LastyearIruinedmysummervacatio

更新 2022-09-03
科目英语
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Last year I ruined my summer vacation－a two-week vacation at my wife’s family cabin on a lake in northern Ontario, located at the boundary of the US and Canada－by bringing along a modern convenience that was too convenient for my own good: the iPad.
Instead of admiring the beauty of nature, I checked e-mail. Instead of paddling an old canoe, I followed my Twitter feed. Instead of devouring great (or merely amusing) novels, I stuck to my workday diet of four newspapers each morning.
And that was the problem: I was behaving as if I were still in the office, sticking to the unending news cycle. My body was on vacation but my head wasn’t.
So this year I made up my mind to try something different, a social media experiment in reverse: withdrawal from the Internet. Could I manage to unplug?
I knew it wouldn’t be easy, since I’m not good at self-denial. But I was determined. I started with a physical restraint: handing the iPad to my wife, who helpfully announced that she was going to use it to read a 630-page novel for her book club and would not be inclined to relinquish the tablet for even a moment.
Then, a stroke of luck: The cell phone signal at the Canadian cabin was spottier than in the past, making my attempts at cheating an experience in frustration.
I was trapped, forced to comply with my own good intentions. Largely cut off from e-mail, Twitter and my favorite newspaper websites, I had little way to connect to the world except for radio－and how much radio can one listen to, really?
I had no choice but to do what I had planned to do all along: read books. I experienced criminal plots on the streets of Los Angeles, cutthroat battles between cancer labs and the psyche of a London social butterfly in 1922. And there were old magazines to read.
I’m not claiming that I cut myself off from the Internet completely. Every few days, we biked into the nearest town and, as a reward, sat on a park bench in front of the public library to use its Wi-Fi. And back at the cabin, we suffered through a slow dial-up connection once a day to check e-mail.
This tale of self-denial has a happy ending－for now, at least. With determination and deep breathing, plus the strong support of my wife, I succeeded in my vacation struggle against the Internet, realizing finally that it was me, of course, not the iPad, that was the problem.
I knew I had won when we passed a Starbucks and my wife asked if I wanted to stop to use the Wi-Fi. “Don’t need it,” I said, trying not to sound too pleased.
However, as we return to post-vacation situation, a test begins: Can I stay on the wagon now that I’m back at work? There are times when the compulsion to know what’s being said right now is overwhelming (and for me, sometimes it’s crucial to my livelihood). And I have no intention of giving up my membership in the cult of immediacy. But I hope to resist the temptation to reflexively check my e-mail every five minutes, which often leads, as long as I’m looking, to checking my Twitter feed and a website or two.
A vacation is supposed to help you reset your brain to become more productive. Here’s hoping this one worked.
What ruined the writer’s trip last year?

A．That he was worn out because of the schedule.

B．That he forgot to bring amusing novels with him.

C．That he read too much newspaper last year.

D．That he was distracted by too many things unrelated to the trip.

What does the underlined word ‘restraint’ mean?

A．A calm and controlled behavior.

B．A relaxing move.

C．A strong determination.

D．An unshakable faith.

What did the writer do to get in touch with the outside world during the trip?

A．Reading online newspapers.

B．Following his friends’ Twitter.

C．Checking email every now and then.

D．Listening to the radio.

Why did the writer claim that his self-denial process have a happy ending?

A．He has completely turned down the Internet.

B．He gave up his habit of checking the latest news online.

C．He realized that his body was on vacation but his head wasn’t.

D．It dawned on him that it was people that are in control of their behavior.

What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Say no to electronic devices.

B．Relationships harmed by distractions.

C．Abandoned distractions ease break.

D．Things that can take your mind off.

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Since weeks ago, China has been involved in a worldwide A/H1N1 flu that has already killed more than 80 people in the middle of May, 2009, in Mexico and has turned into a global pandemic．
The central government has asked people entering China from the virus-hit countries to report flu-like symptoms(症状)to the authorities．In an emergency notice issued on Saturday night, the country’s top quality watchdog ordered the Customs to check passengers’ temperature, too．
A Beijing airport official Li said Customs officers are on a high alert(警戒)level．
“Three temperature detectors are now in operation．We’re ready with protection garments and equipment, too．Passengers flying in from Mexico and other A/H1N1 flu-hit countries are being monitored closely,” he said．
The Ministry of Health, however, said yesterday there was no evidence to suggest that a person would contract the disease by eating pork．
Hong Kong, too, has raised its alert level against the flu to “serious”．Secretary for Food＆Health, Mr．York Chow urged people to avoid visiting places from where A/H1N1 flu cases have been reported, and said the virus would be added to Hong Kong’s list of the diseases which have been noticed．
The terrible A/ H1N1 flu has been contracted by about 4000 people in Mexico, and most of the killed were aged between 25 and 45．
The virus has also infected about 5,000 people in the US．The US Center for Disease Control said this kind of virus is spreading from human to human, raising fears of a global pandemic．
53．What is the passage mainly about?
A．A/H1N1 flu killed more than 80 people．
B．A/H1N1 flu is spreading from human to human．
C．China has begun to take steps to prevent A/H1N1 flu．
D．All the people are strongly affected by A/H1 N1 flu．
54．The underlined word “pandemic” in the first paragraph probably means      ..
A．death    B．panic    C．enemy      D．disease
55．Why does the flu cause global fears?
A．Because most people in the world eat pork．
B．Because it’s spreading from human to human．
C．Because we still don’t know the cause of it．
D．Because it has infected about 5, 000 people．
56．We can infer from the passage that        ．
A．passengers from the United States are being monitored closely
B．a person would be infected by the virus by eating pork
C．students in the middle school are most likely infected by A/H1N1 flu
D．Mr．York Chow said that the virus had been added to Hong Kong’s list of the diseases

