US military is attempting to develop a new style “insect robot” to replace the human soldier to go wherever he can’t. The greatest trouble this project has fallen across is how to enable the robot to fly freely like an insect， said an official of the Pentagon(五角大樓).
The Pentagon is seeking for the cooperation with scientists in hope of developing a new technique by which people can control the insect’s flight direction and pass on the information its eyes or other organs catch through the equipment set in its body， the official said.
It is thus designed that a tiny controlling chip will be equipped in an insect’s body when it is in chrysalis(蛹). As the insect grows， the cut made when fixing in the chip will be recovered. The chip will exist in forever. Scientists believe this won’t influence the insect， sound growth or the functions of internal organs.
The terminal target of the project is to set up a global system， in which the insect robots will be stationed in all parts of the world and stick to their posts till a new instruction is received. At that time the military can receive from all over the world clear image information within about 5 meters of the insects and that of a special target within 100 meters.
Years ago， Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency of US DOD(國防部) spent $3,000,000 carrying out a plan for training bees to detect landmines. But， no new progress has so far been made.
“According to the scientists， there is still enormous difficulty in technology in turning it into reality， such as the insects reproduction(繁殖)， their adaptation to the surroundings and temperature and so on. However， this project is really challenging. If successful， it is equal to making countless small drone(無人機)，”said the official of DOD.
小題1:According to the description of the passage， what is an insect robot like？

A．An insect made of a certain metal.

B．A robot looking like an insect.

C．An insect with a chip in its body.

D．A tiny flying robot.

小題2:As for the design that an insect robot can receive and send information， how do you infer(推測) it works？

A．There must be a controlling chip well connected with the insect’s brain.

B．The insect’s eyes and other organs must be replaced by some special equipment.

C．All the insect’s concerned organs must be controlled by a chip.

D．The insect must be so well trained as to make full use of its organs.

小題3:When the project is completed， US military will　　　　.

A．have a clear picture of almost every part of the world

B．have insect robots from all over the world

C．see clearly the things within 10 to 100 meters

D．get many insects which obey their orders

小題4:Of the following technical problems， which is the one the scientists can’t solve so far？

A．They can’t keep sound growth of the insects.

B．They can’t ensure the insects to produce their young.

C．They can’t fix a chip in an insect.

D．They can’t make sure the internal organs function well.

小題5:What does the underlined word “terminal” in the fourth paragraph mean？

A．Leading.

B．Vital.

C．Moral.

D．Final.

Speaking two languages rather than just one has obvious practical benefits in an increasingly globalized world．But in recent years, scientists have begun to show that the advantages of bilingualism （雙語能力） are even more important than being able to converse with a wider range of people．Being bilingual, it turns out, makes you smarter．It can have a deep effect on your brain, improving skills not related to language and even protecting against a serious mental disorder in old age．
This view of bilingualism is different from the understanding of bilingualism through much of the 20th century．Researchers, educators and policy makers long considered a second language to be an interruption that prevented a child's school work and ability to think and understand things．They were not wrong about the interruption: there is ample evidence that in a bilingual \s brain both language systems are active even when he is using only one language, thus creating situations in which one system disturbs the other．But this interruption, researchers are finding out, isn't so much a disturbance．It forces the brain to solve inside conflict, giving the mind a workout that strengthens its thinking muscles．
The key difference between bilinguals and monolinguals may be more basic: a heightened ability to monitor the environment．"Bilinguals have to switch languages quite often—you may talk to your father in one language and to your mother in another language," says Albert Costa, a researcher at the University of Pompea Fabra in Spain．
"It requires keeping track of changes around you in the same way that we monitor our surroundings when driving．" In a study comparing German-Italian bilinguals with Italian monolinguals on monitoring tasks, Mr．Costa and his colleagues found that the bilingual subjects not only performed better, but they also did so with less activity in parts of the brain involved in monitoring, showing that they did better in it．
小題1:From the passage we can learn that experts used to believe that ______．

A．interruption forced a bilingual's brain to strengthen its thinking ability

B．a second language stopped children's studying as well as mental development

C．using two languages annoyed the children who have trouble in learning skills

D．language systems were busy in a bilingual's brain when he was using languages

小題2:The underlined word "switch" in Paragraph 3 probably means "______"．

A．change

B．use

C．speak

D．study

小題3:What is the author's attitude towards bilingualism?

