How far would you be willing to go to satisfy your need to know? Far enough to find out your possibility of dying from a terrible disease? These days that’s more than an academic question, as Tracy Smith reports in our Cover Story.
There are now more than a thousand genetic tests, for everything from baldness to breast cancer, and the list is growing. Question is, do you really want to know what might eventually kill you? For instance, Nobel Prize-winning scientist James Watson, one of the first people to map their entire genetic makeup, is said to have asked not to be told if he were at a higher risk for Alzheimer’（老年痴呆症）.
“If I tell you that you have an increased risk of getting a terrible disease, that could weigh on your mind and make you anxious, through which you see the rest of your life as you wait for that disease to hit you. It could really mess you up.” Said Dr. Robert Green, a Harvard geneticist.
“Every ache and pain,” Smith suggested, “could be understood as the beginning of the end.” “That ’s right. If you ever worried you were at risk for Alzheimer’s disease, then every time you can’t find your car in the parking lot, you think the disease has started.”
Dr. Green has been thinking about this issue for years. He led a study of people who wanted to know if they were at a higher genetic risk for Alzheimer’s. It was thought that people who got bad news would, for lack of a better medical term, freak out. But Green and his team found that there was “no significant difference” between how people handled good news and possibly the worst news of their lives. In fact, most people think they can handle it. People who ask for the information usually can handle the information, good or bad, said Green.
1.Which of the following is true about James Watson？
A．He doesn’t want to know his chance of getting a disease.
B．He is strongly in favor of the present genetic tests.
C．He believes genetic mapping can help cure any disease.
D．He is more likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s disease.
2.The first paragraph is meant to__________.
A．ask some questions B．satisfy readers’ curiosity
C．introduce the topic D．describe an academic fact
3.According to Paragraphs 3 and 4, if a person is at a higher genetic risk, it is__________.
A．necessary to remove his anxiety B．impossible to hide his disease
C．better to inform him immediately D．advisable not to let him know
4.The underlined part “freak out” in Paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to“_________”.
A．leave off B．break down C．drop out D．turn away
5.The study led by Dr. Green indicates that people__________.
A．can accept some bad news B．tend to find out the truth
C．prefer to hear good news D．have the right to be informed
"Hitler and the Germans," an exhibition in Berlin's German Historical Museum which aims to investigate the society that created Hitler, has seen more than 10,000 visitors walk through its doors since opening on Friday.
Rudolf Trabold, a spokesman for the museum, said there were 4,000 visitors to the exhibition on the first day alone. People visiting the exhibition said they had waited as long as one and a half hours to get in. Ravi Nair, a 73-year-old Indian visitor, said: "I had to queue for about an hour but it was worth it. The exhibition should help people in democratic countries realize that their vote is very valuable."
Trabold said “Hitler and the Germans” was so popular because it was the first exhibition to explain how a man who lived on the margins of society for 30 years, in Vienna's men's hostels, could become an almost mythical（神话的）leader of the German people. "We are all affected by Hitler, so it speaks to all of us and helps Germans and foreigners to come to terms with the past." Inge Lonning, a 72-year-old tourist from Norway said: "I thought the exhibition was very impressive. I wanted to see it because I experienced the German occupation of Norway as a small child, so it's not just history for me." But not everyone was convinced there was something new to be learned from the exhibition. "So much has been done about this period over the years, it was like, I knew this and I knew that," said Canadian Julien Cayer, aged 28. "I thought I'd find something new but I didn't."
There has been widespread concern in the German media that the exhibition could become a magnet for neo-Nazi admirers of Hitler, but Trabold said that although there had been some right-wing extremist visitors, they had not caused any problems.
1.What is the main idea of the passage?
A．People have different attitudes to “Hitler and the Germans”.
B．“Hitler and the Germans” attracts plenty of people.
C．What effect “Hitler and the Germans” has on history.
D．What people should learn from “Hitler and the Germans”.
2.“Hitler and the Germans” is open to ________.
A．remind people not to forget history. B．show how Hitler was hated by people
C．study the society that created Hitler D．save money for economy growth
3.Trabold thought “Hitler and the Germans” was so popular because ________.
