Britain is facing a sharp rise in its rat population as growing numbers of people leave what they cannot finish of the fast food in the street, an environment group warned .Keep Britain Tidy said the rats were stopping their traditional hunts underground and were running across the streets, invited by burgers, pizzas and crisps left behind by man. “The rat population is on the rise and soon it’ll be as common to see a rat on our street as it is to see a dog or a cat,” said group Director, Sue Nelson. The practice of spreading fast food litter and scraps on the street rather than in the dustbin—with young men the worst group—was behind the rise. According to the National Rodent Survey in 2005, Britain’s rat population has grown by nearly one quarter since 2000 and is now estimated at 60 million, two million more than the human population. On average a rat can give birth every 24-28 days and just a single pair of rats can produce a family of 2,000 a year. Around 200 people a year get Weil’s Disease –an infection which can lead to liver or kidney（肝腎）failure and eventually death and which is carried in rats’ waste. To attract people’s attention to the problem, Keep Britain Tidy produced a cinema ad with a title “How close do you want them to get?” The ad gave a shocking image of a young woman sleeping in a bed of rats--reminding people of the terrible scene from James Herbert’s classic horror tale The Rats, in which rats begin to hunt for humans.

Where did the rats use to search for food?

       A. In the street                                                 B. Under the ground

       C. From the dustbins                                 D. In burger shops

What was the rat population in Britain in 2000 according to the writer?

       A. Around 60 million                                B. Around 45 million           

C. Around 38 million                                 D. Around 2 million

We may infer from the passage that ______________.

       A. Weil’s Disease will finally end the world

       B. pizzas and crisps will become unpopular

       C. rats will put human beings’ life in danger      

       D. young people should take the responsibility for the rat population

By writing the passage, the author tries to _____________.

       A. close some of the burger and pizza restaurants

       B. draw the public attention to the problem of rats

       C. prevent the rats from growing up

D. making an advertisement for the classic horror tale The Rats

A Charlotte, N.C., man was charged with first-degree murder of a 79-year-old woman whom police said he scared to death. In an attempt to evade policemen after a bank robbery, the Associated Press reports that 20-year-old Larry Whitfield broke into the home of Mary Parnell. Police say he didn’t touch Parnell but that she died after suffering a heart attack that was caused by terror. Can the guy be held responsible for the woman’s death? Prosecutors(公訴人) said that he can under the state’s murder rule, which allows someone to be charged with murder if he or she causes another person’s death while committing or fleeing from a severe crime like robbery—even if he or she doesn’t kill someone on purpose.

But, medically speaking, can someone actually be frightened to death? We asked Martin Samuels, chairman of the neurology department at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

Absolutely, no question about it.

The body has a natural protective method called the fight-or-flight response(戰(zhàn)或逃反應), which was originally described by Walter Cannon，the chairman of Harvard University’s physiology department from 1906 to 1942. If, in the wild, an animal is faced with a life-threatening situation, the autonomic nervous system responds by increasing heart rate, increasing blood flow to the muscles, and slowing digestion, among other things. All of this increases the chances of succeeding in a fight or running away from an aggressive beast. This process certainly would be of help to primitive humans. However, in the modern world there is obvious decline of the fight-or-flight response.

The autonomic nervous system uses the chemical messenger to send signals to various parts of the body to activate the fight-or-flight response. This chemical is toxic in large amounts; it damages the organs such as the heart, lungs, liver and kidneys. It is believed that almost all sudden deaths are caused by damage to the heart. There is almost no other organ that would fail so fast as to cause sudden death. Kidney failure, liver failure, those things don’t kill you suddenly.

By the way, any strong positive or negative emotions such as happiness or sadness can cause the same result. There are people who have died in intercourse or in religious passion. There was a case of a golfer who hit a hole in one, turned to his partner and said, “I can die now”, and then he dropped dead. For about seven days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon there was an increase of sudden cardiac death among New Yorkers.

Why the Charlotte, N.C., man was charged?

