This year the selfie earned its place as the Oxford English Dictionary’s 2013 Word Of The Year. It has taken over our culture --- and our smartphones. The rise of the selfie has become universal–between presidents, celebrities(名人) and citizens alike–and the trend is only continuing to grow.

A recent survey conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 54 percent of Internet users have posted original photos online. And of those hundreds of millions of photos, many are of selfie photos.
For example, currently there are nearly 62 million posted selfie photos on Instagram, the social media tool that has significantly contributed to the personal photo’s popularity. That figure, which continues to rise every day, doesn’t even begin to include the selfies shared on Facebook and Twitter.
What makes the selfie so attractive -- and why do we feel it a must to take one? According to Dr. Pamela Rutledge, psychologist and director of the Media Psychology Research Center, the desire to take, post and get “l(fā)ikes” on selfies goes back to a biological behavior of all humans.
“I think it influences our sense of social connection in the same way as it does when you go to a party and people say ‘Oh I love your dress,’” Rutledge told The Huffington Post. “Biological, social recognition is a real need and there is even an area of the brain that contributes to social activity.”
There is a way to adapt to the growing selfie culture. Whether you’re a selfie novice or an advanced poster, there are always things to be mindful of when you’re posting, Rutledge advises.
She offered two main principles to follow when it comes to posting on social media:
1. The Grandmother Rule
“Don’t post anything online, whether text or visual, that you don’t want grandmother or future employer to see,” Rutledge said. “Selfies especially.”
2. The Elevator Rule
“You wouldn’t say something in an elevator that you or no one else wants to hear -- the whole world of social media is an elevator,” Rutledge said. “Be aware of the breadth (寬度) of platform. It’s easy to think you’re sharing a photo with a few people, but Instagram is public and people can come across things.”
小題1:What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?

A．The selfie is taking the lead.

B．Many people are fond of smartphones.

C．The selfie will take over everything.

D．The selfie is an important new word.

小題2: According to the passage, people like “selfie” so much, because they ___________.

A．want to show off their new dresses

B．need to be acknowledged in social life

C．desire to share good things

D．mean to amuse the public

小題3: The underlined word “novice” in Paragraph 6 probably means “________”.

A．greenhand

B．publisher

C．novelist

D．celebrity

小題4:When it comes to posting on social media, Rutledge advises people to ______.

A．share photos only on Instagram

B．talk about your photos in an elevator

C．be cautious in posting things online

D．follow rules set by your grandmothers

A Smashing tradition: MIT Students Drop Piano
One of the highlights of the school year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology only lasts a few seconds but has a big influence. Residents of an MIT dormitory dropped an upright piano from their roof on 26^th April to celebrate the last day students can drop classes without having them appear on their college report.
About 200 onlookers watched as the piano crashed into a second piano, a baby grand, positioned on the ground six stories below for a better smash. People scrambled (爭先恐后) for souvenir pieces-keys, hammers, strings and splinters. The tradition began in 1972 at the Baker House dormitory and has been observed irregularly until 2006 when it became an annual event.
Crafton Family Comes Back Home after 7 Years at Sea
While most of us will love to go on a vacation for a week or two on a small private sailboat, without doubt, spending seven precious years on sea is something most of us will never imagine or dare to do. However, that is what an American family has done. Tom Crafton and Kathy Crafton along with their three children have traveled across the world on their 43-foot sailboat named Nueva Vida. Over the past seven years the family had sailed 30,000 miles and visited more than 20 different countries. The family has recently come back to their homeland.
_____________________________________________

Living in the limelight（聚光燈）can be difficult but as these splendid pictures show for one bear the tourist train never stops. This arctic animal loves nothing more than an audience and will even climb out of his snowy bed to give the crowd a wave. The funny poses(姿態(tài)) of the friendly polar bear were caught on camera by Swedish photographer, Hams Strand.
小題1:Which of the following is true about the first incident?

A．The typical style of celebration has been kept alive every year since1972.

B．Another small piano on the ground is meant to hold the falling one.

