With alarming regularity,we read about oil tankers having accidents near land and the terrible consequences of the oil spills(泄露) on people,nature,and the environment.

   Millions of dollars have been used in developing special chemicals to help dismiss the spills and to clean up the animals,beaches,and land spoiled by the oil.Unfortunately,when many of these chemicals are used,,more damage is caused to the environment,especially to lives in the sea.

   Of all of today’s environmental disasters ,an oil spill may actually be one of the least serious.Although oil is poisonous,it is a natual material.In the end,it breaks down naturally.There are,of course,long-term effects,but it is usually more serious in the short term.

   Nature by itself woks better than chemical materials,but when there is a spill we demand that governments act immediately with as much hi-tech knowledge as possible.In 1967 the tanker Torrey Canyon sank off the Scilly Isles near the coast of England and spilled 120,000 tones of oil into the ocean,If you go there today,you will find it hard to see any sign that it ever happened.

    Governments seem to accept the risk of transporting millions of tons of oil by ship every day so that we can fill up our cars and drive around and cause even more environmental 

damage.Interestingly the biggest companies in the world produce cars, and the next biggest supply the gasoline to make them run I

   We shoule be thinking more about reducing our dependency on oil,Governments should be encouraging research into new technologies，such as cars run by solar power（太陽能），electricity,

hydrogen，and so on.Much of this research has ,in the past been held back by the oil,gas,and coal.

If the world’s millions of cars were 10% more efficient（高效的）—and the industry could easily produce cars at least twice as efficient？we would need many fewer tankers crossing the oceans each year.If this happened,the risks of oil spills would be reduced，and the air we breathe would be cleaner and fresher ,too.

63.What is the passage mainly talking about?

   A.Oil spills pollution               B.What oil pollution is

   C.Oil tanker accidents              D.How to reduce oil pollution

64.How does the author support the idea that oil spills are not as serious as people believe？

   A.By giving a description           B.By making an argument

   C.By giving an example            D.By drawing a diagram

65.What does the underlined word “risk”in paragraph 5 refer to?

   A.Tansportation depending more on oil

   B.Poisonous oil breaking down naturally

   C.Millions of tons of oil spilling into the sea

   D.More environmental damage being caused

66.Which suggestion，is made for reducing oil tank accidents according to the passage?

   A.We should build safer tankers in the near future

   B.We shoule develop new technologies to cut oil use

   C.Tankers should not be allowed to sail near the coastlines

   D.Countries should bulid more oil pipelines under the sea

Recently there was a major discovery in the scientific research—the mapping of all DNA in a human gene（基因）is complete.Couple of years ago,this seems an impossible task for scientist to accomplish.All this progress in science leads us to believe that the day,when the human being will be cloned,is not far away.Human cloning has always been a topic of argument，in terms of morality or religion.

Taking a look at why cloning might be beneficial,among many cases,it is arguable that parents who are known to be at risk of passing a genetic limitation to a child could make use of cloning.If the clonc was free of genetic limitations。Then the other clone would be as well.The latter could foe inserted in the woman and allowed to ripen to term.Moreover，cloning would enable women,who can’t get pregnant,to have children of their own.

Cloning humans would also mean that organs could be cloned,so it would be a source of perfect transfer organs.This,surely would be greatly beneficial to millions of unfortunate peoplearound the world that are expected to lose their lives due to failure of single(or more) organ

（s）.It is also arguable that a ban on cloning may be unlawful and would reb pepole of the right to reproduce and limit the freedom of scientists.

Arguments against cloning are also on a perfectly practical side.Primarily,I believe that cloning would step in the normal “cycle”of life.There would be a large number of same genes.,which reduce the chances of improvement，and,in turn,development-the fundamental reason how living things naturally adapt to the ever-changing environment. Life processes failing to do so might result in untimely disappearance.Futhermore,cloning would make the uniqueness that each one of us possesses disapparance.Thus,leading to creation of genetically engineered groups of people for specific purposes and,chances are,that those individuals would be regarded as “objects”rather than people in the society.

Scientists haven’t 100 percent. guaranteed that the first cloned will be normal.Thus this could result in introduction of additional limitations in the human “gene-pool”.

