Since the gene, called DAF-16 in worms, was found in many animals and in humans, the finding could open up new ways to affect aging, immunity(免疫)and resistance in humans, the scientists said.
“We wanted to find out how normal aging is being governed by genes and what effect these genes have on other traits, such as immunity,” said Robin May of the University of Birmingham, who led the study.
Populations across the world are aging at a surprising pace, bringing potentially big challenges for health and social care systems. A study by Danish scientists last year found that half of babies born in the rich world today will live to celebrate their 100th birthdays. Scientists are eager to find out how people age to try to develop drugs to help them stay healthier as their lives extend.
“What we have found is that things like resistance and aging tend to go hand in hand,” May said in an interview.
May’s team compared longevity, stress resistance and immunity in four related species of worm. They also looked for differences in the activity of DAF-16 in each of the four species, and found that they were all quite distinct.
May said DAF-16 was active in most cells in the body and was very similar to a group of human genes called FOXO genes, which scientists believe play a role in the aging process.
“The fact that subtle（微妙的）differences in DAF-16 between species seem to have such an impact on aging and health is very interesting and may explain how differences in lifespan and related traits have arisen during evolution,” May said.
64. In which section may the text appear in a newspaper?
A. Education.              B. Science.          C. Entertainment.         D. Culture.
65. What can we know from the third paragraph?
A. New ways have been found to affect aging. B. Babies in the rich world will all live longer.
C. Present social care systems are poorly managed.
D. Aging populations are causing more challenges.
66. From the text we know that DAF-16._________
A. is a gene that is only found in worms    B. can make people live longer
C. has an effect on aging and immunity      D. has been quite familiar to scientists
67. What can be the best title of the passage?
A. Scientists Find Gene Linked to Aging  B. Population Aging Faster than Expected
C. How to Make People Live Longer     D. Gene Determines How Long We Live

.

Dear Customers，
I love slipping into a comfortable chair for a long read —as I relax into the chair，I also relax
into the author’s words，stories，and ideas．The physical book is so elegant that it disappears into
the background，and what remains is the author’s world．
Today，we at Amaｚon are excited to announce Mindle，a wireless，portable reading device with instant access to more than 90，000 books，magazines，and newspapers．
We’ve been working on Mindle for more than three years．Our top design objective was for
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also wanted to go beyond the physical book．Mindle is wireless，so whether you’re lying in bed or riding a train，you can think of a book，and have it in less than 60 seconds．No computer is needed—you do your reading directly from the device．
We chose the same wireless technology used in advanced mobile phones．But unlike mobile
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is no software to install．We want you to get lost in your reading and not in the technology．
Mindle uses a new kind of display called electronic paper．Sharp and natural with no strong
light，reading on Mindle is nothing like reading from a computer screen．Mindle weighs only 10.3
ounces —less than a paperback —but can carry two hundred books．
Enjoy learning about Mindle and many thanks！

60．This passage most probably is a（n）_________．
A．a(chǎn)dvertisement B．news story       C．lab report        D．letter of thanks
61．From the passage we learn that Mindle is a device（設(shè)備）which．
A．has neither wires nor weight B．is operated by a computer
C．disappears while you read      D．can find a book within one minute
62．With the device，the reader is able to      ．
A．enjoy reading when driving a car   B．improve reading skills
C．gain access to free software       D．get rid of heavy books made of paper
63．Different from mobile phones，Mindle_________．
A．has a much more friendly screen   B．can work in the absence of electricity
C．doesn’t involve regular fees      D．is wireless and can be used anywhere

.
Do you want to live another 100 years or more? Some experts say that scientific advances will
one day enable humans to last tens of years beyond what is now seen as the natural limit of the human life span.
“ I think we are knocking at the door of immortality (永生),” said Michael Zey, a Montclair State University business professor and author of two books on the future. “ I think by 2075 we will see it and that’s a conservative estimate.”
At the conference in San Francisco, Donald Louria, a professor at New Jersey Medical School in Newark said advances in using genes as well as nanotechnology(納米技術(shù)) make it likely that humans will live in the future beyond what has been possible in the past. “ There is a great push so that people can live from 120 to 180 years,” he said. “ Some have suggested that there is no limit and that people could live to 200 or 300 or 500 years.”
However, many scientists who specialize in aging are doubtful about it and say the human body is just not designed to last about 120 years. Even with healthier lifestyles and less disease, they say failure of the brain and organs will finally lead all humans to death.
Scientists also differ on what kind of life the super aged might live. “ It remains to be seen if you pass 120, you know; could you be healthy enough to have good quality of life?” said Leonard Poon, director of the University of Georgia Gerontology Center. “ At present people who could get to that point are not in good health at all.”
67. By saying “ we are knocking at the door immortality”, Michael Zey means_____.
A. they believe that there is no limit of living
B. they are sure to find the truth about long living
C. they have got some ideas about living forever
D. they are able to make people live past the present life span
68. Donald Louria’s attitude toward long living is that_____.
A. people can live from 120 to 180
B. it is still doubtful how long humans can live
C. the human body is designed to last about 120 years
D. it is possible for humans to live longer in the future
69. The underlined “ it” (Para. 4) refers to_____.
A. a great push
B. the idea of living beyond the present life span
C. the idea of living from 200 to 300
D. the conservative estimate
70. What would be the best title for this text?
A. Living longer or not
B. Science, technology and long living
C. No limit for human life
D. Healthy lifestyle and long living

