1、阅读理解-练习五及答案解析(总分：40.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Test 1(总题数：0，分数：0.00)二、TEXT A(总题数：1，分数：5.00)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
2、 finds, the aging brain is simply taking in more data and trying to sift through a clutter of information, often to its tong-term benefit.The studies are analyzed in a new edition of a neurology book, “Progress in Brain Research.“Some brains do deteriorate with age. Alzheimers disease, for example,
3、strikes 13 percent of Americans 65 and older. But for most aging adults, the authors say, much of what occurs is a gradually widening focus of attention that makes it more difficult to latch onto just one fact, like a name or a telephone number. Although that can be frustrating, it is often useful.“
4、It may be that distractibility is not, in fact, a bad thing,“ said Shelley H. Carson, a psychology researcher at Harvard whose work was cited in the book. “It may increase the amount of information available to the conscious mind.“For example, in studies where subjects are asked to read passages tha
5、t 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 t
6、opic at hand. That indicates that they are not just stumbling 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 peo
7、ple, its as if the distraction never happened,“ said an author of the review, Lynn Hasher, a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto and a senior scientist at the Rotman Research Institute. “But for older adults, because theyve retained all this extra data, theyre now suddenly the bette
8、r problem solvers. They can transfer the information theyve soaked up from one situation to another.“Such tendencies can yield big advantages in the real world, where it is not always dear what information is important, or will become important. A seemingly irrelevant point or suggestion in a memo c
9、an take on new meaning if the original plan changes. Or extra details that stole your attention, like others yawning and fidgeting, may help you assess the speakers real impact.“A broad attention span may enable older adults to ultimately know more about a situation and the indirect message of whats
10、 going on than their younger peers,“ Dr. Hasher said. “We believe that this characteristic may play a significant role in why we think of older people as wiser./（分数：5.00）(1).The word “sift“ in the 2nd paragraph means _.（分数：1.00）A.runB.scanC.selectD.memorize(2).What is the purpose of the experiment c
11、arried out during the research?（分数：1.00）A.To prove that an older brain takes in more data.B.To prove that an older brain sifts though a clutter of information.C.To prove that older adults do better in reading comprehension.D.To prove that distraction never happens to young peopl(3).What is the purpo
12、se of the 9th paragraph?（分数：1.00）A.To show that older people are easily distracted.B.To show that older people take more information.C.To show the practical benefit of distractibility.D.To show how wise older people ar(4).Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?（分数：1.00）A.Brains
13、do not deteriorate with age.B.Distractibility may not be a bad thing.C.Extra details steal peoples attention.D.Older brains can transfer the information theyve soaked up from one situation to another.(5).Which of the following might be the best title for this passage?（分数：1.00）A.Distractibility Prove
14、n to Be Good.B.New Achievement in Neurology.C.Older Brain, More Information.D.Older Brain May Be Really a Wiser Brain.三、TEXT B(总题数：1，分数：5.00)The great myth about divorce is that marital breakup is an increasing threat to American families, with each generation finding their marriages less stable tha
15、n those of their parents.Last weeks release of new divorce statistics led to a smorgasbord of reporting feeding the myth. This newspaper warned readers, “Dont stock up on silver anniversary cards“ because “women and men who married in the late 1970s had a less than even chance of still being married
16、 25 years later.“ And apparently things are getting worse, as “the latest numbers suggest an uptick in the divorce rate among people married in the most recent 20 years covered in the report, 1975 1994.“ Other major newspapers ran similar articlesThe story of ever-increasing divorce is a powerful na
17、rrative. It is also wrong. In fact, the divorce rate has been falling continuously over the past quarter-century, and is now at its lowest level since 1970. While marriage rates are also declining, those marriages that do occur are increasingly more stable. For instance, marriages that began in the
18、1990s were more likely to celebrate a 10th anniversary than those that started in the 1980s, which, in turn, were also more likely to last than marriages that began back in the 1970s.Why were so many analysts led astray by the recent data? Understanding this puzzle requires digging deeper into some
