In summer, millions of people will head for the beach．And while the ocean can be a great place to swim and play, it may also be useful in another way．Some scientists think that waves could help make electricity．
“Have you ever been on a surfboard or boat and felt yourself being lifted up by a wave? Or have you jumped in the water and felt the energy as waves crashed over you?” asked Jamie Taylor of the Wave Energy Group at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland．“There is certainly a lot of energy in waves．”
Scientists are working on using that energy to make electricity．
Most waves are created when winds blow across the ocean．“The winds start out by making little ripples （波紋） in the water, but if they keep on blowing , those ripples get bigger and bigger and turn into waves, ”Taylor said．“Waves are one of nature’s ways of picking up energy and then sending it off on a journey．”
When waves come towards the shore, people can set up dams or other barricades to block the water and send it through a large wheel called a turbine （渦輪） ．The turbine can then power an electrical generator （發(fā)電機(jī)） ．
The United States and a few other countries have started doing research on wave energy , and it is already being used in Scotland．
The resource is huge．We will never run out of wave power, besides, wave energy does not create the same pollution as other energy sources, such as oil and coal．
Oceans cover three quarters of the earth’s surface．That would make wave power seem perfect for creating energy around the world．There are some drawbacks, however．
Jamie Taylor said that wave power still cost too much money．He said that its effects on animals in the sea were still unknown．Plus, wave power would get in the way of fishing and boat traffic．
With more research, however, “many of these problems might be overcome,” Taylor said．“Demand for energy to power our TVs and computers, drive our cars, and heat and cool our homes is growing quickly throughout the world．Finding more energy sources is very important, for traditional sources of energy like oil and gas may run out some day．”
In the future, when you turn on a light switch, an ocean wave could be providing the electricity!
【小題1】Which of the following is NOT true?

A．Wave power doesn’t cost too much money．

B．Wave energy is so clean that it doesn’t create the same amount of pollution as other energy sources．

C．Wave power affects fishing and boat traffic．

D．Wave power may affect marine animals．

【小題2】We can infer from the passage that ______．

A．finding more new energy sources is not necessary because of wave energy

B．wave energy is a resource that will never run out and is used all over the world

C．wave power is not quite perfect for creating energy around the world

D．wave power doesn’t create any pollution

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

A．regrets

B．a(chǎn)dventures

C．disadvantages

D．difficulties

【小題4】What can be the best title for the passage? 

A．How to Get Electricity by Waves	B．The advantages of Wave Energy
C．Can Waves Make Electricity?	D．The Disadvantages of Wave Energy

Psychologists tell us that there are four basic stages that human beings pass through when they enter and live in a new culture．This process begins with the “honeymoon stage”．This is the period of time when we first arrive in which everything about the new culture is strange and exciting．We may be suffering from “jet lag” but we are thrilled to be in the new environment, seeing new sights, hearing new sounds and language, eating new kinds of food．This stage can last for quite a long time because we feel we are involved in some kind of great adventure．
Unfortunately, the second stage can be more difficult．After we have settled down into our new life, we can become very tired and begin to miss our homeland and our family, friends, pets．All the little problems in life seem to be much bigger and more disturbing when you face them in a foreign culture．This period of cultural adjustment can be very difficult and lead to rejecting or pulling away from the new culture．
The third stage is called the “adjustment stage”．This is when you begin to realize that things are not so bad in the host culture．Your sense of humour usually becomes stronger and you realize that you are becoming stronger by learning to take care of yourself in the new place．Things are still difficult, but you are now a survivor!
The fourth stage can be called “at ease at last”．Now you feel quite comfortable in your new surroundings．You can cope（deal） with most problems that occur．You may still have problems with the language, but you know you are strong enough to deal with them．
【小題1】This passage mainly talks about ________．

A．culture and foreign language learning	B．a(chǎn)dventures in a foreign land
C．getting used to a new culture	D．the interaction of different cultures

【小題2】Which of the following best describes the first stage?