Regarding such arguable topics in “black or white” approach seems very innocent to me personally.We should rather try to look at all “shades:of it.I believe that cloning is only legal if its purpose is for cloning organs,not humans.Then we could regard this as for “saving life”instead of “creating life”.I believe cloning humans is morally and socially unacceptable.

67.Which of the following is true according to the passage？

   A.Genetic limitation will be beneficial for some women

   B.A large number of genes will prevent us from developing

   C.Prohibition of cloning might limit the freedom of scientists

   D.First cloned humans might be normal according to scientists

68.What’s the author’s oponion on cloning?

   A.Cloning should be entirely banned

   B. Cloning should be used in creating life

   C. Cloning will take away the right to reproduce

   D. Cloning is acceptable if it is used for cloning organs

69.Where can you read this article?

   A.In a story book

   B.In a magazine

   C.In a science fiction

   D.In a brochure

70.Which of the following shows the structure of the passage

WASHINGTON – It’s a great achievement that inspires notions of robots with consciousness and independent minds.

When people or animals get hurt, they can usually compensate for minor injuries and keep limping along, but for robots, even slight damage can make them stumble and fall. However, a recently made robot has demonstrated a novel ability: it can heal its own damage.

The new robot, which looks like a splay – legged, four – footed starfish can sense injury to itself and adapt. That ability sets the new robot apart from earlier machines. Because the robot can recover from unfamiliar places. “There is a need for planetary robotic rovers to be able to fix things on their own,” says Josh Bongard, a professor in the University of Vermont, who is one of the device’s creator. “Robots on other planets must be able to continue their mission without human help if they are damaged and cannot communicate their problem back to Earth.”

A typical robot functions according to a computer program, but the new robot works differently. First, sensors in its four legs observe the robot’s movements and signals to its built – in computer. From the formation it collects, the robot creates its own programs that allow it to adapt to different situations. For example, when the researchers shortened one of the robot’s legs, the smart machine simply adjusted its way of walking – it used three legs instead of four.

The researchers are looking for other places to put the resilient robot to work. One pellicle spot is the ocean floor. That dark and dangerous undersea terrain might be a good choice for a robot the scientists call the Starfish. “We never officially named the robot, but we usually refer to it as the Starfish, even though a real starfish has five rather than four legs,” says Bongard. “Also, a real starfish  is much better than our robot at recovering from injury, because it can actually grow its legs again.” Scientists have created robots that help humans in many ways: by exploring space, fighting fires, and even performing surgery.

46．The newly designed robot distinguishes itself from the former ones because it         

       A．can communicate with people on the earth about their problems

       B．works according to a certain computer program

       C．can find its problems and solve them automatically

       D．can explore unfamiliar places

47．An example is given in the fourth paragraph in order to explain that the robot       .

       A．is used to create new programs

       B．has typical robot functions

       C．has sensors to observe its movements

       D．can gather information and adapt to new conditions

48．The underlined word “resilient” in the last paragraph means the robot is          .

       A．creative    B．newly made     C．a(chǎn)ble to recover D．informative

49．Which of the following is TURE about the robot “Starfish”?

       A．It was spoken highly of by people for its special ability?

       B．It will stumble and fall if damaged.

       C．It can grow its legs again once they are broken.

       D．It has started to work on the ocean floor.

50．What might be the best title of the passage?

       A．How does the Starfish Robot work

       B．Do – It – Yourself Robot Repair

       C．Robots Designed to Work On Other Planets

       D．New Robot Helping Us In Many Ways

Geniuses amaze us, impress us and make us all a little jealous．How do they differ from the average person? Scientists are working hard to figure out that answer．Tune in to the National Geographic Channel to find out about the discoveries they’re making in the series My Brilliant Brain.

When Marc Yu was only two years old, he began to play the piano．After a year, he started learning pieces by Beethoven．Now he’s a world-famous concert pianist at age eight．He learns newer and more difficult pieces with ease and can identify any note he hears．He seems to be specially designed for music．In Born Genius, National Geographic looks at the science behind child prodigies (神童) to explain why some children seem to be born without limits.

Genius didn’t come naturally to Tommy McHugh．His came only after he nearly died from bleeding in his brain．After recovering, McHugh’s head was filled with new thoughts and pictures．So, he began to express them in the form of poetry and art．Now, he’s a seemingly unstoppable creative machine．Sufferers of autism and brain injury have shown that great mental ability can sometimes come from damage or disease．Accidental Genius explores this puzzling relationship.

