Founded in 1966，Seacamp，the first program dedicated to the education of youth in marine(海洋的) sciences，is the result of a cooperative effort of parents，scientists，businessmen and camp leaders.Preservation practices and a respect for the marine environment are the philosophy of the Seacamp.
Seacamp’s tropical marine location in the lower Florida Keys enables it to offer a truly unique marine science program.This program is the heart of Seacamp.Young scientists participate in a variety of courses under the guidance of academically trained marine science instructors and biologists.All science activities include studies in both the field and the laboratory.Each session,140 to 160 campers come to Seacamp，mostly from the US，but also from across the world.There are about 30 international campers each summer from an average of twelve countries.Many Seacamp program graduates have gone on to careers as environmental educators and marine scientists.
One of Seacamp’s unique aspects is that campers create their schedules.In addition to science classes，campers choose from a variety of programs to ensure that there is something interesting and exciting for everyone.Campers interested in journalism may work on the camp newspaper，SEASCOPE，which is published periodically during camp sessions.Arts activities are also included.Photography allows campers to take home memories of friends，wildlife，and underwater experiences.
Seacamp teaches the fun and skills of sailing.It’s an excellent way for future marine scientists to become familiar with the winds，tides and currents that are of primary concern in oceanography.Basic Red Cross certification is offered to beginners in sailing.The Red Cross course in advanced lifesaving is taught at Seacamp.The course is designed to increase the campers’ ability to recognize and avoid dangerous water conditions and practices and to use self­rescue skills to get out of dangerous situations.
Parents may bring campers by car to Big Pine Key.Counselors(輔導(dǎo)員) also meet participants at the Miami International Airport on the opening day of camp and accompany them to Big Pine Key on a bus.The fee for round­trip service is $90.To join the Seacamp adventure，interested campers should contact Seacamp for an application.
We love to talk about camp！For more information or to ask any questions you might have，please give our friendly staff a call and we’ll be glad to help!
小題1:According to the text，Seacamp is designed to help campers ________.

A．have a good time at the seaside

B．develop a sense of marine protection

C．make a further study about sea life

D．complete a course about marine wildlife

小題2:It can be learned from Paragraph 3 and 4 that ________.

A．Seacamp offers many programs apart from science classes

B．Seacamp is responsible for training marine scientists

C．beginners in sailing should learn the advanced Red Cross course

D．Seacamp provides traditional camp activities such as arts and crafts

小題3:The main purpose of the text is to ________.

A．a(chǎn)ttract the young to Seacamp

B．present Seacampers’ experiences

C．introduce the programs of Seacamp

D．explain the aim of Seacamp

While learning the science lessons，I used to get a doubt—why ear，nose，tongue and eyes should be called as special senses？The basic reason is that these are the channels through which we maintain contact with the surroundings.Though apparently it may feel like these are individual sensory organs，they do show some connectivity.Interestingly，our hearing is less sharp after we eat a heavy food.Isn’t it good for a sound nap after a stomach­full meal？That does not mean we go deaf after a meal，but the hearing pitch(強(qiáng)度) does change after a heavy meal.
We usually give credit of the taste to our tongue，but do you know that unless saliva(唾液) dissolves something，our tongue cannot recognize the taste of the food eaten.Taste is nothing but the food chemicals dissolved in the saliva being sensed by the taste buds present on the tongue.Try_to_dry_off_your_tongue_and_mouth_with_a_tissue_paper_and_then_taste_something.
Women are much better smellers than men.They are born with this characteristic ability and can correctly pinpoint the exact fragrance of the sample.We all can store almost 50,000 different scents(氣味)，which are strongly tied to the memories.
Pupils(瞳孔) do not respond to light alone，but to the slightest bit of noise around too.Thus surgeons，watchmakers and those professionals who have to perform a much delicate job do prefer to have a sound­free environment.Even a small noise can dilate(擴(kuò)大) their pupils，change the focus and blur(使模糊) their vision.If you do not wear glasses or contact lens due to having a 6/6 vision，you are just among the one third of the human population.It is now statistically proved that only one third of the population has perfect vision，rest all are either wearing glasses or are trying to read with a compromised vision.
Each and every one of us has a particular or individualistic or characteristic smell，which is unique to us，except for the identical twins.This smell is very subtle(微妙的) yet can be sensed even by a newborn.It may be due to this scent that the newborn recognizes the presence of his parents around.Many of us can pinpoint the smell of our significant friends and colleagues.A significant part of this phenomenon is guided by genetics but it is also modified by the environment，diet and personal hygiene.This all together creates the unique chemistry that is individualistic for each person.
小題1:We can learn from Paragraph 1 that ________.

