閱讀理解（共15小題；每小題2分，滿分30分）
閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)（A、B、C和D）中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上將該項(xiàng)涂黑。
Education for Japanese children is free for the first nine years and all children must go to school for six years of primary schooling and three years of secondary schooling. In the primary and secondary school, about 99.9% of school-age children are present. School usually begins at 8 o’clock in the morning and ends at 3 o’clock in the afternoon on weekdays and at noon on Saturdays. The school year begins in April and ends in March. There is a summer holiday in August and a winter holiday during the New Year season.
After nine years of schooling, students can enter the three-year high school by passing an examination and by paying a small charge each year. After high school, students can go on to study at different kinds of colleges, usually for four years. There are also two-year junior colleges.
小題1: The passage mainly discusses _____________.

A．colleges in Japan	B．free education in Japan
C．education in Japan	D．school time in Japan

小題2:If you want to go to high school in Japan, you must ______________________.

A．pay a small amount of money

B．study at primary and secondary school for 9 years

C．take part in the exam and pay a little money

D．pass the exam and pay a little money

小題3: What is not mentioned in the passage?

A．Types of colleges.	B．Times for schooling
C．The teaching staff(教職員工)	D．The number of children attending schools

小題4:How many days do the Japanese students have to go to school every week?

A．Two days

B．Four and a half days

C．Five days

D．Five and a half days

Parents are a child’s first teachers. But some parents never learned from good examples. In New York City, a nonprofit agency called Covenant House tries to help homeless young mothers become good parents.
The twelve or so teenagers who live at the shelter attend parenting classes four days a week. The class is called Mommy and Me. Teacher Delores Clemens is a mother of five and a grandmother. She teaches basic skills, like how to give a baby a bath and how to dress a baby depending on the season.
She remembers one student who learned from her mother not to pick up a crying baby. The mother said that would only make the child needy and overly demanding. Delores Clemens says, “that's not true. You have to hold your baby! He is crying for a reason. If you never pick him up, he's going to keep crying. Pick your baby up. Cuddle your baby. Hug him! And she started to do that. They just want a little cuddling and a little love. And it works!”
Delores Clemens says her students also learn how to be good mothers by letting themselves be mothered. Around three hundred fifty teenage mothers graduate from Covenant House's Mommy and Me class every year.
In class, with her baby son is Natasha. She lived on the streets. She is glad not only for the warmth and shelter of Covenant House. As she told reporter Adam Phillips, she is also glad for the help they offer in seeking a more secure life.
The World Health Organization says the United States has forty-one births for every one thousand girls age fifteen to nineteen. That is higher than other developed countries, as well as some developing ones. By comparison, northern neighbor Canada has fourteen births and southern neighbor Mexico has eighty-two.
小題1:What is the text mainly about?

A．Parents who are a child’s first teachers.

B．A class where teens learn mothering and are mothered.

C．A nonprofit agency that offers a more secure life.

D．A kind teacher who help homeless young mothers.

小題2:Covenant Houses’ Mommy and Me class is intended to _____.

A．help homeless young mothers become good parents

B．provide homeless young mothers with a warm shelter

C．help mothers in New York be good parents

D．teach some parents how to love their children

小題3:What can we know about Delores Clemens from the text?

A．She has a mother of five and a grandmother.

B．She thinks a crying baby should be picked up and hugged.

C．She teaches advanced skills on how to be good mothers.

D．She is very glad for the warmth and shelter of Covenant House.

小題4: According to the World Health Organization, which country has the highest births for girls age fifteen to nineteen?

A．Canada

B．the United States of America

C．Mexico

D．Britain

  Dolphins and sharks are showing up in surprisingly shallow water just off the Florida coast．Mullets，crabs，rays and small fish gather by the thousands off an Alabama pier．Birds covered in oil are crawling（爬）deep into marshes（沼澤），never to be seen again．
Marine scientists studying the effects of the BP disaster（英國(guó)石油公司漏油事件）are seeing some strange phenomena．Fish and other wildlife seem to be fleeing the oil out in the Gulf and gathering in cleaner waters along the coast in a trend that some researchers see as a potentially troubling sign．The animals.presence close to shore means their usual habitat is badly polluted，and the crowding could result in mass die-offs as fish run out of oxygen．Also，the animals could easily be captured by their enemies．
The nearly two-month-old spill（漏油）has created an environmental disaster in US history as tens of millions of gallons have flown into the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem．Scienfists are seeing some unusual things as they try to understand the effects on thousands of species of marine life．For nearly four hours Monday，a three-person crew with Greenpeace cruised（巡航）past delicate islands and mangrove-dotted inlets in Barataria Bay off southern Louisiana．They saw dolphins by the dozen frolicking（嬉戲）in the oily sheen（光澤）and oil-tinged pelicans feeding their young．But they spotted no dead animals．
“I think part of the reason why we’re not seeing more yet is that the impacts of this crisis are really just beginning，”Greenpeace marine biologist John Hocevar said．
The counting of dead wildlife in the Gulf is more than an academic exercise；the deaths will help determine how much BP pays in damages．
小題1:What do the marine life react to the BP disaster？

