“If you talk to the plants, they will grow faster and the effect is even better if you’re a woman.” Researchers at Royal Horticultural Society carried out an experiment to find that the voice of a woman gardener makes plants grow faster.

　 The experiment lasted a month and by the end of the study scientists managed to discover that tomato plants grew up two inches taller when women gardeners talked to them instead of male.

　 Sarah Darwin was the one making the plants the best growth. Her voice was the most “inspiring” for plants than those of nine other gardeners when reading a passage from The Origin of Species. The great-great-granddaughter of the famous botanist （植物學(xué)家）Charles Darwin found that her plant grew about two inches taller than the plant of the best male gardener.

　 Colin Crosbie, Garden Superintendent at RHS, said that the finding cannot yet be explained. He says that women have a greater range of pitch and tone（音高和音色）which might have a certain effect on the sound waves that reach the plant. “Sound waves are an environmental effect just like rain or light ,”said Mr Grosbie.

The study began in April at RHS Garden Wisley in Survey. Scientists started with open auditions(聽力) for the people who were asked to record passages from John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer's Night Dream and Darwin's The Origin of Species.

Afterwards researchers selected a number of different voices and played them to 10 tomato plants during a period of a month. Each plant had headphones connected to it. Through the headphones the sound waves could hit the plants. It was discovered that plants that “l(fā)istened” to female voices grew taller by an inch in comparison to plants that heard male voices.

68．What does the passage talk about?

　 A. Plants enjoy men’s voices than women’s.

　 B. A science experiment in a museum.

　 C. Voice’s influence on plant growing.

　 D. Strange findings at Royal Horticultural Society.

69．What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 4 mean?

　 A. Plants need sound as well as rain and light.

　 B. Sound is basic for the plant to grow.

　 C. Sound has a good effect as rain or light does.

　　 D. Plants can’t live without sound, rain or light.

70．What can we learn from the passage?

　 A. The experiment ended in May.　

　　 B. Scientist can explain the findings clearly.

　　 C. Plants enjoy listening to the passages from famous works.

　　 D. The findings are of great importance to human beings.

Facial expressions carry meaning that is determined by situations and relationships. For example, in American culture the smile is in general an expression of pleasure. Yet it also has other uses. A woman’s smile at a police officer does not carry the same meaning as the smile she gives to a young child. A smile may show love or politeness. It can also hide true feelings. For example, many people in Russia consider smiling at strangers in public to be unusual and even improper. Yet many Americans smile freely at strangers in public places (although this is less common in big cities). Some Russians believe that Americans smile in the wrong places; some Americans believe that Russians don’t smile enough. In Southeast Asian culture, a smile is frequently used to cover painful feelings. Vietnamese people may tell a sad story but end the story with a smile.

Our faces show emotions (情感), but we should not attempt（嘗試）to “read” people from another culture as we would “read” someone from our own culture. The fact that members of one culture do not express their emotions as openly as do members of another does not mean that they do not experience emotions. Rather, there are cultural differences in the amount of facial expressions permitted. For example, in public and in formal situations many Japanese do not show their emotions as freely as Americans do. When with friends, Japanese and Americans seem to show their emotions similarly.

It is difficult to conclude about Americans and facial expressiveness because of personal and cultural differences in the United States. People from certain cultural backgrounds in the United States seem to be more facially expressive than others. The key is to try not to judge people whose ways of showing emotion are different. If we judge according to our own cultural habits, we may make the mistake of “reading” the other person incorrectly.

64. What does the smile usually mean in the U.S.?

       A. Love.         B. Politeness.         C. Joy.           D. Thankfulness.

65. The author mentions the smile of the Vietnamese to prove that smile can ___ .

       A. show friendliness to strangers         B. be used to hide true feelings

       C. be used in the wrong places            D. show personal habits

66. What should we do before attempting to “read” people?

       A. Learn about their relations with others.

       B. Understand their cultural backgrounds.

       C. Find out about their past experience.

       D. Figure out what they will do next.

67. What would be the best title for the test?

       A. Cultural Differences                       B. Smiles and Relationship

       C. Facial Expressiveness                            D. Habits and Emotions

Are you looking for some new and exciting places to take your kids (孩子) to? Try some of these places.