Can normal people be trained to be geniuses? Susan Polger has shown no signs of extraordinary intelligence．Yet, during her childhood, she studied thousands of chess patterns and learned to recognize them immediately．As a result, she was able to beat skilled adult players by age 10 and can now play up to five games at the same time without even seeing the boards．Make Me a Genius examines what it takes to turn an ordinary brain into that of a genius.

If becoming a genius were easy, we’d all be one．Yet, there is much more to super intelligence than simply being born lucky．Learn more about amazing brains this month on National Geographic’s My Brilliant Brain.

51．My Brilliant Brains is most probably from _______.

       A．a(chǎn) website              B．the radio         

       C．a(chǎn) magazine              D．a(chǎn) newspaper

52．The author takes Marc Yu as an example to show that a child prodigy is        .

       A．a(chǎn) person who learns something easily

       B．a(chǎn) child who is eager to learn new things

       C．a(chǎn) student who practices an instrument a lot

       D．a(chǎn) kid who works hard to do well in school

53．Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

       A．New things about the brain are still being discovered.

       B．People without natural abilities can learn to do things well.

       C．Some people naturally have more active brains.

       D．People are usually smarter when they recover from brain injury.

54．From the passage, we know that         .

       A．scientists completely understand the brain

       B．people can only be born as geniuses

       C．there’s no such thing as a true genius

       D．there are many factors in being a genius

55．The author develops the passage mainly by        .

       A．providing typical examples

       B．following the natural time order

       C．presenting a cause and analyzing its effects

       D．comparing opinions from different scientists

A person may have an idea about himself that will prevent him from doing good work. He may have the idea that he is not capable of it. A child may think he is stupid because he does not understand how to make the most of his mental faculties (機(jī)能), or he may accept another person's mistaken estimate (評價) of his ability. Older people may be handicapped (阻礙) by the mistaken belief that they are incapable of learning anything new because of their age.

A person who believes that he is incapable will not make a real effort, because he feels that it would be useless. He won’t go at a job with the confidence necessary for success. He is therefore likely to fail, and the failure will strengthen his belief in his incompetence. Alfred Adler, a famous doctor, had an experience which illustrates this. When he was a small boy he got off to a poor start in arithmetic. His teacher got the idea that he had no ability in arithmetic, and told his parents what she thought in order that they would not expect too much of him. In this way, they too developed the idea, “Isn’t it too bad that Alfred can’t do arithmetic?” He accepted their mistaken estimate of his ability, felt that it was useless to try, and was very poor at arithmetic, just as they expected.

One day Adler succeeded in solving a problem which none of the other students had been able to solve. This gave him confidence. He rejected the idea that he couldn’t do arithmetic and was determined to show them that he could. His newfound confidence stimulated him to go at arithmetic problems with a new spirit. He now worked with interest, determination and purpose, and he soon became extraordinary good at arithmetic.

This experience made him realize that many people have more ability than they think they have, and that lack of success is as often the result of lack of knowledge of how to apply one’s ability, lack of confidence, and lack of determination as it is the result of lack of ability.

41. Why might a person be prevented from doing good work?  _______.

A. Because he thinks he is old enough to make the most of his mental facilities

B. Because he accepts another person’s mistaken estimate of his ability

C. Because he has the idea that he is incapable of doing everything

D. Because he believes in what other people think of him

42. A person who believes in his low ability will________.

   A. spare no efforts to do things

   B. fail to go at a job but never lose heart

   C. change to learn other course instead of mathematics

   D. show complete lack of confidence

43. As a boy, Alfred Adler was poor at arithmetic because ________.

   A. he lost his self-confidence

   B. he was weak in thinking

   C. his parents expected too much of him

   D. his teacher had no confidence in herself

44. Which of the following is the most important factor to Alder's success? ______

   A. Spirit and experience               B. Interest and self-respect

   C. Confidence and determination        D. Purpose and knowledge

45. Alder’s experience made him realize that _______.

   A. people are not as capable as they think

   B. people can be more capable than they think

   C. lack of confidence leads to failure

   D. lack of ability results in lack of determination

Two-legged, humanoid (類人的) robots such as Honda Motor Co. Ltd’s ASIMO would likely have an easier time climbing up stairs inside homes than a robot that moves on wheels, developers say.

