A businesswoman, a mother of four, an international fashion icon（偶像） , a woman committed to making the world a better place for women and children—Queen Rania of Jordan is truly changing the world.
Rania was bom in Kuwait, in 1970.Shortly after Iraq invaded that country in 1990, her family fled and settled in Jordan.After graduating from a business school, Rania became successful in the business world.
When she was just 22, she went to a dinner party that changed her life forever.It was there that she met Jordan' s Prince Abdullah.Six months later, Rania and Abdullah had a royal wedding and started a family.
After the death of her father – in – law, King Hussein, in 1999, Prince Abdullah was crowned King Abdullah II of Jordan, and Rania became the world' s youngest living queen.
In her role as Queen, Rania has become well known around the world for her charity work and her efforts to improve educational opportunities for girls.She is an outspoken advocate of women' s rights, education reform, and child abuse.She is also well - known for her efforts to remove Western stereotypes （旧观念） about the Muslim world.
Rania explains that there is a direct relationship between increasing education and eliminating poverty." You can change the course of a nation through education," she says." One of the most important things you can do for a girl is empower her with her education.Once she has the education she can then have control over her income, she can change her life, she can have choices."
In the future, Rania says, she hopes for a more open and secure world."We look at problems happening halfway across the world and we think,' Well, that' s their problem.' But it' s not," she says." When you solve somebody else' s problem, you are solving a problem for yourself, because our world today is so interconnected."

  1. 1.

    Rania and her family moved to Jordan because ____.

    1. A.
      she was engaged to Jordan' s Prince Abdullah
    2. B.
      she wanted to attend a business school there
    3. C.
      Jordan was a more developed country than Kuwait
    4. D.
      the war broke out between Kuwait and Iraq
  2. 2.

    Rania became the world' s youngest living queen when she was ____.

    1. A.
      a girl of 22
    2. B.
      at the age of 23
    3. C.
      in her thirties
    4. D.
      29 years old
  3. 3.

    In her role as Queen, Rania is more devoted to ____.

    1. A.
      her business work
    2. B.
      girls' education
    3. C.
      fashion shows
    4. D.
      her family
  4. 4.

    Rania thinks that ____.

    1. A.
      women have brought about great changes to the world
    2. B.
      education can help a girl find a wealthy husband
    3. C.
      in the world today, all countries depend on each other
    4. D.
      the Muslim world needs more help from the western countries
  5. 5.

    The text mainly describes Rania as ____.

    1. A.
      a caring mother
    2. B.
      a fashion model
    3. C.
      a social activist
    4. D.
      a smart businesswoman

Long long ago people made fires from lightning(闪电)。 But they had to keep the fire burning, for they couldn’t start it again if there was no lightning. Later, they found out hitting two piece of stone together could make a spark (火花). The spark could fire dry leaves. In this way they could make the fire again if it went out. Them people also learned to make a fire by rubbing. They made a hole on a big piece of wood and put a smaller stick into the hole. They turned the stick again and again. After a few minutes they got a fire.
As years went by, people learned other ways to make a fire. Sometimes they used the heat from sun. they held a piece of glass in the right way and made a piece of paper on fire.
About two centuries ago, people began to make matches (火柴). Matches brought people a quick and easy way to make fire. Today matches are still being used, but people have more new ways to make fires. One of them is to use an electric fire starter. Of course an electric fire starter is much more expensive than a box of matches. But it is more useful.

  1. 1.

    A spark can _________.

    1. A.
      fire any leaves
    2. B.
      burn anything
    3. C.
      burn dry leaves
    4. D.
      keep fires burning
  2. 2.

    We can also get a fire by _________.

    1. A.
      making a hole on a big piece of wood
    2. B.
      putting a smaller stick into the hole
    3. C.
      turning the stick hard for a while
    4. D.
      doing all the above together
  3. 3.

    Matches have been used _________.

    1. A.
      for about two thousand years
    2. B.
      for about two hundred years
    3. C.
      since people began to use fire for cooking
    4. D.
      since people used the heat from the sun.
  4. 4.

    From this passage we know _______.

