河北省衡水市公共英語(yǔ)五級(jí)(筆試)真題一卷(含答案)

河北省衡水市公共英語(yǔ)五級(jí)(筆試)真題一卷(含答案)學(xué)校:________班級(jí):________姓名:________考號(hào):________

一、1.ListeningComprehension(15題)1.Howlongdidittakeforchilipeppertobecomepopulararoundtheworld?

2.WhichofthefollowingstatementsisNOTTRUE?

A.Gettingofftoworkwithaminimumefforthelpssaveone'senergy.

B.Dr.Kleimanexplainswhypeoplereachtheirpeaksatdifferenthoursofaday.

C.Habithelpsapersonadapttohisownenergycycle.

D.Childrenhaveenergycycles,too.

3.WhatdoesDr.Hubercomparetheuniverseto?

4.Accordingtoanotherexplanation,wheredidthisexpressionprobablycomefrom?

A.Australia.B.Japan.C.Netherland.D.England.

5.Goodbookscandecreaseourcontentmentwhenwearehappyandlessenourtroubleswhenwearesad.

A.TrueB.Fasle

6.Ifaconsumerwantsaquicksettlementoftheproblem,whomisitbettertocomplainto?

A.Ashopassistant.

B.Thestoremanager.

C.Themanufacturer.

D.Apublicorganization.

7.PartC

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerthequestionsorcompletethenotesinyourtestbookletforQuestions21-30bywritingNOTMORETHANTHREEwordsinthespaceprovidedontheright.YouwillhearthetalkTWICE.

Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions21-30.

聽(tīng)力原文：Inyouruniversitywork,youwillbeexpectedtogiveoralpresentationsintheform.ofreportsorsimplyintheformsofanswerstoquestions.Thereareseveralthingsyoucandotomakeyouroralpresentationsclearandeasytounderstand.

Thefundamentalpointtorealizeisthatspeechandwritingaredifferent.Ifyouwanttobebestunderstood,youcan'tsimplyreadyourwrittenreportaloud.Thebiggestdifferencebetweenspokenandwrittenlanguageisthatreaderscanlookbackovertheprintedwordswhentheydon'tunderstand.Inspokenlanguage,however,listenerscan'tgobackandcheckthewords.Theycanrelyonlyonmemory.Sothefirstprincipletokeepinmindwhenyou'replanningtospeakinpublicisthatyouhavetohelpthelistener'smemory.Thismeansthatanoralreportcan'tdeliverinformationasrapidlyasawrittenreport.Thatis,youcan'thaveasmanypiecesofnewinformationpackedintothesamenumberofwords,becausetheywillcomeattoofastarateforthelistenertounderstand.

Inanoralreport,therateofdeliveryhastobeslower.Oneofthebestwaystohelpyouraudienceissimplytospeakslowly.Manypeoplespeaktoofastwhentheyspeaktoagroup.Thisisamistake,especiallyifyouhaveaforeignaccent,becauseitmakeslisteningmoredifficult.Beyondthesimpletechniqueofspeakingmoreslowlywhenyouspeakbeforeagroup,therearewaysoforganizingyourpresentationthatcanhelpthelistenerbeclearandunderstandyourmainpoints.

Theorganizationofyourtalkshouldallowenoughtimeforthelistenertothinkbothbeforeandaftereachnewidea.Thepurposeofthetimebeforethenewinformationistogivetheaudienceachancetounderstandthebackgroundclearly.Knowledgeofthebackground,orsettingoftheinformation,makesitmucheasiertoanticipatewhatkindofinformationiscomingnext.Ifthenewinformationoccurstooearly,withoutenoughbackground,thelistenersshouldnotbepreparedwithenoughbackgroundtobeabletopredictwhat'scoming.

I'vebeendescribingthetimeforthinkingbeforethenewinformation.It'salsoimportanttoprovidetimeforthinkingafterthenewinformation.Thisthinkingtimeallowslistenerstofittheideaintotheirgeneralknowledgeofthesubject.Thinkingtimegivesthelistenerachancetomakesurethattheideawasunderstoodbeforegoingontothenextnewidea.

