The sea has always interested man. From it he can get food, minerals, and treasure. For thousands of years, he could sail on it. But he could not go far beneath its surface.
Man wants to explore deep into the sea. However, he is not a fish. He must breathe air, so he can't stay under the water's surface for any length of time. To explore deep water, man faces even more dangers and problems.
A diver who wants to stay under water for more than a few minutes must breathe air or a special mixture of gases. He can wear a diving suit and have air pumped to him from above. He can carry a tank of air on his back and breathe through a nose and a mouthpiece. Water weighs 800 times as much as air. Tons of water pushes against a diver deep in the sea. His body is under great pressure.
When a diver is under great pressure, his blood takes in some of the gases he breathes. As he rises to surface, the water pressure becomes less. If the diver rises too quickly, the gases in his blood form bubbles. The diver is then suffering from the bends. The bends can cause a diver to double up in pain. They can even kill him.
【小題1】On the whole, this passage is about ________.

A．special mixtures of gases in deep sea

B．the problems man faces in deep sea diving

C．a(chǎn)ir pressure under the surface of sea water

D．a(chǎn) kind of illness that man suffers in the sea

【小題2】The passage does not say so, but it makes you think that ________.

A．deep divers should be in good health

B．divers explore the deep sea only for treasure

C．diving under the water too quickly causes a kind of illness

D．there is a special mixture of gases under the sea

【小題3】From the passage we can see that ________.

A．the sea began to interest man a few years ago

B．man is not at home deep in the sea

C．a(chǎn)ll divers will get the bends sooner or later

D．the air in the sea water will kill a diver if he is not careful

Bissel is a small village of the West Sahara. It lies next to a l.5-square-kilometer oasis（綠洲）, from where three days and nights are generally required to go out of the desert. However, before Ken Levin discovered it in 1926, none of the Bissel villagers had ever walked out of the desert. Reportedly, they were not unwilling to leave this barren land. Many had previously tried but failed, always somehow finding themselves back at the oasis after several days of trying to walk out.
When interviewed by Ken Levin, an expert at the British Royal College of Sciences, the villagers explained that no matter which direction they walked it always brought them back to the village.Why couldn’t the Bissel villagers walk out of the desert? Levin was very puzzled. He had, by himself, managed to walk north from the village and reach the nearest town in three and a half days. He decided to carry out an experiment to solve the mystery. He and a Bissel villager called Argutel, would walk out of the desert together. They prepared enough water for a half-a-month journey and two camels. But this time Ken Levin didn't bring his compass. Levin would follow Argutel.
Ten days later, they had walked for about 500 miles but were still in the desert. On the 11th morning, an oasis came into their view. They were back at Bissel. Levin now understood why the Bissel people couldn’t escape the desert. They had no knowledge of the North Star, which had for centuries provided sailors and other travelers with a point of direction. In the desert, if a person goes forward relying only on their senses, they will not be able to travel in a straight line. Rather they will travel in a very large circle and eventually track back to where they began. Levin explained to Argutel the function of the North Star and said, “As long as you rest in the daytime and walk towards the brightest star at night, you would be able to walk out of the desert.” Argutel did as he was told. Three days later, he came to the edge of the desert.
Now in the West Sahara, Bissel has become a bright pearl, where tens of thousands of tourists come every year. Argutel’s bronze statue stands in the center of the town. On its base are the words: __________________________.
【小題1】Ken Levin asked Argutel to walk to the north in order to ________.

A．prove that people could walk out of the desert see

B．how far away Bissel was to the edge of the desert

C．tell people not to walk in circles

D．show Argutel was a great person

【小題2】According to the passage, Ken Levin ________.

A．knew Argutel before he came to the village

B．came to Bissel to do experiments on behalf of his college

C．became the first man to walk out of the desert from Bissel Village

D．taught Bissel villagers knowledge of the North Star when he first arrived

【小題3】It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A．Ken Levin didn’t walk south because it would take more days

B．the use of a compass was necessary to walk out of the desert

C．tourism in Bissel has been greatly developed and improved

D．Argutel became the leader of Bissel after his return

【小題4】Which of the following can most probably be found at the base of Argutel’s statue?

