1 . A traveller was staying in an Egyptian village. One day, she held up her camera to take pictures of the children. Suddenly the young ones began to shout at her. The traveller’s face turned red and she apologized to the head for what she was doing, and told him she had forgotten that people in some places believed a person would lose his soul (灵魂) if his picture was taken. She explained to him the operation of a camera for a long time. Several times the head tried to say something, but he couldn’t. When she believed that the head didn’t fear any longer, the traveller then let him speak. With a smile, he said, “The children were trying to tell you that you forgot to take off the lens (镜头) cap!”
1. The children shouted when the traveller was taking pictures of them because ______.

A．they didn’t want to stop playing

B．the traveller forgot to take off the cap on her head

C．they didn’t want to have their pictures taken

D．the traveller was not doing well with her camera

2. The traveller made an apology to (向……道歉) the head because _______.

A．she thought it was not right to take people’s pictures without telling them beforehand (事先)

B．the children would lose their souls

C．she had stayed in the village too long

D．she didn’t take a picture of the head first

3. The traveller explained how to use a camera to the head because _______.

A．the head was very interested in her camera

B．the head wanted to learn to take pictures

C．she was afraid of the head

D．she wanted the head not to worry about what she was doing

4. When the head smiled, it’s clear that _______ .

A．the children wanted to play with her

B．the traveller didn’t know what the children meant

C．he wanted the traveller to tell him something else

D．the traveller didn’t let him speak

5. Which of the following is NOT right?

A．The traveller knew something about people in some countries.

B．The children wouldn’t mind if the traveller took pictures of them.

C．The head was afraid that the traveller’s camera would hurt the children.

D．The traveller didn’t understand why the children shouted.

2 . Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan sees an epidemic (流行病) sweeping across America’s farmland. It has little to do with the usual challenges, such as flood, rising fuel prices and crop-eating insects. The country’s farmers are getting older, and there are fewer people standing in line to take their place. National agricultural census (普查) figures show that the fastest-growing group of farmers is the part over 65. Merrigan is afraid the average age will be even higher when the 2012 statistics are completed.
Merrigan, a former college professor, is making stops at universities across the country in hopes of encouraging more students to think about careers in agriculture. Aside from trying to stop the graying of America’s farmers, her work is made tougher by a recent blog posting that put agriculture at No. 1 on a list of “useless” college degrees. Top federal agriculture officials are talking about the posting, and it has the attention of agricultural organizations across the country.
“There couldn’t be anything that’s more incorrect,” Merrigan said. “We know that there aren’t enough qualified graduates to fill the jobs that are out there in American agriculture.”
In addition, a growing world population that some experts predict will require 70% more food production by 2050, she said.
“I truly believe we’re at a golden age of agriculture. Global demand is at an all-time record high, and global supplies are at all-time record lows,” said Matt Rush, director of the Texas Farm Bureau. “Production costs are going to be valuable enough that younger people are going to have the opportunity to be involved in agriculture.”
The Department of Agriculture has programs aimed at developing more farmers and at increasing interest in locally grown food. The National Young Farmers’ Coalition has also been pushing for state and federal policy changes to make it easier for new farmers.
Ryan Best, president of Future Farmers of America, has been living out of a suitcase, traveling the country and visiting with high school students about careers in agriculture. The 21-year-old Best hopes his message—that this is a new time in agriculture—will motivate the next generation to turn around the statistics. “Never before have we had the innovations (创新) in technology which have led to agriculture in this country being the most efficient it has ever been,” he said. “There’s really a place for everybody to fit in.”
1. What is the new challenge to American agriculture?

A．Fewer and older farmers.	B．Higher fuel prices.
C．More natural disasters.	D．Lower agricultural output.

2. Why is Merrigan visiting universities across the country?

A．To draw federal agriculture officials’ attention.

B．To select qualified agriculture graduates.

C．To clarify a recent blog posting.

D．To talk more students into farming careers.

3. According to Matt Rush, American agriculture will provide opportunities for younger people
because__________..

A．the government will cover production costs

B．global food supplies will be even lower

C．investment in agriculture will be profitable

D．America will increase its food export

4. What do the underlined words “to turn around the statistics” in the last paragraph mean?

A．To re-analyze the result of the national census.

B．To increase agricultural production.

C．To bring down the average age of farmers.

