If you look for a book as a present for a child. You will be spoiled for choice even in a year when there is no new Harry Potter. J.K Rowling’s wizard is not alone: the past decade has been a harvest for good children’s books, which has set off a large quantity of films and in turn led to increased sales of classics such as The Lord of the Rings.
Yet despite that, reading is increasingly unpopular among children. According to statistics, in 1997 23% said they didn’t like reading at all. In 2003, 35% did. And around 6% of children leave primary school each year unable to read properly.
Maybe the decline is caused by the increasing availability of computes games. Maybe the books boom has affected only the top of the educational pile. Either way, Chancellor Gordon Brown plans to change things for the bottom of the class .In his pre-budget report, he announced the national project of Reading Recovery to help the children struggling most.
Reading Recovery is aimed at six-year-olds, who receive four months of individual daily half-hour classes with a specially trained teacher. An evaluation earlier this year reported that children on the scheme made 20 months’ progress in just one year, whereas similarly weak readers without special help made just five months’ progress, and so ended the year even further below the level expected for their age.
International research tends to find that when British children leave primary school they read well, but read less often for fun than those elsewhere. Reading for fun matters because children who are keen on reading can expect lifelong pleasure and loving books is an excellent indicator of future educational success. According to the OECD, being a regular and enthusiastic reader is of great advantage.
小題1:Which of the following is true of Paragraph 1?

A．Many children’s books have been adapted from films.

B．Many high-quality children’s books have been published.

C．The sales of classics have led to the popularity of films.

D．The sales of presents for children have increased.

小題2:Statistics suggested that              .

A．the number of top students increased with the use of computers

B．a(chǎn) decreasing number of children showed interest in reading

C．a(chǎn) minority of primary school children read properly

D．a(chǎn) large percentage of children read regularly

小題3:What do we know about Reading Recovery?

A．An evaluation of it will be made sometime this year.

B．Weak readers on the project were the most hardworking.

C．It aims to train special teachers to help children with reading.

D．Children on the project showed noticeable progress in reading.

小題4:Reading for fun is important because book-loving children _________.

A． take greater advantage of the project

B．show the potential to enjoy a long life

C．a(chǎn)re likely to succeed in their education

D．would make excellent future researchers

小題5:The aim of this text would probably be _________.

A．to overcome primary school pupils’ reading difficulty

B．to encourage the publication of more children’s books

C．to remind children of the importance of reading for fun

D．to introduce a way to improve early children reading

Robots are smart. With their computer brains, they help people work in dangerous places or do difficult jobs. Some robots do regular jobs. Bobby, the robot mail carrier, brings mail to a large office building in Washington, D.C. He is one of 250 robot mail carriers in the United States. Mr. Leachim, who weights two hundred pounds and is six feet tall, has some advantages as a teacher. One is that he does not forget details. He knows each child’s name, their parents’ names, and what each child knows and needs to know. In addition, he knows each child’s pets and hobbies. Mr. Leachim does not make mistakes. Each child goes and tells him his or her name, then dials an identification (識(shí)別) number. His computer brain puts the child’s voice and number together. He identifies the child with no mistakes.
Another advantage is that Mr. Leachim is flexible. If the children need more time to do their lessons they can move switches. In this way they can repeat Mr. Leachim’s lesson over and over again. When the children do a good job, he tells them something interesting about their hobbies. At the end of the lesson the children switch Mr. Leachim off.
小題1:The first paragraph of the passage tells us

A．human beings are not as smart as robots

B．robots will take the place of man to rule the earth

C．we can only use robots to do some regular jobs

D．robots can help people in many different ways

小題2:What is the most important thing Mr. Leachim can do in his lessons?

A．To meet the needs of each student.

B．To talk to the students in different languages.

C．To keep everyone’s interest in his lessons.

D．To introduce more hobbies to the children.

小題3:The underlined word “flexible” probably means

A．not strict	B．not hard
C．suitable	D．changeable

小題4:Which of the following statements may be TRUE according to the passage?
A. There are 250 robot teachers in the United States.
B. Mr. Leachim is run and controlled by electricity.
C. Bobby works in a large office building in Washington D.C.
D. The lessons taught by Mr. Leachim are given on a TV set.

