湖北经济学院专升本英语8

Section III Practical Reading Comprehension

Directions:There are two passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four

choices marked A, B, C, and D. You should decide on the best choice and

make the corresponding letter on Answer Sheet with a single line

through the center.

Passage 1

Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage.

Maturing as a mom means being able to tolerate a certain inevitable amount of risk. The amount you can handle depends to some extent on your genetic makeup; in fact, scientists have recently discovered a “worry” gene that makes people susceptible to anxiety, pessimism, and negative thinking. The gene in question is the human serotonin(含于血液的复合胺) transporter, and researchers say that those who have a shortened version of it receive less serotonin, a brain chemical that regulates mood.

But why lay all the blame for our skittish selves on nature when we can blame nurture -- in other words, our parents? Our worry thermostat (调节器) is often set by how they reacted to life’s problems. Martha Outlaw, mom of two young daughters, says she can trace her disquiet to her early years. “Because of their own childhood experiences, my mom and dad carried around a constant dread that our family’s fortunes could suddenly change for the worse,” she says. Such a strong influence from childhood can create a deep-seated state of worry that’s hard to shake off.

A friend of mine, who’s fairly laid-back otherwise, is afraid of the dark, and now that she has a young daughter, it’s grown worse -- to the point where she can’t stay in the house when her husband travels. She tracks this anxiety back to her father, who was an alcoholic and used to wake up his kids at night when he came home after a bender. “My demons come out at night,”she says. “I can’t stop worrying that someone will break into my house and take my daughter. How would I protect her? For me, the late hours have always been a chaotic time when I don’t feel safe.”

Your maternal worry threshold may also be influenced by other factors, such as your age when your kids were born. Janyce Dudney, mom of four from Tennessee, started having kids at 23. “I was so young I didn’t know all the things I should be afraid of,” she says. As we get older, we become more apprehensive about risks and start to lose any feelings of invincibility(无敌).

Birth order may also play a role in how high you’re strung. Parents tend to hover over first-borns, often implanting unnecessary fear and caution. Later-born kids have buffers(缓冲) between them and their moms and dads.

Given the influence of our own parents and childhood experiences, it’s imperative to try to prevent passing on the worry bug to our kids. This means: Try not to let them see you anxiety (or at least, over-anxiety). Protecting your child from adult concerns gives him a chance to build up hope, optimism, and resiliency. Obsessive worrying is particularly damaging.

(Words: 453)

From: https://www.360docs.net/doc/3e15440409.html,

1. The phrase “susceptible to” (in line 3, Para 1) most probably means .

A. suspicious of

B. resistant to

C. easily attacked by

D. easily tolerant to

2. Why does the mother often worry that her daughter will be taken away at night?

A. She always has the illusion that ghosts come out at night.

B. It is so dark that she is frightened and lonely when her husband is on business.

C. Someone will break into at night when she stays at home alone.

D. She has the deep-seated state of worry caused by her alcoholic father.

3. According to this passage, the following factors contribute to a mom’s worry EXCEPT that .

A. her husband is always on business and has no time to educate children

B. her parents used to have a dread that their family fortunes would deteriorate

C. she is the first child of her parents

D. she is mature enough to be aware of all the risks

4. We can infer form this passage that a child is likely to be optimistic and resilient if .

A. he is brought up in a wealthy family

B. his parents can spare more time to accompany him

C. his parents try to avoid expressing their adult concerns to him

D. his parents give birth to him when they are mature enough

5. Which is the most appropriate title?

A. Adult Concerns

B. Why Moms Worry

C. Worry Genes

D. Parents’ Influence on Children

Passage 2

Questions 6 to 10 are based on the following passage.

Environmental activists, religious organizations, public interest groups, professional associations and other scientists and government officials have all raised concerns about GM (genetically modified) foods, and criticized agribusiness for pursuing profit without concern for potential hazards, and the government for failing to exercise adequate regulatory oversight. It seems that everyone has a strong opinion about GM foods. Most concerns about GM foods fall into three categories: environmental hazards, human health risks, and economic concerns.

Several environmental hazards have been discussed. Firstly, they do unintended harm to other organisms. Last year a laboratory study was published in Nature showing that pollen (花粉) from B.t. corn caused high death rates in monarch butterfly caterpillars. Secondly, they reduce the effectiveness of pesticides. Just as some populations of mosquitoes developed resistance to the now-banned pesticide DDT, many people are concerned that insects will become resistant to B.t. or other crops that have been genetically-modified to produce their own pesticides. Another concern is that crop plants engineered for herbicide tolerance and weeds will cross-breed, resulting in the “super weeds”.

Human health risks have attracted much attention. Many children in the US and Europe have developed life-threatening allergies (敏感症) to peanuts and other foods. There is a possibility that introducing a gene into a plant may create a new allergen or cause an allergic reaction in susceptible individuals. Besides, there is a growing concern that introducing foreign genes into food plants may have an unexpected and negative impact on human health. A recent article published in Lancet examined the effects of GM potatoes on the digestive system in rats. This study claimed that there were obvious differences in the rats fed GM potatoes and rats fed unmodified potatoes. But on the whole, with the exception of possible allergenicity (变应原性), scientists believe that GM foods do not present a risk to human health.

Some people think bringing a GM food to market is a lengthy and costly process, and of course agri-biotech companies wish to ensure a profitable return on their investment. Many new plant genetic engineering technologies and GM plants have been patented (申请专利). Yet consumer advocates are worried that patenting these new plant varieties will raise the price of seeds so high that small farmers and third world countries will not be able to afford seeds for GM crops, thus widening the gap between the wealthy and the poor. It is hoped that in a humanitarian gesture, more companies and non-profits will offer their products at reduced cost to impoverished nations.

(Words: 426)

From: https://www.360docs.net/doc/3e15440409.html,

6. According to the first paragraph, the government is criticized because .

A. it supports the agribusiness to pursue profit

B. it hasn’t realized the potential risks GM foods may have on ecological balance

C. it is not efficient on supervision and administration

D. some government officials ignore people’s concerns about GM food

7. The “super weeds” (in Para 2) most probably refer to the weeds that are .

A. too strong to cut down

B. resistant to herbicide

C. stronger than crop plants

D. powerful, growing fast

8. According to the author, GM foods people’s health.

A. undoubtedly do harm to

B. are likely to have bad effect on

C. possibly do good to

D. have definite influence on

9. The author suggests that the impoverished countries should solve their food problem by .

A. their independent research on the seeds for GM crops

B. importing the seeds for GM crops from developed countries

C. accepting humanitarian food from the wealthy countries

D. buying the seeds provided by noncommercial organizations at lower price

10. According to the passage, GM foods may lead to the following consequences EXCEPT that .

A. the grain products may dramatically increase

B. other species and even the ecological system may be affected

C. new and unexpected diseases may come into being

D. the gap between the rich and the poor may be widened among various regions Key to Unit 7 Section III Practical Reading Comprehension

1. C

2. D

3. A

4. C

5. B

6.C

7. B

8. B

9. D 10. A