Are some people born clever and others born stupid? Or is intelligence developed by our environment and our experiences? Strangely enough, the answer to both questions is yes.To some extent our intelligence is given to us at birth, and no amount of special education can make a genius out of a child born with low intelligence. On the other hand, a child who lives in a boring environment will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in rich and varied surroundings. Thus the limits of a person’s intelligence are fixed at birth, but whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on his environment. This view, now held by most experts, can be supported in a number of ways.
It is easy to show that intelligence is to some extent something we are born with. The closer the blood relationship between two people, the closer they are likely to be in intelligence. Thus if we take two unrelated people at random (隨意地) from the population, it is likely that their degrees of intelligence will be completely different. If on the other hand we take two identical twins, they will very likely be as intelligent as each other. Relations like brothers and sisters, parents and children, usually have similar intelligence, and this clearly suggests that integigence depends on birth.
Imagine now that we take two identical twins and put them in different environments. We might send one, for example, to a university and the other to a factory where the work is boring. We would soon find differences in intelligence developing, and this indicates (表明) that environment as well as birth plays a part. This conclusion is also suggested by the fact that people who lives in close contact with each other, but who are not related at all, are likely to have similar degrees of intelligence.
【小題1】Which of the following best describes the writer’s point in Paragraph One?

A．To some extent, intelligence is given at birth.

B．Intelligence is developed by the environment.

C．Some people are born clever and others born stupid.

D．Intelligence is fixed at birth, but is developed by the environment.

【小題2】In the first paragraph,“no amount of special education can make a genius out of a child born with low intelligence” suggests that       .

A．no environment can change the least able into the most able

B．the difference in men’s intelligence depends on the amount of their education

C．if a person is born clever, he is certain to be a genius

D．if a person is born stupid, nothing can change him into an educated person

【小題3】The last paragraph mainly shows       .

A．the importance of education

B．the relationship between environment and birth

C．the writer’s final conclusion

D．the relationship between intelligence and environment

【小題4】The best title for this passage would be       .

A．Dependence on Education	B．Intelligence
C．Surroundings	D．Effect of Education

【小題5】Which statement about the passage is true?

A．All twins have similar degrees of intelligence.

B．A man who is educated in university must make greater achievements than a man who works in a boring factory.

C．Proper education can change one’s intelligence at some degree.

D．Education can’t make a child born with low intelligence cleverer.

Pierre is a 25-year-old penguin at the California Academy of Sciences. Due to his old age, he was going bald, which made him feel too cold to swim in the pool. Therefore, biologists at the academy had a wetsuit created for this penguin to help him get back in the swimming pool.
Unlike marine mammals, which have a layer of fat to keep them warm, penguins depend on their waterproof feathers. Without them, Pierre was unwilling to jump into the swimming pool and ended up trembling on the side of the pool while his 19 peers played in the water.
"He was cold; he would shake," said Pam Schaller, a senior biologist. Schaller first tried a heat lamp to keep Pierre warm. Then she got another idea: if wetsuits keep humans warm in the cold Pacific, why not make one for Pierre?
Schaller designed the suit, which covered Pierre’s body and had small openings for his flippers.
“I would walk behind him and look at where there were any gaps, and cut and refit and cut and refit until it looked like it was extremely suitable,” she said.
One concern was that the other penguins would reject Pierre in his new suit, but in fact, they accepted his new look. He swam freely and got along with others well, although he was the only penguin with a black stomach.
Schaller couldn’t say for sure whether the wetsuit allowed Pierre to recover his fine feathers, but “certainly we were able to keep him comfortable during a period of time that would have been very difficult for him to stay comfortable”.
Pierre will take off his suit after his new feathers grow back.
【小題1】Pierre felt too cold to swim in the pool because of _____.

A．not having a layer of blubber	B．having few feathers due to old age
C．having no wetsuit	D．others penguins rejecting him

【小題2】The idea of making a wetsuit for Pierre came from _____.

A．total invention	B．waterproof feathers
C．the use of wetsuit on humans	D．the use of heat lamp

【小題3】Schaller followed Pierre in order to see _____.

