Petroleumis a very important mineral. It gives us heat and light. It gives us power for our cars, planes, and ships. Also, it gives us power for machines of all kinds.
How is petroleum formed? Scientists believe petroleum comes from the remains of plants and animals (Remains are what is left after a plant or animal has died.)
What exactly is petroleum? Petroleum is a mineral that is a mixture of hydrocarbons. It is an oily liquid, which may be brown, green, or black in colors. The word “petroleum” comes from Greek. It means “rock oil”.
Crude (天然的, 未加工的) oil is petroleum that comes directly from deep in the ground. It is then taken to a refinery. a refinery is a kind of factory to refine oil. At a refinery the crude oil is separated into many parts. From the refined petroleum we get important things, such as gasoline, kerosene, fertilizer, detergents and a lot of other useful things. In fact, there are thousands of such things that we can get. Petroleum really is of great value!
小題1:Which of the following is Not true?

A．“ Petroleum” is a German word.	B．“Petroleum” suggests “ coming from rocks”.
C．“ Petroleum” isn’t an English word in the original.	D．“Petroleum” is of Greek origin.

小題2:Which of the following is true?

A．We can kill animals and plants, and get petroleum by burning them us.

B．Over a very long period of time, under certain conditions, dead trees and bodies of animals were turned into petroleum under great pressure.

C．Petroleum is a kind of metal mineral like copper（銅）or iron.

D．Petroleum has three states.

小題3:The word “refine” in the 4^th paragraph can be replaced by “______”.

A．get unmixed with other substances	B．divide into separate parts
C．get mixed with other substances	D．choose the best substance

小題4: Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?

A．An Important Source of Energy.	B．Petroleum and Its Uses.
C．Where Does Petroleum Come From?	D．A Special Rock Oil.

小題5:This passage is most likely taken from _____.

A．a(chǎn) fairy tale

B．a(chǎn) novel

C．a(chǎn) popular science magazine

D．a(chǎn) scientist’s diary

Why the inductive and mathematical sciences, after their first rapid development at the culmination of Greek civilization, advanced so slowly for two thousand years—and why in the following two hundred years a knowledge of natural and mathematical science has accumulated, which so vastly exceeds all that was previously known that these sciences may be justly regarded as the products of our own times—are questions which have interested the modern philosopher not less than the objects with which these sciences are more immediately conversant. Was it the employment of a new method of research, or in the exercise of greater virtue in the use of the old methods, that this singular modern phenomenon had its origin? Was the long period one of arrested development, and is the modern era one of normal growth? Or should we ascribe the characteristics of both periods to so-called historical accidents—to the influence of conjunctions in circumstances of which no explanation is possible, save in the omnipotence and wisdom of a guiding Providence?
The explanation which has become commonplace, that the ancients employed deduction chiefly in their scientific inquiries, while the moderns employ induction, proves to be too narrow, and fails upon close examination to point with sufficient distinctness the contrast that is evident between ancient and modern scientific doctrines and inquiries. For all knowledge is founded on observation, and proceeds from this by analysis, by synthesis and analysis, by induction and deduction, and if possible by verification, or by new appeals to observation under the guidance of deduction—by steps which are indeed correlative parts of one method; and the ancient sciences afford examples of every one of these methods, or parts of one method, which have been generalized from the examples of science.
A failure to employ or to employ adequately any one of these partial methods, an imperfection in the arts and resources of observation and experiment, carelessness in observation, neglect of relevant facts, by appeal to experiment and observation—these are the faults which cause all failures to ascertain truth, whether among the ancients or the moderns; but this statement does not explain why the modern is possessed of a greater virtue, and by what means he attained his superiority. Much less does it explain the sudden growth of science in recent times.
The attempt to discover the explanation of this phenomenon in the antithesis of “facts” and “theories” or “facts” and “ideas”—in the neglect among the ancients of the former, and their too exclusive attention to the latter—proves also to be too narrow, as well as open to the charge of vagueness. For in the first place, the antithesis is not complete. Facts and theories are not coordinate species. Theories, if true, are facts—a particular class of facts indeed, generally complex, and if a logical connection subsists between their constituents, have all the positive attributes of theories.
Nevertheless, this distinction, however inadequate it may be to explain the source of true method in science, is well founded, and connotes an important character in true method. A fact is a proposition of simple. A theory, on the other hand, if true has all the characteristics of a fact, except that its verification is possible only by indirect, remote, and difficult means. To convert theories into facts is to add simple verification, and the theory thus acquires the full characteristics of a fact.
小題1:     The title that best expresses the ideas of this passage is
[A]. Philosophy of mathematics.              [B]. The Recent Growth in Science.
[C]. The Verification of Facts.                [C]. Methods of Scientific Inquiry.
小題2:According to the author, one possible reason for the growth of science during the days of the ancient Greeks and in modern times is
[A]. the similarity between the two periods.
[B]. that it was an act of God.
[C]. that both tried to develop the inductive method.
[D]. due to the decline of the deductive method.
小題3:     The difference between “fact” and “theory”
[A]. is that the latter needs confirmation.
[B]. rests on the simplicity of the former.
[C]. is the difference between the modern scientists and the ancient Greeks.
[D]. helps us to understand the deductive method.
小題4:     According to the author, mathematics is
[A]. an inductive science.           [B]. in need of simple verification.
[C]. a deductive science.            [D]. based on fact and theory.
小題5:     The statement “Theories are facts” may be called.
[A]. a metaphor.                  [B]. a paradox.
[C]. an appraisal of the inductive and deductive methods.
[D]. a pun.

SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND—A British teaching union famous for strange ideas has supported a plan to employ dogs as classroom assistants.
At the yearly conference of the Professional Association of Teachers in Southport, northwest England, one person suggested properly trained dogs be able to keep order in primary schools. They can round up lost children and protect those who experience unfortunate “accidents”. Wendy Dyble, a Sheetland Islands woman who teaches children up to age seven, made it clear to her fellow friends that she was not “barking mad”. They obviously believed her, supporting her idea by 16 votes to 13, with a total of 63 abstentions（棄權）.
She said big dogs could help round up children, keep them in line, lick up the milk they spill on the floor and provide the extra eyes that a teacher needs to keep order. “A big dog would also be helpful for stopping flights and look for lost property, like gym shoes or dolls,” Dyble said at the conference. “The dog will also be useful in sniffing out(find out) smells that children do not own up to,” she added. “It would be nice for the teacher not to have to go round sniffing each child to find the criminal.”
The idea was welcomed by the Dog Defense League but less by bigger teaching unions. A spokesman for Education Secretary, David Blunkett, who is blind, said his guide dog was always popular with pupils when he visited schools. The Professional Association of Teachers, with around 35,000 members, is the smallest teaching union in Britain. It has an honor for occasional strange ideas.
Earlier this week, its yearly conference here suggested stopping exams because they lead to stress and introducing selection at the age of 12 based on physical coordination（調(diào)整）and manual（手工的）skill.
小題1:According to the writer’s opinion, to employ dogs as classroom assistants ________.

A．is not a good idea

B．can improve the relation between children and animals

C．is beyond ordinary people’s imagination

D．can make some teachers lose jobs

小題2:What Dyble said at the conference ________.

A．gained some support from the members

B．frightened everyone present

C．interested everyone present

D．caused some trouble to trained dogs

小題3:The last paragraph of this passage ________.