    1. A.
      using matches is the easiest and most useful way to make fires
    2. B.
      people don’t use matches any more since they had electric fire starters
    3. C.
      today there are only two ways to make fires
    4. D.
      some forest fires happen from lightning
  5. 5.

    Choose the right order of the ways to make fires people got to know _________.
    a. with a match   b. from the sun   c. from lightning 
    d. by rubbing   e. with an electric fire starter.

    1. A.
      d ,b, c, a,e
    2. B.
      d, c, b, a, e
    3. C.
      c, d, b, a, e
    4. D.
      c, b, d, a ,e

As if there weren’t enough of them in the world already, scientists have succeeded in cloning flies. The alike fruit flies are the first insects ever cloned, says the Canadian team that created them. The question everyone asks is why anyone would want to clone flies in the first place. She hopes that the insects , which are very easy to experiment with , will help to adjust the cloning process in other animals and even in humans, where the technique is being researched to aid production of therapeutic (治疗的) stem cells.
In cloning, the DNA-containing nucleus of an adult cell is injected into an egg whose own nucleus(细胞核) has been removed. At the moment, the majority of cloned mice, sheep and other animals die before birth. It is thought this is because the adult DNA is not properly ‘reprogrammed’.
Using flies, researchers might discover genes that are important for this reprogramming, and that have matches in other animals. That is because it is relatively easy in flies to knock out the function of a single gene and then attempt cloning with these cells, which will test whether that gene is important. If such genes are confirmed, then in theory cloned mammalian embryos(晶胚) might be grown in selected solutions that change the activity of those genes to improve the technique’s success rate. Although some groups have attempted to clone insects before, Lloyd says this is the first time it has been successful. The team used a slight difference on the standard cloning process: they transferred nuclei taken from embryos rather than fully-grown adult cells. They sucked several nuclei (pl)out of developing fly embryos, and injected them into a fertilized(已受精的) fly egg. From over 800 early attempts, they cloned five adult insects, the group reports in the journal Genetics.

  1. 1.

    The best title of this passage probably is _______.

    1. A.
      The importance of clone
    2. B.
      First insects are cloned
    3. C.
      The disagreement in clone
    4. D.
      The advantages of clone
  2. 2.

    The scientists cloned flies because________.

    1. A.
      there are fewer and fewer flies in the world
    2. B.
      flies are easy to find and cheap to use
    3. C.
      they can gain some experience before cloning other animals
    4. D.
      it is safe to clone flies
  3. 3.

    The failure of most cloned animals is due to _______.

    1. A.
      the difference of other animals’ genes
    2. B.
      the improper technique of clone
    3. C.
      the complex of other animals
    4. D.
      the improper rearrange of the adult gene
  4. 4.

    It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ______.

    1. A.
      the clone of insects before used grown-up cells
    2. B.
      the clone of insects were never experimented before
    3. C.
      this time scientists cloned flies successfully and easily
    4. D.
      based on this success, other animals will be cloned in large quantities.

If California were not already so famous for Sillicon Valley(硅谷) and Hollywood, it might be well-known for the groups of water-technology firms in its San Diego County. The reverse-osmosis (RO) spiral module, the technique that supports turning seawater and waste-water into drinkable stuff, began in San Diego in 1964. Today dozens of firms in the area supply many of the world's approximately 13，000 RO plants in places from the Persian Gulf and Israel to Australia and China.
Southern California itself, however, has not so far been a big user of its own technology. This is surprising, given that the whole American south-west faces a water problem. But now as the climate gets warmer and the population increases, there is more agreement that the existing infrastructure, consisting of vast pipes that carry water from the Sacramento Delta in the north and the Colorado River in the east, will not be enough. In places such as San Diego, which has inadequate and salty groundwater and currently imports 90% or its water, the answers must be greater conservation, reusing as much water as possible, and getting most of the rest from the sea.
The first part, conservation, has been widely accepted by the public. San Diego today uses less water with a larger population than it did in 1989, the year water consumption peaked. The second part, water recycling has been a hard sell, because of an unpleasant factor. Americans still use the term “toilet-to-tap” for recycling, even though properly treated waste-water is nowadays completely clean. Singapore made its programme acceptable in part by renaming it as NEWater.
This is where desalination comes in, which means taking the salt out of salt water. A firm called Poseidon Resources is now close to building the biggest desalination plant in America behind a power station by the beach in Carlsbad. The power plant sucks in 304m gallons of seawater a day for cooling, so Poseidon plans to change 104m gallons a day by using the RO spiral module.
Lots of people like the idea. Once fully running in 2015, the plant could produce 10% of the region's water. And there are plans for more desalination plants. Many places would need to take much less water from the endangered Colorado River. But a few people hate it a lot. Joe Geever, an expert in biology, says desalination uses too much energy and that Poseidon plant would kill too much sea life. He understands that there is a role for desalination, he says, but would rather not have it right there, right now, and on this scale.

