In much society, 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 pressures even within the same group, if some members are darker than others.
The result is that skin lightening has become very common across Africa, Asia and other areas of the world and more people with dark skin are using skin-lighting products, even if it means they may face health risks. They believe that having whiter skin will improve the quality of their lives. Many people think they will have a better family. Or they want to look like what their society generally considers beautiful.
Some beauty care（美容） products and soaps contain chemicals that make skin lighter. However, some of the chemicals are extremely dangerous. The chemicals in the products block and break down the natural barrier(障礙) 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, which just makes things even worse. Doctor Ly says some chemicals are so dangerous that they may lead to blackened fingernails, infections(感染) and serious skin damage.
And these are not the only problems. Experts say some people who change their skin color suffer emotional damage. They feel regretful and sad. They feel that instead of risking their health, they should have learned to live and accept their skin color as it was.
小題1: What’s the result of the wrong understanding of darker skin?

A．Many people with dark skin try to make their skin whiter.

B．Many people with whiter skin live a better life than others.

C．People with darker skin try to marry people with light skin.

D．People with darker skin try to protect themselves against social pressures.

小題2: The third paragraph is about         .

A．some medical effects that skin-lightening products have brought about

B．the mental damage that skin-lightening products have caused

C．the physical damage that skin-lightening products have caused

D．the causes why skin-lightening products can make skin whiter

小題3: Why are chemicals in beauty care products dangerous?
A. They can damage the skin’s color producing progress.
B. They can control people’s emotions and feelings.
C. They can make the fingernails and skin black.
D. They make more people decide to change their skin colors.
ACAB What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Different Colors of Skin              B. The Dark Side of Skin Lightening
C. What Is Beauty?                     D. Light Skin or Dark Skin?

完形填空（共20小題；每小題1.5分，滿分30分）
閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的四個選項（A、B、C和D）中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項，并在答題卡上將該項涂黑。
Today we had an American family, the Robinsons, for Sunday dinner. Mr. Robinson is my mother’s co-worker.
Mr. and Mrs. Robinson and their two young       came at about 6:00 PM. Mrs. Robinson gave Mum a bunch of fresh flowers,      color,freshness and their good will. Mum did the       and it was left to ourselves to get to know each other. I soon      on well with the two girls Judy and Annie.
Mrs. Robinson was much         than her husband. There was a moment of embarrassment when Granny asked about her       . Mum was about to apologize   Mrs. Robinson laughed and said it was quite all right and that she had been in     long enough to know it was the Chinese custom. She       told us that she was 32, though her husband was 52.
And of course they entirely       the dinner. Like a perfect Chinese hostess, Mum and especially Granny       stuffing(填) them with food and urging them to eat and to drink, apologizing all the time that it’s a homely meal.       , Mrs. Robinson said to Mum, “In the West any hostess would be proud of such a feast instead of apologizing for it, and we don’t urge the guests to eat or drink.       so many good things before me, I certainly don’t need any urging. The problem is how to prevent     overeating owing to your keeping putting food into my bowl.” We
all       laughter at that.
When they       to leave, they thanked us not only for the excellent dinner, but for giving them such a nice      . Besides, they insisted on giving every one of us a hug and a       , which did embarrass me. But I think Granny was really    when they kissed her.
It’s surprising how a little good will on both sides can         language and cultural barriers.

