When I was seven my father gave me a Timex, my first watch. I loved it, wore it for years, and haven’t had another one since it stopped ticking a decade ago. Why? Because I don’t need one. I have a mobile phone and I’m always near someone with an iPod or something like that. All these devices（裝置）tell the time — which is why, if you look around, you’ll see lots of empty wrists; sales of watches to young adults have been going down since 2007.
But while the wise have realized that they don’t need them, others—apparently including some distinguished men of our time—are spending total fortunes on them. Brands such as Rolex, Patek Philippe and Breitling command shocking prices, up to ￡250,000 for a piece.
This is ridiculous. Expensive cars go faster than cheap cars. Expensive clothes hang better than cheap clothes. But these days all watches tell the time as well as all other watches. Expensive watches come with extra functions — but who needs them? How often do you dive to 300 metres into the sea or need to find your direction in the area around the South Pole? So why pay that much of five years’ school fees for watches that allow you to do these things?
If justice were done, the Swiss watch industry should have closed down when the Japanese discovered how to make accurate watches for a five-pound note. Instead the Swiss reinvented the watch, with the aid of millions of pounds’ worth of advertising, as a message about the man wearing it. Rolexes are for those who spend their weekends climbing icy mountains; a Patek Philippe is for one from a rich or noble family; a Breitling suggests you like to pilot planes across the world.
Watches are now classified as “investments”（投資）. A 1994 Patek Philippe recently sold for nearly ￡350,000, while 1960s Rolexes have gone from ￡15,000 to ￡30,000 plus in a year. But a watch is not an investment. It’s a toy for self-satisfaction, a matter of fashion. Prices may keep going up—they’ve been rising for 15 years. But when fashion moves on, the owner of that ￡350,000 beauty will suddenly find his pride and joy is no more a good investment than my childhood Timex.
小題1:The sales of watches to young people have fallen because they______.       

A．have other devices to tell the time	B．think watches too expensive
C．prefer to wear an iPod	D．have no sense of time

小題2: It seems ridiculous to the writer that ______.

A．people dive 300 metres into the sea

B．expensive clothes sell better than cheap ones

C．cheap cars don’t run as fast as expensive ones

D．expensive watches with unnecessary functions still sell

小題3:What can be learnt about Swiss watch industry from the passage?

A．It targets rich people as its potential customers.

B．It’s hard for the industry to beat its competitors.

C．It wastes a huge amount of money in advertising.

D．It’s easy for the industry to reinvent cheap watches.

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

A．Timex or Rolex?	B．My Childhood Timex
C．Watches? Not for Me!	D．Watches — a Valuable Collection

A few years ago, Paul Gerner began to gather a group of architects in Las Vegas to ask them what it would take to design a public school that used 50 percent less energy, cost much less to build and obviously improved student learning. “I think half of them fell off their chairs,” Gerner says.
Gerner manages school facilities （設(shè)施） for Clark County, Nevada, a district roughly the size of Massachusetts. By 2018, 143,000 additional students will enter the already crowded public-education system. Gerner needs 73 new schools to house them. Four architecture teams have nearly finished designing primary school prototypes （樣品）; they plan to construct their schools starting in 2009. The district will then assess how well the schools perform, and three winners will copy those designs in 50 to 70 new buildings.
Green schools are appearing all over, but in Clark County, which stands out for its vastness, such aggressive targets are difficult because design requirements like more natural light for students go against the realities of a desert climate. “One of the biggest challenges is getting the right site orientation （朝向）,”Mark McGinty, a director at SH Architecture, says. His firm recently completed a high school in Las Vegas. “You have the same building, same set of windows, but if its orientation is incorrect and it faces the sun, it will be really expensive to cool.”
Surprisingly, the man responsible for one of the most progressive green-design competitions has doubts about ideas of eco-friendly buildings. “I don’t believe in the new green religion,” Gerner says. “Some of the building technologies that you get are impractical. I’m interested in those that work.” But he wouldn’t mind if some green features inspire students. He says he hopes to set up green energy systems that allow them to learn about the process of harvesting wind and solar power. “You never know what’s going to start the interest of a child to study math and science,” he says.
小題1:How did the architects react to Gerner’s design requirements?

