阅读下面短文，请根据短文后的要求答题。(请注意问题后的字数要求)。

   Nowadays in China,parents care about their children’s education more than anything else. They spend a
lot coaching their children in their studies; those who have time or are not able to do it have tutors hired for their children. Many have their children sent to after-class schools. Some others even have tired to improve their living environment. It seems as if a better education is all that parents expect for their children.
   The situation can be explained by the following reasons. First of all, the swift development of China’s
economy is calling for more and more skilled and knowledgeable workers and professionals(专业人士). Second, the awareness of today’s parents’ has been growing that success in this world depends more on
skills and knowledge than on anything else. Skills and knowledge means competitiveness(竞争). At last,
with school education becoming more and more expensive, it is natural for parents to expect their children could become somebody or doing something great.
   Of course, I’m happy to see much of parents’ attention paid to their children’s education. However, they should not go too far to ignore their children’s abilities and personal qualities. I think the first thing to lean is how to survive and how to be a qualified citizen. if parents can try their best to help children’s characters, it will bring a happy life to their children when they grow up.

1. What’s the main idea of the passage? (Within 15 words)
____________________________________________________________________________
2. According to the paragraph 2, why are more and more skilled and knowledgeable workers needed. (Within 15 words)
____________________________________________________________________________
3. What the meaning of the underlined word “coaching”? (Within 8 words)
____________________________________________________________________________
4. In author’s opinion, what is also important for children besides sills and knowledge? (Within 10 words) ____________________________________________________________________________
5. Do your parents care about our education? How? (Within 20 words)
____________________________________________________________________________

     The Internationa1 Space Station allows astronauts to live in space for extended amounts of time,
enabling them to explore the outside universe al1d conduct many experiments. However, nothing like that
exists for our oceans, and thanks to the high water pressure, ocean researchers are able to explore what
lies undersea for very short periods of time.
     They are therefore never able to fully explore the deep inside areas of our oceans. However, if
French architect Jacques Rougerie has his way, that will change soon.
     Jacques has designed a ship that will allow researchers to spend a long period of time observing the
sea life and conducting experiments. The huge l67ft. ship, named" SeaOrbiter", consists of two areas-one
above the water where the scientists and crew will live, and a lower pressurized deck (甲板), where
scientists will be able to spend as much time as they wish. Since it is powered by sea currents and wind,
he expects it to drift (漂流) along the oceans slowly, taking about two years to circumvent the globe.
     Jacques will make their life as comfortable as possible in the ship. Besides being equipped with the
latest sailing tools and communication equipment, the ship will also have a gym, a television and a DVD
player! And these guys will not be eating freeze-dried food like astronauts. Instead, Jacques, an
accomplished chef, plans on cooking them delicious meals every day.
     The biggest problem to this giant ship is the cost, which is expected to be over $500 million-per ship!
However, Jacques, who strongly believes that the secrets of our oceans may be the key to solving global
warming and a vital supply for food and medicine in the future, is confident he will be able to convince
governments all over the world to help out, and expects to start construction on not one, but four or five
of these amazing ships soon!
1. Why can"t ocean researchers explore the deep oceans for a long time?A. Because they can"t stand the high water pressure.
B. Because it"s too cold in deep ocean.
C. Because time for experiments is too limited.
D. Because it"s dangerous to observe the sea life.2. The underlined word "circumvent" probably means      .A. fly away    
B. get around    
C. travel through    
D. move into3. From the fourth paragraph we can learn that      .A. Jacques intends to design the ship mainly for sightseeing and traveling
B. living a comfortable life helps to do the ocean research quickly
C. it"s much more expensive to eat freeze-dried food
D. researchers on Jacques"ship will live more comfortably than astronauts4. In Jacques" opinion, which of the following is not the purpose of the undersea research?A. To find supply for food in the future.
B. To find supply for medicine in the future.
C. To draw governments" attention to the construction of the ship.
D. To solve the global warming.5. Which of the fol1owing would be the best title for the text?A. Sea Orbite-the ship of the future  
B. A new way to explore the deep oceans
C. A great architect-Jacques Rougerie 
D. Travel around the globe in Sea Orbiter

阅读理解。   When a storm is coming, most people leave the area as quickly as possible and head for safety. But there are a few people who will get into their cars and go straight for the center of the storm. These people are willing to risk(冒…危险)being killed by floods or 100-kilometer-an-hour winds for the excitement of watching the storm close up.“
   Storm chasing(追逐)” is becoming an increasingly popular hobby, especially in the Midwest of the United States, where there are frequent storms between March and July. A storm chaser begins the day by checking the Internet for the latest weather reports, and then drives up to 1,000 kilometers to where the storm will be and waits for it to develop.
   Although anyone can do it, storm chasing is very dangerous. The power of a big storm can throw a cow into the air or destroy a whole house in seconds. Storm chasers are also often hurt in accidents caused by driving in a heavy rain. If you are a beginner, it is much safer to join a group for storm-chasing vacations during the storm season.
   Even then, storm chasing is not all adventure and excitement. “Storm chasing is 95% driving,” says Daniel Lynch, who spends most of his summer storm-chasing. “Sometimes you can sit around for hours waiting for something to happen, and all you get is blue sky and a few light showers.”
   However, for storm chasers, it is all worth it. “When you get close to a storm, it is the most exciting sight you will ever see in your life,” says Jasper Morley. “Every storm is an example of the power of nature. It is the greatest show on Earth”.

