The earliest signs of counting have been found in ancient hunting artifacts.

Notches in
animal bones from 30,000 B.C. may have been a tallying system. Tallies were used to keep
track of things. A sheepherder would put a pebble in a pile each time a sheep was let out to
graze. When the sheep returned at night, the owner would remove the pebble. Any pebbles that
remained represented missing sheep. But such tallying was not true counting. It merely
compared two sets of objects.
Egypt was one of the first civilizations to adopt a real number system. Beginning in about
3000 B.C., Egyptians expressed numbers with pictographs, or symbols to represent numbers.
Thus, the numbers from one to nine were combinations of vertical strokes. Ten was an inverted
U, 100 was a coiled rope, and 1,000 was a lotus flower.
Different cultures used different base numbers for their counting systems. Many, such as
the Egyptians, used a base 10. Others, like the Babylonians, used a base 60, which survives today
in geometry (60 seconds and minutes of angular measurement, 360 degrees in a circle, and 180
degrees in a rectangle) and in time-keeping (60 seconds in a minute and 60 minutes in an hour).
The first great advance in numbering was the place-value concept. Invented by the
Babylonians, place values were needed to show the value of each digit in a numeric notation. For
example, without place values, the number 236 was complicated to write in most systems, as it
required multiple symbols and strokes. But with a value assigned to each place (in a system
based on 10), we know that the digit 6 represents 6 ones, the digit 3 represents 3 tens, and the
digit 2 represents 2 hundreds.
For place value to accurately reflect a number, a “zero” was needed to eliminate any
confusion over, for example, whether the digits 236 were intended to represent 236 or 2360 or
2036 or 2306. The zero or “empty” place value was originally indicated by leaving a gap
between numbers, as in 23_6 to mean 2306. Eventually, a special symbol was designed to show
zero, the “0” digit that we use today. That symbol was invented for the Arabic counting system
and was in common use by about 650 AD.
For zero and place values to be useful in mathematics, it was necessary to invent a
symbol for each number up to the base figure. Thus, different symbols for one through nine were
adopted, with the zero added after each symbol to reflect another 10 (10, 20, 30, 40, and so on).
And multiple zeros were added to represent even larger numbers (100, 1,000, and 10,000).
Arabic numerals ultimately replaced the Roman numerals that had dominated Western
European history until the seventeenth century. Those are the numerals used in most of the world
today. Early forms of Arabic numbers appeared in India by 200 B.C. Indian mathematicians
found that a place value system that included a symbol for zero allowed them to perform
mathematical operations by writing down and manipulating numerals. By about 1600, Roman
numerals had been supplanted by Arabic numerals for performing most computations.
1. What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. The importance of the number zero
B. The history of counting
C. The tools used by ancient people to count
D. A new invented counting system
2. According to paragraph 1, the first signs of counting were found in _______.
A. tallies B. sheep C. rocks D. animal bones
3. The phrase “keep track of” in the passage is closest in meaning to _______.
A. account for B. preserve C. describe D. line up
4. Which of the following was used to show numbers in Egypt’s counting system?
A. tallies
B. pictographs
C. pebbles
D. an inverted U
5. The time-keeping system (60 seconds in a minute) is mentioned as an example of the base
numbers used by_______.
A. Egyptians B. Indians C. Arabians D. Babylonians
6. The author mentions “the number 236” in order to _______.
A. illustrate the importance of the zero in the place-value system
B. explain how the Arabs invented Arabic numerals
C. identify the first numeral that was written with place values
D. show a number that does not contain a zero
7. The author’s description of zero mentions which of the following?
A. It was invented by the Babylonians.
B. It was first expressed with Roman numerals.
C. It was needed to make place values accurate.
D. It was used widely by 3000 B.C.
8. When did the “0” digit become popularly used?
A. About 3000 B.C. B. About 650 AD
C. About 236 AD D. About 200 B.C.
9. According to the passage, all of the following are true about place values EXCEPT ______.
A. They were invented by the Babylonians
B. They show the value of each digit in a multiple-digit number
C. They allowed calculations with written numerals
D. They were included in the system of Roman numerals
10. The word “supplanted” in the passage is closest in meaning to______.
A. replaced B. revised C. reinforced D. resurrected
The Asian migration hypothesis is today supported by most of the scientific evidence.
