Fear can be fun. Many young people queue up to ride very fast and scary roller coasters, screaming but enjoying themselves. Other people like to read “goose bumps (鸡皮疙瘩)” books or watch horror movies at night, scared to death but feeling excited. Why do people like being scared?

　　Fear is an ancient way of surviving. Being scared makes animals, including humans escape from danger and save themselves. It is because of fear that we have lived through millions of years of evolution. Those who lacked a strong fear response were more likely to be killed, leaving the more fearful and careful to pass their genes onto the next generation.

　　How do scientists explain why shaking over such scary things is fun? “Some kids will go to a scary movie and love it and laugh over it, others will feel anxious and hide their faces and some won’t even set foot in the cinema,” said Ned Kalin, a US scientist. “Which kind of person you are depends partly on experiences you’ve had and partly on your genes.”

　　What happens in the brain when something frightens you? Nerves that begin at the eyes and ears lead to a part of the brain called the amygdale. When you suddenly see a snake, for example, the amygdale makes you freeze, sweat, have a quickened heartbeat, or run very fast. However, seeing the snake also uses another part of the brain, the cortex. It analyzes the situation, and if it finds that the snake is only made of rubber it tells your heart and the rest of your body to calm down. Think of the amygdale as the engine and the cortex as the brake.

　　Back to the first question: Why do some people like to make themselves scared? “One reason is that we can play games with fear, find ways to reduce the scariness by looking away or thinking of something else,” Kalin said. “To believe we have control over a situation gives us a feeling of power.” “Scary movies or novels are good practice to prepare young people for the real thing. Thrills such as roller coaster rides also go to the brain’s pleasure centre.”

　　And there might be some evolutionary advantage to being able to adjust this system that is there to protect people.

　　72. How many questions are answered in the passage?

　　A. 2. 　　　B. 3. 　　　C. 4.　　　 D. 5.

　　73. Some people like to be scared because______.

　　A. they are afraid that the fear genes will be passed onto their children

　　B. it’s a good practice to get prepared for the real frightening situation

　　C. it can help them show their own personalities

　　D. they will feel powerful after getting rid of fear

　　74. Which of the following is true about the people who are not easily scared?

　　A. Their cortex is better at analyzing the situations.

　　B. They are more likely to suffer from potential danger.

　　C. They are born unaffected by anything horrible.

　　D. They lack a strong response towards threat.

　　75. What is the best title of the passage?

　　A. Ready to scream? 　　　　B. How to be scared?

　　C. Willing to shake?　　　　D. Why to be scared?

We’ve reached a strange—some would say unusual—point. While fighting world hunger continues to be the matter of vital importance according to a recent report from the World Health Organization (WHO), more people now die from being overweight, or say, from being extremely fat, than from being underweight. It’s the good life that’s more likely to kill us these days.

　　Worse, nearly l8 million children under the age of five around the world are estimated to be overweight. What’s going on?

　　We really don’t have many excuses for our weight problems. The dangers of the problem have been drilled into us by public-health campaigns since 2001 and the message is getting through—up to a point.

　　In the 1970s, Finland, for example, had the highest rate of heart disease in the world and being overweight was its main cause. Not any more. A public-health campaign has greatly reduced the number of heart disease deaths by 80 per cent over the past three decades.

　　Maybe that explains why the percentage of people in Finland taking diet pills doubled between 2001 and 2005, and doctors even offer surgery of removing fat inside and change the shape of the body. That has become a sort of fashion. No wonder it ranks as the world’s most body-conscious country.

　　We know what we should be doing to lose weight—but actually doing it is another matter. By far the most popular excuse is not taking enough exercise. More than half of us admit we lack willpower.

　　Others blame good food. They say: it’s just too inviting and it makes them overeat. Still others lay the blame on the Americans, complaining that pounds have piled on thanks to eating too much American-style fast food.

　　Some also blame their parents—their genes. But unfortunately, the parents are wronged because they’re normal in shape, or rather slim.

