With the start of BBC World Service Television, millions of viewers in Asia and America can now watch the Corporation's news coverage, as well as listen to it.  
And of course in Britain listeners and viewers can tune in to two BBC television channels, five BBC national radio services and dozens of local radio station. They are brought sport, comedy, drama, music, news and current affairs, education, religion, parliamentary coverage, children's programmes and films for an annual license fee of ￡83 per household.
It is a remarkable record, stretching back over 70 years - yet the BBC's future is now in doubt. The Corporation will survive as a publicly-funded broadcasting organization, at least for the time being, but its role, its size and its programmes are now the subject of a nation-wide debate in Britain.
The debate was launched by the Government, which invited anyone with an opinion of the BBC - including ordinary listeners and viewers - to say what was good or bad about the Corporation, and even whether they thought it was worth keeping. The reason for its inquiry is that the BBC's royal charter runs out in 1996 and it must decide whether to keep the organization as it is, or to make changes.
Defenders of the Corporation - of whom there are many - are fond of quoting the American slogan. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. The BBC ain't broke, they say, by which they mean it is not broken (as distinct from the word broke, meaning having no money), so why bother to change it?
Yet the BBC will have toks5u change, because the broadcasting world around it is changing. The commercial TV channels － ITV and Channel 4－ were required by the Thatcher Government's Broadcasting Act to become more commercial, competing with each other for advertisers, and cutting costs and jobs. But it is the arrival of new satellite channels - funded partly by advertising and partly by viewers' subscriptions - which will bring about the biggest changes in the long term.
56. The world famous BBC now faces ________.
A. the problem of new coverage　　               B. an uncertain prospect
C. inquiries by the general public　                D. shrinkage of audience
57. In the passage, which of the following about the BBC is not mentioned as the key issue?
A. Extension of its TV service to Far East.
B. Programmes as the subject of a nation-wide debate.
C. Potentials for further international co-operations.
D. Its existence as a broadcasting organization.
58. The BBC's royal charter （line 4, paragraph 4） stands for ________.
A. the financial support from the royal family      B. the privileges granted by the Queen
C. a contract with the Queen  　　                      D. a unique relationship with the royal family
59. The foremost reason why the BBC has to readjust itself is no other than ________.　　　　　　　　
A. the emergence of commercial TV channels
B. the enforcement of Broadcasting Act by the government
C. the urgent necessity to reduce costs and jobs
D. the challenge of new satellite channels

D
A mysterious machine found in a 2,000-year-old Greek shipwreck may have been used to calculate the positions of planets, predict when eclipses (日、月蝕) were to occur, and study other parts of astronomy (天文學). When it was found underwater about 100 years ago, the machine was in poor shape. Its metal pieces had become one mass (堆), and then broke into pieces.
When the researchers began to study what was left of the machine, they thought it might have something to do with astronomy. To find out more, they recently used advanced imaging methods, including X-ray computer tomography (斷層攝影術), to look inside the metal parts and to check for ancient writing on the machine.
According to their research, the researchers believed that this machine could have been used to compute eclipses of the sun and moon and was also able to show the movements of planets. A user could pick a day in the future and, work out a planet’s position on that date by moving some sort of crank (曲柄) on the machine.
Besides, the researchers discovered that the machine had at least 30 bronze gears (齒輪) with as many as 225 teeth, likely all cut by hand.
With all the collected information, the researchers came up with a new model for how the machine operated. The model has 29 of the 30 known gears and five more that were probably there but never found. Also，the new picture adds a previously undiscovered spiral dial (螺旋刻度盤) to the back of the machine near the bottom. A hand moving around the dial could have pointed to eclipses over a period of 18 years.
71. The passage is most probably taken from _____.
A. a short-story collection
B. a popular science magazine
C. a political report
D. an old personal diary
72. What is the passage mainly about?
A. New research on calculating the positions of planets.
B. A popular way of computing eclipses of the sun and moon.
C. Scientists’ interest in the secrets of a 2,000-year-old Greek shipwreck.
D. A mysterious machine which could be used for astronomical research.
73. What do we learn from the third paragraph of the passage?
A. The machine might have been used to calculate the positions of the planets.
B. Scientists made great progress in predicting eclipses of the sun and moon.
C. The researchers discovered some secrets in the Greek shipwreck.
D. The machine can be of great help for people working out the sizes of planets.
74. The researchers made a new model because they____.
A. wished to repair the broken machine
B. wanted to study the shipwreck more conveniently
C. hoped to know how the machine worked
D. expected it to be used in modern scientific research
75. Which of the following statements is TRUE about the old machine?
A. It has 35 gears on it.
B. It has a spiral dial.
C. It was invented about 100 years ago.
D. Its gears have many teeth.

