Today there are 6 billion people on the earth. By the year 2050 there may be 12.5 billion. There will be a lot of people to feed. We need more food.
One way to produce more food is by growing stronger plants. For thousands of years, farmers have made plants better. Every season, they pick the best plants for the next season. It works very slowly. Since 1983, scientists have been able to change plants more quickly by changing their genetic material(遺傳物質(zhì)). Foods from plants grown in this way are called genetically modified foods(轉(zhuǎn)基因食品), or GM foods.
By changing the genetic material of a plant, it is possible to make new plants. They make plants which are strong against plant diseases. They can also help in our diseases: a kind of rice is being prepared, for example, which stops people from becoming blind.
Rich countries produce GM foods because they are easy to grow and bring in more money. Poor countries are interested in them because they help produce more food.
GM plants are not natural. No one knows how good or bad they are. Making GM foods is only one way of feeding people in 2050. There are strong feelings against them, because they are unnatural. They may feed people, then hurt them or their children later. But, both rich and poor countries are very interested in their use, and they are not going to go away. In 2050 we may think differently about them.
【小題1】GM foods ________.

A．a(chǎn)re a quick way to produce food

B．grow in the wild

C．a(chǎn)re safe

D．a(chǎn)re grown only in rich countries

【小題2】Why do some people not like GM foods?

A．They are not useful.

B．They are not helpful.

C．They are not natural.

D．They are not cheap.

【小題3】From the reading we know that ________.

A．GM foods will disappear one day in the future

B．GM foods will not disappear in the future

C．people will not be interested in GM foods

D．people will have to stop using GM foods

BEIJING---No Car Day was first started by 34 cities in France on September22, 1998. It was started to protect the environment. By now, more than 1,000 cities around the world have had a No Car Day.
The first No Car Day in China was in Chengdu in 2001. Other cities, including Taipei, Shanghai and Wuhan, also support( 支持) the day.
In Beijing, more and more people are joining in the activity. It asks drivers to leave their cars at home for one day each month and walk or ride a bike to work. It also calls on Beijingers not to use cars on June 5 ( World Environment Day ).The slogan for the day is, “ If we drive for one less day, we can have one more nice day.”
So far more than 200,000 drivers have shown their support “ We can’t control the weather, but we can choose not to drive,” said Wu Zonghua, a car club chairman. Beijing is trying to have 238 blue sky days this year. In the first quarter of this year, Beijing only had 52 blue sky days. This was 11 days less than the number for the same period last year. Much of the dust（ 灰塵 ） comes from the desert（沙漠）, but cars cause most of the air pollution.（污染）. We must do more for No Car Day.
【小題1】There are      cities in China that support No Car Day according to the passage.

A．three

B． four

C． five

D．six

【小題2】The activity of No Car Day encourages Beijing drivers        .

A．not to work on No Car Day

B．to enjoy having a day off

C．leave their cars at home for repair

D．to ride a bike or walk instead of driving to work

【小題3】We can know from the passage that       .

A．more and more people in Beijing are joining car clubs

B．people will have one more World Environment Day each month

C．more and more people won’t drive on No Car Day in Beijing

D．more people in the world won’t drive any more

When students and parents are asked to grade subjects according to their importance, the arts are usually at the bottom of the list. Music is nice, people seem to say, but not important. Too often it is only viewed as entertainment, but certainly not an education priority（優(yōu)先）. This view is shortsighted. In fact, music education is very important for all students.
Music tells us who we are. Because music is an expression of the beings who create it, it shows their thinking and values, as well as the social environment it came from. Rock music represents a lifestyle just as surely as does a Schubert song. The jazz influence that George Gershwin and other musicians introduced into their music is obviously American because it came from American musical traditions. Music expresses our character and values. It gives us identity（身份，特性）as a society.
Music provides a kind of perception（感知）that cannot be acquired any other way. Science can explain how the sun rises and sets. The arts can express the emotive（情感的）meaning of the same thing. We need every possible way to discover and respond to our world for one simple but powerful reason: No one way can get it all.
The arts are forms of thought as powerful in what they communicate as mathematical and scientific symbols. They are ways we human beings “talk” to each other. They are the language through which we express our fears, our hungers, our discoveries, our hopes. The arts are ways we give form to our ideas and imagination so that they can be shared with others. When we do not give children an important way of expressing themselves such as music, we take away from them the meanings that music expresses.
Science and technology do not tell us what it means to be human. The arts do. Music is an important way we express human suffering, celebration, the value of peace and love.
So music education is far more necessary than people seem to realize.
【小題1】What can we learn from Paragraph 1?      

