A university math tutor has discovered the science behind "singledom",finding that our chances of finding
the perfect partner are just 1 in 285,000.Peter Backus,a tutor at the University of Warwick,published his
"Why I Don't Have a Girlfriend" paper after a threeyear love drought.
    His unconventional study uses a famous math formula called The Drake Equation (德雷克等式),which
was first used to estimate the existence of extraterrestrial (地球以外) life.
    The results don't look promising for British singles.30yearold Mr Backus found that out of the 30 million
women in the UK,only 26 would be suitable girlfriends for him.
    The dull equation takes into account the number of  women aged  24  to 34, living in his home city of
London,and who are single,meaning his chances of meeting his dream woman on a night out are slim.
    The economics expert said: " There are  26 women in London with whom I  might have a wonderful
relationship.So, on a given night out in London there is a 0.0000034%  chance of meeting one of  these
special people.That's a 1 in 285,000 chance,so it's not great."
    The puzzling Drake equation reads: N＝R* x Fp x Ne x Fi x Fc x L,and helped pioneering scientist
Professor Drake to predict that there could be 10,000 civilizations in our galaxy.
    Mr Backus simply replaced the original equation with his own criteria for a dream date,which included
the percentage of women likely to find him attractive,and the number of girls aged 24～34 in London.He
said:"The research may sound depressing to people looking for love,but the_good_news_for_singles is,it's
probably not your fault!"

1．Mr Backus' discovery in this passage is mainly concerned about________.

A．whether there exists life out of our planet
B．the possibility of his being able to find love
C．how to get rid of singledom
D．what math can do to serve our daily life

2．What does Mr Backus think of the result of his research?

A．Optimistic.  
B．Depressing.  
C．Unrealistic.  
D．Exciting.

3．What can we learn from the first paragraph?

A．Mr Backus' major research field is "singledom"．
B．Mr Backus found a girlfriend three years ago.
C．Mr Backus' new thesis will surely be well received.
D．Mr Backus has been searching for love for long.

4．By "the good news for singles" in the last sentence,Mr Backus probably mean________.

A．you don't have to blame yourself for remaining single
B．maybe the discovery is not reliable at all
C．the result was based on his own criteria
D．there might be more dream date out of London

5．Which of the following statements is true?

A．This passage could be published in a scientific magazine.
B．The passage intends to prove there are other civilizations.
C．The writer doesn't really understand the Drake equation.
D．Most women in London are not suitable for university teachers.

     None of our early ancestors could digest milk as adults because their bodies never had to-milk drinking simply wasn't an option.As people began to extract milk from animals,though,some people developed the
ability to keep drinking it throughout their lives.
     Scientists now know of a milkrelated mutation (變異) in our genes-the chemical instructions for life that we carry in almost every cell in our bodies.People who have a mutated form of one particular gene can
drink milk just fine.People without the mutation tend to get sick from milk.
     To figure out where,and possibly why,milk drinking started,some scientists have been looking at who
has the milkdigesting mutation today.Patterns are striking.
     Most adults in Northern and Central Europe are able to digest milk-and they do.Cheese,butter and
other dairy products are popular in countries such as Sweden,Denmark,Germany and England.Because
European settlers dominated North America,most people here can handle milk just fine,as well.That may
explain why ice cream is such a popular dessert in the United States.
     In much of Africa,Asia and South America,on the other hand,people tend to avoid dairy products
because they lead to diarrhea (腹瀉) and other stomach problems.(That's why you won't typically find
cheese on the menu at a Chinese,Japanese or Ethiopian restaurant.) Native Americans are also unable to
digest milk.
     Based on these genetic patterns,scientists have long thought that milk drinking started in Northern
Europe,where dairy is an institution and the milkdigesting mutation is everywhere.
     A recent study painted a different picture.With a computer model,Thomas and colleagues looked at the spread of the milkdrinking mutation,farming and other related factors.Working backward,the scientists
concluded that the first milkdrinkers lived in Central Europe around what's now Hungary about 7,500
years ago.The practice didn't start farther north,as scientists had thought before.

1. Which of the following is the proper order of events according to the passage?
a. Their children were able to digest milk as adults.
b. They got sick from the milk.
c. Some people got a mutation in their genes.
d. Some people tried drinking milk from animals.
e. Some people started to drink milk from animals on a regular basis.

A. c→d→b→e→a  
B. d→e→b→c→a
C. d→b→e→c→a  
D. e→b→d→c→a

2. Most people in the USA can digest milk because________.

A. they have strong stomachs
B. their ancestors were Europeans
C. that's where milk drinking started
D. farmers raise a lot of cows there

3. Which of the following is LEAST likely to appear on the menu in a Japanese restaurant?

A. Butter.  
B. Vinegar.  
C. Fish.  
D. Beef.

4. Which of the following is the author most likely to agree with?

A. Milk drinking first started in Northern Europe.
B. Milk drinking first started in Central Europe.
C. North American Indians were able to digest milk.
D. Dairy products are very popular in North Korea.

5. The main focus of the scientists'research was________.

A. mutation of human genes
B. development of the human stomach
C. why milk drinking started
D. where milk drinking first started

1. Why do public schools in West Virginia develop "Dance Revolution" ?

A. Because most of the students don't like dancing.
B. Because it can help students get a better shape.
C. Because losing weight is necessary to students.
D. Because it can make students' activities colorful.

