第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）

Most children, even the youngest of children, are delighted to be around cats and dogs. But these pets carry plenty of germs and allergens(过敏原), prompting researchers to ask: Are cats and dogs really safe for children?

A study finds that, contrary to many parents’ fears, owning cats or dogs does not increase a child’s risk of developing allergies, and in fact, may actually protect them. The study’s lead author, Dr. Dennis Ownby of the Medical College of Georgia, said that even he was “very surprised” by the results. Ownby and colleagues followed more than 470 children from birth to age 6 or 7, comparing those exposed to cats and dogs during their first years of life to those who were not.

By using skin-prick tests for detecting common allergies, the researchers found that, contrary to what many doctors had been taught for years, children who had lived with a pet were not at greater risk.

Even more remarkable, children who had two or more dogs or cats had an even greater reduction, up to 77 percent, in risk of allergies. Researchers suggest this protective effect may be the result of early exposure to lots of bacteria that are carried by dogs and cats. Exposing young children to these bacteria helps “exercise” their immune（免疫的） systems early in life so that they’re better able to resist allergic diseases later.

“There’s something very important in the first years of life when the immune system is developing that we can retrain it away from an allergic response,” said Dr. William Davis.

And while researchers are not encouraging parents to buy dogs or cats just to reduce a child’s allergy risk, they say if a family already has one or more animals, there’s no need to get rid of them.

56．Why do the researchers feel “very surprised” by the results of the study?

A. Because the results are contrary to what they have expected.

B. Because so many families are going to get rid of their cats and dogs.

C. Because parents are so much worried about their children.

D. Because children with animals may develop allergies easily.

57．Compared with children who have pets, those who haven’t ________.

A. will lose the chance to develop immune system

B. may suffer allergic diseases more often

C. will reduce the harm from bacteria

D. are more likely to resist allergic diseases

58.．It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A. pets are ill-treated by their owners

B. fewer families would like to own cats and dogs

C. keeping pets is a good way to keep children healthy

D. the results of the study can make families with pets feel at ease

59．The underlined word “it” in the fifth paragraph refers to ________.

A. the early life                       B. an allergic disease

C. immune system                     D. something important

60．What may be the best title of the passage?

A. How to protect your kids from allergies.  B. Your pets may be helping your kids.

C. Bacteria do good to your kids.          D. Advantages of owning pets.

Tayka Hotel De Sal

Where: Tahua, Bolivia

How much: About $95 a night

Why it’s cool: You’ve stayed at hotels made of brick or wood, but salt? That’s something few can claim．Tayka Hotel de Sal is made totally of salt—including the beds (though you’ll sleep on regular mattresses (床垫) and blankets)．The hotel sits on the Salar de Uyuni, a prehistoric dried-up lake that’s the world’s biggest salt flat．Builders use the salt from the 4,633-square-mile flat to make the bricks, and glue them together with a paste of wet salt that hardens when it dries．When rain starts to dissolve the hotel, the owners just mix up more salt paste to strengthen the bricks.

Green Magic Nature Resort

Where: Vythiri, India

How much: About $240 a night

Why it’s cool: Ridding a pulley(滑轮)-operated lift 86 feet to your treetop room is just the start of your adventure．As you look out of your open window—there is no glass!—you watch monkeys and birds in the rain forest canopy．Later you might test your fear of heights by crossing the handmade rope bridge to the main part of the hotel, or just sit on your bamboo bed and read．You don’t even have to come down for breakfast—the hotel will send it up on the pulley-drawn “elevator”.

Dog Bark Park Inn B&B

Where: Cottonwood, Idaho

How much: $92 a night

Why it’s cool: This doghouse isn’t just for the family pet．Sweet Willy is a 30-foot-tall dog with guest rooms in his belly．Climb the wooden stairs beside his hind leg to enter the door in his side．You can relax in the main bedroom, go up a ffew steps ot the loft in Willy’s head, or hang out inside his nose．Cotta “go”(想要方便一下)? Although you have a full private bathroom in your quarters, there is also a toilet in the 12-foot-tall fire hydrant outside.

Gamirasu Cave Hotel

Where: Ayvali, Turkey

How much: Between $130 and $475 a night.

Why it’s cool: This is caveman cool! Experience what it was like 5,000 years ago, when people lived in these mountain caves formed by volcanic ash．But your stay will be much more modern．Bathrooms and electricity provide what you expect from a modern hotel, and the white volcanic ash, called tufa, keeps the rooms cool, about 65℉in summer．(Don’t worry—there is heat in winter.)

1.Which of the following about Tayka Hotel de Sal is true?

      A．The hotel is the cheapest among the four mentioned.

      B．Everything in the hotel is made of salt.

      C．It is on an island in the Pacific Ocean.

      D．It is located on a prehistoric lake.

2.What is the similarity of the four hotels?

      A．Being expensive.  B．Being beautiful. C．Being natural.      D．Being unique.

3.What does the underline part “Sweet Willy” refer to?

      A．The building of Dog Bark Park Inn B&B.

      B．The name of a pet dog of the hotel owner.

      C．The name of the hotel.

      D．The name of the hotel owner.

4.Which of the hotel makes you have a feeling of living in the far past?

      A．Tayka Hotel De Sal                              B．Green Magic Nature Resort

      C．Dog Bark Park Inn B&B                     D．Gamirasu Cave Hotel

5.What may be the purpose of the writer writing the passage?

      A．To show his wide knowledge.               B．To introduce some interesting hotels.

