1 . The Loss of Innocence

Innocence is such a precious gift. It’s explained as freedom from guilt or wrong doing. Just imagine never having to worry about anything and having a guilt free mind. Some people wish to save this kind of innocence from being lost from childhood to adulthood.

What would the world be like if innocence were never lost? One way it would benefit humanity is the lack of hatred （仇恨）among the world. During youth, there may be an occasional argument, even a little physical fight, but nothing like firing a handgun at a fellow human being. And children are blind towards the racial differences of others. A kid will hang out with any other kid. It is the lack of innocence and the ignorance we learn from adults that influence children otherwise. Another benefit is the constant desire for fun and adventure. With very little if any time at all for fun，the adventurous mind is lost in time with the responsibilities placed upon adults. If innocence were kept alive, these ambitions would never depart from our lives.

However, other people actually hate the idea of innocence lasting for ever. They feel that the lack of organization and mental power of those with innocence would cause extremely destructive consequences to society in general. A large number of individuals would never have the urge to learn, work, and act upon the necessary needs for humanity to survive. Without a proper education which is usually provided by those who no longer live in a world of innocence, people would not have the desire to succeed, get a good job in life, or provide income for their families, which would hurt the lives of children.

The lack of a good education and career would also harm the economy. As long as innocence is kept alive, no one would be terribly angered at the lack of effort people put out in the workplace, resulting in a strong decline in production and quality of needed goods.

Maybe it is wrong in wanting to save innocence. It sure is a nice thought, though. Perhaps innocence was meant to be lost. It was God’s will to make things the way they are, and there is a good purpose for everything. All that remains to be said about innocence is to enjoy it while it lasts.

1. Author believes that the loss of innocence in adulthood should be _____.

A．avoided	B．ignored
C．accepted	D．encouraged

2. Lifelong innocence would be beneficial to society in that _____.

A．proper education would be provided

B．there would be no racial discrimination

C．more happy families would be guaranteed

D．people would realize their childhood dreams

3. According to the author, people with innocence can hurt the economy with their lack of _____.

A．motivational will

B．mental ability

C．adventurous ambitions

D．needed goods

4. Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
CP: Central Point   P: Point     Sp: Sub-point (次要点)       C: Conclusion

A．	B．
C．	D．

2 .     1     People traveled in search of food and shelter or in order to flee from their enemies. Sometimes they were looking for gold or silver in order to become rich. On other occasions they were searching for rich farmland.

This is not to say that no one ever traveled just for fun. Even in ancient times, some pleasure travel occurred. During a typical season, 700,000 tourists. would crowd into the ancient city of Rome, where animals performed and magicians entertained them.     2    

    3       International tourist arrivals alone reached as many as 546 million in 1994 and are forecast to rise to 937 million in 2010, according to the World Trade Organization.    4     Probably the most common reason for traveling is related to our physical well-being. Actually, traveling to sports events is one of the fastest growing types of travel. In our fast developing, modern society where stress has become part of people’s life, people can rest and relax by having a change of environment and activities.

    5     No one seems to doubt that travel broadens the mind. In 18th century Europe, young men would go on a Grand Tour to various countries in order to complete their education. Today the desire to travel to different countries is encouraged by modem mass media. People who travel to other countries can at the same time learn more about their own country and culture.

A．But why do people like traveling so much

B．Throughout history, most travel was not for pleasure

C．So they travel to a lake for a swim or to a park for a hike

D．The improvement in transportation has also encouraged people to travel

E．Wealthy Romans made trips to Greece to take part in the Olympic Games

F．The growth of tourism has become a modern phenomenon experienced by all countries in the world

G．Another important reason for traveling is to satisfy our curiosity about different places and cultures

3 . “Oh, my God! Did I really just send that text?” Most people have said something that they wish they could take back. And if they had paused to think about it first, they probably would have acted differently. Pausing doesn’t pay off just when you speak. Scientific studies have shown that making a habit of pausing before you do something can actually have a big impact on how your life turns out.
In making decisions we rely on two areas of the brain. One area creates and processes emotions; the other governs logical thought. The type of decision, how we feel about it, and how prepared we are to handle it help determine which brain area has the most influence.
But our age also plays an important role. Thinking through the consequences of one’s actions is actually harder for teens because the area controlling logical thought is not fully developed until around age 25. This is why teens often feel an intense emotional drive to act impulsively--it’s how their brains are structured! Though this tendency to act without considering the outcomes can lead to problematic situations, impulsivity during the developmental years evolves because it makes teens more open to new experiences and ideas. This openness helps teens become independent adults.
The key to making impulsivity work for you--instead of against you--is to train your brain by practicing pausing. This doesn’t mean you stop taking risks or being open to new experiences. But you won’t know if the risk is worth it until you think it through. Deciding to take a risk based on logic shows self-control, not impulsivity.
What are different ways to pause? You might take a deep breath, count to 10, or ask, “Is this worth it?” Different strategies work for different people. Whatever works for you, keep doing it! By practicing pausing, you can actually change your brain. This means that over time, pausing, instead of immediately reacting, becomes your “natural” response. And with this change, people are on their way to enjoying the life rewards that come with high levels of self-control--even if they weren’t natural--born pausers!
1. What challenges teenagers________?

