《考研英语阅读理解提速技巧》仿真试题(五)
2013.11.05 15:38

Passage 5

Every living thing has an inner biological clock that controlsbehavior. The clock works all the time even when there areno outside signs to mark the passing of time. The biological clock tells plantswhen to form flowers and when the flowers should open. It tells insects when toleave the protective cocoon and fly a way. And it tells animals when to eat sleep andwake. It controls body temperature the release of somehormones and even dreams. These natural daily events are circadian rhythms.

Man has known about them for thousands of years. But the firstscientific observation of circadian rhythms was not made until 1729. In thatyear French astronomer Jean-Jacques dOrtous de Mairan noted that one of his plants opened it s leaves at the same timeevery morning and closed them at the same time every night. The plant did thiseven when he kept it in a dark place all the time. Later scientists wonderedabout circadian rhythms in humans. They learned that mans biologicalclock actually keeps time with a day of a little less than 25 hours instead ofthe 24 hours on a man-made clock. About four years ago an American doctor EliotWeitzman established a laboratory to study how our biological clock works.The people in his experiments are shut off from the outside world. They arefree to listen to and live by their circadian rhythms. Dr. Weitzman hopes hisresearch will lead to effective treatments for common sleep problems and sleep disorderscaused by ageing and mental illness. The laboratory is in the MontefloreHospital in New York City. It has two living areas with three small rooms ineach. The windows are covered so no sunlight o r moonlight comes in. There are no radios or televisionreceivers. There is a control room between the living areas. It containscomputers one-way cameras and other electronic devices for observing theperson in the living area. The instruments measure heartbeat bodytemperature hormones in the bloodother substances in the urine and brain waves during sleep. Adoctor or medical technician is on duty in the control room 24 hours a dayduring an experiment. They do not work the same time each day and are notpermitted to wear watches so the person in the experiment has no idea what time it is. In thefirst four years of research Dr Weitzman and his assistant have observed 16 men between the agesof 21 and 80. The men remained in the laboratory for as long as six months.Last month a science reporter for The New York Times newspaper Dava Sobol became thefirst woman to take part in the experiment. She entered the laboratory on June13th and stayed for 25 days. Miss Sobol wrote reports about the experimentduring that time which were published in the newspaper.

1The biological clock is believed to play an essential role in ____.

Athe regulation of body temperature

Bthe secretion of hormones

Canimal reproduction

Dmany aspects of plant and animal physiology

2In his observation the French scientist noticed that the leaves of a certain plantmaintained its opening-and-closing cycles ____.

Aeven when it was kept in a murky place all day

Beven if it was placed in the moonlight

Ceven when he was observing it from a dark place

Deven during the night time

3The sentence They are free to listen to and live by their circadian rhythms. In Paragraph 4 probablymeans ____.

AThey can lead their daily lives according to their biological clocks withoutreferring to a man-made clock.

BThey can listen to the wonderful rhythms of the biological clock andlive close to them.

CThey can live by regulating their own circadian rhythms.

DThey are free from the annoying rhythms of everyday life.

4In the experiment conducted by Mr. Weitzman the doctorwho is on duty does not work the same time each day ____.

Ainsgroupsto observe the abnormal behavior of the people at differenttimes

Bso as not to be recognized by the people

Cso as to avoid indicating to the people what time it is when hestarts work

Dso as to leave the peoples circadian rhythmsin disorder

5Miss Sobol left the laboratory ____.

Aon June 13th

Bon June 25th

Cat the end of June

Don July 7th

  Keys to Passage 5

D  A  A  C  D



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