2008年12月英语六级阅读备考的技巧及词汇6

　　Lesson11

　　11. A new study on birds sleep has revealed that ____________.

　　A) half-brain sleep is found in a wide variety of birds

　　B) half-brain sleep is characterized by slow brain waves

　　C) birds can control their half-brain sleep consciously

　　D) birds seldom sleep with the whole of their brain at rest

　　12. According to the passage, birds often half sleep because ______________.

　　A) they have to watch out for possible attacks

　　B) their brain hemisphere take turns to rest 跨段

　　C) the two halves of their brain are differently structured 没

　　D) they have to constantly keep an eye on their companions 反

　　13. The example of a bird sleeping in front of a mirror indicates that _____________.

　　A) the phenomenon of birds dozing in pairs is widespread

　　B) birds prefer to sleep in pairs for the sake of security

　　C) even an imagined companion gives the bird a sense of security

　　D) a single pet bird enjoys seeing its own reflection in the mirror

　　14. While sleeping, some water mammals tend to keep half awake in order to __________.

　　A) alert themselves to the approaching enemy

　　B) emerge from water now and then to breathe

　　C) be sensitive to the ever-changing environment

　　D) avoid being swept away by rapid currents

　　15. By just the tip of the iceberg , Siegel suggests that ____________.

　　A) half-brain sleep has something to do with icy weather

　　B) the mystery of half-brain sleep is close to being solved

　　C) most birds living in cold regions tend to be half sleepers

　　D) half-brain sleep is a phenomenon that could exist among other species

　　Birds that are literally half-asleep-with one brain hemisphere alert and the other sleeping-control which side of the brain remains awake, according to a new study of sleeping ducks.

　　Earlier studies have documented half-brain sleep in a wide range of birds. The brain hemispheres take turns sinking into the sleep stage characterized by slow brain waves. The eye controlled by the sleeping hemisphere keeps shut, while the wakeful hemispheres eye stays open and alert. Birds also can sleep with both hemispheres resting at once.

　　Earlier studies have documented half-brain sleep in a wide range of birds. The brain hemispheres take turns sinking into the sleep stage characterized by slow brain waves. The eye controlled by the sleeping hemisphere keeps shut, while the wakeful hemispheres eye stays open and alert. Birds also can sleep with both hemispheres resting at once.

　　Decades of studies of bird flocks led researchers to predict extra alertness in the more vulnerable, end-of-the-row sleepers, Sure enough, the end birds tended to watch carefully on the side away from their companions. Ducks in the inner spots showed no preference for gaze direction.

　　Also, birds dozingat the end of the line resorted to single-hemisphere sleep, rather than total relaxation, more often than inner ducks did. Rotaing 16 birds through the positions in a four-duck row, the researchers found outer birds half-asleep during some 32 percent of dozing time versus about 12 percent for birds in internal spots.

　　We believe this is the first evidence for an animal behaviorally controlling sleep and wakefulness simultaneously in different regions of the brain, the researchers say.

　　The results provide the best evidence for a long-standing supposition that single-hemisphere sleep evolved as creatures scanned for enemies. The preference for opening an eye on the lookout side could be widespread, he predicts. Hes seen it in a pair of birds dozing side-by-side in the zoo and in a single pet bird sleeping by mirror. The mirror-side eye closed as if the reflection were a companion and the other eye stayed open.

　　Useful as half-sleeping might be, its only been found in birds and such water mammalsas dolphins, whales, and seals. Perhaps keeping one side of the brain awake allows a sleeping animal to surface occasionally to avoid drowning.

　　Studies of birds may offer unique insights into sleep. Jerome M. Siegel of the UGLA says he wonders if birds half-brain sleep is just the tip of the iceberg. He speculates that more examples may turn up when we take a closer look at other species.

　　16. Which of the following is evidence that TT is widely practiced?

　　A) TT has been in existence for decades.

　　B) Many patients were cured by therapeutic touch.

　　C) TT therapists are often employed by leading hospitals.

　　D) More than 100,000 people are undergoing TT treatment.

