Scientists have discovered that living to the age of 100 may have nothing to do with the lifestyle you lead and everything to do with the type of genes you have.

For the lucky carriers of “Methuselah” genes， worries over smoking， eating unhealthily and not getting enough exercise may not be as necessary as to those of us without the special gene pattern.   The “Methuselah” genes could give extra protection against the diseases of old age such as cancer and heart disease. They could also protect people against the effects of the unhealthy lifestyles that we believe will lead us to an early death， scientists say. However， the genes are very rare.

The genes include ADIPOQ， which is found in about 10 percent of young people but in nearly 30 percent of people living past 100. They also include the CETP and the ApoC3 genes， which are found in 10 percent of young people， but in about 20 percent of people over 100 years old.

Some of those genes were discovered by a research group at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York， led by Professor Nir Barzilai. The team studied the genes of over 500 people over 100 years old， and their children.

The studies show that tiny mutations (变异) in the make-up of some genes can greatly increase a person’s lifespan. Barzilai told a Royal Society conference that the discovery of such genes gave scientists clear targets for developing drugs that could prevent age-related diseases， allow people to live longer and stay healthy.

David Gems， a researcher at University College London， believes that drugs to slow ageing will become widespread.

“If we know which genes control longevity (长寿) then we can... target them with drugs. That makes it possible to slow down ageing，” he told The Times.

“Much of the pain and suffering in the world are caused by ageing. If we can find a way to reduce that， then we are obliged to take it.”

1.Which genes could give extra protection against the diseases of old age？ (No more than 3 words) (2 marks)

__________________________________________________________________________　

2. Whom did Barzilai’s team study？ (No more than 10 words) (2 marks)

__________________________________________________________________________

3. What can greatly increase a person’s lifespan？ (No more than 10 words) (3 marks)

__________________________________________________________________________

4.What can scientists do if they are aware which genes control longevity？(No more than 6 words) (3 marks)

__________________________________________________________________________.　

 

Scientists have discovered that living to the age of 100 may have nothing to do with the lifestyle you lead and everything to do with the type of genes you have.

For the lucky carriers of “Methuselah” genes， worries over smoking， eating unhealthily and not getting enough exercise may not be as necessary as to those of us without the special gene pattern.   The “Methuselah” genes could give extra protection against the diseases of old age such as cancer and heart disease. They could also protect people against the effects of the unhealthy lifestyles that we believe will lead us to an early death， scientists say. However， the genes are very rare.

The genes include ADIPOQ， which is found in about 10 percent of young people but in nearly 30 percent of people living past 100. They also include the CETP and the ApoC3 genes， which are found in 10 percent of young people， but in about 20 percent of people over 100 years old.

Some of those genes were discovered by a research group at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York， led by Professor Nir Barzilai. The team studied the genes of over 500 people over 100 years old， and their children.

The studies show that tiny mutations (变异) in the make-up of some genes can greatly increase a person’s lifespan. Barzilai told a Royal Society conference that the discovery of such genes gave scientists clear targets for developing drugs that could prevent age-related diseases， allow people to live longer and stay healthy.

David Gems， a researcher at University College London， believes that drugs to slow ageing will become widespread.

“If we know which genes control longevity (长寿) then we can... target them with drugs. That makes it possible to slow down ageing，” he told The Times.

“Much of the pain and suffering in the world are caused by ageing. If we can find a way to reduce that， then we are obliged to take it.”

Which genes could give extra protection against the diseases of old age？ (No more than 3 words) (2 marks)

__________________________________________________________________________　

Whom did Barzilai’s team study？ (No more than 10 words) (2 marks)

__________________________________________________________________________

What can greatly increase a person’s lifespan？ (No more than 10 words) (3 marks)

__________________________________________________________________________

What can scientists do if they are aware which genes control longevity？(No more than 6 words) (3 marks)

__________________________________________________________________________.　

　　There is no doubt about it. The best way to learn new words is to do it unconsciously. I don’t mean while you’re unconscious. I mean while you are unconscious of the fact that it is sinking in.

　　That is how I learnt the 30,000 words in my vocabulary by living in an English-speaking world，mother tongue. I just pick them up. But some of them may be misunderstood. Now，to misunderstand does not mean not to understand. To misunderstand is to understand but incorrectly.

　　The 5％ mislearnt of all the words we“know”will be the least frequently used words，as the more frequently used words are less likely to be mislearnt. Some of the misunderstandings may live with all our lives，without knowing that we got them wrong.

　　Many English teachers think that this natural method of learning words in one’s own mother tongue can be used for a second language learning. They teach their students how to play the Guessing Game.“There is no time to look up in your dictionaries all the new words you come across，”they will say.“You have to practise guessing what the word means from the context.”

　　This method of guessing in a second language learning does not work. It may succeed in many cases，but results in hundreds or thousands of wrongly-guessed meanings of words.

　　And what’s more，there are more separate meanings than there are words themselves. Our learners’ dictionaries usually have many meanings. A good dictionary is what makes self-learning possible.

　　Don’t guess! Look it up!

59．It is certain that the best way to learn new words is_____.

