For many centuries，countless scholars have asked the question：What is beauty? As designers update the latest fashions and artists create their masterpieces, what is considered beautiful changes at an alarming pace. Fifty years ago, the full-figured American actress Marilyn Monroe was a symbol of the American aesthetic(美学的)value；today, many Hollywood actresses different in appearance from Marilyn’s have taken her place. However，aesthetic values not only differ from generation to generation，but do so along cultural lines as well. Often, what is considered hating one civilization is just the aesthetic appeal in another. Thus it is difficult to give an absolute definition(定义)of beauty.
As fundamental(基础的)physicists，my colleagues and I like to believe that we are involved in a search for a beauty that affects definition. The beauty that we search for is not what is set up through the work of people and subject to the tastes, but rather what has been laid down by nature Physics allows its students to look past outer appearances，into a deeper beauty. As a human being, I am attracted by the visual appeal of a wave crashing on the beach. As a physicist, however I am able to see the deeper beauty of the physical laws that govern such a phenomenon.
In truth，since Albert Einstein put forward the idea that there might be one main physical theory that governs the universe，aesthetics have become a driving force in modern physics. Einstein and other later physicists have discovered that：Nature, as its most fundamental level，is beautifully constructed. The extraordinary simplicity (朴素)of the laws that govern the universe is really breathtaking. As Einstein said, it would seem more likely that we should find ourselves living in a “chaotic (无秩序曲)world，in no way graspable（能理解的） through thinking”. Yet we are now closer than ever to a full understanding of the universe’s beautiful clockwork. As new discoveries and technologies allow us to examine the physical world on deeper and deeper levels，we find that the beauty itself becomes much deeper.
The reference to “Marilyn Monroe” in Paragraph 2 mainly serves to___________.
| A．compare traditional concept of the East with the West |
| B．express there is no fixed definition of aesthetics |
| C．set an example of today’s beauty standards |
| D．discuss her abilities as an actress |
When appreciating a wave crashing on the beach，a physicist sees the beauty of_____.
| A．the visual attraction |
| B．the powerful sounds |
| C．the physical laws behind |
| D．the lovely creatures |
Why are Albert Einstein’s words mentioned in Paragraph 3?
| A．To detail the functions of physical laws. |
| B．To highlight the range of Einstein’s influence. |
| C．To show that Einstein doubted the beauty of physics. |
| D．To stress the very simplicity of the laws of the universe. |
what does the passage mainly talk about ?___________.
| A．a special way of seeing beauty |
| B．the influence of physics |
| C．the awareness of cross-culture |
| D．the traditional ideas on value |
Futurologists predict that life will probably be very different in 2050.
TV channels will have disappeared. Instead, people will choose a program from a “menu” and a computer will send the program directly to the television. Today, we can use the World Wide Web to read newspaper stories and see pictures on a computer thousands of kilometers away. By 2050, music, films, programs, newspapers, and books will come to us by computer.
Cars will run on new, clean fuels and they will go very fast. Cars will have computers to control the speed and there won’t be any accidents. Today, many cars have computers that tell drivers exactly where they are. By 2050, the computer will control the car and drive it to your destination. Space planes will take people halfway around the world in 2 hours. Today, the United States Space Shuttle can go into space and land on Earth again. By 2050, space planes will fly all over the world and people will fly from Los Angeles to Tokyo in just 2 hours.
Robots will have replaced people in factories. Many factories already use robots. Big companies prefer robots — they don’t ask for pay rises or go on strike, and they work 24 hours a day. By 2050, we will see robots everywhere — in factories, schools, offices, hospitals, shops and homes.
Medical technology will have conquered many diseases. Today, there are devices（设备）that connect directly to the brain to help people hear. By 2050, we will be able to help blind and deaf people to see and hear again.
