If you live in America in the 21st century you'll probably have to listen to a lot of people tell you how busy they are. It's become the default response when you ask anyone how they are doing:"Busy!""Crazy busy!".It is,pretty obviously,a boast disguised as a complaint. And the common response is a kind of congratulation:"That's a good problem to have,"or"Better than the opposite."
Notice it isn't generally people pulling back-to-back shifts in the ICU or commuting by bus to three minimum-wage jobs who tell you how busy they are.What those people are is not busy but tired.Exhausted!Dead on their feet.It's almost always people whose busyness is purely self-imposed:work and obligations they've taken on voluntarily,classes and activities they've "encouraged" their kids to participate in.They're busy because of their own ambition or drive or anxiety,because they're addicted to busyness and dread that they might have to face in its absence.
Almost everyone I know is busy. They feel anxious and guilty when they aren't either working or doing something to promote their work.It's something they have chosen.Busyness serves as a kind of existential reassurance(令人安心的保证），a measure against emptiness,obviously your life cannot possibly be silly or tiny or meaningless if you are so busy,completely booked,in demand every hour of the day.
Idleness is not just a vacation.It is as necessary to the brain as vitamin D is to the body,and deprived of it we suffer a mental affliction as ugly as rickets.The space and quiet that idleness provides is a necessary condition for standing back from life and seeing it whole,for making unexpected connections and waiting for the wild summer lightning strikes of inspiration."Idle dreaming is often the essence of what we do,"wrote Thomas Pynchon.Archimedes' "Eureka"in the bath, Newton's apple :history is full of stories of inspirations that come in idle moments.When many Americans say"Crazy busy", they mean______.
| A．they are really tired of their present situation |
| B．they are really proud of their present life |
| C．they are complaining about their current work |
| D．their life are full of all kinds of problems |
The writer mentions Archimedes' "Eureka"and Newton's apple to show that________.
| A．history is full of interesting stories |
| B．Archimedes and Newton were very busy, so they made great discoveries |
| C．people may get inspiration when they are idle |
| D．inspirations come from hard work |
The word "its" in the second paragraph refers to_______________________________.
| A．ambition | B．anxiety | C．busyness | D．dread |
From the article,we can infer that ___________________________________.
| A．generally people pulling back-to-back shifts in the ICU tell you they are busy |
| B．"Dead on their feet" means "being tired out" |
| C．all the kids are self-imposed due to the drive and motivation |
| D．The author seems to agree that idleness is better than busyness |
The regular use of text messages and e-mails can lower the IQ more than twice as much as smoking marijuana（大麻）. That is the claim of psychologists who have found that tapping away on a mobile phone or computer keypad or checking them for electronic messages temporarily knocks up to ten points off the user’s IQ.
This rate of decline in intelligence compares unfavorably with the four-point drop in IQ associated with smoking marijuana, according to British researchers, who have labeled（把……称为）the fleeting phenomenon of enhanced stupidity as “infomania”.
The noticeable drop in IQ is believed to be the result of the constant distraction of “always on” technology when employees should be concentrating on what they are paid to do. Infomania means that they lose concentration as their minds remain fixed in an almost permanent state of readiness to react to technology instead of focusing on the tasks in hand.
The brain also finds it hard to deal with keeping lots of tasks in motion at once, reducing its overall effectiveness. While modern technology can have huge benefits, excessive(过度的)use can be damaging not only to a person’s mind, but to his or her social life.
Eighty volunteers took part in clinical trials on IQ damage and 1,100 adults were interviewed.
More than six in ten people polled admitted that they were addicted to checking their e-mail and text messages so that they examined work-related ones even when at home or on holiday. Half said that they always responded immediately to an e-mail and one in five would interrupt a meeting to do so.
Furthermore, infomania is having a negative effect on work colleagues, increasing stress and disagreeing feelings. Nine out of ten polled thought that colleagues who answered e-mails or messages during a face-to-face meeting were extremely rude. Yet one in three Britons believed that it was not only acceptable, but actually diligent and efficient to do so.
67. What does the underlined part mean?
A.A person’s IQ drops ten points if he or she always checks electronic messages.
B. The person who has a higher IQ enjoys checking electronic messages.
C. The person who has a lower IQ enjoys checking electronic messages.
D. A person’s IQ is ten points higher if he or she always checks electronic messages.
68. What happens to people with infomania?
A. People with infomania can only concentrate on their tasks in hand.
B. people with infomania are addicted to smoking marijuana.
C. People with infomania can’t respond to technology immediately.
D. People with infomania can’t concentrate on their tasks in hand.
69. From the passage, we can learn that ______.
A. about 550 interviewees responded to an e-mail immediately
B. about 670 interviewees responded to an e-mail immediately
C. about 50 taking part in clinical trials on IQ were addicted to checking e-mails
D. about 16 taking part in clinical trials on IQ refused to answer e-mails immediately
70. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. The regular use of text messages and e-mails can be compared to smoking marijuana.
