on the driving issue have evolved ______.
A.from the car to the driver
B.from the reality to the virtual-reality
C.from the physical cues to the parts &the brain
D.from the cues of navigation to the strategies of driving
A B C D
C
[解析] 题意为,对驾驶问题的研究已经从身体发展到大脑的功能区域。这是文章的主旨,故选C。
2. The different parts of the brain men and women use to find their way around according to the passage refer to ______.
A.the left side of the hippocampus and the right frontal cortex
B.the right and left side of their hippocampus respectively
C.the right and left hemisphere of their brains respectively
D.the parietal cortex and the hippocampus as a whole
Passage Three The first line reads: "She sits on the bed with a helpless expression. What is your name? Auguste. Last name? Auguste. What is your husband's name? Auguste, I think." The 32 pages of medical records that follow are the oldest medical description of Alzheimer's disease. Psychiatrist Konrad Maurer and his colleagues at Johann Wolfgan Goethe University in Frankfurt found the file in their hospital's archive, where it had been missing for nearly 90 years, and published excerpts from it last May in The Lancet. The notes, in a cramped, archaic German script, were written by Alois Alzheimer—the physician who first described the disease. His patient, Auguste D, was a 51-year-old woman who had suffered fits of paranoid jealousy and memory lapses so disturbing that her family finally brought her to a local hospital known as the Castle of the Insane. Over the next four years Alzheimer tracked her condition. Upon her death he examined her brain tissue and found the distinctive lesion that are now hallmark of the disease. Today Alzheimer's afflicts some 4 million Americans. Although it still cannot be cured, or even treated very well, several recent studies hint that some treatments—from estrogen to vitamin E to anti-inflammatory drugs—can reduce either the risk of developing the disorder or its symptoms. And more is being learned about its distinctive pathology. This past year, for instance, researchers discovered a new kind of lesion in Alzheimer's patients. A genetic study also pinpointed a mutation that is present in some 60 percent of them—a mutation in the DNA of mitochondria, the energy-producing organelles of the cells. But nearly a century ago, it was Alois Alzheimer who first described the disease and in so doing became one of the first physicians to offer a biological basis for a psychiatric condition. Finding the file, Maurer says, "is like holding history in your hands."
1. Obviously, the discovery of the missing file of Auguste D. ______.
A.adds credit to Alois Alzheimer
B.sheds doubt on the first description of Alzheimer's
C.presents a big challenge to the medical community
D.has a great impact on the development of a cure for Alzheimer's
5. Which of the following can best be the title for the passage?
A.The Physician Who First Described Alzheimer's
B.The Recent Studies on Alzheimer's
C.The Missing File of Auguste D
D.The History of Psychiatrics
A B C D
A
[解析] 主旨大意题。本题题意为:“文章的题目最好是第一个描述老年痴呆症的医生”,故选A。
Passage Four Educators are seriously concerned about the high rate of dropouts among the doctor of philosophy candidates and the consequent loss of talent to a nation in need of PhDs. Some have placed the dropouts loss as high as 50 percent. The extent of the loss was, however, largely a matter of expert guessing. Last week a well-rounded study was published. It was based on 22,000 questionnaires sent to former graduate students who were enrolled in 24 universities and it seemed to show many past fears to be groundless. The dropouts rate was found to be 31 per cent, and in most cases the dropouts, while not completing the Ph.D. requirement, went on to productive work. They are not only doing well financially, but, according to the report, are not far below the income levels of those who went on to complete their doctorates. Discussing the study last week, Dr. Tucker said the project was initiated because of the concern frequently expressed by graduate faculties and administrators that some of the individuals who dropped out of Ph.D. programs were capable of competing the requirement for the degree. Attrition at the Ph.D. level is also thought to be a waste of precious faculty time and a drain on university resources already being used to capacity. Some people expressed the opinion that the shortage of highly trained specialists and college teachers could be reduced by persuading the dropouts to return to graduate schools to complete the Ph.D. "The results of our research," Dr. Tucker concluded, "did not support these opinions." 1. Lack of motivation was the principal reason for dropping out. 2. Most dropouts went as far in their doctoral program as was consistent with their levels of ability or their specialities. 3. Most dropouts are now engaged in work consistent with their education and motivation. Nearly 75 per cent of the dropouts said there was no academic reason for their decision, but those who mentioned academic reason cited failure to pass the qualifying examination, uncompleted research and failure to pass language exams. Among the single most important personal reasons identified by dropouts for non-completion of their Ph.D. program, lack of finances was marked by 19 per cent. As an indication of how well the dropouts were doing, a chart showed 2% in humanities were receiving $20,000 and more annually while none of the Ph. D.'s with that background reached this figure. The Ph. D.'s shone in the $7,500 to $15,000 bracket with 78% at that level against 50% for the dropouts. This may also be an indication of the fact that top salaries in the academic fields, where Ph. D.'s tend to rise to the highest salaries, are still lagging behind other fields. As to the possibility of getting dropouts back on campus, the outlook was glum. The main condition which would have to prevail for at least 25% of the dropouts who might consider returning to graduate school would be to guarantee that they would retain their present level of income and in some cases their present job.