C
Since we are social beings, the quality of our lives depends in large measure on our interpersonal relationships. One strength of the human condition is our possibility to give and receive support from one another under stressful (有壓力的) conditions. Social support makes up of the exchange of resources among people based on their interpersonal ties. Those of us with strong support systems appear better able to deal with major life changes and daily problems. People with strong social ties live longer and have better health than those without such ties. Studies over types of illnesses, from depression to heart disease, show that the presence of social support helps people defend themselves against illness, and the absence of such support makes poor health more likely.
Social support cushions stress in a number of ways. First, friends, relatives and co-workers may let us know that they value us. Our self-respect is strengthened when we feel accepted by others in spite of our faults and difficulties. Second, other people often provide us with informational support. They help us to define and understand our problems and find solutions to them. Third, we typically find social companionship supportive. Taking part in free-time activities with others helps us to meet our social needs while at the same time distracting (轉移注意力) us from our worries and troubles. Finally, other people may give us instrumental support money aid, material resources, and needed services - that reduces stress by helping us resolve and deal with our problems.
66. Interpersonal relationships are important because they can ________
A.    make people live more easily                     B.  smooth away daily problems
C.    deal with life changes                            D.    cure types of illnesses
67. The researches show that people's physical and mental health _______
A. lies in the social medical care systems which support them
B. has much to do with the amount of support they get from others
C. depends on their ability to deal with daily worries and troubles
D. is related to their courage for dealing with major life changes
68. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word "cushions"?
A.    takes place of         B. makes up of      
C.    lessens the effect of    D. gets rid of
69. Helping a sick neighbor with some repair work in spare time is an example of ________
A. instrumental support             B. informational support
C. social companionship             D. the strengthening of self-respect
70. What is the subject discussed in the text?
A. Interpersonal relationships.                 B. Kinds of social support.
C. Ways to deal with stress.              D. Effects of stressful condition.

D
It is hard to predict（預言）how science is going to turn out, and whether it is really good science, it is impossible to predict．If the things to be found are actually new, they must be unknown in advance．You cannot make choices on this matter．You either have science or you don’t and if you have it you have to accept the surprising and disturbing pieces of information, along with the neat and useful bits．
The only solid piece of scientific truth about which I feel totally confident is that we don’t know enough about nature．Indeed, I regard this as the major discovery of the past hundred years of biology．It is, in its way, a clear piece of news．It would have amazed the brightest minds of the 18th century to be told by any of us how little we know and how strange the way ahead seems．In earlier times, they either pretended to understand how things worked or simply made up stories to give answers．Now that we have begun exploring seriously, we are catching sight of how huge the questions are, and how far from being answered．Because of this, we are sorry．It is not so bad being ignorant（無知的）if you are totally ignorant; the hard thing is knowing in some details the reality of ignorance, the worst spots and here and there the not so bad spots, but no true light at the end of the tunnel nor even any tunnels that can yet be trusted．
But we are making a beginning, and there ought to be some satisfaction．There are probably no questions we can think up that can’t be answered, sooner or later．Within our limits, we should be able to work our way through to all our answers, if we keep at it long enough, and pay attention．
51．Acoording to the writer, really good science________．
A．would surprise the brightest minds of the 18th  century．
B．will help people to make the right choice in advance
C．will produce results which cannot be predicted
D．will bring about disturbing results
52．It can be inferred from the passage that scientists of the 18th century________．
A．thought that they knew a great deal and could deal with most problems of science．
B．knew that they were ignorant and wanted to know more about nature
C．were afraid of facing up to the realities of scientific research
D．did more harm than good in man’s understanding of nature
53．Which of the following is NOT mentioned about scientists in earlier times?
A．They falsely declared to know all about nature．
B．They did not believe in results from scientific observation．
C．They paid little attention to the problems they didn’t understand．
D．They invented false rules to explain things they didn’t understand．
54．What is the writer’s attitude towards science?
A．He is sorry because of the ignorance of scientists．
B．He is delighted because of the latest scientific findings．
C．He is doubtful because of the great difficulties in scientific research．
D．He is confident though he knows well the great difficulties in scientific research．
55．The writer believes that sooner or later________．
A．man can’t deal with all the problems he can find because of the limits of human knowledge．
B．man can find solutions to whatever questions concerning nature he can think up
C．questions concerning nature are outsiede the field of scientific research
D．man can think up all the questions and answer them all．

