It’s the place where smart people make smart machines work even smarter. It’s also in the heart of sunny California, a great place to start a family and raise kids. What could be better?
But something is happening to their children. Up until the age of two they develop normally. But then everything seems to go backwards. The children become locked into their own small world, unable to communicate at all.
They call it the “curse(诅咒)of Silicon Valley,” but the medical name for the condition is autism(自闭症). It used to be thought that autism was a kind of mental illness. Now doctors are sure that it is a neurological disease transmitted genetically. It seems that the people leading the communications revolution are having children who cannot communicate at all.
But even the parents have trouble communicating. Asperger’s Syndrome is a mild version of autism. People who have it are highly intelligent and often brilliant with numbers or system but have no social skill. This very combination of symptoms makes Asperger’s sufferers into ideal computer professionals.
The Asperger’s sufferer has always been a well—known figure in popular culture. He or she was the eccentric but dedicated scholar or the strange uncle or auntie who never married. But the high numbers of such people in Silicon Valley mean that they can meet others who understand them and share their interests. And while they might not be personally attractive, they can earn truly attractive amounts of money. They can get married and have kids. Unfortunately, many of the children of two Asperger’s parents seem to be developing serious autism.
There is little anyone can do. It takes hours of work just to make autistic child realize that anyone else exists. And there is no cure in sight. Some argue that no cure should be found. “It may be that autistics are essentially different from normal people, but that these differences make them invaluable for the evolution of the human race,” says Dr. Kirk Whilhelmsen of the University of California. “To eliminate the genes for autism could be disastrous. ”
It seems that the children of Silicon Valley are paying the price of genius.What does Dr Kirk Whilhelmsen think of autism?
| A．It is disastrous to society. |
| B．It is not completely a bad thing. |
| C．It is a punishment to those working in Silicon Valley. |
| D．People with autism should never marry. |
What can we learn about autism according to the passage?
| A．It is believed to be a king of mental illness that can be cured. |
| B．People with autism can’t find people sharing their interests. |
| C．They do not care about the presence of others. |
| D．They are a burden for the society. |
Why do people call autism “curse of Silicon Valley”？
| A．Because autistic people live in Silicon Valley. |
| B．Because many people working in Silicon Valley have autism children. |
| C．Because people with autism will be driven out of Silicon Valley. |
| D．Because people with autism are not personally attractive and not liked by others. |
What can we know about Asperger’s Syndrome according to the passage?
| A．Asperger’s sufferers are ideal computer professionals. |
| B．Asperger’s sufferers never get married and have children. |
| C．Asperger’s sufferers are ashamed of themselves and locked into their own world. |
| D．Asperger’s sufferers can be beneficial to society if they are cured. |
I am a writer. I spend a great deal of my time thinking about the power of language—the way it can evoke (唤起) an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth.Language is the tool of my trade. And I use them all—all the Englishes I grew up with.
Born into a Chinese family that had recently arrived in California, I’ve been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks. Like others, I have described it to people as “broken” English. But I feel embarrassed to say that. It has always bothered me that I can think of no way to describe it other than“broken”, as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness. I’ve heard other terms used, “limited English,” for example. But they seem just as bad, as if everything is limited, including people’s perceptions(认识)of the limited English speaker.
I know this for a fact, because when I was growing up, my mother’s “limited” English limited my perception of her. I was ashamed of her English. I believed that her English reflected the quality of what she had to say. That is, because she expressed them imperfectly her thoughts were imperfect. And I had plenty of evidence to support me: the fact that people in department stores, at banks, and at restaurants did not take her seriously, did not give her good service, pretended not to understand her, or even acted as if they did not hear her.
I started writing fiction in 1985. And for reasons I won’t get into today, I began to write stories using all the Englishes I grew up with: the English she used with me, which for lack of a better term might be described as “broken” ; and what I imagine to be her translation of her Chinese, her internal (内在的) language, and for that I sought to preserve the essence, but neither an English nor a Chinese structure. I wanted to catch what language ability tests can never show: her intention, her feelings, the rhythms of her speech and the nature of her thoughts.. The author used to think of her mother’s English as .
| A．impolite | B．amusing |
| C．imperfect | D．practical |
. Which of the following is TRUE according to Paragraph 3?
| A．Americans do not understand broken English. |
| B．The author’s mother was not respected sometimes. |
| C．The author’s mother had positive influence on her. |
| D．Broken English always reflects imperfect thoughts. |
The author gradually realizes her mother’s English is .
| A．well structured | B．in the old style |
| C．easy to translate | D．rich in meaning |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The change of the author’s attitude to her mother’s English. |
| B．The limitation of the author’s perception of her mother. |
| C．The author’s misunderstanding of “limited” English. |
| D．The author’s experiences of using broken English. |
Mistakes are a part of life. To err is human. Failure is also a part of life, not the end of life. Be happy facing life’s challenges. When you make the effort to be happy and to improve your life, you are actually rewarded along the way.
