.
How the iron of tomorrow (the first Self Cleaning Iron) can change your lifestyle today?
General Electric introduces the iron of tomorrow. The iron can clean itself every time you empty it. How? With a push of a magic blue button.
The magic blue button
The first thing you’ll notice that’s different about this iron is the blue button on the side. It’s marked “Self Clean”. Push this blue button, and you can wash out loose mineral deposits(沉淀物) that remain and block up inside. Push this button, and you’ve made life a lot easier.
Less chance of brown spots
Sure, the Self Cleaning Iron is going to cut down on brown spots (those ugly spots that happen on nice, cleanly pressed clothes) because a Self Cleaning Iron becomes clean quickly each time you press that magic blue button.
Steam better longer
Common sense tells you that if you’ve got an iron that blocks less often it has to stay younger for a long, period of time. In other words, it steams better longer. That’s another joy of owning General Electric’s Self Cleaning Iron.
What does it mean to you
Today you are doing so much more than just running a house and running after the kids. You’re working. You’re going to school. It’s all part of your lifestyle. The iron can change that lifestyle by giving you less trouble before you iron. If we can make it easier for you to be a better wife, a better mother, a better homemaker, we want to. The new Self Cleaning Iron is another one of Home-Makers from General Electric. ^*
53. This passage is mainly about __________.
A. an introduction to the General Electric
B. an operating instruction of the Self Cleaning Iron
C. an advertisement of the Self Cleaning Iron
D. a description of the change of lifestyle
54. This iron can clean itself by __________.
A. emptying itself B. washing out mineral deposits
C. blocking up mineral deposits D. giving off more steam
55. According to the passage, what is most likely to attract the customers?
A. It is made by General Electric.
B. The iron will not produce mineral deposits.
C. Their clothes will be cleaned at the same time.
D. There will be fewer brown spots on pressed clothes.
56. The Self Cleaning Iron can help change your lifestyle because __________.
A. you can run your house better B. you don’t have to run after the kids
C. you can use it while you are working D. we want you to be a better house maker
Who are these people rushing by you in the street? More than 215 million people now call America “home”, but most of them can trace their families back to other parts of the world. If you look at the names on shop windows, you will see that Americans come from many different lands. The idea that these people, who once were strangers to the United States, have lost the customs and cultures of their original countries and have become “American” is really not true. In fact, what exists in America is more often a kind of “side-by-side” living in which groups of people from other countries often have kept many of their customs and habits. They join the general American society only in certain areas of their lives—such as in schools, business, and sports—but they keep many of their own native customs and manners socially and at home. This living “side-by-side” has both advantages and disadvantages. Sometimes it may cause disagreements to develop between groups whose ways of life are very different from one another. However, there are also great advantages that come from the variety of cultures brought by settlers from other lands. There is great freedom of choice among ideas and dress, food, and social customs in America. Everyone can find some part of his or her familiar world in the United States, in churches, music, food, national groups, or newspapers.
6. More than 215 million people call America “home” because_______.
A. they buy their houses there B. they settle there now
C. they get married there D. they were born there
7. “Side-by-side” living style means _______.
A. making friends with native people
B. keeping their own customs while sharing American ones in certain areas
C. the groups of people who live nearby
D. that they get closer to American society
8. According to the passage, people in the USA ________.
A. share American customs and culture
B. live in a kind of “side-by-side” society
C. keep their own customs and habits firmly
D. make no choice to accept American customs
9. Which of the following statements is true?
A. They always stick to their own customs and habits.
B. “Side-by-side” living style is not suitable.
C. They face the society they are not familiar with.
D. The advantages coming from the variety of cultures make life in America colorful.
10. Which title of the following can best take the place of “Different Cultures in America”?
A. Advantages and Disadvantages. B. Different Customs and Habits.
C. Home for the People. D. “Side-by-side” Living Style in America.
Last July, my 12-year-old car died on California’s Santa Ana Freeway. It was an hour before sunset, and I was 25 miles from home. I couldn’t reach anyone to pick me up, so I decided to take a bus. Not knowing the routes, I figured I’d just head east.
