Clothes can make phone calls, play music, dial your pal’s number, keep you warm during cold weather and operate your computer?
This is not a fantasy. A British company, called Electrotextiles, has created a wide range of clothes—clothes that have minds of their own! Scientists, working for the company, have invented a kind of fabric that can be blended(混合) with flexible electronic materials to create intelligent clothing. The result are electronic garments.
If you think the wearer has to be wired to different devices, think again. These designer clothes are wire-free, soft to touch and washable! Like any electronic device, these high-tech clothes have to be powered. Currently, a tiny nine-volt battery serves the purpose. But the researchers hope that in the near future the clothes will generate electricity by using body heat. These clothes are 100 percent shock proof, they say.
The Electrotextiles team has also created the world’s first cloth keyboard. This keyboard can be sewn into your trousers or skirt. To use this device, you will have to sit down and tap on your lap! These ‘lap-tap’ gadgets(器具) are all set to take over laptop computers!
Another useful garment is the shirt-cum-mobile phone. This handy invention enables drivers to chat comfortably with others at the wheel! Other popular electronic wear include the denim(牛仔布) jacket with flexible earphones sewn into the hood(風帽) and the electronic ski jacket with a built-in heater. The ski jacket is also programmed to send signals to a satellite. This technology is known as global positioning system and can be used to track lost skiers and wandering kids.
Having completed the cloth keyboard, scientists have already started to work on a new project—a necktie that can be used as a computer mouse. What is the next? Do you have any idea?
【小題1】The electronic garments are similar to other electronic devices in that _________.

A．they feel smooth and soft	B．they use electricity as power
C．they can be washed in water	D．they are made from flexible materials

【小題2】How will researchers improve these high-tech clothes?

A．Body heat will be used as power.	B．The wearer will not get shocked.
C．A tiny nine-volt battery will work.	D．They will get charged automatically.

【小題3】What does the underlined phrase “This handy invention” in Paragraph 5 refer to?

A．The laptop computer.	B．The electronic ski jacket.
C．The shirt-cure-mobile phone.	D．The world’s first cloth keyboard.

【小題4】If you are going on a ski adventure, which device do you need?

A．The cloth keyboard.	B．The electronic ski jacket.
C．The necktie to be used as a mouse.	D．The denim jacket with earphones.

【小題5】The main purpose of the text is _________.

A．to advertise for an English company	B．to predict the future trend of science
C．to show how rapidly science develops	D．to introduce some intelligent clothing

Google, the Internet search and mapping company, has developed a car that can steer without a driver.
Sometimes the reality is stranger than science fiction: Google is road-testing cars that steer, stop and start without a human driver. The goal is to “help prevent traffic accidents, free up people’s time and reduce carbon emissions.” says Sebastian Thrun, who is the project leader for the driverless car, or Carbot.
By developing the car and the software that drives it, Google wants to change how people get from place to p1ace. Eric Schmidt, one of the company’s top officials, said, “Your car should drive itself. It just makes sense.”
So far, the driverless autos have gone about 140,000 miles on California roads without people taking over the driving. Many of the roads are very busy or full of curves that challenge human drivers. The autos’ software makes it possible to know speed limits, traffic patterns and road maps. The vehicles use radar, lasers and video cameras to find other cars and avoid people crossing streets.
There has only been one accident during the testing. And in that case, the Carbot was hit from behind by a human driver when Goog1e’s car was stopped at a red light. Engineers say the driverless cars are safer than autos with people behind the wheel because the computers react much more quickly than humans.
The Carbot is still in very early testing stages. Experts agree that it will be years before you will be able to buy one. But it is likely that one day you will be sitting in the driver’s seat of a driverless car. When the auto was first invented it was called a “horseless carriage”. Now it seems that it is time for the “driverless carriage” to be part of our 1ives.
【小題1】What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．An auto revolution is on its way.

B．Google has developed a driverless car.

C．The Carbot has passed its early testing stages.

D．Science fiction has turned into reality.

【小題2】The driverless car is safer than an auto with people because _______.

A．it uses radar, lasers and video cameras

B．it knows speed limits, traffic patterns and road maps

C．the computer has a better sense of direction than drivers

D．the software responds to emergencies faster than a human driver

【小題3】The advantage of the Carbot is that _______.

A．it can drive all by itself

B．it can avoid any traffic accident

C．it doesn’t pollute the environment

D．it is the most fashionable car nowadays

【小題4】70. The author’s attitude towards the Carbot is _______.