A．A new life starts from the fixed direction.

B．Where there is a will , there is a way .

C．A long journey starts with the first step .

D．Two heads are better than one.

Swimming is one of those activities that can be learned early in life. Little children can learn to swim as soon as they walk. In fact, you need the same skills in walking as in swimming. However, I believe that five is the best age to learn. By five or six, a child knows fear of water, a very important thing to know. It's wise to be afraid to recognize true danger. Young ones understand that the water can sometimes be very dangerous.
To really benefit from swimming, every swimmer should learn as soon as possible, these four basic strokes; butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and crawl. I feel that one of these-the breaststroke-is different from the others, since some young swimmers use this stroke naturally, without any training.
In swimming there are certain rules every swimmer should follow:
1. Never swim alone! No matter how good you are in the water, don't risk drowning(溺死) by swimming alone. If you swim by yourself, with no life guards or friends with you, you may get into trouble.
2. Don’t go beyond your abilities. Most swimmers know enough not to swim too far from the bank or the beach. Showing off by doing dangerous tricks is not good.
Swim safely and you will continue to swim and alive.
3. Don’t smoke. Swimming depends on a healthy body; good lungs are part of it.
4. Work at any activity that builds muscles.
【小題1】 Little children can learn to swim as soon as _____.

A．they can talk	B．they start walking
C．they have no fear of the water	D．they are five or six years old

【小題2】The author believes that swimming beyond your abilities is_____.

A．good

B．sensible

C．dangerous

D．smart

【小題3】According to the passage, you should not swim alone because_____.

A．the water is too cold

B．your parents would not be happy

C．something in the water might attack

D．you might drown

Can we give a hand to those endangered animals? Yes, we may only do a little bit, but together our small actions add up to a lot.
1. Protect wildlife habitat.
Perhaps the greatest threat that faces many species is the widespread destruction of habitat. Cutting down forests, farming, and development all result in loss of wildlife habitat. In areas where rare species live, habitat destruction can quickly force a species to extinction. By protecting habitat, entire communities of animals can be protected together naturally. Parks and reserves are now all too often the only habitats that are left untouched by habitat destruction.
2. Reduce the threat of invasive (入侵的) species.
The spread of non-native species has greatly reduced native populations around the world. Invasive species compete with native species for resources (資源) and habitat. They can even prey on native species directly, forcing native species towards extinction.
3. Place decals (貼花紙) on windows.
It is reported that as many as one billion birds in the United States die each year because of collisions (碰撞) with windows. You can help reduce the number of collisions simply by placing decals on the windows in your home and office.
4. Slow down when driving.
Many native animals have to live in developed areas and this means they must move in human-living areas. One of the biggest obstacles (障礙) to them is that created by roads. Roads divide habitat and present a constant risk to any animal attempting to cross from one side to the other. So when you’re out and about, slow down and keep an eye out for wildlife.
【小題1】 What would be the best title for this passage?

A．How animals go to extinction

B．The importance of protecting wildlife

C．What to do to help save wildlife

D．How to protect wildlife habitat

【小題2】By writing the underlined sentence, the writer means that _____.

A．more parks and reserves should be built

B．we should have more habitats free of destruction

C．there is a need for improvement in parks and re-serves

D．parks and reserves are good examples of protecting wildlife

【小題3】People are advised to put decals on windows to _____.

A．decorate the houses and beautify the environment

B．protect the windows from birds hitting

C．a(chǎn)ttract more birds to make homes nearby

D．a(chǎn)void birds hitting the windows by mistake

【小題4】The underlined phrase “prey on” in the passage means _____.

