As skies are filled with millions of migrating (遷徙) birds, European scientists say the seasonal
wonder appears to be strange: The fatter the bird, tile better it flies.
     The results of their study led to a theory opposite to a central one of aerodynamics (空氣動力學(xué)),
which says that the power needed to fly increases with weight.
     For birds, obviously, the cost of flying with heavy fat is much smaller than we used to think.
Researchers found that red knot wading birds double their normal body weight of 100 grams before
making their twice-a-year nonstop flight between the British Isles and the Russian Arctic. Distance:
5,000 kilometers.
     Another study in the magazine Nature measured the advantage of flying in an aerodynamic group
which allows birds to save energy by flying smoothly and quietly in the lead bird' s air stream.
      Flying in groups, their heart rates were 14.5 percent lower than flying alone, according to Henri,
a French scientist. The findings help explain how birds complete difficult migrations. Researchers had
thought that thinner, stronger birds would have the best chance to survive.
     The first study suggests that building up fat to be burnt as fuel during the migration is worth more
than the energy it takes to carry the additional weight.
     In the study, researchers said their team studied the birds flown at different body weights during
28 simulated (模擬的) flights. They forced a small amount of special water into the birds' bodies so
that they could measure the amount of energy burnt during the flight.

1. A red knot wading bird of 100 grams will probably weigh ______ before making its nonstop migrating flight.

A. 50 grams
B. 100 grams
C. 150 grams
D. 200 grams

2. During their migrating flight, red knot wading birds can save energy by flying _____. 

A. separately
B. alone
C. in groups
D. in pairs

3. A ______ red knot wading bird has a better chance to survive during its migrating flight.

A. stronger
B. weaker
C. thinner
D. fatter

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

A. Birds Thin Down For Journey
B. Birds Fatten Up For Journey
C. How Birds Build Up Fat For Journey
D. How Birds Burn Energy For Journey

     There are two main forms of teaching in Nottingham University: seminar (研討會) and lecture. They
are very different from the sort of teaching most often used in schools and colleges.
      In seminars you will be taught with discussion focusing on a text or topic set in advance in a friendly
and informal atmosphere. The purpose is to provide an opportunity to try out new ideas and to think
through difficulties with fellow- learners. Students develop friendships through groups, as well as learning
more about other people's ideas. You can also know your tutors as an individual rather than a face at the
end of the room.
     Lectures are the most formal. There may be over a hundred in the audience and the lecture Mil last about
fifty minutes. The value of the lecture is that it can present to a large number of people information which
is not readily available in books, that it can give you an opportunity to hear a specialist develop a coherent
(有條理的) argument, and that it can show visual material to a wide audience.
     Your typical week's work will feel strange after school or college since there are fewer timetabled
teaching hours. Each week in the first year you may attend about six lectures and four to six seminars or
tutorials (輔導(dǎo)). For the rest of the time you are working on your own, doing the necessary reading in
preparation for tutorials or writing seminar papers. When writing an essay or carrying out project work,
you can often discuss with your tutor about the title and topic.

1. The purpose of the passage is ______.

A. to introduce two main forms of teaching
B. to persuade you to try out new ideas
C. to stress the importance of discussion
D. to make you believe that seminar is more helpful

2. One of the values of the lecture is _____.

A. to make friends through groups
B. to learn more about other people's ideas
C. to offer a chance to discuss with a specialist
D. to present to students information not found in books

3. Your typical week's work in the university will feel strange because ______.

A. you may have no project work after class
B. you may give lectures and seminars
C. you may have fewer timetabled teaching hours
D. you may write seminar papers with fellow-learners

4. We can learn from the passage that ______.

A. seminar is better than lecture
B. lecture is better than seminar
C. seminar is more formal than lecture
D. lecture is more formal than seminar

     An ichthyologist is a scientist who studies fish. Most people who do this job say they love their work
because it is very rewarding and varied. They work not only inside a laboratory, but also out in the field.
Fieldwork includes traveling to river? oceans and lakes in order to collect information and specimens (~2~),
reading, writing and speaking me also very important to the job, fish scientists need to read the research of
other scientists. They must he able to write up their own research clearly so that others can follow it. They
also need to be able to give lectures about their findings, so that they can spread knowledge.
      Ichthyologists who wish to specialize can choose any one of three areas of study. The first area is
aquaculture (水產(chǎn)養(yǎng)殖). This involves the study and practice of fish farming and management. Because it is
a rather new study, there are very few job opportunities available. However, as there is so much to discover,
many see it as an exciting area for a new ichthyologist to enter. The second area is fisheries science, which
means working with a team of scientists to find out more about different fish species. The third area is about
the protection of natural fish populations. This is very important today, given that many fish species are in
danger of dying out because of the actions of humans.
     To become a successful fish scientist, you need to have a curious mind and be able to work on your own.
You also need to be able to handle equipment and perform experiments; but most importantly, you must love
fish. To become an ichthyologist, you will need to train at a university to pass a Bachelor of Science degree.
For this, you will need to be good at mathematics, physical science and biology. Then, you will need to study
for another year to complete an honours degree in ichthyology. This honours degree contains coursework
about all aspects of fish. You also need to complete a research paper.

