People are talking about the “new economy.” It’s very different from the “old economy”.
In the old economy, people travel to walk. They buy things in stores. They use the post office, the fax and the telephone to send information. They see people face-to-face at their jobs or in stores. People get information from newspapers, radio, television, books and libraries.
In the new economy, people do business through the “net,” which is a connection of millions of computers everywhere in the world. In the new economy, workers often work at home. They can get information online. They can communicate with employers and co-workers by e-mail. Businesses have “virtual stores”. They are websites on which customers can see the products. Businesses can sell to customers anywhere in the world.
In the new economy, people live a fast paced, convenient and colorful life. The whole world develops more quickly than before. But the new economy is a double-edge sword. Its disadvantage is also obvious. For example, the Internet has led to a huge increase in credit card cheating. Some illegal websites offer some cheap or banned goods or services. Online shoppers who enter their credit card information may never receive the goods they want to buy and their card information could even be for sale in an illegal website. So people in the new economy should be smarter and knowledgeable.The cause of the differences between the new economy and the old economy is ____.
| A．the change of people’s idea | B．the business people do |
| C．the use of the Internet | D．the change of people’s life |
In the old economy, people can do the following things EXCEPT____.
| A．getting information from books |
| B．communicating with friends by telephone |
| C．meeting people face to face |
| D．shopping online |
“But the new economy is a double-edge sword ” in the last passage means_____.
| A．The new economy is as sharp as a sword |
| B．The new economy has advantages and disadvantages |
| C．The new economy is better than the old economy |
| D．Both the new economy and the old economy have disadvantages |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．People can get all kinds of information on the Internet. |
| B．Telephone, radio, television, newspapers and so on will disappear in the new economy. |
| C．People in the new economy should have high quality. |
| D．Life in the new economy is more comfortable than the one in the old economy. |
About 30 years ago, I left Cuba for the United States with my son. After getting settled finally in Brunswick, New Jersey, I enrolled(注册) my son in kindergarten. Several weeks later, my son’s teacher asked me to meet him at his office.
In the teacher’s office, an exchange of greetings was followed by his questions: “Is your son mentally retarded(弱智的)? Does he suffer from any kind of mental disability?”
Was he talking about my wonderful Scola? No, no, it can’t be. What a helpless, lonely moment! I told him that Scola was a quiet, sweet little boy, instead. I asked him why he was asking me all these questions.
My son could not follow the teacher’s directions, he told me, and thus, Scola was disrupting the class. Didn’t he know my son did not speak English yet?
He was angry: “Why hasn’t your son been taught to speak English? Don’t you speak English at home?”
No, I didn’t speak English at home, I replied. I was sure my son would learn English in a couple of months, and I didn’t want him to forget his native language. Well, wrong answer! What kind of person would not speak English to her son at home and at all times? “Are you one of those people who come to this country to save dollars and send them back to their country, never wanting to be a part of this society?”
Needless to say, I tried to tell him I was not one of “those people.” Then he told me the meeting was over, and I left.
As I had expected, my son learned to speak English fluently before the school year was over. He went on to graduate from college and got a job, earning close to six figures. He travels widely and leads a well-adjusted, contented life. And he has benefited from being bilingual(双语的).
Speaking more than one language allows people to communicate with others; it teaches people about other cultures and other places — something very basic and obviously lacking in the “educator” I met in New Jersey.The teacher asked the author to his office ______.
| A．to discuss Scola’s in-class performance |
| B．to get Scola enrolled in kindergarten |
| C．to find a language partner for Scola |
| D．to work out a study plan for Scola |
What does the underlined word “disrupting” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
| A．Breaking | B．Following |
| C．Attending | D．Disturbing |
The author’s attitude towards being bilingual may best be described as ______.
| A．critical | B．casual | C．positive | D．passive |
This text is likely to be selected from a book of _______.
| A．medicine | B．education | C．geography | D．History |
Baths and bathing have long been considered of medical importance to man. In Greece there are the ruins of a water system for baths built over 3,000 years ago. The Romans had warm public baths. In some baths, as many 3,000 persons could bathe at the same time.
