All over the world, libraries have begun the Herculean task of making faithful digital copies of the books, images and recordings that preserve the intellectual effort of humankind.  For armchair scholars, the work promises to bring such a wealth of information to the desktop that the present Internet may seem amateurish in retrospect. …
Librarians see three clear benefits to going digital.  First, it helps them preserve rare and fragile objects without denying access to those who wish to study them.  The British Library, for example, holds the only medieval manuscript of Beowulf in London.  Only qualified scholars were allowed to see it until Kevin S. Kiernan of the University of Kentucky scanned the manuscript with three different light sources (revealing detail not normally apparent to the naked eye) and put the images up on the Internet for anyone to peruse (閱覽).  Tokyo’s National Diet Library is similarly creating highly detailed digital photographs of 1,236 woodblock prints, scrolls and other materials it considers national treasures so that researchers can scrutinize them without handling the originals.
A second benefit is convenience.  Once books are converted to digital form, patrons can retrieve them in seconds rather than minutes.  Several people can simultaneously read the same book or view the same picture.  Clerks are spared the chore of reshelving.  And libraries could conceivably use the Internet to land their virtual collections to those who are unable to visit in person.
The third advantage of electronic copies is that they occupy millimeters of space on a magnetic disk rather than meters on a shelf.  Expanding library buildings is increasingly costly.  The University of California at Berkeley recently spent $46 million on an underground addition to house 1.5 million books – an average cost of $30 per volume.  The price of disk storage, in contrast, has fallen to about $2 per 300-page publication and continues to drop.
小題1:The best title for this passage would be __________.

A．Three Benefits of Libraries

B．Libraries Going Digital

C．Space-saving E-learning

D．Security of Electronic Reading

小題2:Which paragraph(s) in the text offer(s) further explanation of the central idea?

A．Paragraphs 2, 3 and 4	B．Paragraphs 3 and 4
C．Paragraphs 2 and 4	D．Paragraph 4

小題3:Which one of the following is mentioned as the advantages of E-libraries

A．Old manuscripts can be moved more easily

B．Materials can be examined without being touched

C．Fewer staff will be required in libraries

D．Libraries will be able to move underground

小題4:What does the word ‘scrutinize’ probably mean?

A．keep for a while

B．reprint

C．restore

D．examine carefully

A new argument has been put forward as to whether penguins are disturbed by the presence of tourists in Antarctica.  
Previous research by scientists from Keil University in Germany monitored Adelie penguins and noted that the birds’ heart rates increased dramatically at the sight of a human as far as 30 meters away.  But new research using an artificial egg, which is equipped to measure heart rates, disputes this.  Scientists from the Scott Polar Research Institute at Cambridge say that a slow moving human who does not approach the nest too closely, is not viewed as a threat by penguins. 
The earlier findings have been used to partly explain the 20 per cent drop in populations of certain types of penguins near tourist sites.  However, tour operators have continued to insist that their activities do not adversely affect wildlife in Antarctica, saying they encourage non-disruptive behavior in tourists, and that the decline in penguin numbers is caused by other factors.
Amanda Nimon of the Scott Polar Research Institute spent three southern hemisphere summers at Cuverville Island in Antarctica studying penguin behavior towards humans.  “A nesting penguin will react very differently to a person rapidly and closely approaching the nest,” says Nimon.  “First they exhibit large and prolonged heart rate changes and then they often flee the nest leaving it open for predators (掠奪者) to fly in and remove eggs or chicks.”  The artificial egg, specially for the project, monitored both the parent who had been ‘disturbed’ when the egg was placed in the nest and the other parent as they both took it in turns to guard the nest.
However, Boris Culik, who monitored the Adelie penguins, believes that Nimon’s findings do not invalidate his own research.  He points out that species behave differently – and Nimon’s work was with Gentoo penguins.  Nimon and her colleagues believe that Culik’s research was methodologically flawed because the monitoring of penguins’ responses needed capturing and restraining the birds and fitting them with beart-rate transmitters.  Therefore, argues Nimon, it would not be surprising if they became stressed on seeing a human subsequently.
小題1:According to the passage, what overall message is presented?

A．No firm conclusions are drawn.

B．Neither Culik’s nor Nimon’s findings are of much value.

C．Penguin reduction is closed related to tourist behavior.

