A report by the Consumer Electronics Association says electronics are among the most popular gifts
being bought this holiday season.
Jim Barry is a spokesman for the Consumer Electronics Association. He says the CEA study found that electronics represent three of the top five things on its "holiday gift wish list" this year.
JIM BARRY: "Notebook computers are at the top, followed by iPads and then e-readers. IPad is a touch-screen tablet computer and that's really the big player in that category."
The computer company Apple began selling its small, touch-screen computers in April. People use the touch-screen computers to surf the Web, write e-mails, watch movies and read books. Since the iPad's release earlier this year, several other companies have come out with their own tablet computers just in time for Christmas.
A report from the e-Marketer research group predicts that worldwide, tablet sales will reach more than eighty-one million in two thousand twelve. Still, Jim Barry says these devices are facing tough competition this year from another Christmas favorite.
JIM BARRY: "Another hot category right behind that are the e-readers. So you can read on an iPad or a touch-screen tablet, but the e-book readers are less expensive. The Kindle is the market leader there, from Amazon. But you also have the Nook from Barnes and Noble and the e-reader from Sony. And you have more and more of those e-readers coming into the market as well."
The Consumer Electronics Association report found that iPod music players are also in high demand this holiday season.
But not all of the things on the holiday gift wish list involved electronics. Clothes, cars and motorcycles also made the list. So did family togetherness and good health. And the one thing that people wanted most?
JIM BARRY: "At the top of the list was peace and happiness."
That is also our wish for you this holiday season.The best title of the passage is .
| A．How to choose a suitable gift for Christmas |
| B．iPads, E-Readers, Notebook Computers top wish lists |
| C．What we should buy for our kids this holiday season |
D．How modern technology is changing the way people relate |
People use the touch-screen computers to do all the following things except .
| A．surf the Web and write e-mails |
| B．watch movies and read books |
| C．surf the Web and contact others on phone |
| D．surf the internet and use it as an e-reader |
Which of the following sentences is TURE?
| A．iPads are the most popular gift among all the electronics. |
| B．Only the computer company Apple releases a touch-screen tablet computer. |
| C．All of the things on the holiday gift wish list are electronics. |
| D．There are more and more kinds of e-readers in the market. |
You don't have enough money for an iPad, but you can buy for a friend who enjoys reading.
| A．notebook computers | B．iPod music players |
| C．touch-screen tablet computer | D．e-book readers |
We can infer from the last paragraph that .
| A．people value peace and happiness more than anything else |
| B．clothes, cars and motorcycles are also popular gifts for Christmas |
| C．family togetherness and good health don't make the list |
| D．JIM BARRY also sends their wish for us this holiday season |
Volunteers, as an essential part of a successful world exposition, are a major channel for the public to participate in, serve and share the world exposition and a means to showcase the image of the host country and city. The following information is about the volunteer for the World Exposition 2010 Shanghai China.
I. Basic Requirements for Volunteers
lBe willing to participate in voluntary services of Expo 2010;
lAge limit: Expo Site volunteers must be born before April 30, 1992 and Expo City Voluntary Service Station volunteers before April 30, 1994;
lObey the laws and regulations of the PRC;
lBe able to participate in training and relevant activities before the opening of Expo 2010;
lPossess necessary knowledge and skills needed by the position;
lBe in good health to meet the requirements of corresponding voluntary positions.
II. Further Information for Volunteers
lSource
lResidents of Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, as well as overseas Chinese, and foreigners can all apply to be the volunteers.
lSignup methods
lApplicants may log in onto the official websites for online signup. They may also consult or connect with the Expo Volunteer Stations.
lTime
lMay 1 – December 31, 2009
III. Volunteer Training
Volunteer training includes general training, special training and position training. General training is carried out through the Internet, while special training and position training are provided through classroom lectures and field practice.
IV. Volunteer Types
lExpo Site volunteers refer to those offering voluntary services to visitors and the Organizer in the Expo Site, mainly including information, visitor flow management, reception, translation and interpretation, assistance for the disabled, and assistance in media service, event and conference organization and volunteer management.
lInformation booth volunteers are stationed in the Expo’s information booths at key transportation centers, commercial outlets, tourist attractions, restaurants, hotels and cultural event places outside the Expo Site. They offer services including information, translation, interpretation and even first aid.What’s the purpose of this writing?
| A．To give some basic information of the World Expo 2010 |
| B．To recruit(招募) the volunteers for the World Expo 2010 |
| C．To praise the hard work of the volunteers |
| D．To attract people to visit the World Expo 2010 |
If you were born in April 1993, where can you be a volunteer?
