Mr. Jones woke early one morning. It was a beautiful morning, so
Mr. Jones had a big tree in his garden, and the children had tied a long rope to one of its branches, so that they could swing (摇荡) on it.
Mr. Jones was surprised to see the professor stop and look
At last the professor stopped and continued on his way
6 . Can people change their skin colour without suffering like pop king Michael Jackson? Perhaps yes. Scientists have found the gene that determines skin colour.
The gene comes in two versions, one of which is found in 99 percent of Europeans. The other is found in 93 to 100 percent of Africans, researchers at Pennsylvania State University report in the latest issue of Science.
Scientists have changed the colour of a dark-striped zebrafish (斑马鱼) to uniform gold by inserting a version of the pigment (色素) gene into a young fish. As with humans, zebrafish skin colour is determined by pigment cells, which contain melanosomes (黑色素). The number, size and darkness of melanosomes per pigment cell determines skin colour.
It appears that, like the golden zebrafish, light-skinned Europeans also have a mutation (变异) in the gene for melanosome production. This results in less pigmented skin. However, Keith Cheng, leader of the research team, points out that the mutation is different in human and zebrafish genes.
Humans acquired dark skin in Africa about 1.5 million years ago to protect bodies from ultra-violet rays of the sun (太阳光紫外线), which can cause skin cancer. But when modern humans leave Africa to live in northern latitudes (纬度), they need more sunlight on their skin to produce vitamin D. So the related gene changes, according to Cheng.
Asians have the same version of the gene as Africans, so they probably acquired their light skin through the action of some other gene that affects skin colour, said Cheng.
The new discovery could lead to medical treatments for skin cancer. It also could lead to research into ways to change skin colour without damaging it like chemical treatment did on Michael Jackson.
1. The passage mainly tells us that ________.| A．scientists have found out that people’s skin colour is determined by the gene. |
| B．the new discovery could lead to search into ways to change skin colour safely. |
| C．pop king Michael Jackson often changed his skin colour as he liked. |
| D．people can not change their skin colour without any pain. |
| A．nowadays people who want to change their skin colour have to suffer a lot from the damage caused by the chemical treatment. |
| B．Europeans and Africans have the same gene. |
| C．the new discovery could not help to find medical treatments for skin cancer. |
| D．there are two kinds of genes. |
| A．find the different genes of humans’. |
| B．prove the humans’ skin colour is determined by the pigment gene. |
| C．find out the reason why the Africans’ skin colour is dark. |
| D．find out the ways of changing people’s skin colour. |
| A．neutral (中立的) | B．negative | C．positive | D．indifferent |
7 . There is a famous English saying “You are what you eat”, and it means what you put in your mouth will become part of you. Many experts use it to tell people it’s important to have a good eating habit. For example, too much sweet food makes a person overweight. To avoid being fat, kids are told to keep off sweet food. However, a team of American scientists have discovered something new about eating sweet food.
“When we say some people ‘sweet’, we mean they are kind and friendly to us. Perhaps this word can help us learn more about people’s feelings and acts.” said Brian Meier, a scientist from the study team. “Taste is something we experience every day. What we have done is to find whether we can know someone’s character and behavior depending on the taste.”
In one of their experiments, college students were asked questions about their character----whether, for example, they are soft-hearted or not. Then they were asked to make a list of their favorite food. According to their answers, the scientists found that the students who liked sweet food were nicer.
In their another experiment, the scientists found that people who preferred sweet food such as cookies and chocolate were more willing to help other people in need, and those who ate non-sweet food such as chips weren’t. For example, people with a sweet tooth were more likely to volunteer to clean up their city, visit sick children in the hospital and so on.
The result of the experiments is that people’s helpfulness or being nice has something to do with their taste for sweet food. So eating sweet food is a useful way to make people nice and helpful. Next time, try some ice-cream.
