A university is not just about careers and getting a well-paid job after graduation — it’s a place for learning about yourself and the world.
So how to select a suitable university is of great importance. How do you decide on a school when there are thousands of them to pick from? Start by asking yourself questions about your preferences:
What are my strengths?
1.Am I interested in liberal arts or science or business?
2.What kind of learning environment is best for me?
3.Would I be more comfortable in a small school or a large one?
4.Do I want to stay close to home or live far away?
5.Would I prefer to be in a city environment or a small college town?
6.Do I like being with people who are mostly like me or do I want to meet a different group?
Ask friends and older people who are in college about their schools and about other schools they’re familiar with. Talk to one of your teachers and go to college fairs when they visit your town.
Once you’ve narrowed down your choices, ask the schools to send you related materials and visit their websites. When you’ve cut your list down to a manageable number, make arrangements to visit. Try to do this when the schools are having regular classes, so you can get a good idea of what life is really like on campus.
And remember: you’re not the only one making a decision. Schools are picking from a large pool of students. They want to know how excellent you are and what makes you stand out from everyone else. They will look at your school performance, test scores, and so on, so it’s important to devote time and effort to all these things.
小題1: According to the passage, when deciding on a college you need NOT consider ______.

A．in which aspect you are superior to others

B．what kind of people you’d like to meet

C．what kind of college environment you like

D．whether the college has an exchange-student program

小題2: When you have got a manageable number of choices, you’d better _______.

A．visit the schools when they have regular classes

B．a(chǎn)sk the schools to send you related materials

C．go to college fairs with your friends

D．discuss them with your teachers

小題3:The underlined part in the last paragraph means that ______.

A．you can’t make the decision all by yourself

B．schools are also judging whether you’re qualified for them

C．your school grades often play a role in choosing a college

D．making a decision all by yourself is really hard

Sheep, like turkeys and ostriches, are not considered the cleverest animals. British scientists said last Wednesday human may have underestimated(低估) the woolly creatures. They could be much smarter than we think.
Researchers at the Babraham Institute in Cambridge, southern. England, have shown that animals have a good memory system and are extremely good at recognizing faces--which they think is a sure sign of intelligence.
Behavioral scientist Keith Kendrick and his friends trained 20 sheep to recognize and distinguish(區(qū)別) 25 pairs of sheep faces and used electrodes(電極) to measure their brain activity, which showed they could remember 50 faces for up to two years.
"If they can do that with faces, the fact is that they have to have reasonable intelligence, otherwise, what is the point of having a system for remembering anything else," Kendrick said in an interview.
So hours of seemingly mindless eating grass may not be so mindless after all.
Kendrick believes sheep got their reputation as dumb animals because they live in large groups and do not appear to have much ind
ividuality and are frightened of just about everything.
All animals, including humans, once they are frightened don't tend to show signs of intelligent action," he explained.
In research reported in the science journal Nature, Kendrick and his team showed that sheep, like humans, have a specialized system in the brain, which allows them to distinguish between many different faces that look extremely similar.
"The most important findings of the study is that they are able, both from a behavioral point of view and from looking at the way the brain is organized, to remember a large number of faces of individuals for a very long time," said Kendrick. "It is a very strange system. They are showing similar abilities in many ways to humans. "
小題1: From the first paragraph we can find that ______.

A．people used to think sheep are smarter than the other animals

B．people used to raise sheep in a wrong way

C．people don't consider sheep as clever animals

D．people have done a lot of research on sheep

小題2: From what Kendrick said in the interview we learn that ________.

A．scientists have learned a lot about sheep's intelligence

B．scientists have learned little about sheep's intelligence

C．scientists can't do anything more about sheep's memory

D．scientists don't have to research animals' memory

小題3: As is shown in the passage _________.

A．sheep are among the weak animals

B．it is not right for people to raise sheep in groups

C．when sheep eat grass in the fields their minds may be active

D．if people feel frightened, they may become more brave

小題4: When scientists found that sheep show similar abilities in many ways to humans they may think it _____.