The first “hard” data linking American Indians with Asians appeared in the 1980s with the
finding that Indians and northeast Asians share a common and distinctive pattern in the
arrangement of the teeth. But perhaps the most compelling support for the hypothesis comes
from genetic research. Studies comparing the DNA variation of populations around the world
consistently demonstrate the close genetic relationship between the two populations, and recently
geneticists studying a virus sequestered in the kidneys of all humans found that the strain of virus
carried by Navajos and Japanese is nearly identical, while that carried by Europeans and
Africans is quite different.
The migration could have begun over a land bridge connecting the continents. During the
last Ice Age 70,000 to 10,000 years ago, huge glaciers locked up massive volumes of water and
sea levels were as much as 300 feet lower than today. Asia and North America were joined by a
huge subcontinent of ice- free, treeless grassland, 750 miles wide. Geologists have named this
area Beringia, from the Bering Straits. Summers there were warm, winters were cold, dry and
almost snow-free. This was a perfect environment for large mammals - mammoth and mastodon,
bison, horse, reindeer, camel, and saiga (a goatlike antelope). Small bands of Stone Age hunter-
gatherers were attracted by these animal populations, which provided them not only with food
but with hides for clothing and shelter, dung for fuel, and bones for tools and weapons.
Accompanied by a husky-like species of dog, hunting bands gradually moved as far east as the
Yukon River basin of northern Canada, where field excavations have uncovered the fossilized
jawbones of several dogs and bone tools estimated to be about 27,000 years old.
Other evidence suggests that the migration from Asia began about 30,000 years ago
around the same time Japan and Scandinavia were settled. This evidence is based on blood type.
The vast majority of modern Native Americans have type O blood and a few have type A, but
almost none have type B. Because modern Asian populations include all three blood types, the
migrations must have begun before the evolution of type B, which geneticists believe occurred
about 30,000 years ago.
By 25,000 years ago human communities were established in western Beringia, which is
present-day Alaska. But access to the south was blocked by a huge glacial sheet covering much
of what is today Canada. How did the hunters get over those 2,000 miles of deep ice? The
argument is that the climate began to warm with the passing of the Ice Age, and about 13,000
B.C.E. glacial melting created an ice-free corridor along the eastern front range of the Rocky
Mountains. Soon hunters of big game had reached the Great Plains.
1. According to the text, what happened in the 1980s?
A. A research into American Indian's teeth was first conducted.
B. Researchers started investigating the distinctive features of American Indians.
C. Studies on human kidneys were encouraged.
D. A shared characteristic of American Indians and Asians was discovered.
2. The word “distinctive” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to_______.
A. new B. simple C. different D. particular
3. Recent studies found that Navajos carry the strain of virus similar to that of_______.
A. Japanese B. Asians C. Europeans D. Africans
4. According to paragraph 2, why did Stone Age tribes begin to migrate into Beringia?
A. To intermarry with tribes living there B. To trade with tribes that made tools
C. To hunt for animals in the area D. To capture domesticated dogs
5. All of the following animals are mentioned as examples of large mammals EXCEPT_______.
A. saiga B. bison C. camel D. goat
6. The phrase “Accompanied by” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to_______.
A. found with B. joined by C. threatened by D. detoured with
7. The word “which” in paragraph 3 refers to_______.
A. migrations B. evolution C. geneticists D. populations
8. Why does the author mention blood types in paragraph 3?
A. Comparisons of blood types in Asia and North America established the date of
migration.
