Can you imagine a stranger will read your e-mails without your permission or scan the website you’ve visited or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone bills? All of the things may happen to you one day．

       In fact, it’s likely that some of these things have already happened to you．Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a spouse, a girlfriend, a marketing company, a boss, a cop or a criminal．Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen or even do something that may bring a disaster to you．

       Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, and that it’s important to reveal to friends, family and lovers at appropriate times．But few boundaries remain nowadays．The digital bread crumbs（碎屑）you leave everywhere make it easy for strangers to know who you are, where you are and what you like．In some cases, a simple Google search can leak the deepest thought in your mind．Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret．

The key question is: Does that matter? For many Americans, the answer apparently is “no”．

       When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most of them say they are really concerned about losing it．And 60 percent of the respondents say they feel their privacy is “slipping away, and that bothers me”．

       But people say one thing and do another．Only a small of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy．Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths（收费站）to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that can track automobile movements．Privacy economist Acquisti has run a series of tests that reveal people will give up personal information such as telephone number, address, or social security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cents-off coupon（优惠券）．But privacy does matter—at least sometimes．It’s like health; when you have it, you don’t notice it．Only when it’s gone do you wish you’d done more to protect it．Without privacy, one will be naked in front of others．

1．What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?

       A．Friends should open their hearts to each other．

       B．Friends should always be faithful to each other．

       C．There should be a distance even between friends．

       D．There should be fewer quarrels between friends．

2．Why does the author say “we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret”?

       A．Modern society has finally developed into an open society．

       B．People leave traces around when using modern technology．

       C．There are always people who are curious about others’ affairs．

       D．Many search engines profit by revealing people’s identities．

3．What do most Americans do about privacy protection?

       A．They change behavior that might disclose their identity．

       B．People turn down a discount at tollbooths to avoid using the EZ-Pass system．

       C．They rely more and more on advanced technology．

       D．They talk a lot but hardly do anything about it．

4．According to the passage, privacy is like health in that               ．

       A．people will make every effort to keep it  

       B．its importance is hardly understood

       C．It is something that can easily be lost

       D．people don’t value it until they lose it

5．What would be the best title for the passage?

       A．No privacy, no health．

       B．Treasure your privacy．

       C．Boundaries are important between friends．

       D．The information age has its own shortcomings．

WASHINGTON—It’s a great achievement that inspires notions of robots with consciousness and independent minds．

       When people or animals get hurt, they can usually compensate for minor injuries and keep limping along, but for robots, even slight damage can make them stumble and fall．However, a recently made robot has demonstrated a novel ability: it can heal its own damage．

       The new robot, which looks like a splay-legged, four-footed starfish can sense injury to itself and adapt．That ability sets the new robot apart from earlier machines．Because the robot can recover from unfamiliar places．“There is a need for planetary robotic rovers to be able to fix things on their own,” says Josh Bongard, a professor in the University of Vermont, who is one of the device’s creators．“Robots on other planets must be able to continue their mission without human help if they are damaged and cannot communicate their problem back to Earth．”

       A typical robot functions according to a computer program, but the new robot works differently．First, sensors in its four legs observe the robot’s movements and signals to its built-in computer．From the formation it collects, the robot creates its own programs that allow it to adapt to different situations．For example, when the researchers shortened one of the robot’s legs, the smart machine simply adjusted its way of walking—it used three legs instead of four．

       The researchers are looking for other places to put the resilient robot to work．One pellicle spot is the ocean floor．That dark and dangerous undersea terrain might be a good choice for a robot the scientists call the Starfish．“We never officially named the robot, but we usually refer to it as the Starfish, even though a real starfish has five rather than four legs,” says Bongard．“Also, a real starfish is much better than our robot at recovering from injury, because it can actually grow its legs again．”Scientists have created robots that help humans in many ways: by exploring space, fighting fires, and even performing surgery．

1．The newly designed robot distinguishes itself from the former ones because it          ．

       A．can communicate with people on the earth about their problems

       B．works according to a certain computer program

       C．can find its problems and solve them automatically

       D．can explore unfamiliar places

2．An example is given in the fourth paragraph in order to explain that the robot           ．

       A．is used to create new programs

       B．has typical robot functions

       C．has sensors to observe its movements

       D．can gather information and adapt to new conditions

3．The underlined word“resilient”in the last paragraph means the robot is          ．

       A．creative                                        B．newly made

       C．able to recover                              D．informative

4．Which of the following is TURE about the robot “Starfish”?

