We all like watching online videos of dogs and cats doing funny things. But if you had to decide, which of the two animals would you say you might like better? Your answer may say something about your personality.
According to a 2010 study led by Sam Gosling, a scientist at the University of Texas, US, dog people are about 15 percent more outgoing and 13 percent more pleasant to be friends with than cat people.
This is not hard to understand, since cats and dogs behave differently themselves. “Cats will occasionally engage in social activities, but usually after only a few minutes, they will abandon the game. Dogs, on the other hand, will often engage in play, like fetching a thrown ball, for hours at a time,” said Modern Dog Magazine.
Although cat people are less social, Gosling’s study showed that they are 11 percent more open-minded than dog people. They usually like art, adventures and unusual ideas. They also have more imagination and curiosity. But dog people are more likely to stick to old beliefs and traditional interests.
However, their love of a free lifestyle also means that cat people dislike making plans. They just follow whatever ideas pop into their heads without planning ahead. But dog people are different. They usually have strong self-control and like to carry out their plans.
Despite these big differences between dog people and cat people, there are some things that they have in common, “Both types of people consider themselves close to nature, dislike animal-print clothing, and are generally optimists,” noted Mother Nature Network.
But can personality change? Can a cat person become a dog person, or the other way around? In a study done by Stanley Coren, a scientist based in Canada, he asked cat owners: “If you had enough living space and there were no objections form other people in your life, and someone gave you a puppy as a gift, would you keep it?”
About 68 percent of them said they would not accept a dog as a pet. But when dog owners were asked the same question about a kitten, almost 70 percent said they would allow a cat into their lives.
【小題1】According to the article, dog people _____________ cat people.

Does eating a good breakfast improve school study? A study of more than 1,000 pupils in the city of Lawrence suggests it does.
Youngsters who took part in the breakfast program improved their scores in the tests much more than those who didn’t. Among those who attended the program, fewer were found late for school than those who didn’t. And much fewer were found absent from their classes.
“Starting the day with a meal appears to be quite helpful,” says Amy Sampson, a research professor, who carried out the experiment on the students for a year.
Students who miss breakfast may be losing out on important nourishment in fruit, milk, bread and so on. If you are in a hurry in the morning, get you some pieces of bread with some fruit or yogurt. In that case, you won’t have to go to the selling machines for some chips or candy bars.
【小題1】How many students in primary school are interviewed in Lawrence.                          

Last week I talked with some of my students about what they wanted to do after they graduated, and what kind of job prospects they thought they had.
Given that I teach students who are training to be doctors, I was surprised to find that most thought that they would not be able to get the jobs they wanted without “outside help”. “What kind of help is that?” I asked, expecting them to tell me that they would need a relative or family friend to help them out.
“Surgery(外科手術(shù))”, one replied.
I was pretty alarmed by that response. It seems that the graduates of today are increasingly willing to go under the knife to get ahead of others when it comes to getting a job.
One girl told me that she was considering surgery to increase her height. “They break your legs, put in special extending screws, and slowly expand the gap between the two ends of the bone as it re-grows, you can get at least 5 cm taller!”
At that point, I was shocked. I am short, I can’t deny that, but I don’t think I would put myself through months of agony(痛苦) just to be a few centimeters taller. I don’t even bother to wear shoes with thick soles, as I’m not trying to hide the fact that I am just not tall!
It seems to me that there is a trend toward wanting “perfection”, and that is an ideal that just does not exist in reality.
No one is born perfect, yet magazines, TV shows and movies present images of thin, tall, beautiful people as being the norm. Advertisements for slimming aids, beauty treatments and cosmetic surgery clinics fill the pages of newspapers, further creating an idea that “perfection” is a requirement, and that it must be purchased, no matter what the cost.
In my opinion, skills, rather than appearance, should determine how successful a person is in his chosen career.
【小題1】We can know from the passage that the author works as ________.

