Taking the train is a wonderful way to see America. In the 19th century, train routes appeared from coast to coast, carrying both people and goods Today, a long-distance Amtrak train trip is a different way to experience the United States.
The long-distance Amtrak trains have lots of room. Coach seats have lots of leg room and wide aisles(走廊),sightseeing lounges(休閑室) have large windows, and sleeping areas can provide a good night’s rest. On a train trip, there’s time to talk, play cards or board games, and read to one another. On a car trip, parents have to drive while on a train, parents can sit back and watch the scenery go by. Unlike an airplane, traveling by train is not the quickest way to arrive at your destination; the train is the destination in itself.
Amtrak manages long-distance trains that run through the United States. Routes have different names, such as Empire Builder, California Zephyr, Sunset Limited and Southwest Chief. The long-distance trains have double-decker cars(Superliners), sightseeing lounges, and a real dining car. On shorter trains, such as from New York to Washington. DC, the cars are single level and only have a snack bar. In the Superliner trains, the sightseeing lounge is lined with windows on the second level while on the lower level a snack bar and tables can be found. In the evening, videos are shown in the lounge car—either entertaining movies or documentaries.
Tip: As delays are common on Amtrak trains, always call the station before you go there. Otherwise, you may be cooling your heels(腳后跟) for hours.
【小題1】What’s the advantage of seeing America by train?

A．There are more services on the train than any other

B．Traveling by train is the quickest way to reach your destination.

C．Traveling by train gives people more time to see and do things.

D．The trains like Amtrak allow people to enjoy the journey cheaply.

【小題2】Which of the following can be found on short-distance Amtrak trains?

A．Sleeping areas.

B．Snack bars.

C．Sightseeing lounges.

D．Coach seats.

【小題3】What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?

A．You will have to wait.

B．You make your heel cool.

C．You will have no place to stand on the train.

D．Your feet will be hurt on the train.

【小題4】Which of the following about Superliners is true?

A．There are lines of windows on the lower level.

B．The snack bar is on the higher level.

C．A sightseeing lounge is on the upper level.

D．Both levels are equipped with videos.

As we all know sewing-machine(縫紉機) repair is one of the fastest growing businesses in the world today. Newspapers, women’s magazines, high schools and colleges are all encouraging millions of American women to do their own sewing, not only to make their own shirts and sweaters, but also to make nice clothes for their husbands, sons, or boyfriends. The lattes figures(數(shù)字) show that over 89 million American women, because of the high costs of ready-to-wear clothing are now making almost all of their families’ clothes. Most of these women get great satisfaction from making the family clothes on their own sewing machines. So it is natural that the demand(要求) for excellent service of sewing machines is growing.
Think of it! 89 million or more sewing machines, not including another 10 million sewing machines in schools of all kinds, need service at least once a year, and quite possibly four or more times each year. I know some women who return their sewing machines to repairmen time after time to get them fixed properly. I’ve seen sewing machines come out of repair shops in worse condition than they were when they went in.
So I’ve decided to write an introduction book to sewing-machine repair and teach people how to repair their own sewing machines at home. It’s not that difficult. In the book, I will teach you everything you need to know about how to repair your sewing machine.
【小題1】The author wrote the passage to       .

A．teach women to repair their sewing machines.

B．explain his or her purpose in writing the book

C．introduce the reasons for doing one’s own sewing

D．tell us that sewing-machine repair is a fast-growing business

【小題2】American women make clothes by themselves because       .

A．they cannot buy the clothes they see in magazines

B．their husbands or boyfriends want them to do so

C．ready-to-wear clothes cost a great deal of money

D．they can’t get great satisfaction from buying clothes

【小題3】We learn from the passage that sewing machines       .

A．a(chǎn)ren’t very difficult to be repaired

B．cannot work well after one year

C．don’t easily get broken

D．need service 4 times a month

【小題4】It can be inferred from the passage that       .

