Four out of five parents worry that their children will become addicted to Facebook,  according to a study.

Eighty percent believe social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter have the ability to take over their children’s lives. One in three parents,  meanwhile,  believe the Internet has the power to “rewire” brains(“改裝”大腦)without a person’s knowledge and think their children are in danger of the web.

The extraordinary findings come from a poll of 1, 000 parents carried out by the Nominet Trust,  an organization that promoted Internet projects which address social disadvantages.

However,  Nominet said their findings fly in the face of neurological(神經(jīng)學(xué)上的) evidence. The Trust worked with neuroscience and education expert Dr.  Paul Howard Jones,  who analysed researches on the Internet and society. The report—The Impact of Digital Technologies on Human Well-being—concluded that there is no neurological evidence to suggest that the Internet is more effective at “rewiring” our brains than other environmental influences. It also found that the Internet is a valuable learning resource and all forms of learning cause changes within the brain.

There have been reports that the use of the Internet with its vast resources of information is changing the way people think and affecting their ability to concentrate. But Nominet said that’s scaremongering（危言聳聽）and the misinformation about the Internet use can potentially deny（否定）its benefits to people,  in particular parents who are worried about the effects on their children’s development.

The report also found that social networking sites,  in themselves,  are not a special source of risk to children,  and are generally beneficial as they support existing friendships. In addition,  playing action video games can improve some visual processing and motor response skills,  while computer-based activity provides mental stimulation,  and can help slow rates of cognitive decline.

61. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A. Four in five parents fear their children will become Facebook addicts.

B. Social networking sites make people more sociable.

C. More and more children will become addicted to Facebook.

D. The Internet has the power to “rewiring” brains.

62. What does the underlined phrase “fly in the face of” in Paragraph four probably mean?

A. Go against.

B. Have a lot in common with.

C. Be similar to.

D. Have something to do with.

63. We can infer from the passage that_______ .

A. social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter will rewire children’s brains

B. Dr.  Paul Howard Jones is a member of the Nominet Trust

C. Dr.  Paul Howard Jones thinks the Internet is useful and beneficial

D. the study surveyed a poll of 1, 000 children

64. According to the passage,  the study carried by the Nominet Trust showed that_______ .

A. one in three parents believes Facebook has the ability to take over their children’s lives

B. the Internet is more effective at “rewiring” our brains than other environmental influences

C. four out of five parents think their children are in danger of the web

D. eighty percent of parents worry that their children will become addicted to Facebook

65. The last paragraph mainly tells people_______ .

A. playing action video games can improve some visual processing and motor response skills

B. the Internet,  in itself,  is not a danger to children but generally beneficial

C. social networking sites,  in themselves,  support existing friendships

D. computer-based activity provides mental stimulation,  and can help slow rates of cognitive decline

         According to the report by Baekeland and Hartmann, two American authoritative psychotogical research centres, the "short sleepers" had been more or less average in their sleep needs until the men were in their teens．But at about age 15 or so, the men voluntarily began cutting down their nightly sleep time because of pressures from school, work and other activities. These men tended to view their nightly periods of unconsciousness as bothersome interruptions, in their daily routines.
In general, these "short sleeps" appeared ambitious, active, energetic, cheerful,, conformist （循規(guī)蹈矩的） in their opinions, and very sure about their career choices．They often held several jobs at once, or workers full - or part - time while going to school．And many of them had a strong urge to appear "normal" or "acceptable" to their friends and associates．When asked to recall their dreams, the "short sleepers" did poorly．More than this, they seemed to prefer not remembering．In similar fashion, their usual way of dealing with psychological problems was to deny that the problem existed, and then to keep busy m the hope that the trouble would go away．The sleep patterns of the “short sleepers" were similar to, but less extreme than, sleep patterns shown by many mental patients categorized as manic （瘋?cè)耍?
The "long sleepers" were quite different indeed．Baekeland and Hartmann report that these young men had been lengthy sleeps since childhood．They seemed to enjoy their sleep, protected it, and were quite concerned when they were occasionally deprived （剝奪） of their desired 9 hours of nightly bed rest．They tended to recall their dreams much better than the "short sleepers．" did．Many of the "long sleepers" were shy, anxious, introverted （內(nèi)向）, inhibited （壓抑） , passive, mildly depressed, and unsure of themselves （particularly in social situations）．Several openly states that sleep was an escape from their daily problems．
50．According to the text, which is probably the writer' s real attitude towards these two living habits ____．
A．both of them are healthy habits  
B．not both of them are unhealthy habits
C．either of them is not unhealthy habits
D．neither of them is healthy habits
51．When sometimes they cannot enjoy adequate sleep, the long sleepers might ____．
A．feel extremely depressed         B．become energetic
C．a(chǎn)ppeared disturbed          D．feel disappointed
52．The writer implies （暗示） that short sleepers _____ in the text．
A．a(chǎn)re ideally vigorous even under the pressures of life
B．often neglect the consequences of inadequate（不足的）sleep
C．do not know how to relax properly
D．a(chǎn)re more unlikely to run into mental problems

When a rather dirty , poorly dressed person kneels at your feet and puts out his hands to beg for a few coins , do you hurry on , not knowing what to do , or do you feel sad and hurriedly hand over some money ? What should our attitude to beggars be ? There can be no question that the world is full of terribly sad stories . It must be terrible to have no idea where our next meal is going to come from . It seems cruel not to give some money to beggars .

