D

As you climb into the hill country, the roads get dustier and rougher, and fewer cars can be seen. Phonxay is one of the poorest districts of Laos, and many of its villages are only accessible by footpath. Our destination this hot morning is a concrete water tank that can be found just off the road. A UK organization helped to build it six years ago, and in the nearby village of Thapho, where clean drinking water is scarce, it has made a big difference. The tank feeds six taps which in turn give water to over 800 people---it has improved things for almost every family, from schoolchildren to grannies.

But lately, we were told, the clean water supply has come under pressure from new arrivals, people who have come down from the hill areas, and there are concerns that there will not be enough clean water to go round.

There are also serious worries about resources in Laos. The Chinese are building a 400km railway link, which could transform the landlocked country. About 150,000 Chinese workers will be involved. What will this do to local clean water supplies? How will the workers be fed?

The vast majority of Laotians live on farms. But with foreign investors wanting to buy up land, local people will have to be moved to make room for them. Heavily dependent on both foreign aid and foreign investment, Laos still falls well behind its neighbours, although its economy has grown at about 6% a year in the last decade. Its biggest economic problem is the lack of locally trained skilled workforce.

But there are reasons to be hopeful for the future. Laos is beautiful, and foreign tourism continues to grow: fortunately so far the fast-food chains and coffee bars common elsewhere are nowhere to be seen. Although all local media are government-run, the Internet is not controlled and the BBC and CNN are available to those with satellite dishes.

The government has also achieved impressive results in rural development, with communities benefiting not just from cleaner water but the construction of new schools and regular visits from medical teams. Poverty will not be history in Laos within the next decade, but with small steps forward and a bit of outside help, the country could find itself out of the UN’s least-developed category by 2020.

68. The underlined word ”scarce” in paragraph 1 most probably means_________.

A. valuable B. rare C. infrequent D. missing

69. What is putting pressure on the local supply of clean water?

A. Dust from the road is making the water dirtier.

B. There are too many taps accessing the water.

C. The population of the area is growing fast.

D. The coming summer will dry up rivers and lakes.

70. What is the most serious limitation on Laos’ economic growth?

A. The lack of local skilled workers. B. A poor transportation system.

C. Too much foreign aid. D. Too many foreign workers.

71. What is the best title for the passage?

A. Laos: small steps forward. B. Laos: slow-developing nations

C. Laos: least-developed land D. Laos: landlocked country

E

He wrote that the “human mind is capable of excitement without the application of gross(粗俗的) and violent stimulants(刺激物)”. And it appears that simply reading those words by William Wordsworth proves his point.

Researchers at the University of Liverpool found the works of Shakespeare and Wordsworth and the like had a beneficial effect on the mind, lifting the readers’ spirits by catching their attention and leading to moments of self-reflection.

Using equipment, they examined the brain activity of volunteers as they read pieces of classical English literature both in their original form and in a more simplified, modern translation.

And, according to the Sunday Telegraph, the experiment showed the more “challenging” works set off far more electrical activity in the brain than the ordinary versions.

The research also found poetry, in particular, increased activity in the right hemisphere (脑半球) of the brain, an area concerned with “autobiographical memory”, which helped the reader to reflect on and reevaluate their own experiences in light of what they had read. The academics said this meant the classics were more useful than self-help books.

The brain responses of 30 volunteers was monitored in the first part of the research as they read Shakespeare in its original and “modern” form.

In one example, volunteers read a line from King Lear, “A father and a gracious(仁慈的) aged man: him have you madded ”, before reading the simpler “A father and a gracious aged man: him you have enraged(使暴怒)”.

Shakespeare's use of the adjective “mad” as a verb caused a higher level of brain activity than the straightforward translation.

“Reading classics is not just a matter of style. It is a matter of deep versions of experience that promotes the cognitive(认知的) ability,” said Prof Davis, who will present the findings at the North of England education conference in Sheffield this week.

72. What does the author suggest by saying “simply reading those words by William Wordsworth proves his point”?

A. William Wordsworth’s poems are full of wisdom.

B. It excites readers to read William Wordsworth’s poems.

C. Only gross and violent words can arouse people’s excitement.

D. William Wordsworth’s poems are the application of gross and violent stimulants.

73. In what way did the researchers make their conclusion?

A. By questionnaire. B. By online chatting.

C. By lab experiment. D. By telephone interview.

74. According to the researchers at the University of Liverpool, reading classical works can benefit readers in ________.

A. helping relieve their pressure B. helping them focus more on their work

C. helping them think about themselves carefully

D. helping keep their spirits up for a whole day

75. Which of the following sets off the most electrical activity in the brain?

A. Reading nursery rhymes.

B. Reading self-help books.

C. Reading adapted version of King Lear.

D. Reading Shakespeare’s sonnets(十四行诗) in Middle English.