2. Passage Two When older people can no longer remember names at a cocktail party， they tend to think that their brainpower is declining. But a growing number of studies suggest that this assumption is often wrong. Instead，the research finds， the aging brain is simply taking in more data and trying to examine carefully a lot of information， often to its long-term benefit. Some brains do deteriorate with age. But for most aging adults， researchers say， much of what occurs is a gradually widening focus of attention that makes it more difficult to get hold of just one fact. Although that can be frustrating， it is often useful. “It may be that distractibility is not， in fact， a bad thing，” said Shelley H. Carson， a psychology researcher at Harvard. “It may increase the amount of information available to the conscious mind. ” For example， in studies where subjects are asked to read passages that are interrupted with unexpected words or phrases， adults 60 and older work much more slowly than college students. Although the students plow through the texts at a consistent speed regardless of what the out-of-place words mean， older people slow down even more when the words are related to the topic at hand. That indicates that they are not just stumbling (结结巴巴地念) over the extra information， but are taking it in and processing it. When both groups were later asked questions for which the out-of-place words might be answers， the older adults responded much better than the students. “For the young people， it’s as if the distraction never happened，” said a researcher of the review， Lynn Hasher， a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto. “But for older adults， because they’ve retained all this extra data， they’re now suddenly the better problem solvers. They can transfer the information they’ve soaked up from one situation to another.” Such tendencies can yield big advantages in the real world， where it is not always clear what information is important， or will become important. For instance， a seemingly irrelevant point or suggestion in a memo can take on new meaning if the original plan changes. What does Shelley H. Carson mean by saying “. .. distractibility is not， in fact， a bad thing”【Line 1， Para. 3】?

47. The peasant uses wood to build a house (_____) to store grains.

A. 　 where

B. 　 in which

C. 　 with which

D. 　 which

5. Passage Twenty-Six Today just as technology changed the face of industry， farmers have undergone an “agricultural revolution” . On the farm of today， machines provide all the power. One of the most important benefits will be the farm computer. A few forward-looking farmers are already using computers to help them run their farms more efficiently. The computers help them keep more accurate records， so they can make better decisions on what crops to plant， how much livestock to buy， when to sell their products， and how much profit they can expect. Many computer companies have been developing special computer programs just for farmers. Programs are being written for hog (猪) producers， grain farmers， potato farmers， and dairy farmers. In the future， farmers will be able to purchase computer programs made to their needs. Because of the growing importance of computers on the farm， students at agricultural colleges are required to take computer classes in addition to their normal agricultural courses. There can be no doubt that farmers will rely on computers even more in the future. While the old-time farm depended on horse power， and modern farms depend on machine power， farms of the future will depend on computer power. Another technological advance which is still in the experimental stage is the robot， a real “mechanized hired hand” that will be able to move and， in some ways， think like a human being. Agricultural engineers believe that computer-aided robots will make startling changes in farming before the end of the century. Unlike farmers of the present， farmers of the future will find that many day-to-day tasks will be done for them. Scientists are now developing robots that will be able to shear (修剪) sheep， drive tractors， and harvest fruit. Even complex jobs will be done by robots. For example， in order to milk their cows， farmers must first drive them into the special barn (畜棚)， then connect them to the milking machines， watch the machines， and disconnect them when they are finished. In the future， this will all be done by robots. In addition， when the milking is completed， the robots will automatically check to make sure that the milk is pure. The complete mobilization of the farm is far in the future， but engineers expect that some robots will be used before long. What is the best title for the whole passage?

