Second Life is a 3D, online world in which computer users can create a new self and live a different life. Second Life is one of the most popular new online games.
But unlike other games, Second Life is not about winning or losing. Second Life is technically a computer game. But people involved in it do not consider it a game because the players create everything. Second Life is more for socializing and creating communities.
Users of Second Life are called residents. To take part, they must create an avatar, or an electronic image of themselves. Some avatars look like humans, while others look li
ke animals or imaginary creatures.
Inside the Second Life world, residents live in different versions of themselves. They build homes, run businesses, buy and sell things, work, play, and attend school. They even have relationships and get married.
Second Life was created in 2003 by Linden Lab in San Francisco, California. Linden Lab controls the Website where the ever-changing world is being created. There are now about one million people around the world who are active in Second Life. The number has grown quickly since the beginning of the year when there were about one hundred thousand users.
The average age of people involved with Second Life is about thirty. However, Linden Lab recently created Teen Second Life for younger users. Second Life has its own economy and its own money, called Linden dollars.
Millions of dollars are made and spent each month in Second Life. Users can enter Second Life for free. But they must pay for a membership if they want to own land or buy and sell goods and services.
Recently, several major companies have become involved with Second Life. They wanted to be part of the growing business world that exists within the made-up reality.
1. What’s special about the game “Second Life”?
A. It’s a game about losing and winning.
B. It creates everything in life.
C. It benefits one’s abilities to socialize and create.
D. It is simply a popular game to kill time.
2. What does the underlined word “avatar” mean?
A. An instrument someone uses. B. A picture someone takes.
C. An imaginary identity of someone. D. A weapon used in Second Life.
3. Which is NOT true about the game “Second Life”?
A. A resident in Second Life lives a life somewhat like that of real life.
B. The number of users of Second Life is about ten times as large as that of 2003.
C. You can’t enter Second Life until you pay for the entrance fee.
D. To own possessions, a resident has to pay to be a member of Second Life.
4. Why do some big companies want to join in Second Life?
A. They want to experience life in the made-up reality.
B. They want to promote their products more widely.
C. The want to be a member of Second Life.
D. They want to build agencies in Second Life.
A man lost his legs in a tragic accident. After the accident, only two fingers 36 on his right hand.
However, he was bright, creative and educated. He had gained much experience while traveling throughout the world. Yet, he became very 37 after the accident. He was afraid he would spend his life38 and would no longer be able to live a life in a(n) 39 way.
One day, he remembered how he had40 loved getting letters. He realized that he still had partial 41 of his right hand and could write with difficulty. Then, he had an idea. “Why not write to other people who need 42 ?”
Who to write to? He thought of people in prison. Many of them hoped to 43 their freedom. Others would keep feeling sad and remain locked away for the rest of their lives. He decided that he must try to 44 them.
He wrote to a prison officer about sending letters to prisoners. The prison officer replied that writing to the prisoners would be45 . However, it would be 46 prison rules for them to write back.
Filled with the 47 of carrying out his idea, the man knew he had to write. He began sending one-way48 of love, hope, strength and encouragement.
He49 twice a week, testing his strength and ability to the limit. He poured his heart and soul into his words,50 his experience and optimism.
It was difficult to write those letters, especially without hope of a51 . Frequently, he felt discouraged. He often wondered if anyone52 read his letters. However, he determined to53 as long as he could help others.
One day he received a letter from the prison officer. It was a short note from the officer who monitored and54 the prison mails.
The letter said, “Please write on the best paper you can55 . Your letters are passed from cell (牢房) to cell until they fall to pieces!”
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After the examination, the doctor told my parents my sight would get worse and that I would lose my sight finally. On the way home from hospital, no one said a word. One day, would I only imagine the scenery beyond the glass rather than see it?
That September, I entered middle school. Most nights I had homework that included an armful of books to read. To keep up with other children, I took great trouble to finish the task. With my nose a couple of inches from the page, I was tired easily. What’s worse, after I had read several pages on my own, the words slipped off the page into inky pools.
