COSL英語閱讀理解1

COSL英語5-6級閱讀理解試題復(fù)習(xí)

1TherehasbeenanattemptoverthepastfewyearstohijacktheOlympicspiri

TheauthorsaysthattheOlympicgamesshouldemDhasizeBABDC.

A.competitionB.harmonyC.festivityD.togetherness

2Britishtelevisionviewersareofficiallythebiggestsoapaddictsintheworld

AllofthefollowingaretrueofsoapoperasinBritainEXCEPTADDCC

A.theyhaveengagingcharactersandcontinuingstorylines

B.theyaregoodproductions

C.theyaremostlyairedinpeaktime

D.theyaremorepopularthanERinternationally

3Alltheresearchtodateonbodyimageshowsthatwomenaremuchmorecritical

ThemainpurposeofthepassageistoACCAD.

A.explainwhywomenareunrealisticabouttheirlooks

B.comparemenandwomenwhentheylookintothemirror

C.setupastandardagainstwhichwomencanviewtheirownlooks

D.urgewomentoberealisticabouttheirlooks

4Watson,developedbyInfoLabgraduatestudentJayBudzik,

WatsonisADABB.

A.asearchengine

B.aWebbrowser

C.awordprocessingprogram

D.anonlinelibrary

5TomKelly,oftheNationalUniversityofIreland,hasbeenstudyingbirdstrikesatDublinairport.He

hasfoundthatflyingbirdsareactuallyquitegoodatavoidingaircraft—sogoodthatthereasonafewfailto

dosoowesmoretomiscalculation(ordistractionbybadweatherorpredators)thanstupidity.Thebirdsare,

asitwere,playingchickenwiththeplanes,andsometimestheygetitwrong.

ThefirstthingthatDrKellydiscoveredisthatbirdsdonotseemtoperceiveaircraftasiftheywereother

birds—andcertainlynotasiftheywerepredatorybirds.Whenfacedwith,say,ahawk,mostbirdswillturn

tailandflyaway.Whenfacedwithanoncomingaircraft,theyjustbankoutofitspath.

Experimentswithcagedbirds,whowereshownvideoclipsofoncomingplanes,havedemonstratedthat

moststarttoreacttoanaircraftwhentheestimatedtimetocollisionisaboutfiveseconds.Thatmayseemto

becuttingthingsratherfine,butitisprobablyareasonablecompromise.Birdstrikes,includingthosewhere

onlythebirddies,occurjustonceeveryfewthousandtake-offsandlandings,soleavingthingsuntilthelast

fewsecondsworksmostofthetime.Fromthepointofviewofarelativelyshort-livedanimalthathasalot

ofotherhazardstoface,collisionswithaircraftarenotamajorrisk.

However,fromthepointofviewofman,along-livedanimalthatfacesfewnaturalhazards,such

collisionsareunacceptable.DrKelly'ssuggestedsolutionisthattake-offsandlandingsmightbepreceded

bytheuseofalaserbeamtoprojectanimagethatabirdwouldperceiveasanexpandingdotoflight.

(Readerswhohavebeentoconcertsthatfeaturelaserlight-showswillbefamiliarwiththisidea.)Thedot

would,DrKellyhopes,suggestarapidlyloomingobjectandthustriggerthe“banking“reactionbeforean

aircraftcamealong.Butthenagain,itmightnot.Orifitdid,thebirdsmightquicklylearnthedifference.

BirdstrikesoccurmostprobablybecauseC.

A.birdsarestupid

B.birdsaretimid

C.birdsmiscalculate

D.birdsarenotafraidofpredatorsanymore

TobirdsanoncomingairfraftisA?

A.notpredatoryinnature

B.morethreateningthanahawk

C.flyingattoolowanaltitude

D.tooslowtoposeanydanger

BirdsdealwithaircraftbyA.

A.flyingaside

B.flyingheadlong

C.flyinginthesamedirection

D.flyingontotheplane

BirdsplaychickenwithplanesbecauseA.