Therearethreegeneralwaystogivethelistenertimeforthinkingandtimeafterapointofnewinformation.Onewayissimplytopause.Amomentofsilencegivesthelistenertimetotakeinthenewinformation,butthereareotherways.Asecondmethodistouseaparaphrase.Thatis,yousaythesamething,butindifferentwords.Thisparaphrase,orrepetitionoftheidea,helpsthelistenerstofixthethoughtintheirmemory.Athirdwaytogivethelistenertimetothinkistousewordsthatdon'tmeanmuch.Thesearewordsthatconveynoinformation,butjustfillintime.Forinstance,youmightsaysomethinglike"asI'vebeensaying"or"andsoforth"and"andsoon".Thatkindofexpressiondoesn'treallysayanything.It'sjustmadeofwhatwecall"fillerwords".Thewordshavenorealmeaning,buttheydoperform.ausefulfunction,sincetheyallowthelistenertimetothink.

Insummary,then,weknowthatorallanguageshoulddeliverinformationataslowerratethanyoucanuseinwrittenlanguage.Newinformationshouldbe:presentedmoregradually.Thinkingtimeshouldbeprovidedbothbeforeandaftereachimportantnewitem.Th

8.聽(tīng)力原文：Thehumannosehasgiventothelanguagesoftheworldmanyinterestingexpressions．Ofcourse，thisisnotsurprising．Withoutthenose，wecouldnotbreathenorsmell．Itisapartofthefacethatgivesapersonspecialcharacter．CyranodeBergeracsaidthatalargenoseshowedagreatmancourageous，courteous，manly，andintellectual．

Afamouswomanpoetwishedthatshehadtwonosestosmellarose!BlaisePascal，aFrenchphilosopher，madeaninterestingcommentaboutCleopatra'snose．Ifithadbeenshorter，hesaid，itwouldhavechangedthewholefaceoftheworld!

Historically，man'snosehashadaprincipalroleinhisimagination．Manhasreferredtothenoseinmanywaystoexpresshisemotions．Expressionsconcerningthenoserefertohumanweakness：anger，pride，jealousyandrevenge．

InEnglishthereareanumberofphrasesaboutthenose．Forexample，toholdupone'snoseexpressesabasichumanfeeling—pride．Peoplecanholduptheirnosesatpeople，things，andplaces．

Thephrase，tobeledaroundbythenose，showsman'sweakness．Apersonwhoisledaroundbythenoseletsotherpeoplecontrolhim．Ontheotherhand，apersonwhofollowshisnoseletshisinstinctguidehim．

Forthehumanemotionofrejection，thephrasetohaveone'snoseputoutofjointisverydescriptive．Theexpressionappliestopersonswhohavebeenturnedasidebecauseofarival．Theirprideishurtandtheyfeelrejected．Thisexpressionisnotnew．ItwasusedbyErasmusin1542．

ThisisonlyasamplingofexpressionsinEnglishdealingwiththenose．Thereareanumberofothers．However，itshouldbeasplainasthenoseonyourfacethatthenoseismorethananorganforbreathingandsmelling!

Whatisthispassagemainlyabout?

A.Thehumannoseasanorganforbreathingandsmelling.

B.Thenoseprovidinguswithvariousexpressions.

C.Awomanpoet'swishtohavetwonoses.

D.InterestingcommentsmadeonCleopatra'snose.

9.PartC

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerthequestionsorcompletethenotesinyourtestbookletforQuestions21-30bywritingNOTMORETHANTHREEwordsinthespaceprovidedontheright.YouwillhearthetalkTWICE.

Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions21-30.

聽(tīng)力原文：Asyouknow,manybigchangeshappenedafterChristopherColumbusandotherEuropeanscametotheAmericas500yearsago.TodayI'mgoingtotalkaboutachangeintheworlddietthewaypeoplecookedandate.Fivehundredyearsago,therewasabigchangeinthedietofpeopleallovertheworld.

Let'stalkaboutthedietinEurope500yearsago.Oneimportantfoodwasmeat.Europeansatemanykindsofmeat,includingbeef,lamb,goat,andpork.Europeansalsoatedairyproducts,milkandcheesemadefromthemilkofcowsandgoats.TheEuropeansateseveraldifferentgrains:Mostpeopleatewheat,andsomepeopleaterice,whichcamefirstfromAsia.

