My Experience in a Free School
At first I couldn't believe it! There were no __26  in rows; no bells rang; no one had to go to __27  . Although we all lived “in”, __28  made us go to bed at a certain time; there was no “l(fā)ights out”.
The __29 thing was that practically all the students went to class, __30  very few people stayed up late at night. Only the new people stayed up or _31 class. The new ones always went wild __32, but this never lasted long. The __33 took some getting used to. Our teachers treated us like_34; never did we have to __35 “stand up”,“sit down”,“speak out”. I don't __36 one student who didn't try his best.
The subjects were the same as those in __37school, but what a difference in the approach(方式)! For example, in botany(植物學(xué)) we had __38  classes in the spring or fall, but instead we __39 [ZZ(Z)39two gardens, a vegetable garden and a flower garden. __40 in winter we each studied a few __41  things about what we had grown. In math the students built three different kinds of storerooms small ones __42 ,but usable. They did this instead of having lessons in the classroom. They really had a __43 time too, designing everything, drawing the blueprints, __44  the angles(角度) and so on. I didn't take __45 .I can't stand it! Besides, I could do the basic things with numbers. That's __46!
__47 I think I am a __48  person for having gone to the school. I can read and write as well as anyone else my age, and I can think  better. That's probably a real big __49   between the free school and regular school—the amount of __50.
26.A. desks          B. lights        C. students         D. buildings
27.A. home           B. bed           C. class            D. work 
28.A. anybody        B. nobody        C. teachers         D. parents
29.A. sad            B. last          C. good             D. strange 
30.A. and            B. but           C. so               D. yet 
31.A. attended       B. took          C. missed           D. studied 
32.A. from then on   B. at first      C. once more        D. just then 
33.A. freedom        B. habit         C. time             D. people 
34.A. workers       B. pupils         C. gardeners        D. grown?ups 
35.A. understand    B. study          C. play            D. say 
36.A. hear from     B. feel like      C. think about      D. know of 
37.A. night         B. regular        C. small            D. real 
38.A. all           B. short          C. no               D. indoor 
39.A. planted       B. studied        C. drew             D. toured 
40.A. Still         B. Then           C. Yet              D. Next 
41.A. wild          B. successful     C. usual            D. particular
42.A. as well       B. after a while  C. of course        D. as a result 
43.A. funny         B. great          C. convenient       D. thoughtful
44.A. looking out   B. taking out     C. finding out      D. figuring out 
45.A. math          B. care           C. botany           D. notice 
46.A. dull          B. interesting    C. enough           D. dangerous
47.A. On the whole  B. Once again     C. Sooner or later  D. After a while 
48.A. careful       B. better         C. busier           D. lovely 
49.A. problem       B. chance         C. difference       D. change
50.A. reading       B. gardening      C. teaching         D. thinking

How Long Can People Live?
She took up skating at age 85, made her first movie appearance at age 114, and held a concert in the neighborhood on her 121 st birthday.
When it comes to long life, Jeanne Calment is the world’s record holder. She lived to the ripe old age of 122. So is 122 the upper limit to the human life span（壽命）? If scientists come up with some sort of pill or diet that would slow aging, could we possibly make it to 150－or beyond?
Researchers don’t entirely agree on the answers. “Calment lived to 122, so it wouldn’t surprise me if someone alive today reaches 130 or 135,” says Jerry Shay at the University of Texas.
Steve Austad at the University of Texas agrees. “People can live much longer than we think,” he says. “Experts used to say that humans couldn’t live past 110. When Calment blew past that age, they raised the number to 120. So why can’t we go higher?”
The trouble with guessing how old people can live to be is that it’s all just guessing. “Anyone can make up a number,” says Rich Miller at the University of Michigan. “Usually the scientist who picks the highest number gets his name in Time magazine.”
Won’t new anti-aging techniques keep us alive for centuries? Any cure, says Miller, for aging would probably keep most of us kicking until about 120. Researchers are working on treatments that lengthen the life span of mice by 50 percent at most. So, if the average human life span is about 80 years, says Miller, “adding another 50 percent would get you to 120.”
So what can we conclude from this little disagreement among the researchers? That life span is flexible（有彈性的）, but there is a limit, says George Martin of the University of Washington. “We can get flies to live 50 percent longer,” he says. “But a fly’s never going to live 150 years.” Of course, if you became a new species （物種）, one that ages at a slower speed, that would be a different story, he adds.
Does Martin really believe that humans could evolve （進(jìn)化）their way to longer life? “It’s pretty cool to think about,” he says with a smile.
72. What does the story of Jeanne Calment prove to us?
A. People can live to 122.       B. Old people are creative.
C. Women are sporty at 85.     D. Women live longer than men.
73. According to Steve Austad at the University of Texas, ______.
A. the average human life span could be 110
B. scientists cannot find ways to slow aging
C. few people can expect to live to over 150
D. researchers are not sure how long people can live
74. Who would agree that a scientist will become famous if he makes the wildest guess at longevity?
A. Jerry Shay.          B. Steve Austad     C. Rich Miller     D. George Martin
75. What can we infer from the last three paragraphs?
A. Most of us could be good at sports even at 120.
B. The average human life span cannot be doubled
C. Scientists believe mice are aging at a slower speed than before.
D. New techniques could be used to change flies into a new species

