Do you enjoy reading? Here readers of your age from all over the United States recommend (推薦) great books for you to read:
My favorite book is Don’t Die, My Love by Lurlene McDaniel. I love all her books, but this was the first one I read and I have to say, it is by far my favorite. It doesn’t end like other books, and I cried while reading.
I think Nancy Drew is great! Nancy is a detective (偵探) who has many fantastic ideas! I love it because it’s a book from when my grandma was my age, and I can share the fun with her!
I highly recommend Skinny Bones by Barbara Park. It is funny so please add it on your book list. You don’t want to miss out funny stories！
I would suggest ______ by Judy Blume. It is based on real things that happened to Judy Blume. It is about a girl, Alice, who meets some girls at a new state. They become friends, make a club and meet once a week. They stop after two weeks because they all like a boy in their class and put him as number one. I think every girl should read this because it is about our growing up.
I read a book called Neela: Victory Song and it was so good I read it twice! It takes place in India in 1936 and this 12-year-old girl named Neela tries to save her father! It has lots of history in it! I also learned a lot about different cultures! The author’s name is Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.
44. According to the reader, Skinny Bones can be described as a ________ story.
A. sad                     B. history                   C. funny                       D. detective
45. From which book can we learn different cultures?
A. Skinny Bones.        B. Nancy Drew.          C. Don’t Die, My Love. D. Neela: Victory Song.
46. The best name of the 4th book is ________.
A. My Secret   B. Growing Trouble   C. Three Friends  D. Alice Learns a Lesson
47. Which is TRUE about Nancy Drew?
A. Both the reader and the reader’s grandma love this book.
B. It’s based on real things that happened to the author.
C. It’s about a12-year-old girl who tries to save her father.
D. It doesn’t have a common ending like other books.

In nineteen ninety-nine, twelve percent of public elementary schools in the United States required students to wear uniforms. Just three years later, estimates were almost double that.
A study of six big-city Ohio public schools showed students who were required to wear uniforms had improved graduation, behavior and attendance rates. Academic performance was unchanged.
Some middle and high schools in Texas have also joined the movement. Yet studies find mixed results from requiring uniforms. And some schools have turned away from such policies.
Supporters believe dressing the same creates a better learning environment and safer schools. The school district in Long Beach, California, was the first in the country to require uniforms in all elementary and middle schools. The example helped build national interest in uniforms as a way to deal with school violence and improve learning.
Findings in Long Beach suggested that the policy resulted in fewer behavior problems and better attendance. But researcher Viktoria Stamison, who has looked at those findings, says they were based only on opinions about the effects of uniforms.
She says other steps taken at the same time to improve schools in Long Beach and statewide could have influenced the findings. The district increased punishments for misbehavior. And California passed a law to reduce class sizes.
In Florida, for example, researcher Sharon Pate found that uniforms seemed to improve behavior and reduce violence. In Texas, Eloise Hughes found fewer discipline problems among students required to wear uniforms, but no effect on attendance.
Sociologist David Brunsma has studied school uniform policies since nineteen ninety-eight. He collected the reports in the book. In his own study, he found that reading and mathematics performance dropped after a school in rural Pennsylvania required uniforms.
Political and community pressures may persuade schools to go to uniforms to improve learning. But David Brunsma and others believe there is not enough evidence of a direct relationship. In fact, he says requiring uniforms may even increase discipline problems.
52. What’s the main idea of this passage?
A. More and more students are required to wear uniforms in the US.
B. Wearing uniforms contributes to good academic performance.
C. Researchers in the US argue for school uniform policies.
D. Evidence for school uniform policies in the US is seen as weak.
53. Which was/were the first in the US to require uniforms in all elementary and middle schools?
A. Six big-city Ohio public schools.
B. The school district in Long Beach, California.
C. Some middle and high schools in Texas.
D. Some elementary and middle schools in Florida.
54. Which of the following researchers are NOT supporters of school uniform policies?
A. Viktoria Stamison and Sharon Pate.  
B. Sharon Pate and David Brunsma.
C. Eloise Hughes and Sharon Pate.  
D. Viktoria Stamison and David Brunsma.
55. The underlined word “misbehavior” in the sixth paragraph probably means ______.
A. serious crime            B. bad performance
C. absence for class       D. action against wearing uniforms
56. We can infer from the passage that ______.
A. more work is needed to get better information about uniform’s effect
B. the number of schools requiring uniforms in the US will decline sharply
C. wearing uniforms has little to do with behavior and learning
D. politicians and communities won’t vote for uniform policies