Now,let'slookatthedietintheAmericasabout500yearsago.ThedietofthenativeAmericanwasquitedifferentfromthedietoftheEuropeans.ThisisbecausetheEuropeanmeats,dairyproducts,andgrainsdidn'texistintheAmericas.However,thenativeAmericansatesomefoodthatdidn'texistinEurope.ThenativeAmericansatedifferentvegetables,suchaspotatoesandtomatoes.Theyatedifferentgrains,suchascorn.Theyatedifferentmeat,suchasturkeyandotherwildbirds.Theyalsousedspicessuchaschocolateandhotchilipeppers.NoneofthesefoodsexistedinEurope500yearsago.

Nowlet'stalkaboutthebigchangeintheworlddiet500yearsago,afterColumbusandtheEuropeanswenttotheAmericas.

AfterEuropeanswenttotheAmericas,thedietofthenativeAmericanschangedalot.WhentheEuropeanswenttotheAmericas,theytookmanynewkindsoffoodwiththem.TheEuropeansgavesomeofthefood,themeat,dairyproducts,andgrainstothenativeAmericansandthenthenativeAmericansstartedtousetheEuropeanfoodintheircooking.Asaresult,thedietintheAmerica'stodayisverydifferentfromtheirdiet500yearsago.Forexample,ifyougotoacountrylikeMexico,youcanseethatthetraditionalMexicanfoodusesalotofbeef,pork,cheese,wheat,andrice,allfoodsthatcamefromEuropewithColumbus.

AftertheEuropeansreturnedtoEuropefromtheAmericas,therewasalsoabigchangeinthedietofpeopleinEuropeandtherestoftheworld.WhentheEuropeansreturnedtoEurope,theytookmanynewkindsoffoodbackfromtheAmericas.Theytookbackthevegetables,grains,andspicesthattheyfoundintheAmericas.Littlebylittle,peoplealloverEuropestartedusingthenewfoodsintheircooking,andthenthefoodsspreadaroundtheworldtoAfrica,theMiddleEastandAsia.

Someofthenewfoodspreadveryquicklyaroundtheworld.Oneexampleisthechilipepper.Youmaybesurprisedtoknowthat500yearsago,thechilipepperdidn'texistinmanycountriesthatarefamoustodayfortheirhotandspicyfoodmadewithchilies.Actually,wethinkthatthefirstchilipepperwastakentoSpainbyColumbusin1493,whenhereturnedfromtheAmericas.Afteronly100years,chilipeppershadspreadallaroundtheworld.Theygroweasilyinwarmweather.TheonlyplacethatthechilipepperdidnotbecomepopularwasNorthernEurope,probablybecauseitistoocoldtogrowchilipepperseasily.

Althoughchilipeppersspreadquickly,otherfoodsfromtheAmericasspreadveryslowly.Potatoesareagoodexample.Ittookabout250yearsforthepotatoestospreadaroundtheworld.ThereasonittooksolongisthatEuropeansthoughtthatpotatoeswerepoisonous.ThepotatolookedalotlikeaverypoisonousplantthatgrewinEurope.Peoplewereafraidtoeatpotatoes!Foralongtime,peopleonlyusedpotatoestof

10.WhatistheeffectoftheWomen'sMovement?

11.WhatkindofgraincouldbefoundinAmericandiet500yearsago?

12.Howmanyreactionscouldyouhavetowardstheteacher'sreport?

13.Dr.WilsonasksWangtodoalittlemoreresearchbeforedecidingonhisproject.

A.TrueB.Fasle

14.ThejoboftheBoardofDirectorsistoadministratethecompany.

A.TrueB.Fasle

15.PartC

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerthequestionsorcompletethenotesinyourtestbookletforQuestions21-30bywritingNOTMORETHANTHREEwordsinthespaceprovidedontheright.YouwillhearthetalkTWICE.

Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions21-30.

