科目： 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
The extraordinary Eastgate Building in Harare, Zimbabwe’s capital city, is said to be the only one in the world to use the same cooling and heating principles as the termite mound(白蟻堆).
Architect Mick Pearce used precisely the same strategy when designing the Eastgate Building, which has no air-conditioning and almost no heating. The building—the country’s largest commercial and shopping complex—uses less than 10% of the energy of a conventional building of its size. The Eastgate’s owners saved $3.5 million on a $36 million building because an air-conditioning plant didn’t have to be imported.
The complex is actually two buildings linked by bridges across a shady, glass-roofed atrium(天井) open to the air. Fans suck fresh air in from the atrium, blow it upstairs through hollow spaces under the floors and from there into each office through baseboard vents(通風口). As it rises and warms, it is drawn out via ceiling vents and finally exists through forty-eight brick chimneys.
During summer’s cool nights, big fans blow air through the building seven times an hour to cool the empty floors. By day, smaller fans blow two changes of air an hour through the building, to circulate the air which has been in contact with the cool floors. For winter days, there are small heaters in the vents.
This is all possible only because Harare is 1600 feet above sea level, has cloudless skies, little dampness and rapid temperature swings—days as warm as 31℃ commonly drop to 14℃ at night. “You couldn’t do this in New York, with its fantastically hot summers and fantastically cold winters,” Pearce said.
The engineering firm of Ove Arup&Partners monitors daily temperatures. It is found that the temperature of the building has generally stayed between 23℃ and 25℃, with the exception of the annual hot period just before the summer rains in October and three days in November, when a doorkeeper accidentally switched off the fans at night. And the air is fresh—far more so than in air-conditioned buildings, where up to 30% of the air is recycled.
【小題1】Why was Eastgate cheaper to be built than a conventional building?
| A．It was designed in a smaller size. |
| B．No air conditioners were fixed in. |
| C．Its heating system was less advanced. |
| D．It used rather different building materials. |
| A．Fresh air from outside. | B．Heat in the building. |
| C．Hollow space. | D．Baseboard vent. |
| A．New York has less clear skies as Harare. |
| B．Its dampness affects the circulation of air. |
| C．New York covers a larger area than Harare. |
| D．Its temperature changes seasonally rather than daily. |
| A．a(chǎn)llows a wide range of temperatures |
| B．functions well for most of the year |
| C．can recycle up to 30% of the air |
| D．works better in hot seasons |
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科目： 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
How the Grand Canyon (大峽谷) was created remains one of the geology’s greatest mysteries. Some evidence suggests that the process was a gradual one in which the Colorado River (which runs through the canyon) slowly cut deeper and deeper into the ground over millions of years. But volcanic rock samples taken from the canyon now suggest that the canyon was down-cut instead.
Down-cutting is when a flood of water rushes over a landscape (地形) with enough force to cut deeply into the ground and leaves behind a canyon. Such a flood is usually released when a natural or man-made dam (堤壩) bursts.
Robert Webb, a research geologist, says natural dams seem to have formed and broken across the Colorado River several times during the last million years. The dams were built when lava(熔巖) from the eruptions of nearby volcanoes flowed into the river. The lava hardened into hard rocks and blocked the river, causing it to back up and form a lake. Each time the lake grew so huge that it broke the rock dam, releasing a flash flood that furthered the down-cutting process and deepened the canyon.
Down-cutting is not just an earthly event. Satellite photos sent back from Mars suggest that the process has happened there, too, say many other researchers.
The photos, taken by the Mars Global Surveyor, indicate that an enormous lake existed on Mars 3.5 billion years ago. The lake spilled into a large nearby hole. One edge of the hole broke, releasing a flash flood that quickly carved out a grand canyon.
The existence of down-cutting on Mars is just one more piece of evidence that the cold, dry planet was once warm and wet.
【小題1】In the past, deep canyons were believed to have formed _______.
| A．a(chǎn)s a result of a sudden break of volcanoes |
| B．due to river flows over millions of years |
| C．owing to the burst of artificial dams |
| D．thanks to our ancestors’ creative work |
| A．Several volcanoes broke out on Mars directly creating grand canyons. |
| B．Several great lakes existed on the upper parts of the Colorado River. |
| C．People built high dams on the upper parts of the Colorado River. |
| D．The Colorado River crossed the Grand Canyon to form down-cutting. |
| A．there are great lakes on Mars |
| B．there are active volcanoes on Mars |
| C．there might be cities on Mars |
| D．there might be life on Mars |
| A．Lakes on Earth and Mars |
| B．The Cause of Lake Formation |
| C．The Force of Dam Breaking |
| D．Canyons—Results of Flood Cutting |
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科目： 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
What will power your house in the future？Nuclear，wind，or solar power？According to scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US，it might be leaves — but artificial (人造的) ones.
