Deciding which English-speaking country to study in wasn’t difficult for Ann; She had always wanted to visit America. “I wanted to study in an  English-language country and I always wanted to visit America because it always seemed to me a very beautiful and friendly country.” Ann is more than happy with the quality of the education she is receiving in America, particularly with the subjects and strong academic support.“ I am very happy with the quality of education I am receiving. All my subjects are useful and connected. I am happy with help I receive from the lecturers and tutors.”
Also of particular satisfaction for Ann is the practical element of her American course. “I find it very important and useful. The theory is a good thing to know but nothing gives you more skills and knowledge than practical work.”
Where her future employment is concerned, Ann is very confident her American qualification will be of great help. “I know that getting a degree here is a good thing for my future; it can open many doors in Poland or anywhere  else in the world.”
Ann is also really enjoying life in America; She is making friends and taking time out to enjoy herself. “People are very friendly and helpful. University is a good place to find new friends from America and from overseas. It is a friendly environment with lots of things to do, not only studying. And of course there are the beaches, not to mention the beautiful weather.”
【小題1】The purpose of writing this passage is to _________.

A．tell us Ann’s decision to settle in America

B．tell us Ann is accustomed to life in America

C．introduce Ann’s happy study and life in America

D．introduce more about Ann to help her make friends

【小題2】Why did Ann decide to study in America?

A．Her parents persuaded her to do so.

B．She has relatives and best friends here.

C．Her boyfriend was studying here too then.

D．She has dreamed of studying here for long.

【小題3】What makes Ann particularly satisfied in America?

A．The comfortable climate and easy lifestyle.

B．The help from her host families and teachers.

C．The American courses have more practical elements.

D．The friends here are mostly from English-speaking countries.

【小題4】What does the underlined sentence mean?

A．Ann will try all her best to ensure to get a degree.

B．Ann’s degree will help her find a job easily at home and abroad.

C．Ann will certainly go back to Poland to work after graduation.

D．With the degree received in America, Ann will never be out of work.

Dolphins are interesting animals and researchers find them interesting to watch. They don’t have hands, but can use tools to solve problems, just like us. Scientists have observed a dolphin trying to get a shy eel(鱔魚) to come out of its hole by poking(捅)it with a dead fish. Many species of dolphin live in large societies. They have many different relationships and need a good communication system; they use a variety of sounds to communicate with each other.
There is currently no evidence that dolphins have a language of their own. But scientists still have a lot to find out about these animals and so there are certain to be a few surprises in the future.
At Kewalo Basin Marine Laboratory in Hawaii, the dolphin team have developed a sign langue to communicate with the dolphins, and the results are amazing. Not only do the dolphins understand the meaning of individual words, they also understand the significance of word order in a sentence. For example, when they were asked to ‘touch the ball with your tail and then jump over it’ they generally responded correctly and straight away, which showed that they understood the langue.
Most mammals seem to enjoy play—but dolphins seems to like making their games as challenging as possible. On a beautiful day in 1997, researchers working at a beach, off the southern coast of Brazil, observed a little dog going into the sea and swimming towards the dolphins. To their surprise, the dolphins approached the dog and then started throwing it into the air. The dog seemed to enjoy the ‘game’ and continued playing with the dolphins for more than an hour. From then on, different dogs were seem trying to interact with the dolphins.
Dolphins live in a very different world to ourselves, but they are very good at our ‘intelligence tests’. For example, they will jump out of the water when they hear a whistle noise. They do this because they will get a fish as a reward. There is still much to learn about these flexible(靈活的)problem-solvers, but from the evidence so far, it would seem as though dolphins are very intelligent.
【小題1】To get a shy eel to come out of its hole , a dolphin would poke it with____.

A．a(chǎn) tool

B．its tail

C．a(chǎn) dead fish

D．its mouth

【小題2】At a laboratory in Hawaii, the dolphin team have developed a ____ to communicate with the dolphins.

A．variety of sounds	B．sign language
C．special word order	D．dolphin’s language

【小題3】Dolphins not only understand the meaning of individual words, they also understand the importance of ______ in a sentence.

A．the subject

B．the verbs

C．the main structure

D．word order

【小題4】When they play, dolphins seems to like making their games as ______ as possible.

A．difficult

B．easy

C．interesting

D．relaxing

【小題5】Dolphins will jump out of the water when they hear a whistle noise in order to _______.

