The flag, the most common symbol of a nation in the modern world, is also one of the most ancient. With a clear symbolic meaning, the flag in the traditional form is still used today to mark buildings, ships and other vehicles related to a country.
The national flag as we know it today is in no way a primitive artifact. It is, rather, the product of thousands of years’ development. Historians believe that it had two major ancestors, of which the earlier served to show wind direction.
Early human beings used very fragile houses and boats. Often strong winds would tear roofs from houses or cause high waves that endangered travelers. People’s food supplies were similarly vulnerable. Even after they had learned how to plant grains, they still needed help from nature to ensure good harvests. Therefore they feared and depended on the power of the wind, which could bring warmth from one direction and cold from another.
Using a simple piece of cloth tied to the top of a post to tell the direction of the wind was more dependable than earlier methods, such as watching the rising of smoke from a fire. The connection of the flag with heavenly power was therefore reasonable. Early human societies began to fix long pieces of cloth to the tops of totems (图腾) before carrying them into battle. They believed that the power of the wind would be added to the good wishes of the gods and ancestors represented by the totems themselves.
These flags developed very slowly into modern flags. The first known flag of a nation or a ruler was unmarked. The king of China around 1000 B.C. was known to have a white flag carried ahead of him. This practice might have been learned from Egyptians even further in the past, but it was from China that it spread over trade routes through India, then across Arab lands, and finally to Europe, where it met up with the other ancestor of the national flag.The best title for the passage would be “________”.
| A．Development of the National Flag | B．Power of the National Flag |
| C．Types of Flags | D．Uses of Flags |
The underlined word “vulnerable” in Paragraph 3 means ________.
| A．impossible to make sure of | B．likely to be protected |
| C．easy to be damaged | D．difficult to find |
The earliest flags were connected with heavenly power because ________.
| A．they could tell direction |
| B．they could bring good luck to ancient fighters |
| C．they were handed down by the ancestors |
| D．they were believed to stand for natural forces |
What does the author know of the first national flag?
| A．He knows when it was sent to Europe. |
| B．He believes it was made in Egypt. |
| C．He thinks it came from China. |
| D．He doubts where it started. |
What will the author most probably talk about next?
| A．The role of China in the spread of the national flag. |
| B．The second ancestor of the national flag. |
| C．The use of modern flags in Europe. |
| D．The importance of modern flags |
Someday a stranger will read your e-mail without your permission or scan the websites yo
u’ve visited. Or perhaps someone will casually glance through your credit card purchases or cell phone bills to find out your shopping preferences or calling habits.
In fact, 
it’s likely some of these things have already happened to you. Who would watch you without your permission? It might be a spouse, a girlfriend（配偶）, a marketing company, a boss, a cop or a criminal, Whoever it is, they will see you in a way you never intended to be seen -- the 21st century equivalent of being caught naked.
Psychologists tell us boundaries are healthy, that it’s important to reveal yourself to friends, family and lovers in stages, at appropriate times. But few boundaries remain. The digital bread crumbs （面包屑）you leave 
everywhere make it easy for strangers to reconstruct who you are, where you are and what you lik
e. In some cases, a simple Google search can reveal（泄露）what you think. Like it or not, increasingly we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret.
The key question is: Does that matter?
For many Americans, the answer apparently is "no."
When opinion polls ask Americans about privacy, most say they are concerned about losing it A survey found an overwhelming pessimism（悲观）about privacy, with 60 percent of respondents saying they feel their privacy is "slipping away, and that bothers me."
But people say one thing and do another. Only a tiny fraction of Americans change any behaviors in an effort to preserve their privacy. Few people turn down a discount at tollbooths （收费处）to avoid using the EZ-Pass system that can track automobile movements. And few turn down supermarket loyalty cards. Privacy economist Alessandro Acquisti has run a series of tests that reveal people will surrender personal information like Social Security numbers just to get their hands on a pitiful 50-cents-off coupon (优惠券).
