The men who race the cars are generally small,with a tight, nervous look.They range from the early 20s to the middle 40s, and it is usually their nerves that go first.
Fear is the driver's constant companion, and tragedy can be just a step behind.Scarcely a man in the 500 does not carry the scars of ancient crashes.The mark of the plastic surgeon is everywhere, and burned skin is common.Sometimes a driver's scars are invisible, part of his heritage.Two young drivers, Billy Vukovich and Gary Bettenhausen, raced in their first 500 in 1968.Less than 20 years before, their fathers also competed against one another on the Indy track-and died there.All this the drivers accept.Over the years, they have learned to trust their own techniques, reflexes, and courage.They depend, too, on a trusted servant-scientific engineering.Though they may not have had a great deal of schooling(an exception is New Zealand's Bruce McLaren, who has an engineering degree), many drivers are gifted mechanics, with a feeling for their engines that amount to kinship.A few top drivers have become extremely wealthy, with six-figure incomes from prize money, endorsements, and jobs with auto-product manufacturers.Some have businesses of their own.McLaren designs racing chassis(底盘).Dan Gurney's California factory manufactured the chassis of three of the first four ears in the 1968 Indy 500, including his own second place car.Yet money is not the only reason why men race cars.Perhaps it isn't even the major reason.Three-time Indy winner(1961,1964,1967)A.J.Foyt, for example, can frequently be found competing on dirty tracks in minor-league races, where money, crowds and safety features are limited, and only the danger is not.Why does he do it？ Sometimes Foyt answers, "It's in my blood." Other times he says, "It's good practice." Now and then he replies, "Don't ask dumb questions."
1.The statement "it is usually their nerves that go first" means ________.
A.at first they all have a nervous look
B.they often find they can't bear the tension even if they are in good condition
C.someday they find they can't make responses to any risk
D.they can continue their career at most until the middle 40s
2.It can be inferred that a car accident is often coupled with ________.
A.a plastic surgeon
B.a companion
C.a risk
D.a fire
3.The invisible scars of the drivers mentioned in the second paragraph refers to ________.
A.the regrets left by their fathers
B.the fears left by their fathers
C.the cars left by their fathers
D.the heritage left by their fathers
4.Bruce McLaren is different from most of the drivers in that ________.
A.he himself designs chassis
B.he has an engineering degree
C.he manufactures chassis
D.he is a gifted mechanic
5.A.J.Foyt often takes part in minor-league races for ________.
A.prize money
B.blood test
C.cheers from the crowd
D.Enjoyment
Two People，Two Paths You must be familiar with the situation：Dad’s driving，Mum’s telling him where to go.He’s sure that they need to turn left But she says it’s not for another two blocks.Who has the better sense of direction？ Men or women.
They both do, a new study says.but in different ways.Men and women.Canadian researchers have found，have different methods of finding their way.Men look quickly at landmarks(地标)and head off in what they think is the right direction.Women, however, try to picture the whole route in detail and then follow the path in their head.“women tend to be more detailed,”said Edward Cornell.who led the study,“while men tend to be a little bit faster and …a little bit more intuitive(直觉感知的).”
In fact, said Cornell,“sense of direction”isn’t one skill but two.
The first is the“survey method”.This is when you see all area from above, such as a printed map.Y0u can see，for example，where the hospital is，where the church is and that
the supermarket is on its right.
The second skill is the“route method”This is when you use a series of directions.You start from the hospital，then turn left，turn fight，go uphill——and then you see the
supermarket.
Men are more likely to use the survey method while women are more likely to use one route and follow directions.
Both work, and neither is better.
Some scientists insist that these different skills have a long history. They argue it is because of the difference in traditional roles.
In ancient times，young men often went far away with the older men to fish or hunt.The trip took hours or days and covered unfamiliar places.The only way to know where you were was to use the survey method to remember landmarks—them ountains, the lakes and so on.
The women，on the other hand，took young girls out to find fruits and plants.These activities were much closer to home but required learning well-used paths.So, women’s sense of space was based on learning certain routes.
第41题：When finding his way, Dad tends to rely on
A．his intuitive knowledge.
B．his book knowledge．
C．Mum’s assistance.
D．the police’s assistance．
Three men traveling on a train began a conversation about the world’s greatest wonders.
“In my opinion,” the first man said, “the Egyptian pyramids(埃及金字塔)are the world’s greatest wonder. Although they were built thousands of years ago, they are still standing. And remember: the people who built them had only simple tools. They did not have the kind of machinery that builders and engineers have today.”
“I agree that the pyramids in Egypt are wonderful,” the second man said, “but I do not think they are the greatest wonder. I believe computers are more wonderful than the pyramids. They have taken people to the moon and brought them back safely. In seconds, they carry out mathematical calculations that would take a person a hundred years to do.”
He turned to the third man and asked, “What do you think is the greatest wonder in the world？”
The third man thought for a long time, and then he said, “Well, I agree that the pyramids are wonderful, and I agree that computers are wonderful, too. However, in my opinion, the most wonderful thing in the world is this thermos.”
And he took a thermos out of his bag and held it up.
The other two men were very surprised. “A thermos？” they exclaimed. “But that’s a simple thing.”
“Oh, no, it’s not,” the third man said. “In the winter you put in a hot drink and it stays hot. In the summer you put in a cold drink and it stays cold. How does the thermos know whether it’s winter or summer？”
1. The underlined word “thermos” in Chinese means “_______”.
A. 电冰箱
B. 洗衣机
C. 电风扇
D. 保温瓶
2. That the three men could not agree on what the world’s greatest wonder was because _______.
A. they could not think of anything very wonderful
B. they all had different ideas
C. they could not prove that their opinions were right
D. the journey ended too soon
3. The first man thought the pyramids were the most wonderful things in the world because ____.
A. they were very beautiful
B. they were Egyptian
C. they had been built with very simple tools
D. they could do mathematical calculations
4. The third man thought a thermos was the most wonderful thing in the world because _____.
A. it lasted longer than the pyramids
B. it cost less than a computer
C. he thought it knew whether it was winter or summer
D. the other two men were surprised when he told them about it
5. The third man was not very clever because ______.
A. he could not think of anything to say
B. he did not understand how a thermos works
C. he did not think the pyramids were wonderful
D. he did not know anything about computers
