Here's a scene：a village where the sun always shines，crops always grow and your friends drop by to sweep your yard to the sound of guitar music．Animals do what they are told，there is no disease，and lendin’ folks a helpin’hand makes you richer and wiser．Welcome to FarmVille—
Current population 69m and rising fast．
“It reminds me of my childhood，”says one player, Lia Curran，37，a nurse from London．“Right now I'm growing wheat and flowers. I've got a small garden, and I'm raising some chickens and some cows. I like having the animals. It's relaxing.” Curran's animals, however, is nothing more than a collection of cartoons. FarmVille is an online computer game built into the social networking site Facebook and is described by its players as “addictive”. Launched last June by Zynga Game Network, FarmVille now has many players—more than the population of the UK. The players are largely women over the age of 35.
FarmVille unites the worlds of social networking and gaming．Players are given a ground with six fields，“cash”，a few seeds and a plough and have to build up wealth，skills and neighbors to create bigger，better，richer farms．Inviting your online friends to play means you earn more and get flee gifts；you rise rapidly through the first levels but，once hooked，have to work harder and harder with no final level or goal in sight．
“Games like this draw people into a fantasy world that's separate from real life where there are no issues，and where things are simple and controllable，” Brian Dudley says．In November，he opened the UK's first computer games addiction clinic，treating online gamers who stayed at the keyboard for up to eight hours a day—“the tip of the iceberg”，he says．Two weeks ago，a group of US players launched a class action against Zynga and Facebook．“Most，if not all，of the online advertisements presented through Zynga are scams(骗局)，”the lawsuit states．“The advertisements are highly misleading and often result in users ordering goods or services that they do not want or need．”
According to Nick O'neill from the social media site All Facebook，Zynga is making $500，000(￡304，000)a day，from its Facebook games，in turn spending some $50m(￡30m)a year on Facebook ads．
If all that weren't enough，FarmVille doesn't even function like a proper farm：in FarmVille，wheat grows in two days—in real life，it takes months．But play continues nevertheless．
68．If you want to create a better and richer farm，you should do the following EXCEPT that ____．
A．you have to work harder and harder
B．you should pay real—world money to advance in the game
C．you should invite your online friends and neighbors to play
D．you should develop your skills and befriend FarmVille neighbors
69．Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A．Most young girls are fascinated by the farming game．
B．Money Zynga has made is mostly spent on advertising campaign．
C．There is potential threat to the players and some players are misled by the advertisements．
D．The UK's first computer games addiction clinic was opened to help treat online players．
70．The purpose of the class action against Zynga and Facebook was to_____．
A．show that Zynga has an extremely tight relationship with Facebook
B．try to stop Zynga and Facebook from putting advertisements
C．attract more people to FarmVille game to plant crops
D．appeal to the public to order more goods or services
For more than six million American children, coming home after school means coming home to an empty house. Some deal with the situation by watching TV. Some may hide. But all of them have something in common. They spend part of each day alone. They are called latchkey (门锁钥匙）children. They're children who look after themselves while their parents work. And their bad condition has become a subject of concern.
Lynette Long was once the headmaster of an elementary school. She said，“We had a school rule against wearing jewelry. A lot of kids had chains around their necks with keys attached. I was constantly telling them to put them inside shirts. There were so many keys. It never came to my mind what they meant. ” Slowly, she learned they were house keys.
She and her husband began talking to the children who had them. They learned of the effect working couples and single parents were having on their children. Fear is the biggest problem faced by children at home alone. One in each three latchkey children the Longs talked to reported being scared. Many had nightmares and were worried about their own safety.
The most common way latchkey children deal with their fears is by hiding. It might be in a shower stall, under a bed in a closet. The second is TV. They'll often play it at high volume. It's hard to get statistics (统计数字）on latchkey children, the Longs learned. Most parents are slow to admit they leave their children alone. The main idea about "latchkey children” is that they_________
| A．are growing in numbers |
| B．are also found in middle-class neighborhoods |
| C．watch too much television during the day |
| D．suffer problems from being left alone |
Which sentence in the second paragraph is the topic sentence?
| A．We had a school rule against wearing jewelry. |
| B．A lot of kids had chains around their necks with keys attached. |
| C．Iwas constantly telling them to put them inside shirts. |
| D．Slowly, she learned they were house keys. |
Themain feeling these children have when they areat home by themselves is_________.
| A．tiredness |
| B．freedom |
| C．loneliness |
| D．fear |
We may draw a conclusion that_________.
| A．latchkey children enjoy having such a large amount of time alone |
| B．latchkey children try to hide their feeling |
| C．latchkey children often watch TV with their parents |
| D．it's difficult to find out how many latchkey children there are |
So long as teachers fail to tell the difference be-tween teaching and learning, they will continue to undertake to do for children that which only children can do for themselves. Teaching children to read is not passing reading on to them. It is certainly not endless hours spent in activities about reading. Douglas insists that “reading cannot be taught directly and schools should stop trying to do the impossible".
