My house is made out of wood, glass and stone. It is also made out of software.
If you come to visit, you’ll probably be surprised when you come in. Someone will give you an electronic PIN （个人身份号码）to wear. This PIN tells the house who and where you are. The house uses this information to give you what you need. When it’s dark outside, the PIN turns on the lights nearest you, and then turns them off as you walk away from them. Music moves with you too. If the house knows your favorite music, it plays it. The music seems to be everywhere, but in fact other people in the house hear different music or no music. If you get a telephone call, only the nearest telephone rings.
Of course, you are also able to tell the house if you want something. There is a home control console (控制台), a small machine that turns things on and off around you.
The PIN and the console are new ideas, but they are in fact like many things we have today. If you want to go to a movie, you need a ticket. If I give you my car keys, you can use my car. The car works for you because you have the keys. My house works for you because you wear the PIN or hold the console.
I believe that ten years from now, most new homes will have the systems that I’ve put in my house. The systems will probably be even bigger and better than the ones I’ve put in today.
I like to try new ideas. I know that some of my ideas will work better than others. But I hope that one day I will stop thinking of these systems as new, and ask myself instead, “How will I live without them?”What does the passage mainly discuss?
| A．How to develop a new system. | B．The function of the PIN. |
| C．A home for the future. | D．Easy life in the future. |
What’s the purpose when the writer wrote the fourth paragraph?
| A．To let readers know why his ideas are new. |
| B．To let readers know how special his house is. |
| C．To explain the importance of the PIN and the console. |
| D．To explain more easily what the functions of the PIN and the console are. |
The writer’s new house is different from ordinary ones mainly because _____.
| A．it has been controlled by computers |
| B．you can make a telephone call anywhere |
| C．it has your favorite music following you |
| D．the writer is able to change his new idea into practice |
What is the writer most likely to be according to the passage?
| A．An IT expert. | B．A famous doctor. |
| C．An idealist | D．An experienced teacher. |
What can’t be done in the writer’s new house?
| A．turns on the lights |
| B．play music |
| C．get a telephone call |
| D．go swimming |
China is casting such a huge shadow on the United States that many Americans are struggling to learn Chinese in order to maintain their competitive edge, "Interest in learning Chinese among American youth and their parents has grown dramatically in the past five years," said Vivien Stewart at the Asia Society, a US group trying to bridge the gap between Americans and people of Asia and the Pacific．
China, the world’s most popular nation, is critical to the United States because it is a leading trader, consumer and investor- Its political influence is also rising across the globe．It has replaced the United States as the world’s largest consumer and become the second largest economy in the world after the superpower status and its telling effects politically, economically and culturally are driving the interest to learn the language, experts say．
From kindergartens to high schools, studies by the Asia Society show, there is a "rapid rise" in interest among pupils to study the Chinese language．
Even though the US State Department has stressed the Chinese language "critical " to national prosperity and security, the "current infrastructure （基础设施）to support recruitment （招生） of students and teachers as well as the growth of high quality programs is -badly inadequate," an Asia Society study says．The Society has set a target of having at least 5% of American high school students learning Chinese by 2015．"Millions of Chinese are learning English, but only 24,000 Americans are learning Chinese," said Andrew Corcoran of the San Francisco - based Chinese American International School．
The most popular languages after English in the United States at present are Spanish and French.The passage mainly tells the readers that _____,
| A．China is getting under a shadow from USA |
| B．American competitive edge is shaking |
| C．Americans object to learning Chinese |
| D．Chinese appeals to more Americans |
Based on the context, what does the underlined word "inadequate" （in Paragraph 5） mean?
| A．leading | B．interesting |
| C．disappointing | D．promising |
According to the text which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Culture can have an effect on exciting persons’ |
| B．USA has got the high quality current |
| C．Chinese ranks 4th on the American Language |
| D．Politics decides language studying |
What might be the most suitable title for this passage?
