The kids in this village wear dirty, ragged clothes. They sleep beside cows and sheep in huts made of sticks and mud. They have no school. Yet they all can chant the English alphabet, and some can make words.
The key to their success: 20 tablet computers(平板电脑) dropped off in their Ethiopian village in February by a U.S. group called One Laptop Per Child.
The goal is to find out whether kids using today’s new technology can teach themselves to read in places where no schools or teachers exist. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers analyzing the project data say they’re already amazed. “What I think has already happened is that the kids have already learned more than they would have in one year of kindergarten,” said Matt Keller, who runs the Ethiopia program.
The fastest learner—and the first to turn on one of the tablets—is 8-year-old Kelbesa Negusse. The device’s camera was disabled to save memory, yet within weeks Kelbesa had figured out its workings and made the camera work. He called himself a lion, a marker of accomplishment in Ethiopia.
With his tablet, Kelbasa rearranged the letters HSROE into one of the many English animal names he knows. Then he spelled words on his own. “Seven months ago he didn’t know any English. That’s unbelievable,” said Keller.
The project aims to get kids to a stage called “deep reading,” where they can read to learn. It won’t be in Amharic, Ethiopia’s first language, but in English, which is widely seen as the ticket to higher paying jobs.How does the Ethiopia program benefit the kids in the village?
| A．It contributes to their self-study. |
| B．It trains teachers for them. |
| C．It helps raise their living standards. |
| D．It provides funds for building schools. |
It amazed Keller that with the tablet Kelbesa could _______.
| A．draw pictures of animals. |
| B．learn English words quickly. |
| C．write letters to researchers. |
| D．make phone calls to his friends. |
What is the aim of the project?
| A．To offer Ethiopians higher paying jobs. |
| B．To make Amharic widely used in the world. |
| C．To assist Ethiopians in learning their first language. |
| D．To help Ethiopian kids read to learn in English. |
Well, parents, surprise! Lots of us are using Twitter and Facebook to find rides, and not just to school. It’s awkward to call a friend and ask for a ride, and half the time they’ll say, “Sorry, my car is full.” But with Twitter, you just tweet (贴子,留言) and look for other people heading the same way.
It may sound risky, but many teens stay within their own social circles to find rides, and don’t branch out beyond friends of friends when asking on Twitter. For me, I only rideshare with people I know, but to some young people, especially those taking longer trips, stranger danger is less of a concern.
The sharing economy got big during the recession（经济衰退）. It allows people to access more goods and services using technology, while also allowing them to share cost. And that technology, for me, is what the car was for my mom, a gateway to more freedom.
According to the researchers at the University of Michigan, 30 years ago, eight in ten American 18-year-olds had a driver’s license. Today it’s six in ten. So it’s not that surprising that on my 16th birthday I wasn’t rushing to get a license. All I wanted was an iPhone. Juliet Schor (Sociology professor at Boston College) knows people my age love being connected and for young people driving means they have to disconnect from their technology, and that’s a negative. So if they could sit in the passenger side and still be connected, that’s going to be a plus.
To me, another plus is ridesharing represents something much bigger than trying to save money. I see it as evidence that people still depend on each other. My generation shares their cars and apartments the way neighbors used to share cups of sugar. For the system to work, some of us still need our own cars. But until I get my own version of the silver Super Beetle, you can find me on Twitter.The writer usually rideshares with _____.
| A．anyone heading the same way | B．people he knows |
| C．friends of friends | D．strangers of his age |
Fewer young people choose to ride by themselves because _____.
| A．driving means offering free rides to others. |
| B．getting a driving license becomes more difficult. |
| C．driving one’s own cars causes a negative impression. |
| D．driving makes them disconnected from technology. |
We can conclude from the passage that _____.
| A．the writer rideshares just to save money |
| B．people under 18 are not allowed to drive |
| C．silver Super Beetle is the writer’s favorite |
| D．the older generation had to fight for freedom |
Which is the best title for the passage?
| A．Teens use Twitter to thumb rides. |
| B．Tips on reducing risks in ridesharing. |
| C．Car is no longer a gateway to freedom. |
| D．New generation knows how to save money. |
“Everybody loves a bargain.” One person's useless, ugly, or broken object can be another person's bargain. That is why so many Americans do not throw things away. They put them outside their houses. They put on a “For Sale” sign. And, as simple as that, they have a yard sale.
The sellers put a paid announcement(付费通告) in a local newspaper. It tells when and where the yard sale will take place. These sales are very popular during weekends in spring, summer, and autumn. Early in the morning, all the things to be sold are carried out of the house. Then they sit all day in the sunlight----like tired guests at a party----waiting for someone to take them home.
Just about anything can be sold at a yard sale. Sometimes, there are more clothes than anything else. Cooking equipment is also popular. So are old toys, tools, books, tables and chairs. Then there are objects called “white elephants”. A white elephant is something you think is extremely ugly or useless. It may be an electric light shaped like a fish. You feel a sharp pain whenever you look at it. To someone else, however, it might be a thing of beauty and joy.
