Quite the contrary; rather, she was concentrating on a romance novel. Then I realized that I have known many women who love romance novels—smart, attractive, successful, “liberated,” modem females who nonetheless find some kind of deep satisfaction and thrill from those hyper-romantic, artificial and extremely unrealistic tales of handsome, manly heroes falling in love with virginal women, enduring a series of adventures, then no doubt having a happy ending. These romance stories are to literature what hot dogs are to fine food. Yet, the genre(体裁) remains enormously popular. Consider some of these surprising statistics from the good folks at the Romance Writers of America (RWA):
*More than 9,000 romance titles were released last year, with sales of about $1.44 billion (more than triple the revenues generated by classic literary fiction).
*More than 90 percent of the market are women (okay, that’s not at all surprising).
* Readers are typically women between the ages 30 and 54 who are themselves involved in a romantic relationship (betraying the stereotype that only lonely women long for these tales of love and adventure).
*Almost 40 percent of romance book consumers have an annual income of between $50,000 and $99,900 (placing them firmly in the middle class).
I had thought that romance novels accounted for a very small share of the literary market, so I was quite surprised that this part has such enormous popularity. But I must wonder why so many women—forty years after the women’s liberation movement continue to indulge in the fanciful tales?
I’m not sure if it represents a kind of “rejection” of the women’s liberation movement, but clearly something is missing in the lives of contemporary ladies. A romance author named Donna Hatch who focuses on the Regency period (early 19th century Britain) explained the appeal of such books this way: “Regency men were civilized and treated women with courtesy. When a lady entered the room, gentlemen stood, doffed their hats, offered an arm, bowed, and a hundred other little things I wish men still did today. But they were also very athletic; they hunted, raced, boxed, rode horses. They were manly. Strong. Noble. Honorable. And that is why I love them!” Mrs. Hatch may have expressed the secret desires and attitudes of untold millions of her peers---that is, in the early 21st century, have women grown tired of the burdens and expectations that the “freedoms” they have gained give them? Is this a rejection of modem
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feminism? Do women long for days of old when men were masculine gentlemen and women were feminine and protected as precious treasures and regarded as possessions?
Perhaps most women (even the ones who get lost in romance novels) do not want to go all the way back but it is obvious, ▲ . 【文章解读】本文是一篇议论文。从一个小故事讲起，进而论述了浪漫小说在当下的火热程度。然后又涉及到了女权主义与当代女性内心的某种矛盾。 58. What is the function of the opening paragraph? A. To summarize the whole passage. B. To prove the author’s argument. C. To lead in the main topic of the passage. D. To raise problems that will be solved later. 【答案】C
【命题立意】考查推理判断题。
【解析】根据第一段作者讲了一个小故事，说自己在地铁上看到一个打扮很好很成功的女子。觉得她应该在看《经济学人》或者《华尔街日报》，结果她却在看爱情小说。所以这一段的作用是个引子，引出这篇文章的主题。故选C。
59. What does the underlined sentence in the third paragraph imply? A. Romance novels are satisfying and thrilling. B. Romance novels are not of much “nutrition”. C. Romance novels are as popular as hot dogs.
D. Romance novels are an essential part of contemporary life. 【答案】B
【命题立意】考查推理判断题。
【解析】A is to B what C is to D.意为“A对于B来说就像是C对于D来说一样”。放在这里就是浪漫小说对于文学就像是热狗比之精美的食物一样。故选B。
60. In the author’s opinion, what is missing in the lives of contemporary women? A. Authority. B. Dignity. C. Liberty. D. Care. 【答案】D
【命题立意】考查推理判断题。
【解析】用排除法，A、B在文中均未涉及。C自由很显然当代女性都具有。所以当代女性
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缺失的是关爱。根据后面引用的 When a lady entered the room, gentlemen stood, doffed their hats, offered an arm, bowed, and a hundred other little things I wish men still did today可知D正确。
61. Which sentence can be put in the blank in the last paragraph? A. they prefer tales of innocent romance to classics B. they are unhappy with how the world has turned out C. true love described in romance novels does exist in reality D. romance novels provide them with an access to society 【答案】B
【命题立意】考查推理判断题。
【解析】根据空前面的but it is obvious可知这里应该填的是一个显然的事实。A、C、D都太武断了。只有B最合适。故选B。
C
For centuries, medical pioneers have refined a variety of methods and medicines to treat sickness, injury, and disability, enabling people to live longer and healthier lives.