小題1:	A．sons B．babies C．daughters D．friends

小題2:	A．bringing B．taking C．fetching D．adding

小題3:	A．decoration B．direction C．introduction D．instruction

小題4:	A．made B．went C．talked D．got

小題5:	A．older B．younger C．thinner D．taller

小題6:	A．marriage B．belief C．age D．salary

小題7:	A．while B．when C．but D．and

小題8:	A．Britain B．Canada C．America D．China

小題9:	A．honestly B．gradually C．excitedly D．loudly

小題10:

A．prepared B．tasted C．enjoyed D．swallowed

小題11:

A．continued B．remained C．suggested D．kept

小題12:

A．However B．Besides C．Therefore D．Instead

小題13:

A．For B．With C．Over D．As

小題14:

A．themselves B．herself C．ourselves D．myself

小題15:

A．broke out B．gave off C．burst into D．set out

小題16:

A．came B．hurried C．got D．rose

小題17:

A．day B．time C．meal D．gift

小題18:

A．smile B．word C．kiss D．hand

小題19:

A．touched B．interested C．attracted D．encouraged

小題20:

A．change B．improve C．damage D．break

A severe heatwave sweeping India, with temperatures of almost 44ºC, the highest in 52 years, has killed at least 80 people this month, officials said on Sunday. The hot weather, which officials say would continue over northern, north-western and central India in the next 48 hours, also may have some impact on wheat production, exporters and flour-mill associations said.
　　New Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 43.7ºC on Saturday, indicating a hot summer in the next two months in the nation's capital and other parts of northern and eastern India. The highest temperature in the past 24 hours was 47ºC at Ganganagar city, in Rajasthan state. Summer temperatures have been 4ºC-6ºC above normal over most parts of northern and central India since March, weather officials said.
　　In the eastern state of Orissa, authorities have decided to shut down schools from next Tuesday, advancing the annual summer holiday. Authorities said they were investigating reports of 53 deaths from various parts of the state.
　　"District collectors have been asked to investigate and submit reports on other deaths," Bhimsen Gochhayat, a government official said. Other deaths were reported from northern state of Uttar Pradesh and central Madhya Pradesh states.
　　India is expected to produce about 82 million tons of wheat in 2009-2010, but there could be a shortage of 1-1.5 million tons due to the heatwave, said Veena Sharma, Secretary General of the Roller Flour Millers Federation of India. "Most of the harvesting is over, but there definitely will be a slight shortage of 1-1.5 million tons due to the extreme weather conditions," she told Reuters.
India is relying on an abundant wheat crop to make up for a 14.2% drop in rice output, the major summer-sown food grain, marred by the worst monsoon （季風）in 37 years last year. Weather officials say with summer temperatures in India set to remain above average, there were hopes of heavy rains at the start of the monsoon season that will help early sowing of rice, soybeans and lentils. 
小題1: The purpose of the passage is ____________.

A．to tell a piece of news of a heatwave

B．to record the highest temperature in India

C．to report the deaths in the heatwave

D．to inform people of a drop of rice output

小題2: Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The highest temperature in the history of India was 44ºC.
B. Schools were closed because of the hot weather throughout India.
C. India is expected to produce about 82 million tons of rice in 2009-2010.
D. India has a good harvest of wheat while the rice output is decreasing.
小題3: The underlined word “marred” in the last paragraph probably means “___________”.

A．reduced

B．damaged

C．blown

D．followed

小題4:What is the main idea of the passage?

A．A severe heatwave would continue over India.

B．At least 80% people were killed in the disaster this month.

C．A severe heatwave swept India with a great loss.

D．A slight shortage of 1-1.5 million tons is due to the heatwave.

Our boat floated on between walls of forest. It was too thick for us to get a view of the land we were passing through, though we knew from the map that our river must be passing through chains of hills from time to time. Nowhere did we find a place where we could have landed: although the jungle did not actually spread right down into the river, banks of soft mud prevented us from going ashore. In any case, what would we have gained by landing? The country was full of snakes and other dangerous creatures and the jungle was so thick that one would be able to advance slowly, cutting one's way with knives the whole way. So we stayed in the boat, hoping that when we reached the sea, a friendly fisherman would pick us up and take us to civilization.
As for water, there was a choice. We could drink the muddy river water, or die of thirst. We drank the water. Men who have just escaped from what appeared to be certain death lost all worries about such small things as diseases caused by dirty water. In fact, none of us suffered from any illness as a result.
One day we passed another village, but fortunately nobody saw us. We did not wish to risk being taken prisoners a second time: we might not be so lucky as to escape in a stolen boat again.
小題1: TOC \o "1-3" \h \z What they could see on the boat was only.

