How can we measure animals’ emotions? A new study of animal’s emotions suggests that, as in humans, emotions can tell animals about how dangerous their world is, and guide the choices that they make. The article of the study by Bristol University’s professor Mike Mendl was published online.
An animal living in an environment where it is often threatened by predators(捕食者）will develop a negative emotion or “mood”, such as anxiety. However, one in an environment with plenty of opportunities to get resources for survival will be in a more positive mood state.
The researchers say that these emotional states not only show the animal’s experiences, but also help it decide how to make choices, especially in unclear situations. This could have good or bad results. An animal in a negative mood state will make a safety-first with a “pessimistic” response to an unclear event. For example, it considers a noise in the grass as a signal of the predator. At the same time, an animal in a positive mood state will benefit from a more “optimistic” response. It considers the noise as a signal of prey(獵物）.
Professor Mike Mendl, head of the Animal Welfare and Behavior Research Group at Bristol University’s School of Clinical Veterinary Science said, “ We can use “optimistic” or “pessimistic”decision-making as a symbol of an animal’s emotional state. Recent studies by our group and others suggest that this is a meritorious new approach to studying a variety of animal species.”
“Public interest in animal welfare remains high, with widespread concern about the way in which animals are treated, used and included in society. To understand how animals should be treated, we need to better understand their emotional lives,” Mike Mendl said. The researchers believe Mike Mendl’s study can help them to better understand and assess an animal’s emotions.
【小題1】When an animal is in a negative mood state, _______.

A．its response to an unclear event is pessimistic

B．it will pay little attention to an unclear event

C．it is easy for it to make right decisions

D．it has more opportunities to get food

【小題2】The underlined word “meritorious” in Paragraph 4 can be replaced by “_______”.

A．valuable

B．useless

C．fashionable

D．hopeless

【小題3】We can infer from the passage that ________.

A．the animals with positive emotions live longer

B．there is no way to assess an animal’s emotions

C．few people care about animal welfare nowadays

D．the environment can influence animal’s emotions

【小題4】Mike Mendl advised people to better understand animal’s emotions in order to _____.

A．tell people to build more protected areas for animals

B．explain animals should be regarded as people’s friends

C．raise people’s interest in studying animals

D．make people know how to treat animals properly

【小題5】What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Different kinds of Animals’ Emotions

B．Emotions Helps Animals to Make Choice

C．The Living Environment of Wild Animals

D．The Best Way to Measure Animals’ Emotions

Many animals recognize their food because they see it. So do humans. When you see an apple or a piece of chocolate you know that these are things you can eat. You can also use other senses when you choose your food. You may like it because it smells good or because it tastes good You may dislike some types of food because they do not look, smell or taste very nice. Different animals use different senses to find and choose their food. A few animals depend on only one of their senses, while most animals use more than one sense.
Although there are many different types of food, some animals spend their lives eating only one type.The giant panda eats only one particular type of bamboo. Other animals eat only one type of food even when given the choice. A kind of white butterfly will stay on the leaves of a cabbage, even though there are plenty of other vegetables in the garden. However, most animals have a more varied diet. The bear eats fruits and fish. The fox eats small animals, birds and fruits. The diet of these animals will be different depending on the season.
Humans have a very varied diet. We often eat food because we like it and not because it is good for us. In countries such as France and Britain, people eat foods with too much sugar. This makes them overweight, which is bad for their health. Eating too much red meat and animal products, such as butter, can also be bad for the health. Choosing the right food, therefore, has become an area of study in modern life. 
【小題1】We can infer from the text that humans and animals ________.

A．depend on one sense in choosing food

B．a(chǎn)re not satisfied with their food

C．choose food in similar ways.

D．eat entirely different food

【小題2】Which of the following eats only one type of food?

A．The white butterfly.	B．The small bird.
C．The bear	D．The fox

【小題3】Certain animals change their choice of food when ______.

A．the season changes

B．The food color changes

C．They move to different places

D．They are attracted by different smells.

【小題4】We can learn from the last paragraph that _____.

A．food is chosen for a good reason.

B．Some people care little about healthy diet

C．some people have few choices of food

D．French and British food is good.

