The earth's biosphere (the surface layer of the planet and the surrounding atmosphere) provides the land, air, water, and energy necessary to sustain life. This life-support system is a complex, interdependent one in which energy from the sun is changed into food for humans. The entire system depends on the sun, reasonably moderate temperature, and enough supplies of oxygen, pure water, and fertile soil.
Since the earth's creation millions of years ago, the ecosystem has worked as an interdependent system relatively undisturbed by outside forces. But recently, especially since the Industrial Revolution, human beings have begun to disturb the balance of nature. Natural resources have been severely depleted (消耗) (forests have been destroyed, fertile land worn away, water polluted, and minerals used up), and the life-support system of air, water, and land has been poisoned by a variety of waste products and chemicals.
The degree of these problems was noted in a report by the U.N. Developing Council on Environmental Quality. This report predicted that if present trends continue, the world will be more crowded and polluted and less stable ecologically and politically than the world we live in now.
The twin problems of resource shortages and pollution are caused by three social forces.  First, the tremendous increase in population growth constantly increases the demand for food, energy, and other products. As the current population continues to increase, the stress on an already overburdened environment will be increased．A second source of the problem is the concentration of people in urban areas, where the ecosystem simply cannot absorb their waste products. Finally, environmental problems are worsened as more and more nations move toward modem development: an increased reliance on modern technology. As these nations become more technological, they will consume more energy, deplete more natural resources, and create more waste products than the biosphere can absorb.
小題1:The life-support system is composed of _____.

A．a(chǎn)ir, water and land	B．the earth, the sun and energy
C．food, land and energy	D．food, energy and the sun

小題2:The life-support system _____.

A．change energy from the sun into food for humans

B．depends on the sun for enough supplies of air, water and land

C．exists in the surface layer of the earth and the surrounding atmosphere

D．is a complex but independent system

小題3:The life-support system has been badly damaged by _____.

A．natural forces

B．human activities

C．social movements

D．political changes

小題4:The passage mainly talks about _____.

A．the effects of Industrial Revolution on human beings

B．the importance of life-support system to human beings

C．the significance of balance of nature

D．the destruction of life-support system and its causes

Six Americans are working on a new highway. But this highway won't have any traffic．It's an "ice highway" to the South Pole.
The team has just finished a second year of work on the 1,020-mile highway. "The road is the greatest single footprint of activity we've seen in the Antarctic (南極洲)," said Alan Hemmings, an Australian environmentalist.
The highway will provide a new way for supplies to be trekked (拉, 搬) across the earth on tractor-pulled sleds (雪橇). This method will use a lot less fuel than an aircraft, the current (當(dāng)前的) way that scientists and supplies reach the Amundsen-Scott Base, a U.S. research station in the South Pole. The highway will also allow for equipment that is too big for planes to carry to be brought to Antarctica．Even with these benefits, there is one disadvantage—a round trip on the road will be 30 days, compared to a few hours by plane.
Making this 20-foot-wide road isn't easy, and it takes a lot of time. The crew (工作隊(duì)) has been working on the road for two summers, when it's warmer and easier to work with the ice. It probably won't be completed until 2006.
Crevasses (裂縫), or cracks, in the land often make the construction difficult. Crevasses are kind of like pot holes that form when surface ice is stretched．This can be very dangerous, especially when the crevasses are hidden under a layer (層) of snow and can't be seen.
"Last year it took us three months to go three miles across a crevasse field, full of dangerous, hidden crevasses," said the project's manager, John Wright. Each year, more crevasses appear and they have to be filled with snow and ice so the road is safe for travel. The road will also be lined with green flags so travelers know where the safe surface is.
小題1: It will probably take ______ years to complete the ice highway.

A．2

B．4

C．6

D．8

小題2:When it is finished, the highway will not be used for ______.

A．giving supplies to the research station in the South Pole

B．taking scientists to the South Pole

C．taking travelers to a tour of Antarctic

D．bringing huge equipment to Antarctic

小題3:How many miles can be covered at most each day if you take the ice highway to the South
Pole?

