[1] If you are a recent social science graduate who has had to listen to jokes about unemployment from
your computer major classmates, you may have the last laugh. There are many advantages for the social
science major because this high-tech "Information Age" demands people who are flexible (靈活的) and who
have good ______.
     [2] There are many social science majors in large companies who take up important positions. For example,
a number of research studies found that social science majors have achieved greater managerial success than
those who had technical training or pre-professional courses. Studies show that social science majors are most
suited to change, which is the leading feature of the high speed, high-pressure, high-tech world we now live in.
     [3] Social science majors are not only experiencing success in their long-term company jobs, but they are
also finding jobs more easily. A study showed that many companies had filled a large percentage of their entry-
level positions with social science graduates. The study also showed that the most sought-after (廣受歡迎的)
quality in a person who was looking for a job was communication skills, noted as "very important" by 92
percent of the companies. Social science majors have these skills, often without knowing how important they
are. It is probably due to these skills that they have been offered a wide variety of positions.
     [4] Finally, although some social science majors may still find it more difficult than their technically trained
classmates to land the first job, recent graduates report that they don't regret their choice of study.

1. What's the main idea of the passage? (Please answer within 10 words.)
    ____________________________________________________________
2. Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?
     For instance, a study showed that social science majors had held more important positions,
     compared to those technically trained studies.
     ____________________________________________________________
     ____________________________________________________________
3. Fill in the blank with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence. 
     (Please answer within 5 words.)
    ____________________________________________________________
4. What have you learned about the social science majors in finding a job in 
     this high-tech "Information Age"? (Please answer within 30 words.)
    ____________________________________________________________
    ____________________________________________________________
    ____________________________________________________________
5. Translate the underlined sentence in the second paragraph into Chinese.
     ____________________________________________________________
     ____________________________________________________________

     What will people die of 100 years from now? If you think that is a simple question, you have not been
paying attention to the revolution that is taking place in bio-technology (生物技術(shù)). With the help of new
medicine, the human body will last a very long time. Death will come mainly from accidents, murder and
war. Today's leading killers, such as heart disease, cancer, and aging itself, will become distant memories.
     In discussion of technological changes, the Internet gets most of the attention these days. But the change
in medicine can be the real technological event of our times. How long can humans live? Human brains were
known to decide the final death. Cells are the basic units of all living things, and until recently, scientists were
sure that the life of cells could not go much beyond l20 years because the basic materials of cells, such as
those of brain cells, would not last forever. But the upper limits will be broken by new medicine. Sometime
between 2050 and 2100, medicine will have advanced to the point at which every 10 years or so, people will
be able to take medicine to repair their organs. The medicine, made up of the basic building materials of life,
will build new brain cells, heart cells, and so on-in much the same way our bodies make new skin cells to take
the place of old ones.
     It is exciting to imaging that the advance in technology may be changing the most basic condition of human
existence, but many technical problems still must be cleared up on the way to this wonderful future.

1. According to the passage, human death is now mainly caused by _____.

A. diseases and aging
B. accidents and war
C. accidents and aging
D. heart disease and war

2. In the author's opinion, today's most important advance in technology lies in _____.

A. medicine
B. the Internet
C. brain cells
D. human organ

3. Humans may live longer in the future because _____.

A. heart disease will be far away from us
B. human brains can decide the final death
C. the basic materials of cells will last forever
D. human organs can be repaired by new medicine

4. How long can humans live in the future according to the passage?

A. Over 100 years.
B. More than 120 years.
C. About 150 years.
D. The passage doesn't tell us.

5. We can learn from the passage that _____.

A. human life will not last more than 120 years in the future
B. humans have to take medicine to build new skin cells now
C. much needs to be done before humans can have a longer life
D. we have already solved the technical problems in building new cells

