In the world today, there are millions of surveillance cameras, or “spy cams”, watching and monitoring our daily activities. There are some benefits of course, as people who are breaking laws can be watched and caught using cameras and this helps keep our society and public places safe. These cameras are everywhere and most are openly visible on roads, in airports, businesses, shopping centers and government buildings and even in lifts. Even schools have started using spy cams to watch student activity and behaviour.
The cameras are so common now that we hardly ever even notice them. But the problem lies with the ones that are hidden away from our eyes and are unseen. Technology has helped develop tiny cameras that can be very well hidden and they can “spy” on shoppers, workers, babysitters and people in hotels and clubs without the people even knowing.
It is these spy cams that people feel are an invasion of privacy. Recently, in the US, there have been a number of court cases against babysitters whose actions have been recorded by their employers on hidden cameras.
The number of cameras in public and private areas is on the increase and with rising crime rates and the recent terrorist attacks, more and more surveillance cameras are being used to watch us. This means that we all have to be aware that our employers, department stores, police and even some of our friends could be spying on us at any time!
【小題1】In the writer’s opinion, surveillance cameras _______.         .

A．do more good than wrong

B．a(chǎn)re overused

C．should be very popular

D．ought to be more widely used

【小題2】In what way can the surveillance camera benefit the public?

A．By helping keep social safety.

B．By monitoring the employees.

C．By watching the students in class.

D．By spying on customers.

【小題3】According to Paragraphs 3 and 4, people _______ the use of hidden cameras.

A．object to

B．a(chǎn)gree to

C．feel happy about

D．a(chǎn)re fearful of

【小題4】Spy cams will be more widely used in the future because _______.         .

A．a(chǎn)ll people want to spy

B．of the invasion of privacy

C．people enjoy being watched

D．of terrorist attacks

People in the United States honor their parents with two special days：Mother’s Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day, on the third Sunday in June. These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care. These two days make us think about the changing roles of mothers and fathers. More mothers now work outside the home. More fathers must help with child care.
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day people wear carnations. A red one symbolizes a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery(墓地).On these days families get together at home, as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.
Another tradition is to give cards and gifts. Children make them in school. Many people make their own presents. These are valued more than the ones bought in stores. It is not the value of the gift that is important, but it is “the thought that counts”. Greeting card stores, florists, candy makers, bakeries, telephone companies, and other stores do a lot of business during these holidays.
【小題1】Which of the following is NOT a reason for children to show love and respect for parents?

A．Parents bring up children.

B．Parents give love and care to children.

C．Parents educate children to be good persons.

D．Parents pass away before children grow up.

【小題2】What do you think “florists” do?

A．They sell flowers.

B．They make and sell bread.

C．They offer enough room for having family parties.

D．They sell special gifts for Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.

【小題3】Which do you think is right about “carnation”?

A．It has only two kinds of colors.

B．It refers to the special clothes people wear on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day.

C．It’s a kind of flower showing love and best wishes.

D．People can wear carnations only on the second Sunday in May.

【小題4】What do you know from the passage?

A．Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are both in May.

B．Fewer women worked outside the home in the past.

C．Not all the children respect their parents.

D．Fathers are not as important as mothers at home.

【小題5】On Mother’s Day and Father’s Day,     .

A．people usually have family parties

B．everyone goes to visit the cemetery

C．children always go to parents’ home .

D．hand-made cards are the most valuable gift

Recently I spoke to some of my students about what they wanted to do after they graduated, and what kind of job prospects they thought they had.
Given that I teach students who are training to be doctors, I was surprised to find that most thought that they would not be able to get the jobs they wanted without “outside help”. “What kind of help is that?” I asked, expecting them to tell me that they would need a relative or family friend to help them out.
“Surgery(外科手術(shù))”, one replied. I was pretty alarmed by that response. It seems that the graduates of today are increasingly willing to go under the knife to get ahead of others when it comes to getting a job. One girl told me that she was considering surgery to increase her height. “They break your legs, put in special extending screws, and slowly expand the gap between the two ends of the bone as it regrows, you can get at least 5cm taller!”
At that point, I was shocked. I am short, I can’t deny that, but I don’t think I would put myself through months of agony(痛苦) just to be a few centimeters taller. I don’t even bother to wear shoes with thick soles, as I’m not trying to hide the fact that I am just not tall!
It seems to me that there is a trend toward wanting “perfection”, and that is an ideal that just does not exist in reality.
No one is born perfect, yet magazines, TV shows and movies present images of thin, tall, beautiful people as being the norm. Advertisements for slimming aids, beauty treatments and cosmetic surgery clinics fill the pages of newspapers, further creating an idea that “perfection” is a requirement, and that it must be purchased, no matter what the cost. In my opinion, skills, rather than appearance, should determine how successful a person is in his chosen career.
【小題1】We can know from the passage that the author works as ______.

