In many businesses, computers have largely replaced paperwork, because they are fast, and don't make mistakes．And they are honest．Many banks say that their business is “untouched by human hands” and therefore safe from human temptation (诱惑)．But they have no thought, and the growing number of computer crimes show that they can be used to steal．

　　Computer criminals (罪犯) don't use guns．And even if they are caught, it is hard to punish them because there is often no proof．A computer can't remember who used it: it simply does what it is told．The head teller (出纳员) at a New York City bank used a computer to steal more than one and a half billion dollars in just four years．No one noticed this because he moved the money from one account (账簿) to another．Each time a person he had robbed questioned the balance in his account, the teller said it was a computer mistake, then replaced the missing money from someone else's account．This man was caught only because he was a gambler (赌徒)．

　　Some workers use the computer's power to punish their bosses they consider unfair．Recently, a large company fired its computer-record assistant for reasons that were connected with her personal life rather than her job．She was given thirty days' notice．In those thirty days, she erased out all the company's computerized records．

　　Most computer criminals have been common workers．Now police wonder if this is “the tip of the iceberg (冰山)”．As one official says, “I have the feeling that there is more crime out there than we are catching．What we are seeing now is all so poorly done．I wonder what the real experts are doing the ones who really know how a computer works．”

1．Business in many banks is declared to be safe because ________．

[　　]

A．paperwork is no longer needed

B．computers are honest

C．people are not allowed to use computers

D．it is done through computers

2．The bank teller covered up his crimes ________．

[　　]

A．because a lot of people had questioned him

B．because he had stolen too much money

C．by moving money from one account to another

D．by lying to the police

3．The assistant erased out all the computerized records ________．

[　　]

A．because the company decided to fire her

B．because she had done wrong

C．after she lost her job

D．in a very careless way

4．It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ________．

[　　]

A．most of the computer criminals have been caught

B．computer criminals are difficult to catch if they are computer experts．

C．computer experts are helping the police

D．computer criminals are easy to catch because the police know much about them

5．The passage is mainly about________．

[　　]

A．computer mistakes

B．stealing through computers

C．computer crimes

D．punishment through computers

　　The yearly Academy Awards ceremony was once a private affair．Now, because of television, it is very much a public affair,．Hundreds of people gather in Hollywood to see the Oscars presented to outstanding (杰出的) actors, and others involved (参与) in the motion picture industry．Millions more watch on television．

　　It all began on May 16, 1929, when 270 men and women sat down to dinner at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel．There was no secret about the winners．The names of the winners had been known for months．Janet Gaynor, for example, had won as Best Actress．Douglas Fairbanks presented her with the famous gold statue (塑像)．The little statue was not then called Oscar．Like a new actor, Oscar was unknown．About six years later, it somehow got that renowned name．A number of explanations have been offered for its origin, but nobody knows the true story for certain．

　　Nowadays the results of the Oscar voting are kept secret．Only two people know the winners before the names are announced at the ceremony．The counting of votes is not done by one group of people but by different groups．Nobody except two members of an accounting (计票) company sees the final results．

　　The information is not kept in open files (卷宗) ．Winners' names are placed in closed envelopes．The accountants each carry a complete set of envelopes to the ceremony．One set is simply a spare to be used in case something happens to the other one．

1．As used in Paragraph 2, “renowned” means________．

[　　]

2．May 16, 1929 marks ________．

[　　]

A．Douglas Fairbanks' first winning of an Academy Award

B．The first time Oscar got its name

C．The first time the Awards were kept secret

D．Janet Gaynor's recognition as Best Actress

3．Two sets of envelopes are prepared for the ceremony ________．

[　　]

A．one for New York, one for Hollywood

B．in order to be perfectly safe

C．one for the ceremony, one for the newspapers

D．just because that is the custom

　　Rome Doctors and medical groups around the world last weekend reacted with strong opposition to the news that an Italian specialist is on the brink of cloning the first human baby．

