Why are medical dramas so popular?

  Why are we so fascinated by medical dramas? From the high drama of Casualty and ER to the squeamish reality of Embarrassing Bodies and One Born Every Minute, it is hard to look away. Books with a medical or health theme are equally popular on best-selling lists.

  When it comes to how our bodies function and malfunction, we are hooked. Without doubt, medical science is a rich source of stories. The popularity of all forms of medical-based drama suggests that we love to watch and read about people dealing with pain and discomfort, facing problems we fear we might face too at some point in our lives. Prof George Ikkos, president of the Royal Society of Medicine’s psychiatry section, says it is more to do with learning about ourselves from other people. The integrity of our body is extremely important. We should be concerned about our own body and that lies at the heart of it. Programmes like Casualty are dramatic and exciting—they involve a lot of ordinary people we can relate to directly. "It’s not like watching something about nuclear physics or stamp collecting."

  Prof Ikkos says: "Well-informed programmes can be helpful but people engage at different levels, from the highbrow to the lowbrow, depending on how people relate to what they are watching." There is, of course, no research to confirm whether these dramas improve our understanding of medical matters or change our knowledge of health issues. Some fly-on-the-wall medical shows may simply be a popular form of voyeurism(窥探者). "But they do give information that is helpful. I would not want to discourage them," Prof Ikkos adds.

  The themes of health, medicine and science are also at the heart of many works of popular fiction and non-fiction. Best-selling novels such as Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson and Me Before You by Jojo Moyes tackle the subjects of long-term memory loss and life as a paraplegic(高位截瘫的人). Thomas Wright, whose new book Circulation—a biography of the 17th Century physician William Harvey—won the Wellcome Trust Book Prize this week, does not need to be convinced about the power of medical history. He was attracted to the story behind Harvey’s discovery that the heart was the principal organ of the body, pumping blood through veins and arteries with an incredible force. During an experiment, Wright says, Harvey cut the aorta(主动脉) of an animal and the blood dashed out with such force and quantity that it splattered the room. "It was so shocking to people who thought blood flowed slowly around the body. It’s an image that stayed in my mind."That dramatic scene opens Wright’s book and he returns to it at the end too. Back then, people did not have much faith in physicians and many did not believe that medicine would be able to help or cure them, if they could afford to go to them in the first place. As a result, Harvey had a tough time convincing people of his theories.

Wright says how we view doctors and their methods has changed greatly since then and that could explain the popularity of medical dramas."Now we look to doctors and scientists for answers—we hope that they can overcome illness and death. We put them on a pedestal. Just the act of going to a doctor makes me feel better, but that builds expectations and pressure too."Wright hopes his book will appeal to the same audience who watch the blood-stained medical dramas on TV.

63. People like to watch and read medical drama because________.

A. they want to form of medical-based drama

B. they want to read a rich source of stories.

C. they want to deal with pain and discomfort

D. they might face the similar situation in their life

64. According to prof Ikkos, which statement is right?

A. We can cure ourselves from dramas.

B. Pro Ikkos will improve medical drama show.

C. Different people can learn from the medical dramas.

D. There is no specific research to confirm medical matters.

65. Harvey’s experiment of cutting the aorta tells us_________.

A. the heart was the principal organ of the body

B. the heart in the animal can press the blood dash

C. in the 17th century, medical knowledge was convinced

D. in the 17th century, animal was used in medical operation

66. Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?

A.       B.

C.           D.

CP: central Point     P: Point      SP: Sun-point (次要点)     C: Conslusion

Throughout history, technology has provided artists with new tools for expression. Now, technology is increasingly becoming a fundamental force in the development of art.

I had my first experience with the internet in the early 1990s. I used our 300-baud modem, allowed it to begin its R2-D2-like hissing and whistling, and began to telnet(远程登录). A window on our Macintosh’s screen began filling with text and announced our connection to the computers at the local university. After exploring a series of text menus, I began my first download: a text document containing Plato’s The Republic, via Project Gutenberg. After what felt like a significant chapter of an hour, I was fascinated. I can distinctly remember jumping up and down, celebrating that I had this entire book on our computer using nothing but phone lines and a lot of dull beeping.

