Speeding off in a stolen car, the thief thinks he has got a great catch. But he is in for an unwelcome surprise. The car is fitted with a remote immobilizer (锁止器), and a radio signal from a control centre miles away will ensure that once the thief switches the engine off, he will not be able to start it again.
The idea goes like this. A control box fitted to the car contains a mini-cellphone, a micro- processor and memory, and a GPS (全球定位系统) satellite positioning receiver. If the car is stolen, a coded cellphone signal will tell the control centre to block the vehicle's engine management system and prevent the engine being restarted.
In the UK, a set of technical fixes is already making life harder for car thieves. “The pattern of vehicle crime has changed,” says Martyn Randall, a security expert. He says it would only take him a few minutes to teach a person how to steal a car, using a bare minimum(="smallest)" of tools. But only if the car is more than 10 years old.
Modern cars are far tougher to steal, as their engine management computer won't allow them to start unless they receive a unique ID code beamed out by the ignition (点火) key. In the UK, technologies like this have helped achieve a 31% drop in vehicle-related crime since 1997.
But determined criminals are still managing to find other ways to steal cars, often by getting hold of the owner's keys. And key theft is responsible for 40% of the thefts of vehicles fitted with a tracking system.
If the stolen car travels 100 metres without the driver confirming their ID, the system will send a signal to an operations centre that it has been stolen. The hundred metres minimum avoids false alarms due to inaccuracies in the GPS signal.
Staff at the centre will then contact the owner to confirm that the car really is missing, and keep the police informed of the vehicle's movements through the car's GPS unit.
57. The remote immobilizer is fitted to a car to ______.
A. allow the car to lock automatically when stolen
B. help the police make a surprise attack on the car thief
C. prevent the car thief from restarting it once it stops
D. prevent car theft by sending a radio signal to the car owner
58. By saying “The pattern of vehicle crime has changed”, Martyn Randall suggests that ______.
A. it takes a longer time for the car thief to do the stealing
B. self-prepared tools are no longer enough for car theft
C. the thief has to make use of computer technology
D. the thief has lost interest in stealing cars over 10 years old
59. Why does the tracking system set a 100-metre minimum before sending an alarm to the operations centre?
A. To allow for possible errors in the GPS system.
B. To give the driver time to contact the operations centre.
C. To keep the police informed of the car's movements.
D. To leave time for the operations centre to give an alarm.
60. The operations centre will first ______ after receiving an alarm.
A. start the tracking system. B. contact the car owner.
C. block the car engine. D. locate the missing car.
The summer I was ten, my mother decided to bring us to the world of art. My brother and I were not very excited when we realized what my mother meant. What she meant was not that we could take drawing classes or painting classes but that we would have to spend one afternoon a week with her at the Fine Arts Museum. Before each visit to the museum, she made us read about artists and painting styles(风格). It was almost as bad as being in school. Who wants to spend the summer thinking about artists when you could be with your friends at the swimming pool?
First we had to read about ancient Egyptians(古埃及人) and their strange way of painting faces and then go to look at them at the museum. My 12-year-old brother thought this was so funny, but I was not interested. Later we had to learn about artists in the Middle Ages who painted people wearing strange long clothing. We had to look at pictures of fat babies with wings and curly (鬈曲的) hair and with no clothes on flying around the edges of paintings. I certainly couldn’t see what was so great about art.