Dogs can know the meaning of a human perspective, say researchers.
Dogs are more capable of understanding situations from a human's point of view than has previously been recognized, according to researchers.
They found dogs were four times more likely to steal food they had been forbidden, when lights were turned off so humans in the room could not see.
This suggested the dogs were able to alter their behavior when they knew their owners' perspective had changed.
The study, published in Animal Cognition, conducted tests on eighty-four dogs.
The experiments had been trying to find whether dogs could make their behavior suitable to react to the changed circumstances of their human owners. It wanted to see if dogs had a "flexible understanding" that could show they understood the viewpoint of a human.
It found that when the lights were turned off, dogs in a room with their human owners were much more likely to disobey and steal forbidden food.
The study says it is "unlikely that the dogs simply forgot that the human was in the room" when there was no light. Instead it seems as though the dogs were able to differentiate between when the human was unable or able to see them.
Juliane Kaminski carried out the research into how dogs are influenced by human circumstances.
Dr Juliane Kaminski, from the University of Portsmouth's psychology department, said the study was "incredible because it implies dogs understand the human can't see them, meaning they might understand the human perspective".
Previous studies have suggested that although humans might think that they can recognize different expressions on their dogs' faces, this is often inaccurate and a projection of human emotions.
“Humans constantly attribute(歸屬) certain qualities and emotions to other living things. We know that our own dog is clever or sensitive, but that's us thinking, not them,” said Dr Kaminski.
“These results suggest humans might be right, where dogs are concerned, but we still can't be completely sure if the results mean dogs have a truly flexible understanding of the mind and others' minds. It has always been assumed only humans had this ability.
小題1:According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A．The researchers made the test on dogs in eighty-four countries.

B．Dogs always obey and don’t steal forbidden food.

C．Dogs may adapt their behavior in response to the changed circumstances.

D．The research is carried out to find out how dogs are influenced by light.

小題2:Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?

A．Dogs---Our Loyal Companions Understand Us Most.

B．Dogs Are Our Best Friends.

C．Dogs Can Understand Us In a Way, Researchers Say.

D．Dogs Have Certain Qualities and Emotions of Human Beings, Researchers Say.

小題3:Where can we probably read this kind of articles?

A．Textbooks.

B．Advertisements.

C．Instructions.

D．Magazines.

小題4:This passage can be classified as     .

A．a(chǎn)n argumentative writing	B．a(chǎn) feature story
C．a(chǎn) dog show review	D．a(chǎn) research result

BEIJING (AP) — Sandstorms whipping across China shrouded(遮蔽) cities in an unhealthy cloud of sand Monday, with winds carrying the pollution outside the mainland as far as Hong Kong and Taiwan.
It was the latest sign of the effects of desertification: Overgrazing, deforestation, urban sprawl(無計(jì)劃地?cái)U(kuò)展) and drought have expanded deserts in the country's north and west. The shifting sands have gradually moved onto populated areas and worsened sandstorms that strike cities, particularly in the spring.
Winds blowing from the northwest have been sweeping sand across the country since Saturday, affecting Xinjiang in the far west all the way to Beijing in the country's east. The sand and dust were carried to parts of southern China and even to cities in Taiwan, 1600 miles (2600 kilometers) away from Inner Mongolia where much of the pollution originated.
The sandstorm in Taiwan, an island 100 miles (160 kilometers) away from the mainland, forced people to cover their faces to avoid breathing in the grit(砂礫) that can cause chest discomfort and respiratory problems even in healthy people. Drivers complained their cars were covered in a layer of black soot in just 10 minutes.
In Hong Kong, environmental protection officials said pollution levels were climbing as the sandstorm moved south. Twenty elderly people sought medical assistance for shortness of breath, Hong Kong's radio RTHK reported.
The latest sandstorm was expected to hit South Korea on Tuesday, said Kim Seung-bum of the Korea Meteorological Administration. The sandstorm that raked(掠過) across China over the weekend caused the worst "yellow dust" haze in South Korea since 2005, and authorities issued a rare nationwide dust advisory.
Grit from Chinese sandstorms has been found to travel as far as the western United States.
China's Central Meteorological Station urged people to close doors and windows, and cover their faces with masks or scarves when going outside. Sensitive electronic and mechanical equipment should be sealed off, the station said in a warning posted Monday on its Web site.
State television's noon newscast showed the tourist city of Hangzhou on the eastern coast, where graceful bridges and waterside pagodas were hidden in a mix of sand and other pollution. In Beijing, residents and tourists with faces covered scurried along sidewalks to minimize exposure to the pollution.
A massive sandstorm hit Beijing in 2006, when winds dumped about 300,000 tons of sand on the capital.
小題1:We can learn from the text that           .

