Short and shy, Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team. "Football, tennis Cricket — anything with a round ball, I was useless." he says now with a laugh. But back then he was the object of jokes in school gym classes in England's rural Devonshire.
It was a mountain bike he received for his 15^th birthday that changed him. At first the teen went biking alone in a nearby forest. Then he began to cycle along with a runner friend. Gradually, Saunders set his mind building up his body, increasing his speed, strength and endurance. At age 18, he ran his first marathon.
The following year, he met John Ridgway, who became famous in the 1960s for rowing an open boat across the Atlantic Ocean. Saunders was hired as an instructor at Ridgway's school of Adventure in Scotland, where he learned about the older man's cold-water exploits (成就). Intrigued, Saunders read all he could about Arctic explorers and North Pole expeditions, then decided that this would be his future. Journeys to the Pole aren't the usual holidays for British country boys, and many people dismissed his dream as fantasy. "John Ridgway was one of the few who didn't say, 'You are completely crazy,'" Saunders says.
In 2001, after becoming a skilled skier, Saunders started his first long-distance expedition toward the North Pole. He suffered frostbite, had a closer encounter (遭遇) with a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit.
Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole, and he's skied more of the Arctic by himself than any other Briton. His old playmates would not believe the transformation.
This October, Saunders, 27, heads south to explore from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, an 1800-mile journey that has never been completed on skis.
【小題1】The turning point in Saunders' life came when ________.

A．he started to play ball games

B．he got a mountain bike at age 15

C．he ran his first marathon at age 18

D．he started to receive Ridgway's training

【小題2】We can learn from the text that Ridgway ________.

A．dismissed Saunders' dream as fantasy

B．built up his body together with Saunders

C．hired Saunders for his cold-water experience

D．won his fame for his voyage across the Atlantic

【小題3】What do we know about Saunders?

A．He once worked at a school in Scotland.

B．He followed Ridgway to explore the North Pole.

C．He was chosen for the school sports team as a kid.

D．He was the first Briton to ski alone to the North Pole.

【小題4】The underlined word "Intrigued" in the third paragraph probably means ________.

A．Excited

B．Convinced

C．Delighted

D．Fascinated

【小題5】It can be inferred that Saunders' journey to the North Pole ________.

A．was accompanied by his old playmates

B．set a record in the North Pole expedition

C．was supported by other Arctic explorers

D．made him well-known in the 1960s

Have you ever wondered?

1. Why do airplanes take longer to fly west than east?

It can take five hours to go west-east from New York (NY) to London but seven hours to travel east-west from London to NY. The reason for the difference is an atmospheric phenomenon known as the jet (噴射) stream. The jet stream is a very high altitude wind which always blows from the west to the east across the Atlantic. The planes moving at a constant air speed thus go faster in the west-east direction when they are moving with the wind than in the opposite direction.

2. What would happen if the gravity on Earth was suddenly turned off?

Supposing we could magically turn off gravity. Would buildings and other structures (建筑物) float away? What happened would depend on how strongly the things were attached to the Earth. The Earth is moving at quite a speed, moving at over a thousand miles per hour. If you turn something around your head on a string (細(xì)繩), it goes around in a circle until you let go of the string. Then it flies off in a straight line. ‘Switching off’ gravity would be like letting go of the string. Things not attached to the Earth would fly off in a straight line. People in buildings would suddenly shoot upwards at a great speed until they hit the ceiling. Most things outside would fly off into space.

1.What information can we get from the first passage?

A．It is the jet stream that affects how fast airplanes fly.

B．Planes go slower when they are moving with the wind.

C．It takes more time to fly from NY to London than from London to NY.

D．The jet stream always blows from the east to the west across the Atlantic.

2.The word “shoot” underlined in the 2nd passage probably means “__________”.

A．send for                              B．move quickly

C．come out                             D．grow quickly

3.It can be inferred that without gravity __________.

A．buildings and other structures would float away

B．trees and buildings would not so easily fly off

C．something around your head would not float away

D．everything outside buildings would fly off into space

4.Which of the following statements is not mentioned in the passage?

A．It takes seven hours to travel from London to New York.

B．The earth is moving at a high speed

C．Everything on the earth will float away if there’s no gravity.

D．Everything not attached to the earth would fly off in a straight line.

5.Where can we most probably read this text?

A．In a research paper.

B．In a short story.

C．In a travel magazine.

D．In a student’s book.