But it will be some time before such devices make their way into people’s homes.

“They may look smart, but they are still quite stupid,” Shimoyama said. “I don’t think they will ever be as smart as humans.”

While safety is an obvious concern, robots also need to be sensitive to people’s needs.

Researchers at Fujitsu Frontech Ltd and Fujitsu L       aboratories responsible for developing “Enon”, a guide and patrol (巡邏) robot designed for use in shopping malls and corporate facilities (公共場所), are working on this.

Enon, which has a humanoid upper body but no legs, is equipped with a touch screen on its chest and space in its belly to carry loads weighting up to 10 kg.

In guide mode, it will detect a newcomer and approach the person with a nod and a greeting: “Are you a visitor? Hello.”

Visitors requiring directions can point to icons (圖標(biāo)) displayed on Enon’s chest screen. If the restroom icon is pressed, the screen will display a map that shows the way.

The robot will then face and point in the direction of the restroom, although it won’t actually walk the visitor there.

Enon is now in use at four locations in Japan, including a shopping mall near Tokyo. The main goal is to make it more helpful for the elderly.

“People who work in the transportation sector often ask whether we can build a robot that will find elderly people who look lost in train stations, and ask them if they are all right,” said Toshihido Marita, director of Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd’s autonomous system laboratory. “Actually that is hard to do, very hard,” he said.

41. The advantage of Honda Motor Co. Ltd’s ASIMO is that _________.

A. it can do any housework for us                                                                                                                                     B. it can talk with patients or old people

C. it can climb up stairs as humans                                                                                                                             D. it can walk smoothly with its wheels

42. According to Shimoyama, robots _________.

A. can be made to do everything humans do 

B. will be made as smart as humans in the future

C. will remain as stupid as before

D. can never compete with humans in intelligence

43. Most important of all, a robot should be made _________ at present.

A. safe and elegant                           B. safe and functional

C. elegant and cheap                          D. sensitive and cheap

44. Which of the following statements about “Enon” is NOT true?

A. It can be used as a guide in hospitals. 

B. It can help shoppers carry goods selected.

C. It can be used to welcome guests in restaurants.

D. It can be used to stop thieves in malls.

45. Enon is mainly designed to help _________.

A. old people           B. mall owners        C. tourists or newcomers   D. shoppers

Like all animal species, plant species must spread their offspring to suitable areas where they can grow and pass on their parents’ genes. Young animals generally spread by walking or flying. Because plants don’t have that ability, they must somehow hitchhike(搭車). Some plant seeds scatter by blowing in the wind or floating on water. Many other plant species, though, trick an animal into carrying their seeds. How do they do this? They enclose the seeds within a tasty fruit and advertise the fruit’s ripeness by its colour or smell. The hungry animal collects and swallows the fruit, walks or flies off, and later spits out the seeds somewhere far from its parent tree. Seeds can thereby be carried for thousands of miles. It may surprise you to learn that plant seeds can resist digestion. In fact, some seeds actually require passage through an animal’s body before they can grow.

Wild strawberries offer a good example of hitchhiking tactics. When strawberry seeds are still young and not yet ready to be planted, the surrounding fruit is green, sour and hard. When the seeds finally mature, the berries turn red, sweet, and tender. The change in the berries’ colour serves as a signal to birds which then eat the strawberries, fly off, and eventually spit out the seeds.

Naturally, strawberry plants didn’t set out with a conscious intention of attracting birds only when their seeds were ready to be dispersed. Nor did birds set out with the intent of planting strawberries. Rather, strawberry plants evolved through natural selection. The sweeter and redder the final strawberry, the more birds spread its ripe seeds; the greener and more sour the young strawberry, the fewer birds destroyed the seeds by eating berries before the seeds were ready.

46．What does the underlined word “dispersed” in the third paragraph mean?

    A．spread                                B．eaten        

C．born                                  D．planted

47．For plants, which of the following is NOT a way of spreading their offspring to suitable areas?

    A．Hitchhiking.                           B．Blowing in the wind.  

C．Floating on water.                      D．Tracking an animal.

48．Which strategy does the example of wild strawberries describe?

    A．The conscious intent of attracting birds.     B．Spreading by walking.

