In the late 1970’s,many people in North America turned their attention to environmental problems ，and new steel — and — glass skyscrapers were widely criticized. Some ecologists (生態(tài)學家）pointed out that a number of tall buildings in a city often overburden public transportation.
Skyscrapers are also lavish consumers of electric power and water. In just one recent year, the addition of 17 million square feet of skyscraper office space in New York City itself has already raised the top daily demand for electricity by 120, 000 kw — enough to supply the entire city of Albany in New York area for a single day.
Glass—walled skyscrapers can also be especially wasteful. The heat loss ，or gain， through a wall of half 一 inch plate glass is more than ten times that through a typical ordinary wall filled with bricks or board. In order to decrease the pressure on heating and air — conditioning equipment, builders of skyscrapers have begun to use double—layered glass ，and reflective glasses coated with silver or gold mirror films that could reduce glare (強光）as well as heat gain. However, mirror — walled skyscrapers may raise the temperature of the surrounding air and affect neighboring buildings as well.
Skyscrapers put a severe pressure on a city's sanitation (衛(wèi)生）facilities, too. If fully occupied, the towers just within the central area of New York would alone produce 2. 25 million gallons of waste water each year^—as much as the city size of Stanford， Connecticut, which has a population of more than 109，000.
【小題1】The underlined phrase“ lavish consumers ”in the 2nd paragraph probably means ____

A．trash producers

B．great spenders

C．pressure makers

D．poor customers

【小題2】Glass walls of skyscrapers are specially mentioned in order to _____.

A．show how skyscrapers manage to lessen their pressure

B．explain why skyscrapers can control its air conditions

C．describe further how wasteful skyscrapers could be

D．present the stability of skyscrapers in modern buildings

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

A．central New York skyscrapers are a large waste water producer

B．the central area of New York is as large as the city of Stanford

C．more than 109，000 people live in the skyscrapers in New York

D．New York produces 2. 25 million gallons of waste water each year

【小題4】When the writer talks about skyscrapers ，his tone sounds _____

A．positive

B．doubtful

C．grateful

D．negative

Let us begin by saying what does not cause our dreams. Our dreams do not come from “another world ”. They are not messages from outside source. They are not a look into the future , either ．
All our dreams have something to do with our feelings, fears, longings, wishes, needs and memories. If a person is hungry , or tired or cold , his dreams may include a feeling of this kind ．If the covers on your body , such as a quilt or a blanket have slipped off your bed , you may dream that you are sleeping on the ice and snow. The material for the dream you will have tonight is likely to come from the experience you have today.
So the subject of your dream usually comes from something that has effect on you while you are sleeping （feeling of cold, a noise, a discomfort, etc．） and it may also use your past experiences and the wishes and the interests you have now．This is why children are likely to dream of fairies, older children of school examinations, hungry people of food, home-sick soldiers of their families and prisoners of freedom．
To show you how this is happening while you are asleep and how your needs and wishes can all be joined together in a dream , here is the story of the experiment．A man was asleep and the back of his hand was rubbed with a piece of absorbed cotton．He would dream he was in hospital and his charming girlfriend was visiting him , sitting on the bed and feeling gently his hands!
There are some scientists who have made a special study of why we dream, what we dream and what those dreams mean．Their explanations of dreams , though a bit reasonable, is not accepted by everyone but it offers an interesting approach to the problem．They believe that dreams are mostly expressions of wishes that do not come true．In other words, dreams are a way of having your wishes carried out．
【小題1】From the passage we know that our dreams ___________.

A．a(chǎn)re imagination of our daily life

B．a(chǎn)re man’s curious look into the future

C．have nothing to do with our feelings

D．a(chǎn)re to some degree connected with our feelings

【小題2】Older children often dream of examinations probably because ___________.

A．they are interested in exams

B．they are often worried about their studies

C．they hope for a better life

D．they show much interest in their studies

【小題3】According to the writer , the explanation of dreams that some scientists made ___________.

