Imagine a boy from a small village in East Africa. He, since a very early age, has been looking after cattle. At twelve years old he knows more about cattle than most of you. However, he has never been to school. Has this boy had any education?
Education is discovering about ourselves and about the people and things around us. All the people who care about us — our parents, brothers, sisters, friends — are our teachers. In fact, we learn something from everyone we meet. We start learning on the day we were born, not on the first day we go to school. Every day we have new experiences, like finding a bird’s nest, discovering a new street in our neighborhood, making friends with someone we didn’t like before. New experiences are even more fun when we share them with other people.
Encouragement from the people around us enables us to explore things as many as possible. As we grow up, we begin to find out what we are capable of doing. You may be good at cooking, or singing or playing football. You find this out by doing these things. Just thinking about cooking doesn’t tell you whether you are good at it.
We learn so much just living from day to day. So why is school important? Of course you can learn some things better at home than at school, like how to do the shopping, and how to help old or disabled people who can’t do everything for themselves. At school, teachers help us to read and write. With their guidance, we begin to see things in different ways.
小題1: The writer takes the African boy as an example to show that _______.

A．African children are very poor.	B．some children are unlucky.
C．there are many kinds of education.	D．schools are of great importance.

小題2:In the opinion of the writer,       .

A．we have to learn from the people around us.	B．the school is not important at all.
C．only people who care for us can teach us.	D．education takes place everywhere.

小題3: One can find out what he / she is good at by     _.

A．what people encourage him/ her to do.	B．the teachings of those he / she meets.
C．thinking about it when growing up.	D．trying and practising things.

小題4: The passage tells us that _    .

A．everyone gets education from the day he or she was born.

B．different classes of people receive different kinds of education.

C．the school is absolutely necessary if one wants to understand the world.

D．everyone will find out what he or she is good at.

小題5:According to the last paragraph, we know that       .

A．the school is not so important as our living places.

B．the school enables us to understand the world in other ways.

C．the school teaches us things which are useless at home.

D．the school cannot prepare us for our daily lives.

What does fizz (氣泡) taste like? In Bubbly (多泡的)drinks such as sodas, tiny bubbles give the drink a lift--- and have a distinct taste, In a new study on mice, scientists have connected that fizzy-taste feeling to the ability to taste sourness, such as that of oranges or vinegar.
Scientists first thought the taste of bubbles came from the bubbles bursting on the tongue, but now ate starting to think differently. Charles Zuker, of Columbia University, and his team studied the nervous system of mice to understand how the tongue tastes carbon dioxide, which is the gas that makes up the bubbles.
Animals, including human beings, are able to detect different tastes by using taste buds(味蕾) which pick up tastes in the mouth, and then send them to the brain. In the experiment, different groups of mice were genetically engineered to be missing one of the senses involved in taste. “Genetically engineered” means the researchers were able to turn off the switches for certain senses by changing the genes responsible for taste. The mice in one group could not taste sweet; another, sour; the third, bitter, and the fourth, salt. When the scientists gave carbon dioxide to the mice, the nervous systems of all the mice responded to the gas, except those of the mice that could not taste sour.
This shows that the taste of the bubbles must be sour, and that by turning off the ability of the mice to taste sour, the scientists also turned off their ability to taste carbon dioxide. When they studied the cells that detect sourness, the researchers found a protein attached to the cells that is important to the process of tasting carbon dioxide. When carbon dioxide comes into contact with this protein, the protein knocks off particles called protons. These protons(質(zhì)子), in turn, travel to the brain, which says ,” Hey! That’s a taste!”
It may seem like a lot of work to get from a can of soda to a taste, but the science of the senses is anything but simple, “  Taste is a challenging system to study,” one researcher says.
小題1: What is the most important function of the bubbles?

A．To look interesting .	B．To make drinks taste good.
C．To make drinks funny.	D．To produce a lot of fizz.

小題2:From the experiment the researchers learned that______.

A．sourness has nothing to do with the taste of bubbles.

