A Charlotte, N.C., man was charged with first-degree murder of a 79-year-old woman whom police said he scared to death. In an attempt to evade policemen after a bank robbery, the Associated Press reports that 20-year-old Larry Whitfield broke into the home of Mary Parnell. Police say he didn’t touch Parnell but that she died after suffering a heart attack that was caused by terror. Can the guy be held responsible for the woman’s death? Prosecutors(公诉人) said that he can under the state’s murder rule, which allows someone to be charged with murder if he or she causes another person’s death while committing or fleeing from a severe crime like robbery—even if he or she doesn’t kill someone on purpose.

But, medically speaking, can someone actually be frightened to death? We asked Martin Samuels, chairman of the neurology department at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

Absolutely, no question about it.

The body has a natural protective method called the fight-or-flight response(战或逃反应), which was originally described by Walter Cannon，the chairman of Harvard University’s physiology department from 1906 to 1942. If, in the wild, an animal is faced with a life-threatening situation, the autonomic nervous system responds by increasing heart rate, increasing blood flow to the muscles, and slowing digestion, among other things. All of this increases the chances of succeeding in a fight or running away from an aggressive beast. This process certainly would be of help to primitive humans. However, in the modern world there is obvious decline of the fight-or-flight response.

The autonomic nervous system uses the chemical messenger to send signals to various parts of the body to activate the fight-or-flight response. This chemical is toxic in large amounts; it damages the organs such as the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys. It is believed that almost all sudden deaths are caused by damage to the heart. There is almost no other organ that would fail so fast as to cause sudden death. Kidney failure, liver failure, those things don’t kill you suddenly.

By the way, any strong positive or negative emotions such as happiness or sadness can cause the same result. There are people who have died in intercourse or in religious passion. There was a case of a golfer who hit a hole in one, turned to his partner and said, “I can die now”, and then he dropped dead. For about seven days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon there was an increase of sudden cardiac death among New Yorkers.

1. Why the Charlotte, N.C., man was charged?

A. Because he threatened the policemen to kill an old woman.

B. Because he caused an old woman’s terror and she died.

C. Because he beat an old woman and caused her heart attack

D. Because he murdered an old woman while robbing a bank.

2. Which of the following about the fight-or-flight response is true?

A. The fight-or-flight response was raised and proved by Martin A. Samuels.

B. It is a natural protective method that can’t be found in all creatures but humans.

C. The ancient humans had a superior fight-or-flight response than modern ones.

D. The fight-or-flight response is beneficial to both our actions and organs.

3.What activity can we infer is less likely to damage the organs?

A. Winning a big lottery.                   B. Missing a dead family.

C. Watching a horror movie.                 D. Listening to a sweet song.

4. The purpose of the passage is_________.

A. to explain why people will die of a heart attack

B. to offer some advice on protecting us from heart failure

C. to compare different kinds of feelings to cause a death

D. to show strong emotions can cause a sudden death

 

 

A Charlotte, N.C., man was charged with first-degree murder of a 79-year-old woman whom police said he scared to death. In an attempt to evade policemen after a bank robbery, the Associated Press reports that 20-year-old Larry Whitfield broke into the home of Mary Parnell. Police say he didn’t touch Parnell but that she died after suffering a heart attack that was caused by terror. Can the guy be held responsible for the woman’s death? Prosecutors(公诉人) said that he can under the state’s murder rule, which allows someone to be charged with murder if he or she causes another person’s death while committing or fleeing from a severe crime like robbery—even if he or she doesn’t kill someone on purpose.

But, medically speaking, can someone actually be frightened to death? We asked Martin Samuels, chairman of the neurology department at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

Absolutely, no question about it.

The body has a natural protective method called the fight-or-flight response(战或逃反应), which was originally described by Walter Cannon，the chairman of Harvard University’s physiology department from 1906 to 1942. If, in the wild, an animal is faced with a life-threatening situation, the autonomic nervous system responds by increasing heart rate, increasing blood flow to the muscles, and slowing digestion, among other things. All of this increases the chances of succeeding in a fight or running away from an aggressive beast. This process certainly would be of help to primitive humans. However, in the modern world there is obvious decline of the fight-or-flight response.

