Modern inventions have speeded up people’s loves amazingly. Motor-cars cover a hundred miles in little more than an hour, aircraft cross the world inside a day, while computers operate at lightning speed. Indeed, this love of speed seems never-ending. Every year motor-cars are produced which go even faster and each new computer boats (吹嘘) of saving precious seconds in handling tasks.
All this saves time, but at a price. When we lose or gain half a day in speeding across the world in an airplane, our bodies tell us so. We get the uncomfortable feeling known as jet-lag; our bodies feel that they have been left behind on another time zone. Again, spending too long at computers results in painful wrists and fingers. Mobile phones also have their dangers, according to some scientist; too much use may transmit harmful radiation into our brains, a consequence we do not like to think about.
However, what do we do with the time we have saved? Certainly not relax, or so it seems. We are so accustomed to constant activity that we find it difficult to sit and do nothing or even just one thing at a time. Perhaps the days are long gone when we 
might listen quietly to a story on the radio, letting imagination take us into another world.
There was a time when some people’s lives were devoted simply to the cultivation of the land or the care of cattle. No multi-tasking there; their lives went on at a much gentler pace, and in a familiar pattern. There is much that we might envy about a way of life like this. Yet before we do so, we must think of the hard tasks our ancestor faced: they farmed with bare hands, often lived close to hunger, and had to fashion tools from wood and stone. Modern machinery has freed people from that primitive existence. The new products become more and more time-saving because .
| A．our love of speed seems never-ending | B．time is limited. |
| C．the prices are increasingly high. | D．the manufactures boast a lot. |
What does “the days” in Paragraph 3 refer to ?
| A．Imaginary life | B．Simple life in the past. |
| C．Times of inventions | D．Time for constant activity. |
What is the author’s attitude towards the modern technology?
| A．Critical | B．Objective. | C．Optimistic. | D．Negative. |
What does the passage mainly discuss?
| A．The present and past times. | B．Machinery and human beings. |
| C．Imaginations and inventions. | D．Modern technology and its influence. |
Jean is a bright young lady who comes from a rich and famous family. She goes to a good university and has everything that money can buy. Well, almost everything. The problem is that the people in Jean's family are so busy that they can hardly find time to be with her. So Jean spends a lot of time on her QQ. She likes being anonymous (匿名), talking to people who do not know about her famous family and her rich life. She uses the name Linda on QQ and has made a lot of friends who she keeps in touch with quite often.
Last year Jean made a very special friend on QQ. His name was David and lived in San Francisco. David was full of stories and jokes. He and Jean had a common interest in rock music and modern dance. So it always took them hours to talk happily on QQ and sometimes they even forgot their time. Of course, they wanted to know more about each other. David sent her a picture of himself: He was a tall, good-looking young man with a big happy smile. As time went by, they became good friends and often sent cards and small things to each other.
When Jean's father told her that he was going on a business trip to San Francisco, she asked him to let her go with him so that she could give David a surprise for his birthday. She would take him the latest DVD of their favorite rock singer. But when she knocked on David's door in San Francisco, she found that her special friend was only a ten-year-old boy named Jim!Jean spends a lot of her time on QQ because she is .
| A．rich | B．young | C．lonely | D．talkative |
The following states are true about Jean EXCEPT that according to the passage.
| A．she is a university student |
| B．she was born in a wealthy family |
| C．she made a friend named Jim younger than her |
| D．she uses her family name on her QQ |
We could believe that Jean was when seeing Jim himself instead of David on QQ at the door.
| A．delighted | B．disappointed |
| C．regretful | D．confused |
Controlling traffic is a complex and high cost problem in many developed countries. It becomes more difficult and costly with the ever- increasing number of cars on the roads. But scientists and students at the CATT, at the University of Maryland are working to solve this problem. They are using simulation(模拟) technologies to help government and private business control and react to changing traffic conditions.
The online economics magazineForbes.comsays traffic congestion(拥挤) cost Americans $ 124 billion in 2014 and that number could rise to $ 186 billion by 2030.