B．there is a connection between sourness and bubbles.

C．the taste of bubbles is better if it’s less sour.

D．most mice cannot taste carbon dioxide.

小題3: It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A．the taste of bubbles is produced by the bubbles bursting on the tongue.

B．the nervous systems of mice show how the tongue tastes carbon dioxide.

C．taste seems simple but is very complex to research.

D．nerve cells sending signals to the brain is the first step in tasting something.

小題4: Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．Nervous Systems Understand How the Tongue Tastes.

B．The Process of Taste

C．The taste of Bubbles.

D．Different Animals Detect Different Tastes.

Who's in control of your life? Who is pulling your string? For the majority of us, it's other people-society, colleagues, friends, family or our religious community. We learned this way of operating when we were very young, of course. We were brainwashed. We discovered that feeling important and feeling accepted was a nice experience and so we learned to do everything we could to make other people like us. As Oscar Wilde puts it, “Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry(模仿)，their passions a quotation.”
So when people tell us how wonderful we are, it makes us feel good. We long for this good feeling like a drug－we are addicted to it and seek it out wherever we can. Therefore, we are so eager for the approval of others that we live unhappy and limited lives failing to do the things we really want to. Just as drug addicts and alcoholics live worsened lives to keep getting their fix(一劑毒品)，we worsen our own existence to get our own constant fix of approval.
But just as with any drug, there is a price to pay. The price of the approval drug is freedom－the freedom to be ourselves. The truth is that we cannot-control what other people think. People have their own agenda(日程安排), and they come with their own baggage and, in the end, they're more interested in themselves than in you. Furthermore, if we try to live by the opinions of others, we will build our life on sinking sand. Everyone has a different way of thinking, and people change their opinions all the time. The person who tries to please everyone will only end up getting exhausted and probable pleasing no one in the process.
So how can we take back control? I think there's only one way－make a conscious decision to stop caring what other people think. We should guide ourselves by means of a set of values－not values imposed from the outside by others, but innate values which come from within. If we are driven by these values and not by the changing opinions and value systems of others, we will live a more authentic(真實(shí)的), effective, purposeful and happy life.
小題1:What Oscar Wilde says implies that      .

A．most people's thoughts are controlled by others.

B．we have thoughts similar to those of others.

C．most people have a variety of thoughts.

D．other people's thoughts are more important.

小題2: What does the author try to argue in the third paragraph?

A．The price of taking the drug is freedom.

B．Changing opinions may cost us our freedom.

C．We may lose ourselves to please others.

D．We need to pay for what we want to get.

小題3: It can be concluded from the passage that     .

A．it's important to accept others' opinions.

B．it's better to do what we like.

C．we shouldn't care what others think.

D．we shouldn't change our won opinions.

小題4: The author tries to persuade the readers to accept his arguments mainly by     .

A．making suggestions.	B．a(chǎn)nalyzing causes and effects.
C．providing examples and facts.	D．discussing questions

How much can environment affect intelligence? In one study, striking increases in IQ occurred in 25 children who were moved from an orphanage(孤兒院) to more stimulating（使人興奮的，使人振奮的） environments．The children, who were all considered mentally retarded and unadoptable, were moved to an institution where they received personal attention from adults．Later, these supposedly retarded children were adopted by parents who gave them love, a family ,and a stimulating home environment．The children gained an average of 29 IQ points．For one child, the increase was an amazing 58 points．A second group of initially less "retarded" children, who stayed in the orphanage, lost an average of 26 IQ points.
Other encouraging results can be found in early childhood education programs, which provide stimulating intellectual experiences for disadvantaged children．In one study, children from low-income families were given enriched environments from early infancy(嬰兒期) through preschool．By age 2 their IQ scores were already higher than those in a control group．More important, they were still 5 points higher seven years later．High-quality enrichment programs such as Head Start can prevent children from falling behind in school.
A particularly striking environmental effect is the fact that 14 nations have shown average IQ gains of from 5 to 25 points during the last 30 years．These IQ boosts, averaging 15 points, occurred in far too short a time for genetics to explain them．It is more likely that the gains reflect environmental forces, such as improved education, nutrition, and living in a technologically complex society.
小題1:What's the main idea of this passage

A．Retarded children cannot improve their IQ's.

