There is a joke among flu researchers: “If you've seen one flu season, you've seen one flu season.” The joke is about the unpredictable nature of the flu virus.Every year it looks different, and every strain (类型) follows its own pattern — it's the reason why new strains like H1N1 are extremely difficult to predict.

       Dr.Michael Osterholm is a former adviser to the U.S.Department of Health and Human Services.“I know less about influenza today than I did 10 years ago,” he says in a joking way.“Every stone we've turned over, we get more questions.”

       The flu rectums every season and the world experiences terrible pandemics (全国或全世界范围流行的疾病), but researchers still do not understand why some strains infect people and others do not; they are not entirely sure about how the flu is transmitted; nor do they understand why some patients become seriously ill while others develop mild symptoms (症状).As a result, when a new strain shows up — like H1N1 — they often have little information to fall back on, and the lessons of previous pandemics are only somewhat helpful.While researchers are still putting together a complete picture of H1N1, for example, its most striking difference with the seasonal flu is that the elder1y are not the most vulnerable (易受攻击的) population.

       Influenza's unpredictable nature makes it a moving target for researchers, says researcher Allison Aiello at the University of Michigan.“Even if we had complete seasonal flu data from the past, it wouldn't be much helpful for a new strain of influenza,” she explains.

       Whi1e researchers are frustrated by the holes in their knowledge, they say, however, that the pub1ic--health community is generally doing a very good job responding to H1N1 with seasonal flu data that do exist.Studying influenza, says Osterholm, is “like looking through the windows of a house you can't get into because the door is locked.” Gathering the data researchers do have is like “looking through the windows to get a pretty good picture of what the inside looks like.”

       One thing researchers do know for sure: the best way for people to protect against H1N1 is to get the vaccine once it becomes available to them.

What do we learn about H1N1 from the passage?

       A.In fact it is not a kind of influenza virus.

       B.It is quite possible to predict it in theory.

       C.Old people are more likely to contract it than kids.

       D.Receiving vaccines will be effective to protect against it.

The underlined phrase “fall back on” in Para.3 probably means      .

       A.rely on            B.pass on            C.col1ect     D.exchange

What do we know about previous seasonal flu data?

       A.It is useless to study them.     

       B.It is still necessary to study them.

       C.They are misleading most of the time.

       D.They are much more helpful than expected.

Which of the following could be the best title for the passage?

       A.Outbreaks of the flu        B.Symptoms of the flu

       C.Mysteries of the flu         D.Risks of the flu

According to sociologists(社会学家), every modern industrial society has some form of social stratification(阶层). Class, power and status are important in deciding people’s rank in society.
  Class means a person’s economic position in society. A commonly used classification is lower class, middle class and upper class. While sociologists disagree on how these terms should be exactly defined, they do describe societies like the United States quite well. One study shows that 53% of Americans belong to the lower class, 46% the middle class, and 1% the upper class. Interestingly, a surgeon earning $500,000 a year and a bus driver earning $50,000 a year both regard themselves as the middle class!
   Power refers to the amount of control a person has over other people. Obviously, people in positions of great power (such as governors) exercise(行使)big power, but people who take orders from others have less power. Power and class do not always go hand in hand, however. For example, the governor of a state has great power, but he or she may not belong to a corresponding (相应的)economic class. Generally, however, there is a relationship between power and class.

To our knowledge, there aren’t too many people who aren’t millionaires in the U.S. Senate! Status is the honor or respect attached to a person’s position in society. It can also be affected by power and class, but not necessarily so. For example, a university professor may have a high status but not belong to a high social class or have a lot of power over others.

54. What can we learn about “the middle class” from Paragraph 2?

A. People earning $50,000 a year belong to the middle class.

B. Nearly half Americans belong to the middle class.

C. People generally consider bus drivers as the middle class.

D. Sociologists have a clear definition of the middle class.

55. According to the text, we know that _____.

A. power and class do not always correspond with each other

B. status refers to a person’s economic position in society

C. people with high status have a lot of control over others

D. class is less important in deciding a person’s social rank

56. Which of the following shows the structure of the whole text?

                                      

                                                

                                       

            A.                B.             C.           D.

Life in space will certainly take some getting used toBut the space station has been designed to keep the astronauts as comfortable as possible—the modules() are roomybrightand kept at a constant 70 degrees Fahrenheit.It’s important the crew members are comfortable because they’ll be busy aboard the station.In a typical workdaycrew members will spend 14 hours working and exercising,1.5 hours preparing and eating mealsand 8.5 hours sleeping.Here are some other fun facts about life aboard the station

Food

Come mealtimeastronauts will have a special dining kitchen.Space food just keeps getting better—and more like food we enjoy here on Earth.In early space missionsastronauts could eat only freeze?dried food that didn’t require any preparation.But the space station is equipped with watermicrowave ovensand refrigeratorsallowing the folks on board to eat more “normal” types of foodincluding fruitvegetablesand ice cream!

Sleep

Each crew member has a private room.With no gravitythey’ll need to tie themselves to their bedsor they will float awayThat might sound like a strange way to sleepbut astronauts from past space missions report that sleeping in space is actually pretty great!

Exercise

You might not think itbut exercise is even more important on the station than it is on Earth.There is not much gravity in space.Astronauts don’t stand upsit down or walk in spaceso their muscles and bones don’t have to work much—and this muscle and bone loss can be dangerous back on Earth.To fight thisastronauts on the station will exercise on bikesrowing machinesand other equipment about two hours every day.

Clothing

Astronauts will have to wear special space suits while traveling aboard the US.shuttle or Russian rockets.But once they’re safe inside the space stationcrew members can wear regular clothing.Of coursea specially designedpressurized space suit is required for space walks.It has to withstand(经受住) flying pieces and protect the astronauts from dramatic temperature changes.It can range from 120 degrees below Fahrenheit in the shadow of the station to 250 degrees in the hot sun.

