The zebra belongs to the horse family. One of nature's great mysteries is why the zebra has stripes.
One theory is that the stripes help the zebra cool down. On hot days the black stripes get a lot hotter
than the white area of the zebra and under the black stripes there are special layers of fat for protection.
Hot air then rises off the black stripes, forcing colder air down around the white areas, cooling the zebra
down. This, however, is just a theory. The stripes can also confuse predators (食肉動物) when zebra
stay with other animals in great numbers.
     Zebras have excellent hearing and eyesight and can run at a speed of up to 35 miles per hour
(56 kilometers per hour). They also have a powerful kick that can cause serious injury to a predator, like
a lion, or an African wild dog. Usually the lead male of the herd stays at the back of the group to defend
against predators if necessary, while the females and youngsters run from danger.
     Zebras are herbivores and feed mostly on grasses, although they also might eat the leaves and stems (莖) of bushes a bit. They eat grasses for many hours each day, using their strong teeth. Spending so
much time chewing wears the zebra's teeth down, so their teeth keep growing all their lives. As the dry
season arrives and the grasses die back, zebra herds travel to find more food and water holes for
drinking. Most zebras have no specific territories. They travel from place to place, never staying in one
area very long.

1. What can be inferred from the first paragraph?

A. There are different opinions about why the zebra has stripes.
B. The black stripes help the zebra live through cold days.
C. The zebra can easily be attacked by predators.
D. The zebra always travels with other animals.

2. According to the passage, herbivores are________.

A. animals that have specific territories
B. animals that only eat plants
C. animals that kill and eat other animals
D. animals that live in groups

3. The zebra has strong teeth all their lives because their teeth________.

A. only chew soft grasses
B. are used all day
C. are always growing
D. are kept clean

4. Which of the following statements about zebras is TRUE?

A. They have poor eyesight and hearing.
B. Their stripes can confuse predators.
C. They can run 56 miles per hour.
D. They usually stay in one area all their lives.

5. Which of the following TV programs might the passage be adapted for?

A. Hobbies & Leisure    
B. Everyday Tips
C. Digital Stadium      
D. Discoveries

1. What is the popular images of teenagers today?

A. They worry about school.
B. They dislike living with their parents.
C. They have to be locked in to avoid troubles.
D. They quarrel a lot with other family members.

2. The study shows that teenagers don't want to________.

A. share family responsibility
B. cause trouble in their families
C. go boating with their family
D. make family decisions

3. Compared with parents of 30 years ago, today's parents________.

A. go to clubs more often with their children
B. are much stricter with their children
C. careless about their children's life
D. give their children more freedom

4. According to the author, teenage rebellion________.

A. may be a false belief
B. is common nowadays
C. existed only in the 1960s
D. resulted from changes in families

     Living in a green area can make you live longer, according to research published today. The research
also shows  that the  difference in  life expectancy (預期壽命) between rich and poor becomes
smalleramong those who live in an environment with parks and trees.
     Richard Mitchell, from Glasgow University, and his colleagues, found that the gap between the
number of deaths of people on high incomes and the number of deaths of those on low incomes in green
areas was half that compared with figures relating to builtup areas.
     Green spaces, classified by the researchers as "open, undeveloped land with natural vegetation",
encouraged people to walk and be more active. Exercise in these settings could have greater benefits
than exercise elsewhere, the researchers said.
     The benefits potentially go beyond exercise. Studies have shown that being around green spaces can
reduce blood pressure and stress levels, and possibly help patients recover faster.
     A number of researchers have looked at the effects of greenery on our wellbeing. But few studies
had looked at whether living in green areas reduced health inequalities, the Glasgow team said.
     Using information from a landuse database of 2001, the researchers divided the preretirement
population of England into four groups according to income level, and five groups according to access
to green space. They then looked at death rate for 2001～2005.
     They found that the inequality in death rate from all causes relating to lack of money was less in
those populations in the greenest areas compared with the figures for people living in more builtup places. They found an even stronger relationship when it came to deaths from certain diseases such as heart
conditions and stroke (中風). There was no difference, however, in deaths from lung cancer.
     The researchers said that changing the physical environment was an easier way to fight against poor
health than using media campaigns or giving out information on health. "The result of the study is clear:
Environments that promote good health might be very important in the fight to reduce health
inequalities."

