Everywhere man is altering the balance of nature．He is facilitating the spread of plants and animals into new regions, sometimes deliberately, sometimes unconsciously．He is covering huge areas with new kinds of plants, or with houses, factories, slag-heaps and other products of his civilization．He exterminates some species on a large scale, but favours the multiplication of others．In brief, he has done more in five thousand years to alter the biological aspect of the planet than has nature in five million．
Many of these changes which he has brought about have had unforeseen consequences．Who would have thought that the throwing away of a piece of Canadian waterweed would have caused half the waterways of Britain to be blocked for a decade, or that the provision of pot cacti for lonely settlers’ wives would have led to Eastern Australian being overrun with forests of Prickly Pear? Who would have prophesied that the cutting down of forests on the Adriatic coasts, or in parts of Central Africa, could have reduced the land to a semidesert, with the very soil washed away from the bare rock? Who would have thought that improved communications would have changed history by the spreading of disease-sleeping sickness into East Africa, measles into Oceania, very possibly malaria into ancient Greece?
These are spectacular examples; but examples on a smaller scale are everywhere to be found．We make a nature sanctuary for rare birds, prescribing absolute security for all species; and we may find that some common and hardy kind of bird multiplies beyond measure and ousts the rare kinds in which we were particularly interested．We see, owing to some little change brought about by civilization, the starling spread over the English country-side in hordes．We improve the yielding capacities of our cattle; and find that now they exhaust the pastures which sufficed for less exigent stock．
小題1:The following examples except ________ reflect man altering the balance of nature．

A．man is covering huge areas with new kinds of plants

B．man is facilitating the spread of animals into new regions．

C．man is killing some species on a large scale

D．man is getting to know the importance of keeping the balance of nature．

小題2:What had a piece of Canadian waterweed cause?

A．Eastern Australian was overrun with forests．

B．Half the waterways of Britain blocked for a decade．

C．In parts of central Africa, the land reduced to a semidesert．

D．Disease-sleeping has been caused．

小題3:What have spread diseases?

A．Disease-sleeping sickness．	B．Measles．
C．Improved communications．	D．Malaria．

小題4:We make a nature sanctuary for rare birds but __________

A．some common and hardy kind of bird multiplies

B．rare kinds multiply

C．a(chǎn)ll bird multiply

D．no bird multiply

小題5:The main idea of the passage is _________．

A．that man is deliberately destroying the balance of nature

B．that man has foreseen the consequences of altering the balance old nature

C．that improved communications have changed history

D．that man is altering the balance of nature

This year some twenty-three hundred teenagers（young people aged from 13 —19）from all over the world will spend about ten months in U. S. homes. They will attend U.S. schools, meet U.S. teenagers, and form impressions of the real America. At the same time, about thirteen hundred American teenagers will go to other countries to learn new languages and gain a new understanding of the rest of the world.
Here is a two-way student exchange in action. Fred, nineteen, spent last year in Germany with George’s family. In turn, George’s son Mike spent a year in Fred’s home in America.
Fred, a lively young man, knew little German when he arrived, but after two months’ study, the language began to come to him. The school was completely different from what he had expected — much harder. Students rose respectfully^① when the teacher entered the room. They took fourteen subjects instead of the six that are usual in the United States. There were almost no outside activities.
Family life, too, was different. The father’s word was law, and all activities were around the family rather than the individual. Fred found the food too simple at first. Also, he missed having a car.
“Back home, you pick up some friends in a car and go out and have a good time. In Germany, you walk, but you soon learn to like it.”
At the same time, in America, Mike, a friendly German boy, was also forming his idea. “I suppose I should criticize^② American schools,” he says. “It is far too easy by our level. But I have to say that I like it very much. In Germany we do nothing but study. Here we take part in many outside activities. I think that maybe your schools are better in training for citizens. There ought to be some middle ground between the two.”
Notes:
①    respectfully  adv. 尊敬地，謙恭地
②    criticize  vt. 批評(píng)，責(zé)備
Choose the best answers according to the above:
小題1:This year       __ teenagers will take part in the exchange programme between America and other countries.

A．twenty-three hundred	B．thirteen hundred
C．over three thousand	D．less than two thousand

小題2:The whole exchange programme is mainly to        __.

A．help teenagers in other countries know the real America

B．send students in America to travel in Germany

C．let students learn something about other countries

D．have teenagers learn new languages

小題3:What is particular in America schools is that        __.

