I have been using the Internet since I was five years old, when my dad first sat me down in front of a computer and connected me the World Wide Web.
I’ve always felt like a master of the Internet world. AOL Instant Messaging, MSN, Gmail, Facebook, Myspace -- I’ve got it all under control. I thought there was nothing more to it besides checking my e-mail and wasting my time, until I was introduced to electronic commerce(e-commerce): business on the Internet.
Some online businesses are run from one-room home offices. Others have hundreds of employees (雇员) across the world. Have you ever heard of Amazon.com, Yahoo.com?
My friends often said they got cheap textbooks off Amazon.com, or had a good deal (交易) on Steve Madden shoes that were on sale at SteveMaden.com. Unfortunately for me, I continued my “e-commerceless” Web-surfing, not knowing about all the deals I was missing out on.
That is, of course, until my sister finally sold the idea to me.
“Why are all these packages arriving in the mail for you, Katy?” I asked her one day. Strange envelopes (信封) had been put on our doorstep for weeks now, each one always addressed to my sister; and we all know little sisters should never be getting more mail than their elders!
“Oh, it’s the things I ordered online!” she answered. I watched speechlessly as she opened them. There was no way our parents were letting her spend that much money- online or off!
“How much did all of this coat?”
“Oh, only about $15 in all!” She said excitedly. “Everything on eBay is on sale! It’s a way better than going to the mall.”
I felt as if there had been a store right in my backyard that I had never walked into! That week, I ordered a used Spanish textbook for my summer course online for 10 percent of the publishing price. A few days later, I bought an iPod protector and a book or two via the wonderful eBay.com.From the first two paragraph we can conclude that the author
| A．had no experience using computers |
| B．had no idea of what e-commerce is |
| C．only used the Internet to check e-mail |
| D．thought surfing the Internet was a waste of time |
The writer didn’t find out about e-commerce until
| A．he stopped web-surfing |
| B．he visited a store in his backyard |
| C．his sister explained the packages she got by mail |
| D．his friends told him about the online deals they made |
We can infer from the last paragraph that the author .
| A．never enjoyed shopping that much |
| B．loves the big store in her backyard |
| C．feels she is a true master of the Internet |
| D．has begun to enjoy online shopping |
What’s the purpose of the article?
| A．To tell the readers how he begins online shopping. |
| B．To do business on the Internet. |
| C．To make an online shopping ad. |
| D．To advise people not to do online shopping |
I was in a rush as always, but this time it was for an important date I just couldn’t be late for! I found myself at a checkout counter behind an elderly woman seemingly in no hurry as she paid for her groceries. A. PhD. student with not a lot of money, I had hurried into the store to pick up some flowers. I was in a huge rush, thinking of my upcoming evening. I did not want to be late for this date.
We were in Boston, a place not always known for small conversation between strangers. The woman stopped unloading her basket and looked up at me. She smiled. It was a nice smile----warm and reassuring—and I retuned her gift by smiling back.
“Must be a special lady,” whoever it is that will be getting those beautiful flowers,” she said.
“Yes, she’s special,” I said, and then to my embarrassment, the words kept coming out. “It’s only our second date, but somehow I am just having the feeling she’s ‘the one.’ ”Jokingly, I added, “The only problem is that I can’t figure out why she’d want to date a guy like me.”
“Well, I think she’s very lucky to have a boyfriend who brings her such lovely flowers and who is obviously in love with her,” the woman said. “My husband used to bring me flowers every week-even when times were tough and we didn’t have much money. Those were incredible days; be was very romantic and---of course---- I miss him since he’s passed away.”
I paid for my flowers as she was gathering up her groceries. There was no doubt in my mind as I walked up to her. I touched her on the shoulder and said “You were right, you know. These flowers are indeed for a very special lady.” I handed the flowers and thanked her for such a nice conversation.
It took her a moment to realize that I was giving her the flowers I had just purchased(bought). “You have a wonderful evening,” I said. I left with a big smile and my heart warmed as I saw her smelling the beautiful flowers.