A．the book will also show you how to make nice clothes

B．there are not enough sewing-machine-repair shops in America

C．over 99 million sewing machines need service at least once a year

D．the demand for excellent service of sewing machines grows the fastest in America

Almost all cultures celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of another in some way. Different cultures celebrate the beginning of a new year in different ways, and at different times on the calendar.
In western countries, people usually celebrate New Year at midnight on January 1st. People may go to parties, dress in formal clothes—like tuxedos(小禮服)and evening gowns, and drink champagne at midnight. During the first minutes of the New Year, people cheer and wish each other happiness for the year ahead. But some cultures prefer to celebrate the New Year by waking up early to watch the sun rise. They welcome the New Year with the first light of the sunrise.
It is also a common Western custom to make a New Year’s promise, called a resolution. New Year’s resolutions usually include promises to try something new or change a bad habit in the new year.
Many cultures also do special things to get rid of bad luck at the beginning of a new year. For example, in Ecuador, families make a big doll from old clothes. The doll is filled with old newspapers and firecrackers. At midnight, these dolls are burned to show the bad things from the past year are gone and the new year can start afresh (again). Other common traditions to keep away bad luck in a new year include throwing things into rivers or the ocean, or saying special things on                the first day of the new year.
Other New Year traditions are followed to bring good luck is to eat grapes on New Year’s Day. The more grapes a person eats, the more good luck the person will have in the year. In France, people eat pancakes for good luck at New Year. In the United States, some people eat black– eyed peas(豇豆)for good luck——but to get good luck for a whole year you have to eat 365 of them!
【小題1】Which culture celebrates New Year in the morning?

A．The United States.	B．Spain.
C．France.	D．The passage doesn’t say.

【小題2】According to the third paragraph, what is a resolution?

A．Something you burn.	B．Something you eat.
C．Something you say.	D．Something you wear.

【小題3】What is the topic of the fourth paragraph?

A．Bringing good luck.	B．Keeping away bad luck.
C．Planning for the next year.	D．Remembering the past.

【小題4】Which is probably true about eating black – eyed peas on New Year?

A．Black-eyed peas taste bad.	B．The peas are very difficult to cook.
C．One pea brings one day of luck.	D．It is bad luck to eat a lot of black-eyed peas.

Since new technologies are ever growing, employers now have the chance to monitor （監(jiān)控） their employees to make them spare more time to work when they use their phones, computer terminals, emails and even when an employee is using the Internet．
Recent surveys have shown that a majority of employers monitor their employees’ activities．It was found that three fourths of employers monitored the websites their employees visited in order to prevent improper surfing．The survey further indicated that 65% of employers used software to block connections to websites considered off limits to employees．One third of employers monitored their employees’ number of keystrokes and the amount of time spent on the keyboard and lastly just over half of the employers surveyed review and kept email messages．
Most of the time, email is not considered private if the email system is used at a company, the employer owns it and is allowed to review its contents．Email messages that are sent within the company, as well as those that are sent from the employee’s terminal to another company, or from another company to the employee are subject to monitoring．If an email is deleted out of the employee’s account, that doesn’t mean that they are totally deleted．The messages are kept in memory．Emails are often backed up along with other important data from the computer system．If an employer’s email policy specifically states that messages marked as “private” will be kept confidential （機密的）,however, there may also be some exceptions to that policy （政策）．
In order to know their employer’s email policy, employees should read over the employee handbook．If the handbook doesn’t address the issue of email monitoring, they should speak with their employer about their policy for emails and privacy．Currently there are very few laws that address workplace privacy; however, there are some organizations that are working to advocate for employees so that there will be a stronger government regulation of employee monitoring activities．
【小題1】According to the author, the employers’ monitoring ____．

A．may be an efficient management method

B．should be performed secretly

C．has resulted from the development in computers

D．is quite common nowadays

【小題2】Employers probably think that monitoring the employees can help them ____．

A．improve their work efficiency（有效）	B．use computers properly
C．develop a way of keeping office secrets	D．reduce their mental pressures