A. Computer-Farmers’ Best Friend

B. Farmers in the Future

C. Computers and Robots

D. The Agricultural Revolution

2. Passage Fifteen Big data can be defined as information that is too big or complex to be contained or processed by any one machine or person. As a student at the University of Sussex， Julian Dailly had two majors——English and philosophy. When he completed his studies， Dailly wondered how he would ever earn a living in a world filled with machines and technology. Now， he is part of the big data industry that includes Google and Facebook. Dailly’s research company， Morar Consulting， started three years ago with five employees. The company’s earnings have increased by 25% each year. It now employs 90 people. “What we do here is we try to discover what’s meaningful for people and link that to their economic behavior，” Dailly said. He noted the importance of working with people with different skills. “We have people from traditional research backgrounds， in addition to some in social sciences， economics， people from tech backgrounds， and salespeople，” Dailly said. Companies like Dailly’s employ recent college graduates. The industry profits from the ideas of these young men and women. New forms of data also make it possible for some observers to predict the future. They are more valuable to companies than the traditional forms of data recording or reporting. “We have access to the core information inside people’s heads，” Dailly said， “They tell you what people are going to do as opposed to what they’ve done. That helps people take proper action in advance. This makes it much more useful for strategy.” Julian Dailly dismisses concerns that computers have finally taken control of our daily lives. “Some may worry that humans will be allowed to be replaced by machines. I think it’s a fantasy.” Dailly’s company focuses on businesses in ( ) .

A. marketing strategy

B. machine selling

C. staff training

D. big data research

1. Passage Three Have you always dreamed of traveling to cool places， meeting lots of different people， and maybe picking up a language or two? No matter what country you live in， you can fly over the world’s highest waterfalls in Venezuela， learn world trade in Japan， study art in France， or take dancing lessons in Ghana. How? Join a study abroad program， where high school and college students live with a host family in a foreign country. Semester， summer， and year-long programs allow you to attend school， take intensive language courses， or perform community service in another country. Besides the excitement of travel， one reason to study abroad is that you will experience new customs， holidays， foods， art， music， and politics firsthand. “I learned the language and am now fluent， but perhaps more important was how much I learned about cultures， people， and myself. I learned this from the viewpoint of an active member of the community and my host family， not from the tourist’s point of view，” says Andrew， who studied in Poitiers， France. Another reason for studying abroad is that you’ll gain self-confidence. Christina studied in Caracas， Venezuela， a city of 10 million people and a huge change from her hometown of 35，000! Christina says she learned how to better stand up for herself and her beliefs and to express herself in another language. What could make you more confident than that? Living away from home can also help you adjust in the transition to college and adulthood. Matthew says he returned from studying in Australia with confidence， social savvy， and a genuine interest in international affairs that really set him apart from his peers. “After having gone abroad in high school， I found the transition to college to be a breeze—moving 560 miles from home didn’t seem particularly daunting after having lived thousands of miles away.” And speaking of college， improving your language skills might help you get into dream colleges and even land future jobs. Colleges and employers know that studying abroad provides leadership skills in a world that is increasingly globally interconnected. Most of all， it’s fun! You’re not likely to suffer from sophomore slump or general boredom while you’re studying in a different learning environment. How can you realize your dream of traveling to cool places， meeting lots of different people， and maybe picking up a language or two according to the passage?

A. By living with a host family.

B. By applying for a job there.

C. By joining a tour group.

D. By joining a study abroad program.

32.His scientific discoveries have been as important as (_____)_ of Sir Isaac Newton.

A. 　 ones

B. 　 that

C. 　 those

D. 　 these

47. Scarcely (_____)_ when the murderer shot him down.

A. 　 did he finish his opening address

B. 　 he did finish his opening address

C. 　 had he finished his opening address

D. 　 he had finished his opening address

3. Passage Eight Wisdom teeth are normally the last teeth to appear. This usually happens when people are in their late teen years or early twenties—in other words， when they are older and wiser. Wisdom teeth are chewing teeth， at the back of the mouth. They can grow into place normally and never cause a problem. But often there is not enough room for them in the mouth. They might crowd other teeth. Sometimes they even push sideways through the gums (牙床). An impacted wisdom tooth is one that fails to completely rise through the gum—the term is 【erupt】. Wisdom teeth that only partially erupt can leave space for bacteria to enter around the tooth. Infection is a risk in these cases. Wisdom teeth that are not well in place and become impacted are often removed. People should have the placement of their wisdom teeth examined between the ages of sixteen and twenty. X-rays can show wisdom teeth that are below the gums. The American Dental Association says removal is generally advised when wisdom teeth only partly break through the gums. Removal is also advised if there is a chance that poorly placed wisdom teeth will damage other teeth. And removal is called for in cases where fluid collects around a wisdom tooth that is partly or fully below the gum. But why do we have wisdom teeth if we often need to get them removed? One theory has to do with our diets. Scientists say the diet of prehistoric humans probably required more chewing teeth. Life was probably alittle rougher on the teeth back then， too. So it was good to have extras. The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial (上颌面的) Surgeons says young adults are the best candidates for wisdom teeth removal. The group says older patients may be at greater risk for disease in the tissue surrounding the teeth. After surgery， there can be swelling of the gums and face and some pain. Both can be treated with cold wraps and medication (药物治疗). When a wisdom tooth fails to rise completely， ( ) .

