Every human being has a unique^① arrangement of the skin on his fingers and this arrangement is unchangeable. Scientists and experts have proved the uniqueness of finger-prints and discovered that no exactly similar pattern is passed on from parents to children, though nobody knows why this is the case.
The ridge structure on a person’s fingers does not change with growth and is not affected by surface injuries. Burns, cuts and other damage to the outer part of the skin will be replaced in time by new one, which bears a reproduction of the original^② pattern. It is only when the inner skin is injured that the arrangement will be destroyed. Some criminals make use of this fact to remove their own finger-prints but this is a dangerous and rare step to take.
Finger-prints can be made very easily with printer’s ink. They can by recorded easily. With special methods, identification^③ can be achieved successfully within a short time. Because of the simplicity and economy of this system, finger-prints have often been used as a method of solving criminal case. A suspected man may deny a charge but this may be in vain. His finger-prints can prove who he is even if his appearance has been changed by age or accident.
When a suspect leaves finger-prints behind at the scene of a crime, they are difficult to detect with the naked eye. Special techniques are used to “develop” them. Some of the marks found are incomplete but identification is possible if a print of a quarter of an inch square can be obtained.
Notes:
①    unique  adj. 唯一的，獨(dú)特的
②    original  adj. 最初的，原始的
③    identification  n. 辯認(rèn)，鑒定
小題1: Scientists and experts have proved that the pattern of a human being’s finger skin ________.

A．is similar to his mother’s

B．is valuable to himself only

C．is like that of others with the same type of blood

D．is different from that of all others

小題2: If your fingers are wounded by knife, fire or other means, the structure of skin will ________.

A．be changed partly	B．be replaced by a different one
C．be the same when the wound is recovered	D．become ugly

小題3: Some criminals remove their own finger-prints by ________.

A．using printer’s ink	B．injuring the inner skin
C．damaging the outer skin	D．damaging the colour

小題4: Finger-prints have often been used as a method of solving criminal case because it ________.

A．is complicated but reliable	B．is simple and not expensive
C．is expensive but easy to do	D．can bring a lot of money

There are good Santas and there are bad Santas. The good Santas all realize one thing: In the mind of a child, Santa Claus is perfect.
That’s difficult. And so they come from around the world to attend the Charles W. Howard School in Midland, Mich. The school offers a three-day, 40-hour course for Santas hoping to be excellent. There’s a real range to what Santas earn, from big bucks for large events to no pay for charities^①. One thing for them all is a pure love for children.
A former Macy’s Santa named Charles Howard founded the Michigan school in 1937. “Many people will think if you have a suit and you’re a Santa,” said Tom Valent, the school’s current dean. “It’s more than that.” So with a pet reindeer^②, his properly named wife Holly and a workshop full of wonder.
The school teaches everything from breathing techniques for carol singing to the beard maintenance. There are lessons in child psychology, sign language and even media training for talk-show appearances and call-in shows. Santas also need to make sure they know all the names of the reindeer. What’s harder to deal with, however, is children who ask for Christmas gifts like bringing daddy home or making mommy happy again.
After spending time in the classroom, Weir went to the mall to test his training. However, at one point, his hat fell off, and he was unsure how to react. “You’re the real Santa,” Valent said. “Pick that hat up, slip it back on, keep smiling and do your job. You’ve got to stay on top of your game. Even the last one at night, when you’re tired, you’ve got to remember: This one’s forever, so do a good job.”
Notes:
①    charity  n. 慈善，慈善團(tuán)體
②    reindeer  n. 馴鹿
小題1:According to the passage, good Santas should be the ones that ________.

A．can offer the children some gifts	B．help adults look after their children
C．have ability to make children happy	D．should be perfect in the mind of children

小題2: The underlined words “big bucks” should refer to ________.

A．lots of money

B．many gifts

C．loves for children

D．gifts from children

小題3: The Michigan school was founded by Charles Howard with the purpose to ________.

A．train the pet reindeer for the Santas	B．earned money from its students
C．train perfect Santas for the world	D．show the world’s concern to the poor

小題4: According to Weir’s performance, we can conclude that ________.