　　Dr．Severino Antinori, who is the head of a hospital in Rome, has been referred to in an Arab newspaper as claiming that one of his patients is eight weeks pregnant (怀孕) with a cloned baby．

　　Antinori refused to comment on the reports, but in March 2001 he said he hoped to produce a cloned embryo (卵) for implantation within two years．So far seven different kinds of mammals have already successfully cloned, including sheep, cats and most recently rabbits．

　　Doctors showed their doubt and were strongly opposed although they admit that human cloning would finally come true unless there was a world wide ban on the practice．

　　Professor Rudolf Jaenisch of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology: “I find it astonishing that people do this where the result can be foretold that it will not be a normal baby．It is using humans as guinea pigs．It makes people feel sick．” But Ronald Green, director of the Ethics Institute at Darmouth College in the US, said it is unlikely that an eight-week-old pregnancy would lead to a birth．

　　So far all cloned animals have suffered from some different serious disorders, many of them dying soon after their births．Doctors are opposed to human cloning because they are worried about the welfare of the cloned child if there is one．“There are no benefits of cloned human beings, just harm,” said Dr．Michael Wilksof the UK．

1．What do the underlined phrase on the brink of in the first paragraph most probably mean?

[　　]

2．What is the doctors' general attitude to cloning of humans according to the passage?

[　　]

A．They are against it．

B．They support it．

C．They welcome it．

D．They pay no attention to it．

3．What does the underlined word ban in the third paragraph mean most probably?

[　　]

A．order that forbids cloning

B．suggestion to carrying on cloning

C．anger at cloning

D．cheer for cloning

4．Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

[　　]

A．Doctor Severino Antinori is strongly opposed to cloning human beings．

B．Up to now, seven kinds of animals have been cloned, including sheep, cats, humans and rabbits．

C．Professor Rudolf Jaenisch is carrying on an experiment on cloning an eight-week-old embryo．

D．Ronald Green doubts about the future successful birth of the so-called cloned embryo．

5．Which is the best title for the passage?

[　　]

A．The Success of Cloning Humans

B．The Anger at Cloning Humans

C．Failure of Cloning Humans

D．First Cloned Human

　　David Beckham was born in 1975, in London, at a place called Leytonstone．When he was a young boy, his greatest passion was football．He played it whenever he had chance．Sometimes he would go and watch a game with his friends．When David Beckham was 12 years old, he won the Bobby Charlton Soccer Skills award．This was an important step forward for this young boy, and it led him to go for a visit to a football training camp in Spain．As a boy he played for the schools of Essex and also for his country team．

　　In 1991, he became a trainee with Manchester United．This meant that he could practise football as much as he wanted to and play for the highly successful Manchester United Youth Cup team and Under-21 team．In April, 1995, he played his first football league game against Leeds United．During 1996, David became a regular member of the team and Manchester United won in both football seasons, with David scoring many goals．

　　His goals made him a popular name．In the first game of the 1996 - 1997 season, he scored a surprising goal from beyond the halfway line; seeing the goalkeeper (守门员) a little way out of his goal, Beckham sent the ball over the goalkeeper's head and into the goal．It was a wonderful goal and Beckham became famous overnight．He continued to score astonishing goals, especially from free kicks．He also had the ability to make the ball go from left to right, or right to left, whenever he chose．Goalkeepers were never sure where the ball was going, and it regularly ended up in the goal．

1．Which word can replace the underlined word passion in Paragraph 1?