D．Tourists are not responsible for the fall in penguin numbers.

小題2:Which ONE argument of the following is stated in the passage?

A．Penguins are harder to research when they have young.

B．Tour operators should encourage tourists to avoid Antarctica.

C．Not all penguins behave in the same way.

D．Penguins need better protection from tourists.

小題3:What do you notice about the views presented in the passage?

A．They are groundless.

B．They are factual.

C．They are descriptive.

D．They are conflicting.

小題4:What does the underlined word (final line) probably mean?

A．later on

B．carmly

C．separately

D．in the same place

Many businesses today use conferences as a means of discussing new plans of the company. As people are paying more attention to the environment and green problems, more businesses are looking for ways to reduce their negative effect on the environment. Many businesses do this by using Web conferencing.
Web conferencing is a technology that allows people to communicate more effectively over the Internet. It’s an easy way of hosting and attending conferences without having to leave the office. Each of the people involved in a Web conference will be posted an invitation to the conference with the time and date of the Web conference on it. When the conference is ready to begin, all participants (參與者) must sit at their computers and they will be connected over the Internet.
With Web conferencing all participants attend conference from the comfort of their own desks. Obviously, in doing this no fuel is used in traveling to and from a conference, and less work is taken up in attending a conference.
Any material to be used during Web conference is simply e-mailed to all the participants before the conference. Participants can then either choose to print material or read it on screen. This not only saves paper but also greatly reduces mailing costs for the business.
As a conference hall or business center isn’t being used, it means that the only power that is used is the power that is used by the participants’ personal computers. Similarly, conference organizers don’t have to arrange for food or overnight accommodation. All this means that less energy is used.
Often in business some companies actively choose to do business with other companies that do many things to reduce their negative impact on the environment. And Web conferencing helps you show other businesses that you are willing to work hard for the green cause.
小題1:What is the passage mainly about?

A．Ways of protecting the environment

B．Green benefits of Web conferencing

C．Ways of hosting a Web conference

D．Impact of Web conferencing on costs

小題2:According to paragraph 1, many companies use Web conferencing because they ______.

A．are interested in using any new technology.

B．believe that Web conferencing is more convenient.

C．want to do something to protect the environment .

D．haven’t enough money to hold a traditional conference.

小題3:The participants of a Web conference _____.

A．will be e-mailed an invitation before the conference.

B．are required to sit in an office together.

C．will receive many paper materials.

D．must have access to the Internet.

小題4:Which of the following words best describes the author’s opinion about a Web conference?

A．Useless	B．Environmentally friendly
C．Inconvenient	D．Money-consuming

Every day, about one-quarter of American adults eat at fast-food restaurants. Cheap, tasty, and convenient, fast food is rich in fat and calories, and it’s low in fiber and nutrients. Thanks in large part to fast food, half of America’s adults and one-quarter of its children are fat, double the rate of a generation ago. In the past two decades, eating habits have changed as people pay more attention to their health. However, many Americans continue to eat red meat (beef in particular) as well as pork, chicken and other foods. Although beer and wine are popular in most areas, many Americans abstain from alcohol, because they think they will become healthier without drinking it. Various kinds of mineral water are commonly available.
Eating styles and habits vary between people of different backgrounds, but Americans generally eat with the fork in the hand with which they write. A knife is used for cutting and spreading; otherwise, it is laid on the plate or table. Fast foods, such as chips, fried chicken, hamburgers, and pizza, tend to be eaten with the fingers. There is an obvious difference between what people may do at home or in a fast-food restaurant, and how they act in a more formal restaurant. Because both parents often work outside the home, some Americans are less likely to sit down as a family to eat once the children are older and able to prepare their own food or serve themselves.
小題1:How many adults became fat after eating fast foods a generation ago?

A．12.5% of them	B．25% of them
C．50% of them	D．75% of them

小題2:American have changed their eating habits in the past twenty years because ______.

A．they want to keep healthy

B．economy develops faster

C．they have different backgrounds

D．they have to work outside

小題3:The underlined phrase “abstain from” in Para. 1 probably means ______.

A．feel like

B．get close to

C．suffer from

D．get rid of

小題4:We can infer from the passage ______.

