Why play games? Because they are fun, and a lot more besides. Following the rules, planning your next move and acting as a team member are all “game” ideas that you will come across throughout your life.
Think about some of the games you played as a young child, such as rope-jumping and hide-and-seek. Such games are entertaining and fun. But perhaps more importantly, they translate life into exciting dramas that teach children some of the basic rules they will be expected to follow the rest of their lives, such as taking turns and cooperating (合作) .   
Many children’s games have a practical side Children around the world play games that prepare them for work they will do as grown-ups. For instance, some Saudi Arabian children play a game called bones, which sharpens the hand-eye coordination（協(xié)調(diào)）needed in hunting.
Many sports encourage national or local pride. The most famous games of all, the Olympic Games, bring athletes from around the world together to take part in friendly competition. People who watch the event wave flags, knowing that a gold medal is a win for an entire country, not just the athlete who earned it. For countries experiencing natural disasters or war, an Olympic win can mean so much.
Sports are also an event that unites people. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. People on all continents play it—some for fun and some for a living. Nicolette Iribarne, a Californian soccer player, has discovered a way to spread hope through soccer. He created a foundation to provide poor children with not only soccer balls but also a promising future.
Next time you play your favorite game or sport, think about why you enjoy it, what skills are needed, and whether these skills will help you in other aspects of your life.
小題1: Through playing hide-and-seek, children are expected to learn to ________.

A．be a team leader	B．obey the basic rules
C．a(chǎn)ct as a grown-up	D．predict possible danger

小題2:The underlined part in Paragraph 2 most probably means that games can________.

A．describe life in an exciting way

B．turn real-life experiences into a play

C．make learning life skills more interesting

D．change people’s views of sporting events

小題3:According to the passage, why is winning Olympic medals so encouraging?

A．It inspires people’s deep love for the country.

B．It proves the exceptional skills of the winners.

C．It helps the country out of natural disasters.

D．It earns the winners fame and fortune.

小題4:Iribarne’s goal of forming the foundation is to _______.

A．bring fun to poor kids

B．provide soccer balls for children

C．give poor kids a chance for a better life

D．a(chǎn)ppeal to soccer players to help poor kids

English families face being limited to 80 bags of rubbish a year. Households throwing away more waste will have to take it to the tip (垃圾站) or buy a limited number of extra bags.

Doretta Cocks, protester of the Campaign for Weekly Waste Collections, said, “They must think we are fools. How can they claim to be concerned for the environment when they tell people to drive to the local tip? And what do you do if you don’t have a car? Walk?”
The plan ignores the voice from ministers to end such heavy – handedness (笨拙).
It is to be carried out by the Tory – led council (市政廳) in Wokingham, Berkshire, and is already in operation in Brozbourne in Hertfordshire.
Many of the 180 councils that still offer unlimited weekly rubbish collections are watching the trial.
Wokingham officials have told residents that 75 – litre bags will be given to each household and anything not left in them will not be collected.
“Every household will receive 80 bags every year,” it said. “You can buy extra bags in rolls of ten but this will not be encouraged.”
Families of five will get 100 rubbish bags a year and households of six or more will get 120.
Residents will have a weekly recycling collection limited to cans, paper and cards, plastic bottles and so on.
Plastic packaging and glass including bottles must either go with the general waste or be taken to recycling points. Green waste pick – ups cost an extra ￡60 a year.
The council has told residents it will save ￡922,000 a year under the new system. There will be no local consultation (商討) before it is introduced next April.
小題1:What’s Doretta Cock’s attitude towards the new plan?

A．Satisfied.

B．Curious.

C．Angry.

D．Interested.

小題2:What does the underlined word “this” refer to in the seventh paragraph?

A．Receiving 80 rubbish bags every year.	B．Buying extra bags every year.
C．Driving to city tips.	D．Getting 100 rubbish bags a year.

