To take good notes, you need to be able to do two things very quickly: first, you must understand main
topic; second, your hand must work as fast as your ears so that you can write down as much information as
possible.
        You don‘t have to learn how to write down what you hear. But you do need to practice a few simple skills
to help you to be good at note-taking. Also, you should learn how to write only the most important words in
short forms from each sentence without taking notice of the rest. 
        In the old days, people sent telegrams to each other. When they did it, they had to pay by the word, and it
was expensive. That is why they sent very short telegrams which included only the most important words.         Let’s compare these two examples:
     ●"I will be arriving tomorrow, Monday, April 15,on TWA flight number 222, at JFK airport."
     ●"Arrive 15th TWA 222 JFK"
         Which would be more expensive? 
         When you take notes, you have a similar problem. In this case it is not money, but time. For that reason,
it is a good idea to practice listening for only the most important sentences, and only the most important words
in those sentences.
根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容完成下面各題。
1. To take good notes, first, you must understand main ______.
2. Second, your hand must work as ______ as your ears.
3. Also  you should learn how to write only the important  words  ______ from each sentence.
5. The writer's purpose is ______.

     Imagine having a bedroom that interacts with you. If you're sad, it will arrange for some of your friends
to come over to cheer you up. If you're happy, it might respond by playing your favorite game with you.
     Does it sound like something out of a science-fiction movie? Well, it's really something out of the Georgia
Institute of Technology. Irfan Essa works at the computer lab there. He has developed a computer system
that can look at you and recognize your mood. He calls it the "expression recognition system." Essa says, "We
are trying to get computers to act like a human brain. But the human brain is not like one computer, it is like
many working together."
     In Essa's system, many computers work together. First, a camera in the bedroom takes a picture of your
face. The camera feeds the image to a computer. In the computer's memory, there are pictures showing how
the muscles of your face move when you are in different moods. For example, cheek muscles move in one
way when you are happy and smiling and in another way when you are nervous and tense. The computer
compares your picture to the face-muscle images stored in its memory. It tries to find the best match.
That's how it figures out your mood! Then the computer sends messages to other computers in the system.
If you look happy, a computer may put on lively music. If you look tired and discouraged, a different
computer may turn on the TV for you.
     How could the "expression recognition system" help us in important ways? Essa thinks that the system
can help us create computers that are better teachers. Many people learn new skills through computer
programs. "When I teach, I look at people's faces," Essa explains. "If my students look confused, I know
they didn't understand. With this technology, a computer canal-so know if a student is learning."
     Today, this new technology can be found only in labs, but Essa predicts we'll see it out of the lab in a
few years. So get ready. One day, you might walk into a room that will soon become your best friend.

1. Can the new computer system look at you and recognize your mood? 
    ___________________________________________________________
2. What happens first in the bedroom in Essa's system?
    ___________________________________________________________
3. Will the computer put on lively music or turn on the TV if you look happy? 
    ___________________________________________________________
4. How does the "expression recognition system" make computers better teachers? 
    ___________________________________________________________
5. What will future rooms be like? 
    ___________________________________________________________

     Each year Ben is glad when school is closed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Ben knows that this day
honors an important man, but Ben does not feel connected to him. However, the small-world theory (理論)
connects Ben to Dr. King. Ben's mom (0) has a close friend, Amy (1). Amy's uncle, Mark (2), once met and
spoke to John Carter (3), the son of President Jimmy Carter (4). Jimmy Carter knew Dr. King (5). In a way,
Ben is only "five people a-way" from Martin Luther King Jr.
     The small-world theory says that everyone in the world is connected through a short chain (鏈條) of
people they know. Another name of this chain is degrees of separation. Each degree is a step that separates
a person from someone he or she does not know. There are zero degrees of separation between a person
and the people he or she knows directly. This means that there are zero degrees between Ben and his mom.
There is one degree of separation when just one person separates someone from a person he or she does not
know. Ben knows his mom, but he hasn't met her close friend Amy. Therefore, Ben is one degree away from
Amy. As the chain continues. Amy's uncle, Mark, is two degrees. John Carter is three degrees, and his father
is four degrees. Dr. King is five degrees away from Ben. The theory says that there are no more than six
degrees of separation between any two people in the world.
     The small-world theory has a lot to do with math. The theory assumes (假定) that each per-son knows
100 people. Each one of those 100 people knows 50 different people. Each of those 50 people knows another
50 people, and so on. When someone continues the calculation' to six degrees, it is like this: 100 × 50 × 50 ×
50 × 50 × 50 = 31.25 × 109. This number is greater than 31 billion (a billion=a thousand million). There are
over 6 billion people in the world. These numbers show it is possible that six degrees of separation could
include everyone in the world.
     Does the small-world theory work? No one has ever proved it. Maybe the theory just invites people to
think a little more about their places in the world.

