1.　　 She c_____ (结束)her talk with a funny story.

75. The purpose of writing the article is to ______. A. point out the importance of noticing everyday science B. give background information about a latest study C. prove that ears and eyes help us to walk D. explain why we can't walk in a strictly straight line

第Ⅱ卷(非选择题，共45分)

72. The underlined word "meander" means _____. A. to follow a winding course

B. to move aimlessly C. to walk straight

D. to adjust directions 73. We cannot walk exactly straight because ____. 　A. our limbs have some difficulty in keeping balance 　B. the shape of our body is irregular 　C. our left legs and right legs are not the same 　D. we readjust the directions of walking regularly 74. We can hardly stand still after turning around a lot with our eyes closed because _____. 　A. we feel sick

B. our central nerves are disturbed C. the liquid inside our inner ear will go on turning for a while after our body

　 stops moving D. our eyes determine if we can stand still

71. Which of the following is true about the experiment held in Japan? A. All the participants are healthy men with a good sense of direction. B. None of the participants finished the 60 metres. C. The footprints left by the participants are red. D. The experiment was done in different places.

70. By telling his own experiences, the author tries to show______.

A. how to write a thank-you letter　　　　 B. how to deal with car problems

C. the kind-heartedness of old people　　 D. the importance of expressing thanks

D

Can we walk out a straight line? The question is much more difficult to answer than you think. Believe it or not, your eyes and ears help you to walk! 　　 A recent experiment held in Japan shows that it is almost impossible for people to walk exactly straight for 60 metres. Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology found 20 healthy men and asked them to walk as straight as possible to a target 60 metres away at normal speed. Each man had to wear socks soaked with red ink and walk on white paper fixed flat to the floor. The footprints revealed that all walked in a winding rather than a straight line.

Researchers found that people readjust the direction of walking at regular intervals. The amount of the meandering differed from subject to subject. This suggests that none of us can walk in a strictly straight line. Rather, we meander, primarily due to a slight structural or functional imbalance of our limbs(四肢).

Our body is actually semicircular, so steps by the left and right leg of a person are different. As a result, although we may start walking in a straight line, several steps afterwards we have changed direction. Eyesight helps us to correct the direction of walking and leads us to the target. Your ears also help you walk. After turning around a lot with your eyes closing, you can hardly stand still, let alone walk straight. It's all because your ears help you balance. Inside your inner ear there is a structure contains liquids. On the sides of the organ are many tiny hair-like structures that move around as the liquid flows.

When you spin the liquid inside also spins. The difference is that when you stop, the liquid continues to spin for a while. Dizziness(眩晕) is the result of these nerves in your ear. When you open your eyes, although your eyesight tells you to walk in a straight line, your brain will trust your ears more, thus you walk in a curved line, or a spiral!

69. The battery of the author’s car was dead because_______.

A. something went wrong with the lights　 B. the meeting lasted a whole day

C. he forgot to turn off the lights　　　　 D. he drove too long a distance

68. What happened when the author found smoke coming out of his car?

A. He had it pulled back to the gas station.　 B. The couple sent him a business card.

C. The couple offered to help him.　　　　 D. He called his friend for help.

67. The words “took off” underlined in Paragraph 2 mean “______”.

A. turned off　　　 B. moved off　　　 C. put up　　　 D. set up

66. The author planned to stop at Oklahoma City_________.

A. to visit a friend　　　　　　　 B. to see his parents

C. to pay at the cash register　　　 D. to have more gas for his car

65. What is the attitude of the writer towards flat-sharing?

　 　A. She is against it.　　　　　　　　　 　B. She is for it.

　 　C. She is upset with it.　　　　　　　　　 D. She is worried about it.

C

Many years ago, when I was fresh out of school and working in Denver, I was driving to my parents' home in Missouri for Christmas. I stopped at a gas station about 50 miles from Oklahoma City, where I was planning to stop and visit a friend. While I was standing in line at the cash register(收款台), I said hello to an old couple who were also paying for gas.

I took off, but had gone only a few miles when black smoke poured from the back of my car. I stopped and wondered what I should do. A car pulled up behind me. It was the couple I had spoken to at the gas station. They said they would take me to my friend's. We chatted on the way into the city, and when I got out of the car, the husband gave me his business card.

I wrote him and his wife a thank-you note for helping me. Soon afterward, I received a Christmas present from them. Their note that came with it said that helping me had made their holidays meaningful.

Years later, I drove to a meeting in a nearby town in the morning. In late afternoon I returned to my car and found that I'd left the lights on all day, and the battery(电池)was dead. Then I noticed that the Friendly Ford dealership - a shop selling cars - was right next door. I walked over and found two salesmen in the showroom.

"Just how friendly is Friendly Ford?" I asked and explained my trouble. They quickly drove a pickup truck to my car and started it. They would accept no payment, so when I got home, I wrote them a note to say thanks. I received a letter back from one of the salesmen. No one had ever taken the time to write him and say thank you, and it meant a lot, he said.

"Thank you" - two powerful words. They're easy to say and mean so much.