Dangerous as they are, extreme sports remain appealing among many Australian young people! Camp Xtreme is the perfect test of your heart.
Kite Surfing
It’s the exciting mixture of kite, board and waves. The idea of using a kite to accelerate speed seems like a new challenge, yet the art of kite flying dates back to the 13th-century Chinese when it was used as a simple means of transport.
Catch a wind and you’re moving — up, down and across the surf. “It’s always exciting. You’d jump 5 feet or 35 feet. You never know if you’re going to go up in the air, and your heart is just going boom, boom, boom.”
Coasteering
It is by far the best activity and the event that everyone is still talking about. This is exploring the coastline without worrying about a coastal path or finding a rocky bay blocking your route. You climb, dive and swim from one place to another. With Coasteering, you don’t have to be able to swim as the wet suit and buoyancy(浮力) aid will keep you floating when you are in the water.
Sky Diving
Traditional parachuting(跳傘) doesn’t sound risky enough. So now sky diving is the name for jumping from a plane and listening to your heart beating heavily as you move fast towards earth before you open your parachute at the last moment.
Mountain Biking
It’s been around so long that bikers are no longer satisfied with just going up and down a mountain. Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough land, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but include features designed to improve strength and performance in rough areas.
For details, please call us on 1300-792-668 or click here: www.xtremecamp.com.au.
【小題1】All the four extreme sports are mainly intended to test one’s _____.

A．heart beat	B．physical health
C．potential strength	D．courage

【小題2】The underlined word in the second paragraph “it” refers to _____.

A．the kite	B．kite surfing
C．kite flying	D．the art of kites

【小題3】Which of the following sports can be the most risky?

A．Kite surfing.	B．Coasteering.
C．Sky diving.	D．Mountain biking.

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

A．kites were the main means of transport in China

B．swimming skills play a key role in Coasteering

C．parachuting is the least popular sports at present

D．mountain biking requires more than riding common bikes

What can help you make a fortune in the future? Graduating from a top university might not be enough. A new study from the University of Essex in Britain has shown that the more friends you have in school, the more money you'll earn later.
The idea that popularity could have a serious impact on one's earning potential shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. The researchers noted that if you want to get ahead in life, social skills and networking are easily as powerful as talent and hard work.
“If a person has lots of friends, it means that he or she has the ability to get along with others in all kinds of different situations," said XuYanchun, 17, from Nantou High School in Shenzhen, who totally agreed with the recent finding. "Also, friends always help each other. They not only create wider social circles for you but lift your mood when you occasionally feel depressed," said Xu. She believed that all this helps you "earn a higher salary”.
Maybe that's why some people think the younger generations are in the age of Friendalholism (交友狂癥). A woman even complained that the networking website Face book's 5,000-friend limit was too low for her large reserve of social contacts.
But what does a friend mean? Should friends be regarded as a form of currency?
“Call me uncoil, but I think of a friend as an actual person with whom I have an actual history and whom I enjoy actually seeing. It seems, however, that this is no longer the definition (定義) of ‘friend',” said Meghan Daum, who works with The Los Angeles Times in the US.
【小題1】The new study from the University of Essex in Britain shows that _________.

A．if you have more friends you will not live happily.

B．the more friends you have in school, the more money you'll earn in your late life.

C．the less friends you have, the poor lives you will live.

D．friends can make more money for you.

【小題2】 According to Xu Yanchun, when you have lots of friends, it means_____

A．You have the ability to earn more money.

B．You will not feel lonely.

C．You are quite content with your life.

D．You have the ability to get along with others in various situations.

【小題3】What’s the main idea of the passage ?

A．The passage mainly tells us something about the friendship.

B．Friends plays an more important part in our daily life than anything else.

C．Friends are currency.

D．Friends give you success.

【小題4】We can learn from the passage that _________.

A．If you have more friends, you can make a fortune in the future.

B．Graduating from college means that you can make a fortune in the future.

C．Friends means a form of currency.

D．Friends can make you wider social circle and make you feel better when you feel depressed.

Life is difficult.
But life is no longer difficult once we truly understand and accept it. Most do not fully see this truth. Instead they complain about their problems and difficulties as if life should be easy. It seems to them that their difficulties represent a special kind of suffering especially forced upon them or else upon their families, their class, or even their nation.
What makes life difficult is that the process of facing and solving problems is painful. Problems, depending on their nature, cause us sadness or loneliness or regret or anger or fear. These are uncomfortable feelings, often as any kind of physical pain. And since life causes an endless series of problems, life is always difficult and is full of pain as well as joy.
Yet, it is in this whole of solving problems that life has its meaning.
Problems are the serious test that tells success from failure. When we desire to encourage the growth of the human spirit, we encourage the human ability to solve problems just as in school we set problems for our children to solve. It is through the pain of meeting and working our problems that we learn. As Benjamin Franklin said, “Those things that hurt, instruct.” It is for this reason that wise people learn not to fear but to welcome the pain of problems.
【小題1】The writer uses just one short sentence in the first paragraph probably to _________.

