17．As students and teachers returned to school on Monday after the publication of performance ratings（等級(jí)） for 18，000 teachers，many parents said they were giving the reports serious thought．Yet there was an equal measure of skepticism among parents that test scores have any relationship with teachers'competence．
Some said they already knew how good a teacher was by walking into the classroom or by monitoring their children's progress．"I'm the kind of person who likes to see for themselves，"a father in Queens said．
Others worried about how their fellow parents，perhaps ones with sharper elbows，might respond．Will they demand a new teacher？Move their children to a new school？
Elizabeth Sane，the mother of a fourth grader at the Ella Baker School，a kindergarten-through-eighth-grade school on the Upper East Side，said that her daughter was switched to a different teacher's class over the summer，and that it was"like adding salt to the wound"when she saw the high ratings for her daughter's previous teacher．Her daughter's teacher this year did not receive a rating because he previously taught high school．
Ms．Sane said that the rating was not the only factor that influenced how she assessed a teacher's performance，but that the data used for teacher evaluations mattered．
But other parents dropping their children off at the Ella Baker School said they did not trust teacher ratings based on test scores any more than they wanted their children's learning measured only by the state exams．
"Some people take it as the final word，but it doesn't change who they are as teachers．The ratings aren't accurate，and the whole student testing thing needs to be thrown out，"said Lydia Delgado，whose child is in the second grade．
 
41．Paragraph 1 tells us thatD
A．All the teachers received a rating given by the students．
B．All the teachers will receive a rating at the end of each semester，
C．Most parents took the teachers'ratings seriously．
D．About half of the parents doubted the ratings to be reliable．
42．What does the underlined part"with sharper elbows"mean？A
A．With the ability to change the situation．
B．With a good relationship with the school．
C．With a stong will to succeed．
D．With strong elbows physically．
43．Paragraph 4 shows that Elizabeth SaneB 
A．was on the side of giving ratings to the teachers．
B．regretted having sent her daughter to another class．
C．didn't think her daughter's previous teacher was better．
D．wanted her daughter to return to her previous class．
44．Which of the following statements is true？A
A．The teacher ratings were decided by the test scores of the students．
B．Ms．Sane evaluated a teacher's performance only by the rating．
C．Lydia Delgado didn't think the students'scores should be kept．
D．To give ratings to teachers will come to an end in the near future．
45．The attitude of the author towards the way to assess teachers'competence isD．
A．supportive         B．critical
C．indifferent        D．objective．

16．One often hears it said that travel broadens the mind．But does this always happen？
    When an acquaintance of mine returned from France，I asked him how he liked it．"The breakfasts were terrible．"he said，"No bacon or kippers．I had fried eggs and chips，but it was quiet a business getting them to make them．"Obviously travel had not broadened his mind．He had judged it entirely from his own English viewpoints．
    All nationalities，in all foreign countries，can be found judging what they see，hear，taste and smell according to their own habits and customs．People who are better educated and who have read a lot about foreign countries tend to adapt and tolerate all easily．That is because their minds have already been broadened before they start travelling．
    Physical differences are not so difficult to be adapted to as mental ones．In Indonesia，the left hand is considered unclean．When a foreigner offers or takes something with his left hand，the Indonesian may explain this action as arising from a difference in custom，but the deep prejudice against the use of the left hand will not be so easilydone away with．
There are some travelers who adapt themselves so successfully to foreign customs and habits that they get the severe criticisms of their more stubborn fellow-countrymen．If they are Asians，they are accused of having become"Westernized"，and if they are Europeans，people say they have"gone native"．
Perhaps the ideal would be if travel could succeed m making people tolerate the habits and customs of others without abandoning their own．The criterion for judging a foreigner could be"Does he try to be polite and considerate to others？"instead of"Is he like me？
66．The author mentions his acquaintance's travel to showC．
    A．the breakfasts are terrible in France
    B．the English style of life is better
    C．travel can't always broaden one's mind
    D．it is not easy to get used to the life in France
67．The better educated peopleA    
    A．a(chǎn)re adapted easily to foreign customs and habits
    B．a(chǎn)lways judge things from their own viewpoints
    C．never have an open mind to different cultures
    D．tend to compare two kinds of habits and customs
68．Which of the following can best replace of the underlined phrase"done away with"in Paragraph 4？D   
    A．put up with      B．taken place of        C．made up for      D．got rid of
69．According to Paragraph 5，those who adapt themselves successfully areB．
    A．better understood                   B．sometimes criticized
    C．well accepted                       D．never tolerated
70．We can infer from the text thatB．
    A．cultural differences are never tolerated in all countries
    B．"travel broadens the mind sometimes doesn't make sense
    C．cultural differences are not difficult to be adapted to
    D．one should try to copy foreign customs when travelling．