1. The underlined word "that" in Paragraph 2 refers to________.

A. the gap  
B. the number of deaths
C. the income  
D. the living area

2. What was the special point of the Glasgow team's research?

A. They offered a scientific definition of "green spaces".
B. They encouraged people to exercise in green areas.
C. They studied the  effects of greenery  on people's health.
D. They focused on the influence of greenery on health inequalities.

3. What advice would the researchers probably give according to the last paragraph?

A. More health information should be given to the public.
B. People should take more exercise every day.
C. More trees and grass should be planted in cities.
D. People should help to fight against health problems.

4. What is the main idea of the passage?

A. People should live in green areas.
B. Green spaces promote good health.
C. Income influences health less than environment.
D. Exercise in green areas benefits people a lot.

     One in five US teenagers have some degree of hearing loss,  according to researchers who said the
problem is growing."Teenagers really underestimate how much noise they are exposed to" Dr Josef
Shargorodsky said.__①__
     The study,  published in the Journal of the American Medical Association,  compared national surveys between the early 1990s and the mid2000s.In the first survey,  about 15 percent of teenagers had some
degree of hearing loss.__②__Most of the hearing loss was in one ear only.While it was usually slight, 
 one in 20 adolescents had more pronounced (顯著的) problems-up 50 percent since the first survey.
     Hearing loss is very common in the elderly,  Grimes said,  but she added that it was concerning to see
it come into the younger age groups.In babies and young children,  hearing problems are known to delay
language development,  which in turn influences performance in other areas.Slight hearing loss,  for instance,  makes it difficult to distinguish between highfrequency consonants like "s" and "f"
__③__The science is less clear for adolescents,  but it is easy to imagine how being hard of hearing could
influence learning,  said Grimes."We know from a lot of data that noisy classrooms are one of the biggest
challenges to learning."
     The reasons for the rise are still uncertain.When asked about noise exposure-on the job,  from
firearms or recreational activities,  for instance-the teenagers didn't indicate any change.But Shargorodsky said,  "We knew from before that it is difficult to ask this age group about noise exposure-they
underestimate it."__④__Although it's not clear that these devices are to blame,  Grimes said it was still a
good idea to turn down the volume.But she pointed out the advice would likely fall on deaf ears.She said
the American Academy of Hearing had also contacted Steve Jobs,  the CEO of Apple,  about adding a
volume limiter on iPods,  but never heard back.

1. In which place should the sentence "Few people would call it noise when they listen to music on their
    MP3 players,  for instance." be put?

A. ①  
B. ②  
C. ③  
D. ④

2. What's the main idea of the third paragraph?

A. Hearing loss was very common in the elderly in the country.
B. The sounds like "s" and "f" are hard to distinguish by babies.
C. The number of teenagers with hearing problems is decreasing.
D. Babies and teenagers are also facing problems of hearing loss.

3. Which of the following is TRUE?

A. The reasons of the hearing loss are known to the researchers.
B. The surveys have been carried out for at most 15 years.
C. The reasons for the rise are clear to the researchers.
D. The results of the surveys have been published in a newspaper.

4. The American Academy of Hearing contacted the CEO of Apple in order to________.

A. share the surveys with the CEO of Apple
B. get more help in finance from the Apple Company
C. remind the company to add a volume limiter on iPods
D. express warning and threat to the CEO of Apple

     However important school life may be, we can't ignore the fact that children spend more time at home
than in the classroom.Therefore the great influence of parents can't be ignored or discounted by the teacher. They can become strong supports of the school or they can consciously or unconsciously prevent the
school from accomplishing its aims.
     Administrators have been aware of the need to keep_parents_apprised_of the newer methods used in
schools.Many principals have conducted workshops explaining such matters as the reading readiness
program and developmental math.
     Moreover, the classroom teacher can also play an important role in explaining to parents what they
should do.The informal tea and many interviews carried on during the year, as well as new ways of
reporting pupils' progress, can significantly aid the interchange of ideas between school and home.
      Suppose that a father has been drilling Junior in arithmetic processes night after night. In a friendly
interview, the teacher can help the parent change his method.He might be persuaded to let Junior
participate in discussing the family budget, buying the food, using a measuring cup at home, setting the
clock, calculating mileage on a trip and engage in scores of other activities that have a mathematical basis.
     If the father follows the advice, it is reasonable to assume that he will soon realize his son is making
satisfactory progress in math and at the same time, enjoying the work.
     Too often, however, teachers' conferences with parents are devoted to unimportant accounts of
children' s wrongdoing, complaints about laziness and poor work habits, and suggestions for punishments
and rewards at home.
     What is needed is a more creative approach in which the teacher, as a professional advisor, plants
ideas in parents'minds for the best use of the many hours that the child spends out of the classroom.In
this way, the school and the home join forces in fostering the fullest development of youngsters'
competence.