A．a(chǎn) doctor

B．a(chǎn) model

C．a(chǎn) teacher

D．a(chǎn) reporter

【小題2】Many graduates today turn to cosmetic surgery to______.

A．marry a better man\woman	B．become a model
C．get an advantage over others in job-hunt	D．a(chǎn)ttract more admirers

【小題3】According to the passage, the author believes that ______.

A．everyone should purchase perfection, whatever the cost

B．it’s right for graduates to ask for others to help them out in hunting for jobs

C．media are to blame for misleading young people in their seeking for surgery

D．it is one’s appearance instead of skills that really matters in one’s career

【小題4】What does the author think of his height?

A．He hates to be called a short man.

B．He tries to increase his height through surgery.

C．He always wears shoes with thick soles to hide the fact.

D．He just accepts it as it is

Deception (騙術(shù)）is something that people do all the time ,and it plays an important role in military (軍事的)strategy. Now some researchers are trying to figure out how to get robots to do it, by looking at the behavior of squirrels and birds.
At Georgia Tech, a team led by Ronald Arkin , a professor at the School of interactive Computing, studied the literature on squirrels hiding their acorns (橡果）.Squirrels will hide their food m a certain place, but when they see other squirrels trying to steal from them, they attempt to fool the thieves by running to a fake location.
Ronald Arkin and his Ph. D. student Jaeeun Shim used that as a model for robot behavior. They programmed the robot into tricking a “predator (捕食者）” machine by doing what εi squirrel does： showing the enemy a false location for an important resource.
The team also looked at how other animals in this case，a species of bird called Arabian babbler~ drive off predators. A babbler will make an alarm call when they see a predator and other babblers will join the bird and make more calls. They then surround the predator, all the while flapping (拍打）wings and making noises. The babblers don’t ever actually fight the animal they want to drive off； they just make enough noises and flaps around enough so that it seems that attacking a babbler isn’t worth it
They found that the deception works when the group reaches a certain size—essentially, when enough birds arrive to convince the enemy that it’s best to back off . Davis modeled that behavior in software using a military scene and found that it worked even if the group didn’t have the firepower to confront the enemy directly.
The military is interested in this because a robot that can fool an opponent is a valuable tool. It could lead an enemy down a fake trail or make itself look more dangerous than it actually is.
【小題1】Why does the military want to take advantage of squirrels’trick?

A．It can reduce the use of firepower to confront the enemy.

B．It can fool the enemy into believing it is more dangerous.

C．It can lead the enemy in a wrong direction to avoid losing resources.

D．It can scare the enemy away who wants to destroy the acorns.

【小題2】Which of the following is NOT the way Arabian babblers drive off predators?

A．One bird makes an alarm call and other birds will join it

B．They fight the enemy bravely face to face.

C．They make noises and flaps around the predator.

D．They force the predator aware that it isn't worthwhile to attack.

【小題3】What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Animals' behaviors are researched to be applied to the study of military robots.

B．Robots, fooling tricks are applied to the study of animals’behaviors.

C．Birds and squirrels are the animals that are good at deception.

D．Researchers are interested m animals’military-related behaviors.

