It seems some people have something bad to say about Facebook, the social media website that now has attracted more than 300 million members. To them I have only this to say: Stop please!
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal blamed Facebook’s ability to ruin friendships, saying that it limits communication to typing and encourages people to spend far too much time with friends they have never met.
Having used Facebook since its first year, I find these arguments false. The simple truth is that the problems are only a symptom of Facebook abuse. Like many things, it is only as harmful to your life and relationships as you allow it to be. Consider arguments against watching too much TV and overeating.
Try using Facebook to find friends who may have long ago changed their e-mail addresses and phone numbers, to find out what your old college friends are up to, to congratulate your friends on their latest birthdays, to share pictures and articles you find interesting, and to join in the discussion about them with your friends.
Sure, I had days when I wasted a little more time on Facebook than I should, but I’m not going to blame Facebook for my own laziness. If Facebook wasn’t there, I would have found something else to waste time on. To my “friends”: if you don’t feel like broadcasting your life stories on your Facebook, don’t. If you tire of my personal updates, ignore them. If you don’t want to join in the popular online games, don’t. It is a fun tool at your fingers that can be used for both good and bad. If you don’t like using Facebook, don’t.
I am now a consultant at the Department of State. I use Facebook to keep in touch with friends, family, and colleagues who live and work all over the world.
小題1:Why did the article in the Wall Street Journal blame Facebook?

A．Because it makes people spend too much time online.

B．Because it can make people lose their real-life friends.

C．Because it is as harmful to people’s lives as watching TV.

D．Because it encourages people to make friends with strangers.

小題2:What does the author suggest using Facebook to do?

A．To find out lost e-mail addresses and phone numbers.

B．To arrange appointments with our old college friends.

C．To collect interesting pictures and articles from our friends.

D．To keep in touch with friends who we haven’t called for long.

小題3:We can imply from the passage that by using Facebook we can ____.

A．read other’s personal updates

B．write our life stories online secretly

C．decide who can read our life stories

D．refuse to join in popular online games

小題4:The author writes the last paragraph to ____.

A．prove that Facebook can be well used

B．gain support from the Department of State

C．show that Facebook is used all around the world

D．introduce how she uses Facebook in her work as a consultant

As any housewives who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows, there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.
Lewis carried out his study by videotaping the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger, conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control the loud noise they make. That can have an important effect on the children. “In general the more question-asking the parents do, the higher the children’s IQ scores,” Lewis says. “And the more children there are, the less question-asking there is.”
The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings. Lewis found that in families with three or four children, dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child, who has the most to talk about, and the youngest, who needs the most attention. “Middle children are invisible,” says Lewis. “When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner, chances are it’s the middle child.” There is, however, one thing that stops all conversation and prevents anyone from having attention: “When the TV is on,” Lewis says, “dinner is nothing.”
小題1:The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to _________.

A．show the relationship between parents and children

B．teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table

C．report on the findings of a study

D．give information about family problems

小題2:By saying “Middle children are invisible” in paragraph 3, Lewis means that middle children _________.

A．have to help their parents to serve dinner

B．get the least attention from the family

C．a(chǎn)re often not allowed to come to the dinner table

D．find it hard to get along well with other children

小題3:Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?

A．Parents should talk to each of their children frequently.

B．It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner.

C．It is important to have the right food for children.

D．Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner.

