“Sesame Street” has been called “the longest street in the world”. That is because the television program by that name can now be seen in so many parts of the world. That program became one of American’s exports soon after it went on the air in New York in 1969.
In the United States more than six million children watch the program regularly. The viewers include more than half the nation’s pre-school children, from every kind of economic(經(jīng)濟(jì)的), racial(種族的), and geographical group.
Although some educators object to certain elements in the program, parents praise it highly. Many teachers also consider it a great help, though some teachers find that problems arise when first graders who have learned from “Sesame Street” are in the same class with children who have not watched the program.
Tests have shown that children from all racial, geographical, and economic backgrounds have benefited from watching it. Those who watch it five times a week learn more than occasional(偶然的) viewers. In the US the program is shown at different hours during the week in order to increase the number of children who can watch it regularly.
The programs all use songs, stories, jokes, and pictures to give children a basic understanding of numbers, letters and human relationships. But there are some differences. For example, the Spanish program, produced in Mexico City, devotes more time to teaching whole words than to teaching separate letters.
Why has “Sesame Street” been so much more successful than other children’s shows? Many reasons have been suggested. People mention the educational theories(理論) of its creators, the support by the government and private(私人的) businesses, and the skillful use of a variety of TV tricks. Perhaps an equally important reason is that mothers watch it along with their children. This is partly because famous adult stars often appear on it. But the best reason for the success of the program may be that it makes every child watching feel able to learn. The child finds himself learning, and he wants to learn more.
小題1:“Sesame Street” is actually _______.

A．a(chǎn) street in the US	B．a(chǎn) program for children
C．a(chǎn) program for teachers	D．a(chǎn) program for students

小題2:Children who often watch the program _______.

A．can have problems in school

B．will find it a great help

C．will take no interest in their studies

D．will be well educated

小題3: What is special about the program?

A．It offers great fun.

B．It makes children feel able to learn.

C．It is shown at different hours during the week.

D．Children learn and enjoy themselves while watching.

小題4: Why is “Sesame Street” so popular in the world?

A．Because it is supported by the government and businesses.

B．Because it uses a variety of skillful tricks.

C．Because mothers watch it along with their children.

D．Because it makes every child watching it feel able to learn.

小題5:The best title for this passage can be _______.

A．TV Programs	B．Educating Children
C．Sesame Street	D．A Great Success

Motherhood may make women smarter and may help prevent dementia(癡呆) in old age by bathing the brain in protective hormones(荷爾蒙) , U.S. reseachers reported on Thursday.
Tests on rats show that those who raise two or more litters of pups do considerably better in tests of memory and skills than rats who have no babies, and their brains show changes that suggest they may be protected against diseases such as Alzheimer’s(早老癡呆癥). University of Richmond psychology professor Craig Kinsley believes his findings will translate into humans.
“Our research shows that the hormones of pregnancy(懷孕) are protecting the brain, including estrogen(雌激素), which we know has many neuroprotective (保護(hù)神經(jīng)的) effects,” Kinsley said.  
“It’s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals,” he added in a telephone interview. “They go through pregnancy and hormonal changes.”
Kinsley said he hoped public health officials and researchers will look to see if having had children protects a woman from Alzheimer’s and other forms of age-related brain decline.
“When people think about pregnancy, they think about what happens to babies and the mother from the neck down,” said Kinsley, who presented his findings to the annual meeting of the Society of Neuroscience in Orlando, Florida.
“They do not realize that hormones are washing on the brain. If you look at female animals who have never gone through pregnancy, they act differently toward young. But if she goes through pregnancy, she will sacrifice her life for her infant—that is a great change in her behavior that showed in genetic alterations(改變) to the brain.”
小題1: How do scientists know “Motherhood may make women smarter”?

A．Some researchers have told them.

B．Many women say so.

C．They know it by experimenting on rats.

D．They know it through their own experience.

小題2: What does the phrase “l(fā)itters of pups” mean in the second paragraph?

A．Baby rats.

B．Animals.

C．Old rats.

