Fish have ears. Really. They’re quite small and have no opening to the outside world carrying sound through the body. For the past seven years, Simon Thorrold, a university professor, has been examining fish ears, small round ear bones called otoliths.

As fish grow, so do their otoliths. Each day, their otoliths gain a ring of calcium carbonate (碳酸鈣). By looking through a microscope (顯微鏡) and counting these rings, Thorrold can determine the exact age of a young fish. As a fish gets older, its otoliths no longer get daily rings. Instead, they get yearly rings, which can also be counted, giving information about the fish’s age, just like the growth rings of a tree.

Ring counting is nothing new to fish scientists. But Thorold has turned to a new direction. They’re examining the chemical elements (元素) of each otolith ring.

The daily ring gives us the time, but chemistry tells us about the environment in which the fish swam on any given day. These elements tell us about the chemistry of the water that the fish was in. It also says something about water temperature, which determines how much of these elements will gather within each otolith ring.

Thorrold can tell, for example, if a fish spent time in the open ocean before entering the less salty water of coastal areas. He can basically tell where fish are spending their time at any given stage of history.

In the case of the Atlantic croaker, a popular saltwater food fish, Thorrold and his assistant have successfully followed the traveling of young fish from mid-ocean to the coast, a journey of many hundreds of miles.

This is important to managers in the fish industry, who know nearly nothing about the whereabouts of the young fish for most food fish in the ocean. Eager to learn about his technology, fish scientists are now lending Thorrold their ears.

1.What can we learn about fish ears from the text?

A. They are small soft rings.

B. They are not seen from the outside.

C. They are openings only on food fish.

D. They are not used to receive sound.

2.Why does the writer compare the fish to trees?

A. Trees gain a growth ring each day.

B. Trees also have otoliths.

C. Their growth rings are very small.

D. They both have growth rings.

3.Why is it important to study the chemistry of otolith rings?

A. The elements of the otoliths can tell the history of the sea.

B. Chemical contents of otoliths can tell how fast fish can swim.

C. We can know more about fish and their living environment.

D. Scientists can know exactly how old a fish is.

4.How would you understand “fish scientists are now lending their ears”?

A. They are very interested in Thorrold’s research findings.

B. They want to know where they can find fish.

C. They lend their fish for chemical studies.

D. They wonder if Thorrold can find growth rings from their ears.

Scientists have found what look like caves on Mars, and say they could be protecting life from the planet’s terrible environment.

The first caves discovered beyond the Earth appear as seven mysterious black dots on the pictures sent back by NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter. Each as large as a football field, they may be openings into natural caves below the Martian surface.

“If there is life on Mars, there is a good chance you’d find it in caves,” said Jut Wynne, one of the researchers who noticed the features while working on a US Geological Survey Mars Cave Detection Program.

Jonathan Clarke, a geologist with the Mars Society of Australia, yesterday described the discovery as exciting.

One photo taken at night by an infrared imager(紅外線成像器) showed one hole to be unusually warm, suggesting hot air trapped during the day is flowing out.

“I said: ‘Wow, that’s a cave’.” Dr. Clarke said excitedly. “People have been looking for these for a long time; now we have found them.”

He agreed such caves would be perfect places to hunt for life escaping from the bitterly cold, radiation-soaked(充滿輻射的), dry surface.

“Tiny drops of water could collect inside,” he said. “If there are gases coming out, they could provide energy for a whole range of bacteria. A cave is also a protection from radiation; the surface of Mars is exposed to high levels of space radiation.”

The caves probably formed when tube-shaped lave flows(管狀巖漿流) spread across the planet long ago. The outside of the tubes cooled, forming solid walls, while something hotter inside allowed the remaining have to flow out, forming caves.

1.What does the passage mainly talk about?

A. How the caves were formed on Mars.

B. How scientists found these caves on Mars.

C. Caves on Mars may be full of hot air or a sign of life.

D. Scientists have completely recognized the surface of Mars.

2.What can the “cave” be used for according to the scientists?

A. They can protect life from the planet’s terrible environment.

B. They can provide energy for people’s life.

C. They can be used to prevent space radiation

D. Both A and C.

3.We can learn from the passage that .

A. water has already been found on Mars

B. the scientists found all the caves at night

C. it is certain that there is life in these caves

D. the surface of Mars is bitterly cold, radiation-soaked and dry

4.According to the passage, Dr. Clarke was so excited because .

