Babies can learn new words if they are connected with objects that catch their attention, researchers at the
Infant Lab at Temple University in Philadelphia have found.
     "They hear every word," said Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, professor of psychology at Temple University. "And they
are also paying attention to the things that are interesting to them."
     Previous studies showed babies as young as 10 months old may understand about 10 words. But Infant Lab
researchers wanted to figure out how these infants actually learned words. So they tested more than 75 babies,
showing them a series of objects and attaching made-up names to them. They would ask the babies questions,
and then track their eyes to measure their responses.
     So, could the babies remember the names? They found infants could match words with objects. But they
also discovered babies only associated the new words with the objects that caught their attention-interesting
objects. They did not associate words with the boring, dull objects.
      For parents, the message in all this is that very young children are listening and learning language. And they
learn about the things that specifically interest them.
     Twins Mark and Anita Farrell took part in the study when they were 10 months old, and their mother,
Penni Farrell, took home what she learned about baby behavior.
     "I decided to go out and buy a couple of books that and more colorful images, words, things that would
draw their attention," she said.
     Researchers say parents should follow a baby' s lead.
     Another lesson for parents, researchers say, is to talk with your children starting at a very young age, and
make sure that conversation is about something your child finds interesting.

1. The purpose of this research is _____.

A. to help parents teach their babies
B. to figure out how parents teach their babies
C. to find out how babies learn words
D. to help babies learn words

2. The research showed that _____.

A. a ten-month-old baby can' t understand 10 words
B. babies can' t remember interesting names
C. babies can associate words with boring objects too
D. babies can match the new words with interesting objects

3. From the results of the research, parents can develop babies' talking ability by _____.

A. talking with babies time and time again
B. talking with babies as much as possible
C. talking with babies about topics interesting them at a very young age
D. talking to babies before they are born

4. The best title of this passage probably is ______.

A. Attractive Objects Help Babies Learn New Words
B. How To Talk With Babies At Their Very Young Age
C. The Importance of Teaching Babies to Learn New Words
D. How do Make Babies Talk With Their Parents

     Whatever our differences as human beings are we all think we're more like the rest of the animal world
than we realize. It is said that we share 40 percent of our genetic (遺傳的) structure with the simple worm.
     But that fact has helped Sir John Sulston win the 2002 Nobel Prize for Medicine. Sir John is the founder
of the Sanger Institute in Cambridge, which was set up in 1992 to get further understanding of the human
genome (染色體組).
     To help them do this, they turned to the worm. The nematode (線蟲類的) worm is one of the earliest
creatures on planet earth. It is less than one millimeter long, completely transparent and spends its entire life
digging holes through sand. But it still has lots to say about human life, and what can be done to make it
better.
     What the worm told Sir John and his colleagues was that each of the cells in the human body is
programmed like a computer. They grow, develop and die according to a set of instructions that are coded
in our genetic make-up.
     Many of the diseases that humans suffer from happen when these instructions go wrong or are not
obeyed. When the cell refuses to die but carries on growing instead, this leads to cancer. Heart attacks and
diseases like AIDS cause more cell deaths than normal, increasing the damage they do to the body. Sir John
was the first scientist to prove the existence of programmed cell death.

1. Sir John Sulston got a Nobel Prize for Medicine because he has _____ .

A. found that human beings are similar to the worm
B. got the fact we share 40 percent of our genetic structure with the simple worm
C. found the computer which controls each of the cells in the human body
D. proved that cell death is programmed

2. People might be seriously ill if the cells in their body _____.

A. grow without being instructed
B. die regularly
C. fail to follow people's instructions
D. develop in the human body

3. The underlined word " they" in Paragraph 5 refers to _____.

A. cell deaths
B. diseases
C. instructions
D. cells

4. What is the subject discussed in the text?

A. The theory of programmed cell deaths.
B. A great scientist-Sir John Sulston.
C. The programmed human life.
D. Dangerous diseases.

     Spread out a map of the world. What you see on it depends on the kind of map you have. Does it show
cities and countries? Mountains and valleys? Maybe weather patterns? The variety of features is so great that
one map just can't handle them all.
     The earth is part of a nine planets solar system within the Milky Way galaxy. Its size and location aren't
very impressive. We inhabit the third planet from the Sun, which is only the fifth largest overall. Yet The earth
has a talent for creating life. In fact, it's the only place that has life so far!
     One form of life humans tends to take this for granted. Human activities like habitat destruction, pollution,
and over-fishing have badly damaged life as we know it. Luckily, Earth is as tough as it is beautiful. But it
doesn't take an expert to see that one planet can only take so much.

