Sometimes life gets a little dull．What used to be fun and different becomes boring．That is the
time to look for something new．It is the time for a big idea to get your mind off everyday life．So why not search for extraterrestrial （地球外的） intelligence? Or even better, why not get your computer to do it for you?
Over two million people have joined the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence（SETI）
project．Based in California, the SETI project analyzes information taken from a giant radio telescope based in South America．Its task is to look for signals from outer space that might prove that life exists on other planets．
Processing this information is far too big a job for one computer．So the SETI project workers
divide the work among volunteers who visit their website．Each computer gets some information to work out from the SETI network through the Internet．This process is often known as “meta-computing”．
It is a wonderful thought．You are sleeping, eating a meal or going out with friends．All this
time, your computer is searching the stars for signs that might show something is out there trying to get in touch．Volunteers are proud of being involved in the SETI project．It shows that they understand the potential of computing．They know that it is more than just a way of working or playing games．
Meta-computing may also be creating intelligence as well as looking for it．This idea is based
on the theory that human intelligence is created by the way in which different parts of the brain communicate with each other．As the saying goes, “The whole is more than the sum of its parts．” People who join the SETI project sometimes wonder whether their computer will become part of a huge network that has learned to think for itself．
1.According to the writer, meta-computing may be creating intelligence __________．
A．because human beings are intelligent
B．because a computer works as the brain does
C．because of a network of many computers
D．because of the number of computers
2.Which of the following shows the order in which the SETI network works?
A．Radio telescope→SETI website→Volunteers’ computers→SETI base
B．Radio telescope→SETI base→SETI website→Volunteers’ computers
C．SETI base→SETI website→Volunteers’ computers→Radio telescope
D．SETI base→Radio telescope→SETI website→Volunteers’ computers
3.The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refers to________．
A．extra-terrestrial intelligence B．human intelligence
C．the SETI project D．meta-computing
4.The passage mainly tells us about __________．
A．a new way to work on the computer
B．a new way to work and play games
C．a new way to search for life outside the earth
D．a new way to make life interesting and different．
The days of the hunter are almost over in India．This is partly because there is practically
nothing left to kill, and partly because some steps have been taken mainly by banning tiger-shooting to protect those animals which still survive．
Some people say that man is naturally a hunter．I disagree with this view．Surely our earliest
forefathers, who at first possessed no weapons, spent their time digging for roots, and were no doubt themselves often hunted by meat-eating animals．
I believe the main reason why the modern hunter kills is that he thinks people will admire his
courage in overpowering dangerous animals．Of course, there are some who truly believe that the killing is not really the important thing, and that the chief pleasure lies in the joy of the hunt and the beauty of the wild countryside．There are also those for whom hunting in fact offers a chance to prove themselves and risk death by design; these men go out after dangerous animals like tigers, even if they say they only do it to rid the countryside of a threat．I can respect reasons like these, but they are clearly different from the need to strengthen your high opinion of yourself．
The greatest big-game hunters expressed in their writings something of these finer
motives．One of them wrote:
“You must properly respect what you are after and shoot it clearly and on the animal’s own
territory （领地）．You must fix forever in your mind all the wonders of that particular day．This is better than letting him grow a few years older to be attacked and wounded by his own son and eventually eaten, half alive, by other animals．Hunting is not a cruel and senseless killing — not if you respect the thing you kill, not if you kill to enrich your memories, not if you kill to feed your people．”
I can understand such beliefs, and can compare these hunters with those who hunted lions with
spears and bravely caught them by the tail．But this is very different from many tiger-shoots I have seen, in which modern weapons were used．The so-called hunters fired from tall trees or from the backs of trained elephants．Such methods made tigers seem no more dangerous than rabbits．
1.There is little hunting in India now partly because ________．
A．it is dangerous to hunt there B．hunting is already out of date
C．hunters want to protect animals D．there are few animals left to hunt
2.The author thinks modern hunters kill mainly ________．
A．to make the countryside safe B．to earn people’s admiration
C．to gain power and influence D．to improve their health
3.What do we learn about the big-game hunters?
A．They hunt old animals． B．They mistreat animals．
C．They hunt for food． D．They hunt for money．
4.What is the author’s view on the tiger-shoots he has seen?
