Your glasses may someday replace your smartphone, and some New Yorkers are ready for the switch. Some in the city can't wait to try them on and use the maps and GPS that the futuristic eyewear is likely to include.
" I'd use it if I were hanging out with friends at 3 a. m. and going to the bar and wanted to see what was open," said Walter Choo, 40, of Fort Greene.
The smartphone-like glasses will likely come out this year and cost between $250 and $600, the Times said, possibly including a variation of augmented(增強(qiáng)的) reality, a technology already available on smartphones and tablets (平板電腦) that overlays information onto the screen about one's surroundings. So, for example, if you were walking down a street, indicators would pop up showing you the nearest coffee shop or directions could be plotted out and come into view right on the sidewalk in front of you.
" As far as a mainstream consumer product, this just isn't something anybody needs," said Sam Biddle, who writes for Gizmodo.com. " We're accustomed to having one thing in our pocket to do all these things," he added, "and the average consumer isn't gonna be able to afford another device (裝置) that's hundreds and hundreds of dollars. "
9to5Google publisher Seth Weintraub, who has been reporting on the smartphone-like glasses since late last year, said he is confident that this type of wearable device will eventually be as common as smartphones.
"It's just like smartphones 10 years ago," Weintraub said. "A few people started getting emails on their phones, and people thought that was crazy. Same kind of thing. We see people bending their heads to look at their smartphones, and it's unnatural," he said. " There's gonna be improvements to that, and this a step there. "
【小題1】One of the possible functions of the smartphone-like glasses is to ____.

A． program the opening hours of a bar

B． supply you with a picture of the future

C． provide information about your surroundings

D． update the maps and GPS in your smartphones

【小題2】The underlined phrase "pop up" in the third paragraph probably means " ____".

A．develop rapidly	B．get round quickly
C．a(chǎn)ppear immediately	D．go over automatically

【小題3】According to Sam Biddle, the smartphone-like glasses are ____.

A．necessary for teenagers

B．a(chǎn)ttractive to New Yorkers

C．a(chǎn)vailable to people worldwide

D．expensive for average consumers

【小題4】We can learn from the last two paragraphs that the smartphone-like glasses ____.

A．may have a potential market

B．a(chǎn)re as common as smartphones

C．a(chǎn)re popular among young adults

D．will be improved by a new technology

One might expect that the ever-growing demands of the tourist trade would bring nothing but good for the countries that receive the holiday-makers. Indeed, a rosy picture is painted for the long-term future of the holiday industry. Every month sees the building of a new hotel somewhere, and every month another rock-bound Pacific island is advertised as the 'last paradise(天堂) on earth'.
However, the scale and speed of this growth seem set to destroy the very things tourists want to enjoy. In those countries where there was a rush to make quick money out of sea-side holidays, over-crowded beaches and the concrete jungles of endless hotels have begun to lose their appeal.
Those countries with little experience of tourism can suffer most. In recent years, Nepal set out to attract foreign visitors to fund developments in health and education. Its forests, full of wildlife and rare flowers, were offered to tourists as one more untouched paradise. In fact, the nature all too soon felt the effects of thousands of holiday-makers traveling through the forest land. Ancient tacks became major routes for the walkers, with the consequent exploitation of precious trees and plants.
Not only can the environment of a country suffer from the sudden growth of tourism. The people as well rapidly feel its effects. Farmland makes way for hotels, roads and airports; the old way of life goes. The one-time farmer is now the servant of some multi-national organization; he is no longer his own master. Once it was his back that bore the pain; now it is his smile that is exploited. No doubt he wonders whether he wasn't happier in his village working his own land.
Thankfully, the tourist industry is waking up to the responsibilities it has towards those countries that receive its customers. The protection of wildlife and the creation of national parks go hand in hand with tourist development and in fact obtain financial support from tourist companies. At the same time, tourists are being encouraged to respect not only the countryside they visit but also its people.
The way tourism is handled in the next ten years will decide its fate and that of the countries we all want to visit. Their needs and problems are more important than those of the tourist companies. Increased understanding in planning world-wide tourism can preserve the market for these companies. If not, in a few years’ time the very things that attract tourists now may well have been destroyed.
【小題1】What does the author indicate in the last sentence of Paragraph 1?