The autonomic nervous system uses the chemical messenger to send signals to various parts of the body to activate the fight-or-flight response. This chemical is toxic in large amounts; it damages the organs such as the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys. It is believed that almost all sudden deaths are caused by damage to the heart. There is almost no other organ that would fail so fast as to cause sudden death. Kidney failure, liver failure, those things don’t kill you suddenly.

By the way, any strong positive or negative emotions such as happiness or sadness can cause the same result. There are people who have died in intercourse or in religious passion. There was a case of a golfer who hit a hole in one, turned to his partner and said, “I can die now”, and then he dropped dead. For about seven days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon there was an increase of sudden cardiac death among New Yorkers.

1.Why the Charlotte, N.C., man was charged?

A. Because he threatened the policemen to kill an old woman.

B. Because he caused an old woman’s terror and she died.

C. Because he beat an old woman and caused her heart attack

D. Because he murdered an old woman while robbing a bank.

2. What is Martin Samuels’ attitude to the possibility of being frightened to death?

A. Approval.              B. Disapproval.                  C. Doubtful.          D. Indifferent.

3.Which of the following about the fight-or-flight response is true?

A. The fight-or-flight response was raised and proved by Martin A. Samuels.

B. It is a natural protective method that can’t be found in all creatures but humans.

C. The ancient humans had a superior fight-or-flight response than modern ones.

D. The fight-or-flight response is beneficial to both our actions and organs.

4. What activity can we infer is less likely to damage the organs?

A. Winning a big lottery.                               B. Missing a dead family.

C. Watching a horror movie.                            D. Listening to a sweet song.

5.The purpose of the passage is_________.

A. to explain why people will die of a heart attack

B. to offer some advice on protecting us from heart failure

C. to compare different kinds of feelings to cause a death

D. to show strong emotions can cause a sudden death

 

Fool’s Day falls on 1st of April. People _36_forget the significance （意义） of the day.

   In March 1980. I was   37   at Durham University with seven other Chinese students. I had   38   to go to another university after graduation and had   39          application (申请)  forms to several  40  . Every morning I arrived at the porter’s office (传达室) and waited my fate. But no 41   came.

On April 1st, as I was eating my   42  , Huang came in , with a toothbrush  43  in his hand. 44   fearing that he might forget the important news , he passed me the  45 . “Morning  , Wu,” he said , “I saw Mr. G this morning. He told me that a letter had arrived in his office for you from Manchester University, and asked you to go and get it  46  possible.” I jumped with   47 .

   I  even didn’t   48  my breakfast and rushed to Mr. G’s  office but  he wasn’t   49   .  I then went to the secretary’s room and    50    everything to her. She opened Mr. G’s room. I looked at everything. There didn’t seem to be a letter for me. “If he had asked you to pick it up from here,” said the secretary , “ he would have put it in  51 or simply left it to me.”

Greatly  52  , I walked out of the room and   53  the  secretary lock it. 54    the secretary’s eyes   55  . “Sorry,” she said. “It’s April Fool’s Day!”

1.A sometimes         B. never                   C. always            D. seldom

2.A. staying             B. working               C. visiting           D. studying

3.A. continued         B. planned               C. managed         D. remembered

4.A. returned           B. taken                   C. handed            D. sent

5.A. people             B. colleges                C. cities               D. offices

6.A. application      B. report                   C. reply               D. chance

7.A. dinner               B. lunch                  C. supper             D. breakfast

8.A. still                   B. even                   C. yet                   D. already

9.A. Because of       B .As if                   C. After                D. While

10.A. message           B. sign                     C. letter                D. notice

11.A. if                      B. as soon as           C. when                D. as fast as

12.A. the news          B. the letter             C. joy                   D. luck

13.A. take                  B. finish                  C. complete         D. have

14.A. anywhere         B. in                        C. at                     D. away

15.A. asked               B. told                     C. explained         D. answered

16.A. the office        B. his desk            C. the room      D. an obvious（明显的） place

17.A. disappoint       B. disappointed        C. disappointing  D. disappointment

18.A. watched          B. made                    C. saw                  D. let

19.A. Quickly           B. Strangely              C. Finally            D. Suddenly

20.A. closed             B. opened                  C. brightly           D. darkened

 

 

第三部分  阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

I suddenly heard an elephant crying as though frightened．Looking down，I immediately recognized that something was wrong，and ran down to the edge of the near bank．There I saw Ma Shwe with her three-month-old calf(young elephant)struggling in the fast-rising water，and it was a life-and-death struggle．Her calf was floating and screaming with fear．Ma Shwe was as near to the far bank as she could get，holding her whole body against the rushing water，and keeping the calf pressed against her huge body．Every now and then the rushing water would sweep the calf away.

