When a Swedish ship that sank in 1628 was recovered from the port of Stockholm, historians and scientists were overjoyed with the chance to examine the remains of the past. The ship construction showed how ships were built and operated during the seventeenth century. In this way, artifacts, objects made by human beings, provided a picture of daily life almost 400 years ago.
Underwater archaeology-the study of ships, aircraft and human settlements that have sunk under large bodies of water-is really a product of the last 50 years. The rapid growth of this new area of study has occurred because of the invention of better diving equipment .Besides the Swedish ship wreck(殘骸），underwater archaeologists have made more exciting discoveries such as the 5000-year-old boats in the Mediterranean Sea.
Underwater archaeology can provide facts about the past. In ancient ports all over the world are ships sunken in the past 6,000 years. There are also sunken settlements in seas and lakes telling of people’s way of life and their systems of trade in ancient times. Underwater archaeologists want to study these objects to add to the world's knowledge of history, but they have to fight two enemies. One enemy is treasure hunters who dive for ancient artifacts that they can sell to collectors. Once sold, these objects are lost to experts. The second enemy is dredging machines(挖掘機）often used to repair ports. These machines destroy wrecks and artifacts or bury them deeper under sand and mud. By teaching the public about the importance of underwater “museums” of the past, archaeologists are hoping to get support for laws to protect underwater treasures.
【小題1】What purpose does Paragraph 1 serve in the passage?

A．To provide background information of the topic

B．To attract readers' attention to the topic

C．To use an example to support the topic

D．To offer basic knowledge of the topic

【小題2】The aim of underwater archaeology is to  _____.

A．exploit water bodies	B．search for underwater life
C．study underwater artifacts	D．examine underwater environment

【小題3】Underwater archaeologists are worried because_____.

A．sea hunters have better diving equipment

B．their knowledge of world history is limited

C．dredging machines cause damage to the ports

D．sold artifacts can hardly be regained for research

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

A．To introduce a young branch of learning.

B．To discuss the scientists’ problems.

C．To explain people’s way of life in the past.

D．To describe the sunken ships.

Researchers found that people become happier and experience less worry after they reach the age of fifty. In fact, they say by the age of eighty-five, people are happier with their life than they were when they were eighteen years old.
The findings came from a survey of more than three hundred forty thousand adults in the United States. The Gallup Organization questioned them by telephone in two thousand eight. At that time, the people were between the ages of eighteen and eighty-five.
The researchers asked questions about emotions like happiness, sadness and worry. They also asked about mental or emotional stress.
Arthur Stone in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Stony Brook University in New York led the study. His team found that levels of stress were highest among adults between the ages of twenty-two and twenty-five.
The findings showed that stress levels dropped sharply after people reached their fifties.
Happiness was highest among the youngest adults and those in their early seventies. The people least likely to report feeling negative emotions were those in their seventies and eighties.
The findings appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Researchers say they do not know why happiness increases as people get older. One theory is that, as people grow older, they grow more thankful for what they have and have better control of their emotions. They also spend less time thinking about bad experiences.
Professor Stone says the emotional patterns could be linked to changes in how people see the world, or maybe even changes in brain chemistry.
The researchers also considered possible influences like having young children, being unemployed or being single. But they found that influences like these did not affect the levels of happiness and well-being related to age.
The study also showed that men and women have similar emotional patterns as they grow older. However, women at all ages reported more sadness, stress and worry than men.
【小題1】What is the best title of the passage?

A．The older a person is, the happier he grows.

B．The more lighthearted a person is, the happier he is.

C．The older a person is, the more clever he grows.

D．The older a person is, the more stressed he feels.

【小題2】 We can learn from the research that _________.

A．only when people get older, will they feel happier

B．older people usually have no worries in their life

C．older people are more likely to be thankful in life

D．stress levels among the youngest are the highest of all

【小題3】According to the researchers, what is probably the reason why people grow happier when they get older?

A．When people get older, they can’t remember bad experiences.

B．When people get older, they have no young children to care about.

C．When people get older, they don’t care about their feelings.

D．When people get older, they learn to adjust their feelings.

【小題4】 What would the writer probably deal with in next paragraph?

A．Advice to the young people on how to keep happy.

B．Why women at all ages are more sad, stressed and worried.

C．Advice to the old people on how to live longer.

D．Why people will grow happier with their ages.

【小題5】 What do you think the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences is?

