Try imagining what the world will be like in the year 3000. Some serious thinkers are starting to imagine just that.
Bart: I don’t know that present-day electronic chips are, but some sort of chips — I’d guess maybe plastic. Our three-pound brain is definitely a wonder, perhaps the greatest wonder of natural biology. In this coming century, we’ll be re-engineering the brain a piece at a time, first with implants（植入物） and finally engineering an complete replacement. There’s no question that in the distant future we’ll play the music of the mind on instruments different from the current ones. So, yes, chips are our destiny (命运).
Edward: In 3000 perhaps the biggest difference from today is that there will be no more men. Females can have female children, without any need for men. In about ten years, we’ll find the cocktail that women can take to have female children. There’ll be no need for men at all.
Greg: What is Heaven? Heaven’s a place where you can create worlds at will, and the ideal Heaven is where you run the whole thing yourself. The current means of getting to Heaven involve various supernatural systems for which, at this point, there’s no scientific evidence. So I think we can reduce Heaven to an engineering project which we’re doing. The demand for Heaven is great—witness the desire of every human heart, from the people who built the ancient pyramids to modern society, to live beyond one’s given time. Our plan is to change human consciousness from the brain to bits of information in a computer chip, or some other kind of computational medium, so that just by thinking we’ll be able to create our own personal world. And I think the first stage of Heaven will be the feeling world, and beyond that I think we’d find a higher, more spiritual plane.According to Bart, the brain may be the greatest wonder in the future because _______.
| A．it may weigh as much as 3 pounds |
| B．it may be driven by plastic chips |
| C．it may be replaced by robots |
| D．it may play the music of the mind |
What does Bart refer to by saying “chips are our destiny”?
| A．Chips are our last choice in the future. |
| B．Chips are on the way to controlling mind. |
| C．Chips are the production of future technology. |
| D．Chips are the implants in the distant future. |
In 3000, what about the population of the world?
| A．It will be all made up of females. |
| B．It will be larger than that of present. |
| C．It will mainly consists of children. |
| D．It will be reduced by a drink of cocktail. |
According to Greg, Heaven in the future is a place where ________.
| A．your scientific idea exists |
| B．you have once traveled |
| C．your own thought travels |
| D．your material world is formed |
Trevor, C. O., Lansford, B. and Black, J. W., 2004, "Employee turnover (人事变更) and job performance: monitoring the influences of salary growth and promotion", Journal of Armchair Psychology, vol. 113, no.1, pp. 56-64.
In this article Trevor et al. review the influences of pay and job opportunities in respect of job performance, turnover rates and employees' job attitude. The authors use data gained through organizational surveys of blue-chip companies in Vancouver, Canada to try to identify the main cause of employee turnover and whether it is linked to salary growth. Their research focuses on assessing a range of pay structures such as pay for performance and organizational reward plans. The article is useful as Trevor suggests that there are numerous reasons for employee turnover and a variety of differences in employees' job attitude and performance. The main limitation of the article is that the survey sample was restricted(限制) to mid-level management, thus the authors indicate that further, more extensive research needs to be undertaken to develop a more in-depth understanding of employee turnover and job performance. As this article was published in a professional journal, the findings can be considered reliable. It will be useful additional information for the research on pay structures.
The following card includes a brief summary and a short assessment of a research paper. It can provide a guide for further reading on the topic.The research paper published is primarily concerned with______.
| A．the way of preventing employee turnover |
| B．methods of improving employee performance |
| C．factors affecting employee turnover and performance |
| D．pay structures based on employee performance |
As is mentioned in the card, the limitation of the research paper mainly lies in that_______.
| A．the data analysis is hardly reliable |
| B．the research sample is not wide enough |
| C．the findings are of no practical value |
| D．the research method is out-of-date |
Who might be most interested in this piece of information?
| A．Job hunters. |
| B．Employees in blue-chip companies. |
| C．Mid-level managers. |
| D．Researchers on employee turnover. |
Description
Tap the Apple Store app on your iPhone or iPod touch, and you can do all things Apple. Buy Apple products and accessories (配件) and read customer reviews. Add free laser engraving and choose signature gift wrap on select products to make your items even more special. Find Apple Retail Stores, reserve select Apple products for pickup at your favorite store, and request help when you are at the store. Schedule Genius Bar and One to One reservations and check in for them when you arrive.
The Apple Store app is also the easiest way to buy or reserve your new iPhone — right from your current iPhone. You can do it in just a few taps, without entering your AT&T account information. Order your new iPhone from the Apple Online Store and it's shipped to you free and ready to use. Or reserve your new iPhone, pick it up at an Apple Retail Store, and we'll set it up for you in minutes.
