E
Third-generation mobile phones, known as 3G, are the next big step for the telecom(电信) industry. Data speed in 3G networks is much quicker than that in present technology. This means users can have high-speed Internet access(上网) and enjoy video and CD-quality music on their phones.
"Mobile data is not a dream; it's not an option(选择) but a requirement" said Len Lauer, head of a US communications company, Sprint PCS, at a 3G conference in Bangkok earlier this month.
With 3G, you can forget about text messages telling you yesterday's news; a 3G phone can receive video news programs, updated(更新) four times a day. Internet access will also be much quicker, making it easier to surf the Web on your phone than on your computer at home.
Don't worry about getting lost. 3G phones offer map services so you can find a new restaurant just by pressing a few keys on your handset(手持机).
However, the most impressive part of 3G technology is video calling. With live two-way video communication, you can have face-to-face talks with friends and family on your mobile phone.
Many European countries have already launched the service. In May 2000 the US Government issued five licenses(许可证) to run 3G wireless services, while the first 3G phones arrived in Italy in March this year.
International telecom companies can't wait to sell 3G in China, the world's largest mobile telecommunications market. But they will have to be patient. At the moment, China is busy testing its 3G-based technologies, networks and services. This will be followed by a trial period before the phones can finally hit the shops.
“We need to create a pool of 3G customers before the large-scale commercial launch(开始) of the service,” said Fan Yunjun, marketing manager for Beijing Mobile. “We expect that the 3G licenses will be issued(发行) late next year.”
We'll also see 3G services enter our daily lives in all-sorts of new ways, from shopping and banking to playing interactive computer games over the net. It won't be long before we think nothing of sitting on a train using a mobile palmtop(掌上型电脑) to check our bank accounts or pay bills. You might even click on an icon(图标) on the screen to set up an immediate video-conference with your bank clerk.
55. 3G is ______.
A. a kind of mobile phone that can send text message and make calls
B. a kind of technology that makes mobile data and video calling come true
C. a kind of player that can be used to listen to CD or MP3 music
D. a kind of system that makes it easy to surf the Internet
56. What does Len Lauer want to inform the readers?
A. Realizing the dream of mobile data based on the application of 3G is a must.
B. There is no need to send messages since 3G can receive video news programs.
C. 3G is supposed to own all the functions that a computer has.
D. It is a choice to carry mobile data with 3G phones.
57. The 3G services can be launched after the following steps EXCEPT that ________.
A. they have to test its 3G-based technologies, networks and services
B. they need to create a group of 3G customers
C. the 3G licenses are issued and 3G phones are tested
D. international telecom companies decide to sell 3G in China
58. The last paragraph shows us that ________.
A. 3G services bring a lot of convenience to us
B. we cannot live without 3G mobile phones
C. 3G services can change our life completely
D. 3G services will take the place of other technologies
59. What is the best title of the passage?
A. Face-to-face Video Calls B. The Future of 3G
C. The New Telecom Industry--3G D. The Use of 3G Mobile Phone
An old woman walked into a clothes shop. She asked the salesgirl to let her have a look at a new dress, but the girl stood still behind the counter(柜台), taking no notice of the request. The old woman spoke to the girl again, raising her voice a bit, but still received no answer. The old woman looked at the girl and nodded to herself, “I am too old to see well. I can’t even tell a plastic model from a real girl!”
On hearing this, the salesgirl shouted to the old woman, “What? Did you call me a plastic model?” The old woman was greatly surprised. “Oh, dear me,” she said. “The model can speak!” What did the old woman go to the shop to do?
| A．To choose a dress. | B．To buy a dress for herself. |
| C．To show off her dress. | D．To pick a quarrel with the salesgirl. |
The salesgirl did not make a reply ________.
| A．because she didn’t see the old woman |
| B．because she didn’t think the old woman had enough money for a new dress |
| C．because she was too busy to notice the old woman |
| D．for some reason unknown in this story |
It was not until that woman spoke for the _______ time that the salesgirl said something.
| A．first | B．second |
| C．third | D．fourth |
When the old woman said, “I am too old to see well,” she _______.
| A．meant to say that she really had poor eyesight |
| B．wanted the salesgirl to excuse her |
| C．was simply telling a lie |
| D．was, in face, trying to make the salesgirl open her mouth |
What do you think the salesgirl would do on hearing this? She would ______.
| A．be too angry to say a word for a moment |
| B．run and tell the shop-owner about it |
| C．apologize to the old woman and do what she had been asked to do |
| D．turn back and cry |
The basic flag of the United States is one of the world’s oldest national flags. Only the basic flags of Austria, Denmark, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzer land are older.