A．A Gallup organization.	B．A university in New York.
C．A popular science magazine.	D．A research institution

Bicycle lights may not exactly be a problem that needs solving, but the following can be said about most of them ---- they’re easily stolen if left on an unattended bike. People riding at dusk can forget to turn them on, and those same people can forget to turn them off when they reach their destination. Well, the makers of the Blink/ Steady Bike Light have set out to address all of those shortcomings.
The waterproof(防水的) Blink/ Steady is so far only available as a tail light, although a head light is on the way. It’s fixed onto the bike’s seat post. A built- in photosensor(感光器) tells when it’s become dark enough for the light to be required, and allows it to come on once you begin the riding. According to the producers, it isn’t fooled by things such as headlights or streetlights. The light also contains an accelerometer, also known as a motion sensor, which can tell when the bike is in motion.
Between the two sensors, this means the light will come on only once it’s dark enough, and the bike is moving. Even when stopped at red lights, the small movements of the rider will reportedly be enough to keep the light activated---- it’ll go out after 30 seconds of complete inactivity. While this does mean that the two sensors are continuously powered up, they go into a very low---- power sleep pattern when the bike is sitting, unused.
Light is provided by two5- watt LEDs, seeable over a range of 180 degrees. And power comes from two AAA batteries, which provided up to 200 hours of continuous run time. The designers and engineers behind the Blink/ Steady are now raising money for its commercial production. About US $95 will get you one if they become available.
【小題1】The first paragraph is mainly to mean that______.

A．bicycle lights are worth a research

B．bicycle lights are not a problem at all

C．bicycle lights are easy to deal with

D．bicycle lights are difficult to turn off

【小題2】According to the text, the Blink/Steady Bike Light is sensitive to______.

A．the weather

B．streetlights

C．headlights

D．natural light

【小題3】Why is there an accelerometer in the Blink/ Steady Bike Light?

A．To protect the bike against water.

B．To tell if the bike is moving.

C．To make the bike easy to ride.

D．To judge the speed of the bike.

【小題4】What can be inferred about the Blink/ Steady Bike Light?

A．It will be turned off immediately if the bike stops.

B．The traffic lights have no effect on the light.

C．It won’t use any power if the bike is unused.

D．It must meet two requirements if it comes on.

Our environment isn’t as green and beautiful as it should be. There are steel monsters blocking out the sun, blowing out dangerous smoke, and letting out poisonous chemicals into rivers, cars producing harmful waste gas, people throwing out waste in a wrong way and all other kinds of sources that ruin the planet. Facing current environmental problems, people need to do their best to save the Earth.
You can see many big garbage dustbins in the streets. They’re not there for a show, but for you to drop your waste. We should realize that what a little we do does count. So next time you get that urge to throw gum or a chocolate package out of the car window, or “ accidentally” drop as you walk down the street, ask yourself how much waste you’ve been contributing to the environment with that bad habit going on for years.
At home, the first thing we can do to protect the environment is avoid letting water run continuously and make sure that taps（水龍頭）are not leaky（泄露的），which would help greatly in scrimping. Another is to use energy-saving lights, and turn them off before you leave the rooms. It’s not only energy-saving, but also cuts down electricity costs.
Recycling is a method to make items reusable. Many things you want to throw out can be made into new products through the reproducing process. Use your imagination to come up with ways on things that you can use again.
Pass the message of simple ways to save the environment on to kids. Starting with kids is a good way of teaching the message early in their lives, in the hope that they can carry it forward as they grow older.
With environmental protection awareness in mind, we can do what we can, for the results are to have a big effect on the planet. As long as we do our part, the world is one small step closer to being saved.
【小題1】The underlined word “scrimping” in the third paragraph can be replaced by _____.

A．saving

B．cleaning

C．cooking

D．drinking

【小題2】From the fifth paragraph, we can know that ________.

A．protecting the environment begins with small chores

B．protecting the environment should start from childhood.

C．wonderful life comes from environmental protection

D．protecting the environment benefits the country and the people

【小題3】Which of the following isn’t true?

A．The more people do their part, the greener the environment will be.

B．Selling what you don’t want any more is a kind of recycling.

C．To protect the environment may help you save some money.

D．Your bad habits for the environment are a valuable contribution.