A．Students regard music as a way of entertainment.

B．Students disagree with their parents on education.

C．Students take music as an important subject.

D．Students prefer the arts to science.

【小題2】In Paragraph 2, the writer uses jazz as an example to____________.       

A．compare it with rock music

B．show music identifies a society

C．introduce American musical traditions

D．prove music influences people’s lifestyles

【小題3】According to the passage, the arts and science____________.      .

A．explain the world in different ways

B．explain different facts of the world

C．express people’s feelings in different ways

D．explain what it means to be human differently

【小題4】What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Music education is worth more attention.

B．Music should be of top education priority.

C．Music is really a good communication tool.

D．Music education makes students more imaginative.

Children can spend hours a day looking at computer screens and other digital devices(數(shù)碼設(shè)備). Some eye doctors say this leads to an increase in “computer vision syndrome(電腦視力綜合癥).”
Nathan Bonilla-Warford is an optometrist（驗(yàn)光師）in Tampa, Florida. He has seen an increase in problems in children. “A lot more children come into the office either because their parents have noticed that they have headaches or red or watery eyes or discomfort, or because their nearsightedness appears to be increasing and they’re worried,” he says.
Dr. Bonilla-Warford says part of the problem is that children may be more likely to pay no attention to early warning signs than adults. “Even if their eyes start to feel uncomfortable or they start to get a headache, they’re less likely to tell their parents, because they don’t want to have the game or the computer or whatever taken away,” he explains.
He says another part of the problem is that people blink（眨眼）less often when they use digital devices. He says, “A person who uses an electronic device blinks about one third as much as we normally do in everyday life. And so that can result in the front part of the eye drying and not staying protected like normal.”
Eye doctors offer suggestions like following which is known as the 20/20/20 rule. That means every twenty minutes look away twenty feet or more for at least twenty seconds from whatever device you’re using.
Other suggestions include putting more distance between you and the device and using good lighting. Of course, another way is to spend less time looking at screens. Many experts say children should spend no more than two hours a day using digital devices—with no screen time for children under two.
But not all eye doctors have noticed an increase in problems in children. Dr. David Hunter, from Children’s Hospital Boston, has not seen an increase in his practice. “While it is possible to develop fatigue looking at screens for a long period of time, there’s certainly no proof that it actually causes any damage（傷害）to the eyes.” he says.
【小題1】Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．Dr. Bonilla-Warford thinks using computers causes nearsightedness.

B．People keep their eyes protected against drying by blinking normally.

C．Children under two can watch TV for less than two hours a day.

D．Dr. David Hunter says headache causes an increase in eye problems.

【小題2】What does the underlined word “fatigue” mean?

A．Interest.

B．Ability.

C．Tiredness.

D．Difficulty.

【小題3】What can be the best title for the passage?

A．Looking at Screen: Two Hours or More

B．How Can Children Use Their Eyes Properly

C．Using Digital Devices: Advantages and Disadvantages

D．How Much Screen Time Is Too Much for Children

Earthquakes happen without warning（前兆）．They can happen any time of a day，at any point during the year．When an earthquake is happening， you should know what you should do or not do．
Do NOT go outside．You could get injured from falling glass or parts of buildings．If you are outside，stay away from buildings and power lines（輸電線）．
Stay under a desk，table，or other strong furniture．Hold on to it．Or stay in a corner of the building．Cover your face and head with your arms and cover your mouth with a towel or clothing．Stay inside until shaking stops and it is safe to go outside．
Keep away from windows，pictures or advertisements on the wall or the building，and anything else that could fall and hurt you．Most people get injured by falling things during an earthquake，not by the shaking itself．
Also keep away from a fire．You could fall down and burn yourself on the fire．
If you are driving when an earthquake happens，stop the car if it’s safe．Stay inside your car until the earthquake stops，and don’t drive near bridges．Try not to stop by power lines or trees．These could fall and hurt you．
【小題1】It isn’t safe for you to ______ while the earthquake is happening．

A．run out of the building	B．stay in a corner of the building
C．cover your head with your arms	D．cover your mouth with a towel

【小題2】From this passage，we know ______ .

