Not long ago, many doctors in the West laughed at the suggestion that they might learn something from traditional Asian systems of healing. Most of them thought that Asian herbal (藥草的) medicine and acupuncture(針灸) were believed in only by simple people who knew no better. Western doctors relied mainly on chemical cures as the safest and surest way to treat illnesses. The scientific age of antibiotics(抗生素), “miracle drugs” and heart transplants encouraged the public to that there must be a pill for every illness. It was true that often the drug companies provided what the public wanted: a speedy temporary cure and did not remove the real cause of the illness. Moreover, some people actually became ill through taking too much medicine.

Many people in the West are now beginning to look for more natural cures for their illnesses and often they turn to the ancient wisdom of the East. There are some doctors in Britain now who offer their patients acupuncture treatment. Recently an Indian company which produces a natural medicine based on the biba root has sold some to Germany. The World Health Organization(WHO) encourages doctors not to rely too greatly on expensive Western medicines but to choose them carefully and use also their traditional herbal cures.

The mixture of Eastern and Western medicine has been practiced very successfully in China. China is still the only country in the world where the traditional doctor using herbal medicine and acupuncture is as respected as the Western-trained doctor. Through China all types of doctors are expected to work together. Western-style doctors are required to take at least a one-year course in traditional medicine, and the acupunctures must also study the basics of  western medicine. China’s way of “having the best of both worlds” has greatly impressed many visiting doctors from the West.

Experts from the WHO have decided that the time has come to study herbal medicine very carefully and to decide, by carefully controlled scientific experiments, what good these medicine might do. They are especially interested in finding cures for illnesses which Western medicine has found “incurable”. Six WHO units have been set up in Hong Kong, Seoul, Sri Lanka, London and Chicago, and so far the results have been encouraging.

68. What conclusion can we draw from the first paragraph?

A. Miracle drugs are born with science.

B. Chemical cures have got some side-effects if taken too much.

C. Chemical cures are better than Asian systems of healing because of its immediate response.

D. Drug companies are willing to meet the public demands.

69. What is the true reason for Western doctors to turn to the ancient wisdom of the East ?

A. Herbal medicine are less expensive.

B. Western medicines can’t work very well in some areas.

C. China has already set a good example of combining Eastern and Western medicines.

D. All of the above.

70. What do you think a Chinese doctor should learn?

A. Chinese medicine only.            B. Western medicine only.

C. Both with different emphasis.       D. Both equally.

People have often wondered about Margaret Thatcher’s famous claim that she only needed four hours of sleep a night. People were amazed that former British Prime Minister had managed to run the country on so little sleep. Most people need at least seven or eight hours rest every night.

    But now scientists have discovered a gene(基因)that affects the amount of sleep we need and which allows some people to survive on fewer hours. They found a mother and a daughter who have a rare gene that allows them to sleep less than the rest of their family —but still feel alert during the day. The pair managed to stay alert on about six hours sleep a night, two hours less than the rest of their family needs.

The finding, published in Science magazine, offers a new direction for studies on how sleep affects health. Experts say adults need seven to nine hours of sleep for good health, while teenagers and kids need more. People who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to get sick and suffer from memory loss.

In 2001,scientists at the University of California discovered a mutation(突變)in a gene that causes people with that gene to have very unusual sleeping patterns. These people go to bed around 7:30 pm and wake around 3:30 am.

Now the team has found a gene that affects how long a person can stay asleep. In the family they studied, the 69-year-old mother and her 44-year-old daughter usually went to bed around 10 pm. The mother woke up around 4 am, and her daughter woke up around 4:30 am. Both of them felt fully rested.

Blood tests showed the women have a mutation in a gene named DEC2, which regulates the body’s clock.

Researcher Ying-Hui Fu bred(培育) mice and fruit flies to carry the mutation. The flies and mice with the mutation slept less than ordinary flies and mice, and needed less time to recover from little sleep.

64. What is the main idea of the passage?

 A. Less sleep does not affect people’s health.

 B. Different people have different sleeping patterns.

 C. New measures can reduce the effect of less sleep on health.

 D. The hours we need to sleep may be affected by some gene in our body.

65. The underlined word “alert” in Paragraph 4 is similar in meaning to        .

66. In the study, the mother and the daughter       .

 A. were found to have a mutation in the gene DEC2

 B. were asked to sleep less than other family members

 C. had the same sleeping pattern as other family members

 D. suffered from memory loss for sleeping only six hours a night

67. According to the passage, the new finding can help       .

 A. recover memory loss

 B. cure sleeping problems

 C. get rid of mice and fruit flies more easily

 D. explain why some people need less sleep to feel fully rested

For these people, looking different isn’t just for October 31.

Star Wars Forever

    The force will always be with Luke Kaye. That’s because this dedicated fan has covered his back, arms, and legs with tattoos(紋身) of Star Wars characters.

    Kaye got his first tattoo about six years ago. Once he started, he just couldn’t stop. “I kept seeing characters in the movies and thinking, ‘That would make a great tattoo!’” he says. Kaye also collects items related to Star Wars. He recently had to sell a large part of his collection because it became too expensive to store it. But he can keep the tattoos forever.

  “I am nowhere near finished yet,” says Kaye, who lives in England. He plans to get tattoos of large spaceships down his sides. “You never know with me,” he adds, “I could come home one day with my whole face tattooed.”

