62. Which of the following contributes to the emergence of musical prodigies according to the passage?

　 A. A natural gift.　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Extensive knowledge of music.

　 C. Very early training.　　　　　　　　 D. A prejudice-free society.

答案　 59.A　 60.B　 61.C　 62.A

Passage 15

(湖北省黄冈中学2009届高三五月适应性考试(B卷)E篇)

People who drink alcohol earn more at their jobs than non-drinkers, according to a US study that highlighted “social capital(社交资本)”gained from drinking.

The study concluded that drinkers earn 10–14 percent more than teetotalers, and that men who drink socially bring home an additional seven percent in pay.

“Social drinking builds social capital,”said Edward String ham, an economics professor,“Social drinkers are outgoing, building relationships, and keeping in contacts, which results in bigger paychecks.”

The researchers said the most likely explanation is that drinkers have a wider range of social contacts that help provide better job and business opportunities.

“Drinkers may be able to socialize more with clients and co-workers, giving drinkers an advantage in important relationships. Drinking may also provide individuals with opportunities to learn people, business, and social skills. ”

They also said these conclusions provide arguments against policies aimed at controlling alcohol use in university and public places.

“Not only do anti-alcohol policies reduce drinkers’ fun, but they may also decrease earnings,”the study said, “One of the consequences of alcohol restrictions is that they push drinking into private behavior. By preventing people from drinking in public, anti-alcohol policies ignores one of the most important aspects of drinking: increased social capital.”

The researchers found some differences in the economic effects of drinking among men and women. They concluded that men who drink earn 10 percent more than non-drinkers and women drinkers earn 14 percent more than non-drinkers.

However, unlike men, who get a 7 percent income increase from drinking in bars, women drinkers who visit bars frequently do not show higher earnings than those who do not visit bars.

61. Japan is described in the passage as a country that attaches importance to_____.

　 A. all-rounded development

　 B. the learning of Western music

　 C. strict training of children

　 D. variety in academic studies

60. Nurturing societies as mentioned in the passage refer to societies that_____.

　 A. enforce strong discipline on students who want to achieve excellence

　 B. treasure talent and provide opportunities for its full development

　 C. encourage people to compete with each other

　 D. promise talented children high positions

59. Jewish parents in Eastern Europe longed for their children to attend music school because_____.　　

　 A. it would allow them access to a better life in the West

　 B. Jewish children are born with excellent musical talent

　 C. they wanted their children to enter into the professional fields

　 D. it would enable the family to get better treatment in their own country

58. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

　 A. There is much to improve the Health Service.

　 B. People should not go to the doctor’s unless necessary.

　 C. The Health Service is quite successful so far.

　 D. The rich should be allowed to pay for the treatment.

答案　 55.B　 56.D　 57.A　 58.B

Passage 14

(湖北省黄冈中学2009届高三五月适应性考试(B卷)C篇)

Violin prodigies(神童), I learned, have come in distinct waves from distinct regions. Most of the great performers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries were born and brought up in Russia and Eastern Europe. I asked Isaac Stern, one of the world’s greatest violinists, the reason for this phenomenon. “ It’s very clear, “ he told me. “ They were all Jews and Jews at the time were severely oppressed and ill-treated in that part of the world. They were not allowed into the professional fields, but they were allowed to achieve excellence on a concert stage.” As a result, every Jewish parent’s dream was to have a child in the music school because it was a passport to the West.

Another element in the emergence of prodigies, I found, is a society that values excellence in a certain field and is able to nurture(培育) talent. Nowadays the most nurturing societies seem to be in the Far East. “ In Japan, a most competitive society with stronger discipline than ours,” says Isaac Stern, “ children are ready to test their limits every day in many fields, including music. When Western music came to Japan after World War II, that music not only became part of their daily lives, but it became a discipline as well.” The Koreans and Chinese, as we know, are just as highly motivated as the Japanese.

That’s a good thing, because even prodigies must work hard. Next to hard work, biological inheritance plays an important role in the making of a prodigy. J. S. Bach, for example, was the top of several generations of musicians, and four of his sons had significant careers in music.

57. Why do many people go and see the doctors even when they really don’t need to?

　 A. To get necessary protective treatment.

　 B. To take back some expensive medicine.

　 C. To receive treatment free of charge.

　 D. To keep himself even more healthy.

56. What is the problem in the Health Service?

　 A. Doctors and nurses are not working hard.

　 B. People can get more preventive treatment.

　 C. There are not enough well-trained doctors.

　 D. Money is not enough to employ more medical workers.

55. Britain is described as an example to show that_____.

　 A. it is a very rich country in Europe

　 B. it is a country with the Health Service

　 C. everyone in the UK enjoys free medical care

　 D. people have to play part of the medicine fee

75. We can conclude that a teenager should _____

　 A. play more video games instead of watching TV

　 B. be active in taking part in outdoor activities

　 C. be more active in watching educational TV programmers

　 D. attend religious services and care for politics

答案　 72.A　 73.C　 74.C　 75.B

Passage 13

(湖北省黄冈中学2009届高三五月适应性考试(B卷)B篇)

Any country has good reasons to want its citizens to be as healthy as possible. This led to

the instruction of health service in many countries. Britain has developed into a country in which

all citizens can get most of the health treatment free. The money for this is partly from the people who are willing to offer.

But there are different opinions about the Health Service. The number of patients treated every year and the cost of treatment are much greater than expected. This means that the people who work for the Health Service- doctors, nurses and other hospital workers have much more work to do, and as a result they have little time for preventive treatment.

However, the tough problem is that as many people are able to receive treatment more expensive than they can pay, sometimes people go and visit their doctors when they don’t really need to. As there are many patients, doctors cannot spend time long enough with each patient. So some people prefer to pay for their own treatment so that their doctors can examine them more carefully. In fact, some rich people feel that they should pay more free money, which would be given to other citizens.

74. We can learn from the survey that of all the media use

　 A. computer games are teenagers' favorite

　 B. most teenagers prefer to listen to the radio

　 C. teenagers enjoy watching TV very much

　 D. newspaper is not included in the survey