A．there is some middle ground between the two teaching buildings.

B．there are a lot of outside activities

C．students usually take fourteen subjects in all

D．students go outside to enjoy themselves in a car

小題4:After experiencing the American school life, Mike thought        __.

A．a(chǎn) better education should include something good from both American and Germany

B．German schools trained students to be better citizens

C．American schools were not as good as German schools

D．the easy life in the American school was more helpful to students

NASA is moving ahead with plans to put a long-armed lander on Mars’ icy north pole to search for clues^①for water and possible signs of life.
The $386 million Phoenix Mars is planned to touch down in the Martian arctic in 2008. The stationary probe will use its robotic arm to dig into the icy land and pick up soil samples^②to analyze. In 2002, the Mars Odyssey orbiter spotted evidence of ice-rich soil near the arctic surface.
Scientists hope the Phoenix mission will find clues to the geologic history of water on the Red Planet and determine whether microbes^③existed in the ice.
Phoenix will be the first mission of the Mars Scout program, a renewed, low-cost effort to study the Red Planet. “The Phoenix mission explores new territory in the northern plains of Mars analogous to the permafrost regions on Earth,” Peter Smith said.
True to its name, Phoenix rose from the ashes of previous^④missions. The lander for Phoenix was built to fly as part of the 2001 Mars Surveyor program. But the program broke down after the well-known disappearance of the Mars Polar Lander in 1999. The Polar Lander lost contact during a landing attempt near the planet’s south pole after its rocket engine shut off prematurely, causing the spacecraft to fall about 130 feet to almost certain destruction.
The Phoenix probe had been in storage at a Lockheed Martin clean room in Denver before it was reused for its present mission. It will carry science instruments that were designed for the Mars Surveyor program including an improved panoramic camera and a trench-digging robotic arm. Phoenix will lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in August 2007 and land on the planet nine months later.
Notes:
①    clue  n. 線索
②    sample  n. 標(biāo)本，樣品
③    microbe  n. 微生物
④    previous  adj. 先前的
小題1:The passage mainly tells readers that _________.

A．clues of water will be found in Phoenix

B．Phoenix will be sent to find clues of water on Mars

C．August 2007 will see Phoenix lift off

D．the Mars Scout program will be carried out

小題2: The underlined word “prematurely” (paragraph 5) means _________.

A．on time

B．behind the time

C．out of work

D．a(chǎn)head of time

小題3: According to the passage, we know Phoenix will land on Mars _________.

A．in May 2008	B．in August 2007
C．in August 2008	D．in September 2008

小題4: According to the passage, the name “Phoenix” is after the meaning of _________.

A．rebirth

B．death

C．energy

D．hope

小題5:After Phoenix lands on Mars, we can infer it will firstly _________.

A．find soil samples and send them to the earth

B．look for the icy land to dig for the soil samples

C．take photos and send them to the earth

D．find the remains of the Mars Polar Lander

An annoying problem for humans, who like to boast (夸耀) about all the distant planets and moons we have explored, is that we've never taken a good look right under our noses. The inside of the earth is relatively close, but how can we get there?
The deepest oil well enters a mere six miles into the crust (地殼) (the center of the earth is about 4,000 miles deeper). Russian scientists dug the deepest hole in Siberia, but bottomed out at about 7.5 miles below the surface. The Mohole project, a U.S. plan in the 1950s, called for drilling a hole 25 miles down to the boundary between the hard rocks of the crust and the soft mantle (地幔). Sadly the project involved government supporting.
It gets harder and harder to drill deep into the earth because rocks get softer and softer. Hard but easily broken at the surface, rocks become plastic at depth, and the pressure caused by the weight of the overlaying crust ---  about 52,800 pounds per square inch at a depth of ten miles, makes further drilling impossible.
What little we know about the inside of the earth (like the fact that there's a crust, a mantle, and a core) comes from indirect evidence, such as the analysis of earthquakes.
So maybe it's time for a thorough new method to explore the earth's inside. Scientist David Stevenson says we should forget about drilling holes. Instead, we should open a crack (裂縫).
Stevenson suggests digging a crack about a half mile long, a yard wide, and a half mile deep (not with a shovel) but with an explosion on the scale of a nuclear bomb. Next, he'd pour a few hundred thousand tons of molten (熔化的) iron into the crack, along with a robot. The iron, thicker than the surrounding crust, would move downward at about 16 feet per second, carrying the robot with it and opening the crack deeper and deeper. The iron mass would drop for about a week and 2,000 miles to the outer edge of the earth core, the robot sending out data to the surface.
Stevenson compares his idea to space exploration. "We're going somewhere we haven't been before,"he says. "In all possibility, there will be surprises.”
This idea can probably be put in the drawer marked with Isn't Going To Happen. The robot would have to survive temperatures that would melt pretty much anything. But Stevenson's idea may inspire a new look at an old problem. Great things can come from what seems like impossible ideas.
小題1:Going inside the earth is _____ than going into space.