B. Modern technology can damage a person’s mind.
C. The regular use of text messages and e-mails can harm your IQ.
D. Electronic messages have side effects on the user’s life.
| AwimAway Thailand & Cambodia |
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| Tour Reference |
109359 |
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| Seasons |
January - December |
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| Tour Length |
9 days |
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| Destinations |
Cambodia, Thailand |
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| Activities |
Cultural Exploration |
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| Tour Operator |
AwimAway |
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| Start Price |
£1449.00  |
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| * Price per person (Half price for U-15s, Free for U-7s) * Land cost only - International airfare not included. |
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Brief Overview:
Thailand is a rush for your senses: a bustling, exotic, and vivid culture that never ceases to amaze visitors. On this cultural tour, you’ll visit Thailand’s gilded temples, one more gorgeous than the next, in the cities of Bangkok, Ayutthaya, and Chiang Mai. Other highlights include a cruise through Bangkok’s canals, a visit to a rural hill tribe village, riding elephants through the jungle and exciting shopping opportunities in Chiang Mai’s famous night bazaar.
Continue to Cambodia, where you’ll visit the bustling capital of Phnom Penh. Tour the Royal Palace with its dazzling Silver Pagoda. Then it’s on to Angkor Wat, where you have two days to explore the spectacular carved stone temples of this World Heritage site.
Features of this trip:
Exclusive tour, guided privately by a multilingual guide throughout the trip.
Customize your own itinerary（路线）to create a holiday of your dream.
Designed for 4 to 5 star luxury accommodation and services. Hotels can be changed to lower budget.
Depart and return whenever you choose – shorten or lengthen the tour to suit your wishes.
Outstanding value, costing you 25-30% less than similar guided tours of the same flexibility and quality.
Group discounts are available. Call 020 7430 1766
NOTE: Prices shown are effective as of date of publication of web page, and are subject to changes due to currency fluctuations, changes in availability, seasonal increases or variations in local costing at the time of booking. 
63. This ad is most probably made for ______.
A. a private guide B. a travel agency C. a country D. a hotel
64. In which of the following cities can a visitor shop in a night bazaar?
A. Bangkok. B. Phnom Penh. C. Chiang Mai. D. Ayutthaya.
65. Start prices are influenced by the following EXCEPT _______.
A. the local living conditions B. currency fluctuations
C. changes in availability D. variations in local costing
66. Which of the following statements is true?
A. Pity this cultural tour is limited to only 10 days.
B. Start prices cover all the fees including accommodation, services and flight.
C. Everyone wanting a discount may call 020 7430 1766.
D. This tour is said to be fairly easy and comfortable.
Do you know what it means when somebody tells you that he had “a catch-22 experience”?
The phrase “catch-22” comes from a book of the same title by the American writer Joseph Heller published in 1961. Catch-22 is a book of black humor. The author uses silly and even surreal(超现实的)events. It has a non-linear narrative structure(非线性的叙述结构)in which events follow the theme rather than the timing, to give us a very strange picture full of contradictions(矛盾).
The story takes places in a bomber base in Italy during World War II. The main character, Captain Yossarian wants to leave the war. Unfortunately, every time he completes the number of tasks to be sent home, the number is raised and he is forced to continue fighting. It seems hopeless for him to go home under the very strange rule in this Air Force-catch-22: only when a soldier goes crazy can he be allowed to go home. But he has to go to the hospital to show the doctors that he is crazy. However, if he tells them he is crazy but is obvious healthy, he cannot go home. In short, catch-22 is“heads I win, tails I lose. If you can you can’t; and if you can’t, you can.”Whenever you try to behave correctly in a crazy world. There’s a catch(潜在的困难).
During the Vietnam War, the phrase“catch-22”became a popular term for being caught in a lose-win circular dilemma and is now commonly used. The Oxford English Dictionary explains catch-22 as“a set of circumstances in which one requirement, etc, is dependent upon another, which is in turn dependent upon the first.”
60. Which of the following statements is right?
A. Catch-22 is one of Heller’s experiences during World War II.
B. Catch-22 is one of Yossarian’s experiences during the Vietnam War.
C. The events in catch-22 follow the theme.
D. The events in catch-22 follow the timing.
61. Why did Captain Yossarian fail to leave the war?
A. He wasn’t so anxious to leave the war.
B. He didn’t finish his tasks.
C. He was put into a catch-22 situation.
D. He wasn’t mad enough to be sent home.
62. The phrase“catch-22”came into being_____________.
A. in World War II B. in the Vietnam War C. in the 1950s D. in the 1960s
Recreational pursuits() can be a part of everyday life, 365 days a year in Vancouver. We provide and maintain playgrounds, sports fields, ice rinks, fitness centers, indoor and outdoor pools, beaches, tennis courts, golf courses, skateboard parks and numerous other ways for any and all to participate. Knowledgeable staff work hard to provide leisure() activities suited to people of every age, culture and ability.
