Texico High School is renewing its professional arts program.
     For years, one teacher taught the professional arts and was in charge of the Future Farmers of America
and Leadership programs. This year, community and school leaders decided to give the professional arts
program more attention.
     The school decided to bring back the program after a survey of the students. The students wanted
professional arts classes. To lead the program, the school invited Terry Whitener. Whitener taught leadership
and professional arts in Anthony, Texas.
     "It is difficult to do both well," he said. Whitener took carpentry (木工活) classes while he attended Texico
High School. "There were a lot more activities back in the 1980s than when I came here this year," he said.
     The school has bought new equipment for the carpentry workshop for Whitener's classes.
     Whitener said the classes were to give the students a leg up when they left high school "Not all students
are going to college," he said. "Even if they do, this program gives them helpful skills." Whitener said he wanted
to teach students carpentry classes from a career (生涯) standpoint (立場).
     "Measure twice, cut once. I tell them no boss is going to want to pay them to do a job twice, when they
could do it right the first time," he said. "Traditionally, all the guys were going to be farmers. That's not true
anymore. More kids will use these skills in a career instead of on their own field."
     "This is something I'm going to do after high school," said Zayne Meeks, one of Whitener's students. "It
gives people better opportunities to get better experience and then a better job."
     Another student, Lucas Waltners, said he was unsure of what he wanted to do after high school, but that
the skills learned in Whitener's class would be helpful either way. "This is something I'll know how to do if I
ever need to do it," he said.

1. What is "the Future Farmers of America"?

A. It's a farm.
B. It's a school.
C. It's a program.
D. It's a company.

2. Which of the following is TRUE about Whitener?

A. Whitener is a leader of the school in Anthony, Texas.
B. Whitener was a teacher who taught leadership and professional arts in Anthony, Texas.
C. Whitener learnt carpentry from his parents when he was in High School.
D. Whitener wants the students who attend his carpentry classes to be farmers in the future.

3. From the passage we know that Whitener's classes are to help the students _____.

A. prepare for their future life in some way
B. learn how to do carpentry work well only
C. how to find jobs in the future
D. how to become a leader

4. The best title for this passage may be _____.

A. Texico High School activity back in the 1980s
B. Carpentry classes in Texico High School
C. Texico school renews professional arts program
D. Future farmers training

     Women are, on the whole, more verbal than men. They are good at language and verbal reasoning, while
men tend to be skilled at tasks demanding visual-spatial abilities. In fact, along with aggression, these are the
most commonly accepted differences between the sexes.
     Words are tools for communicating with other people, especially information about people. They are mainly
social tools. Visual and spatial abilities are good for imagining and manipulating objects and for communicating
information about them. Are these talents programmed into the brain? In some of the newest and most
controversial research in neurophysiology, it has been suggested that when it comes to the brain, males are
specialists while women are generalists.
     But no one knows what, if anything, this means in terms of the abilities of the two sexes. Engineering is
both visual and spatial, and it's true that there are relatively few women engineers. But women become just as
skilled as men at shooting a rifle or driving a car, tasks that involve visual-spatial skills. They also do equally
well at programming a computer, which is neither visual nor spatial. Women do, however, seem less likely to
fall in love with the objects themselves. We all know men for whom machines seem to be extensions of their
identity. A woman is more likely to see her car, rifle, or computer as a useful tool, but not in itself fascinating.

1. According to the passage, women are usually good at _____.

A. body language
B. logical reasoning
C. tasks demanding for the use of words
D. both A and B

2. The word "accepted" in the last sentence of the first paragraph roughly means _____.

A. believed
B. assumed
C. received
D. refused

3. In the authors' opinion, visual and spatial abilities are good for _____.

A. achieving one's objects
B. mind and body
C. programming talents into the brain
D. imagination and communication

4. All the following tasks involve visual-spatial skills EXCEPT _____.

A. imagining and handling objects
B. providing a computer with a set of instructions
C. shooting a gun and driving an automobile
D. planning and making things as an engineer does

5. Why do women seem less likely to fall in love with the objects themselves?

A. Because they have no visual-spatial skills.
B. Because they are only good at language and verbal reasoning.
C. Because they are less likely to see their charming or interesting aspects.
D. Because they rarely use machines such as cars, rifles, computers, etc.

