Popeye the Sailor first became a popular cartoon in the 1930s.The sailor in that cartoon ate lots of spinach to make him strong. People watched him, and they began to buy and eat a lot more spinach. Popeye helped sell 33 percent more spinach than before! Spinach became a necessary part of many people’s diets. Even some children who hated the taste began to eat the vegetable.
Many people thought that the iron in spinach made Popeye strong, but this is not true. Spinach does not have any more iron than any other green vegetable.
People only thought spinach had a lot of iron because the people who studied the food made a mistake. In the 1890s, a group of people studied what was inside vegetables. This group said that spinach had ten times more iron than it did. The group wrote the number wrong, and everyone accepted it.
Today, we know that the little iron that is in spinach cannot make a difference in how strong a person is. However, spinach does have something else which the body needs—folic acid.
It is interesting to point out that folic acid can help make a person strong. Maybe it was really the folic acid that made Popeye strong all along.   
【小題1】A good title for this reading passage is______.

A．Popeye the Sailor	B．The Truth About Spinach
C．A Mistake with Numbers	D．Folic Acid Makes You Strong

【小題2】Why did many people eat spinach after they saw Popeye the Sailor?

A．They thought spinach made them strong.

B．They thought Popeye was funny.

C．Spinach had a lot of iron.

D．People liked folic acid.

【小題3】A research group told people that spinach______.

A．made Popeye strong

B．was a green vegetable

C．had less iron than other green vegetables

D．had more iron than other green vegetables

【小題4】The reading passage says that perhaps Popeye got his strength from______.

A．iron

B．folic acid

C．spinach

D．exercise

【小題5】Folic acid is ______.

A．something in food

B．a(chǎn) vegetable

C．dangerous

D．a(chǎn) certain kind of spinach

Having a child may improve a woman’s memory, a new study suggests.
In the study, women who were new mothers scored better on tests of visuospatial memory – the ability to understand and remember information about their surroundings—compared with women who didn’t have children.
The findings contradicts the old belief that women develop“baby brain" or a decline in memory and cognitive(認(rèn)知的) function, after they have kids, said study researcher Melissa Santiago, a doctoral student at Carlos Albizu University in Miami. “You don’t have to feel that because you have kids, your memory isn’t the same," Santiago said.
The study was small, and the findings will have to be tested in larger groups of people, Santiago said.
Previous studies on the topic have had mixed results—some showed motherhood hurts cognition, and others showed the opposite. Studies on rats show those with pups have better memory than those without offspring.
Santiago analyzed information from 35 first-time mothers whose children were ages 10 to 24 months, and 35 women who had never been pregnant. Both groups scored similarly on intelligence tests. The average age of mothers was 29 and the average age of never-pregnant women was 27.
To test visuospatial memory, the women were shown a paper containing six symbols for 10 seconds, and then asked to draw what they remembered. This task was repeated several times. The first time women were shown the paper, both groups remembered about the same amount. But on the second and third pass, mothers performed better than those without children, indicating that the mothers collected more information each time than the other women.
Later, the women were shown a variety of different symbols, and asked to remember which ones were presented on the earlier task. Mothers did not make a mistake in this task—they remembered every symbol correctly—but those without children made one or two errors, Santiago said.
【小題1】 How did Santiago lead to the findings?

A．By observation.	B．By comparison.
C．By analyzing intelligence tests.	D．By asking women questions.

【小題2】By saying “The study was small", what did Santiago mean?

A．The study received little attention.

B．The study has just started.

C．The study was carried out among a small group of people.

D．A small group of researchers were involved in the study.

【小題3】Which of the following was discussed in the text?

A．Ways to test visuospatial memory.

B．Why having kids improves memory.

C．How young mothers are different from never-pregnant women.

D．The negative effects that worries of women without children have.

【小題4】 It can be inferred that Santiago believe the findings of the study_________.

