Switching telephone providers used to be the only way homeowners could save money on telephone bills. Now thanks to new technology, comsumers have another choice-making phone calls over the internet. And this can be completely free if you call another person with an internet phone set-up.
The technology is called voice over internet protocol (協(xié)議), or VoIP. In 2005, consumer demand for VoIP dramatically grew. In the US, where popularity has grown faster than here in the UK, 8.4 million are predicted to subscribe this year. For the past couple years, VoIP pioneers such as Skype have accounted for the majority of internet phone subscribers.
VoIP is attractive to consumers because it’s cheaper than traditional phone services. With the basic equipment of PC, microphone and headset, and VoIP software and broadband internet for optimum (最適宜的) voice quality, consumers can save a fortune chatting for free to other internet phone owners and save money calling regular landlines (通訊電纜). But, as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. Many of these services suffer from uncontinuous lapses (失效) in quality. While some users may tolerate echoes or a dropped call, improved quality is needed to attract more customers.
Computing has examined the benefits of using a PC as a telephone with VoIP in how easy they were to set up, how effective they were and the range of their features.
Skype(www. skype.com) came top for its bother-free approach, easy set-up and exceptional voice clarity. Sipgate (www. sipgate. co. uk), MSN(www. messenger. msn. co. uk) and Yahoo! Messenger (uk. messenger. yahoo. com) provide an audio “wizard” that improves sound levels. Google Talk (www. google. com/ talk) was less helpful and Babble. net (www. babble. net) was let down by its poor help files. Yahoo! Messenger provides some of the best features, including the option of landline calls, webcam chats, instant messaging, voice-mail and conference calls.
小題1:Which one of the following if you call others?

A．VolP,voice over internet protocol

B．Switching telephone

C．New technology

D．letters

小題2:The underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 implies that ______.

A．VoIP can save money but it has some disadvantages

B．whatever you buy is related to how much you pay

C．what you pay for will belong to you forever

D．what you buy is not always high in quality

小題3:Which of the following statement is true according to the passage?

A．Sipgate is less helpful.

B．Yahoo! Messenger offers some best features.

C．Skype is the best one in the new technology.

D．Google Talk provides very good audio “wizard”.

In the past, man did not have to think about the protection of his environment. There were few people on the earth, and natural   36  seemed to be unlimited.
Today things are   37  . The world has become too   38  . We are   39  our natural resources too quickly, and at the same time we are   40  our environment with dangerous chemicals. If we   41  to do this, human life on earth will not   42 .
People realize today that if too many   43  are taken from the sea, there will soon be none left. Yet, with modern fishing   44  , more and more fish are caught.
We know that if too many trees are cut down,   45  will disappear and nothing will  46  on the land. Yet, we continue to use bigger and more powerful machines to   47  more and more trees.
We realize that if rivers are polluted with waste products from factories, we will die.   48  , in most countries waste products are still put into rivers or into the sea, and there are few laws to   49  this.
We also know that if the   50  of the world continues to rise at the present rate, in a few years, there won't be enough food. What can we do to solve the   51  ? If we eat more vegetables and less   52  , there will be more food available for everyone. Land that is used to grow crops feeds five times more people than land where animals are kept.
Our natural resources will   53   longer if we learn to recycle them. The world population will not   54  so quickly if people use modern methods of birth control.
Finally, if we   55  people to think about the problems we shall have a better and cleaner planet in the future.