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Most of us think that when we step under a shower we’re getting clean．We are, but we’re also giving a home to lots of tiny little creatures we didn’t even know about．
A showerhead carries thousands of bacteria (细菌) called Mycobacterium．These can cause problems like coughs and tiredness, and a general feeling of poorliness (身体不舒服)．When you turn on the water, the bacteria go from the showerhead onto and into your body．
This is a finding of Norman R．Pace and his team at the University of Colorado, in the US．The scientists investigated bacteria in all kinds of human environment, including showers．
Pace's team looked at 45 showerheads in nine American cities．They discovered that 30 percent of them had large amounts of flying Mycobacterium．
But Pace said that they pose few threats to the health．Only those with a frail (脆弱的) immune (免疫的) system might need to worry．
He told the New York Times that the bactertia are not as unpleasant as might be thought．He said that having a shower is no more dangerous than anything else we do in the morning．
But for those who feel sick about the idea of all those microorganisms (微生物), he had some advice．
Let the water run for 30 seconds before getting into the shower．Why? The number of bacteria is smaller than when the water is just turned on．If that seems like a waste of water, he added that you could also change your showerhead every few months．
But Pace had good news too．He has also been testing the air in US subways．Apart from iron particles (粒子), which are ground off the track by the wheels of trains, subway air is fresh．The reason is that a train’s movement pumps fresh outdoor air into the tunnels(隧道)．
Pace explained that he wanted to understand the natural microbial(微生物的) environments of public places．This kind of knowledge might help detect the microbes to be used in a bioterrorist (生物恐怖分子) attack．
49．According to the finding of Norman R．Pace, after taking a shower, we might ______．
A．get much dirtier                B．be covered by bacteria
C．get a frail immune system      D．catch a cough or feel tired
50．Pace’s research into showers shows that ______．
A．there is no reason to fear microorganism
B．shower water contains much less bacteria after being left to run for 30 second
C．having a shower in the morning is more dangerous than at other time
D．of 45 showerheads surveyed in nine cities, 30 carried large amounts of Mycobacterium
51．According to the research of Pace’s team, which of the following contributes to fresh air in US subways?
A．Train wheels．               B．Iron particles．
C．The movement of the trains． D．Air conditioners on the trains．
52．The word “detect” in the last paragraph probably means “______”．
A．to discover      B．to protect        C．to make D．to prevent

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At the end of my senior year of high school, I got a job working at a local coffee shop．I thought the job would be easy and stress-free．I pictured myself pouring the best coffees, making delicious doughnuts (炸面包圈), and becoming friends with regular customers．
I wasn’t expecting the people with enormous orders, the women who complained that the coffee was much too creamy (含乳脂的), or the men who wanted their iced coffees remade again and again until they reached perfection．I couldn’t seem to please anyone．
One rainy day, one of my regular customers came in looking upset．He said he felt like getting in bed, pulling the sheets up over his head, and staying there for a few years．I knew exactly how he felt．
Before he left, I handed him a bag along with his iced coffee．He was surprised, since he hadn’t ordered anything but coffee．I had given him his favorite type of droughnut．
“It’s on me,” I told him．“Have a nice day．”
He smiled and thanked me before heading back out into the rain．
The next day, it was still raining．I spent my afternoon hanging out the window handing people their orders．I was completely wet and freezing cold．Worse, no one was tipping that day．Every time I looked into our empty tip jar, I grew more depressed．
In the evening, the customer from the day before drove up to the window．He handed me a pink rose and a note．He said that not many people took time to care about others and he was glad there were still people like me in the world．With a friendly wave, he drove away．
I ran to the back of the shop and read the note．It read:
Christine,
Thanks for being so sweet, kind and thoughtful yesterday．It is so nice to meet someone who’s indeed nice．Please don’t change your ways! Have a great day! –Hank
After that, whenever I felt depressed or sick of coffee, I thought of Hank and his kindness．Then I would smile, hold my head up high, clear my throat and ask politely, “How can I help you?”
45．Why wasn’t the writer happy with her job at first?
A．The customers didn’t tip her enough．
B．It was difficult to make iced coffee perfect．
C．Everybody had an enormous order．
D．The job didn’t turn out as she had expected．
46．The man came to the coffee shop to ______．
A．buy his favorite doughnut B．complain to the author
C．buy a cup of iced coffee D．get out of the rain
47．The man felt thankful for the writer because ______．
A．she was indeed kind to him in a time of need
B．she knew exactly how the man felt
C．she offered him coffee and food for free
D．she comforted him by sharing his pain
48．What can we learn from the passage?
A．Don’t count your eggs until they are hatched．
B．If you light a lamp for somebody, it will also brighten your path．
C．The quality of your life is the quality of your relationships．
D．A man is happy so long as he chooses to be happy．

