There are about 80.000.000 mines under the ground in more than 60 countries. It is difficult and dangerous to clear these mines.About 50 people including many children were killed or hurt each day.In 2003，APOPO，a Duch research company that trains the animals,came up with the idea of using rats to search for the mines.
The animal trainers found that a kind of rats from Africa were clever and had a sharp sense of smell.The rats were about 75 cm long and weighted about 1.35 kg.light enough to run across a minefield without setting off the mines.
In January 2004，the  APOPO startec this preject.First ,the trainers let the 4-week-old baby rats get familier with humans. A few weeks later，the rats were no longer afraid of people and the things around them.Then they were trained to connect a click sound with food.After the rats had learned that ,the trainers then taught them to tell the different between the smell of mines and other smells.When the rats could do it，the click was sounded and they were given a bit of bananas.The method was called clicker training.“The training isn’t easy.”said the trainer Adulish Mebomvu.“You have to be patient.Sometimes I get angry,but then again.I tell myself these are animals.”
After nine months’ training,the rats were taken to 4 minefield. They ran across the minefield ,stopped, sat and searched the ground to tell the deminers that they smelt out a mine. Then the mine was cleared.It had taken two deminers a day to clear a 200 m² minefield. But with the help of two rats they could finish it in two hours.
The rats and the deminers saved thousands of lives.“The rats did this job much better than we expected.So far they have helpde to make almost 2.000.000 m² of land safe.They are heroes.”said Bart Woetjcds.the head of the APOPO.
【小題1】The APOPO trained the rats to search for__.

Animals grow up in different ways. They have lots of lessons to learn.
Some animals are born helpless but their mothers protect them. A newborn kangaroo is the size of a bee. She stays in her mother’s safe pouch. She doesn’t open her eyes for at least five months. A newborn monkey cannot walk. He is carried by his mother.
Other baby animals can walk soon after they’re born. They learn to run with their mother when danger is near. A baby zebra（斑馬）can run an hour after she is born.
Some baby animals are born in a place that is safe. Other baby animals are born in the open. Baby wolves are born in large holes. A baby elephant is born on open, grassy land. Other elephants make a circle（圈）to protect her.

Animals that drink their mothers’ milk are called mammals. A mother bear’s milk is fatty and rich. Baby bears need lots of fat to keep warm in winter. They have milk for six months. Baby zebras drink milk for six months or more! As baby animals grow they need solid（固體的）food. Baby lions eat what their mother can catch.
【小題1】Which baby animals don’t open their eyes for at least five months?

There has been a lot of rain in California recently. Villagers and leaders there begin to be worried because they have found two birds died from a disease, West Nile Virus(病毒).
West Nile Virus is carried by mosquitoes(蚊子).The symptoms(癥狀) are just like the flu. However, it can cause dangerous brain problems. When it rains a lot, it will leave a lot of water in ponds and trees. These places are good for mosquitoes. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in the water. Warm weather will help the mosquito eggs to develop and then the number is increasing. Birds eat the mosquitoes and get sick. People can get the disease if they are bitten(叮咬) by mosquitoes with West Nile Virus.
The government is trying its best go stop the spread of West Nile Virus. People are asked to wear long sleeves(長袖)and pants, close their windows and shut the doors. At the same time, workers have been sent out to check the wet areas. If they find mosquitoes they will use some special medicine to kill them.
【小題1】Why did the two birds die?
A. They died from West Nile Virus.
B. They could not get enough food.
C. The villagers killed them.
【小題2】From the passage we know West Nile Virus is carried by ______.
A. flu                    B. mosquitoes                  C. water
【小題3】People will get the disease if ______.
A. they get wet in rainy days
B. they are bitten by any mosquito
C. they are bitten by mosquitoes with West Nile Virus
【小題4】People are asked to wear long sleeves and pants in order to ­­______.
A. keep warm
B. check the wet areas
C. avoid being bitten by mosquitoes

Television has a huge influence on our lives. It is one of the most important ways of getting information. People spend part of their spare time watching television, and much of what they learn comes from it.
What we see on TV — movies，news shows, sports shows, advertisements and so on have increased our knowledge and have changed the way we learn about the world today. However, not everything on TV is true.
Most of the viewers (觀眾) are children. Television sometimes is like a baby-sitter. It spends more time with children than parents do. But it keeps them in the living room away from healthy outdoor activities. They spend less time playing soccer or walking in the park or playing games in the yard.
Of course, there are some programs on TV that are good for children. But there are also some shows which are bad. Children should not watch unhealthy shows. Maybe we can't change what is on TV, but we can choose what we watch. Do you agree?
【小題1】According to the passage,_is one of the most important ways of gettinginformation.
a. a book b. a computer C. TV
【小題2】_can't be got on Television.
a. Knowledge   b. Sports news C. Computer games
【小題3】The underlined word "baby-sitter" means
A. 小妹妹  B. 保育員       C. 女嬰
【小題4】What can we do with programs on TV?
A. We can surely change them.
B. We can do nothing.
C. We can choose them.
【小題5】From the passage, we may know_.
A. TV is both good and bad for children.
B. Everything is true on TV.
C All programs on TV are suitable for children.

