大学英语四级阅读理解试题及答案

大学英语四级阅读理解试题及答案（二）

六

Asthepaceoflifecontinuestoincrease,wearefastlosingtheartof

relaxation.Onceyouareinthehabitofrushingthroughlift,beingonthegofrom

morningtillnight,itishardtoslowdown.Butrelaxationisessentialforahealthy

mindandbody.

Stressisannaturalpartofeverydayliftandthereisnowaytoavoidit.

Infact,itisnotthebadthingitisoftensupposed推想，料想tobe.Acertain

amountofstressisvitaltoprovidemotivationadngivepurposetolife.Itis

onlywhenthestressgetsoutofcontrolthatitcanleadtopoorperformanceand

illhealth.

Theamountofstressapersoncanwithstanddependsverymuchontheindividual.

Somepeoplearenotafraidofstress,andsuchcharactersareobviouslyprime

materialformanagerialresponsibilities.Othersloseheartatthefirstsignsof

unusualdifficulties.Whenexposedtostress,inwhateverform,wereactboth

chemicallyandphysically.Infactwemakechoicebetween"fight"or"flight”and

inmoreprimitivedaysthechoicemadethedifferencebetweenlifeordeath.The

criseswemeettodayareunlikelytobesoextreme,buthoweverlittlethestress,it

involvesthesameresponse.Itiswhensuchareactionlastslong,throughcontinued

exposuretostress,thathealthbecomesendangered.Suchseriousconditionsashigh

bloodpressureandheartdiseasehaveestablishedlinkswithstress.Sincewecannot

removestressfromourlives(itwouldbeunwisetodosoevenifwecould),weneed

tofindwaystodealwithit.

1.Peoplearefindinglessandlesstimeforrelaxingthemselvesbecause.

a.theydonotknowhowtoenjoythemselves

b.theydonotbelievethatrelaxationisimportantforhealth

c.theyaretravellingfastallthetime

d.theyarebecomingbusierwiththeirwork

2.Accordingtothewriter,themostimportantcharacterforagoodmanageris

his.

a.notfearingstress

b.knowingtheartofrelaxation

c.highsenseofresponsibility

d.havingcontroloverperformance

3.Whichofthefollwingstatementsisture?

a.Wecanfindsomewaystoavoidstress

b.Stressisalwaysharmfultopeople

c.Itiseasytochangethehagitofkeepingoneselfbusywithwork.

d.Differentpeoplecanwithstanddifferentamountsofstress

4.InParagraph3,“suchareaction"refersbackto.

a.”makingachoicebetween'flight'or'fight'"

b.”reactiontostressbothchemicallyandphysically，z

c."'respondingtocrisesquickly”

d."losingheartatthesignsdifficulties”

5.Inthelastsentenceofthepassage,，zdoso〃refersto.

a.”exposeourselvestostress”

b.”findwaystodealwithstress”

c.""removestressfromourlives”

d.^establishedlinksbetweendiseasesandstress”

答案：dadbc

七

Inthe1960s,manyyoungAmericansweredissatisfiedwithAmericansociety.

TheywantedtoendtheVietnamWarandtomakeallofthepeopleintheU.S.epual.

Someofthemdecidedto“dropout'ofAmericansocietyandformtheirownsocieties.

Theyformedutopiancommunities,whichtheycalled"communes,"wheretheycould

followtheirphilosophyof'doyourownthing."Agroupofartistsfoundedacommune

insouthernColoradocalled“DropCity."Followingtheideasofphilosopherand

architectBuckminsterFullertheybuiltdomeshapedhousesfrompiecesofoldcars.

Othergroups,suchasauthorKenKesey，sMerryPranksters,thefollowersfoSan

FranciscopoetSteveGakin,andagroupthatcalleditselftheHogFarm,livedin

oldschoolhusesandtraveledaroundtheUnitedStates.TheHogFarmbecomefamous

whentheyhelpedorganizetheWoodstockRockFestivalin1969.SteveGaskin's

followerstriedtosettledownonafarminTennessee,buttheyhadtoleavewhen

somemembersofthegruopwerearrestedforgrowingmarijuana.

