One of our biggest fears nowadays is that our kids might some day get lost in a “sea of technology” rather than experiencing the natural world. Fear-producing TV and computer games are leading to a serious disconnection between kids and the great outdoors, which will change the wild places of the world, its creatures and human health for the worse, unless adults get working on child’s play.

Each of us has a place in nature we go sometimes, even if it was torn down. We cannot be the last generation to have that place. At this rate, kids who miss the sense of wonder outdoors will not grow up to be protectors of natural landscapes. “If the decline in parks use continues across North America, who will defend parks against encroachment（蠶食）?” asks Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods.

Without having a nature experience, kids, can turn out just fine, but they are missing out a huge enrichment of their lives. That applies to everything from their physical health and mental health, to stress levels, creativity and cognitive（認知的）skills. Experts predict modern kids will have poorer health than their parents — and they say a lack of outside play is surely part of it; research suggests that kids do better academically in schools with a nature component and that play in nature fosters（培養(yǎng)）leadership by the smartest, not by the toughest. Even a tiny outdoor experience can create wonder in a child. The three-year-old turning over his first rock realizes he is not alone in the world. A clump of trees on the roadside can be the whole universe in his eyes. We really need to value that more.

Kids are not to blame. They are over-protected and frightened. It is dangerous out there from time to time, but repetitive stress from computers is replacing breaking an arm as a childhood rite of passage（通過儀式）.

Everyone, from developers, to schools and outdoorsy citizens, should help regain for our kids some of the freedom and joy of exploring, taking friendship in fields and woods that strengthen love, respect and need for landscape. As parents, we should devote some of our energies to taking our kids into nature. This could yet be our greatest cause.

58. According to the passage, children without experiencing nature will _________.

A. be less healthy both physically and mentally      B. keep a high sense of wonder

C. be over-protected by their parents                    D. change wild places and creatures for the better

59. According to the author, children’s breaking an arm is _________.

A. the fault on the part of their parents                 B. the result of their own carelessness in play

C. the natural experience in their growing up     D. the effect of their repetitive stress from computers

60. In writing this passage, the author mainly intends to _________.

A. blame children for getting lost in computer games

B. show his concern about children’s lack of experience in nature

C. encourage children to protect parks from encroachment

D. inspire children to keep the sense of wonder about things around

Today, we complete our story about the influential English writer William Shakespeare. He wrote plays and poems during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, which remain very popular today.

During earlier times, people would probably have learned several ancient Roman and Greek plays. It was not unusual for writers to produce more current versions of these works. For example, in Shakespeare’s play “The Comedy of Errors”, Shakespeare borrowed certain details from the ancient Roman writer Plautus. For his play “Macbeth”, Shakespeare most likely used a work on Scottish history by Raphael Holinshed for information. Shakespeare might have borrowed from other writers, but the intensity（強度）of his imagination and language made the plays his own. While many plays by other writers of his time have been forgotten, Shakespeare and his art live on.

Shakespeare was also influenced by the world around him. He described the sights and sounds of London in his plays. His works include observations about political struggles, the fear of diseases, and the popular language of the city’s tradesmen. Shakespeare’s knowledge of the English countryside is also clear. His works include descriptions of deep forests, local flowers, and the ancient popular traditions of rural people.

It would be impossible to list all of the ways in which Shakespeare’s works have influenced the world culture. But the first and greatest example would be his great influence on the English language. During his time, the English language was changing. Many new words from other languages were being added. Shakespeare used his sharp mind and poetic inventiveness to create hundreds of new words and rework old ones. For example, he created the noun forms of “critic”, “mountaineer” and “eyeball”. Many common expressions in English come from his plays, including “pomp and circumstance（裝腔作勢）” from “Othello”, “full circle（繞圈子地）” from “King Lear”, etc. The list of cultural creations influenced by Shakespeare is almost endless. From paintings to television to music and dance, Shakespeare was well represented. Shakespeare’s plays have been translated into every major language in the world.

Shakespeare became a well­known writer during a golden age of theater. His years of hard work paid off.