C．The students dropped the piano in celebration of their graduation.

D．The tradition became an annual event for MIT students several years ago.

小題2:The writer thinks Crafton family’s seven-year sailing is ______.

A．unusual

B．strange

C．common

D．doubtful

小題3:What would be the best subtitle for the third incident?

A．The Limelight Makes Polar Bear Live Hard

B．Splendid Pictures of Polar Bear Attract Tourists

C．The Tourist Train Would Stop without Polar Bear

D．Polar Bear Says Hello to Tourists with a Friendly Wave

小題4:The passage is probably taken out of ______.

A．a(chǎn) novel

B．a(chǎn) magazine

C．a(chǎn) diary

D．a(chǎn) report

Tiangong -- 1（or．Heavenly Palace）space module（艙）is the first step toward China’s plan to build a space station around 2020．Its launch（發(fā)射）by China has upset some countries，which are asking why China did not add on to the International Space Station that has been in place since 1998. After all, the Americans，Russians，Europeans and Japanese are using one platform to experiment in space．
Questions have also been asked about China’s final purpose in space and suggestions made that there is something as unpleasant as the theme in a James Bond movie，in which Chinese-looking enemies were at the root of some evil（邪惡的）plot to control the world．
Chinese don’t see themselves that way, and never in history have they been flag-planting settlers．Most Westerners are educated in the adventures of the great European explorers，headed by Christopher Columbus and James Cook，and followed closely by the groups of culture egotists（自大者）with a mix of guns，gold and the Bible in their hands．
In comparison，Zheng He，the great Chinese sailing master，took groups of ships to Africa and the Middle East to promote goodwill, with gifts of chinaware and art．No flags claiming（宣稱） possession of distant areas．But this is strange to Western society．
In this century，it is clear that space cannot be claimed by one nation．Yet advantage of technology in space does seem to be on some minds．Former US president Ronald Reagan caused shocks and worries with his Star Wars program．So when China shot down its own satellite as a test in January 2010 there were anxieties in the West about Star Wars 1ike scenario（劇本）becoming reality in the near future．
小題1:The launch of Tiangong -- 1 __________．