聽(tīng)力原文：ForthoseofyouwhoareeitheralreadystudyingintheUnitedStatesorplanningtooneday,itmightbeinterestingtoknowsomethingabouttheforeignstudentpopulationintheUnitedStates.Fortheacademicyear1995/96therewasasumofapproximately344,000foreignstudentsstudyingintheUnitedStates.Thisfigureof344000mayseemlikeaverylargenumberuntilyoucompareitwiththetotalpopulationof241,000,000.Theforeignstudentpopulationhasbeengrowingforanumberofyearsandisstillgrowing,buttherateofincreasehasdroppedsharplyduringthe1990s.Duringthe1980s,thepopulationgrewquiterapidly.Forexample,between1985and1990,theaverageyearlyincreasewas12.5%.However,thepictureinthe1990sisquitedifferent.Therateofincreasehasdeclinedquitenoticeably.Infact,therateofincreasebetween1994/95and1995/96wasonly0.5%,orone-halfofonepercent.Althoughtheoverallrateofincreasehasdroppedtoonly0.5%,thenumberofstudentsfromsomepartsoftheworldisincreasingwhilethenumberofstudentsfromotherareasisdecreasing.Forexample,duringthissameperiod,thatisbetweentheacademicyears1994/95and1995/96,therewasadecreaseinthenumberofstudentsfromtheMiddleEast,whilethenumberofstudentsfromSouthandEastAsiaincreased.Thesechangesinthenumberofstudentscomingfromdifferentpartsoftheworldnodoubtreflectedchangingeconomicandpoliticalsituations.I'msureyouareawareofmanyofthesechanges,andperhapsyoucandiscussthematournextmeeting.Fortodaylet'sconfineourtalktofirst,adiscussionoftheoriginofthesestudents,or,inotherwords,wheretheycamefromsecond,thekindsofstudiestheypursue;and,finally,theacademiclevelstheyarefoundin.Ifwehavealittletimeleft,wemightquicklytalkaboutinwhichgeographicareasmostofthemgotoschool.

Let'sdiscusstheoriginsoftheforeignstudentpopulationintheUnitedStatesfortheacademicyear1995/96.Let'sdiscussitinorderfromthoseareassendingthemoststudentstothoseareassendingthefeweststudents.IfwelookatthefiguresprovidedbytheannualcensusofforeignstudentsintheUnitedStatesfortheyear1995/96,weseethatmostoftheforeignstudentsstudyingintheUnitedStatesduringthisyearwerefromSouthandEastAsia.Thisisaratherlargegeographicalareawhichincludessuchconu-triesasChina,Korea,Pakistan,India,Malaysia,andIndonesia.Thetotalnumberofstudentsfromthisarea,SouthandEastAsiawas156,830.Inotherwords,roughly2outofevery5foreignstudentscomefromSouthandEastAsia.Almost24000ofthistotalwerefromChina.Malaysiawasclosebehindwithjustalittleover23000students.ThenextlargestnumberofstudentscamefromtheMiddleEast.ThenumberofstudentsfromtheMiddleEastcametoaboutone-thirdthenumberfromSouthandEastAsia.ThefourthlargestnumbercamefromSouthAmerica.NextcameEurope,Africa,NorthAmerica,andOceania.Let'srecapitulatewhatwe'vesaid.ThelargestnumberofstudentsstudyingintheUnitedStatesduringtheacademicyear1995/96werefromSouthandEastAsia,followedbytheMiddleEast,SouthAmerica,Europe,Africa,NorthAmerica,andOceania.

Whatfieldsaretheselargenumbersofforeignstudentsstudyingin?Itprobablywon'tsurpriseyouthatthelargestnumberareinthefieldofengineering.Infact,21.7%ofthetotalnumberarestudyingengineering.Businessandmanagementisclosebehind,however,withatotalof18.9%.Thethirdmostpopularfieldw

二、2.UseofEnglish(10題)16.(35)

17.(40)

18.

【C8】

19.(49)

20.(50)

21.Childrenwhogriptheirpenstooclosetothewritingpointarelikelytobeatadisadvantageinexaminations,【31】______tothefirstseriousinvestigationintothewayinwhichwritingtechniquecandramaticallyaffecteducationalachievement.

