Engineering students are supposed to be examples of practicality and rationality (理性), but when it comes to my college education I am an idealist and a fool. In high school I wanted to be an electrical engineer and, of course, any reasonable student with my aims would have chosen a college with a large engineering department, many famous professors and lots of good labs and research equipment. But that's not what I did.

I chose to study engineering at a small liberal-arts (文科) university that doesn't even offer a major in electrical engineering. Obviously, this was not a practical choice; I came here for more noble reasons. I wanted a broad education that would provide me with flexibility and a value system to guide me in my job. I wanted to open my eyes and expand my vision by communicating with people who weren't studying science or engineering. My parents, teachers and other adults praised me for such a wise choice. They told me I was wise and grown-up beyond my 18 years, and I believed them.

　I headed off to the college and sure I was going to have an advantage over those students who went to big engineering "factories" where they didn't care if you had values or were flexible. I was going to be a complete engineer: technical expert and excellent humanist all in one.

　Now I'm not so sure. Somewhere along the way my noble ideas crashed into reality, as all noble ideas finally do. After three years of struggling to balance math, physics and engineering courses with liberal-arts courses, I have learned there are reasons why few engineering students try to reconcile engineering with liberal-arts courses in college.

　The reality that has blocked my path to become the typical successful student is that engineering and the liberal arts simply don't mix as easily as I supposed in high school. Individually they shape a person in very different ways. The struggle to reconcile the two fields of study is difficult.

1.Why did the author choose to study engineering at a small liberal-arts university?

2.According to the author, by communicating with people who study liberal arts, engineering students can ___________.

3. Which word below can replace the underlined word “reconcile”?

4.The underlined sentence in 1st paragraph means ___________.

5. The author suggests in this passage that ___________.

There are many older people in the world and there will be many more. A little-known fact is that over 60 percent of the older people live in developing countries. According to the World Health Organization, by 2020 there will be 1 billion, with over 700 million living in developing countries.

　It is a surprising fact that the population ageing is particularly rapid in developing countries. For example, it took France 115 years for the rate of older people to double from 7 percent to 14 percent. It is estimated to take China a mere 27 years to achieve this same increase.

　What are the implications of these increased numbers of older folk? One of the biggest worries for governments is that the longer people live, the more likelihood there is for diseases and for disability. Attention is being paid to the need to keep people as healthy as possible, including during old age, to lessen the financial burden on the state.

　Another significant problem is the need for the younger generations to understand and value the older people in their society. In some African countries, certainly in Asia, older people are respected and regarded as the ones with special knowledge. Yet traditions are fading away daily, which does not make sure the continued high regard of older people. As society changes, attitudes will change.

　Much needs to be done to get rid of age discrimination in employment. Life-long learning programs need to be provided to enable older people to be active members in a country's development.

　Social security policies need to be established to provide adequate income protection for older people. Both public and private schemes are vital in order to build a suitable safety net.

1.The rate of older people________.

2.According  to passage, which of the following are governments most worried about

3. It is stated directly in the passage that older people should ________.

4.Which of the following measure is NOT mentioned to solve the population ageing problem?

5.The author concludes in the last paragraph that ________.

Dolphins and sharks are showing up in surprisingly shallow water just off the Florida coast. Mullets, crabs, rays and small fish gather by the thousands off an Alabama pirer. Birds covered in oil are crawling deep into marshes（沼泽）, never to be seen again.

Marine scientists studying the effects of the BP disaster（英国石油公司漏油事件）are seeing some strange phenomena. Fish and other wildlife seem to be fleeing the oil out in the Gulf and clustering in cleaner waters along the coast in a trend that some researchers see as a potentially troubling sign. The animals' presence close to shore means their usual habitat is badly polluted, and the crowding could result in mass die-offs as fish run out of oxygen. Also, the animals could easily be captured by their enemies.

The nearly two-month-old spill（漏油）has created an environmental disaster in US history as tens of millions of gallons have flown into the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. Scientists are seeing some unusual things as they try to understand the effects on thousands of species of marine life.

For nearly four hours Monday, a three-person crew with Greenpeace cruised past delicate islands and mangrove-dotted inlets in Barataria Bay off southern Louisiana. They saw dolphins by the dozen frolicking（嬉戏）in the oily sheen（光泽）and oil-tinged pelicans feeding their young. But they spotted no dead animals.

