Skeptics are a strange lot. Some of them refuse to admit the serious threat of human activities to the environment, and they are tired of people who disagree with them. Those people, say skeptics, spread nothing but bad news about the environment. The “eco-guilt” brought on by the discouraging news about our planet gives rise to the popularity of skeptics as people search for more comforting worldviews.
Perhaps that explain why a new book by Bjorn Lomborg received so much publicity. That book, The Skeptical Environmentalist, declares that it measures the “real state of the world” as fine. Of course, another explanation is the deep pockets some big businesses with special interests. Indeed, Mr. Lomborg’s views are similar to those of some Industry-funded organizations, which start huge activities though the media to confuse the public about issues like global warming.
So it was strange to see Mr. Lomborg’s book go largely unchallenged in the media though his beliefs were contrary to most scientific opinions. One national newspaper in Canada ran a number of articles and reviews full of words of praise, even with the conclusion that “After Lomborg, the environmental movement will begin to die down.”
Such one-sided views should have immediately been challenged. But only a different review appeared in Nature, a respected science magazine with specific readership. The review remarked that Mr. Lomborg’s “preference for unexamined materials is incredible (不可信的)”。
A critical (批判的) eye is valuable, and the media should present information in such a way that could allow people to make informed decisions. Unfortunately, that is often inaccessible as blocked by the desire to be shocking or to defend some special interests. People might become half-blind before a world partially exhibited by the media. That’s a shame, because matters concerning the health of the planet are far too important to be treated lightly.
小題1: According to the passage, which of the following may be regarded as “skeptics”?
A．People who agree on the popularity of “eco-guilt”.
B．People who disbelieve the serious situation of our planet.
C．People who dislike the harmful effect of human activities.
D．People who spread comforting news to protect our environment.
小題2:Which of the following can be a reason for the popularity of Lomborg’s books?
A．Some big businesses intend to protect their own interests.
B．The book challenges views about the fine state of the world.
C．The author convinces people to seek comforting worldviews.
D．Industry–funded media present confusing information.
小題3:The author mentioned the review in Nature in order to_____.
A．voice a different opinion
B．find fault with Lomborg’s book
C．challenge the authority of the media
D．point out the value of scientific views.
小題4:What is the author’s main purpose in writing the passage?
A．To encourage the skeptics to have a critical eye.
B．To warn the public of the danger of half–blindness with reviews.
C．To blame the media’s lack of responsibility in presenting information.
D．To show the importance of presenting overall information by the media.

小題1: B          
小題2:A
小題3:A
小題4:D
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Which are you more likely to have wath you at sny given mement—your cell phone or your wallet? Soon you may be able to throw your wallet away and pay for things with a quick wave of your smart phone over an electroue scannet.
In January, Starbucks announced that customers could start using their phones to buy coffee in 6,800 of its states. This is the first pay-by-phone practice in the U.S., but we’re likely to see more witeless payment alternatives as something called ucar field communcation(NFC)GETS IN TO America’s consumet electanies. Last Deccmbet some new smart phanes which cantain an NFC chip were introduced to the public.
Already in use in part of Asia and Europe, NFC allows shoppers to wave theie phones a few inchs above a payment terminal-a contact-free system build for speed and convenience.  plan a few incees live a payment tetminal a one a few ptaht need to be worked out, like who will get to collect the profitable trunsacian(交易)fees. Although some credit card providers have been experimenting with wave and pay systems that use NFC enabled credit cards, cellphone service providers truay try to mused their way into the point of sale (POS)market. Three big cell phone service providers have formed a joinf tenture(合資企業(yè))that will go into opention over the next 15 months. Its goal is“to lead the U.S. payments industry from cards to mobile phone.”
The other big NFC sue, apart from how paymeats will be processed, is security, For instance, what’s to stop a thief from digitally pickpocketing you? “We’re still not at the point where an attacker can just brush against yee in a crowd and steal all the money out of your phone,”says Jimmy Shah. A mobile security rescarcher, “Usera may also be able to set transaction timeits,requiring a password to be enteced for larger putchases.
Bussiness? Keep in mund you lost your smart phone, it can be located on a located on a map and remotely disabled. Plus, your phone can be password protected, Your wallet isn’t.
小題1:What is predicted to happen in the U.S.?
A．The expansion of cellphone companices.
B．The boom of pay by phone business.
C．The dissppearanceof credit cards.
D．The increase of Starbucks sales.s
小題2:The NFC technology can be used to________.
A．ensure the safety of shoppers
B．collect transaction fees easily
C．make purchase faster and smpler
D．improve the quality of cellphones
小題3:Three cellphone service providers form a joint venture to__________.
A．strengthen their relationship
B．get a share in the payments industry
C．sell more cellphones
D．test the NFC teehnoingy
小題4:According to the what can users do if they lose their smart phones?
A．Stop the luneting of niet phones.
B．Stop a passwant.
C．Cat all the money out of their phones.
D．Can large purchases.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Most people think that the older you get, the harder it is to learn a new language. That is, they believe that children learn more easily and efficiently than adults. Thus, at some point in our lives, maybe around age 12 or 13, we lose the ability to learn languages well. Is this idea a fact or myth(懸念)？
Is it true that children learn a foreign language more efficiently than adults? On the contrary, research studies suggest that the opposite may be true. One report, on 2,000 Danish children studying Swedish, concluded that the teenagers learned more, in less time, than the younger children. Another report, on Americans learning Russian, showed a direct improvement of ability over the age range tested; that is, the ability to learn increased as the age increased, from childhood to adulthood.
There are several possible explanations for these findings. For one thing, adults know more about the world and therefore are able to understand meanings more easily than children. Moreover, adults can use logical(邏輯的) thinking to help themselves see patterns in the language. Finally, adults have more self-discipline (self-control) than children.
All in all, it seems that the common idea that children are better language learners than adults may not be a fact, but a myth.
小題1:The main idea of the passage is that         .
A．teenagers are more difficult to teach
B．Danish teenagers can learn Swedish faster than younger children
C．a(chǎn)dults are more logical than children
D．the ability to learn languages increases with age
小題2: If most people’s idea of learning languages is true, people may lose ability to learn languages well         .
A．a(chǎn)t an early ageB．when they reach their twenties
C．a(chǎn)t an old ageD．a(chǎn)fter they become young men
小題3:According to the passage, teenagers can learn a foreign language __________ than younger children.
A．harderB．more efficientlyC．more slowly D．more carefully
小題4:The reason why adults understand meanings more easily than children is that         .
A．a(chǎn)dults have more self-discipline
B．a(chǎn)dults like to play more than children
C．a(chǎn)dults have more knowledge than children
D．a(chǎn)dults accept new things more easily than children
小題5:The explanation for older student’s better achievement not mentioned in the above passage is that       .
A．a(chǎn)dults know more about the world.B．a(chǎn)dults can use logical thinking
C．a(chǎn)dults have more self-discipline.D．a(chǎn)dults can read better.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

