"Time is a problem for children," states a news report for a new Swiss watch．Children in some countries "learn time slowly" because "they don't wea
r watches" and "parents don't really know how to teach them time．" The children grow up with this handicap and become adults-and then can't get to work on time．Is there an answer to this problem? Of course-it's the Flick Flak, made by a famous Swiss watch company．
The Flick Flak is being marketed as something teaching watch for children aged 4 to 10．The watch itself does not teach children how to tell time, of course; it merely "takes their imagination" by presenting the "hour" hand as a beautiful red girl named Flak and the "minute" hand as a tall blue boy named Flick．Flick points to related "blue" minutes on the 
dial, while Flak points to "red" hour numbers．The characters and colors combined with parental help, are supposed to teach young children how to tell time．
The watch comes equipped with a standard battery and a nylon band （尼龙表带）．Peter Lipkin, the United States sales manager for the Flick Flak, calls it "childproof: if it gets dirty you can throw the whole watch in the washing machine．" The product is being sold in select department stores in Europe, Asia and the United States for a su
ggested price of $25．Parents who buy the watch may discover that it is one thing to tell time; it's quite another for them to be on time．From the news report we know that ____ .
| A．parents are patient when teaching children time |
| B．parents have little idea of how to teach children time |
| C．children are likely to learn time quickly |
| D．children enjoy wearing the Flick Flak watch |
The author doesn't seem to believe____ .
| A．children will be on time if they have not learnt how to tell time |
| B．a Flick Flak can help parents teach their children how to tell time |
| C．the Flick Flak can take children's imagination |
| D．children usually have trouble telling time if they don't wear watches |
The underlined word handicap （Para．1） means ____ .
| A．displeasure | B．discouragement |
| C．disappointment | D．disadvantage |
The United State sales manager calls the new watch “childproof” because ___ .
| A．it is designed to teach children to be on time |
| B．it proves to be effective in teaching children time |
| C．it is made so as not to be easily damaged by children |
| D．it is the children's favorite watch |
Four decades ago a group of college students visited the mountains of Borneo to examine moth (蛾) populations. Now a team of British scientists, including a member of the original trip, has returned to the same sites to repeat the survey. They have found that, due to rising temperatures, the insects now live 68 meters higher.
Global warming is forcing tropical (热带的) species uphill to escape the rising temperatures at a rate of nearly 2 meters a year, the new study from Borneo suggests.
Since this was the only chance to repeat the original survey, the scientist did everything they could to do it exactly the same way, going at the same time of year, in July and August, using photographs to find the exact original sites of the moth traps.
"While this is the first study of insects, a few other studies of tropical species are starting to appear," said Thomas. "If you look across all those studies, you’ll find the same results, and it’s extremely difficult to think of any other explanation for them."
While some species might survive by finding places on the mountains with temperatures similar to those of their original habitats, others may run out of habitat on the rocky peaks, warns the study.
In a paper in the journal Naturein 2004, Thomas and 13 other experts analyzed the habitats of 1,100 species on five continents, and estimated that on average one quarter were at risk of extinction.
Last year a paper published in the Public Library of Science in the US warned that the risk of extinction in the tropics was becoming more and more serious. The authors, Jana and Steven Vamosi, estimated that 20-45% of tropical species were at risk of extinction.
| A．6.8 meters higher | B．19 meters higher |
| C．34 meters higher | D．68 meters higher |
| A．There’ll be too little space. |
| B．The temperature will be much too low. |
| C．They will be at greater risk of extinction. |
| D．They’ll find it hard to adapt to the environment. |
| A．this survey of moths has been carried out many times |
| B．some scientists have put forward other explanations for the results |
| C．scientists tried to repeat the original survey |
| D．20-45% of tropical species were estimated to be at risk of extinction in 2004 |
| A．Climate change forcing moths higher. |
| B．Protecting moths from extinction. |
| C．How to research tropical moths. |
| D．How to study moths living on mountains. |
Books which give instructions on how to do things are very popular in the United States today. Thousands of these "How to" books are available; in fact, there are about four thousand books with titles that begin with the words "How to" One book may tell you how to earn more money, another may tell you how to save or spend it, and another may explain how to give your money away. Many "How to" books give advice on careers (职业). They tell you how to choose a career and how to succeed at it. If you fail, however, you can buy a book called “How to Turn Failure into Success”. If you would like to become very rich, you can buy the book “How to Make a Million”. If you never make any money at all, you may need a book called "How to" Live on Nothing? One of the most popular types of books is one that helps you with personal problems. If you want to have a better love of life, you can read "How to" Succeed at Love Every Minute of Your Life.? If you are tired of books on happiness, you may prefer a book called "How to". Make Yourself miserable?