A．Weir was short of experience	B．Weir was not fit for the job as a Santa
C．Weir did very badly in the game	D．Weir was not a good student in school

It is difficult for parents of nearly every family to teach their children to be responsible （有責(zé)任的）for housework, but with one of the following suggestions, you really can get your children to help at home.
　　If you give your children the impression that they can never do anything quite right, then they will regard themselves as unfit or unable persons. Unless children believe they can succeed, they will never become totally independent.
　　My daughter Carla’s fifth - grade teacher made every child in her class feel special. When students received less than a prefect test score, she would point out what they had mastered and declared firmly they could learn what they had missed.
　　You can use the same technique when you evaluate （評(píng)價(jià)）your child’s work at home. Don’t always scold and give lots of praise instead. Talk about what he has done right, not about what he hasn’t done. If your child completes a difficult task, promise him a Sunday trip or a ball game with Dad.
　　Learning is a process（過(guò)程）of trying and failing and trying and succeeding. If you teach your children not to fear a mistake of failure, they will learn faster and achieve success at last.
小題1:The whole passage deals with ________.

A．social education	B．school education
C．family education	D．pre - school education

小題2:The author thinks that________.

A．there is no way to get children to help at home

B．the more encouragement and praise you give, the more responsible and helpful children will become

C．it is very difficult to make children responsible for housework

D．children can be forced to help with housework

小題3:The article gives us a good suggestion about how to evaluate（評(píng)價(jià)）your child’s work at home. That is to ________.

A．praise his success	B．promise him a trip
C．give him a punishment	D．promise him a ball game

小題4:The author advises readers to________.

A．learn from himself, for he has a good way of teaching

B．take pride in Carla’s fifth - grade teacher

C．do as what Carla’s teacher did in educating children

D．follow Carla’s example because she never fails in the test

小題5:Having read the last paragraph, we can conclude that ________.

A．pride goes before a fall

B．practice makes perfect

C．no pains, no gains

D．failure is the mother of success

A recent study conducted by the Pine Street Foundation showed that a dog’s nose may have the ability to detect cancer. A dog’s nose, which was the “medical device” used as part of the research, is believed to be among the world’s most powerful olfactory(嗅覺(jué)的) sensors. The study was conducted with 169 subjects 55 of which had been diagnosed as having lung cancer, 31 have breast cancer and 83 control subjects——people without cancer. During the study, five professionally trained scent dogs were used to distinguish between the breath samples of cancer patients and those who were healthy. With an average of 90% accuracy, the research was deemed a success.
The Pine Street Foundation conducted its research on the belief that cancer cells give off a different type of metabolic(新陳代謝) waste product than normal cells. According to the study, the difference is so great that it can be detected by a dog’s sense of smell, including both early and late stages of the disease.
In the conclusion of the study the Pine Street Foundation said that even ordinary dogs may be trained to identify the presence of cancer with only a breath sample. The organization also said that dogs can recognize the disease with astonishing amount accuracy and, finally, that the dog’s detection was not hindered(妨礙) by the presence of age, smoking or stage of cancer.
The Pine Street Foundation plans to continue their research and is currently seeking funding to launch new studies.
小題1:If we want to add several different detecting examples to the passage, we should write them
__________.

A．between paragraph 1 and paragraph 2	B．between paragraph 2 and paragraph 3
C．between paragraph 3 and paragraph 4	D．before paragraph 1 or after paragraph 4

小題2:The best title for this passage might be ______.

A．Dogs may smell cancer	B．Why dogs can smell cancer
C．A Study on dogs’ special ability	D．A study on breast cancer

小題3:Dogs can smell cancer because ____________.

A．they can detect faster than man	B．their sense of smell is very sensitive
C．dogs metabolize the food slowly	D．patients give off bad smell

小題4:People can know from the passage _________.

