Everywhere I look outside my home I see people busy on their high-tech devices, while driving, walking, shopping, even sitting in toilets. When connected electronically, they are away from physical reality.
People have been influenced to become technology addicted. One survey reported that “addicted” was the word most commonly used by people to describe their relationship to iPad and similar devices. One study found that people had a harder time resisting the allure of social media than they did for sleep, cigarettes and alcohol.
The main goal of technology companies is to get people to spend more money and time on their products, not to actually improve our quality of life. They have successfully created a cultural disease. Consumers willingly give up their freedom, money and time to catch up on the latest information, to keep pace with their peers or to appear modern.
I see people trapped in a pathological（病态的）relationship with time-sucking technology, where they serve technology more than technology serves them. I call this technology servitude. I am referring to a loss of personal freedom and independence because of uncontrolled consumption of many kinds of devices that eat up time and money.
What is a healthy use of technology devices? That is the vital question. Who is really in charge of my life? That is what people need to ask themselves if we are to have any chance of breaking up false beliefs about their use of technology. When we can live happily without using so much technology for a day or a week, then we can regain control and personal freedom, become the master of technology and discover what there is to enjoy in life free of technology. Mae West is famous for proclaiming the wisdom that “too much of a good thing is wonderful.” But it’s time to discover that it does not work for technology.
Richard Fernandez, an executive coach at Google acknowledged that “we can be swept away by our technologies.” To break the grand digital connection people must consider how life long ago could be fantastic without today’s overused technology.The underlined word “allure” in Paragraph 2 probably means ______.
| A．advantage | B．attraction | C． adaption | D．attempt |
From the passage, technology companies aim to ______.
| A．attract people to buy their products | B．provide the latest information |
| C．improve people’s quality of life | D．deal with cultural diseases |
It can be inferred from this passage that people ______.
| A．consider too much technology wonderful |
| B．have realized the harm of high-tech devices |
| C．can regain freedom without high-tech devices |
| D．may enjoy life better without overused technology |
What’s the author’s attitude towards the overusing of high-tech devices?
| A．Neutral. | B．Sceptical. | C．Disapproving. | D．Sympathetic. |
Your glasses may someday replace your smartphone，and some New Yorkers are ready for the switch.Some in the city can’t wait to try them on and use the maps and GPS that the futuristic eyewear is likely to include.
“ I’d use it if I were hanging out with friends at 3 a．m.and going to the bar and wanted to see what was open，”said Walter Choo,40，of Fort Greene.
The smartphonelike glasses will likely come out this year and cost between $250 and $600，the Times said，possibly including a variation of augmented(增强的) reality，a technology already available on smartphones and tablets (平板电脑) that overlays information onto the screen about one’s surroundings.So，for example，if you were walking down a street，indicators would pop_up showing you the nearest coffee shop or directions could be plotted out and come into view right on the sidewalk in front of you.
“As far as a mainstream consumer product，this just isn’t something anybody needs，”said Sam Biddle，who writes for Gizmodo.com.“ We’re accustomed to having one thing in our pocket to do all these things，”he added，“and the average consumer isn’t gonna be able to afford another device (装置) that’s hundreds and hundreds of dollars.”
9to5Google publisher Seth Weintraub，who has been reporting on the smartphonelike glasses since late last year，said he is confident that this type of wearable device will eventually be as common as smartphones.
“It’s just like smartphones 10 years ago，”Weintraub said.“A few people started getting emails on their phones，and people thought that was crazy.Same kind of thing.We see people bending their heads to look at their smartphones，and it’s unnatural，”he said.“ There’s gonna be improvements to that，and this a step there.”One of the possible functions of the smartphonelike glasses is to ________.
| A．program the opening hours of a bar |
| B．supply you with a picture of the future |
| C．provide information about your surroundings |
| D．update the maps and GPS in your smartphones |
The underlined phrase“pop up”in the third paragraph probably means“ ________”．
| A．develop rapidly |
| B．get round quickly |
| C．appear immediately |
| D．go over automatically |
According to Sam Biddle，the smartphonelike glasses are ________.
| A．necessary for teenagers |
| B．attractive to New Yorkers |
| C．available to people worldwide |
| D．expensive for average consumers |
We can learn from the last two paragraphs that the smartphonelike glasses ________.
| A．may have a potential market |
| B．are as common as smartphones |
| C．are popular among young adults |
| D．will be improved by a new technology |
In 1974，after filling out fifty applications，going through four interviews，and winning one offer，I took what I could get—a teaching job at what I considered a distant wild area：western New Jersey.My characteristic optimism was alive only when I reminded myself that I would be doing what I had wanted to do since I was fourteen—teaching English.
