Because they may have four seasons in one day.

Because they often have very good weather.

Because the weather is warm just like in spring.

Question: Why do people in England often talk about the weather?

In England, people often talk about the weather because they can experience four seasons in one day. In the morning the weather is warm just like spring. An hour later black clouds come and then it rain hard. The weather gets a little cold. In the late afternoon the sky will be sunny, the sun will begin to shine, and it will be summer at this time of a day.
In England, people can also have summer. So in winter they can swim sometimes, and in summer sometimes they should take warm clothes.
When you go to England, you will see that some English people usually take an umbrella or a raincoat with them in the sunny morning, but you should not laugh at them.
If you don't take an umbrella or a raincoat, you will regret later in the day.


sunshine and snow
black clouds
summer and winter
spring and autumn

Question: From the story we know that  _  come and then there is a heavy rain.


Question: " People can also have summer in winter"  means " It is sometimes  _  in winter."


their friends ask them to do so.
it often rains in England
they are going to sell them
they are their favorite things

Question: In the sunny morning some English people usually take a raincoat or an umbrella with them because  _ .


Bad Season
Summer or Winter
The Weather in England
Strange English People

Question: The best title for this passage is  _ .


because of their carelessness as shown in their failure to present a clean copy of a resume

because of their inadequate education as shown in their poor spelling in writing a resume

because they failed to give detailed description of their background in their applications

because they eliminated their names from the applicants' list themselves

Question: According to the passage, some job applicants were rejected ________.

Attention to detail is something everyone can and should do-especially in a tight job market. Bob Crossley, a human-resources expert notices this in the job applications that come across his desk every day. "It's amazing how many candidates eliminate themselves." he says.
Resume  arrive with stains. Some candidates don't bother to spell the company's name correctly. Once I see a mistake, I eliminate the candidate, Crossley concludes. "If they cannot take of these details, why should we trust them with a job?"
Can we pay too much attention to detail? Absolutely. Perfectionists struggle over little things at the cost of something larger they work toward, "To keep from losing the forest for the trees", says Charles Garfield, associate professor at the University of California, San Francisco, "We must constantly ask ourselves how the details we're working on fit into the larger picture. If they don't, we should drop them and move to something else".
Garfield compares this process to his work as a computer scientist at NASA. "The Apollo II moon launch was slightly off-course 90 percent of the time." Says Garfield, "But a successful landing was still likely because we knew the exact coordinates of our goal. This allowed us to make adjustments as necessary." Knowing where we want to go helps us judge the importance of every task we undertake.
Too often we believe what accounts for others' success is some special secret or a lucky break . But rarely is success so mysterious. Again and again, we see that by doing little things within our grasp well, large rewards follow.


demand others to get everything absolutely right

know how to adjust their goals according to the circumstances

pay too much attention to details only to lose their major objectives

are capable of achieving perfect results in whatever they do

Question: The word "perfectionists" (Para. 3, Line) refers to those who ________.


Although too much attention to details may be costly, they should not be overlooked.

Don't forget details when drawing pictures.

Be aware of the importance of a task before undertaking it.

Careless applicants are not to be trusted.

Question: Which of the following is the author's device to the reader?


minor mistakes can be ignored in achieving major objectives

adjustments are the key to the successful completion of any work

keeping one's goal in mind helps in deciding which details can be overlooked

Question: The example of the Apollo II moon launch is given to illustrate that ________.


Don't Be a Perfectionist
Importance of Adjustments
Details and Major Objectives
Hard Work Plus Good Luck

Question: The best title for this passage would be ________.


dead leaves and tree debris make the same sound

trees that are dying usually give out a soft moan

organic debris echoes the sounds in a rain forest

the sound of a forest signifies its health condition

Question: We learn from the first paragraph that  _ .

"Usually when we walk through the rain forest we hear a soft sound from all the moist leaves and organic debris on the forest floor," says ecologist Daniel Nepstad. "Now we increasingly get rustle and crunch. That's the sound of a dying forest."
Predictions of the collapse of the tropical rain forests have been around for years. Yet until recently the worst forecasts were almost exclusively linked to direct human activity, such as clear-cutting and burning for pastures or farms. Left alone, it was assumed, the world's rain forests would not only flourish but might even rescue us from disaster by absorbing the excess carbon dioxide and other planet-warming greenhouse gases. Now it turns out that may be wishful thinking. Some scientists believe that the rise in carbon levels means that the Amazon and other rain forests in Asia and Africa may go from being assets in the battle against rising temperatures to liabilities. Amazon plants, for instance, hold more than 100 billion metric tons of carbon, equal to 15 years of tailpipe and chimney emissions. If the collapse of the rain forests speeds up dramatically, it could eventually release 3.5-5 billion metric tons of carbon into the atmosphere each year - making forests the leading source of greenhouse gases.
Uncommonly severe droughts brought on by global climate changes have led to forest-eating wildfires from Australia to Indonesia, but nowhere more acutely than in the Amazon. Some experts say that the rain forest is already at the .
Extreme weather and reckless development arc plotting against the rain forest in ways that scientists have never seen. Trees need more water as temperatures rise, but the prolonged droughts have robbed them of moisture, making whole forests easily cleared of trees and turned into farmland. The picture worsens with each round of El Nino, the unusually warm currents in the Pacific Ocean that drive up temperatures and invariably presage droughts and fires in the rain forest. Runaway fires pour even more carbon into the air, which increases temperatures, starting the whole vicious cycle all over again.
More than paradise lost, a perishing rain forest could trigger a domino effect - sending winds and rains kilometers off course and loading the skies with even greater levels of greenhouse gases - that will be felt far beyond the Amazon basin. In a sense, we are already getting a glimpse of what's to come. Each burning season in the Amazon, fires deliberately set by frontier settlers and developers hurl up almost half a billion metric tons of carbon a year, placing Brazil among the top five contributors to greenhouse gases in the world.


the collapse of rain forests is caused by direct human interference

carbon emissions are the leading cause of current global warming

the condition of rain forests has been rapidly deteriorating

rain forests should not be converted into pastures or farms

Question: In the second paragraph, the author challenges the view that  _ .


turn them into a major source of greenhouse gases

change the weather patterns throughout the world

Question: The author argues that the rising carbon levels in rain forests may  _ .


Lack of rainfall resulting from global warming.

The unusual warm currents in the Pacific Ocean.

Question: What has made it easier to turn some rain forests into farmland?


The domino effect triggered by the perishing rain forests.

Its practice of burning forests for settlement and development.

The changed patterns of winds and rains in the Amazon area.

Its inability to curb the carbon emissions from industries.

Question: What makes Brazil one of the world's top five contributors to greenhouse gases?


Two Case Studies：Gusii of Kenya and Mixtecans of Juxtlahuaca

Question: The best title of this passage would be _ .