小題1:	A．resources B．sources C．materials D．matter

小題2:	A．common B．the same C．changeable D．different

小題3:	A．crowded B．polluted C．dirty D．busy

小題4:	A．producing B．using up C．reducing D．making

小題5:	A．protecting B．saving C．polluting D．fighting

小題6:	A．try B．continue C．stop D．have

小題7:	A．live B．last C．continue D．survive

小題8:	A．fish B．seagulls C．crocodiles D．frogs

小題9:	A．poles B．boats C．methods D．ideas

小題10:

A．mountains B．the sea C．crops D．forests

小題11:

A．grow B．plant C．save D．cut down

小題12:

A．plant B．cut down C．save D．burn down

小題13:

A．Thus B．However C．Generally speaking D．Therefore

小題14:

A．encourage B．neglect C．stop D．wake up

小題15:

A．production B．pollution C．population D．revolution

小題16:

A．pollution B．environment C．questions D．problems

小題17:

A．fruit B．meat C．fish D．grain

小題18:

A．use B．stay C．keep D．last

小題19:

A．raise B．rise C．run D．grow

小題20:

A．force B．help C．educate D．show

Let children learn to judge their own. A child who learns to talk does not learn by being corrected all the time; if corrected too much, he will stop talking. He notices a thousand times a day the difference between the language he uses and the language those around him use. Little by little, he makes the necessary changes to make his language like other people’s, in the same way, children learn to do all the other things without being taught—to walk, run, climb, ride a bicycle—compare their own performances with those of more skilled people, and slowly make the needed changes. But in school we never give a child a chance to find out his mistakes if we thought that he would never notice a mistake unless it was pointed out to him, or correct it unless he was made to. Let him work out, with the help of other children if he wants it, what this word says, what the answer is to that problem, whether this is a good way of saying or doing this or not. If it is a matter of right answers, as it may be in mathematics or science, give him the answer book. Let him correct his own papers. Why should we teachers waste time in doing such work? Our job should be to help the child when he tells us that he can’t find the way to get their own understanding, how to know what they know or do not know.   
小題1:According to the passage, the best way for children to learn things is ___  

A．to listen to skilled people’s advice

B．to ask older people many questions

C．to make mistakes and have them corrected

D．to do what other people do

小題2:According to the writer, teachers in school should ___

A．a(chǎn)llow children to learn from each other

B．point out children’s mistakes whenever they are found

C．correct children’s mistakes as possible as they can

D．give children more book knowledge

小題3:Which of the following does the writer think teachers should not do?

A．Give children correct answers

B．a(chǎn)llow children to make mistakes

C．Point out children’s mistakes

D．Let children judge their own work

小題4:The passage suggests that learning to speak and learning to ride a bicycle are ___.

A．different from learning other skills

B．the same as learning other skills

C．more important than other skills

D．not really important skills

BEIJING--Alarmed by the overreaching ambitions of many Chinese provinces to grow at all costs, China’s top economic chief is calling on officials to calm down and spare a thought for the environment．
Zhang Ping, who heads China’s National Development and Reform Commission, the central economic planning agency, said only five or six of China’s 30 provinces are targeting annual economic growth of 8 percent or 9 percent．
The remaining provinces are aiming for growth rates of more than 10 percent this year, with some wanting to double economic output in the coming five years．
“China has a planned energy supply of about 4 billion cubic tons of coal equivalent（等量的）for the next five years, and this is not enough to meet demands for economic growth to double,” he was quoted as saying on the news portal Sina．Com．
Beijing is increasingly concerned with the ambitions of Chinese provinces across the country to chase high growth despite the central government’s urgent request for a more moderate and sustainable（可持續(xù)的）pace of expansion．
Years of rapid economic growth has taken a toll on China’s environment, with Beijing trying to remove some of the damage now．It has an annual growth target of 7 percent for the next five years, well down from last year’s 10 percent．
Zhang said Beijing has asked local governments to take into account the supply of “energy, environment, water and land” to set more reasonable growth targets．
小題1:Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Many Chinese provinces are alarmed by Beijing．

B．Zhang Ping is an expert and economic chief from www. Sina.Com．

C．The supply of the coal in China is not sufficient(足夠的) for the next five years．

D．Few Chinese provinces are aiming for economic growth rates of less than 10%．

小題2:The underlined phrase “taken a toll on” in the sixth paragraph means “_________”．

A．looked forward to	B．paid attention to
C．caused damage to	D．a(chǎn)ttached importance to

小題3:The general idea of the whole passage can be that ________．

A．China’s economy is developing

B．China’s top chief places more emphasis on the environment

C．a(chǎn)ll Chinese provinces should slow down their economic growth rates

D．economic high growth should go hand in hand with environmental protection

小題4:What could be the best title for the news?

