2 . Research has shown that two-thirds of human conversation is taken up not with discussion of the cultural or political problems of the day, not heated debates about films we’ve just watched or books we’ve just finished reading, but plain and simple _________.

Language is our greatest treasure as a species, and what do we _________ do with it? We gossip. About others’ behaviour and private lives, such as who’s doing what with whom, who’s in and who’s out—and why; how to deal with difficult _________ situations involving children, lovers, and colleagues.

So why are we keen on gossiping? Are we just natural _________, of both time and words? Or do we talk a lot about nothing in particular simply to avoid facing up to the really important issues of life? It’s not the case according to Professor Robin Dunbar. In fact, in his latest book, Grooming, Gossip and the Evolution of Language, the psychologist says gossip is one of these really _________ issues.

Dunbar _________ the traditional view that language was developed by the men at the early stage of social development in order to organize their manly hunting activities more effectively, or even to promote the exchange of poetic stories about their origins and the supernatural. Instead he suggests that language evolved among women. We don’t spend two-thirds of our time gossiping just because we can talk, argues Dunbar—_________, he goes on to say, language evolved specifically to allow us to gossip.

Dunbar arrived at his cheery theory by studying the _________ of the higher primates(灵长类动物) like monkeys. By means of grooming—cleaning the fur by brushing it, monkeys form groups with other individuals on whom they can rely for support in the event of some kind of conflict within the group or _________ from outside it.

As we human beings evolve from a particular branch of the primate family, Dunbar __________ that at one time in our history we did much the same. Grouping together made sense because the bigger the group, the greater the __________ it provided; on the other hand, the bigger the group, the greater the stresses of living close to others. Grooming helped to __________ the pressure and calm everybody down.

But as the groups got bigger and bigger, the amount of time spent in grooming activities also had to be __________ to maintain its effectiveness. Clearly, a more __________ kind of grooming was needed, and thus language evolved as a kind of vocal grooming which allowed humans to develop relationship with ever-larger groups by exchanging information over a wider network of individuals than would be possible by one-to-one __________ contact.

1.

A．gesture

B．gossip

C．description

D．recognition

2.

A．occasionally

B．habitually

C．discreetly

D．originally

3.

A．historical

B．natural

C．social

D．cultural

4.

A．wasters

B．users

C．masters

D．owners

5.

A．witty

B．vivid

C．vital

D．worthless

6.

A．supposes

B．rejects

C．highlights

D．outlines

7.

A．on the contrary

B．for instance

C．in addition

D．as a result

8.

A．comprehension

B．appearance

C．motivation

D．behaviour

9.

A．contact

B．attack

C．assistance

D．trick

10.

A．concludes

B．recalls

C．requires

D．confesses

11.

A．protection

B．prospect

C．responsibility

D．promise

12.

A．echo

B．blame

C．ease

D．preserve

13.

A．established

B．extended

C．earned

D．consumed

14.

A．efficient

B．scientific

C．considerate

D．common

15.

A．regular

B．independent

C．widespread

D．physical

5 . 在团队精神的鼓舞下，每个足球运动员都对比赛做出了自己的贡献。(inspire) (汉译英)

6 . In the idealized version of how science is done, facts about the world are waiting to be observed and collected by objective researchers who use the scientific method to carry out their work. But in the everyday practice of science, discovery frequently follows an unclear and complicated route. We aim to be objective, but we cannot escape the context of our unique life experience. Prior knowledge and interest influence what we experience. Opportunities for misinterpretation are everywhere.

Consequently, discovery claims should be thought of as early forms of science and are full of potential. But it takes collective inspection and acceptance to transform a discovery claim into a mature discovery. This is the credibility process, through which the individual researcher’s me, here, now becomes the community’s anyone, anywhere, anytime. Objective knowledge is the goal, not the starting point.

Once a discovery claim becomes public, the discoverer receives intellectual credit. But the community takes control of what happens next. Within the complex social structure of the scientific community, researchers make discoveries; editors and reviewers act as gatekeepers by controlling the publication process; other scientists use the new finding to suit their own purposes; and finally, the public (including other scientists) receives the new discovery and possibly accompanying technology. As a discovery claim works it through the community, the interaction and battle between shared and competing beliefs about the science and the technology involved transforms an individual’s discovery claim into the community’s credible discovery.

Two problems exist throughout this credibility process. First, scientific work tends to focus on some aspect of current knowledge that is viewed as incomplete or incorrect. Little reward accompanies repetition and confirmation of what is already known and believed. The goal is new-search, not re-search. Not surprisingly, newly published discovery claims and credible discoveries that appear to be important and convincing will always be open to challenge and potential modification or contradiction by future researchers. Second, novelty itself frequently provokes disbelief. Nobel Laureate and physiologist Albert Azent-Gyorgyi once described discovery as “seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.” But thinking what nobody else has thought and telling others what they have missed may not change their views. Sometimes years are required for truly novel discovery claims to be accepted and appreciated.

In the end, credibility “happens” to a discovery claim — a process that corresponds to what philosopher Annette Baier has described as the commons of the mind. “We reason together, challenge, revise, and complete each other’s reasoning and each other’s conceptions of reason.”

