If English means endless new words, difficult grammar and sometimes strange pronunciation, you are wrong. Haven't you noticed that you have become smarter since you started to learn a language?
According to a new study by a British university, learning a second language can lead to an increase in your brain power. Researchers found that learning other languages changes grey matter. This is the area of the brain which processes information. It is similar to the way that exercise builds muscles.
The study also found the effect is greater, the younger people learn a second language.
A team led by Dr Andrea Mechelli, from University College London, took a group of Britons who only spoke English. They were compared with a group of "early bilinguals" who had learnt a second language before the age of five, as well as a number of later learners.
Scans showed that grey matter density (密度) in the brain was greater in bilinguals than in people without a second language. But the longer a person waited before mastering a new language, the smaller the difference.
"Our findings suggest that the structure of the brain is changed by the experience of learning a second language," said the scientists.
It means that the change itself increases the ability to learn.
Professor Dylan Vaughan Jones of the University of Wales, has researched the link between bilingualism and maths skills. "Having two languages gives you two windows on the world and makes the brain more flexible (靈活的),"he said. "You are actually going beyond language and have a better understanding of different ideas."
The findings were matched in a study of native Italian speakers who had learned English as a second language between the ages of two and 34. Reading, writing, and comprehension were all tested. The results showed that the younger they started to learn, the better. "Studying a language means you get an entrance to another world," explained the scientists.
小題1:The main subject talked about in this passage is ______.

A．science on learning a second language

B．man’s ability of learning a second language

C．1anguage can help brain power

D．1anguage learning and maths study

小題2: In the second paragraph, the writer mentions “exercise” in order to ______.

A．say language is also a kind of physical labor

B．prove that one needs more practice when he (she) is learning a language

C．to show the importance of using the language when you learn the language

D．make people believe language learning helps grey matter work well

小題3:We may know from the scientific findings that ______.

A．the earlier you start to learn a second language, the higher the grey matter density is

B．there is no difference between a later second language learner and one who doesn't know a second language

C．the experience of learning a second language has bad effect on people's brain

D．the ability of learning a second language is changing all the time

小題4:The underlined word “bilingual'’ probably means ______.

A．a(chǎn) researcher on language learning

B．a(chǎn) person who is good at learning foreign languages

C．a(chǎn) person who can speak two languages

D．a(chǎn)n active language learner

If your mother wants to tell you something, she uses words. Birds can not talk as we do. But some birds can make sounds to warn their young of danger. They have their own ways to make the young birds do certain thing.
The jackdaw is a kind of blackbirds that lives in Europe. Jackdaws live together in flocks. ( 群) Yong jackdaws do not know their enemies. When an older jackdaw sees a dog , it makes a loud tattling (格格響的)sound.The young birds know this sound means an enemy is nearby.  The sounds warns them to know their enemy.
If a young jackdaw is in a dangerous place, a jackdaw parent flies over him from behind.The parent bird flies low over the young bird’s back, the parents’ tail feathers move quickly from side to side, It is trying to say, “ Follow me.”
At the same time , the parent calls out, “ Key-aw ,Key-aw.” The parent means, “ Fly home with me.” The young bird then follows the older one home.
Young jackdaws do not have to learn what certain sounds mean.They know the meaning of these sounds from the time they hatch.
小題1:The jackdaw lives in _____ .

A．Europe

B．Australia

C．America

D．Africa

小題2:When an old jackdaw sees a dog , it _____ .

A．calls out “Follow me .”	B．makes a loud sound
C．flies away	D．fights the dog .

小題3: Parent jackdaw can use their tail feathers to ______ .

A．a(chǎn)sk their young to follow them	B．play a game with the young
C．tell the meal time	D．give a warning of a fire

小題4:The story tells much about _____ .

A．the danger of jackdaws.

B．in which mother can talk to their children.

C．the way jackdaws warn their young of danger.

D．how the jackdaws are living.

小題5: Which of the following does this story lead you to believe ?

A．All animal parents can talk to their young.

B．Dogs are the most dangerous enemies for jackdaws.

C．Young jackdaws know the meaning of their parents’ sound when they grow older .

D．Some birds can give certain information to one another.

