-
The
secret
of
being
born
lucky
is
a
summer
birthday,
with
May
babies
most
likely
to
enjoy
a
lifetime’s
good
fortune,
according
to
a
study
of
more
than
40,000
people.
The
time
of
year
at
which
you
are
born
has
an
enduring
influence
on
levels
of
optimism
and self-reported
luck, according to research by British and Swedish
scientists.
May was the luckiest
month in which to be born,
with
50 per cent
of those born then
considering themselves lucky, while
October was the least lucky month, with just
43 percent claiming good
fortune.
The
findings
add
to
growing
evidence
that
the
phenomenon
of
luck
is
not
all
down
to
chance, but is
affected by a person’ s
general disposition.
Other research
has
shown that whether people think
themselves fortunate depends less on objective
success than on having a “glass
half
-
full” or
“half
-
empty” approach to
life.
“What
we
are
seeing
suggests
that
something
is
influencing
how
people
perceive
their
luckiness. My
hypothesis is that people create their own luck by
traits such as
optimism, that luck is a
psychological phenomenon rather than a matter of
blind
chance,” said Professor Richard
Wise man, who led the research.
The pattern of the results, with those
born in spring and summer reporting
themselves luckier than those born in
autumn or winter, could have two potential
explanations, Professor Wiseman
said.
1.
According to the passage, whether people think
themselves lucky not depends on
the
following factors EXCEPT ______
A) one’s objective success B) one’s
general disposition
C)
one’s attitude to life
D) one’s place of birth
2. According to the
passage, those who were born in ______
_
regard themselves as
the
most fortunate.
A) March
B) April
C) May
D) October
3.
Which of the following statements is TRUE
according to the passage?
A)
Optimistic people tend to be luckier.
B) Devoted people tend to be
luckier.
C) Objective
success is more important than one’s general
disposition in feeling
lucky.
D) People
drinking more water tend to be luckier.
4. Which of
the
following words can best replace the word
“trait”(Line 8, Para.
2)?
A) quality.
B)
expectation. C) belief. D) idea.
is the best title for the
passage?
A) Luck is
Something Born.
B) Luck is
Not All Down to Chance.
C)
Luck is A Matter of Blind Chance.
D) Luck and Age.
Passage 2
Researchers say most of us make instant
judgement about a person on the basis
of how they look. They say facial
features can determine whether we like or trust
someone. It may even influence how we
vote.
“
Over the
years, we have found that facial features affect
the way many of us
perceive
others,”
says
Elisabeth
Cornwell,
a
psychology
researcher
at
the
university’s Perception Laboratory.
Studies suggest that people
are less
likely
to trust those with particularly
masculine features, such as a square jaw, small
eyes or
big nose.
“They are perceived as
dominant and less
trustworthy,
” says
Ms
Cornwell.
“It
doesn’t
mean
that
men
who
look
more
masculine
are
less
trustworthy
—It’s
just
our
first
impressions.
“
Those
with
less
masculine
features
—
larger
eyes, a smaller nose and thinner
lips
—
are deemed to be more
trustworthy. “We are very good at
processing
these features
quickly,” says Ms
Cornwell.
The researchers are putting their
science to the test at the Royal society’s
annual
summer
exhibition
in
London.
They
have
subtly
manipulated
the
faces
of
Prime
Minister
Tony
Blair,
Conservative
leader
Michael
Howard
and
Liberal
Democrat
leader
Charles
Kennedy
accentuating
their
dominant
and
trustworthy
features
respectively.
“We
have
u
sed
a
computer
programme
to
change
the
shape
of
their
face
and
features.
We
hope it will help people to understand our work.”
So should we expect to see
Tony
Blair,
Michael
Howard
and
Charles
Kennedy
at
the
exhibition
getting
tips?
“I
don’t
think
it’s
something
they
will
want
to
try,”
says
Ms
Cornwell.
“It’s
not
really
possible
with
television.
We
all
know
what
they
look
like.
I
think
they
would
be naive
to
try it.”