A．some fast foods aren’ t eaten with tools in America

B．Americans always eat fried chicken with a knife

C．Americans prefer to eat outside than at home

D．Americans always go home having meals as a family

小題5:Which would be the best title of the passage?

A．Fast foods in the US.

B．Various cultures of the US.

C．Diet and eating in America.

D．Changes about Americans eating.

People celebrate birthdays in almost every country on earth. And they celebrate them in many different ways.
In China and in Japan, for example, the arrival of New Year is more important than a person’s birthday. So everyone adds a year to celebrate their ages on New Year’s Day, instead of on their birthdays,
In Brazil, the special birthday food isn’t cake, but special candles. In China, it’s long noodles—for long life. In Iceland, people have pancakes with candies rolled inside them on birthdays.
In Britain, a birthday is an all-day celebration. At school, the birthday child is lifted up and “bumped” by his classmates. This means the child is lifted by the feet and arms and bumped to the ground, once for each year once for good growth. In Israel, the same custom is followed, except the birthday person is lifted and lowered while sitting in a chair.
In Holland, children not only get presents, but also give things out. They give cakes, cookies and candles to their classmates and teachers on their birthdays.
In Mexico, it’s good luck to give birthday greetings as early in the day as possible. So it’s usual for the birthday child to be woken up at midnight by fiends singing birthday songs.
In India, birthday celebrations also begin before dawn. Prayers and blessings must be said before morning comes.
In Thailand, two tall candles are lighted the night before the birthday. One is as tall as the birthday person. If it goes out early, it’s bad luck. Another customs of Thailand is that they buy live fish and birds for the birthday person and then the birthday person frees the animals, and it brings good luck.
In Nigeria, people in a certain age group celebrate their birthdays together, on a certain day.
In many countries birthday customs are changing. Old customs are giving way to western style of birthdays, with candle topped cakes. But one thing never changes—birthdays are special days for everyone!
小題1:It’s a custom to lift and lower the birthday person in a chair in _____.

A．Britain	B．Israel
C．Britain and Israel	D．Israel and Thailand

小題2:According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A．In Thailand people give fish and birds to the birthday person as presents.

B．In Holland people give presents to unbirthday persons on their birthdays.

C．In Nigeria people who were born in the same period may celebrate their birthdays on the same day.

D．In Thailand a candle will be lighted on the birthday night.

小題3:What does the text mainly talk about?

A．Different countries have different birthdays.

B．Celebrating birthdays is exciting.

C．Different ways of celebrating the birthday in different countries.

D．Everyone likes celebrating his or her birthday.

The World’s Most Impressive subways

 
小題1:Which of the following gives the passengers the best visual enjoyment?

A．The Tokyo Metro and Toei Lines．	B．The Moscow Metro．
C．The London Metro．	D．The Hong Kong MTR．

小題2:According to the passage, the only subway that can bring more financial gains is ______．

A．the Tokyo Metro and Toei Lines	B．the Moscow Metro
C．the London Metro	D．the Hong Kong MTR

小題3:We can learn from the passage that Shanghai Metro ______．

A．is the busiest system in the world

B．carries the most people each day

C．may be larger than the Chicago Subway in the future

D．has become the world's largest subway since it opened

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

A．give us a brief introduction to some subway systems

B．introduce the working system of some railways station

C．tell the general background of world-wide transportation

D．show the historical development of underground system

Machu Picchu is considered to be a truly extraordinary archaeological(考古學的) discovery and is one of South America’s largest tourist sites. As many as one thousand visitors visit the ancient Incan（印加文化的） ruins daily. What draws vacationers and adventurers to this remote location high in the Andes Mountains of Peru（秘魯）? A large part of the attraction is the mysteries that surround Machu Picchu. For example, Machu Picchu is considered “the lost city” of the Incas because it was never found by Spanish invaders and was known to only a few local peasants for almost four hundred years.
The “city in the clouds”, Machu Picchu’s lasting beauty comes from the careful blending of its striking architecture with its mountaintop environment. Its greatest skill shows are in the stone structures, which equals that of the ancient Egyptians. The stone blocks were so appropriately cut that they fit together without the need for mud. The largest stones at Machu Picchu weigh as much as fifteen tons! It has been difficult to explain how the huge blocks were transported. The buildings, including many that have survived lots of earthquakes, contain stones which interlock so perfectly that a knife cannot be forced between them. When compared to other ancient civilizations, it is difficult to understand how Machu Picchu could have been missed by the Spanish and lost from history for four hundred years.
For many of the mysteries of Machu Picchu being unsolved, it is clear why Machu Picchu remains “the most famous ruins in all of South America”.
小題1:Which of the followings is NOT a mystery of Machu Picchu? 

