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Michael, a normal American, stays home on workdays. He plugs into his personal computer terminal in order to connect with the office. After work he puts on his headphones, watches a movie on his home video recorder or plays baseball on the computer. On many days, Michael doesn’t talk to any other human beings, and he doesn’t see any people except the ones on television. Michael is imaginary, but his life style is very possible. The inventions of modern technology seem to be cutting us off from communicating with our fellow human beings.
The world of business is one area in which technology is separating us. Experts say, for example, that many people will soon be able to work at home. With access to a large central computer, employees such as office clerks, insurance agents, and accountants could do their job at display terminals in their own homes. They would never have to actually see the people they’re dealing with. Also, the way employees are paid will change. Workers’ salaries will be automatically paid into their bank accounts, making paper checks unnecessary. No workers will stand in line to receive their pay or cash their checks. Personal banking will change, too. Customers will deal with machines to put in or take out money from their accounts.
Another area in which technology is changing is entertainment. Music, for instance, was once a group experience. People listened to music at concert halls or in small social gatherings. For many people now, however, music is an individual experience. Walking along the street or sitting in their living rooms, they wear headphones to build a wall of music around them. Movie entertainment is changing, too. Movies used to be social events. Now, fewer people are going out to see a movie. Many more are choosing to wait for a film to appear on television or are borrowing videotapes to watch at home. Instead of laughing with others, viewers watch movies in their own living rooms.
The underlined sentence in the first paragraph means _______.

A.Michael is a person full of imagination and his dreams can come true
B.Michael is not a real person but the life style does exist
C.Michael has ambitions but he can’t make his dreams come true
D.Michael is full of imagination and his life style is common nowadays

What does the author discuss in the last paragraph ?

A.Technology is changing ways of entertainment.
B.People will never go to the concert in future.
C.How to borrow videotapes at home.
D.How to see a movie at home.

What is the main idea of the passage?

A.We may no longer need to communicate with other people.
B.Modern technology seems to be separating people.
C.We may no longer need to work in the office.
D.Modern technology makes it possible for us to work at home.
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After a terrible electrical accident, which caused him to become both blind and deaf, the whole world became completely dark and quiet for Robert Edwards for almost ten years.The loss of sight and hearing threw him into such sorrow that he tried a few times to put an end to his life.His family, especially his wife, did their best to tend and comfort him and finally he regained the will to live.
One hot summer afternoon, he was taking a walk with a stick near his house when a thunderstorm started all at once.He stood under a large tree to avoid getting wet, but he was struck by the lightning.Witnesses thought he was dead but he woke up some 20 minutes later lying face down in muddy water at the base of the tree.He was trembling badly, but when he opened his eyes, he could hardly believe what he saw: a plough and a wall.When Mrs. Edwards came running up to him, shouting to their neighbors to call for help, he could see her and hear her voice for the first time in nearly ten years.
The news of Robert regaining his sight and hearing quickly spread, and many doctors came to examine him.Most of them said that he regained his sight and hearing from the shock he got from the lightning.However, none of them could give a convincing answer as to why this should have happened.The only reasonable explanation given by one doctor was that, since Robert lost his sight and hearing as a result of a sudden shock, perhaps, the only way for him to regain them was by another sudden shock.
The reason for Robert’s attempts to kill himself was that _________.

A.a terrible traffic accident happened to him
B.he had to live in a dark and silent world
C.he was struck by the lightning once more
D.nobody in the world cared about him

What was Robert doing when he was struck by the lightning?

A.Sheltering from the rain under a tree.
B.Driving a car.
C.Taking a walk with a stick.
D.Lying on the ground.

We can infer from the text that ________.

A.there was no accurate explanation for Robert’s recovery
B.many doctors came because Robert was badly injured
C.Robert’s wife sent for doctors immediately after the shock
D.a sudden injury in the head led to Robert’s recovery

What’s the best title of the whole passage?

