A few years ago I had an “aha!” moment regarding handwriting.
I had in my hand a sheet of paper with handwritten instructions on it for some sort of editorial task. It occurred at first that I did not recognize the handwriting, and then I realized whose it must be. I finally became aware of the fact that I had been working with this colleague for at least a year, maybe two, and yet I did not recognize her handwriting at that point.
It was a very important event in the computerization of life---a sign that the informal, friendly communication of people working together in an office had changed from notes in pen to instant messages and emails. There was a time when our workdays were filled with little letters and we recognized one another’s handwriting the way we know voices or faces.
As a child, visiting my father’s office, I was pleased to recognize, in little notes on the desk of his staff, the same handwriting I would see at home in the notes he would leave on the fridge---except that those notes were signed “dad” instead of “RFW’.
All this has been on my mind because of the talk about The rise and Fall of Handwriting, a book by Florey. She shows in her book a deep concern about the fall of handwriting and the failure of schools to teach children to write well, but many others argue that people in a digital age can’t be expected to learn to hold a pen.
I don’t buy it.
I don’t want to see anyone cut off from expressive, personal associations that a pen still promotes better than a digital keyboard does. For many a biographer, part of really getting to know their subjects is learning to read their handwriting.
What some people advocate is teaching one of the many attractive handwritings based on the handwriting of 16th-century Italy. That may sound impossibly grand---as if they want kids to learn to draw by copying classical paintings. However, they have worked in many school systems.Why was the author surprised at not recognizing his colleague’s handwriting?
| A．He had worked with his colleague long enough. |
| B．His colleague’s handwriting was so beautiful. |
| C．His colleague’s handwriting was so terrible. |
| D．He still had a lot of work to do. |
People working together in an office used to __________.
| A．talk more about handwriting |
| B．take more notes on workdays |
| C．know better one another’s handwriting |
| D．communicate better with one another |
According to the author, handwritten notes ___________.
| A．are harder to teach in schools | B．attract more attention |
| C．are used only between friends | D．carry more message |
We can learn from the passage that the author _____________.
| A．thinks it impossible to teach handwriting |
| B．does not want to lose handwriting |
| C．does not agree with Florey |
| D．puts the blame on the computer |
How I Turned to Be Optimistic
I began to grow up that winter night when my parents and I were returning from my aunt's house, and my mother said that we might soon be leaving for America．We were on the bus then．
I was crying, and some people on the bus were turning around to loo
k at me．I remember that I could not bear the thought of never hearing again the radio program for school children to which I listened every morning．
I do not remember myself crying for this reason again．In fact, I think I cried very little when I was saying goodbye to my friends and relatives．When we were leaving I thought about all the places I was going to see-—the strange and magical places I had known only from books and pictures．The country I was leaving never to come back was hardly in my head then．
The four years that followed taught me the importance of optimism, but the idea
did not come to me at once．For the first two years in New York I was really lost—having to study in three schools as a result of family moves．I did not quite know what I was or what I should be．Mother remarried, and things became even more complex for me．Some time passed before my stepfather and I got used to each other．I was often sad, and saw no end to "the hard times．"
My responsibilities in the family increased a lot since I knew English better than everyone else at home．I wrote letters, filled out forms, translated at interviews with Immigration officers, took my grandparents to the doctor and translated there, and even discussed telephone bills with company representatives．
From my experiences I have learned one important rule: almost all common troubles eventually go away! Something good is certain to happen in the end when you do not give up, and just wait a little! I believe that my life will turn out all right, even though it will not be that easy．How did the author get to know America?
| A．From her relatives． | B．From her mother． |
| C．From books and pictures． | D．From radio programs． |
Upon leaving for America the author felt_______．
A．confused B．excited C．worried zedFor the first two years in New York, the author _________．
| A．often lost her way |
| B．did not think about her future |
C．studied in three different schools |
| D．got on well with her stepfather |
What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 4?
| A．She worked as a translator． |
| B．She attended a lot of job interviews． |
| C．She paid telephone bills for her family． |
| D．She helped her family with her English． |
The author believes that______．
| A．her future will be free from troubles |
| B．it is difficult to learn to become patient |
| C．there are more good things than bad things |
| D．good things will happen if one keeps trying |
Since the 1950s, most of the stars of pop music have come from Britain and America. Howver, in the last ten years, when many different kinds of music have established themselves on the pop scene, more and more stars have come from other countries.
