In 1947 a pilot of a small aeroplane saw rune strange objects in the sky over
Washington, the USA. He said that they looked like saucers. Newspapers printed
his story under the headline" Flying Saucers".
     Since then, all over the world, people have reported similar strange flying objects.
No one knows what they are or where they come from. Some people say that they
do not exist, but many others say that they have seen them. Usually people on the
ground have seen them but not always. Airline pilots also have reported seeing them
and so have astronauts-the men who fly in spaceships.
     Perhaps some people saw them only in their imagination or illusion(幻觉). Perhaps
some people made a mistake. But airline pilots and astronauts do not usually make
mistakes of this kind. Captain Ed Mitchell, the sixth man to walk on the moon, said in
1974 that he believed that some" flying sancers (飞碟) " were real. Many other people
now believe that these strange flying objects are visiting the earth from other worlds in
space. "They have come to greet us," they say.
     The American government tried to find out more about these objects. It listened to
a great many people who said they had seen them. But the Govemment Committee
could not decide on what the objects were.It called them UFO, which is short for
"unidentified flying object".
     Some even say they have seen people in the flying Saucers!In 1964,a driver of a
police car in new Mexico saw a UFO landing a mile away. When he reached it, there
were two small figures standing near it. They looked like little men. When he reported
on his radio, they got inside the object and flew away.
     In 1973 two men were out fishing in Mississippi River. They say they saw a UFO
shaped like an egg. There were three creatures like men but their skins were silver in
colour. They had no eyes, and their mouths were just slits(裂缝) . Their noses and ears
were pointed(尖的).They made the fishermen get inside the UFO for a while. Then the
creatures photographed them and took them to the place where they had been fishing.
     There are many other similar stories. Some are probably untrue but some may be
true. No one knows.

1. According to the passage, the name " Flying Saucers" was first used by.______

A. a pilot of a small plane
B. all officials in Washington
C. an editor of a newspaper
D. the man who flies in saucers

2. The American govemment tried to._____

A.look for the flying objects.
B. know where the objects come from
C.learn more about UFOs
D. report more about UFOs

3. The purpose of this passage is to tell us .______

A. the shape of UFOs
B. how to observe UFOs
C. the danger of UFOs
D. what we know about UFOs

4. It is implied in the passage that the author._______

A. does not believe at all about the existence of UFOs
B. believes that UFOs are real objects flying in the sky
C.is not sure whether there are UFOs or not
D.thinks that these UFOs come from other planets

     Edmund Halley was an English scientist who lived over 200 years ago. He studied the
observations of comets(彗星) which other scientists had made. The orbit of one
particular comet was a very difficult mathematical problem. He could not figure it out.
Neither could other scientists who dealt with such problems.
However, Halley had a friend named Isaac Newton, who was a brilliant mathematician. 
Newton thought he had already worked out that problem, but he could not find the
paper on which he had done it. He told Halley that the orbit of a comet had the shape
of an ellipse(椭圆形).
     Now Halley set to work. He figured out(觯决,计算出) the orbits of some of the
comets that had been observed by scientists. He made a surprising discovery. The
comets that had appeared in the years 1531, 1607 and 1682 all had the same orbit.
Yet their appearances had been 75 to 76 years apart.
     This seemed very strange to Halley. Three different comets followed the same orbit.
The more Halley thought about it, the more he thought that there had not been three
different comets, as people thought. He decided that they had simply seen the same
comet three times. The comet had gone away and had come back again.
     It was an astonislung idea! Halley felt certain enough to make a prediction(顶言 )
of what would happen in the future. He decided that this comet would appear in the
year 1758. There were 53 years to go before Halley's prediction could be tested.
     In 1758 the comet appeared in the sky. Halley did not see it, for he had died some
years before. Ever since then that comet had been called Halley's comet, in his honour.