第三部分：閱讀理解：（共20小題；每小題2分，滿分40分）閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的四個選項中，選出最佳選項。
(A)
What makes a house a home? A home is a place of companionship with people in it who love each other, who are harmonious (和諧的) and closer with one another than with those in the workplace or with classmates at school. A home is a place that’s so magnetic（有吸引力的） that it’s difficult to leave. In a home there is love, sharing and appreciation, and the members help one another.
I have seen families on the street. But if they live, sleep, talk, and eat together, they are a family, even if they are poorly off. You don’t need a roof to make a home. The truly homeless are some of the rich people who build multi-million-dollar houses and are too busy to really live in them. The truly homeless are those who have turned their home into a hotel lobby. The parents work and the children misbehave. They don’t talk and eat together every day. They rarely see each other. The truly homeless people are those with babysitters, caretakers, gardeners and maids. However, people are unaware of this, as they are too busy making money outside the home that they don’t live in. This is another way of looking at the rich and the homeless. Who is to be pitied?
Control of the computer and the Internet is also important to make a house into a home. If the computer is on all the time, the house turns into an office, even if everyone is at home. Many homes these days are just offices. Human communication has stopped. The computer eats up all the time that one should be giving to others within the home. Using the computer moderately gives us time for play and communication, not with a screen, but with other people.
56. Which of the following may serve as the best title for this passage?
A. How to make a house a home?
B. What makes a house a home?
C. Who are truly homeless?
D. What is a home for?
57. The purpose of the first paragraph is to _________.
A. tell us that where there is home there is love
B. tell us what people think a home is
C. tell us the author’s concept（理解）of home
D. tell us how to have a happy home
58. The underlined word “those” refers to ________.
A. people who build multi-million-dollar houses
B. people who have lost their family members
C. people who don’t spend time with the family
D. homeless families living on the street in America
59. Which of the following is FALSE according to the passage?
A. A home is a place where you are willing to stay.
B. Even the poorest people can have a happy home.
C. Computers and the Internet are important for a happy home.
D. Sometimes it’s the rich that should be pitied.

E
Are you worried by the rising crime rate? If you are, then you probably know that your house, possessions and person are increasingly in danger of suffering from the great rise in the cases of burglary(入室行竊) and attack.
Figures indicate an ever- increasing crime rate but it is only too easy to imagine “it will never happen to me”. Unfortunately, numbers show that it really can happen to you and, if you live in a large city, you run twice the risk of being a victim(受害者).
Fortunately, there is something which you can do. Protect Alarms can help to protect your house with a burglar alarm system which is effective, simple to operate and easy to buy.
You must remember that possessing a burglar alarm is no indication that your house is filled with valuable possessions. It quite simply indicates to unwelcome visitors that yours is one house they will not break into easily so they carry on to an unprotected house where their job is made a lot easier.
Send now for our free leaflet(小冊) telling you how we can Protect Alarm your house quickly, easily and cheaply. Complete and tear off the slip below and post it to us. Postage is free. Or telephone us on 327 6721 where we have a round-the-clock answering service, through which you can get the information any time you want. It costs nothing to find out about Protect Alarms.
72. It seems that people who live in large cities are ________.
A.more often sufferers than those living in other areas
B.of the opinion that numbers are wrong
C.twice as rich as people living in other areas
D.too poor to afford the protect system
73. The writers of this text want to give the impression that the PROTECT ALARMS system is _________.
A. free of charge      B. easy to use       C. complex       D. lasting
74. The article shows that having an alarm system will _______.
A.show burglars that you have something worth stealing
B.persuade burglars not to break into your house
C.make the burglar’s job less difficult
D.persuade burglars to try again another time.
75. In order to find out more information about this alarm system, one can _______.
A. buy a leaflet              B. write enclosing a stamped, addressed envelope
C. sign an agreement          D. phone at any time of day or night

