High-tech machines have made life easier for millions around the world. However, some people still prefer low-tech ways of doing things. Here’s an example of why this is happening. You can microwave a frozen hamburger in 60 seconds. However, it won’t taste as good as one you cook on the stove. And if you’re in that much of a hurry, you probably won’t take time to toast the bun. High-tech cooking saves time, but it doesn’t make for better-tasting meals.
Most people get their news from high-tech sources like television or the Internet. This has many advantages. For example, electronic news is more up to date than newspapers or magazines. It’s also more exciting to see live and videotaped news events than photographs. However, newspapers and magazines have some important advantages. They give more background and details. They also let you read the parts that are important to you and skip the rest.
Other high-tech timesavers have similar disadvantages. For examples, most people use the phone or e-mail to stay in touch with friends and family members who live in other places. But when you use the Internet or the phone, you don’t always think carefully about what you are saying, and sometimes you forget the important things you want to communicate. Similarly, when you word-process a homework assignment instead of handwriting it, you can check your spelling electronically and put in fancy headings. However, some students are so busy with the computer that they don’t pay enough attention to the actual words they are writing.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The writer likes high-tech cooking. |
| B．Low-tech cooking produces better-tasting meals. |
| C．High-tech news programs always keep you reading what is important to you. |
| D．Handwritten homework is better than word-processed homework. |
How does the writer feel about high-tech tool?
| A．Better late than never. | B．Easy come, easy go. |
| C．Every coin has two sides. | D．Learn to walk before you run. |
What is the main subject discussed in the text?
| A．High-tech vs. low-tech |
| B．Advantages vs. disadvantages. |
| C．Newspapers and magazines vs. television and the Internet. |
| D．Word-processing vs. handwriting. |
Yawning sends out certain messages---either “Oh, this movie is boring”or I probably need to get some sleep”. But did you know that a yawn can also help your brain to cool down when it is so overheated?
A new study, led by a research team of Princeton University, has indicated that yawning could be the brain’s natural way of regulating temperature. People yawn more often when the temperature outdoors is lower than their body temperature but are less likely to yawn when it is hotter outdoors, according to Sciencedaily.com.
The research team did an experiment on 160 people , 80 in summer and 80 in summer and 80 in winter, to examine how often they yawned at different air temperatures. The study found that people yawned more often in winter than in summer. Scientists say that when the air temperature is lower outside the body, there is heat exchange between the overheated brain and the cool air. But when the air temperature is higher than or equal to the body, people are less likely to yawn because the hot air they breathe in will make the brain even hotter.
When people yawn, their jaw is also stretched, which increases blood flow and may also help cool the brain.
The study showed that the amount someone yawned could be related to the amount of time they spent outside. The longer they spent outside in summer, the less they yawn. Nearly 40 percent of participants yawned within their first five minutes outside, but after that the percentage was reduced to less than 10 percent.
However, the result was the opposite in winter. The number of people who yawned increased when they spent more than five minutes outdoors. But the change was only slight compared to summertime.
According to Gallup, this is the first report to show that yawning frequencies change depending on season. This could help us to understand better the way our brains work. It may also help us understand the reason why frequent yawning can sometimes be a sign of brain disease.The purpose of the experiment is ________.
| A．to prove people yawn in winter and in summer equally. |
| B．to indicate brain can regulate temperature naturally |
| C．to find the frequency of people’s yawning |
| D．to show the real reason why people yawn |
The information we get from Paragraph 5 and 6 is that_______
| A．longer outdoor summertime results in more yawns. |
| B．yawning frequency changes with outdoor time |
| C．yawning frequency increases with outdoor time |
| D．longer outdoor wintertime leads to fewer yawns |
According to the text, people yawn more often________.
| A．when the air temperature is lower outside the body |
| B．when the hot air breathed in makes the brain hotter |
| C．when the air temperature is higher than the body |
| D．when the air temperature is equal to the body. |
What could be the best title for the text?
| A．Yawning is a Sign of Brain Disease |
| B．Yawning Carries Some Information |
| C．Yawning Benefits Your Body |
| D．Yawning Cools Your Brain |
One of the major functions of an iPhone is, of course, to play music. The iTunes app has been designed in such a way as to take advantage of the iPhone’s touch screen. But what if you want to listen to music that isn’t in your iTunes library, or you want to discover new music without sitting in front of computer?