　　It’s a similar story around the world, although people are relatively unlikely to have tried to lose weight. Parents are eager to see their kids shape up. Do as I say—not as I do.

　　59. What is the “strange” point mentioned in the first sentence?  A

　　A. The good life is a greater risk than the bad life.

　　B. Starvation is taking more people’s lives in the world.

　　C. WHO report shows people’s unawareness of food safety.

　　D. Overweight issue remains unresolved despite WHO’s efforts.

　　60. Why does the author think that people have no excuse for being overweight?

　　A. A lot of effective diet pills are available.

　　B. Body image has nothing to do with good food.

　　C. They have been made fully aware of its dangers. C

　　D. There are too many overweight people in the world.

　　61. The example of Finland is used to illustrate ______. C

　　A. the cause of heart disease

　　B. the fashion of body shaping

　　C. the effectiveness of a campaign

　　D. the history of a body-conscious country

　　62. Which would be the best title for the passage? A

　　A. Actions or Excuses?

　　B. Overweight or Underweight?

　　C. WHO in a Dilemma

　　D. No Longer Dying of Hunger

Here's a new warning from health experts: Sitting is deadly. Scientists are increasingly warning that sitting for prolonged periods — even if you also exercise regularly — could be　 1 for your health. And it doesn't matter where the sitting takes place — at the office, at school, in the car or before a computer or TV — just the overall number of hours it 　2　 .

Research is preliminary, but several studies　 3 people who spend most of their days sitting are more likely to be fat, have a heart attack or even die.

In an editorial　 4 this week in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Elin Ekblom-Bak of the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences suggested that authorities rethink how they define　 5 activity to highlight the dangers of sitting.

While health officials have issued guidelines　 6 minimum amounts of physical activity, they haven't suggested people try to limit how much time they spend in a seated 　7 .

"After four hours of sitting, the body starts to send　 8 signals," Ekblom-Bak said. She explained that genes regulating the amount of glucoseand fat in the 　9 start to shut down.

Even for people who 　10　 , spending long stretches of time sitting at a desk is still harmful. Tim Armstrong, a physical activity expert at the World Health Organization, said people who exercise every day — 　11 still spend a lot of time sitting — might get more benefit if that exercise were spread across the day,　 12 in a single bout.

That wasn't 　13 news for Aytekin Can, 31, who works at a London financial company, and spends most of his days sitting 　 14　 a computer. Several evenings a week, Can also teaches jiu jitsu, a Japanese martial art 15 wrestling, and also does Thai boxing.

"I'm sure there are some detrimental　 16 of staying still for too long, but I hope that being 　17 when I can helps," he said. "I wouldn't want to think the sitting could be　 18 dangerous."

Still, in a study published last year that tracked more than 17,000 Canadians for about a dozen years, researchers found people who sat　 19 had a higher death risk, independently of whether or not they exercised.

Figures from a US survey in 2003-2004 found Americans spend more than half their time sitting, from working at their desks to sitting in cars.

Experts said more research is needed to　 20 just how much sitting is dangerous, and what might be possible to offset those effects.

