We are all interested in equality, but while some people try to protect the school and examination system in the name of equality, others, still in the name of equality, want only to destroy it.
Any society which is interested in equality of opportunity and standards of achievement must regularly test its pupils. The standards may be changed — no examination is perfect — but to have no tests or examination would mean the end of equality and of standards. There are groups of people who oppose this view and who do not believe either in examinations or in any controls in schools or on teachers. This would mean that everything would depend on luck since every pupil would depend on the efficiency， the values and the purpose of each teacher.
Without examinations, employers will look for employees from the highly respected schools and from families known to them — a form of favoritism will replace equality at the moment. The bright child from an ill-respected school can show certificates to prove he or she is suitable for a job, while the lack of certificate indicates the unsuitability of a dull child attending a well-respected school. This defense of excellence and opportunity would disappear if examinations were taken away, and the bright child from a poor family would be a prisoner of his or her school’s reputation, unable to compete for employment with the child from the favored school.
The opponents（反对者） of the examination system suggest that examinations are an evil force because they show differences between pupils. According to these people, there must be no special, different, academic class. They have even suggested that there should be no form of difference in sport or any other area: all jobs or posts should be filled by unsystematic selection. The selection would be made by people who themselves are probably selected by some computer.The word “favoritism” in paragraph 3 is used to describe the phenomenon that .
| A．bright children also need certificates to get satisfying jobs. |
| B．poor children with certificates are favoured in job markets. |
| C．children from well-respected schools tend to have good jobs. |
| D．children attending ordinary schools achieve great success. |
What would happen if examinations were taken away according to the author?
| A．Schools for bright children would lose their reputation. |
| B．There would be more opportunities and excellence. |
| C．Children from poor families would be able to change their schools. |
| D．Children’s job opportunity would be affected by their school reputation. |
The opponents of the examination system will agree that .
| A．jobs should not be assigned by systematic se lection |
| B．computers should be selected to take over many jobs. |
| C．special classes are necessary to keep the school standards |
| D．schools with academic subjects should be done aw ay with |
The passage mainly focuses on .
| A．schools and certificates |
| B．examination and equality |
| C．opportunity and employment |
| D．standards and reputation |
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题; 每小题2分, 满分40分）
Everyone likes to feel that he or she is special.
Unfortunately, many of us grow up believing that we’re not special at all. We wish that we could be better at sports or more attractive. We wish we had nicer clothes or more money. Like the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, or the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz (《绿野仙踪》), we believe we’re not good enough just as we are. In the movie, the Scarecrow wishes that he had a brain. The Tin Man wishes he had a heart, and the Lion wants courage. In the end, each of them realizes that he already has what he needs.
Most parents want us to be the best we can be. They sometimes try to encourage us to do better by comparing us to others. They mean well, but the message we often get is that we’re not good enough. We begin to
believe that the only way we can be special is by being better than someone else, but we are often disappointed. There will always be someone out there who is better than we are at something. There are plenty of people around who may not be as smart as we are but who are better at sports. Or they may not be as good-looking, but they have more money. It is impossible for us to be better than everyone else all the time.
Like the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion, we all want what we believe will make us better people. What we don’t realize is that often we already have inside us the very things that we seek. Parents sometimes forget to tell us that we are special, that we are good enough just as we are. Maybe no one told them that when they were growing up, or maybe they just forgot. Either way, it’s up to us to remind them from time to time that each of us, in our own way, is special. What we are ... is enough.
56. This passage is most likely written by a ______.
A. teenager B. parent C. teacher D. coach
57. According to the author, it seems improper for parents to ______.
A. compare their children with others now and then
B. give no pressure to their children
C. remind their children frequently they are special
D. praise their children too much
58. By discussing the characters in The Wizard of Oz, the author mainly wants to show ______.
A. we are not good enough just as we 
are
B. we already have inside us what we want
C. it is impossible for us to be better than others
D. there is always someone who is better than us
59. What does the author of this passage believe?
A. Not everyone can be special.
B. Smart people are more special than others.
C. The richer you are, the better you are.
D. We are all good enough just the way we are.
Million
s of youngsters across Europe could suffer permanent hearing loss after five years if they listen to MP3 players at too high a volume for more than five hours a week, EU scientists warned.