But privacy does matter -- at least sometimes. It’s like health: When you have it, you don’t notice it. Only when it’s gone do you wish you’d done more to protect it.What would psychologists advise on the relationships between friends?
| A．Friends should open their hearts to each other. |
| B．There should be a distance even between friends |
| C．Friends should always be faithful to each other. |
| D．There should be fewer disputes between friends. |
Why does the author say "we live in a world where you simply cannot keep a secret" ?
| A．Modern society has finally evolved into an open society. |
| B．People leave traces around when using modern technology. |
| C．There are always people who are curious about others’ affairs. |
| D．Many search engines profit by revealing people’s identities. |
What do most Americans do with regard to privacy protections?
| A．They change behaviors that might disclose their identity. |
| B．They use various loyalty cards for business transactions. |
| C．They rely more and more on electronic devices. |
| D．They talk a lot but hardly do anything about it. |
According to the passage, privacy is like health in that ______.
| A．people will make every effort to keep it |
| B．its importance is rarely understood |
| C．it is something that can easily be lost |
| D．people don’t cherish it until they lose it |
Anthony Horowitz was miserable as child. He was, as he put it, “not very bright” and couldn’t win the attention of his very wealthy parents, who preferred his “clever” older brother. At age 8, Horowitz was sent away to an abusive boarding school in his native England, even though he screamed and pleaded(恳求) with his parents year after year not to send him. “The thought was, It’ll be good for him,” he recalled.
It was not. Horowitz did badly in his studies, had few friends and was bullied (欺负) for five yea
rs. “My teachers couldn't have had a lower opinion of me,” he said. “I wasn't even smart enough to rebel . The one thing I remember from the very earliest age was this desire to write. When I was 10 years old, I remember asking my parents to get me a typewriter for my birthday because I wanted to be a writer.”
Now, at age of 55, Horowitz is one of the world's most successful children's book authors. His Alex Rider series has sold more than 5 million copies, and the eighth book featuring the young spy, Crocodile Tears, came out this month.
The Alex Rider books tell the adventures of 14-year-old Alex Rider, an agent for the British intelligence agency M16.
Horowitz said he doesn't try to write for kids; it just comes out that way. “I have a feeling it's to do with purity and simplicity. I give as little information as is necessary to describe the room, the character in the room, and get on with the action,” he said.
The style has also made Horowitz a successful writer of television shows for adults in Britain because, he says, writing books for kids is a lot like writing television for grown-ups: In both cases, it's all about entertaining people with a good story.
Now, Horowitz couldn't be happier with his life. He sums up his success: “…you can be anything you want to be if you just believe in yourself. I do believe it completely.” In the boarding school, Horowitz’s teachers .
| A．often criticized him | B．showed great concern for him |
| C．taught him how to write stories | D．thought little about his ability |
Which of the following is true of Anthony Horowitz?
| A．He was the beloved child of his family. |
| B．He benefited a lot from boarding school. |
| C．He emphasizes the plot rather than character in stories. |
| D．Although he is successful, he isn’t very happy. |
What advice does Horowitz have for readers?
| A．Confidence is the key to success. | B．Hardship teaches valuable lessons. |
| C．Interest is the best teacher. | D．Industry is the parent of success. |
In w
hich section can you most probably read the passage?
| A．Campus Trends | B．Culture & Leisure |
| C．Our World |
D．Science Life |
“If you run for more than five minutes at any time, you might need a pair of running shoes,” advises Stephen Pribut, a US sports medicine expert. Running shoes are highly technical footwear. They provide stability（牢固）while bearing up to three times the wearer’s body weight. But it’s not easy to find the right pair. Finding the right running shoes is something of an art, or a science and a feel.
The science part begins with the shape of the arch（弓）of your foot, which anyone can find out at home with this quick experiment: Put your foot in water and place it on a piece of brown paper. If you see a “C” shape on the paper when you remove your foot, you have a rare high arch. If the shape looks more like a rectangle, that means you have flat feet. See something in between? That’s a normal arch.
Conveniently for shoppers, shoe companies nowadays divide their shoes in three categories: neutral(for high arches), stability(for normal or low arches) and motion control(for flat arches). So you will know which type suits you.
At this point, most people would just grab an appealing shoe and try it on. But professionals would do a few quality-control tests. First, you bend the shoe toe to heel to see where it bends. If it’s not at the forefoot---where the foot actually bends, be afraid. Then you grip both ends and twist in opposite directions. If you can twist it like a towel, it means there’s zero support. Finally, you squeeze(挤)the heel in both directions. A stable heel won’t cave in.
Now you need to check the mold(模子)that shapes the inside of the shoe: whether it’s wide or narrow in the mid-foot, how it sits on the heel and how roomy the toe box is.
