George Prochnik would like the world to_put_a_sock_in_it.He makes his case in a new book,
Listening for Meaning in a World of Noise.Here he explains himself (using his indoor voice):
     "We've become so accustomed to noise, there's almost a deep prejudice against the idea that silence
might be beneficial.If you tell someone to be quiet, you sound like an old man.But it's never been more
important to find continuing quiet.Silence focuses us,improves our health, and is a key to lasting peace
and satisfaction."
     "We need to excite people about the sounds you start to hear if you merely quiet things down a little.
During a Japanese tea ceremony, the smallest sounds become a kind of art-the spoons making a light
ringing sound on a bowl, the edges of a kimono(和服) brushing against the floor."
      "Deaf people are very attentive (專注的)in almost every aspect of life.If two deaf people are walking
together, using sign language, they constantly watch out for each other and protect each other by paying
steady attention to the other.They are connected yet also fully aware of their surroundings.Even deaf
teenagers! We in the hearing world can learn from them.If we remove the powerful blasts (一陣陣) of
noise, we become aware of an extraordinarily rich world around us-of little soft sounds and the sound
of footsteps, of bird songs and ice cracking (開裂聲). It's astonishing how beautiful things sound when
you can really listen."

1. What does the phrase" to put a sock in it" in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A. to be quiet                
B. to be colorful
C. to be full of love          
D. to be attentive to someone

2. What does Prochnik say about us?

A. We are used to quietness.
B. We have to put up with noise.
C. We do not think silence to be beneficial.
D. We do not believe lasting peace to be available.

3. Which of the following is true according to Prochnik?

A. We need more sounds in our lives.
B. There is nothing to be learned from the deaf.
C. We are not aware how rich the world around us is.
D. There is too much noise at a Japanese tea ceremony.

4. It can be inferred from the text that ________.

A. we can benefit a lot from old people
B. it is a good idea to use sign language
C. there is no escape from the world of sound
D. it is possible to find how beautiful things sound

      In our life, we face situations where we are either asked to choose between trust and disbelief.
Many of us would say we have to choose trust over disbelief.Actually we are given intellectual (智力
的) power to choose what we want, and what we choose certainly need not be the one that sounds
pleasing.That is, we can choose both trust and disbelief, but we have to know when to choose between
these two.
      We should all realize that we are living in a world which is unfortunately mixed with people of various
types.We have been given the power of judging who we are working with and who we are partnering
with.We cannot give an excuse for believing a scheming (詭計多端的) person, just because he looked
or sounded nice, unless we consider ourselves mentally unskillful.
      This world was there before us and it does not owe us a single thing.We are asked to take care of
ourselves and our:belongings.Trust,too, has to be saved for the deserving (值得的) people.When we
give trust universally to all, we end up troubled by the undeserving common cheat.People say trust is life.
True! But only wisely exercised trust is life.
      When we start a conversation with someone, the first things that we usually notice would be their
dress, behavior, style and their language.What sometimes we all forget to look at is the person's intention.Now how to look at a person's intention is a lesson everybody has to learn for themselves in their own
way-there is no single standard for it.But it is certainly possible to discover the purpose if we seek a little
bit more.
      Certainly a false offer of friendship or guidance cannot stand undiscovered for long；we_are_
therefore_called_to_exercise _disbelief_over_trust_at_least_momentarily_till_we_find_out_that_we_
certainly_are_in_agreement_with_a_mutual(相互的)good willed_person.
      The world teaches you lots of lessons and if we are willing, we can learn all that we want.

1. In the first paragraph, the author________.

A. concentrates on the reason why we make different choices
B. focuses on how to choose between trust and disbelief
C. suggests that trust should be wisely exercised
D. implies that people are forced to make the choice

2. We can infer from the passage that________.

A. people who we are working with are in fact those who we are partnering with
B. the first thing we notice tends to mislead our judgment
C. the mentally healthy people will not judge a person by his looks
D. the standards of looking at a person's intention are not various

3. The underlined sentence means________.

A. trust and disbelief go hand in hand with each other
B. disbelief is necessary if you aren't wise
C. trust is established if two people know each other
D. doubt may serve as the precondition for trust

