A “blogger” is a person who writes on an Internet computer Web site called a “blog”. The word “blog” is a short way of saying Web log, or personal Web site. Anyone can start a blog, and they can write about anything they like.
There are millions of blogs on the Internet today. They provide news, information and ideas in many people who read them. They contain links to other Web sites. And they provide a place for people to write about their ideas and react to the ideas of others.
A research company called Perscus has studied more than 300 Web logs. It says that blogs are most popular with teenage girls. They use them to let their friends know what is happening in their lives. The study also says that more than 100,000 bloggers stopped taking part in the activity after a year.
However, some people develop serious blogs to present political and other ideas. For example, the Republican and Democratic parties in the southern state of Kentucky recently started their own blogs. And American companies are beginning to use blogs to advertise their products.
At the same time, some long-standing blogs have ended last week, blogging leader Dave Winer closed his free blog service weblogs. com. He says the site became too costly to continue. He started the blog four years ago. And thousands of people had written on it. They are now upset because they did not know that the site was closing.
One blog that is still going strong is called Rebecca’s Pocket. Rebecca Blood created the Website in 1999. She wrote about the history of blogs on the site. That article led to a book called “The Weblog Handbook”. It has been translated into four languages so far.
Ms. Blood says Rebecca’s Pocket gets about 30,000 visitors a month. She writes about anything and everything—politics, culture and movies. She recently provided medical advice. And she wrote about how to prevent people from stealing money from on-line bank accounts.The text is mainly written to .
| A．introduce an Internet computer Web site called “blog” |
| B．introduce a short way of saying Web log |
| C．tell readers about blogs |
| D．tell readers how to write blogs |
From the text we can learn that blogs cover almost everything except .
| A．different ideas | B．medical advice |
| C．advertisements | D．account passwords |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the text?
| A．Politicians don’t use blogs at all |
| B．A lot of bloggers no longer write or read blogs |
| C．Those who like to use blogs are mostly teenage girls. |
| D．Dave Winer closed his “weblogs.com” because of money shortage. |
The reason why Rebecca’s Pocket is still going strong is that .
| A．it was created by a woman. |
| B．it is about the history of blogs. |
| C．it provides useful information and advice |
| D．it has editions in at least four different languages |
It may not be news to parents of teenage girls, but researchers have confirmed that no one can stop their 16-year-old daughter from deciding how the family spends its money.
The willpower and determination of teenage girls give them a big say in how a family’s money is spent on everything from food and meals to mobile phones, and, of course, clothes. Teenage boys did not show up at all in the analysis, which was designed to find out the influence of young people on household spending.
The findings on the spending power of teenage girls were calculated from Office for National Statistics records of family spending during the 1980s and 1990s. Researchers examined how much money went on services and leisure goods in different kinds of homes. They checked spending on food, restaurant meals, alcohol, tobacco, services, heating, transport, clothes and sports in 2,745 British families.
They found that teenage girls in the UK typically played an active role in family decisions about the allocation（分配）of household resources. But older children— those over the age of 21 who are still living with their parents—appear to have no say in household decisions.
They also tried to calculate to what extent the bargaining power of a teenager affected family budgets. “Every parent knows that children, even at a very early age, have their own preferences with regard to consumption, researchers said. “But children are only interested in a limited range of goods—mainly sweets and toys—and parents are able to use punishment to reduce their children’s bargaining power or remove it.” When they become teenagers, however, girls are much more independent and they are capable of earning their own money, which improves their bargaining power in family decisions.
The researchers could not explain why girls have more influence over spending while the evidence for boys is much less conclusive. However, this study could be of great significance to market research and how marketers target children. From the passage we can learn that .
| A．teenage girls have more influence over family budgets than teenage boys |
| B．teenage boys don't want to decide on household spending |
| C．teenage boys have some influence over household |
| D．teenage girls have weaker willpower and determination than teenage boys |
What does the underlined part “give them a big say” in the second paragraph mean?
| A．Make them dare to say something. |
| B．Make them want to know. |
| C．Make them say something meaningful. |
| D．Make their influence stronger. |
It appears that household decisions are NOT affected by .
| A．girls living with parents |
| B．girls over 21 |
| C．girls over 12 |
| D．girls living alone |
How can parents reduce children’s bargaining power?
| A．By persuading them |
| B．By offering them sweets or toys. |
| C．By threatening to punish them. |
| D．By allocating household resources. |
People with disabilities make up a large part of the population. It is estimated（估计） that over 35 million Americans have physical, mental, or other disabilities. About half of these disabilities are “developmental", i.e., they occur before the individual's twenty-second birthday, often from genetic conditions, and are severe enough to affect three or more areas of development, such as mobility, communication, employment, etc. Most other disabilities are considered “adventitious", i.e., accidental or caused by outside forces.