　　注：D为迷惑选项数字必转化，C对应第二段末句。

　　17. Very few TT practitioners responded to the $1 million offer because ____________.

　　A) they didnt take the offer seriously

　　B) they didnt want to risk their career

　　C) they were unwilling to reveal their secret

　　D) they thought it was not in line with their practice

　　注：争议题，B、C皆可。

　　18. The purpose of Emily Rosas experiment was ____________.

　　A) to see why TT could work the way it did

　　B) to find out how TT cured patients illness

　　C) to test whether she could sense the human energy field

　　D) to test whether a human energy field really existed

　　注：对应文章第三段首句

　　19. Why did some TT practitioners agree to be the subjects of Emilys experiment?

　　A) It involved nothing more than mere guessing.

　　B) They thought it was going to be a lot of fun.

　　C) It was more straightforward than other experiments.

　　D) They sensed no harm in a little girls experiment.

　　注：对应文章第三段末句，no harm对应innocent，little girl对应fourth-grade

　　20. What can we learn from the passage?

　　A) Some widely accepted beliefs can be deceiving.

　　B) Solid evidence weighs more than pure theories.

　　C) Little children can be as clever as trained TT practitioners.

　　D) The principle of TT is too profound to understand.

　　A nine-year-old schoolgirl single-handedly cooks up a science-fair experiment that ends up debunkinga widely practiced medical treatment. Emily Rosas target was a practice known as therapeutictouch , whose advocates manipulate patientsenergy field to make them feel better and even, say some, to cure them of various ills. Yet Emilys test shows that these energy fields cant be detected, even by trained TT practitioners. Obviously mindful of the publicity value of the situation, Journal editor George Lundberg appeared on TV to declare, Age doesnt matter. Its good science that matters, and this is good science.

　　Emilys mother Linda Rosa, a registered nurse, has been campaigning against TT for nearly a decade. Linda first thought about TT in the late 80s, when she learned it was on the approved list for continuing nursing education in Colorado. Its 100,000 trained practitioners dont even touch their patients. Instead, they waved their hands a few inches from the patients body, pushing energy fields around until theyre in balance. TT advocates say these manipulations can help heal wounds, relieve pain and reduce fever. The claims are taken seriously enough that TT therapists are frequently hired by leading hospitals, at up to $70 an hour, the smooth patients energy, sometimes during surgery.

　　Yet Rosa could not find any evidence that it works. To provide such proof, TT therapists would have to sit down for independent testing-something they havent been eager to do, even though James Randi has offered more than $1 million to anyone who can demonstrate the existence of a human energy field. A skeptic might conclude that TT practitioners are afraid to lay their beliefs on the line. But who could turn down an innocent fourth-grader? Says Emily: I think they didnt take me very seriously because Im a kid.

　　The experiment was straightforward: 21 TT therapists stuck their hands, palms up, through a screen. Emily held her own hand over one of theirs-left or right-and the practitioners had to say which hand it was. When the results were recorded, theyd done no better than they would have by simply guessing. if there was an energy field, they couldnt feel it.

　　21. We learn from the first paragraph that two systems of automated highways __________.

　　A) are being planned

　　B) are being modified

　　C) are now in wide use

　　D) are under construction

　　注：on the drawing borad就是planned

　　22. A special-purpose lane system is probably advantageous in that ________________.

　　A) it would require only minor changes to existing highways

　　B) it would achieve the greatest highway traffic efficiency

　　C) it has a lane for both automated and partially automated vehicles

　　D) it offers more lanes for automated vehicles

　　注：A选项说反了

　　23. Which of the following is true about driving on an automated highway?

　　A) Vehicles traveling on it are assigned different lanes according to their destinations.

　　B) A car can join existing traffic any time in a mixed lane system.

　　C) The driver should inform his car computer of his destination before driving onto it.

　　D) The driver should share the automated lane with those f regular vehicles.

