Nowadays people are troubled by the violence that spreads throughout the media. Movies, television and video games are full of gunplay and bloodshed, and one might reasonably ask what’s wrong with a society that presents videos of violence as entertainment.
Viewing large amounts of violent television and video games may well contribute to violent behavior in certain individuals. The trouble comes when researchers downplay uncertainties in their studies or overstate the case for causality（因果关系）. Skeptics were dismayed several years ago when a group of societies including the American Medical Association tried to end the debate by issuing a joint statement: “At this time, well over 1,000 studies… point to a causal connection between media violence and aggressive behavior in some children.”
Freedom-of-speech advocates accused the societies of catering to politicians, and even disputed the number of studies (most were review articles and essays, they said). When Jonathan Freedman, a social psychologist at the University of Toronto, reviewed the literature, he found only 200 or so studies of television-watching and aggression. And when he weeded out “the most doubtful measures of aggression”, only 28% supported a connection.
The critical point here is causality. The alarmists say they have proved that violent media cause aggression. But the assumptions behind their observations need to be examined. When labeling games as violent or non-violent, should a hero eating a ghost really be counted as a violent event? And when experimenters record the time it takes game players to read “aggressive” or “non-aggressive” words from a list, can we be sure what they are actually measuring? The intention of the new Harvard Center on Media and Child Health to collect and standardize studies of media violence in order to compare their methodologies, assumptions and conclusions is an important step in the right direction.
Another appropriate step would be to tone down the criticism until we know more. Several researchers write, speak and testify quite a lot on the threat posed by violence in the media. That is, of course, their privilege. But when doing so, they often come out with statements that the matter has now been settled, drawing criticism from colleagues. In response, the alarmists accuse critics and news reporters of being deceived by the entertainment industry. Such clashes help neither science nor society.Why is there so much violence shown in movies, TV and video games?
| A．Showing violence is thought to be entertaining. |
| B．Something has gone wrong with today’s society |
| C．Many people are fond of gunplay and bloodshed. |
| D．There is a lot of violence in the real world today. |
What is the skeptics’ view of media violence?
| A．Violence on television is fairly accurate reflection of real-world life. |
| B．Most studies exaggerate (夸大) the effect of media violence on the viewers. |
| C．A causal relationship exists between media and real-world violence. |
| D．The influence of media violence on children has been underestimated. |
The author uses the term “alarmists” to refer to those who _________.
| A．use standardized measurements in the studies of media violence |
| B．initiated the debate over the influence of violent media on reality |
| C．insist on a direct link between violent media and aggressive behavior |
| D．use appropriate methodology in examining aggressive behavior |
The underlined phrase “weeded out” in Paragraph 3 most probably means _________.
| A．got rid of things that are not good | B．removed unwanted parts from something |
| C．picked out things that are useful | D．took away unnecessary details of a report |
What does the writer think of the debate concerning the relationship between the media and violence?
| A．He more than agrees with the views held by the alarmists. |
| B．It should come to an end since the matter has now been settled. |
| C．The past studies in this field have proved to be misleading. |
| D．More studies should be conducted before conclusions are drawn. |
“Can I see my baby?” asked the happy new mother. The bundle (婴儿包) was placed in her arms and when she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she held her breath—the baby had been born without ears. Time, however, proved that the baby’s hearing was perfect except his appearance.
One day when he rushed home from school and threw himself into his mother’s arms, he cried out bitterly, “A boy, a big boy … called me—a f-…freak.” She sighed, knowing that his life was to be endless of heartbreaks.
He grew up, handsome for his misfortune. A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president but for that. He developed a gift for literature and music.
The boy’s father had a talk with the family doctor. Could nothing be done? “I believe we could transplant on a pair of outer ears, if they could be donated ,” the doctor decided. So the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice for a young man. Two years went by. Then, “You’re going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But it’s a secret.” said the father.
The operation was brilliantly successfull. His talents blossomed into genius. School and college became a series of successes. Later he married and entered the diplomatic(外交) service. “But I must know!” he urged his father. “Who gave so much for me? I could never do enough for him.”
“I do not believe you could,” said the father, “but the agreement was that you are not to know … not yet.” The years kept the secret, but the day did come … one of the darkest days that ever pass through a son. He stood with his father over his mother’s casket(灵柩). Slowly and tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish-brown hair to let out the secret.
49.The story is mainly about _______.
A．how a boy had new ears through an operation
B．what a devoted parent privately did for the child
C．how a disabled boy turned into a useful person
D．why a donator made a sacrifice to a bright boy
50.From the first paragraph we know that the mother _______.
A．was determined to donate her ears to perfect her son
B．kept her husband unknown about the baby’s situation
C．felt shocked and disappointed to see her new baby
D．complained of her bad luck to have a disabled child
51.What can be inferred from the passage?
A．The agreement was between the donator and the family.
B．The boy was so popular that he was made class president.
C．Finally the boy came to know who the donator was.
