Pierre is a 25-year-old penguin at the California Academy of Sciences. Due to his old age, he was going bald, which made him feel too cold to swim in the pool. Therefore, biologists at the academy had a wetsuit created for this penguin to help him get back in the swimming pool. 
Unlike marine mammals, which have a layer of blubber to keep them warm, penguins depend on their waterproof feathers. Without them, Pierre was unwilling to jump into the swimming pool and ended up trembling on the side of the pool while his 19 peers played in the water.
"He was cold; he would shake," said Pam Schaller, a senior biologist. Schaller first tried a heat lamp to keep Pierre warm. Then she got another idea: if wetsuits keep humans warm in the cold Pacific, why not make one for Pierre?
Schaller designed the suit, which covered Pierre’s body and had small openings for his flippers.
"I would walk behind him and look at where there were any gaps, and cut and refit and cut and refit until it looked like it was extremely suitable," she said.
One concern was that the other penguins would reject Pierre in his new suit, but in fact, they accepted his new look. He swam freely and got along with others well, although he was the only penguin with a black stomach.
Schaller couldn’t say for sure whether the wetsuit allowed Pierre to recover his fine feathers, but "certainly we were able to keep him comfortable during a period of time that would have been very difficult for him to stay comfortable".
Pierre will take off his suit after his new feathers grow back. Pierre felt too cold to swim in the pool because of _____.
| A．not having a layer of blubber | B．having few feathers due to old age |
| C．having no wetsuit | D．others penguins rejecting him |
The idea of making a wetsuit for Pierre came from _____.
| A．total invention | B．the use of wetsuit on humans |
| C．the use of heat lamp | D．waterproof feathers |
Schaller followed Pierre in order to see _____.
| A．whether other penguins would reject him |
| B．if anywhere of wetsuit needed to be cut and refit |
| C．if the wetsuit kept warm |
| D．whether the wetsuit would keep the feathers from recovering |
What does the underlined word in the second paragraph mean?
| A．feeling scared | B．staying alone | C．shaking with cold | D．keeping warm |
The best title of the passage is _____.
| A．Wetsuit for An Old Penguin | B．Old Penguin Getting Bald |
| C．Unwilling to Swim | D．Strange Look of Pierre |
A typicalChinese Internet user is a young male who prefers instant messaging to e-mail, favors news, music and games sites and seldom makes online purchases（购物）．According to a study, about two-thirds of survey participants use the Internet for news — often entertainment-related — or for online games．About half download music and movies.
They also tend to prefer instant messaging to e-mail, and they are depending on the Internet more frequently than before to communicate with others who have the same professions, hobbies and political interests．Online purchases still remain unpopular in China．Three-quarters of users surveyed have never bought anything over the Internet, and only 10 percent make purchases even once a month．Among those who do buy online, most pay for entertainment while others buy phone cards, or computer hardware or software.
“Many people don’t trust the quality of goods bought online,” Guo said Wednesday．“If they buy it in a store and don’t l
ike it, they can easily bring it back.”
The survey was done in five major cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Changsha．Results do not necessarily project countrywide because Internet use in rural areas is lower than in cities．Guo describes the typical netizenin the five cities surveyed as young, male, richer and more highly educated．Males make up two-thirds of the Internet community, and more than 
80 percent of users are under 24．Among people ages 25 to 29, 60 percent to 80 percent go online.
China has more than 100 million people online, second in the world to the United States.A typical Chinese Internet user may be the one who _________.
| A．likes to send e-mails | B．likes to buy goods online |
| C．likes to pay for entertainment | D．likes the games sites |
Online purchases still remain unpopular in China mainly because _________.
| A．it is more difficult for sales returns |
| B．people haven’t computers |
| C．it is not convenient to purchase on line |
| D．all goods bought online are of low quality |
Which of the following words fails to describe the typical netizens in the
five cities?
| A．well educated | B．richer | C．female | D．young |
According to the text, which of the following shows the right relation between online people and their ages?
From now on, never spend your precious time thinking of reasons for your failures and shortcomings. Instead, realize that the seeds of success were planted within you when you were born. Only you have the power to make those seeds grow.
