People playing computer games to train their brains might as well be playing Super Mario, a new research suggests. In a six-week study, experts found people who played online games designed to improve their cognitive skills didn’t get any smarter．

Researchers recruited（招募） participants from views of the BBC’s science show Bang Goes the Theory．More than 8,600 people aged 18 to 60 were asked to play online brain games designed by the researchers to improve their memory, reasoning and other skills, for at least 10 minutes a day, three times a week．
小題1:What’s the purpose of online brain games according to the designers?

A．To take part in the study.

B．To draw public attention to computer.

C．To provide free service to teenagers.

D．To improve players’ IQ.

小題2:How many people were inveolved in the study made by the researchers?

A．About 60.

B．Only 2700.

C．8600 or so.

D．Around 11,300.

小題3:．What’s the result of the study about online games?

A．Those who didn’t play online games felt disappointed.

B．Those who played online games proved smarter.

C．Online games don’t improve the players’ skills at all.

D．Online games will be more popular than before.

小題4:The best title for the passage may probably be         .

A．Don’t Play Games Any More	B．New Study of IQ
C．Brain Games Don’t Raise IQ	D．Brain Games and Super Mario

The first English week at our school started on May 4th, 2009. The whole school was filled with an English learning atmosphere. A series of activities was held. There were handwriting activities, story writing, English songs, role playing in English, and so on, all the teachers and students were very happy. They spoke English, sang English songs and enjoyed all the activities.
Handwriting was for the students in lower grades. Although most of them couldn’t write so well, they were all very careful about it. In the show window, there were a lot of colorful handwritten papers. They copied some articles from books or newspapers. And then they decorated them with pictures in different colors, and some even put their own photos on them. How cute and lovely they looked!
Story writing was for students in Grade 7 and Grade 8. These students are always fond of cartoons, so they got interested in this activity. Reading the stories they made up, all the visitors couldn’t help speaking highly of them.
The most important event was the English show on the last day. The students and teachers presented(上演) a lot of English songs and English operas. Each program won storms of applause.
One week is not very long, but all the students and teachers learned a lot. Just as the headmaster said, “It is a helpful week. It will certainly lead us to enjoy and learn more from our English studies.”
小題1:In this passage, the English week is described as__________.

A．surprising

B．boring

C．enjoyable

D．serious

小題2:Which of the following is Not true?

A．All the students took part in the handwriting contest.

B．The story writing contest was for students in Grade 7 and Grade 8.

C．The English show was the most important event.

D．Teachers also took part in the English week.

小題3: What does the underlined word “applause” probably mean?

A．Noise

B．Cheer

C．Sound

D．Music

小題4:What does the writer probably want to tell us at the end of the passage?

A．The activities are a good way to learn English.

B．Students usually don’t like English.

C．The activities last longer.

D．Learning English in the classroom is invaluable.

For years my husband, John, and I had dreamed of taking our three kids to Disney World．We'd planned our trip down to the last detail and dollar．But in Georgia, halfway there, our car broke down．
At a garage, the mechanic promised our Mercury Sable would be repaired by the next week．Meanwhile, John tried to find us a rental car．After many phone calls, John finally found a car．Luckily, our auto club would pick up the tab．We ended up arriving there three hours behind schedule．We tried every ride and met Mickey．
At the end of the long weekend we called the garage to check on our car．It turned out that the mechanic hadn't even looked at it yet! John got on the phone again．He found it would cost more than $ l, 100 to rent a car to drive home．That plus a plane ticket for him to go pick up our own car and we'd be out over $2,000!
I wailed（痛哭） and asked John, "What are we going to do?"  He said, "It'll work out．" John encouraged me not to lose heart and he insisted on trying to find a way out．Amazingly, John found a car transport company that had a car we could drive home, paying only for gas! But all the way home I couldn't stop thinking about the money we'd still need for John's trip back to the garage and another long driving home．
When we got home, the high school student who had fed our cats asked how our trip was．I gave him the rundown, "Things worked out okay except that our car's still stuck in Georgia．" "No problem," he said．"I'm heading to Florida for a spring break with my parents．We'll be glad to stop in Georgia on the way back and pick up your car．"
We ended up spending only $50 more than we'd budgeted．The next week, our car was back, and I had a new understanding of dealing with trouble．Whatever happens, if you never give up, a good solution will come out at last．
小題1:From the passage we can learn that                 ．

A．Disney World is located in Georgia

B．Mercury Sable is the name of the mechanic

C．the couple budgeted for their trip carefully

D．repairing their car needed a lot of money

小題2:The underlined phrase "pick up the tab" probably means “___________”．

A．pay the expense of renting a car

B．find a taxi for the club members

C．give somebody a lift on the way

D．take someone home free of charge

小題3:Why was the author unhappy at the end of the weekend?