A．Lonely and depressed	B．Bored and homesick
C．Happy and excited	D．Angry and frustrated

【小題3】According to the passage, people are most likely to return to their own culture at the ________stage．

A．1st

B．2nd

C．third

D．fourth

【小題4】It can be concluded from the passage that ________．

A．people feel better in their own culture

B．it is not easy to adapt to a new culture

C．culture shock doesn’t occur at the beginning

D．it is human nature to long for adventures

Researchers are placing robotic dogs（機(jī)器狗）in the homes of lonely old people to determine whether they can improve the quality of life for humans. Alan Beck, an expert in human-animal relationship, and Nancy Edwards, a professor of nursing, are leading the animal-assisted study concerning the influence of robotic dogs on old people’s depression, physical activity, and life satisfaction. “No one will argue that an older person is better off being more active, challenged, or stimulated（應(yīng)急的） ,”Edwards points out. “The problem is how we promote that, especially for those without friends or help. A robotic dog could be a solution.”
In the study, the robot, called AIBO, is placed for six weeks in the houses of some old people who live alone. Before placing AIBO in the home, researchers will collect baseline data for six weeks. These old people will keep a diary to note their feelings and activity before and after AIBO. Then, the researchers will review the data to determine if it has inspired any changes in the life of its owner.
“I talk to him all the time, and he responds to my voice,” says a seventy-year-old lady, “When I’m watching TV, he’ll stay in my arms until he wants down. He has a mind of his own.”
The AIBOs respond to certain orders. The researchers say they have some advantages over live dogs, especially for old people. Often the elderly are disabled(行動(dòng)不便的) and cannot care for an animal by walking it or playing with it. A robotic dog removes（免除） exercise and feeding concerns.
“At the beginning, it was believed that no one would relate to the robotic dog, because it was metal and not furry.” Beck says，“But it’s amazing how quickly we have given up that belief.”
“Hopefully, down the road, these robotic pets could become a more-valuable health helper. They will record their masters’ blood pressure, oxygen levels, or heart rhythms. AIBOs may even one day have games that can help stimulate older people’s minds.”
【小題1】 The purpose of Beck and Edwards’ study is to        .

A．understand human-animal relationship

B．find the causes of old people’s loneliness

C．make lonely old people’s life better

D．promote the animal-assisted research

【小題2】In the research, the old people are asked to        .

A．note the activities of AIBOs	B．record their feelings and activity
C．keep AIBOs at home for 12 weeks	D．a(chǎn)nalyze the collected information

【小題3】What is the advantage of AIBO over live dogs?

A．It is easier to keep at home.	B．It responds to all the human orders.
C．It can help the disabled people.	D．It can watch TV with its owner.

IS IT TIME TO GET － MP3
Your computer has been playing music for years, one CD at a time．Now hundreds of songs can be stored in your PC if they’re in the MP3 format．
What is it?
MP3 compresses (壓縮) music into small computer—friendly files．You access MP3 music several ways: Tunes can be downloaded from websites that have converted (轉(zhuǎn)變) vast music libraries into MP3．Or you can prerecorded CDs into your PC and convert songs in minutes into MP3．Once MP3 music is on your PC’s hard drive, you can play it through your computer’s speakers, “burn” it onto blank CDs or swap (交換) MP3 files with friends using e—mail．
How much?
Software needed to play and convert MP3 music is often free．It is preinstalled (預(yù)先安裝)on most new computers or can be downloaded from many websites, including MP3, com．Some MP3 sites are free．Just type at around $50 and can hold hundreds of songs．A blank CD on which you can record music costs about a dollar．
Advantages
MP3 turns your home PC into a jukebox (自動(dòng)唱機(jī))．Tiny MP3 players are the size of a deck of cards, making it easy to take hundreds of songs with you．
Disadvantages
You may find that music at many sites is limited．And some only allow you to listen rather than download offerings．Others let you download music that then can’t be copied to MP3 players．And a growing number of new CDs make it impossible to copy songs to a computer．
【小題1】How can you get Mp3 music?

