Switching telephone providers used to be the only way homeowners could save money on telephone bills. Now thanks to new technology, comsumers have another choice-making phone calls over the internet. And this can be completely free if you call another person with an internet phone set-up.
The technology is called voice over internet protocol (協(xié)議), or VoIP. In 2005, consumer demand for VoIP dramatically grew. In the US, where popularity has grown faster than here in the UK, 8.4 million are predicted to subscribe this year. For the past couple years, VoIP pioneers such as Skype have accounted for the majority of internet phone subscribers.
VoIP is attractive to consumers because it’s cheaper than traditional phone services. With the basic equipment of PC, microphone and headset, and VoIP software and broadband internet for optimum (最適宜的) voice quality, consumers can save a fortune chatting for free to other internet phone owners and save money calling regular landlines (通訊電纜). But, as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. Many of these services suffer from uncontinuous lapses (失效) in quality. While some users may tolerate echoes or a dropped call, improved quality is needed to attract more customers.
Computing has examined the benefits of using a PC as a telephone with VoIP in how easy they were to set up, how effective they were and the range of their features.
Skype(www. skype.com) came top for its bother-free approach, easy set-up and exceptional voice clarity. Sipgate (www. sipgate. co. uk), MSN(www. messenger. msn. co. uk) and Yahoo! Messenger (uk. messenger. yahoo. com) provide an audio “wizard” that improves sound levels. Google Talk (www. google. com/ talk) was less helpful and Babble. net (www. babble. net) was let down by its poor help files. Yahoo! Messenger provides some of the best features, including the option of landline calls, webcam chats, instant messaging, voice-mail and conference calls.
【小題1】Which one of the following if you call others?

A．VolP,voice over internet protocol

B．Switching telephone

C．New technology

D．letters

【小題2】The underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 implies that ______.

A．VoIP can save money but it has some disadvantages

B．whatever you buy is related to how much you pay

C．what you pay for will belong to you forever

D．what you buy is not always high in quality

【小題3】Which of the following statement is true according to the passage?

A．Sipgate is less helpful.

B．Yahoo! Messenger offers some best features.

C．Skype is the best one in the new technology.

D．Google Talk provides very good audio “wizard”.

A new era is upon us. Call it what you will: the service economy, the information age, the knowledge society. It has changed the way we work. Already we’re partly there. The percentage of people who earn their living by making things has fallen dramatically in the Western World. Today the majority of jobs in America, Europe and Japan (two thirds or more in many of these countries) are in the service industry, and the number is on the rise. More women are in the work force than ever before. There are more part-time jobs. More people are self-employed. But the breadth (廣度) of the economic transformation can’t be measured by numbers alone, because it also is giving rise to a basic new way of thinking about the nature of work itself. Long-held concepts about jobs and careers, the skills needed to succeed, even the relation between individuals and employers — all these are being challenged.
We have only to look behind us to get some sense of what may lie ahead. No one looking ahead 20 years possibly could have foreseen the ways in which a single invention, the chip (芯片), would transform our world thanks to its applications in personal computers, digital communications and factory robots. Tomorrow’s achievements in biotechnology, artificial intelligence or even some still unimagined technology could produce a similar wave of dramatic changes. But one thing is certain: information and knowledge will become even more important, and the people who possess it, whether they work in manufacturing (制造業(yè)) or services, will have the advantage and produce the wealth. Computer knowledge will become as basic a requirement as the ability to read and write. The ability to solve problems by applying information instead of performing routine tasks will be valued above all else. If you cast your mind ahead 10 years, information services will be predominant (最重要的). It will be the way you do your job.
【小題1】One of the great changes caused by the knowledge society is that ______.

A．most people have to take part-time jobs

B．people have to change their jobs from time to time

C．people’s traditional concepts about work are no longer completely true

D．the difference between the employee and the employer has become unimportant

【小題2】The future will probably belong to those who ______.

A．have more brains

B．a(chǎn)re involved in the service industries

C．cast their mind ahead instead of looking back

D．possess and know how to make use of information

【小題3】Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?

