Happiness is U-shaped, for we are happier at the start and end of our lives but hit a slump (低潮) when
we are middle-aged, scientists from England and America say. They have studied the information on the
mental (心理的) health of two million people from 80 countries.
     In England, the probability of low spirits for men and women reaches the highest point at around 44 years
of age. In America, though, there is a big difference between men and women. Among women, unhappiness
reaches the highest point at around the age of 40, but among men, it is about 50.
     But the U-shape of happiness is unchanging around the world, and the mid-life sadness happens regardless
of marital status (婚姻狀況), changes in jobs or pay. It happens to men and women, to single and married
people, to rich and poor, and to those with and without children.
     One possibility may be that people realize many of their dreams won't come true at middle age. The
researchers said another reason could be that seeing their middle- aged friends die one by one, people begin to
value their own remaining years and their Iove of the nature and long for peaceful and free life once more.
     But the good news is that if people make it to aged 70 and are still physically fit, they are on average (平均)
as happy as a 20-year-old person. For the average people in the modem world, the fall in mental health and
happiness doesn't come on suddenly in a single year. Only in their fifties do people get out of this low period.

1. Do people feel happy at the start and end of their lives?
    _____________________________________________________________________________________
2. Where are the scientists in the passage from? 
    _____________________________________________________________________________________
3. When does the unhappiness reach the highest point among men in America, at the age of 40 or about 50?
    _____________________________________________________________________________________
4. What is the good news for a 70-year-old healthy man? 
    _____________________________________________________________________________________
5. How will a teenager feel in his future life according to the passage? 
    _____________________________________________________________________________________

     My summer hols wr CWOT. B4, we used 2 go 2 NY 2C my bro, his CF & thr 3:-@ kids FTF ILNY,
its gr8. 　　
     Can you understand this sentence? If you can't, don't feel too bad: neither could the middle school teacher
in England who received this as homework. This is Netspeak: the language of computerized communication
found on Internet or cellphones. To newcomers, it can look like a completely foreign language.So, what is
the "translation" of the sentence above? My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we
used to go to New York to see my brother, his girlfriend, and their three screaming kids face to face. I love
New York; it's great. 　　
     Schoolteachers and parents say this new form of writing is harming (破壞)the English language.
Increasing spelling and grammatical mistakes can be seen in students' writing. They fear the language could
become corrupted (面目全非的). 　　
     Everyone should just relax, say linguists (語言學(xué)家). They believe Netspeak is in fact more of a good
thing. David Crystal, from the University of Wales, argues that Netspeak and Internet create a new language
use and the almost lost art of diary writing has been picked up again. Geoffrey Nunberg, from Stanford
University, agrees."People get better at writing by writing," he says, "Kids who are now doing text messaging,
e-mail, and instant messages will write at least as well as, and possibly better than, their parents." 　　
     Linguist James Millroy says, for centuries, it is believed without exception that young people are harming
the language. And you can bet your bottom dollar that when today's teenagers become tomorrow's parents,
they too will think this way. Milroy argues that languages do not and cannot become"corrupted"; they simply
change to meet the new needs. 　　
     However, Netspeakers do agree that it is important to teach young people how to speak and write Standard
English. Cynthia McVey says, "I can understand Netspeak worries teachers and it's important that they get
across to their pupils that text messaging is for fun, but that learning to write proper English is a must for their
future." 　　
     Perhaps we should give teenagers a little more trust anyway. Erin, age 12, says, "I wouldn't use text
language in my homework. Texting is just for fun"

1. What is the main purpose of the first paragraph? 　　

A. To give an example of a foreign language. 　　
B. To show an example of creative methods. 　　
C. To express worries about using Netspeak. 　　
D. To lead in the topic of Netspeak.

2. Which of the following is true according to the passage? 　　

A. Cynthia McVey points out teenagers can deal with Netspeak properly. 　　
B. Geoffrey Nunberg believes Netspeakers can write Standard English. 　　
C. David Crystal thinks Netspeak helps develop the habit of writing. 　　
D. James Milroy says that language is changing and improving.