A．help people in democratic countries realize that their vote is very valuable
B．it was the first exhibition to explain how a man from the bottom of society becomes a leader
C．people can learn a lot from the exhibition
D．people have been affected by Hitler
4.Who experienced the German occupation according to the passage?
A．Inge Lonning. B．Ravi Nair. C．Rudolf Trabold. D．Julien Cayer
5.What can we learn from the passage?
A．The visitors coming to “Hitler and the Germans” are all old people.
B．“Hitler and the Germans” has made an impression on every visitor.
C．Some neo-Nazi admirers of Hitler have caused a lot of trouble.
D．People visit “Hitler and the Germans” with variety of purposes.
When buying from a dealer, the law says that a car must be:
As described:
This includes the history of the car as well as its specification．For example, if the dealer described the car as previously having “one careful lady owner”, it shouldn’t turn out to have had several previous “boy racer” owners.
Of satisfactory quality:
It must meet the standard that a reasonable person would regard as acceptable and be free from any quality problem．Also, bear in mind that a second-hand car will have a slightly different definition of what is considered “satisfactory, because there’s certainly an element of wear and tear．
Fit for the purpose:
It must be reasonable fit for any normal purpose and this includes any purpose that you specify to the seller．
●If any of the above is violated, then in theory, you may have the right to reject the vehicle and get your money back if you’re reasonably quick. Alternatively, the dealer might offer to replace or repair the car; reduce the price of offering a partial refund(退款).Once you’ve informed the dealer that you wish to reject the car , you must stop using the vehicle.
●If the rejection is not accepted, then it’s up to you to prove your case. You’ll need to pay for an independent assessment of the car and sue（打官司，起诉）for damages. If you do choose a repair, insist the dealer provide you with a hire car or pay any reasonable traveling expenses thus produced while your new car is in the garage.
●If the car is new, it’s likely that the claim will be too high to be fought. Using the small claims procedure to you may have to pay for legal representation. All this can be pretty daunting and expensive. You need to weigh up the pros and cons before rejecting a car. Would a repair do just as well? Selecting a dealer who offers a clear exchange policy may help.
1.According to the text, what is essential after you inform the dealer of your wish to reject the car?
A．Stopping using it B．Demanding traveling expenses．
C．Suing for damages． D．Proving your case．
2.If the dealer offers to repair the car you have bought, which of the following is acceptable?
A．Asking the dealer to provide you with repair tool sets
B．Asking the dealer to provide you with a hire car
C．Asking the dealer to pay all of your traveling expenses．
D．Asking the dealer to return all your money．
3.Which of the following words has the closest meaning to the underlined word “daunting” in
the last paragraph?
A．Different． B．Discouraging． C．Effective． D．Convenient．
4.What does the writer want to say in the last paragraph?
A．Buyers should select a dealer that offers to repair the car．
B．Buyers should never reject a new car．
C．It’s necessary that a new car should be repaired．
D．Rejecting a new car is not necessarily the best choice．
5.After reading the passage, you will be better at .
A．choosing a car B．making a claim
C．dealing with car sellers D．suing for damages
I was in my third year of teaching creative writing at a high school in New York, when one of my students, 15-year-old Mikey, gave me a note from his mother. It explained his absence from class the day before.
I had seen Mikey himself writing the note at his desk. Most parental-excuse notes I received were penned by my students. If I were to deal with them, I’d be busy 24 hours a day. The forged excuse notes made a large pile, with writing that ranged from imaginative to crazy. The writers of those notes didn’t realize that honest excuse notes were usually dull: “Peter was late because the alarm clock didn’t go off.”
Isn’t it remarkable, I thought, how the students complained and said it was hard putting 200 words together on any subject? But when they produced excuse notes, they were brilliant.
So one day I typed out a dozen excuse notes and gave them to my classes. I said, “They’re supposed to be written by parents, but actually they are not. True, Mikey?” The students looked at me nervously.