A bus pulled up, and I asked the driver how far she was going. “Four more lights,” she said. There was another bus I could take from there. This clearly was going to be a long night.
She dropped me off at the end of her route and told me which bus to look for. After waiting 30 minutes, I began to think about a very expensive taxi ride home. Then a bus pulled up. There was no lighted number above its windshield(挡风玻璃). It was out of service. But the door opened, and I was surprised to find that it was the same driver.
“I just can’t leave you here,” she said. “This isn’t the nicest place. I’ll give you a ride home.”
“You’ll drive me home in the bus?” I asked, perplexed(困惑).
“No, I’ll take you in my car,” she said.
“It’s a long way,” I protested.
“Come on, ” she said. “I have nothing else to do.”
As we drove from the station in her car, she began telling me a story. A few days earlier, her brother had run out of gas. A good Samaritan picked him up, took him to a service station and then back to his car. “I’m just passing the favor along, ” she said.
When I offered her money as a thank-you, she wouldn’t hear of it. “That wouldn’t make it a favor, ” she said. “Just do something nice for somebody. Pass it along.”
1. Why did the writer say that he would have a long night?
A. He wondered how long he had to wait for the next bus.
B. No driver would give him a ride.
C. He didn’t know the routes.
D. He perhaps would have to take a taxi.
2. Judging from its context, the place where the writer waited for the second bus was _______.
A. very quiet and peaceful B. dark without street lights
C. neither clean nor beautiful D. a little unsafe
3. Why did the writer change his mind after waiting for 30 minutes at the end of the route?
A. No bus would come at the time.
B. A taxi ride would be more comfortable.
C. He became impatient and a bit worried.
D. He knew the driver would never return.
4. The bus driver drove the writer home later because ________.
A. she happened to go in the same direction
B. she wanted to do something good for other people
C. her brother told her to do so
D. she wanted to earn more money
5. The bus driver hoped that the writer ________.
A. would do as she did B. would keep her in memory
C. would give the money to others D. would do her a favor
Thousands of years ago people guessed the time of day by watching the sun.
Later，they found it was easier to tell the exact time by looking at the shadows.Thus， the sundial(日晷) was invented.
The sundial proved a useful timepiece in sunny weather. However，another typc of timepiece was necessary for cloudy weather and nigh time.A sand glass was another common measurer of time.Two glass bottles were connected by a very small opening. The top bottle was filled with sand，which dropped slowly into the botton one in a certain period of time.Hour glasses were widely used then.Three—minute sand glasses are still used in many homes to time the boiling of eggs.
The real ancestor of modern clocks was the water clock.In China ,an early water clock was made up of several bowls. Water trickled(滴) from one bowl to another to keep the clock going. Visitors to the Beijing Palace Museum can still see the old water clocks showing the time there.
In the Middle Ages a wateless clock was invented which worked by means of weights. To keep the weight falling at the same speed，a system of wheels was invented. The pendulum(钟摆) was soon developed to control the speed of the wheels. Thus the modern form of clock came into being.
9.Which of the following is the correct picturr of a sand glass?
A. B. C. D.
10.Three minute sand glasses are still used in many homes .
A.to boil eggs B.to measure the time of boiling eggs
C.to hold the boiled eggs D.to have eggs boiled
11.If you visit Beijing Palace Museum, you .
A.will see the old water clocks broken
B.will find the time shown by the old water clocks is wrong
C.can find the old water clocks still telling the time there
D.will find the old water clocks have gone
12.In the Middle Ages the weight falling speed of a clock was kept by .
A.several bowls B.a system of wheels
C.a system of pendulum D.several springs
Net Libray is a library that lends out digitalbooks. It treats a digital like a paperback copy. It charges libraries per book per copy and gives publishers a cut of the total income.
From the consumer’s point of view，this means that if more than，Say, five people want the latest Danielle Steel romance novel，other people who request that book will get a message saying the title can’t be found.