Just a few hours ago，the Italian ship Andrea Doria was sailing through thick fog toward the city of New York. Captain Piero Calamai kept watch. He knew that many other ships were nearby. He should have slowed down because of the fog but he decided not to. He wanted to arrive on time the next morning.
At about 11∶00 PM，another ship，the Stockholm，suddenly hit the Andrea Doria. It made a huge hole in the Italian ship. Some people were badly hurt. Others fell into the sea. But one girl was saved by the Stockholm.
Linda Morgan was fourteen. She lived in Spain with her mother and her little sister. She was going to visit her father in New York. She was excited about seeing her father.
Linda had loved the trip. She wanted to have dinner with the captain on the last night at sea. The captain did not sit at his table that night，though. He was busy guiding the ship through the fog. Linda did not get to talk to him.
When Linda went to bed，everything seemed fine. Her mother turned off the lights. Linda talked to her little sister. She thought about seeing her father the next morning.
What happened next was a terrible surprise. Linda woke up not knowing where she was. She was not in her bed. When she called to her family，no one answered. Both her knees were broken.
Linda had been saved by an amazing accident. When the Stockholm made a hole in the side of the Andrea Doria，it lifted Linda out of her bed. She landed on the deck (甲板) of the Stockholm instead of falling into the ocean. A sailor heard her cries and found her.
Right now，the girl is in the hospital. She is expected to get better. Her father is at her side，glad that his little girl was saved. The Andrea Doria lies under the waves at the bottom of the sea.
小題1:Why didn’t Captain Piero Calamai reduce the speed?

A．He didn’t want to be late.

B．He went crazy because of the bad weather.

C．He thought the fog was not serious.

D．He had rich experience.

小題2:When the accident happened，________.

A．Linda was asleep

B．the day was about to break

C．few people were killed

D．the Andrea Doria hit a hole in the Stockholm

小題3:What can we learn from the text?

A．Linda hated the trip very much.

B．Linda was saved by the Stockholm.

C．Linda lived with her father in Spain.

D．The Andrea Doria wasn’t badly damaged.

小題4:What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．A little girl’s braveness moved people.

B．Andrea Doria sailed through thick fog.

C．The Italian ship Andrea Doria was hit by Stockholm.

D．A fourteen­year­old girl was saved by accident after the crash.

In the competition of Olympic weightlifting，the athletes try to lift the maximum (最大的) weight they can. There are special conditions they have to meet in order to compete：body weight，height and strength.
The Olympic weightlifting mainly tests the limit of explosive strength (爆發(fā)力)．There are not many lifters who really like Olympic weightlifting and the explanation is very simple：they are short of explosive strength.
The weights used for Olympic weightlifting are added in kilograms. The order by which the athletes enter the competition is not general，but it is set depending on the event. Usually the athlete with the lowest weight begins. If he/she is not successful，he/she can try later. There is a maximum of three lifts allowed for every competition.
For many years Olympic weightlifting was only for men. However，now women also take part in Olympic weightlifting. It was at the beginning of the 21st century that women’s competitions entered an organized professional environment. For women，Olympic weightlifting is more difficult because of their different body structure. However，strength training techniques (技術(shù)) are widely and successfully used by women，too.
Lots of the athletes who’ve ended up in Olympic weightlifting competitions have started with strength training only to improve their muscle condition and their body power. However，the demarcation line (界線) is not still very clear between power training and Olympic weightlifting. This is how so many lifters have got into Olympic weightlifting competition，even if their purpose was different at the beginning.
小題1:In the competition of Olympic weightlifting，athletes need to be all of the following EXCEPT________.

A．the right age	B．the right height
C．the right weight	D．the right strength

小題2:How many more times can a lifter try if he/she fails for the first time?

A．One.

B．Two.

C．Three.

D．Four.

小題3:According to the fourth paragraph，________.

A．men often do better than women in weightlifting

B．women need to use different training techniques from men

C．men can learn the training techniques better than women

D．women used not to be allowed to compete in Olympic weightlifting

小題4:According to the passage，many athletes began to practice weightlifting because they  wanted to________.

