Global Positioning Systems are now a part of everyday driving in many countries. These satellite-based systems provide turn-by-turn directions to help people get to where they want to go. But, they can also cause a lot of problems, send you to the wrong place or leave you completely lost. Many times, the driver is to blame. Sometimes a GPS error is responsible. Most often, says Barry Brown, it is a combination of the two.
We spoke to Mr. Brown by Skype. He told us about an incident involving a friend who had flown to an airport in the eastern United States. There he borrowed a GPS-equipped car to use during his stay. Barry Brown: “And they just plugged in an address and then set off to their destination. And, then it wasn’t until they were driving for thirty minutes that they realized they actually put in a destination back on the West Coast where they lived. They actually put their home address in. So again, the GPS is kind of 'garbage in garbage out'.”
Mister Brown says this is a common human error. But, he says, what makes the problem worse has to do with some of the shortcomings, or failures, of GPS equipment. Barry Brown: “One problem with a lot of the GPS units is they have a very small screen and they just tell you the next turn. Because they just give you the next turn, sometimes that means that it is not really giving you the overview that you would need to know that it’s going to the wrong place.”
Barry Brown formerly served as a professor with the University of California, San Diego. While there, he worked on a project with Eric Laurier from the University of Edinburgh. The two men studied the effects of GPS devices on driving by placing cameras in people’s cars. They wrote a paper based on their research. It is called “The Normal, Natural Troubles of Driving with GPS.” It lists several areas where GPS systems can cause confusion for drivers. These include maps that are outdated, incorrect or difficult to understand. They also include timing issues related to when GPS commands are given.
Barry Brown says to make GPS systems better we need a better understanding of how drivers, passengers and GPS systems work together.
【小题1】In Paragraph 2, Mr. Brown mentioned his friend in the conversation to _____________.

A．build up his own reputation

B．laugh at his stupid friend

C．prove the GPS system is only garbage

D．describe an example of human error

【小题2】With which of the following statement would Barry Brown most likely agree?

A．GPS units are to blame for the most GPS service failures.

B．We should introduce higher standard for the driving license.

C．Cameras are urgently needed to help improve GPS systems.

D．Drivers, GPS systems and passengers should unite to improve GPS systems.

【小题3】What is Mr. Brown’s attitude towards GPS?

A．Unconcerned

B．Prejudiced

C．Objective

D．Critical

【小题4】What would be the best title for the text?

A．driving with GPS can be difficult

B．driving confusions can be caused by small screen

C．driving without GPS should be much more convenient

D．GPS equipment in driving: to be deserted or improved?

A new study says one part of the human brain may become smaller as the 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(紧张). 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 (永久性的) affect memory.
【小题1】According to the text, jet lag .

1. can cause difficulties in speaking
2. can make people feel tired for a few weeks
3. can be only found in flight attendants
4. can be caused by flying over several time zones

【小题2】It can be inferred from the text that .

1. the conclusion is refused by many scientists
2. scientists fear that this research is not done properly
3. the scientific conclusion needs the support from many tests
4. every women who were examined in the research were mot healthy

【小题3】From the result of the research we can see that .

1. the women who have longer rest at home show better memory
2. the women who fly in short time have smaller right temporal lobes
3. the women who have longer flights fail the memory test
4. the women who rest more than 14 days produce less hormones

【小题4】What is the subject discussed in the text?

1. The cause of jet lag.
2. A story of a group of flight attendants.
3. The importance of having enough rest after flights.
4. A research about the effects of jet lag on the brain.