However, then I did not have audio books and electronic devices like kids do now. Instead, Mom volunteered to read out loud. Mom worked part-time, cleaned the house, cooked and spent time with Grandma. In spite of being so busy, she showed up in my room like clockwork. She put on her reading glasses. Mom always thought those glasses made her look old. To me, she looked like a teacher.
In my room, Mom’s voice competed with the ticking of the clock. Being forced to focus on listening, I found a way to keep my marks up and compete with the other kids. When the teacher asked a question, I raised my hand with confidence. Teachers praised me for having a good memory. Reading removed my fear for my failing sight, reading also made me curious about other people’s challenges and how they managed. Though I could not use my eyes to fix on each passage, my mind lit up with every new book.
True to what the doctor said, the worst came, but thanks to Mom, my sense of hearing now allows me to “see”. This was the most precious (珍贵的) gift from a mother to her child.Why did the author and his parents keep silent on their way back home from hospital?
| A．They all wanted to have a good rest. |
| B．The author didn’t do well in the exam. |
| C．What the doctor said made them worried. |
| D．They focused on the scenery along the road |
How did the author manage to get high marks?
| A．By being confident |
| B．By listening carefully. |
| C．By getting help from his classmates. |
| D．By reading as many books as possible. |
We can learn from the text that.
| A．the author’s sight recovered finally |
| B．reading made the author more sensitive |
| C．the author’s mother didn’t work to look after him |
| D．reading made the author not worry about his sight |
Which of the following could be the title of the text?
| A．My eyesight trouble | B．An unforgettable experience |
| C．With ears wide open | D．About Mother’s love |
In recent years, the black bear population in the US has risen. Forests once cleared for farming have started to grow back and black bears have returned to them. But the bears are finding that their forest habitat has changed. Instead of thick forests covering thousands of acres, bears now have neighbors nearby. Roads, homes, schools, and shopping centers have been built at the edge of their forest home. And with humans and bears trying to share the same space, problems arise.
Black bears usually prefer to avoid people, but their nose may lead them into trouble. Their normal diet includes nuts, insects, and plants. But given the opportunity, they will gladly help themselves to whatever they can find.
With the great sense of smell, the bears can sniff out a tasty treat 2 or 3 miles away. Food left out in a park or backyard is an invitation to dinner. And while raiding (劫掠) a cooler, bird feeder (喂鸟器), trash can, car, or even a home, they can do a lot of damage. When that happens, people get angry. If another solution doesn’t immediately appear, they often want the bears killed.
Bear Aware, Bear Wise, and Bear Smart are trying to keep that from happening. They want people to respect bears, not fear them, and are suggesting ways to reduce the chances of bears stopping by for a snack. They’re convincing (使相信) people that by following some simple steps, it’s possible to live peacefully with our wild neighbors.More black bears have appeared in the US because__________.
| A．farmers have grown more food |
| B．forests have increased in the US |
| C．people stopped killing black bears |
| D．roads were built nearer to the forests |
We learn from the text that black bears _________.
| A．hate insects in forests | B．eat different foods |
| C．usually live in big groups | D．like to share space with humans |
The underlined words “sniff out” in Paragraph 3 probably means “________”.
| A．to express a low opinion | B．to find something by chance |
| C．to refuse something in a proud way | D．to discover something by its smell |
It’s good to make mistakes, and here is why．
First of all, mistakes are a clear sign that you are trying new things． It’s always good to try new things because when you are trying new things you are growing． If you never try anything new, how can you improve? How can you expand? The simple answer is “You can’t”． Look around you． With very few exceptions, either everything you see in your physical world or every single detail of every single thing is the result of someone trying something new．
Another good thing about mistakes is this: When you are making mistakes, you are learning． Consider this: Edison failed 10,000 times before he perfected the light bulb． When asked how it felt to fail that many times, he said that he hadn’t failed 10,000 times, but rather had learned 10,000 things that didn’t work．
Finally, when you make a mistake you are much closer to success． Why?