Recreation also means our 23 community() centers, serving all ages and supporting awide range of recreational, social and cultural pursuits. Programs include aerobics arts and many more. Community centers are cooperatively operated with people living nearby, making for good partnerships between city government and its residents.
| Community Arts and Culture Benefits of Recreation Community Centres Recreation Programs Recreation for All Access Services Adapted Programs Childcare Day Camps Get out! Youth Initiative Leisure Access Card program LAC) Seniors Programs and Services Youth Activities and Services Forms and Schedules Application Forms for Picnics and Events Leisure Guide 2008 |
Activities Basketball Beaches Fitness Centre Football Fields Get up & Go! Golf/pitch & Putt Horseshoes Pitches Ice Rinks Lacrosse Lawn Bowling Picnic Sites Playgrounds Playing Fields Racquet/Squash Courts Rugby Fields Swimming Pools Tennis Courts Volleyball Wading Pools & Water/Spray |
1. This advertisement is intended for ____.
A. people living in nearby cities B. 23 community centers
C. residents of Vancouver D. the government of Vancouver
2. From Leisure Guide 2008, you may probably find information about ____.
A. arts and culture B. recreation programs
C. plans and timetable of different activities D. partnerships between city government and its residents
3. You will probably click _____ to help your grandparents find some leisure activities.
A. Seniors Programs and Services B. Football Fields
C. Rugby Fields D. Adapted Programs
If two scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory are correct, people will still be driving gasoline-powered cars 50 years from now, giving out heat-trapping carbon dioxide into the atmosphere — and yet that carbon dioxide will not contribute to global warming.
In a proposal by two scientists, vehicle emissions (排放) would no longer contribute to global warming. The scientists, F. Jeffrey Martin and William L. Kubic Jr., are proposing a concept, which they have named Green Freedom, for removing carbon dioxide from the air and turning it back into gasoline.
The idea is simple. Air would be blown over a liquid solution (溶液) of potassium carbonate, which would absorb the carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide would then be put to chemical reactions that would turn it into fuel: gasoline or jet fuel.
This process could change carbon dioxide from an unwanted, climate-changing pollutant into a vast resource for renewable fuels. The cycle — equal amounts of carbon dioxide produced and removed — would mean that cars, trucks and airplanes using the synthetic (合成的) fuels would no longer be contributing to global warming.
Although they have not yet built a synthetic fuel factory, or even a small model, the scientists say it is all based on existing technology. “Everything in the concept has been built, is operating or has a close cousin that is operating,” Dr. Martin said.
The Los Alamos proposal does not go against any laws of physics, and other scientists who have independently suggested similar ideas. Dr. Martin said he and Dr. Kubic had worked out their concept in more detail than previous proposals.
There is, however, a major fact that explains why no one has built a carbon-dioxide-to-gasoline factory: it requires a great deal of energy.
According to their analysis, their concept, which would cost about $5 billion to build, could produce gasoline at an operating cost of $1.40 a gallon and would turn economically practical when the price at the pump hits $4.60 a gallon.
Other scientists said the Los Alamos proposal perhaps looked promising but could not evaluate it fully because the details had not been published.
“It’s definitely worth pursuing,” said Martin I. Hoffert, a professor of physics at New York University. “It’s not that new an idea. It has a couple of pieces to it that are interesting.”
67. What is the idea of the project being discussed in the article?
A. Recycling the carbon dioxide from cars back into gasoline.
B. Create a new gasoline that gives off very little carbon dioxide.
C. Using a special liquid solution to absorb carbon dioxide from cars.
D. Build synthetic fuel factories to remove carbon dioxide from the air.
68. What’s the name given to the new concept?
A. Synthetic Fuel. B. Green Freedom.
C. Renewable Fuel. D. Carbon-dioxide-to-gasoline Factory.
69. Which of the following is NOT one of the benefits of this new concept as suggested in the article?
A. Reduction of global warming. B. Cheaper gasoline for cars.
C. Longer life of cars. C. Less pollution of the atmosphere.
70. What’s the biggest problem in realizing the concept according to the report?
A. Shortage of starting funds. B. Immature technology involved.
C. All previous similar attempts have failed.
D. The use of too much energy in running the fuel factory.
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