Technology is making life easier for some dairy farmers. They use robotic systems to milk their cows. Cows are trained to follow a series of paths that lead to milking stations. Only one cow at a time can enter a station.
Once inside, the cow is rewarded with food. As the cow eats, a robotic arm cleans and connects the animal to the milking machine. A few minutes later, milking is complete. The gate is opened, the cow is released and the next cow enters.
The robotic systems are designed to operate 24 hours a day. The cows get to decide when they want to be milked. Cows are milked an average of about three times a day. Some are milked four to six times a day.
The cows wear collars around their necks that identify them to the system. A computer keeps records on their eating and milking. A cow is released from the station if the computer decides it should not be milked.
The automated system also measures the temperature and color of freshly produced milk. Milk is thrown away if it does not pass the tests.
Professor Plaut believes the systems will appeal especially to the next generation of farmers. She means young people who are more interested in technology and less interested in working all the time on the farm. Still, she says the price of robotic milking systems will continue to limit their use.
Doug and Tina Suhr have more than 100 cows on their family farm. Last year it became the fourth farm in southeast Minnesota to get a robotic milking system. A recent story in a local agricultural newspaper said the first robot cost 175 000 dollars. The second cost 150 000.
Doug told AgriNews that wages that would have been paid for one employee in five years will pay for one robot. He says the increase in milk production reaches a high of more than six kilograms per cow per day.
【小題1】From the first paragraph, we can infer________.

A．the robotic system is designed to reduce labor

B．cows can be raised by robots in the future

C．robots direct cows into milking stations

D．cows are kept clean by robots on some farms

【小題2】Besides milking cows, the robotic system also can ________.

A．a(chǎn)djust the temperature of milking stations

B．judge the quality of fresh milk

C．improve the appetite of cows

D．keep fresh milk for two weeks

【小題3】Why is the robotic system not popular now?

A．Because young people have no interest in it.

B．Because it is difficult to learn how to use it.

C．Because people can’t afford to buy it.

D．Because it usually causes the waste of milk.

【小題4】According to Doug, what is the wage of an employee?

A．150, 000-170, 000.

B．750, 000.

C．150, 000 -30, 000.

D．30, 000- 32, 000

【小題5】The best title for the passage may be_______.

A．Letting robot milk your cow	B．Milking cows by hand
C．Improving the quality of milk	D．Drinking fresh milk every day

Technology has totally transformed our ability to communicate with each other. Linking to each other both literally and figuratively, many of us connect through cell phones, email, instant messaging, blogs, and networking web sites, yet we may be less connected to each other than we think.
According to a study, Americans are becoming increasingly socially isolated(孤立的). The study suggests, for example, that one quarter of Americans say that they have no one to discuss important personal issues with, and that the number of close friends that Americans have has dropped from three to two. Meanwhile, the Boston Globe reports that this spreading isolation is experienced more sharply among those with less education, people of color, and older Americans. Unsurprisingly, those who are young, white, and well educated tend to have stronger social networks.
From my own experience I have to say that I’ve never felt more connected, thanks to a web of friends, family, and colleagues. One of my closest friends is someone I met through an online discussion group who lives hundreds of miles away from me. We have met face-to-face only twice, yet our regular electronic correspondence and cell phone calls maintain our close friendship. And, speaking of blogging, my blog has introduced me to people I would never have met otherwise and has led to enduring and important friendships.
On the other hand, I recently saw a scene unfold that proved to me how deeply disconnected we as Americans have become. I had just wrapped up a presentation on mediation at a family therapy (治療) center.
As I was leaving, I noticed a mother and her teenage son who had just completed their session with their family therapist. After making their next appointment, they both took out their cell phones, placed calls, and began loud conversations with whoever was on the other end. I walked out behind them to the parking lot to my car. They both jumped into their cars, and, as I saw them drive off, they were still talking on their cell phones but not to each other.
【小題1】What does the passage lead you to believe?