       A．It was spoken highly of by people for its special ability

       B．It will stumble and fall if damaged．

       C．It can grow its legs again once they are broken．

       D．It has started to work on the ocean floor．

5．What might be the best title of the passage?

       A．How does the Starfish Robot work

       B．Do-It-Yourself Robot Repair

       C．Robots Designed to Work on Other Planets

       D．New Robot Helping Us in Many Ways

Geniuses amaze us, impress us and make us all a little jealous．How do they differ from the average person? Scientists are working hard to figure out that answer．Tune in to the National Geographic Channel to find out about the discoveries they’re making in the series My Brilliant Brain．

       When Marc Yu was only two years old, he began to play the piano．After a year, he started learning pieces by Beethoven．Now he’s a world-famous concert pianist at age eight．He learns newer and more difficult pieces with ease and can identify any note he hears．He seems to be specially designed for music．In Born Genius, National Geographic looks at the science behind child prodigies（神童） to explain why some children seem to be born without limits．

       Genius didn’t come naturally to Tommy McHugh．His came only after he nearly died from bleeding in his brain．After recovering, McHugh’s head was filled with new thoughts and pictures．So, he began to express them in the form of poetry and art．Now, he’s a seemingly unstoppable creative machine．Sufferers of autism and brain injury have shown that great mental ability can sometimes come from damage or disease．Accidental Genius explores this puzzling relationship．

     Can normal people be trained to be geniuses? Susan Polger has shown no signs of extraordinary intelligence．Yet, during her childhood, she studied thousands of chess patterns and learned to recognize them immediately．As a result, she was able to beat skilled adult players by age 10 and can now play up to five games at the same time without even seeing the boards．Make Me a Genius examines what it takes to turn an ordinary brain into that of a genius．

     If becoming a genius were easy, we’d all be one．Yet, there is much more to super intelligence than simply being born lucky．Learn more about amazing brains this month on National Geographic’s My Brilliant Brain．

1．My Brilliant Brains is most probably from            ．

       A．a website             B．the radio            C．a magazine          D．a newspaper

2．The author takes Marc Yu as an example to show that a child prodigy is          ．

       A．a person who learns something easily

       B．a child who is eager to learn new things

       C．a student who practices an instrument a lot

       D．a kid who works hard to do well in school

3．Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

       A．New things about the brain are still being discovered．

       B．People without natural abilities can learn to do things well．

       C．Some people naturally have more active brains．

       D．People are usually smarter when they recover from brain injury．

4．From the passage, we know that       ．

       A．scientists completely understand the brain

       B．people can only be born as geniuses

       C．there’s no such thing as a true genius

       D．there are many factors in being a genius

5．The author develops the passage mainly by        ．

       A．providing typical examples

       B．following the natural time order

       C．presenting a cause and analyzing its effects

       D．comparing opinions from different scientists

“What’s in a name?”According to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, there is not too much．“That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet．”But Shakespeare may have been wrong．In most cultures, names matter a great deal．

       Americans choose names for their children with care．Parents usually think about the impression a name gives, not its meaning．Most Americans would consider a“Jennifer”more attractive than a “Bertha”，for example．The last name, or, surname, must also be considered when choosing a first and middle name．A name like Lester Chester Hester would sound poetic, but odd．Parents would avoid names that remind them of people they don’t like．On the other hand, people might name their children after a respected elderly relative or even a famous person．The popularity of certain names can change with each new generation．Names that were once common, like Fanny or Elmer, sound old-fashioned today．But other names—like John and David, Mary and Sarah—have stood the test of time and continue to be favorites．

       People in America don’t always call their friends and relatives by their given names．Instead, they often use nicknames．Sometimes nicknames are short forms of a longer name．For instance, a  girl named Elizabeth may be called Lisa, Beth or Betsy．As children grow up, they may decide for themselves which nickname they wish to be called．Some people just go by the initials of their first and middle names, like B．J．or R．C．And of course, people may call their children or their sweethearts other special nicknames．Often they have a “sweet” flavor, like Honey or Sugar．What’s in a name? A world of significance．So if you’re choosing an English name for yourself, take care to choose a good one．Amide-up name could sound strange to native English speakers．And a translation of your Chinese name may not make an appropriate name, either．But a good name can leave a positive and lasting impression．As an American politician once said,“In real life, unlike in Shakespeare, the sweetness of the rose depends upon the name it bears．”

1．What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 2 mean?

