The rapid growth of cities worldwide over the next two decades will cause significant risks to people and the global environment, according to analysis.
Researches from Yale and Stanford predict that by 2030 urban areas will expand by 590,000 square miles—nearly the size of Mongolia—to meet the needs of 1.47 billion more people living in urban areas.
“It is likely that these cities are going to be developed in places that are the most biologically diverse,” said Karen Seto, a famous scientist at Yale University. “They are going to be growing and expanding into forests, biological hotspots, savannas(熱帶稀缺大草原), coastlines—sensitive and vulnerable places.”
Urban areas, they found, have been expanding more rapidly along coasts. “Of all the places for cities to grow, coasts are the most sensitive. People and buildings along the coast are at risk of flooding and other environmental disasters,” said Seto.
The study provides the first estimate of how fast urban areas globally are growing and how fast they may grow in the future. “We know a lot about global patterns of urban population growth, but we know significantly less about how urban areas are changing,” she said. “Changes in land cover associated with urbanization lead to many environmental changes, from habitats loss and agricultural land conversion(轉(zhuǎn)化) to changes in local and regional climate.”
The researchers examined studies that used satellite data to map urban growth and found that from 1970 to 2000 the world’s urban footprint had grown by at least 22,400 square miles—half the size of Ohio.
“This number is numerous, but, in actuality, urban land expansion has been far greater than what our analysis shows because we only looked at the published studies that used satellite data,” said Seto. “We found that 48 of the most populated urban areas have been studied using satellite data, with findings in journals. This means that we’re not tracking the physical expansion of more than half of the world’s largest cities.”
Half of urban land expansion in China is driven by a rising middle class, whereas the size of cities in India and Africa is driven primarily by population growth. “Rising incomes translate into rising demand for bigger homes and more land for urban development, which has a great effect on biodiversity conservations, loss of carbon sinks and energy use.”
小題1:According to the passage, the most dangerous place for city expansion is the _____.

A．forest

B．desert

C．savannas

D．coastline

小題2:The underlined word “vulnerable” (in Para. 3) probably means “____”.

A．diverse in plants	B．beautiful in scenery
C．easily damaged	D．very productive

小題3:From Para. 5, we can infer that ____.

A．urbanization is a good way to improve people’s standards of living

B．cities develop very fast and more and more people come to live in cities

C．more and more agricultural farmlands are used to make room for local animals

D．in the past, researchers focused their attention on the expanding urban areas

小題4:Cities in Africa become bigger and bigger mainly because of their ____.

A．growing population	B．rising middle class
C．unique living patterns	D．economic development

Why should you go to college? One important answer to this question is more __16___. As opposed to generations of the past, high school graduates today are _17___ to get the number of high-paid jobs that were __18__ available. The U.S. has been changed from a manufacturing-based economy into an economy based on ___19_, and the importance of a college education today can be _20___ to that of a high school education forty years ago. It __21__ as the gateway to better choices and more opportunity.
There are __22_ reasons as to why it is important to go to college. When students _23__ a post-secondary education, they have the opportunity to read books and listen to the __24__ of top experts in their fields. It __25__ students to think, ask questions, and __26_ new ideas, which allows for additional growth and ___27_ and provides college graduates with an edge in the job market __28__ those who have not experienced a higher education.
The importance of a college education is also because of the opportunity to __29__ valuable resources. The more connections which are __30___ during your college career, the more _31___ you will have when you begin your job search. Once you have ended your job search and have started your career, ___32__, the importance of a college education has not been exhausted. Having a college degree often __33_ greater promotion opportunity.
So, why should you go to college? The reasoning does not begin and end with the _34___ aspect. A good education is __35__ from many different viewpoints, and while the importance of a college education is quite evident for many high school students, what is often not as clear is how they will pay for that education.

