Chinese parents are very generous when it comes to educating their children. Not caring about the money, parents often send their children to the best schools or even abroad to England, the United States or Australia. They also want their children to take extra-course activities where they will either learn a musical instrument or ballet, or other classes that will give them a head start in life. The Chinese believe that the more expensive an education is, the better it is. So parents will spend an unreasonable amount of money on education. Even poor couples will buy a computer for their son or daughter.
However, what most parents fail to see is that the best early education they can give their children is usually very cheap.
Parents can see that their children’s skills vary, skilled in some areas while poor in others. What most parents fail to realize, though, is that today’s children lack self-respect and self-confidence.
The problem is that parents are only educating their children on how to take multiple-choice tests and how to study well, but parents are not teaching them the most important skills they need to be confident, happy and clever.
Parents can achieve this by teaching practical skills like cooking, sewing and doing other housework.
Teaching a child to cook will improve many of the skills that he will need later in life. Cooking demands patience and time. It is an enjoyable but difficult experience. A good cook always tries to improve his cooking, so he will learn to work hard and gradually finish his job successfully. His result, a well-cooked dinner, will give him much satisfaction and a lot of self-confidence.
Some old machines, such as a broken radio or TV set that you give your child to play with will make him curious and arouse his interest. He will spend hours looking at them,tying to fix them ,your child might become an engineer when he grows up. These activities are not only teaching a child to read a book, but rather to think, to use his mind. And that is more important.
小題1:Parents in China according to this passage    .

A．a(chǎn)re too strict with their children

B．a(chǎn)re too rich to educate their children

C．have some problems in educating their children correctly

D．have no problems in educating their children strictly

小題2:The writer of the passage does not seem to be satisfied with    .

A．the parents’ ideas of educating their children

B．the education system of the school

C．children’s skills in cooking at home

D．children’s hobbies in the classroom

小題3:Doing some cooking at home helps children    .

A．learn how to serve their parents

B．learn how to become strong and fat

C．get a lot from it and prepare themselves for the future

D．make their parents believe that they are clever

小題4:According to the last paragraph we can conclude that    .

A．broken radios and television sets are useful

B．one’s interest and curiosity may be useful for his later life

C．a(chǎn)n engineer must fix many broken radios

D．a(chǎn) good student should spend much time repairing radios

“iPhone 5”, the tallest thing to happen to iPhone since iPhone

We don’t want to change your phone, we want to make you say, “Wow, that is a bigger change than I expected”. “iPhone 5” is a result of that desire to surprise.
It’s been completely redesigned. For the first time ever, we’ve increased the size of display (顯示) by making the screen taller but not wider.
You can see more of your content without the need to scroll. We are making scrolling the thing of the past. It is more comfortable to use and reduces tiredness from scrolling when you read long documents.
Even with the larger display, it is the thinnest iPhone we ever built. To achieve the design this tall, we have to look at it and completely redesign the architecture inside. It’s 18% thinner and 79.5% taller than the previous iPhone. It makes everything you do on “iPhone5” easier. No more hidden menus, no confusing gestures. Everything is right at your fingertips.
The panorama feature (全景拍照) is simply awesome. The ultra HD (超高清) widescreen display lets you get your entire shot in a single snap (快門). You can also use its creative design for picture stabilization.
With an iPhone this tall, reception of signals has never been better. And of course, all your favorite applications are still available. In fact you will find your old favorites also benefit from the new experiencing handsome ultra HD widescreen. We found while many previous iPhone owners were using Facetime, they only used it for the faces. That’s why we are introducing Bodytime. With its ultra HD widescreen display, Bodytime lets you see a person’s entire body.
It took all of our learning and all of our thinking to realize something so simple, so clear, and yet so tall.
And I wish your pocket were tall enough to hold such a perfect invention!
小題1:How is the screen of “iPhone 5” different from the previous ones?

A．Wider.

B．Taller.

C．Easier.

D．Thinner.

小題2:What does the underlined word “scroll” probably mean?

A．Update the webpage.	B．Download new documents.
C．Refresh the content.	D．Move the content upward.

小題3:What can we infer about “iPhone 5” from the passage?

A．It is really necessary for you to hide menus.

B．The reception of signals is bad due to its length.

C．Bodytime is popular with previous iPhone owners.

D．New applications of “iPhone 5” are unbelievable.

小題4:“iPhone 5” is introduced in a(n) ________ way in this passage.