A．unfriendly

B．desperate

C．critical

D．optimistic

Market analysts in the United States have recently been quoted as saying that the biggest threat to the luxury (奢侈品) industry in the US is the tech industry. This is according to an article by fellow journalist Ashley Lutz. Her suggestion is sound. The main idea of her article is that products from Tiffany & Co. find their biggest competition not from other luxury brands but from companies like Apple. Lutz points out that luxury products are often only for “show,” while the attraction behind tech products is functionality.
You find few people in the United States today willing to purchase luxury goods at full price. It didn’t use to be that way. Luxury goods used to be actually exclusive. That meant you needed to travel to the right store to purchase them, and you didn’t even have the option of getting a deal.
Today, no one wants to pay full price for luxury goods. People have the unfortunate belief that fakes (贗品) somehow are equal to originals, and if you can’t get a deal on eBay, Amazon, or in an outlet store, purchasing a luxury product probably isn’t worth it. Luxury brands struggle to remain high-end (高檔的) images despite the reality that the American consumer is motivated much more by discounts than they are by brand names or image.
Yet people stand in line to pay full price for a new product from Apple and crowds gather to hear about a new smart phone. While electronics are updating every day, people are purchasing technology at full prices much more than they are purchasing luxury goods. What are high-tech makers doing right that luxury makers are pitifully failing at?
Carefully looking at the situation, it would appear as if the Internet didn’t hurt the luxury industry, expectation from the consumers did. What people want these days more than anything is stuff that does something. They want cars that drive, shoes that are comfortable, games that are fun to play, screens that are beautiful to look at, tools that are useful, and entertainment that is entertaining. Little of that fits into what the luxury industry has typically offered with its status, image, and fine materials. The sad reality is that luxury products aren’t that luxury any more.
【小題1】What does this passage mainly talk about?

A．Nobody likes luxury goods any more.

B．Luxury goods are of poor quality nowadays.

C．Tech products become the new “l(fā)uxury goods”.

D．Iphones have taken the place of luxury products.

【小題2】The underlined word “exclusive” in paragraph 2 means _______.

A．unique and with no bargain	B．low in price
C．hard to find	D．easy to sell

【小題3】From paragraph 3 we can know that _______.

A．people have found that some luxury goods are fakes

B．people can buy luxury goods at a low price on eBay

C．luxury brands will give up high-end images

D．consumers prefer brand names to discounts

【小題4】What do people pay most attention to nowadays?

A．The Internet service.	B．The images of luxuries.
C．The function of products.	D．The expectation from the consumers.

Sixty-five million years ago, an asteroid (小行星) that crashed on Earth led to the disappearance of the largest animals that have ever walked our planet – the dinosaurs. At least, this is what some scientists believe. But that accident happened so long ago. People have come to believe that we are free of threats from asteroids and everything else from space.
However, what happened on Feb 15 , 2013 was a reminder that we’re just as vulnerable as the dinosaurs once were. Two objects from space – a meteor (隕石) and an asteroid called 2012 DA14 –  visited Earth’s atmosphere on the same day. The former fell in Russia, injuring 1,200 people, while the latter passed by Earth at a record-setting close distance.
Scientists had been expecting the asteroid since last year, but the meteor was a surprise. NASA’s telescope system only detects asteroids at least 50 meters in diameter (直徑), which is just about the size of 2012 DA14. But the meteor was much smaller, which made it harder to spot.
But what if we do spot an asteroid that is headed right for Earth? There are several possible ways in which dangerous asteroids could be made to change its orbit. Which method is best depends on several factors and most importantly  –  how much time we have to stop it.
If there is enough time before the hit, we can send off a heavy spacecraft to travel alongside the asteroid. The gravity from the spacecraft would gradually change the rock’s orbit. Besides that, scientists could one day use sun-powered lasers to either make asteroids disappear or change their course. If there’s not enough time, we’ll have to go after the asteroid with a spacecraft and change its orbit with a crash. Finally, if things are truly desperate, there will be only one choice left –  to use a nuclear bomb. That could turn the asteroid into a meteor shower, which would be even more dangerous.
【小題1】The author mentioned the asteroid that led to the dinosaurs’ dying out to ______.

A．show that asteroids fall from space frequently

B．a(chǎn)lert people about the possible danger of objects falling from space

C．inform readers about the constant threats the Earth faces

D．suggest that there are still many mysteries about the universe

【小題2】The underlined word “vulnerable” in the second paragraph probably means ______.

A．unprotected

B．lonely

C．stupid

D．self-important

【小題3】Which of the following statements is TRUE about the meteor that fell to the Earth in Russia?

A．It passed by the Earth at a close distance.

B．It was spotted by NASA’s telescope system a year ago.

C．It is about the same size as the asteroid that passed by the Earth.

