E

Many people say they cannot start their day without first having a cup of coffee or tea. People say these drinks help them think clearly and feel more awake. This is because of caffeine, a substance found in some plants. It helps to give the start to the nervous system. Now a new report says it may also improve long-term memory.

Michael Yassa is a neurobiology professor at the University of California, Irvine. He and other researchers wanted to know if caffeine could improve what they called memory consolidation (记忆巩固). They asked a group of individuals to learn something new, and then the same people were given caffeine—the active ingredient in coffee, tea and chocolate.

They worked with a group of 160 people who were caffeine free. On the first day, all the subjects were shown pictures of everyday objects. They were asked to tell whether the pictures could be found inside the house or outdoors. Some of the subjects were then given a caffeine pill; the others were given a pill containing no caffeine. On the second day, all of the subjects were asked to look at more pictures. Some of the images were exactly the ones they had seen 24 hours early. But other images were quite different. The participants had to decide whether the images they saw were the same as or different from the ones on the first day.

Professor Yassa says their answers help to show the effects of caffeine on memory. He says those who took the caffeine pills had a ten to twelve percent increase in their ability to remember the objects. The amount of caffeine used in the study was similar to one cup of strong coffee. Professor Yassa says pills with a little more caffeine also increased memory, but resulted in some participants appearing more nervous.

61. What does the underlined word “it” in the first paragraph refer to?

　　 A. A cup of coffee. 　　　　 B. Caffeine.　　

　　 C. The plant. 　　　　　　　　 D. A cup of tea.

62. Professor Michael Yassa did the research in order to 　　.

　　 A. ask people to learn something new　　　　

　　 B. encourage people to drink more coffee

　　 C. find out that coffee, tea and chocolate contain caffeine

　　 D. make sure that caffeine has a good effect on memory　

63. Which of the following is TRUE about the research?

　　 A. The participants didn’t take caffeine before.　　

　　 B. Some of the participants were not given pills.　

　　 C. The pictures shown in the two days were the same.

　　 D. The researchers showed people pictures taken outside.　

64. What can we learn about caffeine pills?

　　 A. Caffeine pills do a lot of harm to health.

　　 B. A caffeine pill is equal to a cup of coffee.

　　 C. Caffeine pills can improve the memory to some degree.

　　 D. The more caffeine the pills contain, the better the effects will be.　　　　　　　　　　　

65. What’s the best title for the text?

　　 A. How to improve the memory

　　 B. Drink a cup of coffee every day

　　 C. Keep energetic by taking caffeine pills

　　 D. Caffeine helps improve long-term memory

D

For the past week, hundreds of firefighters have been battling a wildfire that started on March 26 in the mountains southwest of Denver, Colorado. The fire quickly burned through 4,140 acres of land — an area the size of more than 3,000 football fields. It killed three people, destroyed at least 25 houses, and forced hundreds of people to evacuate their homes.

Investigations have found that the fire was likely caused by a controlled burn started one week earlier by the Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS). A controlled burn is a fire ignited (点燃) by professionals to clear the ground of built-up fuel — such as dead wood, thick layers of pine needles (松叶), and overcrowded trees — that can cause dangerous wildfires. Hundreds of controlled burns have been safely managed in Colorado forests over the past few months.

Fire professionals take many measures to make sure that burns can be controlled. Before starting a burn, the professionals look carefully at weather forecasts, how close the fire will be to houses and roads, and other factors. They plan how they will ignite and contain the fire and arrange for resources such as fire trucks and firefighters to be present.

CSFS officials say fire crews followed all safety procedures (步骤) before starting the controlled burn near Denver on March 19. The fire died down four days later. But on March 26, high winds blew embers (余烬) onto unburned land, starting the deadly flame. Unusually warm temperatures and dry conditions helped it spread.

Fire crews now have the flame almost fully contained, and most families have been allowed to return to their homes. Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper has issued a temporary ban on controlled burns on state land and has called for a complete review of the rules for these types of fires.

