B

THE BRONTE FAMILY

Yorkshire, England was the setting for two great novels(小说) of the 19th century. These were Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. The youngest sister, Anne, was also a gifted novelist, and her books have the same extraordinary quality as her sisters'.

Their father was Patrick Bronte, born in Ireland. He moved with his wife, Maria Bronte, and their six small children to Haworth in Yorkshire in 1820. Soon after, Mrs. Bronte and the two eldest children died, leaving the father to care for the remaining three girls and a boy.

Charlotte was born in 1816, Emily was born in 1818 and Anne in 1820. Their brother Branwell was born in 1817. Left to themselves, the children wrote and told stories and walked over the hills. They grew up largely selfeducated. Branwell showed a great interest in drawing. The girls were determined to earn money for his art education. They took positions as teachers or taught children in their homes.

As children they had all written many stories. Charlotte, as a young girl, alone wrote 22 books, each with 60 to 100 pages of small handwriting. Therefore, they turned to writing for income. By 1847, Charlotte had written The Professor; Emily, Wuthering Heights; and Anne, Agnes Grey. After much difficulty Anne and Emily found a publisher (出版商), but there was no interest shown in Charlotte's book (It was not published until 1859). However, one publisher expressed an interest in seeing more of her works. Jane Eyre was already started, and she hurriedly finished it. It was accepted at once; thus each of the sisters had a book published in 1847.

Jane Eyre was immediately successful; the other two, however, did not do so well. People did not like Wuthering Heights. They said it was too wild, too animal-like. But gradually it came to be considered as one of the finest novels in the English language. Emily lived only a short while after the publication of her book, and Anne died in 1849.

Charlotte published Shirley in 1849, and Villette in 1853. In 1854 she married Arthur Bell Nicholls. But only a year later, she died of tuberculosis(肺结核) as her sisters had.

24. What did the Bronte sisters do for Branwell Bronte?

A. They helped him Write stories.         B. They helped him get trained in art.

C. They taught him how to draw well.      D. They taught him how to educate himself.

25. Which was published after the death of its writer?

A. Shirley.     B. Villette.        C. Agnes Grey.         D. The Professor,

26. The underlined words "the other two" in the 5th paragraph refer to

A. Shirley and Villette                 B. The Professor and Agnes Grey

C. Agnes Grey and Wuthering Heights   D. The Professor and Wuthering Heights

27. What do we know about the Bronte sisters?

A. Their novels interested few publishers.

B. None of them lived longer than 40 years old.

C. None of them had more than two books published.

D. Emily was the least successful of the three.

C

Ever wonder why some people are apple-shaped while others pear-shaped? Researchers at the University of Edinburgh, UK, have identified a protein, known as HBetaHSD1, which determines how and where fat is stored in the body around the hips  and belly .

The study shows that levels of HBetaHSD1 tend to be higher in people having unhealthy body fat around the hips and belly. This is typical of overweight  people whose " apple-shaped" bodies put them at greater risk of heart disease and diabetes (糖尿病), the Daily Mail reports. On the contrary , lower level of the protein was linked to healthier fat, which tends to be found around the hips--typically in pear-shaped people.

An apple shape refers to people, especially women, who have full breasts  and whose fat is generally stored in the midsection of the bodies. On the other hand, pear shaped people have a hip size that is a little larger than their breast size. The fat tends to be stored around the hips.

Researchers observed the effects of the protein in mice. They were fed on a high fat diet for four weeks. The mice with the protein in their bodies were more likely to have unhealthy fat tissue on a high fat diet compared to the mice without the protein.

Scientists are already looking at ways to make medicines that decrease the amount of this protein, which can contribute to over-weight. Nik Morton, of the University of Edinburgh said to the Daily Mail that this study opens up new avenues for research, and gives us a much better idea of "why some fat in the body becomes unhealthy while other fat is safely stored for energy".