D．It fell to the Earth and caused great damage to the local community.

【小題4】What is the main idea of the article?

A．Learning about asteroids and meteors.

B．The threats of objects from space and possible solutions.

C．NASA’s latest technology to discover visitors to the Earth from space.

D．How to measure the damage of collisions from asteroids and meteors.

When someone says “SHARK” most people think of a big, toothy, underwater animal; basically we are imagining a Great White. In fact sharks come in all shapes, sizes and even colors! Follow me please; I’d like to show you a very special small shark commonly known as horn sharks, only found in the coastal waters of north-west North America.
Look at this shark, and you can easily see the horns on it and you will know the reason why it is called the horn shark is that it has the broad, flattened head and two large horn-like spines(脊椎) found behind its eyes and makes it one of the hardiest of all shark species. What makes it unique is that as its enemy attempts to swallow it, the spines on its back will stick into the enemy’s mouth and give a good chance for it to get away.
The horn shark is brown in color with black spots all over its body. The adults can reach up to a length of 4 feet and weigh up to 10 kg. An interesting fact about the horn shark is that it has five gills(鰓). The horn shark is a clumsy swimmer using its flexible pectoral fins(胸鰭)to push itself along the bottom of the ocean. The maximum distance that has ever been recorded for a horn shark to have traveled out from its habitat is 10 miles.
Today, as so little is known about its population off the Californian coast, they have been listed as being “Data Deficient” in the World Conservation Union. The horn shark is being threatened both by water pollution and commercial fishing in the area. Though they are not among those sea creatures hunted primarily for food, but they often get caught as a by-catch in fishing expeditions.
【小題1】The horn shark gets its name for______.

A．its small size	B．its large eyes
C．its two large spines	D．its brown color with spots

【小題2】How is paragraph 3 mainly developed?

A．By giving descriptions	B．By following time order
C．By analyzing causes	D．By making comparisons

【小題3】Which factors contribute to the horn shark’s being on the “Data Deficient” list?
①That people like hunting them for pets       ②That people fish them for fun
③Water pollution off the coast               ④Knowing little about them

A．①②

B．②③

C．①④

D．③④

【小題4】 According to the passage, all of the following are unique to the horn shark EXCEPT that_____.

A．it doesn’t travel far

B．it is good at swimming

C．its spines can be used to attack the enemy and escape

D．it is only found in the coastal waters of north-west North America

Many businesses today use conferences as a means of discussing new plans of the company. As people are paying more attention to the environment and green problems, more businesses are looking for ways to reduce their negative effect on the environment. Many businesses do this by using web conferencing.
Web conferencing is a technology that allows people to communicate more effectively over the Internet. It is an easy way of hosting and attending conferences without having to leave the office. Each of the people involved in a web conference will be posted an invitation to the conference with the time and date of the Web conference on it. When the conference is ready to begin, all participants (參與者) must sit at their computers and they will be connected over the Internet.
With Web conferencing all participants attend the conference from the comfort of their own desk. Obviously, in doing this no fuel is used in traveling to and from a conference, and less work time is taken up in attending a conference.
Any material to be used during the Web conference is simply e-mailed to all the participants before the conference. Participants can then either choose to print material or read it on screen. This not only saves paper but also greatly reduces mailing cost for the business.
As a conference hall or business center isn’t being used, it means that the only power that is used is the power used by the participants’ personal computers. Similarly conference organizers don’t have to arrange for food or overnight accommodation (住宿) for participants of their conferences. All this means that less energy is used.
Often in business some companies actively choose to do business with other companies that do many things to reduce their negative impact on the environment. And Web conferencing helps you show other businesses that you are willing to work hard for the green cause.
So Web conferencing is much cheaper and greener and more people are willing to host and attend a web conference.
【小題1】What is the passage mainly about?
A. Ways of protecting the environment.
B. B. Green benefits of Web conference.
C. Ways of hosting a Web conference.
D. Impacts of Web conferencing on costs.
【小題2】According to paragraph 1, many companies use Web conferencing because they ________.

A．a(chǎn)re interested in using any new technology

B．believe that Web conferencing is more convenient

C．want to do something to protect the environment

D．haven’t enough money to hold a traditional conference

【小題3】The participants of a Web conference_________.

A．will be e-mailed an invitation before the conference

B．a(chǎn)re required to sit in the office together

C．will receive many paper materials

D．must have access to the Internet

【小題4】 Which of the following words best describes the author’s opinion about a Web conference?

A．Useless.	B．Environmentally friendly.
C．Inconvenient.	D．Money-consuming.