A．a(chǎn)fter a full meal our hearing is as good as before

B．a(chǎn)ll sensory organs are connected and can be exchanged

C．sensory organs’ functions can never be changed for their particular character

D．we feel and learn about the world around us through our eyes，ears，nose and tongue

小題2:What is the text mainly about?

A．The functions of sensory organs.

B．The connectivity of sensory organs.

C．A newborn’s senses of the sensory organs.

D．The differences of senses between women and men.

小題3:What does the author mean by the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2?

A．Our tongues can’t be dried while eating something.

B．If your tongue is dried without any saliva on it，it will not work.

C．A tissue paper is the only thing that can be used to dry our tongues.

D．If your tongue is dried with a tissue paper，it may work as well as before.

How far would you be willing to go to satisfy your need to know？Far enough to find out your possibility of dying from a terrible disease？These days that’s more than an academic question，as Tracy Smith reports in our Cover Story.
There are now more than a thousand genetic(基因的) tests，for everything from baldness to breast cancer，and the list is growing.Question is，do you really want to know what might eventually kill you？For instance，Nobel Prize­winning scientist James Watson，one of the first people to map their entire genetic makeup，is said to have asked not to be told if he were at a higher risk for Alzheimer’s(老年癡呆癥)．
“If I tell you that you have an increased risk of getting a terrible disease，that could weigh on your mind and make you anxious，through which you see the rest of your life as you wait for that disease to hit you.It could really mess you up.” said Dr.Robert Green，a Harvard geneticist.
“Every ache and pain，” Smith suggested，could be understood as “the beginning of the end.”“That’s right.If you ever worried you were at risk for Alzheimer’s disease，then every time you can’t find your car in the parking lot，you think the disease has started.”
Dr.Green has been thinking about this issue for years.He led a study of people who wanted to know if they were at a higher genetic risk for Alzheimer’s.It was thought that people who got bad news would，for lack of a better medical term，freak_out.But Green and his team found that there was “no significant difference” between how people handled good news and possibly the worst news of their lives.In fact，most people think they can handle it.People who ask for the information usually can handle the information，good or bad，said Green.
小題1:The first paragraph is meant to________.

A．a(chǎn)sk some questions

B．introduce the topic

C．satisfy readers’ curiosity

D．describe an academic fact

小題2:Which of the following is TRUE of James Watson?

A．He is strongly in favor of the present genetic tests.

B．He is more likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s disease.

C．He believes genetic mapping can help cure any disease.

D．He doesn’t want to know his chance of getting a disease.

小題3:According to Paragraphs 3 and 4，if a person is at a higher genetic risk，it is________.

A．a(chǎn)dvisable not to let him know

B．impossible to hide his disease

C．better to inform him immediately

D．necessary to remove his anxiety

小題4:The underlined part “freak out” in Paragraph 5 is closest in meaning to “________”．