A black hole is a place in space where gravity pulls so much that even light cannot get out. The gravity is so strong because matter has been squeezed into a tiny space. This can happen when a star is dying.
Because no light can get out, people can’t see black holes. Space telescopes with special tools can help find black holes. The special tools can see how stars that are very close to black holes act differently from other ones.
Black holes can be big or small. Scientists think the smallest black holes are as small as just one atom. These black holes are very tiny but have the mass of a large mountain. Mass is the amount of matter, or “staff”, in an object.
Another kind of black hole is called “stellar”(星球黑洞). Its mass can be up to 20 times more than the mass of the sun. There may be many stellar mass black holes in Earth’s galaxy. Earth’s galaxy is called the Milky Way.
The largest black holes are called “supermassive”(超大質(zhì)量黑洞). These black holes have masses that are more than one million suns together. Scientists have found proof that every large galaxy contains a supermassive black hole at its center. The supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy has a mass equal to about four million suns and would fit inside a very large ball that could hold a few million Earths.
Scientists think the smallest black holes formed when the universe began. Stellar black holes are made when the center of a very big star falls in upon itself, or falls apart. When this happens, it exploded part of the star into space. Scientists think supermassive black holes were made at the same time as the galaxy they are in.
A black hole can not be seen because strong gravity pulls all of the light into the middle of the black hole. But scientists can see how the strong gravity affects the stars and gas around the black hole. Scientists can study stars to find out if they are flying around, or orbiting a black hole.
When a black hole and a star are close together, high-energy light is made. This kind of light cannot be seen with human eyes. Scientists use satellites and telescopes in space to see the high-energy light.
【小題1】The gravity of a black hole may become so strong that light cannot get out when ____________.

A．the star is going to die

B．special tools are used on it

C．other stars come close to it

D．it is seen from the space telescopes

【小題2】According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

A．A black hole can be very tiny but extremely heavy.

B．The gravity of a black hole holds all light in its center.

C．Scientists observe high-energy light through their own eyes.

D．Some small black holes came into being as early as the universe.

【小題3】The underlined word “galaxy” in Paragraph 5 means __________.

A．a(chǎn) black hole	B．the Milky Way
C．a(chǎn) series of stars	D．a(chǎn) planet near the earth

【小題4】What does the last sentence in Paragraph 5 suggest?

A．Neither the sun nor the earth is as heavy as a black hole.

B．There is a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.

C．The supermassive black hole had existed before the Milky Way was formed.

D．There is a reason why the large black holes are called “supermassive”.

【小題5】The last two paragraph mainly focus on the question of _________.

A．what a black hole is

B．how black holes form

C．how big black holes are

D．how scientists know about black holes

Did anyone find the names of “Great Britain”, “the United Kingdom”, “England” and “the British commonwealth” which have the same meaning? Strictly speaking, these names all refer to something different. None of them are exactly the same as any of the others.
The British isles refer to the main islands and several thousand small ones as well, which you can see on the map. Great Britain, or Britain, refers to the larger of the two main islands. But the word “Britain” is often used as a short form for the United Kingdom or you call it the UK.
Now as for England, it refers simply to the largest of the three countries on the island of Great Britain. The United Kingdom is the name of the state and the official name of the country, which many people popularly refer to England.
Finally, the Britain commonwealth is the usual name for what is left of the British Empire (帝國). This change shows the weakening of British Empire and the rising of the national liberation movements throughout the world today.
【小題1】According to the passage, we know that _____________.

A．Great Britain has the same meaning as Britain

B．a(chǎn)ll the names refer to England

C．the United Kingdom has the same meaning as Britain or England

D．a(chǎn)ll the names in the first paragraph have the same meaning

【小題2】 It is clear that the British isles refer to _____________.

A．Britain, England and the UK

B．the two main islands and thousands of small ones

C．three countries and several islands

D．Great Britain or the United Kingdom

【小題3】We can infer that           .

A．The country hasn’t an exact name.

B．Few people know its real name.

C．All the names have exact meaning.

D．Generally speaking,the names can all be used to stand for the country.

【小題4】Which of the following shows the right relationship (關(guān)系) between the British isles (BI), Britain (B) and England (E)?
A. B>BI>E. B. BI>E>B.        C. E>B>BI.    D. BI>B>E.
【小題5】If you want to write to someone in Edinburgh that lies in Scotland, you should write the address as _____________.

