Let’s pretend we’re sailing down the Rhine River on a pleasure boat. The Rhine is one of the main waterways of Germany, and the river traffic is heavy. It’s interesting to watch the many boats going up and down the river. But the river traffic is not nearly so interesting as the beautiful scenery along the banks and hillsides. The boat is passing many old castles. We can see people working in the vineyards (葡萄园) on the hillsides. There are vineyards as far as the eye can see. Wine from the Rhine Valley is famous all over the world.
Suddenly our boat slows down and begins to turn a little. We are coming to a sharp bend in the river. On our right we can see a rocky cliff over 400 feet high. At first it looks quite ordinary, but there is nothing ordinary about it. There are many stories, poems, and songs about the cliff. We are looking at the Lorelei. Then someone on the boat begins to sing in German, the song of the Lorelei. It is a song about a beautiful siren (妖妇) who has lured(引诱) many sailors to their deaths.
The siren is supposed to sit on the rock combing her long golden hair and singing. The sailors who hear her forget to steer（掌舵）, and the current of river hurls (掀翻) their boats on the rocks and dashes（猛撞）them to pieces.
Soon other people on the boat begin to sing. The beautiful song adds to special magic to the moment, and you begin to realize why so many people have made this trip down the Rhine to see the rock of the Lorelei.
小题1:The most interesting thing to those who are sailing down the Rhine River on a pleasure boat is     .  

A．to watch many boats going up and down the river

B．to see the beautiful scene along the banks and hillsides

C．to hear a song about beautiful siren

D．to see a beautiful siren combing her golden hair

小题2: Which of the following is famous all over the world?

A．The Rhine River.	B．The River Traffic.
C．Wine from the Rhine Valley.	D．The Lorelei.

小题3:We can see a rocky cliff over 400 feet high     .

A．on our right when coming to a sharp bend	B．on the Rhine hillsides
C．from the Rhine Valley	D．on the boat

小题4: The song of the Lorelei is about     .

A．The Rhine wine

B．a rocky cliff

C．the beautiful scenery along the Rhine River

D．a beautiful and dangerous siren

All plant cells are capable of taking up（吸收）water. Even dead ones do to a certain degree. Absorption（吸收）of water by dead cell walls makes wood become larger.
In common land plants, the living cells of roots take upmost of the water. Land plants without roots do exist, however. Those greenish-yellow lichens（苔藓）you see on rocks in the high mountains have no roots. Half a billion years ago, when water plants started to enter the land, the first land plants did not have roots.
Even among the flowering plants, one finds rootless forms. These flowering plants are “the higher plants” because they evolved（进化）recently and are thus considered higher on the evolutionary scale（进化度）.
In the Peruvian desert, there grows one of these rootless higher plants, a bromeliad. It is a relative of the pineapple. Even if this plant had roots, they would be of no use, because where the plant grows, it never rains. The plant gets its water only from the dew（露水）it collects at night, when its leaves cool off. Such rootless plants, of course, can be moved with ease, but they will only grow when they are placed out in the open. If they are placed too near a house, the radiation from the heat of the house prevents the leaves from cooling and so prevents dew from forming, and the plant dies.
In the southern United States and in Puerto Rico, one sees bromeliads growing high above the streets on the insulation（绝缘物）of electric wires. These plants get their water from rain, and the only soil they ever come in contact with is the dust that may blow on their leaves.
小题1:Wood becomes larger because of       .

A．dead cell walls	B．water entering dead cells
C．the growth of cells	D．the death of cells

小题2:From the passage we know that the evolutionary scale is graded according to      .

A．evolutionary cycles	B．heights and depths
C．time	D．kinds

小题3:The “bromeliad” is a plant that     .

A．has no roots	B．is a pineapple
C．can grow anywhere	D．takes up water through its leaves

小题4:The most suitable title for this passage is “      ”.

