High-tech machines have made life easier for millions around the world．However, some people still prefer low-tech ways of doing things．Here’s an example of why this is happening．You can microwave a frozen hamburger in 60 seconds．However, it won’t taste as good as one you cook on the stove．And if you’re in that much of a hurry, you probably won’t take time to toast the bun．High-tech cooking saves time, but it doesn’t make for better-tasting meals．

Most people get their news from high-tech sources like television or the Internet．This has many advantages．For example, electronic news is more up to date than newspapers or magazines．It’s also more exciting to see live and videotaped news events than photographs．However, newspapers and magazines have some important advantages．They give more background and details．They also let you read the parts that are important to you and skip the rest．

Other high-tech timesavers have similar disadvantages．For example, most people use the phone or e-mail to stay in touch with friends and family members who live in other places．But when you use the Internet or the phone, you won’t always think carefully about what you are saying, and sometimes you forget the important things you want to communicate．Similarly, when you word-process a homework assignment instead of handwriting it, you can check your spelling electronically and put in fancy headings．However, some students are so busy with the computer that they don’t pay enough attention to the actual words they are writing．

21．Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage ?

A．The writer likes high-tech cooking

B．Low-tech cooking produces better-tasting meals．

C．High-tech news programs always keeps you reading what is important to you．

D．Handwritten homework is better than word-processed homework．

22．How does the writer feel about high-tech tools?

A．Better late than never．           B．Easy come, easy go．

C．Every coin has two sides．         D．Learn to walk before you run．

23．What is the main subject discussed in the text?

A．High-tech vs low-tech．           

B．Advantages vs disadvantages．

C．Newspapers and magazines vs television and the Internet．

D．Word-processing vs handwriting．

24．How is the text organized?

A．Main idea-Argument-Explanation      

B．Opinion-Discussion-Description

C．Topic-Comparison-Supporting examples．

D．Introduction-Supporting examples-Discussion．

While I was in my 4th month of pregnancy（妊娠期）with my second child，we were preparing for a trip to Louisiana，where Marshall’s family live，to celebrate Jane’s 2nd birthday．Two days before we were to leave，we got the shocking news that I was going to lose the baby．Not knowing when this would happen，we decided to continue with our trip．

Since Marshall’s family lives on a 600-acre cattle farm，you often find that you have a lot of time to yourself to think when you are there．That is precisely what I did not want to do at this time．I told Marshall that I needed to get a good book to get lost in while I was there．I told him I heard the Harry Potter books were good，so he went out and got the first one for me．

During that trip，I totally got lost in the book，which was of great help during a time when I needed a distraction to forget about the sadness．In the book，I noticed the name “Seamus”．I vaguely remembered it was pronounced “Shamus” and I liked the sound of that．I mentioned it to Marshall and he liked it too．Toward the end of the trip，I had just 5 chapters left and I knew I was about to finish the first book，which I was pretty excited about．

Soon after we put Jane down to bed，I had started labor（分娩），so I was unable to read．The labor lasted 5 and 1/2 hours，but Marshall stayed there with me，sitting beside me and reading aloud the last 5 chapters of Harry Potter．I can never fully explain how much that helped me through the experience．And ever since then，Marshall and I both have been fans of the Harry Potter books．We remember how they helped us get through that time of our lives．

We were sad to have lost the baby，but the name Seamus started our journey toward adoption．And we gave this name to our adopted son．Though our Seamus doesn’t have a drop of Irish blood in him，the name fits him perfectly．

25．Why did the writer want a good book during the trip?

A．Because the trip to Louisiana would take a long time．

B．Because she didn’t want to think of losing her baby．

C．Because she had nothing else to do except reading．

D．Because a good book could help her enjoy her trip．

26．According to the story，we can know that the Harry Potter books _________________．

A．made the family’s trip more exciting

B．include five books all together

C．have someone called Seamus in them

D．can help people deal with their problems

27．The writer named her son Seamus because ___________________．

A．she wanted to keep her trip in memory

B．she loved this name very much

C．her son doesn’t have Irish blood

D．it is a perfect name for a boy

28．Which is the best title for the passage?

A．Funny Stories of My Family

B．Seamus And Harry Potter

C．How We Got To Louisiana

D．How My Son Got His Name

It happened to me recently that I was telling someone how much I had enjoyed reading Barack Obama’s Dreams from My Father and how it had changed my views of the current US President. The person I was talking to agreed with me that it was, in his words, “a wonderfully written book.” However, he then proceeded to talk about Mr. Obama in a way that suggested he had no idea of his background at all. I sensed that I was talking to a book liar (说谎者)．

And it seems that he is not the only one. Clearly two thirds of people have lied about reading a book which they haven’t. In the World Book Day survey, Dreams from My Father is at number 9. The survey lists top ten books, and various authors, which people have lied about reading. As I’m not one to lie too often, I’ll admit here and now that I haven’t read the entire ten books. But I am pleased to say that I have read the book at number one, George Orwell’s 1984. I think it’s absolutely outstanding．

Asked why they lied, the most common reason was to impress someone they were speaking to. This could be difficult if the conversation became more in-depth!

The World Book Day survey also has some other interesting information in it. It shows that many people lie about having read classical works by Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, Charles Dickens and so on. But when asked which authors they actually enjoy, they named JK Rowling, Jilly Cooper, and Stephen King. Forty-one percent of people asked admitted they turned to the back of the book to read the end before finishing the story．

So which books have you lied about reading—if any — and which is your favorite?

29．The main reason why people lie about reading is to __________.

A. make fun of the listener

B. impress the listener

C. please the listener

D. interest the listener

30．The underlined word “proceeded” in the passage probably means “___________”.

A. wanted     B. happened      C. continued      D. stopped

31．What is the best title for the passage?