Scientist will have discovered how to control genes（基因）. Scientists have already produced clones of animals. By 2050, scientists will be able to produce clones of people, and decide how they look, how they behave and how clever they are. Scientists will be able to do these things, but should they? We can learn from the passage that some big companies prefer robots to human workers, because human workers __________.
| A．often ask for more pay |
| B．can work 24 hours a day |
| C．are not clever enough |
| D．are often late for work |
The underlined word “conquered” in Paragraph 5 most probably means ________.
| A．discovered | B．treated | C．caused | D．cured |
It can be inferred from Paragraph 5 that _________.
| A．few diseases will attack people by 2050 |
| B．there will be no blind and deaf people by 2050 |
| C．medical technology will be more effective by 2050 |
| D．devices are connected directly to the brain to help people hear |
What is the author’s attitude towards the cloning technology?
| A．The author does not support the use of cloning technology. |
| B．The author thinks human cloning is impossible. |
| C．The author does not really support the idea of human cloning. |
| D．The author is quite excited about human cloning. |
According to the passage, which of the following can be realized today?
| A．Read newspapers on a computer. |
| B．Make a space shuttle to go into the land. |
| C．Use computers to control car speed. |
| D．Choose TV programs freely from a “menu”. |
Parent fans, both dads and mums, are shaming British football with their bad behaviour. Hundreds of junior soccer matches had to be abandoned last season because parent fans were swearing or even fighting on the touchline. At schools and clubs across the UK, hundreds of more matches also had to be called off for the same reason.
Reports tell of abuse at referees（裁判）, players and coaches and fight breaking out on the touchline.
Enough is enough Peter Wright, a keen referee of junior soccer, finally hung up his boots last season. He decided to walk away for good. He said “Every week I have had to take abuse and I’ve had enough of it.”
“Parents’ behaviour is reducing many school teachers, referees, coaches and volunteers to despair.”
The kids are suffering Jim Peter, a referee, said, “We are getting desperate and the kids are suffering.” He described the way spectators（观众）behave as abysmal and getting worse year by year. The big question is why so many parents shame their children in this way. Aggressive Behavior Contracts may have to be introduced to stop the violence and abuse. If not, the game will suffer.
Sign up to good conduct Last season players and parents were made to sign a new good behavior contract. “If a parent breaks the contract, I take his or her child off the pitch and get him or her to explain why I have done so to the child,” said Marc Nash, Wallsend’s assistant leader.
“The next step is to ban both the parent and the child, but happily, so far this has not been necessary.”A number of junior soccer matches were abandoned last season because .
| A．players abused spectators in the matches |
| B．parent fans swore and fought outside the pitch |
| C．school teachers persuaded the government to call them off |
| D．referees and coaches fought on the touchline |
Who’s an assistant leader in the passage?
| A．Marc Nash. | B．Jim Peter. | C．Peter Wright. | D．Wallsend. |
The underlined word “abysmal” in the passage means .
| A．extremely bad | B．weak | C．disappointing | D．impolite |
I grew up in a house where the TV was seldom turned on and with one wall in my bedroom entirely lined with bookshelves, most of my childhood was spent on books I could get hold of. In fact, I grew up thinking of reading as natural as breathing and books unbelievably powerful in shaping perspectives（观点）by creating worlds we could step into, take part in and live in.
With this unshakable belief, I, at fourteen, decided to become a writer. Here too, reading became useful. Every writer starts off knowing that he has something to say, but being unable to find the right ways to say it. He has to find his own voice by reading widely and discovering which parts of the writers he agrees or disagrees with, or agrees with so strongly that it reshapes his own world. He cannot write without loving to read, because only through reading other people’s writing can one discover what works, what doesn’t and, in the end, together with lots of practice, what voice he has.
Now I am in college, and have come to realize how important it is to read fiction. As a law student, my reading is in fact limited to subject matter — the volume（量）of what I have to read for classes every week means there is little time to read anything else. Such reading made it all the clearer to me that I live in a very small part in this great place called life. Reading fiction reminds me that there is life beyond my own. It allows me to travel across the high seas and along the Silk Road, all from the comfort of my own armchair, to experience, though secondhand, exciting experiences that I wouldn’t necessarily be able to have in my lifetime. What can be inferred about the author as a child?
| A．He never watched TV. |
| B．He read what he had to. |
| C．He found reading unbelievable. |
| D．He considered reading part of his life. |
The underlined word “voice” in the second paragraph most probably means _________.
| A．the ability to speak |
| B．a way of writing |
| C．a sound quality |
| D．a world to write about |
What effect does reading have on the author?
| A．It opens up a wider world for him. |
| B．It helps him to realize his dream. |
| C．It makes his college life more interesting. |
| D．It increases his interest in worldwide travel. |
Which of the following can be the best title of this text?
| A．How do I read? | B．What do I read? | C．Why do I read? | D．When do I read? |
It is well known that Einstein was the father of the famous Theory of Relativity. But do you know it owes a great deal to Marits, Einstein’s former wife?