A．Edinburgh, England

B．Edinburgh, Scotland ,Great Britain

C．Scotland, Edinburgh, England

D．Great Britain, Scotland, Edinburgh

The need to feed a growing population is putting much pressure on the world's supply of water. With 97% of the world's water too salty to be drunk or used in agriculture, the worldwide supply of water needs careful management, especially in agriculture. Although the idea of a water shortage(短缺)seems strange to someone fortunate enough to live in a high rainfall country, many of the world's agricultural industries experience constant water shortages.
Although dams can be built to store water for agricultural use in dry areas and dry seasons, the costs of water redistribution(重新分配)are very high. Not only is there the cost of the engineering itself, but there is also an environmental cost to be considered. Where valleys(山谷)are flooded to create dams, houses are lost and wildlife homes destroyed. Besides, water may flow easily through pipes to fields, but it cannot be transported from one side of the world to the other. Each country must therefore rely on the management of its own water to supply its farming requirements.
This is particularly troubling for countries with agricultural industries in areas dependent on irrigation (灌溉). In Texas, farmers' overuse of irrigation water has resulted in a 25% reduction of the water stores. In the Central Valley area of southwestern USA, a huge water engineering project provided water for farming in dry valleys, but much of the water use has been poorly managed.
Saudi Arabia's attempts to grow wheat in desert areas have seen the pumping of huge quantities of irrigation water from underground reserves.  Because there is no rainfall in these areas, such reserves can only decrease, and it is believed that fifty years of pumping will see them run dry.
【小題1】From the first two paragraphs we learn that________.

A．much of the world's water is available for use

B．people in high rainfall countries feel lucky

C．water can be easily carried through pipes across the world

D．the costs of water redistribution should be considered

【小題2】Which of the following is TRUE?

A．The water stores in Texas have been reduced by 75%.

B．Most industries in the world suffer from water shortages.

C．The underground water in Saudi Arabia might run out in 50 years.

D．Good management of water use resulted from the project in the Central Valley.

【小題3】What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?

A．Steps to improving water use management.

B．Ways to reduce the costs of building dams.

C．Measures to deal with worldwide water shortages.

D．Approaches to handling the pressure on water supply.

【小題4】The text is mainly about________.

A．water supply and increasing population

B．water use management and agriculture

C．water redistribution and wildlife protection

D．water shortages and environmental protection

As they migrate (遷移), butterflies and moths choose the winds they want to fly with, and they change their body positions if they start floating in the wrong direction. This new finding suggests that insects may employ some of the same methods that birds use for traveling long distances. Scientists have long thought that insects were simply at the mercy of the wind.
Fascinating as their skills of flight are, migrating behavior has been difficult to study in   insects because many long distant trips happen thousands of feet above ground. Only recently have scientists developed technologies that can detect (測(cè)出) such little creatures at such great heights.
To their surprise, though, the insects weren’t passive travelers on the winds. In autumn, for example, most light winds blew from the east, but the insects somehow sought out ones that carried them south and they positioned themselves to navigate directly to their wintering homes.
Even in the spring, when most winds flowed northward, the insects didn’t always go with the flow. If breezes weren’t blowing in the exact direction they wanted to go, the insects changed their body positions to compensate (補(bǔ)償). Many migrating birds do the same thing.
The study also found, butterflies and moths actively flew within the air streams that pushed them along. By adding flight speeds to wind speeds, the scientists calculated that butterflies and moths can travel as fast as 100 kilometers an hour. The findings may have real-world applications. With climate warming, migrating insects are growing in number. Knowing how and when these pests move could help when farmers decide when to spray their crops.
【小題1】What’s the main idea of the text?  

A．Insects migrate with the seasons．

B．Wind helps insects greatly in migrating．

C．Windsurfing insects have real direction．

D．Scientists have trouble in observing insects．

【小題2】Scientists originally thought that ________．

A．insects always waited for their favorable winds

B．insects chose the winds they wanted to ride

C．insects were just blown about by the wind

D．insects positioned themselves in the winds

【小題3】It is not easy to study the migrating behavior of the insects because ________．         

A．the little creatures can fly very fast

B．they have no regular migrating courses

C．the wind’s direction is hard to foresee

D．their flight is long and high above ground

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

A．insects fly in the way birds do

B．insects travel more easily in autumn

C．insects never position themselves when flying low

D．insects rest a lot when the wind pushes them along

【小題5】According to the passage, the findings can__________．             

A．increase insects in number	B．instruct farmers when to spray
C．prevent climate warming	D．help protect insects