Notallcommunesbelievedinthephilosophyof"doyouownthing,“however.

TwinOaks,acommunefoundedinVirgianiainthelate1960s,wasbasedontheideas

ofpsychologistB.F.Skinner.ThepeoplewholivedatTwinOakswerecarefully

controlledbySkinner,s'conditioning“techniquestodothingsthatweregoodfor

thecommunity.In1972,ItalianarchitectPaoloSoleribegantobuildArcosanti,

autopiancityArizsonawhere2500peoplewilllivecloselytogetherinonelarge

buildingcalledan'archology“Soleribelievesthatpeoplemustliveclosely

togethersothattheywillallbecomeone.

1.WhydidsomeyoungAmericansdecideto"dropout"ofscoietyduringthe1960s?

a.TheywerenotsatisfiedwithAmericansociety.

b.Theywantedtogrowmarijuana.

c.TheywantedtogototheVietnamWar.

d.Theydidnotwantallpeopletobeequal.

2.WheredidthemembersoftheHogFarmcommunelive?

a.Indome-shapedhouse

b.Inoldschoolhuses

c.OnafarminTennessee

d.InanarchologyinArizona

3.WhogavethepeopleofDropCitytheideatobuliddome-shapedhouse?

a.PaoloSoleri

b.B.G.Skinner

c.SteveGaskin

d.BuckminsterFuller

4.WhatwastheTwinOakscommunebaseon?

a.Thephilosophyof〃doyourownthing”

b.Virginaiainthelate1960s

c.Theideasofpsychologist

d.Thebeliefthatpeoplemustlivecloselytogerher.

5.Whatisan,archology”?

a.Apersonwhostudiesarchaeology

b.Alargebuildingwherepeoplelivecloselytogether

c.AcityinArizona

d.Atechniquetocontorlpeople

答案：abdcb

八

TherearetwofactorswhichdetermineanindividuaTsintelligence.Thefirst

isthesortofbrainheisbornwith.Humanbrainsdifferconsiderably,somebeing

morecapablethanothers.Butnomatterhowgoodabrainhehastobeginwith,an

individualwillhavealoworderofintelligenceunlesshehasopportunitiestolearn.

Sothesecondfactoriswhathappenstotheindividual-thesortofenvironmentin

whichheisreared.Ifanindividualishandicappedenvionmentally,itislikely

thathisbrainwillfai1todevelopandhewillneverattainthelevelofintelligence

ofwhichheiscapable.

TheimportanceofenvironmentindetermininganindividuaVsintellingencecan

bedemonstratedbythecasehistoryoftheidenticaltwins,PeterandMarkX.Being

identical,thetwinshadidenticalbrainsatbirth,andtheirgrowthprocesseswere

thesame.Whenthetwinswerethreemonthsold,theirparentsdied,andtheywere

placedinseparatefosterhomes.Peterwasreatedbyparentsoflowintelligence

inaniso1atedcommunitywithpooreducationalpooprtunities.Markwasrearedinthe

homeofwell-to-doparentswhohadbeentocollege.Hewasreadtoasachild,sent

togoodschools,andgiveneveryopportunitytobestimulatedintellectually.This

enviromentaldifferencecontinueduntilthetwinswereintheirlateteens,when

theyweregibentesetstomeasuretheirintelligence.Mark'sI.Q.was125,

twenty-fivepointshigherthantheaverageandfullyfortypointshigherthanhis

identicalbrother.Givenequalopportunities,thetwins,havingidentical

brains,wouldhavetestedatroughlythesamelevel.

