E
Computer mouse is no longer so strong. A Canadian engineer has invented a system that enables a computer user to push a cursor（光標）across a screen simply by moving his or her nose .He calls his nose-driven mouse a mouse.
The inventor ,Dmity Gorodnichy ,came up with the idea for the mouse while building computer software that would help astronauts operate the Canadarm—a long robotic arm on the U.S. space shuttle .His system employs a web-camera that recognizes a computer user’s nose from 25 pixels ,or points of light. Dmity chose the nose because its position remains relatively constant no matter which way the head moves .The system keeps track of the pixels, and the user matches the movements of his or her nose with the progress of the cursor across the screen.
The mouse keeps track of the eyes too. Two blinks（眨眼）are a “double click,” which turns the mouse on or off.
The mouse has received mixed comments from those who hold opposite opinions. One called it “a pointless waste of technology” . Another predicted that the nouse will fail to catch on because it makes users “l(fā)ook silly.” Dmity has already adapted the nouse for NousePong, a video game ,and NousePaint ,a drawing program.
He also predicts that the mouse will attract the people who have suffered from specific disease-pain ,senselessness ,or trembling in the hand caused by the frequent repetition of movements of the wrist and fingers ,such as typing at a computer keyboard .His next plan is to adapt the nouse for use by paralyzed（癱瘓）patients in hospitals .With two blinks of the eyes ,patients could double-click for help.
72．The best title for this passage is probably      .
A．Mouse Driven by Nose
B．Cursor Moved Without fingers
C.New Computer System for Astronauts
D．New Type of Mouse for Patients
73．The nouse is a system working by means of          .
A．keeping track of the points of light
B．moving one’s nose or blinking
C.moving cursor across the screen
D．matching the user’s nose with eyes
74．The underlined phrase “catch on” means “       ”.
A．become popular     B．be used      C.get improved        D．be made
75．Dmity predicts that the nouse will be more used to help          .
A．those who have eye trouble
B．develop a video game and drawing program
C.those traveling in space
D．the disabled with the hand and paralyzed patients

C
Geniuses amaze us, impress us and make us all a little jealous．How do they differ from the average person? Scientists are working hard to figure out that answer．Tune in to the National Geographic Channel to find out about the discoveries they’re making in the series My Brilliant Brain.
When Marc Yu was only two years old, he began to play the piano．After a year, he started learning pieces by Beethoven．Now he’s a world-famous concert pianist at age eight．He learns newer and more difficult pieces with ease and can identify any note he hears．He seems to be specially designed for music．In Born Genius, National Geographic looks at the science behind child prodigies (神童) to explain why some children seem to be born without limits.
Genius didn’t come naturally to Tommy McHugh．His came only after he nearly died from bleeding in his brain．After recovering, McHugh’s head was filled with new thoughts and pictures．So, he began to express them in the form of poetry and art．Now, he’s a seemingly unstoppable creative machine．Sufferers of autism and brain injury have shown that great mental ability can sometimes come from damage or disease．Accidental Genius explores this puzzling relationship.
Can normal people be trained to be geniuses? Susan Polger has shown no signs of extraordinary intelligence．Yet, during her childhood, she studied thousands of chess patterns and learned to recognize them immediately．As a result, she was able to beat skilled adult players by age 10 and can now play up to five games at the same time without even seeing the boards．Make Me a Genius examines what it takes to turn an ordinary brain into that of a genius.
If becoming a genius were easy, we’d all be one．Yet, there is much more to super intelligence than simply being born lucky．Learn more about amazing brains this month on National Geographic’s My Brilliant Brain.
51．My Brilliant Brains is most probably from _______.
A．a(chǎn) website           B．the radio               C．a(chǎn) magazine          D．a(chǎn) newspaper
52．The author takes Marc Yu as an example to show that a child prodigy is        .
A．a(chǎn) person who learns something easily
B．a(chǎn) child who is eager to learn new things
C．a(chǎn) student who practices an instrument a lot
D．a(chǎn) kid who works hard to do well in school
53．Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A．New things about the brain are still being discovered.
B．People without natural abilities can learn to do things well.
C．Some people naturally have more active brains.
D．People are usually smarter when they recover from brain injury.
54．From the passage, we know that ___________
A．scientists completely understand the brain
B．people can only be born as geniuses
C．there’s no such thing as a true genius
D．there are many factors in being a genius
55．The author develops the passage mainly by ___________.
A．providing typical examples
B．following the natural time order
C．presenting a cause and analyzing its effects
D．comparing opinions from different scientists