1.
Why
are
people
less
likely
to
trust
those
with
particularly
masculine
features?
A)
Because they are bad-tempered.
B)
Because they are
perceived as dominant and less
trustworthy.
C) Because they
are perceived as tricky.
D)
Because they are more stubborn.
2. According
to
the
passage,
which
of
the
following
is
perceived
as
a
g
masculine
feature?
A)
Larger eyes.
B) A square
jaw.
C) A smaller nose.
D) Thinner lips.
3. What can
be inferred from the passage?
A) Most of us tend to judge people by
how they look.
B)
Some
studies
show
that
people
with
particular
masculine
features
are
more
dominant.
C) A
candidate with less masculine features is more
likely to win a vote.
D)
Most of us are with masculine features.
4. Why will Tony Blair not want to
change his facial features according to the
passage?
A)
Because he is so popular that everyone knows what
he looks like.
B) Because he
does not want to get tips.
C) Because he has great confidence in
his looks.
D) Because he is
very naive.
5.. What is the
best title for the passage?
A) Facial Features.
B) How People Perceive
Others.
C) Facial Features
Are Everything.
D) How
Facial Features Affect One’s First
Impression.
Passage 3
British university entrants expect to
be provided with washing machines and
dryers in their rooms, and even car
parking spaces, a survey has found. Students
are
also
less
prepared
to
tolerate
poor
quality
living
conditions
than
their
predecessors, says the
survey by British polling organization
Mori.
More
than
1,000
full-time
undergraduates
and
postgraduates
from
21
universities across the
UK were surveyed for the research. It shows that
location
is the key factor in choosing
accommodation for
students
—
nearly half of
those
interviewed said that being close
to their place of study was the most important
factor
in their choice.
Cost came second, with evidence that
many parents foot the
bills
for
their
children’s
rent.
The
survey
also
shows
that
students
are
no
longer
prepared
to
carry
bags
of
washing
to
the
nearest
launderette.
These
newcomers
expect
washers
and
dryers
to
be
provided
with
their
accommodation.
The
study
also
highlights
those things
today’s students expect as
standard—
communal areas to be cleaned
regularly, utility bills to be
included, even private car parking space to be
included.
Separate findings from the UK’s
National Union of Students published
earlier
this
year
show
more
than
half
of
students
in
private
rented
accommodation
are
living
in unsatisfactory
conditions.
1.
Who are the subjects of the survey?
A) Some oversea students in U.
K.
B) Some undergraduates
and postgraduates in U. K.
universities.
C) Some
graduates in U. K. universities.
D) Some British students in other
countries.
2. What kind of
accommodation is the most attractive to students
according to the
survey by British
polling organization Mori?
A) An apartment near their
universities.
B) A cheap
house far way from their universities.
C) An apartment with car parking
space.
D) An apartment with
washing machines.
3. Which
of the following statements is TRUE according to
the passage?
A) The survey
described in the passage is conducted by UK ‘
s National Union of
Students.
B) Most
of the subjects are from universities in
London.
C) Most college
students pay the rent by themselves.
D)
Students
think
that
communal
areas
should
be
cleaned
regularly
by
cleaners
rather
than
themselves.
4. According to
the passage, the choice of accommodation is
influenced by the
following factors
EXCEPT ______.
A)
convenience B) comfort
C) low rents
D) weather
5.
What does the survey indicate?
A)
U.
K.
university
students
are
increasingly
satisfied
with
their
living
conditions.
B) U.
K. university students are less and less
energetic.
C) U. K.
university students demand higher qualities of
their living conditions.
D)
U. K. university students pay less and less
attention to their studies.
Passage 4
The former first lady and now New York
Senator, Hillary Rodham Clinton, has
written a book about her eight years in
the White House. It is being released with
a
great
deal
of
public
fanfare.
The
book
reveals
details
about
the
notorious
Monica
Lewinsky scandal involving her husband,
President Clinton.
In
Living
History
,
the
wife
of
former
President
Clinton
recounts the
moment
when
Mr.
