Pigs are always considered dirty animals because they roll in mud．But in fact they prefer  being quite clean．They cover themselves with mud to help stay cool．During cooler weather,  they prefer to stay clean．So do elephants,who also cover themselves in dust or mud to keep cool．When they find a place with clean water they will take a bath，using their long noses to give  themselves—or each other—a nice shower
Some animals use dust to get clean．Chinchillas (南美洲栗鼠) have very fine fur． They don`t like to take water baths because water is not warm enough for them．So, instead, they roll  around in fine dust．The dust helps to keep their fur and skin dry．This protects them from disease
Usually, a small bird is a light meal for a crocodile．But when a crocodile wants its teeth  cleaned．it lies on the ground with its mouth open．The crocodile bird goes in and picks out any  parasites(寄生虫)between the crocodile`s teeth or under its tongue．The crocodile gets its mouth cleaned，and the crocodile bird gets dinner．
You wouldn`t think fish would need baths．But some undersea parasites live under the  fish`s skin．“Cleaner”fish，like the wrasse(隆头鱼)，help take them away．The wrasse stands on its head and dances to signal a big fish that it is ready to go into the cleaning business．The big fish will stop moving and open its mouth wide so the wrasse can swim inside and pick out  parasites and bits of food．
【小题1】The passage is mainly about how animals         ．

A．stay clean

B．help each other

C．get their food

D．Take baths

【小题2】What can we learn from the first paragraph about pigs?

A．They can help each other take baths．

B．They are dirtier during cooler weather．

C．They prefer taking baths to rolling in mud．

D．They like to stay cool and clean．

【小题3】Chinchillas use dust to get clean for the following reasons EXCEPT that         ．

A． dust can dry their fur and skin

B．They are not good at swimming

C．Water is too cold for them

D．Dust is good for their health

【小题4】From Paragraphs 3 and 4，we earl know that         ．

A．some animals can get clean from others`help

B．Most animals are friendly to each other

C．small animals couldn`t get food from big ones

D．All of the animals prefer to stay clean

【小题5】We can infer from the last paragraph that the wrasse

A．is often eaten by other fish

B．1ikes under other fish`s skin

C．is a small kind of fish

D．1ikes taking baths

Water is very important to living things. Without water there can be no life on the earth. All animals and plants need water. Man also needs water. We need water to drink, to cook our food and to clean ourselves. Water is needed in offices, factories and schools. Water is needed everywhere.
There is water in seas, rivers and lakes. Water is found almost everywhere. Even in the desert part of the world, there is some water in the air. You can not see or feel it when it is a part of the air. The water in the seas, rivers and lakes is a liquid, the water in the air is a gas, and we call it water vapour (蒸气).
Clouds are made of water. They may be made of very small drops of water. They may also be made of snow crystals(结晶体). Snow crystals are very very small crystals of ice. Ice is frozen water. It is a solid. There can be snow and ice everywhere in winter.
Water may be a solid or a liquid or a gas. When it is a solid, it may be as hard as a stone. When it is a liquid, you can drink it. When it is a gas, you can not see or feel it.
【小题1】Where can we find water?

A．We can find water when it turns into vapour.

B．Water is only in seas and rivers.

C．We can see water in deserts here and there.

D．Water can be found almost everywhere.

