SomeschoolsintheUnitedStatesof-优题课

At one time, computers were expected largely to remove the need for paper copies of documents (文件) because they could be stored electronically. But for all the texts that are written, stored and sent electronically, a lot of them are still ending up on paper.
It is difficult to measure the quantity of paper used as a result of use of Internetconnected computers, although just about anyone who works in an office can tell you that when e-mail is introduced, the printers start working overtime.
“I feel in my bones this revolution is causing more trees to be cut down," says Ted Smith of the Earth Village Organisation.
Perhaps the best sign of how computer and Internet use pushes up demand for paper comes from the hightech industry itself, which sees printing as one of its most promising new markets. Several Internet companies have been set up to help small businesses print quality documents from a computer. Earlier this week HewlettPackard Co. announced a plan to develop new technologies that will enable people to print even more so they can get a hard copy of a business document, a medical record or just a oneline email, even if they are nowhere near a computer. As the company sees it, the more use of the Internet the greater demand for printers.
Does all this mean environmental concerns (环境问题) have been forgotten? Some activists suggest people have been led to believe that a lot of dangers to the environment have gone away.“ I guess people believe that the problem is taken care of, because of recycling(回收利用)，" said Kelly Quirke, director of the Rainforest Action Network in San Francisco. Yet Quirke is hopeful that hightech may also prove helpful. He says printers that print on both sides are growing in popularity. The action group has also found acceptable paper made from materials other than wood, such as agricultural waste.
1.The growing demand for paper in recent years is largely due to _______.
A.the rapid development of small businesses
B.the opening up of new markets
C.the printing of high quality copies
D.the increased use of the Internet
2.Environmentalists believe one possible way of dealing with the paper situation is ________.
A.to encourage printing more quality documents
B.to develop new printers using recycled paper
C.to find new materials for making paper
D.to plant more fastgrowing trees
3.HewlettPackard Co. has decided to develop new technologies because ________ .
A.people are concerned about the environment
B.printers in many offices are working overtime
C.small companies need more hard copies
D.they see a growing market for printers
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A.Computers and Printers
B.E-mail and the Business World
C.Internet Revolution and Environment
D.Modern Technology and New Markets

A newspaper in Helsinki,Finland,recently published a cartoon of a baby with a mobile phone,telling his parents that his diaper(尿布) needed changing.But it's hardly a joke.Helsinki is home to Nokia,the mobilephone maker.It's one of the most “mobile”cities in the world.About 92 percent of its households have at least one mobile phone.And the kids start young.
“A relatively normal age to get a mobile phone is now 7,”says Jan Virkki,marketing manager for a mobile phone company.Among the second graders at the Kulosaari Elementary School,the most popular object of desire this year is not a Barbie or a Gameboy.It is a Nokia mobile phone with a picture of their own choice on the screen.
“One of the first things we discuss when school starts is the rules for mobile phones,”says Tiia Korppi,a teacher.Among the rules:You have to put it away out of sight.You cannot turn it on.You cannot send text messages to your friends,or play amusing tunes(令人发笑的曲调)in class,or call your parents or call for a pizza during history.
1.The author uses the newspaper cartoon to show that ________ .
A.he is good at telling jokes
B.he cares much for children
C.mobile phones are toys for newborn babies
D.mobile phones are widely used in Finland
2.The passage is mainly about__________
A.different uses of mobile phones
B.a successful mobilephone maker
C.effect of mobile phones on children
D.school rules for the use of mobile phones

Tristan da Cunha, a 38squaremile island, is the farthest inhabited island in the world, according to the Guinness Book of Records. It is 1,510 miles southwest
of its nearest neighbor, St.Helena, and 1,950 miles west of Africa. Discovered
by the Portuguese admiral（葡萄牙海军上将）of the same name in 1506, and settled
in 1810, the island belongs to Great Britain and has a population of a few hund
red.
Coming in a close second—and often wrongly mentioned as the most distant land—is Easter Island, which lies 1,260 miles east of its nearest neighbor, Pitcair
n Island, and 2,300 miles west of South America.
The mountainous 64-square-mile island was settled around the 5th century, supposedly by people who were lost at sea. They had no connection with the outside world for more than a thousand years, giving them plenty of time to build more than 1,000 huge stone figures, called moai, for which the island is most famous.
On Easter Sunday, 1722, however, settlers from Holland moved in and gave the island its name. Today, 2,000 people live on the Chilean territory (智利领土).They share one street, a small airport, and a few hours of television per day.
1.It can be learned from the text that the island of Tristan da Cunha_______.
A.was named after its discoverer
B.got its name from Holland settlers
C.was named by the British government
D.got its name from the Guinness Book of Records
2.Which of the following is most famous for moai?
A. Tristan da Cunha. B. Pitcairn Island. C. Easter Island. D. St. Helena.
3. Which country does Easter Island belong to?
A. Britain. B. Holland. C. Portugal. D. Chile.