Clinton
informed
her
that
he
had,
fact,
had
what
he
called
“a
relationship
that
was not appropriate”
with Miss
Lewinsky, then a White House
intern. She writes,
“I’ could hardly
breathe.
Gulping for air, I started
crying and yelling at him.
What
do
you
mean?
What
are
you
saying?
Why
did
you
lie
to
me?
I
was
furious
and
getting
more so by the
second. He just stood th
ere saying over
and over again, I’m sorry.
I’m
so
sorry.
I
was
trying
to
protect
you
and
Chelsea,
referring
to
their
daughter.”
Mrs.
Clinton
says
she
hopes
that
people
will
read
the
book
for
more
than
intimate
details of her troubled marriage. “It’
s a pretty long book, and it’s about my
life,
and
it’s
about
all
of
the
issues
that
I’ve
worked
on,
particularly
on
behalf
of
women and children, and things that I’
ye cared about
literally since I was a
little girl,” she said. “I think it
will give people more
insight and,
perhaps,
answer questions. It’s also my
story.”
Publisher
Simon
&
Schuster
paid
Senator
Clinton
$$
8
million
for
the
560-page
book,
and
has
ordered
an
unusually
large
first
printing
of
one-
million
copies.
Publishing
rights to the book already have been
sold in 16 countries.
1.
What appeals to the readers most in the book
Living History according to the
passage?
A)
Hilary’s eight years in the White
House.
B) Hilary’s troubled
marriage.
C) The issues that
Hilary have worked on.
D)
Hilary’s life as
a senator.
2. The word “notorious” (Line 4, Para.
1) is closest in meaning to______.
A) well-known
B)
unheard-of
C) surprising
D) amusing
3. Which of the
following can best describe Hilary’s reaction when
Mr. Clinton
told her his inappropriate
relationship with Miss Lewinsky?
A) Indifferent. B)
Calm.
C) Angry.
D) Astonished.
4. What is
Hilary’s comment on her own book?
A) It is more than
interesting.
B) It can meet
the need of people to know about other’ s
intim
acy.
C) It
is an academic book
D) The
language of the book is beautiful.
5. What CANNOT be inferred from the
passage?
A) Living History
is expected to sell well.
B)
Living History will be published beyond
America.
C) Mrs. Clinton is
well paid for the book Living History.
D) Mr. Clinton is a responsible
husband.
passage 5
The
human form of mad cow disease, an incurable,
brain-
wasting illness that’s
killed more than 100 people in Britain,
has claimed its first Canadian victim.
Canadian
health
officials
confirmed
Thursday
that
the
unidentified
man
died
sometime
this
summer.
The
man,
who
lived
in
the
western
province
of
Saskatchewan,
contracted
the disease from eating contaminated
meat while traveling in Britain.
Dr. Antonio Giulivi, an official with
the government agency Health Canada,
quickly moved to calm fears by assuring
the public the disease had not entered the
Canadian food supply.
The variant of the cow-killing illness,
known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, is
believed to be caused when ground parts
of diseased cattle are mixed into cattle
feed and those cows are turned into
processed meats for human consumption. Though
the disease cannot be confirmed until
an autopsy is performed on the dead brain,
symptoms of human infection include
uncontrolled shaking, dementia and finally
paralysis.
But
while government officials insisted safeguards are
in place to keep the
disease out of
Canadian meat, warnings were issued to 71 patients
at the hospital
where
the
infected
man
was
treated
before
his
illness
was
identified.
Those
patients
had
been
treated
with
the
same
medical
instruments
used
on
the
diseased
man.
Though
the
instruments
were
cleaned
and
disinfected,
officials
said
a
theoretical
possibility
remains that those people could have been
infected.
News
of
the
death
initially
sent
Canadian
restaurant
stocks
into
a
tailspin,
but
most of them recovered by the end of
the trading session.
1. Where is the Canadian supposed to
contact mad cow disease?
A)
In Saskatchewan.
B) In
Britain.