Little Mark is only 6, but he has an IQ of 200, a genius among geniuses. But his intelligence comes at a cost. His parents must keep him intellectually simulated（啟發(fā)）while making sure he is like any other little boy.
Mark has been attracted by the way how the world works since he was a baby. When he was 3, Mark was reading fluently, mostly self-taught. His parents haven't been able to keep him away from books since.
"I tried many times to stop him reading. We worry about his crazy fond of reading because he constantly wants to read every-thing whatever it is.”
A psychologist at the Centre for gifted children tested Mark and gave him an IQ of 200. The average child of Mark's age has an IQ of 100. At 200, Mark is a genius-even compared with other child geniuses.
"With children like Mark you can tell that's a bright child as soon as they walk in. They just have this sort of intensity, and maybe they're not so good at communicating with people," the psychologist said. "He will never fit perfectly into a class where he's with children of his age.”But Mark's mother worries about the "socially isolated" labels. "Nobody wants their child to grow up with that image. I want him to communicate with others freely, but not to be frustrated academically, so it's really hard to find a balance," she says.
Helen Dudeney from the Talented and Gifted Children Association says Mark is one in a million with such a high IQ. She points out that geniuses are still rare and difficult for the public education system to handle. "The lack of coping comes because teachers aren't trained in teaching gifted children," says Dudeney.
Helen believes it's also extremely important for them to be recognized and supported in their talents. Mark's parents are trying to figure out how best to help Mark. At the moment, there are few options. Mark finds first year work boring and simple, but he must learn to complete the work. His mother says, "We just want to be happy. Just to have a happy childhood and want to go to school every day.”
【小題1】By saying "But his intelligence comes at a cost. ",the author means that        

A．Mark must pay for his intelligence at a high price

B．Mark's intelligence brings him negative effects at the same time

C．Mark's intelligence results from his parents

D．Mark's parents make Mark clever at all costs

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

A．Mark's parents are very satisfied with his love for reading.

B．Mark began to teach himself reading at the age of 3.

C．Many child geniuses are not good at communicating with others.

D．It is hard for parents to bring up a genius.

【小題3】If there are 6. 6 billion people in the world, the number of geniuses with an IQ of 200 will be
________．

A．a(chǎn)bout 4,400

B．a(chǎn)bout 5,500

C．a(chǎn)bout 6,600

D．a(chǎn)bout 7,700

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

A．A genius' craziness for books

B．The life of the genius' parents

C．The burden of being gifted

D．The characteristics of Mark

Many times when people hear the words social networking, their brains automatically go to sites such as Twitter or Facebook．However, there are sites for those into social networking and into reading． Sound crazy? It's really not．
If you' ve ever wanted a site where you can receive book recommendations, follow your favorite authors, and keep up with what your friends are reading．then look no further than Goodreads, com．
Goodreads provides useful services for those in the reading world, It is a site where you can win books by going to giveaways and simply entering your information．Some giveaways are even signed by the author．And the books aren't boring, old or torn copies - many of them are ARC’s （Advanced Readers Copies）, for which you can write a short review on the site．Anyone can post reviews of their favorite books or series so that others may feel inclined to read them as well．
Another function of the site is offering book clubs and interest groups．You can have interactive discussions with groups of people reading the same things, sort of like a blog．You can also make friends with people and post statuses similar to Facebook．Your friends can send you hook recommendations and you can add them to your shelf if you choose．
Shelves are by far one of the best features on the site．You can categorize your entire library and put hooks you want to read on your "to - read" shelf．These virtual （虛擬的）shelves allow you to see what you' ve read and also let you keep track of the number of books you' ve read in a year．
You can even read original writing for free because many people post their own writing on the site to gain feedback and advice on how to improve．Anyone can join this site for free and fall in love with not just a hook, but a book site as well．
【小題1】People who go to the site Twitter mostly want to              ．

A．get more books to read	B．buy goods for their daily life
C．Set to know more people	D．post their book recommendations

