Life on-line can be a much richer experience when you aren’t restricted to just written words and still pictures.Even if you’re new to the Net,you’ve probably heard about multimedia on-line—listening to audio,watching animations and videos,even playing in three-dimensional space.Sound and movement make information come alive.
To experience it,you’ll need special pieces of software called plug-ins.The term “plug-in” refers to a small,add-on piece of software which extends the capabilities of your web browser,like Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Explorer,turning your computer into a radio or TV.
When you arrive at a web page which contains a file requiring a plug-in which you don’t have,you will usually receive a message asking if you want to get it by downloading it and installing it into your computer.Most of the time,the installation will be automatic.
Occasionally,you’ll run into a downloaded file which needs to be decompressed or un-zipped before installation.Once installed,plug-ins run automatically,without you having to do anything.
Many multimedia controls still need to be obtained from the developer but are installed automatically.
Shockwave is a good example of this.All you need to do is go to the Macromedia site and click on the link to install the ActiveX control.The rest happens automatically.The next time you go to a “Shocked” website,the Shockwave control loads and plays the movie.
Most plug-ins and controls can be downloaded for free on the Internet,although not all will work with every system.Some of them,for instance,only work with Windows 95.Plug-ins can help us to do all of the following except _________.
| A．listening to music |
| B．watching animations and videos |
| C．playing three-dimensioned games |
| D．searching for information on the net |
The correct explanation about “plug-in” is _________.
| A．a radio or TV connected with a computer |
| B．a small,add-on piece of hardware which improves your web browser |
| C．a small,add-on piece of software which can turn your computer into a radio or TV |
| D．a small,add-on piece of software like Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Explorer |
When we go to a “shocked” website a second time,_________.
| A．we should go to the Macromedia site and click on the link to install the Active X control |
| B．the shockwave control loads itself and plays the movie for us |
| C．we will be asked whether to download the shockwave control or not |
| D．we have to buy the shockwave control and load it |
Most of the time,how can we get a plug-in before automatic installation?
| A．We have to buy it from the developer. |
| B．We have to borrow it from the developer. |
| C．We have to rent it from the developer. |
| D．We can obtain from the developer without paying. |
Sept. 5, 2011
| 2:30 AM |
Save My Planet (Repeat) Learn how to keep electronics out of rubbish; a man that changes old shipping containers into homes; a community in Costa Rica that does well in eco-tourism. |
| 3:00AM |
Mary Talks Money (Repeat, TVPG) Tips on lending money to family and friends. |
| 4:00 AM |
Mirror Mirror Thrift How to find the best deals in thrift stores (二手店); commonly asked beauty questions, breaking fashion rules. |
| 4:30 AM |
Home with Lisa Quinn Mixing traditional and modern design elements (元素); how to style impressive food; creating a comfortable home. |
| 5:00 AM |
Say Ahh (Repeat) The hosts discuss the causes of heart disease, its diagnosis, and the treatments for those with the disease. |
| 6:30 AM |
Everyday Living Quick beauty tips; protect yourself from money problems; the four most common parenting mistakes. |
| 7:00 AM |
My Green House Jesse looks into global warming; Andy talks about sustainable (可持续的) cleaning; an eco-friendly supply store. |
| 7:30 AM |
Advice for Life (Repeat) Can you save your father from himself Starting over at 60? Laughter really is the best medicine. |
＊TVPG: Programs for children with parents’ guidance According to the text, Save My Planet is mainly about _____.
| A．science development | B．international tourism |
| C．environmental protection | D．ways to build homes |
Which of the following content can’t children watch alone?
| A．Tips on lending money to family and friends. |
| B．The four most common parenting mistakes. |
| C．Commonly asked beauty questions. |
| D．Creating a comfortable home. |
Which of the following programs may help you deal with money problems?
| A．Advice for Life. |
| B．Home with Lisa Quinn. |
| C．Say Ahh. |
| D．Everyday Living. |
If you want to know Andy’s idea about cleaning, you should watch at _____.
| A．4:00 AM | B．7:00 AM | C．4:30 AM | D．7:30 AM |
“Gold Rush Alaska” has given America gold fever. A lot of young men put everything at risk to find gold in Alaska. They face problems with their machines and the Alaska wild animals. They’re just ordinary people out trying to realize a dream.
Todd Dorsey is one of them. He spent $100,000 on it and prepared for a year before going to Alaska. He brought his family and friends to help him out. He must get them mining (开矿) and a place to stay. He also had to keep their spirits up and kept everyone working as a team. They had to run off bears sometimes from their camp.
They had to face the fact that their lead mechanic’s (机修工的) health was not good. They called him Harness, and he was on medication that was hard for him to take, because out in Alaska it was not easy to get to the hospital and so he didn’t enjoy good health. He was the only one who could keep things running the way they were supposed to. There was one guy that didn’t seem to get along with anyone. But didn’t there always have to be someone that didn’t get along and messed things up?
They got excited when they found a few small pieces of gold, but they needed a lot more to cover the cost of mining every day. It cost Todd $1,000 a day to run everything they needed to mine. They had to make money before the Alaska summer came to an end or they would go broke（破产）.We learn from the text that the young men joining the gold rush ______.
| A．knew Alaska well before they set off |
| B．were poor before they went to Alaska |
| C．faced the threat of wild animals |
| D．got along well with each other |
According to the text, Harness ______.
| A．was the leader of the young men |
| B．never messed things up |
| C．was very important to everyone |
| D．had to be taken to hospital |
What does the author think of “Gold Rush Alaska”?
| A．He thinks highly of what Todd did. |
| B．He believes Todd can realize his dream. |
| C．He thinks Todd lacked team spirit. |
| D．He thinks Todd was taking a chance. |
Susan Boyle was just an ordinary middle-aged British woman before she appeared on the reality show（真人秀）.