There was a sudden rise in the water and the calf was washed clean over the mother’s body and was gone ．Ma Shwe turned quickly to reach it and pressed the calf with her head and trunk(象鼻)against the rocky bank．Then with a huge effort，she picked it up in her trunk and tried until she was able to place it on a narrow shelf of rock．

Just at this moment．she fell back into the river．If she were carried down, it would be certain death．I knew，as well as she did，that there was one spot where she could get up the bank，but it was on the other side from where she had put her calf．While I was wondering what I could do next，I heard the sound of a mother’s love．Ma Shwe had crossed the river and got up the bank and was making her way back as fast as she could，roaring(吼叫)all the time，but to her calf it was music.[来源:ZXXK]

56．The moment the author got down to the river bank he saw           ．

A．the calf was about to fall into the river

B．Ma Shwe was placing the calf on the rock

C．the calf was washed away by the rising water

D．Ma Shwe was holding the calf against the rushing water

57．How did Ma Shwe manage to save her calf from the fast-flowing water?

A．By pressing it against her body．

B．By putting it on a safe spot．

C．By taking it away with her．

D．By carrying it on her back．

58．How did the calf feel about the mother elephant's roaring?[来源:学,科,网]

A．It was a great comfort.                       B．It was a sign of danger．

C．It was a call for help．                         D．It was a musical note．

59．What does the underlined sentence mean?

A．The mother took the calf away on its body．

B．The mother cleaned the calf with its back．

C．The calf was carried away by the water．

D．The calf was washed clean in the water．

60．What could be the best title for the text?

A．A Brave Act                              B．A Mother's Love

C．A Deadly River                                   D．A Matter of Life and Death

 

Not only did the students ask for changes in the list of required subjects，but they also demanded the right to choose their courses according to their own taste and future needs．No more fixed programs,no guidance from educators and professors．All they wanted was to get their degree as fast as possible and go to work．

Although the educators didn’t all agree；a majority recognized that time had indeed changed and that education should perhaps adapt itself to the realities of modern society．Colleges and universities revised their programs to include a large number of specialized courses in business，nursing，engineering，and other professional fields．In the 1960s they also added courses requested by the students because they considered them“relevant(相关的)”(Women Studies，Revolution，or Black History)or useful(glass blowing，infant care，slow running，or family life)．The students were granted the right to choose their courses as they wished．Many traditional subjects had to be dropped，including history and foreign languages；the liberal education courses that were still useful were often neglected(忽视)by the students，who didn’t feel like working hard to learn something that was not required for graduation．

Whether the revised programs have helped college graduates to find employment quickly is not clear．But after fifteen or twenty years of experimentation，they have raised a lot of criticism．Some of it comes from the graduates themselves,who discover that their practical knowledge is neither deep nor flexible(灵活的)．As soon as they progress to higher positions，they find that they need management training and more study in their own field．Besides，they feel disabled by their lack of general knowledge,for example，by their ignorance of the language and culture of the foreigners with whom they are doing business. Most of all they suffer from their inability to use English，their own language，easily and properly.

1.The students also demanded      ，besides a change of program.

A．the right to choose their university

B．the right to choose their professors

C．the right to choose their degree

D．the right to choose their courses

2.What was the reaction of the colleges towards the students’demand?

A．All the educators agreed with them.

B．None of the educators agreed with them.

C．A few educators agreed with them.

D．A few educators disagreed with them.

3.Who is it that criticized the new system of education?

A．Graduates

B．Parents

C．Employers

D．Educators

4.In the opinion of the critics，the main problems are      .

A．the general knowledge is too much

B．the practical knowledge is impractical

C．they learned too much useless knowledge

D．they are not able to use their knowledge effectively