“Now, this will be the first class to study the art of the excuse note --- the first class, ever, to practice writing them. You’re so lucky to have a teacher like me who has taken your best writing and turned it into a subject worthy of study. ”
Everyone smiled as I went on, “You used your imaginations. So try more now. Today I’d like you to write ‘An Excuse Note from Adam to God’ or ‘An Excuse Note from Eve to God’.” Heads went down. Pens raced across paper. For the first time ever I saw students so careful in their writing that they had to be asked to go to lunch by their friends.
The next day everyone had excuse notes. Heated discussions followed. The headmaster entered the classroom and walked up and down, looking at papers, and then said, “I’d like you to see me in my office.”
When I stepped into his office, he came to shake my hand and said, “I just want to tell you that that lesson, that task, whatever the hell you were doing, was great. Those kids were writing on the college level. Thank you. ”
1.What did the author do with the students found dishonest?
A．He reported them to the headmaster. B．He lectured them hard on honesty.
C．He had them take notes before lunch. D．He helped improve their writing skills.
2.The author found that compared with the true excuse notes, the produced ones by the students were usually ________.
A．less impressive B．less convincing C．worse written D．more imaginative
3.The author had the students practice writing excuse notes so that the students could learn_________.
A．the importance of being honest B．how to be creative in writing
C．the pleasure of creative writing D．how to write excuse notes skillfully
4. The underlined word “forged” in the second paragraph means “________”.
A．false B．copied C．former D．honest
5.What did the headmaster think of the author’s way of teaching?
A．Misleading. B．Difficult C．Effective. D．Reasonable.
One Sunday, a picture in the newspaper touched me. A young woman stood in front of a totally destroyed home. A little boy stood beside her with his head 36 . Holding her skirt tightly was a tiny girl, eyes wide with 37 and fear.
With growing 38 I noticed that their sizes of each family member closely 39 ours. This would be a good opportunity to 40 my children, so I explained their difficult 41 to my seven-year-old twins and three-year-old Meghan.
“We have so much, but these poor people now have nothing,” I said, “we’ll 42 what we have with them.”
I brought three large boxes and placed them on the living room floor. Meghan watched seriously 43 the boys and I filled one box with canned food.
While I 44__ our clothes, I encouraged the boys to go through their toys and 45 some of their less favorite things. Meghan watched 46 as the boys piled up useless toys in the box.
“I’ll help you find something for the little girl,” I said to her.
The boys placed the toys they had 47 to donate into one of the boxes while I filled the third box with clothes. Meghan walked up with Lucy, her worn, faded, much-loved doll 48 tightly to her chest. She 49 in front of the box, pressed her little face into Lucy’s face, gave her a 50 kiss, then, laid her gently on top of the other toys.
“Oh, honey,” I said. “You 51 to give away Lucy. You love her so much.”
Meghan nodded, eyes shining with tears. “Lucy makes me happy, Mommy. 52 she’ll make that little girl happy, too.”
I stared at Meghan for a long moment, 53 how I could teach the boys the lesson she had just taught me.
It’s easy to give what we don’t want any more, but 54 to let go of things we cherish, isn’t it? 55 , the true spirit of giving is to give with your heart.
1. A．off B．up C．down D．round
2. A．smile B．confusion C．joy D．anger
3. A．happiness B．friendship C．puzzle D．interest
4. A．matched B．equaled C．compared D．suited
5. A．help B．complain C．change D．teach
6. A．experience B．problem C．situation D．process
7. A．give B．share C．send D．spare
8. A．as B．since C．though D．because
9. A．came through B．broke through C．sorted through D．got through
10. A．donate B．leave C．keep D．sell
11. A．hopefully B．anxiously C．depressingly D．quietly
12. A．separated B．chosen C．bought D．confirmed
13. A．hugged B．tied C．grasped D．caught
14. A．settled B．regretted C．paused D．cried
15. A．precious B．final C．hearty D．lovely
16. A．wouldn’t like B．ought not C．had better not D．don’t have
17. A．Also B．Yet C．Maybe D．Though
18. A．knowing B．wondering C．realizing D．expecting
19. A．available B．necessary C．important D．hard
20. A．However B．Therefore C．Otherwise D．Moreover
--- I’m ______ endless examinations.
--- Cheer up, David. Keep on until the college entrance examination ends.
A．caught up with B．come up with C．fed up with D．put up with