Natural leaves are able to change sunlight and water into energy. It is known as photosynthesis (光合作用)．Now researchers have found a way to imitate this seemingly simple process.
The artificial leaf developed by Daniel Nocera and his colleagues at MIT can be seen as a special silicon chip with catalysts (催化劑)．Similar to natural leaves，it can split water into hydrogen and oxygen when put into a bucket of water. The hydrogen and oxygen gases are then stored in a fuel cell，which uses those two materials to produce electricity，located either on top of a house or beside the house.
Though the leaf is only about the shape of a poker card，scientists claimed that it is promising to be an inexpensive source of electricity in developing countries. “One can imagine villages in India and Africa not long from now purchasing an affordable basic power system based on this technology,” said Nocera at a conference of the American Chemical Society.
The artificial leaf is not a new idea. The first artificial leaf was invented in 1997 but was too expensive and unstable for practical use. The new leaf，by contrast，is made of cheap materials，easy to use and highly stable. In laboratory studies，Nocera showed that an artificial leaf prototype (原型) could operate continuously for at least 45 hours without a drop in activity.
The wonderful improvements come from Nocera's recent discovery of several powerful，new and inexpensive catalysts. These catalysts make the energy transformation inside the leaf more efficient with water and sunlight. Right now，the new leaf is about 10 times more efficient at carrying out photosynthesis than a natural one. Besides，the device can run in whatever water is available；that is，it doesn't need pure water. This is important for some countries that don't have access to pure water.
With the goal to “make each home its own power station” and “give energy to the poor”，scientists believe that the new technology could be widely used in developing countries，especially in India and rural China.
【小題1】Which of the following orders correctly shows how the artificial leaf is used to produce electricity?
a．a(chǎn)rtificial leaves split water into hydrogen and oxygen
b．the hydrogen and oxygen gases are stored in a fuel cell
c．the artificial leaves are put in water
d．the fuel cell uses hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity
| A．c，a，b，d | B．c，b，a，d |
| C．b，c，a，d | D．c，a，d，b |
| A．build up more power stations in the world |
| B．provide cheaper energy for developing countries |
| C．offer people in developing countries access to pure water |
| D．gain a deeper understanding of the photosynthesis process |
| A．a(chǎn)n introduction to the history of artificial leaves |
| B．a(chǎn) mixture of water power and solar energy |
| C．giving energy to the poor |
| D．a(chǎn)n invention copying photosynthesis |
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科目： 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
Our body clock，or natural body rhythm，influences our energy and alertness．Paying attention to it can help us choose the suitable time of day when we best perform specific tasks．
The reality，however，is that most of us organize their time around work demands，school deadlines，commuting or social events．Doing whatever your body feels like doing is a luxury in today's fast-paced modem society．
But that doesn't mean it isn't worth trying．Obeying our body clock has significant health benefits．Disrupting our natural body rhythm，on the other hand，has been linked to problems such as depression，obesity，or headache，says Steve Key，a biology professor．
When the body clock can synchronize（使……同步）the rhythms of its natural processes，it “gives us an advantage in daily life”，says Key．
According to him，when it comes to cognitive（認知的）work，most adults perform best in the late morning．As our body temperature starts to rise just before awakening in the morning and continues to increase until midday，our memory，alertness and concentration gradually improve．
However，he adds，our ability to concentrate typically starts to decrease soon thereafter．Most of us are more easily distracted（分心）between noon and 4 pm．
Alertness also tends to fall after eating a meal and sleepiness tends to peak around 2 pm，making that a good time for a nap．
Surprisingly, tiredness may increase our creative powers．For most adults，problems that require open ended thinking are often best dealt with in the evening when they are tired， according to a study in the journal Thinking & Reasoning．
When choosing a time of day to exercise，paying attention to your body clock can improve results．Physical performance is usually best from about 3 to 6 pm，says Michael Smolensky，a professor of biomedical engineering．
Of course, not everyone's body clock is the same，making it even harder to synchronize natural rhythms with daily plans．
【小題1】If we know our natural body rhythm well, we can ．
| A．find out the suitable time to do specific tasks |
| B．organize our time around work demands |
| C．do whatever our body feels like doing |
| D．be sure to be healthy |
| A．Our alertness is influenced by our natural body rhythm |
| B．Doing whatever your body feels like is very difficult in our modem society． |
| C．Obeying our body clock is good for our health． |
| D．Disrupting our natural body rhythm can lead to obesity． |
| A．When our body clock synchronizes the rhythms of its natural processes，we can do better． |
| B．When it comes to cognitive（認知的）work，most people perform best in the late morning． |
| C．As body temperature rises before awakening in the morning，our concentration gradually improves． |
| D．We concentrate better in the late morning than between noon and 4 pm． |
| A．when we get up in the morning |
| B．when we are tired in the evening |
| C．when we are full of energy in the late morning |
| D．when we are asleep at night |
| A．What is natural body rhythm? |
| B．Natural body rhythm is good for us． |
| C．Something about natural body rhythm． |
| D．The latest research about natural body rhythm． |
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科目： 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
Taking a picture of your tongue with a mobile phone could soon instantly tell you how healthy you are. Researchers believe the images can reveal important information about a patient’s health and even give them early warning of serious illness.
