1 . Directions：Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box.Each word can be used only once.Note that there is one word more than you need.

A.deliver        B.resist        C.resolve          D.inquiry        E.aspect        F.series G.destructive     H determine     L rooted     J. disgusting        K.trial

Why do people read negative Internet comments and do other things that will obviously be painful'？Because humans have an inherent need to    1     uncertainty，according to a recent study in Psychological Science. The new research reveals that the need to know is so strong that people will seek to satisfy their curiosity even when it is clear the answer will hurt.

In a    2     of four experiments，behavioral scientists at the University of Chicago and the Wisconsin School of Business tested students' willingness to express themselves to unpleasant stimuli in an effort to satisfy curiosity. For one    3    ，each participant was shown a pile of pens that the researcher claimed were from a previous experiment The twist. Half of the pens would    4     an electric shock when clicked.

Twenty-seven students were told which pens were electrified；another twenty-seven were told only that some were electrified.When left alone in the room，the students who did not know which ones would shock them clicked more pens and incurred（遭受）more shocks than the students who knew what would happen.Subsequent experiments reproduced this effect with other stimuli，such as the sound of fingernails on a chalkboard and photographs of     5     insects.

The drive to discover is deeply    6    in humans，much the same as the basic drives for food or shelter，says Christopher Hsee of the University of Chicago. Curiosity is often considered a good instinct---it can lead to new scientific advances，for instance---but sometimes such    7     can backfire.The insight that curiosity can drive you to do self-     8     things is a profound one.

Unhealthy curiosity is possible to     9     , however. In a final experiment，participants who were encouraged to predict how they would feel after viewing an unpleasant picture were less likely to choose to see such an image.These results suggest that imagining the outcome of following through on one's curiosity ahead of time can help    10    whether it is worth the endeavor.“ Thinking about long-term consequences is key to reducing the possible negative effects of curiosity，" Hsee says. In other words，don't read online comments.

4 . Types of Social Groups

Life places us in a complex web of relationships with other people. Our humanness arises out of these relationships in the course of social interaction. Moreover, our humanness must be sustained through social interaction -- and fairly constantly so. When an association continues long enough for two people to become linked together by a relatively stable set of expectations, it is called a relationship.

People are bound within relationships by two types of bonds: expressive ties and instrumental ties. Expressive ties are social links formed when we emotionally invest ourselves in and commit ourselves to other people. Through association with people who are meaningful to us, we achieve a sense of security, love, acceptance, companionship, and personal worth. Instrumental ties are social links focused when we cooperate with other people to achieve some goal.

Occasionally, this may mean working with, instead of against, competitors. More often, we simply cooperate with others to reach some end without endowing the relationship with any larger significance.

Sociologists have built on the distinction between expressive and instrumental ties to distinguish between two types of groups: primary and secondary. A primary group involves two or more people who enjoy a direct, intimate, cohesive relationship with one another. Expressive ties predominate in primary groups: we view the people as ends in themselves and valuable in their own right. A secondary group entails two or more people who are involved in an impersonal relationship and have come together for a specific, practical purpose. Instrumental ties predominate in secondary groups ; we perceive people as means to ends rather than as ends in their own right. sometimes primary group relationships evolve out of secondary group relationships. This happens in many work settings. People on the job often develop close relationships with coworkers as they come to share gripes, jokes, gossip, and satisfactions.

A number of conditions enhance the likelihood that primary groups will arise. First, group size is important. We find it difficult to get to know people personally when they are milling about and dispersed in large groups. In small groups we have a better chance to initiate contact and establish rapport with them. Second, face - to - face contact allows us to size up others. Seeing and talking with one another in close physical proximity makes possible a subtle exchange of ideas and feelings. And third, the probability that we will develop primary group bonds increases as we have frequent and continuous contact. Our ties with people often deepen as we interact with them across time and gradually evolve interlocking habits and interests.

Primary groups are fundamental to us and to society. Sociologists view primary groups as bridges between individuals and the larger society because they transmit, mediate, and interpret a society’s cultural patterns and provide the sense of oneness so critical for social solidarity. Primary groups, then serve both as carriers of social norms and as enforcers of them.