  1. 1.

    Which of the following is WRONG about the RO spiral module according to the passage?

    1. A.
      This technology is not widely used in its birthplace.
    2. B.
      Today there are about 13，000 RO plants in the Persian Gulf, Israel, Australia and China.
    3. C.
      This technology can be used in desalination plants to make sea water drinkable.
    4. D.
      It is a promising water treatment technology welcomed by a lot of people.
  2. 2.

    How many solutions to the water problem in San Diego are mentioned in the article?

    1. A.
      2.
    2. B.
      3.
    3. C.
      4.
    4. D.
      5.
  3. 3.

    What can we infer from the article?

    1. A.
      The Colorado River is the main water source for California.
    2. B.
      Americans still use the term “toilet-to-tap” for recycling water.
    3. C.
      NEWater serves as a brand for recycled clean water in Singapore.
    4. D.
      Poseidon Resources stands for the power station by the beach in Carlsbad.
  4. 4.

    What is Joe Geever's attitude toward building a large desalination plant at present?

    1. A.
      Supportive.
    2. B.
      Negative.
    3. C.
      Optimistic.
    4. D.
      Vague.

Dear NMAI(National Museum of the American Indian) Supporter，
Old stereotypes(思维定式) die hard. And when it comes to the way Native Americans have been viewed throughout history and continue to be viewed today, the stories about life in Indian Country are sadly overshadowing the truths. Most Native Americans don't live in tipis(圆锥形帐篷), and we don't greet one another by saying,  “How.”
To combat misconceptions like these, I need help from people who understand there's more to Native American cultures than the offensive cartoons that you see in movies and television.
I think that you might be one of these people.
Please join NMAI today and enjoy exclusive benefits like our full-color quarterly magazine American Indian, and Members-only discounts at all Smithsonian, NMAI Museum Stores, and at our Zagat-rated Mitsitam Native Foods Café.
Plus, through this email, you can take advantage of our special price of $22-more than 10% off our regular membership charge.
With your support, the National Museum of the American Indian can tell the story both past and present of Native life and culture in North, Central, and South America.
In just one visit to either of our Museums in Washington, DC, or New York City, you can watch a performance by traditional Native dancers... attend a lecture by a leading voice from the world of Native literature... spend an afternoon taking an informative audio tour of the Museum's distinctive grounds... and try your hand at Native crafts like pottery and beadwork. And for those who are unable to visit the museums in person, much of our extensive collection of more than 800，000 objects is cateloged on our website.
Only with your generosity can we share the Native story, awaken children to an interest in Native culture, and bring the Museum experience to people who can't travel to our Museums in person.
By joining the Museum today, you will take the first step in putting an end to the old stereotypes and long-held prejudices that have contributed to an incomplete picture of Native traditions and accomplishments.
Sincerely，
Kevin Gover
Director

  1. 1.

    What is the author's intention in writing this letter?

    1. A.
      To call for more people to join in volunteer work.
    2. B.
      To carry out researches on Native Americans.
    3. C.
      To invite more people to be members of the museum.
    4. D.
      To raise more donations for the museum.
  2. 2.

    Which of the following statements describes the life and culture of Native Americans correctly?

    1. A.
      They are good at pottery and beadwork.
    2. B.
      Most of them live in tipis.
    3. C.
      They greet others by saying, “How.”
    4. D.
      They like designing offensive cartoons.
  3. 3.

    If you join NMAI, you can enjoy the following benefits except ________.

