There are many wetlands(濕地) in China and some of them have become the world’s important wetlands. The Chinese Yellow Sea Wetlands are among them. They are in Yancheng，Jiangsu Province. They are home of many different kinds of birds and animals. The world’s largest Milu Deer Nature Reserve(自然保護(hù)區(qū)) is in them. More than 700 milu deer live freely there.
The temperature in the wetlands is usually neither too high nor too low. There is a lot of rain and sunshine，too. They are really good places for wildlife. Offering food and home for some special kinds of animals and birds is not the only reason why we need to protect wetlands.
Wetlands are important because they also prevent flood. But some people want to change the wetlands to make more space for farms and buildings. This means there will be less and less space for wildlife.
Luckily, more and more people are beginning to realize the important of wetlands and wildlife. Every year, on February 2nd many activities are held to tell people more about wetlands around the world.
小題1: Which animal is mentioned in the passage?
   
A                  B                   C                 D
小題2:Usually the weather in the wetlands is ____.

A．hot

B．mild

C．cold

D．dry

小題3:The reasons for protecting wetlands are the following except that ______

A．they are home of wildlife

B．they can prevent flood

C．they offer food to the wildlife

D．they will be good farmland

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

A．China’s wetlands –the Biggest One in the World

B．Wetlands --- Home of Wildlife and Human Beings

C．Special Animals --- Found in Yellow Sea Wetlands

D．Wetlands --- the Last Valuable Land on the Earth

完形填空（共20小題；每小題1分，滿分20分）
The world always makes way for the dreamer !
When I was twelve years old, my father took me to see Zig Zigler. I remember sitting in that dark hall listening to Mr. Zigler   36  everyone’s spirits up to the ceiling. I  37  there feeling like I could do anything. When we got to the car, I turned to my father and said, “Dad, I want to   38  people feel like that.” My father asked me   39   I meant. “I want to be a motivational(激發(fā)積極性的)speaker just like Mr. Zigler,” I replied.  A（An）  40  was born.
Recently, I began seeking my dream of motivating others.  41  a four-year relationship with Fortune 100 Company   42  as a sales-trainer and ending as a regional(地區(qū)的) sales manager, I left the company at the height of my   43 .  Many people were  44  that I would leave after earning a six-figure income(收入). And they asked   45  I would risk everything for a dream.
I made my   46   to start my own company and leave my worryingless position(職位)after 47  a regional sales meeting. The vice-president of our company made a   48   that changed my life. He asked us, “If a god would offer you three wishes, what would they be?” After giving us a   49  to write down the three wishes, he then asked us, “Why do you need a  50   ?” I would never forget the power I felt at that moment. I realized that   51  I had accomplished(完成；實(shí)現(xiàn)) in the past had prepared me for this moment. I was ready and didn’t need a god’s help to become a motivational speaker. A motivational speaker was   52  .
Having made that decision, I was immediately   53 . One week after I gave notice, my husband was laid off (下崗) from his job, and now we had no  54  . But I held fast to my dream. The wonder really began to happen. In a short time my husband found a better job. And I was able to book several   55  engagements（業(yè)務(wù)）with new customers. I discovered the unbelievable power of dreams.

小題1:	A．rise B．do C．put D．raise

小題2:	A．left B．came C．a(chǎn)rrived D．reached

小題3:	A．get B．hope C．make D．cheer

小題4:	A．that B．what C．which D．if

小題5:	A．dream B．idea C．girl D．speaker

小題6:	A．After B．Before C．Because D．While

小題7:	A．beginning B．working C．a(chǎn)cting D．regarding

小題8:	A．life B．love C．money D．career(事業(yè))

小題9:	A．disappointed B．moved C．surprised D．delighted

小題10:

A．when B．why C．if D．how

小題11:

A．plan B．promise C．decision D．mind

小題12:

A．a(chǎn)ttending B．joining C．entering D．holding

小題13:

A．newspaper B．book C．report D．speech

小題14:

A．day B．second C．week D．moment

小題15:

A．love B．worker C．god D．company

小題16:

A．everything B．a(chǎn)nything C．nothing D．something

小題17:

A．a(chǎn)live B．dead C．missing D．born

小題18:

A．examined B．searched C．found D．tested

小題19:

A．help B．harm C．income D．money

小題20:

A．selling B．speaking C．writing D．listening

From a plane we can see the fields, cities, mountains or seas below. If we go into space, we see more and more of the earth. People and man-made satellites have been sent out into space to look at the earth carefully and people have learnt more about the earth in the last few years.
The sea looks very beautiful when the sun is shining on it. But it can be very terrible when there is a strong wind.
The sea is very big. It nearly covers three quarters of the earth. The sea is also very deep in some places. There is one place and at that place the sea is about 11 kilometers deep. The highest mountain in the world is about 9 kilometers high. If that mountain was put into the sea at that place, there would be still 2 kilometers of water above it!
In most parts of the sea, there are many kinds of fishes and plants. Some live near the top of the sea. Others live deep down. There are also a lot of small living things, and lots of fishes live by eating them.
The sea can be very cold. When people go down, the sea becomes colder and colder. Only some men can go down into the deep sea. But, in 1970, five women scientists (科學(xué)家) lived in the deep sea for fourteen days.
小題1:This passage is_________.

A．a(chǎn) short story	B．for science reading
C．a(chǎn) piece of news	D．a(chǎn) report

小題2:The sea covers about _______of the earth.
A One third         B. One fourth
C. Two quarters    D. Three fourths
小題3: Which of the following is NOT true?

A．The sea is usually beautiful when the sun is shining.

B．The sea is always very terrible when the wind blows hard.

C．The highest mountain is in the deepest place of the sea.

D．The deeper the people go into the sea, the colder they will feel.

小題4: The last sentence “But, in 1970, five women scientists lived in the deep sea for fourteen days.” means that________.

A．women wanted to live in the deep sea for a long time

B．women could go deeper into the sea than men

C．women liked living in the deep sea better than men

D．women could do the same work as men

Aggie Bonfire (篝火) was a long-standing tradition at Texas A&M University as part of the college rivalry (競(jìng)爭(zhēng)) with the University of Texas at Austin. For 90 years, Texas A&M students—known as Aggies—built and burned a bonfire on campus each autumn. Known to the Aggie community simply as "Bonfire", the annual autumn event symbolized Aggie students' "burning desires”. The bonfire was traditionally lit around Thanksgiving in connection with festivities surrounding the annual college football game.
Although early Bonfires were little more than piles of trash, as time passed, the annual event became more organized. Over the years the bonfire grew bigger, setting the world record in 1969. Bonfire remained a university tradition for decades until, in 1999, a collapse during construction killed twelve people—eleven students and one former student—and injured twenty-seven others.
The accident led Texas A&M to declare a pause on an official Bonfire. However, in 2002, a student-sponsored-and-off-campus "Student Bonfire" came up.
In 2003, the event became known as Student Bonfire. In a design approved by a professional engineer, Student Bonfire uses a wedding cake design, but, in a departure from tradition, every log in the stack (堆) touches the ground. For added support, four 24 feet poles are spaced evenly around the stack and then bolted to the 45 feet center pole with a steel pipe. Since the group does not receive funding, Student Bonfire charges a fee to each attendee to cover expenses. Attendance for Student Bonfire ranges from 8,000–15,000 people and the event is held in Brazos County or one of the surrounding counties.
小題1:When did Aggie Bonfire come into being?

A．In 2003.	B．1999.
C．1909.	D．2002.

小題2: Which of the following statements is true according to the above passage?

A．Texas A&M University started Aggie Bonfire.

B．The University of Texas at Austin started Students Bonfire.

C．Texas A&M University and The University of Texas started Students Bonfire.

