A towering South American plant that is believed to kill animals with its spikes(尖刺) and use their rotting bodies as fertilizer is about to bloom(開花) in England. A rare Puya chilensis was planted at a greenhouse in Surrey, a county in the southeast of England about 15 years ago. However, despite its frightening description, the tall, spiked plant is considered a threatened species.
The Royal Horticultural Society has been feeding the plant a diet of liquid fertilizer. “In its natural habitat in the Andes it uses its razor sharp spikes to snare and trap sheep and other animals, which slowly starve to death and rot at the base of the plant, providing it with a bag of fertilizer,” reads a description on the RHS website, which adds that the plant gives off a “gruesome scent.”
But does the plant actually trap and eat sheep? Other sources have simply said it is “believed” that the plant traps small animals with its spikes. After the animals die of starvation, the plant is "believed" to then use their rotting bodies as fertilizer to feed itself.
"I'm really pleased that we've finally persuaded our Puya chilensis into producing flower," horticulturalist Cara Smith said in a press release on the RHS site. Regardless of whether it actually traps sheep, the plant does have sharp spikes that can grow up to 12 feet high and 5 feet wide. However, it’s not all death and danger for this plant. Its flowery blooms reportedly provide nectar(花蜜) for bees and birds.
The Puya chilensis blooms annually in its native land of Chile, but this is the first time it has done so after more than a decade of cultivation efforts from the RHS. "We keep it well fed with liquid fertilizer as feeding it on its natural diet might prove a bit problematic,” Smith said. "It's growing in the dry section of our glasshouse with its deadly spines well out of reach of both children and sheep alike."
【小題1】From the passage we learn that in England the Puya chilensis _____.

A．feeds on man-made liquid fertilizer

B．often kills sheep and other animals

C．has once bloomed 15 years before

D．uses animals' rotting bodies as fertilizer

【小題2】The underlined word “snare” in the second paragraph probably means“_________”.

A．catch

B．stop

C．fight

D．kill

【小題3】We can infer from the passage that _____.

A．it's dangerous to feed the plant

B．it's certain that the plant kills sheep

C．it's difficult for the plant to bloom in England

D．it's rare for the plant to bloom in South American

【小題4】What does the writer mainly tell us?

A．A new plant is discovered in Chile.

B．How a rare plant is fed in England.

C．A rare plant is going to bloom in England.

D．How a plant traps animals in South America.

April 11, 2003 12:44 a. m. PST, Associated Press   The respiratory(呼吸系統(tǒng)) virus known as SARS has appeared to spread in the United States only to family members of health workers with close contact to a sick person.
On Thursday, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there might be a case of severe acute respiratory syndrome（綜合癥） spreading through the workplace.
Dr. Julie Gerberding said a suspected SARS virus patient who became ill after traveling to Asia might have infected a co-worker in Florida, which made her “very worried”.
So far, a dozen people—nine family members and three health workers—were infected after coming into close contact with the person with SARS. The rest of the 166 suspected American cases have something to do with people who were infected while traveling in Asia.
In the Gainesville, Fla. area, a 47-year-old woman was believed to have been infected at work by a 60-year-old woman who was the nation’s first suspected SARS case, said Tom Belcuore, director of the Alachua County health department.
Since the World Health Organization announced a worldwide warning last month about SARS, the United States has started infection control in hospitals and among families of suspected cases.
Florida officials said a school in Okaloosa County went through a cleaning after a 6-year-old boy suspected of having SARS appeared at school with slight symptoms. “Health officials are watching the boys’ contacts at school to make sure no one else is infected,” said Rob Hayes, health department spokesman, “The boy may have been infected from a family member,” Hayes said, “We immediately became aware of it and had the child sent home. He’s staying at home with his family until 10 days after symptoms disappear.”
The researchers guessed that the virus might have come from animals. However, the scientists have not ruled out the possibility that some other microbe might also help make SARS more serious or easier to catch.
【小題1】The best title for this text is _______.

A．A Worldwide Warning

B．Suspected SARS Cases

C．What Is SARS

D．Possible Spread of SARS in the USA

【小題2】The writer wrote this text mainly to _______.

A．discuss the danger of SARS

B．report research result about SARS

C．inform people of the spread of SARS

D．explain to the readers what SARS is

【小題3】How many cases of suspected SARS are there in the U.S.A. according to the text?
A. 166.             B.178.              C. 12.              D. 181.

