In department stores and closets all over the world, they are waiting. Their outward appearance seems rather appealing because they come in a variety of styles, patterns, materials, and colors. But they are eventually the biggest deception (欺骗) that exists in the fashion industry today. What are they? They are high heels (高跟鞋) ― a woman’s worst enemy (whether she knows it or not). High heel shoes are the downfall of modern society. Fashion myths have led women to believe that they are more beautiful or stylish for wearing heels, but in reality, heels succeed in creating short as well as long term troubles. Women should fight the high heel industry by refusing to use or purchase them in order to save the world from unnecessary physical and psychological suffering.

For the sake of fairness, it must be noted that there is a positive side to high heels. First, heels are excellent for aerating lawns (草坪通气). Anyone who has ever worn heels on grass knows what I am talking about. A simple trip around the yard in a pair of those babies gets rid of all the need to call for a lawn care specialist, and provides the perfect-sized holes to give any lawn oxygen without all those messy blocks of dirt lying around. Second, heels are quite functional for defending against oncoming enemies, who can easily be scared away by threatening them with a pair of these sharp, deadly fashion items.

Regardless of such practical uses for heels, the fact remains that wearing high heels is harmful to one’s physical health. Talk to any podiatrist (足病医生), and you will hear that the majority of their business comes from high-heel-wearing women. High heels are known to cause problems such as misshapen feet and torn toenails. The risk of severe back problems and twisted or broken ankles is three times higher for a high heel wearer than for a flat shoe wearer. Wearing heels also creates the threat of getting a heel caught in a narrow sidewalk gap and being thrown to the ground―possibly breaking a nose, back, or neck. And of course, after wearing heels for a day, any woman knows she can look forward to a night of pain as she tries to comfort her aching feet.

57. Women don’t take the disadvantages of high heels too seriously because of _____.

A. the multi-functional use of high heels      B. their attempt to show off their status

C. the rich variety of high heel styles          D. their wish to improve their appearance

58. The writer uses the expression “those babies” (Paragraph 2) to refer to high heels _____.

A. to emphasize their small size                   B. to indicate their new appearance

C. to show women’s love for them           D. to show they are easily broken

59. The writer’s chief argument against high heels is that ______.

A. they create a threat to lawns                            B. they are harmful to women’s health

C. they don’t necessarily make women beautiful  D. they are ineffective as a weapon of defense

 60. It can be inferred from the passage that women should ______.

A. see through the very nature of fashion myths     B. refuse to buy the products of the fashion industry

C. go to a podiatrist regularly for advice                 D. avoid following fashion too closely

Every year in America, high-school students who want to go to college take a national examination called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, or SAT in a shortened way. Their score is an important factor in determining which colleges will admit them or whether any will be admitted at all. The Scholastic Aptitude Test measures one’s mathematical ability and use of the English language. Traditionally, the English portion（部分）involved grammatical questions and paragraphs that test reading comprehension.
But the SAT folks have added a single question, to be answered in an essay, hand-written on the spot. That’s an interesting way to test writing ability, put content aside, have you ever seen young people’s handwriting lately? Or anyone’s for that matter, in this age of computer keyboards? Students write numbers and sign their names on bank checks. They scribble class notes in what can generously be described as the written word. And they hand-write, or more often print, a word or two of identification on luggage and lunch bags. Otherwise penmanship (书法) — once taught so morally and easefully by second-grade teachers, has gone the way of the dodo bird which has died out.
Yet today’s kids are asked to write, thoughtfully and legibly (字迹清楚地), for several minutes on this SAT Test. Good luck to the text scorers who must work out difficultly the scrawl of young people who’ve been typing on computers since the age of three! Teachers insist that good handwriting can not only help one’s score on the SAT, but also, later on in life, impress potential employers and earn bigger tax refunds (退税) because the tax inspectors can actually read the computations (计算结果). And don’t forget, we all have to turn to handwriting from time to time, as computers go down when power goes out.

1. 1.

   The subjects to be tested in the SAT include ______.