Life is like a game and maybe you can award(奖励) points for every effort that has been a success for you. Try it. Add ten points for every achievement. And when you have reached 50 points, just yell, “ Hey, I’ve won!” and give yourself a reward. If you happen to have missed your points for whatever reason, tell yourself, “Well, I tried!” which is better than not trying at all. Don’t let it be said you didn’t try.
What is it that you want to make yourself happy? Actually happiness means different things to different people. For example, an athlete will be happy winning his first race. For a new mother happiness would be seeing her baby’s first steps. Happiness for a poor person would mean having a meal just for today. So happiness for you is really something simple that you want for yourself.
It really doesn’t have to be big. As a matter of fact you should always have realistic expectations. Make the best out of every given situation. If you expect a certain result from a situation and it does not happen, don’t get despondent. This just means trying harder next time. We all have in us the power to succeed. Don’t let “ give up ” be a part of your vocabulary.By saying “To err is human”, the author means that________.
| A．human beings should try to avoid(避免) making mistakes |
| B．no one is perfect(完美的) and everyone makes mistakes |
| C．mistakes and failures make up our life |
| D．human beings make mistakes easily |
.What’s the main idea of Paragraph 2?
| A．Try to reach 50 points. |
| B．Never stop trying in your life. |
| C．Award yourself for your success |
| D．Don’t be afraid of missing your points. |
The author proves his idea in Paragraph 3 through_________.
| A．examples | B．numbers |
| C．experiments | D．stories |
The underlined word “ despondent ” in the last paragraph means________.
| A．frightened | B．disappointed |
| C．surprised | D．excited |
How to improve our life? Many people think that they have to accept whatever life throws at them. They'll say, "This is my destiny. I cannot change it."
Of course not! You don't have to suffer needlessly. Your life depends on you, not on other factors.
I know a woman who says she just accepts what life gives her because she has done everything she can to improve it. Guess what her lifestyle is? She wakes up in the morning, goes to work, comes back home, relaxes, chats with people, watches TV, and then goes to sleep. Next day, the same routine cycle follows.
Huh! Is this what she calls "doing her best"? She believes she has tried her best and just accepts it in her heart that this is the life that has been intended for her and that her luck can only change if God wills it. She hasn't realized that we have to do our share of making the effort to live the life of our dreams.
Remember that you harvest what you sow. You have to get off the sofa, get your eyes off the TV screen, get your hands off the phone (unless it’s helpful to your success), and get your mind and body to work! Don't expect your luck to change, unless you do something about it. If something goes wrong, don't just regard it as a temporary(暂时的) problem; Instead, learn your lesson, make the most of the situation, and do something to solve the problem. It's not enough to think positively; you also have to act positively.
If someone's life is in trouble, do you just hope and pray that things will turn out fine? Of course not! You get to do anything you can to save the person. So it is with your own life. It is not enough to hope for the best, but you have to do your best. In other words, don't just stand or sit there, do something to improve your life.According to the woman mentioned in Para. 3, her life ___________.
| A．doesn't need improving |
| B．will be better some day |
| C．can’t improve itself |
| D．will be worse in the future |
What does the author think of the woman's life?
| A．Positive | B．Disturbing |
| C．Colorful | D．Negative (消极的) |
Which of the following statements is the author's opinion?
| A．Your temporary problem is not discouraging. |
| B．You should treat yourself in the way you treat friends. |
| C．Your luck can be changed by your own efforts. |
| D．You can only achieve success when God wills it. |
In Para. 5, the author emphasized（强调）the importance of _________.
| A．positive thinking |
| B．positive action |
| C．hope for the best |
| D．intention to succeed |
The text is mainly written to advise you to __________.
| A．improve your life |
| B．understand yourself |
| C．believe in yourself |
| D．change your normal way |
From Japan to Indonesia, a certain kind of pop culture is very hot. But it doesn’t come from Hollywood—it’s Hallyu(韩流), the wave of Korean pop culture that has washed over Asia. It has influenced everything from music to television. And thanks to the Internet and social media, it’s now spreading worldwide.
South Korea produces all types of entertainment, the most popular being music, soap operas and films. What makes Hallyu so hot in Asia? One reason is that its products are of high quality and much cheaper than western products. Another reason is that eastern cultures are similar to each other, although there are language differences.