Cities need to put efforts to deal with pollution and clear the air.
Chinese cities will need to put efforts to clear up the sky when a new department to improve regional air quality is set up by 2015，according to the latest plan released by the State Council.
Besides the existing pollution control program for CO₂，regional emission caps(区域排放上限) for other certain chemicals will be established in the three key air polluting areas—the Yangtze River Delta，Pearl River Delta and the Beijing­-Tianjin­- Hebei region. Coal­-consumption caps will also be tried out in some areas，according to the plan.
The plan is aimed at dealing with regional air pollution—such as acid rain and smog—which have become increasingly obvious in China in recent years and caused a severe threat to people’s health，Zhang Lijun，vice­minister of environmental protection，said in an interview on Monday.
The air quality in a city affects the areas nearby because pollutants can travel in the sky，said Chai Fahe，vice-­director of Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences.
“So efforts to reduce air pollution in a single city，targeting a certain pollutant(污染物) will not be enough，” Chai said.
Zhang said the country’s major industrial districts—the Yangtze River Delta，Pearl River Delta and the Beijing­-Tianjin-­Hebei region—have recorded more than 100 misty days annually in recent years.
These three regions，home to at least 200 million people，occupy only 6.3 percent of the country’s area but consume 40 percent of the country’s coal and produce half of its steel，according to official figures.
Studies also show that the visibility(能见度) in eastern regions of China has dropped by 7 to 15 km compared to that in the early 1960s，as a result of air pollution.
Liaoning province，the Shandong Peninsula，Wuhan in Hubei province and its surrounding area，the Changsha­-Zhuzhou­-Xiangtan region in Hunan province，the Chengdu­-Chongqing region，and the western coast of the Taiwan Straits are also listed as areas to carry out such regional air pollution control programs，according to the plan.
The new plan also requires an improved air quality system，which will measure the pollution levels. “The current system，which only measures some major pollutants，cannot reflect the_truepicture.” said Chai.
【小题1】It will not be enough to reduce air pollution in a single city because ________.

A．air pollution has been becoming more and more serious in recent years

B．air pollution like acid rain and smog is threatening people’s health

C．air pollutants in a city can travel in the sky and affect nearby areas

D．air pollutants stay in fixed places over the cities

【小题2】Suppose the visibility in eastern regions of China was 130 km in the early 1960s，the visibility there nowadays is ________.

A．123 to 115 km	B．137 to 145 km
C．123 to 145 km	D．115 to 137 km

【小题3】The main purpose of the passage is ________.

A．to inform readers of the damage caused by air pollution

B．to introduce the new plan to control air pollution

C．to provide official figures of air pollution levels

D．to point out the regions affected by air pollution

【小题4】What does the underlined phrase “the true picture” in the last paragraph mean?

A．The major pollutants.

B．The key polluted areas.

C．The major polluted cities.

D．The pollution levels.

Today just as technology changed the face of industry, farms have undergone an “agricultural revolution”. On the farm of today, machines provide almost all the power.
One of the most important benefits will be the farm computer. A few forward-looking farmers are already using computers to help them run their farms more efficiently. The computers help them keep more accurate records so they can make better decisions on what crops to plant, how much livestock to buy, when to sell their products, and how much profit they can expect. Many computer companies have been developing special computer programs just for farmers. Programs are being written for hog producers, grain farmers, potato farmers, and dairy farmers. In the future, farmers will be able to purchase computer programs made to their needs. Because of the growing importance of computers on the farm, students at agricultural colleges are required to take computer classes in addition to their normal agricultural courses. There can be no doubt that farmers will rely on computers even more in the future. While the old-time farm depended on horse power, and modern farms depend on machine power, farms of the future will depend on computer power.
　　Another technological advance which is still in the experimental stage is the robot, a real “mechanized hired hand” that will be able to move and, in some ways, think like a human being. Agricultural engineers believe that computer-aided robots will make startling changes in farming before the end of the century. Unlike farmers of the present, farmers of the future will find that many day-to-day tasks will be done for them. Scientists are now developing robots that will be able to shear sheep, drive tractors, and harvest fruit. Even complex jobs will be done by robots. For example, in order to milk their cows, farmers must first drive them into the barn, then connect them to the milking machines, watch the machines, and disconnect them when they are finished. In the future, this will all be done by robots. In addition, when the milking is completed, the robots will automatically check to make sure that the milk is pure. The complete mobilization of the farm is far in the future, but engineers expect that some robots will be used before long.
【小题1】Which sentence carried the main idea of the whole passage?

A．The first sentence of the first paragraph.

B．The first sentence of the second paragraph.

C．The first sentence of the third paragraph.

D．The last sentence of the second paragraph.

【小题2】 according to the passage, computers can not help farmers decide _______.

A．how much money they can earn from their products

B．whether to plant a certain kind of crop

C．what livestock to raise

D．when to sell their products

【小题3】Which of the following statements is true?

A．Farmers in the future will depend totally on computers.

B．Both computers and robots have been in use on today’s farms.

C．Farmers mainly use machines on their farms at present.

D．Students at agricultural colleges must take computer classes because they can do nothing without the help of computers on today’s farms.

【小题4】according to the engineers, _______will be done by robots in the near future.

A．all farm work	B．milking cows
C．most of the farm work	D．some farm work

【小题5】What is the best title for the whole passage?

