Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage:

　　It was 3:45 in the morning when the vote was finally taken. After six months of arguing and final 16 hours of hot parliamentary debates, Australia’s Northern Territory became the first legal authority in the world to allow doctors to take the lives of incurably ill patients who wish to die. The measure passed by the convincing vote of 15 to 10. Almost immediately word flashed on the Internet and was picked up, half a world away, by John Hofsess, executive director of the Right to Die Society of Canada. He sent it on via the group’s on-line service, Death NET. Says Hofsess: “We posted bulletins all day long，because of course this isn’t just something that happened in Australia. It’s world history.”

　　The full import may take a while to sink in. The NT Rights of the Terminally Ill law has left physicians and citizens alike trying to cet6w.com and practical implications. Some have breathed sights of relief, others, including churches, right-to-life groups and the Australian Medical Association, bitterly attacked the hill and the haste of its passage. But the tide is unlikely to turn back. In Australia—where an aging population, life-extending technology and changing community attitudes have all played their part—other states are going to consider making a similar law to deal with euthanasia. In the US and Canada, where the right-to-die movement is gathering strength, observers are waiting for the dominoes to start falling.

　　Under the new Northern Territory law, an adult patient can request death probably by a deadly injection or pill—to put an end to suffering. The patient must be diagnosed as terminally ill by two doctors. After a “cooling off” period of seven days, the patient can sign a certificate of request. After 48 hours the wish for death can be met. For Lloyd Nickson, a 54-year-old Darwin resident suffering from lung cancer, the NT Rights of Terminally Ill law means he can get on with living without the haunting fear of his suffering: a terrifying death from his breathing condition.“I’m not afraid of dying from a spiritual point of view, but what I was afraid of was how I’d go, because I’ve watched cet6w.com hospital fighting for oxygen and clawing at their masks,” he says.

　　36.Which of the following has the similar meaning to the sentence “But the tide is unlikely to turn hack”?

　　A) US and some other countries are waiting for the dominoes to start falling.

　　B) It is impossible to pass the bill.

　　C) Doctors are allowed by law to take the lives of the ill patients.

　　D) The fact that the NT Rights of the Terminally Ill Law has been passed probably can’t be changed.

　　37.From the second paragraph we learn that ______.

　　A) the objection to euthanasia is slow to come in other countries

　　B) physicians and citizens share the same view on euthanasia

　　C) changing technology is chiefly responsible for the hasty passage of the law

　　D) it takes time to realize the significance of the law’s passage

　　38.When the author says that observers are waiting for the dominoes to start falling, he means ______.

　　A) observers are taking a wait-and-see attitude towards the future of euthanasia

　　B) similar bills are likely to be passed in the US, Canada and other countries

　　C) observers are waiting to see the result of the game of dominoes

　　D) the effect-taking process of the passed bill may finally come to a stop

　　39.When Lloyd Nickson dies, he will ______.

　　A) face his death with calm characteristic of euthanasia

　　B) experience the suffering of a lung cancer patient

　　C) have an intense fear of terrible suffering

　　D) undergo a cooling off period of seven days

　　40.The author’s attitude towards euthanasia seems to be that of ______.

　　A) opposition B) suspicion C) approval D) doubt

　　Passage Four短文大意： 经过长时间的艰辛的努力，终于通过了有关安乐死的法律。有些人攻击该法案，想去推翻它，但是这并不能逆转局势，尽管认识到通过该法案的意义需要时间。

　　36. 【参考译文】与But the tide is unlikely to turn back相近意思是哪一项?【试题分析】本题为句意理解题。【详细解答】But the tide is unlikely to turn back可直译为：可这种潮流是不可逆转的。上文说：有些人攻击该法案，言外之意是有些人想推翻该法案。为什么不可能逆转局势?下文列举事例进行了说明。因此，答案为D项“NT Rights of Terminally I11法案事实是不可逆转的”，而不是A项(美国和其他国家等待着发生多米诺骨牌效应)，不是B项(不可能通过该法案)，也不是C项(法律允许医生剥夺病人的生命)。

　　37. 【参考译文】从第二段我们可以知道____。【试题分析】本题是道推理论断题。【详细解答】A)在别的国家里对安乐死的反对缓慢。B)医生和市民对安乐死持相同的观点。C)不断变化的技术对草率通过该法律应付主要责任。C)需要时间才能认识到通过该法律的意义。根据短文第二段，A、C两项文中未提到，易于排除，而B项干扰性很大。第二段第二句话说医生和市民同样需要从道义和实际两方面去对待安乐死这一问题，alike同样地 (adv.)，它修饰动词trying，而不是指“持相同意见”，而且紧接着下文说：一些人如释重负，另一些人则猛烈抨击，显然，观点是不一致的，故B不可选。D与短文第二段的首句意义一致;The full import may take a while to sink in.理解其全部含义需要时间(sink in理解=become understood, have a fixed place in mind)。

　　38. 【参考译文】作者说观察者们等待着多米诺骨牌效应的发生，他的意思是____。【试题分析】本题测试的是对文章段落的理解和推论。【详细解答】Dominoes本身是多米诺骨牌游戏，一块牌倒下，其他的全部跟着倒下，即发生连锁反应。根据短文第二段中的上下文，澳大利亚通过安乐死的法律，美国和加拿大的一些人“期待着多米诺骨牌开始倒下”，显然，这里是在暗喻期待类似发法律也相继在本国实施。因此，选项B(类似的法案和可能在美国和加拿大得以通过)的解释与题目意思最相近。

　　39. 【参考译文】当Lloyd Nickson去世之时，他将____。【试题分析】本题为间接推理题。【详细解答】文中并未直接说到Nickson怎样面对死亡，但根据他的话可知，他不怕死，而是害怕如何去死，害怕经历临走前因呼吸困难而垂死挣扎的痛苦。可如今，安乐死的法律已被通过，他不必这样提心吊胆了，正如文章最后部分所说：… law means he can get on with living without the haunting fear of his suffering: a terrifying death from his breathing condition.据此可知，选项A是正确答案，即Nickson将带着安乐死特有的平静去面对死亡。B、C是过去的情况，与安乐死合法化后的情况不符;文中虽然提到了病人在签字实施安乐死前需要七天稳定情绪，但是D项并非该题所问，故D也不能入选。

　　40. 【参考译文】对待安乐死作者是持____观点。【试题分析】本题考查的是间接推理能力。【详细解答】需要从字里行间去推断作者的态度。虽然文中作者并未直接表明自己的观点，但是作者通过列举事例暗示了自己的观点。首先，作者提到了加拿大的John Hofsess，并引用了他的话：“…这是世界历史上的大事。”接着在第二段中，作者提到了在美国和加拿大一些人期待着类似法律的相继实施，最后以Nickson为例说明了该法案得到了病人的拥护与欢迎，据此可知作者是持赞同(approval)观点的。