A．make a suggestion	B．persuade readers
C．make readers laugh	D．get readers’ attention

【小題2】According to the passage, we give school children difficult problems to solve in order to __________ .

A．encourage them to learn

B．make them suffer

C．make their life easier

D．help them understand life is difficult

【小題3】“Those things that hurt, instruct.” from Benjamin Franklin suggests that ________ .

A．we do not learn from experience

B．we do not learn when we are in pain

C．pain teaches us important lessons

D．pain cannot be forgotten

【小題4】From the passage, it can be inferred that __________.

A．not everybody has the same problems

B．we become stronger by facing and solving the problems in life

C．life is difficult because our problems bring us pain

D．people like to complain about their problems

Tea, the most important of English drinks, is a relative latecomer to British shores. Although the custom of drinking tea dates back to the third millennium BC in China, it was not until the mid 17th century that tea first appeared in England.
Afternoon tea was introduced in England by Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford, in the year 1840. The Duchess would become hungry around four o’clock in the afternoon. The evening meal in her household was served fashionably late at eight o’clock, thus leaving a long period of time between lunch and dinner. The Duchess asked her servant to bring a tray of tea, bread, butter and cake to her room during the late afternoon. This became a habit of hers and she began inviting friends to join her.
This pause for tea became a fashionable social event. During the 1880’s upper class and society women would change into long gowns(長袍), gloves and hats for their afternoon tea which was usually served in the drawing room between four and five o’clock.
Traditional afternoon tea consists of a selection of dainty(講究的) sandwiches, scones(烤餅)served with cream and jams. Cakes and pastries(面團) are also served. Tea grown in India or Ceylon is poured from silver teapots into delicate bone china cups.
Nowadays, however, in the average suburban home, afternoon tea is likely to be just a biscuit or small cake and a mug of tea, usually produced using a teabag.
【小題1】The title of the passage is __________.

A．Anna, the seventh Duchess of Bedford

B．Tea, the most important of English drinks

C．Anna, a person introducing afternoon tea to England

D．Afternoon tea, a very British tradition

【小題2】Afternoon tea was introduced in English in _________.

A．1880	B．the mid 17th century
C．1840	D．3 BC

【小題3】Traditional afternoon tea is made up of __________.

A．sandwiches, scones as well as cakes and pastries

B．a(chǎn) biscuit or small cake and a mug of tea

C．a(chǎn) tray of tea, bread, butter and cake

D．a(chǎn) selection of dainty sandwiches

【小題4】According to the passage, we can learn that _________.

A．Tea appeared in England much earlier than in China

B．The reason why the Duchess was hungry at 4 p.m. is that dinner time came quite late

C．In the suburban home, afternoon tea is also served in a dainty way

D．Tea grown in India or Ceylon is poured from china teapots into delicate bone silver cups.

It’s puzzling, isn’t it? No matter where you try to tickle（使人發(fā)癢）yourself, even on the soles（腳底） of your feet or under your arms, you just can’t.
To understand why, you need to know more about how your brain works. One of its main tasks is to try to make good guesses about what’s going to happen next. While you’re busy getting on with your life, walking downstairs or eating your breakfast, parts of your brain are always trying to predict the future.
Remember when you first learned how to ride a bicycle? At first, it took a lot of concentration to keep the handlebars steady and push the pedals（踏板）. But after a while, cycling became easy. Now you’re not aware of the movements you make to keep the bike going. From experience, your brain knows exactly what to expect so your body rides the bike automatically. Your brain is predicting all the movements you need to make.
You only have to think consciously about cycling if something changes---like if there’s a strong wind or you get a flat tyre. When something unexpected happens like this, your brain is forced to change its predictions about what will happen next. If it does its job well, you’ll adjust to the strong wind, leaning your body so you don’t fall.
Why is it so important for our brains to predict what will happen next? It helps us make fewer mistakes and can even save our lives. For example, when a chief fireman sees a fire, he immediately makes decisions about how best to position his men. His past experiences help him foresee what might happen and choose the best plan for fighting the fire. His brain can instantly predict how different plans would work out, and he can rule out any bad or dangerous plans without putting his men at risk in real life.
So how does all this answer your question about tickling? Because your brain is always predicting your own actions, and how your body will feel as a result, you cannot tickle yourself. Other people can tickle you because they can surprise you. You can’t predict what their tickling actions will be.
【小題1】What is the best title for this passage?

