Ireland has had a very difficult history. The problems started in the 16th century when English rulers tried to conquer(征服) Ireland. For hundreds of years, the Irish people fought against the English. Finally, in 1921, the British government was forced to give independence to the south of Ireland. The result is that today there are two “Irelands”. Northern Ireland, in the north, is part of the united kingdom. The Republic of Ireland, in the south, is an independent country.
In the 1840s the main crop, potatoes, was affected by disease and about 750,000 people died of hunger. This, and a shortage (短缺) of work , forced many people to leave Ireland and live in the USA, the UK, Australia and Canada. As a result of these problems, the population fell from 8.2 million in 1841 to 6.6 million in 1851.
For many years, the majority of Irish people earned their living as farmers. Today, many people still work on the land but more and more people are moving to the cities to work in factories and offices. Life in the cities is very different from life in the countryside, where things move at a quieter and slower pace.
The Irish are famous for being warm-hearted and friendly. Oscar Wilde, a famous Irish writer, once said that the Irish were “the greatest talkers since the Greeks”. Since independence, Ireland has revived(复兴) its own culture of music, language, literature and singing. Different areas have different styles of old Irish song which are sung without instruments. Other kinds of Irish music use many different instruments such as the violin, whistles, etc. What does the author tell us in paragraph 1?
| A．How the Irish fought against the English. |
| B．How Ireland gained independence. |
| C．How English rulers tried to conquer Ireland. |
| D．How two “Irelands” came into being. |
We learn from the text that in Ireland .
| A．food shortages in the 1840s led to a decline in population |
| B．people are moving to the cities for lack of work in the countryside |
| C．it is harder to make a living as a farmer than as a factory worker |
| D．different kinds of old Irish songs are all sung with instruments |
The last paragraph is mainly about .
| A．the Irish character |
| B．Irish culture |
| C．Irish musical instruments |
| D．a famous Irish writer |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．Life in Ireland |
| B．A Very Difficult History |
| C．Ireland, Past and Present |
| D．The Independence of Ireland |
“If you want to see a thing well，reach out and touch it！”
That may seem a strange thing to say.But touching things can help you to see them better.
Your eyes can tell you that glass ball is round.But by holding it in your hands，you can feel how smooth and cool the ball is.You can feel how heavy the glass is.
When you feel all these about the ball，you really see it.
With your skin，you can feel better.For example，your fingers can tell the difference between two coins in your pocket.You can feel a little drop of water on the back of your hand，too.
You can even feel sounds against your skin.Have you ever wanted to know why some people like very loud music? They must like to feel the sounds of music.
All children soon learn what “Don't touch！” means.They hear it often.Yet most of us keep on touching things as we grow up.In shops，we touch things we might buy，such as food，clothes and so on.To see something well，we have to touch it.
The bottoms of our feet can feel things，too.You know this when you walk on warm sand，cool grass or a bad floor.All feel different under your feet.
There are ways of learning to see well by feeling.
One way is to close your eyes and try to feel everything that is touching your skin.Feel the shoes on your feet，the clothes on your body，the air on your skin.At first，it is not easy to feel these things.You are too used to them!
Most museums are just for looking.But today some museums have some things to touch.Their signs say，“Do touch! There you can feel everything on show.If you want to see better，reach out and touch.Then you'll really see！”By touching things ________.
| A．you will have a strange feeling |
| B．you will learn how to reach out |
| C．you can tell the difference between them |
| D．you can tell what colors they are |
When people buy things in shops，they often ________.
| A．try them on first |
| B．put their right hand on them |
| C．just has a look |
| D．feel and touch them |
Why does it say，“At first，it is not easy to feel these things？”
| A．The things are used by people，too. |
| B．People are used to the things. |
| C．People know how to use the things. |
| D．The things are easy to feel. |
Which of the following can be the best title of the story?
| A．Touching by Feeling | B．To See or to Feel |
| C．To See Better — Feel | D．Ways of Feeling |
In recent years，American students have fallen behind in many subjects like math，science and reading. In 2005，the U.S. was number nine among the developed countries in the number of students graduating from high school.
American education officials are searching for new ways to help students learn again. One tool that is getting some attention is the use of video games.
Sixteenyearold John Diaz says he loves playing video games but doesn't like traditional schoolwork. During his summer vacation，Diaz is continuing his studies at home. That is because his courses are available on his home computer.
Florida Virtual School's head master，Julie Young，says the school teaches students with the technology they most enjoy using in and out of school.“We have so many students who feel free in our school，” Young said, “They lose interest when they go to school. And we're very hopeful that Conspiracy Code will attract the learners to really get into the detail of learning.”