A．is considered interesting , but unreasonable

B．gives a good answer to the question why we dream

C．has some value , though not fully convincing

D．has been proved by the findings of their studies

【小題4】What is the best title for this passage ?

A．Why People Dream ?	B．New Findings about Dreams
C．Dream Makes Hopes	D．What Dreams Mean ?

Looking back on China’s road to outer space, people can easily find it has not been very smooth. In the past years, Chinese people have made hard and determined efforts to realize the dream their ancestors had for thousands of years.
After China’s first satellite into the Earth’s orbit in 1970 came four flights of unmanned Shenzhou missions(飛行) from 1999 to 2002. The country carried out its first one-piloted space flight in October, 2003, making China the third country in the world to have independent human spaceflight ability after the Soviet Union and the United States. Then came another breakthrough on October 12, 2005, when Shenzhou 6, China’s second human spaceflight, was launched, with a crew of two astronauts. What’s more, the landmark spacewalk done by Zhai Zhigang, one of the three boarding Shenzhou 7, launched on Sept. 25, 2008, leads the country further in its space exploration.
Meanwhile, China’s moon exploration project, started in 2004, has also been progressing satisfactorily. Fifty years after the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the world’s first man-made satellite, China’s first circumlunar(繞月的)satellite Chang’e 1 took off on Oct.24, 2007, which became another milestone(里程碑) in China’s space achievements after the above-mentioned manned flights. Chang’e 1 was expected to fulfill four scientific goals, one of which was to probe（勘探）mineral elements on the moon, especially those not existent on Earth. It’s said that the lunar regolith(月壤) is abundant in helium-3, a clean fuel that may support the Earth’s energy demands for more than a century. Nearly 3 years later, Oct. 1, 2010 witnessed the blasting off of Chang’e 2, China’s 2nd unmanned lunar probe, marking another step forward in moon exploration. This time the aim is to test the key techniques of Chang’e 3 and Chang’e 4, as a preparation for a soft lunar landing in the future.
With great expectations, people all over the world are looking forward to China’s greater space achievements.
【小題1】Altogether how many astronauts have made successful spaceflight by Shenzhou spaceship by now?

A．4

B．5

C．6

D．7

【小題2】According to the text, which of the following is TRUE?

A．China sent its first satellite into the Moon’s orbit in 1970.

B．China is the third country in Asia to make human spaceflight.

C．China has blasted off 4 unmanned lunar probes.

D．The launching of Chang’e 1 became the third milestone in China’s space achievements.

【小題3】 We can infer from the text that __________.

A．China’s road to outer space has not been very smooth for a long time

B．the lunar regolith is believed to be rich in a clean fuel called helium-3

C．China’s lunar exploration project was started in 2004 and completed in 2007

D．China’s scientists are researching into techniques for soft lunar landing

【小題4】What can be the best title for the text?

A．Ancient Chinese’s Dream	B．China’s Major Space Achievements
C．China’s Moon Exploration	D．The World’s Great Expectations

We are fortunate to be living in a time when all people have the ability to access any knowledge they desire. This digital society that we live in affords us opportunities that our ancestor only dreamed of having. We should not take this privilege for granted.
In the not so distant past of the 1950s, people who wanted to research an idea, a product, or anything else, had to go to a library where they could look up information in books. Not all people had the same access to the books, and the information they contained. In America, if your skin was black, you could not use the same library that a person with white skin used. If a black skinned person was allowed access to a library, it most likely was stocked with outdated books that white skinned people had discarded.
In the digital society we live in today, the color of your skin does not determine the access you have to information. Technology has brought to us the powerful tools like the Internet where we can find information on almost every subject.
Access to the Internet has allowed us to research the things we are planning to purchase. We are capable of comparing prices on things like insurance, appliances, entertainment, clothing, and all other things. We also now have the ability to purchase items online without ever leaving our homes. We have been freed from the restrictions of store hours, and regional sales. A person in America can purchase a product from a person in Germany, without leaving home.
Because of the digital society we live in our children can learn about anything they are interested in. When they ask you what the dinosaurs ate, you can look it up, and tell them the answer. Because of this people will be smarter in the future, and technology will only improve.
【小題1】By “We should not take this privilege for granted”, the writer means that ______.

