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Animals and Earthquakes Scientists who try to predict earthquakes have got some new helpers recently-animals．
Scientists have begun to catch on to what farmers have known for thousands of years． Animals often seem to know in advance that an earthquake is coming，and they show their fear by acting in strange ways． Before a Chinese quake in 1975 snakes awoke from their winter sleep early only to freeze to death in the cold air． Cows broke their halters （缰绳） and tried to escape． Chickens refused to enter their coops． All of this unusual behavior，as well as physical changes in Earth，alerted Chinese scientists to the coming quake． They moved people away from the dangerous area and saved thousands of lives．
One task for scientists today is to learn exactly which types of animals" behavior predicts quakes． It's not an easy job． First of all，not every animal can react to the danger of an earthquake． Just before a California quake in 1977，for example，an Arabian horse became very nervous and tried to break out of his stall． The horse next to it，however，reminded perfectly calm． It's also difficult at times to tell the difference between normal animals restless and "earthquake nerves"．A zoo keeper once called earthquake researchers to say that his cougar （美洲狮） had been acting strangely． It turned out that the cat had an upset stomach!
A second task for scientists is to find out exactly what kind of warnings the animals receive． They know that animals sense far more of the world than humans do． Many animals can see，hear，and smell things that people do not even notice． Some can detect tiny changes in air pressure，gravity，or the magnetism （磁力） of Earth． This extra sense probably helps animals predict quakes．



What is the main idea of this passage？ ______

A. Animals don't know when an earthquake is coming．
B. Animals can predict earthquakes．
C. The author doesn't know whether the animals can feel the coming of an earthquake or not．
D. Human beings have to move the animals away before an earthquake is coming．

Some animals could predict earthquakes because they can detect tiny changes ______ ．

A. in the air pressure
B. in gravity
C. in the magnetism of the earth
D. all of the above

How do all the animals exactly know when an earthquake is coming？ ______

A. By their extra senses．
B. By the changes in air pressure，gravity or the magnetism．
C. People don't know exactly．
D. The passage doesn't mention it．

The author's purpose is mainly to ______ ．

A. express an argument
B. make a serious proposal
C. present a discovery
D. express suspicions

A decade ago， secondary and higher education was prized above all else． Apprenticeships （学徒工作） were viewed as an option for dropouts rather than a daring career choice． And the young men and women who didn't fit into the school system， preferring to create start-ups and focus on making a living in the business world， were dismissed as wheeler-dealers（投机者）．
Now there're no birds of this year in last year's nests． Young people are being encouraged to think carefully about whether academia is right for them--- this trend has been fuelled by rising university fees and a global shortage of many skills that were passed over in schools in recent years， ranging from web development to sales．
Young people are required to stay in some kind of education or training until they are 18， but this learning may now take many forms． The Government runs its own platform to help interested youths find an apprenticeship that suits their skills and ambitions．
Tom Hartley， who runs a high-end performance and classic car business based in Derbyshire， founded his first company at just 12 years old． "I had no school education，" he says． "Business was how I learned everything． I call it the Hartley University of Life．"
His business， 43 years on， turns over £ 200m， and sells cars to high-net-worth individuals across the globe， from Hollywood celebrities to foreign royalty． Many years ago， Hartley was asked to explain why he had chosen to be self-educated and why he had supported his son Carl's decision to leave school and join the family business instead．
"I got a lot of criticism at the time，" he says． "I tried to explain that you can't teach gut feelings（直觉） on a blackboard and that school is fine if you want to be a doctor or fly a rocket to the moon but otherwise it's all about experience in business．"



What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 indicate？ ______

A. The situation above has changed．
B. Education is no more important nowadays．
C. Things change for the worse for dropouts．
D. University fees are becoming higher and higher．

Which statement may the author agree with？ ______

A. Education is the only way to success．
B. Education systems change from time to time．
C. School dropouts could be future business stars．
D. School dropouts were common among youngsters．

What does the author say about Tom Hartley？ ______

A. He attaches more value to experience than to education．
B. He was supported in founding his first company．
C. He is well-educated and far-sighted．
D. He is brave and open-minded．

