Ⅱ语言知识及应用(共两节，满分35分)
第一节 完形填空(共10小题；每小题2分，满分20分)
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从21—30各题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
People joke that the number of pet dogs in Beijing is more than the urban population. It is an exaggeration to some but Beijingers seem to  21      their pets more than most.
Over the past 15 years, the number of pet dogs in the city has  22  dramatically, right after the local government lifted a ban. Now Beijing is home to more than 1 million  23      according to recent statistics.
Day or night, if you walk into any residential area, it will be easy to spot someone  24     their dog. Often, there is no lead attached to the puppy, which makes it more like a  25      companion rather than an animal. They  26     stroll (漫步) at the same leisurely, carefree pace.
If they meet their neighbors with dogs too, then two  27    emerge（出现）at once: One is for people to engage in gossip, the other is for dogs to career madly around the playground. That is one of the most  28    things I have seen in the city.
But some Beijingers spoil their dogs too much.  29    during winter, when they dress their pets up as living toys with colorful vests and even pairs of homemade  30     . I pity these dogs deeply, and realize how  civilized they have become.
21. A. feed                   B. love                        C. hate                D. play
22. A. risen                   B. raised                C. reduced                   D. got
23. A. people                B. animals                    C. schools                     D. dogs
24. A. walking                     B. training                    C. playing                    D. feeding
25. A. man                   B. woman                     C. human                     D. child
26. A. never                  B. always                     C. seldom                     D. once
27. A. groups                B. classes               C. men                        D. dogs
28. A. excited               B. boring               C. important                 D. interesting
29. A. Beautifully          B. Specially                  C. Especially         D. Strangely
30. A. hats                    B. boots                       C. clothes                     D. toys

         The term “multitasking” originally referred to a computer’s ability to carry out several tasks at one time. For many people, multitasking has become a way of life and even a key to success. In fact, some excellent mental aerobic exercises (大脑训练) involve engaging the brain in two or more challenging activities at a time. Although checking e-mail while talking on a phone and reading the newspaper may be second nature for some people, many times multitasking can make us less productive, rather than more. And studies show that too much multitasking can lead to increased stress, anxiety and memory loss.

In order to multitask, the brain uses an area known as the prefrontal cortex (前额叶脑皮层). Brian scans of volunteers performing multiple tasks together show that as they shift from task to task, this front part of the brain actually takes a moment of rest between tasks. You may have experienced a prefrontal cortex “moment of rest” yourself if you’ve ever dialed (拨电话) a phone number and suddenly forgotten who you dialed when the line is answered. What probably occurred is that between the dialing and the answering, your mind shifted to anther thought or task, and then took that “moment” to come back. Research has also shown that for many volunteers, job efficiency (效率) declines while multitasking, as compared to when they perform only one task at a time.

Multitasking is easiest when at least one of the tasks is habitual, or requires little thought. Most people don’t find it difficult to eat and read the newspaper at the same time. However, when two or more attention-requiring tasks are attempted at one time, people sometimes make mistakes.

We often don’t remember things as well when we’re trying to manage several details at the same time. Without mental focus, we may not pay enough attention to new information coming in, so it never makes it into our memory stores. That is one of the main reasons we forget people’s names---even sometimes right after they have introduced themselves. Multitasking can also affect our relationships. If someone checks their e-mail while on the phone with a friend, they may come off as absent-minded or disinterested. It can also cause that person to miss or overlook key information being passed on to them.

1. Why are some mental aerobic exercises designed to engage people in multitasking?

A. To make them more productive.     

B. To reduce their stress and anxiety.

C. To develop their communication skills.

D. To help them perform daily tasks more easily.    

2. According to Paragraph 2, why may a person suddenly forget who has called?

A. He may leave his prefrontal cortex temporarily damaged.

B. He is probably interrupted by another task.

C. He is probably not very familiar with the person he has called.

D. He may need a rest between dialing and speaking.

3. People tend to make mistakes when ____.

A. they perform several challenging tasks at a time.

B. new messages are processed one after another

C. their relationships with others are affected

D. the tasks require little thought

4. What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Multitasking has become a way of life.

B. Multitasking often leads to efficiency decline.

C. Multitasking exercises need to be improved.

D. Multitasking enables people to remember things better.

NEW YORK - People who keep doing some work in their field after they retire may enjoy better physical and mental health than those who stop work completely or switch to another area of work, according to a U.S. study.

Researchers from the University of Maryland said the findings suggest that prospective retirees should consider moving into so-called "bridge employment" as a transition to full retirement.

"In essence, if someone is in a field where part-time work or self-employment is possible, he or she should consider it as they plan for retirement," researcher Dr. Mo Wang, an assistant professor of psychology, told Reuters Health.

For their study, Wang and his colleagues used data on more than 12,000 workers in a U.S. health study begun in 1992. Participants, who were between the ages of 51 and 61 at the outset, were surveyed every two years over a six-year period.

Overall, Wang's team found, people who went into some form of bridge employment reported lower rates of major diseases like high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and arthritis during the study period than their counterparts who went straight into full retirement.

