Most British telephone cards are just plain green, but card collecting is becoming a popular hobby in Britain and collectors even have their own magazine, International Telephone Cards. One reason for their interests is that cards from around the world come in a wide variety of different and often very attractive design, There are 100, 0
00 different cards in Japan alone, and there you can put your own design onto a bank card simply by using a photograph or a business card.
The first telephone cards, produced in 1976, were Italian. Five years later the first British card appeared, and now you can buy cards in more than a hundred countries. People usually start collecting cards because they are attractive, small and light, and they do not need much space. It is also a cheap hobby for beginners, although for some people it becomes a serious business. In Paris, for example, there is a market where you can buy only telephone cards, and some French cards cost up to 4,000 pounds. The first Japanese card has a value of about 28,000 pounds. Most people only see cards with prices like these in their collectors’ magazine.The passage is mainly about __________.
| A．the history of phone cards. | B．phone card collecting as a hobby |
| C．reasons for phone card collecting | D．the great variety of phone cards |
When did people in Britain begin to us
e phone card?
| A．In 1971. | B．In 1975 | C． In 1976. | D．In 1981. |
The main reason for most people to collect phone cards is that _________.
| A．they find the cards beautiful and easy to keep |
| B．they like to have something from different countries |
C．the y want to make money with cards |
| D．they think the cards are convenient to use |
The writer mentions a market in Paris in order to show that __________.
| A．card collecting is popular among young people |
| B．French and Japanese cards are the most valuable |
| C．People can make money out of card collecting |
| D．Card collectors’ magazines are very useful |
British potato farmers were angry and wanted the expression “couch potato” to be taken out of the dictionary because it harmed the vegetable’s image.
The British Potato Council wants the Oxford English Dictionary to replace the expression with the term “couch slouch”, with protests being outside Parliament in London and the offices of Oxford University Press.
Kathryn Race, head of marketing at the Council, which represents some 4,000 planters and processors, said the group had complained in writing to the OED but had yet to receive a response.
“We are trying to get rid of the image that potatoes are bad for you,” she said on Monday.
“The potato has had its knocks in the past. Of course it is not the Oxford English Dictionary’s fault but we want to use another term instead of “couch potato” because potatoes are naturally healthy.”
The OED says that “couch potato” began as American slang, meaning “a person who spends his or her leisure time sitting around, especially watching television or video tapes.”
The Potato Council says its campaign is backed by dieticians (饮食学家) who say the vegetable is low in fat and high in vitamin C.
Supporting the campaign, famous cook Antony Worrall Thompson said the vegetable was one of Britain’s favorite foods.
“Not only are they healthy, they are also convenient and yummy (美味). Life without potato is like a sandwich without a filling,” he said.
John Simpson, chief editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, said the dictionary first included the term “couch potato” in 1993 and said “dictionaries just reflect the words that society uses.”
Simpson said words were never taken out of the full-length dictionary, which includes some 650,000 words in 20 volumes.
But little-used words can be removed from the smaller dictionaries to make way for newer ones.
“If society stops using words then they get taken out of the smaller dictionaries,” he added.
The first known recorded use of the expression “couch potato” was in an article in Los Angeles Times, in 1979, Simpson said.
Nigel Evans, a member of Parliament for the Ribble Valley in Lancashire, has made a motion in support of the campaign, highlighting the nutritional value of the British potato.British potato farmers wanted to _________.
| A．advertise their produces |
| B．call for a higher price for their potatoes |
| C．remove the expression “couch potato” from the dictionary |
| D．let people know how important the potato is in people’s lives |
The farmers think that _________.
| A．potatoes have had a bad image |
| B．Potatoes are good for people by nature |
| C．potatoes sometimes do harm to people |
| D．it’s the dictionary’s fault to use the expression “couch potato” |
John Simpson thinks that _________.
| A．the expression can be taken out of every kind of dictionary |
| B．dictionaries do not necessarily reflect the words the society uses |
| C．little-used words can remain in the smaller dictionaries |
| D．it is impossible for them to take the expression out of the dictionary |
What is wrong with the expression “couch potato” according to the farmers in this passage?
| A．It is connected with unfavorable meaning. |
| B．Potato should be used in the expression. |
| C．It is borrowed from America English. |
| D．It refers to a kind of person. |
During my elementary school years, I used to compare my mom with my best friend Tiffany's mom..