1. According to Paragraph 1, which of the following statements is true of a relationship?

A．It is a structure of associations with many people.

B．It should be studied in the course of social interaction.

C．It places great demands on people.

D．It develops gradually over time.

2. Which of the following can be inferred from the author’s claim in paragraph 4 that primary group relationships sometimes evolve out of secondary group relationships?

A．Secondary group relationships begin by being primary group relationships.

B．A secondary group relationship that is highly visible quickly becomes a primary group relationship.

C．Sociologists believe that only primary group relationships are important to society.

D．Even in secondary groups, frequent communication serves to bring people into close relationships.

3. The phrase “size up” in paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to “________”.

A．enlarge	B．evaluate
C．impress	D．accept

4. This passage is developed primarily by ________.

A．drawing comparisons between theory and practice

B．presenting two opposing theories

C．defining important concepts

D．discussing causes and their effects

5 . Directions: Write an English composition in 120-150 words according to the instructions given below in Chinese.
成长道路上难免遇到来自同伴的压力(peer pressure)。同伴压力可能给我们带来积极或消极的影响。请结合自己生活中的一个具体事例, 谈谈你的体会。
注意:请勿透露本人真实姓名和学校名称。
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 . Not too many decades ago it seemed “obvious” both to the general public and to sociologists that modern society has changed people’s natural relations, loosened their responsibilities to kin (亲戚) and neighbors, and substituted in their place superficial relationships with passing acquaintances. However, in recent years a growing body of research   has revealed that the “obvious” is not true. It seems that if you are a city resident, you typically know a smaller proportion of your neighbors than you do if you are a resident of a smaller community. But, for the most part, this fact has few significant consequences. It does not necessarily follow that if you know few of your neighbors you will know no one else.

Even in very large cities, people maintain close social ties within small, private social worlds. Indeed, the number and   quality of   meaningful   relationships   do   not   differ   between more and less urban people. Small-town residents are more involved with kin than are big-city residents. Yet city dwellers compensate by developing friendships with people who share similar interests and activities. Urbanism many produce a different style of life, but the quality of life   does not differ between town and city. Nor are residents of large communities any likelier to display psychological symptoms of stress or alienation, a feeling of not belonging, than are residents of smaller communities. However, city dwellers do worry more about crime, and this leads them to a distrust of strangers.

These findings do not imply that urbanism makes little or no difference. If neighbors are strangers to one another, they are less likely to sweep the sidewalk of an elderly couple living   next door or keep an eye out for young trouble makers. Moreover, as Wirth suggested, there may be a link between a community’s population size and its social heterogeneity (多样性). For instance, sociologists have found much evidence that the size of a community is associated with bad behavior including gambling, drugs, etc. Large-city urbanities are also more likely than their small-town counterparts to have a cosmopolitan(见多识广)outlook, to display less responsibility to traditional kinship roles, to vote for leftist political candidates, and to be tolerant of nontraditional religious groups, unpopular political groups, and so—called undesirables. Everything considered, heterogeneity and unusual behavior seem to be outcomes of large population size.

1. Which of the following statements best describes the organization of the first paragraph?

A．An argument is examined and possible solutions given.

B．Two contrasting views are presented.

C．Research results concerning the quality of urban life are presented in order of time.

D．A detail description of the difference between urban and small-town life is given.

2. According to the passage, it was once a common belief that urban residents .

A．could not develop long-standing relationships.

B．did not have the same interests as their neighbors.

C．tended to be associated with bad behavior.

D．usually had more friends.

3. One of the   consequences   of   urban   life   is   that   impersonal   relationships   among   neighbors .

A．disrupt people’s natural relations.

B．make them worry about crime.

C．cause them no to show concern for one another.

D．cause them to be suspicious of each other.

4. It can be inferred from the passage that the bigger a community is____,

A．the better its quality of life

B．the more tolerant and open-minded it is.