小題1:	A．time B．freedom C．respect D．opportunity

小題2:	A．likely B．unable C．a(chǎn)fraid D．unwilling

小題3:	A．once B．just C．never D．a(chǎn)lso

小題4:	A．nature B．culture C．knowledge D．a(chǎn)griculture

小題5:	A．referred B．a(chǎn)dded C．devoted D．compared

小題6:	A．follows B．serves C．unites D．disappears

小題7:	A．a(chǎn)dditional B．secret C．interesting D．financial

小題8:	A．discuss B．ignore C．experience D．imagine

小題9:	A．stories B．requests C．suggestion D．lecture

小題10:

A．helps B．encourages C．forbids D．a(chǎn)dvises

小題11:

A．design B．explore C．change D．refuse

小題12:

A．development B．payment C．a(chǎn)greement D．experiment

小題13:

A．for B．over C．in D．with

小題14:

A．a(chǎn)dmire B．satisfy C．gain D．notice

小題15:

A．removed B．collected C．explained D．controlled

小題16:

A．inventions B．choices C．worries D．salaries

小題17:

A．besides B．therefore C．however D．otherwise

小題18:

A．saves B．includes C．ensures D．means

小題19:

A．life B．character C．communication D．job

小題20:

A．free B．rare C．beneficial D．a(chǎn)bsent

Teachers and parents usually call attention to the pictures when they read storybooks to pre-school children. But a new study suggests that calling attention to the words and letters on the page may lead to better readers.
The two-year study compared children who were read in this way in class with children who were not. Those whose teachers most often discussed the print showed clearly higher skills in reading, spelling and understanding. These results were found one year and even two years later.
Shayne Piasta, an assistant professor of teaching and learning at Ohio State University, was an author of the study. She says most pre-school teachers would find this method manageable and would need only a small change in the way they teach. They already read story-books in class. The only difference would be increased attention to the printed text. “If you get children to pay attention to letters and words, it makes sense that they will do better at word recognition and spelling.” But she says research suggests that very few parents and teachers do this in a systematic way.
More than 300 children aged four and five were observed in classrooms. They came from poor families and were below average in their language skills. For thirty weeks, the children took part in a program called Project STAR--- Sit Together and Read. The project is based at Ohio State. It tests the short-term and long-term results of reading regularly to pre-school children in their classrooms.
There are different ways that adults can talk to children about print. They can point to a letter and discuss it, and even trace the shape with a finger. They can point out a word and discuss the meaning of the print or how the words tell the story. And they can talk about the organization of the print--- for instance, showing how words are written left to right in English.
小題1:What do we know about the ways pre-school children are usually taught?

A．More attention is paid to the pictures ,with words and letters being ignored.

B．Preference is given to the shape of letters and the organization of the print.

C．The focus of the teaching is on bringing them up to be good readers.

D．Equal attention is paid to the texts and the pictures.

小題2:What does Shayne Piasta suggest pre-school teachers should do in class?

A．Teach children how to draw pictures to get an idea of what they mean.

B．Change the way they teach and pay more attention to words and letters.

C．Adopt different methods according to the students’ difference in reading skills.

D．Read storybooks to children rather than explain the meaning of the pictures.

小題3:Which of the following is TRUE about the study on language skills of pre-school children?

A．Many teachers want to change their way of teaching pre-school children.

B．Attention on the pictures has made the children uninterested in reading.

C．Project STAR aims to research into the results of reading books to pre-school children in the classroom.

D．Teachers are often prevented from taking different approaches to language teaching.

小題4:Which section of a magazine does the passage probably come from?

A．Fashion.

B．Economy .

C．Entertainment.

D．Education.

There have been big changes in the attitudes of most parents over the last few years. Physical punishment is banned in schools in most countries, and in many countries, there are moves to ban all physical punishment of children even at home. However, many parents still believe that they have the right to use some physical punishments to deal with certain misbehavior at certain ages.
It’s easy to find reasons to allow some physical punishments. One issue is that many parents find it very difficult to abandon physical punishment completely. Parents argue that this was the way they were brought up and that it didn’t do any harm to them. They believe that for the child’s sake they have the right to discipline the child in any way they consider fit, including using some physical punishments. The other one is that physical punishment can be quick and effective. There is not much point reasoning with a screaming child in the supermarket.
However, there are several reasons why we should stop using physical punishment. One point is that most parents are not trained to deal with misbehaving children. They don’t have enough resources or choices to handle the situation. As a result, they immediately react by hitting the child even if there are other solutions to the problem. Another point is that unless people are challenged or forced to change their belief, they may keep following negative habits. An example is seat belt use —now most people wear seat belts without thinking, while years ago the idea of using seat belts was strange to most people. In the same way, banning physical punishment will force people to change their habits.
In conclusion, parents have to change some of their belief and ideas about how children should be raised. It is possible to avoid the use of physical force, and doing so will help us move closer to the dream of removing violence from our society.
小題1:According to the first paragraph, many parents think that ____________.

