An Earthship is a home that is built of materials such as old tires and aluminum cans. It is the idea of a man named Michael Reynolds. Many Earthships are more or less self-sufficient because they provide their own heat, air and water. They often have gardens watered and fed by waste water. They are comfortable and ecologically friendly.
The main material used in building Earthships is tires. Tires are plentiful and
can't be recycled like paper, plastic, and metal.  While building supplies for most houses can be very expensive, old used tires are free.
First, the tires are packed tightly with dirt. Each full tire weighs as much as
400 pounds. The tires are then stacked like bricks. The walls are extremely strong. They also help keep an even temperature in the house (between 60 and 70 degrees) without heating and cooling systems.?
The walls inside the Earthship are made of aluminum cans that are held together by cement. Then they are coated with adobe or stucco.?
The roofs of Earthships are sloped so that rain and snow run into large tanks. These tanks hold all the water for the house, and pumps push the water through the pipes. Sometimes, water flows in certain areas of the house as waterfalls! Water that has been used is pumped out into the gardens where owners grow much of their own food.?
In most of these houses, the southern side has huge windows that take in winter sunlight as a source of heat. Summer sun does not come in through the south windows, so it doesn't get too hot in the summer. The house also has solar panels that gather energy for lights and hot water and cooking. The Earthships have all the comforts of a regular house without the high cost of electric bills!?
In a time when we are running out of energy resources, pollution is bad, and waste is piling up, Earthships are the best places to live in. For people who truly care about the environment,Earthships provide a great alternative to traditional houses. You won't be giving up any comforts, and the styles are attractive. We all hope that more and more people will build Earthships and take a huge step toward helping the environment and saving our planet.?
小題1:What is the main idea of this passage??

A．Earthships are a good way to live and protect the environment.?

B．Tanks hold water collected from rain and snow.?

C．It's important to grow your own food in a vegetable garden.?

D．People who live in Earthships usually live in the desert.?

小題2:Which of the following is NOT explained in the passage??

A．How an Earthship is built.?

B．What an Earthship is mainly made of.?

C．Why the Earthship is so called.?

D．How an Earthship is heated in winter.?

小題3:Which evidence best supports the idea that Earthships are environmentally friendly??

A．They were invented by Michael Reynolds.?

B．Water that has been used is pumped out into the garden.?

C．They are comfortable and ecologically friendly.?

D．The tires are packed tightly with dirt.?

小題4:It can be inferred from the passage that ________.?

A．a(chǎn) large population are already living in Earthships?

B．the idea of Earthships will attract the attention of governments?

C．the materials for the Earthships will be harmful to the dwellers(居住者)?

D．the northern side of the Earthship has no window?

Last August, Joe and Mary Mahoney began looking at colleges for their 17-year-old daughter, Maureen. With a checklist of criteria in hand, the Dallas family looked around the country visiting half a dozen schools. They sought a university that offered the teenager’s intended major, one located near a large city, and a campus where their daughter would be safe.
“The safety issue is a big one,” says Joe Mahoney, who quickly discovered he wasn’t alone in his worries. On campus tours other parents voiced similar concerns, and the same question was always asked: what about crime? But when college officials always gave the same answer — “That’s not a problem here.” — Mahoney began to feel uneasy.  
“No crime whatsoever?” comments Mahoney today.  “I just don’t buy it.”  Nor should he: in 1999 the U.S. Department of Education had reports of nearly 400,000 serious crimes on or around our campuses. “Parents need to understand that times have changed since they went to colleges,” says David Nichols, author of Creating a Safe Campus. “Campus crime mirrors the rest of the nation.”
But getting accurate information isn’t easy. Colleges must report crime statistics （統(tǒng)計數(shù)字) by law, but some hold back for fear of bad publicity, leaving the honest ones looking dangerous. “The truth may not always be obvious,” warns S. Daniel Carter of Security on Campus, Inc., the nation’s leading campus safety watchdog group.
To help concerned parents, Carter promised to visit campuses and talk to experts around the country to find out major crime issues and effective solutions.
小題1:The Mahoneys visited quite a few colleges last August ______.

A．to express the opinions of many parents

B．to choose a right one for their daughter

C．to check the cost of college education

D．to find a right one near a large city

小題2:It is often difficult to get correct information on campus crime because some colleges
______.

A．receive too many visitors	B．mirror the rest of the nation
C．hide the truth of campus crime	D．have too many watchdog groups

小題3:The underlined word “buy” in the third paragraph means ______.