A．watch people	B．breathe fresh air
C．enjoy themselves	D．get some food

The clothes you wear. The food you eat. The color of your bedroom walls. Where you go and how you get there. The people you hang around with. What time you go to bed. What do these things have in common, you’re asking? They’re just a few examples of the many hundreds of things that your parents controlled for you when you were a child.
As a kid, you didn’t have a say in everything; your parents made decisions about everything from the cereal you ate in the morning to the pajamas you wore at night. And it’s a good thing, too—kids need this kind of protection on their own.
But finally, kids grow up and become teens. And part of being a teen is developing your own identity—one that is separate from your parents’. But as you change and grow into this new person who makes his own decisions, your parents have a difficult time adjusting(調(diào)整).
In many families, it is this adjustment that can cause a lot of fighting between teens and parents. And issues like the type of friends you have or your attitudes to partying can cause bigger arguments, because your parents still always want to protect you and keep you safe, no matter how old you are.
The good news about fighting with your parents get more comfortable with the idea that their teen has a right to certain opinions. It can take several years for parents and teens to adjust to their new roles, though. In the meantime, focus on communicating with your parents.
Sometimes this can feel impossible—like they just don’t see your point of view and never will. But talking and expressing your opinions can help you gain more respect from your parents.
Keep in mind, too, that your parents were teens once and that in most cases, they can relate to what you’re going through.
【小題1】In the first two paragraphs, the writer________.

A．complains that parents control kids too much.

B．proves that kids have no right to give their opinions.

C．describes how carefully parents look after kids

D．explains that it is necessary for parents to control kids

【小題2】A lot of fighting breaks out between teens and parents because________.

A．parents aren’t used to losing control of kids

B．teens like to have everything decided

C．parents blame teens for not respecting them

D．teens are eager to develop their own identity

【小題3】In the opinions of the writer, parents control teens in order to ________.

A．prevent them from having their own ideas

B．protect them from being hurt

C．make them respect parents in family

D．make sure that children have a good future.

【小題4】The underlined word “this” in paragraph 6 may refer to “________”.

A．a(chǎn)rguing with friends

B．fighting with your parents

C．communicating with parents

D．a(chǎn)djusting to new roles

【小題5】What might be the most suitable title for the passage?

A．What do parents control their children for?

B．How parents take are of children?

C．How to get rid of your parents’ control?

D．Why do I fight with parents so much?

Bringing Art into Hospitals.
The medical world is slowly realizing that the quality of the environment in hospitals may play an important role in helping patients to recover(康復(fù)).
As part of a nationwide effort in Britain to bring art out of the museums and into public places, some of the country’s best artists have been called in to change older hospitals and to soften the hard, modern buildings. Of the 2500 national health service hospitals in Britain, almost 100 now have collections of art in passages(走廊), waiting areas and treatment rooms.
These recent movements were first started by one artist, Peter Senior, who set up his studio at a Manchester hospital in northeastern England during the early 1970’s. He felt the artist had lost his place in modern society, and that art should be enjoyed by more people.
A common hospital waiting room might have as many as 5000 visitors each week. What a good place to hold exhibitions(展覽) of art! Senior held the first exhibition of his own paintings in the waiting area of the Manchester Royal Hospital in 1975. Believed to be Britain’s first hospital artist, Senior was so much in demand that he was soon joined by a team of six young art school graduates.
The effect is amazing. Now in the passages and waiting rooms the visitors experience a full view of fresh colors, playful images(形象) and restful courtyards.
The quality of the environment may reduce the need for expensive drugs when a patient is recovering from an illness. A study has shown that a patient who had a view onto gardens needed half the number of strong pain killers compared with(與……相比) patients who had no view at all or only a brick wall to look at.
【小題1】Some best artists of Britain have been called in to_____