A．is appreciated by countries like the USA and Japan

B．will bring trouble to the western countries in space

C．is part of China’s plan to set up a station in space

D．will help China be a member of the Space Station

小題2:It is most probable that the US，Russia，Europe and Japan _______­­­­__．

A．a(chǎn)re competing against one another in space wars

B．feel anxious about China’s setting up a space station

C．a(chǎn)re cooperating to compete against China in space

D．have warned the world of China’s final purpose

小題3:The author of the passage mentions Zheng He _________．

A．to tell people China’s will never be enemies of world peace

B．to compare him to the great European explorers like Columbus

C．to indicate that he is the pride of the Chinese people

D．to show that the Chinese people are as great as other peoples

小題4:From the last paragraph，we can infer that _________．

A．China’s shooting down its satellite made the scenario become reality

B．some countries are trying to be ahead of the others in space exploration

C．China will be in control of the world if she starts space exploration

D．if a nation has a better technology in space，it will start a star war

Mark Thompson, the BBC’s director general, is expected to announce on Thursday that the BBC will quit its entire west London home -- possibly selling the land to Chelsea football club -- as part of main plans that will see more staff moved out of the capital to Salford and elsewhere．
The move is at the heart of the BBC’s long-awaiting cost-cutting strategy（策略）which will see nearly 2,000 more jobs going at the public broadcaster, and some original programming，such as daytime shows on BBC2, eliminated to save money．
Several thousand people are employed at the west London sites，including Thompson himself and the bosses of all the BBC’s television channels．The employees are expected to be relocated（重新安排）to Broadcasting House in central London, Salford, or elsewhere．
The BBC has been broadcasting at various locations in the Shepherd’s Bush area since moving into Lime Grove in 1949．It then switched to the Television Centre in 1960，and more modern offices at nearby White City．But it is now open to selling the site, and the broadcaster has had talks about attracting Premier League clubs Chelsea or Queen’s Park Rangers as buyers．Both clubs are looking for new homes．
Earlier leaks（透露）suggest that the BBC will seek to cut spending on sports where the corporation has already decided to share coverage of Formula 1 with Sky TV -- and imports，such as Mad Men and The Killing．BBC4 is expected to focus on “arts and archive（檔案）”, but Thompson has long ruled out closing any channels or radio stations．BBC1 and Radio 4 will be protected，but there are expected to be some cuts to local radio programs, which will see stations share shows outside breakfast and drive-time hours．
The corporation is already committed to remove TV Centre by 2015, but because parts of the building are listed, the football clubs have expressed an interest in the BBC’s White City offices instead，which could be knocked down. The White City building is where Thompson and the broadcaster's commercial division, BBC Worldwide, are based．
BBC sources say the 2,500 job losses being proposed（提議）include the 650 cuts to the World Service already announced, with up to l,000 coming from BBC News．It is understood that some staff who have only just made the move to Salford could see their jobs at risk. Salford is now home to Radio5 Live, children’s programs such as Blue Peter, and sports output including Match of the Day．
小題1:Why is the BBC planning to quit its west London home?

A．The BBC wants to earn more money．

B．The BBC would like to support British football sport．

C．The BBC is planning to save money for new programs．

D．The BBC has to cut down its cost．

小題2:The underlined word “eliminated” in the second paragraph means“_________”．

A．set aside

B．cut out

C．sold out

D．put on

小題3:What will happen if the BBC moves its home ?

A．Some original programmes will be adjusted．

B．All the BBC staff will have to work outside London．

C．More people will be employed for new programs．

D．Some TV channels or radio stations will be closed．

小題4:From the passage，we can learn that ________．

A．the BBC will cover Formula 1 on its own as usual

B．the football clubs are likely to buy some of the BBC’s offices

C．the BBC’s commercial division will be open to selling the sites

D．the BBC’s offices are all in the White City of London

When scientists accidentally killed what turned out to be the world’s oldest living creature, it was bad enough. Now, their mistake has been worsened after further research found it was even older – at 507 years.
The ocean quahog, a type of deep-sea clam, was dredged (捕撈) alive from the bottom of the North Atlantic near Iceland in 2006 by researchers. They then put it in a fridge-freezer, as is normal practice, unaware of its age. It was only when it was taken to a laboratory that scientists from Bangor University studied it and concluded it was 400 years old.
The discovery made it into the Guinness Book of World Records. However, by this time, it was too late for Ming the Mollusc(軟體動物), named after the Chinese dynasty when its life began. Unfortunately researchers who calculated Ming’s age killed it instantly by opening its shell.
The researchers opened the ancient clam up to judge its age by counting growth rings inside. But the rings were so close together that scientists ended up having to count the rings on the outside to be accurate, leading CBS journalists to point out that if scientists had just started there, Ming could have lived on. Now, after examining the quahog more closely, using more advanced methods, the researchers have found the animal was actually 100 years older than they first thought.
Dr Paul Butler, from the University’s School of Ocean Sciences, said: “We got it wrong the first time and maybe we were a bit hasty publishing our findings back then. But we are absolutely certain that we’ve got the right age now.” The mollusc was born in 1499 – just seven years after Columbus discovered America and before Henry VIII had even married his first wife, Catherine of Aragon in 1509.
A quahog’s shell grows by a layer every year, in the summer when the water is warmer and food is plentiful. It means that when its shell is cut in half, scientists can count the lines in a similar way that trees can be dated by rings in their trunks.
Jan Heinemeier, associate professor at the University of Denmark, who helped date Ming, told Science Nordic: “The fact that we got our hands on a 507-year-old animal is incredibly fascinating, but the really exciting thing is of course everything we can learn from studying the mollusk.”
小題1:At first, the scientists found that _____________.

A．The ocean quahog got a deadly disease

B．The growth rings inside were so close together

C．it was accurate to count the growth rings outside

D．The ocean quahog was 400 years old

小題2:Why did the scientists open the ancient clam up?