A．mind

B．a(chǎn)dmit

C．believe

D．expect

小題4:We learn from the text that  “the honest ones” in the fourth paragraph most probably
refers to colleges ______.

A．that are protected by campus security	B．that report campus crimes by law
C．that are free from campus crime	D．the enjoy very good publicity

小題5:What is the text mainly about?   

A．Exact campus crime statistics.	B．Crimes on or around campuses.
C．Effective solutions to campus crime.	D．concerns about kids’ campus safety.

The year 2006 was a busy one for space and technology workers. A planet lost its status and space flights caught the imagination of people around the world.
The following is a short list of the major events of the year:____________
IBM has built a chip that runs about 100 times faster than the ones we have now. The development could lead to faster computers. The chip was first made in June. It can run at a speed of 500 gigahertz (千兆赫).
Pluto loses face  
The International Astronomical Union created the first scientific definition (定義) of the word "planet" in August. Under the new rules, Pluto is no longer called a planet but a "dwarf planet" (矮行星).
Pluto had been considered a planet since its discovery in 1930. For now, there are only the eight "classical" planets in the solar system (太陽系): They are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
Woman space tourist
The first woman space tourist was launched on a Russian rocket from Kazakhstan on September 18. The flight carried a businesswoman, named Anousheh Ansari, along with a fresh crew for the International Space Station (ISS). Ansari is a 40-year-old American. She has paid at least US$20 million for the trip. She returned on September 28 after her eight-day stay at the International Space Station.
Discovery sent up
The US space shuttle Discovery took seven astronauts on a 12-day repair mission (任務) to the International Space Station on December 9. It was the first night launch by NASA in four years. The last one ended in the failure of the space shuttle Columbia in 2003.
小題1: The sub-title of the second paragraph probably would be _______.

A．IBM

B．The development of computers

C．The first chip born

D．Faster computer chip

小題2:The US space shuttle Discovery was sent up mainly to ________.

A．do some research

B．do some repairs

C．be in memory to Columbia shuttle.

D．build a space station.

小題3:Which of the following statements is WRONG?

A．Pluto is no longer a real planet according to the new theory.

B．People have been dreaming about space flight.

C．Anousheh Ansari was the first women space tourist.

D．The US space shuttle Discovery is the first one launched by NASA at night.

小題4:The passage is written mainly to tell us_______.

A．exciting new science of the year of 2006.

B．space flight full of wonders.

C．the major events of the year of 2006.

D．science and technology is the first productive.

You have waited 45 minutes for the valuable 10 minutes’ break between classes. But when the bell for the next class rings, you can’t   36   how quickly time has passed.
If you are familiar with this   37  , you’ll know how time flies when you are having fun and  38   when you are bored. Now scientists have   39   a reason why this is the case.
Scans have shown that patterns of activity in the brain   40   according to how we focus on a task. When we are   41  , we concentrate more on how time is passing. And this makes our brains   42   the clock is ticking more slowly.
In an experiment   43   by a French laboratory, 12 volunteers watched an image   44   researchers monitored their brain activity.
The volunteers were told to   45   concentrate on how long an image appeared for, then  46   the color of the image, and thirdly, study both duration and color. The results showed that  47   was more active when the volunteers paid   48   subjects.
It is thought that if the brain is   49   focusing on many aspects of a task, it has to  50  its resources, and pays less attention to the clock.  51 , time passes without us really   52   it, and seems to go quickly. If the brain is not so active, it concentrates its   53   energies on monitoring the passing of time.   54  , time seems to drag.
Next time you feel bored   55  , perhaps you should pay more attention to what the teacher is saying!

小題1:	A．guess B．learn C．believe D．doubt

小題2:	A．view B．point C．scene D．experience

小題3: 

A．drags

B．stops

C．backs

D．gains

小題4: 

A．thought over

B．made up

C．suggested

D．come up with

小題5:	A．change B．develop C．grow D．slow

小題6:	A．sleepy B．bored C．excited D．a(chǎn)ctive

小題7:	A．report B．think C．decide D．see

小題8:	A．produced B．carried C．tried D．performed

小題9: 

A．so

B．when

C．while

D．but

小題10:

A．partly B．quickly C．how D．first

小題11: 

A．remember

B．focus on

C．forget

D．tell apart

小題12:

A．the researchers B．the experiment C．the clock D．the brain

小題13: 

A．much attention to

B．more attention to

C．a(chǎn)ttention to many

D．a(chǎn)ttention to more

小題14: 