A．set up new hospitals

B．make the corners of hospital collect paintings

C．bring art into hospitals

D．help patients recover from serious illness

【小題2】After the improvement of the hospital environment, _____

A．patients no longer take drugs to kill their pains

B．patients don’t have to stay long in hospital

C．patients need fewer pain killers when they suffer from an illness

D．patients feel happy in hospital

【小題3】It can be inferred from the passage that_____

A．the role of hospital environment is being recognized

B．hospital artists have done more than doctors

C．exhibitions attract more people in hospitals than in museums

D．the hospitals is a better place for people than the museum in Britain

Shopping is not as simple as you may think! There are all sorts of tricks at play each time we reach out for that particular brand (商標(biāo)) of product on the shelf.
Colouring, for example, varies according to what the producers are trying to sell. Health foods are packaged (包裝) in greens, yellows or browns because we think of these as healthy colours. Ice cream packets are often blue and expensive goods, like chocolates, are gold or silver.
When some kind of pain killer was brought out recently, researchers found that the colours turned the customers off because they made the product look weak and ineffective. Eventually, it came on the market in a dark blue and white package—blue because we think of it as safe, and white as calm.
The size of a product can attract a shopper. But quite often a bottle doesn’t contain as much as it appears to.
It is believed that the better-known companies spend, on average, 70 per cent of the total cost of the product itself on packaging!
The most successful producers know that it’s not enough to have a good product. The founder of Pears soap, who for 25 years has used pretty little girls to promote(推銷)  their goods, came to the conclusion: “Any fool can make soap, but it takes a genius (天才) to sell it.”
【小題1】Which of the following may trick a shopper into buying a product according to the text?

A．The cost of its package.	B．The price of the product.
C．The colour of its package.	D．The brand name of the product.

【小題2】The underlined part “the colours turned the customers off”(in Para. 3 ) means that the colours _____.

A．a(chǎn)ttracted the customers strongly

B．had weak effects on the customers

C．tricked the customers into shopping

D．caused the customers to lose interest

【小題3】Which of the following is the key to the success in product sales?

A．The way to promote goods.

B．The discovery of a genius.

C．The team to produce a good product.

D．The brand name used by successful producers.

【小題4】Which of the following would be the best title for this text?

A．Choice of Good Products	B．Disadvantages of Products
C．Effect of Packaging on Shopping	D．Brand Names and Shopping Tricks

People believe that climbing can do  good to health. Where can you learn the skill of climbing then? If you think that you have to go to the mountains to learn how to climb, you’re wrong. Many Americans are learning to climb in city gyms. Here，people are learning on special climbing walls. The climbing wall goes straight up and has small holding places for hands and feet.
How do people climb the wall? To climb，you need special shoes and a harness (保護(hù)帶) around your chest to hold you. There are ropes tied to your harness. The ropes hold you in place so that you don’t fall. A beginner’s wall is usually about 15 feet high, and you climb straight up. There are small pieces of metal that stick out for you to stand on and hold on to. Sometimes it’s easy to see the next piece of metal. Sometimes, it’s not. The most difficult part is to control your fear. It’s normal for humans to be afraid of falling, so it’s difficult not to feel fear. But when you move away from the wall, the harness and the ropes hold you，and you begin to feel safe. You move slowly until you reach the top.
Climbing attracts people because it’s good exercise for almost everyone. You use your whole body, especially your arms and legs. This sport gives your body a complete workout. When you climb，both your mind and your body can become stronger.
【小題1】What can we infer from the passage?

A．People are fairly interested in climbing nowadays.

B．It is impossible to build up one’s body by climbing.

C．People can only learn the skill of climbing outdoors.

D．It is always easy to see holding places in climbing.

【小題2】The most difficult thing to do in wall climbing is________.

A．to tie ropes to your harness	B．to control your fear
C．to move away from the wall	D．to climb straight up

【小題3】The word “workout” underlined in the last paragraph most probably means________.

A．settlement

B．exercise

C．excitement

D．tiredness

【小題4】Why does the author write this passage?

A．To tell people where to find gyms.

B．To prove the basic need for climbing.

C．To encourage people to climb mountains.

D．To introduce the sport of wall climbing.

Whether we’re 2 years old or 62, our reasons for lying are mostly the same: to get out of trouble, for personal gain and to make ourselves look better in the eyes of others. But a growing body of research is raising questions about how a child’s lie is different from an adult’s lie, and how the way we deceive changes as we grow.
“Parents and teachers who catch their children lying should not be alarmed. Their children are not going to turn out to be abnormal liars,” says Dr. Lee, a professor at the University of Toronto and director of the Institute of Child Study. He has spent the last 15 years studying how lying changes as kids get older, why some people lie more than others as well as which factors can reduce lying. The fact that children tell lies is a sign that they have reached a new developmental stage. Dr. Lee conducted a series of studies in which they bring children into a lab with hidden cameras. Children and young adults aged 2 to 17 are likely to lie while being told not to look at a toy, which is put behind the child’s back. Whether or not the child takes a secret look is caught on tape.
For young kids, the desire to cheat is big and 90% take a secret look in these experiments. When the test-giver returns to the room, the child is asked if he or she looked secretly. At age 2, about a quarter of children will lie and say they didn’t. By 3, half of kids will lie, and by 4, that figure is 90%, studies show.
Researchers have found that it’s kids with better understanding abilities who lie more. That’s because to lie you also have to keep the truth in mind, which includes many brain processes, such as combining several sources of information and faking that information. The ability to lie — and lie successfully  — is thought to be related to development of brain regions that allow so called “executive functioning”, or higher order thinking and reasoning abilities. Kids who perform better on tests that involve executive functioning also lie more.
【小題1】What’s the purpose of children telling lies?