Apple Online Store Features
- Explore new and featured products from Apple.
- Buy a new iPhone and other Apple products, accessories, and software.
- Add free personal engraving to any new iPad or iPod.
- Choose signature gift wrapping for any iPad or iPod, select Mac notebooks, and select Apple software and accessories.
- Read customer reviews and get answers to product questions.
Apple Retail Store Features
- Reserve iPhone and other select products for pick up.
- Request help, check in for reservations, and receive meet-up alerts when you are at a store (iOS 4 required).
- Make Genius Bar and One to One reservations.
- Sign up for workshops and events.
What's New in Version 1.1
- Add engraving and gift wrapping to select purchases from the Apple Online Store.
- Reserve products for pickup at an Apple Retail Store.
- Check in for reservations and request help within stores (iOS 4 required).
- Add Apple Retail Store reservations directly to iCal.
Please note: With Location Services on and the Apple Store app open, Apple will use your location to identify nearby Apple Retail Stores and to offer additional services when you are in a store. If you have previously selected the Apple Store app using location but do not want this new feature, you can update your Location Services preferences in General Settings.The text is intended to ________.
| A．recommend a new product of Apple |
| B．inform the readers of Apple Store |
| C．describe the function of Apple Store |
| D．offer additional services to the customers of Apple Store |
Tap the Apple Store app on your iPhone, and you can ________.
| A．buy Apple products only | B．get to any Apple Retail Store |
| C．reserve iPhone products for pickup | D．request help wherever you are |
Which of the following is NOT the advantage of Apple Online Store?
| A．Reserve your new iPhone without entering your AT&T account information. |
| B．Order your new iPhone and it’s shipped to you free and ready to use. |
| C．Reserve your new iPhone and pick it up at an Apple Retail Store conveniently. |
| D．Check in for reservations, and receive meet-up alerts when you are at a store. |
The text is most probably taken from _______.
| A．a shopping website | B．a geography magazine |
| C．a science fiction | D．a touring brochure |
The British royal family is about to be slimmed down. The queen plans to reduce the number of real royals, as was recently announced. However, there seems little sign of the monarchy (君主) disappearing completely．
Up till the 17th century, the British king or queen was believed to rule by “divine (神的) right”, which was the idea that God chose the king or queen to rule and that he or she was therefore above the law. However, this idea ended with the English Revolution, in which King Charles I was imprisoned and then killed in 1649．
So what role does the British royal family have today?
Well, the Queen has important formal duties: as Head of State, the Queen represents the UK on visits abroad and invites other world leaders to visit the UK. As Head of the Armed Forces, only the Queen can declare when the UK is at war or when war is over. The Queen also has constitutional duties: She has to sign many government and Commonwealth documents every day.
In addition, the royal family spends a great deal of its time traveling up and down the country in support of different charity projects. But the public in Britain do not believe there should be a royal family. Sometimes, the press and media criticize the royal family as well. One criticism is that British people should not have to pay for the royal family through their taxes．
Today, the royal family works hard to be relevant in the modern world. The queen’s speech on TV is less formal every Christmas, and is now available as a podcast (播客). In 2005, after graduation from university, Prince William spent time teaching English in Uruguay, the sort of work many young British people do at some time in their lives．What can be concluded from the first two paragraphs?
| A．The British king or queen is no longer believed to rule by divine right． |
| B．The British king or queen is about to become common people． |
| C．The English Revolution put an end to the British royal family in 1649． |
| D．The royal family’s role was most important in Britain in the 17th century． |
Which of the following is NOT among formal duties of the Queen?
| A．Declaring when the UK is at war． |
| B．Travelling around the world for charity projects. |
| C．Inviting other world leaders to visit the UK． |
| D．Signing Commonwealth documents every day． |
Prince William is mentioned in the passage to show that ________．
| A．he is popular in the UK |
| B．many young British people do voluntary work |
| C．he has tried to win young people’s admiration |
| D．the royal family is trying to change their image |
We can infer from the passage that ________．
| A．British people are all in favor of the royal family |
| B．the British royal family are facing surviving challenges |
| C．the public are encouraged to oppose the royal family |
| D．British youths are required to teach English in Uruguay in their lives |
Between the innocence of babyhood and seriousness of manhood we find a delightful creature called a “boy”. Boys come in different sizes, weights, and colors, but all boys have the same belief: to enjoy every second of every minute of every hour of every day and to fill the air with noise until the adult males pack them off to bed at night.