A．Dolphins and sharks show up in deep water．

B．Tens of thousands of marine animals are found dead．

C．Sea creatures flee from oil spill，gathering near seashore．

D．Birds crawl（爬）deep into caves．

小題2:The environmental disaster was caused by       ．

A．the lack of environmental sense of BP

B．the nearly two-mouth-old oil spill

C．the crowding marine life

D．the damage of Mexico Gulf ecosystem

小題3:What is John Hocevar’s attitude towards the disaster？

A．Disappointed

B．Depressed

C．Neutral

D．Worried

小題4:From the passage，we can infer that         ．

A．marine scientists have seen some strange phenomena．

B．the disaster has little influence on dolphins．

C．a(chǎn) three-person crew reached no conclusion．

D．BP will pay much money according to the number of dead wildlife there．

WHAT happens to a teenage kid when the world he thought he knew suddenly changes? Find out in Little Brother by American author Cory Doctorow． It is a fascinating book for a new generation of sci-fi readers．
Marcus Yallow, 17, from San Francisco is much more comfortable in front of a computer than obeying the rules of society． Smart, fast and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no trouble outwitting （騙過） his high school's monitoring system． This way he and his friends get to head off to play a popular online game in real life．
While they are playing, a bomb explodes on the Bay Bridge． Marcus stops a military vehicle to get help for his injured friend, but this simple act throws him into a Department of Homeland Security （DHS） secret prison． There he is treated as a possible terrorist． He is eventually let go after four days, but his injured friend disappears．
When he returns, Marcus discovers that there are many "security measures" in place and that now all citizens are treated like potential terrorists． While some consider this government action necessary for public safety, Marcus sees this as a complete destruction of the rights he is supposed to have as a citizen．
He knows that no one will believe his story, which leaves him with only one thing to do: to take down the DHS himself． He helps organize a large network called Xnet to spread the truth, anonymously （匿名地）．
The book presents a young man who is irresponsible, but learns about himself, and grows, in the course of the story． As part of this learning and growing he becomes aware of very serious issues about his society．
小題1: What kind of article does this passage belong to?     

