The 4G mobile phones have been made available for some time and are now on hot sale. Quite a few customers are attracted by the much quicker access to the Internet and some new fancy features or functions and some people just want to keep pace with fashion.
By today's standards, my mobile phone is pretty rubbish. It's a Nokia 1616. If that doesn't mean much to you (it's not the kind of phone you see advertised on television), all you need to know is that it's a small, not very heavy device with which you can send and receive telephone calls and text messages. It also has a very handy flashlight on the top for when you can't find your keys, or when you drop something on the floor in the cinema. Other than that, my phone doesn't do much. Well, it has an alarm, and it probably has a calculator and things like that, but it's nothing compared to a smartphone. Why would I want one of those?
I have often been told that the big advantage of having a smartphone is that "you can do everything with them!" But when was the last time you saw someone doing "everything" with a smartphone? Okay, so they may have an endless list of functions, but generally they are used for checking social networking sites, playing games, and receiving and replying to emails. I'm happy just doing all of those things at home on my laptop.
As far as I can tell, the best thing about having a smartphone is that you can be connected to the internet all the time. Don't get me wrong. I love the internet, but I just don't see the point of constantly being online. I can't remember the last time I received a Facebook update which was so urgent that I had to read it as soon as it appeared, and I can't imagine ever having a job which was so important that I would need to read work-related emails immediately. I would think that if someone needed me urgently, they would just ring me rather than send an email. And my trusty Nokia can manage that.
One of the most peculiar effects of the smartphone is, in my opinion, the newly-found addiction to maps and navigation (导航) systems. Is there anything more boring than knowing exactly where you are all of the time? How do you get to know an area if you don't get lost there a few times? And if you are dependant on online maps, what happens to those great places you find just by chance? You can't exactly find out from Google maps the journey from“here”to “that hidden cafe with the tasty-looking cakes", or to "that pond next to the church which looks really pretty in the evening sun. " It is, of course, true that we all occasionally need to be pointed in the right direction, but I find that there are often real life humans you can ask.
There are many benefits of having a very basic mobile phone, like the fact that it cost me about twenty pounds, and that I don't have to worry too much about it being stolen. But the main benefit has to be the fact that it provides me with the word “greatest excuse for my bad habits”. Whether it's turning up late to events, or getting lost on a trip, or missing buses or trains, or forgetting about an appointment at work, I'm pretty sure I'm covered with the following explanation "I'm really, sorry I don't have a smartphone."The writer uses his Nokia 1616 mainly to __________.
| A．play online games |
| B．do calculating work |
| C．make calls and text messages |
| D．check social network sites |
It can be inferred from the above passage that__________.
| A．work-related emails should be answered immediately |
| B．a Facebook update is usually very important |
| C．smartphones should always be connected to the net |
| D．a laptop and a smartphone share many functions |
According to the passage, if you use navigation systems, you may __________.
| A．find a boring trip actually exciting |
| B．miss some really wonderful places |
| C．be persuaded to eat in a certain café |
| D．be misled to a totally wrong place |
To the writer, one benefit of having a basic mobile phone is that__________.
| A．it can be used as an excuse for his bad habits |
| B．it can often be found back after it is stolen |
| C．it can remind him of important appointments |
| D．it can save him the trouble of catching trains |
A farmer had a cow. He took very good care of this cow and one day when it was ill, he was very worried. He telephoned the vet.
“What’s the problem?” The vet asked him when he arrived.
“My cow’s ill,” the farmer said. “I don’t know what's the matter with her. She’s lying down and won’t eat. She’s making a strange noise.”
The vet looked over the cow. "She’s certainly ill," he said, "and she needs to take some very strong medicine."
He took a bottle out of his box, put two pills into his hand and said, "Give her these. The pills should make her better."
“How should I give them to her?” the farmer asked.
The vet gave him a tube (管子)and said, "Put this tube in her mouth, then put the pills in the tube and blow. That’ll make it."