     Very early on the morning of June 29, 1991, a heavy fog hung over the wheat field in southern England.
Carrie and Morgenstern were watching the field. Although they could see nothing through the thick fog, they
kept their cameras running.
     By 6a. m. the fog began to lift. A remarkable pair of circles was seen in the wheat field. Rushing down
the hill, they found that the wheat within the two circles had been flattened into precise clockwise swirls.
Stalks (麥稈) were bent but not broken. Outside the circles the wheat was untouched.
     It had been silent all night. Although the field was muddy, there were no footprints or other marks. The
circles seemed to have come from nowhere. "I can't explain it," admits Mike Carrie.
     Carrie is not alone, Since the early 1980s, more than 2000 circles have appeared in farmers' fields. Most
circles form at night between May and August.
     Some believe the circles are caused by hedgehogs (刺猬) or deer. Others attribute them to the UFOs.
     "The circles are messages given by those who come from outer space," says Michael Green. "Perhaps
they are trying to get in touch with us."
     Pat Delgado has made researches on crop circles since 1981. He believes that they are caused by "some
form of earth energy". In several circles, he recorded an unusual noise which seemed to have been made by
some "electronic".
     Most scientists think that there's no scientific basis to back up Green's or Delgado's theories. Some of
them say, "We think they're nothing but a hoax (騙局)."
     In September 1991, Doug Bower and Dave Chorley claimed that since 1979 they had made circles
throughout southern England to fool people who believed in LIFO. "We got down on our hands and knees and
used an iron bar, so that it looked as though a UFO bad landed there."
     Since the early 1980s, Dr Terence Meaden has visited more than 1000 circles. Now he thinks he may have
the answer. He believes true crop circles are made by vortex. When it hits the ground, it flattens the crop in
spiral patterns. Each northern summer, these surprising formations turn British cornfields into artists' paintings.
"Crop circles are an amusing part of the silly season-though farmers might not agree," says Royal Society's Sir
Francis Graham-smith.

1. On the morning of June 29, 1991, Carrie and Morgenstern hoped to _____.

A. record an important thing
B. see something funny
C. find nature's secret
D. draw a conclusion

2. Mike Carrie was _____ at what he saw.

A. satisfied
B. amused
C. surprised
D. interested

3. Most scientists consider the supernatural theories of Green and Delgado are _____.

A. meaningful
B. reasonable
C. instructive
D. against the law of science

4. The crop circle phenomenon _____.

A. has come to an end
B. makes scientists puzzled
C. is a bad thing
D. makes farmers amused

5. What is the best title of this passage?

A. A Clever Hoax
B. A Thick Fog
C. Crop Circles
D. Earth Energy

     Social networking websites are causing alarming changes in the brains of young users, a famous scientist
has warned. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Bebo are said to shorten attention spans (幅度), encourage
instant satisfaction and make children more self-centered.
     Warnings from neuroscientist (神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)科學(xué)家) Susan Greenfield will disturb the millions whose social
lives depend on surfing their favorite websites each day. But they will strike a chord (弦) with parents and
teachers who complain that many teenagers lack the ability to communicate or concentrate away from their
screens.
     More than 150 million use Facebook to keep in touch with friends, share photographs and videos and
post regular updates of their movements and thoughts. A further six million have signed up to Twitter, the
"micro-blogging" service that lets users exchange text messages about themselves. But while the sites are
popular and extremely profitable, a growing number of psychologists and neuroscientists believe they may
be doing more harm than good.
     Baroness Tarot, an Oxford University neuroscientist believes repeated exposure could rewire the brain.
Computer games and fast-paced TV shows were also a factor, she said. "My fear is that these technologies
are weakening the brain to the state of small children who are attracted by buzzing noises and bright lights,
who have a small attention span and live for the moment. often wonder whether real conversation in real
time may eventually give way to these easier and faster screen dialogues, in much the same way as killing
and butchering an animal to eat has been replaced by the convenience of packages on the supermarket shelf,"
she said.
     Psychologists have also argued that digital technology is changing the way we think. They point out that
students no longer need to plan their term papers before starting to write-thanks to word processors they
can edit as they go along.
     A study by the Broadcaster Audience Board found teenagers now spend seven and a half hours a day in
front of a screen. Educational psychologist Jane Healy believes children should be kept away from computer
games until they are seven. Most games only excite the "flight or fight" areas of the brain, rather than the
areas responsible reasoning.
     Sue Palmer, author of Toxic Childhood, said:"We are seeing children's brain development damaged because
they don't engage in the activity they have engaged in for thousands of years. I'm not against technology and
computers. But before they start social networking, they need to learn to make real relationships with people."