A．They lost balance in excitement.	B．They showed strong disbelief.
C．They expressed little interest.	D．They burst into cheers.

小題2:Which order of steps is followed in carrying out the project?

A．Assessment — Prototype — Design — Construction.

B．Assessment — Design — Prototype — Construction.

C．Design — Assessment — Prototype — Construction.

D．Design — Prototype — Assessment — Construction.

小題3:What makes it difficult to build green schools in Clark County?

A．The large size.	B．Limited facilities.
C．The desert climate.	D．Poor natural resources.

小題4:What does Gerner think of the ideas of green schools?

A．They are questionable.	B．They are out of date.
C．They are advanced.	D．They are practical.

Sunday is more like Monday than it used to be. Places of business that used to keep daytime “business hours” are now open late into the night. And on the Internet, the hour of the day and the day of the week have become irrelevant （不相關(guān)的）. A half century ago in the United States, most people experienced strong and precise dividing lines between days of rest and days of work, school time and summer time. Today the boundaries still exist, but they seem not clear.
The law in almost all states used to require stores to close on Sunday; in most, it no longer does. It used to keep the schools open in all seasons except summer; in most, it still does. And whether the work week should strengthen its legal limits, or whether it should become more “flexible,” is often debated. How should we, as a society, organize our time? Should we go even further in relaxing the boundaries of  time until we live in a world in which every minute is much like every other?
These are not easy questions even to ask. Part of the difficulty is that we rarely recognize the “l(fā)aw of time” even when we meet it face to face. We know as children that we have to attend school a certain number of hours, a certain number of days, a certain number of years—but unless we meet the truant officer （學(xué)監(jiān)）, we may well think that we should go to school due to social custom and parents’ demand rather than to the law. As adults we are familiar with “extra pay for overtime working,” but less familiar with the fact that what constitutes （構(gòu)成）“overtime” is a matter of legal definition. When we turn the clock forward to start daylight-saving time, have we ever thought to ourselves: “Here is the law in action”? As we shall see, there is a lot of law that has great influence on how we organize and use time: compulsory education law, overtime law, and daylight-saving law — as well as law about Sunday closing, holidays, being late to work, time zones, and so on. Once we begin to look for it, we will have no trouble finding a law of time to examine and assess.
小題1:By saying “Sunday is more like Monday than it used to be”, the writer means that_____ .

A．work time is equal to rest time

B．many people have a day off on Monday

C．it is hard for people to decide when to rest

D．the line between work time and rest time is unclear

小題2:The author raises the questions in Paragraph 2 to introduce the fact that people

A．fail to make full use of their time	B．enjoy working overtime for extra pay
C．a(chǎn)re unaware of the law of time	D．welcome flexible working hours

小題3:According to the passage, most children tend to believe that they go to school because they ______.

A．need to acquire knowledge	B．have to obey their parents
C．need to find companions	D．have to observe the law

小題4:What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Our life is governed by the law of time.

B．How to organize time is not worth debating.

C．New ways of using time change our society.

D．Our time schedule is decided by social customs.

People often fall ill because of me. 36 , they can hardly blame me; it is largely their own 37 .A tired person may get 38 , especially when he goes to crowded places with polluted air. A sudden change in 39 is another factor. In hot summer, people turn on the air-conditioner upon returning home. They will catch a cold easily.
My latest victim is an energetic student. After school, he played football hard for two hours. Though 40 , he still went to the cinema .Then he got back home and took a cold shower immediately.
I seized this golden chance to 41 him .He reacted ,trying to 42 me , but I was already 43 deep in his throat. He kept sneezing（打噴嚏） and his nose was running. 44 he put on some warm clothes, it didn’t work, for there were too many of us. Besides, his sore throat kept 45 him, and he developed a cough to force me and my family out, but  46 .
The next day he couldn’t go to 47 . He had lost his appetite and was not as 48 as before. His mother made him orange juice every few hours for more vitamin C, which would help his 49
For two days he was 50 by his mother. As he rested more, his defense strengthened and I began to feel the 51 . I knew I had to 52 him before long. But I am not the one who gives up easily, and I made every effort to fight back. 53 , it was my turn to feel 54 now, for his defense system was starting an all-out attack against me. I became 55 and finally my time was over.
Do you know what I am?