A．busy

B．likely

C．ready

D．sure

小題15:

A．focus B．gather C．reach D．spread

小題16: 

A．However

B．Furthermore

C．Therefore

D．Finally

小題17:

A．recognizing B．watching C．noticing D．counting

小題18:

A．enough B．full C．right D．proper

小題19: 

A．In fact

B．As a result

C．For example

D．Instead

小題20:

A．in class B．with work C．in mind D．of lessons

完形填空（共20小題；每小題1.5分，滿分30分）閱讀下面短文，掌握其大意，然后從1—20題各題所給的四個選項（A、B、C和D）中，選出可以填入空白處的最佳選項。
While attending a conference, I returned to my hotel room late one evening. The overhead light outside my door was burned out and I had  1  finding the keyhole. When I  2  to open the door, I  3  around the wall for a light switch. I found a plate where a switch was  4  installed... but no switch! 
Not discouraged easily, I remembered  5  a lamp by the bed when I deposited my luggage  6  in the day. I found the bed in the  7  and then the lamp, but when I switched it on, nothing  8 ! I thought that perhaps if I opened the curtains I might be able to use whatever light comes in from the  9  to find another lamp. So I  10  my way slowly across the room to the curtains and... no drawstring! I finally stumbled（跌跌撞撞地走）around  11  I found a desk lamp which actually  12 !
That evening I discovered in a whole new way just how dark the world  13  be and how   necessary light is! But even more necessary than  14  light is the light that shines from people --the light of  15  and faith. Because, for many people, the world is a dark and  16  place. For someone today just may be stumbling in discouragement or sadness or fear and in  17   of some light. So let your light shine. Whatever light you  18  may be a beacon of hope and encouragement. And if you feel that your light is  19  a candle in a forest remember -- there isn’t enough darkness in all the world to  20  the light of one small candle.
1. A. confidence  B. respect           C. adimiration      D. difficulty 
2. A. managed            B. failed              C. wished           D. meant
3. A. touched              B. felt                 C. sensed            D. looked  
4. A. already               B. never              C. still                 D. once 
5. A. equiping             B. producing       C. spotting          D. removing
6. A. later                  B. earlier             C. lower             D. upper
7. A. light           B. dark               C. room              D. corner 
8. A. happened            B. operated         C. fired                 D. developed
9. A. machine             B. street              C. room             D. car
10. A. wound             B. forced            C. made              D. lost
11. A. after                   B. until         C. while                D. since
12. A. helped              B. affected                C. worked           D. inspired 
13. A. can                  B. shall               C. will               D. must
14. A. mental              B. psychological     C. electrical        D. physical  
15. A. existence          B. love                C. truth                D. wisdom
16. A. lonely                 B. colourful           C. friendly            D. complex
17. A. short                B. favour            C. face                      D. need   
18. A. make                B. offer               C. take                D. contribute
19. A. not more than   B. other than       C. no more than   D. rather than 
20. A. put out             B. give out          C. get over                D. set up

閱讀理解: 閱讀下列短文，從每題所給的四個選項（A、B、C和D）中，選出最佳選項。
Melissa Poe was 9 years old when she began a campaign for a cleaner environment by writing a letter to the then President Bush. Through her own efforts, her letter was reproduced on over 250 donated billboards across the country.
The response to her request for help was so huge that Poe established Kids For A Cleaner Environment (Kids F.A.C.E.) in 1989. There are now 300,000 members of Kids FACE worldwide and is the world's largest youth environmental organization.
Poe has also asked the National Park Service to carry out a "Children's Forest" project in every national park. In 1992, she was invited as one of only six children in the world to speak at the Earth Summit in Brazil as part of the Voices of the Future Program. In 1993, she was given a Caring Award for her efforts by the Caring Institute.
Since the organization started, Kids F.A.C.E. members have distributed and planted over 1 million trees! Ongoing tree-planting projects include Kid's Yards – the creation of backyard wildlife habitats (棲息地) and now Kids F.A.C.E. is involved in the exciting Earth Odyssey, which is a great way to start helping.
"Starting the club turned out to be a way to help people get involved with the environment. Club members started doing things like recycling, picking up litter and planting trees as well as inviting other kids to join their club."
"We try to tell kids that it's not OK to be lazy," she explains. "You need to start being a responsible, environmentally friendly person now, right away, before you become a resource-sucking adult."
1. Kids F.A.C.E is _____.
A. a program to help students with writing
B. a project of litter recycling
C. a campaign launched by President Bush
D. a club of environmental protection
2. What can we learn about Poe?
A. She was awarded a prize in Brazil.
B. She donated billboard across the country.
C. She got positive responses for her efforts
D. She joined the National Park Service.
3. Kid’s Yards is _____.
A. established in a national park.
B. started to protect wildlife
C. a wildlife- raising project
D. an entertainment park for kids.
4. Which of the following can be inferred from the text?
A. Adults are resource-sucking people
B. Poe sought help from a youth organization
C. Kids F.A.C.E members are from the U.S.
D. Kids are urged to save natural resources.

