For decades, families settled on the sofa to share the latest news and TV series, until additional bedroom TV, computer games and the Internet almost put an end to family rows over who held the remote control. Now, however, the traditional living room scene is making a comeback. A study by the communications watchdog Ofcom has found families are once again gathering around the main television set, but they are bringing their pads and smartphones with them.
“The 1950s living room is making a comeback as a family entertainment centre,” said Jane Rumble, head of media research at Ofcom. “We are watching on much better, bigger, and more delicate television sets, but we are coming into the living room holding our connected devices.” While the family are coming together once more, comparisons with the past end there. With a range of smaller screens on hand, not everyone sitting on the sofa shares the same viewing experience.
The coronation (加冕礼) may have drawn the undivided attention of 20 million viewers in 1953, but those watching the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations 50 years later were as likely to be commenting online about BBC’s broadcast as watching it. “Just a few years ago, we would be talking about last night’s TV at work or at school,” said a viewer, “Now, we’re having those conversations live while watching TV, using social media, text and instant messaging.”
It is a behaviour of media meshing（联网）, whose influence was underlined during this year’s Wimbledon men’s tennis final. As Andy Murray pushed towards his victory, 1.1 million people worldwide sent an average of over two microblogs about the match.
People use the Internet to enhance their television experience, for example, by reading a newspaper live blog about a football match while watching the action on the main screen. For a huge number of younger viewers, the portable screen offers a chance to do something unrelated, such as online shopping, listening to music or watching another television programme.
Some 70% of 16-to-24-year-olds claim to be absorbed in what Ofcom calls “media stacking” at least once a week. For TV viewers, the Internet scanning is the most popular activity, but they are also calling friends on the phone or sending emails and texts. Surprisingly, 12% claim to have listened to the radio with the television on, and 6% say they have watched another video in the meanwhile. According to the study by Ofcom, family members nowadays _______.
| A．care more about who holds the remote control |
| B．share the same programmes in the living room |
| C．watch better and more delicate television programmes |
| D．enjoy TV together with various smaller screens on hand |
This year’s Wimbledon men’s tennis final is mentioned to indicate _______.
| A．so many people worldwide are watching TV |
| B．people like watching live matches on TV |
| C．the great influence of media meshing |
| D．the average amount of microblogs |
Which shows the phenomenon of “media stacking” in the last paragraph?
| A．People are watching TV while shopping online. |
| B．People are watching a broadcast of a coronation. |
| C．The Internet makes people spend less time on TV. |
| D．The Internet enriches people’s television experience. |
The passage is written to _______.
| A．describe the changes connected devices bring to TV watching |
| B．report the comeback of the traditional living room scene |
| C．show the influence of connected devices on people |
| D．present the different roles TV plays in people’s life |
New fast food debuts in U.S. fairs—fired Coke
A new fast food is making its debut(首次演出) at U.S. fairs this fall----fried Coke. Abel Gonzales, 36, a computer analyst from Dallas, tried about 15 different varieties before coming up with his perfect recipe----a batter mix made with Coca-Cola syrup, a drizzle of strawberry syrup, and some strawberries.
Balls of the batter are then deep-fried, ending up like ping-pang ball sized doughnuts（面团）which are then served in a cup, topped with Coca-Cola syrup, whipped cream, cinnamon(桂皮)sugar and a cherry on the top.
“It tastes great,” said Sue Gooding, a spokeswoman for the State Fair of Texas where Gonzales’ fried Coke made its debut this fall. “It was a huge success.”
Gonzales ran two stands at the State Fair of Texas and sold up to 35,000 fried Cokes over 24 days for 4.50 dollars each –and won a prize for coming up with “most creative” new fair food.
Ray Crockett, a spokesman for Coca-Cola Co., said: “we’re constantly amazed at the creative ways folks find to enjoy their Coke and make it part of celebrations like fairs and festivals. This is one is definitely different!”
16. The passage is likely to .
A. be an advertisement B. appear in a newspaper
C. make a comment on a new food D. give us some advice
17. The new fast food probably is the computer analyst’s ____________.
A. 15th attempt B. disliked food
C. most creative food D. excellent recipe
18. We are sure that ____________.
A. this new kind fast food will be popular in the future
B. this new food has been sold 157500 dollars
C. the food was bought by Coca-Cola Co.
D. this is a new kind of Coke
19. According to Ray Crockett, ___________.
A. fried Coke is a completely different form of Coca-Cola.
B. fried Coke is a very creative use of Coca-Cola.
C. folks enjoy this new kind of food very much.
D. he is amazed at the U.S. fairs this fall.
Bicycles are a great way to get around. They’re fun to ride, especially down hills. And, as you speed along the road, you might also think of ways in which you could improve your bike— make it safer, more efficient, or more comfortable. In fact, the two-wheeled machines make for some cool science projects.
