“Can I see my baby?” the happy new mother asked. When the wrapped baby was laid in her arms and she moved the fold of cloth to look upon his tiny face, she was shocked. The doctor turned quickly and looked out the tall hospital window. The baby had been born without ears.

       Time proved that the baby’s hearing was perfect. It was only his appearance that was problem. When he rushed home from school one day and threw himself into his mother’s arms, she sighed, knowing that his life was to be filled with heartbreaks. He spoke out the tragedy. “A boy, a big boy...called me a monster.”

       He grew up, handsome for his misfortune. A favorite with his fellow students, he might have been class president, but for that. He developed a gift, a talent for literature and music. The boy’s father had a talk with the family physician. “Could nothing be done?” “I believe I could transplant a pair of outer ears, if they could be available,” the doctor decided. Then the search began for a person who would make such a sacrifice for a young man. Two years went by. One day, his father said to the son, “You’re going to the hospital, son. Mother and I have someone who will donate the ears you need. But it’s a secret.” The operation was a brilliant success, and a new person appeared. His talents blossomed into genius, and school and college became a series of successes. Later he married and entered the diplomatic service.（外交工作）.

       One day, he asked his father, “Who gave me the ears? Who gave me so much? I could never do enough for him or her.” “I do not believe you could,” said the father, “but the agreement was that you are not to know...not yet.” The years kept their great secret, but the day did come. One of the darkest days that ever pass through a son, he stood with his father over his mother’s coffin. Slowly, tenderly, the father stretched forth a hand and raised the thick, reddish brown hair to show the mother had no outer ears. “Mother said she was glad she never let her hair be cut,” his father whispered gently, “and nobody ever thought mother less beautiful, did they?”

1．What’s the problem with the baby?        

       A．It was unhealthy.                                 B．It had a bad hearing.

       C．It had been born without ears.               D．It had a bad appearance.

2．Which is true about the passage?

       A．The boy became successful because of the ear operation.

       B．The boy was given the ear operation when he was born.

       C．The boy’s father was unwilling to donate his outer ears.

       D．The boy learned the truth after his mother died.

3．In order to enter the diplomatic service, a person should          .

       A．have talent for literature and music        B．be a genius

       C．have a good appearance                        D．be perfect both inside and outside

4．Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?        .

       A．Mother        B．Ears        C．A secret         D．Love

The home inspection is an essential part of any home buying process. Without a home inspection, you can never be sure what you're getting and when buying a home that's a lot of money to __41__ on uncertainty. A home inspection ensures that there are no __42__ and that you can enjoy your future home for years to come.

A home inspection will __43__ hiring a company to send a home inspector out to go through your potential home with you and thoroughly inspect everything to make sure there are no major problems that might not be obvious to the average home owner. He will go over all the wiring, plumbing(管道系統(tǒng)), the roof and the foundation to make sure everything is __44__ sound. At the same time as the home inspection it's always a good idea to have a pest (昆蟲) inspection to check for damaging insects such as carpenter ants.

Different states have different regulations for home inspections. So you need to be aware of what the requirements of your __45__ state are and make sure the inspector covers these areas. It’s a good idea to ask to see any __46__ certification, which a professional home inspector will gladly show you. It’s also best to make certain that your specific inspector has experience with your region. A local home inspector will better __47__ conditions in your area such as damp basements, winter damage to roofing or cracks in the foundation caused by normal settling.

A thorough home inspection takes time, so don’t settle for someone that you feel might be taking __48__. Many home inspectors are happy to have you accompany them on the inspection. A walk through with the home inspector is a great time to learn about how your home works and what to look for in terms of __49__ trouble.

A home inspection is just absolutely necessary and one will provide much peace of mind once you move into your new home.

Can you remember what kind of sports interest you most during childhood? Looking back to years ago, you are probably find excitement and great fun in just racing around the playground or skipping rope for hours. At that time, you were thinking entertainment rather than fitness.

However, nowadays with so much high-tech home equipment and so many underused gym memberships, people seem to have forgotten the simple joy of jumping rope. Actually, restoring it will give you a total-body exercise and keep you healthy.

Jumping rope has never gained really widespread acknowledged although it’s regarded as an excellent form of exercise. There are two essential reasons for that。

For one thing, while most people recognize jumping rope as an excellent form of cardiovascular (心血管的) exercise , they also believe that it is simply too difficult to continue jumping for the near 20 minutes that it takes to achieve a beneficial physical outcome.

For another, a lot of people consider it somewhat to be boring and overly repetitive instead of enjoyable or entertaining.

