第4部分：阅读理解（第31—45题，每题3分，共45分）

　　下面有3篇短文，每篇短文后有5道题，每道题后面有4个选项。请根据文章的内容，从每题所给的4个选项中选择1个最佳答案，涂在答题卡相应的位置上。

　　第一篇：

What Is Death?

　　People in the past did not question the difference between life and death. They could see that a person died when his heart stopped beating. People have learned, however, that the body does not die immediately when the heart stops beating. They discovered that we remain alive as long as our brain remains active. Today the difference between life and death is not as easy to see as in the past. Modern medical devices can keep the heart beating and the lungs breathing long after the brain stops. But is this life?

　　This question has caused much debate among citizens in the United States. Many of them want a law that says a person is dead when the brain dies. A person should be considered dead when brain waves stop even if machines can keep the body alive. Such a law would permit doctors to speed removal(切除) of undiseased（没病的）organs for transplant（移植） operations.

　　The brain is made of thousands of millions of nerve cells. These cells send and receive millions of chemical and electrical messages every day. In this way the brain controls the other body activities. Nerve-cell experts say it usually is easy to tell when the brain has died. They put small electrodes(电极) on a person’s skull (头骨) to measure the electrical signals that pass in and out of the brain. These brain waves are recorded on a television screen or on paper. The waves move up and down every time the brain receives messages from the nerve cells. The brain is dead when the waves stop moving.

　　Although there are people who oppose the idea of a law on brain block for variouis reasons, the idea of brain wave activity as a test of death is slowly being accepted.

　　1.People in the past held that the difference between life and death

　　A.was easy to tell.

　　B.did not exist.

　　C.lay in the brain.

　　D.was open to debate.

　　2.Which of the following is NOT a phenomenon mentioned in the passage?

　　A.The heart may keep beating after the brain has died.

　　B.The body may still be alive after the heart and the brain have stopped working.

　　C.The brain may still be active after the heart has stopped beating.

　　D.The lung may keep breathing after the brain has died.

　　3. When a person should be consider dead is currently a matter

　　A.which has caused heated argument in the US.

　　B.which few people in the US care much about.

　　C.which only doctors can settle.

　　D.which has already been settled.

　　4. The brain controls the other body activities through

　　A.medical devices.

　　B.small electrodes.

　　C.the brain waves.

　　D.the nerve cells.

　　5. More and more people are beginning to accept the idea that a person is dead

　　A.when the heart stops beating.

　　B.when the brain becomes less active.

　　C.when doctors stop medical treatment.

　　D.when the brain stops working.

　　第二篇：

New foods and the New World

　　In the last 500 years, nothing about people-not their clothes, ideas, or languages – has changed as much as what they eat. The original chocolate was made from the seeds of the cocoa tree(可可树) by South American Indians. The Spanish Introduced it to the rest of the world during the 1500’s. And although it was very expensive, it quickly became fashionable. In London, shops where chocolate drinks were served became important meeting places. Some still exit today.

　　The potato is also from the New World. Around 1600, the Spanish brought it from Peru to Europe, where it soon was widely grown. Ireland became so dependent on it that thousands of Irish people starved when the crop failed during the “potato Famine(饥荒)” of 1845-1846, and thousands more were forced to leave their homeland and move to America.

　　There are many other foods that have traveled from South America to the Old World. But some others went in the opposite direction. Brazil is now the world’s largest grower of coffee, and coffee is an important crop in colombia and other South American countries. But it is native to Ethiopia, a country is Africa. It was first made into a drink by Aragbs during the 1400’s.

　　According to an Arabic legend, coffee was discovered when a person named kaldi noticed that his goats were attracted to the red berries on a coffee bush. He tried one and experienced the “wide- awake” feeling that one-third of the world’s population now starts the day with.

　　36 According to the passage, which of the following has changed the most in the last 500 years?

　　A Clothing

　　B Food

　　C Ideology

　　D Language

　　37 “some” in the last sentence of the first paragragh refers to

　　A some cocoa trees

　　B some chocolate drinks

　　C some South American Indians

　　D some shops

　　38 Thousands of Irish people starved during the “Potato Famine” because

　　A they were so dependent on potatoes that they refused to eat anything else

　　B they were forced to leave their homeland and move to America.

　　C the potato harvest was bad

　　D the weather conditions in Ireland were not suitable for growing potatoes.

　　39 Which country is the largest coffee producer?

　　A Colombia

　　B Brazil

　　C Ethiopia.

　　E Egypt

　　40 Which of the following statements is Not True, Acoording to the passage?

　　A Coffee is native to colombia

　　B One-third of the world’s population drinks coffee.

　　C Coffee can keep one awake.

　　D Coffee drinks were first made by Arabs.

　　第三篇：

Giving Up Smoking

　　A number of devices are available to help a person quit smoking. Nicotine(尼古丁) patches are small, nicotine-containing adhesive(粘着性的) discs applied to the skin. The nicotine is slowly absorbed through the skin and enters the bloodstream. Over time, the nicotine dose is reduced and eventually the desire for nicotine is eased. Nicotine gum works in a similar manner, providing small doses of nicotine when chewed.

　　The benefits of giving up smoking include the immediate reduction of harm to the health of the smoking and easily admission to social activities and institutions that ban smoking. In a 1988 report, the U.S. Surgeon General declared cigarette smoking to be more harmful and expensive than the use of cocaine(可卡因) , alcohol, or heroin. Recent evidence supports this claim.

　　The United States government has collected a special tax on cigarettes for several decades. The rate rose from 8 cents per pack of 20 cigarettes in 1951 to 24 cents per pack in 1993. In other developed countries, the cigarette tax rate is much higher, ranging from 50 percent in Switzerland to 85 percent in Denmark.

　　In the United States, the first direct action to check smoking was the regulation of a warming on cigarette packages by the Federal Trade Commission. This warning took effect in 1964 and was strengthened in 1969 to read:“Warning: The Surgeon General Has Determined That Cigarette Smoking Is Dangerouis to Your Health.”In 1971 all cigarette advertising was banned from radio and television, and cities and states passed laws requiring nonsmoking sections in public places and workplaces.

　　1. Which of the following can help a person quit smoking?

　　A.Using nicotine patches.

　　B.Reading cigarette advertisements.

　　C.Chewing ordinary gum.

　　D.Participating in social activities.

　　2. Nicotine gum is used to help a smoker

　　A.stop smoking

　　B.reduce weight.

　　C.clean his teeth.

　　D.absorb nicotine immediately.

　　3. The benefits of giving up smoking include all the following EXCEPT

　　A.the reduction of expenses.

　　B.the formation of a good habit.

　　C.the reduction of harm to one’s health.

　　D.easier access to institutions that ban smoking.

　　4.Which of the following is said to be the most expensive and harmful?

　　A.Consuming alcohol.

　　B.Using heroin.

　　C.Smoking cigarettes.

　　D.Taking cocaine.

　　5. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a step to control smoking?

　　A.Collecting a special tax on cigarettes.

　　B.Forbidding smoking in all public places.

　　C.Banning cigarette advertising from radio and TV.

　　D.Requiring a warning on each cigarette package.

同时按下Crtl键和A键查看答案和解析

31.A 32.B 33.A 34.D 35.D 36.B 37.D 38.C 39.B 40.A 41.A 42.A 43.B 44.C 45.B