School started，but I felt more and more as if I were in a foreign country.Was this rural area really New Jersey？My students took a week off when hunting season began.I was told they were also frequently absent in late October to help their fathers make hay on the farms.I was a young woman from New York City，who thought that“Make hay while the sun shines” just meant to have a good time.
But，still，I was teaching English.I worked hard，taking time off only to eat and sleep.And then there was my sixthgrade class—seventeen boys and five girls who were only six years younger than me.I had a problem long before I knew it.I was struggling in my work as a young idealistic teacher.I wanted to make literature come alive and to promote a love of the written word.The students wanted to throw spitballs and whisper dirty words in the back of the room.
In college I had been taught that a successful educator should ignore bad behavior.So I did，confident that，as the textbook had said，the bad behavior would disappear as I gave my students positive attention.It sounds reasonable，but the text evidently ignored the fact that humans，particularly teenagers，rarely seem reasonable.By the time my boss，who was also my taskmaster，known to be the strictest，most demanding，most quick to fire inexperienced teachers，came into the classroom to observe me，the students exhibited very little good behavior to praise.
My boss sat in the back of the room.The boys in the class were making animal noises，hitting each other while the girls filed their nails or read magazines.I just pretended it all wasn’t happening，and went on lecturing and tried to ask some inspiring questions.My boss，sitting in the back of room，seemed to be growing bigger and bigger.After twenty minutes he left，silently.Visions of unemployment marched before my eyes.
I felt mildly victorious that I got through the rest of class without crying，but at my next free period I had to face him.I wondered if he would let me finish out the day.I walked to his office，took a deep breath，and opened the door.
He was sitting in his chair，and he looked at me long and hard.I said nothing.All I could think of was that I was not an English teacher；I had been lying to myself，pretending that everything was fine.
When he spoke，he said simply，without accusation，“You had nothing to say to them.”
“You had nothing to say to them.”he repeated.“No wonder they’re bored.Why not get to the meat of the literature and stop talking about symbolism.Talk with them，not at them.And more important，why do you ignore their bad behavior？”We talked.He named my problems and offered solutions.We roleplayed.He was the bad student，and I was the forceful，yet，warm，teacher.
As the year progressed，we spent many hours discussing literature and ideas about human beings and their motivations.He helped me identify my weaknesses and my strengths.In short，he made a teacher of me by teaching me the reality of Emerson’s words：“The secret to education lies in respecting the pupil.”
Fifteen years later I still drive that same winding road to the same school.Thanks to the help I received that difficult first year，the school is my home now.It can be inferred from the story that in 1974________.
| A．the writer became an optimistic person |
| B．the writer was very happy about her new job |
| C．it was rather difficult to get a job in the USA |
| D．it was easy to get a teaching job in New Jersey |
According to the passage，which of the following is most probably the writer’s problem as a new teacher?
| A．She had blind trust in what she learnt at college. |
| B．She didn’t ask experienced teachers for advice. |
| C．She took too much time off to eat and sleep. |
| D．She didn’t like teaching English literature. |
What is the writer’s biggest worry after her taskmaster’s observation of her class?
| A．She might lose her teaching job. |
| B．She might lose her students’ respect. |
| C．She couldn’t teach the same class any more. |
| D．She couldn’t ignore her students’ bad behavior any more. |
Which of the following gives the writer a sense of mild victory?
| A．Her talk about symbolism sounded convincing. |
| B．Her students behaved a little better than usual. |
| C．She managed to finish the class without crying. |
| D．She was invited for a talk by her boss after class. |
The students behaved badly in the writer’s classes because________.
