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Have you winterized your horse yet? Even though global warming may have made our climate more mild, many animals are still hibernating (冬眠). It’s too bad that humans can’t hibernate. In fact, as a species, we almost did.
Apparently, at times in the past, peasants in France liked a semi-state of human hibernation. So writes Graham Robb, a British scholar who has studied the sleeping habits of the French peasants. As soon as the weather turned cold, people all over France shut themselves away and practiced the forgotten art of doing nothing at all for months on end.
In line with this, Jeff Warren, a producer at CBC Radio’s The Current, tells us that the way we sleep has changed fundamentally since the invention of artificial（人造的）lighting and the electric bulb.
When historians began studying texts of the Middle Ages, they noticed something referred to as “first sleep”, which was not clarified, though. Now scientists are telling us our ancestors most likely slept in separate periods. The business of eight hours’ uninterrupted sleep is a modem invention.
In the past, without the artificial light of the city to bathe in, humans went to sleep when it became dark and then woke themselves around midnight. The late night period was known as “The Watch”. It was when people actually kept watch against wild animals, although many of them simply moved around or visited family and neighhours.
According to some sleep researchers, a short period of insomnia (失眠) at midnight is not a disorder. It is normal. Humans can experience another state of consciousness around their sleeping, which occurs i
n the brief period before we fall asleep or wake ourselves in the morning. This period can be an extraordinarily creative time for some people. The impressive inventor, Thomas Edison, used this state to hit upon many of his new ideas.
Playing with your sleep rhythms can be adventurous, as anxiety may set in. Medical science doesn’t help much in this case. It offers us medicines for a full night’s continuous sleep, which sounds natural; however, according to Warren’s theory, it is really the opposite of what we need.
67. The example of the French peasants shows the fact that ____________.
A. people might become lazy as a result of too much sleep.
B. there were signs of hibernation in human sleeping habits.
C. people tended to sleep more peacefully in cold weather.
D. winter was a season for people to sleep for months on end.
68. The late night was called “The Watch” because it was a time for people ____________.
A. to set traps to catch animals.
B. to wake up their family and neighbours.
C. to remind others of the time.
D. to guard against possible dangers.
69. What does the author advise people to do?
A. Sleep in the way animals do.
B. Consult a doctor if they can’t sleep.
C. Follow their natural sleep rhythm.
D. Keep to the eight-hour sleep pattern.
70. What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?
A. To give a prescription for insomnia.
B. To urge people to sleep less.
C. To analyze the sleep pattern of modem people.
D. To throw new light on human sleep.
IV. 阅读理解（共40分）
The clock struck eleven at night .The whole house was quiet. Everyone was
in bed except me .Under the strong light ,I looked sadly before me at a huge pile of that troublesome stuff they call“books”
I was going to have my examination the next day. “When can I go to bed?” I asked myself. I didn’t answer. In fact I dared not.
The clock struck twelve. “Oh, dear!” I cried. “Ten more books to read before I can go to bed!”We pupils are the most wretched creatures in the world. Dad does not agree with me on this. He did not have to work so hard when he was a boy.
The clock struck one. I was quite desperate now .I forgot all I had learned. I was too tired to go on. I did the only thing I could. I prayed, “Oh, God, please help me pass the exam tomorrow. I do promise to work hard afterwards, Amen.” My eyes were so heavy that I could hardly open them. A few minutes later, with my head on the desk, I fell asleep.
41. The underlined word “wretched” in Para 3 means _________.
A.Happy B Friendly C Hopeful D Unhappy
42. Going over his lessons that night didn’t help him because _________.
A. it was too late at night.
B. he was very tired.
C. he hadn’t studied hard before the exam.
D. his eyelids were so heavy that he couldn’t keep them open.
43. What do you suppose happened to the author the next day?
A. he failed in the exam
B. he passed the exam all by luck
C. he went to a church to pray again.
D. he was punished by his teacher.
44. The best title for the passage would be_________
A. Going over My Lessons
B. Working Far into the night.
C. A Slow Student
D. The Night before the Examination
Speaking of Copenhagen, what do you think of? The little Mermaid, the fairy tale writer H.C. Anderson, the COP15 meetings , or a city where people bike even though they have cars.
