No Mobile Means You’re Not in Touch
My household now has four mobile phones: one for me; one each for my eldest children, the twin boys; and one for my 15-year-old daughter. Only my 12-year-old son does not (yet) have his own mobile. In other words, we’re now in line with national figures, which show that Australia has 19 million mobile phones for a population of just over 20 million people. Among 15-to 17-year-olds, nearly nine out of 10.
The reality is that a mobile phone is the coolest thing of all for a teenager to own. It’s even more important than a television, a DVD player or access to the internet. If you don’t have a mobile you are, quite literally, out of touch.
Of course, there are good and bad sides to mobiles. In my global media world, I’ve lived with a mobile switched on 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for the past ten years. At the same time, here in Perth, I started a movement on talkback radio called CAMPIR (Campaign Against Mobile Phones in Restaurants). Nothing annoys me more than people who feel that an incoming mobile call is more important than the company they are with at a restaurant or even at their dining table at home, but I believe that in the long term, we will have a revolt against the intrusion of mobiles into our personal lives.
There was a study in New Zealand last year among young teenagers that showed a quarter have used text messaging to end a relationship. Here in Australia, I’ve read of people being fired by text. That’s cold. On the other hand, lots of parents---myself included---feel their children are safer if they have their mobile with them when they are away from home.
I’ve even read that the use of mobiles among kids may mean that they smoke less. Phones are a stronger status symbol than cigarettes among children and also give them something to do with their hands.
Psychologists, though, argue that mobiles are actually a way for kids to bypass their parents. They can communicate constantly with their friends without their parents knowing anything of the conversations. No matter what the future brings, I don’t expect ever to have fewer mobiles in the house. On the contrary, the next challenge is to see if I can get through the rest of this year without having to buy a mobile phone for my youngest child.
1.According to the passage, a mobile phone is the coolest thing for a teenager to possess because _________.
A.In their opinion, the mobile phone is the most fashionable possession
B.A mobile phone is the most useful tool in the life.
C.The teenager keeps in contact with others exactly by using a mobile phone.
D.The Internet is less important than the mobile phone.
2.,Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A.In New Zealand most young teenagers have used text messaging to end a relationship.
B.The writer doesn’t think his children can avoid danger if they have their mobile with them .
C.The use of mobiles among kids may contribute to their less smoking.
D.Cigarettes are the strongest status symbol among children.
3.The underlined word “bypass” in the fifth paragraph probably means __________.
A. contact       B. avoid        C. inform        D. oppose
4.  It can be inferred from the passage that __________.
A. The children in the family each have a mobile phone.
B. About 60% of the children aged 15-17 have phones in Australia.
C. The writer is likely to buy a mobile phone for his youngest child this year.
D. The writer doesn’t agree that children should own a mobile phone.

Most of us would say that the older we get, the less we look forward to celebrating another birthday. For children, though, a birthday is that one occasion each year when they are the center of attention all day long.
It’s not surprising, then, that children’s birthday parties have turned into big business in America. Kids—or more likely their parents—often try to outdo one another in putting on the most extravagant birthday party. In the past, you might have hired a man with a horse to come by and give everyone horse rides. Today, you can hire an entire petting zoo’s or a truck filled with animals from abroad.
Barb Hill, a mother of two girls, doesn’t hold extravagant (奢侈的) parties, but she says she does feel pressure to come up with new ideas each year. Her daughter Fiona celebrated her most recent birthday, her eighth, at a sporting-goods store. The kids enjoyed the climbing wall, as well as the pizza and cupcakes. “They always want to do something that nobody else has done yet,” Barb says. You also have to decide how many guests to invite, and if you’re celebrating at a place other than home, that means figuring out how to transport everyone.