       A．People change names in order to be popular with the new generation．

       B．Names will change by themselves in order to be popular．

       C．Some names may no longer be popular among the new generation．

       D．No names can stand the test of time．

2．When choosing names, you should stick to the following principles except that          ．

       A．the impression a name gives is more important than its meaning

       B．you can name after a well-known person

       C．surname should be paid attention to

       D．you can create a name that is special

3．The word “initial” in paragraph 3 probably means          ．

       A．nickname           B．the first letter      C．short form          D．title

4．The author will name a newly born baby girl             ．

       A．Bertha               B．Fanny                C．Yunyun            D．Elizabeth

5．What is the main idea of this passage?

       A．Names have great significance to Americans．

       B．Names change when time goes by．

       C．Chinese people should be careful when choosing their English names．

       D．Roses smell sweet by any other name．

阅读下面的短文并回答问题。

       The flag, the most common symbol（象征）of a nation in the modern world, is also one of the most ancient．With a clear symbolic meaning, the flag in the traditional form is still used today to mark buildings, ships and other vehicles related to a country．

       The national flag as we know it today is in no way a primitive（原始的）artifact（人工制品）．It is, rather the product of thousands of years’ development．Historians believe that it had two major ancestors, of which the earlier served to show wind direction．

       Early human beings used very fragile houses and boats．Often strong winds would tear roofs from houses or cause high waves that endangered travelers．People’s food supplies were similarly vulnerable．Even after they had learned how to plant grains, they still needed help from nature to ensure good harvests．Therefore they feared and depended on the power of the wind, which could bring warmth from one direction and cold from another．

       Using a simple piece of cloth tied to the top of a post to tell the direction of the wind was more dependable than earlier methods, such as watching the rising of smoke from a fire．The connection of the flag with heavenly power was therefore reasonable．Early human societies began to fix long pieces of cloth to the tops of totems（图腾）before carrying them into battle．They believed that the power of the wind would be added to the good wishes of the gods and ancestors represented by the totems themselves．

       These flags developed very slowly into modern flags．The first known flag of a nation or a ruler was unmarked: The king of China around 1000 B．C．was known to have a white flag carried ahead of him．This practice might have been learned from Egyptians even further in the past, but it was from China that it spread over trade routes through India, then across Arab lands, and finally to Europe, where it met up with the other ancestor of the national flag．

1．Translate the underlined sentence in the fifth paragraph into Chinese．

2．What is the best title of the passage?（Please answer within 8 words）．

3．In your opinion why were the earliest flag connected with heavenly power? （Please answer within 10 words．）

4．Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?

       The national flag is not a primitive artifact but the product of thousands of years’ development．

5．What will the author most probably talk about next? （Please answer within 10 words．）

假设你是李华，你的英国朋友David想要了解有关中国世博会的一些内容。就此你给他写

一封电子邮件，告诉他一些信息，并欢迎他来中国参观。内容如下:

举办时间：2010．5．1至10．31，共184天；地点：上海市；主题：城市，让生活更美好参加国家：191个国家和 48个国际组织。

注意：词数120左右，可根据内容要点适当增加细节，使行文连贯。提供词数不计。

假定你是李华，最近你们班就“低碳”生活方式进行了讨论，你的美国朋友Jack来信向你询问讨论情况，请你用英语写封回信，简单介绍以下讨论结果：

       1．节水节电；   2．垃圾分类；   3．少用纸巾，重拾手帕；

       4．步行，骑自行车或乘坐公交车。

       参考词汇：低碳low carbon  纸巾tissue

       注意：词数150以内；可适当增加细节了，以使行文连贯；开头已为你写好，不计入总词数。

Dear Jack,

       Thank you for your letter asking about our discussion on low carbon lifestyle．Here is something about it．

假设你过生日时收到了Lucy送来的鲜花，写信向她表示感谢。你的信应包括：

1．表达感谢之意      2．提出回报对方       3．期待对方做客

---Hi, Maria!I got the first place in the exam．

---       ! Everyone knows you cheated and you just copied Tony's．

A．Congratulations          B．Come on         C．Good luck       D．Cheer up

Obama,____president ofthe USA, won______Nobel Prize for Pease in 2009.

A．\; a          B．a;the           C．＼;the          D．the;a