So much to do, so little time. So much information, so little time to read. In this age there is more information than ever before. There is not enough time to read everything we want to read. However, you can take in and understand more information in shorter time through speed-reading. This article will not make you read 3,000 words per minute, but it will show you how to increase your speed greatly. You will also learn the basic techniques of speed reading, along with the dos and don’ts of speed-reading．
When you first learned to read, you would say the word out loud and sound it out. Then you might whisper the word because people can become annoyed when you read aloud. The stage you are now at is saying the word in your head．Most people tend to read this way. Saying the word in your head will cut your reading speed tremendously.
How do you calculate your reading speed? The speed is measured by how many words per minute you can read. Get some reading material, preferably a book. Find out how many words are on the page. Time yourself one minute. Start your timer and start reading. When the timer sounds, stop at once. If you counted 500 words on the page and you read half of the page, then you are probably reading at 250 words per minute.
The first thing about speed-reading is looking at the word and recognizing it. Don’t say the word in your mind, just look at it and recognize its appearance. Later you will recognize groups of four words or more to increase your speed. This is the first and most important step in speed-reading.
The next step is technique. As with any other skill, speed-reading requires technique. You should first be sitting up straight with your book on a horizontal surface, such as a table or desk. Next, should be able to see the entire page．This is necessary if you want to recognize clumps of words. Lastly, you should be focused. It’s hard to read a lot of noise. Find a quiet place to read. This will help your understand of the text. You need something to guide your eyes while reading. Then right, you should use your hand, Remember when you were little, you would read using your finger. That is a great technique, only now you're using your hand to underline each line．Move your finger smoothly across page．No need to go rush , start our slow. Keep your eyes focused on words as you recognize them while using your hand as a guide. This will increase you speed.
The third step is practice. Practice makes perfect. Set time intervals（时间间隔）. Read using different techniques, but make sure you understand what you’re reading.Which of the following statements in true according to the text?
| A．Now there is limited information than ever before. |
| B．Now conditions ask people to use less time to know more information. |
| C．No people can read what they like. |
| D．The less you read, the more time you will spend. |
What is the subject discussed in the text?
| A．What speed-reading is. |
| B．Why we need speed-reading. |
| C．Now it has much information, less time. |
| D．People should practice speed-reading in different kinds of ways. |
Which of the following shows the right way for the speed-reading from the text?
a．Ask for some techniques.
b．Look at many words and recognize them.
c．Practice more.
| A．c, a, b | B．c, b, a | C．b, a, c | D．a, c, b |
The underlined sentence “you should be focused” in the fifth paragraph means that .
| A．a person should devote his attention to it while reading |
| B．your feelings will be hurt while reading |
| C．a person should smooth away difficulties while he reads |
| D．you should pay attention to your faults while you are reading |
To speed up your reading, you should 。
| A．sit up straight with your book flat and use something to guide your eyes |
| B．say every word out loud and sound it out |
| C．know it is necessary to read quickly |
| D．underline some important words while you say them |
Biomass energy(生物能)，often forgotten as a promising alternative(替代物) to oil, received its day in the sun with the gathering of the Bio-Energy World Congress and Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia, late in April, 1990. Nearly 1,700 scientists, businessmen, and policy-makers, one-quarter from the foreign nations, gathered for a week to discuss various means of squeezing usable energy out of trees, crops, manure, seaweed, algae, and urban waste. Biomass in the United States contributes 2.5 percent of the total supply, but this amount can be doubled by 2000 and then doubled again by the year 2010.
Eight percent of Sweden’s energy supply, for example, is presently coming from wood bark and pulp remainings. Sweden intends to raise this percentage by more intensive harvesting of waste food lying around in forests, and through the planting of so-called energy forests of fast-growing trees such as willow and birch.
Brazil is frequently pointed to as a nation with a major successful investment(投资) in energy coming from grains: it presently runs 330,000 automobiles on a water and alcohol(酒精) mixture, replacing 10 percent of its previous oil supply. Brazilian representatives(代表) at the conference said they wish to double this in five years, with a final goal of total replacement. Most of the cars are built at the factory to use the mixture, while older models are changed through low-cost government programs.In Line 2, the phrase “received its day in the sun” most probably means “___”.
| A．come to the public mind |
| B．had its turn in the sun light |
| C．was regarded as a solar energy |
| D．came from the energy of the sun |
Of the total supply in 2010, biomass in the U.S. will be ___ .
