Please help! I live in Germany with my wife and three kids. My parents live in the UK. I want my kids to have as much contact with their grandparents as possible. The kids all use e-mail, Skype and SMS but my parents won’t. I’ve bought them a laptop, paid for broadband, given them both mobile phones and a digital camera, but they won’t use them. My parents say they hate computers and new technology. What can I do with these “technophobes”?
Daniel, Buremburg, Germany
Actually, the original technophobes were the Luddites, a group of cloth workers in 19th century Britain during the Industrial Revolution. The Luddite cloth workers, who traditionally made cloth by hand, were worried that machines were going to take away their jobs and way of life. These machines could make cloth much faster and cheaper than humans. In 1811 and 1812 the Luddites destroyed the machines that they hated so much, but the British government supported th
e factory owners. Many Luddites were arrested. Charlotte Bronte’s novel Shirley will tell your parents all about it.
Laura, Valencia, Spain
Laura makes some
interesting points, I think. Technophobes has been a common theme in science fiction. Frankenstein, one of the first science fiction, is a warning of what could happen if humans began to experiment with human life.
Freda, Copenhagen, Denmark
One thing you could try is to find hardware that is designed for older people to use. An example is the mob
iles made by the US company, Jitterbug. Instead of icons and menus the Jitterbu
g phones ask users simple “yes/no” questions and have larger keypads. The company realized that there are potentially 100 million older users in the US alone.
Graham, Patras, Greece The underlined part “the technophobes” in the passage refers to ______.
A．those who are rea dy to try new technology |
| B．those who are addicted to the Internet |
| C．those who refuse to use modern technology |
| D．those who are devoted to inventing new things |
Which of the following is TRUE of the Luddites?
| A．They called themselves the technophobes. |
| B．They got full support from their factory owners. |
| C．They preferred to keep their traditional working methods. |
| D．They were killed by the government. |
Who has put forward a practical and useful suggestions?
| A．Laura. | B．Freda. | C．Daniel. | D．Graham. |
The passage is probably taken from _____.
| A．a personal blog | B．a letter between friends |
| C．a personal diary | D．a speech on new technology |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Daniel would buy her parents a novel written by Shirley. |
| B．Charlotte Bronte wrote about technophobes in her novel Shirley. |
| C．Daniel would buy her parents cell phones with icons and menus. |
| D．Daniel worried about her children using e-mails. |
After several days’ warm weather around the New Year’s Day，a strong cold wave with a sandstorm from Mongolia attacked Tianjin Sunday afternoon.
From 3 o’clock p.m.，the strong cold wave from Mongolia engulfed（吞没）most areas of North China and the biggest wind-force was 7.Tianjin also suffered this year’s first sandstorm with the cold wind whistling.The sky became dusky and the air was permeated with sand.By 11 o’clock at night，the wind became weaker and the sandstorm died down.From Monday morning，the northern areas had a big drop in temperature.It is learned that flu and the infection of the upper respiratory tract are easy to be infected due to the severe pollution by dust in the air.Relevant experts remind residents to pay attention to their health care..The underlined word“permeated”most probably means______.
| A．cleared | B．filled | C．blowing | D．replaced |
We learn that ______from the passage.
| A．sandstorms result in the fall of temperature |
| B．we can easily get infected by the dusty air |
| C．it is usually warmer before sandstorms come |
| D．sandstorms usually come around the New Year’s Day |
任务型读写（共10小题，每小题1分，满分10分）
阅读下面短文，根据所读内容在表格中的空白处填入恰当的单词。
注意：每个空格只填一个单词。
The USA is the first country where Mother’s Day appeared.
On May 9th, 1906,an American Anne Jevis’s mother died. Ann was in deep sorrow. In order to memorize her mother, she put forward a proposal to fix a day as Mother’s Day. On May 7th ,1914,the Congress of the USA passed a law ,making the second Sunday of May “Mother’s Day”.
Today millions of Americans observe Mother’s Day in some ways. They buy more than 150,000,000Mother’s Day greeting cards. Companies produce more than 1,000 different kinds. Most of the cards show pictures of flowers, hearts or other things that people feel are linked to being a mother. They have messages that express a person’s love for his or her mother. Some are humorous. And some have no words. People can express their own feelings for their mother. Many people give flowers for Mother’s Day. It is one of the busiest days of the year for the flower industry. Many people have written songs about mothers and Mother’s Day.
