People in the United States honor their parents with two special days: Mother’s Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day, on the third Sunday in June.
Mother’s Day was proclaimed宣告 a day for national observance by President Woodrow Wilson in 1915. Ann Jarvis from Grafton, West Virginia, had started the idea to have a day to honor mothers. She was the one who chose the second Sunday in May and also began the custom of wearing a carnation康乃馨.
In 1909, Mrs. Dodd from Spokane, Washington, thought of the idea of a day to honor fathers. She wanted to honor her own father, William Smart. After her mother died, he had the responsibility of raising a family of five sons and a daughter. In 1910，the first Father’s Day was observed in Spokane. Senator Margaret Chase Smith helped to established Father’s Day as a national commemorative纪念的 day in 1972.
These days are set aside to show love and respect for parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care.
These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day people wear carnations. A red one symbolizes a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead．Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery. On these days families get together at home, as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.According to the passage, which of the following about the second Sunday in May is not true ?
| A．It is a day to show love to mothers |
| B．It is a day to wear carnations |
| C．It is a day for people to visit the cemetery |
| D．It is a day for many people to attend religious services |
Choose the right time order of the following events.
a. The first Father’s Day was observed
b. Mother’s Day was proclaimed a day for national observance
c. Father’s Day became a day for national observance.
d. The idea of honoring fathers was bought up
| A．a b c d | B．d a b c | C．b a c d | D．d a c b |
Who plays the most important role in Father’s Day becoming a national commemorative day?
| A．Mrs. Do | B．Margaret Chase Smith |
| C．Ann Jarvis | D．Woodrow Wilson |
From the passage, we know in the U.S ________________.
| A．one should wear a red carnation if one’s mother pass away |
| B．on Mother’s Day, families often go out to have barbecues |
| C．on Father’s Day, people often stay at home to celebrate the special day. |
| D．The purpose to have these two special days is to show love to parents |
The author’s purpose of writing this passage is to __________
| A．call on people to love and respect their parents. |
| B．introduce Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. |
| C．tell the difference between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day |
| D．show how important fathers and mothers are |
Parents need to be good role models to help their children make sensible financial decisions, according to Adam Hancock and his team, from East Caronlina University in the US. Their work highlights that parents who argue about finances contribute to increasing credit card debt among their children during their students years. Their work is published online in Springer's Journal of Family and Economic Issues.
Credit card debt among college students has been a growing concern for researchers and policymakers over the last decade. In addition, there is growing concern among educators that more students are dropping out of school, not because of academic failure, but because of financial reasons, and credit card especially.
Hancock and colleagues' study is the first to examine how parental interactions, and financial knowledge and attitudes may have a cumulative effect (累积效应) on the number of credit cards students own and their level of credit card debt.
The researchers analyzed data for 420 undergraduate students from seven different American universities, who took part in the College Student Financial Literacy Survey. According to the online survey, nearly two-thirds of students had a credit card, and nearly a third had more than one. Those students who reported that their parents argued about finances were more likely to have more than two cards than the students whose parents who did not argue about finances.
In terms of debt, those students who had two or more credit cards were nearly three times more likely to report having credit card debt over $500.
The researchers conclude, "It is clear that the influence of parents cannot be neglected. Researchers, educators and policymakers should work in finding effective ways to increase the positive financial behaviors for college students. We need to help students learn financial skills and establish healthy financial attitudes at earlier ages to prevent poor financial habits from taking root. "In Adam Hancock's research, student's credit card debt is related to their __________.
| A．knowledge | B．concerns | C．school | D．parents |
When college students have credit card debt, they may __________.
| A．quit school | B．fail in their exams |
| C．study financial knowledge | D．have more credit cards |
What can we infer from Paragraph 3?
| A．More than 400 students in a university took the survey. |
| B．The survey was conducted with the paper questionnaire. |
| C．Nearly all the students in this survey have credit cards. |
| D．Students have fewer cards if their parents argue more. |
If you have two or more credit cards, you are more likely to __________.
| A．get wealthy | B．have argument |
| C．buy more things | D．become in debt |
As a student, what can you learn from the passage?
| A．We need to turn to our parents when we have credit card debt. |
| B．We should build correct financial attitudes when we are young. |
| C．We shouldn't have credit cards so that we can avoid argument. |
| D．We can have more credit cards to make life more comfortable. |
When you're surfing the Internet on your laptop from your dorm or home, do you know your personal details are being gathered secretly? And would you be surprised to know the information may be sold cheaply to advertisers and marketers?
