12．HAVE you ever gotten a song kept in your head？You sing it all the time-on your way to school，before sleep，even when you're sitting on the toilet．You want to forget it，but the music just keeps sounding in your head．
Some people call these annoying songs"earworms"because they are just like parasites（寄生虫）-they"live"in your ears and refuse to leave even when you tell them to．
But why do some songs become earworms and not others？According to Ira Hyman，a music psychologist at Western Washington University，people are more likely to remember songs that are simple and repetitive，especially ones with that type of music．"Choruses tend to get stuck in your head because they are the bit we know best，"Hyman told The Tele-graph．
If you've got an earworm，you can suffer an attack without even hearing it．Seeing words from the song or hearing someone mention it could both cause the domino effect that starts the song running．
Scientists have been trying to find a solution to deal with earworms．They say the best way is to fill your mind with something else．But here is the tricky part：the task you do should be neither too hard nor too easy．The harder you try not to think about the music，the more you won't be able to help it．On the contrary，a task like jogging which is too easy won't keep your brain busy enough，and that could allow the song to come back．
"The key is to find something that will give the right level of challenge．"said Hymen．Reading a difficult book or a good novel could count．

21．What can we 1earn from the passage？A
A．People may sing earworms everywhere．
B．You can suffer an attack of an earworm on hearing it．
C．You can forget the melody by trying hard not to think about it．
D．Hearing someone sing the song can't start the song running in your head．
22．What kinds of songs will probably become earworms？C
A．Classical songs．
B．Songs we 1ike best．
C．Simple and repetitive songs．
D．Songs that are unfinished．
23．According to the article，if you want to get rid of earworms，you shouldC．
A．Listen to a new song
B．Try not to think of the song
C．Read an interesting novel
D．Do some exercise like jogging．

11．Heads turned，tears dropped，and gossip-filled whispers went on and on from the hospital passages to the house windows．There was a problem：a daughter had been born．She wasn't the first disappointment born to her family．Although my aunt didn't care about giving birth to a girl，her mother-in-law constantly reminded her of the criticism she would have to face if she gave birth to a daughter．In India，most people held these views．
When I visited my relatives during the summer，one sentence managed to fill me with anger and start arguments with my so-called relatives．"You are a girl，stay within your limits．"They simply don't know how different it is living in the US．Anyway，comparisons to my cousins led me to end the arguments for the moment and accept the way they lived their lives．
My words didn't make sense to them so my mind was set on proving them wrong．
Although their words didn't tear me apart，their actions managed to．The amount of sexism（性别歧视） in this culture，especially my hometown，made me feel bad．It was the 21st century，yet women had to eat after the men at family gatherings．They had to cook all the family meals and were asked to take jobs that required little skill or education．It was time to change these views．
As I was growing older，the same relatives repeatedly questioned me about my future："What do you want to be？"And the answer was always the same：electrical engineer．I have a passion for electronics； as clichéd（陈词滥调的） as it sounds，I was born to do it．When I connect wires together to repair something，I can't contain my excitement．But when I tried to explain this to my relatives，all of them，except for my parents and grandparents，would be shocked and laugh at me-laugh because they didn't think I could live up to my goals，being a"girl and all"．It was time to change these views．
In my world，being a girl is not a problem．Rather，it is an opportunity to allow passion，not stereotypes（成见），to shape my future．I decided to channel my relatives'views into positive energy．Rather than letting them bring me down，I let them be motivation to achieve my goal of becoming an engineer．I，a female，will become a successful engineer．
32．The first paragraph was mainly written toB．
A．describe how bad the author's aunt felt for having a baby girl
B．show that most Indian people are strongly prejudiced against women
C．describe the pressure the author's aunt had to face when she was going to have a baby
D．show that the author's aunt's generation is fighting against prejudice against women
33．From the second and third paragraphs，it can be concluded thatB．
A．the author's friends and relatives were jealous about her life in the US
B．the author realized that just using words couldn't change the relatives'sexism
C．the author got used to being reminded to stay within her limits after she was born
D．the author often argued with her relatives because she believed US lifestyles were right
34．In the article，in what way does the author show how serious the amount of sexism was in her hometown？C
A．By describing feeling defeated after arguments．
B．By stressing the conflicts she had with her relatives．
C．By describing people's words，behavior and common practices．
D．By giving examples of how her goals were laughed at repeatedly．
35．According to the text，the author decided to change her relatives'views byA．
A．achieving her dream of becoming an engineer
B．using her relatives'comments as motivation
C．letting stereotypes influence her future decisions
D．achieving her ambition of changing her hometown．