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

A. Trust or Disbelief? 
B. Trust Is Life.
C. Trust over Disbelief?  
D. Disbelief over Trust?

    For anyone who is determined to be a fashion (時尚) designer, it is not enough to have succeeded in
college. The real test is whether they can survive, and become established during their eady 20s, making
a name for themselves in the real world where business skills can be as important as talent and creativity.
     Fashion is a hard business. There is a continuous amount of stress because work is at a constant and
extremely fast speed to prepare for the next season's collections. It is extremely competitive and there is
the constant need to make attractive advertisements of the latest fashion in newspapers and magazines. It
also requires continual freshness because the appetite for new ideas is hard to satisfy. "We try to warn
people before they come to us about how tough it is."says Lydia Kemeny, the Heed of Fashion at St.
Martin's School of Art in London. "And we point out that drive and determination are absolutely
necessary."
     This may seem far removed from the popular opinions of fashionable young people spending their
time designing pretty dresses. That may well be what they do in their first year of study but a good
college won't be slow in introducing students to commercial realities. "We don't walk our foot on the
blossoming (綻放的) flower of creativity but in the second year we start introducing the restrictions of
price, producing abitity,marketing and so on."
      Almost all fashion design is done to a brief. It is not a form of selfexpression as such, although there
is certainly room for imagination and creativity. Most young designers are going to end up as employees
of a producer or a fashion house and they still need to be able to work within the characteristic style ot
their employer. Even those students who are most modern in their own taste of clothes may need to adapt
to produce designs which are right for the mainstream of market. They also have to be able to work at
both the expensive and the cheap end of the market and the challenge to produce good design
inexpensively may well be demanding.

1. Which of the following is mainly discussed in the passage?

A. Talent in fashion.
B. Good marks at college.
C. Ability to create new designs.
D. Business skills in fashion industry.

2. What can we learn from the second paragraph?

A. Fashion designers are highly motivated and really determined.
B. Good preparations for the next season can reduce stress.
C. Consumers' appetite for new ideas keeps changing.
D. Advertisament business is very competitive.

3. How does St.Martin's School of Art train her students of fashion?

A. To encourage the new students to design freely with imagination.
B. To require students to develop their creativity in their designing.
C. To demand students to make pretty dresses for companies.
D. To offer commercial courses for the new students.

4. What does the underlined word "this" in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A. Lydia Kemeny's opinion.
B. The competitive business world.
C. The warning to the young designers.
D. The real situation in fashion industry.

     Why should mankind explore space? Why should money, time and effort be spent exploring and
researching something with so few apparent benefits? Why should resources be spent on space rather
than on conditions and people on Earth? These are questions that, understandably, are very often asked.
     Perhaps the best answer lies in our genetic makeup (基因構(gòu)成) as human beings.What drove our
ancestors to move from the trees into the plains, and on into all possible areas and environments? The
wider the spread of a species, the better its chance of survival.Perhaps the best reason for exploring
space is this genetic tendency to expand wherever possible.
     Nearly every successful civilization has explored, because by doing so, any dangers in surrounding
areas can be identified and prepared for.Without knowledge, we may be completely destroyed by the
danger.With knowledge, we can lessen its effects.
     Exploration also allows minerals and other potential (潛在的) resources to be found.Even if we have
no immediate need of them, they will perhaps be useful later.Resources may be more than physical
possessions.Knowledge or techniques have been acquired through exploration.The techniques may have
medical applications which can improve the length or quality of our lives.We have already benefited from
other spinoffs including improvements in earthquake prediction, in satellites for weather forecasting and in
communications systems.Even nonstick pans and mirrored sunglasses are byproducts (副產(chǎn)品) of
technological developments in the space industry!
      While many resources are spent on what seems a small return, the exploration of space allows
creative, brave and intelligent members of our species to focus on what may serve to save us.While
space may hold many wonders and explanations of how the universe was formed or how it works, it also
holds dangers.The danger exists, but knowledge can help human beings to survive.Without the ability to
reach out across space, the chance to save ourselves might not exist.
     While Earth is the only planet known to support life, surely the adaptive ability of humans would allow
us to live on other planets.It is true that the lifestyle would be different, but human life and cultures have
adapted in the past and surely could in the future.

1. Why does the author mention the questions in Paragraph 1?

A. To express his doubts.
B. To compare different ideas.
C. To introduce points for discussion.
D. To describe the conditions on Earth.

2. What is the reason for exploring space based on Paragraph 2?

A. Humans are natureborn to do so.
B. Humans have the tendency to fight.
C. Humans may find new sources of food.
D. Humans don't like to stay in the same place.

