The invention of the electric telegraph gave birth to the communications industry. Although Samuel B. Morse succeeded in making the invention useful in 1837, it was not until 1843 that the first important telegraph line was constructed. By 1860 more than 50,000 miles of lines connected people east of the Rockies. The following year, San Francisco was added to the network.
The national telegraph network strengthened the ties between East and West and contributed to the rapid expansion of the railroads by providing an efficient means to monitor schedules and routes. Furthermore, the extension of the telegraph, combined with the invention of the steam-driven rotary printing press by Richard
M. Hoe in 1846, revolutionized the world of journalism. Where the business of news gathering had been dependent upon the mail and on hand-operated presses, the telegraph expanded the amount of information a newspaper could supply and allowed for more timely reporting. The creating of the Associated Press as a central wire service in 1846 marked the arrival of a new era (纪元) in journalism.
71. The main topic of the passage is .
A. the history of journalism B. the origin of the national telegraph
C. how the telegraph network contributed to the expansion of railroads
D. the contributions and development of the telegraph network
72. The word "gathering" in line 11 refers to .
A. people B. information
C. objects D. substances
73. The author's main purpose in this passage is to .
A. compare the invention of the telegraph with the invention of the steam-driven rotary press
B. propose new ways to develop the communications industry
C. show how the electric telegraph affected the communications industry
D. criticize Samuel B. Morse
74. This passage would most likely be found in a .
A. U.S. history book B. book on trains
C. science textbook D. computer magazine
75. It can be inferred from the passage that .
A. Samuel Morse did not make a significant contribution to the communications industry
B. Morse's invention did not immediately achieve its full potential (潜力)
C. the extension of the telegraph was more important than its invention
D. journalists have the Associated Press to thank for the birth of the communications industry
In this age of Internet chat, videogames and reality television, there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied. Yet, despite the competition, my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories. She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition she won last year.
As a writer I know about winning contests, and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection slip from the publisher. I also know the pressures of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesn’t win the contest again? That’s the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and dashed hopes can surface.
A revelation (启示) came last week when I asked her, “Don’t you want to win again?” “No,” she replied, “I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.”
I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously (自发地) told them. Telling myself that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly “guided” by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it.
Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting (借用) my daughter’s experience.
While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough away to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices. What did the author say about her own writing experience?
| A．She was constantly under pressure of writing more. |
| B．Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers. |
| C．Her way to success was full of pains and frustrations. |
| D．She did not quite live up to her reputation as a writer. |
Why did Rebecca want to enter this year’s writing contest?
| A．She wanted to share her stories with readers. |
| B．She had won a prize in the previous contest. |
| C．She was sure of winning with her mother’s help. |
| D．She believed she possessed real talent for writing. |
The author took great pains to refine her daughter’s stories because ________.
| A．she wanted to help Rebecca realize her dream of becoming a writer |
| B．she believed she had the knowledge and experience to offer guidance |
| C．she did not want to disappoint Rebecca who needed her help so much |
| D．she was afraid Rebecca’s imagination might run wild while writing |
What’s the author’s advice for parents?
| A．Children should be given every chance to voice their opinions. |
| B．Children should be allowed freedom to grow through experience. |
| C．Parents should keep an eye on the activities their kids engage in. |
| D．A writing career, though attractive, is not for every child to pursue. |
Burn rate is the speed at which a startup business consumes money. My rate was $ 75,000a month. Four months after my company was set up, I had only a quarter of the starting capital left in the bank.
Looking for guidance, I went to talk to my friend, Arthur Walworth about my new venture. “Times of great change always bring out the risk-takers,” he said. “And they leave winners and losers. My grandfather invested a lot of money in a project of Thomas Edison’s that ended up in failure. ”
I was lost in thought at the notion (an idea or belief about something) of a Thomas Edison project ending in failure. Damn. It could happen to anybody! I must continue.
At that time CD-ROM sales had bombed, so investors were fleeing from the field. I didn’t turn away from mine entirely, but instead linked it to the Internet.
My plan was to offer consumers descriptions of home-design products by using a special software and let them modify the designs. Then we can enable them to get online professional and constructional help to have their houses built, decorated and furnished according to their own choice.
To realize my plan I needed investors, so I continued to meet regularly with venture capitalists. One said I had a great idea. But I needed to test it. Get the money somewhere. To get this money from a venture capitalist is going to cost my wife and my children! He turned down my request.
Wife? Children? I hardly remembered them.
I was working nonstop --- struggling to turn the key in the lock, to find the right way ahead. The pressure was terrible. It was just at this time that my parents and sisters stepped up. Two hundred thousand dollars. A lot of money to them, invested in this crazy son and brother without a moment’s hesitation. Dad and Mom had driven out from Chicago and seen the passion in my little office and the trouble at home.
With their help my company survived and has been prospering ever since.When the author’s company started operation, he had_______ .
| A．$ 450,000 | B．$ 400,000 | C．$ 350,000 | D．$ 300,000 |
Arthur implies that to start a business in times of change, people have to_______ .
| A．rely on famous people all be time |
| B．invest as much money as possible |
| C．face the risks of possible failure |
| D．think about nothing but success |
The author’s company was engaged in_______
| A．furniture design and production |
| B．online home-design service |
| C．traditional home designing |
| D．home decoration business |
Faced with a very unfavorable market situation, the author decided_______.
| A．to improve his service | B．to start a new business |
| C．to withdraw his money | D．to reduce his investment |
Exploit your parking space
An unused parking space or garage can make money. If you live near a city center or an airport, you could make anything up to £200 or £300 a week. Put an advertisement for free on Letpark or Atmyhousepark.