“A salamander (a small lizard-like animal) can grow back its leg. Why can't a human do the same?” asked Peruvian-born surgeon Dr. Anthony Atala in a recent interview. The question, a reference to work aiming to grow new limbs for wounded soldiers, captures the inventive spirit of regenerative medicine. This innovative field seeks to provide patients with replacement body parts.
These parts are not made of steel; they are the real things --- living cells, tissue, and even organs. Regenerative medicine is still mostly experimental, with clinical applications limited to procedures such as growing sheets of skin on burns and wounds. One of its most significant advances took place in 1999，when a research group at North Carolina’s Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine conducted a successful organ replacement with a laboratory-grown bladder. Since then, the team, led by Dr. Atala, has continued to generate a variety of other tissues and organs 一 from kidneys to ears.
The field of regenerative medicine builds on work conducted in the early twentieth century with the first successful transplants of donated human soft tissue and bone. However, donor organs are not always the best option. First of all, they are in short supply, and many people die while
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waiting
for an available organ; in the United States alone, more than 100,000 people are waiting for organ transplants. Secondly, a patient’s body may ultimately reject the transplanted donor organ. An advantage of regenerative medicine is that the tissues are grown from a patient’s own cells and will not be rejected by the body’s immune system.
Today, several labs are working to create bioartificial body parts. Scientists at Columbia and Yale Universities have grown a jawbone and a lung. At the University of Minnesota, Doris Taylor has created a beating bioartificial rat heart. Dr. Atala’s medical team has reported long-term success with bioengineered bladders implanted into young patients with spina bifida (a birth defect that involves the incomplete development of the spinal cord). And at the University of Michigan, H. David Humes has created an artificial kidney.
So far, the kidney procedure has only been used successfully with sheep, but there is hope that one day similar kidney will be implantable in a human patient. The continuing research of scientists such as these may eventually make donor organs unnecessary and, as a result, significantly increase individuals’ chances of survival.
【文章解读】本文是一篇说明文。主要介绍了器官再生的这种治疗方法。 62. In the latest field of regenerative medicine, what are replacement parts made of? A. Donated cells, tissues and organs. B. Rejected cells, tissues and organs. C. Cells, tissues and organs of one’s own. D. Cells, tissues and organs made of steel. 【答案】C
【命题立意】考查细节辨认题。
【解析】根据文章第三段的These parts are not made of steel; they are the real things --- living cells, tissue, and even organs可知C正确。
63. What have scientists experimented successfully on for a bioartificial kidney? A. Patients. B. Rats. C. Sheep. D. Soldiers. 【答案】C
【命题立意】考查细节辨认题。
【解析】根据文章最后一段的So far, the kidney procedure has only been used successfully with
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sheep可知C正确。
64. Why is regenerative medicine considered innovative? A. It will provide patients with replacement soft tissues. B. It will strengthen the human body’s immune system. C. It will shorten the time patients waiting for a donated organ. D. It will make patients live longer with bioartificial organs. 【答案】D
【命题立意】考查细节辨认题。
【解析】根据文章第二段的a reference to work aiming to grow new limbs for wounded soldiers, captures the inventive spirit of regenerative medicine可知这种再生药物的创新性就在于bioartificial的器官。故选D。
65. What is the writer’s attitude towards regenerative medicine? A. Positive. B. Negative. C. Doubtful. D. Reserved. 【答案】A
【命题立意】考查推理判断题。
【解析】根据文章最后一段的The continuing research of scientists such as these may eventually make donor organs unnecessary and, as a result, significantly increase individuals’ chances of survival可知作者对这种治疗方法怀有很大的希望。故选A。
D
An old man in a faded yellow shirt sat in a windowless room on a raised concrete form. The only source of heat came from somewhere beneath the plastic mattress and the rough blanket the blank-faced police woman had handed him after taking his thumb prints. He heard voices and metallic clang as the cell door swung open.
At the front desk a tired looking policeman handed the old man back his belongings, his worn-out cap and the Seiko watch that had stopped working the day his beloved Evelyn left. The policeman dramatically held the blue plastic bag at an arm’s length to the old man who took it and made sure its contents were undamaged: the goat meat, palm oil, leaves and spices. He ignored the confused expression on the officer’s face and signed the document declaring he had been returned the possessions they had taken off him the night before. No one spoke to him as he walked slowly towards the exit.
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