If you ask Americans whether or not they think their former president George W. Bush is smart, most of them will probably tell you they don’t think so. However, Bush’s IQ score is estimated to be above 120, which puts him in the top ten percent of the population.
It doesn’t seem to make sense. How come someone with such an IQ score is not considered smart? Researchers say: IQ does not tell the whole story. Some people have high IQ scores, but still they can be poor thinkers and decision-makers.
Keith Stanovich, a Canadian professor of human development and applied psychology, has been looking into the “clever fools” phenomenon for 15 years. He says IQ tests are very good at measuring certain mental faculties(能力), including logic, learning ability, working-memory capacity (how much information you can hold in mind), etc. Those faculties play a part in one’s academic success, but rational thinking is more important for us to make good judgments in real-life situations.
IQ tests fail to work when it comes to rational thinking. That’s because they are unable to assess things such as a person’s ability to weigh up information, or whether an individual can set aside the cognitive biases(認(rèn)知偏差)that may be misleading.
“A high IQ is like height in a basketball player,” says David Perkins, who studies thinking and reasoning skills at Harvard University. “It is very important, all other things being equal. But all other things aren’t equal. It takes a lot more to be a good basketball player than being tall, and it takes a lot more to be a good thinker than having a high IQ.”
【小題1】According to the text your academic success depends on your __________.

A．logic

B．mental faculties

C．learning ability

D．working-memory capacity

【小題2】If you need to decide where to invest your money, you must use your ______________

A．IQ scores

B．IQ test

C．rational thinking

D．cognitive biases

【小題3】We know from the text that ____________

A．the former president George W. Bush has a high IQ score

B．many Americans think their former president George W. Bush is smart

C．David Perkins believe that a person’s IQ doesn’t need to be developed

D．Keith Stanovich looked into the “clever fools” phenomenon 5 years ago

【小題4】What is the text mainly about?

A．Those who have high IQ do better than those who don’t in everything.

B．People with high IQ scores must be good decision-makers

C．People with high IQ scores are always smart in every way.

D．Why a high IQ doesn’t mean you’re smart

We are living in a wonderful age, which has become wonderful largely through the scientific discoveries and inventions. There are always new discoveries and new knowledge ahead in every field. For example, much is yet to be discovered in electricity. Weather forecasting is an important area today. Science is doing much in the control of diseases.
Science is a never-ending road for us to go along. Every field gives changes to the person who wants to make science his life work.
Science is also a method of thinking, which can teach us how to solve problems and help us to arrive at the truth. The men and women who will be the scientists of tomorrow are in our colleges, factories and farms today. We are all potential scientists.
【小題1】 The main idea of this passage is _____.

A．a(chǎn)ll scientists begin to study when they are very young

B．science teaches us how to work better

C．science is a never-ending road for people to go along

D．weather forecasting is important

【小題2】Discoveries and inventions are the results of the study and use of _____.

A．electricity

B．science

C．weather

D．the truth

【小題3】There are always discoveries _____ for people to make.

A．in electricity	B．in weather forecasting
C．in every field	D．in thinking

【小題4】 Science teaches us how to work by ______ method.

A．important

B．scientific

C．old

D．new

【小題5】The underlined word "potential" means _____.

A．worth

B．probable

C．learned

D．lazy

In the US and Britain, the slogan around colleges was “Save water. Shower with a friend.” Now, Wuhan University has come up with another system for the campus bathhouse. It charges students for the amount of time in a shower. Before entering the bathhouse, students pay for the amount of time they want in the shower with cash or their student ID card. The clock starts ticking the minute the tape is turned on. It pauses when a button is pressed for soap. An integrated circuit(IC) card reader at each tap shows the time. No money, no water. The benefits of the new system can be seen with the old system, which charged 1 yuan for each person regardless of time in the shower. The university used about 320 tones of water daily under the old system, but only 160 tons now.
Many students use the new system but opinions on it are divided. Some students say it is bad because bathing had become a sort of race. Many people using it for the first time are not sure how long they need to shower. Some might be embarrassed if their time is up and they’re still covered in soap. They have to ask the bathhouse worker to help them buy extra time.
“It’s a flaw in the system that you can not buy extra time on the ID card,” said Ren, a freshman in Wuhan University. The university is also considering some students’ suggestions that they be allowed to pay after they’ve finished the shower. Not surprisingly, some are complaining about losing the hour shower. But many students say the move helps them develop a water-saving sense.
Without the time limits, most students tended to shower for 30 to an hour in the bathhouse. Some even used the hot water to wash their clothes. “In my experience, 10-20 minutes is enough,” said Dai Zhihua, a third-year student who usually takes 8 minutes. A similar system has been installed in other universities. Shanghai Normal University introduced it at its Fengxiang Campus in September. The bathing fee there is 0.2 yuan per minute. One male student responded by setting a record with a two-minute shower.
【小題1】According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