In fact, jumping rope can be great fun and exciting as long as you find a proper way to practice it. For instance, you can change your pattern every 10 or 20 jumps instead of doing the usual two-foot bounce over and over again. A single bounce, a double –bounce, a skip , a knee-up , side swings , as well as a variety of other easy-to-learn free-style rope-jumping .

Now scientists’ research is discovering that jumping rope also prepares the brain for learning and memory. It is an exercise allowing both brain hemispheres（半球）to perform in parallel (平行) to each other .

Come and join us in jumping rope—a life-long activity requiring little equipment, time and space, yet leading to a much healthier life.

64. What’s the function of the first paragraph?

A. It’s used to express the author’s opinion.

B. It’s used as a conclusion of the research.

C. It’s used to lead in the topic to be discussed.

D. It’s used to give some background information.

65. It’s because 　　　　 that rope jumping has not spread widely around the world.

A. it is too difficult to learn to jump

B. it is considered boring and repetitive

C. it benefits the cardiovascular system

D. it requires little equipment, time and space

66．According to the researchers , jumping rope 　　　　 .

A. only prepares the brain for learning

B. is suitable for patients to recover from illness

C. is especially dangerous for small kids

D. helps both brain hemispheres work equally

67．What is the author’s attitude towards rope jumping ?

A. He is arguing against it. B. He is in favour of it .

C. He is sitting on the fence of it.　　　　　　　 D. He is not clear about its effect.

Chinese are very generous when it comes to educating their children. Not caring about the money, parents often send their children to the best schools or even abroad to England, the United States and Australia. They also want their children to take extra-course activities where they will either learn a musical instrument or ballet, or other classes which will give them a head in life. The Chinese believe that the more expensive an education is, the better it is. So parents will spend an unreasonable amount of money on education. Even poor couples will buy a computer for their son or daughter.
However, what most parents fail to see is that the best early education they can give their children is usually very cheap.
Parents can see that their children are very skilled in some areas while poor in others. What most parents fail to realize though, is that today’s children lack self-respect and self-confidence.
The problem is that parents are only educating their children on how to take multiple-choice tests and how to study well, but parents are not teaching them the most important skills that they need to be confident, happy and clever.
Parents can achieve this by teaching practical skills like cooking, sewing and doing other housework.
Teaching a child to cook will improve many of the skills that he will need later in life. Cooking demands patience and time. It is an enjoyable but difficult experience. A good cook always tries to improve his cooking, so he will learn to work hard and gradually finish his job successfully. His result, a well-cooked dinner, will give him much satisfaction and lots of self-confidence.
Some old machines, such as a broken radio or TV set that you give your child to play with will make him curious and arouse his interest. He will spend hours looking at them, trying to fix them; your child might become an engineer when he grows up. These activities are not merely teaching a child to read a book, but rather to think, to use his mind. And that is more important.

1. 1.

   Generally speaking, children’s skills __________.

   1. A.
      come from their parents
   2. B.
      have nothing to do with their education
   3. C.
      may be different from child to child
   4. D.
      have something to do with their marks in the exams
2. 2.

   The writer of this passage does not seem to be satisfied with_______.

   1. A.
      the parents’ ideas of educating their children
   2. B.
      the education system
   3. C.
      children’s skills
   4. D.
      children’s hobbies
3. 3.

   Doing some cooking at home helps children_________.

   1. A.
      learn how to serve their parents
   2. B.
      learn how to become strong and fat
   3. C.
      benefit from it and prepare themselves for the future
   4. D.
      make their parents believe that they are clever
4. 4.

   According to the passage, which of the following is True?

   1. A.
      Chinese are not very generous on educating their children.
   2. B.
      All Parents know how to teach their children well.
   3. C.
      Teaching a child to cook can improve the skills that he will need in the future.
   4. D.
      Poor parents cannot buy a computer for their children.

Chinese are very generous when it comes to educating their children．Not caring about the money, parents often send their children to the best schools or even abroad to England, the United States or Australia．They also want their children to take extra-course activities where they will learn a musical instrument or ballet or other classes which will give them a head start in life．The Chinese believe that the more expensive an education is, the better it is．So the parents will spend an unreasonable amount of money on education．Even poor couples will buy a computer for their son or daughter．

　 However, what most parents fail to see is that the best early education they can give their children is usually very cheap．

　 Parents can see that their children’s skills vary, skilled in some areas while poor in others．What most parents fail to realize though, is that today’s children lack （缺乏） self-respect and self-confidence．

　 The problem is that parents are only educating their children on how to take multiple-choice tests and how to study well, but parents aren’t teaching them the most important skills they need to be confident, happy and clever．

Parents can achieve this by teaching practical skills like cooking, sewing and doing housework．