1. The author states that many educators feel that ______.
A.steps should be taken to get the dropouts back to campus
B.the dropouts should return to a lower quality school to continue their study
C.the Ph.D. holder is generally a better adjusted person than the dropout
D.the high dropouts rate is largely attributable to the lack of stimulation on the part of faculty members
A B C D
A
[解析] 细节题。见第三段最后一句话:“Some people expressed the opinion that the shortage of highly trained specialists and college teachers could be reduced by persuading the dropouts to return to graduate schools to complete the Ph. D. ”(一些人认为经过较好的培训的专家和大学教师的短缺状况可以通过说服辍学者返回研究院继续完成博士学位而有所缓解)可知应选择A。
2. Research has shown that ______.
A.dropouts are substantially below Ph. D.'s in financial attainment
B.the incentive factor is a minor one in regard to pursuing Ph.D. studies
C.the Ph.D. candidate is likely to change his field of specialization if he drops out
D.about one-third of those who start Ph.D. work do not complete the work to earn the degree
A B C D
D
[解析] 细节题。答案在第二段第一句:“The dropouts rate was found to be 31 per cent, and in most cases the dropouts, while not completing the Ph. D. requirement, went on to productive work. ”(辍学率达到31%,大多数情况下这些辍学者没有完成博士学位的要求就去从事生产性工作。)
3. Meeting foreign language requirements for the Ph. D. ______.
A.is the most frequent reason for dropping out
B.is more difficult for the science candidate than for the humanities candidate
C.is an essential part of many Ph.D. programs
D.does not vary in difficulty among universities
A B C D
C
[解析] 推理题。在第四段有所表示:“Nearly 75 per cent of the dropouts said there was no academic reason for their decision, but those who mentioned academic reason cited failure to pass the qualifying examination, uncompleted research and failure to pass language exams. ”(75%的辍学者说学术问题并不是他们辍学的原因,而其他人认为使他们辍学的学术原因包括没有通过资格考试,没有完成研究课题,意即没有通过语言考试。)这里可看出外语是博士生课程的基本组成部分。
4. After reading the article, one would refrain from concluding that ______.
A.optimism reigns in regard to getting Ph. D. dropouts to return to their pursuit of the degree
B.a Ph.D. dropout, by and large, does not have what it takes to learn the degree
C.colleges and universities employ a substantial number of Ph. D. dropouts
D.Ph. D.'s are not earning what they deserve in nonacademic positions
A B C D
A
[解析] 细节题。答案在最后一段第一句As to the possibility of getting dropouts back on campus, the outlook was glum. (至于使辍学者回到学校的前景非常暗淡。)题目问的是不能得出的结论。因此选A。