I remember being slightly late for my date that night and telling my girlfriend the above story. A couple of years later, when I finally worked up the courage to ask her to marry me, she told me that this story had helped to seal it for her-that was the night that I won her heart . Why was the writer in a hurry that day ?
| A．He was to meet his girlfriend. | B．He had to go back to school soon. |
| C．He was delayed by an elderly lady. | D．He had to pick up some groceries. |
What does the underlined phrase “her gift” （Paragraph 2 ） refer to ?
| A．Her words. | B．Her smile. | C．Her flowers. | D．Her politeness. |
Why did the writer give his flowers to the elderly lady ?
| A．She told him a nice story. | B．She allowed him to pay first. |
| C．She gave him encouragement. | D．She liked flowers very much. |
What is the message conveyed in the story ?
| A．Flowers are important for a date. | B．Small talk is helpful. |
| C．Love and kindness are rewarding. | D．Elderly people deserve respecting. |
Unusual incidents are being reported across the Arctic. Inuit（因纽特人）families going off on snowmobiles to prepare their summer hunting camps have found themselves cut off from home by a sea of mud. There are also reports of sea ice breaking up earlier than usual, carrying seals beyond the reach of hunters. Climate change may still be a rather abstract（抽象的）idea to most of us, but in the Arctic it is already having great effect—if summertime ice continues to shrink at its present rate, the Arctic Ocean could soon become almost ice-free in summer. The knock-on effects（连锁反应）are likely to include more warming, cloudier skies and higher sea levels. Scientists are increasingly eager to find out what’s going on in the Arctic.
For the Inuit the problem is urgent. They live in unsteady balance with one of the toughest environments on earth. Climate change, whatever its causes, is a direct danger to their way of life. Nobody knows the Arctic as well as the locals, which is why they are not content simply to stand back and let outsider experts tell them what’s happening. In Canada, where the Inuit people are trying hard to guard their hard-won autonomy（自治权）in the country’s newest land, Nunavut, they believe their best hope of survival in this changing environment lies in combining their ancestral (祖先的) knowledge with the best of modern science. This is a challenge in itself.
The Canadian Arctic is a vast, treeless polar desert that’s covered with snow for most of the year. Adventure into this area and you get some idea of the hardships facing anyone who calls this home. Farming is out of the question and nature offers few pickings. Humans first settled in the Arctic a mere 4,500 years ago, surviving by taking advantage of sea first. The environment tested them to the limits: sometimes the settlers were successful; sometimes they failed and disappeared. But around a thousand years ago, one group appeared that was uniquely well adapted to deal with the Arctic environment. These Thule people moved in from Alaska, bringing dogs, iron tools and the like. They are the ancestors of today’s Inuit people. Which of the following is likely to be the effect of climate change?
| A．Shorter and shorter summertime. | B．Ice-free summer around the Arctic. |
| C．Lower sea levels. | D．More rainy skies. |
The Inuit people believe the solution to the climate change problem is ________.
| A．to change their way of life |
| B．to do as their ancestors |
| C．to try to protect the environment from now on |
| D．to use their ancestral knowledge and modern science |
It can be concluded from the last paragraph that ________.
| A．the first settlers in the Arctic survived there quite easily |
| B．it’s hard to farm in the Arctic due to climate change |
| C．the ancestors of Inuit people stood out among the settlers |
| D．the Thule people from Alaska invented iron tools |
Which of the following is the best title for this text?
| A．Climate Change and the Inuit |
| B．Climate Change around the Arctic |
| C．Global Warming around the World |
| D．The Inuit and Their Ancestors around the World |
An allergy (过敏反应) is a strong reaction to a substance. Many things can cause allergies. The most common cause is pollen (花粉), which is usually produced by trees in the spring, grasses in the summer and weeds in the fall, as part of their reproductive process.
Other causes include organisms, chemicals, plants and dead skin particles (微粒) from dogs and cats can also cause allergic reactions. So can insect stings and some food.
The most common kind of allergic reactions is itchy (痒的), watery eyes and a blocked or watery nose. Allergies can also cause red, itchy skin. Some reactions can be life-threatening, for example, when breathing passages become blocked.
It is not always easy to avoid allergies. Drugs may offer an effective treatment. Another treatment used in some cases is called immunotherapy (免疫疗法). A patient is injected with small amounts of the allergy-causing substance. The idea is that larger and larger amounts are given over time until the patient develops a resistance in his body.
In the United States, experts estimate that up to 8% of young children have food allergies. Every year these allergies cause about 30,000 cases with severe reactions that require immediate treatment. It can result in breathing trouble and in some cases death. It is said that about 100 to 200 people will die. It says most of the reactions are caused by peanuts and tree nuts like walnuts.