10．Dogs have been man's best friend for thousands of years since the Stone Age．Now scientists suspect they have discovered the root of the relationship-a dog really does understand his master's voice．Researchers have found that pet dogs process the language in a similar way to humans．
They learn to recognize the words that are spoken-the groups of consonants（辅音） and vowels．But tests suggest they also notice the more subtle（微妙的） aspects of human communication-the emotional tone，intonation and volume changes that influence the meaning of language．Scientists at Sussex University think this is because dogs process language in the same way as we do．
Twenty-five dogs were placed between two speakers playing recorded commands．Due to cross-writing（交错的） in the brain，if a dog turned its left ear towards the voice it meant the right side of the brain was processing the sound．On the contrary，turning the right ear forward meant sound was being processed in the left hemisphere．
Researchers Dr David Reby，from the University of Sussex，said，"This is particularly interesting because our results suggest that the processing of speech parts in the dog's brain is divided between the two hemispheres in a way that is actually very similar to the way it is separated in the human brain．Although we cannot say how much or in what way dogs understand information in speech from our study，we can say that dogs react to both spoken and speaker-related information and that these parts appear to be processed in different areas of the dog's brain．"
33．What's the main idea of the passage？A
A．Dog's processing language is similar to human's
B．Dogs are good at processing human language．
C．Dog's language is attracting scientists'interest．
D．Dogs are a good company for people．
34．According to tests，the meaning of language in communication is not affected byA．
A．the expression  
B．the emotional tone 
C．intonation   
D．volume changes
35．How does David Reby feel about the study from his words？A
A．Satisfied   
B．Disappointed  
C．Anxious   
D．Amazed．

9．Loud noises in everyday activities can damage the inner ear．This type of hearing loss can't be healed．But it can be prevented．Block the noise from entering your ears； walk away from it； and turn it down．Those are your first steps in staying safe．
On average，15% of all school-age children live with some hearing loss．And it's a growing problem．A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2012found a 31% rise from 2003to 2010in hearing loss among kids ages 12to 19．
A 2013study by Harvard Medical School did not find the same significant increase．But the Harvard study found that teenage girls have more hearing problems than teenage boys．The study did not track kids into adulthood．
"Imagine a handful of pipe cleaners （烟斗通条）．They represent the hair cells （毛细胞） in your ear，"Andrea Boidman of Research Foundation said．"Being exposed to a really loud noise is like shaking the pipe cleaners really fast．When you're done，the pipe cleaners are all bent．You can never really make them straight again，"she says．"That's like what happens with your hair cells．Once they are damaged，they never go back to being perfect again，and eventually the damage will start to affect your hearing．"
Most people don't know that listening to headphones at full volume puts your ears at risk，"If your iPod is on the maximum volume（最大音量），it's too loud，"says Boidman．"If you listen to it at that level every day，it will cause hearing loss．"Sometimes，staying safe and sound is as simple as turning it down．
21We can conclude from the study by Harvard Medical School thatC．
A．the increase of hearing loss among kids reached 31%
B．more teenage boys suffer hearing loss than teenage girls
C．teenage girls experience more hearing loss than teenage boys
D．the number of adults with hearing problems increased greatly
22．Why does the author compare the pipe cleaners to the hair cells？D
A．Both can be strongly shaken    
B．Neither could be seen clearly
C．Both should be protected carefully   
D．Neither can recover fully if damaged
23．According to the text，when listening to an iPod one shouldB．
A．avoid using headphones     
B．set the proper volume level
C．take a walk while listening     
D．check the safety rules for the headphones
24．The text is mainly aboutD．
A．teenagers'bad habit      
B．a research on teenage safety
C．listening ability and hearing loss   
D．everyday activities and hearing loss．