A．whether other penguins would reject him

B．if anywhere of wetsuit needed to be cut and refit

C．if the wetsuit kept warm

D．whether the wetsuit would keep the feathers from recovering

【小題4】 The best title of the passage is _____.

A．Wetsuit for An Old Penguin	B．Old Penguin Getting Bald
C．Unwilling to Swim	D．Strange Look of Pierre

We like to consider ourselves the superior race, and we are. It’s true that we are getting to know more and more, and we actually live in “the information age”. Our human vanity(虛榮心) makes us believe that we really have to know everything! Surprisingly, we do not have this ability. The question “what is happening in the Bermuda Triangle” is the very proof.
Where is the Bermuda Triangle located? The mysterious triangle is believed to be situated between Florida, Bermuda and Puerto Rico, where too many unusual events have happened.
On December the 5^th 1945, five U.S. military planes took off from Florida on a clear day only to disappear over Bermuda. Furthermore, some other disappearances took place; in 1947, an American C54 plane simply disappeared at 100 miles from Bermuda; at 80 miles, a Star Tiger plane disappeared in 1948.
Even Columbus had trouble in Bermuda. Some of his journals were about the strange happenings there: “the waters are changing their colors” and “compasses are going wild”.
Maybe it’s why it is called the Devil’s triangle or the Atlantic cemetery.
Many hypotheses were stated in order to explain the strange events. In spite of these attempts, the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle remains unsolved.
Some people get to say that maybe aliens are involved in it. Other imaginative scientists relate the happenings in Bermuda to Einstein’s theory, saying that the missing ships and planes are translated to another dimension of space and time and taken into another world.
Maybe we will just have to wait to go to Heaven and ask the One who made it. The answer will surely be a satisfying one!
【小題1】The writer may probably think that______.

A．humans have to and can know everything strange

B．the missing ships are taken into another world

C．humans can know more in “the information age”

D．God created the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle

【小題2】 Columbus’ journals told us that in Bermuda _______.

A．a(chǎn)n American C54 plane disappeared

B．there were some strange happenings

C．the compasses were lost

D．a(chǎn) cemetery was found

【小題3】The underlined word “hypotheses” in the 6^th paragraph probably means______.

A．guesses

B．reports

C．places

D．stories

【小題4】The purpose of the writer is to______.

A．tell some stories about the Bermuda Triangle

B．warn people not to travel to the Bermuda Triangle

C．laugh at man’s vanity to know everything

D．prove man does not have the ability to know all

Social networking websites are causing alarming changes in the brains of young users, a famous scientist has warned．Sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Bebo are said to shorten attention spans （幅度）, encourage instant satisfaction and make children more self-centered．
Warnings from neuroscientist （神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)科學家） Susan Greenfield will disturb the millions whose social lives depend on surfing their favorite websites each day．But they will strike a chord （弦） with parents and teachers who complain that many teenagers lack the ability to communicate or concentrate away from their screens．
More than 150 million use Facebook to keep in touch with friends, share photographs and videos and post regular updates of their movements and thoughts．A further six million have signed up to Twitter, the "micro-blogging" service that lets users exchange text messages about themselves．But while the sites are popular and extremely profitable, a growing number of psychologists and neuroscientists believe they may be doing more harm than good．
Baroness Tarot, an Oxford University neuroscientist believes repeated exposure could rewire the brain．Computer games and fast-paced TV shows were also a factor, she said．"My fear is that these technologies are weakening the brain to the state of small children who are attracted by buzzing noises and bright lights, who have a small attention span and live for the moment．" "I often wonder whether real conversation in real time may eventually give way to these easier and faster screen dialogues, in much the same way as killing and butchering an animal to eat has been replaced by the convenience of packages on the supermarket shelf," she said．
Psychologists have also argued that digital technology is changing the way we think．They point out that students no longer need to plan their term papers before starting to write—thanks to word processors they can edit as they go along．
A study by the Broadcaster Audience Board found teenagers now spend seven and a half hours a day in front of a screen．Educational psychologist Jane Healy believes children should be kept away from computer games until they are seven．Most games only excite the "flight or fight" areas of the brain, rather than the areas responsible reasoning．
Sue Palmer, author of Toxic Childhood, said: "We are seeing children's brain development damaged because they don't engage in the activity they have engaged in for thousands of years．I'm not against technology and computers．But before they start social networking, they need to learn to make real relationships with people．"
【小題1】.
According to the passage, social networking websites might _____．

