Motherhood may make women smarter and may help prevent dementia(痴呆) in old age by bathing the brain in protective hormones, U.S. reseachers reported on Thursday.
Tests on rats show that those who raise two or more litters of pups do considerably better in tests of memory and skills than rats who have no babies, and their brains show changes that suggest they may be protected against diseases such as Alzheimer’s(早老痴呆症). University of Richmond psychology professor Craig Kinsley believes his findings will translate into humans.
“Our research shows that the hormones of pregnancy are protecting the brain, including estrogen(雌激素), which we know has many neuroprotective effects,” Kinsley said.
“It’s rat data but human
s are mammals just like these animals are mammals,” he added in a telephone interview. “They go through pregnancy and hormonal changes.”
Kinsley said he hoped public health officials and researchers will look to see if having had children protects a woman from Alzheimer’s and other forms of age-related brain decline.
“When people think about pregnancy, they think about what happens to babies and the mother from the neck down,” said Kinsley, who presented his findings to the annual meeting of the Society of Neuroscience in Orlando, Florida.
“They do not realize that hormones are washing on the brain. If you look at female animals who have never gone through pregnancy, they act differently toward young. But if she goes through pregnancy, she will sacrifice her life for her infant—that is a great change in her behavior that showed in genetic alterations(改变) to the brain.” How do scientists know “Motherhood may make women smarter”?
| A．Some researchers have told them. |
| B．Many women say so. |
| C．They know it by experimenting on rats. |
| D．They know it through their own experience. |
What does the phrase “litters of pups” mean in the second paragraph?
| A．Baby rats. | B．Animals. | C．Old rats. | D．Grown-up rats. |
What can protect the brain of a woman according to the passage?
| A．Estrogen. | B．The hormones of pregnancy. |
C．More  exercise. |
D．Taking care of children. |
“It’s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals.” What does the sentence suggest?
| A．The experiments on the rats have nothing to do with humans. |
| B．The experiments on the rats are very important for animals. |
| C．The experiments on the rats are much the same on humans. |
| D．The experiments on the rats are much the same on other animals. |
Which title is the best for this passage?
| A．Do You Want to Be Smarter? |
| B．Motherhood Makes Women Smarter |
| C．Mysterious Hormones |
| D．An Important Study |
Louis Armstrong had two famous nick names. Some people called him Bagamo. They said his mouth looked like a large bag, Musicians often called him Pops, as a sign of respect for his influence on the world of music. 
Born in 1901 in New Orleans, he grew up poor, but lived among great musicians. Jazz was invented in the city a few years before his birth. Armstrong often said, “Jazz and I grew up together.”
Armstrong showed a great talent for music when he was taught to play the cornet at a boy’s home. In his late teens, Armstrong began to live the life of a musician. He played in parades, clubs, and on the steamboats that traveled on the Mississippi River. At that time, New Orleans was famous for the new music of jazz and was home to many great musicians. Armstrong learned from the older musicians and soon became respected as their equal.
In 1922 he went to Chicago. There, the tale of Louis Armstrong begins. From then until the end of his life, Armstrong was celebrated and loved wherever he went. Armstrong had no equal when it came to playing the American popular song.
His cornet playing had a deep humanity and warmth that caused many listeners to say, “Listening to Pops just makes you feel good all over.” He was the father of the jazz style and also one of the best-known and most admired people in the world. His death, on July 6,1971, was headline news around the world.
51. Armstrong was called Pops because he .
A. showed an interest in music B. traveled to play modern music
C. looked like a musician D. was a musician of much influence
52. The third paragraph is developed .
A. by examples B. by space C. by time D. by comparison
53. Which statement about Armstrong is true?
A. He learned popular music at a boy’s home.
B. His tale begins in New Orleans
C. He was born before jazz was invented.
D. His music was popular with his listeners.
54. When did Armstrong begin his life of a musician?
A. In 1922.
B. After he graduated from high school.
C. When he was taught to play the cornet at a boy’s home.
D. When he was in his late teens.
55. Which would be the best title for the text?
A. The Father of the Jazz Style B. The Making of a Musician
C. The Spread of Popular Music D. The Invention of the Jazz Music
When someone says, "well, 1 guess I will have to face the music. It does not mean he is planning to go to a concert. It is something far less pleasant like being called in by your boss to explain why you did this and did that, and why you did not do this or that. Terrible music indeed, but it has to be faced. At some time or another, every one of us had to "face the music", especially as children. We can all remember father's angry voice, "I want to talk to you!" and only because we did not obey him. What an unpleasant business it was!
