When I opened my e-mail the other day, a pretty woman named Rachel appeared on my computer screen. She greeted me by name and started talking with great enthusiasm. Every now and then she stopped to smile at me or blow a kiss. She was reading to me an e-mail from my brother, and a lot of it was about his getting the phone company to give him a high-speed Internet connection. It was pretty cool.
Rache
l was there thanks to a new technology called Facemail. Facemail lets you send e-mail that gets ready to the receiver by an attractive male or female form or by a clown(小丑). The software, which is free, can be downloaded at www. Facemail.com.
Facemail faces are lifelike, and they simulate(模拟) emotions based on emotions that you put in your text. For example, type in-X, and Rachel blows a kiss.
LifeFX, the company that develops the Facemail, is sure there are broad business uses. The reason e-business is not popular, the company says, is that buying over the Internet lacks the human touch. But what if you went to the Nike website and Michael Jordan greeted you by name, waited on you and personally closed the sale? And it is talking with Whirl(惠而浦公司) about using the technology in a computer screen on a fridge. Then if Morn can't be home when the kids get back from school, she can leave a note with voice and image telling them what there is to eat.
Facemail could get hot fast. Personally, I'm a fan. But Facemail should be used with care. The clown looks lively and funny at first. But if you select the clown, put a few rude words in an e-mail and add some angry emotions, you've got a Psycho-mail(疯人型电子邮件).The pretty woman that appears on the writer's computer screen was ______.
A. a woman working on the Internet B. his brother's girlfriend
C not a real person D. the picture of his pen-friend The main advantage of Facemail is that ______.
| A．you can hire a beautiful woman to read the e-mail to you |
| B．you can see the person who sends you the e-mail |
| C．yon can send an e-mail free of charge |
| D．e-mail can be attractive in a more lovely way |
The writer mentioned Nike website and Michael Jordan to show that _______.
| A．Famous people like Michael Jordan also like to use Facemail |
| B．Facemail can make shopping on the Internet more interesting |
| C．Nike website will increase its sales by Jordan |
| D．Michael Jordan will serve you himself on Nike website |
What is the writer's attitude towards Facemail?
| A．He thinks it needs further improvement. |
| B．He thinks it cool and funny. |
| C．He thinks it a danger to the Internet. |
| D．He thinks people should be careful with Facemail. |
WHAT do you do when you feel lonely? Hide yourself away and spend your time reading, watching TV or walking around?
You might think that feeling lonely is just like feeling happy, sad or scared – that it’s just one of your various moods (情绪). That is true. However, if you let yourself be lonely for too long without dealing with it, you could be making a serious mistake.
Doctors have known for some time that feeling lonely is bad for the mind. It can lead to mental（心理的）health problems such as depression（抑郁）,stress and reduced confidence. “Being lonely means not feeling connected or cared for, it’s not about being physically alone,” Lisa Jaremka, scientist from Ohio State University, US, told Live Science in January. But there’s growing evidence that not having friends is connected with physical illness as well.
In 2006, for example, scientists studied 2,800 women who had cancer. They found that those who had few friends or family were five times more likely to die of their disease than women with many social contacts. Also, even healthy people had a better chance of falling ill if they felt left out by others, according to the BBC.
The results have scientists thinking that loneliness might hurt the immune system（免疫系统）, which protects the body from diseases.
Hoping to prove this theory, Jaremka and her research team put volunteers through a stress test. During the test, volunteers were asked to make an unprepared speech in front of a group of stony-faced people. The researchers found that volunteers who said they were lonely in their daily lives felt more stress during the test. And their blood samples showed that all the stress had managed to cause harmful changes to their immune system.
“Loneliness has been thought of in many ways as a chronic stressor（慢性增压器）--- a socially painful situation that can last for quite a long time,” explained Jaremka, who led the study.
The number of people suffering from loneliness is increasing all over the world. However, solving the problem is easier said than done. It won’t work to just “tell anyone to go out and find someone to love you”, said Jaremka. “ We need to create support networks.”If people feel lonely for a long time, .
| A．they won’t feel happy anymore |
| B．they are more likely to fall ill |
| C．they will find the feeling goes away by itself |
| D．they are more mentally harmed than physically |
What was the purpose of the stress test carried out by Jaremka’s team?
| A．To find out how people fight diseases. |
| B．To prove loneliness hurts people’s immune systems. |
| C．To see how people’s emotions change when they give unprepared speeches. |
| D．To find out the relationship between loneliness and stress. |
What makes scientists think loneliness makes the body worse at fighting diseases?
| A．Growing evidence of mental problems linked to loneliness. |
| B．Some research results about the relationship between cancer and loneliness. |
| C．Some studies showed that people who suffered from loneliness fell ill or died more easily than those who didn’t. |
| D．Different results after comparing healthy conditions of people who suffer from loneliness and those who don’t. |
We can conclude from the article that .
| A．loneliness has become the No 1 killer in the world. |
| B．loneliness is increasing due to advanced technologies. |
| C．lonely people lack the courage to make friends |
| D．much more work needs to be done to fight loneliness |
WHEN he was 11 years old, he loved fishing in the lake near his family’s house in New Hampshire.