Prior to the 20th century, only a small percentage of people with disabilities survived for long. Medical treatment for these disabilities was unavailable. Advancements in medicine and social services have created a climate in which people with disabilities can expect to have such basic needs as food, shelter, and medical treatment. Unfortunately, these basics are often not available. Civil liberties such as the right to vote, marry, get an education, and gain employment have historically been denied on the basis of disability.
In recent decades, the disability rights movement has been organized to fight against these infringements（违反；侵犯）of civil rights. Congress responded by passing major legislation recognizing people with disabilities as a protected class under civil rights statutes.
Still today, people with disabilities must fight to live their lives independently. It is estimated that more than half of qualified Americans with disabilities are unemployed, and a majority of those who do work are underemployed. About two-thirds live at or below the official poverty level.
Significant barriers, especially in transportation and public awareness, prevent disabled people from taking part in society. For example, while no longer prohibited by law from marrying, a person with no access to transportation is effectively excluded from community and social activities which might lead to the development of long-term relationships.
Only when public attitudes advance as far as laws have will disabled people be fully able to take their rightful place in society.A “developmental" disability ______.
| A．develops very slowly over time |
| B．is caused by forces |
| C．occurs in youth and affects development |
| D．is getting more and more severe |
Most disabled people used to die early because ______.
| A．disabilities destroyed major bodily functions |
| B．they were not very well looked after |
| C．medical techniques were not available |
| D．they were too poor to get proper treatment |
In the author's opinion, to enable the disabled people to take their rightful place in society, ______.
| A．more laws should be passed |
| B．public attitudes should be changed |
| C．government should provide more aids |
| D．more public facilities should be set up |
Which of the following cannot be inferred from the passage ?
| A．Many disabled people may remain single for their whole life. |
| B．The public tends to look down upon the disabled people. |
| C．The disabled people feel inferior to those surrounding them. |
| D．Discriminatory laws prevent the disabled from mixing with others. |
The best title for this passage might be ______.
| A．Handicaps（障碍）of People with Disabilities |
| B．The physical difficulties of the Disabled |
| C．The Causes for Disabilities |
| D．Medical Treatments for Disabilities |
Brenda Bongos was a happy, artistic girl. She had one big ambition—to play the drums in a band. But one big problem lay in her way. To be good enough to play in a band, Brenda had to practice a lot, but she lived next-door to a lot of old people. Many of them are sick. She knew that the sound of beating drums would really get on their nerves. So, she had tried playing in the strangest places: a basement, a kitchen, and even in a shower. But there was always someone it would annoy.
One day, while watching a science documentary on TV, she heard that sound cannot travel in space, because there's no air. At that moment, Brenda Bongos decided to become a sort of musical astronaut.
With the help of a lot of time, books and work, Brenda built a space bubble. This was a big glass ball connected to a machine which sucked out all the air inside. All that would be left inside was a drum kit（成套设备） and a chair. Brenda got into the space suit she had made, entered the bubble, turned on the machine, and played those drums like a wild child.
It wasn't long before Brenda Bongos came very famous. Many people came to see her play in her space bubble. Shortly afterwards she came out of the bubble and started giving concerts. Her fame spread so much that the government suggested that she be part of a unique space journey. Finally, Brenda was a real musical astronaut, and had gone far beyond her first ambition of playing drums in a band.
Years later, when asked how she had achieved all this, she thought for a moment, and said: ''If those old people next – door hadn't mattered so much to me, I wouldn't have found a solution, and none of this would have ever happened.''Why did Brenda try to play in the strangest places?
| A．Because she didn't want others to hear her play. |
| B．Because she didn't mean to disturb others. |
| C．Because she didn't have her own room. |
| D．Because she didn’t like her neighbors. |
Brenda started to give concerts _______.
| A．after she practiced in her space bubble |
| B．when she became part of the unique space journey |
| C．after she became a real musical astronaut |
| D．when people came to see her in the space bubble |
Brenda became famous because _______.
| A．she was good at music and science |
| B．she became a real musical astronaut |
| C．she invented a special way of practice |
| D．she played well and had a talent |
Which of the following can be used to describe Brenda?
| A．Kind, hardworking and clever. |
| B．Brave, kind and hardworking. |
| C．Lovely, brave and kind. |
| D．Nervous, kind and clever. |
It can be inferred from the text that: " _______".
| A．He laughs best who laughs last |
| B．It's never too old to learn |
| C．Two heads are better than one |
| D．One good turn deserves another |
What makes a gift special? Is it the price you see on the gift receipt? Or is it the look on the recipient's face when they receive it that determines the true value? What gift is worth the most?