When Xia Min started drinking alcohol with her classmates at a friend’s birthday, she didn’t realize what would happen to her. She drank a lot and fell into a coma (昏迷). The 15year-old girl from Chongqing never recovered.
Xia’s death is warning to other students. A new rule went into effect on January 1, 2006. Teens are not allowed to buy or drink alcohol. Shops are not allowed to sell it to them.
A 1999 Chinese law forbade (禁止) shops to sell alcohol to youths under 18. But it is not taken seriously by shopkeepers because it doesn’t have specific rules. People hope the new rule will work.
“I tasted alcohol when having the dinner of the last New Year’s Eve,” said Lian Yuqi, a 16-year-old girl in Xiamen. She believes that the new rule will stop teens from drinking and help them grow in a healthy way.
“Although it may be a little disappointing not to have beer at parties, I think we can have soft drinks instead,” she said.
小題1:Xia Min died from alcohol at the age of ______.

A．15

B．16

C．17

D．18

小題2: The underlined word “it” means ________.

A．a(chǎn) warning sing	B．a(chǎn) shopkeeper
C．the new rule	D．a(chǎn) 1999 Chinese law

小題3:We can know that ________.

A．it is against the new rule for youths under 18 to drink alcohol

B．shops can sell alcohol to a 16 years old youth.

C．without an ID card, young people can’t buy alcohol

D．it seems that the young girl, Liang Yuqi, likes to drink alcohol

小題4:According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A．The new rule has worked very well.

B．Shopkeepers can sell alcohol to teens above 18.

C．China’s legal drinking age is clearly under18.

D．Many teens drink alcohol to show they’ve grown up.

小題5:This passage is mainly about _______.

A．the harm of drinking alcohol

B．the legal age for drinking alcohol

C．a(chǎn) new rule to stop teens drinking

D．student’s ideas about drinking alcohol

Imagine a boy from a small village in East Africa, He from a very early age has been looking after cattle. At twelve years old he knows more about cattle than most of you. However, he has never been to school. Has this boy ever had any education?
Education is discovering about ourselves and about the people and things around us. All the people who care about us — our parents, brothers, sisters, friends — are our teachers. In fact, we learn something from everyone we meet. We start learning on the day we are born, not on the first day" we go to school. Every day we have new experiences, like finding a bird's nest, discovering a new street in our neighborhood, making friends with someone we didn't like before. New experiences are even more fun when we share them with other people.
Encouragement from the people around us enables us to explore things as much as possible. As we grow up, we begin to find out what we are capable of doing. You may be good at cooking, or singing or playing football. You find this out by doing these things. Just thinking about cooking doesn't tell you if you are good at it.
We learn so much just living from day to day. So why is school important? Of course you can learn some things better at home than at school, like how to do the shopping, and how to help old or disabled people who can' t do everything for themselves. At school, teachers help us to read and write. With their guidance, we begin to see things in different ways.
小題1: The writer takes the African boy as an example to show that _______.

A．African children are very poor

B．some children are unlucky

C．education takes many ways

D．schools are of great importance

小題2:In the eyes of the writer       .

A．we have to learn from the people around us

B．school is not important at all

C．only the people caring for us can teach us

D．education takes place everywhere

小題3:One can find out what he is good at by     _.

A．the encouragement of people around	B．the teachings of those he or she meets
C．thinking of it when growing up	D．trying practicing it

小題4: How the writer looks at the role of school is that       .

A．school is not so important as our living places

B．school enables us to understand the world in other ways

C．school teaches us something useless at home

D．school cannot prepare us for our daily lives

小題5: The passage tells us that _    .

A．everyone gets education from the day he or she is born

B．different education trains different classes of people

C．school is absolutely necessary if one wants to understand the world

D．everyone will find out what he or she is good at

Water problems in the future will become more intense and more complex. Our increasing population will tremendously increase urban wastes, primarily sewage. On the other hand, increasing demands for water will decrease substantially the amount of water available for diluting wastes. Rapidly expanding industries which involve more and more complex chemical processes will produce larger volumes of liquid wastes, and many of these will contain chemicals which are noxious. To feed our rapidly expanding population, agriculture will have to be intensified. This will involve ever - increasing quantities of agricultural chemicals. From this, it is apparent that drastic steps must be taken immediately to develop corrective measures for the pollution problem.
There are two ways by which this pollution problem can be dwindled(減少). The first relates to the treatment of wastes to decrease their pollution hazard . This involves the processing of solid wastes "prior to" disposal and the treatment of liquid wastes, or effluents, to permit the reuse of the water or minimize pollution upon final disposal .
A second approach is to develop an economic use for all or a part of the wastes. Farm manure is spread in fields as a nutrient or organic supplement. Effluents from sewage disposal plants are used in some areas both for irrigation and for the nutrients contained. Effluents from other processing plants may also be used as a supplemental source of water. Many industries, such as meat and poultry processing plants, are currently converting former waste products into marketable byproducts. Other industries are potential economic uses for waste products.
小題1:The purpose of this passage is ________.