1.Thisselectioncanbestbetitled.

a.MeasuringYourIntelligence

b.IntelligenceandEnvironment

c.TheCaseofPeterandMark

d.HowthebrainInfluencesIntelligence

2.Thebeststatementofthemainideaofthispassageisthat.

a.humanbrainsdifferconsiderably

b.thebrainapersonisbornwithisimprotantindetermininghisintelligence

c.environmentiscrucialindeterminingaperson，sintelligence

d.personshavingidenticalbrainswillhaveroughlythesameintelligence

3.Accordingtothepassage,theaverageI.Q.is.

a.85

b.100

c.110

d.125

4.Thecasehistoryofthetwinsappearstosupporttheconclusionthat.

a.individualwithidenticalbrainsseldomtestatsamelevel

b.anindividuaVsintelligenceisdeterminedonlybyhisenviroment

c.lackofopportunityblocksthegrowthofintelligence

d.changesofenviromentproducechangesinthestructureofthebrain

5.Thispassagesuggeststhatanindividual，sI.Q..

a.canbepredictedatbirth

b.staysthesamethrouthouthislife

c.canbeincreasedbyeducation

d.isdeterminedbyhischildhood

答案：bcbcc

九

Asshewalkedroundthehugedepartmentstore,Edithreflectedhowdifficultit

wastochooseasuitableChristmaspresentforherfather.Shewishthathewasas

easytopleaseashermother,whowasalwaysdelightedwithperfume

Besides,shoppongatthistimeoftheyearwasamostdisgreeable

experience:peopletrodonyourtoes,pokedyouwiththeirelbowsandalmostknocked

youoverintheirhastetogettoabargainaheadofyou.

Partlytohavearest,Edithpausedinfrontofacounterwheresomeattracive

tieswereondisplay."Theyarerealsilk,“theassistantassuredher,tryingto

tempther.，/Worthdoubletheprice.〃Buteditknewfrompastexperiencethather

choiceoftieshardlyeverpleasedherfather.

Shemovedonreluctantlyandthenquitebychance,stoppedwhereasmallcrowd

ofmanhadgatheredroundacounter.Shefoundsomegoodqualitypipesonsaleand

thepriceswereveryreasonable.Edithdidnothesitateforlong:althoughherfather

onlysmokedapipeoccasionally,sheknewthatthiswasapresentwhichwasbund

topleasehim.

Whenshegothome,withhersmallwell-chosenpresentconcealedinherhandbag,

herparentswerealreadyatthesuppertable.Hermotherwasinanespeciallycheerful

mood,“Yourfatherhasatlasttodecidedtostopsmoking.〃Sheinformedherdaughter.

1.Edith'sfather.

a.didnotlikepresent

b.nevergotpresent

c.preferredties

d.wasdifficulttochooseapresentfor

2.TheassistantspoketoEdithbecausesheseemed.

a.attractive

b.interestedinties

c.tired

d.inneedofcomfort

3.Edithstoppedatthenextcounter.

a.purosely

b.suddenly

c.unwillingly

d.accidentally

4.Edith'sfathersmokedapipe_.

a.whenhewasobliged

b.onsocialoccasions

c.fromtimetotime

d.whenhewasdelighted

5.Shoppingwasverydisagreeableatthattimeoftheyearbecause.

a.coustomerstrodoneachother'stoes

b.coustomerspokedeachotherwiththeirelbows

c.customersknockedeachother

d.customersweredoingtheirshoppinginagreathurry

答案：dbdcdResearchbytheUniversityofExeter\hasrevealedthatantshaveabigimpactontheirlocal

environmentasaresultoftheiractivityas"ecosystemengineers"andpredators（食肉动物）.Thestudy,published

intheJournalofAnimalEcology,foundthatantshavetwodistinct（显著的）effectsontheirlocalenvironment.

Firstly,throughmovingofsoilbynestbuilding2activityandbycollectingfoodtheyaffectthelevelof

nutrients（营养物）inthesoil.Thiscanindirectlyimpactthelocalpopulationsofmanyanimalgroups,from

decomposers（腐生物，分解体）tospeciesmuchhigherupthefoodchain.

Secondly,theyprey（捕食）onawiderangeofotheranimals,includinglargerpreywhichcanbeattackedby

vastnumbersofantworkers.