A．Modern hunters lack the courage to hunt face-to-face．
B．Modern hunters should use more advanced weapons．
C．Modern hunters like to hunt rabbits instead of tigers．
D．Modern hunters should put their safety first．
l Putting Movies on Mobiles
Movies in the theater get their recognition at awards ceremonies such as the Oscars．But how about movies for phones? They are getting their turn at MoFilm — the first mobile film festival．
The first MoFilm competition received 250
entries from more than 100 countries．Entries were restricted to films that were five minutes or less in
length — ideal for viewing and sharing on mobile phones．An independent jury then
selected a shortlist of five film-makers．The winner was chosen from the shortlist by an audience voting using
their phones．
l New Platforms
The awards highlight the increasing impact that mobile phones are making in the entertainment industry．Many grassroots filmmakers start out with short films．They are thwarted by the lack of opportunities to screen their work．Therefore, mobile phones are increasingly being seen as a new platform for these short works．
It is a good place for anyone who wants to express themselves and find a way to have that expression seen by a wide audience．Just think about how many people have mobile phones in the world!
l New Technology Advances
MoFilm is pioneering content for mobile and online services that is a world away from Hollywood．The majority of films made for mobiles are now short in length, taking into account the screen size．However this could be overcome as technology advances．
In the near future, longer films will likely be seen on the mobile phone．And there are mobile companies creating phones where users can watch movies at higher quality．
Wherever you see movies, one thing is certain: the quality of work, the simple ability at story telling, and the thing that inspires someone to tell a story can really come from anywhere．
1.At the first MoFilm, ________．
A．movies in the theater got their recognition
B．more than 100 countries took part in the competition
C．ideal films were five minutes or less in length
D．the winner was chosen by experts’ voting
2.“They are thwarted by the lack of opportunities to screen their work．” The underlined word means “________”．
A．discouraged B．encouraged C．frightened D．surprised
3.Nowadays the majority of films made for mobiles are short in length because of ________．
A．online services B．the mobile phone
C．technology advances D．the screen size
4.What’s certain about the future of MoFilm according to the passage?
A．The number of mobile phone users may contribute to the popularity of MoFilm．
B．Audience is sure to watch longer films on mobile phones in the near future．
C．Some mobile companies are on the way to producing mobile films of higher quality．
D．Grassroots filmmakers can achieve their career success more easily starting from MoFlim．
We convince ourselves that life will be better once we are married, have a baby, then another．Then we get frustrated because our children are not old enough and that all will be well when they are older．Then we are frustrated because they reach teenage years and we must deal with them．Surely we'll be happier when they grow out of the teen years．
We tell ourselves our life will be better when our spouse （配偶） gets his/her act together, when we have a nicer car, when we can take a vacation, when we finally retire．The truth is that there is no better time to be happy than right now．If not, then when? Your life will always be full of challenges．It is better to admit as much and to decide to be happy in spite of it all．
For the longest time, it seemed that life was about to start—real life．
But there was always some obstacles （挫折） along the way, an ordeal （苦难） to get through, some work to be finished, some time to be given, a bill to be paid．Then life would start．It finally dawned on me that those obstacles were part of life．Little by little, that point of view also helped me see that there isn't any road to happiness．
Happiness is the road．So, enjoy every moment．And bear in mind that __________．So stop waiting for school to end, for a return to school, to lose ten pounds, to gain ten pounds, for work to begin, to get married, for Friday evening, for Sunday morning, waiting for a new car, for your mortgage（借款） to be paid off, for spring, for summer, for fall, for winter, for the first or the fifteenth of the month, for your song to be played on the radio, to die, to be reborn… before deciding to be happy．
Happiness is a voyage, not a destination．There is no better time to be happy than… NOW! Live and enjoy the moment．
1.The most proper title for the passage should be______．
A．Happiness Is a Frustration B．Happiness Is a Destination
C．Happiness Is a Dream D．Happiness is a Process
2.The first two paragraphs mainly tell us_______．
A．life is a worthwhile but challenging voyage
B．so long as you believe you can, you can
C．people tend to think the future will be brighter than now
D．people feel at a loss about their life
3.The writer thinks _______is a real happiness
A．setting our imagination free B．enjoying our present life
C．finding our own shortcut to success D．facing obstacles and challenges bravely
4.Which of the sayings can fill in the blank in the fourth paragraph?
A．time waits for no one B．time is money
C．tomorrow is another day D．time can work wonders
“Help! Help! Help!” a resident screamed over the phone, “I am being eaten alive by mosquitoes!”