A．to alert the reader to the dwindling water supply

B．to explain industrial uses of water

C．to acquaint the reader with water pollution problems

D．to demonstrate various measures to solve the pollution problem

小題2:Which of the following points is NOT included in the passage?

A．Industrial development includes the simplification of complex chemical processes.

B．Diluting wastes needs certain amount of water.

C．Demands for water will go up along with the expanding population .

D．Intensive cultivation of land require more and more chemicals.

小題3:The reader can conclude that _________.

A．countries of the world will work together on pollution problems

B．byproducts from wastes lead to a more prosperous marketplace

C．science is making great progress in increasing water supplies

D．some industries are now making economic use of wastes

小題4:The author gives substance to the passage through the use of________.

A．interviews with authorities in the field of water controls

B．opinions and personal observations

C．definitions which clarify important terms

D．strong arguments and persuasions

小題5:The underlined words "prior to"(para. 2)probably man________.

A．a(chǎn)fter

B．during

C．before

D．beyond

A scientist who developed a way to calculate how much water is used in the production of anything from a cup of coffee to a hamburger was awarded the 2008 Stockholm Water Prize.
Professor John Anthony Allan of the University of London in Britain won the award for introducing the idea of “virtual water (虛擬水)”, a calculation method that has changed the nature of trade policy and research.
Allan has written seven books and published more than 100 papers.
The Stockholm International Water Institute said this idea is now embedded (埋藏) in the production of foods and industrial products. The institute said Allan’s work had made a big effect on global trade policy and research, especially in water-scarce (缺水的) regions.
“The improved understanding of trade and water management issues on local, regional and global scales are of the highest value for the successful and sustainable (可持續(xù)的) use of water resources,” it said.
“People do not only use water when they drink it or take a shower,” the institute said. “Behind the morning cup of coffee, there are 140 liters of water that was used to grow, produce, package and ship the beans.” That is about as much water as a person in England uses on average for all daily drinking and household needs.
“For a single hamburger, about 2,400 liters of water are needed. In the USA, the average person uses nearly 7,000 liters of virtual water every day.” It said that was more than three times the average use of a Chinese person.
小題1:Allan was awarded the prize because _______.

A．he wrote seven books on trade policy

B．he published more than 100 papers on water management

C．he found a new kind of water in water-scarce areas

D．he came up with the idea of virtual water

小題2:Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The average American uses about 7,000 liters of water a day.

B．The average Chinese uses nearly 2,300 liters of virtual water a day.

C．An Englishman usually drinks about 140 liters of coffee a day.

D．A hamburger usually contains about 2,400 liters of water.

小題3:What do we learn about John Anthony Allan from the passage?
A. He won the 2008 Nobel Prize.        B. He has written over 100 books.
C. He works at the University of London.        D. He lives in the USA.
小題4:What effect does the idea of virtual water have?

A．It helps us realize the importance of trade.

B．It helps people do successful business.

C．It helps us make use of water scientifically.

D．It tells us how much water we use a day.

As the population of the planet increases, so does the number of homes, businesses, parking lots, schools, airports and roadways. All these structures use electricity and need to be lighted. Humans demand these lights. They want their homes more comfortable and they want their streets sage. The problem is that researchers are finding that all the light is having a negative effect on humans and wildlife as well.
Less than 10 years ago I drove to a thinly populated section of my town, lay down in the middle of the road and watched an attracted meteor shower(流星雨). The area was short of homes, street lights and traffic. If I did that today, I wouldn’t be able to see the meteor shower as well, and I would surely be run over by a car.
Nowadays scientists are finding light pollution can be almost as bad as carbon dioxide pollution. If you’ve ever taken a flight at night, the view is beautiful, but you must remember that all the light you see is wasted electricity. The crew of the space shuttles see an even bigger picture of how extensive the wasted electricity is worldwide.
Additionally, electricity needs to be generated, and the generation of electricity creates pollution by giving off greenhouse gases. This affects the air we breathe and our quality of life.
Scientists are also studying the effects of light pollution on wildlife. Thousands of birds die each year when they crash into highly lighted buildings, as they become puzzled by the light. It has been long known that tiny sea turtle hatchlings become lost and follow lights on the shore instead of heading towards the sea.
Fortunately, light pollution is one of the easiest sources of pollution that can be corrected without a negative effect. Following some guidelines and a little searching on Google can give you many ideas on how to reduce your contribution to light pollution. 
小題1:The author tells the story in the second paragraph mainly to _________.