Certainly , most of the world’s great religions (宗教) order us to be open-hearted and share what we have with those less fortunate than ourselves .But has the world changed ?Maybe what was morally（道德方面）right in the old days ,when one knew exactly who in the village had suffered misfortune and needed help ,is no longer the best idea. Quite a few people will not give to beggars .Let us look at their arguments.

 First ,some believe that many city beggars dress up on purpose to look pitiable and actually

make a good living from begging .Giving to beggars only encourages this sort of evil(惡行).Secondly ,there is the worry that the money you give will be spent on beer ,wine or drugs .Thirdly ,there is the opinion that there is no real excuse for begging. One might be poor ,but that is no reason for losing one’s sense of pride and self-dependence.

       Related to this is the opinion that the problem should be dealt with by the government rather than ordinary people .Some people think beggars should go to the local government department and receive help.

  It is hard to come to any final conclusion ;there are various cases and we must deal with them differently .A few coins can save a life in some situations ,and even if the money is wasted ,that does not take sway the moral goodness of the giver.

60．What is mainly discussed in the passage?

       A．Moral deeds of people.                         B．Religious activities of the church.

       C．Moral goodness of the giver.                 D．Arguments on giving to beggars.

61．What can we infer from the sentence “But has the world changed ?”in the second paragraph?

       A．People no longer know who suffers misfortune in the village.

       B．Some people will not do what was morally right in the past .

       C．We don’t meet with those who need help any more.

       D．Now it is the government’s duty to help the beggars.

62．Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?

       A．Some people dress up to pretend to be beggars .

       B．Some beggars want money to help their children go to school.

       C．Some beggars use the money to buy drugs.

       D．Some beggars have no excuse for begging.

63．In the last paragraph ,the writer thinks that it is hard to come to any final conclusion ,because

          .

       A．the cases can be so different                 B．there are so many beggars

       C．there is so much money wasted            D．there are so many different arguments

What do you know about the sea? We know that it looks very pretty when the sun is shining on it. We also know that it can be very rough when there is a strong wind. What other things do we know about it?

The first thing to remember is that the sea is very big. When you look at the map of the world you will find there is more water than land. The sea covers three quarters of the world.

The sea is also very deep in some places. It is not deep everywhere. Some parts of the sea are very shallow. But in some places the depth of the sea is very great. There is one spot, near Japan,  where the sea is nearly 11 kilometers deep! The highest mountain in the world is about 9 kilometers high. If that mountain were put into the sea at that place, there would be 2 kilometers of water above it! What a deep place!

If you have swum in the sea, you know that it is salty. You can taste the salt. Rivers, which flow into the sea, carry salt from the land into the sea. Some parts of the sea are saltier than other parts. There is one sea, called the Dead Sea, which is very salty. It is so salty that swimmers cannot sink! Fish cannot live in the Dead Sea!

In most parts of the sea, there are plenty of fish and plants. Some live near the top of the sea. Others live deep down. There are also millions of tiny living things that float in the sea. These floating things are so small that it is hard to see them. Many fish live by eating these floating things.

The sea can be very cold. Divers who go deep down in the sea know this. On the top the water may be warm. When the diver goes downwards, the sea becomes colder and colder. Another thing happens. When the diver goes deeper, the water above presses down on him. It squeezes him. Then the diver has to wear clothes made of metal. But he cannot go very deep. Some people who wanted to go very deep used a very strong diving ship!  They went down to the deepest part of the sea in it. They went down to a depth of eleven kilometers!

66. When does the sea look beautiful?

A. When it is calm.

B. When the weather is fine.

C. When there is a strong wind.

D. When there is a storm.

67. How much of the earth’s surface does land cover?

A. 15%                 B. 25%                  C. 30%                 D. 45%

68. Why does the author mention the sea somewhere near Japan?

A. To show that the sea in some places is very deep.

B. To show that the sea in some places is very shallow.

C. To show that its depth is 9 kilometers greater than the height of the highest mountain.

D. To show that its depth is 11 kilometers greater than the height of the highest mountain.

69. Which of the following statements about the Dead Sea is NOT true?

A. There are plenty of fish in it.

B. It is a safe place for swimmers.

C. It is extremely salty.

D. No fish can be found in it.

70. Why can’t people go very deep in the sea?

A. Because the deepest part of the sea is very cold.

B. Because the deepest part of the sea is very rough.

C. Because the pressure of the water at great depths is unendurable.

D. Because fierce fish usually live there.

Death Valley is the lowest, hottest, driest area in North America. This California National Park has less than 5 cm of rainfall a year and temperature up to 53℃ in summer. That’s enough to keep Americans away during the hottest months from June to August. But it is the high temperature and terrible heat that draw their most crazy fans, the foreign tourists. From all over the world, they come to the valley floor in cars, carrying maps and water bottles, and fanning themselves with newspapers to keep cool.
About 1.3 million visitors enter the park each year, from June through August. 90% of them are foreigners. They go there to experience the summer heat that gives Death Valley its name. The average high in July is 53.2 ℃ and the low 30 ℃. For August, the average high is 52.2 ℃ and the low 29.4 ℃.
So what do Americans think of the foreign visitors who arrive for the heat, just when locals from the United States try to avoid it? Park manager Brenda Henson says, “ The foreigners want to experience the heat in Death Valley. We think it’s crazy.”
In fact, Death Valley is a series of salt flats (鹽灘) 225 km long and 6 km to 26 km wide. Birds and animals are largely absent, and only the hardiest plants have some chance of existence in this extreme place.
One tourist from Paris concluded, “ We come to it because we can tell all our friends and family that we’ve been to the hottest place in the world.”
【小題1】The real attraction of Death Valley for foreigners is that _____.