As children grow up, they become curious about different kinds of things. When they are babies, they are interested in the parts of their bodies and in the smiles of their mothers. The they become interested in the physical world around them: the plants, the
animals, the sky. Later, they become interested in the things that people have made: wheels, bicycles, cars. And when they are adults, their curiosity continues. Sometimes this curiosity leads to a career (生涯、職業(yè)) in science.
Scientists spend their lives trying to find out about the world. Those who work with the earth sciences study the earth, the oceans, and the skies. Other scientists who study living things work with the biological sciences. A third group of scientists study the physical sciences, e. g. physics, chemistry .
These scientists have already discovered a lot about our world. For example, they tell us why your heart beats fast when you run. They say that when you are quiet, your heart normally beats sixty-five or seventy-five times a minute. Your heart is a pump (泵) that pumps blood to all parts of the body. The blood carries oxygen and nutrition. When you run, your muscles work very hard and use the nutrition that the blood carries to them. The muscles need oxygen, too . So your brain sends a signal to the heart. The signal means that the muscles need more nutrition and oxygen. Then the heart beats fast and sends blood quickly to the muscles. It may beat 90 to 140 times a minute.
Of course, scientists cannot answer all of our questions. If we ask, “Why does the ocean water taste salty?”
Scientists will say that the salt comes from rocks. When a rock gets very hot or very cold, it cracks. Rain falls into cracks. The rain then carries the salt into the earth and into the rivers. The rivers carry the salt into the ocean. But then we ask , “What happens to the salt in the ocean? The ocean does not get saltier every year.” Scientists are not sure about the answer to this question.
We know a lot about our world, but there are still many answers that we do not have, and we are curious.　
小題1:According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

A．People are curious in the same way.

B．People in different countries are interested in different things.

C．Men and women are curious about different things.

D．People of different ages are interested in different things

小題2:Scientists who work with the biological sciences study____.

A．the earth , the oceans and the sky

B．man-made things

C．plants and animals

D．ocean water

小題3:When you run, your muscles need ____.

A．more nutrition and oxygen

B．more signals

C．more salt

D．water

Ammie Reddick from East Kilbride, Lanarkshire, was only 18 months old when she had the accident that had scarred（留下創(chuàng)傷） her for life. The curious child reached up to grab the wire of a hot kettle in the family kitchen and poured boiling water over her tiny infant frame.
Her mother Ruby turned round and, seeing Ammie horribly burnt, called an ambulance which rushed her daughter to a nearby hospital. Twenty percent of Ammie’s body had been burned and all of her burns were third-degree. There, using tissue taken from unburned areas of Ammie’s body, doctors performed complex skin transplants to close her wounds and control her injuries, an operation that took about six hours. Over the next 16 years, Ammie underwent 12 more operations to repair her body.
When she started school at Maxwelton Primary at age 4, other pupils made cruel comments or simply wouldn’t play with her. “I was the only burned child in the street, the class and the school,” she recalled, “some children refused to become friends because of that.”
Today, aged 17, Ammie can only ever remember being a burned person with scars; pain is a permanent part of her body. She still has to have two further skin transplants. Yet she is a confident, outgoing teenager who offers inspiration and hope to other young burns victims.
She is a member of the Scottish Burned Children’s Club, a charity set up last year. This month, Ammie will be joining the younger children at the Graffham Water Center in Cambridgeshire for the charity’s first summer camp. “I’ll show them how to get rid of unkind stares from others,” she says. Ammie loves wearing fashionable sleeveless tops, and she plans to show the youngsters at the summer camp that they can too. “I do not go to great lengths to hide my burns scars,” she says, “I gave up wondering how other people would react years ago.”
小題1:How many operations has Ammie already had?

A．Twelve

B．Thirteen

C．fourteen

D．Fifteen

小題2:What did other children do when Ammie first went to school?

A．They were friendly to her.	B．They showed sympathy to her.
C．They were afraid of her.	D．They looked down upon her.

小題3:Ammie will teach the younger children at the Graffham Water Center to___________.

A．face others’ unkindness bravely	B．hide their scars by proper dressing
C．live a normal life	D．recover quickly

小題4:Which of the following words can’t properly describe Ammie?

A．Courageous

B．Confident

C．sensitive

D．Outgoing

小題5:What can be the best title of the passage?

