1. acrid adj. 辛辣的；刺鼻的；刻薄的
例句：The acrid smell of smoke filled the room. （刺鼻的烟味弥漫在房间里。）
2. beguile v. 欺骗；使着迷；消磨
例句：The magician beguiled the audience with his tricks. （魔术师用他的戏法使观众着迷。）
3. callous adj. 无情的；麻木的；硬结的
例句：His callous remarks hurt her feelings. （他无情的话语伤害了她的感情。）
4. deleterious adj. 有害的；有毒的
例句：Smoking has deleterious effects on health. （吸烟对健康有有害影响。）
5. ebullient adj. 热情洋溢的；兴高采烈的；沸腾的
例句：The ebullient crowd cheered for their team. （热情洋溢的人群为他们的队伍欢呼。）
6. flippant adj. 轻率的；没礼貌的；言语尖刻的
例句：His flippant answer showed his disrespect. （他轻率的回答显示出他的不尊重。）
7. germane adj. 有密切关系的；恰当的；贴切的
例句：Your comment is germane to the discussion. （你的评论与讨论很贴切。）
8. hackneyed adj. 陈腐的；平庸的；老生常谈的
例句：His hackneyed jokes didn't make anyone laugh.（他那些陈腐的笑话没人发笑。）
9. iconoclast n. 打破旧习的人；偶像破坏者
例句：The iconoclast challenged traditional values. (这个打破旧习的人挑战传统价值观。)
10. jingoistic adj. 沙文主义的；侵略主义的
例句：Jingoistic speeches can stir up nationalistic feelings. (沙文主义的演讲会激起民族主义情绪。)
Questions 1 to 5 are based on the following passage.
Today,most scientific research is funded by government grants,companies doing research and development,and non-profit foundations.As a society,we reap the rewards from this science,but we also help pay for it.You indirectly support science through taxes you pay,products and services you purchase,and donations you make.
Funding for science has changed with the times.Historically,science has been largely supported through private patronage.church sponsorship,or simply paying for the research yourself.Today,researchers are likely to be funded by a mix of grants from various government agencies,institutions,and foundations.Other research is funded by private companies.Such corporate sponsorship is widespread in some fields.Almost 75% of U.S.clinical trials in medicine are paid for by private companies.And,ofcourse,some researchers today still fund small-scale studies out oftheir own pockets.Most of us can't afford to do nuclear research as a private hobby,but birdwatchers,rock collectors,and others can do real research on a limited budget.
In a perfect world,money wouldn't matter—all scientific studies would be completely objective.But in the real world,funding may introduce biases.Drug research sponsored by the pharmaceutical(制药的) .industry is more likely to end up favoring the drug under consideration than studies sponsored by government grants or charitable organizations.Similarly,nutrition research sponsored by the food industry is more likely to end up favoring the food under consideration than independently funded research.
So what should we make of all this?Should we ignore any research funded by companies or special interest groups?Certainly not.These groups provide invaluable funding for scientific research.Furthermore,science has many safeguards in place to catch instances of bias that affect research outcomes.Ultimately,misleading results will be corrected as science proceeds;however,this process takes time.Meanwhile,it pays to examine studies funded by industry or special interest groups with extra care.Are the results consistent with other independently funded studies?What do other scientists have to say about this research?A little examination can go a long way towards identifying bias associated with the funding source.
1.What does the passage mainly discuss regarding scientific research?
A.Its foundation.
B.Its rewards.
C.Its prospect
D.Its funding
2.What do we learn from the passage about researchers like birdwatchers and rock collectors?
A.They have little access to government funding.
B.They can do research with limited resources.
C.They can do amateur work in their own fields.
D.They have no means for large-scale research.
3.What would scientific studies look like in a perfect world according to the author?
A.They would be totally unbiased.
B.They would be independently funded.
C.They would be responsibly conducted.
D.They would be strictly supervised.
4.What does the author say about companies and special interest groups?
A.They try hard to pull down the safeguards for research.
B.They make extra efforts to research their own products.
C.They provide valuable resources for scientific research.
D.They reap the most benefits from scientific research
5.What does the author think of research funded by industry or special interest groups?
A.Its recommendations should be examined for feasibility.
B.Its misleading results should be corrected in time.
C.Its validity should be checked with additional care.
D.Its hidden biases should be identified independently.