A．To count the growth rings outside of the clam.

B．To study how old the clam was.

C．To see the structure of it.

D．To give an immediate operation on it.

小題3:The sixth paragraph is mainly about_____________. 

A．How to calculate the age of a tree

B．Why a quahog’s shell grows by a layer each year

C．How to calculate the age of a quahog

D．Why a quahog likes it when the water is warmer

小題4:Which of the following is NOT true?

A．The researchers have got the right age of the ocean quahog.

B．The mollusc was born after Columbus discovered America.

C．The ocean quahog was named after the Chinese dynasty.

D．A quahog’s shell grows by a layer every season.

小題5:Where does the text probably come from?

A．A magazine of marine life.	B．A travel brochure.
C．A biography.	D．A science fiction.

Twenty-three-year old Rio Safiyanto sells face masks, or coverings, for about 30 cents each in central Jakarta, Indonesia. He makes enough money to buy a cell phone that permits him to visit websites. He says every average person has a cellphone. He likes having one because he can talk to his family when he is away from home. And, he is especially pleased that he can use it to listen to music. It is known as a feature phone 。That is because it is cheaper and cannot perform as many actions as more advanced phones like the Apple iPhone.
These devices make up the majority of cell phones sold around the world. They have proven more successful in places like Indonesia, where some smartphones cost 700 dollars or more. Although many lower-income users are new to smartphones, they are quickly learning to use the technology.
Cell manufacturer Nokia offers a service called Life Tools. For a small monthly payment, the company sends text messages to farmers. The messages tell of weather conditions, crop prices, agricultural news and give other advice.
Local businessman Aldi Haryopratomo has developed a way for small store owners to sell things like prepaid cellphone minutes and life insurance through text messages. Ruma is the company that developed the technology. The company is working on a system that will notify people about jobs in their area.
At a recent digital technology show in Jakarta, banks offered no-interest financing for credit card purchases. Marina Luthfiani manages a mobile shop in the area. She said almost everyone can buy a smartphone because of competitive financing and credit choices. She says Indonesians like to buy the latest devices.
A report last June by Semiocast, a French internet research company, said Jakarta was the world's top tweeting（發(fā)微博）city, ahead of Tokyo and London.
小題1:Why are feature phones popular in Indonesia?

A．It has fewer functions.

B．It can be used to enjoy music.

C．It is less expensive.

D．It is more attractive.

小題2:What is true of the service Life Tools?

A．It can sell agricultural products

B．It provides useful information to farmers

C．It is free of charge mainly for farmers.

D．It helps farmers to make production plan.

小題3:What does the underlined word “notify’ in Paragraph 4 mean?

A． Inform

B．Ask

C．Direct.

D．Help.

小題4:What is the main idea of the text?

A．Indonesians like services on the Internet

B．The Internet is widely used in Indonesia.

C．Feature phones are the only choices in Indonesia.

D．More and more Indonesians use smartphones.

Sydney—A shark savaged a schoolboy's leg while he was surfing with his father at a beach in Sydney on February 23．It was the third shark attack along the coast of Australia's largest city in a month．
The 15-year-old boy and his father were in the water off Avalon, on Sydney's northern beaches, around dawn when he was attacked．The city's beaches are packed with locals and tourists during the summer months．
"The father heard a scream and turned to see his son trashing （扭動） about in the water," police said．"Fortunately, the shark swam away and the boy was helped to shore by his father．
Lifesaving Club spokesman Nick Miller: "It got him around the top of his left leg and the father came and dragged him out of water．" He said the boy was bleeding heavily when he was brought to shore．"There was a lot of pain, as you can imagine"．The teenager was airlifted to hospital for treatment for leg injuries．
Police said the bites" cut through to the bone" , but the boy did not appear to have sustained any fractures （骨折）．He was in a stable condition now．
Several beaches were closed after the attack．Water police and lifeguards were searching for the shark, while police hoped to identify its species by the shape of the bite marks．But they said it was too early to say what type of shark attacked the boy．"I don't even know if he saw it," Miller said．
Many shark species live in the waters off Sydney's beaches, but attacks on humans are still relatively rare．However, there were two attacks on successive days earlier this month, one on a navy diver in Sydney harbor, not far from the famous Opera House, and the other on a surfer at the city's world-famous Bondi beach．
Fishermen say shark numbers are on the rise．There is a ban on commercial fishing in the harbor, which has increased fish stocks．Marine experts also claim environmental protection has created a cleaner environment, attracting sharks closer to shore as they chase fish．Many shark species, including the Great White—the man-eater made famous in Steven Spielberg's Jaws—are protected in Australian waters．
小題1:The report mainly tells us _______．

