The New York Times announced Wednesday that it intended to charge frequent readers for access to its Web site, a step being debated across the industry that nearly every major newspaper has so far feared to take.
Starting in early 2011, visitors to NYTimes.com will get a certain number of articles free every month before being asked to pay a flat fee for unlimited access. Subscribers（订阅者） to the newspaper’s print edition will receive full access to the site.
But exec
utives(执行主管) of The New York Times Company said they could not yet answer fundamental questions about the plan, like how much it would cost or what the limit would be on free reading. They stressed that the amount of free access could change with time, in response to economic conditions and reader demand.
Still, publishers fear that income from digital subscriptions would not compensate for the resulting loss of audience and advertising revenue.
NYTimes.com is by far the most popular newspaper site in the country, with more than 17 million readers a month in the United States, according to Nielsen Online, and analysts say it is easily the lead
er in advertising revenue, as well. That may make it better positioned than other general-interest papers to charge — and also gives The Times more to lose if the move backfires.
The Times Company has been studying the matter for almost a year, searching for common ground between pro- and anti-pay camps — a debate mirrored in dozens of media-watching blogs — and the system will not go into effect until January 2011. Executives said they were not bothered by the prospect of absorbing barbs（冷嘲热讽） for moving cautiously.
“There’s no prize for getting it quick,” said 
Janet L. Robinson, the company’s president and chief executive. “There’s more of a prize for getting it right.”The first paragraph serves as a __________.
| A．conclusion | B．comment | C．lead-in | D．background |
We may know from the passage that __________.
A．non-paying readers will get no access to N YTimes.com |
| B．readers will be charged more to read more articles on NYTimes.com |
| C．visitors to NYTimes.com frequently will get more free online articles |
| D．subscribers to the print edition will enjoy free access to the site as well |
Which of the following best describes The Times Company's attitude towards its announcement?
| A．rude | B． serious | C．hurried | D．doubtful |
The passage is mainly about_________.
| A．the Times to offer free access to its web site |
| B．the Times to increase audience to its web site |
| C．the Times to attract advertisement to its web site |
| D．the Times to charge for frequent access to its web site |
Last Sunday I made a visit to some new neighbors down the block. No specific purpose in mind, just an opportunity to sit at the kitchen table, have some tea and chat. As I did so, it occurred to me how rare the Sunday visit has become.
When I was a kid in the New Jersey of the 1960s, Sunday visits were routine. Most stores were closed and almost nobody worked. My family normally traveled eight city blocks to the home of my grandmother, where adults would sit on the front porch and chat while we children played hide-and-seek.
The Sunday visit was something to desire strongly. It was the repetition to church, our reward for and hour of devotion, and opportunity to take advantage of the fact that Dad was not at work, we were not in school, and there were no chores that couldn’t wait until Monday. Sunday was, indeed, which means that there was one day when everyone seemed to have time for everybody else.
Sunday as a day of rest is, or was, so deeply rooted in the culture that it’s surprising to consider that, in a short span of time, it has almost entirely lost this association.①In my childhood, it was assumed that everyone would either be home or visit someone else’s home on Sunday. But now the question is, “What do you plan to Do this Sunday?” The answer can range from going to the mall to participating in a road to jetting to Montreal for lunch. If one were to respond, “I’m making a Sunday visit to family,” such and answer would feel strange, an echo from another era.
I suppose I should be grateful to live in Maine, a state of small towns, abundant land tight relationships. Even though folks work as hard here as they do anywhere else, the state’s powerfully rural cast（特质）still harbors at least remnants（剩余部分）of the ethic of yesterday’s America, where people had to depend on one another in the face of economic vagaries（反复无常的情况）and a challenging environment.②The writer’s general impression of the Sunday in the past was a day when_________.
| A．everyone would pay a visit to some relative far away |
| B．everyone seemed to be free and could have some leisure |
| C．Dad was not at work while Mom was busy cleaning the house |
| D．nearly every adult would go to church and children were not at school |
What can we learn from the underlined sentence in paragraph 4?
| A．People nowadays prefer staying at home on Sunday |
| B．People in the city dislike being disturbed on Sunday |
| C．Such answers are rarely heard in our modern society |
| D．Visiting someone on Sunday might take a lot of time |
From the last paragraph we may infer that people in Maine____________.
| A．suffer more from economic depression and the changed environment |
| B．have abandoned their tradition and lived an absolute new life |
| C．have tense relationships with each other |
| D．always help each other when they are in need |
What is the writer’s attitude towards the Sunday today?
| A．Unsatisfied | B．confused | C．Respectful | D．Thankful |
Usually, when your teacher asks a question, there is only one correct answer． But there is one question that has millions of correct answers． That question is “What’s your name?” Everyone gives a different answer, but everyone is correct．
Have you ever wondered about people’s names? Where do they come from? What do they mean?
