At one time, computers were expected largely to remove the need for paper copies of documents (文件) because they could be stored electronically. But for all the texts that are written, stored and sent electronically, a lot of them are still ending up on paper.
It is difficult to measure the quantity of paper used as a result of use of Internet-connected computers, although just about anyone who works in an office can tell you that when e-mail is introduced, the printers start working overtime. "I feel in my bones this revolution is causing more trees to be cut down," says Ted S
mith of the Earth Village Organization.
Perhaps the best sign of how computer and Internet use pushes up demand for paper comes from the high-tech industry itself, which sees printing as one of its most promising new markets. Several Internet companies have been set up to help small businesses print quality documents from a computer. Earlier this week Hewlett-Packard Co. announced a plan to develop new technologies that will enable people to print even more so they can get a hard copy of a business document, a medical record or just a one-line e-mail, even if they are nowhere near a computer. As the company sees it, the more use of the Internet the greater demand for printers.
Does all this mean environmental concerns (环境问题) have been forgotten? Some activists suggest people have been led to believe that a lot of dangers to the environment have gone away. " I guess people believe that the problem is taken care of, because of recycling (回收利用) " said Kelly Quirke, director of the Rainforest Action Network in San Francisco. Yet Quirke is hopeful that high-tech may also prove helpful. He says printers that print on both sides are growing in popularity. The action group has also found acceptable paper made from materials other than wood, such as agricultural waste. The growing demand for paper in recent years is largely due to ________.
| A．the rapid development of small businesses |
| B．the opening up of new markets |
| C．the printing of high quality copies |
| D．the increased use of the Internet |
Environmentalists believe one possible way of dealing with the paper situation is ________.
| A．to encourage printing more quality documents |
| B．to develop new printers using recycled paper |
| C．to find new materials for making paper |
| D．to plant more fast-growing trees |
Hewlett-Packard Co. has decided to develop new technologies because _______.
| A．people are concerned about the environment |
| B．printers in many offices are working overtime |
| C．small companies need more hard copies |
| D．they see a growing market for printers |
“Cool”is a word with many meanings．Its old meaning is used to express a temperature that is a little bit cold．As the world has changed，the word has had many different meaning．
“Cool”can be used to express feelings of interest in almost anything．
When you see a famous car in the street，maybe you will say，“It’s cool．”You may think，“He’s so cool，”when you see your favorite footballer．
We all maximize（扩大） the meaning of“cool”．You can use it instead of many words such as “new” or “surprising”．Here’s an interesting story we can use to show the way the word is used．A teacher asked her students to write about the waterfall（瀑布）they had visited．On one student’s paper was Just the one sentence，“It’s so cool．Maybe he thought it was the best way to show what he saw and felt．
But the story also shows a scarcity（缺乏）of words．Without “cool”，some people have no words to show the same meaning．So it is quite important to keep some credibility（可信性）．Can you think of many other words that make your life as colourful as the word “cool”？ I can．And I think they are also very cool．We know that the word "cool" has had ________.
| A．only one meaning | B．no meanings |
| C．many different meanings | D．the same meaning |
In the passage，the word“express” means“________”.
| A．see | B．show | C．know | D．feel |
If you are _______ something，you may say，“It’s cool.”
| A．interested in | B．angry about |
| C．afraid of | D．unhappy with |
In the passage，the writer suggests（暗示）that the word “cool”________．
| A．can be used instead of many words |
| B．usually means something interesting |
| C．can make your life colorful |
| D．may not be as cool as it seems |
Mr Brown was going away for a week. Before he left, he said to his son, "if anyone asks for me, you can tell him that your father has been out for doing something, and will be back in a week, then be sure to ask him to sit down for a cup of tea."
"OK, Dad," said his son. But he was afraid his son couldn’t remember this, he wrote these words down on a piece of paper and gave it to him. His son put it into his small pocket, took it out and looked at it now and then.
Four days passed, but no one came to see his father. The boy thought that there was no man to come and that the piece of paper was of no more use for him, so he burnt it that evening.
The next afternoon, someone knocked at the door. The boy opened it. A man was standing at the door and said, "Where is your father?" The boy put his hand into his pocket at once and looked for the piece of paper. He could not find it. He suddenly remembered he had burnt it, so he shouted, "No more."
The man was very surprised. He asked, "No more? I met your father last week. When did it happen?"
"Burnt yesterday evening."Mr Brown told his son that _____.
| A．he would be away from home for four days |
| B．he would be back in seven days |
| C．he would be back in a month |
| D．he liked a cup of tea |
Mr Brown wrote the words down on ________.
| A．the wall | B．the door |
| C．a piece of paper | D．his son’s pocket |
A man came to visit the boy’s father on ________.
| A．the second day | B．the third day | C．the fourth day | D．the fifth day |
What was burnt? ___________.
The piece of paper B. Mr Smith C. The visitor D. The boy
Farmer John and Farmer Bob were neighbours. For more than 30 years, they had been getting along very well.
Then their good relationship broke. It began with a small thing, then bitter words, and then weeks of silence. One morning Farmer John woke up to find a stream between the two farms. “It must be Bob,” John thought.