A．By turning your home PC into jukebox．

B．By taking you own music or songs with you．

C．By copying songs to a PC through the speakers．

D．By downloading from websites which have converted music libraries．

【小題2】Which is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Software needed to play and convert MP3 music is often free of charge．

B．MP3 music can be “burned” onto bland CDs or swapped with friends by e-mail．

C．MP3 music can be taken along while traveling．

D．A greater number of new CDs make it possible to copy songs to a computer．

【小題3】How much will you pay for a MP3 player?

A．Free of charge	B．Free downloading
C．At least fifty dollars	D．About a dollar

【小題4】What is the closest meaning of the underlined word “burn”?

A．Copy

B．Play

C．Store

D．Change

We often think of future．We often wonder what the world would be like in a hundred years' time.
Think of space, perhaps a permanent(永久的) station on the moon will have been set up．Perhaps people will be able to visit the moon as tourists．Cheap rockets for space travel will have been developed, permitting long journeys throughout the solar system(太陽(yáng)系)．When that time comes, people will be taking holidays in space and visiting other planets．Great progress will have been discovered for the most terrible of all diseases—cancer．Pollution is a problem we must solve．In a hundred years' time it will have been controlled.
All the world will have been developed—even Antarctica．There will be large cities in Antarctica．We already have supersonic(超音速的) flight, but in a hundred years' time we will have supersonic land travel as well.
We will have used up most of earth's land to build our cities, so floating cities will have been built．The Japanese already have plans for cities of this kind．And there will be cities under the sea．The first of these will have been completed.
【小題1】We will have developed __________ in a hundred years' time, permitting long journeys all over the solar system.

A．cheap rockets for space travel

B．a(chǎn) plane for space travel

C．a(chǎn) permanent spaceship

D．a(chǎn) satellite for tourists

【小題2】Man will also have supersonic land travel ____________．

A．in a year's time

B．a(chǎn)bout half a century later

C．in the year 2050

D．a(chǎn)bout a century later

【小題3】The last paragraph mainly talks about _____________.

A．new ways of building cities

B．the building of cities under the sea

C．the building of floating cities in Japan

D．the danger which earth's land will face

【小題4】The best title for the passage is ______________.

A．Travel in the Future	B．Future Life
C．Where to Live in the Future	D．Space Travel

Dogs have an understanding of fair play and become angry if they feel that another dog is getting a better deal, a new study has found.
The study looked at how dogs react when a companion is rewarded for the same trick in an unequal way. Friederike Range, a famous researcher, and her colleagues did a series of experiments with dogs who knew how to respond to the command “give the paw”. The dogs were normally happy to repeatedly give the paw, whether they got a reward or not.
But that changed if they saw that another dog was being rewarded with a piece of food, while they received nothing. The dogs hesitated significantly longer when obeying the command to give the paw. Eventually, the unrewarded dogs stopped cooperating.
Researchers always assumed that only humans pay close attention to unfairness. That changed in 2003 when Frans De Waal, a professor of psychology, and a colleague named Sarah Brosnan did a survey on monkeys. Monkeys had to hand a small rock to researchers to get a piece of cucumber(黃瓜) in return. However, the monkeys would suddenly become angry when receiving the piece of cucumber if they saw another monkey receive a more delicious reward, such as a grape, for doing the same job. The monkey that got the cucumber would eventually throw away the food and the rock, and would later just stop performing.
In that experiment, the monkeys considered the fairness of two different types of payment, but when Range and her colleagues did a similar study with their trained dogs, testing to see if dogs would become upset if they only got bread when other dogs received sausage, they found that dogs did not make that kind of subtle (細(xì)微的) distinction. As long as the dogs got some kind of food payment, even if it wasn’t the most delicious kind, they would play along.
【小題1】 The dogs refused to give their paws when they _____________________.

A．were given too much reward

B．realized they received less food

C．found another dog was given nothing

D．felt they were being treated unequally

【小題2】The underlined word “that” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to “__________________”.

A．the dogs obeyed the command happily

B．the dogs waited for a reward

C．the dogs hesitated to give the paw

D．the dogs stopped cooperating

【小題3】The monkeys would become angry if they found _____________________.

A．they were being given the same type of food

B．a(chǎn)nother monkey did much less work

C．a(chǎn)nother monkey was offered tastier food

D．other monkeys threw food and rocks

【小題4】 Range finds that, compared with monkeys, dogs __________________.

