第二部分：阅读理解

（第一节20小题，第二节5小题；每小题2分，满分50分）

第一节：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， 并在答题卡上将该选项标号涂黑。

A

Folklore is the branch of the study of man which deals with local customs, tales and traditions. Everybody is a storehouse of folklore, though not everybody realizes it. Often, in deed, those who have never heard the word folklore have the greatest store of it, for the people with least book education commonly cherish most firmly old ideas and superstitions (迷信) which have been passed on by word of mouth for generations. Everyone has heard stories of ghosts, witches, fairies, and giants. We all know some proverbs and have come across such ideas as, for example, that it is lucky to see black cat and unlucky to see a single magpie (喜鹊). We keep certain seasons of the year as festivals, such as Christmas, and we are familiar with the special customs connected with weddings and funerals. All such things are of interest to those who study folklore.

People who study folklore won’t criticize the old beliefs and practices they come across as silly, childish, or old-fashioned. Instead, they will try to collect accurate records of them and then see how these are connected with other ideas and customs of other places or times. By comparing with what is known of olden times or the folklore of other countries, they try to discover how certain beliefs and practices came into being, and what purpose they serve now or used to serve in the past.

Often we find that the beliefs which seem most peculiar and unreasonable, and the customs which appear least practical, are of the greatest interest and importance because they are commonly the oldest. Sometimes they were part of an ancient ritual (惯例) or served a useful purpose when people’s way of life was different from what it is now. So we not only learn about what people thought and did in the past but are better able to understand present customs. People often keep up customs when they have forgotten the original reason for them, and in the course of time a fresh reason gets attached to the custom. Thus, when some joker ties an old shoe to the back of the taxi taking the bride and bridegroom to the station for their honeymoon, he would say it was “for luck”, but actually a shoe is an old fertility (繁殖力) symbol and has a place in the wedding customs of China and Palestine.

41. The underlined word “they” (in Para.2) most probably refers to _________.

   A. practices and beliefs                B. customs and traditions 

   C. records and tales                      D. places or times

42. It is most unlikely for people who study folklore to _________.

   A. collect as many records of old beliefs and practices as possible

   B. compare the present customs with those of the olden times

   C. criticize the old beliefs and superstitions as silly or childish 

   D. find out the purpose the certain beliefs and practices serve or used to serve

43. Which of the following statements is true about customs?

   A. The customs which do not appear practical mean nothing to most people.

   B. The reasons for certain customs may change in the course of history.

   C. People who practice customs are quite familiar with their origins.

   D. The wedding customs in China and Palestine are of great similarity.

44. What would be the best title for the passage?

   A. What Does Folklore Really Mean? 

   B. How Do People Keep Up Customs? 

   C. Who Studies Tales And Traditions? 

   D. When Did Some Old Beliefs Begin?

B

“Just take a deep breath.” “Don’t think about it.” “You’re more likely to die in a car wreck on the way to the airport than you are in a plane crash.” These are just some words given to people with a fear of flying. But as Tom Cruise, playing Lt. Daniel Kaffee in the movie A Few Good Men, said, “I get sick when I fly because I’m afraid of crashing into a large mountain. I don’t think Daniel will help.”

But there’s a new application that just may. Today, the VALK Foundation, a Dutch group that’s a partnership between KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and the University of Leiden, launches the app in the US. The VALK Foundation was one of the first centers for research and fear-of-flying treatment in the world and is the organizer of three world conferences on fear of flying.

The foundation said the app, called Flight App VALK, is the first scientifically-developed, web-based treatment for people who suffer from mild to moderate fear of flying.

“The fear of flying application we have created aims to transfer all of the knowledge we have developed through our program into a mobile application that will help ease travelers’ fears,” said Dr. Lucas van Gerwen, director of the VALK Foundation. Dr. van Gerwen is also a psychologist and professional pilot with more than 30 years experience. 

The foundation said up to 30% of adults are fearful fliers. The Flight App is designed to help relax passengers before and during flights by educating users about flight safety and turbulence. It explains the sounds and sensations they can expect during departure, flight and landing. And, if a passenger’s flight stress reaches a panic level, they press a special panic button which provides audio and written information to help decrease stress levels. Most importantly, the Flight App can be used during the flight in the airplane mode. Once downloaded, the program does not require Internet connection in the air.