A．Having finished bathing, the student has to pay for it.

B．The clock times all through while the student is bathing except when the bather paused for soap.

C．If money runs out, there will be no water.

D．Students pay for the amount of time they want in the shower.

【小題2】 The underlined word “flaw” (Paragraph3) most probably means______.

A．perfection

B．a(chǎn)dvantage

C．pity

D．fault

【小題3】Since the new system has performed, ______ of water can be saved.

A．a(chǎn) quarter

B．one third

C．one half

D．two thirds

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

A．the new operation can solve the water crisis.

B．The new operation can raise students’ environmental awareness.

C．a(chǎn) similar operation has been set in other universities.

D．The university has saved a lot of water by using the new system.

“Most experiences of absent-mindedness ,forgetting where you left something or wondering why you just entered a room , are caused by a simple lack of attention, ” says Schacter. “You’re supposed to remember something, but you haven’t encoded（編碼） it deeply.”
　Encoding, Schacter explains, is a special way of paying attention to an event that has a major impression on recalling it later. Failure to encode properly can create troublesome situations. If you　put your mobile phone in a pocket, for example, and don’t pay attention to what you did because you’re involved in a conversation, you’ll probably forget that the phone is in the jacket now hanging in your cupboard. “ Your memory itself isn’t failing you, ” says Schacter, “Rather, you didn’t give your memory system the information it needed.”  http://wx.jtyjy.com/
　Lack of interest can also lead to absent -mindedness. “A man who can recite sports statistics from 30 years ago, ” says Zelinski, “ may not remember to drop a letter in the mailbox.”Women have slightly better memories than men, possibly because they pay more attention to their environment, and memory depends on just that.
　　“Visual cues（ 視覺提示 ）can help prevent absent--mindedness, ”says Schacter, “But be sure the cue is clear and available. ”If you want to remember to take a medicine with lunch, put the pill bottle on the kitchen table—don’t leave it in the medicine box and write yourself a note that you keep in a pocket.
　　Another common experience of absent - mindedness: walking into a room and wondering why you’re there. Most likely, you were thinking about something else. “Everyone does this from time to time, ”says Zelinski. “The best thing to do is to return to where you were before entering the room, and you’ll likely remember.”
【小題1】The writer of the passage thinks that encoding properly is very important because ________.

A．it enables us to recall something from our memory

B．it slows down the process of losing our memory

C．it helps us understand our memory system better

D．it helps us to get back to where we were

【小題2】One possible reason why women have a little better memories than men is that________.

A．they rely more on the environment

B．they have a wider range of interests

C．they have an unusual power of focusing their attention

D．they are more interested in what’s happening around them

【小題3】Why can a note in the pocket hardly serve as a reminder? ________.

A．It will easily get lost

B．It is out of your sight

C．It’s not clear enough for you to read

D．It might get mixed up with other things

【小題4】From the last paragraph we can learn that________.

A．repetition might help improve our memory

B．memory depends to a certain extent on the environment

C．we’d better return to where we were if we forget things

D．we should think about something else while doing one thing

【小題5】The passage is mainly about ________.

