Since life is short and the world is wide, the sooner you start exploring it, the better. Soon enough the time will come when you are too tired to move farther than the terrace of the best hotel. Go now.
No need, you may say, to tell that. But what I need to tell you is that you will meet with a surprising amount of opposition the moment you try to set out. Rubbish, you will reply. More people go abroad nowadays than ever before; never has travel, particularly among the young, been more strongly visit, of international exchanges. Perhaps not; but none of this, my dear young friends, is travel. Travel is not going on a round coach trip for $ 67 in all, or spending ten days at a hotel by the sea. Travel is when you want to see how much money and resources you have and then set out, alone or with chosen friends, to make an unhurried journey to a distant goal without a set date for your return.
Real travel, then, is independence in action, and is not liked by most parents. They don’t mind your going in a school party to Athens, because they know just where you are and when you’ll be back, and they can therefore permit you the imagination of freedom without for one second letting you beyond their control. But what they cannot bear is that you should travel all on your own, without giving them your address and return date. In fact, their fears are quite reasonable because that shows how much they love you. So in order to enjoy real travel and at the same time put your parents’ mind at ease. It would be really important for you to bear the following advice in mind.
5. Which statement is true according to the passage?
A. People travel more than before.                                  
B. Young people are encouraged to travel abroad.
C. People should not go on a round coach trip for $ 67.
D. Educational visits should not be encouraged as they are not real travel.
6.What does real travel mean according to the writer?
A. It means telling your parents nothing about the travel   
B. It means not knowing where you want to go.
C. It means traveling to a distant goal in an unhurried manner.  
D. It means traveling without any plan.
7. Your parents allow you to travel in a school party because ________.
A. they want you to be truly free                       B. you are still under their control
C. they don’t have time to travel with you          D. they know it’s good for you
8. According to the writer, when you do real traveling, you should ________.
A. never mind how worried your parents are             
B. give your parents your address and return date
C. tell your parents details about your travel       
D. not let your parents worry about you

We now think of chocolate as sweet, but once it was bitter. We think of it as a candy, but once it was a medicine. Today, chocolate can be a hot drink, a frozen dessert, or just a snack. Sometimes it’s an ingredient(配料) in the main course of a meal. Mexicans make a hot chocolate sauce called mole and pour it over chicken. The Mexicans also eat chocolate with spices(香料) like chili peppers.
Chocolate is a product of the tropical cacao tree. The beans taste so bitter that even the monkeys say “Ugh!” and run away. Workers must first dry and then roast the beans. This removes the bitter taste.
The word “chocolate” comes from a Mayan word. The Mayas were an ancient people who once lived in Mexico. They valued the cacao tree. Some used the beans for money, while others crushed them to make a drink.
When the Spaniards came to Mexico in the sixteenth century, they started drinking cacao too.Because the drink was strong and bitter, they thought it was a medicine. No one had the idea of adding sugar. The Spaniards took some beans back to Europe and opened cafes. Wealthy people drank cacao and said it was good for the digestion.
In the 1800s, the owner of a chocolate factory in England discovered that sugar removed the bitter taste of cacao. It quickly became a cheap and popular drink. Soon afterwards, a factory made the first solid block of sweetened chocolate. Later on, another factory mixed milk and chocolate together. People liked the taste of milk chocolate even better.
Besides the chocolate candy bar, one of the most popular American snacks is the chocolate chip cookie. Favorite desserts are chocolate cream pie and, of course, an ice cream sundae with hot fudge sauce.  
1. It was ________that discovered sugar could remove the bitter taste of cacao.
A. The workers in the chocolate factory       B. The Spaniards
C. The people in England                 D. The owner of a chocolate factory
2. According to the passage which of the following statements is true?
A. Nobody had the idea of adding sugar until the sixteenth century.
B. The word “chocolate” comes from a Mexican word.
C. The beans taste so bitter that even the monkeys like them.
D. Workers must dry and roast the beans to remove the bitter taste.
3. The Spaniards think that cacao was a medicine because________
A. it was strong and bitter.    B. it was good for digestion.
C. it cured man’s diseases.     D. it was a kind of drink for good health.
4. Which is the right time order of the events regarding chocolate?
a. Chocolate became a cheap and popular drink in England.
b. A factory made the first solid block of sweetened chocolate.
c. The Spaniards started drinking cacao.
d. It was found that sugar removed the bitter taste of cacao.
e. A factory mixed milk and chocolate together.  
A. a-b-c-d-e　          B. c-d-e-b-a　　  C. c-d-a-b-e　　        D. c-d-b-e-a
5. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A. chocolate can be a hot drink, a frozen dessert, or a candy bar
B. Mexicans like chocolate very much
C. chocolate is a product of the cacao tree
D. people liked the taste of chocolate mixed with milk