The Hole Story

  “People often just want to look at me or touch me,” says Elaine Davidson. It’s no wonder. Davidson, who lives in Scotland, is covered with nearly 7,000 piercings (穿環(huán))! According to Guinness World Records, she is the most pierced woman on Earth.

  Together, Davidson’s studs(耳釘) and rings weigh almost seven pounds. She never removes them. She keeps them on even when she goes through scanners at airports. All she takes off is her watch!

  In June, Davidson made news when she got married. Opposites must attract. Her new husband has no piercings at all.

Goo Goo for Gaga

    Lady Gaga is famous for her outrageous looks. She has worn everything from a dress covered in bubbles to a coat made out of Kermit the Frog dolls. At the 2010 MTV Music Awards, she even wore a dress made out of raw meat!

    Some stars try not to stand out in public when they are not performing. They might wear sunglasses and a big hat when they go out, hoping that no one will recognize them. Lady Gaga, has a distinctive(與眾不同的) approach. She dresses up whether she’s walking through an airport or going shopping. She might wear a wild wig (假發(fā)), a lace bodysuit, or 12-inch heels. She jokes, “I am just trying to change the world.”

60. What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?

   A. To tell us a few interesting stories.

   B. To present three people with distinctive characters.

   C. To make fun of some distinctive people.

   D. To show us how to become attractive.

61. In the section of Star Wars Forever, it is suggested that         .

   A. Kaye has performed in Star Wars

   B. Kaye has a habit of studying and designing tattoos

   C. Kaye will continue with his habit of getting tattoos

   D. Kaye’s face looks frightening because of the tattoos

62. The underlined word “outrageous” in the passage probably means “        ”.

63. Unlike other stars, Lady Gaga         .

   A. is good at playing music

   B. doesn’t avoid being focused on

   C. often performs in public

   D. does much to improve the world

“I’d be better off dead.” he said, without any hesitation. Hearing those words come out of my best friend’s mouth tore my heart apart. He has repeated that phrase more than once, and my mind continually plays it over like a voice recording.

    I met him about three years ago. After knowing me for six months, he told me about his struggles with depression. Sadness was not the only feeling that came over me; I was shocked. He seemed so outgoing and happy all the time. I soon learned that he was hurt physically and mentally as a young child, causing him to have the thought of killing himself.

    He refuses to talk to others about his depression because he now distrusts adults, especially those in his family. However, he feels as if I understand him and that I know the right words to speak. Therefore, when it comes to helping him, convenience is not in my vocabulary. It does not matter where I am or what I am doing, for he always comes first.

    Many students at his school laugh at him when they notice scars on his arms from cutting. As he sees it, other kids have every right to make fun of him. But no one holds such a right, so I encourage him to ignore the heartless kids who treat him badly. When he feels the weight of judging eyes or hateful voices, I always remind him that I care about him unconditionally. Just hearing me say I will always be his best friend seems to give him the safety he needs to keep on going.

My best friend once told me that if he had not had me, he would not be alive. He said that my encouraging words helped him not to take his life. Our friendship has taught me that a single kind word can influence someone’s life. Life is not easy for every one, which makes me strongly believe in the necessity of encouragement.

56. According to the first paragraph, hearing his friend’s words, the author felt______.

57. By saying “convenience is not in my vocabulary”, the author means ______.

   A. he is always ready to help his friend

   B. he hardly spares time to help his friend

   C. he has no good excuse for refusing his friend

   D. he is not good at communicating with his friend

58. The author’s friend got into depression mainly because __________.

59. What is the best title for the passage?

閱讀下面短文，掌握其大意，然后從36~55各題所給的A、B、C、D四個(gè)選項(xiàng)中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題紙上將該項(xiàng)標(biāo)號涂黑。

An old farmer lived on a farm in the mountains with his young grandson. Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table   36    his book. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to   37    him in every way he could.

One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa! I try to read that book just like you do,   38    I don’t understand it, and what I do understand I   39    as soon as I close the book. What   40    does reading the book do?”

The grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, “Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of   41   .”

The boy did as he was told, but all the water   42    before he got back to the house.

The grandfather laughed and said, “You’ll have to move a little more   43    next time.” Then he sent the boy back to the river with the basket to try   44   . This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was   45    before he returned home.

   46   , he told his grandfather that it was   47    to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket   48   .

The old man said, “I don’t want a   49    of water; I want a basket of water. You’re just not trying hard enough.”   50    he went out of the door to watch the boy try again.

The boy again dipped the basket into the river and ran as hard as he could, but when he

  51    his grandfather the basket was again empty. Out of breath, he said, “See, Grandpa, it’s useless!”

“So you think it is useless?” the old man said, “Look at the basket.”

The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was   52   . Instead of a dirty old coal basket, it was   53   , inside and out.

“Son, that’s what   54    when you read the book. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you will be   55   , inside and out.”

--- Did you have a good night’s sleep last night, sir?

--- Oh, exactly. It was such a comfortable bed. I could never have ______ sleep.

 The beach is ______ walking distance of my house. That is to say, we can walk there easily.

 The old woman was counting the eggs ______ by the hens during this month.

 The old couple looked happy living in the city, but they ______ had a hard time.

 On one side of the park, there is a patch of trees, ______ a river winds.