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

A．the new plan is agreed by most ministers

B．the new plan will waste a lot of money

C．the government has asked for much advice of the new plan

D．the new plan does not necessarily do good to the environment

小題4:Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

A．English families are limited to 80 bags of rubbish a year

B．English families can’t clear away their rubbish

C．English families are angry with their government

D．English government pays no attention to residents’ interest

The students in America usually begin high school at the age of 13 or 14. Some leave at the age of 16. But most finish the 4-year high school study. They do not get their first full-time work or begin college studies until they are 17 or 18 years old.
The high school day is about 7 hours long. Part of the day is made into classes of about 50 minutes long. The students have lunch in the middle of the day. American students study English, history, math, science, art and languages. Some also learn job skills. They can learn how to use a computer or how to mend a car. Other students may learn by working in an office, a hospital or other places one day a week.
Jean Wilton Anderson is 16 years old. She lives with her parents and two younger brothers in Bethesda, Maryland, near Washington D.C. Jean studies at Walt Whitman High School. There are about 1,500 students at the school. Most of them will go up to colleges.
Jean wakes up early every morning. She begins school at about 7:30. This is her third year of high school. Every day she takes classes to learn English, world history, physics and trigonometry（三角學(xué)）. She also has a class about different religions（宗教）.And she plays the violin in music class. School ends at about 2 o’clock in the afternoon. Yet, Jean stays 2 or more hours longer every day for sports. Jean arrives home at about 5 o’clock in the afternoon. She eats dinner. Then she starts her homework. Students in America have their way of talking. They use the word “l(fā)ike” all the time. Jean and her girlfriends wear blue jeans and shirts or sweaters every day. The boys at her school also wear blue jeans. But they like to wear blue jeans that are several sizes too large for them.
Like students of her age in most parts of the country, Jean begins to drive a car. She does not have her car. She must use the family’s car. Most of the students in high school have their own cars. Many of them drive their cars to school every day.
小題1: Which of the following is not true to the high school?

A．The school day usually lasts for 7 hours.

B．The students only have 6 subjects to learn.

C．Each class will last for 50 minutes.

D．The students can learn some skills out of the school.

小題2: Jean Wilton Anderson __________________.

A．has a four-people family	B．lives in the city of Washington
C．has studied in the high school for 3 years	D．drives her own car at the age of 16

小題3: Which of the following is not true?

A．Students in high schools use the word “l(fā)ike” very often

B．The boy students wear blue jeans as the girls.

C．Many high school students go to school in their own cars.

D．Boy students wear jeans of larger size because they grow fast

In the past industries had more freedom than they have now, and they did not need to be as careful as they must today. They did not need to worry a lot about the safety of the new products that they developed. They did not have to pay much attention to the health and safety of the people who worked for them. Often new products were dangerous for the people who used them; often conditions in the work place had very bad effects on the health of the workers.
Of course sometimes there were real disasters which attracted the attention of governments and which showed need for changes. Also scientists who were doing research into the health of workers sometimes produced information which governments could not ignore. At such times, there were inquiries into the causes of the disaster or the problems. New safety rules were often introduced as a result of these inquiries; however，the new rules came too late to protect the people who had died or become seriously ill.
Today many governments have special departments which protect customers and workers. In the U.S., for example, there is a department which tests new airplanes and gives warnings about possible problems. It also makes the rules that aircraft producers must follow. Another department controls the foods and drugs that companies sell. A third department looks at the places where people work, and then reports any companies that are breaking laws which protect the health and safety of workers.
小題1:
According to Paragraph 1, compared with today, industries in the past __________.

A．were controlled less strictly

B．were worse off

C．a(chǎn)ffected more peoples health

D．put out more unhealthy products.

小題2:
It is implied in Paragraph 2 that years ago governments __________.

A．paid much attention to the results of scientific discoveries

B．seldom introduced safety laws before disasters occurred

C．hardly ever looked into the causes of tragedies

D．imposed safety rules as soon as disasters occurred

小題3:
The main topic of the passage is __________.

A．industries in the past and at present

B．changes in the development of industries

C．the protection of industrial workers and customers

D．the freedom of industries

小題4:
The purpose of this passage is to __________.

A．inform

B．criticize

C．entertain

D．persuade

The law says women should have the chance of doing the same jobs as men and earn the same as them. The reality is very different. Women lose because, 25 years after the Equal Pay Act, many of them still get paid less than men. They lose because they do lower－paid jobs which men just won’t consider. And they lose because they are the ones who interrupt a career to have children. All this is reported in an independent study ordered by the Government’s women’s unit. The biggest problem isn’t equal pay in workplaces such as factories. It is the sort of work women do.
Make a list of low－paid－jobs,  then consider who does them. Try nurses, secretaries, cleaners, clerks, teachers in primary schools, dinner ladies and child－care helpers. Not a lot of men among that group, are there? Yet some of those jobs are really important. Surely no one would deny that about nurses and teachers, for a start. So why do we reward the people who do them so poorly? There can be only one answer—because they are women. This is not going to be put right overnight. But the government, which employs a lot of them, and other bosses have to make a start.
It is disgraceful（可恥的） that we have gone into the 21st century still treating women like second－class citizens. 
小題1:
Women should have the chance of doing the same jobs and getting the same pay as men_________.

