A lot of people are afraid spiders（蜘蛛）–even the small ones. But a big tarantula（鸟蛛）is much more terrifying for many. Now, scientists in Sri Lanka have discovered a huge species of tarantula that’s about the size of a person’s face.
The first part of the spider’s scientific name, Poecilotheria rajaei, comes from the Greek words for “spotted”(poikilos) and “wild beast” (therion). Its species name, rajaei, comes from a local police officer who helped the team that discovered the creature. Poecilotheria rajaei has 8-inch long legs, and unusual spots colored gray, pink, and yellow.
Although it is very big, is there a real reason to be afraid of one? Maybe. This tarantula has enough poisonous fluid（毒液）to kill mice and small birds and snakes –but its bite wouldn’t cause the death of most humans.
Poecilotheria rajaei was first seen in 2009, when a villager in Sri Lanka found the body of a male and brought it to Ranil Nanayakkara, co-founder of Sri Lanka’s Biodiversity Education and Research organization.
An examination of the awesome creature proved that it was a type of tarantula scientists hadn’t seen before. So Nanayakkara carefully looked through the Sri Lankan forests to try to find more of the spiders.
It’s still too early to know whether this species is endangered. But researchers fear that the tarantulas’ natural habitat is slowly being destroyed.
“ They prefer old trees, but due to the widespread removal of trees the number has dropped,” Nanayakkara said in an interview.
Tarantulas have eight legs and two body parts. They are different from insects, which have only six legs but three body parts. Tarantulas have hairy bodies and are usually larger than other types of spiders. Some species of tarantulas can live up to 25 years.
While Poecilotheria rajaei is very big, the largest tarantula is the Goliath bird-eater (Theraphosa blondi). Found in the rainforests of South America, its legs can be up to 10 inches long. But don’t worry if you ever see one: Its poisonous fluid isn’t really dangerous to humans.According to the text, Poecilotheria rajaei _______.
| A．has unique spots |
| B．is mostly yellow |
| C．has 10-inch long legs |
| D．was first seen by the Greeks |
Which of the following is most likely to survive a bite from Poecilotheria rajaei?
| A．A little girl |
| B．A small bird. |
| C．A big mouse. |
| D．A small snake. |
The number of Poecilotheria rajaei has dropped because___________.
| A．the global climate has changed |
| B．they have too many natural enemies |
| C．some people are killing them illegally |
| D．more and more forests are disappearing |
Which of the following is TRUE about tarantulas?
| A．They are a kind of insect. |
| B．Most of them live in South America. |
| C．Their body is divided into three parts. |
| D．They are usually of bigger size than other spiders. |
Which section of a newspaper is the text most probably taken from?
| A．Life | B．Nature |
| C．Science | D．Business |
Today, roller skating is easy and fun. But a long time ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn’t exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s work was making musical instruments. In his spare time he liked to play the violin. Joseph Merlin was a man of ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to attend a fancy dress ball(化装舞会). He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance at the party. He had an idea. He thought he would get a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin.
On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room playing his violin. Everyone was astonished to see him. There was just one probl
em. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. He rolled on and on. Suddenly, he ran into a huge mirror that was hanging on the wall. Down fell the mirror, breaking to pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin’s grand entrance for a long time!
49. The text is mainly about _________.
A. a
strange man
B. an unusual party
C. how roller skating began
D. how people enjoyed themselves in the 18th century
50. People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he _________.
A. often gave others surprise B. was a gifted musician
C. invented the roller skates D. was full of
imagination
51. Merlin put wheels under his shoes in order to _________.
A. impress the party guests B. arrive at the party sooner
C. test his invention D. show his skill in walking on wheels
52. What is the main point the writer is trying to make in the last paragraph?
A. The roller skates needed further improvement
B. The party guests took Merlin for a fool
C. Merlin succeeded in beyond expectation.
D. Roller skating is easy and fun.
Education is not an end, but a means to an end. In other words, we do not educate children only for the purpose of educating them. Our purpose is to fit them for life.