【小題2】According to the author, if you want to interact with others about reading,            ．

A．you have a lot of websites to log on

B．you'd better go to Goodreads．com

C．you should go to bookstores or libraries

D．you can go to Twitter or Facebook

【小題3】The underlined part "feel inclined" in．Paragraph 3 is the closest in meaning to “____” ．
A． have a tendency                                                 C． have no difficulty
C． have a possibility                                                D． have no doubt
【小題4】You can do all of the following things on Goodreads．com EXCEPT         ．

A．receiving books signed by the authors

B．publishing your comments on books

C．exchanging your ideas with other people

D．buying all kinds of books that you like

【小題5】What do we know about the shelves on Coodreads．com?

A．They are filled with all kinds of books from some libraries．

B．They are real bookshelves presented to readers by the site．

C．That is where people put books they have read or want to read．

D．New books will continuously be added to readers shelves by the site．

Just as the world’s most respected scientific bodies have confirmed that the world is getting hotter, they have also stated that there is strong evidence that humans are driving the warming. Countless recent reports from the world’s leading scientific bodies have said the same thing. For example, a 2010 summary of climate science by the Royal Society stated that: “There is strong evidence that the warming of the Earth over the last half-century has been caused largely by human activity.”
The idea that humans could change the planet’s climate may be counter-intuitive, but the basic science is well understood. Each year, human activity causes billions of tons of greenhouse gases to be released into the atmosphere. As scientists have known for years, these gases hold heat that would otherwise escape to space, wrapping the planet in an invisible blanket.
Of course, the planet’s climate has always been changing thanks to “natural” factors such as changes in solar or volcanic activity, or cycles relating the Earth’s going around the sun. According to the scientific literature, however, the warming recorded to date matches the pattern of warming we would expect from a build-up of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere – not the warming we would expect from other possible causes.
Even if scientists did discover another reasonable explanation for the warming observed so far, that would beg a difficult question. As Robert Henson puts it in The Rough Guide to Climate Change, “If some newly discovered factor can account for the climate change, then why aren’t carbon dioxide and the other greenhouse gases producing the warming that basic physics tells us they should be?”
The only way to prove with 100% certainty that humans are responsible for global warming would be to run an experiment with two identical Earths – one with human influence and one without. That obviously isn’t possible, and so most scientists are careful not to state human influence as an absolute certainty.
【小題1】 In most scientists’ opinion, the global warming is mainly caused by ________.

A．solar activity

B．volcanic activity

C．the Earth’s going around the sun

D．human activity

【小題2】. The text is developed by ________.

A．giving typical examples

B．following the order of space

C．a(chǎn)nalyzing a theory and arguing it

D．comparing and finding differences

【小題3】The underline word “identical” means ________.

A．totally different

B．exactly the same

C．extremely important

D．relatively independent

【小題4】 Which of the following can be the best title?

A．Are All the Scientists Really Scientific?

B．Where Is Global Warming Leading Us to?

C．Are Humans Definitely Causing Global Warming?

D．What’s Relation of Global Warming and Greenhouse Gases?

London has become a cycle friendly zone after the launch of a new bike hire scheme．It has been designed to encourage more people to cycle in and around central London．
So how does it work？First you have to sign up to the scheme to be sent a key．The key will unlock one of the bikes，which are kept at docking stations in and around central London．You have to pay an access fee for the key and then you pay as you go，for the length of time you use the bike．
Transport for London, which runs the scheme，are hoping to have 6，000 bikes and 400 docking stations in place by the end of the year．The new hire system is hoping to ease congestion in London and is expected to generate up to 40，000 extra cycle trips a day into the city centre. London Mayor Boris Johnston launched the scheme and said London had been “filled with thousands of gleaming machines that will transform the look and feel of our streets and become as common place on our roads as black cabs and red buses”.
However，there have been a few problems since the scheme was launched last Friday．On the first day some people found they couldn’t dock their bike properly and their usage of the bike had not registered．Transport for London did admit they had been expecting a few “teething problems” and have said they wouldn’t charge for the first day as a“gesture of goodwill”．Some other people have criticized the lack of docking stations and locks for the bikes as well as the price it costs to hire the bicycles．
Despite the comments，the green-thinking London Mayor still seems very positive about things，saying，“My campaign for the capital to become the greatest big cycling city in the world has taken a gigantic pedal-powered push forwards．”
【小題1】Which is the correct order of a bike hire？
a．pay a usage charge according to the time    b．pay for the key
c．cycle in and around central London  d．sign up as a member to get a key