D
Earth is the third planet from the sun. It is one of the four inner planets. The other three inner planets are Mercury, Venus, and Mars. The inner planets are also called the rocky planets, because they are made of rocks.
Earth is often called the “Water Planet”, because it is the only planet in our solar system which has liquid water on its surface. About 70% of the surface of Earth is covered by water! The other part of Earth is made up of continents and islands which have different landforms on them. Examples of landforms are mountains and plains. Plants and animals can live on Earth, because it has so much water.
Earth spins very quickly compared to other planets. It only takes Earth 24 hours to spin around its axis one time. One Earth day is 24 hours long! Earth orbits the sun in 365 days! This makes one Earth year 365 days long!
Earth is the only planet in our solar system where humans, other animals, and plants can live. There is plenty of water to drink or to live in. Water is present on Earth in its big oceans and in the air! Clouds are made of water vapor. The atmosphere has a lot of oxygen in it for animals to breathe, but the rest of our “air” is made up of water vapor, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and other gases. The air is perfect for plants to grow. Earth temperature is not the same in all places, but the temperature is just right for plants, animals, and humans in most places on Earth.
Like the other inner planets, Earth has volcanoes. Volcanoes on Earth are different from those on other planets, because they still erupt. Scientists think that there may be active volcanoes on other planets and moons in our solar system, but they are still studying this.
Earth has one planet which we call the Moon. The surface of the Moon has many craters on it These were caused when meteorites hit it. It has many volcanoes on it which do not erupt anymore. We can see the moon at night without using a telescope. It is the closest space object to our planet ,Earth.
68.Earth is called the Water Planet,______.
A. because animals need water         B. the water makes it look blue from space
C. it has liquid water on its surface      D. Earth is the third planet from the sun
69. It takes Earth ______to orbit the sun in one year.
A.24 hours                   B.24 days                     C.365 days                   D.360 days
70. Life exists on Earth,______.
A. because the water, air, and temperature are just right
B. there is water vapor in clouds
C. Earth is the planet closest to the sun
D. earth has volcanoes
71.The craters on the moon were caused by______.
A. meteorites hitting its surface              B. active volcanoes
C. volcanoes which do not erupt anymore      D. some reasons that are not mentioned

C?
Disposing (處理) of waste has been a problem since humans started producing it. As more and more people choose to live close together in cities, the waste disposal problem becomes increasingly difficult. ?
During the eighteenth century, it was usual for several neighboring towns to get together to select a faraway spot as a dump site. Residents or trash haulers (垃圾拖運者) would transport household rubbish, rotted wood, and old possessions to the site. Periodically some of the trash was burned and the rest was buried. The unpleasant sights and smells caused no problem because nobody lived close by. Factories, mills, and other industrial sites also had waste to be disposed of. Those located on rivers often just dumped the unwanted remains into the water. Others built huge burners with chimneys to deal with the problem.?
Several facts make these choices unacceptable to modern society. The first problem is space. Dumps, which are now called landfills, are most needed in heavily populated areas. Such areas rarely have empty land suitable for this purpose. Property is either too expensive or too close to residential neighborhoods. Long distance trash hauling has been a common practice, but once farm areas are refusing to accept rubbish from elsewhere, cheap land within trucking distance of major city areas is nonexistent. Awareness (意識) of pollution dangers has resulted in more strict rules of waste disposal. Pollution of rivers, ground water, land and air is a price people cannot longer pay to get rid of waste. The amount of waste, however, continues to grow.?
Recycling efforts have become common place, and many towns require their people to take part. Even the most efficient recycling programs, however, can hope to deal with only about 50 percent of a city’s reusable waste.
64. The most suitable title for this passage would be__________.?
A. Places for Disposing Waste     B. Waste Pollution Dangers?
C. Ways of Getting Rid of Waste   D. Waste Disposal Problem ?
65. During the 18th century, people disposed their waste in many ways EXCEPT________.
A. burying it  B. recycling it  C. burning it  D. throwing it into rivers ?
66. What can be inferred from the third paragraph??
A. Farm areas will continue accepting waste from the city in modern society.?
B. There is cheap land to bury waste in modern society.?
C. It is difficult to find space to bury waste in modern society.?
D. Ways to deal with waste in modern society stay the same. ?
67. The main purpose of writing this article is to _______.?
A. draw people’s attention to waste management?
B. warn people of the pollution dangers we are facing?
C. call on people to take part in recycling programs?
D. tell people a better way to get rid of the waste ?

