As computers become all the more popular in China, Chinese people are increasingly depending on computer keyboards to input Chinese characters. But if they use the computer too much, they may end up forgetting the exact strokes（笔画）of each Chinese character when writing on paper. Experts suggest people, especially students, write by hand more.
Do you write by hand more or type more? In Beijing, students start using a computer as early as primary school. And computer dependence is more wide-spread among university students. Almost all their homework and essays are typed on a computer.
All the students interviewed say they usually use a computer.
It’s faster and easier to correct if using a computer. And that’s why computers are being applied more and more often to modern education. But when people are taking stock in computers increasingly, problems appear.
“When I'm writing with a pen, I find I often can't remember how to write a character, though I feel I’m familiar with it.”
“I’m not in the mood to write when faced with a pen and paper.”
Many students don't feel this is something to worry about. Now that it's more convenient and quick to write on a computer, why bother to handwrite?
Many educators think differently. Shi Liwei , the headmaster of a famous primary school in the capital said “Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic(审美的) value. But those characters typed with computer keyboards only have their practical value. All the artistic beauty of the characters is lost. And handwriting contains the writer’s emotion(情绪). Through one’s handwriting, people can get to know one's thinking and personality. Beautiful writing will give people a better first impression of them.”
To encourage students to handwrite more, many primary schools in Beijing have made writing classes compulsory(必修的)and in universities, some professors are asking students to turn in their homework and essays written by hand.The students interviewed prefer to write using a computer mainly because______.
| A．they can correct the mistakes they make quickly and conveniently |
| B．they are usually asked to e-mail their homework and essays |
| C．they find it not easy to remember how to write a character |
| D．computers have become popular in China |
Which of the following statements of the advantages of handwriting is NOT TRUE ?
| A．Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic value. |
| B．Handwriting can impress people well and build up one’s self-confidence. |
| C．Handwriting contains the writer’s emotion. |
| D．The writer’s thinking and personality are shown in his or her handwriting. |
The underlined expression “taking stock in”(Paragraph 4) probably means __________.
| A．getting bored with | B．getting curious about |
| C．becoming crazy about | D．getting dependent on |
We can infer from the passage that __________.
| A．writing by hand will give way to typing by computer one day |
| B．more and more students will give up writing on a computer |
| C．more and more students will pay attention to handwriting |
| D．the typed article better expresses one’s emotion and quality |
Thirteen-year-old Greg Hoffman had been begging his parents for an iPhone all year. So on Christmas morning he was thrilled to find the object of his desire under the tree, but there was a catch.
The phone came with an 18-point set of terms and conditions that he had to agree to before the phone could be his. And the agreement did not come from Apple or the phone provider, it was from his mother.
His mom, Janell Hoffman, included a contract along with the iphone that listed eighteen conditions or rules that Greg has to follow if he wants to keep it. Some of the rules limit the time he can use the phone; not after 7:30 p.m , and he can’t take it to school. He also has to promise not to send “hurtful” text messages and e-mails to people; give his passwords to his parents, and always answer the phone when his mom or dad calls. Greg also has to use his own money to replace the phone if it’s broken or lost
Janell says the idea behind the contract is to teach her son to have a sense of responsibility and to learn to “co-exist with technology, not be ruled by it’. She told him not to use this technology to lie, fool, or cheat another human being.
Most of the terms do not just apply to the iphone, but to life. She also advised him to, “keep your eyes up. See the world happening around you,” “Stare out a window. Listen to the birds. Take a walk. Talk to a stranger. Wonder without Googling.”
