The surprising experiment I am about to describe proves that air is all around you and that it proves down
upon you. Air pressure is a wonderful force. When you swim underwater, you can feel water push down
your body. The air all around you does the same. However, your body is so used to it that you do not notice
this. The pressure is caused by a layer of air called the atmosphere. This layer surrounds the Earth, extending
to about five kilometers above the Earth's surface. 
     The following experiment is an easy one that you can do at home. But make sure that you are supervised,
because you will need to use matches. Now for the experiment!
     What you need
     ·A hard-boiled egg without the shell
     ·A bottle with a neck slightly smaller than the egg
     ·A piece of paper
     ·A match
     Method
     1) Check that the paper will sit firmly on the neck of the bottle.
     2) Tear the paper into strips and put the strips into the bottle.
     3) Light the paper by dropping a burning match into the bottle.
     4) Quickly sit the egg on the neck of the bottle.
     Result
     Astonishingly, the egg will be sucked into the bottle. Your friends will be amazed when you show them
the experiment. But be careful when you handle matches.
     Why it happened
     As the paper burns, it needs oxygen and uses up the oxygen (air) in the bottle. The egg acts as a seal in
the neck of the bottle, so no more air can get inside. This reduces the air pressure inside the bottle. The air
pressure must equalize, so more air from outside must enter the bottle. The outside air pressure against the
egg and then the egg is pushed into the bottle! This proves that air is all around and that it is pressing down
on it.

1. Why is there the need to take care when you are doing the experiment?

A. The bottle could break.
B. You need to light the paper with a match.
C. The egg needs to be shelled.
D. The egg has to be perfectly placed on the neck of the bottle.

2. In the experiment, the burning inside the bottle can _____.

A. equalize the air pressure inside and outside
B. make a seal in the neck of the bottle
C. finish up the oxygen inside the bottle
D. produce more oxygen inside the bottle

3. How did the egg put into the bottle?

A. The oxygen inside the bottle sucked the egg in.
B. It became salt without the shell.
C. The neck of the bottle was wide enough.
D. The outside air pressure forced it into the bottle.

4. The experiment is carried cut to prove _____.

A. water pushes on your body when you swim underwater.
B. the earth is surrounded by a layer of air called the atmosphere.
C. the pressure of air around us has a powerful force.
D. the air pressure is not equalized around us.

     A volcanic eruption in Iceland has sent ash across northern Europe. Airlines have stopped or changed the
flights across the Atlantic Ocean, leaving hundreds of passengers stuck in airports.
     Grirmsvom is one of the largest and most active volcanoes in Europe. What makes Grimsvom different
is that it lies under a huge glacier (冰川) of ice up to 12 maters thick. The hot volcano heats up the ice above
it, which then forms a layer (層) of water between the glacier and the volcano. This layer of water puts
pressure on the volcano, keeping it stable. As the water flows out from under the glacier, the pressure lifts.
The lava (巖漿) from the volcano then comes up to the surface. This is exactly what happened today.
     Now, airlines have to make changes to their flights so as not to fly through the clouds of volcanic ash.
According to KLM. one of Europe's biggest airlines, airplanes cannot go under the cloud or over it. Going
through the cloud can result in ash getting stuck in the airplane's engines, causing damage to the plane.
     The eruption has also caused problems for animals in Iceland. The volcano left ash and sharp. Glass-like
rocks all over the countryside. Farmers are keeping their animals inside to stop them from eating ash-covered
grass to the sharp object.

1. What makes Grimsvom different from other volcanoes?

A. It is below ice
B. It lies under the sea
C. It is the largest volcano
D. It is lava affects the airlines

2. What keeps Grimsvotn still?

A. The slow flow of water
B. The low water temperature
C. The thick glacier
D. The water pressure

3. Which of the following is the result of the volcanic eruption?

A. People stop traveling in Europe
B. Airlines suffer from the loss of planes
C. It becomes dangerous for animals to eat outside
D. Farmers have lost many of their animals

