Farmers may not be able to prevent natural disasters, but they can at least try their best to reduce losses.
For example, they can plant crops that are more likely to survive extreme weather. In north-central Vietnam, people with small farms do not plant rice between September and December. Seasonal rains might destroy the rice. So instead, they plant lotus seeds on raised beds. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says the lotus seeds bring a good price in local markets.  
Farmers in the Philippines are showing new interest in crops like winged beans, string beans, arrowroot and cassava. The Asian Disaster Preparedness Center says traditional crops like these can survive the fierce storms that often strike the islands.
The United Nations says some African farmers grow bambara groundnuts during long dry periods. The seeds of this drought-resistant plant can be boiled for eating or for making flour.
In some parts of the world, farmers grow vetiver grass. Researchers in Thailand wrote about vetiver in 2007 in the journal Science Asia. They noted that the grass can absorb and control the spread of harmful waste waters, like those from pig farms.
Agricultural expert and author William Rivera says vetiver resists difficult conditions. It reduces damage from heavy rains. And vetiver planted on earthen dams may strengthen them against breaks and flooding.
William Rivera also speaks approvingly of alfalfa. Its deep roots can find and take up groundwater. Those roots also help hold the soil against winds. And alfalfa can be a valuable food source for animals.
The deep and extensive roots of sunflowers make them another good candidate for resisting extreme conditions. The tall plants have brightly colored heads that provide seeds and oil.
North Dakota grows more hectares of sunflowers than any other American state. But North Dakota is better known as a top wheat producing state.
Hans Kandel works at the North Dakota State University Extension Service in Fargo. He says farmers in some parts of North Dakota plant wheat that is ready to harvest in only about one hundred days. That way it can grow before the hot, dry months of July through September.
67．The underlined part “bring a good price in local markets” in the 2nd paragraph implies that lotus seeds _______.
A. can bring the local farmers more profit
B. will satisfy the needs of the local people
C. are what the local farmers eat every day
D. don’t sell very well because of their high prices
68．Vetiver grass is planted because it can _______.
A. be a valuable food source for animals             B. survive the fierce storms in summer
C. provide seeds and oil                                    D. be useful in many aspects
69．From the last paragraph we can see that the farmers in North Dakota _______.
A. are not hardworking so they are suffering from poverty                            
B. are good at taking advantage of the weather conditions
C. don’t have enough knowledge of weather and farming
D. plant more sunflowers than wheat
70．From this passage we may safely conclude that _______.
A. weather conditions are always decisive factors in agriculture
B. some crops can help farmers to fight against extreme weather
C. the species of the world are changing quickly
D. agriculture is developing fast in the world
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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：完形填空


For an increasing number of students at American universities, Old is suddenly in．The reason is obvious: the graying of America means jobs．Coupled with the aging of the baby-boom(生育高峰)generation, a longer life span means that the nation's elderly population will expand greatly over the next 50 years．By 2050,25 percent of all Americans will be older than 65,up from 14 percent in 1995．The change sets questions for government and society, of course．But it also creates career opportunities in medicine and health professions, and in law and business as well．“In addition to the doctors, we're going to need more sociologists, biologists, urban planners and specialized lawyers,” says Professor Edward Schneider of the University of Southern California's (USC) School of Gerontology(老年學(xué))．
Lawyers can specialize in“elder law”, which covers everything from trusts and estates to nursing-home abuse(虐待) and age discrimination(歧視)．Businessmen see huge opportunities in the elder market because the baby boomers,74 million strong, are likely to be the wealthiest group of retirees in human history．“Any students who combines an expert knowledge in gerontology with, say, an MBA or law degree will have a license to print money, ”one professor says．
Margarite Santos is a 21-year-old senior at USC．She began college as a biology major but found she was “really bored with bacteria．” So she took a class in gerontology and discovered that she liked it．She says,“I did volunteer work in retirement homes and it was very satisfying．”
小題1:“．．．Old is suddenly in”(Line 1, Para．1) most probably means “_______”．
A．America has suddenly become a nation of old people
B．gerontology has suddenly become popular
C．more elderly professors are found on American campuses
D．American colleges have been full of old students
小題2:Why can businessmen make money in the growing elder market?
A．Retirees are more willing to spend money．
B．They can employ more gerontologists．
C．The elderly have a great purchasing power(購買力)．
D．There are more elderly people working than before．
小題3:Who can make big money m the new century according to the passage?
A．Retirees who are willing to spend money．
B．The volunteer workers in retirement homes．
C．College graduates with an MBA or law degree．
D．Professionals(專業(yè)人員)with a good knowledge of gerontology．
小題4:It can be seen from the passage that the increase of America's elderly population_______．
A．will provide good job opportunities in many areas
B．will be just an unbearable burden on society
C．may lead to nursing home abuse and age discrimination
D．will create more students in universities