Teaching and learning are two entirely different processes. They differ in kind and function. The function of teaching is to create the conditions and the climate that will make it possible for children to plan cleverly the most efficient (有效的）system for teaching themselves to read. Teaching is also a public activity： It can be seen and observed.
Learning to read involves all that each individual does to understand the world of printed language. Almost all of it is private, for learning is an occupation of the mind, and that process is not open to public scrutiny.
If teacher and learner roles are not interchangeable, what then can be done through teaching that will aid the child in the long search for knowledge? Smith has one principle rule for all teaching instructions. "Make learning to read easy, which means making reading a meaningful, enjoyable and frequent experience for children. ”
When the roles of the teacher and the learner are seen for what they are, and when both the teacher and the learner fulfill them properly, then much of the pressure and feeling of failure for both is got rid of. Learning to read is made easier when teachers create an environment where children are given the chance to solve the problem of learning to read by reading. The problem with the reading course as mentioned in the first paragraph is that _____.
| A．too much time is spent in teaching about reading |
| B．reading tasks are given with little guidance |
| C．it is one of the most difficult school courses |
| D．students spend limited hours in reading |
The teaching of reading will be successful if _____.
| A．teachers can make their teaching activities ob-servable |
| B．teachers can teach their students how to read |
| C．teachers can improve conditions at school for the students |
| D．teachers can enable students to develop their own way of reading |
The word "scrutiny" (Paragraph 3) most probably means “ _____ ”.
| A．unbelief |
| B．control |
| C．inquiry |
| D．observation |
Themain idea of the passage is that _____.
| A．reading is more complicated than believable |
| B．reading ability is something gained rather than taught |
| C．teachers should encourage students to read as widely as possible |
| D．teachers should do as little as possible in helping students learn to read |
If your boss asks you to work in Moscow this year, he'd better offer you more money to do so—or even double that depending on where you live now. That's because Moscow has just been found to be the world's most expensive city for the second year in a row by Mercer Human Resources Consulting.
Using the cost of living in New York as a base, Mercer determined Moscow is 34. 4 percent more expensive including the cost of housing, transportation, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment(娱乐）
A two-bedroom flat in Moscow now costs $4，000 a month； a CD $24. 83，and an international news-paper $6. 30，according to Mercer. By comparison, a fast food meal with a hamburger(汉堡包)is a steal at $4. 80.
London takes the No. 2 place, up from No. 5 a year ago, thanks to higher cost of housing and a stronger British pound relative to the dollar. Mercer estimates(估算）London is 26 percent more expensive than New York these days. Following London closely are Seoul and Tokyo, both of which are 22 percent more expensive than New York, while No. 5 Hong Kong is 19 percent more costly.
Among North American cities, New York and Los Angeles are the most expensive and are the only two listed in the top 50 of the world's most expensive cities. But both have fallen since last year's study—New York came in 15th, down from 10th place, while Los Angeles fell to 42nd from 29th place a year ago. San Francisco came in a distant third at No. 54，down 20 places from a year earlier.
Toronto, meanwhile, is Canada's most expensive city but fell 35 places to take 82nd place worldwide. In Australia, Sydney is the priciest place to live in and No. 21 worldwide. What do the underlined words “a steal” in Para-graph 3 mean?
| A．An act of stealing. | B．Something delicious. | C．Something very cheap. | D．An act of buying. |
London has become the second most expensive city because of __________.
| A．the high cost of clothing |
| B．the stronger pound against the dollar |
| C．its expensive transportation |
| D．the high prices of fast food meals |
Which city is the third most expensive on the list?
| A．Tokyo. |
| B．Hong Kong. |
| C．Moscow. |
| D．Sydney. |
Which city has dropped most on the list in North America?
| A．New York. |
| B．Los Angeles. |
| C．San Francisco. |
| D．Toronto. |
On November 18，1995，Itzhak Perlman, the world famous violinist, came on stage to give a concert at Lincoln Centre in New York City. If you have ever been to a Perlman concert, you know that getting on stage is not easy for him. He got polio(小儿麻搏症）as a child, and has to walk with the aid of two crutches (拐杖）now.
That night Perlman walked slowly to his chair. Then he sat down and began to play. But, suddenly, one of the strings on his violin broke. You could hear it break—it broke with a loud noise.