During the discovery and settlement of what is now the United States, the flags of various European nations were flown over the land, as symbols of possession. Later, in the Colonial and Revolutionary War periods, flags representing famous persons, places, and events were flown in the American Colonise.
The first official flag of the United States was created by Congress on June 14, 1777. It consisted of 13 alternate red and white stripes and 13 white stars in a field of blue, representing the 13 colonies that had declared their independence in 1776. Congress adopted a new flag of 15 stars and 15 stripes in 1795, to give representation to the two new states admitted into the Union, Vermont and Kentucky.
By 1817, there were 20 states in the Union, and it became apparent that adding one stripe for each new state would destroy the shape of the flag. As a result, Congress in 1818 restored the original design of 13 stripes and provided that each state was to be represented by one star. In 1921 Preside William H. Taft made the first official provision for the arrangement of the stars. He ordered that there be six even rows of eight stars each. Previously the arrangement of the stars had been left to the flag- maker’s fancy.
The evolution of the stars and stripes reflects the growth of the United States. After the admission of Hawaii into the Union in 1959, the flag was official changed for the 26th time since its creation.
There are many government flags flown in the United States in addition to the national flag. Among them are the president’s and vice- president’s flags and those of the federal departments and some federal agencies. Each state in the Union has an official flag. The United States Navy uses special flags for signaling. The basic flag of the United States is _______.
| A．the oldest national flag in the world |
| B．one of the world’ s oldest flags |
| C．the most beautiful flag in the West |
| D．as old as the basic flags of some European nations |
Before the War of Independence the flags of various European nations flown over the land were symbols of _______.
| A．self- rule | B．occupation |
| C．peace and friendship | D．independence |
The first official flag of the United States was adopted ________.
| A．before the Independence War |
| B．right after the Independence War |
| C．when independence was declared in 1776 |
| D．during the War of Independence which ended in 1783 |
The 13 red and white stripes and 13 white stars represent _______.
| A．13 independent states |
| B．the colonies that declared independence in 1776. |
| C．the U. S. Congress |
| D．13 famous figures in the American colonies |
How many states were represented on the new flag adopted in 1795?
| A．13. | B．15. |
| C．20. | D．2. |
Anybody who can speak one language has 'the gift' to learn mother. Add a Linguaphone course, and that possibility can become a reality quickly and easily. Study as little as half an hour a day and in twelve weeks you could be talking confidently in the language of your choice.
Linguaphone will provide you with everything you need to learn at your own pace, where and when you choose. And, although you aren't in a classroom,you certainly won't be left all alone. Our free Advisory Service can sort out any problem by post or phone.
You can listen to your course on any cassette player. But just in case you want to study on the move or without interrupting anyone,you can also receive a Linguaphone Personal Stereo Cassette Player completely free.
The Linguaphone cassette and information pack gives details(细节)of this offer, explains how Linguaphone will work for you, and tells you how you can try a course without risking a penny, with our 14-day money-back guarantee (保证).
Why not find out how you can become one of those ' gifted' people who can speak another language? To receive your cassette and information pack,return the coupon below or call us today. According to the ad, we can infer that __________.
| A．people can speak a second language by learning a 12-week Linguaphone course |
| B．Linguaphone will give free courses to second language learners |
| C．second language learners are to attend courses at Linguaphone Language Centre |
| D．second language learners can teach themselves by using Linguaphone materials |
Before a learner wants to take a Linguaphone course, be has to _________.
| A．write to the Linguaphone Centre first |
| B．fill out a coupon and post it to Linguaphone |
| C．pay for a cassette player |
| D．know the details of the information pack |
What guarantee does Linguaphone give?
| A．Learners can master another language in 14 days. |
| B．Learners can have a free trial learning for 14 days. |
| C．Learners can keep the Linguaphone pack for 14 days. |
| D．Learners can get back theft money after 14 days of learning. |
The purpose of the ad is to _________.
| A．offer Linguaphone cassettes to learners |
| B．offer Linguaphone courses free |
| C．give details of their guarantees |
| D．introduce and sell Linguaphone products |
A sixth of undergraduates in Beijing this year have registered at driving school. The students,mostly from majors such as business management or international trade, will finish their driving courses within 20 days or so.