A．b-d-c-a

B．b-c-a-d

C．d-c-b-a

D．d-b-c-a

【小題2】．Which of the following is NOT the “teething problems” of the scheme？

A．People were unable to lock properly．

B．People could not dock the bikes properly．

C．People had no enthusiasm about the scheme．

D．It’s too expensive for some people to hire a bike．

【小題3】．From the passage we know __________．

A．the ‘cycling revolution’ failed once started

B．the scheme will be put off due to the problems

C．a(chǎn)ll the citizens in London are in favor of the scheme

D．the London Mayor has great confidence in the scheme

Global warming is causing more than 300,000 deaths and about $125 billion in economic losses each year, according to a report by the Global Humanitarian Forum, an organization led by Annan, the former United Nations secretary general.
The report, to be released Friday, analyzed data and existing studies of health, disaster, population and economic trends. It found that human-influenced climate change was raising the global death rates from illnesses including malnutrition (營養(yǎng)不良) and heat-related health problems.
But even before its release, the report drew criticism from some experts on climate and risk, who questioned its methods and conclusions.
Along with the deaths, the report said that the lives of 325 million people, primarily in poor countries, were being seriously affected by climate change. It projected that the number would double by 2030.
Roger Pielke Jr., a political scientist at the University of Colorado, Boulder, who studies disaster trends, said the Forum’s report was “a methodological embarrassment” because there was no way to distinguish deaths or economic losses related to human-driven global warming amid the much larger losses resulting from the growth in populations and economic development in vulnerable (易受傷害的) regions. Dr. Pielke said that “climate change is an important problem requiring our utmost (極度的) attention.” But the report, he said, “will harm the cause for action on both climate change and disasters because it is so deeply flawed (有瑕疵的).”
However, Soren Andreasen, a social scientist at Dalberg Global Development Partners who supervised the writing of the report, defended it, saying that it was clear that the numbers were rough estimates. He said the report was aimed at world leaders, who will meet in Copenhagen in December to negotiate a new international climate treaty.
In a press release describing the report, Mr. Annan stressed the need for the negotiations to focus on increasing the flow of money from rich to poor regions to help reduce their vulnerability(弱點(diǎn)) to climate hazards(危害)while still curbing (限制) the emissions of the heat-trapping gases. More than 90% of the human and economic losses from climate change are occurring in poor countries, according to the report.
【小題1】What is the finding of the Global Humanitarian Forum?

A．Global temperatures affect the rate of economic development.

B．Rates of death from illnesses have risen due to global warming.

C．Malnutrition has caused serious health problems in poor countries.

D．Economic trends have to do with population and natural disasters.

【小題2】  What do we learn about the Forum’s report from the passage?

A．It was challenged by some climate and risk experts.

B．It aroused a lot of interest in the scientific circles.

C．It was warmly received by environmentalists.

D．It caused a big stir in developing countries.

【小題3】 What does Dr. Pielke say about the Forum’s report?

A．Its statistics look embarrassing.

B．It is invalid in terms of methodology.

C．It deserves our closest attention.

D．Its conclusion is purposely exaggerated.

【小題4】  What is Soren Andreasen’s view of the report?

A．Its conclusions are based on carefully collected data.

B．It is vulnerable to criticism if the statistics are closely examined.