A punctual person is in the habit of doing a thing at the proper time and is never late in keeping an appointment.
The unpunctual man, on the other hand, never does what he has to do at the proper time. He is always in a hurry and in the end loses both time and his good name. A lost thing may be found again, but lost time can never be regained. Time is more valuable than material things. In fact, time is life itself. The unpunctual man is for ever wasting and mismanaging his most valuable asset as well as others’. The unpunctual person is always complaining that he finds no time to answer letters, or return calls or keep appointments promptly. But the man who really has a great deal to do is very careful of his time and seldom complains of want of it. He knows that he can not get through huge amount of work unless he faithfully keeps every piece of work when it has to be attended to.
Failure to be punctual in keeping one’s appointments is a sign of disrespect towards others. If a person is invited to dinner and arrives later than the appointed time, he keeps all the other guests waiting for him. Usually this will be regarded as a great disrespect to the host and all other guests present.
Unpunctuality, moreover, is very harmful when it comes to doing one’s duty, whether public or private. Imagine how it would be if those who are put in charge of important tasks failed to be at their proper place at the appointed time. A man who is known to be habitually unpunctual is never trusted by his friends or fellow men. 
12. What is an unpunctual person like?
A. He always does a thing when it should be done.  B. He is always very busy.
C. He always does a thing at the wrong time.    D. He always keeps the appointments.
13. Why is unpunctuality very harmful?  
A. Because it makes a man lose many chances of doing important affairs.
B. Because it makes a man lose friends.
C. Because it makes a man work quickly.
D. Because it makes a man be more respected by others.
14. According to the passage, which is right?
A. The punctual person has no much work to do.
B. The unpunctual person is very rich
C. The unpunctual person is often respected by his friends.
D. The unpunctual person loses what can’t be regained again.
15. According to the passage, what are good manners when you are invited to a party?
A. Arriving at the appointed time.   B. Arriving before all other guests.
C. Arriving after all other guests.    D. Keeping all other guests waiting.
16. Why is a person always unpunctual?
A. He is too busy.                     B. He has too much work to do.
C. He does care much about time.         D. He doesn’t manage his time properly.

The students start arriving on our upper playground from about 8:45 am. School begins at 8:55 am.
The children do their early morning work while their class teacher takes the attendance register (記錄，登記). The attendance of every child attending school each morning and afternoon is recorded in a special book.
The teacher reads out each child’s name in turn. On hearing his/her name, the child replies 'yes Mrs. (teacher's name)' and the teacher notes down in the book whether the child is in school or not. Sometimes the children will answer their teacher in a different language e.g. French or German. 
At 9:10 am the children go to assembly in our main hall. They sit on the floor in rows with the youngest children at the front and the older children at the back. As the children enter the hall they listen quietly to the music playing. Each week has a different musical theme and the children are asked to listen out for particular things.
In our assemblies the children listen to a story, sing a song and pray. The story is either taken from the Christian Bible or is a story with a moral. The songs we sing are particularly chosen with the children in mind. Some of our songs are sung with the English sign language.
To supply for the children of different faiths, some of our assemblies do not have a Christian theme. These assemblies are a time for us to gather together to celebrate the achievements of our children and of the school as a whole.
Every parent has the right to withdraw their child from a school assembly.
1. How many times does the teacher take the registration everyday?
A. Once.                      B. Twice.        C. Three times.             D. Not mentioned.
2. Basing on what do the children line up in the assemblies?
A. Body-weight.           B. Body-height.     C. Ages.                       D. Classes.
3. Where do the students listen to music every day?
A. In their classroom.                                B. In their dormitory.   
C. In the main hall.                                   D. On the upper playground.
4. According to the passage, what happens in an Assembly?
A. Tell stories in turns. B. Sing English songs sometimes with gestures.
C. Pray for good luck.          D. Listen to stories taken from the Christian Bible.
5. Which of the following statements are NOT true?
A. All the activities in the assemblies have a theme based on the Bible.
B. The assemblies are for fun to get together.
C. It’s not the duty for the children to attend the assemblies.
D. The assemblies are to celebrate the achievements of our children.