小題1:	A．Therefore B．Besides C．However D．Then

小題2:	A．business B．responsibility C．excuse D．fault

小題3:	A．punished B．blamed C．caught D．killed

小題4:	A．temperature B．season C．place D．condition

小題5:	A．excited B．hurt C．late D．tired

小題6:	A．injure B．bother C．a(chǎn)ttack D．destroy

小題7:	A．get on with B．get rid of C．put up with D．take hold of

小題8:	A．reproducing B．waiting C．hiding D．disappearing

小題9:	A．Since B．Once C．Whether D．Although

小題10:

A．reminding B．upsetting C．comforting D．influencing

小題11:

A．escaped B．succeeded C．regretted D．failed

小題12:

A．bed B．work C．school D．hospital

小題13:

A．peaceful B．a(chǎn)fraid C．a(chǎn)ctive D．happy

小題14:

A．recovery B．development C．study D．a(chǎn)ffected

小題15:

A．protected B．nursed C．scolded D．a(chǎn)ffected

小題16:

A．loss B．operation C．pressure D．movement

小題17:

A．leave B．catch C．forget D．beat

小題18:

A．Uncertainly B．Unsuccessfully C．Unusually D．Unfortunately

小題19:

A．painful B．disappointed C．nervous D．a(chǎn)shamed

小題20:

A．bigger B．weaker C．smaller D．stronger

How to Be a Winner
Sir Steven Redgrave
Winner of 5 Olympic Gold Medals
“In 1997 I was found to have developed diabetes （糖尿�。�. Believing my career （職業(yè)生涯）was over, I felt extremely low. Then one of the specialists said there was no reason why I should stop training and competing. That was it----the encouragement I needed. I could still be a winner if I believed in myself. I am not saying that it isn’t difficult sometimes. But I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn’t finished yet. Nothing is to stand in my way.”
Karen Pickering
Swimming World Champion
“I swim 4 hours a day, 6 days a week. I manage that sort of workload by putting it on top of my diary. This is the key to success—you can’t follow a career in any field without being well-organized. List what you believe you can achieve. “Trust yourself, write down your goals for the day, however small they are, and you’ll be a step closer to achieving them.”
Kirsten Best
Poet ＆ Writer
“When things are getting hard, a voice inside my head tells me that I can’t achieve something. Then, there are other distractions, such as family or hobbies. The key is to concentrate. When I feel tense, it helps a lot to repeat words such as ‘calm’, ‘peace’ or ‘focus’, either out loud or silently in my mind. It makes me feel more in control and increases my confidence. This is a habit that can become second nature quite easily and is a powerful psychological （心理的） tool.”
小題1:What does Sir Steven Redgrave mainly talk about?

A．Difficulties influenced his career.

B．Specialists offered him medical advice.

C．Training helped him defeat his disease.

D．He overcame the shadow of illness to win.

小題2:What does Karen Pickering put on top of her diary?

A．Her training schedule.

B．Her daily happenings.

C．Her achievements.

D．Her sports career.

小題3:What does the underlined word “distractions” probably refer to?

A．Ways that help one to focus.

B．Words that help one to feel less tense.

C．Activities that turn one’s attention away.

D．Habits that make it hard for one to relax.

小題4:According to the passage, what do the three people have in common?

A．Courage.

B．Devotion.

C．Hard work.

D．Self-confidence.