This year's Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), held last May in Cleveland, featured（had）three bicycle projects from three countries. Like many of the other experiments presented at ISEF, the bike projects showed that some of the most interesting scientific research often begins by taking a closer look at things you care about.
Renato Angulo Chu had even grander ambitions. The 12th-grader from Lima, Peru, wanted to address some of his country's economic troubles.
"I see a problem in my country," Renato said. "If you go to the forests in Peru, in some places you cannot find electricity. If you go with my bicycle, you can turn on the lights."
Renato, 16, spent 3 years designing his special Multibike. The device looks like a fixed exercise bike. It has wires fixed along the frame and a blender strapped(fastened) to the back. Turning the pedals operates the blender. The same principle can be used to sharpen knives or sweep city streets.
The Multibike can work either as a fixed bike or as a bicycle able to travel city streets and country roads. It's made from inexpensive materials, and the user gets exercise while pedaling to operate a machine.
"You pedal the bike, and you can mix any drink you want," Renato said. More importantly, he added, the same concept could be used to bring light to houses in remote regions of the rainforest.
19. What can we learn from the first paragraph?
A. Bicycles are the best way to go about
B. Bikes should be made more comfortable to ride.
C. You can improve your bicycle for science research.
D. Many inventions are connected with the bicycle.
20. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. ISEF is an exhibiton displaying bicycle experiments designed by students.
B. Looking closely at things you are concerned about can lead to scientific research.
C. Renato’s improvement of the bicycle has solved the country’s great problem.
D. Renato’s special bicycle will soon be put into use in remote areas.’
21. The underlined word “address” in the third paragraph probably has the same meaning as _______.
A. make address written B. give up C. work at D. speak at
22. Renato’s special Multibike has all the following EXCEPT ________.
A. making knives sharp B. mixing any kind of drinks
C. producing electricity D. operating a machine with its own electricity
23. It can be inferred that Renato’s special bicycle is mainly designed for ________.
A. distant areas in the rainforest without electricity.
B. the use of his own family to make life easier.
C. the competition of ISEF to win money to support remote rainforests
D. enough exercise by pedaling it
"I’ve changed my mind. I wanted to have a telescope, but now I want my dad back." Lucien Lawence’s letter to Father Christmas written after his father had been knifed to death outside his school gate, must have touched every heart. Lucien went on to say that without his father he couldn’t see the stars in the sky. When those whom we love depart from us, we cannot see the stars for a while.
But Lucien, the stars are still there, and one day, when you are older and your tears have gone, you will see them again. And, in a strange way, I expect that you will find your father is there too, in your mind and in your heart. I find that my parents, long dead now, still figure in many of my dreams and that I think of them perhaps more than I ever did when they were alive. I still live to please them and I’m still surprised by their reactions. I remember that when I became a professor, I was so proud, or rather so pleased with myself, that I couldn’t wait to cable my parents. The reply was a long time in coming, but when it did, all mother said was, "I hope this means that now you will have more time for the children.” I haven’t forgotten. The values of my parents still live on.
It makes me pause and think about how I will live on in the hearts and minds of my children and of those for whom I care. Would I have been as ready as Philip Lawrence have been to face the aggressors (挑衅者),and to lay down my life for those in my care? How many people would want me back for Christmas? It’s a serious thought, one to give me pause.
I pray silently, sometimes, in the dead of night, that ancient cry of a poet "Deliver my soul from the sword, and my darling from the power of the dog." Yet I know the death comes to us all, and sometimes comes suddenly. We must therefore plan to live forever, but live as if we will die tomor-row. We live on, in the lives of those we loved, and therefore we ought to have a care for what they will remember and what they will treasure. If more parents knew this in their hearts to be true, there might be fewer knives on our streets today.
16. according to the whole text we can see that the first paragraph ________.