[　　]

2．The unusually surprising way that he scored goals________．

[　　]

A．made him popular in many British homes

B．helped him to gain many prizes for Essex

C．kept him playing for Leeds United

D．offered him the chance to join the national team

3．Which of the following shows the right order of what happened to Beckham?

a．Beckham played his first football league game．

b．Beckham won the Bobby Charlton Soccer Skills award．

c．Beckham played for Manchester United Youth Cup team．

d．Beckham went to Spain to join a football training camp．

[　　]

4．The passage is mainly talking about________．

[　　]

A．when Beckham became famous all over Britain

B．how Beckham became a successful football player

C．why Beckham could win in football league games

D．Beckham had to score so many goals to become famous

　　There is much discussion today about whether economic (经济的) growth is desirable．At an earlier period, our desire for material wealth may have proved proper．Now, however, this desire for more than we need is causing serious problems．Even though we have good intentions, we may be producing too much, too fast．

　　Those who criticize economic growth argue that we must slow down．They believe that society is coming near to certain limits on growth．These include the fixed supply of natural resources, the possible bad effects of industry on the natural environment, and the continuing increase in the world's population．As society reaches these limits, economic growth can no longer continue, and the quality of life will decrease．

　　People who want more economic growth, on the other hand, argue that even at the present growth rate there are still many poor people in the world．These proponents of economic growth believe that only more growth can create the capital needed to improve the quality of life in the world．Furthermore, they argue that only continued growth can provide the financial (财政的) resources required to protect our natural surroundings from industrialization．

　　This discussion over the desirability of continued economic growth is very important to business and industry．If those who argue against economic growth are correct, the problems they mention cannot be ignored (忽视)．To find an answer, economists and the business community must pay attention to these problems and continue discussing them with one another．

1．According to those who argue against economic growth we must slow down for the following reasons EXCEPT that________．

[　　]

A．our natural surroundings are in danger of being destroyed by industry

B．the fixed supply of natural resources marks a point beyond which economic growth cannot continue

C．the world population is ever increasing

D．more efforts should be made to improve the quality of our material life

2．The passage is mainly about________．

[　　]

A．the importance of the discussion on economic growth

B．the advantages and disadvantages of economic growth

C．the discussion over the desirability of continued economic growth

D．the relationship between economic growth and environment

3．The underlined word proponents most probably means ________．

[　　]

A．arguments in support of something

B．disagreements

C．people who argue for something

D．people who argue against something

4．We may infer from the passage that ________．

[　　]

A．the author is objective in describing the discussion over economic growth

B．the author is for economic growth

C．the author is against continued economic growth

D．the author is worried about the problems caused by continued economic growth

　　What should you think about when you try to find your career? You are probably better at some school subjects than others, These may show strengths that you can use in your work．A boy who is good at mathematics can use that in engineering career．A girl who spells well and likes English may be good at office work．So it is important to know the subjects you do well in at school．On the other hand, you may not have any specially strong or weak subjects but your records show a general satisfactory standard．Although not all subjects can be used directly in a job, they may have indirect value．

　　Your school may have taught you skills, such as typing or technical drawing, which you can use in your work．You may be good at mental work or cookery and look for a job where you can improve these skills．

　　If you have had a part-time job on Saturday or in the summer, think what you gained from it．If nothing else, you may have learned how to get to work on time, to follow instructions and to get on with older workers．You may have learned to give correct change in a shop, for example．Just as important, you may become interested in a particular industry or career you see from the inside in a part-time job．

　　Facing your weak points is also part of knowing yourself．You may be all thumbs when you handle tools; perhaps you are a poor speller or cannot add up a column of figures．It is bitter to face any weaknesses than to pretend they do not exist．Your school record, for instance, may not be too good, yet it is an important part of your background．You should not feel sorry about it but instead recognize that you will have a chance of a fresh start at work．

1．The first paragraph of the passage is mainly about________．

[　　]

A．the indirect value of school work

B．the importance of being good at all subjects

C．knowing one's strong or weak subjects at school

D．using school performance to help to choose a career

2．In the writer's opinion, for a student to have a part-time job is probably ________．

[　　]

A．a good way to find out his weak points

B．one of the best ways of earning money

C．of great use for his work in the future

D．a waste of time which he could have spent on study

3．If a student's school record is not good, according to the passage, he ________．

[　　]

A．may do well in his future work

B．won't be able to find a suitable job

C．may be a complete failure in the future

D．will regret not having worked harder at school

4．The whole passage centers around ________．

[　　]

