Barbie(芭比娃娃)，believe it or not，is 50 this year and she's still as popular as ever.A doll is a doll，but Barbie illustrates how，over the last five decades，women have become a standard for judging what freedom really means. How women are treated in different countries tells you a lot about the politics and culture of where they live.
The doll that every little girl wants enables young children to test their possibilities in role playing，giving them a glimpse of what they might be when they grow up，whether to be frivolous or serious (or both)．
But in many countries that's not an option. In Saudi Arabia，where woman can't drive or go out publicly unless covered，Barbie is banned. They think Barbie dolls are offensive to Islam(伊斯兰教) and a threat to morality.
In America，she represents the swiftly changing roles of women. Barbie is fun to tease 
but she's as American as miniskirts_and_pantsuits in her flexible identities and her “growth” from model to astronaut.
Barbie inspired a dollrevolution movement. When a Teen Talk Barbie was programmed electronically to say “Math class is tough”，she was criticized by a national women's group and was regarded as a bad stereotype. Some of her critics also say she's a bad influence because she's too thin and encourages anorexia，that she has run through too many stereotypes(固定模式)，and that she lends too much significance to the fantasy stages of child's play.
In some Muslim countries, substitute Barbie dolls have been developed that promote traditional values，with their modest clothing and profamily backgrounds. They are wi
dely seen as an effort to resist the American dolls that have flooded the market.
Toy seller Masoumeh Rahimi welcomed the dolls，saying Barbie was “foreign to Muslim culture” because some of the dolls have little clothing. She said young girls who play with Barbie，could grow into women who reject Muslim values. “I think every Barbie doll is more harmful than an American missile，”Ms. Rahimi said.The writer mentioned “miniskirts and pantsuits”(in Paragraph 4) to imply that ________.
| A．these are the only clothes a doll should wear |
| B．these are very traditional American clothes for women |
| C．there are a range of different life options available for women |
| D．readers should wear these clothes more often |
The underlined word “anorexia” (in Paragraph 5) most probably means“________”．
| A．an illness of refusing to eat |
| B．giving up math study |
| C．the wearing of inappropriate clothes |
| D．a decrease in people's imagination |
It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
| A．children who like Barbie dolls won't be so serious when they grow up |
| B．Muslim Barbies are the same as American Barbies |
| C．Muslim societies are generally more conservative than western societies |
| D．Americans have no worry about Barbie's influence on children |
It was reported last week that developers could take photos from Apple mobile and Google Android devices without the phone owners knowing that the images were being taken. In Apple’s case, developers can also obtain the location information for each photo.
Senator(参议员) Charles Schumer said in a telephone interview that his office had spoken with officials at both Apple and Google on Monday.
“We asked them if they could find a way on their own to prevent Apple from having access to private information,” Mr. Schumer said. “They were friendly and open to the idea that this ought to be changed.”
On Sunday, Mr. Schumer said that he planned to send a letter to the Federal Trade Commission asking the agency to investigate Apple and Google after the privacy concerns came to light. Claudia Bourne Farrell, an F.T.C. spokeswoman, said the agency had received the letter but she could not comment further.
“It worries people to think that one’s personal photos, address book, and who knows what else can be obtained and even posted online without permission,” Mr. Schumer wrote in his letter to the F.T.C. “If the technology exists to open the door to this kind of privacy invasion, then surely technology exists to close it, and that’s exactly what must happen.”
Mr. Schumer said if Apple and Google could not come to an agreement to fix the problem, then he would be forced to take the issue further.
He said other companies had been willing to work with his office to fix issues. “I’m optimistic that we can get this changed without any regulation,” he said. “If it’s not changed, then we’ll turn to the F.T.C., and if that doesn’t work then we’ll consider legal approach.”
The F.T.C. has warned companies to try to be more vigilant(警醒的) in their efforts to protect consumers when it comes to privacy.The senators spoke with officials at both Apple and Google___________.
| A．to urge them not to invade consumers’ privacy |
| B．to discuss whether it is illegal to have access to private information |
| C．to stop them from developing the technology of taking photos |
| D．to keep them from obtaining the location information for each photo |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Privacy invasion from Apple has existed for a long time. |
| B．Mr. Schumer takes the privacy concerns caused by Apple and Google seriously. |
| C．Privacy invasion from Google has existed for a long time. |
| D．Apple and Google have decided to make a change. |
Mr. Schumer’s letter to the F.T.C. mainly shows that the technology to open the door to privacy invasion___________.