【小題3】It can be inferred from the passage that ____．

A．employees should delete their own emails at once to keep them secret

B．a(chǎn)n employer’s email policy may protect the employees’ privacy

C．nobody can help solve the problem of office privacy

D．a(chǎn)n employee may feel troubled by being monitored in the office

【小題4】The underlined phrase “advocate for” in the last paragraph means “____”．

A．tell the employees the truth

B．publicly support

C．a(chǎn)sk the employees to be more attentive

D．remind the employees of the possible failure

Many Americans have been leaving their cars at home and riding to work on bicycles. Andy Clark is the leader of the League of American Bicyclists. His group supports bicycling for fun, fitness and transportation.
Clark says this is good news for the environment. He says riding a bicycle to work does not burn fossil fuel or creates dangerous pollutions. Experts say the effects are the most important on short trips. The Department of Transportation says fifty percent of Americans drive eight kilometers or fewer to work. Shorter car trips set out more pollution into the air for each kilometer drive. This is because the car engine will set out the harmful air when it warms up before it can work well.
James, a members of Congress (國會), is a strong supporter of bicycle use. He says cities, counties, state governments and state highway transportation agencies are planning the roadways of the future. They are creating roads and paths for bicycles in cities and between communities.
Last year, Portland, the Pacific Northwest city in the state of Oregon, had the highest percentage of bicycle users in the United States. Portland has been doing progressive city planning for many years to create special paths for bike riders.
【小題1】 What happened in America now according to the news?

A．Many Americans lost jobs now.

B．Many Americans prefer short trips.

C．There are more and more bicyclists now in America.

D．The pollution is getting worse and worse in America.

【小題2】 Where is Portland?
A. One  of the cities in the USA.    B. One of the counties in the USA.
C. One of the states in the USA.    D. A country in the northwest of the USA.
【小題3】What does the underlined word “harmful” mean in the second paragraph? The closest meaning is “_______”.

A．polluted

B．dangerous

C．clean

D．foolish

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

A．Many Americans like bike-riding for fun.

B．Short car trips can reduce pollution.

C．American government suggests people riding bicycles.

D．Many Americans ride bicycles to support environment protection.

There are three branches of medicine. One is called "doctor medicine," or "scientific medicine." Scientific doctors try to observe sicknesses, look for logical patterns, and then find out how the human body works. From there they figure out what treatments may work. This kind of medicine is believed to date from the 4th century BC. Although nowadays it is successful, in the ancient world this approach probably did not cure many patients.
A second kind of medicine is called "natural cures," or "folk medicine," in which less educated people try to cure sicknesses with various herbs. These folk healers also use observation and logic, but they are not so aware of it. They try things until they find something that seems to work, and then they keep doing that. Folk medicine flourished（繁榮） long before the development of scientific medicine and was more successful in ancient times than doctor medicine.
The third kind is called "health spas," or "faith healing." Sometimes this may be as simple as touching the holy man and being immediately healed. Other times, a magician may make you a magic charm, or say a spell, to cure you. Some religious groups organize special healing shrines（圣壇） for the sick. In these places people rest, get plenty of sleep, eat healthy food, drink water instead of wine, and exercise in various ways. They also talk to the priests and pray to the gods. If you are feeling depressed or you have been working too hard, going to these places may be just the right thing to make you feel better.
【小題1】Doctor medicine __________.

A．has a longer history than folk medicine

B．has been practiced for around 1,600 years

C．bases its treatments on observation and logic

D．was very successful in curing sicknesses in ancient times

【小題2】According to the passage, which of the following is NOT used in health spas?

A．Magic power.

B．Various herbs.

C．Religious faith.

D．A healthy life style. 高#考￥資@源網(wǎng)

【小題3】According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

A．Folk healers choose different herbs to cure diseases without any sound basis.

B．People who practice folk medicine need lots of formal education on herbs.

C．The success of folk medicine led to the development of doctor medicine.

D．Natural cures worked better than scientific medicine in ancient times.

【小題4】The author's primary purpose in this passage is to __________.