A．30.

B．34.

C．68.

D．88.

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

A．Other crevasses won’t appear if a crevasse has been filled.

B．Many new crevasses will form after a crevasse has been filled.

C．Travelers can drive their sleds on the ice highway freely.

D．There will be less danger if the crevasses are covered by snow.

"It takes an entire village to raise a child." That's an old proverb (諺語) that is being quoted more and more often these days. And I'm pleased about that.
Today, more and more schools are reaching out to involve parents, community members and businesses（工商企業(yè)）to help shape a child's future.
Parents need to be involved in their children's education in many ways. Helping children with homework and studying, going on a field trip, teaching a craft（手工藝）or coaching a child's sports team are all great ways to be involved with your child's education. And don't forget to communicate with teachers ---- they need and respect your input. Studies show that children learn more and schools function better when parents and schools work together. It's important to stay in touch with your child's education all through his or her school career.
Communities can help children create and achieve new goals. Help with homework, read to a child, coach a children's team, or provide emotional（情感上的）support. Help solve problems and build self-esteem（自尊心）. Kids need role models and advisers can be role models by sharing their experiences and wisdom.
Businesses can also help shape our children's future. Invite a class from your local school to visit your workplace. You may be providing a glimpse that opens a new world of possibilities. Show students what goes on during a typical day. Give a mini course for students: how to use a computer; how products are made; how machinery works. You may have a developing electrician, teacher, nurse, or even a newspaper reporter on your hands.
It really does take an entire village to raise a child．So share the responsibility（職責(zé)）-- and the joy -- of bringing a child to his or her full potential（潛能）.
小題1:The implied advice in the proverb "It takes an entire village to raise a child." is that ______.

A．All the people in a village should give food to a child.

B．Schools, parents, and other organizations should share the responsibility of shaping a child's future.

C．Children should be brought up in the village where they were born.

D．Schools should be set up in the village where a child was raised.

小題2:The text was written mainly for ______.

A．parents and members in organizations

B．teachers and students

C．newspaper reporters and developing electricians

D．education experts and government officials

小題3: Students can get developed in practical working skill through ______.

A．parental involvement	B．community activities
C．business training	D．school teaching

小題4:Which is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Parents play an important part in children’s education.

B．Communities have not a bit effect on the way to new and high ideal.

C．Educating a child well demands of the work not only from school but from other organizations.

D．Businesses may arrange some training courses for students.

It’s the place where smart people make smart machines work even smarter. But for the people who work in it, Silicon Valley (硅谷) is more than just a high technology hothouse. It’s also in the heart of sunny California, a great place to start a family and raise kids. What could be better?
But something is happening to the children. Up until the age of two they develop normally. Their proud parents watch and smile as they take their first steps and speak their first words. But then everything seems to go backwards. The children become locked into their own small world, unable to communicate at all.
They call it the “curse of Silicon Valley,” but the medical name for the condition is autism（孤獨(dú)癥）. It used to be thought that autism was a mental illness. Now doctors are sure that it is a disease transmitted genetically (遺傳). It seems that the people leading the communications revolution are having children who cannot communicate at all.
But even the parents have trouble communicating. Asperger’s Syndrome (綜合癥) is connected with autism. People who have it are highly intelligent and often brilliant with numbers or systems but have no social skills, which makes Asperger’s sufferers into excellent computer professionals. Unfortunately, many of the children of two Asperger’s parents in Silicon Valley seem to be developing serious autism.
There is little anyone can do. And there is no cure in sight. Some argue that no cure should be found．“It may be that autistics are essentially (本質(zhì)上) different from normal people, but that these differences make them valuable for the evolution (進(jìn)化) of the human race,” says Dr Kirk Wilhelm of the University of California．“To remove the genes (基因) for autism could be terrible.
It seems that the children of Silicon Valley are paying the price of genius.
小題1:A person who has autism usually _____.

A．has difficulty in speaking	B．loses communication skills
C．has difficulty in working	D．hates people around

小題2: Which of the following best explains “curse of Silicon Valley”?