When landing on Copenhagen Tasstrup Airport, you can see numbers of white propeller generators standing in the blue waterfront. The constant moving paddles are producing renewable energy to the city. During the recent Climate Change Conference, the city was introduced to the world as an example of climate-friendly city. Evidences other than wind power stations were obvious everywh
ere.
While private cars can be a great source of pollution in other cities, the main form of transport in the capital of Denmark is, however, public transportation. By public transportation, I mean one of very good quality. Buses are usually Volvo and most of the traffic lights are of Siemens. Additionally, buses, metros and intercity-trains (named S-train) are well equipped, constantly maintained, special and good-looking. The seats in the trains are of sofa-designed. Sticky gum or dirty spot rarely appear. Thanks to a small population, it is much easier to maintain the condition of the vehicles. Free wireless internet service is provided in S-trains. Seats are always possible even at rush hours if the passenger is patient enough to look for it. Taking the convenience for granted, Danish people find it hard to imagine how the metro in Tokyo can be as crowded as a “sardin can”. Pets and baby-wagons are allowed in buses, subways and S-trains. All the facilities enable better service to bigger passenger group. It is also notable that the mass transit uses green fuels and electricity.
Cars are common in Copenhagen, but people have an alternative of short distance transport: bikes. Denmark is known as bike-friendly for many reasons, such as flat land, splendid cycle ways, and the Danish fond of motion. But please be aware that riding a bike in Copenhagen is not like biking in Beijing. First of all, it is quite speedy. Many people ride to work every morning. Punctuality is important and they have to ride as fast as possible to be on time. So why not speed up? Not my philosophy. As a result, I am often hastened by impatient riders who unfortunately piled up after me. Second, considering the speed, bike helmets, front and back lights and other necessary accessories are required. Riders need to set a white light in the front of the bike and red light at the back. One may end up with a big fine if not riding with them.
72. In the passage we get to know that _____.
A.all energy come from wind power stations
B.different kinds of green energy keep this city running
C.a lot of electricity is imported from other countries
D.people in this city use little energy
73. S-trains are a kind of transportation______.
A. which send their passengers from one city to another.
B. which uses wind to run their ways
C. which is the only way for you to go from one city to another.
D. which you are not allowed to take if you take a pet.
74. In the last paragraph what does “Punctuality” mean?
A. Being fit B. Not being scolded C. Not being late D. Speeding
75. In Copenhagen if you ride too slow ,_____
A. you will be fined by police.
B. it means that you need to buy a better bike.
C. you may block the traffic flow.
D. many bike riders will shout at you.
Americans are proud of their variety and individuality (个性), yet they love and respect few things more than a uniform, whether it is the uniform of a lift operator or the uniform of a five-star general. Why are uniforms so popular in the United States?
Among the arguments for uniforms, one of the first is that in the eyes of most people they look more professional than civilian (百姓的) clothes. People have become conditioned to expect higher quality from a man who wears a uniform. The television repairman who wears a uniform is likely to inspire more trust than one who appears in civilian clothes. Faith in the skill of a garage mechanic is increased by a uniform. What easier way is there for a nurse, a policeman, a hairdresser, or a waiter to lose professional identity (职业身份) than to step out of uniform?
Uniforms also have many practical good points. They are often more comfortable and more lasting than civilian clothes.
Primary facts among the argument against uniforms is their lack of variety and the loss of individuality experienced by people who must wear them. Though there are many types of uniforms, the wearer of any particular type is generally stuck with it, without change, until retirement. When people look alike, they are likely to think, speak, and act similarly on the job at least.
Uniforms also give rise to some practical problems. Though they are long-lasting, often their initial expense is greater than the cost of civilian clothes. Some uniforms are also expensive to maintain, requiring professional dry cleaning rather than the home laundering possible with many types of civilian clothes.