A．knowing oneself in looking for a job

B．developing one's abilities useful in school

C．gaining much knowledge by working hard at school

D．choosing a career according to what one is skilled in

　　All plant cells are capable of taking up water．Even dead ones do to a certain degree．Absorption of water by dead cell walls makes wood become larger．In common land plants, the living cells of roots take up most of the water．Land plants without roots do exist, however．Those greenish-yellow lichens (苔藓) you see on rocks in the high mountains have no roots．Half a billion years ago, when water plants started to enter the land, the first land plants did not have roots．

　　Even among the flowering plants, one finds rootless forms．These flowering plants are the higher plants because they evolved (进化) recently and are thus considered higher on the evolutionary scale (进化树)．In the Peruvian desert, there grows one of these rootless higher plants, a bromeliad．It is a relative of the pineapple．Even if this plant had roots, they would be of no use, because where the plant grows, it never rains．The plant gets its water only from the dew (露水) it collects at night, when its leaves cool off．Such rootless plants, of course, can be moved with ease, but they will only grow when they are placed out in the open．If they are placed too near a house, the radiation from the heat of the house prevents the leaves from cooling and so prevents dew from forming, and the plant dies．In the southern United States and in Puerto Rico, one sees bromeliads growing high above the streets on the insulation (绝缘物) of electric wires．These plants get their water from rain, and the only soil they ever come in contact with is the dust that may blow on their leaves．

1．Wood becomes larger because of________．

[　　]

A．plants having roots

B．water entering dead cell walls

C．the growth of cells

D．the death of cells

2．From the passage we know that the evolutionary scale is graded according to ________．

[　　]

3．The bromeliad is a plant that________．

[　　]

A．has useless roots

B．resembles a pineapple

C．can grow anywhere

D．takes up water through its leaves

4．The most suitable title for this passage is________．

[　　]

A．Absorption of Water by Plants

B．Rootless Plants

C．Plants in the Desert

D．Higher Plants

　　A new study says one part of the human brain may become smaller as a result of a condition known as jet lag．Jet lag results from flying long distances in an airplane．People with jet lag may feel extremely tired for several days．They may also have problems thinking clearly and remembering．

　　Recently a researcher at the University of Bristol in Britain reported the findings of his jet lag study, which involved twenty young women who worked for international airlines．They had served passengers on airplanes for five years．These flight attendants flew across many countries and at least seven time zones．In the study, the flight attendants had different amounts of time to recover from jet lag．Half the women spent five days or fewer in their home areas between long flights．The other half spent more than fourteen days in their home areas．

　　The researcher took some saliva from the women's mouths to measure levels of a hormone (荷尔蒙) that increases during stress．He tested them to see if they could remember where black spots appeared on a computer screen．And he took pictures of their brains to measure the size of the brain's temporal lobes (脑叶)．

　　It was found that the women who had less time between flights had smaller right temporal lobes．This area of the brain deals with recognizing and remembering what is seen．The same group performed worse and had slower reaction times on the visual memory test．And their saliva samples showed higher levels of stress hormones．

　　The researcher believes the brain needs at least ten days to recover after a long trip．He says airline workers told him their ability to remember got worse after working on planes for about four years．Other studies have shown that increased feelings of stress can cause a loss of cells in the part of the brain that controls memory．

　　Scientists say more tests are needed to study the effects of jet lag on the brain．They want to find out if too much jet lag could permanently (永久性地) affect memory．

1．According to the text, jet lag________．

[　　]

A．can cause difficulties in speaking

B．can make people feel tired for a few weeks

C．can be only found in flight attendants

D．can be caused by flying over several time zones

2．It can be inferred from the text that ________．

[　　]

A．the conclusion is refused by many scientists

B．scientists fear that this research is not done properly

C．every scientific conclusion needs the support from many tests

D．the women who were examined in the research were not healthy

3．From the result of the research we can see that ________．

[　　]

A．the women who have a longer rest between long flights show better memory

B．the women who fly in a short time have smaller right temporal lobes

C．the women who have longer flights fail the memory test

D．the women who rest more than 14 days produce lower levels of hormones

4．What is the subject discussed in the text?

