Taiwan police cannot decide whether to treat it as an extremely clever act of stealing or an even cleverer cheat. Either way, it could be the perfect crime, because the criminals are birds—horning pigeons!

The crime begins with a telephone message to the owner of a stolen car: if you want the car back, pay up then, the car owner is directed to a park, told where to find a bird cage and how to attach money to the neck of the pigeon inside. Carrying the money in a tiny bag, the pigeon flies off.

There have been at least four such pigeon pick-ups in Changwa. What at first seemed like the work of a clever stay-at-home car thief, however, may in fact be the work of an even lazier and more inventive criminal mind—one that avoid not only collecting money but going out to steal the car in the first place . Police officer Chen says that the criminal probably has pulled a double trick: he gets money for things he cannot possibly return. Instead of stealing cars, he lets someone else do it and then waits for the car-owner to place an ad in the newspaper asking for help.

The theory is supported by the fact that, so far, none of the stolen cars have been returned. Also, the amount of money demanded-under 3,000 Taiwanese dollars –seems too little for a car worth many times more.

Demands for pigeon-delivered money stopped as soon as the press reported the story. And even if they start again, Chen holds little hope of catching the criminal. “We have more important things to do,” he said.

1. After the car owner received a phone call. He ______.

A. went to a certain pigeon and put some money in the bag it carried

B. gave the money to the thief and had his car back in a park

C. sent some money to the thief by mail                  

D. told the press about it

2. The “lazier and more inventive” criminal refers to ______.

A. the car thief who stays at home                          

B. one of those who put the ads in the paper

C. one of the policemen in Changwa              

D. the owner of the pigeons

3. The writer mentions the fact that “none of the stolen cars have been returned” to show_____.

A. how easily people get fooled by criminals         

B. what Chen thinks might be correct

C. the thief is extremely clever                                  

D. the money paid is too little

4. The underlined word “they” in the last paragraph refers to ______.

A. criminals                               B. pigeons                      

C. the stolen cars                                 D. demands for money

5. We may infer from the text that the criminal knows how to reach the car owners because______.

A. he reads the ads in the newspaper            

B. he lives in the same neighborhood

C. he has seen the car owners in the park             

D. he has trained the pigeons to follow them

Researchers found that people become happier and experience less worry after they reach the age of fifty．In fact, they say by the age of eighty-five, people are happier with their life than they were when they were eighteen years old．

       The findings came from a survey of more than 340,000 adults in the United States．The Gallup（民意调查） Organization questioned them by telephone in 2008．At that time, the people were between the ages of eighteen and eighty-five．

       The researchers asked questions about emotions like happiness, sadness and worry．They also asked about mental or emotional stress．

       Arthur Stone at Stony Brook University in New York led the study．His team found that levels of stress were highest among adults between the ages of twenty-two and twenty-five．The findings showed that stress levels dropped sharply after people reached their fifties．Happiness was highest among the youngest adults and those in their early seventies．The people least likely to report feeling negative emotions were those in their seventies and eighties．

       Researchers say they do not know why happiness increases as people get older．One theory is that, as people grow older, they grow more thankful for what they have and have better control of their emotions．They also spend less time thinking about bad experiences．

       Professor Stone says the emotional patterns could be linked to changes in how people see the world, or maybe even changes in brain chemistry．

       The researchers also considered possible influences like having young children, being unemployed or being single．But they found that influences like these did not affect the levels of happiness and well-being related to age．

       The study also showed that men and women have similar emotional patterns as they grow older．However, women at all ages reported more sadness, stress and worry than men．

What can be the best title of the text?

       A．Happiness Varies with Ages    B．Experience More, Worry Less

       C．The Older, the Wiser          D．Being Young, Being Happy

We can learn from the research that _________．

       A．only when people get older will they feel happier

       B．stress levels among the youngest are the highest

       C．older people tend to be grateful

       D．older people usually have no worries

According to the research, when people get older, _________．

       A．they miss the old days        B．they are physically weak

       C．they have better self-control    D．they are more emotional

What would the author probably talk about next?

       A．What influences happiness．  B．How to live better．

       C．How to keep happier．       D．Why women are less happier．

The author is intended to _________．

       A．advise how to reduce stress   B．introduce a scientific finding

       C．describe how to do research   D．talk about human emotions

A couple of years ago, those who forecast that oil price would reach $ 100 a barrel were seen as doomsters. However, now some are predicting $ 200 a barrel.

   Had economists been told that oil price would barely pause at $ 100 before reaching the recent peak of nearly $ 127, they would no doubt have forecast terrible economic consequences. But the global economy, though interrupted by the high price of energy, is still chugging along. Meanwhile, inflation has picked up, but the headline rates of inflation (通货膨胀率) in most developed countries are nowhere near the levels seen in the 1970s and 1980s.

   There are three explanations for the oil price’s unclear impact. The first is that nowadays developed economies are more efficient in their use of energy, thanks partly to the increased importance of service industries and the diminished role of manufacturing(制造业). According to the Energy Information Administration, the energy intensity of America’s GDP fell by 42% between 1980 and 2007.