1. According to the passage, social networking websites might _____.

A. encourage young users constant satisfaction
B. lengthen young users' attention span
C. make young users more selfish
D. help young users communicate better with their families

2. A neuroscientist may worry that sites like Facebook may _____.

A. help children learn to make real relationships with people in society
B. encourage students not to plan their term papers before starting to write
C. disturb those whose social lives depend on surfing their favorite websites
D. make real conversation in real time give way to easier and faster screen dialogue

3. From the passage we can infer that _____.

A. Baroness Tarot agrees websites cause small children's small attention span
B. Jane Healy believes computer games can do good to children's reasoning
C. Susan Greenfield's warnings have been brought to wide public attention
D. Sue Palmer's book Toxic Childhood discusses the development of networking

4. What is the purpose of this passage?

A. To tell us the conflict between neuroscientists and psychologists on websites.
B. To present some negative opinions on social networking websites.
C. To offer advice on the problem of brain damage caused by social networking.
D. To analyse how social networking websites cause damage in the brains of teenagers.

5. From Baroness Tarot's example of "killing and butchering an animal to eat", we can learn he is worried
    that _____.

A. technologies are weakening are the brain to the state of small children
B. small children have a small attention span and live for the moment
C. real conversation in real time may be replaced by easier and faster screen dialogues
D. killing and butchering an animal to eat leads to the convenience of the supermarket

     Language learning begins with listening. Children are greatly different in the amount of listening they do
before they start speaking, and later starters are often long listeners. Most children will"obey" spoken
instructions some time before they can speak, though the word "obey" is hardly accurate as a description
of the eager and delighted cooperation usually shown by the child. Before they can speak, many children
will also ask questions by gesture and by making questioning noises.
     Any attempt to study the development from the noises babies make to their first spoken words leads to
considerable difficulties. It is agreed that they enjoy making noises, and that during the first few months one
or two noises sort themselves as particularly expressive as delight, pain, friendliness, and so on. But since
these can't be said to show the baby's intention to communicate, they can hardly be regarded as early forms
of language. It is agreed, too, that from about three months they play with sounds for enjoyment, and that
by six months they are able to add new words to their store. This self-imitation leads on to deliberate (有意
的) imitation of sounds made or words spoken to them by other people. The problem then arises as to the
point at which one can say that these imitations can be considered as speech.
     It is a problem we need to get out. The meaning of a word depends on what a particular person means
by it in a particular situation and it is clear that what a child means by a word will change as he gains more
experience of the world.Thus the use at seven months of"mama" as a greeting for his mother cannot be
dismissed as a meaningless sound simply because he also uses it at other times for his father, his dog, or
anything else he likes. Playful and meaningless imitation of what other people say continues after the child
has begun to speak for himself, I doubt, however, whether anything is gained when parents take advantage
of this ability in an attempt to teach new sounds.

