Sarah came running in saying, "Look what l found. " Over the top of the paper I was reading I saw a long object that made me jump. It was a piece of snakeskin that had been shed （脱皮) by one of our garden snakes.
'Isn't it beautiful?" said my wide-eyed 7~year-old daughter. I stared at the organic wrapper and thought to myself that it really was not that beautiful, but I did not want to disappoint Sarah. Everything children see for the first time is elementary to their sense of beauty and creativity. They see only merit (忧点) and excellence in the world.
"Why does it do this?" Sarah asked. I like to teach my children that there is something else going on besides what they see in front of them. "Snakes shed their skin because they need to renew themselves," I explained.
"Why do they need to renew themselves?" Sarah asked. "We often need to shed our skins, those coatings that we cover ourselves with," I said to my now absorbed daughter. "We outgrow some things and find other stuff unnecessary. This snake no longer needs this skin. It is probably too old, and the snake probably doesn't think it looks as smart in the skin as it once did. Like buying a new suit. "
Of course, I'm sure this explanation won't suit naturalists. But Sarah got the point. As we talked, I knew that she began to understand that renewal is part of progress; that we need to take a good look at ourselves, and rooms and schoolwork and creativity, and she began to see what we need to keep and what need to cast off. I was careful to point out that this is a natural process, not one to be forced.
"Snakes don't peel off their skin when they feel like it," I explained. "lt happens as part of their growth. "
"I see, Dad. " said Sarah. She then jumped off my lap, grabbed the snakeskin, and ran off.
I hoped she would remember this. Often, in order to find our real selves underneath the layers of community and culture we are cloaked (掩饰) in year after year, we need to start examining these layers. We need to gently peel some away, as we recognize them to be worthless, unnecessary, or flawed (有缺陷的); or at best, remember the things we discard（丢掉）to teach us how we can improve.When Sarah asked the author whether the snakeskin was beautiful,___________
| A．he was shocked and jumped |
| B．he tried to understand her point of view |
| C．he thought that telling the truth was a merit |
| D．he decided to teach her something about the garden |
How did Sarah feel about the author's explanation?
| A．Confused. | B．Boreci | C．Satisfied. | D．Excited. |
Which of the following would the author agree with?
| A．By reflecting on ourselves, we can better ourselves. |
| B．It is necessary to force others to remove some things. |
| C．The community and culture force us to change. |
| D．It is natural to keep some old clothes. |
From the text, we can conclude that the author___________.
| A．does not like nature much |
| B．takes the chilcl's feelings lightly |
| C．is both a logical and thoughtful person |
| D．loves to see his daughter excited about animals |
Which of the following could be the best title for the article?
| A．The things we should cast off | B．A shed snakeskin in Sarah's eyes |
| C．A natural part of our growth | D．Renewal for snakes and us |
Dear Ralf,
I have received your letter from school and am glad to know that you are becoming responsible(有责任的)enough to decide on your career.
You are now in the final year of college and are about to start more independent life in society. You know that a generation divides us, and the conditions of social life were different in my days. However, all I can say as advice is that you must select a career wisely. The first consideration is your interest. You can only succeed and feel happy when you do something you enjoy. Your job must be both gainful and satisfying. Then, you must read up on the latest books on the field you are aiming at. Also, you should get familiar with the men and women in the profession of that field. When mind and heart function together, success is inevitable(必然的).
No career is more or less important than any other career. It takes different people to operate the machine of life. I think your interest may lie in the field of making TV programs. Your great communication skills, your active participation(参与) in school plays and the prizes you have won in speech competitions all point in that direction. So a career in Mass Communication and TV film production proves suitable for you. If you succeed and make it in that field, fame and treasure will both follow.
Think a thousand times before making any final decision regarding your career. Anyhow, I want you to be a man of success.
I know that you are mature(成熟的) enough to think for yourself.
With all the best wishes!
Your loving father
56. We can infer that Ralf wrote a letter to ask for advice on how to ________.
A. prepare for a competition. B. communicate with others
C. choose a career D. get good marks
57. What can we know about Ralf?
A. He has graduated from college. B. He gets on badly with his father.
C. He has taken part in school plays. D. He won prizes in the field of making films.
58. Ralf’s father thinks that ________.
A. fame is more important than treasure
B. every career is of the same importance
C. Ralf is too young to make a decision himself
D. there is no real understanding between parents and children
59. The father suggests that his son should ____________.
A. consider his interest first when choosing a career.
B. make friends with successful people.
C. be never proud when making progress
D. be active in school activities.
Women with an hour glass figure have brains to go with their curves(曲线)，scientists claim.