8．What will man be like in the future-in 5，000 or even 50，000 years from now？We can only make guesses，of course，but we can be sure that he will be different from what he is today，for man is slowly changing all the time．
Let us take an obvious example．Man，even five hundred years ago，was shorter than he is today．Now，on average，men are about three inches taller．Five hundred years is relatively a short period of time，so we may assume that man will continue to grow taller．Again，in the modern world we use our brains a great deal．Even so，we still make use of only about 20% of the brain's capacity（容量）．As time goes on，however，we shall have to use our brains more and more，and eventually we shall need larger ones！This is likely to bring about a physical change to the head，in particular，the forehead will grow larger．
Nowadays our eyes are in constant use．In fact，we use them so much that very often they become weaker and we have to wear glasses．But over a very long period of time it is likely that man's eyes will grow stronger．
On the other hand，we tend to make less use of our arms and legs．These，as a result，are likely to grow weaker．At the same time，however，our fingers will grow more sensitive because they are used a great deal in modern life．
But what about hair？This will probably disappear from the body altogether in course of time because it does not serve a useful purpose any longer．In the future，then，both sexes are likely to be bald．
Perhaps all these give the impression that in the future man will not be a very attractive creature to look at！This may well be true．All the same，in spite of all these changes，future man will still have a lot in common with us．He will still be a human being，with thoughts and emotions similar to our own．

32．The passage mainly tells us thatA．
A．future man will look quite different from us
B．man's life will be different in the future
C．man is growing taller and uglier as time passes
D．man's organs'functions will be on the wane
33．What serves as the evidence that man is changing？B
A．Man has got stronger eyes now than he ever had．
B．Man has been growing taller over the past 500 years．
C．Man's arms and legs have become lighter and weaker．
D．Man's hair is getting thinner and thinner．
34．Which of the following is TRUE about a human being in the future？C
A．His fingers grow weaker because he doesn't have to make use of them．
B．He has smaller eyes and wears better glasses．
C．He is hairless because hair is no longer useful．
D．He thinks and feels in different ways．
35．It is implied thatD．
A．human beings will become less attractive in the future
B．human beings hope for a change in the future life
C．future life is always predictable（可预测的）
D．less use of a bodily organ may lead to its degeneration（退化）

7．There is a problem discussed by people about whether parents should hit their children？Or should they ever beat them？
Research suggests many of us are likely to respond"no"，and public support for spanking（打屁股）has been falling over the years．But surveys also show that 75 percent to nearly 90 percent of parents admit to spanking their child at least once．
I was raised in a zero-tolerance home for disrespect，and my parents often turned to physical punishment．And，no，I don't feel I was damaged by it．
Nothing is more annoying than watching ill-mannered behavior from children．
But there is data to suggest that a return to old-school spanking isn't the answer．
Two years ago，Newsweek reported that it had found data suggesting that teens whose parents u sed physical punishment were more likely to become aggressive．
Murray Straus，professor at the University of New Hampshire in America，has studied the topic of children and spanking for decades．He said that children who were physically punished have lower IQs than their peers．It may be that children with lower IQs were more likely to get spanked，but the punishment may have been counterproductive（反作用的）to their mental development，as well．
Some researchers make the argument that occasional open-handed smacks（用巴掌打）on the bottom are not only harmless but can have some benefit．
Last year，Marjorie Gunnoe，a psychologist at Calvin College，studied teens who have never been spanked．There are a greater number of children growing up without ever having been physically punished．Gunnoe's research suggests they don't turn out any better than those who were sometimes spanked．
There are some parents who simply cannot control their tempers（脾气）．But I still believe that the best parents are the ones who are able to offer fair and firm discipline without ever turning to physical punishment．

29．According to the first three paragraphs，the author was probably hit by her parents whenC．
A．they were dissatisfied with her grade
B．they cannot control their temper
C．she showed no respect for the elder
D．their discipline turns out to be not strict enough
30．According to Murray Straus，children who are physically punishedB．
A．are less aggressive toward others when they get older
B．may develop lower IQs than their peers
C．benefit from occasional spanking
D．have slower physical development
31．The author seems to agree thatA．
A．good parents discipline their children in a fair and reasonable way
B．children who have been spanked tend to behave better than those who haven't
C．physical punishment should be the last resort （手段）of any parent
D．parents should determine whether a child needs to be smacked or not．

