She Says/He Says(U1B1) reading she says: Boys are so different from girls! They never show their emotions

( ) 1. During the one hour before sunset, what did the boy usually do?

(A) He went home for supper with his family. (B) He sat down on a rock and dozed off. (C) He worked on the farm with his father. (D) He looked at a house on a distant hill.

(A) At noon.	(B) In the morning.
(C) At sunset.	(D) At night.

(A) were ordinary farming people. (B) were very rich people. (C) had gold in their house’s windows. (D) owned the farm of the boy’s family.

(A) She had a black calf. (B) She became the boy’s friend. (C) She was the same age as the boy. (D) She wore a pair of fashionable shoes.

(A) He ate nothing at the girl’s house,

(B) He realized that his home also had golden windows.

(C) He had a black calf with a white star on its forehead.

(D) He told the girl what he dad learned about the golden windows.

Unit 8 (Book5) No Longer Left Behind

READING

　　When you brush your teeth, eat with chopsticks, sign your name, or toss a Frisbee, which hand do you use? If you always use your left hand to do these activities, you are among the 13 percent of people worldwide who consider themselves to be a lefty. Although you are in the minority, you are in good company with many talented and famous people, including Leonardo da Vinci, Marie Curie, and Bill Gates. Many researchers have studied why some people are right-handed and others are left-handed. Several theories have been hypothesized, but no conclusive evidence has been found yet.

　　Early in the Stone Age, people showed no preference in which hand they used as they performed their daily tasks for survival. Not until they invented more sophisticated tools did these early people begin to favor their left or right hands. Throughout history, left-handed people have been criticized and considered inferior. Therefore, children have often been forced to switch hand preferences, especially in school settings. Even today, some left-handed school children in Taiwan are still encouraged to write with their right hands.

　　A distinct bias toward the words which are associated with “right” could be easily seen in the English language. For example, while the word “right” refers to the right side of the body, it also means “correct.” In contrast, the word “left” comes from an Old English word meaning “weak” or “worthless.” To say that an idea is “out in left field” means the idea is strange, and if someone is “not in his or her right mind,” it means he or she is a little crazy. A “left-handed compliment” is actually an insult. Moreover, if someone cannot dance well, he or she is said to “have two left feet.” “Right on,” on the contrary, is a popular phrase that expresses encouragement, and “right up one’s alley” means something suits a person just fine.

　　Whoever is a born lefty has to learn to survive in a world dominated by righties. Everyday activities such as opening a can of food with a can opener or cutting paper with scissors can be challenging because these basic tools that we use in our daily lives are usually designed for right-handed people. Left-handers often smear their papers when they write with pens. In addition, left-handed computer users’ hands easily get tired from using a traditional mouse.

　　Over time, more and more people have stopped discriminating against minorities, including left-handed people. Many lefties are intellectually gifted in sports, art, and music. For example, left-handed baseball pitchers are in demand because they are more skillful at pitching to left-handed batters and throwing runners at first base out than right-handed pitchers. Many stores now sell specialized watches, computer equipment, and other tools adapted for left-handers only. In addition, there are communities on the Internet where left-handers can share their experiences. Left-handed people even celebrate their “rights” annually on August 13, the Left-Handers’ Day. In the twenty-first century, what was once considered a stigma for many people has now become a source of pride.

　　Have you ever found it difficult to slice a watermelon or inconvenient to store one in your refrigerator because of its large size and round shape? Japanese farmers found a simple but creative way to get around these problems. While the watermelons were growing, the farmers placed them inside wooden boxes. When these watermelons became fully mature, the boxes were removed. Then, cute and perfectly square watermelons appeared, and millions of curious people wanted to give these oddly shaped fruits a try.

　　When it comes to changing shapes or sizes of fruits, square watermelons are just the tip of the iceberg. For years, scientists in Israel have been using laboratory techniques to breed unusual fruits. They combine the genes of different kinds of fruits together. These scientific ways are often referred to as genetic modification, and the results of these experiments have been nothing less than amazing. They include never-before-seen creations like “lematos,” which are tomatoes that give off the smell of lemons, and “grapples,” which are apples with a noticeable grape flavor. Likewise, “pluots” are the offspring of plums crossed with apricots, and “tangelos” combine tangerine and grapefruit genes to produce a new taste treat. Such crossbreeding, or the combining of genes from different species, isn’t limited to Israel, though. Farmers in Taiwan have found a way to mix cherimoyas and sugar apples to create a super fruit that is known as the “pineapple sugar apple” in Taiwan. It is even sweeter than either one of its already sweet “parents.”

　　Size and taste aren’t the only characteristics that can be transformed when two existing fruit species are combined to form a new one. The smell, shape, and color can all be changed, too. For instance, blue-colored bananas and strawberries shaped like carrots have been grown by the scientists playing with plant genes. However, if you’re thinking this all sounds crazy, you might be relieved to hear that not all the results from these experiments are this extreme. Scientists are also developing fruits with more practical features, like the ones that have fewer seeds or that are better able to resist disease or that are easier to peel.

　　Some people may turn up their noses at the idea of creating these genetically modified (GM) “monster fruits.” In fact, critics of genetic modification have named these new species “Frankenfruits” after Mary Shelley’s famous Frankenstein’s monster. This name was chosen to suggest that these new fruits are unnatural, and thus they should be feared.