A．Computers and the knowledge society

B．Features and meanings of the New Era

C．Service Industries in the Modern Society

D．Rapid Advancement of Information Technology

Animals are natural resources that people have wasted all through our history.
Animals have been killed for their fur and feathers, for food, for sport, and simply because they were in the way. Thousands of kinds of animals have disappeared from the earth forever. Hundreds more are on the danger list today. About 170 kinds in the United States alone are considered in danger.
Why should people care? Because we need animals. And because once they are gone, there will never be any more.
Animals are more than beautiful or interesting or a source of food. Every animal has its place in the balance of nature. Destroying one kind of animal can create many problems.
For example, when farmers killed large numbers of hawks(鷹), the farmers’ stores of corn and grain were destroyed by rats and mice. Why? Because hawks eat rats and mice. With no hawks to keep down their numbers, the rats and mice multiplied(繁殖) quickly.
Luckily, some people are working to help save the animals. Some groups raise money to let people know about the problem. And they try to get the governments to pass laws protecting animals in danger.
Quite a few countries have passed laws. These laws forbid the killing of any animal or plant on the danger list. Slowly, the number of some animals in danger is growing.
【小題1】Why do people kill animals?

A．They kill animals for something they need.

B．They kill animals to raise some money.

C．Animals destroy their natural resources.

D．Animals create many problems.

【小題2】 Animals are important to us mainly because ______.

A．they give us a source of food

B．they are beautiful and lovely

C．they keep the balance of nature

D．they give us a lot of pleasure

【小題3】 Which of the following is NOT true?

A．People care much about animals because they need them.

B．Once a certain kind of animal is gone forever, there will never be any more.

C．Killing all rats and mice may cause some new problems.

D．People must not kill any animal or plant.

Honesty may well be the policy, but it often deserts us when no one is watching, psychologists report today. Experiments with an honesty box to collect payments for hot drinks show that people are better at paying up when under the gaze(注視) of a pair of eyes. The surprise was that the eyes were not real, but photographed.
Researchers at Newcastle University set up the experiment in secret. They attached a poster to a cupboard of mugs above an-honesty box alongside a kettle ,with tea, coffee and milk. Over 10 weeks, they alternated each week between images of eyes and pictures of flowers.
Dr. Bateson, a behavioral biologist and leader of the study, said that even though the eyes were not real they still seemed to make people behave more honestly. They effect may arise from behavioral characteristics that developed as early humans formed social groups that increased their chances of survival. Individuals had to co-operate for the good of the group, rather than act selfishly.
"If nobody is watching us, it is in our interests to behave selfishly. But when we think we're being watched,we should behave better, so people see us as co-operative and behave the same way towards us, "Dr. Bateson said.
"We thought we'd get a slight effect with eyes, but it was quite striking how much difference they made. Even at a subconscious(潛意識(shí)的) level, it seems people respond to eyes, and that might be because eyes send a strong biological signal we have evolved(進(jìn)化) to respond to."
The finding, which researchers believe sheds light on our evolutionary past, could be turned to practical use. The psychologists say images of eyes could promote ticket sales on public transport and improve monitor systems to prevent antisocial behavior.
【小題1】This passage is mainly about _______________.

A．the policy of honesty

B．a(chǎn)n honesty box to collect money

C．evolution on honesty

D．a(chǎn)n experiment on honesty

【小題2】The reason for doing the experiment secretly is that the researchers _____________.

A．wanted to get a comparatively more exact result

B．had known they wanted to do something illegally

C．meant to get the co-operation of their colleagues

D．intended to sell the hot drinks at a higher price

【小題3】People behave honestly under watchful gaze of eyes because _____________.

A．they want to leave a good impression

B．they fear to be laughed at by others

C．they've got the nature through evolution

D．they take the photo for a real pair of eyes

【小題4】The underlined phrase" sheds light on" in the last paragraph means _____.

