In all the world's cultures, people sing, play instruments, and celebrate with music． It plays such an important role in our lives that all fields focus on its study, including one looking at the biology of music． Experts are finding that because of the way our brains process music, learning to play an instrument or just listening to music can have a wide range of benefits．
Music education has received a lot of attention． Learning to play an instrument can help children improve math, science, and language skills． One study in Canada tracked children's IQ scores for nine months, discovering that children who studied music had the biggest test score improvements． The secret may lie in the way reading music and playing notes uses several areas of the brain, increasing our ability to learn school subjects． For example, reading notes improves spatial （空間的） reasoning skills, which are helpful in solving math problems like fractions（分?jǐn)?shù)）．
Music is also used for medical purposes, such as the treatment of diseases which affect memory． The secret lies in the way the brain processes music． One area near the forehead, the medial prefrontal cortex, connects music with memories stored in two other areas: the amygdale and hippocampus． That's why an old song can remind you of something that happened years ago． For patients suffering from diseases like Alzheimer's, listening to music can help unlock buried memories by strengthening musical pathways to memories．
With the evidence of music's benefits pouring in, it's no wonder some countries make  music study a part of their education systems． People are recognizing that more than just a  form of entertainment, music is also great for the brain．
小題1:Scientists are studying music because _______．

A．music can be used for medical treatments

B．music plays a very important role in our lives

C．our brains can possess music in different ways

D．music education has received a lot of attention

小題2:According to the Canadian study, which children had increased IQ scores?

A．Those who already had high IQs．

B．Those who had always played music．

C．Those who could not play any instrument．

D．Those who studied music for a period of time．

小題3: Which of the following is a kind of disease?

A．Spatial reasoning．	B．Alzheimer's．
C．The amygdale and hippocampus．	D．The medial prefrontal cortex．

小題4:What can be the best title for the text?

A．Music and health	B．Music and the mind
C．Music and education	D．Music and instruments

Does your child struggle in school? Is he or she afraid of reading out loud, writing an essay, or working out a math problem? While every kid has trouble with homework from time to time, if a certain area of learning keeps going wrong, it might show a learning disorder. Learning disorders, or learning disabilities, are a general term for a wide variety of learning problems.
A learning disability is not a problem with IQ or motivation (動(dòng)機(jī)). Kids with learning disabilities aren’t lazy or slow. In fact, most are just as smart as everyone else. Their brains are just wired (裝電線) differently. Simply put, children and adults with learning disabilities see, hear, and understand things differently. This difference affects how they receive and process (處理) information. This can lead to trouble in learning new information and skills, and putting them to use.
It can be tough to face the possibility that your child has a learning disorder. No parents want to see their children suffer. You may wonder what it could mean for your child’s future, or worry about how your kid will make it through school. But the important thing to remember is that most kids with learning disabilities are just as smart as everyone else. They just need to be taught in ways that suit their unique learning styles.
It’s not always easy to tell whether a child has learning disabilities, for learning disabilities look very different from one child to another. One child may struggle with reading and spelling, while another loves books but can’t understand math. Still another child may have difficulty understanding what others are saying or communicating loud. However, some warning signs are more common than others at different ages. If you’re aware of what they are, you’ll be able to catch a learning disorder early and quickly and take steps to help your child as quickly as possible.
小題1:From the passage, we can infer that_______.

A．students with learning disabilities look quite different from normal students

B．students with learning disabilities can’t do well in their studies

C．only few students with learning disabilities are as clever as normal students

D．it is quite possible for a students with learning disabilities to succeed in their studies

小題2:What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Learning about learning disabilities.

B．How to prevent learning disabilities.

C．Ways to identify learning disabilities.

D．Different learning disabilities.

小題3:What will be most probably discussed following the Paragraph 4?

A．Some ways which help parents teach their children with learning disabilities better.

B．Some suggestions on how to get along with their children with learning disabilities.

C．Some parents may have difficulties in helping their children with learning disabilities.

D．Some warning signs which show that a child may have learning disabilities.