A．the sandstorms were purposely made by China.

B．the writer thinks that China government should be responsible for the pollution.

C．the sandstorms badly affected the air in US.

D．China's Central Meteorological Station will be closed.

小題2:The passage tells us that the sandstorms mainly came from      .

A．Xinjiang

B．Hangzhou

C．Beijing

D．Inner Mongolia

小題3:The underlined word, “respiratory” (in Para.4) means         .

A．breathing

B．digesting

C．hearing

D．walking

小題4:Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．South Korea seldom issues nationwide dust advisories.

B．Taiwan is 1,600 miles from Beijing.

C．Sandstorms have hit Beijing more than once.

D．In Hong Kong some old people need help for shortness of breath caused by sandstorms.

Knowing the best way to study will help you to be a better student. By using your tin7eproperly, you can do your homework snore quickly. Learning to study is not difficult.
The first thing to remember is that you must be willing to learn It doesn't mean that yep must always like the subject. It does mean, however, that you must be willing to do whatever is necessary to learn Try to understand why it is important and how it will help you now arid later to do and learn other things. Knowing mathematics facts will be useful in your whole life. Knowing how to spell makes any kind of writing easier. Sometimes the subject that you think is going to be uninteresting will be exciting when you begin to work at it and understand it more clearly. Learning things can be fun if you are willing to work with them
Here's some advice for you; have a certain time each day and a quiet place with good lighting for study, so that you can concentrate on your study without interruptions; have eve- rything ready before you sit down to study, a dictionary, paper, a pen and books; be sure you understand what you should learn before you start；read carefully and pay special attention to the most important things；when memorizing, first find out the main parts and then recite the whole thing，check your homework after you finish it; never forget the importance of review and preview.
Don't try to spend a lot of time researching learning methods. There are many students who know many good learning methods but don't study well. They forget that the most useful learning method is to study hard
小題1:The main purpose of the article is to___．