68. What surprises us is that Americans _______.
A. still judge a man by his clothes
B. think highly of uniforms
C. less prefer wearing civilian clothes
D. respect a elevator operator in uniform
69. People are likely to think that a man in uniform ________.
A. suggests quality work B. shows his social position
C. appears to be more practical D. looks more fresh and attractive
70. Those who are against uniforms believe that people wearing uniforms ______.
A. are usually helpful B. have little freedom
C. lose personal character D. enjoy greater popularity
71. It can be concluded from the passage that ________.
A. people generally trust a person in uniform more
B. people enjoy wearing comfortable uniform
C. the cost of the uniform is acceptable to people
D. people wear uniforms to show they should be respected
In a recently published book , I came across some exercises with interesting names such as fishbone diagrams , lotus flowers and clustering . As I used these exercises in my classes , I noticed that students were interested . They said more and wrote more . They enjoyed expressing their ideas and sharing them in groups .They were no longer passively waiting for the bell, but actively took part in the lesson . I find that creativity can act as a way to increase participation and improve fluency (流利程度).
Creativity has become a popular word in recent years . Scholars in the arts ,psychology (心理学), business , education , and science are all working to get a deeper understanding of it . Robert J. Sternberg is a creativity specialist and Yale professor of psychology . He defines creativity as “the ability to produce work that is both new (original )and appropriate (applicable to the situation )”. This definition is useful, as we want our students to use language in a new way , and to use it correctly and properly . Most scholars say there are two types of creativity : big “C” creativity and small “c” creativity. Big “C” creativity refers to genius level thinking that results in artistic masterpieces and scientific breakthroughs . Small “c” creativity refers to everyday level thinking that can be used in any situation . Our emphasis is on the latter . While it goes without saying that any of our students could go on to be the next Picasso or Edison , our aim is to help students produce more ideas and use language in new ways .
64．The underlined words “waiting for the bell” in the first paragraph probably mean _________.
A．longing for a phone call B．hoping to have a bell
C．expecting the end of the class D．wanting to speak in class
65．It can be inferred from the passage that the author thought the exercises in the book were__________
A．popular B．useful C．scientific D．creative
66．When you use a very familiar word in a new way , you are__________.
A．creative in the sense of big “C” creativity
B．creative in the sense of small “c” creativity
C．not creative in the sense of big “c” creativity
D．not creative in the sense of small “c” creativity
67．The main purpose of the passage is to__________.
A．show how useful the book is B．explain what creativity is
C．discuss how one can be creative D．tell what teaching aims at
On 27th February 2008, something very unusual happened in the UK; there was a rather large earthquake. It was the biggest earthquake in 25 years in the UK. There have been very small tremors in the past but they pale into insignificance compared to this one.
It was felt in a large area across the country too, from as far north as Edinburgh in Scotland to as far south as Plymouth on the south coast of England.
The epicenter of the earthquake was in a small town in Lincolnshire, which is an area about two and a half to three hours north of London by car. A magnitude of 5.2 was registered on the Richter scale.
There were lots of reports in the news from people who felt the earth move. One man said, "We had loads of vibrating and wall shaking and stuff, noise coming off the roof. I came outside – the chimney's on the floor!"
A collapsed chimney was the cause of what was probably the worst injury from the earthquake; a man broke his pelvis when the chimney fell on him.
Another man who spoke to the BBC described the moment the earthquake occurred, "Everything was shaking. As soon as it happened we all went outside and saw everyone else down the street, coming out and just realized it was an earthquake."
The huge rumble, which was felt by a lot of people, surprisingly caused very little structural damage to property.
Most British people would be surprised to learn that there are 200-300 earthquakes in Britain every year, but most of them are so small, they go unnoticed. The magnitude of this earthquake is fairly small in comparison to some other natural disasters that have made international news, but for the people affected, it certainly came as quite a surprise.
60. Before this earthquake _______.
A. there was no signs of any shakings at all.
B. people did not feel anything unusual.
C. many people realized there would be a bigger one to come.
D. some small quakes were only too small to be ignored.
61. From this passage we know ______ is in the south of Great Britain.
A. Lincolnshire B. Edinburgh
C. Plymouth D. Scotland
62. This earthquake _____.
A. hardly caused any damages to the people’s belongings..
B. brought down many buildings in England.
C. scared many people to death.
D. made the world greatly surprised.
63. After reading this passage we can infer_______.
A. people in England faced the earthquake bravely.
B. this earthquake seemed to be felt all over Great Britain.
C. this earthquake is the biggest one in history.
D. the chimneys in Britain are the most poorly built parts of the houses.
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