A．causes somebody to become cheerful

B．makes something easier to understand

C．comes upon something by accident

D．brings something into the broad daylight

Trying to leave work at the office is proving to be a challenge for many British workers，with research showing that heavy workloads，conflicts and bosses all make an appearance in dreams．
Work-related issues are the number one topic featuring in dreams，with colleagues invading shut．eye time more than celebrities．More than 20 per cent surveyed admitted that they regularly dream about their boss．One in three dreams about work when they are stressed in their job and a quarter stated that they dream about a colleague if there was a conflict with them earlier that day．
Of the 2,000 people surveyed，20 per cent dreamed more if they were under pressure or stressed．The research found that the average person dreams most nights，with only 12 per cent saying they never dream．However, dreams often leave people confused，with 52 per cent saying they do not make sense and 60 per cent wishing they could know what they mean．
Commenting on the survey carried out by One Poll for Premier Inn hotels，dreams expert Davina MacKail said：“Whether we are asleep or awake．a(chǎn) problem with a colleague or stress at work can really affect us．More than half of the nation stated that their dreams don’t make sense so I have worked with Premier Inn to make a Dream Dictionary to help dreamers to understand why they dream what they do and what those dreams mean．”
A spokesman for Premier Inn said：“It is really important to try to unwind after a hard day at work but that is easier said than done if something is playing on your mind．”
【小題1】What Can we infer about the British workers?

A．Most of their dreams are work-related．

B．Some of them dream about work every night．

C．They dream of their colleagues more than their boss．

D．Their dreams involve work more than anything else．

【小題2】The survey shows that most people   ．

A．dream more under pressure

B．never dream at all

C．don’t understand their dreams

D．interpret their dreams well

【小題3】Davina MacKail expects people to use his Dream Dictionary when they   ．

A．have had a dream

B．want to prevent dreams

C．feel stressed and need relaxation

D．do research about dreams

【小題4】According to the spokesman for Premier Inn，it’s hard to relax if we    ．

A．dream about work while asleep

B．keep thinking hard

C．have sounds ringing in the mind

D．sleep in a noisy environment

You've heard of the fat suit and the pregnancy suit；now meet AGNES—the old person suit．
AGNES stands for “Age Gain Now Empathy(換位體驗(yàn)) System” and was designed by researchers at MIT's AgeLab to let you know what it feels like—physically—to be 75 years old．“The business of old age demands new tools，”said Joseph Coughlin，director of the AgeLab．“While focus groups and observations and surveys can help you understand what the older consumer needs and wants，young marketers never get that‘Ah ha!’moment of having difficulty opening a jar, or getting in and out of a car．That’s what AGNES provides．”
Coughlin and his team carefully adjusted the suit to make the wearer just as uncomfortable as an old person who has spent a lifetime eating poorly and not doing much exercise．Special shoes provide a feeling of imbalance，while braces on the knees and elbows limit joint mobility．Gloves give the feeling of decreased strength and mobility in the hands and wrists，and earplugs make it difficult to hear high—pitched sounds and soft tones．A helmet with straps(帶)attached to it presses the spine(脊柱)，and more straps attached to the shoes decrease hamstring flexibility, and shortens the wearer's step．
AGNES has been used most recently by a group of students working on a design of an updated walker．By wearing the suit they could see for themselves what design and materials would make the most sense for a physically limited older person．Coughlin said the suit has also been used by clothing companies，car companies and retail goods companies to help them understand the limitations of an older consumer．
“AGNES is not the destiny of everybody,” he said．“She is a badly behaved lady who didn't eat and exercise very well．A secondary benefit we’ve found with AGNES is that it has become a powerful tool to get younger people to invest in their long-term health．”
【小題1】AGNES has been developed to       ．

A．make the users more comfortable

B．1et us understand old people better

C．help old people move more quickly

D．produce new tools for the old-age business

【小題2】“An updated walker”(underlined)most likely refers to    ．

A．someone who travels a lot

B．a(chǎn) physically limited old person

C．some equipment that helps old people walk

D．a(chǎn) company whose service involves old people

【小題3】Which may be a fact resulting from the “secondary benefit” of AGNES?