56. In the first paragraph, the underlined word “evacuate” can be explained as “　　”.

　　 A. build　 　　　　 B. protect 　　　　 C. leave　 　　　　　 D. watch

57. According to the passage, CSFS officials may agree that 　　.

　　 A. fire crews’ carelessness led to the fire

　　 B. firefighters should be present when the burn was started

　　 C. burning wood in the forest will be banned

　　 D. the weather factor was blamed for the fire

58. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

　　 A. How serious the wildfire was.

　　 B. What probably caused the wildfire?

　　 C. The facts about controlled burns.

　　 D. The changes of the rules for controlled burns.

59. From the passage, we can learn that 　　.

　　 A. hundreds of people were injured in the wildfire.

　　 B. the wildfire is an unexpected event.

　　 C. no measures were taken to control the burn.

　　 D. the wildfire has been completely put out.

60. Where can the article probably appear?

　 　 A. In a TV guide.　　　　　　　　　　　 B. On a website.　

　　 C. In a science book.　　　　　　　　　 D. In a tour booklet.

C

A 400-pound adult male gorilla (大猩猩) escaped from his cage at the Buffalo Zoo on Monday. He bit a female zookeeper before being caught. The 24-year-old gorilla came out of his living quarters through an unlocked door on Monday morning. He ran into the space which was used by zoo workers but closed to the public.

A keeper who has cared for Koga since he arrived in 2007 was bitten on her hand and leg. Zoo officials said it was an act of excitement. “He was probably just as surprised coming face to face with her as she was with him,” Buffalo Zoo President Donna Fernandes said.

The keeper took refuge (庇护) inside the habitat of a female gorilla and her newborn baby. The keeper’s decision to lock herself inside the separate habitat likely kept her from being further harmed. The keeper had a good relationship with the mother who, like Koga, is a west lowland gorilla, native to West Africa and the Congo River Basin, according to Fernandes.

Several locked doors prevented Koga from running wildly through the zoo and beyond. The police sent in a team to make sure the area was safe while a vet (兽医) used a pipe to sedate (给……服镇静剂) Koga. The gorilla was dragged by the zoo staff back to his cage once the drugs took hold.

Visitors to the zoo were moved indoors and stayed there for about 45 minutes while the team was trying to catch the gorilla and send it back to his cage. “That was the scariest thing I’ve ever done in my career,” said the team’s captain Mark Maraschiello. “It’s a 400-pound gorilla. Nobody knew what harm he could do to us. He could have bitten my arm off easily,” Maraschiello added.

51. What is the main idea of this passage?

　　 A. A zoo keeper was injured while working at the zoo.

　　 B. A zoo keeper forgot to lock the door of a gorilla’s cage.

　 　 C. A 400-pound gorilla ran wildly in the zoo after breaking his cage.

　 　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. A 400-pound gorilla bit a zoo keeper after escaping from his cage.

52. According to Donna Fernandes, the gorilla bit the zoo keeper because 　　.

　 　　　　　　　　　　　　 A. he was too angry to see the zoo keeper

　 　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. he was too excited to see the zoo keeper

　 　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. he didn’t want to be sent back to the cage

　 　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. he wanted to find some delicious food

53. What did the zoo keeper do after being bitten by the gorilla?

　 　　　　　　　　　　　　 A. She asked another gorilla to protect her.

　 　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. She tried her best to comfort him.

　 　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. She locked herself in a cage of another gorilla.

　 　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. She called the police and asked them to rescue her.

54. The gorilla was taken into his cage after 　　.

　 　　　　　　　　　　　　 A. a zoo keeper calmed him down with words

　 　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. he was sedated by a policeman with a gun

　 　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. a vet calmed him down by using some drugs

　 　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. he became tired from running around the zoo

55. According to the last paragraph, how did Mark Maraschiello feel when he was trying to catch the gorilla?

　 　　　　　　　　　　　　 A. Excited.　　 B. Calm.　　 　　 C. Angry. 　 D. Frightened.

B

Americans do many different things during their vacations. Some people stay at home and enjoy time with their families. They may go to a local swimming pool, zoo or museum. Other people travel to enjoy large national parks, the mountains, the ocean, or large amusement parks. Many people visit interesting American cities or historic areas. Some people visit family members in other states. Still other Americans visit foreign countries.

