Computer programmer David Jones earns ￡35,000 a year designing new computer games, yet he cannot find a bank ready to let him have a credit card(信用卡). Instead, he has been told to wait another two years, until he is 18. The 16yearold works for a small firm in Liverpool, where the problem of most young people of his age is finding a job. David' s firm releases(推出) two new games for the fast growing computer market each month.
But David's biggest headache is what to do with his money. Even though he earns a lot, he cannot drive a car, take out a mortgage(抵押贷款),or get credit cards. David got his job with the Liverpoolbased company four months ago, a year after leaving school with six Olevels and working for a time in a computer shop.“I got the job because the people who run the firm knew I had already written some programs,”he said. David spends some of his money on records and clothes, and gives his mother 50 pounds a week. But most of his spare time is spent working.
“Unfortunately, computing was not part of our studies at school,”he said.“But I had been studying it in books and magazines for four years in my spare time. I knew what I wanted to do and never considered staying on at school. Most people in this business are fairly young, anyway.”David added：“I would like to earn a million and I suppose early retirement(退休) is a possibility. You never know when the market might disappear.”In what way is David different from people of his age?
| A．He often goes out with friends. |
| B．He lives with his mother. |
| C．He has a handsome income. |
| D．He graduated with six Olevels. |
What is one of the problems that David is facing now?
| A．He is too young to get a credit card. |
| B．He has no time to learn driving. |
| C．He has very little spare time. |
| D．He will soon lose his job. |
Why was David able to get the job in the company?
| A．He had done well in all his exams. |
| B．He had written some computer programs. |
| C．He was good at playing computer games. |
| D．He had learnt to use computers at school. |
Why did David decide to leave school and start working?
| A．He received lots of job offers. |
| B．He was eager to help his mother. |
| C．He lost interest in school studies. |
| D．He wanted to earn his own living. |
Today just as technology changed the face of industry, farms have experienced an “agricultural revolution”. On the farm of today, machines provide almost all the power.
One of the most important benefits will be the farm computer. A few forward-looking farmers are already using computers to help them run their farms more efficiently. The computers help them keep more accurate records so they can make better decisions on what crops to plant, how much livestock (家畜) to buy, when to sell their products, and how much profit they can expect. Many computer companies have been developing special computer programs just for farmers. Programs are being written for pig producers, grain farmers, potato farmers, and dairy farmers. In the future, farmers will be able to purchase computer programs made to their needs. Because of the growing importance of computers on the farm, students at agricultural colleges are required to take computer classes in addition to their normal agricultural courses. There can be no doubt that farmers will rely on computers even more in the future. While the old-time farm depended on horse power, and modern farms depend on machine power, farms of the future will depend on computer power.
Another technological advance which is still in the experimental stage is the robot, a real “mechanized hired hand” that will be able to move and, in some ways, think like a human being. Agricultural engineers believe that computer-aided robots will make shocking changes in farming before the end of the century. Unlike farmers of the present, farmers of the future will find that many day-to-day tasks will be done for them. Scientists are now developing robots that will be able to shear（修剪） sheep, drive tractors, and harvest fruit. Even complex jobs will be done by robots. For example, in order to milk their cows, farmers must first drive them into the barn, then connect them to the milking machines, watch the machines, and disconnect them when they are finished. In the future, this will all be done by robots. In addition, when the milking is completed, the robots will automatically check to make sure that the milk is pure. The complete change of the farm is far in the future, but engineers expect that some robots will be used before long.Which sentence carried the main idea of the whole passage?
| A．The first sentence of the first paragraph. |
| B．The first sentence of the second paragraph. |
| C．The first sentence of the third paragraph. |
| D．The last sentence of the second paragraph. |
According to the passage, computers can not help farmers decide _______.
| A．what livestock to raise |
| B．whether to plant a certain kind of crop |
| C．how much money they can earn from their products |
| D．when to sell their products |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．Farmers in the future will depend totally on computers. |
| B．Students at agricultural colleges must take computer classes because they can do nothing without the help of computers on today’s farms. |
| C．Both computers and robots have been in use on today’s farms. |
| D．Farmers mainly use machines on their farms at present. |
What is the best title for the whole passage?
| A．Computer, Farmers’ Best Friend |
| B．The Agricultural Revolution |
| C．Farmers in The Future |
| D．Computers and Robots |
External bleeding
Apply direct pressure. Place a clean, folded cloth over the injured area and firmly apply pressure. If blood soaks through, do not remove it. Instead, cover that cloth with another one and continue to apply pressure to the wound for 7~10 minutes. If the bleeding is from the ear, place a clean bandage over the ear, lay the victim on his side, and allow the blood to drain out through the bandage.