A．may cause a heated discussion among parents

B．may cause an increase in the birth rate

C．a(chǎn)re tested by previous similar studies

D．a(chǎn)re encouraging news for mothers

Julie was preparing for a trip when her phone slipped into a sink full of water. Panic moment! She quickly picked up the wet phone and tried to turn it on, but nothing worked. Her first reaction? She got dressed, drove to the nearest store, and bought a new model at full price.
A new study finds that fear of losing your phone is a common illness. About 66 percent of those surveyed suffer from nomophobia or “no mobile phone phobia”. Interestingly, more women worry about losing their phone than men.
Fortunately, there’s a solution.
The first step is to figure out if you have nomophobia. Checking your phone too often is one thing, but the true sign of a problem is that you can’t conduct business or go about your routine when the fear becomes so severe.
Do you go to unusual lengths to make sure you have your phone? That’s another sign of a problem. If you find you check your phone plenty of times per hour, or a total of an hour per day, there may be a problem.
Some of the treatments are similar to those for treating anxiety attacks: Leaving the phone behind and not checking e-mail or text messages, and then learning to tolerate the after anxiety. Even if this leads to a high level of worry and stress, the solution is to push through the fear and learn to deal with not having your phone. 
Of course, there are also technological alternatives. Luis Levy, a co-founder at Novy PR, says he uses an application called Cerberus that can automatically track the location of his phone. To find it, he can just go to a Web site and see the phone’s location.
He also insures his phone through a service called Asurion. The company’s description of its product reads like a prescription for anxiety: “60 million phones are lost, stolen or damaged each year. You’ll have complete peace of mind knowing that your phone is protected and you can quickly reconnect with family, friends and work, as soon as the very next day!”
【小題1】Why does the author mention Kelly’s experience in the first paragraph?

A．To inform us that mobile phones are useful.

B．To introduce the topic for discussion.

C．To warn us that we should be careful.

D．To tell us we should get phones ready for a trip.

【小題2】The underlined word “nomophobia” in Paragraph 2 means ________.

A．Fear of losing mobile phones.

B．Habits of using mobile phones

C．Eagerness for new mobile phones.

D．Independence of mobile phones.

【小題3】Which of the following is a way to treat nomophobia?

A．Avoiding using phone for some time

B．Learning more about modern technology.

C．Protecting one’s phone against any damage.

D．Not using a mobile phone in one’s daily work.

【小題4】Why can the service called Asurion help to treat nomophobia?

A．It lets you know other people also lose their phones.

B．It will give you a new phone through insurance.

C．It enables you to reconnect with your acquaintance.

D．It gives you a prescription to treat nomophobia.

【小題5】 What is the passage mainly about?

A．Solutions to nomophobia.	B．New mobile phone technology.
C．Disadvantages of mobile phone.	D．Attitude toward mobile phone.

Monkeys , face to face
DISCOVER magazine once reported on a curious event in the woods : a group of monkeys applied mud (泥) to their faces in order to keep away insects , but when they were done they seemed to have lost their ability to recognize each other ---two monkeys that were supposed to be friends even started fighting.
“Faces are really important to how monkeys and apes (猿)can tell one another apart,” explained Michael Alfaro, a biologist at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), to the New York -based International Science Times . This is quite different from many other animals , which depend heavily on smells.
Since faces play such a crucial part in the social lives of monkeys , could this explain why certain monkey species have such colorful faces while others have simpler, plainer ones ?
To test this theory , a group of researchers from UCLA studied 139 monkey species , mainly from Asia and Africa, and analyzed hundreds of headshot (頭像）photos of those monkeys from their databases.
It was found that species that live in larger groups have faces with more complex color patterns than those that live in smaller groups. According to Live Science, researchers believe that this is nature’s way of making it easier for monkeys to recognize each other since those living in larger groups have to distinguish between a greater number of faces.
This is actually not that hard to understand . Just imagine if there were 10 people standing in front of you, all wearing white clothes. It would be much more difficult to tell them apart than if they wore clothes with colorful patterns. However, if there were only two people that you had to identify, a lack of color wouldn’t be much of a problem.
Apart from the need to recognize group members , researchers found that geography and environment also affect monkeys’ facial colors. Species that live closer to the equator in thick, humid (潮濕的）forests were found to have darker faces than those who live in dry areas further away from the equator. This is because darker faces help camouflage (偽裝）the monkeys in the woods so that they go unnoticed by predators (捕食者）.
【小題1】We can learn from the article that monkeys mainly recognize each other by their __.

A．Smells

B．Facial appearances

C．body shapes

D．Voices

【小題2】Which of the following statements about monkeys’face patterns is TURE according to the article ?

A．Larger monkeys have more complex face color patterns.

B．Monkeys with colorful face patterns usually take higher social positions within groups.

C．Monkeys living in smaller groups usually have simpler, plainer face patterns.

D．Colorful face patterns keep monkeys safe from predators.

【小題3】What is article mainly about?

A．The social lives of monkeys.

B．How monkeys tell each other apart.

C．A comparison between the face patterns of monkeys and those of human beings.

D．The different factors that determine monkeys’ face patterns.