A. puts forward the subject of the text
B. shows the author’s pity on the kid
C. acts as an introduction to the discussion
D. makes a clear statement of the author’s views
17. In the second paragraph the author mainly wants to explain to us ________.
A. how much he misses his parents now
B. why his parents often appear in his dreams
C. when Lucien will get over all his sadness
D. how proud he was when he succeeded in life
18. What feeling did the author’s mother express in her reply?
A. Proud. B. Happy. C. Disappointed. D. Worried.
19. In the author’s opinion, the value of a person’s life is ________.
A. to leave behind a precious memory to the people related
B. to have a high sense of duty to the whole society
C. to care what others will remember and treasure
D. to share happiness and sadness with his family
20. What does the writer mean by the sentence taken from an old poem?
A. Call on criminals and murderers to lay down their guns.
B. Advise parents stay with their children safely at home.
C. Spend every day meaningfully in memory of the death.
D. Try to keep violence and murder far away from society.
Having one of those days or weeks — when everything seems to annoy you? Even if you do nothing about it, your bad mood will probably go away after some time. But with a little effort, you can forget it much faster — often within a day or two.
Walk it off
Exercise is the most popular bad-mood buster. A person who’s in a bad mood has low energy and high tension. Taking a fast ten-minute walk, or doing some quick exercises can do wonders towards changing that bad mood.
Tune it out
Listening to your favorite music for a while can also make tension go away quickly, because music starts associations with past positive experiences we’ve had.
Give yourself a pep talk
Stop and listen to what’s on your mind. Bad moods are often started by too many negative thoughts. Write them all down on paper; the pessimistic (悲观的) messages you’ve been giving yourself and then give optimistic answers. ("I still don’t have a job. "vs" I have two interviews next week.")
Reduce your stress
Relaxation techniques are wonderful mood-lifters. These include deep breathing, stretching and visualizing (想象), all of which sound complicated but aren’t. One easy way to visualize: close your eyes and picture a favorite place, such as the beach. Another simple way to against distress is to make a to-do list. One reason for being in a bad mood is feeling you have no options(选择权) By taking control over certain areas, you realize you’re not helpless. You can make changes in your mood and life.
Avoid things that won’t improve your mood
TV may not help much: You need to increase your energy level and stimulate your mind something — that the TV show "Neighbors" won’t do. And before you reach for that piece of cake and coffee, think about how mood and food are linked. Sugar and caffeine contribute to depressed moods. The better choice? Research shows that carbohydrates, such as potatoes and pasta, produce a calming effect in people who have a desire for them.
We learn from the text that it might help rid us of a bad mood ________.
| A．to do nothing about it |
| B．to take a long walk on the beach |
| C．to do some exercises with light music |
| D．to talk it to neighbours |
Why is it suggested that you close your eyes and picture the beach?
| A．It is not complicated to do so. |
| B．It is an area to be easily controlled. |
| C．It helps beat a bad mood. |
| D．It brings us a new technique. |
TV may not improve your mood because ________.
| A．it sometimes shows what happens around you |
| B．it keeps you stay unmoved |
| C．it reminds you of eating and drinking |
| D．it produces a calming effect |
This text most probably appears in ________.
| A．a book on physical exercises | B．a doctor’s handbook |
| C．a notice | D．a magazine |
I grew up in a small town. My father raised chickens and ran a construction company. I was barely 10 years old when my dad gave me the responsibility (责任) of feeding the chickens and cleaning up the stable. He believed it was important for me to have those jobs to learn responsibility. Then, when I was 22, I found a job in Natchbill at a country music club called the Natchbill Palace, I washed dishes and cooked from 4: 00 pm to 9: 00 pm and then went on stage and sang until 2:00 in the morning. It wasn’t long before I became known as a singing cook. I had been rejected so many times by record companies that it was hard not to be discouraged. One night, a woman executive (懂事) from a company named Warner Brothers Records came to hear me sing. When the show was over, we sat down and talked and after she left, I said to myself it was one more rejection. A few weeks later, my manager received a phone call — Warner Brothers wanted to sign me to a record deal. Soon after, I released my first record in June 1986. It sold over 2 million copies. My best efforts had gone into every job I’ve ever held. It was the sense of responsibility that made me feel like a man. Knowing that I had done my best filled me with pride. I still feel that way today, even though I have become a well-known singer.
Why was the writer once known as the singing cook?
| A．Because he was a cook at a country-music club. |
| B．Because he sang for guests while he worked as a cook. |
| C．Because he often sang while cooking. |
| D．Because he liked singing better than cooking. |
Who first recognized his talents and helped make his career successful?
| A．Wamer Brothers. | B．His manager. |
| C．His father. | D．A businesswoman. |
What made the writer proud of himself?
| A．His ability to live independently. |
| B．His sense of responsibility in whatever he did. |
| C．His courage in the face of rejections. |
| D．His hard work in his early days. |
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