Pet owners are being encouraged to take their animals to work, a move scientists say can be good for productivity, workplace morale (士氣)，and the well-being of animals.
A study found that 25% of Australian women would like to keep an office pet. Sue Chaseling of Petcare Information Service said the practice of keeping office pets was good both for the people and the pets. “On the pets’ side, they are not left on their own and won’t feel lonely and unhappy,” she said. A study of major US companies showed that 73% found office pets beneficial (有益的), while 27% experienced a drop in absenteeism (缺勤).
Xami Riggs has two cats walking around her Global Hair Salon in Paddington. “My customers love them. They are their favorites,” she said. “They are not troublesome. They know when to go and have a sleep0 in the sun.”
Little black BJ has spent nearly all his two years “working” at Punch Gallery in Balmain. Owner Iain Powell said he had had cats at the gallery for 15 years. “BJ often lies in the shop window and people walking past tap on the glass,” he said.
Ms Chaseling said cats were popular in service industries because they enabled a point of conversation. But she said owners had to make sure both their co-workers and the cats were comfortable.
1．The percentage of American companies that are in favor of keeping office pets is __________.
A．73%  B．27%  C．25%  D．15%
2．We know from the text that “BJ”_____.
A．works in the Global Hair Salon
B．often greets the passers-by
C．likes to sleep in the sun      D．is a two-year-old cat
3．The best title for this text would be _____.
A．Pets Help Attract Customers    B．Your Favorite Office Pets
C．Pets Join the Workforce        D．Busy Life for Pets

Reading to dogs is an unusual way to help children improve their literacy skills（讀寫能力）. With their shining brown eyes, wagging tails, and unconditional love, dogs can provide the nonjudgmental listeners needed for a beginning reader to gain confidence（自信心）,  according to Intermountain Therapy Animals（ITA）in Salt Lake City. The group says it is the first program in the country to use dogs to help develop literacy in children, with the introduction of Reading Education Assistance Dogs （READ）.
The Salt Lake City Public Library is sold on the idea. “Literacy specialists admit that children who read below the level of their fellow pupils are often afraid of reading aloud in a group, often have lower self-respect, and regard reading as a headache,” said Lisa Myron, manager of the children’s department.
Last November the two groups started “Dog Day Afternoon” in the children’s department of the main library. About 25children attended each of the four Saturday-afternoon classes, reading for half an hour. Those who attended three of the four classes received a “pawgraphed” book at the last class.
The program was so successful that the library plans to repeal it in April, according to Dana Thumpowsky, public relations manager.
59．What is mainly discussed in the text?
A．Children’s reading difficulties.              B．Advantages of raising dogs.
C．Service in public library.        D．A special reading program.
60．Specialists use dogs to listen to children reading because they think__________.
A．dogs are young children’s best friends
B．children can play with dogs while reading
C．dogs can provide encouragement for shy children
D．children and dogs understand each other
61．By saying “The Salt Lake City Public Library is sold on the idea”, the writer means the library ______________.
A．uses dogs to attract children           B．a(chǎn)ccepts the idea put forward by ITA
C．has opened a children’s department        D．has decided to train some dogs
62．A “pawgraphed” book is most probably _________.
A．a(chǎn) book used in Saturday classes             B．a(chǎn) book written by the children
C．a(chǎn) prize for the children                  D．a(chǎn) gift from parents