A．high walls	B．chains of hills
C．heavy woods	D．vast land

小題2:They couldn't land because.

A．the mud on the shore was too soft

B．they could not find anyone

C．they could not find the mark on the map

D．the forest was too thick to go through

小題3:From the passage, we can learn that.

A．they were in an uninhabited area

B．they were on a journey home happily

C．the country was a civilized society

D．the country was a tropical jungle coutry

小題4:The best title for this passage might he______

A．I he Problem of Landing	B．Escape in the Jungle
C．An Entirely New Experience	D．Exploration of a River

If you travel to a new exhibition at the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers, you will have chances to see some meat-eating plants. Take bladderworts, a kind of such plant, for example. They appear so small and grow in a quiet pond. "But these are the fastest known killers of the plant kingdom, able to capture a small insect in 1/50 of a second using a trap door!"
Once the trap door closes on the victim, the enzymes(酶）similar to those in the human stomach slowly digest the insert. When dinner is over, the plant opens the trap door and is ready to trap again.
Meat-eating plants grow mostly in wet areas with soil that doesn't offer much food nutrition. In such conditions, these amazing plants have developed insect traps to get their nutritional needs over thousands of years. North America has more such plants than any other continents.
Generally speaking, the traps may have attractive appearance to fool the eye, like pitcher plants, which get their name because they look like beautiful pitchers full of nectar(花蜜).
Hair-like growths along the pitcher walls ensure that nothing can escape, and the digestive enzymes can get to work. A tiny insect can be digested in a few hours, but a fly takes a couple of days.
Some of these pitchers are large enough to hold 7.5 liters. Meat-eating plants only eat people in science fiction movies, but sometimes a bird or other small animals will discover that a pitcher plant isn't a good place to get a drink.
小題1:From Paragraph 1，we learn that bladderworts can_ .

A．kill an insect in a second

B．digest a fly in a few hours

C．be found floating on a quiet lake

D．capture an insect in 1/50 of a second

小題2:If the trap door of a meat-eating plant is closed, the plant is

A．fooling insects into taking a sip

B．producing nectar

C．tempting insects to come close

D．enjoying a dinner

小題3:Meat-eating plants can grow in wet and poor soil because they .

A．can get nutrition from animals

B．don't need much food nutrition

C．can make the most of such conditions

D．have developed digestive enzymes

小題4:What can be captured by meat-eating plants for food?

A．A child.	B．A dog
C．A little bird.	D．A little fish.

You wake up in the morning, the day is beautiful and the plans for the day are what you have been looking forward to for a long time. Then the telephone rings, you say hello, and the drama starts. The person on tbe other end has a depressing tone in his voice as he starts to tell you how terrible his morning is and that there is nothing to look forward to. Are you still in a wonderful mood? Impossible!
Communieating with negative people can wash out your happiness. It may not change what you think, but communicating long enough with them will make you feel depressed for a moment or a long time.
Life brings ups and downs, but some people are stuck in the wrong idea that life has no happiness to offer. They only feel glad when they make others feel bad. No wonder they can hardly win others' pity or respect.
When you communicate with positive people, your spirit stays happy and therefore more positive things are attracted. When the knife of a negative person is put in you, you have the heavy feeling that, all in all, brings you down.
Sometimes we have no choice but to communicate with negative people. This could be a co-worker, or a relative. In this case, say what needs to be said as little as possible. Sometimes it feels good to let out your anger back to the negative person, but this is to lower you to that same negative level and they won't feel ashamed of themselves about that.
Negativity often affects happiness without even being realized. The negative words of others at the start of the day can be attached to you throughout the rest of your day, which makes you feel bad and steals your happiness. Life is too short to feel negative. Stay positive and avoid negativity as much as possible.
小題1:Which of the following shows the position where the miners were trapped? (E: entrance P: position where the miners were trapped)

小題2:The purpose of Paragraph 1 is to  .