1. What makes the jobs of ichthyologists so varied?

A. They study fish habits and collect information.
B. They have to study science and mathematics.
C. They work in fields as well as in laboratories.
D. They read research papers written by others.

2. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A. An ichthyologist has an interesting and varied profession.
B. Aquaculture is the study of fish protection.
C. The life of an ichthyologist can involve lots of travel.
D. A fish scientist needs to be independent and curious about things.

3. Who is most likely to become an ichthyologist?

A. Tom, because he likes fishing and outdoor sports.
B. Jack, because he likes to travel and read adventure books.
C. Jenny, because she likes science, mathematics and reading about dinosaurs.
D. Jane, because she likes mathematics, science, biology and searching rock-pools.

4. The passage is probably written for _____.

A. university students
B. science researchers
C. fisheries experts
D. fish farmers

     Most people think of racing when they see greyhounds (灰狗) and believe they need lots of exercise.
They can actually be quite lazy! Greyhounds are good at fast races but not long-distance running. They do
need regular exercise but they like to run for a short burst and then get back on the bed or a comfortable
seat. Another misunderstanding is that greyhounds must be aggressive (好斗的) because they are big in size.
In fact greyhounds love people and are gentle with children.
     Greyhounds can live for 12-14 years but usually only race for two or three years, and after that they make
great pets. They don't need a lot of space, don' t make a lot of noise, and don't eat a lot for their size.
     Normally, greyhounds can be as tall as 90 cm. There is, however, a small-sized greyhound, which stands
only 33 cm. Greyhounds come in a variety of colors. Grey and yellowish-brown are the most common.
Others include black, white, blue, red and brown or a mix of these.
     Greyhounds have smooth body coats, low body fat and are very healthy. Because they' re slim (苗條的)
they don't have the leg problems like other dogs the same height. But they do feel the cold, especially since
they would much rather be at home in bed than walking around outside.

1. The text is written mainly _____.

A. to tell people how to raise greyhounds
B. to let people know more about greyhounds
C. to explain why greyhounds are aggressive
D. to describe greyhounds of different colors

2. It can be inferred that greyhounds _____.

A. love big doghouses
B. like staying in bed all day
C. make the best guard dogs
D. need some exercise outdoors

3. Why does the author say that greyhounds make great pets?

A. They are big in size.
B. They live a very long life.
C. They can run races for some time.
D. They are quiet and easy to look after.

4. If you keep a pet greyhound, it is important _____.

A. to keep it slim
B. to keep it warm
C. to take special care of its legs
D. to take it to animal doctors regularly

     A study of English learning problems was carried out among a total of 106 foreign students. It shows
that most students considered understanding spoken English to be their biggest problem on arrival. This
was followed by speaking. Writing increased as a problem as students discovered difficultties in writing
papers that they were now expected to hand in. Reading remained as a significant (顯著的) problem.
     The information gained helped us in determining where special attention should be paid in our course.
Although many students have chosen to join the course with a reasonable motivation (動機(jī)), we considered
it important to note what seemed to encourage interest. Nearly all the students have experienced some kind
of grammar-based English teaching in their own country. To use the same method would be self-defeating
because it might reduce motivation, especially if it has failed in the past. Therefore a different method may
help because it is different.
     Variety of activity was also seen as a way of maintaining (保持) or increasing motivation. Several years
ago we had one timetable that operated throughout, but we soon found that both the students and the teachers
lost interest by about halfway through the ten weeks. This led us to a major re-think, so finally we brought it
into line with the expressed language needs of the students.

1. What is the text mainly about?

A. Foreign students have more problems.
B. There are many ways to improve English.
C. Teaching should meet students' needs.
D. English learning problems should be studied again.