A．They didn't have enough money to rent a car to go home．

B．They spent $2,000 more than they had budgeted．

C．They didn't enjoy themselves in Disney World．

D．They found their car hadn't been repaired at all．

小題4:We can infer from the passage that _______________________．

A．the car transport company usually had its cars rented

B．the couple had to drive the company's car to an appointed place

C．the car transport company charged the couple some money

D．a(chǎn) student helped the couple return the car to the company ．

Open Letter to an Editor
I had an interesting conversation with a reporter recently --- one who works for you. In fact, he’s one of your best reporters. He wants to leave.
Your reporter gave me a copy of his resume(簡歷) and photocopies of six stories that he wrote for you. The headlines showed you played them proudly. With great enthusiasm, he talked about how he finds issues(問題), approaches them, and writes about them, which tells me he is one of your best. I’m sure you would hate to lose him. Surprisingly, your reporter is not unhappy. In fact, he told me he really likes his job. He has a great assignment (分工), and said you run a great paper. It would be easy for you to keep him, he said. He knows that the paper values him. He appreciates the responsibility you’ve given him, takes ownership of his profession, and enjoys his freedom.
So why is he looking for a way out?
He talked to me because he wants his editors to demand so much more of him. He wants to be pushed, challenged, coached to new heights.
The reporter believes that good stories spring from good questions, but his editors usually ask how long the story will be, when it will be in, where it can play, and what the budget is.
He longs for conversations with an editor who will help him turn his good ideas into great ones. He wants someone to get excited about what he’s doing and to help him turn his story idea upside down and inside out, exploring the best ways to report it. He wants to be more valuable for your paper. That’s what you want for him, too, isn’t it?
So your reporter has set me thinking.
Our best hope in keeping our best reporters, copy editors, photographers, artists --- everyone --- is to work harder to make sure they get the help they are demanding to reach their potential. If we can’t do it, they’ll find someone who can.
小題1:What does the writer think of the reporter?

A．Optimistic.

B．Imaginative.

C．Ambitious.

D．Proud.

小題2:What does the reporter want most from his editors in their talks?

A．Finding the news value of his stories.	B．Giving him financial support.
C．Helping him to find issues.	D．Improving his good ideas.

小題3:Who probably wrote the letter?

A．An editor.

B．An artist.

C．A reporter.

D．A reader.

小題4:The letter aims to remind editors that they should ______.

A．keep their best reporters at all costs

B．give more freedom to their reporters

C．be aware of their reporters’ professional development

D．a(chǎn)ppreciate their reporters’ working styles and attitudes

Science can’t explain the power of pets, but many studies have shown that the company of pets can help lower blood pressure and raise chances of recovering from a heart attack, reduce loneliness and spread all-round good cheer.
Any owner will tell you how much joy a pet brings. For some, an animal provides more comfort than a husband/wife. A 2002 study by Karen Allen of the State University of New York measured stress (緊張) levels and blood pressure in people ---half of them pet owners ---while they performed 5 minutes of mental arithmetic (算術(shù)) or held a hand in ice water. Subjects completed the tasks alone, with a husband/wife, a close friend or with a pet. People with pets did it best. Those tested with their animal friends had smaller change in blood pressure and returned most quickly to baseline heart rates. With pets in the room, people also made fewer math mistakes than when doing in front of other companions. It seems people feel more relaxed (放松)around pets, says Allen, who thinks it may be because pets don’t judge.
A study reported last fall suggests that having a pet dog not only raises your spirits but may also have an effect on your eating habits. Researchers at Northwestern Memorial Hospital spent a year studying 36 fat people and their equally fat dogs on diet-and-exercise programs; a separate group of 56 people without pets were put on a diet program. On average, people lost about I1 pounds, or 5% of their body weight. Their dogs did even better, losing an average of 12 pounds, more than 15% of their body weight. Dog owners didn’t lose any more weight than those without dogs but, say researchers, got more exercise overall---mostly with their dogs --- and found it worth doing.
小題1:What does the text mainly discuss?