A．Computer, Farmers’ Best Friend	B．Farmers in The Future
C．The Agricultural Revolution	D．Computers and Robots

Mars Was Not Always Bitterly Cold
Scientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have reported evidence that Mars was warmer and wetter long ago than it is today.  The Caltech scientists say they have directly established the temperature of Mars four billion years ago. At least, they established the surface temperature on part of the planet at that time. The researchers say it is the first such evidence to be discovered and presented.
The Caltech scientists say carbonate（碳酸盐） minerals formed on Mars at about eighteen degrees Celsius. They reached the finding after studying a meteorite（陨石） that had its beginnings near the Martian surface.
Today, the average temperature on Mars is sixty-three degrees below zero Celsius.
The finding was reported on the website of the National Academy of Sciences. Caltech Assistant Professor Woody Fischer helped to prepare the report. He says eighteen degrees Celsius is not especially cold or hot. He says this makes the finding extremely interesting. Knowing the temperature can give scientists an idea of the climate on Mars long ago. It can also help them decide whether the planet had liquid water. Spacecraft orbiting Mars have shown what appear to be rivers, lakebeds and mineral deposits. These pictures suggest that, at one time, water did flow there. Mars Rover vehicles and other spacecraft have confirmed the information.
Caltech Geology Professor John Eiler was another writer of the report. He says knowing the temperature of Mars from long ago provides valuable information. It shows that early in the planet's history, at least part of Mars could support a climate like that of Earth.
The meteorite the scientists examined is one of the oldest known rocks in the world. It is called the Allan Hills meteorite. Its name came from the place in Antarctica where it was found in 1984. The meteorite is believed to have blown loose from the Mars' surface when another space rock struck its "home."
【小题1】 The underlined word “establish” in Paragraph 1 probably means “___________”.

A．to set up

B．to make people accept a belief

C．to discover or prove

D．to start having a relationship with others

【小题2】How did the scientists reach the finding?

A．By studying Allan Hills meteorite.

B．By using spacecraft orbiting Mars.

C．By studying minerals gathered on Mars

D．By studying a meteorite on the Martian surface.

【小题3】According to the fourth paragraph, what have spacecraft orbiting Mars done?

A．Measuring the temperature of Mars.

B．Taking photos of the surface of Mars.

C．Confirming that there is water flowing on Mars.

D．Finding where human beings will probably land on Mars.

【小题4】How did Allan Hills meteorite get its name?

A．From its original place on Mars.

B．From where it was found on the earth.

C．From the name of the scientist who found it.

D．From the name of the aircraft that discovered it

【小题5】 Where can we most probably read this passage?

A．In a biography of scientists.

B．In a geography magazine.

C．In an environment report.

D．In a science report.

Mobile phones are an important business tool for farmers in rural areas. But they also put a valuable educational tool in their hands.
The University of Illinois in the United States has a project called SAWBO—Scientific Animations Without Borders. It produces educational videos that can be downloaded to cell phones. The goal is to help people in developing countries improve their lives.
One video shows farmers how to make a natural insecticide from neem seeds to prevent insect damage to crops. The process starts with sorting and drying the neem fruits. Then let the fruit dry in the sun for about three or four days, until they become brown. Using a mortar(碾槌) and stick, the fruits are slightly pounded to remove the shells from the fruits without breaking the seed inside.
The videos use computer animation(动画). Some of the animated characters are a little funny looking-like a farmer with a long nose. But the subjects are serious, including a health video on preventing cholera(霍乱). Team member Francisco Seufferheld says the information in the videos is meant to be quickly understood. He says, “The information is digested in such a way that in two minutes, we can transmit a complex idea.”
The researchers tested the seven-minute video on seven mobile phones. They wanted to see if people would share the video using Bluetooth wireless technology. With Bluetooth, files can be passed to a nearby phone even if neither phone is connected to the Internet. As a result, in one month, the video had spread to one hundred eighteen people in fifty different villages. “This is just incredible impact,” said Francisco Seufferheld.
The team has made a few videos so far. These are available in a total of eighty languages, dialects and accents. Professor Barry Pittendrigh says there are plans for more videos later this year.
【小题1】What is the text mainly about?

A．A best-selling mobile phone

B．A valuable educational project for farmers

C．United States support for developing countries

D．A new type of scientist –farmer relationship

【小题2】The SAWBO program is introduced in order to ____.