An Israeli law banning too skinny models went into effect with the start of 2013. The law, approved last March in Israel, requires models to prove they have maintained a Body Mass Index (BMI) of at least 18.5 for three months before a fashion show. That means a woman who is 5'8'' tall can weigh no less than 119 pounds.
“This law is another step in the war against eating disorders,” said physician Adatto. “Underweight models,” he explained, “can no longer serve as role models for innocent young people who copy their false image of being skinny.”
But some critics in this country say it is misguided, focusing on weight instead of health. They also say the Israeli ban is bound to fail because of the strong power of the fashion industry. “I think it’s an approach that isn’t going to work.” Said eating disorder expert Susan Ice, who worked with an organization which creates a healthy working environment for models.
But Adatto told the reporter that he began to concern the issue after meeting an ambitious model who looked like she needed to be hospitalized. He said. “I realized that only legislation can change the situation. There was no time to waste, so many girls were dieting to death.”
However, the efforts to regulate models’ weight in Spain and Italy have not resulted in significant changes in part because of difficulties in determining reliable methods of measuring weight and health.
Still, folks including Ice say there’s no denying that images from Hollywood and the fashion industry can be difficult for young women to deal with. “Certainly I don't believe the modeling industry has caused the rise in eating disorders, but it makes it harder,” she says. “It’s a difficult recovery environment, worshiping thinness as the beauty ideal.”
【小題1】What does BMI in the first paragraph refer to?

A．A new show held by those skinny models.

B．A worldwide prize for the healthiest model.

C．A measure of body health based on height and weight.

D．A kind of medicine to cure eating disorders.

【小題2】One benefit the new Israeli law may bring is ________.

A．to change the working conditions of models

B．to prevent models from suffering from eating disorders

C．to lower the chance of skinny models’ death

D．to provide guidance for women worshiping thinness

【小題3】 In the opinion of the critics, the law won’t succeed because         .

A．the fashion industry is much too influential

B．it misleads young women to form a bad eating habit

C．it doesn’t provide a proper approach that can work well

D．it doesn’t create a healthy working environment for models

【小題4】According to the passage, the new Israeli law banning skinny models is         .

A．practical

B．a(chǎn)cceptable

C．reasonable

D．controversial

The world’s biggest Internet search engine, Google, has proven once again to be King of the Web. Users can download “Google Wi-Fi” software and then enjoy free Wi-Fi service available in some US cities since last Tuesday.
Wi-Fi is short for “Wireless Fidelity”(無(wú)線上網(wǎng)). It allows laptop computers and personal digital assistants to the Internet at high speed by radio signal.
A person with a Wi-Fi enabled computer can connect to the Internet when near one of the network’s access points. The place covered by one or several access points is called a hotspot. Google has already set up two “hotspots” in the US city of San Francisco which provide a free Wi-Fi service.
The Wi-Fi technology even allows users to enjoy a free Internet phone service. Some scientists argue that Wi-Fi may replace mobile phone networks.
Wi-Fi is still limited to a few cities, where there are “hotspots”. But its capability(容量)of sending information has already done better than that of the mobile phone network, even that of 3G(Third Generation Telecommunication Technology). Some scientists have started to call Wi-Fi 4G.
In addition to a high speed Internet connection, Wi-Fi has other advantages compared to mobile phones. Wi-Fi is global. The same Wi-Fi system works in different countries around the world. Different from using cell phones, you don’t need to change computers to use Internet phones when you go to other places and most importantly, many Internet phones cost you nothing at all.
【小題1】Wi-Fi is not available in cities without _______.

A．a(chǎn) computer

B．a(chǎn) radio

C．a(chǎn) cell phone

D．a(chǎn) hotspot

【小題2】Which of the following is NOT true of Wi-Fi?

A．The high speed Internet connection.

B．Many free Internet phones.

C．Being used in all the US cities.

D．Using the same computers for Internet phones when you go to other places.

【小題3】Some scientists started to call Wi-Fi 4G, because _______.

A．it is the product of the Google’s 4th generation

B．it has been used by more than four generations

C．Wi-Fi will surely take the place of the mobile phone network

D．it is more capable of sending information than the mobile phone network

【小題4】Which of the following is the best title?