A．Americans are more socially isolated today.

B．Americans are more socially connected today.

C．Americans don’t make good use of technology.

D．Technology plays a bigger role in American society.

【小題2】Which of the following has nothing to do with the isolation among Americans?

A．Sex.

B．Education.

C．Skin color.

D．Age.

【小題3】What is true about the mother and son in the passage?

A．They came for therapy in the same car.

B．They were quite close to each other.

C．There was not much communication between them.

D．They preferred talking to each other on cell phones.

【小題4】What can we learn from the passage?

A．The writer is totally against the modern technology.

B．The mother and the son have finished their family therapist and get a better relationship.

C．As far as the writer is concerned, he has benefited a lot from the modern technology.

D．Those black and well-educated people have stronger social network than aged white people.

Without plant, people could not live. We eat plants. We breathe the oxygen（氧氣）that plants produce. And we need plants for another reason: we need them for their beauty.
Imagine a world with no plants. Imagine no flowers with their sweet smells, their beautiful colors and their lovely shapes. Imagine when the wind blows, not being able to hear the leaves in the trees or watch the branches sway（搖擺）from side to side.
Everywhere people need the beauty of plants. That is why we have parks full of trees and flowers. That is why people always try to design houses with room for some grass and a garden.
Do you talk to your plants? Do you give them love and attention?
Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird, writers of a book called THE SECRET LIFE OF PLANTS, tell of an experiment in which two seeds were planted in different places. While the plants were growing, one plant was given love and hopeful ideas. The other plant was given only hopeless ideas. After six months, the loved plant was bigger. Under the earth it had more and longer roots; above the earth, it had a thicker stem (莖) and more leaves.
【小題1】According to the passage, which of the following is right?

A．If there are no flowers, there will be no sweet smells.

B．Without plants, we can’t hear the wind.

C．We need plants not only for food and oxygen but also for their beauty.

D．We plant trees to watch the branches sway from side to side.

【小題2】In the experiment, the plants were________.

A．of different kinds	B．Talked to in two different ways
C．both given love and attention	D．grown in the same place

【小題3】At the end of six months,________.

A．one plant had longer roots than the other and had a thicker stem

B．one plant had longer roots while the other had a thicker stem

C．the plants were of the same size

D．one plant had a thicker stem while the other plant had more leaves

【小題4】The experiment has proved（證明） that________-.      

A．without plants people could not live

B．we should talk to plants and give them love

C．we should grow as many plants as possible

D．plants need plenty of water, sunshine and attention

Living in a modern society with more and more out-of-date but still useful computers, many people have to face such a troubling problem: How to deal with those old computers? Some old ones are put away in homes. Many more are just thrown out with the rubbish.
Don’t worry! Some companies are coming up with new ways to cut the number of old computers. Sony, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and other companies now agree to take back some old computers.
In some countries, there are laws about what to do with old computers. By law, computer companies will have to pay for collecting and recycling their used products. And 70% of computer waste must be recycled. The idea behind the laws is that computer companies themselves should pay the cost. That will encourage them to make computers that are easier and cheaper to repair and upgrade（升級(jí)）.
While many people are throwing away good computers, others cannot afford them at all. Hundreds of organizations（組織）are working to solve this problem. They collect and repair old computers before sending them to schools, charities（慈善團(tuán)體）and people who need them. In this way, we can turn one person's rubbish into someone else's useful things-and cut down on waste.
【小題1】What do many people do with old computers?

A．They sell them to others.

B．They try to repair them.

C．They give them to others.

D．They stop using them

【小題2】According to laws in some countries mentioned in the passage, computer companies must_____.

A．recycle most of their products

B．make their computers cheaper

C．repair and upgrade old computers

D．collect all their used products

【小題3】The last paragraph mainly tells us that hundreds of organizations are working to _________.

A．help the computer companies to collect old ones

B．repair old ones and send them to whoever needs them.

C．a(chǎn)dvise people not to throw away good computers.