A．shark attacks on humans are on the rise

B．sharks attacked humans three times in one month

C．a(chǎn) boy was attacked by a shark at a Sydney beach

D．shark numbers are increasing in the waters off Sydney's beaches

小題2:The underlined word" savaged "in the first paragraph probably means _______．

A．a(chǎn)ttracted	B．dragged
C．bit	D．packed

小題3:What do we know about the city of Sydney from the passage?

A．It is one of the largest cities in Australia．

B．Sydney harbor is not far from the famous Opera House．

C．There are many locals and tourists on its coast all year round．

D．There are few shark species in the waters off Sydney's beaches．

小題4:All the followings are the causes of Australia's sharks increasing EXCEPT  that_______．

A．environmental protection has created a cleaner environment

B．a(chǎn) ban on commercial fishing has increased fish numbers

C．many shark species are protected in Australia waters

D．the film Jaws made the Great White famous

WASHINGTON—Laura Straub is a very worried woman. Her job is to find families for foreign teenagers who expect to live with American families in the summer.
It is not easy, even desperate.
“We have many children left to place—40 out of 75,” said Straub, who works for a foreign exchange programme called LEC.
When foreign exchange programmes started 50 years ago, more families were accommodating. For one thing, more mothers stayed at home. But now, increasing numbers of women work outside the home. Exchange-student programmes have struggled in recent years to sign up host families for the 30, 000 teenagers who come from abroad every year to spend an academic year in the United States, as well as the thousands more who take part in summer programmes.
School systems in many parts of the U.S., unhappy about accepting non-taxpaying students, have also strictly limited the number of exchange students they accept. At the same time, the idea of hosting foreign students is becoming less exotic(有異國情調(diào)的).
In search for host families, who usually receive no pay, exchange programmes are increasingly broadening their requests to include everyone from young couples to the retired.
“We are open to many different types of families,” said Vickie Weiner, eastern regional director for ASSE, a 25-year-old programme that sends about 30,000 teenagers on academic-year exchange programmes worldwide.
For elderly people, exchange students “keep us young—they really do”, said Jen Foster, who is hosting 16-year-old Nina Post from Denmark.
小題1:According to the text, why was it easier for Laura Straub to find American families for foreign students?

A．American school systems were better than now.

B．The government was happy because it could gain tax.

C．Foreign students paid hosting families a lot of money.

D．More mothers didn’t work outside and could look after children.

小題2:To deal with the problem in recent years, exchange programmes have to ______.

A．extend the range of host families

B．limit the number of the exchange students

C．borrow much money to pay for the costs

D．make hosting foreign students more exotic

小題3:Which of the following is the best title of this passage?
A Exchange Students Keep Old People Young.
B. Idea of Hosting Students is Different.
C. Foreign-exchange Program Is Going on.
D U.S. Struggle to Find host Families.