A．To help their friends out.

B．To get rid of trouble.

C．To get attention from others.

D．To create a popular image.

【小題2】The underlined word “deceive” in Paragraph 1 can be replaced by “      ”.

A．tell lies	B．handle troubles
C．raise questions	D．do research

【小題3】From the second paragraph we can know that       .

A．which factors can reduce lying

B．why some lie more than others

C．it is normal for kids to tell lies

D．how lying changes as kids grow

【小題4】It can be inferred from the passage that        .

A．children’s lies are the same as adults’

B．the better kids are, the more they lie

C．the older kids are, the more they lie

D．kids always keep the truth in their mind

【小題5】What is NOT included in the passage?

A．The reasons why kids tell lies.

B．Which kind of kids tells more lies.

C．Experiments about lying of young kids.

D．What to do with lying children.

When I was seven, my father gave me a Timex, my first watch. I loved it, wore it for years, and haven’t had another one since it stopped ticking a decade ago. Why? Because I don’t need one. I have a mobile phone and I’m always near someone with an iPod or something like that. All these devices (裝置) tell the time — which is why, if you look around, you’ll see lots of empty wrists (手腕); sales of watches to young adults have been going down since 2007. 
But while these wise people have realized that they don’t need them, others — including some distinguished ones of our time — are spending total fortunes on them. Brands such as Rolex, Patek Philippe and Breitling command shocking prices, up to £ 250.000 for a piece.
This is ridiculous. Expensive cars go faster than cheap cars. Expensive clothes hang better than cheap clothes. But these days, all watches tell the time as well as all other watches. Yes, you may say expensive watches will come with some extra functions — but who needs them? How often do you dive to 300 metres into the sea to test its function of waterproof, or need to find your direction in the area around the South Pole by using its compass? So why pay that much of five years’ school fees for watches that allow you to do these things?
If justice were done, the Swiss watch industry should have closed down when the Japanese discovered how to make accurate watches for a five-pound note. Instead, the Swiss re-invented the watch, with the aid of millions of pounds’ worth of advertising, as a message about the man —— usually a famous star, wearing it. Rolexes are for those who spend their weekends climbing icy mountains; a Patek Philippe is for one from a rich or noble family; a Breitling suggests you like to pilot planes across the world. 
Watches are classified as “investment items” (投資項目) now. A 1994 Philippe recently sold for nearly £ 350, 000, while 1960s Rolexes have gone from 15, 000 to 30, 000 plus in a year. But, to some wealthy people, a watch is more than an investment. It’s a valuable toy for self-satisfaction, a matter of fashion. Prices may keep going up — they’ve been rising for fifteen years. But when fashion moves on, the owner of that £ 350, 000 treasured object will suddenly find his pride and joy is no more a good investment than my childhood Times. 
【小題1】The sales of watches to young people have fallen because ______. 

A．they have other devices to tell the time

B．they think watches are too expensive

C．they have little sense of time now

D．they prefer to wear an iPod on their wrists

【小題2】It seems ridiculous to the writer that ______. 

A．some people often dive 300 metres deep into the sea

B．expensive clothes sell much better than cheap ones

C．cheap cars usually don’t run as fast as expensive ones

D．expensive watches with unnecessary functions still sell

【小題3】What can be learnt about Swiss watch industry from the passage?

A．It targets rich people as its potential customers.

B．It seems hard for the industry to beat its competitors.

C．It wastes a huge amount of money in advertising.

D．It is easy for the industry to re-invent cheap watches.

【小題4】Which would be the best title for the passage?

A．Timex Being better than Rolex

B．My Expensive Childhood Timex

C．Super-level Watches? Not for Me!