About 97% of the world’s water is salty and is found in our oceans and seas. But, as we can’t drink sea water, how can it be important?
Every part of our seas and oceans contains an amazing number of animals and fish that live at different ocean depths. Most of the different species of animals and fish depend on simple plants for their food. These simple plants called algae (海藻) drift near the surface of the ocean and use sunlight to turn carbon dioxide and water into food and oxygen. In fact, algae produce over half of the oxygen people breathe. How important sea water is!
Each plant or animal in our seas and oceans is an important link in a food chain. The algae are eaten in large amounts by microscopic animals, which are in turn consumed by larger animals. These food chains are delicately balanced.
The bad news about the food chains in the oceans is that they are under threat because of man. People once thought that the oceans were so big that it didn’t matter if we dumped rubbish into them or caught huge quantities of fish and whales for food. But we now know this is not true and fish stocks in the oceans have started to drop.
Thankfully, the world is taking steps to protect the future of our oceans by introducing international agreements to protect marine habitats. Most countries have introduced fishing restrictions to protect fish stocks in the oceans and new techniques are being pioneered to cope with pollution. Finally, the importance of protecting oceans is being made known to more people. This is just the beginning of a long process to protect the oceans for our future. We depend on the oceans for fish which are an important part of the human diet. How important sea water is! 
46. Which of the following is the proper order of the food chain?
A. small animals→algae→microscopic animals→large animals→man
B. algae→microscopic animals→large animals→larger animals→man
C. small animals→algae→large animals→microscopic animals→man
D. microscopic animals→algae→large animals →larger animals→man
47. People used to think that the rubbish thrown into the sea ________.
A. wouldn’t harm the fish in the sea   B. would change the balance of the food chain
C. would be broken down in the sea   D. wouldn’t do much harm to the sea
48. From the passage, we learn that _________. 
A. most fish and sea animals live at the surface of the seas
B. it is very difficult to break the balance of a food chain
C. excessive fishing has caused the decrease in fish stock
D. it won’t be long before the problems concerning oceans will be solved
49. Which of the following is NOT a way being used to protect oceans?
A. The use of international agreements.   
B. Forbidding fishing to protect fish stocks.
C. The use of new techniques.          
D. Raising people’s awareness of the need to protect oceans.
50. What would be the best title of the passage?
A. The importance of seawater.
B. Life in the oceans.
C. How to protect food chains.
D. How to deal with seawater pollution.

七．閱讀理解 (20分)   
At first, the earth’s surface layer (層 ) was made up of huge blocks of hard, solid rocks.There slowly, the rocks broke up into smaller and smaller pieces. Finally stones, pebble(卵石) and grains of sand were formed. Many sorts of plants and animals lived and died on the surface of the earth. Their remain mixed up with the stones, pebbles and formed soil. The outmost layer of the earth is soil.
There are many ways in which large pieces of rock break into smaller ones. Wind, water, heat and cold help to break up rocks. When winds blow grains of sand against a large rock for a long time, the softer layer of the rock are slowly worn away. These leave holes and crack(裂縫) in the rock, which become bigger and finally the rock breaks up into smaller pieces.
The moving water of streams and rivers also help to break up rocks. As the water moves along, it carries with it small pieces of rock. These rub the larger ones, Thus, the larger rocks are worn down to smaller pieces.
The heat of the sun also help to breaking up rocks. When the sun shines, the rocks become very hot. If these rocks are suddenly cooled, they may crack. Ice also plays a part in making soil.  Water in the cracks can turn into ice in cold weather. As this happens, it becomes bigger and cracks become wider, and finally break into smaller pieces.
1. According to the passage, soil _________ .
A. forms very slowly
B. is a mixture of stones, pebbles and sand
C. make up the layer of the earth
D. is becoming smaller and smaller
2. How many factors are mentioned in helping the forming of soil ?
A. Three         B. Four             C. Five              D.More than five
3. Which of the following speeds up the breaks of rocks most ?
A. Hot weather                          B. Cold water
C. Sharp changs in temperature             D. More dead plants in the cracks
4. Which of the following is NOT true ?
A.The remains of many plants of animals formed soil.
B. If a large rock never moves, it will never break up.
C.Even if a large rock never moves, it will break up.
D. Ice in the cracks helps to break up rocks.
5. The best titl for this passage should be ________ .
A. Soil from Rocks                    B. Ways to Break Rocks
C. Soil on the Earth                    D. Soil, Outmost Layer of the Earth