C
The computer is fast, and never makes a mistake, while people are too slow, and full of mistakes sometimes. That’s what people often say when they talk about computers. For over a quarter of a century, scientists have been making better and better computers. Now a computer can do a lot of everyday jobs wonderfully. It is widely used in factories, hospitals, post office and airports. A computer can report, decide and control in almost every field. Many computer scientists are now thinking of making the computer “think” like a man. With the help of a person, a computer can draw pictures, write music, talk with people, play chess, recognize voice, translate languages and so on. Perhaps computer will one day really think and feel. Do you think the people will be afraid when they find that the computer too clever to listen to and serve the people?
63. A computer is clever because people are _____
A. clever    B. not clever   C. slow  D.making mistakes
64. Which of the following can computers not do now?
A. Draw pictures   B. Talk    C. Invent new things    D.Serve the people
65. What will happen in the future?
A. Most work will be done by the computer.     B. People will no longer use computer.
C. Computers will be used only talk with people.   D. All computers will be put into prison.
66. The passage is written to __________.
A. warn people of the danger of the computer
B. tell people about the computer
C. tell people about computer scientists
D. show how to use the computer
67. The best title for this passage is _________.
A. “Computers”        B. “Computer Scientists”
C. “The Future World”   D. “Talk With Computers”

D
A team of scientists proved that seals had a very good sense of hearing. These men trained blind seals to expect food when they heard sounds. The seals always began snapping(猛咬) when a strong signal was sounded.
It was proved that even a soft signal, a considerable distance away, could make these sea animals respond. That should make the fisherman who makes much noise while working, or talks loudly, start thinking.
The same team of scientists also trained seals to recognize different sounds. One bell-tone meant food ,two bell-tones meant no food. In the beginning, the seals made mistakes when the two bell-tones were sounded. They were given a light tap after each mistake. The seals were good learners. They easily learned to tell the difference between the sounds.
67.Why was it necessary to use blind seals? Because they______.
A. were unable to use sight for clues    B. had better hearing
C. were waiting to be fed             D. were the only animals to be found
68. To those seals strong signal meant_____.
A. snapping     B. nothing      C. food       D. a light tap
69. The article doesn’t say directly but suggests that fishermen usually think______.
A. seals have no good sense of hearing   B. seals have good sense of hearing
C. seals can only recognize bell sounds   D. seals can not hear soft or long distant sounds
70. Which title will be the best to suit the article?
A. Clever Seals                      B. Smart Learners 
C. An Underwater School             D. An Unknown School