C．It will give rise to heated discussions at the Copenhagen conference.

D．Its rough estimates are meant to draw the attention of world leaders.

【小題5】  What does Kofi Annan say should be the focus of the Copenhagen conference?

A．How rich and poor regions can share responsibility in curbing global warming.

B．How human and economic losses from climate change can be reduced.

C．How emissions of heat-trapping gases can be reduced on a global scale.

D．How rich countries can better help poor regions reduce climate hazards.

Clothes can make phone calls, play music, dial your pal’s number, keep you warm during cold weather and operate your computer?
This is not a fantasy. A British company, called Electrotextiles, has created a wide range of clothes — clothes that have minds of their own! Scientists, working for the company, have invented a kind of fabric that can be blended(混合) with flexible electronic materials to create intelligent clothing. The result are electronic garments.
If you think the wearer has to be wired to different devices, think again. These designer clothes are wire-free, soft to touch and washable!! Like any electronic device, these high-tech clothes have to be powered. Currently, a tiny nine-volt battery serves the purpose. But the researchers hope that in the near future the clothes will generate electricity by using body heat. These clothes are 100 percent shock proof, they say.
The Electrotextiles team has also created the world’s first cloth keyboard. This keyboard can be sewn into your trousers or skirt. To use this device, you will have to sit down and tap on your lap! These ‘lap- tap’ gadgets(器具) are all set to take over laptop computers!
Another useful garment is the shirt-cum-mobile phone. This handy invention enables drivers to chat comfortably with others at the wheel! Other popular electronic wear include the denim(牛仔布) jacket with flexible earphones sewn into the hood(風(fēng)帽) and the electronic ski jacket with a built-in heater. The ski jacket is also programmed to send signals to a satellite. This technology is known as global positioning system and can be used to track lost skiers and wandering kids.
Having completed the cloth keyboard, scientists have already started to work on a new project—a necktie that can be used as a computer mouse. What is the next? Do you have any idea?
【小題1】. The electronic garments are similar to other electronic devices in that ______.

A．they feel smooth and soft

B．they use electricity as power

C．they can be washed in water

D．they are made from flexible materials

【小題2】. How will researchers improve these high-tech clothes?

A．Body heat will be used as power.

B．The wearer will not get shocked.

C．A tiny nine-volt battery will work.

D．They will get charged automatically.

【小題3】 What does the underlined phrase “This handy invention” in Paragraph 5 refer to?

A．The laptop computer.	B．The electronic ski jacket.
C．The shirt-cum-mobile phone.	D．The world’s first cloth keyboard.

【小題4】. If you are going on a ski adventure, which device do you need?

A．The cloth keyboard.	B．The electronic ski jacket.
C．The necktie to be used as a mouse.	D．The denim jacket with earphones.

【小題5】. The main purpose of the text is ______.

A．to advertise for an English company	B．to predict the future trend of science
C．to show how rapidly science develops	D．to introduce some intelligent clothing

We live in a technological society where most goods are mass-produced by unskilled labor. Because of this, most people think that craft no longer exists.
One of the ways these people wrongly support their view is by pointing to 100-year-old homes which are still solid, and arguing that it is the craftsmanship that is responsible for their durability. “Homes in those days were well-built,” they say. No doubt these homes were well-built, but what these people have done is mix up the quality of material used in the house with the quality of the craftsmanship.
Homes today could be built to last just as long as those old homes if people were willing or able to pay the price. For example, most people can no longer afford solid oak stairways, although they were once fairly common in older homes. Nor can they afford the high labor cost of employing a carpenter to build the stairway. Yet if someone can pay the high cost, there are still plenty of carpenters around able to make those stairways. And not only would these carpenters know how to build them, they would probably do a better job than carpenters of old.
One thing the modern carpenter has which enables him to do a better job is much more advanced tools. Such tools as laser beams and powerplanes help them lay out a house better and make more precision cuts on the wood. Also, it is not uncommon say more to find carpenters with college degrees and carpenters with a solid knowledge of mathematics, which would enable them to deal with more difficult house designs.
The problem of modern quality, then, really boils down to the problem of material, for the modern carpenter is just as able to produce craftsmanship as the carpenter of fifty years ago, but only if given proper material.
【小題1】 Compared to the carpenters in the past, modern carpenters are           .