On the day before bass (鲈鱼) season began, he and his father went fishing in the evening. He tied a small silver lure (诱饵) on his fishing rod (鱼竿) and practiced casting. The lure struck the water and caused ripples (波纹) in the black water.
When his rod bent over, he knew something huge was on the other end. His father watched with admiration as the boy skillfully pulled the fish in. Finally, he lifted it from the water. It was the largest one he had ever seen, but it was a bass.
The boy and his father looked at the handsome fish. The father lit a match and looked at his watch. It was 10pm —two hours before bass season began. The father looked at the fish, then at the boy.
“You’ll have to put it back, son.” he said.
“Dad!” cried the boy.
“There will be other fish,” said his father.
“Not as big as this one,” cried the boy.
He looked around the lake. No other fishermen or boats were anywhere around. He looked again at his father’s stern（坚决的）face. Even though no one had seen them, the boy knew that the decision was not negotiable（可商量的）.He slowly lowered the fish back into the water.
The creature swam away. The boy thought that he would never again see such a great fish.
That was 34 years ago. Today, the boy is a successful architect（建筑师）in New York City. His father’s house is still there by the lake. He takes his own son and daughters fishing there.
He has never again caught such a large fish as the one he landed that night long ago. But he does see that same fish again and again---every time he faces a question of right and wrong. His father taught him it is the practice of doing right that is difficult.
Do we do right when no one is looking?Why did the father ask the boy to put the bass back in the water?
| A．He wanted to teach him to love animals. |
| B．He didn’t want to fish bass at all. |
| C．It wasn’t bass season yet. |
| D．It was the custom to free a fish after catching it. |
We can infer that the son was _____ when his father made the decision.
| A．disappointed | B．confused |
| C．worried | D．determined |
What does the fish in the article stand for?
| A．Rewards. | B．Good lessons. |
| C．Family conflicts (冲突). | D．Right choices. |
The story mainly conveys the idea that ______.
| A．history repeats itself |
| B．opportunity seldom knocks twice |
| C．we might face difficult situations in every stage of life |
| D．whether or not anyone is watching, we should do the right thing |
Hurricane(飓风) Babette reached the northeastern United States today and caused death and destruction everywhere. The killer storm carried winds of 135 miles per hour. The high winds and heavy rains, together with the force of the Atlantic Ocean, created extremely dangerous waves. It is not yet known how many people died or were hurt in this storm, but it is said that the numbers will be very high. The damage to homes, business and crops will run into billions of dollars. Now that the storm is over, the long, slow rebuilding will begin.
With the arrival of the tornado season, the National Weather Service is again telling people how to protect themselves from these deadly storms. The winds from tornadoes are the most violent winds on earth. They can blow up to 400 miles per hour. A tornado looks like a funnel(漏斗). It is also very loud. It may sound like a train coming at you. In fact, the winds from a tornado can pick up a train and throw it around. If a tornado is seen in your area, it is very important that you protect yourself. A basement (地下室) is the safest place to go. Try to wait under a table in the basement. If your building does not have a basement, stay on the ground floor but lie flat under a bed or table. Stay away from windows. If you are outside or in your car, try to find a narrow place to lie down in.
As the area tries to deal with the worst flood of the century, there are many heartwarming stories of people helping other people. From all over the world people have sent food and clothes to help the thousands who have had to leave their homes. Many volunteers have come to help to make sandbags and use them to build walls against the overflowing river. While the result of this disaster will be terrible for many, it is beautiful to see people coming together to help others and save lives, and property (财产).What are the three short passages about?
| A．Newspaper articles about the weather. |
| B．Bad weather forecasts in newspapers. |
| C．Introduction to climate in different places. |
| D．Popular science on climate. |
We can learn from the passages that ________.
| A．Hurricane Babette damaged the northwestern coast of US |
| B．when there’s flooding, sandbags can be made and used to build wall |
| C．the National Weather Service often takes measures to protect the local people |
| D．people are often reminded of how to protect themselves from snowstorm |
What does the word “tornado ”mean?
| A．台风 | B．龙卷风 | C．洪水 | D．冰雹 |
According to the passages, a person who sees a tornado in his area, had better Not _______.
| A．stay on the ground floor but lie down under a bed |
| B．go to the basement and wait under a table |
| C．find a deep narrow place to lie down in |
| D．drive his car away as fast as possible |
The majority of astronauts from America have been men. At the start of the space program there was strong resistance from some people against having women in space. However, some women were very keen to become astronauts and in the end they were successful. In 1978, NASA began the first training program for women astronauts.
