A
Every afternoon hundreds of thousands of youth fill Internet cafes, switch on a game console (游戏机), or otherwise sit down to enter fantasy worlds. I’m talking about video games. These games can be fun and exciting, but we need to look out when this pastime becomes an addiction.
Games are often quite exciting and dramatic, but they generally aren’t very intellectual. We don’t learn as much from them as we would only reading a book. Spending too much time playing them can take away our study time. We need to remember that we are students first. Nothing should ever get in the way of proper studying.
Video games can also be a bad effect on younger children who may be watching. Many video games are violent and the object in most of them is to kill the other player(s). This does not send the right message to the children who need to be told that violence is not acceptable and need to be taught how to deal with situations maturely. Even if we do need to sit down and play a violent video game, we need to make sure that it is not affect the younger people around us.
Playing a computer game in our spare time is not a bad thing. Games can be a great way to relax after studying, to connect to our friends, or just to help our creativity. However, games should not become the focus of our life. We need to make sure that laying games never interferes with our studies and that we aren’t thinking about them all day. If we ever find ourselves playing them too much, we need to break the addiction. If that happens, we need to step away from the computer or television screen and learn to spend our time more productively.
1. The writer mainly tells the readers __________.
A. to play computer games every afternoon
B. not to play computer games too much
C. not to affect other people while playing games
D. to spend more time studying
2. The writer thinks about computer games all of the following except _________.
A. exciting B. dramatic C. intellectual D. violent
3. Computer games may have bad effect on younger children because __________.
A. these children often stay in Internet cafes all day long
B. children often forget to do their lessons
C. computer games are often violent
D. children don’t have enough money to play computer games
4. The writer advises computer game players ________.
A. not to affect younger people around
B. not to play violent games
C. never to enter Internet cafes
D. to teach younger children how to play computer games
People in the western state of California who are in the United States illegally can now request a driver's license. The law went into effect on January l. California is not the first American state with such a law, but it has the largest number of illegal immigrants. More than a million people began to request licenses shortly after the new state law went into effect. Among them was Christian Alvarado. Mr. Alvarado entered the United States from El Salvador eight years ago without permission from the U.S. government. Some call such people "illegal immigrants." Others call them "undocumented immigrants".
Mr. Alvarado thinks it so exciting, for he has been waiting for the license for a long time. But some are worried that their personal information will be used to find them and deport them. Armando Botello is a spokesman for the California Department of Motor Vehicles, or DMV. He says people should not be afraid, for such information will not be shared.
The new licenses are the same as licenses given to citizens except that they have the words "Federal Limits Apply". That means the license cannot be used to travel on an airplane or enter a federal building. Ana Garcia, working at the Central American Resource Center, says some illegal immigrants fear those words will be used to abuse them. Civil rights groups say the police and others will not.
Dan Schnur, a political scientist at the University of Southern California, said that the main argument against the new law is that it rewards illegal behavior. But Professor Schnur argued that young, white Americans generally support immigration reform, including giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants
"It's simply because they grew up in a much more multicultural society than their parents or their grandparents did." Professor Schnur says he believes the changes in beliefs about illegal immigrants that have taken place in California will spread throughout the United States.Why did the new law make Mr. Alvarado excited?
A.Because he can request a driver's license. |
B.Because he became a legal immigrant of California. |
C.Because he got his driving license as an illegal immigrant. |
D.Because a law went into effect for the new immigrants. |
What is the difference of the new licenses compared to those given to citizens'?
A.The words “Federal Limits Apply” will abuse illegal immigrants |
B.They can't be used to travel on an airplane or enter a federal building. |
C.They can be used to act against the police and other people. |
D.With the words "Federal Limits Apply", immigrants can enjoy special rights. |
What’s the public's attitude towards the new law released on January l in California?