[　　]

A．The cause of jet lag．

B．A story of a group of flight attendants．

C．The importance of having enough rest after flights．

D．A research about the effects of jet lag on the brain．

　　How might you drag a good writer's work down to the level of a scribe (抄写员)? Try the spell-check button．A study at the University of Pittsburgh indicates spell-check soft-ware may level the playing field between people with differing levels of language skills, hampering (妨碍) the work of writers and editors who place too much trust in the software．In the study, 33 undergraduate students were asked to proofread (校对) a one-page business letter half of them using Microsoft Word with red and green lines underlining potential errors (潜在错误)．The other half did it the old-fashioned way, using only their heads．Without grammar or spelling software, students with higher SAT scores made, on average, 5 errors, compared with 12．3 errors for students with lower scores．Using the software, students with higher scores reading the same page made, on average, 16 errors, compared with 17 errors for students with lower scores．Dennis Galletta, a professor of information systems at the Katz Business School, said spell-check software is so sophisticated that some have come to trust it too thoroughly．It's not a software problem, it's a behavior problem, he said．Microsoft technical specialist Tim Pash said grammar and spelling technology is meant to help writers and editors, not solve all their problems．The study found the software helped students find and correct errors in the letter, but in some cases they also changed phrases or sentences marked by the software as grammatically suspicious (可疑的), even though they were correct．

1．The writer wants to tell us that________．

[　　]

A．spell-check software is very helpful

B．spell-check software has some problems

C．it's not wise to depend too much on the spell-check software

D．spell-check software brings trouble to writers and editors

2．The experiment shows that________．

[　　]

A．spell-check software helps only those with low SAT scores

B．spell-check software can sometimes make things worse

C．spell-check software cannot solve all problems

D．those with higher SAT scores make fewer mistakes than those with low scores

3．What can be learned from the passage?

[　　]

A．33 students were divided into four groups in the experiment．

B．Spell-check software can be of great help to writers and editors．

C．With the help of spell-check software those with lower SAT scores make fewer mistakes．

D．Students often make more mistakes in writing if they trust spell-check software too much．

4．What is the meaning of the word “sophisticated” used in the text?

[　　]

BRITAIN is a popular tourist place．But tours of the country have pros and cons．

Free museums．No charge for outstanding collections of art and antiquities．

Pop music．Britain is the only country to rival (与…匹配)the US on this score．

Black cabs．London taxi drivers know where they are going even if there are never enough of them at weekends or night．

Choice of food．Visitors can find everything from Ethiopian to Swedish restaurants．

Fashion．Not only do fashion junkies love deeply and respect highly brand names such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen; street styles are justly loved, too．

Poor service．It's part of the image of the place．People can dine out on the rudeness they have experienced, says Professor Tony Seaton of Luton University's International Tourism Research Center．

Poor public transport．Trains and buses are promised to defeat the keenest tourists, although the over crowded London tube is inexplicably (不可解的) popular．

Lack of languages．Speaking slowly and clearly may not get many foreign visitors very far, even in the tourist traps (圈套)．

Rain．Still in the number one complaint．

No air-conditioning．So that even splendidly hot summers become as unbearable as the downpours．

Overpriced hotels．The only European country with a higher rate of tax on hotel rooms is Denmark．

Licensing hours．Alcohol (酒) is in short supply after 11 p．m．even in 24-hour cities．

1．What do tourists complain about most?

[　　]

2．What do we learn about pop music in Britain and the US from the passage?

[　　]

A．Pop music in Britain is better than that in the US．

B．Pop music in Britain is as good as that in the US．

C．Pop music in Britain is worse than that in the US．

D．Pop music in Britain is quite different from that in the US．

3．When is alcohol not able to get?

[　　]

4．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

[　　]

A．You have to pay when you visit museums．

B．It's comfortable to travel by tube．

C．You can enjoy a variety of food．