“Dr.Papaderos,what is the meaning of life?”
The usual laughter followed,and people stirred(骚动)to go.Papaderos held up his hand and stilled the room and looked at me for a long time,asking with his eyes if I was serious and seeing from my eyes that I was.
“I will,answer your question.”
Taking his wallet out of his hip pocket,he fished into a leather billfold and brought out a very small round mirror,about the size of a quarter.And what he said went like this:
“When I was a small child,during the war,we were very poor and we lived in a remote village.One day,on the road,I found the broken pieces of a mirror.A German motorcycle had been wrecked in that place.
I tried to find all the pieces and put them together,but it was not possible,so I kept only the largest piece.This one,and,by scratching it on a stone.I made it round. I began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shine——in deep holes and crevices(裂缝)and dark closets. It became a game for me to get light into the most inaccessible places I could find.
I kept the little mirror,and,as I went about my growing up,I would take it out in idle moments and continue the challenge of the game.As I became a man,I grew to understand that this was not just a child’s game but a metaphor for what I might do with my life.I came to understand that I am not the light or the source of light.But light——truth,understanding,knowledge——is there,and it will shine in many dark places only if I reflect it.
I am a fragment(碎片)of a mirror whose whole design and shape l do not know.Nevertheless,with what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world——into the black places in the hearts of men—and change some things in some people.Perhaps others may see and do likewise.This is what I am about.This is the meaning of my life.”
【小题1】On hearing the author’s question,Dr.Papedotes       at first.

A rainforest is an area covered by tall trees with the total high rainfall spreading quite equally through the year and the temperature rarely dipping below l6℃. Rainforests have a great effect on the world environment because they can take in heat from the sun and adjust the climate. Without the forest cover，these areas would reflect more heat into the atmosphere，warming the rest of the world. Losing the rainforests may also influence wind and rainfall patterns，potentially causing certain natural disasters all over the world.
In the past hundred years，humans have begun destroying rainforests in search of three major resources（资源）：land for crops，wood for paper and other products，land for raising farm animals. This action affects the environment as a whole. For example，a lot of carbon dioxide（二氧化碳）in the air comes from burning the rainforests. People obviously have a need for the resources we gain from cutting trees but we will suffer much more than we will benefit.There are two main reasons for this. Firstly，when people cut down trees，generally they can only use the land for a year or two. Secondly，cutting large sections of rainforests may provide a good supply of wood right now，but in the long run it actually reduces the world’s wood supply.
Rainforests are often called the world’s drug store. More than 25％ of the medicines we use today come from plants in rainforests. However，fewer than l％of rainforest plants have been examined for their medical value. It is extremely likely that our best chance to cure diseases lies somewhere in the world’s shrinking rainforests.
【小题1】Rainforests can help to adjust the climate because they      

第二节：完形填空 (共20小题，每小题1.5分，满分30分)
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从各题所给的四个选项中，选出一个最佳答案。
One day a young man was standing in the middle of the town, saying that he had the most beautiful heart in the whole world. A large crowd   36   and they all admired his heart, for it was   37 .There was not a mark or a flaw (瑕疵) in it. They all agreed it was  38   the most beautiful heart they had   39   seen. The young man was very   40   and boasted (自夸) more loudly about his beautiful heart.
Suddenly, an old man   41   at the front of the   42   and said, “Your heart is not as beautiful as mine.” The crowd and the young man looked at the old man’s heart. It was beating  43 , but it was full of   44  . It had places where pieces had been   45   and other pieces put in, but they didn’t  46   quite right and there were several rough and pointed edges.
The people stared. “How can he say his heart is more beautiful?” they thought. The young man looked at the old man’s heart and laughed. “You must be   47  ,” he said. “Compare your heart with mine. Mine is perfect and yours is a mess of scars.”
“Yes, yours   48   perfect, but I would never trade with you,” said the old man. “Every scar   49   a person to whom I have given my love. I  50   a piece of my heart and give it to them, and often they give me a piece of their heart which fits into the   51   place in my heart, but because the pieces aren’t   52   in shape, I have some rough edges, which I  53 .They remind me of the love we shared. So now do you see what true   54   is?”
The young man was moved. He stood there silently with   55   running down his cheeks.
36. A. stopped      B. came       C. agreed       D. gathered
37. A. clean        B. exciting    C. happy        D. perfect
38. A. probably       B. truly      C. likely       D. luckily
39. A. never         B. seldom      C. ever         D. sometimes
40. A. proud        B. regretful   C. happy        D. angry
41. A. appeared      B. cried      C. showed        D. listened
42. A. man          B. crowd        C. street       D. town
43. A. quickly      B. strongly    C. slowly         D. heavily
44. A. tears        B. water      C. scars        D. love
45. A. burnt        B. changed     C. removed      D. cut
46. A. place        B. fit        C. jump         D. see
47. A. joking       B. tricking     C. dreaming       D. playing
48. A. looks        B. smells      C. sounds        D. feels
49. A. explains     B. helps      C. presents      D. represents
50. A. tear down     B. turn down    C. tear out       D. throw out
51. A. clean        B. scary      C. empty        D. painful
52. A. normal         B. big        C. fine           D. exact
53. A. want         B. dislike    C. fear          D. value 
54. A. kindness     B. happiness    C. beauty         D. love
55. A. water        B. sweat      C. tears        D. Blood

