The Internet has revolutionized our lives to such an extent that for most people, the global network has become more than just a tool but rather an indispensable aid in everyday life. More and more people go online as wireless networks have brought the Internet closer and closer: it's on our mobile phones, in our cars and TV sets, in hospital surgery rooms and in fishing boats that battle the waves of the Atlantic.
And this revolution has brought along with it a new way of shopping. Both big and small, e-commerce websites have literally flooded the Internet by the hundreds of thousands. Anything you can buy from a brick and mortar store(实体店) you can also buy online: from food and clothes to guns and bombs, no matter what you're looking for, you're bound to find the right online store with just a few clicks of the mouse.
This revolution has sent cold trembles down the backbones of brick and mortar business owners. And what was their reaction? They've opened online stores to go hand in hand with their conventional businesses. Nowadays, every "Mom and Pop's" cheesecake store also has a website. In a recent survey, 68% of small business owners have stated that they are scared of being put out of business by the powerful flood that e-commerce has become. So it's no wonder many of them have decided to join the revolution and establish some kind of an online presence even though most of them have stated that they dislike the Internet.
But do the big players have reasons to be afraid? Are we going to start seeing ghostly, deserted Wal-Marts across the country? Probably not in the near future but the day will come when most people will just stop shopping offline anymore. A trip to Wal-Marts wastes time, burns gas and sometimes adds a few extra dots on the stress counter.
The recent advancements in mobile technology and the introduction of mobile phones with improved web capabilities has even made some people order their groceries when they get out from work and have them delivered at their doorstep by the time they get home. And as "Time is money", this practice is lifesaving for people who work two jobs.
Technology will continue to advance and e-commerce will follow closely in its footsteps. Everything will become easier and less time consuming, leaving us more time to enjoy the things that really matter in life: the ones we love, our friends and hobbies.What is Para. 1 mainly about?
| A．The popularity of mobile phones. |
| B．The great impact of the Internet. |
| C．The importance of the Internet. |
| D．The function of the global network. |
In response to the threat of online business, the brick-and-mortar store owners .
| A．have stopped their traditional businesses |
| B．have stated their dislike of the Internet |
| C．have established their own website |
| D．have opened their online stores |
According to Para 5, the greatest benefit of online shopping is .
| A．to save time | B．to follow the fashion |
| C．to release pressure | D．to protect environment |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A New Way of Shopping. |
| B．The Internet Revolution. |
| C．What is the Reaction to Online Shopping? |
| D．Is Online Shopping the Future of E-commerce? |
A growing number of health, hunger, and sustainable （可持续的）agriculture groups today announced plans for Food Day-a nationwide campaign to change the way Americans eat and think about food．Food Day will encourage people around the country to sponsor or participate in activities that encourage Americans to “eat real” and support healthy, affordable food grown in a sustainable, humane way．
Organizers hope Food Day will inspire Americans to hold thousands of events in schools, college campuses, houses of worship and even in private homes aimed at fixing America’s food system．A Food Day event could be as small as a parent organizing a vegetable identification contest at a kindergarten class-or as massive as a rally（集会）in a city park, with entertainment and healthy food．Health departments, city councils and other policy makers could use Food Day to launch campaigns, hold hearings, or otherwise address communities food problems．
The campaign will advocate progress toward five central goals:
·Reducing diet-related disease by promoting healthy foods．The American diet is too low in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and too high in fatty meat, soft drinks and salty packaged and restaurant foods-contributing to hundreds of thousands of premature deaths each year．
·Supporting sustainable farms and stopping subsidies to agribusiness．Billions of federal dollars a year would be better spent helping environmentally conscious family farmers than hugeagribusiness operations．
·Expanding access to food and alleviating hunger．Far too many Americans don’t know where their next meal is coming from, or have access to fresh produce in their neighborhood．
·Reforming factory farms to protect animals and the environment．Farming of animals can and should be done without cruelty, and without degrading the quality of life．
·Curbing junk-food marketing to kids．Food companies should not be targeting children with foods that promote tooth decay, obesity and other health problems．What is the best title of the text?
| A．Food Day Campaign | B．Eat Real and Keep fit |
| C．How to Observe Food Day | D．Food Problems in the USA |
What can we learn from Paragraph 2?
| A．Food problems are not easy to deal with． |
| B．Food Day events should be held in public places． |
| C．Kindergarten kids are unable to identify vegetables． |
| D．People are invited to create their own Food Day events． |
One of the aims of Food Day is to ____．
| A．target children with junk food | B．operate more agribusiness |
| C．increase access to food | D．cancel a series of events |
The underlined word "curbing" in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to “ ”．
| A．controlling | B．enlarging | C．evaluating | D．providing |
We can infer from the text that _____．
| A．Food Day will not help preserve natural resources． |
| B．Food Day can be an opportunity to solve food problems． |
| C．Food Day has so far achieved all the central goals． |
| D．there are different ideas and views about Food Day． |
What makes a house a home?