　 Teaching a child to cook will improve many of the skills that he will need later in life．Cooking demands patience and time．It’s an enjoyable but difficult experiment．A good cook always tries to improve his cooking, so he will learn to work hard and gradually to finish his job successfully．His result, a well-cooked dinner, will give him much satisfaction and a lot of self-confidence．

　 Some old machines , such as a broken radio or TV set that you give your children to play with will make him curious （好奇） and arouse his interest He will spend hours looking at them, trying to fix them; your child might become an engineer when he grows up．These activities aren’t merely teaching a child to read a book, but rather to think, to use his mind．And that is more important．

1．Parents in China, according to this passage, _________．

　 A．a(chǎn)re too strict with their children　　　　

　 B．a(chǎn)re too rich to educate their children

　 C．have some problems in educating their children correctly

　 D．a(chǎn)re too poor to educate their children

2．Generally speaking, children’s skills_______．

　 A．come from their parents　　

　 B．have nothing to do with their education

　 C．may be different　　　　　　

　 D．have something to do with their marks in the exams

3．The writer of this passage doesn’t seem to be satisfied with_______．

　 A．the parents’ idea of educating their children

　 B．the education system

　 C．children’s skills

　 D．children’s hobbies

4．Doing some cooking at home helps children_________．

　 A．learn how to serve their parents　　　　

　 B．learn how to become strong and fat

　 C．benefit from it and prepare themselves for the future

　 D．make their parents believe that they are clever

5．According to the last paragraph, we can conclude that_________．

　 A．broken radios and television sets are useful　

　 B．one’s curiosity may be useful for his later life

　 C．a(chǎn)n engineer must fix many broken radios

　 D．a(chǎn) good student should spend much time repairing radios

It’s a question anyone might ask in the future: Should your household robot be cool? Or practical?

For Sony Corporation, robots ought to be entertaining. The company’s 　51 robot, SDR—4X, can sing and dance. But for automaker Honda Motor Co. Ltd, such 52 should perform useful tasks for their 53 masters.

“It is in the end a machine, a 54 ” said Masato Hirose, Honda’s chief engineer. Sony’s chief researcher Toshi Doi said robots performing such tasks as 55 for ill or disabled people would not necessarily need a human 56 . “The attractiveness of the SDR—4X is its 57 ”, he said. “It has feelings. It has instincts (直覺).”

Drawing from its 58 of 60,000 words, an SDX—4X robot 59 last week that it can ask a 60 in a high voice: “please 61 still for a minute while I memorize your face.” It also 62 off its ability to walk on uneven (高低不平的) floors, and come to its owner when it’s 63 .

While Honda’s robot is 64 used mainly for entertainment, it is 65 that one day it will be a useful companion. So its robots have been 66 to be 120cm tall—more than twice the height of the SDR—4X. Hirose said 120cm is the 67 a robot that moves around a home should be.

“If you are going to have something that can move with 68 in a human surroundings, then it is better to 69 the robot like a human,” he said.

Hirose said that he hopes the robot will be 70 enough so that he can buy one for himself and let it get him a beer.

16. A. earliest　　　　 B. latest　　　　　 C. coolest　　　　　　 D. largest

17. A. matters　　　　 B. people　　　　　 C. machines　　　　 D. inventions

18. A. human　　　　　 B. own　　　　 C. creative　　　　 D. modern

19. A. tool 　　　　　 B. robot　　　　　 C. toy　　　　　　 D. slave

20. A. looking　　　　 B. working　　 C. leaving　　　　 D. caring

21. A. appearance 　　 B. character 　　　 C. job 　　　　　　 D. ability

22. A. purpose　　 　 B. appearance　 　 C. personality　　　　 D. material

23. A. storage　　　　 B. use　　　　 C. project　　　　　　 D. creation

24. A. said 　　　　　 B. announced　　　 C. showed　　　　　 D. imagined

25. A. friend 　　　　 B. partner 　　　 C. servant　　　　 D. guest

26. A. hold 　　　　　 B. lie　　　　 C. take　　　　　　 D. make

27. A. left　　　　　　 B. showed　　　 C. put　　　　　　 D. dropped

28. A. tired　　　　　 B. called　　　　　 C. controlled　　　　　 D. made

29. A. also　　　　 B. still　　　　　 C. again　　　　　　　 D. even

30. A. planned　　　　 B. hoped　　　　　 C. reported　　　　 D. described

31. A. expected　　 B. raised　　　　　 C. proved　　　　　　　 D. designed

32. A. cheapest　　 B. dearest　　　　 C. smallest　　　　 D. biggest

33. A. ease　　　　 B. care　　　　 C. difficulty　　　　　 D. foot

34. A. buy　　　　 B. use　　　　 C. invest　　　　　　　 D. design

35. A. useful　　　　　 B. smart　　　　　 C. cheap　　　　　　　 D. low

How to become a Good Santa

There are good Santas and there are bad Santas. The good Santas all realize one thing: In the mind of a child, Santa Claus is perfect.