A．break down	B．drop out
C．leave off	D．turn away

Scientists discovered 163 new species in Southeast Asia’s Greater Mekong region last year，but all are at risk of extinction due to climate change，the WWF said in a report released Friday.
The newly discovered creatures include a bird­eating frog with fangs (毒牙)，a bird that would rather walk than fly and a gecko (壁虎) whose alien appearance inspired the report’s title of “Close Encounters”，the conservation group said.
The report was released ahead of major UN talks on climate change in Bangkok next week，which are being held before a make­or­break summit in Copenhagen this December.
“Some species will be able to adapt to climate change，and many will not，potentially resulting in massive extinction，” Stuart Chapman，director of the WWF Greater Mekong program，said in the report.“Rare and endangered species like those newly discovered are especially vulnerable (易受傷害的) because climate change will further shrink their already restricted habitats，” he said.
“The new discoveries in 2010 include 100 plants,28 fish,18 reptiles,14 amphibians,2 mammals and a bird，”the WWF report said.The area spans Cambodia，Laos，Myanmar，Thailand，Vietnam and China’s Yunnan Province.
“Among the new species is the bird­eating fanged frog，which remains hidden in a protected area of Thailand despite the fact that scientists are studying there for 40 years，” the report said.
The tiger­striped pit viper was discovered accidentally on an island off the coast of Vietnam when a scientist was looking  for a lizard and his son pointed out that his hand was on a rock right next to  the snake’s fangs.“We caught the snake and the gecko and they both proved to be new species，” researcher Lee Grismer of La Sierra University in California was quoted as saying in the report.The leopard gecko，found on another Vietnamese island，has the coloring of a leopard and bizarre orange，cat­like eyes and thin legs.
The Greater Mekong region has proved a rich area  for scientists.The WWF said in December 2010 that it had found 1,068 new species there between 1997 and 2009.
小題1:What is special about the newly discovered bird?

A．It usually walks.

B．It likes walking and flying.

C．It can eat other birds.

D．It can eat frogs.

小題2:Stuart Chapman believes that________.

A．most of the newly discovered species can adapt to climate change

B．climate change can cause massive extinction of the newly discovered species

C．the newly discovered species are not so vulnerable to climate change

D．many species have already died out because of climate change

小題3:When Lee Grismer discovered the tiger­striped pit viper，he probably felt________.

A．frightened	B．disappointed
C．excited	D．puzzled

小題4:What does the passage mainly tell us?

A．The Greater Mekong region is a rich area for scientists.

B．Many rare species remain to be discovered in the Mekong region.

C．Scientists have discovered many new species in the Mekong region.

D．Climate change threatens Mekong new species.

Five cloned pigs，whose organs are much less likely to be rejected(排斥) by a patient，have been born in the U．S.
More than 62,000 people in the U．S. alone are waiting to ____ donated hearts，lungs and so on.The number of human donors falls far short of ____.Pig organs are of a(n) ____ size to human organs，and some scientists hope they might be used to help meet the ____.But previous attempts to transplant pig tissue into humans have ____.
The five pigs ____ a gene that adds a sugar to the surface of pig cells.The sugar would ____ immune(免疫的) rejection of the tissue.“This advance provides a near­time ____ for overcoming the problem that there is not enough human organs for transplants，”says an expert.“This is the ____ gene for overcoming the ____ stage of rejection.”
____，scientists warn that much more work is necessary ____ organs from copies of the pigs could be transplanted into humans.Human genes will need to be added，to ____ rejection of the organ in the long term.There are also ____ that pig viruses could infect patients.
Cloning techniques were ____ to the production of the pigs.Genes can only be knocked out(去除) in a single cell.Cloning of these single cells then allowed the ____ of a whole animal in which the gene was knocked out in every cell.But the PPL researchers have ____ in knocking out only one copy of the gene.The team will now attempt to knock out both copies of the gene.
The team will also ____ tests to investigate whether a virus from the pigs could infect human cells.“Although a lot of the work is very ____，we’re still very far off being able to grow an organ，” says Julia，who is working on this project and quite ____ to creating similar knock­out pigs with researchers at the University of Missouri.

小題1:	A．exchange B．check C．possess D．receive

小題2:	A．discussion B．demand C．doubt D．distance

小題3:	A．beneficial B．identical C．similar D．certain

小題4:	A．shortage B．condition C．satisfaction D．a(chǎn)rgument

小題5:	A．continued B．failed C．finished D．paused

小題6:	A．lack B．include C．make D．change

小題7:	A．leave B．cause C．block D．destroy

小題8:	A．supply B．a(chǎn)mbition C．contribution D．solution

小題9:	A．only B．rare C．key D．safe

小題10:

A．last B．whole C．next D．early

小題11:

A．However B．Therefore C．Besides D．Finally

小題12:

A．because B．before C．if D．a(chǎn)fter

小題13:

A．prevent B．ignore C．judge D．weaken

小題14:

A．regrets B．emotions C．concerns D．interests

小題15:

A．simple B．vital C．unusual D．basic

小題16:

A．collection B．a(chǎn)pplication C．reception D．creation

小題17:

A．delighted B．succeeded C．joined D．believed

小題18:

A．conduct B．plan C．design D．study

小題19:

A．perfect B．strange C．exciting D．disappointing

小題20:

A．opposed B．used C．devoted D．suited

Plastic is one of the most important technological discoveries of the 20th century.However，it may soon be replaced.The new development—liquid wood—can replace plastics in all branches of modern industries.
Plastic as a material enjoys the biggest demand in the modern world，but it does have a number of drawbacks.First and foremost，plastic isn’t recyclable.Secondly，it contains toxins (毒物) helping develop cancerous diseases.Finally，it’s made of oil and oil reserves aren’t endless.
The  liquid wood technology is likely to replace plastic and provide mankind with new materials for many years ahead.Norbert Eisenfreich，a senior researcher at  the Faunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT) in Germany，said that arboform，the new material，is made of lignin (木質(zhì)素)，which can be obtained from soft tissues of wood.Once mixed with several other materials，it turns into solid and non­toxic alternative for plastics.
ICT team leader Emilia Regina Inone­Kauffmann said the wood­working industry separates wood into three basic components，including lignin.Lignin isn’t used for the production of paper.Specialists of ICT mixed lignin with several natural materials and thus invented the material which could be melted and molded (鑄型)．
When solid，arboform looks like plastic and possesses the qualities of polished wood.It can be used for the production of any items.Arboform is already used for the production of car parts which require extra strength.In addition，liquid wood can be recycled repeatedly.The material preserved all of its qualities even if it’s reprocessed ten times.
However，the new invention doesn’t enjoy an extensive use due to the high content of sulphur (硫) in it.German researchers are sure to reduce the amount of sulphur by 90 percent very soon to make arboform usable for home needs.
小題1:According to the passage，plastic________.

A．plays a big role in the modern world

B．helps to protect our environment in some way

C．has been replaced by the newly discovered material

D．helps us to reduce the use of petrol

小題2:What’s the advantage of arboform over plastics?

A．It is easily made from natural oil.

B．It is more widely used in household.

C．It is recyclable and friendly to the environment.

D．It contains no poisonous materials.

小題3:It can be concluded that German researchers will focus their future work firstly on________.

A．the material’s extensive use

B．the content of sulphur in arboform

C．the production cost of arboform

D．the qualities of liquid wood

小題4:The main purpose of the passage is to________.

A．a(chǎn)dvertise the new material—arboform

B．introduce liquid wood which will replace plastic

C．a(chǎn)dvertise new products made of arboform

D．show readers how to produce arboform

One of the most popular activities enjoyed by Americans is spending time in forests and walking along paths through the country.This activity，called hiking，has led to the creation of paths throughout the United States.
One of the longest is the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.The trail is the first completed part of the National Trails System.The trails system was established by Congress and the president in 1968.The Appalachian Trail is more  than 3,400 kilometers long.It starts in the northeastern state of Maine and ends in the southeastern state of Georgia.The trail goes through 14 states.They are Maine，New Hampshire，Vermont，Massachusetts，Connecticut，New York，New Jersey，Pennsylvania，Maryland，West Virginia，Virginia，Tennessee，North Carolina，and Georgia.
The path takes walkers through the Appalachian Mountains.They extend from the Canadian province of Quebec to the southern American state of Alabama.
The Appalachian Mountains are among the oldest on Earth.They first began forming about one thousand million years ago.During the millions of years since then，the mountains were changed and reformed by the forces of water and wind.Ice also changed the mountains，making many of them smaller and digging valleys and lakes among them.Many different kinds of trees grow along the trail.And many different kinds of animals live in the forests along the trail.
Lands along the trail are protected by the federal government and by state governments.Some parts are not protected by the government directly.Instead，they are protected by legal agreements with private owners willing to permit people to walk across their property.
Walkers on the Appalachian Trail pass through some of the great valley systems of the mountains.They can look down into these beautiful valleys and see farms and forests stretching across the land for many kilometers.Farmland in the valleys is rich and productive.And some of the great events in American history took place in the valleys.For example，one of the great battles of the American Civil War was fought in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.
小題1:The Appalachian Trail________.