There are plenty of ways to access music, but not everyone knows what options are available. Either that, or there are so many options that going through all of them is tiring. For these reasons, here we offer a few convenient ways of listening to music on your iPhone without using iTunes.
Stream some radio (Tuneln Radio)
Tunnel Radio provides a quick and easy way to listen thousands of Internet radio stations on your Apple products. In addition to local radio stations, this app compiles more than 40 000 radio stations from around the country. What makes the app special is that it allows you to pause and rewind live radio----pause your station to take a phone call or rewind to replay a favorite song. You can also browse by genre of location, and the app includes plenty of talks, news, sports and weather stations in addition to music.
From desktop to smartphone (QQ Music)
QQ Music seems like obvious choice, and it is. It’s a streaming service based on the Tencent technology that is already wildly popular on the Internet and now also offers a (free) app. Through this app you can listen to existing playlists or create new ones based on the patterns of music you like. It works amazingly well and everything can be saved to your QQ account for access from a computer.
What was that song? (Shazam)
Shazam is an innovative and free app that cures your“what was that song?”problem. It happens to all of us : we hear a song (on TV or in a store ), love it, know we have heard it before but just can’t remember what it is called . With Shazam you don’t need to. Just hold your iPhone up and through its microphone, Shazam will identify the album, artist and song title for you. You can then either purchase the song in iTunes or search it on other apps for streaming. How cool is that?All of the options are strongly recommended to the users of ________.
| A．iTunes | B．iPhones | C．computers | D．microphones |
If you are to enjoy the freedom to go backward or make a phone call without missing anything your are listening, you can turn to_________.
| A．Tuneln Radio | B．iTunes | C．Shazam | D．QQ Music |
What is possibly the best title for the passage?
| A．Beyond the Music | B．Streaming Service of Music |
| C．Get easier accesses to music | D．Get Familiar t o Each Song |
UGG boots have been a winter-weather fashion for several years now, combining function, comfort, warmth and even some style. What many UGG enthusiasts don’t know is that their boots are a breeding ground for bacteria and causes foot problems.
Doctors believe the boots, which are particularly popular among young teenage girls, are leading to a rise in the number of people suffering pains in their feet and knees.
Dr. Ian Drysdale, head of the British College of Osteopathic Medicine, believes because the foot does not get the proper support on the inside, it will lead to more ankle, knee, hip and back problems. “ These boots are not designed for outside wear. Just because something becomes a trend or fashionable doesn’t mean it’s good or right,” he said. “ The particular problem with this type of footwear is that it is unsupported. It is a slipper. You wouldn’t normally expect to be doing outdoor activities from something that’s indoor. If you decide to wear your pajamas outside all the time, someone will come up and say it’s not a good idea.” Dr. Drysdale explained that the feet issues become a particular problem among young teenage girls, whose bones are “plastic” and developing when they are growing. “ If that structure is developing in an inappropriate way,” he said, “then the ultimate structure will be deformed.”
UGG Australia, who makes the designer version of the boots, told The Daily Mirror that their boots are “comfort” rather than “performance” footwear and consumers should be aware of “knockoffs(仿制品)” which lack reinforce heels in their boots. Teenage girls prefer to wear UGG boots because of the following except__________.
| A．design | B．comfort | C．quality | D．warmth |
According to Dr.Ian Drysdale,____________.
| A．there is a possibility that bacteria will multiply in UGG boots |
| B．wearing UGG boots will lead to more ankle and toe problems |
| C．it’s not a good idea to wear boots like UGG outside all the time. |
| D．teenage girls’ bones are plastic enough to wear UGG boots |
The underline word “deformed” is closest in meaning to_______.