Not size, of course．I’ve been in some of the grandest houses in America, and it’s readily apparent no one lives there．Earlier this year, I had dinner in a mud hut in Ethiopia, where we sat on chairs next to the hostess’ bed -- a home that had more warmth than any house I’ve been in since．
Now John Edwards is exploring what makes a house a home in his just-released Home: The Blueprints of Our Lives．There Edwards writes, " This is a book about homes, the values they rest on, the dreams they are filled with, and the people they have shaped．The houses and circumstances are different, but much of what you find inside will be familiar．"
Whether you’re sitting in an airport right now, waiting to fly to your childhood home for Thanksgiving, or in your own home waiting for the relatives to arrive, you know what he’s talking about．
We’ve lived in our townhouse for 21 years．The loose windows that make noise in the wind．The fireplace so shallow it holds only one log．The kitchen window that offers a view of the world passing by．It’s where friends sit on the kitchen counter drinking wine while dinner is being fixed．I lived there for only 18, but it will always be my true home．Even the lamp in the west living room window, which I could see far down the road when driving home late at night, still shines．
While all this talk about childhood memories can be warm and comforting, home is whom you’re with, not where you are．As Edwards writes, "Home is family．Home is safety．Home is faith．"
Happy homecoming．What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Home Means Everything | B．What’s Inside Makes Us Feel at Home |
| C．Home: The Blueprints of Our Lives | D．The Importance of the Home |
The purpose of the second paragraph is to __
| A．mean the author likes living in grandest houses |
| B．prove the author got along well with the hostess |
| C．mean the feeling of home isn’t related to the size |
| D．show the author’s different feelings about houses |
About the book Home: The Blueprints of Our Lives, we know that __
| A．it was the description of Edwards’ houses |
| B．it is mainly about houses |
| C．it helps us understand the concept of home |
| D．it was written by the author of the text |
What did the author mainly mean when he mentioned the loose windows and the shallow fireplace ?
| A．His house was too old to live in． | B．He missed the feelings of home． |
| C．He hated living there． | D．He missed his old friends too much． |
It can be inferred according to the text that __
| A．the author’s family were very rich | B．every happy home is the same |
| C．the author has been living a hard life | D．the author and Edwards hold similar ideas |
WHAT happens to a teenage kid when the world he thought he knew suddenly changes? Find out in Little Brother by American author Cory Doctorow．It is a fascinating book for a new generation of sci-fi readers．
Marcus Yallow, 17, from San Francisco is much more comfortable in front of a computer than obeying the rules of society．Smart, fast and wise to the ways of the networked world, he has no trouble outwitting （骗过） his high school’s monitoring system．This way he and his friends get to head off to play a popular online game in real life．
While they are playing, a bomb explodes on the Bay Bridge．Marcus stops a military vehicle to get help for his injured friend, but this simple act throws him into a Department of Homeland Security （DHS） secret prison．There he is treated as a possible terrorist．He is eventually let go after four days, but his injured friend disappears．
When he returns, Marcus discovers that there are many "security measures" in place and that now all citizens are treated like potential terrorists．While some consider this government action necessary for public safety, Marcus sees this as a complete destruction of the rights he is supposed to have as a citizen．
He knows that no one will believe his story, which leaves him with only one thing to do: to take down the DHS himself．He helps organize a large network called Xnet to spread the truth, anonymously （匿名地）．
The book presents a young man who is irresponsible, but learns about himself, and grows, in the course of the story．As part of this learning and growing he becomes aware of very serious issues about his society．What kind of article does this passage belong to?
| A．A fascinating story | B．A book review |
| C．A News report | D．A TV programme |
The underlined word “destruction” in the passage means ．
| A．damage | B．reward | C．ruin | D．protection |
Marcus Yallow was sent to prison because ．
| A．he killed his friend |
| B．he bombed a military vehicle |
| C．he did something that a possible terrorist could do |
| D．his injured friend disappeared |
From the second paragraph we can infer that ．
| A．Marcus Yallow is much more comfortable obeying the rules of society |
| B．Marcus Yallow is smart, fast and wise in real life |
| C．Marcus Yallow always plays online games in real life |
| D．Marcus Yallow is expert at the network world |
At the end of the book, Marcus Yallow ．
| A．is supposed to be more irresponsible |
| B．becomes aware of very serious issues about his society |
| C．presents a young man who is irresponsible |
| D．plays a popular online game in real life |
Winners Club
You choose to be a winner!