A．The Pacific Island is a paradise.	B．The Pacific Island is worth visiting.
C．The advertisement is not convincing.	D．The advertisement is not impressive

【小題2】The example of Nepal is used to suggest _________.

A．its natural resources are untouched

B．its forests are exploited for farmland

C．it develops well in health and education

D．it suffers from the heavy flow of tourists.

【小題3】What can we learn about the farmers from Paragraph 4?

A．They are happy to work their own lands.

B．They have to please the tourists for a living.

C．They have to struggle for their independence.

D．They are proud of working in multi-national organizations.

【小題4】Which of the following determines the future of tourism?

A．The number of tourists	B．The improvement of services.
C．The promotion of new products.	D．The management of tourism

【小題5】The author’s attitude towards the development of the tourist industry is __________.

A．optimistic

B．doubtful

C．objective

D．negative

If a diver surfaces too quickly, he may suffer the bends. Nitrogen (氮) dissolved (溶解) in his blood is suddenly liberated by the reduction of pressure. The consequence, if the bubbles (氣泡) accumulate in a joint, is sharp pain and a bent body—thus the name. If the bubbles form in his lungs or his brain, the consequence can be death.
Other air-breathing animals also suffer this decompression (減壓) sickness if they surface too fast: whales, for example. And so, long ago, did ichthyosaurs. That these ancient sea animals got the bends can be seen from their bones. If bubbles of nitrogen form inside the bone they can cut off its blood supply. This kills the cells in the bone, and consequently weakens it, sometimes to the point of collapse. Fossil (化石) bones that have caved in on themselves are thus a sign that the animal once had the bends.
Bruce Rothschild of the University of Kansas knew all this when he began a study of ichthyosaur bones to find out how widespread the problem was in the past. What he particularly wanted to investigate was how ichthyosaurs adapted to the problem of decompression over the 150 million years. To this end, he and his colleagues traveled the world’s natural-history museums, looking at hundreds of ichthyosaurs from the Triassic period and from the later Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.
When he started, he assumed that signs of the bends would be rarer in younger fossils, reflecting their gradual evolution of measures to deal with decompression. Instead, he was astonished to discover the opposite. More than 15% of Jurassic and Cretaceous ichthyosaurs had suffered the bends before they died, but not a single Triassic specimen (標(biāo)本) showed evidence of that sort of injury.
If ichthyosaurs did evolve an anti-decompression means, they clearly did so quickly—and, most strangely, they lost it afterwards. But that is not what Dr Rothschild thinks happened. He suspects it was evolution in other animals that caused the change.
Whales that suffer the bends often do so because they have surfaced to escape a predator (捕食動(dòng)物) such as a large shark. One of the features of Jurassic oceans was an abundance of large sharks and crocodiles, both of which were fond of ichthyosaur lunches. Triassic oceans, by contrast, were mercifully shark- and crocodile-free. In the Triassic, then, ichthyosaurs were top of the food chain. In the Jurassic and Cretaceous, they were prey (獵物) as well as predator—and often had to make a speedy exit as a result.
【小題1】Which of the following is a typical symptom of the bends?

A．A twisted body.

B．A gradual decrease in blood supply.

C．A sudden release of nitrogen in blood.

D．A drop in blood pressure.

【小題2】The purpose of Rothschild’s study is to see ______.

A．how often ichthyosaurs caught the bends

B．how ichthyosaurs adapted to decompression

C．why ichthyosaurs bent their bodies

D．when ichthyosaurs broke their bones

【小題3】Rothschild’s finding stated in Paragraph 4 ______.

