In the US and Britain, the slogan around colleges was “Save water. Shower with a friend.” Now, Wuhan University has come up with another system for the campus bathhouse. It charges students for the amount of time in a shower. Before entering the bathhouse, students pay for the amount of time they want in the shower with cash or their student ID card. The clock starts ticking the minute the tape is turned on. It pauses when a button is pressed for soap. An integrated circuit (IC) card reader at each tap shows the time. No money, no water. The benefits of the new system can be seen with the old system, which charged 1 Yuan for each person regardless of time in the shower. The university used about 320 tons of water daily under the old system, but only 160 tons now.
Many students use the new system but opinions on it are divided. Some students say it is bad because bathing had become a sort of race. Many people using it for the first time are not sure how long they need to shower. Some might be embarrassed if their time is up and they’re still covered in soap. They have to ask the bathhouse worker to help them buy extra time.
“It’s a flaw in the system that you can not buy extra time on the ID card,” said Ren, a freshman in Wuhan University. The university is also considering some students’ suggestions that they be allowed to pay after they’ve finished the shower. Not surprisingly, some are complaining about losing the hour shower. But many students say the move helps them develop a water-saving sense.
Without the time limits, most students tended to shower for 30 to an hour in the bathhouse.
Some even used the hot water to wash their clothes. “In my experience, 10—20 minutes is enough,” said Dai Zhihua, a third-year student who usually takes 8 minutes.
A similar system has been installed in other universities. Shanghai Normal University introduced it at its Fengxiang Campus in September. The bathing fee there is 0.2 Yuan per minute. One male student responded by setting a record with a two-minute shower.According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Students pay for the amount of time they want in the shower. |
| B．The clock times all through while the student is bathing except when the bather paused for soap. |
| C．If money runs out, there will be no water. |
| D．Having finished bathing, the student has to pay for it. |
The underline word “flaw” (Paragraph 3) most probably means __________.
| A．fault | B．advantage | C．pity | D．perfection |
Since the new system has performed, __________ of water can be saved.
| A．a quarter | B．one third | C．one half | D．two thirds |
It can be inferred from the passage that __________.
| A．The new operation can raise students’ environmental awareness. |
| B．the new operation can solve the water crisis. |
| C．a similar operation has been set in other universities. |
| D．The university has saved a lot of water by using the new system. |
In which column can you find this passage?
| A．People. | B．Society. | C．Campus Life. | D．Lifestyle. |
It's a name that needs no address.Everyone knows Santa Claus lives at the North Pole.
So letters sent to Santa Claus find their way to the small town of the North Pole deep in Alaska，including those simply sent to Santa. Last year，120,000 letters arrived from 26 countries，not including the thousands with no return addresses.
Those who have return addresses usually get a reply and a North Pole postmark（邮戳） that has delighted children all over the world for many years. They feel happy to receive Santa's reply.
Letters arrive all the year around in the town of 1,600，where streets have names such as Santa Claus Lane and Kris Kringle Drive. Around Thanksgiving，they start getting there by the thousands each day as Christmas comes. Even letters without stamps get through，an exception（例外）for the U．S. Postal Service.
“This is special because it has Santa's name on it，”said Debra Cornelius，an officer at the main post office in nearby Fairbanks，where the letters are kept during the holiday.
Gabby Gaborik is among several dozen volunteers who are busy sending off replies to children who sent return addresses.
In his 10 years as a volunteer，Gaborik has seen every kind of wish. There are children who want the latest toys they see on TV. There are children who ask for miracles（奇迹），some wanting their mother back for Christmas or their father back from Iraq，even though he died there.
Replies get a North Pole postmark，including a halfmoon drawing of Santa's face. Even late letters get a reply，Gaborik said，“It says something like ‘Thanks for writing. Santa's been really busy，’anything the children might want to hear，”he said.Letters written to Santa Claus without an address can arrive at the North Pole because ______.
| A．all letters without an address are sent there |
| B．people believe that Santa Claus lives there |
| C．this kind of letter is sent with a special postmark |
| D．streets named Santa Claus Lane can be found there |
The underlined word “delighted” in Paragraph 3 can be replaced by “______”.
| A．excited | B．amazed | C．confused | D．disappointed |
We can know from the text that ______.
| A．letters written to Santa Claus are sent free |
| B．Santa Claus' replies to children always arrive at Christmas |
| C．many people write to children for Santa Claus asking for no pay |
| D．there're thousands of letters sent to Santa Claus every month |
What's the best title for the text?
| A．Letters written to parents |
| B．All kinds of wishes from children |
| C．Letters to Santa Claus rush into Alaska |
| D．North Pole，Alaska，a beautiful place |
Dear Mayor,
I would like to draw your attention to the depressing state of the environment in our city. Increased vehicles have made the air polluted. Citizens find it difficult to breathe. Dumping toxic chemicals into the river has polluted the drinking water and ground water.