A．What pets bring to their owners.

B．How pets help people calm down.

C．People’s opinions of keeping pets.

D．Pet’s value in medical research.

小題2:We learn from the text that a person with heart disease has a better chance of getting well if _____.

A．he has a pet companion

B．he has less stress of work

C．he often does mental arithmetic

D．he is taken care of by his family

小題3:According to Allen, why did the people do better with pets around when facing stressful tasks?

A．They have lower blood pressure.

B．They become more patient.

C．They are less nervous.

D．They are in higher spirits.

Wind , water, fire and ice-these powerful natural forces have shaped the land of America in the past. They are still changing it today.
The Colorado River slowly cut down through stone to make the Grand Canyon(大峽谷).
Long ago, ice sheets cut Yosemite Valley and the Great Lakes, and glaciers(冰川) are still on the move in Alaska.
Wind and rain storm hit the land from time to time. Fires sometimes burn down forests and destroy the homes of wild animals. This happened in Yellowstone Park in 1988.
Dead volcanic mountains such as Haleakala on Maui and Carter Lakein Oregon are beautiful to look at. But there are several active volcanoes in the US, especially along the Pacific Coast. There are also many earthquakes in this area. Scientists can do nothing to control earthquakes or volcanoes. This was shown clearly on May 18, 1980. At 8:32 that morning, Mount St Helens in Washington state broke out. The top of the mountain was blown off.
Over 60 people –campers, scientists, journalists, forest workers—were killed. Hundreds of square miles of forests were knocked down. In towns over 100 miles away, day suddenly became night. An ash cloud hid the sun for many hours. Towns and fields in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho were covered with dirty gray ash.
Scientists knew that Mt St Helens might erupt(爆發(fā)) soon. But no one could say when. And no one expected the terrible strength of the eruption. Many people were surprised and unready. Harry R. Truman, 84, owned a small hotel in Mt St Helens. Scientists had asked people to move away because the volcano was becoming dangerous.
But Harry Truman would not leave his home. Now it is covered with many feet of dirty ash. A small cross stands above the place where Harry probably died. Perhaps it is better that he did not see the destruction of Mt St Helens, the once beautiful lake, and the forests.
But slowly, life is returning to the dead area around the mountain. Grass and small plants are beginning to grow again. Deer and birds have been seen. The land will never be the same as it once was. Perhaps Mt St Helens will erupt again. But this is all part of nature’s pattern of change, and man has little power to control it.
小題1:Choose the best title for this passage.

A．Wind, water, fire and ice

B．Volcano’s beauty and danger

C．The power of nature

D．Natural force shape beautiful land of America

小題2:After the eruption of volcano, what makes the sky turn dark?

A．The smoke

B．The clouds.

C．The fog.

D．The ash.

小題3:The underlined word “it” means______.

A．The body of old Harry

B．The location of Harry’s home

C．The opening on top of Mt St Helens

D．The place where Harry probably died

小題4:We can infer from this article that ______.