Boys are found everywhere –--- on top of, under, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around, or jumping to this and that! Mothers spoil them, little girls hate them, older sisters and brothers love them, and God protects them. A boy is TRUTH with dirt on its face, BEAUTY with a cut on its finger, WISDOM with chocolate in its hair, and HOPE of the future with a snake in its pocket.
When you are busy, a boy is a trouble-maker and a noise. When you want him to make a good impression, his brain turns to jelly or else he becomes a wild creature bent on destroying the world and himself with it.
A boy with mixture---he has the stomach of a horse, the digestion of stones and sand, the energy of an atomic bomb, the curiosity of a cat, the imagination of a superwoman, the shyness of a sweet girl, the brave nature of a bull, the violence of a firecracker, but when you ask him to make something, he has five thumbs on each hand.
He likes ice cream, knives, saws, Christmas, comic books, woods, water (in its natural habitat), large animals, Dad, trains, Saturday morning, and fire engines. He is not much for girls, overcoats, adults, or bedtime.
Nobody else is so early to rise, or so late to supper. Nobody else gets so much fun out of trees, dogs, and breezes. Nobody else can put into one pocket a rusty knife, a half eaten apple, a three-foot rope, six cents and some unknown things.
A boy is a magical creature----he is your headache but when you come home at night with only shattered pieces of your hopes and dreams, he can mend them like new with two magic words, “Hi, Dad!”The whole passage is in a tone of________.
| A．humor and love |
| B．respect and harmony |
| C．ambition and expectation |
| D．confidence and imagination |
What does the underlined sentence in Para.4 probably mean?
| A．He has altogether five fingers. |
| B．He is slow, foolish and clumsy. |
| C．He has become clever and smart. |
| D．He cuts his hand with a knife. |
What does the writer feel about boyhood?
| A．Curious. | B．Tiring. | C．Delightful. | D．Unsafe. |
The writer is probably ___________.
| A．A envious sister |
| B．A sharply observant father |
| C．A appreciative fond mother |
| D．A spoiled naughty kid |
It was a bitter cold evening in northern Virginia many years ago. The old man’s beard was glazed by winter’s frost while he waited for a ride across the river. The wait seemed endless. His body became numb and stiff from the frigid north wind.
It was long before he heard the faint, steady rhythm of hooves (马蹄) along the frozen path. Anxiously watching several horsemen coming up, he let the first one pass by without any effort to get his attention, then another passed by, and another. Finally, the last rider drew near where the old man sat like a snow statue when old man caught his eyes and said, “Sir, would you mind giving an old man a ride to the other side?”
Stopping his horse, the rider replied, “Sure! Jump aboard.” Seeing the old man unable to lift his half-frozen body from the ground, the horseman got down to help him. The horseman took him not just across the river, but to his destination just a few miles away.
As they approached the tiny but cozy cottage, the horseman’s curiosity caused him to inquire, “Sir, I noticed you let several other riders pass by without making an effort to secure a ride. Then I came up and you immediately asked me for a ride. I am curious why, on such a bitter night, you would wait and ask the last rider. What if I had refused and left you here?”
The old man looked the rider straight in the eyes and replied, “I reckon I know people pretty good. I looked into the eyes of the other riders and immediately found no concern for my situation. It would have been useless even to ask them for a ride. But when I looked into your eyes, your gentle spirit would welcome the opportunity to give me assistance in my time of need.”
Those heart-warming comments touched the horseman deeply. “I’m so grateful for what you have said,” he told the old man. “May I never get too busy in my own affairs that I fail to respond to the needs of others with kindness and compassion.”
With that, Thomas Jefferson turned his horse around and made his way back to the White House.Why didn’t the old man ask the previous riders for a ride?
| A．Because he was waiting for the last rider. |
| B．Because his efforts failed to get their attention. |
| C．Because he assumed they had no concern for him. |
| D．Because he was too numb to lift his half-frozen body. |
What caused the last rider to stop and help the old man?
| A．the old man’s poor situation |
| B．kindness and sympathy |
| C．his own affairs |
| D．The old man’s warm comments |
What do you know about the old man?
| A．He gave the last rider an opportunity to help. |
| B．He lived in a cozy cottage a few miles away. |
| C．He judged people by looking into their eyes. |
| D．He recognized the president at first sight. |
Which can be the best title of this text?
| A．look into your eyes | B．compassion of a great man |
| C．the last rider to help | D．return to the White House |
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