My Uncle Dave posed an interesting question to my wife and me when he came to visit us the other day. He asked: “What do you think the world will be like in 50 or 100 years, in terms of technology and society and so on?”
He says he asks many of the people he meets this question to see what their thoughts are. His point is that no one really knows. I mean, in 1945, could people have even imagined surfing the net or sending e-mails as we do? No way. And the pace of technological innovation(创新) is incredible (难以置信的). We’re on a more different curve than we used to be.
One thing I’m looking forward to is real software agents. There is so much information out there, but I want something that can help me find what I really want. For instance, in about ten years, I think, there will be no longer recorded music, and there will be some big databases from which you can download music onto your hard drive or whatever. At that point, there will be so much music to choose from and you’ll be able to sample things before you buy them. But the question will be how I find what I’m looking for and how I do find the music that might interest me. Or more generally, how do I find information that I want without spending all the time myself surfing the net? How do I find people who are like-minded (具有相似目的), with whom I might really want to communicate? I want to find those people but it’s hard to do. In the future I think that one will be able to build a community of like-minded people who live all over the globe. It’s going to be very interesting, I think.No one really knows what the future will be like because _____.
| A．there is too much information for us to choose from |
| B．technological development is too fast |
| C．people live in different countries |
| D．no one is intelligent enough to answer such a question |
The function of the first paragraph is to _____.
| A．explain the question given in this paragraph |
| B．put forward the topic in this passage |
| C．show Dave is a foolish man to ask such a question |
| D．describe a picture about what the future will be like |
The writer is looking forward to some real software agents so as to _____.
| A．earn a lot of money |
| B．communicate with some like-minded people |
| C．help find the correct information needed |
| D．spare some time for surfing the Internet |
The best title of this passage should be _____.
| A．What the Future Will Be Like |
| B．Listen to Music Through the Internet |
| C．Music and Software Development |
| D．How to Live a Happy Life in the Future |
Did you have a very strict teacher at school? I did. I'll never forget 'Mr. Strict'. If you didn't get your geography right, you would wish to run to the end of the earth to be far away from him. That tall man with a very loud voice knew how to frighten you and put the fear of God into you. Nobody dared to be late for his class. No one dared to chat in his class no matter how boring the subject was. And not even the naughtiest pupil would dream of cheating in his tests.
I thought about my old teacher when I read about a new government program in England to train former soldiers with no degrees to become a teacher. They can act either as secondary school subject teachers or as primary teachers. From next January those selected for the program will earn a salary and train on-the-job four days a week and one day at university. In two years they will be considered 'newly qualified teachers'.
Education Minister David Laws said: "We know that our highly-skilled soldiers can inspire young people." He believes that values in the army such as leadership, discipline(纪律), energy and teamwork would benefit children.
But not everybody is happy with the government plans. Brian Lightman, from an organisation called the Association of School and College Leaders, thinks the training offered to the former soldiers who want to be teachers is not enough.
Christine Blower, of the National Union of Teachers, believes that teachers need to understand how children develop. According to her, teachers need a high level of education themselves and thorough teacher training before they can educate the young.
I'm not sure how much 'Mr. Strict' knew about child development. What I know is how happy he was when we did well. I'll never forget the broad smile on his face when I got a very high mark. My teacher was a soldier, but to me his smile was a medal for bravery in our war against ignorance(无知)!Which of the following is true according to the first paragraph?
| A．Students would still fall asleep in the class of “Mr. Strict”. |
| B．Only the naughty students would talk with each other in the class of “Mr. Strict”. |
| C．“Mr. Strict” often played tricks on his students in a very loud voice. |
| D．If Mr. Strict’s class was boring, his students would still listen to him carefully. |
What does the new government program in England want to do?
| A．To train more excellent soldiers. |
| B．To change former soldiers into teachers. |
| C．To train teachers to teach better |
| D．To increase the employment rate |
Who supports the new government program in England?
| A．Mr. Strict | B．David Laws |
| C．The author himself | D．Brian Lightman |
According to Christine Blower, ____.
| A．the English government should stop the program. |
| B．teachers should often receive regular training |
| C．teachers should know about child development |
| D．only those who receive high education can be teachers |
Dear Editor;
Why do newspapers carry so many advertisements for electronic equipment? Last Sunday I counted ads for seven kinds of televisions and thirteen kinds of radios in the Atlanta Journal. Besides that, there were pages and pages of ads for Citizens’ Band radios and tape recorders.