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


Money spent on advertising is money spent as well as any I know of. It serves directly to bring about a rapid sale of goods at reasonable prices, so setting up a firm home market and making it possible to provide for export (出口) at good prices. By drawing attention to new ideas it helps greatly to raise standards of living. By helping to increase demand it causes an increased need for labour, and is therefore a nice way to fight unemployment. It lowers the costs of many services: without advertisements your daily newspaper would cost four times as much, the price of your television program would need to be doubled, and travel by bus or subway would cost more.
　　And perhaps most important of all, advertising provides a promise of reasonable value in the products and services you buy. Besides the fact that twenty-seven Acts of Parliament(國會)govern the terms of advertising, no regular advertiser dare produce anything that fails to live up to the promise of his advertisements. He might fool some people for a little while through misleading advertising. He will not do so for long, for the public has the good sense not to buy the poor goods more than once. If you see product frequently advertised, it is the proof I know that the product does what is promised for it, and that it has good value.
　　Advertising does more for the good of the public than any other force I can think of.
　　There is one more point I feel I ought to touch on. Recently I heard a well-known television person declared that he was against advertising because it persuades rather than informs. He was telling us the real difference. Of course advertising tries to persuade.
　　If its message were nothing but information, that would be difficult to get more people to buy, for even the choice of the colour of a shirt is a bit persuasive (有說服力的)--advertising would be so boring that no one would pay any attention. But perhaps that is what the well-known television person wants.
小題1:By the first sentence of the passage the writer means that ___.
A．he is fairly familiar with the cost of advertising
B．everybody knows well that advertising is a waste of money
C．a(chǎn)dvertising costs more money than everything else
D．money on advertising is worth spending
小題2:In the passage, which of the following is NOT included in the advantages of advertising?
A．Getting greater fame. B．Providing more jobs.
C．Raising living standards. D．Reducing newspaper cost.
小題3:The writer thinks that the well-known TV person is _____.
A．quite right in passing his judgment on advertising
B．interested in nothing but the buyers' attention
C．correct in telling the difference between persuasion and information
D．obviously unfair in his views on advertising
小題4:In the writer's opinion, ________.
A．a(chǎn)dvertising can seldom bring material interest to man by providing information
B．a(chǎn)dvertising informs people of new ideas rather than wins them over
C．there is nothing wrong with advertising in persuading the buyer
D．the buyer is not interested in getting information from an advertisement

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


Wily is it that students in less popular majors sometimes find it easier to get a job? Simple. It’s because they are out there in the “blue ocean"，a relatively untouched area.
The term was created by Chan Kim and Renee Manborgne, two professors
ho use it to describe less crowded parts of business and industry with little or not completion. It contrasts with the “red ocean", which is already saturated, competitive, and crowded with people or companies providing the same services or producing the same goods.
According to these two authors，the primary goal of business is to enter the “blue ocean" or create a new market. This is done by creating what no one else has. Business must come up with creative things that are useful and affordable and reduce unnecessary costs. So customers get what they want for less and sellers get a higher return on their investment. When these two are combined，it’s a catalyst(催化劑)for the blue ocean market.
McDonald’s is a popular example. Traditional restaurants have waiters，table settings，men us，and a certain type of service. McDonald’s，however，was different. It did away entirely with waiters and table service，and kept the menu limited.
But in its number of locations，speed，overall quality and child friendliness. McD0naid's did far better than traditional restaurants. In this sense，one can say that McDonald’s was a totally different concept in eating out. It met the blue ocean demand.
63. According to Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne，“blue ocean” means    .
A. crowded parts of business and industry with little competition
B. new markets which are full of competition    .
C. new companies offering different services from old ones
D. certain untouched markets with few competitors
64. The underlined word "saturated” in Para. 2 probably means“         ”.
A. carry out according to an unusual method      B. arrange in advance
C. be unable to take any more                D. be different from the old market
65. McDonald’s success lies in         .
A. its being different from traditional restaurants
B. inventing a unique business with few competitors
C. its advanced operation and management
D. its best overall quality and services
66. For a website providing information and services for new mothers，finding the “blue ocean" means         . ·
A. offering something other websites don’t have
B. offering the best information and services
C. creating a new market to help the website stand out
D. looking for a unique position in the marketplace