E
Every year farmers in areas which often suffer flood in Southeast Asia lose millions of tons of rice to high water that kills their crops. That large amount of waste may soon be a thing of the past: SUBIA, a gene discovered by researchers which the International Rice Research Insitule (IRRI) and the University of California, allows rice palnts carrying the gene to live completely under water for two weeks.
Flood – resistant(抗水浸) rice turned up among the 110,000 types of seed stored at the institute. It produced disappointingly low yields(產(chǎn)量) , but scientistis were able to transfer the gene into more bountiful varieties. These have shown promising results in tests by growers in India and Bangladesh over the past two years.
This rice success story would not have been possible without the treasure of genetic diversity hidden in the IRRI’s vault (underground room). As the world faces new agricultural challenge – charging climate, bugs and diseases that have developed resistance(抵抗力) to old defenses – such genetic resources are likely to become increasingly valuable. Fortunately, the IRRI is one of more than 1,000 organizations around the world working to protect crop genes. Most plant species grown for food have an associated bank that stores thousands of samples; seeds of landraces, wild relatives, and varieties that are rare, old, or adapted to very specific envionments. The banks ensure that it will be possible to develop new varieties in the future.
The need for these botanical libraries has its roots in modern agricultural practices. According to the U. N. Food and Agriculture Organization, 75 percent of plant diversity has been lost over the last century. Of more than 30,000 eatable species, humans grow just 200 for food; 60 percent of plant calories in our diet comes from wheat, rice, and corn.
72．Accordint to the second paragraph, what can we learn about the flood – resistant rice?
A．It produces a small amount of rice.
B．Scientists have developed many more varieties of it.
C．Sientists have managed to improve its output.
D．It can produce more rice than the other 110,000 types at the institute.
73．From the passage we can infer that        .
A．the newly – discovered gene will bring hope to the farmers in the areas often suffering flood
B．scientists will not be able to change the fact that rice plants carrying the gene produce low yields
C．the tests by growers in India and Bangladesh were hopeless
D．110,000 types of seed stored at the Institute are flood -  resistant
74．What’s the main idea of the third paragraph?
A．The world faces new agricultural challenges.
B．Such genetic resources are likely to become valuable.
C．Scientists set up banks to store thousands of seed samples.
D．We should owe the rice success story to the seed banks.
75．As to the botanical libraries, the writer thinks they are            .
A．useless      B．unnecessary      C．needful     D．needless

D
●Tower Bridge is one of London’s most well known landmarks. Opened in 1894, this hydraulic(液壓的)  bridge can be raised to permit river traffic to pass underneath.
Vistors to Tower Bridge can enjoy wonderful views of the River Thames from the bridge towers. There is also a museum which explain how the bascule bridge operates and discusses its history. Tower Bridge is often incorrectly referred to as London Bridge.London Bridge, however, is a different bridge that is located directly upstream from Tower Bridge.
●The British Museum is a “must do” for all visitors to London England. Treasures from around the world can be found in Britain’s largest and most popular museum. To top it off, admission to the British Museum is free of charge.
Due to the enormous size of the museums, visitors should priortize what they wish to see. One “must see” is the Rosetta Stone – a key puzzle piece in the recorded history of humankid. The british Museum is locted in the Bloomsbury district of London in London WC1.
●Greenwich Park is a beautiful large park located a few kilometers away from the centre of London. Attractions in Greenwich include the Cutty Sark, the Gypsy Moth and the Old Royal Observatory. A painted line at the obsevatory inicates zero degrees of longitude（經(jīng)度）.
Many visitors to Greenwich enjoy having their photos taken with one leg in the western hemisphere（半球）and the other in the eastern hemisphere. Greenwich is the place where time was officially tracked – “Greenwich Mean Time” or “GMT”.
Greenwich is located in London SE10.
●The Eurostar high – speed train service provides fast connections between London and Paris and London and Brussels. The Eurostar trains pass through the 32 – mile Channel Tunnel under the English Channel. The tunnel is also known as the “Euro Tunnel” or “Chunnel”. The Channel Tunnel is considered to be one of the world’s great engineering wonders.
Trains leave form the Waterloo Rail Station which is located in south London.
68．If a tourist doesn’t have any money on him, which of the following can he do?
A．Visit Tower Bridge. B．Visit the British Museum.
C．Go around Greenwich Park.    D．Take a Eurostar high – speed train.
69．Where can we find the attraction of the Cutty Sark?
A．On London Bridge.  B．In the Old Royal Observatory.
C．In the British Museum.    D．In Greenwich Park.
70．What can we learn from the passage?
A．Tower Bridge can be raised mainly to let the water folw faster.
B．The British Museum is the largest museum in the world.
C．Greenwich Park is where the western hemisphere and the eastern hemisphere meet.
D．The Eurostar train can take people from London to many cities in Europe directly.
71．In what web page do you think the passage is probably found?
A．International news.                 B．Study abroad.
C．Tourist Information and Travel Guide.   D．Art of architecture.