A team at the University of Missouri is developing a system that can analyze pictures using a 5,000-year-old Chinese principle, which is based on the flow and balance of positive and negative energies in the body, and uses the tongue as a key to learning about a person’s physical health, or “zheng” according to Chinese medicine.
“Within a year, our goal is to create an application for smart phones that will allow anyone to take a photo of their tongue and learn the status of their zheng,” said Dong Xu, chair of MU’s Computer Science Department in the College of Engineering and the co-author of the latest study.
The software analyzes images based on the tongue’s color and coating to distinguish between tongues showing signs of “hot” or “cold” zheng. Shades of red and yellow are associated with hot zheng, whereas a white coating on the tongue is a sign of cold zheng.
“Hot and cold zheng doesn’t refer directly to body temperature,” said Xu, “Rather, it refers to a series of symptoms associated with the state of the body as a whole.”
For the study, 263 gastritis(胃炎) patients and 48 healthy volunteers had their tongues analyzed. The gastritis patients were classified by whether they showed infection by a certain bacteria as well as the intensity of their gastritis symptoms. In addition, most of the gastritis patients had been previously classified with either hot or cold zheng. This allowed the researchers to test the accuracy of the software’s analysis.
“Our software is able to classify people based on their zheng status. And as we continue to work on the software we hope to improve its ability,” said another co-author Ye Duan, “Eventually everyone will be able to use this tool at home using webcams or smart phone applications, which will allow them to monitor their zheng and get an early warning about possible ailments.”
【小題1】 The software mentioned in the passage is based on ________.
| A．the latest development of smart phones |
| B．a(chǎn) traditional Chinese medical principle |
| C．the changes in one’s flow and energy |
| D．symptoms related with the state of the body |
| A．one’s body temperature | B．the physical health of a person |
| C．the possible disease of a person | D．the color and coating of one’s tongue |
| A．the effect of the software |
| B．the software’s great prospect |
| C．the advancement of smart phones |
| D．the greatness of Chinese medicine |
| A．a(chǎn)nalysis | B．effects | C．illnesses | D．a(chǎn)pplications |
| A．the software still needs improvement |
| B．the subjects in the study are all gastritis |
| C．the software has been in market for a year |
| D．the subjects in the study are classified by age |
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科目： 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
A board game is a game played on a pre-marked surface or “board” according to a set of rules. Board games have been played in most cultures and societies throughout history. Do you think of yourself as a bit of an expert at board games like chess or Go?
Maybe you’re not quite as good as you think. New research from the University of Manchester and Oxford suggests complex games like these are impossible to learn fully. They may even be too complex for the human mind to understand.
Researchers studied two-player games, to try and understand the strategies which people use to make decisions during the game. Some games with two players are simple, with only a small number of possible moves. Players can quickly work out the best strategy but that means the game soon becomes boring.
It gets more interesting when there are many possible moves. That’s why people are so fascinated by complex board games like chess or Go, or some card games. But what the researchers found was that with difficult games, players find it hard to work out the best strategy and their actions become less reasonable.
This research is part of the field called game theory: the study of human strategic decision-making. Much thinking on how people play complex games is based on something called “the balance point”, which is when players have a perfect knowledge of what they are going to do and of what their rivals are going to do.