(　 ) 1. A. bad 　　　　　　　　　 B. good 　　　　　　　 C. mean 　　　　　　　　　　 D. dead

(　 ) 2. A. does 　　　　　　　　 B. occurs 　　　　　　 C. matches 　　　　　　　　 D. dies

(　 ) 3. A. advise 　　　　　　　 B. talk 　　　　　　　　 C. suggest 　　　　　　　　 D. say

(　 ) 4. A. thrown 　　　　　　　　　　 B. caught 　　　　　　 C. seen 　　　　　　　　　　　 D. published

(　 ) 5. A. biological 　　　　　 B. physical 　　　　　 C. psychological 　　　　 D. logical

(　 ) 6. A. commending 　　 B. mending 　　　　 C. recommending 　　　 D. communicating

(　 ) 7. A. stand 　　　　　　　 B. state 　　　　　　　 C. post 　　　　　　　 D. position

(　 ) 8. A. harmful 　　　　　　 B. careful 　　　　　　 C. wonderful 　　　 D. skillful

(　 ) 9. A. head 　　　　　　　　 B. arm 　　　　　　　　 C. body 　　　　　　　 D. foot

(　 ) 10. A. sleep 　　　　　　　 B. rest 　　　　　　　　 C. walk 　　　　　　　 D. exercise

(　 ) 11. A. and 　　　　　　　　 B. so 　　　　　　　　　 C. but 　　　　　　　　 D. then

(　 ) 12. A. rather than 　　　　　　 B. other than 　　　 C. more than 　　　 D. less than

(　 ) 13. A. bad 　　　　　　　　 B. harmful 　　　　　 C. disadvantage 　 D. welcome

(　 ) 14. A. behind 　　　　　　 B. back 　　　　　　　 C. in front of 　　　 D. forward

(　 ) 15. A. referring 　　　　 B. involving 　　　　 C. taking 　　　　　　 D. bringing

(　 ) 16. A. effects 　　　　　 B. prefects 　　　　　 C. affects 　　　　　 D. offers

(　 ) 17. A. inactive 　　　　　 B. active 　　　　　　 C. interactive 　　　 D. positive

(　 ) 18. A. such 　　　　　　　 B. little 　　　　　　　　 C. lot 　　　　　　　　　 D. that

(　 ) 19. A. less 　　　　　　　　 B. fewer 　　　　　　　　　　 C. more 　　　　　　　 D. further

(　 ) 20. A. leave out 　　　　 B. bring out 　　　　 C. hold out 　　　　　 D. figure out

Is a mouse that can speak acceptable? How about a dog with human hands or feet? Scientists, the people who know how to make such things happen, are now thinking about whether such experiments are morally right or not.

　 On Nov. 10, Britain’s Academy of Medical Sciences launched a study on the use of animals with human materials in scientific research. The work is expected to take at least a year, but its leaders hope it will lead to guidelines for scientists in Britain and around the world on how far they can go mixing human genes into animals in search of ways to fight human diseases.

“Do these constructs (构想) challenge our idea of what it is to be human?” asked Martin Bobrow, a professor of medical genetics at Cambridge University and chair of a 14-member group looking into the issue. “It is important that we consider these questions now so that appropriate boundaries are recognized.”　　

Using human material in animals is not new. Scientists have already created monkeys that have a human form of the Huntingdon’s gene so they can study how the disease develops; and mice with livers (肝) made from human cells are being used to study the effects of new drugs.

However, scientists say the technology to put ever greater amounts of human genetic material into animals is spreading quickly around the world --- raising the possibility that some scientists in some places may want to go further than is morally acceptable.

　　 Last year in Britain there was a lively debate over new laws allowing the creation of human-animal embryos (胚胎) for experiments. On one side of the debate were religious groups, who claimed that such science interferes with nature. Opposing them were scientists who pointed out that such experiments were vital to research cures for diseases.

The experts will publish reports after the end of the study, in which they will give definitions (定义) for animal embryos with human genes or cells, look at safety and animal welfare issues, and consider the right legal framework to work within.

72. What does the underlined word “they” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

　 A. Scientists in Britain and around the world. 　　　　　

B. Leaders of the research.

　 C. Guidelines for scientists.　　　　　　　　　　　　

D. Scientific experiments.

73. Scientists do research of mixing human genes into animals in order to ____.

　 A. test new drugs on animals

　 B. to find ways to fight human diseases

　 C. prove the research is morally acceptable

　 D. create monkeys and mice with livers made from human cells

74. We can infer from the passage that ____.

　 A. the experts will release reports after the study

　 B. scientists have never doubted the use of animals with human materials

　 C. the creation of human-animal embryos for experiments is legal in Britain

　 D. religious groups hold that cures for diseases have to be done through experiments

75. What would be the best title of the passage?

A. Morally right or not?　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. A debate about new laws

C. Cures for diseases　　　　　　　　　　 D. Animal embryos with human genes