1. In the _____, there are _____ planets in all.

A. Milky Way galaxy; 7
B. solar system; 8
C. solar system; 9
D. Milky Way galaxy; 10

2. The earth is the _____ largest planet in the solar system and the _____ planet from the Sun.

A. fifth; third
B. third; fifth
C. second; third
D. third; sixth

3. As is known to us all, _____ has badly damaged the earth life.

A. habitat destruction
B. pollution
C. over-fishing
D. all of the above

     Computer technology has become a major part of people's lives. This technology has its own special
words. One example is the word " mouse". A computer mouse is not a small animal that lives in buildings
and open fields. It is a small device (裝置) that you move around on a flat surface in front of a computer.
The mouse moves the cursor (光標(biāo)) on the computer screen.
     Computer expert Douglas Engelbart developed the idea for the mouse in the early nineteen-sixties. The
first computer mouse was a carved block of wood with two metal wheels. It was called a mouse because
it had a tail at one end. The tail was the wire that connected it to the computer.
      Using a computer takes some training. People who are experts are sometimes called hackers. A hacker
is usually a person who writes software programs in a special computer language. But the word" hacker"
is also used to describe a person who tries to steal information from computer systems.
     Another well known computer word is Google. It is the name of a popular search engine for the Internet.
People use the search engine to find information about almost any subject on the Internet. The people who
started the company named it Google because in mathematics, googol, spelled g-o-o-g-o-l,is an extremely
large number. It is the number one followed by one hundred zeros.
      When you "Google" a subject, you can get a large amount of information about it. Some people like to
Google their friends or themselves to see how many times their name appears on the Internet.
     If you Google someone, you might find that persons name on a blog. A blog is the shortened name for
a Web log. A blog is a personal Web page. It may contain stories, comments, pictures and links to other
websites. Some people add information to their blogs every day. People who have blogs are called bloggers.

1. What is the main idea of the second paragraph?

A. Douglas Engelbart was a great inventor.
B. The first mouse was made from wood.
C. How the first computer mouse was invented.
D. Why the mouse has a tail.

2. If someone is called a hacker,  _____.

A. he is good at repairing computers
B. he is skilled at computer technology
C. he always loads the newest softwares
D. he always stays at home developing softwares

3. According to the passage, a blog ______.

A. must be updated every day
B. is a company's Web page
C. is linked to all search engines
D. usually contains information about personal experiences

4. Which of the following is TRUE about Google?

A. It can help you find useful information.
B. It can help people communicate with each other.
C. It is used to do mathematical analysis.
D. It is the largest number in mathematics.

      American children and teenagers have increased their use of entertainment media by more than one hour
a day in the last five years. On an average day they now spend seven and a half hours using media.
     These are the findings of a new survey. It included not only devices like TVs, computers, mobile phones
and MP3 players, but also media like books and magazines. It did not count media use for school.
     Vicky Rideout at the Kaiser Family Foundation, a health re- search group, wrote the report. She was
surprised that kids could fit even more media time into their day.
     She found that they spent ten hours and fortyfive minutes if you counted each device individually. But
children multi-task a lot, and Vicky Rideout says this is not necessarily a good thing. "
     People who study the brain will tell you that you can't actually multitask in that way. You're really
switching back and forth in order from different tasks, just doing it rapidly, and that you don't really do either
task as well as you would do them if. you did them one at a time." she added.
     The study suggests a link between heavy media use and lower performance in school. About one-fourth of
those who used media the least reported that their grades were mostly average or below. But that was true of
half the heavy media users.
     So where are the parents? Children who had any rule limiting the use of any kind of media were exposed to
an average of about three hours less media a day. But only one-third of children had to follow any rules.
     Girls spent more time than boys on social networking sites, lis tening to music and reading. Boys spent
more time on video games-an average of forty eight minutes more a day than girls.
     Vicky said "It looks like the girls just sort of lose interest in the games and they drop off and start doing
other things, whereas the boys' interest remains strong."
     Some other findings: Time spent reading books has not dropped in the last five years. But time with
newspapers and magazines has, though some reading now takes place online.