1. The underlined phrase"keep parents apprised of"in Para.2 probably means to let parents________.

A. judge  
B. know
C. design  
D. develop

2. What is the purpose of the schools' informal tea and interviews?

A. To improve the relationship between teachers and parents.
B. To explain to parents the change of the school curriculum.
C. To report students' misdoings and suggestions for punishments.
D. To help develop good communication between school and home.

3. Why does the author provide the example in Paragraph 4?

A. To help parents know the importance of home activities.
B. To show how the teacher can guide in home training.
C. To prove parents are nonprofessional advisors.
D. To advice parents to teach kids math at home.

4. From the passage we learn that the author________.

A. thinks teachers should do better as professionals
B. is worried about children' s performance at home
C. is satisfied with the present state of school education
D. believes time spent out of the classroom has been wasted

     Busy senior managers need no longer waste time in showering themselves-an Australian company has
invented a suit that can be worn while they wash.
     The suit has been specially designed so that it can be cleaned under the showerhead.There is no need
for soaking (浸泡), dry cleaning-or even soap.
     The Japanese market has taken a liking to the "shower suit", described as "revolutionary" by its owner Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), which is the research and marketing body that represents Australian
woolgrowers.Orders have been placed for 170,000 of the woolen suits.
     The suit could be worn in the shower, although it was probably better to hang it on a clothes hanger
and carry it instead, AWI corporate affairs spokesman Stephen Feighan said."The idea is that you hang it
up and then...you give it a spray (噴霧), and it's dry the next morning, " Mr Feighan said.
     A Japanese researcher working for AWI invented the suit by combining three technologies.The secret
is the best lining (內(nèi)襯), which allows the suit to dry quickly.The shower suit attracted busy corporate
people, particularly those who often traveled or stayed up late, Mr Feighan said.The airline industry was
also interested.
     Mr Feighan confessed he had not worn one of the suits yet, or tried to wash it in the shower, because
they cut to fit Japanese figures.
     AWI believes that the shower suit will spread from the Japanese market through Europe and India.
Mr Feighan hoped the suit, made from local wool, would be available in Australia in 12 to 18 months'
time.

1. What is the writing purpose of the article?

A. To introduce a newlydesigned shower suit.
B. To help the white collars arrange their life more sensibly.
C. To provide suggestions on saving time in bath.
D. To praise AWI for its important achievement.

2. Which is true about the suit according to the passage?

A. It can spare the owner's trouble of soaking, dry cleaning and applying soap.
B. It is of the quality of fast dry for its best cloth.
C. It is not suitable for hanging.
D. It has attracted more orders than any other suit.

3. The suit draws the attention from all the following groups EXCEPT________.

A. corporate people who are always on the go
B. people on occasional business trips
C. the airline industry
D. people burning the midnight oil

4. Which of the following has much to do with Mr Feighan?

A. The invention of the suit.
B. The tryon of the suit.
C. The combination of the three technologies on the suit.
D. The popularization of the suit and best wishes for it

5. It can be inferred from the passage that________.

A. Australians prefer foreign markets to the domestic one
B. wool is the most favorite material for clothing
C. westerners have different body sizes and figures from easterners
D. Australia's economy will not recover within a year