DirkSanders,anauthorofthestudyfromtheuniversity'sCentreforEcologyandConservation,said:"Ants

areveryeffectivepredatorswhichthriveinhugenumbers.They'realsoveryterritorialsandveryaggressive,

defendingtheirresourcesandterritoryagainstotherpredators.Allofthismeanstheyhaveastronginfluenceon

theirsurroundingarea."

"Inthisresearch,westudiedforthefirsttimehowbigthisimpactisandthesubtleties（微妙）ofil.Whatwe

foundisthatdespitebeingpredators,theirpresencecanalsoleadtoanincreaseindensityanddiversityofother

animalgroups4.Theygenuinelyplayakeyroleinthelocalenvironment,havingabiginfluenceonthegrassland

fbodweb,"Sanderssaid.

Thestudy,carriedoutinGermany,studiedtheimpactofthepresenceofdifferentcombinationsanddensities

ofblackgardenantsandcommonredants,bothspecieswhichcanbefoundacrossEurope,includingintheUK.It

foundthatalowdensityofantsinanareaincreasedthediversityanddensityofotheranimalsinthelocalarea,

particularlythedensityofherbivores（食草动物）anddecomposers.Athigherdensitiesantshadnoortheopposite

effect,showingthatpredationiscounteractingthepositiveinfluence.

DrFrankvanVeen,anotherauthoronthestudy,said:"Whatwefindisthattheimpactofantsonsoilnutrient

levelshasapositiveeffectonanimalgroupsatlowlevels,butasthenumberofantsincreases,theirpredatory

impactshavethebiggereffect-therebycounteractingthepositiveinfluenceviaecosystemengineering."

Antsareimportantcomponentsofecosystemsnotonlybecausetheyconstituteagreatpartoftheanimal

biomass5（生物量）butalsobecausetheyactasecosystemengineers.Antbiodiversily6（生物多样性）isincredibly

highandtheseorganismsarehighlyresponsive（敏感的，易受影响的）tohumanimpact,whichobviouslyreduces

itsrichness.However,itisnotclearhowsuchdisturbancedamagesthemaintenanceofantservicestothe

ecosystem?.Antsareimportantinbelowgroundprocesses8throughthealterationofthephysicalandchemical

environmentandthroughtheireffectsonplants,microorganisms,andothersoilorganisms

Thestandardizededucationalorpsychologicaltests,whicharewidelyusedtoaidinselecting,assigningor

promotingstudents,employeesandmilitarypersonnel,havebeenthetargetofrecentattacksinbooks,magazines,

thedailypress,andeveninCongress.Thetargetiswrong,for,inattackingthetests,criticsdivertattentionfrom

thefaultthatlieswithill-informedorincompetentusers.Theteststhemselvesaremerelytools.Whethertheresults

willbevaluable,meaningless,orevenmisleadingdependspartlyuponthetoolitselfbutlargelyupontheuser.

Allinformedpredictionsoffutureperformancearebaseduponsomeknowledgeofrelevantpastperformance.

Howwellthepredictionswillbevalidatedbylaterperformancedependsupontheamount,reliabilityand

appropriatenessoftheinformationusedandontheskillandwisdomwithwhichitisinterpreted.Anyonewho

keepscarefulscoreknowsthattheinformationavailableisalwaysincompleteandthatthepredictionsarealways

subjecttoerror.

Standardizedtestsshouldbeconsideredinthiscontext:theyprovideaquick,objectivemethodofgetting

somekindofinformationaboutwhatapersonhaslearned,theskillshehasdeveloped,orthekindofpersonheis.

Theinformationsoobtainedhas,qualitatively,thesameadvantagesandshortcomingsasotherkindsof

information.Whethertousetests,otherkindsofinformation,orbothinaparticularsituationdepends,therefore,

upontheempiricalevidenceconcerningcomparativevalidityanduponsuchfactorsascostandavailability.