| A．In the Expo Site. | B．In the host country. |
| C．In the Expo City. | D．In Chinese mainland. |
Which of the training will be done on the Internet?
| A．General training. | B．Position training. |
| C．Classroom training. | D．Special training. |
Which of the following service is offered by information booth volunteers?
| A．Visitor flow management. | B．Helping the disabled. |
| C．Assistance in media service. | D．Emergency first aid. |
Shopping in the United States changes a lot. About ninety years ago most people shopped in small stores that were owned by one person or a family. Women went from the bakery to the butcher’s to the grocer and on to the fruit and vegetable seller in order to get their food for the week. Then, about sixty years ago, supermarkets were born. In a supermarket, people could get all the different kinds of food they needed without going to different stores.
The next big change in shopping in the United States was the shopping mall. A shopping mall is a group of stores under one roof. Because malls allowed people to shop without worrying about the weather, they soon became very popular. The mall became a place for people to socialize in addition to shopping. If you walk through a mall, you will see older people sitting, chatting and drinking coffee. Malls are places for teenagers to hang out. Many teens will often just “go to the mall” and spend time with their friends.
The recent change in American shopping was the superstore. Large chain stores such as Wal-Mart, Office Depot and Toys“R”Us have been built all across the United States. Because they are so large, they can buy goods at a great discount and sell them much cheaper than smaller stores. Sometimes, when they are built near small towns, many of the small town stores have to close. They just cannot compete with their giant neighbors.
And now, online shopping is becoming more and more popular all over the States. People are too busy to go to the physical stores, so they go shopping over the Internet. Online shopping has lots of advantages. For instance, online stores are usually available 24 hours a day. Searching or browsing online shops can be faster than browsing the physical stores. While, online shopping also has its disadvantages. People are at higher risk of being cheated on the part of the merchant than in a physical store. And privacy of personal information may be let out.Which of the following shows the right order of shopping development in the United States?
①small stores②superstores③shopping malls④shopping online⑤supermarkets
| A．①②③④⑤ | B．①⑤②③④ | C．②③④①⑤ | D．①⑤③②④ |
Which is the place for people to spend time with others according to the passage?
| A．Small stores. | B．Shopping malls. | C．Supermarkets. | D．Superstores. |
Why can the superstores sell products at much lower prices?
| A．Because they can buy goods at a reduction in price. |
| B．Because they are across the United States. |
| C．Because they sell all kinds of products people need. |
| D．Because they are built near small towns. |
What’s the disadvantage of online shopping according to the passage?
| A．Wasting time. | B．Fixed prices. |
| C．Leaking personal information. | D．No chance to do physical activities. |
An altimeter(高度计) is an instrument used in an airplane to tell the pilot how high he is flying. The altimeter used in most airplanes is a kind of barometer(气压计), which, like barometer found in ordinary homes, is a measuring instrument for air pressure. The weight of the atmosphere presses downwards everywhere. At sea level this pressure is more than 14 pounds on every square inch of the surface. The higher you go into the air, the lower the air pressure is. An altimeter measures this air pressure to show the altitude of the airplane, or, how high it is above sea level.
But the altimeter does not show how high the plane is above the ground. A plane might be flying at an altitude of 15,000 feet, but it would be only a thousand feet or so above the ground if the land in that area happened to be 14,000 feet above sea level. The pilot adjusts his altimeter to the actual sea-level pressure before leaving the airport and then corrects it in flight by new information given to him by radio. He flies high enough to be above any mountain he may pass on his course .The barometer altimeter is correct within about 300 feet.
Another kind of altimeter, the radio altimeter, makes use of radio reflection. It calculates the height of the flying plane by sending out electrical signals to the surface below and measuring the time required for them to bounce back(反弹). It is correct within 15 feet over water, but is not reliable over land. Big planes usually have both kinds of altimeter.
67. Which of the following diagrams gives the correct relationship between altimeters and barometers? (a----altimeters, b----barometers)
68. The following drawing shows a plane flying over a mountain. Which of the heights given in the drawing is given by the barometer altimeter in the plane at this moment?
69. Suppose a plane using a radio altimeter is flying 10,000 meters above highland which is 4,000 meters above sea level. What reading will be given by the altimeter?
A.10,000meters. B. 4,000meters. C.14,000meters. D. 6,000 meters.
70. Suppose a plane using both kinds of altimeters is flying over a mountainous area where the land rises and falls very abruptly (迅速地). The pilot keeps his plane steady at the same height. What kind of reading will you get on each of the altimeters?