Pop music changes all the time and new stars appear and become famous. For a musician to stay popular and still produced good, original music over a long period of time, is a sign of true star.
Most stars start their careers in a simple way---- playing in unknown night clubs or dance-hall where people want to dance to the music, not listen to it. They may have continued doing this for many years untill they get a “break”---- a chance to perform in a well –known place or get a recording contract. To become a star is the aim of every singer or musician and the dream of many a pop-crazy teenager.
However a group or star makes it to the top, they can be sure that their lives will change once they are successful. Ordinary teenagers living at home with their parents may suddenly find themselves rich enough to buy their own houses. An established superstar may be able to buy several.
Despite the large amount of money that are earned, life at the top is not easy for many stars.. The pop scene is hard work and many stars need to spend a lot of time away from home. For a lot of them, this means they have no home life and their personal relationships suffer. Despite great public success, life at the top can be very lonely.Since the 1950s,most of the stars of pop music have come from______.
| A．America | B．America and Britain |
| C．America and Europe | D．other countries |
According to the passage， a “break” may mean a chance to ______.
| A．perform in a well-known concert | B．get a recording contract |
| C．play in dance-halls | D．meet a lot of pop-crazy teenagers |
If a star becomes successful,.he ______ according to the passage.
| A．will live at home with their parents |
| B．will have an easy life because of the larger amount of money earned |
| C．may have a happy home life and good person relationships |
| D．may have a lonely life |
Jamaican sprinter (短跑选手) Usain Bolt plans to send a message to rival Tyson Gay by breaking the world 100m record in the London Grand Prix on Friday.
Bolt, who won gold in the 100m,200m and 4*100m relay in reord times at the Beijing Olympics last year, is determined to use the Crystal Palace event to crush the morale (士气) of his main rival for gold at next month’s World Athletics Championships in Berlin.
The 22-year-old is slowly returning to peak form after posting 19.59 sec for the 200m in Lausanne earlier this month and clocking a time of 9.79 sec over 100m in cold, rainy conditions in Paris on Friday.
Despite Bolt’s impressive times, Gay still believes he has the beating of the Jamaican. But Bolt insists there is no one in the sport who scares him and he will prove the point in south London this weekend.
Although Bolt believes he is only running at 85 percent at the moment while he recovers from injuries suffered in a recent car crash in Jamaica, he sees no reason why he can’t break his world record 100m time of 9.69 seconds.
However he won’t get the chance to take on Gay in the 100m in London as the American is only running in the 200m, which Bolt is not competing in, so he will have to settle for underlining his own ability.
“You never know what is possible. I will give my best either way. My friends are saying I’m bringing the rain wherever I go but we will see on Friday.”
While Bolt would love to make a big impact in London, he knows the main event is the World Championships.
“The London Grand Prix will show me where I’m at and what I need to do. After, we can analyse what I need to do ahead of the World Championships.”According to the passage, Bolt competed and will compete in the following event. Which of them is arranged in time order?
a. Lausanne athletics gold league matches
b. Beijing Olympic Games
c. Paris athletics gold league matches
d. World Athletic championships
e. London grand Prix
| A．b-c-a-e-d | B．b-c-a-d-e | C．b-a-c-e-d | D．b-a-c-d-e |
What does the underlined phase “take on” mean in paragraph 6?
| A．employ | B．compete against | C．accept | D．develop |
Which of the following is true?
| A．Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt broke the world 100m record in the London Grand Prix on Friday. |
| B．Bolt will not compete in the 200m in London because of Gay’s impressive times. |
| C．Bolt won 3 gold medals at the Beijing Olympic Games at the age of 22. |
| D．Bolt suffered a car crash in London recently. |
What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?
| A．Bolt is expecting the London Grand Prix. |
| B．Bolt thinks the world Championships is more important. |
| C．Bolt made a big difference in the London Grand Prix. |
| D．Bolt is not confident in his success in the London Grand Prix. |
China’s Ministry of Culture has recommended 10 cyber games(网络游戏) that are suitable for minors to play as part of its drive to purify the on-line environment for the young.
The 10 cyber games were selected by the ministry’s on-line games censorship committee from scores of games recommended by the Chinese public.l
The games are all domestic products. They include five role playing games (RPG), four recreation and chess games, and one educational game, such as “Warring States Ⅱ Online,” “Rainbow Island Online,” and “Wonderlands of learning and games.”