   C．Spreading by flying.                    D．The strategy of taking a lift.

49．Why does the author describe how strawberry seeds are spread?

    A．To show plants are good at adapting to the environment. .

    B．To show strawberry’s special way.

    C．To show the plant has different ways of spreading seeds.

    D．To show the mystery of plant.

50．What’s the passage mainly about?

    A．How animals disperse offspring.           B．How plants disperse their offspring.

    C．Plant evolution.                        D．Plants’ hitchhiking on animals.

When an ant dies, other ants move the dead insect out. Sometimes, the dead ant get moved away very soon—within an hour of dying. This behavior is interesting to scientists, who wonder how ants know for sure—and so soon—that another ant is dead.

One scientist recently came up with a way to explain this ant behavior. Dong-Hwan Choe is a biologist. Choe found that Argentine ants have a chemical on the outside of their bodies that signals to other ants, “I’m dead—take me away.”

But there’s a twist to Choe’s discovery. Choe says that the living ants—not just the dead ones —have this death chemical. In other words, while an ant crawls around, perhaps in a picnic or home, it’s telling other ants that it’s dead.

     What keeps ants from dragging away the living ants? Choe found that Argentine ants have two additional chemicals on their bodies, and these tell nearby ants something like, “Wait—I’m not dead yet.” So Choe’s research turned up two sets of chemical signals in ants: one says, “I’m dead,” and the other set says, “I’m not dead yet.”

     Other scientists have tried to figure out how ants know when another ant is dead. If an ant is knocked unconscious, for example, other ants leave it alone until it wakes up. That means ants know that unmoving ants can still be alive.

Choe suspects that when an Argentine ant dies, the chemical that says “Wait- I’m not dead yet” quickly goes away. Once that chemical is gone, only the one that says “I’m dead” is left. “It’s because the dead ant no longer smells like a living ant that it gets carried to the graveyard, not because its body releases new unique chemicals after death,” said Choe. When other ants detect the “dead” chemical without the “not dead yet” chemical, they drag away the body.

Understanding this behavior may help scientists figure out how to stop Argentine ants from invading new places and causing problems. Choe would like to find a way to use the newly discovered chemicals to spread ant killer to Argentine ant nests.

The ants’ removal behavior is important to the overall health of the nest. “Being able to quickly remove dead individuals and other possible sources of disease is extremely important to all animals living in societies, including us,” says Choe. “Think about all the effort and money that we invest daily in waste management.”

51. The underlined word “twist” in Paragraph 3 means _____.

   A. an unexpected change                       B. a clear mistake

   C. an important key                              D. a shocking conclusion

52. Ants judge whether another one is dead or not depending on ______.

   A. the sense of taste                              B. the sense of smell

   C. the sense of touch                                   D. the sense of sight

53. The result of the research can be used to ______.

   A. kill troublesome pests

   B. solve the problem of endangered species

   C. prevent further expansion of the ants’ territory

   D. keep the balance of nature

54. Why is it important to remove dead individuals?

   A. Because it is easier to manage the living.

   B. Because it can save money to deal with the waste.

   C. Because it can provide more space for the living.

   D. Because it can keep the living from suffering disease.

55. What might be the best title of the text?

   A. Dead or living? It is easy to judge

   B. Pulling away the dead ants is a difficult task

   C. Ant nests have great undertaking capacity

D. Leaving it alone or taking it away? Ants feel puzzled

File-sharing occurs whenever one individual sends a file to another. The only way to even try to limit this process is to monitor all communication between ordinary people. Despite the crackdown on Napster, Kazaa and other peer-to-peer(對等網(wǎng)絡(luò)) services over the past decade, the volume of file-sharing has grown exponentially. Even if the authorities closed down all other possibilities, people could still send copyrighted files as attachments to e-mails or through private networks. If people start doing that, should we give the government the right to monitor all mail and all encrypted(加密) networks? Whenever there are ways of communicating in private, they will be used to share copyrighted material. If you want to stop people doing this, you must remove the right to communicate in private. There is no other option. Society has to make a choice.

      

The world is at a crossroads. The internet and new information technologies are so powerful that no matter what we do, society will change. But the direction has not been decided.