A．enjoy playing interesting games with humans

B．prefer to do the same jobs as humans

C．pay little attention to the type of reward received

D．a(chǎn)ren’t sensitive to the stimulation (刺激) of food

About 45 percent of Americans don’t get enough sleep, according to a recent survey. However, the benefits of getting enough sleep far outweigh the thrill of watching TV for one more hour or surfing the web. Getting a better night’s sleep will help you lose or keep your weight more effectively. Try these simple steps to improve your quality of sleep.
Take time to relax
So many of us go-go-go until it’s time for bed, but it’s important to take time to slow down and relax before sleeping. Do relaxing things, such as listening to soothing (撫慰的) music or deep breathing. Avoid stimulating (刺激的) activities such as writing e-mails, talking on the phone and watching TV. Some guidelines (指導(dǎo)方針): no e-mail after 8 p.m. and no TV or phone calls after 9 p.m..
Darker is better
Your body regulates your sleep cycle in response to the presence and absence of light, so dim the lights as evening approaches. Try getting ready for bed by candlelight. When you’re ready to sleep, make sure your room is as dark as possible.
Put your thoughts to bed
We all need time to process our day, but bed is not the place to do it if you want to sleep well. Take 10 to 15 minutes to record your thoughts in a journal. This effective technique will capture what’s in your mind so you don’t lie awake. Tell yourself you’re putting your thoughts to bed so that you can go to bed.
No sugar or alcohol before bed
These may wake you up. If you need a snack before bed, make it protein.
Try to get more sleep
Get an extra hour or two of sleep every night for a week and see how you feel. You’ll notice the difference!
【小題1】The purpose of writing this text is to ________________________.

A．share some ways to slow down and relax before sleeping

B．guide readers to improve their quality of sleep

C．tell readers the importance of getting a good night’s sleep

D．publish the results of a recent survey on quality of sleep

【小題2】According to the text, we know that __________________________.

A．we should keep our bedrooms in strong light before going to bed

B．writing a diary may excite us and influence our sleep

C．we should never get up later on weekends than we do on weekdays

D．candlelight is a good choice for our bedrooms when we’re getting ready to sleep

【小題3】 We should take time to slow down because it can _________________________.

A．inform us of the importance of sleeping

B．signal to our body it’s time to sleep

C．tell us to stop watching TV for making phone calls

D．tell us not to do stimulating activities

Global warming is the process of earth’s atmosphere heating up. Over the last 100 years, the average temperature of earth’s atmosphere has gone up 1 Fahrenheit. The weather has not changed exactly the same way in every area of the planet. But scientists think that the rise in average temperature is already affecting the earth’s climate.
Many scientists now believe that global warming is caused by cutting down trees, producing more trash, and polluting the environment which are some of the reasons why the temperature has gone up. Many scientists believe that the biggest causes of global warming are new human technologies that release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
The greenhouse effect is not new. Certain gases in the atmosphere, like carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane, making it hard for heat energy to go into space. In the past, the climate didn’t change much because nature produced just the right amount of greenhouse gases to deal with it.
Today, most scientists are pretty sure that the rising temperature can’t be blamed on nature. Ever since the industrial revolution in the 1700s, humans have relied on machines for daily life. And many of those machines give off a lot of greenhouse gases. An increase in the release of greenhouse gases from human activities is throwing nature off balance.
The climate is a very complicated thing, but many scientists agree that the rising atmospheric temperature has already damaged the environment. Sheets of ice, called glaciers, are melting in Antarctica and other parts of the globe. As glaciers break off and melt into the oceans, they are adding warm water to the oceans and causing the sea level to rise.
Over the past 100 years, the sea level has risen 6-8 inches around the world. That means land along the coasts is beginning to disappear under water. Bigger and warmer oceans are also adding to other weather problems caused by pollution in the atmosphere. Some places have received more rain, others have had bigger storms and a few areas in the world have experienced unusual droughts.
【小題1】What is mainly talked about in this passage?

