At minus 130℃, a living cell can be ______ for a thousand years.

A. spared B. protected    C. preserved   D. developed

Since Tom ______ downloaded a virus into his computer, he can not open the file now.

A. readily B. horribly      C. accidentally       D. irregularly 

My morning ______ includes jogging in the park and reading newspapers over breakfast.

A. drill     B. action  C. regulation   D. routine 

John was dismissed last week because of his ______ attitude towards his job. 

A. informal     B. casual C. determined D. earnest

Being alone in outer space can be frightening. That is one reason why astronauts on solo (單獨的) space flights were given plenty of work to keep them  1  . They were also constant communication with people on the earth.  2 , being with people from whom you cannot get away might be even harder than being alone. This is what happens on long submarine (潛水艇) voyages. It will also happen on  3  space flights in the future. Will there be special problem of adjustment under such conditions?

Scientists have studied the reactions of men to one another during long submarine voyages. They have found that the longer the voyage lasts, the more serious the problem of 4  is. When men are 5   together for a long period, they begin to feel uneasy. Everyone has little habits of speaking and behaving that are ordinarily acceptable. In the limited space over a long period of time, however, these little habits may become very   6   .

Apparently, although no one wants to be    7    all the time, everyone needs some degree of privacy. When people are enclosed together, they are in what is called a stress situation. That means that they are under an unusual amount of    8    or stress.

People who are well-adjusted are able to    9   stress situations better than others. That is one reason why so much care is taken in    10  our astronauts. These men undergo a long period of testing and training. One of the things tested is their behavior under stress.

1. A. tired                      B. asleep                  C. conscious            D. busy

2. A. So far                   B. After all               C. However             D. Therefore

3. A. long                      B. fast                     C. dangerous           D. direct

4. A. fuel                       B. entertainment       C. adjustment           D. health

5. A. shut up                  B. held up                C. brought up          D. picked up

6. A. pleasing                 B. annoying             C. common             D. valuable

7. A. noisy                     B. alone                   C. personal              D. sociable

8. A. emphasis               B. conflict               C. power                 D. pressure

9. A. handle                   B. create                  C. affect                  D. investigate

10. A. becoming     B. choosing    C. ordering     D. promoting

One topic is rarely mentioned in all the talk of improving standards in our schools: the almost complete failure of foreign-language teaching. As a French graduate who has taught for more than twenty-five years, I believe I have some idea of why the failure is so total.  1  the faults already found out in the education system as a whole — such as child-centred learning, the “discovery” method, and the low expectations by teachers of pupils — there have been several serious   2  which have a direct effect on language teaching.

The first is the removal from the curriculum (課程) of the thorough teaching of English  3  . Pupils now do not know a verb from a noun, the subject of a sentence from its object, or the difference between the past, present, or future.

Another important error is mixed-ability teaching, or teaching in ability groups so   4   that the most able groups are    5  and are bored while the least able are lost and  6  bored. Strangely enough, few head teachers seem to be in favour of mixed-ability school football teams.

Progress depends on memory, and pupils start to forget immediately they stop having 7  lessons. This is why many people who attended French lessons at school, even those who got good grades, have forgotten it a few years later.   8   they never need it, they do not practice it.

Most American schools have accepted what is inevitable and   9    modern languages, even Spanish, from the curriculum. Perhaps it is time for Britain to do the same, and stop 10  resources on a subject which few pupils want or need.

1. A. Due to                   B. In addition to       C. Instead of            D. In spite of

2. A. errors                    B. situations             C. systems              D. methods

3. A. vocabulary             B. culture                C. grammar             D. literature

4. A. wide                     B. similar                 C. separate              D. unique

5. A. kept out                 B. turned down        C. held back            D. left behind

6. A. surprisingly            B. individually          C. equally                D. hardly

7. A. extra                     B. traditional            C. basic                   D. regular

8. A. Although               B. Because               C. Until                   D. Unless

9. A. restored                 B. absorbed             C. prohibited            D. withdrawn

10. A. wasting       B. focusing     C. exploiting   D. sharing

What do you want to be when you grow up? A teacher? A doctor? How about an ice-cream taster?

Yes, there really is a job where you can get paid to taste ice-cream. Just ask John Harrison, an “Official Taste Tester” for the past 21 years. Testing helps manufacturers to be sure of a product’s quality. During his career Harrison has been responsible for approving large quantities of the sweet ice cream — as well as for developing over 75 flavors (味道).

