People have often wondered about Margaret Thatcher’s famous claim that she only needed four hours of sleep a night. People were amazed that former British Prime Minister had managed to run the country on so little sleep. Most people need at least seven or eight hours rest every night.
But now scientists have discovered a gene(基因)that affects the amount of sleep we need and which allows some people to survive on fewer hours. They found a mother and a daughter who have a rare gene that allows them to sleep less than the rest of their family —but still feel alert during the day. The pair managed to stay alert on about six hours sleep a night, two hours less than the rest of their family needs.
The finding, published in Science magazine, offers a new direction for studies on how sleep affects health. Experts say adults need seven to nine hours of sleep for good health, while teenagers and kids need more. People who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to get sick and suffer from memory loss.
In 2001,scientists at the University of California discovered a mutation(突变)in a gene that causes people with that gene to have very unusual sleeping patterns. These people go to bed around 7:30 pm and wake around 3:30 am.
Now the team has found a gene that affects how long a person can stay asleep. In the family they studied, the 69-year-old mother and her 44-year-old daughter usually went to bed around 10 pm. The mother woke up around 4 am, and her daughter woke up around 4:30 am. Both of them felt fully rested.
Blood tests showed the women have a mutation in a gene named DEC2, which regulates the body’s clock.
Researcher Ying-Hui Fu bred(培育) mice and fruit flies to carry the mutation. The flies and mice with the mutation slept less than ordinary flies and mice, and needed less time to recover from little sleep.
64. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Less sleep does not affect people’s health.
B. Different people have different sleeping patterns.
C. New measures can reduce the effect of less sleep on health.
D. The hours we need to sleep may be affected by some gene in our body.
65. The underlined word “alert” in Paragraph 4 is similar in meaning to .
| A. comfortable | B. wide awake | C. quite alive | D. sleepy |
66. In the study, the mother and the daughter .
A. were found to have a mutation in the gene DEC2
B. were asked to sleep less than other family members
C. had the same sleeping pattern as other family members
D. suffered from memory loss for sleeping only six hours a night
67. According to the passage, the new finding can help .
A. recover memory loss
B. cure sleeping problems
C. get rid of mice and fruit flies more easily
D. explain why some people need less sleep to feel fully rested
“I’d be better off dead.” he said, without any hesitation. Hearing those words come out of my best friend’s mouth tore my heart apart. He has repeated that phrase more than once, and my mind continually plays it over like a voice recording.
I met him about three years ago. After knowing me for six months, he told me about his struggles with depression. Sadness was not the only feeling that came over me; I was shocked. He seemed so outgoing and happy all the time. I soon learned that he was hurt physically and mentally as a young child, causing him to have the thought of killing himself.
He refuses to talk to others about his depression because he now distrusts adults, especially those in his family. However, he feels as if I understand him and that I know the right words to speak. Therefore, when it comes to helping him, convenience is not in my vocabulary. It does not matter where I am or what I am doing, for he always comes first.
Many students at his school laugh at him when they notice scars on his arms from cutting. As he sees it, other kids have every right to make fun of him. But no one holds such a right, so I encourage him to ignore the heartless kids who treat him badly. When he feels the weight of judging eyes or hateful voices, I always remind him that I care about him unconditionally. Just hearing me say I will always be his best friend seems to give him the safety he needs to keep on going.
My best friend once told me that if he had not had me, he would not be alive. He said that my encouraging words helped him not to take his life. Our friendship has taught me that a single kind word can influence someone’s life. Life is not easy for every one, which makes me strongly believe in the necessity of encouragement.
56. According to the first paragraph, hearing his friend’s words, the author felt______.
| A. puzzled | B. painful | C. frightened | D. hopeless |
57. By saying “convenience is not in my vocabulary”, the author means ______.
A. he is always ready to help his friend
B. he hardly spares time to help his friend
C. he has no good excuse for refusing his friend
D. he is not good at communicating with his friend
58. The author’s friend got into depression mainly because __________.
| A. he lived without his parents | B. he had poor health |
| C. he received little care at school | D. he had a terrible childhood |
59. What is the best title for the passage?
| A. I enjoy friendship | B. My friend and I |
| C. I believe in encouragement | D. The story of my friend |
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36~55各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题纸上将该项标号涂黑。
An old farmer lived on a farm in the mountains with his young grandson. Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table 36 his book. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to 37 him in every way he could.
One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa! I try to read that book just like you do, 38 I don’t understand it, and what I do understand I 39 as soon as I close the book. What 40 does reading the book do?”
The grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, “Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of 41 .”
The boy did as he was told, but all the water 42 before he got back to the house.
The grandfather laughed and said, “You’ll have to move a little more 43 next time.” Then he sent the boy back to the river with the basket to try 44 . This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was 45 before he returned home.
46 , he told his grandfather that it was 47 to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket 48 .
The old man said, “I don’t want a 49 of water; I want a basket of water. You’re just not trying hard enough.” 50 he went out of the door to watch the boy try again.
The boy again dipped the basket into the river and ran as hard as he could, but when he
51 his grandfather the basket was again empty. Out of breath, he said, “See, Grandpa, it’s useless!”
“So you think it is useless?” the old man said, “Look at the basket.”
The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was 52 . Instead of a dirty old coal basket, it was 53 , inside and out.
“Son, that’s what 54 when you read the book. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you will be 55 , inside and out.”
| 36. A. glaring | B. staring | C. writing | D. reading |
| 37. A. train | B. accept | C. copy | D. understand |
| 38. A. but | B. and | C. because | D. although |
| 39. A. remember | B. forget | C. ignore | D. recognize |
| 40. A. task | B. harm | C. good | D. importance |
| 41. A. water | B. fire | C. earth | D. coal |
| 42. A. ran away | B. got off | C. set out | D. leaked out |
| 43. A. quietly | B. quickly | C. slowly | D. carefully |
| 44. A. once | B. also | C. again | D. still |
| 45. A. empty | B. full | C. heavy | D. dirty |
| 46. A. In a hurry | B. To his surprise | C. Out of breath | D. In his turn |
| 47. A. impossible | B. important | C. boring | D. unnecessary |
| 48. A. anyhow | B. indeed | C. therefore | D. instead |
| 49. A. bottle | B. bucket | C. bowl | D. pot |
| 50. A. This time | B. Before long | C. In a way | D. In time |
| 51. A. reached | B. left | C. followed | D. asked |
| 52. A. wet | B. different | C. broken | D. new |
| 53. A. light | B. popular | C. clean | D. complete |
| 54. A. means | B. matters | C. takes | D. happens |
| 55. A. changed | B. combined | C. consulted | D. confirmed |
--- Did you have a good night’s sleep last night, sir?
--- Oh, exactly. It was such a comfortable bed. I could never have ______ sleep.
| A. a worse | B. the best | C. a better | D. the worst |
The beach is ______ walking distance of my house. That is to say, we can walk there easily.
| A. for | B. on | C. beyond | D. within |
The old woman was counting the eggs ______ by the hens during this month.
| A. laid | B. lied | C. lay | D. lain |
The old couple looked happy living in the city, but they ______ had a hard time.
| A. frequently | B. actually | C. gradually | D. exactly |
On one side of the park, there is a patch of trees, ______ a river winds.
| A. through which | B. across which | C. that | D. which |