The north magnetic pole (磁極) is no longer a resident of Canada. It has drifted across the Canadian
Arctic and is now angling toward Siberia.
     Not to be confused with the geographic North Pole-the northern extremity of the Earth's axis (地軸),
the north magnetic pole (where the Earth's magnetic field is directed downward) is moving due to natural
changes in the Earth's magnetic field, a process that originates about 3, 000 kilometers below our feet, in
the outer core (核心) of the planet. But scientists are now noticing that the magnetic pole has picked up
its pace.
     Over the past century, the pole has been migrating at an average speed of about 10 kilometers per year,
says Larry Newitt, head of Geomagnetic Laboratory at Natural Resources Canada in Ottawa. Since the
1970s, this speed has increased to about 50 kilometers per year.
     Scientists are wondering why the speed is increasing, says Newitt. One Hypothesis (假說(shuō)) relates it to
"magnetic jerks", sudden shifts (變化) in the rate of change of the magnetic field. There have been three
jerks in the past four decades, each one correlating to an increase in speed.
     If the north magnetic pole continues at its current rate, it could reach Siberia by 2056.
     "For most of recorded history, the pole has been a part of Canada, and now it's not," says Newitt. "It
may be a blow to our collective psyche, but other than that, it doesn't have a major effect on most people's
existence. 73. Find in the passage a word closest in meaning to the underlined word "angling".

1. Find in the passage a word closest in meaning to the underlined word "angling". 
    ____________________________________________________________________________________
2. What could happen to the north magnetic pole by the middle of the 21 century? (回答詞數(shù)不超過(guò)8個(gè)) 
    ____________________________________________________________________________________
3. What is the main idea of the passage? (回答詞數(shù)不超過(guò)8個(gè)) 
    ____________________________________________________________________________________

     Most rain forests lie close to the equator (赤道), where the climate is often mild and there are long hours
of sunshine. The warmth of the land heats the air above, causing it to rise and tiny drops of water to fall as
rain. The rainfall can reach at least 98 inches a year. This wet, warm world with plenty of sunlight is perfect
for plants to grow, so the trees grow fast with green leaves all the year round. The trees themselves also hare
an effect on the climate. They gather water from the soil and pass it out into the air through their leaves. The
wet air then forms clouds, which hang over the treetops like smoke. These clouds protect the forest from the
daytime heat and night-time cold of nearby deserts, keep temperatures fit for plant growth.
     Rain forests slightly farther away from the equator remain just as warm, but they have a dry season of three
months or more when little rain falls, Tree leaves fall dining this dry season and new leaves grow when the wet
season or monsoon (雨季) begins Thus these areas are known as the "monsoon forest".
     Another type of rain forest grows on tropical mountains. It is often called the "cloud forest" because clouds
often hang over the trees like fog.
     The rain forest is the ideal place for the growth of many different trees. Most of them depend on animals to
eat their fruits and spread their seeds. When the fruits are eaten, the seeds inside them go undamaged through
animals, stomachs and are passed out in their droppings. The seeds lying on the forest floor then grow into
new trees.

1. The climate of the rain forests near the equator is _____.

A. mild, wet and windy
B. hot, rainy and foggy
C. hot, wet and cloudy
D. warm, wet and sunny

2. We can learn from the passage that _____.

A. tree leaves are green all the time in the monsoon forest
B. there is a dry season in the cloud forest on tropical mountains
C. clouds help the plants in the rain forest near the deserts to grow
D. the formation of climate in the rain forest has little to do with the trees

