Whether you're heading into the wild or down the road, it's hard to find a better electronic sidekick than a GPS. (Well, you know, other than a cell phone.)
Because a GPS has to receive a signal from space, physical impediments(遮挡) like skyscrapers, cliff faces, and even trees can stump(阻断) it. Reception is less of an issue with the ultrasensitive(超灵敏) chipsets in newer models, but if the walls are closing in on you, take a tip from a time when navigation systems weren't the streamlined panels they are today: Hooking up an antenna(天线) will make use of even the most tenuous celestial connection. There's a port on the back of most GPS devices for jacking in.
You'll also want to remember that a GPS is not a compass: It runs on software. Like your PC, it needs to communicate with the mother ship periodically. Vendors(供应商) refresh firmware and maps on a regular basis, sometimes even daily. These updates deliver new bits of data that significantly affect your gadget's accuracy. But if you live in the boonies(郊区) on a road named after your sister-wife, don't expect NavTeq to come a-knocking with its survey equipment. Fortunately, most companies make it easy to update your own maps. Usually it's as simple as plugging into your home computer, dropping a couple of pins in Google Maps, and clicking Save.
If you own a new Tom Tom, it's even easier. You can edit maps on the unit itself, though you might not have to: Some of the company's navigation updates themselves. Tom Tom's IQ Routes software takes data from every person who uses the company' gadgets and readjusts its assumptions about which roads you should use and how long a given route will take. It will even change its own maps.
See, it's not that hard: Your GPS may use NASA technology, but getting the most out of it isn't rocket science.
46. The writer thinks the useful electronic partner is __  
____besides a cell phone when driving outdoors.
A. a GPS            B. Tom Tom's IQ Routes              C. a PC       D. NASA
47. Which statement is NOT true about a GPS according to the passage?
A. It receives a signal from space.
B. It is not a compass.
C. It needs to refresh its information.
D. It has no port to connect other equipment.
48. You may learn from the passage that Tom Tom (Para 4) is _______.
A. a GPS receiver
B. a device that can be used to edit maps
C. a device that can be used to update software
D. a person who readjusts GPS assumptions
49. The main idea of the last paragraph is _______.
A. that we should make the most of GPS in rocket science
B. that getting the most out of GPS is too difficult
C. getting the most out of GPS is very easy
D. GPS owns NASA technology
50. Which is not mentioned about a GPS according to the passage?
A. Its usage.          B. Its price and shape.   C. Its technology.     D. Its benefit.

－Why not have a meeting to discuss about it?

－_______

A breathtaking trick potentially left over from our ancestors might be found in us — the ability to sense oxygen through our skin.

Amphibians, animals such as frogs that can live both on land and in water, have long been known to be capable of breathing through their skin. In fact, the first known lungless frog that breathes only through its skin was discovered recently in the rivers of Borneo.

Now the same oxygen sensors found in frog skins and in the lungs of mammals (哺乳动物) have unexpectedly been discovered in the skin of mice.

“No one had ever looked,” explained Randall Johnson, a biologist researcher.

Mice and frogs are quite distant relatives, so the fact they have these molecules (分子) in common in their skin suggests they might well be found in the skin of other mammals, such as humans.

“We have no reason to think that they are not in the skin of people too,” Johnson said.   These molecules not only detect oxygen, but help increase levels of vital red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body. Normal mice breathing in air that is 10 percent oxygen—a dangerously low level similar to conditions at the top of Mount Everest, and about half that of air at sea level. However, mice that had the oxygen sensor HIF-1a genetically removed from their skin failed to produce this hormone (荷尔蒙) even after hours of such low oxygen.

These findings, if they hold true in humans, suggest one could raise the level of oxygen circulating inside the body. This could help treat lung diseases and disorders such as anemia (贫血症) without injecting drugs, which make up a multibillion-dollar market, Johnson said.

Athletes also often try to get more oxygen delivered to their muscles in order to improve their performance. They often do this by training at high altitudes or in low-oxygen tents. The new study suggests they might want to expose their skin as well as breathing in low-oxygen air to improve their performance. “It’s hard to say what exactly might be done, however—there’s a lot we don’t know yet,” Johnson explained.

The scientists detailed their findings in the April 18 issue of the journal Cell.