Rewards and punishments are used in different ways by different communities to maintain social order and preserve cultural values.In all cultures, parents must teach their children to avoid danger and to observe the community‘s moral precepts.Adults also condition each other's observance of social norms, using methods ranging form mild forms of censure, such as looking away when someone makes an inappropriate remark, to imprisoning or executing individuals for behavior considered deviant or dangerous.The caning of American teenager Michael Fay in Singapore for vandalism in 1994 brought wide media attention to cultural differences in the application of punishment.Faced with increasing violence at home, many Americans endorsed Singapore‘s use of corporal punishment to maintain social order.Was Fay's punishment effective? Whether he subsequently avoids vandalism is unknown, but the punishment did apparently lead to his avoidance of Singapore-which he left promptly.
The operant techniques societies use to maintain social control vary in part with the dangers and threats that confront them.The Gusii of Kenya, with a history of tribal warfare, face threats not only from outsiders but also from natural forces, including wild animals.Gusii parents tend to rely more on punishment and fear than on rewards in conditioning appropriate social behavior in their children.Caning, food deprivation, and withdrawing shelter and protection are common forms of punishment.
In contrast, the Mixtecans of Juxtlahuaca, Mexico, are a highly cohesive community, with little internal conflict, and social norms that encourage cooperation.Their social patterns appear adaptive, for the Mixtecans are dominated by the nearby Spanish Mexicans, who control the official government and many economic resources in their region.The Mixtecans do not generally impose fines or jail sentences or use physical punishment to deter aggression in either adults or children.Rather, they tend to rely on soothing persuasion.Social ostracism is the most feared punishment, and social ties within the community are very strong, so responses that reinforce these ties are effective in maintaining social order.
In the United States, fear of social ostracism or stigma was once a more powerful force in maintaining control over antisocial behavior, especially in small communities.Today, even imprisonment does not appear to be an adequate deterrent to many forms of crime, especially violent crime.Although one reason is the inconsistent application of punishment, another may be the fact that imprisonment no longer carries the intense stigma it once had, so that prison is no longer as an effective punishment.


Children must be obedient to their parents.

People must publicly complain when someone misbehaves.

People should do their parts to ensure that others comply with social rules.

People should publicly humiliate the wrongdoers.

Question: According to the passage, what is a universal cultural norm in maintaining social order?


Many Americans were opposed to the corporal punishment that Michael Fay received in Singapore.

The American media did not pay any attention to cultural differences until 1994.

The caning was effective because Michael Fay subsequently refrained from vandalism.

Michael Fay left Singapore immediately after the caning punishment.

Question: What can be inferred from the Michael Fay case?


To threaten to expel them from the home.

Question: What would a Gusii mother from Kenya most likely do to punish her children?


Question: The word" stigma" (in fourth paragraph)most probably means _ .


refusing. reserving. withdrawing. considering.

Question: The word "forgoing" (Line 7, Paragraph 1) most probably means _

Peter Löscher, the first outsider to become chief executive of Siemens, one of the world's biggest electrical-engineering firms, spent his first three months at the firm travelling and listening. Then on October 4th he announced plans to centralise the conglomerate, reduce its nine divisions to three and downsize its 11-man executive board, which would truncate the power of the company's regional bosses. On the same day Siemens accepted a €201m ($285m) fine imposed by a court in Munich for bribery by its communications division, forgoing the right to appeal.
The coincidence could mark a turning point in attempts to change the firm's culture and put past scandals behind it. Last November police raided Siemens's offices, starting a scourge on bribery which so far has cost the company its chairman, its chief executive, another board member and its chief compliance officer, as well as at least €239m in fines and €179m in tax liabilities (the bribes had been deducteD. What is more, in the nine months to June 30th alone, the bill for legal expenses and external advice came to €188m.
The affair has cost a great deal of management time too. Debevoise & Plimpton, an American law firm, and forensic auditors from Deloitte are still scouring the company for evidence of more irregularities. In America the Department of Justice has two investigations running, and the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC. is also examining claims of corruption. Legal proceedings in America alone could cost Siemens billions of dollars, say analysts, although Siemens argues in its most recent quarterly filing with the SEC that its "consolidated financial position should not be materially affected" by the welter of litigation.
Analysts are confident that Siemens will not only survive but benefit from all the upheaval. "Comparable American companies have gone through this, so have Alstom in France and ABB in Sweden, and they have emerged stronger and better run," says James Stettler of Dresdner Kleinwort, an investment bank.
The three divisions Mr Löscher has unveiled are energy products (such as power turbines and transmission equipment), infrastructure (such as factories and trains) and health care (such as MRI scanners and other clever medical kit). That does not necessarily mean Mr Löscher will sell the businesses that do not fit, such as Osram, a maker of light bulbs, BSH, a joint venture with Bosch in household appliances, and Nokia Siemens Networks, recently formed to build telecom infrastructure.
The company's supervisory board will vet the changes on November 28th. Mr Löscher may have most difficulty winning approval for those that will affect workers in Germany, whose representatives make up half the membership of the 20-strong supervisory board. If he gets his way, however, Mr Löscher's next proposal may be to register Siemens as a Societas Europaea (SE) instead of as a German joint-stock company (AG). That would entail a slimmer supervisory board with reduced representation for German workers, but would give a voice to employees abroad. Other icons of German business, most notably Siemens's Munich neighbour, Allianz, a big insurer, have already made the switch. Mr Löscher is chummy with Paul Achleitner, a member of Allianz's board and a fellow Austrian, with whom he recently stayed for three months.


He will transfer them to other companies.

He will downsize the executive board of the three divisions.

He will recombine them into large division.

Question: What Mr Löscher will probably do to the three divisions he has unveiled?


he aims to cut the number of German representatives in the supervisory board.

he seeks to centralise the conglomerate.

he wants to include multiple voices of the employees so as to enhance the democracy of the decision-making.

he strives to transform the company into a more international one.

Question: Mr Löscher wants to register Siemens as a SE instead of an AG because _


optimistic. pessimistic. neutral. unclear.

Question: Towards the future of Siemens, the author's attitude can be said to be _


Siemens will gain great support from Allianz.

Mr Löscher made the decision to have a change under the influence of his friend.

Mr. Löscher wanted switch Siemens into an insurer in the future.

Mr. Löscher greatly valued his friend's suggestion.

Question: By the close relationship between Mr Löscher and Paul Achleitner, the author wants to imply that _


The causes of the extinction of the dinosaur

The variety of species found in tropical rain forests.

The impact of human activities on Earth's ecosystems

The time required for species to adapt to new environments

Question: What does the passage mainly discuss?

Biological diversity has become widely recognized as a critical conservation issue only in the past two decades. The rapid destruction of the tropical rain forests, which are the ecosystems with the highest known species diversity on Earth, has awakened people to the importance and fragility of biological diversity. The high rate of species extinctions in these environments is jolting, but it is important to recognize the significance of biological diversity in all ecosystems. As the human population continues to expand, it will negatively affect one after another of Earth's ecosystems. In terrestrial ecosystems and in fringe marine ecosystems (such as wetlands), the most common problem is habitat destruction. In most situations, the result is irreversible. Now humans are beginning to destroy marine ecosystems through other types of activities, such as disposal and run off of poisonous waste; in less than two centuries, by significantly reducing the variety of species on Earth, they have unraveled cons of evolution and irrevocably redirected its course.
Certainly, there have been periods in Earth's history when mass extinctions have occurred. The extinction of the dinosaurs was caused by some physical event, either climatic or cosmic. There have also been less dramatic extinctions, as when natural competition between species reached an extreme conclusion. Only .01 percent of the species that have lived on Earth have survived to the present, and it was largely chance that determined which species survived and which died out.
However, nothing has ever equaled the magnitude and speed with which the human species is altering the physical and chemical world and demolishing the environment. In fact, there is wide agreement that it is the rate of change humans are inflicting, even more than the changes themselves, that will lead to biological devastation. Life on Earth has continually been in flux as slow physical and chemical changes have occurred on Earth, but life needs time to adapt - time for migration and genetic adaptation within existing species and time for the proliferation of new genetic material and new species that may be able to survive in new environments.


