Baby girls make their way directly for dolls as soon as they can crawl, while boys will head for the toy cars, a study has shown. The findings, the first to show differences in very young babies, suggest there is a biological（生物学的） basis(基础) to their preferences（偏爱）.
Psychologists(心理学家) Dr. Brenda Todd from City University London carried out an experiment involving 90 infants(婴儿) aged nine months to 36 months. The babies were allowed to choose from seven toys. Some were stereotypically boys' toys - a car, a digger, a ball and a blue teddy. The rest were girls’ toys: a pink teddy, a doll and a cooking set. They were placed a meter away from the toys, and could pick whichever toy they liked. Their choice and the amount of time they spent playing with each toy were recorded.
Of the youngest children (nine to 14 months), girls spent significantly(明显的) longer playing with the doll than boys, and boys spent much more time with the car and ball than the girls did. Among the two-and three-year-olds, girls spent 50 percent of the time playing with the doll while only two boys briefly(简单地) touched it. The boys spent almost 90 percent of their time playing with cars, which the girls barely(几乎不) touched. There was no link between the parents’ view on which toys were more appropriate for boys or girls, and the children’s choice.
Dr Brenda Todd said: “Children of this age are already exposed (暴露)to much socialization(社会化). Boys may be given ‘toys that go’ while girls get toys they can care for, which may help shape their preference. But these findings agree with the former idea that children show natural interests in particular kinds of toys. There could be a biological basis for their choices. Males through evolution have been adapted to prefer moving objects, probably through hunting instincts（本能）, while girls prefer warmer colours such as pink, the colour of a newborn baby.”Baby boys and girls have different toy preferences probably because__________.
| A．baby boys are much more active |
| B．baby girls like bright colours more |
| C．their parents treat them differently |
| D．there is a natural difference between them |
Both baby boys and baby girls like to play with__________ according to the study.
| A．a ball | B．a teddy | C．a car | D．a doll |
What can we infer from Paragraph 3?
| A．Nine-month-old baby boys don’t play with dolls at all. |
| B．Two-year-old baby girls sometimes play with cars and balls. |
| C．The older the babies are, the more obvious their preference is. |
| D．Parents should teach their babies to share each other’s toys. |
What conclusion did Dr. Brenda Todd draw from the results of the study?
| A．Adults purposely（故意地） influence their babies preference. |
| B．Babies’ preference isn’t affected by social surroundings. |
| C．Baby boys preferring to moving toys will be good at hunting. |
| D．Baby girls preferring warmer colors will be warm-hearted. |
We may read this article in a_________ section of a newspaper.
| A．science | B．health | C．education | D．entertainment |
Two traveling angels (天使) stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the guest room. Instead the angels were given a space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied: “Things aren’t always what they seem.”
The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable (好客的)farmer and his wife. After sharing what little food they had, the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night’s rest. When the sun came up the next morning, the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their only income, lay dead in the field.
The younger angel was very angry and asked the older angel, “How could this happen?” “Why did you not watch out for the cow? The first man had everything, yet you watched over his house,” she accused. “The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you did not help.”
“Things aren’t always what they seem,” the older angel replied. “When we stayed in the basement, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so greedy and unwilling to share his good fortune, I asked God if I could seal (封口) the wall so he couldn’t find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmer’s bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I asked God if the angel could take the cow instead. Things aren’t always what they seem.”
Why did the older angel repair the hole for the rich family?
| A．Because she didn’t like the greedy owner. |
B． Because she wanted to save the gold for the poor. |
| C．Because she basement was too cold to stay in. |
| D．Because she believed that one should always be ready to offer help. |
In paragraph two, the pair refers to __________.
| A．the poor couple | B．the rich couple |
| C．the guests | D．the angels |
The younger angel was very angry because __________.
| A．the older angel killed the farmer’s cow |
| B．the older angel treated the two families unfairly |
| C．the wealthy man gave them a bad place to live |
| D．the angel of death took the cow away |
Why did the older angel let the farmer’s cow die?
| A．Because God wanted the older angel to take the cow. |
| B．Because she wanted to teach the younger angel a lesson. |
| C．Because she wanted to save the farmer’s wife. |
| D．Because she was sympathetic to the rich. |
The story tries to tell the reader that __________.
| A．angels are always ready to help the poor |
| B．sometimes things are not what they seem |
| C．angels are always ready to help the rich |
| D．the young should always learn from the old |
Sydney—Mobile phone has become a problem for middle schools. Some middle schools in Australia have banned（禁止）students from carrying mobile phones during school hours.