Fear is an emotion like others such as happiness, anger, hurt, sadness. We need emotions to process information we receive and decide how to respond. Being afraid of fast cars, for example, is something that might protect us from harm. Being afraid of the consequence of a choice may prevent us getting into trouble.
Fears in young children commonly center on certain animals like snakes or big dogs. Fears are caused often because of experiences or ideas expressed by others, and at times, the media. Many normal fears during the early years, like men with beards, or large dogs, disappear with age. Those relating to personal failure and ridicule (嘲笑) remain through adulthood and may need special help to overcome.
Children’s fears are often trivial, but that doesn’t mean they should be ignored. They need to be recognized and accepted as real for that child. Only when we help children understand their fears can they grow normally in their ability to deal with them.
Research shows that as a child grows up, the center of his fears changes a lot. Things like divorce, a teacher who “shouted at me”, people with guns, bullies, big boys, or “making fun of me” top the list of childhood fears.
We can not always prevent these experiences from happening, but it’s essential that children be allowed to freely express their emotions without judgment. Sympathy and a caring listener will help ease the pain of these fears. Read books and stories to your child about children who have experienced similar fears. This helps children talk about their fears and find ways to cope. With all emotions, fears become less of a problem for children as they gain self-confidence and they find that fear is normal and can be dealt with.
【小題1】According to Paragraph 2, we can know that fears in young children_______.      .

A．only center on frightening animals	B．a(chǎn)re not born but learned
C．can make sure of their safety	D．need special help to deal with

【小題2】The underlined word “trivial” in the third paragraph probably means “_______”.

A．small

B．serious

C．harmful

D．common

【小題3】In dealing with children’s fears, the final goal of the parents is to _______.

A．stop unpleasant experiences happening to children

B．let children know about the nature of fear

C．create an environment where there is nothing to fear

D．develop children’s ability to treat their fear on their own

【小題4】From the passage we can learn that ________ .

A．some childhood fears may have a lasting influence

B．children should avoid the media to reduce their fear

C．fears can be judged according to the environment

D．children with similar fears can communicate easily

【小題5】What’s the best title for this passage?

A．How to Overcome Children’s Fears	B．Children’s Fears
C．The kind of Children’s Fears	D．The Bad Effects of Fears

In the second half of each year, many powerful storms are born in the tropical Atlantic and Caribbean seas. Of these, only about a half a dozen generate the strong, circling winds of 75 miles per hour or more that give them hurricane status, and several usually make their way to the coast. There they cause millions of dollars of damage, and bring death to large numbers of people.
The great storms that hit the coast start as innocent circling disturbances (氣旋) hundreds — even thousands — of miles out to sea. As they travel aimlessly over water warmed by the summer sun, they are carried westward by the trade winds. When conditions are just right, warm, moist (潮濕的) air flows in at the bottom of such a disturbance, moves upward through it and comes out at the top. In the process, the moisture in this warm air produces rain, and with it the heat that is switched to energy in the form of strong winds. As the heat increases, the young hurricane begins to turn around in a counter-clockwise motion (反時(shí)針方向).
The average life of a hurricane is only about nine days, but it contains almost more power than we can imagine. The energy in the heat released (釋放) by a hurricane’s rainfall in a single day would satisfy the entire electrical needs of the United States for more than six months.
Water, rather than wind, is the main source of death and destroying in a hurricane. A typical hurricane brings 6-to-12-inch downpours resulting in sudden floods. Worst of all is the powerful movement of the sea — the mountains of water moving toward the low-pressure hurricane center. The water level rises as much as 15 feet above normal as it moves toward shore.
【小題1】An ordinary tropical storm is called a hurricane when ______.

A．it occurs in the Caribbean seas

B．its winds reach 75 miles per hour

C．it makes its way to the coastline

D．its winds begin to circle on the sea

【小題2】What is the worst thing about hurricane?

A．The rough water.	B．The violent winds.
C．The heat it gives out.	D．The length of its life.

【小題3】What does the third paragraph mainly talk about?

A．The hurricane is extraordinarily powerful.

B．The hurricane is used to generate electricity.

C．The hurricane can otherwise offer an unusual sight.

D．The hurricane can give people an unforgettable experience.

【小題4】The counter-clockwise movement of the hurricane is caused by ______.

