Can you believe your eyes? A recent experiment suggests that the answer to that question may depend
on your age.
     Martin Doherty, a psychologist at the University of Stirling in Scotland, led the team of scientists. In this
experiment, Doherty and his team tested the perception (觀察力) of some people, using pictures of some
orange circles. The researchers showed the same pictures to two groups of people. The first group included
151 children aged 4 to 10, and the second group included 24 adults aged 18 to 25.
     The first group of pictures showed two circles alone on a white background. One of the circles was larger
than the other, and these people were asked to identify the larger one. Four-year-olds identified the correct
circle 79 percent of the time. Adults identified the correct circle 95 percent of the time.
     Next, both groups were shown a picture where the orange circles, again of different sizes, were surrounded
by gray circles. Here's where the trick lies in. In some of the pictures, the smaller orange circle was surrounded
by even smaller gray circles-making the orange circle appear larger than the other orange circle, which was
the real larger one. And the larger orange circle was surrounded by even bigger gray circles-so it appeared to
be smaller than the real smaller orange circle.
     When young children aged 4 to 6 looked at these tricky pictures, they weren't fooled-they were still able
to find the bigger circle with roughly the same accuracy as before. Older children and adults, on the other
hand, did not do as well. Older children often identified the smaller circle as the larger one, and adults got it
wrong most of the time.
     As children get older, Doherty said, their brains may develop the ability to identify visual context. In other
words, they will begin to process the whole picture at once: the tricky gray circles, as well as the orange
circle in the middle. As a result, they're more likely to fall for this kind of visual trick.

1. Doherty and his team of scientists did an experiment to evaluate _____. 

A. children's and adults' eye-sight
B. people's ability to see accurately
C. children's and adults' brains
D. the influence of people's age

2. When asked to find the larger circle, _____.

A. children at 6 got it wrong 79% of the time with no gray ones around
B. only adults over 18 got it right 95% 0f the time with gray ones around
C. children at 4 got it right about 79% of the time with gray ones around
D. adults got it right most of the time with gray ones around

3. According to the passage, we can know that _____.

A. a smaller orange circle appears bigger on a white background
B. an orange circle appears bigger than a gray one of the same size
C. a circle surrounded by other circles looks bigger than its real size
D. a circle surrounded by bigger ones looks smaller than its real size

4. Visual context may work when children get older than _____. 

A. 4
B. 6
C. 10
D. 18

5. Why are younger children not fooled?

A. Because they are smarter than older children and adults.
B. Because older people are influenced by their experience.
C. Because people's eyes become weaker as they grow older.
D. Because their brain can hardly notice related things together.

     I once had my Chinese MBA students brainstorming on "two-hour business plans". I separated them
into six groups and gave them an example:a restaurant chain. The more original their idea, the better, I said.
Finally, five of the six groups presented plans for restaurant chains. The sixth proposed a catering (餐飲)
service. Though I admitted the time limit had been difficult, I expressed my disappointment.
     My students were middle managers, financial analysts and financiers from state-owned enterprises and
global companies. They were not without talent or opinions, but they had been shaped by an educational
system that rarely stressed or rewarded critical thinking or inventiveness. The scene I just described came
in different forms during my two years' teaching at the school. Papers were often copied from the Web and
the Harvard Business Review. Case study debates were written up and just memorized. Students frequently
said that copying is a superior business strategy, better than inventing and creating. 
     In China, every product you can imagine has been made and sold. But so few well-developed marketing
and management minds have been raised that it will be a long time before most people in the world can
name a Chinese brand.
     With this problem in mind, partnerships with institutions like Yale and MIT have been established. And
then there's the "thousand-talent scheme": this new government program is intended to improve technological
modernization by attracting top foreign-trained scientists to the mainland with big money. But there are worries
about China's research environment. It's hardly known for producing independent thinking and openness, and
even big salary offers may not be attractive enough to overcome this.
     At last, for China, becoming a major world creator is not just about setting up partnerships with top
Western universities. Nor is it about gathering a group of well-educated people and telling them to think
creatively. It's about establishing a rich learning environment for young minds. It's not that simple.

