How should one invest a sum of money in these clays of inflation （通货膨胀）? Left in a bank it will hardly keep its value, however high the interest rate．Only a brave man, or a very rich one, dares to buy and sell on the Stock Market．Today it seems that one of the best ways to protect your savings, and even increase your wealth is to buy beautiful objects from the past．Here I am going to offer some advice on collecting antique clocks, which I personally consider are among the most interesting of antiques．

I sometimes wonder what a being from another planet might report back about our way of life．"The planet Earth is ruled by a mysterious creature that sits or stands in a room and makes a strange ticking sound．It has a face with twelve black marks and two hands．Men can do nothing without its permission, and it fastens its young round people's wrists so that everywhere men go they are still under its control．This creature is the real master of Earth and men are its slaves．"

Whether or not we are slaves of time today depends on our culture and personality, but it is believed that many years ago kings kept special slaves to tell the time．Certain men were very clever at measuring the time of clay according to the beating of their own hearts．They were made to stand in a fixed place and every hour or so would shout the time．So it seems that the first clocks were human beings．

However, men quickly found more convenient and reliable ways of telling the time．They learned to use the shadows cast by the sun．They marked the hours on candles, used sand in hour- glasses, and invented water-clocks．Indeed, any serious student of antique should spend as much time as possible visiting palaces, stately homes and museums to see some of the finest examples of clocks from the past．

Antique clocks could be very expensive, but one of the joys of collecting clocks is that it is still possible to find quite cheap ones for your own home．After all, if you are going to be ruled by time, why not invest in an antique clock and perhaps make a future profit?

According to the passage, collecting antique clocks____．

       A．can hardly keep the value of your savings

       B．will cost much of your savings

       C．may increase your wealth

       D．needs your bravery

Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a way to measure the time?

       A．Counting the beating of one's own heart．

       B．Making use of candles, sand and water．

       C．Observing shadows cast by the sun．

       D．Keeping slaves busy day and night．

The underlined phrase stately homes in paragraph 4 means

       A．state-owned houses

       B．houses in very good condition

       C．grand houses open to the public

       D．houses where statesmen meet regularly

It is believed that health problems are closely connected with bad eating habits and a _______ of exercise.

A. limit               B. need                C. lack           D. demand

It is believed that many more popular terms ________ on the Internet this year.

    A. will be created                     B. have created

    C. are created                        D. are creating

It is believed that it took about 800 thousand to 1 million years for the earth's population to reach the 250 million total which existed at the end of the first century AD. For some time after that, disease, famine(饥饿) and war kept the population increase down to a rate of 1 percent a year so that more than 15 centuries passed before the population reached 500 million. But in the next 250 years, up to 1850, the population of the world shot to 1 billion and today it has reached 3.5 billion. Scientists say that in the next 35 years the population of the world will double, reaching almost 7 billion by the year 2010.
When experts are asked what are the most effective measures that can stop over population, they reply that at least three measures can be considered.
(A) Increasing sources and supply of food for under-developed countries.
(B) Increasing the industrialization of under- developed countries.
(C) Controlling birth.
The experts add, however, that none of the above measures can be effective by itself, and that all must be combined into one whole program. They also agree that without controlling of births, any other measures are doomed (注定) to failure.
【小题1】The population _______ because of disease, famine and war.

The strong fear of high school math is lost here among the blue light of computer screens and the sounds of typing keyboard．

    A fanfare （喇叭声） plays from a speaker as a student passes a chapter test．Nearby another student is watching a video lecture．Another works out a math problem in her notebook before clicking on a multiple-choice answer on her screen．

    Their teacher at Agoura High School, US, Russell Stephans, sits at the back of the room, watching as scores pop up in real time on his computer grade sheet．One student has passed a level, the data shows; another is retaking a quiz．

    "Whoever thought this up makes life so much easier," Stephans says．

    This textbook-free classroom is by no means the norm（常态）, but it may be someday．Slowly, but in increasing numbers, schools across the US are replacing the heavy and expensive textbook with its lighter and cheaper cousin: the digital textbook．

    A digital textbook can be downloaded, projected and printed, and can range from simple text to a course filled with multimedia and links to Internet content．Some versions （版本） must be purchased; others are "open source" —free and available online to anyone．

    Some praise the technology as a way to save schools' money, replace outdated books and better engage students．Others say most schools don't have the resources to join in, or they question the quality of open-source content．

    Paper books still hold the highest percentage of the US textbook market, with digital textbooks making up less than 5 percent, according to analyst Kathy Mickey of Simba Information, a market research group．

    But that is changing, as grade schools follow the lead of US universities and schools in other countries, including South Korea and Turkey．

    California made the largest embrace （拥抱） of digital textbooks this summer when it approved 10 free high school math and science titles developed by college professors．The state left the choice to use them up to individual schools．

    "The textbooks are outdated, as far as I'm concerned, and there's no reason why our schools should have our students pull around these old-fashioned and heavy and expensive books," Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said this summer．

    But some disagree with the idea that digital textbooks will improve education quality．

    "Keep in mind that with open-source materials, you have to ask: 'Where are they coming from?'" said Jay Diskey, executive director of the Association of American Publishers' school division．"Is it a trusted source? Is it based on real research?"

    Diskey said traditional textbooks offer a comprehensive course, while some open-source texts provide only bits and pieces．"There can be quite a difference of content and accuracy," he said．"In many cases, you get what you pay for．"

The writer's purpose in writing the passage is to  ____     .

A．explain how to use digital textbooks

B．predict the future of paper textbooks

C．describe the current use of digital textbooks and present arguments about it

D．explain the difference between paper textbooks and digital ones

What is Schwarzenegger's opinion of traditional textbooks?

A．He is against getting rid of them．

B．He wants to have them replaced with digital ones．

C．Soon they will no longer be used．

D．He believes that they are to blame for the poor quality of education in California

Diskey holds the view that       .

A．the government shouldn't strengthen the use of open-source digital texts

B．digital textbooks make up for the shortcomings of traditional textbooks．

C．paper textbooks and digital ones both have advantages

D．traditional textbooks have more reliable content

According to the text, which of the following is TRUE?

A．Math is easier with the use of computers．

B．It is believed that digital books will replace traditional ones．

C．Textbook-free classes are the main form of teaching in the US schools．

D．Not all people are in favor of replacing paper textbooks with digital ones．