If a diver surfaces too quickly, he may suffer the bends. Nitrogen (氮) dissolved (溶解) in his blood is suddenly liberated by the reduction of pressure. The consequence, if the bubbles (气泡) accumulate in a joint, is sharp pain and a bent body—thus the name. If the bubbles form in his lungs or
his brain, the consequence can be death.
Other air-breathing animals also suffer this decompression (减压) sickness if they surface too fast: whales, for example. And so, long ago, did ichthyosaurs (鱼龙). That these ancient sea animals got the bends can be seen from their bones. If bubbles of nitrogen form inside the bone they can cut off its blood supply. This kills the cells in the bone, and consequently weakens it, sometimes to the point of collapse. Fossil (化石) bones that have caved in on themselves are thus a sign that the animal once had the bends.
Bruce Rothschild of the University of Kansas knew all this when he began a study of ichthyosaur bones to find out how widespread the problem was in the past. What he particularly wanted to investigate was how ichthyosaurs adapted to the problem of decompression over the 150 million years. To this end, he and his colleagues traveled the world’s natural-history museums, looking at hundreds of ichthyosaurs from the Triassic period and from the later Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.
When he started, he assumed that signs of the bends would be rarer in younger fossils, reflecting their gradual evolution of measures to deal with decompression. Instead, he was astonished to discover the opposite. More than 15% of Jurassic and Cretaceous ichthyosaurs had suffered the bends before they died, but not a single Triassic specimen (标本) showed evidence of that sort of injury.
If ichthyosaurs did evolve an anti-decompression means, they clearly did so quickly—and, most strangely, they lost it afterwards. But that is not what Dr Rothschild thinks happened. He suspects it was evolution in other animals that caused the change.
Whales that suffer the bends often do so because they have surfaced to escape a predator (捕食动物) such as a large shark. One of the features of Jurassic oceans was an abundance of large sharks and crocodiles, both of which were fond of ichthyosaur lunches. Triassic oceans, by contrast, were mercifully shark- and crocodile-free. In the Triassic, then, ichthyosaurs were top of the food chain. In the Jurassic and Cretaceous, they were prey (猎物) as well as predator—and often had to make a speedy exit as a result.Which of the following is a typical symptom of the bends?
| A．A twisted body. | B．A gradual decrease in blood supply. |
| C．A sudden release of nitrogen in blood. | D．A drop in blood pressure. |
The purpose of Rothschild’s study is to see _______.
| A．how often ichthyosaurs caught the bends |
| B．how ichthyosaurs adapted to decompression |
| C．why ichthyosaurs bent their bodies |
| D．when ichthyosaurs broke their bones |
Rothschild’s finding stated in Paragraph 4 _______.
| A．confirmed his assumption | B．speeded up his research process |
| C．disagreed with his assumption | D．changed his research objectives |
Rothschild might have concluded that ichthyosaurs _______.
| A．failed to evolve an anti-decompression means |
| B．gradually developed measures against the bends |
| C．died out because of large sharks and crocodiles |
| D．evolved an anti-decompression means but soon lost it |
Beauty has always been regarded as something praiseworthy. Almost everyone thinks attractive people are happier and healthier, have better marriages and have more respectable jobs.
Personal advisors give them better advice for finding jobs. Even judges are softer on attractive defendants. But in the executive (主管的) circle, beauty can become a liability. While attractiveness is a positive factor for a man on his way up the executive ladder, it is harmful to a woman. Handsome male executives were considered having more honesty than plainer men; effort and ability were thought to lead to their success. Attractive female executives were considered to have less honesty than unattractive ones; their success was connected not with ability but with factors such as luck. All unattractive women executives were thought to have more honesty and to be more capable than the attractive female executives. Interestingly, though, the rise of the attractive overnight successes was connected more with personal relationships and less to ability than that of the unattractive overnight successes. Why are attractive women not thought to be able? An attractive woman considered to be more womanish has an advantage in traditionally female jobs, but an attractive woman in a traditionally manly position appears to lack the “manly” qualities. This is true even in politics, “When the only clue is how he or she looks, people treat men and women differently,” says Anne Bowman, who recently published a study on the effects of attractiveness on political candidates. She asked 125 undergraduate students to rank two groups of photographs, one of men and one of women, in order of attractiveness. The students were told the photographs were of candidates for political offices. They were asked to rank them again, in the order they would vote for them. The results showed that attractive males completely defeated unattractive men, but the women who had ranked most attractive unchangeably received the fewest votes.