A, US Government Requires its People to Learn Chinese
B．Chinese Gains its Popularity with Most Americans
C．China’s Economy Helps to Spread its Language
D．Americans Show Interest Learning Chinese
Unbelievable view appealed to me by accident．Just then, I checked once again: the somewhat tiny wood was having a leaf．Could I trust my own eyes? Had the hot sun annoyed me? After all, it as summer in Costa Rica, a country in Central America.
I left off, wiping sweat from my eyes．Then I moved the wood with my finger．It stopped．It looked up at me with big triangular eyes．Surprise! It was a mantid, a kind of insect, instead of a piece of wood．
The mantid was hanging upside down on a branch．Its wings made it look like a piece of tree bark．Then I noticed something else．The leaf wasn’t a leaf at all．The hungry mantid was really eating another insect—a katydid．By now, all that was left of the katydid was a pair of wings．A few moments later, the wings dropped to the ground．The mantid folded its long legs．It sat still．Now it looked even more like a piece of wood than when I had first seen it．
I thought about how I had been fooled by these clever animals．Then I thought about how the two insects go about trying to trick each other．Both mantids and katydids are masters of make-up．Katydids are particularly good at it．Many look like something they are not．Katydids often look like plants．Many seem to be leaves．Others look like leaves of grass．All day, the bugs try to stay perfectly still．Because their bodies look like plants, most animals interested in killing them don’t bother them while katydids eat plants．What is the main topic of the text?
| A．An experience of watching insects． |
| B．The fake image of mantids and katydids． |
| C．The fight between mantids and katydids． |
| D．The living habits of mantids and katydids． |
What caused the author amazed at first?
| A．The hot sun in summer．’ |
| B．The quick moving of the wood． |
| C．The sight of wood eating a leaf． |
| D．The fight for food between mantids and katydids- |
When the mantid was hanging upside down on a branch, it was ____．
| A．waiting for its other food | B．enjoying its food- katydid |
| C．eating a leaf from the branch | D．having a break under the tree |
Based on the passage, it can be inferred that the mantid ____．
| A．is a kind of meat-eafer | B．is easy to be found by a katydid |
| C．looks more like a green leaf | D．mainly lives on the green leaves |
Answer the following questions by using the information taken from a dictionary page．（You may read the questions first．）
jaguar: n．a type of large, yellow-colored cat with black markings found in the southwestern region of the U．S．and in Central and South America．
jargon: 1．n．an unknown language that seems strange or impossible to understand．2．n．a language made up of two or more other languages: His jargon was a mixture of French and English- 3．n． the special vocabulary of a field or profession: Her report on computers was filled with jargon．4．n．speech that doesn’t make sense．
jaunt: 1．n．a trip taken for fun．2．v．to go on a brief pleasant trip: We jaunted to the country last
Saturday．
javelin: 1．n．a spear most commonly used as weapon or in hunting．2．n．the contest in which a javelin is thrown．3．n．a lightweight metal or wooden spear that is thrown in track-and-field contests．4, v．to strike, as with ajavelin．
jazz: 1．n．a type of music that originated in New Orleans and is characterized by rhythmic eats．2．n．popular dance music influenced by jazz．．3．n．slang empty talk．4．ad．of or like jazz: a jazz band, jazz records．
Jennet; n．a small Spanish horse．Which meaning of the word javelin is used in the sentence below?
At the competition, Jack drew his arm back and threw the javelin 50 yards．
| A．Definition 1 | B．Definition 2 | C．Definition 3 | D．Definition 4 |
Which meaning of the word jargon is used in the sentence below?
Doctors often speak in medical jargon．
| A．Definition 1 | B．Definition 2 |
| C．Definition 3 | D．Definition 4 |
What does the word jazz mean in the following sentence?