Recently there is a new use for vacation time — learning about a new kind of job. This program is called Vocation Vacations. People pay between six hundred and five thousand dollars to work at a job for a few days or a week.

Brian Kurth of Portland, Oregon, started Vocation Vacations. He says it serves a valuable purpose. It gives people a chance to try out a job they always wanted without leaving their present job.

People use Vocation Vacations to try many kinds of jobs around the United States. These are jobs that anyone can learn to do. For example, they can learn how to make beer, wine, cheese or cakes. They can help train dogs or horses. They can learn how to be a hunting and fishing guide or a gardener. They can work with a sports announcer, television producer, wedding planner or photographer. Or they can learn how to operate a very small hotel, called a “bed and breakfast”.

Vocation Vacations recently added several new jobs. They include comedians, dog-sled (雪橇) drivers and hair stylists. The company says the most popular job so far is winemaking.

The Vocation Vacations Website recently asked visitors what prevents them from working at their dream job. More than two thousand people answered. Forty-two percent said the main block is money. Lack of the right education or experience was the answer given by twenty-five percent. Other answers included fear of failure and lack of family support.

46. From the first paragraph we can learn that on holiday 　　.

　　 A. Americans often try out new jobs　　　　　　　　　　　

　　 B. Americans prefer to travel

　　 C. what Americans usually do

　　 D. how Americans enjoy themselves at home

47. What is “Vocation Vacations” according to the passage?

　　 A. The best way of enjoying time with one’s family.

　　 B. A program of learning a new job on holiday.

　　 C. A chance to learn how to operate a hotel.

　　 D. The most popular jobs around the US.

48. It seems that most of the jobs in Vocation Vacations are 　　.

　　 A. difficult　　　　 B. boring　　　　　 C. expensive　　　 D. enjoyable

49. Which of the following jobs in Vocation Vacations is the most popular in America?

　　 A. Training dogs.　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Hairdressing.

　 　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. Making wine.　 　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Making cakes.

50. When people take the jobs in vocation vacations, 　　.

　　 A. they can choose many kinds of them

　　 B. they can get some money for their work

　　 C. they must have much experience

　　 D. they must have a lot of money

第二节 完形填空（共30小题；A篇10小题，每小题1分；B篇20小题，每小题1.5分；满分40分）

A

On June 18th, I went to my little brother’s baseball game as I always did. Cory was 12 years old at that time and had been 　　11　 　for two years. When I saw he was warming up to be next at bat, I decided to head over to give him some instructions. But when I got there, I 　　12　 　said, “I love you.” In 　　13　 , he asked, “Does this mean you want me to hit a home run (全垒打)?” I 　　14　 　and said, “Do your best.” Then he walked up to the plate (本垒). He looked so 　　15　 　and so sure about what he was going to do. One 　　16　 　was all he took and, wouldn’t you know, he hit his first home run! He ran around those bases with such 　　17　 —his face was lit up. But what touched my heart the most was when he walked back. He looked over at me with 　　18　 　smile I’ve ever seen and said, “I love you, too.” I don’t 　　19　 　if his team won or lost that game. On that special summer day in June, it simply didn’t 　　20　 .

11. A. changing　　　 B. playing　　　　　　 C. acting　　　　　　 D. waiting

12. A. probably　　　 B. happily　　　　　　 C. bravely　　　　　 D. simply

13. A. fact　　　　　　 B. order　　　　　　　　 C. return　　　　　　 D. advance

14. A. smiled　　　　 B. struggled　　　　　 C. agreed　　　　　 D. forgot

15. A. careful　　　　 B. confident　　　　　 C. curious　　　　　 D. mad

16. A. swing　　　　　 B. turn 　　　　　　　　 C. advantage　　　 D. seat

17. A. surprise　　　　 B. effort　　　　　　　 C. patience　　　　 D. pride

18. A. the weakest　 B. the politest　　　　 C. the biggest　　 D. the strangest

19. A. doubt　　　　　 B. consider　　　　　 C. find　　　　　　　 D. remember

20. A. unite　　　　　　 B. matter　　　　　　　 C. exist　　　　　　　 D. flash

B

A little boy was standing outside the mall in the cold spring wind, collecting donations for cancer research. I noticed he had no 　　21　 .