When you add more than two players then of course the game becomes even harder to understand. Trading on the stock market is an example of a complex multi-player game.
【小題1】Which of the following games belongs to board games?
| A．football | B．badminton | C．swimming | D．Mahjong |
| A．the simpler the board game is, the better it is |
| B．people dislike board games for the complex moves |
| C．players are easy to lose patience when in difficult games |
| D．it’s possible for people to understand complex games thoroughly |
| A．a(chǎn)sk other players to work out the best strategy |
| B．have a good knowledge of the games they are playing |
| C．figure out the next actions of themselves and their opponents |
| D．come to a quick decision about what to do next by themselves |
| A．Culture | B．Discovery | C．Career | D．Campus |
| A．a(chǎn) new research about board games |
| B．the importance of playing board games |
| C．how the players win board games |
| D．how to learn board games fully |
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科目： 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
“iPhone 5”, the tallest thing to happen to iPhone since iPhone
We don’t want to change your phone, we want to make you say, “Wow, that is a bigger change than I expected”. “iPhone 5” is a result of that desire to surprise.
It’s been completely redesigned. For the first time ever, we’ve increased the size of display (顯示) by making the screen taller but not wider.
You can see more of your content without the need to scroll. We are making scrolling the thing of the past. It is more comfortable to use and reduces tiredness from scrolling when you read long documents.
Even with the larger display, it is the thinnest iPhone we ever built. To achieve the design this tall, we have to look at it and completely redesign the architecture inside. It’s 18% thinner and 79.5% taller than the previous iPhone. It makes everything you do on “iPhone5” easier. No more hidden menus, no confusing gestures. Everything is right at your fingertips.
The panorama feature (全景拍照) is simply awesome. The ultra HD (超高清) widescreen display lets you get your entire shot in a single snap (快門). You can also use its creative design for picture stabilization.
With an iPhone this tall, reception of signals has never been better. And of course, all your favorite applications are still available. In fact you will find your old favorites also benefit from the new experiencing handsome ultra HD widescreen. We found while many previous iPhone owners were using Facetime, they only used it for the faces. That’s why we are introducing Bodytime. With its ultra HD widescreen display, Bodytime lets you see a person’s entire body.
It took all of our learning and all of our thinking to realize something so simple, so clear, and yet so tall.
And I wish your pocket were tall enough to hold such a perfect invention!
【小題1】How is the screen of “iPhone 5” different from the previous ones?
| A．Wider. | B．Taller. | C．Easier. | D．Thinner. |
| A．Update the webpage. | B．Download new documents. |
| C．Refresh the content. | D．Move the content upward. |
| A．It is really necessary for you to hide menus. |
| B．The reception of signals is bad due to its length. |
| C．Bodytime is popular with previous iPhone owners. |
| D．New applications of “iPhone 5” are unbelievable. |
| A．humorous | B．objective | C．scientific | D．serious |
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科目： 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
Some people have travelled to Canada while others may have just heard of it . As is known to all, the Canadian red and white maple leaf flag is officially called The National Flag of Canada. The Canadian flag shows a stylized red maple leaf with 11 points on a white background, with red borders down each side. The Canadian flag is twice as long as its width. The white square containing the red maple leaf is the same width as the flag. Canada is a very large country, too. It is the second largest country in the world.By contrast, it has a very small population. There are only about 29 millinon people there. Most Canadians are of British or French origin, and French is an official language as well English. About 45 % of the people are of British origin, that is, they or their parents or grandparents, etc, come from Britain. Nearly 30 % are of French origin. Most of the French-Canadians live in the province of quebec. Over the years people have come to live in Canada from many countries in the world. They are mostly from European countries and also from China, as well as other Asian countries.
However , Canada was not an empty country when the Europeans began to arrive. Canadian-Indian lived along the coast, bythe rivers and lakes and in forests. Today there are only 350,000 Canadian-Indians in the whole country, with their own language. In the far north live the Inuits. There are only 27, 000 Canadian-Inuits. Their life is hard in such a harsh climate.
【小題1】What is the populatin of Quebec?
| A．More than 29, 000.000 |
| B．About 30% of the total population. |
| C．Over 45% of th etotal population |
| D．Less than 30% of the French-Canadians. |
| A．The Canadian flag I stwice as wide as its length. |
| B．Most Indians are now forced to live along the coast. |
| C．Nowadays Inuit still have difficult living conditions. |
| D．Nobody existed when the Europeans began to arrive in Canada. |
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科目： 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
Can dogs and cats get along well in the same home? People who are thinking about getting a dog as a friend for their cat are worried that they will fight. A recent research has found that if the cat is taken back home before the dog, and if they are introduced when still young (less than 6 months for cats, a year for dogs), it is highly probable that the two pets will get along swimmingly. In two-thirds of the homes cats and dogs have a good relationship.
