In a great many cities, hundreds of people ride bikes to work every day． In New York, some bike riders have even formed a group called Bike for a Better City． They declare that if more people rode bikes to work, there would be fewer automobiles in the downtown part of the city and so less dirty air from car engines．
For several years, this group had been trying to get the city government to help bike riders． For example, they want the city to draw special lanes(車道) for bikes on some of the main streets, because when bike riders must use the same lanes as cars there are accidents． Bike for a Better City feels that if there were special lanes, more people would use bikes．
But no bike lanes have been drawn． Not everyone thinks it is a good idea—they say it will slow traffic． Some store owners on the main streets don’t like the idea—they say that if there is less traffic, they will have less business．
The city government has not yet decided what to do． It wants to keep everyone happy． On weekends, Central Park—the largest place open ground in New York— is closed to cars, and the roads may be used by bikes only．
【小題1】In New York, a group of bike riders__________．

A．are keeping practicing for health

B．have no cars of their own

C．are complaining there are not enough buses

D．are trying to settle the problem of air pollution

【小題2】The bike riders suggest that __________．

A．bikes should be used instead of cars

B．bike lanes should be drawn

C．fewer buses or cars should be used

D．the number of special lanes should be decreased

【小題3】The advantage of the special lanes is that__________．

A．they will make cars and buses run slowly

B．they will make it easier for bike riders to go to parks

C．they will make the city more beautiful

D．they will prevent accidents

There are some places in the world where great cities once stood. There were trees, gardens and grass. But now these cities have gone and the places are like deserts. Scientists began to study this land to find out what happened. Many of them believed the land died when the trees were cut down.
Trees help other plants grow and help hold the soil in place. They keep the soil from blowing away. The leaves of trees on the ground keep rainwater from running off. Trees near farms protect growing plants from strong winds.
Once there were hundreds of farms in the southwestern United States. Then the farms turned into fields of dry dust. Trees might have saved these farms. But few trees grow in the dry southwest now.
Now we try to save trees. In many places, when a tree is cut down , a new tree is planted in its place . We do not want the land to die.
【小題1】Places where great cities once stood are now like ______ .

A．farms

B．gardens

C．deserts

D．fields

【小題2】What can trees do according to the passage ?

A．Trees can keep other plants green

B．Trees can help other plants grow .

C．Trees can help the land grow .

D．Trees can keep other plants in place .

【小題3】Which is true ?

A．Trees let the rainwater run off .

B．All the farms in the United States have turned into deserts .

C．There aren’t any trees in the dry southwest now .

D．Land will die if there are no trees .

【小題4】The main idea of this passage is _________ .

A．that farms are better than cities

B．how farms turned into deserts

C．that trees are important to the land

D．how people save trees

【小題5】From the passage we know that _______ .

A．trees can blow soil away

B．man should protect the land

C．trees grow only in deserts

D．trees die easily

Scientists in Canada say big ocean fish have almost disappeared from the world since the start of industrial fishing in the nineteen-fifties. The scientists found that population of large fish like tuna; swordfish and cod have dropped by ninety percent in the past fifty years.
The study took ten years. The researchers gathered records from fishing businesses and governments around the world. The magazine Nature published the findings.
The scientists say the common method called longline fishing is especially damaging to populations of large fish. This method involves many fishing lines connected to one boat. These wires can be close to one-hundred kilometers long. They hold thousands of sharp metal hooks to catch fish.
Longline fishing is especially common in the Japanese fishing industry. Records showed that Japanese boats used to catch about ten fish for every one-hundred hooks. The study says longline fishing boats now might catch one fish per hundred hooks.
The scientists say industrial fishing can destroy groups of fish much faster than in the past. The study suggests that whole populations can disappear almost completely from new fishing areas within ten to fifteen years.
Ransom Myers of Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia led the study with Boris Worm of Dalhousie and the University of Kiel in Germany. Mister Worm says the destruction could lead to a complete re-organization of ocean life systems. Mister Meyers says the decreased number of large fish is not the only worry. He says even populations that are able to reproduce do not get the chance to live long enough to grow as big as their ancestors(祖先). He says not only are there fewer big fish, they are smaller than those of the past.
American government scientists say even with the best efforts to protect fish populations, decreases are to be expected.
【小題1】Where is the passage probably taken from?

A．A story book.

B．A business magazine.

C．An environment report.

D．An economic survey.

【小題2】Big fish have gradually been disappearing especially because ________.

A．longline fishing method is used

B．sea water is getting polluted

C．mankind destroys the environment

D．governments don’t make the best efforts

【小題3】Which of the following shows the fact that the populations of large fish have dropped?

A．Today’s “l(fā)arge”fish are smaller than those of the past.