6．Teachers and parents usually call attention to the pictures when they read storybooks to preschool child．But a new study suggests that calling attention to the words and letters on the page may lead to better readers．
The two-year study compared children who were read in this way in class with children who were not．Those whose teachers most often discussed the print showed clearly higher skills in reading，spelling and understanding．These results were found one year and even two years later．
 Shayne Piasta，an assistant professor of teaching and learning at Ohio State University，was a n author of the study．She says most preschool teachers would find this method manageable and would need only a small change in the way they teach．They already read story-books in class．The only diff erence would be increased attention to the printed text．"If you get children to pay attention to letters and words，it makes sense that they will do better at word recognition and spelling．"But she says research suggests that very few parents and teachers do this in a systematic way．
   More than 300 children aged four and five were observed in classrooms．They came from poor families and were below average in their language skills．For thirty weeks，the children took part in a program called Project STAR-Sit Together and Read．The project is based in Ohio State．It tests the short-term and long-term results of reading regularly to preschool children in their classrooms．
    There are different ways that adults can talk to children about print．They can point to a letter and discuss it，and even trace the shape with a finger．They can point out a word and discuss the meaning of the print or how the words tell the story．And they can talk about the organization of the print--for instance，showing how words are written left to right in English．
56．What do we know about the ways preschool children are usually taught？B
A．Preference is given to the shape of the letters and the organization of the print．
B．More attention is paid to the picture，with words and letters being ignored．
C．The focus of the teaching is on bringing them up to be good readers．
D．Equal attention is paid to the texts and the pictures．
57．Shayne Piasta suggested that preschool teachers shouldC．
A．read storybooks regularly in class．
B．learn to manage their class well
C．often discuss the printed words and letters  
D．search for a better method of reading
58．The children who joined in Project STAR wereA．
A．very poor in their reading          
B．mostly cleverer than others
C．especially good at language skills   
D．worried about reading problems
59．Which of the following is TRUE about the study on language skills of preschool children？D
A．Many teachers want to change their way of teaching preschool children．
B．Attention of the pictures has made the children uninterested in reading．
C．Teachers are often prevented from taking different approaches to language teaching．
D．Project STAR aims to research into the results of reading books to preschool children in the classro om．
60．The last paragraph mainly tells usC．
A．why we should discuss the meaning of the print 
B．the shape of the letter is the focus of teaching
C．how we can teach children about print   
D．English words are usually written from left to right．

5．A man was selling medicine at a fair（集市）．At first he sold bottles of a cure（药剂）for colds for just a dollar a bottle．
Many people wanted to buy it and the man's young assistant moved quickly through the crowd collecting money and handing out bottles of the cure．
Then，when he had a big crowd，the man held up a very small bottle．
"And now，ladies and gentlemen，he shouted，"Here is the medicine you have been waiting for．The cure for old age．Drink just one bottle of this and you will live forever．
"And，ladies and gentlemen，the man continued，"I'm not going to charge you a hundred dollars a bottle for this wonderful medicine．I'm not going to charge you fifty dollars a bottle．I'm not going to charge you twenty-five dollars a bottle．Now，ladies and gentlemen，I'm going to charge you just ten dollars a bottle． Think，my friends，for ten dollars you can live forever．
    Most of the people in the crowd did not believe this．
One person shouted，"If it can make you live forever，why don't you drink it？
Then another person cried，"Yes，you look as if you're at least sixty years old．
"Thank you，sir，thank you．"the man answered，"I'm so glad you said that． My real age is three hundred and twenty-nine．
The crowd laughed at this but there were still some people who wanted to believe the man．One of them spoke to the man's assistant as she passed by，"Is that true？he asked．"Is he three hundred and twenty-nine？
"Don't ask me，the assistant said，"I've only worked for him for a hundred and fifty years．
25．What did the man sell at first at the fair？B
A．bottles   
B．a cure for colds  
C．a medicine that made people live forever 
D．a cure for old age
26．How much did the man charge for the cure for old age？D
A．twenty-five dollars a bottle      
B．one dollar a bottle
C．fifty dollars a bottle             
D．ten dollars a bottle
27．What does the word"assistant"mean in this passage？C
A．朋友  B．仆人  C．助手  D． 同伴
28．What does this passage really mean？A
A．The man is not honest，and nor is his assistant．
B．The cure for old age is very useful and not so expensive．  
C．The two men are very honest，and they would like to help people live forever．
D．The cheaper the medicine is，the more people will buy．

