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(设备，仪器) 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 |
Honeybees are disappearing for unknown reasons around the United States．Last winter, bees disappeared from 23 percent of American beekeeping businesses．Causes of the phenomenon, however, have remained a mystery．
Now, scientists from several universities and the United States Department of Agriculture say they have a possible explanation for the bee decli
ne（数量下降）．It is a little known virus called Israeli acute--paralysis virus （IAPV）．The virus kills bees．Researchers in Israel first described it in 2004 , but until now, bee experts hadn’t paid much attention to it．
When trying to find out why the bees were disappearing, a research team at Columbia University studied bee colonies （群体）, some with and the others without decline．The research turned up large numbers of two types of fungi （真菌） once suspected of causing the bee decline．The research results, however, showed that the fungi were almost as common in colonies without a decline as they were in colonies with a decline．The researchers concluded that the two fungi probably weren’t the cause．
Studies of the presence of IAPV, however, showed more interesting information．In those studies, done by a team at Pennsylvania State University in University Park, the virus showed up in 83 percent of samples from colonies with symptoms （症状）．Only five percent of samples from symptomless colonies had it．
Scientists still don’t know whether IAPIV
can single--handedly cause the bee decline．They believe that even if the virus is making colonies sick , it could have a partner in crime．It’s possible, for instance, that insects or chemicals in the environment weaken bees, making them more likely to catch IAPV．
Scientists are still trying to figure out how IAPV came to the Uni
ted States．The United States currently allows bee products to be imported from Canada, Australia, and New Zealand．If it turns out that this trade is spreading disease, the rules might eventually change．According to the passage ，IAPV is a virus that ______．
| A．hasn’t attracted much attention |
| B．well-known to doctors and scientist |
| C．was first found by Austrian researchers |
| D．is dangerous to animals and human beings |
The underlined sentence in the fifth paragraph probably means______．
| A．the virus could also cause other damages |
| B．there must be something that is the real cause |
| C．IAPV is not the only cause for the bee decline |
| D．the virus may be caused by the polluted environment |
From the third and fourth paragraphs, we know researchers draw their conclusions by means of _______．
| A．calculating | B．comparing | C．examining | D．investigating |
What still remains unknown to American scientists according to the passage?
| A．How and why to kill IAPV． |
| B．How IAPV came to America． |
| C．Whether bee products should be imported． |
| D．How to change the rules of the bee products trade． |
The best title for this passage would be _____．
| A．Bee Disease | B．How to Kill IAPV |
| C．A Virus—IAPV | D．Two Types of Fungi |
A classic series of experiments to determine the effects of overpopulation on communities of rats was conducted by a psychologist，John Calhoun．In each experiment，an equal number of male and female adult rats were placed in an enclosure（场地）．The rat populations were allowed to increase．Calhoun knew from experience approximately how many rats could live in the enclosures without experiencing stress due to overcrowding．He allowed the population to increase to approximately 
twice this number Then he fixed the population by removing the children that were not dependent on their mothers．At the end of the experiments，Calhoun was able to conclude that overcrowding causes a breakdown in the normal social relationships among rats，a kind of social disease．The rats in the experiments did not follow the same patterns of behavior as rats would in a community without overcrowding．
The females in the rat population were the most seriously affected by the high population density（密度）．For example，mothers sometimes deserted their children，and，without their mothers’care，the children died．The experiments showed that in overpopulated communities，mother rats do not behave normally．Their behavior may be considered diseased and pathological（病理学的）．
T
he leading males in the rat population were the least affected by over population．Each of these strong males claimed an area of the enclosure as his own．Therefore，these individuals did not experience the overcrowding in the same way as the other rats did．．However leading males did behave pathologically at times．
Their antisocial（反社会）behavior consisted of attacks on weaker male，female，and immature rats．This unusual behavior showed tha
t even though the leading males had enough living space，they too were affected by the general overcrowding．
Non-leading males in the experimental rat communities also exhibited unusual social behavior．Some withdrew（缩回） completely ,avoiding contact with other rats．Other non-leading males were too active，chasing other rats and fighting each other．
The behavior of the rat population has similarity in human behavior．People in densely（密） populated areas exhibit unusual behavior similar to that of the rats in Calhoun’s experiments．In large urban areas，such as New York City，London，and Cairo，there are deserted children．There are cruel，powerful individuals，both men and women．There are also people who withdraw and people who become too active．Is the major cause of these disorders（混乱）overpopulation?