A recent study, while showing a generally positive attitude toward science, also suggests a widespread worry that it may be “running out of control”. This idea is dangerous.
Science can be a force for evil as well as for good. Its applications can be channeled either way, depending on our decisions. The decisions we make, personally or collectively, will determine the outcomes of science. But here is a real danger. Science is advancing so fast is so strongly influenced by businesses that we are likely to believe whatever decisions we come to will make little difference. And, rather than fighting for the best possible policies, we may step back and do nothing.
Some people go even further. They say that despite the moral and legal objections （反對）, whatever is scientifically possible will be done ——somewhere, sometime. They believe that science will get out of control in the end. This belief is dangerous too, because it a fuels sense of  hopelessness and discourages them from making efforts to build a safer world.
In our interconnected world, the lack of agreement in and of the world of science can lead to the failure to control the use of science. Without a common understanding, the challenges of “controlling” science in this century will be really tough. Take human cloning for example. Despite the general agreement among scientists on its possible huge impact （影響） on traditional moral values, some countries still go ahead with the research and development of its related techniques. The outcomes are hard to predict.
Therefore, discussions on how science is applied should be extended far beyond scientific societies. Only through the united efforts of people with hope, can we be fully safe against the misuse of science and can science best serve mankind in the future.
小題1:What can we conclude from the recent study?

A．People think highly of science.

B．People hold mixed opinions about science.

C．Science is getting dangerously out of control.

D．Science is used for both good and bad purposes.

小題2:According to the passage, what will happen if we hold that science is getting beyond control?

A．The development of science will hopelessly slow down.

B．Businesses will have even greater influence on science.

C．The public will lose faith in bringing about a bright future.

D．People will work more actively to put science under control.

小題3:The discussion should reach beyond scientific societies because __________.

A．scientists have failed to predict the outcomes

B．the ties between different areas need strengthening

C．united efforts are necessary for the development of science

D．people need to work together to prevent the bad use of science

小題4:What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Science and its applications bring us many dangers.

B．The development of science mostly lies in people’s attitudes.

C．Mankind can largely take control of science with their efforts.

D．The future of science will be influenced by the dangerous ideas.

Last year, I was speaking at a gathering of wealthy male investors. The organizers posted the   1  of a survey showing that only a small percentage of wealthy men believed their wives spent too much.
'What?'   2  one participant. 'Those guys have to be lying.'
There is no reliable   3  of who spends more among the rich: men or women. Both will say the other is the   4  spender.
A recent survey by Wilmington Trust, Campden Research and Relative Solutions proves the   5  . The companies polled 40 women (I know, that is more like a show of hands than 'survey'), each with a net worth of $25 million or more.
About half the respondents（受調(diào)查者） inherited（.繼承） their   6  , a quarter   7  it from their husbands and the other quarter earned it   8   . That is roughly in line with other surveys of   9  women and the source of their money. One interesting note: among the self-made women, 90% got their money from owning a business, rather than   10  a salary.
As for   11   , almost all the women (90%) described their spending habits as 'below their means.' The report on the survey said that is 'possibly   12  they do not view their extreme wealth as defining their success.
'Women tend not to spend as much as   13  and splash（潑灑得使到處是） their names all over the place,' said one woman in the survey, describing her spending as conservative and he lifestyle as 'below the radar.'
Many women also worried about wealth having   14   effects on their children and didn't want to spend lavishly（揮霍） to   15  a bad example.
At the same time, 70% of the women said they 'buy nice things when   16   .' And 93.5% of the women said they were responsible for making   17  on major purchases, which   18  that they do a lot of the big spending.
Of course, for truly major purchases a house in Aspen, Colo., a Gulfstream, a Feadship the couple probably makes the decision   19  .
But what about other   20  ? Do you think men or women do most of the high-end spending?
(   ) 1. A. results                B. reasons             C. times                D. directions
(   ) 2. A. cried                  B. sighed              C. shouted            D. laughed
(   ) 3. A. data                   B. measure            C. division            D. news
(   ) 4. A. biggest               B. bigger              C. smaller             D. worse
(   ) 5. A. matter                B. message            C. point                D. report
(   ) 6. A. spirit                 B. money              C. habit                D. cost
(   ) 7. A. bought                      B. robbed             C. got                   D. earned
(   ) 8. A. itself                  B. herself              C. ourselves          D. themselves
(   ) 9. A. wealthy              B. poor                 C. ordinary            D. honest
(   ) 10. A. making            B. earning             C. taking              D. spending
(   ) 11. A. buying             B. wasting            C. spending           D. saving
(   ) 12. A. when                      B. if                     C. whether            D. because
(   ) 13. A. women             B. youth                      C. adults               D. men
(   ) 14. A. serious             B. good                C. bad                  D. various
(   ) 15. A. send                 B. set                   C. do                    D. give
(   ) 16. A. necessary          B. possible            C. pleased             D. anxious
(   ) 17. A. plans                B. decisions          C. appointments    D. suggestions
(   ) 18. A. notices             B. stresses             C. implies             D. intends
(   ) 19. A. away                B. together            C. as well             D. out
(   ) 20. A. purchases         B. effects              C. differences        D. examples

