Surfing the Internet for fun will make you a better employee, according to an Australian study.
The University of Melbourne study shows that people who use the Internet for their own reasons at work are about 9 percent more productive 
than those who do not. Study author Brent Coker said, “Surfing the Internet at times helps increase an employee’s attention.”
“People need to relax for a bit to get back their attention,” Coker said on the university’s websit
e. “Having a short break, such as a quick surfing of the Internet, helps the mind to rest itself, leading to a higher total Internet attention for a day’s work, and as a result, increases productivity(生产效率),”he said.
According to the study of 300 workers, 70 percent of people who use the Internet at work surf the Internet for their own reasons during office hours. Among the most popular surfing activities are searching for information about products, reading online news, playing online games and watching videos. “Firms spend a lot of money on software to block their employees from watching video, using social networking sites or shopping online,” said Coker. “That’s not always a good idea
.”
However, Coker said the study looked at people who surfed the Internet in moderation (适度), or were on the Internet for less than 20 percent of their total time in the office. “Those who spend too much time surfing the Internet will have a lower productivity than those without,” he said.What does the University of Melbourne study mainly show?
| A．People who surf the Internet are good employees. |
| B．Not everyone surfs the Internet for fun during office hours. |
| C．Surfing the Internet for fun during office hours increases productivity. |
D．The Internet is becoming more and more impo rtant in people’s life. |
According to Paragraph 3, Brent Coker would most probably agree that______.
| A．the longer a person’s mind rests ,the better attention he will have |
B．surfing the Internet is the best way to increase productivit y |
| C．workers should have a long break during office hours |
| D．Workers should let their minds rest now and then |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as one of the most popular surfing activities?
| A．Watching videos. | B．Reading online news. |
| C．Reading online novels | D．Playing online games. |
The underlined word “block” in Paragr
ap4 means “_____”.
| A．prevent | B．cycle | C．burst | D．breathe |
What can we infer form the last paragraph?
| A．Spending too much time surfing the Internet reduces productivity. |
| B．Those who never surf the Internet have the lowest productivity. |
| C．Most people don’t surf the Internet in moderation during office hours. |
| D．People should spend as little time as possible surfing the Internet. |
As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows, there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.
Lewis and his co-workers carried out their study by videotaping(录像) the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger, conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control the loud noise they make. That can have an important effect on the children. “In general the more question-asking the parents do, the higher the children’s IQ scores,” Lewis says. “And the more children there are, the less question-asking there is.”
The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings(兄弟姐妹). Lewis found that in families with three or four children, dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child, who has the most to talk about, and the youngest, who needs the most attention. “Middle children are invisible,” says Lewis. “When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner, chances are it’s the middle child.” There is, however, one thing that stops all conversation and prevents anyone from having attention: “When the TV is on,” Lewis says, “dinner is a non-event.”The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to _________.
| A．show the relationship between parents and children |
| B．teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table |
| C．report on the findings of a study |
| D．give information about family problems |
Parents with large families ask fewer questions at dinner because ____________.
| A．they are busy serving food to their children |
| B．they are busy keeping order at the dinner table |
| C．they have to pay more attention to younger children |
| D．they are tired out having prepared food for the whole family |
By saying “Middle children are invisible” in paragraph 3, Lewis means that middle children _________.
| A．have to help their parents to serve dinner |
| B．get the least attention from the family |
| C．are often kept away from the dinner table |
| D．find it hard to keep up with other children |
Lewis’ research provides an answer to the question _________.
| A．why TV is important in family life |
| B．why parents should keep good order |
| C．why children in small families seem to be quieter |
| D．why middle children seem to have more difficulties in life |
Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?
| A．It is important to have the right food for children. |
| B．It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner. |
| C．Parents should talk to each of their children frequently. |
| D．Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner |
TOKYO, Japan (AP) – Japan is very serious about robotics (机器人技术). If the androids are going to fit in, they probably need to learn the Japanese custom of serving tea. Fortunately, researchers at the University of Tokyo are exploring just that. In a show this week, an android（有人特点的）with camera eyes made by Kawada Industries Inc. poured tea from a bottle into a cup. Then another robot on wheels delivered the cup of tea in an experimental room that has sensors(感应器)embedded in the floor and sofa as well as cameras on the ceiling, to simulate（模仿）life with robot technology.
“A human being may be faster, but you’d have to say ‘Thank you,’” said University of Tokyo professor Tomomasa Sato. “That’s the best part about a robot. You don’t have to feel bad about asking it to do things.”