The seeds, and the power to grow them, are contained in the most awesome machine ever created：the human mind. Success is a choice and not a chance. You were born a winner. You were born rich. You can be a success if only you make the right choice.
You cannot be successful without first developing your self-esteem. Your level of self-esteem is always based on the degree of control that you are able to exercise over yourself, and thus over your life. People with low self-esteem are people who do not believe that they have any power, or responsibility for their lives. They are the perennial(长期的) victims and martyrs. They are leaves tossed(摇摆) by the winds of chance blown about with any sudden change in the weather.
You can exercise control over your life only to the degree that you believe that you are responsible for everything that happens in your life. Failures think that everything happens by accident and chance. Successful people realize that they are responsible.
Everything happens as a result of something. If we can identify the cause, we can control the effect. We are responsible for what we choose to think and believe. One generally rises to the level that one expects. We are responsible for setting our expectations. Our success is dependent upon our level of confidence.
If you associate with positive-thinking people, you are definitely going to achieve success. On the contrary, the opposite happens. We are responsible for finding, planting, and nurturing the seeds that contain future victory, born from setbacks.
In short, in all areas of your life, whether they be financial, physical, emotional, or spiritual, you are responsible. Once you recognize this, accept it, and firmly believe it, you are on the road to success. People with low self-esteem are compared to leaves because they ______________ .
| A．are ready to change their minds | B．are easily affected by windy weather |
| C．don’t have the power to face their fate | D．can’t exercise control over themselves |
Losers would think that .
| A．success is the result of hard work | B．working hard will lead to success |
| C．their failure is only because of bad luck | D．they don’t make efforts to succeed |
It can be inferred from paragraph 5 that .
| A．whether we will succeed depends on our attitudes |
| B．developing confidence is the key to future success |
| C．thoughts and beliefs are the result of creative mind |
| D．setting our expectations is essential before taking action |
The last paragraph serves as .
| A．the proof of the author’s points | B．the conclusion of the argument |
| C．an introduction to another topic | D．a comparison between two views |
Which is the best title for the text?
| A．Success is a choice. | B．The secrets of success. |
| C．Develop our confidence. | D．How to achieve success. |
Pushy parents and teachers who “hothouse” the under-5s risk causing damage to the children’s long term development, a leading education expert said.
Lilian Katz, Professor of Education at the University of Illinois, said that four-year-olds engaged in reading and writing went on to perform worse academically than those engaged in imaginative learning. They scored higher in tests at the age of 5, but children whose first year at school was stimulating outstripped them four years later.
The findings suggest that the government's structured approach to early years' learning could be storing up problems for children. They also raise serious questions about the plan for all children to be able to read by the age of 6.
In many countries formal teaching does not start until children are 6 or 7 and have improved their social and manual skills. Children start learning to read and write at 6 in the United States, France and Germany, and at 7 in Finland and Sweden.
Professor Katz said that in many schools the courses were "boring children to tears". Much academic teaching required children to learn by memorizing pieces of information out of context, she said. Teaching in reception class should instead allow children to develop their intellect by exploring their environments and asking questions.
"Research suggests the benefits of formal academic instruction for four- and five-year-olds seem to be promising when they are tested early, but considerably less so in the long term. When these children are followed over a period of three or more years, those who had early experience in more intellectually engaging curricula were more likely to do well in school than their peers, who had received early academic instruction." She advocates teaching children through first-hand experience and play, in mixed-aged classes. This can include puppet shows, drawing or running a pretend shop in the classroom.According to the passage, those who “hothouse” the under-5s would probably _________.
| A．prefer a lot of interaction and stimulation while teaching |
| B．teach in a lively way to motivate kids’ interest |
| C．push the kids to memorize pieces of information |
| D．care about the kids’ physical development |
What does the underlined word “ outstripped” in Paragraph 2 mean?
| A．did better than | B．looked down upon |
| C．caught up with | D．performed worse than |
According to Lilian Katz, the government’s structured approach to early-years learning __.