A．The children are brought up in Silicon Valley.

B．Autism is just a result of working in Silicon Valley.

C．The children suffer from autism due to their parents in Silicon Valley.

D．Autism makes the children in Silicon Valley unable to communicate.

小題3:Some people think that no cure of autism should be found because ______.

A．a(chǎn)utism cannot be cured	B．a(chǎn)utism isn’t a disease
C．harm will be done to the children	D．a(chǎn)utism is necessary in some way

小題4:What does the writer seem to feel about the children of Silicon Valley?

A．It’s a pity that they cannot have a normal life.

B．They are the pride of the human race.

C．They are sure to have a bright future.

D．It’s likely that they will have a normal life.

So much to do, so little time．So much information, so little time to read ．In this age there is more information than ever before．There is not enough time to read everything we want to read．However, you can take in and understand more information in shorter time through speed-reading．This article will not make you read 3 000 words per minute, but it will show you how to increase your speed greatly．You will also learn the basic techniques of speed reading, along with the dos and don'ts of speed-reading．
When you first learned to read, you would say the word out loud and sound it out．Then you might whisper the word because people can become annoyed when you read aloud．The stage you are now at is saying the word in your head．Most people tend to read this way．Saying the word in your head will cut your reading speed tremendously (極大的)．
How do you calculate your reading speed? The speed is measured by how many words per minute you can read．Get some reading material, preferably a book．Find out how many words are on the page．Time yourself one minute．Start your timer and start reading．When the timer sounds, stop at once．If you counted 500 words on the page and you read half of the page, then you are probably reading at 250 words per minute．
The first thing about speed-reading is looking at the word and recognizing it．Don't say the word in your mind, just look at it and recognize its appearance．Later you will recognize groups of four words or more to increase your speed．This is the first and most important step in speed-reading．
The next step is technique．As with any other skill, speed-reading requires technique．You should first be sitting up straight with your book on a horizontal (水平的) surface, such as a table or desk．Next, should be able to see the entire page．This is necessary if you want to recognize clumps of words．Lastly, you should be focused．It's hard to read a lot of noise．Find a quiet place to read．This will help your understand of the text．You need something to guide your eyes while reading．Then right, you should use your hand, Remember when you were little, you would read using your finger．That is a great technique, only now you're using your hand to underline each line．Move your finger smoothly across page．No need to go rush , start our slow．Keep your eyes focused on words as you recognize them while using your hand as a guide．This will increase you speed．
The third step is practice．Practice makes perfect．Set time intervals(間歇)．Read using different techniques, but make sure you understand what you're reading．
小題1:Which of the following statements is true according to the text?

A．Now there is limited information than ever before．

B．Now conditions ask people to use less time to know more information．

C．Now people can read what they like．

D．The less you read, the more time you will spend．

小題2:What is the subject discussed in the text?

A．What speed-reading is．

B．Why we need speed-reading．

C．Now it is much information time．

D．People should practice speed-reading in different kinds of ways．

小題3:Which of the following shows the right way for the speed-reading from the text?
a．Ask for some techniques．
b．Look at many words and recognize them．
c．Practice more．

A．c,a,b

B．c,b,a

C．b,a,c

D．a(chǎn),c,b

小題4:The underlined sentence“you should be focused”in the fifth paragraph means that _________．

A．a(chǎn) person should devote his attention to it while reading

B．your feelings will be hurt while reading

C．a(chǎn) person should smooth away difficulties while he reads

D．you should pay attention to your faults while you are reading

The people below are all looking for a course on Chinese to study. Read the following information about the six courses. Decide which course would be the most suitable for the people mentioned in questions 61-65 and then mark the correct letter (A-F) on your answer sheet. You can choose any letter more than once, and some of the letters may not be chosen.
______1. Mathew majors in media and hopes to understand Chinese broadcasting and TV News and communicate with the Chinese people.
______ 2. Sarah is a Learner of Chinese with a fairly good knowledge of basic Chinese grammar and a vocabulary of 2500, hoping to improve her Chinese ability in speaking, reading and writing.
______ 3. Lois majors in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language and hopes to improve her ability in translation.  
______ 4. Dennis once has taught himself Chinese and can speak a little Chinese but with poor pronunciation and grammar, hoping to meet the needs of everyday life and study, and understand each other in basic communication through training.
______ 5. Georgia specializes in the Chinese language and culture at the average. He plans to have a tour in China.

