A world-famous Canadian author, Margaret Atwood, has created the world's first long-distance signing device(装置), the LongPen.
After many tiring……from city to city, Atwood thought there must be a better way to do them . She hired some technical experts and started her own company in 2004. Together they designed the LongPen. Here's how it works: The author writes a personal message and signature on a computer tablet(手写板) using a special pen. On the receiving end, in another city, a robotic arm fitted with a regular pen signs the book. The author and fan can talk with each other via webcams(网络摄像机) and computer screens。
Work on the LongPen began in Atwood's basement(地下室). At first, they had no idea it would be as hard as it turned out to be. The device went through several versions, including one that actually had smoke coming out of it. The investing finally completed, teat runs w ere made in Ottawa, and the LongPen was officially launched at the 2006 London Book Fair. From here , Atwood conducted two transatlantic book signings of her latest book for fans in Toronto and New York City.
The LongPen produces a unique signature each time because it copies the movement of the author in real time. It has several other potential applications. It could increase credit card security and allow people to sign contracts from another province. The video exchange between signer and receiver can be recorded on DVD for proof when legal documents are used.
"It's really fun", said the owner of a bookstore, who was present for one of the test runs. "Obviously you can't shake hands with the author but there are chances for a connection that you don't get from a regular book signing..
The response to the invention has not been all favorable. Atwood has received criticism from authors who think she is trying to end book tours. But she said, "It will be possible to go to places that you never got sent to before because the publishers couldn't afford it."
Why did Atwood decide to invent the LongPen?
To set up her own company
To win herself greater popularity
To write her books in a new way
To make book signings less tiring
How does the LongPen work?
What do we know about the invention of the LongPen?
How could the LongPen be used in the future?
What could be inferred from Paragraphs 5 and 6?
When asked to list typical English gentlemen，for many，Colin Firth immediately comes to mind．
In his recent film，Kingsman：The Secret Service，the 54-year-old actor appears as elegant and violent super spy Harry Hart．One minute he’s calm and polite，and then in the next he’s skillfully violent and aggressive．For example，in one scene he says，“Manners maketh a man”，before severely beating up a group of villains(坏人)．Firth brings out the perfect mix of typical British style and humor through this performance．
Firth began appearing on English TV in the early 1990s，but it wasn’t until he played Mr Darcy，a charming upper class character from Jane Austen’s famous novel“Pride and Prejudice”，that Firth’s career really took off．His portrayal(形象)of the perfect fictional gentleman conquered millions of hearts，especially females’．
In many fans and critics’eyes，Firth has British good looks，British charm，and a gift for characters with a British sense of being reserved(矜持)．Movie reviewer Jason O’Bryan described Firth as“always befitting the calm and stiff-upper-lip British gentlemen character”．
However Firth doesn’t consider himself the authority on gentlemen．“I don’t necessarily approach every challenge like a perfect English gentleman spy．There are many aspects in my personality that are not consistent with someone like Harry Hart，”he said to Dialogue，an English—language show on CCTV News．
But let’s just take his words as another gentlemanly quality-modesty．After all，who might expect an Oscar-winning actor over 50 years old to learn to fight for his first action movie?
To prepare for Kingsman，Firth trained for three hours every day over six months．He broke a tooth and got bruised everywhere，but took the damage as a symbol of his accomplishments．
In Dialogue，Firth said he had many other sides-he’s passionate about literature and literary research．However，to many of his movie fans, he is indeed a gentleman and excellent actor above a11 else. The example given in Paragraph 2 is _____________．
| A．to describe the character of Harry Hart |
| B．to introduce one scene of Kingsman |
| C．to prove Colin Firth a gentleman |
| D．to compare Colin Firth with Harry Hart |
When did Firth come to be famous?
| A．In the early 1990s． |
| B．After he played Mr Darcy． |
| C．When he was 54 years old． |
| D．During his childhood． |
From the text we can infer ______________．
| A．Colin Firth is violent and aggressive |
| B．Colin Firth has many sides in personality |
| C．Colin Firth has similar character to Harry Hart |
| D．Colin Firth has more male fans than females |
Which of the following might be the best title for the text?