Bui scientists at the CATT lab are trying to reduce those costs. They are developing a system that helps traffic managers. planners, emergency workers and businesses plan and react better. Michael Pack is CATT director. He says the system is important to help emergency workers, or first responders，reach an accident area faster.
The CATT Lab collects information from many sources, including roadside devices, GPS (global positioning system) equipment and wireless phones.
About 60 students and 30 software developers observe traffic flow and manage the computer servers at all times. They also work to develop software and applications that can help traffic run smoother and safer, Some of them turn the information gathered into so-called "visualizations". These visual representations help emergency workers better understand what is happening.
The center shares its findings with firefighters, police，Transportation departments and the military. They also share information with universities and transportation company. The technology company Google uses the data for its traffic-related websites. Michael Pack says, the information is then shared with anyone who wants to help traffic run more smoothly.
Mr. Pack says the goal is to help develop an intelligent system of road signals that will communicate with each other and with vehicles on the road.The second paragraph is written to
| A．attract more people to look throughForbes.com. |
| B．tell readers whatForbes.comsays on its website |
| C．show how much money controlling costs America |
| D．prove it is very expensive for some developed countries to control traffic |
What benefit can emergency workers get from the system developed by the CATT lab?
| A．They can be safer. |
| B．They can reach an accident area faster. |
| C．They can get more advice from people. |
| D．They can share their information with others. |
Which of the following is NOT true about the developers and the students at the CATT?
| A．They observe traffic flow continuously. |
| B．They develop software and applications. |
| C．They control the computer servers occasionally. |
| D．They change the information gathered into visual image. |
1n which column of the newspaper can you read this text?
| A．Daily life. | B．Science. | C．Education. | D．Exploration. |
You may think, salt is just a simple cooking element we shake on our food for a little extra taste. But salt is much more than that. Without salt our muscles would not move. Our nervous systems would not operate. Our hearts would not beat.
But do not think rubbing salt in a wound will help. Doing that would be painful and not heal the wound. To rub salt in a wound is an idiom that means to purposefully make a bad situation worse.
Early humans got the salt they needed to stay alive from the animals they killed. But advances in agriculture led to a diet low in salt. So, humans needed to find other sources. Those who lived near the ocean or other natural sources for salt were lucky. Those who did not had to trade for salt. In fact, people used salt as a method of payment in many parts of the ancient world. The word "salary" comes from the word "salt".
Salt also played an important part in population movement and world exploration. Explorers understood that if they could keep food fresh，they could travel longer distances. So they used salt to preserve food and explored the world.
Salt was so important that, according to food historians. it was traded pound-for-pound for gold. Today, people still use the expressions "to be worth one's salt" or "worth one's weight in salt". The expressions describe a person of value.
A person might also be called salt of the earth. That description means he or she is dependable and trustworthy. However, when you say "I think we should take what he said with a grain of salt" you mean you accept it but maintain a degree of doubt about its truth.What can we learn from the first paragraph?
| A．Salt plays an important part in our life. |
| B．Salt makes food tasty. |
| C．Salt is considered to be part of our muscles. |
| D．Salt is sure to damage nervous systems. |
A beggar's bread was stolen last night.，which means .
| A．salt of the earth | B．rubbing salt in a wound |
| C．a diet low in salt | D．worth his salt |
If you describe a person as a great help, you mean .
| A．he is called salt of the earth |
| B．he is often taken as a grain of salt |
| C．he often uses salt to preserve meat |
| D．he is worth his weight in salt |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．Salt Is More Than a Four-letter Word. |
| B．Salt Is a Basic Element in Cooking. |
| C．Salt Is a Word with a Long History. |
| D．Salt Is Popular with Different Persons. |
The World Health Organization warns that millions of people are dying every year from indoor air pollution. The WHO finds that poor cooking, heating and lighting technologies are killing millions of people each year.
