Do you want to live forever? By the year 2050, you might actually get your wish — if you are willing to leave your biological body and live in silicon circuits （半导体电路）．But long before then, perhaps as early as 2020, some measures will begin offering a semblance of immortality （虚拟的永生）.
Researchers are confident that technology will soon be able to track every waking moment of your life. Whatever you see and hear, all that you say and write, can be recorded, analyzed and added to your personal chronicles （履历）. By the year 2030, it may be possible to catch your nervous systems through electrical activities, which would also keep your thoughts and emotions.
Researchers at the laboratories of British Telecommunications have given the name of this idea as Soul Catcher. Small electronic equipment will make preparation for Soul Catcher. It would use a wearable supercomputer, perhaps in a wristwatch, with wireless links to micro sensors under your scalp（头皮） and in the nerves that carry all five sensory signals. So wearing a video camera would no longer be required.
At first, the Soul Catcher's companion system — the Soul Reader — might have trouble copying your thoughts in complete details. Even in 2030, we may still be struggling to understand how the brain is working inside, so reading your thoughts and understanding your emotions might not be possible. But these signals could be kept for the day when they can be transferred to silicon circuits to revitalize minds everlasting entities （永生实体）. Researchers can only wonder what it will be like to wake up one day and find yourself alive inside a machine．
For people who choose not to live in silicon, semblance of immortality would not be as useless as they thought. People would know their lives would not be forgotten, but would be kept a record of the human race forever. And future generations would have a much fuller understanding of the past. History would not be controlled by just the rich and powerful, Hollywood stars, and a few thinkers in the upper society. The main idea of this passage is that _______．
| A．human beings long for living forever |
| B．there are many difficulties in making the Soul Catcher |
| C．people might live forever as technology develops |
| D．the invention of Soul Catcher has great importance |
According to this passage, a Soul Catcher will be ______．
| A．a new machine on which research measures have already been made |
| B．a new invention in order to catch and keep human's thoughts and emotions |
| C．made by British scientists to offer something that looks like living forever |
| D．made of silicon circuits which can catch people's nervous activity |
According to the writer, semblance of immortality is ______．
| A．to be a reality sooner or later | B．far from certain |
| C．just an idea that couldn't t be realized at all | D．a fading hope |
The meaning of the underlined word "revitalize" in the fourth paragraph is close to .
| A．make dead | B．make famous | C．make known | D．make active |
Scientists are making new studies of color and its effects on our health. They have known for a long time that the color of a room or the color of the light in it can affect our feelings and emotions. Many prisons and hospitals have at least one room that is painted pink. Officials have found that light and color can produce physical changes in our bodies.
Professor Falfan worked with a group of 9 disabled children at school in Albert. Two of the children were blind. The other seven had normal sight. The scientists changed the color of the school room, and then looked for changes in blood pressure, heart beat and breathing rate. The effects of color changes were the same for the blind children as for those with normal sight. Their blood pressure dropped from about 120 to 100. Similar changes were reported in heart-beat and the breathing. The children were also calmer and less excited. Then the colors of the room were returned to orange and white. Blood pressure, heart-beat and breathing rate went up and the children became excited again.
Professor Falfan said different colors produce different levels of light energy. He said the differences seem to affect chemicals in the brain that carry messages from nerve to nerve and from nerve to muscle. Light and color can affect .
| A．only one’s feelings and emotions |
| B．one’s energy |
| C．one’s mental changes |
| D．one’s heart-beat, brain activities, blood pressure, feelings and emotions |
The color of pink had a calming effect, that is to say, the color affects .
| A．the chemicals in the brain |
| B．the eyes |
| C．the skin |
| D．the muscle |
According to the text, orange and white are colors which can make people .
