kept on file, the customer gets the money with no problems. The need to carry identification with you from place to place, then, would all but cease.
It has been found that the hand scan works well in the college gym. Before this machine was used, students at the college entered the gym using cards similar to credit cards. The problem was that students often lost or forgot their cards. With the hand-scanning machine, however, the problem was solved right away.
But the machines are still new, and there can be problems. For example, voice recognition works on the phone, but it is not precise, and can be tricked. Another constraint（限制）we notice, with machines that use face recognition in particular, is that they can be fooled if people color their hair or gain a lot of weight. However, this particular problem may be solved by a new type of technology that scans a person’s iris, the colored part of the eye. It can even identify the person from a few feet away, recognizing a customer as he or she approaches the ATM.
61. Why don’t people like using finger-prints while using the machine?
A. They want to keep their mistakes a secret. B. They don’t want to damage their fingers. C. They are afraid of losing money in the bank. D. They are afraid of being thought of a criminals.
62. Why are biometric machines stating to be used in many fields?
A. They are not as expensive as they were. B. They no longer invade people’s privacy. C. People enjoy face and voice recognition. D. Criminals are often hidden at airports.
63. What is the author’s attitude towards the new technology?
A. Bitter. B. Worried. C. Optimistic. D. Satisfied. 64. What is the passage mainly about? A. An introduction to biometric machines. B. An advertisement for biometric machines. C. A brief description of hand scanning machines. D. An analysis of biometric machines’ value in economy.
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D
Are you a different person when you speak a foreign language? That’s just one of the questions the New Yorker’s writer and native North Carolinian Lauren Collins explores in her autobiography, about her tough efforts to master French after marrying a Frenchman whose name — Olivier — she couldn’t even pronounce properly. When in French ranges from the humorously personal story to a deeper look at various theories
of language acquisition and linguistics (语言学).
The couple met in London “on more or less neutral ground: his continent, my language.” But the balance shifted when they moved to Geneva for Olivier’s work. The normally voluble Collins found herself at a loss — “nearly speechless.” The language barrier, and her dependence on her husband for simple things like buying the right cut of meat worsened her mixed feelings about “unlovely, but not ridiculous” Geneva. She comments, “Language, as much as land, is a place. To be cut off from it is to be, in a sense, homeless.”
Her sense of alienation (疏离感) leads to an examination of America’s miserable record when it comes to foreign languages, “Linguists call America ‘the graveyard of languages’ because of its singular ability to take in millions of immigrants and make their native languages die out in a few generations,” Collins writes. Educated in Wilmington, N.C., and at Princeton, she could — like the vast majority of Americans — only speak their mother tongue.
Eight months after she moved to Switzerland, Collins gives up on the natural acquisition of language and finally attends a French course. As she struggles with grammar and vocabulary, Collins notes smartly that vert (green),verre (glass), ver (worm), vers (toward), and vair (squirrel) compose a quintuple homonym (同形异义). “Although it’s difficult, French can try” she says.
French is actually considered among the easiest languages for an English speaker to learn, especially compared to Arabic or Mandarin Chinese. Collins, whose notably rich English vocabulary includes glossolalia (nonsense speech) and shibboleth (catchword or slogan), finds plenty of terrific French words to love. She writes,
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“English is a trust fund, an unearned inheritance (遗产), but I’ve worked for every bit of French I’ve banked.”
Unlike Jhumpa Lahiri, who became so hooked on Italian and used it to write In Other Words, Collins’s goals for learning French were more modest, “I wanted to
speak French and to sound like North Carolina.” She also wanted to be able to deal with chimney sweeps and butchers, communicate with her in-laws, and “to touch Olivier in his own language.” She admits that she feels different speaking French, “Its austerity (朴素) made me feel more confused.”
Readers looking for the romantic spark of classic cross-cultural love stories featuring an outgoing American and a shy Frenchman will find flashes of it here. Among the many cultural differences the couple argue over are her enthusiastic American habit of applying the verb love to express enthusiasm for shoes, strawberries, and husbands alike. But there’s far more to Collins’ book than fantastic comedy, and those who have weathered linguistic crossings themselves tend to find particular resonance (共鸣) in its inquiry into language, identity, and transcultural translation.