A．more interesting

B．more possible

C．easier

D．more challenging

小題2:How deep have we gone into the earth until now?

A．6 miles.

B．4,000 miles.

C．7.5 miles.

D．25 miles.

小題3:Which of the following is TRUE about David Stevenson's idea?

A．It is an inspiring but not practical idea now.

B．It is a practical proposal that has come into use now.

C．It is a good proposal that will soon be put into practice.

D．It is a false theory that cannot be carried out at all.

小題4: What might be the most suitable title for the text?

A．An Annoying Problem for Humans

B．To the Center of the Earth

C．The Mohole Project

D．David Stevenson's Proposal

  Art is for everyone. Parents can help kids appreciate art by making it available for them. Unfortunately, many adults do not enjoy art simply because they do not understand the stories or context (背景). Actually, children can appreciate art as well as any adult. Here are some simple ways to encourage children to appreciate art.
Find art that will allow children to easily make a connection with their lives. Choose the material according to their ages. Pictures and sculptures of children, for example, or dogs and cats are easily understood, and it is easy to start a conversation about how the themes in the art are connected with familiar people and animals in kids’ lives. Music and dance are very important to children and should also be used.
Explore the stories behind famous, and not so famous, art. Encourage children to make up their own stories about paintings and then research the real story behind the paintings.
Create art with children. Teach them that art is not something that they must only observe but something that they can create. Discuss art with children. Encourage them to express their views on art. Let them know that it is okay to dislike something, and listen to their preferences when planning events.
Visit museums and performances. Explore the artwork in local museums that will interest them. Most cities have children’s theaters and music groups, and often free performances are offered. Many art museums have special tours for children.
Through a variety of artistic experiences, kids will learn how to appreciate art and will enjoy it.
64. When choosing art for children, parents should________.      
A. take their children’s ages and experiences into consideration
B. pay close attention to their children’s ability to understand
C. ask professional artists for some useful advice
D. try to find some art beyond their imagination
65. Which of the following should not be down in creating art with children?
A. Allowing children to speak out their own opinions on art. 
B. Allowing children to have their own likes and dislikes.
C. Making children interested in everything about art.
D. Talking with children about something on art.
66. We can learn from the text that helping children appreciate art_________.
A. is highly necessary for their growth 
B. will improve their school performance
C. can help them make more friends at school 
D. needs parents’ encouragement and instruction

Doomed beauties such as Cleopatra and Manilyn Monroe were far from alone in their misery. Very attractive people tend to form partnerships that are less stable and satisfying than those enjoyed by plain Janes.
According to research by Dr John Blaine of the University of Southern California, relationships between people whose professions largely depend on their appearances, such as models or actors, tend to end much faster than those between lawyers, doctors or students.
Blaine said the beautiful felt different from childhood. They are treated as special, which may create both arrogance(傲慢) and insecurity. All too often, beauty can be used as an alternative to education. Often they are pushed out of their class or town, told to go off and make their fortune in Hollywood or London and, when the majority fail, they have few talents(才能) to make a living.
Blaine added that beautiful people score poorly on the “big five” — the key factors American experts consider when helping distressed couples. These are neuroticism(神經(jīng)過(guò)敏), including anger and anxiety; extroversion(性格外向); openness to new experiences; agreeableness; and conscientiousness, or sticking by agreements they have made. Attractive people often see no reason to try to change until their looks start to fade.
Krista Sutherland, of the University of California Los Angeles, said partnerships that appeared to be perfect from the outside, such as the former “dream teams” of Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise or Hugh Grant and Elizabeth Hurley, where backgrounds and aspirations(抱負(fù)) are often shared, did not necessarily lead to happiness.
小題1:What does the underlined sentence “Doomed beauties such as Cleopatra and Manilyn Monroe were far from alone in their misery. ” means?

A．Beautiful women always felt lonely.