   1. A.
      math, English, reading and handwriting
   2. B.
      math, grammar, reading and writing
   3. C.
      math, foreign language and writing
   4. D.
      math, English and handwriting
2. 2.

   The author writes this passage to introduce the fact that ______.

   1. A.
      writing seems to be very important in the SAT
   2. B.
      those who will go to colleges have to take the SAT
   3. C.
      students should practice handwriting more often
   4. D.
      in the computer age kids know how to write legibly
3. 3.

   What does the underlined word “scribble” probably mean?

   1. A.
      Write quickly and roughly.
   2. B.
      Take notes difficultly.
   3. C.
      Print penmanship carefully.
   4. D.
      Describe written word generously.
4. 4.

   According to the passage good handwriting can ______.

   1. A.
      help students get high scores in tests
   2. B.
      make a student more popular
   3. C.
      measure students’ ability
   4. D.
      assist one to get a job

I don’t ever want to talk about being a woman scientist again． There was a time in my life when people asked constantly for stories about what it’s like to work in a field controlled by men． I was never very good at telling those stories because truthfully I never found them interesting． What I do find interesting is the origin of the universe, the shape of space-time and the nature of black holes．

At 19, when I began studying astrophysics, it did not bother me in the least to be the only woman in the classroom． But while earning my Ph．D． at MIT and then as a post-doctor doing space research, the issue started to bother me． My every achievement-jobs, research papers, awards-was viewed through the lens(透镜) of gender(性别) politics． So were my failures． Sometimes, when I was pushed into an argument on left brain versus right brain, or nature versus nurture(培育), I would instantly fight fiercely on my behalf and all womankind．

Then one day a few years ago, out of my mouth came a sentence that would eventually become my reply to any and all provocations(挑衅): I don’t talk about that anymore． It took me 10 years to get back the confidence I had at 19 and to realize that I didn’t want to deal with gender issues． Why should gender discrimination be yet another terrible burden on every female scientist? After all, I don’t study sociology or political theory．

Today I research and teach at Barnard, a women’s college in New York City． Recently, someone asked me how many of the 45 students in my class were women． You cannot imagine my satisfaction at being able to answer, 45． I know some of my students worry how they will manage their scientific research and a desire for children． And I don’t refuse to consider those concerns． Still, I don’t tell them “war” stories． Instead, I have given them this: their physics professor is doing physics experiments, heavily pregnant． And in turn they have given me the image of 45 women driven by a love of science． And that’s a sight worth talking about．

1．Why doesn’t the author want to talk about being a woman scientist again?

       A．She feels unhappy working in male-controlled fields．

       B．She is fed up with the issue of gender discrimination．

       C．She is not good at telling stories of the kind．

       D．She finds space research more important．

2．From Paragraph 2, we can infer that people would contribute the author’s failures to ________．

       A．the very fact that she is a woman

       B．her involvement in gender politics

       C．her over-confidence as a female astrophysicist

       D．the burden she bears in a male-controlled society

3．What did the author constantly fight against while doing her Ph．D． and post-doctoral research?

       A．Lack of confidence in succeeding in space science．

       B．Unfair accusations from both inside and outside her circle．

       C．People’s attitude toward female scientists．

       D．Widespread misconceptions about nature and nurture．

4．What does the image the author presents to her students suggest?

       A．Women students needn’t have the concerns of her generation．

       B．Women have more barriers on their way to academic success．

       C．Women can balance a career in science and having a family．

       D．Women now have fewer problems seeking a science career．

Real policemen hardly recognize any resemblance between their lives and what they see on TV-if they ever get home in time. There are similarities, of course, but the cops don’t think much of them.

The first difference is that a policeman's real life revolves round the law. Most of his training is in criminal law. He has to know exactly what actions are crimes and what evidence can be used to prove them in court. He has to know nearly as much law as a professional lawyer and what is more, he has to apply it on his feet, in the dark on a rainy day, running down an alley after someone he wants to talk to.