Recent rainfalls have produced an early hit of blood-seeking mosquitoes．Once flooded, eggs laid during the drought（干旱） along water banks hatch（孵化） quickly, flying off to seek hosts such as people, birds, and other animals．
The flood mosquitoes are big and aggressive．They chase you down, drill into your skin and take your blood, causing pain and itchiness．“I have lost a pint of blood to those suckers,” a Spring Hill resident claimed．“Mosquitoes are killing my kids,” a Ridge Manor woman shouted．
Residents are urged to protect themselves when going out, especially during the hours of dusk and dawn．Long-sleeve shirts, long pants, socks and hats will help keep mosquitoes at bay．
Mosquito Control has already received hundreds of service requests this month．When calling in, residents need to provide their name, address, phone number and nature of the problem．Technicians will respond by looking into the problem and making proper treatment．
Mosquitoes grow in almost any kind or amount of water．Controlling mosquito larvae（幼虫） is important to mosquito control．Kept in their water habitat, larvae are treated and killed before they mature and “take to wing．” Field technicians check their areas searching for mosquitoes breeding in lakes, ponds, drainage ditches（排水沟） and they treat the water with a host of larvicides．
It is important to understand that mosquito control is much more than sending a spray truck （airplane or helicopter in other counties） to kill adult mosquitoes．Night-time spraying is actually the last defense after all the above procedures have been done, but there are still mosquitoes present in the area．
1.The author writes the first paragraph in order to _________．
A．make the public take action at once
B．attract readers to read the following contents
C．show that the people bothered by mosquitoes are helpless
D．criticize that the government has done nothing
2.According to the passage, when do the eggs hatch?
A．When the flood hits． B．During the drought．
C．After the flood leaves． D．When spring comes．
3.When are mosquitoes most dangerous?
A．At dawn and dusk． B．At noon．
C．In the late morning． D．At midnight．
4.What can be inferred from the passage?
A．Where there is water, there are mosquitoes．
B．Mosquitoes can be totally got rid of if treated properly．
C．Mosquito Control provides free service on mosquito problems for residents．
D．It works better to get rid of mosquito larvae than to kill adult mosquitoes．
阅读下面短文, 从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）, 选出可以填入空白处
的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
I just read a beautiful story．And it touched the innermost part of my heart．It is about a little
girl, a 1and a corporation．But 2crying at work might be a 3, you should wait until you get home to read it．Trust me．
10-year-old Colby Curtin of Huntington Beach, California, had been 4with a rare form of cancer for three years．This month, it became 5that Colby would probably 6soon．The one thing she wanted to do 7she died was see the movie, “Up”．She’d been 8by the previews（预告片）．
But Colby’s health was so 9that she could not be taken to the theater, and “Up” is only playing in theaters．By June 9, it was clear Colby wouldn’t 10．A family friend began desperately 11numbers at Pixar．She finally 12to someone and told them Colby’s 13．After a discussion, Pixar 14to help．
Colby’s mother asked her, “Do you think you can hold on?” “I’m 15to die, but I’m going to wait for the movie,” the girl replied．
On June 10, Pixar 16an employee to the Curtin home and showed the film on DVD—possibly the only DVD copy of the movie that 17then．
Here’s what her mom said, “When I 18it, I had really no idea about the 19or the theme of the movie, I just know that word ‘Up’ and all of the balloons and I swear to you, for me it meant that Colby was going to go up．Up to 20．”
Colby died seven hours after watching the movie．
1.A．boy B．lover C．play D．movie
2.A．if B．whether C．while D．for
3.A．sorrow B．problem C．trick D．joke
4.A．sticking B．suffering C．experiencing D．living
5.A．clear B．uncertain C．sorry D．sure
6.A．recover B．return C．die D．come
7.A．until B．when C．after D．before
8.A．fascinated B．shocked C．disappointed D．surprised
9.A．good B．poor C．normal D．stable
10.A．do it B．see to it C．make it D．survive it
11.A．calling B．counting C．dialing D．picking
12.A．got over B．got away C．got down D．got through
13.A．regret B．will C．demand D．order
14.A．refused B．hoped C．agreed D．offered
15.A．scared B．ready C．afraid D．sad
16.A．planned B．made C．shipped D．flew
17.A．mattered B．counted C．sold D．existed
18.A．watched B．listened C．saw D．heard
19.A．beginning B．ending C．cost D．content
20.A．sky B．balloon C．heaven D．hell