A. causes privacy invasion to happen frequently
B. can be used if permitted
C. causes people to worry about the safety of their personal information
D. causes personal information to be posted online without permissionIf the privacy concerns can’t be solved with the help of the F.T.C., ___________.
A. The senators will force the companies not to invade privacy
B. The companies will be closed
C. The companies will be fined
D. The senators will turn to lawWhere can we read about the passage?
| A．In a newspaper. | B．In a travel brochure. |
| C．In a science report. | D．In a textbook. |
Does Fame Drive You Crazy?
Although being famous might sound like a dream come true, today’s star, feeling like zoo animals, face pressures that few of us can imagine. They are at the center of much of the world’s attention. Paparazzi (狗仔队) camp outside their homes, cameras ready. Tabloids (小报) publish thrilling stories about their personal lives. Just imagine not being able to do anything without being photographed or interrupted for a signature.
According to psychologist Christina Villareal, celebrities — famous people — worry constantly about their public appearance. Eventually, they start to lose track of who they really are, seeing themselves the way their fans imagine them, not as the people they were before everyone knew their names. “Over time,” Villareal says, “they feel separated and alone.”
The phenomenon of tracking celebrities has been around for ages. In the 4th century B.C., painters followed Alexander the Great into battle, hoping to picture his victories for his admirers. When Charles Dickens visited America in the 19th century, his sold-out readings attracted thousands of fans, leading him to complain about his lack of privacy. Tabloids of the 1920s and 1930s ran articles about film-stars in much the same way that modern tabloids and websites do.
Being a public figure today, however, is a lot more difficult than it used to be. Superstars cannot move about without worrying about photographers with modern cameras. When they say something silly or do something ridiculous, there is always the Internet to spread the news in minutes and keep their “story” alive forever.
If fame is so troublesome, why aren’t all celebrities running away from it? The answer is there are still ways to deal with it. Some stars stay calm by surrounding themselves with trusted friends and family or by escaping to remote places away from big cities. They focus not on how famous they are but on what they love to do or whatever made them famous in the first place.
Sometimes a few celebrities can get a little justice. Still, even stars who enjoy full justice often complain about how hard their lives are. They are tired of being famous already.It can be learned from the passage that stars today .
| A．are often misunderstood by the public |
| B．can no longer have their privacy protected |
| C．spend too much on their public appearance |
| D．care little about how they have come into fame |
What is the main idea of Paragraph 3?
| A．Great heroes of the past were generally admired. |
| B．The problem faced by celebrities has a long history. |
| C．Well-known actors are usually targets of tabloids. |
| D．Works of popular writers often have a lot of readers. |
What makes it much harder to be a celebrity today?
| A．Availability of modern media. |
| B．Inadequate social recognition. |
| C．Lack of favorable chances. |
| D．Huge population of fans. |
What is the author’s attitude toward modern celebrity?
| A．Sincere. | B．Skeptical. | C．Disapproving. | D．Sympathetic. |
A person, like a commodity（商品）, needs packaging. But going too far is absolutely undesirable. A little exaggeration(夸张) will do no harm when it shows the person’s unique qualities to their advantages. To show personal attractiveness in a casual and natural way, it is important for one to have a clear knowledge of oneself. A skilled packager knows how to add art to nature without any signs of embellishment so that the person so packaged is not a commodity, but a human being, lively and lovely.
A young person, especially a female, shining with beauty and full of life, has all the favor granted. Youth however, comes and goes in a flash. Packaging for the middle-aged is primarily to hide the marks made by years. If you still enjoy life enough to keep self-confidence and work at pioneering work, you are unique in your natural qualities, and your attractiveness and grace will remain. Elderly people are beautiful if their river of life has been, through plains, mountains and jungles, running its course as it should. You have really lived your life, which now arrives at a self - satisfied stage of quietness and calmness with no interest in fame or wealth. There is no need to make use of hair dyeing. The snow-capped mountain itself is a beautiful scene of fairyland. Let your looks change from young to old in step with the natural ageing process so as to keep in harmony with nature, for harmony itself is beauty, while the other way round will only end in unpleasantness. To be in the company of the elderly is like reading a thick book of good edition, which attracts one so much that one is unwilling to part with it. As long as one finds where one stands, one knows how to package oneself, just as a commodity sets up its brand by the right packaging.The underlined word in the first paragraph is closest to the word ______ in meaning.