A. such caves could provide energy for life

B. they had finally found the caves on Mars

C. such caves would be perfect places to hunt for life

D. scientists had long been looking for these caves

5.Necessary conditions for life on Mars mentioned in the passage may include .

A. lave and energy

B. water and radiation from space

C. gases and lave

D. water and protection from radiation

Taxes, Taxes and More Taxes

Americans often say that there are only two things a person can be sure of in life; death and taxes. Americans do not have a corner on the “death” market, but many people feel that the United States leads the world with the worst taxes.

Taxes consist of the money which people pay to support their government. There are generally three levels of government in the United States: federal (聯(lián)邦), state, and city; therefore, there are three types of taxes.

Salaried people who earn more than a few thousand dollars must pay a certain percentage of their salaries to the federal government. The percentage varies form person to person. It depends on their salaries. The federal government has a graduated income tax, that is, the percentage of the tax (14 to 70 percent) increases as a person’s income increases. With the high cost of taxes people are not very happy on April 15, when the federal taxes are due.

The second tax is for the state government: New York, California, North Dakota, or any of the other forty-seven states. Some states have an income tax similar to that of the federal government. Of course, the percentage for the state tax is lower. Other states have a sales tax, which is a percentage charged to any item(項目) which you buy in that state. For example, a person might want to buy a packet of cigarettes for twenty-five cents. If there is a sales tax of eight percent in that state, then the cost of the cigarettes is twenty-seven cents. This figure includes the sales tax. Some states use income tax in addition to sales tax to raise their revenues (收入). The state tax laws are various and confusing.

The third tax is for the city. This tax comes in two forms: property tax (people who own a home have to pay taxes on it) and excise (國產) tax, which is charged on cars in a city. The cities use these funds for education, police and fire departments, public works and municipal (市政內) buildings.

Since Americans pay such high taxes, they often feel that they are working one day each week just to pay their taxes. People always complain about taxes. They often protest that the government uses their tax dollars in the wrong way. They say that it spends too much on useless and impractical programs. Although Americans have different views on many issues, they tend to agree on one subject: taxes are too high.

1.How do you understand the sentence “Americans do not have a corner on the ‘death’ market”?

A. It means that Americans, just like all other people, must die.

B. It means that Americans do not have a secret place to keep from death in their life.

C. It means that Americans are not good at doing business in the death market.

D. It means that there is no such place as a death market in the U. S.

2.Why should the American people usually pay three types of taxes?

A. There are three levels of government--federal, state and city-to support the United States.

B. There are three kinds of taxes to pay--graduated income tax, sales tax and property tax..

C. They earn different salaries: high, middle, and low.

D. Tax laws in different states are different.

3.What does the title “Taxes, Taxes, and More Taxes” imply?

A. Americans are not satisfied with the three types of taxes.

B. The three levels of government do not use the taxes in a right way.

C. Americans complain that taxes are too high.

D. Americans’ taxes are diverse and confusing.

I used to be the messiest person alive. Over the years, through watching others and by trial and error, I have finally found ways to come up with plans, organize them and follow through with them.

Make an outline of everything you need to have and do to make your plan happen. Make a list of all of the steps that need to be accomplished and think about what needs to be done.

Detail everything thoroughly and read over it so you can start coming up with some mental solutions of how to carry out your plans.

You should ensure that if for some reason way one doesn’t work, you have way two and way three to lean back on. Therefore, different ways are needed at hand. It’s just a matter of being organized. Chances are that there is always more than one way of doing things, and chances are that if one of those ways doesn’t work, one of the other ones will.

Committing yourself to finishing at least part if not all of your plan at once is also necessary. It will show that you not only have initiative to get things rolling, but that you are interested in the results obtained with making the move to get everything done.

If you make a commitment to finish before a specific time, make sure that you carry that out, and be sure to do everything in the way you said you would, within the time-frame you set for yourself.

Don’t try to tackle more things all at a time. All that does is delay your progress, distract you and make you lose your interest, motivation and energy.

Carrying out an effective plan requires being as organized as possible. You will only achieve this by sticking to the order of the plan and not deviating or trying to do more at a time.

