56. The main idea of the article is _______

A. riding a bicycle is one of the most dangerous sports in America

B. Americans are rolling along

C. bicycling is the latest fitness craze to hit America

D. most people in America want to own a hand-made bicycle that can cost more than 2,700

答案　 53.A　 54.B　 55.D　 56.C

Passage 33

(2007年北京海淀区高三年级第一学期期末E篇)

The oldest forms of medicine are enjoying a comeback .Modern holistic medicine is an approach that treats the whole patient ,not just the disease .It is a way to maintain good health rather than cure illness .The most important influences on today’s holistic medicine are ancient Chinese medicine and Indian Ayurvedic medicine, both of which promoted whole body health.

　　　　 Holistic medicine usually combines diet ,physical exercise and meditation, together with other alternative techniques such as massage(按摩)and acupuncture(针炙).Herbal treatment ,a practice of treating illness by using plants, is influenced by the writings of Culpeper as well as Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine. Homeopathy(顺势疗法)is one of the forms of holistic medicine which is widely practiced in Europe and the USA .Homeopathy began in Germany in the early 1800s, when Samuel Hahnemann bescribed how very tiny doses(剂量)of a drug had an effect on his patients .According to Hahnemann, the more the drug was diluted(稀释),the stronger its effects .The substance selected would produce similar effects to the disease itself if given in large doses. In the UK homeopathy is regarded as a non-traditional but just about acceptable treatment.

　　　　 Meditation and contemplation have an important role in holistic medicine. They were brought to Europe by Indian teachers who combined Indian Ayurvedic medicine with Western beliefs. Transcendental meditation(超脱静坐)is one of the best known of these techniques .People repeat words inside their head to reach a state of deep relaxation.

　　　　 The holistic movement has made many doctors look at the whole patient ,not just the disease .Life-style,emotional problems and diet are just some of the factors that can affect a person’s health . Holistic medicine emphasizes good diet , exercise and fresh air ,all of which

contribute to health .Some clinics now offer holistic medicine along with traditional treatments ,so

that their patients can choose a combination of treatments that suits them. One problem with holistic medicine is that it is difficult for people to be sure a doctor is reliable. To solve this ,many countries want alternative doctors to form professional bodies.

55. What does the underlined word “bottom-of-the-line” mean?

A. poor　　　 B. modern　　 C. old　　　　 D. cheapest

54. The bicycling craze has been a profit for 　　　　　　.

A. people who want to ride like a bat out of hell

B. bicycle accessory makers

C. race walkers

D. twice as many women as men

53. Race walking is about as dull as watching paint dry because 　　　　　

A. race walking is a slow-moving sport

B. the number of adults who ride for fitness has grown 70 percent in four years.

C. it has speed, the benefits of jogging and beautiful scenery.

D. Americans are taking up bicycling.

65．To keep a conversation flowing smoothly，it is better for the participants ．

　 　　 A．not to wear sunglasses

　 　　 B．not to make any interruptions

　 　　 C．not to glance away from each other

　 　　 D．not to make unpredictable pauses

答案　 61.D　 62.A　 63.C　 64.D

Passage 32

(浙江省金华一中2008年5月高考模拟D篇)

First it was jogging. Then aerobics(有氧运动). Not too long ago, Americans discovered race walking.

Now Americans are into a new fitness craze. They’re taking up bicycling. Over hills and down mountainsides and across quiet country roads, Americans are busily rolling along.

The number of adults who ride for fitness is around 17 million, an increase of 70 percent over four years ago. Twice as many women as men are coming to the sport. Americans are falling in love with biking because it has speed, the benefits of jogging and beautiful scenery.

Bicycling is a very appropriate sport, which is important to people who injured their knees while jogging or whose joints are aching from aerobics. And biking is a real awakening for people who have been into race walking in the past. Race walking is as dull as watching paint dry.

The most popular kind of bicycle for people who are new to the sport is the mountain bike, which has a fixed frame with wide tires and upright handles. Mountain bikes also have many gears(齿轮) to make it easier to climb hills. About 5 million Americans ride mountain bikes, compared with 200,000 who rode them only five years ago.

Costs range from about ＄130 for a bottom-of-the-line bicycle to more than ＄2,700 for an expensive bicycle.

Mountain biking has attracted some people who race down the sides of mountains like a bat out of hell. But most riders ride slowly and they rarely venture far from home.

The biking craze has brought an unexpected profit(盈利) to clothing and bicycle accessory(附属品)makers. Last year, bikers paid ＄630 million for biking clothes and accessories.

Bicycling seems likely to continue its fantastic growth.

64．According to the passage，a conversation between two Americans may break down due to

　　 A．one temporarily glancing away from the other

　　 B．eye contact of more than one second

　　 C．improperly-timed pause of eye contact

　　 D．constant adjustment of eye contact

63．According to the passage，the Japanese fix their gaze on their conversation partner's neck because　　　

　　 A．they don't like to keep their eyes on the face of the speaker

　　 B．they need not communicate through eye contact

　　 C．they don't think it polite to have eye contact with him or her

　　 D．they didn't have much opportunity to communicate through eye contact in babyhood

62．Babies will NOT be stimulated to smile by a person　 　　　．

　 　　 A．whose front view is fully perceived(感知)

　 　　 B．whose face is covered with a mask

　 　　 C．whose face is seen from the side

　 　　 D．whose face is free of any covering

61．The author is convinced that the eyes are　　　

　 　　 A．of extreme importance in expressing feelings and exchanging ideas

　 　　 B．something through which one can see a person's inner world

　 　　 C．of considerable significance in making conversations interesting

　 　　 D．something the value of which is largely a matter of long debate

63. Which of the following shows the correct relationship of the three places? (M=Mon Repos Conservation Park; Q=Queensland; B=Bundaberg)

答案　 60.D　 61.B　 62.D　 63.C

Passage 31

(山东诸城等四县市2008年高考适应性训练B篇)

Whether the eyes are “the windows of the soul” is debatable；that they are intensely important

in interpersonal communication is a fact．During the first two months of a baby's life，the stimulus

(刺激物)that produces a smile is a pair of eyes．The eyes need not be real：a mask with two dots

will produce a smile．Significantly，a real human face with eyes coveted will not motivate a smile，

nor will the sight of only one eye when the face is presented in profile(侧面)．This attraction to eyes as opposed to the nose or mouth continues as the baby matures．In one study，when American

four-year-olds were asked to draw people，75 percent of them drew people with mouths，but 99 percent of them drew people with eyes．In Japan，however，where babies ale carried on their mother's back，they do not acquire as much attachment to eyes as they do in other cultures．As a result，Japanese adults make little use of the face either to encode(把…编码)or decode(理解)meaning．In fact，Argyle reveals that the “proper place to focus one's gaze during a conversation in Japan is on the neck of one's conversation partner．”

　　 The role of eye contact in a conversational exchange between two Americans is well defined：

speakers make contact with the eyes of their listener for about one second，then glance away as they talk；in a few moments they re-establish eye contact with the listener or reassure themselves that their audience is still attentive，then shift their gaze away once more．Listeners，meanwhile，keep their eyes on the face of the speaker，allowing themselves to glance away only briefly．It is important that they be looking at the speaker at the precise moment when the speaker reestablishes eye contact, if they are not looking，the speaker assumes that they are disinterested and either will pause until eye contact is resumed or will stop the conversation．Just how critical this eye contacting is to the maintenance(维持)of conversational flow becomes clear when two speakers are wearing dark glasses：there may be a sort of traffic jam of words caused by interruption，false starts，and unpredictable pauses．