B．Orphanages are full of mentally retarded children.

C．Environmental factors influence a child's IQ.

D．Early childhood education programs are important.

小題2:The author is in favor of _____________ according to the passage.

A．putting retarded children into institutions

B．providing early childhood education programs

C．keeping children in orphanages

D．keeping retarded children with others like themselves

小題3:Which of the following is NOT mentioned as an environmental factor that affects IQ       .

A．Good nutrition．	B．Improved technology.
C．Better education．	D．Food pollution.

小題4:What can we conclude from the passage ?

A．Attention from parents has little effect on a child's IQ.

B．Head Start programs are a waste of money.

C．Increases in IQ have happened in the US more rapidly than elsewhere.

D．Genetics are less important than environment in gaining one's IQ.

Cities need to put efforts to deal with pollution and clear the air.
Chinese cities will need to put efforts to clear up the sky when a new department to improve regional air quality is set up by 2015, according to the latest plan released by the State Council．
Besides the existing pollution control program for S02, regional emission caps （區(qū)域排放上限） for other certain chemicals will be established in the three key air polluting areas— rhe Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region．Coal-consumption caps will also be tried out in some areas, according to the plan．
The plan is aimed at dealing with regional air pollution—such as acid rain and smog—which have become increasingly obvious in China in recent years and caused a severe threat to people's health, Zhang Lijun, vice-minister of environmental protection, said in an interview on Monday.
The air quality in a city affects the regions nearby because pollutants （污染物）can travel through the atmosphere, said Chai Fahe, vice-director of Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences．
“So efforts to reduce air pollution in a single city, targeting a certain pollutant will not oe enough," Chai said．
Zhang said the country's major industrial districts—the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region—have recorded more than 100 misty days annually in recent years．
These three regions, home to at least 200 million people, occupy only 6．3 percent of the country's area but consume 40 percent of the country's coal and produce half of its steel, according to official figures．
Studies also show that the visibility （能見度） in eastern regions of China has dropped by 7 to 15 km compared to that in the early 1960s, as a result of air pollution．
Liaoning province, the Shandong Peninsula, Wuhan in Hubei province and its surrounding area, the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan region in Hunan province, the Chengdu-Chongqing region, and the western coast of the Taiwan Straits are also listed as areas to carry out such regional air pollution control programs, according to the plan．
The new plan also requires an improved air quality system, which will measure the pollution levels．"The current system, which only measures some major pollutants, cannot reflect the true picture．" said Chai．
小題1:It will not be enough to reduce air pollution in a single city because ______.

A．a(chǎn)ir pollution has been becoming more and more serious in recent years

B．a(chǎn)ir pollution like acid rain and smog is threatening people's health

C．a(chǎn)ir pollutants in a city can travel in the sky and affect nearby areas

D．a(chǎn)ir pollutants stay in fixed places over the cities

小題2:Suppose the visibility in eastern regions of China was 130 km in the early 1960s, the visibility there nowadays is           .

A．123 to 115 km

B．137 to 145 km

C．123 to 145 km

D．115 to 137 km

小題3:The main purpose of the passage is        .

A．to inform readers of the damage caused by air pollution

B．to introduce the new plan to control air pollution

C．to provide official figures of air pollution levels

D．to point out the regions affected by air pollution

小題4:What does the underlined phrase "the true picture" in the last paragraph mean?