D．The mother donated her ears to her son after she died.
52.What moral lesson can we draw from this reading?
A．Real love lies in what is done unknown rather than what is done known.
B．It is up to parents to help their children heart and soul.
C．True beauty lies only in the heart not in appearance.
D．It is a virtue for young generations to learn to be grateful.
When I asked my daughter which item she would keep; the phone, the car, the cooker, the computer, the TV, or her boyfriend, she said “the phone”. Personally, I couldn’t do without the phone entirely, which makes me unusual, Because the telephone is changing our lives more than any other piece of technology.
Point 1 The telephone creates the need to communicate, in the same way that more roads create more traffic. My daughter comes home from school at 4:00 pm and then spends an hour on the phone talking to the very people she has been with at school all day. If the phone did not exist, would she have anything to talk about?
Point 2 The mobile phone means that we are never alone. “The mobile saved my life,” says Crystal Johnstone. She had an accident in her Volvo on the A45 between Otley and Skipton. Trapped inside, she managed to make the call that brought the ambulance to her rescue.
Point 3 The mobile removes our secret. It allows marketing manager of Haba Deutsch, Carl Nicolaisen, to ring his sales staff all round the world at any time of day to ask where they are , where they are going, and how their last meeting went.
Point 4 The telephone separates us. Antonella Bramante in Rome says, “We worked in separate offices but I could see him through the window. It was easy to get his number. We were so near——but we didn’t meet for the first two weeks!”
Point 5 The telephone allows us to reach out beyond our own lives. Today we can talk to several complete strangers simultaneously (同时地) on chat lines (at least my daughter does. I wouldn’t know what to talk about). We can talk across the world. We can even talk to astronauts (if you know any) while they’re space-walking. And, with the phone line hooked up to the computer, we can access the Internet, the biggest library on Earth.
1．How do you understand ‘Point 1 —The telephone creates the need to communicate,…’？
A．People don’t communicate without telephone.
B．People communicate because of the creating of the telephone.
C．People communicate more since telephone has been created.
D．People communicate more because of more traffic.
2．Which points do you think support the idea that phones improve people’s life?
a．Point 1． b．Point2． c．Point3． d．Point 4． e．Point 5．
A．c, d B．a, e C．a, c D．b, e
3．It is possible to talk to several complete strangers simultaneously through .
A．the TV screen B．a fax machine
C．the phone line hooked up to the computer D．a microphone
4．The best heading for the passage is .
A．Phone Power B．Kinds of Phone
C． How to Use Phones D．Advantage of Phones
第二部分 阅读理解（共25小题，第一节每小题2分，第二节每小题1分；满分45分）
第一节，阅读下面短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Bollworms are a traditional threat to cotton crops．Young ones feed on the boll，the part of the cotton plant that contains the seeds．
A bacterium known as Bt is able to kill bollworms and some other pests．Bt is the short form for Bacillus thuringiensis．It was discovered in the early twentieth century．Farmers began using Bt as a natural pesticide(杀虫剂)．
Then，in the 1990s，researchers found a way to grow cotton plants that contain a Bt gene．The genetically improved cotton plant produces liquid that kills bollworms．Farmers around the world are now growing an estimated fourteen million hectares of Bt cotton．
Cotton bollworms also attack other crops．But scientists in China recently reported that Bt cotton may help prevent bollworm in other crops growing nearby．
The study involved crops grown in six provinces of northern China between 1992 and 2008．The study area contained three million hectares of cotton and twenty-two million hectares of corn，peanuts，soybeans and vegetables．
The researchers say the study suggested that Bt cotton not only controls bollworm on the transgenic cotton，but also may reduce its existence on other crops．And that reduction，they say，may decrease the need for insecticide use in general．
But the researchers also pointed out concerns．They say bollworms could develop resistance to the cotton plants designed to resist them．And they noted that insects called mirids have become “key pests” of cotton in China．They said this is because of a decrease in pesticide use made possible by Bt cotton．
The researchers say they do not believe that Bt cotton alone can solve all insect problems．Instead，they say farmers in China should consider it just one part of pest management systems．
1．What is Bt in this passage?
A．It's a kind of hi-tech invention． B．It's a natural bacterium．
C．It's a kind of pest． D．It's a man-made pesticide．
2．Bt cotton has all the advantages EXCEPT that ________．
A．it resists bollworms
B．it does good to other crops growing around
C．it reduces the use of insecticide
D．it helps to develop new insects
3．The underlined word “ones” in the first paragraph refers to ________．
A．bollworms B．cotton crops C．cotton seeds D．pests
4．From the passage，we can infer ________．
A．farmers around the world are now growing a large area of Bt cotton
B．researchers are probably now searching for new ways to solve other cotton problems C．bollworms could not exist in Bt cotton any longer
D．Chinese scientists found the way to grow Bt cotton
Recently there was a major discovery in the scientific research—the mapping of all DNA in a human gene（基因）is complete.Couple of years ago,this seems an impossible task for scientist to accomplish.All this progress in science leads us to believe that the day,when the human being will be cloned,is not far away.Human cloning has always been a topic of argument，in terms of morality or religion.
