E
In many societies, there is often greater acceptance of light skin than dark skin．Light skin may be seen as a mark of beauty, intelligence and success．These beliefs can lead to social pressure even within the same racial group．As a result, more and more people with dark skin are using skin-lightening products, even if they may face health risks．
Many people believe that having whiter skin will improve their lives．They think they will have a better chance of getting a job or marrying into a better family．Or they want to look like what their society generally considers beautiful．
Some beauty care products contain chemicals that make skin lighter．This process is also called bleaching （漂白）．But some of the chemicals are extremely dangerous．One chemical has been linked to kidney （腎） damage and some kinds of cancer．It also causes low birth weight in babies when used by mothers-to-be．
At first, bleaching products make the skin color lighter．But after long-term use they can cause problems．The chemicals in the products block and break down the natural process that gives color to skin．The skin loses its natural barrier to protect against sunlight．Then the skin can become thick and discolored．Usually the person will use more of the product in an effort to correct the problem, but this only makes it worse．
Fatimata Ly treats skin problems in the Senegalese capital, Dakar．Doctor Ly says skin bleaching has become a problem throughout Senegal．She says the chemicals are now more dangerous because they are stronger．Some cases have resulted in blackened fingernails, infections and permanent skin damage．
And these are not the only risks．Experts say some people who change their skin color suffer emotional damage．They feel regret and sadness．They feel that instead of risking their health, they should have learned to love and accept their skin color as it was．
72．Why has skin lightening become popular all over the world?                          
A．There are many ways to help change skin color．                     
B．Many people with dark skin have no confidence．                     
C．Light skin seems to bring more advantages than dark skin．                          
D．People with dark skin are facing the pressure from their family．
73．According to the passage, people using bleaching products would risk _____             
A．thinner skin             B．low weight      
C．lung cancer       D．emotional damage
74．Which of the following is NOT true about bleaching products?                        
A．Some of them contain dangerous chemicals．                   
B．They will not make the skin color lighter．                    
C．They may cause skin damage．    
D．They are likely to bring health risks．
75．The writer's attitude toward using bleaching products is ________．           
A．supportive              B．positive               
C．uncertain         D．negative

B
Studies show that laughter is something that makes you feel calm or relaxed for both physical and psychological wounds though it may seem futile to laugh in the face of pain and fear.
When Dan Rather interviewed comedian Bill Cosby just one week after his son, Ennis, was killed, Cosby said, “I think it is time for me to tell people that we have to laugh. You can turn painful situations around through laughter. If you can find humor in anything, you can survive it.”
Call it a flashlight for dark times: laughter just seems to adjust attitude better than anything else. Inspirational speaker Steve Rizzo recalls a TV interview with an injured firefighter a few days after 9.11．The man had fallen more than 30 stories in one of the towers and had broken a leg. Everyone was crying, and the reporter asked, “How is it that you’ve come out of this alive?” He looked at her and without missing a beat, said, “Look, lady, I’m from New York and I’m a firefighter; that’ all you need to know.”
“Everyone laughed and though the laughter was only a couple of seconds,” says Rizzo. “Sometimes that’s all you need to catch your second breath. Laughter gives you that couple of seconds. You’re sending a message to your brain, and the message is: If you can still laugh even a little among the pain, you are going to be OK.”
Of course, there is a difference between laughing off a serious situation and laughing off the fear that results. The firefighter was doing the latter, states Rizzo, the author of Becoming a Humorous Being, and so should we. “If there is anything we have learnt from 9.11, it’s how precious life really is,” she says. “We have to send a message that our spirit won’t die. One important thing that unites us is our ability to laugh.”   
60．The writer uses the examples of the comedian and the firefighter to show              .
A．laughter is a good way to get rid of pain and fear
B．laughter is the best way to cure psychological wounds
C．it is your attitude that decides whether you can survive the pain or not
D．laughing off a serious situation is different from laughing off the fear that results
61．We can infer from the passage that Steve Rizzo is                        .