     To wash yourself, you take a bath (洗澡) or a shower. Animals need to keep clean, too. How do animals
clean themselves?
     Cats lick (舔) themselves to keep their fur clean. Have you ever watched a pet cat clean itself? Elephants
take baths much as you do. But instead of jumping into the tub (浴缸), they walk into a river or lake.
     Pigs also like to roll around in water. This keeps them clean and cool. If there is no clean water, they will
roll in mud (泥) on a hot day. They do this to cool off. Pigs do not really like mud. They are happier in a nice,
clean pond (水池).
     Bats have a funny way to keep clean. They lick their thumbs to clean their ears!
     Guess how polar bears clean themselves. They use snow, of course!
     Some animals take baths in dust instead of water! The wombat (毛鼻袋熊) is an Australian animal with
lots of fur. To get clean, it lies down. Then it covers itself with sand! Birds clean themselves in many ways.
Sometimes they wash in water. That's why some people put birdbaths in their yard. At other times birds take
dust baths, just like wombats.
     Birds also use their beaks (喙) to keep their feathers clean. They use their beaks the way you use a comb.
     Sometimes a bird has itchy bugs (發(fā)癢的蟲子) in its feathers. Birds may use ants to help them clean off
the bugs. A bird will lie down on an ant nest. Then the ants will crawl on the bird. The ants make a kind of
bug spray (噴霧) on the feathers;. Then the itchy bugs die!
     Birds take baths in something else besides dust and ants! Some birds take "smoke baths" They sit on
chimneys. They wave their wings in the smoke!

1. This passage mainly tells us _____.

A. why some people put birdbaths in their yard
B. why birds allow ants to crawl on their body
C. how animals cool off on hot days
D. how some animals keep clean

2. What is a pig's favorite way to get clean?

A. Licking itself.
B. Lying down on ants.
C. Rolling in nice, thick mud.
D. Taking a bath in clean water.

3. Which of the following animals use dust to clean themselves?

A. Cats.
B. Bats.
C. Wombats.
D. Ants.

     Fruit powered digital clock
     Fruit's not only good to eat, but it can also power this Fruit Digital Clock. This clock uses the scientific
principles on which modern electrical storage batteries are based. The acid from the fruit helps transmit an
electrical flow between two metal poles. The clock is priced at US $ 15 commencing any fresh fruit or
vegetable to the clock will make it work. The fruit is a clean, renewable source of electrical power.
     USB vacuum
     Do you know the dirtiest parts of your desk are probably your keyboard and mouse? Get a USB Mini
Vacuum with retractable (可伸縮的) cable and suck away all that junk. The US-made product is priced at
US $ 14.
     SIM card reader
     Making useful USB 2.0 multi-card reader even handier, this card can also read and write data to phone
SIM cards. It comes with SIM editing software. Download your phonebook to your computer. If you lose
your cell phone, you can store missing phone numbers in your new one the US-made IMOMO SIM card
+ Multi-Card Reader is priced at US $ 19 (152 yuan).
     Beer in your ear
     The beer barrel (桶)-shaped Naf Naf Hyp MP3 is a musical box that's capable of playing radio, CDs and
cassettes. It's got all the standard features of the typical clock-radio, but with the relaxing look of a big beer
barrel. The Danish product is priced at about US $ 130 (1040 yuan).

1. If you have 115 yuan, which product can you buy according to the passage?

A. Fruit powered digital clock
B. USB vacuum
C. SIM card reader
D. Naf Naf Hyp MP3

2. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. Fruit and vegetables cannot be used as batteries to make a clock work.
B. USB vacuum can be used to clean your house and yard.
C. With SIM card reader you won't lose phone numbers.
D. Naf Naf Hyp MP3 can play radio, DVD and cassettes.