1. Why does the author feel disappointed at his students?

A. Because there is one group presenting a catering service.
B. Because the six groups made projects for restaurant chains.
C. Because all the students copied a case for the difficult topic.
D. Because the students' ideas were lacking in creativeness.

2. Which of the following scenes is NOT considered as lack of creation?

A. Papers were often downloaded from the Internet.
B. Students often said that copying is a preferable business strategy.
C. Students combine knowledge and critical thoughts to solve a problem.
D. Case study debates were written up as well as recited.

3. The underlined word "scheme" in the fourth paragraph means _____.

A. timetable
B. theme
C. project
D. policy

4. We can infer from the passage that _____.

A. China can make and sell any product all over the world
B. high pay may not solve the problem of China's research environment
C. cooperation with institutions has been set up to make a Chinese brand
D. the new government program are aimed at encouraging imagination

5. Which is the best title of the passage? 

A. Look for a New Way of Learning
B. Reward Creative Thinking
C. How to Become a Creator
D. Establish a technical Environment

     Poorer children would be offered the chance to attend lessons on Saturday to help catch up with their
middle-class peers (同齡人), the shadow schools secretary, Michael Gove, said today.
     The Conservatives would give English state schools the freedom to choose to have longer teaching hours
and extra classes at the weekend, he told the Association of Teachers and Lecturers' annual conference.
     Gove said the move would help to close the achievement gap with richer children whose parents could
afford extras such as tutoring and music lessons.
     He told delegates (代表) in Manchester:"For children who come from homes where parents don't have
the resources to provide additional stretch and cultural experiences, there are benefits in having those children
in the learning environment, in school, for longer."
     "Parents would love to have schools starting earlier in some circumstances, and certainly going on later in
the afternoon, given the reality of their working lives," he said. He held up the example of Kipp (Knowledge is
Power Program) schools in the US, which are often based in the poorest communities and open from 7:30 am
to 5 pm on weekdays, plus Saturdays.
     But it would be up to schools to decide to offer longer hours, Gove added.
     Parents said Saturday classes could become a "badge of dishonor" if pupils were forced to go, while
teachers raised concerns about their workload.
     Margaret Morrissey, of Parents Outloud, said:"I think the suggestion the government made about one-to-one
teaching for these kids would be a more preferable way of improving these children's performance. I'm just
not sure whether taking away a child at weekends is actually going to make them cleverer in the week."
     The ATL's general secretary, Mary Bousted, said:"If we want Saturday schools, then we need more
teachers doing the extra hours, not the same teachers working longer."

1. The program is intended for children _____.

A. who are from middle-class families
B. whose parents can't afford extra help
C. who perform poorly academically
D. whose weekends are mostly unoccupied

2. "Additional stretch" in Paragraph 4 probably refers to _____.

A. music lessons
B. physical relaxation
C. entertainment activities
D. out-of-school improvement

3. Why did Gove mention Kipp schools in the US?

A. To make a comparison.
B. To introduce a new program.
C. To seek supportive evidence.
D. To prove his program is better.

4. What is Margaret Morrissey's opinion about the new program?

A. Favourable.
B. Doubtful.
C. Optimistic.
D. Acceptable.

5. Which of the following is true?

A. Teachers may not like the program.
B. Schools are trying to make profits.
C. The program is already under way.
D. The program is popular with children.

     Since the gene, called DAF: 16 in worms, was found in many animals and in humans, the finding could
open up new ways to affect aging, immunity (免疫) and resistance in humans, the scientists said.
     "We wanted to find out how normal aging is being governed by genes and what effect these genes have
on other traits, such as immunity," said Robin May of the University of Birmingham, who led the study.
     Populations across the-world are aging at a surprising pace, bringing potentially big challenges for health
and social care systems. A study by Danish scientists last year found that half of babies born in the rich
world today will live to celebrate their 100th birthdays. Scientists are eager to find out how people age to try
to develop drugs to help them stay healthier as their lives extend.
     "What we have found is that things like resistance and aging tend to go hand in hand," May said in an
interview.
     May's team compared longevity, stress resistance and immunity in four related species of worm. They
also looked for differences in the activity of DAF-16 in each of the four species, and found that they were
all quite distinct.
     May said DAF-16 was active in most cells in the body and was very similar to a group of human genes
called FOXO genes, which scientists believe play a role in the aging process.
     "The fact that subtle (微妙的) differences in DAF-16 between species seem to have such an impact on
aging and health is very interesting and may explain how differences in lifespan and related traits have arisen
during evolution," May said.

