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。
A
While researchers have long shown that tall people earn more than their shorter counterparts, it's not only social discrimination that accounts for this inequality -- tall people are just smarter than their height-challenged peers, a new study finds.
"As early as age three -- before schooling has had a chance to play a role -- and throughout childhood, taller children perform significantly better on cognitive tests," wrote Anne Case and Christina Paxson of Princeton University in a paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.
The findings were based primarily on two British studies that followed children born in 1958 and 1970, respectively, through adulthood and a U.S. study on height and occupational choice.
Other studies have pointed to low self-esteem, better health that accompanies greater height, and social discrimination as culprits(罪犯) for lower pay for shorter people.
But researchers Case and Paxson believe the height advantage in the job world is more than just a question of image.
"As adults, taller individuals are more likely to select into higher paying occupations that require more advanced verbal and numerical skills and greater intelligence, for which they earn handsome returns," they wrote.
For both men and women in the United States and the United Kingdom, a height advantage of four inches equated with a 10 percent increase in wages on average.
But the researchers said the differences in performance crop up long before the tall people enter the job force. Prenatal care(产前护理) and the time between birth and the age of 3 are critical periods for determining future cognitive ability and height.
"Prenatal care and prenatal nutrition are just incredibly important, even more so than we already knew," Case said in an interview.
Since the study's data only included populations in the United Kingdom and the United States, the findings could not be applied to other regions, Case said.
And how tall are the researchers?
They are both about 5 feet 8 inches tall, well above the average height of 5 feet 4 inches for American women.
51. What can be learnt from the study of Anne Case and Christina Paxson is that ______.
A. the reason for lower pay for shorter people is social discrimination
B. taller children perform significantly better on cognitive test
C. tall people earn more than shorter counterparts
D. prenatal care and prenatal nutrition are less important than we already knew
52. Which period is the most important for determining future cognitive ability and height?
A. between age 3 and schooling         B. between birth and the age of 3
C. the whole childhood                   D. between 1958 and 1970
53. The underlined phrase “crop up” in the Eighth Paragraph is closest in meaning to ______.
A. get in       B. rise up        C. come up       D. stand up
54. The best title for this passage would be _______.
A. Tall people earn more than shorter counterparts 
B. A study on height and occupational choice
C. The difference between tall people and short people 
D. Taller people are smarter

Short people, studies have shown , are more likely to have a stroke , suffer from high blood pressures and heart disease and be bullied in school .
Now, researchers report that short people—at least in the past—were also more likely to die at a younger age than their taller peers.
Their study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology (流行病学) and Community Health , found that short bones have something to do with short life for more than 1,000 years. The conclusion was based on 490 sets of adult skeletal(骨架) remains from an archaeological(考古学的) site in northeastern England , YC dating from the 9th century to about 1850 .
About 55% of men and 73% of women died before the age of 45, and 39% of men and 56% of women died before age 30. The risk of death before age 30 declined as bone length increased.
“This study provides evidence from an archaeological sample that long bone length is connected with age at death—those with smaller bones tend to die younger,” according to Dr. D.J. Gunnell of the university of Bristol  in the UK and colleagues .
While it is not clear why short stature(身材) might be linked to earlier death , the researchers point out that height is an indicator of childhood nutrition, which may have long-lasting effect on health .
“Mechanism (身体结构) for height-mortality(死亡) associations in the past may differ from those today , for example , short stature may have increased the risk of death in childbirth and this may explain the higher risk of premature(未成熟的) mortality in women,” Gunnell and colleagues write .
“However, short bones, it would appear, have always been a marker of a short life,” the authors conclude.
【小题1】The title of the passage should be        .

A.Short people and their taller peers
B.Men and women
C.Short stature and short life
D.Long life and short life
【小题2】“An indicator” in Paragraph 6 means        .
A.a studyB.a markerC.a riskD.an age
【小题3】Which of the following statements is Not true according to the passage?
A.People with smaller bones were more likely to die younger.
B.Women were more likely to die at a young age.
C.Short-stature women bear higher risk of death in giving birth to babies.
D.Most people were more likely to die at the age of 30 in the past.
【小题4】Short stature may be caused by        .
A.less childhood nutritionB.heart disease
C.some illnessesD.high blood pressure
【小题5】The topic in this passage is probably connected with
A.space medicineB.sports medicine
C.social medicineD.industrial medicine

Ron Meyer is the president and COO(首席运营官) of Universal Studios.As one of the most successful business leaders in Hollywood, he heads up Universal Pictures and Universal Parks & Resorts.He's the guy who oversees the production of Multimillion-dollar extravaganzas(作品) like King Kong and Cinderella Man

Meyer’s story sounds like the plot of one of his motion pictures.He grew up in a modest home where there was little income.It was a big deal to go to a restaurant.At 15, he quit high school and spent his time hanging out with the neighborhood toughs(流氓).He was then a kid quick with his fists who seemed to get into fights somewhat regularly.At one point, he was separated from others with an infectious disease, having no TV and nothing to do.His mother sent him two books.One was The Amboy Dukes, a novel about kids in street gangs.The other was The Flesh Peddlers, about a guy in the talent agency(星探公司)who lived a successful life.“I realized,” he says, “that I was no longer that silly kid I had been, and I wanted to change my life.”

Meyer took any job he could get.He worked as a busboy and short-order cook.He cleaned offices and sold shoes.That attitude made an impression on people.One day he received a call from Paul Kohner, a successful agent who represented stars like John Huston, Charles Bronson and Lana Turner.Their messenger and driver had quit, and they knew Ron was willing to take whatever job they offered. He started the job the next day.

Meyer was lucky to work with a good boss―and he had the brains to make the most of that experience.In nearly six years of driving for Kohner, Meyer became his right-hand man and learned a lot.By the 1970s, Meyer had built many relationships in the business.In 1975, the fate presented an opportunity and he started his own operation Creative Artists Agency, which became a huge success, representing Hollywood legends like Barbra Streisand, Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise.

Twenty years later, Meyer was appointed to run Universal Studios, a position far beyond his youthful dream.But once he saw success was possible, he was driven to achieve it.Today, colleagues regularly owe his success―and theirs―to his humility and perseverance.It’s a level of success that takes determination, personality and intelligence, whether it comes from a college education or from the street.

1.What is the main idea of the passage? 

A.How a bitter childhood contributes to one’s success.

B.It’s important to choose a right career to achieve one’s life goal.

C.A talent agency helps a person to become famous.

D.It’s people’s determination, intelligence and personality that decide their success.

2.What does the author mean by saying “he had the brains to make the most of that experience”?

A.He benefited a good deal from the experience.

B.He smartly took the opportunity to learn from the experience.

C.That experience made him ever smarter than ever before.

D.He used his brains to impress his boss.

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A.A talent agency is to oversee the production of movies.

B.Ron Meyer did far more successfully than Raul Kohner.

C.Relationship is the most important thing in the film industry.

D.Meyer had never thought of being as successful as today.

 

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