1. For storm chasing, the first thing storm chasers do is to ______.
A. head straight for the center of the storm
B. get into the car for safety
C. wait patiently for the storm to develop
D. collect information about a coming storm
2. Beginners of storm chasing are advised ______.
A. not to drive in a heavy rain
B. to do it in an organized way
C. not to get too close to a storm
D. to spend more time on it in summer
3.  By saying “it is all worth it” in the last paragraph, the author means that ______.
A. storm chasing costs a lot of money
B. storm chasing is worth hours of waiting for everyone.
C. efforts（努力）in storm chasing are well paid
D. storm chasers can do whatever they like.
4. What can we learn from the text?
A. Sometimes storm chasers get nothing but disappointment.
B. Many storm chasers get killed in the storms.
C. Storm chasing is becoming popular around the world.
D. Storm chasing is only fit for young people.

信息匹配。
    阅读下列应用文及相关信息,并按照要求匹配信息。
    请阅读下面出现在英国报刊的有关课程招生的广告信息：     A. MATHEMATICS, English, Science & more. All ages. Ring Paul 9905-9995
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     请阅读下面的学习者信息,然后匹配符合他们要求的学习课程
     1. John, a fourteen-year-old young boy, is poor at math and physics and has to improve them in order
to pass the final exam at school.
     2. Mr. Black Smith, a labor worker on dock who would like to change to some technological job
since he is already 43 and a bit too old for hard labor work. He has to work from Monday to Saturday
but is free after 5:00 in the afternoon.
     3. Chen Hua, a Chinese middle school student who has just moved to the USA. She will have to finish
the course all in English at school there but her English is not good enough.
     4. Tim, a graduated college student who wanted to quit his job and go on his study for M. A. He
planned to take the MBA courses and would ha"ve to improve his math because he majored in Art at
college.
     5. Mrs. Tumer, a working mother with two young kids. She thinks education is a race and it"s better
to prepare kids more and earlier. Her neighbors, several other families share the same opinion and they
are all thinking about sending their young kids to some pre-school education program.

阅读理解。     All parents tell their children little white lies from time to time. "Of course Father Christmas comes
down the chimney!" "Eat your spinach - you"ll get as strong as Popeye.". . . and so on. However, there"s
one fib that"s bigger than all the others. It"s "I don"t have a favorite child."
    In his fascinating new book, The Sibling Effect: What Bonds Among Brothers and Sisters Reveal
About Us, Jeffrey Kluger, a father of two daughters, aged eight and ten, claims that " 95 percent of
parents in the world have a favorite child - and the other 5 percent are lying."
     Kluger may be exaggerating the figures for dramatic effect - but despite every parent"s vehement (激
烈的) denial that they have a favorite child - scientific research shows that he is not far off the truth.
     According to one recent study by researchers from the University of California - which followed 384
sibling pairs and their parents for three years - 65 percent of the mothers and 70 percent of fathers
exhibited a preference for one child. As this was among families that knew they were being monitored,
there"s a strong possibility the true figures could be significantly higher.
     Favoritism is certainly a controversial topic. When raised as a subject for discussion on parenting
websites, it always arouses a stream of angry denials.
     But interestingly, a lot of personal anecdotes appear from parents who say they were overshadowed
by a favored sibling, or were, indeed, their mother or father"s favorite. It seems everyone knows
favoritism exists - but nobody wants to put their hand up and say they"re guilty of it themselves.
     Another research, where siblings have been asked to say who their mother and father favor, suggests
that mothers do tend to a show a preference for their first-born son, but fathers often dote on their
youngest daughters.
     Parents will often be drawn to the child who is easiest to get along with - or the child that shares
similar traits to them. For example, mum will have a special bond with her sensitive, arty son, while dad
lavishes attention on his sporty daughter.
     Professor Scott says being least favored in a family can color our behavior as adults. "Children who
feel they are less loved within their family are more likely to develop low self-esteem, anxiety and
depression."
But some experts believe being less favored can have positive consequences. Professor Scott agrees that
favored children can sometimes find life difficult when they have to rub along in the real world. 1. Which of the following is most likely a white lie? A. I am determined to go and nothing will stop me.
B. A good idea, without action, is worth nothing.
C. Those who complain the most, accomplish the least.
D. Thank you so much for the gift! I just love it!2. What can we infer from paragraph three?A. Kluger is exaggerating the figures for dramatic effect.
B. Every parent denies the fact that he has a favorite child.
C. Every parent does have a favorite child.
D. What Kluger said is quite close to the fact. 3. What does "sibling" (para 4) mean in the passage?A. brother or sister    
B. parent
C. brother
D. sister4. Which child is most likely to be a favorite child in a father"s eyes?A. A sensitive, arty son.
B. The first-born son.
C. A sporty daughter.
D. A young daughter. 5. What is the most likely effect on the child who is the favored one in a family according to
     Professor Scott?A. He simply just has to put his head down and work harder to succeed.
B. He is likely to learn how to turn disadvantages into advantages.
C. He is likely to find life difficult when he has to face the real world.
D. He is likely to develop low self-esteem, anxiety and depression. 6. Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?A. Some people were overshadowed by a favored sibling when they were young.
B. Most people will admit that they feel guilty of favoring one child over another.
C. Experts have different opinions about the consequences of being less favored.
D. The topic about favoritism on parenting websites always arouses angry denials.