How does the author prove his view？ ______

A. By giving an example．
B. By making a comparison．
C. By analyzing cause．
D. By listing figures．

Children should start learning Shakespeare at the age of four before they are faced with the difficulty with the language， says a study published recently．
Lessons should begin before pupils start secondary school， because many teenagers begin to dislike the plays， says the report． All pupils should also see at least one performance of a Shakespeare's play． The recommendations have been made in a Royal Shakespeare company（RSC） document， contemplating why school children show less and less interest in drama．
The RSC has warned that children are being turned off Shakespeare because of the way they are taught in schools and a lack of opportunities to see plays performed live． Jacqui O'Hanlon， the head of education at the RSC， said， "We've seen teachers working extremely well in class． There's been a lot of success with 4-year-olds． With primary school kids， there isn't a fear factor because they've never heard of him． What we do with children from the age of 8 is to unfold the story piece by piece and show them the key moments of drama．"
Shakespeare is compulsory in secondary school． Pupils between the ages of 11 and 14 must study at least one play．
An educator who is in charge of England's exams said a review of the primary school courses would be a chance to decide if it should be taught to younger pupils． And as part of the RSC task， more courses will be developed to help teachers lead lessons on plays．
Tamsin Greig， the actress， who won an Olivier Award for her performance in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing last year， said， "Give children the chance to play with words， ideas and stories， and boredom will have no place．"



What can we learn from the first two paragraphs？ ______

A. Secondary schools don't offer lessons on Shakespeare．
B. Children at the age of four have more abilities to do things．
C. Early contact and learning help students better understand Shakespeare's plays．
D. Language is a problem for all children in learning Shakespeare and acting well．

What does the underlined part in the fourth paragraph imply？ ______

A. Proper guidance from school is necessary in learning Shakespeare．
B. Shakespeare was once children's favorite lesson．
C. Shakespeare becomes out of date for children．
D. School children always like new things and popular food．

Which of the following is TRUE？ ______

A. Shakespeare is compulsory in primary school．
B. Children between 11 and 14 must be taught acting．
C. Children aged 8 should be taught to write stories．
D. Tamsin Greig once acted in a Shakespeare's play．

What would be the best title for the passage？ ______

A. Teach Children Shakespeare at an Early Age．
B. A Great Dramatist---Shakespeare
C. A Compulsory Lesson in Secondary School．
D. Teach Children to Read from the Age of Four．

Robinson Crusoe is a famous novel written by Daniel Defoe．The book tells the story of a man who is shipwrecked （遭遇海难的）．He spends 28 years on an island near Venezuela．The book tells the story of everything that happens to Robinson Crusoe．He hopes someone will rescue him，but he has been there for so long on his own that he also begins to fear being rescued．
Robinson Crusoe was published in 1719．Most experts believe the story is based on the life of Alexander Selkirk，who was a Scottish sailor．On an expedition （探险） in 1704，Selkirk had an argument with his ship's captain．Selkirk thought the ship was not safe and was about to fall apart．When the ship stopped at a remote island to get fresh water，Selkirk got off．He tried to get the other crew members to leave with him，but nobody would．The ship then sailed away without him．Selkirk spent four years and four months on his own on the island，known as Aguas Buenas．
Selkirk was finally rescued by a ship that visited the island in 1709．The ship's captain was grateful to Selkirk because he provided food for the crew when they arrived．
Now archaeologists think they have found the remains of Selkirk's camp on Aguas Buenas．They found two deep holes that would have held wooden posts．The archaeologists say this is evidence that Selkirk built a shelter there．The post holes are near a fresh water stream．They are located quite high up，which would have meant that Selkirk was able to watch out for the ships coming close to the island．
The most interesting evidence，the archaeologists say，is part of a piece of equipment used by sailors to navigate （导航）．Historians believe Selkirk was a navigator，so the instrument could have belonged to him．
Robinson Crusoe was published ten years after Selkirk was rescued．Most experts think Daniel Defoe heard and read stories about Selkirk，which inspired him to write the book．



Why did Selkirk choose to land on the remote island？ ______

A. Because he had quarrels with the crew members．
B. Because the captain ordered him to get fresh water．
C. Because he wanted to go on an adventure there．
D. Because he thought the ship he was on was in danger．

We can infer from the text that the ship that visited Aguas Buenas in 1709 ______ ．

A. lost its way while sailing
B. lacked fresh water upon arrival
C. was being navigated by Selkirk
D. was running out of food upon arrival

How could Selkirk see ships that might rescue him，according to archaeologists？ ______

