【題目】B

According to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the U.K. has about 7.7 million families with dependent children, of which 3.7 million have just one child, compared to 3 million with two and 1.1 million with three children or more. The number of families today with just one dependent child is now 47 percent and will likely rise to more than 50 percent in a decade. As the ONS confirms, “It appears that families are getting smaller.”

One obvious reason for this could be that women are putting off having children until they have established careers when they are bound to be less fertile. But it could just as well be a matter of choice. Parents must consider the rising cost of living, combined with economic uncertainty and an increasingly difficult job market. And this trend may continue growing as having an only child becomes more normal, which seems to be the mood on the mothers’ online forum Mumsnet, where one member announced that she “just wanted to start a positive thread about how fab it is to have an only child”.

She had received 231 replies, overwhelmingly in the same upbeat spirit. Parents of only children insist there are plenty of benefits. Nicola Kelly, a writer and lecturer who grew up as an only child and is now a married mother of one, says her 15-year-old son seems more grown-up in many ways than his contemporaries.

In a moving recent account journalist Janice Turner wrote about her own keenness to “squeeze out two sons just 22 months apart” as a reaction to her only-child upbringing.

She was placed on a pedestal by her doting parents, whom she punished with a “brattish, wilful” rejection of everything they stood for. Desperate for a close friend she was repeatedly shattered by rejection and refers to her childhood as being “misery”.

Writer and clinician Dr. Dorothy Rowe, a member of the British Psychological Society, says that we all interpret events in our own individual way and there are some children who no matter what their circumstances feel slighted, while other children see the advantages of their situation.

However, the one part of life that is unlikely to get any easier for only children is when they grow up and find themselves looking after their own parents as they become older.

【1】The writer wrote the passage to________.

A. illustrate the strength and weakness of having an only child

B. analyze the reasons why having an only child becomes popular

C. guide people to look at the same issue from different perspectives

D. present us with different opinions about having an only child

【2】Why are families getting smaller according to the passage?

A.Women are less fertile.

B.Women give priority to career.

C.It is positive to have an only child.

D.There are not many job positions for children.

【3】The sentence “Not all products of single-child families are as keen to repeat the experience.”should be placed at the beginning of paragraph______.

A. 2 B.3 C.4 D. 5

【4】What does the underlined sentence we all interpret events in our own individual way in Paragraph 6 mean ?

A. Some are unable to make an objective assessment of their conditions

B. We should consider the needs of individuals.

C. Journalist Janice Turner experienced a miserable childhood.

D. It’s necessary for us to look at the event from our own angle.

【題目】C

Burning less calories while walking seems like a bad idea, but making the walk easier may actually keep people on their feet longer, and that scientists say, has substantial health benefits.

Analyzing the human walk, biomedical engineers Steven Collins and Greg Sawicki concluded that our ankles and calves perform motions similar to a spring coupled with a clutch that intermittently stores and releases energy.

Sawicki, from the University of North Carolina, explained what’s involved.

“We found in basic science experiments that that system, your calf and Achilles tendon, works a lot like a catapult. So, the muscle holds on to the tendon and your body actually stretches your Achilles tendon quite a bit and then stores the energy in the tissue and then it’s given back to propel you forward in the world,” he said.

Sawicki said he and his colleague Steven Collins at Carnegie Mellon University designed a mechanical device, made of carbon fiber and metal, that performs the same sequence of energy give-and-take outside the body. The system takes over part of the work of walking, and reduces the amount of required energy by as much as seven percent.

Wearing the unpowered ankle exoskeleton can help people either walk farther with the same amount of energy, or restore the normal movement pattern for people who have trouble walking.

Sawicki said it takes only a few minutes to get used to the exoskeleton but the wearer quickly learns to tone down the muscle energy as the device takes over part of the load.

“You really don’t notice it until when you take it off. And when you take it off you realize that it was there and giving you the boost,” he said.

Sawicki added that the device is primarily intended for people recovering from surgery or a stroke. But all persons who spend a lot of time walking, such as police officers or hospital personnel, could benefit from it.

At the moment there are no plans to develop the ankle exoskeleton for the market, but the inventors say some manufacturers have expressed interest.