A. calm B. active C. sick D. blind
13. The colors in the school room mentioned in the passage were changed from .
A. orange to white
B. orange to dark blue
C. orange and white to pink or some other colors
D. gray to more colorsAfter reading the passage we can conclude that .
| A．blind people can be affected by colors, too |
| B．one’s heart will beat faster in a colorful room than in a white room |
| C．the chemicals in the brain change with feelings and emotions |
| D．if one’s blood pressure drops, his breathing will get slower and slower |
Although considered an excellent exercise, jumping rope has never received widespread acceptance because of two reasons. First, most people recognize jumping rope as an excellent form of cardiovascular(心血管的)exercise, but they also believe that it is simply too difficult. In other words, they don’t think they’ll be able to continue jumping for the near 20 minutes in order to achieve a beneficial physical effect. Second, many regard it as somewhat boring and overly repetitive(重复乏味的)—not as something fun or enjoyable.
As a matter of fact, jumping rope can be great fun as long as you find a proper way to practise it. Instead of doing the usual two-foot bounce(跳)over and over again, players good at rope-jumping often change their pattern every 10 or 20 jumps: a single bounce, a double-bounce, a skip, a knee-up, side swings, as well as a variety of other easy-to-learn free-style rope-jumping.
Nowadays researchers are discovering that jumping rope also prepares the brain for learning. It is an exercise allowing both brain hemispheres(半球)to perform equally to each other.
In short, jumping rope can be a life-long activity requiring little equipment, time and space, yet leading to a much healthier life. One reason that can explain why rope-jumping has not spread widely is that
.
| A．it benefits the cardiovascular system |
| B．it is too difficult for people to learn to jump |
| C．it is believed to be boring and repetitive |
| D．it requires little equipment, time and space |
The first sentence in Paragraph 2 means that in rope-jumping.
| A．there is only one proper way to follow |
| B．the usual way should not be used again |
| C．the easiest way is always the best one |
| D．there are different kinds of ways to follow |
According to the researchers, jumping rope .
| A．only prepares the brain for learning |
| B．is suitable for students only |
| C．helps both brain hemispheres work together |
| D．can be dangerous for old people |
What does the writer think of rope-jumping?
| A．He is strongly against it. |
| B．He is for it. |
| C．The passage doesn’t mention it. |
| D．He knows little about it. |
Has been a dream for 30 years but now the world’s first flying car is set to hit the roads this year. 
Ever since the “Back to the Future” movies lit up our screens in the 1980s, designers have dreamt of cars that could take to the sky at the push of a button(按钮). And now pilots can order their own “roadable” plane for just￡127, 000.
The plane, which has fold-out wings that span 17. 5 feet, can be up to 115 mph. Back on the land, it can also travel at “highway speeds” in car mode(模式).
Fuelling(加燃料)the 19 feet long plane couldn’t be simpler—you just drive it into a petrol station and fill it up.
A spokeswoman said, “You can keep your ‘light-sport airplane’ in your garage. But because it needs a short runway to take to the air, you will have to drive to your local airport, fly up to 460 miles, land and drive directly to your destination(目的地). You will always be ready to drive or fly. ”
The spokeswoman added, “Never let bad weather change your trip. You can simply divert(使转向)and continue on the ground until the weather clears. ”
There’s no risk to you—this is only the chance for you to be the first at your home field to unfold(展开)your wings and fly into the future. According to the text, the “roadable” plane .
| A．can fly in the sky at “highway speeds” in car mode |
| B．is a kind of car with fold-out wings |
| C．is a little difficult to fuel |
| D．can only travel on the highway |
We can infer that in the “Back to the Future” movies .
| A．there are some skillful pilots |
| B．pilots have no cars to drive |
| C．pilots can’t afford a “roadable” plane |
| D．cars can fly in the sky |
What does the underlined word “it” in the 5th paragraph refer to?
| A．Light-sport airplane. |
| B．Your garage. |
| C．The local airport. |
| D．A petrol station. |
The last sentence of the text aims to .
| A．call for people to buy the “roadable” plane |
| B．show people the use of the “roadable” plane |
| C．tell people only the “roadable” plane can fly in the future |
| D．ask people to unfold their wings and fly into the future |
If you meet with a thunderstorm in your “roadable” plane in the skies, you can .
| A．land in a nearby airport until it clears |
| B．turn back home until it clears |
| C．land and drive on the ground |
| D．fly high up to 460 miles |
I still clearly remember that day. I was on the side of the road for almost four hours with my big Jeep. I put signs in the windows that said, “NEED A JACK(千斤顶). ”
Right as I was about to give up, a truck stopped and a man got off. He sized up(对……做出判断)the situation and went back to take a jack. After about two hours, we finished the job with sweats. We were both dirty. His wife produced a large water jug for us to wash our hands in.