A job is more than a job，especially to the old. “It’s not the money that matters，but the sense of self-worth．”56-year-old Cbeng Wonlan said. So，every day Ms Cheng carries a bag of parcels，letters and documents and does her rounds in North Point. She’s a courier(快遞員)
Five years ago．Ms Cheng was a nurse at a private clinic. She had worked there for 30 years but was Jobless when the doctor migrated. It was difficult for her to find another job as a nurse. “People do not trust my ability when they learn how old I am，”she said. After two years of searching, she eventually found another nursing job. But then after two years，she quit Why?
‘My colleagues were young and they didn’t understand me because of my age. They often asked me ‘You are so old what are you working for? I was very unhappy” She said. So while the rest of her family left for work，she was left to lonely boredom at home .Then her neighbours told her about Employee’s Retraining Board(ERB)offering retraining courses for older people. These courses are specifically designed to encourage the older people back to work.
“I was interested in courier work. I didn’t think my age was a barrier because I was fit.” She said .Upon graduating，Ms Cheng was offered a job by the Speeding Shuttle Courier Service Company. But then Ms Cheng was faced with a conflict：she was caught between honour and employment“I felt embarrassed about carrying and delivering letters and parcels.” she said. It took Ms Cheng 24 hours to make up her mind：there was nothing wrong or embarrassing about doing the job. So she went off to work as a courier．
Ms Cheng’s employer is delighted with her responsible attitude and said．“I hired older people because they were able and reliable .Age is not an important factor but attitude is Many old people will not run from difficulties but the young ones will”
【小題1】Why was it difficult for Ms Cheng to find another nursing Job?

Would you eat a ready meal from the fridge rather than cook by yourself? Have you been doing Internet shopping rather than going to the stores? What can’t you be bothered to do?
A study into how lazy British people are has found more than half of the adults are so idle (懶散的) that they’d catch the lift rather than climb two flights of stairs.
Just over 2,000 people were quizzed by independent researchers at Nuffield Health, Britain’s largest health center. The results were extremely surprising.
About one in six people questioned said if their remote control was broken, they would continue watching the same channel rather than get up.
More than one third of those questioned said they would not run to catch a bus. Worryingly, of the 654 respondents with children, 64% said they were often too tired to play with them.
This led the report to conclude that it’s no wonder that one in six children in the UK are classified as obese (very fat) before they start school.
Dr Sarah Dauncey, medical director of Nuffield Health, said, “People need to get fitter, not just for their own sake, but for the sake of their families, friends and evidently (明顯地；顯然) their pets too.”
“If we don’t start to take control of this problem, a whole generation will become too unfit to perform even the most fundamental tasks.”
And Scotland’s largest city, Glasgow, was shamed as the most idle city in the UK, with 75% questioned admitting they do not get enough exercise, followed closely by Birmingham and Southampton, both with 67%.
The results bring serious challenges for the National Health Service, where obesity-related illnesses such as heart disease and cancer have been on a steady increase for the past 40 years and are costing billions of pounds every year.
【小題1】How many people questioned don’t play with their children?