Many of these books help people use their time better. Some people want books which will give them useful information about sports, hobbies, and travel. Other people use their free time to make repairs and improvements on their homes. They prefer books which give step by step instruction on how to repair things like plumbing (卫生管道工程) and electrical wiring, or on how to redecorate (重新装饰) or enlarge a house.
Why have "How to" books become so popular? Probably because life has become so complex. Today people have far more free time to use, more choices to make, and more problems to solve. "How to" books help people deal with modern life.
| A．tell people to love their life |
| B．earn money |
| C．give people some good advice on how to do something they want to do |
| D．say something about America |
| A．buy a book on "How to" Make a Million? |
| B．read a book on how to choose a career and how to succeed at it |
| C．beg bosses or managers for it |
| D．use his free time to look for it |
| A．＂How to" Turn Failure into Success？ |
| B．"How to" Make a Million? |
| C．"How to" Succeed at Love Every Minute of Your Life? |
| D．"How to" Make Yourself Miserable? |
| A．“How to" Books in America |
| B．"How to" Books Are Ordinary in America |
| C．Thousands of "How to" Books |
| D．Books with Title That Begin with the Words "How to" |
In 1986, when Monty Reed was a member of the Army Rangers (黑鹰突击 队), he had an accident. "It was a night jump, and we were jumping low," he recalls. "We were training. Somebody got too close to my parachute (降落伞)."The parachute below blocked Reed’s air and his parachute failed to open. Reed crashed a hundred feet to the ground, breaking his back in five places.
The next morning, Reed could not move. "Doctors said it was likely that I would never walk again." Reed stared out of his hospital window, wondering what the future would be like. It was the saddest moment of his life. "The experts are telling me my body doesn’t work! What am I supposed to do?" he thought.
To distract (转移注意力) himself, he picked up a book: Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers. The science-fiction describes a set of man-made muscles that would allow people to carry 2,000 pounds. He thought that if he could build something like that, it might be able to lift him out of his wheelchair. So he began his project and finally succeeded in building a set of robot legs. Several years later, he made an amazing recovery and was able to get up and walk away from his wheelchair. He even jumped out of an airplane again to celebrate.
Reed wanted to do something for others with the second chance that life had given him. He has now perfected the robot legs that can get the injured, the elderly and the paralyzed (瘫痪的) out of their wheelchairs. Now he has started his own company to make the legs. "I’ve seen them compete in marathons and go swimming and mountain climbing," he said. "So never give up!"
| A．his feet hit the ground too hard |
| B．his parachute was under another person’s |
| C．another person’s parachute stopped his from opening |
| D．he was training to jump at night |
| A．create a new kind of wheelchair for himself |
| B．discover how to make man-made muscles |
| C．learn how to jump out of an airplane |
| D．stop himself from thinking about his pain |
| A．He didn’t lose heart in the face of difficulty. |
| B．He is fond of reading science fiction. |
| C．He spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair. |
| D．He didn’t believe what the doctors said. |
| A．become a famous writer like Robert Heinlein |
| B．return to the Army Rangers and continue with his jumps |
| C．compete in games and marathons and go swimming |
| D．help more patients in wheelchairs to recover |
The island Fiji has always been around me in my life. My parents met in Fiji when my father was a teacher as a Peace Corps volunteer and my mother a student. They taught me about its people, culture, foods and religious beliefs.
