Doomed beauties such as Cleopatra and Manilyn Monroe were far from alone in their misery. Very attractive people tend to form partnerships that are less stable and satisfying than those enjoyed by plain Janes.

According to research by Dr John Blaine of the University of Southern California, relationships between people whose professions largely depend on their appearances, such as models or actors, tend to end much faster than those between lawyers, doctors or students.

Blaine said the beautiful felt different from childhood. They are treated as special, which may create both arrogance(傲慢) and insecurity. All too often, beauty can be used as an alternative to education. Often they are pushed out of their class or town, told to go off and make their fortune in Hollywood or London and, when the majority fail, they have few talents(才能) to make a living.

Blaine added that beautiful people score poorly on the “big five” — the key factors American experts consider when helping distressed couples. These are neuroticism(神經(jīng)過敏), including anger and anxiety; extroversion(性格外向); openness to new experiences; agreeableness; and conscientiousness, or sticking by agreements they have made. Attractive people often see no reason to try to change until their looks start to fade.

Krista Sutherland, of the University of California Los Angeles, said partnerships that appeared to be perfect from the outside, such as the former “dream teams” of Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise or Hugh Grant and Elizabeth Hurley, where backgrounds and aspirations(抱負(fù)) are often shared, did not necessarily lead to happiness.

What does the underlined sentence “Doomed beauties such as Cleopatra and Manilyn Monroe were far from alone in their misery. ” means?

A. Beautiful women always felt lonely.

B. Beautiful women always were alone.

C. Many beautiful women didn’t end up with a happy life.

D. Beautiful women always lived a happy life. 

The underlined phrase “plain Janes” in the passage refer to ________.

A. ordinary-looking women         B. women called Jane

C. common people                      D. attractive women 

We can infer in the passage that ________.

A. Hugh Grant and Elizabeth Hurley were a couple

B. Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise were very satisfied with their life

C. When they fail in Hollywood, the beautiful have little trouble in making a living

D. The marriage of the beautiful often last long  

Which of the following is the best title?

A. Five key factors affecting the partnership       B. Beauties are doomed to fail in love

C. Beauties or common?                            D. The beautiful are different.

Motherhood may make women smarter and may help prevent dementia(癡呆) in old age by bathing the brain in protective hormones(荷爾蒙) , U.S. reseachers reported on Thursday.

Tests on rats show that those who raise two or more litters of pups do considerably better in tests of memory and skills than rats who have no babies, and their brains show changes that suggest they may be protected against diseases such as Alzheimer’s(早老癡呆癥). University of Richmond psychology professor Craig Kinsley believes his findings will translate into humans.

“Our research shows that the hormones of pregnancy(懷孕) are protecting the brain, including estrogen(雌激素), which we know has many neuroprotective (保護(hù)神經(jīng)的) effects,” Kinsley said.  

“It’s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals,” he added in a telephone interview. “They go through pregnancy and hormonal changes.”

Kinsley said he hoped public health officials and researchers will look to see if having had children protects a woman from Alzheimer’s and other forms of age-related brain decline.

“When people think about pregnancy, they think about what happens to babies and the mother from the neck down,” said Kinsley, who presented his findings to the annual meeting of the Society of Neuroscience in Orlando, Florida.

“They do not realize that hormones are washing on the brain. If you look at female animals who have never gone through pregnancy, they act differently toward young. But if she goes through pregnancy, she will sacrifice her life for her infant—that is a great change in her behavior that showed in genetic alterations(改變) to the brain.”

How do scientists know “Motherhood may make women smarter”?

A. Some researchers have told them.

B. Many women say so.

C. They know it by experimenting on rats.

D. They know it through their own experience.

What does the phrase “l(fā)itters of pups” mean in the second paragraph?

A. Baby rats.         B. Animals.    C. Old rats.            D. Grown-up rats.

What can protect the brain of a woman according to the passage?

A. Estrogen.                            B. The hormones of pregnancy.    

C. More exercise.                     D. Taking care of children.

“It’s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals.” What does the sentence suggest?

A. The experiments on the rats have nothing to do with humans.

B. The experiments on the rats are very important for animals.

C. The experiments on the rats are much the same on humans.

D. The experiments on the rats are much the same on other animals.

Which title is the best for this passage?

A. Do You Want to Be Smarter?  B. Motherhood Makes Women Smarter

C. Mysterious Hormones       D. An Important Study

The room was too cold for a ninety-year-old woman to live in, so they made a fire to get the temperature risen.

It was not until then when I came to know that knowledge comes only from practice.

              A             B        C           D

The food will use us ten days.

           A        B C    D

It won’t be long _______ we find out all the information for the new computers.?

A. that B. after

C. before D. until?

The world is changing fast.I strongly believe that one will easily fall behind _______ he keeps on learning.?

A. unless B. if?

C. when　D. as

—I didn’t go to work yesterday because my car broke down.?

—You _______ mine.I wasn’t using it then.?

A. might borrow

B. could have borrowed　?

C. must have borrowed?

D. ought to borrow?

The engineers must have worked out the design by the end of last week，_______？

A. mustn’t they B. hadn’t they ?

C. haven’t they D. didn’t they?

_______ was only then I reread his theory recentlyI began to appreciate their value.?

A. until B. that?

C. then D. so?