A．a(chǎn)fter 25 years

B．a(chǎn)ccording to the law

C．a(chǎn)s a result of those important jobs

D．because women are as strong as men

小題2:
．We can learn from the text that what really matters in this problem is_________.

A．that women interrupt a career to have children

B．what sort of work women do

C．because they are women

D．what unfair pay women get in workplaces

小題3:
．Which of the following best describe the writer’s idea?

A．Women and men should get equal pay for equal work.

B．Women should strengthen themselves.

C．The government ought to protect women against getting paid less than men.

D．Some of the jobs that women do are of great importance.

小題4:
Which do you think would be the best title for this passage?

A．Work to give women a fair pay deal	B．The equal pay act
C．The sort of work women do	D．The biggest problem about women

With the introduction of family planning policies in the 1970s, most Chinese teenagers have no brothers or sisters．They get to be the beloved（心愛的）__36__child．But they may not realize that they will have to “__37__”the love as their__38__ones grow old．They will have to__39__lots of old people—their parents, grandparents, their__40_parents and grandparents．China is being__41__country．
According to the United Nations, an aging society refers to one   42  10 percent or more of the population is over 60, or 7 percent or more is over 65. According to   43  from the Ministry of Civil Affairs, by 2008, Chinese over 60 years old made up 12 percent of the nation’s total population. The   44  for those aged 65 or older was 8.3 percent.
In China, people have a belief that “parents raise children; then the children care for the parents as they get old”．But this__45__is under stress as the market ey puts millions of young Chinese on the road__46__better paying jobs．They are leaving their parents__47 ．Now many families are looking more to the government than to their__48__for support when they’re old．China has increased its basic social security（基本社會保險）plan which is__49__protecting those__50__, including the old, the disabled and others．These programs are now broad, __51__they are still not highly developed．
As more people grow__52__, China will have fewer working people, __53__will slow down economic growth. According to a November 26 report in the Economic Information Daily, an expert said China should  54 its people to have more than one child in the future  55 China should keep its labor population and total population size stable(穩(wěn)定的).

小題1:	A．only B．lonely C．friendly D．heartily

小題2:	A．take up B．take back C．pay back D．pay for

小題3:	A．hated B．loved C．tired D．hearted

小題4:	A．care for B．bring up C．look for D．pay attention to

小題5:	A．daughter’s or son’s B．niece’s or nephew’s C．wife’s or husband’s D．a(chǎn)unt’s or uncle’s

小題6:	A．a(chǎn)n old B．a(chǎn)n aging C．a(chǎn) developing D．a(chǎn) developed

小題7:	A．where B．when C．which D．that

小題8:	A．a(chǎn)n article B．a(chǎn)n email C．a(chǎn) magazine D．a(chǎn) report

小題9:	A．conclusion B．character C．figure D．survey

小題10:

A．tradition B．opinion C．saying D．way

小題11:

A．in favor of B．in search of C．in the way of D．in the face of

小題12:

A．out B．off C．a(chǎn)head D．behind

小題13:

A．friends B．relatives C．parents D．children

小題14:

A．a(chǎn)n act B．a(chǎn) case C．a(chǎn) program D．a(chǎn) plan

小題15:

A．in danger B．in need C．in desperate D．in disaster

小題16:

A．but B．or C．a(chǎn)nd D．so

小題17:

A．strong B．realistic C．rich D．old

小題18:

A．a(chǎn)s B．which C．what D．that

小題19:

A．forbid B．promise C．encourage D．order

小題20:

A．so that B．though C．even if D．because

Choosing a nice mountain bike for you is easier than learning how to ride it. Keep these tips in mind：
Decide how you are going to use your new mountain bike.
Are you a new rider who simply wants to travel outdoors on the weekend，weather permitting？Do you intend to test yourself on the rough roads，every day，rain or shine？Or are you going to use your new mountain bike to ride to and from school or work？Be honest about your intentions，and you’re more than half way toward choosing the right mountain bike for you.
Visit your local bike shops.
Any good bike shop will stock a wide range of quality mountain bikes in all price points and sizes. Your local bike shops will carry more than one brand of bicycle. Not only will they sell you a mountain bike that suits your needs，but they will service what they sell. Visit at least a few shops. You’ll get one that satisfies you right away.
Don’t be bashful.
Tell your salesperson how you intend to use your new mountain bike，and how much you are willing to spend. Your salesperson will show you a selection of models and brands accordingly. He or she will also help you determine the right size for you. You may ask more without any sense of shyness.
Take a test ride.
All good bike shops let customers take test rides. There’s a good reason for this beyond “try­before­you­buy” salesmanship. Since you already know your price range and find the right size，you now have to find out which brand you ride best. They want you to be happy with your purchase. After only a few test rides from more than one bike shop，the right mountain bike will choose you.
小題1:
What would be the best title for the text?

A．How to Choose a Mountain Bike

B．How to Ride a Mountain Bike

C．Where to Ride Your Local Bike

D．Why to Take a Test Ride

小題2:
The main purpose of visiting bike shops is________.

A．to share happiness with the salesperson

B．to seek a wide range of quality

C．to get a mountain bike that satisfies you

D．to service your new mountain bike

小題3:
The underlined word “bashful” means________.

A．cold

B．pitiful

C．shy

D．helpful

小題4:
Which of the following is probably the author’s attitude towards “try­before­you­buy” salesmanship?

A．Honorable.

B．Favorable.

C．Negative.

D．Suspicious(懷疑的).

In America,drivers’ education is part of the regular high school curriculum(課程). Every student in his or her second year of high school is required to take a class in driver’s education. However, unlike other courses,it is not given during the regular school year.Instead it is a summer course.?
The course is divided up into two parts:class time for learning laws and regulations, and driving time to practise driving.Class time is not unlike any other class. The students study the basic traffic laws from a text to pass the written driving test that is given to anyone who wants to get a driver’s license.
Driving time is a chance for the students to get behind the wheel (steering wheel) and practise starting steering,backing up,parking,switching lanes,turning corners,and all the other maneuvers (操作) required to drive a car.Each student is required to drive a total of six hours.The students are divided up into groups of four.The students and the instructor go out driving for two hour blocks of time.Thus,each student gets half an hour driving time per outing.The instructor and “driver” sit in the front seats and the other three students sit in the back.
After the student has passed the driver’s education course and reached the appropriate age to drive(this age differs in every state but in most cases the person must be 16 years old),they can go to a designated(指定的) state office to take their driver’s test,which is made up of an eye examination,a written test,and a road test.The person must pass all three tests in order to be given a driver’s license.If the person did well in his or her driver’s education class,he or she will pass the test with flying colors and get a driver’s license.?
小題1:
.In America,the driver’s course mentioned above           .?

A．is considered as part of the advanced education?

B．is given to anyone wanting to get a driver’s license?

C．is carried on at the same time as other courses?

D．is offered to all the students of Grade 2 in high schools

小題2:
We can infer that the students are required to_________in their whole driving practice.

A．spend at least six hours driving	B．get half an hour driving
C．drive for two hour blocks of time	D．go out driving for tweleve times

小題3:
Which of the following is Not True for the students wanting to get their driver’s license??

A．They must have their eyes examined.

B．They must be 16 years of age.?

C．They should go to have their driver’s test.

D．They ought to do well in their driver’s course.?

小題4:
In the last sentence,“with flying colors” means           .?

A．happily

B．quickly

C．colorfully

D．?successfully

Hawaii has planned to be the first U.S. state to roll out（正式推出）electric car stations statewide --- a move towards weaning the islands off oil.
Hawaii, which is far away from the U.S. mainland, imports foreign oil for almost 90 percent of its energy needs. One–third of that oil is used to power cars and buses on island streets. This move will help Hawaii meet its goal of reducing fossil fuel use by 70 percent by 2030.
Better Place, a Palo Alto, California-based company, will build the car recharging stations and provide recharged batteries for electric cars. The company will purchase renewable energy --- such as wind power --- from Hawaiian Electric Co.
Better Place picked Hawaii for the first statewide rollout in part because the islands are a contained environment, with few vehicles (車輛) coming in and out. Better Place would need to build a bigger network across several states to serve some mainland markets. Hawaii also has rich renewable energy resources, including wind, solar and wave power. This is important because Better Place won’t use oil. Better Place plans to recharge its batteries at night with power from Hawaii’s wind farms. That power normally goes unused because of Hawaii’s low nighttime energy needs.
Hawaii is an ideal place to show off Better Place technology because the state welcomes over five million tourists each year from the U.S. mainland, Japan, Canada and the rest of the world. “If we can get them into electric cars when they rent, we do two great things,” Shai Agassi, Better Place’s founder and chief executive officer, said. “One, we avoid emissions （排放物）; two, we use the opportunity to educate them, to teach them in Hawaii how it needs to be done in the rest of the world.”
However, Hawaii doesn’t expect to spend any money to improve the network. Maybe it needs to offer tax breaks or other ways to encourage people to buy electric vehicles when they are first offered.
小題1:
The underlined part “weaning the islands off oil” (in Para 1) probably means _________.