A．Cautious．

B．Doubtful．

C．Concerned．

D．Favourable．

小題4:Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．How Bilinguals Use Languages

B．What Bilingualism Is Really about

C．Why Bilinguals Are More Intelligent

D．When People Learn a Second Language

The Segway Human Transporter was invented by Dean Kamen．It is a two-wheeled vehicle designed for a single rider standing upright over its single axle（軸） and navigate using a set of handlebars resembling those on a bicycle．Electrically powered, it could travel over 15 miles on a single charge and reach speeds up to twelve miles per hour．Its speed and direction can be controlled by riders' changing their weights．
A college dropout and self-taught engineer, Kamen already held over 100 patents for his inventions when he developed the one he hoped would revolutionize short-distance travel．While still in college, Kamen started developing the medical devices （設備） that made his name．Later, he changed focus to the challenges faced by wheelchair users．His robotic wheelchair known as IBOT could climb stairs．This robot ended up paving the way for the Segway．
Before showing his most recent invention, Kamen had kept it a top secret for months．When it turned out to be little more than a motor scooter, many publicly expressed their disappointment．On closer examination, however, even his critics（批評家） had to admit that the vehicle was an engineering achievement．It answered the prayers of anyone who is worn out when walking downtown．Not everyone welcomed the Segway's arrival, though．Some complained it was too expensive, while others said it would further weaken the average American ' s fitness．A Japanese inventor even accused Kamen of stealing the idea for the Segway from him．
Despite the controversy, the U．S．postal service began using Kamen's invention a month after its appearance, and a factory was built with plans to produce about 40,000 Segways every month．The argument is still on whether the Segway will be remembered as the greatest invention since the light bulb, or just another forgettable electronic device．Anyway, trips to the local supermarket will never be the same again．
小題1:Which statement best describes the critics' reaction to the Segway?

A．Nothing but an electrical device．

B．A disappointing engineering mistake．

C．An expensive and disappointing invention．

D．Disappointing, but still a successful device．

小題2:Which is not a feature of the Segway?

A．One person at a time can ride on it．

B．It has two wheels with a single axle．

C．It is powered by electricity and can go up to 12mph．

D．Riders increase the speed by moving the handlebars

小題3:Some people expressed dissatisfaction with the Segway because of its______.

A．high cost	B．danger to traffic
C．being difficult to use	D．contribution to laziness

小題4:Shortly after the Segway appeared, there were _________.

A．hopes for a larger model of it

B．no plans to do anything more with it

C．some discussions on the unforgettable device

D．plans to make tens of thousands of them a month

Monkeys , face to face
DISCOVER magazine once reported on a curious event in the woods : a group of monkeys applied mud (泥) to their faces in order to keep away insects , but when they were done they seemed to have lost their ability to recognize each other ---two monkeys that were supposed to be friends even started fighting.
“Faces are really important to how monkeys and apes (猿)can tell one another apart,” explained Michael Alfaro, a biologist at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), to the New York -based International Science Times . This is quite different from many other animals , which depend heavily on smells.
Since faces play such a crucial part in the social lives of monkeys , could this explain why certain monkey species have such colorful faces while others have simpler, plainer ones ?
To test this theory , a group of researchers from UCLA studied 139 monkey species , mainly from Asia and Africa, and analyzed hundreds of headshot (頭像）photos of those monkeys from their databases.
It was found that species that live in larger groups have faces with more complex color patterns than those that live in smaller groups. According to Live Science, researchers believe that this is nature’s way of making it easier for monkeys to recognize each other since those living in larger groups have to distinguish between a greater number of faces.
This is actually not that hard to understand . Just imagine if there were 10 people standing in front of you, all wearing white clothes. It would be much more difficult to tell them apart than if they wore clothes with colorful patterns. However, if there were only two people that you had to identify, a lack of color wouldn’t be much of a problem.
Apart from the need to recognize group members , researchers found that geography and environment also affect monkeys’ facial colors. Species that live closer to the equator in thick, humid (潮濕的）forests were found to have darker faces than those who live in dry areas further away from the equator. This is because darker faces help camouflage (偽裝）the monkeys in the woods so that they go unnoticed by predators (捕食者）.
小題1:We can learn from the article that monkeys mainly recognize each other by their __.

A．Smells

B．Facial appearances

C．body shapes

D．Voices

小題2:Which of the following statements about monkeys’face patterns is TURE according to the article ?

A．Larger monkeys have more complex face color patterns.

B．Monkeys with colorful face patterns usually take higher social positions within groups.

C．Monkeys living in smaller groups usually have simpler, plainer face patterns.