D．Texas A&M University and The University of Texas started Aggie Bonfire.

小題3:Why did Aggie Bonfire once stop?

A．Too many people wanted to join in it.

B．Some serious accidents occurred during the activity.

C．It ran out of fund and then stopped.

D．There were no official supports.

小題4: Which of the following might serve as the best title of the whole passage?

A．From Aggie Bonfire to Student Bonfire.

B．A brief history of American Bonfire.

C．Why not join Bonfire?

D．Bonfire in Texas of the United States.

Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed a stricter nationwide health standard for smog-causing pollutants that would bring substantial benefits to millions of Americans. With a final rule expected by the end of this month, some opponents, mainly from industrial and oil-producing states, are pushing back. They say investments required to produce cleaner air are too expensive and not scientifically justified.
Lisa Jackson, the E.P.A. administrator, needs to stick to her guns. This is only the first of several political tests to come this fall, as she also seeks to tighten rules governing individual pollutants like mercury and global warming gases like carbon dioxide.
The health standard she is proposing covers ground-level ozone, commonly known as smog, which is formed when sunlight mixes with pollutants from factories, refineries, power plants and automobiles. Ozone is a major health threat, contributing to heart disease and various respiratory (呼吸道的) problems.
Ms. Jackson’s proposal—to reduce the permitted level of smog in the air from the current 75 parts per billion to between 60 parts per billion and 70 parts per billion—is sensible, no matter what industry’s defenders may claim. It had been recommended by the agency’s independent scientific panel but rejected by the Bush administration, which proposed a weaker standard.
Industry will have to make investments in cleaner power plants, and new technologies may be required. As it is, about half the counties that monitor ozone levels are not yet in compliance with current standards, let alone the proposed standard.
Fears about burdening industry raised by critics like George Voinovich, a Republican of Ohio, and Mary Landrieu, a Democrat of Louisiana, cannot be dismissed out of hand, especially in the middle of a recession (蕭條). But the health benefits, E.P.A. says, far outweigh the costs, and the time frame for compliance (服從) is generous.
小題1:Why are some people strongly against a stricter limitation of smog-caused pollutants?

A．Because they have to live a poorer life.

B．Because they think they have to spend more money.

C．Because they hold different political view.

D．Because they want to make more money.

小題2: What does Ms Jackson propose to do?

A．To reduce the permitted smog level as much as possible.

B．To raise the permitted smog level as much as possible.

C．To keep the permitted smog level from 60 to 70 to 75 parts per billion.

D．To lower the permitted smog level from 75 to 60 to 70 parts per billion.

小題3:What is the attitude of the author to the smog-controlling issue?

A．Objective.

B．Subjective.

C．Critical.

D．Unknown.

小題4:Which of the following can serve as the best title of the whole passage?

A．Cleaner power plant on the way.

B．Say no to smog pollutants.

C．Lower smog pollutant, better our life.

D．Debate on smog pollutants.

Never argue with one's own understanding.
The whisper of intelligence is always there, whatever you do.
If you create a time lag (隔絕層) between the whisper of intelligence and understanding in you and your action, then you are preventing the brain from growing into a new size. When you argue with intelligence, when you postpone acting according to understanding then there is confusion, the brain gets confused.
The voice of understanding, the voice of intelligence has insecurity about it. How do you know that it is the right thing?
So we tend to ignore it. Instead we accept authority. We obey.
But the brain cannot be orderly, competent, accurate and precise if you do not listen to it, if you have no respect. We are so busy with the outside world and its force that the world that is inside us does not command that respect and reverence (敬重), that care and concern from us.
So one has to be a disciple (信徒) of one's own understanding, and look upon that understanding as the master.
Sometimes one may commit a mistake, it might be the whim (念頭) of the ego and we might mistake the whim, the wish of the ego for the voice of silence and intelligence, but that we have to discover. Unless you commit mistakes, how do you learn to discriminate between the false and the true? In learning there is bound to be a little insecurity, a possibility of committing mistakes. Why should one be terribly afraid of committing mistakes?
So instead of accepting the authority of habits and conditionings, while one is moving one watches, and when there is a suggestion, do not neglect, ignore, or insult the whisper from within and from one's own intelligence.
小題1:What will happen if you refuse to follow your own understanding according to the above passage?