1. What is worrying about American children and teenagers according to the survey?

A. The burden and pressure of study after school.
B. The money spent on the entertainment media.
C. Their increased time spent on entertainment media.
D. The lost control of their entertainment activities.

2. What does the underlined word "multitask" mean?

A. Doing different tasks without being permitted.
B. Carrying many tasks at the same time.
C. Doing some illegal things out of school.
D. Only doing one task in the limited time.

3. The underlined sentence in Paragraph 7 means____.

A. Parents should watch children while they are using media
B. Parents shouldn't allow children use media at all
C. Parents should hide and give children free space
D. Parents should play an important part as a director

     Government Will Pay for Your Studies-Scholarships for Moms That Deserve It.  
     Economy has not just troubled people at work; it has terribly hit the families especially you-moms.   1   In
addition to these, you are shocked by the worst economic condition that seems to burn a hole in your pocket.
That is why there are scholarships for moms during such a slump (不景氣) in economy.
        2   You can find the FAFSA forms in several educational in stitutions. You get free aid for pursuing your
studies. If taking care of family is a problem now, it will become a bigger problem at a later stage of life. So
prepare yourself in advance to ensure your future. 
       3   Now that there is help, why worry? Things can get better when you have a strong educational
qualification.
     If you are not so fond of attending classes in a nearby school, you can choose online programs. They are
highly flexible. The gov emment scholarships support your online program too. You can choose the timings
when your child is asleep.   4   
     Scholarships for moms have come to the rescue of hundreds of moms who had dreams of getting a college
degree. If you qualify for the government grant, you get up to $10000 on a yearly basis and this will easily be
enough for your academic expenses.    5   If you look to take the program, you will have the financial
assistance you need to get back into school and start the career you always wanted.

A. The recovery of economy promises a bright future.
B. You must have tones of responsibilities on your head already.
C. It is time to act now and change your future forever!
D. The only thing preventing you studying may be lack of mon ey.
E. You can turn to the government for help too.
F. Get ready to go to school and take a degree for yourself.
G. You can decide when you want to learn.

     Forget chip fat, sugar cane or rapeseed oil-the latest source of biofuel could be watermelons.
     Scientists have discovered that the fruit is a great source of sugar that can be readily distilled (蒸餾) into
alcohol to power cars and farm machinery.
     And because sellers reject 360,000 tons of" substandard"fruit annually in America alone they could be used
as an economical way to make fuel.
     The waste from US growers could produce nearly two million gallons( nine million litres) of biofuel per
year.
     In the study, researchers at the United States Department of Agriculture set out to determine the biofuel
potential of juice from rejected watermelons-those not sold due to cosmetic imperfec tions, and currently
ploughed back into the field.
     About a fifth of each annual watermelon crop is left in the field because of surface blemishes (瑕疵) or
because they are missha pen.
     Dr Wayne Fish, who led the team, found that 50 per cent of the fruit was fermentable(可發(fā)酵的) into
alcohol which could provide valuable fuel.
     "We've shown that the juice of these melons is a source of readily fermentable sugars, representing an
unexploited raw material for alcohol biofuel production," he said.
     The study, published in the journal Biotechnology for biofuels, discovered that watermelons could produce
around 20 gallons of fuel per acre from fruit that otherwise would go to waste.
     Production of biofuels has been targeted by western govern ments as a way to support renewable energy
targets.
     The European Union has a target for 2010 that 5.75 per cent of transport fuels should come from biological
sources, but the target is unlikely to be met.
     The British government's Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation requires five per cent of the fuel sold at the
pump by 2010 to be biofuel.

1. The passage mainly tells us _____.

A. western countries aim at producing biofuels
B. watermelons could be used to make fuel
C. the advantages of fuel made from watermelons
D. watermelon juice will be the largest source of renewable en ergy

2. Which of the following is NOT the reason why so many water melons are deserted in America each year?

A. They are substandard.
B. They are imperfect.
C. They are misshapen.
D. They are oversupplied.

3. It can be learned from the text that _____.

A. sellers in the world throw away 360,000 tons of watermelons every year
B. about two gallons of fuel could be made from rejected fruit per acre
C. half of the watermelons were fermentable into alcohol to provide energy
D. five per cent of fuel is required to be biofuel from watermel ons by 2010 in Britain