Thesurveyof643childrenandadults,rankingfrompre-schoolto40-plus,alsosuggests【32】______pen-holdingtechniqueshavedeterioratedsharplyoveronegeneration,withteachersnowpayingfar【33】______attentiontocorrectpengripandhandwritingstyle.

StephanieThomas,alearningsupportteacher【34】______findingshavebeenpublished,wasinspiredtoinvestigatethisarea【35】______henoticedthatthosestudentswhohadthemosttroublewithspelling【36】______hadapoorpengrip.WhileMr.Thomascouldnotestablishasignificantstatisticallink【37】______pen-holdingstyle.andaccuracyinspelling,he【38】______findhugedifferencesintechniquebetweentheyoungchildrenandthematureadults,andadefinite【39】______betweennear-pointgrippingandslow,illegiblewriting.

Peoplewho【40】______theirpensatthewritingpointalsoshowothercharacteristics【41】______inhibitlearning,【42】______aspoorposture,leaningtoo【43】______tothedesk,usingfourfingerstogripthepen【44】______thanthree,andclumsypositioningofthethumb(whichcanobscure【45】______isbeingwritten).

Mr.Thomasbelievesthatthe【46】______betweenelderandyoungerwritersis【47】______toodramatictobeaccountedforsimplybythepossibilitythatpeoplegetbetteratwritingastheygrow【48】______.Heattributesittoafailuretoteachthemosteffectivemethods,pointingoutthatthedifferencesbetween【49】______groupscoincideswiththeabandonmentofformalhandwritinginstructioninclassroomsinthesixties."The30-year-oldshowedahugediversityofgrips,【50】______theover40sgroupallhadauniform.'tripod'grip."

(31)

22.(46)

23.(43)

24.(44)

25.

【C15】

三、3.ReadingComprehension(15題)26.(68)

27.(73)

28.

Theword"cleared"(Line4,Paragraph3)mightmean______.

A.permittedB.removedC.provedD.produced

29.

Theauthorimpliesthatwhichofthefollowingischaracteristicofmanyemployeehealthinsuranceplans?

A.Theycoverallthecommonmedicalconditionsaffectingmen,butonlysomeofthoseaffectingwomen.

B.Theylackthespecialprovisionsforwomenworkersthatproposedspeciallaborlawsforwomenwouldprovide.

C.Theypaythemedicalcostsassociatedwithpregnancyandchildbirthonlyforthespousesofmaleemployees,notforfemaleemployees.

D.Theymeetminimumlegalrequirements,,butdonotadequatelysafeguardthehealthofeithermaleorfemaleemployees.

30.

InNewYork______.

A.violentcrimedroppedby23%inoneyear

B.policedepartmentpayasmuchas$50,000forJackMaple

C.thecrimerateishigh

D.Comstat'sstatisticalmapsareanalyzedeveryweek

31.

Theword"fib"inthefourthsentenceofParagraph5,probablymeans______.

A.totellthetruth

B.toreduce

C.toincrease

D.totellasmalllie

32.(69)

33.PartB

Directions:Inthefollowingarticlesomeparagraphshavebeenremoved.ForQuestions66-70,choosethemostsuitableparagraphfromthelistA-Ftofitintoeachofthenumberedgaps.Thereisoneparagraphwhichdoesnotfitinanyofthegaps.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.

Inthefollowingarticlesomeparagraphshavebeenremoved.ForQuestions66～70,choosethemostsuitableparagraphfromthelistA～Ftofitintoeachofthenumberedgaps.Thereisoneparagraphwhichdoesnotfitinanyofthegaps.

A．Thereremained,however,the“easier”labor—thelaborthatrequiredthehumaneyes,ears,judgmentandmindbutnosweating.Itneverthelesshaditsmiseries,forittendedtobedull,repetitious,andboring.Andthereisalwaysthesoursenseofendlesslydoingsomething.unpleasantundercompulsion.

B．Foronething,muchofhumaneffortthatistodayputinto“mimingtheworld”willbeunnecessary.Withcomputers,robotsandautomation,agreatdealofthedailygrindwillappeartoberunningitself.Thisisnothingstartling.ItisatrendthathasbeenrapidlyonitswayeversinceWorldWarⅡ.