4. This text is most probably taken from _____. 

A. a research paper
B. a newspaper report
C. a class presentation
D. a geography textbook.

     Howling is a behavior commonly observed among a wolf pack. As pack animals, wolves work together
to hunt and rely on howling as an important means of communication among each other. There are different
explanations of a wolf's howl and it appears that there may be more to discover.
     One theory is that wolves howl to bond better together. It's almost as if howling together helps the pack
stay together. Perhaps something is similar to people feeling a sense of involvement with each other when
singing a song together. But this theory may be wrong, explains Fred H. Harington, a professor who studies
wolf behavior.
     Indeed, there have been times when wolves have been seen one moment howling in a chorus, and the
next, quarreling among each other. It appears that usually the lowest-ranking members of the pack may
actually be "punished" for joining in the chorus at times. So is howling a way to strengthen a social bond or
just a way to reconfirm status among its members? - Why do wolves howl for sure?
     What is clear, however, is that howling is often used among packmates to locate each other. Hunting
grounds are distant and it happens that wolves may separate from one another at times. When this happens,
howling appears to be an excellent means of gathering.
     Howling, interestingly, is a contagious behavior. When one wolf starts to howl, very likely others will
follow. This is often seen to occur in the morning, as if wolves were doing some sort of "roll call" where
wolves all howl together to report their presence.

1. What the possible similarity between wolves' howling together and human's singing in chorus?

A. The act of calling each other.
B. the sense of accomplishment.
C. The act of hunting for something.
D. The sense of belonging to a group.

2. Why does Harrington think the "social bond" theory may be wrong?

A. Wolves separate from each other after howling.
B. Wolves tend to protect their hunting grounds.
C. Wolves sometimes have quarrels after howling together.
D. Wolves of low rank are encouraged to join in the chorus.

3. Researchers are sure that wolves often howl to _____.

A. show their ranks
B. find their companions
C. report the missing ones
D. express their loneliness

4. "Howling… is a contagious behavior" (in the last paragraph) means _____.

A. howling is a signal for hunting
B. howling is a way of communication
C. howling often occurs in the morning
D. howling spreads from one to another

     A recent study of ancient and modern elephant has come up with the unexpected conclusion that the
African elephant is divided into two distinct (不同的) species.
     The discovery was made by researchers at York and Harvard University when they were examing the
genetic relationship between the ancient woolly mammoth and mastodon modern elephants-the Asian
elepphant, African forest elephant, and African savanna elephant.
     Once they obastain DNA sequences (序列) from two fossils (化石), mammoths and mastodons, the
team comparted them with DNA from modern elephants. They found their amazement that mordern forest
and savanna elephants are as distinct from each other as Asian elephants and mammoths.
     The scientists used detailed genetic analysis to prove that the African savanna elephant and the African
forest elephant have been distinct species for several million years. The divergence of the two species took
place around the time of the divergence of Asian elephants and woolly mammoths. This result amazed all
the scientists.
     There has long been debate in the scientific community that the two might be separate species, but this
is the most convincing scientific evidence so far that they are indeed different species.
     Previously, many naturalists believed that African savanna elephants and African forest elephants were
two populationgs of the same species, despite the elephants' significant size differences. The savanna elephant
has an average shoulder height of 3.5 metres while the forest elephant has an averate shoulder double the
weight of the forest elephant. But the fact that they look so differrent does not neccssarily mean they are
different species. However, the proof lay in the analysis of the DNA.
     Alfried Roca, assitant professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at t he University of Illinois, said,
"We now have to treat the forest and savanna elephants as two difficult units for conservation purpose.
Since 1950, all Afican elephants have been conserved as one species. Now that we know the forest and
savanna elephants have been distinct animals, the forest elephant should become a bigger priority (優(yōu)先) for
conservation purposes."

1. One of the fossiles studied by the researchers is that of _____.

A. the Asian elephant
B. the forest elephant
C. the savanna elephant
D. the maslodon elephant

2. The underlined word "divergence" in Paragraph 4 means "_____".

A. evolution
B. exhibition
C. separation
D. examination

3. The researchers' conclusion was based on a study of the African elephant's _____.

A. DNA
B. height
C. weight
D. population

4. What are Alfred Roca's words mainly about?

A. The conservation of Afican elephant
B. The purpose of studying Afican elephant
C. The way to divide Afican elephants into two units
D. The renson for the distinction of African elephants

5. Which of the following can be the best tille for the passage?

A. Naturalist' Beliefs about Elephants
B. Amazing Experiments about Elephants
C. An Unexpected Finding ahout Elephants
D. A Long Scientifif Debate about Elephants