“You are growing up in a fast and ever changing world. It is exciting and enticing. Trust your powerful mind and giant heart above any machine. I hope that you understand it is my job to raise you into a well rounded, healthy young man that can function in the world and coexist with technology, not be ruled by it,”
“I love you. I hope you enjoy your awesome new iPhone. Merry Christmas!”The underlined word “catch” in the first paragraph means “________”
| A．great secret | B．piece of equipment |
| C．hidden difficulty | D．piece of paper |
Mom gave her son the 18-point contracts with the iphone in order to __________
| A．keep in touch with him at any time |
| B．teach him to have a sense of responsibility |
| C．let him learn to use new technology |
| D．adjust himself o the ever changing world |
Which of the following may NOT be one of the 18 rules? _________
| A．Do not use this technology to lie, fool another human being. |
| B．Do not ever ignore a phone call if the screen reads “Mom” or “Dad”. Not ever. |
| C．I will always know the password. |
| D．Take it to school but turn it off or silence it while having classes |
Windbreaks are barriers（屏障）formed by trees and other plants．Farmers plant these barriers around their fields，which help prevent the loss of soil，and stop the wind from blowing soil away．They also keep the wind from damaging or destroying crops．Besides，extra trees and plants can be cut down and used or sold for wood．
Windbreaks can be highly valuable for protecting grain crops．For example，in parts of West Africa grain harvests were as much as twenty percent higher in fields protected by windbreaks compared with fields without them．
But here is something interesting about windbreaks．They seem to work best when they allow some wind to pass through the barrier of trees or plants around a field．If not，then the movement of air close to the ground will lift the soil．Then the soil will be blown away．For this reason，a windbreak works best if it contains only 60 to 80 percent of the trees and plants that would be needed to make a solid line．An easy rule to remember is that windbreaks can protect areas up to 10 times the height of the tallest trees in the windbreak．
There should be at least two lines in each windbreak．One line should be large trees．The second line，right next to it，can be shorter trees or other plants with leaves．Locally grown trees and plants are considered the best choices for windbreaks．Trees reduce the damaging effects of wind and rain．Their roots help protect soil from being washed away．And trees can provide animals outdoors with shade from the sun．The advantages of building a windbreak are as follows except _____.
| A．providing humans with shade from the sun |
| B．increasing the production of grain harvests |
| C．keeping the wind from destroying grain crops |
| D．reducing the damaging effects of wind and rain |
The author thinks windbreaks are interesting because ______.
| A．windbreaks can stop the wind getting through |
| B．the movement of air lifts the soil |
| C．large trees are lined with short ones |
| D．windbreaks allow some wind to pass through |
If the trees grow to a height of 30 feet, the areas the windbreak can protect are ______.
| A．150 square feet | B． 100 square feet |
| C．300 square feet | D．240 square feet |
What can be inferred from the text?
| A．The environment is going from bad to worse. |
| B．Windbreaks can contribute to agriculture harvests. . |
| C．Trees and plants from abroad are the best for windbreaks. |
| D．Extra trees and plants can be cut down for wood |
Cooks at the Qingfeng Steamed Bun Shop in west Beijing can’t make the pork and scallion baozi (buns) fast enough since Xi Jinping visited for some traditional workers’ food and ate it among the workers.
The Chinese president’s visit late last month went down a treat, while web commentators were enthusiastic in their praise for Xi’s easy populism, after he left the government headquarters in nearby Zhongnanhai and ordered six steamed buns filled with pork and scallions, a bowl of stewed pig liver and a plate of green vegetables.
The bill came to 21 yuan, about €2.50, and he sat and finished it at one of the restaurant tables, just like any other working Joe. While Xi is known as “President Xi” abroad, in China he is known as “Chairman Xi”, in the same way as the country’s late founding father Mao Zedong is known as “chairman Mao”.
The Chinese government is keen for its leaders to have the president title abroad, as it sounds, well, more presidential. But in Qingfeng, it’s all about the chairman.
“Since Chairman Xi came here, the restaurant has had queues like this every day. We didn’t know the chairman was coming beforehand. We only recognized him when he was at the window picking up his food because he also waited in the line,” says a waitress.
Xi is building up a reputation as a more approachable kind of leader, a man of the people – something people in Ireland got a taste of when they saw how he handled a hurley in Croke Park during his visit.
There were rumours last year that Xi even took a taxi to ask the driver what was really going on in Beijing, although that may have been a hoax. While his predecessor Hu Jintao was seen as a theorist, Xi’s public profile is high.The cooks in Qingfeng Restaurant are very busy because _______ .
| A．the foods in the restaurant have to be updated. |
| B．the restaurant is shorthanded at present. |
| C．Xi’s visit made this restaurant extreme popular among consumers |
| D．the food Mr. Xi ate was specially made. |
According to the passage, President Xi is building up a reputation of __________.
| A．frankness. | B．toughness. |
| C．plain work style. | D．indifference. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE? __________
| A．Xi’s arrival was arranged ahead of time. |
| B．“President” and “chairman” are the same titles overseas. |
| C．Chairman Mao queued in the same restaurant. |
| D．Present Xi was good at food in Ireland during his visit. |
What does the underlined word hoax mean in the last paragraph? ________
| A．Feature story. | B．Joke. |
| C．Interview. | D．Conversation. |
Every morning Grandpa got up early sitting at the table, reading his book. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to copy him in every way he could.
