Santa Fe, the capital of New Mexico, U.S.A.,is in the central part of the state, on the Santa Fe River, which flows into the Rio Grande 35 kilometres west of the city. More than two thousand metres above sea level, it lies in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains with the Ortiz Mountains to the southeast.
Santa Fe was founded in 1609 by the Spanish (西班牙人)on an old Indian village.In 1680 the Indians seized the place but only held it for twelve years before the Spanish retook it. The city remained under Spanish rule until Mexico won its independence (獨(dú)立) in 1821. From then on it was a Mexican city until 1846 when it was taken over by American troops.
With a population of 48,953, Santa Fe is now the second largest city in the state. Because of its sunny weather, rich history and surrounding mountains, it is a good place for holiday makers. Besides hunting and skating in the mountains people enjoy shopping in the Indian and Spanish shops, which brings a large income to the city every year. In summer there is an international opera (歌劇) season when operas are shown in a partly-roofed ,open-air theatre daily for people from all over the world.
【小題1】At present Santa Fe belongs to           .

A．India

B．Mexico

C．Spain(西班牙)

D．the United States

【小題2】Which of the drawings below gives an idea of what Santa Fe is like?
RG="the" Rio Grande  SFR="the" Santa Fe River  OM="the" Ortiz Mountains

【小題3】Santa Fe was under the rule of the Mexicans in        .

A．1675

B．1695

C．1816

D．1833

【小題4】One of the reasons for visitors to come to Santa Fe is that it            .

A．has fine weather

B．is the state capital

C．has historical monuments

D．is on the Santa Fe River

Is your family interested in buying a dog? A dog can be a pleasant companion to your family, but if you choose the wrong kind of dog , you will have a lot of troubles.
Families should sit down and discuss the possible problems before buying a dog. Even if the children in your family are the ones who want the dog, the parents are the ones who are really responsible for seeing that the animal is properly cared for. If you don’t know much about dogs, it is a good idea to go to the library for books about different kinds of dogs, and books about how to train a young dog. In reading about the different breeds(種類)you should know that a dog described(描述)as very alert(機(jī)敏靈活的)may be too active. When a book describes a dog as an excellent hunting dog, it probably means that the dog won’t be happy living in a small house. Dog breeds vary(變化)in popularity as the years go by. One of the most popular dogs these days is the German shepherd. This is because it provides protection as well as companionship. The family should be warned that these dogs grow up to be very big, and may be too powerful for children to control. If space is limited, a toy dog may be a good choice. These dogs are very small and easy to train. They don’t need to be walked daily, since they can exercise in the home.
【小題1】According to the passage, one can get information about different kinds of dogs      .

A．by going to the library

B．by asking someone who has enough experience about different kinds of dogs

C．by buying a dog and training it

D．by reading books about dogs

【小題2】The German shepherd is a popular dog      .

A．because it is easy to train

B．because it is big and strong

C．because it is powerful and friendly

D．because it is alert and active

【小題3】Which of the following statements is not true?

A．Don’t buy a hunting dog if your house is not big enough.

B．A dog may not be so good as it is described in books.

C．The German shepherd never loses its popularity for it provides not only companionship but also protection.

D．You should have a discussion with your family before buying a dog in case it causes you a lot of troubles.

【小題4】Which is the best topic of the passage?

A．The care and proper selection of dogs for families.

B．Different breeds of dogs.

C．Responsibility for seeing that dogs are properly cared for.

D．Different kinds of books about dogs.