People can also be allergic to medicines. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology says about 10% of bad reactions to commonly used medicines are allergic. In other words, a person’s immune system overreacts and produces an allergic reaction. The most common reactions include skin rashes (皮疹), itching, breathing problems and swelling in areas such as the face. Allergies seldom occur in winter because ______.
| A．plants don’t flower in cold weather | B．people usually wear thick clothes |
| C．pollen is active below freezing point | D．the weather is not too cold for viruses |
What will happen if one’s breathing passages get blocked?
| A．It is nothing serious. | B．One’s life is at risk. |
| C．One has to be sent to hospital. | D．One is sure to breathe easily. |
According to immunotherapy, the patient is supposed to ______.
| A．take some medicines to produce antibodies |
| B．have immediate operations |
| C．be given the allergy-causing substance until he develops a resistance |
| D．be exposed to enough allergy-causing substances |
The best title would be “________”.
| A．The ABCs of Allergies | B．The Cause of Allergies |
| C．The Treatment of Allergies | D．The Prevention of Allergies |
Perhaps the most famous theory, the study of body movement, was suggested by Professor Ray Birdwhistell. He believes that physical appearance is often culturally programmed. In other words, we learn our looks—we are not born with them. A baby has generally informed face features. A baby, according to Birdwhistell, learns where to set the eyebrows by looking at those around—family and friends. This helps explain why the people of some areas of the United States look so much alike. New Englanders or Southerners have certain common face features that cannot be explained by genetics (遗传学). The exact shape of the mouth is not set at birth, it is learned after. In fact, the final mouth shape is not formed until well after new teeth are set. For many, this can be well into grown-ups. A husband and wife together for a long time often come to look alike. We learn our looks from those around us. This is perhaps why in a single country area where people smile more than those in other areas. In the United States, for example, the South is the part of the country where the people smile most frequently. In New England they smile less, and in the western part of New York State still less. Many southerners find cities such as New York cold and unfriendly, partly because people on Madison Avenue smile less than people on Peachtree Street in Atlanta, Georgia. People in largely populated areas also smile and greet each other in public less than people in small towns do. Ray Birdwhistell believes that physical appearance _______.
| A．has little to do with culture | B．is ever changing |
| C．is different from place to place | D．has much to do with culture |
According to the passage, the final mouth shape is formed _______.
| A．as soon as one’s teeth are newly set | B．sometime after new teeth are set |
| C．around 15 years old | D．before birth |
Ray Birdwhistell can tell what area of the United States a person is from by _______.
| A．what he or she likes best | B．how he or she raises his or her eyebrows |
| C．how much he or she smiles | D．the way he or she talks |
I still remember the days when I was a youthful student in an engineering school. I lived a casual life, without caring about the future. I smoked, drank with friends and made girl friends. Little did I realize that casualness would certainly lead to loss.
Two years had passed and I was staring down a report card that highlighted FAIL in more than half the subjects. I didn’t care, at least not till my dad found out about it. You see, I studied in India and unlike the United States where the students are expected to finance their own education, my dad financed me.
Then came the day when my dad found out my habit of smoking. He lost his temper but he just told me, “Son, your allowance is cut in half from this moment on”. It hit me like a roundhouse kick (回旋踢) from Bruce Lee. I was jolted (震摇) out of my bones! I couldn’t comprehend how to pay off the debts that I had accumulated in college. I owed everybody money: the grocery store, the bars, the restaurants, my friends, etc. I was living a life filled with credit.
When I went back to college, I knew that if I don’t change the way I live my life I won’t be able to pay everybody off. So I decided to make some changes, drastic changes. I quit smoking, cut off from my friends who led me down the wrong road, starting hanging out in libraries and reading my engineering books.
One year later, I went from a miserable failure to a magna cum laude (优等成绩). Life was never the same again. This incident made me know that anything is possible if you take action and do something about it, however small or large. Even today it still motivates me when I feel that I’m about to lose or give up. It reminds me that I can do it!The author wrote this text with the purpose of ________.
| A．introducing his university life to the teenage readers |
| B．encouraging those lazy students to study hard at school |
| C．showing you can overcome any difficulty if you take action |
| D．calling on the readers not to develop bad habits in college |
The author didn’t care about his study until _______.
| A．he entered the engineering school | B．he was in heavy debt he couldn’t bear |
| C．he decided to give up smoking | D．his allowance was cut in half |
The underlined sentence in the last paragraph means that the author ________.
| A．paid off his debt and life wasn’t hard for him any more |
| B．removed his bad habits and didn’t lead a casual life |
| C．never hung out with his friends but studied all day |
| D．began to live a happy life due to his good grades |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Students tended to earn money for college expenses in America. |
| B．The author did well in making good friends in the school. |
| C．The author made great progress with the help of his friends. |
| D．Students were encouraged to do part-time jobs in Indian schools. |
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