All the students are required to attend the two-day ________ program so that they can have a complete understanding of the university they are admitted to.
(A) orientation (B) accomplishment (C) enthusiasm (D) independence
請依下文回答第 41 題至第 45 題
Does your older brother think he’s cleverer than you? Well, he’s probably right. According to new research due to be
published this week in the journal Intelligence, the oldest children in families are likely to have the highest IQs, and the
youngest the lowest.
The research is based on more than 1,000 children whose IQ was tested through childhood and adolescence up to the
age of 18. The Dutch study shows a birth-order effect on intelligence in each of the tests. Overall, the IQ of the first-born
child was higher than the second-born, which, in turn, was greater than that of children who had two or more older
siblings.
This is only the latest research to suggest that the order of birth can have a fundamental effect on diverse factors,
ranging from the risk of cancer, asthma and eczema, to weight and even premature death. It can also affect personality,
achievement, and career, with first-borns being more academically successful and more likely to win Nobel prizes.
However, eldest children are less likely to be radical and pioneering. Charles Darwin, for example, was the fifth child of
six.
Exactly why there should be such differences is not clear, and there are a number of theories, with many homing in
on environmental influences on the child. The so-called dilution theory, for example, suggests that as family resources,
both emotional and physical, as well as economic, are finite, it follows that as more children come along, the levels of
parental attention and stimulation will drop.
【題組】42 According to the passage, eldest children are less likely to be _____ compared with the later borns.
(A) adventurous (B) healthy (C) successful (D) intelligent
40 The bullfight is one of the most morally contentious of all legally sanctioned activities in the western world.
(A) It is not easy to end the practice of bullfighting as it is permitted by law and beneficial to the moral health of thesociety.
(B) In the western world, the bullfight is legally allowed but morally forbidden.
(C) Although an officially authorized activity, the bullfight remains one of the greatest ethical controversies in thewestern world.
(D) In the western world, the bullfight is prohibited by law and forbidden by the society’s conscience.
Around forty years ago, there was a cartoon show on television called The Jetsons. The Jetsons were a family of the
future. George Jetson went to work in a rocket, and his wife Jane shopped for groceries on television. The Jetsons had a
housekeeper named Rosie. Rosie washed dishes and cleaned the floor, but she wasn’t an ordinary housekeeper. Rosie was
a robot. At that time, some viewers thought the cartoon might predict the real future. In some ways it did. For example,
some people shop on line now. But we don’t have robots as housekeepers. At least, not yet.
Robots do various jobs today. They are often used in manufacturing. They paint and assemble cars and put together
electronic devices. Also, robots are used for jobs that are difficult or dangerous for humans. For instance, they were used
to explore the planet Mars, to investigate the inside of the great pyramids in Egypt, and to search the wreckage of
earthquakes.
There ARE robots that can do housework. Several vacuum cleaning robots are available. However, not many people
buy these products. Why not? The main reason is cost. These robots are expensive. Another reason is that robot cleaners
don’t always do a good job. A third reason is power. Most of these robots use batteries for power, and the batteries do not
last long without recharging.
【題組】46 What is the most important reason that people do NOT buy household robots today?
(A) They are still not very safe. (B) They are too difficult to use.
(C) Their power can’t last long. (D) They cost a lot of money.