"I think part of the reason why we're not seeing more yet is that the impacts of this crisis are really just beginning," Greenpeace marine biologist John Hocevar said.

The counting of dead wildlife in the Gulf is more than an academic exercise; the deaths will help determine how much BP pays in damages.

1.What do the marine life react to the BP disaster?

2.The environmental disaster was caused by     .

3.What is John Hocevar’s attitude towards the disaster?

4.From the passage, we can infer that         .

5. The test is most probably a   ______     .

信息匹配A. Happiness lies in persistent pursuit.

B. Happiness is in your own hand.

C. Self-knowledge is positively related to happiness.

D. Happiness is based on comparison.

E. There does not exist a guide to happiness.

F. Happiness is all about doing what you want to.

以下是5个人对幸福的看法，请把个人的看法与上面对幸福的表述匹配起来。

1. Heather Mccoy

　Entering a bookstore, one cannot help but notice entire shelves devoted to books boating knowledge of the true path to happiness.

　Whether this wave of commercials and books can actually make people happier is the question. Happiness cannot be found by sticking to a narrow set of steps or rules. Finding happiness is not as simple as following a how-to-do handbook. It’s something that every person must find in his or her own way.

2. Gary Russell

　Does happiness grow proportionally with wealth? Hardly.

　Experiences teaches us material satisfaction comes only when one finds himself wealthier than those around him; and, in a similar manner, one feels of being lowered when facing a billionaire, while a worker with a monthly salary of several hundred dollars becomes the envy of the villagers in remote mountainous regions.

3. David Niven

　True happiness is not a result from human action. Results are temporary while happiness is everywhere and can neither be created nor destroyed. With true happiness there is no place for disappointments! True happiness may mean pain and restraint in the beginning but will lead to everlasting joy and freedom. To achieve true happiness, we should separate and remove the negatives. True happiness is realized by understanding one’s own self.

4. Joshua Party

　Happiness is a state of mind. you can be happy in almost any situation. Likewise, you can be unhappy in an equal number of situations.In the end, it’s your decision.

　If one can control one’s unhappiness, then one must be able to control one’s happiness. As far as I know, the human genome project has not been able to identify a single part of any human chromosome(染色体) which is responsible for happiness.

5. Laura Johnson

　So what makes me a happy person? Studying to be a journalist because I loved to write, not because it pays a lot of money. Skiing in the winter snow and swimming in the summer sun. Spending time with my close friends from home. Being in a stable family. Reading romance novels and watching movies. Having a boyfriend who knows more about rock and roll history than I do.

“无车日”(Car-free Day)是一项节能环保的活动，下面请你介绍活动有关情况，并号召更多的城市和居民参与到该活动中来。

活动背景：随着经济的发展，更多家庭拥有私家车，造成严重的交通问题和环境污染。

活动时间：每年9月22日       参与者：全国108个城市

活动目的：提高人们节约能源与保护环境的意识

活动内容：倡议人们选用公共汽车、自行车或步行方式

活动效果：得到全国人民的支持, 取得巨大成功

【写作要求】

只能用5个句子表达要表达的内容。

【评分标准】

句子结构准确；信息内容完整；篇章结构连贯。

读写任务Many people believe that in the future computers will be used in lots of everyday activities. It is thought that we won’t go shopping because many goods are available on the Internet.There will be no more books because all books will be available from electronic libraries.The Internet will be used to book holidays, rent films and order food. Most telephone calls will be made over the Internet as well. Some people are excited about these new developments.Others, however, do not think that computers will replace our present ways of shopping and communicating.

Is Internet shopping as much fun as traditional shopping ? Many people say it is not. It is fun to go into shops and look at the goods in person. It is also unlikely that many people will want to read large texts on their computers because paper books will possibly be more user- friendly. Maybe, computers won’t change these habits.

【写作内容】

1．以约30个词概括材料中心内容。

2．以约120个词表达如下要点：

（1）描述你周围的同学对网上购物的不同看法。

（2）你喜欢传统的购物方式还是网上购物？

（3）结合自己的生活体验说明你喜欢的理由。

【写作要求】

1．作文中可使用自己的亲身经历或虚构的故事，也可以参照阅读材料的内容但不得直接引用原文中的句子。

2. 作文中不能出现自己的真实姓名和学校名称。 

【评分标准】

概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，篇章连贯。

The more accessible a company's services are, the more business it will do. Why are the same ___1___ not applied when it comes to Internet websites then? A Hong Kong study has found that the local sites of two leading ___2___, McDonald's and Motorola, are the most user-unfriendly of the 30 websites tested. The lack of ___3___ means they are not only losing customers, but ___4___ to meet their social responsibilities.