It’s a model many publishers seem to have embraced. More than 350 gave the company rights to hand out their digital works，and McGraw-Hill Corporation and Houghton Mifflin Corporation have put money in the company. The California public libraries and about 1，800 others across the US are trying out the Net Library service.
Some librarians criticize the New Library model. Stanford University librarian Michael Keller argues that the company is creating an unnatural fear of digital woks, which is contrary to the ideas of the Internet.
Kelle and some other librarians argue for the e-book vision set forth by E-Brary. E-Brary is starting a service that lets us users read books for free.
But it will charge about 25 cents a page when a person tries to print out material or copy and paste it into a different file or tries to download copy onto a computer.
Christopher Warnock，chief executive of E-Brarw, believes most consumers won’t want to buy entire books，only the parts that interest them.
“There’s not really a lot of good in owning an electronic file and having to store it and manage it.It doesn't make sense.”he said.
5.How do publishers get money from the Net Library?
A.They get money from selling their books to the Net Libary.
B.They share the money with the Net Library.
C.They get money by cutting the cost of the books.
D.They get the money from the readers.
6.The underlined word“embraced”in the 3rd paragraph means .
A.taken something willingly B.held something tightly
C.disliked something badly D.tried out something hard
7.From the 2nd paragraph we can see consumers .
A.don’t care if they are charged money
B.enjoy the service of the Net Library
C.don’t like other people borrowing books
D.complain about the limited number of the new books
8.What does the last paragraph mean?
A.Net Library is not a good way for the consumers.
B.There is no need for consumers to have a whole book.
C.EBrary is not a good library for the consumers.
D.It’s reasonable to charge the consumers money for copying some pages.
Despite bankruptcies，lay off and tighter comsumers spending，a few femaleled businesses in Japan are developing well.
Shizue Hamada，52，set up a business in 1991 with eight other housewives-to care for the elderly and the physically disabled.
It wasn’t long before the Tasukeai Yui(mutual -aid group) earned a reputation for its excellent service. It now employs 200 staff and has 300 million yuan(US $2.4million)in annual sales.
The woman said their business has been successful because they provide what customrs really want.
These entrepreneurs are making use of a revalized and healthy demand for everyday basic items.
Bread，for instance，is in high demand．Business woman Meiko Tanaka，26，started selling high-quality bread over the Internet in 2000．“Bread is cheap，”she said.“We migh as well eat the bread baked using the the highest-quality ingredients.”
Five women—former office workers in their late 20s—have started the“OL Food Bureau of Investigation”to review restaurants on the Internet.OL means young office lady. It’s a common nickname in Japan．
Business is increasing rapidly．Membership for their online magazine has reached 26，000． Their non-professional comments seem to carry a lot of weight with consumers．This month the five women will be appearing on Japanese TV．
What all these female entrepreneurs have in common is a strong belief in their likes and dislikes，and confidence is their own sensibilities．
They find gaps in the market and fill them with products and services that they like or want.
Japanese women headed nearly 6 percent of all businesses in Japan at the end of June—up from 4.5 per cent in 1999．
These female—led micro—businesses are playing an increasingly large role in the economy by plugging the gap between supply and demand.
1.When talking about the businesswomen in Japan，the writer
A.thinks little of them
B.thinks that they will take the place of men in future
C.sings the praises of their abilities
D.is not sure of their future development
2.The passage mainly discusses .
A.Japanese women B.female-led businesses in Japan
C.how to earn a reputation D.Japanese economic development
3.The five women will be appearing on Japanese TV because .
A.thier comments have great influences on consumers
B.they have set up the first online magazine
C.they have arranged handreds of jobs for laidoff workers
D.they used to work in offices and are fairly beautiful
4.If an old man in Japan can't live by himsilf，he should turn to for hehp.
A.Tasukeai Yui B.Meiko Tanaka C.OL Food Bureau of lnvestigation D.entrepreneurs
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