A．Young people respect old people．

B．Old-age business improves their service

C．Old people eat and exercise well．

D．Young people eat and exercise well．

Facial expressions carry meaning that is determined by situations and relationships. For example, in American culture the smile is in general an expression of pleasure. Yet it also has other uses. A woman’s smile at a police officer does not carry the same meaning as the smile she gives to a young child. A smile may show love or politeness. It can also hide true feelings. It often causes confusion (困惑) across cultures. For example, many people in Russia consider smiling at strangers in public to be unusual and even improper. Yet many Americans smile freely at strangers in public places (although this is less common in big cities). Some Russians believe that Americans smile in the wrong places; some Americans believe that Russians don’t smile enough. In Southeast Asian cultures, a smile is frequently used to cover painful feelings. Vietnamese people may tell a sad story but end the story with a smile.
Our faces show emotions (情感), but we should not attempt to “read” people from another culture as we would “read” someone from our own culture. The fact that members of one culture do not express their emotions as openly as do members of another does not mean that they do not experience emotions. Rather, there are cultural differences in the amount of facial expressiveness permitted. For example, in public and in formal situations many Japanese do not show their emotions as freely as Americans do. When with friends, Japanese and Americans seem to show their emotions similarly.
It is difficult to generalize about Americans and facial expressiveness because of personal and cultural backgrounds in the United States. People from certain cultural backgrounds in the United States seem to be more facially expressive than others. The key is to try not to judge people whose ways of showing emotion are different. If we judge according to our own cultural habits, we may make the mistake of “reading” the other person incorrectly.
【小題1】What does the smile usually mean in the U.S.?

A．Love

B．Politeness

C．Joy

D．Thankfulness

【小題2】The author mentions the smile of the Vietnamese to prove that a smile can ________.

A．show friendliness to strangers

B．be used to hide true feelings

C．be used in the wrong places

D．show personal habits

【小題3】What should we do before attempting to “read” people?

A．Learn about their relations with others

B．Understand their cultural backgrounds

C．Find out about their past experience

D．Figure out what they will do next

【小題4】What would be the best title for the test?

A．Cultural Differences

B．Smiles and Relationships

C．Facial Expressiveness

D．Habits and Emotions

Mobile phones are an important business tool for farmers in rural areas. But they also put a valuable educational tool in their hands.
The University of Illinois in the United States has a project called SAWBO—Scientific Animations Without Borders. It produces educational videos that can be downloaded to cell phones. The goal is to help people in developing countries improve their lives.
One video shows farmers how to make a natural insecticide from neem seeds to prevent insect damage to crops. The process starts with sorting and drying the neem fruits. Then let the fruit dry in the sun for about three or four days, until they become brown. Using a mortar(碾槌) and stick, the fruits are slightly pounded to remove the shells from the fruits without breaking the seed inside.
The videos use computer animation(動(dòng)畫). Some of the animated characters are a little funny looking-like a farmer with a long nose. But the subjects are serious, including a health video on preventing cholera(霍亂). Team member Francisco Seufferheld says the information in the videos is meant to be quickly understood. He says, “The information is digested in such a way that in two minutes, we can transmit a complex idea.”
The researchers tested the seven-minute video on seven mobile phones. They wanted to see if people would share the video using Bluetooth wireless technology. With Bluetooth, files can be passed to a nearby phone even if neither phone is connected to the Internet. As a result, in one month, the video had spread to one hundred eighteen people in fifty different villages. “This is just incredible impact,” said Francisco Seufferheld.
The team has made a few videos so far. These are available in a total of eighty languages, dialects and accents. Professor Barry Pittendrigh says there are plans for more videos later this year.
【小題1】What is the text mainly about?

A．A best-selling mobile phone

B．A valuable educational project for farmers

C．United States support for developing countries

D．A new type of scientist –farmer relationship

【小題2】The SAWBO program is introduced in order to ____.

A．raise farmers’ standard of living

B．do some research on mobile phones

C．develop farmers’ practical skills

D．help farmers prevent insect damage to corps

【小題3】The biggest advantage of the program is that it______.

A．includes health video on preventing cholera

B．can be passed to farmers using Bluetooth technology

C．can be used to sort and dry the neem fruits

D．is easy for farmers to understand

【小題4】Which of the following words can best take the place of the word “ pound” in the 3^rd paragraph?