A．confirmed his assumption	B．speeded up his research process
C．disagreed with his assumption	D．changed his research objectives

【小題4】Rothschild might have concluded that ichthyosaurs ______.

A．failed to evolve an anti-decompression means

B．gradually developed measures against the bends

C．died out because of large sharks and crocodiles

D．evolved an anti-decompression means but soon lost it

You can’t always predict a heavy rain or remember your umbrella. But designer Mikhail Belvacv doesn’t think that forgetting to check the weather forecast before heading out should result in you getting wet. That’s why he created lampbrella, a lamp post with its own rain sensing umbrella.
The designer says he come up with the idea after watching people get wet on streets in Russia. “once, I was driving on a central Saint Petersburg street and saw the street lamps lighting up people trying to hide from the rain. I thought it would be appropriate to have a canopy(傘蓬)built into a street lamp.” he said.
The lampbrella is a standard-looking street lamp fitted with an umbrella canopy. It has a built-in electric motor which can open or close the umbrella on demand. Sensors(傳感器)then ensure that the umbrella offers pedestrians shelter whenever it starts raining.
In addition to the rain sensor, there’s also a 360°motion sensor on the biberglass street lamp which detects whether anyone’s using the lampbrella. After three minutes of not being used the canopy is closed.
According to the designer, the lampbrella would move at a relatively low speed, so as not to cause harm to the pedestrians. Besides, it would be grounded to protect from possible lighting strike. Each lampbrella would offer enough shelter for several people. Being installed at 2 meters off the ground, it would only be a danger for the tallest of pedestrians.
While there are no plans to take lampbrella into production, Belyacv says he recently introduced his creation one Moscow Department, and insists this creation could be installed on any street where a lot of people walk but there are no canopies to provide shelter.
【小題1】For what purpose did Belyacv create the lampbrella?

A．To predict a heavy rain	B．To check the weather forecast
C．To protect people from the rain	D．To remind people to take an umbrella

【小題2】What do we know from Belyacv’s words in Paragraph2?

A．His creation was inspired by an experience

B．it rains a lot in the city of Saint Petersburg

C．Street lamps are protected by canopies

D．He enjoyed taking walks in the rain

【小題3】Which of the following show how the lampbrella works?

A．motor→canopy→sensors	B．Sensors→motor→canopy
C．motor→sensors→canopy	D．canopy→motor→sensors

【小題4】What does paragraph 5 mainly tell us about the lampbrella?

A．Its moving speed	B．Its appearance
C．Its installation	D．Its safety

【小題5】What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．The designer will open a company to promote his product

B．The lampbrella could be put into immediate production

C．The designer is confident that his creation is practical

D．The lampbrella would be put on show in Moscow

Using too much water or throwing rubbish into our rivers are clear ways that humans can put our water supply in danger , but we also affect our water supply in less obvious ways. You may wonder how paving(鋪砌) a road can lead to less useable fresh water. A major part of the water we use every day is groundwater. Groundwater does not come from lakes or rivers. It comes from underground. The more roads and parking lots we pave the less water can flow into the ground to become groundwater.
Human activity is not responsible for all water shortages(短缺). Drier climates are of course more likely to have droughts(干旱) than areas with more rainfall, but in any case, good management can help to make sure there is enough water to meet our basic needs.
Thinking about the way we use water every day can make a big difference, too In the United States , a family of four can use 1. 5 tons of water a day! This shows how much we depend on water to live, but there’s a lot we can do to lower the number.
You can take steps to save water in your home. To start with use the same glass for your drinking water all day. Wash it only once a day. Run your dishwasher (洗碗機(jī))only when it is full 。Help your parents fix any leaks in your home. You can even help to keep our water supply clean by recycling batteries instead of throwing them away.
【小題1】Which of the following is most likely to lead to less groundwater?

A．Using river water.	B．Throwing batteries away.
C．Paving parking lots.	D．Throwing rubbish into lakes.