3. The underlined word "spinoffs" in Paragraph 4 probably refers to________.

A. survival chances  
B. potential resources
C. unexpected benefits  
D. physical possessions

4. What makes it possible for humans to live on other planets?

A. Our genetic makeup.
B. Resources on the earth.
C. The adaptive ability of humans.
D. Byproducts in space exploration.

     Ask someone what they have done to help the environment recently and they will almost certainly
mention recycling.Recycling in the home is very important of course.However, being forced to recycle
often means we already have more material than we need.We are dealing with the results of that_
overconsumption in the greenest way possible, but it would be far better if we did not need to bring so
much material home in the first place.
      The total amount of packaging increased by 12% between 1999 and 2005.It now makes up a third
of a typical household's waste in the UK.In many supermarkets nowadays food items are packaged
twice with plastic and cardboard.
      Too much packaging is doing serious damage to the environment.The UK, for example, is running
out of areas for burying this unnecessary waste.If such packaging is burnt, it gives off greenhouse gases
which go on to cause the greenhouse effect.Recycling helps, but the process itself uses energy.The
solution is not to produce such items in the first place.Food waste is a serious problem, too.Too many
supermarkets encourage customers to buy more than they need.However,a few of them are coming
round to the idea that this cannot continue, encouraging customers to reuse their plastic bags, for example.
      But this is not just about supermarkets.It is about all of us.We have learned to associate packaging
with quality.We have learned to think that something unpackaged is of poor quality.This is especially true
of food.But it also applies to a wide range of consumer products, which often have far more packaging
than necessary.
      There are signs of hope.As more of us recycle, we are beginning to realise just how much
unnecessary material we are collecting.We need to face the wastefulness of our consumer culture,but we
have a mountain to climb.

1. What does the underlined phrase "that overconsumption" refer to?

A. Using too much packaging.
B. Recycling too many wastes.
C. Making more products than necessary.
D. Having more material than is needed.

2. The author uses figures in Paragraph 2 to show________.

A. the tendency of cutting household waste
B. the increase of packaging recycling
C. the rapid growth of supermarkets
D. the fact of packaging overuse

3. According to the text,recycling________.

A. helps control the greenhouse effect
B. means burning packaging for energy
C. is the solution to gas shortage
D. leads to a waste of land

4. What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?

A. Unpackaged products are of bad quality.
B. Supermarkets care more about packaging.
C. it is improper to judge quality by packaging.
D. Other products are better packaged than food.

                                                      Have you ever wondered?
1.Why do airplanes take longer to fly west than east?, It can take five hours to go westeast from New
York (NY) to London but seven hours to travel eastwest from London to NY.The reason for the
difference is an atmospheric phenomenon known as the jet(噴射) stream.The jet stream is a very high
altitude wind which always blows from the west to the east across the Atlantic.The planes moving at a
constant air speed thus go faster in the westeast direction when they are moving with the wind than in the
opposite direction.

2.What would happen if the gravity on Earth was suddenly turned off?, Supposing we could magically
turn off gravity.Would buildings and other structures (建筑物) float away? What happened would
depend on how strongly the things were attached to the Earth.The Earth is moving at quite a speed,
moving at over a thousand miles per hour.If you turn something around your head on a string(細(xì)繩), it
goes around in a circle until you let go of the string.Then it flies off in a straight line.'Switching off' gravity
would be like letting go of the string.Things not attached to the Earth would fly off in a straight line.People
in buildings would suddenly shoot upwards at a great speed until they hit the ceiling.Most things outside
would fly off into space.

1. What information can we get from the first passage?

A. It is the jet stream that affects how fast airplanes fly.
B. Planes go slower when they are moving with the wind.
C. It takes more time to fly from NY to London than from London to NY.
D. The jet stream always blows from the east to the west across the Atlantic.

2. The word"shoot"underlined in the 2nd passage probably means"________".

A. send for            
B. move quickly
C. come out          
D. grow quickly

3. It can be inferred that without gravity________.

A. buildings and other structures would float away
B. trees and buildings would not so easily fly off
C. something around your head would not float away
D. everything outside buildings would fly off into space