【小题2】We can drink water when it is

A．a solid

B．aliquid

C．in the air

D．turned into ice

【小题3】Clouds are made of

A．seas, rivers and lakes

B．blocks of ice

C．very small drops of water or snow crystals

D．solid, liquid and gas

【小题4】Water has three states(状态). They are

A．solid, liquid and gas

B．solid, vapour, snow

C．drops of water, blocks of ice and crystals of water

D．ice, snow and air

Modern man has cleared the forests for farmland and for wood, and has also carelessly burned them. More than that, though, he has also interfered （干涉） with the invisible bonds between the living things in the forests. There are many examples of this kind of destruction. The harmfulness of man’s interference can be seen in what happened many years ago in the forest of the Kaibab plateau （凯亚巴布高原） of northern Arizona. Man tried to improve on the natural web of forest life and destroyed it instead.
The Kaibab had a storybook forest of large sized pine, Douglas fir, white fir, blue and Engelmann spruce. In 1882 a visitor noted, "We, who ... have wandered through its forests and parks, have come to regard it as the most enchanting region it has ever been our privilege （特权） to visit.” This was also the living place of the Rocky Mountain mule deer. Indians hunted there every autumn to gather meat and skins. The forest also had mountain lions, timber wolves and bobcats that kept the deer from multiplying too rapidly.
Then, in 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt made the Kaibab a national game preserve. Deer hunting was forbidden. Government hunters started killing off the deer’s enemies. In 25 years’ time, 6,250 mountain lions, wolves and bobcats were killed. Before the program, there were about 4,000 deer in the Kaibab, by 1924, there were about 100,000.
The deer ate every leaf and twig they could reach. But there was not nearly enough food. Hunting of deer was permitted again. This caused a slight decrease in the deer herd （鹿群），but a far greater loss resulted from starvation （饥饿） and disease. Some 60 percent of the deer herd died in two winters. By 1930 the herd had dropped to 20,000 animals. By 1942 it was down to 8,000.
【小题1】The destruction of the environment of the Kaibab resulted from    

A．interfering with natural cycle of forest life

B．turning the forest into cultivated land

C．forest fires caused by man’s carelessness

D．cutting the trees for building materials

【小题2】"Engelmann spruce"（Para. 2） is most likely the name of .

A．an animal

B．a tree

C．a mountain

D．a game

【小题3】The number of the deer in the Kaibab had increased enormously in     years’ time.

A．25

B．6

C．12

D．18

【小题4】Years later, large numbers of deer in the Kaibab died mainly because of .

A．the cold	B．the organized kill
C．the poor management	D．the shortage of food

Most people around the world are right-handed. This also seems to be true in history. In 1799, scientists studied works of art made at different times from 1,500 B.C. to the 1950s. Most of the people shown in these works are right-handed, so the scientists guessed that right-handedness has always been common through history. Today, only about 10% to 15% of the world’s population is left-handed.
Why are there more right-handed people than left-handed ones? Scientists now know that a person’s two hands each have their own jobs. For most people, the hand is used to find things or hold things. The right hand is used to work with things. This is because of the different work of the two sides of the brain. The right side of the brain, which makes a person’s hands and eyes work together, controls the left hand. The left-side of the brain, which controls the right hand, is the centre for thinking and doing problems. These findings show that more artists should be left-handed, and studies have found that left-handedness is twice as common among artists as among people in other jobs.
No one really knows what makes a person become right-handed instead of left-handed. Scientists have found that almost 40% of the people become left-handed because their main brain is damaged when they are born. However, this doesn’t happen to everyone, so scientists guess there must be another reason why people become left-handed. One idea is that people usually get right-handed from their parents. If a person does not receive the gene(基因) for right-handedness, he / she may become either right-handed or left-handed according to the chance and the people they work or live with.
Though right-handedness is more common than left-handedness, people no longer think left-handed people are strange or unusual. A long time ago, left-handed children were made to use their right hands like other children, but today they don’t have to.
【小题1】After studying works of art made at different times in history, the scientists found _______.
A. the art began from 1,500 B.C.
B. the works of art ended in the 1950s
C. most people shown in the works of art are right-handed
D. most people shown in the works of art are left-handed
【小题2】How many people in the world are left-handed now?

A．Less than one sixth.	B．More than a half.
C．About 40%.	D．The passage doesn’t tell us.

【小题3】What is the hand for most people used to do?

A．It’s used to find or hold things.

B．It’s used to work with things.

C．It’s used to make a person’s eyes work together.

D．It’s the centre for thinking and doing problems.

【小题4】According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

A．No one really knows what makes a person become right-handed.

B．Left-handedness is cleverer than right-handedness.

C．Today children are not made to use their right hands only.

D．Scientists think there must be some reason why people become left-handed.

【小题5】The best title for this passage is _______.

