Directions: There are 4 reading passages in this part. 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
mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the
centre.
Passage One
Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following passage.
Birds that are literally halfasleep--with one brain hemisphere alert and
the other sleeping--control which side of the brain remains awake, according to
a new study of sleeping ducks.
Earlier studies have documented halfbrain sleep in a wide range of birds.
The brain hemispheres take turns sinking into the sleep stage characterized by
slow brain waves. The eye controlled by the sleeping hemisphere keeps shut,
while the wakeful hemisphere's eye stays open and alert. Birds also can sleep
with both hemispheres resting at once.
Decades of studies of bird flocks led researchers to predict extra
alertness in the more vulnerable, endoftherow sleepers. Sure enough, the end
birdstended to watch carefully on the side away from their companions. Ducks in
the inner spots showed no preference for gaze direction.
Also, birds dozing(打盹) at the end of the line resorted to singlehemisphere
sleep, rather than total relaxation, more often than inner ducks did. Rotating
16 birds through the positions in a four duck row, the researchers found outer
birds halfasleep during some 32 percent of dozing time versus about 12 percent
for birds in internal spots.
"We believe this is the first evidence for an animal behaviorally
controlling sleep and wakefulness simultaneously in different regions of the
brain，"the researchers say.
The results provide the best evidence for a longstanding supposition that
singlehemisphere sleep evolved as creatures scanned for enemies. The preference
for opening an eye on the lookout side could be widespread, he predicts. He's
seen it in a pair of birds dozing sidebyside in the zoo and in a single pet
bird sleeping by a mirror. The mirrorside eye closed as if the reflection were
acompanion and the other eye stayed open.
Useful as halfsleeping might be, it's only been found in birds and such
water mammals(哺乳动物) as dolphins, whales, and seals. Perhaps keeping one side of
the brain awake allows a sleeping animal to surface occasionally to avoid
drowning.
Studies of birds may offer unique insights into sleep. Jerome M. Siegel of
the UCLA says he wonders if birds' halfbrain sleep "is just the tip of the
iceberg(冰山)" He speculates that more examples may turn up when we take a
closer look at other species.
11. A new study on birds' sleep has revealed that ________ .
A) halfbrain sleep is found in a wide variety of birds
B) halfbrain sleep is characterized by slow brain waves
C) birds can control their halfbrain sleep consciously
D) birds seldom sleep with the whole of their brain at rest
12. According to the passage, birds often half sleep because ________
.
A) they have to watch out for possible attacks
B) their brain hemispheres take turns to rest
C) the two halves of their brain are differently structured
D) they have to constantly keep an eye on their companions
13. The example of a bird sleeping in front of a mirror indicates that
________.
A) the phenomenon of birds dozing in pairs is widespread
B) birds prefer to sleep in pairs for the sake of security
C) even an imagined companion gives the bird a sense of security
D) a single pet bird enjoys seeing its own reflection in the mirror
14. While sleeping, some water mammals tend to keep half awake in order to
________ .
A) alert themselves to the approaching enemy
B) emerge from water now and then to breathe
C) be sensitive to the everchanging environment
D) avoid being swept away by rapid currents
15. By "just the tip of the iceberg"( Line 2, Para. 8), Siegel suggests
that________ .
A) halfbrain sleep has something to do with icy weather
B) the mystery of halfbrain sleep is close to being solved
C) most birds living in cold regions tend to be half sleepers
D) halfbrain sleep is a phenomenon that could exist among other
species
Passage Two
Questions 16 to 20 are based on the following passage.
A nine year old schoolgirl singlehandedly cooks up a sciencefair
experiment that ends up debunking(揭穿……的真相) a widely practiced medical treatment.
Emily Rosa's target was a practice known as therapeutic(治疗的) touch (TT for
short), whose advocates manipulate patients' "energy field"to make them feel
better and even, say some, to cure them of various ills. Yet Emily's test shows
that these energy fields can't be detected, even by trained TT practitioners
(行医者). Obviously mindful of the publicity value of the situation, Journal editor
George Lundberg appeared on TV to declare, "Age doesn't matter. It's good
science that matters, and this is good science."
Emily's mother Linda Rosa, a registered nurse, has been campaigning against
TT for nearly a decade. Linda first thought about TT in the late '80s, when she
learned it was on the approved list for continuing nursing education in
Colorado. Its 100,000 trained practitioners (48,000 in the U. S.) don't even
touch their patients. Instead, they waved their hands a few inches from the
patient's body, pushing energy fields around until they' re in "balance." TT
advocates say these manipulations can help heal wounds, relieve Pain and reduce
fever. The claims are taken seriously enough that TT therapists are frequently
hired by leading hospitals, at up to $ 70 an hour, to smooth patients' energy,
sometimes during surgery.
Yet Rosa could not find any evidence that it works. To provide such
proof,TT therapists would have to sit down for independent testing--something
they haven't been eager to do, even though James Randi has offered more than $1
million to anyone who can demonstrate the existence of a human energy field.
(He's had one taker so far. She failed.) A skeptic might conclude that TT
practitioners are afraid to lay their beliefs on the line. But who could turn
down an innocentfourthgrader? Says Emily:"I think they didn't take me very
seriously because I'm a kid."
The experiment was straight forward: 21 TT therapists stuck their hands,
palms up, through a screen. Emily held her own hand over one of theirsleft or
rightand the practitioners had to say which hand it was. When the results were
recorded, they'd done no better than they would have by simply guessing. If
there was an energy field, they couldn't feel it.
16. Which of the following is evidence that TT is widely practiced?
A) TT has been in existence for decades.
B) Many patients were cured by therapeutic touch.
C) TT therapists are often employed by leading hospitals.
D) More than 100,000 people are undergoing TT treatment.
17. Very few TT practitioners responded to the $1 million offer because
________.
A) they didn't take the offer seriously
B) they didn't want to risk their career
C) they were unwilling to reveal their secret
D) they thought it was not in line with their practice
18. The purpose of Emily Rosa's experiment was ________.
A) to see why TT could work the way it did
B) to find out how TT cured patients' illnesses
C) to test whether she could sense the human energy field
D) to test whether a human energy field really existed
19. Why did some TT practitioners agree to be the subjects of Emil's
experiment?
A) It involved nothing more than mere guessing.
B) They thought it was going to be a lot of fun.
C) It was more straightforward than other experiments.
D) They sensed no harm in a little girl's experiment.
20. What can we learn from the passage?
A) Some widely accepted beliefs can be deceiving.
B) Solid evidence weighs more than pure theories.
C) Little children can be as clever as trained TT practitioners.
D) The principle of TT is too profound to understand.
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