Personal Cleanliness

Simple tasks like brushing your teeth can be challenging in a weightless environment.A little water doesn’t flow in a stream—it suspends in a bubbleAstronauts will use a freshwater hose(软管) to take showersshampooand wash off—then a second vacuum hose to suction() off the dirty water.And how do you go to the bathroom in spaceWith a special “air toilet” that uses flowing air instead of water to dispose of waste.

1.The facts about life in space are all mentioned EXCEPT ________.

Aclothing? Bentertainment

Csleep? Dexercise

2.What can be learned from the paragraph “Clothing”

AThe temperature is quite different in different places in space.

BAstronauts must wear special space suits all the time in space.

CAstronauts can wear regular clothing for space walks now.

DAstronauts wear pressurized space suits just to keep warm.

3.Why is exercise more important in space than on earth?

AIt can make astronauts feel relaxed in space.

BIt can help astronauts spend their spare time happily.

CAstronauts’ lives are more important in space than on earth.

DIt can prevent astronauts from causing muscle and bone loss.

4.What do we know about space food from the text?

AAstronauts could eat apples in space in the past.

BAstronauts eat only fruitvegetables and ice cream now.

CFresh food isn’t available to astronauts in space.

DSpace food is getting better now than before.

 

This year 2,300 teenagers ( young people aged from 13-19 ) from all over the world will spend about ten months in U.S. homes. They will attend U.S. schools, meet U.S. teenagers, and form impressions (印象) of the real American teenagers. American teenagers will go to other countries to learn new languages and have a new understanding of the rest of the world.

Here is a two-way student exchange in action. Fred, nineteen, spent last year in Germany with George's family. In return, George's son, Mike, spent a year in Fred's home in America.

Fred, a lively young man, knew little German when he arrived, but after two months study, the language began to come to him. School was completely different from what he had expected — much harder. Students rose respectfully (尊敬地) when the teacher entered the room. They took fourteen subjects instead of the six that are usual in the United States. There were almost no outside activities.

Family life, too, was different. The family's word was law, and all activities were around the family rather than one of the members. Fred found the food too simple at first. Also, he missed having a car.

“Back home, you pick up some friends in a car and go out and have a good time. In Germany, you walk, but you soon learn to like it.”

At the same time, in America, Mike, a friendly German boy, was also forming his idea. “I suppose I should criticize (批评) American schools.” he says. “It is far too easy by our level. But I have to say that I like it very much. In Germany we do nothing but study. Here we take part in many outside activities. I think that maybe your schools are better in training for citizens. There ought to be some middle ground between the two.”

1.The whole exchange program is mainly to ____.

A.help teenagers in other countries know the real America

B.send students in America to travel in Germany

C.let students learn something about other countries

D.have teenagers learn new languages

2.What did Fred and Mike agree on?

A.American food tasted better than German food.

B.German schools were harder than American schools.

C.Americans and Germans were both friendly.

D.There were more cars on the streets in America.

3. What is particular (特别的) in American schools?

A.There is some middle ground between the two teaching buildings.

B.There are a lot of after-school activities.

C.Students usually take 14 subjects in all.

D.Students go outside to enjoy themselves in a car.

4.What did Mike think after experiencing the American school life?

A.A better education should include something good from both America and Germany.

B.German schools trained students to be better citizens.

C.American schools were not as good as German schools.

D.The easy life in the American school was more helpful to students.

 

 

For the first time in modern history, less than half of the U.S. adult population now reads literature, according to a recent survey. Reading at Risk: A survey of Literary Reading in America presents a detailed review of the decline of reading’s role in the nation’s culture.

Reading at Risk is a survey of national fashion in adult literary reading. The data source for Reading at Risk is as reliable and objective (客观的) as any such survey can be. The key results of the survey are presented in the “Summary”, but the report can be further explained as: literary reading in America is not only declining rapidly among all groups, but the rate of decline has been speeded up, especially among the young. Reading at Risk merely shows a great cultural change that most Americans have already noted - our society’s great turn to electronic media for entertainment and information.

Reading a book requires a degree of active attention and devotion. Indeed, reading itself is a progressive skill that depends on years of education and practice. On the contrary, most electronic media such as television, recordings, and radio make fewer demands on their audiences, and indeed often require no more than passive participation. While oral culture has a rich reality and electronic media offer the considerable advantages of variety, print culture affords irreplaceable forms of focused attention and thought that make various communications and views possible. The decline in reading, therefore, equals a larger retreat (减少) from participation in public and cultural life.

What is to be done? There is surely no single solution to the present problem, just as there is no single cause. The important thing now is to understand that America can no longer take active and devoted reading for granted.

Reading is not a timeless, common ability. As more Americans lose that ability, our nation becomes less informed, active, and independent minded. These are not qualities that a free, inventive, or productive society can afford to lose.

1.The main purpose of the survey is to __________.

A. focus on the role of electronic media and reading

B. show that American young people read less and less

C. give a report of the national fashion of literary reading

D. review that less than half of the population now reads literature

2.According to the passage, reading __________.

A. requires less attention and devotion

B. demands no more than passive participation

C. limits various communications and views

D. means active participation in public and cultural life

3.The underlined phrase “cultural change” in Paragraph 2 refers to the change __________.

A. from oral culture to electronic media

B. from print culture to electronic media

C. from electronic media to oral culture

D. from electronic media to print culture

4.The author of the passage __________.

A. misunderstands oral culture

B. doubts the results of the survey

C. encourages the Americans to read more

D. agrees to the solution to the present problem in reading

 

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