54. From the passage, we can see that ________.

     A. Shakespeare was hard­working when he was a student

B. many of Shakespeare’s works were influenced by earlier writings

     C. the experience of living in London had no effect on Shakespeare’s works

     D. Shakespeare became rich later because of the popularity of his works

55. Why could Shakespeare’s works survive his time?

     A. Because there were so few people writing plays in his time.

     B. Because he produced too many works that nobody else could do.

     C. Because his works were rich in imagination and language.

D. Because he was a rich and influential person of his time.

56. Shakespeare’s greatest influence should be on 　　　　.

A. paintings      B. television           C. the English language       D. music and dance

57. The passage is mainly about 　　　　.

     A. an introduction to Shakespeare’s life and his works

     B. the main features and styles of Shakespeare’s plays

     C. Shakespeare’s greatest influence on the world culture.

D. how culture influenced Shakespeare and he influenced culture.

Last night was the last game for my eight-year-old son’s soccer team. It was the final quarter. The score was two to one, my son’s team in the lead. Parents surrounded the playground, offering encouragement.

With less than ten seconds remaining, the ball suddenly rolled in front of my son’s teammate, Mickey O’ Donnel. With shouts of “Kick it!” echoing across the playground, Mickey turned around and gave it everything he had. All around me the crowd erupted. O’Donnel had scored!

Then there was silence. Mickey had scored all right, but in the wrong goal, ending the game in a tie. For a moment there was a total hush. You see, Mickey has Down syndrome（唐氏綜合癥）and for him there is no such thing as a wrong goal. All goals were celebrated by a joyous hug from Mickey. He had even been known to hug the opposing players when they scored.

The silence was finally broken when Mickey, his face filled with joy, hugged my son tightly and shouted, “I scored! I scored! Everybody won! Everybody won!” For a moment I held my breath, not sure how my son would react. I need not have worried. I watched, through tears, as my son threw up his hand in the classic high-five（致禮）salute and started chanting, “Way to go Mickey! Way to go Mickey!” Within moments both teams surrounded Mickey, joining in the chant and congratulating him on his goal.

Later that night, when my daughter asked who had won, I smiled as I replied, “It was a tie. Everybody won.”

50. Which is the most correct description of the author’s son? He was _________.

A. brave                         B. sympathetic             C. honest                      D. proud

51. The underlined word “hush” in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to “_________”.

A. cheer                         B. laughter                   C. silence                            D. cry

52. Why did the author hold his breath when Mickey scored and hugged his son?

A. Because his son might get angry with Mike      B. Because Mickey cheated everyone   

C. Because his son would accept the fact                    D. Because the score was out of his expectation

53. We can infer from the passage that Mickey          .

     A. was hated by his own team

B. was excited when he realized the fault

C. was warm-hearted and played soccer for both teams

D. was cared about by his teammates

There’s no shortage of web sites offering deals-everything from daily deals to members-only private sales. But when it comes to real jaw-dropping deals, there’s one company that seems to have figured out a way to really deliver.

The company is called Quibids and they auction（拍賣）the hottest, in-demand electronics like Apple ipads and ipods, as well as other items like gift cards from the top retailers（零售商）. Unlike other sites, the prices people pay are nowhere near retail. How low are the prices?

$ 33.84 for a new Apple ipad 32 GB（retail $ 600）

$ 22.10 for a new Nikon D90 Digital SLR Camera（retail $ 1070）

Our first reaction on seeing these prices was disbelief. After all, how could Quibids possibly afford to sell these items for so little ---- surely they must be losing a lot of money.

That’s where its unique business model comes into play. You see, for every bid a buyer places for an item on Quibids, the company collects a small fee from the bidder. The fee to bid is only about 60 cents, but based on the volume of sales and bids, the company is able to collect enough to make up for the ridiculous prices the items sell for.

But best of all, participating in the Quibids auction is incredibly fun. Because each bid costs a little to place, shoppers can strategize when to place their bids. Each auction has a strict time limit. When you place your bid, the system adds a little time to the auction to see if any other bids come in. If you have the winning bid when the clock runs out ---- you win the item for that price.

But the best part of Quibids may be the “Buy-It-Now” feature. This allows bidders who did not win an auction to still buy the product they want and apply the cost of the bids they placed as a discount on the regular product price. So you still get the item and the bids you placed previously in the auction don’t cost you anything!