C．the likelier it is to display psychological symptoms of stress.

D．the more similar its interests

7 . A scientist _______ several monkeys in order to study animal psychology. He took a glass bottle, _______ its cork (瓶塞) and put two peanuts inside it. The peanuts dropped to the bottom and were easily seen from the outside. He then passed the bottle to a monkey, who shook it _______ for a long while and was able to get the peanuts when they _______ fell out. The scientist then put some peanuts into the bottle again _______ he had done before and showed the monkey that it only needed to turn the bottle upside down for the peanuts to drop out. _______ the monkey always ignored his _______. Each time it just shook the bottle frantically, with great _______ but without necessarily achieving _______ result.

Now the question is why the monkey was unable to understand ________ the scientist instructs. ________ because all its attentions was focused on the peanuts. Instead, it must take its eyes off the peanuts and quickly ________ its attention to the ________ movement of the scientist and the way the bottle was turned upside down. To achieve this, it had to calm down and not be ________ by the impulse (诱惑) of its appetite. Yet the monkey was not able to understand this. It is the instance like this that reveals the monkey’s some psychology is just like ________ of human beings.

1.

A．kept

B．rose

C．fed

D．caught

2.

A．moving

B．removed

C．discovered

D．covered

3.

A．happily

B．anxiously

C．hurriedly

D．instantly

4.

A．suddenly

B．accidentally

C．occasionally

D．quickly

5.

A．as

B．that

C．what

D．until

6.

A．But

B．When

C．Therefore

D．Thus

7.

A．directions

B．explanations

C．performances

D．instructions

8.

A．effort

B．strength

C．power

D．force

9.

A．expecting

B．interesting

C．satisfying

D．desired

10.

A．what

B．how

C．why

D．which

11.

A．Probably

B．Likely

C．Simply

D．Nearly

12.

A．put

B．send

C．pay

D．shift

13.

A．gesture

B．mouth

C．hand

D．eye

14.

A．taken away

B．taken off

C．taken over

D．taken on

15.

A．that

B．the

C．those

D．this

8 . To move visual technology into the future, sometimes it helps to make a little noise. Researchers have used sound waves to produce floating 3-D images, create a sense of touch and even supply a soundtrack.

Since the 1940s, scientists have toyed with the concept of acoustic levitation(声悬浮), the use of soundwave vibrations to trap tiny things in midair. The technology has gained greater capabilities in the past decade. Some researchers believe this improvement could lead to applications such as contributing to novel 3-D printing methods, or creating displays that would be visible from any angle without requiring a screen.

Other researchers have also worked on visual displays that use acoustic levitation. In addition to visuals, the system can also produce audible noise to give the display a soundtrack. And the ultrasound speakers can also concentrate vibrations in one spot so that a finger might feel a sense pushing back—a little like the object shown by the floating image is really there. Soundwaves create a 3-D display!

Display without a screen is remarkably useful. It means that everybody in the room can see the image—any angle, location—and that’s extremely helpful. As a communications system, such a display might one day allow users to chat with a 3-D projection(投影) of a person who can turn his or her head to follow as they move around a room.

The display will require a lot more work before you can install it in your living room, however. So far, this has been done in the research laboratory. We need to push it a little bit harder. We need to do more analysis to see if it would make sense to create a real display that people would have at home. The current system can only show simple graphics, such as a smiley face or figure eight, in real time.

Still, we are optimistic about the potential for this type of technology. If the system had only one speaker-covered surface instead of two, it could generate images that are bigger than the device itself. We can’t make a TV image that’s bigger than the TV—even a projector has to have a projection screen that’s bigger than the image itself. But with a volumetric(容积的) display, a small, portable device might produce a much larger picture. We can imagine, in the future, having volumetric displays in watches, for example, that create large images that just project out of your watch.

1. From the first two paragraphs soundwave vibrations can be used to _________.

A．catch very small objects in midair

B．develop 3-D printer’s capabilities

C．replace a creative display screen

D．compose soundtracks by making no noise

2. What do we know about display without a screen?

A．It has resulted in visual technology.