D．Watches — a Valuable Collection

Every object tells a story. Even the most ordinary objects can present to us powerful images. Sometimes it is the ordinary nature of these objects that actually makes them so extraordinary. Such is the case with an old leather shoe in a museum in Alaska. At first glance it does not look like much. It is a woman’s shoe of a style popular in the 1890s. But what is unique(獨特的) about this shoe is where it was found. It was discovered on the Checkout Pass, the famous trail used by the people seeking gold in Alaska. Who it belonged to or why it was left there is not known. Was it perhaps dropped by accident as the woman climbed up the 1500 stairs carved outface? Or did she throw away goods that she didn’t need in order to travel lighter?
Over 100, 000 people with “gold fever” made this trip hoping to become millionaires. Few of them understood that on their way they would have to cross a harsh wildness. Unprepared for such a dangerous journey, many died of starvation and exposure to the cold weather.
The Canadian government finally started requiring the gold seekers to bring one ton of supplies with them. This was thought to be enough for a person to survive for one year. They would carry their supplies in backpacks(背包) each weighing up to fifty pounds; it usually took at least 40 trips to get everything to the top and over the pass. Whoever dropped the shoe must have been a brave and determined woman. Perhaps she was successful and made it to Alaska. Perhaps she had to turn back in defeat. No one will ever know for sure, but what we do know is that she took part in one of the greatest adventures in the 19th century.
【小題1】The ordinary woman’s leather shoe is considered unusual because ______. 

A．it was an important clue to life in the past

B．it was found on a famous trail

C．it at one time belonged to a VIP

D．it was a fashionable shoe at that time

【小題2】According to this passage, many people who went to Alaska ______. 

A．eventually became millionaires

B．brought with them many shoes

C．had conflicts with the Eskimos

D．were not properly equipped

【小題3】The Canadian government made gold seekers bring one year’s supplies with them so that ______.

A．they would not die of hunger and cold

B．the army would have enough food for fighting a war

C．they would change these goods with the Eskimos

D．the supplies would make Alaska rich

【小題4】No matter what happened to the woman who owned the shoe, ______. 

A．she must have lived a happy life

B．she certainly dropped the shoe on purpose

C．her adventurous spirit is definitely admired

D．her other shoes were equally fashionable

What should you think about when trying to find your career? You are probably better at some school subjects than others. These may show strengths that you can use in your work. A boy who is good at mathematics can use that in an engineering career. A girl who spells well and likes English may be good at office work. So it is important to know the subjects you do well in at school. On the other hand, you may not have any especially strong subjects but your records show a general satisfactory standard. Although not all subjects can be used directly in a job, they may have indirect value. A knowledge of history is not required for most jobs but if history is one of your good subjects you will have learned to remember facts and details. This is an ability that can be useful in many jobs.
Your school may have taught you skills, such as typing or technical drawing, which you can use in your work. You may be good at metalwork or cookery and look for a job where you can improve these skills. If you have had a part-time job on Saturdays or in the summer, think what you gained from it. If nothing else, you may have learned how to get to work on time, to follow instructions and to get on with older workers. You may have learned to give correct change in a shop, for example. Just as important, you may become interested in a particular industry or career you see from the inside in a part-time job.
Facing your weak points is also part of knowing yourself. You may be all thumbs when you handle tools; perhaps you are a poor speller or cannot add up a column of figures. It is better to face any weakness than to pretend they do not exist. Your school record, for instance, may not be too good, yet it is an important part of your background. You should not be apologetic(認(rèn)錯的) about it but instead recognize that you will have a chance of a fresh start at work.
【小題1】What is the passage mainly about?

A．The importance of working hard at school.

B．Choosing a career according to one’s strengths.

C．How to face one’s weakness.

D．The value of school work.

【小題2】The writer thinks that a student have a part-time job is probably ______.

A．a(chǎn) good way to find out his weak points

B．one of the best ways of earning extra money

C．of great use for his work in the future

D．a(chǎn) waste of time he could have spent on study

【小題3】From the passage we learn that if a student’s school performance is not good, he _______.

A．should pay more attention to learning skills and developing abilities

B．will be regretful about his bad results

C．may also do well in his future work

D．should restart his study in school

【小題4】The underlined phrase “be all thumbs” (in Para 3) probably means “_______”.

A．be clumsy at doing things

B．be skillful in doing things

C．be not interested in certain things

D．be easily bored in doing things