One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa, I try to read the book just like you, but I don’t understand it, and I forget what I understand as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the book do?” The grandpa quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, “Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water.”
The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandpa laughed and said, “You’ll have to move a little faster next time,” and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again.
This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned. Out of breath, he told his grandpa that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, so he went to get a bucket instead.The grandpa said, “I don’t want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You’re just not trying hard enough.”
The boy again dipped the basket into the river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandpa the basket was empty again. Out of breath, he said, “Grandpa, it’s useless !”“So, you think it is useless?” the grandpa said, “Look at the basket.”
The boy looked at the basket and for the first time he realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean.
“Grandson, that’s what happens when you read the book. You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you’ll be changed, inside and out.”What puzzled the grandson most was ________.
| A．what kind of book he could understand |
| B．why he forgot what he read soon |
| C．whether it was useful to read books |
| D．how he could read books like his grandpa |
Why did Grandpa ask his grandson to fetch a basket of water? _______
| A．To punish him for not reading carefully. |
| B．To get him to realize the use of reading books. |
| C．To train him to run faster. |
| D．To clean the dirty basket in the river. |
What lesson can we learn from the story? ________
| A．It is foolish to carry water with a basket. |
| B．The old are always wiser than the young. |
| C．You can’t expect to remember whatever you read. |
| D．Reading books can change a person gradually. |
What can be the best title for the text? _______
| A．Grandpa and grandson |
| B．Carrying water in a basket |
| C．Reading for total changing |
| D．Baskets and books |
| For: Doug Smith, Director of wolf recovery, Yellowstone National Park In the world today there is so much we are losing; more and more species disappear from the earth every year. The time has come to put something back，to restore to treat some of the old wounds enforced on nature over the years. Wolves are animals killing and eating other animals in North America. They play an important role in keeping the continent healthy. Most places don’t have enough wild country to make their restoration possible, which means it’s even more important to restore wolves where conditions are right, places like Yellowstone, which has both a high level of wildness, as well as abundant creatures that wolves hunt and eat for living. Some who oppose wolf restoration have a human centered point of view that the earth is here for humans, we can use it whenever we want and for whatever purpose. But wolves offer us a chance to live another way—a way to learn to live with other life forms. |
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Against: Larry Bouret, Vice President, Wyoming Farm Bureau What does wolf introduction to Yellowstone mean? To the average citizen it probably just means introducing wolves to Yellowstone. There would be no unfavorable effects because few people live near Yellowstone. But to farmers it means introducing wolves, which wander over vast areas—in and out of the park—onto their farms. Wolves eat meat—as in the cattle, sheep that keep farmers in business. Introduction apparently also means lawsuits by environmental groups attempting to remove livestock from federal lands. To farmers, who own private lands in the same area, it means the possibility of financial ruin. To farmers it is a form of land use restrictions. To farmers introducing wolves means taking away the farmers’ livelihoods without just compensation. Why do people not want a nuclear power plant built in their backyard? For the same reason farmers do not want wolves introduced into their backyard. |
What are the two passages mainly about?
| A．Whether to remove livestock away from federal lands. |
| B．Whether to introduce wolves to Yellowstone. |
| C．How to increase the number of wolves. |
| D．How to keep the balance of nature. |
According to the passage Doug Smith is _______.
| A．a national park administrator. |
| B．a wildlife conservationist. |
| C．an enthusiastic hunter. |
| D．a private land owner. |
What are the farmers concerned about?
| A．Being controlled by wolves. |
| B．Having to sell their farmland. |
| C．Suffering heavy financial loss. |
| D．Being forced to leave their homes. |
Why does Larry Bouret mention “nuclear power plant”?
| A．To summarize his opinion. |
| B．To make his view persuasive. |
| C．To tell the danger of nuclear power plant. |
| D．To introduce the background of wolf recovery. |
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