A．has nothing to do with the topic of this passage

B．shows there are too many exams in British school

C．provides further facts about the teaching union

D．shows the writer’s anger to the union

The Galapagos a far-away archipelago(群島) and largely untouched by man, is now facing a problem. Its local people, who live on the island of Santa Cruz, want to develop the business and tourist potential（旅游資源）of the island. Recently, they are locked in a bitter struggle with the naturalists who work at the Charles Darwin Centre, also on Santa Cruz. The naturalists want to protect the island’s wildlife which is already suffering as a result of human activity.
The animals’ great threat used to be sailors who, hundreds of years ago, robbed the islands for food. They wiped out about 250,000 Giant Tortoises. For example, on Pinta, one of the smallest islands, there are no Giant Tortoises left at all. The last survivor, an 80-year-old Giant Tortoise called Lonesome George, lives under the protection of naturalists at the Darwin Centre.
Today, the island’s animals are no longer hunted for food. But other dangers have replaced the threat from sailors. Goats, for example, introduced over the years by man, have gone wild. With no natural enemies, their number has reached 10,000 on the largest of the Galapagos islands, Isabella. They are eating huge quantities of plants, and robbed the remaining Giant Tortoises of food. The problem is now so bad that the National Park Service has hired hunters to kill the goats in order to save the Giant Tortoise from dying out.
小題1:Today, you can find the Giant Tortoises on the island of _______.

A．Santa Cruz

B．Pinta

C．Isabella

D．Galapagos

小題2:Which of the following shows the right relationship between the Galapagos, Isabella, Pinta and Santa Cruz?

A．The Galapagos>Pinta>Isabella>Santa Cruz

B．Isabella>Santa Cruz>the Galapagos>Pinta

C．The Galapagos>Isabella>Santa Cruz>Pinta

D．Isabella>the Galapagos>Pinta>Santa Cruz

小題3:We can learn from the article the greatest danger to the Giant Tortoises is from________.

A．sailors

B．hunters

C．goats

D．the local people

小題4:From the first paragraph we can infer that _____.

A．the naturalists try to help the local people with their interest.

B．The local people pay more attention to the economic growth than the wildlife there,

C．The animals and plants are of great importance to the local.

D．The naturalists don’t care about the local people at all

Dropouts for Ph. D. s
Educators are seriously concerned about the high rate of dropouts among the doctor of philosophy candidates and the consequent loss of talent to a nation in need of Ph. D. s. Some have placed the dropouts loss as high as 50 percent. The extent of the loss was, however, largely a matter of expert guessing. Last week a well-rounded study was published. It was published. It was based on 22,000 questionnaires sent to former graduate students who were enrolled in 24 universities and it seemed to show many past fears to be groundless.
The dropouts rate was found to be 31 per cent, and in most cases the dropouts, while not completing the Ph. D. requirement, went on to productive work. They are not only doing well financially, but, according to the report, are not far below the income levels of those who went on to complete their doctorates.
Discussing the study last week, Dr. Tucker said the project was initiated 'because of the concern frequently expressed by graduate faculties and administrators that some of the individuals who dropped out of Ph. D. programs were capable of competing the requirement for the degree. Attrition at the Ph. D. level is also thought to be a waste of precious faculty time and a drain on university resources already being used to capacity. Some people expressed the opinion that the shortage of highly trained specialists and college teachers could be reduced by persuading the dropouts to return to graduate schools to complete the Ph. D.’
"The results of our research" Dr. Tucker concluded, "did not support these opinions."
1.    Lack of motivation was the principal reason for dropping out.
2.    Most dropouts went as far in their doctoral program as was consistent with their levels of ability or their specialties.
3.    Most dropouts are now engaged in work consistent with their education and motivation.
Nearly 75 per cent of the dropouts said there was no academic reason for their decision, but those who mentioned academic reason cited failure to pass the qualifying examination, uncompleted research and failure to pass language exams. Among the single most important personal reasons identified by dropouts for non-completion of their Ph. D. program, lack of finances was marked by 19 per cent.
As an indication of how well the dropouts were doing, a chart showed 2% in humanities were receiving $ 20,000 and more annually while none of the Ph. D. 's with that background reached this figure. The Ph. D. 's shone in the $ 7,500 to $ 15,000 bracket with 78% at that level against 50% for the dropouts. This may also be an indication of the fact that top salaries in the academic fields, where Ph. D. 's tend to rise to the highest salaries, are still lagging behind other fields.
As to the possibility of getting dropouts back on campus, the outlook was glum. The main condition which would have to prevail for at least 25 % of the dropouts who might consider returning to graduate school would be to guarantee that they would retain their present level of income and in some cases their present job.
小題1: The author states that many educators feel that            
[A] steps should be taken to get the dropouts back to campus.
[B] the dropouts should return to a lower quality school to continue their study.
[C] the Ph. D. holder is generally a better adjusted person than the dropout.
[D] The high dropouts rate is largely attributable to the lack of stimulation on the part of faculty members.
小題2:  Research has shown that          
[A] Dropouts are substantially below Ph. D. 's in financial attainment.
[B] the incentive factor is a minor one in regard to pursuing Ph. D. studies.
[C] The Ph. D. candidate is likely to change his field of specialization if he drops out.
[D] about one-third of those who start Ph. D. work do not complete the work to earn the degree.
小題3:  Meeting foreign language requirements for the Ph. D.
[A] is the most frequent reason for dropping out.
[B] is more difficult for the science candidate than for the humanities candidate.
[C] is an essential part of many Ph. D. programs.
[D] does not vary in difficulty among universities.
小題4:  After reading the article, one would refrain from concluding that          
[A] optimism reigns in regard to getting Ph. D. dropouts to return to their pursuit of the degree.
[B] a Ph. D. dropout, by and large, does not have what it takes to learn the degree.
[C] colleges and universities employ a substantial number of Ph. D. dropouts.
[D] Ph. D. 's are not earning what they deserve in nonacademic positions.
小題5:  It can be inferred that the high rate of dropouts lies in            
[A] salary for Ph. D. too low.
[B] academic requirement too high.
[C] salary for dropouts too high.
[D] 1000 positions.