All of us, as concerned citizens, have discussed these problems in various meetings. We have come up with the following proposals（提议）.
The green roads are no longer green. Many trees and bushes have been cut. We propose restricting the movement of vehicles. Besides, we should make it compulsory（强制性的）to use anti-pollution devices on all vehicles. We should also plant more plants and trees along roads.
The Bada Nadi River has become a dumping ground of toxic chemicals from some factories. These toxic chemicals have killed nearly all the life in the river and polluted our drinking water and ground water. We propose that the Bada Nadi River be declared a protected water body. All the dumping should be banned and heavy fine should be imposed on the offenders（违法者）. To tackle the problem of managing toxic waste, we propose setting up a water treatment plant so that only clean water is discharged into the river. Cleaning up the river and introducing various fishes and plants to the river will bring it back to life.
Lastly, the noise pollution caused by honking（鸣）horns and blaring loudspeakers has caused distress to one and all. Many people have suffered from noise-related illnesses. We propose a blanket ban on the use of loudspeakers. And“no horn zones”should also be declared in residential hospitals and school areas.
I would request you to seriously consider our proposals and act accordingly.
Thank you!
Sincerely yours,
A kind-hearted citizenThe author wrote this letter in order to ______.
| A．express his/her thanks to the mayor |
| B．complain about the environment |
| C．share his/her opinions about city life |
| D．make his/her suggestions on managing toxic waste |
In order to protect the Bada Nadi River, the author suggests _______.
| A．anti-pollution devices should be used on vehicles |
| B．planting more trees and bushes along roads |
| C．restricting the movement of vehicles |
| D．banning dumping dangerous chemicals into the river |
The underlined word “tackle”in the fourth paragraph means“_______”.
| A．put off | B．deal with |
| C．set up | D．turn down |
Kodak’s decision to file for bankruptcy (破产) protection is a sad, though not unexpected, turning point for a leading American corporation that pioneered consumer photography and dominated the film market for decades, but ultimately failed to adapt to the digital revolution.
Although many attribute Kodak’s downfall to “complacency (自满) ,” that explanation doesn’t acknowledge the lengths to which the company went to reinvent itself. Decades ago, Kodak predicted that digital photography would overtake film (胶片) — and in fact, Kodak invented the first digital camera in 1975 — but in a fateful decision, the company chose to shelf its new discovery to focus on its traditional film business.
“It wasn’t that Kodak was blind to the future”, said Rebecca Henderson, a professor at Harvard Business School, but rather that it failed to execute on a strategy to confront it. By the time the company realized its mistake, it was too late.
Kodak is an example of a firm that was very much aware that they had to adapt, and spent a lot of money trying to do so, but ultimately failed. Large companies have a difficult time switching into new markets because there is a temptation to put existing assets (资产) into the new businesses.
Although Kodak predicted the unavoidable rise of digital photography, its corporate (企业的) culture was too rooted in the successes of the past for it to make the clean break necessary to fully embrace the future. They were a company stuck in time. Their history was so important to them. Now their history has become a liability.
Kodak’s downfall over the last several decades was dramatic. In 1976, the company commanded 90% of the market for photographic film and 85% of the market for cameras. But the 1980s brought new competition from Japanese film company Fuji Photo, which undermined Kodak by offering lower prices for film and photo supplies. Kodak’s decision not to pursue the role of official film for the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics was a major miscalculation. The bid went instead to Fuji, which exploited its sponsorship to win a permanent foothold in the marketplace. What do we learn about Kodak?
| A．It went bankrupt all of a sudden. |
| B．It is approaching its downfall. |
| C．It initiated the digital revolution in the film industry. |
| D．It is playing a dominant role in the film market. |
Why does the author mention Kodak’s invention of the first digital camera?
