Part Ⅲ Reading Comprehension 

Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or incomplete statements. For each of them there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice, and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet.

Passage 1 

Falls are the number one cause of death to old people at home. Most old people can live safely at home if they make a few changes. Falls are common as people are getting older. Up to half of home accidents could be prevented by making some very simple changes. Here are a few suggestions : 

Mark trouble spots with bright tapes. The first and last steps on stairs are usually high-risk accident areas. Applying bright tapes and using bright light in these areas would make these spots easier to see. 

Put grab bars (扶手) in the bathroom. A large number of falls occur in the bathroom. This is unfortunate (不幸的) because it"s easy to make the area safe from accidents. Putting grab bars in the bathroom gives people something to hang on to. 

Invest in a personal alarm. A personal alarm can be started if a person falls or otherwise gets in trouble. With the push of a button, the alarm automatically sends a signal, which gets someone to call and see if the person needs help.

1. By making some very simple changes at home, old people ______.

 A are free from home accidents

 B can improve their health

 C are likely to live longer

 D can live more safely

答案:D

[解析] 事实细节题。句意：通过在家中稍作变动，老人会怎么样。从文章的第一段第二句话“Most old people can live safely at home if they make a few changes．”可知，如果稍作变动，老年人在家中就会很安全。从题目询问的问题我们可以判断，A“完全不会发生意外”，B“可以改善健康状况”，C“可能会更长寿”，并不是原文阐述的内容，所以正确的答案为D。

2. Last steps on stairs may become a high-risk accident area if they are ______.

 A not painted in a different color

 B not marked with bright tapes

 C fixed with grab bars

 D very brightly lit

答案:B

[解析] 事实细节题。句意：最后几阶台阶会成为事故多发地点，如果它们怎么样。从文章第二段“Mark trouble spots with bright tapes. The first and last steps on stairs are usually high-risk accident areas. Applying bright tapes and using bright light in these areas would make these spots easier to see.”可知，用鲜艳的胶带或照明来标明容易摔跤的地点，都可以使这些地方更容易被看到。A“没有用不同颜色标出”，C“安装上扶手”，D“良好的照明”。这三项不符合原文。所以正确的答案为B。

3. Falls in the bathroom are considered to be unfortunate because ______.

 A they can easily be avoided

 B old people seldom fall in bathrooms

 C grab bars do not help to prevent fails

 D bathroom accidents are difficult to prevent

答案:A

[解析] 事实细节题。句意：在浴室中摔倒被认为是不幸的，因为什么。从文章第三段第三句话“This is unfortunate because it"s easy to make the area safe from accidents．”可知。其实我们可以很容易就把浴室改造得更加安全，要是在这里发生事故就太不幸了。B“老人很少在浴室摔倒”，C“扶手也不能避免摔倒”，D“很难避免在浴室摔倒”，都和原文不符。所以正确的答案为A。

4. A personal alarm is designed for old people to ______.

 A detect safety conditions at home

 B avoid falls in the bathroom

 C send out signals for help

 D make phone calls easily

答案:C

[解析] 事实细节题。句意：个人呼叫警报器是为了老年人能够怎么样。从文章的最后一句活“with the push of a button, the alarm automatically sends a signal, which gets someone to call and see if the person needs help．”可知，按一下按钮，警报器就会发出信号，别人就会来帮助。A“探测家中的安全状况”，B“避免浴室摔倒”，D“方便打电话”，这三项都不是正确的答案。所以正确的答案为C。

5. The purpose of this passage is to tell people that ______.

 A most old people die from accidents at home

 B up to half of home accidents could be prevented

 C falls at home can be avoided by taking some simple measures

 D protection of old people should be the first concern for the public

答案:C

[解析] 主旨大意题。句意：这篇文章的目的是告诉人们什么。从文章的意思来看，作者主要介绍了三种避免老人在家中摔倒的方法，所以作者主要是围绕避免摔倒问题展开的。A“很多老人都死于家中的意外事故”，B“半数以上的家中意外事故都可以避免”，D“公众应把保护老年人安全放在首要位置”，并不能很好体现原文的主旨，所以都不是最佳选项。所以正确的答案为C。

Passage 2 

We don"t have beds in the spacecraft, but we do have sleeping bags. During the day, when we are working, we leave the bags tied to the wall, out of the way. At bedtime we untie them and take them wherever we"ve chosen to sleep. 

On most spacecraft flights everyone sleeps at the same time. No one has to stay awake to watch over the spacecraft; the craft"s computers call us on the radio. 

On the spacecraft, sleep-time doesn"t mean nighttime. During each ninety-minute orbit (轨道) the sun "rises" and shines through our windows for about fifty minutes, then it "sets" as the spacecraft takes us around the dark side of the Earth. To keep the sun out of our eyes, we wear black sleep masks. 