A．is more than four thousand three hundred kilometers long

B．starts in the northern state of Maine

C．goes through more than fourteen states

D．ends in the southeastern state of Georgia

小題2:The Appalachian Mountains________.

A．a(chǎn)re the first completed part of the National Trails System

B．began forming one million years ago

C．were changed by natural forces like water，wind and ice

D．were around by valleys and rivers and famous for its scenery

小題3:The lands along the trail________.

A．a(chǎn)re protected entirely by either the federal government or state governments

B．a(chǎn)re mainly protected by legal agreements with private owners

C．can be visited by travelers freely only under the permission of owners

D．a(chǎn)re protected by both the federal government and state governments

小題4:What is mainly described in the last paragraph?

A．The Appalachian Mountains have some great valley systems.

B．Farms and grasslands stretch across the valleys for many kilometers.

C．One of the American independence battles was fought in the Shenandoah Valley.

D．Lakes in the Appalachian Mountains are one of the most beautiful sights.

Scott Langteau has this message for kids：spend less time playing video games.
It’s a message that many a mom and dad have tried to impress upon many a youngster (and some not­so­youngsters) who spend perhaps a bit too much time with game controllers in hand.
But the 40­year­old Langteau isn’t a parent.He’s a veteran (老手) of the video game industry—one who played producer on three “Medal of Honor” games and cofounded his own game development company.
Langteau has just published a children’s books called Sofa Boy，which tells the story of a kid who spends too much time sitting on the couch with controller clutched in hand and the rather terrible consequences that follow.
It’s a fairy tale plucked straight from Langteau’s own experiences as a lad with a fondness for video games and his own bouts with a bit of game addiction.But first，Langteau would like to make one thing clear，“I’m not saying that you shouldn’t play video games.I think video games are great.I think they do great things for kids.”Instead，Langteau says his book is all about a little something called moderation (克制)．
“It’s about being well rounded，” he says.“Just like with anything else，we all need to make sure that there’s a variety in what we do.”
Video gamers can be rather bad­tempered when it comes to accepting criticism about their favorite entertainment.And understandably so.After all，most people who go around talking about the dangers of playing video games tend to be outsiders—people who don’t play video games and certainly don’t understand that they can be a valuable and healthy form of entertainment.
But Langteau and Sofa Boy seem to be in a  unique position to deliver a message of gaming moderation that the young game masses might actually listen to.After all，this is a man who understands what it means to be a kid with a passion for games.His early experience has taught him a lesson.
小題1:Scott Langteau published Sofa Boy to________.

A．share his great skills on games

B．warn kids against game addiction

C．tell about his fairy tale as a kid

D．deliver a message for video games

小題2:Which of the following is TRUE about Sofa Boy?

A．The book implies the writer’s own story.

B．The book describes a veteran of games.

C．The boy in the book wins a medal in games.

D．The boy in the book is not a video game addict.

小題3:We can learn from the passage that________.

A．Langteau advises the young to play games within limits

B．Langteau advises the young not to play games

C．playing video games ruins the future of kids

D．playing video games doesn’t benefit kids

小題4:By saying “It’s about being well rounded，...” (in Para.6)，Langteau means________.