Mother’s Day is a time for young children to do special things for their mother. Some would make a special gift or draw a special picture. One family activity on Mother’s Day is to have the children cook the early morning meal .Then they serve the food to their mother while she is still in bed. Or they might clean the house so she does not have to do it. Fathers might take care of the children that day so the mothers can rest, or take a walk, or read a book. Many mothers feel that this free time on their special day is a very good Mother’s Day gift.
Some families will get together for a meal at a local eating place. This means that mothers do not have to cook on their special day. Coming out to dinner has become a tradition on Mother’s Day. As a result, restaurants are extremely crowded that day. It has become one of the busiest days of the year for the restaurant industry in the United States.
Now Mother’s Day has been an international festival and more than 40 countries have accepted this festival.
Title:76 Day
| Date |
The 77 Sunday of May |
| 78. |
Anne’s 79. at her mother’s death |
| 82. to celebrate |
Cards are sent with flowers or hearts to express80. |
| 81. written for mothers |
|
| Special things done by children |
Make special gifts |
| Draw special pictures |
|
| Cook and serve the early morning meal |
|
| Clean the house |
|
| Special things done by fathers |
Look after children |
| Get together for a meal at a local eating place, which makes restaurants very83. |
|
| 84. |
An international festival celebrated in over 85. countries |
I am so worried about global warming. We need stop cutting down all of the trees so that they can absorb the carbon dioxide. I think the Kyoto Protocol（京都议定书) to stop pollution is a great idea ,and I hope our country will decide to follow it, too.
— Eli S.,10,Texa
People should do all they can to help stop pollution, even if it is something as little as recycling your soda can. Every little thing helps. Maybe schools can put recycling bins in classrooms. Students can bring in all of their cans and bottles and see how many the school can collect.
— Lindsey A.,11, Massachusett
The United States should take action to help stop pollution. Since we are one of the richest countries, we should at least spend a little money to help.
— Aaron z,11,Massachusett
It is not good that the United States is not following the Kyoto Protocol. The U.S. is one of the most pollution emitting (污染物排放)countries in the world. Even if the rest of the world agrees to follow those rules, without the U. S. and its big businesses agreeing, global warming will still be a big problem.
—Augustine S.,11,Ohio
The world needs to learn more about global warming problems. If we do not do something soon then some of Earth’s coolest animals will become extinct. People should use solar power instead of things that pollute the atmosphere!
— Jillian J.,10,Pennsylvania
Global warming is very dangerous, and it must be prevented. Even if people think that it cannot be stopped ,we should at least try. Stopping global warming is more important than keeping our businesses going. What about the penguins(企鹅)and the polar bears? We can’t just let them become extinct.
—Samantha R.,11,IllinoisWhy does Lindsey suggest schools put recycling bins in classrooms?
| A．To keep the classroom clean | B．To help protect wild animals. |
| C．To help protect our earth. | D．To collect waste in classroom. |
Augustine worries that global warming problems will be difficult to solve because .
| A．many people think that global warming cannot be stopped |
| B．more and more trees are being cut down |
| C．American government spends little money stopping pollution |
| D．the U.S. refuses to follow the Kyoto Protocol |
Jillian and Samantha believe that .
| A．solar power is earth-friendly energy |
| B．global warming threatens animals’ survival |
| C．America is the richest country in the world |
| D．the penguins and the polar bears are dying out |
What do the six children mainly talk about?
| A．Environmental problems. | B．The Kyoto Protocol. |
| C．Animal protection. | D．The climate change. |
When Colonel Harland Sanders retired at the age of 65, he had little to show for himself, except an old Caddie roadster, a $105 monthly pension check ,and a recipe for chicken.
Knowing he couldn’t live on his pension, he took his chicken recipe in hand, got behind the wheel of his van (货车),and set out to make his fortune. His first plan was to sell his chicken recipe to restaurant owners, who would in turn give him a residual (酬金)for every piece of chicken they sold—5 cents per chicken. The first restaurateur he called on turned him down.
