We each have a unique genetic (基因的，遗传的) make-up. Every cell of your body has the same set of about 100,000 separate genes made of DNA. These are the instructions for producing a person. Genes decide everything from the colour of your skin to the way your brain works. You have one of several billion binations of DNA which e from the random(随机的，任意的) mixing of your parents’ genes. Except for identical twins (同卵双胞胎), no one has the same bination as another person. You are unique! You are unique in another way too: in the way you are raised and all the experiences you have from before birth to adult life. These experiences influence you, your behaviour and attitudes, and the choices you make.
But are genes or life experiences more important in shaping your appearance and personality? Scientists are studying twins to find out. One set of twins occurs every 70 births---some are identical and others are non-identical twins. Identical twins are special because they share exactly the same genes and often the same environment. Non-identical twins are more like ordinary brothers and sisters.
Some identical twins have been adopted and brought up in different homes. With identical genes but a different home environment, scientists can study twins to see how much a particular feature depends on the genes we inherit. For example, we know that eye problems, like short-sightedness, are mostly genetic. But resistance to pain is largely dependent on experiences. Genes also influence our eating habits. Identical twins brought up apart often like to eat at the same time of day and feel full after eating the same amount. Non-identical twins in similar circumstances have more varied eating habits. Identical twins are also more likely to follow the same patterns for marriage and divorce than non-identical twins.
Scientists are trying to identify the different genes that influence our behaviour. Some people are thrill-seekers and get into risk-taking and adventurous activities. They take up extreme sports like bungee jumping and possibly take drugs. Scientists have discovered a gene which affects this.
We could ask, “Are our lives determined by our genes or our upbringing?” Scientists are learning more all the time, but it is certainly true that both are important in making us who we are.
1.What is the main idea of the first paragraph?
A. We cannot easily change our physical appearance.
B. How we turn out depends on our parents’ genes.
C. Everyone has a physical double somewhere in the world.
D. Both our genes and our experiences make us who we are.
2.Why are scientists studying twins?
A. To find out how many twins are born every year.
B. To discover what shapes us as individuals.
C. To pare differences between twins.
D. To study brother-and-sister relationships.
3.According to the passage, __________.
A. one in 70 twins are genetically identical
B. non-identical twins are usually not of the same sex
C. twins separated at birth behave exactly the same
D. identical twins are genetically the same
4.Which of the following is most affected by experience according the passage?
A. Eating habits. B. Eye-sight.
C. Pain resistance. D. Marriage patterns.
5.What does the underlined “this” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
A. Our love of sport.
B. Our attitude to risk-taking.
C. Our skill at bungee jumping.
D. Our ability to take drugs.
Why can’t some people even get an inch of what they dream of being? Blame it on pure dreaming and lack of surrounding goals for achieving their dreams.
Setting goals is very significant part of accomplishing and positive actions. It is like scaling(攀爬) a 200 feet construction and marking in the early hours on what feet you would like to reach at this specific period.
People who set goals literally generate a map of their goal settings in life, marking where they should start, where to pause, where to study a bit, and where and when to end. Once this map comes into being, it allows the map drawer to check where he is in the scheme(安排) of things and whether or not he is making some planning that will take him closer to his goals.
By surrounding goals, people will know how they are doing and what they should be doing to get their goals or dreams in life. They will know if they can relax or if they have to double their efforts when they are falling short of what is expected of them.
Goal surroundings means a person is proactive in dealing with challenges that may affect his plans. Being proactive means one is able to outline possible difficulties that may occur as well as the solutions to these difficulties. By doing this, a person is not easily scared or defeated when challenges occur because he has already prepared for them. He knows they can happen and he has prepared a solution or strategy when that time comes.
Setting goals will enable people to track their progress in whatever hard work they set out to do. It will help people bee more confident in themselves and more motivated to get their plans.
1.The purpose of this passage is to _______________.
A. explain the difference between the two goals.
B. show the importance of surrounding goals.
C. tell us how to set and achieve one’s goals.
D. tell us setting goals makes one confident.
2.The underlined word “proactive” in paragraph 5 may have the closest meaning to “________”.