【1】What’s the main idea of the passage?

A. How to reduce energy whiling walking.

B. Ways to make walking easy.

C. Introduction to a mechanical device to make walk easier

D. Guidelines for people recovering from surgery.

【2】What is true according to the passage ?

A.The device can only benefit people with walking problems.

B. All people could benefit from it.

C. With the device, the walkers need seven percent as much as the energy otherwise.

D. The device can benefit people in the long term.

【3】What does the underlined word ” propel” mean in paragraph 3?

A. put B. keep C.help D. push

【4】What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A. The ankle exoskeleton will have a bright future.

B. The ankle exoskeleton hasn’t appeal to manufacturers.

C. The ankle exoskeleton will be launched in the market soon.

D. The ankle exoskeleton will never be produced.

【題目】Utopia is a perfect place. It is a place without war, hunger, poverty, or crime. It is a place where the people work together and share. There is no money in Utopia because the people do not need money. They do not have personal possessions because everything belongs to everyone. All of the people are equal in Utopia, and the laws are all fair.

Utopia is not a new place. Plato, the ancient Greek philosopher, described a perfect society in his famous dialogue The Republic. In Plato’s Republic, philosophers were the kings, and every person had a place in the society. In 1516, Sir Thomas More wrote about an island in the Pacific Ocean where everything was perfect. He named the island

“ Utopia”. In 1602, Tommaso Campanella wrote The City in the Sun about a perfect community on the island of Ceylon ( now Sri Lanka ) ; and in 1872, Samuel Butler wrote a novel about a perfect country which he named “ Erewhon”. “ Utopia” is a Greek word that means “ not a place”, and “Erewhon” is the English word “ nowhere” spelled backwards.

Utopia is a perfect place, but it is not a real place. Most ‘real’ Utopias last only a short time. This is because everyone wants to live in it, but no one knows how to make it work. As a result, when we say something is ‘ Utopia’ today, we mean that it is a good idea, but it is not realistic.

【1】Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

A. A place without war B. A Good Idea

C. A Perfect Place D. The Utopian Community

【2】The reason why there are no personal possessions in Utopia is that ______.

A. everything belongs to everyone

B. the people don’t need money

C. all of the people are created equal

D. the laws are reasonable

【3】The idea of a perfect society was first suggested by ________.

A. Plato B. Tommaso Campanella

C. Samuel Butler and D. Sir Thomas More

【4】“Utopia”is a word which came from _________

A. English B. Greek C. French D. Chinese

【5】According to the passage, most ‘real’ Utopias last only a short time because _______.

A. no one wants to be a leader

B. no one knows how to make a perfect society

C. it is difficult to collect money

D. everyone wants to live in Utopia

【題目】I got __________ from my classmates when climbing the hill.

A. divided

B. dividing

C. separated

D. separating

【題目】The government __________ air quality in urban areas from level one to five ： excellent，fairly good, slightly polluted, poor and dangerous.

A. arranges

B. classifies

C. distributes

D. divides

【題目】Theodore Johnson or "Mr. J" was my fifth grade , who taught me the blessing of an unexpected second chance.

One Monday morning, the schoolyard was full of rumors（謠言、傳聞） about a fire in the Home Economics Room over the weekend. Mr. J __ us not to go near the room because it could be dangerous.

During a class break, my friend Kim and I decided to the damage. When we carefully looked through the door window, trying to see was forbidden, suddenly we felt a firm hold on our shoulders stop us. A teacher had found us. In those seconds millions of thoughts flashed through my mind. My parents would be mad. Then the teacher led Kim and me back to our classroom, leaving our fate in the of Mr. J.

Mr. J had a(n) lesson to teach. I was met with a look of rather than anger. He spoke softly as he explained why he was disappointed in my decision to go where I might get . I looked at him, and he smiled. I was shocked that he cared more about my than the fact that I’d broken a rule. It was the first time I felt the power of .

At the age of ten, I knew I’d never disappoint Mr. J again. On that day, trust was restored the moment Mr.J . I learned many things that year, but nothing was more important than the power of an unexpected second chance.