A．make young users more selfish

B．lengthen young users' attention span

C．encourage young users constant satisfaction

D．help young users communicate better with their families

【小題2】.
A neuroscientist may worry that sites like Facebook may ______．

A．help children learn to make real relationships with people in society

B．encourage students not to plan their term papers before starting to write

C．disturb those whose social lives depend on surfing their favorite websites

D．make real conversation in real time give way to easier and faster screen dialogue

【小題3】.
From the passage we can infer that _____．

A．Baroness Tarot agrees websites cause small children's small attention span

B．Jane Healy believes computer games can do good to children's reasoning

C．Susan Greenfield's warnings have been brought to wide public attention

D．Sue Palmer's book Toxic Childhood discusses the development of networking

【小題4】.
What is the purpose of this passage?

A．To tell us the conflict between neuroscientists and psychologists on websites．

B．To present some negative opinions on social networking websites．

C．To offer advice on the problem of brain damage caused by social networking．

D．To analyse how social networking websites cause damage in the brains of teenagers．

In the 1960s, medical researchers Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe developed a checklist of stressful events. They appreciated the tricky point that any major change can be stressful. Bad events like “serious illness of a family member” were high on the list, but so were some helpful life changing events like marriage.
When you take the Holmes Rahe you must remember that the score does not show how you deal with stress -- it only shows how much you have to deal with. And we now know that the way you deal with these events dramatically affects your chances of staying healthy. By the early 1970s, hundreds of similar studies had followed Holmes and Rahe. And millions of Americans who work and live under stress worried over the reports. Somehow the research got boiled down to a memorable message. Women’s magazines ran titles like “Stress causes illness.”
If you want to stay physically and mentally healthy, the articles said, avoid stressful events. But such simplistic advice is impossible to follow. Even if stressful events are dangerous, many -- like the death of loved one--are impossible to avoid. Moreover, any warning to avoid all stressful events is a prescription for staying away from chances as well as trouble. Since any change can be stressful, a person who wanted to be completely free of stress would never marry, have a child, take a new job or move. The idea that all stress makes you sick also takes no notice of a lot of what we know about people. It supposes we're all vulnerable and not active in the face of the difficult situation. But what about human ability and creativity? Many come through periods of stress with more physical and mental strength than they had before. We also know that a long time without change or challenge can lead to boredom and physical and mental pressure.
【小題1】.
The score of the Holmes Rahe test shows ____ .

A．how you can deal with life changing events

B．how helpful events can change your life

C．how stressful a major event can be

D．how much pressure you are under

【小題2】.
. Which of the following expressions has the meaning most close to the underlined phrase “got boiled down to” in paragraph two ?

A．was argued about	B．made clear
C．was concentrated on	D．put an end to

【小題3】.
. The studies on stress in the early 1970s led to ____ .

A．popular avoidance of stressful jobs

B．great fear over the mental disorder

C．a(chǎn) careful research into stress related illnesses

D．widespread worry about its harmful effects

【小題4】.
Why is “such simplistic advice ”(Line 2, Para.3) impossible to follow?

A．No one can stay on the same job for long.

B．More effective ways have been found to get rid of stressful events.

C．People have to get married some day.

D．You could be missing chances as well.

【小題5】.
. According to the passage people who have experienced ups and downs may become ____.