Ingeneral,thetestsworkmosteffectivelywhenthetraitsorqualitiestobemeasuredcanbemostprecisely

defined（fbrexample,abilitytodowellinaparticularcourseoftrainingprogram）andleastefYcctivelywhen

whatistobemeasuredorpredictedcannotbewelldefined,forexample,personalityorcreativity.Properlyused,

theyprovidearapidmeansofgettingcomparableinformationaboutmanypeople.Sometimestheyidentify

studentswhosehighpotentialhasnotbeenpreviouslyrecognized.

Themodernsailingshipwasdevelopedbyamanwhoneverwenttosea.

HewasPrinceHenryofPortugal,theyoungersonofthePartuguesekingandanEnglishprincess.

PrinceHenrylivedinthefifteenthcentury.Asaboyhebecamedevotedtothesea,andhededicatedhimselfto

improvingthedesignofshipsandthemethodsofsailingthem.In1416,whenhewastwentytwo,Henryfoundeda

schoolformariners,towhichheinvitedeveryonewhocouldhelphim-Jewishastronomers,ItalianandSpanish

sailors,andArabmathematiciansandmapmakerswhoknewtousethecrude

compassofthedayandcouldimproveit.

Henry'sgoalwastodesignandequipvesselsthatwouldbecapableofmakinglongoceanvoyageswithout

havingtohugtheshore.Thecaravelcarriedmoresailandwaslongerandslimmerthananyshipthenmade,yetwas

toughenoughtowithstandgalesatsea.Healsodevelopedthecarrack,whichwasaslowership,butonethatwas

capableofcarryingmorecargo.

ToPrinceHenrytheworldowescreditfordevelopmentofcraftthatmadeoceanicexplorationpossible.He

livesinhistoryasHenrytheNavigator.

Themodernsailingshipwasdevelopedbyamanwhoneverwenttosea.

HewasPrinceHenryofPortugal,theyoungersonofthePartuguesekingandanEnglishprincess.

PrinceHenrylivedinthefifteenthcentury.Asaboyhebecamedevotedtothesea,andhededicatedhimselfto

improvingthedesignofshipsandthemethodsofsailingthem.In1416,whenhewastwentytwo,Henryfoundeda

schoolformariners,towhichheinvitedeveryonewhocouldhelphim—Jewishastronomers,ItalianandSpanish

sailors,andArabmathematiciansandmapmakerswhoknewtousethecrude

compassofthedayandcouldimproveit.

Henry'sgoalwastodesignandequipvesselsthatwouldbecapableofmakinglongoceanvoyageswithout

havingtohugtheshore.Thecaravelcarriedmoresailandwaslongerandslimmerthananyshipthenmade,yetwas

toughenoughtowithstandgalesatsea.Healsodevelopedthecarrack,whichwasaslowership,butonethatwas

capableofcarryingmorecargo.

ToPrinceHenrytheworldowescreditfbrdevelopmentofcraftthatmadeoceanicexplorationpossible.He

livesinhistoryasHenrytheNavigator.

十Nowletuslookathowweread.Whenwereadaprintedtext,oureyesmoveacrossapageinshort,jerky

movement.Wcrecognizewordsusuallywhenoureyesarestillwhentheyfixate.Eachtimetheyfixate,weseea

groupofwords.Thisisknownastherecognitionspanorthevisualspan.Thelengthoftimeofrwhichtheeyes

stop-thedurationofthefixation——variesconsiderablyfrompersontoperson.Italsovaieswithinanyone

personaccordingtohispurposeinreadingandhisfamiliaritywiththetext.Furthermore,itcanbeaffectedbysuch

factorsaslightingandtiredness.