A．Comprehensive language skill training 100 lessons in total focusing on pronunciation, grammar and discourse (語段). To enable the learner to master the basic knowledge of the Chinese language, to have the basic ability of listening, speaking, reading and writing, so that they are able to communicate with others and to meet the needs of everyday life, study and socialty. This will lay a foundation for further study of Chinese.

B．Intermediate (中等) Chinese Comprehensive Course 40 lessons in all, focusing on the training of the comprehensive skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing of intermediate Chinese. To enable the students to recognize, understand and use the active and less active words, to improve their ability of expressing themselves in paragraphs and discourse, to master the new words, patterns, grammatical structures, paragraphs and discourse and means of connections so as to express the meaning of the texts correctly and fluently in paragraphs and discourse.

C．News Listening Based on frequently used words, typical sentences and information and concentrating on improving the ability of listening comprehension. To improve the ability of collecting information, to grasp the knowledge and skills they have learned and to understand the broadcasting and TV news of similar themes and relevant level of difficulty with the correctness of 80%. To build up the foundation for further study.

D．Elementary English-Chinese Translation

25 classes in total, including various styles such as poems, popular science, political comments and news, about every aspect of everyday life. The texts vary from easy to difficult and combine theory with practice as well as translation and interpretation. About 185 hours are needed. To familiarize the learner with the equivalent (對(duì)應(yīng)的) Chinese expressions of English. To enable them to know usage of Chinese and English words and sentences, cultural differences and the background knowledge.
E. Elementary Spoken Chinese in Business
24 units in all. Chinese words and expressions in business and trade are introduced in the form of vivid situational dialogues, notes and exercises. To enable the learner to master the words and expressions of elementary spoken business Chinese and to communicate with others in trade and business.
F. Chinese Human Geography
Introduction to geographic environment and cultural phenomena in various parts of China, such as natural features, historical backgrounds, religious sites, ancient battle fields, dramas and arts, traditional products, and special food, etc. Through the introduction to historical and cultural sites and scenery, the learner will have a general view about Chinese geography, history, culture and regional features.
Getting away for a short time always seems like a great idea — until you have to pack. But packing won’t be a problem if you keep in mind one simple rule. Whether you’ll be sleeping overnight at a friend’s house, or visiting a relative for a week, the rule is: pack light. Here are some tips to help you pack.

Many years ago my student asked me the question, "Mrs. Kindred, why do you teach?" Without taking time to reflect, I answered, "Because someday I might say something that might make a difference in someone's life." Even though I was sincere, that wasn't a very good answer and my student didn't let it slide.
"Let me get this straight," he said, "You went to college for four years so you could come here every day because you have the hope that someday you might say something that will influence someone?" He shook his head as if I were crazy and walked away looking confused. I'm one of those people who look back and wish they had said something smart or witty, or swift.
Even though that particular student might no longer wonder why I teach, there are days when I wonder. On those days, I remind myself of the real reasons I teach:
It's in my blood. My mother was my most influential teacher, and she was a 6th grade reading teacher until her death in 1990. She instilled(逐漸灌輸) in me a love of reading and the knowledge that education opens doors.
Teaching is a way to make a difference. If you throw a stone in a pond the ripples go on and on until they reach the shore. You can't have ripples without a "stone." Good teachers throw stones that make a positive difference, and that's what I strive to do.
I genuinely love teenagers. I want to share with others what I know and what I have learned through the years. Life is full of ups and downs, and if I can help students avoid some potholes on the road of life, I want to do so. If they'll allow me to celebrate their victories with them, I want to do too.
Teaching isn't for everyone, but I know I made the right career choice.
小題1:Why did the student continue to ask the question about the writer’s being a teacher?