A．worrying

B．moving

C．frightening

D．interesting

The Baima is a minority group of about 1,400 people. They have lived in Northern Sichuan and Southern Gansu Provinces for centuries. They have long depended on the forests as their main source of income. But since a ban on cutting down forests was introduced in the late 1990s to fight yearly flooding, the villagers have had to look for other means of earning a living.
Several are now in the process of developing a small tourism industry as their lands are rich in forests and natural scenery and are the home of the giant pandas. Xiangshujia, in particular, is becoming a popular bed and breakfast centre for tourists heading to Wanglang to see the giant pandas. Visitors are also starting to take notice of the Baima people themselves.
As our jeep stopped in the courtyard of a house, we were greeted by the village leader Li Qin and young Baima girls dressed in traditional costumes with white feathers in their hair. As we took our places on wooden benches near an open fire, the girls began to sing traditional songs as they served us.
“The number of tourists is growing,” said Li Qin. “We realize that to attract visitors we have to show our culture by offering more traditional singing and dancing and ensuring our houses are built in the traditional way.”
Relations between the Baima people and the reserve were once tense following the ban on cutting down forests. Villagers had to make a new living. They entered the Wanglang Nature Reserve to collect wild mushrooms and herbs (藥草), often at the expense of disturbing the pandas’ habitat. But things greatly improved as villagers started receiving training in how to sell things to tourists.
“Our aim was to deter the villagers, because they often disturbed the pandas’ habitat, and to ensure they could have a long-lasting means of earning a living,” emphasized Chen Youping, director of the Wanglang Nature Reserve. “All the money from the reserve goes back into the community and conservation projects,” said Chen. “We take into consideration first the animals and then tourism.”
小題1:From Paragraph 1 we learn that ________.

A．the Baima has the longest history among all the minority groups in China

B．the Baima people live in most areas of Sichuan and Gansu Provinces

C．forests are the main source of firewood for the Baima people

D．in order to fight floods, the Baima people are forbidden to cut down forests

小題2: We can infer that the Baima girls wore their traditional costumes to greet visitors mainly because _______.

A．they wanted to look more beautiful

B．their leader Li Qin asked them to do so

C．it was a way to show their culture to attract visitors

D．it was necessary before they sang traditional songs

小題3:Which of the following was NOT an effect of the ban on cutting down forests?

A．The Baima people had a tense relationship with the reserve.

B．Villagers had to look for other means of making a living.

C．The pandas’ habitat was often disturbed by villagers.

D．Villagers stopped selling things to tourists.

小題4:The underlined word “deter” in the last paragraph can be replaced by “________”.

A．punish

B．stop

C．encourage

D．threaten

Disposing(處理) of waste has been a problem since humans started producing it. As more and more people choose to live close together in cities, the waste-disposal problem becomes increasingly difficult.
During the eighteenth century, it was usual for several neighboring towns to get together to select a faraway spot as a dumpsite. Residents or trash haulers(垃圾托運(yùn)者) would transport household rubbish, rotted wood, and old possessions to the site. Periodically(定期的) some of the trash was burned and the rest was buried. The unpleasant sights and smells caused no problem because nobody lived close by.
Factories, mills, and other industrial sites also had waste to be disposed of. Those located on rivers often just dumped the unwanted remains into the water. Others built huge burners with chimneys to deal with the problem.
Several facts make these choices unacceptable to modern society. The first problem is space. Dumps, which are now called landfills, are most needed in heavily populated areas. Such areas rarely have empty land suitable for this purpose. Property is either too expensive or too close to residential(住宅區(qū)的)neighborhoods. Long-distance trash hauling has been a common practice, but once farm areas are refusing to accept rubbish from elsewhere, cheap land within trucking distance of major city areas is almost nonexistent.
Awareness of pollution dangers has resulted in more strict rules of waste disposal. Pollution of rivers, ground water, land and air is a price people can no longer pay to get rid of waste. The amount of waste, however, continues to grow.
Recycling efforts have become commonplace, and many towns require their people to take part. Even the most efficient recycling programs, however, can hope to deal with only about 50 percent of a city's reusable waste.
小題1:The most suitable title for this passage would be ______.

A．Places for Disposing Waste	B．Waste Pollution Dangers
C．Ways of Getting Rid of Waste	D．Waste Disposal Problem

小題2:During the 18th century, people disposed their waste in many ways EXCEPT for ______.

A．burying it	B．recycling it
C．burning it	D．throwing it into rivers

小題3:What can be inferred from the fourth paragraph?

A．Farm areas accept waste from the city in modern society.

B．There is cheap land to bury waste in modem society.

C．It is difficult to find space to bury waste in modem society.