D．Grown-up rats.

小題3:What can protect the brain of a woman according to the passage?

A．Estrogen.	B．The hormones of pregnancy.
C．More exercise.	D．Taking care of children.

小題4:“It’s rat data but humans are mammals just like these animals are mammals.” What does the sentence suggest?

A．The experiments on the rats have nothing to do with humans.

B．The experiments on the rats are very important for animals.

C．The experiments on the rats are much the same on humans.

D．The experiments on the rats are much the same on other animals.

小題5:Which title is the best for this passage?

A．Do You Want to Be Smarter?

B．Motherhood Makes Women Smarter

C．Mysterious Hormones

D．An Important Study

Suppose we built a robot to explore the planet Mars. We provide the robot with seeing detectors(探測器) to keep it away from danger. It is powered entirely by the sun. Should we program the robot to be equally active at all times? No, the robot would be using up energy at a time when it was not receiving any. So we would probably program it to stop its activity at night and to wake up at dawn the next morning.
According to evolutionary(進(jìn)化的) theory of sleep, evolution equipped us with a regular pattern of sleeping and waking for the same reason. The theory does not deny that sleep provides some important restorative functions. It merely says that evolution has programmed us to perform those functions at a time when activity would be inefficient and possibly dangerous. However, sleep protects us only from the sort of trouble we might walk into; it does not protect us from trouble that comes looking for us. So we sleep well when we are in a familiar, safe place, but we sleep lightly, if at all, when we fear that bears will nose into the tent.
The evolutionary theory explain the differences in sleep among creatures. Why do cats, for instance, sleep so much, while horses sleep so little? Surely cats do not need five times as much repair and restoration as horses do. But cats can afford to have long periods of inactivity because they spend little time eating and are unlikely to be attacked while they sleep. Horses must spend almost all their waking hours eating, because what they eat is very low in energy value. Moreover, they cannot afford to sleep too long or too deeply, because their survival depends on their ability to run away from attackers.
小題1:The author uses the example of the robot in space exploration to tell us _______.

A．the differences between robots and men

B．the reason why men need to sleep

C．a(chǎn)bout the need for robots to save power

D．a(chǎn)bout the danger of men working at night

小題2:Evolution has programmed man to sleep at night chiefly to help him ______.

A．keep up a regular pattern of life

B．prevent trouble that comes looking for him

C．a(chǎn)void danger and inefficient labor

D．restore his bodily functions

小題3:Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?

A．Evolution has equipped all creatures with a regular pattern of sleeping and waking.

B．The study of sleep is an important art of the evolutionary theory.

C．Sleeping patterns must be taken into consideration in the designing of robots.

D．The sleeping pattern of a living creature is determined by the food it eats.

Education is not an end, but a means to an end. In other words, we do not educate children only for the purpose of educating them. Our purpose is to fit them for life.
In some modem countries it has for some time been fashionable to think that by free education for all — one can solve all the problems of society and build a perfect nation. But we can already see that free education for all is not enough; we find in such countries a far larger number of people with university degree; they refuse to do what they think “l(fā)ow” work; and, in fact, work with hands is thought to be dirty and shameful in such countries. But we have only to think a moment to understand that the work of a completely uneducated farmer is far more important than that of a professor; we can live without education, but we die if we have no food. If no one cleaned our streets and took the rubbish away from our houses, we should get terrible diseases in our towns…
In fact, when we say that all of us must be educated to fit us for life, it means that we must be educated in such a way that, firstly, each of us can do whatever work suited to his brains and ability and, secondly, that we can realize that all jobs are necessary to society, and that is very bad to be ashamed of one’s work. Only such a type of education can be considered valuable to society.
小題1:The writer of the passage thinks that _______.

A．education can settle most of the world’s problems

B．free education for all probably leads to a perfect world

C．free education won’t help to solve problems

D．a(chǎn)ll the social problems can’t be solved by education

小題2:The writer wants to prove that _______.