15．There are a couple of ways to forecast the destructive potential of a hurricane （颶風(fēng)） so that people in the way can take adequate precautions （預(yù)防措施）．Satellite images of cloud patterns can be analyzed to estimate peak wind speeds，but the estimates are often way off the mark．Specialized aircraft can fly into a storm to measure the winds directly，but the flights are costly．
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology come up with a third way：listening to a storm underwater．
In a paper to be published in Geophysical Research Letters，Nicholas C．Makris and a former graduate student，Joshua D．Wilson，report a strong connection between the intensity （強(qiáng)度） of sound recorded by an undersea microphone in the mid-Atlantic and the wind power of a hurricane that passed over it．They say that such microphones，known as hydrophones，could be a safe and relatively inexpensive means of estimating hurricane force．
Dr．Makris and Dr．Wilson，who are now with Applied Physical Sciences Corporation，worked out the theory of underwater acoustic （聲音的） monitoring of storms in a 2005paper．"To be very frank with you，it's a mystery what makes storms noisy underwater．"Dr．Makris said．The most popular idea currently is that it has something to do with oscillating air bubbles （氣泡振動(dòng)）．
The researchers then went looking for experimental data to back their theory，and found it from a hydrophone placed at a depth of 2，500feet by the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration．It happened that Hurricane Gert passed over the area in September 1999，and a hurricane-hunter plane directly measured the wind speed at the same time．The hydrophone data showed sound intensity rising when the storm's outside wind"wall"passed over，and again when the inside wall，the most destructive part of the storm near the eye，passed over．"We got a beautiful connection，"Dr．Makris said，"between the hydrophone data and the actual wind speeds as measured by the aircraft．"
Dr．Makris is conducting additional experiments，working with the Mexican Navy off the west coast of Mexico．The eventual goal，he said，would be permanent hydrophones in known hurricane zones or temporary ones that could be easily laid by plane or ship in the path of a coming storm．

72．Compared with the traditional methods，the new way of measuring isC．
A．more expensive            B．more direct
C．less dangerous            D．less accurate
73．Which statement is WRONG according to the article？B
A．The scientists gained support from different fields．
B．Dr．Makris and Dr．Wilson have figured out what makes storms noisy underwater．
C．The scientists have found the relationship between the changes of sound intensity and the force of the hurricane．
D．There are several ways for people to forecast the force of the coming hurricane．
74．Why is Dr．Makris now making other experiments with the help of the Mexican Navy off the west coast of Mexico？A
A．To place permanent hydrophones in some zones．
B．To collect more images of cloud patterns．
C．To be secure in carrying out their experiments．
D．To get more information from the hurricane-hunter planes．
75．Which of the following might be the best title of the passage？D
A．Ways to Stop the Destructive Force of a Hurricane
B．Connection between the Intensity of Sound and the Wind Power of a Hurricane
C．Hydrophones，Safe but Expensive Means of Estimating Hurricane Force
D．Measuring a Hurricane by Sound Underwater．