     Madame de Stael says that only the people who can play with children are able to educate them.For
success in training children, the first condition is to become a child oneself.It means to treat the child as
really one's equal, that is, to show him the same consideration, the same kind of confidence one shows to
an adult.It means not to affect the child to be what we ourselves want him to become, but to be affected
by the impression of what the child himself is; not to treat the child with cheating, or by force, but with the
seriousness and true love suitable to his own character.
     Not leaving the child in peace is the greatest problem of present methods of training children.Parents
do not see that during the whole life, the need of peace is never greater than in the years of childhood, an
inner peace under all outside liveliness.
     But what does a child experience?Corrections, orders, interference (干涉), the whole livelong day.
The child is always required to leave something alone, or to do something different, to find something
different, or to want something different from what he does, or finds, or wants.He is always guided in
another direction from the true inner will that is leading him.All of this is caused by our socalled enthusiasm
in directing, advising, and helping the child to become the same model produced in one assembly line (流水線). Understanding, the deepest characteristic of love, is almost always absent.
     To bring up a child means carrying one's soul in one's hand; it means never placing ourselves in
danger of meeting the cold look on the face of the child.It means the truth that the ways of injuring the
child are limitless while the ways of being useful to him are few.How seldom does the educator remember
that the child, even at four or five years of age, has already had a sharp feeling!The smallest mistrust and
unkindness, the least act of injustice, leave wounds that last for life in the heart of the child.While, on the
other hand, unexpected friendliness and kindness make quite as deep an impression on those soft senses.

1. The passage mainly talks about________.

A. misleading zones and right ways in educating children
B. current problems in training children
C. what should be taught to children
D. the importance of educating children

2. Children, according to the passage, are experiencing________.

A. corrections, orders and peace
B. orders, interference and peace
C. interference, orders and corrections
D. peace, guide and praise

3. If you were a parent, which of the following methods is TRUE according to the text?

A. You could treat your children not so seriously for they don't understand many things.
B. You could train your children as you wish them to be.
C. You should sometimes leave your children in peace as they wish in their childhood.
D. You should correct your children immediately if their behavior is not what you want.

4. We may conclude that the author believes people should________.

A. play with the children with enthusiasm all day long just to please them
B. try to give an order, advice and suggestions to their children at any time
C. treat their children just as the way they treat an adult in their daily life
D. regard their children as an equal to them and have understanding of the inner peace of them

     All parents have skyhigh hopes for their children.We want them to be confident and content.What can parents do to help their kids grow up to lead happy lives?Experts advise:
     1. Helping them find their talents.In order to succeed, children need to feel they're good at
something.So expose your children to as many interests as possible, then let them choose those they like
best.
     2. Applauding their achievements. A study foundthat students whose parents paid attention to their abilities were far more likely to do well in school-and in life-than students whose parents didn't show such
support.So celebrate your kids'achievements, no matter how small they are.
      3. Praising their efforts. Kids won't always come out on top.Still, they deserve kudos (贊譽) for
trying their best.Tenyearold April Cutler, for example, has had trouble with math since second grade."She usually gets C's on her report card, but last year she was determined to get A's and worked hard at it, "
says her mom."When the first grading period ended, April was disappointed when she got a B minus in
math, " Lueille continues."But my husband and I told her we were very proud that she'd improved.That
inspired her to try even harder.She got a B plus for the next period!"
     4. Letting them make decisions and mistakes.Making his/her own decisions increases a child's
sense of control and builds his/her selfesteem(自尊心). And allowing kids to make wrong decisions-so
long as doing so won't harm them-helps kids learn from their mistakes.
     5. Encouragingthem tosolvetheirown problems.As they grow, children need practice in
communicating, standing up for themselves and compromising.One of the best places to learn these skills
is at home.So the next time your child runs to you complaining that her brother is blaming her, step back
and let them work it out.

1. What is the purpose of the passage?

A. To encourage parents to admire their kids.
B. To show how to praise kids.
C. To help kids study harder.
D. To give advice on how to help kids become mature.

2. The passage is mainly intended for________.

A. kids
B. parents
C. teachers
D. educators

3. From the example of April Cutler, we can learn that________.

A. praising kids' efforts can help them make greater progress
B. setting a high goal makes kids feel discouraged
C. solving problems by themselves helps kids feel confident
D. interest is the best teacher

4. Why should parents allow kids to make mistakes?

A. Making mistakes is a normal thing for a kid.
B. Adults also make mistakes now and then.
C. Kids can learn something valuable from their mistakes.
D. Making mistakes won't harm kids.