4. Passage EighteenAn idea that started in Seattle’s public library has spread throughout America and beyond.The concept is simple: help to build a sense of community in a city by getting everyone to read the same book at the same time.In addition to encouraging reading as a pursuit (追求)to be enjoyed by all， the program allows strangers to communicate by discussing the book on the bus， as well as promoting reading as an experience to be shared in families and schools.The idea came from Seattle librarian Nancy Pearl who launched the “If All of Seattle Read the Same Book” project in 1998.Her original program used author visits， study guides and book discussion groups to bring people together with a book， but the idea has expanded to many other American cities， and even to Hong Kong.In Chicago， the mayor appeared on television to announce the choice of To Kill a Mockingbird as the first book in the “One Book， One Chicago” program.As a result， reading clubs and neighborhood groups sprang up around the city.Across the US， stories emerged of parents and children reading to each other at night and strangers chatting away on the bus about the plot and character.The only problem arose in New York， where local readers could not decide on one book to represent the huge and diverse population.This may show that the idea works best in medium-sized cities or large towns， where a greater sense of unity can be achieved.Or it may show that New Yorkers rather missed the point， putting all their energy and passion into the choice of the book rather than into discussion about a book itself.Ultimately， as Nancy points out， the level of success is not measured by how many people read a book， but by how many people are enriched by the process， or have enjoyed speaking to someone with whom they would not otherwise have (shared a word).The underlined words “shared a word” in the last paragraph probably mean ().

40. Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage.Some people have said aging is more a slide into forgetfulness than a journey towards wisdom.However， a growing body of research suggests that late-in-life learning is possible.In reality， education does an aging brain good.Throughout life， people’s brains constantly renovate themselves.In the late 1960s， British brain scientist Geoffrey Raisman spied growth in damaged brain regions of rats through an electron microscope; their brains were forging new connections.This meant brains may change every time a person learns something new.Of course， that doesn’t mean the brain isn’t affected by the effects of time.Just as height usually declines over the years， so does brain volume: Humans lose about 4 percent every decade starting in their 40s.But that reduction doesn’t necessarily make people think slower; as long as we are alive and functioning， we can alter our brains with new information and experiences.In fact， scientists now suspect accumulating novel experiences， facts， and skills can keep people’s minds more flexible.New pathways can strengthen our ever-changing mental structure， even as the brain shrinks.Conventional fixes like word puzzles and brain-training apps can contribute to mental durability.Even something as simple as taking a different route to the grocery store or going somewhere new on vacation can keep the brain healthy.A desire for new life challenges can further boost brainpower.Research about aging adults who take on new enterprises shows improved function and memory as well as a reduced risk of mental disease.Openness—a characteristic defined by curiosity and a desire for knowledge—may also help folks pass brain tests.Some folks are born with this take-in-the world attitude， but those who aren’t as genetically gifted aren’t necessarily out of luck.While genes can encourage an interest in doing new things， a 2012 study in the journal Psychology and Aging found completing reasoning tasks like puzzles and number games can enhance that desire for novel experiences， which can， in turn， refresh the brain.That’s why brain scientist Richard Kennedy says “It’s not that old dogs can’t learn new tricks.It’s that maybe old dogs don’t realize why they should.”What is the finding of the 2012 study in the journal Psychology and Aging?

A. 　Wishing to solve puzzles enhances one’s reasoning power.

B. 　Playing number games unexpectedly stimulates one’s memory.

C. 　Desiring new experiences can help to renovate the brain.

D. 　Learning new tricks should not be confined to old dogs only.

3. Passage Twenty-ThreeWashington Irving was America’s first man of letters to be known internationally.His works were received enthusiastically both in England and in the United States.He was， in fact， one of the most successful writers of his time in the country， and at the same time winning the admiration of fellow writers like Scott in Britain and Poe and Hawthorne in the United States.The respect in which he was held was partly owing to the man himself， with his warm friendliness， his good sense， his urbanity， his gay spirits， his artistic integrity， his love of both the Old World and the New.Thackery described Irving as “a gentleman， who， though himself born in no very high sphere， was most finished， polished， witty; socially the equal of the most refined Europeans.” In England he was granted an honorary degree from Oxford—an unusual honor for a citizen of a young， uncultured nation—and he received the medal of the Royal Society of Literature.America made him ambassador to Spain.Irving’s background provides little to explain his literary achievements.A gifted but delicate child， he had little schooling.He studied law， but without zeal， and never did practice seriously.He was immune to his strict Presbyterian home environment， frequenting both social gatherings and the theatre.Which of the following best describes the effect of Irving’s Presbyterian background on his life?

32.Had he worked harder， he ()the exams.

A. 　must have got through

B. 　would have got through

C. 　permitted are freshmen

D. 　are permitted freshmen

47.In ()of speed， safety and price， the hi-railway system is perhaps the world’s
model 11 railway.