| A．To show its early attempt to reinvent itself. |
| B．To show its effort to overcome complacency. |
| C．To show its quick adaptation to the digital revolution. |
| D．To show its will to compete with Japan’s Fuji photo. |
Why do large companies have difficulty switching to new markets?
| A．They find it costly to give up their existing assets. |
| B．They tend to be slow in confronting new challenges. |
| C．They are unwilling to invest in new technology. |
| D．They are deeply stuck in their glorious past. |
What does the author say Kodak’s history has become?
| A．A burden. | B．A mirror. | C．A joke. | D．A challenge. |
People who multitask all the time may be the worst at doing two things at once, a new research suggests. The findings, based on performances and self-evaluation by about 275 college students, indicate that many people multitask not out of a desire to increase productivity, but because they are easily distracted and can’t focus on one activity. And “those people turn out to be the worst at handling different things,” said David Sanbonmatsu, a psychologist at the University of Utah.
Sanbonmatsu and his colleagues gave the students a set of tests and asked them to report how often they multitasked, how good they thought they were at it, and how sensation-seeking (寻求刺激) or imperative (冲动) they were. They then evaluated the participants’ multitasking ability with a tricky mental task that required the students to do simple mathematical calculations while remembering a set of letters.
Not surprisingly, the scientists said, most people thought they were better than average at multitasking, and those who thought they were better at it were more likely to report using a cellphone while driving or viewing multiple kinds of media at once. But those who frequently deal with many things at the same time were found to perform the worst at the actual multitasking test. They also were more likely to admit to sensation-seeking and impulsive behavior, which connects with how easily people get bored and distracted.
“People multitask not because it’s going to lead to greater productivity, but because they’re distractible, and they get sucked into things that are not as important.” Sanbonmatsu said.
Adam Gazzaley, a researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, who was not a member of the research group, said one limitation of the study was that it couldn’t find out whether people who start out less focused tend toward multitasking or whether people’s recognizing and understanding abilities change as a result of multitasking.
The findings do suggest, however, why the sensation-seeker who multitask the most may enjoy risky distracted driving. “People who are multitasking are generally less sensitive to risky situations.” said Paul Atchley, another researcher not in the group. “This may partly explain why people go in for these situations even though they’re dangerous.”The research led by Sanbonmatsu indicates that people who multitask __________.
| A．seek high productivity constantly |
| B．prefer handling different things when getting bored |
| C．are more focused when doing many things at a time |
| D．have the poorest results in doing various things at the same time |
When Sanbonmatsu and his colleagues conducted their research, they __________.
| A．assessed the multitasking ability of the students |
| B．evaluated the academic achievements of the students |
| C．analyzed the effects of the participants’ tricky mental tasks |
| D．measured the changes of the students’ understanding ability |
According to Sanbonmatsu, people multitask because of their __________.
| A．limited power in calculation |
| B．interests in doing things differently |
| C．inability to concentrate on one task |
| D．impulsive desire to try new things |
From the last paragraph, we can learn that multitaskers usually __________.
| A．drive very skillfully |
| B．go in for different tasks |
| C．fail to react quickly to potential dangers |
| D．refuse to explain the reasons for their behavior |
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Check-in Time: 7:00 A.M.
Hotel Amenities: Parking，Heated Pool, Television with Cable, and Coffee Maker in Room.Which hotel gives a promise?
| A．Baymont Inn Ft. Lauderdale. | B．Beach Plaza Hotel. |
| C．Baymont Inn Hotel. | D．Fort Lauderdale Plaza Hotel. |
In which hotel parking is the cheapest?
| A．Baymont Inn Ft. Lauderdale. | B．Beach Plaza Hotel. |
| C．Baymont Inn Hotel. | D．Fort Lauderdale Plaza Hotel. |
If you ______ , you will probably go to Beach Plaza Hotel.
| A．enjoy seeing films without leaving your hotel room |
| B．are fond of swimming in heated water |
| C．want to eat food cooked by yourself in the hotel |
| D．are a cigarette smoker |
Which of the following is NOT true to the ads?
| A．All of the three hotels provide television with cable. |
| B．You can keep your money in the room safe in Fort Lauderdale Plaza Hotel. |
| C．In Beach Plaza Hotel a 24-hour maid is available. |
| D．While staying in Fort Lauderdale Plaza Hotel, you can surf the Internet |