A.theydon*tregardcollisionasamajorrisk

B.theyareextremelycalculating

C.theyarenolongerafraidofhumans

D.theyregardplanesasamajorthreattothem

TheauthorimpliesthatDr.Kelly'ssuggestedsolutionD.

A.iscostly

B.isveryrevolutionary

C.toocomplicated

D.maybeoflimiteduse

6Asunemploymenthasfallentoitslowestlevelin30years,it'stoughtofindgoodworkers.Thereal

burdenfallsonthefrontlinemanagerswhonotonlyhavetorecruitandtrainworkerswhoaren'texactlythe

creamiestofthecrop,butalsohavetotoleratethebadserviceoftheiremployeesorelseresumethehuntfor

newworkers.Inthisoverheatedbusinessclimate,entirestaffscanturnoverthreetimesinayear,despite$

10-an-hourwages.Employeeswhostickaroundmorethan90daysareoftenconsideredoldhands.

Recruitersdesperatelyseekingapplicantsarecomingupwithnewstrategies.Target,abigdiscount

chain,installedkiosksinthefrontofitsstoreswhereprospectscanfilloutacomputerizedapplicationandbe

onthejobin24hours.44Applicantsaresoscarce,youhavetobeabletorespondquickly,saysvice

presidentBettyKimbrough."Ifwedon'trespondtotheirapplicationwithinaweek,they9reprobablyalready

workingforsomeoneelse.^^Inadditiontoofferingfatpaychecksthatmakeamockeryofthe$5.15minimum

wage,retailerslikeWal-Martarenowextendingmedicalbenefitsand401(k)savingsplanstopart-timers.

Theluxuryofleisurelytrainingnewrecruitsinclassroomshasallbutvanished.FreshhiresatWal-Mart

andMcDonald'snolongerspenddayslockedinthebackroomwatchingtrainingvideos.Mosttraining

comesonthejob,andiftherookieneedsmoreheorshecanlogontothecomputerinthebreakroom.

Andbeawfullyforgivingifyouwantthemtostickaround.Withhelp-wantedsignspaperingthewindows

ofstoreseverywhere,workersholdthepowerandmanagershesitatetoreprimand.Arrivelateforworkor

don'tshowupatall?Don'tworry,thebosswillgiveyouanotherchance.Evendressingdownacustomeris

aforgivableoffense.Whenacashierata7-EleveninFarmingtonHills,Mich.,recentlysnappedatayoung

manwhobalkedwhenaskedtoshowIDtobuyalcohol,ownerJimChathamsenttheworkertotheback

roomtocooloff.Butheneverconsideredfiringher.

Whichofthefollowingbestexpressesthemainideaofthepassage?C

A.Shortageofworkershasseriouslyaffectedtheeconomy.

B.Healthyeconomyoftenleadstopoorqualityofworkers.

C.Therearenotenoughgoodworkerstogoaround.

D.Thewayofrecruitingworkershaschangeddramatically.

WecanconcludethatworkersoftenswitchjobsmostprobablybecauseD.

A.thepayistoolow

B.theemployersmistreattheiremployees

C.thecustomersaredifficulttoplease

D.therearemanyjobopportunities

Paragraph2mainlydiscussesB.

A.typesofjobsavailable

B.waysofattractingnewemployees

C.welfareforworkers

D.impactofgoodeconomyonpeople'slives

NewlyhiredworkdersgettheirtrainingmostlyC.

A.byattendingtrainingclasses

B.bywatchingtrainingvideos

C.whileworking

D.byloggingontothecomputer

TheinstancegiveninthelastparagraphillustratesthatD.