B．Beautiful women always were alone.

C．Many beautiful women didn’t end up with a happy life.

D．Beautiful women always lived a happy life.

小題2:The underlined phrase “plain Janes” in the passage refer to ________.

A．ordinary-looking women	B．women called Jane
C．common people	D．a(chǎn)ttractive women

小題3:We can infer in the passage that ________.

A．Hugh Grant and Elizabeth Hurley were a couple

B．Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise were very satisfied with their life

C．When they fail in Hollywood, the beautiful have little trouble in making a living

D．The marriage of the beautiful often last long

小題4:Which of the following is the best title?

A．Five key factors affecting the partnership	B．Beauties are doomed to fail in love
C．Beauties or common?	D．The beautiful are different.

Industrial pollution is not only a problem for the countries of Europe and North America but also an extremely serious problem in some developing countries. For these countries, economic growth is a very important aim. They want to introduce industries, and so they put few controls on the industries which cause pollution.
Cubatao, an industrial town of 85 000 people in Brazil, is an example of the connection between industrial development and pollution. In 1954, Cubatao had no industry. Today it has more than twenty large factories, which produce many pollutants(污染物). The people of the town are suffering from the poisonous matter in their environment and the bad effects can be clearly seen. Birth shortcomings are extremely common. Among children and adults, lung problems are sometimes twelve times more common in Cubatao than in other places.
It is true that Brazil, like many other countries, has laws against pollution, but these laws are not enforced strictly enough. It is cheaper for companies to take no notice of the laws and pay the fines(罰款) than to buy the expensive equipment that will reduce the pollution. It is clear, therefore, that economic growth is more important to the government than to the health of the workers. However, the responsibility(責(zé)任) does not completely lie with the Brazilian government. The example of Cubatao shows that international companies are not acting in a responsible way either. A number of the factories in the town are owned by large companies from France, Italy, and the U. S. They are doing things in Brazil that they would not be able to do at home. If they caused the same amount of pollution at home, they would be severely(嚴(yán)厲地) punished or even put out of business.
小題1:Why don’t developing countries have strict pollution controls?

A．The new industries they want to introduce do not cause much pollution.

B．Pollution is not a serious problem for developing countries.

C．They don’t realize the balance of nature will be destroyed by some pollutants.

D．If they put stricter controls on industry, fewer companies would build new plants in developing countries.

小題2:What is the author’s purpose in taking Cubatao as an example?

A．To show that industry can develop very fast in developing countries.

B．To show that the pollution problem in Brazil is extremely serious.

C．To show that industrial growth can cause pollution problems for developing countries.

D．To show that pollution is killing many people and destroying the whole economy of Brazil.

小題3: How is the health of the population of Cubatao?

A．There are more heart diseases among people who live near chemical factories.

B．More people suffer from lung diseases because of poisonous matter.

C．Their health is affected by pollutants the same way as that of other Brazilians.

D．Babies there are found not as bright as those who live in other places.

小題4:Why do some foreign companies like to set up their plants in Brazil?

A．The investment(投資) environment in Brazil is suitable for them.

B．They will not be severely punished if they cause pollution in Brazil.

C．They can make much money because they do not have to pay Brazilian workers much.

D．They can act in an irresponsible(不負(fù)責(zé)任的) way in Brazil because there are no pollution laws there.

Right is right. Right? Of course. But is left wrong? Well, the Romans used to think so. They thought left-handed people were mistakes of nature. Latin, the language of the Romans, had many words that expressed this view. Some words we use today still have this meaning. The Latin word “dexter” means “right”. The English word “dexterous” comes from this word. It means “handy” (clever with hands). So, right is handy. But the Latin word for left is “sinister”. The English word “sinister” comes from this word. Sinister means “evil” (very bad). Is it fair to call right-handed people handy and left-handed people evil? Well, fair or not, many languages have words that express such beliefs. In old English, the word for left means “weak”. That isn’t much of an improvement over “evil”.
Not very long ago, children were often forced to write with their right hands. Doctors have since found that this can be very harmful. You should use the hand you were born to use.
People who use their left hands are just starting to get better treatment. But why they get all these bad names in the first place? One reason may be that there are not as many left-handed people as there are right-handed people. There is one left-handed person for every five right-handed ones. People who are different are often thought to be wrong. But attitudes do seem to be changing. Fair-minded right-handed people are finally starting to give left-handed people a hand.
小題1:What does the passage lead us to believe when one writes?