A．drive away

B．live with

C．kill for food

D．fight with

A victim of climate change
A polar bear's dead body found on the Arctic island of Svalbard, the northernmost part of Norway, has shocked experts who say climate change may be to blame for the death. The starved polar bear in Norway was said to be in good bones by the time a group of explorers came across its body in July．
The bear is thought to have been heading north in a desperate search for sea ice that would allow it to hunt for seals．"From his lying position in death, the bear appears to simply have starved to health in April when the Norwegian Polar Institute examined and labeled it． However, the animal was reduced to skin and bones and died where he dropped," polar bear expert Dr. Ian Stirling, a professor at the University of Alberta said, "He had external suggestion of any remaining fat, having been reduced to little more than skin and bone．"
Stirling believes the bear starved to death as a result of a lack of sea ice which the animals use as a platform for hunting seals． That may also explain why the 16-year-old male bear was found about 155 miles north of where it was seen in April．
Arctic sea ice reached a record low in 2012, according to a report released this week by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that pointed to continued signs of climate change．
The International Union for Conservation of Nature currently classifies polar bears as vulnerable on its Red List of Threatened Species．
【小題1】How did Stirling know the reason for the death of the polar bear?

A．By the food he ate．	B．By doing further experiments．
C．By observing other polar bears．	D．By his lying position in death．

【小題2】The underlined word "vulnerable" probably means _____．

A．easily hurt	B．difficult to hunt
C．dangerous	D．a(chǎn)mazing

【小題3】What is the author's attitude to the incident?

A．Favorable．	B．Uncaring．
C．Doubtful．	D．Concerned．

【小題4】Where does this text probably come from?

A．A novel．	B．A guidebook．
C．A news report．	D．An advertisement．

A scientist turns out to be able to see the future by offering each of some four-year-olds a piece of candy and watching how he or she deals with it. Some children reach eagerly for the treat they see. Some last a few minutes before they give in. But others are determined to wait until the last moment.
By the time the children reach high school, something remarkable has happened. A survey found that those who as four-year-olds had enough self-control to hold out generally grew up to be more popular, adventurous, confident and dependable. The children who gave in to temptation(誘惑) early were more likely to be lonely, easily frustrated and inflexible(頑固的)．
Actually, the ability to delay reward is a sign of emotional intelligence which doesn't show up on an IQ test.
The hardware of the brain and the software of the mind have long been scientists' concerns. But brain theory can't explain what we wonder about most, like the question why some people remain upbeat in the face of troubles that would sink a less resistant soul.
Here comes the theory of Daniel Goleman, writer of Emotional Intelligence: when it comes to predicting people's success, brain ability measured by IQ may actually matter less than the qualities of mind once thought of as “character”．
EQ is not the opposite of IQ. What researchers have been trying to understand is how they work together; how one's ability to handle stress, for instance, affects the ability to concentrate and put intelligence to use. Among the ingredients (要素) for success, researchers now generally agree that IQ counts for about 20%; the rest depends on everything from social class to luck.
While many researchers in this relatively new field are glad to see emotional issues finally taken seriously, some few fear EQ invites misuse.
【小題1】The experiment with the four-year-olds makes it clear that ________.

A．the age of 4 is a proper time for scientific experiment

B．emotional intelligence won't show up until adolescence

C．the ability of self-control plays a role in personal success

D．candy can be used to measure a person's emotional intelligence

【小題2】Which of the following is TRUE of EQ and IQ according to the text?

A．There is no link between EQ and IQ.

B．The higher a person's IQ is, the higher his or her EQ is.

C．Some people can be blessed with lots of both, but some with little of either.

D．Scientists are trying to discover the way in which EQ and IQ work together.

【小題3】The underlined word “upbeat” in Paragraph 4 probably means “________”．

A．kind

B．floating

C．excited

D．optimistic

【小題4】 Why does the author mention the experiment at the beginning of the text?

A．To amuse both the children and readers.

B．To prove the scientist’s wisdom.

C．To introduce the topic of the text.

D．To show us how to do an IQ test.

【小題5】What is most likely to be written in the paragraph that follows?

A．Information about famous people with high EQ.

B．Examples showing the opposite voice about EQ.

C．Some reasons why EQ is relatively new field.

D．Strong demands for basic emotional education.

