Michael Fish may soon be replaced as a weather forecaster by something truly fisher-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 behavior of sharks to predict bad weather.
     Miss Smith had previously studied the behavior 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 black tip 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 two paragraphs of the passage?

A. Sharks may be used to predict bad weather.
B. Sharks' behavior 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.

                                                          Passwords are no safeguards
      Typing your password or credit card number into a computer is a moment's work. But if you think your
personal details disappear as soon as you hit the Return key, think again: they can sit on the computer's hard
disk for years waiting for a hacker (黑客) to take them.
      As people spend more time on the web and hackers become more experienced, the dangers of storing
personal information on computers are growing by the day, security experts say. There are some safe-guards,
such as never allowing your computer to store your passwords. But even that in no guarantee of security.
      When you type in a password, it is stored in random access memory (RAM), where it is held temporarily
until other data overwrites it or the computer is switched off. 
      But every so often, the computer copies the contents of its RAM onto hard disk, where it is easy to prey
(捕獲) for a hacker, who can read it directly or design a worm to e-mail it back. The longer sensitive data
stays in RAM, the more likely it is to be copied onto the disk, where it stays until it is overwritten-which might
not happen for years.
      Tal Garfinkel and colleagues from Stanford University have created a software tool which simulates (模擬)
the workings of a complete computer system. Within the simulation, sensitive data can be tagged and then
tracked as it passes through the system. Next, Garfinkel and his team simulated computers running common
software that regularly handles passwords or secret personal information, such as Internet Explorer, the
Windows login script and Apache server software.
      In a paper to be presented, they conclude that the programs took no measures to limit the length of time
the information is kept. Some of the tested software even copied the sensitive information, obviously without
restraint (阻攔).

1. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A. It's important to set passwords to your computer.
B. Passwords help keep your personal information.
C. It's unsafe to store personal information on computers.
D. There are some safeguards for your personal information.

2. Hackers usually get others' information from _____.

A. RAM
B. the hard disk
C. a worm
D. the e-mail

3. Garfinkel and his colleagues created a software tool to _____.

A. find out how hackers steal personal information
B. protect personal information from being stolen
C. see how a complete computer system works
D. tag and track sensitive data on the computer

4. Talking about computer safety, which of the following the writer would probably suggest?

A. People should stop using computers.
B. Hackers should be heavily punished.
C. Better computer programs are needed.
D. Program developers are to blame.

     We can achieve knowledge either actively or passively. We achieve it actively by direct experience, by
testing and proving an idea, or by reasoning.
     We achieve knowledge passively by being told by someone else. Most of the learning that takes place in
the classroom and the kind that happens when we watch TV or read newspapers or magazines is passive.
Conditioned as we are to passive learning, it's not surprising that we depend on it in our everyday
communication with friends and co-workers.
     Unfortunately, passive learning has a serious problem. It makes us tend to accept what we are told even
when it is little more than hearsay and rumor (謠言).
      Did you ever play the game Rumor? It begins when one person writes down a message but doesn't show
it to anyone. Then the person whispers it, word for word, to another person. That person, in turn, whispers
it to still another, and so on, through all the people playing the game. The last person writes down the message
word for word as he or she hears it. Then the two written statements are compared. Typically, the original
message has changed.
     That's what happens in daily life. The simple fact that people repeat a story in their own words changes
the story. Then, too, most people listen imperfectly. And many enjoy adding their own creative touch to a
story, trying to improve on it, stamping (打上標(biāo)記) it with their own personal style. Yet those who hear it
think they know.
     This process is also found among scholars and authors: A statement of opinion by one writer may be re-
stated as fact by another, who may in turn be quoted by yet another; and this process may continue, unless
it occurs to someone to question the facts on which the original writer based his opinion or to challenge the
interpretation he placed upon those facts.

1. According to the passage, passive learning may occur in _____.

A. doing a medical experiment
B. solving a math problem
C. visiting an exhibition
D. doing scientific reasoning

2. The underlined word "it" in Paragraph 2 refers to _____.

A. active learning
B. knowledge
C. communication
D. passive learning

3. The author mentions the game Rumor to show that _____.

A. a message may be changed when being passed on
B. a message should be delivered in different ways
C. people may have problems with their sense of hearing
D. people tend not to believe in what they know as rumor

4. What can we infer from the passage?

A. Active learning is less important.
B. Passive learning may not be reliable.
C. Active learning occurs more frequently.
D. Passive learning is not found among scholars.