   A second theory is that the oil-price rise has been steady, not sudden, giving the economy time to adjust. Giovanni Serio of Goldman Sachs points out that in 1973 there was a severe supply shock because of the oil embargo(石油禁运), when the world had to cope with 10%-15% less crude almost overnight. Not this time.

  The third explanation turns the argument on its head; rather than oil harming the global economy, it is global expansion that is driving up the price of oil.

  The most important factor is the shift in favor of the developing economies. America has responded to high price in familiar fashion: UBS forecasts that demand will drop by 1.1% this year and will be no higher in 2010 than it was in 2004. But the demand from China and other emerging markets is more than offsetting(抵消) this shortfall.

What is the passage mainly talking about?

   A. The prediction of economists.             B. The situation of economy

   C. The increase of oil price                  D. The American response to high price

How many explanations for the oil price’s impact are mentioned in the passage?

   A. Two      B. Three        C. Four        D. Five

What can we conclude from the passage?

   A. In USA, the demand for oil in 2010 will be very high.

   B. In USA, the demand for oil in 2010 will be higher than it was in 2004.

   C. In USA, the demand for oil in 2010 will be as high as it was in 2004.

   D. In USA, the demand for oil in 2010 will be as low as it was in 2004.

A scientist turns out to be able to see the future by offering each of some four-year-olds a piece of candy and watching how he or she deals with it. Some children reach eagerly for the treat they see. Some last a few minutes before they give in. But others are determined to wait until the last moment.
By the time the children reach high school, something remarkable has happened. A survey found that those who as four-year-olds had enough self-control to hold out generally grew up to be more popular, adventurous, confident and dependable. The children who gave in to temptation early on were more likely to be lonely, easily frustrated and inflexible .
Actually, the ability to delay reward is a sign of emotional intelligence which doesn’t show up on an IQ test.
The hardware of the brain and the software of the mind have long been scientists’ concerns. But brain theory can’t explain what we wonder about most, like the question why some people remain upbeat in the face of troubles that would sink a less resistant soul.   
Here comes the theory of Daniel Goleman, writer of Emotional Intelligence: when it comes to predicting people’s success, brain ability as measured by IQ may actually matter less than the qualities of mind once thought of as “character”.
EQ is not the opposite of IQ. What researchers have been trying to understand is how they work together; how one’s ability to handle stress, for instance, affects the ability to concentrate and put intelligence to use. Among the elements for success, researchers now generally agree that IQ counts for about 20%; the rest depends on everything from social class to luck.
While many researchers in this relatively new field are glad to see emotional issues finally taken seriously, some few fear EQ invites misuse.
【小题1】Which of the following is true of EQ and IQ according to the text?

Determined to make school more related to the workplace, Roosevelt High School in Portland, Oregon, developed a school-to-work program. In their first year, students are offered some job pathways in natural resources, human services, health care, business, arts and communication. The following year, each student chooses one of the pathways and examines it in depth, spending three hours a week watching someone on the job. Such a program is also in practice in some other states.
The school-to-work program is built around a partnership(伙伴关系). For example, Eastman Kodak, a major employer（雇主） in Colorado, introduces students to business by helping them construct（建设） a model city using small pieces of wood. “The children use the models to decide on the best place to set up schools,” says Lucille Mantelli , director for Eastman Kodak in Colorado.  Kodak introduces math by teaching fifth graders to use their pocket money properly.  They also provide one-on-one job watching experiences and offer chances of practice for high school juniors and seniors. “Students come to the workplace two or three hours a week,” explains Mantelli. “They do the job for us. We pay them and they get school credits (学分). We also give them our views on their performance and developmental opportunities.”
In these partnerships, everybody wins. The students tend to（倾向于） take more difficult courses than students in schools that don’t offer such programs. Business benefits（获益） by having a better prepared workforce needed in future years. “It’s a way for us to work with the school systems to develop the type of workforce we’ll need in future years,” Mantelli continued. “We need employees who understand the basics of reading and writing. We need them to be good at math and to be comfortable working on a team.”
“Our theory is that they can learn as much outside the classroom as in. All students have the ability to change the world, not just to live in it. To do that, they have to know how to solve problems and use critical（批判的）thinking skills. We need to encourage them to dream about jobs that go beyond what they see today,”  concludes（得出结论） a school-to-work program organizer.
58. Using the example of Eastman Kodak in Colorado, the writer shows us ____.
A. what the school decides to do 
B. why the students get paid for their jobs 
C. where the students have their math class 
D. what role the business plays in the program
59. The main purpose of the school-to-work program is to _____.
A. offer students more difficult courses             
B. introduce new job opportunities to schools
C. improve relations between students and teachers 
D. make what students learn in school related to the workplace
60. According to the text, Lucille Mantelli is ____.
A. a math teacher                 B. a school designer      
C. a company manager          D. a program organizer
61. What does the writer mean by saying “…everybody wins.” (Paragraph 3)?
A. Students get school credits by taking examinations.
B. Both students and business benefit from the program.                  
C. The working conditions of the company have improved greatly.
D. Every teacher and student gets paid for working outside the school.