We produce 500 billion of plastic bags in a year worldwide and they are thrown away polluting oceans,  killing wildlife and getting dumped in landfills where they take up to 1000 years to decompose. Researchers have been unsuccessfully looking for a solution.
The 16-­year ­old Canadian high school student, Daniel Burd, from Waterloo Collegiate Institute,
has discovered a way to make plastic bags degrade(分解) in as few as 3 months, a finding that won him first prize at the Canada－Wide Science Fair, a $10 000 prize, a $20 000 scholarship, and a chance to revolutionize a major environmental issue.
Burd's strategy was simple: Since plastic does eventually degrade, it must be eaten by microorganisms (微生物). If those microorganisms could be identified, we could put them to work eating the plastic much faster than under normal conditions.
With this goal in mind, he ground plastic bags into a powder and concocted(調(diào)制) a solution of household chemicals, yeast(酵母) and tap water to encourage microbes growth. Then he added the plastic powder and let the microbes work their magic for 3 months. Finally, he tested the resulting bacterial culture on plastic bags, exposing one plastic sample to dead bacteria as a control. Sure enough, the plastic exposed to the live bacteria was 17% lighter than the control after six weeks.
The inputs are cheap: maintaining the required temperature takes little energy because microbes produce heat as they work, and the only outputs are water and tiny levels of carbon dioxide.
“Almost every week I have to do chores and when I open the closet door, I have piles of plastic bags falling on top of me. One day, I got tired of it and I wanted to know what other people are doing with these plastic bags. The answer: not much. So I decided to do something myself.” said Daniel Burd.
【小題1】Daniel Burd won first prize at the Canada－Wide Science Fair because________.

A．he found a new kind of microorganism

B．he contributed much to environmental protection

C．he found a way to degrade plastics in shorter time

D．he could encourage microbes growth in an easier way

【小題2】Daniel Burd exposed one plastic sample to dead bacteria to ________.

A．make the live bacteria work better

B．test how effective his method was

C．know which bacteria worked faster

D．control the temperature in the process

【小題3】Maintaining the required temperature takes little energy because ________.

A．plastics can get hot easily

B．microbes can produce heat themselves

C．much carbon dioxide is produced

D．the temperature can be controlled

【小題4】Daniel Burd got his idea from ________.

A．his school textbook	B．the failure of researchers
C．his everyday work	D．the practice of other people

Kelly Reeves was getting ready 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 mobile 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 website 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 introduce the topic for discussion.

B．To inform us that mobile phones are useful.

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．habits of using mobile phones

B．fear of losing 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 a 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】 What is the passage mainly about?

A．Attitude toward mobile phones

B．New mobile phone technology

C．Disadvantages of mobile phones

D．Solutions to nomophobia

Below is a selection from a popular science book.
If blood is red, why are veins (靜脈) blue?
Actually, veins are not blue at all. They are more of a clear, yellowish colour. Although blood looks red when it's outside the body, when it's sitting in a vein near the surface of the skin, it's more of a dark reddish purple color. At the right depth, these blood-filled veins reflect less red light than the surrounding skin, making them look blue by comparison.
Which works harder, your heart or your brain?
Which works harder depends on whether you are busy thinking or busy exercising. Your heart works up to three times harder during exercise, and shifts enough blood over a lifetime to fill a supertanker. But, in the long run, your brain probably tips it, because even when you’re sitting still your brain is using twice as much energy as your heart, and it takes four to five times as much blood to feed it.
Why do teeth fall out, and why don't they grow back in grown-ups?
Baby (or "milk") teeth do not last long; they fall out to make room for bigger, stronger adult teeth later on. Adult teeth fall out when they become damaged, decayed and infected by bacteria. Once this second set of teeth has grown in, you're done. When they're gone, they’re gone. This is because nature figures you're set for life, and what controls regrowth of your teeth switches off.
Do old people shrink as they age?
Yes and no. Many people do get shorter as they age. But, when they do, it isn't because they're shrinking all over. They simply lose height as their spine(脊柱) becomes shorter and more curved due to disuse and the effects of gravity. Many (but not all) men and women do lose height as they get older. Men lose an average of 3-4 cm in height as they age, while women may lose 5 cm or more. If you live to be 200 years old, would you keep shrinking till you were, like 60 cm tall, like a little boy again? No, because old people don't really shrink! It is not that they are growing backwards — their legs, arms and backbones getting shorter. When they do get shorter, it's because the spine has shortened a little or, more often, become more bent and curved.
Why does spinning（旋轉(zhuǎn)） make you dizzy (眩暈的)?
Because your brain gets confused between what you're seeing and what you're feeling. The brain senses that you’re spinning using special gravity-and-motion-sensing organs in your inner ear, which work together with your eyes to keep your vision and balance stable. But when you suddenly stop spinning the system goes out of control, and your brain thinks you're moving while you're not!
Where do feelings and emotions come from?
Mostly from an ancient part of the brain called the limbic system. All mammals have this brain area — from mice to dogs, cats, and humans. So all mammals feel basic emotions like fear, pain and pleasure. But since human feelings also involve other newer bits of the brain, we feel more complex emotions than any other animal on the planet.
If exercise wears you out, how can it be good for you?
Because our bodies adapt to everything we do to them. And as far as your body is concerned, it’s "use it, or lose it”! It's not that exercise makes you healthy; it's more that a lack of exercise leaves your body weak and easily affected by disease.
【小題1】What is the color of blood in a vein near the surface of the skin?