A．exploring the islands for oil

B．stopping Hawaii’s dependence on oil gradually

C．importing more oil from other islands

D．increasing the amount of oil used there

小題2:
Why is Hawaii chosen to be the first state where car recharging stations will be built statewide? _________
①There are few cars in Hawaii.
②Hawaii can provide environmentally friendly energy.
③Plenty of oil has been found in Hawaii.
④Hawaii is separated from the mainland with few vehicles coming in and out.

A．①, ③

B．②, ③

C．②, ④

D．①, ④

小題3:
When visitors to Hawaii rent electric cars, they _________.

A．will be taught it is necessary to do as Hawaiians do to protect the earth

B．will be offered tax breaks

C．need to be told what should be done before travelling

D．should be given the chance to try two things before driving

小題4:
We can infer from the passage that _________.

A．Better Place is a company producing electric cars

B．people are not encouraged to buy electric cars

C．electric cars will be recharged with power from renewable resources

D．Hawaii now has reduced the use oil by 90 percent

Last year, Jack Bleed cut through the bone of his ring finger while working. The 31-year-old resident of North Little Rock, Arkansas, waited for about six hours at a nearby medical center while the medical staff there called all over town — even as far away as Dallas and Memphis — to find a hand surgeon to reattach his finger. Finally, a willing doctor was located in Louisville, Kentucky. But even though Bleed had insurance(保險), he would have to hire a private plane to get himself there, at a cost of $4,300. In the end, he charged the cost to two credit cards, and his finger was saved. His insurance company eventually covered the cost of the plane, but his experience makes people aware of the fact that trauma(外傷) care in the United States is not only geographically limited, but in many places, non-existent.
Only eight states — New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Illinois, New Mexico, California, Oregon, and Washington — have local, fully functional trauma systems. The remaining states have partial systems, and 12 — including Arkansas — have no trauma system at all.
Although the President has signed a bill of $12 million for the purpose of supporting trauma care systems nationwide, many in Congress(國會) are unwilling to spend government money for a service they think should be paid for by states, says Wayne Meredith, medical director for trauma programs at the American College of Surgeons. Meanwhile, many states have also failed to find the dollars to support trauma systems. To make matters worse, many people without insurance depend heavily on the emergency care services, placing a huge financial burden on the medical centers that serve them.
For the same reason, doctors, too, often go unpaid. They are unwilling to perform emergency care, worsening critical shortages of neurosurgeons, orthopedists, and hand surgeons — the very types of specialists Bleed needed at short notice.
Supporting a trauma care system doesn’t take much. A half-penny sales tax in Miami-Dade County makes its outstanding system work. In Arkansas alone, says Wayne Meredith, a well-funded trauma system would possibly prevent 200 to 600 deaths each year. If trauma care systems were to work well across the nation, experts say, many thousands of lives each year could be saved. “You don’t get much better return on your investment than that,” Meredith says.
小題1:
In Paragraph 1, the writer uses Bleed’s case to ______.

A．make a comparison	B．describe a person
C．introduce a topic	D．tell a story

小題2:
Many people in Congress argue that trauma care systems should be supported by ______.

A．the President	B．each state
C．insurance companies	D．the US government

小題3:
The example of Miami-Dade County shows that ______.

A．its tax policy is admirable

B．running a trauma system is profitable

C．a(chǎn) trauma system is not expensive

D．sales tax is not heavy in small counties

小題4:
Why are the present trauma care systems in some states not satisfactory?

A．They are shared by all the states.

B．They are short of financial support.

C．The doctors are not well trained.

D．The hospitals can’t provide low-cost services.