Rent a room
Spare room? Not only will a lodger(房客) earn you an income, but also, thanks to the government-backed “rent a room” program, you won’t have to pay any tax on the first £4500 you make per year. Try advertising your room on Roomspare or Roommateeasy.
Make money during special events
Won’t want a full-time lodger? Then rent on a short-term basis. If you live in the capital, renting a room out during the Olympics or other big events could bring in money, Grashpadder can advertise your space.
Live on set
Renting your home out as a “film set” could earn you hundreds of pounds a day, depending on the film production company and how long your home is needed. A quick search on the Internet will bring up dozens of online companies that allow you to register your home for free — but you will be charged if your home gets picked.
Use your roof
You need the right kind of roof, but some energy companies pay the cost of fixing solar equipment(around￡14,000), and let you use the energy produced for nothing. In return, they get paid for unused energy fed back into the National Grid. However, you have to sign a 25-year agreement with the supplier, which could prevent you from changing the roof.If you earn ￡5000 from renting a room in one year, the tax you need to pay will be based on ______.
| A．￡800 | B．￡500 | C．￡4500 | D．5000 |
Where can you put an advertisement to rent out a room during a big event?
| A．On Letpark. | B．On Roomspare. |
| C．On Grashpadder. | D．On Roommateeasy. |
If you want to use energy free, you have to_____.
| A．sign an agreement with the government |
| B．pay around ￡14,000 for the equipment |
| C．sell the roof to some energy companies |
| D．keep the roof unchanged for within 25 years |
For whom the text most probably written?
| A．Lodgers. | B．Advertisers. |
| C．House owners. | D．Online companies |
At night, bats fly through the air, catching hundreds of insects and other small animals. But during the day, they hardly move at all. Instead, bats pass the time hanging upside down from a secret spot.
There are a couple of reasons why bats rest this way. First of all, it puts them in a position for takeoff. Unlike birds, bats can’t fly into the air from the ground. Their wings don’t produce enough lift to take off from a dead stop, and their hind legs are so small and underdeveloped that they can’t run to build up the necessary takeoff speed. Instead, they use their front claws to climb to a high spot, and then fall into flight.
During the hours when most enemies are active, bats gather where few animals would think to look and most can’t reach. This allows them to disappear from the world until night comes again. There’s also little competition for these resting spots, as other flying animals don’t have the ability to hang upside down. Bats have a unique physiological adaptation that lets them hang around this way without using any energy. For you to hold your fist around an object tight, you contract(紧缩) several muscles in your arm, which are connected to your fingers by tendons(腱)；as one muscle contracts, it pulls a tendon, which pulls one of your fingers closed. A bat’s talons(爪) close in the same way, except that their tendons are connected only to the upper body, not to a muscle. To hang upside down, a bat pulls its claws open with other muscles. To get the talons to take hold of the surface, the bat simply lets its body relax. The weight of the upper body pulls down on the tendons connected to the talons, causing them to hold tight. Therefore, the bat doesn’t have to do anything to hang upside down.Bats hang upside down because________.
| A．they haven’t developed a pair of strong claws |
| B．they can’t start to fly from the ground directly |
| C．they have no hind legs to support their body |
| D．they can’t find quiet places to stay during the day |
The third paragraph tells us that bats’ hanging upside down_______.
| A．is to save their energy for night movement |
| B．is a way to fight against flying animals |
| C．is a great way to hide from danger |
| D．is a skill to compete for the flying places |
Why can bats hang upside down easily?
| A．Because their upper body is light. |
| B．Because they have strong muscles. |
| C．Because their talons are linked to muscles tightly. |
| D．Because their tendons are linked to their upper body. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The living habits of bats. |
| B．How and why bats hang upside down. |
| C．The importance of bats’ hanging upside down. |
| D．How bats use their energy at night. |
What time is it？Most people are pretty accurate in their answer. And if you don’t know for sure, it’s very likely that you can find out. There may be a watch on your wrist; there may be a clock on the wall, desk, or computer screen; or maybe you’re riding in a car that has a clock in the dashboard .
Even if you don’t have a timepiece of some sort nearby, your body keeps its own beat. Humans have an internal clock that regulates (调节) the beating of our heart, the peace of our breathing, the discharge (排出) of chemicals within our bloodstream, and many other bodily functions.
Time is something from which we can’t escape. Even if we ignore it, it’s still going by, ticking away, second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour. So the main issue in using your time well is, “who’s in charge？” We can allow time to slip by and let it be our enemy. Or we can take control of it and make it our ally.
By taking control of how you spend your time, you'll increase your chances of becoming a more
successful student. Perhaps more importantly, the better you are at managing the time you devote to your
studies, the more time you'll have to spend on your outside interests.
The aim of time management is not to schedule every moment so we become slaves of a timetable that
governs every waking moment of the day. Instead, the aim is to make informed choices as to how we use
our time. Rather than letting the day go by, largely without our awareness, what we are going to discuss
next can make us better able to control time for our own purposes.The underlined word “ally” in Para.3 most likely means somebody or something that is ________.
| A．your slave and serves you |
| B．your supporter an helps you |
| C．under your control and obeys you |
| D．under your influence and follows you |
The author intends to tell us that time ________.
| A．could be regulated by a timepiece such as a clock or a watch |
| B．could be managed by the internal clock by human bodies |
| C．should be well managed for our own interest |
| D．should be saved for outside interests |
In the next part, the author would most probably discuss with you ________.
| A．how to keep up with the times | B．how to make up for lost time |
| C．how to have a good time | D．how to make good use of time |