     A person searches various websites for different reasons, such as school, work, or entertaiment. For
teenagers, many information resousces on the Internet can be used. As a matter of fact, there are educational,
music and art websites that are truly helpful to teeagers, because they can help make one's life easier.
     Education websites are helpful to a teenager in doing school work and searching for a colleag. Some can
help studying for testes, explaining a lesson, and doing homeward.Some can help find the right school based
on one's interests. And still others have pages devoted to the social life at each colleges or the species activities
that at a certain school. Some free music sites enable a teenager to diversify their musical_ tastes. On these
sites, all types of music are available such as pop, jazz and country. One can type in a song,category or artist
and his or her entire catalog appears. Then the listener can make multiple play lists without creating an account
(賬戶) with the site. There various art websites that can help students to appreciate and create art pieces. On
these sites, a student can view numerous photos and art pieces from different. Mediums or create an account
with the website to upload their art pieces for people to see. In addition, one can enjoy various art people have
created on display for the rest of the world.Truly informative resources offered on the Internet. The best
suggestion one can receive is to try to look for new websites that can help in the educational,music, or art area
so one can become well-rounded and informed.

                                       Truly Helpful Websites for Teenagers
     Many 1______ are available on various websites.
     I. Educational sites: helping one 2______ and search for a college
        · Study for tests, explain a lesson, and do homework
        · Find the right school that one 3______ 
        · learn information about college social life and 4______ 
     II. Free music sites; 5______ to diversify musical tastes
        · Listen to all types of music
        · Type in a song, category, or artist to get an entire catalog 
        · make multiple playlists 6______
     III. 7______; helping one appreciate and create works
        · View photos and works from mediums
        · 8______ for others to see
        · 9______ on display
     Helpful websites can make teenagers 10______

     We know the famous ones-the Thomas Edisons and the Alexander Graham Bells-but what about the less
famous inventors? What about the people who invented the traffic light and the windshield wiper (雨刮器)?
Shouldn't we know who they are?
     Joan Mclean thinks so. In fact, Mclean, a professor of physics at Mountain University in Range, feels so
strongly about this matter that she's developed a course on the topic. In addition to learning "who" invented
"what", however, Mclean also likes her students to learn the answers to the "why" and "how" questions.
According to Mclean, "When students learn the answers to these questions, they are better prepared to
recognize opportunities for inventing and more motivated to give inventing a try."
     So,just what is the story behind the windshield wiper? Well, Mary Anderson came up with the idea in 1902
after a visit to Mew York City. The day was cold and stormy, but Anderson still wanted to see the sights, so
she jumped aboard a streetcar. Noticing that the driver was struggling to see through the snow covering the
windshield, she found herself wondering why there couldn't be a buolt-in devic for cleaing the window. Still
wondering about this when she returned home to Birmingham, Alabama, Anderson started drafting out solutions.
One of her ideas, a lever (操作桿) on the inside of a vehicle that would contral an arm on the outside, became
the first windshield wiper.
     Today we benefit from countless inventions and innovations,It's hard to imagine driving without Garrett A.
Morgan's traffic light. It's equally impossible to picture a world without Katherine J. Blodgett's innovation that
makes glass invisible. Can you picture life without clear windows and eyeglasses?

1. By mentionong "traffic light" and "windshield wiper", the author indicates that countless inventions are _____.

A. beneficial, because their inventors are famous
B. beneficial, though their inventors are less famous
C. not useful, because their inventors are less famous
D. not useful, though their inventors are famous

2. Professor Joan McLean's course aims to _____.

A. add colour and variety to students' campus life
B. inform students of the windshield wiper's invention
C. carry out the requirements by Mountain University
D. prepare students to try theie own invention

3. Tommy Lee's invention of the unbreakable umbrella was _____.

A. not eventually accepted by the umbrella producer
B. inspired by the story behind the windshield wiper
C. due to his dream of being caught in a rainstorm
D. not related to Professor Joan McLean's lectures

4. Which of the following can best serve as the title of this passage?

A. How to Help Students to Sell Their Inventions to Producers?
B. How to Design a Built-in Dervice for Cleaning the Window?
C. Shouldn't We Know Who Inventd the Windshield Wiper?
D. Shouldn't We Develop Invention Courses in Universities?