A．a(chǎn) reporter   B．a(chǎn) soldier       C．a(chǎn) firefighter  D．a(chǎn) doctor
62．The underlined word futile in the first paragraph means                .
A．hopeless   B．useless   C．careless  D．worthless
63．From the passage, we can know that Americans are                 .
A．really inspired after 9.11     B．hardly united after 9.11
C．nearly surprised by 9.11     D．greatly hurt by 9.11

The journey two divers made some time ago to the deepest point on the earth makes us realize how much of the world still remains to be studied. The two men went down seven miles to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean inside a small steel ball to find out if there are any ocean currents(水流) or signs of life.
It was necessary to set out early, so that the ball would come to the surface in daylight, and be easily found by the mother ship which would be waiting for it. The divers began preparations early in the morning and soon afterwards, when all was ready, the steel ball disappeared under the surface of the water.
The divers felt as if they were going down steps as they passed through warm and cold layers (層) of water. In time the temperature dropped to the freezing point. They kept in touch with the mother ship by telephone telling how they felt. Then, at a depth of 3,000 feet, the telephone stopped working and they were quite cut off from the outside world. All went well until some four hours later at 30,000 feet, the men were frightened by a loud, cracking noise. Even the smallest hole in the ball would have meant instant death. Luckily, though, it was only one of the outer windows that had broken. Soon afterwards, the ball touched the soft ocean floor raising a big cloud of "dust" made up of small dead sea creatures. Here, powerful lights lit up the dark water and the men were surprised to see fish swimming just above them quite untroubled by the great water pressure. But they did not dare to leave the lights on for long, as the heat from them made the water boil. Quite unexpectedly, the telephone began working again and the faint but clear voices of the divers were heard on the mother ship seven miles away. After a stay of thirty minutes the men began their journey up, arriving three hours later, cold and wet through, but none was worse for their experience.
65. The purpose of the divers' journey to the deepest point on the earth was to find
A. if there are water currents, and life in the great depths
B. if people can stand the severe cold in the great depths
C. if there are steps in the great depths
D. if the telephone works well in the great depths
66. The divers set out early in the morning so that                .
A. they could return to the surface during the day
B. they could see at the bottom of the ocean
C. they could avoid the cold at night
D. they could stay long at the bottom
67. As the divers went down to the ocean floor, the telephone              .
A. kept working all the time
B. stopped working at a depth of 3,000 feet and began working again after they reached the bottom
C. stopped working at a depth of 3,000 feet and began working again at 30,000 feet
D. stopped working at a depth of 3,000 feet and began working again when they returned to the same depth
68. On the ocean floor, the divers found that               .
A. there was no life but some small dead sea creatures
B. fish were swimming as freely as they do near the surface
C. fish were not swimming freely in the dark water
D. fish were not swimming freely under the high water pressure

Monarch butterflies（黑脈金斑蝶）are a common summer sight in the northern United States and Canada . These large orange and black insects（昆蟲）brighten parks and gardens as they fly lightly among the flowers . What makes monarchs particularly interesting is that they migrate（遷飛）—all the way to California or Mexico and back . They are thought to be the only insect that does this.
Every year in the late summer monarchs begin their journey to the south. Those heading for Mexico go first for the Louisiana-Mississippi area, then fly across the Gulf of Mexico into Texas. Once in Mexico, they settle themselves in one of about fifteen places in a mountain forest filled with fir trees. Each place provides a winter home for millions of monarchs. The butterflies are so many that they often cover entire trees. When spring comes, they begin their long journey north. 
The question is often asked whether every butterfly makes the round-trip journey every year. And the answer is no. The average monarch lives about nine months. So one flying north might lay eggs in Louisiana and then die. The eggs of that generation may be found in Kentucky; the eggs of the next generation may end up in Wisconsin or Michigan. The last generation of the season, about the fourth , will make their way back to Mexico and restart the journey.