A．Blue.

B．Light yellow.

C．Red.

D．Dark reddish purple.

【小題2】Why do some old people look a little shrunken as they age?

A．Because their spine is in active use.

B．Because they are more easily affected by gravity.

C．Because they keep growing backwards.

D．Because their spine becomes more bent.

【小題3】Which of the following statements about our brain is true?

A．In the long run, our brain probably works harder than our heart.

B．When our brain senses the spinning, we will fell dizzy.

C．The brains of the other mammals are as complex as those of humans.

D．Our feelings and emotions come from the most developed area in our brain.

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

A．To give advice on how to stay healthy.

B．To provide information about our body.

C．To challenge new findings in medical research.

D．To report the latest discoveries in medical science.

Culture helps human societies survive in changing natural environment．For example, the end of the last Ice Age, beginning about 15,000 years ago, brought a big challenge to which humans had to adapt．Before this time, large parts of the northern hemisphere were covered in great sheets of ice that contained much of the earth' s water．In North America, large animals that wandered the vast tundra （冰原） provided people with food and materials for clothing and simple shelters．When the earth became warm, large Ice Age animals disappeared, and many land areas were covered by rising sea levels from melting ice．But people survived, they developed new technologies and learned how to survive on new plant and animal species． Finally some people settled into permanent villages, durable houses and farms．
Cultural adaptation has made humans one of the most successful species on the planet． Through history, major developments in technology, medicine, and nutrition have allowed people to reproduce and survive in ever-increasing numbers．The global population has risen from 8 million during the Ice Age to about 6 billion today．
However, the successes of culture adaptation can also create problems in the long run．Over the last 200 years, people have begun to use large quantities of natural resources and energy and to produce a great amount of material and chemical wastes．The global population now consumes some important natural resources—such as petroleum, wood, and minerals—faster than nature can produce them．Many scientists believe that in the process of burning fuels and producing wastes, people may be changing the global climate in unpredictable and possibly harmful ways．Thus, the adaptive success of the present-day global culture of production and trade may be temporary．
【小題1】What is the first paragraph mainly talking about?

A．How the human beings survived in the Ice Age．

B．What the situation was like during the Ice Age．

C．What caused the Ice Age to come to an end．

D．Why the Ice Age was very important．

【小題2】To deal with the problems, human beings should ______according to the passage．

A．stop developing any longer

B．reduce the overuse of natural resources

C．stop the global warming and using natural resources

D．save more animals in case they all die out

【小題3】Which of the following is the problem caused by cultural adaptation according to the passage?

A．A very developed culture came into being．

B．New technologies have been developed．

C．Natural resources have been used up．

D．Human activities have done damage to the balance of nature．

【小題4】Which of the following can be the best tide of the passage?

A．Natural Environment Should Be Protected．

B．The Success of Cultural Adaptation Is Not Permanent．

C．The Global Population Is Increasing Since Ice Age．

D．Human Beings Are Capable of Surviving on Earth.