As an experienced photojournalist in Nashville, Tennessee, I was hired by USA Today newspaper to photograph a spinal bifida (脊柱畸形) corrective surgical procedure. It was to be performed on a twenty-one week old fetus（胎儿）in uterus（子宫）at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. At that time, in 1999, twenty-one weeks in uterus was the earliest that the surgical team would consider for surgery. The worst possible outcome would be that the surgery would cause premature delivery, and no child born earlier than twenty-three weeks had survived.

The tension could be felt in the operating room as the surgery began. A typical C-section cut was made to access the uterus, which was then lifted out and laid at the junction of the mother’s thighs（大腿）. The entire procedure would take place within the uterus, and no part of the child was to breach the surgical opening. During the procedure, the position of the fetus was adjusted by gently moving the outside of the uterus. The entire surgical procedure on the child was completed in one hour and thirteen minutes. When it was over, the surgical team breathed a sigh of relief, as did I.

As a doctor asked me what speed of film I was using, out of the corner of my eye I saw the uterus shake, but no one’s hands were near it. It was shaking from within. Suddenly, an entire arm thrust out of the opening, then pulled back until just a little hand was showing. The doctor reached over and lifted the hand, which reacted and squeezed the doctor’s finger. As if testing for strength, the doctor shook the tiny fist. Samuel held firm. I took the picture! Wow! It happened so fast that the nurse standing next to me asked, “What happened?” “The child reached out,” I said. “Oh. They do that all the time,” she responded.

The surgical opening to the uterus was closed and the uterus was then put back into the mother and the C-section opening was closed.

It was ten days before I knew if the picture was even in focus(对焦). To ensure no digital manipulation(篡改) of images before they see them, USA Today requires that film be submitted unprocessed. When the photo editor finally phoned me he said, “It’s the most incredible picture I’ve ever seen.”

1.What may be the best title for the passage?

A. An Amazing Moment                                          B. A Pitiful Fetus

C. An Honorable Job as a Photographer              D. An Impressive Surgeon

2.In 1999, people believed that it was ________.

A. possible for a fetus 21 weeks born to survive

B. likely for a fetus born 21 weeks to become abnormal

C. right time for a fetus born 21 weeks to receive an operation

D. risky for a fetus 21 weeks in uterus to receive an operation

3.From the second paragraph, we can see that the surgery was ________.

A. challenging but successful                                 B. demanding and unsuccessful

C. simple and short                                                  D. long-lasting and difficult

4.The underlined “It” in paragraph 3 refers to ________.

A. the uterus              B. the arm of the fetus

C. the picture             D. the head of the fetus

5.From what the editor said in the last paragraph, we know he was very ________.

A. disappointed                   B. satisfied                                   C. confident                D. depressed

The common cold is the world's most widespread illness， which is plagues（病疫） that flesh receives. The most widespread fallacy（谬误） of all is that colds caused by cold. They are not. They are caused by viruses passing on from person to person. You catch a cold by coming into contact，directly or indirectly， with someone who already has one. If cold causes colds， it would be reasonable to expect the Eskimos to suffer from them forever. But they do not. And in isolated arctic regions explorers have reported being free from colds until coming into contact again with infected people from the outside world by way of packages and mail dropped from airplanes. During the First World War soldiers who spent long periods in the trenches（战壕）， cold and wet，showed no increased tendency to catch colds. In the Second World War prisoners at the notorious Auschwitz concentration camp（奥斯维辛集中营），naked and starving，were astonished to find that they seldom had colds. At the Common Cold Research Unit in England， volunteers took part in Experiments in which they gave themselves to the discomforts of being cold and wet for long stretches of time. After taking hot baths，they put on bathing suits， allowed themselves to be with cold water， and then stood about dripping wet in drafty room. Some wore wet socks all day while others exercised in the rain until close to exhaustion. Not one of the volunteers came down with a cold unless a cold virus was actually dropped in his nose. If，then， cold and wet have nothing to do with catching colds， why are they more frequent in the winter？Despite the most pains-taking research， no one has yet found the answer. One explanation offered by scientists is that people tend to stay together indoors more in cold weather than at other times， and this makes it easier for cold viruses to be passed on. No one has yet found a cure for the cold. There are drugs and pain suppressors（止痛片） such as aspirin， but all they do is relieve the symptoms。

Which of the following does not agree with the chosen passage？

    A. The Eskimos do not suffer from colds all the time.

    B. Colds are not caused by cold.

    C. People suffer from colds just because they like to stay indoors.

    D. A person may catch a cold by touching someone who already has one.

Arctic explorers may catch colds when _______.

