Scientists know of more than 1,000 volcanoes on the surface of Venus, Earth’s “sister” planet. A big question has been: Are they still active? The scientists say yes.
Their evidence for recent volcanic activity on Venus comes from a lava(熔巖) flow in the planet’s northern hemisphere. The flow is hotter than the rocks around, which means the lava might still be cooling off. “The flow we studied seems to be very young---it is still warm inside,” Nataliya Bondarenko said.
Venus is a difficult planet to study from Earth because it is surrounded by thick clouds. Telescopes on Earth can’t see through these clouds, so the best information about Venus comes from spacecraft orbiting it.
Bondarenko and her colleagues studied the lava flow using data from NASA’s Magellan mission. That spacecraft spent four years in orbit around Venus and used radar to make a map of 98 percent of the planet’s surface. On October 11th, 1994, the mission ended, and the spacecraft plunged (跌落) through Venus’ heavy cloud cover and crashed onto the planet below.
While in orbit, the Magellan craft sent microwaves, which can go through Venus’ clouds, to the surface. Microwaves are invisible and can be as long as three feet. These waves are a kind of energy, like light. And like light, they bounce off surfaces. The way the waves bounced off the Venus’ surface and back to the craft supplied information that the scientists used to estimate the temperature of various parts of the planet’s surface. Bondarenko’s team found that the lava flow was hotter than its surroundings---which may mean the lava flow is in the process of cooling.
The scientists say the lava flow can’t be very old because if it were, it would have cooled off enough that Magellan wouldn’t have noticed the difference in microwaves. She adds that the flow appears in a 1978 view of the surface that a craft called the Pioneer Venus Orbiter captured.
小題1:What happened to Magellan in the end?

A．It was floating in space forever.

B．It flew into heavy clouds.

C．It returned to the Earth.

D．It fell onto Venus.

小題2:How could Bondarenko judge the temperature of the Venus?

A．By looking at it with a powerful telescope.

B．By measuring the thickness of clouds over Venus.

C．By calculating the microwave bouncing off Venus’s surface.

D．By orbiting Venus for 4 years in a spacecraft.

小題3:The best title for the passage may be “______ ”.

A．Warm lava on Venus

B．More volcanic eruptions on Venus

C．Venus is just like a big active volcano

D．Lava flows are first found on Venus

Read the following text and choose the most suitable heading from A—F for each paragraph. There is one extra heading which you do not need.
A. When a child should learn to read
B. Why it is fun to teach a child reading
C. What if a child has reading problems
D. How you prepare a young child for reading
E. What is the best way to teach a child reading
F. Whether reading early promises later achievements
小題1:                  
Learning to read early has become one of those indicators—in parents' minds at least—that their child is smart. In fact, reading early has very little to do with whether a child is successful academically. Research has shown that difficulty with reading is often due not to inferior intelligence but to differences in the developmental wiring of each individual child. In some cases, there are neurological problems and developmental lags that can be overcome with proper training.
小題2:               
Traditionally, American schools teach children at age six, but many schools begin teaching informally in kindergarten and pre-kindergarten. If parents start too early to encourage reading, and a child does not immediately succeed, the parent has a hard time relaxing and letting the child go at his or her own pace.
小題3:               
Over the years, research has proved that the use of both the “whole language” method and the “phonic” method works best for a child to master reading. While the whole language approach, which includes reading to children and getting them interested in both the activity of reading and the story they are reading, is helpful, phonics must be taught. Children must be taught that one of the squiggles they see is a “p” and another a “b”. Getting the print off the page requires a different ability than being able to understand the meaning of what is written.
小題4:               
You can start developing the skills needed in reading at a very young age without putting any pressure on children. Besides reading to them, parents can start “ear training” their child by playing rhyme games. This develops the child's ability to recognize different sounds. In reading to children, parents also can point to words as they go, teaching the child that the funny lines on the page are the words you are saying. All this should be a fun activity.
小題5:               
Once a child is in school, the learning of reading is inevitably more serious. For children who have some kind of reading difficulty, you must get a professional diagnosis. While the teacher might say the child is merely disinterested but will get over it, disinterest or poor performance in reading can stem from a number of things, some being very specific learning disabilities that can be identified and worked on. But it is very tricky for parents to deal with their own child's learning disabilities.