·Visit art museums. They offer a variety of activities to excite your kids’ interest. Many offer workshops（作坊）for making land-made pieces, traveling exhibits, book signings by children's favorite writer, and even musical performances and other arts.

·Head to a natural history museum. This is where kids can discover the past from dinosaur(恐龍) models to rock collections and pictures of stars in the sky. Also, ask what kind of workshops and educational programs are prepared for kids and any special events that are coming up.

·Go to a Youtheater. Look for one in your area offering plays for child and family visitors. Pre-show play shops are conducted by area artists and educators where kids can discover the secret about performing arts. Puppet(木偶)making and stage make-up are just a couple of the special offerings you might find.

·Try hands-on science. Visit one of the many hands-on science museums around the country. These science play-lands are great fun for kids and grown-ups alike. They’ll keep your child mentally and physically active the whole day through while pushing buttons, experimenting, and building. When everyone is tired, enjoy a fun family science show, commonly found in these museums.

60. If a child is interested in the universe, he probably will visit 　　　　　 .

A. a Youtheater　　　　　　　 　　　 B. an art museum

C. a natural history museum　　　　　　　 D. a hands-on science museum

61. What can kids do at a Youtheater?

A. Look at rock collections.　　　　　　　　 B. See dinosaur models.

C. Watch puppet making.　　　　　　　　　 D. Give performances.

62. What does “hands-on science” mean in the last paragraph?

A. Science games designed by kids.　　 B. Learning science by doing things.

C. A show of kids’ science work.　　　　 D. Reading science books.

63. Where does this text probably come from?

A. A science textbook.　　　　　　　　　　　 B. A tourist map.

C. A museum guide.　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. A news report.

There are some topics that readers never grow bored with, and the search for a suitable partner（伴侶） is one of them. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, first published in 1813, tells the story of five young women, all of whom are looking for a husband. In order to fully understand the novel, the readers must know that at the time when Jane Austen was writing, if a family was not rich, the daughters needed to marry well in order to live a comfortable, independent life. That is the reason why Mrs Bennet, the mother of the five girls, is so eager to have her daughters married.

The heroine of the story is Elizabeth Bennet, and as in all good romantic novels, she and Darcy, the man she finally marries, remain separate until the very end of the story. The wealthy Darcy is a proud, unsociable man, and when Elizabeth hears that he has insulted both her and her family, she dislikes him very much. Poor Darcy then falls head over heels in love with Elizabeth, and has to work terribly hard to persuade her to change her mind about him. He succeeds of course, and they live happily ever after.

Set at the turn of the 19th century, the novel is still attractive to modern readers. It has become one of the most popular novels and receives great attention from literary scholars（學(xué)者）.Modern interest in the book has resulted in a number of dramatic（戲劇的）and a lot of novels and stories modeling after Austen’s memorable characters or themes. To date, the book has sold some 20 million copies worldwide.

Jane Austen is rightly famous for her style. Her sentences have a wonderful rhythm（韻律）, and she makes such clever, true comments about people. It is not surprising that Pride and Prejudice has lasted.

56. In the 19th century, a poor girl in Britain was often encouraged to 　　　　　.

　　 A. master the skills of writing　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. marry the one she loved

　　 C. obey her parents　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　D. change her life by marrying rich

57. The underlined word “insulted” in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to 　　　　　.

　 A. treated warmly　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. paid no attention to

　 C. had mercy on　　　　　　　　　　　　 　 　　　　　　 D. said something rude about

58. What do we know about Elizabeth and Darcy?

A. They’ve experienced ups and downs but get married in the end.

　 B. They both come from poor families and wish to marry rich.

　 C. They get separated from each other shortly after being married.

　 D. Darcy falls over and gets hurt but Elizabeth still loves him.

59. According to the passage, Pride and Prejudice _________.

　 A. was first published in 1813 and sold 20 million copies soon

　 B. tells a sad love story which moves generations of readers

　 C. inspired many other novels and many plays have been produced based on it.

　 D. is set at the turn of the 19th century and not well received worldwide

A farmer had some puppies（小狗）to 　36 . He painted a sign advertising the puppies and 　37__ nailing （釘）it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, a little boy came to him.

“Mister,” he said, “I want to buy one of your puppies.”