4．Dear Sir，
I have to travel e very day from Souk Road to the airport．Two buses travel along their route：the number 49 and number 16．But by the time the number 16 bus reaches Souk Road it is always full，so I can't get on it．I have to wait for the number 49，because sometimes there are empty seats on it．
       The timetable says that there are buses from Souk Road to the airport every ten minutes．If this is so，why do I have to wait half an hour for a bus nearly every day？
       The regulations （规章） say that if there are empty seats on a bus，the bus must stop at every stop where people are waiting．Why do the half-empty buses go straight past me when I am standing at the bus stop？
       The regulations say that no bus may carry m ore than 40 seated passengers and 20 standing passengers．Yesterday I was the first to get off the bus when it reached the airport．I counted the other passengers as they got off．There were 129 of them．
       It is clear that our bus companies break the regulations and think little of their passengers．Can nothing be done to make your service better？
                                                 Yours，
                                                 Tired passenger
21．The writer has to take Bus No.49 becauseA．
A．it is not always full                  
B．it arrives on time
C．it has fewer seats on it              
D．it travels faster
22．The regulations say that each bus may carryDpassengers at most．
A.40              B.20          C.129              D.60 
23．From the passage we can infer that the writer of the letter is probablyB．
A．a bus driver                             
B．an airport worker
C．an English teacher                      
D．a very tired traveler
24．What kind of letter is this passage？C
A．It's a letter of apology                
B．It's a letter of thanks
C．It's a letter of complaint                 
D．It's a letter of introduction．

3．As with any house guests，indoor plants require a certain amount of basic，regular attention if they are going to feel at home．The first consideration when purchasing plants is to make reasonably sure that they are suitable for the condition in which they are going to be housed．
     A general rule for most plants being brought indoors for the first time is to ensure that they have reasonable temperature of not less than 60 degrees Fahrenheit，a position out of cold air，safe from pets and not exposed to strong sunlight．
     Plants love company．When plants are growing together，they create an atmosphere of damp around themselves which is far more beneficial than hot dry conditions．A group of plants will also present a more pleasing picture and provide an opportunity for a creative arrangement．There is no secret to this．Just rely on your natural feeling for harmony．
     Watering and feeding plants are probably the two areas of care that are the least well understood，but，again，if you follow a few simple rules，your plants should do well．Cold slightly warm water is therefore the answer．It is usually better to pour water on to the soil on the surface of the pot rather than put the water into the pot holder at the bottom．Avoid giving small amount of water at regular intervals-it is much better to wet the soil right through the pot in one go and then to allow it to dry noticeably before giving it a further watering．
The majority of indoor plants will be in active growth from March until October，and during this time，the established ones will benefit from regular feeding．This may mean feeding with a weak liquid fertilizer（肥料） at each watering or at intervals of a week or ten days with fertilizer at a standard strength．It is important，however，to ensure that plants are not fed when growth is inactive，when the soil in the pot is dry，or too soon after the plants has been potted up．
28．In Paragraph 2，the author mainly tells us toD．
A．buy plants that help clean indoor air         
B．create a new environment with plants
C．put plants on the sunny side of the room      
D．make sure of suitable conditions for plants
29．What's the benefit of plants growing together？C
A．It provides owners good company．
B．It makes it convenient to look after them．
C．It helps the air around them slightly wet．
D．It allows owners to draw a pleasant picture．
30．While watering the plants，what should we remember to do？A
A．Use water that is a little warm．
B．Pour the water into the pot holder．
C．Give small amount of water at one time．
D．Consider further watering in wet weather．
31．What is the best time to feed the plants？C
A．When the soil is dry．
B．When the temperature is high．
C．When their growth is active．
D．When they have just been planted．