Fifteen percent of US teenagers aged 12 to 17 who own mobile phones have received nude（裸體）or nearly nude images of someone they know, according to a survey released on Tuesday.
Only four percent of mobile phone-owning   1 in that age group have sent sexually suggestive pictures of themselves, a practice known as "sexting,"   2 the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project.
The Pew survey found that girls and boys were equally as likely to have sent a suggestive picture to   3 person and 4  teenagers were more likely to have engaged in "sexting."
Eight percent of 17-year-olds with mobile phones have sent a sexually provocative（刺激的） image  5  texting and 30 percent have 6   a nude or nearly nude image on their phone.
Only four percent of 12-year-olds have sent suggestive images of   7 .
Amanda Lenhart, a senior research specialist at Pew and the author of the report, said sexually suggestive images have become a   8  of "relationship currency" for teens.
"These images are    9  as a part of or instead of sexual activity, or as a way of starting or  10  a relationship with a significant other," she said. "And they are also passed 11  to friends for their entertainment value, as a joke or for   12 ."
"The desire for risk-taking and sexual exploration during the teenage years  13  with a constant connection via mobile devices creates a 'perfect storm' for sexting," said Lenhart.
"Teenagers have always grappled with issues around sex and   14  , but their coming-of-age mistakes transgressions have never been so easily   15  and stored for others to see," she added.
The survey found that teens with unlimited text messaging plans were more likely to receive "sexts"   16  images of people they know. About 75 percent of mobile phone owning teens have unlimited plans.
Among this group, Pew said 18 percent reporting receiving "sexts"    17   with eight percent of teens on    18  data plans and three percent of teens who pay per message.
According to Pew, 58 percent of 12-year-olds own a mobile phone and 83 percent teens aged 17   19   .
Pew noted that a number of US states are grappling with how to 20  "sexting" among minors and some legislatures(立法機(jī)關(guān)) have stepped in to consider laws that would downgrade charges from felonies（重罪） to misdemeanors（輕罪）.
Pew conducted telephone interviews with 800 teens aged 12 to 17 and their parents between June 26 and September 24.
(   ) 1. A. teens                  B. adults               C. students            D. parents
(   ) 2. A. referring to               B. reporting          C. saying              D. according to
(   ) 3. A. other                 B. another             C. others               D. the other
(   ) 4. A. younger             B. fewer                      C. older                D. more
(   ) 5. A. by                     B. in                    C. on                    D. through
(   ) 6. A. accepted             B. received           C. sent                  D. mailed
(   ) 7. A. others                B. themselves        C. himself             D. herself
(   ) 8. A. habit                  B. system              C. method             D. form
(   ) 9. A. shared                B. limited             C. tasted                      D. controlled
(   ) 10. A. remaining         B. gaining             C. maintaining      D. obtain
(   ) 11. A. along                      B. by                    C. as                    D. for
(   ) 12. A. joy                  B. fun                  C. excitement        D. delight
(   ) 13. A. compared         B. followed           C. combined         D. went
(   ) 14. A. friendships       B. scholarships      C. relatives           D. relationships
(   ) 15. A. transmitted       B. transformed      C. formed             D. switched
(   ) 16. A. containing               B. concluding        C. including          D. concerning
(   ) 17. A. comparing               B. compared         C. connected         D. joined
(   ) 18. A. limited             B. unlimited          C. few                  D. little
(   ) 19. A. have                B. same                C. do                    D. too
(   ) 20. A. do with            B. deal with          C. remove             D. ban