B．Longline boats now might catch fewer fish every one-hundred hooks.

C．Fish even able to reproduce don’t have the chance to live longer.

D．Japanese boats could catch about ten fish for every 100 hooks.

【小題4】What can be the best title?

A．Discoveries Canadian Scientists Have Made

B．Japanese Fishing Industry

C．Losses of Big Fish

D．Modern Fishing Methods

【小題5】When did the researchers begin to survey the decreasing of large fish?

A．In the 1960s.

B．In the 1970s.

C．In the 1980s.

D．In the 1990s.

Welcome to the future. It’s year 2050 and Scotland is now powered completely by“clean”energy.
Homes have entire roofs made of solar materials, rooms are kept warm by wallpaper, and people go to and from work in electric and hydrogen( 氫) cars.
Oil is still being found in the North Sea, but it’s not now only used to keep aircraft flying. And a new 500---mile underwater link with Iceland has been built to catch heat from the hot springs. There’s still a role for king coal—but the black diamonds are now environment---friendly. 
People will be able to import the electricity they need and export any excess(超過的量) they make through rooftop windmills(風車). New technology will store electricity better and provide it on demand. Heat exchangers will provide heating and hot water.
Harmful carbon dioxide waste is being piped offshore to St Fergus and from there into some of the remaining oil—producing fields to be stored safely without entering the atmosphere. Gas remains the preferred energy source of industry and is now shipped in liquid form. But hydrogen is imported through pipelines from France and from a geothermal (地熱的) plant in Iceland.
Hydrogen—fuelled cars have become popular. Electric bikes are common in cities using the new urban two—wheel network. Electric vehicles have become common, and their performances have been improved because of the developments in electrical drive technology like high—temperature super conducting motors. Many people leave their vehicles in a giant park where they can be recharged from the national electrical system . Oilseed rape (油菜) is widely grown to fuel some motors .
【小題1】What does the underlined phrase in paragraph 2 mean ?

A．The hot springs

B．Oil

C．Coal

D．Oil and coal

【小題2】Which sources of energy play a more important role in people’s daily life in the future ?

A．Oil and coal

B．Hydrogen and gas

C．Electricity and gas

D．Solar energy and wind

【小題3】The means of transport people use in 2050 do not include__________.

A．windmills	B．electric bikes
C．hydrogen—fuelled cars	D．aircraft

【小題4】The passage is written to tell us in the future_____________.

A．life will be better and better

B．the energy will become cleaner and cleaner

C．people will use some new sources of energy

D．people will pay more attention to the environment

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 these questions is yes. To some extent（程度）our intelligence is given to us at birth，and special education can never make a genius(天才) 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 say 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 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 intelligence depends on birth.
Imagine that now 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 that environment as well as birth plays a part. This conclusion is also suggested by the fact that people who live in close contact with each other, but who are not related at all, are likely to have similar degrees of intelligence.
【小題1】By using the example that two people closer in blood relationship are closer in intelligence that writer wants to prove    _    .

A．intelligence can be developed by environment

B．intelligence is given at birth

C．intelligence can be developed by experience

D．education plays an important part in the development of education

【小題2】A child who lives in rich and varied surroundings turns out higher in intelligence because ________.

A．his family is rich and therefore can afford to develop his intelligence

B．he can break the limits of intelligence fixed at birth

C．his family is rich and provides him with various healthy food

D．these surroundings are likely to help him reach the limits of their intelligence

【小題3】In the second paragraph “if we take two unrelated people at random from the population．．．” means “if we ____．”

A．choose two persons who are relative

B．take out two different persons

C．choose two persons with different intelligence

D．pick any two persons

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

A．Birth and Environment	B．Intelligence
C．The Answer to a Question	D．Intelligence and Education

Televisions, stereos, telephones, and computers have changed the way we spend our time and what we know about the world. Some of the changes brought about by these material possessions have improved our way of life, but others have made it worse. Our young teenagers turn on the television, play the stereo, play games on the computer, talk on the telephone, and eat all the same time. This drives me right up the wall to instant insanity(精神失常).
However, teens of today place too great an importance on material property. They spend an average of several hours a day watching television, listening to stereos, playing on the computer, playing video games, and talking on the telephone. Families no longer watch television together and there is great lack of communication. Materialism is evident when an otherwise intelligent teenager drives their parents crazy, and into debt, when misusing communication equipment. Teens judge and admire other teens for what they own and have, rather than for what they are or what they can do. They no longer care about values, like honesty, integrity(正直), freedom, talent, quality and other values and morals.
However, good or bad, communication devices are here to stay. It is up to us, as parents, to stop our beloved teenagers from misusing and abusing our communication equipment and devices. We need to avoid the problems they present and to make the most of their opportunities they possess and hold for us all.
【小題1】The writer’s attitude toward the modern material possessions is generally _____.