A．our society needs all kinds of jobs

B．our society needs free education for all

C．a(chǎn) farmer is more important than a professor

D．work with hands is the most important

小題3:The purpose of education is _______.

A．to choose officials for the country

B．to prepare children mainly for their future work

C．to let everyone receive education fit for him

D．to build a perfect world

小題4:The passage tells us about _______ of the education.

A．the means

B．the system

C．the value

D．the type

“It hurts me more than you”, and “This is for your own good” —these are the statements my mother used to make years ago when I had to learn Latin, clean my room, stay home and do homework.
That was before we entered the permissive period in education in which we decided it was all right not to push our children to achieve their best in school. The schools and the educators made it easy for us. They taught that it was all right to be parents who take a let-alone policy. We stopped making our children do homework. We gave them calculators, turned on the television, left the teaching to the teachers and went on vacation.
Now teachers, faced with children who have been developing at their own pace for the past 15 years, are realizing we’ve made a terrible mistake. One such teacher is Sharon Clomps who says of her students—“so passive” —and wonders what has happened. Nothing is demanded of them, she believes. Television, says Clomps, contributes to children’s passivity. “We’re talking about a generation of kids who’ vet never been hurt or hungry. They have learned somebody will always do it for them, instead of saying ‘go and look it up’, you tell them the answer. It takes greater energy to say no to a kid.”
Yes, it does. It takes energy and it takes work. It’s time for parents to end their vacation and come back to work. It’ s time to take the car away, to turn the TV off, to tell them it hurts you more than them but it’ s for their own good. It’s s time to start telling them no again.
小題1:Children are becoming more inactive in study because _______.

A．they watch TV too often	B．they have done too much homework
C．they have to fulfill too many duties	D．teachers are too strict with them

小題2:We learn from the passage that the author’s mother used to lay emphasis on _______.

A．learning Latin	B．discipline
C．natural development	D．education at school

小題3: By “permissive period in education” (L.1, Para.2) the author means a time _______.

A．when children are allowed to do what they wish to

B．when everything can be taught at school

C．when every child can be educated

D．when children are permitted to receive education

小題4:The main idea of the passage is that _______.

A．parents should leave their children alone

B．kids should have more activities at school

C．it’s time to be more strict with our kids

D．parents should always set a good example to their kids

There are robots all around us. Some do very complicated jobs like flying airplanes and driving subway trains. and some do one simple job. When an automatic washing machine is switched on, water pours in. The machine waits until the water is warm enough for washing clothes. It does this by “feedback”(反饋). Information about what is happening is feedback into the robot to tell what to do next. Our eyes, ears and other senses are our feedback. They tell us what is going on around us. So robots are like human beings in two ways.
They work and they have feedback.
In some ways robots are better than human beings. They work quickly and do not make mistakes. They do not get bored doing the same job over and over again. And they never get tired. So robots are very useful in factories. They can be taught to do many different jobs. First their electronic brain must be shown how the job is done. A person moves the robot’s “arms” and “hands” through each part of the job.
The most intelligent robots can move and see. Their eyes are cameras. Their fingers can feel shapes and sizes of the objects. These robots have computer brains linked to their eyes and fingers, which control their actions. The expensive robots are used in scientific research. They do such job as handling radioactive materials.
小題1: In this passage the author tells us that ________.

A．robots are very popular

B．there are various kinds of robots

C．we see robots only at certain times

D．robots can be easily controlled

小題2:What does the author seem to inform you about robots?

A．They should be greatly improved.

B．They will probably take over in the future.

C．They are very helpful and useful to humans.

D．They are machines that break down a lot.

小題3:The author says that in industry ________.

A．robots break down a lot

B．robots can do many jobs

C．robots only get in the way

D．robots sometimes cause troubles

小題4: The fact that a robot never gets bored doing the same job means that _______.

A．it is very much like human beings

B．it can do boring jobs for people

C．it will never bore people

D．it will work much better than human beings

小題5: The robots used for scientific research _______.