A．Absorption of water by plants	B．Rootless plants in America
C．Plants in the desert	D．Higher plants

完形填空（共20小题；每小题1分，满分20分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从1～20各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C或D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Butterfly’s wings
One day a small opening appeared on a cocoon(茧), a man sat and watched for the butterfly for several hours as it was struggling to  1  its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten  2  it could and it could go no further. So the man decided to  3  the butterfly: he took a pair of scissors and  4  the remaining part of the cocoon. The butterfly then  5  easily.
But it has a swollen(肿胀的) body and  6  wings. The man continued to  7  the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the  8  would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would  9 in time. Neither happened!  10,  the butterfly spent the rest of its life  11 around with a swollen body and small, shriveled(褶皱的) wings. It  12  was able to fly. What the man did in his  13 and haste(匆忙)did no good to the butterfly. He didn’t know the  14  cocoon and the struggle  15  for the butterfly to get through the tiny  16 were the natural way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings  17  it would be ready for flight once it achieved its  18  from the cocoon.
Sometimes the  19  is exactly what we need in our life. If we are allowed to go through our life without any  20, it would not be a good thing to us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been.

小题1:	A．build B．force C．form D．destroy

小题2:	A．as far as B．as long as C．as soon as D．as quick as

小题3:	A．seize B．leave C．bring D．help

小题4:	A．took off B．made up C．cut off D．picked up

小题5:	A．spread over B．came out C．stayed in D．flew away

小题6:	A．hard B．strong C．small D．large

小题7:	A．watch B．look for C．look after D．follow

小题8:	A．butterfly B．wings C．cocoon D．scissors

小题9:	A．disappear B．enlarge C．lose D．contract

小题10:

A．Luckily B．Probably C．In all D．In fact

小题11:

A．crawling B．approaching C．running D．wandering

小题12:

A．ever B．seldom C．always D．never

小题13:

A．fear B．kindness C．evil D．confidence

小题14:

A．restricting B．loose C．soft D．little

小题15:

A．prepared B．wanted C．allowed D．required

小题16:

A．place B．room C．opening D．space

小题17:

A．even if B．otherwise C．when D．so that

小题18:

A．life B．success C．progress D．freedom

小题19:

A．courage B．struggle C．wisdom D．strength

小题20:

A．fun B．friends C．obstacles D．achievement

According to the dictionary definition of“create, ordinary people are creative every day”.To create means“to bring into being, to cause to exist something each of us does daily”.
We are creative whenever we look at or think about something in a new way. First, this includes an awareness of our surroundings. It means using all of our senses to become aware of our world. This may be as simple as being aware of color and texture(质地),as well as taste, when we plan a meal. Above all, it is the ability to notice things that others might miss.
A second part of creativity is an ability to see relationships among things. If we believe the expression,“There is nothing new under the sun, the creativity is remaking or recombining(重组) the old in new ways.”For example, we might do this by finding a more effective way to study or a better way to arrange our furniture, or we might make a new combination of camera lenses and filters to create an unusual photograph.
A third part of creativity is the courage and drive to make use of our new ideas, to ask for them to achieve some new results. To think up a new idea is one thing; to put the idea to work is another.
These three parts of creativity are included in all the great works of geniuses, but they are also included in many of our day-to-day activities.
小题1:“There is nothing new under the sun” really implies that _________.

A．a new thing can only be created at the basis of earliest things

B．a new thing is only a tale

C．we can seldom create new things

D．we can hardly see really new things in the world

小题2:What does the author think about the relationship between a new thought and its being put into practice?

A．It’s more difficult to create a new thought than to use it in practice.

B．To find a new thought will clearly lead to the production of a new thing.

C．A man with an excellent ability of practice can easily become an inventor.

D．One may come up with a new thought, but can not put it into practice.

小题3:The best title for this passage is__________.

A．How to Develop One’s Creativity	B．What Is Creativity
C．The Importance of Creativity	D．Creativity, a Not Faraway Thing

You are here: Experts > Science > Science/Nature for Kids > Science for Kids > Life Science for teens<>

Expert: Science Adviser - <>3/21/2011

QUESTION: Dear Marie, Do you have some good suggestions of biology: plant, animal, human science experiments that would work well with teenagers? Scientific methods must go with the experiments. Thanks! < Donna ANSWER: Dear Donna, Marie is not online and I’ll help you instead of him. There are a lot of little things that can be done, but do you mean lab experiment or statistical analysis, etc.? Let us know what can be suitable for you teens, and we will do our best to send you some experiments to do. Best， Gloria