William Doherty, a professor at the University of Minnesota, recently started a project called Birthdays without Pressure. Its website (www. birthdayswithoutpressure.org) gives parents the resources to make kids’ birthday parties less stressful and more fun for all. “Our goal was to start a local and national conversation about what’s happened to birthday parties,” Doherty told me. “We’ve succeeded beyond our expectations—tens of thousands of parents are viewing our website, contacting us and taking our online quizzes.”
In the end, most parents would agree that the best parties are usually the ones where the kids have time to hang out and play with each other. After all, isn’t what being a kid is all about?
1. The purpose of this passage is to tell us_________.
A.all the children look forward to celebrating their birthday
B.the children’s birthday parties have turned into big business in America
C.parents would like to make children’s birthday parties less stressful and more fun for all
D.parents don’t know how to hold children’s birthday parties
2. Which of the following sentences is TRUE ______.
A.The girl didn’t enjoy the party held by her mother.
B.The project called Birthdays without Pressure is popular with parents.
C.Children look forward to their birthday parties because they like extravagant parties.
D.Parents feel like hiring an entire petting zoo for their children.
3. The aim of the project called Birthdays without Pressure is to______.
A.attract parents to view the website
B.provide resources for making kids’ birthday parties
C.release parents’ stress of organizing children’s birthday parties
D.hold conversation about what’s happened to birthday parties
4. The best title for this passage may probably be ______.
A project called Birthdays without Pressure
B.Children enjoy their birthday parties
C.  How to hold children’s birthday parties
D.  How children feel about their birthday parties

The greatest cartoon-maker in cinema history was Walt Disney, who has often been quoted as saying, “…… it was all started by a mouse.” It was, and Mickey Mouse has gone on to become an international cartoon superstar. Without him, Disney could not have made his own dreams come true.
Mickey was created in 1928. It’s not clear if it was Disney or his business and animation（動畫片制作）partner Ub Iwerks who designed the original mouse. But many credit(相信是) Iwerks, who animated all of the earliest cartoons.
The mouse’s original name was Mortimer but was changed to Mickey on the advice of Walt Disney’s wife Lillian. The first and second Mickey Mouse Cartoons were not a success with the public. It was only with the third cartoon, titled Steamboat Willy, that Mickey began to achieve wide recognition(認可). Since then, Mickey’s appearance and personality have changed. His body was changed a few times until they found the best shape for his head, body and ears. Until 1946, Walt Disney provided Mickey’s voice himself.
Mickey has starred in more than a hundred cartoons. He’s often joined by four other famous Disney characters, Donald Duck, Minnie Mouse, Goofy and Pluto, who have also become children’s favourite cartoon characters all over the world
1.According to the passage, Disney’s early dream may probably be ________.
A. to create Mickey Mouse           B. to marry his wife Lillian
C. to become a cartoon maker         D. to become a superstar
2.Which of the following about Mickey Mouse is true?
A. Mickey became famous in his first cartoon.
B. The original mouse was designed by Disney’s wife.
C. Cartoons starred by Mickey are always very successful.
D. There have been some changes in Mickey’s name and body.
3.From the passage we know that ________.
A. Walt Disney was known as a great cartoon maker
B. less than 100 cartoons have been starred by Mickey
C. there are four Disney characters in Disney’s cartoons
D. Mickey’s voice has been provided by Walt Disney since 1946
4.The best title for this passage is ________.
A. Mickey Mouse — A Cartoon Hero   B. Walt Disney — A Famous Cartoon Maker
C. Walt Disney and His Wife          D. How Mickey Mouse Got His Name

第三節(jié)：閱讀理解（共25小題; 每小題2分, 滿分50分）
It was 3:12 a. m. when nine-year-old Glenn Kreamer awoke to the smell of burning. Except for the crackling（爆裂聲）of flames somewhere below there was not a sound in the two-storey house at Baldwin, Long Island.