     It is natural that children are curious (好奇的) about the world around them. For example, they want to
know how their hearts beat. They want to know why the ocean water tastes salty. 　
     As children grow up, they become curious about different kinds of things. When they are babies, they
are interested in the parts of their bodies and in the smiles of their mothers. They become interested in the
physical world around them: the plants, the animals, the sky. Later, they become interested in the things that
people have made: wheels, bicycles, cars. And when they are adults, their curiosity continues. Sometimes this
curiosity leads to a career (生涯、職業(yè)) in science. 　
     Scientists spend their lives trying to find out about the world. Those who work with the earth sciences
study the earth, the oceans, and the sky. Other scientists who study living things work with the biological
sciences. A third group of scientists study the physical sciences, e.g. physics, chemistry. 　
     These scientists have already discovered a lot about our world. For example, they tell us why your heart
beats fast when you run. They say that when you are quiet, your heart normally beats sixty-five or seventy-
five times a minute. Your heart is a pump (泵) that pumps blood to all parts of the body. The blood carries
oxygen and nutrition. When you run, your muscles work very hard and use the nutrition that the blood carries
to them. The muscles need oxygen, too. So your brain sends a signal to the heart. The signal means that the
muscles need more nutrition and oxygen. Then the heart beats fast and sends blood quickly to the muscles.
It may beat 90 to 140 times a minute. 　
     Of course, scientists cannot answer all of our questions. If we ask, "Why does the ocean water taste
salty" scientists will say that the salt comes from rocks. When a rock gets very hot or very cold, it cracks.
Rain falls into cracks. The rain then carries the salt into the earth and into the rivers. The rivers carry the salt
into the ocean. But then we ask, "What happens to the salt in the ocean? The ocean does not get saltier every
year." Scientists are not sure about the answer to this question. 　
      We know a lot about our world, but there are still many answers that we do not have, and we are curious.

1. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

A. People are curious in the same way. 　
B. People in different countries are interested in different things. 　
C. Men and women are curious about different things. 　
D. People of different ages are interested in different things

2. Scientists who work with the biological sciences study ____.

A. the earth, the oceans and the sky
B. man-made things
C. plants and animals
D. ocean water

3. When you run, your muscles need ____.

A. more nutrition and oxygen
B. more signals
C. more salt
D. water

4. People are always curious because ____.

A. they cannot explain many things
B. they know nothing about the world
C. they know little about the world
D. they want to be scientists

     We are so used to having a cup of tea before heading off to work, during work or after getting back
from work. Tea breaks are more like a custom that takes place regularly several times a day. This tea break
tradition has been happening during the past 200 years or so. Tea just happens to be a wonderful drink for
most of us. The day simply feels incomplete without a hot cup of tea. However, is tea good for you?
     In 2006, the papers were flooded with the news of research showing that drinking 2-3 cups of tea a day
is as beneficial as drinking water, with even some additional health benefits. Another report published in
November 2009, stated that drinking up to eight cups of tea a day is good for you. The research conducted
by nutrition expert Dr. Carrie Ruxton, debunked (揭示…的真相) the popular stories about caffeinated (含咖
啡因的) drinks like tea, coffee and cocoa. According to Dr. Ruxton, the caffeine present in tea tends to lower
the risk of heart attacks and strokes. She says that drinking 8 cups of tea a day gives the drinkers "the best
levels of health-giving substances" present in tea and other caffeinated drinks.
     Contrary to popular belief that tea does not contain more caffeine than coffee, it actually contains almost
half the amount. Caffeine is a natural thing found in many types of food and drink. It's also something that
can give you a much needed lift for a demanding and tiring afternoon ahead. Research shows that proper
amounts of caffeine are safe for most people.
     So why not take full advantage of your tea breaks at work, or make time for afternoon tea while out
shopping at the weekend? And remember that tea is not just a great drink, but it helps to keep you looking and
feeling healthy.