| A．An authority on English gentlemen |
| B．A famous actor |
| C．A charming upper class character |
| D．A super spy |
The latest fashion in the kitchen is the food steamer．All the stores are selling them；everyone wants one．Steaming is one of the simplest and healthiest ways of cooking food．However，that cooking time is usually longer than with other methods．In case you’re thinking of buying a steamer，I’ve done a survey about the steamers available on the market to help you decide which will suit you best．
Folding Steamer
The simplest and least expensive is the folding stainless-steel(不锈钢)version．
Advantages：This is a good，basic design which sits inside a variety of different shapes of pans with the water under it；a ring in the centre allows for easy lifting and it's easy to clean．
Disadvantages：It only holds small dishes．Also，if you put too much water in the pan，it will boil up through the vegetables and they will be watery．If you put too little water in and let it get dry，you will burn the pan and get strange-smelling vegetables．
Steaming Pan
This is a three-layered black Teflon-coated version with a lid and two double-handled steamers，which sits on the oven ring．The brand I bought is called Nutritious Living．
Advantages：This is an excellent steamer, lightweight，easy to clean，and of all the steamers I’ve tried，this cooks the fastest．Fish and chicken can be cooked on the bottom with rice or vegetables on the top．It’s easier to store．
Disadvantages：Water can boil away until the pan is dry，but if you make sure you fill the pan up to the suggested level and do not overcook the food，this should not happen．You cannot see the food cooking from the top．It doesn’t supply a dish for cooking rice．
For serious users of steamers，I recommend having one of each version．If you just want to try it，get the folding stainless-steel type．
The food steamer is popular with people because ________________．
| A．it can save time and money |
| B．food can be cooked simply and healthily |
| C．it is easy to clean and store |
| D．it is available in any store |
Which of the following is true about the folding steamers?
| A．They are cheap and easy to use． |
| B．They are difficult to clean． |
| C．They can hold all kinds of dishes． |
| D．You can put little water in the pan． |
When you use the steaming pan，_________
| A．you can overcook the food |
| B．you can only cook rice |
| C．you feel it’s heavy to carry |
| D．you should pour proper amount of water |
Three Japanese tourists taking a holiday in Australia got stuck when their GPS told them they could drive from the mainland to an island，failing to mention the 15 kilometres of water and mud in between．
As they drove their hired car from Moreton Bay to nearby North Stradbroke Island，they started to notice the firm surface they were driving on giving way to the well-known bay mud．However, being confident that their GPS would direct them to a road soon，they decided to drive on，managing to travel around 500 metres before their car was up to its tires in mud．To make matters worse，the tide(潮汐)started to come in and soon forced them to seek help and abandon the vehicle．Just four hours later the car was trapped in,two metres of water—to the great amusement of onlookers on the shore and passengers on passing boats and ferries．
Yuzu Noda,21，said she was listening to the GPS and“it told us we could drive down there．It kept saying it would navigate(导航)us to a road．But we got stuck…there’s lots of mud．”She and her travel companions Tomonari Saeki，22，and Keita Osada,21，instead had to give up their plans for a day trip to the island and headed back to the Gold Coast of a lift from the RACQ tow truck(吊车)driver who was called to the trapped car．No such luck for the hired car though—after assessing the situation，no attempt was made to recover it. The students from Tokyo，who are due to return home tomorrow, said the experience would not put them off returning to Australia for another visit．Mr．Tomonari said，“It has rained every day on our six day holiday．Hopefully next time we come back it will be sunny.”
The car was covered by insurance,but the tourists will have to pay up to about$1 500 in extra charges．
The three Japanese tourists got stuck because________．
| A．there was no way to the island |
| B．their GPS had given the wrong information |
| C．their GPS was broken during their journey |
| D．their car was not made in Japan |
They didn’t abandon their car until___________．
| A．some onlookers went to save them |
| B．they got stuck in the mud |
| C．there came the tide |
| D．they managed to travel around 500 metres |
How did these Japanese students get back?