　　注：对应第二段开头

　　24. We know form the passage that a car can enter a special-purpose lane _____________.

　　A) by smoothly merging with cars on the conventional lane

　　B) by way of a ramp with electronic control devices

　　C) through a specially guarded gate

　　D) after all trespassers are identified and removed

　　注：争议题

　　25. When driving in an automated lane, the driver ___________.

　　A) should harmonize with newly entering cars

　　B) doesnt have to rely on his computer system

　　C) should watch out for potential accidents

　　D) doesnt have to hold not to the steering wheel

　　注：文章最后一段

　　What might driving on an automated highway be like? The answer depends on what kind of system is ultimately adopted. Two distinct types are on the drawing board. The first is a special-purpose lane system, in which certain lanes are reserved for automated vehicles. The second is a mixed traffic system: fully automated vehicles would share the road with partially automated or manually driven cars. A special-purpose land system would require more extensive physical modifications to existing highways, but it promises the greatest gains in freewaycapacity.

　　Under either scheme, the driver would specify the desired destination, furnishing this information to a computer in the car at the beginning of the trip or perhaps just before reaching the automated highway. If a mixed traffic system was in place, automated driving could begin whenever the driver was on suitably equipped roads. If special-purpose lanes were available, the car could enter them and join existing traffic in two different ways. One method would use a special onramp. As the driver approached the point of entry for the highway, devices installed on the roadside would electronically check the vehicle to determine its destination and to ascertain that it had the proper automation equipment in good working order. Assuming it passed such tests, the driver would then be guided through a gate and toward an automated lane. In this case, the transition from manual to automated control would take place on the entrance ramp. An alternative technique could employ conventional lanes, which would be shared by automated and regular vehicles. The driver would steer onto the highway and move in normal fashion to a transition lane. The vehicle would then shift under computer control onto a lane reserved for automated traffic. could be swiftly identified by authorities.)

　　Either approach to joining a lane of automated traffic would harmonize the movement of newly entering vehicles with those already traveling. Automatic control here should allow for smooth merging, without the usual uncertainties and potential for accidents. and once a vehicle had settled into automated travel, the drive would be free to release the wheel, open the morning paper or just relax.

　　26. According to the author, the conventional notion of intelligence measured n terms of ones ability to read, write and compute _____________.

　　A) is a widely held but wrong concept

　　B) will help eliminate intellectual prejudice

　　C) is the root of all mental distress

　　D) will contribute to ones self-fulfillment

　　注：作者态度题，应该选负选项

　　27. It is implied in the passage that holding a university degree _____________.

　　A) may result in ones inability to solve complex real-life problems

　　B) does not indicate ones ability to write properly worded documents

　　C) may make one mentally sick and physically weak

　　D) does not meat that one is highly intelligent

　　28. The author thinks that an intelligent person knows _____________.

　　A) how to put up with some very prevalent myths

　　B) how to find the best way to achieve success in life

　　C) how to avoid depression and make his life worthwhile

　　D) how to persuade others to compromise

　　注：对应第二段第一句话

　　29. In the last paragraph, the author tells us that _____________.

　　A) difficulties are but part of everyones life

　　B) depression and unhappiness are unavoidable in life反

　　C) everybody should learn to avoid trying circumstances反

　　D) good feelings can contribute to eventual academic excellence

　　30. According to the passage, what kind of people are rare?

　　A) Those who dont emphasize bookish excellence in their pursuit of happiness.

　　B) Those who are aware of difficulties in life but know how to avoid unhappiness.

　　C) Those who measure happiness by an absence of problems but seldom suffer form N. B. D.s.

　　D) Those who are able to secure happiness though having to struggle against trying circumstances.

　　注：文章最后一句

　　Taking charge of yourself involves putting to rest some very prevalent myths. At the top of the list is the notion that intelligence is measured by your ability to solve complex problems; to read, write and compute at certain levels, and to resolve abstract equations quickly. This vision of intelligence asserts formal education and bookish excellence as the true measures of self-fulfillment. It encourages a kind of intellectual prejudice that has brought with it some discouraging results. We have come to believe that someone who has more educational merit badges, who is very good at some form of school discipline is intelligent. Yet mental hospitals are filled with patients who have all of the properly lettered certificates. A truer indicator of intelligence is an effective, happy life lived each day and each present moment of every day.

　　If you are happy, if you live each moment for everything its worth, then you are an intelligent person. Problem solving is a useful help to your happiness, but if you know that given your inability to resolve a particular concern you can still choose happiness for yourself, or at a minimum refuse to choose unhappiness, then you are intelligent. You are intelligent because you have the ultimate weapon against the big N. B. D-Nervous Break Down.