| A．decoration | B．clarification | C．movement | D．identification |
It can be concluded from the text that ______.
| A．people should be packaged at all ages |
| B．people should be packaged in a special way |
| C．elderly people also care about packaging |
| D．proper packaging makes people attractive |
For the middle-aged, attractiveness ______ .
| A．hardly exists | B．is the strongest |
| C．comes from the inside | D．comes from the appearance |
According to the author, if you want to keep in harmony with nature, you should ______.[源
| A．dye your hair | B．make up at a young age |
| C．follow the ageing process | D．give up fame and wealth |
The underlined sentence means that elderly people ______.
| A．are usually packaged like a finely-made book |
| B．experience a lot and have rich knowledge of life |
| C．do a lot of traveling and can give you much information |
| D．enjoy reading thick books about beautiful nature and fairyland |
Children who spend more time reading with their parents have a greater chance of becoming better readers than those who don’t. With help from their parents, children can learn techniques(技巧) to improve their reading skills.
“A lot of parents think after their child learns to read, they should stop reading to them,” Donna George said. “They are sadly mistaken.”
George offers her services to parents at the Title I Learning Centers. She said reading aloud to children may be the most valuable(有价值的) thing parents can do. “It is better for children to hear things at a higher level than where they are,” George said. “Parents are their child’s first teacher.” Parents help their children build listening, phonics(拼读法), comprehension(阅读理解) and vocabulary skills when they read aloud to them.
Before parents can identify reading problems, they should escape the enemy----television and limit the time their children spend watching television. George suggested not allowing kids to have a TV in their bedrooms, setting a schedule of when kids can watch or keeping a list of how many programs children watch. Louise Joiners said while her 14-year-old daughter and 10-year-old son enjoy reading, the television sometimes becomes a distraction. So she tries to build the situation by suggesting books the entire family will enjoy reading together, like the Harry Potter series.
Parents who do not read themselves should not depend on their children being enthusiastic about it. If parents would read to their children at least 15 minutes every day, children would not have so many problems in school. It is the parents’ job to help build that desire in their children, and of course to know what kind of books to read is also important.The underlined word “distraction” means something that .
| A．can improve children’s reading. |
| B．can make children interested |
| C．can make children not pay their attention |
| D．can help children’s right way of reading |
In the fourth paragraph is the most important.
| A．reading speed | B．reading environment |
| C．reading skills | D．reading materials |
If the passage is not completed, what will be written after the passage?
| A．What TV programs children can watch during reading. |
| B．Advice is given to control their children. |
| C．Parents choose reading materials for their children. |
| D．How children improve their reading by themselves. |
Which one would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Parents Are Their Child’s First Teacher. |
| B．How to Improve Children’s Reading Ability. |
| C．Children Spend More Time Reading with Parents. |
| D．How Parents Make Their Child a Better Reader. |
Enough sleep is important to health. The amount of sleep needed depends on the age of the person and the conditions in which sleep takes place. The young may need more sleep than the old, but usually eight hours are enough for the health of grown-ups. Some can do with less than this amount, but others may need more. Every person knows his own need. It is then a matter of good judgment(判断) to satisfy his need. Sleep should always be enough to make one bring back his strength and get ready for a day’s work.
Fresh air is necessary to sound sleep. It is not without reason for some people to think that it is practicable to sleep in the open air. When one can keep himself warm, out-of-door sleeping probably gives the body its most complete relaxation(松弛).
Ability(能力) to sleep is largely a habit. The conditions referred to only lead to sleep. Out-of-door exercises, a good habit of regular hours and the avoidance(避免) of late eating and worry, which are largely within the control of any person, are all helpful to sound sleep.
A bath at bedtime, neither hot nor cool but of body temperature, may be helpful to sleep. Sleep-producing drug(药) should never be taken except when suggested by a doctor.We know from the passage is enough for the health of a pupil.
| A．equal or more than eight hours | B．seven hours or so |
| C．Eight hours or so | D．Less than eight hours |
If you want to have a good sleep, is helpful.
| A．forming the habit of taking sleep-producing drug. |
| B．keeping good habits. |
| C．staying up late night. |
| D．eating something at bedtime. |
The amount of sleep a person probably needs has something to do with .
| A．his character | B．his control | C．his age | D．his habit |
Before going to bed, you’d better not .
| A．take a bath | B．do any housework |
| C．go out for relaxation | D．think a lot |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号