A．take part in the Olympics

B．get a reward in the competition

C．strengthen their body power

D．test the limit of explosive strength

When doctors urge overweight kids to pick up more activities，reading probably isn’t what they have in mind.    Yet a new study by fatness researchers at Duke University finds that the simple act of reading—depending on the choice of material—can cause weight loss in teenage girls.
The study’s experimental group included 31 fat girls aged 9 to 13，who took part in the Healthy Lifestyles Program at Duke Children’s Hospital. The girls read a novel called Lake Rescue，whose protagonist (主人公) is an overweight teenager who struggles with low self­esteem，feelings of loneliness and teasing because of her size. A group of 33 girls read a different book called Charlotte in Paris，which did not have an overweight character，and another group of 17 girls read neither book.
At the end of the six­month experiment，all the girls who read books had lost weight，but the girls who read Lake Rescue lost more. They lowered their body mass index (BMI) by 0.71，compared with 0.33 in the Charlotte group，an average 0.05 increase among the nonreaders.
The idea behind the study，says Dr Sarah Armstrong，director of Healthy Lifestyles，was to find a way to encourage the girls without adopting the restrictive and often authoritative voice of so many other nutrition and diet programs. Lake Rescue was the perfect instrument，says Armstrong；it presents a likable character to whom the girls could relate and whom they could learn from. As the book progresses，its protagonist learns to make healthier lifestyle choices and finds an adviser to help keep her on track. Armstrong says，“She learns that she can become healthier，and the ‘I can do it’ feeling resonates (產(chǎn)生共鳴) with the teenage girls.”
小題1:What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．There are different ways to help overweight kids lose weight.

B．Lifestyle is important for kids.

C．Lake Rescue is the perfect weight­losing instrument.

D．Reading can help kids lose weight.

小題2:How many girls took part in the experiment?

A．31.

B．33.

C．64.

D．81.

小題3:What does the underlined word “She” in the last paragraph refer to?

A．Armstrong.	B．The protagonist in Lake Rescue.
C．A character in Charlotte in Paris.	D．A girl in the first group.

小題4:According to the passage we can know that ________.

A．overweight girls are living unhappily

B．reading is the best way to lose weight

C．different reading materials play different roles in losing weight

D．people will become fat if they don’t read

小題5:In which part of a newspaper can we read the above passage?

A．Education.

B．Entertainment.

C．Health.

D．Advertisement.

Hundreds of secondary schools are using a controversial reward scheme which “bribes” (賄賂)pupils with iPods and DVD players to turn up in classes and do homework.
Almost one million schoolchildren have been issued with supermarket-style reward cards which allow them to collect good-behavior “points” and cash them in for prizes.
Schools taking part in the “Vivo Miles” scheme are spending several thousand pounds a year in an attempt to cut truancy (逃學(xué)) and promote achievements. The prizes are ultimately funded by the taxpayer, through school budgets. Nearly 500 secondary schools, one in six, have decided to take part in the scheme, which is intended to replace old-style rewards such as stickers and golden stars.
But the extent of rewards being offered in schools brought a warning that a generation of children is growing up expecting to be rewarded at every stage. Many youngsters are collecting points for ordinary achievements such as remembering to bring their PE kit and wearing the correct uniform.
Under the scheme, teachers award Vivo points—worth 1 penny each—according to the school’s policy. Schools typically spend￡4 to￡6 on prizes per pupil each year, although some commit considerably more. Most pupils accumulate between 400 and 600 Vivos a year. Vivo Miles insists it is “pretty rare” for a pupil to accumulate enough points to buy an iPod, which requires 3,100 Vivos.
But Chris McGovern, chairman of the Campaign for Real Education, said the scheme amounted to “bribery”. “It misleads children into thinking anything which requires effort has to have a special reward,” he said. “This ‘a(chǎn)ll must have prizes’ view is damaging to children in the long-term.” The scheme amounted to an “admission of failure” by schools. He said. “It shows a school has failed to convince children education is important.”
小題1:The “Vivo Miles” scheme is aimed at ______________.

A．increasing the income of the school

B．encouraging students to perform well at school

C．inviting more students to attend the school nearby

D．encouraging parents to donate to the school

小題2:The underlined word “controversial” in the first paragraph can be replaced by __________.