Expert: Science Adviser - 3/23/2011

QUESTION: Dear Gloria, I need lab experiments. The teenage students and I will use data from these experiments to make charts, graphs, tables, etc. and to provide claims and evidence to explain more about the results. Thank you very much. Donna ANSWER: Hi there, Your best and easiest way is to do some chemistry experiments. Those are very easy and most probably you can do it in the lab and have charts, etc. for you. I do not have any particular one at the top of my head because I do cancer research and it is a bit more difficult than research for teenagers. I think you can look through these and see if you find something useful for you. http://www.siraze.net/chemistry/sezennur/experiments.htm If not, get back to me and Marie, and we’ll look more. The good thing about this site is that it has the procedures that you can follow. Good luck， Gloria

小题1:How many Science Advisers are there working for this website?

A．Only one.

B．At least two.

C．About three.

D．Over five.

小题2:According to Donna, she and the teenage students need ___________.

A．experiments in the lab	B．statistical analysis
C．chemistry experiments	D．charts and evidence

小题3:Who is this text for?

A．Teenagers.

B．Teachers.

C．Parents.

D．Experts.

小题4:According to Gloria, Donna and the teenage students should __________.

A．turn to others for help	B．do cancer researches
C．look through a website	D．tell who will be helped

阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出一个可以填入空白处的最佳选项）。
Children find meanings in their old family tales．
When Stephen Guyer’s three children were growing up, he told them stories about how his grandfather, a banker,   1  all in the 1930s, but did not lose sight of what he valued most. In one of the darkest times   2  his strong-minded grandfather was nearly  3  , he loaded his family into the car and   4   them to see family members in Canada with a   5  , “there are more important things in life than money”.
The   6  took on a new meaning recently when Mr. Guyer downsized to  7   house from a more expensive and comfortable one. He was  8     that his children, a daughter, 15, and twins, 22, would be upset．To his surprise, they weren’t.  9     , their reaction echoed (共鸣) their great-grandfather’s．What they 10   was how warm the people were in the house and how  11    of their heart was accessible.
Many parents are finding that family stories have surprising power to help children
  12   hard times. Storytelling experts say the phenomenon reflects a growing   13    in telling tales, evidenced by a rise in storytelling events and festivals.
A university   14   of 65 families with children aged from 14 to 16 found kids’ ability to 15  parents’ stories was linked to a lower rate of anger and anxiety.
The  16  is telling the stories in a way children can 17   . We’re not talking here about the kind of story that  18  , “ When I was a kid, I walked to school every day uphill both ways, barefoot in the snow.” Instead, we should choose a story suited to the child’s 19 , and make eye contact (接触) to create “a personal experience”. We don’t have to tell children 20   they should take from the story and what the moral is.

小题1:	A．missed B．lost C．forgot D．ignored

小题2:	A．when B．while C．how D．why

小题3:	A．friendless B．worthless C．penniless D．homeless

小题4:	A．fetched B．allowed C．expected D．took

小题5:	A．hope B．promise C．suggestion D．belief

小题6:	A．tale B．agreement C．arrangement D．report

小题7:	A．large B．small C．new D．grand

小题8:	A．surprised B．annoyed C．disappointed D．worried

小题9:	A．Therefore B．Besides C．Instead D．Otherwise

小题10:

A．talked about B．cared about C．wrote about D．heard about

小题11:

A．much B．many C．little D．few

小题12:

A．beyond B．over C．behind D．through

小题13:

A．argument B．skill C．interest D．anxiety

小题14:

A．study B．design C．committee D．staff

小题15:

A．provide B．retell C．support D．refuse

小题16:

A．trouble B．gift C．fact D．trick

小题17:

A．perform B．write C．bear D．question

小题18:

A．means B．ends C．begins D．proves

小题19:

A．needs B．activities C．judgments D．habits

小题20:

A．that B．what C．which D．whom

Flying over a desert in an airplane, two scientists looked down with trained eyes at trees and bushes．After an hour’s flight, one of the scientists wrote in his notebook, "Look here for probable metal." Walking across hilly ground, four scientists reported, "This ground should be searched for metals." From an airplane over a hilly wasteland a scientist sent back by radio one word "Uranium".
None of the scientists had X-ray eyes: they had no magic powers for looking down below the earth’s surface．They were merely putting to use one of the newest methods of locating minerals in the ground -- using trees and plants as signs that certain minerals may lie under the ground on which the trees and plants are growing.
This newest method of searching for minerals is based on the fact that minerals deep in the earth may affect the kind of bushes and trees that grow on the surface.
At Watson Bar Creek, a mineral search group gathered bags of tree seeds．Boxes were filled with small branches from the trees．Roots were dug and put into boxes．Each bag and box was carefully marked．In a scientific laboratory the parts of the forest trees were burned to ashes and tested．Each small part was examined to learn whether there were minerals in it.
Study of the roots, branches and seeds showed no silver．But there were small amounts of gold in the roots and a little less gold in the branches and seeds．The seeds growing nearest to the tree trunk had more gold than those growing on the ends of the branches.
If the trees indicated that there was no gold in the ground, the scientists wouldn’t spare money to pay for digging into the ground.
小题1:Scientists were flying over a desert or a hilly wasteland or a mountain region to _____.

A．train their eyes	B．study the trees
C．look for gold	D．search for minerals

小题2:The study of trees, branches and roots indicated that ______.

A．there were larger amounts of gold in the branches far from the tree trunk than in the seeds

B．there were smaller amounts of gold in the tree roots deep in the ground than in the branches

C．there were larger amounts of gold in the seeds growing closer to the tree trunk than in the seeds farther from it

D．there were larger amounts of gold in the branches than in the leaves on the ends of the branches

小题3:Which of the following is NOT mentioned as part of a tree that can help the searchers?

A．leaves

B．roots

C．branches

D．seeds

小题4:Which of the following might be the best title for this passage?

A．Scientists searching for treasure with special equipment.

B．New methods of doing geological study.

C．Gold could be found in trees and plants.

D．A new method of searching for minerals.

IELTS: international English language testing system
Introduction: The IELTS is jointly managed by the University of Cambridge Local Examination Syndicate (剑桥大学考试委员会), the British Council (英国文化委员会) and IDP Education Australia (澳洲教育国际开发署)
Why more and more people are taking the IELTS test?
The IELTS test is widely recognized by the colleges, universities and other academic institutions of Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United Kingdom. More and more universities and colleges in the US are also accepting an IELTS result as a language requirement for application to degree courses.
IELTS is accepted by many important organizations, such as the New Zealand Immigration Bureau, the Australian Immigration and Cultural Department, the Canadian Immigration Bureau, the Australian Medical Council and the British Medical Association (总会).
Choice of two test types
There are two test models: Academic and General Training. The candidate must select the one suitable to his/here purpose for taking the test.
Academic: for candidates who want to apply for undergraduate or postgraduate courses.
General Training: for candidates who take IELTS for immigration purpose, training programmes, or work experience.
If you have any questions about which type to take, consult the Examinations Services staff at the British Council offices.
Content
The test is composed of four papers: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. The first three papers must be taken at one sitting on one day, and the speaking paper may be taken up to two days later. Usually in China, the Listening paper is taken on a Saturday morning, followed by the Reading paper, and then Writing paper. The Speaking test is usually taken on the Saturday afternoon or on the following Saturday. Candidates must complete all four papers in order to obtain an overall score.
小题1:How many organizations is IELTS managed by?

A．6.

B．5.

C．4.

D．3.

小题2:Why are more and more people taking the IELTS test?

A．It is widely accepted by many countries.

B．It is widely recognized by many colleges, institutions and many important organizations.

C．It’s proof for people’s ability.

D．It’s interesting and acceptable.

小题3:What kind of candidates should choose Academic test?

A．Candidates who want for immigration.

B．Candidates who want for training.

C．Candidates who want for work experience.

D．Candidates who want for undergraduate or postgraduate courses.

小题4:In China, what’s the test order?

A．Reading, writing, speaking, listening.

B．Reading, speaking, listening, writing.

C．Listening, reading, writing, speaking.