閱讀下面短文, 從短文后面各題的A、B、C、D四個選項(xiàng)中, 選出適合填入對應(yīng)空白處的最佳選項(xiàng), 并在答題卡上將該選項(xiàng)涂黑。
One afternoon, my son Adam asked me, “Are all people the same even if they are different in color?”
I thought for a minute, and then I said, “I’ll explain, 21 you can just wait until we make a quick 22 at the grocery store. I have something 23 to show you. ”
At grocery store, we 24 some apples --- red, green and yellow ones. Back home, I told Adam, “It’s time to 25 your question.” I put one apple of each 26 on the table. Then I looked at Adam, who had a 27 look on his face. 
“People are like apples. They come in all 28 colors, shapes and sizes. On the 29,  some of the apples may not 30 look as the others. ” As I was talking, Adam was 31 each one carefully. 
Then, I took each of the apples and peeled（削皮）them, 32 them back on the table, but 33 a different place. 
“Okay, Adam, tell me which is which.”
He said, “I 34 tell. They all look same now. ” “Take a bite of 35. See if that helps you 36 which one is which. ”
He took 37,  and then a huge smile came cross his face. . ”People are 38 like apples! They are all different, but once you 39 the outside, they’re pretty much the same on the inside. ”
He totally 40 it. I didn’t need to say or do anything else. 
21. A. although        B. so              C. because        D. if        
22. A. stop            B. start           C. turn           D. stay        
23. A. expressive      B. encouraging     C. informative    D. interesting     
24. A. bought          B. counted         C. saw            D. collected      
25. A. check           B. mention         C. answer         D. improve       
26. A. size            B. type            C. shape          D. class        
27. A. worried         B. satisfied       C. proud          D. curious       
28. A. ordinary        B. normal          C. different      D. regular       
29. A. outside         B. whole           C. table          D. inside        
30. A. still           B. even            C. only           D. ever        
31. A. examining       B. measuring       C. drawing        D. packing       
32. A. keeping         B. placing         C. pulling        D. giving        
33. A. on              B. toward          C. for            D. in         
34. A. mustn’t        B. can’t          C. shouldn’t     D. needn’t       
35. A. each one        B. each other      C. the other      D. one another    
36. A. admit           B. consider        C. decide         D. believe
37. A. big bites       B. deep breaths    C. a firm hold    D. close look 
38. A. just            B. always          C. merely         D. seldom
39. A. put away        B. get down        C. hand out       D. take off 
40. A. made            B. took           C. got           D. did

When people hear a president speak, they seldom think about others helping to shape the presentation（報告）. Today, however, presidents depend on writers such as J. Terry Edmonds to help them communicate （交流） effectively. Edmonds is the first African American ever to work as a full-time speechwriter for a U. S. president; he is so the first African American to serve as director of speechwriting for White House. His is an all-American story of success. 
Edmonds grew up in Baltimore, Maryland; his father drove a truck, and his mother worked as a waitress. A. great reader, Edmonds showed a gift for writing at his high
School, Baltimore City College After graduating in 1967 Edmonds went on to Morgan State University
Edmonds began his career in business, with jobs in public relations and communications. He joined the world of politics as news secretary for his congressman （國會議員） from Baltimore During Bill Clinton’s presidency,  he wrote speeches for Health and Human Services  Secretary Donna Shalala and worked in a number of job in the White House and in governmental departments President Clinton then appointed （任命）him to the office of directory of speechwriting Following the 2000 elections Edmonds returned to Morgan State University as the school’s special assistant to the president for 2001-2002
小題1:Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?

A．Edmonds proved himself to be good at writing at high school

B．Edmonds graduated from Morgan State University in 1967.

C．Edmonds was the first full-time speechwriter.

D．Edmonds served the White House after 2000.

小題2:Edmonds entered the world of politics first as____。         

A．news secretary for a Congressman

B．a(chǎn) speechwriter for President Clinton

C．news secretary in the White House

D．a(chǎn) speechwriter for Secretary Donna Shalala

小題3:The text is most likely to be found in a book about____。       

A．popular science	B．historical events
C．successful people	D．Political systems