With his father away on night duty at a local factory, Glenn was worried about the safety of his mother, his sister Karen, 14 and his 12-year-old brother Todd. He ran downstairs through the smoke filled house to push and pull at Karen and Todd until they sat up. Then he helped each one through the house to the safety of the garden. There, his sister and brother, taking short and quick breaths and coughing, collapsed on the lawn (草坪).
The nine-year-old raced back into the house and upstairs to his mother’s room. He found it impossible to woke her up. Mrs. Kreamer, a victim of the smoke, was unconscious, and there was nobody to help Glenn carry her to the garden. But the boy remained calm and, as a fireman said later, “acted with all the self-control of a trained adult.”
On the bedroom telephone, luckily still working, Glenn called his father and, leaving Mr. Kreamer to telephone the fire brigade and ambulance service, got on with the task of saving his mother.
First he filled a bucket with water from the bathroom and threw water over his mother and her bed. Then, with a wet cloth around his head he went back to the garden.
He could hear the fire engine coming up, but how would the firemen find his mother in the smoke-filled house where flames had almost swallowed up the ground floor?
Grasping firmly a ball of string from the garage, Glenn raced back into the house and dashed upstairs to his mother’s room. Tying one end of the string to her hand he ran back, laying out the string as he went, through the hall and back out into the garden.
Minutes later he was telling fire chief John Coughlan: “The string will lead you to mother.” Mrs. Kreamer was carried to safety as the flames were breaking through her bedroom floor.
1．Why did Glenn run downstairs first?
A．He wanted to find out what was happening.  
B．He was worried about his mother’s safety.
C．He wanted to save his sister and brother.    
D．He went to see if his father had come back from work.
2．How did Glenn help the firemen to save his mother?
A．By throwing water all over her and her bed.    
B．By carrying her to safety with his brother.
C．By pushing and pulling at her.              
D．By tying a string to her hand.
3．Who called the fire brigade and ambulance service?
A．Glenn.    B．Glenn’s father.     C．Glenn’s sister.    D．Glenn’s neighbor.
4．What did Glenn do to protect himself?
A．He put a wet cloth around his head.      B．He threw water all over himself.
C．He hid himself in the bathroom.         D．He rushed out to the lawn.
5．Glenn saved his family because___________.
A．his father had taught him to do so on the phone   
B．he had learned something about first aid
C．he had dealt with the emergency calmly and wisely 
D．he had followed his mother’s instruction

II.閱讀理解( 滿分34分)
A couple from Minneapolis decided to go to Florida for a long weekend to warm themselves up during one particularly icy cold winter. They planned to stay at the very same hotel where they spent their honeymoon 20 years ago. They both had jobs, so it was decided that her husband would fly to Florida on a Thursday, and his wife would follow him the next day. Upon arriving as planned, the husband checked into the hotel. There he decided to open his laptop(筆記本電腦) and send his wife an e-mail back in Minneapolis. However, he accidentally left off one letter in her address and sent the e-mail without noticing his error.
In the mean time: In Houston, a woman had just returned from her husband’s burial. He was a minister of many years who had been “called home to glory” following a heart attack. The woman checked her e-mail, expecting message from family and friends. Upon reading the first message, she fainted(昏厥)and fell to the floor. Her son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor and saw the computer screen which read:
To: My Loving Wife
From: Your Departed Husband
Subject: I’ve arrived!
I’ve just arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing you then. Hope your journey is as uneventful(平靜)as mine was.
P.S. Sure is hot down here.
1. Why did the couple decide to go to Florida for weekend?
A. To visit their family and friends         B. To escape from the cold winter
C. To escape from their busy work         D. To attend a friend’s funeral
2. What mistake did the husband make after checking into the hotel?
A. He checked into a wrong hotel           B. He forget to bring the laptop
C. He misspelled her wife’s address         D. He forgot to mail his letter
3. The expression “called home to glory” probably suggests that the man had______.
A. gone back to his hometown            B. called his family to say hello
C. been awarded an honor               D. died and gone to heaven
4. How did the woman probably feel after reading the e-mail?
A. Pleased       B. Inspired       C. Frightened         D. Moved
5. Which of the following is true according to the text?
A. The woman’s husband died of a heart attack
B. The woman liked to chat with her friends by e-mail
C. The couple held their wedding in Florida 20 years ago.
D. His wife wouldn’t go to Florida for his error.

Besides calling 911, here is what to do in some life-threatening emergencies when no one is around to help.