A．describe different types of medicine

B．a(chǎn)rgue for the importance of medicine in health care

C．show the crucial role religion plays in medical treatments

D．compare the educational background of three different types of patients

If you still know little about the “IMF”, it’s time you started to read about it, for it has been a hot issue of the whole world．
The International Monetary Fund （IMF） is one of the international financial（金融的） institutions, which works for global growth and economic stability．It provides policy advice and financing to members in economic difficulties and also works with developing nations to help them achieve economic stability and reduce poverty．The“ IMF” currently has a near-global membership of 185 countries．
To become a member, a country must apply for it and then be accepted by a majority of the existing members．On joining, each member of the IMF is assigned a quota（配額）, based broadly on its relative size in the world economy．The IMF’s membership agreed in May 2008 on a rebalancing of its quota system to reflect the changing global economic realities, especially the increased weight of major emerging markets （新興市場） in the global economy, such as China, India and Russia．
The following diagram gives more information about major international financial institutions．

【小題1】The main cause of the IMF’s decision to make changes in its quota system is ______．

A．the shortage of resources	B．global growth and economic stability
C．the changing economic situations	D．the need to accept new members

【小題2】The main purpose of the IMF is to ______．

A．prevent the member countries from getting into wars

B．collect money from rich countries to help poor ones

C．provide assistance to its member countries when necessary

D．make sure the world economy develops in a healthy way

【小題3】Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．The quota an IMF member country gets depends on the size of the country．

B．India together with China is proposing an increase in emergency funds．

C．The more money a member contributes to the IMF, the more say it has in it．

D．The International Development Association is meant to support developed countries．

【小題4】From the diagram we can see the present IMF is most probably under the control of _______．

A．the US

B．Russia

C．Japan

D．a(chǎn)ny EU member state

       April Fool’s Day（愚人節(jié)）, was a day of laughing and jokes. This day is kept in many countries, not only in Britain and the USA. This is a day to play jokes and make people laugh. Nobody knows when was the beginning of this custom. Some people connect it with the end of winter and the return of spring which make people merry and ready to play jokes.
In Scotland young people were sent for hen’s teeth or bird’s milk and everybody laughed when they could find such things. In the USA and Britain some people could place a sign on a person’s back with the words “push me!” Children often tell a grown-up that his sock is torn or he has something black on his face, and then shout “April Fool!” There is also the old purse（錢包） trick. A purse is left lying in the street, but when someone wants to take it, it is quickly pulled back by a string which the hidden joker holds in his hand. Or the purse may be filled with stones. Sometimes invitations are sent to people, asking them to come and visit somebody, but when they come they see that nobody expects them. Some people like to telephone to the zoo on the day and ask for Mr. Fish, Miss Fox or Mrs. Cat. All these jokes are very old but still they make people laugh.
【小題1】 ____________knows when the custom of April Fool’s Day started．

A．One

B．Anyone

C．Nobody

D．Someone

【小題2】Many tricks are played on April Fool’s day except ____ ．

A．phoning the zoo	B．placing a sign on someone’s back
C．playing cards	D．leaving a purse in the street

【小題3】The purpose of playing jokes is to _____ ．

A．for fun	B．make people laugh
C．make fool of oneself	D．fool someone

【小題4】The best title of the passage is ____ ．

A．How people in the west spend their April Fool’s Day

B．Customs are different

C．How British people celebrate their holidays

D．How April Fool’s Day comes about

The Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers has been named the greenest one in the world by the travel and tourist organization Skaal International, reported the Danish news agency Ritzau on Monday.
The hotel has been awarded the EcoTourism Award for setting an environmental-friendly example to other hotels, said the report.
The Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers is located in the Copenhagen suburb of Oerestad and has the largest solar cell facility in the Nordic. This facility delivers energy to the hotel while Danish groundwater supplies cooling and heating in the air condition of the hotel.
The Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers
TV and lights in the hotel are all of energy-saving brands. Shampoo bottles, toothbrushes and washing accessories are biologically degradable, which means that the nature can easily absorb the materials.
The hotel restaurant is only buying local goods and the food leftovers are used for bioenergy as well as fertilizer. The fitness facilities also provide a green touch to the hotel, as the training bikes of the fitness center are linked to the power grid（電網(wǎng)） of the hotel, thereby providing free energy if any guest wishes to exercise. People who do contribute free energy this way are supposedly getting a free meal in the hotel restaurant. “It is the first time that a Danish hotel receives this award. I think our throughout green thinking is the reason why we have been awarded. It is all the small details, as well as the big picture，” says Allan Agerholm, the CEO of the hotel, in a press release.
?The Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers opened its doors last year. Skaal International was founded in 1932 by travel managers and has approximately 20,000 members in 89 nations. It is an organization promoting global tourism.
【小題1】Which of the following is the best title of this passage?