A．Your brain will become smaller.

B．You will never get help from authority.

C．You will hardly know the world.

D．Your own intelligence will stop growing.

小題2:What is the function of committing mistakes from the view of the author?

A．Mistakes can make one practical.

B．Mistakes can make one know the facts.

C．Mistakes can allow one more time to develop.

D．Mistakes can improve one’s judgment.

小題3: The whole passage is developed by ______.

A．facts and ideas	B．reasoning and explaining
C．scientific experiments	D．a(chǎn)rguing and debating

小題4:The best title of the passage might be ______.

A．Never argue with your own understanding

B．Never believe any authority while arguing

C．Never neglect whispers from around you

D．Never stop training yourself.

Hundreds of students from around the world gathered in New York City last week for the Microsoft Imagine Cup finals. They came to present their ideas for using technology to solve world problems.
Microsoft education director Suzi Levine says the nine-year-old program began mainly as a competition to create technology.
SUZI LEVINE: "When we realized that students really actually want to have a purpose for what they're creating, we introduced the idea of inspiring them with the UN Millennium Development Goals and suggesting that they use those for their muse(靈感). "This past year we also rolled out something called the Imagine Cup Solve This library（創(chuàng)新杯求解計(jì)劃知識(shí)庫(kù)）, where IGOs, NGOs and nonprofits can submit some of the technical challenges that they would like students to consider for their solutions."
Microsoft says over 350，000 high school and college students registered for this year's competition. Judges chose more than four hundred of them to attend the finals.
SUZI LEVINE: "One from Thailand was called NewKrean, where they created a Windows Phone 7 application that allows you to broadcast your location to your social network of friends so that you can be more easily rescued." They named their application Terra.
Suzi Levine says there were also ideas from Egypt inspired by the revolution that overthrew president Hosni Mubarak in February.
SUZI LEVINE: "One was to use Bluetooth as sort of a Twitter equivalent so that if the government shuts down the Internet, you actually can still have a massive social distribution."
Students competed in nine categories. For example, in software design the top prize of twenty-five thousand dollars went to Team Hermes from Ireland. The students developed a device for cars to collect information on road conditions, driving behavior and traffic incidents.
A team from Taiwan's National Tsing Hua University won first place in the embedded（內(nèi)嵌的） development category. They developed a network of wireless devices to help plot the safest escape routes during a fire.
Next year's awards ceremony will take place in Australia. Registration for Imagine Cup twenty-twelve opened Friday. Also, Microsoft announced plans for a three million dollar program to help Imagine Cup winners further develop their projects.
小題1:Which of the following is true ?

A．The program is sponsored by Microsoft.

B．Next year, the awards ceremony will be held in New York City.

C．Any high school or college student can attend the finals.

D．The initial purpose of the program is to solve world problems using technology.

小題2: What can we infer from the third paragraph?

A．The UN offers great help to the program.

B．Microsoft sets up a library for the students who want to achieve their goals.

C．IGOs, NGOs and nonprofits also provide help for the students.

D．Microsoft takes effective measures to inspire the students.

小題3:What does the underlined word “overthrew ” in Paragraph 6 mean ?

A． Abandoned

B．Supported

C．Drove away

D．Overturned

小題4:What can we know from Paragraph 7?

A．They want to replace Bluetooth with Twitter.

B．They want to combine Bluetooth with Twitter.

C．They want to replace Twitter with Bluetooth.

D．Twitter can still be used without the Internet.