Because when all is said and done, you will have tried some number of things before you succeeded． Every time you make a mistake you eliminate one of those things and are one step closer．
But this all doesn’t mean that you should go ahead without considering the consequences of a mistake． Quite the contrary, when you try something new you have to be willing to set some reasonable limits so that in the event that it doesn’t work out the way you want it to, you will be in a position to try again．
We all have limited resources in the form of time and money so don’t blow them all on one approach to a problem． Realize that it probably won’t be perfect the first time and allocate （分配） these resources appropriately so you can learn, make corrections, and try it again． Only by accepting and using your mistakes in this way can you make significant advances in your business and your career．
There is an old saying that goes, “If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not trying hard enough．”
So go forth and make mistakes． And learn． And grow． And prosper（成功）．From the second paragraph, we can conclude that _______．
| A．mistakes are unnecessary for development |
| B．we are afraid of trying new things |
| C．it’s common for people to make mistakes |
| D．mistakes are better than not trying |
The underlined word “eliminate” means _______．
| A．avoid | B．remove | C．accept | D．solve |
According to the article, one thing you should pay attention to about making mistakes is．
| A．avoiding making the same mistakes |
| B．accepting the punishment willingly |
| C．taking consequences into account |
| D．trying things out one by one |
What would the writer probably suggest we say to ourselves when we make a mistake?
| A．Never mind, I can always try again． |
| B．I’d better stay out of trouble． |
| C．Ok! Now I can learn something． |
| D．Look at this mess． Anyone would be upset． |
The long, lonely voyage of the Japanese ghost ship is over．
A US Coast Guard cutter poured cannon fire into an abandoned Japanese ghost ship that had been drifting since last year’s tsunami, sinking the vessel into waters more than 305 meters deep in the Gulf of Alaska and removing the danger it posed to shipping and the coastline on Thursday．
The cutter’s guns tore holes in the 164-foot Ryou-Un Maru, and then it began to take on water and lean to one side． In about four hours, the ship disappeared into the sea, said Chief Petty Officer Kip Wadlow．
The ship had no lights or communications system, and its tank was able to carry more than 7,570 liters of diesel fuel． Officials, however, didn’t know exactly how much fuel was aboard．
“It’s less risky than it would be running into shore or running into other ships,” coast guard spokesman Paul Webb said．
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency studied the problem and decided it is safer to sink the ship than let the fuel evaporate and pollute the sea environment．
Ryou-Un Maru was probably among the first wave of the 1．5 million tons of garbage of refrigerators, washing machines, televisions, roofs and fishing nets heading toward North America since last March when a magnitude-9．0 earthquake struck Japan．
As the coast guard was ready to fire on the vessel, a Canadian fishing vessel, the 19-meter Bernice C, claimed the rights to save the ghost ship in international waters．
Plans to sink it were paused so the Canadian crew could have a chance to take the stricken ship． A Canadian official with knowledge of the situation told the Associated Press that the Bernice C was unable to drag it．
Then the Canadian boat left, and once it was about 10 kilometers from the Japanese vessel, the Coast Guard began to fire, first with 25 mm shells, then a few hours later with ammunition twice that size．
State officials have been working to test the danger of garbage including materials affected by a damaged nuclear power plant, to see if Alaska residents, seafood or wild animals could be affected．Which of the following is NOT the reason for sinking the Japanese ship?
| A．It had no lights or communications system. |
| B．It might be washed up onto the shore． |
| C．It was a danger to other passing ships． |
| D．The oil it carried could pollute the sea． |
The plan to fire on the Japanese ghost ship was paused because ____________．
| A．the ghost ship was beyond the reach of the Coast Guard’s guns |
| B．the shells were not powerful enough to sink the ghost ship |
| C．state officials worried the ghost ship might give out radiation |
| D．a Canadian fishing boat wanted to save the ghost ship |
Which of the following could be the best title for the passage?
| A．Japanese ghost ship arriving at US |
| B．Tsunami garbage heading to US |
| C．Cannon fire sinking Japanese ghost ship |
| D．Japanese ghost ship polluting the Pacific |