3. According to the passage _____ play the most important role in the spreading of seeds.

A. animals
B. droppings
C. fruits
D. winds

4. This passage is most likely to be found in _____.

A. a travel guide
B. a story book
C. a technical report
D. a geography book

     Dogs wag (搖擺) their tails in different directions depending on whether they are excited and wanting
to move forward or threatened and thinking of moving back, a study has found.
     Researchers in Italy examined the tail wagging behavior of 30 dogs, catching their responses to a range
of stimuli (刺激物) with video cameras. To conduct the study they chose 15 male dogs and 15 female ones
aged between one and six years. The dogs were all family pets whose owners had allowed them to take part
in the experiment at Bari University. The dogs were placed in a large wooden box with an opening at the front
to allow for them to view various stimuli. They were tested one at a time.
     The researchers led by Professor Giorgio Vallortigara of the University of Trieste found that when the
dogs were shown their owners-a positive experience-their tails wagged energetically to the right side. When
they were shown an unfamiliar human they wagged to the right, but with somewhat less enthusiasm. The
appears of a cat again caused a right-hand side wag, although with less intensity again. The appearance of a
large unfamiliar dog, similar to a German shepherd, changed the direction of tail wagging to the left. Research
ers supposed the dog was thinking of moving back. When the dogs were not shown any stimuli they tended
to wag their tails to the left, suggesting they preferred company. While the changes in the tail wagging were
not easily noticed without the aid of video, it was thought that the findings could help people judge the mood
(心情) of dogs. Computer and video systems, for example, could be used by professional dog trainers to
determine the mood of dogs that they were required to approach.

1. The video cameras were used to catch the dogs' responses because _____.

A. it was easier to catch the dogs'response changes in the tail wagging
B. the dogs were put in the wooden boxes and tested one at a time.
C. they enabled the dogs'owners to know about their dogs'habit
D. the dogs wagged their tails in different directions when they were in different moods

2. The underlined word "intensity" in the passage means _____.

A. surprise
B. worry
C. excitement
D. interest

3. When there are no stimuli, a dog will _____.

A. wag to the left
B. wag to the right
C. not wag at all
D. wag to the left and then to the right

4. The underlined word "they" refers to _____.

A. the dogs
B. the trainers
C. the systems
D. the researchers

5. The purpose of doing the experiment is _____.

A. to train dogs for their owners
B. to help people judge the mood of dogs
C. to help dogs find company
D. to help people choose their pet dogs

     Despite the high technology and investment (投資) in flood defences by the Environment Agency
(環(huán)保局), there is no way to stop all flooding--sooner or later nature will produce something that will
beat even the strongest defences.
     Warning people of tiffs danger is very important if we are to prevent the great loss of life seen
fifty-three years ago. Indeed if the Flood Waming System that currently exists had been around on that
cold, stormy night in January 1953, many lives would have been spared.
     The Environment Agency took over the role of flood warning in 1995 from the police who had to go
door to door or sound alarms to get the news out. The service is being constantly improved and a
combination of better technology and increased investment following the Easter Floods of 1998 has led to
the creation of Floodline and an automatic (自動(dòng)) messaging system that can warn thousands of people in
very little time.
     Floodline 0845 988 1188 offers information and advice 24 hours a day and if warnings are in place,
callers can get information either from local updates or by using a quick dial code for their area. 
     The Flood Warning team in Kent has also sent letters to the people living close to the rivers or the sea
and invited them to join the AVM (automated voice messaging) system. Anyone choosing to take up this
free service will receive a recorded message directly to their home, business or pager telling them of tile
level of warning, giving them as much time as possible to carry out their flood plan and save items that
cannot be replaced if lost or damaged, such as photographs or children's favorite toys.

1. Choose the correct statements from tile following according to the passage.
a. Many people lost their lives in the flood in 1953.
b. The Flood Warning system was already in use in 1953.
e. Flood defences can stop all flooding.
d. The Environment Agency began to warn people of flood ill 1995.
e. Floodline was created after the Easter Floods of 1998.

A. a, b, c
B. b, c, d
C. a, c, e
D. a, d, e

2. What does the underlined word "pager" mean in tile passage? 

A. A boy employed to carry luggage in hotels.
B. A piece of equipment designed to receive and show messages.
C. A page of papers written to offer messages.
D. A person, invited to write pages of messages.

3. People can easily get information and advice about flood any time of the day from ______.

A. automatic messaging system
B. Floodline 0845 988 1188
C. the Flood Warning team in Kent
D. automated voice messaging system

