第二部分 阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分，满分40分)

A

There is no question that teenagers need rules, which is often not a difficult thing for parents to give. What can be more challenging is giving teenagers their freedom. It can be difficult to draw the line between the two. However, some issues cannot be changed by discussion and require firm rules. For instance, rules should be established concerning driving the family car.

I will admit that I have no problem coming up with rules. To me they make life easier and they leave no room for questioning. What can be more difficult, however, is giving my teens their freedom. I guess there are really two primary reasons for this. One is that I sometimes am afraid to give them freedom. The second is that I’m not always so sure what the freedom should be.

It helps that I have a husband with whom I can discuss these problems. We talk about them, give our thoughts and then we come up with an agreement. Sometimes one of us might be more unwilling but we know that there comes a time when we really do have to learn how to let go of the reins (缰绳) a bit.

If we try to make life have nothing but rules, we are more likely to see our teen’s rebelling (反抗). They need to know that while we do have certain expectations, we also trust them to begin making their own choices and decisions. How else can they do that unless they are given the space and room to do it?

It’s really all about balance and I will be the first to admit that it can be a challenge to carry out. However, it is a necessary part of growing up. Yes, teens definitely need rules but they also need freedom.

31. According to the first paragraph, it is difficult to decide 　　　　.

A. whether the children need rules

B. whether the children should be given freedom

C. how much freedom should be given to children

D. what issues require non-negotiable rules

32. According to the text, we can infer that the author 　　　　.

A. refuses to give her children freedom

B. finds it difficult to make rules

C. doesn’t have a good relationship with her children

D. has trouble in giving freedom to her children

33. According to the author, only rules without freedom will make the children 　　　　.

A. strong-willed       B. rebellious     C. weak      D. independent

34. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Rules are difficult to make for parents.

B. Rules and freedom are similarly important.

C. We should give children freedom as much as possible.

D. Rules are more important than freedom.

B

If there ever was a study that people shouldn’t get too little sleep, it’s this one. People deprived (剥夺) of a good night’s rest are more likely to experience changes in brain activity that can increase the urge to eat high-calorie foods.

Matthew Walker at the University of California in Berkeley and his colleagues conducted the first study of brain activity in relation to food among sleep-deprived people. The team used fMRI (功能磁共振成像) to study brain patterns of 23 people, first after a night of peaceful sleep and then after a night without sleep.

Sleep deprivation reduced activity in three areas of the brain that helps process flavor signals. It also led to more activity in the amygdala (扁桃腺), which helps govern the motivation for eating. The team also found that volunteers considered the pictures of high-calorie foods more desirable after no sleep than after a good rest.

When the researchers compared people allowed to sleep as much as they wished with those who slept just two-thirds of their normal time, they found that sleep deprivation had direct effects on eating behavior. “When people were sleep deprived, they ate an extra 549 calories per day,” say the researchers.

“It may make evolutionary sense,” says Laurent Brondel at the University of Burgundy in Dijon, France. The long summer days at higher latitudes deprive animals of sleep, but animals use their time awake to eat more, which helps them get through the short days of winter when there is not enough food.

“That’s only part of the story, though,” says Stephanie Greer, another member of the team. The body does need more energy if someone remains awake for longer, but the high-calorie foods that become more desirable after sleep deprivation would more than meet this additional need. The changes in food desirability encouraged by the sleep-deprived brain may originally have been important adaptation but today they no longer benefit our health.

Brondel agrees with this conclusion. “Sleep deprivation could, by an unknown mechanism, modify the pleasant sensation and change eating behavior,” he says. Whatever the mechanism is, there’s one clear message from the study. “These findings provide opportunities to adjust our behavior in new ways to handle such health issues,” says Greer. “Specifically, our study indicates that one choice people can make is to regularly obtain enough amounts of sleep.”

35. Matthew Walker conducted the study on sleep-deprived people to _____.

A. learn more about sleep patterns

B. warn of the danger of high-calorie foods

C. show the importance of getting enough rest

D. find the relation between brain activity and food

36. It can be inferred from the passage that _____.

A. sleep-deprived people lost the motivation for eating

B. sleep deprivation sped up the processing of flavor signals

C. sleep deprivation had effects on the appetite for high-calorie foods

D. sleep-deprived people were uninterested in the pictures of tasty food

37. Which of the following is the correct cause-and-effect relationship?

A. Sleep deprivation → Eating behavior → Brain activity

B. Sleep deprivation → Brain activity → Eating behavior

C. Brain activity → Sleep deprivation → Eating behavior

D. Eating behavior → Brain activity → Sleep deprivation

38. What does the author mean by saying “That’s only part of the story” in Paragraph 6?

A. High-calorie foods can provide extra energy.

B. Sleep deprivation is not good for human health.

C. Sleep-deprived people are in need of more energy.

D. Sleep deprivation is helpful in the evolution of animals.