A．Washington and Oregon are neighboring states

B．Colorado River runs through Yosemite Valley

C．The eruption of Mt St Helens also caused trouble with the Yellowstone Park

D．Scientists never knew Mt St Helens was active

Job sharing refers to the situation in which two people divide the responsibility of one full-time job. The people willingly act as part-time workers, enough hours between them to fulfill the duties of a full-time worker. If they each work half the job, for example, they each receive 50 percent of the job’s wages, its holidays and its other benefits.
Job sharing differs from conventional(常規(guī)的) part-time work in that it occurs mainly in the more highly skilled and professional areas, which require higher levels of responsibility and employee commitment.
Job sharing should not be confused with the term work sharing, which refers to increasing the number of jobs by reducing the number of hours of each existing job, thus offering more positions to the growing number of unemployed people. Job sharing by contrast, is not designed to address the growing number of unemployed people. Job sharing, by contrast, is not designed to address unemployment problems; its focus, rather is to provide well-paid work for skilled workers and professionals who want more free time for other activities.
As would be expected, most job sharers are women. A survey carried out in 1988 by Britain’s Equal Opportunities Commission showed that 78 per cent of sharers were female, the majority of whom were between 20 and 40 years of age. Subsequent studies have come up with similar results. Many of these women were re-entering the job market after having had children, but they chose not to seek part-time work because it would have meant lower status. Job sharing also offered an acceptable shift back into full-time work after a long absence.
The necessity of close cooperation when sharing a job with another person makes the actual work quite different from conventional one-position jobs. However, to ensure a greater chance that the partnership will succeed, each person needs to know the strengths, weaknesses and preferences of his or her partner before applying for a position. Moreover, there must be a fair division of both routine tasks and interesting ones. In sum, for a position to be job-shared well, the two individuals must be well matched and must treat each other as equals.
小題1:In what way is work sharing different from job sharing?

A．Work sharing requires more working hours.

B．Work sharing is aimed at creating more jobs.

C．Work sharing provides a more satisfactory salary.

D．Work sharing depends on the employer’s decision.

小題2:According to paragraph4, young mothers preferred job sharing to conventional part-time work mainly because______.

A．they sought higher social status

B．they were over ideal working ages

C．they had difficulty finding full-time jobs

D．they had to take care of both work and family

小題3:In job sharing the partners should ______.

A．enjoy equal social status

B．have similar work experience

C．keep in touch with each other

D．know each other very well

In bringing up children, every parent watches eagerly the child’s acquisition（學(xué)會）of each new skill — the first spoken words, the first independent steps, or the beginning of reading and writing. It is common that parents hurry the child beyond his natural learning rate, but this can set up dangerous feelings of failure and states of worry in the child. This might happen at any stage. A baby might be forced to use a toilet too early, and a young child might be encouraged to learn to read before he knows the meaning of the words he reads. On the other hand, though, if a child is left alone too much, or without any learning opportunities, he loses his natural enthusiasm（熱情） for life and his desire to find out new things for himself.
Parents vary greatly in their degree of strictness towards their children. Some may be especially strict in money matters; others are severe over time of coming home at night or punctuality（準(zhǔn)時）for meals. In general, the controls imposed（強(qiáng)加的）represent the needs of the parents and the values of the community（社區(qū)）as much as the child’s own happiness.
As regards the development of moral standards in the growing child, consistency is very important in parental teaching. To forbid a thing one day and excuse it the next is no foundation for morality.  Also, parents should realize that “example is better than precept”. If they are not sincere and do not practice what they preach（說教）, their children may grow confused, and emotionally insecure when they grow old enough to think for themselves, and realize they have been to some extent fooled.
A sudden awareness of a marked difference between their parents’ principles and their morals can be a dangerous disappointment.
小題1:Eagerly watching the child’s acquisition of new skills _____.

A．should be avoided

B．is universal among parents

C．sets up dangerous states of worry in the child

D．will make him lose interest in learning new things

小題2: When children are learning new skills, parents should _____.

A．a(chǎn)chieve a balance between pushing them too hard and leaving them on their own

B．not expect too much of them

C．encourage them to read before they know the meaning of the words they read

D．create as many learning opportunities as possible

小題3:The second paragraph mainly tells us that _____.

A．parental restrictions vary, and are not always enforced for the benefit of the children alone

B．parental controls satisfy only the needs of the parents and the values of the community

C．parents should be strict with their children

D．parents vary in their strictness towards their children according to the situation

小題4:The underlined word “precept” （in Paragraph 3） probably means “_____”.

A．idea

B．punishment

C．instruction

D．behaviour

小題5:In moral matters, parents should _____.