"If you want to see a thing well, reach out and touch it!"
That may seem a strange thing to say. But touching things can help you to see them better.
Your eyes can tell you that a glass ball is round. But by holding it in your hands, you can feel how smooth and cool the ball is. You can feel how heavy the glass is. When you feel all these about the ball, you really see it. With your skin, you can feel better. For example, your fingers can tell the difference between two coins in your pocket. You can feel a little drop of water on the back of your hand, too. You can even feel sounds against your skin. Have you ever wanted to know why some people like very loud music? They must like to feel the sounds of music.
All children soon learn what "Don't touch!" means. They hear it often. Yet most of us keep on touching things as we grow up. In shops, we touch things we might buy: food, clothes. To see something well, we have to touch it. The bottoms of our feet can feel things, too. You know this when you walk on warm sand, cool grass or a hard floor. All feel different under your feet.
There are ways of learning to see well by feeling. One way is to close your eyes and try to feel everything that is touching your skin. Feel the shoes on your feet, the clothes on your body, the air on your skin. At first, it is not easy to feel these things. You are too used to them!
Most museums are just for looking. But today some museums have some things to touch. Their signs say, "Do touch!" There you can feel everything on show.
If you want to see better, reach out and touch. Then you will really see!
【小題1】By touching things ______.

A．you will have a strange feeling

B．you will learn how to reach out your hand

C．you can learn more about them

D．you can tell what colors they really are

【小題2】Which of the following can be the best title of the story?

A．Touching by Feeling	B．To See or to Feel
C．To See Better-Feel	D．Ways of Feeling

【小題3】Which of the following parts can tell you the difference between two coins in your pocket?

A．Your fingers.

B．Your eyes.

C．Your foot.

D．Your back.

【小題4】What can't your skin feel?

A．Sounds.

B．Darkness.

C．Water.

D．Coins.

【小題5】Which of the following is NOT true?

A．Touching is helping us to see better.

B．Our skins may help us enjoy music.

C．Feeling is a good way to learn.

D．Visitors can't feel the things on show in any museums.

A subject which seems to have been insufficiently studied by doctors and psychologists is the influence of geography and climate on the psychological and physical health of mankind. There seems no doubt that the general character of the landscape, the relative length of day and night, and the climate must all play a big part in determining what kind of people we are.
It is true that a few studies have been made. Where all the inhabitants of a particular area enjoy exceptionally good or bad health, scientists have identified contributory factors such as the presence or absence of substances like iodine, fluoride, calcium, or iron in the water supply, or perhaps types of land that provide breeding places for pests like mosquitoes or rats.
Moreover, we can all generalize about types of people we have met. Those living in countries with long dark winters are apt to be less talkative and less vivacious than inhabitants of countries where the climate is more equable. And where the olive and the orange grow, there the inhabitants are cheerful, talkative, and spontaneous.
But these commonplace generalizations are inadequate: the influence of climate and geography should be studied in depth. Do all mountain dwellers live to a ripe old age? Does the drinking of wine, rather than beer, result in a sunny and open temperament? Is the strength and height of one of the Kenyan tribes due to their habitual drinking of the blood of cows?
We are not yet sure of the answers to such questions, but let us hope that something of benefit to mankind may eventually result from such studies.
【小題1】_____ might serve as a suitable title for this selection.

A．The Importance of Geographical Environment

B．The Influence of Geographical Environment on Man

C．Generalization of Types of People

D．Geographical Environment, a Mysterious Subject

【小題2】Using context clues we may infer that " iodine, fluoride and calcium" are _____.

A．substances which act positively or negatively on man's health

B．harmful substances in the water supply

C．substances which help provide breeding places for pests

D．substances contributory to good health

【小題3】We may infer from the third paragraph that geography and climate play an important role in determining the inhabitants' _____.

A．health condition	B．personality
C．life-span	D．a(chǎn)ll of the above

【小題4】According to the author, research into the influence of geography and climate should_____.