A．make a comparison	B．introduce a topic
C．offer an instructive story	D．tell a true story

小題3:How can negative people have effect on us?

A．By influencing our emotion.

B．By telling us the nature of life.

C．By changing our way of thinking

D．By comparing their attitude to life with ours.

小題4:Some negative people base their happiness on   —.

A．their pity for other people	B．their respect for others
C．building up a positive attitude	D．making other people unhappy

小題5:According to the passage, to reduce negative people's influence on us, we are advised.

A．to change negative people's attitude to life

B．to show our dissatisfaction to negative people

C．to make negative people feel as hamed of themselves

D．to communicate with negative people as little as possible

Want to save money when travelling by train? Here are some ways.
Day Returns
　　This ticket can save you up to 45% on the standard fare (車費). You have to travel after the rush hour period Mon.-Fri., but can travel at any time on Sat. or Sun.
Big city Saves
　　These are special low-priced tickets on certain trains. Yon have to book in advance----- at the　latest by 16:00 the day before you travel. It's first come, first served.
Weekend Returns
　　Weekend Returns are available (有售) for most journeys over 60 miles. Go on Fri. Sat. or Sun, and return the same weekend on Sat. or Sun, and save up to 35% the standard fare.
Monthly Returns
　　There are available for most journeys over 65 miles. Go any day and return within a month. Monthly returns save you up to 25% on the standard fare.
Family Returns
　　For ￡20 this railcard allows you to take a second adult (成人) and up to 4 children for only ￡3 each when you buy single or return tickets. You can travel as often as you like until the card becomes out of date. (200 words.建議閱讀時間為3min.)
小題1: Which is the best ticket to buy if you live in London and want to go to a small town 80miles away for four days?

A．Big City Savers	B．Monthly Returns
C．Weekend Returns	D．Family Returns

小題2: A man bought himself a ticket of ￡15 and three tickets for his family with a family railcard.How much did he pay?

A．￡44

B．￡29

C．￡24

D．￡15

閱讀理解 A
As you research music, you will find music that is familiar to you. You will find music which tells of interesting places and exciting things to do. You will find music which expresses feelings that are often your own.
Music is an expression of people. As you research, you will find music of people at work and play. You will find music expressing love of the country, love of nature, and love of home.
Music is also an expression of the composer(作曲家). The composer expresses his own musical ideas. He studies the materials of music and discovers ways of using them. He looks for new kinds of musical expression.
Music can suggest actions and feelings which we all share. We can enjoy playing and singing music, dancing and listening to the music of the people and the composers of different times and places.
小題1:In the first paragraph, the author tells us to ________.

A．be friendly to music

B．find entertainment in music

C．express your feelings in music

D．discover the things and places in music

小題2:From the second paragraph, we know that ________.

A．if we love music, we will love the country, nature and home

B．you may listen to music at work or at play

C．music sings of the country, nature and home

D．music can express how people live, work and think

小題3:The last paragraph shows that music makes it possible ________.

A．that people of different time and places can get together

B．to bring understanding between people of different times and places

C．that people can enjoy playing and singing music, dancing and listening to the music at the same time

D．that music can express actions and feelings at the same time

小題4:Which of the following statements is NOT true? Music expresses     

A．people’s musical ideas	B．people’s love of te country
C．ehe composer’s feelings	D．the feelings of our own