A．Google Launches Free Wi-Fi Service

B．Free Call Service

C．Third Generation Telecommunication Technology

D．Google, King of the Web

Yasuda is 95 years old. Looking for easier ways to search the Web and send email, he bought Apple’s iPad. The company has sold 3.27 million iPads since they entered the market in April. Although it’s impossible to know with certainty how many seniors (老年人) are buying them, evidence suggests that it’s a hit with seniors.
The iPad’s intuitive interface (直觀界面) makes it attractive to seniors around the world, says Takahiro Miura, a researcher at the University of Tokyou. “The iPad is a good tool for seniors because it’s very easy to use,” he says. “Unlike the PC, it doesn’t require former knowledge.”
James Cordwell, a researcher in London, says the iPad’s popularity with seniors is helping Apple reach beyond its traditional base of young customers. “The world’s population, especially in developed markets, is getting older. It’s probably a market where Apple has least entered, ” Cordwell says. Senior users are “a key source of growth for them in the future.”
Seniors make up about 22 percent of the population in Japan. They may prove that seniors are willing to accept the iPad. Besides the customer group under 30, they spend more than any other group in the country, according to a report. Motoo Kitamura, 78, a former gas salesman, bought an iPad to help him communicate with his 2-year-old grandson and prevent him from experiencing some of the mental problems that sometimes come with getting older. “Trying new things like that is good mental exercise,” he says.
【小題1】The underlined part “a hit” in Paragraph 1 probably means ______ .

A．a(chǎn) sudden attack

B．a(chǎn) heavy burden

C．quite popular

D．very familiar

【小題2】Which of the following is NOT an advantage of the iPad?

A．It has intuitive interface.

B．It is easy to operate.

C．Beginners can use it without similar experiences.

D．People can use it as a way to do mental exercise.

【小題3】What can we learn from the text?

A．People above thirty are Apple’s largest customer group in Japan.

B．The traditional customers of Apple’s products are usually the young.

C．Seniors will soon grow into Apple’s largest customer group.

D．Seniors in Japan are fond of buying latest hi-tech products.

【小題4】What is the text mainly about?
A. iPad leading Apple to seniors.      
B. iPad influencing the customer group.
C. iPad’s arrival causing Japanese to think. 
D. iPad beating the traditional PC.

Motown songwriter-producer Deke Richards，who was behind songs including The Jackson 5's first three US number one hits，has died aged 68．
Richards，who had oesophageal(食管的)cancer,died in a Washington state hospice(安養(yǎng)院)，Universal Music said．The musician，whose real name was Dennis Lussier,Was leader of the Motown songwriting，arranging and producing team—The Corporation．Their hits include The Jackson 5'S I Want You Back and ABC．
Richards also co-wrote Love Child for Diana Ross and The Supremes，as well as Ross’s solo track I’m Still Waiting.He produced and wrote for Martha Reeves and the Vamlellas and Bobby Darin．
The Corporation，which consisted of Motown label head Berry Gordy,Alphonzo Mizell，F(xiàn)reddie Perren and Richards，was set up in 1969 to create hit records for the label’s new act，The Jackson 5．
They also wrote，produced and arranged the band’s singles and Maybe Tomorrow and Mama's Pearl．
According to Michael Jackson biographer,J．Randy Taraborrelli，Mama’s Pearl was originally called Guess Who’S Making Whoopie(With Your Girlfriend)．
But Richards had the lyrics changed to preserve the young frontman’s innocent image．
The Hollywood Reporter said Richards' "love of music” kept him involved with a variety of projects，including last year’S production of The Jackson 5's Come and Get It：The Rare Pearls．featuring rare and unreleased(未發(fā)行的) tracks．
Richards’ final work was the mixing of eight unreleased tracks by Martha Reeves and The Vandellas for the band's 50th anniversary box set,which is to be released on 5 April．
【小題1】Deke Richard wrote songs for the following singers EXCEPT

A．Martha Reeves

B．Joan Lussier

C．Bobby Darin

D．Jackson 5’s

【小題2】Which of the following is true about Richards?

A．He died at the age of68 in a Washington clinic．

B．He is a musician behind many hit songs.

C．He wrote“I’m Still Waiting”for Martha Reeves．

D．His final work is to be released in May.

【小題3】What Call we learn from the passage?

A．The Corporation has a history of more than 40 years．

B．The lyrics of Mama’S Pearl turned out to be a failure．

C．The lyrics of Mama’S Pearl Was changed by J．Randy Taraborrelli．

D．Richards said his own love of music kept him involved with many projects．

【小題4】It is implied in the passage that______．

A．Richards hardly co-wrote songs for singers

B．the Jackson 5's Come and Get it Was left unfinished as Richards got i11．

C．The corporation Was set up to earn money．

D．Richards had deep love for music．

【小題5】Which column can you most possibly find the passage on a website?

