The best way to improve your reading ability is, of course, to read. The student must make a real effort to improve his speed, and if necessary his comprehension, with each exercise. Too many students read passages passively（被动的） and without judgment: they simply start at the first word and read through to the end. You should read a passage actively, selectively（选择地） and purposely. You must believe that you indeed have the ability to read faster and understand, and that you will.

Reading, like everything else in life, is best done when you’re relaxed. The key to improve it is concentration. You must be willing to break some old habits and form new ones. Extra body movement, such as turning the head from side to side, pointing at the line with a finger or pencil, or moving the lips, should be stopped immediately. Reading is mostly a mental process(大脑活动过程) and body movement helps neither speed nor comprehension. Then you should see words as part of a whole sentence or paragraph, not just in isolation(孤立), This is why a slow, word-by-word student often understands far less, or misses much of the joy and excitement of reading.

The student must learn to improve reading skills on their own, and not just when a teacher is looking over his shoulder. Reading improvement takes discipline（纪律） and effort. Don’t give up.

1. According to the author, how should we not read a passage?

A. actively        B passively.   C. purposely        D. selectively

2. You may conclude that whether you can improve your reading depends on________.

A. your attitude                      B. your good habits of reading

C. discipline                         D. all of the above

3. Which of the following is true according to the passage?        

A. When reading, you’d better point at the line with a pencil. 　　

B. When reading, you should turn your head from side to side.

C. When reading, you should pay attention to basic unit of meaning, that is a phrase or sentence that contains an idea.    

D. Body movement will help you to improve reading.

4. The best title for this passage is___________.

A. Reading Faster                         B. Understanding Better

C. How to Improve Your Reading             D. Don’t Give Up

Stepfamilies are commonplace in the United States and their number continues to grow．While stepfamilies differ widely in their make-up， they all consist of a parenting couple and children， one or more of whom is of a previous union．Such combinations of his kids， her kids， and then， possibly， kids of the new union make for complicated and often trying difficulties， more challenging than those of traditional families．

       Since stepfamilies involve more people and， consequently， more potential problems from the start than do childless new marriage， it is wise for the couple to do some careful planning prior to （＝before） marriage．Not only do the prospective（预期的） marital partners need agreement about their own carriers， life goals， finance and special interests， they must also prepare for new relationship with their children and attempt to accommodate their individual needs and feelings．Furthermore， there are often the rights of other relatives to consider．

       As for any family， the basic ingredient（成分） of a successful stepfamily are affection， kindness and mutual（相互的） respect．However， love alone is not enough．Certainly love is the cornerstone upon which the foundation of any family is built， but there are also many other important ingredients involved in building a successful stepfamily．

       Surveys reveal that successful families regard the ability to communicate openly as the most important factor in their success．Communication is what keeps families on track and functioning as a unit．Although healthy communication is easier for some people than for others， this skill can be learned and improved．Healthy communication involves speaking clearly and listening carefully．

       By their very nature， stepfamilies often are complicated by past events that give rise to ambivalent（矛盾的） loyalties， lingering（持久的） hurts， fears， feelings of guilt and unrealistic dreams．The difficulties that arise within the stepfamilies are human and understandable．However， there are ways to confront（面临） and resolve them．For example， support groups and professional counselors（法律顾问） are available in most communities to provide help and guidance when communications stopped and problems seem overwhelming（压倒性的）．

       Planning and building a stepfamily is not a responsibility to take lightly．It can be a very trying and， at times， seemingly impossible effort．Many potential troubles can arise and threaten to destroy the stepfamily．Nevertheless， meeting and mastering these special challenges can bring unexpected satisfactions and rewarding depths of family closeness and affection．

According to the passage， there are 　　　　 in the United States．

       A．no stepfamilies

       B．more stepfamilies than ever before

       C．fewer stepfamilies than ever before

       D．fewer stepfamilies than traditional ones

Which of the following can help avoid the potential problems arising in a stepfamily？

       A．The pursuit of the same careers．

       B．Professional interventions（干涉）．

       C．The development of special interests．

       D．Careful planning before the marriage．

Many people believe that 　　　　 contributes most to the building of a successful stepfamily．

       A．everlasting loyalties

       B．open communication

       C．kindness and mutual respect

       D．persistent（持久稳固的） affection

It is natural for a stepfamily to be 　　　　．

       A．unrealistic

       B．complicated

       C．ambivalent

       D．guilty

According to the author， planning and building a stepfamily is 　　　　．

       A．impossible

       B．satisfying and rewarding

       C．discouraging and frustrating

       D．a difficult and trying experience

It was 4 o'clock in the morning, when I received the phone call.

“This is the emergency room calling and your son was just   36  in with severe burns on his face, neck and arms. We have called for a(n)  37  and are going to fly him to the burn unit in Seattle.” Seattle was 350 miles from his college, so we knew immediately this was  38  . The doctor described the  39 , which caused the burns. At 6 am, our son and his friends decided to barbecue hamburgers in the courtyard of their apartment. When they   40  the charcoal(木炭),it burst into flames because they had sprayed too much gasoline(petrol).The flames  41  my son’s shirt tail and shot from his waist to well over his head.

  42 , one of the boys was quick-minded, grasped my son, and  43  him on the grass. While it saved his life, it was not in  44   to save him from severe burns and the terrible scars(伤疤).