Tiffany's mom always gave her lots of money to buy the most fashionable clothes and favorite food. Her mom allowed her to do anything she liked. I really admired Tiffany. My mom didn't give me much pocket money and she always told me that I should behave myself. I was annoyed with her.
Whenever I didn't get what I wanted, I would complain to my mom, Tiffany's mom would give her that! I wish she were my mom. "Every time, my morn would calmly say "Poor Tiffany". I couldn't understand her. "She shouldn't be feeling sorry for Tiffany!" I thought. "She should be feeling sorry for me."
One day, I couldn't help saying to Mom, "Poor Tiffany? Lucky Tiffany! She gets everything she wants! Why do you feel sorry for her? " I burst into tears.
My mom sat down next to me and said softly. "Yes, I do feel sorry for her. I have been teaching you a lesson that she will never be taught. "
I looked up at her. "What are you talking about?"
Mom said with care, "One day she will really want something. Maybe she'll find out that she can't have it. Her mother won't always be around to give her money, and what's more, money can't buy everything. "
She continued, "I have taught you valuable lessons by not giving you everything you want. You'll know how to look for bargains and save money, but she won't. You'll understand that you need to work hard to get the things that you want but she won't. When Tiffany is a grown woman, she'll wake up one day and she will be wishing that she had a mom like the one you've got. Life lessons are more important than modern clothes and delicious food. "
It took some time, but I eventually understood my mom's words. Now I am a happy and successful woman.During the author's elementary school years, she .
| A．wished that her mom were as good as Tiffany's |
| B．went to school with Tiffany every day |
| C．usually pared her lesson with Tiffany's |
| D．sometimes gave lots of money to Tiffany |
Why did the author's mom always say "Poor Tiffany"?
| A．She felt sorry for Tiffany because Tiffany was poor. |
| B．She wanted to tell a lie to fort the author. |
| C．She thought that Tiffany was spoiled by her mother. |
| D．She told the author this and wanted her to help Tiffany. |
What do we learn about the author's mother?
| A．She was strict and taught the author to be independent. |
| B．She cared for other people's children more than her own. |
| C．She thought that life lessons were as important as money. |
| D．She was so poor that she couldn't give the author much money. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．The author was quite annoyed with her mother in the past. |
| B．The author's mother felt sorry for Tiffany. |
| C．Tiffany's mother took the author's mother's advice. |
| D．The author is thankful to her mother now. |
Last Friday, I was ing home late after spending time with friends and thought I’d go down to the $99 cent pizza place. On the way, I saw a man sitting on the stairs alone there. I’d seen him before every day I run late to work, but this time I had no place to rush off to.
There was something about him, a quiet manner, different from many of other homeless people I had seen in New York City. I walked past him, went to the pizza place, and those 10 seconds waiting in line was enough to practice stepping outside of my usual, familiar flow. So with a few slices in hand, I went back to join him. I asked him if he was hungry. He said yes, but not for pizza because it made him unfortable. He’d rather have a few bucks for chicken and rice since it was easier on his stomach. It’s funny, in that moment, he became more real to me.
This man I had seen almost every day was someone with specific conditions, needs, and experiences. We exchanged names and ended up talking for a little over an hour that night as Kevin told me stories from his life, how he had done things when “he was younger and didn’t know any better” and how he tried to make amends (补偿) but too much time had passed. He shared his views on the value for young adults to learn the history of other people.