Treating disease by taking bathing has been popular for centuries. Modern medical bathing first became popular in Europe and by the late 1700’s has also become popular in the United States.
For many years frequent bathing was believed to be bad for one’s health. Ordinary bathing just to keep clean was avoided, and perfume was often used to cover up body smells!
By the 1700’s doctors began to say that soap and water were good for health. They believed that it was good for people to be clean. Slowly, people began to bathe more frequently. During the Victorian Age of the late 19th century, taking a bath on Saturday night became common.
In the United States ordinary bathing was slow to become popular. During the 18th and early 19th centuries, many Americans were known as “The Great Unwashed!” In one American city, for example, a person was only allowed to take a bath every thirty days! That was a law!
Frequency of bathing today is partly a matter of habit. People know that bathing for cleanliness is important to health. Doctors know that dirty bodies increase the chance of diseases. As a result, in the United States, people generally bathe often. Some people bathe once a day at least. They consider a daily bath essential to good health.In the 18th century doctors believed that being clean was _______.
| A．unimportant | B．good for health |
| C．harmful | D．popular |
During the Victorian Age _______.
| A．the Americans ever took a bath every thirty days |
| B．frequent bathing was avoided |
| C．people used perfume to cover up body smells after bathing |
| D．the British people generally took a bath once a week. |
The passage is mainly about _______.
| A．bathing in the USA |
| B．the good points and bad points of bathing |
| C．the history of bathing |
| D．the modern medical bathing |
It was a Saturday morning, a day I believed would end in victory. For weeks, I had been preparing for the match at the county fairgrounds, sponsored(赞助) by our local riding club. My horse, Tonka, and I could run faster than any kid in the county, and I hoped to bring home a blue ribbon.
My mother usually drove me to the riding events, but on this day, my father planned to drop us off at the fairgrounds with the horse trailer(马车) .
Although we never discussed it, my father’s struggle with alcoholism had become the silent center of our family life. My mother was paralyzed (瘫痪的) with fear and indecision. Her salary as a part-time nurse couldn’t possibly support four children. No one talked about alcoholism in those days, and it was my family secret.
We climbed on the trailer and my father pulled out of our driveway and headed toward the fairgrounds, picking up speed once we hit the main road. It wasn’t until we felt a big bump that I realized the trailer was out of control. The dream of my riding winner disappeared. Tonka lay on the floor, completely still. No words were possible. I knew he was dead.
Suddenly a man appeared. “Are you all right?” he asked. “Yes.”I answered, although I knew that nothing was all right. “Sit here on the grass,” he said. He bent down to look into the trailer. Tonka remained still. He touched Tonka and then turned to face me. “He is going to be OK. He has just been knocked unconscious.” He rubbed Tonka’s cheeks and gently pulled his ears. Tonka rose to his feet.
Our father was talking to a police officer. He was upset and in pain and took little notice of me. I looked back; the man was gone.
I never forgot him. He gave me strength and a sense of hope in a dark and frightening moment.The writer went to the fairgrounds because he wanted to ________.
| A．take part in a horse racing |
| B．buy Mum a blue ribbon |
| C．join the local riding club |
| D．train his horse there |
We can learn from the third paragraph that ________.
| A．the family kept silent at home |
| B．the family lived a secret life |
| C．Father was addicted to alcohol |
| D．Mum was physically disabled |
What does “he” in the fourth paragraph refer to?
| A．Father | B．The stranger |
| C．The horse | D．The winner |
What does the author want to tell the readers through the story?