A．remember the past beauty of the town.

B．stress the advantages of less pollution

C．show the great changes of the town

D．prove the bad effects of light pollution

小題2:In the passage the author advises people _________.

A．to try to reduce unnecessary light.

B．not to ignore the beauty around.

C．to set proper light for animals

D．not to destroy the animal’s living conditions.

小題3:What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Light pollution is difficult to deal with.

B．Light pollution is a threat to some animals.

C．Light pollution has nothing to do with global warming

D．Astronauts can’t see clearly in space due to light pollution.

小題4:What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph which follows the last paragraph?

A．The author’s contribution to light pollution

B．Other sources of light pollution

C．Ways of reducing light pollution

D．More bad effects of light pollution

Lawmakers in the United States have expanded an investigation into the use of location-tracking systems on mobile devices． The action follows recent reports about the storing of information on the Apple iPhone． Some people consider location tracking to be a threat to personal privacy and security．
Allan Friedman, the research director, says, “All wireless companies do some location tracking as part of their networks． This information is usually stored by the companies, not the devices, and there are laws to protect it． Law enforcement（執(zhí)法） agencies, for example, have to have a fairly high standard before it can access that data． And the phone company is also prohibited from selling that information．
Now, two researchers report that location tracking information is being stored directly on Apple devices． They said Apple’s newest operating systems gather global positioning system and timestamp information． The information is stored on the device in a file that is also uploaded （上傳） to any computer that the device is connected to． The researchers say the information is available to anyone who has access to the device or computer．
Allan Friedman says, “This raises additional concerns． There’s the idea that because it’s on my phone and on my computer, rogue applications（惡意程序） that I pay for or that I’m tricked into downloading may be able to access this data and somehow misuse it．”
Apple says it is “not tracking the location of your iPhone”． It is simply keeping a database of Wi-Fi hotspots and cellphone towers near the user’s location． This information is meant to help the iPhone quickly find its location when needed．
Letters have been sent to some of the leading mobile device developers, including Apple and Google． The letters asked for more information about their location tracking systems． Allan Friedman calls this an important start to strengthening privacy laws． He says, “There aren’t strong controls over things like location information, what they are doing with it, how long they are keeping it． And perhaps the most important question is, is my location data with other facts about me?”
小題1:Why did American lawmakers investigate the use of location-tracking systems on cell-phones?

A．Because the systems can store users’ information

B．Because many users have suffered loss after using them．

C．Because it is thought to threaten users’ privacy．

D．Because many reporters have shown the problem of the systems．

小題2: Allan Friedman believes that ________．

A．wireless companies focus on personal privacy．

B．people are forbidden to get access to private data at will

C．phone companies may sell private information secretly

D．customers may ask wireless companies to locate their tracking

小題3: What do we know from Paragraph 3?

A． Location tracking information is stored online．

B．Apple’s newest operating systems collect all kinds of information．

C．Location tracking information may be uploaded to any iPhone．

D．Apple’s newest operating systems may reveal the private information of users．

小題4:Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Apple denies that it tracks the location of users．