After he  45  from the treatments, the doctors told him they would not do plastic surgery(整容)for 6 months  46  it takes that long for the skin to stop shrinking and wrinkling. So, he had to return to college with scars typical of severe burns.

When I was a child, my mother told my sister, who had a 10-inch very  47  scar on her arm, “Nancy, if you ignore the scar, other people will ignore it. It does not mean they will not   48  it, but it means it will not matter to them if it doesn’t matter to you.”

I   49   this wisdom on to my son. He took my advice to  50   and returned to school with his head held high--glad he was alive.

By the end of the six-month waiting period, he decided that the scars did not  51 . So he made the  52   to give up any plastic surgery. We all have “scars” that we believe  53  people to keep away from us. And we spend a lot of time thinking that if only we looked differently, or dressed differently, people would like us better.  

But you see, people will only judge you by your looks, or your clothes, if you are judging yourself by these same  54  standards. Put your imperfections out of your mind and concentrate on what you value  55   yourself, and your beauty will shine through.

1.                A．brought        B．given           C．turned   D．showed

2.                A．doctor         B．hospital         C．aircraft   D．ambulance

3.                A．serious         B．terrible         C．dangerous D．important

4.                A．event          B．process         C．reason   D．accident

5.                A．got            B．lit             C．burned　　   D．moved

6.                A．took           B．held　　        C．caught 　　   D．attracted

7.                A．Fortunately      B．Surprisingly      C．Happily   D．Slowly

8.                A．Pushed         B．threw          C．dropped  D．rolled

9.                A．shape          B．place           C．fact  D．time

10.               A．benefited       B．recovered      C．suffered   D．relaxed

11.               A．if             B．while          C．because   D．although

12.               A．normal         B．violent         C．obvious   D．popular

13.               A．mention        B．notice          C．laugh D．hide

14.               A．sent           B．kept           C．handed   D．passed

15.               A．heart          B．life            C．practice   D．considerate

16.               A．grow          B．matter         C．exist  D．appeal

17.               A．mistake        B．effort          C．decision   D．request

18.               A．invite          B．cause          C．allow D．Remind

19.               A．false           B．strict           C．moral D．general

20.               A．by            B．over           C．beyond   D．within

Simply by analyzing a drop of blood, a doctor will be able to diagnose a birth defect or even cancer when it is in the early stage; using new technology, a material lighter but much stronger than steel can be produced.
These may sound like dreams at present. But the dreams may soon come true as research findings in laboratories are being turned into products more rapidly in the new century, according to experts participating in the fourth Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Technomart, a technology exhibition and trade fair in Suzhou.　　
"Most people think nano-technology（纳米技术）is too far-fetched to be real. But in fact nano-technology has been applied in a wide range of fields, such as medicine. It is coming into our daily life," said Cheng Jiachong from a Hong Kong-based nano-technology firm.
Nano-technology based on the nanometer, the unit of which is a billionth of a meter, enables scientists to have new concepts of disease diagnosis and treatment on a molecular（分子）and atomic scale, Cheng said.　　
By using nanometer particles, a doctor can separate the fetus cells（胚胎细胞）from the blood of a pregnant woman to see if the development of the fetus is normal. This method is also being used in the early diagnosis of cancer and heart disease, he said.　　
One of the most significant impacts of nano-technology is at the bio-inorganic materials interface, according to Greg Tegart, executive advisor of the APEC Center for Technology Foresight.　　
"By combining enzymes（酶）and silicon chips we can produce biosensors. These could be implanted in humans or animals to monitor health and to deliver corrective doses（剂量）of drugs," he told the participants a technology forum during the exhibition.　　
"Nano-technology could affect the production of nearly every man-made object, from automobiles, tires and computer circuits（电路）, to advanced medicines and tissue replacement, and lead to the invention of objects yet to be imagined," said David Minns, a special advisor to the National Research Council of Canada.　　
It has been shown that carbon nano-tubes are ten times as strong as steel, with one sixth of the weight, and nano-scale systems have the potential to make supersonic transport cost- effective and to increase computer efficiency by millions of times, he said.
The experts agreed that the APEC technology exhibition and trade fair provided many chances for exchanges of innovative ideas and products.
【小题1】Realization of the dreams mentioned in the first paragraph will mainly base on ________.

A．meter

B．meter

C．meter

D．meter

Adults are often surprised by how well they remember something they learned as children but have never practised in the meantime. A man who has not had an opportunity to go swimming for years can  1    swim as well as ever when he gets back in the water. He can get on a bicycle after several decades and still   2    away. A mother who has not   3   the words for years can teach her daughter the poem that begins "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" or recite the story of Cinderella or Snow White.
　　One explanation is the law of over learning, which can be stated as following:   4 we have learned something, additional learning increases the   5    of time we will remember it.
　　In childhood, we usually continue to practise such skills as swimming, bicycle riding long after we have learned them. We continue to listen to and   6    ourselves of poems such as "Twinkle, twinkle, little star" and childhood tales such as Cinderella or Snow White. We not only learn but __7   .
　　The law of over learning explains why cramming (突击学习) for an examination,   8    it may result in a passing grade, is not a   9    way to learn a school course. By cramming, a student may learn the subject well enough to get by on the examination, but he is likely soon to forget almost everything he learned. A little over learning,   10   , is usually a good investment toward the future.