閱讀理解

A

Why should mankind explore space？ Why should money， time and effort be spent exploring and researching something with so few apparent benefits？ Why should resources be spent on space rather than on conditions and people on Earth？ These are questions that， understandably， are very often asked.

Perhaps the best answer lies in our genetic makeup as human beings. What drove our ancestors to move from the trees into the plains， and into all possible areas and environments？ The wider the spread of a species， the better its chance of survival. Perhaps the best reason for exploring space is this genetic tendency to expand wherever possible.

Exploration also allows minerals and other potential resources to be found. Even if we have no immediate need of them， they will perhaps be useful later. Resources may be more than physical possessions. Knowledge or techniques have been acquired through exploration. The techniques may have medical applications which can improve the length or quality of our lives. We have already benefited from other spin-offs including improvements in earthquake prediction， in satellites for weather forecasting and in communications systems. Even non-stick pans and mirrored sunglasses are by-products （副產(chǎn)品） of technological developments in the space.

While many resources are spent on what seems a small return， the exploration of space allows creative， brave and intelligent members of our species to focus on what may serve to save us. The danger exists， but knowledge can help human beings to survive. Without the ability to reach out across space， the chance to save ourselves might not exist.

While Earth is the only planet known to support life， surely the adaptive ability of humans would allow us to live on other planets. It is true that the lifestyle would be different， but human life and cultures have adapted in the past and surely could in the future.

1. Why does the author raise the questions in Paragraph 1？

A. To express his doubts.

B. To compare different ideas.

C. To introduce points for discussion.

D. To describe the conditions on Earth.

2. Why do the humans like to explore according to Paragraph 2？

A. They are nature-born to do so.

B. They have the tendency to fight.

C. They may find new sources of food.

D. They like to stay in different places.

3. The underlined word “spin-offs” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to ___ .

A. survival chances B. potential resources

C. unexpected benefits D. physical possessions

4. What does the author mainly want to tell us about space exploration？

A. It has created many wonders.

B. It provided the best value for money.

C. It can benefit science and technology.

D. It may help us avoid potential problems on Earth.

B

Forget lighting a Christmas tree in the traditional way， with strings of lights plugged into the wall. The Living Planet Aquarium （水族館） in Sandy， Utah is using one of its very own residents—an electric eel （電鰻）—to twinkle its tree.

“Visitors can visually and audibly experience the power of our electric eel and get a real sense of how amazing this creature is，” said Angie Hyde， the aquariums marketing director.

For the past three years， Sparky， an electric eel that is part of the aquariums “Journey To South America” gallery， has been “sparking” the five-foot tall tree with electric currents that he gives off into the water. With two stainless-steel electrodes （不銹鋼電極）， the currents are connected to sequencers （程序裝置）， which in turn produce flashing lights. The rate at which they blink depends on the power Sparky produces.

“Hes just doing his natural， normal activity. It teaches visitors about the eel and what its all about，” said Hyde.

Hyde said visitors have warmly welcomed Sparky and his glowing talent， which she said will become a regular holiday tradition. The display is sponsored by a local power company， Cache Valley Electric. It will run until Dec. 31.

“We thought wed put a festive twist on it for the holidays， which has been a huge hit with our members and visitors，” Hyde said.

Native to the waters of the Amazon and Orinoco basins in South America， electric eels possess organs with nearly 6，000 specialized cells， or electrolytes that can store as much as five times the power one can get from a US wall plug.

“This really helps give a visual idea of what an animal really does on a daily basis in a really creative way，” Hyde said.

5. What does the underlined word “twinkle” in Paragraph 1 mean？

A. Paint.

B. Decorate.

C. Make something shine.

D. Make something strong.

6. What can be learned about Sparky？

A. It works in the Living Planet Aquarium.

B. It blinks at certain rate from time to time.

C. It is an electric eel belonging to an aquarium.

D. It is connected with stainless-steel electrodes.

7. According to Hyde， what can be inferred about the display？

A. It operates every festival of the year.

B. It gives us a better understanding of eels.

C. It has won much profit for the aquarium.

D. It is met with some animal activists criticism.

8. What could be the best title of the passage？

A. Introduction of the Electric Eels

B. A New Form of Energy Developed

C. Electric Eels Decorate Christmas Trees

D. Electric Eels Power Christmas Tree Lights

閱讀七選五

Different Cultures

The cultures of the East and the West really distinguish each other a lot.

The origin of the eastern cultures is mainly from two countries： China and India. Both of the two cultures are developed by rivers—the Yellow River in China and the Hindu River in India.