A．Scientists’ New Inventions	B．Left-handed People
C．Which Hand	D．Different Brains, Different Hands

Parents who feel disappointed at their teenagers’ failure to pay attention in class, and inability to sit quietly long enough to finish homework or plan ahead, should take solace. Their children are not being lazy or careless, according to new research.
The research has found that teenagers’ brains continue developing far longer into adulthood than we used to think. Teens may look like young adults but their brain structure is similar to that of much younger children.
“It is not always easy for teens to pay attention in class without letting their minds wander, or to ignore distractions from their younger brothers or sisters when trying to solve a maths   problem,” said Dr Iroise Dumon-theil. “But it’s not the fault of teenagers that they can’t pay attention and are easily distracted. It’s to do with the structure of their brains. Teens simply can’t think as well as an adult.”
The research showed that the brain of a teenager works less effectively than that of an adult. “We knew that the front of the brain of teens functioned in a chaotic  (混乱的) way but we  didn’ t realize it continued until the late 20s or early 30s,” said Dr Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, who led the research.
Chaotic thought patterns are a result of teenagers’ brains containing too much grey matter — the cell bodies and connections which carry messages within the brain. As we age, the amount of grey matter in our brain reduces.
“What our research has shown is that there is simply too much going on in the brains of teens,” said Blakemore. “The result is that their brain energy and resources are wasted and their decision-making process is badly influenced. Adults, on the other hand, have less grey matter. This means that the brain works far more effectively.”
【小题1】The underlined word “solace” in Paragraph 1 may mean _____.

A． notice

B．medicine

C． comfort

D．action

【小题2】When making decisions, _____.

A． teens’ brains continue to do much needless work

B． the grey matter in young children’s front brain becomes active

C． people are not likely to be distracted until their late 30s

D． adults are more independent than teens

【小题3】What is the effect of having too much grey matter?

A． It makes us always feel disappointed.

B． It makes us more intelligent.

C． It had a bad effect on the growth of teens.

D． It had a bad effect on decision-making.

【小题4】What’s the text mainly about?

A． Teens have different brains from those of children.

B． Adults work more effectively than teens.

C． Grey matter makes teens unable to pay attention.

D． Brain energy is wasted in the brain’s activity.

Animals Can Sense Natural Disasters
Among the dead in South Asia’ s tsunami（海啸）were many tourists at Sri Lanka’ s national wildlife park at Yala. But very few of the park’s animals — elephants, buffaloes, monkeys and wild cats — appear to have died. There are theories that animals can sense natural disasters and run away to safety.
First, it’s possible that the animals may have heard the quake before the tsunami hit. The underwater burst produced sound waves known as infrasound（次声）. Humans can’t hear infrasound, but many animals including dogs, elephants, tigers and pigeons can.
A second early warning sign the animals might have sensed is ground vibration（震动）. The great quake would have produced vibrational waves known as Rayleigh waves. These vibrations move through the ground like waves moving on the surface of the ocean but faster. They travel at ten times the speed of sound. The Rayleigh waves would have reached Sri Lanka hours before the water hit. Mammals, birds, insects and spiders can sense Rayleigh waves. So the animals at Yala might have felt the Rayleigh waves and then run to higher ground.
But what about humans? While we can’t hear infrasound, we can feel it, although we don’t necessarily know we’re feeling it. We also experience Rayleigh waves by special sensors in our joints（关节）, which exist just for that purpose. Sadly, it seems we don’t pay attention to the information when we get it. Maybe we screen it out because there’s so much going on before our eyes and in our ears.
【小题1】Why did few animals at Yala die when the tsunamis that caused a huge number of human deaths hit?

A．Because human beings cannot hear the infrasonic sound.

B．Because the animals were staying at a higher place in the park.

C．Because the animals were able to run much faster than human beings.

D．Because the animals might have picked up the danger signals and ran away.

【小题2】Which of the statements about “Rayleigh waves” is true?

A．Rayleigh waves can be felt both by animals and human beings.

B．Rayleigh waves, just like infrasonic sound, can only be felt by animals.

C．Rayleigh waves are vibrational waves that usually cause quakes or tsunamis.

D．Rayleigh waves move on the ocean surface at a speed ten times that of sound waves.

【小题3】According to the passage, which of the statement is true?

A．We can’t feel the infrasound so we can’t be informed of the danger.

B．We ignore the information of tsunami’s coming even though we can also get it.

C．We were so busy on our minds that we feel neither infrasound nor Rayleigh waves.

D．We can feel Rayleigh waves and infrasound so we can escape the danger like animals.