The phrase "to face the music" is familiar to every American, young or old. It is at least 100 years old. Where did the expression come from?
The first explanation comes from the American novelist James Penimore Cooper. He said in 1851 that the expression was first used by actors while waiting in the wings to go on stage . When they got their signal to go on, they often said, "Well, it's time to go to face the music." And that is exactly what they did face the orchestra which was just below the stage.
46. The passage mainly tells us______.
A. how the phrase “to face the music” developed in its own way
B. what the phrase “ to face the music ” means
C. when the phrase "to face the music" came into being
D. all the above
47. A person has to face the music especially as he is______.
A. a child B. a young man C. a grown-up D. a player
48.______used the phrase "to face the music" for the first time.
A. Actors B. The boss C. The director D. Cooper
49. Which of the following statements is wrong?
A. The actor stayed on the stage to enjoy the music.
B. To face the music is usually an unpleasant thing.
C. The original meaning of the phrase “to face the music ” is to face the orchestra.
D. The phrase “to face the music” has been used for more than one century.
50. According to the passage the connotation of the phrase “to face the music” is____
A. to listen to the music B. to go through something unpleasant
C. to stand in front of the stage D. to go to the concert
III 阅读理解（共25小题；每小题2分，满分50分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
It doesn't matter when or how much a person sleeps, but everyone needs some rest to stay alive. That's what all doctors thought, until they heard about Al Herpin. Al Herpin, it was said, never slept. Could this be true? The doctors decided to see this strange man themselves.
Al Herpin was 90 years old when the doctors came to his home in New Jersey. They thought for sure that he got some sleep of some kind. So they stayed with him and watched every movement he made. But they were surprised. Though they watched him hour after hour and day after day, they never saw Herpin sleeping. In fact, he did not even own a bed. He never needed one.
The only rest that Herpin sometimes got was sitting in a comfortable chair and reading newspapers. The doctors were puzzled by this strange continuous sleeplessness. They asked him many questions, hoping to find an answer. They found only one answer that might explain his condition. Herpin remembered some talk about his mother having been injured several days before he was born. But that was all. Was this the real reason? No one could be sure.
Al Herpin died at the age of 95.
41.The main idea of this passage is that _______
A. everyone needs some sleep to stay alive
B. people can live longer by trying not to sleep
C. large numbers of people do not need sleep
D. a person was found who actually didn't need any sleep
42.The doctors came to visit Herpin, expecting ______
A. to find out whether his sleeplessness was really true
B. to find out why some old people didn't need any sleep
C. to find a way to free people from the need of sleeping
D. to cure him of his sleeplessness
43. After watching him closely, the doctors came to believe that Al Herpin ____
A. needed no sleep at all B. needed some kind of sleep
C . was too old to need any sleep D .often slept in a chair
44.One reason that might explain Herpin' s sleeplessness was ______
A. his mother's injury before he was born
B. his magnificent physical condition
C. that he had gradually got rid of the sleeping habit
D. that he hadn't got a bed
45.Al Herpin' s condition could be regarded as ______
A. a common one B. very healthy C. one that could be cured D. a rare one
The legal age for drinking alcohol(酒)in the United States is twenty-one. Underage drinking is a crime but also a common part of college social life. This week in our Foreign Student Series ,we look at alcohol policies at American colleges and universities .These policies differ from school to school, as do enforcement(实施) efforts. But many schools have been moving to strengthen their rules.
The United States has more than 170,000 students in higher education. Each year,1,700 of them aging eighteen to twenty-four die from alcohol-related road crashes and other injuries. More than 600,000 are injured under the influence of alcohol. And almost 700,000 are attacked by another student who has been drinking. These numbers, from a 2007 report, are on a government Website:collegedrinkingprevention.gov.
