Parents are often amazed at how fast their child grows and develops. New research has determined that the ability to quantify may develop much sooner than most parents realize.

Kristy vanMarle, professor of the University of Missouri, has determined that contrary to what previous studies have shown, infants（嬰兒）are able to quantify substances（物質(zhì)）—like sand or water—as early as 10 months. As long as the difference between the two substances is large enough, infants will choose the larger amount, especially when it comes to food.

With the assistance of her team researchers, vanMarle tested the quantifying skills of babies by presenting them with two cups: one containing a small amount of food, and one containing a larger amount. Consistently, the babies chose the larger amount.

“Several studies throughout the last 15 years have shown that infants are very good at telling how many objects they see; however, infants don’t seem to count things like water or sand,” vanMarle said. “What we’re saying is that they can quantify substances; it’s just much harder. The infants can see how much food goes into each cup and compare that in their memories. They decide which amount is larger, and they almost always select the larger one.”

This information further refutes（駁斥）the long-held idea that babies “know nothing of the world,” vanMarle said.

“Since psychologists have begun studying infants with sensitive measures, we’ve discovered a lot of early abilities. I think for parents, it should be exciting to know that there’s somebody in there that has some fundamental and basic knowledge of the world, and that knowledge is guiding their development,” vanMarle said.

In the future, vanMarle says this kind of study could be linked to a child’s progress in math-related skills, although programs marketed to increase those abilities, such as “Baby Einstein,” still have mixed reviews when it comes to academic study.

The quantifying ability refers to the ability to     .

A. choose between different substances

B. get much knowledge of the world

C. describe the quantity of something

D. obtain math-related skills

What is mainly talked about in Paragraph 4?

A. The process of doing research.

B. The scientific findings.

C. The final choice of infants.

D. The observation of infants’ behavior.

Babies choose the larger amount of food     .

A. by saying numbers                  B. with the help of parents

C. on personal preference                    D. through their natural abilities

What’s the best title of the text?

A. Breakthrough in Baby Studies

B. Amazing Baby-training Ideas

C. Early Human Abilities

D. Unique Quantifying Methods

Libraries everywhere in the world have always been people’s only access to important sources of information.  This historical function of libraries has worked out for centuries and has made libraries a necessity to people.  Now, that function has been called into question by the fast development of digital media over the past several decades. In order to continue to hold the public interest, libraries everywhere are forced to develop means of granting access to these expensive new services to average people.

     In the past, the publishing industry maintained the rights of libraries to freely provide published materials on the condition that libraries bought so many of their books. Since the new electronic publications can easily be copied in their completeness by the library readers, the publishing industry is reconsidering its former support of the library system. There have even been attempts to stop libraries from delivering digital media.

     In addition to the reluctant cooperation of the publishing industry, there is the problem that the newer forms of information are much more specialized than those which they replace. Deciding how to transfer already limited resources is increasingly difficult as there are more methods. While a single reference index(索引) might have covered an entire field in the past, now there are frequently several specialized indexes available in electronic form. Above all, in order to continue to make use of the newer technology, libraries must decide which kinds of material are most useful to the majority of their readers. There are many different solutions being applied, but only the process of trial and error will help find out the most effective method.

（Note: Answer the questions or complete the statements in NO MORE THAN 20 WORDS）

1. What has been called into question?

2. In the past, publishers cooperate with libraries because ______________.

3. The most important way to use the new technology is to determine ________

4. According to the passage, how can best solutions be found?

Charles Darwin, a young man just out of university, knew perfect well that he had to depend on _____ when he set out on a voyage of discovery around the world.

A. him          B. himself          C. themselves   D. them

—Can I pay the bill by check?

—Sorry，sir．But it is the management rule of our hotel that payment _______be paid in cash．

A．will         B．can        C．should         D．shall

I went to bed early _____ the sleep lost last night.

 A. to make up   B. gaining back   C. making up   D. to gain

Suddenly all the lights on that crowded underground train went out. Then it stopped in that dark tunnel(隧道).

We waited. We expected the lights to come on again soon. But nothing happened. Then I began to smell something. Yes, I could smell smoke. So I asked myself, “Is this train on fire?” People around me then began to cry out in fear. “The train is on fire!” they cried.

Then the woman standing next to me suddenly fell on the floor. I realized she was overcome by the smoke. Then I saw flames appearing. “If something does not happen soon,” I said to myself, “I will be burnt alive!”

But as I stood there in the dark in that crowded burning train, I could see no way to escape. I thought, “No one can save me from certain death but God. Only God can make a way for any of us to escape death in this train.”

Before the flames reached me, I found the open door and I climbed out of the train into the dark tunnel. Then as quickly as I could, I ran from the burning train down the tunnel. Now as I ran I could hear hundreds of people that were locked in that burning train, crying out for help. I knew I could do nothing to help them, so I ran on.

Then for two hours I kept walking in that dark train tunnel. At last I saw a light in the distance. I asked myself “Why did God enable me to escape death?” I decided, “God must have a purpose for saving my life. He must want me to help other people experience what He could do for them.”

What caused the woman next to me to fall?

A. The fire.           

B. Fear.           

C. The smoke.      

D. Anxiety.

The passengers failed to escape because ________.

   A. they didn’t find the way out

   B. they were too frightened to move

   C. the fire and smoke were too much

   D. too many people were in their way

What would the author most possibly do after he saw the exit from the tunnel?