Elevate the injury. Position the wounded part of the body above the level of the heart if possible while you apply direct pressure.
Know the pressure points. If direct pressure and elevation don't sufficiently slow the blood-flow, find a pressure point. Large arteries (动脉) found close to the skin's surface supply blood to the head and to each arm and leg. The most common pressure points used during the first aid are located in the upper arms and in the creases（皱纹）above the upper legs. Apply pressure to the closest pressure point to the wound so that the artery is pressed between your fingers and the bone directly behind the artery. If using the pressure point on a leg, you may need to use the heel of your hand instead of your finger.
Resort to a tourniquet (止雪带，压脉器). On very rare occasions everything listed above may fail. To prevent the victim from dying, you should apply a tourniquet. Once a tourniquet is applied, it should not be loosened or removed until the victim has reached medical help. Use a tourniquet ONLY if everything listed above has failed. If you use a tourniquet, write down somewhere on the victim the time when it was applied, so medical personal will know how long it has been in place.According to the passage, if a person is wounded and bleeding, you should _____.
| A．spread some salve (药膏) on the wound |
| B．pressed the wound firmly with your finger |
| C．cover the wound with a clean, folded cloth and press it |
| D．place a clean bandage over the wound |
If the blood soak through the cloth, you should _____.
| A．change a clean one immediately |
| B．wash the wound at once |
| C．press the wound firmly with your hand |
| D．cover that one with another one and press it |
According to the passage, we know that _____.
| A．it is better to put the injured part above the head to stop bleeding |
| B．large arteries deep in the muscle supply blood to the head and to each arm and leg |
| C．the most common pressure points lie in the upper arms and in the crease above the upper legs |
| D．we should use a tourniquet first to stop bleeding |
Neither television nor radio nor magazines nor books nor any other medium can begin to match newspapers for depth and breadth of coverage (新闻报道). In fact, all these media themselves depend on newspapers to bring them information that they then process and distribute as their own brand of news.
Now many newspapers are locked in a struggle for survival. If they lose—which is by no means impossible—we all lose.
The great task for editors and publishers is to respond to the competitive challenge caused by online news, and at the same time use their own online news to increase their profits (利润). As yet，they haven't figured out a smooth and sure way to do that.
So they cut some more to get profit. The cuts in size that they are making are in some cases risky and in others without considering the results. With every cut, publishers tirelessly argue that readers won't even know the difference. The trouble is that by the time customers do notice that they are getting less for their money，it will be too late—too late to notice the reduction in the number of readers.
The other big cuts, of course, are in staff (员工). The victims would be the oldest and most experienced workers because they are the highest paid. While there is plenty of tired deadwood among them，there is also a lot of talent.
When experienced staff leave in large numbers—as they often do now—the newspaper loses great professional memory. But the real loser is the readers, who are suddenly robbed of the insights (见识) that only the experienced reporters can bring.
As for the future, there is at least one big, bright sign：intelligent young people will continue to flood into journalism in urgent search of jobs, despite its high demands and modest (不太高的) pay.The underlined word “deadwood” in Paragraph 5 may refer to “________”．
| A．the staff who are going to retire |
| B．people who are no longer useful or needed |
| C．workers who are experienced |
| D．reporters who are tired of covering events |
According to the passage，which of the following can best describe the author's attitude towards the ways the editors and publishers have adopted to get profit?
| A．The author has no objection. |
| B．The author is against them. |
| C．The author has not shown it clearly. |
| D．The author regards them reasonable. |
The author seems to agree with the view that________.
| A．experienced workers are the last to be laid off |
| B．journalism is a job offering highest pay for high demands |
| C．the challenge of newspapers is that there are not enough intelligent young people |
| D．it is possible that newspapers may not survive in the end |
It is stressed by the passage that the most important quality for a journalist is________.