In some modern countries it has for some time been fashioned to think that by free education for all --- one can solve all the problems of society and build a perfect nation. But we can already see that free education for all is not enough; we find in such countries a far larger number of people with university degree; they re
fuse to do what they think “low” work; and, in fact, work with hands is though
t to be dirty and shameful in such countries. But we have only to think a moment to understand that the work of a completely uneducated farmer is far more important than that of a professor; we can live without education, but we die if we have no food. If no one cleaned our streets and took the rubbish away from our houses, we should get terrible diseases in our towns…
In fact, when we say that all of us must be educated to fit us for life, it means that we must be educated in such a way that, firstly, each of us can do whatever work suited to his brains 
and ability and, secondly, that we can realize that all jobs are necessary to society, and that is very bad to be ashamed of one’s work. Only such a type of education can be considered valuable to society.
45. The writer of the passage thinks that __________.
A. education can settle most of the world’s problems
B. free education for all probably leads to a perfect world.
C. free education won’t help to solve problems
D. all the social problems can’t be solved by education.
46. The writer wants to prove that __________.
A. our society needs all kinds of jobs
B. our
society needs free education for all
C. a farmer is more important than a professor
D. work with hands is the most important
47. The purpose of education is __________.
A. to choose officials for the country
B. to prepare children mainly for their future work
C. to let everyone receive education fit for him
D. to build a perfect world
48. The passage tells us about ________ of the education.
A. the means B. the system C. the value D. the type
PART THREE READING COMPREHENSION (24分)
Directions: Read the following three passages. Each passage is followed by several questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are 4 choices marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that fits best according to the information given in the passage.
He was a real b
ig spender. He stayed at the best hotel and ate in the most expensive restaurants.
To the management of Disneyland Pairs, he was a very welcome guest, even though he was only 12 years old. In the end, the police discovered that the schoolboy was living the high lifeon the ￡10,000 stolen 
from his father’s safe.
The boy, named Lamine, had disappeared from the family hotel in Paris 10 days earlier. While police all over France searched for
him, he was living it up at a 250-a-night Disneyland hotel. He went on all the rides and went on every other attraction in the place.
And when he’d had enough of Disneyland for a while, he paid ￡650 to hire a large and very comfortable car which is usually used by very rich or important people to take him to a park for a day. Then he was driven back to Disneyland, where he treated new-found friends to expensive rides and dinner. By the time the truth about him was discovered, Lamine had spent ￡7,000 of his father’s money.
41. What does the underlined phrase “ high life”(paragraph 2) probably mean?
A. A way of living that involves spending a lot of money.
B. A way of living that is as good as that of other people.
C. A way of living that draws attention from the police.
D. A way of living that is envied by young and rich people.
42. What was the possible reason that the police all over France searched for Lamine?
A. The police found that Lamine stole his father’s money and ran away.
B. His family found that the boy was lost and called the police for help.
C. The police thought that it was dangerous to live an expensive life.
D. The family wanted Lamine to go back to school.
43. Why was Lamine a very welcome guest of Disneyland Paris?
A. Because he was only 12 years old.
B. Because he liked the riders in the Disneyland.
C. Because he
made the Disneyland famous.
D. Because he spent a lot of money in Disneyland.
44. Which of the following statements is true?
A. Lamine moved from one expensive hotel to another with his father’s money.
B. The police began to search Lamine when they discovered that he stole his father’s money.
C. Lamine was found ten days after he left his parents.
D. Lamine had made some new friends and went to a park with them.
Having finished her homework, Ma Li wants some music for relaxation. As usual, she starts her computer and goes to Baidu.com to download music files. But this time she is surprised when an announcement about protecting songs’ copyright bursts onto the screen. The age of free music and movie downloads may have come to an end as Web companies like Baidu are accused of pirating copyright. Lawsuits（诉讼） have been filed against four websites offering free downloads. In September 2005, a Beijing court ordered Baidu to pay recording company Shanghai Push compensation for their losses. Baidu was also told to block the links to the pirated music on the website. This caused a heated discussion on Interact file sharing.
“Baidu’s defeat in the lawsuit shows it is not right to get copyrighted songs without paying. Downloaders may face lawsuits or fines,” said an official.