A．Machu Picchu is called the “city in the clouds”.

B．Machu Picchu remains “the most famous ruins of South America”.

C．Machu Picchu is “the lost city” of the Incas.

D．Machu Picchu is the largest stone city of the world.

小題2:The underlined word “interlock” probably means _________

A．put

B．fit

C．meet

D．lie

小題3:From the passage we can learn that __________.

A．Machu Picchu has gone through lots of earthquakes

B．all of the mysteries of Machu Picchu have been solved

C．the city has never been discovered by people outside

D．Machu Picchu is the most valuable ruins in history.

小題4:The purpose of writing the passage is to __________.

A．ask us to pay a visit to Machu Picchu

B．show us the beauty of Machu Picchu

C．introduce Machu Picchu’s mysteries

D．make the ancient Incan ruins known

Wilderness
“In wilderness(荒野) is the preservation of the world.” This is a famous saying from a writer regarded as one of the fathers of environmentalism. The frequency with which it is borrowed mirrors a heated debate on environmental protection: whether to place wilderness at the heart of what is to be preserved.  
As John Sauven of Greenpeace UK points out, there is a strong appeal in images of the wild, the untouched; more than anything else, they speak of the nature that many people value most dearly. The urge to leave the subject of such images untouched is strong, and the danger exploitation(開發(fā)) brings to such landscapes(景觀) is real. Some of these wildernesses also perform functions that humans need—the rainforests, for example, store carbon in vast quantities. To Mr.Sauven, these ”ecosystem services” far outweigh the gains from exploitation.
Lee Lane, a visiting fellow at the Hudson Institute, takes the opposing view. He acknowledges that wildernesses do provide useful services, such as water conservation. But that is not, he argues, a reason to avoid all human presence, or indeed commercial and industrial exploitation. There are ever more people on the Earth, and they reasonably and rightfully want to have better lives, rather than merely struggle for survival. While the ways of using resources have improved, there is still a growing need for raw materials, and some wildernesses contain them in abundance. If they can be tapped without reducing the services those wildernesses provide, the argument goes, there is no further reason not to do so. Being untouched is not, in itself, a characteristic worth valuing above all others.
I look forwards to seeing these views taken further, and to their being challenged by the other participants. One challenge that suggests itself to me is that both cases need to take on the question of spiritual value a little more directly. And there is a practical question as to whether wildernesses can be exploited without harm.
This is a topic that calls for not only free expression of feelings, but also the guidance of reason. What position wilderness should enjoy in the preservation of the world obviously deserves much more serious thinking.
小題1:John Sauven holds that_____.

A．many people value nature too much

B．exploitation of wildernesses is harmful

C．wildernesses provide humans with necessities

D．the urge to develop the ecosystem services is strong

小題2:What is the main idea of Para. 3?

A．The exploitation is necessary for the poor people.

B．Wildernesses cannot guarantee better use of raw materials.

C．Useful services of wildernesses are not the reason for no exploitation.

D．All the characteristics concerning the exploitation should be treated equally.

小題3:What is the author’s attitude towards this debate?

A．Objective.	B．Disapproving.
C．Sceptical.	D．Optimistic.

小題4:Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?

A．	B．
C．	D．

CP: Central Point           P: Point            Sp: Sub-point(次要點)       C: Conclusion