Some scientists say that animals in the ocean are increasingly threatened by noise pollution caused by human beings. The noise that affect sea creatures comes from a number of human activities. It is caused mainly by industrial underwater explosions, ocean drilling, and ship engines. Such noises are added to natural sounds. These sounds include the breaking of ice fields, underwater earthquakes, and sounds made by animals themselves.
Decibels（分貝）measured in water are different from those measured on land. A noise of one hundred and twenty decibels on land causes pain to human ears. In water, a decibel level of one hundred and ninety-five would have the same effect.
Some scientists have proposed setting a noise limit of one hundred and twenty decibels in oceans. They have observed that noises at that level can frighten and confuse whales.
A team of American and Canadian scientists discovered that loud noises can seriously injure some animals. The research team found that powerful underwater explosions were causing whales in the area to lose their hearing. This seriously affected the whales’ ability to exchange information and find their way. Some of the whales even died. The explosions had caused their ears to bleed and become infected.
Many researchers whose work depends on ocean sounds object to a limit of one hundred and twenty decibels. They say such a limit would mean an end to important industrial and scientific research.
Scientists do not know how much and what kinds of noises are harmful to ocean animals. However, many scientists suspect that noise is a greater danger than they believed. They want to prevent noises from harming creatures in the ocean.
小題1:According to the passage, which of the following is increasingly dangerous to sea creatures?

A．The man-made noises.

B．The noises made by themselves.

C．The sound of earthquakes.

D．The sound of the ice-breaking.

小題2:As to the influence of noises on whales, which of the following statements is true?

A．They are deaf to noises.

B．Noises at a certain level may hurt them.

C．They are easily confused by noises.

D．Noises will limit their ability to reproduce.

小題3: We can know from the passage that many scientists think that the noise limit of one hundred twenty decibels would______.

A．prevent them from doing their research work

B．benefit them a lot in their research work

C．do good to their health

D．increase the industrial output

小題4:According to the passage, what will scientists most probably do in the future?

A．They will try their best to decrease noise.

B．They will work hard to cut down noise pollution.

C．They will study the effect of different noises.

D．They will protect animals from harmful noises.

For medical students, real experience begins not in a classroom but at a teaching hospital. These doctors in training are guided. But sometimes accidents happen and the students get injured.
For example, they might stick themselves with a needle while treating patients. Such needle sticks are common. But a recent study found that medical students often fail to report them. Failing to report an injury like this can be dangerous if a patient, or a medical worker, has an infectious disease.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, did the study, which involved a survey answered by almost 700 surgeons in training in the United States.
Almost 60% said they had suffered needle stick injuries when they were in medical school. Many said they were stuck more than once. Yet nearly half of those whose most recent incident happened in school did not report it to a health office. If they had, they would have been tested to see if they needed treatment to prevent an infection like HIV or hepatitis.
Most known cases of HIV or hepatitis are reported, but other possible infections often are not. Martin Makary, the lead author of the study, says medical students who are stuck put themselves and others in danger from infectious diseases.
Doctor Makary said, "A needle that goes through the skin needs to be as sharp as possible.” Doctors in training may have to do hundreds of stitches (縫線) in some cases to close the skin after an operation.
Doctor Makary said, “I support using blunt tip needles which are considered safer. This needle is still sharp enough to go through body tissue, but it does have a blunt tip, so that if it accidentally goes into my finger, it's much less likely to hurt me."
How common are needle sticks among health care workers? An estimated 600,000 to 800,000 of these and similar injuries are reported each year in the United States. But Doctor Makary says the real number may be much higher.
The study advises doctors to protect their hands by wearing two sets of gloves. It also urges hospitals to establish a special telephone number for medical workers and students to call if they are injured. The idea is for hospitals to send a clear message that there is no reason not to report this kind of accident.
小題1:It is dangerous for medical students not to report needle stick injuries because _________.

A．they don’t know how to treat themselves.

B．they may meet more needle sticks

C．it may cause some diseases

D．it may make patients sad.

小題2:If they report needle stick injuries, medical students will __________.

A．receive treatment	B．be forbidden to use sharp needles
C．spend more time on training	D．receive tests

小題3:The underlined word “blunt” in Paragraph 7 is the closest in meaning to “__________”.

A．not sharp

B．not safe

C．not long

D．not thick

小題4:What do we know from the passage?

A．Doctors who don’t report needle stick injuries will be punished.

B．Needle sticks among health care workers will reduce sharply in the future.

C．Most needle stick injuries happen in the United States.

D．Two suggestions are given to protect medical workers and students.