　　Intelligent people do not have N. B. D.s because they are in charge of themselves. They know how to choose happiness over depression, because they know how go deal with the problems of their lives.

　　You can begin to think of yourself as truly intelligent on the basis of how you choose to feel in the face of trying circumstances. The life struggles are pretty much the same for each of us. Everyone who is involved with other human beings in any social context has similar difficulties. Disagreements, conflicts and compromises are a part of what it means to be human Similarly, money, growing old, sickness, deaths natural disasters and accidents are all events which present problems to virtually all human beings. But some people are able to make it, to avoid immobilizing depression and unhappiness despite such occurrences, while others collapse or have an N. B. D. Those who recognize problems as a human condition and dont measure happiness by an absence of problems are the most intelligent kind of humans we know; also, the most rare.

　　Lesson12

　　21. It can be inferred that Americans being approached too closely by Middle Easterners would most probably ______________.

　　A) stand still

　　B) jump aside

　　C) step forward

　　D) draw back

　　注：对应文章第二段

　　22. The author gives many examples to criticize Americans for their ___________.

　　A) cultural self-centeredness

　　B) casual manners

　　C) indifference toward foreign visitors

　　D) arrogance towards other cultures

　　注：对应文章第四段首句

　　23. In countries other than their own most Americans _______________.

　　A) are isolated by the local people

　　B) are not well informed due to the language barrier

　　C) tend to get along well with the natives

　　D) need interpreters in hotels and restaurants

　　注：对应文章第五段，inform对应information

　　24. According to the author, Americans cultural blindness and linguistic ignorance will ____________.

　　A) affect their image in the new era

　　B) cut themselves off from the outside world

　　C) limit their role in world affairs

　　D) weaken the position of the US dollar

　　注：对应倒数第二段

　　25. The authors intention in writing this article is to make Americans realize that ________.

　　A) it is dangerous to ignore their foreign friends

　　B) it is important to maintain their leading role in world affairs

　　C) it is necessary to use several languages in public places

　　D) it is time to get acquainted with other cultures

　　注：B反了

　　Our culture has caused most Americans to assume not only that our language is universal but that the gestures we use are understood by everyone. We do not realize that waving good-bye is the way to summon a person from the Philippines to ones side, or that in Italy and some Latin-American countries, curling the finger to oneself is a sign of farewell.

　　Those private citizens who sent packages to our troops occupying Germany after World War II and marked them GIFT to escape duty payments did not bother to find out that Gift means poison in German. Moreover, we like to think of ourselves as friendly, yet we prefer to be at least 3 feet or an arms length away form others. Latins and Middle Easterners like to come closer and touch, which makes Americans uncomfortable.

　　Our linguisticand cultural blindness and the casualness with which we take notice of the developed tastes, gestures, customs and languages of other countries, are losing us friends, business and respect in the world.

　　Even here in the United States, we make few concessions to the needs of foreign visitors. There are no information signs in four languages on our public buildings or monuments; we do not have multilingualguided tours. Very few restaurant menus have translations, and multilingual waiters, bank clerks and policemen are rare. Our transportation systems have maps in English only and often we ourselves have difficulty understanding them.

　　When we go abroad, we tend to cluster in hotels and restaurants where English is spoken. The attitudes and information we pick up are conditioned by those natives-usually the richer-who speak English. Our business dealings, as well as the nations diplomacy, are conducted through interpreters.

　　For many years, America and Americans could get by with cultural blindness and linguistic ignorance. After all, America was the most powerful country of the free world, the distributor of needed funds and goods.

　　But all that is past. American dollars no longer buy all good things, and we are slowly beginning to realize that our proper role in the world is changing. A 1979 Harris poll reported that 55 percent of Americans want this country to play a more significant role in world affairs; we want to have a hand in the important decisions of the next century, even though it may not always be the upper hand.

　　26. What makes women blind to the deceptive nature of high heels?

　　A) The multi-functional use of high heels.

　　B) Their attempt to show off their status.

　　C) The rich variety of high heel styles.

　　D) Their wish to improve their appearance.