     For those who study the development of intelligence (智力) in the animal world, self-awareness is an
important measurement. An animal that is aware (意識) of itself has a high level of intelligence.
     Awareness can be tested by studying whether the animal recognizes itself in the mirror, that is, its own
reflected image (反射出的影像). Many animals fail this exercise bitterly, paying evry little attention to the
reflected image. Only humans, and some intelligent animals like apes and dolphins, have shown to recognize
that the image in the mirror is of themselves.
     Now another animal has joined the club. In the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
researchers report that an Asian elephant has passed the mirror self-reflection test.
     "We thought that elephants were the next important animal," said Dinana Reiss of the Wildlife Conservation
Society, an author of the study with Joshua M. Plotnik and Fans B. M. de Waal of Emory University. With
their large brains, Reiss said, elephants "seemed like cousins to apes and dolphins."
     The researchers tested Happy, Maxine and Patty, three elephants at the Bronx Zoo.They put an 8-foot-
square mirror on a wall of the animals' play area (out of the sight of zoo visitors) and recorded what happened
with cameras, including one built in the mirror.
     The elephants used their long noses to find what was behind it, and to examine parts of their bodies.
     Of the three, Happy then passed the test, in which a clear mark was painted on one side of her face. She
could tell the mark was there by looking in the mirror, and she used the mirror to touch the mark with her
long nose.
     Diana Reiss said, "We knew elephants were intelligent, but now we can talk about their intelligence in a
better way."

1. What can mirror tests tell us about animals?

A. Whether they have large brains.
B. Whether they have self-awareness.
C. Whether they enjoy outdoor exercises.
D. Whether they enjoy playing with mirrors.

2. Why does the author mention apes and dolphins in the text?

A. They are most familiar to readers.
B. They are big favorites with zoo visitors.
C. They are included in the study by Reiss.
D. They are already known to be intelligent.

3. Why does the author mention apes and dolphins in the text?

A. They are most familiar to readers.
B. They are big favorites with zoo visitors.
C. They are included in the study by Reiss.
D. They are already known to be intelligent.

     Laws that would have ensured pupils from five to 16 received a full financial education got lost in the
'wash up'. An application is calling on the next government to bring it back.
     At school the children are taught to add up and subtract (減法) but, extraordinarily, are not routinely
shown how to open a bank account-let alone how to manage their finances in an increasingly complex and
demanding world. 
     Today the parenting website Mumsnet and the consumer campaigner Martin Lewis have joined forces
to launch an online application to make financial education a compulsory element of the school curriculum
in England. Children from five to 16 should be taught about everything from pocket money to pensions,
they say. And that was exactly the plan preserved in the Children, Schools and Families bill that was shelved
by the government in the so-called "wash-up" earlier this month-the rush to legislation before parliament
was dismissed. Consumer and parent groups believe financial education has always been one of the most
frustrating omissions of the curriculum.
     As the Personal Finance Education Group (Pfeg) points out, the good habits of young children do not
last long. Over 75% of seven- to 11-year-olds are savers but by the time they get to 17, over half of them
are in debt to family and friends. By this age, 26% see a credit card or overdraft (透支) as a way of extending
their spending power. Pfeg predicts that these young people will"find it much harder to avoid the serious
unexpected dangers that have befallen many of their parents' generation unless they receive good quality
financial education while at school."
     The UK has been in the worst financial recession (衰退) for generations. It does seem odd that-unless
parents step in-young people are left in the dark until they are cruelly introduced to the world of debt when
they turn up at university. In a recent poll of over 8,000 people, 97% supported financial education in schools,
while 3% said it was a job for parents.

1. The passage is mainly about _____.

A. how to manage school lessons
B. how to deal with the financial crisis
C. teaching young people about money
D. teaching students how to study effectively

2. It can be inferred from the first two paragraphs that _____.

A. the author complains about the school education
B. pupils should not be taught to add up and subtract
C. students have been taught to manage their finances
D. laws on financial education have been effectively carried out

3. The website and the consumer campaigner joined to _____.

A. instruct the pupils to donate their pocket money
B. promote the connection of schools and families
C. ask the government to dismiss the parliament
D. appeal for the curriculum of financial education

4. According to Pfeg, _____.

A. it is easy to keep good habits long
B. teenagers spend their money as planned
C. parents are willing to pay the debt for their kids
D. it will be in trouble if the teenagers are left alone

5. A poll is mentioned to _____.

A. stress the necessity of the curriculum reform
B. show the seriousness of the financial recession
C. make the readers aware of burden of the parents
D. illustrate some people are strongly against the proposal

