Are you looking for something to do? You might like to try one of these four experiences.

Crocodile watching

Do you fancy getting up close to some of the most terrifying animals on earth? Crocosaurus Cove, in Darwin (Australia) has the “Cage of Death”. It’s an enclosure that’s lowered into a pool. This gives you a 360 degree view of a crocodile as it’s being fed. The cable broke once and the cage sank to the bottom, but they’ve fixed it since then.

Edge walk

How about walking along the edge of a building several hundred meters up in the air? If that sounds like fun, head off to the CN Tower in Toronto (Ontario, Canada). Built in 1976, the tower is 553.33 meters tall.

The Edge walk consists of a 20-30 minute stroll along a 1.5 meter wide platform that runs around the tower’s restaurant roof. During the walk, you’re encouraged to lean forwards as you look over Toronto’s skyline (轮廓线).

Plastic ball rolling

Do you fancy rolling down a hill in a plastic ball?

Plastic ball rolling is popular all over the world, but the place to give it a go is in Rotorua (New Zealand). Brother David and Andrew Akers came up with the idea in 1994. A typical orb (球) is about 3 meters in diameter, with an inner orb size of about 2 meters. There’s no brake or steering mechanism, but the inner layer of the plastic ball helps absorb the shock.

Volcano bungee jumping

If you’re looking for the adventure of a lifetime, how about going bungee jumping off a helicopter into the crater of a live volcano? As part of the jumping, a helicopter ride takes you to the Villarreal volcano, one of the most active in Chile. Once you’re at the drop zone, you leap off the helicopter and fall into the volcano. Finally, you enjoy the ride back to the airport flying at 130kph.

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1. According to the passage, there was an accident once when people _____.

A．jumped into the Villarreal volcano

B．walked along the platform of the CN Tower

C．rolled down a hill in a plastic ball in Rotorua

D．watched crocodiles in the “Cage of Death” in Darwin

2. Which of the following was first invented in New Zealand?

A．Edge walk.	B．Crocodile watching.
C．Plastic ball rolling.	D．Volcano bungee jumping.

3. It can be inferred that all the four experiences are ______.

A．interesting sports	B．exciting and extreme
C．held on high places	D．fit for middle to old people

Dyslexia is a problem that restricts the ability to recognize words and connect sounds with letters when people read. People with this learning disorder may also have problems when they write. Dyslexia is not related to eyesight or intelligence. The problem involves areas of the brain that process language. Brain scientists are studying whether they can predict which young children may struggle with reading to provide them with early help. John Gabrieli at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is leading the study of five-year-olds in about twenty schools in the Boston area.
They studied in the schools with kindergartens. And for all the children joining in the study, they give them a brief set of paper-and-pencil tests to look at which children appear to be at some risk for struggling to read. So far, fifty of them have been examined in a scanner, a special machine, to show brain activity. Written tests are not always able to identify dyslexia or other problems, while brain scans may offer a more scientific way to identify problems. And with reading problems, early identification is important. When it comes to helping children overcome reading difficulties, the younger the child, the more effective they are.
Reading problems are not usually identified until a child is in the third or fourth grade. The later children are recognized as poor readers, the less treatment can help. And, as Professor Gabrieli points out, poor reading can make education a struggle. Reading is everything. Even math and science have textbooks.
While the children are given tasks related to reading, the brain scans measure the extent to which certain parts of the brain become active while the children do the work. The scientists say they are pleased with early results from the study, but have a long way to go.
4. Dyslexia affects the part of brain concerning ________.

A．eyesight

B．intelligence

C．language

D．emotion

5. Dyslexia problems are more likely to be identified through ________.

A．speech contests	B．reading efficiency
C．listening comprehension	D．brain scans

6. According to the passage, which of the followings has the best time to overcome reading difficulties?

A．Tom, a boy in the kindergarten.

B．Kate, a high school leaver.

C．Jane, a primary school student.

D．Steve, a man in his thirties.

7. What is the passage mainly about?

A．An effective way to identity Dyslexia at an early stage.

B．A learning disorder involving one’s intelligence.

C．Dyslexia — a problem affecting one’s reading and writing.

D．A possible solution to the problems related to Dyslexia.