45. By saying the words at the beginning of the passage, people are expected to ______.

A. decrease their fear of flying                  

B. get rid of their doubt about plane

C. have a good time on their flight journey        

D. use some medicine to cure their fear of flying

46. Flight App VALK is aimed to ______.

A. help passengers experience the fear of flying     

B. help relax passengers before and during flights

C. treat people who suffer from mild fear of flying   

D. teach people the basic knowledge of taking flight

47. According to the passage, the VALK Foundation ______.

A. is a group focusing on psychology on the flight   

B. was the first center to do research into fear of flying

C. organize the world conferences on fear of flying annually    

D. focuses on researching and offering treatment on fear of flying

48. What does the last paragraph mainly tell us?

A. Many adults are suffering from fear of flying        

B. It’s convenient for people to use the Flight App

C. Many planes will be installed with the Flight App.   

D. The Flight App can decrease stress levels effectively

49. In which column of a newspaper can we read this passage?

A. Culture      B. Entertainment     C. Technology      D. Education

C

Australian scientists say an organic compound(复合物) used by Indian women to paint dots or bindi on their foreheads could hold the key to a breakthrough in cancer treatment. Rose Bengal was first used in the early 1900s as a dye for food, textiles and cosmetics. But now it is proving to be a useful weapon in the fight against skin cancer.

Television advertisements constantly warn of the dangers of overexposure to the fierce sun. Among them is the possibility of the disease melanoma(黑瘤), a type of skin cancer. More than 1,200 Australians die every year from the disease.

Initial trials of a solution of Rose Bengal injected into some melanoma cells have had a 75 percent success rate in controlling the disease. Professor John Thompson, the director of the Melanoma Unit at the University of Sydney, says this organic dye could become a powerful cancer-fighting treatment.

“We believe it works by getting into the tumor(肿块) cells and causing them to self-destruct. But the exact mechanism by which it works is not totally clear. It’s not useful for people who have a primary melanoma. The treatment of primary melanoma is surgical excision(切除),”he said. “It’s useful to inject tumors for people who have recurrences; when the primary treatment has failed and when recurrence in the area, or at more distant sites has occurred.”

About 90 percent of Australians who develop melanoma survive thanks to early diagnosis and treatment. If left untreated, however, the disease can be fatal.

Convincing younger people in Australia about the dangers of overexposure to the sun is a battle campaigners are constantly waging.

Veronica Manock, a 21-year-old student, had two major operations to remove a cancerous tumor from her leg.

“I’ve had a lot of friends who just said ‘I thought it was just, you know, I’ll get a mole(痣) cut out and that’s it’, whereas I don’t think people realize how much danger they’re putting themselves into and how easy it is to stop something like this happening to you just from doing little things,”said Marock.

Other researchers in Australia are investigating genetic treatments to skin cancer. There is a pressing need for such research to produce effective treatments. Australians, the majority of whom are fair-skinned(浅肤色的), are four times more likely to develop a melanoma than people in Canada, the United States or Great Britain.

50. The information about Rose Bengal is wrong EXCEPT that         .

A. it is no longer used as a dye                B. it is used to cure skin cancer

C. it is a special kind of rose planted in Australia

D. it can be effective in treating skin cancer

51. The main reason for Australia’s high rate in skin cancer is         .

A. the overuse of cosmetics B. overexposure to the sun

C. the color of their skin     D. the lack of prevention

52. From the passage we can learn that         .

A. skin cancer is incurable

B. some young people seem to know little about the danger of overexposure to the sun

C. about ninety percent of Australians are likely to develop melanoma

D. all moles should be cut out to prevent skin cancer

53. According to Professor John Thompson, the best way to deal with primary cancer is       .

A. injecting tumors     B. taking some medicine

C. getting genetic treatment D. having surgical excision

54. The passage was intended for         .

A. general readers     B. people who like taking sun-bathing

C. doctors and researchers D. children at school