A special laboratory at the University of Chicago is busy only at night. It is a dream laboratory where researchers are at work studying dreamers. Their findings have discovered that everyone dreams from three to seven times a night, although in ordinary life a person may remember none or only one of his dreams.
　　While the subjects—usually students—sleep, special machines record their brain waves and eye movements as well as the body movements that signal the end of a dream. Surprisingly, all subjects sleep soundly.
Observers report that a person usually fidgets(煩躁不安) before a dream. Once the dream has started, his body relaxes and his eyes become more active, as if the curtain had gone up on a show. As soon as the machine shows that the dream is over, a buzzer wakens the sleeper. He sits up, records his dream, and goes back to sleep—perhaps to dream some more.
Researchers have found that if the dreamer is wakened immediately after his dream, he can usually recall the entire dream. If he is allowed to sleep even five more minutes, his memory of the dream will have disappeared.
【小題1】According to the passage, researchers at the University of Chicago are studying ____.

A．contents of dreams	B．dreamers while they dream
C．the meaning of dreams	D．the progress of sleeping

【小題2】Their finding has discovered that _____.

A．everyone dreams every night

B．dreams are easily remembered

C．dreams are likely to be frightening

D．One person dreams only one dream a night

【小題3】The machines being used in the experiment record _____.

A．the depth of sleep

B．the subjects’ brain waves and eye movements

C．how many dreams a person has

D．what a sleeper dreams during his sleep

【小題4】A person would be most likely to remember the dream that _____.

A．was of most interest to him

B．occurred immediately after he went to sleep

C．occurred just before he woke up

D．was the longest one to him

What is colour? Why do some of the things around us look red, some green, others blue?
　Colours are really made by reflected(反射)light. We see colour because most of the things reflect light. Something is red, for it reflects most of the red light. In the same way, if something is green, it reflects most of the green light. If something reflects all light, it is white. If it doesn‘t reflect any light, it is black.
　Some of the light is reflected and some is taken in(吸收)and turned into(變成)heat(熱能).The darker the colour is, the less light is reflected, the more light is taken in. So dark-coloured(深色的)clothes are warmer in the sun than light-coloured clothes.
【小題1】When something reflects light, we can_______.

A．see its colour

B．see its heat

C．not see its colour

D．see nothing

【小題2】In summer _____make people feel cool.

A．dark-clolured clothes	B．red-coloured clothes
C．green-coloured clothes	D．light-coloured clothes

【小題3】(Originally created) Why does the author use a question at the beginning of this passage?

A．The author doesn’t has a knowledge of colour.

B．The author shows off his knowledge of colour.

C．To ask the readers to answer this question.

D．To draw the readers’ interest in reading this passage.

【小題4】(Originally created) In which of the following you can find this passage?
A. A travel book                  B.A history book
C. A popular science magazine      C, An entertainment newspaper.
【小題5】What’s the best title(題目)of this passage(短文)?

A．Dark colour

B．Colour

C．Heat

D．Clothes

Decision-making under Stress
　　A new review based on a research shows that acute stress affects the way the brain considers the advantages and disadvantages, causing it to focus on pleasure and ignore the possible negative (負面的) consequences of a decision.
　　The research suggests that stress may change the way people make choices in predictable ways.
　　“Stress affects how people learn,” says Professor Mara Mather. “People learn better about positive than negative outcomes under stress.”
　　For example, two recent studies looked at how people learned to connect images(影像) with either rewards or punishments. In one experiment, some of the participants were first stressed by having to give a speech and do difficult math problems in front of an audience; in the other, some were stressed by having to keep their hands in ice water. In both cases, the stressed participants remembered the rewarded material more accurately and the punished material less accurately than those who hadn’t gone through the stress.
　　This phenomenon is likely not surprising to anyone who has tried to resist eating cookies or smoking a cigarette while under stress –at those moments, only the pleasure associated with such activities comes to mind. But the findings further suggest that stress may bring about a double effect. Not only are rewarding experiences remembered better, but negative consequences are also easily recalled.
　　The research also found that stress appears to affect decision-making differently in men and women. While both men and women tend to focus on rewards and less on consequences under stress, their responses to risk turn out to be different.
　　Men who had been stressed by the cold-water task tended to take more risks in the experiment while women responded in the opposite way. In stressful situations in which risk-taking can pay off big, men may tend to do better, when caution weighs more, however, women will win.
　　This tendency to slow down and become more cautious when decisions are risky might also help explain why women are less likely to become addicted than men: they may more often avoid making the risky choices that eventually harden into addiction.
【小題1】We can learn from the passage that people under pressure tend to ______.