People’s first names, or given names, are chosen by their parents． Sometimes the name of a grandparent or other member of the family is used． Some parents choose the name of a well-known person． A boy could be named George Washington Smith; a girl could be named Helen Keller Jones．
Some people give their children names that mean good things． Clara means “bright”; Beatrice means “one who gives happiness”; Donald means “world ruler”; Leonard means “as brave as a lion”．
The earliest last names, or surnames, were taken from place names． A family with the name Brook or Brooks probably lived near a brook （小溪）; someone who was called Longstreet probably lived on a long, paved road． The Greenwood family lived in or near a leafy forest．
Other early surnames came from people’s occupations． The most common occupational name is Smith, which means a person who makes things with iron or other metals． In the past, smiths were very important workers in every town and village． Some other occupational names are: Carter—a person who owned or drove a cart; Potter—a person who made pots and pans．
The ancestors of the Baker family probably baked bread for their neighbors in their native village． The Carpenter’s great-great-great-grandfather probably built houses and furniture．
Sometimes people were known for the color of their hair or skin, or their size, or their special abilities． When there were two men who were named John in the same village, the John with gray hair probably became John Gray． Or the John who was very tall could call himself John Tallman． John Fish was probably an excellent swimmer and John Lightfoot was probably a fast runner or a good dancer．
Some family names were made by adding something to the father’s name． English-speaking people added –s or –son． The Johnsons are descendants of John; the Roberts family’s ancestor was Robert． Irish and Scottish people added Mac or Mc or O． Perhaps all of the MacDonnells and the O’Donnells are descendants of the same Donnell． Which of the following aspects do the surnames in the passage NOT cover?
| A．Places where people lived． | B．People’s characters． |
| C．Talents that people possessed． | D．People’s occupations． |
According to the passage, the ancestors of the Potter family most probably _______．
| A．owned or drove a cart | B．made things with metals |
| C．made kitchen tools or containers． | D．built houses and furniture． |
Suppose an English couple whose ancestors lived near a leafy forest wanted their new-born son to become a world leader, the baby might be named ________．
| A．Beatrice Smith | B．Leonard Carter |
| C．George Longstreet | D．Donald Greenwood |
WELCOME
Welcome to Windsor Castle, the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world． Windsor is one of the official residences（住所） of the Queen, who sometimes stays here．
Audio tours
Free audio tours are available on leaving the Admission Centre at the start of your visit． There is a descriptive audio tour for blind and poor-sighted visitors．
Guided tours
Visitors can explore the history of the Castle through a tour of the Precincts with an expert guide． Tours depart at regular intervals throughout the day from the Courtyard and finish at the entrance to the State Apartments．
Visitors with children
For those visiting with children, a special family tour and various activities are offered during school holidays and at weekends． Please note that, for safety reasons, pushchairs are not permitted in the State Apartments． However, baby carriers are available to borrow．
St George’s Chapel
Visitors arriving at the Castle after 15:00 from March to October are advised to visit St George’s Chapel first, before it closes．
Shopping
Shops offer a wide range of souvenirs designed for the Royal Collection, including books, postcards, china, jewellery, and children’s toys． Please ask at the Middle Ward shop about our home delivery service．
Refreshments
Bottled water can be purchased from the Courtyard and Middle Ward shops． From April to September ice cream is also available． Visitors wishing to leave the Castle for refreshments in the town may obtain re-entry permits from the castle shops． Eating and drinking are not permitted in the State Apartments or St George’s Chapel．
Photography and mobiles phones
Non-commercial photography and filming are welcomed in the Castle． Photography, video recording and filming are not permitted inside the State Apartments or St George’s Chapel． Mobile phones must be switched off inside the State Apartments and St George’s Chapel in consideration of other visitors．
Security
As Windsor Castle is a working royal palace, visitors and their belongs should get through airport-style security checks． For safety and security reasons a one-way system operates along the visitor route． A visitor can apply for a free audio tour _______．
| A．in the Courtyard |
| B．in the State Apartments |
| C．at the Admission Center |
| D．at St George’s Chapel |
What is specially offered to visitors with kids?
| A．A security guard． | B．A pushchair |
| C．A free toy． | D．A baby carrier． |
Who can get re-entry permits?
| A．Visitors wishing to eat outside the Castle． |
| B．Visitors buying gifts in the castle shops． |
| C．Visitors buying water from the Courtyard． |
| D．Visitors eating outside St George’s Chapel． |
Why are visitors required to turn off their mobile phones?