19、rather complex statistics.The Census Bureau reported that. slightly more than half of all marriages occurring between 1975 and 1979 had not made it to their 25th anniversary. This breakup rate is not only alarmingly high, but also represents a rise of about 8 percent when compared with those marriag
20、es occurring in the preceding five-year period.But heres the rub. The census data come from a survey conducted in mid-2004, and at that time, it bad not yet been 25 years since the wedding day of around 1 in 10 of those whose marriages they surveyed. And if your wedding was in late 1979, it was simp
21、ly impossible to have celebrated a 25th anniversary when asked about your marriage in mid-2004.If the census survey had been conducted six months later, it would have found that a majority of those married in the second half of 1979 were happily moving into their 26th year of marriage. Once these ma
22、rriages are added to the mix, it turns out that a majority of couples who tied the knot from 1975 to 1979-about 53 percent-reached their silver anniversary.This surveying glitch affected only the most recent data. Still, factoring in an appropriate adjustment yields the conclusion that divorce rates
23、 have been falling, not rising. This is not just statistical smoke and mirrors, the Census Bureau warned that the most recent data understate the true stability of recent marriages. But a warning buried in a footnote does not always make the headlines, (Indeed, this newspaper reprinted the table, bu
24、t omitted the warning. )The narrative of rising divorce is also completely at odds with counts of divorce certificates, which show the divorce rate as having peaked at 22.8 divorces per 1,000 married couples in 1979 and to have fallen by 2005 to 16.7.Why has the great divorce myth persisted so power
25、fully? Reporting on our families is a lot like reporting on the economy: statistical tales of woe provide the foundation for reform proposals. The only difference is that conservatives use these data to make the case for greater government intervention in the marriage market, while liberals use them
26、 to promote deregulation of marriage,But a useful family policy should instead be based on facts. The facts are that divorce is down, and todays marriages are more stable than they have been in decades. Perhaps it is worth stocking up on silver anniversary cards after all.（分数：5.00）(1).The great myth
27、 about divorce is that _.（分数：1.00）A.fewer and fewer people are getting marriedB.more than half of the people married in the past quarter century broke up at lastC.the divorce rate has actually been continually fallingD.increasing couples are getting divorced generation after generation(2).According
28、to the Census Bureau, _.（分数：1.00）A.theres an uptick in the divorce rate among people married in the 19751994 periodB.marriages that began in the 1990s were more likely to celebrate a 10th anniversary than those starting in the 1980sC.more than half of all marriages occurring between 19751979 had mad
29、e it to their 25th anniversaryD.the most recent data understate the true stability of recent marriages(3).Which of the following statements would the author agree with?（分数：1.00）A.Divorce rate in 19751979 is 8 percent higher than that in 19701974.B.If the census is conducted in the right time, the re
30、sults would be more positive.C.The narrative of rising divorce is consistent with counts of divorce certificates.D.It is still not worth stocking up on silver anniversary cards.(4).Why could people persist on divorce myth?（分数：1.00）A.To build grounds for reform proposals.B.To demand government interv
31、ention in marriage market.C.To promote deregulation of marriages.D.To help economic reform.(5).The authors attitude towards the divorce myth can best be described as _.（分数：1.00）A.criticalB.indignantC.indifferentD.approving四、TEXT C(总题数：1，分数：5.00)A unique Picasso retrospective has gone on display in A
32、bu Dhabi, bringing some of the Spanish artists favorite works to this Gulf city-state that aspires to become the regions cultural capital.The show was put together by Madrids Reina Sofia art museum, but many of the pieces come from the Picasso Museum in Paris. The Abu Dhabi collection includes 186 p
33、aintings, sculptures and drawings by one of the 20th centurys defining artists.The show that first went on display in Madrid in February included 400 pieces, but the traveling version that opened in Abu Dhabi on Monday and will visit nine cities around the world has been downscaled. To make up for i
34、t, local sponsors in Abu Dhabi, the shows only Middle East stop, have contributed 40 additional Picasso drawings, prints and illuminated manuscripts, showing Arab influences on the young Spanish artist.Pablo Picasso, considered the father of modern art, was born in 1881 in Malaga, southern Spain, bu