B．It is possible to see the image from any direction.

C．It is already ripe to create a real one at home.

D．It has yet to be tested in the research laboratory.

3. What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?

A．Outlooks for the new technology.

B．Situations of the modern technology.

C．Praise for the cutting-edge technology.

D．Room for the technical improvement.

4. What can be a suitable title for the passage?

A．Hearing Is Seeing—Sound Waves Create a 3-D Display

B．Seeing is Believing—3-D Printing Methods Arrive

C．Advancing Sense of Touch—3-D Images Float in the Air

D．Promoting TV Technology—Chat with 3-D Projections

9 . The expression, "everybody's doing it," is very much at the center of the concept of peer pressure. It is a social influence applied on an individual in order to get that person to act or believe in a(n) ___ way as a larger group. This influence can be negative or positive, and can exist in both large and small groups.

People are social creatures by nature, and so it is hardly ___that some part of their self-respect comes from the approval of others. This instinct explains why the approval of peers, and the fear of ____, is such a powerful force in many people's lives. This instinct drives people to dress one way at home and another way at work, or to answer a simple “fine" when a stranger asks "how are you?" even if it is not necessarily true. There is a(n) _____aspect to this: it helps society to function efficiently, and encourages a general level of self-discipline that ___day-to-day interaction between people.

For certain individuals, seeking social acceptance is so important that it becomes a(n) ___: in order to satisfy the desire, they may go so far as to ___their sense of right and wrong. Teens and young adults may feel forced to use drugs, or join gangs that ____criminal behavior. Mature adults may sometimes feel ___ to cover up illegal activity at the company where they work, or end up in debt because they are unable to hold back the desire to buy a house or car that they can't afford in an effort to ___ the peers.

However, peer pressure is not always negative. A student whose friends are good at ___may be urged to work harder and get good grades. Players on a sports team may feel driven to play harder in order to help the team win. This type of ___can also get a friend off drugs, or to help an adult take up a good habit or drop a bad one.

Although peer pressure is sometimes quite obvious, it can also be so ___that a person may not even notice that it is affecting his or her behavior. For this reason, when making important decisions, simply going with a(n) ___is risky. Instead, people should seriously consider why they feel drawn to taking a particular action, and whether the real ____ is simply that everyone else is doing the same thing.

1.

A．traditional

B．similar

C．peculiar

D．opposite

2.

A．understandable

B．believable

C．acceptable

D．surprising

3.

A．disapproval

B．failure

C．absence

D．independence

4.

A．uncertain

B．practical

C．impossible

D．vague

5.

A．promotes

B．prevents

C．simplifies

D．increases

6.

A．challenge

B．inspiration

C．promise

D．addiction

7.

A．recognize

B．abandon

C．decrease

D．define

8.

A．avoid

B．encourage

C．decline

D．punish

9.

A．pressured

B．respected

C．delighted

D．regretted

10.

A．catch sight of

B．stay away from

C．make fun of

D．keep up with

11.

A．competitions

B．interaction

C．academics

D．adaptation

12.

A．knowledge

B．interest

C．assistance

D．influence

13.

A．abstract

B．ridiculous

C．subtle

D．reasonable

14.

A．consciousness

B．motivation

C．instinct

D．encouragement

15.

A．motivation

B．danger

C．support

D．achievement

10 . Abraham Lincoln turns 200 this year, and he’s beginning to show his age. When his birthday arrives, on February 12, Congress will hold a special joint session in the Capitol’s National Statuary Hall, a wreath (花环) will be laid at the great memorial in Washington, and a webcast will link school classrooms for a "teach-in" honoring his memory.

Admirable as they are, though, the events will strike many of us Lincoln fans as inadequate, even halfhearted — and another sign that our appreciation for the 16th president and his towering achievements is slipping away. And you don’t have to be a Lincoln enthusiast to believe that this is something we can’t afford to lose.

