At one time, computers were expected largely to remove the need for paper copies of documents because they could be stored electronically. But for all the texts that are written, stored and sent electronically, a lot of them are still ending up on paper.
It is difficult to measure the quantity of paper used as a result of use of internet-connected computers, although just about anyone who works in an office can tell you that when e-mail is introduced, the printers start working overtime. “I feel in my bones this revolution is causing more trees to be cut down,” says Ted Smith of the Earth Village Organization.
Perhaps the best sign of how computer and internet use pushes up demand for paper comes from the high-tech industry itself, which sees printing as one of its most promising new markets. Several internet companies have been set up to help small businesses print quality documents from a computer. Earlier this week Hewlett-Packard Co. announced a plan to develop new technologies that will enable people to print even more so they can get a hard copy of a business document, a medical record or just a one-line e-mail, even if they are nowhere near a computer. As the company sees it, the more use of the internet the greater demand for printer.
Does all this mean environmental concerns have been forgotten? Some activists suggest people have been led to believe that a lot of dangers to the environment have gone away. “I guess people believe that the problem is taken care of, because of recycling,” said Kelly Quirke, director of the Rainforest Action Network in San Francisco. Yet Quirke is hopeful the high-tech may also prove helpful. He says printers that print on both sides are growing in popularity. The action group has also found acceptable paper made from materials other than wood, such as agricultural waste.
1.The growing demand for paper in recent years is largely due to _______.
A.the rapid development of small businesses B. the opening up of new markets
C.the printing of high quality copies D. the increased use of the internet
2. Environmentalists believe one possible way of dealing with the paper situation is______.
A. to encourage printing more quality documents
B. to develop new printers using recycling paper
C. to find new materials for making paper
D. to plant more fast-growing trees
3.Hewlett-Packard Co. has decided to develop new technologies because ________.
A. people are concerned about the environment
B. printers in many offices are working overtime
C. small companies need more hard copies
D. they see growing market for printers
4. What would be the best title for the text?
A. Computers and Printers B. E-mail and the Business World
C. Internet Revolution and Environment D. Modern Technology and New Markets
Teenagers at one German school are learning how to achieve happiness alongside subjects like maths and languages.
The class sit in a circle with their eyes shut and count from one to ten: one begins, the next voice comes from the far right, a third from the other side. The aim is to listen for an opportunity to shout the number without clashing(冲突) with another voice or leaving a pause. On the first try, most of the young Germans try to be first, while a few are too shy to join in. But by the fifth round, they develop a rhythm.
The message: giving other people space but also confidently claiming your own space is a requirement for social well-being.
While the game suggests a soft course for the less bright, the school says it is trying to make it affect even clever pupils. The Willy Hellpach School is the first in the nation to develop a happiness course, intended for 17-19-year-olds preparing for university-entrance exams. “The course isn’t there to make you happy,” Ernst Fritz-Schubert, the school principal, warned the pupils who were taking the course, “but rather to help you discover the ways to become happy.” Cooking a meal together will be one of the class exercises, along with improving body language under the guidance of two professional actresses.
“In the first period, we had to each say something positive about another member of the class and about ourselves. No laughing at people or teasing,” said Fanny, 17.
The message: self-esteem(自尊) improves happiness too.
The course is taught for three periods a week and will be graded as a part of overall assessment. Despite the happy subject, the pupils themselves insist it is no laughing matter. Max, 18, says he is happy when he finds people who share his interests. Janina, 18, says she needs to be fit to feel happy.
“We want to show how proper food or exercise can help in becoming happy,” the principal said. He hopes other schools in Germany will copy the idea. The school has attracted national interest since it announced its new course.What would be the best title of this passage?
| A．Basic Things for Happiness. |
| B．Tips to Be Happy. |
| C．Learning How to Be Happy. |
| D．Laughing a Lot at School. |
Why is the happiness course compared with maths and languages?
| A．It has been developed as a school subject. |
| B．It is more important than traditional courses. |
| C．It is part of the research. |
| D．It arouses the students’ interest. |
Who are expected to take the course at the school?
| A．First year students. |
| B．All the students. |
| C．Students with mental problems. |
| D．Students who are going to graduate. |
Which of the following is NOT true about the happiness classes?
| A．Students learn through playing games. |
| B．Cooking a meal together is a class activity. |
| C．Students are only made to be happy. |
| D．Students say positive things about each other. |
Facing fear is one of the most important things you can do. Some people have a fear of failure and others a fear of success. It may seem strange but neither one is a good fear. You might think the fear of failure could be a good thing but it’s not, particularly if the fear of failure keeps you from accomplishing anything.