The Segway Human Transporter was invented by Dean Kamen．It is a two-wheeled vehicle designed for a single rider standing upright over its single axle（軸） and navigate using a set of handlebars resembling those on a bicycle．Electrically powered, it could travel over 15 miles on a single charge and reach speeds up to twelve miles per hour．Its speed and direction can be controlled by riders' changing their weights．
A college dropout and self-taught engineer, Kamen already held over 100 patents for his inventions when he developed the one he hoped would revolutionize short-distance travel．While still in college, Kamen started developing the medical devices （設(shè)備） that made his name．Later, he changed focus to the challenges faced by wheelchair users．His robotic wheelchair known as IBOT could climb stairs．This robot ended up paving the way for the Segway．
Before showing his most recent invention, Kamen had kept it a top secret for months．When it turned out to be little more than a motor scooter, many publicly expressed their disappointment．On closer examination, however, even his critics（批評(píng)家） had to admit that the vehicle was an engineering achievement．It answered the prayers of anyone who is worn out when walking downtown．Not everyone welcomed the Segway's arrival, though．Some complained it was too expensive, while others said it would further weaken the average American ' s fitness．A Japanese inventor even accused Kamen of stealing the idea for the Segway from him．
Despite the controversy, the U．S．postal service began using Kamen's invention a month after its appearance, and a factory was built with plans to produce about 40,000 Segways every month．The argument is still on whether the Segway will be remembered as the greatest invention since the light bulb, or just another forgettable electronic device．Anyway, trips to the local supermarket will never be the same again．
【小題1】Which statement best describes the critics' reaction to the Segway?

A．Nothing but an electrical device．

B．A disappointing engineering mistake．

C．An expensive and disappointing invention．

D．Disappointing, but still a successful device．

【小題2】Which is not a feature of the Segway?

A．One person at a time can ride on it．

B．It has two wheels with a single axle．

C．It is powered by electricity and can go up to 12mph．

D．Riders increase the speed by moving the handlebars

【小題3】Some people expressed dissatisfaction with the Segway because of its______.

A．high cost	B．danger to traffic
C．being difficult to use	D．contribution to laziness

【小題4】Shortly after the Segway appeared, there were _________.

A．hopes for a larger model of it

B．no plans to do anything more with it

C．some discussions on the unforgettable device

D．plans to make tens of thousands of them a month

Speaking two languages rather than just one has obvious practical benefits in an increasingly globalized world．But in recent years, scientists have begun to show that the advantages of bilingualism （雙語能力） are even more important than being able to converse with a wider range of people．Being bilingual, it turns out, makes you smarter．It can have a deep effect on your brain, improving skills not related to language and even protecting against a serious mental disorder in old age．
This view of bilingualism is different from the understanding of bilingualism through much of the 20th century．Researchers, educators and policy makers long considered a second language to be an interruption that prevented a child's school work and ability to think and understand things．They were not wrong about the interruption: there is ample evidence that in a bilingual \s brain both language systems are active even when he is using only one language, thus creating situations in which one system disturbs the other．But this interruption, researchers are finding out, isn't so much a disturbance．It forces the brain to solve inside conflict, giving the mind a workout that strengthens its thinking muscles．
The key difference between bilinguals and monolinguals may be more basic: a heightened ability to monitor the environment．"Bilinguals have to switch languages quite often—you may talk to your father in one language and to your mother in another language," says Albert Costa, a researcher at the University of Pompea Fabra in Spain．
"It requires keeping track of changes around you in the same way that we monitor our surroundings when driving．" In a study comparing German-Italian bilinguals with Italian monolinguals on monitoring tasks, Mr．Costa and his colleagues found that the bilingual subjects not only performed better, but they also did so with less activity in parts of the brain involved in monitoring, showing that they did better in it．
【小題1】From the passage we can learn that experts used to believe that ______．

A．interruption forced a bilingual's brain to strengthen its thinking ability

B．a(chǎn) second language stopped children's studying as well as mental development

C．using two languages annoyed the children who have trouble in learning skills

D．language systems were busy in a bilingual's brain when he was using languages

【小題2】The underlined word "switch" in Paragraph 3 probably means "______"．

A．change

B．use

C．speak

D．study

【小題3】What is the author's attitude towards bilingualism?