A．a(chǎn)re not very clever

B．a(chǎn)re very cheap

C．a(chǎn)re very big

D．a(chǎn)re very costly

The blue tits(山雀) have been inspecting the nest-box again this year. The male is the house-hunter but the female will make the final choice. He lands at the hole and turns his head to expose his white cheeks as a signal to attract the female from where she has been feeding.
Among many birds that nest in holes, the male has a light-coloured patch on its plumage(鳥羽) which acts as signal for drawing the female’s attention to a suitable nesting-place. Unlike the blue tit, the redstart(紅尾鴝) may be only the male that strikingly coloured and the female is not beautiful.
A few years ago I was lucky enough to spot a pair of redstarts in action in a Walsh wood. The male was leading an interested female to holes that he had previously(先前) checked out. He sat at the entrance of each hole and put his head on to show off his white forehead, or his head in to reveal(顯露) his tail.
If the female failed to react to his visual signals, the male sometimes sang for extra effect, while gliding towards her on spread wings and tail. Once the female accepts by following the male through the hole the displays stop, you must be at the right place at the right time to watch them.
小題1:How do the blue tits choose their nest?

A．They choose their nest together.

B．The male chooses their nest.

C．The house-hunter chooses their nest.

D．The female chooses their nest.

小題2:The writer was lucky to see ________.

A．how the male made his tricks

B．how an interested female played with the male happily

C．what the male displayed and won the female

D．that the male tried his best but failed to attract the female

小題3:You can spot a pair of redstarts in a Walsh wood ________.

A．a(chǎn)t any time

B．regularly

C．in April

D．occasionally

小題4:The writer is probably ________.

A．a(chǎn) bird expert	B．a(chǎn) bird-hunter
C．a(chǎn) bird raiser	D．a(chǎn) scientist

The global energy crisis is approaching. What can we do? Here are some steps you can take.
Cooling puts the greatest stress on your summer energy bill and the power grid(電網(wǎng)). Just as t tune-up for your car can improve your gas mileage, a yearly tune-up of your heating and cooling system can improve efficiency and comfort. Clean or replaces filters monthly or as needed.
For central air conditioning systems and room air conditioners, look for the ENERGY STAR, the federal government’s symbol for energy efficiency. For central air, purchase the system with the highest possible Seasonal Energy Efficiency Raton. (SEER)
Use energy-efficient ceiling fans either alone or with air conditioning. Ceiling fans do a great job of circulating air. When used with air conditioning, fans allow you to raise the thermostat(恒溫器) and cut costs. Ceiling fans cool people, not rooms, so before you leave; turn off the ceiling fan.
Let a programmable thermostat! “remember for you” to automatically adjust the indoor climate with your daily and weekend patterns to reduce cooling bills by up to 10 percent. You can come home to a comfortable house without wasting energy and cresting pollution all day while you are at work.
Try to make your home airtight enough to increase your comfort, make your home quieter and cleaner and reduce your cooling costs up to 20 percent.
Gut your air conditioning load, and reduce pollution by planting planting leafy trees around your home and fixing reflective bricks on your roof.
Close blinds or shades on south-and west-facing windows during the day, or fix shading equipment to avoid heat build-up.
Turn off everything not in use: lights, TVs, computers. And use fluorescent bulbs(熒光燈), which provide bright, warm light while using at least two-thirds less energy, producing 70 percent less heat and lasting up to 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs(白熾燈).
Drive the car that gets better gas mileage whenever possible if you own more than one vehicle. If you drive 12,500 miles a year, switching 10 percent of your trips from a car that gets 20 mils per gallon to one that gets 30 mpg will save you more than ￡65 per year.
Carpool. The average U.S. commuter(乘車上班族) could save about ￡260 a year by sharing cars twice a week with two people in a car that gets 20.1 mpg---assuming the three passengers share the cost of gas.
小題1:According to the passage, the thermostat is used to ______.

A．make rooms quieter	B．control room temperature
C．turn off the air conditioner	D．reduce room air pollution

小題2:We can conclude from the passage that the author probably discourages ______.