Arranged by chapters named for verb tenses, When in French works its way from The Past Perfect (Le plus-que-parfait) to The Present (Le Présent) and The Conditional (Le Conditionnel). Collins ends on a delightful note with Le Futur — fitting for a new mother about to move with her hard-won French husband, French language, and Swiss-born daughter to the French-speaking city of her dreams, Paris. 65. Which of the following statements is TRUE about When in French? A. It describes how most American people learn French. B. It introduces a variety of theories about French learning. C. The author tells her experiences in a serious way.
D. The book offers a traditional way of learning a foreign language.
66. Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined word “voluble” in Paragraph 2? A. graceful
B. dependent
C. talkative
D. energetic
67. Why do Linguists call America “the graveyard of languages”?
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A. Because other languages are prohibited in America.
B. Because only English-speaking people can immigrate into America. C. Because immigrants’ native languages contradict English in America. D. Because American culture swallows up immigrants’ native languages gradually. 68. What can be inferred from Paragraph 4 and Paragraph 5?
A. Collins’ English vocabulary knowledge contributes little to her French learning.
B. Collins has found out some effective ways of mastering French words. C. Arabic or Mandarin Chinese are easier to learn than French for English speakers. D. It’s terrifying for Collins to have French words in store for practical use. 69. The example of Jhumpa Lahir in the passage is given to show that _________. A. Collins aims at using French for her daily life B. Collins wants to apply French to serve her writing
C. it’s inappropriate for Jhumpa Lahir to write in another language D. foreign language always makes learners feel complicated about life
70. Which of the following items are mentioned by the author of this book review? ① the theme ② the structure ③ the publisher ④ the popularity ⑤ the writing style A. ①②④
B. ②③⑤ C. ①②⑤ D. ①③⑤
第二卷（非选择题，共两大题，35分）
第四部分: 任务型阅读 (共10小题；每小题l分, 满分l0分)
请认真阅读下列短文, 并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意: 每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。
Molecules found on phones reveal lifestyle secrets
What does your phone say about you? Molecules (分子) found on mobile phones reveal an astonishing amount about the owner’s health and lifestyle — including their food preferences and medication.
Californian scientists found traces of everything from caffeine and spices to skin creams and anti-depressants (抗抑郁药物) on 40 phones they tested. We leave traces of molecules, chemicals and bacteria on everything we touch. Even washing hands
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thoroughly would not prevent the transfer to everyday objects, the researchers said. Using a technique called mass spectrometry (光谱测定), the University of California San Diego research team tested 500 samples taken from 40 adults’ mobile phones and hands. They then compared them with molecules identified in a database and produced a “lifestyle profile” of each phone owner.
Dr Amina Bouslimani, an assistant project scientist on the study, said the results were revealing. “By analysing the molecules they left behind on their phones, we could tell if a person is likely to be female, uses high-end cosmetics (化妆品), dyes her hair, drinks coffee, prefers beer over wine, likes spicy food, is being treated for depression, wears sunscreen and bug spray — and therefore likely to spend a lot of time outdoors — all kinds of things,” she said.
Most of the molecules are thought to be transferred from people’s skin, hands and sweat to their phone. Mosquito repellents (驱蚊剂) and sunscreens were found to stay for a particularly long time on people’s skin and phones, even when they had not been used for months. Previous research by the same team found that people who had not washed for three days still had lots of traces of health and beauty products on their skin.
The study said the testing method could identify an object’s owner without fingerprints. It could also check if patients were taking their medication. Besides, it could provide useful information about a person’s exposure to pollution.
The researchers now want to find out more about the great quantity of bacteria that cover our skin — and what they reveal about us. Senior author Prof Pieter Dorrestein said there were at least 1,000 different microbes living on the average person’s skin, in hundreds of locations on the body.
Molecules found on phones reveal lifestyle secrets
Your mobile phones convey a large amount of information on
Research result
your personal health and lifestyle.
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