The next day the vet came to the farm again. The farmer was sitting outside his house and looked more worried.
“How’s your cow?” the vet asked.
“No change,” the farmer said, “and I’m feeling very strange myself.”
“Oh?” the vet said, "Why?"
“I did what you said,” the farmer answered. “I put the tube in the cow’s mouth and then put two pills down it.”
“And?” the vet asked.
“The cow blew first,” the farmer said.In the story, the vet must be _________.
| A．the farmer's friend | B．a milk factory |
| C．a hospital for cows | D．a doctor for animals |
The farmer asked the vet for help when his cow _______
| A．couldn't lie down | B．didn't eat the pills |
| C．couldn't make any noise | D．was ill |
What medicine did the vet give the farmer?
| A．Bottle of pills. | B．A long tube. | C．Two pills. | D．A small box. |
The vet taught the farmer how _________.
| A．to blow the tube |
| B．to make the cow take the pills |
| C．to take the medicine |
| D．to put the tube in his mouth |
Which of the following is true?
| A．The farmer ate the pills himself. |
| B．The cow got better after taking the medicine. |
| C．The vet came to help the farmer change the cow the next day. |
| D．The farmer waited for the vet outside his house the next day. |
Hobbs was an orphan（孤儿）. He worked in a factory and every day he got a little money. Hard work made him thin and weak. He wanted to borrow a lot of money to learn to paint pictures, but he did not think he could pay off the debts.
One day a lawyer said to him, “One thousand dollars, and here is the money.” As Hobbs took the package of notes, he was very dumbfounded. He didn’t know where the money came from and how to spend it. He said to himself, “I could go to find a hotel and live like a rich man for a few days; or I give up my work in the factory and do what I’d like to do: painting pictures. I could do that for a few weeks, but what would I do after that? I should have lost my place in the factory and have no money to live on. If it were a little less money, I would buy a new coat, or a radio, or give a dinner to my friends. If it were more, I could give up the work and pay for painting pictures. But it’s too much for one and too little for the other.”
“Here is the reading of your uncle’s will（遗嘱）,” said the lawyer, “telling what is to be done with this money after his death. I must ask you to remember one point. Your uncle has said you must bring me a paper showing exactly what you did with his money, as soon as you have spent it.”
“Yes, I see. I’ll do that,” said the young man.Hobbs wanted to borrow money to _______.
| A．study abroad | B．work abroad |
| C．pay off the debts | D．learn to paint pictures |
What does the underlined word “dumbfounded” （in Paragraph 2） probably mean?
| A．Surprised. | B．Frightened. | C．Satisfied. | D．Excited. |
With the money he got, at first Hobbs _______.
| A．planned to have a happy life for a few days |
| B．decided to give up his work in the factory |
| C．was to give a dinner to his friends |
| D．had no idea what to do |
Hobbs was asked to _______.
| A．tell the lawyer what he did with the money after spending it |
| B．read his uncle’s will |
| C．tell his uncle what was to be done with the money |
| D．buy some pictures |
How much money did Hobbs get?
| A． one hundred dollars | B． one thousand dollars |
| C． one thousand pounds | D． one thousand dollar |
Henry Ford was the first person to build cars which were cheap，strong and fast．He was able to se11 millions of models because he could produce them in large numbers at a time；that is，he made a great many cars of exactly the same kind． Ford’s father hoped that his son would become a farmer，but the young man did not like the idea and he went to Detroit（底特律）where he worked as a mechanic（机械师）．By the age of 29，in 1892，he had built his first car．However，the car made in this way，the famous “Model T” did not appear until 1908-----five years after Ford had started his great motor car factory．This car showed to be so well-known that it remained unchanged for twenty years．Since Ford’s time，this way of producing cars in large numbers has become common in industry and has reduced the price of many goods which would otherwise be very expensive．Henry Ford was the man to built _____ cars．
| A．cheap and strong | B．cheap and long |
| C．fast and expensive | D．strong and slow |
Ford was able to sell millions of cars，because_____．
| A．he made many great cars |
| B．his cars are many |
| C．he made lots of cars of the same kind |
| D．both A and B |
The young man became a mechanic，_______．
| A．which was his father’s will |
| B．which was against his own will |
| C．which was against his father’s will |
| D．which was the will of both |
The “Model T” was very famous_____．
| A．before 1908 | B．between 1982 and 1908 |
| C．before 1892 | D．after 1908 |
Ford built his own car factory_____?