According to an investigation by The Wall Street Journal, all it takes is a tiny file in a computer-a single code consisting of a long series of numbers and letters to record the computer user's age, gender, location, favorite movies and hobbies.
The newspaper reports that Lotame Solutions Inc., a New York company, uses sophisticated (高科技) software called a “ beacon" to capture what people are typing on a website.
Lotame packages that data into profiles (个人资料) about individuals, only without their names, and sells the profiles to companies seeking customers. Batches of such data may be sold for a few dollars.
The Wall Street Journal survey discovered that spying on Internet users is one of the fastest-growing businesses on the World Wide Web.
The "cookie" a tiny text file put on your PC by websites or marketing firms which might be used to remember your. preferences for one site, or to track you across many sites is already old news. There are new and more complex tools such as “beacons ” which scan in real time what people are doing on a webpage. These beacons instantly assess the Internet user's location, income, shopping interests and even medical conditions.
Millions of Internet users around the world also face unprecedented (空前的) threats. Private, sensitive, personal and business information is being gathered and sold without their knowledge.
Companies insist the information they gather is anonymous and the data is used harmlessly. But the technology has grown so powerful that even some of the biggest websites in the US don't know that they were installing intrusive files on visitors' computers. These include MSN. com and Yahoo. com.
Next time you visit a webpage and find an ad banner advertising something you've been planning to buy, don't be amazed that your computer can read your mind.The purpose of the passage is to __________.
| A．introduce a tiny file in a computer-a single code |
| B．show how your individual information was let out when you surf the Internet |
| C．show how to protect your privacy |
| D．introduce a sophisticated software called a “ beacon" |
All of the following statements are False except __________.
| A．Lotame sells the profiles about individuals to companies seeking customers with their age, gender, location, hobbies and names |
| B．spying on Internet users is the fastest-growing businesses on the World Wide Web |
| C．some of the biggest websites in the US know they were installing intrusive files on visitors' computers |
| D．a tiny file in a computer-a single code consisting of a long series of numbers and letters can record users' information |
It can be inferred that __________.
| A．because the data is used harmlessly the Internet users around the world will not face threats |
| B．when a person surf the Internet, his personal details may be let out without his knowledge |
| C．your __________ computer can really read your mind |
| D．MSN. com and Yahoo. com. use software to capture what people are typing on a website |
According to the passage, "beacon" __________.
| A．is a tiny text file put on your PC by websites |
| B．is a soft ware that can package that data into profiles about individuals |
| C．can assess the Internet user's location, income, shopping interests and even medical conditions |
| D．is not more complex than the "cookie" |
What's the writer's attitude to this problem?
| A．Neutral | B．Worried | C．Optimistic | D．Indifferent |
Personal computers and the Internet give people new choices about how to spend their time.
Some may use this freedom to share less time with certain friends or family members, but new technology will also let them stay in closer touch with those they care most about. I know this from personal experience.
E-mail makes it easy to work at home, which is where I now spend most weekends and evenings. My working hours aren't necessarily much shorter than they once were, but I spend fewer of them at the office. This lets me share more time with my young daughter than I might have if she'd been born before electronic mail became such a practical tool.
The Internet also makes it easy to share thoughts with a group of friends. Say you do something fun—see a great movie perhaps and there are four or five friends who might want to hear about it. If you call each one, you may be tired of telling the story.
With E-mail, you just write one note about your experience, at your convenience, and address it to all the friends you think might be interested. They can read your message when they have time, and read only as much as they want to. They can reply at their convenience, and you can read what they have to say at your convenience.
E-mail is also an inexpensive way to stay in close touch with people who live far away. More than a few parents use E-mail to keep in touch, even daily touch, with their children off at college.