A. By asking the crew members on the ships．
B. By sending messages to the ships" captains．
C. By watching from his shelter high on the island．
D. By using a piece of equipment used to navigate．

The author wrote the text to ______ ．

A. explain the origin of Robinson Crusoe
B. promote sales of Robinson Crusoe
C. criticise Alexander Selkirk's deeds
D. praise Daniel Defoe for his writing inspiration

Global Positioning Systems are now a part of everyday driving in many countries． These satellite-based systems provide turn-by-turn directions to help people get to where they want to go． But， they can also cause a lot of problems， send you to the wrong place or leave you completely lost． Many times， the driver is to blame． Sometimes a GPS error is responsible． Most often， say Barry Brown， it is a combination of the two．
We spoke to Mr． Brown by Skype． He told us about an incident involving a friend who had flown to an airport in the eastern United States． There he borrowed a GPS-equipped car to use during his stay． Barry Brown： "And they just plugged in an address and then set off to their destination． And， then it wasn't until they were driving for thirty minutes that they realized they actually put in a destination back on the West Coast where they lived． They actually put their home address in． So again， the GPS is kind of ‘garbage in garbage out"．"
Mr． Brown says this is a common human error． But， he says， what makes the problem worse has something to do with some of the shortcomings， or failures， of GPS equipment． Barry Brown： "One problem with a lot of the GPS units is that they have a very small screen and they just tell you the next turn． Because they just give you the next turn， sometimes that means that it is not really giving you the overview that you would need to know that it is going to the wrong place．"
Barry Brown formerly served as a professor with the University of California， San Diego． While there， he worked on a project with Eric Laurier from the University of Edinburgh． The two men studied the effects of GPS devices on driving by placing cameras in people's cars． They wrote a paper based on their research． It is called "The Normal， Natural Troubles of Driving with GPS．" It lists several areas where GPS systems can cause confusion for drivers． These include maps that are outdated， incorrect or difficult to understand． They also include timing issues related to when GPS commands are given．
Barry Brown says， " to make GPS systems better we need a better understanding of how drivers， passengers and GPS systems work together．"



In Para． 2， Mr． Brown mentioned his friend in the conversation to ______ ．

A. laugh at his stupid friend
B. describe an example of human error
C. build up his own reputation
D. prove GPS systems are only garbage

Which of the following statements would Barry Brown be most likely to agree with？ ______

A. GPS units are to blame for the most GPS service failure．
B. We should introduce a higher standard for the driving license．
C. Cameras are urgently needed to help improve GPS systems．
D. Some shortcomings of GPS equipment are more likely to result in service failure．

According to Barry and Eric， which of the following is NOT among the areas of GPS systems that may confuse drivers？ ______

A. Wrong maps．
B. Outdated maps．
C. Difficult instructions．
D. Timing of GPS commands．

What would be the best title for the text？ ______

A. Driving Confusions Can Be Caused By a Small Screen．
B. Driving with GPS Can Be Difficult．
C. Driving without GPS Should Be Much More Convenient．
D. GPS Equipment In Driving： To Be Deserted Or Not．

With more recognition than Halloween and less than Christmas，Valentine's Day as an imported festival faces a dangerous situation in China，where it's caught between forces of tradition and fashion．Valentine's Day has a natural enemy in China．And it is not the Chinese equivalent，which falls on the seventh day of the seventh month on the lunar calendar，usually around half a year away from Feb.14．It is the Spring Festival，also known as the Chinese New Year，that will influence the Feast of Saint Valentine．
The real disagreement between East and West probably took place over a century ago，when China's door was forced open by Western powers and Chinese scholars supported westernization as a means to strengthen our nation's ability to compete．
The introduction of the solar calendar and Western measurements was both an acknowledgment of their influence and an effort to be accepted by the world order．
For a full century，we have had two systems running in parallel．When it comes to the eventual outcome，practicality usually beats all other concerns．Laws can help，such as the three traditional festivals of Tomb Sweeping，Dragon Boat and Mid-Autumn gaining legal status in 2008 and giving every Chinese citizen a day off，but laws cannot push what people have no feelings for．So，the celebration or boycott of imported holidays or homegrown ones should be no cause for worry．If they are irrelevant，no social media will change the public's mind； and if they are accepted，there must be a need which they happen to satisfy．
Since we have no global Qin Shihuang to force one system on every country，we can always rely on a dual （双重的） approach by which we share with the outside world on the one hand but preserve our own ways of life on the other．



