On May 23,1989,Stefania Follini came out from a cave at Carlsbad,New Mexico.She hadn"t
seen the sun for eighteen and a half weeks.Stefania was in a research program,and the scientists in
the program were studying body rhythms(节奏). In this experiment Stefania had spent 130 days in a
cave,30 feet in depth.
During her time in the cave,Stefania had been completely alone except for two white mice.Her
living place had been very comfortable,but there had been nothing to tell her the time.She"d had no
clocks or watches,no television or radio.There had been no natural light and the temperature had
always been kept at 21℃.
The results were very interesting.Stefania had been in the cave for over four months,but she
thought she had been there for only two.Her body clock had changed.She hadn"t kept to a 24hour day,
she had stayed awake for 20~25 hours and then had slept for 10 hours.She had eaten fewer meals and
had lost 171 bs in weight as a result!She had also become rather depressed(抑郁).
How had she spent her time in the cave?As part of the experiment she"d done some physical and
mental tests.She"d recorded her daily activities and the results of the tests on a computer.This computer
had been specially programmed for the project.Whenever she was free,she"d played cards,read
books and listened to music.She"d also learned French from tapes.
The experiment showed that our body clocks are affected by light and temperature.For example,
the pattern of day and night makes us wake up and go to sleep.However,people are affected in
different ways.Some people wake up naturally at 5:00 am,but others don"t start to wake up till
9:00 or 10:00 am.This affects the whole daily rhythm.As a result,the early risers are at their best
in the late morning.The late risers, on the other hand,are tired during the day and only come to life in
the afternoon or evening!
1. Stefania stayed in the cave for a long time because________.
A. she was asked to do research on mice
B. she wanted to experience loneliness
C. she was the subject of a study
D. she needed to record her life
2. What is a cause for the change of Stefania"s body clock?
A. Eating fewer meals.
B. Having more hours of sleep.
C. Lacking physical exercise.
D. Getting no natural light.
3. Where does the text probably come from ?
A. A novel.
B. A news story.
C. A pet magazine.
D. A travel guide.
( )1. A. target ( )2. A. medical ( )3. A. so ( )4. A. focuses on ( )5. A. reward ( )6. A. grows ( )7. A. Obviously ( )8. A. known ( )9. A. creating ( )10. A. ignore ( )11. A. In brief ( )12. A. crazy ( )13. A. time ( )14. A. less ( )15. A. appreciate ( )16. A. shouting ( )17. A. new ( )18. A. If ( )19. A. terrible ( )20. A. figure out | B. style B. physical B. then B. applies to B. evaluation B. translates B. Strangely B. supported B. lacking B. keep B. In addition B. anxious B. mirror B. amazing B. dislike B. shining B. nervous B. Although B. noble B. take out | C. function C. chemical C. nor C. works with C. reflection C. enters C. Fortunately C. observed C. sharing C. take C. For example C. upset C. garden C. more C. describe C. speaking C. familiar C. Since C. reliable C. put out | D. color D. mental D. neither D. serves as D. example D. falls D. Frequently D. recognized D. comparing D. notice D. As usual D. concerned D. person D. valuable D. discover D. pointing D. friendly D. Once D. desirable D. give out |
Nick Campbell sat at the side of the road and wondered what to do next. He looked at the second-hand Harley Davidson he"d bought from a back-street garage back home in Miami at the beginning of his trip six weeks before. For years he had dreams of crossing the United States from east to west by motorbike and he"d finally decided that it was now or never. He"d given up his job, sold his car and set off for the journey of his dreams. He"d been lucky, or so he thought, to find this old Harley Davidson and had bought it for a very reasonable price------it had cost him just $600. But five kilometers from Atlanta, he had run out of luck. The motorbike had broken down. He pushed the bike into town and found a garage. The young mechanic told him to leave the bike overnight and come back the next day. The following morning, to his surprise, the man asked if the bike was for sale. "Certainly not," he replied, paid his bill and hit the road. When he got to Kansas the old machine ran out of steam again. This time Nick thought about selling it and buying something more reliable, but decided to carry on. When the bike was going well, he loved it. However, in Denver, Colorado the bike broke down again so he decided to take it to a garage and offer it for sale. The mechanic told him to come back in the morning. The next day, to his amazement, the man offered him $2,000. Realizing the man must be soft in the head, but clearly not short of money, Nick asked for $ 3,000. The man agreed and they signed the papers. Then the mechanic started laughing. In fact it was several minutes before he could speak and when he could he said, "That"s the worst deal you"ll ever make, boy." He removed the seat. On the underside was the inscription (铭文): "To Elvis, love James Dean." 1. Harley Davidson here refers to a _________. A. car B. truck C. garage D. motorbike 2. Which of the following did Nick value most? A. Harley Davidson. B. His job. C. His dream to travel. D. His car. 3. The underlined word in the 6th paragraph is closest in meaning to_________. A. clever B. crazy C. honest D. kind 4. At the end of the story, Nick must have felt very __________. A. sorry B. happy C. excited D. moved | |||
阅读理解 | |||
My brotherinlaw opened the drawer of my sister"s cupboard and took out a package. He said, "This is a new silk slip (衬裙). Jane bought it in New York nine years ago. She never wore it. She was saving it for a special occasion. I guess this is the occasion." It was an exquisite (精美的) handmade silk slip. The price tag on it was still attached. He took the slip from me and put it on the bed, with the other clothes we were taking to the mortician (殡仪员). His hands lingered on the soft material for a moment, and then he shut the drawer and turned to me, "Don"t ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you"re alive is a special occasion." His words have changed my mind. I"m spending more time with my family and less time on meetings. I"m trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them. I"m not saving anything. I wear my good skirt to the market if I feel like it. I can pay $28.49 for a small bag of groceries.I"m not saving my good perfume for special parties. If something is worth seeing, hearing or doing, I want to see, hear and do it now. "Someday"_has_disappeared_in_my_vocabulary. I"m not sure what Jane would have done if she had known she"d not be here for the tomorrow.I"m guessing Jane would have called family members and a few close friends.She might have apologized to her former friends for their past quarrels. She"d have gone out for a Chinese dinner, her favorite food. I"m trying hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that would add laughter to our lives. Every morning I open my eyes, I tell myself that every day, every minute, every breath is a gift. | |||
1. Why didn"t Jane wear the new silk slip? | |||
A. She meant to wear it on her death. B. She wanted to save it for her sister. C. She thought it was too dear. D. She saved it for a special occasion. | |||
2. After Jane"s death, the author begins to________. | |||
A. treasure the simple pleasure of life B. spend more time having meetings C. save more money for necessities D. care about her special parties | |||
3. What does the underlined sentence ""Someday" has disappeared in my vocabulary." (in paragraph 4) mean? | |||
A. I prefer to leave out the word "someday" in my speech. B. "Someday" is found missing from my old dictionary. C. I will not delay enjoying the pleasure of life. D. I decide not to enjoy something good at the moment. | |||
4. It can be inferred from the passage that________. | |||
A. it makes sense to follow our dream B. we tend to leave good things until the last minute C. we should take pleasure in our work D. it is meaningless to save something for the future |