There is no doubt that adults, and even highly educated adults, vary greatly in the speed and efficiency of their reading. Some proceed very lowly throughout; others dash along too quickly and then have to regress. Poor readers in particular may lack the ability to vary their manner of reading according to the type of reading matter and to their intentions in reading it. A good reader can move at great speed through the text of a novel or similar light reading matter. He may be able to skim a page, picking up a word or two here and there, and gain a general idea of what the text is about without really reading it. In reading more difficult material, with the intention of taking in the whole of it, he will proceed more slowly, but even then he will vary his pace, concentrating on the key words and passages, perhaps re-reading them several times and pass more quickly over the remainder. A less efficient reader tends to maintain the same speed whatever the material he reads. Consequently, even light reading matter gives him little pleasure because he reads so slowly. But this pace may be too fast for really difficult material which requires special concentration at difficult points.
A type of reading which necessitates(需要) careful attention to detail is proofreading, in which the reader, in order to detect misprints in a sample print, has to notice not so much the meaning of what he reads as the exact shape and order of letters and words in the text. This is extremely difficult for most people, since they are accustomed to overlooking such details. In fact, considerable practice is required to practise this task efficiently and it can be done only by reading very slowly, and by paying comparatively little attention to the general meaning of the text.
68．This article is mainly concerned with ________.
A．the ability to read fast      
B．difference in the speed and efficiency of reading
C．different reading skills      
D．the reading speed of highly educated adults
69．According to the article, there is a difference in reading speed ________.
A．a(chǎn)mong adult readers
B．a(chǎn)mong young educated people
C．a(chǎn)mong readers who have different experiences
D．between the poorly educated and the highly educated
70．The underlined word "regress" can be best replaced by "________".
A．regret         B．stop   C．move slowly       D．go back
71．The author believes a good reader should ________.
A．a(chǎn)lways read at great speed      
B．read carefully and catch every detail
C．a(chǎn)lways review the text he has read 
D．change his speed according to the type of text

The hole in the Earth's ozone layer (臭氧層) has until now protected Antarctica from the worst effects of global warming. But scientists have warned that as the hole closes up in the next few decades, temperatures on the continent could rise by around 3℃on average, with melting ice contributing to a global sea level increase of up to 1.4 metres.
In the past decades the western Antarctic has seen rapid ice loss as the world has warmed, but the other parts of the continent have, paradoxically, been cooling, resulting in a 10% increase in ice in the seas around the region. This is because the hole in the ozone layer has increased cold winds in Antarctica, making much of the continent surface colder than usual.
But now that the gasses that cause the ozone hole have been banned, scientists expect the hole to repair itself within the next 50 to 60 years. By then the cooling effect will have faded out and the Antarctic will face the full impact of global warming. This means an increase in average air temperatures of around 3℃ and a reduction in sea ice by around a third.
The biggest threat to the continent comes from warming seas. Robert Johnson, a scientist who monitors Antarctica ice sheets, said, "The ice sheets in Antarctica are hundreds of metres thick. But once warm ocean waters start flowing underneath, the ice will begin thinning and could break up very quickly. "Thinning ice sheets cause ice to break away from the continent and to melt even faster. Escaping ice from western Antarctica has already resulted in a 10% rise in global sea level in recent decades.
Johnson believes that international action to reduce global warming is required immediately or it may be too late. "Everything is connected - Antarctica may be a long way away but it is an important part of the Earth's system," said Johnson. "It contains 90% of the world's ice, 70% of the world's fresh water and that is enough, if it melts completely, to raise sea levels by 63 metres."
Even in a worse-case situation scientists don't expect the ice to entirely disappear, but predict that, because of the melting ice sheets, average sea level rise will be around 1.4 metres higher by the end of the century.
63. The underlined word "paradoxically" (in Paragraph 2) most probably means "__".
A. rapidly         B. approximately    C. contradictorily    D. apparently
64. What is the effect of the hole in the ozone layer on Antarctica?
A. It is causing the ice to melt faster.
B. It is making much of the continent colder.
C. It is making the effects of global warming in the region worse.
D. It is reducing the amount of water in Antarctica.
65. What do scientists think is the biggest danger facing Antarctica?
A. Rising sea levels.                  B. Warming sea water temperature.
C. Water pollution.                      D. Growing ice sheets.
66. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Antarctica is currently experiencing the full effects of global warming.
B. The average temperature has increased by 3℃ in recent decades.
C. Antarctica contains most of the world's fresh water.
D. Ten percent of Antarctica's ice has already been lost.