A．the memory system of persons

B．a(chǎn) way of encoding and recalling

C．the causes of absent-mindedness

D．the impression of the environment on memory

Energy is very important in modern life. People use energy to run machines, heat and cool their homes, cook, give light, and transport people and products from place to place. Most energy comes from fossil fuels—petroleum, coal, and natural gas. However, burning fuels causes pollution. Also, if we don’t find new kinds of energy, we will use up all the fossil fuels in the twenty-first century. Scientists are working hard to find other kinds of energy for the future. What might these sources of energy be?
Energy from the wind
All over the world, people use the power of the wind. It turns windmills and moves sailboats. It is a clean source of energy, and there is lots of it. Unfortunately, if the wind does not blow, there is no wind energy.
Energy from water
When water moves from a high place to a lower place, it makes energy. This energy is used to create electricity. In Brittany, France, for example, waterpower produces enough energy to light a town of 40,000people. Waterpower gives energy without pollution. However, people have to build dams to use this energy. Dams cost a lot of money, so water energy is expensive.
Energy from the earth
There is heat in rocks under the earth. Scientists use this heat to make geothermal energy. San Francisco gets half of the energy it needs from geothermal power. This kind of energy is cheap, but it is possible only in a few places in the world.
Energy from the sun
Solar panels on the roofs of houses can turn energy from the sun into electricity. These panels can create enough energy to heat an entire house. Solar power is clean and there is a lot of it in sunny places. But when the weather is bad, there is no sunlight for energy.
【小題1】What does this passage mainly talk about?

A．Advantage of the energy from nature.

B．The future of the energy.

C．Scientists have been working hard to research other kinds of energy.

D．Energy is the most important power in the word.

【小題2】From the first paragraph we know ______.

A．energy can do everything for people

B．a(chǎn)ll the energy causes pollution

C．the new kinds of energy are badly needed

D．scientists have found other kinds of energy for the future

【小題3】What is the writer’s opinion about the energy?

A．Try to use water energy more though it costs a lot.

B．Each natural energy has its own advantages and disadvantages.

C．Solar power is environmental.

D．Wind power is the cheapest but we can’t get.

【小題4】What can be inferred from the passage?

A．In order to protect our environment, we should try other kinds of energy.

B．All scientists in the world will unite to find energy.

C．People in modern life use energy every day.

D．Energy changes people’s lives.

As if there weren’t enough of them in the world already, scientists have succeeded in cloning flies. The alike fruit flies are the first insects ever cloned, says the Canadian team that created them. The question everyone asks is why anyone would want to clone flies in the first place. She hopes that the insects , which are very easy to experiment with , will help to adjust the cloning process in other animals and even in humans, where the technique is being researched to aid production of therapeutic (治療的) stem cells.
In cloning, the DNA-containing nucleus of an adult cell is injected into an egg whose own nucleus(細(xì)胞核) has been removed. At the moment, the majority of cloned mice, sheep and other animals die before birth. It is thought this is because the adult DNA is not properly ‘reprogrammed’.
Using flies, researchers might discover genes that are important for this reprogramming, and that have matches in other animals. That is because it is relatively easy in flies to knock out the function of a single gene and then attempt cloning with these cells, which will test whether that gene is important. If such genes are confirmed, then in theory cloned mammalian embryos(晶胚) might be grown in selected solutions that change the activity of those genes to improve the technique’s success rate. Although some groups have attempted to clone insects before, Lloyd says this is the first time it has been successful. The team used a slight difference on the standard cloning process: they transferred nuclei taken from embryos rather than fully-grown adult cells. They sucked several nuclei (pl)out of developing fly embryos, and injected them into a fertilized(已受精的) fly egg. From over 800 early attempts, they cloned five adult insects, the group reports in the journal Genetics.
【小題1】The best title of this passage probably is _______.

A．The importance of clone

B．First insects are cloned

C．The disagreement in clone

D．The advantages of clone

【小題2】The scientists cloned flies because________.

A．there are fewer and fewer flies in the world

B．flies are easy to find and cheap to use

C．they can gain some experience before cloning other animals

D．it is safe to clone flies

【小題3】The failure of most cloned animals is due to _______.

A．the difference of other animals’ genes

B．the improper technique of clone

C．the complex of other animals

D．the improper rearrange of the adult gene

【小題4】It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ______.

A．the clone of insects before used grown-up cells

B．the clone of insects were never experimented before

C．this time scientists cloned flies successfully and easily

D．based on this success, other animals will be cloned in large quantities.

