67. What is most important in the role of deciding how the the neurotransmitter serotonin works within the brain?

　　　 A. The gene known as 5-HTTLPR.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Three variants.

　　　 C. Neurotransmitter serotonin　　　 .　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. A hormone.

66. For the passage,by what means can we view the world?

　　　 A. Happiness and sadness.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Happiness and curiosity.

　　　 C. Sadness and amazement.　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Disappointment and sadness.

65. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE about Tsai Chih-chung?

　　　 A. He thinks some people are like ocean, some like vapor, while others like ice cream.

　　　 B. He says that one who thinks over life is either a scholar or a philosopher.

　　　 C. He values more thinking and personal freedom than making a living.

　　　 D. Tsai devoted his life to creating cartoons in order to make money.

C

Happiness and sadness are states of being that define the way we view the world. It is often said that some people by nature have a sunny character. Now scientists may have discovered why.

Some people may be born for happiness, while others are genetically negative, scientists have suggested in a study published late February in a British journal.

Earlier research had already established that the gene known as 5-HTTLPR plays a key role in determining how the neurotransmitter (神经传递素) serotonin (含于血液中的复合胺) works within the brain. Serotonin, a hormone (荷尔蒙), passes chemical messages between nerve cells. It has been closely linked to mood. Several anti-depressant (抗抑郁) drugs regulate serotonin levels. Scientists had also identified three variants (变体) of the gene. Two so-called "short" variants were linked to a higher risk of depression and suicide attempts. Unlike the two "short" variants, the "long" variant of 5-HTTLPR showed a clear dislike of negative images, such as fierce animals, and a clear liking for positive ones, such as flowers.

Researchers from the University of Essex in Britain, led by Elaine Fox, showed participants a series of images. The images were divided into three kinds: negative ones aimed at inspiring fear or stress such as a spider or person about to commit suicide, pleasant ones and neutral (中性的) ones. The participants who had the long variant of the 5-HTTLPR gene "showed a clear dislike of negative material alongside a careful attention for positive material," the researchers found. They paid close attention to the pretty pictures, and ignored the frightening ones. On the other hand, the short variant groups had the opposite reaction.

In January, the Australian government organized "happiness workshops", teaching government staff how to be happy. The department that held the "happiness workshops" said unhappy staff weren't productive staff. Australian political opposition parties have argued that the "happiness workshops" are probably a waste of money and couldn't increase productivity as intended. However, whether the workshop will have a happy or disappointing result, we will have to wait and see.

64. What is the main difference between Japanese manga and Tsai’s works in this passage?

A. His works are mainly designed for a pure time killer for all.

B. His works are more popular with young readers in China now.

C. His works are to inspire people to think in a cheerful way.

D. His works are much more interesting and instructive.

63. In Tsai Chih-chung’s opinion, cartoon ___________.

A. connects traditional Chinese culture and wisdom.

B. helps connect Chinese classics with modern world.

C. uses a wiser and acceptable way to draw cartoons.

D. builds up a bridge between cartoons and illustration.

62. The underlined word “it” in paragraph 1 refers to___________.

　　　 A. much less text　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Japanese manga

　　　 C. pictures running for pages　　　　　　　 D. an escape from reality

61. What is the main idea of the first paragraph in the passage?

A. Japanese manga is a simple way of killing time.

B. What Japanese manga is mainly about.

C. Japanese manga presents a world of fantasy, adventure and romance.

D. Why Japanese manga is so popular.

60. From the passage we can infer that __________.

　　　 A. it’s dangerous for a man to be under stress from work for a long time

B. it’s likely for a man to be free from stress if he lives a healthy life

C. it’s very stressful for a working man to share the care of children with his wife

D. it’s common for a man to be the only wage-earner in a family nowadays

B

For many of us, cartoon strips are simply one of our pastimes. The popular Japanese manga(漫画) provides us with an escape from reality into a world of fantasy, adventure and romance. With much less text and pictures running for pages, it fits perfectly into today's fast, throwing away city lifestyle.

But Tsai Chih-chung, a famous Taiwanese illustrator (漫画家), doesn't agree. He believes cartoons can be a bridge connecting traditional Chinese culture and wisdom with the modern world in a much wittier and more acceptable way.

He has interpreted Lao Zi, Confucius, Mencius, Zhuang Zi and Sun Zi and made their works accessible to a global audience. He has also produced two books about Zen (禅宗), introducing oriental philosophy. His cartoons are humorous yet full of wisdom and are admired as an easy way to learn Chinese classics.

After avoiding the public for ten years, Tsai made a comeback in late April with seven new works. But does his age, 61, work as a gap between him and his young readers? Tsai doesn't think so. The topics he has covered range from philosophy in a time of individuality to the learning and memorizing techniques used at school. "Every child is a genius and has the potential beyond his own imagination," he said.

If popular Japanese manga is purely for entertainment, Tsai's work, to a large extent, is to light the power of thinking in a light-hearted way. Tsai uses different forms of water to refer to people. In his eyes some people are like an ocean, some are like vapor (水蒸汽), while others may be ice or rain. But in essence they share a similarity – human being's forever chasing for the true and the good. "The person who thinks over life issues is not necessarily a scholar or a philosopher," he said. "I've dedicated my whole life to thinking and individual freedom, not making a living."

59. Judging from the context, the underlined word “ease” most probably means __________.

　　　 A. making more comfortable　　　　　　　 B. making less difficult

C. making less serious　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. making less complicated

58. According to the passage, a middle-aged man may feel even more stressful when he __________.

A. finds that his wife still has to work

B. notices that his weight remains the same

C. realizes that he doesn’t have to change his job

D. deals with a lot of changes negatively.