A.thewelfareofworkershasimprovedgreatly

B.workersareunhappywiththeirjobs

C.theserviceisgettingworse

D.employersaremoreforgivingthanbefore

7HenryVIIIdidn'tknowmuchaboutbiology.Hewentthroughsixwivesbackinthe1500s,lookingfor

onewhocouldbearhimason.Scientistsnowknowthatit'sthefather'ssperm,notthemother'segg,that

determineswhetherababyisaboyoragirl.AndlastweekresearchersattheGeneticsandIVFInstitute,a

privatefertilitycenterinVirginia,announcedanewtechniquethatwillallowparentstochoosethesexof

theirbaby-to-be,beforeithasevenbeenconceived.Thescientistsuseatinylaserdetectortomeasurethe

DNAinmillionsofspermcellsastheypasssinglefilethroughanarrowtube,likecattlebeingherded

throughacorral.Inastudypublishedlastweek,“girlsperm,“whichhasmoreDNA—thegenetic

material-ineachcell,wascollected,while“boysperm^^wasdiscarded.Andwhenpurifiedgirlspermwas

usedtoimpregnateagroupofmothers,15ofthe17resultingbabiesturnedouttobegirls.

Theresearcherssaythat4tsexselection^^canalsodoubleamother'schanceofhavingasonandcanbe

usedtoavoidgeneticdiseasesthataffectonlyonegender,suchashemophilia.Butsomeexperts,likeNew

YorkUniversityfertilityspecialistDr.JamieGrifo,worrythatsexselectioncouldleadtoakindofinutero

discrimination,especiallyincultureswheresonsareconsideredsuperiortodaughters."It'svaluingone

genderoveranother,MGrifosays."Idon'tthinkthat'ssomethingweshouldbedoing."Sofar,patientsatthe

institutehavebeenaskingforbothboysandgirls,inorderto“balance“theirfamilies.Andsomeethics

expertssaythat'sfine,aslongasparentsarejustlookingforalittlegendervariety.46Ifyouhavethreeboys,

andyouwantagirl,^^saysUniversityofTexasreproductive-lawprofessorJohnRobertson,"that'snotgender

biasatall.”

Whichofthefollowingbestdescribes"girlsperm"？D

A.Ithasmorecellsthan"boysperm".

B.Itiseasiertodetectthan"boysperm".

C.Itoutlives"boysperm".

D.itcontainsmoregeneticmaterial.

Itcanbeinferredthatamother'schanceofhavingaboycanbeenhancedbywhichofthefollowing

means?C

A.InjectingDNAintospermcells.

B.DroppingthespermthatcontainmoreDNA.

C.Impregnatingthemotherthroughatube.

D.Usingthespermthatmovefaster.

Theword"corral*(para.1)couldbestbereplacedby_C.

A.poolB.slopeC.laneD.house

WecanconcludefromthesecondpassagethatB___.

A.sexselectionisonlypossibleintheory

B.sexselectionshouldbepracticedwithcaution

C.sexselectionshouldbebanned

D.sexselectionshouldbeencouraged

Whichofthefollowingwouldbethebesttitleforthepassage?C

A.SexBiasB.MeasuringSperm'sDNA

C.SexSelectionD.SexVariety

8Sleepisinfluencedbythecircadiantimingsystem,abundleofneurons,embeddeddeepinthebrain,

thatregulatesproductionofasleep-inducingchemicalcalledmelatoninandsetsnaturalbedtimeandrise

time.Carskadon,aresearcher,hasshownthatteenagersneedmoresleepthantheydidaschildren,andtheir

biologicalclockstellthemtocatchthoseextrawinksinthemorning.Mostteens,shesays,need9hoursand

15minutesofsleepatnight,possiblybecausehormonesthatarecriticaltogrowthandsexualmaturationare

releasedmostlyduringslumber.

Kidswhohavetogetupbeforetheirbiologicalclockshavebuzzedmissoutonthephaseofsleepthat

boostsmemoryandlearning.Periodicallyduringslumber,thebrainentersrapideyemovement(REM)sleep,

socalledbecausetheeyesmovebackandforthunderthelids.DuringREMsleep,thebrainresetschemicals

intheemotionalcentersandclearsshort-termmemorybanks,wheretheday'seventsarestoredtemporarily.

WithoutenoughREMsleep,Carskadonandothershavediscovered,peoplebecomecrankyanddepressed

andtheirmemoryandjudgmentareimpaired.

Onesolutionistopushbackthetimehighschoolsstart,somethingmanyschoolsarereluctanttodo.