There are little cars that may some day take the place of today’s automobiles(汽车). If everyone drives such a little car in the future, there will be less pollution in the air, there will be more parking space in cities, and the streets will be less crowded. The space now for one car of the usual size can hold at least three such little cars.
The little cars will cost much less to own and to drive. Driving will be safer, too, as these little cars can go only 65 kilometers an hour.
The cars of the future will be fine for going around the city, but they will not be useful for going far away. If the car is powered by electricity, it will have two batteries—one battery for the motor and the other for the horn (喇叭), signals (信号灯), etc. Little cars which are powered by gas will go 45 kilometers before needing to stop for more gas.
If big cars are still used along with the small ones, two sets of roads will be needed to set up in the future. Some roads will be used for the big, fast cars, and other roads will be needed for the small, slower ones.
【小题1】 What’s the advantage (优势) of the small cars?

A．There won’t be so much pollution and the small cars won’t be so expensive as the big ones.

B．It will be safer to drive these small cars.

C．There will be more space for cars to park.

D．All of the above.

【小题2】  Two sets of roads are necessary in the future in order to      .

A．prevent car accidents

B．make the city more beautiful

C．let small cars run fast

D．limit the speed of the cars

【小题3】  Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．A car of the usual size now is three times as big as the small car.

B．The small car with a speed of 65 kilometers an hour is much more useless than a car of the usual size.

C．the little car will be safer but cost more.

D．The little car will need more gas.

【小题4】  The best title for this passage should be      .

A．Big Cars and Small Cars	B．How to Drive Small Cars
C．Cars for Tomorrow	D．Cars for Everyone

The oil resources which are left will not last very long. This means that all vehicles such as cars, trains, buses, planes and ships that need oil to work will not be able to run. So it will be necessary to develop a new system of transport which uses a fuel more than oil. Electric vehicles are one possibility. In Britain, most families have at least one car and this car is used every day. It could be that only one person in the family drives the car to work or for shopping. The number of cars on the road which are almost empty perhaps helps to explain why the oil is used up so quickly. The family car is a very useful form of transport but it is also a great waste of energy, especially if it is compared with buses or trains. Much petrol is used by a car which is traveling at 120 kilometers an hour. Clearly, it would be better if there were fewer cars on the road and more speed limits so that the oil which is left will last as long as possible.
About 25% of Britain’s total consumption of energy is domestic—it is used only in the home. Just over 20% is used for transport. Most of the energy is used in industry. It is difficult to suggest any possible energy conservation in industry because many of the suggestions would mean that some people would lose their jobs. It is important that industry produces the same amount of products using the same amount of workers.
Obviously, conservation is not going to be the answer to the energy crisis（危机）. The most it can do is to give more time for a better solution to be found. The more time which is available for new sources of energy to be developed, the better it is because there is still a lot of work to be done in order to find suitable, safe methods of producing energy.
【小题1】In Britain, what reason could help to explain why oil is used up very quickly?

A．People use cars every day.

B．Most families have at least one car.

C．Many cars on the road are almost empty.

D．Electric vehicles are used.

【小题2】Which of the following is true?

A．Compared with buses and trains, the family car is useful and can save energy.

B．A car driving at the speed of 80 kilometers per hour uses half as much petrol as a car traveling at 160 kilometers per hour.

C．It is possible for people to develop vehicles.

D．Limitation of the number of cars on the road and their speed will help the oil last longer.

【小题3】What does the underlined word “domestic” mean in Paragraph Two?

A．For household use.	B．On the road.
C．Slow driving.	D．Fast driving.

【小题4】What is a better way to solve the problem of the energy crisis?

A．Governments should cut down the number of family cars on the road.

B．The speed of vehicles must be limited.

C．New sources of energy should be found and developed.

D．Factories should cut down on production.