The unquestioned role of a student is to learn as much as possible through whatever means it takes to acquire knowledge. Teachers and professors are human beings and are therefore not perfect. No one knows the correct answer to every question even when you limit the questions to a certain field of study. Having certain skepticism (質(zhì)疑) about what they are being taught can help students to make the teachers even better by correcting mistakes and misinformation.
Students certainly have a huge role in their own abilities to learn. Teachers should act more as guides along the way rather than try to force each student to learn. The best teachers in the world cannot teach an unmotivated student. If the teacher, for whatever reason, cannot motivate the student, then the student must somehow find a way to motivate himself or herself.
One method of doing this is by becoming an active rather than a passive student. The more the student involves himself or herself in the act of studying, the better he or she can learn. One of the best ways to become more active is simply to ask the teacher or professor questions. Students who passively sit in a classroom and take everything that the teacher says for granted are not fully using their mental capacities(能力) to learn.
Better education comes from teachers who are able to get their students to think about a subject rather than merely absorb a certain amount of information. Having a healthy skepticism can improve a student’s ability to both think and absorb knowledge in a learning situation.
Teachers are human beings and no one is one hundred percent right all of the time, even in a classroom situation. Perhaps a teacher would simply unconsciously say the wrong word or pass on some misinformation that the teacher truly believed was correct. A student’s question could prevent an entire classroom from becoming confused or misinformed.
There is of course a fine balance between a student having a healthy skepticism, and just
being a downright(令人不快的) skeptic. But with the proper attitude toward learning and a little skepticism, both the students and teachers can improve upon the learning process and maximize learning efficiency.
64. Which of the following is the author’s main argument?
A. Passive learning results from passive teaching in class.
B. A student’s ability plays a huge role in the learning process.
C. A healthy skepticism fully depends on students’ motivation and ability.
D. A healthy skepticism and proper attitude contribute to effective learning.
65. Being passive learners, the students ________.
A. use little of their mental ability while studying
B. seldom involve themselves completely in learning
C. can hardly tell the right from the wrong in class
D. simply ask their teachers questions without thinking
66. According to the passage, a good teacher should ________.
A. help the unmotivated students patiently
B. instruct students in the learning process
C. make no mistakes in the teaching process
D. answer all the questions raised by students

.
Some schools that are not year-round often have summer programs. In many cases, students take summer classes to repeat a subject they failed. This way they get a second chance to succeed. But schools also offer summer classes to students who want to be free of a required class during the next school year.
Generally, students in these classes want to take fewer subjects during the year because they are involved in a lot of activities. They might be involved in sports or music programs. Or both – and more.
These summer school students do the same amount of work as if they took the class during the school year. But they do it in a much shorter time, one or two months. They say it makes for a lot of reading and homework and not much time for anything else. Some education experts are worried about high school students who take summer school because of pressure to attend a top university.
The New York Times recently reported about summer classes at one of the best high schools in the United States. New Trier High School is in Winnetka, Illinois. Almost six hundred students are in school this summer. Only twenty are repeating classes that they failed. The others are in difficult courses like physics and history.
The students say taking classes like these in the summer means that they can take even more difficult classes next year. They say this shows not only that they are serious about their studies but that they have experienced the most difficult high school program.
Another place with a lot of students in summer school is Palo Alto, California. The Mercury News reported that about twenty percent of the students in the city schools are in class this summer. That is more than two thousand teenagers.
A third are in classes they failed before. The others are taking subjects they do not have time for during the normal school year.
But they are not taking subjects like physics and history. The students in Palo Alto are in classes like creative writing, film studies, literature and cooking.
63. This passage mainly talks about ______.
A. summer classes in American schools
B. why American schools offer summer classes
C. the advantages of American summer school
D. experts’ anxiety(擔(dān)憂)about American summer school
64. Which of the following is NOT the reason for the students’ attending summer classes in America?
A.Repeating a subject.           
B.Completing a required subject ahead of time.
C.Improving their physical quality    
D.Learning some special skills
65. What’s the biggest difference between the summer classes in New Trier High School and in Palo Alto?
A.There are more students attending classes that they failed before in Palo Alto.
B.Some students in Palo Alto learn some special skills instead of taking physics and history.
C.Some students in Palo Alto take some subjects so that they can join in sports or music programs later.
D.The students’ attitude towards studies in Palo Alto is worse than that in New Trier High School.
66. What can we infer from the passage?
A.American students in schools don’t have any pressure to attend top universities.
B.Summer school students don’t do the same amount of work as they do during the school year.
C. American students attend summer schools in order to relax themselves very much.
D. American students in high schools face great pressure to attend top universities.