A．The melting of glaciers.	B．Global warming.
C．The world’s weather.	D．The earth’s temperature.

【小題2】What causes global warming according to scientists?

A．Human activities.	B．The nature itself.
C．The earth’s atmosphere.	D．New discoveries

【小題3】How can greenhouse gases make the globe warm?

A．They keep heat in the atmosphere.

B．They let the heat go out into space.

C．They release heat into the air

D．They can make the other gases warm.

【小題4】From the passage we can see that global warming will bring about _____.

A．the pollution in the atmosphere	B．natural disasters
C．population pollution	D．the rise of glaciers

Boris Worm of Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, Canada, led the international team that did the study. Professor Worm says species have recently been disappearing from oceans at increasing speed. At this rate, he says, all seafood species could collapse by 2048 and seafood supplies from the world’s ocean could be almost gone by then.
Other studies have also warned about the dangers of overfishing and the effects on ocean environments. But not everyone thinks the oceans are likely to be empty in fifty years. Some scientists said parts of the world do have problems, but others are doing a good job of protecting fish populations. Government officials in several countries with large fishing industries also questioned the research.
The study appeared earlier this month in Science magazine.
The researchers say damage to oceans affects not only fish populations but also the productivity of ecosystems. These complex systems help control water quality. The scientists say the loss of different kinds of sea life appeared to increase the risk of fish kills and beach closures from harmful algae growth.
The scientists examined the results of thirty-two experiments and observed forty-eight protected areas. They also looked at records of catches worldwide. They studied records from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization for nineteen fifty to two thousand three. And they examined archeological information and other historical records for twelve coastal areas. That research reached back over a thousand years.
Boris Worm says the findings were, in his words, "beyond anything we suspected." But he also said the situation is not too late to correct. He said that with good fisheries management, some species could completely recover in three to ten years.
【小題1】Which of the following isn’t the damage to the ocean?     

A．The species of fish in the ocean are reducing.

B．Sea water is polluted.

C．Sea water quality is improved.

D．Less productivity of ecosystem.

【小題2】The conclusion of the research led by Boris Worm is _________. 

A．unbearable	B．unbelievable
C．doubtful	D．Convincing

【小題3】The research led by Boris Worm _________.          

A．was conducted by scientists from Canada

B．referred to information of many countries

C．lasted from 1950 to 2003

D．referred to records dating back to over 1,000 years ago.

【小題4】Which of the following statements is NOT true?      

A．It’s too late to take action to improve the situation.

B．Some species will recover with efforts.

C．Boris Worm hopes that people take the warning serious.

D．Boris Worm shows great concern about ecosystem.

Science has told us too much about the moon that it is fairly easy to imagine what it would be like to get there. It is certainly not a friendly place. Since there is no air or water, there can be no life of any kind. There is not much variety of scenery either. For mile after mile there are only flat plains of dust with mountains around them. Above, the sun and stars shine in the black sky. If you step out of the mountain shadow, it means moving from the severe cold into intense (強(qiáng)烈的) heat. These extreme temperatures continually break rocks away from the surface of the mountains. The moon is also a very silent world, for sound waves can only travel through air. But beyond the broken horizon, you see a friendly sight. Our earth is shining more brightly than the stars. From this distance, it looks like an immense (巨大的) blue, green and brown ball.
【小題1】The moon is an unfriendly place because                   .

A．there is no air, no water, no life, no scenery	B．the sun and stars shine in the sky
C．temperature breaks rock away	D．a(chǎn)ll of the above

【小題2】Without           , the moon is a silent world.

A．man

B．a(chǎn)ir

C．sound

D．water

【小題3】According to the passage we know that             .

A．the earth looks like a colored ball

B．we can enjoy the scenery on the moon

C．every inch of the moon is very hot

D．the extreme temperature breaks rocks away from the surface of mountains

【小題4】We can conclude（斷定） that “continually” means          .

A．sometimes

B．a(chǎn)lways

C．without break

D．frequently

【小題5】The best title for the passage is                        .

A．An Unfriendly and Friendly Place	B．The Geography of the Moon
C．Moon, a Silent World	D．The Moon