A．The major pollutants．

B．The key polluted areas．

C．The major polluted cities．

D．The pollution levels．

       Running like the wind, roaring （咆哮） like thunder, tigers have long been feared and respected as a king of the animal world．But last week a report said that there are no more than 30 wild tigers left in south China．
This was the conclusion of a team of scientists from China's State Forestry Administration and the World Nature Fund．
The South China tiger, also known as the Chinese tiger, is native to southern China．In the 1950's, there were over 4000 tigers found in mountain forests in the country．But due to the destruction of their natural habitat （棲息地） and uncontrolled hunting, it has been pushed on to the list of the world's top ten most endangered species．
Sixty-six of the big cats can be found in the cages of a dozen zoos around China．But they are nothing like their wild cousins．They have lost their natural skills such as hunting and killing．If they were set free they could not look after themselves．
"Breeding has damaged the quality of the species", said Pei Enle, deputy director of the Shanghai Zoo．
To reintroduce the species into the wild, the country started a programme to send five to ten young tigers to South Africa．Four of them have already arrived．Progress has been made as two elder tigers have recovered some of their instincts（本能） and can hunt wild animals by themselves at the African base．
" South Africans are very experienced in reintroducing big animals to the wild．The country has very good natural conditions for the tigers to learn in", said Lu Jun, office director of the National Wildlife Research and Development Center．" We tried in Fujian Province, but it was not successful as there was not a complete eco-chain（生物鏈） and there was a lack of space．"
The tigers should return to China in 2007 when the reservations in Fujian are ready．
小題1:What is the main reason for the South China tiger becoming one of the world's top ten most endangered species?

A．Because it has lost its natural instincts．

B．Because there is not a complete eco-chain．

C．Because there is no space for it．

D．Because uncontrolled hunting has destroyed its natural living conditions．

小題2:How is the programme of sending several tigers to South Africa getting on?

A．Its effect still remains to be seen．

B．Two tigers can already compete with their wild cousins．

C．Some of the tigers are already on the road to recovering their natural skills．

D．The tigers should be able to recover their instincts completely by 2007．

小題3:By saying " but they are nothing like their wild cousins", the writer means that ______．

A．they are no longer feared by other wild animals

B．they don't know how to hunt or kill

C．a(chǎn) complete change has resulted in the species because of breeding

D．to reintroduce them into the wild has become an urgent task

小題4:What is the purpose of sending young tigers to South Africa?

A．To help the tigers recover their ability to live in the wild．

B．To provide them with a better environment．

C．To get the tigers to go on a tour．

D．To find a complete eco-chain for them．

小題5:Which one is not the reason for South Africa being chosen as the training place?

A．Because the tigers can hunt wild animals by themselves at the African base．

B．Because South Africans are skilled at dealing with the tigers．

C．Because there is a complete eco-chain and enough space there．

D．Because the country has good natural conditions for the tigers to learn in．

COOL INVENTIONS




From school to band Practice, the Venturi Eclectic is an Earth-friendly way to get Where you want to go．This battery-powered, zero-emission (meaning it doesn't pollute the air) vehicle runs mainly on renewable energy．Solar panels on the Eclectic's roof absorb sun rays when you're driving．On windy days, you can connect a machine to the car's roof that collects energy from the wind while you're parked．The Eclectic's top speed is 28 miles an hour; the battery lasts for 31 miles before it needs to be recharged．Zipping (迅速行進(jìn)) around the neighborhood has never been better.
Here's an eco-friendly way to tell time: Simply fill the Bedol Water-powered Clock's tank (箱) with water, add some lemon juice, and the clock will display the time without the need for environmentally harmful batteries．There are two sets of metal electrodes (電極) inside the water tank．Water contains ions (離子) that carry negative and positive charges．These ions complete a charge between the electrodes, creating enough energy to power the clock．Just refill the tank every few weeks, and this clock will keep on ticking.
Bloodhound SuperSonic Car (SSC) will be the first car to attempt to break the l,000-mile-an-hour barrier．(The current record is 763 miles an hour.) A concept for now, the rocket-shaped car gets its initial push to 350 miles an hour from a jet engine．Then a rocket fires up, pushing the SSC past 1,000 miles an hour．In order to keep the car streamlined (流線型的), the driver lies back at a 45-degree angle.
You're having a blast at your friend's birthday party．But when it's time to bring out the cake, everyone crowds around, blocking your view．No worries．Throw the Triops into the air, and this clever camera captures the view from above．The Triops can take three pictures at once, each from different angles．You can also record sounds and command the Triops to start shooting whenever it hears that noise．That's one smart camera.
小題1:According to the passage, the Venturi Eclectic      .