A．they are free to use physical punishment on their children

B．most of the children behave badly in their daily life

C．they have changed their attitudes towards their children

D．physical punishment is effective to educate their children

小題2:Many parents won’t give up physical punishment because _____________.

A．they are disappointed with their children

B．they were brought up just in the same way

C．they don’t want to hurt their children badly

D．they don’t know what to do with their children

小題3:The author gives the example of using seat belts in order to show ____________.

A．most people are used to wearing seat belts

B．it’s not difficult to change some negative habits

C．seat belts are really very necessary and useful

D．people won’t change their old habits unless forced

小題4:The main purpose of the author in writing this passage is to ____________.

A．talk about a ban on using physical punishment

B．tell us we should educate our children in other ways

C．a(chǎn)dvise parents to give up using physical punishment

D．suggest physical punishment should be used at home

More than 200 scientists have completed a two­year study to identify the most natural and undeveloped areas on Earth. Their findings are reported in a new book called Wilderness：Earth’s Last Wild Places. The book describes 37 wilderness areas around the world. Each has an area greater than 10,000 square kilometers. The study considered only areas where at least 70% of all plants are native.
North and South America are home to the largest number of wilderness areas. There are 16 such areas, from southern Argentina to Alaska and northern Canada. Africa has 8 wilderness areas, including the thick forests and the grasslands. Australia and New Guinea (幾內(nèi)亞) share 6 areas. Europe has 3 areas and Asia has 2.The Arabian Desert and Antarctica also are considered wilderness areas.
The largest wilderness area is the Boreal Forest (北方森林)．It extends for 16­million square kilometers south of the Arctic Circle. The Boreal Forest extends across Alaska, Canada, northern Europe and Russia. The smallest of the 37 wilderness areas is the Sundarbans. It is the world’s largest tidal mangrove forest (紅樹林)．It covers 10,000 square kilometers of land at the mouth of the Ganges River in India and Bangladesh (孟加拉國(guó))．
The study found that wilderness areas cover about 46% of the Earth’s land surface. However, they are home to less than 2.5% of the world’s population. Nineteen of the wilderness areas have only about one person for each square kilometer. Native people usually live in these areas.
Wilderness areas help to influence the world’s weather systems and rainfall. They are also home to many plants and animals. Population growth and the spread of agriculture and mining operations threaten wilderness areas. But just 7% of all such areas have some form of official protection.
小題1:What does the author think of the wilderness areas around the world in the book?

A．Unwanted.

B．Long-lasting.

C．Valuable

D．Perfect.

小題2:The writer describes the wilderness areas to show that they ________.

A．a(chǎn)re worth the public support	B．can attract readers’ attention
C．need to be stressed as resources	D．a(chǎn)re seen on every continent

小題3:According to the 4th paragraph, we can draw a conclusion that the 37 wilderness areas are ________.

A．deserted

B．crowded

C．uncontrolled

D．undeveloped

小題4:As the result of the effect on nature, the wilderness areas on Earth should be ________.

A．thought more of by the governments	B．explored as natural habitats very soon
C．further made full use of at present	D．discovered for their advantages of nature

小題5:The purpose of writing this text is to tell us ________of the wilderness areas around the world.

A．the importance

B．the situation

C．the development

D．the environment

In bringing up children, every parent watches eagerly the child's acquisition (學(xué)會(huì)) of each new skill -- the first spoken words, the first independent steps, or the beginning of reading and writing. It is often tempting to hurry the child beyond his natural learning rate, but this can set up dangerous feelings of failure and states of worry in the child. This might happen at any stage. A baby might be forced to use a toilet too early, a young child might be encouraged to learn to read before he knows the meaning of the words he reads. On the other hand, though, if a child is left alone too much, or without any learning opportunities, he loses his natural enthusiasm for life and his desire to find out new things for himself.
Parents vary greatly in their degree of strictness towards their children. Some may be especially strict in money matters. Others are severe over time of coming home at night or punctuality（準(zhǔn)時(shí)）for meals. In general, the controls represent the needs of the parents and the values of the community as much as the child's own happiness.
As regards the development of moral standards in the growing child, consistency（前后一致） is very important in parental teaching. To forbid a thing one day and excuse it the next is no foundation for morality (道德). Also, parents should realize that "example is better than precept". If they are not sincere and do not practice what they preach (說教), their children may grow confused when they grow old enough to think for themselves, and realize they have been to some extent fooled.
A sudden awareness of a marked difference between their parents' principles and their morals can be a dangerous disappointment.
小題1:Eagerly watching the child’s acquisition of new skills, _________________.