A．Health

B．Business

C．Technology

D．Entertainment

"Gangnam Style" by singer Psy from Korea, is a popular song, but its extraordinary global success is really the result of its music video, which is a great piece of genius. On September 22nd, Guinness World Records listed "Gangnam Style" as the most-liked video in the history of YouTube. It's been performed at West Point (West-Point Style), and Google's CEO, has done the "Gangnam Style" horse dance at the company's office in Seoul. Even Samsung is trying to make Psy the new model for the latest type of fridge.
The song's global popularity is such that the vast majority of people who enjoy it don't speak Korean, and have no idea what it is about. That's fine --- part of what makes "Gangnam Style" so fun is, like international pop music, the difficulty in understanding it. When we sing along, "Hey, sexy lady", we don't really know what we're singing about.
The joy of incomprehensibleness is familiar to anyone who loves pop music from elsewhere. Anthony Lane, in his 2010 review of the Eurovision Song Contest, Only Mr. God Knows Why, used "Eurovision English" as one of its chief pleasures. It's "a complex tongue, spoken nowhere else, which raises the heartfelt poetry (詩(shī)意) but absolute nonsense to a level of what sci-fi writers could only have dreamed. " In similar ways, "Gangnam Style" is just an over-the-top video where a fat man does a funny dance and sings repetitive words that don't make sense to most of us.
But on the other, the magic of the song also lies in its funny dance, which reflects not just cultural morals specific to Korea, but cultural values easily recognizable to western viewers. This song's words may be in Korean, but its scenes are in clear American. The dance moves are simple enough to copy.
Nonsense, in other words, forces us to let down our guards. It makes us relax, and asks us to let in all sorts of feelings from which, otherwise, we might distance ourselves. "Gangnam Style" happens to be so interesting because of its incomprehensibleness.
【小題1】Some complex languages are used in pop music because _______.

A．singers regard it as one of the chief pleasures at the concert

B．they make the music hard to understand but poetic and attractive

C．the music can sound more pleasant and beautiful to the audience

D．people like listening to the music which makes special sense to them

【小題2】What is true about the popularity of "Gangnam Style"?

A．It was considered as the most popular video on the Internet.

B．It makes people amused and removes their emotional guards.

C．Its dance only reflects cultural and morals specific to Korea.

D．Psy, its singer, has been the new model for Samsung .

【小題3】What does the underlined word "incomprehensibleness" mean in Paragraph 3?

A．Being interesting to listen to.	B．Being simple enough to copy.
C．Being complex and repetitive.	D．Being difficult to understand.

【小題4】The text is mainly about ________.

A．how "Gangnam Style" becomes popular among the youths

B．why "Gangnam Style" is popular even if few people understand it

C．how Psy gains worldwide success through his talent and hard work

D．what emotions and cultural morals Psy wants to convey with his song

In 1980，Candy Lightner’s 13-year-old daughter Cad was killed by a drunk driver as she walked down a suburban street in California. “I promised myself on the day of my daughter’s death that I would fight to make this needless accident count for something positive in the years ahead,” Candy Lightener later wrote.
The drunk driver received a two-year prison sentence. However, he avoided prison by serving time in a work camp and a halfway house. Ms. Lightner was very angry about that and so organized Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD), which later changed to Mothers Against Drunk Driving. The aim of her organization was to raise public awareness of the serious nature of drunk driving and to promote tough legislation against the crime.
Before Ms. Lightner’s MADD, intoxication (醉酒), including drunk driving, was not taken seriously. Intoxication was often used as an excuse for otherwise unacceptable behavior: “I didn’t know what I was doing—I was drunk.”
Candy Lightner appeared on major television shows, spoke before the US Congress, addressed professional and business, groups, and worked tirelessly for years to change public attitudes, change judicial(審判的) behaviour, and promote tough new legislation. Ms. Lightner left MADD because the organization that she herself created is changing its focus. “I didn’t start MADD to deal with alcohol. I started MADD to deal with the issue of drunk driving.”
The President of the United States awarded her the President’s Volunteer Action Award and she was the subject of the movie “Mothers Against Drunk Drivers: the Candy Lightner Story”.
【小題1】One of the purposes of MADD was to______ .

A．make the public aware of the danger of drunk driving

B．fight against the drunk hit-and-run drivers on the road

C．make new laws against crimes caused by drinking

D．warn people not to drink alcohol while driving

【小題2】which way didn’t Ms. Lightner use to achieve her MADD’s goals?

A．Talking on major TV shows.

B．Giving a talk to businessmen.

C．Applying for a job with the government.

D．Giving suggestions to the US Congress.

【小題3】We can learn from the passage that______.