A．is popular with businessmen	B．is suitable for a long trip
C．can turn wind into energy	D．has only a little gas emission

小題2:What is the common characteristic of the Venturi Eclectic and the Bedol Water-powered Clock?

A．They don't need batteries.	B．They are difficult to operate.
C．They can be powered by water.	D．They are environmentally friendly.

小題3:The underlined phrase “having a blast” in the last paragraph probably means      .

A．looking at a picture	B．enjoying yourself
C．blowing out a candle	D．recording sounds

小題4:Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The Triops is sensitive to sounds.

B．The driver of the SSC must be of great size.

C．The color of the Bedol Water-powered Clock is like that of lemon.

D．The SSC doesn’t have anything to do with a rocket actually.

LAS VEGAS (AFP) — Children may not like it but a British technology firm has invented an electronic babysitter -- a wristwatch-like device that lets parents know where their children are at all times.
The GPS Child Locator, or num8, attaches securely to a child’s wrist and contains a Global Positioning System (GPS), said Matthew Salmon, a spokesman for the manufacturer, lok8u.
"It uses GPS and GSM (Global System for Mobiles) technology with an accuracy of 10 feet (three meters)," he said. "It tracks your child."
"It only starts working when the device is connected to the child’s wrist," Salmon said, and is "very difficult to get off."
"Even if the child managed to get it off it would send an emergency text message through to your mobile phone," he said. "It would give you a Google Maps image with their exact location, the street name and the zip code."
When a child is wearing the device, a parent sends the text message "wru" and the child’s current location is sent back to a mobile phone or computer.
Parents can also log on to the company website to discover their child’s present location.
"You can also set up a perimeter, an invisible fence, and if they wander out of this invisible fence which you put on the Internet it will warn you," Salmon said. "It will text you immediately."
Salmon said the device is waterproof and shockproof and lasts for three days with a full charge.
It will be available in both Britain and the United States this year and retails for 200 dollars with a 10 dollar a month subscription fee.
He said the company had received thousands of inquiries about the device since launching it this week. "Fifty percent are positive, 50 percent are negative, that it’s a bit Big Brotherish," he said. "But it’s really just about letting you have freedom of mind."
小題1:Only when       does the device begin to work.

A．it uses GPS and GSM technology	B．it is put within about 3 meters
C．it’s joined to parents’ computer	D．it is fastened to the child’s wrist

小題2:If a child is wearing the “wristwatch”, parents can track them by      .

A．sending the text message “wru”	B．replying to the text message
C．getting a Google Maps picture	D．phoning the local police station

小題3:What Can we conclude from the text?

A．It won’t be easily found if a child loses t11e device

B．The device won’t work while a child is swimming

C．Parents can easily track children due to the device

D．The new product needs to be fully charged daily

小題4:The purpose of the text is to      .