In 1896, 17-year-old Einstein went to Zurich to study physics. There he met a girl from Hungary. They studied in the same class. The same interest brought the two together and the young man fell in love with Marits. In 1903, when Einstein was 24 years old, he married Marits, who was 4 years older than he.
After their marriage, Einstein devoted himself to the research of the great theory. To give her husband more help, Marits gave up her own work, and became a good wife and assistant. She tried her best to encourage him whenever possible and she was sure that her husband would succeed. They often discussed the theory while walking outside or sitting together in the room. They even discussed it in their letters when one of them was away from home.
In 1914, the Einstein moved to Berlin and settled there. At that time, Einstein’s theory proved to be correct and he had become famous all over the world. Marits was very proud of him and his success. But it was not long before the First World War broke out. Marits as well as her two sons, who were all on holidays in Switzerland, couldn’t come back to Berlin. The war not only stopped Einstein’s work but broke up the warm, happy family. In 1919, Einstein and Marits had to get divorced.
Einstein himself, however, later said that Marits was really an outstanding woman.From the first paragraph, we can infer that the passage is mostly about __________.
| A．Einstein’s former wife |
| B．Marits’s love for Einstein |
| C．Einstein’s famous theory |
| D．the life of Einstein and his former wife |
Einstein fell in love with Marits mainly because they ________.
| A．were in the same school |
| B．wanted to do research together |
| C．had the same interest |
| D．came from different countries |
By the year of 1914, Einstein had _________________.
| A．become famous all over the world |
| B．been proud of his success |
| C．suffered from the 1st World War |
| D．lost touch with Marits |
Einstein and Marits got divorced because ________________.
| A．they no longer loved each other |
| B．the 1st World War broke out |
| C．Marits went away with the children |
| D．Einstein had become famous |
It is easy for many people to catch a cold in the springtime or fall. It makes us wonder if scientists can send a man to the moon, why can’t they find a cure for the common cold? The answer is easy. There are actually hundreds of kinds of cold viruses out there. You never know which one you will get, so there isn’t a cure for each one.
When a virus attacks your body, your body works hard to get rid of it. Blood rushes to your nose and cause a block in it. You feel terrible because you can’t breathe well, but your body is actually eating the virus. Your temperature goes up and you get a fever, but the heat of your body is killing the virus. You also have a runny nose to stop the virus from getting into your cells. You may feel very uncomfortable, but actually your wonderful body is doing everything it can to kill the cold.
Different people do different things to deal with colds. In the United States and some other countries, for example, people might eat chicken soup to make themselves feel better. Some people take hot baths and drink warm liquids. Other people take medicine to stop various symptoms (症状) of colds.
There is one interesting thing to note —some scientists say taking medicines when you have a cold is actually bad for you. The virus stays in you longer because your body doesn’t have a way to fight it and kill it. Bodies can do an amazing job on their own. There is a joke, however, on taking medicine when you have a cold. It goes like this:
It takes about one week to get over a cold if you don’t take medicine, but it takes only seven days to get over a cold if you take medicine.
| Title |
How Much You Know About the Common Cold |
| Introduction |
◆People catch a cold 61. in spring or fall. ◆A 62. of cold viruses exist everywhere. ◆It is hard to find a cure for each cold. |
| The symptoms of the common cold |
◆The body’s blood as well as its temperature 63. , causing a fever. ◆You will find that you have some difficulty 64. . ◆You have a runny nose, which makes you feel miserable. |
| Some 65. of dealing with the common cold |
◆Drinking chicken soup to help you 66. . ◆Taking hot baths and drinking warm 67. ________. ◆Taking some medicine. |
| 68. by some scientists |
◆Taking medicine when having a cold will do 69. to the body. ◆Taking medicine or not will take you one week to 70. the common cold. |
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