         In an ever-more Internet-connected world, ___5___ are as important as physical shops or offices. They are ___6___ used as a way of banking, shopping and getting news. This is especially so for the disabled, who find it ___7___ to shop on-line than go to a store in person. A website that does not let them do this is the same as having a(n) "___8___" sign on a door. 

         In Hong Kong, it is ___9___ not to provide the disabled with access to schools and buildings, but at present there are no specific laws on Internet accessibility. However, companies are morally responsible for ensuring that their websites can be ___10___ by people who are visually disabled or have difficulty walking around. Ideals for design have long been put forward by the World Wide Web Consortium, a global community working on open standards to ___11___ accessibility and development.

         Computer technology is ___12___ fast and it is now much easier to create websites that are ___13___ for all people, sighted or disabled. Companies should ensure that the designers of their websites ___14___ guidelines for accessibility. We should try to make our city as ___15___ as possible, on-line and off.

1.A. data                            B. principles             C. experiences                  D. technologies

2.A. companies                B. products              C. stores                                D. factories

3.A. power                         B. study                     C. attraction                             D. access

4.A. deciding                B. attempting          C. failing                                 D. stopping

5.A. computers                B. hotlines                C. signals                           D. websites

6.A. increasingly              B. possibly                C. extremely                     D. randomly

7.A. cheaper                     B. safer                     C. easier                                      D. quicker

8.A. waiting                       B. sale                       C. open                               D. closed

9.A. unreasonable           B. illegal                        C. unimportant                 D. impolite

10.A. found                        B. read                      C. known                            D. created

11.A. permit.               B. discover               C. start                               D. ensure

12.A. weakening              B. dropping              C. changing                       D. flying

13.A. wonderful               B. usable                   C. harmless                       D. profitable

14.A. follow                       B. write                     C. break                              D. ignore

15.A. beautiful                  B. wealthy                C. accessible                     D. respectable

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1~10的相应位置上。

         A farmer once organized a competition between his dog and his rabbit. He dug a hole in one of his biggest fields, and hid a carrot and a bone in it. He wanted to see ___1___ animal would find them first.

         The ___2__ (cheer) and optimistic rabbit threw himself into looking for the carrot, __3___ (dig) here and there, totally convinced that he would find it. But the dog, after sniffing around for a bit, ___4___ (lie) down and began to complain about how difficult it, was to find one bone in such a big field.

         The rabbit dug ___5__ hours, and with every new hole the dog complained even more about how difficult this was, even for the rabbit. ___6___ the rabbit thought that each hole dug was one hole less that needed digging. When there was no place in the whole field ___7__ (leave) to dig, the rabbit dug a tunnel right to __8___ the dog had been lying all the time. There he found the carrot and the bone.

                  This is how the dog lost the game. He had come to ___9__ right place at the very beginning but failed to find the bone ___10___ he only complained and didn't try at all.

Beatrix Potter was a great English writer and artist, best known for her children's books featuring animal characters such as in the children's classic -- The Tale of Peter Rabbit.

         Beatrix was born into a rich London-based family where she was tutored by very strict private teachers and so spent her youth isolated from other youngsters.

         During her youth she had a lot of pets and spent vacations in Scotland and also the Lake District. It was at the Lake District that she developed a love of wildlife. She studied the area's natural wonders carefully and painted them continuously. But her old-fashioned, Manchester-born parents discouraged her intellectual improvement, thinking it inappropriate for a young lady. However, her study and watercolour paintings of wild mushrooms made her widely respected within the field of biology.

         In her 30's, Beatrix Potter wrote the remarkably successful kid's book, The Tale of Pew Rabbit. Close to that time she became secretly engaged to her publisher Norman Warne. This caused a great disagreement with her parents, who did not approve of Beatrix getting married to somebody of lower social status. Sadly, Warne died before the marriage ceremony.

         Ultimately Beatrix Potter began writing and also illustrating (绘图) kid's books full-time. Using profits from her books, Beatrix grew to become economically independent of her parents and was eventually in a position to buy Hill Top Farm in the Lake District. She extended the property with additional purchases of neighbouring land over time. In her 40's, Bestrix married William Heelis, a local lawyer. She ended up becoming a sheep breeder and farmer while continuing to publish as well as illustrate books for children. In all she authored 23 publications.