1. What is mainly talked about in the first paragraph?

A. The types of tea.
B. The tea custom.
C. How to drink tea.
D. When to drink tea.

2. Reports in the newspapers show that ____.

A. drinking tea is a healthy habit
B. new ways of drinking tea appear
C. drinking tea is harmful to health
D. people don't like to drink tea any more

3. Caffeine in tea ____.

A. can make you energetic
B. gives you a good rest
C. may cause heart attacks
D. is more than that in coffee

4. What would be the best title for the passage?

A. Tea and disease
B. Tea-a healthy drink
C. Tea, coffee and cocoa
D. Drink tea or coffee

     Plants are very important living things. Life could not go on if there were no plants. This is because plants
can make food from air, water and sunlight. Animals and man cannot make food from air, water and sunlight.
Animals get their food by eating plants and other animals. Therefore animals and man need plants in order to
live. This is why we find that there are so many plants around us. If you look carefully at the plants around
you, you will find that there are two kinds of plants: flowering plants and non-flowering plants. Flowering
plants can make seeds. The seeds are protected by the fruits. Some fruits have one seed, some have two,
three or four, and some have many seeds. But a few fruits have no seeds at all. An example of a fruit without
seeds is the banana fruit. Most non-flowering plants do not grow from seeds. They grow from spores (胚芽).
Spores are very small. Some spores are so small and light that they can float in the air. We may say that spores
are quite the same as seeds. When these spores are all on wet and shady places, they usually grow into new
plants.

1. The main idea of the first paragraph is that _____.

[     ]

A. plants are important for life
B. plants cannot grow without air
C. there are many plants in the world
D. we can not live without water

2. Plants can make food from _____.

[     ]

A. flower, water and air
B. water, sunlight and air
C. air, water and soil
D. air, sun and light

3. What can we infer (推斷) from the passage?

[     ]

A. Of all living things animals are most important
B. Spores are seeds
C. All fruits of flowering plants have seeds
D. Without plants, man will die out

4. This passage may be taken from _____.

[     ]

A. a medicine book
B. a novel
C. a science magazine
D. an experiment report

     High school could be a scary time for everyone. The school seems bigger; there are more kids and it's a
totally new environment. In fact, it isn't that bad.
     High school is a lot like middle school after a while. The first day of course is always scary, and the first
day of middle school must have been the same. Of course, the first few days you might get lost while looking
for your classes but after a while, what seemed to be a large school really isn't.
     One thing that's really cool about high school is that there are so many more classes you can take. If you
happen to like art, there are many art classes. In addition, there are other classes that weren't available in middle
school like photography or psychology.
     In high school, there are a lot of things that are similar to how middle school was but at the same time,
there are other opportunities available as well. There are more clubs, sports, and other activities you can join
in.
     You're able to join in these activities and make new friends with kids with the same interest as you. These
activities also give you a chance to learn something you never had the opportunity to learn before.
     High school has something for everyone. You just have to decide what to take part in. but there's one thing
that's certain that you're going to have just as much fun in high school as you did in middle school. And if
middle school wasn't that great for you, high school is a chance to make up for it. 
     High school isn't just about having fun though. You have to be responsible while you're growing up.
Teachers aren't going to chase (催促) you up to do your homework.

1. The passage is mainly about _____.

A. high school life
B. how to take art classes
C. the fun side of high school life
D. how to make new friends in high school

2. In the author's opinion, high school life _____.

A. is a scary time for everyone
B. is full of fun without any worries
C. is the same as middle school life
D. is as much fun as middle school life

3. It can be inferred that you can do the following things in high school EXCEPT _____.

A. making more friends
B. taking photography classes
C. getting lost while looking for classes
D. ignoring your homework until your teacher reminds you