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A sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it “was too crowded．” “I can’t go to Sunday School,” she sobbed to the pastor (牧师) as he walked by．Seeing her shabby appearance, the pastor guessed the reason, and, taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday School class．The child was so touched that she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus．
Some years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor buildings and the parents called for the kindhearted pastor, who had befriended their daughter, to handle the final arrangements．As her poor little body was being moved, a worn purse was found which seemed to have been picked up from some trash dump．Inside was found 57 cents and a note scribbled in childish handwriting which read, “This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday School．”
For two years she had saved for this offering of love．When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do．Carrying this note, he told people the story of her unselfish love and devotion．
A newspaper learned of the story and published it．It was read by a Realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands．When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered it for 57 cents．
Church members made large donations．Checks came from far and wide．Within five years the little girl’s gift had increased to $250,000, a huge sum for that time．
When you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist Church, with a seating capacity of 3,300 and Temple University, where hundreds of students are trained．Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital and at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of Sunday scholars, so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside during Sunday school time．
41．Why did the girl have a purse with 57 cents?
A．To save money for her future career．
B．To build a large building for more children to live in．
C．To help build a church big enough for every child to go to．
D．To remind people to make remarkable history．
42．How did a Realtor help the church?
A．He made the story known to the public by publishing it．
B．He sold a land to the church for free．
C．He offered the church a piece of land for 57 cents．
D．He raised money for the church．
43．What can be inferred from the passage?
A．Church members donated because of their desire for a big church．
B．The girl’s unselfish love was rewarded at last．
C．The pastor found 57 cents saved by the little girl．
D．Temple Baptist Church, Temple University, Good Samaritan Hospital and a Sunday School building all belong to the small church the little girl went to．
44．What’s the best title of the passage?
A．57 Cents B．A little girl’s wish
C．Pastor and Girl D．A bigger Church

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The Vienna-based researchers showed that dogs will stop doing a simple task when not rewarded if another dog, which continues to be rewarded, is present．
The experiment consisted of taking pairs of dogs and getting them to present a paw for a reward．On giving this “handshake” the dogs received a piece of food．One of the dogs was then asked to shake hands, but received no food．The other dog continued to get the food when it was asked to perform the task．
The dog without the reward quickly stopped doing the task, and showed signs of anger or stress when its partner was rewarded．
To make sure that the experiment was really showing the interaction between the dogs rather than just the frustration of not being rewarded, a similar experiment was conducted where the dogs performed the task without the partner．Here they continued to present the paw for much longer．
Dr Frederike Range from the University of Vienna says this shows that it was the presence of the rewarded partner that was the greater influence on their behaviour．
“The only difference is one gets food and the other doesn’t, they are responding to being unequally rewarded．” she said．
The researchers say this kind of behaviour, where one animal gets frustrated with what is happening with another, has only been observed in primates(灵长类) before．
Studies with various types of monkeys and chimpanzees show they react not only to seeing their partners receiving rewards when they are not, but also to the type of reward．
The dog study also looked at whether the type of reward made a difference．Dogs were given either bread or sausage, but seemed to react equally to either．Dr Range says this may be because they have been trained．
57．The dogs refused to give the paw when they_______．
A．found another dog was given nothing
B．felt they were not treated equally
C．were aware they received less food
D．were given too much reward
58．What would the dogs do if they presented their paw alone?
A．They would go on with the performance much longer．
B．They would be too shy to present their paw．
C．They would miss their partners．
D．They would compare what they got with that of others．
59．According to the passage, compared with dogs, monkeys and chimpanzees ______．
A．pay no attention to the type of reward
B．only like to play interesting games
C．pay attention to the type of reward as well as whether they are rewarded
D．care more about how they are rewarded
60．Which of the following can best summerise the passage?
A．Animals’ various ways to show anger
B．Dogs are more envious than man
C．Most animals want to be be rewarded for their work
D．Animals also have a sense of fairplay

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