The scientists’ study, requested by the European Commission, attacked the concept of “leisure noise,” saying children and teenagers should be protected from increasingly high sound levels---with loud mobile phones also coming in for criticism（批评）.
“There has been increasing concern about exposure from the new generation of 
personal music players which can reproduce sounds at very high volumes without loss of quality,” the Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said in a statement.
“Risk for hearing damage depends on sound level and exposure time,” it said. More and more young people were exposed to the great threat(威胁)that leisure noise posed to hearing, it said.
Commission experts said that between 50 and 100 million people listen to portable music players on a daily basis.
If they listened for only five hours a week at more than 89 decibels(分贝), they would already be beyond EU limits for noise allowed in the workplace, they said. But if they listened for longer periods, they risked permanent hearing loss after five years.
The scientists calculated the number of people in that risk category at between five and 10 percent of listeners, meaning up to 10 million people in the European Union.
Sales of personal music players have soared in EU countries in recent years, particularly of MP3 players.
"I am worried that so many young people ... who are frequent users of personal music players and mobile phones at high acoustic levels, may be unknowingly damaging their hearing ," she said in the statement.
62. Which of the following can be the best title of the article?
A. Youngsters across Europe: suffer permanent hearing loss.
B. MP3 players: sell best but do harm to youngsters
C. The scientists’ study: requested by the EU
D. EU warns youth: turn your MP3 players down!
63. This passage is most likely to be taken from a _________.
A. textbook B. medical report
C. teen magazine D. governmental newspaper
64. The underlined part in the forth paragraph most probably means________.
A. were uncovered B. felt C. realized D. were faced with
65. From the passage we know that________.
A. besides the high sound levels, scientists also criticized loud mobile phones.
B. if one listened for 5 hours more a week at 100 decibels, he would risk permanent hearing loss.
C. it is only the level of the sound that can do damage to hearing.
D. the scientists said there were 5-10 percent of MP3 listeners risking hearing loss around the world.
Nat
ural ways of keeping time
In ancient times, people had to use the sun and the moon to tell time. They got up when the sun came up and worked in the fields until the sun went down.
Man-made things
The sand clock is made of two glass balls joined by a narrow neck. The top ball was filled with sand. The sand slowly moved through the neck into the bottom ball. People knew how much time had passed when all the sand had fallen to the bottom ball.
People also made the water clock. They made a small hole near the bottom of a pot. Then they filled the pot with water. Markings inside the pot showed how much time passed as the water dripped (滴) out of the hole.
Nature’s Clocks in Living Things
◆Animals’ Body Clock
Animals do not need clocks to know time. They have a way of telling time by their bodies. Birds know when to fly to warmer places before winter. Some animals know when to keep more food for the cold winter months. Some fish know when it is time to move up the river and lay eggs.
◆Plants have their own clocks
Plants also have their own clocks to keep time. Plants know when to open flowers or when to drop their leaves.
◆The Body Clock in Human Beings
People also have their own body clocks. Wh
en we get used to our lives, our body clocks can be very accurate (准确的). It can tell us when it is time to wake up. It can al
so tell us when to eat or to go to sleep.
59. How could an ancient farmer know when to go back home in the daytime?
A. By looking at the moon.B. By looking at the stars.
C. By looking at the sun.D. By feeling whether tired or not.
60. How many kinds of living things with nature’s clocks are mentioned here?
A. 2. B. 3. C. 5 D. 6.
61. From the passage, we know what man-made things have in common is that_______.
A. both of them have a hole. B. both of them are designed with glass balls.
C. both of them can be used only once. D. both of them tell time in the same way
第三部分阅读理解（共10小题；每小题2分，满分20分）
Green is an important color in nature. It is the color of grass and the leaves on trees. It is also the color of most growing plants.
Sometimes, the word green means young, fresh and growing. Sometimes, it describes something that is not yet ripe or finished. For example, a greenhorn is someone who has no experience, who is new to a situation. In the fifteenth century, a greenhorn was a young cow or ox whose horns(角) had not yet developed. A century or so later, a greenhorn was a soldier who had not yet had any experience in battle. By the eighteenth century, a greenhorn had the meaning it has today—a person who is new in a job.Someone who has the ability to grow plants well is said to have a green thumb. The expression comes from the early nineteen hundreds. A person with a green thumb seems to have a magic touch that makes plants grow quickly and well. You might say that the woman next door has a green thumb if her garden continues to grow long after your plants have died.
