If there is one thing scientists have to hear, it is that game is over. Raised on the belief of an endless voyage of discovery, they recoil(畏缩)from the suggestion that most of the best things have already been located. If they have, today's scientists can hope to contribute no more than a few grace notes to the symphony(交响乐)of science.
A book to be published in Britain this week, The End of Science, argues persuasively that this is the case. Its author, John Horgan, is a senior writer for Scientific American magazine, who has interviewed many of today's leading scientists and science philosophers(哲学家). The shock of realizing that science might be over came to him, he says, when he was talking to Oxford mathematician and physicist Sir Roger Penrose.
The End of Science provoked(激怒)a wave of denunciation(谴责)in the United States last year. “The reaction(反应)has been one of complete shock and disbelief，” Mr. Horgan says.
The real question is whether any remaining unsolved problems, of which there are plenty, lead themselves to universal solutions. If they do not, then the focus of scientific discovery is already narrowing. Since the triumphs(胜利)of the 1960s—the genetic code, plate tectonics(板块构造说), and the microwave background radiation that went a long way towards proving the_Big_Bang—genuine(真正的)scientific revolutions have been scarce. More scientists are now alive, spending more money on research, than ever. Yet most of the great discoveries of the 19th and 20th centuries were made before the appearance of state sponsorship, when the scientific enterprise was a fraction(小部分)of its present size.
Were the scientists who made these discoveries brighter than today's? That seems unlikely. A far more reasonable explanation is that fundamental(基础的)science has already entered a period of diminished returns. “Look, don't get me wrong，” says Mr. Horgan, “There are lots of important things still to study, and applied(应用的)science and engineering can go on forever. I hope we get a cure for cancer, and for mental disease, though there are few real signs of progress.”The sentence “most of the best things have already been located” could mean________.
| A．most of the best things have already been changed |
| B．most of the best things remain to be changed |
| C．there have never been so many best things waiting to be discovered |
| D．most secrets of the world have already been discovered |
John Horgan ________.
Ⅰ. has written a book entitled The End of Science
Ⅱ. has been working as an editor of Scientific American
Ⅲ. has been working many years as a literary critic
Ⅳ. is working as a science writer
| A．Ⅰand Ⅱ | B．Ⅰ only |
| C．Ⅰand Ⅳ | D．Ⅰ，Ⅱand Ⅳ |
There have not been many genuine scientific revolutions in the past few decades because________.
| A．there have been decreased returns in the research of fundamental science |
| B．there are too many important things for scientists to study |
| C．applied science and engineering take up too much time and energy |
| D．today's scientists are not as intelligent as those in the past |
The term “the Big Bang” probably refers to________.
| A．the genetic code theory |
| B．a theory of the origin(起源)of the universe |
| C．a geological theory |
| D．the origin and the power of atomic energy |
How did Ancient People Tell Time?
Natural ways of keeping time．
In ancient time, people had to use the sun and the moon to tell time. They got up when the sun came up and worked in the fields until the sun went down．
Man-made things
The sand c1ock is made of two glass balls joined by a narrow neck．The
top ball was filled with sand．The sand slowly moved through the neck into the bottom ball．People knew how much time had passed when all the sand had fallen to the bottom ball．
People also made the water clock．They made a small hole near the bottom of a pot．Then they filled the pot with water．Markings inside the pot showed how much time passed as the water dripped(滴)out of the hole．
Nature’s C1ocks in Living Things
Animals’ Body Clock
Animals do not need clocks to know time．They have a way of telling time by their bodies．Birds know when to fly to warmer places before winter．some animals know when to keep more food for the cold winter months．Some fish know when it is time to move up the river and lay eggs．
Plants have their own clocks
Plants also have their own clocks to keep time．Plants know when to open flowers or when to drop their leaves．
The Body Clock in Human Beings
People also have their own body clocks．When we get used to our lives，our body clocks can be very accurate．It can tell us when it is time to wake up．It can also tell us when to eat or to go to sleep.
68．How could an ancient farmer know when to go back home from the field in the daytime?
A．By looking at the stars． B．By looking at the moon．
C．By looking at the sun． D．By feeling whether tired or not．
69．In what way is the sand clock the same as the water clock in telling time?
A．Both of them have a neck． B．Both of them have two glass balls．
C．Both of them can be used only once． D．Both of them give the time by quantity．
70．What is the best title for the whole passage?
