Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

Some people with autism(孤独症) have __1.___ experts with their outstanding memories, mathematical skills or musical talent. Now scientists have found that the genes thought to cause autism may also confer(给予) mathematical, musical and other skills on people without the condition.

The finding has _2.___ from a study of autism among 378 Cambridge University students, which found the condition was up to seven times more common among mathematicians than students in other fields.

If __3.__, it could explain why autism － a ___4.___that makes it hard to communicate with, and relate to, others ─ continues to exist in all types of society. It suggests the genes responsible are usually ___5.__, causing the disease only if present in the wrong combinations. “Our understanding of autism is undergoing a ___6.__,” said Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, director of the autism research centre at Cambridge, who led the study.

“It seems clear that genes play a significant role in the causes of autism and that those genes are also ___7.__ to certain intellectual skills.”

Scientists have long been interested by the apparent ___8.__ between autism and intellectual gifts in specific fields. This has made autism a hot topic in popular culture, from films such as Rain Man, which starred Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise, to books such as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime.

Temple Grandin, 61, was diagnosed（诊断） with autism as a child and is now professor of animal sciences at Colorado State University. She said: “People with autism have played a vital role in human evolution and culture. Scientists such as Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein show every __9.___ of having been autistic. The world owes a great deal to those who design and programme computers, many of whom show autistic traits.”

In Daniel Gilbert’s 2006 book "Stumbling(跌撞) on Happiness," the Harvard professor of psychology looks at several studies and concludes that marital(婚姻的) satisfaction decreases after the birth of the first child and increases only when the last child has left home. He also declares that parents are happier grocery shopping and even sleeping than spending time with their kids.
The most recent comprehensive study on the emotional state of those with kids shows us that the term "bundle of joy" may not be the most accurate way to describe our kids. "Parents experience lower levels of emotional well-being, less frequent positive emotions and more frequent negative emotions than their childless peers," says Florida State University’s Robin Simon, a sociology professor.
Simon received plenty of hate mail in response to her research，which isn’t surprising. Her findings shake the very foundation of what we’ve been raised to believe is true. In a recent NEWSWEEK Poll, 50 percent of Americans said that adding new children to the family tends to increase happiness levels. But which parent is willing to admit that the greatest gift life has to offer has in fact made his or her life less enjoyable?
Is it possible that American parents have always been this disillusioned(有幻觉的)? In pre-industrial America, parents certainly loved their children, but their kids also served a purpose—to work the farm, contribute to the household. Today, we have kids more for emotional reasons, but an increasingly complicated work and social environment has made finding satisfaction far more difficult. Raising children has not only become more complicated, it has become more expensive as well. The National Marriage Project’s 2006 report says that parents have significantly lower marital satisfaction than nonparents because they experienced more single and child-free years than previous generations.
As for those of us with kids, all the news isn’t bad. Parents still report feeling a greater sense of purpose and meaning in their lives than those who’ve never had kids. And there are other rewarding aspects of parenting that are impossible to quantify.
【小题1】.
What’s the main idea of the book Stumbling on Happiness?

In Daniel Gilbert's 2006 book "Stumbling(跌撞) on Happiness," the Harvard professor of psychology looks at several studies and concludes that marital(婚姻的) satisfaction decreases after the birth of the first child and increases only when the last child has left home. He also declares that parents are happier grocery shopping and even sleeping than spending time with their kids.

The most recent comprehensive study on the emotional state of those with kids shows us that the term "bundle of joy" may not be the most accurate way to describe our kids. "Parents experience lower levels of emotional well-being, less frequent positive emotions and more frequent negative emotions than their childless peers," says Florida State University's Robin Simon, a sociology professor.

Simon received plenty of hate mail in response to her research，which isn't surprising. Her findings shake the very foundation of what we've been raised to believe is true. In a recent NEWSWEEK Poll, 50 percent of Americans said that adding new children to the family tends to increase happiness levels. But which parent is willing to admit that the greatest gift life has to offer has in fact made his or her life less enjoyable?

Is it possible that American parents have always been this disillusioned(有幻觉的)? In pre-industrial America, parents certainly loved their children, but their kids also served a purpose—to work the farm, contribute to the household. Today, we have kids more for emotional reasons, but an increasingly complicated work and social environment has made finding satisfaction far more difficult. Raising children has not only become more complicated, it has become more expensive as well. The National Marriage Project's 2006 report says that parents have significantly lower marital satisfaction than nonparents because they experienced more single and child-free years than previous generations.

As for those of us with kids, all the news isn't bad. Parents still report feeling a greater sense of purpose and meaning in their lives than those who've never had kids. And there are other rewarding aspects of parenting that are impossible to quantify.

1..

 What’s the main idea of the book Stumbling on Happiness?

A. Parents are happier shopping than looking after their children.

B. Once they have children, the couples can never be as happy as before.

C. Compared with their childless peers, parents are leading a sad life.

D. The adding of children at home brings down marital satisfaction.

2..

. What can we infer from Para.3?