If you want a little extra security against thieves stealing your bicycle, designer Dennis Siegel has designed a solution. The RFID Bikealarm is attached to the seat on a bicycle and gives off an alarm when it senses movement.
“The RFID Bikealarm is meant to be a useful add-on to mechanical bicycle locks because it greatly extends the range of protection with only a few components,” Siegel explains on his website. “It is low-cost, durable and easy to use.”
The Bikealarm was designed as part of Siegel’s Bachelor’s degree thesis at the University of the Arts Bremen in Germany. The device will scare off any would-be thieves the moment they begin to steal the bicycle to which it is attached. It is able to continuously sense the environment to distinguish between specific events, for instance a passing tram / car and a serious theft.
Siegel created a working model of an alarm that would sound when it sensed movement, but wasn’t initially sure how it would be best attached to a bicycle. “I decided to mount it to the rails of the seat because it allows for comfortable interaction and the position is less obvious as it looks like a small repair kit,” he says.
Siegel chose to use RFID technology rather than Bluetooth to keep the costs down. Siegel explains that the most difficult aspect of creating the alarm was to get the electronic circuit down to a small enough size.
The device runs off a kind of battery that can be charged by USB within 2 hours and lasts for a few days with normal use. As the Bikealarm is only at development stage, Siegel hasn’t signed any agreements to put it on the market.
8. When it senses movement, the RFID Bikealarm will _____.

A．make a warning sound

B．fasten the bicycle tightly

C．shake the bicycle quickly

D．call the police automatically

9. Which of the following shows the right position of the RFID Bikealarm on a bicycle?

A．	B．
C．	D．

10. What do we know about the RFID Bikealarm?

A．It can’t tell between specific events.

B．It is very difficult to use.

C．It uses a kind of battery for power.

D．It depends on Bluetooth technology.

11. It can be inferred from the last two paragraphs that ______.

A．the electronic circuit is a little larger

B．it’s very easy to make a Bikealarm

C．it costs too much at present

D．not many Bikealarms are produced

Professional footballers have worryingly poor teeth that could be affecting their performance on the football ground, say dentists. Their study on players at eight clubs in England and Wales, in the British Journal o f Sports Medicine, showed nearly 4 out of 10 had cavities （蛀牙) and that athletes often had worse teeth than the general population. Regularly taking sugary foods is one possible explanation.
The dentists, from the International Centre for Evidence-Based Oral Health at University College London, examined 187 players' sets of teeth. They found 53% had dental erosion (腐蚀), 45% were bothered by the state of their teeth and 7% said it affected their ability to train or play. Around 40% had cavities, compared with 30% of people of a similar age in the general population.
Prof Ian Needleman, one of the researchers, said:   "These are individuals who otherwise invest so much in themselves so it’s a surprising finding.
"There are two main groups - some have a catastrophic effect, they have very serious disease that stops them in their tracks and they cannot play or train.
"There Il be others experiencing pain affecting sleep or sensitivity every time they take a drink. "
At this level of athlete, even small differences can be quite telling.
Nutrition is one of the primary suspects with having too many sugary or acidic foods during training potentially accounting for cavities and erosion. A lot of air in the mouth during exercise can also dry it out so there is less protection.
While these findings are worrying, clubs are attaching greater importance to dental health and educating their players. According to Stijin Vandenbroucke, head of medicine and sports science at West Ham United, oral health is an area where many athletes have greater problems than the general population and there are clear benefits of oral disease prevention for athletes and clubs.
12. What does the passage tell us about professional footballers teeth?

A．Nearly 4 out of 10 players in the UK suffer from toothaches.

B．They have been invested a great deal by individual players.

C．Many players' poor teeth bother their career and daily life.

D．British footballers teeth are examined regularly.

13. What mainly results in professional footballers' poor teeth?

A．Experiencing too much training.

B．Eating food with too much sugar.

C．Breathing in lots of air during exercise.

D．Having little education of oral disease prevention.

14. These findings are worrying clubs because____.

A．footballers aren’t willing to give up sugary or acidic food

B．they've spent much on their players' oral disease prevention

C．footballers have more serious tooth problems than the public

D．players' oral disease may lead to bad performance in games

15. This passage is most probably taken from____.

A．a dentist's diary	B．a sports newspaper
C．a medicine magazine	D．a science report