| A．Once formed, bad habits are difficult to break. |
| B．Unexpected kindness is a light that shines in the darkness. |
| C．However mean your life is, meet it and live it. |
| D．Family is a place of encouragement, a safe harbor in the storms. |
Robots make me nervous-especially the ones which seem to think for themselves．I was embarrassed to admit this till I heard that Bill Gates，the founder of Microsoft，felt the same way．Gates said in an interview with the website Reddit：“I am in the camp that is concerned about super intelligence．First the machines will do a lot of jobs for us and not be super intelligent．That should be positive if we manage well．A few decades after that though the intelligence is strong enough to be a concern．”
Well，maybe I don’t have to worry about my laptop and kitchen appliances yet．After I use them I can always pull the plug．But in the future，machines might find a way to prevent us from switching them off．There’s a scary thought!
Professor Stephen Hawking warned a few months ago about the possibility that artificial intelligence could evolve and end up beyond human contro1．He suggested that machines could“spell the end of the human race”．
Maybe the problem with computers too clever for us is not that they are evil or rebellious．What could put us in danger is that they might be too efficient．That’s what philosopher Nick Bostrom from the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford University believes．He says that machines are indifferent to humans and in pursuit of their own goals，the destruction of people might be just collateral(附带的)damage．A machine would not take pity on you．
I’m glad my machines at home are“dumb”．All my vacuum cleaner wants to take over is the carpet in my living room．Let’s hope they don’t create an appliance which wants to take over the world!We can conclude from Gates’statements that ___________．
| A．he is embarrassed that he is afraid of robots |
| B．he doesn’t think machines are intelligent |
| C．machines should be fully employed |
| D．machines’super intelligence should be a concern |
The underlined word“spell”in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to _____________．
| A．record | B．cause | C．explain | D．develop |
Why are computers dangerous according to Nick Bostrom?
| A．They are too evil and rebellious． |
| B．They are indifferent to humans． |
| C．They show pity on humans. |
| D．They are too clever and efficient． |
What can be inferred about the author?
| A．He doesn’t agree with Bill Gates． |
| B．He is not content with the present kitchen appliances． |
| C．He is scared about the super intelligence of machines． |
| D．He expects that machines will take place of humans． |
A lot of small business owners put themselves in an embarrassed position in their own companies．Consider this scene：the company owner who has thirty individuals working for him in the business does all the work．
Stop the actual wrong belief that you’re the only one who can do the JOB!
You are an individual．A robot or machine must rest, or be changed．The best way to replace yourself is not through someone else，but with a System! A system or program doesn’t always make reference to something high-tech．It’s more about the actual administration process flow that gets issues running smoothly．
Systemizing your business is vitally important for the success of the company．About 80％of what’s completed in your business can be systemized．Take a moment to determine all of the routine things that are done in your company．Now record the best way to achieve these duties．
However，creating systems isn’t enough．You have to ensure that the methods are simple to follow，and easy to complete．If you do not allow it to be easy，it won’t be done，or at best it won’t be consistent．
With systems and processes in position．it’s simply using a few people to operate individual systems．A great number of companies that possess established systems have made great achievements through the years．Burger King is a good actual life example．
To construct a great business，replace yourself with a good program right now!What does“an embarrassed position”in Paragraph 1refer to?
| A．The employees are made to do all the work． |
| B．Business owners get caught in the trap of doing everything． |
| C．Nobody would like to work for business owners． |
| D．There are not enough employees in the company． |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 imply?
| A．It’s necessary for the company owner to do all the work． |
| B．A robot or machine shall not keep working． |
| C．The company owner should learn to rest． |
| D．A system is important for the company． |
Which of the following is true about“A system”?
| A．It can deal with a11 the routines in the business． |
| B．It is simple to follow or complete a system． |
| C．Your company will be successful so long as you have a system. |
| D．It will help a company run smoothly． |
What is the best advice to the business owners?
| A．Doing all the work by themselves． |
| B．Buying advanced robots or machines． |
| C．Using a good system to operate a company． |
| D．Introducing higher technologies． |