A．satisfy their children’s needs

B．be aware of the marked difference between adults and children

C．forbid things which have no foundation in morality

D．observe（遵守，奉行） the rules themselves

There is a fine line between a parent who is active and open-minded and one that doesn’t know when to let go (放手). As my daughter, Nicole, prepares to leave home for college, I’m discovering how hard it is to stay on the  36  side of this line. When I hold   37  the apron strings (圍裙帶) connecting us, Nicole, eager to  38  independence, tries to loosen my grasp. What results is a (an)  39  mother-daughter, push-me, pull-you kind of tango.
For the past two years, it’s gone like this:
My question: “Have you thought of taking an advanced placement class (高階課程) so that you can earn college credit?”
Nicole’s  40 : “No, I’m not interested in that.”   ………
Two months ago, she was   41  to a great university. However, I was still the mother having a   42  time letting go. The night before the introductory meeting of the university, I had read the course catalog carefully and   43  courses which I thought looked good. We met on the campus the next afternoon, and Nicole’s face  44  with excitement. “I have had my entire schedule figured out,” she said. “Already?” I was astonished,  45  she should have discussed it with me. I examined the schedule. Nicole hadn’t taken a (an)  46  one of the courses I had suggested. Every course she had chosen  47  suited her interests. Just then I saw a mature, capable young woman with a  48  mind and the ability to shape her future. She no longer needed her mother’s  49  every decision she made. I felt proud, though still a bit          50  .
I   51  the lessons carefully. Nicole has struggled to learn over the past 18 years:  52 , sympathy, and hard work. There have been a few holes along the way.  53 , she is well-equipped and eager to  54  the future. The next step, I recognized, was mine to take: giving my daughter and myself the  55  we both needed.

小題1:	A．left B．right C．either D．each

小題2:	A．onto B．up C．back D．out

小題3:	A．keep B．refuse C．taste D．bear

小題4:	A．embarrassing B．relaxing C．lively D．beautiful

小題5:	A．comment B．word C．concept D．response

小題6:	A．received B．invited C．treated D．a(chǎn)ccepted

小題7:	A．good B．great C．hard D．easy

小題8:	A．taken B．underlined C．offered D．emphasized

小題9:	A．lit up B．built up C．turned up D．made up

小題10:

A．imagining B．thinking C．hoping D．a(chǎn)dding

小題11:

A．only B．just C．even D．single

小題12:

A．mostly B．hardly C．exactly D．slightly

小題13:

A．sharp B．normal C．different D．typical

小題14:

A．encouraging B．evaluating C．disagreeing D．a(chǎn)greeing

小題15:

A．a(chǎn)nxious B．excited C．sad D．tense

小題16:

A．reviewed B．observed C．checked D．studied

小題17:

A．a(chǎn)bility B．honesty C．responsibility D．punctuality

小題18:

A．Therefore B．Instead C．Still D．Besides

小題19:

A．embrace B．discover C．determine D．lead

小題20:

A．character B．strength C．relief D．independence

People know the dangers of fires. It’s good for a family to learn how to prepare for a fire. Here are some suggestions.
Put a smoke alarm in the house. Smoke from a fire causes the alarm to go off. The alarm makes a loud sound. The sound tells everyone to leave the house at once.
Make escape (逃脫) plan. They should know all the ways out of the house. If there is a fire, everyone follows the plan to get out. Part of the plan is to check all the windows to make sure they can be opened easily.
Buy fire extinguishers(滅火器) in the house. Everyone in the family should know how to use them.
Practice for a fire. They do fire practice because they teach children about fire safety. Ever yone in the family should know the following fire rules:
＊  Don’t open a hot door! The fire can grow more quickly if you open the door.
＊  Stay close to the floor! Smoke can be more dangerous than the fire. The best air is near the floor because smoke rises.
＊  What will you do if your hair or clothes start to burn? First, Stop! Don’t run! The fire burns faster because of more air. Drop! Fall to the floor. Then roll! Turning over and over will make the fire go out. Put a blanket(毯子) around you to keep air away from the fire that may still be on you..
There are many possible causes for fires. A wise family is ready all the time. If there is a fire, don’t forget to call 119 for help.
小題1:The writer advises people to do the following to prepare for a fire except that _______.

A．they prepare for a fire	B．they make escape plans
C．they buy fire extinguishers	D．they use electrical cookers

小題2:What are the right steps you should take when your hair or clothes catch fire?

A．Stop, run, roll .	B．Stop, drop, roll
C．Run, drop, roll	D．Roll, drop, stop

小題3:What is the best title for this passage?

A．The Dangers of a Fire	B．The Causes of a Fire
C．Learn to Use a Fire Extinguishers	D．Be Ready For a Fire