C．Andnowwestandatthebrinkofachangethatwillbethegreatestofall,forworkinitsoldsensewilldisappearaltogether.Tomostpeople,workhasalwaysbeenanefforffulexercisingofmindorbody—compelledbythebitternecessityofearningthenecessitiesoflife—plusanoccasionalperiodofleisureinwhichtorestorhavefun.

D．Clearlytherewillbeapainfulperiodoftransition,onethatisstartingalready,andonethatwillbeinfullswingasthe21stcenturybegins.

E．Inthefirstplace,thecomputeragewillintroduceatotalrevolutioninournotionsofeducation,andisbeginningtodosonow.Thecomingofthecomputerwillmakelearningfun,andasuccessfullystimulatedmindwilllearnquickly.Itwillundoubtedlyturnoutthatthe“average”childismuchmoreintelligentandcreativethanwegenerallysuppose.Therewasatime,afterall,whentheabilitytoreadandwritewasconfinedtoaverysmallgroupof“scholars”andalmostallofthemwouldhavescoutedthenotionthatjustaboutanyonecouldlearntheintricaciesofliteracy.Yetwithmasseducationgeneralliteracycametobeafact.

F．Thismeansthatthedull,theboring,therepetitious,themind-stultifyingworkwillbegintodisappearfromthejobmarket—isalreadybeginningtodisappear.This,ofcourse,willintroducetwovitalsetsofproblem—isalreadyintroducingthem.

Periodicallyinhistory,therecomeperiodsofgreattransitioninwhichworkchangesitsmeaning.Therewasatime,perhaps10,000yearsago,whenhumanbeingsstoppedfeedingthemselvesbyhuntinggameandgatheringplants.andincreasinglyturnedtoagriculture.Inaway,thatrepresentedtheinventionof“work”.

Then,inthelatterdecadesofthe18thcentury,astheIndustrialRevolutionbeganinGreatBritain,therewasanothertransitioninwhichthesymbolsofworkwerenolongerthehoeandtheplow;theywerereplacedbythemillandtheassemblyline.66．______

WiththeIndustrialRevolution,machinery—poweredfirstbysteam,thenbyelectricityandinternalcombustionengines—tookoverthehardphysicaltasksandrelievedthestrainonhumanandanimalmuscles.

67．______

Andyet,suchjobshavebeencharacteristicofthehumanconditioninthefirstthree-quartersofthe20thcentury.They'vemadetoolittledemandonthehumanmindandspirittokeepthemfreshandalive,madetoomuchdemandforanymachinetoservethepurposeuntilnow.

Theelectroniccomputer,inventedinthe1940'sandimprovedatbreakneckspeed,wasamachinethat,forthefirsttime,seemedcapableofdoingworkthathaduntilthenbeenthepreserveofthehumanmind．Withthecoming

34.(70)

35.

WhatdoestheauthorsayabouttheordinarypeopleintheThirdWorldcountries?

A.Theyarebeginningtorealizetheimportanceofenvironmentalprotection.

B.Theybelievethatmanychildrenarenecessaryforprosperity.

C.Theyarereluctanttoacceptadvicefromthegovernment.

D.Theythinkthatearningalivingismoreimportantthannatureconservation.

36.(77)

37.Insuranceissupposedtoprovideprotectionagainstfinancialrisks,andwhiledyingtoosoonisonemajorriskweface,anotherriskmoreandmorepeoplefearisoutlivingtheirmoney.Asaresult,agrowingarrayoflifeinsuranceproductsmakeitpossibletoprotectagainstbothofthoserisks.

Inmanyoftoday'slifeinsuranceproducts,MacDonaldnotes,"Thedeathbenefitportionreallyhasbecomeacommoditytypeproduct,soifsomeoneisreallyconcernedaboutthefinancialimpactofdyingyoung,thentheycangetaprettygooddealbybuyingterminsuranceonacommoditybasis—findthecheapestpolicyandbuyit."But,hesays,"Theothersideofthecoinisthatinsurancecompanieshavedevelopedproductsthatcanbeverycreative,andverycompetitivetootheralternatives,includinginvestments.Theycanfillaveryimportantroleinanyoverallinvestmentplan."