.
Do you want to live another 100 years or more? Some experts say that scientific advances will
one day enable humans to last tens of years beyond what is now seen as the natural limit of the human life span.
“ I think we are knocking at the door of immortality (永生),” said Michael Zey, a Montclair State University business professor and author of two books on the future. “ I think by 2075 we will see it and that’s a conservative estimate.”
At the conference in San Francisco, Donald Louria, a professor at New Jersey Medical School in Newark said advances in using genes as well as nanotechnology(納米技術(shù)) make it likely that humans will live in the future beyond what has been possible in the past. “ There is a great push so that people can live from 120 to 180 years,” he said. “ Some have suggested that there is no limit and that people could live to 200 or 300 or 500 years.”
However, many scientists who specialize in aging are doubtful about it and say the human body is just not designed to last about 120 years. Even with healthier lifestyles and less disease, they say failure of the brain and organs will finally lead all humans to death.
Scientists also differ on what kind of life the super aged might live. “ It remains to be seen if you pass 120, you know; could you be healthy enough to have good quality of life?” said Leonard Poon, director of the University of Georgia Gerontology Center. “ At present people who could get to that point are not in good health at all.”
67. By saying “ we are knocking at the door immortality”, Michael Zey means_____.
A. they believe that there is no limit of living
B. they are sure to find the truth about long living
C. they have got some ideas about living forever
D. they are able to make people live past the present life span
68. Donald Louria’s attitude toward long living is that_____.
A. people can live from 120 to 180
B. it is still doubtful how long humans can live
C. the human body is designed to last about 120 years
D. it is possible for humans to live longer in the future
69. The underlined “ it” (Para. 4) refers to_____.
A. a great push
B. the idea of living beyond the present life span
C. the idea of living from 200 to 300
D. the conservative estimate
70. What would be the best title for this text?
A. Living longer or not
B. Science, technology and long living
C. No limit for human life
D. Healthy lifestyle and long living

.
Americans are thinking about national education standards recently developed by teachers and other education experts. The National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) led the effort.
The United States, unlike other nations, has never had the same school standards across the country. What is the reason? Education is not discussed in the Constitution. That document limits the responsibilities of the federal government. Other responsibilities, like education, fall to the individual states.
Local control of education probably was a good idea two hundred years ago. People stayed in the same place and schools knew what students needed to learn. But today, people move to different cities. And some people work at jobs that did not exist even twenty years ago.
Many American educators say that getting a good education should not depend on where you live. They say that some states have lowered their standards in order to increase student scores on tests required by the No Child Left Behind Act.
Kara Schlosser is communications director for the Council of Chief State School Officers. She says the new standards clearly state what a student should be able to do to be successful in college and work.
Forty-eight states have already shown approval for the standards. Two states reject the idea. Critics(批評(píng)家) say that working toward the same standards in every state will not guarantee(保證) excellence for all. Some educators in Massachusetts say adopting the proposal will hurt their students because the state standards are even higher. Others say the change will be too costly, requiring new textbooks and different kinds of training for teachers. Still others fear federal interference or control.
Supporters say the standards are goals and do not tell states or teachers how to teach. They also say the federal government is not forcing acceptance. However, approving the standards will help states qualify(合格) for some federal grant money.
60．What would be the best title for the passage?
A．Local Control of Education Standards out of Date
B．American National Education Standards under Consideration
C．Education Standards in Each State – Good or Bad
D．Acceptance of the New Standards in the United States
61．Why is local control of education no longer a good idea today?
A．Because local standards are limited.
B．Because it is required by the federal government.
C．Because people today moves among states more often than before.
D．Because America has never has the same school standards thought the country.
62．Some people are against the national education standards because__________.
A．the standards are higher than those of each state
B．the are nor yet prepared for the new standards
C．the standards may prevent some students gaining excellence
D．they don’t want the federal government to train their teachers
63．If a state agrees to accept the motional standards, it will probably get__________.
A．more students             B．a(chǎn)dvice on how to improve teaching
C．better textbooks             D．money from the federal government

.