A．Economic Development	B．Energy Supply
C．Sustainable Development	D．Environment protection

Whatever field we are involved in，we always have to look for ways to expand our knowledge.An increase in knowledge in a particular subject can lead to a better understanding，grasp，judgment，intelligence and ability in that area.So how do we go about gaining knowledge?
I think people are the biggest source of knowledge for anybody.Right from childhood，we have learned things by watching others.Whatever field you want to gain knowledge in，there must be many who have experience in that field.So make use of this valuable source of information by learning from the experience，success，mistakes and skills of others. Study carefully and associate with people who are experts in the field you want to gain knowledge in.
The next best source of knowledge should be books.There are millions and millions of books in every language and on almost any topic imaginable.Whatever problem you are facing must have been faced by somebody else before，and its solution is likely to have been preserved in the form of a book.If you are serious about gaining knowledge about a topic，then read any book，magazine，article etc.You can lay your hands on the books related to that topic.Read as much as you can.
It is said that experience is a great teacher，so learn from your past experience and the experience of others.Learn from your and others’ past and present achievements as well as mistakes.
Experimenting with new things and observing new things can help you learn very quickly. Keep in mind，though，that while experimenting，you may encounter a few failures , too.Do not become discouraged as failures are a part of the learning curve，especially while attempting something new.Try to earn from failures instead of becoming disheartened.
小題1:Which of the following statements is TRUE according to this text?

A．Books are the biggest source of knowledge.

B．An expert can teach people everything useful.

C．Mistakes are the best source of knowledge.

D．People from an early age have learned things from others.

小題2:If a person decides to learn about a topic，he or she should________.

A．prepare well for the coming problems

B．experiment or observe as much as possible

C．read as many books related to that topic as possible

D．make friends with as many experts in that field as possible

小題3:The author would NOT agree that________.

A．experimenting with new things is the quickest way to learn

B．people can learn from their own experience and others’

C．people can learn from both achievements and mistakes

D．failures teach people something

小題4:This text mainly talks about________.

A．the importance of learning

B．means of gaining knowledge

C．ways to become successful

D．the advantages of reading

Imagine that the genome （基因組） is a book．The book consists of 23 chapters with thousands of stories made up of paragraphs, words and letters on different levels．There are one billion words in the book, as long as 800 Bibles; if I read the genome out to you at the rate of one word per second for eight hours a day, it would take me centuries; if I wrote out the human genome, one letter per millimeter, my text would be as long as the River Danube．This is a huge volume, a book of great length, but it all fits inside an extremely small cell nuclear（細胞核） that fits easily upon the head of a pin．
The idea of the genome as a book is not, strictly speaking, even a metaphor．It is true to a great extent．A book is a piece of digital information, written in one-directional form and defined by a code that translates a small alphabet of signs into a large dictionary of meanings through the order of their groupings．So is a genome．The only difference is that all English books read from left to right, while some parts of the genome read from left to right while some from right to left, but never both at the same time．
While English books are written in words of different lengthens using twenty-six letters, genomes are written entirely in words of three-letter length, using only four letters, and instead of being written on flat pages, they are written on long chains of DNA molecules （分子）．
The genome is a very clever book, because in the right condition it can both photocopy itself and read itself．
小題1:How do human genomes read according to the passage?___________

A．Only from left to right．

B．Only from right to left．

C．From both directions at the same time．

D．From one direction at a time．

小題2:We can learn from the passage that the human genome ________．

A．is as long as the River Danube

B．can be easily placed on the head of a pin

C．is coded with an alphabet of four letters

D．is smart enough to read and take photos of itself

小題3:It can be concluded that the passage is mainly written for ______．

A．specialists in the field

B．general readers

C．natural scientists

D．readers with professional knowledge

小題4:The real purpose of the author’s comparison of the genome to a book is _____．