Mobile phone use among children has become a problem for the school this year. Several children have got mobile phones as Christmas gifts, and more students want them.
Mary Bluett, an official, said mobile phone use is a distraction（分心）to students during school hours and it also gives teachers so much trouble in their classrooms. Teachers were also saying that sometimes students might use phone messages to cheat during exams.
She said some schools had tried to ban mobile phones. Some parents felt unhappy because they couldn’t get in touch with their children.
Many teachers said students should not have mobile phones at school, but if there was a good reason, they could leave their phones at school offices. They also said there were many reasons why the students should not have mobile phones at school: they were easy to lose and were a distraction from studies.
Many people say that they understand why parents would want their children to have phones, but they think schools should let the students know when they can use their mobile phones. Some middle schools in Australia have banned students from carrying mobile phones ____________.
| A．because they are students | B．when they are at school |
| C．because they are young | D．when they are free |
We know from the passage that some children get mobile phones from ____________.
| A．the makers and sellers | B．some other strangers |
| C．their parents and friends | D．some mobile phone users |
Some parents felt unhappy because they couldn’t during school hours.
| A．get in touch with their children | B．leave their mobile phones |
| C．help the teachers with their work | D．use their mobile phones |
The underlined word “they” in the fifth paragraph refers to ____________.
| A．many teachers | B．some messages |
| C．mobile phones | D．some students |
The topic mainly talked about in the text is ____________.
| A．why the students should not use mobile phones in some Australian schools |
| B．when the students of some Australian schools can use their mobile phones |
| C．whether the Australian students can have mobile phones at school |
| D．how some parents feel when their children should not carry mobile phones |
Laptop computers are popular all over the world. People use them on trains and airplanes, in airports and hotels. These laptops connect people to their workplace. In the United States today, laptops also connect students to their classrooms.
Westlake College in Virginia will start a laptop computer program that allows students to do schoolwork anywhere they want. Within five years, each of the 1500 students at the college will receive a laptop. The laptops are part of a $10 million computer program at Westlake, a 110-year-old college. The students with laptops will also have access to（可利用）the Internet. In addition, they will be able to use e-mail to “speak” with their teachers, their classmates, and their families. However, the most important part of the laptop program is that students will be able to use computers without going to computer labs. They can work with it at home, in a fast-food restaurant or under the trees-anywhere at all!
Because of the many changes in computer technology, laptop use in higher education, such as colleges and universities, is workable. As laptops become more powerful, they become more similar（相似）to desktop computers. In addition, the portable computers can connect students to not only the Internet, but also libraries and other resources. At Westlake College, more than 60 percent of the staff use computers. The laptops will allow all teachers to use computers in their lessons.
State higher-education officials are studying how laptops can help students. State officials are also testing laptop programs at other universities, too.The main purpose of the laptop program is to give each student a laptop to ____________.
| A．use for their schoolwork | B．access the Internet |
| C．work at home | D．connect them to libraries |
Why is the word “speak” in the second paragraph in quotation marks（引号）?
| A．They don’t really talk. | B．They use the computer language. |
| C．Laptops have speakers. | D．None of the above reasons is correct. |
Which of the following is true about Westlake College?
| A．All teachers use computers. | B．1500 students have laptops. |
| C．It is an old college in America. | D．Students there can do everything. |
“A window on the world” in the last paragraph means that students can ____________.
| A．attend lectures on information technology |
| B．travel around the world |
| C．have free laptops |
D．get information  from around the world |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．The program is successful. | B．The program is not workable. |
| C．The program is too expensive. | D．We don’t know the result yet. |
Edmund Halley（哈雷）was an English scientist who lived over 200 years ago. He studied the observations of comets（彗星）which other scientists had made. The orbit（轨道）of one particular comet was a very difficult mathematical problem. He could not work it out. Neither could other scientists who dealt with such problems.