C
FOR many of us, cartoon strips（連環(huán)畫） are simply one of our pastimes. The popular Japanese manga provides us with an escape from reality into a world of fantasy, adventure and romance. With much less text and pictures running for pages, it fits perfectly into today's fast, throwing away city lifestyle.
But Tsai Chih-chung, a famous Taiwanese illustrator (漫畫家), doesn't agree. He believes cartoons can be a bridge connecting traditional Chinese culture and wisdom with the modern world in a much more wise and acceptable way.
He has interpreted（演繹） Lao Zi, Confucius, Mencius, Zhuang Zi and Sun Zi and made their works accessible to a global audience. He has also produced two books about Zen (禪宗), introducing oriental philosophy（哲學）. His cartoons are humorous yet full of wisdom and are admired as an easy way to learn Chinese classics.
After avoiding the public for ten years, Tsai made a comeback in late April with seven new works. But does his age, 61, work as a gap between him and his young readers? Tsai doesn't think so.
The topics he has covered range from philosophy in a time of individuality(個性) to the learning and memorizing techniques used at school. "Every child is a genius and has the potential beyond his own imagination," he said.
If popular Japanese manga is simply for entertainment, Tsai's work, to a large extent, is to light the power of thinking in a light-hearted way. Tsai uses different forms of water to refer to people. In his eyes some people are like an ocean, some are like vapor , while others may be ice or rain. But in essence they share a similarity – human being's forever chasing for the true and the good.
"The person who thinks over life issues is not necessarily a scholar or a philosopher," he said. "I've devoted my whole life to thinking and individual freedom, not making a living."
64．Which of the following statement is TRUE according to the passage?
A．Tsai’s work fits today’s city lifestyle.
B．All of Tsai’s works mainly introduce eastern philosophy.
C．Tsai’s works are humorous as well as full of wisdom.
D．Tsai’s works are not involved in children’s study.
65．What’s the word “vapor” mean in the 6th paragraph?
It means          .
A．a(chǎn) kind of food  B．a(chǎn) form of water       C．a(chǎn) form of solid D．a(chǎn) kind of people
66．From the passage we know that       .
A．Tsai once stopped writing his works for ten years
B．Tsai writes his works in order to make a living
C．Tsai thinks everyone should be a scholar or a philosopher
D．Tsai doesn’t think there is a gap between him and his young readers
67．In the author’s opinion,         .
A．Japanese Manga is more valuable than Tsai’s
B．Tsai’s works are more valuable than Japanese Manga
C．Japanese Manga is as valuable as Tsai’s
D．Both Japanese Manga and Tsai’s works are valueless

D
Around half of all teenagers in the UK are putting themselves at risk of food poisoning because they don't wash their hands before eating or after visiting the toilet, a new survey indicates, To coincide with National Food Safety Week, researchers from the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) conducted a survey of over 500 people aged between 11 and 19 about their hygiene and eating habits. Their survey showed that 57 percent of teenagers admitted to not always washing their hands after visiting the toilet or before lunch at school. Of these, over two-thirds ate lunch, such as sandwiches or a burger, with their hands.
Furthermore, 40 percent of those who do wash their hands do not always use soap. And 75 percent said they dry their hands on their clothes when in a hurry—damp hands spread around 1,000 times more germs (病菌) than dry ones. Excuses that teenagers gave for not washing their hands ranged from not having enough time (24 percent) to dirty and unhygienic facilities (26 percent) and forgetfulness (22 percent).
Food safety expert Hugh Pennington, professor of Microbiology at Aberdeen University, said, "The best news about food safety is that one doesn't have to be a rocket scientist to do it properly. The had news is that even a simple and obvious thing like hand washing—which protects incredibly well—is seen by many people as good health theory, but not actually put into practice."
Martin Paterson, deputy director general of the FDF, said that teens' hygiene habits before eating were a recipe for disaster, adding that although most know how food poisoning could occur, the majority do not take simple measures to prevent it. "Of course teenagers don't want to be overprotected," he said, "but with up to 5.5 million cases of food poisoning a year, we clearly need to keep informing people of simple food hygiene messages in fun and imaginative ways, to remind people of all ages how they can continue to enjoy their food safely."
53．The author implies that it is important to dry hands because      .
A．some students dry their hands on their clothes
B．wet hands can cause students to catch cold
C．damp hands are more likely to spread germs
D．damp hands take 1,000 times longer to dry
54．By saying "one doesn't have to be a rocket scientist to do it properly" (Para. 3), Hugh Pennington means "____".
A．it isn't necessary to go to outer space to practice food safety
B．practicing food safety isn't as important as space exploration
C．it's not a must to practice food safety
D．practicing food safety isn't terribly difficult
55．Educated about food poisoning, most teenagers      .
A．still get food poisoning at least once a year
B．still fail to take simple measures to avoid it
C．a(chǎn)re able to avoid food poisoning
D．a(chǎn)re concerned about their food safety
56．What is the main message conveyed in the text?
A．Many UK teenagers are at risk of food poisoning.
B．Food poisoning in the UK is on the rise.
C．Drying hands after washing is important.
D．British schools need to improve their sanitation levels.