Scientists learn about monarchs’ migration by catching and making marks on the insects. By recatching a monarch with such a mark and noticing where it came from , the next scientist can get to know things like the butterfly’s age and its routing（路線）.
64. One of the places where monarchs spend the winter is       .
A. the Gulf of Mexico                 B. an area in Mississippi
C. a forest in Mexico                D. a plain in Texas
65. The routing of monarchs’ migration can be learned       .
A. by collecting their eggs in the mountains
B. by examining the marks made on them
C. by comparing their different ages
D. by counting the dead ones in the forests
66. What is the subject discussed in the passage?
A. Life and death of monarchs         B. Scientists’ interest in monarchs.
C. Winter home of monarchs.               D. Migration of monarchs.

In communities north of Denver, residents are pitching in to help teachers and administrators as the Vrain school District tries to solve a $13.8 million budget shortage blamed on mismanagement. “We’re worried about our teachers and principals, and we really don’t want to lose them because of this,” one parent said. “If we can help ease their financial burden, we will.”
Teachers are grateful, but I know it may be years before the district is solvent (有綜合能力的). They feel really good about the parent support, but they realize it’s impossible for them to solve this problem.
The 22,000-student district discovered the shortage last month. “It’s extraordinary. Nobody would have imagined something happening like this at this level,” said State Treasurer Mike Coffman.
Coffman and district officials last week agreed on a state emergency plan freeing up a $9.8 million loan that enabled the payroll (工資單) to be met for 2,700 teachers and staff in time for the holidays.
District officials also took $1.7 million from student-activity accounts of its 38 schools.
At Coffman’s request, the District Attorney has begun investigating the district’s finances. Coffman says he wants to know whether district officials hid the budget shortage until after the November election, when voters approved a $212 million bond issue for schools.
In Frederick, students’ parents are buying classroom supplies and offering to pay for groceries and utilities to keep first-year teachers and principals in their jobs.
Some $36,000 has been raised in donations from Safeway. A Chevrolet dealership donated $10,000 and forgave the district’s $10,750 bill for renting the driver educating cars. IBM contributed 4,500 packs of paper.
“We employ thousands of people in this community,” said Mitch Carson, a hospital chief executive, who helped raise funds. “We have children in the school, and we see how they could be affected.”
At Creek High School, three students started a website that displays newspaper articles, district information and an email forum. “Rumors about what’s happening to the district are moving at lighting speed,” said a student. “We wanted to know the truth, and spread that around instead.”
46. What has happened to the Vrain School District?
A. A huge financial problem has arisen.
B. Many schools there are mismanaged.
C. Lots of teachers in the district are planning to quit.
D. Many administrative personnel have been laid off.（A）
47. How did the residents in the Vrain School District respond to the budget shortage?
A. They felt somewhat helpless about it.
B. They accused those responsible for it.
C. They made their efforts to help solve it.
D. They demanded a thorough investigation.（C）
48. In the view of State Treasurer Mike Coffman, the educational budget shortage is ________.
A. unavoidable       B. unbelievable       C. insolvable        D. invisible（B）
49. Why did Coffman request an investigation?
A. To see if the financial problem was covered up on purpose
B. To find out how serious the consequence of the case would be.
C. To make sure that the school principals were innocent.
D. To stop the voters approving the $212 million bond issue.（A）
50. Three high school students started a website in order to ________.
A. attract greater public attention to their needs
B. appeal to the public for contributions and donations
C. expose officials who neglected their duties
D. keep people properly informed of the crisis

B
A 17-year-old boy, caught sending text messages in class, was recently sent to the vice principal's office at Millwood High School in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The vice principal, Steve Gallagher, told the boy he needed to focus on the teacher, not his cellphone. The boy listened politely and nodded, and that's when Mr. Gallagher noticed the student's fingers moving on his lap. He was texting while being scolded for texting. “It was a subconscious act,” says Mr. Gallagher, who took the phone away. “Young people today are connected socially from the moment they open their eyes in the morning until they close their eyes at night. It's compulsive.”