【小題2】What can be inferred from the text?

A．All water shortages are due to human behavior.

B．It takes a lot of effort to meet our water needs.

C．There is much we can do to reduce family size.

D．The average family in America makes proper use of water.

【小題3】The last paragraph is intended to             .

A．show us how to fix leaks at home

B．tell us how to run a dishwasher

C．prove what drinking glass is best for us

D．suggest what we do to save water at home

【小題4】The text is mainly about          .

A．Why paving roads reduces our water

B．how much we depend on water to live

C．why droughts occur more in dry climates

D．how human activity affects our water supply

Multitasking
People who multitask all the time may be the worst at doing two things at once, a new research suggests. The findings, based on performances and self-evaluation by about 275 college students, indicate that many people multitask not out of a desire to increase productivity, but because they are easily distracted (分心) and can’t focus on one activity. And “those people turn out to be the worst at handling different things,” said David Sanbonmatsu, a psychologist at the University of Utah.
Sanbonmatsu and his colleagues gave the students a set of tests and asked them to report how often they multitasked, how good they thought they were at it, and how sensation-seeking (尋求刺激) or imperative (沖動(dòng)) they were. They then evaluated the participants’ multitasking ability with a tricky mental task that required the students to do simple mathematical calculations while remembering a set of letters.
Not surprisingly, the scientists said, most people thought they were better than average at multitasking, and those who thought they were better at it were more likely to report using a cellphone while driving or viewing multiple kinds of media at once. But those who frequently deal with many things at the same time were found to perform the worst at the actual multitasking test. They also were more likely to admit to sensation-seeking and impulsive behavior, which connects with how easily people get bored and distracted.
“People multitask not because it’s going to lead to greater productivity, but because they’re distractible, and they get sucked into things that are not as important.” Sanbonmatsu said.
Adam Gazzaley, a researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, who was not a member of the research group, said one limitation of the study was that it couldn’t find out whether people who start out less focused   toward multitasking or whether people’s recognizing and understanding abilities change as a result of multitasking.
The findings do suggest, however, why the sensation-seeker who multitask the most may enjoy risky distracted driving. “People who are multitasking are generally less sensitive to risky situations.” said Paul Atchley, another researcher not in the group. “This may partly explain why people go in for these situations even though they’re dangerous.”
【小題1】 The research led by Sanbonmatsu indicates that people who multitask       .

A．seek high productivity constantly

B．prefer handling different things when getting bored

C．a(chǎn)re more focused when doing many things at a time

D．have the poorest results in doing various things at the same time

【小題2】When Sanbonmatsu and his colleagues conducted their research, they          .

A．a(chǎn)ssessed the multitasking ability of the students

B．evaluated the academic achievements of the students

C．a(chǎn)nalyzed the effects of the participants’ tricky mental tasks

D．measured the changes of the students’ understanding ability

【小題3】According to Sanbonmatsu, people multitask because of their        _.

A．limited power in calculation	B．interests in doing things differently
C．inability to concentrate on one task	D．impulsive desire to try new things

【小題4】 From the last paragraph, we can learn that multitaskers usually____  .