　　注：B选项show off炫耀，C是迷惑选项。

　　27. The authors presentation of the positive side of high heels is meant ______________.

　　A) to be ironic

　　B) to poke fun at women

　　C) to be fair to the fashion industry

　　D) to make his point convincing

　　注：讽刺意味的

　　28. The author uses the expression those babies to refer to high heels __________.

　　A) to show their fragile characteristics

　　B) to indicate their feminine features

　　C) to show womens affection for them

　　D) to emphasize their small size

　　29. The authors chief argument against high heels is that ____________.

　　A) they pose a threat to lawns

　　B) they are injurious to womens health

　　C) they dont necessarily make women beautiful

　　D) they are ineffective as a weapon of defense

　　30. It can be inferred from the passage that women should _______________.

　　A) see through the very nature of fashion myths

　　B) boycott the products of the fashion industry

　　C) go to a podiatrist regularly for advice

　　D) avoid following fashion too closely

　　In department stores and closets all over the world, they are waiting. Their outward appearance seems rather appealing because they come in a variety of styles, textures, and colors. But they are ultimately the biggest deception that exists in the fashion industry today. What are they? They are high heels - a womans worst enemy . High heel shoes are the downfall of modern society. Fashion myths have led women to believe that they are more beautiful or sophisticated for wearing heels, but in reality, heels succeed in posing short as well as long term hardships. Women should fight the high heel industry by refusing to use or purchase them in order to save the world from unnecessary physical and psychological suffering.

　　For the sake of fairness, it must be noted that there is a positive side to high heels. First, heels are excellent for aeratinglawns. Anyone who has ever worn heels on grass knows what I am talking about. A simple trip around the yard in a pair of those babies eliminates all need to call for a lawn care specialist, and provides the perfect-sized holes to give any lawn oxygen without all those messy chunks of dirt lying around. Second, heels are quite functional for defense against oncoming enemies, who can easily be scared away by threatening them with a pair of these sharp, deadly fashion accessories.

　　Regardless of such practical uses for heels, the fact remains that wearing high heels is harmful to ones physical health. Talk to any podiatrist, and you will hear that the majority of their business comes from high-heel-wearing women. High heels are known to cause problems such as deformed feet and torn toenails. The risk of severe back problems and twisted or broken ankles is three times higher for a high heel wearer than for a flat shoe wearer. Wearing heels also creates the threat of getting a heel caught in a sidewalk crack or a sewer-grateand being thrown to the ground-possibly breaking a nose, back, or neck. And of course, after wearing heels for a day, any woman knows she can look forward to a night of pain as she tries to comfort her swollen, aching feet.

　　31. The picture of the reading ability of the American people, drawn by the author, is _____.

　　A) rather bleak

　　B) fairly bright

　　C) very impressive

　　D) quite encouraging

　　注：选一个烂的，bleak黯淡无光

　　32. The authors biggest concern is ____________.

　　A) elementary school childrens disinterest in reading classics

　　B) the surprisingly low rate of literacy in the U.S.

　　C) the musical setting American readers require for reading

　　D) the reading ability and reading behavior of the middle class

　　33. A major problem with most adolescents who can read is ___________.

　　A) their fondness of music and TV programs

　　B) their ignorance of various forms of art and literature

　　C) their lack of attentiveness and basic understanding

　　D) their inability to focus on conflicting input

　　34. The author claims that the best way a reader can show admiration for a piece of poetry or prose is ____________.

　　A) to be able to appreciate it and memorize it

　　B) to analyze its essential features

　　C) to think it over conscientiously

　　D) to make a fair appraisal of its artistic value

　　35. About the future of the arts of reading the author feels ____________.

　　A) upset

　　B) uncertain

　　C) alarmed

　　D) pessimistic

　　注：对应最后一段

　　It is hardly necessary for me to cite all the evidence of the depressing state of literacy. These figures from the Department of Education are sufficient: 27 million Americans cannot read at all, and a further 35 million read at a level that is less than sufficient to survive in our society.