Lost in the wilderness
First, you’ve got to acknowledge you're in trouble. Stay where you can be seen, clearly and remember to rest. Keeping a sense of humor helps too -- it reduces strum and helps creative thinking. In a wide open area, make a colorful cress out of rocks to show your present position.
Choking
Aim to hit the top of the chair against your stomach, in the soft part below the bony upside-down V of the ribs (肋骨). Make a sudden push against the chair. If you still can’t breathe after six tries, call 911, even if you can’t talk. Write the word “choking” somewhere nearby, and leave the line open until help arrives.
Severe bleeding
Use your hand or clean cotton, or paper towels, or a scarf, or any cloth you can find, and push down on the wound until the bleeding stops. But if you put a band around your leg tightly, you’re going to close the vessels (血管) to the entire leg. In this way, you could loose foot.
Bear attack
If yon surprise a bear, don't run away. That invites an attack. Instead, stand up and back away slowly, without looking the bear in the eyes. If it does charge (猛沖) at you, stick out your chest, raise your arms, and spread your legs. Shout at the bear, to frighten it. If it's going to attack, lie facedown, with your hands held firmly behind your neck. Play dead until you're sure the bear is gone.
1. When you see a colorful cross made of rocks in the wilderness, you know ______.
A. someone is bleeding                  B. someone is choking
C. someone is lost                      D. someone is attacked by a bear
2. If you are still choking after six tries, you should ______.
A. keep a sense of humor                 B. call 911 and leave the line open
C. use your hand our clean cotton         D. lie down with your hands behind your neck
3. Don't tie around your bleeding leg tightly, or you could ______.
A. stop bleeding  B. reduce stress   C. loose your foot      D. cause breathlessness
4. The passage is mainly teaching us how to ______.
A. survive the emergencies                      B. avoid a bear attack.  
C. deal with a choke                         D. find our way

第二節(jié)：完形填空(共20小題；每小題1.5分，滿分30分)
閱讀下面短文，從短文后所給各題的四個選項(A、B、C和D)中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項。
It was on a winter past midnight of 1971 when I was driving our big V8 station wagon back to our hometown. Next to me, my husband was  36  asleep and snoring (打鼾) loudly.
It was true that he worked sixty or more hours per week, and then in the evenings he worked as my dance  37 . We had to travel away from home for the dance classes on four, or   _38  five nights per week, and then he 39  have to be up and about again by six of the following dawn to get to his  40  job.
We had agreed that I should drive home on those late nights so he could at least get some _41  sleep. But I worked hard, too, and I would also be up at six of the following morning to get our half-dozen kids  42  for school. As well, I would then have to  43  the dance lessons for that evening.
On that long cold night I was fighting to stay  44 , but sticking to "the master's rule" of not playing my  45 . He needed his sleep, he said. I  46  down the window, yet the bitter-cold wind did little to revive (振奮) me. I was already driving about ten miles  47  the speed limit,  48 , we were still forty-five minutes away from home.
I studied the road up ahead and  49  in the near view mirror. There was not a car 50 a black night ahead and behind me. There were no Officers of the Law to be seen, and so I 51 the speed by another ten miles per hour. I had no great need for a speeding ticket, but I wanted to get home as quickly as I could.
"Get into the other lane!" sounded a loud and  52  voice.