A.supportive | B.negative |
C.neutral | D.controversial |
If you’ve ever owned a chimney, you know that it can get pretty dirty. There’s a whole lot of soot(烟灰) that gets stuck on the inside. That stuff has to get cleaned, or you could have a serious fire risk. While nowadays we have easier ways of doing this dirty job, in the way back days somebody used to climb up the chimney and clean all that soot. And the thing is, not just anybody could do it.
You had to be really small to fit up in the chimney, so they used to give the task to kids – some as young as four or five years old. They worked for their boss known as a master-sweep. They were often covered in soot, and were very likely to get burned. They often developed what became known as soot wart, a form of cancer.
Are your unfairness bells ringing? William Blake’s certainly were. The physical dangers and widespread unfairness of the chimney-sweeping job really stuck in his throat, so much so that he wrote not one, but two poems called “The Chimney Sweeper”.
The first poem (the one we’re discussing here)was published in 1789 in a book called Songs of Innocence. These little poems took children and the joys of childhood innocence as their subject. As you’ve probably guessed by now, many of the poems in Songs of Innocence, like “The Chimney Sweeper”, are about the ways in which childhood innocence is destroyed by unkind old adults. For Blake, innocence is, in many ways, a total joke. It doesn’t exist, because it’s always taken away by the realistic world – chimney-sweeping, death, poverty, etc.
What does a five-year-old chimney sweeper in 18th-century England have to do with you? More than you might think. It is reported that 150 million kids are in child labor in developing countries. Many of them work long hours and face dangerous health risks. Like Blake’s chimney sweeper, these kids are not even given a chance at innocence because experience keeps getting in the way.Which of the following can best describe the chimney-sweeping job?
A.Easy and interesting. | B.Dirty and dangerous. |
C.Pleasant and well-paid | D.Challenging and creative. |
Why did Blake write two poems called “The Chimney Sweeper”?
A.He was very interested in the job. |
B.He had much experience in the job. |
C.He considered the job very important. |
D.He felt deeply sorry for the kid workers. |
How did Blake look at the realistic world?
A.Thankfully | B.Regretfully | C.Doubtfully | D.Negatively |
In the last paragraph, the writer explains ________.
A.the realistic meaning of “The Chimney Sweeper” |
B.the great influence of Blake’s Songs of Innocence |
C.why child labor still exists in developing countries |
D.why chimney-sweeping becomes unnecessary today |
Want to find a job? Now read the following advertisements.
FAIRMONT HOTEL
Five Waiters and Ten Waitresses
— Aged under 22
— At least high school graduate
— Good-looking; men at least 1.72 meters tall and women at least 1.65
— Those knowing foreign languages favoured
— Paid 1 600—2 200 dollars per month
One Secretary
— Aged under 30
— Female favoured
— Good at writing and skilled at computer
If interested, call 465-4768 or write to:
Mr. Jack Hundris
Room 0825, Fairmont Hotel
567 Wood Street, San Markers, 78003
Fax: 6954828
WILSON BOOKSTORE
Accountant(会计)
— Aged between 25 and 40
— With an experience of at least two years
— With a degree and an accountant certificate(证书)
— Paid 3 000—4 000 dollars monthly
— With a practical knowledge of computer
Salesclerk
— Basic education of 12 years or more
— Good at computer
— Paid 1 800—2 200 dollars monthly
Tel: 447-4398
Fax: 3485269If you don’t know how to use a computer, you can just apply for the position as _______.
A.a secretary | B.a waiter or waitress |
C.an accountant | D.a salesclerk |
If you want to try for a job in Fairmont Hotel, you _______.
A.have to be a woman and know foreign languages |
B.should be a university graduate |
C.have to be taller than 1.72 meters |
D.should be younger than 30 years old |
From the ads we can conclude that _______.
