When Gretchen Baxter gets home from work as a New York City book editor, she checks her Blackberry (黑莓手机) at the door. ‘I think we are attached to these devices in a way that is not always positive,’ says Baxter,who’d rather focus at home on her husband and 12-year-old daughter. ‘It’s there and it beckons (召唤). That’s human nature (but)…we kind of get crazy sometimes and we don’t know where it should stop.’
Americans are connected at unprecedented (前所未有的) levels一93% now use cell phones or wireless devices;one third of those are ‘smart phones’ that allow users to browse the Web and check e-mail,among other things. The benefits are obvious: checking messages on the road,staying in touch with friends and family,efficiently using time once spent waiting around. The downside:often,we’re effectively disconnecting from those in the same room.
That's why,despite all the technology that makes communicating easier than ever,2010 was the Year We Stopped Talking to One Another. From texting at dinner to posting on Facebook from work or checking e-mail while on a date,the connectivity revolution is creating a lot of divided attention,not to mention social anxiety. Many analysts say it's time to step back and reassess.
‘What we’re going to see in the future is new opportunities for people to be plugged in and connected like never before,’ says Scott Campbell. ‘It can be a good thing,but I also see new ways the traditional social fabric (社会结构) is getting somewhat torn apart.’
Our days are filled with beeps and pings·----many of which pull us away from tasks at hand or face-to-face conversations. We may feel that the distractions are too much,but we can’t seem to stop posting,texting or surfing.
‘We're going through a period of adjustment and rebalancing,’ says Sherry Turkle and she wants to remind people that technology can be turned off.
‘Our human purposes are to really have connections with people,’ she says. ‘We have to reclaim it. It’s not going to take place by itself.’What can be the best title for the passage?
A.2010: The year technology developed quickly. |
B.2010: The year technology sped up our life pace. |
C.2010: The year technology replaced talking. |
D.2010: The year technology made communicating easier. |
According to Paragraph l,Gretchen Baxter thinks_________.
A.the new technology always influences people’s life in a positive way |
B.the new technology is so tempting that she could even put her daughter and husband behind |
C.it is encouraging to see progress on the new technology every year |
D.people are too dependent on the new technology to let go |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.The wide use of mobile devices has nothing to do with the ‘traditional social fabric’. |
B.Mobile devices play a less important part in American life. |
C.Mobile devices create a lot of divided attention and social anxiety. |
D.Many analysts speak highly of the wide popularity of mobile devices. |
What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A.Something must be done to get connection with people in reality again· |
B.Using mobile services can help people get connection with each other. |
C.Mobile services have a strong impact on people’s life. |
D.The connection with people can happen naturally. |
Twenty-five years ago if you made a trip to the local library and searched for articles on globing warming, you’d probably come up with a few from the leading magazines in the world. As an Internet search on global warming now shows, the subject has become as rooted in people’s mind as Madonna or microwave cooking.
With the possible exception of another world war, a giant planet, or an incurable disease, global warming may be the largest danger to our planet. For decades human factories and cars have sent billions of tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and the climate has begun to show some signs of warming. If steps are not taken soon to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide sent into the atmosphere, the result could terribly affect human life. We have already seen growing destruction, such as drought and death in Sudan, flooding in Asia, bush fires in Indonesia, and fierce winter storms in central Europe.
The Republic of Maldives is barely above sea level. Its 250, 000 citizens are scattered across 1,200 islands in the Indian Ocean. A strong typhoon could spell the end for the entire country, as sea levels could continue rising. The entire population would have to be moved away as the country disappears under the sea.
The greenhouse effect is a naturally occurring phenomenon that keeps our planet at a comfortable temperature averaging 60°F. Since the mid-nineteenth century, however, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased nearly 30% because of the increased use of fossil fuels to run cars, heat homes and power factories. Without controlling, the amount of carbon-dioxide by 2100 may increase by 30%-150% and could lift the average global temperature by up to 2.5° F the next 50 years.
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With the first paragraph, the author intends to.
A.scold people for not paying enough attention to global warming |
B.draw people’s attention to global warming |
C.how to search for the articles on global warming |
D.point out the serious effect of global warming |
.
Global warming could affect human life in the following ways EXCEPT.
A.producing more greenhouse gases | B.causing more floods |
C.making winter storms fiercer | D.starting more bush fires |
.
The Republic of Maldives.
A.has moved away their citizens |
B.will be more likely to be destroyed by a strong typhoon than by the rising sea level |
C.is mostly likely to be destroyed by the rising sea level |
D.will have to move away most of their population |
.