It’s always great to hear news about wildlife returning to where they once lived. For the first time in 8 years the small blue --- British’s smallest butterfly--- has been seen back at a nature reserve in Hertfordshire.
This nature reserve has had a lot of work done recently in order to help butterflies. Management of the land has included bringing in sheep to keep the grass under control in a more natural way and planting wild flowers for butterfly species. The nature reserve is home to a number of butterfly species. In fact the way that this reserve has been managed means that it is probably the best reserve in Hertfordshire to see butterflies with at least 25 species now living in the area.
There are a number of threats to British butterflies and the greatest threat is the loss of their habitat. Changing farming practice has affected British native butterfly species greatly with many more now being at risk. Butterflies are such an excellent species that they can clearly tell the situation of local environment because they are easily influenced by environmental changes, A wide species of butterflies will generally mean a healthy environment.
The type of land management at the nature reserve in Hertfordshire offers a hope for many species of butterfly to live as usual. Butterflies need all the help they can get at the moment. Although the number of butterflies is beginning to increase, many are still at risk.
小題1:What has the nature reserve done to help butterflies return ?
a. changing the reserve place     b. bringing in sheep
c. planting wild flowers         d. changing farming practice
A．a(chǎn).bB．c,dC．a(chǎn),dD．b,c
小題2:Why did the butterflies fly away eight years ago？
A．The weather is changingB．The flowers have died out
C．Their habitat has been lost.D．The environment has changed
小題3:What can we infer from the passage?
A．The environment has changed healthier a lot than before.
B．All the butterflies have returned to the reserve.
C．There is no threat to the British butterflies.
D．Over 25 species is living in the reserve now.
小題4:What does the underlined sentence mean?
A．The butterflies changed as the environment changed.
B．Butterflies are very beautiful.
C．Butterflies are sensitive to the environment the live.
D．Butterflies can tell us what is happening.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