When the two mother rivers gave birth to the Eastern culture， another famous culture was brought up on the Mesopotamian Plain—the Mesopotamian Civilization. This civilization later on developed into the cultures of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.

At the same time， some other differences add to the cultural differences. Take the language system for example. In the East， most languages belong to the pictographic language while the Western languages are mostly based on the Latin system.? But whats more， due to the far distance and the steep areas between the East and West， the two cultures seldom communicate until recent centuries. So they grew up totally in their own ways with almost no interference from the other.

The differences are everywhere.? But different cultures make the world of 21st century more colorful. The cultural gap should not be the obstacle （障礙） to the civilization of human beings. It ought to be the motivation of our going farther.

A. Let us work together to keep a variety of culture.

B. One important thing is to learn about other cultures.

C. Other causes like human race difference count as well.

D. They affect peoples ways of thinking and their views of the world.

E. And these two are well-known as the base of the European culture.

F. This is because the culture systems are two separate systems on the whole.

G. They helped the two cultures develop for centuries and form their own styles.

1.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 2.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 3.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 4.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 5.

完形填空

I enjoy feeding a colorful group of birds in my garden. On the ground， I put out black-oiled sunflower seeds， broken peanuts， and? grapes and apples. Some birds respond to their daily? when I call out the names Ive given them.

About three years ago， I noticed a newcomer to this festive （歡樂的） . It was a baby chipmunk （金花鼠）， apparently on its own. Over that summer， I watched it . The next summer， the chipmunk was ， and I wondered whether it would? me to feed it by hand. I named it Chip.

I decided to employ the? I use to persuade wild cats to come close for food： patience， a soft voice， slow repetition.

Before Chip would ， Id put down its favorite ， sunflower seeds， bent down and kept very . Id left my? hand in place， unmoving， so the animal would know I wouldnt? it. I continued doing this for a few weeks.

Finally， late in that second summer， Chip did? more trust. One day as I? a seed in my fingertips， it approached and carefully took the seed into its mouth.

After about two months of this ， I went further. With my finger， I touched its back? once. Chip stayed still， eating seeds， before rushing into the bushes. Today， the chipmunk comes out of? when I call its name， and lets me pet its soft， silky body.

Ive developed a greater respect for nature and its and the opportunity to ， protect and save wildlife.

1. A. deserted B. stolen C. cut D. exported

2. A. meeting B. breaking C. fighting D. feeding

3. A. display B. change C. advance D. progress

4. A. hurt B. grow C. disappear D. recover

5. A. over B. off C. behind D. back

6. A. trust B. encourage C. defend D. invite

7. A. adaptation B. methods C. distinction D. advantages

8. A. responses B. introduction C. gestures D. judgement

9. A. approach B. run C. jump D. awake

10. A. cage B. name C. music D. food

11. A. serious B. still C. polite D. cold

12. A. bare B. dirty C. white D. open

13. A. catch B. leave C. exchange D. search

14. A. receive B. show C. earn D. understand

15. A. gathered B. sprayed C. offered D. drew

16. A. record B. exhibition C. respect D. routine

17. A. gently B. hopefully C. powerfully D. guiltily

18. A. surviving B. cheating C. hiding D. discovering

19. A. plants B. art C. creatures D. adventure

20. A. visit B. observe C. represent D. select

語法填空

To most Chinese students， studying abroad could be a burden. There are lots of difficulties? （face） them every day—language barrier， culture shock， gaps? Eastern and Western lifestyles， expensive education fees and endless research projects.

To Song Yinan， however， studying abroad was a（n）? ? ?（forget） experience. In her book， Kikis London Diary， she tells her stories in? optimistic way.

The language barrier is the? （big） difficulty Chinese students will meet abroad. In a story? （write） at the beginning of her first term in London， Song suffered some embarrassment during a welcoming party，? she was introduced to some drink and wine.

However， she found that she couldnt read most of the English names of the drinks and therefore? （drink） only cola and fruit juice. She described how red her face was. Song says it is normal for most Chinese? （lose） face when they study abroad. And she is happy to share the story with others.

Throughout the book， readers can feel the optimism and persistence （堅持） of this girl. Her study and life? （experience） are sure to delight any Chinese studying abroad or whoever plans to do so.

1.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 2.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 3.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 4.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 5.

6.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 7.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 8.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 9.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 10.

短文改錯

I feel quite sure of chemistry test what were going to have tomorrow. The teacher has already told us exact what to study and I think my grades in my homework has been good. In fact， I think it chemistry has always been one of the subjects that I enjoyed most. Susan and I have already spent two hours reviewing page 115—140 tonight. They are going to devote another hour to practice with some of the typical problems. Then I will be ready to the test.