A．How Does the Brain work?

B．Why Can’t I Tickle Myself?

C．The importance of Prediction

D．The Importance of Our Brains

【小題2】Our brains cannot predict what will happen when we______.

A．walk down the stairs

B．eat our breakfast

C．suddenly lose our balance and fall

D．ride a bike

【小題3】The phrase “rule out” in Paragraph 4 means______.

A．decide that something is not suitable	B．think about
C．a(chǎn)ct according to the rules	D．expect

【小題4】The passage is probably taken from______.

A．a(chǎn) scientific report for experts

B．a(chǎn) textbook for medical students

C．a(chǎn) book for children

D．a(chǎn) research paper for doctors

There are few places in the world with people as friendly and scenery as beautiful as the Philippines. Of the 7,107 islands that make up the archipelago nation（群島國家），Boracay is one that has some of the best beaches the country-or even Asia-has to offer.
Boracay is a great choice for a beach holiday, especially if you're trying to escape the cold
claws of winter. A lot is packed on the island, which is not much bigger than 10 square kilometers. It has many charms and attractions for the most active traveler, as well as the biggest beach bum（沖浪愛好者）．
It also caters to a variety of budgets. With everything from low-key guesthouses to five-star resorts, local fare to gourmet meals（餐要大餐），travelers will be able to spend as -much or as little as they want. And like many destinations in Asia, bargaining will help you get better prices on accommodation, leisure activities, shopping and dining. The majority of accommodations can be found along the western side of the island, along White Sand Beach and Bulabog Beach. The southern part of the beach, called Station Three, caters more to backpacker crowds, and prices tend to increase the farther you go up the beach. Station Two, 5 to 10 minutes on foot from Station Three, is the center of the island's pulsing nightlife. Another 10 minutes up from Station Two is Station One, where you'll find the resort hotels and a more relaxed, comforting atmosphere. The island's lookout point is arguably the best place for panoramic（全景的）views of Boracay and its neighboring islands. Just a few moments of breathtaking scenery and fresh sea air will rejuvenate（使精神煥發(fā)）you and make you feel you never want to leave.
There are organized trips to nearby islands, one of the most popular being Ariel's Point. The Boracay Beach Club resort, which owns the island, plans outings to Ariel's for a minimum of 14 people each trip．Visitors can have a day of cliff-jumping, snorkeling and barbecues. An alternative-and a sure way to see and do what you want-is to hire a boat. Ride around Boracay, stop at a restaurant frequented by locals, visit the neighboring islands, find a good snorkeling spot or fthd a beach where you can appreciate Boracay's unspoiled beauty. Countless boat operators offer their services along the shore. Rental is typically 500 pesos（＄12) an hour. Another must-do is a sailboat ride at sunset. White Sand and Bulabog Beaches are lined with sailboats, and there's nothing quite like watching the sun descend against the backdrop of a blue sea and sky. There's very little that will top this bonding moment with nature. To round up the day, head out for a tasty meal．Because of Boracay's countless international visitors, almost every major food type is available. There's New York-style pizzas, burgers galore, Mexican treats, Thai favorites, as well as Japanese udon noodles．
There's plenty more to love and appreciate about Boracay. With its small, cozy atmosphere and welcoming people, it's one destination not to pass up for that romantic getaway, family trip or holiday with friends.

【小題1】 If you want to find inexpensive accommodation, you should go＿along White Sand Beach and Bulabog Beach.

A．northward	B．southward
C．eastward	D．westward

【小題2】What does the underlined word "top" in Paragraph 8 mean?

A．Be better than.	B．Be suitable for.
C．Be away from.	D．Be equal to.

【小題3】Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A．Hotel expenses.	B．Public transport.
C．Outdoor recreations.	D．International food