46. According to the passage, the success of Quibids mainly lies in          .

     A. how its buying and selling is conducted           B. the change in people’s shopping model   

     C. the quality of the goods and service                 D. their willingness to risk losing money

47. It can be inferred from the passage that          .

     A. other retailers will be out of business               B. winning a bid is not just a matter of luck

C. Quibids only sell popular electronics                 D. the prices on Quibids are the lowest      

48. A buyer who bid twice for a $ 20 MP4 can get one from “Buy-It-Now” for          .

     A. $ 21.2                        B. $ 20                         C. $ 19.4                      D. $ 18.8              

49. Which might be the most suitable title for the passage?

A. Buy Products for Next to Nothing                   B. How to Buy New Must–have Electronics      

C. The Most Successful Shopping Website           D. Tips on Shopping Online

All of my students I taught at Saint Mary’s School in Morris, Minnesota were dear to me, but Mark was one in a million. His happy­to­be­alive attitude made even his occasional naughtiness   31  .

Mark talked   32   in class. I had to remind him again and again that talking without   33   was unacceptable. What impressed me so much, though, was his sincere response every time I had to correct him for misbehaving, “Thank you for correcting me, Madam!” I didn’t know what to make of it at first, but before long I became   34   hearing it many times a day.

However, one morning my patience was   35   when Mark talked once too often. I warned Mark, “If you say one more word, I am going to tape your mouth   36  !”

It wasn’t ten seconds later when Chuck blurted out（脫口說出）, “Mark is talking again.” I hadn’t asked any of the students to help me   37   Mark, but since I had stated the   38   in front of the class, I had to act on it.

Taking out a roll of masking tape from the drawer of my desk, I walked to Mark’s desk,   39   two pieces of tape and made a big X with them over his mouth. I then returned to the   40   of the room.

As I glanced at Mark to see how he was doing, he winked at me naughtily. That he did so funnily! I started   41  . The entire class   42   as I walked back to Mark’s desk,   43   the tape, and shrugged my shoulders. His first words were, “Thank you for   44   me, Madam!”

Several years passed until one cold rainy day when my father broke the news to me that Mark was killed in Vietnam War, I broke down and cried in my heart, “Mark, I would give all the masking tape in the world   45   you could talk to me!”

31. A. delightful                    B. attractive                 C. striking                   D. annoying

32. A. happily                       B. constantly                C. quickly                    D. immediately

33. A. hesitation                   B. permission                C. delay                   D. trouble     

34. A. curious about             B. unbearable of            C. accustomed to         D. fond of      

35. A. growing out               B. working out              C. going out                 D. running out      

36. A. close                         B. firmly                     C. shut                         D. closely

37. A. watch                       B. criticize                   C. overlook                  D. inform

38. A. opinion                     B. view                        C. punishment              D. evidence   

39. A. put up                        B. tore off                    C. cut into                   D. took out

40. A . back                        B. centre                     C. entrance                  D. front

41. A. laughing                    B. screaming               C. complaining              D. criticizing

42. A. disturbed                    B. protected                  C. froze                      D. cheered    

43. A. stuck                              B. recovered                C. removed                  D. fastened    

44. A. praising                      B. correcting                 C. encouraging              D. hurting

45. A. as if                         B. in case                     C. if only                      D. even if     

 --- I think Tom’s team will lose tomorrow’s game.

--- Oh, really? _________

   A. Let’s make a decision.                                  B. What makes you think so?

C. I beg your pardon?                                         D. That’s my opinion.

 --- Steven, where did you come across the famous novelist from England?

--- Believe it or not, it was in the supermarket ________ we went shopping last Sunday.

     A. which                        B. that                          C. there                        D. where     

 In the last century, more and more women arose ________ their legal rights.

   A. in defence of             B. in honor of               C. in memory of            D. in place of

 --- Come on, please give me some ideas about the project.

   --- With so much work ________ my mind, I’ll almost ________.

   A. filling; break up        B. filled; break out       C. filled; break off            D. filling; break down

 This computer will certainly ________ all your expectations if you buy it, sir.

   A. live up to                   B. look up to            C. keep up with        D. come up with