The damming of river systems in the northwestern United States has had damaging effects on salmon(鮭魚). In the spring young salmon, called smolts, drift into rivers from smaller streams. They swim with the current downstream heading for the Pacific Ocean. Before the large-scale constructions of dams(水壩), the young salmon used the strong flow from melting snows to get to the sea in between six and twenty days. It is necessary to do this because during these days the smolts’ bodies undergo the physiological changes for adaptation to salt water.
Unfortunately, the current has become very slow due to the construction of numerous dams. Companies operating the dams also intentionally slow the current. They store the water from the melting snow until the winter, when more electric power is needed. The net result is that many of the young fish do not survive the now sixty-day trip to the sea. Consequently, there are fewer adult salmon to migrate(回游) back up the rivers for breeding. When the time comes for the salmon to return, they again face the problem of dams. As fewer adult salmon are able to get back to their cool upstream water, they fail to produce a sufficiently new generation of salmon.  This cycle could eventually lead to the extinction of the fish.
Attempts are being made to transport the young salmon down river by boats. However, many scientists think that this artificial method of getting the fish to the sea kills more than it saves. Another suggestion, recently proposed by environmentalists, is to increase the rate of water flow. This would be a partial（部分的） solution to the declining salmon numbers. One method of doing this would call for releasing water from upstream dam. This would speed up the downstream movement of the smolts.
Another method would be to reduce the water level in the dams for a period in the spring when the smolts are migrating downstream. This would also increase the flow rate temporarily without requiring large amounts of water and, thus, enable the young salmon to move downstream faster. Unfortunately, both of these proposals have met with criticism from the power companies, which strongly suggests the uncertain fate of the salmon in the region.
76. What’s the main topic of the passage?
A. The failure of adult salmon to reproduce.
B. The importance of smolts returning upstream.
C. The need for smolts to reach salt water quickly.
D. The harm caused to salmon by river damming.
77. The passage discusses all of the following methods of dealing with salmon issue EXCEPT _____.
A. carrying the fish in boats
B. allowing water to be released from upstream dams
C. dropping water levels in dams
D. breeding salmon
78. In paragraph 3, what does the author mean by the statement that many scientists think that this artificial method of getting the fish to the sea kills more than it saves?
A. Saving fish is artificial.
B. More fish die when transported than would die otherwise
C. Artificial methods of transportation give salmon the chance to get adapted to salt water.
D. The sea kills more fish than are saved by transportation.
79. Which of the following statements would the author most probably agree with?
A. The salmon problem is likely to continue.
B. A solution to the salmon problem will be found in the near future.
C. Salmon will be extinct very quickly. 
D. The government should step in and provide a way out.

Winter is dangerous for drivers because it’s so difficult to know what is going to happen and accidents take place easily. Bad weather can be waiting to meet you. Ice might be hiding under the snow, waiting to send you off the road. The car coming towards you might suddenly move across the road. Here are two rules for driving safely on icy roads:
Rule Number One is to drive smoothly. Irregular movements can make a car very difficult to manage. So each time you either turn the wheel, touch the brake or increase your speed, you must be as gentle and slow as possible. Just imagine you are driving with a full cup of hot coffee on the seat next to you. You should drive carefully enough in order that you wouldn’t get the coffee out of the cup.
Rule Number Two is to pay attention to what might happen. The more ice there is, the farther you have to look down the road. Test how long it takes to stop by gently braking. Remember that you may be driving more quickly than you think. Generally speaking, allow double your normal stopping distance when the road is wet, three times this distance on snow, and even more on ice. Try to stay in control of your car at all times, or you will get into trouble.
49. Driving in winter is dangerous because _________.
A. drivers usually have too much coffee      B. people drive three times faster than usual
C. unexpected things may often happen              D. people drive more gently and slowly
50.Rule Number One mainly tells us _________.
A. to drive fast on snowy roads                   B. to increase the driving speed
C. to manage your car irregularly                D. to drive smoothly on icy roads
51.Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
A. Winter Driving  B. Careless Driving   C. Traffic Accidents         D. Bad Weather
52.Where do you think you might read such a passage?
A. In dictionaries.   B. In cookbooks.     C. In advertisements.  D. In magazines.