A．explain how to use the new device

B．a(chǎn)ttract more buyers to the new product

C．discuss advantages of a new invention

D．introduce a new electronic equipment

If you look for a book as a present for a child. You will be spoiled for choice even in a year when there is no new Harry Patten J.K Rowling’s wizard is not alone: the past decade has been a harvest for good children’s books ,which has set off a large quantity of films and in turn led to increased sales of classics such as The Lord of the Rings.
Yet despite that ,reading is increasingly unpopular among children .According to statistics, in 1997 23% said they didn’t like reading at all . In 2003, 35% did . And around 6% of children leave primary school each year unable to read properly.
Maybe the decline is caused by the increasing availability of computer games. Maybe the books boom has affected only the top of the educational pile . Either way , Chancellor Cordon Brown plans to change things for the bottom of the class .In his pre-budget report , he announced the national project of Reading Recovery to help the children struggling most.
Reading Recovery is aimed at six-year-olds ,who receive four months of individual daily half-hour classes with a specially trained teacher . An evaluation earlier this year reported that children on the scheme made 20 months’ progress in just one year, whereas similarly weak readers without special help made just five months’ progress ,and so ended the year even further below the level expected for their age.
International research tends to find that when British children leave primary school they read well ,but read less often for fun than those elsewhere .Reading for fun matters because children who are keen on reading can expect lifelong pleasure and loving books is an excellent indicator of future educational success . According to the OECD, being a regular and enthusiastic reader is of great advantage.
46.Which of the following is true of Paragraph 1?
A.Many children’s books have been adapted from films.
B.Many high-quality children’s books have been published .
C.The sales of classics have led to the popularity of films.
D.The sales of presents for children have increased.
47.Statistics suggested that _______.
A.the number of top students increased with the use of computers
B.a decreasing number of  children showed interest in reading
C.a minority of primacy school children read properly
D.a large percentage of children read regularly
48.What do we know about Reading Recovery?
A.An evaluation of it will be made sometime this year.
B.Weak readers on the project were the most hardworking.
C.It aims to train special teachers to help children with reading.
D.Children on the project showed noticeable progress in reading.
49.Reading for fun is important because book-loving children _________.
A.take greater advantage of the project       B.show the potential to enjoy a long life
C.are likely to succeed in their education.    D.would make excellent future researchers
50.The aim of this text would probably be _________.
A.to overcome primary school pupils reading difficulty.
B.to encourage the publication of more children’s books
C.to remind children of the importance of reading for fun
D.to introduce a way to improve early childhood reading

It was once thought that air pollution affected only the area immediately around large cities with factories and/or heavy automobile traffic. Today, we know that although these are the areas with the worst air pollution, the problem is literally worldwide. On several occasions over the past decade, a heavy cloud of air pollution has covered the entire eastern half of the United States and led to health warnings even in rural areas away from any major concentration of manufacturing and automobile traffic. In fact, the very climate of the entire earth may be affected by air pollution. Some scientists feel that the increasing concentration of carbon dioxide in the air resulting from the burning of fossil fuels(coal and oil) creating a greenhouse effect-holding in heat reflected from the earth and raising the world’s average temperature. If this view is correct and the world’s temperature is raised only a few degrees, much of the polar ice cap will melt and cities such as New York, Boston, Miami, and New Orleans will be under water.
Another view, less widely held, is that increasing particulate matter in the atmosphere is blocking sunlight and lowering the earth’s temperature-a result that would be equally disastrous（災(zāi)難的）. A drop of just a few degrees could create something close to a new ice age, and would make agriculture difficult or impossible in many of our top farming areas. At present we do riot know for sure that either of these conditions will happen(though one recent government report prepared by experts in the field concluded that the greenhouse effect is very likely). Perhaps, if we very lucky, the two tendencies will offset each other and the world’s temperature will stay about the same as it is now.
小題1:As pointed out at the beginning of the passage, people used to think that air pollution ______.

A．caused widespread damage in the countryside

B．a(chǎn)ffected the entire eastern half of the United States

C．a(chǎn)lmost brought worldwide effect

D．existed merely in urban and industrial areas

小題2:As far as the greenhouse effect is concerned, the author _____________.

A．shares the same view with the scientists

B．is uncertain of its occurrence

C．rejects it as being ungrounded（無(wú)根據(jù)的）

D．thinks that it will increasingly destroy the world soon

小題3:It can be inferred from the passage that                   .

A．raising the world’s temperature a little would not do much harm to life on the earth

B．lowering the world’s temperature a little would lead to agricultural disasters

C．a(chǎn)lmost no temperature variations have occurred over the past decade

D．the world’s temperature will remain stable forever

小題4:This passage is primarily concerned with             .

A．the greenhouse effect in the world

B．the measures to adjust the climate

C．the potential effect of air pollution

D．the measures to protect the environment