A．many people fear earthquakes

B．earthquakes may happen at any time

C．we can’t save ourselves in an earthquake

D．people never get injured in earthquakes

【小題3】The best title for this passage should be “ _____________ ”

A．How Earthquakes Happen	B．How to Drive a Car
C．What We Should Do in Earthquakes	D．Why Earthquakes Happen

When people want to know about the weather, they usually go to their radios, TVs, newspapers, or to the Internet. However, you can also find many weather signs among wildlife, because of their highly developed senses. Drops in air pressure produce an effect on small animals in many ways. Mice and deer are good weather indicators. People who spend a lot of time outdoors have observed that, before a storm, field mice come out of their holes and run around. Deer leave high ground and come down from the mountains.
Birds are especially good weather indicators because they also show the effect of a pressure drop in many ways. For example, some birds become irritable(暴躁) and quarrelsome and will fight over a piece of bread. Other birds chirp and sing just before a storm. It seems they know they won’t get another chance for an hour or two. Birds also look for safe places before a storm. You will sometimes see birds settling in trees or gathering together on a wire close to a building. Pre-storm low pressure make the air so thin that birds have difficulty flying.
It is unusual to see many birds flying overhead in the summertime, rather than during the periods in the spring or autumn. Watch for other weather signs if you see this. If they fly in the wrong direction, they may be flying ahead of a storm.
By paying closer attention to some important signs in nature, we can become better prepared for any kind of weather.
【小題1】The word “indicators” in paragraph 1 probably means          .

A．maps

B．services

C．signs

D．stations

【小題2】How can birds sense the coming of a storm?

A．By feeling a drop in air temperature.

B．By noticing the change of wind directions.

C．By feeling a drop in air pressure.

D．By noticing the movements of other animals.

【小題3】The best title for the text would be        .

A．Signs of a Storm	B．Drops in Air Pressure
C．Animals’ Sharp Senses	D．Nature’s Weather Signs

Look at the centre circles of Diagram (圖)A and Diagram B. Which of the centre circles looks larger? In fact, they are exactly the same size.
Then look at the picture on the right. What do you see? A vase? Or two faces？Does the picture change quickly from one to the other again and again? Maybe or maybe not, but you can never see them at the same time.

“What’s happening? Is something wrong with my eyes?” You may wonder at what you see. Don’t worry. Here is how it goes:
When we look at things, our eyes send messages to our brains and then our brains interpret（解讀）the information. However, sometimes our brains interpret the received information in a wrong way. It seems that our eyes are playing a joke on us. This often happens and we call it “visual illusion(視覺錯(cuò)誤)”.
Movie makers often make use of visual illusions. They make the objects around actors much smaller or bigger than usual. This makes us believe that the actors are much larger or smaller than they usually are. The movies Jurassic Parkand Honey I shrunk the kids just make use of visual illusions.
【小題1】Why does the centre circle in Diagram A look smaller than that in Diagram B?

A．something is wrong with our eyes

B．the two circles are not the same size

C．our brains interpret the information in a wrong way

D．the two pictures change quickly from one to the other

【小題2】 What do movie makers make use of visual illusions for ?

A．To help the actors look better

B．To make the actors much braver

C．To help the actors become stronger

D．To make the actors seem different in size

【小題3】In the picture below, it seems that Line AB is shorter than Line CD, but in fact Line AB is as long as Line CD.

Which paragraph can explain what has happened to our eyes?
A. The second one.
B. The third one.
C. The fourth one.
D. The sixth one.
【小題4】 What’s the right order according to the passage?
a. We look at things with our eyes.
b. Our brains interpret the messages.
c. Our brains tell us what we have seen.
d. Our eyes send messages to our brains.

A．a(chǎn) d b c

B．c a b d

C．a(chǎn) c d b

D．b c a d

【小題5】Where may this passage be from?

A．A letter	B．An English newspaper
C．A science book	D．An advertisement

Every object has weight. But the center of its weight is not always in the middle of the object. If the top of an object is heavier than its bottom, it will fall over easily. We say that its center of gravity is high. But if the bottom is heavier, it won’t fall easily. Then we say that its center of gravity is low.
Look at the first picture. This empty box must fall over, because its center of gravity (C) is not above the line of its bottom (AB).
Now look at the second picture. There is some heavy iron in the bottom of this box. It will not fall, because its center of gravity is above its bottom.