    1. A.
      free full-color quarterly magazine American Indian
    2. B.
      Members-only discounts at all Smithsonian
    3. C.
      Members-only discounts for buying in NMAI Museum Stores
    4. D.
      a free meal at Zagat-rated Mitsitam Native Foods Café
  4. 4.

    Regular membership fee  of the NMAI is about ________.

    1. A.
      $30
    2. B.
      $20
    3. C.
      $15
    4. D.
      $25

Catch yourself daydreaming while washing the dishes again? If this happens often you probably have a pretty capable working memory and a sharper brain, new research suggests.
This mind wandering, it seems, actually gives your working memory a workout. Working memory is the mental work space that allows the brain to juggle multiple thoughts at the same time. The more working memory a person has, the more daydreaming they can do without forgetting the task at hand.
Researchers studied groups of people from the University of Wisconsin-Madison community, ranging in age from 18 to 65. The volunteers were asked to perform simple tasks, like pressing a button every time they took a breath or clicking in response to a letter popping up on a computer screen; these tasks were so easy that their minds were likely to wander, the researchers figured.
The researchers checked in periodically, asking the participants if their minds were on task or wandering. When the task was over, they measured each participant's working memory capacity by having them remember letters while doing math questions. Though all participants performed well on the task, the researchers noticed that the individuals who indicated their minds had wandered more than others also scored higher on the working memory test.
“What this study seems to suggest is that, when circumstances for the task aren't very difficult, people who have additional working memory resources allocate them to think about things other than what they're doing，” said Jonathan Smallwood, a study researcher of the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitve and Brain Science.
When our minds run out of working memory, these off-topic thoughts can take the main stage without us consciously meaning them to; for instance, arriving at home with no memory of the actual trip, or suddenly realizing that they've turned several pages in a book without understanding any of the words.
“It's almost like your attention was so absorbed in the mind wandering that there wasn't any left over to remember your goal to read，” study researcher Daniel Levinson, said in a statement.
People with overall higher working memory were better able to stay focused when the task at hand required it. Those who had low working memory often had their thoughts drift away from the task, and did less well at it.
The findings add to past research suggesting these mind drifts can be positive moments. For instance, daydreaming has often been associated with creativity—researchers think that our most creative and inventive moments come when daydreaming. It's likely that the most intelligent among us also have high levels of working memory, Levinson noted.

  1. 1.

    The word “juggle” in the second paragraph can be replaced by “________”.

    1. A.
      handle
    2. B.
      search
    3. C.
      understand
    4. D.
      distribute
  2. 2.

    What can be concluded from Jonathan Smallwood's words?

    1. A.
      People who often have daydreams probably own a pretty capable working memory.
    2. B.
      On the working memory test, people with wandering minds will get high score.
    3. C.
      Absorbed in the mind wandering, your attention left no space for your goal.
    4. D.
      Dealing with some easy jobs, people with higher working memory will daydream.
  3. 3.

    What is the best title of the passage?

    1. A.
      Mind drifts are always positive.
    2. B.
      Daydreaming is good for the mind.
    3. C.
      Creative moments come with working memory.
    4. D.
      The more daydreaming, the more effectively one works.

Perhaps everyone has heard warnings about the “freshman 15”, but is it true that many college students weigh 15 pounds more during their first year at school?
Recent studies find that some first-year students are indeed likely to gain weight, but it might not be the full freshman 15, and it may not all happen during the freshman year. That might sound like good news, but it’s not. Doctors are concerned that students who gradually put on pounds could have healthy problems.
Studies show that students on average gain 3-10 pounds during their first 2 years of college. Most of this weight gain occurs during the first year. A college offers many temptations (诱惑). You’re on your own and free to eat what you want. In addition, you may not get as much exercise as you did in high school. A college is also a time of change, and people sometimes eat in response to (对……做出反应) homesickness, sadness, or stress, and all of these can be part of starting a new life in college.
Some weight gain is normal as a young body grows, but rapid weight gain may become a problem. Weight gain that pushes you above the body’s normal range carries health risks. People who are overweight are more likely to have high blood pressure, heart disease and develop certain cancers.
The best way to beat “freshman 15” is to prevent it altogether. Good habits like a balanced diet, regular exercise, and getting enough sleep can do more than keeping the pounds off. They can also help you stay healthy.