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

A．The Use of Garbage Dustbin

B．How to Save Water and Electricity

C．How to Save the Environment

D．Our Current Environmental Problems

It was a village in India. The people were poor. However, they were not unhappy. After all, their forefathers had lived in the same way for centuries.
Then one day. Some visitors from the city arrived. They told the villagers there were some people elsewhere who liked to eat frog's legs. However, they did not have enough frogs of their own, and so they wanted to buy frogs from other places.
This seemed like money for nothing. There were millions of frogs in the fields around, and they were no use to the villagers. All they had to do was catch them. Agreement was reached, and the children were sent into the fields to catch frogs. Every week a truck arrived to collect the catch and hand over the money. For the first time, the people were able to dream of a better future, but the dream didn't last long.
The change was hardly noticed at first, but it seemed as if the crops were not doing so well. More worrying was that the children fell ill more often, and, there seemed to be more insects around lately.
The villagers decided that they couldn't just wait to see the crops failing and the children getting weak. They would have to use the money earned to buy pesticides(殺蟲劑) and medicines. Soon there was no money left.
Then the people realized what was happening. It was the frog. They hadn't been useless. They had been doing an important job—eating insects. Now with so many frogs killed, the insects were increasing more rapidly. They were damaging the crops and spreading diseases.
Now, the people are still poor. But in the evenings they sit in the village square and listen to sounds of insects and frogs. These sounds of the night now have a much deeper meaning.
【小題1】From paragraph 1 we learn that the villagers ________.

A．worked very hard for centuries

B．dreamed of having a better life

C．were poor but somewhat content（滿意的）

D．lived a different life from their forefathers

【小題2】Why did the villagers agree to sell frogs?

A．The frogs were easy money.

B．They needed money to buy medicine.

C．They wanted to please the visitors.

D．The frogs made too much noise.

【小題3】What might be the cause of the children's sickness?

A．The crops didn't do well.

B．There were too many insects.

C．The visits brought in diseases.

D．The pesticides were overused.

Full face transplants are no longer science fiction fantasy, a leading surgeon has said, adding that they are technically practical but ethically（道德地）complex.
Peter Butler from London’s Royal Free Hospital called for a debate on the ethics of such an operation made possible by new drugs which stop the body’s immune (免疫）system rejecting a transplanted face. “It is not ‘can you do it?’ but ‘should we do it?’” he told the BBC. “The technical part is not complex, but I don’t think that’s going to be the very great difficulty. The ethical and moral debate is obviously going to have to take place before the first facial transplantation.”
The British Association of Plastic Surgeons will discuss the microsurgical procedure (微型外科技術), which could give new skin, bone, nose, chin, lips and ears from deceased donors to patients disfigured（毀容的）by accidents, burns or cancer. But surgeons could have trouble finding enough willing donors. Butler said his survey of doctors, nurses and members of the public showed most would accept a face transplant but few were willing to donate their own after dying.
Despite a number of ethical concerns, Christine Piff, who founded the charity Let’s Face It after suffering a rare facial cancer 25 years ago, welcomed the possibility of face transplants. She rejected the idea that the procedure would mean people would end up living with a dead person’s face. “There are so many people without faces, I have half a face… but we are all so much more than just a face… you don’t take on their personality. You are still you,” she told reporters. “If we can donate other organs of the body then why not the face. I can’t see anything wrong with it.”
【小題1】The underlined word “deceased” in the third paragraph probably means _________.

A．living

B．dead

C．diseased

D．dying

【小題2】 When Christine Piff says “There are so many people without faces…”, she refers to the people _________.

A．who are dishonorable and shameless

B．who disagree with the full face transplant

C．who are seriously injured by an accident

D．who are disfigured by accidents, burns and cancer

【小題3】According to the passage, what makes it likely to carry out a facial transplantation?

A．Drugs are available to stop the body’s immune system rejecting a transplanted face.

B．There are some people who are willing to donate their faces after dying.

C．Most people accept the idea of face transplants.

D．It’s morally practical, though technically complex.

【小題4】What is implied but not stated in the passage?

A．Christine Piff has been the first lucky patient to receive a face transplant.

B．Surgeons have difficulty finding enough willing donors.

C．The main difficulty with the operation lies in the matter of ethics and morality.

D．Nobody other than Christine Piff is quite in favor of the donation of organs.