There are three separate sources of danger in supplying energy by nuclear power(原子能).
First, the radioactive material must travel from its place of production to the power station. Although the power stations themselves are strongly built, the containers used for the transport of the materials are not. Normally, only two methods of transport are in use, namely road or rail. Unfortunately, both of these may have an effect on the general public, since they are sure to pass near, or even through, heavily populated areas.
Second, there is the problem of waste. All nuclear power stations produce wastes that in most cases will remain radioactive for thousands of years. It is impossible to make these wastes nonradioactive, and so they must be stored in one of the inconvenient ways that scientists have invented. For example, they may be buried under the ground, or dropped into deserted mines, or sunk in the sea. However, these methods do not solve the problem, since an earthquake could easily break the containers.
Third, there may occur the danger of a leak(泄漏) or an explosion at the power station. As with the other two dangers, this is not very likely, so it does not provide a serious objection to the nuclear program. However, it can happen.Separately, these three types of dangers are not a great cause for worry. Taken together, though, the probability of disaster(灾难) is extremely high.
1.Which of the following is FALSE?
A.It is possible that a leak or an explosion occurs at a power station.
B.It is unusual for radioactive materials to be transported across land.
C.The containers are likely to be broken by an earthquake.
D.Nuclear wastes remain dangerous in most cases for many years.
2.The author thinks that the ways to store nuclear wastes are ________.
A.easy B.impossible C.reasonable D.ineffective
3.What do we learn from the last paragraph?
A.The power station is a safe place.
B.The dangers of nuclear energy can be prevented.
C.The general public are strongly against the nuclear program.
By itself, none of the three dangers is very likely to cause much worry.
4.What is this passage about?
A.Uses of nuclear power. B.Dangers from nuclear power.
C.Public anger at nuclear power. D.Accidents caused by nuclear power.

When a group of children politely stop a conversation with you, saying，“We have to go to work now.” you're left feeling surprised and certainly uneasy. After all, this is the 1990s and the idea of children working is just unthinkable. That is , until you are told that they are all pupils of stage schools, and that the “work” they go off to is to go on the stage in a theatre.
Stage schools often act as agencies (代理机构) to supply children for stage and television work. More worthy of the name “stage school” are those few places where children attend full time, with a training for the theatre and a general education.
A visit to such schools will leave you in no doubt that the children enjoy themselves. After all, what lively children wouldn't settle for spending only hal
f the day doing ordinary school work, and acting, singing or dancing their way through the other half of the day?
Then of course there are times for the children to make a name and make a little money in some big shows. Some stage schools give their children too much professional work at such a young age. But the law is very tight on the amount they can do. Those under 13 are limited to 40 days in the year; those over 13 do 80 days.
The schools themselves admit that not all children will be successful in the profession for which they are being trained. So what happens to those who don't make it? While all the leading schools say they place great importance on children getting good study results, the facts seem to suggest this is not always the case.
1.People would stop feeling uneasy when realising that the children they're talking to ________.
A. attend a stage school
B. are going to the theatre
C. have got some work to do
D. love singing and dancing
2.In the writer's opinion, a good stage school should ________ .
A. produce star performers
B. help pupils improve their study skills
C. train pupils in language and performing arts
D. provide a general education and stage training
3.“Professional work” as used in the text means ________ .
A. ordinary school work
B. moneymaking performances
C. stage training at school
D. acting, singing or dancing after class
4.Which of the following best describes how the writer feels about stage schools?
A. He thinks highly of what they have to offer.
B. He favours an early start in the training of performing arts.
C. He feels uncomfortable about children putting on night shows.
D. He doubts the standard of ordinary education they have reached.