D
As they migrate（遷移），butterflies and moths choose the winds they want to fly with，and they change their body positions if they start floating in the wrong direction．This new finding suggests that insects may employ some of the same methods that birds use for traveling long distances．Scientists have long thought that insects were simply at the mercy of the wind．
Fascinating as their skills of flight are，migrating behavior has been difficult to study in insects because many long distant trips happthousands of feet above ground．Only recently have scientists developed technologies that can detect such little creatures at such great heights．
To their surprise，though，the insects weren’t passive travelers on the winds．In autumn，for example，most light winds blew from the east，but the insects somehow sought out ones that carried them south and they positioned themselves to navigate directly to their wintering homes．
Even in the spring，when most winds flowed northward，the insects didn’t always go with the flow．If breezes weren’t blowing in the exact direction they wanted to go，the insects changed their body positions to compensate．Many migrating birds do the same thing．
The study also found，butterflies and moths actively flew within the air streams that pushed them along．By adding flight speeds to wind speeds，the scientists calculated that butterflies and moths can travel as fast as 100 kilometers an hour．The findings may have real-world applications．With climate warming，migrating insects are growing in number．Knowing how and when these pests move could help when farmers decide when to spray their crops．
71．What’s the main idea of the text?
A．Insects migrate with the seasons．     B．Wind helps insects greatly in migrating．
C．Windsurfing insects have real direction．D．Scientists have trouble in observing insects．
72．Scientists originally thought that____________．
A．insects always waited for their favourable winds
B．insects chose the winds they wanted to ride
C．insects were just blown about by the wind
D．insects positioned themselves in the winds
73．It is not easy to stuay the migrating behavior of the insects because____________
A．the little creatures can fly very fast     B．they have no regular migrating courses
C．the wind’s direction is hard to foresee    D．their flight is long and high above ground
74．We can learn from the text that______________.
A．insects fly in the way birds do
B．insects travel more easily in autumn
C．insects never position themselves when flying low
D．insects rest a lot when the wind pushes them along
75．According to the passage，the findings can              ．
A．increase insects in number         B．instruct farmers when to spray
C．prevent climate warming       D．help protect insects

A team of researchers in California has developed a way to predict what kinds of objects people are looking at by scanning what’s happening in their brains.
When you look at something, your eyes send a signal about that object to your brain. Different regions of the brain process the information your eyes send. Cells in your brain called neurons(神經(jīng)元) are responsible for this processing.
　　The fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging功能性磁共振造影) brain scans could generally match electrical activity in the brain to the basic shape of a picture that someone was looking at.
　　Like cells anywhere else in your body, active neurons use oxygen. Blood brings oxygen to the neurons, and the more active a neuron is, the more oxygen it will consume. The more active a region of the brain, the more active its neurons, and in turn, the more blood will travel to that region. And by using fMRI, scientists can visualize which parts of the brain receive more oxygen- rich blood--and therefore, which parts are working to process information.
　　An fMRI machine is a device that scans the brain and measures changes in blood flow to the brain. The technology shows researchers how brain activity changes when a person thinks, looks at something, or carries out an activity like speaking or reading. By highlighting the areas of the brain at work when a person looks at different images, fMRI may help scientists determine specific patterns of brain activity associated with different kinds of images.
　　The California researchers tested brain activity by having two volunteers view hundreds of pictures of everyday objects, like people, animals, and fruits. The scientists used an fMRI machine to record the volunteers' brain activity with each photograph they looked at. Different objects caused different regions of the volunteers' brains to light up on the scan, indicating activity. The scientists used this information to build a model to predict how the brain might respond to any image the eyes see.
In a second test, the scientists asked the volunteers to look at 120 new pictures. Like before, their brains were scanned every time they looked at a new image. This time, the scientists used their model to match the fMRI scans to the image. For example, if a scan in the second test showed the same pattern of brain activity that was strongly, related to pictures of apples in the first test, their model would have predicted the volunteers were looking at apples.
　　 51. What is responsible for processing the information sent by your eyes?
　　A A small region of the brain.
　　B The central part of the brain.
　　C Neurons in the brain.
　　D Oxygen-rich blood.
　　52. Which of the following statements is NOT meant by the writer?
　　A Cells in your brain are called neurons.
　　B The more oxygen a neuron consumes, the more blood it needs.
　　C fMRI helps scientists to discover which parts of the brain process information.
　　D fMRI helps scientists to discover how the brain develops intelligently.
53. "Highlighting the areas of the brain at work" means
　　A "marking the parts of the brain that are processing information"
　　B "giving light to the parts of the brain that are processing information"
　　C "putting the parts of the brain to work"
　　D "stopping the parts of the brain from working"
　　54. What did the researchers experiment on?
　　A Animals, objects, and fruits.
　　B Two volunteers.
　　C fMRI machines.
　　D Thousands of pictures.
55.What is the best title for the passage?
A Mind-reading Machine
B A Technological Dream
C Device that can Help You Calculate
D The Recent Development in Science and Technology