A．a(chǎn)rguable

B．practical

C．strange

D．mature

小題3:Those who oppose the “Vivo Miles” scheme think ______________.

A．it helps control the problem of truancy

B．it teaches children the importance of saving

C．it will mislead children about efforts and rewards

D．it’s not easy to get more than 600 Vivos a year

小題4:What’s the writer’s attitude towards the scheme?

A．Supportive.

B．Opposed.

C．Unconcerned.

D．Objective.

On August 26, 1999, New York City was struck by a terrible rainstorm. The rain caused the streets to   36  and the subway system almost came to a stop.
Unfortunately, this happened during the morning rush hour. Many people who were going to work were   37 to go home. Some battled to   38  a taxi or to get on a bus. Still others faced the   39   bravely, walking miles to get to work.
I   40  to be one of people on the way to work that morning. I went from subway line to subway line only to find that most   41   had stopped. After making my way   42   crowds of people, I finally found a subway line that was   43.            Unfortunately, there were so many people waiting to   44   the subway that I could not even get down the stairs to the   45 . So I took the train going in the opposite direction, and then switched back to the downtown train.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, the train   46    my stop. Then I had to walk several blocks in the increasingly heavy rain. When I finally got to my office, I was  47 through, exhausted and   48 .
My co-workers and I spent most of the day drying off. When it was 5:00 pm, I was ready to go home. I was about to turn off my computer   49   I received an email from Garth, my Director:
I would like to thank all of you who made the effort and   50   went to work. It is always reassuring(令人欣慰), at times like these, when employees so clearly show their   51   to their jobs. Thank you.
Garth’s email was short, but I learned more from that   52   message than I ever did from a textbook. The email taught me that a few words of   53   can make a big difference. The rainstorm and the traffic  54  had made me tired and upset. But Garth’s words immediately   55   me and put a smile back on my face.

小題1:	A．confusion B．flood C．sink D．crash

小題2:	A．forced B．refused C．a(chǎn)pproached D．gathered

小題3:	A．order B．pay C．call D．search

小題4:	A．climate B．scenery C．storm D．burden

小題5:	A．occurred B．promised C．deserved D．happened

小題6:	A．practice B．travel C．process D．service

小題7:	A．to B．through C．over D．for

小題8:	A．running B．cycling C．turning D．rushing

小題9:	A．get off B．take off C．take on D．get on

小題10:

A．street B．ground C．floor D．platform

小題11:

A．paused B．crossed C．reached D．parked

小題12:

A．wet B．weak C．sick D．hurt

小題13:

A．a(chǎn)shamed B．discouraged C．surprised D．helpless

小題14:

A．while B．when C．where D．a(chǎn)fter

小題15:

A．hardly B．definitely C．a(chǎn)bsolutely D．finally

小題16:

A．devotion B．permission C．concern D．reaction

小題17:

A．exact B．urgent C．brief D．humorous

小題18:

A．promise B．a(chǎn)ppreciation C．a(chǎn)dmiration D．guidance

小題19:

A．troubles B．signals C．rules D．signs

小題20:

A．corrected B．supported C．a(chǎn)mazed D．refreshed

The Mayan Indians lived in Mexico for thousands of years. The Maya were so bright that they achieved a lot. They had farms, temples and cities with many buildings. They knew much about nature and the world around them. This knowledge helped them to live a better life than most people of that time.
In ancient Mexico there were many small clearings in the forest. In each clearing was a village with fields of crops around it. The Maya planted seeds after they cleared the land. A farmer was able to grow crops that produced for several people. But not every Maya had to be a farmer. Some were builders or priests (祭司).
The Maya believed in many gods. They built large temples to honor them. Skillful workers built cities around these temples. It was difficult because they had to carry all of the building materials themselves. Today, many of these ancient Mayan cities and temples are still standing.
Although the Maya worked hard to build the beautiful cities, very few of them lived in them. Usually, only the priests lived in the cities. The other people lived in small villages in the forests. Their houses were much simpler. Most Maya lived a simple life close to nature.
Measuring time correctly was important to the Maya, so Mayan priests made a system to keep track of time. They wrote numbers as dots ( … ) and bars ( — ). They also made a calendar (日歷). The year was divided into 18 months of 20 days each with five days left over.
Around the year 800, the Maya left their villages and beautiful cities, never to return. No one knows why this happened. They may have died from a deadly disease. They may have left because the soil could no longer grow crops. The lost secrets of the Maya are still beyond the reach of modern people. They are still one of our greatest mysteries (神秘).
小題1:The Maya lived better than most people of their times because _____.