| A．5% |
| B．20% |
| C．10% |
| D．15% |
Which of the following is not regarded as biomass energy?
| A．Willow and seaweed |
| B．Wood and grains |
| C．Water and alcohol mixture |
| D．Crops and oil mixture |
A suitable title for this passage would be ___.
| A．An Energy Conference |
| B．Approval of Biomass Energy |
| C．Bio-Energy for Automobiles |
| D．Keys to Energy Crisis |
Computers are very important to modern life. Many people think that in the future computers will be used in lots of everyday life. It is thought that we won’t have to go shopping because we will be able to get most things which are sold in shops on the Internet. There will be no more books because we will be able to get all texts from computers. The Internet will be used to play games, see films and buy food. Most telephone calls will be made by computers, too.
Some people are glad about these new ways of shopping and communicating. Others do not think that computers will replace our old ways.
Let’s look at books, for example. Some people think that one day we will not read books made of paper. Instead, we will buy and read books using computers. We will read texts on small pocket computers. The computers will keep many different books in them at the same time. We won’t need to turn lots of pages and paper will be saved. Computerized(计算机化) books will be used more and more.
Is Internet shopping such a pleasure as going to the shop? Many people say it is not. It is a pleasure to go into shops and look at things you want to buy. It is also unlikely that many people will want to read large texts on our computers. Because paper books will perhaps be more friendly. Maybe computers won’t change these two habits.In paragraph 1 it is thought people will use computers for ___.
| A．playing games, shopping and making telephone calls |
| B．making telephone calls, having meals and seeing films |
| C．seeing films, buying food, and going for holidays |
| D．playing games, making telephone calls and seeing the doctor |
Which reason for using computerizes books is NOT said in the passage?
| A．Computerized books won’t be very expensive. |
| B．Computers can keep many different books in them. |
| C．We won’t have lots of pages. |
| D．We won’t need any paper. |
Paragraph 4 tells ___.
| A．about the old and new ways of shopping and communicating |
| B．if the Internet will change our habits |
| C．about computerized books |
| D．about future uses of computers |
The title for this passage is ___ .
| A．Computers will replace shops and books |
| B．Computers are the future |
| C．Computers will do everything for man |
| D．How computers change our habits |
Strange stones of Costa Rica
One of the strangest mysteries in archacology was discovered in the Diquis River Delta, in southern Costa Rica. Since the 1930s, hundreds of stone balls have been found. They range in size from a few centimeters to over two metres in diameter.
Who made these perfect spheres(球体) and how they made them remains a mystery. Some researchers believe the stones were made by extreme heating followed by cooling. People could have polished the spheres with sand or leather. The ancient Costa Ricans had no written language so there is no written record of just how they made the spheres.
Almost all are made of granite (花岗岩), a hard stone created by volcanoes. The granite quarries(采石场) were 25 to 30 miles away from the largest stones, which weigh more than 10 tons each. Nobody knows how people moved them..
Many of the stones have been found near the remains of houses or graves. Some believed that the stones contained hidden treasures and a few have been smashed but nothing has been found inside. Despite these losses, the National Museum of Costa Rica has recorded 130 spheres. However, many stones are not included because they have been removed from their original sites and used as ornaments(装饰) in homes, gardens and churches. Clearly, there are also many stones that lie undiscovered.The stones were discovered ___ .
| A．near the volcanoes |
| B．in southern Costa Rica |
| C．in a grave |
| D．in churches |
The writer ___ in the passage.
| A．admires the spheres very much |
| B．doesn’ t believe the spheres were once made by humans |
| C．tells us a discovery |
| D．thinks highly of the spheres |
The underlined word ”polished” refers to “___”.
| A．buried |
| B．wrapped |
| C．made shining |
| D．made big |
According to the passage, which of the following is true?
| A．The stone balls found in the Diquis River Delta are all very huge. |
| B．The stone balls were unearthed from the graves. |
| C．The local people show great interest in the stone balls. |
| D．There are a lot of treasures in the stone balls. |
The passage mainly tells us ___ .
| A．the stones are of great value. |
| B．the stones proved to be made by non-humans. |
| C．the stones are mystery. |
| D．the stone are ornaments. |
Many animal and plant species have become extinct and many more are in critical danger. Finding ways to protect the earth’s wildlife and protect the natural world they inhabit is now more important than ever.
Now many animals remain threatened with extinction as a result of human activity.