A．moved

B．beat

C．picked

D．cut

Strange things happen when you travel, because the earth is divided into twenty-four zones. The time difference between two zones is one hour. You can have days with more than twenty-four hours and days with fewer than twenty- four hours. You can have weeks with more than seven days and weeks with fewer than seven days.
If you make a five-trip across the Atlantic Ocean , your ship come into a different time zone every day. As you come into each zone, the time changes one hour. If you travel west, you set your watch back. If you travel east, you set it ahead. Each day of your trip has either twenty-five or twenty-three hours.
If you make a trip by ship across the Pacific Ocean , you cross the International Date Line. This is the point where a new day begins when you cross the line, you change one full day. If you travel east, today becomes yesterday, if you travel west it is tomorrow.
【小題1】Something interesting will happen to the time if you travel because        .

A．a(chǎn) day has always fewer than twenty-four hours

B．a(chǎn) day has always more than twenty- four hours

C．a(chǎn) day has more or fewer than twenty-four hours,

D．some time zones are large and some time zones are small

【小題2】The time difference between two time zones is         .

A．twenty-four hours	B．one hour
C．two hours	D．twenty-three hours

【小題3】If we cross the Atlantic Ocean, we         .

A．change one full day	B．set our watch back
C．set our watch ahead	D．set our watch back or ahead

【小題4】If we travel east across the International Date Line on July 5th, the date becomes July       .

A．3rd

B．4th

C．5th

D．6th

【小題5】Which of the following sentences is true?

A． If we travel around the world, we will get into trouble in telling the time.

B．If we travel west across the Atlantic Ocean, we will have twenty-three hours.

C． If we travel by ship across the Atlantic Ocean, we will cross the International Date Line.

D． If we travel across the Pacific Ocean, today becomes tomorrow.

A rainforest is an area covered by tall trees with the total high rainfall spreading quite equally through the year and the temperature rarely dipping below 16℃.Rainforests have a great effect on the world environment because they can take in heat from the sun and adjust the climate. Without the forest cover, these areas would reflect more heat into the atmosphere，warming the rest of the world. Losing the rainforests may also influence wind and rainfall patterns, potentially causing certain natural disasters all over the world.
In the past hundred years, humans have begun destroying rainforests in search of three major resources (資源): land for crops, wood for paper and other products, land for raising farm animals. This action affects the environment as a whole. For example，a lot of carbon dioxide(二氧化碳)in the air comes from burning the rainforests. People obviously have a need for the resources we gain from cutting trees but we will suffer much more than we will benefit.
There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, when people cut down trees, generally they can only use the land for a year or two. Secondly, cutting large sections of rainforests may provide a good supply of wood right now, but in the long run it actually reduces the world’ s wood supply.
Rainforests are often called the world’s drug store. More than 25% of the medicines we use today come from plants in rainforests. However, fewer than 1% of rainforest plants have been examined for their medical value. It is extremely likely that our best chance to cure diseases lies somewhere in the world’s shrinking rainforests.
【小題1】Why did humans destroy rainforests in the past hundred years?

A．They tried to get crops and paper

B．They needed other products

C．They wanted to raise farm animals

D．They aimed to get three major resources.

【小題2】Rainforests can help to adjust the climate because they________.

A．reflect more heat into the atmosphere

B．bring about high rainfall throughout the world

C．rarely cause the temperature to drop lower than 16℃

D．reduce the effect of heat from the sun on the earth

【小題3】What does the word “this” underlined in the third paragraph refer to?

A．We will lose much more than we can gain.

B．Humans have begun destroying rainforests.

C．People have a strong desire for resources.

D．Much carbon dioxide comes from burning rainforests.

【小題4】It can be inferred from the text that________.

A．we can get enough resources without rainforests

B．there is great medicine potential in rainforests

C．we will grow fewer kinds of crops in the gained land

D．the level of annual rainfall affects wind patterns

【小題5】What might be the best title for the text?

A．How to Save Rainforests

B．How to Protect Nature

C．Rainforests and the Environment

D．Rainforests and Medical Development