At the age of two, I made my first trip across the Pacific Ocean to Fiji. My mother and I made that trip unexpectedly because my grandma was ill and longed to see her American granddaughter. Although I have few memories of that first trip, I do remember grandma braiding (编辫子)my hair every day. The brush gliding through my hair is a feeling I will treasure forever because she passed away soon. I returned to America when I was five years old. This time I had a brother, Martin, who was two.
I resisted my third trip to Fiji when I was 15, being a teenager who did not want to spend the summer away from friends. It was this trip, however, that made me realize that Fiji is not just a place to visit but a part of who I am. The smells and sounds and sights came back to me, but the best part was getting to know my relatives.
Vishal was one cousin I quickly bonded with. Born two days before me, I had only known him through pictures before. Though raised oceans apart in different cultures, we talked and laughed about everything from American sports to Fijian dancing. I was able to form close ties with all my cousins, and when I talk about them now, it’s as if I have known them my whole life. Spending time with them helped me understand the traditions and values my mother grew up with. Hospitality and care and respect for family members are central values in Fijian culture.
I truly enjoyed learning about my roots during this trip. Fiji is just like a second home, and I will never forget the time I have spent there.
| A．the author’s parents had been classmates before |
| B．the author had lived in Fiji for about five years |
| C．the author had no memories of her grandma |
| D．people value family in Fijian culture |
| A．she didn’t want to separate from her brother |
| B．she didn’t know her cousins there very well |
| C．she didn’t want to separate from her American friends |
| D．her grandma had passed away |
| A．He is younger than the author. |
| B．The author had met him on her first trip to Fiji. |
| C．He and the author had lots of common interests. |
| D．He and the author held different opinions about Fijian culture. |
There is a saying in French—“Si vieillesse pouvait, si jeunesse savait”—which means roughly “if age had the ability, if youth had the knowledge.” I was reminded of this saying the other day when I saw an interview with a distinguished Asian neurosurgeon(神经外科医生), now retired, about the impact of computer technology on modern surgery.
He was referring to the difficulty people of his age had in using the new techniques, but also to the fact that younger surgeons, who are more comfortable with the technology, lack some of the wisdom of experience.
It struck me that this problem is not just confined(局限于) to specialized fields such as medicine, but is widespread in modern life. There are many areas where the rapid growth of technology has widened the generation gap.
Young people are at ease with modern technology and propose all sorts of ways for using and developing it. But they often lack the experience needed to see further into the future to the possible dangers that a particular development may cause.
Older people see all sorts of difficulties and dangers, but are sometimes ignored, or even accused of being against progress, if they point out potential problems. Equally, they may see potential uses, but not have the technical skills to put them into practice themselves or the trust in the younger generation to do so.
Enthusiasm and inexperience come into conflict with caution and arrogance, usually with unsatisfactory results for both sides.
What is needed is the development of a partnership, based on mutual respect, which can deliver real progress by combining enthusiasm and caution in a constructive way, rather than in conflict with each other. The old need to give the younger generation the time, the resources and, above all, the authority to develop new ideas and use their skills. In exchange, the young need to turn more actively to the older generation to seek their advice and exploit their greater experience of the world in foreseeing and overcoming potential problems.The passage is mainly about ________.
| A．the impact of computer technology on modern surgery |
| B．an interview with a distinguished Asian neurosurgeon |
| C．new generation gap between the old and the young |
| D．a conflict between knowledge and experience |
The French saying in the first paragraph is used to ________.
| A．introduce the topic |
| B．show the difference between French and English |
| C．make readers confused |
| D．prove the writer’s wisdom |
What did the retired neurosurgeon probably mention in his interview?
| A．Old people’s enthusiasm in obtaining new technology. |
| B．Old people’s difficulty in using computers. |
| C．Young surgeons’ bad manners in working. |
| D．Young surgeons’ difficulty in getting experience. |
In the writer’s view, what advantage do the older generation have?
| A．They are happy with modern technology. |
| B．They are easy to learn new techniques. |
| C．They can foresee the future of the young generation. |
| D．They are rich in work experience. |
What conclusion can be drawn from the last paragraph?
| A．The young and the old should respect and learn from each other. |
| B．The young should teach the old modern technology. |
| C．The old should maintain their authority in every field. |
| D．The young and the old should work independently. |
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