A．keep rewards better in their memory

B．recall consequences more effortlessly

C．make risky decisions more frequently

D．learn a subject more effectively

【小題2】According to the research, stress affects people most probably in their ______.

A．ways of making choices	B．preference for pleasure
C．tolerance of punishments	D．responses to suggestions

【小題3】The research has proved that in a stressful situation, ______.

A．women find it easier to fall into certain habits

B．men have a greater tendency to slow down

C．women focus more on outcomes

D．men are more likely to take risks

Not long ago the movie 2012 came into screen. The people were threatened by those scenes of destroying flood, severe earthquake, terrifying hurricane and constructions representing human civilization being destroyed and even swallowed by disaster. Luckily, they are just the director’s imagination, but the present situation is not heading a positive direction, either.
Take my own experience in Alaska as an example. Once I took a trip to the glacier. Along the way there stood signposts marking the snow lines of different years. They started from the foot of the mountain, but it was at the top when I finally saw melting glaciers(融化的冰川). My heart ached seeing the beautiful blue ice melting at every second.
Sad but true, they are the effects of global warming and the result of our human impact. Furthermore, each year the rising sea level will kill 56 million people, and that's about the population of the en tire Italy. According to studies, if the temperature keeps on rising like this, by the year 2050, some islands and coastal cities including New York, Shanghai, Tokyo and Sydney will be drowned in water.
Our fortune is in our own hands. It depends on us to shape our future, to reduce future human impact and find ways to form a peaceful relationship with our environment. Therefore, it's time for actions to be taken right now. Contribute a little to energy saving by using more efficient light bulbs and less hot water. Let recycle become our habit by thinking twice before throwing something away. Let us take public transportation as our first choice when going to a certain place. It might cost more time for now, but it' s to the benefit of a permanent future. Take care of every tree and grass around us by watering them or simply just avoid destroying them．
In a word, small drops of water make a big ocean. The earth does not belong to us. On the contrary, we belong to the earth. Please bear in mind that the earth is our home. It is our responsibility to build a brighter and better future of our planet and prevent what happened in the movie 2012 from becoming reality．                
【小題1】Why does the author talk about the movie 2012 in the passage ?     

A．To give example．	B．To lead into the topic．
C．To make prediction．	D．To provide the evidence．

【小題2】How did the author feel when he took a trip to the glacier?

A．Worried．

B．Puzzled．

C．Scared．

D．Bored．

【小題3】It can be inferred from the third paragraph that          .

A．56 million people in Italy have been killed owing to the rising sea level

B．Some islands and coastal cities will be drowned in water by the year of 2050

C．Human being w訂l be in danger if we don't take actions to prevent the global warming

D．It is certain that what happened in the movie 2012 will come into reality

【小題4】According to the passage, you are advised to             .

A．drive our own private cars instead of taking buses to some place

B．recycle everything that is used

C．go to see the movie 2012 at once

D．work together to take good care of our planet

【小題5】What does the author mean by saying "small drops of water make a big ocean"?

A．Think twice before taking action,

B．It's our duty to protect the ocean．

C．Everyone together can make a difference．

D．It's important to save every drop of water．

Pigs are always considered dirty animals because they roll in mud．But in fact they prefer  being quite clean．They cover themselves with mud to help stay cool．During cooler weather,  they prefer to stay clean．So do elephants, who also cover themselves in dust or mud to keep cool．When they find a place with clean water they will take a bath，using their long noses to give  themselves—or each other—a nice shower
Some animals use dust to get clean．Chinchillas (南美洲栗鼠) have very fine fur． They don’t like to take water baths because water is not warm enough for them．So, instead, they roll  around in fine dust．The dust helps to keep their fur and skin dry．This protects them from disease
Usually, a small bird is a light meal for a crocodile．But when a crocodile wants its teeth  cleaned．it lies on the ground with its mouth open．The crocodile bird goes in and picks out any  parasites(寄生蟲)between the crocodile’s teeth or under its tongue．The crocodile gets its mouth cleaned，and the crocodile bird gets dinner．
You wouldn’t think fish would need baths．But some undersea parasites live under the  fish’s skin．“Cleaner” fish，like the wrasse(隆頭魚)，help take them away．The wrasse stands on its head and dances to signal a big fish that it is ready to go into the cleaning business．The big fish will stop moving and open its mouth wide so the wrasse can swim inside and pick out  parasites and bits of food．
【小題1】The passage is mainly about how animals __________．