一、农历(the lunar calendar) .起源于数千年前的中国，根据太阳和月亮的运行规律制定。
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二、长期以来，农历在农业生产和人们日常生活中发挥着重要作用。
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三、古人依据农历记录日期、安排农活，以便最有效地利 用自然资源和气候条件，提高农作物的产量和质量。
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四、中国的春节、中秋节等传统节日的日期都基于农历。农历是中国传统文化的重要组成部分，当今依然广为使用。
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BCDAC阅读理解
1.【B】根据题干关键词some people和aging adults可以将答案定位到第一段第一句。第一段第一句指出，有些人说，衰老更像走向健忘的衰退过程，而不是通往智慧的旅程。由此可知，有些人认为老年人的记忆力是逐渐下降的，故选项B正确。答对本题，大家需要能看懂more..than (与其说，不如说 .这个句型，其中的forgetfulness如果不认识，可以根据构词法进行猜测，forget(忘记容 易 … … 的+ness名词后缀 ,合在一起就是“健忘”）。选项A与原文意思相反，可以排除。选项C 虽然 出现了原文中的late-in-life learning, 但是原文是说在晚年学习是有可能的，选项C含义与此不符，且文章 并未提及它是一些人对老年人的看法，故排除。选项D文章中没有提及，故排除。
2.【C】根据题干关键词Geoffrey Raisman's finding可以将答案定位到第二段第二句和第三句。第二段第二句指出，在20世纪60年代后期，英国脑科学家杰弗里 雷斯曼通过电子显微镜在老鼠大脑的受 析 损区域发现了生长的迹象；它们的大脑正在建立新的联系。这句是实验的现象，下一句点出了实验的结论：这意味着每当一个人学习新东西时，他的大脑都可能会发生变化。这里虽然没有明确说具体的变化是 什么,但是根据实验发现大脑有生长的迹象可知，大脑的变化是正向的。这与选项C表达的意思一致，通 过学习大脑可以重新充满活力并改善，故C正确。另外，根据本段首句“在一生当中，人们的大脑不断地 进行自我修复”也可以得出此结论。选项A和B原文没有提及，可以排除。选项D中出现了原文词汇forge connections, 原文是说实验中老鼠受伤的大脑区域产生了新的联系，并不是实验得出结论——大脑在新的条件下建立联系，故排除。
3.【D】根据题干关键词maintain the health of our brain even as it shrinks可以将答案定位到第四段第二句。第四段第二句指出，新的路径能够强化我们不断变化的脑部精神结构，即使大脑在萎缩。这里的新路径 具体指什么呢?可以继续往下读。第五段第二句指出，换一条不同的路线去杂货店，或去一个新的地方 度假，即便是像这样简单的事情也可以保持大脑健康。对比四个选项，可知选项D“以新颖的方式处理 日常事务”符合原文，为正确答案。选项A明显与原文意思相反，排除。选项B和C的说法原文都没有提及，均可以排除。
4.【A】根据题干关键词contribute to the improvement of brain function可以将答案定位到最后一段。最后一段前两句指出，渴望接受新的挑战，比如老年人创办新企业，对大脑功能的改善有所帮助。接下来 继续指出，开放性——保持好奇心和对知识的渴望，也可以帮助人们通过大脑测试；最后指出，完成拼图和数字游戏等推理任务可以增强人们对新体验的渴望，这反过来可以使大脑重新充满活力。总结来看，接 受新挑战、保持好奇心和求知欲、渴望新体验，这些都能使大脑重新充满活力，故选项A正确。选项C错 在原文没有提及“规避风险”,虽然前半句迎接生活中的挑战是符合原文的，也不能选。选项B和D原文没有提及，排除。
5.【C】根据题干关键词2012study in the journal Psychology and Aging可以将答案定位到最后一段倒数第二句。
最后一段倒数第二句指出，2012年发表在《心理学与衰老》杂志上的一项研究发现，完成拼图和数字游戏等推理任务可以增强人们对新体验的渴望，这反过来可以使大脑重新充满活力refresh the brain。由此可知，研究发现，推理任务可以增强人们对新体验的渴望，这种对新体验的渴望又会帮助改善大脑，故选项C正确。选项C中的renovate与原文中的refresh是同义替换。其他三个选项都与原文不符，可以排除。
重点翻译
一、Siheyuan is a kind of traditional Chinese residential building,which is characterized by housesbuilt around a courtyard,enclosing the courtyard in the middle.
二、Siheyuan is usually warm in winter and cool in summer,offering a comfortable environment,especially suitable for large families to live in.There are many types of Siheyuan in different parts of China,of which the most typical one is in Beijing.
三、Nowadays,with the development of modern cities,the number of traditional Siheyuan has gradually decreased
四、But because of its unique architectural style,Siheyuan is of great significance to the inheritance of Chinese culture and the study of Chinese history.
预祝所有参加四六级考试的同学们顺利通过！
编辑 | 曾旭
责编 | 郑馨怡 包芳臣
审校 | 舒尔娜·吾其尔 张如