negative essential interesting complicated

Question: The word "critical" in line 1 is closest in meaning to


Question: The word "jolting" in line 5 is closest in meaning to


humans are often made ill by polluted water

some species have been made extinct by human activity

an understanding of evolution can prevent certain species from disappearing

Question: The author mentions the reduction of the variety of species on Earth in line 12 to suggest that


destruction of the tropical rain forests

the introduction of new varieties of plant species

Question: The author mentions all of the following as examples of the effect of humans oil the world's ecosystems EXCEPT


the cause of the dinosaurs extinction is unknown

Earth's climate has changed significantly since the dinosaurs' extinction,

not all mass extinctions have been caused by human activity

actions by humans could not stop the irreversible process of a species' extinction

Question: The author mentions the extinction of the dinosaurs in the second paragraph to emphasize that


concern determination carelessness extent

Question: The word "magnitude" in line 20 is closest in meaning to


are occurring at a much faster rate
are less devastating to most species
affect fewer ecosystems
are reversible

Question: According to the passage , natural evolutionary change is different from changes caused by humans in that changes caused by humans


Human influence on ecosystems should not be a factor in determining public policy.

The extinction of a few species is an acceptable consequence of human progress.

Technology will provide solutions to problems caused by the destruction of ecosystems.

Humans should be more conscious of the influence they have on ecosystems

Question: With which of the following statements would the author be most likely to agree?


prove that what some intellectuals had claimed is wrong

show that TV is an essential part of British people's daily life

demonstrate that mass media is a very profitable industry

introduce the media through which the survey was advertised

Question: In the first paragraph television is mentioned to _ .

Television is often viewed as an anti intellectual medium. But truly clever people know how to use even the most unpromising material, and that is what Val Curtis and her colleagues at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine have done. They employed the mass market appeal of TV to test a long held, but unproven, hypothesis: that the emotion of disgust evolved to protect people from disease.
They set up their experiment in October 2007, by publicizing it on a BBC program called "Human Instincts". Viewers were invited to visit a website and, after giving a few biographicaldetails, to view a series of 20 pictures and rate each of them for disgustingness on a scale of one to five. They were also asked to choose, from a list of possible candidates, with whom they would least like to share a toothbrush.
The results showed that in all seven pairs, the disease distinct pictures were more disgusting than their counterparts. For things like the apparent depiction of bodily fluids, or of a face that had been "enhanced" with spots, that may come as no surprise. But a crowded railway carriage was more distinguishing than an empty one, and a louse more disgusting than a wasp.
These last results confirmed Dr Curtis's suspicion that disgust is not, as many disgust researchers believe, just a way of avoiding eating disease bearing materials. Rather, it extends to threats that might be contagious. Indeed, one result of the study was to show that the young are easier to disgust than the old. Another result was that women are more easily disgusted than men. Both of these make evolutionary sense. The young have more reproductive potential than the old, so should be more careful about what they touch and eat. And women are usually burdened with bringing up the children, so have to be disgusted on their offspring's behalf, as well as their own.
The results of the toothbrush study made similar sense. Strangers are more likely to carry new bacteria than acquaintances. Hence, of the available choices of toothbrush partner, a postman came off worst, and a lover best. A brush notionally belonging to a weatherman was, however, preferred to the boss's. Clearly the British feel more intimacy with the former than the later. Perhaps it might have been instructive to include a famous television personality among the choices?


watching the TV program called "Human Instincts" and filling out feedback forms

visiting different websites and making matches between pictures and numbers

rating various photos with numbers and selecting from a choice list

filling in biographical details and choosing a toothbrush

Question: The experiment is chiefly done by .


A spotted face is more disgusting than a picture of bodily fluids.

A full packed subway is more disgusting than a louse.

A bleeding face is the most disgusting one.

A wasp makes people feel better than a louse.

Question: Which of the following is true about the result of the experiment?


old people are less likely to produce goods for the society than the young

people's emotion of disgust is often related to the safety of their children

women are more likely to bring up children independent of men's help

old people are more likely to be disgusted than women

Question: The results of the experiment make evolutionary sense in that .


a boss is normally less clean and healthy than a weatherman

a public figure is often more popular than a boss in Britain

a famous television personality is the best toothbrush partner

Question: The results of the toothbrush experiment show that .


warn of the dangers of continued burning of fossil fuels

discuss the significance of increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere

explain how a constant temperature is maintained on the Earth's surface

describe the ways in which various atmospheric and climatic conditions contribute to the Earth's weather

Question: The primary purpose of the passage is to

The molecules of carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere affect the heat balance of the Earth by acting as a oneway screen. Although these molecules allow radiation at visible wavelengths, where most of the energy of sunlight is concentrated, to pass through, they absorb some of the longer-wavelength, infrared emissions radiated from the Earth's surface, radiation that would otherwise be transmitted back into space. For the Earth to maintain a constant average temperature, such emissions from the planet must balance incoming solar radiation. If there were no carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, heat would escape from the Earth much more easily. The surface temperature would be so much lower that the oceans might be a solid mass of ice.
Today, however, the potential problem is too much carbon dioxide. The burning of fossil fuels and the clearing of forests have increased atmospheric carbon dioxide by about 15 percent in the last hundred years, and we continue to add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Could the increase in carbon dioxide cause a global rise in average temperature, and could such a rise have serious consequences for human society? Mathematical models that allow us to calculate the rise in temperature as a function of the increase indicate that the answer is probably yes.
Under present conditions a temperature of -18°C can be observed at an altitude of 5 to 6 kilometers above the Earth. Below this altitude (called the radiating level), the temperature increases by about 6°C per kilometer approaching the Earth's surface, where the average temperature is about 15°C. An increase in the amount of carbon dioxide means that there are more molecules of carbon dioxide to absorb infrared radiation. As the capacity of the atmosphere to absorb infrared radiation increases, the radiating level and the temperature of the surface must rise.
One mathematical model predicts that doubling the atmospheric carbon dioxide would raise the global mean surface temperature by 2.5°C. This model assumes that the atmosphere's relative humidity remains constant and the temperature decreases with altitude at a rate of 6.5°C per kilometer. The assumption of constant relative humidity is important, because water vapor in the atmosphere is another efficient absorber of radiation at infrared wavelengths. Because warm air can hold more moisture than cool air, the relative humidity will be constant only if the mount of water vapor in the atmosphere increases as the temperature rises. Therefore, more 　　infrared radiation would be absorbed and radiated back to the Earth's surface. The resultant warming at the surface could be expected to melt snow and ice, reducing the Earth's reflectivity. More solar radiation would then be absorbed, leading to a further increase in temperature.


concentrated in the infrared spectrum
concentrated at visible wavelengths
absorbed by carbon dioxide molecules
absorbed by atmospheric water vapor

Question: According to the passage, the greatest part of the solar energy that reaches the Earth is


absorbing radiation at visible wavelengths

absorbing outgoing radiation from the Earth

helping to retain heat near the Earth's surface

Question: According to the passage, atmospheric carbon dioxide performs all of the following functions EXCEPT


Incredulous
Completely detached
Interested but skeptical
Objective yet concerned

Question: Which of the following best describes the author's attitude toward the increasing amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and its consequences?