Robots are smart。 With their computer brains, they help people work in dangerous places or do difficult jobs。 Some robots do regular jobs。Bobby, the mail carrier, brings mail to a large office building in Washington, D。C。 He is one of 250 mail carriers in the United States。
Mr。 Leachim, who weighs two hundred pounds and is six feet tall, has some advantages as a teacher。 One is that he does not forget details。 He knows each child’s name, the parents’ names and what each child knows and needs to know。 In addition, he knows each child’s pets and hobbies。 Mr。 Leachim does not make mistakes。 Each child goes and tells him his or her name, then dials an identification (身份證明) number。 His computer brain puts the child’s voice and number together。 He identifies the child with no mistakes。 Then he starts the lesson。
Another advantage is that Mr。 Leachim is flexible。 If the children need more time to do their lessons they can move switches。 In this way they can repeat Mr。 Leachim’s lesson over and over again。 When the children do a good job he tells them something interesting about their hobbies。 At the end of the lesson the children switch Mr。 Leachim off。
58。 The first paragraph of the passage tells us _______。
A。 human beings are not as smart as robots
B。 robots will take the place of man to rule the earth
C。 we can only use robots to do some regular jobs
D。 robots can help people in many different ways
59。 Mr。 Leachim’s ______ makes him a good teacher。
A。 knowledge     B。 appearance            C。 advantage                     D。 energy
60。 The word “flexible” in the last paragraph means _______。
A。 not strict        B。 not hard                C。 suitable                 D。 changeable

Water goes around and around Earth in a never ending journey called the water cycle（循環(huán)）. The sun heats up lakes, oceans, and other wet places on Earth. When the water gets warm enough, it changes into vapour. Plants also give off lots of water vapour. Some of this water vapour cools off high in the sky and becomes clouds. Then it falls back to Earth in a new place as rain or snow. This cycle happens over and over again.
The ground can absorb water like a sponge (海綿). If you could see this groundwater, it wouldn’t look like a lake or river. The groundwater is mixed in with the rocks and sand that lie in layers(層) below Earth’s surface.
Groundwater moves along slowly. How slowly? Maybe 1.5 kilometres in one century. Some of this water has been underground for thousands of years. And once groundwater is pumped out of the ground from a deep well（井） by people, it may take hundreds of years for another water to take its place.
【小題1】In which order does water go around Earth?
a .Fall down as rain or snow.  b. Heated up by the sun on lakes, oceans and other wet places.
c. Cool off high in the sky.     d.  Form clouds.     e.  Change into vapour.

An Australian company, Smart Car Technologies, has developed a system that lets drivers know when they're speeding. When the technology becomes commercially available, it could help lead-footed drivers avoid tickets and also save lives. The company that developed the product hopes to convince Australian government agencies to put the technology into use in their automobile fleets.
The product, called Speed Alert, links real-time location data and speed obtained with the help of GPS to a database of posted speed limits stored in a driver's PDA or programmable mobile phone. The setup of the product does not need to be hooked up to a car's speedometer. In fact, it is entirely portable. It will also work with newer phones and PDAs that have built-in GPS receivers. If a driver exceeds the speed limit, the speed is shown and an alert sounds.
Michael Paine, an Australian vehicle design engineer and traffic safety consultant, was hired to analyze the product. He told Live Science that his colleagues in the road safety field are “very enthusiastic” about what they're now calling “intelligent speed alert.” Other research, according to Paine, shows that 40 percent of all traffic deaths involve speeding. There is also a potentially controversial future use: “Since the system is so portable, it would be easy to make it a requirement for teenage drivers to always use a speed alert device when driving,” Paine said. “The system even has the capability to record speeding violations, so parents can monitor their teenage drivers.”The product will soon go on sale in Sydney.
63．What's the purpose of the new product?
A．To introduce some improvement in cars.
B．To inform us of the new car system.
C．To popularize the built-in car system.
D．To limit certain drivers to safe driving.
64．“Lead-footed” in the first paragraph probably refer to the ones ________.
A．who drive too carelessly     B．that drive too slowly
C．who are partly disabled      D．that drive extremely fast
65．The second paragraph mainly talks about ________.
A．how the product is programmed     B．why the system becomes popular
C．the functions of GPS in cars      D．the project of the built-in product
66．Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A．Future Speed Alert             B．New In – Car Device Against Speeding
C．Warning for Adventurous Drivers   D．Progress in Car – making Science