    A. they are working in the isolated arctic regions

    B. they are writing reports in terribly cold weather

    C. they are free from work in the isolated arctic regions

    D. they are coming into touch again with the outside world

Volunteers taking part in the experiments in the Common Cold Research Unit _______.

    A. suffered a lot      

    B. never caught colds

    C. often caught colds    

    D. became very strong

The passage mainly discusses _______.

    A. the experiments on the common cold

    B. the fallacy about the common cold

    C. the reason and the way people catch colds

D. the continued spread of common colds

Never argue with one's own understanding.

The whisper of intelligence is always there, whatever you do.

If you create a time lag (隔绝层) between the whisper of intelligence and understanding in you and your action, then you are preventing the brain from growing into a new size. When you argue with intelligence, when you postpone acting according to understanding then there is confusion, the brain gets confused.

The voice of understanding, the voice of intelligence has insecurity about it. How do you know that it is the right thing?

So we tend to ignore it. Instead we accept authority. We obey.

But the brain cannot be orderly, competent, accurate and precise if you do not listen to it, if you have no respect. We are so busy with the outside world and its force that the world that is inside us does not command that respect and reverence (敬重), that care and concern from us.

So one has to be a disciple (信徒) of one's own understanding, and look upon that understanding as the master.

Sometimes one may commit a mistake, it might be the whim (念头) of the ego and we might mistake the whim, the wish of the ego for the voice of silence and intelligence, but that we have to discover. Unless you commit mistakes, how do you learn to discriminate between the false and the true? In learning there is bound to be a little insecurity, a possibility of committing mistakes. Why should one be terribly afraid of committing mistakes?

So instead of accepting the authority of habits and conditionings, while one is moving one watches, and when there is a suggestion, do not neglect, ignore, or insult the whisper from within and from one's own intelligence.

1.What will happen if you refuse to follow your own understanding according to the above passage?

A．Your brain will become smaller.

B．You will never get help from authority.

C．You will hardly know the world.

D．Your own intelligence will stop growing.

2.What is the function of committing mistakes from the view of the author?

A．Mistakes can make one practical.

B．Mistakes can make one know the facts.

C．Mistakes can allow one more time to develop.

D．Mistakes can improve one’s judgment.

3. The whole passage is developed by ______.

A．facts and ideas                         B．reasoning and explaining

C．scientific experiments                    D．arguing and debating

4.The best title of the passage might be ______.

A．Never argue with your own understanding

B．Never believe any authority while arguing

C．Never neglect whispers from around you

D．Never stop training yourself.

He was in hospital for six months. He felt as if he was _______ from the outside world.

A. cut out          B. cut off  C. cut up D. cut through?

阅读下面短文，根据所读内容在表格中的空白处填入恰当的词。
注意：每个空格只填一个单词。
Fruit also makes up a flowering plant. It carries the seeds . The purpose of fruit is to protect a plant’s seeds and help them get spread about. Wind and water spread seeds .So do animals when they eat fruit and drop the seeds .
There are two main types of fruit: fleshy and dry. Fleshy fruits are soft and juicy , the way we usually think of fruits . Peaches ,plums ,and apples are all fleshy fruits . Dry fruits are thin and hard . Grains like wheat and rice , or nuts are dry fruits.
You’ve eaten seedless oranges and grapes . How can they be fruits? It’s because people have changed the way they grow fruit. They can now grow seedless fruit . Seedless fruit comes from special plants called hybrids(杂交生物体) . A hybrid is made by combining two varieties of a fruit to form a new variety . This hybrid grows and produces seeds . But the plants grown from these seeds are seedless . These plants cannot reproduce themselves.
A tomato is a vegetable , right? No , it’s actually a fruit . Other food we think of as vegetables—such as squash , peppers ,and eggplant—also are fruit . They’re fruit because they carry seeds and develop from flowers . Here’s another surprise . Scientists classify the tomato as a berry(浆果) . In addition , they don’t consider some fruits we call berries to be true berries because a berry is normally a type of fruit with a lot of seeds inside it . Technically , a strawberry , isn’t a berry , because it has its seeds on the outside . The red part is just the tip of the strawberry stem that’s enlarged.
Fruits are a source of nourishing(滋养) substances that keep us alive and healthy . For example , they contain many vitamins , especially vitamins A and C, and many minerals . They also provide fibre for a healthy digestive system and carbohydrates that the body needs to make energy.