Dear Customers，
I love slipping into a comfortable chair for a long read —as I relax into the chair，I also relax
into the author’s words，stories，and ideas．The physical book is so elegant that it disappears into
the background，and what remains is the author’s world．
Today，we at Amaｚon are excited to announce Mindle，a wireless，portable reading device with instant access to more than 90，000 books，magazines，and newspapers．
We’ve been working on Mindle for more than three years．Our top design objective was for
Mindle to disappear in your hands —to get out of the way —so you can enjoy your reading．We
also wanted to go beyond the physical book．Mindle is wireless，so whether you’re lying in bed or riding a train，you can think of a book，and have it in less than 60 seconds．No computer is needed—you do your reading directly from the device．
We chose the same wireless technology used in advanced mobile phones．But unlike mobile
phones，there are no monthly wireless bills，no service or data plans，and no yearly contracts．There
is no software to install．We want you to get lost in your reading and not in the technology．
Mindle uses a new kind of display called electronic paper．Sharp and natural with no strong
light，reading on Mindle is nothing like reading from a computer screen．Mindle weighs only 10.3
ounces —less than a paperback —but can carry two hundred books．
Enjoy learning about Mindle and many thanks！

60．This passage most probably is a（n）_________．
A．a(chǎn)dvertisement B．news story       C．lab report        D．letter of thanks
61．From the passage we learn that Mindle is a device（設(shè)備）which．
A．has neither wires nor weight B．is operated by a computer
C．disappears while you read      D．can find a book within one minute
62．With the device，the reader is able to      ．
A．enjoy reading when driving a car   B．improve reading skills
C．gain access to free software       D．get rid of heavy books made of paper
63．Different from mobile phones，Mindle_________．
A．has a much more friendly screen   B．can work in the absence of electricity
C．doesn’t involve regular fees      D．is wireless and can be used anywhere

.
Damage to Ozone layer Gets Worse
In the middle of winter, when snow is falling in many parts of the United States, scientists have sounded a warning to people who plan to spend many hours in the sun this summer. The warning is: The sun’s summertime rays are more dangerous than once thought.
A team of scientists from 80 nations recently reported to the United Nations that a layer of ozone (臭氧層) in the atmosphere, which protects humans from harmful levels of ultraviolet radiation（紫外線輻射）, will be thinner over the United States this summer. The thinner layer allows more ultraviolet rays from the sun to reach Earth. The extra amount of ultraviolet radiation could cause an increase in the number of cases of skin cancer.
Scientists first became concerned about the ozone layer in the mid-1980s when a hole was discovered in the layer above Antarctica during the winter. The hole was caused by chemicals used in refrigerators and air conditioners. When these chemicals are sent out into the atmosphere, they produce gases that destroy the ozone.
Concern about the protective ozone layer rose more recently when data(數(shù)據(jù)) from satellites and ground stations showed that ozone levels were dropping over areas other than Antarctica. Low ozone levels were recorded in the spring and summer over the United States and over other populated areas in the world.
Although many countries have already begun stopping the use of ozone destroying chemicals, the new findings are expected to advance the timetable for a total ban(禁止) of the chemicals.
59.   The scientists have observed the ozone layer_____.
A.  since 1980             B.  since last winter      
C.  for about 20 years       D.  for about one year
60. The ozone layer in the atmosphere can _____.
A.  do a lot of good to human beings in many ways.
B.  protect humans from diseases caused by bad weather.
C.  do a lot of harm to human beings in the summer-time.
D.  protect humans from harmful levels of ultraviolet radiation.
61. Scientists first found that there was a hole in the ozone layer_____.
A.  above Arctic during the winter in the mid-1980s
B.  above Antarctica during the winter in the mid-1980s
C.  over somewhere in the north of the equator in 1980
D.  over the U.S.A in the summertime in the mid-1980s
62.   The damage to the ozone layer was caused by_____.
A.  the changeable weather
B.  ozone-destroying chemicals
C.  chemicals from refrigerators
D.  chemicals from air conditioners