From the health point of view we are living in a marvelous age. We are immunized from birth against many of the most dangerous diseases. A large number of once fatal illnesses can now be cured by modern drugs and surgery. It is almost certain that one day remedies will be found for the most stubborn remaining diseases. The expectation of life has increased enormously. But though the possibility of living a long and happy life is greater than ever before, every day we witness the incredible slaughter of men, women and children on the roads. Man versus the motor-car ! It is a never-ending battle which man is losing. Thousands of people the world over are killed or horribly killed each year and we are quietly sitting back and letting it happen.
It has been rightly said that when a man is sitting behind a steering wheel, his car becomes the extension of his personality. There is no doubt that the motor-car often brings out a man’s very worst qualities. People who are normally quiet and pleasant may become unrecognizable when they are behind a steering-wheel. They swear, they are ill-mannered and aggressive, willful as two-years-olds and utterly selfish. All their hidden frustrations, disappointments and jealousies seem to be brought to the surface by the act of driving.
The surprising thing is that society smiles so benignly on the motorist and seems to condone his behaviour. Everything is done for his convenience. Cities are allowed to become almost uninhabitable because of heavy tragic; towns are made ugly by huge car parks; the countryside is desecrated by road networks; and the mass annual slaughter becomes nothing more than a statistic, to be conveniently forgotten.
It is high time a world code were created to reduce this senseless waste of human life. With regard to driving, the laws of some countries are notoriously lax and even the strictest are not strict enough. A code which was universally accepted could only have a dramatically beneficial effect on the accident rate. Here are a few examples of some the things that might be done. The driving test should be standardized and made far more difficult than it is; all the drivers should be made to take a test every three years or so; the age at which young people are allowed to drive any vehicle should be raised to at least 21; all vehicles should be put through stringent annual tests for safety. Even the smallest amount of alcohol in the blood can impair a person’s driving ability. Present drinking and driving laws (where they exist) should be mad much stricter. Maximum and minimum speed limits should be imposed on all roads. Governments should lay down safety specifications for manufacturers, as has been done in the USA. All advertising stressing power and performance should be banned. These measures may sound inordinately harsh. But surely nothing should be considered as to severe if tit results in reducing the annual toll of human life. After all, the world is for human beings, not motor-cars.
【小題1】The main idea of this passage is
[A] Traffic accidents are mainly caused by motorists.
Thousands of people the world over are killed each year.
[C] The laws of some countries about driving are too lax.
[D] Only stricter traffic laws can prevent accidents.
【小題2】What does the author think of society toward motorists?
[A] Society smiles on the motorists.
Huge car parks are built in the cities and towns.
[C] Victims of accidents are nothing.
[D] Society condones their rude driving.
【小題3】Why does the author say:’ his car becomes the extension of his personality?’
[A] Driving can show his real self.
Driving can show the other part of his personality.
[C] Driving can bring out his character.
[D] His car embodies his temper.
【小題4】.Which of the followings is NOT mentioned as a way against traffic accidents?
[A] Build more highways.
Stricter driving tests.
[C] Test drivers every three years.
[D] raise age limit and lay down safety specifications.
【小題5】.The attitude of the author is
[A] ironical
critical
[C] appealing
[D] militant
Vocabulary
1.immunise             使免疫，使免除
2.expectation of life =" life" expectancy    平均壽命
3.versus =" against"             對頂，反對
4.mutilate             傷害
5.wilful             任性的，固執(zhí)的
6.benign             寬厚的，仁慈的
7.condone             寬容
8.desecrate          褻瀆，玷污
9.code             法規(guī)，規(guī)定，慣例
10.stringent          嚴(yán)格的，緊急的，迫切的
11.performance                   演出，成品，這里是指
car’ s behavior such as speed,
function etc.可譯成行為，
汽車行為、功能等。