A. positive B. careful
C. brave D. prepared
3.According to the author, one had better ___________ in making a goal in life.
A. take an active attitude
B. create a scheme as a whole
C. consider the possible troubles
D. check where he is frequently
4.From the passage, we can reach the conclusion that___________________.
A. achievements come to those who are well prepared
B. everyone faces the situation which is scaring or threatening
C. the higher one sets his goal, the more achievements he will have
D. success never es to people who always blame
The average American child spends three to five hours a day watching TV. In 1961, the average child began to watch television at age three; however, today it is nine months. Yet, most parents think that television has a bad influence on their children. For example, in the early 1970s, my parents believed that my bad eyesight was the result of sitting too close to the screen, and they therefore made my stay at least six feet from it. Today, most people have no such worry, but many new ridiculous (荒谬的) sayings have appeared:
*TV makes kids stupid. Many children watch more educational programs when they are pre-schoolers. When they grow up, they can read more books and have much better ideas to solve difficult problems than other children.
*TV makes kids violent. The real story is not so simple. Hundreds of studies show that watching violence on TV makes children more aggressive (好斗的). But a study of over 5,000 children also finds that some positive programs make children kinder. The problem is that kids are increasingly watching shows with violence instead of those suitable for their age.
*Sitting around watching TV makes kids overweight. An experiment finds that when children watch less television, they do lose extra weight; however, reducing their television time does not make them more active. The real problem lies in snacking (吃零食), a widespread habit for kids, and junk-food advertisements.
*TV helps kids get to sleep. The opposite is true. The more television children watch, the more likely they are to have irregular sleep and nap(小睡) patterns. Allowing kids to watch television is part of the problem, not the solution.
1.Which one is the advantage of educational TV programs?
A. They will make children solve difficult problems better than others.
B. They will improve children’s ability to get along with others.
C. They are likely to make children more aggressive.
D. They will make sure of children’s success in the future.
2.Why are children spending much time watching TV likely to be fat?
A. Watching TV makes children lazy and inactive.
B. Children are attracted by the food advertisement on TV.
C. Watching TV doesn’t burn up as much fat as doing sports.
D. Children like to snack while watching TV.
3.What influence does watching TV have on a child’s sleep?
A. Children are likely to sleep deeper after watching TV.
B. Children’s sleep time will be greatly reduced.
C. It will make children form a bad habit of sleeping.
D. It will make children sleep easier.
4.What is the purpose of this text?
A. To increase people’s knowledge of watching TV.
B. To warn parents of the disadvantages of watching TV.
C. To explain the bad influences that watching TV has on children.
D. To correct parents’ wrong ideas of television’s effect on children.
Most people know the feeling when you walk into a lift(电梯) with other people. A study has found that where people stand is based on their social position on entering the lift.
Rebekah Rousi, a Ph.D. student, did a study of lift behavior in two of the tallest office buildings in Adelaide, Australia. As part of her research, she took a total of 30 lift rides in the two buildings, and discovered there was a fixed order about where people chose to stand.
In her research paper, she wrote that more senior men seemed to walk straight towards the back of the lift. She said , “in front of them were younger men, and in front of them were women of all ages.” She also noticed there was a difference in the direction where people look during the ride. “Men watched the monitors, looked in the side mirrors (in one building) to see themselves, and in the door mirrors (in the other building) to watch others. Women would watch the monitors and avoid looking into others’ eyes (unless in conversations) and the mirrors.”
Rebekah Rousi concluded that shyer people stand toward the front, where they can’t see other passengers, while fearless people stand in the back, where they have a good view of everyone else.
1.According to the study, where people stand in a lift is decided by __________.
A. their social position
B. the monitors
C. other passengers
D. others’ position
2.Who are most likely to go to the back of the lift?
A. Shyer people. B. Senior men.
C. Younger men. D. Women.
3.Which is true according to the passage?
A. The order in which people stand in a lift is fixed.
B. Few people feel embarrassed with strangers in a lift.
C. Women like watching themselves in the side mirrors.
D. Fearless people stand in the back to avoid seeing others.
4.The passage is probably taken from __________.