B. The presence of type B in Native Americans was evidence of the migration.
C. The blood typing was similar to data from both Japan and Scandinavia.
D. Blood types offered proof that the migration had come from Scandinavia.
9. Which blood type do most Native Americans have?
A. Type A B. Type B C. Type AB D. Type O
10. How did groups migrate into the Great Plains?
A. By walking on a corridor covered with ice
B. By using the path that big game had made
C. By following a mountain trail
D. By detouring around a huge ice sheet
Listening

1. What will the girl take on the school trip?

A. Some food. B. Her camera.
C. Her mobile phone. D. Some coffee.
2. Where is the girl’s older brother?
A. At the station. B. In the supermarket.
C. On the slopes. D. In his water-skiing class.
3. Where is the girl’s new T-shirt?
A. In her wardrobe. B. In her bag.
C. In her school bag. D. On her bed.
4. What did the girl spend her birthday money on?
A. New clothes. B. A dress.
C. A concert ticket. D. Some music CDs.
5. How did the boy get home from school yesterday?
A. He got a lift from his father. B. He skateboarded home.
C. He rode a bike home. D. He walked home.
6. Where is the boy’s mobile phone now?
A. In his pocket. B. In his bedroom.
C. In his backpack. D. In his mother’s car.
7. What has the girl just received in the post?
A. A new hat. B. Some sunglasses.
C. Some jewelry. D. A CD box.
8. How did the boy find out about the canceled lesson?
A. His teacher phoned him.
B. His teacher’s wife texted him.
C. His friend texted him.
D. His school texted him.
Conversation 1
9. When do most people share accommodation?
A. When they leave home.
 В. When they are invited to.
С. When they are having problems.
D. When they feel lonely.
10. According to Dr. Millington, what is an important thing to do when sharing a
flat?
A. to share food
В. to have established rules
С. be sociable
D. be friendly
11. What is the most common problem with sharing accommodation?
A. paying bills
В. meal times
С. being clean
D. meal preparation
12. What problem with rotas is mentioned?
A. They are too obvious.
В. You have to pay for them.
С. Circumstances can change.
D. They are not practical
Conversation 2
13. When did the speakers last spend time with Joan?
A. On the day they left school
B. Last month
C. Ten years ago
D. Not mentioning
14. How did the woman feel about Joan when they were at school?
A. She liked her very much
B. She didn’t think she was sincere
C. She was upset by her behavior
D. She was jealous of her success
15. What is Joan’s husband’s job?
A. politician
B. lawyer
C. successful businessman
 D. sport athlete
16. What is Joan’s job?
A. Minister of Education
B. Prime Minister
C. Minister of Sport
D. Lecture at a university
Talk 1
1. What is the main purpose of this talk?
A. To discuss incomplete grades.
B. To arrange for makeup exams.
C. To explain course policies and procedures.
D. To give an overview of the course content.
2. What is the speaker's policy for late assignments?
A. He will allow the students one day after the due date before marking them down.
B. He will not accept late assignments.
C. He will subtract one letter from the grade for each day that the paper is late.
D. He will excuse students who are ill.
3. What is the professor’s attendance policy?
A. He calls the roll before every session.
B. He does not take attendance in class.
C. He has each student check in after class.
D. He uses a seating chart to take attendance.
4. What is the procedure for a student to receive a grade of incomplete?
A. The student must submit a request form explaining why the incomplete is
necessary.
B. The student must call the speaker to explain.
C. The student must arrange for the incomplete within one week of the final exam.
D. The student must register to take the course again.
Talk 2
1. Based on the recording, where might the homeowner have been when the theft
occurred?
A. at school
B. at the supermarket
C. in the shower
D. at a bar
2. What evidence do we have to know that a burglar entered the house?
A. a broken window in the bedroom
B. an unlocked door to the house
C. a mark of a person’s shoe
D. a messy room
3. You should never leave a house key…….
A. with a neighbor you don’t know well.
B. in places a burglar might suspect.
C. inside your unlocked car.
D. outside your house.
4. Which of the following safeguards was NOT mentioned in protecting your home?
A. Putting in good lights around the house.
B. Setting up a neighborhood watch group.
C. Having secure locks for exterior doors and windows.
D. Hiring a security guard.