A．the low-pressure area in the center of the storm

B．the force of waves of water

C．the increasing heat

D．the trade winds

Many people think of the brain as a mystery.They don't know much about intelligence and how it works.When they do think about what intelligence is，many people believe that a person is born smart，average，or dumb—and stays that way in the whole life.But new research shows that the brain is more like a muscle—it changes and gets stronger when you use it.And scientists have been able to show just how the brain grows and gets stronger when you learn.
Everyone knows that when you lift weights，your muscles get bigger and you get stronger.A person who can't lift 20 pounds when he/she starts exercising can get strong enough to lift 100 pounds after working out for a long time.That's because the muscles become larger and stronger with exercise.And when you stop exercising，the muscles shrink and you get weaker.That's why people say “Use it or lose it！”
But most people don't know that when they practice and learn new things，parts of their brain change and get larger a lot like muscles do when they exercise. Inside the cortex(皮層)of the brain are billions of tiny nerve cells，called neurons. The nerve cells have branches connecting them to other cells in a complicated network. Communication between these brain cells is what allows us to think and solve problems. When you learn new things，these tiny connections in the brain actually multiply and get stronger.The more you challenge your mind to learn，the more your brain cells grow.Then，things that you once found very hard or even impossible to do—like speaking a foreign language or doing algebra(代數(shù))—seem to become easy after learning them for a period of time.The result is a stronger，smarter brain.
Scientists started thinking that the human brain could develop and change when they studied animals'brains.They found out that animals that lived in a challenging environment were more perspicacious—they were better at solving problems and learning new things.
【小題1】According to the first paragraph，________.

A．the function of our brain is like that of the muscle

B．until now it's impossible to explain the brain's mystery

C．many people believe one's intelligence is naturally determined

D．one's brain grows stronger as the age increases

【小題2】Training muscles is compared to ________.

A．using the brain

B．connecting things in your brain

C．lifting weights

D．doing research about the brain

【小題3】What does the underlined word“perspicacious”in the last paragraph probably mean?

A．Strong.	B．Smart.
C．Popular.	D．Active.

【小題4】The following paragraph will most probably talk about ________.

A．the differences between animals'brains and humans'brains

B．the relation between human brains and muscles

C．scientists' findings about animals' brains

D．how to make your brain smarter through self?development

The first flights of the new airlines that will take tourists into space are ready to take off in 2012, and getting a seat on one is not all that different from booking a trip someplace on Earth. You can sign up on the website of, say, Virgin Galactic，the most well­known of the new space tourism companies, or go to an approved travel agency and put down a large deposit. Soon you will be able to buy travel insurance，just as you can for any other vacation.
Until now，space tourism has been limited to the ultrawealthy. Just seven people have paid tens of millions of dollars each for a trip to the International Space Station aboard a Russian rocket.
But that could change this year, when Virgin Galactic intends to start offering flights just beyond the space barrier on a rocket ship it has built, featuring five minutes of weightlessness during a two­and­a­half­hour tour. At $ 200,000 a seat, this will open the final frontier to far more people.
At least two other specialty airlines have jumped in as well, taking reservations and deposits for future space flights.Allianz, the big insurer, will introduce an insurance product in 2012, lending space tourism the trappings of the regular travel industry.
“Just to be able to sell space travel as a regular part of your business, really, just how cool is that？” said Lynda Turley Garrett, president of Alpine Travel of Saratoga, Calif.，who is one of 58 accredited space agents for Virgin Galactic in the United States.
In five years，Ms.Garrett has sold three seats. But she expects that to change once passengers start going up and coming down to tell their friends. “By 2017，it'll be just like scheduling a flight to L．A.，” Ms.Garrett predicted.
【小題1】If you want to book a flight to space in 2012, you can________.

A．go to any travel agency

B．telephone Virgin Galactic

C．pay a visit to Allianz

D．sign up on the website of Virgin Galactic

【小題2】From Paragraph 2 we can know that ________.

A．only the extremely rich people can afford the space trip

B．seven people have paid tens of millions of dollars for a space trip

C．Russia is the first country to build the space station

D．ordinary people are not allowed to take space tour

【小題3】Which of the following is true of Virgin Galactic?

A．It is one of the approved space agencies.

B．It is a famous space tourism company.

C．It sells insurance products to space tourists.

D．Its rocket has carried space passengers successfully.

【小題4】What does the underlined word “trappings” in Paragraph 4 probably refer to?

A．Standard uniforms.

B．Traditional decorations.

C．Symbolic signs.

D．Personal belongings.

【小題5】What does Ms. Garrett think of the future space travel?

A．Common.	B．Changeable.
C．Flexible.	D．Reasonable.