Pigs are always considered dirty animals because they roll in mud．But in fact they prefer  being quite clean．They cover themselves with mud to help stay cool．During cooler weather,  they prefer to stay clean．So do elephants,who also cover themselves in dust or mud to keep cool． When they find a place with clean water they will take a bath，using their long noses to give  themselves—or each other—a nice shower
Some animals use dust to get clean．Chinchillas (南美洲栗鼠) have very fine fur． They don`t like to take water baths because water is not warm enough for them．So, instead, they roll  around in fine dust．The dust helps to keep their fur and skin dry．This protects them from disease
Usually, a small bird is a light meal for a crocodile．But when a crocodile wants its teeth  cleaned．it lies on the ground with its mouth open．The crocodile bird goes in and picks out any  parasites(寄生虫)between the crocodile`s teeth or under its tongue．The crocodile gets its mouth cleaned，and the crocodile bird gets dinner．
You wouldn`t think fish would need baths．But some undersea parasites live under the  fish`s skin．“Cleaner”fish，like the wrasse(隆头鱼)，help take them away．The wrasse stands on its head and dances to signal a big fish that it is ready to go into the cleaning business．The big fish will stop moving and open its mouth wide so the wrasse can swim inside and pick out  parasites and bits of food．
【小题1】The passage is mainly about how animals         ．

A．stay clean	B．help each other
C．get their food	D．Take baths

【小题2】What can we learn from the first paragraph about pigs?

A．They can help each other take baths．

B．They are dirtier during cooler weather．

C．They prefer taking baths to rolling in mud．

D．They like to stay cool and clean．

【小题3】Chinchillas use dust to get clean for the following reasons EXCEPT that         ．

A． dust can dry their fur and skin

B．They are not good at swimming

C．Water is too cold for them

D．Dust is good for their health

【小题4】From Paragraphs 3 and 4，we earl know that         ．

A．some animals can get clean from others`help

B．Most animals are friendly to each other

C．small animals couldn`t get food from big ones

D．All of the animals prefer to stay clean

【小题5】We can infer from the last paragraph that the wrasse

A．is often eaten by other fish

B．1ikes under other fish`s skin

C．is a small kind of fish

D．1ikes taking baths

You never see him, but they're with you every time you fly. They record where you are going, how fast you're traveling and whether everything on your airplane is functioning normally. Their ability to endure almost any disaster makes them seem like something out of a comic book. They're known as the black box.
　When planes fall from the sky, as a Yemeni airliner did on its way to Comoros Islands in the India ocean on June 30, 2009, the black box is the best bet for identifying what went wrong. So when a French submarine (潜水艇) detected the box's homing signal five days later, the discovery marked a huge step toward determining the cause of a tragedy in which 152 passengers were killed.
　In 1958, Australian scientist David Warren developed a flight-memory recorder that would track basic information like altitude and direction. That was the first mode for a black box, which became a requirement on all U.S. commercial flights by 1960. Early models often failed to withstand crashes, however, so in 1965 the box was completely redesigned and moved to the rear of the plane – the area least subject to impact – from its original position in the landing wells (起落架舱). The same year, the Federal Aviation Authority required that the boxes, which were never actually black, be painted orange or yellow to aid visibility.
　Modern airplanes have two black boxes: a voice recorder, which tracks pilots' conversations, and a flight-data recorder, which monitors fuel levels, engine noises and other operating functions that help investigators reconstruct the aircraft's final moments. Placed in an insulated (隔绝的) case and surrounded by a quarter-inch-thick panels of stainless steel, the boxes can stand massive force and temperatures up to 2,000℉. When submerged, they're also able to emit signals from depths of 20,000 ft. Experts believe the boxes from Air France Flight 447, which crashed near Brazil on June 1,2009, are in water nearly that deep, but statistics say they're still likely to turn up. In the approximately 20 deep-sea crashes over the past 30 years, only one plane's black boxes were never recovered.
【小题1】What does the author say about the black box?

A．It is an indispensable device on an airplane.

B．The idea for its design comes from a comic book.

C．Its ability to avoid disasters is incredible.

D．It ensures the normal functioning of an airplane.

【小题2】What does the underlined word in the 3^rd paragraph mean?　

A．witness

B．experience

C．resist

D．ensure

【小题3】Why was the black box redesigned in 1965?

A．New materials became available by that time

B．Too much space was needed for its installation.

C．The early models didn't provide the needed data.

D．The early models often got damaged in the crash.

【小题4】What do we know about the black boxes from Air France Flight 447?

A．There is an urgent need for them to be reconstructed.

B．There is still a good chance of their being recovered.

C．They have stopped sending homing signals.

D．They were destroyed somewhere near Brazil.