3. What does "junk" mean in the second item?

A. dirt
B. desk
C. keyboard
D. mouse

4. The passage is most likely a(n) _____.

A. entertainment information
B. science reports on new high-technology
C. introduction of some kinds of musical boxes
D. advertisement for new products

5. SIM card reader can be used to _____.

A. edit all the data in your computer
B. remove data in phone SIM cards specially
C. help restore yur phone book in a new cell phone
D. transfer any file between a computer and a cell phone

     Like many other high school seniors, I eagerly anticipate life after graduation. In less than three months,
my belongings will be packed up and shipped to the other side of the country.
     I had never imagined, in my wildest dreams, that I would attend college in Ithaca, New York. I had had
my heart set on a university in California and of majoring in English.
     Nearly all of my friends are staying in state, and I remember thinking to myself, when one friend said she
would be going to college in Virginia: Why would someone ever choose to move away from California?
     But by a twist of fate, I received a letter from Ithaca College, inviting me to apply for a program in
communications. On a while, I decided to apply. What were the chances that I would be selected as a finalist?
If I hadn't applied, I would have always regretted not trying. Yet secretly, I hoped that I wouldn't be chosen. 
     But, as things turned out, I was offered one of the scholarships. I also received admission letters from the
other colleges I had applied to, all of which were California schools.
     As I began to weigh my options, I wrote out a pro/con (利弊) list for each of my schools. I began to realize
that my reasons for wanting to go to certain schools in California were based on considerations of comfort.
It would be so reassuring to be close to my family and my home.
     Then I began to think about the expensive tuitions (學(xué)費(fèi)) and class shortages in the California public school
system. These issues were not likely to greatly improve in the next four years. Slowly, I came to the conclusion
that Ithaca was the ideal choice for me-culturally, academically and financially.
     Fear of the unknown should not be a reason for shying away from opportunities. It might be difficult to
adapt to my new situation, but I am confident I have made the right decision

1. What is the point of the article?

 A. To introduce the advantages of studying at Ithaca College.
B. To tell readers what matters when applying to a college.
C. To share the author's experience of choosing a college.
D. To compare the differences between Ithaca College and California schools.

2. The author decided to go to Ithaca College because _____.

A. she wasn't accepted by any of her dream schools in California
B. she has a great interest in Ithaca College's communications program
C. she was offered a scholarship by Ithaca College but not by colleges in California
D. she thinks that teaching and classes are better at Ithaca College than at California schools

3. Judging from the article, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. The author had never thought of going to college in New York.
B. The author is independent and likes adventure.
C. The author believes it will be easy to adapt to college life.
D. The author applied to Ithaca College because Ithaca College is much cheaper than California schools.

4. Judging from the article, what has the author learned from her experience?

A. That she must make good use of her time in college.
B. Not to let fear put her off something she wants.
C. That nothing we want in life can be achieved without effort.
D. Not to take any risks.

     When people think of bullying (欺負(fù)), they sometimes think only of kids being pushed around. But being
called hurtful names is a kind of bullying too. Sometimes being called names can hurt almost as much as being
hit or shoved (推撞). Maybe the name-caller thought the names were funny, but name-calling is not funny at
all to the person who is being called those names. To help make kids realize how much name-calling can hurt,
school all over the U.S. are planning to mark No Name-Calling Week January26-30, 2009. No Name-Calling
Week started in 2004. The program was inspired by a novel for kids called The Misfits, written by James Howe.
It is about four best friends who are teased (取笑) at school about their height, their weight, what they say, and
how they look. The friends run for the school's student union and say if they will try to stop all name-calling at
school. They lose the election but persuade their teacher to have a No Name-Calling Day to try to stop teasing. 
     This year, about 50 national organizations are supporting the sixth No Name-Calling Week. The project seeks
to focus national attention on the problem of name-calling in schools, and to provide students and educators
with the tools and inspiration to start a dialogue about ways to get rid of name-calling in their communities.
Many students in the U.S. report being teased at school. Last year during No Name-Calling Week, almost all of
the sixth graders at one New Jersey school said they had been bullied.
     Ideas for celebrating No Name-Calling Week: Place a huge cardboard T-shirt outside the school gym or
cafeteria with a headline that reads, "Sign your name here if you've ever been bullied." Make bracelets (手鐲)
to represent a commitment to not calling names. Create a "Kindness Chain." Each link on the chain explains
something kind that one student has done for another during No Name-Calling Week.