A．stay clean

B．help each other

C．get their food

D．Take baths

【小題2】What can we learn from the first paragraph about pigs?

A．They can help each other take baths．

B．They are dirtier during cooler weather．

C．They prefer taking baths to rolling in mud．

D．They like to stay cool and clean．

【小題3】Chinchillas use dust to get clean for the following reasons EXCEPT that ________．

A．dust can dry their fur and skin

B．They are not good at swimming

C．Water is too cold for them

D．Dust is good for their health

【小題4】From Paragraphs 3 and 4，we can know that __________．

A．Some animals can get clean from others’ help

B．Most animals are friendly to each other

C．Small animals couldn’t get food from big ones

D．All of the animals prefer to stay clean

【小題5】We can infer from the last paragraph that the wrasse_____.

A．is often eaten by other fish

B．1ikes under other fish’s skin

C．is a small kind of fish

D．1ikes taking baths

When prehistoric man arrived in new parts of the world, something strong happened to the large animals; they suddenly became extinct. Smaller species survived; the large, slow-growing animals were easy game, and were quickly hunted to extinction. 
Now something similar could be happening in the oceans. That the seas are being over-fished has been known for years and researchers such as Ransom Myers and Boris Worm have shown how fast things are changing. They have looked at half a century of data from fisheries around the world. Their methods do not attempt to estimate the actual biomass (the amount of living biological matter) of fish species in particular parts of the ocean, but rather changes in that biomass over time. According to their latest paper published in Nature, the biomass of large predators (animals that kill and eat other animals) inanes fishery is reduced on average by 80% within 15 years of the start of exploitation. In some long-fished areas, it has halved again since then.
Dr. Worm acknowledges that these figures are conservative (保守的). One reason for this is that fishing technology has improved. Today’s vessels can find their prey using satellites and sonar, which were not available 50 years ago. That means a higher proportion of what is in the sea is being caught, so the real difference between present and past is likely to be worse than the one recorded by changes in catch sizes. In the early days, too, longlines would have been more saturated with fish. Some individuals would therefore not have been caught, since baited hooks would have been available to trap them, leading to an underestimate of fish stocks in the past. Furthermore, in the early days of longline fishing, a lot of fish were lost to sharks after they had been hooked. That is no longer a problem, because there are fewer sharks around noise.
Dr. Myers and Dr. Worm argue that their work gives a correct baseline, which future management efforts must take into account. They believe the date support an idea current among marine biologists, that of the “shifting baseline”. The notion is that people have failed to detect the massive changes which have happened in the ocean because they have been looking back only a relatively short time into the past. That matters because theory suggests that the maximum sustainable yield that can be cropped from a fishery comes when the biomass of a target species is about 50% of its original levels. Most fisheries are well below that, which is a bad way to do business.
【小題1】The aim of the extinction of large prehistoric animals is to suggest that _______.

A．large animal were not easy to survive in the changing environment

B．small species survived as large animals disappeared

C．large sea animals may face the same threat today.

D．Slow-growing fish outlive fast-growing ones

【小題2】We can infer from Dr Myers and Dr. Worm’s paper that _______.

A．the stock of large predators in some old fisheries has reduced by 90%

B．there are only half as many fisheries are there were 15 years ago

C．the catch sizes in new fisheries are only 20% of the original amount

D．the number of larger predators dropped faster in new fisheries than in the old

【小題3】By saying these figures are conservative (line 1, paragraph 3), Dr worm means that_______.

A．fishing technology has improved rapidly

B．then catch-sizes are actually smaller then recorded

C．the marine biomass has suffered a greater loss

D．the date collected so far are out of date.