He talked about his one wish being in his 60’s before he leaves this earth, which is to share his story with the teenagers and young adults so they could avoid the mistakes he went through. Throughout the conversation, he eventually got his chicken and rice and gifted me a rose he had been carrying. Shortly afterwards, I made my way home, thinking to myself, “I met an amazing homeless person”.The writer’s purpose in writing the passage is to ____.
| A．share his experience |
| B．show his generosity |
| C．express his thoughts |
| D．exchange his opinions |
The homeless man refused pizza because he ____.
| A．did not feel very hungry at that moment |
| B．had something wrong with his stomach |
| C．preferred some chicken and rice to pizza |
| D．might feel ashamed to be given something |
What’s the homeless man’s last wish?
| A．To bee a lot younger again. |
| B．To make amends for his early life. |
| C．To have enough chicken and rice to eat. |
| D．To teach the young not to follow his example. |
It can be inferred from the text that ____.
| A．The homeless man is different from others |
| B．The writer showed his pity to the homeless man |
| C．What the homeless man thought shocked the writer |
| D．What the homeless man did was not very meaningful |
How do you like the homeless man after reading the passage?
| A．Learned. | B．Honorable. |
| C．Determined. | D．Promising. |
It is known to us that puter users are being warned by industry experts to pay attention to secret codes which could be used to record their conversation.
E-mails, screen savers, and electronic greeting cards can carry a secret code which is able to turn on the puter’s microphone, make a recording, and forward it to someone else without the user’s knowledge.
In fact any attachments (附件) sent to a puter, whether it is a game of Space Invaders, or a moving picture, can possibly be used to spy (窥探).
Experts say people should always think twice about opening attachments because --- although not mon --- bugging (窃听) by puter can and has been done.
Bill Lyons, head of the Internet Security pany Finjan, said, “People in the army have tested this and you can be sure, if people in general are aware of it, then puter hackers (黑客) are aware of it. The frightening thing is that there are tools on the Internet which people, using a simple search method, can find, and which will enable them to attach this dangerous code to simple attachments.”What is the advice given in the passage?
| A．Use secret codes to record other people’s conversation. |
| B．Be careful when opening an attachment. |
| C．Never open any attachments. |
| D．Never use secret codes. |
What worries the experts is that ___ .
| A．nobody seems to believe such things |
| B．nobody knows the danger of the code |
| C．tools can easily be used to tie dangerous codes to e-mails |
| D．effective ways can never be found to deal with the problem. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．A moving picture cannot be used to spy. |
| B．Electronic greeting cards cannot carry a secret code. |
| C．A secret code is used to destroy the puter system. |
| D．Any attachments sent to a puter may carry a secret code. |
Yasuda is 95 years old. Looking for easier ways to search the Web and send email, he bought Apple’s iPad. The pany has sold 3.27 million iPads since they entered the market in April. Although it’s impossible to know with certainty how many seniors (老年人) are buying them, evidence suggests that it’s a hit with seniors.
The iPad’s intuitive interface (直观界面) makes it attractive to seniors around the world, says Takahiro Miura, a researcher at the University of Tokyou. “The iPad is a good tool for seniors because it’s very easy to use,” he says. “Unlike the PC, it doesn’t require former knowledge.”
James Cordwell, a researcher in London, says the iPad’s popularity with seniors is helping Apple reach beyond its traditional base of young customers. “The world’s population, especially in developed markets, is getting older. It’s probably a market where Apple has least entered, ” Cordwell says. Senior users are “a key source of growth for them in the future.”
Seniors make up about 22 percent of the population in Japan. They may prove that seniors are willing to accept the iPad. Besides the customer group under 30, they spend more than any other group in the country, according to a report. Motoo Kitamura, 78, a former gas salesman, bought an iPad to help him municate with his 2-year-old grandson and prevent him from experiencing some of the mental problems that sometimes e with getting older. “Trying new things like that is good mental exercise,” he says.The underlined part “a hit” in Paragraph 1 probably means ______ .
| A．a sudden attack |
| B．a heavy burden |
| C．quite popular |
| D．very familiar |
Which of the following is NOT an advantage of the iPad?
| A．It has intuitive interface. |
| B．It is easy to operate. |
| C．Beginners can use it without similar experiences. |
| D．People can use it as a way to do mental exercise. |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．People above thirty are Apple’s largest customer group in Japan. |
| B．The traditional customers of Apple’s products are usually the young. |
| C．Seniors will soon grow into Apple’s largest customer group. |
| D．Seniors in Japan are fond of buying latest hi-tech products. |
What is the text mainly about?
A. iPad leading Apple to seniors.
B. iPad influencing the customer group.
C. iPad’s arrival causing Japanese to think.
D. iPad beating the traditional PC.