小題5:Where can this passage most probably be found?

A．In an entertainment magazine	B．In a science magazine
C．In a storybook	D．In science fiction

The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know. I stood up to look around, when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.
I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady with a warm smile. She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old.”
"Why are you in college at such a young age?" I asked. She replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, have a couple of kids and then retire(退休) and travel..." 
I knew she was joking. I was curious what might have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.
"I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!" she told me. 
We became friends. Every day we would talk nonstop after class. I was always interested in listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me. And Rose easily made friends wherever she went.
At the end of the term we invited Rose to make a little speech. She cleared her throat and began, "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing. I’ve learned a few secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.”
“There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability. The idea is to grow up by always finding the opportunity in change.
“Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do……"
小題1:When the writer and Rose first met, they began their talk in a_______ way.

A．serious

B．polite

C．formal

D．humorous

小題2:Which of the following has the similar meaning to the underlined word “motivated” in the fourth paragraph?

A．encouraged

B．persuaded

C．taught

D．forced

小題3:Rose went to college in order to _______.

A．meet a rich husband	B．make new friends
C．get a college education	D．get a better job

小題4:The writer considered Roses as a “time machine” because__________.

A．she always came to class on time.

B．she make friends easily at college.

C．she knew the difference between growing older and growing up

D．she enjoyed a long life and had lots of wisdom and experience.

小題5:From this passage we know Rose believed_________.

A．“The early bird catches the worm”

B．“It is never too late to learn”

C．“A bird in the hand is worth two in the bushes”

D．“One false step will make a great difference.”

Everyone has heard of the San Andreas fault （斷層）, which constantly threatens California and the West Coast with earthquakes. But how many people know about the equally serious New Madrid fault in Missouri?
　　 Between December of 1811 and February of 1812, three major earthquakes occurred, all centered around the town of New Madrid, Missouri, on the Mississippi River. Property damage was severe. Buildings in the area were almost destroyed. Whole forests fell at once, and huge cracks opened in the ground,  releasing some strong smell chemicals.
　　 The Mississippi River itself completely changed character, developing sudden rapids and whirlpools (激流和漩渦). Several times it changed its course, and once, according to some observers, it actually appeared to run backwards. Few people were killed in the New Marid earthquakes, probably simply because few people lived in the area in 1811; but the severity of the earthquakes are shown by the fact that the shock waves rang bells in church towers in Charleston, South Carolina, on the coast. Buildings shook in New York City, and clocks were stopped in Washington, D.C.
Scientists now know that America's two major faults are essentially different. The San Andreas is a horizontal boundary between two major land masses that are slowly moving in opposite directions. California earthquakes result when the two masses make a sudden move.
The New Madrid fault, on the other hand, is a vertical fault; at some points, possibly hundreds of millions of years ago, rock was pushed up toward the surface, probably by volcanoes under the surface. Suddenly, the volcanoes cooled and the rock collapsed, leaving huge cracks. Even now, the rock continues to settle downwards, and sudden sinking motions cause earthquakes in the region. The fault itself, a large crack in this layer of rock, with dozens of other cracks that split off from it, extends from northeast Arkansas through Missouri and into southern Illinois.
　　 Scientists who have studied the New Madrid fault say there have been numerous smaller quakes in the area since 1811; these smaller quakes indicate that larger ones are probably coming, but the scientists say they have no method of predicting when a large earthquake will occur.
小題1:This passage is mainly about ___________.

A．current scientific knowledge about faults

B．the San Andreas and the New Madrid faults

C．the causes of faults

D．the New Madrid fault in Missouri

小題2:The New Madrid fault is __________.

A．a(chǎn) vertical fault

B．a(chǎn) horizontal fault

C．a(chǎn) more serious fault than the San Andreas fault

D．responsible for forming the Mississippi River

小題3:This passage implies that _________.　　　　　　.