A meteor(隕星) that exploded over Russia’s Ural mountains and sent burning to earth has set off a rush to find fragments of the space rock which hunters hope could fetch thousands of dollars a piece.
Friday’s explosion and following shockwave shattered windows, injured almost 1200 people and caused about $33 million worth of damage, said local authorities.
It also started a “meteorite rush” around the industrial city of Chelyabinsk,where groups of people have started combing through the snow and ice.
“The price is hard to say yet… The fewer meteorites that are discovered, the higher their price is.” Said Dmitry Kachkalin, a member of the Russian Society of Amateur Meteorite Lovers.
Meteorites are parts of a meteor that have fallen to earth.
Scientists at the Urals Federal University were the first to announce a significant find-53 small, stony, black objects around Lake Chebarkul, near Chelyabinsk, which tests confirmed were small meteorites.
The fragments were only 0.5 to 1 cm across but the scientists said larger pieces may have crashed into the lake, where a crater in the ice about eight metres wide opened up after Friday’s explosion.
“We just completed tests and confirm that the pieces of matter found by our experts around Lake Chebarkul are really meteorites.” said Viktor Grokhovsky, a scientist with the Urals Federal University and the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Many other people were in the area just hoping to find a meteorite after what was described by scientists as a once-in-a-century event.
Residents of a village near Chelyabinsk searched the snowy streets, collecting stones they hoped prove to be the real thing. But not all were ready to sell.
“I will keep it. Why sell it? I didn’t have a rich lifestyle before, so why start now?” a woman in a woollen hat and winter jacket, clutching a small black pebble(小圓石), told state television.
The Internet was filled quickly with advertisements from eager hunters hoping to sell what they said were meteorites - some for as little as 1,000 roubles ($33.18).
One seller of a large, silver-hued rock wrote in an advertisement:” Selling an unusual rock. It may be a piece of meteorite. It may be a bit of a UFO. It may be a piece of a rocket!”
【小題1】According to the passage, lots of people rushed to find meteorites for_____.

A．fun	B．money
C．research	D．fame

【小題2】 The underlined phrase in the third paragraphmeans ______.

A．striking hard

B．enjoying the happiness of

C．searching carefully

D．making a place tidy and clean

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

A．The price of meteorites will be very high without doubt.

B．A meteor exploded over Russia’s Ural mountains on Friday.

C．All meteorites hunters want to sell what they found and become rich.

D．People from all across Russia have rushed to Ural mountains to find meteorites.

【小題4】 Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?

A．How to identity a meteorite

B．To sell or to keep your meteorite

C．Meteorite rush around Chelyabinsk

D．Meteor explosion caused great damage

Blameless
I was a freshman in college when I met the Whites. They were completely different from my own family, yet I felt at home with them immediately. Jane White and I became friends at school, and her family welcomed me like a long-lost cousin.
In my family, it was always important to place blame when anything bad happened.
“Who did this? ”my mother would scream about a dirty kitchen.
“This is all your fault, Katharine, ”my father would insist when the cat got out or the dishwasher broke.
From the time we were little, my sister, brothers and I told on each other. We set a place for blame at the dinner table.
But the Whites didn’t worry about who had done what. They picked up the pieces and moved on with their lives. The beauty of this was driven home to me the summer Jane died.
In July, the White sisters and I decided to take a car trip from their home in Florida to New York. The two older sisters, Sarah and Jane, were college students, and the youngest, Amy, had recently turned sixteen. Proud of having a new driver’s license（駕照），Amy was excited about practicing her driving on the trip. She showed off her license to everyone she met.
The big sisters shared the driving of Sarah’s new car during the first part of the trip, but when they reached less crowded areas, they let Amy take over. Somewhere in South Carolina, we pulled off the highway to eat. After lunch, Amy got behind the wheel. She came to a crossroads with a stop sign. Whether she was nervous or just didn’t see the sign no one would ever know, but Amy continued into the crossroads without stopping. The driver of a large truck, unable to stop in time, ran into our car.
Jane was killed immediately.
I was slightly injured. The most difficult thing that I’ve ever done was to call the Whites to tell them about the accident and that Jane had died. Painful as it was for me to lose a good friend, I knew that it was far worse for them to lose a child.
When Mr. and Mrs. White arrived at the hospital, they found their two daughters sharing a room. Sarah had a few cuts on the head; Amy’s leg was broken. They hugged（擁抱）us all and cried tears of sadness and of joy at seeing their daughters. They wiped away the girls’ tears and made a few jokes at Amy as she learned to use her crutches（拐杖）.
To both of their daughters, and especially to Amy, over and over they simply said, “We’re so glad that you’re alive. ”
I was astonished. No blame. No accusations.
Later, I asked the Whites why they never talked about the fact that Amy was driving and had run a stop sign.
Mrs. White said, “Jane’s gone, and we miss her terribly. Nothing we say or do will ever bring her back. But Amy has her whole life ahead of her. How can she lead a full and happy life if she feels we blame her for her sister’s death? ”
They were right. Amy graduated from the University of California and got married several years ago. She works as a teacher of learning-disabled students. She’s also a mother of two little girls of her own, the oldest named Jane.
【小題1】 How did the accident occur?

A．Amy didn’t know what to do when she saw the stop sign.

B．Amy didn’t slow down so their car ran into a truck.