A．games do great good to kids

B．gamers are usually fat and round

C．games should be viewed from all sides

D．gamers are to blame for their behaviors

I’ve always known my kids use digital communications gear (裝置) a lot.But my cellphone bill last month really grabbed my attention.My son had come up to nearly 2,000 incoming text messages，and had sent nearly as many.Of course，he was out of school for the summer and communicating more with friends from a distance.Nevertheless，he found time to hold down a summer job and complete a college course in between all that typing with his thumb.
I was even more surprised to learn that my son is normal.“Teenagers with cellphones each send and receive 2,272 text messages a month on average，” Nielsen Mobile says.
Some experts regret that all that  keyboard jabber is making our kids stupid，unable to read non­verbal cues such as facial expressions，gestures，posture and other silent signals of mood and attitude.Unlike phones，text messaging doesn’t even allow transmission of tone of voice or pauses，says Mark Bauerlein，author of a book called The Dumbest Generation：How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future.
Beyond that，though，I’m not sure I see as much harm as critics of this trend.I’ve posted before on how I initially tried to control my kids’ texting.But over time，I have seen my son suffer no apparent ill effects，and he gains a big benefit，of easy，continuing contact with others.
I don’t think texting make kids stupid.It may make them annoying，when they try to text and talk to you at the same time.And it may make them distracted，when buzzing text messages interrupt efforts to noodle out a math problem or finish reading for school.
But I don’t see texting harming teens’ability to communicate.My son is as accustomed to nonverbal cues as any older members of our family.I have found him more engaged and easier to communicate with from a great distance，because he is constantly available via text message and responds with faithfulness and speed.
小題1:What does the underlined word “distracted” in the fifth paragraph mean?

A．Confused.	B．Absent­minded.
C．Comfortable.	D．Bad­tempered.

小題2:What would be the best title for this passage?

A．For Teens，Texting Instead of Talking

B．For Parents，Caring Much for Their Kids

C．Advantages and Disadvantages of Texting

D．The Effect of Communication

小題3:The author’s attitude towards texting is________.

A．objective	B．opposed
C．supportive	D．doubtful

小題4:According to the passage，which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．It is normal for a teen to send or receive 60 text messages a day.

B．Texting is a very popular way of communication among teens.

C．When texting，teens never mind talking with others.

D．The writer limited his son to send or receive text messages at first.

Electric cars are dirty.In fact，not only are they dirty，they might even be more dirty than their gasoline­powered cousins.
People in California love to talk about “zero­emissions vehicles”，but_people_in_California_seem_to_be_clueless_about_where_electricity_comes_from.Power plants mostly use fire to make it.Aside from the new folks who have their roofs covered with solar cells，we get our electricity from generators.Generators are fueled by something—usually coal，oil，but also by heat generated in nuclear power plants.There are a few wind farms and geothermal(地?zé)岬? plants as well，but by far we get electricity mainly by burning something.
In other words，those “zero­emissions” cars are likely coal­burning cars.It’s just because the coal is burned somewhere else that it looks clean.It is not.It’s as if the California Greens are covering their eyes—“If I can’t see it，it’s not happening.” Gasoline is an incredibly efficient way to power a vehicle；a gallon of gas has a lot of energy in it.But when you take that gas(or another fuel) and first use it to make electricity，you waste a nice part of that energy，mostly in the form of wasted heat—at the generator，through the transmission(傳送) lines，etc.
A gallon of gas may propel your car 25 miles.But the electricity you get from that gallon of gas won’t get you nearly as far—so electric cars burn more fuel than gas­powered ones.If our electricity came mostly from nukes；or geothermal，or hydro，or solar，or wind，then an electric car truly would be clean.But for political，technical，and economic reasons，we don’t use much of those energy sources.
In addition，electric cars’ batteries which are poisonous for a long time will eventually end up in a landfill.And finally，when cars are the polluters，the pollution is spread across all the roads.When it’s a power plant，though，all the junk is in one place.Nature is very good at cleaning up when things are too concentrated，but it takes a lot longer when all the garbage is in one spot.
小題1:What does the underlined part mean in Paragraph 2?

A．People see the California Greens everywhere.

B．People in California love to talk about zero­emissions vehicles.

C．People in California love to have their roofs covered with solar cells.

D．People in California have no idea that so far electricity mainly comes from burning coal，oil，etc.

小題2:What is the main idea of the text?

A．Electric cars are not clean at all.

B．Electric cars are better than gasoline­powered ones.

C．People cast doubts on electric cars’ batteries.

D．Gasoline is an efficient way to power a vehicle.

小題3:The electricity we get from a gallon of gas may make our car run ________.

A．not less than 25 miles

B．a(chǎn)s far as 50 miles

C．a(chǎn)s far as 25 miles

D．not more than 25 miles

小題4:It can be inferred from the text that ________.

A．being green is good and should be encouraged in communication

B．electric cars are not clean in that we get electricity mainly by burning something

C．zero­emissions vehicles should be chosen to protect our environment

D．electric cars are now the dominant vehicle compared with gasoline­powered cousins