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

A．First Facial Transplantation

B．Debate on the Ethics of Transplant

C．Face Transplant No Longer Science Fantasy

D．Let’s Face It

Jiang Nan, a full-time mother in Beijing, keeps a dozen or so cloth bags at home, carefully selecting one or two before heading out to get groceries. "Most of them were giveaways from advertising marketing campaigns, but others had been handed out in the street by various environmental protection organizations," she explained.
　　Since June 2008 China has forbidden the production, sale and usage of plastic bags thinner than 0.025 millimeter (毫米), and retailers (零售商) are not allowed to provide free plastic bags to their customers, no matter how thick they are.
　　Many Chinese consumers like Jiang have learned to refuse plastic bags whenever possible in their shopping. "A plastic bag may only cost a few jiao, but it's more about how bad they are for the environment," Jiang said.
　　The plastic ban is for the most part well carried out in big cities, and has been obviously effective in reducing white waste. On the first anniversary of the plastic ban Global Village of Beijing, an NGO environmental organization, shows that during the year of the ban the consumption of plastic bags fell by about 40 billion pieces in chain supermarkets alone, saving more than 1.2 million tons of petrol.
　　However, enforcement (實施) shows rather less muscle in smaller cities, towns and countryside. In a remote town like Lichuan, the awareness of environmental protection is not as strong as that in big cities. Street vendors (街頭小販) worry that they are likely to lose customers if they charge them for plastic bags. Seeing no significance in the issue, local government often turn a blind eye to banned bag trade in the market.
　　There are still those who don't have an interest in living green. Cui Lin, another Beijinger, often forgets to bring a cloth bag when shopping, and has to buy plastic bags. "Anyway I think plastic bags are neater and cleaner, and I don't mind paying a couple more jiao," he shrugged.
　　Mrs Yu, a vegetable vendor in Lichuan County, Jiangxi Province, recalled that before plastic bags became popular in the early 1990s, Chinese people always carried a bamboo basket when they visited the market. "Plastic bags are more convenient," she comments, and her view might be that of the tens of millions of people in the nation who still cling to plastic bags, paid or free. This is suggested by her trade where piles of plastic bags are still passed out every day.
【小題1】 In Paragraph 1, the writer uses Jiang Nan's case to __________.

A．introduce a topic	B．tell a story
C．describe a person	D．offer an argument

【小題2】How did Jiang Nan get her cloth bags?

A．She bought them at a low price.

B．She borrowed them from her relatives.

C．She got them for free.

D．She made them herself.

【小題3】Which is NOT the reason why some people still use plastic bags when shopping?

A．Cloth bags are difficult to get and heavy to carry.

B．People's awareness of environmental protection is not strong enough.

C．People don't mind paying a couple more jiao for plastic bags.

D．Street vendors worry that they are likely to lose customers if they charge them.

【小題4】What does the underlined phrase “cling to” in the last paragraph mean?

A．stop using

B．continue to use

C．stay close to

D．hold tightly

【小題5】What message does the writer mostly convey in the passage?

A．To reduce white waste is urgent.

B．The plastic bag ban has achieved great success.

C．There is still a long way to go for the plastic bag ban.

D．People's awareness of environmental protection should be stressed.

U.S. Bottled Water Sales Are Booming Again Despite Opposition
Despite organized anti-bottled-water campaigns across the country and a noisy debate about bottled water’s environmental impact, Americans are buying more bottled water than ever.
Why do so many people seem to think they should have any input on what other American’s choose to buy or do?
If they want to buy bottled water, let them.
If they want to eat fast food, let them.
If they want to smoke pot, let them.
— Barackalypse
People just get tired of paying for others’ bad behavior. If many people eat excessive fast food, you pay higher insurance premiums. If many people frequently buy bottled water, your trash bills go up and landfills fill up quickly.www.zxxk.com
It’s about personal responsibility, which really should be a cornerstone of libertarianism.
— Bdbr
So? This is the price you pay to live in a free society. You want to control the life of another just so you can save a few bucks? What would you say when someone do the same to you?
— Norman619
Defend selfish pricks all you like; I’m just glad there are still people who still believe personal responsibility is a good and decent thing. We make your life cheaper and less bothersome.
— Yoyo
What a waste of money! It’s fine when you’re on the road and you need a cold drink, but people who buy cases of bottled water for home are completely crazy.
— Agmlauncher
I wish we all can find a way to improve things and benefit from this. The environment needs a lot of help but businesses will always work on what people would need and demand. Is this part of the balance? Hope we can find better ways.
— Skipweis
【小題1】What can we know about bottled water in America?

A．Americans are consuming more bottled water than tap.

B．US bottled water sales have increased for the first time.

C．Activists in several regions have been fighting against it.

D．Some people worry about its bad effect on the environment.

【小題2】Who would agree with Barackalypse on this matter?

A．Bdbr.

B．Norman619.

C．Yoyo.

D．Agmlauncher.

【小題3】According to the text, Agmlauncher is _____ bottled water.

A．partly supportive of	B．extremely against
C．strongly in favor of	D．not concerned about

【小題4】Which of the following statements goes with Skipweis’ opinion?

A．The environment is emphasized too much.

B．It’s impossible for people to find a better way.

C．Business is not totally responsible for the problem.

D．At present we can’t benefit from bottled water at all.