1. According to the first paragraph, the process of discovery is characterized by its ________.

A．uncertainty and complexity	B．misconception and falsehood
C．logicality and objectivity	D．systematicness and regularity

2. It can be inferred from Paragraph 2 that credibility process requires ________.

A．strict inspection

B．shared efforts

C．individual wisdom

D．persistent innovation

3. Albert Szent-Gyorgyi would most likely agree that ________.

A．scientific claims will survive challenges	B．discoveries today inspire future research
C．efforts to make discoveries are justified	D．scientific work calls for a critical mind

4. Which of the following would be the best title of the test?

A．Novelty as an Engine of Scientific Discovery	B．Collective Inspection in Scientific Discovery
C．Evolution of Credibility in Doing Science	D．Challenge to Credibility at the Gate to Science

7 . I dare ________ that without your help, we ________ so much progress in our work.

A．say; can’t make	B．to say; couldn’t make
C．say; couldn’t have made	D．to say; shouldn’t have made

9 . Running is often tiring and a lot of hard work, but nothing beats the feeling you get after finishing a long workout around the track.

But while it’s long been believed that endorphins (内啡肽) —chemicals in the body that cause happiness—are behind the so-called “runner’s high”, a study suggested that there may be more to this phenomenon than we previously knew.

According to a recent study published by a group of scientists from several German universities, a group of chemicals called endocannabinoids (内源性大麻素) may actually be responsible for this familiar great feeling.

To test this theory, the scientists turned to mice. Both mice and humans release high levels of endorphins and endocannabinoids after exercise. After exercising on running wheels, the mice seemed happy and relaxed and displayed no signs of anxiety. But after being given a drug to block their endorphins, the mice’s behavior didn’t seem to change. However, when their endocannabinoids were blocked with a different drug, their runners’ high symptoms seemed to fade.

“The long-held notion of endorphins being responsible for the runner’s high is false. Endorphins are effective pain relievers, but only when it comes to the pain in your body and muscles you feel after working out,” Patrick Lucas Austin wrote on science blog Lifchacker.

Similar studies are yet to be carried out on humans, but it’s already known that exercise is a highly effective way to get rid of stress or anxiety. The UK’s National Health Service even prescribes (开药 方) exercise to patients who are suffering from depression. “Being depressed can leave you feeling low in energy, which might put you off being more active. Regular exercise can improve your mood if you have depression, and its especially useful for people with mild to moderate (中等的) depression,” it wrote on its website.

It seems like nothing can beat that feeling we get after a good workout, even if we don’t fully understand where it comes from. At least if we’re feeling down, we know that all we have to do is to put on our running shoes.

1. What did scientists from German universities recently discover?

A．Working out is a highly effective way to treat depression.

B．The runner’s high could be caused by endocannabinoids.

C．Endorphins may contribute to one’s high spirits after running.

D．The level of endorphins and endocannabinoids could affect one’s mood.

2. Why did the scientists give mice drugs in their experiment?

A．To find what reduces the runner’s high symptoms.

B．To see the specific symptoms of the runner’s high.

C．To identify what is responsible for the runner’s high.

D．To test what influences the level of endocannabinoids released.

3. What does the underlined word “notion” mean?

A．Effect.

B．Goal.

C．Opinion.

D．Question

4. What can we know about regular workouts according to the UK’s National Health Service?

A．They can help ease depression symptoms.

B．They are the best way to treat depression.

C．They only work for those with serious depression.

D．They can help people completely recover from depression.

10 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A．differences   B．privileged   C．exploring   D．account   E．amazement F．research   G．strongly   H．unthinkable   I．separately   J．recognize   K．education

Perri Klass and her mother, Sheil a Solomon Klass, both gifted professional writers, prove to be ideal co-writers as they examine their decades of motherhood, daughterhood, and the wonderful ways their lives have overlapped（重叠）.

Perri notes with     1     how closely her own life has mirrored her mother’s: both have fulltime careers; both have published books, articles, and stories; each has three children; they both love to read. They also love to travel ---- in fact, they often take trips together. But in truth, the harder they look at their lives, the more they acknowledge their big     2     in circumstance and basic nature.

A child of the Depression（大萧条）, Sheil a was raised in Brooklyn by parents who considered     3     a luxury for girls. Starting with her college education, she has fought for everything she’s ever accomplished. Perri, on the other hand, grew up     4     in the New Jersey suburbs of the1960s and 1970s. For Sheila, wasting time or money is a crime, and luxury is     5     while Perri enjoys the occasional small luxury, but has not been successful at trying to persuade her mother into enjoying even the tiniest thing she likes.

Each writing in her own unmistakable voice, Perri and Sheil a take turns     6     the joys and pains, the love and bitterness, the minor troubles and lasting respect that have always bonded them together. Sheil a describes the adventure of giving birth to Perri in a tiny town in Trinidad where her husband was doing     7     fieldwork. Perri admits that she can’t sort out all the mess in the households, even though she knows it drives her mother crazy. Together they compare thoughts on bringing up children and working, admit long-hidden sorrows, and enjoy precious memories.

Looking deep into the lives they have lived     8     and together, Perri and Sheil a tell their mother-daughter story with honesty, humor, enthusiasm, and admiration for each other. A written     9     in two voices, Every Mother Is a Daughter is a duet（二重奏） that produces a deep, strong sound with the experiences that all mothers and daughters will     10     .