Technology is the application(應用) of knowledge to production. Thanks to modern technology, we have been able to increase greatly the efficiency of our work force. New machines and new methods have helped cut down time and expense while increasing overall output. This has meant more production and a higher standard of living. For most of us in America, modern technology is thought of as the reason why we can have cars and television sets. However, technology has also increased the amount of food available to us, by means of modern farming machinery and animal breeding techniques, and has extended our life span via(通過) medical technology.
Will mankind continue to live longer and have a higher quality of life? In large measure the answer depends on technology and our ability to use it widely. If we keep making progress as we have over the past fifty years, the answer is definitely yes. The advancement of technology depends upon research and development, and the latest statistics(統(tǒng)計) show that the United States is continuing to pump billions of dollars annually(每年) into such efforts. So while we are running out of some scarce resources(少的資源) we may well find technological substitutes(代用品)for many of them through our research programs.
Therefore, in the final analysis the three major factors of production(land, labor and capital) are all influenced by technology. When we need new skills, on techniques in medicine, people will start developing new technology to meet those needs. As equipment proves to be slow or inefficient, new machines will be invented. Technology responds to our needs in helping us maintain our standard of living.
小題1:What is the best title for the passage?

A．The definition of technology	B．Modern technology
C．The application of technology	D．The development of technology

小題2:Which is the main idea of the passage?

A．Modern technology is the key to the improvement of standard of living.

B．The three major factors of production (land, labor and capital) are all influenced by technology.

C．Technology is the response to our needs.

D．The United States is making great efforts to advance its technology.

小題3:According to the passage, people can live a long life with the help of _______.

A．higher quality of life	B．medical technology
C．modern farming machinery	D．technological substitute

Believe it or not, optical illusion(錯覺) can cut highway crashes.
Japan is a case in point. It has reduced automobile crashes on some roads by nearly 75 percent using a simple optical illusion. But stripes, called chevrons(人字形), painted on the roads make drivers think that they are driving faster than they really are, and thus drivers slow down.
Now the American Automobile Association Foundation(基金會) for Traffic Safety in Washington D.C. is planning to repeat Japan’s success. Starting next year, the foundation will paint chevrons and other patterns of stripes on selected roads around the country to test how well the patterns reduce highway crashes.
Excessive (too great) speed plays a major role in as much as one fifth of all fatal traffic accidents, according to the foundation. To help reduce those accidents, the foundation will conduct its tests in areas where speed-related hazards (danger) are the greatest curves, exit slopes, traffic circles, and bridges.
Some studies suggest that straight, horizontal bars painted across roads can initially cut the average speed of drivers in half. However, traffic often returns to full speed within months as drivers become used to seeing the painted bars.
Chevrons, scientists say, not only give drivers the impression that they are driving faster than they really are but also make a lane appear to be narrower. The result is a longer lasting reduction in highway speed and the number of traffic accidents.
小題1:The passage mainly discusses ________.

A．a(chǎn) new way of highway speed control

B．a(chǎn) new pattern for painting highways

C．a(chǎn) new way of training drivers

D．a(chǎn) new type of optical illusion

小題2: On roads painted with chevrons, drivers tend to feel that ________.

A．they should avoid speed-related hazards

B．they are driving in the wrong lane

C．they should slow down their speed

D．they are coming near to the speed limit

小題3: The advantage of chevrons over straight, horizontal bars is that the former ________.

A．can keep drivers awake	B．can cut road accidents in half
C．will look more attractive	D．will have a longer effect on drivers

小題4:The American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety plans to ________.

A．try out the Japanese method in certain areas

B．change the road signs across the country

C．replace straight, horizontal bars with chevrons

D．repeat the Japanese road patterns

小題5:What does the author say about straight, horizontal bars painted across roads?

A．They are suitable only on broad roads.

B．They are falling out of use in the United States.

C．They are ignored in a long period of time.

D．They cannot be used successfully to traffic circles.