A．Giving natural response.

B．Making logical decision.

C．Acting before thorough thinking.

D．Choosing brain-training strategies.

2. An impulsive person tends to __________.

A．think through a risk in advance

B．show high level of self-control

C．consider or accept new ideas

D．change ideas frequently

3. According to the passage, by training one’s brain, one can __________.

A．stop taking risks

B．fully develop one’s brain

C．become more open to new experience

D．reduce the influence of emotional drive

4. What is the best title for the passage________?

A．Discover the Brain Function

B．Crying Over the Spilt Milk

C．Push the Pause Button

D．Impulsivity Works

4 . Only two countries in the advanced world provide no guarantee for paid leave from work to care for a newborn child． Last spring one of the two，Australia， gave up the bad distinction by setting up paid family leave starting in 2011．I wasn’t surprised when this didn’t make the news here in the United States—we’re now the only wealthy country without such a policy．
The United States does have one explicit family policy， the Family and Medical Leave Act， passed in 1993．It entitles workers to as much as 12 weeks’ unpaid leave for care of a newborn or dealing with a family medical problem． Despite the modesty of the benefit， the Chamber of Commerce and other business groups fought it bitterly， describing it as “government-run personnel management” and a “dangerous precedent（先例）．” In fact， every step of the way， as (usually) Democratic leaders have tried to introduce work-family balance measures into the law， business groups have been strongly opposed．
As Yale law professor Anne Alstott argues， justifying parental support depends on defining （定义） the family as a social good that， in some sense， society must pay for． Parents are burdened in many ways in their lives: there is “no exit” when it comes to children． Society expects—and needs—parents to provide their children with continuity of care． And society expects—and needs—parents to persist in their roles for 18 years， or longer if needed．
1. What do we learn about paid family leave according to Paragraph 1？

A．It came as a surprise when Australia adopted the policy．

B．Setting up this policy made Australia less influential．

C．It has now become a hot topic in the United States．

D．No such policy is applied in the United States．

2. What makes it hard to take work-family balance measures in the States？

A．The incompetence of the Democrats．

B．The opposition from business circles．

C．The lack of a precedent in American history．

D．The existing Family and Medical Leave Act．

3. What is Professor Anne Alstott’s argument for parental support？

A．Children need continuous care．

B．Good parenting benefits society．

C．The cost of raising children has been growing．

D．The U．S．should keep up with other developed countries．

4. Why is the author against classifying parenting as a personal choice？

A．Parenting is regarded as a moral duty．

B．Parenting relies largely on social support．

C．Parenting produces huge moral benefits．

D．Parenting is basically a social responsibility．

5 . Etymology, the study of words and word roots, may sound like the kind of thing done by boring librarians in small, dusty rooms． Yet etymologists actually have a uniquely interesting job． They are in many ways just like archaeologists （考古学家） digging up the physical history of people and events． The special aspect of etymology is that it digs up history, so to speak, through the words and phrases that are left behind．
The English language, in particular,   is a great field to explore history through words As a language, English has an extraordinary number of words． This is partly due to its ability to   adapt foreign words so readily． For example, " English" words such as kindergarten （from German）, croissant （from French）, and cheetah （from Hindi） have become part of the language with little or no change from their original sounds and spellings． So English-language etymologists have a vast world of words to explore．
Another enjoyable thing about etymology for most word experts is solving word mysteries（谜）． No, etymologists do not go around solving murders, like the great detective Sherlock Holmes． What these word experts solve are mysterious origins of some of our most common words
One of the biggest questions English language experts have pursued is how English came to have the phrase OK． Though it is one of the most commonly used expressions, its exact beginning is a puzzle even to this day． Even its spelling is not entirely consistent-unless you spell it Okay, it is hard even to call it a word．
Etymologists have been able to narrow OK’s origin down to a likely, although not certain, source（来源）． It became widely used around the time of Martin Van Buren's run for president in 1840． His nickname was Old Kinderhook． What troubles word experts about this explanation is that the phrase appeared in some newspapers before Van Buren became well known． It is likely that Van Buren could be called its primary source Etymologists will doubtlessly keep searching for the initial source． However, it is clear that OK’s popularity and reputation have topped those of the American president to whom it has been most clearly linked．
1. The author mentions the words like "croissant" in Paragraph 2 to indicate      ．

A．words have changed a lot in the two languages

B．what English-language etymologists are exploring now

C．English has absorbed many words from other foreign languages

D．the English vocabulary is difficult to the non-English-speaking people

2. The underlined word "pursued" in Paragraph 4 means       ．

A．looked upon	B．dug up
C．put in	D．set down

3. We can learn from the passage that etymologists        ．

A．discover the possible origin of words

B．help detectives to solve mysterious murders

C．write interesting stories for some newspapers

D．explore the English language as well as the recent events

4. What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To present the history of English words

B．To explain the procedure of an etymologist's job

C．To introduce the pleasure of the study of words and word roots．

D．To teach readers how to distinguish English and non-English words

6 . I had to knock on the taxi to get his attention. Finally, the driver, a man about 60, looked up from behind the wheel and apologized, “I'm sorry, but I was reading a letter.” He sounded as if he had a cold or a cough.