Question: It can be concluded from information contained in the passage that the average temperature at an altitude of 1 kilometer above the Earth is about


An assumption that the amount of carbon dioxide added to the atmosphere would in reality steadily increase

An assumption that human activities are the only agencies by which carbon dioxide is added to the atmosphere

Assumptions about the social and political consequences of any curtailment of the use of fossil fuels

Assumptions about the physical conditions that are likely to prevail during the period for which the model was made

Question: It can be inferred from the passage that the construction of the mathematical model mentioned in the passage involved the formulation of which of the following?


Fossil fuels were burned for the first time.

Greater amounts of land were cleared than at any time before.

The average temperature at the Earth's surface has become 2°C cooler.

The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased measurably.

Question: According to the passage, which of the following is true of the last hundred years?


It is a website that sends messages to targeted users.

It makes money by putting on advertisements.

It profits by selling its users' personal data.

It provides loads of information to its users.

Question: What do we learn about Facebook from the first paragraph?

People are being lured onto Facebook with the promise of a fun, free service without realizing they're paying for it by giving up toads of personal information. Facebook then attempts to make money by selling their data to advertisers that want to send targeted messages.
Most Facebook users don't realize this is happening. Even if they know what the company is up to, they still have no idea what they're paying for Face book because people don't really know what their personal data is worth.
The biggest problem, however, is that the company keeps changing the rules Early on you keep everything private. That was the great thing about facebook you could create own little private network. Last year. The company changed its privacy rules so that many things you city. Your photo, your friends' names-were set, by default to be shared with every one on the Internet.
According to Facebook's vice-president Elliot Schrage, the company is simply making changes to improve its service, and if people don't share information They have a "less satisfying experience".
Some critics think this is more about Facebook looking to make more money. In original business model, which involved selling ads and putting then At the side of the pages totally Who wants to took at ads when they're online connecting with their friends?
The privacy issue has already landed Facebook in hot water in Washington. In April. Senator Charles Schumer called on Facebook to change its privacy policy. He also urged the Federal Trade Commission to set guidelines for social-networking sites."I think the senator rightly communicated that we had not been clear about what the new products were and how people could choose to use them or not to use them," Schrage admits.
I suspect that whatever Facebook has done so far to invade our privacy, it's only the beginning. Which is why I'm considering deactivatingmy account. Facebook is a handy site, but I'm upset by the idea that my information is in the hands of people I don't That's too high a price to pay.


They are reluctant to give up their personal information.

They don't know their personal data enriches Facebook.

They don't identify themselves when using the website.

They care very little about their personal information.

Question: What does the author say about most Facebook users?


To render better service to its users.
To conform to the Federal guidelines.
To improve its users' connectivity.
To expand its scope of business.

Question: Why does Facebook make changes to its rules according to Elliot Schrage?


Setting guidelines for advertising on websites.

Banning the sharing of users' personal information.

Formulating regulations for social-networking sites.

Removing ads from all social-networking sites.

Question: Why does Senator Charles Schumer advocate?


He is dissatisfied with its current service.

He finds many of its users untrustworthy.

He doesn't want his personal data abused.

He is upset by its frequent rule changes.

Question: Why does the author plan to cancel his Facebook account?


The opinion that birds were the direct descendants of dinosaurs gives the world a shock.

Palaeontologists have get consensus on the specie's transition from the land to the sky.

Palaeontologists have different opinions on the process of the transition.

The paper in this week's Current Biology demostrate that the specie moved by hopping before they flied.

Question: Which one of the following statements is NOT true of the current debate on the origin of birds?

When Archaeopteryx, a feathered skeleton that was seemingly half dinosaur and half bird, turned up in 1862-three years after the publication of "The Origin of Species"-the origin of birds became a subject of raging debate among palaeontologists. Suggestions that they were the direct descendants of theropod dinosaurs (a group of bipedal meat-eaters that include Allosaurus, Velociraptor and Tyrannosaurus) caused quite a flap. Today, most researchers agree that birds are, indeed, a branch of the Dinosauria. How they made the transition from the land to the sky, though, has yet to be agreed. But a paper in this week's Current Biology, by Christopher Glen and Michael Bennett of the University of Queensland, makes a strong case that they did it by jumping.
Considering the diversity of life on Earth, flight is surprisingly rare. It has evolved only four times: among the insects about 300m years ago, the pterosaurs (230m), the birds (150m) and the bats (50m). That suggests it is a hard trick to pull off. For birds, there is general agreement that feathers came before flight. Fossils from north-eastern China show animals that had feathers but clearly could not have flown, as well as ones that look like proper birds. The best guesses are that feathers evolved either for insulation (as fur did in mammals) or for display, and that natural selection took advantage by turning them into a means of transport.
There are two broad schools of thought about what happened next. One argues that birds' immediate ancestors lived in trees. Members of this school think that powered flight developed as a natural extension of gliding (such controlled falling is used as a way of travelling from tree to tree by several arboreal species today). Gliding itself developed because of the lift provided by feathered forearms.
The alternative is that flight evolved on the ground. Some researchers who belong to this school of thought suggest that the power provided by flapping protowings may have given their owners an edge in the pursuit of prey. Others hypothesise that feathery forearms helped animals steer and stabilise themselves.
Unfortunately, behaviour does not fossilise, so it looked as though the question might never be answered. But Dr Glen, a palaeobiologist, and Dr Bennett, a biomechanic, think they have worked out how to do so. Their crucial observation is that in modern birds the curvature of the third toe (which carries a lot of weight during walking and climbing) varies with species' lifestyles. Birds that spend lots of time climbing around on the trunks of trees have dramatically curved third toes. Those that hop around on branches have mildly curved ones. Those that forage mainly on the ground have the least curved of all.
The two researchers compared these observations with their findings for the bird-like dinosaurs and dinosaur-like birds of China. They noticed that the toes of both feathered dinosaurs and of the earliest flying birds were similar to those of modern birds that spend most of their time on the ground. Flight, in other words, came before birds took to the trees. They are not fallen angels, but risen reptiles.


many species of this kind were eliminated during evolution.

feathers evolved not for a means of transport.

Question: The reason why flight is surprisingly rare is that  _


the functions of feathered forearams in transition from ground to sky.

the location of living place before the animals' evolution to birds.

the power provided by either gliding or flapping.

Question: The two schools of thought have different opinions on  _


powered flight developed as feathered forearms provided lift.

flight evolved on the ground before they descend on the trees.

earliest birds share similar toes with their modern counterparts.

earliest flying birds evovled from feathered dinosaurs.

Question: The conclusion of the study carried out by Dr. Glen and Dr. Bennet is that _


Birds realized the transition from reptile to flight by jumping.

Dinasaurs are, as a matter of fact, the direct ancester of birds.

Feathers evolves not for the purpose of flight.

Bird's behaviors is indeed fossilised by their various shape of the third toe.

Question: Which one of the following statements is NOT true of opinions of Dr. Glen and Dr. Bennet?


to stand down the fairway at a golf course

to spot the balls as they landed so the golfers could find them

Question: The writer's first job was  _ .