  1. 1.

    The “freshman 15” refers to the fact that the first-year college students ________.

    1. A.
      are likely to gain much weight   
    2. B.
      can’t get used to living in college
    3. C.
      may have 15 health problems   
    4. D.
      gradually put on weight in 15 weeks
  2. 2.

    According to the writer, the causes of “freshman 15” don’t include ________.

    1. A.
      getting less exercise         
    2. B.
      being free to eat food
    3. C.
      feeling homesick           
    4. D.
      having more subjects.
  3. 3.

    What is the best way to beat “freshman 15”?

    1. A.
      To ask doctors for advice.       
    2. B.
      To pay attention to your lessons.
    3. C.
      To stop it from happening.       
    4. D.
      To do a lot exercise every day.
  4. 4.

    What can we learn from the text?

    1. A.
      Getting less sleep can help people lose weight gradually.
    2. B.
      Overweight people usually have more health risks.
    3. C.
      Weight gain is becoming serious among college students.
    4. D.
      Students gain more weight in the second year than in the first.

Why do women earn less than men?
Women earn less than men. For example, in 1988 the hourly wages of women in the U.S. were 16% less than those of men. The gap between male and female incomes varies with age. The gap between the labor incomes of young women and young men is much smaller than that between middle-aged women and men. It is also clear that jobs in which women are concentrated pay less. The larger the number of workers in an industry who are women, the lower the average wages.
Why do women earn less than men? Are the differences explained by the fact that women are looked down upon? If so, the government has to intervene, to force the employers to pay equal wages to equal jobs. however, there is no agreement among economists about the causes of the gap. One view argues that women on the average have chosen low-paying jobs in which workers enjoy the freedom of entering and leaving the labor force, which reduces their years of experience relative to men. Other people say the gap can also be explained by the difference in educational background which is shown in the difference in the marginal product between men and women.
Much of the gap, however, has not been fully explained. It might be the result of some bias against women. It is this part that has produced calls for government action. What would happen if the government did intervene to increase the wages paid to women? One possibility is that incomes for women as a group might actually decline. An increase in wage decreases the quantity of labor input demanded, resulting in decreased employment as the rate of hiring new workers declines. The result will be a surplus of labor. Those who can find jobs might be better off while those who had jobs might find themselves out of work.

  1. 1.

    The difference in labor incomes is most obvious between _______.

    1. A.
      young men and young women
    2. B.
      young women in the same industry
    3. C.
      middle-aged men and middle-aged women
    4. D.
      middle-aged women in the same industry
  2. 2.

    Some economists believe women earn less than men partly because ______.

    1. A.
      women are less experienced than men
    2. B.
      women are only provided with low-paying jobs
    3. C.
      women have much freedom in selecting their jobs
    4. D.
      there is more than enough women in the labor force
  3. 3.

    Which of the following cannot be inferred from the second paragraph?

    1. A.
      Women receive less education than men.
    2. B.
      Women are not as productive as men.
    3. C.
      Levels of education are closely related to productivity.
    4. D.
      Goods produced by women are not as good as those by men.
  4. 4.

    What does the author suggest that the government should do for women workers?

    1. A.
      To ensure equal pay for women.
    2. B.
      To explain why women are paid less.
    3. C.
      To force employers to hire more women.
    4. D.
      No solution is clearly suggested.
  5. 5.

    What would happen if women’s wages were raised?

    1. A.
      Input of capital would be increased.
    2. B.
      The unemployment rate would go up.
    3. C.
      Those that have jobs would become better off.
    4. D.
      Women as a group would earn more than before.