A. Because he threatened the policemen to kill an old woman.

B. Because he caused an old woman’s terror and she died.

C. Because he beat an old woman and caused her heart attack

D. Because he murdered an old woman while robbing a bank.

What is Martin Samuels’ attitude to the possibility of being frightened to death?

A. Approval.              B. Disapproval.                  C. Doubtful.          D. Indifferent.

Which of the following about the fight-or-flight response is true?

A. The fight-or-flight response was raised and proved by Martin A. Samuels.

B. It is a natural protective method that can’t be found in all creatures but humans.

C. The ancient humans had a superior fight-or-flight response than modern ones.

D. The fight-or-flight response is beneficial to both our actions and organs.

What activity can we infer is less likely to damage the organs?

A. Winning a big lottery.                               B. Missing a dead family.

C. Watching a horror movie.                            D. Listening to a sweet song.

The purpose of the passage is_________.

A. to explain why people will die of a heart attack

B. to offer some advice on protecting us from heart failure

C. to compare different kinds of feelings to cause a death

D. to show strong emotions can cause a sudden death

This is the first time we _____ a film in the cinema together.

A. see     B. had seen     C. saw     D. have seen

The lift     yesterday. We'll have to walk up to the eighth floor this evening.

A. broke down          B. took down        C. came down     D. got down

We hear a lot about ten pregnancies and abortions. The word “abortion” brings varied images but the word “pregnancy” paints a baby. Everyone knows what a baby is but the difficult question is, when is a baby a baby?

In the first months of pregnancy, called the first trimester, vital organs are being formed. Three months after fertilization, the egg has already divided and is securely attached to the mother. Two weeks later, a simple brain, spine, nervous system and the beginning of some major organs are formed. By week seven, the face and other organs are forming and the heart starts to pump blood. A week later, the face is recognizable, and all the major internal organs are developed in their simple forms. The tongue is formed and fingers are distinct. It moves a lot but many women may not even know they are pregnant. By week twelve, all the internal organs are formed and most are working. Tiny little fingernails and toenails are growing and the baby can curl his toes, make a fist, frown, purse his lips, open and close his mouth, suck, swallow and urinate. Most abortion occurs during this stage of pregnancy.

In the second three months, the second trimester, eyebrows, eyelashes and hair are growing. The heart can be heard with a special device. Arms and legs are well developed. The baby is very active and can respond to noises outside the womb. By the end of this trimester, the limbs are well-developed and the baby tries them out regularly. He can also cough and hiccup. Some abortion are still performed at this stage of pregnancy.

In the final stretch before birth, the third trimester, the baby can already feel and respond very much like a full term baby. Born now, it can survive with special care. In some cases, abortions are still performed at this stage. In fact, in certain countries, partial birth aborted is practiced in which the baby is aborted prior to birth.

Killing a baby outside a mother’s womb, newborn or older, healthy or sickly, is a crime called infanticide. Thus arises the question of when does a baby’s life begin? When is abortion the scraping away of unwanted cells and when is it the snuffing out the flame of life? Is there a magical point somewhere in which a mass of cells becomes a rightful individual? Does birthing somehow mysteriously and instantly confer personhood to a fetus? Moreover, on whose definition and authority does a baby receive the right to complete its quest for life outside the womb? Truly, these are heart questions that each must answer.

The word “pregnancy”         .

is a painting of a baby.            B. brings to mind the image of a baby.

C. is a famous painting of a baby.        D. is the art of drawing a baby.

Which of the following is true within the first months of pregnancy?         .

A. All the vital organs are formed.

B. The egg becomes fertilized.

C. The egg becomes securely attached to the womb.

D. The egg has become more than one egg.

The first trimester of pregnancy represents         .

A. the final preparation for the birth of the baby.

B. the most important stage for developing al the vital organs.

C. the determining of whether the baby will be a boy girl.

D. the addition of details and refinement to the baby.

The second trimester of pregnancy represents         .

the final preparation for the birth of the baby.

the most important stage for developing all the vital organs.

the determining of whether the baby will be a boy or a girl.

the addition of details and refinement to the baby.