3. The expression "bet your bottom dollar" in Paragraph 5 means ______. 　　

A. be fairly sure
B. be greatly surprised 　　
C. think it a pity
D. find it interesting

4. What can be the best title for the passage? 　　

A. Netspeak: A Widely-Used Language on Internet 　　
B. Is Netspeak Harming the English Language? 　　
C. Is Netspeak Helpful in Language Learning? 　　
D. Netspeak: Advantages and Disadvantages

     Growing kids need sleep, as do people of all ages. Indeed, research shows that health and safety both
suffer when we try to get by with too little shuteye. So it's fortunate that our bodies do such a good job
of waming us when it's time to hit the sack.
     Like humans, other animals also take time out to rest. You've probably seen a lion dozing at the zoo,
or maybe watched our dog snooze away lying in its bed. In fact, sleep is a necessity for every animal that's
ever been studied.
     How long animals sleep, though, varies widely. Elephants and giraffes sleep only about 2 to 4 hours a
day, while bats may nod off for up to 20 hours. Ducks sleep together, and the birds on the edge of the group
sleep with the outside eye open and half of their brain awake-probably to keep watch while the other half of
their brain snoozes. Some birds may even sleep while flying. The fact that all animals make time for sleeping,
even under very dangerous situations, suggests that sleep is very important. And indeed, some facts suggest
that sleep is important for leaming and forming permanent memories.
     But sleep may also be primarily a way for animals to save energy and stay out of harm. This may help
explain why meat-eating creatures sleep more than herbivores, which are animals that live only on plants.
Herbivores, like cows and zebras, need to spend more time searching for and grazing on food than meat eaters
do, such as lions and other big cats. So a big cat might be better off sleeping for a while after it eats, rather
than prowling around and risking injury.
     But that's just a guess. Scientists need to study other animals as well before they can fully understand the
benefits (好處) of sleep and know which benefits are most important for a particular species (物種).
     One thing is certain: enough sleep is important to health and learning. So give in when a strong wish to
sleep hits, and catch plenty of ZZZs.

1. The underlined phrase "to hit the sack" means ____.

A. to eat something
B. to drink something
C. to get up
D. to go to sleep

2. From the last paragraph, we can infer ____.

A. enough sleep may improve your learning in class
B. if you want to sleep in class, fall asleep immediately
C. you are easy to give in if you have plenty of sleep
D. if you have a strong wish to sleep, you are perhaps ill

3. The main idea of the passage is about ____. 

A. all people need sleep
B. how animals sleep in the open air
C. why animals need sleep
D. when animals feel sleepy

     November 24, 1859 was a special day in London. On that day, many Londoners rushed to a bookstore to
buy a book that was just published. The first printing of 1250 copies sold out on the first day.
     The popular book was The Origin of Species (《物種起源》) by British naturalist Charles Darwin (1809-
1882). In the book, Darwin argued that different forms of life could change over time because of natural
selection. This means that only those who are best suited to their environment will live and reproduce. Darwin
supported his arguments with examples he found during his around-the-world trip in the 1830s.
     The book laid the foundation of modern biology. It changed how other scientists understood the appearance
of life on Earth.
     A hundred and fifty years later, Darwin's theory (理論) of natural selection still has great influence in the
world of science. But some people have a question: since medicine and modem life have made people healthier,
are we still evolving (進(jìn)化) by natural selection?
     The answer is yes,according to Stephen Stems and his team of Yale University researchers. They did a
study on 2 238 women in the US. They found that shorter,heavier women have more children than thinner,
taller ones. This trend (趨勢(shì)) runs among their female children and grandchildren. So if this continues, women
in 400 years will be about 2cm shorter and a kilo heavier.
     Stems' findings are supported by other scientists. For example, John Hawks at the University of Wisconsin,
US and his team believe they have found nearly 2000 gene variations(基因變異) in modem humans. Those
variations allow people to drink milk, fight disease and improve brain development.

1. Was The Origin of Species a popular book?
     _______________________________________________________________
2. When was the book published? 
    _______________________________________________________________
3. What does natural selection mean? 
    _______________________________________________________________
4. Why does the writer introduce Stemns' findings in the passage?
    _______________________________________________________________
5. Why is Darwin's theory of natural selection important? 
    _______________________________________________________________

     Talk to someone if you are having problems with schoolwork. Speak up as soon as you can, so you can
get help right away before you fall behind.
     Your 1_____ are often a great place to start if you need help. Talk about your problem with them. They
might be able to 2_____ you how to do a difficult math problem or help you think of a topic to write about
for English class. They also can be helpful by finding that perfect place in the house for you to do your
homework and keeping supplies, like pencils, on hand. They also can cut down on distractions (分心的事)
like 3_____ younger brother and sisters!
     Teachers are also important to you because they can give you advice about the assignment (作業(yè)) you
are 4_____ trouble with. They also can help you set up a good system for writing down your assignments
and remembering to put all necessary books and papers in your backpack. Teachers can give you study tips
and offer ideas about how to 5_____ with homework. Helping kids learn is their job, 6_____ be sure to ask
for advice.
     Many schools, towns and cities offer after-school 7_____ to kids. They often help kids with their
homework and organize kids to 8_____ in different kinds of activities. There, you will not only be able to get
some help from adults, but also from other kids.
     You can also use the Internet to 9_____ online homework help sites. These sites can lead you to good
resources (資源) for research and offer tips and guidance about many 10_____. But be careful about just 
11_____ the information from an Internet website. Talk with your teachers about bow to use the resources
properly.