It took me almost a decade to actually get around to reading The Republic. By the time I did, the conception that I expressed wonder at such a mundane activity as downloading a text document seemed strange. In 2012, people stream movies onto their computers nightly without praising the modem gods. We have gone from the days of early web pages, with their splendid backgrounds and blinking text, to slick interactive sites with enough bells and whistles to make the entire experience smooth and multimedia based. No one thinks any longer about modems or the details of bandwidth speeds. And certainly no one uses the word baud anymore.

The changes haven’t ended there. To store data, I have used floppy disks, diskettes, zip discs, rewritable CDs, flash drives, burnable DVDs, even the Commodore Datasette. Now, I save many of my documents to storage that’s available anytime I have access to the internet: the cloud.

The technological revolution we’re currently experiencing is not a one-off, technology has been changing over the centuries. But what’s surprising is that if you look below the surface you discover that this progress is not random, it almost always follows a pattern. And understanding this pattern helps us to appreciate far more than faster download speeds or improved data storage. It helps us to understand something fundamental to our success as a species. It helps us to understand how our knowledge changes and evolves.

59. How did the author feel when he first downloaded a text document?

A. Frightened.      B. Ambitious.    C. Desperate.       D. Excited.

60. What can be indicated from the fourth paragraph?

A. Data storage has many different ways.

B. Data storage is an unavoidable method now.

C. Data storage experienced a thorough revolution.

D. Data storage develops from floppy disks to internet: the cloud.

61. What does the author mean in the last paragraph?

A. Technological revolution develops randomly.

B. Technological revolution develops with great storage.

C. Technological revolution develops far more than speed.

D. Technological revolution develops with a surprising force.

62. What is the best title for this passage?

A. My experience in internet revolution.

B. Internet revolution gives us a big surprise.

C. Internet revolution becomes a force in art.

D. My download and data storage from the internet.

US President Barack Obama has visited residents in areas of New York that still have no electricity 17 days after the deadly super-storm Sandy.

Mr Obama took a helicopter tour of Breezy Point, a neighborhood in Queens where about 100 homes were razed in a fire during the storm. He also met residents at an emergency response centre in Staten Island. More than 100 people were killed in the US as a result of Sandy, 43 of them in New York. The US president also met privately with Damien and Glenda Moore, whose two sons were swept away in the storm. "Obviously I expressed to them as a father, as a parent, my heartbreak over what they went through," he said. He said the family wanted to thank the New York City police officer, Lt Kevin Gallagher, who stayed with them until their children’s bodies were found. One man whose home in Staten Island was destroyed by Sandy was thankful for Mr Obama’s visit, but thought he should have come earlier."If he could do something to make this process with the government a little faster and easier on us, that would be a great thing," said Anthony Gatti, who said he had queued all day every day to speak with emergency officials. Mr Obama visited parts of New Jersey in the immediate after the storm, avoiding New York City so as not to prevent recovery efforts. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who joined Mr Obama on Thursday, said he would request $30bn (?19bn) in federal aid in order to rebuild. That price tag included the construction of a power grid meant to help utilities find and fix outages, as well as an upgrade to New York City’s fuel supply capacity. Fuel shortages after the storm led to lengthy queues and petrol rationing.

56. How did the man whose home was destroyed in the storm feel when visited?

A. Excited but nervous.

B. Scared but appreciated.

C. Thankful but sorrowful.

D. Appreciated but regretful.

57. What can we learn from the passage?

A. New York would request ?30bn to rebuild.

B. New York suffered a lot from super storm Sandy.

C. Mr. Obama visited New York Government.

D. Mr. Obama showed heart break in New York Government.

58. What is the main idea of this passage?

A. Obama toured Sandy-hit New York.

B. Obama expressed the warm heart to Damien and Glenda Moore.

C. New York was faced with fuel shortage after the storm.

D. New York Governor showed great ambition after the storm.

Grandfather’s Clock

In the dining room of my grandfather’s house stood a(n) 　36 grandfather clock. Meals in that dining room were 　37 for four generations to become one. And always that grandfather clock stood like a trusted family friend, watching over the laughter and story 　38

and gentle kidding that were a part of our lives. Year after year, the clock 　39 , a part of my memories, a part of my heart. Even more wonderful to me was my grandfather’s 　40 . He wound that clock with a special key each day. That key was magic to me. It kept our family’s magnificent clock ticking and chiming. I remember watching as my grand-father took the key from his pocket and opened the hidden door in the massive clock. He inserted the key and