1. Edmund Halley figured out the orbit of._______

A. some different comets appearing several times
B. the same comet appearing at different times
C. three different comets appearing three times
D.several comets appearing three times

2. Halley made his discovery .______

A. by doing experiments
B. by means of his own careful observation
C. by using the work of other scientists
D. by chance

3. Halley made a surprising, but correct prediction in the year .______

A. 1704
B.1705
C.1706
D. 1707

4. This passage in general is about .______

A. Halley and other scientists
B. the orbit of a comet
C. Newton and Halley
D. Halley and his discovery

1. Kombu is a kind of          according to the text.    

A. plant                      
B. medicine
C. food                      
D. fertilizer

2. How do we use iodine in our food? 

A. We add it to water we take to the table.
B. We eat it before meal.
C. We add it to the soup.
D. We add it to the salt we use at the table.

3. The main idea of the story is that             . 

A. the Japanese eat seaweed when they want rain to fall
B. Kombu is made into medicine for farmers
C. the Japanese use seaweed in many ways
D. the Japanese eat a lot of Kombu

4. The text leads us to believe           .  

A. the Japanese feed Kombu to their animals
B. algae are plants from the sea
C. scientists could probably learn more about seaweed
D. seaweed is the only useful algae

                                                  Insects Eating Your Crops?
                                                         Call on a Ladybug
      There are lots of insects that farmers hate. But there also are some they like. These protect crops
against damage from other insects. A good example is the lady beetle,also known as the ladybug
      Lady beetles are a natural control for aphids (蚜虫). Lady beetles are red,orange or black. They
often have black spots,though some have light colored spots. Different kinds of lady beetles have
different numbers of spots. There are lady beetles with four,five, seven and fourteen spots.
      Many of the well-known kinds of lady beetles come from Asia or Europe. They are now common
throughout the United States.
      American scientists imported one kind of lady beetle,the multicolored Asian lady beetle,as early as
1916. They released them as an attempt to control some kinds of insects. Over the years,the beetle has
become established,possibly helped by some that arrived with imported plants on ships.
       Experts say over 450 kinds of lady beetles are found in North America. Some are native to the area. Others have been brought from other places. Almost all are helpful to farmers.
      The Asian lady beetles now in the United States probably came from Japan. The Asian lady beetle
eats aphids that damage crops like soybeans,fruits and berries.
     In the southern United States,Asian lady beetles have reduced the need for farmers to use pest-killing
poisons on pecan trees. This popular tree nut suffers from aphids and other pests that the
beetles eat.
      But some people say the Asian lady beetle has itself become a pest. They worry that the beetles may
eat their late-autumn fruit crops.
        Experts say Asian lady beetles may appear in large numbers in some years. But they say the insects
are too helpful to be considered pests.

1. What do ladybugs look like?     

A. All kinds of ladybugs are of the same color.
B. Most of them are red,orange and black.
C. They each have the same number of spots on them.
D. The farms like them.

2. Asian ladybugs have been in the United States for___．    

A. nine decades    
B. hundreds of years
C. half a century    
D. a century

3. Which of the following is NOT supported in the passage?   

A. There are more than 450 kinds of ladybugs in North America,including native ones.
B. Only some imported ladybugs are helpful to the local plants.
C. Soybeans,fruits and berries are favorites of Aphids.
D. Pecan trees are common in the south of America.

4. According to the experts,ladybugs are _____   .    

A. more helpful than considered as pests.
B. more pests than helpful insects.
C. helpful as well as destructive.
D. are more destructive than helpful.

     When very small dinosaur bones were found in a German mine, people thought they were from baby
dinosaurs. 1______ scientist Martin Sander's work shows that they were probably fully 2______ (grow)
and belong to the smallest giant dinosaur species ever found.
     Growth marks on dinosaur bones are similar 3______ growth rings on trees. The rings are far apart
while the animalis young and growing quickly. 4______ get closer as growth slows. "It is 5______ (exact)
these tight ring marks that we found in the fossil (化石) bones," says Sander. So the fossils must have been
from adult animals. 
     6______ was this German dinosaur so much smaller than other giant dinosaurs, which grew up to 45
metres long and weighed as much as a thousand humans?
     150 million years ago, most of Germany was underwater. Scientists think that 7______ water levels rose,
there was less and less land and food available. The dinosaur 8______ (force) to adapt and evolved into a
smaller animal 9______ (need) less space and food.
     Since 1998, scientists have dug up more than 1000 dinosaur fossils in the mine. It is one of the few places
in the world 10______ the bones and footprints of dinosaurs have been found together.