Unfortunately,inthepast,manyreadingimprovementcourseshaveconcentratedtoomuchonhowoureyes

moveacrosstheprintedpage.Asaresultofthismisleadingemphasisonthepurelyvisualaspectsofreading,

numerousexerciseshavebeendevisedtotraintheeyestoseemorewordsatonefixation.Forinstance,insome

exercises,wordsareflashedontoascreenfbr,say,atenthoratwentiethofasecond.Oneoftheexerciseshas

requiredstudentstofixtheireyesonsomecentralpoint,takinginthewordsoneitherside.Suchwordpatternsare

oftenconstructedintheshapeofrathersteeppyramidssothereadertakesinmoreandmorewordsateach

successivefixation.Alltheseexercisesareveryclever,butit'sonethingtoimproveaperson'sabilitytoseewords

andquiteanotherthingtoimprovehisabilitytoreadatextefficiently.Readingrequirestheabilitytounderstand

therelationshipbetweenwords.Consequently,fbrthesereasons,manyexpertshavenowbeguntoquestionthe

usefulnessofeyetraining,especiallysinceanyapproachwhichtrainsapersontoreadisolatedwordsandphrases

wouldseemunlikelytohelphiminreadingacontinuoustext

Ifthepopulationoftheearthgoesonincreasingatitspresentrate,there

willeventuallynotbeenoughresourceslefttosustainlifeontheplanet.Bythe

middleofthe21stcentury,ifpresenttrendscontinue,wewillhaveusedupallthe

oilthatdrivesourcars,forexample.Evenifscientistsdevelopnewwaysoffeeding

thehumanrace,thecrowdedconditionsonearthwillmakeitnecessaryforlusto

lookforopenspacesomewhereelse.Butnoneoftheotherplanetsinoursolarsystem

arecapableofsupportinglifeatpresent.Onepossiblesolutiontotheproblem,

however,hasrecentlybeensuggestedbyAmericanscientist,ProfessorCarlSagan.

Saganbelievesthatbeforetheearth，sresourcesarecompleetelyexhaustedit

willbepossibletochangetheatmophereofVenusandsocreateanewworldalmost

aslargeasearthitself.ThedifficultisthatVenusismuchhotterthantheearth

andthereisonlyatinyamountofwaterthere.

Saganproposesthatalgaeorganismsthatcanliveinextremelyhotorcold

atmospheresandatthesametimeproduceoxygen,shouldbebredinconditionsimilar

tothoseonVenus.Assoonasthishasbeendone,thealgaewillbeplacedinsmall

rockets.Spaceshipwi11thenflytoVenusandfiretherocketsintotheatmosphere.In

afairlyshorttime,thealgewillbreakdownthecarbondioxideintooxygenand

carbon.

Whenthealgaehavedonetheriwork,theatmospherewillbecomecooler,butbefor

mancansetfootonVenusitwillbeneccessaryfortheoxygentoproducerain.The

surfaceoftheplanetwillstillbetoohotformantolandonitbuttherainwill

eventuallyfallandinafewyearssomethinglikeearthwillbereproducedonVenus.

1.Intelongrun,themostinsolubleproblemcausedbypopulationgrowthonearth

willprobablybethelackof.

a.food

b.oil

c.space

d.resources

2.CarlSaganbelievesthatVenusmightbecolonizedfromearthbecause

a.itmightbepossibletochangeitsatmosphere

b.itsatmosphereisthesameastheearth，s

c.thereisagoodsupplyofwateronVenus

d.thedaysonVenusarelongenough

3.OnVenusthereisalotof.

a.water

b.carbondioxide

c.carbonmonoxide

d.oxygen

4.Algaeareplantsthatcan.

a.liveinveryhottemperatures

b.liveinverycoldtemperatures

c.manufactureoxygen

d.alloftheabove

5.MancanlandonVenusonlywhen.

a.thealgaehavedonetheirwork

b.theatmospherebecomescooler

c.thereisoxygen

d.itrainsthere

答案:cabdd

Heroinaddictionstodayisfoundchieflyamongyoungmenofminoritygroupsinghetto(犹太人

(X")areas.Ofthemorethan60,000knownaddicts.morethanhalfliveinNewYorkState.MostofthemliveinNew

YorkCity.Recentfiguresshowthatmorethanhalfoftheaddictsareunder30yearsofage.