A．Because he thought her answer was unbelievable.

B．Because the writer was insincere.

C．Because the student was naughty.

D．Because the answer was difficult to understand.

小題2:What do you think of the writer?

A．Stupid.

B．Honest.

C．Conservative.

D．Polite.

小題3:According to the text, which of the following is NOT true?

A．The writer’s mother has the greatest influence on her.

B．The writer’s answer made the student confused.

C．In the writer’s opinion, some people in the world are unfit to teach.

D．The writer annoyed the student who asked the question.

小題4:We can infer from the text that _________.

A．the writer was also a good teacher in school

B．the writer often plays with her students beside a pond

C．the writer devotes herself to teaching and her students

D．the writer often accompanies the students on their way home

小題5:What’s the main idea of the text?

A．A student’s silly question.	B．A good teacher who likes students.
C．A confused student.	D．The reason why I teach.

GUATEMALA CITY （Reuters） – A fish that lives in mangrove swamps(紅樹沼澤) across the Americas can live out of water for months at a time, similar to how animals adapted(適應(yīng)) to land millions of years ago, a new study shows.
The Magrove Rivulus, a type of small killifish, lives in small pools of water in a certain type of empty nut or even old beer cans in the mangrove swamps of Belize, the United States and Brazil. When their living place dries up, they live on the land in logs(圓木), said Scott Taylor, a researcher at the Brevard Endangered Lands Program in Florida.
The fish, whose scientific name is Rivulus marmoratus, can grow as large as three inches. They group together in logs and breathe air through their skin until they can find water again.
The new scientific discovery came after a trip to Belize.
“We kicked over a log and the fish just came crowding out,” Taylor told Reuters in neighboring Guatgemala by telephone. He said he will make his study on the fish known to the public in an American magazine early next year.
In lab tests, Taylor said he found the fish can live up to 66 days out of water without eating.
Some other fish can live out of water for a short period of time. The walking catfish found in Southeast Asia can stay on land for hours at time, while lungfish found in Australia, Africa and South America can live out of water, but only in an inactive state. But no other known fish can be out of water as long as the Mangrove Rivulus and remain active, according to Patricia Wright, a biologist at Canada’s University of Guelph.
Further studies of the fish may tell how animals changed over time.
“These animals live in conditions similar to those that existed millions of years ago, when animals began making the transition(過渡) from water onto land,” Wright said.
1. The Mangrove Rivulus is a type of fish that _______.
A. likes eating nuts
B. prefers living in dry places
C. is the longest living fish on earth
D. can stay alive for two months out of water
2. Who will write up a report on Mangrove Rivulus?
A. Patricia Wright.
B. Scott Taylor.
C. Scientists from Belize.
D. Researchers in Guatemala.
3. According to the text, lungfish can ________.
A. breathe through its skin
B. move freely on dry land
C. remain alive out of water
D. be as active on land as in water
4. What can we say about the discovery of Mangrove Rivulus?
A. It was made quite by accident.
B. It was helped by Patricia Wright.
C. It was based on a lab test of sea life.
D. It was supported by an American magazine.

