Ⅲ．閱讀理解／Reading c6mprehension(40分)

A

In meditation (冥想), people sit quietly and focus their attention on their breath. As they breathe in and out, they attend to their feelings. As thoughts go through their minds, they let them go. Breathe. Let go. Breathe. Let go.

According to a recent study at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, three months of training in this kind of meditation causes a marked change in how the brain allocates( 分配) attention. It appears that the ability to let go thoughts that come into mind frees the brain to attend to more rapidly changing things and events in the outside world. Expert mediators are better than other people at catching such fast-changing stimuli(刺激), like facial expressions.

The study provides evidence for changes in the workings of the brain with mental training. People can learn and improve abilities of all sorts with practice, everything from driving to playing the piano. The study has shown that meditation is good for the brain. It appears to reduce pressure and promote a sense of well-being.

In an experiment, 17 volunteers with no meditation experience in the experimental group spent three months meditating 10 to 12 hours a day. A control group also with no meditation experience meditated for 20 minutes a day over the same period. Both groups were then given the tests with two numbers in a group of letters. As both groups looked for the numbers, their brain activity was recorded.

Everyone could catch the first number. But the brain recordings showed that the less experienced mediators tended to grasp the first number and hang onto it, so they missed the second number. Those with more experience gave less attention to the first number, as if letting it go, which led to an increased ability to grasp the second number. This shows that attention can change with practice.

Just ask Daniel Levision, who meditated for three months as part of the study. "I am a much better listener," he said, "I do not get lost in my own personal reaction to what people are saying. "

36. The underlined word "them" in Paragraph 1 refers to _________.

A. feelings

B. minds

C. people

D. thoughts

37. Meditators manage their daily tasks better because they _________.

A. are given less pressure

B. allocate their attention better

C. have more stimuli for life

D. practice them more frequently

38. In the experiment, volunteers doing meditation for longer hours _________.

A. were more likely to catch both of the members

B. were used to memorizing numbers in groups

C. usually ignored the first number observed

D. paid more attention to numbers than to letters

39. The study proves that _________.

A. meditation improves one‘s health

B. brain activity can be recorded

C. human attention can be trained

D. mediators have a good sense of hearing

B

In choosing a friend, one should be very careful. A good friend can help you study. You e an have fun together and make each other happy. Sometimes you will meet fair weather friends. They will be with you as long as you have money or luck, but when you are down, they will rtm away. How do I know when I have found a good friend? I look for certain qualities of character, especially understanding, honesty and reliability.

Above all else, I look for understanding in a friend. A good friend tries to understand how another person is feeling. He is not quick to judge. Instead, he tries to learn from others. He puts himself in the other person‘s place, and he tries to think of ways to be helpful. He is also a good listener.

At the same time, however, a good friend is honest. He does not look for faults in others. He notices their good points. In short, a friend will try to understand me and accept me.

Another quality of a friend is reliability. I can always depend on a good friend. If he tells me he will meet me somewhere at a certain time, I can be sure that he will be there. If I need a favor,he will do his best to help me. If I am in trouble, he will not run away from me.

There is a fourth quality that makes a friend special. A special friend is someone with whom we can have fun. We should enjoy our lives, and we would enjoy our friendship. That is why I especially like friends who are fun to be with. A good friend likes the same things I like. We share experience and learn from each other. A good friend has a good sense of humor, too. He likes to laugh with me. That is how we share in the joy of being friends. And I know that he is looking for the same quality in me.

When I meet someone who is reliable, honest, and understanding, I know I‘ve found a friend!

40. Which of the following qualities the writer thinks is the most important in choosing a friend?

A. Understanding.

B. Honesty.

C. Reliability.

D. A sense of humor.

41. If you have fair weather friends, _________.

A. they will give you all that they have when you need help

B. you will be refused when you get into trouble

C. you will become rich

D. you can be sure that you get real friends

42. Good friends need to _________.

A. always point out each other‘s mistakes

B. be helped with money

C. understand each other‘s feelings

D. have money or luck

43. This passage mainly discuss _________.

A. the qualities of a friend

B. where to choose friends

C. how to get along with friends

D. the importance of having a friend

C

I‘ ve recently turned fifty, which is young for a tree, midlife for an elephant, and ancient for a sportsman. Fifty is a nice number for the states in the US or for a national speed limit but it is not a number that I was prepared to have hung on me. Fifty is supposed to be my father‘ s age, but now I am stuck with this number and everything it means.

A few days ago, a friend tried to cheer me up by saying, "Fifty is what forty used to be. "He had made an inspirational point: Am I over the hill? People keep telling me that the hill has been moved, and I keep telling them that the high-jump bar has dropped from the six feet I once easily cleared to the four feet that is impossible for me now.

"Your are not getting older, you are getting better," says Dr. Joyce Brothers. This, however, is the kind of doctor who inspires a second opinion.

And so, as I approach the day when I cannot even jump over the tennis net, I am moved to share some thoughts on aging with you. I am moved to show how aging feels to me physically and mentally. Getting older, of course, is obviously a better change than the one that brings you eulogies(頌詞,悼詞). In fact, a poet named Robert Browning considered it the best change of all:

Grow old along with me!

The best is yet to me.