1. Ben is two degrees away from ______.

A. Jimmy Carter
B. John Carter
C. Amy
D. Mark

2. What is the meaning of "degrees of separation" in Paragraph 2?

A. The chain to connect people.
B. The relations between people.
C. The steps of knowing strangers.
D.The separation between strangers.

3. What is the small-world theory mainly about?

A. How far Ben is away from Dr. King.
B. How many people one can get to know.
C. How people are connected in the world.
D. How the degrees of separation are set up.

4. We can learn from the article that ______.

A. the small-world theory works
B. more research is needed to prove the theory
C. six degrees are needed to know the strangers
D. the writer's purpose is to help people find out their places

     At the moment, it may be difficult to imagine, but many people believe that, by the year 2100, we will
live on the planet Mars. Our own planet, Earth, is becoming more and more crowed and polluted. Luckily,
we can start again and build a better world on Mars. Here is what life could be like.
     First of all, transport should be much better. At present, our spaceships are too slow to carry large
numbers of people to Mars-it takes months. However, by 2100, spaceship can travel at half the speed of
light. It might take us two or three days to get to Mars!
     Secondly, humans need food, water and air to live. Scientists should be able to develop plants that can
be grown on Mars. These plants will produce the food and air that we need. However, can these plants
produce water for us? There is no answer now.
     There is a problem for us to live on Mars. Mars pulls us much less than the Earth does. This will be
dangerous because we could easily jump too high and fly slowly away into space. To prevent this, humans
on Mars have to wear special shoes to make themselves heavier.
     Life on Mars will be better than that on Earth in many ways, People will have more space. Living in a
large building with only 10 bedrooms is highly possible. Many people believe that robot will do most of our
work, so we have more time for our hobbies.
     There will probably be no school on Mars. Every student will have a computer at home which is
connected to the internet. They can study, do their homework and take exams in online schools. Each student
will also have their own online teacher called "e-teacher".
     However, in some ways, life on Mars may not be better than that on the earth today. Food will not be
the same-meals will probably be in the form of pills and will not be as delicious as they are today. Also,
space travel will make many people feel ill. The spaceship will travel fast but the journey to Mars will probably
be very uncomfortable.

1. According to the text, by the year 2100, some of us will possibly live _____. 

A. on Mars
B. on the moon
C. under the sea
D. in the sun

2. So far, how long will it take us from the earth to Mars by spaceship?

A. Two or three days
B. A few months
C. A few days
D. A few years

3. In the future, the students on Mars _____.

A. will study mainly through the internet
B. will study mainly in a classroom
C. will meet each other face to face every day
D. needn't study at all

4. Life on Mars will be better than life on the earth because _____.

A. only a few people will live there
B. there will be more space and less work to do
C. there will be much delicious food
D. all students don't need to do any homework

5. According to the text, which of the following about Mars is NOT true?

A. Transport will be much better and faster.
B. We need to develop a special plant which can produce water.
C. On Mars, we can jump higher than on the earth.
D. Food will be much more tasty.

     Beijing-Shanghai Railway was completed in 1968. The line runs 1,462 km between China's two main
cities and passes through five provinces and the city of Tianjin.
     Since opening, it has been one of the busiest routes in our country. The Beijing-Shanghai route is now
served by 10 trains a day, five of which are non-stop. The journey time is just under 12 hours.
    Now trains are allowed to travel at 250 kph (kilometers per hour) and the journey time is only 10 hours.
    With the sixth railway speedup, China has joined the ranks (行列) of countries with high-speed rail services. Trains are able to run at speeds of 200 kph on some 6,003 km of track (軌道), and on some sections, the
highest speed can increase to 250 kph. The 6,003 km of track serves both high-speed passenger trains and
low-speed cargo (貨物) trains.
    Railway operators have to deal with the problem of the speed gap (差距) between the two kinds of trains
to make sure they both run safely.