A．A Seriously Burned Girl Survives	B．Ways to Get Rid of Unkind Stares
C．Permanent Scars And Pain For a Girl	D．A seriously burned angel of Hope

Do you want to live forever? By the year 2050, you might actually get your wish — if you are willing to leave your biological body and live in silicon circuits （半導(dǎo)體電路）．But long before then, perhaps as early as 2020, some measures will begin offering a semblance of immortality （虛擬的永生）.
Researchers are confident that technology will soon be able to track every waking moment of your life. Whatever you see and hear, all that you say and write, can be recorded, analyzed and added to your personal chronicles （履歷）. By the year 2030, it may be possible to catch your nervous systems through electrical activities, which would also keep your thoughts and emotions.
Researchers at the laboratories of British Telecommunications have given the name of this idea as Soul Catcher. Small electronic equipment will make preparation for Soul Catcher. It would use a wearable supercomputer, perhaps in a wristwatch, with wireless links to micro sensors under your scalp（頭皮） and in the nerves that carry all five sensory signals. So wearing a video camera would no longer be required.
At first, the Soul Catcher's companion system — the Soul Reader — might have trouble copying your thoughts in complete details. Even in 2030, we may still be struggling to understand how the brain is working inside, so reading your thoughts and understanding your emotions might not be possible. But these signals could be kept for the day when they can be transferred to silicon circuits to revitalize minds everlasting entities （永生實(shí)體）. Researchers can only wonder what it will be like to wake up one day and find yourself alive inside a machine．
For people who choose not to live in silicon, semblance of immortality would not be as useless as they thought. People would know their lives would not be forgotten, but would be kept a record of the human race forever. And future generations would have a much fuller understanding of the past. History would not be controlled by just the rich and powerful, Hollywood stars, and a few thinkers in the upper society.
小題1:The main idea of this passage is that _______．

A．human beings long for living forever

B．there are many difficulties in making the Soul Catcher

C．people might live forever as technology develops

D．the invention of Soul Catcher has great importance

小題2:According to this passage, a Soul Catcher will be ______．

A．a(chǎn) new machine on which research measures have already been made

B．a(chǎn) new invention in order to catch and keep human's thoughts and emotions

C．made by British scientists to offer something that looks like living forever

D．made of silicon circuits which can catch people's nervous activity

小題3:According to the writer, semblance of immortality is ______．

A．to be a reality sooner or later	B．far from certain
C．just an idea that couldn't t be realized at all	D．a(chǎn) fading hope

小題4:The meaning of the underlined word "revitalize" in the fourth paragraph is close to        .

A．make dead

B．make famous

C．make known

D．make active

Online education is becoming a popular learning choice to traditional colleges. Most colleges offer online programs in various fields and levels, which allows students to go on with their education over the Internet. Students must keep in mind that the college they wish to apply to must be approved by a related recognized organization.
So who can really benefit from an online program? Well, anybody, and everybody! Online programs can turn out to be a pocket-friendly choice to a traditional college for many people. Here’s a list of people who usually consider joining in an online degree program;
l Stay-at-home parents. Online education is perfect choice for stay-at-home parents and those who have very young kids. Online classes give them the flexibility to complete or further their education while looking after home and family and without worrying about childcare.
l Working professionals who want to further their education but travel a lot or have extremely busy schedules, as well as those who want to make a career change but do not have the time to enroll in a full-time degree program.
l People who cannot commute(乘車上下班)to a college campus.
l Shy students who might feel embarrassed among a group of people and prefer to study by themselves and at their own pace.
l People who want to save money. Online programs can turn out to be more cost-effective than attending a physical classroom.
l People who do not get distracted (分心的)easily — something many people overlook when considering online education. If you are someone who can easily ignore the ringing of a phone, stay away from TV, and resist all other things that may draw your attention, online programs are for you.
So do you think online education is for you? If you feel you belong to any of the above listed categories, then online education could work out very well for you.
小題1:What should students consider when they apply to an online program?

A．They are interested in its course.

B．The college should be approved by authority.

C．Their homes are not far from the college.

D．Teachers in the college must be top-ranking.

小題2:Why is online education a perfect choice for a young stay-at-home mother?

A．She can learn while taking care of her family.

B．She should learn more to teach her baby.

C．There is no such school for both mothers and babies.

D．She will feel less embarrassed by learning online.

小題3:According to the author, who is fit for online education?

A．Emily, an easy-going girl who dislikes doing things on her own.

B．Mrs. Clark, far from campus, who is hoping to learn at any price.

C．Jack, a busy engineer who wants to further education.