That’s difficult. And so they come from around the world to attend the Charles W. Howard School in Midland, Mich. The school offers a three-day, 40-hour course for Santas hoping to be excellent. There’s a real range to what Santas earn, from big bucks for large events to no pay for charities. One thing for them all is a pure love for children.

A former Macy’s Santa named Charles Howard founded the Michigan school in 1937. “Many people will think if you have a suit and you’re a Santa,” said Tom Valent, the school’s current dean. “It’s more than that.” So with a pet reindeer^（馴鹿）, his properly named wife Holly and a workshop full of wonder.

The school teaches everything from breathing techniques for carol singing to the beard maintenance. There are lessons in child psychology, sign language and even media training for talk-show appearances and call-in shows. Santas also need to make sure they know all the names of the reindeer. What’s harder to deal with, however, is children who ask for Christmas gifts like bringing daddy home or making mommy happy again.

After spending time in the classroom, Weir went to the mall to test his training. However, at one point, his hat fell off, and he was unsure how to react. “You’re the real Santa,” Valent said. “Pick that hat up, slip it back on, keep smiling and do your job. You’ve got to stay on top of your game. Even the last one at night, when you’re tired, you’ve got to remember: This one’s forever, so do a good job.”

60. According to the passage, good Santas should be the ones that ________.

A. can offer the children some gifts               B. help adults look after their children

C. have ability to make children happy           D. should be perfect in the mind of children

61. The underlined words “big bucks” should refer to ________.

A. lots of money         B. many gifts            C. loves for children          D. gifts from children

62. The Michigan school was founded by Charles Howard with the purpose to ________.

A. train the pet reindeer for the Santas          B. earned money from its students

C. train perfect Santas for the world            D. show the world’s concern to the poor

63. According to Weir’s performance, we can conclude that ________.

A. Weir was short of experience                 B. Weir was not fit for the job as a Santa

C. Weir did very badly in the game             D. Weir was not a good student in school

For many of us, printed books are satisfying in ways beyond the words they contain． Billions of printed books have been published, read and saved in the 600 years since movable type was invented, so why mess with a good things?

         Sony Electronics is doing just that, betting that readers will be won over by the convenience of readability of its new electronic book devices． Sony's reader, the PRS-505, can hold 160 books in its fixed memory, enough to line the shelves on a good-sized wall in the average American home． The $299 device is about the size of a paperback book, but a half-inch thick and weighs less than a pound．

The Sony book reader is revolutionary not only in its storage capacity． The font（字體） is highly readable and adjustable by size． Unlike laptop computers, you can put the Sony in your purse, read it in direct sunlight and even bookmark the pages． And you can connect it to your PC to download books．

Surprisingly, though the reader has liberated the book from paper, electronic books aren't always a bargain． For example, David Baldacci's "Stone Cold" download retails（零售） for $15．19 at the Sony site, while Amazon（卓越網(wǎng)） will deliver a hard copy to your mailbox for $16．19．

The Sony reader also lets you store and play or display music． So what's not to like about the Sony? Well, for many bibliophiles, a lot． Book lovers like to have, hold and keep their volumes, which don't need charging． You can write notes in the margins, and enjoy the ambience they provide on your book shelves．The need for electronic reading devices is likely to grow as more people worried about the billions of tons of paper used for printed material． Many believe the time will come when devices like the Sony reader are as common as printed newspapers and magazines today．

1.According to the passage, the Sony book reader _________．

         A． is as light as a laptop computer

    B． can hold more than 200 books

         C． is convenient to carry around

         D． cannot be connected to a PC

2.What is the author’s point when he mentions “Stone Cold”?

            A． Amazon’s printed books are very cheap

            B． “Stone Cold” can be got from the Sony site and Amazon

            C． The Sony book reader is not very cheap to use

            D． The Sony book reader can benefit its buyers a lot

3.The underlined word “bibliophiles” in Paragraph 5 refers to “__________”．

            A． music lovers                                                          B． book lovers

            C． electronic reading devices                                D． Sony readers

4.According to the author, what’s the future for the electronic reading devices?

            A． They’ll replace printed newspapers and magazines

            B． They’ll still be more expensive than printed newspapers

            C． They’ll become a must in people’s daily life

            D． They’ll become more popular as time goes on