A．Hotel in Copenhagen named world’s greenest

B．Copenhagen-the world’s greenest city

C．Eco Tourism Award in Copenhagen

D．The Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers

【小題2】The hotel has been awarded the EcoTourism Award because         .

A．delivers green energy to the hotels in Nordic

B．is located in the Copenhagen suburb not in the city center

C．has the largest solar cell facility

D．it sets an environmental-friendly example to other hotels

【小題3】The underlined word “degradable” in passage 3 means it can be         .

A．rejected by people who don’t like it

B．a(chǎn)ccepted by guests from all over the world

C．a(chǎn)bsorbed easily by nature

D．recycled by the nature

【小題4】 What is so special about the fitness facilities?

A．It is free for those who like to exercise.

B．It uses green power to drive.

C．It generates free electricity while being used.

D．It offers free meal to guests who use it.

【小題5】 What is Skaal International?

A．Another name for this green hotel.

B．An organization promoting global tourism.

C．The Danish news agency Ritzau.

D．A branch hotel restaurant in Danmark.

For years, there has been a bias (偏見) against science among clinical psychologists (臨床心理學(xué)家). In a two-year analysis to be published in November in Perspectives on Psychological Science, psychologists led by Timothy B. Baker of the University of Wisconsin charge that many clinical psychologists fail to “provide the treatments for which there is the strongest evidence of effectiveness” and “give more weight to their personal experiences than to science.” As a result, patients have no guarantee that their “treatment will be informed by … science.” Walter Mischel of Columbia University is even crueler in his judgment. “The disconnect between what clinical psychologists do and what science has discovered is an extreme embarrassment,” he told me, and “there is a widening gap between clinical practice and science.”
The “widening” reflects the great progress that psychological research has made in identifying (確認) the most effective treatments. Thanks to strict clinical trials, we now know that teaching patients to think about their thoughts in new, healthier ways and to act on those new ways of thinking are effective against depression, panic disorder and other problems, with multiple trials showing that these treatments — the tools of psychology — bring more lasting benefits than drugs.
You wouldn’t know this if you sought help from a typical clinical psychologist. Although many treatments are effective, relatively few psychologists learn or practice them.
Why in the world not? For one thing, says Baker, clinical psychologists are “very doubtful about the role of science” and “l(fā)ack solid science training”. Also, one third of patients get better no matter what treatment (if any) they have, “and psychologists remember these successes, believing, wrongly, that they are the result of the treatment.”
When faced with evidence that treatments they offer are not supported by science, clinical psychologists argue that they know better than some study what works. A 2008 study of 591 psychologists in private practice found that they rely more on their own and colleagues’ experience than on science when deciding how to treat a patient. If they keep on this path as insurance companies demand evidence-based medicine, warns Mischel, psychology will “discredit itself.”
【小題1】Many clinical psychologists fail to provide the most effective treatments because ________.

A．they are unfamiliar with their patients	B．they believe in science and evidence
C．they depend on their colleagues’ help	D．they rely on their personal experiences

【小題2】The widening gap between clinical practice and science is due to _______.

A．the cruel judgment by Walter Mischel

B．the fact that most patients get better after being treated

C．the great progress that has been made in psychological research

D．the fact that patients prefer to take drugs rather than have other treatments

【小題3】How do clinical psychologists respond when charged that their treatments are not supported by science?

A．They feel embarrassed.	B．They try to defend themselves.
C．They are disappointed.	D．They doubt their treatments.

【小題4】In Mischel’s opinion, psychology will ____.

A．destroy its own reputation if no improvement is made

B．develop faster with the support of insurance companies

C．work together with insurance companies to provide better treatment

D．become more reliable if insurance companies won’t demand evidence-based medicine