A．horizontal faults are more dangerous than vertical faults

B．Vertical faults are more dangerous than horizontal faults

C．The volcanoes that caused the New Madrid fault are still alive

D．A lot of people would die if the 1811 New Madrid earthquakes happened today

In Greek mythology(神話), fire is a gift form God, stolen from Zeus(宙斯) by Prometheus and handed over to humans suffering from cold. What could be more natural than sitting around a beautiful fire on a winter night, at a campsite in the Berkshires?
Hard as it may be to believe, the fireplace—long considered a trophy(獎(jiǎng)杯), particularly in a city like New York—is acquiring a social shame. Among those who desire to be environmentally responsible, it is joining the ranks of bottled water and big houses.
Sally Treadwell, a 51-year-old public relations executive in Boone, N.C., said nothing makes her happier than building a fire on a cold winter night. But most of the time she doesn’t, because she feels too guilty about the damage it may do to the environment. Every time she builds a fire, it causes “inner conflict,” she said. “It’s a guilty pleasure”.
“The smoke from a fire smells very nice,” said Diane Bailey, a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council in San Francisco. “But it can cause a lot of harm. The tiny particles(顆粒) can cause illness, and can cross into the bloodstream, causing heart attacks as well as worsening other conditions.”
Growing concerns about the air pollution and health problems caused by smoke from wood fires are urging a number of areas across the country to pass laws regulating them. Idaho offers a tax cut to people who replace uncertified(不合格的)wood stoves with “greener” ones; San Joaquin County in California forbids selling a home unless its wood stove is replaced with an E.P.A. certified one；and Palo Alto and other governments in California forbid wood-burning fireplaces in new construction.
Certainly, many think otherwise. In any case, most fireplaces are used far too infrequently to cause any real damage to the environment, said Stephen Sears, the vice president of the Brick Industry Association, voicing an opinion shared by some.
Perhaps not coincidentally, sales of wood-burning equipment dropped to 235,000 in 2009 from 800,000 in 1999, according to the Brick Industry Association. It also reports that approximately 35,000 fireplaces were installed in the United States in 2009, compared to 80,000 in 2005. Certainly those numbers reflect the economic slowdown, but the may also be affected by growing mixed feelings to wood fries.
小題1:We can infer from the 2nd paragraph that ________.

A．big houses are not considered environmentally friendly

B．bottle water is a good companion for a fire place

C．a(chǎn) fireplace is viewed as a sign of success

D．people in New York are laughed at for their tradition

小題2:Sally’s “inner conflict” in the 3rd paragraph resulted from ________.

A．her love for the fireplace

B．the damage to the environment

C．the concern about her health

D．her mixed emotion fro the fireplace

小題3: In terms of the regulations about wood fires we can learn from the passage that_______.

A．uncertified fireplaces are forbidden in Idaho

B．some people are against the woodfire controlling regulations

C．only energy-efficient wood stoves can be used in the US

D．a(chǎn)ll the people support measures taken to control the use of fireplaces

小題4:What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?

A．To urge people to burn less wood

B．To discuss wood-burning’s impact

C．To throw light on the causes of the fireplace’s decline

D．To indicate the cooling love for the fireplace

Welcome to your future life!
You get up in the morning and look into the mirror. Your face is firm and young-looking. In 2035, medical technology is better than ever. Many people at your age could live to be 150, so at 40, you’re not old at all. And your parents just had an anti-aging (抗衰老的) treatment. Now, all three of you look the same age!
You say to your shirt, “Turn red.” It changes from blue to red. In 2035, “smart clothes” contain particles (粒子) much smaller than the cells in your body. The particles can be programmed to change your clothes’ color or pattern.
You walk into the kitchen. You pick up the milk, but a voice says, “You shouldn’t drink that!” Your fridge has read the chip (芯片) that contains information about the milk, and it knows the milk is old. In 2035, every article of food in the grocery store has such a chip.
It’s time to go to work. In 2025, cars drive themselves. Just tell your “smart car” where to go. On the way, you can call a friend using your jacket sleeve. Such “smart technology” is all around you.
So will all these things come true? “For new technology to succeed,” says scientist Andrew Zolli, “it has to be so much better that it replaces what we have already.” The Internet is one example—what will be the next?
小題1:We can learn from the text that in the future ________.

A．people will never get old

B．everyone will look the same

C．red will be the most popular color

D．clothes will be able to change their pattern

小題2:What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?

A．Milk will be harmful to health.

B．More drinks will be available for sale.

C．Food in the grocery store will carry electronic information.

D．Milk in the grocery store will stay fresh much longer.

小題3:Which of the following is mentioned in the text?

A．Nothing can replace the Internet.

B．Fridges will know what people need.

C．Jacket sleeves can be used as a guide.

D．Cars will be able to drive automatically (自動(dòng)的).

小題4:What is the text mainly about?

A．Food and clothing in 2035.

B．Future technology in everyday life.

C．Medical treatments of the future.

D．The reason for the success of new technology.