Some people go to yard sales to find a special thing that they collect. It may be old toy trains, for example, or painting of dogs. Experts say more Americans are collecting old things now than ever before. Most people who go to yard sales, however, are not looking for anything special. They might buy an object simply because it costs so little. They enjoy negotiating(谈判) over prices, even if they really do not need the object. Later, they may hold their own yard to sell all the things they have bought.What kind of things will go to a yard sale?
| A．Cheap and ugly things. |
| B．Things people no longer use. |
| C．Things out of season. |
| D．Things of great value. |
A white elephant refers to _________.
| A．something that can cause a feeling of pain |
| B．something disliked by the owners while appreciated by others |
| C．something sold at the lowest prices |
| D．a toy shaped like a fish |
Most people go to yard sales to________.
| A．find valuable paintings |
| B．look for something special |
| C．find a bargain |
| D．kill their time |
We can infer from the last paragraph that__________.
| A．people may find something of great value on a yard sale |
| B．yard sales only attract those who have a low income |
| C．things on a yard sale can cost people a lot |
| D．most people don’t want to go to yard sales. |
阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分, 满分40分）
阅读下列短文, 从每篇短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中, 选出最佳选项, 并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
It was a cold night in Washington, D.C., and I was heading back to the hotel when a man approached me. He asked if I would give him some money so he could get something to eat. I'd read the signs: "Don't give money to beggars as most of them are swindlers." So I shook my head and kept walking.
I wasn't prepared for a reply, but with no hesitation, he followed me and said, "I really am homeless and I really am hungry! You can come with me and watch me eat!" But I kept on walking.
The incident kept bothering me for the rest of the week. I had money in my pocket and it wouldn't have killed me to hand over a dollar or two even if he hadn’t been a real beggar. On a freezing cold night, no less, I assumed the worst of a fellow human being.
Flying back to Anchorage, I couldn't help thinking of him. I tried to reason my failure to help by supposing government agencies, churches and charities were there to feed him. Besides, you're not supposed to give money to beggars.
Somewhere over Seattle, I started to write my weekly garden column for The Anchorage Daily News. Out of the blue, I came up with an idea. Bean's Cafe, a local charity service kitchen, feeds hundreds of hungry local people every day. Why not try to get all my readers to plant one row of vegetables or flowers in their gardens for Bean's? Plant a row for Bean's. It’s clean and simple.
We didn't keep records back then, but the idea began to take off. Folks would fax me or call when they took something in. It’s food for the spirit and comfort for my conscience.
In April 1995, the Garden Writers Association of America(GWAA) held their annual meeting in Anchorage and after learning our program, Plant a Row for Bean's became Plant a Row For The Hungry. The idea then was to have every member write or talk about planting a row for the hungry, which brought the program to national attention.
As more and more people participated, new variations cropped up. Many companies gave free seeds to customers and displayed the logo for the program. Donations poured in. It was then that I could really stop feeling guilty.The underlined word “swindlers” in the first paragraph is closest in meaning to ______.
| A．policemen | B．writers | C．cheaters | D．beggars |
Why did the author think he assumed the worst of a fellow human being?
| A．Because he didn’t show fair respect to a beggar treating him badly. |
| B．Because he could have helped a hungry man but he passed by. |
| C．Because he believed that no people begged because of real hunger. |
| D．Because he thought that charity work was the government’s duty. |
How did the author make up for what he had done?
| A．He set up a local kitchen to help the poor. |
| B．He planted a row of vegetables for charity. |
| C．He called on people to donate money to the Bean’s. |
| D．He initiated the idea of Plant a row for Bean’s. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The beggar gave up the first time he was turned down by the author. |
| B．The author invented the program inspired by the Anchorage Daily News. |
| C．GWAA expanded the program concept and made it nationwide in 1995. |
| D．The program was later taken over by some seeding companies. |
In Britain in the 1890s there was a postcard “craze(热潮)”. People formed clubs and collected and exchanged postcards. Even Queen Victoria had her own private collection.
When Edward was the king, the British had a cheap and good postal system. If anyone wanted to tell a friend that they were coming for tea in the afternoon, they would send a postcard in the morning. “Drop me a card” was as common then as “give me a ring” as now.
In 1902 an important step was taken. The government said that half of the side that was used for the address on the postcard could be used for messages, and the whole of the other side could be used for a picture. It was then that the simple postcard, as we know now, was created.In Britain in the 1890s, _______.
| A．people were interested in sending cards |
| B．people were interested in playing cards |
| C．people were interested in collecting postcards |
| D．people were interested in buying postcards |
Which statement is TRUE?
| A．Postcards were not used in the 19th century. |
| B．It was not until 1902 that the simple postcard as we know was created. |
| C．Postcards were used only for collection in the 1890s. |
| D．There was no message on the old postcard. |
Choose the best title for the passage.
| A．Postcards Old and New |
| B．Postcard Clubs in the 1890s |
| C．Creation of the Present Postcard |
| D．Postal System in Britain |
Read the following time table and then answer the following question.
Train Time Table
lv. (Leave) Boston Ar. (Arrive) Midway Ar. New York
5:10 AM EX.(Except)Sun. 7:00 AM 10:45 AM
7:10 AM Daily 9:00 AM 12:45 PM
9:10 AM Ex. Sat. & Sun. 11:00 AM 2:45 PM
10:00 AM Ex. Hol.(Holiday) 11:45 AM 2:55 PM
1:15 PM Daily 3:15 PM 5:45 PM
3:40 PM Ex. Hol. 5:40 PM 8:15 PM
5:20 PM Daily 7:20 PM 9:55 PMWhat is the shortest time between Boston and New York by train?
| A．5 hours 35 minutes |
| B．5 hours 5 minutes |
| C．4 hours 30 minutes |
| D．4 hours 25 minutes |
How many trains have to spend over five hours on the way from Boston to New York?
| A．5 | B．3 | C．7 | D．2 |
On Christmas Day, how many trains can you certainly take from Boston to New York?
| A．2 | B．4 | C．5 | D．3 |
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