14．TAIBEI-Increasing numbers of Taiwanese students are joining the island's"China rush"，seeking education on the Chinese mainland．
According to official Chinese figures，the number of Taiwanese students admitted into college and postgraduate（研究生）programs on the mainland totaled 1461 in 2006，1928 in 2007 and 1839 in 2008．Although no latest official numbers were available，Netbig．Com said this number had risen between 30 to 50 percent annually in the past two years with over 2000 entering mainland campuses last year．
The Internet site，based in the Chinese city of Shenzhen，provides education service and information on Chinese mainland college and universities．"Many Taiwanese believe a Chinese education giving more knowledge about the people and culture in the mainland will increase their chances in the Chinese job market"，Nethig．Com vice-president Ingrid Huang said．"I believe it will give me hands-on experience in the business field on the Chinese mainland and a better understanding of the Chinese mainland people，"said Lydia Chang，a 19-year-old student majoring in journalism at Shih Shin University．Chang plans to go on to get a master's degree in business administration in Shanghai，which she says offers the best environment for such studies．
A journalism graduate student，surnamed Lin，at the National Taiwan University said he would like to study law on the Chinese mainland since"there will be better career prospects now that more Taiwanese companies are going there"．"They hope the children could build up connections which could later become useful in their business operations，"said Yang Ching-yao，professor of the Chinese mainland studies．A Netbig．Com survey showed the campuses favored by Taiwan students included Beijing，Qinghua and Renmin universities in Beijing，and Jinan and Zhongshan universities in Guangzhou．The most popular studies were law，business and Chinese medicine．
At present，Chinese Taibei doesn't recognize diplomas earned on the Chinese mainland nor help with any inquiries about studying there．But recognizing the trend，education authorities are giving a final form to a policy accepting certificates from selected universities．
63．Why do more Taiwanese students study on the Chinese mainland？D
A．Because the fees asked for are lower than those of Taiwan．
    B．Because Taiwan will reunite with the mainland sooner or later．
    C．Because there are many famous universities for them to choose．
    D．Because what they have learned on the mainland will bring them a bright future．
64．The underlined word"it"in the third paragraph meansD．
    A．Netbig．Com                         B．the university
    C．the Chinese job market              D．a(chǎn) Chinese education on the mainland
65．The purpose of the article is to tell usA．
    A．more Taiwanese students are going to universities on the mainland
    B．Taiwan and the mainland should cooperate with each other in every field
    C．education on the mainland is more attractive compared with that of Taiwan
D．the number of Taiwanese students studying on the mainland has been decreasing
66．Which of the following is true according to the passage？C
    A．Education of Taiwan is far behind the mainland．
    B．Chinese Taibei recognizes diplomas earned on the Chinese mainland．
    C．Chinese Taibei doesn't help with any inquiries about Taiwanese studying on the mainland．
    D．The number of Taiwanese students who go to study on the mainland will certainly be increasing in the near future．

13．Virgin Galactic said its first passenger flights wouldn't occur before 2013．Richard Branson's space tourism venture said it hoped to launch the service in two years，but even that date wasn't fixed．The firm's commercial director，Stephen Attenborough，told the BBC that its customers？safety was vital．Test flights are currently under way，with rocket-powered tests scheduled to start next year．
Almost 500 people have bought tickets．Richard had originally hoped the first commercial spacecraft，Spaceship Two，would take off as early as 2007．However，Mr．Attenborough stressed there never was an official date set for the first launch．
Stephen Attenborough criticized some press reports，particularly an article in the Wall Street Journal，which described the 2013 goal as"yet another delay"．
"This is a programme that can't have a hard-end date as safety is number one priority，"Mr．Attenborough said，"Our foot is flat on the gas．We have proven technology，we have a spaceport that opened last week，and the test flight programme is well advanced-----I don't think you can ask for a lot more from a programme like this．A delay is a strange word，and there is no delay．"
Keith Colmer，a former Air Force test pilot，was chosen from more than 500 applicants，among them a handful of astronauts．The BBC，s Richard Scott was the first journalist to be allowed inside the Virgin Galactic spaceship．
Richard has held an official ceremony for the launch pad for the space tourism venture in the New Mexico desert on 18，October．He plans to take the first flight，accompanied by his children．
Mr．Attenborough said that although all of the future tourists were eager to take off to space，none were pushing for an early flight．"They are willing to put a large a-mount of money up front because they trust us，because they know we will only take them to space if it's safe to do so，"he said．
The 2.5-hour flights will offer five minutes of weightlessness．Tickets cost $ 200，000．
68．What Stephen Attenborough valued most isC．
A．the number of tourists   B．the cost of a commercial flight
C．the safety of tourists   D．the process of the launch
69．What do we know about Richard according to the passage？C
A．He used to serve as an astronaut．
B．He will start the space tour with his children．
C．He is in charge of the interview of the first flight．
D．He has a thorough research in a spaceship．
70．You can most probably read the passage in aC．
A．travel guide B．chef magazine C．newspaper   D．textbook．