A．humorous

B．objective

C．scientific

D．serious

Scientists who discovered a new way of generating electricity from water say they may have come across an alternative source of clean energy to rival wind and solar power.
The breakthrough, which scientists say is the first new way to generate electricity in 160 years, could lead to batteries that use water instead of poisonous substances.
The scientists made the discovery when they were investigating what happens when tap water is forced through extremely narrow glass tubes. Water squeezed down the tubes, each of which was narrower than a tenth the thickness of a human hair, generating a small electric current that ran the length of the tube. To produce a larger electric current, the team tried forcing water through a glass water filter(濾水器)that contained thousands of narrow channels lined up side by side. “When we took a syringe(注射器)of water and squeezed it through the filter, we got enough power to light a light bulb,” said Larry Kostiuk of the University of Alberta in Canada. “The harder you push the syringe, the more electric current you get.”
The current is produced because of an effect in the glass tubes. When they are filled with water, positively charged ions(陽離子)fixed in the tubes are washed away, leaving a slight negative charge on the glass surface. When water is then forced along the tube, the surface repels negatively charged ions in the water while positively charged ions are attracted down the tube. The result is a net flow of positively charged ions that sets up an electric current.
According to Dr Kostiuk, no one has ever thought to use water to produce electricity in this way. “The last time someone came up with a way of generating electricity was Michael Faraday in 1839,” he said. “So this is the first new way of generating electricity in 160 years, which is why we are so excited about it.”
Dr Kostiuk says water batteries might one day be used to power mobile phones and calculators, but admitted that the engineering challenges might make other applications more realistic. “You’d need to be sure it wouldn’t leak, and you’d need to make sure it wouldn’t freeze,” he said.
More likely would be to install the electricity-generating devices where water is already being pumped, such as at city water filtration sites, he said. “It could compete with wind and solar power,” he added.
小題1:What does the passage mainly want to tell us about?

A．A kind of solar power discovered by scientists.

B．A kind of new energy source found in tap water.

C．The breakthrough to generate electricity 160 yeas ago.

D．A kind of new battery invented without poisonous substances.

小題2:The underlined word “repels” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to _________.

A．rejects

B．identifies

C．a(chǎn)ttracts

D．rebels

小題3:Why were the scientists extremely happy about their new discovery?

A．They were the first to find a new way to produce electricity.

B．They could make an electric current to light a light bulb.

C．Their discovery could be used to invent water batteries.

D．Their discovery was made 160 years earlier than Faraday’s.

小題4:What can we infer about potential water batteries?

A．They must be used to power mobile phones and calculators.

B．They have some possible disadvantages like water leaking.

C．They would be needed greatly at city water filtration sites.

D．They would be better than wind and solar power.

People in several American states may be surprised to see cars on city streets without a driver. Experimental driverless vehicles now are legal in Florida, Nevada and California. They are pointing the way to a future that is not far down the road. The high-tech company Google has a number of self-driving cars, which had covered 480,000 kilometers by August. Volvo is among the companies doing road tests and says it plans to sell driverless cars by 2020.
In September, California Governor Jerry Brown signed an act to allow autonomous vehicles on the roads of his state. " Today we're looking at science fiction becoming tomorrow's reality-the driverless car. " The technology for these cars includes cameras, radar and motion sensors. The systems have been improved through competitions sponsored by the U. S. government agency DARPA. Engineer Richard Mason of the Rand Corporation helped design driverless vehicles for DARPA challenge races.
Cars have become much more fuel-efficient, and new electronic features are' making Hondas safer, said Angie Nucci of Honda America. " A camera on the passenger-side mirror actually engaged on your guiding screen so you can safely change lanes. " Other safety features include warning systems on the front and the sides of the cars. These systems help drivers , but don't replace them. Curator Leslie Kendall of the Petersen Automotive Museum said autonomous cars will make the high ways safer．
"By taking out drivers, you also remove most risks of an accident," Kendall said. He said consumers, however, may be unwilling to lose control. "It may take them time to come to realize that the technology is indeed reliable, but it will have to prove itself first. "
Mason said the technology already works and the biggest challenge now is getting down the cost for driverless vehicles from hundreds of thousands of dollars to something more affordable. He said this will happen as the technology is improved.
小題1:What can we learn from Paragraph l?
A. Driverless vehicles are now legal in the whole USA.
B. Volvo will be the first to sell driverless cars.
C. Driverless cars are pointing us' a faraway future.
D. Google's self-driving cars have covered a long distance.
小題2:We learn that Governor of California Jerry Brown_________.

A．helped design self-driving cars.

B．supports self-driving cars on roads.

C．considers self-driving cars science fiction.