A．prove that learning is not difficult、

B．make parents interested in study

C．tell the importance of self-teaching

D．tell the students how to study well

小題2:The first thing to remember in studying is that you must___．

A．like the subject

B．follow the teacher

C．enjoy learning

D．study hard

小題3:The following advice is given in the article EXCEPT___

A．to put a pen, paper and books beside you before study

B．to study at any possible time and place

C．to review and preview

D．to pay attention to the most important things

小題4:We can conclude the passage with a saying“___”．

A．No pains，no gains

B．Better late than never

C．Study comes first

D．Good methods, good results

All around the world, shoppers flock to Wal-Mart to buy everything. In Texas, they come for another reason: to see the wind turbine（渦輪機(jī)）, which supplies 5% of the store’s electricity. It along with other facilities, such as exterior walls coated with heat-reflective paint, makes this Wal-Mart a green giant.
The laws of economics suggest that Wal-Mart, with 5, 200 stores worldwide, influences everything including the price of all kinds of goods. It throws its weight behind environmental responsibility, and the impact could be amazing. “One little change in product packaging could save 1, 500 trees,” says Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott．“If everybody saves 1, 500 trees or 50 barrels of oil, at the end of the day you have made a huge difference.”
Scott wants Wal-Mart to do its part too. He has promised to cut the existing greenhouse-gas emissions（排放）over the next few years and promised to construct new stores that are more efficient. He wants Wal-Mart’s fleet of more than 7, 000 trucks to get twice as many miles per gallon by 2015. Factories that show Wal-Mart they’re cutting air pollution will get preferential treatment in the supply chain. Wal-Mart says it’s working with consumer-product manufacturers to reduce their packaging and will reward them if they do so.
Some people may doubt it is a bid to attract attention from Wal-Mart’s controversial labor and health-insurance practices. But it’s not just window dressing, because Wal-Mart sees profits in                                                                                          going green. Scott says, “This is a business philosophy, not a social philosophy. We don’t go where we don’t think there’s a great interest in change.”
Like Bill Gates, who started his charitable foundation, Scott happens to be promoting Wal-Mart’s image at a time when his company’s reputation is declining. He acknowledges that he launched the plan partly to shield （保護(hù)）Wal-Mart from bad press about its contribution to global warming. “By doing what we’re doing today, we avoid the headline risks that are going to come for people who did not do anything,” he says. “At some point businesses will be held responsible for the action they take.” Meanwhile, should Wal-Mart succeed at shrinking its environmental footprint and lowering prices for green products, both the planet and the company will profit.
小題1:We can infer from the passage that ______.

A．Lee Scott is Wal-Mart’s CEO

B．there are 5, 200 stores in the world

C．Wal-Mart has a great influence on the world market

D．Wal-Mart has more than 7, 000 trucks all over the world

小題2:What does the underlined sentence “This is a business philosophy, not a social philosophy.” mean in the fourth paragraph?

A．Wal-Mart predicts huge profits in its green activity.

B．Wal-Mart’s green activity is just window dressing.

C．Wal-Mart aims to solve its health-insurance practices.

D．Wal-Mart doesn’t have any social responsibility at all.

小題3:What will Wal-Mart probably do in the future?

A．Reduce air pollution in its present stores.

B．Give favorable treatment to its consumers.

C．Ask the factories to reduce their packaging.

D．Demand the fleet of trucks to use more fuel than before.

小題4:What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

A．Provide the background of the green plan.

B．Stress the purpose of Wal-Mart’s green plan.

C．Present the risk that Wal-Mart is facing nowadays.

D．Analyze the similarity between Bill Gates and Scott.

If your idea of a good time is to sleep in a hut, carry your own rubbish, and eat insects and wild animals, then ecotourism may be just for you. But is it also for people who want to fly over a rainforest sky before checking into a comfortable and expensive hotel in the middle of a national park? Whatever ecotourism is, it is hot--perhaps too hot for its own good.
The World Tourism Organization claims that the industry looked after 592 million travelers last year who spent $423 billion, and of all the types of tourism, ecotourism seems to be the fastest growing. By the broadest measure -- a trip with some sort of nature or wilderness element -- ecotourism already accounts for perhaps a third of these travelers. On a stricter definition favored by the Ecotourism Society, it is “responsible travel that preserves natural environments and keeps up the well-being of local people,” which accounts for no more than 5% of tourism.
Ideally, ecotourism helps both people and nature. Before the disastrous civil war, Rwanda’s Mountain Gorilla Project was one such model. Visits to the gorillas were limited, local guides ensured good behavior or on the part of the humans, and the high admission charge - $170 a day -- paid for salaries and presentation of the gorillas’ living areas. As this made the gorillas worth more alive than dead, poaching (偷獵) decreased. As another example, preservation Cooperation, Africa’s largest ecotour operator, uses only local labor, buys products 5om local farmers, and supports building projects: such as clinics and schools. This contribution to social advance is also good business sense. Projects from which local people benefit directly are less likely to be affected by poaching and theft.
Ecotourism’s biggest problem is labeling. Going on an eco-tour is no guarantee of good ecology. So far, only Australia has an official system to grade tour operators and tourist attractions on the basis of their “greenness”. Another issue is how eco-tourists damage the environment. Dolphin-feeding, for instance, is innocent and enjoyable, but after too many free meals, the dolphins forget how to catch their own dinners.
Keeping prices high is one way to limit enthusiasm. But measuring the effect of ecotourism on human environments is trickier. It is common, for villagers to see ecotourism as a source of new income. Hence, the very tourists who venture in search of traditional cultures end up breaking them up. As ecotourism becomes more popular, it will finally threaten the very things that are good for business.
小題1:According to the passage, ecotourism may _________.

