第四部分：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。请根据短文内容，为每题确定1个最佳选项。
第一篇
Gross National Happiness
In the last century, new technology improved the lives of many people in many countries. However， one country resisted these changes. High in the Himalayan mountains of Asia， the kingdom of Bhutan remained separate. Its people and Buddhist（佛教）culture had not been affected for almost a thousand years. Bhutan, however, was a poor country. People died at a young age. Most of its people could not read, and they did not know much about the outside world. Then, in 1972, a new ruler named King Jigme Singye Wangchuck decided to help Bhutan to become modern, but without losing its traditions.
King Wangchuck looked at other countries for ideas. He saw that most countries measured their progress by their Gross Natonal Product（GNP）. The GNP measures products and money. When the number of products sold increases people say the country is making progress. King Wangchuck had a different idea for Bhutan. He wanted to measure his countrys progress by peoples happiness. If the peoples happiness increased， the king could say that Bhutan was making progress. To decide if people were happier， he created a measure called Gross National Happiness（GNH）.
GNH is based on certain principles that create happiness. People are happier if they have health care, education, and jobs. They are happier when they live in a healthy, protected environment. They are happier when they can keep their traditional culture and customs. Finally, people are happier when they have a good, stable government.
Now these is some evidence of increased GNH in Bhutan. People are healthier and are living longer. More people are educated and employed. Teenty-five percent of the land has become national parks, and the country has almost no pollution. The Bhutanese continue to wear their traditional clothing and follow their ancient Buddhist customs. Bhutan has also become a democracy. In 2008, King Wangchuck gave his power to his son. Although the country still had a king, it held its first democratic elections that year. Bhutan had political parties and political candidates for the first time. Finally, Bhutan has connected to the rest of the world through television and internet.
Bhutan is a symbol for social progress. Many countries are now interested in Bhutans GNH. These countries are investigating their own ways to measure happiness. They want to create new policies that take care of their people, cultures, and land.
Brazil may be the nest country to use the principles of GNH. Brazilian leaders see the principles of GNH as a source of inspiration. Brazil is a large country with a diverse population. If happiness works as a measure of progress in Brazil, perhaps the rest of the world will follow.
31. Who was Jigme Singye Wangchuck?
A. A president.
B. A buddist preist.
C. A general.
D. A king.
【答案】：D
32. Apart from moderizing Bhutan, what else did Wangchuck want to do for Bhutan?
A. To make its populaton grow.
B. To keep it separate from the world.
C. To encourage its people to get rich.
D. To keep its tradition and customs.
【答案】：D
33. A country shows its progress with GNP by
A. selling more products.
B. spending more money.
C. spending less money.
D. providing more jobs.
【答案】：A
34. According to GNH, people are happier if they
A. have new tecnology.
B. can change their religion.
C. have a good, stable government.
D. have more money.
【答案】：C
35. Today, many countries are
A. using the principles of GNH to measure their progress.
B. woking together to develop a common scale to measure GNH.
C. taking both Bhutan and Brazil as symbols for social progress.
D. trying to find their own ways to measure happiness.
【答案】：D
第二篇
Caffeine
Caffeine is probably the most widely used drug in the world. Humans have been consuming caffeine for hundreds of years, primarily in the form of coffee, tea, and cocoa. Habitual coffee and tea drinkers had long been observed to have a lower incidence of non-melanoma（黑色素瘤） skin cancers, although no one knew why. A recent study found that caffeine affects skin cells damaged by ultraviolet radiation, a main cause of skin cancer. Caffeine interferes with a protein that cancerous cells need to survive, leaving the damaged cells to die before they become cancerous. Drinking caffeinated coffee has also been associated with a decreased incidence of endometrial(予宫内膜的) cancer - that is, cancer of the cells lining the uterus - The strongest effect appears to be in overweight women, who are at greatest risk for the disease. Researchers believe blood sugar, fat cells, and estrogen(雌性激素) may play a role. Although the mechanism remains unknown, people who drink more than two cups of coffee or tea a day reportedly have about half the risk of developing chronic liver disease as those who drink less than one cup of coffee daily; caffeinated coffee has also been associated with lowered risk of cirrhosis（肝硬化） and liver cancer.
While many of caffeines undesirable effects, such as elevated heart rate and blood pressure, are brief, some short-term benefits, including pain relief, increased alertness, and increased physical endurance, have also been attributed to caffeine. As a component of numerous over-the-counter diet pills and pain relievers, caffeine increases their effectiveness and helps the body absorb them more quickly. By constricting（收缩） blood vessels in the brain, it can alleviate headaches - even migraines(偏头痛) and can help counter the drowsiness（眩晕）caused by antihistamines(抗组胺药).