In the past, man did not have to think about protection of the environment. There were very few people on the earth, and natural resources seemed to be unlimited.
Today things are different. The world has become too crowded. We are using up our natural resources too quickly, and at the same time we are polluting our environment with dangerous chemicals. If we continue to do this, human life on the earth will not survive.
Everyone realizes today that if too many fish are taken from the sea, there will soon be none left. Yet, with modern fishing methods, more and more fish are caught. We know that if too many trees are cut down, forests will disappear and nothing will grow on land. Yet, we continue to use more powerful machines to cut down more and more trees.
We realize that if rivers are polluted with waste products from factories, we will die. However, in most countries waste is still put into rivers, but there are few laws to stop this.
We also know that if the population of the countries in the world is to rise at the present rate in a few years, there will not be enough food.
What can we do to solve these problems?
If we eat more vegetables and less meat, there will be more food available for everyone. Land that is used to grow crops can feed five times more people than land where animals are kept.
Our natural resources will last longer if we learn to recycle them.
The world population will not rise so quickly if people use modern methods of birth control.
Finally, if all of us think about the problem, we will have a better and cleaner planet in the future.
【小題1】This passage mainly tells us about ______.

A．the problems we are facing today about environment and the ways to solve them

B．the unlimited natural resources in the world

C．our rivers are being polluted by waste from factories

D．the ways early man protected the environment

【小題2】 Which of the following is NOT true?

A．If we eat more vegetables, more food can be saved.

B．In the past, there was no need for people to think about environmental protection.

C．If we keep on cutting trees, forests will disappear.

D．We shouldn’t take more and more fish out of the sea, or there will soon be no fish left.

【小題3】What is implied (暗示) in the passage?

A．Man is cleverer than any other animal.

B．Man will destroy himself if he doesn’t solve the problem.

C．Modern fishing methods are helpful in our fishing industry.

D．We should make more laws in order to survive.

【小題4】From the passage we can see that the world’s natural resources ______.

A．will never be used up	B．a(chǎn)re being polluted
C．a(chǎn)re as plentiful as in the past	D．a(chǎn)re being used up very quickly

The way we get about has a deep influence on the way we live－affecting where we set up home, work and holiday. So what changes might come in the way we get around? What big ideas are out there, and do they have any chance of coming true?
Personal Air Travel
The idea: flying cars
Developments in light small plane technology will make it possible for everyone to own what are, in fact, flying cars. They will have closed cabins, heating, stereos and room for two people.
You will take off from a field near your home and fly to towns and cities. After landing, you will take off the fixed wing and continue your journey by road just as if you were traveling by car.
Fuel efficient engines and the advantage of being able to travel in the sky will keep costs and the environmental influence down.
Flying for Fun
The idea: Jet Packs
The idea was a hit when a stuntman (特技演員) flew around on one during the opening ceremony of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, which was very successful.
You’ll be able to use the equipment－roughly the size of two scuba tanks fastened to your back－for short journeys.
They will be handy for cleaning hard-to-reach windows, arriving in style at a party and shopping.
Taxis
The idea: driverless taxis
These computer-controlled taxis will take you wherever you want along a fixed route, whenever you want to go.
For the price of one person’s bus fare, several people can ride at speeds of up to 25 mph, and there will be fences to guard against accidents.
There will be little, if any, wait for the use of the taxis, which will leave from stations and will be used by prepaid cards.
The taxis, which will travel on a 1.5 m-wide track, will use 75% less energy per passenger than a car and 50% less than a bus.
【小題1】The passage is mainly about ________.

A．future travel	B．big ideas and dreams
C．a(chǎn)dvanced technology	D．the influence of travel

【小題2】We learn from the passage that flying cars ________.

A．will operate only in the sky

B．will be more expensive than common cars

C．will have few bad effects on the environment

D．won’t be equipped with things similar to what cars have

【小題3】 With Jet Packs, we can do all the following EXCEPT ________.

A．a(chǎn)ttend a party	B．clean high windows
C．go shopping	D．have a long journey

【小題4】As for driverless taxis, we can infer that ________.