A．Cautious．

B．Doubtful．

C．Concerned．

D．Favourable．

【小題4】Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．How Bilinguals Use Languages

B．What Bilingualism Is Really about

C．Why Bilinguals Are More Intelligent

D．When People Learn a Second Language

US military is attempting to develop a new style “insect robot” to replace the human soldier to go wherever he can’t. The greatest trouble this project has fallen across is how to enable the robot to fly freely like an insect， said an official of the Pentagon(五角大樓).
The Pentagon is seeking for the cooperation with scientists in hope of developing a new technique by which people can control the insect’s flight direction and pass on the information its eyes or other organs catch through the equipment set in its body， the official said.
It is thus designed that a tiny controlling chip will be equipped in an insect’s body when it is in chrysalis(蛹). As the insect grows， the cut made when fixing in the chip will be recovered. The chip will exist in forever. Scientists believe this won’t influence the insect， sound growth or the functions of internal organs.
The terminal target of the project is to set up a global system， in which the insect robots will be stationed in all parts of the world and stick to their posts till a new instruction is received. At that time the military can receive from all over the world clear image information within about 5 meters of the insects and that of a special target within 100 meters.
Years ago， Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency of US DOD(國防部) spent $3,000,000 carrying out a plan for training bees to detect landmines. But， no new progress has so far been made.
“According to the scientists， there is still enormous difficulty in technology in turning it into reality， such as the insects reproduction(繁殖)， their adaptation to the surroundings and temperature and so on. However， this project is really challenging. If successful， it is equal to making countless small drone(無人機(jī))，”said the official of DOD.
【小題1】According to the description of the passage， what is an insect robot like？

A．An insect made of a certain metal.

B．A robot looking like an insect.

C．An insect with a chip in its body.

D．A tiny flying robot.

【小題2】As for the design that an insect robot can receive and send information， how do you infer(推測) it works？

A．There must be a controlling chip well connected with the insect’s brain.

B．The insect’s eyes and other organs must be replaced by some special equipment.

C．All the insect’s concerned organs must be controlled by a chip.

D．The insect must be so well trained as to make full use of its organs.

【小題3】When the project is completed， US military will　　　　.

A．have a clear picture of almost every part of the world

B．have insect robots from all over the world

C．see clearly the things within 10 to 100 meters

D．get many insects which obey their orders

【小題4】Of the following technical problems， which is the one the scientists can’t solve so far？

A．They can’t keep sound growth of the insects.

B．They can’t ensure the insects to produce their young.

C．They can’t fix a chip in an insect.

D．They can’t make sure the internal organs function well.

【小題5】What does the underlined word “terminal” in the fourth paragraph mean？

A．Leading.

B．Vital.

C．Moral.

D．Final.

Everybody knows that colors are connected with certain feelings. For example, why do some people paint the walls of their rooms yellow and others pink? The same is true in stores. They want us to feel something when we look at their products.
Green, for example, tries to show the quality of a product: how good it is for us or for our environment. It also suggests that the product is healthier, has less fat and maybe fewer calories. Red, on the other hand is an aggressive color that is often used for packaging food. Red wants us to become hungry or thirsty. Purple is a kind of color that is often seen as royal. It indicates that it is something special. Producers use purple to show that something is of good quality. Blue is not very often found in food packaging because there are not very many foods that have a blue color.
Colors can also have different meaning in different cultures and countries. For example, while the color white is used in many Western countries to represent purity and innocence, it is seen as a symbol of mourning in many Eastern countries. The Egyptian pharaohs(法老) wore white crowns. A white sale is a sale of sheets, towels, and other bed and bath items. A white flag is the universal symbol for truce(休戰(zhàn)). A white elephant is a rare, pale elephant sacred(神圣的) to the people of India, Thailand, Burma, and Sri Lanka. In these countries, something that is a white elephant is either a possession that costs more than it is worth to keep or an item that the owner doesn’t want but can’t get rid of.
Consumers are aware that certain foods must have certain colors. When Pepsi brought out a crystal clear cola in 1992, it thought that consumers would buy it because clear meant pure and healthy. After a few months Pepsi found out that a cola had to be dark-colored. Crystal Pepsi failed and the company pulled it off the market.
Advertising professionals often need to look at a product through the consumers’ eyes when choosing a color. The right packaging colors can truly improve the sales of a product but choosing a wrong color could end in failure.
【小題1】According to the passage, blue is rarely used in food packaging because ____.

A．most consumers dislike it

B．it matches very few foods

C．it brings people low spirits

D．it doesn’t catch people’s eyes

【小題2】According to the passage, in India if something is expensive but useless, it can be called   ____.

A．a(chǎn) white flag	B．a(chǎn) white elephant
C．a(chǎn) white sale	D．a(chǎn) white crown

【小題3】Pepsi’s example is used to show ____.