Little of his time is spent in chatting to scantily-clad (衣着暴露的) ladies or in dramatic confrontations with desperate criminals. He will spend most of his working life typing millions of words on thousands of forms about hundreds of sad, unimportant people who are guilty — or not - of stupid, petty crimes.

Most television crime drama is about finding the criminal: as soon as he's arrested, the story is over. In real life, finding criminals is seldom much of a problem. Except in very serious cases like murders and terrorist attacks - where failure to produce results reflects on the standing of the police -little effort is spent on searching.

Having made an arrest, a detective really starts to work. He has to prove his case in court and to do that, he often has to gather a lot of different evidence. So, as well as being overworked, a detective has to be out at all hours of the day and night interviewing his witnesses and persuading them, usually against their own best interests, to help him.

1．The fist sentence implies that             .

       A．the life of the real policemen and that of the policemen on TV are entirely different.

       B．the real policemen will find the similarities if they can get home in time.

       C．the real policemen seldom can get home in time to watch TV.

       D．the policemen shown on TV can always get home in time.

2．The everyday life of a policeman or detective is             .

A．exciting and glamorous                         B．full of danger

C．devoted mostly to routine matters          D．wasted on unimportant matters

3．When murders and terrorist attacks occur, the police              .

A．prefer to wait for the criminal to give himself away

B．make great efforts to try to track down their man

C．try to make a quick arrest is order to keep up their reputation

D．usually fail to produce results

4．What’s the best title for the passage?

      A．Policemen and Detectives                     B．Detectives’ Life-fact and Fantasy

       C．The Reality of Being a Detective     D．Drama and Reality

Real policemen hardly recognize any resemblance(类同之处) between their lives and what they see on TV, if they ever get home in time. There are similarities, of course, but the policemen don’t think much of them.

The first difference is that a policeman’s real life revolves(以……为中心) round the law. Most of his training is in criminal law. He has to know exactly what actions are crimes and what evidence can be used to prove them in court.

He has to know nearly as much law as a professional lawyer, and what’s more, he has to apply it on his feet, in the dark and rain, running down an alley after someone he wants to talk to.

Little of his time is spent in chatting to scantily-clad(穿衣不多的) ladies or in dramatic confrontations(对抗) with desperate criminals. He will spend most of his working life typing millions of words on thousands of forms about hundreds of sad, unimportant people who are guilty-or not-of stupid crimes.

Most television crime drama is about finding the criminal: as soon as he is arrested, the story is over. In real life, finding criminals is seldom much of a problem. Except in very serious cases like murders and terrorist attacks-where failure to produce results reflects on the standing of the police-little effort is spent on searching.

Having made an arrest, a detective really starts to work. He has to prove his case in court and to do that the often has to gather a lot of different evidence. So, as well as being overworked, a detective has to be out at all hours of the day and night interviewing his witnesses and persuading them, usually against their own best interests, to help him.

1．It is necessary for a policeman to be trained in criminal law __________.

       A．so that he can catch criminals in the streets

       B．because many of the criminals he has to catch are dangerous

       C．so that he can prove his arrest right in court

       D．because he has to know nearly as much about law as a professional lawyer

2．The everyday life of a policeman of detective is __________.

       A．exciting and enjoyable                          B．wasted on unimportant matters

       C．devoted mostly to routine matters.         D．full of danger

3．When murders and terrorist attacks occur, the police __________.

       A．prefer to wait for the criminal to give himself away

       B．spend a lot of effort on trying to track down their men

       C．try to make a quick arrest in order to keep up their reputation

       D．usually fail to produce results

4．Which of the following is true according to the passage?

       A．Generally the detective’s work is over once the arrest has been made.

       B．Policemen feel that the image of their lives shown on TV is not accurate.

       C．People are usually willing to give evidence.

       D．Policemen and detectives spend little time at the typewriting.

5．Which of the following could be the suitable title for the passage?

       A．Policemen and Detectives.                    B．Detectives’ life-Fact and Fantasy.

       C．The Reality of Being a Detective.    D．Drama and Reality.