A．we have special right to do anything

B．it is wrong to make use of the privilege

C．knowledge is important in the digital society

D．we should seize the chances the modern society offers

【小題2】The main idea of the fourth paragraph is that ______.

A．the Internet brings us a lot of convenience

B．people in modern society are mostly wealthy

C．we would like to stay at home every day

D．we can find anything we like in the world

【小題3】The dinosaurs are mentioned in the last paragraph in order to tell us that _____.

A．people will be much clever than ever

B．what the dinosaurs ate seems strange to us

C．finding out what the dinosaurs looked like is easy

D．we can learn knowledge with the help of technology

【小題4】The writer’s attitude toward the digital society is ______.

A．critical

B．positive

C．neutral

D．negative

C
When an ant dies, other ants take it out of the nest, often within an hour after its death. This behavior interests scientists and they wonder how ants know for sure--and so soon--that another ant is dead.
One scientist recently came up with a way to explain this ant behavior. Dong-Hwan Choe is a biologist, a scientist who studies animals and plants. He found that ants have a chemical on the outside of their bodies that signals to other ants, “I’m dead--take me away” when it is dead.
One scientist recently came up with a way to explain this ant behavior. Dong-Hwan Choe is a biologist, a scientist who studies animals and plants. He found that ants have a chemical on the outside of their bodies that signals to other ants, “I’m dead---take me away” when it is dead.
But there's a question to answer: As we know, if an ant is dead, it stops moving. But when an ant is sleeping or knocked unconscious, it is also not moving. However, other ants don't move the living ant out of the nest. How do they know this ant is not dead? Choe found that ants have another chemical on their bodies, which tells nearby ants something like, “Wait—I'm not dead yet” when it is not dead. Choe suspects that when an ant dies, the chemical that says, “Wait— I'm not dead yet” quickly goes away. When other ants detect the “dead” chemical without the “not dead yet” chemical, they move away the body.
To test his theory, Choe and his team put different chemicals on ants. When the scientists used the “I'm dead” chemical, other ants quickly moved the treated ant away. When the scientists used the “Wait—I'm not dead yet” chemical, other ants left the treated ant alone. Choe believes this behavior shows that the “not dead yet” chemical overrides the “dead” chemical when picked up by other ants. And that when an ant dies, the “not dead yet” chemical fades away. Other nearby ants then detect the remaining “dead” chemical and remove the body from the nest.
Understanding this behavior can help scientists figure out how to stop ants from invading new places and causing problems.
【小題1】What is the function of the first paragraph?

A．Leading the following paragraphs.

B．Showing the main idea of the passage.

C．Introducing the background of the passage.

D．Giving a summary of the passage.

【小題2】Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined word “overrides” in the fourth paragraph?

A．is weaker than

B．is stronger than

C．is better than

D．is worse than

【小題3】What can we learn from the passage?

A．Living ants can also be taken away when they are not moving.

B．When an ant dies, it can tell others using a certain chemical.

C．A living ant can pretend to be dead using a special chemical.

D．Ants often use chemicals to communicate with each other.

【小題4】Which of the following descriptions about Dong-Hwan Choe is right?

A．Choe did this study in order to stop ants from invading new places.

B．Choe is a biologist who is only interested in animals, especially in ants.

C．Choe first came up with an idea to explain this ant behavior，and then did some tests to prove his theory.

D．Choe did the research on this ant behavior on his own.

