D
In the computer age, most of us take a broadband Internet connection for granted. Whether cable or mobile broadband, today’s connections are many times faster than those in the early days. Videos play smoothly, complex websites load quickly, and files download much faster than ten years ago. And the files are much bigger too.
There’s a catch, of course: You have to live near enough to a major city to get broadband Internet. If you don’t, it’s slow dial-up access for you. And for those living really far out, there may be no Internet access at all.
Technology experts often talk about the “last mile” problem, which refers to the difficulty of bringing Internet access to remote locations. In cities and suburbs, it’s relatively easy to provide access for everyone. It is much more difficult to deliver access to those living far from cities, especially in developing countries. Internet service providers, for their part, have been reluctant to provide access to sparsely (稀疏地) populated areas. The handful of Internet users they would reach wouldn’t cover the expense.
But every year, technological advancements allow of more and more Internet users. Most broadband connections today run over existing cable TV and telephone lines although these technologies aren’t available everywhere.
Some companies have delivered the Internet over standard power lines. Advancements in cheaper, more efficient fiber optics cables (光纤电缆) promise to bring extremely fast Internet connections to more users.
Still, the “last mile” problem remains hard to deal with. There will always be somewhere that doesn’t have an affordable broadband connection. But someday that might not matter. If the rapid progress in cell phone technology is any indication (迹象), it may not be too long before an Internet connection simply follows you wherever you go.
68. The underlined part “a catch” (in Paragraph 2) probably means “_____”.
A. a rare challenge B. a desirable plan
C. an efficient device D. a hidden problem
69. What can we know from the third paragraph?
A. Internet connection has not been popular in most cities.
B. Internet service providers care about rural customers.
C. Computer is popular in developing countries.
D. It is hard to bring Internet access to users in remote areas.
70. Paragraph 4 mainly tells us that technological advancements _____.
A. make TV and telephone available everywhere
B. bring great change to people’s everyday life
C. make it possible for more people to use the Internet
D. bring faster Internet connections to users
71. What may eventually settle the “last mile” problem?
A. The broadband connection’s getting faster.
B. More and more Internet users.
C. more and more Internet connections.
D The rapid progress in cell phone technology.
Student Services
Students' Union
Every University has a Students' Union. If students are the lifeblood of a university, the Union is surely its beating heart.
For students, by students
A Students’ Union is run by students and acts independently. At the end of each academic year, it will find six students to hold a sabbatical（带有休假的） position managing the Union for the coming year. That the six successful sabbatical officers have only recently experienced issues affecting students ensures that your needs are very well understood.
Letting your hair down
Although the University is spread across a fairly wide area, the Union is centrally located and is only a short walk from any of the main buildings. This makes it very easy to catch up with friends who might be on a different course.
At night, the place really comes alive – we have three different bars to suit every occasion. The venues are student-only so you can be sure of meeting people with a similar outlook and we throw in a transport service to make sure you get home safely.
The Union also organizes various formal balls throughout the year, with the highlight being the end-of-year ball.
Supporting you
Beyond having fun, we also make sure some of the more serious issues are effectively dealt with. If you have a problem with your course, another sabbatical officer is trained to help you. Being independent from the University means we can represent and support you to the best of our ability, and once you reach university you may find that you become aware of more national or political issues. From the second paragraph of the passage, we can infer that ______.
| A．a Students’ Union is operated by the university |
| B．a Students’ Union is not operated by the university |
| C．a Students’ Union is operated is working for the university |
| D．a Students’ Union is affected by the university |
The person who takes up a certain post of the Students’ Union ______.
| A．learns what the students need |
| B．is very happy and easy |
| C．can affect the life of any student |
| D．has understood everything of the University |
According to the third paragraph, we can learn that ______.
| A．a Students’ Union is far away from the university |
| B．a Students’ Union is near to the home |
| C．a Students’ Union is central part of the university |
| D．a Students’ Union has different courses for all the students |
From the passage, we can learn that ______ is the most wonderful program of every year.
| A．making friends |
| B．dancing in a bar |
| C．the match of the end-year ball |
| D．electing the officers |
After reading the last two parts, we can infer that _______.
| A．the Students’ Union can help a student who has trouble in the study |
| B．the Students’ Union can help a student who is being trained |
| C．the Students’ Union can cultivate the ability of a student to be suitable for political position |
| D．the Students’ Union can support a student to run the University |
It is hardly surprising that clothing manufacturers （生产商）follow certain uniform standards for various features（特征）of clothes. What seems strange, however, is that the standard adopted for women is the opposite of the one for men. Take a look at the way your clothes button. Men’s clothes tend to button from the right, and women’s from the left. Considering most of the world’s population---men and women---are right-handed, the men’s standard would appear to make more sense for women. So why do women’s clothes button from the left?