Last but not the least, you should never abandon things mid-project. It will only annoy everyone around you including yourself. Unfinished plans are a waste of time, energy and, in some cases, even money.

So, don’t be afraid of organization. The older we get, the more necessary it becomes to have the skills to follow through with confidence and to be able to carry through plans in an organized and manageable way. It pays to be organized, after all.

1.Laughter is beneficial to health and perhaps this e________ the long lives of some famous comedians such as Bob Hope and George Burns.

2.You always hear about planes being delayed because of t__________ problems.

3.China has always been trying to s__________ its economic ties with European countries.

4.The twins are so alike that I can hardly tell them a________.

5.At the meeting, he expressed his a__________ for the kindness we had done for his team.

6.The s________ of innocent people caused by the war cannot be compensated for by money.

7.When you laugh, the muscles p_________ in the laugh become active, which is like a deep-breathing exercise.

8.Although it happened many years ago, it still remains in the d_________ of my soul.

9.He is such a c_______ boys, always asking questions about the world around him.

10.More than half the staff are t________--they will quit when the harvest season ends.

Most people know that Marie Curie was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize, and the first person to win it twice. However, few people know that she was also the mother of a Nobel Prize winner.

Born in September, 1987, Irene Curie was the first of the Curies’ two daughters. Along with nine other children whose parents were also famous scholars, Irene studied in their own school, and her mother was one of the teachers. She finished her high school education at the College of Sevigne in Paris.

Irene entered the University of Paris in 1914 to prepare for a degree in mathematics and physics. When World War I began, Irene went to help her mother, who was using X-ray facilities to help save the lives of wounded soldiers. Irene continued the work by developing X-ray facilities in military hospitals in France and Belgium. Her services were recognized in the form of a Military’s Medal by the French government.

In 1918, Irene became her mother’s assistant at the Curie Institute. In December 1924, Frederic Joliot joined the Institute, and Irene taught him the techniques required for his work. They soon fell in love and were married in 1926. Their daughter Helene was born in 1927 and their son Pierre five years later.

Like her mother, Irene combined family and career. Like her mother, Irene was awarded a Nobel Prize, along with her husband, in 1935. Unfortunately, also like her mother, she developed leukemia(白血病) because of her work with radioactivity（放射性）. Irene Joliot-Curie died from leukemia on March 17, 1956.

1.Why was Irene Curie awarded a Military Medal?

A. Because she received a degree in mathematics.

B. Because she contributed to saving the wounded.

C. Because she won the Nobel Prize with Frederic.

D. Because she worked as a helper to her mother.

2.Where did Irene Curie meet her husband Frederic Joliot?

A. At the Curie Institute.

B. At the University of Paris.

C. At a military hospital.

D. At the College of Sevigne.

3.When was the second child of Irene Curie and Frederic Joliot born?

A. In 1932. B. In 1927.

C. In 1897. D. In 1926.

4.In which of the following aspects was Irene Curie different from her mother?

A. Irene worked with radioactivity.

B. Irene won the Nobel Prize twice

C. Irene combined family and career.

D. Irene won the Nobel Prize once

The next great land area that man hopes to control is the moon. In size it is nearly equal to the area of North and South America. However, it presents a hostile (不友好的) environment. Temperatures range +120 to -150 degrees Centigrade. There is no air, and no water.

Today there is considerable scientific speculation (思索) about living on the moon. When man will begin life on the moon surface is still not determined. But experts believe that settlement will take place in three steps. First, there will be increasing periods of exploration with temporary shelters. These periods will be followed by longer stays with housing under the surface of the moon and daily necessities brought by the settlers themselves from the earth. Finally, settlements that are self-supporting will be founded.

The main job of the early settlers will be to stay alive. They will have to plant crops under huge domes (圓頂屋) to produce food and oxygen and find water sources. After this is done, the settlers will have time to explore the possibilities of commercial (商業(yè)的) development and to make discoveries important to science. The characteristics of the moon that make it bad for human staying alive may make it ideal for certain kinds of manufacturing . Operations requiring a vacuum (真空) or extreme cold are examples. Therefore, industrial diamonds might be produced on the moon.

1.The area of the moon is _________.

A. about the same as that of North and South America

B. larger than that of North and South America

C. hardly equal to that of North and South America

D. far smaller than that of North and South America

2.To stay alive on the moon, first of all the early settlers must be able to ______.