Korean pop music, or “K-pop”, ranks the first everywhere. Fans love the songs and the attractive stars. Companies like SM Entertainment, JYP Entertainment and YG Entertainment help many K-pop stars, such as Super Junior, Big Bang and Rain, to succeed. They are not only popular in Asia but also enjoy popularity in the West. In 2011, Big Bang’s mini-album Tonight reached the top 10 on U.S. Tunes Top Pop Albums. When SM Entertainment took their 2010 world tour to Los Angeles, only 30 percent of the 15,000 fans were Korean. Half of the audience wasn’t even Asian!
One important reason for the success of Hallyu is simply the Internet. A little more than 10 years ago, Korean soap operas, movies and music reached the outside world quite slowly. They began in Korea, and then gradually spread outward, appearing in its neighboring countries where local TV and radio companies would play them. Now they are played around the world online at the same time.
YouTube is another major way to get Korean entertainment to fans everywhere. It is an inexpensive and valid way for artists to introduce their work to a larger audience. In 2010 the YouTube channels for the top three Korean entertainment groups together had nearly 800 million views from 225 different countries.Hallyu is very hot in Asia partly because________.
| A．languages in Asia are similar to each other |
| B．the culture is the most fashionable in the world |
| C．South Korea’s products are the cheapest in Asia |
| D．the quality of South Korea’s products is high |
The author shows the popularity of K-pop in the West_______.
| A．by giving examples |
| B．in order of space |
| C．by listing reasons |
| D．in order of time |
The last two paragraphs mainly tell us________.
| A．how important the Internet is |
| B．Hallyu is popular worldwide |
| C．the Internet helps Hallyu spread quickly |
| D．how popular and effective YouTube is |
What does the underlined word valid (in Para. 5) mean?
| A．slow | B．useless |
| C．successful | D．necessary |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．K-pop Ranks the First Everywhere |
| B．Hallyu Makes Waves across the World |
| C．YouTube Helps Korean Cultures Spread |
| D．Korean Soap Operas Are Growing in Popularity |
Millions of kids in the United States attend some kind of camp each summer. Some go to sleep-away camp for weeks, while others attend day camp in their hometowns. There is one thing all those camps have in common, though. More than nine out of 10 kids said camp helped them make new friends and feel better about themselves.
__________________
What else do kids get out of camp? Plenty!
Kids who want to be stars on the football field or basketball court have their choice of a variety of summer camps. Some, such as the Let Me Play sessions offered by Nike, are free and provide a few hours of instruction by professional athletes. Other summer sports camp opportunities are offered by professional teams or university athletic departments. Players and coaches usually lead those camps, teaching basic skills as well as teamwork and good sports behavior.
Open up to fun
It’s easy to be yourself if you have something in common with your fellow campers, even when that something is a disease.
A journal entry by one camper describes the camp’s high ropes course as a symbol of everyone there and the challenges they face. “Climbing it and going through that struggle to get up and push yourself is like getting through the sickness we all were faced with at some point,” she writes. There is another reward that comes once climbers reach the top of the ropes course and hear the words “good job” from their fellow campers. It is, “in a way, coming close to being cured. Even if we aren’t, it felt like it,” the camper says.
Healthy benefits
There are also health and wellness camps for kids who don’t have any illnesses. For Erin H. of Oklahoma, the first thoughts she had about going to a weight-loss camp were that it would be embarrassing and a waste of time. But as soon as she arrived at Wellspring Adventure Camp, she knew it would be awesome. “I had the most fun ever!” says Erin, who liked Wellspring so much. She stayed for eight weeks instead of the four weeks she’d originally agreed to. “This camp has helped improve my self-respect 100 percent, and I’m no longer self-conscious.”The first paragraph serves as _________.
| A．conclusion | B．definition (下定义) |
| C．background | D．comment (评论) |
What is suitable phrase for the blank in the passage?
| A．Setting a goal | B．Developing an ability |
| C．Killing time | D．Forming a habit |
The author mentioned the example of high ropes course to prove_______.
| A．it was an effective way to cure campers’ illness |
| B．it had campers know the difficulty to fight against illness |
| C．it made campers realize the importance of health |
| D．it helped campers feel better about their illness |
From the last paragraph, we know that Erin___________.
| A．gained a lot from the weight-loss camp |
| B．stayed in the weight-loss camp for four weeks |
| C．thought taking part in the weight-loss camp was useless |
| D．felt embarrassed about her appearance now |
The purpose of writing this passage is to ____________.
| A．give advice on how to choose a suitable camp |
| B．compare sleep-away camps and day camps |
| C．advertise for some famous summer camps |
| D．introduce the benefits of going to a camp |
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