1. Before children start speaking, _____.

A. they need equal amount of listening
B. they need different amounts of listening
C. they are all eager to cooperate with the adults by obeying spoken instructions
D. they can't understand and obey the adult's oral instructions

2. Children who start speaking late _____.

A. may have problems with their listening
B. probably do not hear enough language spoken around them
C. usually pay close attention to what they hear
D. often take a long time in learning to listen properly

3. A baby's first noises are _____.

A. an expression of his moods and feelings　　
B. an early form of language
C. a sign that he means to tell you something　
D. an imitation of the speech of adults

4. The problem of deciding at what point a baby's imitations can be considered as speech _____.

A. is important because words have different meanings for different people
B. is one that should be properly understood because the meaning of words changes with age
C. is not especially important because the changeover takes place gradually
D. is one that should be completely ignored (忽略) because children's use of words is often meaningless

4. The author implies _____.

A. parents can never hope to teach their children new sounds
B. even after they have learnt to speak, children still enjoy imitating
C. children no longer imitate people after they begin to speak
D. children who are good at imitating learn new words more quickly

     Are some people born clever and others born stupid? Or is intelligence (智力) developed by our
environment and our experience? Strangely enough, the answer to these questions is yes. To some
extent Our intelligence is given to US at birth, and no amount of education can make a genius (天才)
out of a child born with low intelligence. On the other hand, a child who lives in a boring environment
will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in rich and varied surrounding (環(huán)境). Thus the
limits of person' s intelligence are fixed at birth, whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on
his environment. This view, now held by most experts, can be supposed in a number of ways.
     It is easy to show that intelligence is to some extent something we are born with. The closer the
blood relationship between two people, the closer they are likely to be intelligent. Thus if we take two
unrelated people at random from population, it is likely that their degree of intelligence will be completely
different. If, on the other hand, we take two identical twins, they will very likely to be as intelligent as
each other. Relations like brothers and sisters, parents and children, usually have similar intelligence, and
this clearly suggests that intelligence depends on birth.
     Imagine now that we take two identical (完全相同的) twins and put them in different environments.
We might send one,for example,to a university and the other to a factory where the working is boring.
We would soon find differences in intelligence developing,and this shows that environment as well as
birth plays a part. This conclusion is also suggested by the fact that people who live in close contact with
each other, but who are not related at all are likely to have similar degree of intelligence.

1. If a child is born with low intelligence, he can _____.

A. become a genius
B. not reach his intelligence in his life
C. reach his intelligence limits in rich surroundings
D. still become a genius if he should be given special education

2. In the second paragraph, the underlined sentence means "if we _____."

A. pick any two persons
B. take out two different persons
C. choose two persons who are relative
D. choose two persons with different intelligence

3. The example of the twins going to a university and to a factory separately shows _____.

A. the part that birth plays
B. the importance of their positions
C. the importance of their intelligence
D. the role of environment on intelligence

4. The best title of the passage can be _____.

A. Surroundings
C. Dependence on Environment
B. Intelligence
D. Effect of Education

     Doctors may now be able to stop many heart attacks. An important new study reports that doctors have
a new drug. This drug is called TPA. It may be better than any other heart drugs.
     Many doctors now use a drug called streptokinase. But this drug sometimes causes problems for patients.
It can even cause bleeding(流血)in the brain. Some doctors do not use streptokinase. Streptokinase can save
about 1/3 of the people with heart attacks. But TPA will save about 2/3.
     One reason TPA can help more people is because of time. This new drug is easier and faster to use. It will
give doctors more time in hospitals. Then they can study the problem well. People with heart problems can
also keep some TPA at home. When a heart attack starts, they can take some TPA right away. Then they will
have time to get to the hospital. This is important because about 860,000 people in the United States die before
they get to the hospital.
     This is another reason why TPA is good news for people with heart attacks. According to the study, it is
much safer; it doesn't cause other problems like streptokinase does. TPA works only on the heart. It does not
have an effect on the blood or cause bleeding.
     Doctors plan to do more studies about TPA. They need to test this new drug on many more people with
heart attacks. But in a few years, many doctors and hospitals will probably start using this exciting new drug.