Taking a look at why cloning might be beneficial,among many cases,it is arguable that parents who are known to be at risk of passing a genetic limitation to a child could make use of cloning.If the clonc was free of genetic limitations。Then the other clone would be as well.The latter could foe inserted in the woman and allowed to ripen to term.Moreover，cloning would enable women,who can’t get pregnant,to have children of their own.
Cloning humans would also mean that organs could be cloned,so it would be a source of perfect transfer organs.This,surely would be greatly beneficial to millions of unfortunate peoplearound the world that are expected to lose their lives due to failure of single(or more) organ
（s）.It is also arguable that a ban on cloning may be unlawful and would reb pepole of the right to reproduce and limit the freedom of scientists.
Arguments against cloning are also on a perfectly practical side.Primarily,I believe that cloning would step in the normal “cycle”of life.There would be a large number of same genes.,which reduce the chances of improvement，and,in turn,development-the fundamental reason how living things naturally adapt to the ever-changing environment. Life processes failing to do so might result in untimely disappearance.Futhermore,cloning would make the uniqueness that each one of us possesses disapparance.Thus,leading to creation of genetically engineered groups of people for specific purposes and,chances are,that those individuals would be regarded as “objects”rather than people in the society.
Scientists haven’t 100 percent. guaranteed that the first cloned will be normal.Thus this could result in introduction of additional limitations in the human “gene-pool”.
Regarding such arguable topics in “black or white” approach seems very innocent to me personally.We should rather try to look at all “shades:of it.I believe that cloning is only legal if its purpose is for cloning organs,not humans.Then we could regard this as for “saving life”instead of “creating life”.I believe cloning humans is morally and socially unacceptable.
67.Which of the following is true according to the passage？
A.Genetic limitation will be beneficial for some women
B.A large number of genes will prevent us from developing
C.Prohibition of cloning might limit the freedom of scientists
D.First cloned humans might be normal according to scientists
68.What’s the author’s oponion on cloning?
A.Cloning should be entirely banned
B. Cloning should be used in creating life
C. Cloning will take away the right to reproduce
D. Cloning is acceptable if it is used for cloning organs
69.Where can you read this article?
A.In a story book
B.In a magazine
C.In a science fiction
D.In a brochure
70.Which of the following shows the structure of the passage
With alarming regularity,we read about oil tankers having accidents near land and the terrible consequences of the oil spills(泄露) on people,nature,and the environment.
Millions of dollars have been used in developing special chemicals to help dismiss the spills and to clean up the animals,beaches,and land spoiled by the oil.Unfortunately,when many of these chemicals are used,,more damage is caused to the environment,especially to lives in the sea.
Of all of today’s environmental disasters ,an oil spill may actually be one of the least serious.Although oil is poisonous,it is a natual material.In the end,it breaks down naturally.There are,of course,long-term effects,but it is usually more serious in the short term.
Nature by itself woks better than chemical materials,but when there is a spill we demand that governments act immediately with as much hi-tech knowledge as possible.In 1967 the tanker Torrey Canyon sank off the Scilly Isles near the coast of England and spilled 120,000 tones of oil into the ocean,If you go there today,you will find it hard to see any sign that it ever happened.
Governments seem to accept the risk of transporting millions of tons of oil by ship every day so that we can fill up our cars and drive around and cause even more environmental
damage.Interestingly the biggest companies in the world produce cars, and the next biggest supply the gasoline to make them run I
We shoule be thinking more about reducing our dependency on oil,Governments should be encouraging research into new technologies，such as cars run by solar power（太阳能），electricity,
hydrogen，and so on.Much of this research has ,in the past been held back by the oil,gas,and coal.
If the world’s millions of cars were 10% more efficient（高效的）—and the industry could easily produce cars at least twice as efficient？we would need many fewer tankers crossing the oceans each year.If this happened,the risks of oil spills would be reduced，and the air we breathe would be cleaner and fresher ,too.
63.What is the passage mainly talking about?
A.Oil spills pollution B.What oil pollution is
C.Oil tanker accidents D.How to reduce oil pollution
64.How does the author support the idea that oil spills are not as serious as people believe？
A.By giving a description B.By making an argument
C.By giving an example D.By drawing a diagram
65.What does the underlined word “risk”in paragraph 5 refer to?
A.Tansportation depending more on oil
B.Poisonous oil breaking down naturally
C.Millions of tons of oil spilling into the sea
D.More environmental damage being caused
66.Which suggestion，is made for reducing oil tank accidents according to the passage?
A.We should build safer tankers in the near future
B.We shoule develop new technologies to cut oil use
C.Tankers should not be allowed to sail near the coastlines
D.Countries should bulid more oil pipelines under the sea
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