Barringthat,Carskadonandotherexpertssayyoushouldemphasizesleep'simportanceandhelpyour

teenagergetmorethroughbiology;

Toencourageyourteentogotobedatareasonablehour,keeplightslowintheeveningandopencurtains

inthemorning.Lightabsorbedthroughtheeyescanresetthebiologicalclock.

Kidscancatchuponsleeponweekends-uptoapoint.Goingtobedintheweehoursandsnoozinguntil

noononlydisruptsthebrain'sclockfurther.It'sbettertogotobedwithinaboutanhourofusualbedtimeand

thensleepanhourortwolater.

Thecircadiantimingsystemismostcloselyanalogoustoa___C.

A.monitorB.producerC.controllerD.visitor

Whichofthefollowingistrueofmelatonin?B

A.Itisgrowthhormone.

B.Itcanmakeyoufeelsleepy.

C.Itcontrolsbrainactivities.

D.Itdeterminesaperson'ssleeppatterns.

MostteensneedmoresleepbecauseC—.

A.theirbilologicalclocksdon'tworkproperly

B.theydon*thaveenoughmelatonininthebrain

C.theyneedmoretimeforgrowthhormones.

D.theydon*treallyunderstandtheimportanceofgoingtoschool

Wecaninferthatateenager'spoorperformanceduringthefirstclassinthemorning

couldbeduetothefacethatC___.

A.themelatoninlevelislow

B.hissleephasreleasedtoomanygrowthhormones.

C.theshort-termmemoriesarestillstoredinthebrain

D.hisbiologicalclockhasbeenreset.

Tomakeupforsleep,ateenagershouldD—.

A.spendthewholeweekendsleeping

B.notgetupuntillunchtime

C.sleepseveralhoursearlierthanusual

D.sleepalittlelonger

9Americansdon'tliveintheUnitedStatesanymore;theyliveinaglobalvillage.Orsotheyare

constantlybeingtold.Anditcertainlyistruethatit'sbecomeremarkablyeasytobuypartsforaJapanesecar

inIdahoorfindtiramisuonthemenuinNebraskaore-mailacolleagueinGermanyfromadeskinOhio.

Sowiththisnewsenseofconnectiontoothercultures,itmustfollowthatAmericansaremoreopenthan

evertoreadingfictionfromabroad,right?Wrong.

"Americansareveryintrovertedatthispoint,“saysRichardSeaver,co-publisherwithhiswife,Jeannette,

ofArcadePublishinginNewYork.Literarytranslations“justdon'thavethatmystiqueforus."Onthe

contrary,saysSusanHarris,editorinchiefofNorthwesternUniversityPressinEvanston,Ill.,themost

successfulmarketingstrategyforabookintranslationisoften“topositionitasagoodstory,withthe

foreignnessleachedoutofit.”

ThisbigshrugonthepartofAmericanreaderstowardfictionfromabroadisapointofincreasing

frustrationforforeignpublishers,especiallyasthemajorityimportUSfictionbythetruckload.Andwhile

theculturalimbalancemaytroublethem,theeconomicsarevexatiousaswell.AcceptanceintheUShas

becometheultimateguaranteeoffinancialsuccessformostliteraryventures.

Withincreasingpressuretochurnoutbestsellers,fewerandfewerofthebigpublishinghousesare

interestedintakingachanceonforeignfiction-anareawheresalesof15,000forasinglevolumeare

consideredremarkable.

NotthatliterarytranslationswereeveralargepartoftheUSmarket.It'shardtogetexactnumbersforthe

salesofthesevolumes,butmostexpertsagreethey'venevermadeupmorethanafewpercentagepointsof

thetotalbookmarket.

Whichofthefollowingisthetopicofthepassage?C

A.Americans1inabilitytoconnecttotheoutsideworld.

B.TheilliteracyinAmericanpopulation.

C.America'sculturalimperialism.

D.America'slackofinterestforforeignliteraryworks.

Tomarketaforeignfictionsuccessfully,whichofthefollowingshouldbeemphasized?B

A.GoodtranslationB.Goodstory

C.ExoticflavorD.Cheapprice

WhichofthefollowingisNOTtureofforeignpublishes?B

A.TheyimportalargeamountoffictionformtheUS.