      C．To develop business in tourism.             D．To attract attention from the readers.

Interviewing someone for a job is not as easy as it looks. First, as the interviewer, you’re tasked with finding the person who will not only do the job well but also fit in well with the other employees.

You have to make an evaluation of abstract qualities that can’t be found on a résumé. Because you have to repeat the process for every potential employee, you end up asking question after question, applicant after applicant.

Still, interviewers need to be told something: “What is your biggest weakness?” is not a good question. It just isn’t.

Now, job seekers have to understand that interviewers want to find some way to know what makes an applicant different from others. Asking questions that are seemingly impossible to answer is one way to see who can think creatively. Then what may be a proper way to respond to such a question?

Honesty, with a twist(新手法)

“‘What are your three strengths and three weaknesses?’ is a classic, but not too many people know how to answer this,” says Kenneth C. Wisnefski, founder and CEO of WebiMax, an online marketing company.

“As an interviewer, we want to hear strengths that describe initiative(主动性), motivation and dedication. The best way to respond is to include these qualities into specific ‘personal statements.’”

“Similarly, weaknesses should be positioned as a strength that can benefit the employer.”

“I like to hear applicants state an exaggerated strength, and put an interesting twist on it. An example of this is, ‘My initiative is so strong, that sometimes I take on too many projects at a time.’”

This answer leads with a strength that employers want —initiative —and still acknowledges that you’re not perfect.

Although you might consider this acknowledgement too honest, it works because it proves you’re being honest.

Honesty, with progress

When you consider what your weaknesses are, think about how you have attempted to overcome them. No one is perfect, so pretending that you are a perfectionist will come across as insincere.

Debra Davenport, author of “Career Shuffle,” believes citing(引用) examples are the best approach.

“My preferred response for this question is to tell the truth without damaging the applicant’s image.” Davenport explains.

“A better response might be, ‘I’ve had some challenges with work-life balance in the past and I realize that a life out of balance isn’t good for me, my family or my employer. I’ve taken the time to learn better time and project management, and I’m also committed to my overall wellness.’”

The answer adds some dimension to the question, and proves you’ve thought beyond the answer. You’ve actually changed your behavior to address the situation, even if you haven’t completely overcome the weakness.

Put yourself in the interviewer’s shoes

However you decide to answer, Debra Yergen, author of “Creating Job Security Resource Guide,” recommends job seekers imagine themselves sitting on the other side of the desk.

“If you were doing the hiring, what would you be looking for? What would be your motivation for asking certain questions? Who would you be trying to weed out? If you can empathize (共鸣) with the interviewer, you can better understand what they want and need, and then frame your qualifications to meet their needs for the position you seek.”

Once you consider what the goal of the question is and figure out what your honest answer is, you’ll be able to give the best possible answer to a tricky question.

Timetable

1.What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?

A. What we shall do if the system goes wrong.

B. What we shall do if there are no asphalt roads.

C. How the system cools the building in summer.

D. How the system collects heat in spring and autumn.

2.Which of the following is true of the membership card?

A. Its number is l0865 305305.

B. It belongs to Mr. E. M. Driscoll.

C. It is valid through the year of 2010.

D. It gets the owner a discount when used.

3.If one wants to attend a business lunch in London at l2：00,the latest train that he should take at Oxford leaves at         .

A. 11：45    B. 11：15    C. 10：35       D. 10：05

4.If you would like to have some vegetable beef, what may be your choice?

A. French Slam®        B. Chicken-Fried Steak®

C. The Super Bird®       D. Sandwich with Salad or Soup®

5.The chart shows that from 2005 to 2008，         .

A. the percentage of the Spanish families with a computer rose 35 points

B. the percentage of the White families with a computer remained unchanged

C. the number of the Black families with a computer was on the decrease

D. the number of the Asian families with a computer showed the sharpest increase

Scientists say they now have proof to support the old-fashioned advice that it's best to sleep on a problem. They say sleep strengthens the memory and helps the brain organize the masses of information we receive each day.

Lead researcher Bob Stickgold at the Harvard Medical School said, "Sleep helps us draw rules from our experiences. It's like knowing the difference between dogs and cats even if it's hard to explain."

The US research team studied how well students remembered connections between words and symbols (象征) , reports New Scientist. They compared how the students performed if they had had a sleep between seeing the words and having the test, and if they had not slept. They found that people were better able to remember lists of related words after a night's sleep than after the same time spent awake during the day. They also found it easier to remember themes (主题) that the words had in common. But they forgot around one in four more themes if they had been awake. Prof. John Groeger, of Surrey University's Sleep Research Centre, said, "People have been trying for years to find out what the purpose of sleep is, as we know that only certain parts of it have a restorative (有助恢复的) value. " "We form and store huge numbers of experiences in the head every day, and sleep seems to be the way the brain deals with it all."

1.The phrase" to sleep on a problem" in Paragraph 1 most likely means to______.

A. pay full attention to a problem                         B. wait until later for a decision

C. sleep to forget a problem                                  D. have difficulty sleeping

2.In the study by the US research team, students were asked to______.

A. put together words of similar meanings

B. remember words and their meanings

C. show their knowledge of words

D. make up lists of related words

3.Which of the following may be easier to remember?

A. Themes learned right before the test

B. Rules from personal experience

C. Words learnt before a good sleep

D. Ideas stored together in the brain

4.What may be the importance of the research?

A. It shows sleep may help us manage information

B. It helps find out the common themes of word

C. It tells us that more sleep can improve health

D. It proves the value of old-fashioned advice