　　But my own worry today is less that of the overwhelming problem of elemental literacy than it is of the slightly more luxurious problem of the decline in the skill even of he middle-class reader, of his unwillingness to afford those spaces of silence, those luxuries of domesticity and time and concentration, that surround the image of the classic act of reading. it has been suggested that almost 80 percent of Americas literate, educated teenagers can no longer read without an accompanying noise in the background or a television screen flickeringat the corner of their field of perception. We know very little about the brain and how it deals with simultaneous conflicting input, but every common-sense intuition suggests we should be profoundly alarmed. This violation of concentration, silence, solitudegoes to the very heart of our notion of literacy; this new form of part-reading, of part-perception against background distraction, renders impossible certain essential acts of apprehension and concentration, let alone that most important tribute any human being can pay to a poem or a piece of prose he or she really loves, which is to learn it by heart. Not by brain, by heart; the expression is vital.

　　Under these circumstances, the question of what future there is for the arts of reading is a real one. Ahead of us lie technical, psychic, and social transformations probably much more dramatic than those brought about by Gutenberg, the German inventor in printing. The Gutenberg revolution, as we now know it, took a long time; its effects are still begin debated. The information revolution will touch every facet of composition, publication, distribution, and reading. No one in the book industry can say with any confidence what will happen to the book as weve known it.

　　36. According to the passage, the chief purpose of explorers in going to unknown places in the past was ______________.

　　A) to display their countrys military might

　　B) to accomplish some significant science

　　C) to find new areas for colonization

　　D) to pursue commercial and state interests

　　注：对应文章第一段

　　37. At present, a probable inducement for countries to initiate large-scale space ventures is _____________.

　　A) international cooperation

　　B) nationalistic reasons

　　C) scientific research

　　D) long-term profits

　　注：对应文章第三段，B和D相反都排除

　　38. What is the main goal of sending human missions to Mars?

　　A) To find out if life ever existed there.

　　B) To see if humans could survive there.

　　C) To prove the feasibility of large-scale space ventures.

　　D) To show the leading role of science in space exploration.

　　39. By saying With Mars the scientific stakes are arguably higher than they have ever been , the author means that _________________.

　　A) with Mars the risks involved are much greater than any previous space ventures

　　B) in the case of Mars, the rewards of scientific exploration can be very high

　　C) in the case of Mars, much more research funds are needed than ever before

　　D) with Mars, scientists argue, the fundamental interests of science are at issue

　　注：争议太多，对应末段

　　40. The passage tells us that proof of life on Mars would _______________.

　　A) make clear the complex chemistry in the development of life

　　B) confirm the suggestion that bacterial fossils traveled to Earth on a meteorite

　　C) reveal the kind of conditions under which lie originates

　　D) provide an explanation why life is common in the universe

　　For centuries, explorers have risked their lives venturing into the unknown for reasons that were to varying degrees economic and nationalistic. Columbus went west to look for better trade routes to the Orient and to promote the greater glory of Spain. Lewis and Clark journeyed into the American wilderness to find out what the U.S. had acquired when it purchased Louisiana, and the Appolo astronauts rocketed to the moon in a dramatic show of technological muscle during the cold war.

　　Although their missions blended commercial and political-military imperatives, the explorers involved all accomplished some significant science simply by going where no scientists had gone before.

　　Today Mars loomsas humanitys next great terra incognita. And with doubtful prospects for a short-term financial return, with the cold war a rapidly fading memory and amid a growing emphasis on international cooperation in large space ventures, it is clear that imperatives other than profits or nationalism will have to compel human beings to leave their tracks on the planets reddish surface. Could it be that science, which has long played a minor role in exploration, is at last destined to take a leading role? The question naturally invites a couple of others: Are there experiments that only humans could do on Mars? Could those experiments provide insights profound enough to justify the expense of sending people across interplanetary space?

　　With Mars the scientific stakes are arguably higher than they have ever been. The issue of whether life ever existed on the planet, and whether it persists to this day, has been highlighted by mounting evidence that the Red Planet once had abundant stable, liquid water and by the continuing controversy over suggestions that bacterial fossils rode to Earth on a meteoritefrom valuable data about the range of conditions under which a planet can generate the complex chemistry that leads to life. If it could be established that life arose independently on Mars and Earth, the finding would provide the first concrete clues in one of the deepest mysteries in all of science: the prevalence of life in the universe.