A newly-published study has shown that loneliness can spread from one person to another, like a disease.
Researchers used information from the Framingham Study, which began in 1948. The Framingham Study gathers information about physical and mental health, personal behavior and diet. At first, the study involved about 5,000 people in the American state of Massachusetts. Now, more than 12,000 individuals are taking part.
Information from the Framingham Study showed earlier that happiness can spread from person to person. So can behaviors like littering and the ability to stop smoking.
University of Chicago psychologist John Cacioppo led the recent study. He and other researchers attempted to show how often people felt lonely. They found that the feeling of loneliness spread through social groups.
Having a social connection with a lonely person increased the chances that another individual would feel lonely. In fact, a friend of a lonely person was 52% more likely to develop feelings of loneliness. A friend of that person was 25% more likely. The researchers say this shows that a person could indirectly be affected by someone’s loneliness.
The effect was strongest among friends. Neighbors were the second most affected group. The effect was weaker on husbands and wives, and brothers and sisters. The researchers also found that loneliness spread more easily among women than men.
The New York Times newspaper reports that, on average, people experience feelings of loneliness about 48 days a year. It also found that every additional friend can decrease loneliness by about five percent, or two and a half fewer lonely days.
Loneliness has been linked to health problems like depression and sleeping difficulties. The researchers believe that knowing the causes of loneliness could help in reducing it.
The study suggests that people can take steps to stop the spread of loneliness. They can do this by helping individuals they know who may be experiencing loneliness. The result can be helpful to the whole social group.
【小题1】 What is true about the Framingham Study?

Dear Economist,
My newly-wedded wife and I are deeply in love. There is, however, one issue that threatens the happiness of our marriage. I absolutely insist on shopping at Walmart. My wife, meanwhile, would rather avoid Walmart at all costs.
　　I have recently tried to convince her that not only does Walmart offer the lowest prices known to man, but that the chain is also a force for good―lower prices mean better standards of living for all consumers, increased global trade means a tighter-knit(紧密团结的) international community, and efficient operations translate into higher productivity growth for the economy. My wife complains about poor labour policies, the “fact” that Walmart squeezes suppliers, and that it puts local shops out of business.
　　Who is right? Will our marriage survive?
　　                                                                                                                                                  Brian Gee
Dear Brian,
I have to agree with you about Walmart. Jason Furman, then an economist at New York University, now an adviser to President Obama, famously argued in 2005 that Walmart was unwittingly (不知不觉地) a progressive success story. The chain’s prices don’t much affect me (I prefer Whole Foods) but Furman estimated that they benefited low-and-middle-income Americans to the sum of around $250 billion a year.
　　Walmart does not pay much, so it may depress wages. Then again, it may increase wages by offering jobs to the otherwise-unemployed. Either way, the benefits of low prices to Walmart shoppers far outweigh any seemingly reasonable costs to Walmart employees. And while it is true that Walmart employees tend to be poor, the same is true of Walmart shoppers.
　　Armed with this information you can face your wife with confidence. You are sure to win the conversation. The divorce is likely to be more argued.
Economist
68. What concerns Brian Gee so much that he wrote the letter?
A. His wife refuses to shop at Walmart.
B. They are faced with a divorce.
C. They can’t afford the costs of shopping at Walmart.
D. They are in conflict about shopping at Walmart. 
69. Brian Gee’s wife tends to hold the opinion that _________.
A. it is wrong for Walmart to depress its employees’ wages
B. consumers’ lives have improved thanks to Walmart
C. Walmart’s business operation increases productivity in economy
D. Walmart’s business increases global trade
70. What can be inferred from the reply letter?
A. Some employees accept the low pay to keep the job.
B. Walmart appeals to only poor consumers and poor employees.
C. Employees suffer from Walmart’s low prices more than consumers.
D. Jason Furman, a New York University economist, spoke highly of Walmart.