Books are not Nadia Konyk's thing. Her mother brings them home from the library, but Nadia rarely shows interest. Instead, like so many other teenagers, Nadia, 15, is addicted to the Internet. She regularly spends at least six hours a day in front of the computer, spending most of her time reading and commenting on stories written by other users. Her mother, Deborah Konyk, would prefer that Nadia read books for a change.

As teenagers' scores on reading tests have declined, some argue that the hours spent surfing the Internet are the enemy of reading—destroying a precious common culture that exists only through the reading of books. Critics have warned that electronic media would destroy reading.

Others say the Internet has created a new kind of reading. The Web inspires a teenager like Nadia, who might otherwise spend most of her leisure time watching television, to read and write. What is different now, some literacy experts say, is that spending time on the Web engages viewers with text.

Web supporters believe that strong readers on the Web may eventually surpass those who rely on books. Reading five Web sites, experts say, can be more enriching than reading one book. "It takes a long time to read a 400-page book," said Spiro. "In a tenth of the time," he said, the Internet allows a reader to "cover a lot more of the topic from different points of view."

Some literacy experts say that reading itself should be redefined. Interpreting videos or pictures, they say, may be as important a skill as analyzing a novel or a poem. "Kids are using sound and images so they have a world of ideas to put together," said Donna Alvermann, a professor of literacy education at the University of Georgia. "Books aren't out of the picture, but they're only one way of experiencing information in the world today."

Next year, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which gives reading, math and science tests to 15-year-old students in more than 50 countries, will add an electronic reading component（软件）. The United States says it will not participate because an additional test would overburden schools.

1.Why are books not the thing of Nadia Konyk?

       A. She does reading mainly through electronic media.

       B. Her mother doesn’t provide her with enough books.

       C. She has become addicted to playing games on the web.

       D. Like many youngsters, she has lost interest in reading.

2.How many hours does Nadia spend in front of the computer in a week?

       A. Exactly forty-two hours                      B. Usually fifty hours

       C. More than forty hours                            D. At most thirty-six hours

3.Which of the following statements is correct according to the passage?

       A. To search for information on the web engages viewers without text.

       B. To explain videos is a technique more important than analyzing a novel.

       C. Children using sound and images may lose their interest in movies.

       D. People reading well online may surpass those who rely on books.

4.Why did the US refuse to participate in the tests with an added electronic reading component?       It is because ______.

       A. the teachers and students considered it useless

       B. such a test would give schools more extra work

       C. they thought reading was the only way to get information

       D. none of them showed interest in such an additional test

第二部分 阅读理解（共两节，满分 40分）

第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）

阅读下列四篇短文，从每小题后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。

Imagine a classroom missing the one thing that’s long been considered a necessary part to reading and writing ------ paper. No notebooks, no textbooks, no test paper. Nor are there any pencils or pens, which always seem to run out of ink at the critical moment.

A “paperless classroom” is what more and more schools are trying to achieve.

Students don’t do any handwriting in this class. Instead, they use palm size, or specially-designed computers. The teacher downloads texts from Internet libraries and sends them to every student’s personal computer.

Having computers also means that students can use the Web. They can look up information on any subject they’re studying from math to social science.

High school teacher Judy Harrel in Florida, US, described how her class used the Web to learn about the war in Afghanistan (阿富汗) before.

“We could touch every side of the country through different sites from the forest to refugee camps (难民营)”, she said. “Using a book that’s three or four years old is impossible.”

And exams can go online too. At a high school in Tennessee, US, students take tests on their own computers. The teacher records the grades on the network for everyone to see and then copies them to his own electronic grade book.

A paperless classroom is a big step towards reducing the waste of paper. High school teacher Stephanie Sorrell in Kentucky, US, said she used to give about 900 pieces of paper each week to each student.

“Think about the money and trees we could save with the computer,” she said.

But, with all this technology, there’s always the risk that the machines will break down. So, in case of a power failure or technical problems, paper textbooks are still widely available for these hi-tech students.

46. What does “run out of ink at the critical moment” in the first paragraph mean?

A. Pens may not write well at the critical moment.

B. Pens get lost easily, so you may not find them at the critical moment.

C. Pens may have little or no ink at the critical moment.

D. Pens use ink, while pencils don’t.

47. The high school teacher, Judy Harrell, used the example of her class to show that ______.

A. the Web could take them everywhere

B. the Web taught them a lot

C. the Web is a good tool for information

D. the Web, better than the textbooks, can give the latest and comprehensive (全面的) information

48. The paperless classrooms will benefit ______ most.

A. students            B. teachers             C. trees     D. computers 

My students often tell me that they don’t have “enough time” to do all their schoolwork.

My reply is often a brief “You have as much time as the president.” I usually carry on a bit about there being twenty-four hours in the day for everyone, and suggest that “not enough time” is not an acceptable explanation of not getting something done.

Once in graduate school, I tried to prove to one of my professors by saying that I was working hard. His answer to me was, “That’s irrelevant (无关的). What’s important is the quality of your work.” Since then I have had time to think carefully about the “hard worker” dodge (诀窍), and I have come to some conclusions — all relevant to the problem of how much time we have.

If you analyze the matter, you can identify two parts of the problem: There is, of course, the matter of “time”, which we can think of as fixed. Then there is the problem of “work” during that time. But, as my professor suggested, it’s not how hard one works but the quality of the product that’s important.