For myself, I have a huge fear of failure but I am good at facing that fear and overcoming it. I don’t let my fear of failure cause me to delay(延误) my decision or get me off the track. I use the fear to make sure I’m doing my absolute best at all times because I know if I don’t do my best I will fail. That frightens me. I’m not afraid of trying at all.
I started a business when I was married to my first wife. The business became successful and I was getting ready to make some huge money. However, my wife just wanted us to stay small because she was comfortable there. She feared what success might bring and did every little thing she could to make sure we didn’t grow any bigger. I’m sure you can see the problem. I had a fear of failure and she had an even bigger fear of success. Finally I couldn’t stand any more of her fear and we got a divorce.
Facing fear and overcoming fear is very important. People even have a fear of fear. I’m sure that it is normal. People fear change more than anything else and fight that change with fear. They fear what they don’t know or understand. They fear anything new to them. But we need to keep in mind that the world is changing all the time and that change is inevitable (不可避免的). You can live a life free of fear by learning to face your fears.From the first paragraph, we can learn that the fear of failure________.
| A．is better than the fear of success |
| B．is a good thing to most of us |
| C．is more common than the fear of success |
| D．may stop us from getting successful |
It can be inferred that when the writer’s small business became successful, _____.
| A．he feared to grow bigger |
| B．he feared to lose his money |
| C．something went wrong with their marriage |
| D．he was as comfortable as his wife |
What’s the writer’s purpose of telling his own experience with his first wife?
| A．To explain two kinds of fears. |
| B．To tell his problem in his early career. |
| C．To explain the bad effects of different fears. |
| D．To show the fear of failure is a good thing. |
People who have a fear of fear___________.
| A．often fail to understand something new to them |
| B．just want to live an unchangeable life |
| C．believe that change is inevitable |
| D．fear that they can’t change |
Mark felt that it was time for him to take part in his community activities, so he went to the neighborhood meeting after work. The city councilman(议员) was leading a discussion about the decreasing life quality. The neighborhood faced many problems.
Mark looked at the charts taped to the walls. There are charts for crime, parking problems, and for problems in vacant(空置的)buildings. People were supposed to suggest solutions to the councilman.
It was too much for Mark. “The problems are too big,” he thought. He turned to the man next to him and said, “I think this is a waste of my time. Nothing I could do would make a difference here.”
Mark thought some more on his way to the bus stop. “People should just take care of themselves,” he decided. “That’s enough to do. I can’t take on all the problems of the world.”
As he neared the bus stop, Mark saw a woman carrying a grocery bag and a baby. She was trying to unlock her car, but she didn’t have a free hand. As Mark got closer, her other child, a little boy, suddenly darted into the street. The woman tried to reach for him, but as she moved, her bag shifted and groceries started to fall out. Mark ran to take the boy’s arm and led him back to his mother. Then he picked up the groceries while the woman smiled in relief. “Thanks!” she said. “You have got great timing!”
“Just being neighborly,” Mark said. As he rode home, he glanced at the walls of the bus. On one of them was “Small acts of kindness add up.” Mark smiled and thought, “ Maybe that’s a good place to start.”We learn from the passage that_____.
| A．Mark always played an active part in community activities |
| B．the city councilman was responsible for the decreasing of life quality |
| C．the seriousness of problems is made known to people in the community |
| D．many people were discouraged by the many problems facing them |
The underlined word “darted” in Paragraph 5 means______.
| A．walked | B．looked | C．fell | D．ran |
The words on the bus wall imply that______.
| A．if you are kind to others, you will be treated the same way |
| B．everyone can play his own part to make things better |
| C．all small acts will add up to kindness |
| D．it is a small act to help a person in need |
This passage mainly wants to tell us______.
| A．how each of us can help make a difference |
| B．how a neighborhood meeting can solve its problems |
| C．how citizens react to the problems they face |
| D．how problems are solved through group action |
George Gershwin, born in 1898, was one of America’s greatest composers. He published his first song when he was eighteen years old. During the next twenty years he wrote more than five hundred songs.
Many of Gershwin’s songs were first written for musical plays performed in theatres in New York City. These plays were a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s and 1930s. Many of his songs have remained popular as ever. Over the years they have been sung and played in every possible way — from jazz to country.