Like many teens, Huang Ruoru, an 18-year-old girl from Puning in Guangdong Province, doesn’t think that getting music from websites is wrong. She always shares her favourite songs downloaded from Baidu with her friends. When told about the lawsuit, she began to feel a little guilty about obtaining others’ work without paying.
However, other teenagers have different ideas. Wang Yafei, a Senior 2 girl from Jinan, Shandong Province pointed out that file sharing is a good way to promote pop singers. “If I download a song and really like it, I will buy the CD,” she said. “So what the recording companies really should concentrate on is improving their music, rather than pursuing file-sharers.”
61. Which of the following best describes the passage?
A. Downloading material can be illegal.
B. It’s good to get free music on the Internet.
C. Music on the Internet is of better quality.
D. Baidu is a popular web company.
62. The four web companies were put to court because _________.
A. they got copyrighted songs without paying
B. they downloaded copyrighted music for people
C. they offer free music on line
D. they make copyrighted files for free downloads
63. How do some of the teenagers feel while downloading free music after the lawsuit?
A. A bit guilty. B. Awfully sorry. C. A little sad. D. Extremely angry.
64. What’s the advantage of file sharing for recording companies?
A. Enabling people to download favorite songs.
B. Helping to improve the music.
C. Making pop singers more popular.
D. Getting more money from web companies.
65. It can be inferred from the text that _________.
A. Web companies are still ignoring the copyright laws.
B. Teenagers haven’t got money to buy CDs.
C. Teenagers are probably still downloading free music.D. Teenagers prefer CDs with copyright to pirated music.
Every year students flock to the college bookstore to purchase the different textbooks that they need for their classes. Little do these students realize that, in doing so, they are throwing good money away. It may sound unbelievable but textbooks, in some cases, actually cost as much as, if not more, than college fees.
Many people think that college bookstore are the most convenient source for textbooks. Titles are usually in-stock and students may purchase new textbooks or choose to buy second-hand books and save money . But the money saved by purchasing second-hand textbooks from college bookstores is small compared to the amount they could save by shopping online.
More and more online booksellers have begun selling textbooks at heavily discounted prices. Online second-hand bookstores are another source for college books as they stock a large number of textbooks, which means sizable savings for students. Students should avoid purchasing their textbooks at the first store that they browse online since there are so many ‘virtual’ booksellers on the Net. Price isn't the only factor to consider when making an online purchase. Students should also consider shipping costs and delivery time when making their decision.
Online auctions(拍卖) are another option for students seeking a bargain. This option, however, has its pros and cons. A plus is that students can get incredibly cheap books. One problem is that while online bookstores have a system in place that ensure you receive your order within a reasonable amount of time, with an auction purchase, however, you must depend on the auction seller's timetable.
One way that students can really save is by getting books for free. Project Gutenberg is one resource that English majors will find invaluable. Here students can legally download a huge collection of classic novels. In the past students needing help with their studies would often have to spend a lot of money buying expensive study guides. Today that is no longer the case. Cash-strapped students can now visit the website SparkNotes for free downloadable study guides as well as classics.
56. Which of the following is the best title of this passage?
A. Learning to save money on Textbooks B. Why Buy Textbooks
C. Tips for Buying Secondhand Textbooks D. Online Shopping
57. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a source to obtain textbooks ?
A. Online used bookstores. B. College bookstores.
C. Online auctions. D. Secondhand bookstore centres.
58. The underlined expression ‘pros and cons’(paragraph 4) is closest in meaning to __________.
A. professionals and conservatives B. processes and conditions
C. joy and sadness D. good and bad points
59. According to the passage, Project Gutenberg is probably __________.
A. a project to help poor students get free learning materials
B. a government project aimed at helping English majors
C. a website for English majors to get the guides from language experts
D. a website for students to get free sources for English learning
60. From the passage, we can learn that__________.
A. online auctions are perfect for students seeking text books.
B. students should visit many websites before buying their books.
C. the cost of textbooks in college is low compared to the amount spent on tuition
D. students should consider shopping costs and delivery time above all else when making their buying decision.