12．Daily Telegraph-An enormous number of sardines （沙丁魚(yú)） have been photographed as they swam in the formation of a dolphin （海豚）．Steve De Neef photographed the fish near Cebu in the Philippines grouping together to protect themselves from larger animals．He said："Getting the picture of the dolphin shape was just about being in the right spot at the right time，but it would be to their benefit if they could imitate （模仿） a larger animal．"
Daily Mail-Black garlic-a sweet variety of the popular cooking ingredient that doesn't leave you with bad breath-is getting ready to hit the UK supermarket shelves．Black garlic tastes much sweeter than traditional garlic and enjoys twice the amount of anti-oxidants （抗氧化劑） and can last twice as long on the shelf．
BBC-Researchers in the United States have developed the first wirelessly controlled device （裝置） that can supply a drug directly into the body．A small chip is implanted under the skin．It contains the medicine，which it releases at programmed times．The developers say the device could improve the lives of millions of people who take medicine for long-term illnesses and may one day free patients from having to remember to take their medicine，or give themselves injections．
VOA-Global warming could make humans shorter，warn scientists who claim to have found evidence that it caused the world's first horses to shrink nearly 50 million years ago．As temperatures went up their size went down，and vice versa （反之亦然）； at one point they were as small as a house cat．The scientists say that the current warming could have the same effect on mammals，and even humans．
59．What information can we obtain from Steve De Neef's words？B
    A．The sardines swim together to protect themselves from dolphins．
    B．The sardines will be in safety when meeting a larger animal．
    C．He took this rare picture of sardines probably by accident．
    D．It's easy to get the picture of the dolphin shape．
60．In comparison with traditional garlic，black garlicC．
    A．will leave you much stronger breath
    B．is more popular in the UK supermarket
    C．can be kept fresh for a much longer time
    D．contains the same amount of anti-oxidants
61．Who will probably find the wirelessly controlled device most useful？C
    A．Janet who is suffering a bad cold． B．Sophia who had had an operation．
    C．Winfred who has been ill for long． D．Lynette who has a poor memory．
62．The underlined word"shrink"in Paragraph 4 probably meansA．
    A．become smaller                   B．become weaker       
    C．grow bigger                      D．grow stronger．

11．"Mama!Mama!"My 2-year-old son yells at his most excited，I-just-discovered-something-huge voice when we are eating a delicious hot curry with steamed rice at our dinner table．
"Look，a tree!"He yells again．I turn to find him holding up a piece of broccoli （西蘭花） for us to see．"Oh honey，"I laugh and begin to protest，"That is bro…"But I stop．
As my son grows up，I find myself struggling not lo turn into the worst kind of teacher-the kind who overcorrects．
I have to learn to fight against my strong adult need to jump in and say，"No．that is not right．"in the name of promoting knowledge．Unless I think his incorrect concept puts him in the way of harm，I have no desire to fix it．
Instead，I want to encourage my son's colorful sense of the world，in which stuffed （毛絨的） animals attend story times，flies are fascinating creatures，and red balloons share secrets．
    At our dinner table，I study the face of my child who is eagerly waiting for confirmation．He is smiling．His cheeks are a little flushed with excitement．
    Instead of taking the opportunity to teach him a new vegetable name．I say，"Wow，look!"pointing at his plate，"You have many trees in your rice!"
He laughs happily，his lovely face redder．
"So，how many trees can you eat？"I ask him，breaking in with another strong parenting desire I have：forming healthy eating habits．
He playfully puts one after another into his mouth，delighled by the possibility of pulling out the little trees that grow in his rice and eating them right off his plate．
56．Why does the writer decide to ignore her son's false idea of things？B
    A．She doesn't think it will harm her son．
    B．She doesn't want to promote knowledge．
    C．She wants to be a good teacher．
    D．She wants her son to be happy．
57．The underlined word"flushed'in Paragraph 6 can be replaced byC．
    A．pale         B．red            C．green            D．white
58．In the writer's opinion-parents shouldD．
    A．a(chǎn)llow their children to sense the world and make mistakes
    B．do nothing to fix the mistakes made by their children
    C．teach their children what they know about the world
    D．correct all of the mistakes made by their children．