B.theyareworriedaboutpossibleAmericanculturaldominance.

C.TheyarefrustratedbytheliteraryignoranceofAmerica.

D.TheyexpecttheirfinancialsuccessfromUSbookmarket.

ThebigpublishinghousesarenotinterestedinforeignfictionbecauseB—.

A.foreignfictionisnotaveryprofitablebusiness

B.foreignfictionlacksintellectualdepth

C.Americanvaluesmaybeendangered

D.thenumberofforeignfictionreadershasdeclinedsharply

Ifhistoryisanyguidance,foreignfiction.D

A.willbecomemorepopularwithfemalereaders

B.willtakeupalargechuckofthetotalbookmarketinthefuture

C.willsoondisappearcompletely

D.havelittlechangeofturninguplargesales

10Itseemsafairlyobviousidea:whenscienceexperimentsaresuccessful,theresultsarepublishedina

well-respectedjournalforalltoseeandthebodyofhumanknowledgeexpands.Butthesadtruthabout

scienceisthatmostexperimentsfailandthehypothesesthatseducedresearchersturnoutnottobetrueor,at

least,thestudiesprovidenoevidencethattheyaretrue.Aresuchstudiesanylessimportant,anyless

successful?Andwhathappenstothem?

Generally,ifthenegativestudiesarelargeandthehypotheseswellknown,theywillbepublished.That

happened,forexample,withstudiesofthousandsofcellphoneusersfindingnoevidencethatcellphone

radiationpredisposestobraincancer.Italsohappenedwithastudypublishedlastmonthfindingnoevidence

thatmenwhohadvasectomiesaremorelikelytogetprostatecancer.

Butifthestudiesaresmall-justsomeprofessor'sgoodideaprovedwrong-thefindingsoftenare

neverpublished,leadingfutureresearcherstowastetimeandmoneygoingdownthesameblindalley.Or,if

astudythatfailstosupportapopularlyheldidea-thatstresscausesulcers,forinstance-goesunpublished,

peoplemaycontinuetobelieveinanassociationthathasneveractuallybeenproven.

Afewnewjournalshavebegunsolicitingandpublishingnegativestudies-ostensiblytoprevent

repetitionandwaste,andtoacknowledgethatevennegativeresultsaddvaluetoourcollectiveknowledge

bank.It'satoughsell.Thetendencyforsciencetooverlookmostofthevastbackwashoffailedexperiments

isn'taccidental.Money,pride,politicsandgoodoldcompetitionallplayarole.Andevenwhenmajor

negativestudiesarepublished,itmaynothavetheeffectofmovingresearchersontoothertopics.

Negativeexperimentsarethosethat_C.

A.provesomeprofessorsgoodidea

B.aresmallinscale

C.cannotprovethehypotheses

D.trytoprovepopularheldideas

Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingnegativestudiesislesslikelytobepublished?D

A.Onethatislargeinscale.

B.Onethatisbasedonawell-knownhypothesis.

C.Onethattriestoproveapopularlyheldidea.

D.Onethattriestoproveaprofessorshypothesis.

Paragraphthreemainlydiscusses___C.

A.someoftheconsequencesofnotpublishingnegativestudies

B.difficultiesinpublishingnegativestudies

C.whatkindsofnegativestudiesarenotpublishable

D.Whatkindofnegativestudiesarepublishable

Itisimpliedinthepassagethatsomeresearchersdorepetitivestudies___A.

A.becausetheyareunawareofwhatothersaredoing

B.outofself-interest

C.inordertofindoutwhatiswrongwiththepreviousstudies

D.becausetheywanttocheatontheirstudies

Accordingtothepassage,journalsthatpublishnegativeresults_B.

A.willstillneglectsomeimportantstudies

B.maynotachievetheintendedeffect

C.willsoonbepopularwithresearchers

D.mayencourageacademiccompetition

11Earlymorningpanicbroughtonbythemysteriousdisappearanceofthecarkeysisabouttobe

consignedtomotoringhistory.Lostkeyswillgothesamewayasrunningboards,gas-poweredlampsand

startinghandleswiththeadventofarevolutionarybiometricpadcapableofreadingthedriver'sfingerprints.