A．drive very skillfully

B．go in for different tasks

C．fail to react quickly to potential dangers

D．refuse to explain the reasons for their behavior

The oldest and most common source(來源) of renewaBle energy known to man, Biomass is one of the most important forms energy production in the United States and elsewhere. Since such a wide variety of Biomass materials is everywhere ---- from trees and grasses to agricultural and city ---- life wastes ----Biomass promises to play a continuing role in providing power and heat for millions of people around the world.
According to the Union of Concerned Scientists(UCS), Biomass is a kind of renewaBle energy source that produces no carBon dioxide(二氧化碳), Because the energy it contains comes from the sun. When plant matter is Burned, it gives off the sun’s energy. In this way, Biomass serves as a sort of natural Battery(電池) for storing the sun’s energy. As long as Biomass is produced continuously ----with only as much grown as is used--- the “Battery” lasts forever.
According to the Energy Information Administration, Biomass has Been one of the leading renewaBle energy sources in the United States for several years running through 2007, making up Between 0.5 and 0.9 percent of the nation’s total electricity supply. In 2008----although the numBers aren’t all in yet----wind power proBaBly took over first place Because of the rapid development of wind farms across the country.
Producing power from Biomass helps reduce some 11 million tons of carBon dioxide each year. Some homeowners also try to make their own heat By using Biomass materials. Such practice may save homeowner’s money, But it also produces a lot of pollution. So, the Best way is to encourage power plants to use it.
【小題1】Why is Biomass considered as “ a sort of natural Battery”?

A．It Burns merely plant matter.	B．It keeps producing electricity.
C．It stores the energy from the sun.	D．It produces zero carBon dioxide.

【小題2】We learn from the text that in 2008 ______.

A．Wind power would Be the leader of renewaBle energy.

B．there was a rapid growth of electricity production

C．Biomass might Become the main energy source

D．0.5~0.9 of power supply came from Biomass

【小題3】Why does the author encourage power plants to use Biomass?

A．To prevent the waste of energy.	B．To increase production safety.
C．To reduce pollution.	D．To save money.

【小題4】Where does the text proBaBly come from?

A．A research plan.	B．A science magazine
C．A Book review.	D．A Business report.

Where on Earth are you? Navigators (導(dǎo)航員) use lines of latitude and lines of longitude to locate places. Lines of latitude run east and west around Earth. On a map or globe, these lines appear as running sideways or horizontally. Lines of longitude run north and south around Earth. These lines go up and down or vertically on a map or globe. These lines create an imaginary graph paper on the Earth. They make it possible to find an absolute, or exact, location on Earth. They even allow us to give an absolute location to a place out in the middle of the ocean.
Lines of latitude tell us how far north or south of the Equator we are. Sailors have used primitive navigation tools, like astrolabes, since ancient times. The astrolabe uses the sun and stars to find an approximate location. Using such tools, they have been able to approximate their distance from the equator. Although their instruments may not have been the high quality we have now, they were incredibly accurate (精確) for their time.
Lines of longitude tell us how far east or west of the prime meridian (本初子午線) we are. Sailors constantly looked for new ways to increase their navigation skills. Still, it wasn’t until the 18th century that they were able to measure degrees of longitude. They would have been very envious of the technology available to us today.
When we use lines of latitude and longitude together, we can get a very precise location. If we want to identify the absolute location of a point, we look where the latitude and longitude lines cross nearest to that point. We use the coordinates (坐標(biāo)) for that point as its address. Many maps today include degrees of latitude and longitude.
【小題1】______ make it possible for people to find an exact place on Earth.

A．Latitudes

B．Longitudes

C．Navigators

D．Sailors

【小題2】The second paragraph mainly talks about _______.

A．the function of latitude	B．the use of the equator
C．the invention of astrolabe	D．the high quality instruments

【小題3】 Why do maps include degrees of latitude and longitude?

A．To help trade expeditions.	B．To locate a precise place.
C．To cross the lines of the nearest point.	D．To identify how far a place is.

【小題4】The best title for this passage is ____________.

A．The map and the globe	B．Latitude and longitude
C．The equator and the prime meridian	D．Absolute coordinates