The Green Revolution is the name given some years ago to the development of new kinds of 
rice and other grains. The new plants produced much larger crops. The Green Revolution was the result of hard work by agricultural scientists who had green thumbs.
Green is also the color used to describe the powerful feeling, jealousy(嫉妒). The green-eyed monster is not a frightening creature from outer space. It is an expression used about four hundred years ago by British writer William Shakespeare in his play “Othello”. It describes the unpleasant feeling a person has when someone has something he wants. A young man may suffer from the green-eyed monster if his girlfriend begins going out with someone else. Or, that green-eyed monster may affect your friend if you get a pay rise and she does not.
56. Greenhorn now refers to ____.
A. a person who is new in a job B. a new solider
C. a young horse D. None of above
57. A person who has a green thumb is a person ____.
A. who is good at growing plants B. whose thumbs are in green color
C. whose garden is greener than others’ D. who is younger than his neighbors
58.
The author is actually talking about ____.
A. colors B. language C. politics D. agriculture
Riding School：．
You can start horse-riding at any age．Choose private or group lessons any weekday be 9 am and 8：30 pm(3：30 pm on Saturdays)．There are 10 kilometres of tracks and paths for leisurely rides across farmland and open country．You will need a riding hat．
Opening Hours：Monday through Friday：9：00 am一8。30 pm
Phone：(412)396--6754 Fax：(412)396—6752
Sailing Club；
Our Young Sailor’s Course leads to the Stage 1 Sailing qualification．You’11 learn how to sail safely and the course also covers sailing theory and first aid．Have fun with other course membe。afterwards in the clubroom．There are 10 weekly two—hour lessons(Tuesdays 6 pm～8 pm).
Opening Hours：Tuesdays：6：00 pm一8。00 pm
Phone：(412)396—6644 Fax：(412)396—6644
Diving Centre：
Our experieneed instructors offer one-month courses in deep-sea diving for beginners．There are two evening lessons a week，in which you learn to breathe underwater and use the equipment safely．You only need a swimming costume and towel.Reduced rates for couples.
Opening Hours：Monday and Friday：6：30pm一8：30pm
Phone：(412)396—6312 Fax：(412)396—6706
Medical Center
The staff of the Medical Center aim to provide convenient and comprehensive medical care to students and staff of the university．The center is well equipped and tbe staff here are trainedto deal with a broad range of medical problems.Both female and male doctors as well as nursing staff are available for consultation．Also，all kinds of medicines are sold here and are cheaper for students than other drugstores．
Opening Hours：24 hour from Monday to Sunday
Phone：(412)396—6649 Fax：(412)396—6648
Watersports Club：
We use a two-kilometre length of river for speedboat racing，and water-skiing．A beginners’course consists of ten 20-minute lessons．You will learn to handle boats safely and confidently, but must be able to swim．The club is in a convenient central position and is open daily from 9 a.m to 4 p.m，with lessons all through the day．
Opening Hours：Monday t~rough Friday：9：OOam一4。00pm
Phone：(412)396--6899 Fax：(412)396—6890
61 If you wanl to swim and enjoy activities which are fast and a bit dangerous,you should join
A．Watersports Ciub B．Diving Centre C．Sailing Club D．Riding School
62．If you want to experience a new activity in the countryside in the mornings，you may fax
A．(412)396--6648 B．(412)396--6706
C．(412)396--6752 D．(412)396—6876
63．If you are planning to explore the ocean depths，you should attend your lessons at
A．24 hour from Monday to Sunday
B．Monday through Friday：7：00am一10：00pm
C．Tuesdays：6：00 pm一8。00 pm
D．Monday and Friday：6：30pm一8：30pm
64．You want to do an activity one evening a week and get a certificate in the end，you can go to
A．Watersports Club B．Diving center
C．Saillng CIub D．Riding School
65．Which is NOT the convenience that the Medical Center provides?
A．Good equipment． B．Well trained staff members．
C．Various less expensive medicines． D．Nursery for newly- born babies