People thought to themselves，"He would have to get up to either find another violin or find another string for this one. ”
But he didn't. Instead, he waited a moment, closed his eyes and then signaled the conductor to begin again. The orchestra(管弦乐队）began, and he played from where he had stopped. He played with such passion and such power.
Of course, everyone knows that it is impossible to play a symphonic work with just three strings. But that night Itzhak Perlman refused to know that. You could see him changing and recomposing (重新作曲）the piece in his head.
When he finished, there was a silence in the room. Then people rose and cheered. We were all on our feet, doing everything we could to show how much we appreciated what he had done.
He smiled and then he said in a quiet tone，“ Youknow, sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much music you can make with what you have left. ”
His words have stayed in my mind ever since I heard them. That is also the way of life. Perhaps our task in this quickly changing world in which we live is to make music, at first with all that we have, and then, when that is no longer possible, to make music with what we have left. Holding a concert is challenging for Perlman because __________.
| A．he is just a world famous violinist |
| B．he has never performed on stage before |
| C．he is physically disabled as a result of a disease |
| D．he has difficulty in moving his body |
When Perlman had just begun playing，__________.
| A．there was something wrong with the violin |
| B．he fell ill suddenly |
| C．an accident happened and caused a disturbance |
| D．a very loud noise arose from the audience |
If one of the strings suddenly broke, what would an ordinary player do?
| A．He would cancel the concert. |
| B．He would find another violin or find another string. |
| C．Another performer would play instead. |
| D．The concert would be put off. |
The audience rose and cheered __________.
| A．to show they are satisfied with Perlman's performance |
| B．to thank the orchestra for their passionate performance |
| C．to ask Perlman for another performance |
| D．to express their appreciation of what Perlman had done |
The lesson we draw from the story is that __________.
| A．we should make the best of what we have |
| B．what we have is more important than what is lost |
| C．we should not care about what is lost |
| D．the way of life is to always live with music |
Pete Rose, the famous baseball player, whom I have never met, taught me something so valuable that changed my life. Pete was being interviewed in spring training the year he was about to break Ty Cobb's all- time hits record. One reporter asked，"Pete, you only need 78 hits to break the record. How many at-bats(轮到击球）do you think you'll need to get the 78 hits? " Without hesitation, Pete said，" 78. " The reporter yelled back，"Ah, come on, Pete. You don't expect to get 78 hits in 78 at-bats, do you? "
Mr. Rose calmly shared his rule in life with all the reporters who were anxiously awaiting his reply. "Every time I step up to the plate, I expect to get a hit! If I don't expect to get a hit, I have no right to step in the batter's box in the first place ！ If I go up hoping to get a hit, then I probably don't have a prayer of getting a hit. It is the positive (积极的）expectation that has got-ten me all of the hits in the first place. "
When I thought about Pete Rose's rule and how it was applied to everyday life, I felt a little embarrassed. As a business person, I was hoping to make my sales meet the quotas(定额）. As a father, I was hoping to be a good dad. As a married man, I was hoping to be a good husband.
The truth was that I was an adequate (合格的） salesperson, I was not so bad as a father, and I was an okay husband. I immediately decided that being okay was not enough ！ I wanted to be a great salesperson, a great father and a great husband. I changed my attitude to one of positive expectation, and the results were amazing. I was fortunate enough to win a few sales trips, I won Coach of the Year in my son's baseball league, and I share a loving relationship with my wife ！ Thanks, Mr. Rose ！ Which of the following sayings can most appropriately be used to describe Mr. Rose's rule?
| A．He who doesn't want to be a general can't be a good soldier. |
| B．Before everything else, getting ready is the secret of success. |
| C．If you work hard enough, your dreams will come true. |
| D．Rome was not built in one day. |
What can be inferred about Pete Rose from the passage?
| A．He was generous to share all his rules with every-one. |
| B．He got all the hits he wanted because of good luck. |
| C．He set himself a goal of being the best. |
| D．He liked to dream of something impossible. |
Bysaying “I was an adequate salesperson” (Para. 4)the writer probably means“__________”.
| A．he could make adequate money as a salesperson |
| B．he didn't do an excellent job as a salesperson |
| C．he was good enough to be a salesperson |
| D．he knew how to sell goods in a proper way |
Which of the following is NOT a role of the writer?
| A．A teammate of Rose. |
| B．A salesman. |
| C．A father. |
| D．A baseball coach. |
Why does the writer thank Mr. Rose at the end ofthe passage?
| A．Because Mr. Rose showed him how to be a successful salesperson. |
| B．Because Mr. Rose taught him to face life with positive expectation. |
| C．Because Mr. Rose trained him to win Coach of the Year for his son. |
| D．Because Mr. Rose gave him advice on managing a happy family. |