A simple piece of clothesline hangs between some environmentally friendly Americans and their neighbors.
On one side stand those who see clothes dryers(干衣機) as a waste of energy and a major polluter of the environment. As a result, they are turning to clotheslines as part of the “what-I –can do environmentalism(環(huán)境保護主義).”
On the other side are people who are against drying clothes outside, arguing that clotheslines are unpleasant to look at. They have persuaded Homeowners Associations (HOAs) access the U.S. to ban outdoor clotheslines, because clothesline drying also tends to lower home value in the neighborhood. This had led to a Right-to-Dry Movement that is calling for laws to be passed to protect people’s right to use clotheslines.
So far, only three states have laws to protect clothesline. Right-to-Dry supporters argue that there should be move.
Matt Reck, 37, is the kind of eco-conscious(有生態(tài)意識的) person who feeds his trees with bathwater and reuses water drops from his air conditioners to water plants. His family also uses a clothesline. But on July 9, 2007, the HOA in Wake Forest, North Carolina, told him that a dissatisfied neighlzir had telephoned them about him clothesline. The Recks paid no attention to the warming and still dried their clothes on a line in the yard. “Many people say they are environmentally friendly but they don’t take matters in their own hands,” says Reck. The local HOA has decided not to take any action, unless more neighbors come to them.
North Carolina lawmakers are saying that banning clotheslines is not the right thing to do. But HOAs and housing businesses believe that clothesline drying reminds people of poor neighborhoods. They worry that if buyers think their future neighbors can’t even afford dryers, housing prices will fall.
Environmentalists say such worries are not necessary, and in view of global warming, that idea needs to change. As they say, “The clothesline is beautiful”. Hanging clothes outside should be encouraged. We all have to do at least something to slow down the process of global warming.”
小題1:One of the reasons why supporters of clothes dryers are trying to ban clothesline drying is that ____.

A．clothes dryers are more efficient	B．clothesline drying reduces home value
C．clothes dryers are energy-saving	D．clothesline drying is not allowed in most U.S. states

小題2:Which of the following best describes Matt Reck?

A．He is a kind-hearted man.	B．He is an impolite man.
C．He is and experienced gardener.	D．He is a man of social responsibility.

小題3:Who are in favor of clothesline drying?

A．housing businesses.	B．Environmentalists.
C．Homeowners Associations.	D．Reck’s dissatisfied neighbors.

小題4:What is mainly discussed in the text?

A．Clothesline drying: a way to save energy and money.

B．Clothesline drying: a lost art rediscovered.

C．Opposite opinions on clothesline drying.

D．Different varieties of clotheslines.

Some spiders hunt on the ground, others build webs to trap their food, but the grass water spider catches its prey by running along the surface of the water.
This special water spider lives on the grassy banks of streams where mosquitoes, damsel flies and other insects come to feed and breed.
Although it is one of the largest spiders in New Zealand, it has an unusual ability. It doesn’t disturb the water as it waits for its meal, and there is barely a ripple(波紋) when it skims(掠過) across the surface at lightning speed to catch its prey.
Grass water spiders deal swiftly with larger insects like damsel flies by pulling their heads under the water and holding them there until they drown.
After a meal, the grass water spider spends up to half an hour grooming(修飾) itself. It wipes its eight eyes, brushes its antennae(觸角), and takes special care to clean the hairs on its body.
It is the hairs that trap tiny bubbles(泡沫) of air so that the spider can run down a blade(葉片) of grass and stay underwater for up to an hour when it is frightened. The hairs also keep the spider dry, even underwater.
It is only when the female spider is caring for the young that she does not hunt on the water. After mating, she produces a large egg sac(囊), which she carries around for five weeks. Once the eggs start to hatch, she attaches the sac to some blades of grass or a thistle. She then tears the sac open and releases the tiny spiders into the nursery web.
小題1:How does the grass water spider kill its prey?

A．in a web

B．by drowning

C．by poisoning

D．with its antennae

小題2:the writer describes the special spider as “special” because _______.

A．it walks on water	B．it has eight eyes
C．of its hairy appearance	D．of the way it produces its young

小題3:The passage tells us that the spider ______.

A．feeds grass and thistles to its young.

B．lives on blades of grass under the water

C．lives in the grass on the banks of streams

D．eats a meal once every five weeks

小題4:The purpose of the passage is to _______.

A．convince readers that spiders are dangerous

B．indicate that the grass water spider is endangered

C．list all of the spiders that can be found in New Zealand

D．describe the characteristics of the grass water spider