A.you’ll be better paid in Wilson Bookstore than in Fairmont Hotel |
B.all the jobs offered require experience |
C.the better education you’ve received, the more money you’ll make |
D.if you want to be an accountant, you may call 465-4768 |
Food we need
Have you learned a lot about the kinds of food people need? They say that there are several kinds of food that people should eat every day. They are: (1) green and yellow vegetables of all kinds. (2) citrus(柑桔) fruits and tomatoes; (3) potatoes and other fruits and vegetables; (4) meat of all kinds, fish and eggs; (5) milk and foods made from milk; (6) bread or cereal(谷类), rice is also in this kind of food; (7) butter, or something like butter.
What food counts
People in different countries and different places of the world eat different kinds of things. Foods are cooked and eaten in many different kinds of ways. People in different countries eat at different times of the day. In some places people eat once or twice a day; in other countries people eat three or four times a day. Scientists say that none of the differences is really important. It doesn’t matter whether foods are eaten raw(生的) or cooked, canned or frozen. It doesn’t matter if a person eats dinner at 4 o’clock in the afternoon or at eleven o’clock at night. The important thing is what you eat every day.
How shall we do?
There are two problems, then, in feeding the large number of people on earth. The first is to find some ways to feed the world’s population so that no one is hungry. The second is to make sure that people everywhere have the right kinds of food to make them grow to be strong and healthy.According to the scientists, which of the following groups of food is the healthiest for your lunch?
A.chicken, apples, cereal, cabbages |
B.potatoes, carrots, rice, bread |
C.oranges, bananas, fish, tomatoes |
D.beef, pork, fish, milk |
It is important for people to eat _______.
A.three times a day |
B.dinner at twelve o’clock |
C.cooked food all the day |
D.something from each of the seven kinds of food every day |
Which of the following is NOT true?
A.People in some places don’t have enough to eat. |
B.There are too many people in the world. |
C.One of the problems is that no one is hungry. |
D.The scientists are trying to make people grow to be strong and healthy. |
If there is Paragraph 4, what do you think is going to be talked about?
A.When people eat their lunch |
B.What to do with the two problems |
C.How to cook food in different ways |
D.Why people eat different kinds of food |
In choosing a friend, one should be very careful. A good friend can help you study. You can have fun together and make each other happy. Sometimes you will meet fair weather friends. They will be with you as long as you have money or luck, but when you are down, they will run away. How do I know when I have found a good friend? I look for certain qualities (品质) of character, especially understanding, honesty and reliability (可靠).
Above all else, I look for understanding in a friend. A good friend tries to understand how another person is feeling. He is not quick to judge. Instead, he tries to learn from others. He puts himself in the other person's place, and he tries to think of ways to be helpful. He is also a good listener.
At the same time, however, a good friend is honest. He does not look for faults (过错) in others. He notices their good points. In short, a friend will try to understand me and accept me.
Another quality of a friend is reliability. I can always depend on (信赖) a good friend. If he tells me he will meet me somewhere at a certain time, I can be sure that he will be there. If I need a favor, he will do his best to help me. If I am in trouble, he will not run away from me.
There is a fourth quality that makes a friend special. A special friend is someone with whom we can have fun. We should enjoy our lives, and we would enjoy our friendship. That is why I especially like friends who are fun to be with. A good friend likes the same things I like. We share experience (经验) and learn from each other. A good friend has a good sense of humor (幽默), too. He likes to laugh with me. That is how we share in the joy of being friends. And I know that he is looking for the same quality in me.
When I meet someone who is reliable, honest, and understanding, I know I've found a friend!Which of the following qualities the writer thinks is the most important in choosing a friend?
A.understanding. |
B.honesty. |
C.reliability. |
D.a sense of humor. |
If you have fair weather friends, ______.
A.they will give you all that they have when you need help |
B.you will be refused when you get into trouble |
C.you will become rich |
D.you can be sure that you get real friends |
Good friends need to ______.
A.always point out each other's mistakes |
B.be helped with money |
C.understand each other's feelings |
D.have money or luck |
This passage mainly discusses ______.
A.the qualities of a friend |
B.where to choose friends |
C.how to get along with friends |
D.the importance of having a friend |