That led me to a new idea: the quality of the work. That concept is perhaps best explained by a sign I once saw on the wall in someone’s office: “Don’t work harder. Work smarter.” There is a lot of sense in that idea.

If you can’t get more time, and few of us can, the only solution is to improve the quality of the work. That means thinking of ways to get more out of the same time than we might otherwise get. That should lead us to an analysis of our work habits. Since “work” for students usually means “homework”, the expression “work habits” should be read as “study habits”.

Then, as a smart student, you will seek to improve those skills that you use in study, chiefly reading and writing. If you learn to read better and write better, there are big benefits that pay off in all your studies.

1.

From the passage, we know that the author is probably ______ .

   A. a poet            B. an educator          C. a novelist           D. an engineer

2.

We can infer from the 2^nd paragraph that we students still _____ .

   A. have enough time                 B. can meet the president

C. get everything done well              D. should accept the explanation

3.

Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

   A. The author’s students make good use of their time to do all their homework.

   B. The author tried to tell the professor that he/she (author) had done a good job.

C. You can’t improve the quality of the work if you can’t get more time.

D. You’ll try to improve your skills in reading and writing if you’re a clever student

If you don’t have a college degree, you’re at greater risk of developing memory problems or even Alzheimer’s (老年痴呆). Education plays a key role in lifelong memory performance and risk for mental disorder, and it's well documented that those with a college degree possess a cognitive（认知的） advantage over those less educated in middle and old age.

       Now, a large national study from Brandeis University published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry shows that those with less schooling can significantly make up for poorer education by frequently engaging in mental exercises such as word games, puzzles, reading, and lectures.

       “The lifelong benefits of higher education for memory in later life are quite impressive, but we do not clearly understand how and why these effects last so long,” said lead author Margie Lachman, a psychologist. She suggested that higher education may encourage lifelong interest in cognitive efforts, while those with less education may not engage as frequently in mental exercises that help keep the memory agile (敏捷地).

       But education early in adulthood does not appear to be the only route to maintain your memory. The study found that intellectual activities undertaken regularly made a difference. “Among individuals with low education, those who are engaged in reading, writing, attending lectures, doing word games or puzzles once a week or more had memory scores similar to people with more education,” said Lachman.

       The study, called Midlife in the United States, assessed 3,343 men and women between the ages of 32 and 84 with an average age of 56 years. Almost 40 percent of the participants had at least a 4-year college degree. The researchers evaluated how the participants performed in two cognitive areas, verbal (言语的)memory and executive function --- brain processes involved in planning, abstract thinking and cognitive flexibility. Participants were given a series of tests, including tests of verbal fluency, word recall, and backward counting.

       As expected, those with higher education said they engaged in cognitive activities more often and also did better on the memory tests, but some with lower education also did well, explained Lachman.

       “The findings are promising because they suggest there may be ways to level the playing field for those with lower educational achievement, and protect those at greatest risk for memory declines,” said Lachman. “Although we can not rule out the possibility that those who have better memories are the ones who take on more activities, the evidence is consistent with cognitive plasticity (可塑性), and suggests some degree of personal control over cognitive functioning in adulthood by adopting an intellectually active lifestyle.”

1. What is the text mainly about?

       A. Higher education has a better cognitive advantage.

       B. Better memories result from college degree.

       C. Cognitive activity does good to one’s mind.

       D. Poor education has more risk of memory declines.

2.According to the result of Margie Lachman’s study, we can conclude that ________.

 A. education is responsible for the lifelong memory performance and risk for mental disorder

 B. education early in adulthood can be the only route to maintain your memory

 C. those with higher education did better on the memory tests than those with lower education

 D. an intellectually active lifestyle does help to maintain your memory

3. What do we know about the study called Midlife?

     A. Participants each were given a battery to test their memory.

     B. The average age of the participants are 56 years old.

     C. Participants had to perform in one of the two cognitive areas.

     D. One in four of the participants had a 4-year college degree.

4.Why are the findings of the Lachman’s study promising?

     A. The lower educated may have the same opportunities to keep up memory.

     B. We may have ways to cure the people who have memory declines.

     C. Adopting a different lifestyle can control cognitive functioning.

     D. We can find out the possibility to have better memories.

第二节：语法填空（共10小题，每小题1.5分，满分15分）

阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填入一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空，并将答案填写在答题卡标号为31—40的相应位置上。

Sometimes Chinese English teachers are puzzled by __31____ questions, “Have you got any skills in reading comprehension?” Actually, many of the teachers can’t give students   32__   efficient way to deal with reading. Anyway, __33____ often simply say, “Read more and practise more, and you   34 __  (get) more experience in reading comprehension.” Frankly, these teachers’ good   35  __ (suggest) are only helpful to arouse students’ interest in reading   36  __ not helpful to deal with the questions in the examinations of reading comprehension. Personally, I think the skill for reading comprehension should be based   37__   the knowledge of English writing. Since the English passages are written under some rules or principles, the science of reading and understanding may have a close relationship with writing. Reading comprehension can’t be independent from the knowledge of writing. So __38____ (do) better in reading comprehension, we should learn the knowledge of writing, study __39____ questions are designed and the relationship __40____ questions and the reading materials.