For a writer, there is hardly any greater honor than winning the Nobel Prize for literature.
And for a woman writer, claiming the prize is even harder, for only eight women once won it. Austria’s Elfriede Jelinek is the ninth and the first since 1996.
The Stockholm-based Swedish Academy announced last Thursday that Jelinek won this year’s Nobel Prize in literature. She is recognized for her socially critical(批判的) novels and plays.
Jelinek, 57, made her literary debut (初次露面) in 1967. She has written plays, novels and poetry. She is best known for her autobiographical 1983 novel “The Piano Teacher”, made into a movie in 2001.
The basic theme of her work is the inability of women to live as people beyond the roles and personalities traditionally expected of them. Her characters struggle to lead lives not normally acceptable in society. “The nature of Jelinek’s texts is often hard to define. They shift between prose(散文) and poetry and songs, they contain theatrical scenes and film script,” said the academy.
The Nobel Prize was founded by Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel. Nobel died in 1896 and left his fortune of about US $920 million to a fund to honor people who have helped other human beings. This year each prize is worth US $13 million.
小題1: The underlined word “them” in the last second paragraph refers to _______.
A．rolesB．peopleC．textsD．women
小題2:Elfrede Jelinek won the Nobel Prize just because _______.
A．she was an Austrian woman writer
B．she wrote socially critical novels and plays
C．her novel “The Piano Teacher” was made into a movie
D．the nature of her texts is hard to define.
小題3: Which of the following about the Nobel Prize is TRUE?
A．It is harder for a woman writer to win than a man writer.
B．The total prize every year was $920 million.
C．Women writers were not awarded until 1996.
D．Only eight women writers won the prize since 1996.
小題4:This passage is most likely taken from _______.
A．a(chǎn) travel magazineB．a(chǎn) history bookC．a(chǎn) newspaperD．a(chǎn)n advertisement

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

We are all busy talking about and using the Internet, but how many of us know the history of the Internet?
Many people are surprised when they find that the Internet was set up in the 1960s. At that time, computers were large and expensive. Computer networks didn’t work well. If one computer in the network broke down, then the whole network stopped. So a new network system had to be set up. It should be good enough to be used by many different computers. If part of the network was not working, information could be sent through another part. In this way, computer network system would keep on working all the time.
At first the Internet was only used by the government, but in the early 1970s, universities, hospitals and banks were allowed to use it, too. However, computers were still very expensive and the Internet was difficult to use. By the start of the 1990s, computers had become cheaper and easier to use. Scientists had also developed software that made “surfing” the Internet more convenient.
Today it is easy to get on-line and it is said that millions of people use the Internet every day. Sending e-mail is more and more popular among students.
The Internet has now become one of the most important parts of people’s life.
小題1:The Internet has a history of about____________ years.
A．70B．10C．50D．20
小題2: A new network system was set up to_____________.
A．make computers cheaper.
B．make itself keep on working all the time.
C．break down the whole network.
D．make computers large and expensive.
小題3: At first the Internet was only used by_____________.
A．the government.B．scientistsC．hospitals and banks D．schools
小題4:Which of the following is TRUE?
A．In the 1960s, computer networks worked well.
B．In the early 1970s, the Internet was easy to use.
C．Sending e-mail is now more popular among students.
D．Today it’s still not easy to get on-line.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Nowadays, there’s a lot of debate about single sex education since it has begun to regain its popularity recently. According to long term studies of children from around the world, students achieve more and learn better in single sex schools.
An Australian study of 270,000 students found that both boys and girls performed much higher on standardized(標(biāo)準(zhǔn)化) tests when they attended separate schools. During an experiment in Virginia in 1995, 100 eighth graders were separated just for math and science courses. Almost immediately, the girls began to achieve more, become more confident and take part more often in class activities.
In 2001, a British study concluded that nearly every girl regardless of (不論) her ability or socio-economic status performed better in single sex classrooms than co-ed ones. The study of 2,954 high schools and 979 primary schools showed that while boys at the lowest levels in study improved the most in single sex schools, single sex education was particularly beneficial (有益的) to girls. Every one of the top 50 private elementary schools and top 20 private high schools in Britain are single sex schools.
Girls became more confident in themselves as students and earned higher scores on their College Board and Advanced Placement examinations. A quarter of the female members of the US Congress and one-third of all female members of Fortune 100 boards graduated from all-women’s colleges.
While the statistics are not as dramatic for boys, however, boys tend to soften their competitive edge and become more cooperative in a single sex setting. They can just be boys and not worry about what the girls might think.
Single sex education has a pleasant way of encouraging children to be fearless, to be curious, to be enthusiastic --- in short, to just be themselves. Children are subjected (屈從于) to pressures from every quarter to become adults before they are ready to do so. They grow up too quickly. Why not let them be children for a few more years? Single sex education with its gentler, more controlled social atmosphere is just the right answer for many children.
小題1:   With the experiment in Virginia in 1995, the writer wants to show that        .
A．single sex education has become popular in recent years
B．the effect of single sex education on girls is immediate
C．students at separate schools are better prepared for standardized tests
D．both boy and girl students achieve more and learn better in single sex schools
小題2:According to the article, which of the following statements about single sex education is TRUE?
A．Girls’ performances in single sex classrooms are determined by their ability and socioeconomic status.
B．In all-boys schools boys with the worst academic performances improved the most.
C．Single sex education was particularly helpful for boys.
D．There are more single sex schools than co-ed schools in Britain.
小題3:   In the article, the underlined phrase “soften their competitive edge” probably means        .
A．a(chǎn)ct in a kindly mannerB．become less competitive
C．lose interest in somethingD．take advantage of something
小題4:   What is the main point of the article?
A．Ways to reduce pressure and help children grow.
B．The reason why girls perform better than boys at school.
C．The advantage of single sex education.
D．The development of single sex education in different countries.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