A study this year by psychology students at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Ga., found that the more time young people spend on Facebook, the more likely they are to have lower grades and weaker study habits. Heavy Facebook users show signs of being more socialable, but they are also more likely to be anxious, hostile or depressed. (Doctors, meanwhile, are now blaming addictions to 'night texting' for disturbing the sleep patterns of teens.)
Almost a quarter of today's teens check Facebook more than 10 times a day, according to a 2009 survey by Common Sense Media, a nonprofit group that monitors media's impact on families. Will these young people get rid of this habit once they enter the work force, or will employers come to see texting and 'social-network checking' as accepted parts of the workday?
Think back. When today's older workers were in their 20s, they might have taken a break on the job to call friends and make after-work plans. In those earlier eras, companies discouraged non-business-related calls, and someone who made personal calls all day risked being fired. It was impossible to imagine the constant back-and-forth texting that defines interactions among young people today.
Educators are also being asked by parents, students and educational strategists to reconsider their rules. “In past generations, students got in trouble for passing notes in class. Now students are adept at texting with their phones still in their pockets,” says 40-year-old Mr. Gallagher, the vice principal, “and they're able to communicate with someone one floor down and three rows over. Students are just fundamentally different today. They will take suspensions rather than give up their phones.”
46. The underlined word “a subconscious act” refers to an act __________.
A. on purpose     B. without realization        C. in secret         D. with care
47. Young people addicted to the use of Facebook _________.
A. are good at dealing with the social relationships and concentrate on their study
B. have high spirits and positive attitudes towards their life and work
C. have been influenced mentally in the aspects of behaviors and habits
D. are always in bad mood and have poor performance in every respect
48. Through the situation of today’s older workers in their 20s, it can be inferred that ___________.
A. the employers will not accept young people’s sending text messages
B. a cellphone is a must for today’s older workers instead of young people
C. the employers prefer older workers to young people
D. the employers will find it hard to control the interaction among young people
49. Mr. Gallagher reminds us that the students in the past and those today _________.
A. like to break rules and have the same means of sending messages
B. are always the big problem for the educators and their parents
C. like sending text messages but those today do it in a more secret and skillful way
D. cannot live without a cellphone
50. What’s the best title of the passage?
A. Teenagers and Cellphones                       B. Teenagers’ Texting Addiction
C. Employers and Teenagers                        D. Teenagers’ Education

完形填空(共20分)
It’s a question anyone might ask in the future: Should your household robot be cool? Or practical? For Sony Corporation, robots ought to be entertaining. The company’s 41 robot, SDR—4 X, can sing and dance.
But for automaker Honda Motor Co Ltd, such 42 should perform useful tasks for their 43 masters.
“It is in the end a machine, a 44 ,” said Masato Hirose, Honda’s chief engineer.
Sony’s chief researcher Toshi Doi said robots performing such tasks as 45for ill or disabled people would not necessarily need a human 46  .
“The attractiveness of the SDR—4 X is its 47”, he said.
“It has feelings. It has instincts(直覺).” Drawing from its 48of 60,000 words, an SDR—4 X robot 49 last week that it can ask a 50 in a high voice: “Please 51still for a minute while I memorize your face.”
It also 52 off its ability to walk on uneven(不平的)floors, and come to its owner when it’s 53. While Honda’s robot is 54 used mainly for entertainment, it is 55 that one day it will be a useful companion. So its robot have been 56to be 120cm tall – more than twice the height of the SDR—4 X. Hirose said 120cm is the 57a robot that moves around a home should be.
“If you are going to have something that can move with 58 in a human surroundings(環(huán)境), then it is better to 59 the robot like a human,” he said.