A. The readings on both altimeters will remain steady.
B. The readings on both altimeters will rise and fall abruptly.
C. The readings on the barometer altimeter will rise and fall abruptly, while that on the radio altimeter will remain steady.
D. The readings on the radio altimeter will rise and fall abruptly, while that on the barometer altimeter will remain steady.
A caring mother is the single most important factor in preventing teenagers from abusing(滥用)drugs and alcohol，researchers said on Friday. An international study showed that teenagers living with both parents are less likely to suffer from alcohol and drug problems，and a strong maternal bond is the most effective way to fight against them.
“These findings suggest that living with both parents may prevent drug use.”said Dr.McArdle of Newcastle University in northern England, who led the study.“They also suggest that attachment(感情眷念)，particularly to mothers，is a more effective factor and that this is truly across cultures and substances.”
The report, which is published in the journal Addiction, involved nearly 4,000 teenagers in England, Ireland, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands. They were questioned about their use of several kinds of drugs and alcohol. The teenagers also filled in questionnaires about their relationship with their parents and grandparents, how well they were supervised(监护)after school and whether they were allowed to meet friends at home.
“Both the quality of family relationships and the structure of families have significant influences on youth drug use,” McArdle said in a statement. But he added a strong maternal bond offered the greatest protection against developing drug habits.
The rate of drug abuse among teenagers living with both parents and who had a good relationship with their mother was 16.6 percent. If either factor was missing ,the drug abuse rate rose to 32 percent．More than 42 percent of teenagers living in one parent families who did not have a strong bond with their mother used drugs．
Drug prevention campaigns in British schools and on television warn teenagers about the danger of drugs and alcohol but McArdle said no one is dealing with the problem of their parents’ responsibility.
63.The phrase“maternal bond”appears twice in this passage. Guess its meaning.
A.物质的奖励 B.母亲的约束 C.法律的制裁 D.学校的指导
64. According to McArdle, which is most likely to have the drug abuse problem?
A. 16-year-old Tom from a happy big family.
B.17-year-old Kate supervised by her single mother.
C. 18-year-old Juliet living with her single father.
D.19-year-old Mark cared by his parents.
65. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A. Teenagers with both parents won’t have the drug use problem.
B. Teenagers from several countries filled in the questionnaire.
C. Teenagers were asked about their relationship with parents.
D. Teenagers in British schools are warned against drugs abuse.
66. The last paragraph suggests that________________.
A. schools should answer for the drug problem
B. television and media are to blame
C. parents and the society are responsible for the drug problem
D. mothers are the cause of youth drug use
The teaching of physics in schools is in danger of dying out unless urgent action is taken to deal with a serious lack of teachers, the government is warned today.
The number of students taking physics at A-level has fallen 38% since 1990, according to a research. At the same time the number of new physics teachers has dropped sharply while the shortage is likely to worsen as older teachers retire.
Britain’s leading scientists and engineers expressed alarm over the findings, which they say are part of the problems in science education generally. Lord May of Oxford, president of the Royal Society, the UK’s National Academy of Science, said, “The problems facing science at A-level are well beyond physics. We have over and over again noted the general downward trend of students studying the sciences besides biology and math at A-level. If we fail to deal with this then we may lose the ability to train the next generation of scientists, technologists and engineers.”
Alan Smithers and Pamela Robinson, who did the research in 432 schools and colleges in England and Wales, said that since 1990, the number of physics students had fallen by 38%, from 45,334 to 28,119. Nearly 10% of state schools now do not offer A-level physics, and of those that do 39.5% had five students or fewer taking it this year.
Over the same period, the research discovered, the number of people who are allowed to become physics teachers dropped from about a third of the science total to 12.8%. The supply of physics teachers is not renewing itself, with nearly twice as many aged over 50 as 30 or younger. Another danger is the redefinition of science subjects to “general science”.
Professor Smithers and Dr Robinson warn that the subject is in danger of dying out in schools.” Physics in schools and colleges is at risk through redefinition and lack of teachers with expertise in the subject,” they said. “If physics is to survive in schools, both as basic education and as a platform for higher level study and research, there is a need for immediate action.”
60. From what Lord May of Oxford said, we can learn that____________.
A. he worries about the future of science education.
B. the top scientists have not noticed the problem until recently.
C. the UK has lost the ability to train scientists and engineers
D. biology and math do not face the same problems as physics.
61. The underlined word “renewing” is closest to _______in meaning.
A. continuing B. offering C. saving D. replacing
62. What is the best title for the passage?
A. Lack of Physics Teachers Causes Trouble. B. How Important the Physics Is!
C. Physics Is Dying Out in Schools. D. Why Do We Study Physics?