Conspiracy Code is a video game that teaches U.S. history. Students guide two heroes in a quest to stop a conspiracy to change the past. Along the way，students learn about events such as the Civil War，and report back to their teacher who is a spy ．
John Diaz says he enjoys American history now.“I like to do the game every day，” he said.In the first paragraph，we can learn that American students________.
| A．do better in science than reading |
| B．do not want to go to college |
| C．have been less interested in studies recently |
| D．do worst in math among the developed countries |
How does John Diaz continue to study in summer vacation?
| A．By having an experienced tutor. |
| B．By going to a vacation camp. |
| C．By studying on the computer. |
| D．By watching videos. |
Conspiracy Code is a video game that________.
| A．introduces the ways of finding a spy |
| B．teaches students American history |
| C．helps students learn computers |
| D．trains people to become heroes |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．Video games becoming new teaching tools. |
| B．How Conspiracy Code helps students study. |
| C．How Florida Virtual School teaches students. |
| D．American officials caring about education. |
When my son was a teenager he already knew he wanted things. He wanted nice things and he wanted to get them by himself.He never depended upon us to provide for him.He gladly accepted the room and other different necessities we gave him，but when it came to the luxuries (奢侈品)，or the extra things of life，he knew he would have to make his own way.
At the age of 13，he started talking to me about working.His sister had worked at a local amusement park for several years as her first job so he gave that some thought. He had us drive him to the park and he went in and applied. Within two days he was called back to go to work. His sister had been a model employee and the park didn't even ask what he was able to do.
He worked at least 20 hours a week at the local amusement park. With his first week check he came home with a big smile. He had made something like $60 for his four days of afterschool efforts，and he wanted to thank us for our contribution to his wealth. He needed transportation both to and from work so we would take him there and back；no matter when the park closed，we would be there.
With his very first check，he insisted on treating me and his dad. He took us and his sister to an expensive restaurant. We had a wonderful time there and we spent his entire check. He didn't care；he knew he had to take care of those who had made it possible for him to have the check in the first place. He had always been a generous boy，perhaps too generous sometimes，but very loving.In his teens，the boy________.
| A．lived a hard life |
| B．lived an independent life |
| C．never wanted expensive things |
| D．never asked his parents for luxuries |
The boy got a parttime job easily at the amusement park because of________.
| A．his great abilities |
| B．his sister's good example |
| C．his independence |
| D．his sister's good advice |
What does the underlined part “our contribution” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
| A．The parents' encouragement. |
| B．The family's support. |
| C．The parents' lift. |
| D．The family's comfort. |
The passage was most probably written by________.
| A．a proud mother | B．a kind father |
| C．a generous woman | D．a generous man |
One evening in February 2007, a student named Paula Ceely brought her car to a stop on a remote road in Wales. She got out to open a metal gate that blocked her path .That’s when she heard the whistle sounded by the driver of a train. Her Renault Clio was parked across a railway line. Seconds later, she watched the train drag her car almost a kilometre down the railway tracks.
Ceely’s near miss made the news because she blamed it on her GPS (导航仪). She had never driven the route before. It was dark and raining heavily. Ceely was relying on her GPS, but it made no mention of the crossing. “I put my complete trust in the device and it led me right into the path of a speeding train,” she told the BBC.
Who is to blame here? Rick Stevenson, who tells Ceely’s story in his book When Machines Fail Us, points the finger at the limitations of technology. We put our faith in digital devices, he says, but our digital helpers are too often not up to the job. They are filled with small problems. And it’s not just GPS devices: Stevenson takes us on a tour of digital disasters involving everything from mobile phones to wireless keyboards.
The problem with his argument in the book is that it’s not clear why he only focuses on digital technology, while there may be a number of other possible causes. A map-maker might have left the crossing off a paper map. Maybe we should blame Ceely for not paying attention. Perhaps the railway authorities are at fault for poor singalling system. Or maybe someone has studied the relative dangers and worked out that there really is something specific wrong with the GPS equipment. But Stevenson doesn’t say.
It’s a problem that runs through the book. In a section on cars, Stevenson gives an account of the advanced techniques that criminals use to defeat computer-based locking systems for cars. He offers two independent sets of figures on car theft; both show a small rise in some parts of the country. He says that once again not all new locks have proved reliable. Perhaps, but maybe it’s also due to the shortage of policemen on the streets. Or changing social circumstances. Or some combination of these factors.
