Millions of young people are writing blogs. Millions of others are reading them. The word "blog" is a short way of saying Web log.
Many popular Web sites now offer free, easy ways to create personal Web pages and fill them with writings and pictures. Web sites called "Facebook" and "MySpace" are some of the most popular blog sites for young people. Many young adults use their blogs to write about daily activities and events in their lives. They also provide a place for people to write their ideas and opinions and how they think of others’ ideas.
Blogs offer young people a place to show their writings and feelings. They can also be helpful to connect young people with others. But blogs can become dangerous when they are read on the Internet by millions of people all over the world.
Recent studies show that young people often provide their names, age and where they live on the Internet. That may not be safe for them. This personal information puts them at risk of being searched out by dangerous people who want to hurt them. Many students do not know about privacy and are surprised to learn that adults can read their personal daily records easily. Students can also get into trouble when they put information about others on their blogs.
As a result, many schools have banned the use of blogging web sites on school computers. Many schools have also begun teaching parents about the web sites. Parents should know what their children are doing online and should read their blogs to make sure they are not giving out private information. One way to keep away from these problems is to use programs so that blogs can be read by "friends only." people can read the website only if they know a secret word chosen by the blogger.
60. "Facebook" and "MySpace" are ________.
A. school subjects B. computer programs
C. school online BBS D. blog sites for young people
61. Blogs may be dangerous because________.
A. they get in the way of studies B. they are not allowed for school students
C. surfing the Internet is bad for eyes D. personal information can be found in blogs easily
62. This passage is mainly about _________.
A. the safety of children’s blogs B. how to search the internet
C. students’ behavior at school D. communicating with parents at home
63. According to the passage, many schools help children avoid blog problems by doing
everything EXCEPT________.
A. teaching parents about the web sites
B. asking students to use programs to refuse strangers
C. telling school students not to make any net friends
D. stopping students from blogging on school computers
64. You can enjoy your blog safely if________.
A. you write your blog at school
B. use a secret number for friends to enter your blog
C. your parents have little knowledge about websites
D. you show all your writings and feelings in your blog
One day, four lawyers were riding their horses along a country road. There had been a rain. Water was dripping(滴) from the trees, and the grass was wet. They rode slowly, talking and laughing. Suddenly they heard some noises from the tree above them. “What is the matter?” asked the first lawyer. “Oh, it’s only some old birds!” said the second lawyer， “The storm made one of the babies fall out of the nest. It is too young to fly, and the mother bird is very worried.” “What a pity! It’ll die down there in the grass,” said the third lawyer. “It doesn’t matter. It’s only a bird,” said the second lawyer. Then they rode on, talking and laughing as before. But the fourth lawyer, whose name was Abraham Lincoln, stopped. He got down from his horse and took the little one in his big warm hands.
“Never mind, my little fellow,” said Mr. Lincoln， “I will put you back in your little nest.” He climbed up the tree and put the bird softly into their warm little home. A few minutes later, Mr. Lincoln joined them again. His shoes were covered with mud and he was wet. Then the other three laughed at him. They thought it was foolish for a strong man to do so much just for a young bird. “Gentlemen,” said Mr. Lincoln, “I could not sleep tonight if I had left the helpless bird in the grass.” Later Abraham Lincoln became very famous as a lawyer. He also became the president of America. He was one of the greatest American presidents.
51. The reason why the mother bird was worried was that ______.
A. there was a rain B. the lawyers were under its tree
C. one of its babies fell out of the nest D. it could not fly
52. We can learn about the other three lawyers from the passage that ______.
A. the second lawyer was kind
B. they were all cold-hearted
C. they did something to save the baby bird
D. the third lawyer put the bird into its nest
53. The underlined phrase “little fellow” in paragraph 2 means ______.
A. the mother bird B. Lincoln’s little friends
C. the other three lawyers D. the baby bird
54. From the passage we know Lincoln ______.
A. liked riding horses
B. was very kind and loved birds and animals
C. liked being laughed at
D. wanted to be the president of America then
People are being invited to sit down to eat with their neighbors in a nationwide lunch party designed to promote community spirit. The Big Lunch is the idea of the Eden Project in Cornwall. It aims to persuade people up and down the country to hold street lunch parties.
Tens of thousands of vegetables, fruits and flowers were used to construct a giant 2,000-square-foot lunch invitation in London’s Convent Garden. More than 9,000 cauliflowers and 800 bananas were used.
According to the organizers, people who decide to take part in the activity will get support from large companies which will supply many of the necessities, including plants to be given out to people to grow. The organizers think that the Big Lunch is a great opportunity for people to get together and spend time with their neighbors, friends and families. Events like this also help build strong communities. People can show their talents, get over their embarrassment, shake hands and get to know their neighbors, and realize that the neighborhood where they live can be a great source of happiness and enjoyment.
The Eden Project’s leader, Tim Smith, says, “It’s a good way to face this recession. Imagine a day on which millions of us, throughout the UK, sit down to have lunch together with our neighbors in the middle of our streets, around our tower blocks, and on every patch of common ground. We’ll have cooked our own food, made our own entertainment, and created our own decorations. It will be a day to share bread with our neighbors, and put a smile on Britain’s face.”