My father was a foreman of a sugar-cane plantation in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico. My first job was to drive the oxen that ploughed the cane fields. I would walk behind an ox, guiding him with a broomstick. For $ 1 a day, I worked eight hours straight, with no food breaks.
It was very tedious work, but it prepared me for life and taught me many lasting lessons. Because the plantation owners were always watching us, I had to be on time every day and work as hard as I could. I've never been late for any job since. I also learned about being respectful and faithful to the people you work for. More important, I earned my pay; it never entered my mind to say I was sick just because I didn't want to work.
I was only six years old, but I was doing a man's job. Our family needed every dollar we could make because my father never earned more than $ 18 a week. Our home was a three-room wood shack with a dirty floor and no toilet. Nothing made me prouder than bringing home money to help my mother, father, two brothers and three sisters. This gave me self-esteem, one of the most important things a person can have.
When I was seven, I got work at a golf course near our house. My job was to stand down the fairway and spot the balls as they landed, so the golfers could find them. Losing a ball meant you were fired, so I never missed one. Some nights I would lie in bed and dreamt of making thousands of dollars by playing golf and being able to buy a bicycle.
The more I dreamed, the more I thought. Why not? I made my first golf club out of guava limb and a piece of pipe. Then I hammered an empty tin can into the shape of a ball. And finally I dug two small holes in the ground and hit the ball back and forth. I practiced with the same devotion and intensity. I learned working in the field - except now I was driving golf balls with club, not oxen with a broomstick.


Question: The word "tedious" in Paragraph 2 most probably means  _ .


he should work for those who he liked most

he should work longer than what he was expected

he should never fail to say hello to his owner

he should be respectful and faithful to the people he worked for

Question: The writer learned that _  from his first job.


Bringing money back home to help the family

Helping his father with the work on the plantation

Question: _  gave the writer serf-esteem.


He wanted to run a golf course near his house.

He was satisfied with the job he got on a plantation.

He wanted to make money by guiding oxen with a broomstick.

Question: Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?


To outline contrasting types of economic systems.

To argue for the superiority of one economic system.

To compare barter and money-exchange markets.

Question: What is the main purpose of the passage?

There are various ways in which individual economic units can interact with one another. Three basic ways may be described as the market system, the administered system, and the traditional system.
In a market system individual economic units are free to interact among each other in the marketplace. It is possible to buy commodities from other economic units or sell commodities to them. In a market, transactions may take place via barter or money exchange. In a barter economy, real goods such as automobiles, shoes, and pizzas are traded against each other. Obviously, finding somebody who wants to trade my old car in exchange for a sailboat may not always be an easy task. Hence, the introduction of money as a medium of exchange eases transactions considerably. In the modern market economy, goods and services are bought or sold for money.
An alternative to the market system is administrative control by some agency over all transactions. This agency will issue edicts or commands as to how much of each good and service should be produced, exchanged, and consumed by each economic unit. Central planning may be one way of administering such an economy. The central plan, drawn up by the government, shows the amounts of each commodity produced by the various firms and allocated to different households for consumption. This is an example of complete planning of production, consumption, and exchange for the whole economy.
In a traditional society, production and consumption patterns are governed by tradition; every person's place within the economic system is fixed by parentage, religion, and custom. Transactions take place on the basis of tradition, too. People belonging to a certain group or caste may have an obligation to care for other persons, provide them with food and shelter, care for their health, and provide for their education. Clearly, in a system where every decision is made on the basis of tradition alone, progress may be difficult to achieve. A stagnant society may result.


Question: In the second paragraph, the word " real"  in " real goods"  could best be replaced by  _ ,


rapid speed of transactions.
misunderstandings.
inflation
difficulties for the traders.

Question: According to the passage, a barter economy can generate  _ .


Individual households
Small businesses.
Major corporations.
The government.

Question: According to the passage, who has the greatest degree of control in the administered system?


Family background
Age
Religious beliefs.
Custom

Question: Which of the following is not mentioned by the author as a criterion for determining a person's position in a traditional society?


Question: The writer's attitude toward nuclear energy is _ .

It is often claimed that nuclear energy is something we cannot do without. We live in a consumer society where there is an enormous demand for commercial products of all kinds. Moreover. an increase in industrialproduction is considered to be one solution to the problem of mass unemployment. Such an increase presumesan abundant and cheap energy supply. Many people believe that nuclear energy provides an inexhaustible andeconomical source of power and chat it is therefore essential for an industrially developing society. There are a number of other advantages in the use of nuclear energy. Firstly, nuclear power. except for accidents, is clean. A further advantage is that a nuclear power station can be run and maintained by relativelyfew technical and administrative staff. The nuclear reactor represents an enormous step in our scientific evolution and, whatever the anti-nuclear group says, it is wrong to expect a return to more primitive sources of fuel. However, opponents of nuclear energy point out that nuclear power stations bring a direct threat not only to the environment but also to civil liberties.
Furthermore, it is questionable whether ultimately nuclear power is a cheap source of energy. There have. for example. been very costly accidents in America, in Britain and, of course. in Russia. The possibility of increases in the cost of uranium in addition to the cost of greater safety provisions could price nuclear power out of the market. In the long run, environmentalists argue, nuclear energy wastes valuable resources and disturbs the ecology to an extent which could bring about the destruction of the human race. Thus, if we wish to survive. we cannot afford nuclear energy. In spice of the case against nuclear energy outlined above. nuclear energy programmes are expanding. Such an expansion assumes a continual growth in industrial production and consumer demands. However, it is doubtful whether this growth will or can continue Having weighed up the arguments on both sides, it seems there are good economic and ecological reasons for sources of energy other than nuclear power.


Question: According to the opponents of nuclear energy, nuclear energy is _ .


it provides a perfect solution to mass unemployment

it represents an enormous step forward in our scientific evolution

it can meet the growing demand of an industrially developing society

nuclear power stations can be run and maintained by relatively few  technical and administrative staff

Question: Some people claim that nuclear energy is essential because _ .


The demand for commercial products will not necessarily keep increasing.

Nuclear energy is something we cannot do without.

Uranium is a good source of energy for economic and ecological reasons.

Greater safety provisions can bring about the expansion of nuclear  energy programmes.

Question: Which of the following statements does the writer support?


advance the final argument
reflect the writer's attitude
reverse previously expressed thoughts
show the disadvantages of nuclear power

Question: The function of the last sentence is to _ .


emphasize independent thought rather than well-memorized responses

tend to reward children with better understanding rather than with a goal for credits

implant children with a lot of facts at the expense of understanding the problem

are imaginative, creative and efficient in keeping up with our industrialized society

Question: In the author's opinion, the majority of education workers  _ .