The following form shows the result of a survey (調(diào)查) of parents from five countries, who were asked why children are important to them. They were required to choose three main reasons from seven dealing with personal interests, family relations and social responsibility(責任). Each number in the form is the percentage (%) of parents who chose that particular item(項) as one of their three reasons. Therefore, the most common for Japanese parents are strengthening family ties (Item D, 51%), learning from the experience (Item E, 60%), and raising responsible citizens (Item, G 45%).?

Items	Japan	Korea	U.S.A	Britain	France
A.To see oneself continuing in future	35	32	31	17	59
B. To keep the family line	24	68	28	17	26
C. To receive care in old age	10	38	8	7	8
D. To strengthen family ties?	51	25	50	55	66
E.To develop oneself through raising one’s children	60	19	54	69	35
F. To enjoy raising one’s children	20	19	50	71	39
G. To raise responsible citizens	45	40	46	28	15

小題1:According to this survey, Korean parents are most interested in         .

A．continuing their family	B．obtaining care in old age?
C．strengthening family relationship	D．caring for raising children

小題2:How many items are chosen by parents of more than two countries as main reasons?
?

A．Two.

B．Three.

C．Four.

D．Five.?

小題3:From the percentages in items _______, we can see the following difference between the Asian and the European countries: the Asian parents want to devote themselves to future societies through children; the European parents enjoy the course of raising children.

A．B and C

B．D and F

C．E and F

D．F and G

小題4:According to the form, which of the following is true?

A．From the main reasons shown in the form it seems that in every country parents do not expect care from children in their old age.?

B．Japanese parents share two of their main reasons with the British and American parents, and the third one with Korean parents.?

C．More than half of the parents from each country chose the reason“tostrengthen family ties”and for each it was one of the three main reasons for having children.?

D．The percentage of French parents selecting the reason“to see oneself continuing in future”is about as high as that of the other countries.

Pierre is a 25-year-old penguin at the California Academy of Sciences. Due to his old age, he was going bald, which made him feel too cold to swim in the pool. Therefore, biologists at the academy had a wetsuit created for this penguin to help him get back in the swimming pool.

Unlike marine mammals, which have a layer of blubber to keep them warm, penguins depend on their waterproof feathers. Without them, Pierre was unwilling to jump into the swimming pool and ended up trembling on the side of the pool while his 19 peers played in the water.
"He was cold; he would shake," said Pam Schaller, a senior biologist. Schaller first tried a heat lamp to keep Pierre warm. Then she got another idea: if wetsuits keep humans warm in the cold Pacific, why not make one for Pierre?
Schaller designed the suit, which covered Pierre’s body and had small openings for his flippers.
"I would walk behind him and look at where there were any gaps, and cut and refit and cut and refit until it looked like it was extremely suitable," she said.
One concern was that the other penguins would reject Pierre in his new suit, but in fact, they accepted his new look. He swam freely and got along with others well, although he was the only penguin with a black stomach.
Schaller couldn’t say for sure whether the wetsuit allowed Pierre to recover his fine feathers, but "certainly we were able to keep him comfortable during a period of time that would have been very difficult for him to stay comfortable".
Pierre will take off his suit after his new feathers grow back.
小題1: Pierre felt too cold to swim in the pool because of _____.