A. get enough food, oxygen and water

B. develop commerce

C. make discoveries important

D. explore the possibilities of industrial development

3.Though the environment on the moon is bad for human staying alive, it is very good for ________.

A. all kinds of manufactured goods

B. commercial development

C. making such things as industrial diamonds

D. medical operations

1.You may find the above advertisements _____.

A. in a store window B. in a school magazine

C. in a newspaper D. on a company notice-board

2.The position of a(n) _____ is a part-time job.

A. florist B. artist

C. preschool teacher D. dental nurse

3.Which of the following is the most important for the childcare job?

A. Cooking skills.

B. The ability to work well with other people.

C. Childcare experience.

D. The ability to start work in two weeks.

4.An office cleaner will be required to work about _____ hours a week.

A. 5 B. 10 C. 15 D. 45

Father Maurice Chase used a special way to celebrate his 90th birthday. The Catholic priest took $ 15,000 in cash to Los Angeles’ gutter(貧民區(qū)) and gave it away. Twenty wheelchair–bound people received $100 bills, while the rest received $1to $ 3 each．

“I come out here to tell them that God loves them and I love them and that someone is concerned about them,” Chase said．

Chase has given away cash and blessings every Sunday at the same corner for 24 years. Several hundred people wait for him every week．

He makes a point of coming on Thanksgiving and Christmas, too, but this is the first year he spent his birthday in the downtown neighborhood where people live mainly in shelters and on dirty sidewalks．

“It’s the place that makes me the happiest．I just love it,” said Chase. “I look forward to coming here.”

The money comes from donations he receives from rich and famous people he met during his work as assistant to the president of Loyola Marymount University．

The crowd broke into choruses of “Happy Birthday” several times. Some people presented him birthday cards, to his delight．

Travis Kemp, a 51–year–old disabled man with long black hair, was one of the lucky 20 to receive $ 100. He said he had no special plans for spending the money. “He has a lot of respect from me,” Kemp said. “I know I couldn’t do it.”

1.Which of the following makes Chase feel the happiest?

A. Celebrating his birthday with his neighbours.

B. Working in Loyola Marymount University.

C. Celebrating Christmas with the people he has helped.

D. Going to Los Angeles’ gutter to help people there.

2.What’s the source of the money Chase used to help people?

A. All his savings.

B. His earnings as a Catholic priest.

C. Donations from the wealthy and celebrities.

D. Donations from Loyola Marymount University.

3.Travis Kemp is mentioned in the text to show _______.

A. he was the luckiest person on that day.

B. the disabled need to be taken care of.

C. Chase is greatly appreciated by the needy.

D. even old people came to celebrate Chase’s birthday.

4.Which statement is CORRECT according to the passage?

A. Every recipient could get $100 in cash from Father Maurice Chase.

B. Father Maurice Chase gave the cash away not only on his birthday but also on other occasions.

C. Although Father Maurice Chase gave the cash away on his birthday, he didn’t receive anything in return.

D. Father Maurice Chase earned a lot of money as assistant to the president of Loyola Marymount University.

Street dance is a great outdoor sport to do with a group of friends. 1. Many people bring their radios out onto the streets, warm up and then wait for others to join in. You must be confident to start dancing on the street. They are often social in nature, encouraging interaction with the audience and other dancers.

2. The term itself came from that the fact the dances were made in the streets. There aren’t any rules to “street dance” and freestyle is emphasized. It’s hard to define, but it is basically freely expressing music with one’s body.

__3.__ It has been often divided into old school and new school since 1984. In the old school section, there are locking, popping, and break dancing. In new school, there are hip hop and house.

Street dance is a form of physical exercise, an art form, and for competition, and is today practiced both at dance studios and other spaces. _4.__ Street dance is a culture that can be found all over the world, and there are many international competitions every year. Especially, break dancing competitions in the form of dance battles are popular, since break dancing actually introduced the culture of dance battles in street dance. _5.__

Street dance was first formed in the 20th century.

Street dance is one of the most popular forms of outdoor sport.

Battle of the Year, Freestyle Session and Just Debut are all break dancing competition.

There are many different schools of street dance.

Sometimes street dance becomes competitive and you should hold your own in a circle.

Street dance has been accepted by the young.

Some schools use street dance as a form of physical education.