5. It can be inferred that the high rate of dropouts lies in ______.
A.salary for Ph.D. too low
B.academic requirement too high
C.salary for dropouts too high
D.1,000 positions
A B C D
A
[解析] 推理题。从倒数第二段可以看出博士生的薪水非常低,这也是他们辍学的主要原因。
Passage Five The alarm on our household computer terminal rings and wakes me up. My husband simply stirs and goes back to sleep. I transfer today's information onto the personal data card I carry with me everywhere and scan today's readings. Values are given as to the number of liters of water I can use, the amount of coal-generated electricity I have allocated and how many "enviro-credits" I have learned. I am free to use the water and electricity as I chose, however I notice that the ration of electricity is decreasing every day. Of course, this will not be a problem when we have earned enough enviro-credits to buy another solar panel. Enviro-credits are earned by buying goods with limited of no packaging, minimizing the amount of garbage thrown out by financially supporting "environtechnology". Before cars were phased out due to unpopularity, credits could be gained by using public transport. I notice all extra passage added to the readings. At last I have been given permission to have a child. Almost instantaneously a package arrives with a label on it-"Anti-sterilization Unit". Inside there are instructions and a small device that looks like a cross between a pistol and a syringe. Eagerly I follow the instructions. The procedure is painless and I don't know if I am imagining it but I seem to feel the effects at once. Shaking my husband awake, I tell him the good news. I want to get started baby-making right now. "You've been on the waiting list for 37 years," he says, "Can't you wait until I've woken up properly?" I decide that I probably don't have much choice and wander downstairs. I am feeling very privileged to have the opportunity to create a new life. It is saddening, however, when I realize that, because of strict population controls, this new life will be replacing an old one. I decide to ring my mother and tell her the good news. When she answers the phone she is crying. She has received word that my grandmother has failed her latest health check and will be euthanized next week. For some reason, I don't feel like creating that new life anymore.
1. Based on today's data, the wife will ______.
A.use up all the envirocredits she earned
B.make arrangements with her husband for the day
C.be allowed to use a certain amount of water and electricity
D.do as required to generate enough water and electricity for the day
Passage Six On June 26, 2000, two scientific teams announce at the White House that they had deciphered virtually the entire human genome, a prodigious feat that involved determining the exact sequence of chemical units in human genetic material. An enthusiastic President Clinton predicted a revolution in "the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of most, if not all, human diseases". Now, 10 years later, a sobering realization has set in. Decoding the genome has led to stunning advances in scientific knowledge and DNA-processing technologies but it has done relatively little to improve medical treatments or human health. To be fair, many scientists at the time were warning that it would be a long, slow slog to reap clinical benefits. And there have been some important advances, such as powerful new drugs for a few cancers and genetic tests that can predict whether people with breast cancer need chemotherapy. But the original hope that close study of the genome would identify mutations or variants that cause diseases like cancer, Alzheimer's and heart ailments—and generate treatments for them—has given way to realization that the causes of most diseases are enormously complex and not easily traced to a simple mutation or two. In the long run, it seems likely that the genomic revolution will pay off. But no one can be sure. Even if the genetic roots of some major diseases are identified, there is no guarantee that treatments can be found. The task facing science and industry in the coming decades is at least as challenging as the original deciphering of the human genome.
1. Back in the year 2000, what was exciting about the deciphered genome?
A.Its claim at the turn of the new millennium.
B.Its great potential of producing medical value.
C.President Clinton's predicting of a moral controversy.
D.Its announcement for the first time at the White House.
A B C D
B
[解析] 细节题。题干:追溯到2000年,关于被破译的基因让人兴奋的是______。第一段中克林顿总统说,这个破译将在the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of most, if not all, human diseases方面引发革命,即在医疗方面将会有很大的潜在价值。故本题答案为B。
2. Clinically, according to the passage, the prophecy ten years later ______.
A.is provided to be fair enough
B.is realized in clinical trails
C.turns out to be a reality
D.is far from realization
A B C D
D
[解析] 细节题。题干:根据文章内容,10年后的预言______。用10 years定位到第二段,根据it has done relatively little to improve medical treatments or human health可知,基因破译对人类健康或者医疗受益无几,因此D为正确答案。
3. From our disappointment we have to realize that ______.
A.most human diseases cannot be conquered
B.the deciphering of the human genome was fruitless
C.the cause of disease cannot be simply explained by a mutation or two
D.many clinical harvests have nothing to do with the deciphered genome
A B C D
C
[解析] 细节题。题干:我们从失望中意识到______。从倒数第二段的...has given way to realization that the causes of most diseases are enormously complex and not easily traced to a simple mutation or two可知,本题的答案为C。
4. It can be concluded from the passage that ______.
A.difficulties are hard to predict in doing science
B.Sometimes it is no use finding the genetic roots of diseases
C.scientists are not supposed to make any predictions
D.the clinical benefits of the genomic revolution will take time