What does the author think about Valentine's Day in present China？ ______

A. It meets with a natural enemy．
B. It is better known than Christmas．
C. It strongly attacks Chinese culture．
D. It is more popular with young people．

The underlined word "equivalent" in the first paragraph refers to ______ ．

A. the Dragon-boat Festival
B. the Spring Festival
C. the Mid-autumn Festival
D. the Chinese Valentine's Day

According to the author，the leading factor to decide what to celebrate is ______ ．

A. current laws
B. people's needs
C. public media
D. age-old tradition

The author believes that ______ ．

A. the conflict between the East and the West will last long
B. Chinese festivals are to be paid more attention to in years
C. both Chinese and foreign systems of festivals can co-exist in China
D. this cultural shock is normal and will be received by more people in the future

Researchers from France and Italy discovered that Canadian parents are less strict with their children than mothers and fathers in France and Italy．
"Our most important finding was the difference between Canadians and the others，" said Professor Michel Claes，the lead author of the study．"Canadians focus on independence and negotiation．On the other hand，Italians，for example，exercise more control．We found Canadians seem to focus on negotiation in case of a conflict．"
Claes said Canada，France and Italy were selected for the study because they share important cultural and social factors．"We chose French-Canadians because they share the same language as France，and originally came from France and share certain values．Italy was included because it was considered to have similar，strong and important family values，" he explained．
The researchers examined the emotional ties between parents and their children by questioning 1，256 students aged 11 to 19 years old．
Canadian students reported less control and more free actions，according to the study．Italian parents were stricter and French parents were somewhere in the middle．
Claes explains that the differences lie in education in Canada，France and Italy．
"North America has its own educational values，which promote individualization．Tolerance and comprehension are encouraged．Italy，on the other hand，promotes respect of authority，control，and the need for permission，" he said．
Children from all three countries described their mothers as warm and communicative．Italian and Canadian children had similar feelings about their fathers，and reported high levels of emotional ties．But French fathers were generally thought by their children to be more distant and cold．
"We were surprised by this，" Claes admitted．"It seems as though the relationships between French mothers and their children were becoming closer over time，while fathers maintain a form of distance and coldness，which is more of a source of conflict in France than in the other countries．"



Professor Michel Claes believes that Canada，France and Italy ______ ．

A. have the same family spirit
B. have some similar cultural traditions
C. have experienced some similar social changes
D. have experienced similar cultural developments

How did the researchers carry out the study？ ______

A. By collecting answers of parents from Canada，France and Italy．
B. By collecting answers of children from Canada，France and Italy．
C. By questioning parents and their children from Italian-Canadian families．
D. By questioning children from French-Canadian families．

According to Michel Claes，what mainly leads to the differences in parent-children relationships among Canada，France and Italy？ ______

A. Educational opportunities．
B. Traditional ideas．
C. Educational values．
D. Historical events．

Which of the following is NOT a finding of the study？ ______

A. French children have troubled relationships with their parents．
B. Canadian children have close relationships with their parents．
C. Italian children have good relationships with their parents．
D. Kids from Canada，France and Italy have closer ties with their moms．

According to a team of researchers， an animals" ability to perceive（感知） time is linked to their pace of life．
"Our results lend support to the importance of time perception in animals where the ability to perceive time in a very short time may be the difference between life and death for fast moving creatures，" commented lead author Kevin Healy from Trinity College， Dublin．
The study was done with a variety of animals using a phenomenon based on the maximum speed of flashes of light an individual can see before the light source is seen as constant． Dogs， for example， have eyes with a refresh rate higher than humans．
One example of this phenomenon at work， the authors say， is the housefly and its ability to avoid being hit． The research showed flies "observe motion in a shorter time than our own eyes can achieve"， which allows them to avoid being hit．
Professor Graeme Douglas Ruxton of the University of St Andrews in Scotland， who worked jointly on the research project， said in a statement， "Having eyes that send updates to the brain at much higher frequencies than our eyes do is of no value if the brain cannot process that information equally quickly． Thus， this work highlights the impressive abilities of even the smallest animal brains． Flies might not be deep thinkers， but they can make good decisions very quickly．"
In comparison， the tiger beetle （虎甲虫） runs faster than its eyes can keep up， basically becoming blind， which requires it to stop periodically to re-evaluate its prey's （猎物） position．
Our results suggest that time perception offers an as yet unstudied dimension along which animals can specialize and there is a considerable range to study this system in more details．