History really seems to matter here. Button first appeared only on the clothes of the rich in the 17th century, when rich women were dressed by servants. For the mostly right-handed servants, having women’s shirts button from the left would be easier. On the other hand, having men’s shirts button from the right made sense, too. Most men dressed themselves, and a sword drawn from the left with the right hand would be less likely to get caught in the shirt.
Today women are seldom dressed by servants, but buttoning from the left is still the standard for them. Is it interesting? Actually, a standard, once set, resists change. At a time when all women’s shirts buttoned from the left, it would have been risky for any single manufacture to offer women’s shirts that buttoned the right. After all, women had grown so used to shirts which buttoned from the left and would have to develop new habits and skills to switch. It would be weird for them to button from the right, since anyone who noticed that would believe they were wearing men’s shirts.What is surprising about the standard of the clothing industry?
| A．It has been followed by the industry for over 400 years. |
| B．It is different for men’s clothing and women’s. |
| C．It works better with men than with women. |
| D．It fails to consider right-handed people. |
What do we know about the rich men in the 17th century?
| A．They tended to wear clothes without buttons. |
| B．They were interested in the historical matters. |
| C．They were mostly dressed by servants. |
| D．They drew their swords from the left. |
Women’s clothes still button from the left today because .
| A．adopting men’s style is improper for women |
| B．manufacturers should follow standards |
| C．modern women dress themselves |
| D．customs are hard to change |
The passage is mainly developed by .
| A．analyzing cause |
| B．making comparisons |
| C．examining differences |
| D．following the time order |
Imagine, one day, getting out of bed in Beijing and being at your office in Shanghai in only a couple of hours, and then, after a full day of work, going back home to Beijing and having dinner there．
Sounds unusual, doesn't it? But it's not that unrealistic, with the development of China’s high-speed railway system. And that’s not all. China has an even greater high-speed railway plan to connect the country with Southeast Asia, and eventually Eastern Europe．
China is negotiating(谈判) to extend its own high-speed railway network to up to 17 countries in 1 0 to 15 years, eventually reaching London and Singapore．
China has proposed three such projects. The first would possibly connect Kunming with Singapore via Vietnam and Malaysia. Another could start in Urumqi and go through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and possibly to Germany. The third would start in the northeast and go north through Russia and then into Western Europe．
If China’s plan for the high-speed railway goes forward, people could zip over from London to Beijing in under two days．The new system would still follow China’s high-speed railway standard. And the trains would be able to go 346 kilometers an hour, almost as fast as some airplanes．
China’s bullet train(高速列车), the one connecting Wuhan to Guangzhou, already has the World’s fastest average speed. It covers 1,069 kilometers in about three hours．
Of course, there are some technical challenges to overcome. There are so many issues that need to be settled, such as safety, rail gauge(轨距), maintenance(保养) of railway tracks. So, it’s important to pay attention to every detail. But the key issue is really money. China is already spending hundreds of billions of yuan on domestic railway expansion．
China prefers that the other countries pay in natural resources rather than with capital（资本的）investment. Resources from those countries could stream into China to sustain development．
It’ll be a win-win project. For other countries, the railway network will definitely create more opportunities for business, tourism and so on, not to mention the better communication among those countries．
For China，such a project would not only connect it with the rest of Asia and bring some much-needed resources, but would also help develop China’s far west．We foresee that in the coming decades, millions of people will migrate to the western regions，where the land is empty and resources unused. With high-speed trains, people will set up factories and business centers in the west once and for all. And they’ll trade with Central Asian and Eastern European countries． China’s new high-speed railway plan will be a win-win project because ．
| A．China will get much-needed resources and develop its western regions |
| B．China and the countries involved will benefit from the project in various ways |
| C．China will develop its railway system and communication with other countries |
| D．the foreign countries involved will develop their railway transportation, business and tourism |
According to the passage，the greatest challenge to the new high-speed railway plan is ．
| A．technical issues | B．safety of the system |
| C．financial problems | D．maintenance of railway tracks |
Which of the following words best describes the author’s attitude
towards China’s high-speed railway plan?