This Christmas I was debating what to give my father. My dad is a hard person to buy for because he never wants anything. I pulled out my phone to read a text message from my mom saying that we were leaving for Christmas shopping for him when I came across a message on my phone that I had locked. The message was from my father. My eyes fell on a photo of a flower taken in Wyoming, and underneath a poem by William Blake. The flower, a lone dandelion standing against the bright blue sky, inspired me. My dad had been reciting those words to me since I was a kid. That may even be the reason why I love writing. I decided that those words would be my gift to my father.
I called back. I told my mom to go without me and that l already created my gift. 1 sent the photo of the cream-colored flower to my computer and typed the poem on top of it. As I was arranging the details another poem came to mind. The poem was written by Edgar Allan Poe; My dad recited it as much as he did the other. I typed that out as well and searched online for a background to the words of it. The poem was focused around dreaming, and after searching I found the perfect picture. The image was painted with blues and greens and purples, twisting together to create the theme and wonder of a dream. As I watched both poems passing through the printer, the white paper coloring with words that shaped my childhood, I felt that this was a gift that my father would truly appreciate.
Christmas soon arrived. The minute I saw the look on my dad's face as he unwrapped those swirling black letters carefully placed in a cheap frame, I knew I had given the perfect gift.The idea for a special gift began to form when the author was________________.
| A． doing shopping | B． having a debate |
| C． leaving for Wyoming | D． reading a message |
The author's inspiration for the gift came from __________.
| A． a photo of a flower |
| B． a story about a kid |
| C． a call from the mother |
| D． a text about Christmas |
The underlined word "it" in Paragraph 3 refers to a poem by ______ .
| A．the father | B．the author |
| C．Edgar Allan Poe | D． William Blake |
The author made thegift by __________.
| A． searching for the poems online |
| B． drawing the background by hand |
| C． painting the letters in three colors |
| D． matching the words with pictures |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
| A． To show how to design images for gifts. |
| B． To suggest making gifts from one's heart. |
| C． To explain how computers help create gifts. |
| D． To describe the gifts the author has received. |
Everybody has one of those days when everything goes wrong. This is what happened to Harry.
He got up one morning very late because he had forgotten to wind up his alarm clock. He tried to shave（刮脸）quickly and cut himself. When he got dressed he got blood all over his clean shirt, so he had to find another one. The only other shirt that was clean needed ironing（熨）, so he ironed it. While he was ironing it, there was a knock at the door. It was the man to read the electricity meter（表）. He showed him where the meter was, said good-bye and found that the iron had burnt a hole in his shirt. So he had to wear the one with the blood on it after all. By this time it was very late, so he decided he couldn’t go to work by bus. He telephoned for a taxi to take him to work. The taxi arrived and Harry got in and began to read the newspaper.
In another part of the town, a man had killed a woman with a knife and was seen to run away in a taxi. When Harry’s taxi stopped outside his office, a policeman happened to be standing there. He saw the blood on Harry’s shirt, and took him to the police station. He was kept till 3 o’clock in the afternoon before the police were sure that he was not the man they wanted. When he finally arrived at the office at about four, his boss took a look at him and told him to go away and find another job.Harry had__________________________.
| A．a lucky day | B．an unlucky day |
| C．a busy day | D．a good day |
Put the following sentences into correct order according to the passage.
a. The man who read the electricity meter came.
b. Harry ironed his shirt.
c. Harry got blood all over his clean shirt.
d. There was a knock at the door.
e. Harry wore the shirt with blood on it.
| A．a, b, c, d, e | B．b, a, d, c, e |
| C．b, a, c, d, e | D．c, b, d, a, e |
Why did Harry wear the shirt with blood on it?
| A．The iron had burnt a hole in his clean shirt. |
| B．The only other needed ironing. |
| C．He had only one shirt. |
| D．He cut himself and got blood all over his shirt. |
Harry was taken to the police station because .
| A．his taxi stopped outside his office and a policeman happened to be there |
| B．there was blood on his shirt and he was in a taxi |
| C．a man killed a woman with a knife |
| D．the murderer was seen to run away in a taxi |
His boss told him to go away and find another job because .
| A．he had been kept by the police |
| B．there was blood on his shirt |
| C．he was late for work |
| D．he had killed a woman |
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