A．planting leafy trees around your home

B．turning off the ceiling fan before you leave your house

C．keeping your south-facing windows open during the day

D．using fluorescent bulbs instead of incandescent bulbs

小題3:According to the passage, you can save fuel by ______.

A．using energy-efficient ceiling fans	B．sharing cars with others on workdays
C．turning off everything not in use	D．reducing 10% of your car trips every year

小題4:This passage is mainly about ______.

A．energy-saving tips	B．fuel-saving tips
C．do-it-yourself tips	D．environment-protecting tips

Although man has known asbestos for many hundreds of years, it was not until 160 years ago that it was mined for the first time on the North American continent. H. W. Johns, owner of a New York City Supply Shop for roofers, was responsible for(對…負(fù)責(zé)) the opening of that first mine.
Mr. Johns was given a piece of asbestos which had been found in Italy. He experimented with the material and then showed its surprising powers to his customers. After putting on a pair of asbestos gloves, which looked much like ordinary work gloves, he took red-hot coals from the fireplace and played with them in his hands. How astonished the customers were to discover that he was not burned at all. You can well imagine that he had increasing business in asbestos roofing materials. However, because it was very expensive to transport (carry) them from Italy to the United States, Mr. Johns sent out a young scientist to seek a source nearer home. This young man found great vein(巖脈), in the province of Quebec in Canada.
Ever since 1881 Quebec has led the world in the production of this unusual mineral, which is made up of magnesium, silicon, iron, and oxygen. When it is mined, the asbestos is heavy, just as you would expect a mineral to be. When it is separated, a strange thing happens; the rock breaks down into fine, soft, soapy fibres(纖維).
Scientists do not know why the rock can be separated easily into threads(線), but they have found thousands of uses of this fireproof material, of the so-called “cloth of stone”.
小題1:Which title best expresses the main idea of this passage?

A．Asbestos mined in Canada	B．Fireproof matter
C．A “wonder” mineral	D．A new roofing material

小題2:Johns proved his ability as a salesman by_______.

A．going into roofing business	B．carrying asbestos from Italy
C．sending a trained scientist	D．showing the use of asbestos gloves

小題3:Which is the most important character of asbestos that the author wants to show us?

A．It is like thread.	B．It feels soapy.
C．It burns easily.	D．It is unusually heavy.

小題4:The author’s main purpose in writing this passage was to _______.

A．show the need for more scientists

B．compare asbestos with other minerals

C．increase the sales of asbestos

D．present facts about asbestos

In ancient times the most important examinations were spoken, not written. In the schools of ancient Greece and Rome, testing usually was made up of saying poetry aloud and giving speeches.
In the European universities of the Middle Ages, students who were working for advanced degrees had to discuss ques­tions in their field of study with people who had made a spe­cial study of the subject. This custom exists today as part of the process of testing candidates (應(yīng)試者) for the doctor’s de­gree.
Generally, however, modem examinations are written. The written examination, where all students are tested on the same questions, was probably not known until the nineteenth century. Perhaps it came into existence with the great increase in population and the development of modem industry. A room full of candidates for a state examination timed exactly by electric clocks and carefully watched over by managers, looks like a group of workers at an automobile factory. Certainly, during examinations teachers and students are expected to act like machines.
One type of test is sometimes called an “objective” test. It is intended to deal with facts, not personal opinions. To make up an objective test, the teacher writes a series (一系列)of ques­tions, each of which has only one correct answer. Along with each question the teacher writes the correct answer and also three statements that look like answers to students who have not learned the material properly.  
4. The main idea of Paragraph Three is that ________.
A. workers now take examinations            B. the population has grown
C. there are only written exams today     D. examinations are now written and timed
5. The kind of exams where students must select answers are
A. objective                                          B. personal  
C. spoken                                             D. written
6. Modem industry must have developed ________.
A. around the 19th century               B. before the Middle Ages
C. in Greece or Rome                  D. machines to take tests
7. It may be concluded that testing ________.
A. should test only opinions                B. should always be written
C. is given only in factories          D. has changed since the Middle Ages