She lives in a house with her cat Pebbles in a tiny Scottish town. Because of learning difficulties, she doesn’t have much education. But what she does have is a very good voice. As a kid, she sang in church and school plays. For a living, she sang at local pubs.
When she took the stage on April 10th, her hair was untidy and her clothes seemed just one step up from rags（破烂）.The audience laughed at her.
But then she opened her mouth. A few bars into the song and the laughing audience went silent. A beautiful voice was singing I Dreamed a Dream from the musical Les Miserables. Everyone was amazed. At the end of the song, the audience jumped to their feet and applauded wildly.
Almost overnight, Susan became a household name. She won fans and millions of admirers. Her online videos have drawn over 85.2 million hits.
Susan’s story proved the truth of an old saying: “Never judge a book by its cover.”The underlined phrase “just one step up from” in the third paragraph probably means “_________”.
| A．far from | B．close to |
| C．different from | D．the same as |
The audience jumped and applauded wildly because ___________.
| A．her hair was untidy and her clothes seemedjust one step up from rags |
| B．she looks very funny |
| C．she sang so well that everyone was amazed |
| D．she made a foolish mistake in the end |
Susan Boyle has many fans now because of _____________.
| A．her beautiful face |
| B．her knowing how to dress |
| C．her good education |
| D．her beautiful voice and courage |
The passage is mainly about____________.
| A．how to win fans | B．how to sing well |
| C．a woman’s sudden success | D．a woman’s simple life |
Searching for airfares often seems like a game that passengers are bound to lose.
Prices change from day to day, even minute to minute. Looking through multiple websites for the best deal can be a big challenge. Even when you do book, there’s no guarantee that you are going to get the best price.
“You just don’t know when to pull the trigger. It’s not like buying anything else I can think of,” said George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com.
Harriet Levy paid $179 for a recent round-trip flight on American Airlines between New York and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Sitting just one row behind her, Shirley Harrison paid $215. A few rows back, Ellis and Dianne Traub paid $317 each. There were at least 12 fares on the flight, ranging from $169 to $360.
There’s no reason for it, Harrison said.
Fares can vary significantly in just a few hours. One Delta flight from New York to Los Angeles jumped from $755 to $1,143 from a Friday to Saturday in late April, then fell to $718 on Sunday.
The flight was one of a dozen the Associated Press (美国联合通讯社)followed over three months for a vacation between July 16 and 22. The number one finding: avoid booking tickets on weekends. It’s the most expensive time to buy.
There’s no way to guarantee the best fare. But before booking, travelers should pay attention to this additional advice:
● Book on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. That’s when airlines most often offer sales.
● Buy in advance, but not too early. The best time is four to six weeks before traveling. In general, prices for any given flight are highest eight to ten weeks and two to three weeks in advance.
● Make use of social media. Airlines are giving more benefits like exclusive (独家) sales to travelers who interact (互动) with them on Twitter and Facebook. Those specials are often gone within hours.
● The so-called discount airlines – JetBlue, Air-Tran, Southwest and Frontier – adjust their fares less frequently than other airlines, so you can feel more confident that the price will stay the same. But their prices aren’t always the lowest. Researching multiple airlines’ fares is the only way to get a good deal.What can we infer from the first sentence of the text?
| A．Passengers are unable to search for airfares. |
| B．Airlines often play games with passengers. |
| C．Airfares are set in different situations. |
| D．It’s difficult for passengers to get the best price. |
The underlined phrase “pull the trigger” in Paragraph 3 probably means _______.
| A．start searching | B．get the highest price |
| C．make a purchase | D．get on board the plane |
By using a lot of figures, the author intends to _______.
| A．show there is standard price for every single airline |
| B．discover the rules behind airfares |
| C．guarantee passengers a low price |
| D．prove airfares can vary widely |
Passengers are advised to book flights _______.
| A．in the middle of the week |
| B．on special websites |
| C．several months before traveling |
| D．with airlines which are famous for offering discount prices |
What will people die of 100 years from now? If you think that is a simple question, you have not been paying attention to the revolution that is taking place in bio-technology. With the help of new medicine, the human body will last a very long time. Death will come mainly from accidents, murder and war. Today’s leading killers, such as heart disease, cancer, and aging itself, will become distant memories.
In discussion of technological changes, the Internet gets most of the attention these days. But the change in medicine can be the real technological event of our times. How long can humans live? Human brains were known to decide the final death. Cells are the basic units of all living things, and until recently, scientists were sure that the life of cells could not go much beyond l20 years because the basic materials of cells, such as those of brain cells, would not last forever. But the upper limits will be broken by new medicine. Sometime between 2050 and 2100, medicine will have advanced to the point at which every 10 years or so, people will be able to take medicine to repair their organs. The medicine, made up of the basic building materials of life, will build new brain cells, heart cells, and so on — in much the same way our bodies make new skin cells to take the place of old ones.
It is exciting to imaging that the advance in technology may be changing the most basic condition of human existence, but many technical problems still must be cleared up on the way to this wonderful future.According to the passage, human death is now mainly caused by.
| A．diseases and aging | B．accidents and war |
| C．accidents and aging | D．heart disease and war |
In the author’s opinion, today’s most important advance in technology lies in .
| A．the Internet | B．brain cells |
| C． medicine | D．human organ |
Humans may live longer in the future because.
| A．heart disease will be far away from us |
| B．human brains can decide the final death |
| C．human organs can be repaired by new medicine |
| D．the basic materials of cells will last forever |
We can learn from the passage that.
| A．much needs to be done before humans can have a longer life |
| B．human life will not last more than 120 years in the future |
| C．humans have to take medicine to build new skin cells now |
| D．we have already solved the technical problems in building new cells |