1. The underlined word “it” refers to __________.| A．the sweet food | B．the eating habit |
| C．the American team | D．the English saying |
| A．overweight | B．excited | C．relaxed | D．friendly |
| A．scientists asked college students questions about their future. |
| B．scientists told college students not to eat sweet food. |
| C．people with a sweet tooth are more willing to help others. |
| D．people’s character has nothing to do with their taste. |
8 . Charles Dickens (1812-1870), the great nineteenth century English novelist, was born near Portsmouth. His father ran heavily into debt and when he was twelve, he had to go and work in a factory for making boot polish. The only formal education he received was a two-year schooling at a school for poor children. In fact, he had to teach himself all he knew. He worked for a time as junior clerk in a lawyer’s office. After that, he worked as a reporter in the law courts, and later in parliament (议会), for London newspapers. His career as a writer of fiction began in 1833 with short stories and essays in periodicals (期刊), and in 1837 his comic novel The Pickwick Papers made him the most popular author at his time in England.
He was a great observer of people and their places because he was attracted by life and conditions in mid-nineteenth century London. He wrote 19 novels all his life and in many of them, Dickens gave a realistic picture of all classes of England society, showing deep sympathy for the poor and unfortunate, exposing the injustice (不公平) and inhumanity（无人性） of the bourgeoisie (资产阶级).
Many of his novels like Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Nicholas Nickleby, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities and so on drew attention to the unsatisfactory social conditions that existed in England over a hundred years ago.
Dickens criticized capitalist society from the point of view of bourgeois humanism. He wished to see improvement in the living conditions of the poor, but failed to find any effective means to achieve that end.
1. Dickens only received a little formal education because ___________.| A．he wanted to teach himself. |
| B．he wanted to work and made a lot of money. |
| C．he was too poor to afford any more formal education. |
| D．he wanted some working experiences to be a novelist. |
| A．equal | B．poor | C．comfortable | D．unsatisfying |
| A．Oliver Twist | B．The Pickwick Papers |
| C．Great Expectations | D．A Tale of Two Cities |
10 . Chinese cuisine is widely known and enjoyed all around the world. Who doesn’t long for a favorite Chinese dish? But there is one interesting concept concerning Chinese food which is almost unheard of in the West, and which is becoming increasingly ignored by the youth of the East—the ancient custom of “tonic food”.
Tonic food is food which is consumed to improve one’s well-being or avoid sickness. For instance, it was once the custom for new mothers to eat a sesame oil(麻油) chicken soup every day for the first month after giving birth. It was believed that this dish would benefit the muscles, reduce pain, improve circulation, stimulate sweating, and warm the body. Some foods, such as goat meat and spinach, are seen as “hot”, while others, such as Chinese cabbage and radishes, are seen as “cold”. One should be careful not to eat too much of either “hot” or “cold” food. However, how much “hot” or “cold” food one should eat depends on the time of the year, how the food is prepared and what it is prepared with, and the individual’s health.
The custom of employing tonic food for a healthier life also influences the catering industry. Chinese herbal medicines, such as wolfberry(枸杞子), can be found on many a restaurant menu, either added to fruit tea or as a beneficial addition to a dish. These herbs attract customers, such as overworked office staff, in need of a modest pick-me-up.
So, whether you need to boost your strength with a large helping of chicken soup, or increase your mental powers with a serving of fish soup, you may find that this ancient Chinese custom could be just the tonic you were looking for.
1. What is the present situation of tonic food?| A．It is catching less attention. | B．It is enjoyed by many young people. |
| C．It is well-known worldwide. | D．It is becoming increasingly popular. |
| A．Chinese cabbage. | B．Fruit tea. |
| C．Sesame oil chicken soup. | D．Fish soup. |
| A．Medicine. | B．Restaurant. | C．Manufacture. | D．Agriculture. |
| A．The Charm of Chinese Cuisine | B．The Popularity of Tonic Food |
| C．An Introduction of Chinese Tonic Food | D．Differences Between “Hot” Food and “Cold” Food |
