It’s the place where smart people make smart machines work even smarter. It’s also in the heart of sunny California, a great place to start a family and raise kids. What could be better?

But something is happening to their children. Up until the age of two they develop normally. But then everything seems to go backwards. The children become locked into their own small world, unable to communicate at all.

They call it the “curse(诅咒)of Silicon Valley,” but the medical name for the condition is autism(自闭症). It used to be thought that autism was a kind of mental illness. Now doctors are sure that it is a neurological disease transmitted genetically. It seems that the people leading the communications revolution are having children who cannot communicate at all.

But even the parents have trouble communicating. Asperger’s Syndrome is a mild version of autism. People who have it are highly intelligent and often brilliant with numbers or system but have no social skill. This very combination of symptoms makes Asperger’s sufferers into ideal computer professionals.

The Asperger’s sufferer has always been a well-known figure in popular culture. He or she was the eccentric but dedicated scholar or the strange uncle or auntie who never married. But the high numbers of such people in Silicon Valley mean that they can meet others who understand them and share their interests. And while they might not be personally attractive, they can earn truly attractive amounts of money. They can get married and have kids. Unfortunately, many of the children of two Asperger’s parents seem to be developing serious autism.

There is little anyone can do. It takes hours of work just to make autistic child realize that anyone else exists. And there is no cure in sight. Some argue that no cure should be found. “It may be that autistics are essentially different from normal people, but that these differences make them invaluable for the evolution of the human race,” says Dr. Kirk Whilhelmsen of the University of California. “To eliminate the genes for autism could be disastrous. ”

It seems that the children of Silicon Valley are paying the price of genius.

1.What is the best title of the passage?

A. The Price of Genius

B. Asperger’s Syndrome, a Mild Version of Autism

C. No Cure Should Be Found

D. Ideal Computer Professionals

2.What does Dr Kirk Whilhelmsen think of autism?

A.It is disastrous to society.

B.It is not completely a bad thing.

C.It is a punishment to those working in Silicon Valley.

D.People with autism should never marry.

3.What can we learn about autism according to the passage?

A.It is believed to be a kind of mental illness that can be cured.

B.People with autism can’t find people sharing their interests.

C.They do not care about the presence of others.

D.They are a burden for the society.

4.Why do people call autism “curse of Silicon Valley”?

A.Because autistic people live in Silicon Valley.

B.Because many people working in Silicon Valley have autism children.

C.Because people with autism will be driven out of Silicon Valley.

D.Because people with autism are not personally attractive and not liked by others.

5.What can we know about Asperger’s Syndrome according to the passage?

A.Asperger’s sufferers are ideal computer professionals.

B.Asperger’s sufferers never get married and have children.

C.Asperger’s sufferers are ashamed of themselves and locked into their own world.

D.Asperger’s sufferers can be beneficial to society if they are cured.

Head held high, hands firmly gripping her walker, Mary Arnott, 99, walks slowly with dignity through the women’s changing room at the Etobicoke Olympium pool, past the teenage girls who have been blow-drying their hair for half an hour, into the mist of the showers, then out the door and first one into the heated pool. She jumps over to the shallow end, stopping to talk to friends—everyone knows Arnott here; she swims twice a week and treats it as a job—about their children, the viciousness(谬误) of bridge and their health.

In fact, Arnott is an exception to the exception. Not only has she lived 20 years past the average lifespan for Canadians, she’s healthy, her mind is sharp and she lives independently.

Born in Brooklyn on May 28, 1909, Arnott was raised on Staten Island. She survived scarlet fever(猩红热), helped bring up four siblings after her mother died in 1923 and worked as a secretary in New York City for 12 years, earning$35 a week and a$150 bonus at Christmas.

Now she’s happy living in a one-room apartment with a kitchen and a bathroom in her daughter’s house. She wears a hearing aid, does the cryptic(有隐义的) crossword with a magnifying glass, and can’t really explain why she has live so well so long.

Until recently, she has still liked to drink red wine—she used to drink two glasses before supper each day. It’s more likely genes, she admits. Her interest in other people and life in general may have had something to do with it. Asked if a star photographer can take her picture at the pool, Arnott seems cheerful.

“I look good in a swimsuit,” she says, nodding her head firmly. “I look better in a swimsuit than I do in pants. ”

1.What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A. Mary Arnott can’t swim but she likes water.

B. Mary Arnott is afraid to swim at the swimming pool.

C. Mary Arnott likes to swim and is known to the local people.

D. Mary Arnott just likes to talk to her friends at the bank of the swimming pool.

2.Which of the following is TRUE as for Mary Arnott as an exception to the exception?

A. She lives with her daughter.

B. She’s healthy and her mind is sharp.

C. She likes to live with her children and has a happy life.

D. She has lived 30 years past the average lifespan for Canadians.

3.If someone asks about swimming, Mary Arnott may ________.

A. like swimsuit better B. like pants

C. like to sit at the bank D. like to swim with girls

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