A．the drunk driver had not been caught

B．drunk driving didn’t receive enough attention before MADD

C．Candy Lightner played a leading role in a film

D．MADD didn’t get much support from society

【小題4】What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Ways to prevent drunk driving

B．Purposes of founding MADD

C．New law against drunk driving

D．Candy Lightner and her MADD

"Hey, don't read in the hallway. Your eyesight will be damaged." You must have heard such warnings many times. “Don’t read in poor light!” This is one of the common beliefs that are supposed to help us live a healthy life. Such beliefs are, however, without scientific basis(根據(jù)), according to a paper published recently in the British Medical Journal.
Do you believe in the following sayings?
Reading in poor light ruins your eyesight.
In poor light, you might blink (眨眼) more, suffer from drying and have trouble focusing. But most of eye experts believe it is unlikely to do any damage forever.
We must drink at least eight glasses of water a day.
In 1945, the Nutrition Council in US suggested that people need to drink 2.5 litres of water a day. But the water contained in food, particularly fruit and vegetables, as well as in milk, juice and soft drinks, also counts towards the total.
We only use 10 percent of our brains.
This idea appears as early as 1907. People have long argued about our power of self-improvement and our brains’ possible abilities. But X-rays show that no area of the brain is silent or inactive.
Shaving your legs causes hair to grow black faster and thicker.
This theory is also illusion. Studies say that shaving has no effect on the thickness or rate of hair growth. Just over time, the edge of hair gets worn away and thus the edge of long hair becomes finer (更細(xì)).
【小題1】What does the paper say about some common beliefs?

A．They are useful knowledge in life.

B．They help us live in healthy ways.

C．They are well-known theories.

D．They do not have scientific basis.

【小題2】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage ?

A．People use 90 percent of their brains.

B．Shaving your legs will give you thicker hair.

C．Reading in poor light does harm to people’s eyes.

D．People need not less than eight glasses of water a day.

【小題3】The underlined word “illusion” in the last paragraph probably means “_________”.

A．a(chǎn) wrong idea	B．a(chǎn) powerful evidence
C．a(chǎn)n interesting story	D．a(chǎn) clear instruction

【小題4】This passage is most likely to be found in __________ .     

A．a(chǎn) newspaper	B．a(chǎn) guide book
C．a(chǎn) history textbook	D．a(chǎn)n advertisement

President Barack Obama rode a bicycle at the White House Science Fair on April 22. But it wasn’t an ordinary bike. As he pedaled, the President stayed in place, while the energy from his pedaling powered a water filtration (過(guò)濾) system. He was testing an invention created by a team of 14 students from Northeast High School, in Oakland Park, Florida.
Payton Karr, 16, and Kiona Elliot, 18, attended the fair as representatives of the project.“We were hoping President Obama would ride the bike, but we didn’t actually expect him to,” Payton told TFK. “ It really meant a lot.” Kiona agreed. “It was pretty awesome to see the invention, which was invented by a group of 14 high school students and one teacher, along with the help of community members, got the interest of the leader of our nation,” she said.
The project was an idea that came about after one of the Northeast students, Kalie Hoke, visited Haiti after the terrible 2010 earthquake and saw how difficult it was to find clean water. The students invented a portable(便攜的), bicycle-powered emergency water filtration system, which can provide 20-30 people with drinking water in a 15-hour period. The teens hope their invention will one day be used by relief organizations like the Red Cross. “ They can take it to places after natural disasters so that water can be clean for the people there,” said Payton.
Payton and Kiona were among the 100 students from more than 40 states invited to the third annual White House Science Fair, in Washington, D.C., which is also attended by leaders in science and education. President Obama started the event in 2010 to stimulate students interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths).“Well, if you’re a young person and you produce the best experiment or design, you ought to be recognized for that achievement,” Obama said when he first announced the fair.
President Obama praised the projects during a speech to attendees after the fair. “The science fair projects of today could become the products and businesses of tomorrow,” he said. “If you’re inventing things in the third grade, what are you going to do by the time you get to college?”
【小題1】What is special about the bicycle President Obama rode?

A．It can move very fast.

B．It is extremely beautiful.

C．It is used to make water clean.

D．It is made of eco-friendly materials.

【小題2】The representatives of the bicycle-powered water filtration system_________.

A．were both community members

B．graduated from a famous university

C．finished the project with the help of their parents

D．were surprised that their invention interested Obama

【小題3】The bicycle-powered water filtration system was designed ________________.

A．a(chǎn)t the request of the Red Cross

B．for city families to get pure water

C．during the terrible 2010 earthquake in Haiti

D．to provide people in disaster areas with clean water

【小題4】The underlined word “stimulate” in Paragraph 4 can be replaced by _________.

A．help

B．inspire

C．change

D．entertain

【小題5】We can know from the last sentence in the passage that President Obama _____.

A．wanted the youth to have big dreams

B．encouraged the youth to go to college

C．worried the young inventors would do nothing in college

D．believed the young inventors would have a promising future