A．nervous when faced with difficulties

B．physically and mentally tired

C．more able to deal with difficulties

D．cold toward what happens to them

Unless we spend money to spot and prevent asteroids now，one might crash into Earth and destroy life as we know it，say some scientists.
Asteroids are bigger versions of the meteoroids(流星)that race across the night sky. Most orbit the sun far from Earth and don't threaten us. But there are also thousands whose orbits put them on a collision course with Earth.
Buy $ 50 million worth of new telescopes right now. Then spend $ 10 million a year for the next 25 years to locate most of the space rocks. By the time we spot a fatal one，the scientists say，we'll have a way to change its course.
Some scientists favor pushing asteroids off course with nuclear weapons. But the cost wouldn't be cheap. Is it worth it? Two things experts consider when judging any risk are: 1) How likely the event is; and 2) How bad the consequences if the event occurs. Experts think an asteroid big enough to destroy lots of life might strike Earth once every 500,000 years. Sounds pretty rare-but if one did fall，it would be the end of the world. “If we don't take care of these big asteroids，they'll take care of us,” says one scientist. “It's that simple.”
The cure，though，might be worse than the disease. Do we really want fleets of nuclear weapons sitting around on Earth? “The world has less to fear from doomsday(毀滅性的) rocks than from a great nuclear fleet set against them，” said a New York Times article.
【小題1】What does the passage say about asteroids and meteoroids?

A．They are heavenly bodies different in composition.

B．They are heavenly bodies similar in nature.

C．There are more asteroids than meteoroids.

D．Asteroids are more mysterious than meteoroids.

【小題2】 What do scientists say about the collision of an asteroid with Earth?

A．It is very unlikely but the danger exists.

B．Such a collision might occur once every 25 years.

C．Collisions of smaller asteroids with Earth occur more often than expected.

D．It's still too early to say whether such a collision might occur.

【小題3】 What do people think of the suggestion of using nuclear weapons to alter the course of asteroids?

A．It sounds practical but it may not solve the problem.

B．It may create more problems than it might solve.

C．It is a waste of money because a collision of asteroids with Earth is very unlikely.

D．Further research should be done before it is proved applicable.

【小題4】We can conclude from the passage that ________ .

A．while pushing asteroids off course nuclear weapons would destroy the world

B．a(chǎn)steroids racing across the night sky are likely to hit Earth in the near future

C．the worry about asteroids can be left to future generations since it is unlikely to happen in our lifetime

D．workable solutions still have to be found to prevent a collision of asteroids with Earth.

【小題5】Which of the following best describes the author's tone in this passage?

A．Optimistic.

B．Critical.

C．Objective.

D．Subjective.

If you want to stay young, sit down and have a good think. This is the research finding of a team of Japanese doctors, who say that most of out brains are not getting enough exercise, and as a result, we are growing old unnecessarily soon.
Professor Taiju Matsuzawa wanted to find out why quite healthy farmers in northern Japan appeared to be losing their ability to think and reason at a rather early age, and how the speed of getting old could be slowed down.
With a team of researchers at Tokyo National University, he set about measuring brain sizes of a thousand people of different ages with different jobs.
Computer technology helped the researchers to get most exact measurements of the sizes of the front and side parts of the brain, which have something to do with thinking and feeling, and decide the human character. As we all know, the back part of the brain, which controls task like eating and breathing, does not contract(萎縮) with age.
Contraction of front and side parts, as cells(細胞) die off, was seen in some people in their thirties, but it was still not found in some sixty and seventy-year-olds.
Matsuzawa concluded from his tests that there is a simple way to prevent the contraction---using the head.
The findings show that contraction of the brain begins sooner in people in the country than those in the towns. Those with least possibility, says Matsuzawa, are lawyers, followed by university professors and doctors. White-collar workers doing the same work day after day in government offices are, however, as possible to have contracting brains as the farm workers, bus drivers and shop assistants.
【小題1】 The team of doctors wanted to find out ____.

A．a(chǎn)t what point people grow live longer.

B．how to make people live longer

C．the size of certain people’s brains.

D．which group of people are the busiest

【小題2】Their research findings are based on ______.c

A．a(chǎn)n examination of farmers in northern Japan

B．using computer technology

C．examining the brain sizes of different people

D．tests given a thousand old people

【小題3】The doctor’s tests show that ______.