About seven years ago, whenever I notice someone looked nice, I started telling them they looked nice. Shortly afterwards, I came up with an observation: If you tell five people during the day that they look nice, at the end of the day, six people feel great. Here are some fruitful experiences I have with this.
One day, I was riding with a friend when we rolled to a stop at the traffic light. As we waited for the light to turn green, a man walked across the crosswalk. He looked very together, so I called out, “Hey, you look sharp today!” Pointing towards a building, he said, “Thanks, but I was sharper there.” His comment puzzled me. But before I could ask about it, the light turned green, and we drove on. I asked my friend what he meant. My friend informed me that we were at the corner of a radio station and the man was the voice on the radio. Then I understood. But no matter who he was the biggest thing for me was that he was smiling when he accepted my compliment (贊揚(yáng)).
Later that day, there was a woman standing on the corner where we were turning, and I yelled (大喊) the compliment again, “You look nice!” She was just taking a sip of a bottle of water and started to laugh. I felt good to get a laugh.
Another day, while seated in a restaurant, there was a lady sitting near me. I really did not care for her skirt, but she did look nice in it, so I told her, “You look nice today.” She looked at me and rolled her eyes a little. Well, her friend sitting next to her told her, “He just gave you a compliment. Say thank you.” I don’t remember whether she said “thank you” or not, but what I did notice was that her friend was smiling at my “You look nice today” compliment.
小題1:The underlined word “sharp” in Paragraph 2 probably means_________.

A．a(chǎn)ttractive	B．sudden
C．strict	D．mild

小題2:Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A．The first man the author praised accepted his compliment.

B．The first man the author praised worked at a radio station.

C．The woman standing on the corner didn’t like the compliment

D．The friend of the lady in the restaurant felt happy about the compliment.

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

A．Fruitful Experiences

B．Help Others, Help Yourself

C．Learn to compliment.

D．“You Look Nice Today”

Animals seem to have the sense to eat when they are hungry and they do not eat more than their bodies need. It has been shown that rats will, when given a choice over a period of time, prefer water with vitamins(維生素) to water without vitamins, even though there is no difference in taste or smell between the two water bottles. When a sweet smell was added to the vitamins-enriched water, the rats did seem to develop a taste for it and kept drinking it, even after the vitamins were changed to the clear water. In time(最后), however, they broke the habit and went back to where the necessary vitamins were.
In experiments, babies of 6 to 12 months old were placed in a room with many choices of baby food before them. They were given whatever food they pointed to or appeared interested in. We are told that at first they showed some unusual eating habits, but over a period of time they managed to choose a well-balanced diet.
So in choosing food, rats and babies do seem to know what's best for them. Clearly, there is a kind of “body wisdom”, which humans soon lose. Most of us do not eat as wisely as we could. Many of our food preferences are culturally determined and influenced by old habits. Some people eat foxes, dogs and blackbirds, while we eat cows and pigs. So what people eat and how much they eat seem to be greatly influenced by what is going around them.
小題1: In the experiment on rats, a sweet smell was added to the rats’ drinking water to ________ .   

A．encourage rats to drink vitamins-enriched water

B．test whether rats know which drink is good for them

C．find out rats’ preference in flavor(口味)

D．show the vitamins are tasteless

小題2:Talking about eating habits, babies and rats are just like each other because ________ .

A．both have the wisdom to choose a balanced diet

B．both prefer flavored food and drink

C．both have the same eating habits

D．both develop a taste for the same kinds of food

小題3:In the experiment mentioned in the second paragraph, babies were ________ .

A．given many choices of drinks

B．placed and fed in a hospital

C．given all kinds of baby food

D．trained to select a balanced diet

小題4:Grown-up people’s eating habits differ from those of babies because ________ .