2. Writing became a bigger problem when foreign students _____.

A. had to write their papers
B. became better at speaking
C. became less interested in reading
D. had fewer problems with listening

3. We may infer from the last two paragraphs that _____.

A. different teaching methods should be used
B. grammar-based teaching seems to be encouraging
C. English courses are necessary for foreign students
D. teaching content should be changed halfway

4. The word "it" underlined in the last paragraph refers to "_____".

A. re-think
B. activity
C. motivation
D. timetable

                                                                      Stop Spam
     When I first got an e-mail account ten years ago, I received communications only from family, friends,
and colleagues. Now it seems that every time I check my e-mail, I have an endless series of advertisements
and other correspondence that do not interest me at all. If we want e-mail to continue to be useful, we need
specific laws that make spamming (發(fā)送垃圾郵件) a crime.
     If lawmakers do not do something soon to prohibit spam, the problem will certainly get much worse.
Computer programs allow spammers to send hundreds of millions of e-mails almost instantly. As more and
more advertisers turn to spam to sell their products, individual (個人的) e-mail boxes are often flooded with
spam e-mails. Would people continue to use e-mail if they had to deal with an annoying amount of spam each
time?
     This problem is troubling for individuals and companies as well. Many spam e-mails contain computer
viruses that can shut down the entire network of a company. Companies rely on e-mail for their employees to
communicate with each other. Spam frequently causes failures in their local communications networks, and
their employees are thus unable to communicate effectively. Such a situation results in a loss of productivity
and requires companies to repeatedly repair their networks. These computer problems raise production costs
of companies, which are, in the end, passes on to the consumer.
     For these reasons, I believe that lawmakers need to legislate (立法) against spam. Spammers should be
fined, and perhaps sent to prison if they continue to disturb people. E-mail is a tool which helps people all over
the world to communicate conveniently, but spam is destroying this convenience.

1. What does the underlined word "correspondence" in the Paragraph 1 probably mean? 

A. messages
B. ideas
C. connections
D. programs

2. According to the text, what is the major cause of the flooding spam?

A. Companies rely on e-mail for communications.
B. More people in the world communicate by e-mail.
C. Many computer viruses contain spam e-mail.
D. More advertisers begin to promote sales through spam.

3. According to Paragraph 3, who is the final victim of spam?

A. The business
B. The advertiser
C. The employee
D. The consumer

4. What is the purpose of the text?

A. To inform
B. To educate
C. To persuade
D. To instruct

     For centuries, the only form of written correspondence (通信) was the letters were, and are, sent by
some form of postal service, the history of which goes back a long way. Indeed, the Egyptians began
sending letters from about 2000 BC, as did the Chinese a thousand years later.
     Of course, modern postal service now are march more developed and faster. depending as they do on
cars and planes fore delivery. Yet they are still too slow for some people to send urgent documents (緊急
文件) and letters.
     The invention of the fax (傳真) machine increased the speed of delivering documents even more. When
you send a fax you are sending a copy of a piece of correspondence to someone by telephone service. It
was not until the early 1980s that such a service was developed enough for businesses to be able to fax
documents to each other.
     The fax service is still very much in use when copies of documents require to be sent, but, as a way of
fast correspondence, it has been largely taken the place of by email. Email is used to describe messages sent
form one computer user to another.
     There are advantages and disadvantages with emails. If you send some one an email,then he will receive
it extremely quickly. Normal postal services are rather slow as far as speed of delivery is concerned.
     However, if you write something by email, which you might later regret, and send it immediately, there
is no chance for second thoughts. At least, if you are have to address and seal (封) the envelope and take it
to the post box. There is plenty of time to change your mind. The message is think before you email!

1. We can learn from the text that _____.

A. email is less popular than the fax service
B. the postal service has over the years become faster
C. the postal service has over the years become slower
D. the fax service has a history as long as the postal service does

2. It can be inferred from the text that _____.

A. the fax service had been fully developed by the 1980s
B. letters have been used in China for about 1,000 years
C. the fax machine was invented after the 1980s
D. letters have been used in Egypt for about 2,000 years

3. In the last paragraph, the write mentions "think before you email" to show that _____.

A. you may regret if you don 't seal your envelope
B. you may regret before you send something by email
C. you'd better not send your email in a hurry
D. you need plenty of time to send an email

4. The text mainly deals with _____.

A. the progress in correspondence
B. the advantage of fax machines
C. the advantage of emails
D. the invention of fax machines

     If you're like most students, you probably read both at home and outside your home: perhaps somewhere
on your schoolyard and maybe even at work during your breaks. Your reading environment can have a great
effect on your understanding, so give some thought to how you can create (營造) or choose the right reading
environments. The right environment allows you to stay alert (專注的) and to keep all of your attention on the
text, especially when it is both interesting and difficult.
     When you're at home, you can usually create effective conditions for reading. You might want to choose
a particular place-a desk or table, for example-where you always read. Make sure the place you choose is well
lighted, and sit in a chair that requires you to sit straight. Reading in a chair that's too soft and comfortable is
likely to make you sleepy! Keep your active reading tools (pens, markers, notebooks or paper) and a dictionary
close at hand.
     Before you sit down for a reading period, try to reduce all possible interruptions. Turn off your phone, the
television, and the radio. Tell your family members or roommates that you'll be busy for a while. If necessary,
put a "Do not disturb" sign on your door! The more interruptions you must deal with while you read, the harder
it will be to keep your attention on the task at hand.