4. The article is probably taken from _____.

A. a travel magazine
B. a book review
C. an advice column for students
D. a film poster

     Birds don't need lessons in building nests. Fish don't need coaching to learn how to swim. All animals
have instincts. They're born with natural abilities to do certain things. Wild animals also learn by copying
their parents and practicing. And pets learn through training.
     But instincts and training aren't the only keys to animals' behavior. Scientists say animals' thoughts and
feelings also influence their actions. Animals often make choices, plans, and sensible changes. They can
help others and solve problems. Some even make and use tools!
     If animals could talk, what would they say about their thoughts and feelings? A gorilla (大猩猩) born
in captivity (關(guān)在籠子里) has helped answer that question. Koko, a gorilla, was taught to use sign language
(手勢語). She has learned hundreds of words!
     Koko once had a pet cat she named All Ball. "Koko love Ball," she signed. "Soft good cat." One time,
she blamed the cat for biting her by signing "You bad dirty toilet!" When her pet died, Koko cried. "Sad for
sleeping cat," she signed.
     Koko calls herself "fine animal gorilla". She uses sign language to argue, joke, and ask and answer
questions.
     "Most animals can't use words to tell us their thoughts," says Dr. Jonathan Balcombe. "But Koko shows
us that animals have their own ideas and feelings." Dr. Balcombe is a scientist at the Humane Society of the
United States. He says there's even more to discover about animals through field studies. In field studies,
people watch animals in their natural environment.
     "Scientists who study animals' natural behaviors learn how animals live and think," Balcombe says. "That
knowledge can help others respect every animal who shares the planet with us."

1. The underlined word "instincts" in the first paragraph probably refers to the ability that _____.

A. animals copy their parents
B. animals learn by practicing
C. animals are born with
D. animals learn through training

2. The example of Koko shows that _____.

A. an animal likes to have its own pet
B. an animal can learn to speak through training
C. an animal has the natural ability to speak
D. an animal can speak its mind

3. According to Balcombe, learning how animals live and think can _____.

A. help people care for animals
B. teach animals to use words
C. train animals to use tools
D. train animals to be cleverer

4. What might be the best title for the passage?

A. Raising animals as pets
B. Understanding animals
C. Training animals to speak
D. Protecting animals from danger

     Sometimes Chinese English teachers are puzzled by such questions, "Have you got any skills in reading
comprehension?" Actually, many of the teachers can't give students 1_____ efficient (效率高的) way to deal
with reading. Anyway, 2_____ often simply say, "Read more and practise more, and you 3_____ (get) more
experience in reading comprehension." Frankly, these teachers' good 4_____ (suggest) are only helpful to
arouse students' interest in reading 5_____ not helpful to deal with the questions in the examinations of reading
comprehension. Personally, I think the skill for reading comprehension should be based 6_____ the knowledge
of English writing. Since the English passages 7_____ (write) under some rules or principles, the science of
reading and understanding may have a close relationship with writing. Reading comprehension can't be
independent from the knowledge of writing. So to do 8_____ (well) in reading comprehension, we should
learn the knowledge of writing, study 9_____ questions are designed and the relationship 10_____ questions
and the reading materials.

    Many Chinese students who have learnt English for more than ten years are still unable to speak English
very well when they meet a foreigner. They seem to have mastered the basic language structure (結(jié)構(gòu)), but
a conversation in English will make them feel uneasy. They are afraid that other people might find out their
mistakes.
    It's uncommon that many students who are bad speakers of English can write English perfectly. This
proves that they are unable to organize their idea in English. The center of the problem is that they lack
practice and confidence (自信).
    Why should you be afraid? Do you fear those foreigners with whom you are speaking? Don't be shy, they
will not laugh at you just for a little mistake you make. The best way to get rid of trouble is to learn to speak
by speaking more. I am sure that constant practice will help you succeed.

1. What's the best topic for the passage?

A. How to Speak to Foreigners
B. How to Study English Well
C. How to Organize the Idea in English
D. Practice Speaking English All the Time

2. Many Chinese students can write English very well, but they cannot speak English fluently because _____.

A. they seldom meet foreigners
B. they seldom practice speaking English
C. they had no chance to speak English
D. they think it's enough to master the basic language structure only

3. So many Chinese students are afraid to speak to foreigners because _____.

A. they are afraid they can't understand foreigners
B. they don't think their English is poor
C. they worry about making mistakes in their speaking
D. they didn't like speaking to foreigners

4. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

A. We can speak English fluently by doing more speaking.
B. If you can write English perfectly, you are able to organize your idea in English.
C. If you can write good English composition, you can speak English very well.
D. Any Chinese students can't speak English fluently because they are afraid of making mistakes.

5. In the last paragraph, the expression "get rid of" means _____.

A. throw away
B. free oneself from
C. give up
D. do with