A．should be avoided

B．is universal among parents

C．sets up dangerous states of worry in the child

D．will make the child lose interest in learning new things

小題2:In the process of children’s learning new skills, parents _________________.

A．should encourage them to read before they know the meaning of the words they read

B．should expect a lot of the children

C．should achieve a balance between pushing them too hard and leaving them on their own

D．should create as many learning opportunities as possible

小題3:The second paragraph mainly tells us that _________________.

A．parents should be strict with their children

B．parental controls reflect only the values of the community

C．parental restrictions vary, and are not always for the benefit of the children alone

D．it’s parents’ and society’s duty to control the children

小題4:The word“precept” in Paragraph 3 probably means “_________________”.

A．opinion

B．punishment

C．behavior

D．instruction

小題5:In terms of moral matters, parents should _____________________.

A．follow the rules themselves

B．be aware of the huge difference between adults and children

C．forbid things which have no foundation in morality

D．a(chǎn)lways ensure the security of their children

Over the last ten years, technology has been constantly improving. Learning languages outside classes has__36__from using sets of tapes or CDs to much more creative and interesting __37__.This is largely due to the ever __38__Internet. There are now hundreds of __39__that will help you learn a language, some are better than others; some charge and some are __40__. Below are some of the free-of-charge websites that I recommend (推薦) to __41__ you learn a language.
Busuu is like Facebook for language learners. __42__of this website span (跨越) across the globe. It works by giving you exercises to __43__; these exercises can be grammar, __44__, or reading comprehension. The more exercises you complete, the more your “Language Garden” __45__. Written exercises are corrected by native speaker of the language you are learning. You can also help students of your language by __46__ their work.
MyHappyPlanet is an online community for people __47__ in learning a language in __48__ for teaching their own language. For example, you help someone in Barcelona with their Chinese __49__they help you with your Spanish. With Myhappyplanet, you can practice speaking with a __50__speaker, learn more about other cultures, and make friends with people __51__in the world.                      
BBC languages is probably one of the most __52__ways to learn a language online, and it’s great for beginners .The lessons are in the __53__of a TV series shot in your target language. It’s like watching your favorite show and __54__at the same time. They also help you to have a better understanding __55__ the culture of the country

小題1:	A．settled B．continued C．changed D．started

小題2:	A．points B．ideas C．designs D．methods

小題3:	A．improving B．falling C．requiring D．working

小題4:	A．books B．websites C．programs D．tapes

小題5:	A．cheap B．expensive C．free D．spare

小題6:	A．help B．expect C．hope D．a(chǎn)dvise

小題7:	A．Managers B．Members C．Employees D．Employers

小題8:	A．compete B．report C．teach D．complete

小題9:	A．structure B．English C．vocabulary D．knowledge

小題10:

A．closes B．grows C．ends D．rises

小題11:

A．showing B．measuring C．praising D．correcting

小題12:

A．interested B．shocked C．disappointed D．surprised

小題13:

A．balance B．exchange C．preparation D．search

小題14:

A．but B．while C．since D．unless

小題15:

A．strange B．foreign C．fluent D．native

小題16:

A．a(chǎn)nybody B．somewhere C．a(chǎn)nywhere D．somebody

小題17:

A．serious B．difficult C．boring D．relaxing

小題18:

A．fashion B．form C．shape D．figure

小題19:

A．learning B．living C．guessing D．thinking.

小題20:

A．on B．to C．for D．of

Sports can help you keep fit and get in touch with nature. However, whether you are on the mountains, in the waves, or on the grassland, you should be aware that your choice of sport might have great influence on the environment.
Some sports are resource-hungry. Golf, as you may know, eats up not only large areas of countryside, but also tons of water. Besides, all sorts of chemical and huge amounts of energy are used to keep its courses in good condition .This causes major environmental effects. For example, in the dry regions of Portugal and Spain, golf is often held responsible for serious water shortage in some local areas.                                    
There are many environment-friendly sports．Power walking is one of them that you could take up today. You don’t need any special equipment except a good pair of shoes; and you don’t have to worry about resources and your purse. Simple and free, power walking can also keep you fit. If you walk regularly, it will be good for your heart and bones. Experts say that 20 minutes of power walking daily can make you feel less anxious, sleep well and have better weight control.
Whatever sport you take up, you can make it greener by using environment-friendly equipment and buying products made from recycled materials. But the final goal should be “green gyms”. They are better replacements for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers. Members of green gyms play sports outdoors, in the countryside or other open spaces. There is no special requirement for you to start your membership. And best of all, it’s free.
小題1:What do we know about golf from the passage?