A．not having a layer of blubber	B．having few feathers due to old age
C．having no wetsuit	D．others penguins rejecting him

小題2:The idea of making a wetsuit for Pierre came from _____.

A．total invention	B．the use of wetsuit on humans
C．the use of heat lamp	D．waterproof feathers

小題3: Schaller followed Pierre in order to see _____.

A．whether other penguins would reject him

B．if anywhere of wetsuit needed to be cut and refit

C．if the wetsuit kept warm

D．whether the wetsuit would keep the feathers from recovering

小題4:What does the underlined word in the second paragraph mean?

A．feeling scared

B．staying alone

C．shaking with cold

D．keeping warm

小題5:The best title of the passage is _____.

A．Wetsuit for An Old Penguin	B．Old Penguin Getting Bald
C．Unwilling to Swim	D．Strange Look of Pierre

What should you think about when you try to find your career? You are probably better at some school subjects than others, These may show strengths that you can use in your work. A boy who is good at mathematics can use that in engineering career. A girl who spells well and likes English may be good at office work. So it is important to know the subjects you do well in at school. On the other hand, you may not have any specially strong or weak subjects but your records show a general satisfactory standard. Although not all subjects can be used directly in a job, they may have indirect value.
　　Your school may have taught you skills, such as typing or technical drawing, which you can use in your work. You may be good at mental work or cookery（烹調(diào)術） and look for a job where you can improve these skills.
　　If you have had a part - time job on Saturday or in the summer, think what you gained from it. If nothing else, you may have learned how to get to work on time, to follow instructions and to get on with older workers. You may have learned to give correct change in a shop, for example. Just as important, you may become interested in a particular industry or career you see from the inside in a part - time job.
　　Facing your weak points is also part of knowing yourself. You may be all thumbs when you handle tools; perhaps you are a poor speller or cannot add up a column of figures. It is bitter to face any weaknesses than to pretend they do not exist. Your school record, for instance, may not be too good, yet it is an important part of your background. You should not feel sorry about it but instead recognize that you will have a chance of a fresh start at work.
小題1:The first paragraph of the passage is mainly about ________.

A．the indirect value of school work

B．the importance of being good at all subjects

C．knowing one’s strong or weak subjects at school

D．using school performance to help to choose a career

小題2:In the writer’s opinion, for a student to have a part - time job is probably ________.

A．a(chǎn) good way to find out his weak points

B．one of the best ways of earning extra money

C．of great use for his work in the future

D．a(chǎn) waste of time he could have spent on study

小題3:If a student’s school record is not good, according to the passage, he________ .

A．may do well in his future work

B．won’t be able to find a suitable job

C．may be a complete failure in the future

D．will regret not having worked harder at school

小題4:The whole passage centers around ________.

A．knowing oneself in looking for a job

B．developing one’s abilities useful in school

C．gaining much knowledge by working hard at school

D．choosing a career according to what one is skilled in

On the afternoon of September27, 2008, Astronaut Zhai Zhigang became the first Chinese man to walk in space on Saturday, clambering（爬上,攀登） out of China's Shenzhou VII space craft in a technological feat（成就，功績）that made the Chinese people excited.