| A．They had to walk back to their living place． |
| B．They had to repair their GPS and drove back． |
| C．They had to turn to pass engers on boats and ferries． |
| D．They had to take a lift from the tow truck driver． |
From the passage we can know that__________．
| A．The car was left where it was trapped |
| B．The passengers saved these students in the end |
| C．Mr．Tomonari got very down after the journey |
| D．No money has to be paid thanks to insurance |
They are the little sweeties who look pretty cute in a photo，or when sleeping——but a lot less appealing at 30，000 ft，crying loudly in the seat fight next to you．
According to a new survey，almost seven in ten Britons dislike flying with babies so much that they would like to see child-free areas introduced on planes．As for long-distance flights where people want to sleep，almost one in four British travelers believes that no-kid-zones should be fixed as required sections．
The survey was conducted by bookings website LateDeals．co．uk，with 1，108 UK consumers questioned as to what they hate most about air travel．
And our dislike of noisy children and babies on planes runs deep．it seems．
More than a third of us—35 per cent—would pay extra to travel on a childless service．
Long-distance passengers would be prepared to pay an additional ￡63 to the cost of a return ticket if it meant adults only on board．And on short-distance flights，an extra ￡28 on the price of a return fare would be considered good value if it guaranteed an absence of angry babies in the middle of the economy-class aisle(走道)．
However，screaming babies are not the only source of annoyance for British travellers．In fact，according to the research on the most annoying types of airline passengers，a crying baby ranks as only the fourth．Over half of those surveyed—58 percent—selected ‘drunk travellers’ as their pet peeves．People with‘bad personal hygiene(卫生)’and travellers who kick the back of the seat in front were also near the top of the list，causing anger to 48 and 47 per cent of us respectively(分别地)．
Crying babies came in at fourth on the list，a pet peeve for 43 per cent of those surveyed．
Britons dislike flying with babies because they_________．
| A．make too much noise |
| B．get angry easily |
| C．sleep right next to them |
| D．stay in the economy-class aisle |
How many British travellers surveyed would like to have no-kid-zones on planes?
| A．About 35％． | B．About 43％． |
| C．About 70％． | D．About 58％． |
What kind of passengers is most disliked by British airline travellers?
| A．The crying babies on a flight． |
| B．People with bad personal hygiene． |
| C．Those who have drunk too much alcohol． |
| D．Those who kick the back of the seat in front |
A glass a day keeps obesity at bay．Alcohol has always been thought to cause weight gain because of its high sugar content，but new research suggests a glass a day could form part of a diet．Looking at past studies they found that，while heavy drinkers do put on weight；those who drink in moderation can actually lose weight．
A spokesman for the research team at Navarro University in Spain says，“Light to moderate alcohol intake，especially of wine，may be more likely to protect against，rather than promote，weight gain”．The International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research reviewed the findings and agreed with most of the conclusions，particularly that current data do not clearly indicate if moderate drinking increases weight．
Boston University’s Dr．Harvey Finkel found that the biologic mechanisms(生物学机制)relating alcohol to changes in body weight are not properly understood．His team pointed out the strong protective effects of moderate drinking on the risk of getting conditions like diabetes(糖尿病)，which relate to increasing obesity．Some studies suggest that even very obese people may be at lower risk of diabetes if they are moderate drinkers．
The group says alcohol provides calories that are quickly absorbed into the body and are not stored in fat，and that this process could explain the differences in its effects from those of other foods．They agree that future research should be directed towards assessing the roles of different types of alcoholic drinks，taking into consideration drinking patterns and including the past tendency of participants to gain weight．
For now there is little evidence that consuming small to moderate amounts of alcohol on a regular basis increases one’s risk of becoming obese．What’s more，a study three years ago suggested that resveratrol，a compound present in grapes and red wine，destroys fat cells.The passage is mainly for those__________．
| A．who produce wine |
| B．who have a drinking habit |
| C．who go on a diet |
| D．who are eager to lose weight |
The underlined phrase“in moderation”in the first paragraph means_________．
| A．excitedly | B．carefully | C．properly | D．frequently |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Current data clearly show that moderate drinking increases weight． |
| B．Resveratrol is proved to increase the risk of becoming fat． |
| C．The specific roles of different types of alcoholic drinks are very clear． |
| D．The research found moderate drinking has a strong protective effect． |
What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?
| A．How to do some easy experiments． |
| B．How to reduce the calories contained in wine． |
| C．How to make wine in a healthy way． |
| D．How to prove the finding mentioned above． |
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