So did the second.
So did the third.
In fact, the first 1,008 sales calls Colonel Sanders made ended in rejection. Still, he continued to call on owners as he traveled across the USA, sleeping in his car to save money. Prospect number 1,009 gave him first “yes”.
After two years of making daily sales he had signed up a total of five restaurants. Still the Colonel pressed on , knowing that he had a great chicken recipe and that someday the idea would catch on .
Of course, you know how the story ends. The idea did catch on. By 1963 the Colonel had 600 restaurants across the country selling his secret recipe of Kentucky Fried Chicken (with ll herbs and spices ).
In 1964 he was bought out by future Kentucky governor John Brown.Even though the sale made him a multi-millionaire, he continued to represent and promote KFC until his death in 1990.Which of the following statements about Colonel Sanders is wrong according to the passage?
| A．He received a pension of a little more than $100 every month after he retired. |
| B．He couldn’t live on his pension because he had a chicken recipe in hand. |
| C．He didn’t succeed in selling his recipe until he tried 1,009 times. |
| D．He lived a hard life when he stared the business. |
The underlined phrase“catch on ”in Paragraph 6 probably means .
| A．be accepted | B．be grasped | C．be popular | D．be rejected |
The sentence “Of course, you know how the story ends” means .
| A．you are sure to know the result of Colonel Sanders’ business |
| B．You are sure to know Colonel Sanders had finished his story |
| C．It is certain Colonel Sanders ended his business |
| D．It is certain Colonel Sanders knew how to end his story |
Colonel Sanders’ story teaches us an important lesson:
| A．It’s never too late to make a change in your life . |
| B．The early bird catches the worm. |
| C．Live and learn. Life can teach you a lot of lessons. |
| D．Constant dripping wears away a stone. |
The Field Museum
Hours
Regular hours are 9:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m. , daily. Last admission at 4:00 p.m.
Open every day except Christmas.
Admission
We have several ticket choices for you to choose from. Advance tickets may be purchased at the will- call booth in person at the museum before 4:00 p.m.
Getting Here
The Field Museum is located on Chicago’s Museum Campus; at 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, just south of Roosevelt Rd.
How to get here : by car or public transit or free trolley.
Parking
Visitor parking in all lots on the Museum Campus is $ 15.00 per day .This includes the Adler lot, the north garage, the Waldron garage and the east museum lot.
Hours for the north garage and Adler lot are 5:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m. Mon—Fri and 6:00a.m. —5:00p.m. weekends; east museum lot9:00 a.m.—3:00p.m. Designated handicapped parking is available in every lot.
When all other lots are full , parking will be made available in the remote south lot for$ 8.00 per day.
From Memorial Day to Labor Day , the parking lot will only accept cash payments , which will need to be paid upon entering the garage.
Please note : These hours and rates are for daytime only and do not apply when special events are scheduled at the museums or Soldier Field.
Getting Here During Chicago Bears Home Games
During bears home games and other major special events at Soldier Field , access to the Museum Campus can be challenging. No museum visitor parking is available on the Museum Campus during bears home games. However, public transit remains a great way to get to the Campus every day of the year. For more information, call the Regional Transportation Authority at (312) 836 — 7000 or visit www. rtachicago.com.
Additional parking is available at the Monroe Street garage , located at 350 East Monroe Street.If you buy advance tickets ,you .
| A．call 60605—2496(312)922—9410 to register a ticket |
| B．should go and buy tickets all by yourself |
| C．can ask others to buy a ticket for you |
| D．make an order with the museum in advancee |
Where can you park your car for the least cost?
| A．The south lot. | B．The Adler lot. | C．The north lot . | D．The Waldron garage. |
If you park your car at east museum lot ,you should go at .
A. 9:00 a.m.— 5：00 p.m . B. 5:00a.m. .—5:00p.m.
C. 9:00 a.m.— 3：00 p.m . B. 6:00a.m. .—5:00p.m. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．The museum is opened all the year around. |
| B．You can usually pay your parking in check. |
| C．During bears home games visitors can park on the museum Campus for free. |
| D．After 4:00 p.m.you are not allowed to enter the museum. |
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