Going in at the waist is said to be a sign of intelligence which leads to brighter children, too,Wonmen such as Nigella Lawson with a big difference between thir waist and hip measurements scored significantly better in tests than those with thinner,straighter frames,, Researchers concluded that it was not necessary for a woman to be skinny-what mattered was that her waist should be smaller than her hips, A ratio of 3:5 was found to be idea,
The study ,by the Universities of Pittsdburgh and California,involved 16,000 women and girls,
According to the scientists，the results are no mere quirk of nature．They claim that the fat
Around culvy hips and thighs(大腿)holds higher levels of-3 fatty acids which are essential for
the growth of the brain during pregnancy．The fat which collects around the waist，howover．is
more likely to contain-6 fatty acids，which areless suited to brain growth．
Reporting in the joumal Evolution and Human Behaviour，the researchers found that the children of curvy mothers are more likely to do well in cognitive tests than others．they claim that this could help explain why the children of teenage mothers．who might not yet be physically mature enough to have developed real curves-tend to do less well in school．
As wel las boosting(提升)brainpower,一3 fatty acids found in oily fish arc considered to be of huge health benefit Although the study analysed women’s bodies only,一3 fatty acids are also stored in men’s hips ,However it is not known whether men with wide hips benefit from the same brain power boost,．
72.Which shows the possible shape of an hour glass?
73．Suppose the following measurements are taken from four women．Which of them is more likely to have bright children?
A. Waist：60cm；Hip：100 cm B．Waist：60cm：Hip：80cm
C. Waist：55 cm；Hip 1 60cm D．Waist：120cm；Hip：110cm
74.The underlined sentence‘'the results are nomere quirkofnature，'possible tells us the results
A. can be explained scientifically B are strange and hard to explain
C. have just come about by chance D are very interesting
75．According to the researchers，teenage mothers tend to have less bright children because
A．they aren’t so good at child care
B．they usually have less fat than mature women
C．they area’t physically strong enough
D．their waist and hip measurements differ less
Federal regulators Wednesday approved a plan to create a nationwide emergnecy alert(警报) System using text messages delivered to cell phones.
Text messages have exploded in popularity in recent years, particularly among young people, The wireless industry’s trade association, CTIA, estimates(估计)more than 48 billion text messages are sent each month,
The plan comes from the Warning Alert and Response Network Act,a 2006 federal law that requires improvement to the nation’s emergency alert system. The act tasked the Fedral Communications Conmmissino(FCC)with coming up with new ways to alert the public about emergencies ．
“The ability to deliver accurate and timely warnings and alerts through cell phones and other mobile services is an improtant next step in our offorts to help ensure that the American public has the information they need to take action to protect themselves and their families before, and during, disasters and other emergencies.” FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said following approval of the plan,
Participation in the alert system by carriers-telecommunications companies-is voluntary, but it has received solid support from the wireless industry,
The program would be optional for cell phone users, They also may not be charged for receiving alerts.
There would be three different types of messages, according to the rules.
The first would be a national alert from the president ,likely involving a terrorist attack or natural disaster, The second would involve “approaching threats.” Which could include natural disasters like hurricanes or storms or even university shootings, The third would be reserved for child abduction(绑架)emergencies,or so –called Amber Alerts,
The service could be in place by 2010
68．What is the purpose of the approved plan?
A．To warn people of emergencies via messages．
B．To popularize the use of cell phones．
C. To estimate the monthly number of messages．
D. To promote the wireless industry．
69. The improvement to the present system is in the charge of
A.CTIA B．THE Warning Alert and Response Network
C.FCC D．federal regulators，
70．An alert message will NOT be sent if
A. a child loses his way B．a university shooting happens
C. a natural disaster happens D．a terrorist attack occurs
71．Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A. Cell Phone Alerts Protecting Students
B. Cell Phone Alerts by Wireless Industry
C. Cell Phone Alerts of Natural Disasters
D. Cell Phone Alerts Coming Soon
How can you create a great science fair project？．You can start by asking yourself some
questions．
What is interesting to me?