73. The underlined word "liability" most probably means ______.
A. disadvantage B. advantage C. misfortune D. trouble
74. Bowman’s experiment shows that when it comes to politics, attractiveness ______.
A. turns out to be a disadvantage to both men and women
B. is more of a disadvantage than an advantage to women
C. has as little effect on men as on women
D. slightly affects both men and women
75. It can be inferred from the passage that people’s views on beauty are often ______.
A. practical B. supportive C. old-fashioned D. one-sided
When TV news programs report wars or disasters, the editors rarely use the most horrifying pictures of dead or wounded victims because they don’t want to upset their viewers. Even so, viewers are usually crowded in advance that they may find some of these scenes disturbing, so they can look away if they choose. But the men and women whose job is to record those scenes—the TV cameramen—have no such choice. It is their duty to witness the horrors of the world and record them, no matter how terrible and unpleasant they may be. Consequently, it is one of the most dangerous, exposed and emotionally taxing jobs the world has to offer.
Today, the demand for their work is rising. The explosion of satellite broadcasting and 24-hour news in recent years has created a demand for TV information. But major broadcasters and the TV news agencies——such as Reuters and WTN-have never had enough staff to meet the worldwide demand for up-to-date pictures, so increasingly they turn to “freelance” TV cameramen.
These freelance cameramen are independent operators tied to no particular organization. They will work for any company which hires them, be it for just a few hours or for several weeks in a war zone. But if the freelance cameraman is injured in the course of the job, the TV company is not responsible for him. The freelancer must survive on his own.
TV will always need hard, vivid moving pictures which are fresh, but these companies feel uncomfortable with large numbers of employees on their books, explains Nick Growing, once a foreign editor for Britain Channel 4 News and now a BBC news presenter.
By hiring freelancers, they can buy in the skills they need only when they need them. It also enables them to contract out the risk, he says.
69.TV news agencies turn to freelance cameramen in order to .
A. buy pictures which are the most touching to the senses
B. look for pictures that are of fine qualities
C. get first-hand information and pictures
D. save expense and avoid risks
70. The freelance cameramen .
A. need to contract out risks of work for TV companies
B. have better skills than other cameramen
C. have to take risks in the course of work
D. are tied to many TV news agencies
71.According to this passage, some major broadcasters and TV news agencies .
A. are responsible for the freelancer if he is injured
B. are not willing to employ many cameramen
C. have employed enough cameramen
D. are very kind to freelancers
72.The author of this passage shows his the freelance cameramen.
A. respect for B. sympathy for
C. anger to D. admiration to
I recently bought a house and moved in the first weekend of July.
Since I have been in my new neighborhood, I have had the pleasure of meeting a few of my neighbors who seem to be extremely nice people. For Christmas, I thought I would do something nice for each of the neighbors that I know. I sat down and counted. There were nine neighbors but I decided to add one more person to my list for a total of ten. This lady that I decided to add lives down the street from me. I meet her every morning walking to work as I drive down the street. She always manages a sweet smile and a hearty wave. I had no idea what her name was and was not even sure which house she lived in.
My gift idea was to make small fruit baskets and leave them on each of my neighbors’ front porches or door-steps the night of Christmas Eve for them to find, either that night or the next morning. I signed the cards—“Happy Holidays from 5104 Northumberland Road.”
My neighbors really appreciated the baskets and would tell me as they saw me in the yard or they would call, and a couple even came by to thank me.
This morning on my way to work, I placed my mail in the mailbox and noticed a small note inside. It was addressed simply “Resident,5104 Northumberland Road.”
I opened the envelope and took out a Thank You card. I opened the card and read the message which really caught me by surprise.
The card said：“Thank you for the lovely fruit basket you left on the porch of Richard Kelly. It was very thoughtful. Richard Kelly passed away less than a month ago. He never stopped talking about how nice it was that someone remembered him in his time of illness. He really appreciated it.”
I was sincerely moved. I had no idea who Richard Kelly was or that he had been seriously ill. I had left that nice lady’s basket on Mr. Kelly’s porch by accident.
65. Which of the following statements can be supported by the passage?
A. What a pity it was that the lady didn’t receive her gift!
B. A mistake made by chance caused an excellent result.
C. Richard Kelly was so lucky to receive the gift.
D.A careless man made a careless mistake.
66.The reason why the writer wanted to send gifts was that .
A. he intended to show his friendship to his new neighbors
B. he wanted to gain respect from his new neighbors
C. he intended to express his love to his neighbors
D. he planned to make friends with his new neighbors
67.Who knew the truth of the gift to Richard Kelly according to the passage?
A. The young lady. B. Richard Kelly.
C. The writer. D. The writer of the Thank You card.
68.It can be inferred from the passage that the writer was .