I swiftly changed lanes, and as I did, a car without headlights pulled from the side of the road. I screamed at the top of my lungs, "I  53  that car by mere inches! The fool! Where did he come from?" The car that would have caused our death was now just a blur of an image (模糊的圖像) in my rear view mirror. Instantly I knew where he had come from. He had rushed onto the road from that little roadside bar I  54  each week, and probably so drank and 'legless', he would never find out how  55  he came to killing himself and us.
36. A. slow           B. fast               C quick                 D. well
37. A. trainer          B. coacher           C partner             D. student
38. A. still            B. already              C. yet                D. even
39. A. would          B. could                   C. should            D. might
40. A. normal         B. usual              C regular             D. common
41. A. extra           B. enough            C. another            D. other
42. A. timely         B. ready               C late                 D. early
43. A. teach           B. prepare for         C. prepare             D. have
44. A. alive            B. asleep             C. active               D. awake
45. A. radio           B. DVD               C. TV                D. piano
46. A. pulled           B. took              C. wound               D. pushed
47. A below             B. above              C. over               D. beneath
48. A. furthermore     B. therefore            C. however           D. besides
49. A. noticed          B. watched           C. glanced            D. observed
50. A. in sight        B. in ease            C. in result             D. in fact
51. A. decreased         B. declined           C. increased           D. reduced
52. A. urgent          B. calm               C. angry             D. anxious
53. A. caught           B. missed             C. avoided              D. escaped
54. A. passed              B. served              C. provided           D. found
55. A. high           B. straight           C. hard              D. close

On any weekend throughout the year one can spend hours browsing through neighborhood flea (跳蚤) markets. These are very popular for those who are in search of bargains and who have a keen eye for picking through what others have discarded. They hunt and search for something they can reuse. Americans love secondhand merchandise (商品) which can be bought cheaply and restored to its original use. In many cases the condition and the quality are still good, though the style might be outdated.
For some people searching through flea markets is a hobby which reaps rewards. They look for possible antiques among the items for sale or for old furniture which can be restored with a little care and used again. Many wise collectors often find rare items worth much more than their bargained price. Since prices are usually not fixed, if one is persistent a bargain can easily be struck. The owner may be selling a rare collectable and may not even be aware of its value. One of the great pleasures of shopping at such markets is the chance to bargain with the shop owner and settle for a price which one can afford and is willing to pay.
Perhaps even more enjoyable than flea markets are the weekend outdoor garage sales which have now become very much a part of American culture. These are held usually in the spring and fall when the weather is still good. Usually a homeowner, having decided that he would like to clear his residence of accumulated items which are no longer useful to him, advertises in a local paper that he is holding a garage sale. More than likely the goods on display are in good condition and great buys can be found if one has the time and patience to search carefully. The home owner places items for sale on display along the driveway leading to his garage or on his front lawn and waits for people to look at what he has to sell. Old magazines, books, paintings, bicycles, ice-skates, items of clothing and electrical appliances of every sort appear on a regular basis. If the owner is in a position where he must sell his home or plans to move soon, then he may be forced to practically give things away at a price far below their true worth.
1. What do you usually do before holding a garage sale?
A. Put on an advertisement in a local newspaper.  
B. Display your goods in front of the garage.
C. Find rare items and fix their prices.         
D. Clear your garage and front lawn.
2. The underlined word “discarded” in Paragraph 1 probably means ____.
A. distributed                B. rejected               C. discovered          D. stored
3. When people shop at a flea market, how can they settle on a price?
A. They can bargain on a price acceptable to both. B. They can question their value.
C. They can expect a 50% discount.             D. They can compare with the other sellers.
4. What do we know about the garage sale?
A. It is only held in the spring of the year.
B. The goods on display are totally useless.
C. Garage sales are popular with Americans.  
D. All the goods are selling far below their real value.

第二部分：閱讀理解（20小題, 每小題2分，滿分40分）
閱讀下列短文, 從每題所給的四個選項 (A、B、C和D) 中, 選出最佳選項
A New Zealand fishermen caught what may prove to be a world-record-breaking colossal squid(魷魚).