Insteadofslidingakeyintoalock,thedriver'shandwillbeautomaticallyscannedasitreachesforthe

doorhandle.Atinycomputerwillverifythemotorist'sidentityinafractionofasecond—beforetriggering

thecentrallockingsystem.Thedriverthenplaceshisfingersonaseparatepadnexttothesteeringwheelto

triggertheignition.

Thesystem,beingdevelopedbyelectronicsgiantSiemens,willevenstorethedriver'sspecific

requirementsinasecondcomputer-sothattheangleofthedoormirrors,theseatingposition,theheightof

thesteeringwheelandthewaythegearboxdeliversthepowerarejustso.

Buttherewillbeadownsideforthemotoringenthusiast.Electronicsmayalsoplacestrictlimitsonhow

fastthedrivercantravelincertainlocations;perhapsonafastbendornearaschool.Evenonthehighway

theownerofthe21stcenturyMercedesorFordmayfindhimselfunabletobowlalongathiscustomary

90mph-confinedinsteadtoanear-legal80mph.

Suchisthehugegrowthofon-boardelectronicsthattheywillsoonaccountforabout30percentofacar's

valuecomparedtoonlyafewpoundsadecadeago.Mobilemultimediawillaccountforhalfofthisfigure,

sophisticatedpowertrainsfor30percentandsafetysystemssuchasanti-skiddevicesforaround10percent.

Luxuriessuchasairconditioningandthefingerprintsystemswillaccountfortherest.

Therewillbearapidgrowthofso-called“blue-tooth“technology.Alsoknownas“openwireless

technology,\thiswillspelltheendoftheroadfortheconventionalhands-freephone.Soonthedeviceswill

be“unstealable”,builtintotheveryfabricofthecar.Tooperatethephone-orradio,heatingor

ventilation-thedriverwillsimplyutteraverbalcommand.

Whichofthefollowingistrueofrunningboards,gas-poweredlampsandstartinghandles?D

A.Theyrendercarkeysobsolete

B.Theyaretheresultsofbiometrictechnology

C.Theyhavebeenreplacedbymoresophisticatedproducts.

D.Theyarethemostimportantcomponentsofacar.

Inthe21stcentury,motoringenthusiastsmayfinditdifficulttoD—.

A.drivepastschooloronfastbends

B.driveatanaggressivespeed

C.drivelongdistances

D.tellaccuratelyhowfastheisdriving

inthe21stcentury,ifacar*svalueis100,000dollars,howmuchwilltheluxuriescost?D

A.$30,000.B.$15,000.C.$9,000.D.$3,000.

Thefeaturesofthe21stcenturycardoNOTincludeC___.

A.computerizedstorageofcustomizeddrivinginformation

B.fixedmaximumlegaldrivingspeed

C.steeringsystembasedonbiometrictechnology

D.built-incommandsystem

ThetoneoftheauthorisB—.

A.cautiousB.optimisticC.ironicD.skeptical

12Inthepastyearthreenewdrugs-Aricept,ExelonandReminyl—havebeenapproved,whichtackle

someofthesymptomsofAlzheimer'sdisease.

Whenbraincellsdie,thechemicalmessengersbetweenthecellsb2ecomedisrupted.Thenewdrugs,

whichworkonabrainchemicalcalledcholinesterase,stimulatetheseconnectionsbetweenthecells,

creatingatemporaryboostingeffect.Whenthedrugsaretakenatanearlystage,theyreducememoryloss,

aidconcentrationandmakethepatientmorealert-butforsomereason,theydon'tworkforeveryone.

“Whentheydowork,thedrugshaveasignificantimpactonthelivesofboththepatientandtheircarers,“

saysHarryCayton,chiefexecutiveoftheAlzheimer'sSociety."Theymakepeoplefeelmorepositiveand

betterabletocope.Forthe40percentofpeoplethedrugscanhelp,theprogressionofAlzheimer'scanbe

stavedoffforuptoayear.”