Calhoun’s experiments suggest that it might be．In any case，social scientists and city planners have been influenced by the results of this series of experiments．Which of the following inferences（推断）can NOT be made from the first paragraph?
| A．Overpopulation causes pathological behavior in rat populations． |
| B．Calhoun had experimented with rats before． |
| C．Calhoun’s experiment is still considered important today |
| D．Stress does not occur in rat communities unless there is overcrowding． |
The author implies that the behavior of the leading male rats is sometimes similar to that of
| A．people who would like to keep to themselves |
| B．people who abandon their children |
| C．too active people |
| D．cruel，powerful people |
The main point of this passage is that _______________．
| A．although rats are affected by overcrowding，people are not |
| B．overcrowding may be an important cause of social pathology |
| C．the social behavior of rats is seriously affected by overcrowding |
| D．Calhoun's experiments have influenced many people |
The world hash’t seen a pandemic（流行疾病）in 4 1 years，when the”Hong Kong”flu crossed the globe and killed about one million people worldwide．If H1N1 flu（甲型流感）reaches pandemic levels，what would happen next?
The outbreak of SA
RS in 2003 rang alarm bells as potential pandemics．Although it jumped the”animal-to·human”barrier，neither disease changed enough to enable human-to．Human infection．Strictly speaking，SARS did not become pandemics because it was too good at killing their hosts．For a pandemic，it needs to be able to maintain human-to．human contact without killing its host off．
”H1N1 flu is already a man-to-man disease，which makes it much more difficult to manage．
And H1N1 flu appears much more infectious than SARS．
But the WHO warns，it cannot say whether or not it will indeed cause a pandemic．According to experts，here’s what the world might see if there is another pandemic，based on past experience．
The disease would skip from city to city over an 18-to-24 month period，infecting more than a third of the population．World health Organization officials believe as many as 1．5 billion people around the globe would seek medical care and nearly 30 million would seek hospitalization．Based on the last pandemic and current world population，as many as 7 million people could die．Hos
pitals will become overcrowded；scho
ols will close；businesses will close；airports will be empty．Business will become very bad，as people avoid as much social contact as possible．
Health facilities will become overrun with patients and there would be less-than-adequate staffing，as medical health professionals fall ill themselves and that would result in higher deaths．
The very young and very old will likely be the most susceptible（易受感染的）to the illness．Experts warn，much is still unknown about the current H1N1 flu virus and its severity and it is too early to say whether it will lead to a pandemic．Right now，the focus is on finding answers and controlling the spread．How many kinds of disease is mentioned in the passage?
| A．Two | B．Three | C．Four | D．Five |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．SARS didn’t change enough to enable sustained（持续的）human-to—human infection． |
| B．SARS was very good at killing its carriers． |
| C．A man with H1N1 flu can not infect another man easily． |
| D．Comparing SARS and H 1N 1 flu，SARS is not as infectious． |
What can we know about the “Hong Kong” flu from the passage?