A．Pepsi’s success comes from failures

B．health is the main concern in drink making

C．crystal clear drinks can’t attract consumers

D．people have fixed ideas about products and colors

【小題4】What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Colors in advertising

B．Colors in food packaging

C．Our everyday life and colors

D．Foods in different colors

Siri. The intelligent assistant that helps you get things done. All you have to do is ask.
Now you can use your voice to use your iPhone 4S. Just talk to Siri as you would to a person: “Do I need an umbrella?” or “Where’s the closest ATM?” Siri not only understands what you say, it knows what you mean. It figures out the right apps to use to find the right answer. Then, just like a personal assistant, it answers you. Siri makes phone calls, sends messages, schedules meetings, sets reminders, and more. How much more? Just ask, and Siri tells you that, too.
Dual-core A5 chip: the most powerful iPhone ever.
Two cores in the A5 chip provide up to two times more power and up to seven times faster graphics. And you’ll feel the effects. iPhone 4S is quick and responsive, which makes all the difference when you’re launching apps, surfing the web, gaming, an doing just about everything. And no matter what you’re doing, you can keep on doing it. Because the A5 chip is so power-efficient, iPhone 4S has outstanding battery life.
FaceTime. It’s even better face-to-face.
FaceTime of iPhone 4S lets you hear a voice and see the face that goes with it—iPhone to iPhone, iPad 2, iPod touch, or Mac over Wi-Fi. So no matter where they are, no matter where you are, you’ll always be there. Making a FaceTime call is just as easy as making a phone call. And it’s even easier with Siri. Just tell Siri “FaceTime with Mom” and you show up, smile and wave hello. You’ll never miss a big event, an important meeting or a good laugh. And who wouldn’t be happy to see your face?
【小題1】The passage is mainly about __________.

A．how to use iPhone 4S	B．some models of iPhone 4S
C．some special uses of iPhone 4S	D．how to understand some pictures

【小題2】What is special about Siri?

A．It can take photos.	B．It can make videos.
C．It can write messages.	D．It can answer questions.

【小題3】Which of the following helps iPhone 4S to perform fast?

A．

B．

C．

D．

【小題4】Which of the following is NOT TRUE about FaceTime?

A．It can be used together with Siri.

B．It allows you to see the other person’s face.

C．It allows you to hear the other person’s voice.

D．It can only be used between iPhone and iPhone.

Everyone has got two personalities—the one that is shown to the world and the other that is secret and real. You don’t show your secret personality when you’re awake because you can control your behavior, but when you’re asleep, your sleeping position shows the real you. In a normal night, of course, people frequently change their position. The important position is the one that you go to sleep in.
If you go to sleep on your back, you’re a very open person. You normally trust people and you are easily influenced by fashion or new ideas. You don’t like to upset people, so you never express your real feelings. You’re quite shy and you aren’t very confident.
If you sleep on your stomach, you are a rather secretive(不坦率的) person. You worry a lot and you’re always easily upset. You’re very stubborn(頑固的), but you aren’t very ambitious. You’re usually live for today not for tomorrow. This means that you enjoy having a good time.
If you sleep curled up (卷曲), you are probably a very nervous person. You have a low opinion of yourself and so you’re often defensive. You’re shy and you don’t normally like meeting people. You prefer to be on your own. You’re easily hurt.
If you sleep on your side, you have usually got a well-balanced personality. You know your strengths and weaknesses. You’re usually careful. You have a confident personality. You sometimes feel anxious, but you don’t often get depressed. You always say what you think even if it annoys people.
【小題1】According to the writer, you naturally show your secret and real personality      .

A．only in a normal night

B．only when you go to sleep

C．only when you refuse to show yourself to the word

D．only when you change sleeping position

【小題2】Which is NOT mentioned in the second paragraph about a person’s personality?

A．He or she is always open with others.

B．He or she always likes new ideas earlier than others.

C．He or she is always easily upset.

D．He or she tends to believe in others.

【小題3】Point out which sentence is used to show the personality of a person who is used to sleeping on his or her stomach?

A．He or she is careful not to offend others.

B．He or she doesn’t want to stick to his or her opinion.

C．He or she can’t be successful in any business.

D．He or she likes to bring others happiness.

【小題4】Which of the following may be the reason for you not to make friends with a person who sleeps curled up?

A．He or she would rather be alone than communicate with you.

B．He or she is rarely ready to help you.

C．He or she prefers staying at home to going out.

D．He or she wouldn’t like to get help from you.

【小題5】It appears that the writer tends to think highly of the person who sleeps on one side because        .

A．he or she always shows sympathy for people

B．he or she is confident, but not stubborn

C．he or she has more strengths than weaknesses

D．he or she often considers annoying people