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

A. Johnson believes that Oxygen sensors also exist in human skin.

B. People have to surf the Internet to read detailed findings.

C. It has been proved that these findings help treat lung diseases.

D. It has long been expected oxygen sensors exist in mice’s skin. 

50. One of the functions of the molecules mentioned above is _______.

A. carrying oxygen around the body                   B. improving athletes’ performance

C. detecting oxygen                                          D. increasing level of oxygen

51. What is Johnson’s attitude to the application of the findings to the athletes’ training?

A. Negative                  B. Doubting                  C. Positive             D. Hesitating

52. The best title of the passage may be _______.

A. Great Findings Benefits Athletes A Lot

B. Frogs And Mice Are Distant Relatives

C. First Known Animal Breathes Through Skin

D. Humans Might Sense Oxygen Through Skin

C
All parents know that one of their most important tasks is to prepare their children for an independent life, but any parent can tell you that it’s hard to let go of your children. That balance between keeping your children safe and allowing them to learn from their own mistakes can be heartbreaking. Years of experience means that parents often do know best, but on the other hand the young, being less bound by tradition, are often more creative, more able to find new solutions to old problems. Revolutions are led by the young.
Good teachers make the growth of critical thinking (批判性思维) easier in their students, only to find that this lead to a questioning of the teachers’ basic beliefs. Schools encourage parents to become involved, but are often embarrassed when parents have doubts about some of the educational methods being used. Governments encourage unimportant groups to empower themselves in order to participate fully in the development process. And they are often surprised when the new leaders of these groups turn around and attack the policies or decisions of that same government. However, the rebellious (叛逆的) young and the newly unimportant groups are important in social development. They are not necessarily representatives of those they want to represent in their demands, but their voices must be heard.
Good parents know that just forbidding (禁止) particular behaviors does not prevent their children from finding ways to engage in these forbidden activities. Indeed, sometimes the forbidden fruit is more inviting, just because it is not accepted by authority. Parents must work with their children to educate them on the facts, know as much as possible about the lives of their children, provide a good example, encourage more wholesome activities but also support their children when they don’t follow what is expected of them. But the most important point is that they also need to learn how to let go.
【小题1】By saying “Revolutions are led by the young.”, the author indicates that young people are more _______.

信息匹配 

阅读下列材料，从所给的六个选项(A、B、C、D、E、F)中，选出符合各小题要求的最佳选项。选项中有一项是多余选项。

首先，请阅读以下某理财论坛提供的几条省钱建议：

A

Use cash. Instead of paying things with credit cards, use cash for non-bill spending such as eating out, gas and groceries. Spending cash makes the spending more real, and there’s an added advantage of knowing when you’re out of cash.

B

Small weekly savings transfers. I got this idea from my friend, who automatically deducts(扣除) $20 a week from his check to savings. I decided that I could live with the deduction of $40/week without really feeling it — it’s a relatively small transfer that I barely notice, and I save about $2,000 a year!

C

Stay at home. Going out makes you spend money unnecessarily. You eat at restaurants, go to the mall, and stop at the gas station for snacks. It’s hard to avoid spending when you’re on the road. Instead, stay at home and find free entertainment. It’s also a great way to bond with your family.

D

Don’t get catalogs(商品宣传册). Their announcements of sales or cool new products make it very tempting(引诱人的) to buy something you don’t need. Instead, stop getting the catalogs, and you’ll spend less.

E

Keep a 30-day list. If you have an impulse(冲动) to buy something you don’t absolutely need, put it on a 30-day list. You can’t buy anything but necessities — everything else goes on the list. When the 30 days are up, you can buy it — but most likely, the strong urge to buy it will be gone, and you can evaluate it more calmly.

F

Cook at home. I know it seems more difficult than eating out. But it doesn’t have to be hard. Make home-made pizza with a ready-made crust, some sauce, cheese and veggies. Put some spices on something and throw it in the oven while you cook some brown rice. Not only is this much cheaper than eating out, but it’s healthier.

阅读下面几位消费者的情况介绍，并为他们匹配合适的建议。

1. Mr. And Mrs. Brown are a newly-married couple who work in the same company. They don’t earn much in their work, but they have to spend a larger part of their income to pay for their rent and daily necessities. Furthermore, they seldom eat at home because neither of them cooks well. Therefore, they have to pay a lot more extra money for food.

2. Mrs. Wang enjoys shopping very much because she is free all day long. Whenever she is wandering in the shops or stores, she will have a strong impulse and find it difficult for her to get back home with her hands empty. But it is quite often that she will find what she has bought is almost useless when she gets home.

3. Tony is a university student in New York, who is far away from his parents. He pays everything with his credit card. He finds it very cool for him to purchase with his credit card. However, he often finds his money has already run out in the middle of the month.

4. Miss Betty is a high school girl whose parents give her some money every week. As her parents don’t earn much money, she wants to save some money secretly so that she can buy a digital camera.

5. Miss Catherine is a young girl who is easily to be persuaded into buying something useless. She will get encouraged to buy something when she sees an advertisement. Her parents have warned her many times against doing such stupid things, but it doesn’t work much.