D．George, a single father who has difficulty in concentration.

小題4: Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．Less Money, More Resources

B．Try to Be Attentive Students

C．Online Educaiton— Everyone’s Perfect Choice

D．Who Can Benefit from an Online Program

A microscope is a useful instrument for observing small objects. By producing a bigger image, the microscope reveals details that are undetectable to the naked eye(裸眼).
Before using the microscope, please read the instructions below.
CAUTION: Microscopes are both delicate and expensive and must be handled with care.
1. Always carry the microscope with two hands — one supporting the base and the other on the arm.
2. Avoid stretching the wire of the lamp across a walkway.
3. Keep the stage clean and always use a glass slide for specimens(樣本).
4. To avoid crushing the glass slide when focusing, begin with the lens close to the specimen and gradually back off to focus.
5. Keep the microscope covered to prevent the dust while it is being stored.
HOW TO USE THE MICROSCOPE:
1. Plug(接通電源) in the lamp.
2. Place a sample of what you wish to observe on a slide.
3. Adjust the mirror so it reflects light from the room up into the objective lens. When the mirror is correctly adjusted, a complete circle of light iwll appear when you look through the eyepiece.
4. Place your slide with the specimen directly over the center of the glass circle on teh stage. If it is a wet slide, be sure the bottom of the slide is dry.
5. With the LOW POWER objective leans placed over the slide, use the coarse focus knob to lower the lens to the lowest point.
6. Look through the eyepiece with one eye while closing the other eye. Slowly raise the lens until teh focus is relatively clear.
7. Use the fine focus knob to fine -tune(微調(diào))the focus.
8. Without changing the focus knobs, switch to the HIGH POWER objective lens. Once you have switched to HIGH POWER, use only the fine focus knob to make the image sharper.
小題1:Which of the following is the correct way to use a microscope according to the text?

A．Use one hand to carry the microscope

B．Place a sample directly on the clean stage

C．When stored, the microscope should be adjusted.

D．Look through the eyepiece with one eye.

小題2:If you want to observe a thin piece of hair, which of the following should you do first.?

A．Switch to objective lens.	B．Adjust the mirror.
C．Look through the eyepiece.	D．Place the hair on a glass slide.

小題3:According to the text, you could see a complete circle of light _____.

A．a(chǎn)fter correctly adjusting the mirror

B．while looking at the specimen on a glass slide

C．a(chǎn)fter slowly raising the objective lens

D．before positioning the mirror correctly

Anyone who has ever lost keys or money will have wished for a simple but effective way to make sure it never happens again. A US company is trying to help.
Using a tiny microchip which is implanted into the arm, they have come up with a replacement for cash or credit cards that cannot be left at home or dropped on the bus.
The Verichip is about the size of a grain of rice and works using radio frequency  identification technology. At a shop, a radio frequency “reader” would send a signal and the chip in your arm would respond with your unique identity number. That would give the “reader” your financial information, and money could be taken directly from your accounts and you wouldn't even have to reach for your wallet.
The company also hopes to include other information on the chip, such as medical records, building security codes(密碼) and passwords, making life even easier.
But not everyone is happy with the developments. Critics say that a lot can go wrong with the chip. A clever thief could build a fake(假的) reader that would steal your information without you knowing. So your money could still be stolen. Privacy is a big issue too. Stores, or even the government, only need to track the chip to find out what you buy, how much you spend and where you go.
And if you wanted to get rid of your chip,you would need an operation to remove it.
小題1:The Verichip is         .

A．the identity number	B．the security code
C．a(chǎn) tiny microchip	D．a(chǎn) radio reader

小題2:Paragraph 3 is mainly about         .

A．how the Verichip works

B．the importance of the Verichip

C．the development of the Verichip

D．how money is taken from your accounts

小題3:Which is true of the Verichip?

A．Your information on it will always be safe.

B．Medical records have already been included.

C．You can easily reach for your wallet using it.

D．An operation has to be performed to remove it.

小題4:What can be inferred from the text?

A．All people are satisfied with the chip.

B．The Verichip company has financial problems.

C．The chip needs improving to be widely accepted.

D．Many people have the experience of losing keys or money.

小題5:The author's purpose of writing the text is most likely to         .