The findings were not explained by older age or worse initial health among people who opted for full retirement, the investigators report in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.

On top of their better physical health, "bridge" workers also tended to report fewer mental health problems, such as depression.

The same mental health benefits were not seen, however, when retirees took part-time work in other fields -- possibly, Wang said, because many of these people may have taken those jobs out of financial need rather than choice.

He noted that the lack of benefit could also stem from the fact that these retirees had to adjust to an unfamiliar job position or had to make lifestyle changes.

Bridge work, particularly in one's accustomed field, may benefit physical and mental health for a number of reasons, according to Wang.

In general, he explained, such work may help older adults maintain the active lifestyles they had during their careers and decrease any stress they might feel from the transition into retirement.  wwwWang said when it comes to mental health, for instance, bridge work may help by allowing people to keep some of the "role identity" that they have formed over their careers.

Staying active in general, not only through work, can also benefit retirees' physical health, Wang noted. He added, however, that any mental health benefits are likely to depend on the type of activity -- whether it is something that the person truly enjoys, and that helps ease any stress of moving into retirement.

"These findings," Wang said, "suggest that for retirees and prospective retirees, carefully considering whether to engage in bridge employment -- and if so, what types of bridge employment -- is quite important."

1. What does the underlined phrase “at the outset” mean?__________

2. People who went into some form of bridge employment have less chances to get the following diseases, EXCEPT___________.

3.Which of the following statement is WRONG?_________

4.What can we infer from the passage?________

5.Which is the best title of the passage?

MY Chinese friend is going to the US and he is nervous about what to talk about. “Talk about the weather,” is my advice.
“How are you?” is often followed by comments about the weather. “Nice day today.” “Cold/hot enough for you?” “Will it ever stop raining?” “Some winter we’re having.” “Can’t remember a winter/summer so cold/hot.” “Whew, it’s hot out there.”
These introductory statements are often followed by a long conversation entirely about weather conditions. Past, present and – with global warming – speculation (推测) about the future.
Our fascination with weather might seem silly, but the real purpose behind those endless discussions is small talk. Weather’s a safe topic of conversation. As a group, we Americans seem to enjoy chatting with those around us. Whenever we stand in line at the grocery store, we tend to engage in this sort of conversation with other people standing in line with us. If I were seated next to another American on any form of public transport, I’d expect both of us to make some harmless comment about the weather as a way of acknowledging (承认) each other’s presence (存在). At parties, the weather is a common topic, especially with those you are meeting for the first time.
In contrast we are taught to avoid certain topics like religion and politics. Weather is neutral (中性的); you don’t have to have an opinion about it, just make a statement of a fact. What is truly interesting is the fact that we can go on and on about it.
My Chinese friend has a hard time understanding why we put so much effort into this topic – and why I warn him about bringing up much more “interesting” subjects like salaries or how much something costs.
Sometimes it is tricky (复杂的) to wend (行走) one’s way through winding cultural roads, especially those that are never taught in books.
【小题1】What does the writer suggest her Chinese friend should talk about with people in the US? (No more than two words)
【小题2】Why do Americans enjoy talking to people around them about the weather, in writer’s opinion? (No more than ten words)
【小题3】List four topics that people should avoid talking about in the US. ( No more than 5 words)

第II卷 (两部分, 共35分)

第四部分：任务型阅读（共10小题，每小题1分，满分10分）

请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。

注意：每个空格只填一个单词。请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。

US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson will visit China's largest lake next week on a trip that will highlight global environmental challenges.

Paulson will hold talks in Beijing with President Hu Jintao that will focus on the Strategic（战略）Economic Dialogue, high-level discussions launched last year in an effort to deal with economic tensions between the US and China.

"This trip is part of an ongoing process to strengthen our strategic economic relationship to address long-term issues such as working with China to rebalance its growth and increase the flexibility(弹性) of its currency(货币) and also to deal with short-term issues as they arise." Paulson said Tuesday in announcing the trip.

Paulson will begin the trip with a visit July 30 to Qinghai Lake, the largest lake in the country and an example of some of the environmental challenges facing China as it struggles to deal with pollution.

"The only way to make progress on climate change is to engage all the large economies, developed and developing, to work toward embracing cleaner technology and reducing giving off gas." Paulson said. "What's happening with the environment in the middle of China not only affects the local climate and economy but also the global climate and economy."

Paulson will meet on July 31 in Beijing with Hu and Vice Premier Wu Yi, who is leading the Chinese side in the strategic dialogue talks.

The administration is coming under pressure from Congress to show results from these discussions, particularly in the area of currency values. American manufacturers think that the yuan is undervalued by as much as 40 percent, which makes Chinese products cheaper for US consumers but makes it more difficult for US products to be sold in China.

The first strategic dialogue session was held in Beijing last December with a follow-up meeting in Washington in May. The two countries have promised to meet twice a year with the next session to take place in China later this year. An exact date has not yet been announced.

The Treasury Department said in a statement announcing the trip that Paulson in his meetings with Chinese leaders would raise issues of concern to Congress as well as follow up on issues that were regarded as most important items at the May meeting of the strategic dialogue.