A.A Terrible Electrical Accident
B.Robert Edwards and His Wife
C.What a Sudden Shock
D.An Unforgettable Experience

What would it be like to take a walk on the surface of Mars? If you could design the tallest building in the world, what would it look like? Do you dream of being the next J.K.Rowling? This summer, you can experience all of these things, and more.All you need is an Internet connection and your imagination.
A recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that kids spend an average of 1 hour and 29 minutes online each day.Many kids like to use that time to chat with friends, play games or check e-mails.But next time you get on the Web, try exploring the world instead.“With the Internet, you can go back 11,000 years in time, or go 11,000 kilometers across the planet,” said Russell, Web search expert of Google.“The whole scope of history and the world is open to you.”
There is a wealth of information to be found online.For example, if your family is going on vacation somewhere, do a quick online search on the area before you even get in the car.“What’s the background of the place; what’s the history?” says Russell.“I like to tell my kids, ‘Whenever you have a question, whenever you have a doubt, search it out.’”
Ready to launch a virtual journey of your own? Here are a few starting points to get you thinking and to help you on your way.You can invite your parents along for the ride, too.Always ask for permission before downloading programs and software into your computer.And, check with a parent or adult before visiting any new website.
Navigate the world in 3-D with Google Earth.Begin in outer space and zoom into the streets of any city, from Hong Kong to San Francisco.Or, visit ancient monuments and watch the changing rainforests over time.With the moon in Google Earth tool, you can walk in Neil Armstrong’s famous footsteps.Take a guided tour of the moon’s surface with Armstrong’s fellow shuttle mate astronaut Buzz Aldrin.
According to Russell, the kids _________.

A.spend too much time on the Internet
B.should never chat and play games online
C.can solve their problems through the Internet
D.should study hard instead of chatting online

From the passage we know that _________.

A.we can find much information we need online
B.Neil Armstrong traveled to the moon alone
C.the kids can download programs onto the computer freely
D.the kids can visit the new website freely without parents’ guidance

According to the passage, if you want to go to Tropical Rainforests, you can _________.

A.take the time shuttle
B.go to the cinema to watch 3-D films
C.find a travel agency in Google
D.use Google Earth

The passage is mainly intended for _________.

A.parents B.kids
C.teachers D.adults

In which section of a website can we probably read this passage?

A.Culture. B.Health.
C.Internet World. D.Tourism.

Historians usually just study great things that happened in the past time, but Drew Faust has made history! On February 11, 2007, Faust was named president of Harvard University.She is the first woman to hold the position in the school’s 371-year history.
“I am a historian,” she said.“I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the past, and about how it shapes the future.No university in the country, perhaps the world, has as remarkable a past as Harvard’s.”
“And our common enterprise is to make Harvard’s future even more remarkable than its past.That will mean recognizing and building on what we already do well.It will also mean recognizing what we don’t do as well as we should, and not being satisfied until we find ways to do better.”
It is her great desire for improvement and willingness to try out new ideas that have given Drew success in a world controlled by men.“This is a man’s world, my girl, and the sooner you learn that, the better off you’ll be.” Drew Faust recalls her mother telling her this when she was young, but she didn’t buy it.
Faust grew up in a well-off family in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley in the 1950s.Even then, she was a trailblazer(先驱).A conversation with her family’s black handyman (零工) and driver inspired her to write a letter, on school notebook paper, to President Dwight Eisenhower.
She asked that he help bring US citizens together in the south, a much divided part of the country at the time.
“Drew Faust is a historian with her eyes on the future,” said Susan Graham, a professor of Harvard.Many of the university’s schools said that they believe Harvard will have a brighter future under the leadership of Drew Faust.
Why does the writer say Drew Faust has made history?

A.Because she is a historian.
B.Because she was president of Harvard University.
C.Because she was the first woman to be president of Harvard University.
D.Because Harvard has a remarkable past

What do we know about historians?

A.They usually study great things that happened in the past.
B.They are usually presidents of universities.
C.They are usually born in well-off families.
D.They are usually women.

What does the underlined word “buy” in the fourth paragraph mean?

A.accept B.expect C.purchase D.afford

What did her mother mean by saying “This is a man’s world, my girl...”?

A.To encourage her to do man’s work.
B.To tell her to do things as a girl should do.
C.To ask her to be well-off.
D.To expect her to be a historian.

Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A.Faust was born in the north of the US.
B.She wrote a letter to President Eisenhower when she became president of Harvard.
C.Faust’s desire for improvement and willingness to try out new ideas has given her success.
D.Historians just care about great things that happened in the past.