It seems that some people go out of their way to get into trouble. That’s more or less what happened the night that Nashville Police Officer Floyd Hyde was on duty.
“I was on the way to a personal-injury accident in West Nashville. As I got onto Highway 40, blue lights and sirens（警笛）going, I fell in behind a gold Pontiac Firebird that suddenly seemed to take off quickly down the highway. The driver somehow panicked at the sight of me. He was going more than a hundred miles an hour and began passing cars on the shoulder.”
But Hyde couldn’t go after him. Taking care of injured people is always more important than worrying about speeders, so the officer had to stay on his way to the accident. But he did try to keep the Firebird in sight as he drove, hoping another nearby unit would be able to step in and stop the speeding car. As it turned out, keeping the Firebird in sight was not that difficult. Every turn the Pontiac made was the very turn the officer needed to get to the accident scene.
Hyde followed the Pontiac all the way to his destination （目的地）. At that point he found another unit had already arrived at the accident scene. His help wasn’t needed. Now he was free to try to stop the driver of the Firebird, who by this time had developed something new to panic about.
“Just about that time,” Hyde says, “I saw fire coming out from under that car, with blue smoke and oil going everywhere. He’d blown his engine. Now he had to stop.”
“After I arrested him, I asked him why he was running. He told me he didn’t have a driver’s license（執(zhí)照）.”
That accident cost the driver of the Firebird plenty － a thousand dollars for the new engine－ not to mention the charges for driving without a license, attempting to run away, and dangerous driving.
63. The meaning of “panicked” in Paragraph 2 is related to _____.
A. shame B. hate    C. anger  D. fear
64. Why did the driver of the Firebird suddenly speed down the highway?
A. Because he was racing with another driver on the road.
B. Because he realized he had to hurry to the accident scene.
C. Because he thought the police officer wanted to stop him.
D. Because he wanted to overtake other cars on the shoulder.
65. Which of the following statements is true?
A. Someone else was taking care of the injured person.
B. The Pontiac reached its destination at the accident scene.
C. Hyde knew where he was going by following the right car.
D. The policeman was running after a speeder on Highway 40.
66. The driver of the Firebird ______.
A. took a wrong turn on the way
B. had some trouble with his car
C. was stopped by the police officer
D. paid for the expenses of the accident
67. What is probably the best title for the article?
A. Losing His Way?   B. Going My Way?
C. Fun All the Way?   D. Help on the Way?

At one time, computers were expected largely to remove the need for paper copies of documents（文件）because they could be stored electronically. But for all the texts that are written, stored and sent electronically, a lot of them are still ending up on paper.
It is difficult to measure the quantity of paper used as a result of Internet-connected computers, although just about anyone who works in an office can tell you that when e-mail is introduced, the printers start working overtime. “I feel in my bones this revolution is causing more trees to be cut down,” says Ted Smith of the Earth Village Organisation.
Perhaps the best sign of how computer and Internet use pushes up demand for paper comes from the high-tech industry itself, which sees printing as one of its most promising new markets. Several Internet companies have been set up to help small businesses print quality documents from a computer. Earlier this week Hewlett-Packard Co. announced a plan to develop new technologies that will enable people to print even more so they can get a hard copy of a business document, a medical record or just a one-line e-mail, even if they are nowhere near a computer. As the company sees it, the more use of the Internet the greater demand for printers
Does all this mean environmental concerns （環(huán)境問題） have been forgotten? Some activists suggest people have been led to believe that a lot of dangers to the environment have gone away. “I guess people believe that the problem is taken care of, because of recycling （回收利用）,”said Kelly Quirke, director of the Rainforest Action Network in San Francisco. Yet Quirke is hopeful that high-tech may also prove helpful. He says printers that print on both sides are growing in popularity. The action group has also found acceptable paper made from materials other than wood, such as agricultural waste.
72.   The growing demand for paper in recent years is largely due to ___________.
A.    the rapid development of small businesses    B. the opening up of new markets
C.    the printing of high quality copies               D. the increased use of the Internet
73.   Environmentalists believe one possible way of dealing with the paper situation is ______.
A.    to encourage printing more quality documents
B.    to develop new printers using recycled paper
C.    to find new materials for making paper
D.    to plant more fast-growing trees
74.   Hewlett-Packard Co. has decided to develop new technologies because ___________.
A.    people are concerned about the environment
B.    printers in many offices are working overtime
C.    small companies need more hard copies
D.    they see a growing market for printers
75.   What would be the best title for the text?
A. Computers and Printers                                B. E-mail and the Business World
C. Internet Revolution and Environment                D. Modern Technology and New Markets