| A．in 1903 | B．in 1908 | C．in 1913 | D．in 1897 |
One day a student went to see his teacher. He had been given an important position and now was coming to say goodbye to his teacher. The old man asked him how he would live among high officials. The student answered, “ I will be all right. I have prepared a hundred high hats, one for each official I will meet. I am sure I will succeed.” The teacher got angry on hearing this. “What?” he cried. “Is this what ten years of my teaching has made of you? Nothing but flatterer(拍马屁的人)?” “Excuse me, honored(尊敬的) master,” the student rose to his feet and apologized hurriedly. “But you have always been absorbed in(沉浸于) your studies and don’t know how vulgar(庸俗的) the world has come to be. There are few men in the world who are above flatterers like you.” “There is something true in what you said,” the teacher nodded, smiling with one of the student’s “high hats” on.The student came to say goodbye to his teacher because_____________.
| A．he had got hundred hats to sell |
| B．he had got a fairly high position in society |
| C．he wanted to see his parents in his home town |
| D．he moved away to another city |
The student would live among high officials by___________.
| A．selling hats to them |
| B．making a hundred hats for them |
| C．flattering them |
| D．serving them |
The teacher was angry with__________.
| A．himself | B．the society | C．his student | D．high officials |
The phrase “rose to his feet” means________.
| A．stood up | B．kicked with his feet |
| C．became quite excited | D．raised his feet |
The teacher____________.
| A．liked to be flattered as well |
| B．really knew nothing about the vulgar world |
| C．was in need of a high hat |
| D．was satisfied with the new hat |
| A.Decide to Be Happy B.Lower Your Expectations C.Learn to Enjoy the Moment D. Look for the Good in Everything E. Let People Deal with Their Own Problems F. Focus More on What You Can Control Than on What You Can’t |
So many times I hear people say that they will be happy once a certain event occurs. They think that once they move into a new house, start their new job, travel or retire they will be happy. But it doesn’t work that way.
If you truly want to be happy, here’s what to do.
| 1 |
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You are not just a victim of circumstances or your emotions. Think about it this way. If you are in a horrible argument with someone, and the person you most respect enters the room, what will happen? The fighting will likely stop immediately, your mood will change, and so will your behavior. You do have control, and you are the one who decides how you will face the day!
| 2 |
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We are never disappointed unless we have expectations. If you base your emotions on the need for certain things to happen, you will likely be let down most of the time. Instead, work hard, and treat everything good that happens as a bonus for which you can be thankful.
| 3 |
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Don’t get too wrapped up in issues involving friends or family. We are each responsible for our own lives, and even when someone makes a bad mistake, it is not up to you to make things better. And remember that worry doesn’t help anyone!
| 4 |
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You might not be satisfied with your income, but there’s no point complaining about it. Improve your diploma so that you can get a better job in the future. You may have an incurable illness, such as diabetes, but the fact that it’s incurable doesn’t mean that it cannot be managed.
| 5 |
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You don’t have to be a Pollyanna(盲目乐观者)about life, but you can see the bright side of almost every situation if you just make a point of looking for it. Happiness is not an uncatchable mouse! Once you have made up your mind that you are going to be happy despite what is going on around you, the task becomes easier. One of the key things to remember is that happiness doesn’t come from outside but begins on the inside and actually spread outward, and can influence everyone around you in a positive manner.
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