Being sociable looks like a good way to add years to your life. Relationships with family, friends, neighbours, even pets, will all do the trick, but the biggest longevity (长寿) boost seems to come from marriage or an equivalent relationship. The effect was first noted in 1858 by William Farr, who wrote that widows (寡妇)and widowers  were at a much higher risk of dying than their married peers. Studies since then suggest that marriage could add as much as seven years to a man’s life and two to a woman’s. The effect holds for all causes of death, whether illness, accident or self-harm.

　　Even if the odds are stacked against you, marriage can more than compensate. Linda Waite of the University of Chicago has found that a married older man with heart disease can expect to live nearly four years longer than an unmarried man with a healthy heart. Likewise, a married man who smokes more than a pack a day is likely to live as long as a divorced man who doesn’t smoke. There’s a flip side, however, as partners are more likely to become ill or die in the couple of years following their spouse’s death, and caring for a spouse with mental disorder can leave you with some of the same severe problems. Even so, the odds favour marriage. In a 30-year study of more than 10,000 people, Nicholas Christakis of Harvard Medical School describes how all kinds of social networks have similar effects.

　　So how does it work? The effects are complex, affected by socio-economic factors, health-service provision, emotional support and other more physiological (生理的) mechanisms. For example, social contact can boost development of the brain and immune system, leading to better health and less chance of depression later in life. People in supportive relationships may handle stress better. Then there are the psychological benefits of a supportive partner.

　　A life partner, children and good friends are all recommended if you aim to live to 100. The ultimate social network is still being mapped out, but Christakis says: “People are interconnected, so their health is interconnected.”

1.William Farr’s study and other studies show that _________.

　　A .social life provides an effective cure for illness

　　B. being sociable helps improve one’s quality of life

　　C. women benefit more than men from marriage

　　D. marriage contributes a great deal to longevity

2.Linda Waite’s studies support the idea that _________.

　　A. older men should quit smoking to stay healthy

　　B. marriage can help make up for ill health

　　C. the married are happier than the unmarried

　　D. unmarried people are likely to suffer in later life

3.It can be inferred from the context that the “flip side” (Line 4, Para. 2) refers to _________.

　　A. the disadvantages of being married

　　B. the emotional problems arising from marriage

　　C. the responsibility of taking care of one’s family

　　D. the consequence of a broken marriage

4. What does the author say about social networks?

　　A. They have effects similar to those of a marriage.

　　B. They help develop people’s community spirit.

　　C. They provide timely support for those in need.

　　D. They help relieve people of their life’s burdens.

5.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

　　A. It’s important that we develop a social network when young.

　　B. To stay healthy, one should have a proper social network.

　　C. Getting a divorce means risking a reduced life span.

　　D. We should share our social networks with each other.

 

Are some people born clever, and others born stupid? Or is intelligence developed by our environment and our experiences? Strangely enough, the answer to both these questions is yes. To some degree our intelligence is given us at birth, and no amount of special education can make a genius out of a child born with low intelligence. On the other hand, a child who lives in a boring environment will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in rich and varied surroundings. Thus the limits of a person's intelligence are fixed at birth, but whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on his environment. This view, now held by most experts, can be supported in a number of ways.

　　It is easy to show that intelligence is to some degree something we are born with. The closer the blood relationship between two people, the closer they are likely to be in intelligence. Thus if we take two unrelated people at random(随机地) from the population, it is likely that their degrees of intelligence will be completely different. If on the other hand we take two identical (完全相同的) twins they will very likely be as intelligent as each other. Relations like brothers and sisters, parents and children, usually have similar intelligence, and this clearly suggests that intelligence depends on birth.

　　Imagine now that we take two identical twins and put them in different environments. We might send one, for example, to a university and the other to a factory where the work is boring. We would soon find differences in intelligence developing, and this indicates that environment as well as birth plays a part. This conclusion is also suggested by the fact that people who live in close contact with each other, but who are not related at all, are likely to have similar degrees of intelligence.    

Which of these sentences best describes the writer’s point in Para. 1?

　　A. To some degree, intelligence is given at birth.

　　B. Intelligence is developed by the environment.

　　C. Some people are born clever and others born stupid.

　　D. Intelligence is fixed at birth, but is developed by the environment.

It is suggested in this passage that_______.

　　A. unrelated people are not likely to have different intelligence

　　B. close relations usually have similar intelligence

　　C. the closer the blood relationship between people, the more different they are likely to be

  in intelligence

　　D. people who live in close contact with each other are not likely to have similar degrees

　 　　of intelligence

In Para. 1, the word "surroundings" means_______.

　　A. intelligence 　 　 B. life      C. environments 　 　D. housing

The best title for this article would be_______.

　　A. On Intelligence              B. What Intelligence Means

　　C. We are Born with Intelligence  D. Environment Plays a Part in Developing Intelligence

The history of nomenclature (命名) in Britain is so old that no one knows the beginning of the story. Since written history began， people have had names. It is therefore impossible to do more than guess at how the earliest given names were chosen. Most names appear to have had some sort of original meaning， usually descriptive， rather than being simply a pleasing collection of sounds.
These descriptive names developed both from nouns and adjectives. The Irish Gaelic people  used descriptive nouns and adjectives which were meaningful. Early in prehistory some descriptive names began to be used again and again until they formed a name pool for that particular culture. Parents would choose names from the pool of existing names rather than invent new ones for their children.
With the rise of Christianity (基督教)， Christians were encouraged to name their children after the holy people of the church. These early Christian names can be found in many cultures today， in various forms. The pool of names in use in England changed basically after the Norman came in 1066. Then French names of Germanic origin became popular within three generations. As a result names like Emma， Matilda， Richard， and William， became common in English nomenclature. At the same time a few Old English names， like Edward and Alfred remained because they were names of holy people or kings； others were kept because they were used with slight changes by Germanic names from the Normans like Robert.
Surnames developed from bynames， which are additional ones used to differentiate people with the same given name.  These bynames fall into particular patterns.  These started out as specific  to a person and were taken down from father to son between the twelfth and sixteenth century. The noble usually used taken-down surnames early or the peasants did so later.
【小题1】We can infer from the text that　　　　.