From the health point of view we are living in a marvelous age. We are immunized from birth against many of the most dangerous diseases. A large number of once fatal illnesses can now be cured by modern drugs and surgery. It is almost certain that one day remedies will be found for the most stubborn remaining diseases. The expectation of life has increased enormously. But though the possibility of living a long and happy life is greater than ever before, every day we witness the incredible slaughter of men, women and children on the roads. Man versus the motor-car ! It is a never-ending battle which man is losing. Thousands of people the world over are killed or horribly killed each year and we are quietly sitting back and letting it happen.
It has been rightly said that when a man is sitting behind a steering wheel, his car becomes the extension of his personality. There is no doubt that the motor-car often brings out a man’s very worst qualities. People who are normally quiet and pleasant may become unrecognizable when they are behind a steering-wheel. They swear, they are ill-mannered and aggressive, willful as two-years-olds and utterly selfish. All their hidden frustrations, disappointments and jealousies seem to be brought to the surface by the act of driving.
The surprising thing is that society smiles so benignly on the motorist and seems to condone his behaviour. Everything is done for his convenience. Cities are allowed to become almost uninhabitable because of heavy tragic; towns are made ugly by huge car parks; the countryside is desecrated by road networks; and the mass annual slaughter becomes nothing more than a statistic, to be conveniently forgotten.
It is high time a world code were created to reduce this senseless waste of human life. With regard to driving, the laws of some countries are notoriously lax and even the strictest are not strict enough. A code which was universally accepted could only have a dramatically beneficial effect on the accident rate. Here are a few examples of some the things that might be done. The driving test should be standardized and made far more difficult than it is; all the drivers should be made to take a test every three years or so; the age at which young people are allowed to drive any vehicle should be raised to at least 21; all vehicles should be put through stringent annual tests for safety. Even the smallest amount of alcohol in the blood can impair a person’s driving ability. Present drinking and driving laws (where they exist) should be mad much stricter. Maximum and minimum speed limits should be imposed on all roads. Governments should lay down safety specifications for manufacturers, as has been done in the USA. All advertising stressing power and performance should be banned. These measures may sound inordinately harsh. But surely nothing should be considered as to severe if tit results in reducing the annual toll of human life. After all, the world is for human beings, not motor-cars.
【小題1】The main idea of this passage is
[A] Traffic accidents are mainly caused by motorists.
Thousands of people the world over are killed each year.
[C] The laws of some countries about driving are too lax.
[D] Only stricter traffic laws can prevent accidents.
【小題2】What does the author think of society toward motorists?
[A] Society smiles on the motorists.
Huge car parks are built in the cities and towns.
[C] Victims of accidents are nothing.
[D] Society condones their rude driving.
【小題3】Why does the author say:’ his car becomes the extension of his personality?’
[A] Driving can show his real self.
Driving can show the other part of his personality.
[C] Driving can bring out his character.
[D] His car embodies his temper.
【小題4】.Which of the followings is NOT mentioned as a way against traffic accidents?
[A] Build more highways.
Stricter driving tests.
[C] Test drivers every three years.
[D] raise age limit and lay down safety specifications.
【小題5】.The attitude of the author is
[A] ironical
critical
[C] appealing
[D] militant
Vocabulary
1.immunise             使免疫，使免除
2.expectation of life =" life" expectancy    平均壽命
3.versus =" against"             對頂，反對
4.mutilate             傷害
5.wilful             任性的，固執(zhí)的
6.benign             寬厚的，仁慈的
7.condone             寬容
8.desecrate          褻瀆，玷污
9.code             法規(guī)，規(guī)定，慣例
10.stringent          嚴(yán)格的，緊急的，迫切的
11.performance                   演出，成品，這里是指
car’ s behavior such as speed,
function etc.可譯成行為，
汽車行為、功能等。
難句譯注
1.Man versus the motor-car ! It is a never-ending battle which man is losing.
【參考譯文】人和汽車對抗！這是一場人類永遠(yuǎn)是輸家的無休止的戰(zhàn)斗。
2.All advertising stressing power and performance should be banned.
【參考譯文】應(yīng)當(dāng)禁止所有強調(diào)力量和表現(xiàn)行為的廣告。
寫作方法與文章大意
文章論述“交通事故”，采用因果、對比手法。從人的平均壽命增加和交通事故率成正比談起，觸及事故率上升的原因，要求制定更嚴(yán)格的法規(guī)予以制止種種造成事故的不良行為。

Anger at the practice of demanding dowries，which can lead to violence against brides，has prompted a takeoff of “Angry Birds” called “Angry Brides” that aims to highlight the illegal practice still prevalent in many South Asian countries.
Dowries—such as jewelry，clothes，cars and money—are traditionally given by the bride’s family to the groom and his parents to ensure she is taken care of in her new home.
The custom was outlawed more than five decades ago.But it is still widely practiced，with the groom’s family demanding even more money after marriage，leading to mental and physical annoyance that can drive the woman to suicide.
“The Angry Brides game is our way of throwing a spotlight on the nuisance(陋習(xí)) of dowry.” said Ram Bhamidi，senior vice president and head of online marketing for Shaadi.com，a matrimonial(婚姻的) website with two million members.
According to a 2007 study，there is a dowry­related death every four hours in India；we condemn this and have consistently run campaigns on social media to help create awareness of the issue.
The name of the app，available on the group’s home page，is a spinoff from the globally popular “Angry Birds” game.Its home page shows a red­clad，eight­armed woman resembling a powerful female Hindu goddess.Underneath，there is a caption，“A woman will give you strength，care and all the love you need NOT dowry！”
To play the game，users have to try and hit three dodging grooms—a pilot，a builder and a doctor.There are a variety of weapons to choose from，including a frying pan，broomstick，tomato and loafer.
Each groom has a price tag，starting at 1.5 million rupees($29,165)．Every time the player hits a groom，his value decreases and money is added to the player’s Anti­Dowry Fund，which is saved posted on their Facebook page.
“Since we launched the game last week，more than 270,000 people have liked the app.Both men and women seem to be playing it，” said Bhamidi.
【小題1】What caused “Angry Brides” to appear online?