A．Man—made clocks B．Nature’s clocks C．Time and clock D．How people keep time
Not long ago, people thought babies were not able to learn things until they were five or six months old. Yet doctors in the United States say babies begin learning on their first day of life.
Scientists note that babies are strongly influenced by their environment. They say a baby will smile if her mother does something the baby likes. A baby learns to get the best care possible by smiling to please her mother or other caregiver. This is how babies learn to connect and communicate with other human beings.
One study shows that babies can learn before they are born. The researchers placed a tape recorder on the stomach of a pregnant woman. Then, they played a recording of a short story. On the day the baby was born, the researchers attempted to find if he knew the sounds of the story repeated while in his mother. They did this by placing a device in the mouth of the newborn baby.
The baby would hear the story if he moved his mouth one way. If the baby moved his mouth the other way, he would hear a different story. The researchers say the baby clearly liked the story he heard before he was born. They say the baby would move his mouth so he could hear the story again and again.
Another study shows how mothers can strongly influence social development and language skills in their children.
Researchers studied the children from the age of one month to three years. The researchers attempted to measure the sensitivity of the mothers. The women were considered sensitive if they supported their children’s activities and did not interfere unnecessarily. They tested the children for thinking and language development when they were three years old. Also, the researchers observed the women for signs of depression.
The children of depressed women did not do as well in tests as the children of women who did not suffer from depression. The children of depressed women did poorly in tests of language skills and understanding what they hear.
These children also were less cooperative and had more problems dealing with other people. The researchers noted that the sensitivity of the mothers was important to the intelligence development of their children. Children did better when their mothers were caring, even when they suffered from depression.
64. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT the factor that influences intelligence development in babies?
A. The environment. B. Mother’s sensitivity.
C. Their peers(同龄人) D. Education before birth.
65. What is the purpose of the experiment in which newborn babies heard the stories?
A. To prove that babies can learn before they are born.
B. To prove that babies can learn on the first day they are born.
C. To show mothers can strongly influence intelligence development in their babies.
D. To indicate early education has a deep effect on the babies’ language skills.
66. Which group of children did the worst in tests of language skills?
A. The children of depressed mothers who cared little for their children.
B. The children of women who did not suffer from depression.
C. The children of depressed but caring mothers.
D. Children with high communication abilities.
67. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Scientific findings about how babies develop before birth.
B. Scientific findings about how the environment has an effect on babies’ intelligence.
C. A study shows babies are not able to learn things until they are rice or six months old.
D. Scientific findings about how intelligence develops in babies.
“Clothes make the man” goes the old saying. Many people believe clothing choices say a lot about character as well as social status.
People adopt some kind of style in daily life, usually because they are trying to fit in with certain surroundings or show their connection to a particular group, says German image consultant Beatrix Isabel Lied. This means that people use clothing to send signals to those around them: The wearer of a black polo-neck sweater (套头圆领毛衣) might be an artist, an educated man or an architect. Outdoor and nature-loving types tend to choose weatherproof （防风雨的）jackets and durable shoes instead. Women usually spend more time on clothes than men.
“Clothing is not only an expression of taste, but also an expression of attitude,” says Lied.
According to style advisor Lisa Zimmermann from Berlin, there is nothing superficial (肤浅的) about judging people by the clothes they wear. “It's about the famous first 10 seconds, which is all it takes to make an impression,” she says.
Apart from material, Zimmermann believes people, whether consciously or unconsciously, choose a color, which they believe suits them and the situation.
Different colors can produce different effects. Black signals a sense of being something special, and it also stands for concentration. Blue, the color of the sky, stands for pragmatism (实用主义) and intellect (知识分子). “It is the color of power,” says Zimmermann. Red clothing gets the wearer noticed and can indicate an outgoing character. Yellow stands for cheerfulness and optimism, while pink is naturally the most romantic of colors.
Experts say it is important to be aware of the meanings of particular colors, which can vary a lot between different cultures.
What does the underlined sentence in the first paragraph mean?
Clothes can decide what a man’s job is.
Clothes can tell us whether a person is really a man.
Clothes can tell us about a man’s character and social position.
Clothes can help us choose our life style.
According to Lied, an artist might wear ____________.
A. a black polo-neck sweater B. weatherproof jackets
C. nature-loving types D. a red sweater
Lisa Zimmermann believes____________.