In the 1920s there was a debate in the United States about jazz music. Could jazz, some people asked, be considered serious music? In 1924 jazz musician and orchestra leader Paul Whiteman decided to organize a special concert to show that jazz was serious music. Gershwin agreed to compose something for the concert before he realized he had just a few weeks to do it. And in that short time, he composed a piece for piano and orchestra which he called Rhapsody in Blue. Gershwin himself played the piano at the concert. The audience were thrilled when they heard his music. It made him world-famous and showed that jazz music could be both serious and popular.
In 1928, Gershwin went to Paris. He applied to study composition (作曲)with the well-known musician Nadia Boulanger, but she rejected him. She was afraid that classical study would ruin his jazz-influenced style. While there, Gershwin wrote An American in Paris. When it was first performed, critics (评论家)were divided over the music. Some called it happy and full of life, to others it was silly and boring. But it quickly became popular in Europe and the United States. It still remains one of his most famous works.
George Gershwin died in 1937, just days after doctors learned he had brain cancer. He was only thirty-nine years old. Newspapers all over the world reported his death on their front pages. People mourned the loss of the man and all the music he might have still written.Many of Gershwin’s musical works were ________ .
| A．composed for Paul Whiteman |
| B．performed in various ways |
| C．played mainly in the countryside |
| D．written about New Yorkers |
What do we know about the concert organized by Whiteman?
| A．It attracted more people to theatres. |
| B．It made Gershwin leader of the orchestra. |
| C．It caused a debate among jazz musicians. |
| D．It proved jazz could be serious music. |
What did Gershwin do during his stay in Paris?
| A．He argued with French critics. |
| B．He studied with Nadia Boulanger. |
| C．He changed his music style. |
| D．He created one of his best works. |
What can we infer from the last paragraph?
| A．Many of Gershwin’s works were lost. |
| B．Brain cancer research started after Gershwin’s death. |
| C．A concert was held in memory of Gershwin. |
| D．The death of Gershwin was widely reported. |
Which of the following best describes Gershwin?
| A．Serious and boring | B．Talented and productive |
| C．Popular and unhappy | D．Friendly and honest |
Your dog is as smart as any two year old, according to a new study. Dogs bring much happiness to their owners, and even improve human health. Most two year olds keep us busy in life — an important part of living a long and happy life. According to Stanley Coren, Ph.D.of the University of British Columbia, our dogs are smarter than we thought.
Dr.Coren reviewed many studies to find out that dogs are as smart as 2 to 2.5 year olds. Forget about one word orders — according to Coren, the smartest dogs can learn up to 250 words. Most dogs understand an average of 165 words. “The upper limit of dogs” ability to learn language is partly based on a study of a Border Collie (博得牧羊犬) named Rico who showed knowledge of 200 spoken words, and ‘fast-track learning’, which scientists believed to be found only in humans and language-learning apes(猿)。
Dogs are also great at tricking. During play, they have the ability to trick humans and other dogs in order to get treats. “And they are nearly as successful in tricking humans as humans are in tricking dogs, saysCoren.
Dogs can also count to four or five, which might explain how they know when their toys are missing. Coren explains,“Their astonishing flashes of smartness and creativity are reminders that they may not be Ensteins, but are sure closer to humans than we thought.”
Animals can do much to keep us happy, health, and protect us from harm. Stories of dog heroes can be found using a simple Internet search. Pets teach us sense of duty, keep us from loneliness, and can help with treatment of the disabled. Dogs are smarter than we thought — as smart as a two year old.How do dogs bring happiness and health to humans according to the author?
| A．By doing funny tricks. |
| B．By keeping humans busy. |
| C．By serving their owners. |
| D．By playing with their owners. |
What makes Rico special?
| A．He seldom uses one word orders. |
| B．He uses words like a 2.5 year old. |
| C．He is Corn’s favorite subject for study. |
| D．He shows a high level of language ability. |
What does Dr. Coren say about a dog’s counting ability?
| A．It is as good as an ape’s. |
| B．It is close to human’s. |
| C．It leaves a lot to be studied. |
| D．It helps them keep their toys. |
For someone interested in knowing more stories about dogs, the author suggests that he.
| A．train a dog |
| B．search the Internet |
| C．watch a two year old |
| D．visit a hospital for the disabled |