Since I was in no hurry, I told him to finish his letter. He shook his head, explaining that he had already read it several times and almost knew it by heart. Curious, I asked whether it was from a child or maybe a grandchild.“This isn't family，” he replied, “though he might just as well have been a regular member of the family. Old Ed and I grew up together.”

They were always friends. But since he moved away from the neighborhood 30 years ago, it'd generally just been postcards at Christmas time between them. A couple of weeks ago, Ed died. “I should have kept in touch.” He repeated this, more to himself than to me. To comfort him, I said sometimes we just didn't seem to find the time. “But we used to find the time，” he said. “Take a look.” He handed the letter over to me.

The first sentence “I've been meaning to write for some time, but I've always delayed it.” reminded me of myself. It went on to say that he often thought about the good times they had had together. When I read the part where it said“Your friendship really means a lot to me, more than I can say because I'm not good at saying things like that”， I found myself nodding in agreement.

We had gone several kilometers and were almost at my hotel, so I read the last paragraph：“So I thought you'd like to know that I was thinking of you.” And it was ended with “Your Old Friend, Tom.”

“I thought your friend's name was Ed，” I said.

“I'm Tom，” he explained. “It's a letter I wrote to Ed before I knew he'd died. I never put it in the mailbox. I guess I should have written it sooner.” His face was pale as he wiped his eyes with a handkerchief.

When I got to my hotel room I didn't unpack right away, I had to write a letter and post it.

1. Who wrote the letter?

A．Tom.

B．Old Ed.

C．The author.

D．The driver's grandchild.

2. It can be inferred from the passage that the driver regretted ________.

A．missing Ed's funeral

B．moving away from his neighborhood

C．forgetting to send Ed Christmas cards

D．not being able to keep in touch with Ed

3. From Paragraph 4, we can learn that the author of the passage ________.

A．often failed to write to his friends

B．had no intention to write to his friends

C．had many great moments with his friends

D．was good at expressing feelings to his friends

4. What message does the passage probably try to convey?

A．Comfort your friends when they are feeling down.

B．Life is unpredictable, so live each day as if it were your last.

C．Remember to always mail your letters after expressing your words.

D．Always make time to value and experience your lasting friendships.

7 . It is easy to lose patience with science today． The questions are pressing: How dangerous is air pollution? What about low-level radiation? When will that horrible earthquake strike California? And why can't we predict weather better? But the evidence is often described as "uncertain", forcing scientists to base their points of view almost as much on intuition（直觉）as on science．
When historians and philosophers of science listen to these questions, some conclude that science may not be able to solve all these problems any time soon． The unknowns can grow into riddles that are impossible to solve． Because of the unstable and changing state of the earth's atmosphere, for example, scientists have struggled for centuries to predict the weather with precision（精确） but failed．
The case is different for scientists of astronomy． For example, they think that the gravitational force of a nearby space vehicle, though tiny, is able to change the path of a much larger planet if the vehicle spends enough time close to it． With the aid of Newton's laws of gravitational attraction, ground controllers can predict the path of a planetary probe （探测仪）-or satellite-with incredible accuracy． They do this by calculating the gravitational force from each of the passing planets until the probe speeds beyond the edge of the solar system．A much more difficult task is to calculate what happens when two or three times of such force pull on the probe at the same time． Such procedures can, of course, be very difficult, but for experiments, they are effective．
This range of questions-from simple problems to those impossibly complex-has resulted in nicknames for various fields of study: "soft" sciences and   " hard "   sciences．“Soft” sciences admit a great degree of uncertainty． Academicians tend to judge fields such as sociology, psychology, and political science as “soft” because they are assumed to be understandable, of unnecessary mathematical accuracy, and concerned with everyday affairs such as interpersonal relationships． However, "hard" sciences, such as astronomy and chemistry, are said to offer precise answers． Precise definitions for "hard" sciences vary, but the characteristics of "hard" sciences include: producing testable predictions; performing controlled experiments; relying on quantifiable data and mathematical models; a high degree of accuracy and objectivity; and generally applying a pure form of the scientific method
1. We can learn from the passage that       ．

A．a large planet is able to change the size of a tiny planet

B．ground controllers can affect the gravitational force of planets

C．calculating the probe speeds beyond the solar system is possible

D．predicting the weather is more difficult than predicting the path of a satellite

2. According to the author, "soft" sciences        ．

A．allow for certain inaccuracy

B．focus on personal relationships

C．are based on controlled experiments

D．are rooted in data and mathematical models

3. What might be the best title for the passage?

A．Science, a Long History?

B．Science, Accurate or Not?

C．Science and Its Functions

D．Science and Its Application

4. What is the author's attitude towards science in this passage?

A．Objective．	B．Sceptical．
C．Disapproval．	D．Optimistic