A．our brains contract as we grow older

B．one part of the brain does not contract

C．sixty-year-olds have better brains than thirty-year-olds

D．contraction of the brain begins sooner in people in the country

【小題4】 According to the article, _____ are growing mentally old earlier.

A．engineers

B．office clerks

C．professors

D．researchers

【小題5】The most possible conclusion of the article is that ____.

A．most of us should take more exercise

B．it’s better to live in the towns

C．the brain contracts if it is not used

D．the more one uses his brain, the sooner he becomes old

Contrary to many people believe, highly intelligent children are not necessarily certain to achieve academic success. In fact, so-called gifted students may fail to do well because they are unusually smart. Ensuring that a gifted child reaches his or her potential requires an understanding of what can go wrong and how to satisfy the unusual learning requirements of extremely bright young people.
One common problem gifted kids face is that they, and those around them, place too much importance on being smart. Such an emphasis can encourage a belief that bright people do not have to work hard to do well. Although smart kids may not need to work hard in the lower grades, when the work is easy, they may struggle and perform poorly when the work gets harder because they do not make the effort to learn. If the academic achievement of highly intelligent children remains below average for an extended period, many teachers will fail to recognize their potential. As a result, such students may not get the encouragement they need, further depressing their desire to learn. They may fall far behind in their schoolwork and even develop behavior problems.
IQ is just one element among many in the recipe for success—Children develop well or struggle in school for a host of reasons apart from IQ. These include motivation and persistence, social competence, and the support of family, educators and friends.
Because highly gifted children solve the most varied thought problems faster and more thoroughly than those with more average talents do, they need additional intellectual stimulation while they wait for the rest of the kids to learn the basics. Two central approaches are used to satisfy the educational needs of such children: acceleration and enrichment. Acceleration means studying material that is part of the standard subjects for older students. Enrichment involves learning information that falls outside the usual subjects.
A child might skip one or more grades as a way of accelerating in school. But being with older children for the entire school day—and perhaps for grade-based extracurricular activities such as sports—can make a child feel inferior in every filed outside of academics. One very bright fourth-grader who had skipped two grades remained far ahead of his classmates intellectually, but as his classmates reached adolescence, his social and other shortcomings became painfully apparent. While acceleration is not an option, or not a good one, enrichment can be. After all, school is not a race but an adventure in learning. As such, the goal is not finishing first but absorbing as much knowledge as possible in the time assigned. Thus, providing opportunities for a child to study topics outside the regular subjects can be at least as valuable as pushing him or her through the required material faster.
【小題1】What is the basic reason for the low academic achievement of highly intelligent children?

A．Teachers’ failure to recognize their potential.

B．Too much emphasis on being intelligent.

C．Studying topics outside the regular subjects.

D．Lack of encouragement from teachers.

【小題2】According to the passage, which of the following belongs to enrichment activities for talented children?

A．Skipping one of more grades and studying together with older children.

B．Learning the same material in the standard subjects for older students.

C．Learning information that is not included in the regular subjects.

D．Learning how to read with fluency even in their pre-school days.

【小題3】Which of the following statements do you think is true about the writer?

A．He is in favor of enrichment rather than acceleration.

B．He is in favor of acceleration rather than enrichment.

C．He speaks highly of both enrichment and acceleration.

D．He thinks neither enrichment nor acceleration is a good choice.

【小題4】 In this article, the writer wants to ______.