D．Ways to deal with waste in modem society stay the same.

小題4: The main purpose of writing this article is to ________.

A．draw people's attention to waste management

B．warn people of the pollution dangers we are facing

C．call on people to take part in recycling programs

D．tell people a better way to get rid of the waste

Listening to music can help me focus better. Since I discovered it two years ago, I’ve used music to get through boring work or to focus creatively. I’ve found that it can make even the dullest jobs enjoyable and help clear mental blocks to creativity.
I first noticed the good effects of music while playing video games. It was a few days before Christmas in 2005 and I was playing online video games. My parents had just given me a new MP3, so I decided to listen to music through the headphones while I played. After a few minutes I noticed a great change in my style of play. I was playing more naturally. The music relaxed me, and, to a certain extent, distracted me from the game, allowing my subconscious (潛意識(shí)的) talent to come through. The music also helped me block out the outside world. With those headphones on I was like a machine, moving from one task to the next without unnecessary thoughts or actions.
Music can also have a great effect on mood. If I’m in a bad mood at work, I’ll listen to some of Bob Marley’s and get down to business. It always takes my mind off what I’m doing and makes me a happier person. The same is true for classic rock. One summer, I did a boring job collecting bottle openers by hand. Without a radio playing classic rock in the background, I would have hated life.
Listening to music with relaxing rhythms and a positive message helps you forget your work and think happy thoughts. But the results you see will depend heavily on your personal tastes. Experiment with the types of music you listen to during certain tasks. By trial and error you’ll finally discover your best choice. I’m always looking for new concentration aids, so I’d love to know what type of music works best for me.
小題1: We can infer that the passage was written in __________.

A．2005

B．2006

C．2007

D．2008

小題2:The author first discovered the effects of music __________.

A．from his parents	B．by chance
C．a(chǎn)t work	D．when he was a child

小題3:Which of the following statements is NOT an effect of music for the author?

A．It helps him block out the outside world.

B．It arouses his subconscious talent.

C．It helps his mind relax.

D．It makes him work without any thought.

小題4:The author mentions the experience of collecting bottle openers in Paragraph 3 to ________.

A．tell us that life is dull

B．prove that music affects mood

C．tell us how to seek happiness

D．tell us bad mood can affect work

小題5:In order to get the greatest effect of music, you are advised to ________.

A．listen to some of Bob Marley’s

B．only choose relaxing music

C．test all kinds of music

D．listen to classic rock

Imagine a training course that helps you in your specific job. Imagine tools and techniques that are so closely connected with your work that you can apply them directly to it. Imagine receiving an Open University (OU) certificate (證書) in a course which states what you have studied and achieved.
It may sound fantastic, but it’s a reality at the Open University’s CCPD, which is making learning while you work more flexible (靈活的) than ever before.
The courses are starting to change workplace learning completely. Paige, who took CCPD’s courses, said the study had changed her whole way of thinking. “It was excellent for so many reasons,” she said. “It developed me as a person and as an employee and taught me particular techniques. I was always able to bring what I’d learned into the office the next day and apply it to my job.”
Even better news for Paige was that her employer paid the full cost of her study. She became one of thousands of OU students whose fees were paid by employers who recognized the value of an OU education.
“These courses are designed for CCPD rather than as part of a formal certificate,” said Kathy, an OU teacher. “We pay more attention to development rather than assessment (評(píng)估). Our role is to give them personal developmental advice, not a mark.”
Paige is just one of 200,000 students who are learning at OU. CCPD itself is just a part of an organization that offers courses and qualifications in 360 subjects and has so far helped to develop the skills and knowledge of more than two million people.
“Education does not stop with getting a degree,” said Charles Edwards, CCPD’s director. “In a fast-moving economy you cannot afford to rely on the degree you got some time ago. You must keep updating your knowledge.”
For details on CCPD’s courses and to register with the 10% discount available to members, visit www.open.ac.uk.
小題1:According to the passage, CCPD’s courses are ________.

A．required courses for formal academic qualifications

B．training courses for professional development

C．special courses for a master’s degree

D．elective courses for university students

小題2:The example of Paige is given to show ________.

A．the benefits of lifelong learning

B．how completely learning has changed

C．the value of CCPD’s courses of the OU

D．the importance of hard work

小題3:It can be inferred from Paragraph 4 that ________.