A．A fascinating story．	B．A book review．
C．News report	D．A TV programme

小題2: The underlined word destruction in the passage means         ．     

A．damage

B．reward

C．ruin

D．protection

小題3: Marcus Yallow was sent to prison because         ．        

A．he killed his friend

B．he bombed a military vehicle

C．he did something that a possible terrorist could do

D．his injured friend disappeared

小題4: From the second paragraph we can infer that         ．     

A．Marcus Yallow is much more comfortable obeying the rules of society

B．Marcus Yallow is smart, fast and wise in real life

C．Marcus Yallow always plays online games in real life

D．Marcus Yallow is expert at the network world

小題5: In the end of the book, Marcus Yallow         ．      

A．is supposed to be more irresponsible

B．becomes aware of very serious issues about his society

C．presents a young man who is irresponsible

D．plays a popular online game in real life

Recently, scientists have developed a wireless brainmachine interface that help restore communication to people who can no longer speak by reading brainwaves using electrodes(電極) stuck on their heads. Unfortunately, these have proved very slow, at roughly one word typed per minute, making normal conversations and social interactions virtually impossible.
Scientist Frank Guenther and his colleagues reveal a brainmachine interface that uses electrodes implanted directly into the brain for research into real time speech.
"It should soon be possible for extremely paralysed individuals who are incapable of speaking to produce speech through a laptop computer, " said Guenther.
The scientists worked with a 26-year- old male volunteer who experience near-total paralysis due to a stroke he suffered when he was 16. They implanted an electrode that had two wires into a part of the brain that help plan and execute movements related to speech. The electrode recorded brain signals when the volunteer attempted to talk and the wires spread them across the scalp(頭皮)to help drive a speech synthesizer (合成器). The delay between brain activity and sound output was just 50 milliseconds on average, roughly the same with regular speech.
"He was quite excited, particularly on the first few days we used the system, as he got used to its properties, " Guenther recalled." I am sure the work proceeds slowly from his perspective, as it does from ours. Nonetheless, he was very excited about getting real-time audio feedback of his intended speech and happy to work very hard with us throughout the experiments."
"The current system uses data from just two wires. Within a year it will be possible to implant a system with 16 times as many." Guenther said." This will allow us to tap into neurons(神經(jīng)元)，which in the end means better control over a synthesizer and thus better speech."
小題1:In the study of Guenther, electrodes are _______.

A．fixed on the heads	B．put into the heads
C．tied to the heads	D．separated from the heads

小題2:   The underlined word "them" in Paragraph 4 refers to _______.

A．movements

B．wires

C．brain signals

D．Scientists

小題3:   What might be the best title for the passage?
A. Wireless Device Are Used to Read Words in the Brain.
B. New Equipment Helps you read others’ mind.
C. Virtual tongue can make you speak fluently.
It is no secret what you are thinking in mind.

For several years, scientists have been testing a substance called interferon(干擾素), a possible wonder drug that is proving to be effective in treating a variety of diseases, including virus infections, bacterial infections, and cancers. To date, the new drug has no side effect of great influence to discourage its use.  But in spite of its success, last year only one gram was produced in the entire world.
The reason for the shortage lies in the structure of interferon. A special protein, the interferon produced from one animal species cannot be used in treating another animal species. In other words, to treat human beings, only interferon produced by human beings may be used. The drug is produced by infecting white blood cells with a virus. Fortunately, it is so effective that the amount given to each patient each time is very small.
Unlike antibiotics (抗生素), interferon does not attack germs directly. Instead, it protects healthy cells from being infected, and prevents the reproduction of viruses within cells.
As you might conclude, one of the most special uses of interferon has been in the treatment of cancer. Dr. Hans Strander, a research physician at Sweden’s famous Karolinska Institute, has treated more than one hundred cancer patients with the new drug. Among a group of selected patients who had received operations for advanced cancer, half were given  traditional treatments and the other half were given interferon. Among those treated with interferon 70 percent of them remained alive over three years, as compared with only 10 to 30 percent among those who had received the traditional treatments.
In the United States, a large-scale project supported by the American Cancer Society is now under way. If the experiment were successful, interferon could become one of the greatest medical discoveries of our time.
小題1:What is the difference between antibiotics and interferon?

A．Interferon has serious side effects, while antibiotics do not.

B．Antibiotics kill germs by attacking them directly, while interferon does not.

C．Antibiotics are very effective, while the effect of interferon is limited.

D．They are different in structure, although they are both proteins.

小題2:According to the passage, if 170 cancer patients received interferon treatment, how many of them would remain alive over three years?

A．About 30.

B．About 50.

C．About 120.

D．About 70.

小題3:The passage tells us that ________.

A．it is difficult to produce interferon in large quantities because of its special structure.

B．interferon is produced widely in lots of countries.

C．few of the patients who had received traditional treatments remained alive.

D．most of the patients who received interferon also needed traditional treatments.

The definition of the standard kilogram is almost entirely wrong. Getting that definition right is a challenge that has tried the patience and intelligence of scientists for decades.
Scientists use just seven basic units to define all the other quantities we use — quantities such as speed or electric power. All of those basic units except the kilogram are themselves defined according to natural properties（屬性）that are beyond human control.
For example, the standard second (time) is defined as a specific number of vibration（振動(dòng)）of a type of radiation sent out by atoms of a special metal. The standard metre (length), in turn, is defined as the length of the path light travels under certain conditions.
Not so the kilogram. This orphan of the basic unit family is simply the mass of a small platinum-iridium alloy cylinder（鉑—銥合金筒）locked away in a container maintained by the International Bureau of Weights & Measures in Sevres, France, near Paris. Official bodies around the world have copies of the cylinder.
Embarrassingly, the last time the copies were brought to Sevres for a checkup in the 1980s, officials found that some copies had gained about 20 parts per billion in weight compared to the master cylinder since the previous checkup in the 1940s. This implies that the master cylinder itself may be an inconstant standard.
Several efforts in several different countries are under way to redefine the kilogram according to basic physical quantities such as counting the actual number of atoms of a specific substance in a kilogram or the electromagnetic（電磁的）force that balances a kilogram mass against gravity. A project of the latter type at the laboratories in Gaithersburg, Md., hopes eventually to define mass by means of electrical units.
So far, none of these redefinition projects has borne fruit. They require the very accuracy of measurement and control of experimental conditions. The slightest influence — even a tiny change in weather — can ruin results. You’ve got to hand it to scientists who are willing to devote many years to such painstaking — but extremely important — research.
小題1: Compared with other basic units, the kilogram is ____.