What happens inside the skull of a soccer player who repeatedly heads a soccer ball? That question motivated a challenging new study of the brains of experienced players that has caused discussion and debate among soccer players, and some anxiety among those of us with soccer-playing children.
For the study, researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York selected 34 adults, men and women. All of the volunteers had played soccer since childhood and now competed year-round in adult soccer leagues. Each filled out a detailed questionnaire developed especially for this study to determine how many times they had headed a soccer ball in the previous year, as well as whether they had experienced any known concussions (腦震蕩) in the past.
Then the players completed computerized tests of their memory and other learning skills and had their brains scanned, using a complicated new M.R.I. technique which can find structural changes in the brain that can’t be seen during most scans.
According to the data they presented at a Radiological Society of North America meeting last month, the researchers found that the players who had headed the ball more than about 1,100 times in the previous 12 months showed significant loss of white matter in parts of their brains involved with memory, attention and the processing of visual information, compared with players who had headed the ball fewer times.
This pattern of white matter loss is “similar to those seen in traumatic (外傷的) brain injury”, like that after a serious concussion, the researchers reported, even though only one of these players was reported to have ever experienced a concussion.
The players who had headed the ball about 1,100 times or more in the past year were also generally worse at recalling lists of words read to them, forgetting or fumbling the words far more often than players who had headed the ball less.
【小題1】The passage is most probably a______.

A．news report	B．research report
C．story for soccer players	D．text for doctors

【小題2】In which way can we find the structural changes in the brain?

A．Computerized test.	B．Questionnaire..
C．Scanning.	D．M.R.I. technique.

【小題3】From the passage we can conclude that frequent heading may have_____.

A．significant effect on brain	B．little effect on one’s brain
C．nothing to do with the brain injury	D．one’s memory improved

【小題4】The underlined word "fumbling" is closest in meaning to______.

A．remembering	B．misunderstanding
C．recalling	D．missing

The rapid growth of cities worldwide over the next two decades will cause significant risks to people and the global environment, according to analysis.
Researches from Yale and Stanford predict that by 2030 urban areas will expand by 590,000 square miles—nearly the size of Mongolia—to meet the needs of 1.47 billion more people living in urban areas.
“It is likely that these cities are going to be developed in places that are the most biologically diverse,” said Karen Seto, a famous scientist at Yale University. “They are going to be growing and expanding into forests, biological hotspots, savannas(熱帶稀缺大草原), coastlines—sensitive and vulnerable places.”
Urban areas, they found, have been expanding more rapidly along coasts. “Of all the places for cities to grow, coasts are the most sensitive. People and buildings along the coast are at risk of flooding and other environmental disasters,” said Seto.
The study provides the first estimate of how fast urban areas globally are growing and how fast they may grow in the future. “We know a lot about global patterns of urban population growth, but we know significantly less about how urban areas are changing,” she said. “Changes in land cover associated with urbanization lead to many environmental changes, from habitats loss and agricultural land conversion(轉(zhuǎn)化) to changes in local and regional climate.”
The researchers examined studies that used satellite data to map urban growth and found that from 1970 to 2000 the world’s urban footprint had grown by at least 22,400 square miles—half the size of Ohio.
“This number is numerous, but, in actuality, urban land expansion has been far greater than what our analysis shows because we only looked at the published studies that used satellite data,” said Seto. “We found that 48 of the most populated urban areas have been studied using satellite data, with findings in journals. This means that we’re not tracking the physical expansion of more than half of the world’s largest cities.”
Half of urban land expansion in China is driven by a rising middle class, whereas the size of cities in India and Africa is driven primarily by population growth. “Rising incomes translate into rising demand for bigger homes and more land for urban development, which has a great effect on biodiversity conservations, loss of carbon sinks and energy use.”
【小題1】According to the passage, the most dangerous place for city expansion is the _____.

A．forest

B．desert

C．savannas

D．coastline

【小題2】The underlined word “vulnerable” (in Para. 3) probably means “____”.

A．diverse in plants	B．beautiful in scenery
C．easily damaged	D．very productive

【小題3】From Para. 5, we can infer that ____.

A．urbanization is a good way to improve people’s standards of living

B．cities develop very fast and more and more people come to live in cities

C．more and more agricultural farmlands are used to make room for local animals

D．in the past, researchers focused their attention on the expanding urban areas

【小題4】Cities in Africa become bigger and bigger mainly because of their ____.

A．growing population	B．rising middle class
C．unique living patterns	D．economic development