A．Paige has got promoted after learning CCPD’s courses

B．a(chǎn)n OU education has been accepted by many employers

C．Paige is the best employee in her company

D．most employers care for their employees

小題4:According to the passage, CCPD’s courses focus on ________.

A．a(chǎn)ssessment of learners

B．learners’ personal development

C．the academic knowledge of learners

D．classroom learning

The storage of classified (分類的) research at all 24 labs run by the US Department of Energy was shut down this week after officials decided that the security (安全) problems recently found at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico might also exist elsewhere.
Several computer disks went missing at Los Alamos earlier this month, forcing Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham to stop all work at the lab until the problems are found out. As of 26 July, two missing disks had still not been found, and 15 employees had been suspended in connection with the disappearance.
Now all energy labs will stop doing classified research that involves(需要) removable storage devices --- such as computer disks ---  until all the devices are given explanation for and new procedures are in place for monitoring their handling by laboratory employees.
"While we have no evidence that the problems being investigated are present elsewhere, we have a responsibility to take all necessary action to prevent such problems, "Abraham said on 23 July.
The shut-down isn't quite as dramatic（驚人的）as it sounds, experts say. Only two labs will be seriously affected: Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in  California. Together with Los Alamos, these two labs conduct the most part of the country's nuclear weapon programmes. At Livermore, 876 employees will be suspended during the storage of some 12,000 items of classified removable material.
At other labs, far fewer people will be affected. "The impact (影響) should be the smallest," says Martha Krebs, former director of the energy department's science office.
小題1:Why was the storage of classified research at all 24 labs shut down?

A．Because the security problems might be present elsewhere.

B．Because the security problems existed elsewhere.

C．Because two missing computer disks had still not be found.

D．Because officials decided to stop doing such research.

小題2:How many labs conduct the country's nuclear weapon programmes according to the text?

A．About 24.

B．Only 2.

C．More than 2.

D．Over 15.

小題3:The underlined word "suspended"in the second paragraph probably means "______”.

A．hung from above

B．stopped from holding a position

C．doubted

D．fired

小題4: It can be inferred from the text that _____.

A．the computer disks must have been stolen by terrorists

B．the people living in the United States have little security

C．the United States is a country whose security is very bad

D．the missing of the computer disks caused great fear among Americans

Modern man has cleared the forests for farmland and for wood,and has also carelessly burned them. More than that,though,he has also interfered （干涉） with the invisible bonds between the living things in the forests. There are many examples of this kind of destruction. The harmfulness of man’s interference can be seen in what happened many years ago in the forest of the Kaibab plateau （凱亞巴布高原） of northern Arizona. Man tried to improve on the natural web of forest life and destroyed it instead.
The Kaibab had a storybook forest of largesized pine,Douglas fir,white fir,blue and Engelmann spruce. In 1882 a visitor noted,"We,who ... have wandered through its forests and parks,have come to regard it as the most enchanting region it has ever been our privilege （特權(quán)） to visit."This was also the living place of the Rocky Mountain mule deer. Indians hunted there every autumn to gather meat and skins. The forest also had mountain lions,timber wolves and bobcats that kept the deer from multiplying too rapidly.
Then,in 1906,President Theodore Roosevelt made the Kaibab a national game preserve. Deer hunting was forbidden. Government hunters started killing off the deer’s enemies. In 25 years’ time,6,250 mountain lions,wolves and bobcats were killed. Before the program,there were about 4,000 deer in the Kaibab,by 1924,there were about 100,000.
The deer ate every leaf and twig they could reach. But there was not nearly enough food. Hunting of deer was permitted again. This caused a slight decrease in the deer herd （鹿群），but a far greater loss resulted from starvation （饑餓） and disease. Some 60 percent of the deer herd died in two winters. By 1930 the herd had dropped to 20,000 animals. By 1942 it was down to 8,000.
小題1:The destruction of the environment of the Kaibab resulted from .

A．turning the forest into cultivated land

B．interfering with natural cycle of forest life

C．forest fires caused by man’s carelessness

D．cutting the trees for building materials

小題2:"Engelmann spruce"（Para. 2） is most likely the name of .

A．a(chǎn) tree

B．a(chǎn)n animal

C．a(chǎn) mountain

D．a(chǎn) game

小題3:The number of the deer in the Kaibab had increased enormously in  years’ time.

A．25

B．6

C．18

D．12

小題4:Years later,large numbers of deer in the Kaibab died mainly because of .