Sato believes Japan, a rapidly aging society where more than a fifth of the population is 65 or older, will lead the world in designing robots to care for the elderly, sick and bedridden（卧床不起的）. Already, monitoring technologies, such as sensors that automatically turn on lights when people enter a room, are becoming widespread in Japan.
The walking, child–size Asimo from Honda Motor Co. greets people at showrooms. NEC Corp. has developed a smaller companion robot on wheels called Papero. A robot available since 2004 can entertain the elderly and others in need of companionship.
Sato says his experimental room is raising awareness about privacy questions that may arise when electronic devices（设备）monitor a person’s movements down to the smallest detail.
On the bright side, the tea – pouring humanoid has been programmed to do the dishes.What is the best title of this passage?
| A．“Thank You” Will Never Be Needed in Japan |
| B．Monitoring Technologies Are Widespread in Japan |
| C．Robot Is Designed to Care for the Elderly. |
| D．Robot technologies are widespread in Japanese daily life. |
The underlined word “embedded” in the first paragraph probably means .
| A．fixed | B．established | C．settled | D．rooted |
According to Professor Sato, .
| A．the robot serves tea much faster than a human being |
| B．the robot does anything like human beings |
| C．tea – serving robot helps to form laziness of the aging society |
| D．tea – serving robot doesn’t need any reward for the service |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．A robot can imitate people to complete complicated tasks. |
| B．A robot has been programmed to clean the dishes. |
| C．All the problems in the aging society can be solved by robots. |
| D．The number of aging people is increasing rapidly in Japan. |
We can infer from the passage that .
| A．people are afraid of being monitored by robots. |
| B．the technology of robots has been highlighted（强调） in Japan. |
| C．robots can completely take the place of human beings. |
| D．people’s privacy should be strictly protected |
"Beating is a sign of affection, cursing (骂）is a sign of love."
Many may not expect to hear the words of the old Chinese saying in these modern times—with parents wealthier and better educated than they have ever been—but experts say they still ring true.
Today, it seems, Chinese parents are more likely to send their children to pre-college military academies in the United States in the hope that some tough love will pave the way tosuccess.
"Good education doesn't mean letting your child enjoy privileges, especially our boys," said Song Wenming, an entrepreneur(企业家）in Jinhua, East China's Zhejiang province." They should be raised in tough conditions to know what to fight for in the future."
In August, Song sent his 17-year-old son to Valley Forge Military Academy (VFMA) in Pennsylvania. And he is far from alone, even though it takes a lot of money - around $48,000 per year —to send a child to a strict military school.
Statistics shows that an increasing number of Chinese students have been registering with such academies.
A few years ago, there were no Chinese students at Valley Forge. Today, there are 28."All of the Chinese students at Valley Forge came from wealthy families, some of them were spoiled," said Jennifer Myers, director of marketing and communications at the school.
Song's only son, Song Siyu, had a rocky start during his first six weeks at the school. The teenager said he went to the school voluntarily but did not expect it to be as difficult.
Now, three months later, he has perfected the art of taking a bath in 35 seconds, finishing a meal without looking at his food, and making his bed with precision. He can even take criticism, no matter how unreasonable.
"The training is hard but I know it is good for self-development of individuals," said Song Siyu.'The endless training and scolding are just ways to build up our character, they are not personal."
But his enthusiasm is not universal. Ten of the 13 Chinese students who joined the academy this year have transferred to other schools.
But for those who stick with it, there is a reward for all the hard work.From the second paragraph, we can know the old Chinese saying _____.
| A．is out of date in modern times. |
| B．is disagreed by rich parents. |
| C．is still worth trusting. |
| D．is deeply believed by better educated parent. |
The underlined sentence means that _____
| A．Song sent his only son to military school, so he feels lonely. |
| B．Song is the only one who sends his child t to military school. |
| C．There are other people sending their children to military school besides Song. |
| D．The fee of the military school is so high that only Song can afford it. |
Song Siyu got some achievements in the military school except _____.
| A．taking a bath in a short time | B．having his meal with his eyes closed |
| C．taking unreasonable criticism | D．improving his character |
How many Chinese students are there at Valley Forge before this year?
| A．10 | B．13 | C．15 | D．25 |
Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A. It's likely that more and more Chinese students will attend VFMA.
B. Most Chinese parents approve of educating their children by beating and cursing nowadays.
C. Song Siyu had no difficulty in adjusting to the life at VFMA.
D. Most Chinese students support the way of education at VFMA.
Philip was a nine-year-old boy in a Sunday school class of 8-year-old girls and boys. Sometimes the third graders didn’t welcome Philip into their group and usually tricked him. This was not because he was older, but because he was “different”. You see, Philip suffered from a condition called Downs’s Syndrome. This made him “different”, with his facial characteristics, slow responses and mental problems.