D．encourage people to turn rubbish into useful things.

【小題4】What is the main idea of this passage?

A．How to repair old computers.

B．Avoid producing too many computers.

C．Encourage to recycle old computers.

D．How to turn rubbish into useful things

Do you want to live another 100 years or more? Some experts say that scientific progress will one day help humans to last tens of years longer than what is now seen as the natural limit（限制）of the human life span（壽命）.
“ I think we are knocking at the door of immortality (永生),” said Michael Zey, a Montclair State University business professor and author of two books on the future. “ I think by 2075 we will see it and that’s a conservative estimate（保守估計(jì)）.”
At the conference in San Francisco, Donald Louria, a professor at New Jersey Medical School in Newark said progress in using genes as well as nanotechnology（納米技術(shù)）makes it likely that humans will live in the future beyond what has been possible in the past. “ There is a great push so that people can live from 120 to 180 years,” he said. “ Some have suggested that there is no limit and that people could live to 200 or 300 or 500 years.”
However, many scientists who research into aging are doubtful about it and say the human body is just not designed to last about 120 years. Even with healthier lifestyles and less disease, they say failure of the brain and organs will finally lead all humans to death.
Scientists also disagree on what kind of life the super aged might live. “It remains to be seen whether you could be healthy enough to have good quality of life when you pass 120.” said Leonard Poon, director of the University of Georgia Gerontology Center. “ At present people who could get to that point are not in good health at all.”
【小題1】By saying “ we are knocking at the door immortality”, Michael Zey means_____.

A．they believe that there is no limit of living

B．they are sure to find the truth about long living

C．they have got some ideas about long living

D．they are able to make people live beyond the present life span

【小題2】Donald Louria’s attitude toward long living is that_____.

A．people can live from 120 to 180

B．it is still doubtful how long humans can live

C．the human body is designed to last about 120 years

D．it is possible for humans to live longer in the future

【小題3】The underlined “ it” (Para. 4) refers to_____.  

A．a(chǎn) great push

B．the idea of living beyond the present life span

C．the idea of living from 200 to 300

D．the conservative estimate

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

A．Living longer or not

B．Science, technology and long living

C．No limit for human life

D．Healthy lifestyle and long living

After an earthquake or any similar disaster, parents and teachers need to help children overcome the effects of this frightening and sometimes devastating （ 毀滅性的） experience. Psychologists （心理學(xué)家）say that if children go through a disturbing event before the age of ten, they are three times as likely to suffer psychological problems as teenagers. After a disaster children may become easily upset, shy, aggressive , or afraid of wind, rain, noises, or darkness. They may have trouble letting go of their parents and resist going to school or daycare. Some children may even feel guilty thinking that they somehow caused the disaster through their bad behavior.  Because of such common reactions, parents and others should begin as soon after the event as possible helping these children. 
Some suggestions include talking to the children about what happened, letting the children express their own feelings, spending extra time with them doing activities together and reassuring （使放心）them that you love them and won't leave them. For some children expressing themselves through drawing pictures or writing can be useful. Do everything possible to help children get back to a normal routine; however, don't be afraid to "spoil" these children for a while after the disaster.  Let them have extra privileges （特權(quán)）and more attention than usual.  Encourage the children to grieve （悲痛）after a loss. It should be OK for them to cry. Caring families and friends can do much to heal children victims of disasters.
【小題1】This passage is mainly about_______.

A．how to help traumatized（心理受到創(chuàng)傷的）children to get over

B．the bad effects disasters bring to children

C．the psychological problems children before ten are likely to suffer

D．the importance of caring families

【小題2】According to the passage, a child who has just experienced a devastating disaster may become______.

A．more mature

B．less dependent

C．willing to help

D．ready to attack

【小題3】Which is NOT advisable when dealing with the traumatized children?

A．Allowing them freedom for some time.

B．Asking them to hold their feelings.

C．Encouraging them to show their grief.