A．the first given names had not any actual meanings

B．people probably had names when there was no written language

C．the history of nomenclature is shorter than written history

D．names began to be used long after there was written language

【小题2】 The underlined word “they” (in Para.3) refers to “　　　　”.

A．Old English names	B．other names
C．names of Germanic origin	D．names of holy people

【小题3】According to the text， which of the following statements is TRUE？

A．Robert is a Germanic name from the Normans.

B．Church didn’t encourage nomenclature used in the church.

C．Names like Emma and William were the most popular in 1066.

D．Names like Edward and Alfred were French names of Germanic origin.

【小题4】 Give the right order of surname development in history.
(a)People used bynames to differ people with the same given names.
(b)People chose given names from the pool of existing names.
(c)Bynames started out as specific to a person.
(d)Surnames became popular with common people.
(e)Surnames were taken down from father to son in noble families.

A．b-a-e-c-d

B．a-b-c-d-e

C．a-b-c-e-d

D．b-a-c-e-d

【小题5】 Which group of words can best describe the development of British nomenclature？

A．Additional， Particular and Various

B．Meaningful， Christian and Foreign

C．Descriptive， Meaningful and Germanic

D．Old English-styled， Christian and Original

It's not much, but it's home. Francis Chan, an engineer, lives in Hampstead, north London, in a flat that's just 4ft wide by 21ft long. He loves it.

Tiny though it is, it has got all the comforts. Peter Baynes, Chan’s architect (建筑师),has achieved a clever piece of design, according to architectural experts.

The Chan mini-house was built on what was once a path down the side of a big Victarian house. Not an inch of space is wasted.

When you step in through the front door, you're standing in the shower, on Britain' s only self-cleansing doormat (自动清洁门垫). A door opens on to an equally tiny toilet with washbasin. Two steps further in comes the kitchen, complete with full-sized cooker and fridge, and washer/ drier. A worktop folds down from the wall.

Another step and you're into the dining/ office area. Four people can sit here for dinner, says Chan as he sets the table-top into place. He even has a fold-down drawing-board for when he's working at home. The bed is hidden under a cover board right at the back. "I don't even have to make the bed," Chan says." I just put the cover down. "

Chan's business suits hang neatly on the wall over the bed. Daylight comes in through the skylight. The house feels like a very small boat and Chan admits he toyed with the idea of naming it the "boat-house".

"It cost around ￡4,700 to build last year. Now it's been valued at ￡30,000. It proves that good design doesn't need to cost more. It just needs a lot of care." says Chan.

1.By saying "It's not much" (line 1, para. 1), the author means that Chan's flat______.

A. is cheap                  B. has cheap furniture       C. has a simple design        D. is fairly small

2.Where is Chan's flat?

A. Next to a big house                       B. Under an old building   

C. In a busy London street    　 　D. By the side of a country road

3.Which of the following is the right order of things described in the text?

A. Shower, kitchen, toilet, dining table and bed

B. Shower, toilet, dining table, kitchen and bed

C. Shower, toilet, kitchen, dining table and bed 

D. Shower, kitchen, toilet, bed and dining table

4.What is the purpose of this writing?

A. To sell Chan's flat for more money                  

B. To tell people how to take care of small flat

C. To introduce to readers a cleverly-designed flat 

D. To call on engineers to design their own home

 

　　 At the University of Minnesota, in the USA, scientists have been studying twins for more than 10 years and they have come across many interesting cases. But recently they had a piece of luck. Previously, all the twins who had been investigated had been brought up together, so it was difficult to identify the reasons for certain similarities. They might have been genetic, but they might just as well have been caused by the twins living in closeness with another.

　　 However, the two James were different. They were separated from one another and adopted by different families, called Lewis and Springer, a few weeks after they were born and they did not meet until after 39 years.

　　 When the scientists at Minnesota learnt about the two James, they were naturally invited to come to the University, where investigations revealed the most astonishing similarities about their lives:

　　 * Both married girls called Linds, were divorced and then married women called, Betty.

　　 * Both owned dogs called Toy when they were boys.

　　 * Both had worked for the hamburger chain, McDonald's, and at filling station.

　　 * Both had the habit of biting their fingernails.

　　 * Both have similar sleeping problems.

　　 How can one attempt to explain so many coincidences? Is it possible that twins have some mysterious way of communicating? Or does our gene make us take particular decisions in certain circumstances? In any case, it seems that many more aspects of our behavior are influenced by genetic factors than we had previously imagined.

1. What was the piece of good fortune the scientists enjoyed recently?

   A The James twins would accept the invitation to the University.

   B The James twins met with each other after 39 years' separation.

   C The scientists found many interesting cases about twins.

   D The scientists discovered a special pair of long-separated twins.   

2. Why were the two James different from other twins according to the passage?

   A. They shared a lot of similarities.

   B. They lived in different families for a long time.

   C. They both worked in the hamburger chain.

   D. Their parents died when they were very young.

3. The word "coincidence" (Para.4) may mean things that ______.

   A. happen around the same time by chance   B. astonish people

   C. are likely to cause accidents　　　　　　 D. are very funny

4. The two James share all of the following similarities except that

   A. both married twice

   B. both had at least two jobs

   C. both suffered from the same disease

   D.both kept dogs when they were children