| A．It spread all around the globe and killed lots of people． |
| B．It killed about millions of people． |
| C．It killed about one million people in Hong Kong． |
| D．Not the old but the young were susceptible to it and got killed． |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．The H1N1 flu will skip from city to city over an 18一to一24 month period． |
B．Doctors and nurs es will fall ill themselves，which will result in many more deaths． |
| C．Every country is taking measures to stop the H1N1 flu from leading to a pandemic． |
| D．The WHO and experts have known much about the current H1N1 flu virus． |
If I were writing a history of my family, some of the darkest moments recorded would be those surrounding Christmas trees．One would certainly think otherwise；selecting and puRing up our trees have always been filled with risk．For example，one afternoon dangerously close to Christmas Eve my mother bought what she thought to be a bargain，a glorious tree that was so full and tall that we could hardly get it into the house．Once we did，my father immediately realized that we would have to hire a carpenter to build a stand for it．Another December perhaps the very next one，we bought a tree earlier than we ever had before．We were happy with its shape and delighted that its size was manageable．We easily placed it in a stand，decorated it from top to bottom，and then self satisfiedly sat back by the fire in its soft light．Two or three days passed and 
the truth could not be hidden；we had bought a tree cut so long ago that its needles were coming off．There was nothing to do but undecorate it，take it down，and begin tree shopping again．Our most recent Christmas tree offered still another difficult task．When we brought it home，once again it seemed larger than it was in the great outdoors．I persu
aded two young neighbors to stop playing basketball and to help us get the tree into the house and set it correctly in the stand．Unfortunately，no one noticed the mud on our helpers’shoes，so only after removing several r
eddish brown spots from the carpet were we able to discuss the question of where the lights and ornaments（装饰）
were stored．Perhaps those who cut their own trees have tales more painful than these．I don’t care to hear them，as my family’s experiences are enough to cause me to make the following suggestion：”Let’s forget the tree next Christmas．Let’s simply hang some flowers on the front door and over the mirror in the hall．”The darkest moments in the writer’s family were with the fact that ______．
| A．the family bought big Christmas trees |
| B．they had problems decorating their Christmas trees |
| C．they had problems picking suitable Christmas trees |
| D．they had problems finding carpenters for putting up Christmas trees |
We can learn from the passage that the writer would like to ______．
| A．forget about Christmas stories |
| B．get the neighbors to put up their trees |
| C．buy a better tree to celebrate Christmas |
| D．make other decorations rather than Christmas trees |
When the writer said”my mother bought what she thought to be a bargain”，he means____．
| A．she bought the tree at a low price |
| B．she didn’t really want to buy it |
| C．she had to bargain hard with the salesman |
| D．she couldn’t afford a more expensive one |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage ?
| A．How to Select a Christmas Tree | B．No More Christmas Trees for Us |
| C．Dark Moments of Life | D．Christmas Without Trees |
If you thought sports stars Yao Ming
and Liu Xiang or Internet entrepreneurs Zhang Chaoyang and Ding Lei would automatically be on the list of the” Men of Our Time”，then you could be behind the times．
The surprise in the list of 10 men released by the All-China Women’s Federation yesterday is that it contains no celebrities- and the guiding factors seem to be care and sympathy for the opposite sex．
In fact，Liu and Yao，as well as actor Pu Cunxin—the image ambassador for China’s anti-HIV，AIDS campaign—appeared in a booklet given out at the contest’s launch ceremony in January．The federation wouldn’t say why they are not in the final list．
The winners，with an average age of 47．5，were selected by women officials and journalists of the nine women’s newspapers in China，whose standard was men promoting equality between the sexes．
Li Zhong hua, a 46-year—old air force officer who test-flies planes，said he thought he was chosen because” he takes good care of his family，and is a gentleman”．
”Gentlemen get more respect in our society．They should be like those in the movie Titanic，who let women and children lave first in life rafts。”he told China Daily．
Shi Hua shan，a 48-year-old policeman in Gui xi of Jiangxi Province，said that he became a”man in the eyes of women” because” women love stories of heroes saving beauties"．
His team has re
scued more than 180 women who were taken away by force and sold as wives in the mountain regions of Fujian Province．
Some other” Men of Our Time” are：
Lang Jinghe，67，gynecologist at the Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Beijing，who has made breakthroughs in ovarian cancer；
Ma Li，33，official in Xuzhou of Jiangsu Province，whose shelter has helped 196 victims of domestic violence；Li Mingshull，43，lawyer in Beijing，who is active in campaigns against family violence；Liu Ri，51，a mine worker in Lu’an of Shanxi Province，who took care of his paralyzed
parents·in-law for 23 years with his wife．Which of the following statements is right?
| A．Liu Xiang, a sports star, was on the list of the “Men of Our Time”． |
| B．LiZhonghua was a man in the eyes of women because he was an excellent air force officer． |
| C．Shi Huashan rescued women from forced marriages |
| D．The honor was given to Pu Cunxin at the launch ceremony in January． |
Who is among the“Men of Our Time”?
| A．Yao Ming | B．Ma Li | C．Pu Cunxin | D．Liu Xiang |
The underlined word “celebrities” in the second paragraph most probably means______．
| A．famous scientists | B．famous actors |
| C．well-known people | D．well．known sports stars |
Thi
s passage is most probably taken from——．
| A．a science magazine | B．an advertising booklet |
| C．a travel brochure | D．a newspaper |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号