A．more successful	B．more learned
C．more imaginative	D．more hardworking

【小題2】 What does the underlined work “they” (paragraph 2) refer to?

A．Carpenters who are fond of oak stairways.

B．Carpenters who have college degrees.

C．People who think highly of carpenters of old.

D．People who think that modern material is of low quality.

【小題3】What does the third paragraph mainly discuss?

A．People in the past preferred to use oak to build stairways.

B．It is now expensive to employ a carpenter.

C．Modern houses last as long as the old ones.

D．Good carpenters still exist in modern times.

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

A．Is Craft Dead?	B．Craft, Back to Life?
C．History of Craftsmanship	D．Carpenters Today and Yesterday

根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，從短文后的選項(xiàng)中選出能填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)。選項(xiàng)中有兩項(xiàng)為多余項(xiàng)。
What is your favorite color? Do you like yellow, orange, and red?  71  Do you prefer grays and blues? Then you are probably quiet, shy, and you would rather follow than lead. You tend to be a pessimist（悲觀者）. At least, this is what psychologists（心理專家） tell us, and they should know, because they have been seriously studying the meaning of colors preference, as well as the effect that colors have on human beings.   72 If you happen to love brown, you did so, as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly.
 73  A yellow room makes most people feel more cheerful and more relaxed than a dark green one; and a red dress brings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day.  74  A black bridge over the Thames River, near London, used to be the scene of more suicides than any other bridge in the area ---until it was repainted green. The number of suicide attempts immediately fell sharply; perhaps it would have fallen even more if the bridge had been done in pink or baby blue.
  75 It is an established fact that factory workers work better, harder, and have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or grey.

A．On the other hand, black is depressing.

B．They tells us that we do not choose our favorite color as we grow up——we are born with our preference.

C．The rooms are painted in different colors as you like.

D．If you do, you must be an optimist（樂觀者）, a leader, an active person who enjoys

life, people and excitement.
E. Light and bright colors make people not only happier but more active.
F. Life is like a picture or a poem, full of different colors.
G. Colors do influence our moods——there is no doubt about it .

Sharks are among the oldest animals on Earth. There are hundreds of kinds of sharks. Most are about two meters long. The dogfish shark, however, is less than twenty centimeters in length. A shark has an extremely good sense of smell. It can find small amounts of matters in water, such as blood, body liquids and chemicals produced by animals. These powerful senses help sharks find their food. Sharks eat fish, other sharks, and plants that live in the ocean.
Sharks grow slowly. About forty percent of all sharks lay eggs. The others give birth to live young. Some sharks carry their young inside their bodies as humans do. Some sharks are not able to reproduce until they are twenty years old. Most reproduce only every two years. And they give birth to fewer than ten young sharks. For this reason, over-fishing of sharks is of special danger to the future of the animal.
Sharks are important for the world’s oceans. They eat injured and diseased fish. Their hunting activities mean that the numbers of other fish in ocean waters do not become too large. This protects the plants and other forms of life that exist in the oceans.
People hunt sharks for sport, food, medicine and their skin. Experts say the international market for some kinds of sharks has increased because many parts of a shark are valuable.Collectors pay thousands of dollars for the jaws of a shark. Shark liver oil is a popular source of Vitamin A. The skin of a shark can be used like leather.
In Asia, people enjoy a kind of soup made from shark fins. Experts say a fisherman can earn a lot of money for even one kilogram of shark fins. Sharks are among the oldest animals on Earth, but some sharks are in danger of disappearing from Earth. If too many sharks in one area are killed, that group of sharks may never return to normal population levels.
【小題1】. Which of the following words best describes the situation sharks are in?