1. In your opinion, the best title for this passage is _____.

A. Heart Attacks
B. A New Drug for Heart Attacks
C. The Cause of Heart Attacks
D. A Drug Called Streptokinase

2. The story says that TPA_____ .

A. is safer and faster than the old drug
B. is very dangerous
C. is slower and harder to use than the old drug
D. causes many problems

3. This new drug may mean _____.

A. more people will die from heart attacks
B. the same number of people will die from heart attacks
C. fewer people will die from heart attacks
D. no one will die from heart attacks

4. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. Streptokinase is the new drug for heart attacks.
B. TPA can save fewer people with heart attacks than streptokinase.
C. People who take TPA at home before they go to hospital must be very careful.
D. Probably TPA will be widely used in America in the following years.

     Question: Mr. Smith, I am really ashamed (慚愧的) that I failed the exam. Actually, I tried my best._____
__(1). However, I brought home disappointing grades, which made me feel hopeless and helpless.
     Answer: Peter, I can understand your feelings. When I was a student, I had the same experience as you. But there are still some ways to deal with disappointing grades. _______(2).
     ●Act fast. The most important rule of dealing with disappointing grades is to act fast. ________(3). The
faster you face up to the problem, the faster you can find a solution.
     ●Ask for help. If you keep doing the same thing all the time, you'll undoubtedly keep getting the same
results. You can ask for help from a friend or fellow student. Ask for help with the subject matter and tips for
studying.
     ●________(4). Look over exam papers and assignments (作業(yè)) to see if you are having trouble with a
particular kind of question or concept. Examine your essays to see if you are explaining your ideas clearly and
completely, or if it is your writing (spelling,grammar, etc) that is letting your down.
     Dealing with disappointing grades is something that every student will face at one time or another. So please don't worry. _________(5). You will get good grades if you follow the right ways.

A There are many students who don't care about their grades.
B. Don't sit around or just ignore them.
C. I reviewed all my notes and often stayed up late before the exam.
D. All you need to do is devote yourself to solving these problems.
E. Tell your teachers or parents about your worries.
F. Figure out where you are having trouble.
G. I managed to improve my performance by changing my study habits.

     Women have been making scientific discoveries since ancient times. Twelve women have won the Nobel
Prize for science, one of the highest honors in the world. Some women scientists never married, some worked with the ir husbands, and othe rs raised large families. It has been difficult for women to be successful scientists.
     In the early 1800s in England, Mary Anning became one of the first women recognized for her discoveries
about the ancient history of the earth. Mary and her fathe r collected fossils (化石) in the ir village on the south
coast of Great Britain. Fossils are parts of plants or animals that have been saved in rocks for millions of years.
     When she was only twelve years old, Mary became the first person to find the almost complete skeletons
(骨架) of several animals that no longer existed on earth. She didn't become famous for her discoveries at that
time because she often sold her fossils to get money to support her family.
     In 1891, a young Polish woman named Marie Sklodowska traveled to Paris to study physics. She did so
because she could not get a college education in Poland. She began working in the laboratory of a man named
Pierre Curie. Marie and Pierre Curie got married and made many discoveries together. the y received the
Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903 along with anothe r scientist. Marie Curie became the first person to be
awarded a second Nobel Prize in 1911, this time for Chemistry. Marie Curie was one of the few women at the
time who became famous as a scientist.

1. the author believes that women scientists ______.

A. have more opportunities to become successful
B. can not get the highest honors in the world
C. go through difficulties to be successful
D. had better pay more attention to the ir families

2. Mary Anning was one of the first women to ______.

A. win the Nobel Prize for Science after getting married
B. make achievements in the study of ancient Earth
C. research animals and the ir bones
D. study the mystery of all kinds of plants

3. Mary Anning failed to be famous for her discoveries of fossils when she was 12 because ______.

A. nobody recognized them
B. the y weren't worth studying
C. she didn't want to be known to anyone
D. she sold the m for money

4. What can we learn about Mary Sklodowska?

A. She studied physics in Poland and got a college education.
B. She received the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903 on her own.
C. She only got one Nobel Prize during her lifetime.
D. She made many discoveries after she got married.

5. What's the passage mainly about?

A. Ancient discoveries.
B. Women scientists.
C. Successful marriages.
D. Different prizes.