A．a(chǎn)ll dogs can be used to smell cancer

B．it’s not easy to find out cancer in the early stage

C．most of the research experiments are successful

D．dogs detect cancer by breathing and feeling

When we say that Cambridge is a university town, we do not mean just that it is a town with a university in it. Manchester and Milan have universities, but we do not call them university towns. A university town is one where there is no clear separation between the university buildings and the rest of the city. The university is not just one part of the town; it is all over the town. The heart of Cambridge has its shops, pubs, market-place and so on, but most of it is university-colleges, faculties, libraries, clubs and other places for university staff and students. Students fill the shops, cafes, banks, and churches, making these as well part of the university.,
The town was there first. Two Roman roads crossed there, and there are signs of building before Roman times (earlier than A.D. 43). Cambridge became a center of learning, and the authority of the head of the university was recognized by the king in 1226.
With about 8,250 undergraduates and over2,000 postgraduates, the city is a busy place in “full term” .Undergraduates are not allowed to keep cars in Cambridge, so nearly all of them use bicycles. Don’t try to drive through Cambridge during the five minutes between lectures. Your bicycle must go through a boiling sea of other bicycles hurrying in all directions, if you are in Cambridge at five minutes to the hour any morning of full term, you know that you are in a university town.
小題1:What is called a university town?
A.    A town with a university in it    
B.     B. A university with a town in it.
C.  One where there is no clear separation between a university and a town.
D.    One where there are both a university and a town.
小題2:How many students does Cambridge have?

A．Eight thousand, two hundred and fifty.	B．Two thousand.
C．Ten thousand.	D．More than ten thousand.

小題3:Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A．the university is all over the town

B．the town came earlier than the university

C．during the five minutes between lectures, your bicycle must go through other bicycles hurrying in all directions.

D．the teachers have many strange ways of making their lectures lively and interesting.

小題4:What’s the title of the passage?

A．Cambridge—A University Town.	B．Cambridge – A Centre of Learning
C．Cambridge with Many Students.	D．Cambridge with a Long History

Student participation in the classroom is not only accepted but also expected of the student in many courses. Some professors base part of the final grade on the student’s oral participation. Although there are formal lectures during which the student has a passive role (i.e., listening and taking notes), many courses are organized around classroom discussions, student questions, and informal lectures. In graduate discussions the professor had a “manager” role and the students make presentations and lead discussions. The students do the actual teaching in these discussions.
A professor’s teaching method is another factor that determines the degree and type of student participation. Some professors prefer to control discussions while others prefer to guide the class without controlling it. Many professors encourage students to question their ideas. Students who object to the professor’s point of view should be prepared to prove their positions.
In the teaching of science and mathematics, the controlling mode of instruction is generally traditional, with teachers presenting formal lectures and students taking notes. However, new educational trends have turned up in the humanities and social sciences in the past twenty years. Students in education, society, and history classes, for example, are often required to solve problems in groups, design projects, make presentations, and examine case studies. Since some college or university courses are “practical” rather than theoretical, they pay more attention to “doing” for themselves.
小題1:“Participation in the classroom is not only accepted but also expected of the student” in  ____
class.

A．the humanities and social sciences	B．the science and mathematics
C．the theoretical lessons	D．the strictly controlled courses

小題2:From the passage we know that education in the humanities and society __________.

A．has not changed much in the past twenty years

B．pay attention to students’ studying instead of teachers’ teaching

C．is much more important than that of science and mathematics

D．has become more practical than theoretical.

小題3:The reason why some professors ask students to make presentations and lead discussions is that __________.

A．these professors are often not well prepared before class

B．these professors want to stress “doing”

C．these professors want to test the students abilities

D．these professors are not willing to teach theory

小題4:Which of the following sentences is true according to the passage?

A．Student participation is not common in many courses like society and history classes.

B．Some professors want to control the classroom discussion.

C．Some of students are wanted to attend the lecture of science and mathematics.

D．New educational trends have turned up in the teaching of natural sciences such as

chemistry.

Japanese scientists have taken the first photographs of one of the most mysterious creatures in the deep ocean — the giant squid^①.
Until now the only information about the behavior of the creatures which measure up to 18 meters (59 feet) in length has been based on dead or dying squid washed up on shore or captured^②in commercial fishing nets.
But Tsunemi Kubodera, of the National Science Museum, and Kyoichi Mori of the Ogasawara Whale Watching Association, both in Tokyo have captured the first images of Architeuthis attacking bait^③900 meters below the surface in the cold, dark waters of the North Pacific. “We show the first wild images of a giant squid in its natural environment,” they said in a report in the journal Proceedings B of the Royal Society.
Little is known about the creatures because it has been so difficult to locate and study them alive. Large ships and specialist equipment, which is costly, are needed to study deep sea environments.
The Japanese scientists found the squid by following sperm whales, the most effective hunters of giant squid, as they gathered to feed between September and December in the deep waters off the coast of the Ogasawara Islands in the North Pacific. They used a remote long-line camera and depth logging system to capture the giant squid in the ocean depths.
The most dramatic character of giant squids is the pair of extremely long tentacles^④, distinct from the eight shorter arms. The long tentacles make up to two-thirds of the length of the dead specimens^⑤to date. The giant squid appear to be a much more active meat-eating animals than researchers had thought.
Notes:
① squid  n. 魷魚(yú)
② capture  vt. 捕獲
①    bait  n. 魚(yú)餌
②    tentacle  n. 觸角，觸須
③    specimen  n. 標(biāo)本，樣本
小題1:The passage mainly tells us that ________.