1. In which section may the text appear in a newspaper?

A. Education.
B. Science.
C. Entertainment.
D. Culture.

2. According to May, _____.

A. resistance has a lot to do with aging
B. FOXO genes can be found in worms
C. genes play the same role in different species
D. new drugs will change the genes in older people

3. What can we know from the third paragraph?

A. New ways have been found to affect aging.
B. Babies in the rich world will all live longer.
C. Present social care systems are poorly managed.
D. Aging populations are causing more challenges.

4. From the text we know that DAF-16 _____.

A. is a gene that is only found in worms
B. can make people live longer
C. has an effect on aging and immunity
D. has been quite familiar to scientists

5. What can be the best tide of the passage?

A. Scientists Find Gene Linked to Aging
B. Population Aging Faster than Expected
C. How to Make People Live Longer
D. Gene Determines How Long We Live

     As they migrate (遷移), butterflies and moths choose the winds they want to fly with, and they change
their body positions if they start floating in the wrong direction. This new finding suggests that insects may
employ some of the same methods that birds use for traveling long distances. Scientists have long thought
that insects were simply at the mercy of the wind.
     Fascinating as their skills of flight are, migrating behavior has been difficult to study in insects because
many long distant trips happen thousands of feet above ground. Only recently have scientists developed
technologies that can detect such little creatures at such great heights.
     To their surprise, though, the insects weren't passive travelers on the winds. In autumn, for example,
most light winds blew from the east, but the insects somehow sought out ones that carried them south and
they positioned themselves to navigate directly to their wintering homes.
     Even in the spring, when most winds flowed northward, the insects didn't always go with the flow. If
breezes weren't blowing in the exact direction they wanted to go, the insects changed their body positions
to compensate. Many migrating birds do the same thing.
     The study also found, butterflies and moths actively flew within the air streams that pushed them along.
By adding flight speeds to wind speeds, the scientists calculated that butterflies and moths can travel as fast
as 100 kilometers an hour. The findings may have real-world applications. With climate warming,migrating
insects are growing in number. Knowing how and when these pests move could help when farmers decide
when to spray their crops.

1. What's the main idea of the text?

A. Insects migrate with the seasons.
B. Wind helps insects greatly in migrating.
C. Windsurfing insects have real direction.
D. Scientists have trouble in observing insects.

2. Scientists originally thought that _____.

A. insects always waited for their favourable winds
B. insects chose the winds they wanted to ride
C. insects were just blown about by the wind
D. insects positioned themselves in the winds

3. It is not easy to study the migrating behavior of the insects because _____.

A. the little creatures can fly very fast
B. they have no regular migrating courses
C. the wind's direction is hard to foresee
D. their flight is long and high above ground

4. We can learn from the text that _____.

A insects fly in the way birds do
B. insects travel more easily in autumn
C. insects never position themselves when flying low
D. insects rest a lot when the wind pushes them along