A．the cold	B．the organized kill
C．the shortage of food	D．the poor management

US college students are burdened, with credit card (信用卡)debt, according to a study published Tuesday, and the problem can be serious－ranging from more drop-outs, to future employment problems and even self-murder. The study, by Georgetown University sociologist (社會(huì)學(xué)家) Robert Manning, blamed credit card issuers for actively targeting students and colleges for allowing them to do so. "The unrestricted selling of credit cards in universities or colleges is so aggressive that it now forms a greater threat than alcohol or sexual diseases," Manning told a news conference in Washington. "If we do not quickly deal with this serious problem, the matter will continue to get worse, with social consequences far more tragic (悲劇的) than mere dollars and cents. "
Based on hundreds of face-to-face interviews and surveys with students, Manning concluded both the number with credit card debt and their indebtedness had been "underreported" in previous studies－which failed to reflect the "survival strategies" many used to deal with their debts. These included the use of federal student loans to pay off credit cards, effectively shifting the debt, appealing to parents for loans, reducing course work hours to increase time at paid jobs, or even dropping out altogether to work full time.
"Official drop-out rates include growing numbers of students who are unable to cope with the stress of their debts and / or part time jobs for servicing their credit cards, " the study said. "Students credit card debts are examined during the employment process and may be an important factor in evaluating future employees," it noted. O’Donnell and Manning agreed students should bear some responsibility for reckless use of credit, but said credit card companies also had to be held responsible for making it so easy for them to get into debt. Manning said one of the most troublesome aspects of the student credit card issue was "the seduction (誘惑) of college and university officials by the credit card industry".
小題1:Sociologist Robert Manning's study shows that     .

A．the number of American college students using credit cards on campus is increasing

B．more and more American college students meet with credit card debt problems

C．more and more American colleges encourage students to use credit cards to make profits

D．credit card issuers will run into debt for encouraging college students to use credit cards

小題2:The author's feeling towards college students with credit card debts is __.

A．discouraged and negative	B．pitiful and critical
C．indifferent and disapproving	D．negative and doubtful

小題3:The author implies all of following should be responsible for this problem EXCEPT      .

A．credit card issuers	B．college authorities
C．parents of the students	D．students themselves

小題4:The word "reckless" in Paragraph 3 can be replaced by        .

A．inconsiderate

B．frequent

C．careful

D．regular

Building after building under water．Refugees in shelters．Thousands of others unsure where to go．Bodies in streets．This is what one of America's historic cities was reduced to this week by a powerful storm, Katrina（卡特里娜）．The mayor of New Orleans says thousands may be dead．Hurricane Katrina also caused death and destruction in parts of Mississippi and Alabama along the Gulf of Mexico．
New Orleans is famous for its wild Mardi Gras celebrations．New Orleans is also a major port for foreign oil and other shipping trade．Yet the city of nearly five hundred thousand people was built below sea level．New Orleans has depended on levees to control floods from the Mississippi River．Katrina struck on Monday．New Orleans avoided a direct hit．But two of the levees failed the next day．Most of the city was flooded．Helicopters dropped huge sandbags to fill the breaks．But the water had no place to go．Pumping stations had no power．
America faces one of the worst natural events in its history．President Bush says the recovery will take years．People were told to leave the path of the storm．But some would not or could not．Many of those worst affected by Katrina are poor and black．African-American leaders and others were angry that government aid did not arrive faster．President Bush visited some of the damaged areas on Friday．He said the way officials reacted to the crisis was unacceptable．
小題1:Which is true of the following details about New Orleans?

A．New Orleans is a newly－built city of America

B．There were no black people in New Orleans．

C．This is the first time that hurricane has stricken it．

D．New Orleans is a major port for foreign oil and other shipping trade．

小題2:What does the underlined word “l(fā)evees”(in the second paragraph) mean?

A．trees

B．dams

C．ports

D．ships

小題3:Which is right about the Hurricane Katrina?

A．It also caused the destruction in parts of Mississippi．

B．A lot of people died in this disaster．

C．It cut off the electricity supply of the city．

D．All of the above is right．

小題4:What can we learn from the text?

A．President Bush was not concerned about this disaster．

B．The recovery of the city will take a few days．

C．In this disaster the government aid didn’t arrive in time．

D．In this city there were no pump stations．