| A．they were eager to embarrass her |
| B．she didn’t really understand them |
| C．they didn’t regard her as a good teacher |
| D．she didn’t have a good command of English |
The taskmaster’s attitude towards the writer after his observation of her class can be best described as ________.
| A．cruel but encouraging |
| B．fierce but forgiving |
| C．sincere and supportive |
| D．angry and aggressive |
The baby monkey is much more developed at birth than the human baby.Almost from the moment it is born，the baby monkey can move around and hold tightly to its mother.During the first few days of its life the baby will approach and hold onto almost any large，warm，and soft object in its environment，particularly if that object also gives it milk.After a week or so，however，the baby monkey begins to avoid newcomers and focuses its attentions on“mother”—the real mother or the mothersubstitute(母亲替代物)．
During the first two weeks of its life warmth is perhaps the most important psychological(心理的)thing that a monkey mother has to give to its baby.The Harlows，a couple who are both psychologists，discovered this fact by offering baby monkeys a choice of two types of mothersubstitutes—one covered with cloth and one made of bare wire.If the two artificial mothers were both the same temperature，the little monkeys always preferred the cloth mother.However，if the wire model was heated，while the cloth model was cool，for the first two weeks after birth the baby monkeys picked the warm wire mothersubstitutes as their favorites.Thereafter they switched and spent most of their time on the more comfortable cloth mother.
Why is cloth preferable to bare wire？Something that the Harlows called contact(接触)comfort seems to be the answer，and a most powerful influence it is.Baby monkeys spend much of their time rubbing against their mothers’ skins，putting themselves in as close contact with the parent as they can.Whenever the young animal is frightened，disturbed，or annoyed，it typically rushes to its mother and rubs itself against her body.Wire doesn’t “rub” as well as does soft cloth.Prolonged(长时间的)“contact comfort” with a cloth mother appears to give the babies confidence and is much more rewarding to them than is either warmth or milk.
According to the Harlows，the basic quality of a baby’s love for its mother is trust.If the baby is put into an unfamiliar playroom without its mother，the baby ignores the toys no matter how interesting they might be.It screams in terror and curls up into a furry little ball.If its cloth mother is now introduced into the playroom，the baby rushes to it and holds onto it for dear life.After a few minutes of contact comfort，it obviously begins to feel more secure.It then climbs down from the mothersubstitute and begins to explore the toys，but often rushes back for a deep embrace(拥抱)as if to make sure that its mother is still there and that all is well.Bit by bit its fears of the new environment are gone and it spends more and more time playing with the toys and less and less time holding onto its “mother”．Psychologically，what does the baby monkey desire most during the first two weeks of its life?
| A．Warmth. | B．Milk. |
| C．Contact. | D．Trust. |
After the first two weeks of their life，baby monkeys prefer the cloth mother to the wire mother because the former is________.
| A．larger in size |
| B．closer to them |
| C．less frightening and less disturbing |
| D．more comfortable to rub against |
What does the baby monkey probably gain from prolonged“contact comfort”？
| A．Attention. | B．Softness. |
| C．Confidence. | D．Interest. |
It can be inferred that when the baby monkey feels secure，________.
| A．it frequently rushes back for a deep embrace when exploring the toys |
| B．it spends more time screaming to get rewards |
| C．it is less attracted to the toys though they are interesting |
| D．it cares less about whether its mother is still around |
The main purpose of the passage is to ________.
| A．give the reasons for the experiment |
| B．present the findings of the experiment |
| C．introduce the method of the experiment |
| D．describe the process of the experiment |
Jimmy is an automotive mechanic，but he lost his job a few months ago.He has a good heart，but always feared applying for a new job.
One day，he gathered up all his strength and decided to attend a job interview.His appointment was at 10 am and it was already 8：30.While waiting for a bus to the office where he was supposed to be interviewed，he saw an elderly man wildly kicking the tyre of his car.Obviously there was something wrong with the car.Jimmy immediately went up to lend him a hand.When Jimmy finished working on the car，the old man asked him how much he should pay for the service.Jimmy said there was no need to pay him；he just helped someone in need，and he had to rush for an interview.Then the old man said，“Well，I could take you to the office for your interview.It’s the least I could do.Please，I insist.”Jimmy agreed.