However, Halley had a friend named Newton, who was a brilliant（有才华的） mathematician. Newton thought he had already worked out that problem, but he could not find the papers on which he had done it. He told Halley that the orbit of a comet had the shape of an ellipse（椭圆）.
Now Halley set to work. He worked out the orbits of some of the comets that had been observed by other scientists. He made a surprising discovery. The comets that had appeared in the years 1531, 1607, and 1682 all had the same orbit. Yet their appearances had been 75 to 76 years apart（相隔）.
This seemed very strange to Halley. T
he different comets followed the same orbit. The more Halley thought about it, the more he thought that there had not been three different comets, as people thought. He decided that they had simply seen the same comet three times. The comet had gone away and had come back again.
It was an amazing idea! Halley felt certain enough to make a prediction（预言）of what would happen in the future. He decided that this comet would appear in the year 1758. There were 53 years to go before Halley’s prediction could be tested.
In 1758 the comet appeared in the sky. Halley did not see it, for he had died some years before. Ever since then that comet has been called Halley’s comet, in his honor.Edmund Halley worked out the orbit of ____________.
| A．some different comets appearing several times |
| B．the same comet appearing at different times |
| C．three different comets appearing three times |
| D．several comets appearing at the same time |
Halley made his discovery ____________.
| A．by doing experiments |
| B．by means of his own careful observation |
| C．by studying the work of other scientists |
| D．by chance |
Halley
made a surprising, but correct prediction（预言）in the year ____________.
| A．1704 | B．1705 | C．1706 | D．1707 |
This passage in general is about ____________.
| A．Halley and other scientists | B．the orbit of a comet |
| C．Newton and Halley | D．Halley and his discovery |
According to the passage, which of the flowing is NOT true?
| A．Newton worked out the orbit of the comet. |
| B．Halley worked out the orbit of the comet first. |
| C．Newton gave Halley some help. |
| D．Halley died before 1758. |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Jay Chou（周杰伦）is a well-known name both in Taiwan and mainland. He is now one of Asia’s hottest pop stars. His catchy tunes have main-streamed（主流）rap and R&B in the Mando-pop world. In the past his teacher thought he was dumb（木讷）. Talent spotters（观察者）thought he was ugly. But his success proves that the music still matters more than looks and image. His musical talent（才能）is recognized by fans, fellow-singers and producers. Now, a singing contest was held in Taiwan
Chou appeared at the contest with band “Nan Quan Mama”, which was discovered by Chou. Their first album the Summer of Nan Quan Mama, composed and produced by Chou was a great success.
Chou started his career at a singing contest, attracting the attention of record producers. But the successful singer does not believe in luck. He says it’s his passion for music and hard work that are keys to his success. He said, “I didn’t know how to sing at the beginning, so I lost the first time. But I was so determined that I never stopped trying. My advice to these young singers is never to give up, and always believe in yourself. ”
Chou’s confidence has strengthened his music. He is a great source of inspiration to youngsters who share his determination to become a superstar. The best title for this passage can be ____________.
| A．From an ugly dumb to a superstar |
| B．Jay Chou’s way to success |
| C．Jay Chou and his band |
| D．Jay Chou’s life |
The underlined part “matters more” most probably means ____________.
| A．better | B．more different |
| C．more difficult | D．more important |
Which of the following is NOT true about Jay Chou?
| A．Jay Chou is confident towards music. |
| B．He is a determined man. |
| C．He succeeded the first time he appeared on the stage. |
| D．Though not good-looking, he has a gift for music. |
____________ make Jay Chou a success according to the passage.
| A．His luck and talent for music |
| B．His talent for music and look |
| C．His looks and luck |
| D．His passion for music and hard work |
Jay Chou’s musical talent is recognized by the following except ____________.
| A．his teachers | B．fellow-singers |
| C．producers | D．fans |
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