All around the world, shoppers flock to Wal-Mart to buy everything. In Texas, they come for another reason: to see the wind turbine（渦輪機）, which supplies 5% of the store’s electricity. It along with other facilities, such as exterior walls coated with heat-reflective paint, makes this Wal-Mart a green giant.
The laws of economics suggest that Wal-Mart, with 5, 200 stores worldwide, influences everything including the price of all kinds of goods. It throws its weight behind environmental responsibility, and the impact could be amazing. “One little change in product packaging could save 1, 500 trees,” says Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott．“If everybody saves 1, 500 trees or 50 barrels of oil, at the end of the day you have made a huge difference.”
Scott wants Wal-Mart to do its part too. He has promised to cut the existing greenhouse-gas emissions（排放）over the next few years and promised to construct new stores that are more efficient. He wants Wal-Mart’s fleet of more than 7, 000 trucks to get twice as many miles per gallon by 2015. Factories that show Wal-Mart they’re cutting air pollution will get preferential treatment in the supply chain. Wal-Mart says it’s working with consumer-product manufacturers to reduce their packaging and will reward them if they do so.
Some people may doubt it is a bid to attract attention from Wal-Mart’s controversial labor and health-insurance practices. But it’s not just window dressing, because Wal-Mart sees profits in                                                                                         going green. Scott says, “This is a business philosophy, not a social philosophy. We don’t go where we don’t think there’s a great interest in change.”
Like Bill Gates, who started his charitable foundation, Scott happens to be promoting Wal-Mart’s image at a time when his company’s reputation is declining. He acknowledges that he launched the plan partly to shield （保護）Wal-Mart from bad press about its contribution to global warming. “By doing what we’re doing today, we avoid the headline risks that are going to come for people who did not do anything,” he says. “At some point businesses will be held responsible for the action they take.” Meanwhile, should Wal-Mart succeed at shrinking its environmental footprint and lowering prices for green products, both the planet and the company will profit.
【小題1】 We can infer from the passage that ______.

A．Lee Scott is Wal-Mart’s CEO

B．there are 5, 200 stores in the world

C．Wal-Mart has a great influence on the world market

D．Wal-Mart has more than 7, 000 trucks all over the world

【小題2】 What does the underlined sentence “This is a business philosophy, not a social philosophy.” mean in the fourth paragraph?

A．Wal-Mart predicts huge profits in its green activity.

B．Wal-Mart’s green activity is just window dressing.

C．Wal-Mart aims to solve its health-insurance practices.

D．Wal-Mart doesn’t have any social responsibility at all.

【小題3】 What will Wal-Mart probably do in the future?

A．Reduce air pollution in its present stores.

B．Give favorable treatment to its consumers.

C．Ask the factories to reduce their packaging.

D．Demand the fleet of trucks to use more fuel than before.

【小題4】 What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

A．Provide the background of the green plan.

B．Stress the purpose of Wal-Mart’s green plan.

C．Present the risk that Wal-Mart is facing nowadays.

D．Analyze the similarity between Bill Gates and Scott.

Scientists in Mexico have just begun a new study of one of the world’s biggest pyramids: the Pyramid of the Sun, north of Mexico City. They’re putting lots of small, high-tech machines under the pyramid to try to unlock some of its secrets. For thousands of years, people have tried to uncover the secrets of the pyramids.
The people who built the pyramids made lots of secret doors and rooms to stop robbers from finding the treasures inside. However, there always have been some smart thieves in history. Now, almost all of Egypt’s pyramids have been robbed, including the Great Pyramid of Khufu, which is the largest pyramid in the world. It is the only one of the ancient wonders of the world that is still standing.
In AD 820, an Arab king named Abdullah AL Manum got a group of workers to dig their way into the Great Pyramid and have a look. Inside the pyramid, they found three rooms—the Queen’s Chamber, the Grand Gallery and the King’s Chamber. But to their surprise, the men didn’t find the treasures they wanted. The Queen’s and King’s Chambers were both empty! Where were the King’s mummy and his treasures? Had someone already taken them away? The huge stone doors at the pyramid’s entrance were still closed when AL Manum’s men went inside. How had the thieves got in and out?
Since then, many people have gone inside the Great Pyramid to have a look or to try to take things. But still, no other chambers or walkways have been found.
In 2002, an American team made the most recent visit to the Great Pyramid. Scientists sent a robot into the pyramid, but they only found a mysterious locked stone door.
【小題1】 The first two paragraphs were written to show that ____.