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


Many of the most damaging types of weather begin quickly, strike suddenly, and disappear rapidly, destroying small areas while leaving neighboring areas untouched．Such event as a tornado struck the northeastern part of Edmonton, Alberta, in July 1987．Total damages from the tornado went beyond $250 million, the highest ever for any Canadian storm．
Traditional computer models of the atmosphere have limited value in predicting short-lived local storms like the Edmonton tornado, because the available weather data are generally not detailed enough to allow computers to study carefully the slight atmospheric changes that come before these storms．In most nations, for example, weather-balloon observations are taken just once every twelve hours at places separated by hundreds of miles．With such limited data, traditional forecasting models do a much better job predicting general weather conditions over large areas than they do forecasting specific local events．
Until recently, the observation intensive method needed for exact, very short-range forecasts, or “Nowcasts,” was not possible．The cost of equipping and operating many thousands of conventional weather stations was extremely high, and the difficulties concerned in rapidly collecting and processing the weather data from such a network were hard to overcome．
Fortunately, scientific and technological advances have overcome most of these problems．Radar systems and satellites are all able to make detailed, nearly continuous observation over large areas at a lower cost．Communications satellites can send out data around the world cheaply and immediately, and modern computers can quickly collect and analyze this large amount of weather information．
Meteorologists（氣象學(xué)者）and computer scientists now work together to design computer programs and video equipment able to change weather data into words and graphic displays that forecasters can understand easily and quickly．As meteorologists have begun using these new technologies in weather forecasting offices, Nowcasting is becoming a reality．
1．Why can’t traditional computer models predict short-lived local storms?
A．The weather data people collect are often wrong．
B．Detailed weather data in some small areas are not available．
C．The computers are not advanced enough to predict them．D．The computers are not used to forecast specific local events．
2．The word “Nowcast” in Paragraph 3 means ________．
A．a(chǎn) network to collect storm data?     
B．a(chǎn) way of collecting weather data
C．a(chǎn) more advanced system of weather observation
D．a(chǎn) forecast which can predict weather in the small area
3．What can make “Nowcasts” a reality according to the passage?
A．Scientific and technological advances． B．Advanced computer programs．
C．Computer scientists．?              D．Meteorologists．
4．What does the passage mainly talk about?
A．The advantages of “Nowcasts”．        B．A tornado in Edmonton, Alberta．
C．The difficulty in predicting tornado．  D．A great development in weather forecast．

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


Women might have a higher position at work, but at home their careers tend to give way to their husband’s job, with women most likely to quit when both are working long hours, according to a U．S．study．
Researcher Youngjoo Cha, from Cornell University, found that working women with a husband who worked 50 hours or more a week found themselves still doing most of the housework and the care giving and were more likely to end up quitting their jobs．
An analysis of 8,484 professional workers and 17,648 nonprofessionals from dual-earner （雙職工） families showed that if women had a husband who worked 60 hours or more per week it increased the woman’s possibility of quitting her paid job by 42 percent．Cha said the possibility of quitting increased to 51 percent for professional women whose husbands work 60 hours or more per week, and for professional mothers the possibility they would quit their jobs jumped 112 percent．
However, it did not significantly affect a man’s possibility of quitting his job if his wife worked 60 hours or more per week, according to the study published in the American Sociological Review in April．For professional men, both parents and non-parents, the effects of a wife working long hours were negligible, according to the study．
“As long work-hours introduce conflict between work and family into many dual-earner families, couples often solve conflict in ways that prioritize husbands’ careers,” Cha, who used data from the U．S．Census Bureau, said in a statement．“This effect is magnified （突出） among workers in professional and managing occupations, where the criterion of overwork and the culture of looking after children tend to be strongest．The findings suggest that the popularity of overwork may lead many dual-earner couples to return to a traditional family pattern — breadwinning men and homemaking women．”
66．According to the text, we know that ______．
A．men prefer work long hours   B．women prefer to work outside
C．men’s careers are unimportant    D．women are more likely to quit jobs
67．The underlined word “negligible” in Paragraph 4 most probably means ______．
A．unimportant  B．limited            C．different      D．obvious
68．Which statement is true according to the text?
A．When there’s conflict between work and family, a husband will give up his work．
B．Women may still do most of the housework and care for babies or children．
C．Professional women are more likely to quit the job than professional mothers．
D．A man’s chance of quitting jobs was influenced if his wife works long hours．
69．We can infer from the last sentence that ______．
A．a(chǎn)ll the workers pay more attention to looking after children
B．overwork may have no influence on dual-earner couples
C．traditionally, men usually worked to support the family
D．most dual-earner couples will return to a traditional family pattern
70．In which column of China Daily can you find this passage?
A．Health      B．Life       C．Sport    D．Entertainment