【小題1】If the bottom of an object is ______ its top, it will fall over easily.

A．lighter than

B．heavier than

C．no heavier than

D．a(chǎn)s heavy as

【小題2】Please point out which box will not fall.

【小題3】The main idea of the passage is _________.

A．why things fall over	B．a(chǎn) low center of gravity
C．a(chǎn) high center of gravity	D．that everything has weight

Earthquakes happen without warning(前兆). They can happen any time of a day, at any point during the year. When an earthquake is happening, you should know what you should do or not do.
Do NOT go outside. You could get injured from falling glass or parts of buildings. If you are outside, stay away from buildings and power lines(輸電線).
Stay under a desk, table, or other strong furniture. Hold on to it. Or stay in a corner of the building. Cover your face and head with your arms and cover your mouth with a towel or clothing. Stay inside until shaking stops and it is safe to go outside.
Keep away from windows, pictures or advertisements on the wall or the building, and anything else that could fall and hurt you. Most people get injured by falling things during an earthquake, not by the shaking itself.
Also keep away from a fire. You could fall down and burn yourself on the fire.
If you are driving when an earthquake happens，stop the car if it’s safe. Stay inside your car until the earthquake stops, and don’t drive near bridges. Try not to stop by power lines or trees. These could fall and hurt you.
【小題1】It isn’t safe for you to ______ while the earthquake is happening.

A．run out of the building

B．stay in a corner of the building

C．cover your head with your arms

D．cover your mouth with a towel

【小題2】From this passage, we know ______ .

A．a(chǎn)ll people are frightened at earthquakes

B．earthquakes may happen at any time

C．we can’t save ourselves in an earthquake

D．people won’t get injured in an earthquakes if they are careful enough.

【小題3】The best title for this passage should be “ _____________ ”

A．How Earthquakes Happen

B．How to Drive a Car

C．What We Should Do in Earthquakes

D．Why Earthquakes Happen

While watching movies, it’s getting hard to tell what is and isn’t real. Thanks to computers, movie makers can now use their full imaginations. There’s even a new type of character--made entirely by computers—which is getting more and more screen time.
Making the impossible look easy has always been a part of movie magic. As far back as 1895, filmmakers used special effects in movies. Over the years, many few techniques（技術(shù)） were developed. Then, starting in the 1970s, computers took their place at the center of the process.
One of the first movies to widely use 3D computer generated（生成的，產(chǎn)生的） imagery (CGI) was Tron(1982). In the following years, more CGI characters were brought to life, one by one. Then, Jurassic park (1993) brought us an island full of man-eating dinosaurs. Shortly afterwards, Toy Story (1995) became the first cartoon made entirely with 3D CGI effects. It was a big hit, and audiences loved the characters.
By using “motion capture” technology, filmmakers can make the movements of CGI humans even more lifelike. With this technique, a real actor wears sensors（感受器，傳感器） on his face and body. The sensors record the actor’s movements and send the information to a computer. Then the movements are given to a CGI character. This technique was used to make the creature（生物，有生命的東西） Gollum in the second and third The Lord of the Rings movies (2002,2003). Other films, like Beowulf (2007), have also used motion capture to help create CGI humans.
It is still rather easy to tell that a CGI human is not real. But the technology is improving every year. Over time, many problems ( like the teeth and eyes looking fake) will be solved. We will certainly see more CGI animals, monsters, and people in movies and TV shows. The question is – in the future, how many real actors will be put out of work by computer actors?
【小題1】What is the main idea?

A．Tron was important in the history of CGI films.

B．Many people go to the movies to see incredible special effects.

C．More and more film characters are being made by computers.

D．All the humans in Beowulf were CGI characters.

【小題2】In what year was a film made with many CGI dinosaurs?

A．1895

B．1982

C．1993

D．2003

【小題3】What was special about Gollum?

A．Motion capture was used to help make the charater.

B．Gollum had an important role in a CGI cartoon.

C．He was the only CGI character in the Lord of the Rings.

D．Little money was spent to bring the creature to life.

【小題4】What does the world hit mean?

A．a(chǎn)ttack

B．shot

C．success

D．try