On our last visit to the museum, something happened when I saw a painting by a woman called Mary. In it, a woman was reading to a child. The colors were soft and gentle, and you could tell by the mother’s expression how happy she was just to be with the child. I couldn’t stop looking at this painting! I wanted to see every painting Mary had ever made! It was really worth looking at so many paintings to find a painter who could interest me so much.The aim of the mother’s plan was to _________.
| A．take them to visit the museum |
| B．introduce them to the world of art |
| C．ask them to read about artists |
| D．show them different painting styles |
What was the writer’s experience in the museum before the last visit?
| A．She came to feel her mother’s love. |
| B．She could understand the pictures of fat babies. |
| C．She liked many paintings. |
| D．She hardly enjoyed herself. |
What made the writer go through a change that summer?
| A．Artists in the Middle Ages. |
| B．A strange way of painting. |
| C．One of Mary’s paintings. |
| D．Her mother’s instruction. |
From the text, we can see _________.
| A．the importance of curiosity |
| B．the power of family education |
| C．the value of learning |
| D．the effect of art |
My family moved around a lot when I was growing up．In 2nd grade，I lived here in Washington D．C，where I made an amazing group of friends．I was upset when my parents told me we were moving again and I would have to leave all my best friends behind．
In 7th grade．we moved back to Washington D．C．And I could not have been more excited and I felt like I was finally home again．But things had changed．There were two new girls，who decided that they didn’t like me，which meant no one else could，not even all my former best friends．
And then one day during school，I opened my locker，only to find a note lying on the floor．The note said：Die．Nobody likes you．
My heart started beating faster and I felt the blood rushing to my face．I had no idea what to do．The note wasn’t signed and I had no idea who had written it，but I figured the new girls were behind it．I had to sit in class all day with my head down，wondering who else knew about this shame．I felt horrible and sure that nothing would ever be good again．
I decided that the perfect way to end all of this was with another note，left on the bathroom mirror at school．
It’s sad for someone to bully(欺负)other classmates to make themselves feel better or look cool．Bullying others is a way to impress others．It’s common，but that doesn’t mean it's okay．Looking cool is not worth making others feel bad．Obviously I’m very happy now，but it doesn’t mean I’11 ever forget about that note or how it made me feel．And to those of you that are current victims(目前的受害者) of bullying—know that you are NOT alone．It will get better．I promise．Why was the author unhappy when she left Washington D．C．?
A．She couldn’t adapt herself
B．She had to leave best friends．
C．She was growing up there．
D．She hated traveling a lot．When the author opened the locker，she felt .
| A．satisfied | B．cheerful | C．amused | D．ashamed |
In the end，the author turned things around ．
| A．under her teacher’s guide |
| B．by compromising to others |
| C．with her best friends’ help |
| D．through her own efforts |
What suggestion does the author give to the teenagers?
| A．Meet friends whenever possible． |
| B．Make efforts to fight back hard． |
| C．Be optimistic and let a thing slide． |
| D．Go on well with others． |
At thirteen, I was diagnosed（诊所）with kind of attention disorder. It made school difficult for me. When everyone else in the class was focusing on tasks, I could not.
In my first literature class, Mrs. Smith asked us to read a story and then write on it, all within 45 minutes. I raised my hand right away and said, “Mrs. Smith, you see, the doctor said I have attention problems. I might not be able to do it.”
She glanced down at me through her glasses, “you are no different from your classmates, young man.”
I tried, but I didn’t finish the reading when the bell rang. I had to take it home.
In the quietness of my bedroom, the story suddenly all became clear to me. It was about a blind person, Louis Braille. He lived in a time when the blind couldn’t get much education. But Louis didn’t give up. Instead, he invented a reading system of raised dots（点）, which opened up a whole new world of knowledge to the blind.
Wasn’t I the “blind” in my class, being made to learn like the “sighted” students? My thoughts spilled out and my pen started to dance. I completed the task within 40 minutes. Indeed, I was no different from others; I just needed a quieter place. If Louis could find his way out of his problems, why should I ever give up?