D．Colorful face patterns keep monkeys safe from predators.

小題3:What is article mainly about?

A．The social lives of monkeys.

B．How monkeys tell each other apart.

C．A comparison between the face patterns of monkeys and those of human beings.

D．The different factors that determine monkeys’ face patterns.

Julie was preparing for a trip when her phone slipped into a sink full of water. Panic moment! She quickly picked up the wet phone and tried to turn it on, but nothing worked. Her first reaction? She got dressed, drove to the nearest store, and bought a new model at full price.
A new study finds that fear of losing your phone is a common illness. About 66 percent of those surveyed suffer from nomophobia or “no mobile phone phobia”. Interestingly, more women worry about losing their phone than men.
Fortunately, there’s a solution.
The first step is to figure out if you have nomophobia. Checking your phone too often is one thing, but the true sign of a problem is that you can’t conduct business or go about your routine when the fear becomes so severe.
Do you go to unusual lengths to make sure you have your phone? That’s another sign of a problem. If you find you check your phone plenty of times per hour, or a total of an hour per day, there may be a problem.
Some of the treatments are similar to those for treating anxiety attacks: Leaving the phone behind and not checking e-mail or text messages, and then learning to tolerate the after anxiety. Even if this leads to a high level of worry and stress, the solution is to push through the fear and learn to deal with not having your phone. 
Of course, there are also technological alternatives. Luis Levy, a co-founder at Novy PR, says he uses an application called Cerberus that can automatically track the location of his phone. To find it, he can just go to a Web site and see the phone’s location.
He also insures his phone through a service called Asurion. The company’s description of its product reads like a prescription for anxiety: “60 million phones are lost, stolen or damaged each year. You’ll have complete peace of mind knowing that your phone is protected and you can quickly reconnect with family, friends and work, as soon as the very next day!”
小題1:Why does the author mention Kelly’s experience in the first paragraph?

A．To inform us that mobile phones are useful.

B．To introduce the topic for discussion.

C．To warn us that we should be careful.

D．To tell us we should get phones ready for a trip.

小題2:The underlined word “nomophobia” in Paragraph 2 means ________.

A．Fear of losing mobile phones.

B．Habits of using mobile phones

C．Eagerness for new mobile phones.

D．Independence of mobile phones.

小題3:Which of the following is a way to treat nomophobia?

A．Avoiding using phone for some time

B．Learning more about modern technology.

C．Protecting one’s phone against any damage.

D．Not using a mobile phone in one’s daily work.

小題4:Why can the service called Asurion help to treat nomophobia?

A．It lets you know other people also lose their phones.

B．It will give you a new phone through insurance.

C．It enables you to reconnect with your acquaintance.

D．It gives you a prescription to treat nomophobia.

小題5: What is the passage mainly about?

A．Solutions to nomophobia.	B．New mobile phone technology.
C．Disadvantages of mobile phone.	D．Attitude toward mobile phone.

Having a child may improve a woman’s memory, a new study suggests.
In the study, women who were new mothers scored better on tests of visuospatial memory – the ability to understand and remember information about their surroundings—compared with women who didn’t have children.
The findings contradicts the old belief that women develop“baby brain" or a decline in memory and cognitive(認知的) function, after they have kids, said study researcher Melissa Santiago, a doctoral student at Carlos Albizu University in Miami. “You don’t have to feel that because you have kids, your memory isn’t the same," Santiago said.
The study was small, and the findings will have to be tested in larger groups of people, Santiago said.
Previous studies on the topic have had mixed results—some showed motherhood hurts cognition, and others showed the opposite. Studies on rats show those with pups have better memory than those without offspring.
Santiago analyzed information from 35 first-time mothers whose children were ages 10 to 24 months, and 35 women who had never been pregnant. Both groups scored similarly on intelligence tests. The average age of mothers was 29 and the average age of never-pregnant women was 27.
To test visuospatial memory, the women were shown a paper containing six symbols for 10 seconds, and then asked to draw what they remembered. This task was repeated several times. The first time women were shown the paper, both groups remembered about the same amount. But on the second and third pass, mothers performed better than those without children, indicating that the mothers collected more information each time than the other women.
Later, the women were shown a variety of different symbols, and asked to remember which ones were presented on the earlier task. Mothers did not make a mistake in this task—they remembered every symbol correctly—but those without children made one or two errors, Santiago said.
小題1: How did Santiago lead to the findings?

A．By observation.	B．By comparison.
C．By analyzing intelligence tests.	D．By asking women questions.