We all know what it is like to be unable to turn your head because of a cold in the muscles of your neck, or because an unexpected twist has made your neck ache. The slightest move makes you jump with pain. Nothing could be worse than a pain in the neck.
That is why we use the phrase to describe some people who give you the same feeling. We have all met such people.
One is the man who always seems to be clapping his hands—often at the wrong time—during a performance in the theater. He keeps you from hearing the actors.
Even worse are those who can never arrive before the curtain goes up and the play begins. They come hurrying down to your row of seats. You are comfortably settled down, with your hat and heavy coat in your lap. You must stand up to let them pass. You are proud of yourself-control after they have settled into their seats…Well, what now…God, one of them is up again. He forgot to go to the men’s room, and once more you have to stand up, hanging on to your hat and coat to let him pass. Now, that is “a pain in the neck”.
Another, well—known to us all, is the person sitting behind you in the movies. His mouth is full of popcorn ; he is chewing loudly, or talking between bites to friends next to him. None of them remain still. Up and down, back and forth, they go—for another bag of popcorn, or something to drink.
Then, there is the man sitting next to you at lunch, smoking. He wants you to enjoy it too, and blows smoke across your food into your mouth.
We must not forget the man who comes into a bus or subway and sits down next to you, just as close as you will let him. You are reading the newspaper and he gets closer so that he can read the paper with you. He may even turn the paper to the next page before you are ready for it.
We also call such a person a “rubber neck”, always getting close to where it does not belong, like neighbors who watch all your visitors. They enjoy learning about your personal business. People have a strong dislike for “rubber necks”. They hate being watched secretly.
【小題1】Where can you find this passage?

A．In a medicine dictionary.	B． in a kids’ story book.
C．In a social science book.	D．In a science textbook.

【小題2】According to the passage, how do you feel when late comers walk back and forth in front of you in a cinema?

A．disturbed.

B．bored.

C．ignored.

D．relaxed.

【小題3】A “rubber neck” often __________________ .

A．says bad words behind people.

B．quarrels face to face with neighbors.

C．bargains with salespeople over the price

D．a(chǎn)sks about other people’s business

【小題4】Which of the following persons CANNOT be described as a “pain in the neck”?

A．Someone who often claps at the wrong time during a performance.

B．Someone who feels ache in his neck due to a cold in the muscles.

C．Someone who sits next to you smoking, which you never enjoy.

D．Someone who keeps eating or talking all through the movies.

【小題5】What is the main purpose of the author?

A．To tell people what might be bad manners in public.

B．To criticize (批評(píng)) the people who might be a “pain in the neck”

C．To show anger to those who are described as a “pain in the neck”.

D．To tell people how to stop the pain in the neck.

My grandmother seems to be wrong when she says that good manners will never go out of style.
Several days ago, I tried entering a lift with one of my arms fixed in a bandage(繃帶) while carrying a computer bag in the other. Not being fast enough, I was passed by two young people who managed to get into the lift before me. The lift door closed only after I entered. Having already pressed their wanted floor button, the young people waited impatiently for me to press the button for where I was going. If they had decided to help, we could have moved much faster. But they had not. So I did my best and pressed the button with my arm. The two young people looked very angry with me. I was losing heart.
The memory of this incident has stayed with me because it followed shortly after my building’s watchman refused to help me carry a heavy box full of books. His answer was that he could not carry the books a few meters because it was not his job. However, I remembered myself helping people for so many years carrying boxes, shopping bags, or pushing wheelchairs upon the request of a stranger in need or when my conscience(良心) called on me. "Oh, this young generation, they have no manners, ”my grandmother would say. The idea of good manners refers to the considering of other people’s feelings. We need more and more people to have good manners. Good manners should be-come part of our lives.
【小題1】The author believes that ________.

A．good manners will never go out of style

B．her grandmother is right

C．good manners are disappearing little by little

D．it never rains, but it pours

【小題2】How did the two young people feel when the author pressed the button?

A．Excited.

B．Angry.

C．Sad.

D．Confident.

【小題3】The watchman didn’t help the author because ______.

A．the box was full of books

B．the box was too heavy

C．the author was a stranger

D．he thought it was not his job

【小題4】We can infer from the passage that the author ______.