【小題4】Dr Myers and other researchers hold that _______.

A．people should look for a baseline that can’t work for a longer time

B．fisheries should keep the yield below 50% of the biomass

C．the ocean biomass should restore its original level.

D．people should adjust the fishing baseline to changing situation.

【小題5】The author seems to be mainly concerned with most fisheries’ _______.

A．management efficiency

B．biomass level

C．catch-size limits

D．technological application.

Every day we experience one of the wonders of the world around us without even realizing it. It is not the amazing complexity of television, nor the impressive technology of transport. The universal wonder we share and experience is our ability to make noise with our mouths, and so transmit ideas and thoughts to each other’s minds. This ability comes so naturally that we tend to forget what a miracle it is.
Obviously, the ability to talk is something that marks humans off from animal. Of course, some animals have powers just as amazing, Birds can fly thousands miles by observing positions of the stars in the sky in relation to the time of day and year. In Nature’s talent show, humans are a species of animal that have developed their own special act. If we reduce it to basic terms, it’s an ability for communicating information to others, by varying sounds we make as we breathe out.
Not that we don’t have other powers of communication. Our facial expressions convey our emotions, such as anger, or joy, or disappointment. The way we hold our heads can indicate to others whether we are happy or sad. This is so-called “body language”. Bristling(直立的) fur is an unmistakable warning of attack among many animals. Similarly, the bowed head or drooping tail shows a readiness to take second place in any animal gathering.
Such a means of communication is a basic mechanism that animals, including human beings, instinctively acquire and display. Is the ability to speak just another sort of instinct? If so, how did human beings acquire this amazing skill? Biologist can readily indicate that particular area of our brain where speech mechanisms function, but this doesn’t tell us how that part of our bodies originated in our biological history.
【小題1】According to the passage, the wonder we take for granted(認為理所當然) is________.

A．our ability to use language

B．the miracle of technology

C．the amazing power of nature

D．our ability to make noises with mouth

【小題2】What feature of “body language” mentioned in the passage is common to both human and animals?

A．Lifting heads when sad.

B．Keeping long faces when angry.

C．Bristling hair when ready to attack.

D．Bowing heads when willing to obey.

【小題3】What can be inferred from Paragraph 3?

A．Body language is unique to humans.

B．Animals express emotions just as humans do.

C．Humans have other powers of communication.

D．Humans are no different from animals to some degree.

【小題4】This passage is mainly about _______.

A．the development of body language.

B．the special role humans play in nature

C．the power to convey information to others

D．the difference between humans and animals in language use

Do you want to live another 100 years or more? Do you want to live never to die? Some experts say, it will be not a dream one day. Modern technology will make it come true. Man will live more years beyond what is now seen as the natural limit of the human life.
“ I think we are knocking at the door of immortality,” said Michael, a professor and author of two books on human life expectancy. “I think by 2075 we will see it and it’s no longer a dream. Human’s life expectancy may have not limit.”
At the meeting in San Francisco, Donald Louria, a professor at New Jersey Medical School said advances in using genes as well as other technology make 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 300 or 500 years.”
However, many scientists are doubtful about it and say the human body is just not designed to last more than about 120 years. Even with healthier lifestyles and less disease, they say failure of the brain and other parts of the body will finally lead all humans to death.
Scientists also hold different opinions on what kind of life man might live.  “If you pass 120, you know; could you be healthy enough to have good quality of life? It’s a big question.” said Leonard Poon, director of the university center.  “At present people who could get to that point are not in good health at all.”
【小題1】The underlined word in the second paragraph probably means _____.

A．dying slowly

B．living longer

C．living forever

D．dying quickly

【小題2】Donald’s attitude is that______.

A．human beings may never die in the future

B．it is not certain how long humans can live

C．the human body can last about 120 years

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

【小題3】What would be the best title for this text?

A．Living longer or not	B．Science and long living
C．No limit for human life	D．Healthy lifestyle and living

【小題4】In the last sentence “get to that point” means ____.