A．warn

B．a(chǎn)dvertise

C．compare

D．introduce

Whenever anyone measures educational success, East Asian countries are always top scorers. But in a recent league table, a European country, Finland, was top of the class. South Korea was still in second place, though. Britain was at number 6.
In Korea the school day is long—typically 7 or 8 hours, followed by hours of private tutoring in the evenings. All this hothousing leaves Korean students so tired, they sometimes fall asleep in class next day. Worries about the effects of late night cramming(填鴨式) led the government to force cramming schools to close by 10 pm. Finnish children spend the least time in class in the developed world, often finishing just after lunch, with about one hour of homework a day. Private tuition is uncommon. The British and American school day is quite long in comparison, around 6 hours, and secondary school pupils do 2 or 3 hours of self-study a night.
The Korean education system, like many in Asia, is intensely competitive, with students even competing to get into the best cramming schools, to help them get ahead. Finnish education is far less cut-throat. Classes are all mixed ability, and there are no league tables. British schools again occupy the middle ground, with quite high levels of competition for places at university, and schools and universities battling to come top of league tables for everything from exam results to student satisfaction. Korea and Finland both do well, yet their education systems are so different.
However, there are some similarities in Korea and Finland. In those countries, teachers have high status in society, and education is very highly valued. Those attitudes can't change quickly. But it can be done. They might be the star pupils now, but until the l970s, Finland's educational system was poor. Their thoroughly different approach to schooling has taken them to the top in just a generation.
小題1:The students spend the least time in school in         .

A．the UK

B．Finland

C．the USA

D．Korea

小題2:According to the text, we think in Korea         .

A．students spend more time in studying

B．students are tired of studying in class

C．students leave their school early

D．students are always top scorers

小題3:The underlined phrase “all this hothousing” in Paragragh 2 probably refers to         .

A．private evening tutoring	B．self-study at home
C．long-hour study	D．school study

小題4:From Paragragh 3, we can know that         .

A．Finnish students are less stressed in study

B．there're also many cramming schools in Britain

C．students in Korea are the most competitive in Asia

D．British schools are less competitive than universities

小題5:According to the author, the key to improving education is         .

A．the attitude	B．the schooling time
C．star pupils	D．new teaching approach

In a little-known part of the counter-terrorism（反恐怖主義） world, one of the most effective detection systems is a 600-pound animal that works for about 20 pounds of fish a day.
Since the 1960s, the United States and a handful of other countries have trained dolphins and sea lions to detect sea mines and swimmers, to recover inert torpedoes（魚雷）and to test objects used in Naval exercises.
Program officials estimate that the sea lions in the Marine Mammal Program have recovered millions of dollars of U.S. Naval torpedoes and instrumentation dropped on the sea floor.
The U.S. Navy kept its Marine Mammal Program a secret until the 1990s, and this spring CNN became one of only a handful of media outlets to see firsthand how the program works.
The program has trained about 75 Pacific bottlenose dolphins, with natural biosonar (生物聲納) that tracks better than any manmade device; and 35 California sea lions, with superb underwater eyesight.
Not only do these trained marine mammals track and retrieve millions of dollars in U. S. military equipment, they are also helping to save lives.
The Navy won't disclose whether the dolphins and sea lions have effectively intercepted （阻攔）terrorists attempting to do harm to any U.S. facilities.
"Either way, it serves as a deterrent（阻礙） effect." says Christian Harris, operations supervisor for the program. The mammals can be deployed（調(diào)動） via C-130 cargo aircraft to perform their missions anywhere in the world within 72 hours. They have been used in exercises from Alaska to Hawaii, operating in great temperature and environmental ranges. They also have the capability to operate off vessels.
Dolphins most recently were deployed in the Iraq war, performing mine detection and clearance operations in the Persian Gulf to ensure safe passage for humanitarian ships delivering aid. Some of these Iraq war "veterans" are now back home, tasked with a new mission: guarding nuclear submarines in their homeports of Bremerton, Washington, and Groton, Connecticut.
小題1:The underlined word "retrieve" in Paragraph 6 can be replaced by ________.

A．find out

B．recover

C．save

D．detect

小題2:Which is NOT the purpose of the Marine Mammal Program?

A．To detect sea mines and swimmers.

B．To save lives of people.

C．To recover inert torpedoes.

D．To help the U.S. Naval test equipment.

小題3:What can be inferred according to the text?

A．These trained marine mammals eat pounds of fish a day.

B．The U.S. Navy performed the Marine Mammal Program for about 30 years secretly.

C．These mammals can carry out a task everywhere.

D．A lot of countries will train dolphins and sea lions for anti-terrorism.