A．harm its own purpose by becoming too popular

B．save the environment by becoming more popular

C．harm its own purpose by becoming less popular

D．save the environment by becoming less popular

小題2:Within the tourism industry as a whole, ecotourism _____________.

A．has no single, clear definition that would satisfy everybody

B．has expanded less rapidly than other types of tourism

C．claims that no comfortable hotels should be used by tourists

D．most often has a negative effect on local culture

小題3:Rwanda’s Mountain Gorilla Project is a good example because ___________.

A．tourists were free to visit the gorillas whenever they wanted to

B．local people’s attitudes toward animals were not affected

C．the gorillas were protected from both tourists and local people

D．the gorillas’ living area was modernized because of the high admission

小題4: _________ most directly benefits the local community.

A．Rwanda’s Mountain Gorilla Project	B．Preservation Corporation
C．Australia’s grading system	D．Dolphin-feeding

The octopus’s（章魚）reputation as a human-killer isn’t simply an exaggeration（夸張）—it is a total myth. The octopus can indeed be a deadly hunter, but only of its natural victims. Some shellfish（殼類動(dòng)物）and an occasional sick or incautious fish have reason to be frightened of this multi-armed hunter, but a person is much too large to interest even the biggest octopus. Even the largest among octopi is much smaller than most people imagine. Far from being large enough to swallow a ship, as monster octopi in movies have been known to do, the largest octopus, found on the Pacific coast, weighs around 110 pounds and grows to no more than ten feet in width.
The hard, parrot-like beak（喙）of an octopus is not used for attacking deep-sea divers, but for cutting open shellfish. Indeed, the octopus possesses such a tiny throat that it cannot swallow large pieces of meat. Instead, it feeds by pouring digestive juices into its victims, and then sucking up the soupy remains. A shellfish that finds itself in the grasp of an octopus has only a short time to live. But human beings are perfectly safe. Still, people rarely care to go close enough to these careful creatures to get a good look at them.
小題1:This passage is mainly about          .

A．the horrors of the octopus

B．the largest octopus in the world

C．octopi and their behavior

D．the octopus’s deadly hunting method

小題2:It is implied but not stated in the passage that          .

A．people have unreasonable fears about the octopus

B．the octopus is not interested in human beings

C．the octopus is afraid of human beings

D．the octopus is a very cruel sea animal

小題3:What does the underlined part “careful creatures” refer to in the last paragraph?

A．Octopi.

B．Shellfish.

C．Fish.

D．The victims.

小題4:The hard beak of the octopus is used for          .

A．a(chǎn)ttacking deep-sea divers	B．cutting up large pieces of meat
C．cutting open its victims	D．defending itself

小題5:From the passage, we can conclude that          .