A．focus on some unknown aspects

B．be pursued on a larger scale

C．be carried out within a larger scope

D．go much deeper

【小題5】The author hopes that studies on the influence of geographical environment will enable us to           

A．generalize better about types of people

B．find better water supplies

C．gain an insight into its influence on mankind

D．live to a ripe old age

Don’t you think your schoolbag is too heavy to bear? The e-schoolbag will free you from the weight.
It is said that e-schoolbags are going to be brought into use in Chinese middle schools soon. An experiment with several hundred e-schoolbags will begin in seven cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Dalian, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Taiyuan and Shijiazhuang. And the e-schoolbags are going to cover all over China if the experiment proves to be successful. In fact, the e-schoolbag should perhaps be called an e-notebook. It is a small hand-held computer for school students.
Heavy schoolbags have long been a serious problem for school students. The average schoolbag of middle school students weighs up to 5 kilos. But the e-schoolbag will change everything. It is much lighter than a usual schoolbag, weighing under 1 kilo.
Also, it is no bigger than a usual book, but it can still hold all the things for study, such as a textbook, a notebook and exercise book. They could be made into chips that are as small as a stamp. The students can read the text page by page on the screen. They can still take notes using a special electronic pen. If they want to know the meaning or the pronunciation of a new word, or even e-mail their teachers, it’s just a press of a button.
In some foreign countries, it is becoming common. But it is hard to tell when people will receive this new form of study. Some say that e-textbooks can be easily broken, some say that it is not good to students’ eyesight to look at the screen for long.  But only time will tell.
【小題1】The e-schoolbag has many functions EXCEPT ________.

A．It can pronounce the words.

B．It can send e-mail.

C．It can be used as a dictionary.

D．It can phone somebody.

【小題2】According to the passage, the e-schoolbag ­­­________.

A．is not heavy as before but still large

B．is used as an experiment in Tianjin

C．is made of metal

D．is going to cover China if it proves to be successful

【小題3】Which of the following statement is TRUE?

A．All the students in China will be required to use this new schoolbag soon.

B．All the people think highly of e-textbooks.

C．E-notebooks are very convenient to students.

D．We will not make notes because the e-notebook can make all by itself.

【小題4】The best title for the passage should be ________.

A．An Experiment In China

B．Please Change Your Schoolbag

C．A New Invention, A New Schoolbag

D．Chips

Something in chocolate could be used to stop coughs and lead to more effective medicines, say UK researchers.
Their study found that theobromine（可可堿）, found in cocoa, was nearly a third more effective in stopping coughs than codeine, which was considered the best cough medicine at present.
The Imperial College London researchers who published their results online said the discovery could lead to more effective cough treatment. “While coughing is not necessarily harmful it can have a major effect on the quality of life, and this discovery could be a huge step forward in treating this problem,” said Professor Peter Barnes.
Ten healthy volunteers were given theobromine, codeine or placebo, a pill that contains no medicine, during the experiment. Neither the volunteers nor the researchers knew who received which pill. The researchers then measured levels of capsaicin, which is used in research to cause coughing and as a sign of how well the medicines are stopping coughs.
The team found that, when the volunteers were given theobromine, the capsaicin needed to produce a cough was around a third higher than in the placebo group. When they were given codeine they needed only slightly higher levers of capsaicin to cause a cough compared with the placebo.
The researchers said that theobromine worked by keeping down a nerve activity(神經(jīng)活動), which cause coughing. They also found that unlike some standard cough treatments, theobromine caused no side effects such as sleepiness.
【小題1】According to Professor Barnes, theobromine ______.

A．cannot be as effective as codeine

B．can be harmful to people’s health

C．cannot be separated from chocolate

D．can be a more effective cure for coughs

【小題2】What was used in the experiment to cause coughing?

A．Theobromine.

B．Codeine.

C．Capsaicin.

D．Placebo.

【小題3】We learn from the text that volunteers in the experiment _____.