A．a(chǎn)ncient Egyptian emperors were cruel

B．the Pyramid of the Sun is an unusual historic building

C．construction workers led a hard life in ancient Egypt

D．the secrets of the pyramids remain to be uncovered

【小題2】What is the purpose of making some secret doors to the pyramids?  _______.

A．To try to unlock some of its secrets

B．To stop robbers from finding the treasures inside

C．To refuse some visitors all over the world into it

D．To tell the truth to the people in the future

【小題3】Which of the following is NOT true to the Great Pyramid of Khufu? ______.

A．It is the largest pyramid in the world.

B．It is the only one of the ancient wonders that is still standing.

C．Abdullah AL Manum took the King’s mummy and his treasures away

D．Scientists found a mysterious locked stone door to the Great Pyramid

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

A．The Pyramid of the Sun

B．The Great Pyramid of Khufu

C．A Mysterious Locked Stone Door

D．Unlocking the Doors of History of the Pyramid

How long you live has a lot to do with your environment and lifestyle, but exceptional(特別的)long life may have even more to do with your genes. For the first time, researchers have discovered a genetic recipe(基因譜)that accurately predicts who may live to 100 and beyond.
Analysis shows that 90% of the participants who lived to 100 had at least one of the signature genetic clusters(標志基因組). Dr. Thomas Perls at the Boston University School of Medicine said, “We realize this is a complex genetic puzzle. There is a long way for us to go to understand how the integration(融合)of these genes—not just with themselves but with environmental factors—is playing a role in this long life puzzle.”
Perls has studied many factors that contribute to long life, and he is the first to acknowledge that living longer isn’t likely to be simply a matter of genes. His previous work has shown, for example, that among most elderly people who live into their 70s and 80s, about 70% can owe their long life to environmental factors such as not smoking; eating a healthy, low-fat, low-calorie diet; and remaining socially engaged and mentally active throughout life.
It seems clear that those who live extremely long are benefiting from a special DNA. In fact, Perls believes that the older a person gets, the more likely it is that his or her genes are contributing to those extended years.
【小題1】Which of the following is TRUE according to Paragraph 2?

A．Most long-living people have special long-life-related genes.

B．Ninety percent of the participants lived to 100 years of age.

C．All the long-living people have only one signature genetic cluster.

D．Scientists know how the integration of the genes helps people live long.

【小題2】 Perls may most likely agree that         .

A．most people living extremely long benefit from not smoking

B．living longer just depends on certain genetic recipes

C．environmental factors play an important role in long-living

D．being mentally active has nothing to do with living an old age

【小題3】 Which of the following is FALSE according to the text?

A．Remaining socially engaged helps a person to live long.

B．A genetic recipe can accurately predict who may live to 100 and beyond.

C．Perls is the first to think living longer is just a matter of genes.

D．The older he gets, the more likely the genes contribute to his extended years.

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

A．Genes May Predict Who Lives to 100	B．Environment And Genes
C．Genes, the Secret of Long Living	D．Lifestyle And Genes

