Being able to experience a different environment and custom will give us a new perspective on everything we thought we knew and understood． Maybe, going abroad is an opportunity to look again at not only the country and the people who live there but also ourselves．
I had never expected to visit Paris． The French culture didn' t interest me that much, and Paris seemed too big, too touristy, too much． But when I found myself standing next to the Opera National de Paris, completely alone and totally lost, I knew I was in for an interesting ride． I had decided to take a summer history class abroad, and Paris just happened to be where it was set． My teacher eventually found me and other jet-lagged students and walked us down to where we would be staying． Even then, tired, hungry, and feeling displaced, I was unable to keep myself from marveling at the beauty of the city．
The next day in the grocery store, trying to decide if the box I was holding contained butter or cream cheese, I suddenly realized I was a foreigner that didn’t speak the language．The cashier and I had a conversation completely with gestures． For the most part, it didn't seem to bother the French that I was utterly incompetent in speaking their language． In fact, from my first unclear "bonjour" , many of them would directly switch over to English．
Time Hew by． In the mornings we had class, and in the afternoons we were given a lot of freedom to do what we pleased． We explored everywhere in the city, becoming experts at using the Metro, and walking so much that our legs were sore every night．
Living in Paris was a huge change in my lifestyle． Everything I did was more relaxed． I stopped worrying about the future and instead focused on living in the present． I stopped wearing a watch because time didn’t matter．We ate when we were hungry, went to bed when we were tired and explored in between．I no longer mind that Paris is so big; it' s an old, beautiful metropolis full of culture and history．On one of my last days there, standing on top of the Arc du Triumph with a 360 degree view of Paris, I finally admitted something to myself．The city that I had never wanted to visit had turned into the city that I never wanted to leave．The writer came to Paris because ______．
| A．he wanted to have an interesting ride |
| B．he attended a course in summer |
| C．he admired its beautiful scenery |
| D．he was alone and lost his way |
On the first day in Paris, the writer felt _____．
| A．lonely in the big city | B．bored with his visit |
| C．surprised at its beauty | D．interested in its culture |
The example of the grocery store is used to illustrate _____．
| A．the little influence of language barrier |
| B．the big difficulty of living abroad |
| C．the great importance of gestures |
| D．the intelligence of French people |
By mentioning the uselessness of the watch, the author probably wants to prove ______
| A．time in Paris is not worth counting |
| B．he enjoys the time in Paris very much |
| C．life seems meaningful without time |
| D．he has to spend a long time to visit the big city |
People are being tricked into Facebook with the promise of a fun, free service without realizing they’re paying for it by giving up loads of personal information.
Most Facebook users don’t realize this is happening. Even if they know what the company is up to, they still have no idea what they’re paying for Facebook because people don’t really know what their personal data is worth.
The biggest problem, however, is that the company keeps changing the rules early on you keep everything private. That was the great thing about Facebook. You could create your own little private network. Last year. The company changed its privacy rules so that many things; your city, your photo, your friends’ names were set, by default (默认)to be shared with everyone on the Internet.
According to Facebook’s vice-president Elliot Schrage, the company is simply making changes to improve its service, and if people don’t share information. They have a “less satisfying experience.
Some critics think this is more about Facebook looking to make more money. In original business model, which involved selling ads and putting them. At the side of the pages totally, who wants to took at ads when they’re online connecting with their friends?
The privacy issue has already landed Facebook in hot water in Washington. In April. Senator Charles Schumer called on Facebook to change its privacy policy. He also urged the Federal Trade Commission to set guidelines for social networking sites. “I think the senator rightly communicated that we had not been clear about what the new products were and how people could choose to use them or not to use them,” Schrage admits.
I suspect that whatever Facebook has done so far to invade our privacy, it’s only the beginning，which is why I’m considering cancelling my account. Facebook is a handy site, but I’m upset by the idea that my information is in the hands of people I don’t know. That’s too high a price to pay.What do we learn about Facebook from the first paragraph?
| A．It is a website that sends messages to users who want to get married. |
| B．It earns money by putting on advertisements. |
| C．It makes money by selling its users’ personal data. |
| D．It provides loads of information to its users. |
What does the author say about most Facebook users?
| A．They are unwilling to give up their personal information. |
| B．They don’t identify themselves when using the website. |
| C．They don’t know their personal data enriches Facebook. |
| D．They care very little about their personal information. |
Why does Facebook make changes to its rules according to Elliot Schrage?
| A．To obey the Federal guidelines. |
| B．To provide better service to its users. |
| C．To improve its users’ connection |
| D．To expand its business. |
Why does the author plan to cancel his Facebook account?
| A．He is dissatisfied with its present service. |
| B．He finds many of its users untrustworthy. |
| C．He is upset by its frequent rule changes. |
| D．He doesn’t want his personal data badly used. |
The drug store was closing for the night. Young Alfred Higgins, the shop-assistant, was ready to go home. Mr. Carr, the boss, stared at him and said: “Hold on, Alfred. Maybe you'd be good enough to take the things out of your pockets and leave them here before you go.” Alfred's face got red. After a little hesitation, he took out what he had stolen. Mr. Carr said, “Maybe I should call your mother and let her know I'm going to have to put you in prison.”