     Fruit and vegetables should be a part of what we eat every day. Educating your children about the
importance of eating fruit and vegetables is important for their health. Here are some fun activities to
help you teach your children about fruit and vegetables.
     ★ Reading is one excellent way. Choose a colorful book with many different types of fruit and
vegetables.
     ★ Provide your children with fruit and vegetable puzzles. Your children will be able to see what fruit
and vegetables look like as they're putting the puzzles together. You can also teach them the different
names of fruit and vegetables.
     ★ Each day give your children different fruit and vegetables to eat. This will give them the chance to
taste many kinds of fruit and vegetables. Talk to your children about what they look like and how they
taste and smell.
     ★ Play fruit and vegetable games. Prepare little cups with fruit and vegetables cut up into small pieces.
Cover your children's eyes and give them one of the cups to try. After tasting, they have to guess what
kind of vegetable or fruit it is.
     ★ Grow vegetables. You can teach your children how vegetables grow by planting them. Your children
will also learn how to take care of vegetables.

Judge the following sentences true (T) or false ( F ) according to the passage.
(     )1. Reading is a good way to help your children know about fruit and vegetables.
(     )2. The puzzles can help children know how fruit and vegetables taste and smell.
(     )3. By playing fruit and vegetable games, children can know what fruit and vegetables look like.
(     )4. Growing vegetables can teach your children how to look after vegetables.
(     )5. The passage is mainly about the advantages of eating fruit and vegetables.

     Teachers say buying homework answers online is not many in schools, but an interview with school
students shows only 10% are willing to finish their holiday homework by themselves. Their main complaint
is that the homework is too much for them to finish.
     "As far as I know, many of my students have to go to all kinds of training classes during the holiday.
These take away much of their time for doing homework."
     But as for the parents who are sending their children to these training classes they also say they've got
no choice. Here's a view from a student's father.
     "All the other kids in the neighborhood are learning extra things. You know parents sometimes compare
their kids. I'm afraid my kid will be less successful than the others in the future."
     In order to do with this situation of students copying each other's homework, some schools have even
dropped the idea of holiday homework. Instead, they organize some interesting outdoor activities.
     Educational experts say students love to learn through games or activities that they can be a part of.
They suggest schools drop the current (目前的) homework format (設(shè)計(jì)), and turn to homework that
encourages kids to get involved (參與). This way, they would no longer want to copy from each other or
buy answers through the Internet.

Answer the following questions according to what you read.
1. Why do students copy or buy homework answers?
    ___________________________________________________________________
2. What do students spend much time on during the holiday?
    ___________________________________________________________________
3. Most parents want their kids to be successful, don't they?
    ___________________________________________________________________
4. How do some schools deal with the problem of students copying homework? 
    ___________________________________________________________________
5. List a kind of your favorite holiday homework according to the passage. 
    ___________________________________________________________________

     American schools are quite different from those in China. In America, at the beginning of the term,
students must select their courses and teachers first. While in China students usually have no chances to
select their courses and teachers.
     Selecting is very important for your grades in America. So at the first term, don't select too many
courses, 4. or you'll feel very nervous and it may influence your study. Then you have to ask for some
teaching plans. There is some information about subjects, time arranging, marks and textbooks. At the
same time, you must choose the teachers. Different teachers have different teaching methods. If the teacher
is called "killer" by the last grade, many students will give up choosing him. Because this kind of teacher
will leave too much homework, too many exams and give too low grades.
     There is another thing after you select the course and the teacher. How to buy textbooks makes each
student feel hard. The textbooks in America are very expensive. Each copy is about $30-50. In order to
save money, many students buy some used textbooks, and some students usually borrow textbooks from
the school library. You must get enough ready before class. In class, discussing is very important. 5. 老師
鼓勵(lì)你提出問題或展示你自己的觀點(diǎn)。 They don't usually ask you to sit well. Instead they allow you to
sit or stand everywhere you like. They don't give you much homework to do. You can learn some knowledge
and do exercises by yourself. So in American schools, you must do almost all things yourself.

1. At the beginning of the new term, American students have to ask
    for some teaching plans and get their textbooks ready besides __________.
2. The teacher __________ will always leave too much homework,
    too many exams and give too low grades.
3. 根據(jù)文章內(nèi)容回答問題。
   Why do many students in America buy used textbooks?
    ____________________________________________
4. 請(qǐng)將文中黑體字譯成漢語。
    ____________________________________________
5. 請(qǐng)將畫線句子譯成英語。
    ____________________________________________