The game between humans and their smart devices is amusing and complex. It is shaped by economics and psychology and the cultures we live in. Somewhere in the mix of those forces there may be a way for a wiser use of technology.
If there is such a way, it should involve more than just an awareness of the shortcomings of our machines. After all, we have lived with them for thousands of years. They have probably been fooling us for just as long.What did Paula Ceely think was the cause of her accident？
| A．She was not familiar with the road. |
| B．It was dark and raining heavily then. |
| C．The railway workers failed to give the signal. |
| D．Her GPS device didn’t tell her about the crossing. |
The phrase “near miss” (Paragraph 2) can best be replaced by______.
| A．close hit | B．heavy loss |
| C．narrow escape | D．big mistake |
Which of the following would Rick Stevenson most probably agree with?
| A．Modern technology is what we can’t live without. |
| B．Digital technology often falls short of our expectation. |
| C．Digital devices are more reliable than they used to be. |
| D．GPS error is not the only cause for Ceely’s accident. |
In the writer’s opinion, Stevenson’s argument is _______.
| A．one-sided | B．reasonable |
| C．puzzling | D．well-based |
What is the real concern of the writer of this article?
| A．The major causes of traffic accidents and car thefts. |
| B．The relationship between human and technology. |
| C．The shortcomings of digital devices we use. |
| D．The human unawareness of technical problems. |
“I’ve never met a human worth cloning,” says cloning expert Mark Westhusin from his lab at Texas A&M University. “It’s a stupid endeavor.”
That’s an interesting choice of adjective, coming from a man who has spent millions of dollars trying to clone a 13-year-old dog named Missy. So far, he and his team have not succeeded, though they have cloned two cows and a cat.
They just might succeed in cloning Missy soon — or perhaps not for another five years.
Westhusin's experience with cloning animals leaves him upset by all this talk of human cloning. In three years of work on the Missy project, using hundreds upon hundreds of dog's eggs, the A&M team has produced only a dozen or so embryos carrying Missy's DNA. None have survived the transfer to a surrogate（代孕的）mother. The wastage of eggs and the many spontaneously aborted(流产，发育不全) fetuses（胎）may be acceptable when you're dealing with cats or bulls, he argues, but not with humans. “Cloning is incredibly inefficient, and also dangerous,” he says.
Even so, dog cloning is a commercial opportunity, with a nice research payoff. Ever since Dolly the sheep was cloned in 1996, Westhusin's phone has been ringing with people calling in hopes of duplicating their cats and dogs, cattle and horses. “A lot of people want to clone pets, especially if the price is right,” says Westhusin. Cost is no obstacle for Missy's mysterious billionaire owner; he's put up $3.7 million so far to fund A&M's research.
Contrary to some media reports, Missy is not dead. The owner wants a twin to carry on Missy's fine qualities after she does die. The prototype（原型；雏形）is, by all accounts, athletic, good-natured and super-smart. Missy's master does not expect an exact copy of her. He knows her clone may not have her temperament（气质、性情）. In a statement of purpose, Missy's owner and the A&M team say they are “both looking forward to studying the ways that her clones differ from Missy.”
Besides cloning a great dog, the project may contribute insight into the old question of nature vs. nurture. It could also lead to the cloning of special rescue dogs and many endangered animals.
However, Westhusin is cautious about his work. He knows that even if he gets a dog pregnant, the offspring, should they survive, will face the problems shown at birth by other cloned animals: abnormalities like immature lungs and heart and weight problems~ “Why would you ever want to clone humans,” Westhusin asks, “when we're not even close to getting it worked out in animals yet?”By “stupid endeavor”, Westhusin means to say that ________.
| A．human cloning is a foolish undertaking |
| B．animal cloning is absolutely impractical |
| C．human cloning should be done selectively |
| D．animal cloning is not worth the effort at all |
What does the second paragraph tell us about Westhusin's dog cloning project?
| A．Its success is already in sight. |
| B．It is progressing smoothly. |
| C．It is doomed to utter failure. |
| D．Its outcome remains uncertain. |
By cloning Missy, Mark Westhusin hopes to ________.
| A．study the possibility of cloning humans |
| B．search for ways to modify its temperament |
| C．find out the differences between Missy and its clones |
| D．examine the reproductive system of the dog species |
We learn from the passage that animal clones are likely to have ________.
| A．a bad temper |
| B．defective（有缺陷的、有毛病的）organs |
| C．immune deficiency |
| D．an abnormal shape |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Cloning of Missy |
| B．Scientist Says ‘No’ to Human Cloning |
| C．Human Cloning Is Dangerous . |
| D．Westhusin Is Cautious about Cloning |