You can connect ainroot any topic to science, Your topic could be plants, worms,dogs，the sky or something else．If you can not think of a topic，search books or the Internet for ideas .Seek help from your teacher or a librarian．Your parents may have some good thoughts too．
What question do I have about this topic?
A great science project always includes an experiment．Make sure that your question can be
answered through an experiment．Here are some examples of questions：Does the amount of light have an effect on how fast plants grow？How much salt is in different kinds of cookies sold at the store? Why does the sky change color at different times of the day?
How much time do I have before the scienc fair?
A great science project always includes an experiment. Make sure that your question can be answered throuth an experiment, Here some examples of questions,Does the amount of light have an effect on how fast plants grow? How much salt is in different kinds of cookies sold at the store? Why does the sky change color at different times of the day?
How much time do I have before the science fair?
A science fair to be held in two weeks will not give you time for some experiments ,such as growing plants, carefully plan your project so that you allow enough time to perform your experiment accrately.
What do I think is the answer to my question?
Why do I think this? The answer you choose is your hypothesis,You will prove it right or wrong by perfoming an experiment,. If you were to think about the sky question, your hypothesis might be that the color of the sky is related to the position of the sun,
How can I prove my hypothesis?
This is where the experiment comes in．You have to test your hypothesis．If you wanted to find out how light affects plant growth，you could plant seeds in a number of containers．Then you could expose the plants to different amotmts of light and compare the growth rates．
How can I present my results?
You might display your question and hypothesis on poster boards．You might then add pictures and graphs．A great science project also states a conclusion．A conclusion of the plant experiment might be The plants that got the most light grew the fastest．
When you have finished your project，you may have more questions．A great science project makes you want to learn even more．
64．A great science project always includes．
A．plants in pots B．results
C．an experiment D．poster boards
65．A hypothesis is a(n)．
A．question B．idea C．performance D．proof
66．We can learn from the passage that．
A．all science projects take about the same amount of time
B．a science project involves several steps
C．a science project should start with a conclusion
D．a science project raises many questions
67．To find out whether cold water freezes faster than hot water,you would first．
A．make a chart to explain your steps
B．state your conclusion to convince other people，
C．think of an experiment to give an answer
D．display your hypothesis to prove
Bring the Family?
Port Regisis well situated for exploring the beautiful South and West of England and Wales．
The school has excellent hotels and guest houses nearby for parents who are dropping off or collecting their children from the school．
Please note：
All students attending English Country Schools must live in the appointed place．
We do not recommend that parents live locally while their child is at school．Experience suggests that this often upsets the child and disturbs progress．
Howard’s．House Country Hotel ＆Restaurant
About l5 minutes from Port Regis School，Howard's House is set in large gardens hidden in
the quietness of the lovely Nadder Valley．
Plumber Manor
Plumer Manor is a comfortable manor house built of local stones，situated about 20 minutes
from Port Regis School．The 17th century house is mounded by lawns and is set in quiet Dorset
countryside．The stream tuns through the grounds．
Woodville Farm Bed＆ Serf-catering
Woodville Farm is a family-runfarm set in the Dorset countryside about 5 minutes from
Port Regis School．Bed and breakfast accommodation：one double bedroom & one twin bedroom
both with bathrooms，tea & coffee making facilities，color television & hairdrye.There is also a
self-catering 2-bedroom bungalow(平房)nearby．
Stock Hill Country House Hotel ＆ Restaurant
Stock Hill Country House Hotel ＆ Restaurant is a late Victorian building set in eleven
acres of mature，beautifully planned grounds on the borders of Dorset，Somerset and Wiltshire．
About 10 minutes from Port Regis School．
60．The passage is mainly writen for
A．students B．general readers
C．paints D．overseas trayelers
61．Parents are advised not to live locally when children are having classes because．
A．children are not too excited to be with their parents
B．parents stay with their children for too long
C．their visit makes children uneasy about themselves
D．their stay there affects children’s studies
62．If you prefer to live in a stone house，which hotel would you choose?
A．Plumber Manor．
B．Woodville Farm Bed＆Self-catering
C．Heward House Country Hotel & Restaurant．
D．Stock Hill Country House Hotel & Restaurant．
63．Woodville farm is different from other hotels in that．
A it is hidden in a large garden B．guests can cook their own food
C．it dates back to Victorian times D．it has a very beautiful country scenery