Hirose said that he hopes the robot will be 60 enough so that he can buy one for himself and let it get him a beer.
41. A. earliest           B. latest            C. coolest                            D. smallest
42. A. matters          B. people          C. machines              D. inventions
43. A. human            B. own               C. creative                 D. all
44. A. tool                  B. robot             C. toy                          D. slave
45. A. looking            B. working        C. leaving                   D. caring
46. A. form                B. character     C. job                           D. ability
47. A. appearance   B. purpose        C. personality           D. material
48. A. storage           B. use                C. making                   creation
49. A. said                  B. announced  C. showed                  D. imaged
50. A. friend              B. partner                  C. servant                  D. guest
51. A. hold                 B. lie                   C. take                        D. make
52. A. left                            B. showed        C. put                          D. dropped
53.A. tired                 B. called            C. controlled             D. made
54.A. also                   B. still                C. again                      D. even
55. A. sure                 B. hoped           C. reported                D. described
56. A. expected        B. raised           C. proved                   D. designed
57 A. cheapest         B. dearest                  C. smallest                D. biggest
58. A. ease                B. care               C. difficulty                D. foot
59. A. buy                   B. use                C. invest                     D. design
60. A. useful              B. smart            C. cheap                     D. small

完形填空（共20小題；每小題1.5分，滿分30分）
閱讀下面短文，撐握其大意，然后從36—55各題所給的四個(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。
It was the time when the telegraph was the fastest method of long-distance communication. A young man  36 for a job as a Morse Code(摩爾斯電碼)operator.
Having answered an ad in the newspaper, he went to the office address that was  37 .When he arrived, he entered a large, busy   38  filled with noise and clatter, including the sound of the telegraph in the background. A   39  on the wall told job applicants to fill out a form and wait until they were   40  to enter the inner office. The young man filled out his form and sat down with the seven  41 applicants in the waiting area.   42 a few minutes, the young man stood up suddenly,   43   the room to the door of the inner office, and walked right in.   44  the other applicants came alive, wondering what was   45   . They whispered among themselves that they hadn’t been told to come yet and thought that the young man made a   46   and wouldn’t be accepted.
  47 , when the employer went out of the office with the young man, he said to the other applicants , “Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming, but the   48   has just been filled .”
The other applicants began   49   and one of them   50   , “Wait a minute, I don’t understand. He was the   51  to come in, and we never even got a chance to be   52   . Yet he got the job. That’s not fair!”
The employer said, “I’m sorry, but   53   you’ve been sitting here, the telegraph has been  54 the following message in Morse Code: If you understand this message, then come right in. The job is yours.  55  of you heard it or understood it. This young man did. The job is his.”
36. A. allowed               B. applied              C. cared                           D. stood
37. A. listed                     B. proved                C. named                         D. formed
38. A. market                 B. school                 C. office                            D. clinic
39. A. letter                    B. book                    C. mirror                          D. sign
40. A. persuaded             B. refused              C. forced                          D. ordered
41. A. another                B. other                  C. others                          D. else
42. A. Since                     B. Before                C. After                            D. For
43. A. tied                        B. left                      C. crossed                       D. cleaned
44. A. Surprisingly         B. Strangely           C. Regularly           D. Naturally
45. A. going on               B. going for            C. set aside                     D. set up
46. A. difference            B. mistake              C. decision                     D. point
47. A. Therefore            B. However            C. Otherwise                  D. Moreover
48. A. job                         B. room                   C. seat                              D. gap
49. A. working                B. cheering            C. complaining               D. hesitating
50. A. spoke aloud         B. carried out       C. asked for                     D. told of
51. A .first                       B. best                    C. worse                          D. last
52. A. checked                B. interviewed      C. informed                     D. invited
53. A. at times               B. all the time       C. ahead of time            D. at one time
54. A. ticking out           B. knocking out     C. pointing out               D. showing out
55. A. Some                     B. None                   C. Any                                D. Each

We’ve all heard the saying “Go Green”, but is it important? Can one person really make any difference? These may all be questions you’re asking yourself.