NarcoticaddictionintheUnitedStatesisnotUnitedtoheroinusers.Somemiddle-agedandolderpeoplewho

takenarcoticdrugsregularlytorelievepaincanalsobecomeaddicted.Sodosomepeoplewhocangetdrugs

easily,suchasdoctors,nurses,andpharmacists.Studiesshowthatthistypeofaddicthaspersonalityandemotional

problemsverysimilartothoseofotherregularnarcoticusers.

Manyaddictsadmitthatgettingacontinuedsupplyisthemainobjectoftheirlives.Anaddict'sconcentration

ongettingdrugsoftenpreventscontinuinganeducationorworkingatajob.Hishealthisoftenpoor.Hemaybe

sickonedayfromtheeffectsofwithdrawalandsickthenextdayfromanoverdose.Statisticsshowthatanaddiefs

lifespanmaybeshortenedby15to20years.Theaddictisusuallyintroublewiththefamilyandalmostalwaysin

troublewiththelaw.

Somestudiessuggestthatmanyoftheknownnarcoticaddictshadsometroublewiththelawbeforethey

becameaddicted.Onceaddictedjheymaybecomeevenmoreinvolvedwithcrimebecauseitcostssomuchto

supporttheheroinhabit.

Mostauthoritiesagreethattheaddict'sinvolvementwithcrimeisnotadirecteffectofthedrug

itsclf.Turningtocrimeisusuallytheonlywaytogetthatmuchmoncy.Thcaddicts'crimesarcnearlyalwaysthefts

orothercrimesagainstproperty.

FederalpenaltiesforillegalnarcoticsusagewereestablishedundertheHarrisonActof1914.ThcAct

providesthatillegalpossessionofnarcoticsispunishablebyfinesand/orimprisonment.Sentencescanrangefrom

2to10yearsforthefirstoffense,5to20yearsforthesecond,and10to20yearsforfurtheroffenses.

Illegalsaleofnarcoticscanmeanafineof$20,000andasentencefrom20to40yearsfbrlateroffenses.A

personwhosellsnarcoticstosomeoneunder18isrefusedparoleandprobation,evenfbrthefirstoffense.Ifthe

drugisheroin,hecanbesentencedtolifeimprisonmentortodeath.

ScientistssaytheyhavediscoveredhintsofalienlifeontheSaturn'smoon.Thediscoveryof

asortoflifewasannouncedafterresearchersattheUSspaceagency,NASA,analyzeddatafrom

spacecraftCassini,whichpointedto,theexistenceofmethane-basedformoflifeonSaturn's

biggestmoon.

ScientistshavereportedlydiscoveredcluesshowingprimitivealienbeingsareHbreathinguin

Titan'sdenseatmospherefilledwithhydrogen.

TheyarguethathydrogengetsabsorbedbeforehittingTitan'splanet-likesurfacecoveredwith

methanelakesandrivers.This,theysay,pointstotheexistenceofsome^'bugs,^consumingthe

hydrogenatthesurfaceofthemoonlessthanhalfthesizeoftheEarth.

“Wesuggestedhydrogenconsumptionbecauseitfstheobviousgasforlifetoconsumeon

Titan,similartothewayweconsumeoxygenonEarth,"saysNASAscientistChrisMcKay."If

thesesignsdoturnouttobeasignoflife,itwouldbedoublyexcitingbecauseitwouldrepresenta

secondformoflifeindependentfromwater-basedlifeonEarth."

Todate,scientistshavenotyetdetectedthisformoflifeanywhere,thoughthereareliquid­

water-basedmicroorganismsonEarththatgrowwellonmethaneorproduceitasawasteproduct.

OnTitan,wheretemperaturesarearound90Kelvin(minus290degreesFarenheit),amethanebased

organismwouldhavetouseasubstancethatisliquidasitsmediumforlivingprocesses,butnot

wateritself.WaterisfrozensolidonTitan'ssurfaceandmuchtoocoldtosupportlifeasweknow

it.

Scientistshadexpectedthe