In the college-admissions wars, we parents are the true fighters. We’re pushing our kids to get good grades, take SAT preparatory courses and build resumes so they can get into the college of our first choice. I’ve twice been to the wars, and as I survey the battlefield, something different is happening. We see our kids’ college background as a prize demonstrating how well we’ve raised them. But we can’t acknowledge that our obsession(癡迷) is more about us than them. So we’ve created various justifications（辯解）that turn out to be half-truths, prejudices or myths. It actually doesn’t matter much whether Aaron and Nicole go to Stanford.
We have a full-developed panic; we worry that there won’t be enough prizes to go around. Fearful parents urge their children to apply to more schools than ever. What causes the hysteria(歇斯底里) is the belief that scarce elite（精英）degrees must be highly valuable. Their graduates must enjoy more success because they get a better education and develop better contacts. All seems right but mostly wrong. We haven’t found any convincing evidence that selectivity or prestige matters. Selective schools don’t systematically employ better instructional approaches than less selective schools. On two measures—professors’ feedback and the number of essay exams selective schools do slightly worse.
By some studies, selective schools do enhance（提高） their graduates’ lifetime earnings. The gain is reckoned at 2-4% for every 100-point increase in a school’s average SAT scores. But even this advantage is probably a statistical fluke(偶然). A well-known study examined students who got into highly selective schools and then went elsewhere. They earned just as much as graduates from higher-status schools.
Kids count more than their colleges. Getting into Yale may signify intelligence, talent and ambition. But it’s not the only indicator and, surprisingly, its significance is declining. The reason: so many similar people go elsewhere. Getting into college is not life’s only competition. In the next competition—the job market and graduate school—the results may change. Princeton economist Alan Krueger studied admissions to one top Ph.D. program. High scores on the GRE helped explain who got in; degrees of famous universities didn’t.
So, parents, take it easy（lighten up）. The stakes (利害關(guān)系) have been vastly exaggerated. Up to a point, we can rationalize our pushiness. America is a competitive society; our kids need to adjust to that. But too much pushiness can be destructive. The very ambition we impose on our children may get some into Harvard but may also set them up for disappointment. One study found that, other things being equal, graduates of highly selective schools experienced more job dissatisfaction. They may have been so conditioned to being on top that anything less disappoints.
1. Why does the author say that parents are the true fighters in the college-admissions wars?
A. They have the final say in which university their children are to attend.
B. They know best which universities are most suitable for their children.
C. They have to carry out intensive surveys of colleges before children make an application.
D. They care more about which college their children go to than the children themselves.
2. Why do parents urge their children to apply to more schools than ever?
A. They want to increase their children’s chances of entering a prestigious college.
B. They hope their children can enter a university that offers attractive scholarships.
C. Their children will have a wider choice of which college to go to.
D. Elite universities now enroll fewer student than they used to.
3. What does the author mean by “kids count more than their colleges” Line1, para.4?
A. Continuing education is more important to a person’s success.
B. A person’s happiness should be valued more than their education.
C. Kids’ actual abilities are more important than their college background.
D. What kids learn at college cannot keep up with job market requirements.
4. What does Krueger’s study tell us?
A. Getting into Ph.D. programs may be more competitive than getting into college.
B. Degrees of prestigious universities do not guarantee entry to graduate programs.
C. Graduates from prestigious universities do not care much about their GRE scores.
D. Connections built in prestigious universities may be kept long after graduation.
5. One possible result of pushing children into elite universities is that______
A. they earn less than their peers from other institutions　　
B. they turn out to be less competitive in the job market
C. they experience more job dissatisfaction after graduation　
D. they overemphasize their qualifications in job application

小題1:D
小題2:A
小題3:C
小題4:B
小題5:C
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