閱讀理解E
Do you have a sore throat, a running nose and a headache? Do you keep coughing and sneezing? If you do, the chances are that you have a cold or perhaps flu---but which one? Although both colds and flu are caused by viruses, they are very different illnesses.
Colds, which usually last about a week, affect the nose most. They commonly cause a running nose and sneezing. Sometimes, they cause a headache, a cough and slightly aching muscles.
Flu is a much more serious illness and is caused by different groups of viruses. People with flu usually get all the symptoms(癥狀) described above. However, they also get a high fever, a dry cough and much worse aching. Fever is one of the characteristic symptoms of the flu for all ages. The symptoms also last much longer. Sometimes they don’t disappear for at least two weeks.
Flu can be a deadly disease. The elderly(年長的), who are weaker and less healthy than most younger people, can die from flu. This is one reason why old people are advised to have a flu injection(預防針) before the start of winter when flu is most common. This injection is inexpensive and definitely（明顯地）worth it.
If you have a cold or flu, you must always deal with used tissues(手巾紙) carefully. Don’t leave dirty tissues on your desk or on the floor. Someone else has to pick these up and viruses could be passed on. And finally, remember to cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze! You don’t want to see the small drops of liquids blown(噴) out of your nose and mouth when you sneeze, do you? Disgusting(令人作嘔), eh? Now you can understand why it’s a good idea to cover your nose and mouth when you sneeze!
小題1: In paragraph 4, we learn that ________.

A．flu injection can cause death

B．most old people die from flu

C．flu can kill old people easily

D．flu is most common in summer

小題2: Dealing with used tissues properly(正確地) is important because ________.

A．it helps keep your classroom tidy

B．it prevents the spread of colds and flu

C．people hate picking up dirty tissues

D．picking up lots of tissues is hard work

小題3: Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Both colds and flu last the same time.

B．Both colds and flu can be prevented by injection.

C．Both colds and flu are caused by the same viruses.

D．Both colds and flu have an aching symptom.

小題4:Which is probably the best title for the passage?

A．Colds and Flu

B．The Different Symptoms of a Cold and Flu

C．Prevention Is Better Than Cure

D．Cover Your Nose and Mouth When Sneezing

Volunteers, as an essential part of a successful world exposition, are a major channel for the public to join in, serve and share the world exposition and a means to show the image of the host country and city. The following information is about the volunteer for the World Exposition 2010 Shanghai China．
I．Basic Requirements for Volunteers
● Be willing to join in voluntary services of Expo 2010;
● Age limit: Expo Site volunteers must be born before April 30, 1992 and Expo City Voluntary 
Service Station volunteers before April 30, 1994;
● Obey the laws and regulations of the PRC;
● Be able to participate in training and relevant activities before the opening of Expo 2010;
● Have necessary knowledge and skills needed by the position;
● Be in good health to meet the requirements of voluntary positions．
II．Further Information for Volunteers
● Source
Residents of Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, as well as overseas Chinese, and foreigners can all apply to be the volunteers．
● Signup methods
Applicants may log in onto the official websites for online signup．They may also consult or connect with the Expo Volunteer Stations．
● Time
May 1 - December 31, 2009
III．Volunteer Training
Volunteer training includes general training, special training and position training．General training is carried out through internet, while special training and position training are provided through classroom lectures and field practice．
IV．Volunteer Types
● Expo Site volunteers refer to those offering voluntary services to visitors and the Organizer in   the Expo Site, mainly including information, visitor flow management, reception, translation and interpretation, assistance for the disabled, and assistance in media service, event and conference organization and volunteer management．
● Information booth volunteers are stationed in the Expo's information booths at key transportation centers, commercial outlets, tourist attractions, restaurants, hotels and cultural event places outside the Expo Site．They offer services including information, translation, interpretation and even first aid．
小題1:If you were born in April 1993, where can you be a volunteer

A．In the Expo City．	B．In the host country．
C．In the Expo Site．	D．In Chinese mainland

小題2:Which of the training will be done on the Internet

A．Position training．	B．General training．
C．Classroom training．	D．Special training．

小題3:Which of the following service is offered by information booth volunteers?

A．Visitor flow management．	B．Helping the disabled
C．Assistance in media service．	D．Emergency First aid．