A．to learn them by oneself

B．to learn by living in an English-speaking world and using them frequently

C．to guess them from the context

D．to get more separate meanings of each word

60．The underlined word“them”in Paragraph 2 refers to_____.

A．the 30，000 words

B．English teachers

C．misunderstood words

D．frequently used words

61．Which of the following is most likely NOT true？

A．Some of the words the writer knows must have been misunderstood.

B．Most of the 30,000 words the writer learned are frequently used ones.

C．How many words the writer got wrong are not known.

D．All the words the writer knows were learned by reading them.

62．It can be inferred that_____.

A．when somebody is conscious，he or she usually can’t learn new words by heart

B．we must use the words as often as possible in order to master them

C．it’s the best way to learn new words that one should only guess their meanings from the context

D．only dictionaries can help us learn language well

　　There is no doubt about it. The best way to learn new words is to do it unconsciously. I don’t mean while you’re unconscious. I mean while you are unconscious of the fact that it is sinking in.

　　That is how I learnt the 30,000 words in my vocabulary by living in an English-speaking world，mother tongue. I just pick them up. But some of them may be misunderstood. Now，to misunderstand does not mean not to understand. To misunderstand is to understand but incorrectly.

　　The 5％ mislearnt of all the words we“know”will be the least frequently used words，as the more frequently used words are less likely to be mislearnt. Some of the misunderstandings may live with all our lives，without knowing that we got them wrong.

　　Many English teachers think that this natural method of learning words in one’s own mother tongue can be used for a second language learning. They teach their students how to play the Guessing Game.“There is no time to look up in your dictionaries all the new words you come across，”they will say.“You have to practise guessing what the word means from the context.”

　　This method of guessing in a second language learning does not work. It may succeed in many cases，but results in hundreds or thousands of wrongly-guessed meanings of words.

　　And what’s more，there are more separate meanings than there are words themselves. Our learners’ dictionaries usually have many meanings. A good dictionary is what makes self-learning possible.

　　Don’t guess! Look it up!

59．It is certain that the best way to learn new words is_____.

A．to learn them by oneself

B．to learn by living in an English-speaking world and using them frequently

C．to guess them from the context

D．to get more separate meanings of each word

60．The underlined word“them”in Paragraph 2 refers to_____.

A．the 30，000 words

B．English teachers

C．misunderstood words

D．frequently used words

61．Which of the following is most likely NOT true？

A．Some of the words the writer knows must have been misunderstood.

B．Most of the 30,000 words the writer learned are frequently used ones.

C．How many words the writer got wrong are not known.

D．All the words the writer knows were learned by reading them.

62．It can be inferred that_____.

A．when somebody is conscious，he or she usually can’t learn new words by heart

B．we must use the words as often as possible in order to master them

C．it’s the best way to learn new words that one should only guess their meanings from the context

D．only dictionaries can help us learn language well

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）

　　阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A，B，C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

    Want to take an out-of-this-world trip? Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic plans to make that possible. Beginning in 2009, people should have the opportunity to become space tourists, traveling at about 3,000 mph to heights about 75 miles above Earth. Branson has high hopes for his latest plans. "It is just the start of what we believe will be a new age in the history of mankind-one day making the affordable exploration of space by human beings a real possibility," he said.

At the start, though, the trip won't be cheap. Seats aboard Virgin's first craft-VSS Enterprise-will cost about $200,000. Prices could drop after the first hundred space flights. Despite the current ticket cost, more than 30,000 people-including celebrities(名人) Sigourney Weaver and Victoria Principal-have expressed interest in getting onboard. 

People who don't have an extra $200,000 still have a chance to get a seat aboard the craft. A computer game contest and a reality television show are in the works. Those who can't afford a ticket will have an opportunity to win a seat.   

Virgin is expected to be the first commercial spacecraft. It will hold six passengers and two pilots. Passengers will be able to see the Earth from many different viewpoints. The cabin will include 15 floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing for views that extend about 1,000 miles in any direction.

Passengers will have three days of preflight preparation. On the big day, the spacecraft will take off from the Mojave Spaceport in the California desert. The craft will rocket passengers into space at four times the speed of sound. The journey will last about 2 1.2 hours. Passengers will wear spacesuits and helmets(头盔). They will be able to float around the cabin and do somersaults(空翻) during the five minutes of weightlessness they will experience in zero gravity. At the end of the flight, the craft will land on a runway.

56. Virgin Galactic could be _____.

A. the engineer of the first commercial spacecraft   B. the name of a series of spacecrafts

C. the company of the first commercial spacecraft  D. a passenger aboard the first commercial spacecraft

57. The space passengers will do all the following except that _____.

A. they will receive a three-day training course  B. they will wear spacesuits and helmets

C. they will take about $200,000 with them     D. they will experience weightlessness

58. Which statement is true according to the passage?

A. More than 30,000 people have got to travel in spacecraft.

B. Many people signed up for space travel in spite of the high ticket cost.

C. Those without much money could also go space travel without occupying the seats.

D. The first commercial spacecraft will have six persons on board.

59. What is the text mainly about?

A. The exciting moment of the spacecraft's launching. 

B. The living condition of space tourists in the craft.

C. Preparations for a space travel. 

D. Plans for the first commercial space flight.