The research carried out by the University of Bari in Italy could help prove hospitals who are accused of wasting money on art and decoration as it suggests a pleasant environment helps patients ease discomfort and pain.
A team headed by Professor Marina de Tommaso at the Neurophysiopathology Pain Unit asked a group of men and women to pick the 20 paintings they considered most ugly and most beautiful from a selection of 300 works by artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli. They were then asked to look at either the beautiful paintings, or the ugly painting, or a blank panel while the team zapped(照射) a short laser pulse at their hand, creating a sensation as if they had been stuck by a pin. The subjects rated the pain as being a third less intense while they were viewing the beautiful paintings, compared with when looking at the ugly paintings or the blank panel. Electrodes measuring the brain's electrical activity also confirmed a reduced response to the pain when the subject looked at beautiful paintings.
While distractions, such as music, are known to reduce pain in hospital patients, Prof de Tommaso says this is the first result to show that beauty plays a part.
The findings, reported in New Scientist, also go a long way to show that beautiful surroundings could aid the healing process.
"Hospitals have been designed to be functional, but we think that their artistic aspects should be taken into account too," said the neurologist. "Beauty obviously offers a distraction that ugly paintings do not. But at least there is no suggestion that ugly surroundings make the pain worse. " "I think these results show that more research is needed into the field how a beautiful environment can alleviate suffering."
Pictures they liked included Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh and Botticelli’s Birth of Venus. Pictures they found ugly included works by Pablo Picasso, the Italian 20th century artist Anonio Bueno and Columbian Fernando Botero. "These people were not art experts so some of the pictures they found ugly would be considered masterpieces by the art world," said Prof de Tommaso.
1.The underlined word “alleviate” in the fifth paragraph probably means “_________”.
A. cure            B. ease             C. improve           D. kill
2.How many artists have been mentioned in the passage?
A. 4.                      B. 5.                      C. 6.                             D. 7.
3.Which of the following is TURE about the view of Prof de Tommaso’s?
A. Beautiful surroundings could help to heal sufferings completely .
B. Hospitals must take their artistic aspects into consideration first.
C. Ugly surroundings will surely make the pain worse.
D. Both music and beauty can reduce pain in hospital patients.
4.Which of the following is the suitable title for the passage?
A. Beautiful surroundings can ease pain.          
B. Ugly paintings could be masterpieces.
C. More research should be done in the field.      
D. Latest environmental research.  

If eighteen-year-old Karki doesn't turn out to be the next Edison, I'll chop off my locks This kid invented a solar pane (嵌板) which uses human hair as a conductor and could provide the world with cheap, green electricity, solving the energy crisis.

Karki, a Nepal teenager, who lives in a village in Rural Nepal, used human hair to replace silicon, which is a common but expensive component of solar panels.

By using hair as a replacement, Karki says solar panels can be produced for around 23 pounds. But if they were mass-produced, Karki says they could be sold for less than half that price, which could make them a quarter of the price of those already on the market.

The solar panel works because melanin, the substance giving hair its color, is light sensitive and can act as an electrical conductor. Karki was inspired to follow this route by a Stephen Hawking book, which explained how to create energy from hair.

The device (設(shè)備) Karki has shown is able to produce 9V or 18W of energy -- plenty to charge a mobile phone. Half a kilo of hair can be bought for only 16p in Nepal and lasts a few months, where as a pack of batteries would cost 50p and last a few nights," according to Karki.

Karki has now sent out several devices to other districts near his village for testing. "First I wanted to provide electricity for my home, then my village. Now I am thinking for the world," he said.

Karki says the idea is more important than ever because of the urgent need for renewable energies in the face of limited power sources and global warming. Slowly, natural resources are decreasing. One day we will be in a great crisis. This is an easy solution for the crisis we are having today.

64. What is the best title of the passage?

A. Introduction of Solar Panels            B. Functions of a New Solar Panel

C. Special Solar panel Materials                      D. Karki Invented a New Solar Panel

65. Why did Karki want to invent a solar panel with hair?

A. Because hair is not very expensive.

B. Because silicon is hard to find.

C. Because he wanted to provide electricity for his home.

D. Because the energy crisis is very serious in his home town.

66. From the last paragraph we can know ________.

A, Karki s invention is of great importance       

B. Karki can predict what will happen in the future

C. the energy crisis will disappear in the future 

D. Karki's invention will make him wealthy

67. The purpose of this passage is to ________.

A. Karki for his great invention          B. introduce a new solar panel

C. promote the sales of solar panels        D. warn people of the energy crisis

The Apple iPhone’s impact was widely evident (明顯的) at the Consumer Electronics Show, as new touch－screen devices could be found everywhere.

The consumer electronics industry came unbuttoned in Las Vegas this week. At the annual Consumer Electronics Show, companies from around the world unveiled many devices boasting (以擁有…而自豪) touch – sensitive technology, rather than traditional push-button controls.

Motorola, Sony, and LG Electronics all showed off touch-screen phones this week. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates praised and offered a touch-screen computer, the Surface, related to a flat panel TV for a tabletop. Even camera makers, such as Kodak，included touch-screen LCDs in their devices. Touch-screen tech has been in use for years，but the push to develop and weave it into consumer electronics gathered steam with the June introduction of Apple’s iPhone. “The touch-screen industry is really getting hot,” says Jennifer Colegrove, a senior analyst at iSuppli. “Since the iPhone came out, there are a lot of companies that did not have a relationship with touch screens before that decided, ‘OK, I want to make a touch screen, too.’”

The touch－screen tech ecosystem now includes more than 100 companies specializing in everything from smudge-proof (防污的) screens to sensors (傳感器) able to detect fingers before they even contact the screen. Sales of leading touch-screen technologies，such as those used in mobile phones and navigation (航行) devices，are expected to rise to $ 4.4 billion in 2012, up from $ 2.4 billion in 2006，according to iSuppli estimates.