小題2:By saying “The study was small", what did Santiago mean?

A．The study received little attention.

B．The study has just started.

C．The study was carried out among a small group of people.

D．A small group of researchers were involved in the study.

小題3:Which of the following was discussed in the text?

A．Ways to test visuospatial memory.

B．Why having kids improves memory.

C．How young mothers are different from never-pregnant women.

D．The negative effects that worries of women without children have.

小題4: It can be inferred that Santiago believe the findings of the study_________.

A．may cause a heated discussion among parents

B．may cause an increase in the birth rate

C．are tested by previous similar studies

D．are encouraging news for mothers

A few degrees can make a big difference when it comes to food storage. Foods can go bad if they get too warm. But for many of the world’s poor, finding a good way to keep food cool is difficult. Refrigerators are costly and they need electricity.
Yet spoiled food not only creates health risks but also economic losses. Farmers lose money when they have to throw away products that they cannot sell quickly.
But in nineteen ninety-five a teacher in northern Nigeria named Mohammed Bah Abba found a solution. He developed the “Pot-in-Pot Preservation/Cooling System.” It uses two round containers made of clay. A smaller pot is placed inside a larger one. The space between the two pots is filled with wet sand. The inner pot can be filled with fruit, vegetables or drinks. A wet cloth covers the whole cooling system.
Food stored in the smaller pot is kept from spoiling through a simple evaporation(蒸發(fā)) process. Water in the sand between the two pots evaporates through the surface of the larger pot, where drier outside air is moving.
The evaporation process creates a drop in temperature of several degrees. This cools the inner pot and helps keep food safe from harmful bacteria. Some foods can be kept fresh this way for several weeks.
People throughout Nigeria began using the invention. And it became popular with farmers in other African countries. Mohammed Bah Abba personally financed the first five thousand pot-in-pot systems for his own community and five villages nearby.
In two thousand, the Rolex Watch Company of Switzerland honored him with the Rolex Award for Enterprise. This award recognizes people trying to develop projects aimed at improving human knowledge and well-being. A committee considers projects in science and medicine, technology, exploration and discovery, the environment and cultural history. Winners receive financial assistance to help develop and extend their projects.
小題1:Which is the best title of the passage?

A．A Few Degrees can Make a Big Difference for Storage

B． A Cool Way to Keep Food from Spoiling

C． Spoiled Food Creates Health Risks and Economic Losses

D． The Evaporation Process Creates a Drop in Temperature

小題2:What does the third paragraph mainly talk about?

A．the structure of the invention

B．the usage of the invention

C．the cost of the invention

D．the inspiration of the invention

小題3:What is it that essentially keeps the food in the container from spoiling?

A．the wet cloth covering the cooling system.

B．the moving drier air outside the container

C．the wet sand between the containers

D．a drop in temperature by evaporation

小題4:According to the passage, where can we possibly see the invention?

A．rich and advanced families

B．scientific experiment laboratory

C．poor and underdeveloped area

D．supermarket needing to store goods

小題5:We can know from the passage that Mohammed Bah Abba ____________.

A．invented the controversial cooling system

B．financed the systems in all communities

C．received financial assistance for his invention

D．invented more complicated cooling system later

Modern inventions have speeded up people's lives amazingly. Motor cars cover a hundred miles in light more than an hour, aircraft cross the world inside a day, while computers operate at lightning speed. Indeed, this love of speed seems never ending. Every year motor cars are produced which go even faster and each new computer boasts(吹噓) of saving precious seconds in handling tasks.
All this saves time, but at a price.When we lose or gain half a day in speeding across the world in an airplane, our bodies tell us so. We get the uncomfortable feeling known as jet lag；our bodies feel that they have been left behind in another time zone. Again, spending too long at computers results in painful wrists and fingers. Mobile phones also                   , according to some scientists；too much use may put harmful radiation into our brains, a consequence we do not like to think about.
However, what do we do with the time we have saved? Certainly not relax, or so it seems. We are so accustomed to constant activity that we find it difficult to sit and do nothing or even just one thing at a time. Perhaps the days are long gone when we might listen quietly to a story on the radio, letting imagination take us into another world.
There was a time when some people's lives were devoted simply to the cultivation(耕耘) of the land or the care of cattle. No multi tasking there；their lives went on at a much gentler pace, and in a familiar pattern. There is much that we might envy about a way of life like this. Yet before we do so, we must think of the hard tasks our ancestors faced: they farmed with bare hands, often lived close to hunger, and had to make tools from wood and stone. Modern machinery has freed people from that primitive existence.
小題1:What's the passage mainly about?(within 10 words)
                                                                       