| A．patience | B．selfishness |
| C．insights | D．sensitivity |
Ever feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day? A group of time-challenged Canadian women are wishing for a 25-hour clock．
Jessie Behan，president of the 25th Hour Coalition(联盟)which is a group of Canadian women who have changed to a longer day，said the struggle for women to maintain work-1ife balance motivated her to research the body’s natural clock．“Many of my girlfriends are having kids，getting married，and I see the sufferings of dealing all that when you’re a working woman，”she said．“Women like myself are sick of living their lives by a 24-hour clock．”
A 2007 study by Charles Czeisler found a switch to longer days could be beneficial，especially for frequent travelers，shift workers，astronauts and those who experience trouble sleeping or waking．
In a similar study，Czeisler showed the body’s natural clock averages 24 hours and 11 minutes in both young and older people．The current 360-degree clock has 720 minutes，giving each minute 0．5 degree．With the new 25-hour day，30 minutes is added to each 12-hour period making each minute 0.48 degree．
While still a relatively small movement—the 25th Hour Coalition has 160 Facebook members，Behan is hoping for large changes．“The goal is to get as many women on board；there’s no harm in just trying it out and seeing．If it gets big，maybe the government will decide to standardize it．”
A recent online survey by Reader's Digest，which included 150 people in each of the 13 countries，suggests it's not just Canadians looking for longer days．Readers were asked“what would you do with an extra hour”if given a choice between sleep，work，exercise and family time．In Spain，half of respondents(被访者)said they’d like an extra hour in the day to devote to family time．The same was found for respondents in Brazil，the US and Britain，who chose family time over sleep，which came in at a close second．Only in India did work top the list with 50 percent of respondents claiming they could use an extra hour at the office．Some Canadian working women are campaigning for the 25-hour day in order to_______．
| A．have more chances at work |
| B．keep a balance between life and work |
| C．experience something new |
| D．have a better sleep |
Jessie Behan want more women to join the 25th Hour Coalition because she________．
| A．intends to make more Facebook friends |
| B．hopes to get benefits from more people |
| C．considers it is harmless to form such an organization |
| D．thinks it can help those women to realize their dreams |
What is implied in the last paragraph?
| A．Respondents from most nations want more family time． |
| B．Respondents from developed countries experience more stress． |
| C．Most Canadian respondents claim that they need more family time． |
| D．Indians are the most hardworking of the 13 nations． |
Economists have studied how markets work for a long time．Generally，they work well．But markets do not always perform as expected．Jean Tirole of France won the Nobel Prize in Economics for studying why markets are imperfect，or inefficient，and what governments can do to regulate them．
The Nobel prize committee announced the $1．1 million prize in Stockholm to Jean Tirole．Itcalled Mr．Tirole“one of the most influential economists of our time”．The organization said he had done important research in a number of areas．But it said，“most of all he has clarified how to understand and regulate industries with only a few powerful firms．”
Mr．Tiro1e works at the Toulouse School of Economics in Toulouse，France．He is 61 years old．For about 30 years，Mr．Tirole has researched periods when markets failed，that is，when they did not provide good results in price and competition．He looked at how a small number of large companies，or even a single company，can strongly influence industries. Banking and telecommunications were among the industries he studied．
The Nobel committee said that unregulated markets often produce socially undesirable results. They can result in higher prices or companies that use their market position to block others· The committee said it chose Mr．Timle because he thought about how best to regulate markets．For example，Tore Ellingsen，Chairman of the committee that awards the economics prize，says Mr·Tirole showed the need to develop better rules for the banking industry．This became urgent after the world financial crisis of 2008—2009．
The economics Drize is called the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alflred Nobel．Alfred Nobel did not establish the prize．It was first presented in 1969．The passage tells us that Jean Tirole______________.
| A．has studied the economics in Sweden |
| B．is the first to win the Nobel Prize in Economics |
| C．is highly praised by Chairman of the committee |
| D．has made regulations for large companies |
We can learn from the passage that___________________.
| A．Jean Tirole's research made the markets imperfect or inefficient |
| B．banking and telecommunications are strongly influential industries |
| C．the world financial crisis of 2008—2009 regulated the markets |
| D．Alfred Nobel was unwilling to establish economics prize |
The underlined word“undesirable”in Paragraph 4 can best be，replaced by_________.
| A．harmful | B．unbelievable |
| C．beneficial | D．convincing |
What is the article mainly about?
| A．The 1ife of Jean Tirole． |
| B．The research of Jean Tirole． |
| C．The history of Nobel Prize in Economics． |
| D．Jean Tirole Wins Nobel Economics Prize． |
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