D．Speaking, reading, listening ,writing

Creativity(创造性)is the key to a brighter future, say education and business experts. Here is how schools and parents can encourage this important skill in children.
　     If Dick Drew had listened to his boss in 1925, we might not have a product that we now think of as very important: a new type of tape. Drew worked for the Minnesota Mining Company. At work he developed a kind of material strong enough to hold things together. But his boss told him not to think more about the idea. Finally, using his own time, Drew improved the tape, which now is used everywhere by many people. And his former company learned from its mistake. Now it encourages people to spend 15 percent of their work time just thinking and developing new ideas.
　     Creativity is not something one is just born with, nor is it necessarily an indicator of high intelligence. Just that a person is highly intelligent does not mean that he uses it creatively. Creativity is the matter of using the resources one has to produce new ideas that are good for something.
　     Unfortunately, schools have not tried to encourage creativity. With strong attention paid to test results and the development of reading, writing and mathematical skills, many educators give up creativity for correct answers. The result is that children can give back information but can’t recognize ways to use it in new situations. They may know the rules correctly, but they are unable to use them to work out practical problems.
　     It is important to give children choices. From an early age, children should be allowed to make decisions and understand their results. Even if it’s choosing between two food items for lunch, decision-making helps thinking skills. As children grow older, parents should let their children decide how to use their time or spend their money, but not help them too much if they make the wrong decision. The child may have a hard time, but that is all right. This is because the most important characteristic of creative people is a very strong desire to find a way out of trouble.
小题1:What did the company where Dick Drew worked learn from its mistake?

A．They encouraged people to work longer.

B．They discouraged people to think freely.

C．They asked people to spend all their work time developing new ideas.

D．They encouraged people to spend some of their work time considering and

improving new ideas.
小题2:Creativity is something ______.

A．that people are born with

B．that depends on intelligence

C．that is a way of using what one has learnt to work out new problems

D．that is not important

小题3:Why don’t schools try to encourage creativity?

A．They don’t understand the importance of education.

B．They don’t want their students to make mistakes.

C．They pay too much attention to examination marks and language skills.

D．They think it more important to remember information.

小题4:What should the parents do when their children decide how to spend their money?

A．Try to help them as much as possible.

B．Take no notice of whatever they do.

C．Help them if their decision is wrong, but not too much.

D．Leave them as they are.

How can you hear your friends’ voices when they are far away and you can’t make a long—distance call? Besides the web camera system with your computer, we have a new high-tech way to solve the problem and ease your pain of missing them.
The Japanese company Combiwith created a system—“talking picture”. It makes people in pictures speak!
The “talking picture” has a special pen. It is actually a pen-shaped scanner. It can scan information in special—made pictures. A connected player will then play the information out loud.
First, you need to take a picture and record what you want to say with the company. The company will then make special barcodes(条形码) onto your picture(you can’t see those codes). Those codes are your voice and your words. When you hold up the pen to scan your picture with barcodes, a player connected to the pen will start to play. It plays things you’ve recorded. That way the invention makes the “you” in the picture speak!
Do you want your friends and families talking out of pictures? Have them make pictures like that, and you can hear them whenever you want, only with the “talking picture” system. The system can play messages for up to 12 minutes.
“The pictures would be useful for those who hope to hear the voice of someone living far away,” said Mayumi Fuji, a spokeswoman for the company. “Grandparents, for example, longing to know about their grandchildren, would be happy to hear their voice when they see the picture,” Fuji said.
But it is troublesome to go to the company for taking a special picture first. And, it is much more expensive than using a telephone. The photo with barcodes costs between 17,040 and 17,990 yen(日元)(160 and 169 dollars). The larger picture you want, the more you pay.
Now, just raise a finger, lonely people can have their loved ones speak out of pictures. But, whether the “talking picture” is practical or not, let’s wait and see.
小题1:What does “talking pictures” mean according to this article?

A．The picture can play what’s been recorded as if the person in the picture “talks”.

B．You can have a talk with the person in the picture whenever you want to.

C．The picture can tell you wonderful stories to ease your pain.

D．The picture can tell what’s on your mind when you are looking at it.

小题2:If you want to make a talking picture, you need to ________.

A．take a picture and record what you want to say with the company

B．make special barcodes onto your picture

C．a pen—shaped scanner to go with the picture

D．All of the above

小题3:Which of the following is NOT true accordingly?

A．The talking picture system can play messages for 12 minutes at most.

B．It will cost you more to take a larger talking picture.

C．It might take a lot of trouble to make a talking picture.

D．You can make a talking picture by just raising a finger.

小题4:What is the attitude of the author?

A．Optimistic.

B．Uncertain.

C．Positive.

D．Pessimistic.