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

A．The Special Skills of Marine Mammals	B．The U.S. Anti-terrorism Program
C．Exceptional Anti-terrorism Member	D．Trained Marine Mammals

Three—quarters of a million tourists flock to the white beaches every year，but this booming industry has come at a price．Poisonous smoke rising from open fires，rubbish made up of plastic bottles，packets…it’S a far cry from the white sands，clear waters and palm trees that we associate with the Maldives(馬爾代夫)，the paradise island holiday destination set in the Indian Ocean．
of its 200 inhabited islands，which are spread across an area of"35，000 square miles，99 are good resorts(旅游勝地)．So many tourists come every year，more than double the local population．Of these，over l 00，000 travel from the U K．The capital，Mal6，is four times more densely populated than London．Given these facts，it’S hardly surprising that the Maldives has a waste disposal problem．
Y ears a90，when the tourists left，the government had to deal with a stream of rubbish．Their solution was to turn one of the islands into a dumping ground．Four miles west of Mal6 is the country’s dumping ground，Thilafushi．What you are seeing here is a view of the Maldives on which no honeymooners will ever clap eyes．Each visitor produces 3．5 kg of waste per day．The country dumps more than 330 tons of rubbish on the island every day．
Now，since many waste boats，fed up with waiting seven hours or more，directly offload their goods into the sea，the government of the Maldives has banned the dumping of waste on the island．S0，the waste boats ship the rubbish to India instead．
小題1:What is the main cause of the waste disposal problem?

A．The big local population．	B．Too many waste boats．
C．The large number of tourists．	D．Open fires on the islands．

小題2:The underlined part can probably be replaced by“——”．

A．it’s quite similar to	B．it’S a long distance from
C．it’s a loud shout from	D．it’S totally different from

小題3:What can we learn from the text?

A．It iS much more crowded in Mal6 than in London．

B．Another island will be used as a dumping ground．

C．No honeymooners are willing to visit the Maldives．

D．Waste on islands will be offloaded directly into the sea．

小題4:What’S the author’S purpose in writing the text?

A．To attract more tourists to the Maldives．

B．To state the waste disposal problem in the Maldives．

C．To call on us to protect the environment．

D．To explain the causes of pollution in the Maldives．

Fish have different personalities which change as they experience life’s highs and lows．a(chǎn)ccording to British biologists．
Researchers identified different“personalities” in their fish by observing the boldness or shyness of individuals，according to The Nature．Like people，some fish are very confident in the face of novelty(新奇事物)or conflict；while others are silent and fear．
The scientists selected particularly bold and shy rainbow trout，and tested whether they changed their outlook depending on what life threw at them．They arranged some fish to fight and others to  watch to  see how both the participants  and  observers  responded to victories  and defeats．Winning or losing a fight，or even watching fellow fish overcome the difficulties influenced the future behavior of the creatures studied in the lab．
The researchers made fish compete with much larger or smaller opponents．to ensure that they would win or lose their fights．These bold fish that won their fights tended to be even bolder when later presented with  a novel food  item；losing their fight caused them to be  much more cautious．
Fish also learn by watching others．Bold fish watching a shy fish exploring a mystery object were much more nervous when later given a novelty item for themselves．
Predictably，shy fish that won a fight also gained more confidence，but surprisingly，shy fish that lost their fights also grew bolder when exploring strange new food，Sneddon said，adding that this could be due to what she calls a“desperado effect”(亡命徒效應(yīng))．
The new research suggests that animals can gradually adapt their personalities．The results echo the effects that life experience can have on human．
小題1:What does．the underlined word“creatures’’probably refer to?

A．Fish．

B．Participants．

C．Observers．

D．Researchers．

小題2:The third paragraph of the text is mainly about—————．

A．a(chǎn) conclusion of the research

B．a(chǎn)n explanation of fish characters

C．a(chǎn) statement of the experiment

D．a(chǎn) description of fish fights

小題3:What can we know from the research?

A．Bold losing fish become—e bolder when presented With a novel food item．

B．Losing their fights causes the bold fish to be much more courageous．

C．Bold fish watching a shy fish exploring a mystery get less nervous．

D．Shy fish losing fights grow more confident in exploring new food．

小題4:What’s the main idea of the text?’   

A．Fish have stress in the fierce fights．

B．Fish care about winning or losing a fight．

C．Fish have adaptable personalities．

D．Fish can learn a lot by watching others．