D．improved the self-driving car systems.

小題3:What is the role of the systems mentioned in Paragraph 3?

A．They can help people drive more safely.

B．They can take the place of drivers now.

C．They can make cars run without fuel.

D．They can help cars run much faster.

小題4:According to Richard Mason, what is the biggest challenge for driverless cars?

A．They are not allowed to run on the road.

B．Their technical problems remain to be solved.

C．They are now too expensive for consumers.

D．They are more dangerous for people on the street.

小題5:What's the best title of the passage?

A．The benefits of the self-driving cars.

B．The biggest challenge of the self-driving cars.

C．Safer or more dangerous-self-driving cars.

D．Self-driving cars-science fiction future is near.

Like a backward tape, time returns to my mom's teens．She is waiting for admission results from a famous high school．She has studied for the test but with joy, since she feels no suffering in learning．Suddenly I spy her jumping and laughing, waving a paper in her hand while her family stands nearby, more shocked than happy．No one else from their village has ever passed the test．
Later, at her new high school, I proudly watch as she continues to rise to the top．Many of her essays are published in newspapers, and her classmates seek her advice when a test is approaching． She never refuses them, and I feel honored to be related to such an intelligent person．
As I walk with her through her journey, I finally come to the point I have been looking forward to most: her life in America． After passing several tests and finding a kind boss to sponsor her, she becomes a college student at University of California, Los Angeles． At first, I sense her loneliness and panic as she tries to adapt to her new surroundings．Though her English is broken and she knows little about American culture, I can tell she is more than grateful to be here． Here she has access to electricity and running water, and most importantly, better schools． At UCLA, she has so many opportunities to grow and advance in her field．
Her journey to America was for just one reason: education．Though having an education will better her life, I know she doesn't do it for herself．My mom wants her children to have an easier life that will not require hard labor．I see what my mom goes through, and I'm filled with gratitude that she has made the brave choice to move here．
小題1:According to the first paragraph, the writer's mother considers learning to be        .

A．easy and joyful	B．bitter but rewarding
C．costly and boring	D．exciting but fruitless

小題2:Which of the following does the writer's mother do at high school?

A．Working as a newspaper deliverer．

B．Feeling proud of her intelligence．

C．Working hard to be honored and awarded．

D．Giving her classmates advice before tests．

小題3:How does the writer's mother pay for her college education?

A．By doing a part-time job．

B．By asking her parents for support．

C．With the financial support from a kind boss．

D．With the help from her teachers and classmates．

小題4:What is the final aim of the writer's mother's going to America?

A．To accumulate wealth．

B．To benefit her children．

C．To make her parents live better．

D．To become famous in her field of study．

Google has been collecting tons of data about smartphone usage around the world．  Here are some of the most surprising and interesting facts:
Android is most popular in Japan, with 55% of respondents（調(diào)查對(duì)象） using it, compared with 39% for iOS．Android is also number one in a few other countries, including New Zealand （41%）, the US（40%）, and China （38%）．
iOS is farthest ahead in Switzerland, with 52% usage vs 23% for Android．Other countries where iOS is far ahead include Australia （49% vs 25% Android）, Canada （45% vs 23% Android and 23% Blackberry）,  and France （43% vs 25% Android）．
In Egypt, Windows Mobile is far more popular than iOS．13% of survey respondents use the Microsoft smartphone platform, behind Symbian （19%） and Android （14%）． iOS is very far down at 4%．
Mobile social networking is biggest in Mexico and Argentina, where 74% and 73% of users visit a social network daily．But mobile-social is weak in Japan where 34% of users never visit a social network on their phone, and this figure rises to41% in Brazil．
Watching video is most popular in Saudi Arabia, with 59% of respondents doing it daily．Number two is Egypt, with 41%．
Chinese users shop from their phones．59% of Chinese users do this, compared with only 41% in second-place Egypt．Chinese users also love to write reviews．41% of them write a review of a local business after looking it up on their smartphone．Number two, Japan, is far behind, with only 24% of respondents doing this．
小題1:Which of the following best describes the usage of the smartphone operating systems in Egypt?

A．Windows Mobile＞iOS＞Symbian＞Android

B．Android＞W(wǎng)indows Mobile＞iOS＞Symbian

C．iOS＞Android＞Symbian＞W(wǎng)indows Mobile

D．Symbian＞Android＞W(wǎng)indows Mobile＞iOS

小題2:In which of the following countries is mobile social networking least popular?

A．Brazil．

B．Japan．

C．Mexico．

D．Argentina．

小題3:In which section of a newspaper can we most probably read the passage?