A．were patients with bad coughs

B．were divided into the three groups

C．received standard treatments

D．suffered little side effects

【小題4】Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A．Codeine: A New Medicine

B．Chocolate May Cure Coughs

C．Cough Treatment: A Hard Case

D．Theobromine Can Cause Coughs

Most people around the world are right-handed . This also seems to be true in history . In 1799 , scientists studied works of art made at different times from 1,500 B.C. to the 1950s . Most of the people shown in these works are right-handed , so the scientists guessed that right-handedness has always been common through history . Today , only about 10% to 15% of the world’s population is left-handed .
Why are there more right-handed people than left-handed ones ? Scientists now know that a person’s two hands each have their own jobs . For most people , the left hand is used to find things or hold things . The right hand is used to work with things. This is because of the different work of the two sides of the brain . The right side of the brain , which makes a person’s hands and eyes work together , controls the left person’s hands and eyes work together , controls the left hand . The left-side of the brain , which controls the right hand , is the centre for thinking and doing problems . These findings show that more artists should be left-handed , and studies have found that left-handedness is twice as common among artists as among people in other jobs .
No one really knows what makes a person become right-handed instead of left-handed . Scientists have found that almost 40% of the people become left-handed because their main brain is damaged when they are born . However , this doesn’t happen to everyone , so scientists guess there must be another reason why people become left-handed . One idea is that people usually get right-handed from their parents . If a person does not receive the gene（基因）for right-handedness , he / she may become either right-handed or left-handed according to the chance and the people they work or live with .
Though right-handedness is more common than left-handedness , people no longer think left-handed people are strange or unusual . A long time ago , left-handed children were made to use their right hands like other children , but today they don’t have to .
【小題1】 After studying works of art made at different times in history , the scientists found       .
A. art began from 1, 500 B.C.
B. the works of are ended in the 1950s
C. most people shown in the works of art are right-handed
D. most people shown in the works of art are left-handed
【小題2】How many people in the world are left-handed now ?

A．Less than one sixth .	B．More than a half .
C．About 40% .	D．The passage doesn’t tell us .

【小題3】What is the left hand for most people used to do ?

A．It’s used to find or hold things .

B．It’s used to work with things .

C．It’s used to make a person’s eyes work together .

D．It’s the centre for thinking and doing problems .

【小題4】 According to the passage , which of the following is NOT true ?

A．No one really knows what makes a person become right-handed .

B．Left-handedness is cleverer than right-handedness .

C．Today children are not made to use their right hands only .

D．Scientists think there must be some reason why people become left-handed .

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

A．Scientist’s New Inventions

B．Left-handed People

C．Which Hand

D．Different Brains , Different Hands

Whales live in the ocean, but they are not fish. They are warm-blooded mammals and must have air to breathe. The babies are born alive and drink milk from the mother's body. It took millions of years for the whale to develop as it is today.
Every spring groups of whales swim hundreds of kilometers to warm places to bear their young. Each group goes to the same place every year. The mothers take very good care of their babies. The fully grown whales are very gentle and playful with each other, and with humans. They “talk” to each other with a high noise that  sounds beautiful. This“talking” can be heard for more than 300 kilometers in open waters.
Yet humans kill over a hundred whales a day. They kill them to make whale oils and a lot of other things. Killing them is a modern business with modern machines and even harpoons( 魚叉炮) that explode( 爆炸) inside the whales. A whale dies very slowly and in great pain. Some ships kill every whale they can find, even the mothers and babies. Then there are no young whales to grow up or to bear more young.
【小題1】A commonly mistaken belief is that ____.

A．whales are mammals

B．whales must have air to breathe

C．whales' babies drink milk

D．whales are fish

【小題2】In the passage “mammals” refer to ____.

A．the animals which live in water

B．the animals which have wings and feathers

C．the animals which are fed on their mothers' milk

D．the things which live in earth and have no backbones

【小題3】Every spring each group of whales ____.

A．swim only a few kilometers

B．return to the same place as they did before

C．go to different places

D．go to cold places to bear their young

【小題4】When whales talk, it sounds like ____.

A．talking

B．whispering

C．quarreling

D．singing

【小題5】Every year humans kill ____ all over the world.