Harvard researchers have created a tough, low-cost, biodegradable (可生物降解的) material inspired by insects' hard outer shells. The material's inventors say it has a number of possible uses and someday could provide a more environmentally friendly alternative to plastic. The material, made from shrimp ('蝦) shells and proteins produced from silk, is called "shrilk." It is thin, clear, flexible and strong.
A major benefit of the material is its biodegradability. Plastic's toughness and flexibility represented a revolution in materials science during the 1950s and '60s. Decades later, however, plastic's very durability (耐用性) is raising questions about how appropriate it is for one-time products such as plastic bags, or short-lived consumer goods, used in the home for a few years and then cast into a landfill where they will degrade for centuries. What is the point of making something that lasts 1,000 years?
Shrilk not only will degrade in a landfill, but its basic components are used as fertilizer(肥料), and so will enrich the soil.
Shrilk has great potential, the inventors said. Materials from which it is made are plentiful in nature, found in everything ranging from shrimp shells, insect bodies to living plants. That makes shrilk low cost, and its mass production possible should it be used for products demanding a lot of material.
Work on shrilk is continuing in the lab. The inventors said the material becomes flexible when wet, so they're exploring ways to use it in wet environments. They're also developing simpler production processes, which could be used for non-medical products, like for computer cases and other products inside the home. They're even exploring combining it with other materials, like carbon fibers, to give it new properties.
小題1:Paragraph I of the passage is mainly about shritk's_____.

A．remarkable design	B．interesting name
C．major features	D．basic elements

小題2:What has become a concern about plastic?

A．Using it properly.

B．Producing it cheaply.

C．Developing its properties quickly.

D．Evaluating its contributions fairly.

小題3:According to the inventors, shrilk has great potential partly because_____.

A．it can help plastic degrade

B．it can be found in living things

C．its mass production has been realized

D．its raw materials are abundant in mature

小題4:What are the inventors doing in the lab?

A．Replacing carbon fibers with shrilk.

B．Testing ahrilk's use in wet conditions.

C．Making shrilk out of used household goods.

D．Improving shrilk's flexibility for medical purposes.

小題5:Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A．Recent Progress in Environmental Protection

B．Benefits of Insects in Scientific Research

C．The Harm of One-time Products

D．A Possible Alternative to Plastic

Death Valley, one of America’s great national parks, is a place of strange and silent beauty. As beautiful as this place is, its name provides evidence of very real danger. Death Valley is a land of beautiful yet dangerous extremes. There are mountains that reach more than 3,000 meters into the sky. There is a place called Badwater that is the lowest area of land in the Western Hemisphere. If there were water there, it would be 86 meters below the level of the ocean.
Death Valley can be dangerously cold during the winter months. Storms in the mountains can produce sudden flooding on the floor of the Valley. The air temperature during the summer has been as high as 57℃. The sun can heat the ground so that the temperature of the rocks and soil can be as high as 74℃. The extreme heat of Death Valley has killed people in the past. It will continue to kill those who do not honor this extreme climate. Death Valley does not forgive those who are not careful.
Death Valley is a good example of the violence of nature. It contains evidence of several ancient volcanoes that caused huge explosions. Evidence of one of these explosions is called Ubehebe Crater. The explosion left a huge hole in the ground almost a kilometer and a half wide.
In many areas of Death Valley it is easy to see where the ground has been pushed up violently by movement deep in the Earth. This movement has created unusual and beautiful rock formations. Some are red. Others are dark brown, gray, yellow or black. Other areas of rock look as if some huge creature violently broke and twisted the Earth to create unusual, sometimes frightening shapes.
In other parts of Death Valley there are lines in the rock that show clearly that this area was deep under an ocean for many thousands of years. Much of the Valley is flat and extremely dry. In fact, scientists believe it is the driest place in the United States.
Death Valley, part of the Great Mojave Desert, is a huge place. It extends more than 225 kilometers across the southern part of California, and across the border with Nevada.
小題1:Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The water in Badwater is 86 meters below the level of the ocean.

B．The highest air temperature in summer can reach as high as 74℃.

C．The ground has been pushed up violently by explosions of volcanoes.

D．There might have been marine lives living in Death Valley.

小題2:Why were some people killed by Death Valley?

A．Because they didn’t respect Death Valley and thus they were punished.

B．Because it is extremely hot in summer and dangerously cold in winter.

C．Because they were not careful enough to take with them what they needed.

D．Because several volcanoes erupted and caused huge explosions.

小題3:The underlined word “twisted” in Paragraph 4 most possibly mean ______.

A．bent and turned	B．created and developed
C．built and shaped	D．changed and ruined

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

A．encourage people to visit Death Valley, a beautiful national park in America

B．warn people not to visit Death Valley because it is quite dangerous there

C．introduce to us readers a special national park in America, Death Valley

D．raise money for the protection of Death Valley because it is in danger now