| A．Critical． | B．Reserved． | C．Doubtful | D．Positive． |
Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
| A．New Railway Standards | B．Big Railway Dreams |
| C．High-speed Bullet Trains | D．International Railway Network |
Mauritius, with its full name the Republic of Mauritius, an island country, lies 1,200 miles off the southeastern coast of Africa, and just east of Madagascar, another African island country, which is larger by far than Mauritius. It covers 788 square miles and has a population of 1,100,000, about 750,000 Indians, 300,000 Chinese and 20,000 Whites included. They are living together peacefully, although they share such different beliefs as Hindu, Roman Catholic, Muslim and so on.
The country can be divided into many parts with different climates all because of its peculiar terrains (地形). In the center there are volcanoes several thousand feet high, and 90% of its arable land is covered with sugarcane.
There were no people living on the island before the Dutch landed on it in 1638. The Dutch abandoned it in 1710, and five years later, the French came and succeeded in planting sugarcane there. It was conquered by Britain in 1818. As a result, its official language is English. The main big cities are Beau-Bassin and Mahebourg, with Port Louis as its capital.
Mauritius has many rare and unique animals, such as the snakes, parrots and lizards. The giraffe is a type of animal with a very long neck and legs and yellow skin with dark spots. It is the tallest of all living animals.
Mauritius was extremely poor when it declared its independence in 1968. In the past ten years, obvious economic prosperity(繁荣) has shown itself in this island country. Nowadays its business, culture and tourism are developing rapidly. Every year, thousands of millions of people rush there to enjoy the silver sand beach and song and dance performances with native national characteristics. The underlined word “abandoned” in the third paragraph means ___________.
| A．took its place | B．gave it up |
| C．left for it | D．held it out |
The right order that shows the history of Mauritius should be ___________.
a. seized by the French b. became its master
c. ruled by the Dutch d. conquered by the British
| A．b, a, c, d | B．a, c, d, b |
| C．d, c, a, b | D．c, a, d, b |
According to the passage all of the following statements are true EXCEPT______.
| A．Arable land covers 90% of the country’s total area |
| B．Tourism is one of the driving forces for the economic development of Mauritius. |
| C．More than half of Mauritius population are Indians |
| D．British ruled the island longer than French and Dutch |
Which of the following maps shows the right position of Mauritius?
(Mau =" Mauritius;" Ma =" Madagascar;" A = Africa)
| A． | B． A AMA MA  Mau Mau |
| C． | D． A A
|
MA MA
Mau Have you ever wondered?
1. Why do airplanes take longer to fly west than east?
It can take five hours to go west-east from New York(NY) to London but seven hours to travel east-west from London to NY. The reason for the difference is an atmospheric phenomenon known as the jet(喷射) stream. The jet stream is a very high altitude wind which always blows from the west to the east across the Atlantic. The planes moving at a constant air speed thus go faster in the west-east direction when the air moving with the wind than in the opposite direction.
2. What would happen if the gravity(重力) on Earth was suddenly turned off?
Supposing we could magically turn off gravity. Would buildings and other structures float away? What happened would depend on how strongly the things were attached to the Earth. The Earth is moving at quite a speed moving at over a thousand miles per hour. If you turn something round your head on a string, it goes around in a circle until you let go of the string. Then it flies off in a straight line. “Switching off ” gravity would be like letting go of the string. Things not attacked to the Earth would fly off in a straight line . People in buildings would suddenly shoot upwards at a great speed until they hit the ceiling. Most things would fly off into space.What information can we get from the first passage?
| A．It is the jet stream that affects how fast airplanes fly. |
| B．Planes go slower when they are moving with the wind. |
| C．It takes more time to fly from NY to London than from London to NY. |
| D．The jet stream always blows from the east to the west across the Atlantic. |
The word “shoot” underlined in the 2nd passage probably means“ ”.
| A．send for | B．move quickly | C．come out | D．grow quickly |
It can be inferred that without gravity .
| A．buildings and other structures would float away |
| B．trees and buildings would not so easily fly off |
| C．something around your head would not float away |
| D．everything outside buildings would fly off into space |
Where can we most probably read this text?
| A．In a research paper. | B．In a short story. |
| C．In a travel magazine. | D．In a students’ book |
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