Biosphere 2, as it is called, was built not far from Tucson in 1984 and is now run by Columbia University. This huge（7,200,000-cubic-foot）glass and steel construction contains several separate ecosystems, including a desert, a rain forest, and a 900,000-gallon “ocean.” The climatic conditions-humidity, temperature, air quality-are regulated by sensors and can be adjusted as needed or desired. For example, a rainstorm can be created to increase the humidity. The adjustable features of Biosphere 2 make it an ideal location to perform experiments to help determine the effects of such climatic changes as global warming.
The current conditions at Biosphere 2 are vastly different from those in 1993, when eight people who had moved into the environment with great fanfare two years earlier moved out in failure. Though promising to be self-sufficient（自足的）, these “colonists” had so much trouble regulating the environment that they reportedly had food smuggled into them. Oxygen levels became dangerously low; most plants and animals died. In taking over the unsuccessful site, Columbia hopes to erase its notorious past by focusing on small research projects that gradually answer some of Biosphere 1’s — that is, Earth’s most basic environment questions.

  1. 1.

    This passage primarily deals with _________.

    1. A.
      conditions of life in Biosphere 2
    2. B.
      building controlled environments on other planets
    3. C.
      why Biosphere 2 failed in the past
    4. D.
      what makes a good biosphere colonist
  2. 2.

    Biosphere 2 is now run by _________.

    1. A.
      a group of eight colonists
    2. B.
      Columbia University
    3. C.
      the city of Tucson
    4. D.
      scientists who hope to establish Biosphere 3
  3. 3.

    The passage suggests that earlier colonists of Biosphere 2 _________.

    1. A.
      did not like living in a controlled environment
    2. B.
      found it very difficult to live in a controlled environment
    3. C.
      still are involved with Biosphere 2
    4. D.
      have now left the country in disgrace
  4. 4.

    The writer helps you understand what Biosphere 2 is like by _________.

    1. A.
      comparing its features with those of an outer space biosphere
    2. B.
      explaining the process by which it was constructed
    3. C.
      referring to an interview with one of former inhabitants
    4. D.
      describing its appearance and conditions
  5. 5.

    In paragraph 3 the word “notorious” means _________.

    1. A.
      well known for something good
    2. B.
      well known for something bad
    3. C.
      very dangerous
    4. D.
      quite interesting

I came to live here where I am now between Wounded Knee Greek and Grass Greek。Others came too, and we made these little grey houses of logs that you see, and they are square. It is a bad way to live, for there can be no power in a square.
You have noticed that everything an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the Power of the World always works in circles, and everything tries to be round. In the old days when we were strong and happy people, all our power came to us from the respectful circle of the nation, and so long as the circle was unbroken, the people were getting rich. The flowering tree was the living center of the circle, and the circle of the four quarters nursed it. The east gave peace and light, the south gave warmth, the west gave rain, and the north with its cold and strong wind gave strength and continuous power.
This knowledge came to us from the outer world with our brief. Everything the Power of the World does is done in a circle. The sky is round, and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars. Birds make their nests in circle, for theirs are the same as ours. The sun comes forth and goes down again in a circle. The moon does the same, and both are round. Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were. The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves.
Our places were like the nests of birds, and these were always set in a circle, the nation’s circle, a nest of many nests, where the Great Spirit meant for us to nurse our children.
But the “white people” have put us in these square boxes. Our power is gone and we are dying, for the power is not in us any more. You can look at our boys and see how it is with us. Where we were living by the power of the circle in the way we should, boys were men at twelve or thirteen years of age. But now it takes them very much longer to grow up.

  1. 1.

    According to the passage, the Indians _______.

    1. A.
      don’t have modern instruments in their homes
    2. B.
      refused to move from round places
    3. C.
      lived in round places, but were forced to live in square houses
    4. D.
      lived in round places, but then decided to move into square houses
  2. 2.

    Two things being compared in the passage are _______.

    1. A.
      the Indians’ past and present living conditions
    2. B.
      the Indians’ past and modern beliefs
    3. C.
      the Indians’ old and new power
    4. D.
      people and nature
  3. 3.

    In the second paragraph “the four quarters” refers to _______.

    1. A.
      the four rooms of the Indian’s house
    2. B.
      the four kinds of natural power
    3. C.
      the four seasons
    4. D.
      the four directions
  4. 4.

    According to the author, once the Indians moved into square houses, _______.

    1. A.
      they had to move to other houses
    2. B.
      boys took more time to grow into men
    3. C.
      they forgot the old way of life
    4. D.
      everyone was not happy
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