D．To invest more in agriculture.

3 . Keeping a busy social life among lots of friends may keep people thinner than spending hours doing some exercises, according to scientists. They say that socialising and meeting with friends help increase levels of brown fat in the body which burns calories(卡路里)to produce heat.

     Living in an exciting social environment was found to reduce fat in mice's belly by half over four weeks, even if they ate more. US researchers say that social excitement aids weight loss by turning white fat into brown. White fat stores calories and makes us fatter, while brown burns energy to produce heat. Turning white fat into brown is extremely difficult，normally requiring long- term stay in cold conditions or exciting part of the body's nervous system.

However, scientists from Ohio State University now think that having a busy social life is an even more effective way of changing white fat into brown. The team came up with their theory by studying the effects of various living environments on mice. Those, who lived alongside a greater number of mice, had more space and toys to excite themselves and then lost far more weight over the course of the study than their “couch potato" fellows.

   Study author, Dr Matthew During, whose team's findings appear in the journal Cell Metabolism, said, "I'm still amazed at the degree of fat loss that occurs." Explaining how new technology had threatened face-to-face socialising, he added, "It's not just a sedentary(久坐 的)lifestyle and high calorie foods, but an increasing lack of social activities." Co-author Dr Lei Cao said，"Loneliness is a potential factor for cancer and death; it's equal to cigarette smoking to a certain extent. Social activities are very vital.，，
1. What information can we get from the first two paragraphs?

A．Brown fat stores calories and makes us fatter.

B．It doesn't take long to turn white fat into brown.

C．Social excitement helps gain more weight.

D．Brown fat can burn energy to produce heat.

2. Which of the following statement does the text support?

A．Levels of brown fat can be increased by socialising.

B．The mice lacking social life lose more weight.

C．The research findings haven't been published so far.

D．Dr Matthew During wasn't convinced of the result.

3. We can conclude from the text that _______.

A．the fat in mice's belly was reduced because of the relaxing environment

B．a sedentary lifestyle and high calories foods influence people's social life

C．surfing the Internet may influence people's face-to-face communication

D．cancer and death are mainly caused for lack of social life

4. What’s the main idea of the text?

A．Brown fat is beneficial to people's health.

B．Socialising is unnecessarily important in people's daily life.

C．White fat can be changed into brown fat.

D．Socialising contributes to people's losing weight.

4 . Personal computers and the Internet give people new choices about how to spend their time.

Some may use this freedom to share less time with certain friends or family members, but new technology will also let them stay in closer touch with those they care most about. I know this from personal experience.

E-mail makes it easy to work at home, which is where I now spend most weekends and evenings. My working hours aren’t necessarily much shorter than they once were but I spend fewer of them at the office. This lets me share more time with my young daughter than I might have if she’d been born before electronic mail became such a practical tool.

The Internet also makes it easy to share thoughts with a group of friends. Say you do something fun , see a great movie perhaps-and there are four or five friends who might want to hear about it. If you call each one, you may tire of telling the story.

With E-mail, you just write one note about your experience, at your convenience, and address it to all the friends you think might be interested. They can read your message when they have time, and read only as much as they want to. They can reply at their convenience, and you can read what they have to say at your convenience.

E-mail is also an inexpensive way stay in close touch with people who live far away. More than a few parents use E-mail to keep in touch, even daily touch, with their children off at college.

We just have to keep in mind that computers and the Internet offer another way of staying in touch. They don’t take the place of any of the old ways.

1. The purpose of this passage is to ________.

A．explain how to use the Internet

B．describe the writer’s joy of keeping up with the latest technology

C．tell the merits(价值) and usefulness of the Internet

D．introduce the reader to basic knowledge about personal computers and the Internet

2. The use of E-mail has made it possible for the writer to ________.

A．spend less time working

B．have more free time with his child

C．work at home on weekends

D．work at a speed comfortable to him

3. According to the writer, E-mail has an obvious advantage over the telephone because the former helps one ________.

A．reach a group of people at one time conveniently

B．keep one’s communication as personal as possible

C．pass on much more information than the later

D．get in touch with one’s friends faster than the later

4. The best title for this passage is ________.

A．Computer: New Technological Advances

B．Internet: New Tool to Maintain Good Friendship

C．Computers Have Made Life Easier

D．Internet: a Convenient Tool for Communication