 

Passage 1
Do you always understand directions on a bottle of medicine? Do you know what is meant by “Take only as directed”? Read the following directions and see if you understand them.
“To reduce pain, take two tablets (藥片) with water, followed by one tablet every eight hours, as required. For night-time and early morning relief (減緩疼痛) take two tablets at bedtime. Do not take more than six tablets in twenty-four hours.
For children of six t twelve years old, give half the amount (量). For children under six years old, ask your doctor’s advice.
Reduce the amount if you suffer from restlessness or sleeplessness after taking the medicine.
【小題1】How many tablets at most can a person over 12 have in 24 hours?

A．Three

B．Four

C．Six

D．Eight

【小題2】 How many tablets should a nine-year-old kid normally take in 24 hours?

A．Half a tablet

B．One tablet

C．Two tablets

D．Four tablets

【小題3】What is the advice for one who cannot sleep well after taking the medicine?

A．Stop taking the medicine at bedtime.	B．Continue to take the normal amount
C．Take more than the normal amount	D．Take less than the normal amount

【小題4】 It can be inferred from the medicine directions that this medicine ______.

A．helps you to fall asleep quickly	B．may be dangerous to small children
C．cannot be taken if one feels sleepy	D．should not be taken by kids under 6

【小題5】This text is most probably taken from a _______.

A．textbook

B．newsreel

C．doctor’s notebook

D．bottle of medicine

Have you ever suddenly felt that someone you know was in trouble—and he was? Have you ever dreamed something that came true later? Maybe you have ESP.
ESP stands for（代表） Extra Sensory Perception. It may be called a sixth sense. It seems to let people know about events before they happen, or events that are happening some distance away.
Here is an example: A woman was doing washing. Suddenly she screamed, “My father is dead!” I saw him sitting in the chair!” Just then. a telegram came. The woman’s father had died of a heart attack. He died sitting in a chair.
There are thousands of stories like this on record. Scientists are studying them to find out what is behind these strange mental messages. Here’s another example—one of hundreds of dreams that have come true.
A man dreamed he was walking along a road when a horse and carriage came by. The driver said, “There’s room for one more.” The man felt the driver was dead, so he ran away. The next day the man was getting on a crowded bus. The bus driver said, “There’s room for one more.” Then the man saw the driver’s face was the same face he had seen in the dream. He wouldn’t get on the bus. As the bus drove off, it crashed and burst into flames. Everyone was killed!
Some people say stories like these are lies or coincidences. Others, including some scientists say that ESP is true. From studies of  ESP, we may some day learn more about the human mind.
【小題1】People with ESP may know about ____________

A．someone’s trouble	B．events before they happen
C．their dreams	D．events after they happen

【小題2】 From the passage it can be inferred that ____________.

A．a(chǎn)ll people have ESP	B．some women or men have ESP
C．children have ESP	D．no have ESP

Researchers recently made a survey about how people know trees in UK.They showed them pictures of 10 of Britain’s most popular types of trees.They  asked them to name each.Many British people cannot give the right answers.

One in 20 people questioned could not name any of the Britain’s common  trees.Horse chestnut and oak are very common in Britain.Britons can see  them everywhere from parks and gardens to the countryside and forests.But  five per cent of Britons could not name the two trees.

While older people are more likely than younger adults to name Britain’s  local trees，the knowledge is not being passed down.

Over 70% parents say they have never taught their children the names of  trees nor asked them about what they may have learnt at school or elsewhere.

“It is very disappointing to learn that people know very little about British  trees，” said one of the researchers.

1．What does this passage mainly talk about?

A．Many Britons cannot name trees.

B．A scientific survey.

C．Parents should teach their children.

D．People know very little about Britain.

2．How many people could not name any of the common trees if 200 people were surveyed?

A．140                                                  B．20

C．100                                                   D．10

3．It can be inferred from the passage that________.

A．the 10 types of Britain’s most popular trees can be seen everywhere

B．horse chestnut and oak are two kinds of animals seen everywhere in Britain

C．older people in Britain may know more about the local trees than the younger ones

D．70% of the people questioned can not name the 10 types of Britain’s most popular trees

4．The underlined word “common” in the second paragraph probably means________.

A．seldom seen                                       B．often seen

C．formal                                              D．local

5．This passage may be taken from________.

A．a(chǎn) newspaper                                      B．a(chǎn) dictionary

C．a(chǎn) science report                                  D．a(chǎn) textbook