Anyone who ever wondered why a dying plant, say, a freshly-cut red rose may appeal to a lady friend, might take some comfort in science, which once again offers us a reasonable answer to one of the world’ s great mysteries.
Beyond a common preference in people for blue, “the long history of color preference studies has been described as ‘confusing and contradictory(矛盾的)’,” write scientists Anya Hurlbert and Yazhu Ling of England’ s Newcastle University, authors of a new study in the journal Current Biology. “This fact is perhaps surprising,” they said, “though the popularity of the concept that little girls differ from boys in preferring pink.”
But the scientists believe they have an answer to this scientific mystery, discovering women’s preference for red, hidden above the average liking for blue.
In their study, the pair quickly flashed color cards, displaying many different aspects, at 208 volunteers, mostly Britishers but with a number of Han Chinese, who moved to the United Kingdom recently. Tested in three different experiments, the researchers found out a small but significant preference for reddish colors in the female volunteers.
Puzzled, the authors realized that most of the difference between men and women came in the form of a preference for green VS red in the color cards, regardless of the other slight differences such as the slightly blue ones that everyone liked. Why might this be?
Evolution might offer an answer, they reason. Human color perception(感知), the assessment of three separate color types — red — green — blue— in our vision (视觉) is a relatively recent addition to our line of mammals(脯乳动物)
Adding weight to their argument, they found the women who are most typically feminine(女性的) on a psychological survey also had the biggest preference for reddish colors. “My love is like a red, red rose,” wrote the Scottish poet Rober Burns in 1794.
【小题1】What does the first paragraph probably tell us ?

A.Scientific research can help people solve the mystery.
B.When we are tired, we can turn to science for help.
C.Science can make our study interesting and contradictory.
D.We should turn to scientific invention for comfortable life.
【小题2】The word “pair” in Para.4 refers to _____.
A.boy and girlB.the two authors
C.research and resultD.pink and blue
【小题3】According to the passage, ______________.
A.boys like blue better than girls
B.girls like pink better than boys
C.men like red better than women
D.men and women both like green
【小题4】How did the scientist do the research?
A.By asking questionsB.By telephoning the interviewees
C.By adding numbersD.By doing experiments
【小题5】What is the purpose of writing this article?
A.To sell products packed in redB.To introduce the history of color
C.To inform us of a research findingD.To analyze men’s taste for color

 
E  
As a result of pollution , Lake Erie , on the borders of the USA and Canada, is now without any living things.  
Pollution in water is not simply a matter of “poisons” killing large numbers of fish overnight. Very often the effects of pollution are not noticed for many months or years because the first organism(生物体 ) to be affected are either plants or plankton. But these organisms are the food of fish and birds and other creatures. When this food disappears, the fish and birds die too. In this way a whole food chain can be wiped out, and it is not until dead fish and water birds are seen at the river’s edge or on the sea shore that people realize what is happening.  
Where do the substances which pollute the water come form? There are two main sources sewage (污水) and industrial waste. As more detergent (洗涤剂 ) is used in the home, so more of it is finally put into our rivers. lakes and seas. Detergents harm water birds dissolving the natural substances which keep their feathers waterproof. Sewage itself, if not properly treated, makes the water dirty and prevents all forms of life in rivers and the sea from receiving the oxygen they need. Industrial waste is even more harmful since there are many highly poisonous things in it, such as copper and lead(铅 ).  
So , if we want or stop this pollution , the answer is simple: sewage and industrial waste must be made clean before flowing into the water. It may already be too late to save some rivers and lakes, but others can still be saved if the correct action is taken at once.  
72. Pollution in water is noticed _____.   
A. when the first organisms are affected    B. when a good many fish and birds die   
C. when poisonous things are poured into water        
D. as soon as the balance of nature is destroyed   
73. The living things die because there is no ____ in the lake or river.    
A. water          B. fish               C. poison           D. oxygen   
74. Which of the following is harmful according to the passage?   
A. Organisms                             B. Plants and plankton in the water       
C. Waste water from cleaning   D. Industrial waste made clear before flowing into the water   
75.The way to stop water pollution is _______.  
A. realize the serious situation clearly   
B. put oxygen into the river   
C. make the waste material harmless before flowing into the water   
D. make special room in the sea for our rubbish  


B
When people lose legs after accidents or illnesses, emergency care and artificial limbs(假肢)often allow them to walk again. Newts (蝾螈) in the same situation, on the other hand, can grow limbs back on their own! Scientists have known for a long time that certain animals can re-grow limbs, but they haven’t quite figured out how these creatures do it.
Researchers have now come up with some new ideas. Their work may give people the ability to re-grow lost limbs. The researchers started with two simple experiments:when you cut a newt’s leg at the ankle, only the foot grows back;when you cut off a leg at the very end, the whole leg grows back. In both cases, the re-growth begins with stem cells. Stem cells can develop into nearly any type of cell in the body.
How do a newt’s stem cells know when to grow only a foot and when to re-grow a whole leg?
This question relates to another mystery. In newt’s, a cut-off leg will grow back only if the nerve bundle(神经束)in it also grows back , but if something prevents the nerve bundle from growing, the stem cells at the wound won’t re-grow a new leg.
In its study, a British team focused on a protein called n-AG. When the team prevented nerves in a limb from growing, but added the n-AG protein to stem cells in the limb, the limb still re-grew. That protein seems to guide limb re-growth. People have proteins that are similar to n-AG. Further research into these materials may someday help human limbs recover by themselves.
40. In the experiments, the researchers cut off a newt’s foot or leg to find out _____.
A. what stem cells were                     B. whether they would grow back
C. how long it would take to re-grow    D. how they would re-grow
41. A newt will re-grow its leg if _____.
A. its ankle was cut off but the nerve bundle was good
B. its leg was cut off and the nerve bundle stopped growing
C. its leg was cut off and the nerve bundle could grow back
D. its ankle and the nerve bundle were cut off
42. What do the underlined words “these materials” refer to?
A. Nerve bundles and proteins.         B. Proteins similar to n-AG.
C. Stem cells and proteins.               D. Stem cells and nerve bundles.
43. The first sentence of the passage _____.
A. acts as a lead–in                       B. shows where researchers got their new ideas
C. states the author’s opinion           D. describes the result of researchers’ studies