Some people think that it would be easy to do this job, after all, you just have to like ice cream, right? No — there’s more to the job than that, says Harrison, who has a degree in chemistry. He points out that a dairy or food-science degree would be very useful to someone wanting a career in this “cool” field.

In a typical morning on the job, Harrison tastes and assesses 60 ice-cream samples. He lets the ice cream warm up to about 12℉. Harrison explains, “You get more flavor from warmer ice cream, which is why some kids like to stir it, creating ice-cream soup.”

While the ice cream warms up, Harrison looks over the samples and grades each one on its appearance. “Tasting begins with the eyes,” he explains. He checks to see if the ice cream is attractive and asks himself, “Does the product have the color expected from that flavor?” Next it’s time to taste!

Continuing to think up new ideas, try out new flavors, and test samples from so many kinds of ice cream each day keeps Harrison busy but happy — working at one cool job.

1. What is John Harrison’s job?

A. An official.                                              B. An ice-cream taster.

C. A chemist.                                               D. An ice-cream manufacturer.

2. According to John Harrison, to be qualified in the “cool field”, it is helpful to ______.

A. keep a diary of work                                B. have a degree in related subjects

C. have new ideas every day                          D. find out new flavors each day

3. What does Harrison do first when testing ice cream?

A. He stirs the ice cream.                              B. He examines the color of the ice cream.

C. He tastes the flavor of the ice cream.          D. He lets the ice cream warm up.

4. Which of the following is probably the best title of the passage?

A. Tasting with Eyes                                    B. Flavors of Ice Cream

C. John Harrison’s Life                   D. One Cool Job

Mail carriers will be delivering some good news and some bad news this week.

The bad news: Stamp prices are expected to rise 2 cents in May to 41 cents, the Postal Regulatory Commission announced yesterday. The good news: With the introduction of a “forever stamp,” it may be the last time Americans have to use annoying 2-or-3-cent stamps to make up postage differences.

Beginning in May, people would be able to purchase the stamps in booklets of 20 at the regular rate of a first-class stamp. As the name implies, “forever stamps” will keep their first-class mailing value forever, even when the postage rate goes up.

The new “forever stamp” is the United States Postal Service’s (USPS) answer to the complaints about frequent rate increases. The May increases will be the fifth in a decade. Postal rates have risen because of inflation (通貨膨脹), competition from online bill paying, and the rising costs of employee benefits, including healthcare, says Mark Saunders, a spokesman for USPS.

The USPS expects some financial gain from sales of the “forever stamp” and the savings from not printing as many 2-or-3-cent stamps. “It’s not your grandfather’s stamp,” says Mr. Saunders. “It could be your great-grandchildren’s stamp.”

Other countries, including Canada, England, and Finland use similar stamps.

Don Schilling, who has collected stamps for 50 years, says he’s interested in the public’s reaction. “This is an entirely new class of stamps.” Mr. Schilling says. He adds that he’ll buy the stamps because he will be able to use them for a long period of time, not because they could make him rich — the volume printed will be too large for collectors. “We won’t be able to send our kids to college on these,” he says, laughing.

The USPS board of governors has yet to accept the Postal Regulatory Commission’s decision, but tends to follow its recommendations. No plans have been announced yet for the design of the stamps.

1. The main purpose of introducing a “forever stamp” is ______.

A. to reduce the cost of printing 2-or-3-cent stamps

B. to help save the consumers’ cost on first-class mailing

C. to respond to the complaints about rising postal rates

D. to compete with online bill paying

2. By saying “It could be your great-grandchildren’s stamp”, Mr. Saunders means that forever stamps ________.

A. could be collected by one’s great-grandchildren

B. might be very precious in great-grandchildren’s hands

C. might have been inherited from one’s great-grandfathers

D. could be used by one’s great-grandchildren even decades later

3. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. The investment in forever stamps will bring adequate reward.

B. America will be the first country to issue forever stamps.

C. The design of the “forever stamp” remains to be revealed.

D. 2-or-3-cent stamps will no longer be printed in the future.

4. What can be concluded from the passage?

A. With forever stamps, there will be no need to worry about rate changes.

B. Postal workers will benefit most from the sales of forever stamps.

C. The inflation has become a threat to the sales of first-class stamps.

D. New interest will be aroused in collecting forever stamps.

The traditional tent cities at festivals such as Glastonbury may never be the same again. In a victory of green business that is certain to appeal to environmentally-aware music-lovers, a design student is to receive financial support to produce eco-friendly tents made of cardboard that can be recycled after the bands and the crowds have gone home.