B．The researchers may misunderstand the Apple’s systems．

C．The global positioning system is to blame for rogue applications．

D．The iPhone can quickly find its location by using its user’s information．

At night, bats fly through the air, catching hundreds of insects and other small animals. But during the day, they hardly move at all. Instead, bats pass the time hanging upside down from a secret spot.
There are a couple of reasons why bats rest this way. First of all, it puts them in a position for takeoff. Unlike birds, bats can’t fly into the air from the ground. Their wings don’t produce enough lift to take off from a dead stop, and their hind legs are so small and underdeveloped that they can’t run to build up the necessary takeoff speed. Instead, they use their front claws to climb to a high spot, and then fall into flight.
During the hours when most enemies are active, bats gather where few animals would think to look and most can’t reach. This allows them to disappear from the world until night comes again. There’s also little competition for these resting spots, as other flying animals don’t have the ability to hang upside down.
Bats have a unique physiological adaptation that lets them hang around this way without using any energy. For you to hold your fist around an object tight, you contract（緊縮）several muscles in your arm, which are connected to your fingers by tendons（腱）；as one muscle contracts, it pulls a tendon, which pulls one of your fingers closed. A bat’s talons（爪）close in the same way, except that their tendons are connected only to the upper body, not to a muscle. To hang upside down, a bat pulls its claws open with other muscles. To get the talons to take hold of the surface, the bat simply lets its body relax. The weight of the upper body pulls down on the tendons connected to the talons, causing them to hold tight. Therefore, the bat doesn’t have to do anything to hang upside down.
小題1:Bats hang upside down because________．

A．they haven’t developed a pair of strong claws	B．they can’t start to fly from the ground directly
C．they have no hind legs to support their body	D．they can’t find quiet places to stay during the day

小題2:The third paragraph tells us that bats’ hanging upside down_______.

A．is to save their energy for night movement	B．is a way to fight against flying animals
C．is a great way to hide from danger	D．is a skill to compete for the flying places

小題3:Why can bats hang upside down easily?

A．Because their upper body is light.

B．Because they have strong muscles.

C．Because their talons are linked to muscles tightly.

D．Because their tendons are linked to their upper body.

小題4: What is the passage mainly about?

A．The living habits of bats.	B．How and why bats hang upside down.
C．The importance of bats’ hanging upside down.	D．How bats use their energy at night.

Recently there was a major discovery in the scientific research—the mapping of all DNA in a human gene（基因）is complete. Couple of years ago, this seems an impossible task for scientist to accomplish. All this progress in science leads us to believe that the day, when the human being will be cloned, is not far away. Human cloning has always been a topic of argument，in terms of morality or religion.
Taking a look at why cloning might be beneficial, among many cases, it is arguable that parents who are known to be at risk of passing a genetic limitation to a child could make use of cloning. If the clone was free of genetic limitations. Then the other clone would be as well. The latter could foe inserted in the woman and allowed to ripen to term. Moreover，cloning would enable women, who can’t get pregnant, to have children of their own.
Cloning humans would also mean that organs could be cloned, so it would be a source of perfect transfer organs. This, surely would be greatly beneficial to millions of unfortunate people around the world that are expected to lose their lives due to failure of single(or more) organ(s）.It is also arguable that a ban on cloning may be unlawful and would rob people of the right to reproduce and limit the freedom of scientists.
Arguments against cloning are also on a perfectly practical side. Primarily, I believe that cloning would step in the normal “cycle”of life. There would be a large number of same genes., which reduce the chances of improvement，and, in turn, development-the fundamental reason how living things naturally adapt to the ever-changing environment. Life processes failing to do so might result in untimely disappearance. Furthermore, cloning would make the uniqueness that each one of us possesses disappea. Thus, leading to creation of genetically engineered groups of people for specific purposes and, chances are, that those individuals would be regarded as “objects” rather than people in the society.
Scientists haven’t 100 percent. guaranteed that the first cloned will be normal. Thus this could result in introduction of additional limitations in the human “gene-pool”.
Regarding such arguable topics in “black or white” approach seems very innocent to me personally. We should rather try to look at all “shades: of it. I believe that cloning is only legal if its purpose is for cloning organs, not humans. Then we could regard this as for “saving life” instead of “creating life”. I believe cloning humans is morally and socially unacceptable.
小題1:Which of the following is true according to the passage？

A．Genetic limitation will be beneficial for some women

B．A large number of genes will prevent us from developing

C．Prohibition of cloning might limit the freedom of scientists

D．First cloned humans might be normal according to scientists

小題2:What’s the author’s opinion on cloning?

A．Cloning should be entirely banned

B．Cloning should be used in creating life

C．Cloning will take away the right to reproduce

D．Cloning is acceptable if it is used for cloning organs

小題3:Where can you read this article?

A．In a story book.

B．In a magazine.

C．In a science fiction

D．In a brochure

小題4:   Which of the following shows the structure of the passage