Then one day there was a knock on John’s door. He opened it to find a carpenter(木匠) standing at the doorway.
“I’m looking for a few days’ work,” the carpenter said.
“I do have a job for you,” John said. “Look across the stream at that farm. That’s my neighbour Bob. He dug a stream between the two farms. I want you to build a fence—an 8-foot fence. I don’t want to see his place or his face any more. I don’t have such a neighbour!”
The carpenter said, “I think I know what to do, sir, and I’ll be able to do a job that pleases you.”
Farmer John helped the carpenter get the materials(材料) ready and then he was off for the day.
About sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer’s eyes opened wide. There was no fence there at all!
It was a bridge! And the neighbour, Bob, was coming across, with his hand outstretched(伸出). “Hi, John! You’re quite a fellow to build this bridge!”
Then they met in the middle, taking each other’s hands. “I’m terribly sorry for what I have said and done. We should be good to each other.” said Farmer Bob.
Then they turned to see the carpenter, who was ready to go. “No, wait! Stay a few days. I have a lot of other jobs for you,” said Farmer John. “I’d love to stay,” the carpenter said, “but I have more bridges to build.”Just before the carpenter came, John and Bob each other.
| A．didn’t speak to | B．were friendly to |
| C．often fought with | D．never had bitter words with |
Farmer John asked the carpenter to build a fence because .
| A．he wanted to protect his farm | B．he didn’t want to do it himself |
| C．he wouldn’t like to see Bob | D．he wanted to find him something to do |
What does the sentence “You’re quite a fellow to build this bridge!” mean?
| A．John was great to build this bridge. |
| B．John was not good at building bridges. |
| C．John was foolish to build such a bridge. |
| D．John should build the bridge earlier. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．What a Big Fence! | B．A Strong Bridge |
| C．Three Kind Men | D．A Fence or a Bridge? |
A man heard that a certain government wanted a clerk, so wrote and asked for the position. But while he was waiting for an answer, a friend of his introduced him to the head of the department, who gave him the job. Several months later, while the man was working in the department, he got a letter that had been sent to him from the place he used to live in. This letter said,
“Dear sir,
We are sorry to have to tell you that we cannot offer work in this department because we do not think that you would be able to do the work successfully.
Your faithfully.”
The man laughed, but when he looked at the letter more carefully, he saw that he had signed it himself.At the beginning of the story the man wanted ____.
| A．to be a clerk in a certain government | B．his friend to introduce him job |
| C．to visit the head of the department | D．to get an answer from the department |
The first paragraph mainly tells us ____.
| A．how the man knew the news that a clerk was needed |
| B．how the man got a job with the help of his friend |
| C．how the man wrote to the department to get the job |
| D．how he was waiting for the answer from the department |
He got a letter that had been sent to him, which means ____.
| A．he himself received the letter |
| B．someone else got it and then didn’t bring it to him |
| C．someone else got it and then brought it to him |
| D．the government sent it to him |
What do you think of the man?
| A．He was too careless. | B．He was very honest. |
| C．He was very clever. | D．He was rather stupid. |
Choose the right order of the events given in the passage.
a. He got a letter one day b. He got a job in the department.
c. The letter told him he was unfit for the job.
d. His friend introduced him to the head.
e. He found he signed the letter himself.
f. He wanted to get a job in the government department.
| A．a,b,c,d,e,f | B．c,b,d,a,f,e | C．f,d,b,a,c,e | D．f,b,a,e,c,f |
Have you ever wondered why birds sing? Maybe you thought that they were just happy. After all, you probably sing or whistle when you are happy.
Some scientists believe that birds do sing some of the time just because they are happy. However, they sing most of the time for a very different reason. Their singing is actually a warning to other birds to stay out of their territory.
Do you know what a “territory” is ? A territory is an area that an animal , usually the male , claims as its own. Only he and his family are welcome there. No other families of the same species are welcome. Your yard and house are your territory where only your family and your friends are welcome. If a stranger should enter your territory and threaten you, you might shout, Probably this would be enough to frighten him away.
If so, you have actually scared the stranger away without having to fight him. A bird does the same thing. But he expects an outsider almost anytime, especially at nesting season. So he is screaming all the time, whether he can see an outsider or not. This screaming is what we call a bird’s song, and it is usually enough to keep an outsider away.
Birds sing loudest in the spring when they are trying to attract a mate and warn others not to enter the territory of theirs. You can see that birds have a language of all their own . Most of it has to do with attracting mates and setting up territories.Some scientists believe that most of the time birds’ singing is actually_____.
| A．an expression of happiness | B．a way of warning |
| C．an expression of anger | D．a way of greeting |
What is a bird’s “territory”?
| A．A place where families of other species are not accepted |
| B．A place where a bird may shout at the top of its voice. |
| C．An area for which birds fight against each other |
| D．An area which a bird considers to be its own |
Why do birds keep on singing at nesting season?
| A．Because they want to invite more friends . |
| B．Because their singing helps frighten outsiders away. |
| C．Because they want to find outsiders around. |
| D．Because their singing helps get rid of their fears. |
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