A MENTORING(導(dǎo)師制) program is giving life changing opportunities to Banbury youth.
Young Inspirations was founded two years ago to provide mentoring sessions for students and unemployed young adults aged 11 to 21.
Alex Goldberg，the program's founder，said：“We set up Young Inspirations because we wanted to give young people experiences which will potentially be life changing and broaden their outlook.”
“We try to create work experience opportunities that will really make a difference to our youth.For example，we've secured internships(實習(xí)) with world­famous firms such as Honda.”
“At a time of funding cutbacks where schools are finding it more and more difficult to offer this kind of mentoring，it is extremely important that these opportunities are available both to help youth with their school work and grades and to give them opportunities which may help shape their futures.” Kieran Hepburn,14，is one of a group of Banbury youth who has benefited from the program so far.In October the Banbury School pupil was accompanied by Young Inspirations staff to Paris where he was an observer at the United Nations Educational，Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) International Youth Forum(論壇)．
The event was held for young people from around the world，to seek their views on how the future of youth and education should look.Kieran joined several hundred observers mostly in their 20s and was the only UK school pupil to attend the event.Kieran thinks the trip was a life changing experience.“Before we left I didn't quite know what to make of it but when we got there we didn't stop，it was amazing，” he said，“We went to three or four hours of debates each day and then did something cultural each afternoon.”
The main theme of the forum was how youth can drive change in political and public life.It dealt with issues(問題) such as drug abuse，violence and unemployment.
Kieran said：“It has really helped me to improve my confidence and social skills as well as my school grades and I was voted most improved pupil at school in August.”
The Young Inspirations mentoring sessions take place each Friday in Banbury.For details visit www.younginspirations.com.
【小題1】The Young Inspirations mentoring program aims to  ______.

Whether we should allow marine (海洋的) parks to stay open has been widely debated in our community recently. A variety of different arguments have been put forward about it.
Smith, a sociologist, argued that dolphin parks provide the only opportunity for much of the public to see marine mammals.  As this argument goes, most Australians live in cities and never get to see these animals. Marine parks allow the average Australian to appreciate our marine wildlife. However, in fact, there are many places where they can be seen in the wild. Moreover, these places do not charge an overpriced entry fee — they are free.
Dr. Alison Lane, the director of the Cairns Marine Science Institute, insists that we need marine parks for scientific research. She argues that much of our knowledge of marine mammals comes from studies which were undertaken at marine parks. The knowledge which is obtained at marine parks can be useful for planning for the preservation of marine mammal species. However, Jones, a zoologist, explains that park research is only useful for understanding captive animals and is not useful for learning about animals in the wild. Their diets are different, they have significantly lower life lengths and they are more likely to have a disease. In addition, marine mammals in dolphin parks are trained and this means that their patterns of social behaviour are changed.
The Marine Park Owners Association holds that marine parks attract a lot of foreign tourists. This position goes on to state that these tourists spend a lot of money, increasing our foreign exchange earnings and assisting our national balance of payments. However, foreign tourists would still come to Australia if the parks were closed down. Indeed, surveys of overseas tourists show that they come here for a variety of other reasons and not to visit places like Seaworld. Tourists come here to see our native wildlife in its natural environment and not to see it in cages and concrete pools. They can see animals in those conditions in their own countries.
In a word, perhaps an agreement cannot be reached now. However, a question does deserve our consideration: If we continue with our past crimes against these creatures, how will our future generations view us?
【小題1】Who support(s) the idea of closing marine parks?