单选题One of the most contentious issues in the vast literature about alcohol consumption has been the consistent finding that those who don"t drink tend to die sooner than those who do. The standard Alcoholics Anonymous (匿名戒酒互助会) explanation for this finding is that many of those who show up as abstainers (戒酒者) in such research are actually former hard-core drunks who had already incurred health problems associated with drinking. But a new paper in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research suggests that—for reasons that aren"t entirely clear—abstaining from alcohol does tend to increase one"s risk of dying, even when you exclude former problem drinkers. The most shocking part is abstainers" mortality rates are higher than those of heavy drinkers. Moderate drinking, which is defined as one to three drinks per day, is associated with the lowest mortality rates in alcohol studies. Moderate alcohol use (especially when the beverage of choice is red wine) is thought to improve heart health. But why would abstaining from alcohol lead to a shorter life? It"s true that those who abstain from alcohol tend to be from lower socioeconomic classes, since drinking can be expensive. And people of lower socioeconomic status have more life stressors— job and child-care worries that might not only keep them from the bottle but also cause stress-related illness over long periods. (They also don"t get the stress-reducing benefits of a drink or two after work.) But even after controlling for nearly all imaginable variables—socioeconomic status, level of physical activity, number of close friends, quality of social support and so on—the researchers (a six-member team led by psychologist Charles Holahan of the University of Texas at Austin) found that over a 20-year period, mortality rates were highest for those who were not current drinkers, regardless of whether they used to be alcoholics, second highest for heavy drinkers and lowest for moderate drinkers.

单选题How Romance Destroyed Traditional Marriage For most of recorded human history, marriage was an arrangement designed to maximize (最大化) financial stability. Elizabeth Abbott, the author of A History of Marriage , explains that in ancient times, marriage was intended to unite various parts of a community, establishing beneficial economic relationships. "Because it was a financial arrangement, it was thought of and operated as such. It was a contract between families. For example, let"s say I"m a printer and you make paper, we might want a marriage between our children because that will improve our businesses." Even the honeymoon, often called the "bridal tour", was a communal (群体的) affair, with parents, brothers and sisters, and other close relatives traveling together to reinforce their new familial relationships. By the Middle Ages, gender inequality was not only honored in social customs, but also common law. In most European countries, married women were forced to give up control over any personal wealth and property rights to their husbands. Eventually, the system became known as "coverture" (有夫之妇), whereby married couples became a single legal entity in which the husband had all power. By the 19th century, the conflict between love and money had come to a head. As the Western world advanced towards a more modern, industrialized society built on wage labor, emotional bonds became more private, focused more on immediate family and friends than communal celebrations. Simultaneously, mass media helped make sentimental inclinations a larger part of popular culture, with the flourishing of holidays like Valentine"s Day and various hobbies. Culturally speaking, love was in the air, and the union of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in 1840 only served to seal the deal. Though Victoria and Albert"s marriage was sanctioned by their royal families, it was also hailed as a true "love match", strengthening the new ideal of romantic partnership. Their wedding also coincided with the surge of early print media, making the event visible to readers all across Europe and North America.

单选题 {{B}}Passage TwoQuestions 29 to 31 are based on the passage you have just heard.{{/B}}

单选题Questions 12 to 15 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

单选题Miss Brown is the ________president, though her title is secretary.

单选题Have you seen my key to the kitchen door by any______? [A] change [B] check [C] chance [D] charge

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单选题The specific events mentioned in the second paragraph showed that ____________.

单选题[A] soon [C] much[B] well [D] possible

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单选题Questions 19 to 21 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

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单选题Questions 3 and 4 are bused on the news report you have just heard.

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