Compare this year’s celebration with the Lincoln centennial, in 1909. That year, Lincoln’s likeness made its debut on the penny, thanks to approval from the U. S. Secretary of the Treasury. Communities. and civic associations in every comer of the country erupted in parades, concerts, balls, lectures, and military displays. We still feel the effects today: The momentum unloosed in 1909 led to the Lincoln Memorial, opened in 1922, and the Lincoln Highway, the first paved transcontinental thoroughfare (大道) .

The celebrants in 1909 had a few inspirations we lack today. Lincoln’s presidency was still a living memory for countless Americans. In 2009 we are farther in time from the end of the Second World War than they were from the Civil War; families still felt the loss of loved ones from that awful national trauma (创伤) .

But Americans in 1909 had something more: an unembarrassed appreciation for heroes and an acute sense of the way that even long-dead historical figures press in on the present and make us who we are.

One story will illustrate what I’m talking about.

In 2003 a group of local citizens arranged to place a statue of Lincoln in Richmond, Virginia, former capital of the Confederacy (南方联邦). The idea touched off a firestorm of controversy. The Sons of Confederate Veterans held a public conference of carefully selected scholars to “reassess” the legacy of Lincoln. The verdict — no surprise — was negative: Lincoln was labeled everything from a racist totalitarian to a teller of dirty jokes.

I covered the conference as a reporter, but what really unnerved me was a counter-conference of scholars to refute the earlier one. These scholars drew a picture of Lincoln that only our touchy-feely age could recall. The man who oversaw the most savage war in our history was described — by his admirers, remember — as “nonjudgmental,” “unmoralistic,” “comfortable with ambiguity (模棱两可) .”

I felt the way a friend of mine felt as we later watched the unveiling of the Richmond statue in a subdued (征服) ceremony: “But he’s so small!”

The statue in Richmond was indeed small; like nearly every Lincoln statue put up in the past half century, it was life-size and was placed at ground level, a conscious rejection of the heroic — approachable and human, yes, but not something to look up to.

The Richmond episode taught me that Americans have lost the language to explain Lincoln’s greatness even to ourselves. Earlier generations said they wanted their children to be like Lincoln: principled, kind, compassionate, resolute. Today we want Lincoln to be like us.

“This helps to explain the long string of recent books in which writers have presented a Lincoln made after their own image. We’ve had Lincoln as humorist and Lincoln as manic-depressive, Lincoln the business sage, the conservative Lincoln and the liberal Lincoln, the emancipator and the racist, the stoic philosopher, the Christian, the atheist (无神论者) — Lincoln over easy (两面煎的) and Lincoln scrambled (把…搅乱) .

What’s often missing, though, is the timeless Lincoln, the Lincoln whom all generations, our own no less than that of 1909, can lay claim to. Lucky for us, those memorializers from a century ago — and, through them, Lincoln himself — have left us a hint of where to find him. The Lincoln Memorial is the most visited of our presidential monuments. Here is where we find the Lincoln who endures: in the words he left us, defining the country we’ve inherited. Here is the Lincoln who can be endlessly renewed and who, 200 years after his birth, retains the power to renew us.

1. The author thinks that this year’s celebration inadequate and even halfhearted because ________.

A．no Lincoln statue will be unveiled.

B．no memorial coins will be issued.

C．no similar appreciation of Lincoln will be seen.

D．no activities can be compared to those in 1909.

2. In the author’s opinion, the counter-conference ________.

A．approved of the judgment by those carefully selected scholars.

B．offered a brand new reassessment perspective.

C．came up with somewhat favourable conclusions.

D．resulted in similar critical remarks on Lincoln.

3. According to the author, the image Lincoln conceived by contemporary people ________.

A．conforms to traditional images.

B．reflects the present-day tendency of worship.

C．shows the present-day desire to match Lincoln.

D．reveals the variety of current opinions on heroes.

4. Which of the following best explains the implication of the last paragraph?

A．Lincoln’s greatness remains despite the passage of time.

B．The memorial is symbolic of the great man’s achievements.

C．Each generation has its own interpretation of Lincoln.

D．People get to know Lincoln through memorializers.