A．the octopus is not dangerous to man

B．people often fear creatures that are not dangerous to them

C．the octopus only hunts its natural victims

D．things described in movies are not to be believed

Imagine a classroom missing the one thing that’s long been considered a necessary part to reading and writing?Paper,No notebooks,no test paper.Nor are there any pencils or pens,which always seem to run out of ink at the critical moment.
A“paperless classroom”is what more and more schools are trying to achieve.Students don't do any handwriting in this class. Instead, they use palm (手掌) size, or specially-designed computers. The teacher downloads texts from Internet libraries and sends them to every student's personal computer.
Having computers also means that students can use the Web. They can look up information on any subject they're studying from math to social science.
High school teacher Judy Herrell in Florida, US, described how her class used the Web to learn about the war in Afghanistan (阿富汗) over one year ago.
"We could touch every side of the country through different sites? from the forest to refugee camps (難民營)," she said. "Using a book that's three or four years old is impossible."
And exams can go online too. At a high school in Tennessee, US, students take tests on their own computers. The teacher records the grades on the network for everyone to see and then copies them to his own electronic grade book.
A paperless classroom is a big step towards reducing the waste of paper. High school teacher Stephanie Sorrell in Kentucky, US, said she used to give about 900 pieces of paper each week to each student.
"Think about the money and trees we could save with the computers," she said.
But, with all this technology, there's always the risk that the machines will break down. So, in case of a power failure or technical problems, paper textbooks are still widely available for these hi-tech students.
小題1:What does the part of the last sentence in the first paragraph, “run out of ink at the critical moment”, mean?

A．Pens may not write well at the critical moment.

B．Pens get lost easily, so you may not find them at the critical moment.

C．Pens may have little or no ink at the critical moment.

D．Pens use ink, while pencils don't.

小題2:In a paperless classroom, what is a must?

A．Pens.

B．Computers.

C．Information.

D．Texts.

小題3:The high school teacher, Judy Herrell, used the example of her class to show that _______.

A．the Web could take them everywhere

B．the Web taught them a lot

C．the Web is a good tool for information

D．the Web better than the textbooks, can give the latest and comprehensive (全面的) information

小題4:The paperless classrooms will benefit _____ the most.

A．students

B．teachers

C．trees

D．computers

小題5:What does the phrase in the last paragraph, “break down”, mean?

A．Break into pieces.	B．Stop working
C．Fall down.	D．Lose control.

Mu Yumin had no idea that when he stopped by the computer club as a freshman looking for something fun, it would decide his career four years later．The 22 -year -old biology major at Huazhong  University of Science and Technology found a job as an IT technician in Shanghai．" My experience in the club gave me another 'diploma' ,"  said Mu．" More importantly, I found something I am good at and can make a living from．"
Now campuses(校園) around the country have started recruiting（吸收某人為新成員） fresh faces for all kinds of clubs．Upperclassmen and experts suggest a hobby-based choice of clubs, which might have a lasting impact（影響）on one' s life and career Zhang Ling did not get many chances to write stories as an environmental protection major at Jiangxi University of Science and Technology．But this changed when she joined the university broadcast station．Her daily interviews with students and teachers expanded her horizon．Now she is determined to become a journalist on environmental issues with her degree in environmental protection．"Journalism changed my life track," said the 22 –year-old girl．"I only wanted to be a science teacher in a local senior high school．But now I am applying for a graduate school in journalism."
Lan Yujie, professor at Anhui University of Technology, regards Mu and Zhang as good examples of choosing "what I like" instead of " what is practical" in finding jobs and seeking further study． "Some freshmen don't know what to choose," said Lan．"Just following a hobby and doing something you like can easily give you the experience that makes you happy and special．"
Lan further says that joining clubs should not necessarily have a purpose,  As part of campus life, a club experience will impact one's life and career m one way or another．"The point of clubs is to have as many diverse（多樣的）experiences as possible so that students can explore more of their life," said Lan．
小題1:Why did Mu Yumin join the computer club?
A．To get another diplomA.        B．To change his major．
C．To find a good joB.            D．To have a good time．
小題2:Which of the followings is true about Zhang Ling?

A．She didn't intend to be a journalist．

B．She changed her major to journalism．

C．She now works as a science teacher

D．She's graduated from the university．

小題3:According to the text, joining the campus club has many advantages EXCEPT         .

A．helping you know what you really like

B．making you plan your career better

C．helping you to make more friends

D．obtaining more life experiences

小題4:What can we learn from Lan Yujie's words in the last paragraph?

A．Club experiences will affect students' life and career

B．Students should be practical in finding jobs

C．Joining clubs should have a clear goal．

D．Students will have a colorful campus life by joining clubs．

小題5:What is the main idea of the text?

A．How to change your major．

B．Joining a campus club for a diploma．

C．How to find a job after graduation

D．Joining a club to explore more of your life．