The year is 2094. It has been announced that a comet is heading towards the Earth. Most of it will miss our planet, but two pieces will probably hit the southern half of the Earth.
On 17 July, a piece four kilometers wide enters the Earth’s atmosphere with a massive explosion. About half of the piece is destroyed, but the remaining part hits the South Atlantic at 200 times the speed of sound. The sea boils and a huge hole is made in the sea bed. Huge waves are created and spread outwards from the hole. The wall of water, a kilometer high, rushes towards southern Africa at 800 kilometers an hour. Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people drowned.
Before the waves reach South America, the second piece of the comet lands in Argentina. Earthquakes and volcanoes are set off in the Andes Mountains. The shock waves move north into California and all around the Pacific Ocean. The cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Tokyo are completely destroyed by earthquakes. Millions of people in the southern half of the Earth are already dead, but the north won’t escape for long. Because of the explosions, the sun is hidden by clouds of dust, temperatures around the world fall to almost zero. Crops are ruined. The sun won’t be seen again for many years. Wars break out as countries fight for food. A year later, no more than 10 million people remain alive.
Could it really happen? In fact, it has already happened more than once in the history of the Earth. The dinosaurs were on the Earth for over 160 million years. Then 65 million years ago they suddenly disappeared. Many scientists believe that the Earth was hit by a piece of object in space. The dinosaurs couldn’t live through the cold climate that followed and they died out. Will we meet the same end?
【小題1】What is mainly described in the passage?

A．A historic discovery.	B．An event of imagination.
C．A research on space.	D．A scientific adventure.

【小題2】When the first piece hits the South Atlantic, it causes      .

A．an earthquake	B．damages to cities
C．an Earth explosion	D．huge waves

【小題3】Why can’t the northern half of the earth escape for long?

A．Because the land is covered with water.

B．Because the light and heat from the sun can not reach the Earth.

C．Because people there can not live at the temperature of zero.

D．Because wars break out among countries.

【小題4】By giving the example of dinosaurs, the author tries to prove      .

A．animals could not live in the cold climate

B．what happened 65 million years ago was an invented story

C．the human beings will die out in 2094

D．the Earth could be hit by other objects in space

Downing the last drop of an expensive famous brand H₂O as well as remembering to throw the empty bottle in the recycling bin, makes you feel pretty good about yourself, right? It shouldn’t. Even when the bottles are recycled, there are all kinds of other consequences of swallowing bottled water, says Melissa Peffers, the air-quality program manager for Environmental Defense.
The containers are often filled in faraway lands, then shipped from abroad, and stored in refrigerators at your local store. Compare that with the influence on environment of turning on your tap, filling a glass, and drinking up!
Anyone who is choosing bottled water for health reasons is misguided, says Peffers, “Most bottled water is just tap water.” And what comes out of your tap is carefully monitored to follow the strict rules. Consider another fact that bottled water is surprisingly expensive, especially when compared with the alternative, which is almost free, and it is astonishing that America’s desire for bottled water seems impossible to satisfy, reaching nearly 30 billion bottles a year.
“My parents’ generation never had bottled water,” says Isabelle Silverman, an Environmental Defense legal adviser. She has made a commitment to going bottle free. “You don’t need to fetch it home from the store, and it’s cheaper,” she adds.
Bottled water’s role as a status symbol needs to change, Peffers points out. So when a waiter at an expensive restaurant offers  “And what’s your drink?” that’s no reason to forget your conviction(信念). “Don’t be afraid to say, ‘I’ll have tap.’ Say it loud enough that the other tables nearby can hear you,” Peffers says. “And then spend that money on a dessert.”
【小題1】In the first paragraph, the underlined sentence “It shouldn’t.” suggest that people _______.

A．shouldn’t feel pleased with finishing the water in the bottle.

B．shouldn’t feel good about drinking an expensive brand H2O.

C．shouldn’t be pleased with just recycling empty bottles.

D．shouldn’t be satisfied with drinking only bottled water.

【小題2】According to the author, tap water is _______.

A．as safe as bottled water	B．morel likely to be polluted
C．healthier than bottle water	D．less convenient than bottled water

【小題3】The underlined part “going bottle free” (in Para. 4) means “_______”.

A．making bottled water free	B．giving up bottled water
C．recycling use water bottles	D．providing free water containers

【小題4】Why does Peffers ask people to say “I’ll have tap.” Loudly?

A．To encourage them to set an example for others to follow.

B．To advise them to save the money for one more dessert.

C．To remind them to be aware of their social status.

D．To persuade them to speak confidently in public.