These games have made their way into the final recommendation list because they are considered “healthy” and can “enhance intelligence,” according to the ministry.
The ministry hoped the list could serve a a guidance for parents to better direct their children in the winter vacation, which usually lasts nearly two months from January to February each year.
This was the third time for the ministry to publish recommended cyber games list. The previous two were made public respectively in January 2006 and August 2005 with a total of 25 games inlisted.
In the past few years, on- line games have become the favorite pastime of young people. However, it is argued that such social problems as game addiction, juvenile delinquency (青少年犯罪) and perversion among minors by on-line violence and pornography (色情) have come from an inadequately regulated Internet.
About 9.72 percent of Chinese netizens between the ages of 13 and 30 suffer Internet addiction, said a report issued last month by the China Youth Association for Network Development (CYAND).
According to the China Internet Network Information Center (CINIC), the main Internet watchdog, China had 210million Internet users at the end of 2007 and its online population is on course to become the world’s largest at the beginning of this year.
Net users between 18 and 30 accounted for 49.9percent of the total users. Although the CINIC did not give the figure of those below 18, teenagers and youths have obviously taken up more than half of the total number of net users. And the number of users under age 18 increased rapidly last year, the CINIC noted.What do you know about the 10cyber games ?
| A．They are expected to help parents to better direct their children in the summer vacation. |
| B．They include five RPG, forty chess games and one educational game. |
| C．They are suitable for teenagers. |
| D．They are all foreign products. |
According to the passage, how many teenagers and youths become net users at the end of 2007?
| A．Mor than 105 million. |
| B．Less than 105 million. |
| C．About 210 million. |
| D．104.79 million. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．A lot of Chinese netizens suffer Internet addition. |
| B．On-line games can cause a lot of social problems such as game addition, juvenile delinquency. |
| C．Parents sometimes have trouble in directing their children about on-line games. |
| D．The ministry has recommended 25 games till now. |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．How to purify the on-line environment for the young. |
| B．10 “suitable” cyber games for teenagers. |
| C．The disadvantages of cyber games. |
| D．Chinese authority lists 10 “suitable” E-games for teenagers. |
I will never forget what my old headmaster told me. Normally when you are only 15years of age you do not remember most of the things that are preached by your teachers. But, this particular story is one such lesson that I will never forget. Every time I drift off course, I get reminded of this story.
It was a normal Monday morning at an assembly, and he was addressing the students on important things in life and about committing ourselves to what is important to us. This is how the story went:
An old man lived in a certain part of London, and he would wake up every morning and go to the subway. He would get the train right to Central London, and then sit at the street corner and beg. He would do this every single day of his life. He sat at the same street corner and begged for almost 20 years.
His house was filthy, and a stench (恶臭) came out of the house and it smelled horribly. The neighbours could not stand the smell anymore, so they summoned the police officers to clear the place. The officers knocked down the door and cleaned the house. There were small bags of money all over the house that he had collected over the years.
The police counted the money, and they soon realized that the old man was a millionaire. They waited outside his house in anticipation to share the good news with him. When he arrived home that evening, he was met by one of the officers who told him that there was no need for him to beg any more as he was a rich man now, a millionaire.
He said nothing at all: he went into his house and locked the door. The next morning he woke up as usual, went to the subway, got into the train, and sat at the street corner and continued to beg.
Obviously, this old man had no great plans, dreams or anything significant for his life. We learn nothing from this story other than staying focused on the things we enjoy doing, commitment(专心，敬业). We should remain true to our course, although it may mean committing ourselves to things that people around us would normally disapprove. Just keep it in mind that commitment attracts wealth.Why did the headmaster tell us the story?
| A．To enjoy ourselves. |
| B．To teach us how to make money. |
| C．To tell us the importance of commitment. |
| D．To tell us not to look down upon beggars. |
According to the passage which of the following is true?
| A．The old man made a living by begging. |
| B．The old man was excited to be a millionaire. |
| C．The old man became a millionaire by begging every weekday. |
| D．The old man planned to became a millionaire. |
Why did the police officer clean the old man’s house?
| A．Because the old man hired them to do so. |
| B．Because they wanted to know how much money the old man had begged. |
| C．Because the old man wanted to live comfortably. |
| D．Because the neighbours could not bear the smell coming out of the oldman’s house. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
| B．Keep the general goal in sight while tackling daily tasks. |
| C．Commitment attracts wealth. |
| D．Living without an aim is like sailing without a compass. |