"I'm feeling quite well. I greet the Chinese people and the people of the world," Zhai said as he climbed out of the craft at around 16:40 Beijing time, a historic achievement telecast live on CCTV. Tens of millions of Chinese viewers gathered before TV screens to watch the moment.
Chinese President Hu Jintao and other top leaders had appeared at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center to watch the live transmission of Zhai's spacewalk.
Zhai, 42, chosen by an expert team for the first "out-of-capsule activity," showed a red national flag, helped by colleague Liu Boming, who also briefly popped his head out of the capsule.
Zhai slowly made his way towards a test sample of solid lubricant（潤滑劑）outside the capsule, took a sample and handed it to Liu.
Zhai safely returned inside the craft after about 20 minutes. The walk marked the highpoint of China's third manned space journey, which has received widespread media coverage.
Zhai wore a $4.4 million Chinese-made suit weighing 120-kg. Liu wore a Russian-made one and acted as an assistant.
The third crew member, Jing Haipeng, monitored the ship from inside the re-entry module. w.w
The risky maneuver is a step towards China's longer-term goal of building a space lab and then a larger space station, analysts said.
"On this flight, Chinese people's footprints will be left in space for the first time," said a commentary（評論）by the Xinhua news agency.
The astronauts went aboard on their walk after receiving a clean bill of health from doctors on the ground at mission control in Beijing, Xinhua said.
Zhai's suit has 10 layers and takes up to 15 hours to assemble and put on.
China's first manned spaceflight was in 2003. A second, two-manned flight followed in 2005. The only other countries that have sent people into space are Russia and the United States.
Shenzhou VII took off on Thursday and is due to land on the northern steppes(草原) of Inner Mongolia on Sunday.
小題1:The space walk done by the Chinese astronaut was historic because ______.

A．it was telecast live	B．there were more Chinese viewers than ever
C．it was the first space walk carried out by Chinese astronauts
D．top leaders watched the space walk

小題2: The following statements are true except ______.

A．The lubricant put outside the capsule was a test sample

B．It took Zhai Zhigang about 20 minutes to return to the craft safely

C．Many televisions and newspapers around the world reported the event

D．There is an aerospace control center in the capital

小題3:The significance of the space walk is ______.

A．that the astronaut can work outside the spacecraft

B．it marks a successful step towards China’s longer-term goal of building a space lab as well as a space station

C．it has attracted tens of millions of people to watch the walk

D．that the Chinese-made space suit can be used in space

小題4:What does the underlined word “clean” mean in the passage?

A．healthy

B．paid-off

C．not dirty

D．clear

小題5: The best title of the passage is ______.

A．First Footprints of Chinese People in Space

B．Expensive Space Suit

C．Three Successful Manned Flights by Chinese Astronauts

D．Historic Space Walk by Chinese Astronaut

The famous American gorilla(大猩猩) expert Diane Fossey had a completely new way to study gorillas — she pretended to be one of them. She copied their actions and way of life — eating plants and getting down on her hands and knees to walk the way a gorilla does. It was a new relationship.
Diane Fossey was murdered in Rwanda in 1985 and her story was made into the popular film Gorillas in the Mist. It was a long way from King Kong, which is about a gorilla as a monster (a frightening animal), and helped to show a new idea: the real monster is man, while the gorilla is to be admired.
Today there are thought to be around 48,000 lowland gorillas and maybe 400—450 mountain gorillas in the wild. From the Congo in West Africa, to Rwanda and Uganda further east, they are endangered by hunting and by the cutting down of their forest homes.
Some time ago, I found in my letterbox a little magazine from the World Wide Fund for Nature. It had two photos side by side. One was of a young gorilla. “This is a species of mammal(哺乳類動物),” said the words below it. “It is being destroyed by man. We must save it for our own good.” The other photo showed a human baby. The words also read, “This is a species of mammal,” but then went on: “It is the most destructive(破壞性的) on earth. We must retrain it for its own good.”
小題1:The text mainly talks about _____.

A．Diane Fossey

B．the gorillas in Rwanda

C．the protection of the gorillas

D．the film Gorillas in the Mist

小題2:We can learn from the text that _____.

A．Gorillas in the mist was based Fossey’s experiences

B．Lowland gorillas live longer than mountain gorillas

C．King Kong showed us that a gorilla is admirable

D．Diane Fossey was murdered by a gorilla

小題3:What message can we get from the two photos in the magazine?

A．Gorillas are man’s close friends.

B．Both man and the gorilla need to be saved.

C．Young gorillas are as lovely as human babies.

D．Man should live peacefully with the gorilla.