Don’t you realize what electronic equipment is doing to our daily life? Everywhere you go you may hear loud musician advertisements over radios; this continual noise is ruining our ears. Husbands don’t talk to wives any more; they are always watching the news or a ball game. Children ruin their eyes (not to mention their minds) with endless hours of watching not only the programs for children but those for grown-ups as well. And worse, hidden microphones find out about our private lives, and computers keep records of personal information about us. Enough is enough! I think you should limit the amount of advertising of electronic equipment in the Atlanta journal. Otherwise it will make life unbearable for us all.Atlanta Journal is the name of_________.
| A．a department store |
| B．a shop that sells electronic equipment |
| C．a local newspaper |
| D．a hotel where the writer stayed |
What problem does Jason Collins think radio causes?
| A．It has too many programs for advertising. |
| B．It makes husbands talk little to wives. |
| C．It gives too much loud music. |
| D．Its noise does harm to our ears.. |
Electronic equipment causes all the following problems except that______.
| A．personal information is given to strangers. |
| B．Children ruin their eyes. |
| C．News of the world is given to all citizens |
| D．Family members don’t talk to each other |
Are you worried by the rising crime rate? If you are, you probably know that your house and possessions are increasingly in danger of suffering from great rise in the cases of burglary(夜盗;抢劫) and attack.
Figures show an ever-increasing crime rate, but it is only too easy to imagine "It will never happen to me"．Unfortunately, statistics show that it really can happen to you and, if you live in a large city, you run twice the risk of being a victim (受害者).
Fortunately, there is something definite (肯定的) which you can do．Protect Alarms can help to protect your house with a burglar alarm system which is effective, simple to operate and easily affordable.
You must remember that owning a burglar alarm is no indication(暗示) that your house is packed with valuable possessions．It quite simply indicates to unwelcome visitors that yours is one house they will not break into easily, so they carry on to an unprotected house where their job is made a lot easier.
Send now for our free leaflet (传单，手册) telling you how we can Protect Alarm your house quickly, easily and cheaply．Complete and tear off the slip (便条，纸条) below and post it to us．Postage is free．Also, telephone us on 327 6721 where we have a round-the-clock answering service．It costs nothing to find out about Protect Alarm.Anyone who takes an interest in the crime rate will, according to the text, be aware that ________.
| A．more burglars are being caught than ever before |
| B．people have more possessions to worry about nowadays |
| C．burglars are more at risk than they used to be |
| D．homes are more likely to be broken into nowadays |
It seems that people who live in cities are ____________.
| A．more often victims than those living in other areas |
| B．of the opinion that statistics are wrong |
| C．twice as well as people living in other areas |
| D．of the opinion that burglars only rob unprotected homes |
The article claims that possessing (拥有) an alarm system will _________.
| A．show burglars that you have something worth stealing |
| B．persuade burglars not to break into your house |
| C．make the burglars' job less complicated (复杂的) |
| D．persuade burglars to try again another time |
In order to find out more information about this alarm system one can _______.
| A．buy a leaflet |
| B．write enclosing a stamped, addressed envelope |
| C．sign a contract |
| D．phone at any time of day or night |
The underlined word "Figures" in the second paragraph can be replaced by “_____”．
| A．Pictures | B．Fingers | C．Numbers | D．Mathematics |
When the six very best students from different cities in Guangdong Province all together chose universities in Hong Kong; when the very best students of Beijing picked up HK University while giving up the nearby Beijing or Qinghua University; when the highest enrollment(录取) rate of Hong Kong Science and Industry University reached 48:1, it’s the high time to ask where the real education heaven (天堂) for students in China is.
Years ago, the answer certainly would be “Beijing or Qinghua University”. But now no one could give the exact reaction without hesitation. The only sure thing is that HK universities have gradually showed an unusual attraction to a great many mainland students.
It’s no doubt to call this HK craze (狂热), which is even out of the expectation (预料) of those HK universities themselves.
How can HK universities shake the steady foundations of Beijing and Qinghua and attract so many mainland students?