Our sense of smell, which we normally take for granted, is nowadays being increasingly used for purposes which might surprise us if we realized them.
One area in which smells are created to achieve particular results is marketing. For some time producers have taken advantage of our sense of smell with regard to household goods.
When pleasant smells are passed through a store’s air conditioning system, people tend to spend more time in the store and buy more. For example, the smell of chocolate is used in sweet stores, while the smell of leather and perfume are used in clothes stores.
In a test, people looked at the same types of shoes in two rooms—one filled with purified air, the other with a smell of mixed flowers. Eighty-four percent of the people preferred the shoes in the room with the smell of flowers. In fact, many said they would have paid up to US $ 10 more for a pair.
Smells also have other uses. Research has shown that certain smells can help to calm anxious people and increase their feeling of safety. Smells such as that of flowers and pine forests might therefore be used to relax patients in doctors’ and dentists’ waiting rooms, and to make the environment more pleasant and less stressful to them.
Some companies are experimenting with different smells to produce different efferent effects on their workers according to the time of day.
For example, early in the morning they might put the smell of lemon in the air conditioning system to wake people up. In the middle of the morning, when the atmosphere tends to become more tense, the smell of wood could be used to calm people down. Before lunchtime the smell of melting butter would encourage people to go to lunch on time. After lunch, when people often begin to lose attention, the smell of mint would increase their watchfulness.
While some of these uses of smells may e helpful and effective, not everyone would agree with their use to control customers in stores. It has been suggested by consumers’ organizations that one way to avoid this new subconscious（無意識）pressure to buy is to go shopping when people are less likely to be influenced by smells.
小題1:We can conclude from the text that      
A．smells are widely used in different shopsB．different smells can keep people feel happy
C．smells are effective if used in suitable casesD．hospitals take advantages of the sense of smell
小題2:What kind of smell is effective when the students are having a lesson according to the text?   Butter.        B. Leather        C. Wood        D. Mint
小題3:The 4th paragraph proves that       
A．pleasant smells attract people’s attention to stores
B．people prefer the shoes with the smell of different flowers
C．right smells increase people’s view of the value of a product
D．people want to pay more money because of good smells
小題4:What does the underlined word “them” in paragraph 5 refer to?
A．patientsB．doctorsC．smellsD．waiting rooms

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


第三節(jié)：閱讀理解（共25小題; 每小題2分, 滿分50分）
It was 3:12 a. m. when nine-year-old Glenn Kreamer awoke to the smell of burning. Except for the crackling（爆裂聲）of flames somewhere below there was not a sound in the two-storey house at Baldwin, Long Island.
With his father away on night duty at a local factory, Glenn was worried about the safety of his mother, his sister Karen, 14 and his 12-year-old brother Todd. He ran downstairs through the smoke filled house to push and pull at Karen and Todd until they sat up. Then he helped each one through the house to the safety of the garden. There, his sister and brother, taking short and quick breaths and coughing, collapsed on the lawn (草坪).
The nine-year-old raced back into the house and upstairs to his mother’s room. He found it impossible to woke her up. Mrs. Kreamer, a victim of the smoke, was unconscious, and there was nobody to help Glenn carry her to the garden. But the boy remained calm and, as a fireman said later, “acted with all the self-control of a trained adult.”
On the bedroom telephone, luckily still working, Glenn called his father and, leaving Mr. Kreamer to telephone the fire brigade and ambulance service, got on with the task of saving his mother.
First he filled a bucket with water from the bathroom and threw water over his mother and her bed. Then, with a wet cloth around his head he went back to the garden.
He could hear the fire engine coming up, but how would the firemen find his mother in the smoke-filled house where flames had almost swallowed up the ground floor?
Grasping firmly a ball of string from the garage, Glenn raced back into the house and dashed upstairs to his mother’s room. Tying one end of the string to her hand he ran back, laying out the string as he went, through the hall and back out into the garden.
Minutes later he was telling fire chief John Coughlan: “The string will lead you to mother.” Mrs. Kreamer was carried to safety as the flames were breaking through her bedroom floor.
1．Why did Glenn run downstairs first?
A．He wanted to find out what was happening.  
B．He was worried about his mother’s safety.
C．He wanted to save his sister and brother.    
D．He went to see if his father had come back from work.
2．How did Glenn help the firemen to save his mother?
A．By throwing water all over her and her bed.    
B．By carrying her to safety with his brother.
C．By pushing and pulling at her.              
D．By tying a string to her hand.
3．Who called the fire brigade and ambulance service?
A．Glenn.    B．Glenn’s father.     C．Glenn’s sister.    D．Glenn’s neighbor.
4．What did Glenn do to protect himself?
A．He put a wet cloth around his head.      B．He threw water all over himself.
C．He hid himself in the bathroom.         D．He rushed out to the lawn.
5．Glenn saved his family because___________.
A．his father had taught him to do so on the phone   
B．he had learned something about first aid
C．he had dealt with the emergency calmly and wisely 
D．he had followed his mother’s instruction

