最后冲刺:2011.12英语六级密押卷－阅读

Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth) (25 minutes)
Section A

Questions 47 to 51 are based on the following passage.

Schools looking to ban cell phones may have a new excuse: a growing number of people are developing an allergy (过敏) to metal in the devices. We all know that food allergies are on the rise — a study last year placed the rate at 1 per 70 children, compared with 1 in 250 in the 1970s. But at last month’s meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, allergists reported that many substances that once seemed harmless are now leading to allergic reactions too.

Allergies can develop when young bodies come into contact with a new substance, and an increasing number of kids have early exposure to tech tools and “adult” products that can lead to a lifetime of reactions. For instance, the nickel hardware often used on phone trim and faceplates can lead to red, itchy (发痒的) skin where the phone is pressed against the face of someone who developed a nickel allergy at a young age. It’s especially problematic for women, says Luz Fonacier, an allergist who presented at the conference. Young girls are often first exposed to nickel when they get their ears pierced, and therefore are more likely to develop a sensitivity to the metal that can cause allergic reactions later on.

Temporary tattoos (刺青) could be another new allergy trigger. They share a coloring matter used in hair dyes, which can lead to problems down the line. “You might have kids developing the sensitivity now, and then finding out only when they’re much older and decide to dye their hair, then have an attack,” says Fonacier. Foods that were once considered low risk, like pumpkin, are now causing some allergic reactions too.

So what’s behind all these new allergens? Some researchers believe that as humans live in cleaner, safer, more disease-free environments, the immune system — given less to do thanks to antibiotics and Clorox — turns on substances once considered safe. Others note that children are being exposed to more and more new foods and foreign substances at earlier ages, which could up the chances of developing a sensitivity. To be safe, Fonacier recommends that children avoid piercing until after age 10. And it’s all just another reason to keep those cell phones and temporary tats away from young hands.

47. Allergists said some allergic reactions are now caused by many substances once considered _____________________.
48. Phone trim with nickel can lead to allergic reactions if the phone user _____________________ to nickel at a young age.
49. Temporary tattoos could _____________________ allergy because of a coloring mattering they contain.
50. According to some researchers, humans’ _____________________ is becoming sensitive to some substances due to the use of antibiotics and Clorox.
51. To reduce the chance of developing a sensitivity, children are advised to _____________________ before 10.

47. harmless
48. developed an allergy
49. trigger
50. immune system
51. avoid piercing

Section B
Passage One

Questions 52 to 56 are based on the following passage.
Researchers at the University of California-Berkeley are challenging our long-held belief that humans are hard-wired to be selfish. Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was misinterpreted by his male popularizers, the researchers say. Rather than “every man for himself”, Darwin believed that humans are successful as a species precisely because of our nurturing, selfless and compassionate traits.

Why has it taken so long for Darwin’s central revelation to be properly interpreted? “We’ve had too many men in social science,” Berkeley psychology professor Dacher Keltner told me in an interview. “Female scientists acknowledge that ‘fight or flight’ is part of human nature, but so is caring for people.” This is no touchy-feely feminist theory. Hard science is showing how the human capacity to care is wired into our brains and nervous systems.

In my book Passages in Caregiving, I urge women who assume the whole responsibility for taking care of an elderly parent or chronically ill spouse to build a Circle of Care. Reach out to your brothers and sisters, friends, neighbors and community volunteers to help you care, because no one can perform this overwhelming role alone. You will be as stunned as I to learn how the most selfless caregivers are rewarded with greater longevity (寿命). Stephanie Brown, associate professor of preventive medicine at SUNY-Stony Brook, followed a group of older adults caring for family members with dementia and other illnesses. If they offered care more than 14 hours a week, they were less likely to die in a seven-year period than their peers.

“Survival of the Kindest” is not just a theory. It is becoming a revolutionary cultural movement. There are many signs that caring is gaining currency. Keltner, who has been studying the science of this instinct for 15 years, says we are coming to the end of our cycle of greed. Berkeley and Stanford universities now have compassion centers devoted to the study and teaching of this theory. It will run up against hostility among the Hobbesians. Ayn Rand wrote, “If any civilization is to survive, it is the morality of selfishness that men have to reject.” As Americans, we have a cultural bias against caring.

Oh, sure, we give our families gifts generously during the holiday season, but in a capitalist system based on unrestrained competition, we worry that if we care, we lose. Compassion is a woman’s word. In men, it’s cast as weak, when in fact it makes us stronger under stress and more highly respected by our peers. For so long we have repeated the careless saying “Nice guys finish last.” But the 40 richest Americans who took the Giving Pledge to commit half their fortunes to doing good are no spring chickens. Here is my reinterpretation: Nice guys die last.