62. The Big Lunch aims to _____.
A. persuade people to eat healthy food B. encourage people to cook at home
C. help poor people in the community D. develop community spirit
63. Which of the following is false?
A. Large companies will give participants enough money to hold the lunch parties.
B. The Big Lunch may be a good opportunity to show talents and make friends.
C. The Big Lunch is a nationwide activity designed by The Eden Project.
D. The giant lunch invitation in London used a lot of vegetables, fruits and flowers.
64. Big Lunch is a good opportunity for people to _____.
A. enjoy free food B. have fun with neighbors and families
C. shop on the street D. eat without cooking
65. The underlined word “recession” in the last paragraph probably means_____.
A. nice environment B. grand ceremony
C. rapid progress D. economic decline
59. For admission to the Detective House, a shopper needs to _____.
A. be a DBS card owner B. spend a total of $150
C. answer 3 simple questions D. have experience in solving cases
60. Mrs. Rosland, a DBS card holder, spent $200 in the mall, and she would be entitled to _____.
A. a free air ticket and a mother-of-pearl necklace
B. a white gold diamond and a limited edition key chain
C. a sure win gift of limited edition car key chain
D. a Peugeot P200 and a set of white gold diamond
61. Which of the following statements is true?
A. DBS Bank and Fraser Mall are the official sponsors.
B. All shoppers are entitled to a draw for free air ticket.
C. The rewards are open to all shoppers for the entire month of April.
D. DBS Card owners enjoy double chances in the "Win a car" lucky draw.
Babies born in summer are more likely to become short-sighted in late life, a study has shown.
As many as a quarter of all cases of short-sightedness are caused by too great an exposure to sunlight in the first weeks of life, say eye experts.
They are advising all parents to put sunglasses on their babies during the first weeks.
Scientists had already established that over-exposure to sunlight caused short-sightedness in animals.
Researchers who compared the months in which babies were born with whether they needed glasses later on say the principle also applies to humans.
A study of almost 300,000 young adults─the largest of its kind─showed that those born in June and July had a 25 per cent greater chance of becoming severely short-sighted than those born in December or January. Research leader Professor Michael Belkin, of Tel Aviv University, said it was because prolonged illumination(光照) causes the eyeball to lengthen, causing short-sightedness.
Hence the more light a newborn is exposed to, the more the eyeball lengthens and the worse the short-sightedness will be.
The mechanism which lengthens the eyeball is associated with levels of melatonin(褪黑激素), a pigment (色素) which protects the skin against harmful rays of the sun.
In young babies not enough melatonin is released as protection, meaning they are more vulnerable to sunburn and changes to eyeball shape.
Sight expert Professor Daniel O’Leary, of Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, said “At the moment we don’t know the precise cause of why light exposure affects sight, but the evidence seems to prove that it is one of the reasons for people becoming short-sighted.”
55. Babies born in summer are more likely to be short-sighted ____________.
A. because the summer sun is too strong for babies
B. because babies born in summer have lengthened eyeballs
C. if they are exposed to much sunlight in the first weeks after they are born
D. if parents don’t know a proper way to protect their babies’ eyes
56. Melatonin is a kind of material to ___________.
A. prevent the eyes from becoming near-sighted
B. protect the skin from harmful sun rays
C. make our body strong
D. protect babies’ eyes from summer sun
57. From what Professor Daniel O’Leary says we can conclude that ___________.
A. there is no evidence that short-sightedness is related to exposure to sunlight
B. whether light exposure affects sight still needs to be further proved
C. he believes that light exposure can cause short-sightedness
D. he tries to give the cause of why light exposure affects sight
58. The underlined word “vulnerable” in the passage probably means __________.
A. easy to be harmed B. resistant
C. protective D. changeable
Weighed down（压得喘不过气来） by study? Pushed to the limit by the fast pace of life? Frightened by the possible war? Well, you’re not alone. Men and women in France are seeking relief using the world’s best medicine─laughter.
In the past year, more than 25 laughter clubs have been set up across the country. People of all ages release their stress with an hour of group laughs. “People telephoned me and said they have forgotten what it is to laugh. They want to find a place where they can escape all their problems for a while. So they come,” said 40-year-old Jocelyn Le Moan. She usually takes a class of around 60 people through a series of laughter techniques.
Her pupils range from teenagers to 70 years old, but most are middle-aged white collars seeking 60 minutes of relaxation at the end of a busy day.
Le Moan takes them through the “Lion Laugh” and the “Laugh Contest”, where participants “speak” to each other in different ways. And instead of talking, they break into fits of laughter. At the end there are 15 minutes of “meditation”（沉思）,when they lie on their backs and let the laughs burst out of their mouths.
“I love it. It’s an experience that has changed my life. Through it I rediscovered the child’s laugh inside me,” said Romain Jourffroy, 24.
Like Jourffroy, many laughter club members find themselves changed into children again, and why not? The average preschooler laughs up to 400 times a day. The average adult only a sad seven to fifteen.
The physical benefits of laughter are already well-recognized. Doctors say the act of laughing releases good chemicals into the blood-stream, while the quick breathing that accompanies it helps massage（按摩）the digestive organs and strengthens the heart.
“A full hour is like having your insides go jogging! One finishes out of breath, but feels revitalized (产生新活力). And on top of that, you’ve had a laugh,” said doctor Alexisd Estaing.
And many participants in Paris also emphasize the psychological benefits. They believe that laughter is a way of making oneself feel more confident.
“Maybe it is because we are surrounded by so many troubles that we feel the need to keep laughing,” said Anne Maurigiano, a 29-year-old filmmaker.
51. From the passage, we can conclude the following but __________.
A. Jocelyn Le Moan is a teacher of the club.
B. the members are mostly middle-aged white collars.
C. people always need some way to relax in life.
D. laugh freely and everything goes well.
52. The writer suggested that you should __________.
A. have a good laugh after a busy day
B. talk to each other about what troubles you
C. learn series of laughter techniques
D. take the world’s best medicine
53. Which of the following is NOT included among the benefits of laughing ?
A. It can make people rediscover their children’s laugh.
B. It can release good chemical into blood-stream.
C. It can make you feel self-confident.
D. It can cure the illness of people.
54. What does the phrase “on the top of that ” mean?
A. besides B. on the top of tiredness
C. above all D. on the top of your energy