A．raise farmers’ standard of living

B．do some research on mobile phones

C．develop farmers’ practical skills

D．help farmers prevent insect damage to corps

【小题3】The biggest advantage of the program is that it______.

A．includes health video on preventing cholera

B．can be passed to farmers using Bluetooth technology

C．can be used to sort and dry the neem fruits

D．is easy for farmers to understand

【小题4】Which of the following words can best take the place of the word “ pound” in the 3^rd paragraph?

A．moved

B．beat

C．picked

D．cut

Dolphins（海豚）are not fish, but warm-blooded animals. They live in groups, and speak to each other in their own language. In this, they are like other animals, such as bees and birds. But dolphins are very different from almost all land animals. Their brain is nearly the same size as our own, and they live a long time―at least twenty or thirty years. Like some animals, dolphins use sound to help them find their way around. They also make these sounds to talk to each other and to help them find food. We now know they do not use their ears to receive these sounds, but the lower part of the mouth, called the jaw.
Strangely, dolphins seem to like man, and for thousands of years there have been stories about the dolphin and its friendship with people.
There is a story about sailors in the 19th century. In a dangerous part of the sea off the coast of New Zealand, they learnt to look for a dolphin called Jack. From 1871 to 1903, Jack met every boat in the area and showed it the way. Then in 1903 a passenger on a boat called The Penguin shot and wounded Jack. He recovered and for nine years more continued to guide all ships through the area－except for The Penguin.
Today, some people continue to kill dolphins, but many countries of the world now protect them and in these places it is against the law to kill them.
【小题1】Dolphins are different from many other animals in that they _____.

A．live in groups

B．have large brains

C．are warm-blooded

D．have their own language

【小题2】Which of the following does the dolphin use to help it find its way around?

A．Its nose.

B．Its ears.

C．Its mouth.

D．Its eyes.

【小题3】Why did the sailors off the coast of New Zealand look for Jack?

A．He was lonely and liked to be with people.

B．They enjoyed playing with him.

C．He was seriously wounded.

D．They wanted his help.

【小题4】By telling the story of Jack, the writer wanted to show that _____.

A．dolphins are friendly and clever	B．people are cruel to animals
C．Jack is different from other dolphins	D．dolphins should be protected by law

Today our lives are changing faster than at any time in history. Here we report on three important changes that will have a big impact on our everyday lives in the future．
The cashless society 
Cash and bank-notes will disappear almost completely. They will be replaced by smart cards, namely plastic cards: microchip（微芯片）processors（处理器）loaded with some money. When we pay for goods，the shop assistant will put our smart card into a payment terminal（终端）and money will come into his card from our card. When all the money is used up，we will be able to reloadit by putting it into a telephone，dialing our bank account and money will be put into the card from the account.
Interactive telephones 
Talking computers will play an important part. They will recognize speech, ask us what information we need, look through a database，and put the information into speech．If we want to book a flight or pay a bill by phone, we will interact with a talking computer to do so. Human telephone operators will be used only for more complex operations such as dealing with complaints or solving special problems.
Traffic jams in cities will be reduced because drivers will use electronic route maps to find the quickest route to their destination. Electronic systems will start changing motorists for driving in cities．As soon as motorists have to pay to drive in cities, they will stop using their cars and use public transport instead. Speed control systems will be built into cars. These systems will automatically（自动地）regulate the speed of the car to take account of traffic and weather conditions and prevent accidents. It will be many years before these changes bring results but when they do，there will be a titanic improvement in road safety.
With the development of science and technology, more and more advanced things will be invented or created. Life in the future is undoubtedly different from that at the present.
【小题1】Cash and bank-note will disappear because         .

A．they will be out of use sooner or later

B．they will be replaced by plastic cards convenient to use

C．we can load money from the bank

D．they will be rejected by payment terminals

【小题2】What will you do if the money in your card is used up?

A．Go to the bank to deposit some money.

B．Put the card into a telephone and dial the bank account.

C．Buy a new card.

D．We don’t know.

【小题3】Which of the following would be the best subtitle for the fourth paragraph?

A．Future cars

B．Speed control systems

C．Intelligent cars

D．Traffic jams

【小题4】Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．When we buy tickets for flying somewhere else, we can have a talk with the computer.

B．If you make a complaint, you can use human telephone operation.

C．Drivers will stop using their cars and use public transport in order to prevent accidents.

D．The help of electronic route maps will decrease traffic jams.

【小题5】The underlined word “titanic” in Paragraph 4 means        .