A．to focus on the differences between the two

B．to lay emphasis on the similarities between the two

C．to simplify the concept of the human genome

D．to give an exact description of the human genome

What would life be like without rich, creamy, mouthwatering, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate?
Life would be bitter for most Americans. They spend about $13 billion a year buying all sorts of chocolate treats.
However, for the African children who toil under slavelike conditions on cacao plantations, life is not sweet. The cacao bean is the main ingredient in the chocolate. According to a 2002 survey by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and the US Agency for International Development, about 284,000 children work in dangerous conditions on cacao farms in western Africa.
More than half those children are younger than 14. Many were sold into forced labor to work 12 hours or more a day on the cacao plantations.
A number of international organizations, including several African governments, recently began a program to eliminate(消除) child labor on cacao plantations. Under the program, government officials will remove children from abusive working situations while teaching farmers about child labor issues.
The program will also make borrowing money easier for cacao farmers. Officials hope farmers will use the money to invest in their farms and hire paid laborers.
小題1:The cacao bean is the main ingredient in _______.

A．treats

B．coffee

C．chocolate

D．cigarettes

小題2:How many children under 14 work on cacao farms in western Africa?

A．About 284,000.

B．About 142,000.

C．About 467,000.

D．About 876,000.

小題3:From the passage, you can reasonably conclude that _______.

A．cacao farms in western Africa rely heavily on child labor

B．children in Africa know how to make the best chocolate

C．candy bars sold in the United States are made on plantations in Africa

D．eating too much chocolate is bad for your health

Why play games? Because they are fun, and a lot more besides. Following the rules… planning your next move…acting as a team member… these are all “game” ideas that you will come across throughout your life.
Think about some of the games you played as a young child, such as rope-jumping and hide-and-seek. Such games are entertaining and fun. But perhaps more importantly, they translate life into exciting dramas that teach children some of the basic rules they will be expected to follow the rest of their lives, such as taking turns and cooperating.
Many children’s games have a practical side. Children around the world play games that prepare them for work they will do as grown-ups. For instance, some Saudi Arabian children play a game called bones, which sharpens the hand-eye coordination (協(xié)調(diào)) needed in hunting.
Many sports encourage national or local pride. The most famous games of all, the Olympic Games, bring athletes from around the world together to take part in friendly competition. People who watch the event wave flags, knowing that a gold medal is a win for an entire country, not just the athlete who earned it. For countries experiencing natural disasters or war, an Olympic win can mean so much.
Sports are also an event that unites people. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. People on all continents play it — some for fun and some for a living. Nicolette Iribarne, a Californian soccer player, has discovered a way to spread hope through soccer. He created a foundation to provide poor children with not only soccer balls but also a promising future.
Next time you play your favorite game or sport, think about why you enjoy it, what skills are needed, and whether these skills will help you in other aspects of your life.
小題1:Through playing hide-and-seek, children are expected to learn to ________.

A．be a team leader

B．obey the basic rules

C．a(chǎn)ct as a grown-up

D．predict possible danger

小題2:The underlined part in Paragraph 2 most probably means that games can ________.

A．describe life in an exciting way

B．turn real-life experiences into a movie

C．make learning life skills more interesting

D．change people’s views of sporting events

小題3:According to the passage, why is winning Olympic medals so encouraging?

A．It inspires people’s deep love for the country.

B．It proves the exceptional skills of the winners.

C．It helps the country out of natural disasters.

D．It earns the winners fame and fortune.

小題4:Iribarne’s goal of forming the foundation is to ________.