     Scientists are not sure how the brain follows the tracks of time. One theory holds that it has a group of
cells specialized to record the intervals (間隔)of time, while another theory holds that some neural processes
(神經(jīng)突)act as an inside clock.
     Whichever theory it may be, studies find, the cells have a poor grasp of longer interval. Time does seem
to slow during an empty afternoon and race when the brain focuses on challenging work. Stimulants (興奮劑),
including caffeine, tend to make people feel as if time is passing faster; complex jobs, like doing taxes, can
seem to drag on longer than they actually do. And emotional events-a breakup, a promotion, a transformative
trip abroad-tend to be sensed as more recent than they actually are, by months or even years. In short, some
psychologists say, the findings support the philosopher Martin Heidegger's observation that time "persists
merely as a consequence of the events taking place in it."
     Now researchers are finding that the opposite thing may also be true: if very few events come to mind, then
the sense of time does not persist; the brain shortens the interval that has passed.
     In one classic experiment, a French explorer named Michel Diffre lived in a cave for two months, cut off
from the rhythms of night and day and man-made clocks. He appeared then, convinced that he had been
isolated for only 25 days. Left to its own devices, the brain tends to shorten time.
     In earlier work, researchers found that a similar case at work in people's judgment of intervals that last only
moments. Relatively infrequent stimuli, like flashes or tones, tend to increase the speed of the brain' s internal
pacemaker.
     On an obvious level, these kinds of findings offer an explanation for why other people's children seem to
grow up so much faster than one's own. Involved parents are all too well aware of first step in their own
children; however, seeing a cousin's child once every few years, without bothering memories, shortens the
time.

1. What can we infer from the first paragraph?

A. Scientists have agreed about how the brain records time.
B. Scientists all think that some cells record the intervals of time.
C. Scientists haven't agreed on how the brain records time.
D. Scientists all hold the theory that neural processes are an inside clock.

2. According.to Paragraph 3, if we have few things to do, the brain will _____.

A. make the intervals of time long
B. make the intervals of time short
C. keep a state of rest
D. stop working

3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage? 

A. Michel Diffre didn't think he had stayed in the cave for as long as two months.
B. Parents tend to think their own children grow faster than others.
C. Michel Diffre actually stayed in the cave for twenty-five days.
D. Children usually bring bad memories to their parents.

4. In which column of a newspaper can we find this passage?

A. Social news
B. Community activities
C. Science
D. Children s life

     Why do men live a shorter life than women? The latest research indicates that men's hearts going into a
rapid decline when they reach middle age could be the cause.
     The research of ageing on the heart has shown that women's longevity may be linked to the fact that their
hearts do not lose much pumping power with age.
     "We have found that the power of the male heart falls by 20-25 percent between 20 and 70 years of age,"
said the head of the study, Samantha of Liverpool John Moores University in the UK.
     "Within the heart there are millions of cells which make it beat. Between the ages of 20 and 70, one-third
of those cells die and are not replaced in men," said Samantha. "This is part of the ageing process."
     What amazes scientists is that the female heart suffers very little loss of these cells. A healthy 70-year-old
woman's heart could work almost as perfectly as a 20-year-old one's.
     "This gender (性別) difference might give the reason why men live shorter than women," said Samantha.
They studied over 250 healthy men and women between the ages of 17 and 80, who are mainly healthy persons
so as to reduce the influence of disease. "The team has yet to think about why ageing suffers a greater loss on
the male heart," said Samantha.
     But there is also good news-men can enjoy the health of their hearts with regular exercise. Samantha
stressed that women should also take regular exercise to stop their leg muscles getting weaker as they age.

1. The underlined word "longevity" in the second paragraph means "_____".

A. health
B. long life
C. aging
D. effect

2. The text mainly talks about _____.

A. men's heart cells
B. women's ageing process
C. the gender difference
D. hearts and long life

3. According to the text, the UK scientists have known that _____.

A. men have fewer cells than women when they are bon
B. women can produce the cells that make the heart beat C. the female heart suffers less loss of the cells
    with age
D. women will never suffer the loss of pumping power with age

4. If you want to live a long life, you should _____.

A. enable your heart to beat much faster
B. think about the reason for ageing
C. take regular exercise to keep your heart healthy
D. stop your cells from being lost