1. The Beijing-Shanghai Railway line runs 1,462 kilometers, doesn't it?

A. Yes, it does.
B. No, it doesn't.
C. It's very far.
D. We don't know.

2. How many times have the trains been speeded up so far?

A. Five.
B. Six.
C. Seven.
D. Eight.

3. When the Beijing-Shanghai train runs at 250 kph, the passengers spend ______ on the train.

A. ten hours
B. twelve hours
C. one day
D. two days

4. Which of the following sentences is TRUE?

A. Only one train is served on the 6,003 km of track.
B. Beijing-Shanghai Railway passes through six provinces.
C. All of the trains run without any stops on Beijing-Shanghai Railway.
D. Since opening, Beijing-Shanghai Railway has been one of the busiest routes in China.

5. The passage above is probably from ______.

A. a story-book
B. a dictionary
C. a newspaper
D. an advertisement

     In a classroom in any countries, the teacher teaches more than art or history or language. He or she teaches
something behind-the culture (文化) of the country.
     In a country such as the United States, people with different history, culture and language join together and
they pay much attention to personal ideas, Teachers try to make each student special. Students to do not have
to remember a lot of information, instead, they work and find answers by themselves, There is often discussion
in the classroom. At an early age students learn to have their own ideas. Their education encourages personal
thought (思想). The importance is placed on how to arrive at an answer and not only to get the correct answer.
     In most Asian countries, people have the same language, history and culture. Perhaps for this reason. The
education there pays more attention to group goals than personal ideas; Children in China and Japan often work
together and help each other on homework. In the classroom, the ways of teaching are often very traditional.
The teacher says, and the students listen, There is not much discussion. Instead, the students repeat (重復(fù))
rules or information that they have been taught in order to keep them in mind.
     In many ways these differences come form different educational ideas. In Western countries teachers are
taught to help students to learn. They make is easier for the students to learn by themselves. In some Asian
countries, however, teachers often feel that their job is to pass knowledge to students.

1. Do students in the United States have to remember a lot of information?
    ______________________________________________________________________________________
2. There is often discussion in the classroom in America, isn't there?
    ______________________________________________________________________________________
3. What does the education in the United States encourage? 
    ______________________________________________________________________________________
4. Which does the education in some Asian countries pay more attention to, group goals or personal ideas? 
    ______________________________________________________________________________________
5. Put the sentence "In some Asian countries, however, teachers often feel that their job is to pass knowledge
    to students." into Chinese. 
    ______________________________________________________________________________________

     "Mother tells me that the most important is to study, and she almost never gives me any housework to do,
though I really want some," said Wang, a middle school student in Guangzhou, capital of South China's
Guangdong Province.
     A report says that most of Guangzhou teenagers (青少年) want to do more housework, but their parents
usually do not think so. According to (根據(jù)) the report, 37% of the teenagers do housework less than half an
hour every day; 39.4% of them from half an hour to one hour; 11.5% one to two hours; 5.6% over two hours;
and 6.2% just have"no" housework to do.
     "Most of my time after school should be spent on my homework, and I don't have time to play. Even on
weekends, my parents ask me to stay at home to study. I can't go to see a film, watch TV or play with other
children. My parents never say to me about anything to do with the housework. Sometimes I feel I have the
duty to do something to help my parents, but they just get everything done for me," said Yang Ming, a sixteen-
year-old student.
     Experts say this won't change much unless the College Entrance Examination, which adds much pressure (壓力) on high school students, is changed.

1. Is Wang often asked to do housework?
    _______________________________________________________________
2. What do most of Guangzhou teenagers want to do, according to the report?
    _______________________________________________________________
3. How many students never have any housework to do?
    _______________________________________________________________
4. What do most parents think is the most important for children?
    _______________________________________________________________
5. 用短語或簡潔的句子回答：
    What does Yang Ming like to spend his time doing after school? 
    _______________________________________________________________

A. long    B. so    C. help    D. in    E. like    F. is    G. biggest    H. than    I. How    J. but
     What is the biggest animal of all? The whale (鯨) 1______. The blue whales are the 2______ whales.
Some blue whales weigh more 3______ a hundred tons (噸). 4______ heavy that is!Just think of a bus.
A bus is big and heavy, 5______ it weighs only about fifteen tons. A bus is about eight metres 6______,
but some blue whales are as long as thirty metres! Though (雖然)whales are 7______ big, they are a gentle
kind of giant (巨物). They live together and 8______ each other. Now we know whales "talk" to each other 
9______ the water. And the giants "speak" 10______ singing birds.