However, it wasn’t all sweetness and light. There was a reported coldness between the cat and dog in 25% of the homes, while aggression(侵略，好斗) and fighting were found in 10% of the homes. One reason for this is probably that some of their body languages are just different. For example, when a cat turns its head away it means aggression, while a dog doing the same means submission(順從).
In homes with cats and dogs living peacefully, researchers found a surprising behavior. They are learning how to talk each other’s language. It is a surprise that cats can learn how to talk “Dog”, and dogs can learn how to talk “Cat”.
What’s interesting is that both cats and dogs have appeared to become smarter. They can learn to read each other’s body languages, suggesting that the two may have more in common than was expected. Once familiar with each other’s body language, cats and dogs can play together, and enjoy sleeping together on the sofa.
The importance of this research on cats and dogs may go beyond pets — to people who don’t get along well, including neighbors, colleagues at work, and even countries. If cats and dogs can learn to get along, surely people have a good chance.
【小題1】Some cats and dogs may fight when ________.
| A．they are cold to each other |
| B．they look away from each other |
| C．they misunderstand each other’s body languages |
| D．they are introduced at an early age |
| A．They eat and sleep together. |
| B．They watch each other’s behaviors. |
| C．They learn to speak each other’s language. |
| D．They know something from each other’s voices. |
| A．have common interests |
| B．a(chǎn)re less different than was thought |
| C．have a common body language |
| D．a(chǎn)re not so smart as was expected |
| A．We should learn to get along well with others. |
| B．We should know more about animals. |
| C．We should live in peace with animals. |
| D．We should learn more body languages. |
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科目： 來源： 題型：閱讀理解
Microsoft has a problem：It desperately wants the remaining Windows XP users to upgrade to a newer version of the operating system but a good many of them still haven’t started．The latest numbers from NetMarket show that Windows XP still accounts for around 29．5％of all desktops in use even though Microsoft is due to end support for the l3-Year-old platform on April 8th．ZDNet reports that Microsoft plans to force remaining XP users to start next week by sending them notices reminding them again that it will end XP support within a month．
However, as Computerworld reports，Microsoft may have a tough time convincing some Windows XP users to upgrade because it's trying to sell them on Windows 8，the newest operating system that has angered many longtime PC users by removing the traditional Start menu and by adding the interface(界面)a special feature．Computerworld writes that many Windows users expressed anger last month when Microsoft asked them to help switch as many people as they could from Windows XP to Windows 8 partly because Microsoft hasn’t offered any sort of discount for Windows XP users making the switch．
This is particularly tiresome, these users said，because switching from XP to Windows 8 won’t just require a software upgrade but will instead likely force them to buy new machines capable(能夠)of running Microsoft’s new operating system．Some users were also annoyed that Microsoft only mentioned Windows 8 and not Windows 7 as upgrade possibilities．
In the end，it looks like when Microsoft ends support for Windows XP next month there will still be a large part of the desktop PC world using the platform．Hackers who have been saving up all their best new malware(惡意軟件)for the day when Windows XP support ends are about to have a field day．
【小題1】What problem does Microsoft have now?
| A．Windows XP is out of date and needs improvement． |
| B．Windows 8 runs worse than Windows XP． |
| C．No people like to upgrade their operating system． |
| D．Lots of users refuse to switch from XP to Windows 8． |
| A．By sending them notices． |
| B．By sending them daily emails． |
| C．By adding the interface a special feature． |
| D．By removing the traditional Start menu． |
| A．Microsoft hasn’t offered any discount for it． |
| B．They like Window 7 more than Window 8． |
| C．Microsoft refuses to offer them a new machine． |
| D．It’s impossible for them to use the new operating system． |
| A．Show up without warning． |
| B．Make rapid progress． |
| C．Make full use of the opportunity． |
| D．Come to an end completely． |
| A．Windows XP will completely be out of use in a month． |
| B．Windows XP will still be in use for a period of time． |
| C．Windows 8 will have a longer history than Windows XP． |
| D．Windows 7 will easily be attacked by Hackers． |
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