A. Are You A Book Liar?      B. Readers Are All Liars

C. World Book Day            D. Dreams from My Father

Women who own cats are more likely to have mental health problems and kill themselves because they can be infected by a common parasite(寄生虫) that can be caught from cat litter (猫砂), a study has found.

    Researchers found women infected with the Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) parasite(刚地弓形虫), which is spread through contact with cat waste or eating undercooked meat or unwashed vegetables, are at increased risk of attempting suicide.

    The study involved more than 45,000 women in Denmark. About a third of the world's population is infected with the parasite, which hides in cells in the brain and muscles, often without producing symptoms.

    The infection, which is called toxoplasmosis(弓形虫病), has been linked to mental illness, such as schizophrenia(精神分裂症), and changes in behavior.

    The study's senior author Doctor Teodor Postolache, an associate professor of psychiatry(精神病学) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in the United States, said, "We can't say with certainty that T. gondii caused the women to try to kill themselves, but we did find a predictive association between the infection and suicide attempts later in life that deserves additional studies."

    Doctor Albert Reece, vice president of medical affairs at the University of Maryland, said, "T. gondii infection is a major public health problem around the world, and many people don't realize they're infected.

    "Dr Postolache is a leading expert on suicide neuroimmunology(神经免疫学). Suicide is a critically important mental health issue. About one million people commit suicide and another 10 million attempt suicide worldwide each year. We hope that this type of research will one day help us find ways to save many lives that now end too early in suicide."

    Dr. Postolache's research team at the University of Maryland was the first to report a connection between T. gondii and suicidal behavior in 2009. He is cooperating with researchers in Denmark, Germany and Sweden to confirm and investigate the way leading to this association.

    The T. gondii parasite thrives in the intestines(肠) of cats, and it is spread through their waste. All warm-blooded animals can become infected through contact with it. Humans can become infected by changing their infected cats' litter boxes, eating unwashed vegetables, drinking water from a polluted source, or by eating undercooked or raw meat.

    Not washing kitchen knives after preparing raw meat before handling another food item also can lead to infection. Pregnant women can pass the parasite directly to their unborn babies and are advised not to change cat litter boxes to avoid possible infection.

    Babies don't produce antibodies to T. gondii for three months after they are born, so the antibodies present in their blood represented infection in the mothers. The scientists studied Danish health patients to determine if any of these women later attempted suicide, including cases of violent suicide attempts which may have involved guns, sharp instruments and jumping from high places.

    The study found that women infected with T. gondii were one and a half times more likely to attempt suicide compared to those who were not infected, and the risk seemed to rise with increasing levels of the T. gondii antibodies.

    Dr Postolache noted limitations to the study, such as the inability to determine the cause of the suicidal behavior.

    The findings were published online in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

32．The common way which is more likely to be infected with the disease is _____.

A. to eat unwashed meat or undercooked vegetables

B. to clean a place where a cat once lived for a time

C. to pass the infection to her unborn baby during a woman's pregnancy

D. to reuse kitchen tools which have been used to cut raw meat

33．What is the consequence if a woman is infected with the parasite in the passage?

A. Having a high fever.

B. Doing deliberate self-harm.

C. Keeping a depressed mood.

D. Becoming bad tempered.

34．What can be inferred from the passage?

A. Women have a higher risk to be infected by the parasite than men.

B. The result of the research may help the scientists to find ways to stop suicide in advance.

C. The scientists will continue their research into the possible connection.

D. The risk of being infected seems to rise with the decreasing levels of the antibodies.

35．Which of the following statements would probably be the best title of the passage?

A. Why are women more likely to commit suicide?  

B. Women should keep away from cats.

C. Ways found to deal with women's mental problems.

D. Are women who own cats at a suicide risk?

A pill that creates the desire to exercise?

Scientists have discovered a compound that could make sit-ups and StairMasters as attractive as snacks and the sofa.

36．   Obesity-related conditions (heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer) comprise (包含) the nation’s leading causes of death. When it comes to the competition between food and exercise, food clearly wins the blue ribbon.

But it’s not for lack of desire. Type in “motivation to exercise” in Google and prepare yourself for 61,900,000 results. It’s just hard to get into the rhythm of going to the gym. So hard, in fact, that people often opt (挑选) for wacky (古怪的) weight loss fads (黄素腺嘌呤二核苷酸) (diet goggles, anyone?) and questionable diets instead (hello, feeding tube diet).   37．

But as researchers are struggling to create safe and effective weight loss drugs, what if there was a pill to make you want to work out?    38．    A team of Swiss researchers found that when a hormone in the brain called erythropoietin (Epo) was elevated (提升) in mice, the mice were more motivated to exercise.

“Here we show that Epo increases the motivation to exercise,” said Max Gassmann, D.V.M., a researcher involved in the work from the Institute of Veterinary (兽医的) Physiology, Vetsuisse-Faculty and Zurich Center for Integrative (综合的) Human Physiology at the University of Zurich in Switzerland.

Pop a pill and champ at the bit to hit the gym?   39．   , obviously, but also mental health disorders for which exercise is known to improve symptoms.

“If you can’t put exercise in a pill, then maybe you can put the motivation to exercise in a pill instead,” said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., editor-in-chief of The FASEB Journal, which published the research.

“As more and more people become overweight and obese, we must attack the problem from all angles. Maybe the day will come when gyms are as easily found as fast-food restaurants.”

40．

A. But they are in their own ways.

B. Or, they simply surrender to obesity.

C. More than one-third of U.S. adults are obese.

D. As science fiction seemingly comes to life, it may become a reality.

E. This would have remarkable benefits for a wide range of health problems—obesity

F. Some people are very glad to be flattered by others due to overweight and fat

G. Now if they can just come up with a pill that motivates you to clean the house.