Our main source of energy, at the moment, is fossil fuels. We’ve been using fossil fuels for decades now, so why stop? You see, fossil fuels are created over time by the earth, and can only be replaced over time by the earth, but we were using them faster than the earth could produce them. On top of stripping(剝奪)the earth of her natural resources, we’re also damaging the atmosphere by burning things like coal, oil, and natural gases. That’s the greenhouse effect, which occurs when the burning of these fossil fuels help trap the sun’s energy inside the earth’s atmosphere, causing the temperature to rise over time.
With all the people in the world, how could you possibly make a difference? Well, here are a few things to think about.
How many lights do you use in your house?
How many miles do you drive to work?
How many electronics do you use, which you don’t need?
If you were to stop and think about it, you’re able to make a bigger difference than you might realize.
So many times you’ll hear people say, “So what? I won’t be around for it when things go bad.” But bad times are coming quicker than you might like to believe. It’ll be you children, or maybe even your grandchildren. With the temperature ever-rising, the polar ice caps are melting and water begins taking over land, so many people will crowd into so little space.
As you can see, this is no laughing matter. It’s time to take action. Don’t let your children or grandchildren live in a world without hope. One person at a time, we can begin to save this earth.
60. The passage is mainly to _______.
A. introduce what “Go Green is”
B. call on us to “Go Green”
C. warn us of the danger of burning fossil fuels
D. introduce the greenhouse effect
61. According to the author, if we want to “Go Green”, we should _______.
A. use natural resources             
B. make the temperature to be lower
C. stop the greenhouse effect         
D. try to avoid using fossil fuels
62. According to the author, some people don’t take “Go Green” seriously because they think ______.
A. it will cost them a lot             
B. its harm won’t fall on them
C. they haven’t grandchildren at all    
D. it is only a laughing matter
63. According to the author, which is the right order of the following things happening?
a. The rise of temperature.
b. The greenhouse effect.
c. The reduction of land.
d. The rising sea level.
e. The melting polar ice caps.
f. The using of fossil fuels.
A. f,b,e,d,a,c      B. b,a,f,d,c,e      C. f,b,a,e,d,c     D. b,a,e,d,c,f

第二部分閱讀理解(共20小題；每小題2分，滿分40分
A
Sam and Joe were astronauts. There was once a very dangerous trip and the more experienced astronauts knew there was only a small chance of coming back alive. Sam and Joe, however, thought it would be exciting though a little dangerous. “We’re the best men for the job,” they said to the boss. “There may be problems, but we can find the answers.” “They’re the last people I’d trust,” thought the boss. “But all the other astronauts have refused to go.”
Once they were in space, Joe had to go outside to make some repairs. When the repairs were done, he tried to get back inside the spaceship. But the door was locked. He knocked but there was no answer. He knocked again, louder this time, and again no answer came. Then he hit the door as hard as he could and finally a voice said, “Who’s there?” “It’s me! Who else could it be?” shouted Joe. Sam let him in all right but you can imagine that Joe never asked to go on a trip with Sam again!
36. Most of the astronauts were unwilling to go on a trip because _______.
A.there was little chance of being selected      B.they weren’t experienced enough
C. they thought they might get killed         D. it wasn’t exciting enough
37. Why were Sam and Joe chosen?
A. The boss wanted them to get more experience.
B. The boss trusted them more than anyone else.
C. They were the last people who wanted to go.
D. They were the only men who offered to go.
38 Joe didn’t want to work with Sam again probably because he thought Sam _______.  
A. was very slow and possibly deaf     B.didn’t know how to operate the door
C. was less experienced than he was   D. didn’t know how to do repairs
39. The writer tells this story to _______.
A. show the dangerous side of the astronauts’ life   B. make people laugh
C. show the funny side of the astronauts’ life     D. make people think