   A. Going home.                      

B. Blaming himself.

   C. Calling reporters.                   

D. Returning to help.

Between which two paragraphs can the following paragraph be put?

I cried, “God, if it is not my time to die, please help me!” Then I heard a noise. It was like a door opening. It was on my right hand side. So in the dark, I at once began to push my way forward to where that noise came from.

   A. Between Paragraph 2 and 3.           

B. Between Paragraph 3 and 4.

   C. Between Paragraph 4 and 5.           

D. Between Paragraph 5 and 6.

I promised Michael I wouldn’t mention this until the season was over．Now l think it's time．

    Early last season, I wrote a column about an art of kindness I had seen Jordan do to a disabled child outside the stadium．After it ran，I got a call from a marl in the western suburbs．He said，“I read what you wrote about Jordan．but I thought I should tell you another thing I saw．”

Here it comes, I thought. It always does. Write something nice about a person, and people call you up to say that the person is not so nice.

    A few weeks later Jordan and I were talking about something else before a game, and I brought up what the man had said. Was the man right? Had Jordan really been talking to those two boys in that poor and dirty .neighborhood?

    "Not two boys," Jordan said. "But four."

    And he named them. He said four names. And what did they talk about?

    "Everything,” Jordan said. " Anything. I’ve asked to see their grades so that I can check to see if they're paying attention to their study. If it turns out that one or two of them may need teaching, I make sure they get it."

    It's just one more part of Michael Jordan's life one more thing that no one knows about, and one more thing Jordan does fight for. The NBA season is over now, and those boys have their memories. So do J! When the expert reviewers begin to tuna against Jordan as they surely will, I'll think about those boys under the streetlight, waiting for the man they know to come. For someone they can depend on.

The writer wrote this story about Jordan and his young friends because _______

   A. he thought highly of Jordan's deeds

   B. he hated to see Jordan do something bad

   C. he believed it was time to help the disabled

   D. he felt sure he needn't keep the promise then

A man in the western suburbs made a call to_______

   A. know why Jordan stopped in a bad area

   B. get a chance to become famous himself

   C. let the writer know Jordan was not that nice

   D. offer an example to show how Jordan helped others

Jordan talked with the boys because he _______.                     

   A. needed their support

   B. had promised to do so

   C. liked to teach them to play basketball

   D. wanted to make sure they all studied well

The text implies that Jordan is _______.

   A. an excellent basketball player

   B. good at dealing with problems of life

   C. always ready to make friends with young people

   D. willing to do whatever he can for the good of society

The little girl ________ to be a good singer if she gets good training in a music school.

A. wishes      B. expects           C. promises           D. hopes

A latest national survey has found that over half of China's netizens (網(wǎng)民) are suffering from various mental problems although some 62 percent of them claim at the same time that they are happy on the whole anyway.

This is the result of China's first White Paper on Netizens’ Health Conditions issued on Wednesday by 39.net, China's largest authoritative website on health sciences. It is the first most comprehensive health survey on netizens’ health situation ever conducted in China in ten years’ time. The white paper came out after two months of online and offline research that involved over 150 thousand netizens, covering topics and questions on health knowledge, mental situation, sense of health, and living habits.

According to the white paper, more than 70 percent of China's netizens say they are suffering from mental problems such as bad memory, anxiety, depression, and a lack of confidence. And a similar 72 percent of them also say they are often suffering from diseases like insomnia, dizziness, joint degeneration and achings. Meanwhile, another 53 percent of netizens believe that white collar employees who have bigger work pressures are more likely to catch mental problems.

The white paper adds, doing almost no sports and spending long time surfing online lead to the above mentioned health problems among netizens. Only 9 percent of netizens take up sports on weekends while over 40 percent stay home, surfing. And only 16 percent netizens can assure more than eight hours’ sleeping daily.

At present, China has a netizen population of 162 million, with a monthly consumption of 186 yuan, or about 25 dollars, on Internet surfing.

The national survey on netizens’ health situation ________.

A. was conducted on Wednesday      B. was carried out online and offline

C. is conducted every year      D. covered about half a million netizens

Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined part “white collar”?

A. White clothes.         B. Office workers.     

C. White offices.       D. White people.

All the following factors have been mentioned to cause the health problems among netizens EXCEPT ________.

A. shopping online         B. spending long time online

C. heavy work pressures         D. doing no sports

What’s the main idea of the passage?

A. China has a large netizen population.

B. The Internet has a negative influence on people.

C. Many netizens in China have mental problems.

D. How to surf the Internet safely and healthily.

短文改錯  (10%)

文中共有10處語言錯誤。錯誤涉及一個單詞的增加、刪除或修改。

增加：在缺詞處加一個漏字符號（^）。并在其下面寫出該加的詞。

刪除：把多余的詞用斜線（/）劃掉。

修改：在錯的詞下劃一橫線，并在該詞下面寫出修改后的詞。

注意：1 每處錯誤及其修改均僅限一詞；

      2 只允許修改10處，多者（從第11處起）不記分。

Dear Sir,

How are you? As a exchange student, I am writing to tell you I would prefer to move into a single room in next term, as I find it inconvenient to share a room with others. My roommate often held parties at night, made much noise. Besides, his friends are always visiting him, that disturbs me a lot. So I hope to draw your attentions to this problem. If you think in my position, I am sure he will agree that the only solution for me is get a room of my own, one not in the same building and as near to the school campus as possible. I would be gratefully if you could do me the favor.

Best wishes.

                                                                 Yours sincerely, 

                                                                    Li Ming