A．get that idea	B．get to 120 years old
C．know how to live forever	D．have good quality of life

Just put your special clothes on in the morning and you could jump 3 meters into the air and even carry more than 60 kilograms without getting tired. The walk to school would be very, very easy. Such supercharged clothing is one of the products that could be created using "wearable robotics” technology.
Designed to improve a person's senses and skills, the device could be as simple as a hearing aid. Or it could be a full-body suit that senses what you're going to do, then helps you do it better.
“A superman suit would be the final result in wearable robot i cs ”，s a id Francois Pin, head of robot­ics and energy systems at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory(橡樹林國家實驗室), US. While these suits are at least ten years away, in some areas the technology is already in use.
Researchers are developing artificial- arms and legs that allow old，disabled or injured people to move freely. Thus US Army is interested in using wearable robot legs to help soldiers run faster, carry more equipment and be stronger in battle. Jobs that involve lifting heavy loads or saving lives from the rubble of an earthquake could also become much easier.
A robot is a device that responds to a command. You're probably with simple robots, such as toy cars or airplanes that respond to buttons you push on a remote control.
Wearable robotics goes further. Instead of just receiving information through a wire or remotecontrol- the robotic device can send information back to its controller.
Suppose you wore a sleeve that has sensors where your joints are. Every time you move your arm, the sleeve senses your movements and sends the information to a robot, which then moves its arm just as you did. When the robot hits or touches something, it sends a signal back to the sleeve and you sense the action.
In this way，scientists are working to wrap the robot around the person. Their goal is to make the sleeve, shoe or suit help you do what you want to do.
【小題1】Which of the following can replace the underlined word “supercharged” in Paragraph One?
A, expensive      B. overcharged C. advanced     D. full of electricity
【小題2】Products resulting from this wearable robotics technology do not include _______. 

A．remote controls

B．hearing aids

C．wearable robot legs

D．superman suits

【小題3】From the passage, we can infer that        .

A．it will be ten years before robotic devices are in use

B．the wearable robotics technology has been employed in some areas

C．the robots in the robotic devices will do whatever you want to do

D．people must become lazier and less healthier in the future

To me, the ocean is our greatest wilderness. I love swimming in it , surfing its waves, watching it from shore and thinking about all the life living unseen under the surface.
When I take my little kids to check out tide pools, we’re overjoyed when we find a sea star or some shellfish. Lately, though, I've noticed a change in my favorite pools: there are more sea grasses and fewer animals with shells.
I can't help feeling these small changes portend something more troubling about our oceans. It matches what scientists are telling us: our oceans are being troubled by carbon dioxide that threatens corals, colorful fish, salmon, sea otters, even whales. Our oceans are facing a major change.
Every hour, a million tons of carbon dioxide from cars, factories and power plants rain down on the world’s oceans. Carbon pollution brings about a chemical reaction that turns sea water more acidic (酸的) and takes away things important for sea animals .
Some of us are already feeling the effects of this growing crisis（危機）. Shellfish farmers in the Pacific Northwest have reported a decrease in natural and farmed oysters(牡蠣). Just this week, a new studyproved the link between the huge reduction in the numbers of oysters and ocean acidification. As polar waters become more acidic, Alaskan fishermen are troubled by the future of smaller fish.
Without action, ocean acidification will have a disastrous influence on the food chain, affecting not only sea life but the people who depend on it for food and their living. Already, our oceans have become 30 percent more acidic since preindustrial times, and it gets worse every day. We can stop this frightening dream, but only if we act now.
That's why the Center for Biological Diversity has started a petition (請愿書) requesting President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency to develop a plan to deal with ocean acidification. Decisive action can save sea life as we know it.
Now it isn’t too late to save our oceans and sea life. With immediate action to reduce carbon dioxide release we can start taking important steps today to deal with this disastrous situation. Join me in our petition calling for a national plan to save our oceans.
【小題1】The author’s recent visits to the tide pool brought her ___ .

A．happiness

B．a(chǎn)nger

C．concern

D．comfort

【小題2】The underlined word “portend” in Paragraph 3 probably means ___ .

A．predict

B．prevent

C．replace

D．reduce

【小題3】What the author worries about most is ____ .

A．the harm of sea grasses

B．carbon pollution in the sea

C．that the petition may be turned down

D．how fishermen can make a living in the future

【小題4】What is the main purpose of the text ?

A．To inform.

B．To educate.

C．To persuade .

D．To instruct.