Don t give me that jazz, for lam a practical person．
| A．nonsense | B．a kind of dance |
| C．a type of music | D．rhythmic beats |
It is not a good idea to stop the actor Richard Griffiths in the middle of a play．During the past year he has stopped performances many times at the National Theatre when mobile phones rang, and he threw out one member of the audience because she failed to turn off her phone．
So when a mobile rang out for the third time during his performance in Alan Bennett’s The History Boys, he spoke angrily to the theatergoer （爱看戏的人）, “I am not going to compete with these electronic devices （装置）．”
Griffiths’ actions led to a debate in the UK theatre world over whether phones should be forbidden by law from British theatres, too．Actors have already asked the government to legalise （使合法化） the use of an electronic device that stops mobile phone signals in theatres．
Technology companies have “stopping” devices that send out a high-powered signal on the same frequency （频率） as a mobile phone, stopping the mobile phone signal．
However, these are forbidden in many countries because they might stop emergency calls from being made．
Rosemary Squire, president of the Society of West End Theatre, said, “Phones are one of the biggest problems theatres face．We should look at equipment that could stop phones or make a London-wide theatre rule．”
Nick Allott, the managing director of Sir Cameron Mackintosh’s theatre group, said, “We would all welcome some ways of stopping ringing phones but doctors and emergency workers need to be connected in a theatre and we mustn’t stop that．” What can we do to solve the problem?What can we infer from the second paragraph?
| A．Surely Griffiths did better than mobile phones in the theatre． |
| B．Griffiths didn’t want mobile phones to affect his performance． |
| C．Griffiths was jealous that mobile phones attracted the audience’s attention． |
| D．Griffiths taught theatergoers a lesson in the performance as a teacher． |
According to the passage, “stopping” devices ______．
| A．have the same functions as mobile phones |
| B．cause the biggest problem theatres have to face |
| C．prevent the mobile phones signals from being received |
| D．help doctors or emergency workers receive emergency calls |
According to Nick Allott, ______．
| A．“stopping” devices can make the sound of mobile phones disappear |
| B．no one except doctors and emergency workers should have mobile phones |
| C．phones are one of the biggest problems theatres face |
| D．stopping phones in theatres has some side effects |
What will probably be talked about following the last paragraph?
| A．Griffiths’ next performance in theatres． |
| B．The opinions the public has about the problem． |
| C．The ways to solve the cellphone problem in public places． |
| D．The side effects mobile phones have on people． |
San Francisco has long been a favorite place for travelers who are ready to learn languages．The mild （温和的） year-round climate, shops and restaurants, bars and night-life, and some of the most beautiful scene in the US attract many visitors to this relaxing and welcoming city．Students are sure to find the San Francisco Bay Area an interesting, safe and friendly place in which they can live and study．This is the most important．
English School in San Francisco is located in the heart of the city．It is one of the best San Francisco English language schools．You can see views of the city from your classroom! Many buses stop less than a five-minute walk from the school, which is also just a two-minute walk from the famous Union Square, San Francisco Shopping Centre, the Financial District, Yerba Buena gardens and the Museum of Modern Art．The school is minutes away from the cable cars （缆车） to Chinatown and Fisherman’s Wharf and a boat ride on the bay．
San Francisco is a great place to study English and learn about American culture, offering excellent opportunities in sports, entertainment and arts．The city borders （接近） excellent beaches, and you can sail or surf all year round．
San Francisco has more restaurants than any other city in the US, and is the home of many theaters, music and dance companies, as well as museums．Just walking through the many areas of San Francisco, you are certain to find something wonderful．That San Francisco attracts students most might be ______．
| A．the mild year-round climate |
| B．its beautiful scenery |
| C．shops and restaurants, bars and night-life |
| D．a good place to live and study in |
It is only a two-minute walk from English School to ______．
| A．a bus stop | B．the beaches |
| C．the Financial District | D．Fisherman’s Wharf |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．English School has the most beautiful scenery in the US． |
| B．Most of the restaurants in the US are located in San Francisco． |
| C．In San Francisco, one can experience one part of American culture． |
| D．English School in San Francisco is one of the best in the US． |
The author mainly wants to tell us ______．
| A．about English schools in the US |
| B．the places around English School |
| C．about the beautiful scenery in San Francisco |
| D．San Francisco is a good place to learn language |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号