Training costs have dropped to 2,600 yuan for students, according to the Haidian Driving School in Beijing. The price is not really low,but students will accept it, seeing it as an investment (投资) in their future. Familiarity with the operation of computers and fluent English are the basic skills graduating students need to find a job. But a driver's permit has become another factor (因素).
"in the job market, owning a driver's permit someumes strengthens a graduating student's competitiveness for a good position,'' says Zhou Yang, an undergraduate at the China University of Political Science and Law.
Cars will become a necessary part of many people's lives in the coming years, and it is difficult to get a permit of campus because of the pressures on working people's time. "Having a full-time job after graduation offers limited time to learn to drive. We senior students have plenty of spare time, plenty of opportunity to learn. "Zhou says.
Xu Jian, an official at the driving school, said undergraduates were very able and serious, and could grasp in an hour what ordinary people took four hours to learn. In this driving school, mid-die-aged people, young women and college students are the main customers.
To get a driver's permit, a beginner is now required to have at least 86 hours' practice before the .final road test. _________ in Beijing want to learn to drive.
| A．Most of the undergraduates |
| B．Many undergraduates |
| C．Many students in the driving school |
| D．Most of the students who learn business or international trade |
The undergraduates are learning to drive because _________.
| A．they need this skill to find a good job |
| B．they like to drive cars |
| C．they will not have any time to learn to drive after they have found a full-time job |
| D．most of them will be able to buy cars in the future |
Which of the following is likely to be Xu Jian's opinion of students learning to drive?
| A．He thought it was better to learn it at college than at work. |
| B．He decided it was a waste of money and time to learn to drive. |
| C．He agreed that they could learn to drive. |
| D．He thought they would spend three times more time to learn to drive than usual. |
Which of the following can be the best headline for the passage?
| A．Students Pay Less to Learn to Drive Now. |
| B．Students Learn to Drive. |
| C．It is Better to Learn to Drive at Colleges. |
| D．Welcome to the Driving School. |
The International Space Station，one of the most ambitious space projects ever and a key launching board for exploration of the solar system，turns l0 years old Thursday．
On Nov．20，1998，the first part of the space station was launched by the Russians from Kazakhstan．NASA followed up two weeks later with Piece No 2 carried up by a space shuttle．
The space station has grown into a giant outpost(前哨)355 km up，home to three people at any given time—soon to be six
．
Thanks to the newly arrived shuttle Endeavour，the space station now has five sleep stations，two baths，two kitchens and two mini—gyms．Ahogether，there are nine rooms，three of which are full scale labs．
The United States has financed the main part of the project，estimated to cost some 100 billion dollars．Fifteen other countries have also contributed，including Russia，Japan，Canada，Brazil anti eleven nations belonging to theEuropean Space Agency．
’Fhe space station has traveled 2．1 billion km，orbited Earth more than 57，300 times，hosted 167 people from 15 countries，and served up more than l 9，000 meals
”The ISS is the largest ever expenmeni in international technological cooperation，’’ said John Logsdon。a historian at the National Air and Space Museum in US．
“1 think it’s a necessary stepping stone to long—term human activities in new Areas of operations，”Logsdon said．The station is“off the planet and it’s the first Step outward—not all end in itself，but a step along the way．’’The passage is mainly about．
A the construction of the International Space Station．
B．the history of the International Space Station．
C the tenth anniversary of the International Space Station．
D．the eountries that help establish the International Space Station．Piece No 2 of the ISS was put into orbit oil
| A．Nov．6，1998 | B．Nov．24，1998 |
| C．Dee．8，1998 | D．Dec．9，1998 |
Which of the following is true about Endeav our according to the passage?
| A．Endeavour is a newly built shuttle． |
| B．Endeavour is part of the space station， |
| C．Endeavour didn’t get close to the space station． |
| D．Endeavour carried a lot of equipment for the apace station． |
Which of the following country has not made a contribution to the eonstruction of
the International space station according to the passage?
A．USA． B．Japan． C．Korea．D．Spain．