A．a(chǎn)s accurate as other basic units

B．not universally accepted in the world

C．not defined according to natural properties

D．defined in the same way as other basic units

小題2:The author introduced the examination of copies of a platinum-iridium alloy cylinder in the 1980s to indicate that ____.

A．the causes of weight changes had been found

B．such kind of checks had been carried out regularly

C．the changes in weight challenged the definition of the kilogram

D．the consequences of such changes were great in research

小題3: According to the passage, to define the weight of mass by means of electrical units ____.

A．is the only way to redefine the kilogram scientifically

B．has been accepted as the only possible redefinition project

C．is not as complicated as people understand

D．has been considered by some scientists as a better approach

小題4: Which of the following cannot be concluded from the passage?

A．Scientists will achieve success in redefining the kilogram in the near future

B．Some scientists are trying to redefine the kilogram according to basic physical quantities.

C．The redefining of the standard kilogram is quite complicated and can be affected by a number of factors.

D．A number of experiments are being carried out to redefine the kilogram.

Many children first learn the value of money by receiving an allowance (pocket money). The purpose is to let children learn from experiences at an age when financial mistakes are not very costly．
The amount of money that parents give to their children to spend as they wish differs from family to family. Timing is another consideration．Some children get a weekly allowance．Others get a monthly allowance．
In any case, parents should make clear what，if anything, the child is expected to pay for with the money．At first, young children may spend all of their allowance soon after they receive it. If they do this，they will learn the hard way that spending must be done within a budget．Parents are usually advised not to offer more money until the next allowance．
The object is to show young people that a budget demands a choice between spending and saving．Older children may be responsible enough to save money for larger costs，like clothing or electronics．Many people who have written on the subject of allowances say it is not a good idea to pay your child for work around the home．These jobs are a normal part of family life．
Paying children to do extra work around the house，however，can be useful．It can even provide an understanding of how a business works．
Allowances give children a chance to experience the three things they can do with money．They can share it in the form of gifts or giving to a good cause. They can spend it by buying things they want．Or they can save it.
Saving helps children understand that costly goals require sacrifice．You have to cut costs and plan for the future．Requiring children to save part of their allowances can also open the door to future saving and investing．Many banks offer services to help children and teenagers learn about personal finance.
A saving account is an excellent way to learn about the power of compound interest．
Compounding works by paying interest on interest．So，for example，one dollar invested at two per-cent interest for two years will earn two cents in the first year．The second years，the money will earn two percent of one dollar and two cents，and so on．That may not seem like a lot．But over time it adds up．
小題1:Giving an allowance, parents should consider all the following EXCEPT_______.

A．how much the child should get each time	B．whether the child has made a budget
C．where the money really goes	D．how often a child can get it

小題2:The author of the passage holds the opinion that________.

A．what children learn by handling allowances may be beneficial in the future

B．children can learn to set up their own business with their allowances

C．keeping allowances in the bank is the best choice for children

D．it is not a good idea to pay children for housework at home

小題3:The underlined words “compound interest” in the passage probably mean ________.

A．increasing curiosity to learn how to make more money

B．stronger power to hold one’s attention to saving money

C．money paid by the bank on your original money and the gain from it

D．the sum of money that you earn from keeping your money in the bank

小題4:What is the best title for the passage?