A. 　terms

B. 　case

C. 　need

D. 　search

32.She has three sons， all ()became doctors.

A. 　of which

B. 　which

C. 　of whom

D. 　who

39.()great was the destruction that the earth-stricken region took decades to recover.

A. 　Very

B. 　Such

C. 　So

D. 　Too

1. Passage ThirteenTrees are useful to man in three important ways: they provide him with wood and other products; they give him shade; and they help to prevent droughts and floods.Unfortunately， in many parts of the world， man has not realized that the third of these services is the most important.In his eagerness to make money from trees， he has cut them down in large numbers， only to find that without them he has lost the best friends he had.And besides， he is usually too careless to plant and look after new trees.So the forests slowly disappear.This does not only mean that man will have fewer trees.The results are even more serious: for where there are trees， their roots break up soil——allowing the rain to sink in——and also bind the soil， thus preventing it from being washed away easily; but where there are no trees， the rain falls on hard ground and flows away， causing floods and carrying away the rich topsoil.When all the topsoil is gone， nothing remains but worthless desert.Two thousand years ago a rich and powerful country cut down its trees to build warships， with which to gain itself an empire.It set up the empire but， without its trees， its soil became poor and it grew weak.When the empire fell into pieces， there is nothing left except floods and starvation.What is the most important service of trees to man according to the passage?

33. Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage.The United States is facing a housing crisis: Affordable housing is inadequate， while luxury homes abound (充裕)， and homelessness remains a persistent problem.Despite this， popular culture and the housing industry market happiness as living with both more space and more amenities (便利设施).Big houses are advertized as a reward for hard work and diligence， turning housing from a basic necessity into a luxury.This is reflected in our homes.The average single-family home built in the United States before 1970 was less than 1，500 square feet in size.By 2016， the average size of a new， single-family home was 2，422 square feet.What’s more， homes built in the 2000s were more likely than earlier models to have more of all types of spaces: bedrooms， bathrooms， living rooms， dining rooms， recreation rooms and garages.There are consequences of living big.As middle-class houses have grown larger， two things have happened.First， large houses take time to maintain， so cleaners and other low-wage service workers are required to keep these houses in order.Second， once-public spaces， where people from diverse backgrounds used to come together， have increasingly become privatized， leading to a reduction in the number of public facilities available to all， and a reduced quality of life for many.Take swimming pools.While in 1950， only 2，500 U.S.families owned pools， by 1999 this number was 4 million.At the same time， public municipal pools were often closed， leaving low-income people nowhere to swim.The trend for bigger housing thus poses ethical questions.Should Americans accept a system in which the middle and upper classes enjoy a luxurious lifestyle， using the low-wage labor of others? Are we willing to accept a system in which an increase in amenities purchased by the affluent means a reduction in amenities for the poor?I believe neither is acceptable.We must change the way we think: living well does not need to mean having more private spaces; instead， it could mean having more public spaces.A better goal than building bigger houses for some is to create more publicly accessible spaces and amenities for all.What questions arise from living big?

A. 　Questions related to moral principles.

B. 　Questions having to do with labor cost.

C. 　Questions about what lifestyle to promote.

D. 　Questions concerning housing development.

5. Passage Thirty-ThreeWe all know that DNA has the ability to identify individuals but， because it is inherited， there are also regions of the DNA strand which can relate an individual to his or her family (immediate and extended)， tribal group and even an entire population.Molecular Genealogy (宗谱学)can use this unique identification provided by the genetic markers to link people together into family trees.Pedigrees (家谱)based on such genetic markers can mean a breakthrough for family trees where information is incomplete or missing due to adoption， illegitimacy or lack of records.There are many communities and populations which have lost precious records due to tragic events such as the fire in the Irish courts during Civil War in 1921 or American slaves for whom many records were never kept in the first place.The main objective of the Molecular Genealogy Research Group is to build a database containing over 100，000 DNA samples from individuals all over the world.These individuals will have provided a pedigree chart of at least four generations and a small blood sample.Once the database has enough samples to represent the world genetic make-up， it will eventually help in solving many issues regarding genealogies that could not be done by relying only on traditional written records.Theoretically， any individual will someday be able to trace his or her family origins through this database.In the meantime， as the database is being created， molecular genealogy can already verify possible or suspected relationships between individuals.“For example， if two men sharing the same last name believe that they are related， but no written record proves this relationship， we can verify this possibility by collecting a sample of DNA from both and looking for common markers (in this case we can look primarily at the Y chromosome (染色体)，” explains Ugo Perego， a member of the BYU Molecular Genealogy research team.Which of the following CANNOT be inferred from the passage?

43.Public attention at the moment is ()the problem of industrial relations.

A. 　focused on

B. 　searched for

C. 　looked upon

D. 　called for