Upon arrival，Jimmy found a long line of applicants waiting to be interviewed.Jimmy still had some grease on him after the car repair，but he did not have much time to wash it off or have a change of shirt.One by one，the applicants left the interviewer’s office with disappointed looks on their faces.Finally his name was called.The interviewer was sitting on a large chair facing the office window.Rocking the chair back and forth，he asked，“Do you really need to be interviewed？”Jimmy’s heart sank.“With the way I look now，how could I possibly pass this interview？”he thought to himself.
Then the interviewer turned the chair and to Jimmy’s surprise，it was the old man he helped earlier in the morning.It turned out he was the General Manager of the company.
“Sorry I had to keep you waiting，but I was pretty sure I made the right decision to have you as part of our workforce before you even stepped into this office.I just know you’d be a trustworthy worker.Congratulations！”Jimmy sat down and they shared a cup of welldeserved coffee as he landed himself a new job.Why did Jimmy apply for a new job?
| A．He was out of work. |
| B．He was bored with his job. |
| C．He wanted a higher position. |
| D．He hoped to find a better boss. |
What did Jimmy see on the way to the interview?
| A．A friend’s car had a flat tyre. |
| B．A wild man was pushing a car. |
| C．A terrible car accident happened. |
| D．An old man’s car broke down. |
Why did the old man offer Jimmy a ride?
| A．He was also to be interviewed. |
| B．He needed a travelling companion. |
| C．He always helped people in need. |
| D．He was thankful to Jimmy. |
How did Jimmy feel on hearing the interviewer’s question?
| A．He was sorry for the other applicants. |
| B．There was no hope for him to get the job. |
| C．He regretted helping the old man. |
| D．The interviewer was very rude. |
What can we learn from Jimmy’s experience?
| A．Where there’s a will，there’s a way. |
| B．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
| C．Good is rewarded with good. |
| D．Two heads are better than one. |
The morning had been a disaster.My tooth was aching，and I’d been in an argument with a friend.Her words still hurt：“The trouble with you is that you won’t put yourself in my place.Can’t you see things from my point of view？”I shook my head stubbornly－and felt the ache in my tooth.I’d thought I could hold out till my dentist came back from holiday，but the pain was really unbearable.I started calling the dentists in the phone book，but no one could see me immediately.Finally，at about lunchtime，I got lucky.
“If you come by right now，”the receptionist said，“the dentist will fit you in.”
I took my purse and keys and rushed to my car.But suddenly I began to doubt about the dentist.What kind of dentist would be so eager to treat someone at such short notice？Why wasn’t he as busy as the others?
In the dentist’s office，I sat down and looked around.I saw nothing but the bare walls and I became even more worried.The assistant noticed my nervousness and placed her warm hand over my icecold one.
When I told her my fears，she laughed and said，“Don’t worry.The dentist is very good.”
“How long do I have to wait for him？”I asked impatiently.
“Come on，he is coming.Just lie down and relax.And enjoy the artwork，”the assistant said.
“The artwork？”I was puzzled.
The chair went back.Suddenly I smiled.There was a beautiful picture，right where I could enjoy it：on the ceiling.How considerate the dentist was！At that moment，I began to understand what my friend meant by her words.
What a relief!Which of the following best describes the author’s feeling that morning?
| A．Cheerful. | B．Nervous. |
| C．Satisfied. | D．Upset. |
What made the author begin to doubt about the dentist?
| A．The dentist’s agreeing to treat her at very short notice. |
| B．The dentist’s being as busy as the other dentists. |
| C．The surroundings of the dentist’s office. |
| D．The laughing assistant of the dentist. |
Why did the author suddenly smile?
| A．Because the dentist came at last. |
| B．Because she saw a picture on the ceiling. |
| C．Because she could relax in the chair. |
| D．Because the assistant kept comforting her. |
What did the author learn from her experience most probably?
| A．Strike while the iron is hot. |
| B．Have a good word for one’s friend. |
| C．Put oneself in other’s shoes. |
| D．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
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