2. The second paragraph mainly talks about________.

A. how to get more exercise
B. what are needed in the game
C. how to play a dance video game
D. who can practise the game

3. According to the text, which of the following is NOT true?

A. About one person in three West Virginians is overweight.
B. Overweight may cause a lot of diseases.
C. The problem of students' overweight has been realized.
D. There are only 157 middle schools in West Virginia.

4. The underlined word "substitute" in the last paragraph means "________".

A. replace  
B. change  
C. practise  
D. stop

5. Which is the best title for the text?

A. The Problem of Overweight
B. Dancing for Health
C. Overweight in West Virginia
D. A Dance Video Game

1. What does the underlined phrase "that overconsumption" refer to?

A. Using too much packaging.
B. Recycling too many wastes.
C. Making more products than necessary.
D. Having more material than is needed. 

2. The author uses figures in Paragraph 2 to show________. 

A. the tendency of cutting household waste
B. the increase of packaging recycling
C. the rapid growth of supermarkets
D. the fact of packaging overuse

3. According to the text, recycling________. 

A. helps control the greenhouse effect
B. means burning packaging for energy
C. is the solution to gas shortage
D. leads to a waste of land

4. What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?

A. Unpackaged products are of bad quality.
B. Supermarkets care more about packaging.  
C. It is improper to judge quality by packaging.  
D. Other products are better packaged than food. 

5. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A. Fighting wastefulness is difficult.  
B. Needless material is mostly recycled.  
C. People like collecting recyclable wastes.
D. The author is proud of their consumer culture.  

     [1] I was walking in the park with a friend recently,and his cell phone rang,interrupting our
conversation.There we were,walking and talking on a beautiful sunny day.But I became invisible,absent
from the conversation.
     [2] The telephone used to connect you to the absent.Now it makes people sitting next to you  feel
absent.Recently I was in a car with three friends.The driver told us to be quiet because he could not hear
the person on the other end of his cell phone.There we were,four friends going down the highway,unable
to talk to one another because of a tool designed to make  communication easier.
     [3] Why is it that the more connected we get,____________?Every advance in  communications
technology is a hurt to the closeness of human interaction (互動). With email and instant messaging over
the Internet,we can now communicate without seeing or talking to one another.With voice mail,you can
conduct entire conversations without ever reaching anyone.
     [4] More_and_more,I_find_myself hiding_behind_email to_do_a_job_ meant_for conversation.Or
being relieved that voice mail picked up because I didn't really have time to talk.The industry devoted to
helping me keep in touch is making me lonelier.
     [5] So I've put myself on technology restriction:no instant messaging with people who live near me,no
cellphoning in the presence of friends,no letting the voice mail pick up when I'm home.

1. What does the author say about communications technology according to the first two paragraphs?
(within 15 words)

________________________________________________________________________

2. Which sentence in the text is the closest in meaning to the following one?
However,I felt left out as if we were not conducting the conversation.

________________________________________________________________________

3. Fill in the blank in Paragraph 3 with proper words.(within 10 words)

________________________________________________________________________

4. Does the author restrict his own activity to improve the situation?Give an example.(within 15 words)

________________________________________________________________________

5. Translate the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 into Chinese.

________________________________________________________________________

    When many of us take a vacation, relaxing is what we want.But we usually return home tired and weak.
It doesn't have to be this way.
     Come home refreshed after an active trip!Don't be too tired!
     Active vacations are often the most relaxing of all.It's all in defining(定義) what an active vacation is.
We don't expect you to run slowly, or go backpacking.Well, we ask the vacationers who are not active
not to sit too long but to spend two to four hours a day doing things, such as walking the city streets,
exploring a nature protect, going to a zoo or biking along the ocean.
     These kinds of activities aren't just good for your physical health.They improve your mental health,
even your spiritual health.And they make vacations memorable and worthwhile.And after all, isn't that
what you want from your vacation? Here are some fresh ideas to make your vacations as pleasurable as
they are active and healthy.
     A walk at dawn or dusk is necessary.Try to make this a daily routine of life away from home, and
you will ensure yourself both physical and spiritual adding.
    Don't allow yourself to spend your entire time sitting in front of the water.Whether it is the ocean, a
swimming pool, or a tree－lined lake, make sure you get into the water for swimming or games or even
walking. Heck, merely standing in waist－h(huán)igh water is a good exercise, thanks to the action of the water.And you will feel so much more alive!
      Many of us spend a large piece of our vacations on the road, either getting to and from our destinations, or using the car for sightseeing.But no matter how beautiful the scenery is, great, memorable vacations
don't happen in a car seat.Don't wait for tiredness or nature's call to get you to pull over.Frequently get
out and stretch, walk, picnic, shop, visit, and have fun.It's important for your health and energy, and it
makes travelling a lot more active and interesting.

1. The writer writes the text mainly to __________.
A. introduce the relationship between vacations and health
B. tell us how to make our vacations relaxing
C. show us where we should go for our vacations
D. explain to us why we feel tired when traveling

2. What does the underlined word "refreshed" in Paragraph 2 mean?
A. Full and excited. 
B. Pleasant but tired.
C. Feeling less tired.  
D. Feeling regretted.

3. What advantage can "the activities" in Paragraph 5 bring?
A. They can improve our health as well as making us feel easy.
B. They just can keep us feel excited and confident.
C. They can bring us more chances to get out.
D. They can save us much time and make the trip meaningful.

4. In the last paragraph, the writer seems to advise us to __________.
A. go on vacation by car
B. not to spend too much time on the road
C. make a trip on foot
D. get out of the car for sightseeing