A．He can only use his right hand.

B．He can only use his left hand.

C．He can use either his left hand or his right hand.

D．He can use both his left hand and his right hand.

小題2:The last sentence of this article means ________.

A．Fair-minded right-handed people want to change the habit of the left-handed people

B．Fair-minded right-handed people are starting to help the left-handed people

C．Fair-minded right-handed people are starting to use left hand to write and so on

D．Fair-minded right-handed people are starting to give up using their left hands

小題3: After we read the article we can certainly know that _______.

A．left-handed people have been treated poorly

B．the number of the left-handed people is larger than that of right-handed people

C．right-handed people are much cleverer than left-handed people

D．left-handed people are less smart but hardworking

小題4:Which of the following is NOT right, according to the article?

A．At one time, left-handed people were forced to use their right hands.

B．Left-handed people today are being treated better than those in the past.

C．There are not as many left-handed people as there are right-handed people today.

D．“Dexterous” comes from Latin, means “evil” and English “sinister” means “handy”.

Pet owners are being encouraged to take their animals to work，a move scientists say can be good for productivity，workplace morale（士氣），and the well-being (安寧, 幸福)of animals.
A study found that 25% of Australian women would like to keep an office pet. Sue Chaseling of Pet care Information Service said the practice of keeping office pets was good both for the people and the pets.“On the pets’ side，they are not left on their own and won’t feel lonely and unhappy，”she said. A study of major US companies showed that 73% found office pets beneficial（有益的），while 27% experienced a drop in absenteeism（缺勤）.
Xarni Riggs has two cats walking around her Global Hair Salon in Paddington.“My customers love them. They are their favorites，”she said.“They are not troublesome. They know when to go and have a sleep in the sun.”
Little black BJ has spent nearly all his two years “working” at Punch Gallery in Balmain. Owner Iain Powell said he had had cats at the gallery for 15 years.“BJ often lies in the shop window and people walking past tap on the glass，”he said.
Ms Chaseling said cats were popular in service industries because they enabled a point of conversation. But she said owners had to make sure both their co－workers and the cats were comfortable.
小題1:The percentage of American companies that are in favor of keeping office pets is ________.

A．73%

B．27%

C．25%

D．15%

小題2:We know from the text that “BJ” ________.

A．works in the Global Hair Salon	B．often greets the passers－by
C．likes to sleep in the sun	D．is a two－year－old cat

小題3:The best title for this text would be ________.

A．Pets Help Attract Customers	B．Your Favorite Office Pets
C．Pets Join the Workforce	D．Busy Life for Pets

  More than 6000 children were expelled(開(kāi)除)from US schools last year for bringing  guns and bombs to school, the US Department of Education said on May 8. 
The department gave a report on the expulsions (開(kāi)除)as saying handguns accounted for 58 percent of the 6093 expulsions in 2005—2006, against 7 percent for rifles(步槍)or shotguns and 35 percent for other types of firearms.
“the report is a dear sign that our nation’s public schools are cracking down” on students who bring guns to school, ” Education Secretary Richard Riey said in a statement. “We need to be tough-minded about keeping guns out of our schools and do everything to keep our children safe.”
In March 2006, a 1l-year-old boy and a 13-year-old boy using handguns and rifles shot dead four children and a teacher at a school in Jonesboro, Arkansas. In October, two were killed and seven wounded in a shooting at a Mississippi school. Two months later, a 14-year-old boy killed three high school students and wounded five in Daducab, Kentucky.
“Most of the expulsions, 56 percent were from high schools, which have students from about age 13, 34 percent were from junior high schools and 9 percent were from elementary schools”, the report said.
小題1:From the first paragraph we can infer that in the US schools______.

A．students enjoy shooting	B．students are eager to be soldiers
C．safety is a problem	D．students can make guns

小題2:The report from the US Department of Education shows that______.

A．the number of the expulsions is not large	B．the number of the expulsions is wrong
C．there are soldiers hiding among the students	D．guns are out of control in US schools

小題3:The main idea of paragraph four shows us______.

A．some examples of shootings in US school	B．the Americans’ feeling
C．some famous schools	D．that some teachers were killed by students

小題4: How many students were shot dead in 2006 in US schools?

A．10

B．9

C．12

D．22

小題5:From this passage we know that______.

A．every American cannot have guns	B．only soldiers and police can have guns
C．every American citizen can own guns	D．teachers have no money to buy guns