D
Live Earth Announces 2010 Global Event!
This is the web version of the October 15, 2009 Live Earth email to members. Click here to join and receive bi-weekly updates from Live Earth.
Live Earth is pleased to announce the largest worldwide water initiative(倡議)in history to help fight the global water crisis. The Dow Live Earth Run for Water—to take place on April 18, 2010—will consist of a series of 6 km run/walks (the average distance many women and children walk every day to get water) taking place over the course of 24 hours in countries around the world, featuring concerts and water education activities, raising awareness and funds to help solve the water crisis. Jessica Biel, Alexandra Cousteau, Pete Wentz, Angelique Kidjo and Jenny Fletcher will lend their names and their time in support of this global event.
Water shortage is a major issue affecting countries, communities and families all over the world. One in eight people doesn’t have access to safe, clean drinking water. Communities in Africa, Latin America and Asia suffer 1.8 million deaths every year from diarrheal(腹瀉）diseases and the death of 5,000 children each day due to inadequate water infrastructure(基礎設施). In these areas, women and children are forced to walk 6 km (3.7 miles) each day to get water that is likely unsuitable for drinking. However, the water crisis is not only limited to developing nations. Adding to these existing issues, the effects of climate change are increasingly impacting both supply and quality of available fresh water throughout the world.
In 60% of European cities with populations greater than 100,000, groundwater is being used faster than it can be replenished(補充). By 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population could be living under water-stressed conditions.
You can help solve the water crisis by participating in the April 18th event. Run/walk registration is now officially open! Sign up now at http://liveearth.org/run. 
Thanks and be sure to visit liveearth.org for the latest on The Dow Live Earth Run for Water, conservation tips, and more!
Follow Live Earth on:
52. Which of the following activities will the Dow Live Earth organize on April 18, 2010?
A. Receiving the latest news from Live Earth.           
B. Putting on musical performances.
C. Calling on pop stars to walk 6 km to get water.     
D. Lending names and time to support the event. 
53. According to the passage, which of the statements is true?
A. You can turn to http://liveearth.org for water protection tips.
B. Jessica Biel can’t take part in the event even if she signs up.
C. The information on Live Earth is updated every month.
D. Every year 1.8 million people in the world die from the disease related to dirty water.
54. We can learn from the passage that __________.
A. by 2010, two-thirds of the world’s population will be short of water
B. we can solve the water crisis by taking part in the April 18th event
C. seven-eighths of the people in Asia can have access to safe, clean drinking water
D. there are different channels for people to get access to Live Earth

B
Your body, which has close relations with the food you eat, is the most important thing you own, so it needs proper treatment and proper nourishment（營養(yǎng)）. The old saying "An apple a day keeps the doctor away. " is not as silly as some people think. The body needs fruit and vegetables because they contain vitamin C. Many people take extra vitamins in pill form(丸劑), believing that these will make them healthy. But a good diet is made up of nourishing food and this gives all the vitamins you need. The body doesn't need or use extra vitamins, so why waste money on them?
In the modem western world, many people are too busy to bother about eating properly. They throw away the good habits and throw anything into their stomachs, eating hurriedly and carelessly. The list of illnesses caused or made worse by bad eating habits is frightening.
41. From the first sentence we know that ________,
A. all kinds of food you eat can be made into nourishment
B. your body is made up of the food you eat.
C. what you eat has great effect on your health
D. the more you eat, the better you will feel
42. How do you understand the old saying underlined in the passage?
A. Eating apples regularly brings lots of benefits to our health.
B. Doctors are no longer necessary if we eat an apple every day.
C. The apple is the best among all kind of fruits.
D. An apple is a good way to cure illnesses.
43. What can we conclude from the second paragraph?
A. Our bodies need food, or we can't live.
B. Often eating apples is a good habit.
C. Taking extra vitamin pills is completely useless.
D. A good diet is of great importance for our health.
44. In modern western countries, ________.
A. people don't want to pay more attention to their eating
B. lots of people's illnesses are caused or made worse by bad eating habits
C. people throw everything into their stomachs without digestion（消化）
D. people are only too busy to cook meals for themselves
45. If we want to keep healthy, we should ________ .
A. only eat an apple a day       
B. eat properly
C. take as many vitamin pills as possible
D. throw everything into our stomachs slowly and carefully