We just have to keep in mind that computers and the Internet offer another way of staying in touch. They don't take the place of any of the old ways.The purpose of this passage is to __________.
| A．explain how to use the Internet |
| B．describe the writer's joy of keeping up with the latest technology |
| C．tell the merits (价值) and usefulness of the Internet |
| D．introduce the reader to basic knowledge about personal computers and the Internet |
The use of E-mail has made it possible for the writer to __________.
| A．spend less time working |
| B．have more time with his child |
| C．work at home on weekends |
| D．work at a speed comfortable to him |
The best title for this passage is __________.
| A．Computer: New Technological Advances |
| B．Internet: New Tool to Maintain Good Friendship |
| C．Computers Have Made Life Easier |
| D．Internet: a Convenient Tool for Communication |
Having Fun "Growing" and "Stealing"
Recently, an Internet game has become a new fashion among young office workers and students. People can "farm" on a piece of "land" and "grow", "sell" or "steal" "vegetables", "flowers" and "fruit" on the Net. They can earn some e-money and buy some "seeds ", "pets" and even "houses".
Joyce interviewed some young people. Here are their opinions.
Harold: I don't quite understand why they are so mad about the childish game. Maybe they are just not confident enough to face the real world.
Allan: I enjoy putting some "bugs" (小虫子) in my friends' gardens and we've become closer because of the game. Having fun together is the most exciting thing about it.
Laura: You know, people in the city are longing for (渴望) the life in the countryside. It reduces my work pressure; besides, it gives me the exciting feeling of being a "thief".
Ivy: Well, it's just a waste of time. Teenagers playing the game spend so many hours on it that they can not pay more attention to their study.According to the passage, people can't __________ things in this game.
| A．grow | B．borrow | C．steal | D．sell |
Among the people Joyce interviewed, __________ likes the game while __________ dislikes the game.
| A．Laura; Allan | B．Allan; Harold |
| C．Harold; Ivy | D．Ivy; Allan |
From Laura's words, we can guess that she's most probably __________.
| A．a student | B．an office worker |
| C．a farmer | D．a thief |
Which is NOT the reason why people like the game?
| A．They are longing for country life. |
| B．They can have fun with friends. |
| C．The game can relax people and give them a new experience. |
| D．They are confident enough to face the real world. |
We're so well educated—but we're useless students who have lost the ability to do anything practical. The only thing we've mastered is consumption.
Large numbers of students have entered higher education in the past 10 years, but despite being the most educated generation in history, it seems that we've grown increasingly ignorant when it comes to basic life skills.
Looking back on my first couple of weeks of living in student halls, I consider myself lucky to still be alive. Unfamiliar to fresher's, there are many hidden dangers in the dirty corners of students accommodation.
I have survived a couple of serious boiling egg incidents and lots of cases of food-poisoning, probably from dirty kitchen counters. Although some of my clothes have fallen victim to ironing experimentation, I think I have now finally acquired all the domestic (居家的) skills I missed out in my modern education.
In 2006 and 2010, the charming educationist Sir Ken Robinson gave two very amusing talks in which he discussed the importance of creativity in education. Robinson's main viewpoint is that our current education system dislocates people from their natural talents. I would like to go a step further and propose that besides our talents, the system takes away what used to be passed from generation to generation—a working knowledge of basic life skills.
Today's graduates may have earned themselves honor in history, law or economies, but when it comes to simple things like putting up a shelf to hold all their academic books, or fixing a hole in their on-trend clothes, they have to call for help from a professional handyman or tailor.
Since the invention of the Internet, it has never been easier for people to access information, but our highly specialized education has made us more one-sided than ever.
I suggest that we start with the immediate reintroduction of some of the most vital aspects of "domestic science" education, before the current lack leads to serious accidents in student halls.People call us useless students for the reason that __________.
| A．what we've learned is beyond consumption |
| B．we are educated generation |
| C．we've entered higher education |
| D．our living skills are so poor |
Which is NOT the incident the writer had during the first few weeks in student halls?
| A．He was seriously burnt by boiled eggs. |
| B．He was accidentally poisoned by food. |
| C．He damaged his clothes while ironing. |
| D．He was severely beaten by freshers. |
According to Robinson's opinion, our current education __________.
| A．focuses on the importance of creativity |
| B．dislocates people from their natural talents |
| C．has equipped students with basic life skills |
| D．has followed the tradition properly |
Why are the graduates poor at basic life skills?
| A．Because they are not interested in them. |
| B．Because they have little relevant practice. |
| C．Because they are affected by the Internet. |
| D．Because they are easy to be one-sided. |
The main purpose of writing the passage is that __________.
| A．there is no need to introduce "domestic science" |
| B．it's time we did something to current education |
| C．more attention should be paid to natural science |
| D．accidents should be prevented in student halls |