A．Be Generous to Pay Your Children．	B．Be Wise to Avoid Financical Mistakes．
C．Saving Allowances Does Good to Children.	D．Allowances Help Children Learn about Money．

Astronauts’ meals have come a long way from the free-dried powders and semi—liquid pastes of decades ago，now US scientists want to grow vegetables in mini—greenhouses on the moon．
Scientists say they are looking forward to a time when residents of future lunar or even Martian outsteps will be able to dine on fresh vegetables．Paragon Space Development Corporation has unveiled what it called the first step toward growing flowers——and eventually food on the moon．
This is a sealed greenhouse that looks like a bell jar encased in a 46-cm triangular aluminiumframe．It is designed to safely land a laboratory plant on the lunar surface，and protect it while it grows．
The miniature greenhouse is to be launched into space by Odyssey Moon Ltd, a participant in the Google Lunar X Prize. This competition offers $21 million to any entrant who can launch, land and operate a rover on the lunar surface.
Paragon officials say future testing of the “Lunar Oasis” will be driven by Odyssey’s flight Schedule, which will not happen until 2012 at the earliest．
When it does lift off the greenhouse will contain the seeds of Brassica, a hardy plant related to Brussels sprouts and cabbage. Because Brassica goes from seed to flower in just 14 days, it can complete its life cycle in a single lunar night.
“Colonizing the Moon or Mars seems so far away，but it is important that we do this research now. ”Paragon president Jane Poynter said．
“It takes a long time to get a lot of research, and to get integrated, reliable efficient systems before colonists move in. ”she said．
小題1:The article is written mainly to__________．

A．predict the astronauts’ meals in the future

B．introduce an experiment “Lunar Oasis’’

C．tell us the future development of astronomy

D．focus on the human’s great progress

小題2:The article implies that__________．

A．a(chǎn)stronauts can grow flowers in space at present
B．Paragon and NASA will carry out the test separately
C．Lunar Oasis is a series of experiments carried out in space	D．the earliest testing of the Lunar Oasis may be in 2012

小題3:The underlined word “colonists” in the last paragraph probably has the meaning of______．

A．plants

B．wild beasts

C．human beings

D．scientists

小題4:The seeds of Brassica will be contained in the greenhouse mainly because _________.

A．their life cycle is much shorter

B．they are more nutritious than other food

C．they are related to Brussels sprouts and cabbage

D．they are very delicious

完形填空（共20小題，每小題1.5分，滿分30分）
閱讀下面短文，掌握其大意，然后從36---55所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)（A、B、C、D）中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)。
The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know a new classmate. I stood up to 36  when a gentle hand   37   my shoulder. I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady looking up at me with a  38  .
She said, “Hi. My name is Rose. I’m eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a 39  ?” I laughed and enthusiastically responded, “Of course you may!” and she gave me a giant squeeze (an act of pressing).
“Why are you in college at such a young,    40  age ?”I asked. “I always dreamed of having a  41   experience and now I’m getting   42  !” she told me.
Later, we became close friends. Every day we would leave class together and she   43   her wisdom and  44   with me. Over the course of the year, Rose became a (an)    45  icon（偶像） and she easily made friends wherever she went.
At the  46  of the term we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. I’ll never forget what she taught us. When she was  47  , frustrated and a little embarrassed, she cleared her  48  and said, “We do not stop playing because we are old; we  49  old because we stop playing. There are only two secrets to staying   50  , being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find 51   every day. You’ve got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you  52  .”
One week after graduation Rose died   53   in her sleep. Many college students attended her funeral in tribute to（悼念）the wonderful woman who taught us by    54  that it’s never too late  to 55  all you can possibly be.

小題1:	A．look around B．look back C．look down D．look up

小題2:	A．hit B．felt C．touched D．knocked

小題3:	A．surprise B．smile C．wonder D．pleasure

小題4:	A．hand B．welcome C．hug D．gift

小題5:	A．innocent B．golden C．happy D．valuable

小題6:	A．college B．junior high school C．senior high school D．primary school

小題7:	A．it B．that C．one D．them

小題8: A. shared         B. told               C. learned            D. debated

小題9:	A．course B．experience C．degree D．happiness

小題10:

A．old B．great C．campus D．outgoing

小題11:

A．end B．middle C．beginning D．top

小題12:

A．invited B．a(chǎn)ppearing C．speaking D．introduced

小題13:

A．nose B．face C．throat D．eyes

小題14:

A．look B．prove C．grow D．stay

小題15:

A．healthy B．young C．cheerful D．rich

小題16:

A．humor B．goals C．dreams D．jokes

小題17:

A．lose B．fail C．die D．disappoint

小題18:

A．hopefully B．peacefully C．fortunately D．bitterly

小題19:

A．experience B．example C．pleasure D．courage

小題20:

A．be B．a(chǎn)chieve C．gain D．do