     When their parents were children, they imagined a future standing in front of a class of pupils or doing the
rounds as a doctor.
     But today's British teenagers, a survey suggests, seem to have set their sights only on becoming the next
Leona Lewis or Wayne Rooney.
      Researchers questioned 3,000 teenagers about their ambitions and also asked parents about their youthful
career hopes.
     According to the survey, youngsters dream of a celebrity (明星) lifestyle, perhaps after finding fame
through shows such as the X Factor, and of being actors or sports stars.
     Copying the likes of Rooney and David Beckham was the top career ambition of today's teenagers,cited by
12 percent.
     Almost as many,11 percent, wanted to be pop stars, and the same proportion dreamed of being actors.
     The success of celebrity chefs such as James Oliver and Cor don Ramsay is likely to explain why becoming a chef is now the dream of 5 percent, a career ambition which did not figure in the list of 25 years ago.
      A quarter of a century back teaching was the top career choice, cited by 15 percent. These days the job is
chosen by only 4 percent.
     Of the traditional professions, only law has risen in popularity. The survey also suggests that more girls
dream of becoming doctors and boys want careers as astronauts or firefighters.
     Child psychologist Laverne Antrobus said the findings reflect today's celebrity culture and warned children
against unrealistic dreams.
     "Children see footballs, pop stars and actors on TV and their lives look exciting, glamorous and fun," she
said."It is hard for them to realize that, they are the end product of a lot of ingredients including talent,
determination and years of hard work. Wayne Rooney is not on the pitch by chance."
     As Antrobus pointed out, there is absolutely nothing wrong with children having big dreams, but" these have
to be based on reality," she said.

1. The study suggests today's British teenagers want to___ sports stars, pop stars and actors.

A. have the talent of
B. work as hard as
C. enjoy the celebrity lifestyles of
D. become successful by chance like

2. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A.12 percent of British teenagers surveyed wanted to become chefs.
B. 22 percent of British teenagers surveyed wanted to be pop stars or actors.
C. None of the traditional professions are favored by today's British teenagers.
D. Teaching, though less popular, seems to remain one of the top career choices on the list.

3. According to Laveme Antrobus, the change in career ambitions___.

A. represents progress
B. mirrors today's celebrity culture
C. shows how realistic youngsters are
D. suggests British teenagers watch too much TV

4. What does the underlined sentence" Wayne Rooney is not on the pitch by chance." mean?

A. Wayne Rooney does not get to play much today.
B. Wayne Rooney didn't get into sport by chance.
C. Wayne Rooney doesn't believe in luck when he is playing.
D. Wayne Rooney didn't become successful by luck.

     The regular use of text messages and emails can lower the IQ more than twice as much
as smoking marijuana(大麻). That is the claim of psychologists who have found that tapping
away on a mobile phone or computer keypad or checking_them_for_electronic_messages
_temporarily_knocks_up_to_ten_points_off_the_user's_IQ.
     This rate of decline in intelligence compares unfavorably with the fourpoint drop in IQ
associated with smoking marijuana, according to British researchers, who have labeled(把
……称为)the fleeting phenomenon of enhanced stupidity as "infomania"．
     The noticeable drop in IQ is believed to be the result of the constant distraction of "always
on" technology when employees should be concentrating on what they are paid to do. Infomania
means that they lose concentration as their minds remain fixed in an almost permanent state of
readiness to react to technology instead of focusing on the tasks in hand.
     The brain also finds it hard to deal with keeping lots of tasks in motion at once, reducing its
overall effectiveness. While modern technology can have huge benefits, excessive(过度的)use
can be damaging not only to a person's mind, but to his or her social life.
     Eighty volunteers took part in clinical trials on IQ damage and 1,100 adults were interviewed.
     More than six in ten people polled admitted that they were addicted to checking their emails
and text messages so that they examined workrelated ones even when at home or on holiday.
Half said that they always responded immediately to an email and one in five would interrupt a
meeting to do so.
     Furthermore, infomania is having a negative effect on work colleagues, increasing stress and
disagreeing feelings. Nine out of ten polled thought that colleagues who answered emails or
messages during a facetoface meeting were extremely rude. Yet one in three Britons believed
that it was not only acceptable, but actually diligent and efficient to do so.