The quality of water supply in southern Beijing has been improving in recent years, an official said.
In addition to improvements in the network of pipes, the government has been upgrading three recycled water plants in the south of the capital, said Zhao Lei, spokesman for the Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform.
"The transformation of the three plants has increased the recycled water processing capacity by 160,000 cubic meters per day," he said.
In addition, the city is also speeding up the construction of sewage treatment plants to further recycle the sewage, Zhao said.
Zhang Xiang, a researcher from Nature University, an environmental protection NGO in Beijing, said recycled water use should be promoted, especially in water-scarce cities such as Beijing.
Setting up more recycled water plants in the capital will not only promote efficient water use, but also reduce costs because recycling water is much cheaper than transferring it over long distances, he said.
According to the Beijing Water Authority, the capital will set up 46 more recycled water plants citywide in the next three years while upgrading 20 sewage treatment plants.
The treatment rate of domestic sewage in downtown Beijing will reach 98 percent by the end of 2015, it said.
The capital's recycled water is mainly used for industry, landscaping and cleaning, Zhang said.
Many new communities in southern Beijing are equipped with a network to recycle water.
In the past, people were not enthusiastic about using recycled water. However, as the government has boosted the quality of recycled water and set up more recycled water plants, more residents are gradually accepting it.
Residents in southern Beijing will also enjoy more clean energy, as the government will replace traditional coal-burning stoves with electric radiators as part of a three-year plan to develop southern Beijing from 2013 to 2015.
Since 2010, Beijing has taken measures to develop its southern areas. Earlier efforts have seen the region, which used to rely heavily on low-end industries such as cement factories and small coal mines, being turned into a bustling commercial center and home to many educational institutions.
小題1:This passage may appear in ________ section.

A．business

B．life

C．politics

D．forum

小題2:which statement is true according to the passage

A．Recycled water will be mainly used for drink.

B．As usual, recycled water is accepted by people.

C．Traditionally people in southern Beijing use coal-burning stove for cooking.

D．The water Transferred over long distance is cheaper than recycled water.

小題3: How many recycled water plants will the capital city have in about 3 years?

A．46.

B．20

C．3

D． 49

小題4: What does the last paragraph mainly tell us?

A．Southern area in Beijing has taken on a new look.

B．The southern area is hone to many educational institutions

C．Southern area in Beijing is more beautiful now.

D．Southern area in Beijing is a busy place now .

小題5: Which is the best title for the passage?

A．Beijing government has taken measures to improve its people`s life.

B．Recycled water flows to southern Beijing.

C．More recycled water plants will be built.

D．The southern Beijing residents will enjoy clean water

Eleven top universities are joining the Open University to launch free Internet courses. King’s College London, along with the Universities of Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, East Anglia, Exeter, Lancaster, Leeds, Southampton, St Andrews and Warwick, has partnered with FutureLearn, a company set up by the Open University that will offer free and non-credit bearing courses to Internet-users around the world.
The courses are modeled on the US phenomenon “Massive open online courses” ( Moocs ), which have attracted millions of users around the world and are especially popular in emerging economies.
FutureLearn will improve UK institutions for international students, said Prof Martin Bean, voice-chancellor of the Open University. “At the moment, foreign students’ perception of UK Universities is: wonderful history, great tradition, really good teaching, but a bit boring.”
Leeds University says the partnership will benefit students studying on campus. “Students will have access to a rich set of resources from both Leeds and our partners. They can also broaden their education beyond their main subject areas.”
The UK higher education industry stands among the top five export earners for Britain Moocs have grown rapidly in the US over the past year, with two providers leading the field. Coursera offers courses from 33 Universities, including Princeton, Brown, Columbia and Duke, and has reached more than 1.7 million users, EdX, a nonprofit start-up from Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology courses this autumn.
Simon Nelson, one of the key architects of BBC Online, will head FutureLearn as launch CEO. “It’s really meaningful for these universities to come together –we’ll punch much harder collectively than any other university will individually,” he said.
Partner Institutions will be responsible for their own content while the OU, which has been providing distance-learning courses since 1971, will assist with course delivery and infrastructure. Details of further universities will be revealed next year, as will the courses on offer.
小題1: What does the underlined word “perception” in paragrah3 mean?