Few of us haven’t read Cinderella, the story of a young woman living in poverty who meets the prince of her dreams.Some might not want to admit it, but there is a hidden Cinderella in everyone’s heart—we all wish we could achieve recognition or success after a period of obscurity (默默无闻).
Mary Santiago has that secret dream, too.Her story is featured in Another Cinderella Story, a film set in a US high school.
Mary is shy but loves to dance.Compared with other girls, she is invisible.However, her world changes completely when a famous teenager pop singer, Joey Parker, appears.
Joey is everything the rest of the boys in her class are not—kind, handsome and desirable.Mary and Joey’s paths cross at a ball.They meet and fall in love with each other.But when Mary has to rush back home, she leaves behind her MP3 player, which becomes the only clue Joey has to find the girl of his dreams.Of course, there is a wicked stepmother, who turns out to be Dominique Blatt and she takes in Mary after her dancer mother dies.Dominique treats Mary like a maid and does everything she can to make sure Mary doesn’t get into the top dance school.Her two daughters are equally determined to stop Joey falling for Mary, even if that means embarrassing her.
The story, though it mostly follows Cinderella, does add a few modern day twists to the classic fairy tale.Refreshingly, the film, unlike many high school films, does not focus on looks, although the actors are all beautiful.There is also a lot less materialism in Another Cinderella Story than in many similar movies.
“The movie takes the Cinderella fairytale as its jumping off point,” writes movie critic Amber Wilkinson.“Yet the focus is firmly on following your dream.”
The first paragraph is mainly to _________.

A.inform us of the importance to marry a prince
B.remind us why Cinderella is popular all the years
C.build interest and lead us to Mary’s secret dream
D.tell us how interesting the fairy tale Cinderella is

In the movie, Mary Santiago is the main character who _________.

A.is badly treated by the stepmother
B.is brave in expressing her love
C.has a dream of meeting a prince
D.is embarrassed by the pop singer

What can we infer from the passage?

A.Joey is just like other boys in Mary’s class.
B.The MP3 player helps Joey in finding Mary.
C.Not many people have a dream to be realized.
D.Mary’s mother influences her a lot in singing.

What does movie critic Amber Wilkinson mean by his words about Another Cinderella Story?

A.The movie is exactly another copy of the Cinderella fairytale.
B.The movie is as good as the story Cinderella.
C.The movie and Cinderella both focus on following your dream.
D.The movie is based on the story Cinderella while a little different from it.

The passage is mainly about _________.

A.an introduction to Mary Santiago
B.a review about a film
C.an essay about dreams
D.an advertisement of Cinderella

To Whom It May Concern:
Your address was forwarded to us by How to Magazine.All of us here think The International Institute of Not Doing Much is the best organization in the world.You know how to avoid unnecessary activities!
As a matter of fact, we closely followed the advice in your article.First, we replaced all our telephones with carrier pigeons.Simply removing the jingle of telephones and replacing them with the pleasant sounds of birds has had a remarkable effect on everyone.Besides, birds are cheaper than telephone service.After all, we are a business.We have to think of the bottom line.As a side benefit, the birds also fertilize the lawn outside the new employees’ sauna(桑拿房).
Next, we sold the computers off to Stab, Grab, Grit, and Nasty, a firm of lawyers nearby.Our electricity bill went way down.Big savings! The boss is impressed.We have completely embraced paper technology.Now that we all use pencils, doodling is on the increase, and the quality of pencil woman ship is impressive, as you can tell from my handwriting in this letter.By the way, if you can, please send this letter back to us.We can erase and reuse it.Just tie it to Maggie’s leg and she’ll know where to take it.
Now it’s very calm and quiet here.You can notice the difference.No more loud chatter on the telephones! All we hear is the scratching of pencil on paper, the sound of pigeons, and the delivery of inter-office correspondence by paper airplane.
Wonderful! I’ve always wanted to work for an insurance company ever since I was a little girl.Now it’s perfect.
Sincerely yours,
Eleanor Lightly
Spokeswoman and Company Hair Stylist
ABC Activity Insurance: insure against overdoing it
Which of the following best describes the life the author is leading?

A.A simple, slow-paced life.
B.A life of hard work and security.
C.A religious, peasant-like life.
D.A life away from paper and pencils.

Where is Eleanor’s letter sent to?

A.How To Magazine.
B.ABC Activity Insurance Company.
C.Stab, Grab, Grit, and Nasty Law Firm.
D.The International Institute of Not Doing Much.

Which of the following is practiced in the author’s company?

A.Replacing the manual work system with modern technology.
B.Turning off lights in the daytime to save electricity.
C.Recycling paper resources whenever possible.
D.Buying birds and pets as company for the staff.

What is true about Maggie?

A.She works as a manager in the author’s company.
B.She sometimes helps fertilize the lawn outside the sauna.
C.She often helps with inter-office correspondence using e-mail.
D.Her handwriting has improved a lot after entering the company.

What is the purpose for the person to write this letter?

A.to show his dissatisfaction with the new environment.
B.to complain about the bad working condition.
C.to persuade people to live a simple life.
D.to express his gratitude for the good advice.

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