Across the world, 1.1 billion people have no access to clean drinking water. More than 2.5 billion people lack basic sanitation.(衛(wèi)生設備)

The combination proves deadly. Each year, diseases related to inadequate water and sanitation kill between 2 and 5 million people and cause an estimated 80 percent of all sicknesses in the developing world. Safe drinking water is a precondition for health and the fight against child death rate, inequality between men and women, and poverty.
Consider these facts:
●The average distance that women in Africa and Asia walk to collect water is 6 kilometers.
●Only 58 percent of children in sub-Saharan Africa are drinking safe water. and only 37 percent of children in South Asia have access to even a basic toilet.
●Each year in India alone, 73 million working days are lost to water-borne diseases.
Here are three ways you can help:
1)Write Congress
Current U.S. foreign aid for drinking water and sanitation budgets only one dollar per year per American citizen. Few members of Congress have ever received a letter from voters about clean drinking water abroad.
2)Sponsor a project with a faith-based organization
Many U.S. religious groups already sponsor water and sanitation projects, working with partner organizations abroad. Simply put a single project by a U.S. organization can make safe water a reality for thousands of people.
3)Support nonprofit water organizations
Numerous U.S.-based nonprofits work skillfully abroad in community-led projects related to drinking water and sanitation. Like the sample of non-profits noted as follows, some organizations are large, other small-scale, some operate worldwide, others are devoted to certain areas in Africa, Asia, or Latin America. Support them generously.
1. The three facts presented in the passage are used to illustrate that________.
A. poverty can result in water-borne diseases
B. people have no access to clean drinking water
C. women’s rights are denied in some developing countries
D. safe drinking water should be a primary concern
2. The intended readers of the passage are________.
A.  Americans               
B. overseas sponsors
C.  Congressmen   
D .  U.S.-based water organizations
3. The main purpose of the passage is to call on people to _________.
A. get rid of water-related diseases in developing countries
B. donate money to people short of water through religious groups
C. fight against the worldwide water shortage and sanitation problem
D. take joint action in support of some nonprofit water organizations
4. What information will probably be provided following the last paragraph?
A. A variety of companies and their worldwide operation.
B. A list of nonprofit water organizations to make contact with.
C. Some ways to get financial aids from U.S. Congress.
D. A few water resources exploited by some world-famous organizations.

Have you ever dreamed of visiting a planet in the Milk Way? While the trip sounds exciting, it would take years and years to reach your destination. So in the future, bedtime for astronauts may be more than a few hours of regular shut-eye. They would have to sleep for years.
European researchers are now conducting hibernation experiments. The study may help them understand whether humans could ever sleep through the years it would take for a space flight to distant planets. "If there was an effective technology, it could make deep-space travel a reality," said Mark Ayre of the European Space Agency last month.
What seems like science fiction is not completely unlikely. Researchers have been able to use chemicals to put living cells into a sleep-like state where they don't age. They have now moved on to small, non-hibernating mammals like rats. The results will be out by the end of 2004.
A major challenge is the fact that cells can be very simple systems, whereas body organs are far more complex.
"It's like moving from a simple Apple computer to a supercomputer," said Marco Biggiogera, a hibernation researcher at Italy's University of Pavia.
Just like bears and frogs, the hibernation of human beings would cause a person's metabolism (新陳代謝) to lower so they would need less energy.
Medical research, however, is just half of a space flight hibernation system.
There is the challenge of designing a suitable protective shelter. Such a shelter would provide the proper environment for hibernation, such as the proper temperature. It would also have to monitor (監(jiān)控) life functions and serve the physiological needs of the hibernator.
According to Ayre, the six-person Human Outer Planets Exploration Mission to Jupiter's moon (木星的衛(wèi)星) Callisto, could be an opportunity to use human hibernation. The mission aims to send six humans on a five-year flight to Callisto, where they will spend 30 days, in 2045.
9. European researchers are conducting hibernation experiments to ________.
A. ensure astronauts to get a complete sleep  B. find the secret of some creatures
C. make preparations for the journey to Jupiter’s moon Callisto
D. know if man can sleep for years
10. The sentence “What seems like science fiction is not completely unlikely” means ________.
A. Science fiction is people’s imagination.
B. Science fiction is imaginative, but it can be realized.
C. Things seem impossible may come true.
D. Things described in science fiction are sure to become true.
11. The passage is implied but doesn’t states that ________.
A. putting living cells into a sleep-like state is full of failure
B. Biggiogera is confident with the experiment
C. human’s hibernation needs no energy
D. medical research is the key to space flight hibernation system
12. By designing a suitable protective shelter, astronauts can ________.
A. have a good hibernation        B. lessen the pressure of traveling in space
C. feed themselves in spaceship    D. moinitor their body changes
13. What’s the best title for the passage?
A. Six humans to fly to Callisto  B. Human hibernation improves health
C. Space travel attracts people   D. Deep sleep for deep space travel