It's not the flashiest car in the world. Not even close. But the 1971 Volkswagen named Helioscan do something most cars can't: nm on solar energy – energy from the sun's light and heat!
Joshua Bechtold, 14, and the other students at the Riverside School in Lyndonville, Vermont, worked many months to get Helios ready for the 1999  American Tour de Sol （"Sol" is the Latin word for "sun"）. They named their car after Helios, the sun god in Greek mythology（神話）.
The 4-year-old Tour de Sol encourages the use of "green", or environmentally friendly, cars to help reduce pollution and save energy. It’s not a race. Cars are  judged on fuel efficiency（耗油量） rather than speed. In the week-long event, 44 cars took the 350-mile tour from Waterbury, Connecticut, to Lake George, New York. Of the 23 student cars, Helios was the only one built by middle school students.
A teacher drove Helios, but the children talked with people wherever they stopped along the mad. "That was my favorite part," says Anna Browne, 15. "We explained how the car runs.”
Due in part to old, inefficient batteries（電池）, Helios finished fourth - out of four - in its kind, the sun-powered class. "We were there for the fun of it," Anna says. "We're proud of Helios," says Ariel Gleicher, 14. "It's a car that's good for the environment."
64. What is special about the car Helios in the text?       
A. It was built by middle school students.
B. It has an attractive design.
C. It was made in 1971.
D. It won the fourth prize.
65. How many sun-powered cars took part in the race?      
A. 1.       B. 4.     C. 23.    D. 44.
66. What would be the best title for the text.'?       
A. The Making of Helios
B. 1999 American Tour de Sol
C. Sun-powered Cars on the Road
D. Use of Green Cars in Connecticut
67. The students felt proud of Helios because______.
A. it could run as far as 350 miles     B. it was favored by many children
C. it had high-quality batteries         D. it was driven by clean energy

Grown-ups know that people and objects are solid. At the movies, we know that if we reach out to touch Tom Cruise, all we will feel is air. But does a baby have this understanding?
To see whether babies know objects are solid, T. Bower designed a method for projecting an optical illusion（視覺影像）of a hanging ball. His plan was to first give babies a real ball, one they could reach out and touch, and then to show them the illusion. If they knew that objects are solid and they reached out for the illusion and found empty air, they could be expected to show surprise in their faces and movements. All the 16-to 24- week -old babies tested were surprised when they reached for the illusion and found that the ball was not there.
Grown-ups also have a sense of object permanence. We know that if we put a box in a room and lock the door, the box will still be there when we come back. But does a baby realize that a ball that rolls under a chair does not disappear and go to never-never land?
Experiments done by Bower suggest that babies develop a sense of object permanence when they are about 18 weeks old. In his experiments, Bower used a toy train that went behind a screen. When 16-week-old and 22-week-old babies watched the toy train disappear behind the left side of the screen, they looked to the right, expecting it to reappear. If the experimenter took the train off the table and lifted the screen, all the babies seemed surprised not to see the train. This seems to show that all the babies had a sense of object permanence. But the second part of the experiment showed that this was not really the case. The researcher substituted（替換）a ball for the train when it went behind the screen. The 22-week-old babies seemed surprised and looked back to the left side for the train. But the 16-week -old babies did not seem to notice the switch（更換）. Thus, the 16-week-old babies seemed to have a sense of “something permanence,” while the 22-week-old babies had a sense of object permanence related to a particular object.
68. The passage is mainly about _____.
A. babies’ sense of sight                 B. effects of experiments on babies
C. babies’ understanding of objects         D. different tests on babies’ feelings
69. In Paragraph 3, “object permanence” means that when out of sight, an object ________.
A. still exists    B. keeps its shape        C. still stays solid       D. is beyond reach
70. What did Bower use in his experiments?
A. A chair.        B. A screen.      C. A film.         D. A box.
71. Which of the following statements is true?
A. The babies didn’t have a sense of direction.
B. The older babies preferred toy trains to balls.
C. The younger babies liked looking for missing objects.
D. The babies couldn’t tell a ball from its optical illusion.