Caffeine does not alter the need for sleep, but it does offer a temporary solution to fatigue for people who need to stay alert. Research has shown that sleep-deprived individuals who consumed caffeine had improved memory and reasoning abilities, at least in the short term. Studies of runners and cyclists have shown that caffeine can improve their stamina - hence its addition to energy-boosting sports drinks.
People who consume a lot of caffeine regularly may develop temporary withdrawal symptoms, headache being the most common, if they quit or cut back on it abruptly. Fortunately, these symptoms last only a day or two in most cases. Individuals who are more sensitive to the stimulatory side effects of caffeine may want to avoid it, but most doctors agree that the equivalent of three cups of coffee a day does not harm healthy people. There is no medical basis to give up daily caffeine and many reasons to include a moderate amount in ones diet.
36. Drinking coffee or tea may help
A. lower the incidence of being overweight.
B. lower the incidence of non-melanoma skin cancer.
C. increase the incidence of endometrial cancer.
D. increase the incidence of liver cancer.
【答案】：B
37. Caffeine is used to
A. reduce high blood pressure.
B. relieve headaches.
C. cure liver cancer.
D. treat skin cancer.
【答案】：B
38. Some athletes use caffeine to
A. improve their speed.
B. increase their endurance.
C. maintain their alertness.
D. relax their muscles.
【答案】：B
39. Caffeine withdrawal symptoms
A. can become an ongoing problem.
B. may last as long as a week.
C. are weight loss and mental disorder.
D. are usually short-lived.
【答案】：D
40. Drinking three cups of coffee a day
A. may not be recommended by most doctors.
B. is harmful to healthy people.
C. will probably not cause problems.
D. may benefit sensitive people.
【答案】：C
第三篇
Some People Do Not Taste Salt Like Others
Low-salt foods may be harder for some people to like than others, according to a study by a Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences food scientist. The research indicates that genetic factors influence some of the difference in the levels of salt we like to eat.
Those conclusions are important because recent, well-publicized efforts to reduce the salt content in food have left many people struggling to accept fare that simply does not taste as good to them as it does to others, pointed out John Hayes, assistant professor of food science, who was lead investigator on the study.
Diets high in salt can increase the risk of high blood pressure and stroke. That is why public health experts and food companies are working together on ways to help consumers lower salt intake through foods that are enjoyable to eat. This study increases understanding of salt preference and consumption.
The research involved 87 carefully screened participants who sampled salty foods such as soup and chips, on multiple occasions, spread out over weeks. Test subjects were 45 men and 42 women, reportedly healthy, ranging in age from 20 to 40 years. The sample was composed of individuals who were not actively modifying their dietary intake and did not smoke cigarettes. They rated the intensity of taste on a commonly used scientific scale, ranging from barely detectable to strongest sensation of any kind.
Most of us like the taste of salt. However, some individuals eat more salt, both because they like the taste of saltiness more, and also because it is needed to block other unpleasant tastes in food. said Hayes. Supertasters, people who experience tastes more intensely, consume more salt than do nontasters. Snack foods have saltiness as their primary flavor, and at least for these foods, more is better, so the supertasters seem to like them more.
However, supertasters also need higher levels of salt to block unpleasant bitter tastes in foods such as cheese, Hayes noted. For example, cheese is a wonderful blend of dairy flavors from fermented milk, but also bitter tastes from ripening that are blocked by salt, he said. A supertaster finds low-salt cheese unpleasant because the bitterness is too pronounced.
Hayes cited research done more than 75 years ago by a chemist named Fox and a geneticist named Blakeslee, showing that individuals differ in their ability to taste certain chemicals. As a result, Hayes explained, we know that a wide range in taste acuity exists, and this variation is as normal as variations in eye and hair color.
Some people, called supertasters, describe bitter compounds as being extremely bitter, while others, called nontasters, find these same bitter compounds to be tasteless or only weakly bitter. he said. Response to bitter compounds is one of many ways to identify biological differences in food preference because supertasting is not limited to bitterness.
41. John Hayes points out in a recent study that
A. it is healthy to eat food without salt.
B. many people reject low-salt food completely.
C. food with less salt tastes better.
D. many people accept low-salt tasteless food reluctantly.
【答案】：D
42. The fourth paragraph describes briefly
A. the purpose of the study.
B. the analysis of the research results.
C. the research methodology.
D. the conclusion of the study.
【答案】：C
43. The article argues that supertasters
A. like snack foods as saltiness is their primary flavor.
B. like the taste of saltiness to block sweet tastes in food.
C. consume less salt because they dont like intensive tastes.
D. like to share salty cheese with nontasters.
【答案】：A
44. In paragraph 6, the word pronounced is closest in meaning to
A. weary.
B. strong.
C. weak.
D. strange.
【答案】：B
45. The last two paragraphs illustrate that taste acuity is
A. developed over time after birth.
B. related to ones eye and hair color.
C. still unknown to scientists.
D. genetically determined.
【答案】：D