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


IN    THE    BEDROOM
Don’t smoke in bed ------it causes 1000 fires a year, many with fatal (致命的)results.
Don’t overload your electrical points: the right way is “one appliance（電器）, one socket”（插座）.
Don’t use an electric underblanket over you or an overblanket under you. An underblanket , unless of the low- voltage type, MUST be switched off before you get into bed.
Never let furniture or clothing get close to a lighted fire. Make sure that there is a suitable guard for the room heater.
Keep aerosol-type containers （噴霧器）away from heat and NEVER burn or puncture（刺穿）them.
Don’t dim a table lamp by covering it: buy a low-wattage bulb（燈泡）.
Pajamas （睡衣）and nightdresses, especially for children and elderly people, should be made from flame- resistant material.
IF  CUT   OFF　BY  FIRE
Close the door of the room and any fanlight or other opening and block up any cracks （縫隙）with bedding, etc.
Go to the window and try to attract attention.
If the room fills with smoke, lean out of the window unless prevented by smoke and flame coming from a room below or nearby. If you cannot lean out of the window, lie close to the floor where the air is clearer until you hear the fire brigade（隊(duì)）.
If you have to escape before the fire brigade arrives, make a rope by knotting together sheets or similar materials and tie it to a bed or another heavy piece of furniture.
If you cannot make a rope and the situation becomes intolerable（難耐的），drop cushions or bedding from the window to break your fall, get through the window feet first, lower yourself to the full extent of your arms and drop.
If possible drop from a position above soft earth. If above the first floor, drop only as a last resort.
1. According to the instructions, fires in the bedroom can be caused by ________.
A. one appliance, one socket
B. smoking in bed
C. underblankets, of the low- voltage type
D. all of the above-mentioned points
2. In the bedroom, you are told _______.
A. not to use an electric underblanket or an electric overblanket.
B. to use an underblanket of the low-voltage type
C. to switch off an underblanket of the low- voltage type
D. not to use an electric underblanket over you
3. You should keep furniture or clothes away from a lighted fire because ________.
A. the fire is too low
B. furniture or clothes block light
C. there is no guard in the room
D. furniture or clothes catch fire easily
4. If you are cut off by fire, you should first ______.
A. try to stop smoke from coming into the room
B. lie down and wait for the fire brigade
C. escape by jumping immediately out of the window
D. close the window and call for help

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解



NOTICE
CLEAN AND GREEN WEEK
The Social Studies Society and Library Club are working together to organize Clean and Green Week activities to encourage recycling.
(A) BEST INVENTION COMPETITION
The competition is divided into two parts: Individual (個(gè)人) and Team. Each team should be made up of three members. The inventions must be made out of small or used materials.
PRIZES
 
Individual
Team  
First prize
Second prize
Third prize
$ 50 book voucher (代金券)
$ 30 book voucher
$ 20 book voucher
$ 180 book voucher
$ 120 book voucher
$ 90 book voucher
 
You can get the application forms (申請表) from the library during opening hours.
Deadline for the submission (提交) of inventions: 31 January 2005.
Please call us at 792-4868 for further information.
(B) ‘RECYCLE TO SAVE OUR EARTH’ EXHIBITION CUM VIDEO SCREENING
An exhibition on recycling is now on in the library.
Videos on the subject will also be screened.  
Please refer to the library notice board for the timetable of the screening dates and time.
DO YOUR PART TO SAVE THE EARTH
START RECYCLING TODAY
Organizers:
Library Club & Social Studies Society
1. If you want to know the screening dates, you can _______.
A. fill in the application form          B. make a telephone call at 792-4868
C. go to the exhibition hall           D. refer to the library notice board
2. What can we get from the notice?
A. The exhibition is organized by Library Club.
B. The exhibition on recycling will be on in the library.
C. The students have to send their inventions before 31 January 2005.
D. The students can make their inventions from all kinds of materials.
3. What is the purpose of the activities?
A. To get more book vouchers.            B. To invent more useful things.
C. To encourage students to recycle things.   D. To make students’ life more colorful.
4.If you want more information, you can_________.
A. surf the internet.      B.telephone the teacher 
C. call at 792-4868      D. read the guide book.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