It is surprisingly easy to get comfortable and fall asleep in space. Every astronaut (宇航员) sleeps differently: some sleep upside down, some sideways, and some right side up. When it"s time to sleep, I take my bag, my sleep mask and my tape player with earphones and float (漂浮) up to the flight deck (驾驶舱). Then I get into the bag, and float in a sitting position just above a seat, right next to a window. Before I pull the mask down over my eyes, I relax for a while, listening to music and watching the Earth go by under me.

1. When the astronauts are working, sleeping bags are fastened ______.

 A on the wall

 B to their seats

 C onto the flight deck

 D anywhere they like

答案:A

[解析] 事实细节题。该题题干的意思是“宇航员们工作的时候，睡袋被系在______”。根据文章第一段的第二句：“During the day, when we are working, we leave the bags tied to the wall, out of the way．”可以很容易得出结论：白天“我们”工作的时候，会把睡袋拴在墙上，不让它们挡道。因此，该题答案为A。

2. Why can all the astronauts sleep at the same time?

 A They have to follow the same timetable.

 B The radio will take care of the aircraft for them.

 C There are enough sleeping bags in the spacecraft.

 D There is no need for them to watch over the spacecraft.

答案:D

[解析] 事实细节题。该题问“为什么所有的宇航员可以在同一时间睡觉?”根据文章第二段：“...everyone sleeps at the same time. No one has to stay awake to watch over the spacecraft; the craft"s computers call us on the radio．”可知：因为飞船上有计算机监测飞船运行，所以不需要人为监测飞船的飞行情况。因此，该题的正确答案为D。

3. To relax himself before sleep, the writer often ______.

 A makes a bed

 B gets into his bag

 C listens to music

 D wears a sleep mask

答案:C

[解析] 事实细节题。该题问“为了在睡前放松，作者通常______”。通过文章最后一段的最后一句话：“Before I pull the mask down over my eyes, I relax for a while, listening to music and watching the Earth go by under me．”可知：作者在睡前会听一会儿音乐来放松自己。因此，正确答案为C。

4. How long does it take the spacecraft to go round the Earth?

 A Forty minutes.

 B Fifty minutes.

 C Ninety minutes.

 D Twenty-four hours.

答案:C

[解析] 推理判断题。该题问“飞船环绕地球一周需要多长时间?”通过文章第三段的第二句话：“During each ninety-minute orbit the sun "rises" and shines through our windows for about fifty minutes, then it "sets" as the spacecraft takes us around the dark side of the Earth．”可知：飞船绕地球飞行一周的轨道时长为90分钟。因此，该题的正确答案为C。

5. The best title for this passage is ______.

 A Traveling in Space

 B Sleeping in the Spacecraft

 C Equipment Used by Astronauts

 D The Earth Seen from Outer Space

答案:B

[解析] 主旨大意题。通过对全文的通读，可以知道，整篇文章谈论的都是宇航员如何在太空飞船上睡觉的情况。据此推断文章的最佳标题应该是B。

Passage 3 

The way people hold to the belief that a fun-filled, pain-free life equals happiness actually reduces their chances of ever attaining real happiness. If fun and pleasure are equal to happiness then pain must be equal to unhappiness. But in fact, the opposite is true: more often than not things that lead to happiness involve some pain. 

As a result, many people avoid the very attempts that are the source of true happiness. They fear the pain inevitably brought by such things as marriage, raising children, professional achievement, religious commitment, self-improvement. 

Ask a bachelor why he resists marriage even though he finds dating to be less and less satisfying. If he is honest he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment. For commitment is in fact quite painful. The single life is filled with fun, adventure, excitement. Marriage has such moments, but they are not its most distinguishing features. 

Couples with infant children are lucky to get a whole night"s sleep or a three-day vacation. I don"t know any parent who would choose the fun to describe raising children. But couples who decide not to have children never know the joys of watching a child grow up or of playing with a grandchild. 

Understanding and accepting that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating realizations. It liberates time: now we can devote more hours to activities that can genuinely increase our happiness. It liberates money: buying that new car or those fancy clothes that will do nothing to increase our happiness now seems pointless. And it liberates us from envy: we now understand that all those who are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all.