"Inflammation (发炎)of the unhealthy fat leads to reactions that can cause harm locally to tissues and affect the whole organism (机体), promoting diabetes," said Morton.  "Limiting the presence of this protein could help combat (抗击) this. "

As well as being more likely to be stored around the most important organs in the middle part of the body, fat with higher levels of HBetaHSD1 is considered to be unhealthy. This is connected with an overreaction in the immune system, he added. Cells normally become inflamed in order to kill off an infection, but as there is no infection in the fat tissue, the inflammation instead causes damage to healthy cells.

28. Which of the following statements about apple-shaped people is TRUE?

A. They tend to have higher levels of  BetaHSD1 in their bodies.

B. They usually have a hip size that is a little larger than their breast size.

C. Their fat is generally stored in the hips.

D. Most of them prefer a high fat diet.

29. What does the underlined word "avenues" in Paragraph 5 probably mean?

A. approaches.    B.  problems.    C. effects.    D. medicines.

30. According to the article, inflammation of unhealthy fat is dangerous because it         .

A. can harm tissues all over the body      B. may weaken the immune system

C. damages the most important organs    D. kills off healthy cells in the body

31. What is the article mainly about?

A. A protein, known as HBetaHSD1, and its influence on body fat.

B. How body shape is linked to weight problems.

C. Health suggestions for overweight people.

D. New avenues for research on overweight problems.

D

Honesty, my mum always used to tell me, is the best policy. Of course, this didn't include her when she told me that if I didn't eat all my vegetables Father Christmas would find out and wouldn't give me any presents.

But when it comes to medicine, I had assumed it was important to always be honest with my patients. After all, the doctor-patient relationship is based on trust, and therefore honesty is essential. Or so I thought.

I had just started working in geriatrics(老年病科). Mr. McMahon was brought in when his belly was found very swollen. I took a medical history from his daughter who'd accompanied him in the ambulance. She'd been his main career for years. I stood looking at him as she gave a detailed history. "Has he lost any weight recently?" I asked. "Well, it's funny you should mention that, but yes," she said slowly. There was silence for a few moments. "Why? What are you worried about?" she asked. I hesitated. She was obviously very involved in his care and it was only fair that I told her the truth. "Well, we need to prove it's not cancer," I said and talked briefly about some of the tests I was going to order.

Half an hour later, a nurse called me: "Mr. McMahon's daughter broke down--she said you told her he had cancer." My heart sank. By the time I arrived at the ward, my consultant was already there, explaining that we still had to run lots of tests and that it was by no means confirmed that he had cancer. I stood silently at the end of the bed. My consultant was obviously angry with me and as we left Mr. McMahon, she turned to me. "Why on earth did you do that?" she asked in disbelief. I looked at her and bit my lip. "She asked me what I was worded about and I told her." I said, hanging my head. "And give her more to worry about?" replied my consultant. "You don't say the word 'cancer' until it's confirmed. Even if you suspect it, think very carefully when you tell people. "

As it turned out, it wasn't cancer. But I did learn that when someone is stressed and worried about their loved one they're sometimes selective in what they hear--and as a doctor it's important to be mindful of this. In being truthful, I'd made the situation worse.

32. The purpose of the first two paragraphs is to show that the author          .

A. misunderstood the doctor-patient relationship

B. was anxious to receive Christmas gifts

C. regarded honesty as the best policy

D. had an unhealthy eating habit

33. The author's consultant was angry with him because        .

A. he told the daughter what he suspected

B. he delayed running the necessary tests

C. he failed to confirm the patient's disease

D. he forgot what the consultant had advised

34. The author hung his bead (the underlined part in Para. 4) because he was feeling       .

A. guilty          B. hurt        C. disappointed           D. helpless

35. What lesson has the author learnt from his experience?

A. Learning from patients is necessary.

B. Jumping to a conclusion is dangerous.

C. Telling the truth may not always be the best solution.

D. Selecting pleasant words may not be the perfect policy.