4. The best title for this passage may probably be _______.

A. Enviromnent Agency
B. Technology In Flood Defences
C. Flood Warning System
D. Easter Floods

     Sleeping in anything other than a completely dark room could cause depression (抑郁), according to a
new study of hamsters.
     Tracy Bedrosian, a researcher at Ohio State University, US, presented the research on November 17 at
the annual meeting of the American Society for Neuroscience (神經(jīng)系統(tǒng)科學(xué)) in San Diego.
     Researchers believe that even having a dim (暗淡的) light on-such as a night light often used in a child's
room or the glow (發(fā)光) of a TV screen, changes the chemical balance of the brain.
     While more work is needed to find out if the results are relevant to human beings, the findings might
explain why night-shift (夜班的) workers are at higher risk of depression than others, the researchers said.?
     Over the last century, nighttime lights have become common, but it's not clear whether sleeping with one
has an effect on the brain.
     As part of the investigation, Tracy Bedrosian, a researcher at Ohio State University, and her team, placed
hamsters in two environments. In one, hamsters experienced 16 hours of daylight and eight hours of complete
darkness each day. In the other, the animals experienced 16 hours of daylight, but at nighttime, a dim light was
kept on.
     After eight weeks, the researchers tested the hamsters for behaviors that would suggest they were
depressed. For example, they looked to see whether the hamsters still practiced activities they usually enjoyed,
such as drinking sugar water.
     In people, loss of enjoyment is known as a symptom of depression.
     Hamsters in both groups were given a choice between drinking tap (水龍頭) water or sugar water. The
hamsters that slept with lights on at night drank similar amounts of tap and sugar water - they'd lost their
preference (偏好) for the sweet water.
     "That suggests to us that they are not getting the same pleasure from drinking their sugar water, and that
may be a depression-like response," Bedrosian said.
     Researchers found these changes in behavior were caused by chemical changes in a part of brain called
the hippocampus (海馬狀突起).
     Previous studies on humans have found the hippocampus to be involved in depression. A patient with major
depression has a smaller hippocampus, Bedrosian said.
     If the same mechanism (機(jī)制) exists in people, then they "might want to try to avoid falling asleep with
their TVs on all night," Bedrosian said.

1. What may cause depression according to the article?

A. To sleep in the dark.
B. To sleep with the light on.
C. To sleep in a new environment.
D. To sleep after drinking sugar water.

2. What did Tracy Bedrosian and her team find in the research?

A. Loss of enjoyment is a symptom of depression.
B. Sleeping with the light on affects the human brain.
C. Two groups of hamsters drank similar amounts of sugar water.
D. Hamsters no longer enjoyed drinking sugar water after they had slept with the light on.

3. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the article?

A. TV noise may affect quality of sleep.
B. A depressed patient has a larger hippocampus.
C. People who stay up late at night are more likely to be depressed.
D. The hamsters' behavioral changes were caused by chemical changes in the brain.

4. If the research turns out to be useful for understanding of human depression, it would be advisable _____.

A. to sleep with a night light
B. not to watch TV at night
C. to sleep in total darkness
D. to put an end to night shifts

     If you look for a book as a present for a child, you will be spoiled for choice even in a year when there
is no new Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling's wizard is not alone: the past decade has been a harvest for good
children's books, which has set off a large quantity of films and in turn led to increased sales of classics
such as The Lord of the Rings.
     Yet despite that, reading is increasingly unpopular among children. According to statistics, in 1997 23%
said they didn't like reading at all. In 2003, 35% did. And around 6% of children leave primary school each
year unable to read properly.
     Maybe the decline is caused by the increasing availability of computer games. Maybe the books boom has
affected only the top of the educational pile. Either way, Chancellor Gordon Brown plans to change things for
the bottom of the class. In his pre-budget report, he announced the national project of Reading Recovery to
help the children struggling most.
     Reading Recovery is aimed at six-year-olds, who receive four months of individual daily half-hour classes
with a specially trained teacher. An evaluation earlier this year reported that children on the scheme made 20
months' progress in just one year, whereas similarly weak readers without special help made just five months'
progress, and so ended the year even further below the level expected for their age.
     International research tends to find that when British children leave primary school they read well, but read
less - often for fun than those elsewhere. Reading for fun matters because children who are keen on reading
can expect lifelong pleasure and loving books is an excellent indicator of future educational success. According
to the OECD, being a regular and enthusiastic reader is of great advantage.

1. Which of the following is true of Paragraph 1?

A. Many children's books have been adapted from films.
B. Many high-quality children's books have been published.
C. The sales of classics have led to the popularity of films.
D. The sales of presents for children have increased.