IV. 閱讀理解（30%）
The future is time that is to come. The future is not the present or the past. It is later. We have seen many possible futures in science fiction. They range from the world’s polar ice caps melting to nuclear winters. But not all futures are this morbid. We have seen the human race spread all over our universe, humans and aliens living in harmony together all over the universe.
It is very likely that we will make some kind of breakthrough in our ability to travel through space sometime in the next 150 years. This would give us the ability to rule other planets. Ultimately, the earth will die whether it be 1,000 years or 100,000 years. We will be forced to move to another planet then. It’s really just a matter of time. When we do so, what will we discover?
Personally, I think everyone will be speaking the same language in 200 years. A world government definitely seems to be in our future. It is stable and has few wars. Indeed, the only type of wars that can happen is the civil war.
And what if we face aliens? If they are friendly, we would probably benefit a lot from putting our knowledge together. They must have advanced technology to travel for great distances. We could seriously benefit from their technology. But if they aren’t friendly, then we are in trouble. Hope that we have become advanced enough, smart enough, and generally a better race by the time we meet them. But this is all probably being discussed for nothing, because any race out there among the stars is probably as curious as we are about other creatures.
1. The underlined word in Paragraph 1 can be replaced by ___________.
A. unpleasant         B. shocking           C. expected            D. serious
2. What will humans do if the earth dies?
A. Humans have to face death.                    B. Humans will travel and live in space.
C. Humans will move to another planet.             D. Humans will go back to the past time.
3. According to the author, the following statements are right about aliens EXCEPT that _________.
A. we can learn from aliens if they are friendly
B. when aliens arrive, humans will be smarter than them
C. aliens may be as curious as we human beings about other planets
D. aliens have more advanced technology than us
4. After reading the passage, we can know that the passage is based on_________.
A. scientific facts                   B. time and space
C. advanced technology               D. the author’s imagination

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


Your mobile phone rings and instead of the usual electronic signals it’s playing your favourite music．A friend sends your favourite song to cheer you up．One day，a record company might forward new records and music videos to your phone．
The mobile business is getting into the music business．For the moment，the interest is in pleasant ring tones，but some companies are hoping to take full advantage of the next generation of mobile phones—all purpose gadgets that blend phone，personal stereo，video player and Internet browser into one．
Finally，record companies might send new records and videos to fans who register their cell phone numbers．
The fans could pass music or songs along to friends—a kind of musical trading card．Unlike Internet tracks，mobile downloads would be easy for record companies to control，said former record industry official Ralph，Simon，who is now chairman of Yourmobile，based in Santa Monic，California．
“If you pass a song along to other phones through a network，each phone can be charged，” said Simon．“It’s like going through toll gate (收費(fèi)站)．There’s more possibility for copyright control than there is on the Internet．”
Massachusetts-based Converse is offering service in Portugal and the Netherlands that lets people record tunes on their voice mail or send music as presents to friends．Finally，people might be able to sing karaoke and pass them along．The company is sure that people will want to use music to reach out and touch someone．
“A mobile phone is not a listening machine，and you’ll be disappointed if you think you can change it into a radio，” said Ouzel，a creative manager for Converse in Israel．“But if someone sends you a song while you’re on vacation，you appreciate the feeling．”
72．The underlined word “blend” in the second paragraph most probably means _____．
A．send                B．come               C．mix                 D．compare
73．“Massachusetts-based Converse”in the sixth paragraph probably refers to ______．
A．a(chǎn) person                                      B．a(chǎn) city in Israel        
C．a(chǎn) state of the USA                    D．a(chǎn) company
74．Record companies ______ the idea of passing songs and music along mobile phones．
A．a(chǎn)re worried about                         B．a(chǎn)re interested in
C．try hard to stop                             D．take no notice of
75．According to Ralph Simon it would be easier to _______ through mobile phone network than through the Internet．
A．protect copyright of music works   B．send personal messages
C．pass along songs and music            D．send voice mail