The dodo is a classic example of how humans caused damage to the earth’s wildlife. The flightless dodo was native to the Island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. It lived off fallen fruit from the island’s trees and lived safely until humans arrived in 1505. The easily controlled bird became a source of food for sailors and was attacked by animals introduced to the island by humans such as pigs and monkeys. The population of dodos rapidly decreased and the last one was killed in 1681.
The rhino(犀牛) horn is a highly prized item for Asian medicine. This has led to the animal being hunted in its natural habitat. Once widespread in Africa, Europe and Asia, most rhinos now live in protected natural parks and reserves. Their numbers have rapidly decreased in the last 50 years, and the animal remains constantly threatened by hunters.
The last 100years has seen a 95% reduction in the numbers of remaining tigers to between 5,000 and 7,000 and the Bali, Javan, and Daspian tigers are already extinct. The South China tiger is close to disappearing, with only 20 to 30 still alive. Like the rhino horn, tigers’ bones and organs are sought after for traditional Chinese medicine. These items are traded illegally along with tiger skins.
The World Wildlife Fund is actively involved in many areas of the world fighting to protect the natural habitats of endangered animals from further damage and curb the activities of hunters. Our own efforts at home and in the workplace can also make a difference. By reducing waste and pollution, saving water, wood, and energy, and reusing and recycling whenever possible, we can reduce the possibility of even more animals being lost, never to return.The purpose of this passage is to ___.
| A．call on us to protect the earth’s wildlife |
| B．let us know about the animal world |
| C．tell us many animals are in great danger |
| D．tell us why many animals are becoming extinct |
The common reason why many animals are facing extinction is that ___ .
| A．they are too easily controlled by humans |
| B．they can be made into highly prized medicine |
| C．they can provide people with delicious meal |
| D．humans kill them for their own interests |
Which of the following statements about the dodo is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．It was native to the Island of Mauritius and could fly very well. |
| B．It struggled to survive until human arrived in 1505. |
| C．Its population decreased only because pigs and monkeys were introduced. |
| D．It was possible for humans to find a dodo before 1681. |
The underlined word “curb” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to “___”.
| A．improve |
| B．limit |
| C．cancel |
| D．criticize |
The Internet has come a long way in the last couple of decades, and we’re seeing some noticeable generational trends. For instance, one of my friend’s aunts ”friended me” on Facebook, and I noticed that she had three times the number of Facebook friends as her nephew, despite the fact that she has only recently started to spend more time on the Internet. She spends more time on Facebook than he does. Yet he is part of the younger generation that grew up using the Internet.
The beauty of Facebook is in the packaging of the service. Almost every facet of Facebook is technology that existed from years before: e-mail, instant messaging, photo galleries, personal Web pages, RSS, etc. Facebook has taken these functions, which young people have been able to do for the past decade, and made them more user-friendly, more accessible—for young and older generation alike.
Facebook is the second act in the people’s Internet Revolution; the first being America Online, which spurred the adoption of the Internet in the homes of ordinary Americans. In a similar fashion, Facebook is spurring the adoption of Internet use in demographics that have been dismissed as the non-Internet users. It gives people a reason to be online in a way that simply checking e-mail, the 1996 equivalent, did not. Facebook is active in a way that the general population may find more rewarding.
The ability to communicate (or not communicate) with your friends in different ways also heightens the ‘stickiness’ of the service. For example, it tells you who else is using Facebook right now. You can then exchange instant messages with any of them. There’s always one more thing to check, see, or do on Facebook. It’s like a never-ending dinner party and all your friends and family are invited.Compared with the aunt, the nephew ___ .
| A．had 3 times the number of friends |
| B．has spent more time on the Internet all the time |
| C．spends less time on Facebook |
| D．had the access to the Internet only when he grew up |
What does the underlined word in the second paragraph refer to?
| A．Young people |
| B．Old people |
| C．These functions |
| D．Young and old people |
Which is true according to the third paragraph?
| A．Facebook accelerated the adoption of the Internet in the ordinary families. |
| B．America Online was the first act in the Internet Revolution. |
| C．Facebook has spurred the application of the Internet use in demographics. |
| D．America Online spurred the ordinary use in all od the world families. |
Using Facebook, you can ___.
| A．communicate with whoever is using the Facebook right now |
| B．do one thing every time |
| C．have dinner together with your friends and families |
| D．tell you anyone who is not using the Facebook |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．The drawbacks and the strengths of the Facebook. |
| B．Facebook makes the communication more convenient for the old and the young. |
| C．People’s Internet Revolution: Facebook. |
| D．Facebook and America Online |