A．point out the weaknesses of acceleration for gifted children

B．compare acceleration with enrichment for gifted children

C．stress the importance of enrichment for gifted children

D．discuss how to bring out gifted children’s potential

Gaudi Nanda sees a wearable computer as a handbag --- one that's built out of four-inch squares and triangles of fiber, with tiny computer chips embedded (嵌于) in it. It looks, feels and weighs like your typical leather purse.
That's where the similarities end: this bag can wirelessly keep track of your belongings and remind you, just as you're about to leave the house, to take your wallet. It can review the weather report and suggest that you take an umbrella. This purse can even upload your favorite songs onto your scarf.
Surely, a computing purse and scarf set may seem like the stuff of science fiction. But these devices, part of next generation of wearable computers, could become commonplace within a few years. Dupont created new super strong fibers that can conduct electricity and can be woven into ordinary-looking clothes. And the chipmaker developed chip packaging allowing wearable computers to be washed, even in the heavy-duty (耐磨損的) cycle.
As a result, these new wearable devices are different from the heavy and downright silly versions of the recent past, which often required users to be wrapped in wires and type on their stomachs. Unlike their predecessors, these new wearable computers also make economic sense. When her bag becomes commercially available in two to three years, Nanda expects it will cost around $ 150, which is the price of an average leather purse.
Here's how the bag works: You place a special radio-signal-transmitting chip onto your wallet. A similar radio in your purse picks up the signal and notifies you that you've forgotten to take your wallet. In turn, sensors on your purse's handles will notify the computer that you've picked up the purse and are ready to go.
Already, these new kinds of wearable devices are being adopted for use in markets like auto repair, emergency services, medical monitoring - and even, increasingly, for consumers at large. Indeed, more people will want to cross that bridge in the coming years - making for a booming market for wearable computers that don't look like something out of science fiction.
【小題1】 According to the passage, the new wearable computers _______.

A．require users to operate on the stomach

B．pick up the signals through wires and chips

C．a(chǎn)re being applied in some different areas now

D．a(chǎn)re smarter but more expensive than the old ones

【小題2】What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?

A．The new wearable computers have become fashionable.

B．People would like to learn more about the new computers.

C．New wearable computers promise to sell well in the future.

D．The idea of the purse-like computers comes from science fiction.

【小題3】The purpose of the passage is to ________

A．introduce a new kind of computer

B．explain the functions of computers

C．compare different types of computers

D．show how high technology affects our life

If you have ever experienced jet lag(飛行時差反應(yīng))，you know how much of a drag it can be. Jet lag happens as a result of air travel, when traveling between two or more time zones. Your body is used to operating in a certain time zone, and when its timing is affected, you’re likely to have problems.
Edward Norton’s character in the movies Fight Club faces the struggle of jet-lag-induced sleeplessness due to his constant traveling. Sleeplessness is just one of the effects of jet lag, and it can lead to other problems, such as tiredness, memory loss and confusion. That’s not something you should have to fight on a business trip and it certainly won’t make your vacation very enjoyable, either.
Sleeplessness is the biggest problem for travelers that suffer from jet lag. Don’t worry. You can do something to prevent it.
Modify(改變)Your Body Clock
To prevent the effects on your body’s timing that come with crossing time zones, you need to change your body clock sooner, rather than later. You can do this by putting yourself on the same time as your destination time zone before you fly. If you know that you will be traveling to London from the eastern United States, you’ll have a five-hour time difference to deal with. Plan for it.
Avoid Heavy Food and Alcohol(酒精)
Part of the pleasure of flying commercially, especially if you fly business or first class, is taking advantages of the food and drinks. If you want to avoid jet lag, though, you should think twice. Eating heavy food will only make the jet lag worse. It isn’t good to drink alcohol during a flight, either, because it may make you drowsy. Wait until your body adjusts(調(diào)整) before you decide to have heavy food or drink alcohol.
【小題1】
What is the main idea of the passage?

A．What jet lag is and the effects it has.

B．What jet lag is and the movies about it.

C．How jet lag happens and how to fight it.

D．How jet lag happens and tips on traveling safely.

【小題2】
Norton’s character in Fight Club has to fight with         .

A．confusion	B．sleeplessness
C．heavy drinking	D．memory loss

【小題3】
The underlined word “drowsy” probably means “     ”.

A．worried

B．shocked

C．sleepy

D．excited

【小題4】
According to the passage, in order to prevent jet lag, you should         .

A．sleep for the whole flight	B．drink little alcohol
C．not fly business class	D．know your destination well

【小題5】
The passage is most likely taken from         .

A．a(chǎn) travel magazine	B．a(chǎn)n entertainment report
C．a(chǎn) geography magazine	D．a(chǎn) fashion website