I am a strong believer that if a child is raised with approval, he will learn to love himself and will be successful in his own way.
Several weeks ago, I was doing homework with my son in the third grade and he kept standing up from his chair to go over the math lines. I kept asking him to sit down, telling him that he would concentrate better. He sat but seconds later, as if he didn’t even notice he was doing it, he got up again. I was getting frustrated, but then it hit me. I started noticing his answers were much quicker and accurate (準(zhǔn)確的) when he stood up. Could he be more intent (專心的) while standing up?
This made me start questioning myself and what I had been raised to believe. I was raised to believe that a quiet, calm child was a sure way to success. This child would have the discipline (紀(jì)律) to study hard, get good grades and become someone important in life.
Now those same people perhaps come to realize that their kids are born with their own sets of DNA and personality traits (特點(diǎn)) and all you can do is loving and accepting them. As parents, throughout their growing years and beyond that, we need to be our kids’ best cheer leaders, guiding them and helping them find their way.
I have stopped asking my son to sit down and concentrate. Obviously, he is concentrating just in his own way and not mine. We need to learn to accept our kids’ ways of doing things. Some way may have worked for me but doesn’t mean we need to carry it through generations. There is nothing sweeter than being individual (個(gè)人的) and unique (獨(dú)一無二的). It makes us free and happy and that’s just the way I want my kids to live their own life.
小題1:At the beginning, the author tried to keep his son seated in order to make him _____.

A．pay more attention to his study	B．keep silent in the room
C．finish his homework on time	D．get right answers

小題2:Inspired by the case of his son, the author began to doubt ________.

A．the importance of parents

B．the old form of education

C．the relationship between kids and their parents

D．the good grades of some kids

小題3:According to the passage, which of the following statements is right?
A. We should help kids correct their wrong ways.
B. Parents should study their kids’ DNA.
C. Kids should be taught to behave themselves.
D. Parents should love and accept their kids.
小題4:Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?

A．Study hard and you’ll be successful

B．Be friendly to your children

C．Children’s success in their own style

D．Parents’ help with their children’s study

Most students try to learn English grammar using grammar textbooks. They study grammar rules and take grammar tests. They use an analytical（分析的） approach, attempting to memorize, and then apply, a great number of rules.
However, research has proved this method inefficient and ineffective. The truth is, the human brain simply cannot consciously remember process and use hundreds of or thousands of grammar rules. Real speech is too fast.
Native speakers do not learn grammar in this way, but rather intuitively (憑直覺地) and unconsciously. They learn in a complete way, not by attempting to memorize individual grammar rules. As a result, native speakers use correct grammar fluently and easily.
Fortunately, it is possible for English learners to learn grammar this way. Language teacher Blaine Ray has developed a unique "intuitive" approach to teach English grammar. Her system uses "point of view" stories to teach the patterns of English grammar, allowing students unconsciously to acquire correct grammar without ever studying grammar rules.
In this system, the teacher first tells a simple story from one point of view. It may be told about the past, then repeated, but beginning with "since he was a child"; then repeated again, but this time about the future.
Listening to these stories allows students intuitively and effortlessly to learn English grammar and makes them be able to use it correctly when they speak.
Point of View Stories is a creative new way to study English grammar, and offers hope to millions of frustrated English learners.
小題1:Which of the following ways is approved by the author?

A．Remembering grammar rules.

B．Taking grammar tests.

C．Analyzing grammatical structure.

D．Applying language to situations.

小題2: What does the underlined part "this way" in the fourth paragraph refer to?

A．Talking to native speakers when learning.

B．Learning English grammar in a complete way.

C．Using correct English grammar.

D．Learning English grammar from a teacher.

小題3:From this passage we learn that ______.

A．native speakers learn English grammar by listening to stories

B．Blaine Ray’s method gets students to grasp correct grammar unconsciously

C．Blaine Ray teaches grammar rules by asking students to tell stories

D．it’s hard for students to speak correct English in the new system

小題4:This passage wants to ______.

A．criticize the traditional way of learning grammar

B．introduce a new way to study English grammar

C．a(chǎn)sk students to learn English grammar by listening to stories

D．tell us how the native speakers learn English grammar

小題5:Why shouldn’t the English learners use an analytical approach?

A．because the analytical approach can let them learn English grammar effortlessly

B．because the analytical approach makes them be able to use English correctly when they speak.

C．because the analytical approach can’t let them memorize and then apply a great number of rules.

D．because Real speech is too fast.