| A．is necessary for improving children’s reading and writing ability |
| B．needs to be improved to develop children’s academic ability |
| C．will cause problems to children in their future learning |
| D．has more advantages than disadvantages |
The message the author wants to deliver through the passage is that formal teaching _____.
| A．can start at different times in different countries. |
| B．should not be started too early |
| C．is best carried out in Finland and Sweden |
| D．should include teaching children social and manual skills |
Which of the following is NOT the opinion of Lilian Katz?
| A．Children should be taught through first-hand experience. |
| B．Learning in a mixed-age class is good for children. |
| C．Running a shop can help children get good marks. |
| D．Puppet shows and drawing are useful in teaching children. |
The main aim of Environment Awareness Week is to _____．
| A．educate the public on protecting the environment |
| B．discuss global warming and other environmental problems |
| C．explain ways for producing freshwater to save the environment |
| D．learn about renewable energy sources that protect the environment |
The organizer of the event is _____．
| A．Global Gaia Network | B．Clean Energy Agency |
| C．Green Earth Foundation | D．International Environment Fund |
If you are interested in renewable energy sources, you should go to _____．
| A．Hall 1 | B．Hall 2 | C．Hall 3 | D．Hall 4 |
The "3 Rs" stand for _____．
| A．Read, Realize and Remember | B．Reduce, Reuse and Recycle |
| C．Green Earth Foundation | D．Global Gaia Network |
Which of the following statements is NOT true of the event?
| A．It will last a week and the halls will be open 11 hours a day． |
| B．You can send an email to Mrs．Daisy Soh for more information． |
| C．Each hall charges the same amount of money as the other． |
| D．Lectures in Hall 1 will be given by university students． |
The 47-year-old singer talks about the new album Symphony（交响乐） that came out of a “very dark time”, including her decision to give up trying to have children. “People have suggested I could adopt,” Brightman says. “But work is central to my life now. And so I am going to put it to one side. After a while not having children becomes the norm and perhaps that might sound alarming, to parents especially, but I have never known anything different. I’m not hurt by not having children. My life and career are incredibly rich.”
Talking about growing up in a large family in Berkhamsted (father a property developer who later committed suicide), she says: “I was gifted as a child, and very musical. I seemed to be good at anything to do with the arts. At 5，I understood the music I was dancing to and had an eye for costume.” She first appeared in a West End musical at 11 and hated boarding school.
Brightman led the saucy dance troupe（辣妹三人舞） Hot Gossip and had her first hit with I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper in 1978. At 18 she married a music manager called Andrew Graham Stewart. “I was probably in love but I can’t remember. Girls change such a lot between 18 and 22. It didn’t really work out.” In 1981 she was spotted by Lloyd Webber. She became his leading lady in Song and Dance, Requiem and Phantom of the Opera. They married in 1984.
Brightman says she felt hostility(敌意) “from the beginning. I haven’t tried to understand it. I’ve done very well everywhere else, especially the US, where I now live, I just accept it for what it is. The more you are away from Britain, the more you appreciate it. But I don’t miss it, although I miss my family. Our profession can be uncomfortable but I enjoy what I do. I get on with it.”The first paragraph tells us that _____.
| A．Brightman is very popular around the world except in America |
| B．Brightman’s musical style is a mixture of opera, pop and jazz |
| C．the British people don’t like her for her style of music |
| D．Brightman is much older than Andrew Lloyd Webber |
Brightman decided to give up having children because _____.
| A．she could adopt one |
| B．her life and career were unbelievably rich without children |
| C．she felt it normal not to have children |
| D．she was too busy |
The following statements are true except ______.
| A．Brightman first appeared in a West End musical at 5 |
| B．Brightman disliked life on the campus |
| C．Brightman was very gifted when she was young |
| D．The saucy dance troupe made Brightman famous |
The underlined word in the fourth paragraph probably means _____.
| A．located | B．admired | C．followed | D．found |
What does the author try to say in the last paragraph by quoting Brightman’s words?
| A．Brightman has to accept the fact that she is not liked in Britain |
| B．Brightman lives in America but she loves her own country |
| C．The British coldness towards Brightman led to her hatred to her homeland |
| D．Brightman was at a loss why she was not welcome in Britain |