It’s wise to hold off until the afternoon to make the shoe purchase, to allow for any swelling(肿胀) that your feet do throughout the day. Toes also decide sizing choice. The rule is you need a finger’s width from your longest toe (whether that’s your big one or not) to the end of the shoe.What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Advantages of wearing running shoes fitting you. |
| B．Ways to get to know about the shape of the arch of your foot. |
| C．Advice on how to choose the right pair of running shoes. |
| D．Best time to buy a pair of running shoes. |
If the arch of your foot looks like a “C” shape, you have _________.
| A．a normal arch | B．a high arch | C．a flat arch | D．a low arch |
．The underlined phrase “cave in” most probably means ______.
| A．bend | B．stretch | C．shake | D．crash |
．Why is the late afternoon the ideal time to go shopping for shoes?
| A．We are likely to be more patient in the afternoon. |
| B．Feet usually become large late in the day. |
| C．The toes become longer late in the day. |
| D．The arch of our feet will be in best shape in the afternoon. |
Americans this year will swallow 15,000 tons of aspirin, one of the safest and most effective drugs invented by man. The most popular medicine in the world today, it is an effective pain reliever. Its bad effects are relatively mild and it is cheap.
For millions of people suffering from arthritis(关节炎), it is the only thing that works. Aspirin, in short, is truly the 20th-century wonder drug. It is also the second largest suicide drug and is the leading cause of poisoning among children. It has side effects that, although relatively mild, are largely unrecognized among users.
Although aspirin was first sold by a German company in 1899, it has been around much longer than that. Hippocrates, in anc
ient Greece, understood the medical value of the leaves and tree bark which today are known to contain salicylates(水杨酸碱), the chemical in aspirin. During the 19th century, there was a great deal of experimentation in Europe with this chemical, and it led to the introduction of aspirin. By 1915, aspirin tablets were available in the United States.
A small quantity of aspirin (two five-grain tablets) relieves pain and inflammation(炎症). It also reduces fever by interfering with some of the body’s reactions. The passage is written to .
| A．suggests us using more aspirin | B．reminds us of the side effects of aspirin |
| C．gives us a whole view of aspirin | D．discusses the good effects of aspirin |
According to the author, aspirin .
| A．is very safe | B．first appeared in 1899 |
| C．can be harmful to children | D．can hardly be dangerous |
Generally speaking, the author seems to be .
| A．in favor of aspirin | B．against the use of sapirin |
| C．not interested in aspirin | D．careful in using aspirin |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．How to Use Aspirin | B．Why I Take Aspirin |
| C．The Most Popular Medicine | D．The Side Effects of Aspirin |
Whenever human populations have lived in forest areas, they have always cut down trees which they used for a number of purposes, for housing and ships and served as a source of heating fuel and timber. Growth of cities often meant expansion into forest areas, while even more trees were removed to provide space for agriculture. With the growing demand for paper, vast quantities of trees have also been cut down for paper production. These factors, along with many others, have been contributing to a dangerous phenomenon known as deforestation.
In the last 5,000 years, humans have reduced forest from roughly 50 percent of the earth’s land surface to less than 20 percent. Most of this original, or old growth, forest cover is concentrated in three large areas: the Canadian and Alaskan boreal forest, the boreal forest of Russia, and the tropical forest of the northwestern Amazon Basin and the Guyana Shield. These areas comprise almost 70 percent of the world’s remaining original forest cover. In most places, the rate of deforestation is increasing, with the alarming result of 16 million hectares disappearing worldwide every year.
Loss of forest does not just mean the decline of natural resources. There are several other factors that make deforestation seriously harmful to both the human and natural worlds. One of them is changes in the global climate. For example, forest clearance is releasing substantial volumes of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere as vegetation is burnt or decays. It has been suggested that this is a significant factor in global warming. Moreover, about 10 percent of the world’s tree species are in dang
er of extinction as a result of deforestation. Deforestation also threatens biological diversity through the destruction of wildlife habitats, which endangers a number of animal species and leads to their potential disappearance. Species are particularly easy to extinction in tropical rainforests because many species have few individuals per unit area, which makes reproduction more difficult. Finally, since forests play an important role in storing water and stabilizing soil, deforestation and the resulting change in land use cause soil erosion (腐蚀) and other forms of land degradation.The passage discusses all of the following EXCEPT the ________.
| A．causes of deforestation | B．consequences of deforestation |
| C．management of deforestation | D．rate of deforestation |
The word “diversity” in the last paragraph probably means “________”.
| A．variety | B．expansion |
| C．development | D．advantage |
Why does the author mention fuel and timber in Paragraph 1?
| A．To explain the rate of deforestation. |
| B．To compare them with housing and ships. |
| C．To show the dangers of deforestation. |
| D．To illustrate the causes of deforestation. |
Which of the following sentences summarizes Paragraph 3 best?
| A．Deforestation threatens biological diversity. |
| B．Deforestation has many harmful consequences. |
| C．Deforestation causes changes in global climate. |
D．Deforestation should be stopped. |