London——Laura Spence has excellent grades, a place at Harvard University and a US $25,000 a year scholarship. The British Government says that is scandal(丑聞).  
Not because the 13-year-old girl is going to Harvard, but because she was rejected by Oxford University. Her case makes people talk about the long-running problems about elitism(精英主義) in British education.
“I think it’s a scandal if a child has to go to Harvard rather than getting into Oxford, don’t you?” Education Secretary David Blunkett said on May 26th in an interview on BBC radio.
British Treasury chief Gordon Brown said in a speech on May 25th it was “an absolute scandal”, a girl with those grades was turned down by Oxford’s Magdalen College. He noted that Spence comes from Monkseaton in northeastern England, where people sometimes complain they get fewer chances than people living in the richer, more populous south.
Oxford and Cambridge University now take the majority of their students—53 percent—from publicly funded schools. Elite(精英)private schools such as Eton and Harrow account for the other 47 percent, even though they serve only 7 percent of secondary students.
A BBC reporter had seen notes of Spence’s interview at Magdalen. “As with other comprehensive school pupils, she’s low in confidence and difficult to draw out of herself in spite of being able to think on her feet,” the BBC quoted the notes as saying. Still, the notes concluded that Spence “will be an excellent doctor.”
“It appears as if some of our institutions have admissions procedures which may be because of absurd prejudices against children from comprehensive schools…are not giving these children a fair crack of the whip”, Education Minister Wicks told the BBC.
5.Laura Spence was rejected by Oxford University because.
A.she was a girl of 13 years old       B.she lacked confidence and she couldn’t think by herself
C.she didn’t win excellent grades
D.she was a shy girl from a comprehensive school in the poorer, less populous north
6.If Laura Spence was from such a school as Eton,.
A.she would be admitted to Oxford    B.she would be accepted by Harvard
C.she could cause long?running problems about elitism in British education
D.she wouldn’t be an excellent doctor
7.What’s the meaning of “a fair crack of the whip”in the last paragraph?
A.A good chance.        B.Warning.           C.Rejection.             D.Admission
8.According to Education Minister Wick’s words, we know he .
A.thought there was something wrong with procedures of admissions to their institutes
B.took the side of Oxford University
C.considered giving up children from comprehensive schools   D.didn’t tell the truth to the BBC

Half of all bosses say a lack of sleep makes them irritable (易怒的) and prone to(有……傾向的) shout at their staff, a study said.
One in five managers also said being kept awake at night meant they were more likely to make mistakes, the Mori poll of 1,006 people revealed(顯示).
Some 48% of people aged 35 to 44 said they did not get enough sleep compared to a national average 39%.
Among that age group, people with young children and managerial (管理的) jobs were most likely to suffer. 
The report, commissioned (委托) by the think tank De­mos and Ikea, said the issue of sleep had been forgotten in the work / life balance debate.
Report author Charles Leadbeater said, "On any working day, a quarter of all managers in Britain are likely to be in a bad mood because they have not slept well. "
"These sleep-deprived and shouty managers with a tend­ency to make mistakes are responsible for millions of British workers. It’s hardly a recipe for good management. "
And Mr. Leadbeater called on the government and em­ployers to take action.
A small loss of sleep is likely to have a big impact on people who lead stressful lives.
"Stressed out parents are already not sleeping enough. They are the people most likely to have their sleep disrupted and they are least able to recover."  
Apart from children keeping their parents awake, worrying about work is the biggest cause of wakefulness at night among managers.
Women are five times more likely than men to lose sleep because their partners snore (打呼嚕).
The report predicted that there was likely to be a growing market of　sleep-deprived people, with an increase in "public napping".
Opportunities to take a nap at work are also likely to in­crease, and the report recommended that employers take their responsibility for ensuring employees were well slept more se­riously.
Peter Jelkeby, marketing manager at Ikea, said the re­search confirmed suspicions Britons were not getting enough sleep.  
And he added: "This is having a detrimental effect on our society as a whole. "
9. Which of following is true according to the text?
A. Half of the people say a lack of sleep makes them irrita­ble.
B. 20% managers said being kept awake at night meant they were more likely to make mistakes.
C. Some 48% of people said they did not get enough sleep.
D. People with young children and managerial jobs were most likely to suffer.
10. What does the underlined word "detrimental" mean?
A 良好的.         B.有害的          C.片面的    D.致命的
11. Who that suffered sleep disrupted are least able to recover?
A. The bosses.                 B. Managers.
C. People aged 35 to 44.             D. Stressed out parents.
12. Apart from children keeping: their parents awake, ________is the biggest cause of wakefulness at night among managers.
A. worrying about work             B. their partners’ snoring
C. the relationship                       D. working conditions