It takes two to duet (二重唱), and one question for scientists is how these coordinated (協(xié)調(diào)的) performances arise — in birds. Are they the result of cooperation, a way in which one pair signals to others that they’ve got it together? Or are they the result of conflict, evolving to avoid one partner’s song interfering with the other’s?
A study of duetting in Peruvian warbling antbirds(蟻鳥) suggests that it might be a little of both, and that context is everything. Joseph A. Tobias and Nathalie Seddon of the University of Oxford show in Current Biology that sexual conflict can cause the female of a pair that normally cooperates to “jam” the male’s song by singing over it.
The researchers exposed antbird pairs to recorded songs of other antbirds and monitored the songs the pairs produced. In one experiment, they played the songs of an intruding pair. In this case, the resident pair “both are likely to lose their territory, so both should cooperate,” Dr. Tobias said. And they do. They produce a coordinated duet that in effect tells the intruders to keep away.
But when the researchers played the song of a single female, the pair behaved differently. “You’d expect the resident female to be highly motivated to defend her position in the partnership,” Dr. Tobias said. And that’s what occurs. The male sings its heart out, flirting(調(diào)情) with the single female, and the female of the pair does its best to interfere with the song by singing over it, apparently to make her mate less attractive to the other female.
“It’s clear that the male doesn’t like what she’s doing,” Dr. Tobias said. The behavior “breaks up what is otherwise a very cooperative situation into a more complicated signal,” he added.
It’s the first evidence of this kind of signal jamming among pairs, Dr. Tobias said.
And in that it leads the male to alter its song to avoid the female’s interfering notes, it shows that this kind of conflict could, over a long period, drive the evolution of coordinated song.
小題1:
What is the key factor of antbirds’ duet?
A．Their cooperation.B．Their conflict.
C．The context.D．Their instinct.
小題2:
How did the researchers conduct the experiment?
A．They put the antbird pairs back to nature and observe them.
B．They played different recorded songs of other antbirds.
C．They put an antbird to the other’s territory and observed.
D．They played the songs of an intruding pair.
小題3:
Why did the female bird sing according to Paragraph 4?
A．It wanted to show its singing talent to the partner.
B．It aimed at keeping the partnership with the male.
C．It wanted to frighten the other females.
D．It wanted to make her mate more attractive.
小題4:
Which of the following is the topic of this passage?
A．The special phenomenon about birds pairs.
B．The conflict of bird pairs.
C．The cooperation of bird pairs.
D．The piece of music for bird pairs.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

The hardworking blacksmith Jones used to work all day in his shop and so hard-working was he that at times he would make the sparks (火星) fly from his hammer.
The son of Mr. Smith, a rich neighbor, used to come to see the blacksmith every day and for hours and hours he would enjoy himself watching how the tradesman worked.
“Young man, why don’t you try your hand to learn to make shoe tacks (釘), even if it is only to pass the time?” said the blacksmith. “Who knows, one day, it may be of use to you.”
The lazy boy began to see what he could do. But after a little practice he found that he was becoming very skilled and soon he was making some of the finest tacks.
Old Mr. Smith died and the son on account of the war lost all his goods. He had to leave home and was forced to live in another country. It so happened that in this village there were many shoemakers who were spending a lot of money buying tacks for their shoes and even at times when they paid high prices they were not always able to get what they wanted, because in that part of the country there was a high demand for soldiers’ shoes.
Our young Mr. Smith, who was finding it difficult to earn his daily bread, remembered that once upon a time he had learned the art of making tacks and had the sudden idea of making a bargain with the shoemakers. He told them that he would make the tacks if they would help to get him settled in the workshop. The shoemakers were only too glad of the offer. And after a while, Mr. Smith found that he was soon making the finest tacks in the village.
“How funny it seems,” he used to say, “even making tacks can make money. My trade is more useful to me than all my former riches.”
小題1: The young man learnt to make shoe tacks because ________.
A．his father told him to B．he wanted to learn a skill
C．Jones encouraged him toD．he just wanted to pass his time
小題2: Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A．Old Mr. Smith enjoyed making the shoe tacks.
B．The blacksmith had predicted the young man would be in need of the skill.
C．The higher prices they paid, the more tacks the shoemakers would get.
D．The young man earned his living by his skills learnt when he was young.
小題3: What can we learn from the story?
A．Practice makes perfect.B．Skill makes life easy.
C．A good beginning makes a good ending.D．Every man has his gift.

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