Here is some news of the future.
March 20. 2035
There was a lot of news around the life extension drugs that hit the market a decade ago. They didn't promise that you would live forever. but they gave you a chance to extend your life an extra five to ten years. Even though the life expectancy rate at birth has increased greatly. the life expectancy for seniors hasn't improved that much. Basically. you have a greater chance to become a senior, but you will not have a much longer lifespan, and this is where the anti-aging drugs intend to kick in. So ,do the anti-aging drugs work? Well.  it is too early to tell. But the sales so far are very good.
April 19, 2035
Of the total US population of 378 million, people over 65 years of age now make up 20% for the first time. The senior ratio was only 4.1% by year 1900. and l2.4% 30 years ago.
The number of people above 65 compared to those of what is considered working ages. between 15 and 64. is currently 33.7%. This is up from l85% since year 2005. which means that for every retired person there are now two workers. compared to four workers 30 years ago. The number of people above the age of 80 has grown t0 23.8 million; making them 6.3% of the total population compared t0 3.6% in 2005.
April 12. 2040
Although introduced in the market only five years ago, 10% of all hydrogen fuel now sold in the US is of the environmentally friendly Re-Hydro label, produced through. eletrolysis  (電解) based on a source of 1OO% renewable energy. Several producers have turned to producing Re-Hydro. mainly because of lower tax. which also keeps the price of. Re-Hydro on the same level as regular  hydrogen. Most analysts believe that Re-Hydro will be the .dominating fuel in the future
小題1:The sales of the life extension drugs so far clearly show that         .
A. people have no faith in them        
B people want to give them a try
C. they work very well for seniors      
D. they have no effect on people's health
小題2:What can we learn from News 2?

A．Many Americans will find it hard to find a job .

B．It's very hard for seniors to pass the age of 80.

C．The US population has been increasing rapidly since 2005.

D．The US population has been aging rapidly since 2005.

小題3:We can know from the passage that the fuel of the Re-Hydro label is______.
A. expensive           B cheap            C.green           D. dangerous
小題4:What can we infer from News 3?

A．Re-Hydro will be widely used in the future.

B．The government discourages the production of Re-Hydro.

C．Producers are not interested in producing Re-Hydro.

D．Re-Hydro is more expensive than regular hydrogen.

In the early hours of March 8, a Boeing 777 took off from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Its destination was Beijing. But for unknown reasons, it never arrived there.
There were 239 people on the Malaysia Airlines flight, including 154 Chinese. As of March 13, 12 different countries, including Malaysia, China, Vietnam and the US, were searching for the plane.
The disappearance is an “aviation (航空) mystery”, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, the head of Malaysia’s Civil Aviation Authority, said on March 10.There was no clear sign of a crash by March 13.
Between 1-2 hours after takeoff, the plane suddenly lost contact with people on the ground. The weather was clear, and the pilots didn’t make any calls . No evidence was found in the area where the flight last made contact. People are also talking about a possible hijacking (劫機).
International police agency Interpol confirmed on March 9 that at least two passengers on the flight had used stolen passports to get on board. “We are looking at all possibilities,” said Malaysian Transport Minister Hishamuddin Hussein. The incident is now being called simply a “plane disappearance”.
So, what are some possible causes of a plane disappearance? An AP story provided a summary.
1. A failure of the plane’s body or its engines. However, even if both engines stopped working, the plane could still glide (滑翔) for up to 20 minutes, giving pilots time to make an emergency call.
2. Bad weather. Planes are designed to fly through most severe storms. However, in June 2009, an Air France flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris crashed during a bad storm over the Atlantic Ocean.
3. A bomb. Throughout history, several planes have been brought down by bombs.
4. An accidental shoot-down by some country’s military. In July 1988, the US Navy accidentally shot down an Iran Air flight. In September 1983, a Korean Air Lines flight was shot down by a Russian fighter jet.
No matter how unlikely a situation, it’s too early to determine what really happened to MH370. It could take months, if not years, to rule out any possibilities, say experts..
小題1:How many cities are mentioned in this passage?

A．Four cities.

B．five cities.

C．Six cities.

D．Seven cities.

小題2:What could the underlined phrase “rule out” in the last paragraph mean?

A．cross out

B．get rid of

C．take out

D．take the place of

小題3:What could be the best title of the passage?

A．An Air Crash	B．The Causes of the Disappearance
C．The Disappearance of MH 370	D．An Aviation Mystery