. Why is the Republic of Maldives especially mentioned in the passage?
A.Because smaller countries are easier to be affected by global warming. |
B.Because seaside countries are in danger of disappearing. |
C.Because it’s necessary to rescue a country before the sea level rises. |
D.Because the serious result of global warming could end a whole country. |
.
. From the last paragraph, we can infer that greenhouse effect.
A.can only affect t![]() |
B.is something easy to control |
C.is caused by human act |
D.will be good to us if it remains at a proper level |
The world itself is becoming much smaller by using modern traffic and modern communication means (通讯设备).Life today is much easier than it was hundreds of years ago, but it has brought new problems. One of the biggest is pollution. To pollute means to make things dirty. Pollution comes in many ways. We see it, smell it, drink it and even hear it.
Man has been polluting the earth. The more people, the more pollution. Many years ago, the problem was not so serious because there were not so many people. When the land was used up or the river was dirty in one place, Man moved to another place. But this is no longer true. Man is now slowly polluting the whole world.
Air pollution is still the most serious. It’s bad for all living things in the world, but it is not the only one kind of pollution. Water pollution kills our fish and pollutes our drinking water. Noise pollution makes us angry more easily.
Many countries are making rules to fight pollution. They stop people from burning coal in houses and factories in the city, and from putting dirty smoke into the air.
Pollution by carbon dioxide is now the most dangerous kind of air pollution. It is caused by heavy traffic. It is true that if there are fewer people driving, there will be less air pollution.
The earth is our home. We must take care of it. That means keeping the land, water and air clean. And we must take care of the rise in population at the same time..
. Hundreds of years ago, the pollution was _________it is today.
A.much easier than | B.as easy as | C.as hard as | D.much less than |
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Our world is becoming much smaller_________.
A.because the earth is being polluted day and night |
B.because science is developing |
C.because of the rise in population |
D.because the earth is blown away by the wind every year |
.
Air pollution is the most serious kind of pollution because_________.
A.it does harm to all living things in the world | B.it makes much noise |
C.it makes our rivers and lakes dirty | D.it makes us angry more easily |
.
Which of the following is NOT the possible way to reduce air pollution?
A.Stop people from burning coal in the houses and factories in the city |
B.Stop putting dirty smoke into the air |
C.Encourage people to go to work by bike or on foot instead of driving a car |
D.Don’t throw rubbish into the river. |
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Which of the following is NOT true?
A.The problem of pollution is not so serious because there are not so many people living on the earth. |
B.The pollution of the earth grows as fast as the world’s population does. |
C.If people could go to work by bike ,it would be helpful against the problem of carbon dioxide. |
D.Many countries are making rules to fight against pollution. |
People have smoked cigarettes for a long time now. The tobacco which is used to make cigarettes was first grown in what is now part of the United States. Christopher Columbus, who discovered America, saw the Indians smoking. Soon the dried leaves were transported to Europe . In the late 1800s, the Turks made cigarettes popular.
Cigarette smoke contains at least two harmful substances, tar and nicotine. Tar, which forms as the tobacco burns, damages the lungs and therefore affects breathing. Nicotine, which is found in the leaves, causes the heart to beat faster and increases the breathing rate. Nicotine in large can kill a person by stopping a person’s breathing muscles. Smokers usually take in small amounts that the body can quickly break down.
Nicotine can make new smokers feel dizzy(头晕) or sick to their stomachs. The heart rate for young smokers increases 2 to 3 beats per minute. Nicotine also lowers skin temperature and reduces blood flow in the legs and feet. It plays an important role in increasing smokers’ risk of heart disease and stroke.
Smoking cigarettes is dangerous. Cigarette smoking was the cause of lung cancer and several other deadly diseases. .
Tobacco first appeared in_________.
A.Asia | B.Africa |
C.Europe | D.America |
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What is the main purpose of the first paragraph?
A.To tell us the bad effects caused by smoking cigarettes |
B.To introduce the history of smoking |
C.To let us know what the cigarettes are made from |
D.To tell the readers that Columbus found the Indians smoking |
.
._________doesn’t make one’s heart beat as usual.
A.Tar | B.Nicotine |
C.Lung disease | D.Leave |
.
The following effects are caused by Nicotine EXCEPT that________.
A.It can make new smokers feel dizzy or sick to their stomachs |
B.It lowers skin temperature |
C.It causes the heart to beat less fast |
D.Nicotine will probably kill a person if a smoker takes in too much of it. |
.
What’s the main idea of this passage?