A. there is something wrong with judging people by what they wear
B. there is nothing wrong with judging people by what they wear
C. people usually choose what they believe suits them and the situation consciously
D. people usually choose what they believe suits them and the situation unconsciously
What color stands for concentration?
A. Black. B. Blue. C. Red D. Pink
Which sentence is true according to the passage?
In different cultures, colors mean the same.
In different cultures, colors mean different things.
In different cultures, different colors can produce the same effect.
In different cultures, different colors can produce different effects.
第三部分：阅读理解（共15小题，每题2分，满分30分）
请认真阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Was Princess Diana murdered? The verdict(判决) is no. according to an inquiry(调查) held into the cause of her death over the last six months.
The big question was whether the deaths of Diana and her boyfriend Dodi A1 Fayed in a deadly car crash in 1997 had been accidental, or whether there was some kind of conspiracy(阴谋) to have them killed.
Dodi’s father Mohamed A1 Fayed, owner of London’s world-famous department store Harrods, has insisted for the last decade that the pair were murdered by spies of the British state who did not want them to marry. But his theories now look to have been blown out of the water. The court found that Princess Diana and her boyfriend were not murdered but killed due to the “gross, carelessness” of her driver and the paparazzi(偷拍的摄影记者). Her driver was drunk at the time of the crash and the paparazzi had been running after their car.
So is this the end of the Diana story? British taxpayers may hope so. The inquiry has cost them about ￡10m (140m RMB). “Thank God it’s over”, was the headline in The Guardian newspaper. UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said it was time to “draw a line” under the death of the Princess. But Mohamed AI Fayed has refused to accept the judgment. He says the result will come as a “blow” to millions of his supporters around the world, and has not ruled out starting another investigation.
Whatever happens, next, the special place Princess Diana has in the hearts of people around the world is not likely to be forgotten.
56. According to the text, the inquiry focuses on _______.
A. what caused the deaths of Diana and her boyfriend
B. who were the paparazzi
C. how much British taxpayers paid for the case
D. whether the driver was drunk then .
57. By saying the underlined “his theories now look to have been blown out of the water”, the author means that ________.
A. Mohamed lacks confidence in the case
B. Mohamed feels disappointed at the result
C. Mohamed’s idea seems to be believable
D. Mohamed’s idea possibly proves to be wrong
58. Similar to The Guardian newspaper, UK Prime Minister ________.
A. felt sorry for the deadly car crash B. questioned the purpose of Dodi’s father
C. stood for the court’s judgment D. blamed the paparazzi for their bad behavior
As the proverb says,“No one knows the value of health until he loses it.”In other words, nothing is more valuable than health.
It is clear that health is the foundation(基础) of one's future success. If you become sick, it is scarcely possible to pursue(从事) your career effectively, much less make your dreams come true. On the other hand, if you are strong, you can go all out to overcome the obstacles(障碍) that lie ahead of you.
Health is the resource of our energy. What should we do to maintain(保持) our health? First we should exercise every day to strengthen our muscles. Second, we might as well keep good hours. If we get up early, we can breathe fresh air and see the sunrise. This habit can do wonders for our outlook on life. Third, there is a proverb that says,“Prevention is better than cure.”If you pay close attention to your health, you can avoid getting sick, or at least cure yourself of a disease while it is still in its beginning stage.
In conclusion, health is more important than wealth. Those who are rich but poor in health are no more fortunate than those who are poor, and healthy in body. If you want your wish to come true, health is the most important component(组成部分) of your success.
57.A man knows the value of health _____.
A.till he loses B.before he loses it C.after he loses it D.when he doesn't lose it
58.In the second paragraph,“go all out to”means _____.
A.go yourself outside to B.try very hard to C.go with your friends to D.save your energy to
59.In the third paragraph, the topic sentence is _____.
A.Health is the resource of our energy B.Prevention is better than cure
C.We might as well keep good hours D.This habit can do wonders for our outlook on life
60.“Those who are rich but poor in health are no more fortunate than those who are poor, and healthy in body”this sentence is understood as “_____”.
A.Those who are rich but poor in health are less fortunate than those who are poor, and healthy in body.
B.Those who are rich but poor in health are as fortunate as those who are poor, and healthy in body.
C.Those who are rich but poor in health are not more fortunate than those who are poor, and healthy in body.
D.Those who are rich but poor in health are as unfortunate as those who are poor, and healthy in body.
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