52. According to the Berkeley researchers, Darwin’s central revelation is that .
A) humans are born to be selfish C) fight is not part of human nature
B) selfless makes us a successful species D) care is related to our nervous system

53. Professor Dacher Keltner holds that caring for people .
A) takes people’s time and put them at a disadvantage
B) is the nature of humans just like “fight or flight”
C) isn’t a human capacity connected with our brains
D) isn’t supported by males due to fierce competition

54. What does Stephanie Brown’s study reveal?
A) Selfless caregivers tend to have a longer lifespan.
B) Caregivers are more likely to die from heavy workload.
C) Caregivers should turn to community volunteers for help.
D) The longer a person offers care, the less likely he is to die.

55. The author quotes Ayn Rand to support the opinion that .
A) women should be selfless in order to live longer
B) people must be selfless to maintain the society
C) the cycle of greed must be ended immediately
D) compassion centers are necessary to a civilization

56. The author suggests a man with compassion .
A) will live longer than those without it C) is more likely to be respected by his peers
B) is often regarded as a coward and loser D) has much greater difficulty in success


Passage Two

Questions 57 to 61 are based on the following passage.
Compared with elderly parents and adult children in five other industrialized nations, Americans are twice as likely to have “disharmonious” relationships, a new multinational study has found. And we’re correspondingly less likely to have “friendly” relationships marked by strong affection and relatively free of conflict. The study of nearly 2,700 parents over age 65, published recently in The Journal of Marriage and Family, turned up significant national differences. German and Spanish parents described relationships with their adult children as more detached. The English reported the most friendly families. Israelis operated with a high degree of ambivalence (正反感情并存), meaning they indicated strong positive and negative emotions. Norwegians placed somewhere in the middle. And Americans took the prize for conflict—defined as a higher incidence of arguing and criticism. “American families can be characterized by greater strain,” said Merril Silverstein, a social gerontologist (研究老年医学的专家) at the University of Southern California and the study’s lead author.

Let’s not overstate our conflict. Most American parents — 51 percent of the United States sample — still managed to maintain positive connections with their children, and so did a plurality of those surveyed in other countries. Though the survey didn’t attempt to point reasons for discord, the researchers have some theories. They chose countries with very different social policies and with a variety of cultural values relating to families, and they believe these play a role.

“Though it might be invisible, our choices and our emotions are shaped by the options that are available or not available to us,” said Dr. Silverstein. “And that’s influenced by where we live.” In countries without strong governmental support for the elderly, for example, “families are compelled to care for each other, and it forces them into situations they might not want to be in,” Norwegians, for instance, enjoy virtually lifetime state assistance. They don’t have to be as deeply involved in their parents’ care as, say, Spaniards or Americans. “The idea that families should care for their own is deep-rooted in U.S. ideology,” Dr. Silverstein said. But government support is weaker, with more gaps, so we frequently feel we have to face the not-always-harmonious consequences.

Cultural variations also enter the equation. In Spain, a far higher proportion of the elderly participants — 22.5 percent — lived with their children than was the case in the other nations, a situation that might ease feelings of detachment. As for the English, they have strong social supports, but they also have a cultural tendency to inhibit the expression of strong negative emotion. Israelis, on the other hand, let it all hang out.

57. What is said about the relationships between parents and adult children in different counties?
A) Spanish parents have the closest attachment with their adult children.
B) Israelis take a negative attitude to the parents and children relationships.
C) Americans have most disharmonious parents and children relationships.
D) Norwegian people show the relationships in the friendliest way.

58. What do we learn from the second paragraph?
A) The majority of parents in the world keep positive connections with children.
B) Most parents don’t get along well with their adult children, especially in US.
C) American parents are the most successful in dealing with parent-children relationships.
D) Conflict has been a striking theme in the relationships of parents and their children.

59. According to Dr. Silverstone, what is the cause of the problem of American families?
A) The distance between children and elderly parents.
B) The conflict between independence and poor support.
C) The too much parental involvement in children’s life.
D) The frequent conflicts between different generations.

60. In a disharmonious relationship, Israelis have the cultural tendency to .
A) hide their negative feelings C) live together to ease detachment
B) express their negative emotions D) solve the conflict in public

61. What is the passage mainly about?
A) Family customs in developed countries.
B) Governmental support in the United Sates.
C) Population condition in remote regions.
D) Family relationship in different countries.

Part IV Reading Comprehension (Reading in Depth)
52. B) 53. B) 54. A) 55. B) 56. C)
57. C) 58. A) 59. B) 60. B) 61. D)