Major festivals such as Glastonbury throw away some 10,000 abandoned tents at the end of events each year. For his final year project at the University of the West of England, James Dunlop came up with a material that can be recycled. And to cope with the British summer, the cardboard has been made waterproof.

Taking inspiration from a Japanese architect, who has used cardboard to make big buildings including churches, Mr. Dunlop used cardboard material for his tents, which he called Myhabs.

The design won an award at the annual New Designers Exhibition after Mr. Dunlop graduated from his product design degree and he decided to try to turn it into a business.

To raise money for the idea, he toured the City’s private companies which fund new business and found a supporter in the finance group Mint. He introduced his idea to four of Mint’s directors and won their support. Mint has committed around ￡500,000 to MyHab and taken a share of 30 percent in Mr. Dunlop’s business. The first Myhabs should be tested at festivals this summer, before being marketed fully next year.

Mr. Dunlop said that the design, which accommodates two people, could have other uses, such as for disaster relief and housing for the London Olympics.

For music events, the cardboard houses will be ordered online and put up at the sites by the Myhab team before the festival-goers arrive and removed by the company afterwards. They can be personalized and the company will offer reductions on the expense if people agree to sell exterior (外部的) advertising space.

The biggest festivals attract tens of thousands of participants, with Glastonbury having some 150,000 each year. Altogether there are around 100 annual music festivals where people camp in the UK. The events are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious.

1. “Eco-friendly tents” in paragraph 1 refer to tents _______.

A. economically desirable                              B. favorable to the environment

C. for holding music performances                D. designed for disaster relief

2. Mr. Dunlop established his business ______.

A. independently with an interest-free loan from Mint

B. with the approval of the City’s administration

C. in partnership with a finance group

D. with the help of a Japanese architect

3. It is implied in the passage that _______.

A. the weather in the UK is changeable in summer

B. most performances at British festivals are given in the open air

C. the cardboard tents produced by Mr. Dunlop can be user-tailored

D. cardboard tents can be easily put up and removed by users.

4. The passage is mainly concerned with ______.

A. an attempt at developing recyclable tents

B. some efforts at making full use of cardboards

C. an unusual success of a graduation project

D. the effects of using cardboard tents on music festivals

Directions: Read the following text and choose the most suitable heading from A—F for each paragraph. There is one extra heading which you do not need.

An interview with Wynton Marsalis, a noted jazz musician

   There were the older jazz musicians who hung around our house when I was young. I saw how much they practiced, how serious they were about their art. I knew then I had to work just as hard if I wanted to succeed. Of course, my father inspired me a lot, and many teachers took the time to nurture my talent and the talents of other students in our school.

Yes. We’ve done such a poor job with music education because, as a society, we haven’t maintained the kind of education that a true artist and musician needs. Young people haven’t been able to equate romance and talent with music. For instance, most of the people who make it in the music industry today have to look good. How they sound is secondary. Sarah Vaughan, Bessie Smith, Ella Fitzgerald — those big, romantic queens of jazz music wouldn’t make it in today’s music industry, and that’s a shame. We need to teach young people about the alternatives.

Around the world people make music that, if you listen carefully to it, sounds a little like the cadence of their language. I’d call it folk music. When I’m away from home, I make a point of listening to regional folk music, not what’s on the radio.

    The same music is on the radio all over the world, and the American sound is overwhelming. Even the pop music that’s produced and created in foreign countries has that American beat, that underscore of funk. As a musician, I’m not interested in hearing recycled versions of the same genre over and over. Any music that doesn’t have a development section just isn’t interesting to me.

The music press has so much to introduce these days, and jazz is just a small fraction of it. Because some people are intimidated by jazz, they don’t cover it unless it’s a big name. New jazz musicians don’t get much of break. A lot of editors don’t say anything about jazz these days unless it’s Marsalis. That’s a shame. What VH1 is doing with their Save the Music campaign is phenomenal. They’re getting all these instruments out to needy kids. It’s the kind of thing all networks should be doing.