A．expectation

B．view

C．dream

D．proposal

小題2: We can learn from the passage that              

A．Coursera, one of the two providers, leads the online courses in the US.

B．Economics is the most popular subject among these online courses.

C．FutureLearn is only set up for the Internet-users.

D．About 1,7million users are taking the free courses launched by UK.

小題3:What is implied in Simon’s words?

A．It’s really meaningful for these universities to cooperate.

B．Single university can’t do the work very well.

C．These universities will compete with each other.

D．Joint efforts by these top universities will help the program go more smoothly.

小題4:All of the following statements are true except             

A．Internet-users don’t need to get credit for the courses.

B．UK may top the list of online education one day.

C．The UK higher education industry stands among the top five export earners for England.

D．Some foreign students may think UK universities are not so satisfying.

小題5: In which magazine would you most likely find this passage?

A．Entertainment

B．Science

C．Education

D．Business Week

Some American parents might think their children need better educations to compete with China and other countries. But how much do the parents themselves need to change?
A new book called Battle Hymn(圣歌) of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua has caused a debate about cultural differences in parenting. Ms. Chua is a professor at the Yale Law School in New Haven, Connecticut, and the mother of two daughters. She was raised in the American Mid-west by immigrant Chinese parents.
In the Chinese culture, the tiger represents strength and power. In her book, Ms Chua writes about how she demanded excellence from her daughters. For example, she threatened to burn her daughter’s stuffed animals unless she played a piece of music perfectly. She would insult her daughters if they failed to meet her expectations.
Ms. Chua told NBC television that she had a clear list of what her daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were not permitted to do.
“Attend a sleepover, have a playdate, watch TV or play computer games, be in a school play, get any grade less than an ‘A’.”
Many people have criticized Amy Chua. Some say her parenting methods were abusive. She even admits that her husband, who is not Chinese, sometimes objected to her parenting style. But she says that was the way her parents raised her and her three sisters.
Ms. Chua makes fun of her own extreme style of parenting. She says she eased some of the pressure after her younger daughter rebelled and shouted, “I hate my life! I hate you!”
Ms. Chua says she decided to retreat when it seemed like there was a risk that she might lose her daughter. But she also says American parents often have low expectations of their children’s abilities.
“One of the biggest differences I see between Western and Chinese parenting is that Chinese parents assume strength rather than fragility.”
Stacey DeBroff has written four books on parenting. “I think that the stirring of intense debate has to do with what it means to be a successful parent and what it means to be a successful child.”
Ms. DeBroff says Amy Chua’s parenting style is not limited to Chinese families. She says it represents a traditional way of parenting among immigrants seeking a better future for their children.
But she also sees a risk. When children have no time to be social or to follow their own interests, they might not develop other skills that they need to succeed in life. Stacey DeBroff advises parents to develop their own style of parenting and not just repeat the way they were raised.
小題1:According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE about American parents?

A．Some of them expect their children to be competitive.

B．Some of them need to educate themselves better.

C．They should learn from Chinese parents.

D．They care their kids more than Chinese.

小題2:What can we learn about Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother?

A．It is a list of things for children to do.

B．It is a book about cultural differences.

C．It is a heated debate about parenting.

D．It is a book about how to raise children.

小題3:Based on the passage, Ms. Chua’s parenting is exposed to the following EXCEPT           

A．pressure

B．management

C．recreation

D．compromise

小題4: Which of the following agrees with Ms. DeBroff?

A．Different cultures have different concepts of values.

B．Chua’s parenting is followed by many American families.

C．Immigrants are always bitterly struggling abroad.

D．Parents had better raise their children in person.

小題5: What’s the author’s attitude towards Ms. Chua’s parenting?

A．Positive

B．Inactive

C．Indefinite

D．Negative