A．we can go wherever we want in them

B．they will be both convenient and safe

C．it costs more to take them than to take ordinary cars

D．they will be operated by computers as well as by people

People diet to look more attractive．Fish diet to avoid being beaten up，thrown out of their social group，and getting eaten as a result．That is the fascinating conclusion of the latest research into fish behavior by a team of Australian scientists．
　　The research team have discovered that subordinate(低一等的) fish voluntarily diet to avoid challenging their larger competitors．"In studying gobies we noticed that only the largest two individuals，a male and female，had breeding（繁殖）rights within the group，" explains Marian Wong．"All other group members are nonbreeding females，each being 5-10% smaller than its next largest competitor．We wanted to find out how they maintain this precise size separation．"
　　The reason for the size difference was easy to see．Once a subordinate fish grows to within 5-10% of the size of its larger competitor，it causes a fight which usually ends in the smaller goby being driven away from the group．More often than not，the evicted fish is then eaten up．
　　It appeared that the smaller fish were keeping themselves small in order to avoid challenging the boss fish．Whether they did so voluntarily，by restraining how much they ate，was not clear．The research team decided to do an experiment．They tried to fatten up some of the subordinate gobies to see what happened．To their surprise，the gobies simply refused the extra food they were offered，clearly preferring to remain small and avoid fights，over having a feast．
　　The discovery challenges the traditional scientific view of how boss individuals keep their position in a group．Previously it was thought that large individuals simply used their weight and size to threaten their subordinates and take more of the food for themselves，so keeping their competitors small．
　　While the habits of gobies may seem a little mysterious，Dr．Wong explains that understanding the relationships between boss and subordinate animals is important to understand how hierarchical（等級的）societies remain stable．
　　The research has proved the fact that voluntary dieting is a habit far from exclusive to humans．"As yet，we lack a complete understanding of how widespread the voluntary reduction of food intake is in nature，" the researchers comment．"Data on human dieting suggests that，while humans generally diet to improve health or increase attractiveness，rarely does it improve long-term health and males regularly prefer females that are fatter than the females' own ideal．"
【小題1】When a goby grows to within 5-10% of the size of its larger competitor，it _________．

A．leaves the group itself	B．has breeding rights
C．eats its competitor	D．faces danger

【小題2】The underlined words "the evicted fish" in Paragraph 3 refer to _________．

A．the fish beaten up	B．the fish driven away
C．the fish found out	D．the fish fattened up

【小題3】The experiment showed that the smaller fish _________．

A．fought over a feast	B．preferred some extra food
C．challenged the boss fish	D．went on diet willingly

【小題4】What is the text mainly about?

A．Fish dieting and human dieting．	B．Dieting and health．
C．Human dieting．	D．Fish dieting．

If you hear the sound of running water the next time you call a co-worker on his or her mobile phone, don’t be surprised. Three-fourths of Americans with mobile phones say they use them in the bathroom, a new study shows.
Approximately the same number of men and women have used the phone in the bathroom, according to a survey of 1,000 Americans by 11mark, an integrated marketing agency, although men seem more attached to IT in the toilet: 30 percent of men versus 20 percent of women agreed with the statement, "I don't go to the bathroom without my mobile phone."
More than half the surveyed users (63 percent) said they have answered a phone call in the bathroom, and almost half (41 percent) reported initiating a phone call. That's not all, however. What goes on behind the walls of the stalls is anything a mobile phone is capable of. Sixty-seven percent said they have read a text, and 39 percent have surfed the Web. Men work more from the bathroom — 20 percent said they have participated in work-related calls, versus 13 percent of their female colleagues.
As expected, Gen Y respondents are the pacesetters in the "mobile everywhere" movement, with 91 percent using their phone in the bathroom. Still, older generations are not far behind. Eighty percent of Gen X(1961-1981) reported using the phone in the bathroom, as did 65 percent of Baby Boomers and 47 percent of the Silent Generation.
While online, they are doing more than just surfing; 16 percent of Gen Y report they have made an online purchase while in the bathroom. Users of iPhones are particularly likely to browse and buy in the bathroom – 22 percent have made a purchase, versus 10 percent of Americans with mobile phones overall.
"The writing is on the stall," said 11mark principal Nicole Burdette. "This study confirms what we all know: that the last private place is no longer private."
In the process, high-tech hygiene(衛(wèi)生) is taking a hit, the survey found. While 92 percent of mobile phone users said they wash their hands after using the bathroom, only 14 percent said they wash their phones.
【小題1】59.Which is the best word to replace the underlined word "initiating"?

A．receiving

B．experiencing

C．ending

D．beginning

【小題2】60.According to his words, Nicole Buedette mainly wants to tell us that       .

A．no wonder mobile phones are used in the bathroom

B．the bathroom is a private place for people

C．it makes people have no privacy at all

D．more men have used the phone in the bathroom

【小題3】61.What does the last paragraph of the passage imply?

A．Using phones in the bathroom has a bad effect on hygiene

B．Mobile phones should not be allowed to use in the bathroom

C．Most people care about the hygiene after using the bathroom

D．Few people wash their phones after using the bathroom

【小題4】62.The attitude of the author to the use of phones in the bathroom is ______

A．supportive	B．disapproval
C．subjective(主觀的)	D．objective(客觀的)