A. moved and pitiful B. moved and excited
C. interesting and funny D. shocked and sorry
Whether playing, shopping, studying, or just surfing, today’s kids are taking advantage of all the World Wide Web has offered. When it comes to their personal information online, though, who’s in charge? The Federal Trade Commission has established new rules to make sure that youngsters’ privacy (隐私) is protected while they are online.
Website operators must:
Post the privacy policy. Websites directed to children or to collecting information from kids under 13 must post a notice of their information-collection practices that includes:
*Types of personal information they collect from kids, such as name, home address, e-mail address, or hobby.
*How the site will use the information, for example, to notify contest winners, or make the information available through a child’s participation in a chat room.
*Whether personal information is forwarded to a third party.
Get parental permission. In many cases, a site must obtain parental permission before collecting, using, or disclosing personal information about a child. Permission is not required when a site is collecting an e-mail address to respond to a request from the child, to provide notice to the parent, to ensure the safety of the youngster or the site, or to send a newsletter—as long as the site notifies parents and gives them an opportunity to say no to the arrangement.
Parents should:
Look for a privacy policy on the website. The policy must be available through a link on the website’s homepage, or on the homepage of the section for kids. Read the policy closely. If you find a website that doesn’t post basic protections for children’s personal information, ask for details about their information-collection practices.
Decide whether to give permission. You can give permission and say no later to collecting, using or disclosing your children’s information.
Ask to see the information your child has given. Make sure that your kid’s information isn’t given out improperly.
61. Why has the Federal Trade Commission established new rules?
A. Because the privacy of kids is used for business competition.
B. Because kids are using the Internet in a wrong way.
C. Because the privacy of kids should be safe.
D. Because kids are using the Internet too much.
62.According to the text, which of the following websites must post its privacy policy?
A. A website aimed at children who are to start school.
B.A website aimed at survivors of cancer in childhood.
C. A website aimed at teachers of science.
D.A website aimed at single parents.
63. Without the parents’ permission, website operators CANNOT .
A. respond to a request from the children
B. take measures to improve the kids’ safety
C. advertise with the children’s picture
D. send newsletters by e-mail
64. The text mainly talks about .
A. reducing crime online
B. reducing false information online
C. protecting equal competition online
D. protecting kids’ privacy online
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，满分40分）
Sitting too much is now listed with smoking and junk food as a bad habit that increases your risk of heart disease.
New Australian research shows that half-an-hour in the gym will not make up for the waist-expanding damage caused by spending the rest of the day sitting.
But the good news is that doing chores (家务杂事) in the house or gently walking around the office while on the phone might be enough to keep you fit.
The study joins the growing body of evidence suggesting too much sitting might undo the benefits of exercise.
The study measured the intensity (强度) of physical activities in 168 subjects over seven days. It found that, regardless of how much exercise they did or their total sitting time, those who took more breaks from sitting had lower risk of thick waists and lower levels of blood lipids (脂质).
“Higher levels of blood lipids have been linked to a heightened risk of heart disease,” principal researcher Genevieve Healy of the University of Queensland said. “What the study shows is that there are benefits in just getting up regularly and interrupting your sitting time.”
Researchers behind the Stand Up Australia project have written to the Rudd Government requesting $3.5 million for a two-year study into how long sitting affects health and productivity of workers. The study would also develop and test strategies for reducing sitting time on the job.
The latest study builds on work that is shifting the health promotion focus from purposeful exercise, such as running, to lower intensity activities throughout the day.
The Australian research has been backed up by US studies.
“To hold a body that weighs 77 kilograms upright takes a fair amount of energy from muscles,” said Professor Marc Hamilton from the University of Missouri. “There is a large amount of energy associated with standing every day that cannot be easily replaced by 30 to 60 minutes in the gym.”
56.The study shows that .
A. exercising for 30 minutes in the gym is good after sitting too long
B. walking is the best physical activity after sitting too long
C. sitting too long in the office causes the waist to expand
D. having breaks from sitting is good for your health
57.What’s the aim of the Stand Up Australia project?
A. To develop and test strategies for reducing working time.
B. To study the reasons for the longer sitting time in the office.
C. To develop and test strategies for reducing sitting time at work.
D. To study the factors influencing productivity of workers.
58.The purpose of the last paragraph is to .
A. provide a scientific basis for the benefits of standing up
B. compare the effect of standing with exercising in the gym
C. report the new research findings of Professor Marc Hamilton
D. figure out the amount of energy associated with daily standing
59.The health promotion focus used to be on .
A. purposeful exercise B. running
C. lower intensity activities D. long sitting
60.What’s the best title for the text?
A. Exercise in the Gym Is Out B. Your Office Chair Is Killing You
C. A Cause of Heart Disease D. Good News for Workers
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