A．they know better than babies what kinds of food are good for their health

B．they usually cannot say no to all kinds of delicious foods

C．their eating habits have much to do with the social and cultural customs

D．they have more choices of food than babies in eating patterns

Passage 1
The information Highway is the road that links computer users to a large number of on-line services; the Web, e-mail, and software, to mention just a few. Not long ago, the information Highway was a new road, with not many users. Now, everyone seems to want to take a drive, with over 30 million families connected worldwide. Not surprisingly, this well-traveled highway is starting to look like a well-traveled highway. Traffic jams can cause many serious problems, forcing the system to close down for repair. Naturally, accidents will happen on such a crowed road, and usually victims are some files, gone forever. Then, of course, there’s Mr. Cool, with his new broad-band connection, who speeds down the highway faster than most of us can go. But don’t trick yourself; he pays for that speeding.
Passage 2
Want to know more about global warming and how you can help prevent it? Doctor Herman Friedman, who is considered a leading expert on the subject, will speak at Grayson Hall next Friday. Friedman studied environmental science at three well-known universities around the world before becoming a professor in the subject. He has also traveled around the world observing environmental concerns. The gradual bleaching (變白) of the Grate Barrier Reef, which came into the public eye in 2002, in his latest interest. Signed copies of his colorful book, which was published just last month, will be on sale after his talk.
小題1:The Information Highway________.   

A．a(chǎn)ppeals to a large number of users

B．is crowded with car drivers

C．offers just a few on-line services]

D．is free from traffic accidents

小題2:How does MR .Cool manage to travel the Information Highway so fast?

A．By storing fewer files.

B．By repair the system.

C．By using a broad-band connection.

D．By buying a better computer.

小題3:What can be learned from Passage 2?

A．There will be a book show at Grayson Hall

B．Friedman is now studying the Great Barrier Reef.

C．Friedman is a leading expert on computer science.

D．There will be a talk on global warming this week.

小題4:Passage 2 is most probably       

A．An ad for a new book.

B．A poster about a lecture.

C．A note to a doctor in a university.

D．An introduction to a professor.

小題5:According to the passage, which of the following statement is not true?

A．Doctor Herman Friedman is a famous expert on environmental science.

B．A new book has been published recently by Doctor Herman Friedman.

C．The colorful new book, signed by him, will be sold before the talk.

D．Doctor Herman Friedman has studied the changes of the Grate Barrier Reef.

Many of us believe that a person’s mind becomes less active as he grows older. But this is not true, according to Dr Jarvik, professor of psychiatry at the University of California. She has studied the mental functioning of aging persons for several years. For example, one of her studies concerns 136 pairs of twins (雙胞胎), who were first examined when they were already 60 years old. As Dr Jarvik continued the study of the twins into their 70s and 80s, their minds did not generally decline (衰弱) as was expected.
　　However, there was some decline in their psycho-motor speed. This means that it took them longer to finish mental tasks than it used to. But when speed was not a factor, they lost very little intellectual (智力的) ability over the years. In general, Dr Jarvik’s studies have shown that there is no decline in knowledge or reasoning ability. This is true not only with those in their 30s and 40s, but with those in their 60s and 70s as well.
　　It is true that older people themselves often complain that their memory is not as good as it once was. However, much of what we call “l(fā)oss of memory” is not that at all. There usually was incomplete learning in the first place. For example, the older person perhaps had trouble hearing, or poor vision, or was trying to learn the new thing at too fast a speed. In the cases where the older person’s mind really seems to get worse, it is not necessarily a sign of decline due to old age. Often it is simply a sign of a sad emotional state. 
小題1: This passage is mainly about _______.

A．what caused mental decline

B．a(chǎn) new discovery about mental decline

C．the difference between middle-aged and older persons

D．how Dr Jarvik studied mental functioning of the twins

小題2:The word “psychiatry” in paragraph 1 most probably means _______.

A．the study of diseases of the mind

B．the study of physical diseases

C．the study of twins’ growth

D．the study of human behavior

小題3:More often than not, what we call mental decline is actually a sign of _______.

A．a(chǎn) worsening state of health	B．old age
C．nervous tension	D．a(chǎn) state of unhappiness