1. According to the author, a bachelor resists marriage chiefly because ______.

 A he is reluctant to take on family responsibilities

 B he believes that life will be more cheerful if he remains single

 C he finds more fun in dating than in marriage

 D he fears it will put an end to all his fun adventure and excitement

答案:A

[解析] 事实细节题。根据文中第三段第二句“If he is honest he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment．For commitment is in fact quite painful．”可知单身汉不愿意结婚的主要原因是他不愿承担婚姻的责任，故A正确。注意commitment意为“承诺，诺言，承担的责任”。

2. Raising children, in the author"s opinion, is ______.

 A a moral duty

 B a thankless job

 C a rewarding task

 D a source of inevitable pain

答案:C

[解析] 推理判断题。根据文中第四段“But couples who decide not to have children never know the joys of watching a child grow up or of playing with a grandchild．”可推测出作者对抚养孩子这件事是持赞赏的态度的，故选C。rewarding意为“值得做的”。

3. From the last paragraph, we learn that envy sometimes stems from ______.

 A hatred

 B misunderstanding

 C prejudice

 D ignorance

答案:B

[解析] 推理判断题。根据文中最后一句“And it liberates us from envy: we now understand that all those who are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all．”可知整天很开心的人不一定幸福，我们认为他们幸福只是我们自己的误解，所以我们会忌妒，就是源于误解。故选B。

4. To understand what true happiness is one must ______.

 A have as much fun as possible during one"s lifetime

 B make every effort to liberate oneself from pain

 C put up with pain under all circumstances

 D be able to distinguish happiness from fun

答案:D

[解析] 推理判断题。根据文中最后一段首句“Understanding and accepting that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating realizations．”可知理解和接受真正的幸福与开心无关，明白了这一点是最具有解放意识的，所以区别开幸福与开心才能理解什么是真正的幸福，故选D。

5. What is the author trying to tell us?

 A Happiness often goes hand in hand with pain.

 B One must know how to attain happiness.

 C It is important to make commitments.

 D It is pain that leads to happiness.

答案:A

[解析] 事实细节题。根据文中第一段“more often than not things that lead to happiness involve some pain．”可知幸福总是与痛苦相伴的，故选A。

Passage 4 

Motherhood may make women smarter and may help prevent dementia (痴呆) in old age by bathing the brain in protective hormones (荷尔蒙), U.S. researchers reported on Thursday. 

Tests on rats show that those who raise two or more litters of pups do considerably better in tests of memory and skills than rats who have no babies, and their brains show changes that suggest they may be protected against diseases such as Alzheimer"s (早老痴呆症). University of Richmond psychology professor Craig Kinsley believes his findings will translate into humans. 

"Our research shows that the hormones of pregnancy (怀孕) are protecting the brain, including estrogen (雌激素), which we know has many neuroprotective (保护神经的) effects," Kinsley said. 

"It"s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals," he added in a telephone interview. "They go through pregnancy and hormonal changes." 

Kinsley said he hoped public health officials and researchers will look to see if having had children protects a woman from Alzheimer"s and other forms of age-related brain decline. 

"When people think about pregnancy, they think about what happens to babies and the mother from the neck down," said Kinsley, who presented his findings to the annual meeting of the Society of Neuroscience in Orlando, Florida. 

"They do not realize that hormones are washing on the brain. If you look at female animals who have never gone through pregnancy, they act differently toward young. But if she goes through pregnancy, she will sacrifice her life for her infant—that is a great change in her behavior that showed in genetic alterations(改变) to the brain."

1. How do scientists know "Motherhood may make women smarter"?

 A Some researchers have told them.

 B Many women say so.

 C They know it by experimenting on rats.

 D They know it through their own experience.

答案:C

[解析] 事实细节题。根据第二段内容Tests on rats show...可知科学家是通过做老鼠实验得出这个结论的。

2. What does the phrase "litters of pups" mean in the second paragraph?

 A Baby rats.

 B Animals.

 C Old rats.

 D Grown-up rats.

答案:A

[解析] 词义猜测题。由litters of pups定位至第二段首句，后面的对比对象who have no babies实际上提供了一个相反的情况，所以我们可以推测those who raise two or more litters of pups中的litters of pups指的是“刚出生不久的小老鼠(baby rats)”。

3. What can protect the brain of a woman according to the passage?

 A Estrogen.

 B The hormones of pregnancy.

 C More exercise.

 D Taking care of children.

答案:B

[解析] 事实细节题。根据文章第三段中的...the hormones of pregnancy(怀孕) are protecting the brain可得出答案。A项estrogen是包含在the hormones bf pregnancy中的，所以选B。

4. "It"s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals." What does the sentence suggest?

 A The experiments on the rats have nothing to do with humans.

 B The experiments on the rats are very important for animals.

 C The experiments on the rats are much the same on humans.

 D The experiments on the rats are much the same on other animals.

答案:C

[解析] 句意理解题。科学家通过用老鼠做实验来说明人的问题。因为人和老鼠都属于哺乳动物，很多生理机能都相同。

5. Which title is the best for this passage?

 A Do You Want to Be Smarter?

 B Motherhood Makes Women Smarter

 C Mysterious Hormones

 D An Important Study

答案:B

[解析] 主旨大意题。文章首段首句Motherhood may make women smarter是主题句，据此我们可以得出答案。