A．Health．

B．Environment．

C．Technology．

D．Entertainment．

Many people don't realize the importance of music education in the schools today．A new study showed, however, music education is extremely important．
In college, music education is one of the largest programs．Teachers have to learn general education materials and techniques． They must learn to play every instrument; they must learn music history and music theory; they must learn instrument repair and teaching methods; they must learn conducting and so much more．At the same time, much of our culture and tradition is absorbed in music．
Music plays a very important role in our education．
Music helps with math and science． Students learn to count, and how to multiply and divide．Students also use science to help them discover what sounds good together and what doesn't．Students also need science to understand something called the “overtone series", which is about how music is produced by vibration（顫動(dòng)）and why．
Students learn a lot about languages through music．Many songs are written in other languages, including ancient ones．Students must learn to translate these works to understand what they are singing about． A song is likely to be a famous short work set to music; so students are exposed to that very often while singing．
Students learn a huge amount of cooperation （協(xié)作）of body parts through music, so parts of the body can work better together．Students must use motor（肌肉運(yùn)動(dòng)的）skills in order to play an instrument．Singers and wind（管樂器）players must learn breath control and be in good shape to play．
Students learn about art． Some famous pieces were written about important pieces of art, and students learn about the artists and styles as they're playing the music．
Music education also brings higher thinking to our children．It allows them to think about complex patterns．Students have to be aware of what every other musician does at every time．In that way, it develops cooperation, as well．They tend to develop more ability for learning．
As one can see, music is very important to education．
小題1:According to the passage, learning music in college will be quite         ．

A．easy

B．stressful

C．a(chǎn)ttractive

D．useless

小題2:As to the benefits from music, which of the following is NOT included in the passage?

A．Calculation．	B．Language study．
C．Relaxation．	D．Cooperation of body parts．

小題3:The underlined word "that" in Para．5 refers to“            "．

A．the music	B．the language
C．the culture	D．the work

小題4:What can we know from the passage?

A．Science and music are extreme poles．

B．Only the wisest person can learn music well．

C．Music is good to our all-round development．

D．All of us know the importance of music clearly．

An estimated 80 percent of American adults think music lessons, though at times boring and challenging in the eyes of some kids, improve children’s ability to learn or their performance in school . They say that the satisfaction for learning to play a new song helps a child express creativity.
Researchers at Harvard University, however, have found that there’s one thing musical training does not do. Samuel Mehr, the leading researcher of the new study, said it is wrong to think that learning to play a musical instrument improves a child’s intellectual development. The evidence comes from studies that measured the mental ability of two groups of 4-year-olds and their parents. One group attended music class; the comparison group went to a class that places importance on the optical arts-arts that can be seen.
“We found no evidence for any advantage on any of these tests for the kids participating in these music classes,” said Mehr.
Samuel Mehr says researchers have carried out many studies in an effort to learn whether musical training can make children smarter. Only one study seems to show a small percentage increase in IQ, intellectual scores among students after one year of music lessons.
He does not believe that IQ is a good measure of a child’s intelligence. Therefore, the researchers in his study compared how well children in the musical training group did on mental processing tasks, then the results were compared to those of children who did not take lessons.
Music lessons may not offer children a fast easy way to gain entry to the best schools later of their life, but the training is still important.
Mr Mehr notes that the works of writer William Shakespeare are not taught , so the children will do better in physics. He says Shakespeare is taught because it is important for cultural reasons.“And I don’t think music needs to be any different than that.”
小題1:What attitude do most American grown-ups have towards music lessons? _________

A．Uninterested

B．Approving

C．Doubtful

D．Uncertain

小題2:The underlined word“optical”in Paragraph 2 probably means       .

A．visual

B．colorful

C．traditional

D．serious

小題3:According to Samuel Mehr, _________ .

A．many studies show that music training can improve IQ

B．IQ is a good measure of a child’s intelligence

C．music can enable a child to go to a better school

D．music should be taught for cultural reasons

小題4:The study shows that       .