A. it may need more time to grow

B. it may cause swelling in the face

C. it may cause infection

D. it may be left unnoticed

2. Passage Twenty-Seven Out of all the students who enroll in a massive open online course 【MOOC】， only about 5 percent complete the course and receive a certificate of accomplishment. This statistic is often cited as evidence that MOOCs are fatally flawed (有缺陷的) and offer little educational value to most students. Yet more than 80 percent of students who fill out a post-course survey say they met their primary objective. How do we look at these two facts? We’re used to focusing on completion rates in higher education， but they’re not the only—or even the most meaningful—indicator of engagement in open online courses. With no cost to enroll， no punishment for dropping out， and little reward for actually earning a certificate， MOOCs are fundamentally different from traditional classes—and students use them in fundamentally different ways. Data from more than 1.8 million students enrolled in 36 MOOCs offered by the University of Pennsylvania show that students treat MOOCs like a buffet (自助餐)， sampling the material according to their interests and career goals. Some are curious about the subject matter and just watch one or two video lectures; others use the discussion forums to connect with their intellectual peers around the world. Of all enrolled students， nearly 60 percent watch at least one video， complete at least one assignment， or post at least once in a forum. So focusing on the tiny fraction of students who complete a MOOC is misguided. The more important number is the 60 percent engagement rate. Students may not finish a MOOC with a certificate of accomplishment， but the courses nonetheless meet the educational goals of millions. In Para. 2， the author stresses ( ) .

A. the primary objective of MOOC students

B. the significance of completion rates in education

C. the strengths and weaknesses of open online courses

D. the differences between MOOCs and traditional classes

4. Passage Twenty-Five Online dating has just been revealed to be one of the most common ways to start a relationship. But new research reveals that the concept is still highly flawed (有缺陷的). An analysis of 400 studies into online dating shows that while it offers access to plenty of other singles， users can be overwhelmed and put off by the volume of choice， defeating the purpose. The research， by Northwestern University and published in the journal Psychological Science in the public interest， found that the processes involved don’t lend themselves to forming strong relationships. The findings also indicated that the concept of an online profile (介绍) is not entirely useful and “can result in treating potential partners as mere objects ”. Lead author Eli. J. Finkel explained， “Online dating is a terrific addition for singles to meet. However， there are two problems. ” First， studying over seemingly endless lists of profiles of people one does not know， as on Match.com， does not reveal much about them. Second， it “overloads people and they end up shutting down，” he said. He compared it to shopping at “supermarkets of love” and said psychological research shows people presented with too many choices tend to make lazy and often poor decisions. The study’s authors also questioned the algorithms ( 算法) employed by sites such as eHarmony.com to match people based on their interests or personality—comparing it to having a real estate agent of love. While the algorithm may reduce the number of potential partners from thousands to a few， they may be as unsuitable for each other as two people meeting at random， Dr. Finkel explained， adding the chances are no better than finding a relationship by walking into any bar. “There’s no better way to figure out whether you’re a match with somebody than talking to them over a coffee or beer，” Dr. Finkel said. Why is Dr. Finkel mentioned in the passage?

A. He is the lead researcher of the study on online dating.

B. He is a well-known professor at Northwestern University.

C. He is an expert in analyzing people’s shopping patterns.

D. He is the president of a famous online matching website.

40. That way of speaking is peculiar (_____)_ people in this small part of the country.

A. 　to

B. 　 about

C. 　 with

D. 　 in