A．Good.

B．Endangered.

C．Powerful.

D．Expensive.

【小題2】 Sharks eat other fish, __________.

A．which is a threat to all other forms of life in the oceans

B．which is a protection for plants and other forms of life in the oceans

C．which helps prevent diseases from spreading

D．which helps the number of other fish to grow

【小題3】 According to the passage, many parts of a shark are valuable EXCEPT ________.

A．its jaws

B．its liver

C．shark fins

D．shark teeth

【小題4】The author thinks that______.

A．sharks are valuable to us and we can make full use of them

B．oceans will become safer with fewer sharks swimming around

C．measures should be taken to protect sharks

D．the shark population is increasing slowly

This morning, a Virgin Atantin 747 Jumbo Jet became the first commercial airplane to fly on biofuel. The short flight from London to Amsterdam used a blend of 20% babassu(棕櫚) oil mixed with 80% conventional jet fuel.
What was really exciting about the flight was the fact that the engine did not have to be altered in any way for the biofuel to work While this is a great initial step in trying to reduce CO₂(carbon-dioxide)emissions(排放)from airplanes. there are a lot of hurdles (障礙)that still need to be overcome.
First and foremost, unlike the normal fuel used to run airplanes (known as Jet A),biofuel freezes at high altitudes. Also, Jet‘A’fuel burns consistently (at the same pace),which means it provides a safe and reliable fuel for long flights--engineers are not sure if biofuel will be able to do the same.
The biggest hurdle to a full biofuel switch is our ability to be able to grow enough crops that can be converted to biofuel. There are two concerns that scientists have in this matter – the first is that the land to grow the extra crops will come from clearing more of our forests and the second is that since it competes with what we eat, the price of food will go up.
However, Richard Branson of Virgin Airlines, envisions that if biofuel starts to replace oil on a greater basis, it will be manufactured from algae（藻類）produced in sewage treatment plants, not from food sources.
Birgin Airlines is not the only one trying to look for alternative fuel sources. Earlier this year, an Airbus A380 used another alternative fuel－a man-made mix of gas-to-liquid, in one of its four engines. The flight was tested by Rolls Royce (manufacturer of jet engines), in partnership with Shell (an oil company). Rolls Royce is also working with Air New Zealand on a similar project.
While a complete switch to alternative fuel may take years, it is very encouraging to see airlines, oil companies and airplane manufacturers all coming together to try to make it happen!
【小題1】．Why does Virgin Airlines try to replace normal fuel with biofuel?

A．To cut down the flight cost of the company.

B．To remove some hurdles for the biofuel to work.

C．To reduce CO2 emissions from airplanes.

D．To test plane engines on biofuel.

【小題2】．Which is NOT true for a full biofuel switch of airplanes?
A Biofuel cannot run for long flights.                  
B．Biofuel cannot work at high altitudes.
C．Man has not enough land to grow extra crops for biofuel. 
D．It’s not easy for sewage treatment plants to manufacture biofuel.
【小題3】．One of the hurdles to be overcome for a full biofuel switch is to          .

A．a(chǎn)lter the engine for airplanes

B．make biofuel burn consistently

C．open more land to grow more crops

D．develop sewage treatment plants

【小題4】．We can infer from the last paragraph that          .

A．there is a long way to go for a complete switch to alternative fuel

B．it won’t be long before alternative fuel comes into use

C．a(chǎn)irlines, oil companies and airplane manufacturers are reliable

D．a(chǎn)lternative fuel has a bright future

【小題5】．Which of the following can best serves as the title of this passage?

A．Biofuel-Alternative Fuel Sources.

B．The First Commercial Flight Powered by Biofuel.

C．How to Reduce CO2 Emissions from Airplanes.

D．Vigin Airlines Trying to Alter Fuel Sources.