小題2:List the difficulties our ancestors met according to the text.(within 15 words)
①                                                                      
②                                                                      
③                                                                      
小題3:Fill in the blank in the 2nd paragraph with proper words or phrases.
                                                                       
小題4:Why do we make new products more and more time-saving according to Paragraph 1 of this passage?
                                                                       
小題5:Translate the underlined sentence in the 3rd paragraph into Chinese.
                                                                       
                                                                       

The Pacific island nation of Nauru used to be a beautiful place. Now it is an ecological（生態(tài)的） disaster area. Nauru’s heartbreaking story could have one good consequence — other countries might learn from its mistakes.
For thousands of years, Polynesian people lived the remote island of Nauru, far from western civilization. The first European to arrive was John Fearn in 1798. He was the British captain of the Hunter, a whaling ship. He called the island Pleasant Island.
However, because it was very remote, Nauru had little communication with Europeans at first. The whaling ships and other traders began to visit, bringing guns and alcohol. These elements destroyed the social balance of the twelve family groups on the island. A ten-year civil war started, which reduced the population from 1,400 to 900.
Nauru’s real troubles began in 1899 when a British mining company discovered phosphate (磷酸鹽)on the island. In fact, it found that the island of Nauru was nearly all phosphate, which a very important fertilizer for farming. The company began mining the phosphate.
A phosphate mine is not a hole in the ground; it is a strip mine（帶狀礦）. When a company strip-mines, it removes the top layer（層） of soil. Then it takes away the material it wants. Strip mining totally destroys the land. Gradually, the lovely island of Nauru started to look like the moon.
In 1968, Nauru became one of the richest countries in the world. Every year the government received millions and millions of dollars for its phosphate.
Unfortunately, the leaders invested the money unwisely and lost millions of dollars. In addition, they used millions more dollars for personal expenses. Soon people realized that they had a terrible problem — their phosphate was running out. Ninety percent of their island was destroyed and they had nothing. By 2000, Nauru was financially ruined. Experts say that it would take approximately $433,600,000 and more than 20 years to repair the island. This will probably never happen.
小題1:What might be the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To seek help for Nauru’s problems.	B．To give a warning to other countries.
C．To show the importance of money.	D．To tell a heartbreaking story of a war.

小題2:What was Nauru like before the Europeans came?

A．Rich and powerful.	B．Modern and open.
C．Peaceful and attractive.	D．Greedy and aggressive.

小題3:The ecological disaster in Nauru resulted from           .

A．soil pollution	B．phosphate over mining
C．farming activity	D．whale hunting

小題4:Which of the following was a cause of Nauru’s financial problem?

A．Its leaders misused the money.	B．It spent too much repairing the island.
C．Its phosphate mining cost much money.	D．It lost millions of dollars in the civil war.

小題5:What can we learn about Nauru from the last paragraph?

A．The phosphate mines were destroyed.	B．The leaders will take the experts’ words seriously.
C．The island was abandoned by the Nauruans.	D．The ecological damage is difficult to repair.

 Waste can be seen everywhere in the school. Some students ask for more food than they can eat and others often forget to turn off the lights when they leave the classroom. They say they can afford these things. But I don’t agree with them.
Waste can bring a lot of problems. Although China is rich in some resources(資源), we are short of(缺乏) others, for example, fresh water(淡水). It is reported that we will have no coal(煤) or oil to use in 100 years. So if we go on wasting our resources, what can we use in the future and where can we move? Think about it. I think we should say no to the students who waste things every day. Everybody should stop wasting as soon as possible.
In our everyday life, we can do many things to prevent waste from happening, for example, turn off the water taps(水龍頭) when we finish washing, turn off the lights when we leave the classroom, try not to order more food than we need, and so on. Little by little, everything will be changed. Waste can be stopped one day, if we do our best.
小題1:From the passage we know that some students often _______ in the school.

A．eat too much

B．don’t work hard

C．waste things

D．throw rubbish everywhere

小題2:Which is not mentioned in this passage?

A．Fresh water.

B．Forest.

C．Oil.

D．Coal.

小題3:What may happen in 100 years?

A．We may still have enough oil.	B．We may still have enough coal.
C．We may have a little oil.	D．We may have no coal or oil to use.

小題4:Which is the best title of this passage?

A．Stop Wasting	B．School life
C．Waste in the School	D．Rich Resources in China