A.Where did cigarettes come from? |
B.The effect of smoking on your body. |
C.How to smoke is healthy? |
D.Who is the first smoker? |
James Stallman Rockefeller, the oldest-known U.S.Olympic medal winner and the former head of the bank that became Citigroup, died Tuesday.He was 102.Records of the U.S.Olympic Committee show that Rockefeller was the oldest American medal winner.He was the captain of Yale University's eight-man rowing team with coxswain that won gold at the 1924 Paris Olympics - beating the Canadian team by less than 16 seconds.The oars from the winning race and the gold medal were prominently displayed in Rockefeller's house."I think he was really proud of that - probably more than the bank career," said his grandson.
Rockefeller suffered a stroke on Thursday, said his grandson, who lived with him at his Greenwich home for two years, attributed his long life to a regimented(严密组织的) lifestyle: breakfast at eight a.m., lunch at 1 p.m., cocktails at 6 p.m.and dinner promptly at 7 p.m.. He liked plain food, without sauces or cheese, and plenty of fresh vegetables, including those grown in the garden of his estate.Rockefeller was in good health until shortly before he died.He drove his car up until last year and would review documents from the various charities and businesses he helped lead.
Rockefeller, born on June 8, 1902, was a grandson of William Rockefeller, who founded Standard Oil with his brother, John D.Rockefeller.He graduated from Yale in 1924 and served in the Airborne Command during World War II.He started at the bank, and then called the National City Bank, in 1930, following his uncle and grandfather, who were leaders of the bank. He became president in 1952, chairman in 1959 and retired in 1967.In 1955, under Rockefeller's leadership, the bank merged with the First National Bank of New York to form Citigroup.Rockefeller also was a director of numerous companies, including Pan American Airways, Northern Pacific Railroad, NCR and Monsanto, and served on the boards of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and the American
Museum of Natural History.
Rockefeller and his wife.Nancy Carnegie Rockefeller, had four children.His wife died in 1994.Rockefeller lost his wife when he was_______.
A.at the age of 91 | B.in his eighties |
C.in his early nineties | D.in his 1994 |
We can learn from the passage t
hat _______.
A.the American rowing team beat the Canadian team in less than 16 seconds in 1924. |
B.Rockefeller was the first American medal winner. |
C.James Stallman Rockefeller founded the National City Bank and was the first president. |
D.His grandson thought Rockefeller had long life because of a regimented lifestyle. |
What we can infer from the passage is that ______.
A.James Stallman Rockefeller is a great Olympic medal winner. |
B.James Stallman Rockefeller was in good health until he died. |
C.James Stallman Rockefeller was very active in American society. |
D.James Stallman Rockefeller was the only grandson of William Rockefeller. |
On the day Apple debuted the often-delayed white-colored iPhone 4, the company's marketing department gave a nod to the product's troubled history.
"Finally." read the big headline Thursday above a picture of the white phone on the homepage of Apple.com.
The white model was supposed to ship alongside the black one at the iPhone 4's launch(推出) last June.But design and manufacturing complications delayed the process by 10 months, catching Apple off guard, executives say.
As CNN reported last month, earlier test models of the white iPhone 4 produced unclear photos, especially when the flash(闪光灯) was used.Its whiteness confused the proximity sensor (距离传感器) , which detects when the phone is held next to someone's head and turns off the touch screen to save battery life.
These problems weren't present in older iPhones that came in white because they didn't have flash photography; the proximity sensor was unaffected because the front side of previous models was black.
"We thought we were there a year ago, or less than that, when we launched the iPhone 4, and we weren't," Philip Schiller, Apple's chief marketing executive, said in an interview."It's not as simple as making something white.There's a lot more that goes into both the material science of it —how it holds up over time…but also in how it all works with the sensors."
Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White predicts that the white model could help drive sales of Apple's phones.He says Apple could sell 1 million to 1.5 million every three months until the next iPhone model is unveiled, which is expected to be this fall.
Forty-five people were lined up at Apple's flagship New York store Thursday morning to buy white iPhones, according to a CNN Money report.The reason why white-colored iPhone 4 was delayed by 10 months is that _______.
A.it's always sold out due to its popularity |
B.it met some problems concerning design and manufacture |
C.it lacked white manufacturing materials |
D.its proximity sensor can't save battery life |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.There are multi-colored models of iPhone 4. |
B.The same design problems were also found in older white iPhones. |
C.IPhone4 will be launched this fall. |
D.Originally designers thought they could solve the problems before iPhone 4 was launched. |
What would be the best title for this passage?
A.Why the White iPhone 4 Took So Long |
B.The History of iPhone 4 |
C.The Attraction of White![]() |
D.The Design and Manufacture of iPhone 4 |