2. Statistics suggested that ___.

A. the number of top students increased with the use of computers.
B. a decreasing number of children showed interest in reading.
C. a minority of primary school children read properly.
D. a large percentage of children read regularly.

3. What do we know about Reading Recovery?

A. An education of it will be made sometime this year.
B. Weak readers on the project were the most hardworking.
C. It aims to train special teachers to help children with reading.
D. Children on the project showed noticeable progress in reading.

4. Reading for fun is important because book-loving children ____.

A. takes greater advantage of the project.
B. shows the potential to enjoy a long life.
C. is likely to succeed in their education.
D. would make excellent future researchers.

5. The aim of this text would probably be ____.

A. to overcome primary school pupils' reading difficulty.
B. to encourage the publication of more children's books.
C. to remind children of the importance of reading for fun.
D. to introduce a way to improve early childhood reading.

     Some people have the feeling that nothing can be done about their poor reading ability (能力). They feel
hopeless about it. Can you learn to read better, or must you agree that nothing can be done about it?
     To be sure, people are different. You cannot to do everything as well as certain other people do. It al the
students in a class tried out for basketball, some would be very good players; others would be very poor;
and many would be in between. But even the very poor players can become much better players if they are
guided in the right way, and with plenty of practice. It is the same with reading. Some seem to enjoy reading
and to read well without any special help. Others find reading a slow and tiring job. In between, there are all
degrees of reading ability.
     Many experiments have shown that just about every poor reader can improve his reading ability. In these
experiments, the poor readers were given tests of reading ability. After some of the causes of their poor
reading were discovered, they were given special instruction and practice in reading. After a few months,
another test of the same kind was given. In nearly all cases, these people had raised their reading scores.

1. With the example of basketball players, the author shows _____.

A. why certain people are poor readers
B. that there are differences in people's abilities
C. why some people are good basketball players
D. that good basketball players can be good readers

2. With the example of basketball players, the author shows _____.

A. why certain people are poor readers
B. that there are differences in people's abilities
C. why some people are good basketball players
D. that good basketball players can be good readers

3. The experiments mentioned in the text show that _____.

A. good readers seem to enjoy reading
B. almost all poor readers can make progress
C. causes of poor reading are difficult to find out
D. tests help people improve their reading ability

     In meditation (冥想),people sit quietly and focus their attention on their breath. As they breathe in and
out, they attend to their feelings. As thoughts go through their minds. they let them go. Breathe. Let go.
Breathe. Let go.
     According to a recent study at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, three months of
training in this kind of meditation causes a market change in how the brain allocates (分配) attention. It
appears that the ability to let go thoughts that come into mind frees the brain to attend to more rapidly
changing things and events in the outside world. Expert mediators are better than other people at catching
such fast-changing stimuli (刺激), like facial expressions.
     The study provides evidence for changes in the workings of the brain with mental training. People can
learn and improve abilities of all sorts with practice. everything from driving to playing the piano. The study
has shown that meditation is good for the brain, It appears to reduce pressure and promote a sense of
well-being.
     In an experiment, 17 volunteers with no meditation experience in the experimental group spent three
months meditating 10 to 12 hours a day. A control group also with no meditation experience meditated for
20 minutes a day over the same period. Both groups were then given the tests with two numbers in a group
of letters. As both group looked for the numbers, their brain activity was recorded. 
     Everyone could catch the first number. But the brain recordings showed that the less experienced
mediators tended to grasp the first number and hang onto it, so they missed the second number. Those with
more experience gave less attention to the first number. as if letting it go, which led to an increased ability
to grasp the second number, This shows that attention can change with practice.
     Just ask Daniel Levision, who meditated for three months as part of the study. " I am a much better
listener," he said. "I do not get lost in my own personal reaction to what people are saying."