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

.
NOT all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad experiences. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars. Often they relive these experiences in nightmares.
Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which will help people forget bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a frightening experience. They hope it might reduce, or possibly erase(抹去) the effect of painful memories.
In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body releasing chemicals that fix memories in the brain. So far the research has suggested that only the emotional effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are erased.
The research has caused a great deal of argument. Some think it is a bad idea, while others support it.
Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers’ troubling memories after war. They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories.
“Some memories can ruin people’s lives. They come back to you when you don’t want to have them in a daydream or nightmare. They usually come with very painful emotions,” said Roger Pitman, a professor of psychiatryat Harvard Medical School. : “This could relieve a lot of that suffering.”
But those who are against the research say that changing memories is very dangerous because memories give us our identity（特質(zhì)）. They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past.
“All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were horrible at the time but make us who we are. I’m not sure we want to wipe those memories out,” said Rebecca Dresser, a medical ethicist
53．The passage is mainly about            .
A．a(chǎn) new medical invention
B．a(chǎn) new research on the pill
C．a(chǎn) way of erasing painful memories
D．a(chǎn)n argument about the research on the pill
54．The drug tested on people can            .
A．cause the brain to fix memories     
B．stop people remembering bad experiences
C．prevent body producing certain chemicals
D．wipe out t he emotional effects of memories
55．We can infer from the passage that                  .
A．people doubt t he effects of the pills
B．the pill will stop people’s bad experiences
C．taking the pill will do harm to people’s health
D．the pill has probably been produced in America
56．Which of the following does Rebecca Dresser agree with?
A．Some memories can ruin people’s lives.
B．People want to get rid of bad memories.
C．Experiencing bad events  makes us different from others.  
D．The pill will reduce people’s sufferings from bad memories.

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解


"A survey was conducted in Shanghai where interviewees were asked if they wanted to be a factory worker. One percent of all people interviewed said “YES," Wang Hongjun, a technician, said, raising his voice for dramatic effect. "But I can tell you, only a small part of that 1 percent are telling the truth."
I've met colorful people like Wang all over China. They are cynical (玩世不恭的) yet warmhearted, plain spoken but smart. And many of them are confined (局限于) to work in factories.
Wang is a top technician but also represents manual factory workers, who are China's most important natural resource. Their energy is powering China's economic boom, and their muscle is turning the wheel of the world's factory.
But does their unskilled labor give their life meaning? At school, did they tell their friends: "When I grow up I want to work in a factory making socks?" Did you?
Factory work has always been a stepping-stone from farm life to the city and a modern life. It's been happening for centuries, but today, with our space-age technology, it's outdated. Earning 1,200 yuan ($169) per month working in a factory is better than that on a farm, but as Wang points out, it's not a dream career. There should be better ways to earn your rice.
Many modern factories no longer have production line workers. Robots do the assembly (裝配). People just do the monitoring. In this age of technology, in which China is now working smarter and not just harder, why are people still standing in production lines?
But life is cheap in China. So why not continue to exploit the low-cost labor situation and keep the economy growing fast, some entrepreneurs may ask.
But have these businessmen ever labored in a factory?
61. How many people surveyed really like to be factory workers?   
A. One percent                       B. Only a small part
C. Only a small part of that one percent          D. The writer didn’t mention it. 
62. Which is NOT the writer's opinion of factory workers?
A. cynical    B. unimportant     C. warmhearted      D. plain spoken
63. Wang Hongjun is a person who is___________.   
A. difficult to get along with
B. humorous but serious
C. cynical but warmhearted, plain spoken but smart
D. full of energy but doesn't want to work hard
64. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage? 
A. Factory workers make contributions to China's economic boom.
B. Working in a factory is better than that on a farm.
C. Factory workers are satisfied with their living conditions.
D. Some entrepreneurs exploited the low-cost labor situation.
65. The writer uses___________ to begin the passage.  
A. a lot of figures       B. many examples    C. some dialogue     D. the result of a survey 

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科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Everybody knows that words can carry messages. People communicate with words. Books, magazines, TV ， radio and films all help us to know what is going on in the world and what people are thinking about.
Do you think you can communicate without words? A smile on your face shows you are happy or friendly. Tears in your eyes tell others that you are sad. When you put up your hand in class, the teacher knows that you say something or ask a question. You shake your head, and people know you are saying “No”. You nod and people know you are saying “Yes”.
Other things can also carry messages. For example, a sign at the bus stop helps you to know which bus to take. A sign on the wall of your school helps you to find the library. Signs on doors tell you where to go in or out. Have you ever noticed there are a lot of signs around you and you receive messages from them all the time? People can communicate in many ways without words. For example, an artist can use his drawings to tell about beautiful mountains, seas and many other things.
66.Choose the best title for this passage.
A.Ways for Communication.
B.The Best Way for Communication.
C.The Only Way for Communication.
D.Words Can Carry Messages.
67.How can people communicate with each other?
A.With words only
B.Only without words.
C.Either with words or without words.
D.Just by using different kinds of signs.
68.Which of the following is NOT a way for communication without words?
A.A cry for help        B.A smile on your face
C.Making a face        D.Nodding your head
69.What does the road sign P tell people?
A.You can go into the park.
B.You can please everybody.
C.You can leave your car there.
D.You can cross the street there.
70.How can a musician (someone who writes music) communicate with people?
A.By saying something.
B.By playing some music.
C.By writhing letters.
D.All of the above are right.

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