One behavior that college officials are trying to prevent is binge （无节制的狂热行为）drinking ,having four or five drinks or more in a short period of time. Some researchers have found that students who think binge drinking is normal often overestimate how much other students really drink .A person can die of alcohol poisoning.
At the University of Oklahoma, new policies went into effect after a nineteen-year-old student died in 2004.He had been drinking heavily at a fraternity party.(男大学生联谊会)。
Now alcohol is banned from all fraternity and sorority(女大学生联谊会) houses and university housing. Student organizations can serve alcohol at events but only on Friday and Saturday nights. And they must provide for transportation to and from off-campus parties. Other new requirements include an alcohol education program that first-year students take online.
The policies govern behavior on campus and off. With a first violation, students pay seventy-five dollars and their parents are told. They must also take an alcohol education class. For a second” strike”, they have to pay one hundred and fifty dollars. A third strike means a suspension(暂被停学) for at least one semester.
Since January of 2005,633 students have had a first strike.30 have had a second strike----and has been suspended. An official at Oklahoma tells us the aim is not just to punish but to change behavior and the culture at the university.
67.In American colleges and universities,______.
A. no students under age 21 drink alcohol
B. many students under age 21 drink alcohol
C. rules about drinking alcohol are almost the same
D. rules about drinking alcohol are different from state to state
68.Each year in the United States ,about 1,700 young college students aging 18 to 24 die______.
A, from alcohol poisoning
B. from traffic accidents
C. under the influence of alcohol
D. from alcohol-related road crashes and other injuries.
69.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The deaths or injuries of the students are all because they have been drinking.
B. The numbers from collagedrinkingprevention.gov are not accurate at all.
C. The death of a 19-year-old student influenced policies of the University of Oklahoma.
D. No student organizations can offer alcohol at events in the US now.
70.Which of the following can be the best title of this article?
A. Studying in the US: Rules about Alcohol
B. The Legal Age for Drinking Alcohol in the United States.
C. Policies of Drinking Alcohol in the US Differ From School to School
D. New Policies about Alcohol Drinking At the University of Oklahoma.
San Francisco, a leader in urban recycling, is preparing to turn dog waste into energy.
Norcal Waste System Inc., the city’s largest garbage company, plans to test collection carts(回收车)and collection bags in a city-center park which is popular with dog walkers.
A city study found that almost 4 percent of all the garbage picked up at San Francisco homes was from animal waste, Norcal Waste spokesman Robert Reid said. San Francisco has about 120,000 dogs.
“The city asked us to start a program to recycle dog waste in order to cut back adding more waste in landfills(废渣埋填池) “,Reid said.
Dog waste will be poured into a methane digester(沼气池),and the methane it gives off will be collected and burned to make electricity or to heat homes.
“Dogs and cats in the United States produce about 10 million tons of waste a year,” Will Brinton, an environmental scientist said.
“As much as we love them, our pets leave a lot of fertilizer behind them in yards and on the street but that can be a major source of contamination of groundwater,” Brinton said.
European cities such as Zurich, Frankfurt, Munich and Vienna are starting biology programs to turn waste into gas ,he said.
San Francisco runs a great program to recycle bottles, cars, paper and other rubbish and now two-thirds of its garbage needn’t be carried to landfills .The city’s goal is a 75 percent drop by 2010 and zero new waste in landfills by 2020.
63.San Francisco will plan to use dog waste for making __________.
A. fertilizer B. gas C. electricity D. methane
64.What does the underlined word “ contamination” mean?
A. Increase B. Reduction C. Flow D. Pollution
65.What can we infer from the passage?
A. San Francisco is short of electricity
B. San Francisco has done a lot of in rubbish recycling.
C. Fewer people will keep dogs as pets in San Francisco
D. There will be no rubbish by 2010 in San Francisco
66.The passage is mainly about_______.
A .San Francisco ‘s new policy for pet keepers
B. San Francisco ‘s new plan for recycling
C. how to keep a city clean
D. how to deal with rubbish
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