This summer, for the first time, Emory College let freshmen pick their own roommates in an online roommate-selection system. Students, using screen names to hide their identities, posted profiles of themselves detailing personality (1)

In computer matchmaking, initially students do not reveal their __________.

A. personalities

B. identities

C. habits

attributes, work habits, music and food preferences, and exchanged information using e-mail.—Housing officials at Emory say they expect that letting students pick their own roommates who are their closest matches will increase the likelihood of compatibility. And there’s little risk of hurt feelings if the e-mail exchanges do not lead to a match, since the initial round of contacts is

done under screen names.

Several studies have shown that roommates have an impact on the attitudes and social behavior of those they live with. And one recent study found that a roommate’s academic performance has a small, but statistically significant, effect on the other roommate’s grade-point average. Other studies, however, did not find that effect.

The business of assigning roommates varies widely across the country. At Davidson College, the housing staff sort every freshman with careful hand-selection. The Davidson philosophy is that roommates should be as similar as

D. hobbies

If e-mail exchanges between

(2) students fail to lead to a match, the students involved __________.

A. will end up with hurt feelings

B. will stop using their screen names

C. won’t feel embarrassed or

discouraged

D. won’t have another chance to

contact others

As mentioned in the passage, only (3) one study found that roommates have an impact on the __________ of the other roommates.

A. academic grades

B. social behavior

C. sleeping patterns

D. personal attitudes

It can be inferred from the passage (4) that computer matching __________.

A. is unlikely to be a great success

possible, while halls should be as diverse as possible.

―We had a match that seemed perfect, until we discovered that one was a cattle rancher’s son and the other was a vegan (绝对素食者),‖ said Ms. Kromm. ―They should

B. is a novelty with no final results

C. will not be as good as expected

D. will soon replace hand selection

(5)

Both computer matching and hand selection follow the principle of definitely meet, on the same hall. But we didn’t want to put them in the same room.‖ Occasionally, an

incoming student asks to be paired with an Asian, or says she might not

be able to get along with a Republican. In such cases, Ms. Kromm will remind them that

Davidson does not accept roommate preferences based on race, ethnicity, and religion.

__________.

A. putting students with similarities

together

B. meeting all legitimate demands of

students

C. letting students pick their own

roommates

D. seeking diversity in roommate

matching

Around the world more and more people are taking part in dangerous sports and activities. Of course, there have always been people who have looked for adventure – those who have climbed the highest mountains, explored unknown parts of the world or sailed in small boats across the greatest oceans. Now, however, there are people who seek an immediate excitement from a risky activity which may only last a few minutes or even seconds.

I would consider bungee jumping to be a good example of such an activity. You jump from a

(1)

A suitable title for the passage is __________

A. The Boredom of Modern Life.

B. Dangerous Sports: What and why?

C. Bungee Jumping: Is it Really

Dangerous?

D.The Need for Excitement.

(2)

More and more people today __________.

A. are close to death in sports

B. are climbing the highest mountains

C. are trying activities such as bungee

high place (perhaps a bridge or a hot-air balloon) 200 meters above the ground with an elastic rope tied to your ankles. You fall at up to 150 kilometers an hour until the rope stops you from hitting the ground. It is estimated that two million people around the world have now tried bungee jumping. Other activities which most people would say are as risky as bungee jumping involve jumping from tall buildings and diving into the sea from the top of high cliffs.

Why do people take part in such activities as these? Some psychologists suggest that it is because life in modern societies has become safe and boring. Not very

(4) (3)

jumping

D. are looking for adventures such as

exploring unknown places

People probably take part in dangerous sports nowadays because __________.

A.they have a lot of free time

B. they can go to hospital if they are

injured

C. they no longer need to hunt for food

D. their lives lack excitement

The writer of the passage has a(n) __________ attitude towards dangerous sports.

A. positive

long ago, people's lives were constantly under threat. They had to go out and hunt for food, diseases could not easily be cured, and life

B. negative

C. subjective

D. objective was a continuous battle for survival.

Nowadays, according to many

What’s the meaning of the

people, life offers little excitement.

(5) underlined word “elastic”

They live and work in comparatively

safe environment; they buy food in shops; and there are doctors and hospitals to look after them if they

become ill. The answer for some of these people is to seek danger in

activities such as bungee jumping.

underlined in paragraph two? A. adaptable B. changeable

C. flexible

D. yielding