You can’t always predict a heavy rain or remember your umbrella. But designer Mikhail Belvacv doesn’t think that forgetting to check the weather forecast before heading out should result in you getting wet. That’s why he created lampbrella, a lamp post with its own rain sensing umbrella.
The designer says he come up with the idea after watching people get wet on streets in Russia. “once, I was driving on a central Saint Petersburg street and saw the street lamps lighting up people trying to hide from the rain. I thought it would be appropriate to have a canopy(傘蓬)built into a street lamp.” he said.
The lampbrella is a standard-looking street lamp fitted with an umbrella canopy. It has a built-in electric motor which can open or close the umbrella on demand. Sensors(傳感器)then ensure that the umbrella offers pedestrians shelter whenever it starts raining.
In addition to the rain sensor, there’s also a 360°motion sensor on the biberglass street lamp which detects whether anyone’s using the lampbrella. After three minutes of not being used the canopy is closed.
According to the designer, the lampbrella would move at a relatively low speed, so as not to cause harm to the pedestrians. Besides, it would be grounded to protect from possible lighting strike. Each lampbrella would offer enough shelter for several people. Being installed at 2 meters off the ground, it would only be a danger for the tallest of pedestrians.
While there are no plans to take lampbrella into production, Belyacv says he recently introduced his creation one Moscow Department, and insists this creation could be installed on many streets where a lot of people walk but there are no canopies to provide shelter.
【小題1】For what purpose did Belyacv create the lampbrella?

A．To predict a heavy rain

B．To check the weather forecast

C．To protect people from the rain

D．To remind people to take an umbrella

【小題2】Which of the following show how the lampbrella works?

A．motor→canopy→sensors

B．sensors→motor→canopy

C．motor→sensors→canopy

D．canopy→motor→sensors

【小題3】What does paragraph 5 mainly tell us about the lampbrella?

A．Its moving speed	B．Its appearance
C．Its installation	D．Its safety

【小題4】What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．The designer will open a company to promote his product.

B．The lampbrella could be put into immediate production.

C．The designer is confident that his creation is practical.

D．The lampbrella would be put on show in Moscow.

“Get your hands off me, I have been stolen,” the laptop, a portable（便攜式的）computer, shouted. That is a new solution to laptop computer theft: a program that lets owners give their property a voice when it has been taken.
The program allows users to display alerts（警報）on the missing computer’s screen and even to set a spoken message. Tracking software for stolen laptops has been on the market for some time, but this is thought to be the first that allows owners to give the thief a piece of their mind.
Owners must report their laptop missing by visiting to a website, which sends a message to the model: a red and yellow “l(fā)ost or stolen” sign appears on its screen when it is started. Under the latest version(版本) of the software, users can also send a spoken message.
The message can be set to reappear every 30 seconds, no matter how many times the thief closes it. “One customer sent a message saying, ‘You are being tracked. I am right at your door’,” said Carrie Hafeman, chief executive (主管) of the company which produces the program, Retriever.
In the latest version, people can add a spoken message. For example, the laptop’s speakers will say: “Help, this laptop is reported lost or stolen. If you are not my owner, please report me now.”
The Retriever software package(軟件包), which costs $29.95 (￡21) but has a free trial period, has the functions of many security software programs. Owners can remotely switch to an alternative password if they fear that the thief has also got hold of the access details.
If a thief accesses the internet with the stolen laptop, Retriever will collect information on the internet service provider in use, so that the police can be alerted to its location.
Thousands of laptops are stolen every year from homes and offices, but with the use of laptops increasing, the number stolen while their owners are out and about has been rising sharply.
Other security software allows users to erase（刪除）data remotely or lock down the computer.
【小題1】The expression “to give the thief a piece of their mind” can be understood as “_______”.

A．to give the thief an alert mind

B．to express the owners’ anger to the thief

C．to remind the thief of his conscience

D．to make the thief give up his mind

【小題2】Different from other security software, Retriever can ______.

A．record the stealing process

B．help recognize the lost laptop

C．lock down the computer remotely

D．send a spoken message

【小題3】One function of the program is that it allows the owner to ______ at a distance.

A．change some access details for switching on the laptop

B．turn on the laptop by using the original password

C．operate the laptop by means of an alternative password

D．erase the information kept in the stolen laptop

【小題4】Which of the following can best summarize the main idea of the passage?

A．With no Retriever, thousands of laptops are stolen every year.

B．A new software provides a means to reduce laptop theft.

C．Retriever has helped to find thieves and lost computers.

D．A new program offers a communication platform with the thief.