I tried to put $20 in the man’s hand, but he wouldn’t take it, so instead I went up and gave it to his wife as quietly as I could. I thanked them up one side and down the other. I asked the little girl, their daughter, where they lived, thinking maybe I’d send them a gift. She said they lived in Mexico. They were in Oregon now so Mommy and Daddy could pick cherries for the next few weeks. After that, they were going to pick peaches, and then go back home.
After I said my goodbyes and started walking back to the Jeep, the girl called out and asked if I’d had lunch. When I told her no, she ran up and handed me a tamale(玉米粽子). I thanked them again and walked back to my car. When I opened the tamale, what did I find inside? My $20 bill! I ran to the truck and the guy rolled down his window. He saw the $20 in my hand, started shaking his head smiling, and with what looked like great concentration said in English: “Today you, tomorrow me. ”Then he rolled up his window and drove away, with his daughter waving to me from the back.
This family, working on a seasonal basis where time is money, took a couple of hours to help a stranger while others passed by quietly.
Since then I’ve helped many people like the Mexican family. I didn’t accept money. But every time I was able to help, I felt as if I was putting something in the bank. From the passage we know that .
| A．the Mexican man couldn’t speak English |
| B．the author’s car broke down on the road |
| C．the Mexican family came to Oregon for a visit |
| D．$20 was a small amount for the Mexican family |
Why did the author give the money quietly to the man’s wife?
| A．Because the man had refused to accept it. |
| B．Because the man’s wife needn’t wash her hands. |
| C．Because the author thought the Mexican family was poor. |
| D．Because the author thought the man’s wife would take it. |
The Mexican man helped the author because he tended to think that .
| A．it was completely wrong for others to pass by quietly |
| B．it was quite easy to help the author mend the Jeep |
| C．it was possible that everyone might get into trouble |
| D．the author was a polite stranger and needed the help |
Which of the following is TRUE about the author?
| A．He hated those who didn’t offer help. |
| B．He would send a present to the family soon. |
| C．He wondered why they didn’t take the money. |
| D．He considered helping others as saving money in the bank. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．The Mexican family lived a richer life than the author. |
| B．The Mexican family did seasonal work in Oregon each year. |
| C．The author was inspired to help others by the Mexican family. |
| D．What made the writer moved was the tamale given by the girl. |
For as long as humans have lived on the earth, they have made use of various forms of communication. Generally, this expression of thoughts and feelings has been in the form of oral speech. When there is a spoken language problem, communication can be carried out through sign language, in which gestures stand for letters, words, and ideas. Tourists and people unable to hear or speak have often had to turn to this form of expression. When gestures describe words or ideas, they can often be used internationally(各国之间地). When used for spelling words however, where each gesture stands for a single letter, people must share the same written language. 
Body language sends ideas or thoughts by certain actions, either meaningfully or not. A wink(眨眼, 使眼色)can be a way of showing that the person is only joking. A nod means agreement, while shaking the head indicates disagreement.
Other forms of language can be found in Braille(a reading system of raised dots read with the fingertips used by the blind), signal flags, Morse code, and smoke signals. Road maps and picture signs also guide and warn people. While language is the most common form of communication, other systems and techniques also express human thoughts and feelings. What does the author mainly want to say?
| A．People can communicate in many different ways. |
| B．Everybody uses only one form of communication. |
| C．Language is invaluable to foreigners. |
| D．Non-spoken communication is of little value. |
According to the text, which part of the body can be used to show you are joking?
| A．Fingers. | B．Eyes. | C．Head. | D．Feet. |
What can’t be effectively communicated by sign language when people belong to different language groups?
| A．Spelling. | B．Ideas. |
| C．Whole words. | D．Expressions. |
How many different forms of communication are mentioned in the text?
| A．Three. | B．Five. | C．Six. | D．Nine. |