A．It is not played in Portugal and Spain at all.

B．It causes water shortages around the world.

C．It pollutes the earth with chemicals and wastes.

D．It needs water and electricity to keep its courses green.

小題2:The author uses power walking as an example mainly because ________.

A．it is an outdoor sport

B．it improves our health

C．it uses fewer resources

D．it is recommended by experts

小題3:The author writes the passage to ________

A．show us the function of major sports

B．encourage us to go in for green sports

C．discuss the major influence of popular sports

D．introduce different types of environment-friendly sports

Imagine a classroom missing the one thing that’s long been considered a necessary part to reading and writing---paper. No notebooks, no textbooks, no test papers. Nor are there any pencils or pens, which always seems to run out of ink at the critical moment. A “paperless classroom” is what more and more schools are trying to achieve .
Students don’t do any handwriting in this class . Instead , they use palm size , or specially—designed computers. The teacher downloads texts from Internet libraries and sends them to every student’s personal computer. Having computers also means that students use the Web. They can look up information on any subject they’re studying from maths to social science.
High school teacher Judy Herrell in Florida, US, described how her class used the Web to learn about the war in Afghanistan over one year ago. We could touch every side of the country through different sites from the forest to refugee camps, she said .“Using a book that’s three or four years old is impossible.”And exams can go on line too. At a high school in Tennessee, US, students take tests on their own computers. The teacher records the grades on the network for everyone to see and then copies them to his own electronic grade book. A paperless classroom is a big step towards reducing the waste of paper. High school teacher Stephanie—Sorrell in Kentucky,US, said she used to give about 900 pieces of paper each week to each student.
“Think about the money and trees we could save with the computers,”she said .But, with all this technology, there is always the risk that the machines will break down. So , in case of a power failure or technical problems, paper textbooks are still widely available for these hi—tech students.
小題1:What does the part of the last sentence in the first paragraph “run out of ink at the critical moment” mean ?

A．Pens may not write well at the critical moment.

B．Pens get lost easily , so you may not find them at the critical moment.

C．Pens may have little or no ink at the critical moment

D．Pens use ink, while pencils don’t.

小題2:The high school teacher, Judy Herrell, used the example of her class to show that ________.

A．the Web could take them everywhere

B．the Web taught them a lot.

C．the Web is a good tool for information.

D．the Web , better than the textbooks ,can give the latest and comprehensive information.

小題3:The paperless classroom will benefit _________ the most.

A．students

B．teachers

C．trees

D．computers

小題4:What does the phrase in the last paragraph “break down ”mean ?

A．Break into pieces

B．Stop working

C．Fall down

D．Lose control

Earthquakes are something that people fear．There are some places that have few or no earthquakes．Most places in the world，however，have them regularly（有規(guī)律的）．Countries that have a lot of earthquakes are usually quite mountainous（多山的）．
The most talked about earthquake in the United States was in San Francisco in 1906．Over 700 people died in it．The strongest one in North America was in 1964．It happened in Alaska．
Strong earthquakes are not always the ones that kill the most people．In 1755，one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded was felt in Portugal．Around 2,000 people died．
In 1923，a very strong earthquake hit the Tokyo，Yokohama area of Japan．A hundred and forty thousand people died．Most of them died in fires which followed the earthquake．
One of the worst earthquakes ever was in China in 2008．It killed a large number of people．The worst earthquake ever reported was also in China，in which 400,000 people were killed or injured．This earthquake happened in 1556．
Earthquakes worry people a lot．The reason is that we often do not know when they are coming．People can not prepare for it．
小題1:When and where was the worst earthquake ever reported？

A．1964;Alaska.

B．1556;China.

C．1923;Japan.

D．2008;China.

小題2:According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

A．The stronger the earthquake is, the more people are killed.

B．Earthquakes often come unexpectedly（出乎意料地）.

C．Earthquakes can cause fires.

D．People still don’t know how to tell when an earthquake will come.

小題3:What may be talked about in the seventh paragraph?

A．How do earthquakes worry people?

B．What will people do to prepare for earthquakes?

C．How can we save people when earthquakes happen?

D．How do earthquakes happen?