【1】A. classmate B. schoolmate C. friend D. teacher

【2】A. persuadespan> B. forbid C. warned D. advised

【3】A. look at B. check out C. search for D. find out

【4】A. which B. that C. how D. what

【5】A. excited B. frozen C. interested D. puzzled

【6】A. face B. heart C. hands D. eyes

【7】A. different B. ordinary C. good D. impossible

【8】A. sorrow B. joy C. concern D. comfort

【9】A. hurt B. changed C. caught D. lost

【10】A. happiness B. safety C. joy D. health

【11】A. love B. admiration C. gratitude D. forgiveness

【12】A. smiled B. shouted C. whispered D. talked

【題目】Teddy looked _____ at his broken model plane and felt ________.

A. sadly; sadly B. sad；sadly

C. sadly; sad D. sad；sad

【題目】According to research, children whose parents __________ are more likely to have difficulty __________ their studies.

A. split up ； concentrating on

B. broke into ；to focus on

C. gave up ；concentration on

D. put into ； focusing on

【題目】D

With America's national debt continuing to climb, Congress is constantly debating ways to save money. The Dollar Coin Alliance, a lobbying group, says billions could be saved if dollar coins were used instead of paper bills.

But many people won't use them. The U.S. government tried to push dollar coins again in recent years, but then suspended almost all production in 2011.

American likes paper dollars, but Jim Kolbe, co-chairman of the Dollar Coin Alliance, thinks switching to the coin is worth it.

“The coin does cost more to produce, roughly on the neighborhood of 17 cents versus the 5 or 6 cents that a paper dollar costs to produce," he said. "However, the coin lasts 35 years, and it’s made of mostly recycled metals, and the paper has to be produced from new materials, and we shred 3 billion of those every year because they wear out.”

For years, the former Arizona congressman has been pushing legislation that would prop up the dollar coin by phasing out the greenback — a move that has met resistance from both politicians and the public. But today, he said, the climate has changed, and a recent poll indicates 61 percent of Americans like the idea.

“When they learn of the savings that can be involved with this, they will support the idea of substituting the coin for the paper dollar,” he said.

Major savings

Kolbe points to a study by the Government Accountability Office, which investigates how the government spends taxpayer dollars. The GAO estimates taxpayers would save more than $4 billion over 30 years, and that figure could be much higher. That appeals to taxpayer Christy Thompson, who said, “I’d probably say, yes, we need to do it.”

But plenty of people aren't convinced, including Kim Doering of Alexandria, Virginia. “It’s easier to carry the paper bill than a bunch of coins. They’re louder; they’re heavier in your pocket,” she said.

Washington, D.C. restaurant owner Sue Fouladi doesn’t like the idea of having more dollar coins in her cash register.

"It’s very inconvenient," she said. "If I don’t have a choice, then I’ll do it, but I’ll be a very unhappy person.”

Adding to the problem is that the gold- and silver-colored metal coins are about the same size as the 25-cent quarter. Robert Blecker, an economics professor at American University in Washington, says the dollar coins should be a different size and thickness.

“And if we can design a dollar coin that’s not so big and bulky, probably Americans would like it better,” he added.

But that doesn’t bother college student Emily Sturgill.

“Sometimes they fit into your pocket easily and you don’t have to worry about them slipping out, like a dollar bill would if you brought your keys or your phone out,” she said.

【1】Which of the following is the advantage of dollar coins according to the passage?

A. They cost less than paper bills .

B. They are convenient to carry.

C.They are not easy to wear out.

D.They are produced from new materials.

【2】What does the underlined sentence” the climate has changed” in paragraph 4 mean?

A. America's national economy has changed.

B. Most of Americans support using dollar coins.

C.Only small percentage of Americans subscribe to using dollar coins.

D. The majority of Americans are for paper bills.

【3】Which of the following is in favor of using dollar coins?

A. Kim Doering B. Emily Sturgill.

C. Sue Fouladi D. Robert Blecke

【4】What’s the best title of the passage?

A. Dollar Coins or Paper Bills

B. Different Opinions about Coins

C. Ways to Solve America's National Debt

D.The Advantages of Dollar Coins.

【題目】_______strong evidence ______reading is beneficial to one’s success.

A. It is；what B. It is；that

C. There is；which D. There is；that