E
Many cities in the world are benefiting from the nocturnal (夜间活动的) activities of a group of people who call themselves guerrilla (游击队的) gardeners. Armed with trowels, spades and a van full of flowers and plants, guerrilla gardeners turn abandoned urban land into a blaze of color. In city centre locations where there was mud, weeds and empty plastic bottles, residents often wake up to find that the wasted area has been transformed overnight with brightly-colored bedding plants.
In most British cities, local governments and police turn a blind eye to the exploits (开发) of the gardeners, whose activities are always carried out under cover of nightfall. And so far, there has been nothing but praise from the astonished and delighted local residents when they find their neighborhood transformed in such a striking fashion.
Not only do the guerrilla gardeners beautify neglected places, they also return regularly to water the plants and weed the flower beds. They also make sure that at least some of the plants they bring are evergreens, which means that the area doesn’t look dismal (凄凉的) in the winter months.
The first guerrilla gardener in London was Richard Reynolds, whose day job is at an advertising agency. Mr Reynolds, a graduate of Oxford University, began his efforts two years ago when he moved to a flat in a tower block in South London. From his balcony, he could see several empty concrete pots, placed by the local governments to contain plants but never used. He went out after midnight and filled the pots with plants, and then planted more flowers in the path leading to the entrance to the block.
He then set up a website to explain his plan and called upon more gardeners to join him. Cash donations flooded in and, more importantly, volunteers rushed to be part of the campaign. Within six months, there were five hundred people in London prepared to come out at very short notice to revitalize (恢复活力) neglected parts of the urban landscape. There are now unofficial but carefully-organized groups in many cities in Britain and North America and there is also a website where would-be urban gardeners can find out the location of the next expedition.
76. According to the text, guerrilla gardeners got their names ______.
A. because of the residents’ advice                    B. from the local governments
C. for the nature of their work                         D. based on the local cultures
77. These guerrilla gardeners do their work ______.
A. at the request of the government                  B. nearby their house
C. often in return for others’ help                      D. of their own free will
78. Why do the guerrilla gardeners often return to their former working places?
A. To look after these plants.                            B. To enjoy these beautiful flowers.
C. To help plants live through winter months.    D. To change the types of these plants.
79. Richard Reynolds decided to fill the pots with plants with the purpose of ______.
A. making the neighborhood more beautiful      B. agreeing with his own job
C. advertising some products in his agency      D. killing his spare time
80. It can be inferred from the text that these guerrilla gardeners ______.
A. are mainly from the United Kingdom
B. will later get well paid
C. are still not accepted by the local people
D. become more and more organized

Would you like to be a king or queen? To have people waiting on you hand and foot? Many Americans experience this royal treatment every day. How? By being customers. The American idea of customer service is to make each customer the center of attention. Need proof? Just listen to the commercials. Most of them sound like the McDonald’s ad: “We do it all for you.” Actually, not all stores in America roll out the red carpet for their customers. But wherever you go, good customer service means making customers feel special.
People going shopping in America can expect to be treated with respect from the very beginning. Most places don’t have a “furniture street” or a “computer road” which allow you to compare prices easily. Instead, people often “let their fingers do the walking” through the store hot lines. From the first “hello”, customers receive a satisfying response to their questions. This initial contact can help them decide where to shop.
When customers get to the store, they are treated as honored guests. Customers don’t usually find store clerks sitting around watching TV or playing cards. Instead, the clerks greet them warmly and offer to help them find what they want. In most stores, the clear signs that label each department make shopping a breeze. Customers usually don’t have to ask how much items cost, since prices are clearly marked. And unless they’re at a flea market or a yard sale, they don’t bother trying to bargain.
When customers are ready to check out, they find the nearest and shortest checkout lane. But as Murphy’s Law would have it, whichever lane they get in, all the other lanes will move faster. Good stores open new checkout lanes when the lanes get too long. Some even offer express lanes for customers with 10 items or less. After they pay for their purchases, customers receive a smile and a warm “thank you” from the clerk. Many stores even allow customers to take their shopping carts out to the parking lot. That way, they don’t have to carry heavy bags out to the car.
【小题1】 By quoting (引用) the McDonald’s ad: “We do it all for you”, the author intends to_______.

A.suggest that customers believe what commercials say deeply
B.show readers the American idea on good customer service
C.express all the stores pay much attention to the customers
D.persuade readers to choose the stores with ads correctly
【小题2】In the USA, what may you do at first if you want to do some shopping?
A.To visit a professional street with lots of similar stores.
B.To compare prices in many shops in the same street.
C.To make phone calls and get better shopping choices.
D.To receive other customers’ answers to the questions.
【小题3】The underlined words “a breeze” in Para.3 most probably means _________.
A.an easy jobB.a trouble  C.a funny thing  D.a boring task
【小题4】Which of the followings shows American stores offer convenience to customers in this passage?
A.The store clerks don’t usually sit around watching TV or playing cards.
B.Some stores offer price bargain to the customers like a yard sale.
C.The clerks give customers a smile and a warm “thank you” after paying.
D.Some stores open new checkout lanes when the lanes are crowded.
【小题5】Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?
A.Customer Service in AmericaB.Excellent Stores in America
C.Shopping Rules in AmericaD.Being King or Queen in America

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