I checked my purse, but didn’t find any 　　22　 . It is a principle of mine to always 　　23　 　money to cancer research—I have 　　24　 　dear friends and family members to the disease, and want to do my little part to help find a 　　25　 .

“I’ll bring you some money when I come back,” I 　　26　 　the boy.

“Thank you!” he smiled and let out a loud sneeze.

“You’ll get yourself a 　　27　 ! Come inside the mall,” I asked him.

“Sorry, I 　　28　 ,” he stated. “The guard there said no one is 　　29　 　to gather money in the mall.” I could not believe my 　　30　 . I looked inside, 　　31　 　could not see a guard. If I had I would have told him what I thought of such 　　32　 .

I did my shopping quickly and bought 　　33　 　a pair of gloves. “OK, now give me your list,” I said to the boy. I looked at the empty lines. “Do you need to get all these lines 　　34　 ?” “No. I don’t have to, but I want to. My best friend Pete has cancer. I want to help him,” he said 　　35 　. Deeply moved, I took the gloves out. “These are for you.”

“Thank you!” he said, and he 　　36　 　bowed. “Now I can stand here a lot longer than I 　　37　 !”

I asked, “Will the organization give you something to 　　38　 　you for doing this?” “They sure do!” “What do you get then?” I asked, 　　39　 　to hear he got some nice toys or perhaps a certificate (证书). He was smiling broadly now. “I get a new, 　　40　 　list!”

21. A. chances　 　 B. clothes　 　　　　 C. gloves　 　　　 D. feelings

22. A. coins　　 　　 B. cards　 　　　　　 C. tips　 　　　　　 D. drugs

23. A. earn　 　　　 B. give　 　　　　　　 C. owe　 　　　　　 D. save

24. A. met　 　　　　 B. asked　 　　　　　 C. visited　 　　　 D. lost

25. A. cure　 　　　 B. result　 　　　　　 C. job　 　　　　　 D. goal

26. A. invited　　 B. reported　 　　　 C. promised　 　 D. advised

27. A. flu　　 　　　 B. drink　 　　　　　 C. pay　　 　　　　 D. meal

28. A. won’t　 　　 B. may not　 　　　 C. can’t　 　　　　 D. needn’t

29. A. supposed　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. allowed　 　　 C. proved　 　　　 D. believed

30. A. senses　 　　 B. ears　 　　　　　　 C. eyes　 　　　　　 D. words

31. A. when　 　　 B. so　 　　　　　　　 C. if　 　　　　　　 D. but

32. A. customers　 B. guards　 　　　　 C. rules　 　　　　 D. advices

33. A. himself　 　 B. me　 　　　　　　 C. myself　　 　　 D. him

34. A. filled　 　　 B. pulled　 　　　　 C. attached　 　　 D. handled

35. A. weakly　 　 B. sadly　 　　　　　 C. quietly　 　　　 D. secretly

36. A. gradually　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. actually　 　　 C. possibly　　 D. hardly

37. A. judged　　 　 B. expressed　 　　 C. announced　 D. thought

38. A. direct　 　　 B. employ　 　　　 C. defend　 　　　 D. thank

39. A. starting　 　 B. imagining　　 　 C. hoping　　 　　 D. realizing

40. A. empty　 　　 B. full　 　　　　　　 C. long　 　　　　 D. short

10. He never studied French; what he knows was 　　　　　when he was living in Paris.

　　 A. taken up　　　 B. made up　　　　　　　 C. picked up 　　　　 D. brought up

9. He left his hometown for Guangzhou in his early twenties, 　　　　　he thought he could make his fortune.

　　 A. where　　　　　 B. when　　　　　　　　　 C. which　　　　 　　 D. what

8. Wang Ming works very hard and so far this term he 　　　　　great progress in his English.

　　 A. makes　　　　　 B. made　　　　　　　　　 C. has made　　 　　　 D. had made