Whether or not Browning was right, most of my first fifty years have been golden ones, so I will settle for what is ahead being as good as what has gone by. I find myself moving toward what is ahead with a curious blend (混合) of both fighting and accepting my aging, hoping that the philosopher(哲學家) was right when he said, "Old is always fifteen years from now. "

44. The.author seems to tell us in Paragraph I that _________.

A. time alone will tell

B. time goes by quickly

C. time will show what is right

D. time makes one forget the past

45. When the author turned fifty, people around him _________.

A. tried to comfort him

B. got inspiration with him

C. were more friendly with him

D. found him more talkative

46. The author considers his fifty years of life _________.

A. peaceful

B. ordinary

C. satisfactory

D. regretful

47. We can infer from the passage that _________.

A. the old should lead a simple life

B. the old should face the fact of aging

C. the old should take more exercise

D. the old should fill themselves with curiosity

D

Are you one of those who always fear whenever a dog is approaching? If you are, you have got phobia ( a very strong feeling of being afraid of something ). Of all human fears, phobias may be the

most uncontrollable. They are most often caused by a particular situation or object. In general, phobias can mainly be divided into three varieties. To begin with, agoraphobia is a fear of staying in strange surroundings, for example, an unfamiliar place, or an open area. Social phobia refers to the anxiety people show when they have to stay or perform on social events., for instance, speaking in front of the class. Lastly, there are a wide range of specific phobias. People suffering from this kind of phobia are terrified of specific objects or creatures, such as spiders, perhaps to your surprise, clowns. Besides, there are about six hundred and fifty phobias listed by psychologists (心理學家) as yet.

Faced with their phobias, many people choose to do nothing but just escape the situations or objects they fear. Psychologists, however, warn that if not treated properly, this kind of anxiety will get worse, so that it may disturb the sleep pattern, cause physical symptoms, and finally affect their daily activities. As for treatment, clinical research has discovered that medicine for anxiety is not

successful in curing phobias. However, the anxiety disorders can be efficiently treated through cognitive behavioral therapy (認知行為療法), through which patients are led to inspect the connections between their own fear and the situation or object, and then actively choose the acceptable treatments. Also, Other treatments proved effective in reducing phobias are meditation, listening to calming music, and so on.

48. According to the passage, what causes phobias?

A. Animal attacks.

B. Staying in class.

C. Talking with psychologists.

D. A certain object or situation.

49. What do those with agoraphobia feel terrified of and anxious about?

A. Staying on a square.

B. Touching insects, like spiders.

C. Being harmed by viruses.

D. Giving a speech in presence of many people.

50. Which do psychologists NOT use for effective treatment of phobias?

A. To take medicine for anxiety.

B. To listen to comforting light music.

C. To lose oneself in a peaceful environment.

D. To understand the very source of one‘ s own anxiety.

51. Which of the following statements about phobias is correct?

A. Actors call help people to cure their phobias.

B. Phobias can be divided into six hundred and fifty types.

C. Those suffering from phobias may not sleep well or work normally.

D. Cognitive behavioral therapy demands little participation from patients.

E

Eight Days from just ￡ 299

Departs May--October 2005

Includes :

● Return flightsfrom 8 UK airports to Naples

● Return airport to hotel transport

● Seven nights‘ accommodation at the 3 * Hotel Nice

● The services of guides

● Government taxes

Join us for a wonderful holiday in one of Europe‘ s most wonderful corners. Indeed, the ancient Romans called the area "happy land"--this simply attractive coastline of colourful towns, splendid views and the warm Mediterranean Sea is a perfect choice for a truly memorable holiday!

Choose between the peaceful traditional village of Sant‘ Agata, set on a hillside six miles from Sorrento, or the more lively and well-known international resort (旅游勝地)town of Sorrento, with wonderful views over the Bay of Naples.

Breathtaking scenery and famous sights everywhere. From the legendary Isle of Capri to the haunting ruins of Pompeii, and from the unforgettable "Amalfi Drive" to the delightful resorts of Positano, Sorrento and Ravello, the area is a feast for the eyes! Should you choose to join us, we know that you would not be disappointed!

With a choice of hotels, and optional excursions (可選擇的旅游線路)including Capri, Pompeii and the "Amalfi Drive", this is a truly unmissable holiday.

● Price based on two tourists sharing a twin ! double room at the Hotel Nice.

Like to know more? Then telephone Newmarket Air Holidays Ltd on: 0845-226-7766 (All calls charged at local rates).

52. All the following are included in the price of ￡ 299 EXCEPT

A. transport between the airport and the hotel

B. telephone calls made by tourists

C. the services of guides to tourists

D. double rooms for every two tourists

53. What is the purpose of the passage?

A. To invite people to take a breath in the Bay of Naples.

B. To advise people to telephone Newmarket Air Holidays Ltd.

C. To persuade people to tour in the area of the Mediterranean Sea.

D. To attract people to go to Sant‘ Agata or Sorrento for sightseeing.

54. The underlined part "the area is a feast for the eyes" in the passage means _________.

A. the area is pleasing to the eye

B. the area is really unforgettable

C. the area catches the tourists‘ eyes

D. the area is crowded with tourists

55. After reading the ad, one will probably join in the tour because _________.

A. the sights are attractive and the tour starts in May or October

B. the price is low for those intending to stay at the 3 * Hotel Nice

C. the price offered is reasonable and the sights are beautiful

D. good services are offered to those intending to stay in double rooms

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