41 　　 not too much, never overwind, he’d tell me seriously, nor too 　42 . He never let that clock wind down and stop. When we grandkids got a little older, he showed us how to open the door and let us each take a turn 　43 the key. I remember the first time I did, I

44 , to be part of this family routine was sacred. After my 　45 grandfather died, it was several days after the funeral 　46 I remembered the clock! The tears flowed freely when I entered the dining room. The clock stood lonely as quiet as the 　47 had been, hushed. The clock even seemed smaller. Not quite as magnificent without my grandfather’s special 48 . I couldn’t 　49 to look at it. Sometime later, years later, my grandmother gave me the clock and the key. The old house was quiet. The hands on the clock were 50 , a reminder of time

slipping away, stopped at the 　51 moment when my grandfather had stopped winding it. I took the key in my shaking hand and opened the clock door. All of a sudden, I was a child again, watching my grandfather with his silver-white hair and 　52　 blue eyes. He was there, winking at me, at the secret of the clock’s magic, at the key that held so much power. I stood,

53 in the moment for a long time. Then slowly, I inserted the key. It 　54 to life. Tick-tock, tick-tock, life and chimes were 　55 into the dining room, into the house and into my heart. In the movement of the hands of the clock, my grandfather lived again.

36.　 A. used　　　　　　　　 B. traditional　　　　　　　　 C. massive　　　　　　　　　 D. ancient

37.　 A. a time　　　　　　　 B. one time　　　　　　　　　 C. instant　　　　　　　 　 D. time

38.　 A. swapping　　　　 B. telling　　　　　　　　　　　 C. developing　　　　　　　 D. spreading

39.　 A. stroke　　　　　　　 B. sounded　　　　　　　　　 C. chimed　　　　　　　　　　 D. echoed

40.　 A. ceremony　　　　 B. routine C. movement　　　　　　　 D. instruction

41.　 A. moved B. wound　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. motivated D. powered

42.　 A. little　　　　　　　　 B. loose　　　　　　　　　　　 C. tight　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. much

43.　 A. using　　　　　　　 B. inserting　　　　　　　　　 C. spinning　　　　　　　　　 D. winding

44. A. nerved　　　　　　　　　　 B. excited　　　　　　　　　　 C. trembled　　　　　　　　　 D. shook

45.　 A. beloved　　　　　　 B. lovely　　　　　　　　　　　 C. respectful　　　　　　　　 D. respective

46.　 A. when　　　　　　　 B. before　　　　　　　　　　 C. until　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. till

47.　 A. function　　　　　 B. ceremony　　　　　　　　 C. funeral　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. meeting

48.　 A. reach　　　　　　　 B. attention　　　　　　　　　 C. fixing　　　　　　　 　 D. touch

49.　 A. bear　　　　　　　　 B. continue　　　　　　　　　 C. allow　　　　　　　　　　　 D. forbid

50.　 A. dotted　　　　　　　 B. stopped　　　　　　　　　 C. frozen　　　　　　　　　　 D. paused

51.　 A. precise　　　　　　 B. perspective　　　　　　　 C. previous　　　　　　　　　 D. primary

52.　 A. staring　　 　　 B. twinkling　　　　　 　 C. shining　　 　　　　　 D. glaring

53.　 A. thought　　　　　　 B. imagined　　　　　　　　　 C. recalled　　　　　　　　　 D. lost

54.　 A. renewed　　　　　 B. sprang　　　　　　　　　　 C. survived　　　　　　　　　 D. awoke

55.　 A. poured　　　　　　　　　　 B. crowded　　　　　　　　　 C. filled　　　　　　　　　　　 D. breathed

 I wasn’t surprised by the news, for I _____ for some time that one of my classmates was going abroad. 

   A. had known     B. knew           C. have known    D. know

 We’d better take actions ___________ to improve living conditions.

  A. to tend                 B. tending          C. tended           D. being tended

 ___________ is known to all that our class has won the first prize in the match.

  A. As                    B. What             C. It               D. That

______ in 1955, the book store was popular among the young people.

  A. Opened             B. Having opened     C. Opening           D. Being open

 My cousin _______ be really shy at times even though he is cheerful in general.

  A. shall                B. should             C. can           D. must

 It is more than half a century______ my grandparents got married.

  A. when                 B. that                C. since              D. while