“Well,” said the farmer, as he 　38 the sweat off his face, “these puppies come from fine parents and cost 　39 money. Do you have enough money?”

The boy 　 40　 his head for a moment. Then reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of 　41 and held it up to the farmer. “I’ve got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?” “Sure,” said the farmer. And with that he 　42 a whistle (口哨聲), “Here, Dolly!” he called. 　43 from the doghouse and down the ramp ran Dolly 　 44 by four little balls of fur. The little boy’ eyes danced with delight. As the dogs made their 　45 to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse. 　46　 another little ball appeared; this one noticeably smaller. Then in a somewhat 　 47　 manner the little pup began hobbling（蹣跚） toward the others, doing its best to 　 48　 .

“I want that one,” the little boy said, 　49　 to the smallest one. The farmer said, “Son, you don’t want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you 　50 these other dogs would.”

With that the little boy 　51 back from the fence, and began 　 52 　up one leg of his trousers. In doing so he exposed a steel support running down both sides of his leg 　53 itself to a specially made 　54　 . Looking back up at the farmer, he said, “You see sir, I don't 　55　 too well myself, and he will need someone who understands.”

36．A. sell　 　　　　　 B. buy 　　　　　　　　　　　 C. raise　 　　　　　　　　　 D. drive

37. A. set off　　　　　　　 B. set out　　　　　　　　　　 C. set about　　　　　　　　 D. set up

38. A. wiped　　　　　　　 B. removed 　　　　　　　　 C. settled　　　　　　　　　　 D. drove

39. A. a number of 　　 B. quite a few　　　　　　　 C. a great deal of　 　 D. only a little

40. A. raised 　　　　　　 B. buried 　　　　　　　　　　 C. dropped　　　　　　　　　 D. shook

41. A. change　　　　　　 B. price　　　　　　　　　　　 C. treasure　　　　　　　　　 D. wallet

42. A. made out　　　　　 B. put away　　　　　　　　 C. gave away　　　　　　　 D. let out

43.　 A. In 　　　　　　　　　 B. Away　　　　　　　　　　　 C. Out　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Up

44. A. equipped　　　　　 B. protected　　　　　　　　 C. attacked　　　　　　　　　 D. followed

45. A. way　　　　　 　　　 B. direction　　　　　 　　　 C. path　　　　　　　　 　　　 D. struggle

46. A. Rapidly　　　　　　 B. Slowly　　　　　　　　　　 C. Suddenly　　　　　　　　 D. Simply

47. A. curious　　　　　　 B. foolish 　　　　　　　　　 C. ordinary　　　　　　　　　 D. active

48. A. catch up　　　　　 B. keep up　　　　　　　　　 C. put up　　　　　　　　　　 D. make up

49. A. staring 　　　　　　 B. pointing　　　　　　　　　 C. greeting 　　　　　　　　 D. devoting

50. A. while　　　　　　　 B. as　　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. that 　　　　　　　　　　　 D. what

51. A. stepped　　　　　　 B. escaped　　　　　　　　　 C. went　　　　　　　　　　　 D. kept

52. A. pushing　　　　　　 B. forcing　　　　　　　　　　 C. rolling　　　　　　　　　　 D. tearing

53. A. attaching 　　　　 B.attached　　　　　　　　　 C. being attached　　　　　 D.to attach

54. A. leg　　　　　　　　　 B. stick 　　　　　　　　　　 C. shoe　　　　　　　　　　　 D. foot

55. A. walk　　　　　　　　 B. run　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. live　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. go

 When traveling abroad, we should ______ learn more about local customs so as to avoid unnecessary misunderstanding during communication.

A. in general           B. on purpose           C. in particular      D. in all

-- Not knowing what style of iPad to choose, _______.

A. some advice was given to Liming　　　　 B. Liming had to consult his IT teacher

C. so Liming had to consult his IT teacher　D. Liming’s IT teacher gave him some advice

 It seems that living green is ______ easy and cheap. A small step can be rewarded with long-term benefits.

A. astonishingly       B. exactly               C. fortunately            D. hardly

 What impressed me in Greece was that the oceans _______ the islands were deep blue and many cities lay on the bay.

A. surrounding      B. being surrounded      C. surrounded     D. surround