If we look at education in our own society, we see two sharply different factors. First of all, there is the overwhelming majority of teachers, principals, curriculum planners, school superintendents, who are devoted to passing on the knowledge that children need in order to live in our industrialized society. Their chief concern is with efficiency, that is, with implanting the greatest number of facts into the greatest possible number of children, with a minimum of time, expense, and effort.
Classroom learning often has as its unspoken goal the reward of pleasing the teacher. Children in the usual classroom learn very quickly that creativity is punished, while repeating a memorized response is rewarded, and concentrate on what the teacher wants them to say, rather than understanding the problem.
The difference between the intrinsic and the extrinsic aspects of a college education is illustrated by the following story about Upton Sinclair. When Sinclair was a young man, he found that he was unable to raise the tuition money needed to attend college. Upon careful reading of the college catalogue, however, he found that if a student failed a course, he received no credit for the course, but was obliged to take another course in its place. The college did not charge the student for the second course, reasoning that he had already paid once for his credit. Sinclair took advantage of this policy and not a free education by deliberately failing all his courses.
In the ideal college, there would be no credits, no degrees, and no required courses. A person would learn what he wanted to learn. A friend and I attempted to put this ideal into action by starting a serials of seminars at Brandeis called " Freshman Seminars Introduction to the Intellectual Life."  In the ideal college, intrinsic education would be available to anyone who wanted it-since anyone can improve and learn. The student body might include creative, intelligent children as well as adults; morons as well as geniuses (for even morons can learn emotionally and spiritually). The college would be ubiquitous-that is, not restricted to particular buildings at particular times, and teachers would be any human beings who had something that they wanted to share with others. The college would be lifelong, for learning can take place all through life. Even dying can be a philosophically illuminating, highly educative experience.
The ideal college would be a kind of education retreat in which you could try to find yourself; find out what you like and want; what you are and are not good at. The chief goals of the ideal college, in other words, would be the discovery of identity, and with it, the discovery of vocation.


they are required to repeat what teacher has said

they read books that are not assigned by the teacher

they know how to behave themselves in face of the teacher

they can memorize the greatest number of facts in the shortest period of time

Question: Children in the usual classroom learn very quickly when  _ .


focuses on oriented education
takes students' need into account
lays emphases on " earning a degree"
emphasizes learning through discussion

Question: An extrinsically oriented education is one that  _ .


can be best stimulated for creative work

Question: To enter the author's ideal college, a student  _ .


to put technological education to a later stage

Question: The author's purpose of writing the article is  _ .


making and selling explosives
not making and selling weapons
making explosives and selling weapons
making weapons and selling explosives

Question: Alfred's business was _ .

Most of us know about the Nobel Prize, especially theNobel Peace Prize, but few of us know anything aboutthe man who set them up. His name was AlfredNobel. He was a great scientist and inventor himself.Besides, he had a big business. His business maysurprise you. He made and sold explosives. Hiscompanies even made and sold weapons. Isn't thissomething that surprises you? The man who mademoney from weapons should set up the Peace Prize?
Though Alfred Nobel had a lot of money from weapons, he hated war. He hoped that therewould be no war in the world. He was one of the richest in Europe. When he died in 1896, heleft behind him a lot of money and his famous will. According to his will, most of his money wasplaced in a fund. He wanted the interest from the fund to be used as prizes every year. Weknow them as the Nobel Prizes. The Nobel Prizes are international. Alfred Nobel wanted thewinners to be chosen for their work, not the country they came from.
Alfred Nobel had given his whole life to his studies and work and to the benefits of mankind. Hemade money all by his own efforts, but he left the world share his wealth. His inventions andwealth stay with the world for ever.


he wanted to get more interest from the fund

Question: Nobel wanted to set up the Nobel Peace Prize because _ .


all Nobel's money in the fund
all Nobel's money in his company
all the interest from the fund
some of the interest in the fund

Question: Nobel Prizes come from _ .


interesting unselfish kind-hearted richest

Question: Nobel was a (an) _ person in the world.


Nobel set up his company to sell clothes.

Most of Nobel's money was used for the world Wars.

Nobel Prizes are only for some people from some special countries.

Nobel worked hard in his life and saved lots of money for the world to share.

Question: Which statement of the following is Right according to the passage?


Dan asked his brother to go instead
Dan was in some other place
Mark was in some other place
Mark would like to go with John

Question: Why didn't Mark and Dan go sailing together?

One Sunday, Mark decided to go sailing in his boat with his friend Dan, but Dan happened to be away. Dan's brother John offered to go instead though he did not know anything about sailing. Mark agreed and they set out to sea.
Soon they found themselves in a thick fog. Mark was sure they would be hit by a big ship. Fortunately he saw a large buoy  through the fog and decided to tie the boat to it for safety. As he was getting onto the buoy, however, he dropped the wet rope. The boat moved away in the fog carrying John, Who did not know how to use the radio. He drifted  about and was not seen until twelve hours later.
Mark spent the night on the buoy. In the early morning he fell asleep. He was having a bad dream when a shout woke him up. A ship, the Good Hope, came up and he climbed onto it and thanked the captain. The captain told him that John had been picked up by another ship and the ship's captain had sent out a message. "Without the message I would not have found you on the buoy," he said.


he could spend the night on it while John was looking for help

he and John could go sailing again when the fog cleared

Question: Mark tried to tie the boat to the buoy so that.


there wasn't room for both John and Mark on the buoy

John couldn't control the boat and drifted away

Mark thought it safe to stay on the buoy but John didn't

John had to stay in the boat to radio for help

Question: John and Mark became separated because.


John radioed to the Good Hope to get him.

He shouted when he caught sight of the Good Hope.

Question: What made it possible for Mark to be found on the buoy?


the captain that got the message
the captain that sent the message
John
Mark

Question: The word he in the last sentence refers to.


Beverage companies should be responsible for collecting and reusing discarded plastic soda bottles.

Throwaways should be collected by the state for recycling.

A fee should be charged on used containers for recycling.

Consumers had to pay for beverage containers and could get their money back on returning them.

Question: What regulation was issued by  concerning beverage containers?

In 1993. New York State ordered stores to charge a deposit on beverage  containers. Within a year. Consumers had returned millions of aluminum cans and glass and plastic bottles. Plenty of companies were eager to accept the aluminum and glass as raw materials for new products. But because few could figure out what to do with the plastic, much of it wound up buried in landfills . The problem was not limited to . Unfortunately, there were too few uses for second-hand plastic.
Today, one out of five plastic soda bottles is recycled  in the United States. The reason for the change is that now there are dozens of companies across the country buying discarded plastic soda bottles and turning them into fence posts, paint brushes, etc.
Shrinking landfill space, and rising costs for burying and burning rubbish are forcing local governments to look more closely at recycling. In many areas, the East Coast especially, recycling is already the least expensive waste-management option. For every ton of waste recycled, a city avoids paying for its disposal, which, in parts of , amounts to saving of more than $100 per ton. Recycling also stimulates the local economy by creating jobs and trims the pollution control and energy costs of industries that make recycled products by giving them a more refined raw material.


end up somewhere underground
be turned into raw materials
have a second-life value
be separated from other rubbish

Question: The returned plastic bottles in  used to _ .


to sell them at a profitable price
how to turn them into useful things
how to reduce their recycling costs
to lower the prices for used materials

Question: The key problem in dealing with returned plastic beverage containers is _ .


local governments find it easy to manage

recycling ahs great appeal for the jobless

Question: Recycling ahs become the first choice for the disposal of rubbish because _ .


rubbish is a potential remedy for the shortage of raw materials

local governments in the  can expect big profits from recycling

recycling is to be recommended both economically and environmentally

landfills will still be widely used for waste disposal

Question: It can be concluded from the passage that _ .


Americans are never satisfied with their incomes

Americans tend to overstate their incomes

Americans want to have their incomes increased

Americans want to increase the purchasing power of their incomes

Question: In Line 8, Paragraph 1, "the desire of individuals to maximize their incomes" means.