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空


二、完形填空
When an NBA player is young he thinks he can win the championship by himself. It is only later when he has aged and been through many battles  36  he learns an important lesson: there is no “I” in “team”.
There is  37  better example of the value of teamwork than the Boston Celtics. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett were all  38  on three different teams. Yet, none of them had any titles to show for it.  39  last season, they  40  to sacrifice money and individual statistics to play together. Garnett and Allen joined Pierce on the Celtics and  41  the NBA in the process.
It started in simple ways. Garnett and Allen are two of the most intense athletes in the world. They treat every second of every practice like it is the NBA  42 . If you want to play alongside them then you will have to do the same. So, the young guys on the Celtics started giving their full effort too.
Pierce had been the star of the Celtics for many years. He  43  shoot the ball many times a game. But with the addition of Allen and Garnett he shot less and  44  on defense. His  45  showed the young players that doing what made the team better was the only thing that  46 .
When the Celtics  47  and the game was almost over, Garnett, Pierce and Allen would come out of the game. But they wouldn’t just sit on the bench.  48 , they stood and cheered and  49  for their teammates. They wanted to support their friends and  50 .
Now, the guys who don’t play know they can still  51  the game by cheering so they scream and cheer when Garnet, Allen and Pierce are playing. The Celtics have developed a strong  52 . They are more than just teammates. They are  53 .
The result: the Boston Celtics won the 2008 NBA championship and are considered the favorites to  54  the Eastern Conference championship again this year.
There is a saying that  55 , “A successful team beats with one heart.” If that is the case, the Celtics may have the biggest heart in the NBA.
36. A. that              B. when                    C. where                D. which
37. A. not                    B. no                           C. never                 D. seldom
38. A. super stars          B. film stars           C. football stars          D. known persons
39.   A. Yet                  B. Though             C. Then                 D. Finally
40.   A. meant              B. planned             C. decided           D. intended
41.   A. created             B. changed                C. maintained         D. altered
42.   A. championship    B. test                   C. practice          D. drill
43.   A. would              B. used to                    C. could                 D. need
44.   A. focused            B. looked                     C. depended               D. relied
45.   A. selfishness        B. selflessness         C. heroism                  D. male chauvinist
46.   A. happened      B. took                    C. came                D. mattered
47.   A. were winning    B. were failing        C. were going              D. were rising
48.   A. However         B. But                     C. Though            D. Instead
49.   A. shouted        B. laughed               C. screamed          D. neighed
50.   A. teammates           B. relatives                   C. families            D. audience
51.   A. effort                      B. afford                     C. effect                      D. affect
52.   A. teamship       B. connection               C. friendship          D.relationship
53.   A. friends             B. brothers            C. comrades          D. teammates
54.   A. beat                 B. defeat                      C. knock                  D. hit
55.   A. writes              B. goes                    C. speaks                 D. talks

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Milan, the second largest city of Italy, has won an undesirable world record. Of the 54 big cities studied by the World Health Organization and the United Nations, Milan is considered to have the worst air pollution. According to these two10-year studies, the level of air pollution in Milan is twice as high as the levels in Paris and Beijing and three times those in Tokyo and London, and four times that in New York. The reason for Milan's bad pollution, to some experts, is that the city lies in a valley that holds back the poisonous gases. Though Milan has taken some measures to lower the level of pollution, the situation is still worrying. People joke to each other, "If you are traveling to Milan, be sure to bring your gas mask." In order to reduce the use of private cars, in 1979, the government in Milan began an interesting experiment: passengers in the city buses did not have to pay for their tickets.
小題1:Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned in the text?
A．Milan's air is considered to be worst polluted in Europe.
B．Experts think that the air in Milan is badly polluted.
C．The reason for the air pollution in Milan.
D．Measures have been taken by Milan to reduce the air pollution.
小題2:Which of the following cities keeps the lowest level of air pollution?
A．London.B．Tokyo.
C．New York.D．Paris.
小題3:Why is the air pollution in Milan so serious?
A．Because too many cars are being driven in the city every day.
B．Because the city lies in a place where there are some mountains near it.
C．Because Milan has taken some measures to encourage people to buy private cars.
D．Because the city lies in a place where it is difficult for polluted air to move away.
小題4:According to the text, which of the following is TRUE?
A．Milan has taken some measures and the air pollution is being reduced.
B．Milan has taken some action, but the air pollution is still troublesome.
C．Milan has made no effort so far to lower the level of pollution.
D．Milan will taken every step to reduce the air pollution

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