A．a(chǎn)lways offers help to people in need

B．a(chǎn)lways has difficulty carrying things

C．has a better memory than anyone else

D．a(chǎn)greed with her grandmother at first

"Beating is a sign of affection, cursing (罵）is a sign of love."
Many may not expect to hear the words of the old Chinese saying in these modern times—with parents wealthier and better educated than they have ever been-but experts say they still ring true.
Today, it seems, Chinese parents are more likely to send their children to pre-college military academies in the United States in the hope that some tough love will pave the way tosuccess.
"Good education doesn't mean letting your child enjoy privileges, especially our boys," said Song Wenming, an entrepreneur(企業(yè)家）in Jinhua, East China's Zhejiang province." They should be raised in tough conditions to know what to fight for in the future."
In August, Song sent his 17-year-old son to Valley Forge Military Academy (VFMA) in Pennsylvania. And he is far from alone, even though it takes a lot of money - around $48,000 per year —to send a child to a strict military school.
Statistics shows that an increasing number of Chinese students have been registering with such academies.
A few years ago, there were no Chinese students at Valley Forge. Today, there are 28."All of the Chinese students at Valley Forge came from wealthy families, some of them were spoiled," said Jennifer Myers, director of marketing and communications at the school.
Song's only son, Song Siyu, had a rocky start during his first six weeks at the school. The teenager said he went to the school voluntarily but did not expect it to be as difficult.
Now, three months later, he has perfected the art of taking a bath in 35 seconds, finishing a meal without looking at his food, and making his bed with precision. He can even take criticism, no matter how unreasonable.
"The training is hard but I know it is good for self-development of individuals," said Song Siyu.'The endless training and scolding are just ways to build up our character, they are not personal."
But his enthusiasm is not universal. Ten of the 13 Chinese students who joined the academy this year have transferred to other schools.
But for those who stick with it, there is a reward for all the hard work.
【小題1】From the second paragraph, we can know the old Chinese saying _____.

A．is out of date in modern times.

B．is disagreed by rich parents.

C．is still worth trusting

D．is deeply believed by better educated parent.

【小題2】The underlined sentence means that _____

A．Song sent his only son to military school, so he feels lonely.

B．Song is the only one who sends his child t to military school.

C．There are other people sending their children to military school besides Song.

D．The fee of the military school is so high that only Song can afford it.

【小題3】Song Siyu got some achievements in the military school except _____.

A．taking a bath in a short time

B．having his meal with his eyes closed

C．taking unreasonable criticism

D．improving his character

【小題4】How many Chinese students are there at Valley Forge before this year?

A．10

B．13

C．15

D．25

【小題5】Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A.   It's likely that more and more Chinese students will attend VFMA.
B.    Most Chinese parents approve of educating their children by beating and cursing nowadays.
C.   Song Siyu had no difficulty in adjusting to the life at VFMA.
D.   Most Chinese students support the way of education at VFMA.

Throughout the world, boys and girls prefer to play with different types of toys. Boys typically like to play with cars and trucks, while girls typically choose to play with dolls. Why is this? A traditional sociological explanation is that boys and girls are socialized and encouraged to play with different types of toys by their parents, peers, and the “society”. Growing scientific evidence suggests, however, that boys’ and girls’ toy preferences may have a biological origin.
In 2002, Gerianne M. Alexander of Texas A&M University and Melissa Hines of City University in London surprised the scientific world by showing that monkeys showed the same sex typical toy preferences as humans. In the study, Alexander and Hines gave two masculine toys (a ball and a police car), two feminine toys (a soft doll and a cooking pot), and two neutral toys (a picture book and a stuffed dog) to 44 male and 44 female monkeys. They then assessed the monkeys’ preference for each toy by measuring how much time they spent with each. Their data showed that male monkeys showed significantly greater interest in the masculine toys, and the female monkeys showed significantly greater interest in the feminine toys. The two sexes did not differ in their preference for the neutral toys.
If children’ s toy preferences were largely formed by gender socialization, as traditional sociologists’ claim, in which their parents give “gender appropriate” toys to boys and girls, how can these male and female monkeys have the same preferences as boys and girls？They were never socialized by humans, and they had never seen these toys before in their lives.
【小題1】Traditional sociologists believe boys’ and girls’ toy preferences ________