The American economic system is organized around a basically private-enterprise, market-oriented economy in which consumers largely determine what shall be produced by spending their money in the marketplace for those goods and services that they want most. Private businessmen, striving to make profits, produce these goods and services in competition with other businessmen; and the profit motive, operating under competitive pressures, largely determines how these goods and services are produced. Thus, in the American economic system it is the demand of individual consumers, coupled with the desire of businessmen to maximize profits and the desire of individuals to maximize their incomes, that together determine what shall be produced and how resources are used to produce it.
An important factor in a market-oriented economy is the mechanism by which consumer demands can be expressed and responded to by producers. In the American economy, this mechanism is provided by a price system, a process in which prices rise and fall in response to relative demands of consumers and supplies offered by seller-producers. If the product is in short supply relative to the demand, the price will be bid up and some consumers will be eliminated from the market. If, on the other hand, producing more of a commodity results in reducing its cost, this will tend to increase the supply offered by seller-producers, which in turn will lower the price and permit more consumers to buy the product. Thus, price is the regulating mechanism in the American economic system.
The important factor in a private-enterprise economy is that individuals are allowed to own productive resources (private property), and they are permitted to hire labor, gain control over natural resources, and produce goods and services for sale at a profit. In the American economy, the concept of private property embraces not only the ownership of productive resources but also certain rights, including the right to determine the price of a product or to make a free contract with another private individual.


producers can satisfy the consumers by mechanized production

consumers can express their demands through producers

Question: The first two sentences in the second paragraph tell us that 	.


private property and rights concerned
manpower and natural resources control
ownership of productive resources
free contracts and prices

Question: According to the passage, a private-enterprise economy is characterized by 	.


how American businessmen make their profits

Question: The passage is mainly about 	.


more and more students want to get further education in the USA

the Chinese people pay special attention to English studies with China's entry into the WTO

the already existing exam systems seem to be far from perfect

it will bring the US government quite a lot of money

Question: The United States will introduce a new exam because _ .

The United States will introduce a new and comprehensive exam for students who seek to study in American and other English-speaking countries, Xinhua News Agency reported from New York.
The exam, which stands for a great change from the current English level test, was disclosed by Theresa Chang Wei Jen, associate director of the International Service of the US College Board, America's leading educational organization.
The Advanced Placement International English Language (APIEL) will be offered for the first time throughout the world on May 10, 2002, said Jen.
However, the APIEL is a strange title to most Chinese students, and it is unlikely to soon gain the similarity of other already existing exams, such as the TOEFL(Test of English as a Foreign Language), the GRE(Graduate Record Examination), or the IELTS(International English Language Testing System).
"I have never heard of such a test and I would prefer the IELTS if I need another exam," said Xu Jingyan, a graduating student from Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, who wants to study in England and has already taken the TOEFL.
Most of Xu's classmates have never heard of the APIEL. "The APIEL is designed for international students who wish to get university studies in English-speaking countries, including the United States, Britain, Canada, and Australia." said Jen.
The APIEL has been adopted, said Jen, because the TOEFL can no longer accurately reflect the abilities of students of using the English language comprehensively in an academic environment. Xinhua reported that a fairly large number of foreign students who earned high scores in TOEFL exam turned out to be very ordinary educational performers after admission.
Compared with the TOEFL, the APIEL measures a student's ability to read, write, speak and understand English through testing his or her skills in listening comprehension, speaking with accuracy and resourcefulness, and writing with clarity and fluency, Jen said.


It will take quite a period of time for people to accept the APIEL.

The TOEFL is more popular with the Chinese than the IELTS.

A student will have to take the APIEL if he or she wants to study in English-speaking countries from 2002.

Chinese students will prefer the IELTS rather than the APIEL even in the future.

Question: Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the selection？


The Key to English-speaking Countries
The Four Skills in Learning English
TOEFL, IELTS and GRE to be Out of Date
New Exam Designed for Students

Question: Please decide which of the following would be the best title for this news report.


begin by receiving on-the-job training
must learn several jobs
begin as ticket takers
have already attended Disney University

Question: The first day they come to Disney parks, all new employees _ .

Millions of people pass through the gates of Disney's entertainment parks in California, Florida and Japan each year. What makes these places an almost universal attraction? What makes foreign kings and queens and other important people want to visit these Disney parks? Well, one reason is the way they're treated once they get there. The people at Disney go out of their way to serve their "guests", as they prefer to call them, and to see that they enjoy themselves.
All new employees, from vice presidents to par-time workers, begin their employment by attending Disney University and taking "Traditions 1". Here, they learn about the company's history, how it is managed and why it is successful. They are shown how each department relates to the whole. All employees are shown how their part is important in making the park a success.
After passing "Traditions 1", the employees go on to more specialized training for their specific (） jobs. No detail is missed. A simple job like taking tickets requires four eight-hour days of training. When one ticket taker was asked why it took so much training for such a simple, ordinary job, he replied, "What happens if someone wants to know where the restrooms are, when the parade starts or what bus to take back to the campgrounds?… We need to know the answers or where to get them quickly. Our constant aim is to help our guests enjoy the party."
Even Disney's managers get involved in the daily management of the park. Every year, the managers leave their desks and business suits and put on special service clothes. For a full week, the bosses sell hot dogs or ice cream, take tickets or drive the monorail (）, and take up any of the 100 jobs that make the entertainment park come alive. The managers agree that this week helps them to see the company's goals more clearly.
All these efforts to serve the public well have made Walt Disney Productions famous. Disney is considered by many as the best mass service provider in America or the world. As one long-time business observer once said, " How Disney treats people, communicates with them, rewards them, is in my view the very reason for his fifty years of success… I have watched, very carefully and with great respect and admiration, the theory and practice of selling satisfaction and serving millions of people on a daily basis, successfully. It is what Disney does best."


be able to answer all kinds of questions

Question: The main objective of the Disney employees is to _ .


remind themselves of their beginnings at Disney

gain a better view of the company's objectives

Question: Each year, managers wear special service clothes and work in the park to _ .


Tourist learn the history of Disney in its entertainment parks.

Disney attracts people almost from all over the world.

Parades are regularly held in Disney's entertainment parks.

Disney's managers are able to do almost all kinds of work in the Disney parks.

Question: Which is the following is NOT true according to the passage?


the history and traditions of the Disney enterprises

why Disney enterprises make a lot of money

the importance Disney places on serving people well

Question: This passage is mainly about _ .


to find out kids creative ideas
to discuss with the teacher
to give children lectures
to help kids with their program

Question: An architect pays a weekly visit to the classroom _ .

My kids really understand solar and earth-heat energy， says a second-grade teacher in Saugus，California.Some of them are building solar collectors for their energy course. These young scientists are part of City Building Educational Program(CBEP)，a particular program for kindergarten through twelfth grade that uses the stages of city planning to teach basic reading，writing and math skills，and more.
The children dont just plan any city. They map and analyze the housing，energy，and transportation requirements of their own district and foretell its needs in 100 years. With the aid of an architect who visits the classroom once a week，they invent new ways to meet these needs and build models of their creations.Designing buildings of the future gives children a lot of freedom，says the teacher who developed this program.They are able to use their own rich imagination and inventions without fear of blame，because there are no wrong answers in a future context. In fact，as the class enters the final model-building stage of the program，an elected official and planning group make all the design decisions for the model city，and the teacher steps back and becomes an adviser.
CBEP is a set of activities，games and imitations that teach the basic steps necessary for problem-solving：observing，analyzing，working out possible answers，and judging them based on the childrens own standards.