　　Still, many people believe that laboratory-developed GM fruits are every bit as tasty as the fruits that Mother Nature produces. Sometimes, GM versions may taste even better. For example, juicier fruits can be produced, with their flesh made softer or firmer, to suit customers’ tastes. Scientists can also work with genes to breed fruits that are healthier for our bodies and that contain more vitamins and minerals.

　　What about you? Would you like to try a piece of Frankenfruit? When you think about it, what are some of the best and worst combinations of fruits that you can possibly think up?

I. Reading for the Main Idea—Skimming

Skim the reading and choose the best answer to the statement.

( )	The reading mainly talks about _____. (A) the development of GM fruits (B) the advantages of eating fruits (C) the harmful effects of Frankenfruits (D) the history of genetic modification technology

II. Reading for Details—Scanning

Scan the reading and choose the best answer to each of the following questions or statements.

( )	1.	According to the reading, it was _____ who first created square watermelons.
		(A) Israeli scientists		(B) Taiwanese farmers
		(C) American scientists		(D) Japanese farmers
( )	2.	Scientists combined the genes of plums with those of apricots to form _____.
		(A) tangelos	(B) lematos	(C) plutos	(D) grapples
( )	3.	According to the reading, which of the following fruit features can be changed by genetic modification?
		(A) Color.		(B) Taste.
		(C) Smell.		(D) All of the above.
( )	4.	Some people dislike GM fruits because they consider genetic modification to be _____.
		(A) time-consuming		(B) unnatural
		(C) impractical		(D) desirable
( )	5.	According to the reading, which of the following is NOT one of the advantages of GM fruits?
		They sometimes taste better than natural fruits. They can be sold at much higher prices. They can be made to suit customers’ tastes. They may contain more vitamins and minerals.

Unit 2 (Book6) A Brief History of Surnames

READING

　　”My name is Bond. James Bond.” This is how the famous British secret agent normally addresses someone when he meets that person for the first time. When you first meet someone, it is considerate and polite to tell that person your name. Some people, like James Bond, are used to giving their surnames, or family names, first. However, you might be astonished to discover that though commonly used today, English surnames actually have a short but fascinating history.

　　A long time ago, most people resided in small villages, where everyone was already well acquainted with one another. Thus, most people just used first names. It was unnecessary to say, “I mean the Jack working in the bakery.” Everyone knew who Jack was and where he worked, so there was no chance that he might be mistaken for someone else. In addition, back in those days, it was difficult to travel between villages, so visits from strangers were rare. Therefore, it was unlikely that using just the name Jack would cause any confusion in the village.

　　Over time, however, the populations of these small villages expanded rapidly, and these villages grew several times larger than they had been before. As a result, numerous men named Jack ended up living in the same region. This could make things complicated. If someone mentioned a person named Jack, people might not know precisely which Jack this person was referring to. Hence, people came up with a method to distinguish between all the people in one place, especially those who shared the same name.

　　One of the earliest ways to tell one person from another was to add the name of a person’s occupation or trade to his or her first name. Under this new system, Jack the cook, Jack the miller, and Jack the shepherd would become Jack Cook, Jack Miller, and Jack Shepherd. In fact, Smith, one of the most common English surnames today, began in this very way. In the past, a “smith” was someone who made things from metal, including a goldsmith, a coppersmith, and a blacksmith. So, it is not surprising that Smith has become such a common surname.

　　Surnames also came into being in other ways. Some came from the names of the places where people lived. For instance, the Jack living by the woods became Jack Woods, and the Jack who lived on a hill was called Jack Hill. Other surnames originated from people’s nicknames. A man who was two times as tall as other people might be known as Jack the long fellow, and an honest man as Jack the true man. Later on, surnames such as Longfellow, Truman, White, and Strong became widespread. Finally, some surnames began as a way to distinguish between those who share the same first name, but have different fathers. For instance, the son of Richard would use the surname Richardson, while the son of Peter would be given the surname Peterson.

　　Although it is hard to imagine a world without surnames today, it should be noted that they have only been in existence for a fairly short period of time. So, remember to share your surname with others. It can provide them with more information about you, your ancestors, and even your family’s background.
I. Reading for the Main Idea―Skimming

Skim the reading and choose the best answer to the statement.

( )	The reading is mainly about _____. (A) the origins of English surnames (B) the different ways to choose an English name (C) the reasons why people didn’t need surnames in ancient times (D) the best ways to distinguish between people with the same surname

II. Reading for Details─Scanning

Choose the best answer to each of the following questions or statements.

( )	1.	Without surnames, what problem might people today run into?
		(A) They might not be able to travel to other places. (B) They might find it impossible to recognize their relatives. (C) They might not be able to distinguish between people who share the same first name. (D) They might not be able to know others’ occupations or the places where others live.
( )	2.	If there are five males named Peter in one village, what might be the surname of the only one with brown hair?
		(A) Brown.	(B) Hair.	(C) Village.	(D) Only.
( )	3.	Which of the following is NOT the reason why people in the past didn’t need surnames?
		(A) Traveling between villages was rare. (B) Using surnames was not allowed. (C) There were few visits from strangers. (D) People lived in small villages and knew one another well.
( )	4.	According to the reading, from people’s surnames, we might NOT be able to get the information about _____.
		(A) the places or locations where their ancestors came from (B) the personal features that their ancestors might have had (C) the occupations of their ancestors (D) the interests their ancestors might have had
( )	5.	According to the reading, which of the following is true?
		English surnames have existed for a long time. Surnames can provide information about a family’s background. In the past, using surnames may have caused confusion among some people. The surname “Miller” may suggest that one’s ancestors made things from metal.