A．a(chǎn)re passed down from their parents

B．a(chǎn)re largely formed in later life

C．have nothing to do with gender socialization

D．have a biological origin

【小題2】The study by Alexander and Hines shows that monkeys________

A．a(chǎn)lso have a sex typical toy preference

B．a(chǎn)lso play toys as humans do

C．have no toy preferences

D．like to play different toys at different time

【小題3】Alexander and Hines carried out the study to ________

A．find more evidence for traditional sociology

B．test the intelligence of monkeys

C．test whether monkeys like to play toys

D．find out why boys and girls prefer different toys

【小題4】According to the study, if given a stuffed dog, _______

A．only the male monkeys showed interest

B．the female monkeys showed more interest

C．the male and female monkeys showed the same interest

D．neither the male nor the female monkeys showed any interest

Did Steve Jobs kill the music industry? That’s the question on many people’s lips since rock star Jon Bon Jovi accused the Apple boss of personally destroying the music industry.Bon Jovi centers his criticism on how he believes music downloading has robbed young people of what he calls the “beauty of buying an album”. “Kids today have missed the beauty of taking your pocket money and making a decision based on the jacket (封面), not knowing what the record sounded like,” he said.
But far from killing the industry, many young people today think Jobs has been a blessing (帶來(lái)幸運(yùn)的人), offering you instant, and selective access to a whole world of music.
Keith Staskiewicz at Enthertainment Weekly speaks for the feelings of many music lovers. He believes listening to MP3s rather than records or CDs “just save money” and doesn’t “remove the sense of discovery they get from new music”. Staskiewicz also argues that it’s wrong to blame Jobs and Apple for destroying anything. “Change is just part of the business,” Staskiewicz said. “No doubt in 50 years, Justin Bieber will complain about how kids don’t listen to ipods anymore.”
For now, though, it appears that music downloading is set to continue for the near future.
According to Summer Redstone, chairman of media company Viacom, iTunes has “resurrected(復(fù)興) the music industry by creating a legal, affordable purchasing system for fans”.
But recent surveys suggested that, despite the “l(fā)egalizing(合法化)” of music downloading through sites like iTunes, young people are still choosing to download music illegally. A report by Jupiter Research suggested that illegal downloading sites are used three times as much as legal ones. The problem, according to its analyst Mark Mulligan, is how today’s youth grow up viewing music as something they can get for free.
He said, “Unless the musci industry can shift these consumers while they are young away from free consumption to paid music formats(格式), they may never develop music purchasing behavior and the recording industry could suffer long-term harm.”
【小題1】Which one is TRUE about young people nowadays?

A．They are music lovers and are willing to save money to enjoy music.

B．The majority of them download music through legal sites like iTunes.

C．They are most likely to go back to the store to buy albums in the near future.

D．They are robbed of the change of enjoying music by Apple.

【小題2】According to Mark Mulligan, the best solution to the problem of illegal music downloading is to_______.

A．legalize music downloading through sites like iTunes

B．help young people get used to paying for music

C．offer young people instant and selective access to a variety of music

D．create an affordable purchasing system for fans

【小題3】What is the main point of the article?

A．How Steve Jobs and Apple destroyed the music industry.

B．Why young people prefer downloading music to buying albums.

C．The problem of illegal downloading of music.

D．Different opinions on effects of music downloading.

An increase in students applying to study economics at university is being attributed to the global economic crisis awakening a public thirst for knowledge about how the financial system works.
Applications for degree courses beginning this autumn were up by 15% this January, according to UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. A spokesman for the Royal Economic Society said applications to do economics at A-level were also up.
Professor John Beath, the president of the society, and a leading lecturer at St Andrews University, said his first-year lectures—which are open to students from all departments—were drawing crowds of 400, rather than the usual 250.
“There are a large number of students who are not economics majors, who would like to learn something about it. One of the things I have done this year is to relate my teaching to contemporary events in a way that one hasn’t traditionally done.” He added.
University applications rose 7% last year. But there were rises above average in several subjects. Nursing saw a 15% jump, with people’s renewed interest in careers in the public sector, which are seen as more secure in economic crisis.
A recent study showed almost two thirds of parents believed schools should do more to teach pupils about financial matters, and almost half said their children had asked them what was going on, although a minority of parents felt they did not understand it themselves well enough to explain.
Zack Hocking, the head of Child Trust Funds, said: “It’s possible that one good thing to arise from the downturn will be a generation that’s financially wiser and better equipped to manage their money through times of economic uncertainty.”
【小題1】Professor John Beath’s lectures are              .

A．given in a traditional way

B．open to both students and their parents

C．connected with the present situation

D．warmly received by economics

【小題2】Incomes in the public sector are more attractive because of their              .

A．greater stability	B．higher pay
C．fewer applications	D．better reputation

【小題3】In the opinion of most parents              .

A．economics should be the focus of school teaching

B．more students should be admitted to universities

C．children should solve financial problems themselves

D．the teaching of financial matters should be strengthened

【小題4】According to Hocking, the global economic crisis might make the youngsters          .

A．have access to better equipment	B．wiser in money management
C．confident about their future careers	D．get jobs in Child Trust Funds

【小題5】What’s the main idea of the text?

A．Universities have received more applications.

B．College students benefit a lot from economic uncertainty.

C．Economics is attracting an increasing numbers students.

D．Parents are concerned with children’s subject selection.