A. The Newsweek Poll shows that people think Prof. Simon’s finding is right.

B. Many people can’t accept the fact that they are not happy with their children.

C. It isn’t surprising that Professor Simon’s controversial research made her famous.

D. Simon’s findings are based on the belief passed down from generation to generation.

3..

 What can we learn about American’s families in the past?

A. People had very good parents-children relationship in the family.

 B. Having children could be partly out of some practical purposes.

C. Parents loved their children but they still asked them to work a lot.

D. Children had to work very hard to make their parents love them.

4..

 What’s the author’s opinion about having children?

A. The author doesn’t think having children is a good thing to the family.

B. The author feels children make the life of a family happy.

C. The author thinks parenting can still be rewarding in a certain way.

D. The author believes that parents sacrifice a lot for having children.

Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

Some people with autism(孤独症) have _____ experts with their outstanding memories, mathematical skills or musical talent. Now scientists have found that the genes thought to cause autism may also confer(给予) mathematical, musical and other skills on people without the condition.

The finding has ____ from a study of autism among 378 Cambridge University students, which found the condition was up to seven times more common among mathematicians than students in other fields.

If ____, it could explain why autism － a ______that makes it hard to communicate with, and relate to, others ─ continues to exist in all types of society. It suggests the genes responsible are usually _____, causing the disease only if present in the wrong combinations. “Our understanding of autism is undergoing a _____,” said Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, director of the autism research centre at Cambridge, who led the study.

“It seems clear that genes play a significant role in the causes of autism and that those genes are also _____ to certain intellectual skills.”

Scientists have long been interested by the apparent _____ between autism and intellectual gifts in specific fields. This has made autism a hot topic in popular culture, from films such as Rain Man, which starred Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise, to books such as The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime.

Temple Grandin, 61, was diagnosed（诊断） with autism as a child and is now professor of animal sciences at Colorado State University. She said: “People with autism have played a vital role in human evolution and culture. Scientists such as Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein show every _____ of having been autistic. The world owes a great deal to those who design and programme computers, many of whom show autistic traits.”

In Daniel Gilbert’s 2006 book "Stumbling(跌撞) on Happiness," the Harvard professor of psychology looks at several studies and concludes that marital(婚姻的) satisfaction decreases after the birth of the first child and increases only when the last child has left home. He also declares that parents are happier grocery shopping and even sleeping than spending time with their kids.
The most recent comprehensive study on the emotional state of those with kids shows us that the term "bundle of joy" may not be the most accurate way to describe our kids. "Parents experience lower levels of emotional well-being, less frequent positive emotions and more frequent negative emotions than their childless peers," says Florida State University’s Robin Simon, a sociology professor.
Simon received plenty of hate mail in response to her research，which isn’t surprising. Her findings shake the very foundation of what we’ve been raised to believe is true. In a recent NEWSWEEK Poll, 50 percent of Americans said that adding new children to the family tends to increase happiness levels. But which parent is willing to admit that the greatest gift life has to offer has in fact made his or her life less enjoyable?
Is it possible that American parents have always been this disillusioned(有幻觉的)? In pre-industrial America, parents certainly loved their children, but their kids also served a purpose—to work the farm, contribute to the household. Today, we have kids more for emotional reasons, but an increasingly complicated work and social environment has made finding satisfaction far more difficult. Raising children has not only become more complicated, it has become more expensive as well. The National Marriage Project’s 2006 report says that parents have significantly lower marital satisfaction than nonparents because they experienced more single and child-free years than previous generations.
As for those of us with kids, all the news isn’t bad. Parents still report feeling a greater sense of purpose and meaning in their lives than those who’ve never had kids. And there are other rewarding aspects of parenting that are impossible to quantify

1. 1.

   What’s the main idea of the book Stumbling on Happiness?

   1. A.
      Parents are happier shopping than looking after their children
   2. B.
      Once they have children, the couples can never be as happy as before
   3. C.
      Compared with their childless peers, parents are leading a sad life
   4. D.
      The adding of children at home brings down marital satisfaction
2. 2.

   What can we infer from Para.3?

   1. A.
      The Newsweek Poll shows that people think Prof. Simon’s finding is right
   2. B.
      Many people can’t accept the fact that they are not happy with their children
   3. C.
      It isn’t surprising that Professor Simon’s controversial research made her famous
   4. D.
      Simon’s findings are based on the belief passed down from generation to generation
3. 3.

   What can we learn about American’s families in the past?

   1. A.
      People had very good parents-children relationship in the family
   2. B.
      Having children could be partly out of some practical purposes
   3. C.
      Parents loved their children but they still asked them to work a lot
   4. D.
      Children had to work very hard to make their parents love them
4. 4.

   What’s the author’s opinion about having children?

   1. A.
      The author doesn’t think having children is a good thing to the family
   2. B.
      The author feels children make the life of a family happy
   3. C.
      The author thinks parenting can still be rewarding in a certain way
   4. D.
      The author believes that parents sacrifice a lot for having children