One Sunday after Easter, the Sunday school teacher gathered some plastic eggs that pulled apart in the middle. The teacher gave one to each child. On that beautiful spring day, the children were to go out and discover for themselves some symbol of “new life” and place it inside the plastic eggs.
After the children returned to the classroom, the teacher opened their eggs one by one, asking each child to explain that symbol of “new life”. The first opened egg contained a flower. Everyone cheered. In another was a butterfly…. When the teacher opened the last egg, it was empty. “That’s stupid,” said someone. The teacher felt a pull at his shirt. It was Philip. Looking up, Philip said, “It’s mine. I did it. It’s empty. I have new life, because the tomb is empty.” Not a sound was heard in class at all. From that day on, Philip became a real part of the group. They welcomed him, and whatever made him different was never mentioned again.The underlined word “condition” in the first paragraph probably means ________.
| A．grade | B．status | C．health | D．disease |
It can be inferred from the first paragraph that ________.
| A．The 8-year-olds were sometimes cruel |
| B．The 8-year-olds were friendly to Philip |
| C．Philip was really different in school |
| D．Philip was older and more sensitive |
The teacher gave each child one plastic egg to let them ________.
| A．play around on that beautiful spring day |
| B．put some symbol of “new life” into it |
| C．try to pull it apart in the middle |
| D．go out and discover themselves |
After Philip explained his new life, ________.
| A．The class thought he was clever. | B．The class fell silent. |
| C．He began to study in the class. | D．He felt dying. |
We learn from the passage that ________.
| A．The teacher used to have classes outdoors |
| B．The Philip’s new life wish was empty |
| C．Philip was healthy as a whole |
| D．Philip was accepted by his classmates in the end |
Roman Pantheon （万神殿） is one of the greatest achievements of the ancient Romans. The ancient Romans were good architects and they built many wonderful buildings. Another good example of a Roman architectural style is the Roman Coliseum, which is a large building used for public sports events or entertainment. The Roman architectural style has been borrowed by many of the western countries.
The architecture of Pantheon is unique to Rome. In Latin and Greek, pantheon means "Temple of all the Gods". Marcus Agrippa built the original Pantheon in 27 BC. But the Pantheon built by Agrippa was completely destroyed in 80 AD when a fire broke out. The Roman Pantheon that is visited by many tourists today was rebuilt in 125 AD by the Roman emperor Hadrian. Hadrian's architects followed the exact design of Marcus Agrippa. Historians believe that the Pantheon was a place of worship(崇拜) because it housed all the gods and goddesses of the ancient Romans.
The Pantheon of Rome is an amazing example of ancient Roman architecture. This building has been in use for over 2000 years. The Roman Pantheon is famous for its design, size. The most unbelievable feature of this building is its huge concrete dome(圆顶). The Pantheon’s dome was thought to be the largest, until recent times.
Phocas, the Byzantine Emperor presented the Roman Pantheon to Pope Boniface IV to save it from the destruction. In 609 AD, it was turned into a church. During Papal rule, it was used as a burial ground (坟场) for kings and other famous people. There are tombs of Raphael (a painter), King Victor Emmanuel II, King Umberto I and many more in the Pantheon.
Some of the buildings that were constructed on the model of the Roman Pantheon are The Rotunda - University of Virginia, Low Memorial Library - Columbia University, Grand Auditorium - Tsinghua University, Jefferson Memorial - Washington D.C. and Duomo - Florence.From the first paragraph, we can learn that _______.
| A．the Coliseum was often used for big parties |
| B．there were different architectural styles in Rome |
| C．the Roman architectural style was borrowed from many western countries |
| D．the Pantheon and the Coliseum are examples of Roman architecture |
According to historians, the Pantheon was built to _______.
| A．exhibit the terrific design of Marcus Agrippa |
| B．suggest the power of Emperor Hadrian |
| C．provide a place for Roman gods and goddess |
| D．show ancient Rome’s unique architectural style |
The Pantheon which tourists visit at present was built in _______.
| A．27BC | B．80AD | C．about 125AD | D．609 AD |
The Pantheon was thought highly of especially because of its _______.
| A．strange shape | B．huge dome | C．perfect quality | D．beautiful |
The text mainly tells us _______.
| A．some facts about the Roman Pantheon |
| B．the influence of ancient Roman architecture |
| C．Roman’s lifestyle in ancient times |
| D．ancient Romans and their architecture |
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