         Beatrix died on December 22, 1943, and left the majority of her property to the National Trust. Her books carry on selling well globally, in many different languages. Her stories have been retold in numerous formats including a ballet, movies, and cartoons.

         Such is her reputation, and that of the characters from her publications, that many Beatrix Potter statues have been created. These tiny Beatrix Potter statues which include pretty much all the actual characters in her publications have become highly valued by art collects and fans of her literature throughout the world.

1. What can we learn about Beatrix Potter's early life?

   A. She learned drawing skills from her tutors.

   B. She was very sociable and outgoing.

   C. She was greatly inspired by the beauty of nature.

   D. She was encouraged to think creatively and independently.

2.Why did Beatrix Potter's parents oppose the idea of her marriage to Norman Warne?

   A. They did not believe she was mature enough to get married.

   B. They thought Warne was only interested in Beatrix Potter's wealth.

   C. They believed that the couple's characters were mismatched.

   D. They considered Warne to be too common for their daughter.

3.According to the passage, which part of the UK did Beatrix Potter love most?

   A. Manchester.         B. Scotland.           C. The Lake District.      D. London.

4.In which of the following areas did Beatrix Potter show an interest during her life?

   A. Writing, biology, farming.

   B. Drawing, nature, ballet.

   C. Movies, farming, drawing.

   D. Writing, mushrooms, travel.

5.What is the function of the last two paragraphs of the passage?

   A. To describe the consequences of Beatrix Potter's death.

   B. To present the lasting cultural influence of Beatrix Potter and her works..

   C. To show the changes in attitude towards Beatrix Potter's works over the past years.

   D. To criticize the commercialization of Beatrix Potter's characters since her death.

When movie star Scarlett Johansson was photographed naming in Los Angeles recently, she attracted a lot of attention; for the 27-year-old actress was wearing Vibram FiveFingers, so called because they look more like gloves than shoes, with a space for each toe.

         Strange though they may look, these so-called barefoot shoes, which reproduce the effect of barefoot running but with less pain, are just one brand in a range of minimalist footwear. These super-thin sports shoes are causing a stir in the world of running and fitness. Why? Because some experts believe they could make you a better, more efficient runner and that traditional trainers could be doing you more harm than good.

         "Wearing a shoe that has lots of cushioning and support affects the way your body naturally moves and studies suggest that this carries a higher risk of injury," explains Matt Wallden, an athlete performance expert. "But with barefoot shoes, the foot can actually feel the firmness and shape of the ground, which allows your body to respond effectively.'"

         But before you rush out to invest in minimalist footwear, be careful. These kinds of shoes are not meant for everyone, or at least not straight away.

         "Ordinary sports shoes with support are good for beginners whose bodies are not used to the impact of running," explains Patrick Davoren, former Olympic athlete. "It you are not in great condition, then running in minimalist footwear may cause injuries and will turn a lot of people off exercise and running.

         If you are currently injured, and figures show that in any given year 65% of all runners are, it can be tempting to try anything that promises to get you back on the road, trail, or beach. But barefoot running is not a method of treating injury nor is it a magical way of suddenly turning you into a great athlete.

         Even if you're used to running, when you start using minimalist shoes you should build up your distance gradually. Start_off'by doing just 10% of what you'd normally run and increase the distance by no more than 10% every week. And a word of warning - you may never have soft feet again

1.The Vibram FiveFingers are shoes ______.

   A. specifically designed for women

   B. that have lots of cushion inside

   C. safest for people who enjoy sports

   D. that are much thinner than normal sports shoes

2.The underlined word "they" in paragraph 2 refers to ________.

   A. experts B. feet C. shoes D. runners

3.According to Matt Wallden, the new shoes ________.

   A. make feet more sensitive to the running surface

   B. will produce immediate improvements

   C. force your body to move less naturally

   D. increase the chances of getting hurt

4.The author suggests that new users of Vibram FiveFingers should ________.

   A. run in the shoes every day at top speed

   B. begin with a shorter running distance than normal

   C. occasionally run barefooted to harden their feet

   D. make sure they are already very fit before using them

5.Where would you probably read this article?

   A. A travel book.            B. A movie website.

   C. A sports magazine.        D. A science journal.