Judy Resnick and Christa McAuliffe were both astronauts and they were both women, but in many other ways they were very different. Both of them were on Flight STS-5L-L. Judy Resnick was born in 1949 and studied engineering at university and went on to obtain a PhD in 1977. She was a member of the first group of women selected for astronaut training in 1978, and in 1984, she became the second woman in space. During that flight, she helped to launch three new satellites and she carried out a program of research. She was, in many ways, a professional astronaut whose whole life was devoted to space travel.
Christa McAuliffe was born in 1948 and she was an astronaut almost by accident. In 1984, NASA decided to find a teacher who could accompany astronauts into space. They hoped that she would be able to communicate with students from space and encourage every one of them to be interested in space travel. Christa was a secondary teacher in history and social studies. She was a gifted teacher and she was selected from over 11,000 applicants to go on flight STS-51-L. She was also a very good communicator and she immediately established a very good relationship with the news media(radio, television and newspapers）. It was partly because of this that there was a great deal of interest and excitement about the flight. Thousands of students in schools and universities all around the country were looking forward to communicating with Christa in space. Millions of people were watching her flight with great interest. It is partly because of the excitement over McAuliffe's place in the flight that the disaster in 1986 had such an effect on people.We can learn from the first two paragraphs that ___________.
| A．Judy was against the idea of having women in space at first |
| B．Judy was the first woman selected for astronaut training |
| C．Judy helped to launch three new satellites at the age of 35 |
| D．Judy carried out a program during her second space travel |
Christa McAuliffe was chosen for training because _______.
| A．she was popular with the news media |
| B．she expected to give history lessons in space |
| C．she was an excellent teacher and communicator |
| D．she made the students in space very excited |
The reason why there was great interest in Flight STS-51-L is that ________.
| A．both Christa and Judy got PhD degrees in the same year |
| B．a young secondary school teacher was on the flight |
| C．students were going to learn more about space travel |
| D．it was the first time for women to travel in space |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Two Astronauts | B．Flight STS-51-L |
| C．Travelling in Space | D．The Training Program |
Jack Johnson is one of the most popular singer-song writers in the world.
Jack was born on May 18, 1975 in Hawaii. Being the son of a famous surfer, Jack usually has an interest in surfing. Most of his life lessons were learned in the water. At the age of 17, Jack entered the finals of the Pineline Masters-the world's most famous surfing competition. Everyone thought Jack would become a professional surfer like his father. Unluckily, One month later, he had a deadly accident while surfing and was seriously hurt.
Life is like a revolving door. When it closes, it also opens. Jack started to practice playing the guitar and write songs when he was staying in hospital. At first, his father thought Jack only did it for fun, but soon he was surprised at the great progress his son had made.
When studying in the university, Jack didn't stop practicing his guitar skills. He played the guitar for school parties. He wrote songs and sang for his teachers and friends. They liked his songs. His first music album Brushfire Fairytales came out in 2001. It was a great success. His second album, On and On, was much like his first. They were filled with sweet, easy-going songs that everybody liked listening to later. Jack had lots of concerts in and out of America. He became popular all over the world.
Jack had five albums by 2010 and more than 15 million copies of them were sold. His music doesn't fit into any of the popular music styles like pop, rocks, R and B or hip-hop. It is more like folk music, played with a guitar and beautiful voice. When listening to his songs, you feel like lying on the beach enjoying the warm sunshine.
Jack is a talent, though he himself says he is only a surfer who loves music. In his songs we can find his secret of success. Whatever happens in our lives, we have to accept it and do the best we can.
At the age of 17, Jack _____.
| A．had his first music album |
| B．took part in a surfing competition |
| C．had his first concert |
| D．became popular all over the world |
Jack started to write songs _____.
| A．while he was staying in hospital |
| B．when he had concerts out of America |
| C．after his second album came out |
| D．after he played the guitar at the school party |
What is the secret or Jack's success?
| A．He was born in Hawaii |
| B．His father was very famous |
| C．He wrote many songs for his teachers and friends |
| D．He always faced difficulties bravely and tried his best. |
What's the best title of the passage?
| A．A Famous Writer | B．Surfing in the Sea |
| C．A Guitar Player | D．Surfing in the Music |