Teachers and parents usually pay attention to the pictures when they read storybooks to preschool children. But a new study suggests that paying attention to the words and letters on the page may lead to better readers.
The two-year study compared children who were read to this way in class with children who were not. Those whose teachers most often discussed the print showed clearly higher skills in reading, spelling and understanding. These results were found one year and even two years later.
Shayne Piasta, an assistant professor of teaching and learning at Ohio State University, was an author of the study. She says most preschool teachers would find this method manageable and would need only a small change in the way they teach. They already read storybooks in class. The only difference would be increased attention to the printed text.
Ms Piasta says if you get children to pay attention to letters and words, it makes sense that they will do better at word recognition and spelling. But she says research suggests that very few parents and teachers do this in a systematic(系統(tǒng)的) way.
More than 300 children aged four and five were observed in classrooms in Ohio and Virginia. The children came from poor families and were below average in their language skills. This put them at risk of reading problems later. For 30 weeks, the children took part in a program called Project STAR. It tests the short-term and long-term results of reading regularly to preschool children in their classrooms.
There’re different ways that adults can talk to children about print. They can point to a letter and discuss it, and even trace the shape with a finger. They can point out a word, “This is a ‘dog’.” They can discuss how the words tell the story. And they can talk about the organization of the print—for example, showing how words are written left to right in English.
小題1:According to the text, Shayne Piasta _______.

A．worked in a middle school

B．didn’t attend the research at all

C．liked kids to be educated through words

D．hoped to increase kids’ interest through pictures

小題2:According to the text, Project STAR ____.

A．focused on adults’ education

B．was to study reading results

C．was mainly conducted at home

D．tested kids with good reading skills

小題3:What is the last paragraph mainly about?

A．Why words have meanings.

B．Different expressions of words.

C．How words are spelled differently.

D．Ways of teaching about print.

小題4: The text may appear in ____.

A．Child Development

B．Daily Technology

C．International Affairs

D．Health Development

Scores on a national test released(發(fā)布)on November 1 show that students in the U.S.A. have improved in math over the last two years, but mostly stayed the same in reading. This year, 422,000 fourth graders and 343,000 eighth graders took the exams between January and March. Students were asked to read grade-appropriate(年級(jí)適合的) materials and answer questions for the reading test. For the math test, students answered questions about geometry, algebra, number properties, measurement and other topics.
The U.S Department of Education released the scores in a report called The Nation’s Report Card (NAEP). This year, students earned the highest scores ever recorded on the math exam, which has been given since 1990.Fourth graders scored an average of 241.That is a one-point increase from 2009and a 28-point increase from 1990. Eighth graders made similar progress. Then average score this year was 284,up one point from 2009 and 21 points from 1990.
In reading, fourth graders scored an average of 221 points, the same average score since 2007.That score is four points above those from 1992, when the first reading test was given. Eighth graders scored an average of 265 points, up one point from 2009 and five points from 1992.
Education experts say reading is a harder subject to improve in the classroom than math. While math is largely learned in classrooms, reading results depend on how much kids read outside of school and how much they read in other subjects, such as history and science.
On the NAEP, math scores were the highest among students who have limited use of calculators(計(jì)算器) during math lessons, compared with students who have unlimited use or no use. Reading scores were the highest among students who said they read for fun on their own time almost every day.
小題1:According to the test, students in the U.S.A _______________________.

A．do better in math than in reading

B．work harder at reading than at math

C．prefer to learn math in their spare time

D．a(chǎn)re more interested in reading than before

小題2:In 1990, the fourth graders’ average score on the math exam was about____________

A．238

B．240

C．213

D．220

小題3:We can learn from the third paragraph that ______________.

A．eighth graders all took part in the test in 2007

B．reading scores have not improved much since 2007

C．eighth graders got higher scores than fifth graders

D．fourth graders’ scores are becoming lower and lower

小題4: What can we learn from the passage?

A．The first reading test was given in 1990.

B．Eighth graders’ average math score was 285 in 2009

C．Eighth graders got the same average as fourth graders in the reading this year

D．Reading is hard to improve in the classroom because that requires students to read a lot outside of school.