4. Where can we most probably read this text?

A. In a research paper.
B. In a short story.
C. In a travel magazine.
D. In a student's book.

     Have you ever noticed the colour of the water in a river or stream after a heavy rainfall? What do you
think caused this change in colour? It is soil that has been washed into the river from the riverbank or from the nearby fields.
     Components of Soil
     Soil is made up of a number of layers(層),each having its own distinctive colour and texture.The upper
layer is known as the litter.It acts like a blanket, limiting temperature changes and reducing water loss.The
topsoil layer is made up of small particles of rock mixed with rotten plant and animal matter called humus(腐殖質(zhì)),which is black and gives the topsoil its dark colour.This layer is usually rich in nutrients,oxygen,
and water.Below the topsoil is the subsoil,a layer that contains more stones mixed with only small amounts of organic matter.This layer is lighter in colour because of the lack of humus.Beneath the soil lies a layer of bedrock.
      Soil forms from the bottom up.Over time bedrock is attacked by rain, wind,frost, and snow.It is gradually broken down into smaller particles in a process called weathering.Plants begin to grow,and rotten materials enrich the topsoil.Most of the soil in Eastern Canada, for example, was formed from weathered rock
that was exposed when the ice disappeared 12,000 years ago.
     Water Beneath the Soil
     Surface water collects and flows above the ground in lakes, ponds, and rivers.Once in the soil or rock,
it is called groundwater.Gravity pulls groundwater through the soil in a process called percolation(滲透).
Eventually the water reaches a layer called the water table.Under this is bedrock through which water
cannot percolate.
     As water percolates downward,it dissolves organic matter and minerals from the soil and carries them
to deeper layers.This causes a serious problem because plants require these nutrients for growth.
     Soil pH
      Soil can be acidic,neutral,or basic.The pH of the soil is determined by the nature of the rock from which it was formed, and by the nature of the plants that grow and rot in it.
      The acidity of rain and snow can lower the pH of the groundwater that enters the soil.By burning fossil fuels such as coal,oil and gasoline,humans have been contributing to higher levels of acidity in many soils.When fossil fuels are burned, gases are released into the air and then fall back to earth as acid rain.Acid soil increases the problem of carrying nutrients to lower soil levels.As nutrients are removed,soil is less fertile.Plants grow more slowly in acidic soil,and also become easily attacked by diseases.

1. The layer of soil that provides necessary nutrients for plant growth is called ________.

A. litter  
B. topsoil
C. humus  
D. subsoil

2. According to the text, which of the following is NOT true?

A. Soil forms from weathered rock on the earth surface.
B. The deeper layer of soil is darker in colour than the surface soil.
C. Air pollution is partially responsible for acid soil.
D. Groundwater tends to carry away nutrients for plant growth.

3. We can infer from the passage that the water table lies ______.

A. between the topsoil layer and the subsoil layer
B. in the subsoil layer above bedrock
C. between the subsoil layer and bedrock
D. in the bedrock layer beneath the subsoil

4. The underlined word "dissolve" is used to express the idea that organic matter and minerals from
     soil are ________.

A. rushed away into the river
B. cleaned and purified by water
C. destroyed and carried away by water
D. mixed with water and become part of it

     What can help you make a fortune in the future? Graduating from a top university might not be
enough. A new study from the University of Essex in Britain has shown that the more friends you
have in school, the more money you'll earn later.
     The idea that popularity could have a serious impact on one's earning potential shouldn't come
as too much of a surprise. The researchers noted that if you want to get ahead in life, social skills
and networking are easily as powerful as talent and hard work.
     "If a person has lots of friends, it means that he or she has the ability to get along with others in
all kinds of different situations," said Xu Yanchun, 17, from Nantou High School in Shenzhen, who
totally agreed with the recent finding. "Also, friends always help each other. They not only create
wider social circles for you but lift your mood when you occasionally feel depressed," said Xu.
She believed that all this helps you "earn a higher salary"．
     Maybe that's why some people think the younger generations are in the age of friendaholism
(交友狂癥). A woman even complained that the networking website Facebook's 5,000friend
limit was too low for her large reserve of social contacts.
     But what does a friend mean? Should friends be regarded as a form of currency?
     "Call me uncool, but I think of a friend as an actual person with whom I have an actual history
and whom I enjoy actually seeing. It seems, however, that this is no longer the definition(定義)of
'friend'," said Meghan Daum, who works with The Los Angeles Times in the US.
     Daum despised(鄙視)the idea that quantity trumps(勝過)quality in the age of friendaholism. She
thought the idea of friendship, at least among the growing population of Internet social networkers,
was to get as many of notreallyfriends as possible. For example, a friend might be someone you
might know personally but who could just as easily be the friend of a friend of some other Facebook
friends you don't actually know.

1．What's the main idea of the passage?

A．Making friends is important.
B．Making friends makes you earn more money.
C．Friends give you success.
D．Social skills are important.

2．Which of the following sentences is TRUE?

A．It is surprising that making more money is popular with people.
B．If you want to win in life, social skills are as important as talent and hard work.
C．The young now have friendaholism.
D．Friends do not create your wider social circles but lift your mood when you occasionally feel
depressed.

3．What's the opinion of Xu Yanchun about making friends?

A．Making friends may help you a lot in your life.
B．Making friends can get a lot of money.
C．Making friends can make you work hard.
D．Making friends can improve your ability to work.

4．What's the author's attitude?

A．Objective.  
B．Subjective.
C．Neutral.  
D．Optimistic.