Indoor air pollution results from the use of dangerous fuels and cook-stoves in the home. To help fight the problem, the WHO announced, new guidelines aimed at reducing household pollutants.
WHO officials say nearly three billion people are unable to use clean fuels and technologies for cooking? heating and lighting. And they say more than seven million people die from exposure to indoor or outdoor air pollution each year. Of that number, the WHO says about 4. 3 million people die from household air pollution given off by simple coal cook-stoves. Most of the deaths are in developing countries.
Carlos Dora is Coordinator in the WHO's Department of Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health. He says people should not use unprocessed coal and kerosene fuel indoors. He says opening a window or door to let out the harmful air will not improve the situation. It will only pollute the outdoors.
WHO officials say indoor pollution leads to early deaths from stroke, heart and lung disease, childhood pneumonia（肺炎）and lung cancer. Women and girls are the main victims. The United Nations found that more than 95 percent of households in sub-Saharan Africa depend on solid fuels for cooking. It says huge populations in India, China and Latin American countries, such as Guatemala and Peru, are also at risk.
Nigel Bruce is a professor of Public Health at the University of Liverpool. He says researchers are developing good cook-stoves and other equipment to burn fuels in a more efficient way.
WHO experts note some new, safe and low-cost technologies that could help are already available. In India, you can buy an induction(电磁) stove for about $ 8.00. And in Africa a you can buy a solar lamp for less than $ 1. 00.What has been done to reduce indoor air pollution?
| A．The WHO provided selfless assistance for the poor. |
| B．People are forbidden to use coal-stoves inside. |
| C．The WHO issues official advice to cut down pollution, |
| D．People are taught how to correctly use their stoves. |
According to WHO officials, we can know that
| A．many people refuse to use clean fuels and technologies |
| B．seven million people die from indoor air pollution |
| C．simple coal cook-stoves cause too many deaths |
| D．the processed coal is dangerous to people’s heath |
It can be concluded from the fifth paragraph that .
| A．most children are suffering a lot from lung cancer |
| B．solid fuels are easily producing pollutants |
| C．sub-Saharan Africa is the poorest place |
| D．some countries are at the risk of using up fuels |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．More and more will die in the future. |
| B．It is not hard to solve indoor air pollutants. |
| C．Most people cannot afford a new stove. |
| D．The WHO will take strong measures. |
Now is a great time to start thinking about how the 2015 Summer course offerings might help you complete your academic program at a faster rate and with less money! Whether you register for Summer not, we have some great activities and other special events planned for Rowan students, faculty and staff. Wehope you will join us!
Registration Information
Register online at Gwinnett Online Campus between March 16, 2015 and June l, 2015.
Class Dates
Online Summer School
June 8, 2015 to July 6, 2015
GCPS offers free Academic Summer School for qualifying elementary and middle school students in Grades 3～8.
Details
★15-day session with no classes on Fridays, (NO classes on June12,June19,and June26)
First day of class is Monday, June8,and last day is Wednesday, Julyl.(June8-11:June15-18, June 22-25,June 29-Julyl)'
★The dates for elementary and middle school summer school are June 8 through July l with no Summer school on Fridays (15 days).
★Parents of suitable students will benotifiedthat their children may participate in the free session and given specifics about location and hours.
★The free academic summer school is for students who did not meet promotion criteria at their grade level.
★Summer school will not be provided at every school, due to maintenance and construction at some schools and plans for combined "cluster" summer school sites, Participating students will be told of location for summer school.
★Most summer school sites will not offer transportation. Those schools with additional federal funding to offer transportation will tell parents regarding availability.If you take interest in the Summer course,.
| A．you can visit its website |
| B．you can go to the campus |
| C．you can register on July l, 2015 |
| D．you can complete a form |
What day is June 20, 2015?
| A．Thursday. | B．Friday. | C．Saturday. | D．Sunday. |
What close the underlined part mean in the passage?
| A．Warned. | B．Informed. |
| C．Convinced | D．Worried. |