Thousands of teenagers will be able to transfer to a new wave of “studio schools” at the age of 14 to improve their chances of finding a job in UK. A dozen new-style schools are designed to act as a bridge to the workplace and cut the number of NEETs--young people not in education, employment or training.
Under plans, schools will operate longer days and work outside standard academic terms.
Each pupil will be expected to spend between four hours and two days a week on work placements with businesses linked to the school and teenagers will be assigned a personal coach to act as an academic “l(fā)ine manager”.
The reforms are put forward due to the fears that too many teenagers are now finishing full-time education lacking the skills needed to succeed in the workplace. According to a recent report, more than two-thirds of employers believe school and college leavers lack important “employability skills” such as customer awareness, while 55 per cent say they are unable to manage their time or daily tasks. And the number of NEETs has hit a record high, with almost one-in-five young people being left without a job or training place.
The Department for Education will announce the establishment of 12 studio schools -- meeting the need of around 3,600 teenagers -- in areas such as Liverpool, Stevenage, Stoke-on-Trent and Fulham, west London. Each one, opening in 2012, will be linked to a series of local employers. Under plans, pupils will be able to transfer out of ordinary schools to attend them between the age of 14 and 19.
The Government said all subjects would be taught “through projects, often designed with employers” -- with disciplines such as science being linked directly to local engineering firms or hospitals. Schools will operate a longer day to give pupils a better understanding of the demands of the workplace. Along with their studies, pupils will carry out work placements for four hours a week, rising to two days a week of paid work for those aged 16 to 19. They will also get the chance to take professional qualifications linked directly to the needs of local employers.
小題1:According to the passage, the NEETs are referred to those who ________.

A．often miss classes from school

B．refuse to take any kind of part-time jobs after school

C．depend on their parents to find jobs after they graduate

D．have no jobs without accepting education and work training

小題2: Compared to ordinary schools, studio schools will offer the young more ________.

A．interesting and lovely cartoons to make study easier

B．chances to get future jobs with expert job training

C．possibilities to make friends without going outside

D．lessons helping them to be admitted to universities

小題3:What makes the government decide to found studio schools?

A．The determination to solve the problem of lacking workers.

B．The doubt about whether full-time education is perfect.

C．The worry about educated people lacking working skills.

D．The increasing number of teens who drop out early.

小題4: What may most probably attract senior high school students at studio school?

A．They can find suitable jobs earlier with good qualification.

B．They will be admitted to top companies with received training.

C．They needn’t go to university thanks to received training here.

D．They may have more free time to find part-time jobs after school.

While learning the science lessons, I used to get a doubt--why ear, nose, tongue and eyes should be called as special senses? The basic reason is that these are the channels through which we maintain contact with the surroundings. Though apparently it may feel like these are individual sensory organs, they do show some connectivity. Interestingly, our hearing is less sharp after we eat a heavy food. Isn’t it good for a sound nap after a stomach-full meal? That does not mean we go deaf after a meal, but the hearing pitch（強(qiáng)度）does change after a heavy meal.
We usually give credit of the taste to our tongue, but do you know that unless saliva（唾液）dissolves something, our tongue cannot recognize the taste of the food eaten. Taste is nothing but the food chemicals dissolved in the saliva being sensed by the taste buds（味蕾）present on the tongue. Try to dry off your tongue and mouth with a tissue paper and then taste something.
Women are much better smellers than men. They are born with this characteristic ability and can correctly recognize the exact fragrance of the sample. We all can store almost 50,000 different smells, which are strongly tied to the memories.
Pupils（瞳孔）do not respond to light alone, but to the slightest bit of noise around too. Thus surgeons, watchmakers and those professionals who have to perform a much delicate job do prefer to have a sound-free environment. Even a small noise can enlarge their pupils, change the focus and make their vision less clear.
Each and every one of us has a particular or individualistic or characteristic smell, which is unique to us, except the twins. This smell is very subtle yet can be sensed even by a newborn. It may be due to this smell that the newborn recognizes the presence of his parents around.
小題1:What may happen after you have had a rich lunch?

A．Your eyes become weak and can not see well.

B．You may feel energetic and fresh.

C．Your hearing pitch may be decreased.

D．Your tongue may lose the function of taste.

小題2:. What does the author mean by the underlined sentence in paragraph 2?

A．Our tongues can’t be dried while eating something.

B．If your tongue is dried without any saliva on it, it will not work.

C．A tissue paper is the only thing that can be used to dry our tongues.

D．If your tongue is dried with a tissue paper, it may work as well as before.

小題3:What makes each person different from anyone else except twins according to the passage?

A．The number of sensory organs.

B．The functions of sensory organs.

C．The particular smell of a person.

D．The style of one’s behavior.

小題4:Which of the following may be the best title of this passage?

A．The Sensitivity of Sensory Organs

B．The Functions and Connections of Sensory Organs

C．A Newborn’s Sensory Organs

D．Different Senses Between Men and Woman