Diverseanduniversalpoliciesofferpeoplechoicesinhowmuchtheywanttoputintotheirpoliciesandhowtheywanttheirfundsinvested.Thesefundscanthenbetappedlaterontoprovidealumpsumforpurchasingaretirementhomeorastreamofretirementincome.Lifeinsuranceisanattractiveinvestmentvehicle,becausethe"insidebuildup",theaccumulationoffundsinsideapolicystructrue,isnotsubjecttotaxes,incontrasttootherpersonalinvestments.

However,MacDonaldandotherswarnagainstusinginsurancepoliciespurelyasaninvestment.Whiletherearetaxadvantages,therearealsothecostsconnectedwiththeinsurancecoverage,andifyoudon'tneedthatcoveragethesecanbeexpensivewaystoinvest.

Moreover,MacDonaldnotesthatsomecompaniesareofferinginsurancethathasacriticalillnessorlong-termcarebenefit.Thesepoliciesspecifythatifsomeonesuffersaheartattack,forexample,theywillget25%ofthefaceamountoftheinsurancepolicyimmediatelyratherthanatdeath.Oriftheymustbeconfinedtoanursinghome,theywillbeabletouseuptothefaceamountofthepolicytopaythenursinghomecosts.

Amidtheproliferationofinsuranceproduct,MacDonaldsays,"Thepositivesideofitistherearebetterproducts—they'recheaperandmoreflexible.Thenegativesideisthatit'smorecomplicatedandeasiertomakeamistake.Inthepast,itwasplainvanilla;everybodywassellingthesameproductandeverybodyhadtofindanagenttheyliked.Nowtherehasbeensignificantchangesinproductstructureanddesign,andbenefits,andsoitisworthwhiletoshoparound."

Thepurposeofinsuranceisto______.

A.giveyoumoneywheneveryouneed

B.protectyoufromfinancialrisks

C.savemoney

D.outlivemoney

38.(75)

39.(76)

40.Women'smindsworkdifferentlyfrommen's.Atleast,thatiswhatmostmenareconvincedof.Psychologistsviewthesubjecteitherasamatterorfrustrationorajoke.Nowthebiologistshavemovedintothisminefield,andsomeofthemhavefoundthattherearerealdifferencesbetweenthebrainsofmenandwomen.Butbeingdifferent,theypointouthurriedly,isnotthesameasbeingbetterorworse.

Thereis,however,adefinitestructuralvariationbetweenthemaleandfemalebrain.Thedifferenceisinapartofthebrainthatisusedinthemostcomplexintellectualprocesses—thelinkbetweenthetwohalvesofthebrain.

Thetwohalvesarelinkedbyatrunklineofbetween200and300millionnerves,thecorpuscallosum.Scientistshavefoundquiterecentlythatthecorpuscallosuminwomenisalwayslargerandprobablyricherinnervefibersthanitisinmen.Thisisthefirsttimethatastructuraldifferencehasbeenfoundbetweenthebrainsofwomenandmenanditmusthavesomesignificance.Thequestionis"What?",and,ifthisdifferenceexists,arethereothers?Researchshowsthatpresent-daywomenthinkdifferentlyandbehavedifferentlyfrommen.Aresomeofthesedifferencesbiologicalandinborn,aresultofevolution?Wetendtothinkthatistheinfluenceofsocietythatproducesthesedifferences.Butcouldwebewrong?

Researchshowedthatthesetwohalvesofthebrainhaddifferentfunctions,andthatthecorpuscallosumenabledthemtoworktogether.Formostpeople,thelefthalfisusedforwordhanding,analyticalandlogicalactivities;therighthalfworksonpictures,patternsandforms.Weneedbothhalvesworkingtogether.Andthebettertheconnections,themoreharmoniouslythetwohalveswork.And,accordingtoresearchfindings,womenhavethebetterconnections.

Butitisn'tallthateasytoexplaintheactualdifferencesbetweenskillsofmenandwomenonthisb