      

The internet it still in its infancy, but already we see fantastic things appearing as if by magic. Take Linux, the free computer operating system, or Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. But where technology opens up new possibilities, our intellectual property laws do their best to restrict them. Linux is held back by patents, the rest of the examples by copyright. The public increasingly recognizes the need for reform.

      

Our manifesto(聲明) is to reform copyright laws and gradually abolish(廢除) the patent system. We oppose mass surveillance (監(jiān)視)and censorship(審查制度) on the net, as in the rest of society. We intend to devote all our time and energy to protecting the basal civil liberties on the net and elsewhere.

  

Political decisions taken over the next five years are likely to set the course we take into the information society, and will affect the lives of millions for many years into the future. The information revolution is happening here and now. It is up to us to decide what future we want.

41. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

       A. Over the past decade, the volume of file-sharing has increased doubly.

       B. Over the past decade, other peer-to-peer(對等網(wǎng)絡(luò)) services have been beaten down.

       C. Copyright laws should be reformed.

       D. File-sharing occurs unless a file is sent on the Internet.

42. In the opinion of the writer, the government ________.

       A. has to make a choice

       B. should stop people sharing the copyrighted files

       C. shouldn't stop people sharing the copyrighted files

       D. should monitor all the mail and all encrypted (加密) networks

43. The author's main purpose in writing the passage is____________.

       A. to have the basal citizen's freedom on the net and elsewhere

       B. to establish the patent system

       C. to abolish copyright laws

       D. to reform computer operating system

44. The underlined word “restrict” in Paragraph 3 most probably means__________.

       A. remove            B. limit                C. close                D. reform

45. We can infer from the passage_______________.

       A. A new information revolution will be coming.

       B. People won't share copyrighted material on the net

       C. People can share the free encyclopedia

       D. The future of the Internet will rely on the government

Whether you're heading into the wild or down the road, it's hard to find a better electronic sidekick than a GPS. (Well, you know, other than a cell phone.)

       Because a GPS has to receive a signal from space, physical impediments(遮擋) like skyscrapers, cliff faces, and even trees can stump(阻斷) it. Reception is less of an issue with the ultrasensitive(超靈敏) chipsets in newer models, but if the walls are closing in on you, take a tip from a time when navigation systems weren't the streamlined panels they are today: Hooking up an antenna(天線) will make use of even the most tenuous celestial connection. There's a port on the back of most GPS devices for jacking in.

       You'll also want to remember that a GPS is not a compass: It runs on software. Like your PC, it needs to communicate with the mother ship periodically. Vendors(供應(yīng)商) refresh firmware and maps on a regular basis, sometimes even daily. These updates deliver new bits of data that significantly affect your gadget's accuracy. But if you live in the boonies(郊區(qū)) on a road named after your sister-wife, don't expect NavTeq to come a-knocking with its survey equipment. Fortunately, most companies make it easy to update your own maps. Usually it's as simple as plugging into your home computer, dropping a couple of pins in Google Maps, and clicking Save.

       If you own a new Tom Tom, it's even easier. You can edit maps on the unit itself, though you might not have to: Some of the company's navigation updates themselves. Tom Tom's IQ Routes software takes data from every person who uses the company' gadgets and readjusts its assumptions about which roads you should use and how long a given route will take. It will even change its own maps.

       See, it's not that hard: Your GPS may use NASA technology, but getting the most out of it isn't rocket science.

46. The writer thinks the useful electronic partner is __

____besides a cell phone when driving outdoors.

       A. a GPS             B. Tom Tom's IQ Routes            C. a PC        D. NASA

47. Which statement is NOT true about a GPS according to the passage?

       A. It receives a signal from space.

       B. It is not a compass.

       C. It needs to refresh its information.

       D. It has no port to connect other equipment.

48. You may learn from the passage that Tom Tom (Para 4) is _______.

       A. a GPS receiver

       B. a device that can be used to edit maps

       C. a device that can be used to update software

       D. a person who readjusts GPS assumptions

49. The main idea of the last paragraph is _______.

       A. that we should make the most of GPS in rocket science

       B. that getting the most out of GPS is too difficult

       C. getting the most out of GPS is very easy

       D. GPS owns NASA technology

50. Which is not mentioned about a GPS according to the passage?

       A. Its usage.          B. Its price and shape.   C. Its technology.      D. Its benefit.