A．huge and great

B．the name of a ship

C．slight

D．increasing

An earthquake happens when two plates rub (碰撞) together. The earth plates travel in different directions and at different speeds. If one plate is slowly forced underneath the other,  pressure builds up until the plates break apart. This process causes the ground to move. It is an earthquake. In other words, earthquakes are the shaking of the earth’s surface caused by the earth’s rocky outer layer as a result of the energy stored within the earth. The strain within the rocks is suddenly released (释放).
The damage an earthquake causes depends on where it is and the time it is happening. If an unpopulated region is struck, there will be low loss of life or property. If it hits a large city, there may be many injuries and much destruction. Many of the areas at risk are largely populated now. Major earthquakes hitting those areas today could produce terrible damage.
Actually, there are several million small earth-quakes every year. Large earthquakes such as the 1964 Alaska quake that measured 9.2 on the Richter scale, cause millions of dollars in damage. In the last 500 years, millions of people have been killed by earthquakes around the world — including 240,000 in the 1976 Tangshan earthquake in China.
A 60-second or less earthquake can cause devastation（毁坏） that continues for years after the first tremor (小震). In 1972, a series of severe earthquakes struck Managua, Nicaragua. Fifteen years later, the city still looked the way it had a week after the earthquake hit, because the country did not have the necessary money to rebuild it.
The shaking of the earth is sometimes not the greatest disaster. It is in the ensuing fires and floods that often the greatest damage occurs. In the 1906 earthquake, it was the fires caused after it that did the majority of the damage. An earthquake can also destroy dams high above a city or valleys, causing floods to sweep down and sweep away everything in their path.
【小题1】Which of the following is the main idea of the first paragraph?

A．An earthquake comes from inside the earth.

B．The earth has great energy in storage.

C．How the earth plates move.

D．How an earthquake happens.

【小题2】Which of the following is mentioned to show that an earthquake can kill too many people?

A．The 1964 Alaskan quake.	B．The 1976 Tangshan earthquake.
C．The 1972 Managua earthquake.	D．The 1906 earthquake.

【小题3】The underlined word “ensuing” in the last paragraph probably means ______.

A．causing too much heat and great damage

B．causing many injuries and much destruction

C．happening as a result of another event

D．happening suddenly and unexpectedly

【小题4】By giving the example in Paragraph 4, the author wants to show that ______.

A．an earthquake doesn’t last long

B．the damage can last long

C．people in Managua suffered too much

D．Nicaragua is still a poor country

Personal computers and the Internet give people new choices about how to spend their time.
Some may use this freedom to share less time with certain friends or family members, but new technology will also let them stay in closer touch with those they care most about. I know this from personal experience.
E-mail makes it easy to work at home, which is where I now spend most weekends and evenings. My working hours aren’t necessarily much shorter than they once were but I spend fewer of them at the office. This lets me share more time with my young daughter than I might have if she’d been born before electronic mail became such a practical tool.
The Internet also makes it easy to share thoughts with a group of friends. Say you do something fun see a great movie perhaps-and there are four or five friends who might want to hear about it. If you call each one, you may tire of telling the story.
With E-mail, you just write one note about your experience, at your convenience, and address it to all the friends you think might be interested. They can read your message when they have time, and read only as much as they want to. They can reply at their convenience, and you can read what they have to say at your convenience.
E-mail is also an inexpensive way stay in close touch with people who live far away. More than a few parents use E-mail to keep in touch, even daily touch, with their children off at college.
We just have to keep in mind that computers and the Internet offer another way of staying in touch. They don’t take the place of any of the old ways.
【小题1】The purpose of this passage is to ________.

A．explain how to use the Internet

B．describe the writer’s joy of keeping up with the latest technology

C．tell the merits(价值) and usefulness of the Internet

D．introduce the reader to basic knowledge about personal computers and the Internet

【小题2】The use of E-mail has made it possible for the writer to ________.

A．spend less time working	B．have more free time with his child
C．work at home on weekends	D．work at a speed comfortable to him

【小题3】According to the writer, E-mail has an obvious advantage over the telephone because the former helps one ________.

A．reach a group of people at one time conveniently

B．keep one’s communication as personal as possible

C．pass on much more information than the later

D．get in touch with one’s friends faster than the later

【小题4】 The best title for this passage is ________.

A．Computer: New Technological Advances

B．Internet: New Tool to Maintain Good Friendship

C．Computers Have Made Life Easier

D．Internet: a Convenient Tool for Communication