Some of the world’s most famous persons had suffered from a similar disability, such as Albert Einstein, the mathematician; Thomas Edison, the inventor; Auguste Rodin, the artist. What disabled these three famous men? Strange as it may seem, they all suffered from learning disabilities. They had great difficulty learning to read, write or use numbers. Almost always, there is a problem with one of the mental processes needed to understand or use written signs or spoken language. Yet he or she is unable to recognize difference in sizes, shapes or sounds that are easy for others to recognize. Learning disabilities are very common. They affect perhaps 10 percent of all children. Four times as many boys as girls have learning disabilities.

Since about 1970, new research has helped brain scientists understand these problems better. Scientists now know there are many different kinds of learning disabilities and that they are caused by many different things. There is no longer any question that all learning disabilities result from differences in the way the brain is organized.

You can not look at a child and tell if he or she has a learning disability. There is no outward （外部的） signs of disorder （混乱）. So some researchers began looking at the brain itself to learn what might be wrong. In one study, researchers examined the brain of a learning-disabled person who had died in an accident. They found two unusual things. One involved cells in the left side of the brain, which control language. These cells normally are white. In the learning-disabled person’s brain, however, these cells were gray . The researchers also found that many of the nerve cells were not in a line the way they should have been. The nerve cells were mixed together.

60. How can we learn whether a person has suffered from a learning disability or not?

A. By judging whether she or he sees or hears perfectly well.

B. By checking whether he or she is of normal or great intelligence.

C. By judging whether he or she is the world’s most famous person or not.

D. By judging whether he or she has any difficulty in recognizing the difference in sizes, shapes or sounds.

61. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. Among the children suffering from learning disabilities, girls are fewer than boys.

B. It is reported that many more girls have learning disabilities than boys.

C. All the world’s most famous persons have the chance to get the similar disorder. 

D. All the world’s most famous persons have suffered from learning disabilities.

62. Why did researchers examine the brain of a learning-disabled person who had died in an accident?

A. To try to look at the brain itself to find out the cause of learning disabilities.

B. To see if the person had any outward signs of disorder.

C. To check if the person is of normal or great intelligence.

D. To find out if the person suffered from a learning disability.

63. If someone has a learning disability, _______.

A. his or her nerve cells are in a line

B. he or she is able to recognize difference in sizes, shapes or sounds

C. he or she has no difficulty in learning to read, write or use numbers

D. his or her nerve cells in the left side of the brain are gray and are not in a line

　　The oldest stone buildings in the world are the pyramids. They have stood for nearly 5,000 years, and it seems likely that they will continue to stand for thousands of years yet. There are over eighty of them scattered along the banks of the Nile, some of which are different in shape from the true pyramids. The most famous of these are the “Step” pyramid and the “Bent” pyramid.

　　Some of the pyramids still look as much alike as they must have been when they were built thousands of years ago. Most of the damage suffered by the others has been at the hands of men who were looking for treasure or. more often, for stone to use in modern buildings. The dry climate of Egypt has helped to keep the pyramid, in good condition, and their very shape has made them less likely to fall into ruin. These are good reasons why they can still be seen today, but perhaps the most important one is that they were planned to last forever.

　　The “Step” pyramid had to be on the west side of the Nile, the side on which the sun set. This was for spiritual reasons. It also had to stand well above the level of the river to protect it against the regular floods. It could not be too far from the Nile, however, as the stones to build it needed to be carried in boats down the river to the nearest point. Water transport was, of course, much easier than land transport. The builders also had to find a rock base, which was not likely to crack under the great weight of the pyramid. Finally, it had to be near the capital, or better still, near the king's palace so that he could visit it easily to personally check the progress being made on the final resting place for his body.

1．Which of the following statements is TRUE about the “Step” pyramid?

[　　]

A．It is unlikely to fall into ruin in the near future.

B．It was built on the sands along the Nile.

C．It is the oldest building on earth.

D．It is the most famous of the true pyramids.

2．The most important reason why some pyramids remain in good condition is that ________.

[　　]

A．people have taken care of them

B．it doesn't rain often in Egypt

C．they were well designed

D．the government has protected them from damage

3．Most of the damage to the pyramids has been caused by ________.