At one time, computers were expected largely to remove the need for paper copies of documents (文件) because they could be stored electronically. But for all the texts that are written, stored and sent electronically, a lot of them are still ending up on paper.
It is difficult to measure the quantity of paper used as a result of use of Internet-connected computers, although just about anyone who works in an office can tell you that when e-mail is introduced, the printers start working overtime. "I feel in my bones this revolution is causing more trees to be cut down," says Ted Smith of the Earth Village Organization.
Perhaps the best sign of how computer and Internet use pushes up demand for paper comes from the high-tech industry itself, which sees printing as one of its most promising new markets. Several Internet companies have been set up to help small businesses print quality documents from a computer. Earlier this week Hewlett-Packard Co. announced a plan to develop new technologies that will enable people to print even more so they can get a hard copy of a business document, a medical record or just a one-line e-mail, even if they are nowhere near a computer. As the company sees it, the more use of the Internet the greater demand for printers.
Does all this mean environmental concerns (環(huán)境問題) have been forgotten? Some activists suggest people have been led to believe that a lot of dangers to the environment have gone away. " I guess people believe that the problem is taken care of, because of recycling (回收利用) " said Kelly Quirke, director of the Rainforest Action Network in San Francisco. Yet Quirke is hopeful that high-tech may also prove helpful. He says printers that print on both sides are growing in popularity. The action group has also found acceptable paper made from materials other than wood, such as agricultural waste.
【小題1】 The growing demand for paper in recent years is largely due to ________.

A．the rapid development of small businesses

B．the opening up of new markets

C．the printing of high quality copies

D．the increased use of the Internet

【小題2】Environmentalists believe one possible way of dealing with the paper situation is ________.

A．to encourage printing more quality documents

B．to develop new printers using recycled paper

C．to find new materials for making paper

D．to plant more fast-growing trees

【小題3】Hewlett-Packard Co. has decided to develop new technologies because _______.

A．people are concerned about the environment

B．printers in many offices are working overtime

C．small companies need more hard copies

D．they see a growing market for printers

Photographs are everywhere. They decorate the walls of homes and are used in stores for sales of different goods. The news is filled with pictures of fires, floods, and special events. Photos record the beauties of nature. They can also bring things close that are far away. Through photos, people can see wild animals, cities in foreign lands, and even the stars in outer space. Photos also tell stories.
Reporting the news through photos is called photojournalism. At times photojournalists tell their stories through a single picture. At other times, they use a group of pictures to tell a story. Each picture is like a chapter in a book, which can do more than record the facts. It can also be a strong force for social change.
Jacob Riis was among the first photojournalists. He took pictures of parts of New York City where the poor lived. Riis believed that poverty caused crime, and he used photos to help him prove his point. A few years later, the photos of small children working in factories by Lewis Hine shocked the public. Hine’s pictures helped bring about laws to protect such children.
Hundreds of pictures may have to be taken in order to get one or two really good photos. It takes science to have the photo come out clearly and art to make a photo that has a good design and expresses feeling. Photojournalists make an actual record of what they see. A photo, however, can be both a work of art and an actual record. It can record an important event as a beautiful or exciting picture.
As historical and artistic documents(文獻(xiàn)), photos can become more important over time. Today photojournalists still have their pictures appear in newspapers and magazines. They also publish them in books and on the Internet.
【小題1】The underlined word “They” in the first paragraph refers to        .

A．beauties

B．photos

C．goods

D．events

【小題2】The photos of the small children by Hine show us that photos          .

A．a(chǎn)re also works of art	B．a(chǎn)re popular ways of reporting news
C．often shock the public	D．can serve as a force for social change

【小題3】What can we learn from the passage?

A．News with pictures is encouraging.

B．Photos help people improve their life.

C．News photos mean history in a sense.

D．People prefer reading news with pictures.

【小題4】The text is mainly about      .