A．Scientists captured a giant squid alive

B．Scientists captured a giant squid on camera

C．giant squids are special meat-eating animals

D．giant squids mainly live in the deep sea

小題2:According to the passage, we can infer that the word “Architeuthis” should refer to ________.

A．a(chǎn) scientist

B．the sperm whale

C．a(chǎn) big ship

D．the giant squid

小題3:Which of the following about giant squids is TRUE?

A．They like living the cold and deep waters.

B．They mainly feed on the dead fish.

C．They like playing, using their tentacles.

D．They have only eight arms around the mouth.

小題4:According to the passage, the scientists located the giant squid ________.

A．through a remote long-line camera

B．by using depth logging system

C．by following sperm whales

D．by using the bait to attract them

Among the dead in South Asia’s tsunami^① were many tourists at Sri Lanka’s national wildlife park at Yala. But very few of the park’s animals — elephants, buffaloes, monkeys and wild cats — appear to have died. There are theories that animals can sense natural disasters and flee to safety.
First, it’s possible that the animals may have heard the quake before the tsunami hit. The underwater rupture likely produced sound waves known as infrasound^② or infrasonic sound. Humans can’t hear infrasound, but many animals including dogs, elephants, tigers and pigeons can.
A second early warning sign the animals might have sensed is ground vibration^③. The massive quake would have produced vibrational waves known as Rayleigh waves. These vibrations move through the ground like waves move on the surface of the ocean but faster. They travel at ten times the speed of sound. The Rayleigh waves would have reached SriLanka hours before the water hit. Mammals, birds, insects and spiders can sense Rayleigh waves. So the animals at Yale might have felt the Rayleigh waves and then run to higher ground.
But what about humans? While we can’t hear infrasound, we can feel it, although we don’t necessarily know we’re feeling it. We also experience Rayleigh waves by special sensors in our joints, which exist just for that purpose. Sadly, it seems we don’t pay attention to the information when we get it. Maybe we screen it out because there’s so much going on before our eyes and in our ears. Humans have a lot of things on our minds and usually that works out OK.
Notes:
①    tsunami  n. 海嘯
②    infrasound  n. 次聲
③    vibration  n. 振動(dòng)，顫動(dòng)
Choose the best answers according to the above:
小題1: Why did few animals at Yala die when the tsunamis that caused a huge number of human deaths hit?

A．Because the animals were staying at a higher place in the park.

B．Because the animals were able to run much faster than human beings.

C．Because human beings cannot hear the infrasonic sound.

D．Because the animals might have picked up the danger signals and ran away.

小題2:Which of the statements about “Ravleigh waves” is true?

A．Rayleigh waves are massive vibrational waves that usually cause quakes or tsunamis.

B．Rayleigh waves move on the ocean surface at a speed ten times that of sound waves.

C．Rayleigh waves can be felt both by animals and human beings.

D．Rayleigh waves, just like infrasonic sound, can only be felt by animals.

小題3:When a tsunami hits, it is possible that＿＿＿＿.

A．we can’t feel the infrasound so we can’t be informed of the danger

B．we can feel Rayleigh waves as well as infrasound so we are able to escape the danger like animals

C．we were so busy with things on our minds that we feel neither infrasound nor Rayleigh waves

D．we think nothing of the information of its coming even though we can also get it

小題4: What does the underlined word “that” in the last sentence refer to?

A．Screening out the information.

B．There being so much going on before our eyes and in our ears.

C．Having a lot of things on our minds.

D．Paying attention to the information.