4. The underlined word " cosmetic" in Paragraph 5 probably means _____.

A. inside
B. flavor
C. surface
D. freshness

     Honesty comes in many forms. First there's self-honesty. Is what people see the real article or do you
appear through smoke and mirrors? I find that if I try to be something I'm not. I feel unsure of myself and
take out a part from my PBA (personal bank account). I love how singer Judy Garland put it. "Always be
a first-class version(版本) of yourself, instead of a second-class version of somebody else."
     Then there's honesty in our actions. Are you honest at school, with your parents, and with your boss?
If you've ever been dishonest, I think we all have, try being honest, and notice how whole it makes you
feel. Remember, you can't do wrong and feel right. This story by Jeff is a good example of that:
     In my second year of study, there were three kids in my math class who didn't do well. I was really good
at it. I would charge them three dollars for each test that I helped them pass. I'd write on a little piece of
paper all the right answers, and hand them off.
     At first I felt like I was making money, kind of a nice job. I wasn't thinking about how it could hurt all
of us. After a while I realized I shouldn't do that anymore, because I wasn't really helping them. They weren't
learning anything, and it would only get harder down the road. Cheating certainly wasn't helping me.
     It takes courage to be honest when people all around you are getting away with cheating on tests, lying
to their parents, and stealing at work. But, remember, every act of honesty is a deposit (儲蓄) into your PBA
and will build strength.

1. The underlined part "appear through smoke and mirrors" in the first paragraph means "_____".

A. to be honest
B. to be unreal
C. to become clear
D. to come from an imagined world

2. Which of the following can best explain Judy Garland's words?

A. Be your true self rather than follow others.
B. Don't copy others or you can't be the first class.
C. Make efforts to be the first instead of the second.
D. Don't learn from others unless they're excellent.

3. What does the author expect to show by Jeff's story?

A. Honesty can be of great help.
B. A bad thing can be turned into a good one.
C. Helping others cheat can do good to nobody.
D. Be honest in our actions and feel right.

4. In the last paragraph the author mainly wants to express _____.

A. one must be brave to be honest
B. it's difficult to be honest when others are not
C. one should be honest when making a deposit
D. honesty in one's actions can help him in the future

     Surgeons in Spain have successfully carried out the world's first organ transplant (移植) using new stem
cell technology. Some people are calling it the greatest medical breakthrough so far this century.
     But what are stem cells? As we know, most cells in our bodies are designed____ -for example, a liver cell
develops to work in the liver and cannot become a heart cell. But stem cells are different. They are very young
and in the laboratory scientists can grow them into different types of cells.
     Claudia Castillo needed a new windpipe (氣管) after getting a serious disease. Scientists from the University
of Bristol took a donor windpipe, from someone who had recently died. They used strong chemicals to remove
the donor's cells, leaving a tissue scaffold (組 織支架). This was refilled with cells from Ms Castillo's windpipe and stem cells from her bone. After four days the cells had grown sufficiently for the windpipe to be
transplanted into Ms Castillo.
     Currently, transplant patients have to take drugs for the rest of their lives to prevent their bodies rejecting
the new organs. These drugs can have bad side-effects, and do not always prevent rejec tion. But by using
Ms Castillo's own cells, doctors were able to trick her body into thinking the new windpipe was her own organ. Five months on, Claudia Castillo is in perfect health.
     This ground-breaking procedure could be used in other trans- plant operations in the future. Scientists also
believe stem cells might be used to treat Parkinson's disease, heart disease, stroke, ar thritis, burns and so on.
     However, stem cell research is extremely controversial. The most effective stem cells do not come from
adults but from embryos (胚胎) created in laboratories which are just a few days old. Many people have
religious or ethical objections to growing embryos, even if they can be used to cure diseases.

1. What's the best title for the passage? ( Please answer within 8 words. )
______________________________________________________________________________________
2. Fill in the blank in Paragraph 2 with proper words. ( Please an swer within 8 words. )
______________________________________________________________________________________
3. Which sentence in the text is the closest in meaning to the fol lowing one? However, Ms
      Castillo's body mistook the new windpipe for her own because doctors put her own cells in it.
______________________________________________________________________________________
4. What do you think of the stem cell transplant? Why? ( Please answer within 30 words. )
______________________________________________________________________________________
5. Translate the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 into Chinese.
_______________________________________________________________________________________