Althoughthismayseemasmallstepforwardforpeoplewiththedisease,beforethesedrugswere

availabletherewasnotreatmentatall.Caytonisanxiousthatpeopledonotmisstheboatwhenitcomesto

takingthemedication."Peopleoftendelayseekingprofessionalhelpwhentheyarenoticingmemory

problems.There'sastigmaaboutAlzheimer'sand,understandably,peoplearescared.^^Butbecausethe

drugsworkbestonpatientsintheearlieststagesofthedisease,itisimportantthatpeopletakememory

problemsseriously.

AvaccineforAlzheimer'sofferssomehope.ThereisresearchgoingonnowintheUSandhereintoa

possiblevaccinewhichhasalreadybeenfoundtoworkinmice—althoughitdoesn'tlookasifitwillbean

easyride.Theresearchers9mostextraordinarydiscoverywasthatbrain-celldeathcouldbereversedby

creatinganimmuneresponseinthebodyofthemice,but,justthisweek,theinternationaltrailonhumans

hasbeentemporarilysuspendedsincefourpeopleoutof360havebecomeillwithaninflammationofthe

centralnervoussystem.

Whichofthefollowingistrueofcholinesterase?

A.Itisachemicalinthenewdrugs.

B.Itpassesinformationbetweenbraincells.

C.Itphysicallybindsbraincells.

D.Itcausesmemoryloss.

Thenewdrugs.

A.canslowdownthedevelopmentofAlzheimefsdisease

B.caneradicateAlzheimer'sdiseaseforsomepatients

C.workforeveryonewithsomeeffect

D.haveserioussideeffects

Thedrugsaremosteffectiveforpeooplewho.

A.havesufferedAlzheimer'sdiseaseforyears

B.havenevertakenmedicationbefore

C.arenoticingmemoryproblems

D.havedelayedseekingprofessionalhelpfortheirmemoryproblems.

Theinternationaltrialonhumansfocuseson.

A.elicitinganimmuneresponseinthebody

B.boostingthecentralnervoussystem

C.testingreactionstothechemicalsinthenewdrugs

D.monitoringtheprocessofbrain-celldeath

WhichofthefollowingbestdescribesavaccineforAlzheimefsdesease?

A.Ithasbeensuccessfullytestedinspiteofsomeserioussideeffects.

B.Itdoesn'trequiretrialsonhumans.

C.Itwillneverbesuccessfullytested.

D.Itstillrequiresalotmorework.

13Untilrecently,thethoughtthattheremighteverbeacureforageingseemedabsurd.Growingolder

andmoreweakappearedtobeaninevitableandnecessarypartofbeinghuman.Overthelastdecade,

however,scientistshavebeguntoseeageingdifferently.Somenowbelievethattheaveragelife-expectancy

maysoonbepushedupto160years;othersthinkthatitmaybeextendedto200or300years.Ahandful

evenwonderwhetherwemightonedayliveforamillenniumormore.

Behindthisnewexcitementisthetheorythattheprimarycauseofageingliesinhighlyreactive

moleculescalledfreeradicals,leftbehindbytheoxygenwebreathe.Freeradicalsreactwiththemolecules

inourbodies,damagingDNA,proteinsandothercelltissues,andareknowntobeimplicatedindiseasesas

diverseascataracts,canceraandAlzheimefs.Thebodydoesitsbesttoprotectitselfagainstfreeradicals

withantioxidantchemicals,suchasvitaminsEandC,andwithantioxidantenzymes,suchassuperoxide

dismutase,butitisalwaysfightingalosingbattle.

AyearagoGordonLithgowoftheUniversityofManchesterdiscoveredawaytohelpcombatfree

radicals.Usingasyntheticantioxidant,designedtomimicsuperoxidedismutase,hemanagedtoincreasethe

lifespanofnematodeearthwormsby50percent.Despitecautionarywordsfromthescientists,manyhailed

thisasthefirststeptowardsanelixiroflife.Researchinvolvingthemutationofgenesha