35、t spent most of his life in France. The 1936 1939 Spanish Civil War. and the following nearly four decades of dictatorship kept him from returning to his native country.Abu Dhabi is one of worlds largest oil exporters and the richest of seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates. Unlike it
36、s neighbor Dubai, which is attracting big business and mass tourism, Abu Dhabi tries to attract more sophisticated visitors to come for exhibitions and music concerts rather than sprawling beaches and giant shopping malls.Awash with cash from high oil prices, the emirates ruling elite is sponsoring
37、the building of Mideast arms of New Yorks Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Paris Louvre Museum on an island off Abu Dhabis Gulf coast. A performing arts center, a maritime museum and Emirates National Museum are also scheduled to be constructed there in the next decade.（分数：5.00）(1).From the passage,
38、 we may infer that _.（分数：1.00）A.Abu Dhabi is the cultural capital of the Gulf RegionB.Abu Dhabi is the worlds largest oil exporterC.Abu Dhabi is the richest member of the UAED.Abu Dhabi is the centre of tourism and business(2).How many Picassos art pieces will be put on display in Abu Dhabi?（分数：1.00
39、）A.186.B.400.C.226.D.146.(3).According to the passage, the show was organized by _.（分数：1.00）A.Reina Sofia art museumB.the Picasso Museum in ParisC.Solomon R. Guggenheim MuseumD.Louvre Museum(4).We may infer from the passage that _.（分数：1.00）A.the show started in Paris Picasso MuseumB.the show in Madr
40、id went on with 400 pieces art worksC.the show with 400 pieces art works will travel to nine cities around the worldD.there is Arab influence on the Spanish artists art works(5).Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?（分数：1.00）A.Abu Dhabis rulers are sponsoring the building of New Yo
41、rks Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.B.Louvre Museum will be built on an island off Abu Dhabis coast.C.Abu Dhabi tries to attract visitors with its sprawling beaches and shopping walls.D.Abu Dhabi has great ambition in becoming an art center of the region.五、TEXT D(总题数：1，分数：5.00)Let children learn to jud
42、ge their own work. A child learning to talk does not learn by being corrected all the time; if corrected too much, he will stop talking. He notices a thousand times a day the difference between the language he uses and the language those around him use. Bit by bit, he makes the necessary changes to
43、make his language like other people.In the same way, when children learn to do all the other things they learn to do without being taught-to walk, run, climb, whistle, ride a bicycle-compare those performances with those of more skilled people, and slowly make the needed changes. But in school we ne
44、ver give a child a chance to find out his own mistakes for himself, let alone correct them. We do it all for him. We act as if we thought that he would never notice a mistake unless it was pointed out to him, or correct it unless he was made to. Soon he becomes dependent on the teacher. Let him do i
45、t himself. Let him work out, with the help of other children if he wants it, what this word says, what answer is to that problem, whether this is a good way of saying or doing this or not.If it is a matter of right answers, as it may be in mathematics or science, give him the answer book. Let him co
46、rrect his own papers. Why should we teachers waste time on such routine work? our job should be to help the child when he tells us that he cant find the way to get the right answer. Lets end this nonsense of grades, exams, marks. Let us throw them all out, and let the children learn what all educate
47、d persons must some day learn, how to measure their own understanding, how to know what they know or do not know.Let them get on with this job in the way that seems sensible to them. With our help as school teachers if they ask for it. The idea that there is a body of knowledge to be learnt at schoo
48、l and used for the rest of ones life is nonsense in a world as complicated and rapidly changing as ours. Anxious parents and teachers say, “But suppose they fail to learn something essential they will need to get in the world?“ Dont worry! If it is essential, they will go out into the world and lear
49、n it.（分数：5.00）(1).What is the main idea of the passage?（分数：1.00）A.How children learn to talk.B.The role of teachers and parents.C.Let the children judge their own learning.D.How children grow up.(2).According to the author, in school now teachers should NOT _.（分数：1.00）A.let children find out their own mistakesB.let children correct their own mistakesC.point out mistakes for childrenD.let children work out their own problems(3).It is suggested that a teachers job is to _.（分数：1.00）A.give children the an