British scientists are breeding a new generation of rice plants that will be able to grow. in soil con­taining salt water. Their work may enable abandoned farms to become productive farms once more.
Tim Flowers and Tony Yeo, from Sussex University’s School of Biological Sciences,. have spent several years researching how crops, such as rice, could be made to grow in water that has become salty. The pairs have recently begun a three-year programme, funded by the Biotechnology and Bio­logical Sciences Research Council, to establish which genes enable some plants to survive salty condi­tions. The aim is to breed this capability into crops, starting with rice.
It is estimated that each year more than 10 million hectares (公頃) of agricultural land are lost because salt gets into the soil and stunts(防礙生長) plants. The problem is caused by several factors. In the tropics, mangroves that create swamps (沼澤) and traditionally formed barriers to sea water have been cut down. In the Mediterranean, a series of droughts have caused the water table to drop, allowing sea water to seep (滲透) in. In Latin America, irrigation often causes problems when water is evaporated by the heat, leaving, salt deposits behind.
Excess salt then enters the plants and prevents them functioning normally. Heavy concentrations of minerals in the plants stop them drawing up the water they need to survive.
To overcome these problems. Flowers and Yeo decided to breed rice plants that take in very little salt and store what they do absorb in cells that do not affect the plants’ growth. They have started to breed these characteristics into a new rice crop, but it will take about eight harvests before the resul­ting seeds are ready to be considered for commercial use.
Once the characteristics for surviving salty soil are known, Flowers and Yeo will try to breed the appropriate genes into all manners of crops and plants. Land that has been abandoned to nature will then be able to bloom again, providing much needed food for the poorer countries of the world.
4. Which of the following statements about Flowers and Yeo is true?
A. They are students at Sussex University.  B. They are rice breeders.
5. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a cause of the problem discussed in the passage?
A. Natural barriers to sea water have been destroyed.
B. The water table has gone down after droughts.
C. Sea level has been continuously rising.
D. Evaporation of water leaves salt behind.
6. The word "affect" in Paragraph 5 could be best replaced by________.
A. influence               B. effect               C. stop                    D. present
7. The attitude of the author towards the research project is________.
A. positive                B. negative            C. suspicious             D. indifferent

Washoe, a female chimpanzee (黑猩猩) believed to be the first non-human to acquire human language, has died of natural causes at the research institute where she was kept.The chimp died on Tuesday night, according to Roger and Deborah Fouts, co-founders of The Chimpanzee and Human Communications Institute in Washington, where she lived.
Washoe was born in 1965 in Africa, where she was captured by the Air Force and taken to the US for research use in the space program. In 1966, she left the program and began living with two scientists, Allen and Beatrix Gardner, who led a project to teach the chimp American Sign Language (ASL) in Washoe, Nevada, for which it was named. Washoe had been living on Central Washington University’s Ellensburg Campus since 1980. She had a vocabulary of about 250 words. Also, Washoe taught sign language to three younger chimps: Tatu, 31, Loulis, 29, and Dar, 31
Primate (靈長類) researcher Jane Goodall, in Fouts’ book Next of Kin, noted the importance of the work with Washoe. “Roger, through his ongoing conversations with Washoe and her extended family, has opened a window into a chimpanzee’s mind,” Goodall said.
Though previous efforts to teach chimps spoken languages had failed, the researchers believed there was a better chance using signs. But Washoe’s language skills were disputed by scientists who believed that language is unique to humans. Among those who doubted that chimps could use language were linguist (語言學家) Noam Chomsky and Harvard scientist Steven Pinker. They believed primates simply learn to perform certain acts in order to receive rewards, and do not acquire true language. 
小題1:As for its first task, Washoe was involved with _______.

A．some space research

B．a study on African animals

C．an ASL project

D．the program of training the Air Force

小題2:In Goodall’s opinion, teaching Washoe ASL ______.

A．was not successful

B．led to the book Next of Kin

C．won honor for Fouts

D．made a difference

小題3:In the last paragraph, the underlined word “disputed” probably means “______”.

A．supported

B．studied

C．questioned

D．discussed

小題4:What can be inferred from the passage?

A．The ASL project was first set up in Africa for the study on Washoe.

B．Washoe may communicate with other chimps by signing.

C．Washoe must have been able to speak 250 words or so.

D．The researchers will prove that most chimps could use language.

小題5:Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Washoe was the first animal to be taught human language.

B．Washoe, the chimp, was named in honor of a place.

C．There were four chimps in total at Ellensburg Campus.

D．Chomsky believed primates only perform silent signs.