5. According to the passage, the findings can _____.

A. increase insects in number 
B. instruct farmers when to spray
C. prevent climate warming
D. help protect insects

                                                           Shaping the Future of TV
     Nobody can predict the future of TV with any certainty but some major figures in the industry have
recently put forward their thoughts on what will shape TV of the future.
     The shaping of a personalized television future is starting to take place, says Intel. The chip giant,
who makes the processors found in most personal computers, states that by 2015 there will be just over
12 million devices using IPTV services that will be capable of connecting to over 500 billion hours of TV
& video.
     This supports the idea to make television a more social, personalized and readily accessible device
available anywhere through IPTV services. As more and more people consume TV & video through various
mediums, there is now a greater need to distribute and manage this content.
     As such, companies like TV Genius are accepting this announcement made at Intel's Developer Forum
(IDF) in the USA by their chief technology officer, Justin Rattner.
     With such a variety of content likely to become available, technology firms will need to assist in making
personalized TV recommendations more readily accessible.
     Mr. Rattner, speaking to the BBC said, "TV will remain at the centre of our lives and you will be able to
watch what you want and where you want. We are talking about more than one TV-capable device for every
man and woman on the planet. People are going to feel connected to the screen in ways they haven't in the
past."
     One way in which this will happen will also be assisted by a more united service of material combining
including video content, internet content, broadcast content, and personal content.
     This content will become much more accessible through remote devices like mobile phones using IPTV
technology. This means that users will be able to watch their favorite programs away from the traditional
media hub, the home.

1. The author uses the passage mainly to _____.

A. recommend a new type of TV
B. introduce a possible shape of future TV
C. describe the function of future TV
D. support the new type of TV

2. We know from the passage that the future TV might have major features like _____.
    a. being capable of connecting to many more hours
    b. changing the shape very easily c. receiving programs at any place
    d. displaying the advanced materials e. using services accessing the Internet, video, radio, etc

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

3. The underlined word"this" in the third paragraph refers to _____.

A. Intel, the chip giant
B. TV and video
C. readily accessible device
D. widely used IPTV services

4. We can infer from the passage that _____.

A. the present TV will disappear in the near future
B. the future TV will have a beautiful look
C. people are developing the technology of TV very quickly
D. people will spend more time watching TV at home

                                                     Two Earthquakes in Two Months:
                                    Comparing the Quakes in Haiti (海地) and Chile (智利)
     Overview (概要) How do the earthquakes in Chile and Haiti compare? Here, students perform a gallery
walk to learn more about the earthquakes from a specific point, and then do a specific research and
presentation project or response activity. Finally, they seek answers to their unanswered questions.
      Materials Print copies of photographs, charts, documents and other visuals to display, as described
below; computer(s) with Internet access (optional), research materials, handouts.
     Warm-up Choose and prepare a "gallery" of photographs, graphics, news reports and other materials to
display around the room to enable students to consider the 2010 earthquake in Chile.
     Depending on course program, choose materials for the gallery that provide a window on the two quakes,
through one of the following specific points, or the focus of your choice:
     Earthquakes through History Putting the 2010 Chilean and Haitian quakes into historical view related to
other earthquakes, including the 1960 Chilean quake and the 2004 Asian earthquake and tsunami.
     Rescue and Aid Considering domestic and international response to the disasters by militaries, governments
and aid organizations, including rescue and recovery as well as efforts to provide food, water, health care and
shelter to those affected.
     Related The article Underwater Plate Cuts '400 Mile Gash compares several earthquakes:
     Mr. Lin figured that the quake on Saturday was 250 to 350 times more powerful than the Haitian quake.
     But Paul Caruso noted that at least on land, the effects of the Chilean tremor (震動(dòng)) might not be as bad.
For one thing, he said, the quality of building construction is generally better in Chile than in Haiti. And the fact
that the quake occurred offshore should also help limit the destruction. In Haiti, the rupture (斷裂) occurred
only a few miles from the capital, Port-au-Prince. The rupture on Saturday was centered about 60 miles from
the nearest town, Chillan, and 70 miles from the country's second-largest city, Concepcion.
     Read the article using the following questions.
     Questions For discussion with others and reading comprehension:
     How does the 2010 Chilean earthquake compare to the 1960 Chilean earthquake?
     Why do scientists believe that the 2010 Chilean earthquake will not cause the same level of damage as
January's Haitian earthquake did?
     How does the 2010 Chilean earthquake compare to the 2004 Indonesian earthquake?
     What reasons do scientists give to explain why the Indonesian quake caused so much more damage than
the recent Chilean earthquake?

1. Which of the following shows one of the reasons for slighter losses in Chile than in Haiti?

A. Position
 
B. Power
 
C. Building
 
D. Rescue