I didn’t expect anything when I handled in my paper to Mrs. Smith, so it was quite a surprise when it came back to me the next day-with an “A” on it. At the bottom of the paper were these words: “See what you can do when you keep trying?”The author didn’t finish the reading in class because .
| A．He was new to the class |
| B．He had an attention disorder |
| C．He was tired of literature |
| D．He wanted to take the task home |
What do we know about Louis Braille from the passage?
| A．He made a great invention |
| B．He had good sight |
| C．He gave up reading |
| D．He learned a lot from school |
What was Mrs. Smith’s attitude to the author at the end of the story?
| A．Angry | B．Impatient | C．Encouraging | D．Awkward |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．One can find his way out of difficulties with efforts. |
| B．It’s teachers’ responsibility to help students gain confidence. |
| C．Everyone needs help when faced with challenges. |
| D．The disabled should be treated with respect. |
Does handwriting matter? Not very much, according to many educators. However, scientists say it is far too soon to declare handwriting is not important. New evidence suggests that the link between handwriting and educational development is deep.
Children not only learn to read more quickly when they first learn to write by hand, but they are also better able to create ideas and remember information. In other words, it’s not only what we write that matters—but how.
A study led by Karin James, a psychologist （心理学家）at Indiana University, gave support to that view. A group of children, who had not learned to read and write, were offered a letter or a shape on a card and asked to copy it in one of three ways: draw the image on a page but with a dotted outline (虚线) , draw it on a piece of blank white paper, or type it on a computer. Then the researchers put the children in a brain scanner and showed them the image again.
It was found that when children had drawn a letter freehand without a dotted outline or a computer, the activity in three areas of the brain was increased. These three areas work actively in adults when they read and write. On the contrary, children who chose the other two ways showed no such effect. Dr. James attributes the differences to the process of free handwriting: Not only must we first plan and take action in a way but we are also likely to produce a result that is variable. Those are not necessary when we have an outline.
It’s time for educators to change their minds and pay more attention to children’s handwriting.
What do scientists mean by saying “it is far too soon to declare handwriting is not important”?
| A．Handwriting is not very important to children. |
| B．Handwriting has nothing to do with education. |
| C．Handwriting can not be learned in a short time. |
| D．Handwriting should not be ignored at present. |
What does “that view” in Para. 3 refer to?
| A．Children read quickly when they write by hand. |
| B．Children create ideas and remember information. |
| C．How we write is as important as what we write. |
| D．A group of students should know what to write. |
Which is NOT the children’s task in the experiment?
| A．Put a brain scanner and show the image again. |
| B．Draw the image on a piece of blank white paper. |
| C．Type the image directly on a computer. |
| D．Copy the image on a page but with a dotted outline. |
According to the passage, the author obviously giving up handwriting.
| A．is for | B．is against |
| C．is responsible for | D．doesn’t care about |
Welcome to the Electronic Village to explore new ways of language teaching and learning.
| Electronic Village Program (Thursday, June 18, 2015) |
|
| Nearpod ❖9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. ❖Room 501 Nearpod is a software program that creates a rich context (语境) for students to learn vocabulary. The presenter will show how to use it. |
TEO ❖2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ❖Room 502 Our students come from different backgrounds but have the same desire to learn on-line. The presenter will use examples from his first on-line class to explain how any teacher can begin teaching on-line with TEO. |
| Kahoot ❖10:30 am to 11:30 am ❖Room 601 Kahoot software can be used to create grammar tests which can be graded on a network. It can provide students with instant feedback (反馈), including reports about their strengths and weaknesses. |
Prezi ❖3:30 pm to 4:20 pm ❖Room 602 Uses of Prezi in listening and speaking courses draw students' attention to speaking more fluently. The presenter will show how students can use Prezi to confidently present on a variety of topics, including introducing family, friends, and hobbies. |
A teacher who wants to learn on-line teaching is expected to arrive by ______.
| A．9:00 a.m. | B．2:00 p.m. |
| C．3:30 p.m. | D．10:30 a.m. |
If you want to improve your speaking skills, you can go to____________.
| A．Room 501 | B．Room 502 |
| C．Room 601 | D．Room 602 |
Nearpod can be used to ______.
| A．offer grammar tests | B．teach listening on-line |
| C．help vocabulary learning | D．gain fluency in speaking |