An official.
An architect.
A teacher.
A scientist.

Question: Who is the designer of the program?


people will be more and more rational in choosing the food they eat.

the arguments about what should be eaten will never come to an end.

people will someday reach a consensus on what the best food is.

people will be more and more fastidious in choosing the food they eat.

Question: The author believes that

I'm pretty confident that there will never be a day when all the world is in agreement about the best human diet. I'm an omnivore myself, but I have friends who swear by their paleo, vegetarian, and vegan diets. All of us can make compelling arguments about why we eat the way we do, and all of us can make valid criticisms of diets that are unlike our own.
For me, deciding how and what to eat required a close examination of the values and principles that truly matter to me. The type of food we consume has immediate health and economic consequences, but it also has a significant impact on our environment.
As a study shows, the manner and scale at which our society currently raises animal for human consumption contributes to climate change in major way. It also wastes water, pollutes our soil, and contaminates fresh water supplies. So if you're really trying to live a low-impact life, eating less meat and ensuring that the meat you do eat is raised by responsible farmers and ranchers could help you shrink your carbon footprint a lot faster than buying a hybrid or skipping showers.


has some important principles to follow.

will follow the instructions of his friends.

Question: When deciding how and what to eat, the author


has an indirect but great effect on our environment.

Question: The type of food we eat


We should stop raising animals for human consumption.

The way animals are raised for human consumption should be improved.

Environmental pollution and climate change are caused by raising animals for human consumption.

Question: What is implied in Paragraph 3


is needed in the solution of many problems

Question: The author believes that creative thinking_ .

When we think of creative people the names that probably spring to mind are those of men such as Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso, i. e. great artists, inventors and scientists-a select and exceptionally gifted body of men with rare talent and genius.   The  tendency  to regard creativity  and imaginative thinking as the exclusive province of a lucky few disregards the creative and imaginative aspects in the solution of many of the tasks we regularly have to face-the discovery and development of new methods and techniques, the improvement of old methods, existing inventions and products.
Everyone has creative ability to some extent. Creative thinking involves posing oneself a problem and then originating or inventing a solution along new and unconventional lines. It involves drawing new analogies, discovering new combination, and/or new applications of things that are already known. It follows, then, that a creative person will exhibit great intellectual curiosity and imagination. He will be alert and observant with a great store of information which he will be able to sort out and combine in the solution of problems. He will be emotionally receptive to new and unconventional ideas and will be less interested in facts than in their implications. Most important of all he will be able to communicate uninhibitedly ( ) and will not be too concerned about other people's reaction to his apparently "crazy" notions. People called the Wright brothers mad but it did not stop them from becoming the first men to construct and fly a heavier-than-air craft.


should not be afraid of what others think

Question: In order to solve scientific problems, people_ .


finding the problem and originating a solution

Question: Creative thinking involves_ .


for their face-value
for what they imply
and remember them
which are less interesting

Question: A creative person must look at facts _ .


not ordinary
not political
unacceptable
not creative

Question: In the second paragraph, the word "unconventional" means_ .


she had lost her own on her way to school

Question: The girl wanted to borrow a pen, because  _  .

I found out one time that doing a favor for someone could get you into a lot of trouble. I was in the eighth grade at the time, and we were having a final test. During the test, the girl sitting next to me whispered something, but I didn't understand. So I leaned over her way and found out that she was trying to ask me if I had an extra pen. She showed me that hers was out of ink and would not write. I happened to have an extra one, so I took it out of my pocket and put it on her desk.
Later, after the test papers had been turned in, the teacher asked me to stay in the room when all the other students were dismissed. As soon as we were alone she began to talk to me about what it meant to grow up; she talked about how important it was to stand on your own two feet and be responsible for your own acts. For a long time, she talked about honesty and emphasized the fact that when people do something dishonest, they are really cheating themselves. She made me promise that I would think seriously about all the things she had said, and then she told me I could leave. I walked out of the room wondering why she had chosen to talk to me about all those things.
Later on, I found out that she thought I had cheated on the test. When she saw me lean over to talk to the girl next to me, it looked as if I was copying answers from the girl's test paper. I tried to explain about the pen, but all she could say was it seemed very very strange to her that I hadn't talked of anything about the pen the day she talked to me right after the test. Even if I tried to explain that I was just doing the girl a favor by letting her use my pen, I am sure she continued to believe that I had cheated on the test


in the teacher's office
in an exam room
in the school
in the language lab

Question: The story took place exactly  _  .


to go on writing his paper
to stop whispering
to leave the room immediately
to stay behind after the exam

Question: The teacher saw all this, so she asked the boy  _  .


when the teacher started talking about honesty

Question: The boy knew everything  _  .


honesty
sense of duty
seriousness
all of the above

Question: The thing(s) emphasized in her talk was(were)  _  .


our desire for lives of fulfillment.
our faith in science and technology.
our awareness of potential risks.
our belief in equal opportunity.

Question: Our vision of the future used to be inspired by

Up until a few decades ago, our visions of the future were largely-though by no means uniformly-glowingly positive. Science and technology would cure all the ills of humanity, leading to lives of fulfilment and opportunity for all.
Now utopia has grown unfashionable, as we have gained a deeper appreciation of the range of threats facing us, from asteroid strike to epidemic flu and to climate change. You might even be tempted to assume that humanity has little future to look forward to.
But such gloominess is misplaced. The fossil record shows that many species have endured for millions of years
-so why shouldn't we? Take a broader look at our species' place in the universe, and it becomes clear that we have an excellent chance of surviving for tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of years. Look up Homo sapiens in the "Red List" of threatened species of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and you will read: "Listed as Least Concern as the species is very widely distributed, adaptable, currently increasing,  and there are no major threats resulting in an overall population decline."
So what does our deep future hold? A growing number of researchers and organizations are now thinking seriously about that question. For example, the Long Now Foundation has as its flagship project a mechanical
clock that is designed to still be marking time thousands of years hence.
Perhaps willfully, it may be easier to think about such lengthy timescales than about the more immediate future. The potential evolution of today's technology, and its social consequences, is dazzlingly complicated, and it's perhaps best left to science fiction writers and futurologists to explore the many possibilities we can envisage. That's one reason why we have launched Arc, a new publication dedicated to the near future.
But take a longer view and there is a surprising amount that we can say with considerable assurance. As so often, the past holds the key to the future: we have now identified enough of the long-term patterns shaping the history of the planet, and our species, to make evidence-based forecasts about the situations in which our descendants will find themselves.
This long perspective makes the pessimistic view of our prospects seem more likely to be a passing fad. To be sure, the future is not all rosy. But we are now knowledgeable enough to reduce many of the  risks that threatened the existence of earlier humans, and to improve the lot of those to come.


a sustained species.
a threat to the environment.
the world's dominant power.
a misplaced race.

Question: The IUCN's "Red List" suggests that human beings are


Arc helps limit the scope of futurological studies.

Technology offers solutions to social problems.

The interest in science fiction is on the rise.

Our immediate future is hard to conceive.

Question: Which of the following is true according to Paragraph 5?


explore our planet's abundant resources.

Question: To ensure the future of mankind, it is crucial to


Uncertainty about Our Future
Evolution of the Human Species
The Ever-bright Prospects of Mankind
Science, Technology and Humanity

Question: Which of the following would be the best title for the text?