The Winners Club is a bank account specially designed for teenagers. It has been made to help you better manage your money. The Winners Club is a transaction account (交易账户) where you receive a key – card so you can get to your money 24/7 – that’s 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
It’s a club with impressive features for teenagers:
●No account keeping fees!
You’re no millionaire so we don’t expect you to pay large fees. In fact, there are no account keeping or transaction fees!
●Excellent interest rates!
You want your money to grow. The Winners Club has a good rate of interest which gets even better if you make at least two deposits (储蓄) without taking them out in a month.
●Convenient
Teenagers are busy – we get that. You may never need to come to a bank at all. With the Winners Club you can choose to use handy tellers and to bank from home using the phone and the Internet … You can have money directly deposited into your Winners Club account. This could be your pocket money or your pay from your part – time job!
●Mega magazine included
Along with your regular report, you will receive a FREE magazine full of good ideas to make even more of your money. There are also fantastic offers and competitions only for Winners Club members.
The Winners Club is a great choice for teenagers. And it is so easy to join. Simply fill in an application form. You will have to get permission from your parent or guardian (so we can organize that cool key – card) but it is easy. We can’t want to hear from you. It’s the best way to choose to be a winner!The Winners Club is a bank account intended for .
| A．parents | B．teenagers | C．winners | D．adults |
Which of the following is TRUE about the Winners Club?
| A．Special gifts are ready for parents. |
| B．The bank opens only on work days. |
| C．Services are convenient for its members. |
| D．Fees are necessary for the account keeping. |
The Winners Club provides magazines which .
| A．encourage spending |
| B．are free to all teenagers |
| C．are full of adventure stories |
| D．help to make more of your money |
If you want to be a member of the Club, you must .
| A．be an Internet user |
| B．be permitted by your parent |
| C．have a big sum of money |
| D．be in your twenties |
What is the purpose of this text?
| A．To set up a club. |
| B．To provided part – time jobs. |
| C．To organize key – cards. |
| D．To introduce a new banking service. |
Christopher Thomas, 27, was a writer by night and a teacher by day when he noticed he was always tired and was losing weight fast. Diagnosed with diabetes(糖尿病), Thomas would need to inject himself with insulin(胰岛素) three times a day for the rest of his life or risk nerve damage, blindness, and even death. And if that weren’t bad enough, he had no health insurance.
After a month of feeling upset, Thomas decided he’d better find a way to fight back. He left Canton, Michigan for New York, got a job waiting tables, nicknamed himself the Diabetic Rockstar, and created diabeticrockstar.com, a free online community for diabetics and their loved ones—a place where over 1,100 people share personal stories, information, and resources.
Jason Swencki’s son, Kody, was diagnosed with type diabetes at six. Father and son visit the online children’s forums(论坛) together most evenings. "Kody gets so excited, writing to kids from all over," says Swencki, one of the site’s volunteers. "They know what he’s going through, so he doesn’t feel alone."
Kody is anything but alone: Diabetes is now the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, with 24 million diagnosed cases. And more people are being diagnosed at younger ages.
These days, Thomas’s main focus is his charity（慈善机构）, Fight It, which provides medicines and supplies to people—225 to date—who can’t afford a diabetic’s huge expenses. Fight-it.org has raised about $23,000—in products and in cash. In May, Thomas will hold the first annual Diabetic Rockstar Festival in the Caribbean.
Even with a staff of 22 volunteers, Thomas often devotes up to 50 hours a week to his cause, while still doing his full-time job waiting tables. "Of the diabetes charities out there, most are putting money into finding a cure," says Bentley Gubar, one of Rockstar’s original members. "But Christopher is the only person I know saying people need help now."Which of the following is true of Christopher Thomas?
| A．He needs to go to the doctor every day. |
| B．He studies the leading cause of diabetes |
| C．He has a positive attitude to this disease. |
| D．He encourages diabetics by writing articles. |
Diabeitcrockstar.com was created for _________.
| A．diabetics to communicate | B．volunteers to find jobs |
| C．children to amuse themselves | D．rock stars to share resources. |
According to the text, Kody ______.
| A．feel lonely because of his illness |
| B．benefits from diabeticrockstar.com |
| C．helps create the online kid’s forums |
| D．writes children’s stories online |
What can we learn about Fight It?
| A．It helps the diabetics in financial difficulties. |
| B．It organizes parties for volunteer once a year. |
| C．It offers less expensive medicine to diabetics. |
| D．It owns a well-known medical website. |
The last paragraph suggests that Thomas ______.
| A．works full-time in a diabetes charity |
| B．employs 22 people for his website |
| C．helps diabetics in his own way |
| D．ties to find a cure for diabetes |
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