D．Talking them into taking care of others.

Here in Alaska, the wolf almost disappeared a few years ago, because hunters were killing hundreds of them for sport. However, laws were passed to protect the wolves from sportsmen and people who catch the animals for their fur. So the wolf population has greatly increased. Now there are so many wolves that they are destroying their own food supply.
A wolf naturally lives on animals in the deer family. People there also hunt deer for food. Many of the animals have been destroyed by the very cold winters recently and by changes in the plant life there. When the deer can’t find enough food, they die.
If the wolves continue to kill large numbers of deer, the deer will disappear some day. And the wolves will, too. So we must change the life cycles there. If we killed more wolves, we would save them from starving. We also save deer and some farm animals.
In another northern state, wolves attack cows and chickens for food. Farmers want the United States government to send a team of scientists to study the problem. They believe it is necessary to kill wolves in some areas and to protect them in places where there is a small population.
【小題1】In Alaska, laws have been passed to ____.

A．protect people from wolves and deer

B．protect wolves from becoming dangerous

C．protect wolves from dying out

D．keep wolves from killing large numbers of deer

【小題2】Why is it that if wolves go on killing a good many deer the wolves will die out?

A．Because wolves will have no deer to kill.

B．Because people will kill them for punishment.

C．Because killing deer is dangerous.

D．Because wolves mainly live on deer.

【小題3】In order to protect more deer from being killed, one way is to ____.

A．pass a law	B．keep deer away from wolves
C．kill more wolves	D．serve wolves more food

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

A．Some wolves in some areas must be killed, which others should be protected.

B．Wolves should be protected, for there’s a small population of it on earth.

C．All wolves should be protected, for they eat deer, cows and chicken.

D．It is necessary for scientists to protect wolves, or the cycle of life will be changed

We experience different forms of the Sun’s energy every day. We can see its light and feel its warmth. The Sun is the major source of energy for our planet. It causes the evaporation (蒸發(fā)) of water from the oceans and lakes. Sunlight also provides the energy used by green plants to make their own food. These green plants then provide food for all organisms(生物) on the Earth.
Much of the energy that comes from the Sun never reaches the Earth’s surface. It is either reflected or absorbed by the gases in the upper atmosphere. Of the energy that reaches the lower atmosphere,30% is reflected by clouds or the Earth’s surface. The remaining 70% warms the surface of the planet, causes water to evaporate, and provides energy for the water cycle and weather. Only a tiny part, approximately 0.023%, is actually used by green plants to produce food.
Many gases found in the atmosphere actually reflect heat energy escaping from the Earth’s surface back to the Earth. These gases act like the glass of a greenhouse in that they allow energy from the Sun to enter but prevent energy from leaving. They are therefore called greenhouse gases.
When sunlight strikes an object, some of the energy is absorbed and some is reflected. The amount reflected depends on the surface. For example, you’ve probably noticed how bright snow is when sunlight falls on it. Snow reflects most of the energy from the Sun, so it contributes to the low temperatures of winter. Dark-coloured surfaces, such as dark soil or forest, absorb more energy and help warm the surrounding air.
【小題1】According to the passage, the root( 根本的) cause for weather changes on the Earth is         .

A．the atmosphere surrounding the Earth

B．water from oceans and lakes

C．energy from the Sun

D．greenhouse gases in the sky

【小題2】Only a small part of the Sun’s energy reaches the Earth’s surface because most of it is         .

A．a(chǎn)bsorbed by the clouds in the lower atmosphere

B．reflected by the gases in the upper atmosphere

C．lost in the upper and lower atmosphere

D．used to evaporate water from the oceans and lakes

【小題3】We learn from the passage that         .