A．nearly forty thousand whales

B．less than four million

C．a(chǎn)bout four thousand whales

D．a(chǎn)bout fourteen thousand whales

-What will people die of 100 years from now? If you think that is a simple question, you have not been paying attention to the revolution that is taking place in bio-technology(生物技術(shù)). With the help of new medicine, the human body will last a very long time. Death will come mainly from accidents, murder and war. Today’s leading killers, such as heart disease, cancer, and aging itself, will become distant memories.
In discussion of technological changes, the Internet gets most of the attention these days. But the change in medicine can be the real technological event of our times. How long can humans live, Human brains were known to decide the final death. Cells are the basic units of all living things, and until recently, scientists were sure that the life of cells could not go much beyond 120 years because the basic materials of cells, such as those of brain cells, would not last forever. But the upper limits will be broken by new medicine. Sometime between 2050 and 2100, medicine will have advanced to the point at which every 10 years or so, people will be able to take medicine repair their organs(器官). The medicine, made up of the basic building materials of life, will build new brain cells, heart cells, and so on—in much the same way our bodies make new skin cells to take the place of old ones.
It is exciting to imagine that the advance in technology may be changing the most basic condition of human existence, but many technical problems still must be cleared up on the way to this wonderful future.
【小題1】 According to the passage, human death is now mainly caused by __________.

A．diseases and aging

B．a(chǎn)ccidents and war

C．a(chǎn)ccidents and aging

D．heart disease and war

【小題2】 In the author’s opinion, today’s most important advance in technology lies in __________.

A．brain cell	B．the Internet
C．medicine	D．human organ

【小題3】Humans may live longer in the future because _________.

A．heart disease will be far away from us

B．human brains can decide the final death

C．the basic materials of cells will last forever

D．human organs can be repaired by new medicine

【小題4】How long can humans live in the future according to the passage?

A．Over 100 years.

B．More than 120 years.

C．About 150 years.

D．The passage doesn't tell us.

-There is a very special wolf that lives in Africa. They are actually called, the African wild dog, or painted dogs.
These animals live in open woodlands. or in the plains of Africa. Today, however, most of the animals can be found in eastern or southern Africa. These animals are beautiful. They have rounded ears instead of pointed like most dogs, and they have four toes (腳趾) on each of their feet, also a unique characteristic because other dogs have five. Their fur is always different from each other. The fur is usually a combination of black, brown, red, and white, and sometimes even yellow. No wonder they’re called the painted wolf.
The African wild dog is a very social animal. They live in groups and have numbers from five to about twenty. The members of a group are always very close to one another. They communicate in their own language or body language. When someone is very old or sick, the others will help, and they are willing to share the food with elders and with those who are weak, which is what we should learn from.
The family does everything together, from raising young, to sleeping together, to hunting. When they hunt, they work together using team work to kill animals that are larger than them.
They sometimes hunt farm animals. This is unfortunate, because both poachers (偷獵者), and people who own farms shoot the painted dogs who are just trying to survive.
Before, there used to be many large groups throughout the land, but now the African wild dog is very rare. They are also losing their population because of their own loss of habitat thanks to human’s farming and forest cutting.
【小題1】Why do African wild dogs get the name “painted dogs” ?

A．They all have colorful fur.

B．The dogs in the same group are of different colors.

C．Artists love to paint them in different colors.

D．None of them has the same color.

【小題2】According to the author, what should we learn from African wild dogs?

A．They always do everything together.

B．They are always very close to one another.

C．They help the sick, the elderly and the weak.

D．They communicate in their own language.

【小題3】Which of the following is NOT the reason why African wild dogs are becoming very rare?

A．Poachers kill some of them.

B．They are short of food sometimes.

C．They are losing their habitat.

D．Farmers shoot some of them.

【小題4】Where could this passage probably be found?

A．The Travelers	B．Fashion Weekly
C．Animal World	D．Star Magazine