The third trimester of pregnancy represents         .

the final preparation for the birth of the baby.

the most important stage for developing all the vital organs.

the determining of whether the baby will be a boy or girl.

the addition of details and refinement to the baby.

I don’t mind her pointing out my mistakes, but ____ is how she does it that I dislike.

A. this   B. that   C. it   D. which

I know a lot about the gentleman, ____________ this expensive watch belongs.

----How are things with you?

----_________. I now make enough money to pay bills and keep food on the table.

A. From bad to worse     B. Can’t complain    C. Too bad    D. Too good

Being able to multitask---doing several things at the same time---is considered a welcome skill by most people. But if we consider the situation of the young people aged from eight to eighteen, we should think again.

What we often see nowadays is that young people juggle an ever larger number of electronic devices as they study. While working, they also surf on the Internet, send out emails, answer the telephone and listen to music on their iPods. In a sense, they are spending a significant amount of time in fruitless efforts as they multitask.

Multitasking is even changing the relationship between family members. As young people give so much attention to their own worlds, they seem to have no time to spend with the other people around them. They can no longer greet family members when they enter the house, nor can they eat at the family table.

Multitasking also affects young people’s performance at university and in the workplace. When asked about their opinion of the effect of modern gadgets on their performance of tasks, many young people gave a positive response. However, the response from the worlds of education and business was not quite as positive.

Educators feel that multitasking by children has a serious effect on later development of study skills. They believe that many college students now need help to improve their study skills. Similarly, employers feel that young people entering the job market need to be taught all over again, as modern gadgets have made it unnecessary for them to learn special skills to do their work.

What does the underlined word “juggle” in Paragraph 2 most probably mean?

A. Want to buy.            

B. Take the place of.

C. Use at the same time. 

D. Seek for information from.

In Paragraph 3, the author points out that  ________.

A. family members do not eat at the family table.

B. family members do not greet each other.

C. young people live happily in their families

D. young people seldom talk with their family members

What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

A. multitasking is harmful to young people’s development.

B. Young people benefit a lot from modern gadgets.

C. Multitasking is an important skill to young people.

D. Yong people must learn skills for future jobs.

The author develops the passage mainly by ________.

A. providing typical examples    

B. following the natural time order

C. comparing opinions from different fields

D. presenting a cause and analyzing its effects

下面是美國著名游記作家Bill Bryson的幾本作品，首先請閱讀它們的封面信息：

下面是對這幾本書的簡要介紹，請把它們對應的封面信息找出來：

In this collection, Bill Bryson is writing from home. We find he assesses life both in New England and in the contemporary United States. With the telescopic perspective(遠望視角) of one who has stepped out of the American mainstream and come back after 20 years, Bryson holds the mirror up to U.S. culture and feel strange to his motherland.

This book is a guide to the world’s unspoilt sights and experiences. It presents one thousand fresh and fascinating alternatives to hundreds of well-known tourist destinations and sights, including alternatives to the Carnival in Rio and the beaches of Thailand, the most-visited national parks, over-rated restaurants and holiday sites.

Returning to the U.S. after 20 years in England, Bill Bryson decided to reconnect with his mother country by hiking the length of the 2100-mile Appalachian Trail. Awed by merely the camping section of his local sporting goods store, he still goes into the wilderness and learns hard lessons about self-reliance.

A travelogue by Bill Bryson is as close to a sure thing as funny books get. This book is no exception. Following an urge to rediscover his youth, the author leaves his native Des Moines, Iowa, in a journey that takes him to across 38 states in the country, which is like a small town in his opinion.

Born in Iowa, Bryson backpacked through Europe as a young man. While living in England some 20 years later, he revisited many of the same places from arctic Norway’s northern lights to romantic Capri in Italy. Here he jumps back and forth between old memories and new experiences.