A．telling the story through picture	B．decorating the walls of homes
C．publishing historical papers	D．expressing feeling through pictures

It happened one morning 20 years ago. A British scientist Alec Jeffrey came across DNA fingerprinting: He identified the patterns of genetic material that are unique to almost every individual. His discovery changed everything from the way we do criminal investigations to the way we decide family law. But the professor of genetics at the University of Leicester, UK, is still surprised, and a bit worried, by the power of the technology he released upon the world.
The patterns within DNA are unique to each individual, except identical twins, who share the same pattern. The ability to identify these patterns has been used to convict(證明…有罪) murderers and to clear people who are wrongly accused. It is also used to identify the victims of war and settle disputes over who is the father of a child.
Jeffrey said he and his colleagues made the discovery by accident while tracking genetic variations(變異). But, within six months of the discovery, genetic fingerprinting had been used in an immigration case, to prove that an African boy really was his parents’ son.·In 1986, it was used for the first time in a British criminal case: It cleared one suspect after being accused of two murders and helped convict another man.
DNA testing is now very common. In Britain, a national criminal database established in 1995 now contains 2.5 million DNA samples. The U.S. and Canada are developing similar systems. But there are fears about the stored DNA samples and how they could be used to harm a person’s privacy. That includes a person’s medical history, racial origin or psychological profile. “There is the long-term risk that people can get into these samples and start getting additional information about a person’s paternity(父子關(guān)系) or risk of disease,” Jeffrey said.
DNA testing is not an unfailing proof of identity. Still, it is considered a reasonably reliable system for determining the things it is used for. Jeffrey estimates the probability of two individuals’ DNA profiles matching in the most commonly used tests at one in a billion.
【小題1】According to the text, DNA testing can NOT be used in _______ .

A．doing criminal investigations	B．deciding faraily law
C．clearmg wrongly accused people	D．telling twins apart

【小題2】DNA samples are not popular with all the people because _______ .

A．the government in Britain establishes a criminal database

B．the US and Canada develop similar systems

C．DNA samples can be used to harm a person’s privacy

D．DNA testing is too expensive and dangerous now

【小題3】Where will you most probably find this article?

A．In a guidebook.	B．In a storybook.
C．In a science fiction.	D．In a scientific magazine.

【小題4】Which is the best title for the passage?

A．Discovery of DNA testing by Jeffery	B．Practice of DNA testing in court
C．DNA testing in the present situation	D．Benefits and side effects of DNA testing

During the last twenty years there has been increasing concern with the quality of the environment. Along with air and water pollutions, noises pollution has been recognized as a serious pollutant. As noise levels have risen, the effects of noise have become more apparent.
Noise is defined as "unwanted sound". Causes of noise pollution include traffic, aircraft, rock bands, barking dogs, televisions, garbage trucks, and noise from neighbors, voices, alarms, and watercrafts. Studies show that over forty percent of Americans are disturbed at home or lose sleep because of noise pollution.
Noise has bad effects on people and the environment. Noise causes hearing loss, interferes (妨礙) with human activities at home and work, and is in various ways dangerous to people's health and well being.
When we think, talk, listen to music, or sleep, we need quiet. Even low levels of noise can be annoying or frustrating. Sudden increases in volume can make sounds annoying. The quieter the background is, the more penetrating a noise can be.
Noise can also make instructions or warning unclear, resulting in accidents. Louder noise bursts can be more disruptive (破壞性).Continued stress can lead to high blood pressure, which is the major cause of some diseases.
Long exposure to noise levels above eight-five decibels (分貝) can damage inner cells and lead to hearing loss. Noise can result in the involuntary fear response and can cause adrenaline (腎上腺素) to be pumped into the bloodstream, the heart rate to quicken, muscles to tense, breathing to increase, and the digestive system to slow down.
Local government has the responsibility to fight noise pollution. For example, it can regulate the speed of trains through their community. On the other hand, a responsible citizen will never make noise pollution wherever he is.
【小題1】 How many kinds of environmental pollution are mentioned in the text?  

A．Two

B．Three

C．Four

D．Five

【小題2】According to the text, noise pollution may be caused by         .  

A．parties and meetings	B．zoos and theaters
C．schools and factories	D．vehicles and animals

【小題3】What does the underlined word "penetrating" in paragraph 4 mean?  

A．High and exciting	B．Sharp and shocking
C．Loud and unpleasant	D．Clear and comfortable

【小題4】In the last paragraph, the writer suggests that         .  

A．individuals and government should work together to reduce noise pollution

B．the government should offer it's people better education on noise pollution

C．the government should be responsible for noise pollution

D．people who make noise pollution should be punished

【小題5】Which of the following is not related to noise pollution?  

A．hearing loss	B．speeding the digestive system
C．high blood pressure	D．a(chǎn)ccidents