Supermarkets are trying out new computers that make shopping carts more intelligent (具備智能的). They will help shoppers find cups or toilet soap, and keep a record of the bill.
The touch-screen devices (觸摸屏裝置) are on show at the Food Marketing Institute's exhibition here this week. "These devices are able to create value and get you around the store quicker," said Michael Alexandor, manager of Springboard Retail Networks Inc., which makes a smart cart computer called the Concierge.
Canadian stores will test the Concierge in July. A similar device, IBM's "shopping buddy," has recently been test-marketed at Stop & Shop stores in Massachusetts.
Neither device tells you how many fat grams or calories are in your cart, but they will flash you with items on sale. The idea is to make it easier for people to buy, not to have second thoughts that maybe you should put something back on the shelf.
"The whole model is driven by advertisers' need to get in front of shoppers," said Alexandor. "They're not watching 30-second TV ads anymore."
People can use a home computer to make their shopping lists. Once at the store, a shopper can use a preferred customer card to start a system (系統(tǒng)) that will organize the trip around the store. If you're looking for toothpicks, you type in the word or pick it from a list, and a map will appear on the screen showing where you are and where you can find them.
The devices also keep a record of what you buy. When you're finished, the device figures out your bill. Then you go to the checker or place your card into a self-checkout stand and pay.
The new computerized shopping assistants don't come cheap. The Buddy devices will cost the average store about $160,000, and the Concierge will cost stores about $500 for each device.
53. The underlined word “they” (Paragraph 1) refers to_________.
A．supermarkets    B．shop assistants        C．shopping carts    D．shop managers
54. Which of the following is the correct order of shopping with the computerized shopping carts?
a. Start the system.                     b. Make a shopping list.
c. Find the things you want.             D. Go to a self-checkout stand.
A．a(chǎn)bdc  B．bacd        C．a(chǎn)cbd          D．bcad
55. We can learn from the last paragraph that_________.
A．intelligent shopping carts cost a large sum of money
B．the Concierge is cheaper than the Buddy devices
C．shop assistants with computer knowledge are well paid   
D．a(chǎn)verage stores prefer the Concierge to the Buddy devices
56. What might be the most suitable title for the text?
A．New age for supermarkets
B．Concierge and Shopping Buddy
C．New computers make shopping carts smarter
D．Touch-screen devices make shopping enjoyable

Many cities around the world today are heavily polluted. Careless methods of production and lack of consumer demand for environment (環(huán)境) friendly products have contributed to the pollution problem. One result is that millions of tons of glass, paper, plastic, and metal containers are produced, and these are difficult to get rid of.
However, today, more and more consumers are choosing “green” and demanding that the products they buy should be safe for the environment. Before they buy a product, they ask questions like these: “Will this shampoo damage the environment?” “Can this metal container be reused or can it only be used once?”
A recent study showed that two out of five adults now consider the environmental safety of a product before they buy it. This means that companies must now change the way they make and sell their products to make sure that they are “green,” that is, friendly to the environment.
Only a few years ago, it was impossible to find green products in supermarkets, but now there are hundreds. Some supermarket products carry labels(標(biāo)簽) to show that the product is green. Some companies have made the manufacturing (生產(chǎn)) of clean and safe products their main selling point and emphasize it in their advertising.
The concern for a safer and cleaner environment is making companies rethink how they do business. No longer will the public accept the old attitude of “Buy it, use it, throw it away, and forget it. ”The public pressure is on, and gradually business is cleaning up its act.
64. It becomes clear from the text that the driving force(動(dòng)力) behind green products is ______
A. public caring for the environment    B. companies desire for bigger sales
C. new ways of doing business      D. rapid growth of supermarkets
65. What would be the best title for the text?
A. Business and People  B. Business Goes Green
C. Shopping Habits Are Changing D. Supermarkets and Green Products
66. The underlined word “it” in the fourth paragraph refers to _____
A. a selling point    B. the company name
C. a great demand for health foods       D. the manufacturing of green products