[　　]

A．the regular floods

B．the dry climate of Egypt

C．people searching for gold

D．people in search of building materials

4．Why did the Egyptians build the pyramids along the banks of the Nile?

[　　]

A．Because they believed in their god.

B．Because it was difficult to find a large rock base far from the Nile.

C．Because the river helped a lot in the transport of building materials.

Read the following passage. Complete the diagram by using the information for the passage. Write NO MORE THAN 3 WORDS for each answer.

Since it was founded a year ago, the babysitting pool has become increasingly popular in the United States. More and more mothers have joined it and have benefited from it. What attracts them most is the idea that you pay your babysitter not in cash, but in paper cards. When you join the babysitting pool, you are given thirty cards, which are worth 30-minute babysitting time each.  For each half an hour while you are gone, the babysitter gets paid one card.

There are rules regulating this service. You should not watch more than three kids at a time including your own. On big holidays, such as Christmas and Thanksgiving, the babysitter should be paid twice as much, which means two cards for every half an hour. When you leave the babysitting pool, you should return all the cards. If you are out of cards, you cannot use money instead. You should have to baby-sit for others to earn enough cards so that you will have them handy when you yourself need a babysitter.

   Many mothers think highly of this service. It keeps children in constant touch with one another, and makes life easier for the mothers. Since in most cases, the babysitter is the mother who watches other kids at her own home, it is still possible for her to do her own things while the kids play with each other. In fact most mother babysitters find that their own kids are less of a monster and easier to watch when they are around other playmates. Moreover, since the babysitting pool service does not involve money, it will not be a financial loss to the family.

In the past year, the babysitting pool has helped so many mothers with their work that they all think that it is indeed a good community service worth keeping.

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend. But some women show great interest in colorful beads（珠子）from Uganda made of recycled paper. The beads are sold by a nonprofit organization called BeadforLife.

BeadforLife began as a chance meeting between three American women on a trip to Uganda and a local jewelry maker. Millie Grace Akena was rolling paper beads near her home. She made paper beads as a hobby. But there was no real market in her country.

Torkin Wakefield says she and her daughters Devin and Ginny brought some of the beads back home. Immediately people started admiring the beads. The three Americans started BeadforLife in 2004. Nearly 700 women have taken part.

The group says its beaders earn an average of more than 2,000 dollars a year in the program. This is five times what they earned before. The beads are sold across Uganda and in Boulder, Colorado. They are also sold online and at jewelry shows called bead parties. “Because they have meaning, because these are gifts that help people, when folks in America and beyond buy our beads, they feel a sense of generosity. They feel a direct connection, like they can really take part in getting rid of poverty.” Torkin said.

The jewelry costs between five and thirty dollars. BeadforLife reported sales in its last budget year of more that 3.5 million dollars. It says for every ten-dollar necklace sold, the beader gets two dollars and forty-three cents in money or materials. It says more than 90% of earnings are reinvested in community development projects in Uganda. Torkin Wakefield estimates that BeadforLife has helped more than 8,000 people this way.

So what about Millie Grace Akena, the jewelry maker? Mrs Wakefield says she has gone on to organize a small group of women who work with her, and they sell their beads to a religious group.

1.According to the passage, BeadforLife is an organization that ______.

A. provides poor people worldwide with free education

B. mainly encourages people to learn to earn a living on their own

C. has attracted many businessmen to invest in beading

D. supports community development projects in Uganda

2.When Torkin Wakefield brought the beads to America, ______.

A. she didn’t know people would like them

B. she wanted to make a fortune out of them

C. people showed great interest in them at once

D. she was thinking of how to find investors

3.According to Paragraph 4, the beads are popular because ______.

A. people think buying them is a good way to help the poor

B. they are of good quality and can be kept for a long time

C. they symbolize the most important thing in people’s life

D. they look even more beautiful than diamonds

4.Which of the following can best summarize the main idea of the passage?

A. Mrs Wakefield makes a great contribution to developing countries.

B. BeadforLife makes beads out of recycled paper.

C. BeadforLife uses paper beads to improve people’s lives.

D. Mrs Wakefield’s career takes off thanks to paper beads.

36. ______ has helped to save the drowning girl is worth praising.