A. a lift instruction B. a story book
C. a travel guide D. a newspaper
Most people know that Marie Curie was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize, and the first person to win it twice. However, few people know that she was also the mother of a Nobel Prize winner.
Born in September, 1897, Irene Curie was the first of the Curies’ two daughters. She studied in her mother’s school, and finished her high school education at the College of Sevigne in Paris.
Irene entered the University of Paris in 1914 to prepare for a degree in mathematics and physics. When World War I began, Irene developed X-ray equipment in military(军事) hospitals in France and Belgium to help save the lives of wounded soldiers. Her services were recognized in the form of a Military Medal by the French government.
In 1918, Irene became her mother’s assistant at the Curie Institute. In December 1924, Frederic Joliot joined the Institute, and Irene taught him the techniques required for his work. They soon fell in love and got married in 1926. Their daughter Helene was born in 1927 and their son Pierre five years later.
Like her mother, Irene combined family and work. Like her mother, Irene was awarded a Nobel Prize, along with her husband, in 1935. Unfortunately, also like her mother, she developed leukemia because of her work with radioactivity（辐射能）. Irene Joliot-Curie died from leukemia on March 17, 1956.
1.Irene Curie was awarded a Military Medal because she _____________.
A. won the Nobel Prize with Frederic
B. received a degree in mathematics
C. contributed to saving the wounded
D. worked as a helper to her mother
2.Where did Irene Curie meet her husband Frederic Joliot?
A. At the College of Sevigne.
B. At the Curie Institute.
C. At the University of Paris.
D. At a military hospital.
3.The underlined word “leukemia” probably refers to a __________.
A. habit B. research
C. machine D. disease
My grandmother was always encouraging me to set goals and work hard to achieve them. She would tell me not to be a follower and not to set ________on what I could achieve. She ________ believed that there were no limits that you could ________ whatever you wanted. I would never forget the following story that she once told me：A farmer won first ________at the country fair for his huge radish (小萝卜)that was the exact shape and ________of a milk bottle. Many were ________as to how the farmer was able to grow this radish that was the exact shape of a milk bottle. ________ one gentleman went up to the farmer and asked the question. The farmer replied，“It was ________. I got the seed growing and then I put it into the milk bottle. It had ________else to go.”You can use this story as an analogy (比喻) to life－our lives are________ by the kind of surroundings we place ourselves in, the people that we allow to________ us, and the goals we give ourselves.If we only________ and take no action, then we get no further. But if we ________，set a goal and take action, then our life takes a________ shape.
Goals and actions can help us accomplish more in a year than what some people will accomplish in a lifetime. To prove this________ ，read the biographies of ________ people and you will see that goals and actions________played a big role in their success.
Remember the________ of Mary Kay Ash, who said，“Don't limit yourself. ” Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go ________ your mind lets you. Whatever you believe, remember, you can achieve.”
In summary, don't put yourself in a bottle; in other words, move out of what is ________ and secure if you want to move forward.
1.A. expectations B. rules C. limits D. lines
2.A. truly B. naturally C. tightly D. partly
3.A. win B. grasp C. realize D. achieve
4.A. remark B. prize C. position D. award
5.A. size B. length C. weight D. height
6.A. doubtful B. worried C. anxious D. curious
7.A. Immediately B. Gradually C. Finally D. Actually
8.A. strange B. easy C. funny D. secret
9.A. nowhere B. everywhere C. somewhere D. anywhere
10.A. shaped B. formed C. controlled D. improved
11.A. understand B. help C. influence D. contact
12.A. dream B. refuse C. doubt D. change
13.A. struggle B. insist C. continue D. plan
14.A. beautiful B. different C. solid D. clear
15.A. theory B. lesson C. point D. evidence
16.A. successful B. brave C. friendly D. careful
17.A. as usual B. above all C. at all D. in fact
18.A. example B. wisdom C. statement D. speech
19.A. as if B. in case C. as far as D. as long as
20.A. comfortable B. valuable C. ordinary D. boring