10．Moral science is taught as a subject in most schools but with little effect．Perhaps part of the problem lies in the fact that morality（道德）is not a science，strictly speaking．It is too much of a social phenomenon，and also has too much of the personal and subjective（主觀的）things mixed within．Besides，morality itself changes with generations．So it is impossible to be defined in a textbook．
    I remember sitting through forty minutes of moral lessons，which told stories about little children who never told lies and were rewarded for their goodness．It had little effect and left no impression on me，though．
    If moral science has to be taught as a subject in schools，it needs a participatory（參與其中的）approach．When you tell a child about morals，you also have to deal with social norms（規(guī)范）and cultural differences．You have to explain that morality can be subjective，and be able to co-exist in society．You will probably have to refer to the morals of the present time．
    The best way to tell a child how to live is to show him what is valued．If a child likes his friend，you have to make the child think about why．Once the child notices and recognizes goodness in others，he or she is likely to develop it as well．
    In fact，children learn most of their morals by watching people around them．They absorb behavior patterns from teachers and older students．They watch to see what is rewarded and who is punished．They learn on the sports field and through social work．Moral science lessons should simply consist of letting them live and interact，and watch you support correct values and reward good behavior．

67．Which is NOT the reason that moral science is taught in schools but with little effect？D
  A．Morality doesn't strictly belong to a science
  B．Morality is more like a social phenomenon．
  C．Different generations have different moral ideas．
  D．Morality can't be written down in textbooks．
68．The author describes his own experience of having moral lessons in order toC
  A．explain telling lies is not moral for little children．
  B．a(chǎn)dvise people should be rewarded for their goodness．
  C．prove moral lessons in schools have little effect．
  D．show he has no opinions about moral science．
69．When you tell a child about morals，you shouldB．
  A．teach him to share personal moral ideas with others
  B．tell him about social norms and cultural differences
  C．explain that nobody can influence his moral ideas．
  D．say that the present morals are likely to be changed
70．What is the last paragraph mainly about？A．
  A．The best way of teaching children about morals．
  B．The value of teachers'setting a good example
  C．The influence of people's behavior on morals．
  D．The importance of rewarding good behavior．

9．Last week．we talked about Massive Open Online Courses．a(chǎn)lso called MOOCs．Tens of thousands，or even more，people Can take these classes all at once．You can be anywhere in the worht to take a MOOC．All you need is a computer and a network connection．
MOOCs add to a tradition of what is known as distance learning．For years，many colleges have offered classes that are taught partly or mostly online．MOOCs are available in subjects like comlmter science，engineering or mechanics．Can MOOCs in subjects like arts or the humanities（人文學(xué)科）be as effective？
Scott Anderson teaches philosophy at the University of British Columbia in Canada．He sees both good and bad sides to MOOCs．Scott Anderson says，"There are pails that will be tine，insofar as mostly when students listen to a lecture．there is no special reason why they need to be physically present to hear and get it．"Mr．Anderson says increased numbers of students in MOOCs can mean less communication between them and teachers．He says two ways to deal with this are．by adding more teachers and setting up online discussion groups．
Lisa Jadwin teaches English and American literature and writing at St．John Fisher College in New York．She says online education has some weaknesses for her subjects．
She says，"What's lost in online education is face-to-face interaction．And that old-fashioned approuch is not going to be replaced very quickly by computer-aided instrnction．"Professor Jadwin says some students could learn very well from talks and reading assignments，blogs and discussion groups．But she believes that hybrid courses work best．She describes hybrids as mixing face-to-face course elements with computer-aided teaching and writing proiects．
Bill Pogue teaches communications at the University of Houston-Downtown．He sees good value in online education．He noted a strong sense of communitv in an online ciyrse he once took．He said the students worked together on a project while living on four continents．
71．MOOCs are more popular in the world becauseD．
A．few people can take these courses
B．distance learning is the only way to study now
C．MOOCs are effective in all the subjects
D．the students can be anywhere to take them
72．rrhe author develops the third paragraph mainlyC．
A．by classification           
B．by example
C．by contrast             
D．by process
73．According to Mr．Anderson，B．
A．students need to be physically present to take a MOOC
B．MOOCs lead to less communication between students and teachers
C．setting up online discussion groups is unnecessary
D．a(chǎn) MOOC is available in philosophy entirely
74．Which of the following is true of hybrid courses？C
A．They belong to old-fashioned approach．
B．They emphasize face-to-face interaction．
C．They will be effective in the education．
D．They ignore the importance of the eomputers．
75．Bill Pogue's attitude toward online education is that ofA．
A．a(chǎn)pproval    B．unconcern        C．doubt        D．objection．