1. The underlined word "them" in Paragraph 1 refers to ______.

A. feelings
B. minds
C. people
D. thoughts

2. Meditations manage their daily tasks better because they ______.

A. are given less pressure
B. allocate their attention better
C. have more stimuli for life
D. practice them more frequently

3. In the experiment, volunteers doing meditation for longer hours ______.

A. were more likely to catch both of the members
B. were used to memorizing numbers in groups
C. usually ignored the first number observed
D. paid more attention to numbers than to letters

4. The study proves that ______.

A. meditation improves one's health
B. brain activity can be recorded
C. human attention can be trained
D. mediators have a good sense of hearing

     Teens don't understand the big fuss (小題大做). As the first generation to grow up in a wired world, they
hardly know a time when computers weren't around, and they eagerly catch the chance to spend hours online,
chatting with friends, So what?
     But researchers nationwide are increasingly worried that teens are becoming isolated (孤寂), less skillful at
person-to-person relationships, and perhaps numb (麻木) to the cheatings that are so much a part of the e-mail
world. "And a teen's sense of self and values may be changed in a world where personal connections can be
limitless,"said Sherry Turkle.
     Another researcher, Robert Kraut, said he's worried about the "opportunity costs" (機(jī)會(huì)成本) of so much
online time for youths. He found that teens who used computers, even just a few hours a week, showed
increased signs of loneliness and social isolation. "Chatting online may be better than watching television, but
it's worse than hanging out (閑逛) with real friends," he said.
     Today's teens, however, don't see anything strange in the fact that the computer takes up a central place in
their social lives, "School is busy and full of pressure. There's almost no time to just hang out." said Parker Rice,
17. "Talking online is just catch-up time."
     Teens say they feel good about what they say online or taking the time to think about a reply. Some teens
admit that asking someone for a date, or breaking up, can be easier in message form, though they don't want
to do so. But they insist there's no harm.

1. The researchers argue that _____.

A. teens may develop a different sense of values
B. nothing is wrong with teens' chatting online
C. teens can manage their social connections
D. spending hours online does much good to teens

2. The text mainly deals with _____.

A. use computers properly
B. improve their school work
C. develop an interest in social skills
D. reduce their mental pressures

3. The text mainly deals with _____. 

A. teens' pleasant online experience
B. teens' computer skills and school work
C. the effects of the computer world on teens
D. different opinions on teens' chatting online

4. The purpose of the text is to _____.

A. describe computer research results
B. draw attention to teens' computer habits
C. suggest ways to deal with problem teens
D. discuss problems teens have at school

     Michael Fish may soon be replaced as a weather forecaster by something truly fishier---the shark (鯊魚).
     Research by a British biology student suggests that sharks could be used to predict storms.
     Lauren Smith, 24, is close to completing her study on shark's ability to sense pressure.
     If her studies prove the theory, scientists may be able to monitor the behaviour of sharks to predict bad
weather.
     Miss Smith had previously studied the behaviour of lemon sharks in the Bahamas.
     She then used their close relatives, lesser spotted dogfish, for further research at Aberdeen University.
     Her work---thought to be the first of its kind to test the pressure theory ---- resulted from the observation
that juvenile blacktip sharks off Florida moved into deeper water ahead of a violent storm in 2001. 
     Miss Smith said: "I've always been crazy about traveling and diving and this led me to an interest in sharks."
     "I was delighted to have been able to research in the area for my degree. I know there's so much more we
need to understand ---- but it certainly opens the way to more research."
     It has been discovered that a shark senses pressure using hair cells in its balance system.
     At the Bimini Shark Lab in the Bahamas, Miss Smith fixed hi-tech sensors to sharks to record pressure and
temperature, while also tracking them using GPS (Global Positioning System) technology. 
     In Aberdeen, she was able to study the effects of tidal (潮汐的) and temperature changes on dogfish----
none of which were harmed. She also used a special lab which can mimic (模擬) oceanic pressure changes
caused by weather fronts.
     She is due to complete her study and graduate later this year. She says she will be looking for a job which
will give her the chance to enrich her experience of shark research.

1. The passage is most probably taken from _____.

A. a short-story collection
B. a popular science magazine
C. a research paper
D. a personal diary

2. What do we learn from the first four paragraph of the passage?

A. Sharks may be used to predict bad weather.
B. Sharks' behaviour can be controlled.
C. Michael Fish is not qualified for his job.
D. Lauren Smith will become a weather forecaster.

3. Lauren Smith conducted her research by _______.

A. removing hair cells from a shark's balance system
B. measuring the air pressure of weather fronts
C. recording sharks' body temperature
D. monitoring sharks' reaction to weather changes

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A. A popular way of forecasting weather.
B. A new research effort in predicting storms.
C. Biologists' interest in the secrets of sharks.
D. Lauren Smith's devotion to scientific research.