Section B
Passage One
Heredity is not the only thing that influences our color. Where and how we live after we are born is important too. For instance, our skin color greatly depends on how much sunshine we get.
Centuries ago, most people in Europe were peasants and had to work in the fields all day. On the other hand, noblemen did not have to work. They stayed indoors and remained pale. You could always tell a nobleman from a peasant because the peasant had a tan. As a result, noblewomen did their best to keep their skins as light as possible. A skin so pale was considered a mark of great beauty and nobleness.
During the Industrial Revolution, farmers left their fields and went to work in factories, mines and mills. Working for long hours in those dark places make their skins pale. Wealthy people, however, could afford to travel to sunny countries. They lay around on the beaches and got a tan, which became a sign of wealth. In Western Europe and North America pale skin is no longer desirable. The desire for a quick tan has led to the invention of pills that darken the skin without exposure to sunlight.
So there are three answers to the question “Where does our color come from?” — It comes from the genes we inherit. It comes from the conditions in which we live. And it can come from a bottle that we buy at the drugstore on the corner. Questions 26 to 28 are based on the passage you have just heard.
26. Why did noblewomen in Europe do their best to keep their color as light as possible?
【解析】选[C]。文中提到，贵族妇人尽可能保持肤色洁白是因为白皙的肤色被认为是美丽和高贵的象征。a mark of...nobleness表明贵族们极力想使自己和农民区分开来。选项[C]与此相符，为答案。
27. Who were the people having a tan according to the passage?
【解析】选[D]。本题问哪些人会被晒黑。文中提到，工业革命时期，有钱人去阳光充足的国家旅行，他们在沙滩上躺着，皮肤被晒黑了，成为富有的象征，[D]项与原文相符。tan指日晒后的颜色，选项[A]与此矛盾。几个世纪前，欧洲贵族因为足不出户而皮肤洁白，[B]项错误。工业革命时期，工人长时间在光线昏暗的地方工作，皮肤变得很苍白，[C]项也不正确。
28. What does the passage mainly tell us?
【解析】选[B]。短文第一句就点明了文章的主题：遗传不是影响我们肤色的唯一因素，接下来的内容都围绕这个主题展开，结尾也进一步与此呼应，因此选项[B]正确。贵族的情况不是文章讨论的中心，而只是举例论证主题的需要，并且文中也没提到几个世纪前的贵族喜不喜欢旅行，因此排除[A]项。影响肤色的因素有遗传、阳光和 化妆品，[C]项过于片面。“皮肤晒得黝黑被视为是富有的象征”是工业革命时期的情况，[D]中的nowadays与此不符。
Passage Two
Our topic today is about fleas that plague all of us who have cats and dogs in our homes. You may be surprised to find out that there are about 1,500 species of fleas, and that each species has its own preferred host. Fleas are, in fact, quite adept at finding their hosts. In an experiment, 270 fleas from rabbits were marked and then let loose in a large meadow. After a few days, a full half of the fleas had found rabbits to live on. Fleas also have a very interesting flexible diet. They can go for many months without eating if they have to, and they will change hosts in order to get more food, even if they don’t like the taste of their new host as much as the old! Their jumping ability is incredible, too. You may know this from your own experience. Some fleas can jump as high as 13 inches, which is quite a lot for such a small creature. This jumping ability comes from their relatively large muscular legs that are equipped with resilin, a kind of natural rubber. The elastic properties of this resilin have not yet been equaled in any artificial substance. Though the fleas on your cat or dog are not dangerous to you, some fleas carry diseases. It is the rat flea that is responsible for carrying some fatal plagues. These fleas have been in part responsible for the Great Plague of Europe in 500 A D that spread from Ethiopia to Byzantium to Europe. They are also part of the cause of Black Death in China and Europe.
Questions 29 to 32 are based on the passage you have just heard.
29. According to the passage, in what way are fleas flexible in their diets?
【解析】选[D]。题干句对应文中的Fleas also have a very interesting flexible diet，其后的They can go for many months without eating...对flexible diet进行了解释说明，选项[D]是对原文的同义转述，为答案。
30. According to the talk, what is resilin?
【解析】选[C]。resilin为超纲词，但结合其所在句This jumping ability comes from their relatively large muscular legs that are equipped with resilin, a kind of natural rubber推断，resilin应为跳蚤腿部中的一种物质，选项[C]正确。
31. According to the speaker, which flea has been responsible for deaths?
【解析】选[A]。fatal意为“致命的”，文中提到的It is the rat flea that is responsible for carrying some fatal plagues表明rat flea可以导致死亡，选项[A]正确。
32. According to the speaker, where did the Great Plague spread in the sixth century?
【解析】选[B]。根据文中提到的the Great Plague of Europe in 500 A D that spread from Ethiopia to Byzantium to Europe很容易得知本题答案：选项[B]正确。
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