A．bring fun to poor kids

B．provide soccer balls for children

C．give poor kids a chance for a better life

D．a(chǎn)ppeal to soccer players to help poor kids

The need to feed a growing population is putting much pressure on the world's supply of water. With 97% of the world's water too salty to be drunk or used in agriculture, the worldwide supply of water needs careful management, especially in agriculture. Although the idea of a water shortage(短缺)seems strange to someone fortunate enough to live in a high rainfall country, many of the world's agricultural industries experience constant water shortages.
Although dams can be built to store water for agricultural use in dry areas and dry seasons, the costs of water redistribution(重新分配)are very high. Not only is there the cost of the engineering itself, but there is also an environmental cost to be considered. Where valleys(山谷)are flooded to create dams, houses are lost and wildlife homes destroyed. Besides, water may flow easily through pipes to fields, but it cannot be transported from one side of the world to the other. Each country must therefore rely on the management of its own water to supply its farming requirements.
This is particularly troubling for countries with agricultural industries in areas dependent on irrigation (灌溉). In Texas, farmers' overuse of irrigation water has resulted in a 25% reduction of the water stores. In the Central Valley area of southwestern USA, a huge water engineering project provided water for farming in dry valleys, but much of the water use has been poorly managed.
Saudi Arabia's attempts to grow wheat in desert areas have seen the pumping of huge quantities of irrigation water from underground reserves. Because there is no rainfall in these areas, such reserves can only decrease, and it is believed that fifty years of pumping will see them run dry.
小題1:What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?

A．Ways to reduce the costs of building dams.

B．Steps to improving water use management.

C．Measures to deal with worldwide water shortages.

D．Approaches to handling the pressure on water supply.

小題2:From the first two paragraphs we learn that________.

A．much of the world's water is available for use

B．people in high rainfall countries feel lucky

C．the costs of water redistribution should be considered

D．water can be easily carried through pipes across the world

小題3:The text is mainly about________.

A．water supply and increasing population

B．water shortages and environmental protection

C．water redistribution and wildlife protection

D．water use management and agriculture

Since ancient times, people have known about its ability to reduce pain and high body temperature. More than 2000 years ago, the Greek doctor Hippocrates advised his patients to chew on the bark and leaves of the willow.
The tree contains a chemical called salicin（柳醇）. From salicin, researchers in the 1800s discovered how to make salicylic acid（酸）. And in 1897, a chemist named Felix Hoffmann at Friedrich Bayer and Company in Germany created acetyl salicylic acid. Later it became the active substance in a new medicine that Bayer called aspirin. The "a" came from acetyl. The "spir" came from the spirea plant, which also produces salicin. And the "in" Well, that is a common way to end medicine names.
In 1982, a British scientist shared the Nobel Prize in Medicine in part for discovering how aspirin works. Sir John Vane found that aspirin blocks the body from making natural substances called prostaglandins（前列腺素）.Prostaglandins have several effects on the body. Some cause pain and the expansion, or swelling（ 腫瘤; 膨脹）, of damaged tissue. Others protect the lining of the stomach and small intestine. Prostaglandins also make the heart, kidneys and blood vessels （血管）work well. But there is a problem. Aspirin works against all prostaglandins, good and bad. Scientists learned how aspirin interferes with an enzyme（酶）. One form of this enzyme makes the prostaglandin that causes pain and swelling. Another form of the enzyme creates a protective effect. So aspirin can reduce pain and swelling in damaged tissues. But it can also harm the inside of the stomach and small intestine（腸）.
小題1:What sickness can the medicine from the willow deal with according to the passage?

A．Cold

B．Toothache

C．Cancer

D．Skin disease

小題2:What can we know about Prostaglandin according to the passage?

A．It results from pain.

B．It prevents the lining of the stomach and small intestine.

C．It causes blood vessels to work wrongly.

D．It is sometimes good but sometimes bad.

小題3:What can we know about aspirin according to the passage?

A．Aspirin can treat almost diseases.

B．Aspirin can create the protective enzyme.

C．Aspirin can harm the inside of the stomach and small intestine.

D．Aspirin can protect the inside of the stomach and small intestine.