A．a(chǎn)ll living things on the Earth depend on the Sun for their food

B．a(chǎn) forest looks dark in winter because it absorbs solar energy

C．only 0.023% of the energy from the Sun is made use of on the Earth

D．greenhouse gases allow heat energy to escape from the Earth’s surface

Do’s and Don’ts in Whale(鯨) Watching
The Department of  Fisheries and Oceans has developed guidelines for whale watching in Johnstone Strait, where killer whales are found on a daily basis each summer．It is strongly recommended that vessel(船只) operators follow these guidelines for all kinds of whales．
Approach whales from the side, not from the front or the back．
Approach no closer than 100 meters, then stop the boat but keep the engine on．
Keep noise levels down—no horns, whistles or racing of engines．
Start your boat only after the whales are more than 100 meters from your vessel．
Leave the area slowly, gradually moving faster when you are more than 300 meters from the whales．
Approach and leave slowly, avoiding sudden changes in speed or direction．
Avoid disturbing groups of resting whales．
Keep at low speeds and remain in the same direction if travelling side by side with whales．
When whales are travelling close to shore, avoid crowding them near the shore or coming between the whales and the shore．
Limit the time spent with any group of whales to less than 30 minutes at a time when within 100 to 200 meters of whales．
If there is more than one vessel at the same observation spot, be sure to avoid any boat position that would result in surrounding the whales．
Work together by communicating with other vessels, and make sure that all operators are aware of the whale watching guidelines．
【小題1】For whom is this text written?

A．Tour guides．	B．Whale watchers．
C．Vessel operators．	D．Government officials．

【小題2】When leaving the observation areas, the vessel should _____．

A．move close to the beach

B．increase speed gradually

C．keep its engine running slowly

D．remain at the back of the whales

【小題3】When going side by side with whales, the vessel should       ．

A．keep moving in the same direction

B．surround the whales with other boats

C．travel closer and closer to the shore

D．take a good viewing position

【小題4】What is the shortest safe distance from the whales?

A．400 meters．

B．300 meters．

C．200 meters．

D．100 meters．

Have you ever stayed in a hotel? Most Chinese hotels often provide guests with things like disposable (一次性的) toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo and slippers. Many guests like the idea because they don't have to bring their own. But, if you travel to Beijing, remember to bring your own things. Starting from June, some hotels in Beijing will no longer provide guests with these disposables. They want to ask people to use less disposable things.
Many disposable things are made of plastic(塑料). People throw them away after only using them once. It is a waste of natural resources and is very bad for the environment. Do you know, one Chinese person makes as much as 400kg of waste a year! Most of that waste comes from disposable things. In Beijing, people throw away about 19,000 tons of plastic bags and 1,320 tons of plastic lunch bowls every year! Plastic can take between 100 and 400 years to break down. So the less plastic we throw out, the better. So, wherever you travel, bring your own things and use them again and again.
Back at home and school, you can also do something to make our world a better place. Try to do these things in your daily life:
Use cloth shopping bags, not plastic ones.
After using a plastic bag, wash it out and let it dry. Then you can use it over and over again.
Do not use paper cups. At your school canteen(食堂), use your own bowl and chopsticks instead of disposable ones.
【小題1】Why do many hotels provide guests with some disposable things?

A．Let their guests be convenient during their travelling.

B．Hope their guests use less disposable things.

C．Wish their guests to save money.

D．Want their guests to use more disposable things.

【小題2】Some Beijing hotels will no longer provide guests with ____.

A．cheap food and drink	B．disposable things
C．good service	D．free TV programs

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

A．Many disposable things are made of plastic.

B．Throwing disposable things away is a waste of natural resources.

C．Plastic is very bad for the environment.

D．Plastic breaks down easily.

【小題4】What can we do to make our world a better place at home and school?

A．Use shopping bags made of plastic.

B．Do not throw away paper cups.

C．Use disposable plates, bowls and chopsticks.

D．Do not forget to reuse daily necessities(日用品).

【小題5】We can tell from the story that ____.

A．people don't like disposable things at all

B．we can't use paper or plastic bowls at school

C．we should use less plastic things and protect our environment

D．hotels won't provide disposable things because they want to save money