67. What did the writer think about the Apple iPhone？

A. The Apple iPhone was beautiful.          

B. The Apple iPhone was popular.

C. The Apple iPhone was expensive.                        

D. The Apple iPhone was attractive.

68. What is the meaning of the underlined word “unveiled” in the second paragraph？

A. Invented.                                                            B. Unlocked.          

C. Discovered.                                              D. Showed.

69. The touch-screen tech was used in consumer electronics mainly because of _______.

         A. traditional push-button controls                           

B. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates

         C. the introduction of Apple’s iPhone                        

D. the touch-screen tech ecosystem

70. What can we learn from the passage?

A. The touch-screen technology will disappear.

B. The touch-screen technology will be replaced by traditional push-button controls.

C. The touch-screen technology will be as important as traditional push-button   controls.

D. The touch-screen technology will be more widely used in electronics devices.

The research carried out by the University of Bad in Italy could help prove hospitals who are accused of wasting money on art and decoration as it suggests a pleasant environment helps patients ease discomfort and pain.

     A team headed by Professor Marina de Tommaso at the Neurophysiopathology

Pain Unit asked a group of men and women to pick the 20 paintings they considered

most ugly and most beautiful from a selection of 300 works by artists such as

Leonardo da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli. They were then asked to look at either the beautiful paintings, or the ugly painting, or a blank panel while the team zapped(????) a short laser pulse at their hand, creating a sensation as if they had been stuck by a pin. The subjects rated the pain as being a third less intense while they were

viewing the beautiful paintings, compared with when looking at the ugly paintings

or the blank panel. Electrodes measuring the brain's electrical activity also confirmed a reduced resoonse to the pain when the subject looked at beautiful paintings.

      While distractions, such as music, are known to reduce pain in hospital patients,Prof de Tommaso says this is the first result to show that beauty plays a part.

      The findings, reported in New Scientist, also go a long way to show that

beaufiful surroundings could aid the healing process.

      "Hospitals have been designed to be functional, but we think that their artistic aspects should be taken into account too," said the neurologist."Beauty boyiously offers a distraction that ugly paintings do not. But at least there is no suggestion that ugly surroundings make the pain worse. I think these results show that more research is needed into the field how a beautiful environment can alleviate suffering."

      Pictures they liked included Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh and Botticellis Birth of Venus. Pictures they found ugly included works by pablo Picasso, the Italian 20th century artist Anonio Bueno and Columbian Fernando Botero." These people were not art experts so some of the pictures they found ugly would be considered masterpieces by the art world," said Prof de Tommaso.

1.The underlined word "alleviate" in the fifth paragraph probably means"______".

    A.cure                 B.ease             C.improve             D.kill

2.How many artists have been mentioned in the passage?                     

    A. 4.                  B. 5.              C. 6.                 D. 7.

3. Which of the following is TURE about the view of Prof de Tommaso's?

   A. Beautiful surroundings could help to heal sufferings completely.

   B. Hospitals must take their artistic aspects into consideration first.

   C. Ugly surroundings will surely make the pain worse.

   D. Both music and beauty can reduce pain in hospital patients.

4.From the last paragraph, we know that_______.

   A. some artists' paintings were beautiful, so they were masterpieces

   B. only art experts could judge they were masterpieces or not, though ugly

   C. the artists mentioned above were not really art masters.          

   D. some of them were art masters, while others were not.

5.Which of the following is the suitable title for the passage?

   A. Beautiful surroundings can ease pain.              

   B. Ugly paintings could be masterpieces.

   C. More research should be done in he field.             

   D. Latest environmental research.

The research carried out by the University of Bad in Italy could help prove hospitals who are accused of wasting money on art and decoration as it suggests a pleasant environment helps patients ease discomfort and pain.
A team headed by Professor Marina de Tommaso at the Neurophysiopathology
Pain Unit asked a group of men and women to pick the 20 paintings they considered
most ugly and most beautiful from a selection of 300 works by artists such as
Leonardo da Vinci and Sandro Botticelli. They were then asked to look at either the beautiful paintings, or the ugly painting, or a blank panel while the team zapped(照射) a short laser pulse at their hand, creating a sensation as if they had been stuck by a pin. The subjects rated the pain as being a third less intense while they were
viewing the beautiful paintings, compared with when looking at the ugly paintings
or the blank panel. Electrodes measuring the brain's electrical activity also confirmed a reduced resoonse to the pain when the subject looked at beautiful paintings.
While distractions, such as music, are known to reduce pain in hospital patients,Prof de Tommaso says this is the first result to show that beauty plays a part.
The findings, reported in New Scientist, also go a long way to show that
beaufiful surroundings could aid the healing process.
"Hospitals have been designed to be functional, but we think that their artistic aspects should be taken into account too," said the neurologist."Beauty boyiously offers a distraction that ugly paintings do not. But at least there is no suggestion that ugly surroundings make the pain worse. I think these results show that more research is needed into the field how a beautiful environment can alleviate suffering."
Pictures they liked included Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh and Botticellis Birth of Venus. Pictures they found ugly included works by pablo Picasso, the Italian 20th century artist Anonio Bueno and Columbian Fernando Botero." These people were not art experts so some of the pictures they found ugly would be considered masterpieces by the art world," said Prof de Tommaso.
【小題1】The underlined word "alleviate" in the fifth paragraph probably means"______".

A．some artists' paintings were beautiful, so they were masterpieces

B．only art experts could judge they were masterpieces or not, though ugly

C．the artists mentioned above were not really art masters.

D．some of them were art masters, while others were not.