Some scientists warn that ice near the Earth’s Poles may indeed be melting. This “polar meltdown” may be the first sign that the Earth is heating up. We could be in very serious trouble if this trend continues. It is estimated that a meltdown of as little as 10 percent of Antarctica’s ice would raise sea levels around the globe by 4 to 9 meters. Floods would cover low-lying regions and turn coastal cities like New York and New Orleans into real life underwater world.
Scientists first predicted in the 1970s that heat trapped in the Earth’s atmosphere could cause a polar meltdown. Many now believe that human activities are turning up the heat. When we burn fossil fuels like coal and oil, we add carbon dioxide(CO2) gas to the Earth’s atmosphere. Cutting down trees also makes CO2 levels raise because trees normally soak up CO2 to make food. Scientists say higher CO2 levels strengthen the “greenhouse effect” and could increase the Earth’s temperature. In fact, CO2 levels have risen by 30 percent since the Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries.
Over the past three years, satellite measurements have shown a sea level rise of about a quarter inch worldwide. “If nothing is done to reduce fossil-fuel pollution and global warming, sea levels will rise even more.” says geologist Richard Alley.
But even Alley admits that a polar meltdown would take time. The ice in Antarctica and Arctic locks up nearly nine times the volume of water contained in all the world’s rivers and lakes. These are such big “ice cubes” and it would probably take thousands of years to melt them.
Another scientist Charles Bentley doesn’t think a meltdown will happen at all. “Even if warmer temperatures begin to melt polar-ice,” he says, “the excess moisture would most likely be redeposit as snow.” In other words, the melted ice would evaporate into the atmosphere, refreeze, and fall as rain and snow over the Poles.
小題1:What consequence of global warming is mentioned in the passage?

A．More tropical storms.	B．More tropical diseases.
C．Changes in farm productivity.	D．Coastal flooding.

小題2: Which of the following statements does the second paragraph support?

A．CO2 in the atmosphere cannot keep the heat from escaping into space.

B．The increase of CO2 gas may warm the planet and help to melt polar ice.

C．Cutting down trees helps to greatly reduce CO2 levels.

D．The end of the short-lived age of fossil fuels is already in sight.

小題3: Geologist Richard Alley most likely agrees that _______.

A．the sea-level rise can be prevented by cutting back on energy-consuming activities

B．the recent breaking off of ice blocks from Antarctica is just a natural part of a long-term cycle

C．Antarctica temperatures have significantly changed since the Industrial Revolution

D．the polar meltdown may be an accidental change of climate rather than a sign of global warming

小題4:Charles Bentley believes that a polar meltdown will not occur because _______.

A．governments around the world are beginning to reduce CO2 levels in the air

B．a(chǎn) melting of the polar ice cannot be achieved with the present technologies

C．the melted ice in the polar areas would change into snow and rain over the Poles

D．the sun’s heat would have no chance of being absorbed by the polar ice

小題5:In which paragraph does the author mention the immense quantities of polar ice?

A．In the second paragraph.	B．In the third paragraph.
C．In the fourth paragraph.	D．In the fifth paragraph.

　　Sociologists（社會(huì)學(xué)家）, working in western countries, have found that a large number of women wished they had been born men. The number is said to be as high as 60％ in Germany.
　　"Women often wish they had the same chances as men have, and think it is still men's world. " said Dr. James Helen, one of the sociologists who did the study.
　　Many men say that they have more duties than women. A man has to make money to support his family and to make the important decision, so it is right for men to be paid more. Some are even against their wives working at all. When wives go out to work, they say, the home and children cannot be taken good care of. If women take full-time jobs, they won't be able to do what they are best at doing: making a nice home and bringing up the children.
　　Some women disagree. They say they want to get out of their homes and to have freedom to choose between work and home life. Women have the right of equal pay and equal chances.
　　Anne Harper has a very good job. She also believes in "Women's Liberation", "I don't wish I were a man," she says, "and I don't think many women do. But I do wish people would stop treating us like second-class people. At work, for example, we usually do the work that men do but get paid less. There are still a lot of jobs only to men—usually they are the best ones. If you are a man, you have a much better chance of living a wonderful life. How many women scientists are there…or engineers?"
小題1:Many men think ______.

A．women can't do what men can

B．men have to work much harder than women

C．men can make money more easily than women

D．women's duty is mainly to do housework at home

　小題2:Some women have different ideas. They say that ______.

A．women need chances to go out of the home more often

B．women want more freedom in deciding the kind of life they want

C．if women are given equal pay, they can do everything instead of men

D．women are no longer interested in taking care of their homes

　　　小題3:Anne Harper thought that ______.

A．women should live a better life than men

B．women should be really liberated

C．women should be given better jobs than men

D．women should live a more wonderful life than men