A．positive

B．negative

C．neutral

D．indifferent

【小題2】According to the writer, teens’ overuse of communication equipment can do harm to _____.

A．their own health	B．their own study
C．their own morality	D．their neighbors’ life

【小題3】The writer attributes (歸咎) the unsatisfactory behavior of teens to _____.

A．teens’ too much free time	B．parents’ non-interference
C．inadequate school education	D．material property

【小題4】It can be inferred from the passage that the writer seems to be most annoyed at ______.

A．all the modern material possession	B．eating while talking on the phone
C．the decline in teens’ morality	D．all the communication equipment

In some urban centers, workholism is so common that people do not consider it unusual: they accept the lifestyle as normal. Government workers in Washington D. C., for example, frequently work sixty to seventy hours a week. They don’t do this because they have to; they do it because they want to.
Workholism can be a serious problem. Because true workaholics (工作狂) would rather work than do anything else, they probably don’t know how to relax.
Is workholism always dangerous? Perhaps not. There are, certainly, people who work well under stress. Some studies show that many workaholics have great energy and interest in life. Their work is so pleasurable that they are actually very happy. For most workaholics, work and entertainment keep them busy and creative.
Why do workaholics enjoy their jobs so much? There are several advantages to work. Of course, it provides people with paychecks, and this is important. But it offers more than financial security. It provides people with self-confidence; they have a feeling of satisfaction when they’ve produced a challenging piece of work and are able to say, “I made that.” Psychologists claim that work gives people an identity through participation in work, they get a sense of self and individualism. In addition, most jobs provide people with a socially acceptable way to meet others. Perhaps some people are compulsive about their work, but their addiction seems to be a safe-even an advantageous-one.
【小題1】The passage indicates that workaholics ______.

A．just know work but nothing else

B．are willing to work hard for long hours without pay

C．find their work provide them more satisfaction and self-confidence than how much they are paid

D．has the work with more responsibility than others

【小題2】One of the reasons that some people are not willing to quit their jobs even in their eighties and nineties is that ______.
A. they are in the need of financial security
B. they would rather work than be disturbed by domestic affairs
C. they long for a sense of identity and being accomplished
C. they may have health problems from sheer boresom
【小題3】This passage is mainly about ______.

A．workaholics are usually successful people, but their lives are in a mess

B．workholism can lead to serious problems but it can also create a joyful life

C．people who are absorbed in their work may enjoy movies, sports and other kinds of entertainment

D．those who work even under difficult conditions may be very happy

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

A．in the eyes of all the common people workaholics are peculiar

B．to workaholics, work is the sole source of happiness

C．a piece of challenging work may provide the workaholics a sense of satisfaction

D．workaholics are as addicted to their job as other people are to drugs or alcohol

Now let's look ourselves as a species in relation to ecosystem balance.Modern scientists believe that humankind, like other animals, evolved(進化) through millions of years of changes and adaptations to the environment and that our most direct evolutionary ancestor was probably an earlier species of the primate(monkey, ape) group. Despite this similarity with other creatures, however, the evolution of humankind differs from that of other species in one important and unique way.
In other species, evolution has led to specialization, both in the species abilities and in its place within the environmental structure. For example, the giraffe is much adapted to feeding on treetops, but it is also specialized and thus limited to feeding on trees and shrubs. Only with great difficulty can it bend down to graze on the ground. Similarly, the anteater is extremely well adapted to eating ants but is unable to catch or eat other animals. The same is true for countless other species.
For humankind it is opposite. Our evolution had led to a very generalized ability. Our highly developed intelligence and ability to make and handle tools mean that we can do almost anything. Humans evolved in such a way that we are able to move into every environment on Earth and even into space. No natural competitor offers great resistance, and other natural enemies such as disease have been controlled.
Said another way, we see in humankind a great imbalance between biological potential and environmental resistance. The result is the rapidly increasing world population, frequently referred to as the population explosion. Further, to support our growing population, natural ecosystems are being increasingly displaced by human habitations, agriculture, and other human supporting activities.
【小題1】From the passage we can infer that in the course of evolution _______.

A．humankind is very important to earlier species, such as the primate group

B．human beings are limited by the environment while animals are not

C．human beings become more and more different from each other

D．humankind has experienced a generalization rather than specialization in ability

【小題2】According to the passage, primate includes such animals as _______.

A．monkeys and anteaters	B．tigers and apes
C．apes and monkeys	D．monkeys and giraffes

【小題3】According to the passage, evolution has made it possible for humans to _______.