1．What does the underlined part mean?

A．A person's IQ drops ten points if he or she always checks electronic messages.
B. The person who has a higher IQ enjoys checking electronic messages.
C. The person who has a lower IQ enjoys checking electronic messages.
D. A person's IQ is ten points higher if he or she always checks electronic messages.

2．What happens to people with infomania?

A．People with infomania can only concentrate on their tasks in hand.
B. People with infomania are addicted to smoking marijuana.
C. People with infomania can't respond to technology immediately.
D. People with infomania can't concentrate on their tasks in hand.

3. From the passage, we can learn that________.

A．about 550 interviewees responded to an email immediately
B. about 670 interviewees responded to an email immediately
C. about 50 taking part in clinical trials on IQ were addicted to checking emails
D. about 16 taking part in clinical trials on IQ refused to answer emails immediately

4．What is the main idea of this passage?

A．The regular use of text messages and emails can be compared to smoking marijuana.
B. Modern technology can damage a person's mind.
C. The regular use of text messages and emails can harm your IQ.
D. Electronic messages have side effects on the user's life.

    This year some twenty-three hundred teenagers (young people aged from13~19) from all over the world
will spend about ten months in U.S. homes. They will attend U.S. schools, meet U.S. teenagers, and form
impressions of the real America. At the same time, about thirteen hundred American teenagers will go to other
countries to learn new languages and gain a new understanding of the rest of the world.
     Here is a two-way student exchange in action. Fred, nineteen, spent last year in Germany with George's
family. In turn, George's son Mike spent a year in Fred's home in America. 
     Fred, a lively young man, knew little German when he arrived, but after two months' study the language
began to come to him. School was completely different from what he had expected-much harder. Students
rose respectfully when the teacher entered the room. They took fourteen subjects instead of the six that are
usual in the United States. There were almost no outside activities.
     Family life, too, was different. The father's word was law, and all activities were around the family rather
than the individual. Fred found the food too simple at first. Also, he missed having a car. 
     "Back home, you pick up some friends in a car and go out and have a good time. In Germany, you walk,
but you soon learn to like it."
     At the same time, in America, Mike, a friendly German boy, was also forming his idea. "I suppose I should
criticize (批评) American schools," he said. "It is far too easy by our level. But I have to say that I like it very
much. In Germany we do nothing but study. Here we take part in many outside activities. I think that maybe
your schools are better in training for citizens. There ought to be some middle ground between the two."

1. This year _____ teenagers will take part in the exchange programme between America and other countries.

A. twenty-three hundred
B. thirteen hundred
C. over three thousand
D. less than two thousand

2. The whole exchange programme is mainly to _____.

A. help teenagers in other countries know the real America
B. send students in America to travel in Germany
C. let students learn something about other countries
D. have teenagers learn new languages

3. Fred and Mike agree that _____.

A. America food tasted better than German food
B. German schools were harder than American schools
C. Americans and Germans were both friendly
D. There were more cars on the streets in America

4. What is particular in American schools is that _____.

A. there is some middle ground between the two teaching buildings
B. there are a lot of after-school activities
C. students usually take fourteen subjects in all
D. students go outside to enjoy themselves in a car

1. What's the main idea of this passage?  

A. The challenge for the future.
B. The engineering solutions to water resource and their limitation.
C. The basic means of controlling water.
D. The challenge for developing crops.

2. Which of the following statements is NOT true for meeting our basic needs for water? 

A. Water resource should be used more reasonably.
B. More dams should be built in river basins.
C. More wetlands should be protected from destruction.
D. More dry-land crops could be developed in Africa.

3. The author suggests that governments will have no excuse for their careless ignorance in the future
because      .