大学英语（三 ）

to cure. Nowadays, this terrible disease is much less common thanks to our knowledge of vitamins. (313 words)

1. From the context, what do you think the author mentions in the paragraph that is just before this first paragraph?

A. One example of the importance of vitamins.

B. One example of the necessity for the supplement of vitamins.

C. One example of the dangers of the restricted diet. D. One example of the benefits of various vitamins. 2. The disease \

A. kills large numbers of western peoples B. is a vitamin deficiency disease C. is transmitted by diseased rice D. can be caught from diseased chickens 3. The chickens Eijkman noticed in the hospital yard ________. A. couldn't digest the huskless rice B. proved beri-beri is transmitted by germs C. were later cooked for the patients' food

D. were suffering from vitamin deficiency 4. Huskless, milled rice ________. A. was cheaper than unmilled rice

B. was less beneficial to the body than unmilled rice C. was more beneficial to the body than unmilled rice D. cured beri-beri

5. The ingredient missing from milled rice ________.

A. was vitamin B B. did not affect the chickens

D. has never been accurately identified

Passage 5

C. was named the Eijkman vitamin

Yinlan looked at the people sitting around the table and smiled with satisfaction. Everyone in her family was there — her children, her grandchildren, and her new great-grandson, just one month old. Her whole family had come to celebrate the Harvest Moon Festival (节日).

Yinlan had grown up in China, but she and her family now lived in San Francisco, California. Although they lived in the United States, Yinlan's family celebrated the Harvest Moon Festival just as Yinlan had in China. Then, if the sky was clear, they always walked outside to admire the full moon. Tonight there was not a cloud in the sky, and the full moon shone brightly. Yinlan suggested that they all go outside. Her grandson helped her up from her chair. As Yinlan and her grandson walked toward the door, she held on to his arm and leaned against him for support. Yinlan was 86 years old. She had not been well the past few months, and her family noticed that she seemed weak.

Two days after the Harvest Moon Festival, Yinlan died peacefully in her sleep. Her family was sad but at the same time grateful. They felt happy that they had been able to celebrate the Harvest Moon Festival with her one last time. Everyone said it was remarkable that Yinlan had died just two days after the holiday.

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大学英语（三 ）

Actually, the timing of Yinlan's death was not remarkable at all. Recently sociologists（社会学家）studied the death rate among elderly Chinese women in California. They discovered that the death rate drops 35 percent before the Harvest Moon Festival and then rises 35 percent. Sociologists believe that these changes in death rate show the mind's power over the body. The Harvest Moon Festival, when families gather, is important to elderly Chinese women. Apparently some women are able to postpone（推迟）their deaths so that they can celebrate the festival one last time.

Sociologists also studied the death rate of elderly Jewish men around the time of Passover, a Jewish holiday. They discovered the same phenomenon. Passover is a Jewish religious holiday that is a family holiday as well. On the first two days of Passover, families gather in their homes for a ceremony（仪式）. It is an important event for elderly Jewish men — so important that some men postpone their deaths until after Passover.

The idea that people can postpone the time of their deaths is not new. Many families tell stories of a relative who held on to life until after an important event. They tell of grandmother who died after the birth of a grandchild, a grandfather who died after his 92nd birthday party. The stories people tell, however, are just that: stories. They are not proof that people can postpone their deaths. The sociologists' work is important because the sociologists studied facts, not stories. The facts — the drop and rise in death rates — prove that people really can postpone their deaths. One famous person who may have postponed his death was Thomas Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, one of the most important U.S. documents. The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776. Thomas Jefferson died exactly 50 years later, on July 4, 1826. He died after asking his doctor, \

Historians have always thought that Jefferson's death on the Fourth of July was a remarkable coincidence（巧合）. It now seems quite possible that the timing of Jefferson's death was no coincidence at all. (597 words)

1. The story of Yinlan and her family indicates that ________. A. the Chinese Harvest Moon Festival is good enough to postpone death B. significant events can postpone death

C. the mind is stronger than the body D. good mood can postpone death

2. The Jewish holiday Passover is similar to the Chinese Harvest Moon Festival in the sense that ________.

A. both of them can postpone death

B. both of them take place at the same time C. both of them are a religious holiday

D. both of them are a family holiday 3. Thomas Jefferson's death on July the 4th was probably timed by ________. A. his doctor B. the Declaration of Independence C. one famous person

D. himself

4. Which of the following is true?

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大学英语（三 ）

A. The Jewish holiday Passover can only postpone the deaths of elderly women. B. The Chinese Harvest Moon Festival can only postpone the deaths of old men.