In the cold, dark waters of the Antarctic hides a creature with eight arms, two super long tentacles(觸須) and eyes as big as dinner plates. Sound like something out of a science fiction movie? Think again.
On February 21, New Zealand fishermen landed a colossal squid the length of a school bus. They had been fishing with long lines for Chilean sea bass in the waters off the coast of New Zealand when they caught the rare squid. With two hours of hard work, the crew skillfully pulled the creature into a net and dragged in aboard their ship.
Scientists evaluate that the animal weighs about a half ton and is about 40 feet long. That would make this colossal squid the biggest on record.
First identified in 1925 after two tentacles were found in a whale’s stomach, the colossal squid has long been a mystery. The animals are not easy to observe because they can go down to ocean depths of 6,500 feet. What scientists do know from studying the bodies of a half dozen colossal squids is that they are fierce hunters.
The recently captured colossal squid has been frozen to keep it for scientific study. It will be transported to New Zealand’s national museum, Te Papa, in the capital city of Wellington. Experts believe it to be the first adult male ever caught undamaged. Scientists hope to learn more about the colossal squid’s diet, behavior and reproductive(繁殖)patterns.
“Scientists will be very interested in this amazing creature, ”said New Zealand Fisheries Minister Jim Anderson. “It adds immeasurably to our understanding of the marine environment. ”
1. Why is it usually difficult for experts to observe the squid?
A. Because it moves too fast                       B. Because it is too large.
C. Because it is dangerous.                      D. Because it can go down to deep ocean.
2. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. The squid is from a science fiction story 
B. The fishermen often meet colossal squids
C. Scientists know much about the colossal squid. 
D. The fishermen had some difficulty catching the large squid.
3. What’s the purpose of catching such a huge squid?
A. To make it into food  B. To set a world record 
C. To do research on it  D. To display it for visitors
4. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. The biggest squid ever found                      B. Scientific research on squid
C. The lifestyle of the colossal squid         D. How the fishermen caught the squid

IV. 閱讀理解（30%）
The future is time that is to come. The future is not the present or the past. It is later. We have seen many possible futures in science fiction. They range from the world’s polar ice caps melting to nuclear winters. But not all futures are this morbid. We have seen the human race spread all over our universe, humans and aliens living in harmony together all over the universe.
It is very likely that we will make some kind of breakthrough in our ability to travel through space sometime in the next 150 years. This would give us the ability to rule other planets. Ultimately, the earth will die whether it be 1,000 years or 100,000 years. We will be forced to move to another planet then. It’s really just a matter of time. When we do so, what will we discover?
Personally, I think everyone will be speaking the same language in 200 years. A world government definitely seems to be in our future. It is stable and has few wars. Indeed, the only type of wars that can happen is the civil war.
And what if we face aliens? If they are friendly, we would probably benefit a lot from putting our knowledge together. They must have advanced technology to travel for great distances. We could seriously benefit from their technology. But if they aren’t friendly, then we are in trouble. Hope that we have become advanced enough, smart enough, and generally a better race by the time we meet them. But this is all probably being discussed for nothing, because any race out there among the stars is probably as curious as we are about other creatures.
1. The underlined word in Paragraph 1 can be replaced by ___________.
A. unpleasant         B. shocking           C. expected            D. serious
2. What will humans do if the earth dies?
A. Humans have to face death.                    B. Humans will travel and live in space.
C. Humans will move to another planet.             D. Humans will go back to the past time.
3. According to the author, the following statements are right about aliens EXCEPT that _________.
A. we can learn from aliens if they are friendly
B. when aliens arrive, humans will be smarter than them
C. aliens may be as curious as we human beings about other planets
D. aliens have more advanced technology than us
4. After reading the passage, we can know that the passage is based on_________.
A. scientific facts                   B. time and space
C. advanced technology               D. the author’s imagination