Alfred thought his mother would come rushing in, eyes burning with anger. But, to his surprise, she arrived wearing a smile. “Hello, I'm Alfred's mother. Is he in trouble?” she said. Mr. Carr was surprised, too. He had expected Alfred's mother to come in nervously, shaking with fear, asking with wet eyes for a mercy for her son. But no, she was most calm, quiet and pleasant and was making Mr. Carr feel guilty…. Soon Mr. Carr was shaking his head in agreement with what she was saying. “Of course”, he said, “I don't want to be cruel. You are right. Sometimes, a little good advice is the best thing for a boy at certain times in his life and it often takes the youths long time to get sense into their heads.” And he warmly shook Mrs. Higgins's hand.
Back home, without even looking at Alfred, she said, “You are a bad luck. It is one thing after another, always has been. Why do you stand there so stupidly? Go to bed.” In his bedroom, Alfred heard his mother in the kitchen. There was no shame in him, just pride in his mother's strength. He felt he must tell her how great she was. As he got to the kitchen, he saw his mother drinking a cup of tea. He was shocked by what he saw. His mother's face was a frightened, broken one. It was not the same cool, bright face he saw earlier in the drug store. As she lifted the tea cup, her hand shook. And some of the tea splashed on the table. Her lips moved nervously. She looked very old. He watched his mother without making a sound. The picture of his mother made him want to cry. He felt his youth coming to an end. He saw all the troubles he brought his mother in her shaking hand and the deep lines of worry in her grey face. It seemed to him for the first time he had ever really seen his mother.Which of the following is probably said by Mrs. Higgins while talking to Mr. Carr?
| A．“Please, for God's sake, you know, he is just a kid.” |
| B．“I can't believe it! You are treating my son like that!” |
| C．“Punishment makes sense because it teaches about the law.” |
| D．“You know, it takes time for a youth to truly grow up.” |
What does the underlined phrase "his mother's strength"(Para. 3) refer to?
| A．Mrs. Higgins's attitude towards parental sufferings. |
| B．Mrs. Higgins's calmness and communicating skills. |
| C．Mrs. Higgins's love and care for her son Alfred. |
| D．Mrs. Higgins's greatness as a woman. |
After the incident, young Alfred would probably ________.
| A．change his attitudes towards life |
| B．feel ashamed of her mother |
| C．learn to live an independent life |
| D．hate Mr. Carr for hurting her mother |
It was Thanksgiving morning. I was busy preparing the traditional Thanksgiving turkey when the doorbell rang. I opened the front door and saw two small children in rags huddling together on the top step.
“Any old papers, lady？” asked one of them.
I was busy. I wanted to say “no” until I looked down at their feet. They were wearing thin little sandals(凉鞋), wet with heavy snow.
“Come in and I'll make you a cup of hot cocoa.”
They walked over and sat down at the table. Their wet sandals left marks upon the floor. I served them cocoa and bread to fight against the cold outside. Then I went back to the kitchen and started cooking.
The silence in the front room struck me. I looked in. The girl held the empty cup in her hands, looking at it. The boy asked in a flat voice, “Lady, are you rich？”
“Am I rich? Pity, no！”
I looked at my wornout slipcovers(椅套). The girl put her cup back in its saucer(茶碟)carefully and said, “Your cups match your saucers.” They left after that, holding their papers against the wind. They had reminded me that I had so much for which to be grateful.
Plain blue china cups and saucers were only worth five pence. But they matched.
I tasted the potatoes and stirred(搅动)the meat soup. Potatoes and brown meat soup, a roof over our heads, my man with a regular job, these matched, too.
I moved the chairs back from the fire and cleaned the living room. The muddy marks of little sandals were still wet upon my floor. Let them be for a while, I thought, just in case I should begin to forget how rich I am.