A．they had skillful workers

B．they believed in many gods

C．they knew better about nature

D．they could measure time correctly

小題2:It can be inferred from the passage that _____.

A．the calendar was first invented by the ancient Maya

B．the ancient Mayan cities and temples were well built

C．the ancient Mayan people led a happy life in the cities

D．the priests were not highly respected by the ancient Maya

小題3:The underlined word “they” in the passage refers to _____.

A．the Mayan people	B．the Mayan villages
C．the Mayan cities	D．the lost secrets of the Maya

小題4:Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

A．The Life of the Maya	B．The Cities of the Maya
C．The Mystery of the Maya	D．The Belief of the Maya

With the possible exception of equal rights, perhaps the most heated argument across the United States today is the death penalty (死刑). Many argue that it is an effective deterrent (威懾) to murder（謀殺）, while others think there is no enough proof that the death penalty reduces the number of murders. The argument advanced by those who are against the death penalty is that it is cruel and inhuman punishment, that it is a mark of a bad society and finally that it is of questionable effectiveness as a deterrent (威懾物) to crime (罪行) anyway.
In our opinion, the death penalty is a necessary action. Throughout recorded history there have always been those peculiar persons in every society who made terrible crimes such as murder. But some are more dangerous than others. For example, it is one thing to take the life of another in time of blind anger, but quite another to coldly plan and carry out the murder of one or more people in the style of a butcher. Thus, murder, like all other crimes, is a matter of different degree. While it could be argued with some reason that the criminal in the first instance should be merely kept from society, such should not be the fate of the latter type murderer.
The value of the death penalty as a deterrent to crime may be open to discussion. But the majority of people believe that the death penalty protects them. Their belief is proved by the fact that the death penalty prevents murder. For example, from 1954 to 1963, when the death penalty was carried out from time to time in California, the murder rate remained between three and four murders for each 100, 000 population. Since 1964 the death penalty has been done only once, and the murder rate has risen to10.4 murders for each 100, 000 population. The sharp climb in the state's murder rate, which began when killings stopped, does not happen by chance. It certainly shows that the death penalty does stop many murderers. If the law about death penalty is vetoed (否決), some people will be murdered----some whose lives may have been saved if the death penalty were in effect. This is really a life or death matter. The lives of thousands of people must be protected.
小題1:The main purpose of this passage is to _________.

A．speak for the majority

B．a(chǎn)rgue against the value of the death penalty

C．speak ill of the government

D．a(chǎn)rgue for the value of the death penalty

小題2:Which of the following is among the heated arguments across the USA besides death penalty?

A．Air pollution.	B．The war against Iraq.
C．Equal rights.	D．Election of president.

小題3:The numbers in the last paragraph show that ______.

A．if they stick to death penalty, the number of murders will be reduced

B．death penalty almost stopped from 1954 to 1963

C．the population of California has risen

D．death penalty is of little value

小題4:It can be inferred that the writer thinks that ______.

A．the death penalty is the most important problem in the United States today

B．the second type of murderers (in Paragraph 2) should be sentenced to death

C．the veto of the law about death penalty is of little importance

D．the value of the death penalty as a deterrent to crime is not to be discussed