First, Hong Kong universities offer large-amount scholarship, especially for the top students who can receive the sum scholarship as much as 400,000 HK dollars. Since higher education has become a kind of heavy burden (负担) of many families, it’s easy to understand why the reaction to the generous offering of HK universities is great.
Second, most HK universities receive professors and students from all over the world and carry out bilingual (双语) education. This kind of excellent language atmosphere is another attraction for mainland students.
Furthermore, university students in Hong Kong have a better chance to study abroad as exchange students.
Can mainland top universities like Beijing or Qinghua University be calm as before when facing the unexpected competition from HK? Will they take relevant measures to win back the top students who once help them set the worldwide reputation (名誉)? Time will explain it.
The fierce competition brought by HK universities can be a good thing for an entire improvement of education in China. After the awakening and action-taking of mainland universities, they can perform better together with HK universities.
At least, it reminded the mainland universities the tuition fees (学费) are among students’ top concern when they are choosing universities. It’s time to move.What is the passage mainly talking about?
| A．Some thoughts brought by the enrollment of HK universities. |
| B．Higher education in Hong Kong. |
| C．The competition between HK University and Beijing University. |
| D．The fall of mainland universities. |
Top students from mainland apply for HK universities because________.
| A．many students now would love to study abroad to get a better experience |
| B．they concern only about the tuition fees when choosing universities |
| C．HK Universities offer higher scholarship, better environment and more opportunities for their further study |
| D．Beijing University has lost its worldwide reputation |
What is the author’s attitude toward the competition brought by HK universities?
| A．The government should take relevant measures to stop this unfair competition. |
| B．Mainland universities had better lower their tuition fees and win back the top students. |
| C．Universities both in mainland and in HK would get an entire improvement during the competition. |
| D．It may probably cause a complete loss to both sides in the end. |
From the passage we can see HK universities________.
| A．didn’t mean to enroll top students from mainland |
| B．didn’t expect their enrollment of mainland students would be so popular |
| C．have strict enrollment rules and only 1out of 48 students can get the chance to study there |
| D．are proud of their teaching staff and facilities |
The Los Angeles Zoo has many public programs that aim to teach the public about animals and natural protection.
Safari shuttle(旅游电车)
While you’re here, take the Safari shuttle for a quick trip from one end of the Zoo to the other.
All day long, seven days a week (from 10 am to 5 pm), the Safari Shuttle picks up passengers, circles the Zoo, and returns to the main flamingo (火烈鸟) exhibit near the front entrance. You can get on and off the shuttle as often as you like.
Food
Safari Café (at the Zoo entrance) offers Starbucks coffee, fresh-baked cookies, and ice cream. Gorilla Grill is the spot for toasted food, kids’ meals, snacks, and ice cream. La Casita serves a variety of Mexican food and refreshments（甜点）. Silverback’s Cafe offers sandwiches, salads, bread bowls, cold beer, and refreshments.
Hour
The Zoo is open from 10 am to 5 pm every day of the year except Christmas Day. Special summer long hours are until 6 pm. from July 1 to September 7. Please remember, the Zoo starts putting animals in for the night at 4 pm during regular hours, and at 5 pm. during summer hours.
Admission Prices(票价)
Adults (aged 13 and above): $ 9
Seniors (aged 62 and above): $ 6
Children (aged 2 to 12): $ 4
Children (under 2): free
Items Not Allowed on Zoo Grounds
Alcohol, Glass bottles, Pets, Bicycles, Skateboards, and In-line skate.
If you are planning a picnic while visiting the Zoo, please do not bring any glass items or other things that are easy to break. Also for the safety of the animals, no plastic bags are allowed within the Zoo.Which of the following provides kids’ meals?
| A．Safari Café. | B．Gorilla Grill. |
| C．La Casita. | D．Silverback’s Café. |
People can see all the animals at the Los Angeles Zoo at ______.
| A．11 am. on Christmas Day | B．4:30 pm. on May 5 |
| C．3 pm. on March 5 | D．6 pm. on September 7 |
How much does it cost if a couple with their one-year-old twins visit the Los Angeles Zoo?
| A．$18. | B．$26. | C．$22. | D．$17. |
When visiting the Los Angeles Zoo, people can______.
| A．ride a bike through the Zoo |
| B．have a picnic on the Zoo grounds |
| C．take food with plastic bags |
| D．take their pets along |
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