What is the research mentioned in the passage mainly about？ ______

A. Pace of life of animals．
B. Time perception of animals．
C. Lifetime of small animals．
D. Impressive abilities of animals．

What does Kevin Healy's comment mean in Para． 2？ ______

A. The ability of animals to perceive time depends on their high moving speed．
B. The survival of fast moving animals relies on their ability to perceive time．
C. Animals with quicker pace of life have better perception of time．
D. Animals with poor ability of time perception have a shorter life．

Why can houseflies avoid being hit？ ______

A. They can think very deeply before they act．
B. They can fly much faster than their eyes can keep up．
C. They can process the information as quickly as they receive it．
D. They can send information to brain more quickly than to their eyes．

What will a tiger beetle have to do to catch a moving prey？ ______

A. Try to run as fast as it can．
B. Prevent itself from becoming blind．
C. Slow down to gain its time perception．
D. Stop occasionally to spot the prey again．

It is quite reasonable to blame traffic jams，the cost of gas and the great speed of modern life，but manners on the road are becoming horrible．Everybody knows that the nicest men would become fierce tigers behind the wheel．It is all right to have a tiger in a cage，but to have one in the driver's seat is another matter．
Road politeness is not only good manners，but good sense．It takes the most cool-headed drivers great patience to give up the desire to beat back when forced to face rude driving．On the other hand，a little politeness goes a long way towards reducing the possibility of quarrelling and fighting．A friendly nod or a wave of thanks in answer to an act of politeness helps to create an atmosphere of good will and becomes so necessary in modern traffic conditions．But such behaviors of politeness are by no means enough．Many drivers nowadays don't even seem able to recognize politeness when they see it．
However，misplaced politeness can also be dangerous．Typical examples are the driver who waves a child crossing the street at a wrong place into the path of oncoming cars that may not be able to stop in time．The same goes for encouraged old ladies to cross the road wherever and whenever they want to．
Unfortunately，modern drivers can't even learn to drive，let alone master the road-man ship．Years ago，experts warned us that the fast increase of the car ownership would demand more give-and-take from all road users．It is high time for all of us to take this message to heart．



The passage mainly talks about ______ ．

A. modern drivers
B. traffic jams
C. good manners
D. road politeness

Troubles on the road are often caused by ______ ．

A. the behaviors of the drivers
B. traffic jams
C. terrible road conditions
D. great speed

According to the writer，a good driver should ______ ．

A. beat back when forced to face rude driving
B. join in traffic stream quickly however other people feel
C. be able to recognize politeness when he sees it
D. encourage old ladies to cross the roads whenever they want to

It is not always right for drivers to ______ ．

A. master road-man ship
B. encourage old ladies to cross the road
C. create atmosphere of good will
D. give a friendly nod to show politeness

Canada is a very large country． It is the second largest country in the world． By contrast it has a very small population． There are only about 29 million people there． Most Canadians are of British or French origin， and French is an official language of Canada as well as English． About 45% of the people are of British origin， that is， they or their parents or grandparents， etc．， come from Britain． Nearly 30% are of French origin． Most of the French-Canadians live in the province of Quebec．
Over the years， people have come to live in Canada from many countries in the world． They are from most European countries and also from China， besides other Asian countries．
However， Canada was not an empty country when the Europeans began to arrive． Canadian Indians lived along the coast， by the rivers and lakes and in forests． Today there are only about 350 000 Indians in the whole country， with their own languages． In the far north live the Inuit． There are only 27 000 Canadian-Inuit． Their life is hard in such a difficult climate．



About ______ live in Quebec．

A. 30% of the French-Canadians
B. 45% of the Canadians
C. 29 000 000 people
D. 8 700 000 French-Canadians

The official languages of Canada are ______ ．

A. English and Chinese
B. French and English
C. Indian and English
D. Chinese and Inuit

The word "origin" in this passage means ______ ．

A. 血统
B. 后裔
C. 先驱
D. 猿人

Which of the following is true according to this passage？ ______

A. There are 27 000 Canadian-Indians in Canada．
B. More than 13 million people have come from Britain and France in recent years．
C. There are 30% of the population whose parents or grandparents come from France．
D. There are no people when the Europeans began to arrive in Canada．