| A．shaped | B．strengthened | C．reformed | D．damaged |
Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
| A．Potential Harm of UGG Boots | B．The Popularity of UGG Boots |
| C．The Unique Design of UGG Boots | D．Benefits of UGG Boots |
One day, I received a call from a colleague. He was about to give a student a zero for his answer to a physical problem, while the student claimed a perfect score. I was elected as their arbiter( 仲裁人). I read the examination problem：“Show how it is possible to determine the height of a tall building with the aid of a barometer(气压计).” The student had answered:“Take the barometer to the top of the building，attach a long rope to it，lower it to the street，and then bring it up, measuring the length of the rope. The length of it is the height of the building. ”
The student had really answered the question completely ，but the answer didn’t confirm his competence in physics. I suggested the student try again. I gave him six minutes to answer the question, warning that the answer should show some knowledge of physics. Five minutes later, he said he had many answers and clashed off one, which read：“Take the barometer to the top of the building and lean over the edge of the roof. Drop the barometer, timing its fall with a stopwatch. Then, use the physical formula (公式）to calculate the height of the building. ”
At this point, my colleague had to accept it, and then the student made almost full marks. I couldn’t help asking the student what the other answers were. He listed many others and then added “Probably the best is to take the barometer to the administrator and said to him，' Sir, here is a fine barometer. If you tell me the height of the building, I will give it to you.，”
Then, I asked the student if he really did not know the conventional answer to this question. He admitted that he did,but said that he was fed up with high school and college instructors trying to teach him how to think.
The name of the student was Bohr who later was famous all over the world. He won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1922.The student got a zero at the beginning because_______.
| A．the teacher wasn’t satisfied with him. |
| B．his answer wasn’t complete or correct |
| C．his answer didn’t show his knowledge of physics |
| D．the teacher didn’t fully understand his answer |
We know from the passage that______ .
| A．the administrator told Bohr the height |
| B．the student knew the expected answer |
| C．the author preferred Bohr’s last answer |
| D．the teacher was a very stubborn person |
We can learn from the passage that______.
| A．instructors can teach students how to think |
| B．arbiters can help students to get high scores |
| C．teachers should make students use physical formulas |
| D．students should be given more freedom in thinking |
What was Bohr’s attitude toward his schooling?
| A．Critical | B．Optimistic | C．Approving | D．Ambiguous |
Below is a discussion on a website.
| http://www.TalkingPoints.com/ |
|
| Stuck on a desert island? |
|
| Started on 23rd April by Steve Posts 1 – 7 of 42 |
|
| Post 1 Steve USA |
Hi, everyone. What would you miss most and least if you were stuck on a desert island? For me, it would be the changing seasons in New England. I guess this will sound stupid but I’d probably miss the rain, too. I wouldn’t miss getting up at six every day to go to work, though! What about you? |
| Post 2 Tomas Germany |
Good question. Steve, I think I’d miss different types of bread, and shopping at the supermarket. I’d miss the food most. What would I miss least? My mobile phone---I’d like to be completely quiet --- at least for a little while |
| Post 3 Paola Italy |
I would miss the company of people because I know I’d like to have someone to share experiences with. I’d go mad on my own. And I sure wouldn’t miss junk mail(垃圾邮件) --- I hate coming home every evening and a pile of junk mail in my post box. |
| Post 4 Miko Japan |
Hi, I would miss Manga cartoon, the Internet and Japanese food, like sushi. I’d also miss TV shows and shopping for clothes… |
| Post 5 Roger UK |
I would miss my daily newspaper and listening to the news on TV and radio. I’d feel very cut off if I didn’t know what was happening in the world. What I’d miss least would be traffic jams in the city, particularly my journey to work. |
| Past 6 Jayne |
Why hasn’t anyone mentioned their family? I’d be lost without my husband and two kids. They’re the most important for me. And I can’t get started in the morning without a cup of black coffee. I wouldn’t miss doing the housework! |
| Post 7 Jaime Mexico |
It would have to be music. I couldn’t live without my music. I wouldn’t miss going to school at all or doing homework! |
Who would miss his or her family most?
| A．Jaime | B．Jayne | C．Miko | D．Paola. |
Which of the following people would feel most uncomfortable without the news media?
| A．Steve. | B．Jaime | C．Roger. | D．Tomas |
How many of them mentioned that they would miss food or drink?
| A．One | B．Two | C．Three | D．Four |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号