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．A story of Thanksgiving Day． |
| B． Lady, are you rich? |
| C．Don't forget how rich you are |
| D．Does cups and saucers match well? |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．The writer had thought she wasn't rich because her supplies were not expensive. |
| B．The girl thought the writer was rich just because she wanted to make the writer happy. |
| C．If cups and saucers match well, they are a best pair even though cheap. |
| D．After hearing what they said, the writer seemed to understand what a rich life was. |
The writer left the muddy marks of little sandals on the floor for a while to________.
| A．remind her that she shouldn't forget how rich she was |
| B．show that she was a kindhearted lady |
| C．leave room for readers to think about what being rich is |
| D．prove that she had understood what meant being rich |
It can be inferred from the text that whether you are rich depends on________.
| A．what attitude you have had towards life |
| B．how much money you have made |
| C．the way you help others |
| D．your social relationship |
The world is changing so fast that English, perhaps the most worldly of languages, is struggling to keep up.
Learners in the future are likely to be much younger. Young children are often said to be better at language learning than older learners but they also have special challenges. Young children don’t usually have the kind of instrumental motivation and determination for learning English that older learners often have. English lessons must therefore be fun and rewarding.
The reasons why people learn English are also changing. Globalization is bringing together more people than ever who speak different languages and who are turning to English as the means of communication. The English learners of the future may be less worried about sounding exactly like a native speaker and more concerned about how to use English effectively in cross-cultural communication. We may be hearing more non-native speakers in dialogues and a wider range of the “New Englishes” now used around the world.
Technology will allow English to come to you, rather than you having to go to a special place to learn English.
Learning English has always involved both pain and pleasure, private effort and social activity. Traditional learning provided take-it or leave-it mixes of these as well as of content but in future learners will be able to choose a plan which suits their cultural and psychological dispositions(性情), or their particular needs at that moment. They, rather than their teachers, will decide how, what and when they will learn.
Above all, learning English is about communication and an important benefit of learning English is being able to exchange views and make friends with people all over the world. Despite the growing independence of learners, trusted institutions and brand names will remain important.
Compared to older learners, young English learners .
| A．are more active in learning |
| B．are more hard-working in learning |
| C．have more difficulties in learning |
| D．have less lasting determination in learning |
What can we learn about the future English language?
| A．British English will be more popular. |
| B．American English will be more popular. |
| C．Most people will speak standard English. |
| D．Many different kinds of Englishes will appear. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Future English lessons will be more interesting. |
| B．Old people won’t have to learn English in the future. |
| C．People will pay more attention to English pronunciation. |
| D．Teachers will play a more important role in one’s English learning. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Learning English means no pain in the future. |
| B．English training schools will not be popular with young people in the future. |
| C．English learners will become less independent in the future. |
| D．More attention will be paid to personal needs in English learning in the future. |
One of our biggest fears nowadays is that our kids might some day get lost in a “sea of technology” rather than experiencing the natural world. Fear-producing TV and computer games are leading to serious disconnect between kids and the great outdoors, which will change the wild places of the world, its creatures and human health for the worse, unless adults get working on child’s play.
Each of us has a place in nature we go sometimes, even if it was torn down. We cannot be the last generation to have that place. At this rate, kids who miss the sense of wonder outdoors will not grow up to be protectors of natural landscapes. “If the decline in park use continues across North America, who will defend parks against encroachment（蚕食）?”asks Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the woods.
Without having a nature experience, kids can turn out just fine, but they are missing out a huge enrichment to their lives. Experts predict modern kids will have poorer health than their parents—and they say a lack of outside play is surely part of it; research suggests that kids do better academically in schools with a nature component and that play in nature fosters（培养）leadership by the smartest, not by the toughest, Even a tiny outdoor experience can create wonder in a child. The three-year-old turning over his first rock realizes he is not alone in the world. A clump of trees on the roadside can be the whole universe in his eyes. We really need to value that more. Kids are not to blame. They are over-protected and frightened. It is dangerous out there from time to time but repetitive stress from computers is replacing breaking an arm as a childhood rite（仪式）of passage.
Everyone, from developers, to schools and outdoorsy citizens, should help regain for our kids some of the freedom and joy of exploring, taking friendship in fields and woods that strengthen love, respect and need for the landscapes. As parents, we should devote some of our energy to taking our kids into nature. This could yet be our greatest cause.According to the passage, children without experiencing nature will______
| A．keep a high sense of wonder |
| B．be over-protected by their parents |
| C．be less healthy both physically and mentally |
| D．change wild places and creatures for the better |
According to the author, children’s breaking an arm is_____
| A．the fault on the part of their parents |
| B．the natural experience in their growing up |
| C．the result of their own carelessness in play |
| D．the effect of their repetitive stress from computers |
In writing this passage, the author mainly intends to______
| A．blame children for getting lost in computer games |
| B．encourage children to protect parks from encroachment |
| C．show his concern about children’s lack of experience in nature |
| D．inspire children to keep the sense of wonder about things around |
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