| A．To ensure the safety of others． |
| B．To ensure the security of the Castle． |
| C．To prevent them from disturbing others． |
| D．To prevent the use of the built-in cameras． |
Ask someone what they have done to help the environment recently and they will almost certainly mention recycling． Recycling in the home is very important of course． However, being forced to recycle often means we already have more material than we need． We are dealing with the results of that over-consumption in the greenest way possible, but it would be far better if we did not need to bring so much material home in the first place．
The total amount of packaging increased by 12% between 1999 and 2005． It now makes up a third of a typical household’s waste in the UK． In many supermarkets nowadays food items are packaged twice with plastic and cardboard．
Too much packaging is doing serious damage to the environment． The UK, for example, is running out of areas for burying this unnecessary waste． If such packaging is burnt, it gives off greenhouse gases which go on to cause the greenhouse effect． Recycling helps, but the process itself uses energy． The solution is not to produce such items in the first place． Food waste is a serious problem, too． Too many supermarkets encourage customers to buy more than they need． However, a few of them are coming round to the idea that this cannot continue, encouraging customers to reuse their plastic bags, for example．
But this is not just about supermarkets． It is about all of us． We have learned to associate packaging with quality． We have learned to think that something unpackaged is of poor quality． This is especially true of food． But it also applies to a wide range of consumer products, which often have far more packaging than necessary．
There are signs of hope． As more of us recycle, we are beginning to realize just how much unnecessary material we are collecting． We need to face the wastefulness of our consumer culture, but we have a mountain to climb．What does the underlined phrase “that over-consumption” refer to？
| A．Using too much packaging． |
| B．Recycling too many wastes． |
| C．Making more products than necessary． |
| D．Having more material than is needed． |
The author uses figures in Paragraph 2 to show _____．
| A．the tendency of cutting household waste |
| B．the increase of packaging recycling |
| C．the rapid growth of supermarkets |
| D．the fact of packaging overuse |
According to the text, recycling ______．
| A．helps control the greenhouse effect |
| B．means burning packaging for energy |
| C．is the solution to gas shortage |
| D．leads to a waste of land |
What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?
| A．Unpackaged products are of bad quality． |
| B．Supermarkets care more about packaging． |
| C．It is improper to judge quality by packaging． |
| D．Other products are better packaged than food． |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．Fighting wastefulness is difficult． |
| B．Needless material is mostly recycled． |
| C．People like collecting recyclable wastes． |
| D．The author is proud of their consumer culture． |
The legal age for drinking alcohol in the Unite States is twenty-one. Underage drinking is a crime but also a common part of college social life. This week in our Foreign Student Series, we look at alcohol rules at American colleges and universities. These rules differ from school to school, but many schools have been moving to strengthen their rules.
The United States has more than 17,000,000 students in higher education. Each year, 1700 of them die from alcohol-related road crashes and other injuries. 600,000 more are injured while under the influence of alcohol. And almost 700,000 are attacked by another drunken.
One behavior that college officials are trying to prevent is too much drink. Some researchers have found that students who think binge drinking(狂饮) is normal often think extremely how much other students really drink. A person can die of alcohol poisoning. At Oklahoma University, a nineteen-year-old student died from drinking heavily at a party in 2005.
Now alcohol is banned from all sorority houses(联谊会会馆) and university housing. Student organizations can serve alcohol at events but only on Friday and Saturday nights. Other new requirements include an alcohol education program that first-year students take online.
The rules govern behavior on campus(大学校园)and off. With a first violation(违犯)，students pay seventy-five dollars and their parents are told. They must also take an alcohol education class. For a second “strike”, they have to pay one hundred fifty dollars. A third strike means that they have to be suspended school for at least one semester.
Since 2005,363 students have had a first strike. 30 have had a second strike-and only one hasn’t allowed to go to school for one semester. The president at Oklahoma tells us the aim is not just to punish but to change the behavior and culture at the university.The first paragraph mainly tells us that .
| A．the legal age at the lowest for drinking alcohol is 21 |
| B．many colleges consider drinking alcohol to be a crime |
| C．drinking alcohol is a necessary and popular campus culture |
| D．American colleges and universities have their own alcohol rules |
Every year the number of the students who die or are injured because of alcohol in the USA adds up to about .
| A．17,000,000 | B．1,301,700 | C．601,700 | D．1300,000 |
If a student has a third strike, he or she should .
| A．have to stop going to school for a time. |
| B．be removed to another school |
| C．be locked at home for a period. |
| D．be forced to leave school forever. |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．College students are not allowed to drink alcohol at any time. |
| B．If students take an alcohol program online, they can drink alcohol. |
| C．Students having a first strike only receive punishment of fine. |
| D．Students with a second strike pay twice as much as students with a first strike. |
From the last paragraph we can infer that .
| A．alcohol rules have no effect on college students |
| B．drinking alcohol remains a serious problem |
| C．alcohol rules aim to change the behavior and culture at the university |
| D．the number of students drinking alcohol is dropping in one way |
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