It is sometimes said that strange flying objects have been seen high up in the sky. People call these strange objects Unidentified Flying Objects (UFO). These UFOs caused a lot of interest. Some of the reports about them are difficult to believe. Some have been explained in scientific ways. Others have never been explained. Here is an account of UFOs from a report.
Dennis Burdens, who wrote an article, tells us that he once saw a UFO himself. He was having dinner one night with a friend near Tripoli, Libya, and after dinner the two men walked across a yard to his room to look at some papers. Burdens noticed that the moon looked strange that night.
“It wasn’t the moon ”, was the reply.
They watched the light and saw that it was moving. It seemed to be an object rather like a big plate. In some ways it looked like smoke with a light on it, but it wasn’t smoke because it didn’t change its shape. It was moving in a regular way. That is to say, it didn’t go suddenly faster or more slowly, and it didn’t go higher or lower. So the two men decided that there must be men in it.
After that, Burdens said that he felt eyes looking at him. He was being watched in the darkness.
When it was nearer, they noticed that the bottom parts were brighter than the top. The bottom was yellow and the top red. Then the object suddenly turned away and left Libya, moving very fast.
On a later day Burdens talked to other people about it, and he found some who had seen it. They all described it in the same way. Could they all be mistaken?
小題1: UFOs are _____.

A．flying high up in the sky	B．strange flying objects
C．difficult to believe	D．very interested

小題2: A UFO was seen one night _____.

A．when they were walking across a yard to Burdens’ room

B．while they were looking at the light

C．when Burdens noticed the moon appearing strange

D．while they were having dinner

小題3:The UFO moved _______.

A．regularly

B．in a changeable way

C．slowly

D．fast

小題4: The UFO looked like _____ .

A．smoke

B．a(chǎn) large plate

C．light

D．a(chǎn) jumping object

小題5:The UFO was seen ______ .

A．by Burdens and his friend	B．brighter in the darkness
C．by several people	D．to have a yellow bottom and a red top in the same way

With the start of the new semester students around the country exchange their fun and fashionable clothes for boring school uniforms.
"The uniform makes us look like a bunch of clones, especially when we are doing morning exercises in the playground, "said Qing, a Senior 2 from a high school in Shanghai. "But we are not exactly the same from the top to the bottom. The boys wear different sport shoes and girls have different decorations ( 裝飾品 )in their hair. These are the areas where you can express yourself" said Qing.
Although it might be strange for boys to talk about fashion, they do care about what they wear in school, especially shoes, according to Qing.
"Nike and Adidas basketball shoes, although they are still the must for many of my friends ,are becoming out-of-date,” added. He explained, "Since Liu Xiang ran so fast in Athens, running shoes are becoming popular in this autumn."
"Still in fashion are the various baseball caps and American-style T-shirts with random English words printed on them, "said Qing. "The accuracy ( 準(zhǔn)確性 )of the written message isn't important. Often, the words are misspelt . Sometimes they do not even make sense “ Qing said with a smile.
Besides sports shoes and T-shirts, styles and colours of school bags are another opportunity for students to express their taste in fashion. Some bags are made more eye-catching by decorating them with small hanging dolls. Other fashionable items are the colourful drink contains which are now popular among girls this semester.
As in China, the new semester in the US also brings new fashion trends: shirts printed with Chinese words, necklaces with Hebrew ( 希伯萊 )or Hindi ( 印度的 )characters, and Brazilian jewelry, are all common in schools in Florida, according to Carmen Domingues, a high school student.
小題1:What does "a bunch of  clones”( Paragraph 2)mean?

A．All of the clothes are the same.	B．All of the exercises are the same.
C．All of the clothes are different.	D．All of the exercises are different.

小題2:How do the students express themselves in school?

A．The girls wear different sport shoes.

B．All the students wear school uniforms.

C．The girls have different decorations in their hair.

D．The boys drink water from colourful drinks containers.

小題3:Why are Nike and Adidas basketball shoes becoming out-of-date?

A．Because the shoes are not eye-catching.

B．Because running shoes become more popular.

C．Because the shoes have been popular for a long time.

D．Because they have changed their opinions for Liu Xiang.

小題4:Which of the following is NOT the new fashion trends in the US?

A．Necklace with Hebrew or Hindi characters.

B．Baseball caps and American-style T-shirts.

C．Shirts printed with Chinese words.

D．Brazilian jewelry.