8．As young people spend more time on computers，iPads and other TV sets，researchers are asking how all that screen time affects children's and teenagers'ability to focus and  learn-even drive cars．
An online survey offers a new question：how is technology affecting their happiness and emotional development？The answer，from girls ages 8 to 12 having the habits，is that those who say they spend amounts of time using multimedia describe themselves in ways that suggest they are less happy and less socially comfortable than other teenagers who say they spend less time on screens．
    Among the key questions that the researchers are not able to answer is whether the heavy use of media is the cause for the relative unhappiness or whether girls who are less happy to begin with are drawn to heavy use of  media，in fact，coming to a virtual（虛擬）world．But the researchers assume that heavy use of media is a main factor to the social challenges of girls．
    The reason the researchers is that on a basic level girls need to experience the full face-to-face communication  such as learning to read body language and facial expressions．
    Lucy Gray，45，who lives in Chicago，said her daughter，Julia，13，has been a heavy consumer of media for several years-she watches movies on her laptop，and has an iPad，an iPhone and a Nintendo DS portable game machine．Ms．Gray said that Julia can have trouble getting on with other people especially adults in face-to-face interactions，but she is not ready to blame her daughter's heavy use of  technology
    In fact，she things that，on the whole．the technology has helped her daughter navigate（航行）the world socially．"she'd be missing out on an opportunity if she wasn't connected，"she said：
    At the same time，Ms．Gray said she worries that her daughter，who is using Facebook more，is  playing out her social life online sometimes without the benefits of the full emotional range that comes from face-to-face interaction．
"It's a double-edged sword．"Ms．Gray said to social media
51．What is the disadvantage of online habit for young girls？C
    A．They are more likely to cause car accidents．
    B．They are less likely to be liked by teachers at school
    C．They may feel uncomfortable and unhappy in social life．
    D．They may be cheated into doing something bad at school．
52．With heavy use of media，girls may tend to beA．
    A．led into a world breaking away form the reality
    B．inspired to devote themselves to learning science
    C．directed to come to a world of happiness and luck
    D．encouraged to face the challenges  of the unhappy life．
53．Girls may face more social challenges because theyB．
    A．a(chǎn)re not good at making friends online
    B．lack real communication experience in general
    C．a(chǎn)re careless at seeing others'facial expressions．
    D．spend too much time  studying at and after school．
54．What will Ms．Gray do with Julia's heavy  use of technology？D
    A．She will allow her to use her iPad and  iPhone only．
    B．She will forbid her to use any kind of media．
    C．She will allow her to use the media on weekends．
    D．She will allow her to use all the media as usual．
55．What does Ms．Gray concern when it comes to Julia's use of social media？C
    A．Their quarrels are about whether she should use the media．
    B．Julia  likes to meet the real people knowing of on Facebook
   C．Julia's performance isn't good enough in real social life．
    D．Julia spends too much time sending text messages．