C. It is facts not stories that prove people can postpone their deaths. D. Family holidays of all kinds can postpone the deaths of old people. 5. A proper title for this passage is \

A. Saving the Old with a Family Holiday B. Postponing Death C. More Family Holidays, More Happiness D. What a Coincidence

Passage 6

A strict vegetarian is a person who never in his life eats anything derived from animals. The main objection to vegetarianism（素食主义）on a long-term basis is the difficulty of getting enough protein — the body-building element in food. If you have ever been without meat or other animal foods for some days of weeks (say, for religious reasons) you will have notice that you tend to get physically rather weak. You are glad when the fast（禁食）is over and you get your reward of a delicious meat meal.

Proteins are built up from about twenty food elements called \氨基酸) , which are found more abundantly in animal protein than in vegetable protein. This means you have to eat a great deal more vegetable than animal food in order to get enough of these amino-acids. A great deal of the vegetable food goes to waste in this process and from the physiological（生理学的）point of view there is not much to be said in favor of life-long vegetarianism.

The economic side of the question, though, must be considered. Vegetable food is much cheaper than animal food. However, since only a small proportion of the vegetable protein is useful for body-building purposes, a consistent vegetarian, if he is to gain the necessary 70 grams (克) of protein a day, has to consume a great bulk of food than his digestive organs can comfortably deal with. In fairness, though, it must be pointed out that vegetarians claim they need far less than 70 grams of protein a day. (276 words)

1. A strict vegetarian ________.

A. rarely eats animal products B. sometimes eats eggs

C. never eats any animal products D. never eats protein

2. We feel weak when we go without meat and other animal products _____. A. because we are reducing our food amount

B. because we do not get enough protein C. because vegetables do not contain protein D. unless we take plenty of exercise 3. Proteins are built up from ________.

A. about twenty different foods B. about twenty different vegetables C. various fats and sugars D. about twenty different amino-acids 4. Physiologically, life-long vegetarianism may not be good because ______. A. it makes people very thin

B. the body must process too much waste

C. the farmer lose money D. vitamin-deficiency diseases may result

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大学英语（三 ）

5. One thing in favour of vegetarianism is that ________.

A. vegetable food is easier to digest B. animal food is less expensive

C. vegetable food is cheaper D. it is good for the digestion

Passage 7

In 1913, the United States government launched (发起) a bold, new nickel. Sculptor James Earle Fraser said his goal was to design a coin that would be \he found none more distinctive than the American buffalo. Choosing to show a native American on the other side of the coin, Fraser said the new nickel had \（主题）.\

Production of \at the Philadelphia Mint（造币厂）started turning out the nickels at the rate of 120 a minute. But after the first examples were placed in circulation（流通）, the New York Times condemned (谴责) them as a \

Other critics said that the coin's \surfaces would encourage counterfeiters（造假币的人）. But the most serious complaint about the nickel had to do with its inability to stand heavy use. One coin collectors' magazine predicted that the slightest wear would remove the date and the words Five Cents \

In 1938, the Department of Treasury staged a competition for a new nickel picturing Thomas Jefferson. According to a news item of the day, the Bureau of Indian Affairs didn't receive a single complaint from native Americans about the design change. Collectors didn't seem to mind either. (212 words) 1. In the eyes of Fraser __________ is the most beautiful. A. nickel B. buffalo C. a Native American

D. unity of theme

2. In the second sentence, Paragraph 2, the word \A. publication B. newspaper C. machine D. the act of pushing down 3. The design of buffalo was modified ________.

A. because it was not able to stand heavy use B. because the words Five Cents were \

C. because the coin showed the buffalo standing on a small grassy hill D. because the words were too high

4. According to one collectors' magazine using a native American and a buffalo was ________. A. a good idea B. a bad idea C. a perfect idea D. a forced ideae 5. It seemed that the new nickel picturing Thomas Jefferson ________. A. won much praise from collectors

B. caused strong protests from American Indians

C. was OK both to the collectors and American Indians D. was praised both by the collectors and American Indians

Passage 8

You must face the fact that in your inmost heart you hate the thought of moving. It is easiest not to leave the rooms where your children passed through their wonderful childhood and annoying teens to a friendly but slightly distant community.

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