A．increase the population

B．resist natural offers

C．go to the moon

D．cure all diseases

【小題4】According to the author, imbalance between biological potential and environ mental resistance has resulted in _______.

A．the population explosion

B．the destruction of human habitations

C．the growth of natural ecosystem

D．the specialization of humans

When we look at the sky and see a bright light moving quickly across it or coming towards the earth, we talk about seeing a “shooting star” or a “falling star”. These moving lights are not, in fact, stars at all. They are small pieces of matter from outer space, which burn up as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere. The correct name of them is meteoroids. Any pieces that make it to the Earth’s surface without completely burning up are known as meteorites. A meteor is actually the name given to the light we see when a meteoroid is burning up.
When a meteorite hits the Earth at speeds between 11 and 72 kilometers a second, it can do amazing damage. A very large meteorite could knock the earth out of its orbit. If this happened, all life on Earth would probably become extinct（滅絕）. The path we follow around the Sun would change and as a result the Earth would become either much hotter or much colder. This change in temperature would affect sea levels and the amount of water in rivers. There would either be huge floods, which would cover most of the land with water, or the oceans would dry up and there would be a drought, which means a long period of time without rain. Either way, nothing could survive. If a large meteorite landed in the sea it would almost certainly cause tsunamis, which would race towards the land, destroying everything in their paths.
Although it is unlikely the Earth will be struck by a meteorite large enough to do that kind of damage, there is evidence of fairly large meteorites hitting the Earth in the past. In 1908 a large area of forest in Tunguska, Siberia was destroyed by a meteorite that came apart just before it hit the ground. The moon, however, has about three billion craters隕石坑caused by meteorites impacting影響 its surface. The reason more meteorites have reached the surface of the moon than the surface of the Earth is that the moon does not have enough atmosphere for the meteorites to burn up in. some of the meteorites that have reached the Earth’s surface have done considerable damage. Some scientists believe it was a change of climate caused by meteorites hitting the Earth that resulted in the extinction of the dinosaurs and other large prehistoric animals.
Scientists are especially interested in meteorites because they contain information about the solar system. It is widely believed by scientists that most meteorites are produced by collisions（碰撞） between asteroids (small planets). These collisions probably happened many billions of years ago. This means the physical and chemical structure of a meteorite can give scientists information about the early days of the universe.
【小題1】The story is about ___.     

A．floods caused by meteors

B．matter from outer space

C．life on Earth millions of years ago

D．meteorites that have damaged the moon

【小題2】The Earth has ___.                    

A．three billion craters

B．fewer craters than the moon

C．more craters than the moon

D．a thinner atmosphere than the moon

【小題3】Some scientists believe the dinosaurs became extinct because ___.     

A．they were hit by meteors

B．meteorites landed on their nests

C．meteorites landed and changed the climate

D．they could no longer breathe the atmosphere

【小題4】Meteors are ___.                                         

A．small planets

B．the same as asteroids

C．from broken parts of asteroids

D．the light we see when meteoroids hit our atmosphere

Too many cars have created a lot of serious problems in our world. Besides congestion(擁塞), accidents and fast fuel consumption(消費), cars are responsible for a good part of air pollution in big cities. All the time, they are pumping huge amounts of waste gases into the atmosphere. These gases are very harmful, causing disease and even death. Last winter, car fumes(煙霧) formed heavy smog over Beijing, making the sky gloomy for weeks and deteriorating people's health.
One possible solution is to design and develop clean cars and clean fuels. In Tsinghua University, campus buses are driven by electricity. In Beijing some of the public buses begin to run on natural gas, which does not give off as much carbon dioxide as the petrol. But it may take decades for the new models of clean cars to completely replace the traditional ones.
Another solution is to develop modern public transportation systems and restrict （限制）the use of private cars. If the price of petrol rises constantly and the public vehicles（交通車輛） are efficient and convenient enough, most people will not use private cars. And the total number of cars in big cities will reduce greatly. 　　
On the whole, the elimination （根除）of air pollution needs the co-efforts from the government, the public and the environments. This problem will be solved only with the help of science and technology.
【小題1】What is the main reason for air pollution in big cities?

A．congestion	B．accidents
C．fast fuel consumption	D．cars

【小題2】What is the best title of this passage?                               

A．Air Pollution and Cars

B．Air Pollution

C．the Cause of the Pollution

D．Ways to Solve the car Problem

【小題3】How many ways are mentioned to solve the pollution caused by cars?      

A．One

B．Two

C．Three

D．Four

【小題4】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?               

A．New models of clean cars will soon replace the traditional cars

B．Public transportation should replace all the private cars

C．In some university, electricity is used in school buses

D．It is only the government’s efforts that can help solve air pollution caused by cars