Kelly is an African elephant. Now she is 19 years old. She lives in the zoo. Kelly has produced more than 100 paintings since last year. She has made over $ 3,500 for the zoo. Zoo leaders say Kelly first showed the art ability about 5 years ago. Zoo workers watched her make the marks in the sand with her trunk(象鼻). She rubbed out(抹去) the marks, then made the new ones. The zoo workers gave her brushes and paints. Soon Kelly was painting pictures. Newspaper reporters wrote about Kelly, and then people went to buy her pictures. And in this way she made a lot of money for the zoo by painting.
This is how Kelly does the painting. A zoo worker holds different color paints and Kelly touches the colors she wants. Then the worker gives her the chosen colors to the brushes in her trunk and Kelly begins to paint.
【小題1】We most probably read this story in     .
A. a magazine     B. a newspaper      C. a history textbook
【小題2】Kelly first learned to draw pictures      .
A. in the sand with her trunk      B. to make money
C. when she was 5 years old
【小題3】People asked for Kelly's pictures because      .
A. they just wanted to have fun
B. the zoo leaders asked them to do so
C. the zoo workers asked them to do so
【小題4】Kelly rubbed out the marks she had made in order to        .
A. make other ones        B. clean her trunk       C. ask for more brushes and paints
【小題5】From the story we can know that       .
A. Kelly can draw nice pictures all by herself
B. Kelly doesn't like to draw pictures at all
C. Kelly can draw pictures with the help of the zoo workers

閱讀短文，選擇最佳答案。

Now lots of teenagers like smoking. It's a big problem. Some of them smoke, just for fun and some think smoking looks cool. Others smoke because there are many people around them that smoke.
As we all know, smoking is harmful, especially to students. Some teenagers even steal money so that they can buy cigarettes. Besides, smoking does harm to brains and it can influence studies. Finally, it is bad for health because it can cause diseases.
Therefore(因此), we should protect ourselves from smoking. First, we should learn more about the danger of smoking. Second, we should keep away from people who smoke.
【小題1】Now some teenagers like smoking because_________.
A. smoking is good for them
B. their parents want them to do so
C. they think it is fun
【小題2】From the passage, we know some teenagers steal money in order to _______.
A. buy cigarettes   B. buy books                         C. play games
【小題3】Smoking is harmful to_________ .
A. brains              B. legs                                   C. eyes
【小題4】Which of the following sentences is NOT true?
A. Smoking can cause diseases.
B. Smoking can influence studies.
C. We shouldn't keep away from people who smoke.
【小題5】The writer of the passage wants teenagers________.
A. to smoke           B. not to smoke                      C. not to keep away from smoking

The first telephone cards, produced in 1976, were Italian. Five years later the first British card appeared, and now you can buy cards in more than a hundred countries. People usually start collecting cards because they are small and light and you do not need much space for them. It is also a cheap hobby for beginners, although for some people it becomes a serious business. In Paris, for example, there is a market where you can only buy telephone cards, and some cards cost up to ￡4,000.The first Japanese card has a value of about ￡28,000. Most people only see cards with prices like these in their collectors’ magazine.
【小題1】When were the first Italian telephone cards produced?
【小題2】How many countries can produce telephone cards now?
【小題3】Where can we find a market to buy telephone cards?
【小題4】What is the price of the first Japanese telephone card?
【小題5】In which magazine do most people see cards with prices?

What will the house of the future look like? Could it have gardens on its walls, or a pool with fish for dinner? Architects believe that they are all possibilities. The only thing for sure is that the houses will be as green as possible.
The tree house
Many architects in the world would like to build a “tree house.” Like a leaf, the surface of the house collects sunlight during the day. The energy can be used to heat water, produce electricity, and even create fresh air for the home. The “root” (根) of the house is deep under the ground. It uses the soil (土壤) to the home’s temperature.
The Lizard house
Like a lizard (蜥蜴), changing color with the weather is the most important design of a lizard house. When it’s in the bright sun, the cover of the house will turn dark to protect it from strong heat. During dark days, it turns white and takes in as much light and heat as possible to produce energy.
Meals at home
This design is perhaps as much about the future of food production as architecture (建筑風(fēng)格). It has gardens on the outside wall of the house. People can plant tomatoes, carrots and green tea on them. So every day in the morning, you just need to walk outside and collect your meals.
Learning from the past
Looking to the future isn’t the only way to be green. Sometimes, ancient techniques (古老的技術(shù)) can also help cut down energy use. For example, a chimney (煙囪) can be a useful air conditioner because it is easier of hot air to flow out at the chimney.
【小題1】What is the best title (標(biāo)題) of the passage?
A. Green house of the future.
b. The greener, the better.
C. How to build green houses.
D. Changes of the houses.
【小題2】We can heat water, produce electricity or create fresh air for the home            .
A. with the root of a leaf.
b. with the energy from sunlight.
C. with the soil under the ground
D. with gardens on its walls.
【小題3】What will happen to the cover of the lizard house when it’s in the bright sun?
A. It will take in light.
b. It will produce energy.
C. It will turn dark.
D. It will turn white.
【小題4】The passage seems to tell us that meals at home in the future            .
A. will be more delicious.
b. need more cooks.
C. cost as much as possible.
D. will be greener.
【小題5】A chimney can be a useful air conditioner but it used to cause          .
A. pollution.   b. accident.     C. noise.      D. techniques.

The scientists from the Lockheed Space Company (公司) work in Felton, California, with the help of a computer. But the computer is placed in Sunnyside, about 80 kilometers away. What the scientists input is sent by telephone lines to the computer, and after a time, copies of the designs are needed back in Felton as possible. Lockheed people have tried several ways of sending the prints (印刷品), but the most effective seems to be by pigeon (鴿子). Are pigeons really used to carry messages in these days? They are, and they send the prints faster and cheaper than any other way.
Human (人類的) messengers (persons carrying messages) are much more expensive and slower than the pigeons. The road to Felton goes through the mountains, and the driving is not easy. An electronic printout system(電子印刷系統(tǒng)) could do the work in Felton, but at a cost of 10 dollars a print. Pigeons carry the designs for about 1 dollar each.
Now Lockheed people have ten pigeon messengers. The pigeons do the work, and they have made Lockheed more famous. You can often read the news about the pigeons in the newspapers around the world.
【小題1】The story is mainly about      .