A．early music training has negative effects

B．musical lessons should be stopped at school

C．musical training doesn’t improve kids’ intelligence

D．playing musical instrument makes kids more creative

The Internet can provide a wealth of educational resources for small children, if you know where to look. This article will offer some educational websites to small children. You may need to assist your children in navigating(導(dǎo)航) the pages until they understand where their favorite activities are.
Enchanted Learning
Enchanted learning is a great website for children, and I know several teachers who rely on it for materials for their classrooms. Most of the information is free, but for $20.00 per year, you can purchase a membership that allows you to have access to the site without the advertising. The pages here are great. There are colored pages and worksheets for toddlers(學(xué)步兒童) and school-age children. They focus on learning language, science, animals, geography, astronomy, explorers, music, art and nursery rhymes.
Starfall
Starfall is another good educational website for small children. Teachers often use this website in classrooms. It emphasizes reading skills for early learners. The website is aimed at first grade level learners, but it has tools that can help all children from pre-K to second grade. The website has reading activities, worksheets to download, and a store where you can purchase educational materials for your children.
Sesame Street Workshop
Kids love Sesame Street, and it is always educational. This is one of the funniest websites online for children because it is very well animated and has great sound effects. The website has games and stories for small kids, and they can create letters at the post office and mail them to their favorite characters.
Sprout Online
Sprout has features on its television network, which are just for children. There are games, colored pages, recipes, music, videos, sign language activities and exercise videos for children. There are also online activities based on Sprout television shows. These include Roary the Race Car, the Wiggles, the Mighty Jungle and many others.
These are just a few of many educational websites for children. Small children love to use computers, so help them find some websites that contain fun and learning at the same time.
小題1:What’s the purpose of the author in writing this passage?

A．To introduce some educational websites to parents for their kids.

B．To let parents distinguish between good and bad websites.

C．To attract the readers to download some useful information.

D．To enrich young children’s spare time with some Internet games.

小題2:What’s the difference between people who have memberships and those who don’t?

A．With a membership, you can get the information for free.

B．You can download materials you want for free with a membership.

C．With a membership, you can have access to the site without the ads.

D．You can look through more pages with a membership.

小題3:If you want to buy educational materials for your children, you should choose _________ .

A．Enchanted Learning.	B．Starfall
C．Sesame Street Workshop.	D．Sprout Online.

小題4:Why does the Sesame Street Workshop have more fun than others?

A．Because it has games and stories for young kids．

B．Because children can mail letters to their favorite characters.

C．Because it is always educational, and children love it..

D．Because it has great sound effects and animation.

小題5:It can be learnt from the passage that ______ .

A．Enchanted Learning has reading activities and worksheets to download.

B．Starfall is designed for learners from pre-K to second grade

C．the Wiggles and the MightyJungle are not based on television shows.

D．websites that involve joy and learning are beneficial to kids.

Boys at the top of the pecking order(長(zhǎng)幼次序) either by birth or because their older brothers died score higher on IQ tests than their younger brothers. 
Norwegian researchers now report that it’s a matter of what they call social rank in the family that gives the first born the highest scores or, if the first born had died young, the next oldest. 
Kristensen and Bjerkedal studied the IQ test results of 241,310 Norwegian men drafted(征兵) into the armed forces between 1967 and 1976. All were aged 18 or 19 at the time. 
The average IQ of first-born men was 103.2, they found second-born men averaged 101.2, but second-born men whose older brother died young scored 102.9. And for third-borns, the average was 100.0. But if both older brothers died young，the third-born score rose to 102.6.
The findings provide “evidence that the relation between birth order and IQ score is dependent on the social rank in the family and not birth order as such.” they concluded.
It’s an issue that has been hotly discussed since at least 1874,when Sir Francis Galton reported that men in noticeable positions tended to be firstborns more often than would have been statistically (統(tǒng)計(jì)) expected.
Since then, several studies have reported higher intelligence scores for firstborns, while other analyses have questioned those findings and the methods of those reports.
“These two researchers prove that how study participants(參與者) were raised, not how they were born, is what actually influences their IQs,” said Sulloway, an American professor, who was not part of the research team.
“The elder child pulls ahead,” he said, “perhaps as a result of learning gained through the process of tutoring younger brothers and sisters”. 
“The older child benefits by having to organize and express its thoughts to tutor youngsters”, he said, “while the later born children may have no one to tutor.”
小題1:According to Norwegain researchers’ finding, which of the following is linked to boys’ IQ?

A．Birth order	B．Position in the family
C．Parents’ social rank	D．Educational experience

小題2:What does the sentence “It’s an issue that has been hotly discussed” underlined in Paragraph 6 mean?

A．Many people take interest in IQ study.

B．IQ study has gone further and further.

C．Many people do research on boys’ IQ.

D．Opinions are divided on the conclusion.

小題3:According to Kristensen and Bjerkedal’s test results, parents can make youngsters smarter by ________.

A．treating them as the oldest child

B．teaching them as the oldest child

C．talking to them as much as possible

D．encouraging them to express thoughts