C．Amy didn’t stop at a crossroads and a truck hit their car.

D．Amy didn’t get off the highway at a crossroads.

【小題2】 The Whites did not blame Amy for Jane’s death because _____.

A．Amy was badly injured herself and they didn’t want to add to her pain

B．they didn’t want to blame their children in front of others

C．they didn’t want Amy to feel ashamed and sorry for the rest of her life

D．Amy was their youngest daughter and they loved her best

【小題3】 From the passage we can learn that _____.

A．Amy has lived quite a normal life

B．Amy has never recovered from the shock

C．Amy changed her job after the accident

D．Amy lost her memory after the accident

Compassion is a desire within us to help others. With effort, we can translate compassion into actions. An experience last weekend showed me this is true. I work part-time in a supermarket across from a building for the elderly. These old people are out main customers, and it’s not hard to lose patience over their slowness. But last Sunday, one aged gentleman appeared to teach me a valuable lesson. This untidy man walked up to my register（收款機）with a box of biscuits. He said he was out of cash (現(xiàn)金), had just moved into his room, and had nothing in his cupboards. He asked if we could let him have the food on trust. He promised to repay me the next day.
I couldn’t help staring at him. I wondered what kind of person he had been ten or twenty years before, and what he would be like if luck had gone his way. I had a hurt in my heart for this kind of human soul, all alone in the world. I told him that I was sorry, but store rules didn’t allow me to do so. I felt stupid and unkind saying this, but I valued my job.
Just then, another man, standing behind the first, spoke up. If anything, he looked more pitiable. “Change it to me, ” was all he said.
What I had been feeling was pity. Pity is soft and safe and easy. Compassion, on the other hand, is caring in action. I thanked the second man but told him that was not allowed either. Then I reached into my pocket and paid for the biscuits myself. I reached into my pocket because these two men had reached into my heart and taught me compassion.
【小題1】The aged gentleman who wanted to buy the biscuits_________ .

A．hoped to have the food first and pay later

B．promised to obey the store rules

C．forgot to take any money with him

D．could not afford anything more expensive

【小題2】Which of the following best describes the old gentleman?

A．kind and lucky	B．friendly and helpful
C．poor and lonely	D．hurt and disappointed

【小題3】The writer acted upon the store rules because_________ .

A．he felt no pity for the old gentleman

B．he considered the old man dishonest

C．he expected someone else to pay for the old man

D．he wanted to keep his present job

【小題4】What does the writer learn from his experience?

A．Wealth is more important than anything else

B．Experience is better gained through practice

C．Obeying the rules means more than compassion.

D．Helping others is easier said than done

A device that stops drivers from falling asleep at the wheel is about to undergo testing at Department of Transport laboratories and could go on sale within 12 months.
The system, called Driver Alert, aims to reduce deadly road accidents by 20% - 40% that are caused by tiredness. Airline pilots can also use it to reduce the 30% of all pilot-error accidents that are related to fatigue.
Driver Alert is based on a computerized wristband (腕套). The device, worn by drivers or pilots, gives out a sound about every four minutes during a car journey. After each sound the driver must respond by squeezing the steering wheel (方向盤). A sensor in the wristband detects this pressing action and measures the time betweenthe sound the driver’s response.
Tiredness is directly related to a driver’s response time. Usually, a watchful driver would take about 400 milliseconds to respond, but once that falls to more than 500 milliseconds, it suggests that the driver is getting sleepy.
In such cases the device gives out more regular and louder sounds, showing that the driver should open a window or stop for a rest. If the driver’s response continues to slow down, the sounds become more frequent until a nonstop alarm warns that the driver must stop as soon as possible.
The device has been delivered to the department’s laboratories for testing. If these tests, scheduled for six months’ time, are successful, the makers will bring the product to market within about a year.
【小題1】According to the text, Driver Alert ______.

A．a(chǎn)ims to reduce tiredness-related accidents

B．has gone through testing at laboratories

C．a(chǎn)ims to prevent drivers form sleeping

D．has been on sale for 12 months

【小題2】How should a driver respond to the sounds from Driver Alert?

A．By sounding a warning.

B．By touching the wristband.

C．By checking the driving time.

D．By pressing the steering wheel.

【小題3】We can learn form the text that the driver needs to stop for a break when his response time is ____.

A．a(chǎn)bout 400 milliseconds	B．below 500 milliseconds
C．over 500 milliseconds	D．a(chǎn)bout 4 minutes

【小題4】When the driver gets sleepy while driving, Driver Alert ______.

A．moves more regularly

B．stops working properly

C．opens the window for the driver

D．sounds more frequently and loudly