I am an e-mail user. When I first started to use the e-mail system I used to read all my e-mail. I didn’t have much mail. I was very excited about receiving any e-mail. I gave my friends my e-mail address. Soon I had more mail than I wanted. Some of the mail was junk mail. I was worried. I didn’t want my mail to control me.
I’ve tried some methods to help me get control of my mail. First, I check my mail at the same time every day. Also I try to allow myself only 15-20 minutes every day to process my e-mail. This doesn’t always work, but I try. Sometimes I save the messages. Sometimes I just read them, maybe answer a few, and then delete them.
Sometimes I’m not at all interested in a message, so I don’t even open it. I delete it right away. This is very much the way I go through the mail that the postal service delivers to my home.
These methods are very simple. I have some friends who are very clever with computers. From time to time, they teach me new tricks for managing my e-mail. I’ve also learned to transfer some messages to a disk so they don’t fill up my mail files. Then I can read them later and maybe use them in my work. I’m still amazed at what e-mail can do for me! I’m still worried, however, about having too much to read.Which is the best title for this passage?
| A．How I Go through my E-mail | B．How I Manage my E-mail |
| C．How I Transfer my E-mail | D．How I Use my E-mail System |
What does the writer suggest by “This is very much the way I go through the mail that the postal service delivers to my home.”
| A．That he deals with the mail delivered by the post service almost in the same way. |
| B．That he receives more postal mail than e-mail. |
C．That he likes e-mail mu ch better than the mail delivered by the post service. |
D．That he likes going through the mail delivered by the post servic e. |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．Sometimes the writer checks his mail in the morning and sometimes in the evening. |
| B．The writer teaches his friends how to manage their e-mail. |
| C．The writer always spends less than 15 minutes processing his e-mail. |
| D．After giving his friends his e-mail address the writer had more e-mail than he wanted. |
In the first paragraph, the underlined phrase “junk mail” probably means .
| A．常规邮件 | B．病毒邮件 | C．垃圾邮件 | D．商务邮件 |
In the last paragraph, the underli
ned word “transfer” probably means .
| A．转换 | B．改变 | C．传递 | D．转移 |
People often view the “last” moments of an event positively simply because they signal the end of an experience, say experts.
University of Michigan researchers found that even if an experience is painful or negative, but ends on a good note, people will consider it to be positive.
“Endings are powerful,” said Ed O’Brien, a graduate student in the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan.
O’Brien and colleague Phoebe Ellsworth, the Frank Murphy Distinguished Professor of Law and Psychology, conducted a chocolate tasting experiment with 52 college students to test the theory.
Volunteers could taste five different Hershey’s Kisses chocolates—milk, dark, cream, caramel and almond – but did not know in advance how many pieces they would eat or the type. Participants rated how much they enjoyed the chocolate and described each flavor so that the researchers could record the order in which the randomly (随机的) selected treats were eaten.
Volunteers were assigned to the “next” or the “last ” condition by chance.
In the “next” condition, the experimenter said “Here is your next chocolate” before offering each chocolate, including the fifth.
For the “last” condition, the experimenter said “Here is your last chocolate” before offering the fifth chocolate.
These participants rated the fifth chocolate more enjoyable than volunteers in the “next” condition.
As predicted, participants who knew they were eating the final chocolate of a taste test enjoyed it more.
In fact, when asked to pick their favorite chocolate, the majority of “last” participants chose the fifth – even though the flavor of the fifth was randomly chosen.
They also rated the overall experience as more enjoyable than volunteers who thought they were just eating one more chocolate in a series.
O’Brien says these findings may have far-reaching implications. For example, the last book or film in a series or the last speaker in a symposium (研讨会) may receive unwarranted praise.
The last job applicant, meanwhile, may look more qualified.Which of the following is TRUE about the experiment?
| A．The majority of “last” participants chose the almond flavor as their favorite. |
| B．Some participants enjoyed the experiment more because the last flavor tasted better. |
| C．The result would be different if researchers had used another brand of chocolate. |
| D．Some participants didn’t know it was their last chocolate when offered the fifth one. |
What does the underlined word “unwarranted” in the second-to-last paragraph mean?
| A．Fake. | B．Unwanted. | C．Unreasonable. | D．Insincere. |
Which of the following is the best title for the article?
| A．“Last” is the best. |
| B．Why “last” matters most. |
| C．It is the last step that is the hardest. |
| D．He who laughs last laughs best. |
Dear Parents,
As we start the second half of the spring term, I thought it important to update you on some key developments.
Post-16 Collaboration(合作)
We have entered into an exciting new collaboration with Bassaleg Comprehension School, Duffryn High School, St Joseph’s High School, and Coleg Gwent—The Newport West Post-16 partnership. We will be working together to deliver nearly 40 different courses at other schools and likewise, students from other schools will study some subjects here. Information about the courses available to students can be found on the partnership website www. Newftartwest. corn. uk.
Uniform
I would take this opportunity to remind all parents that students are not permitted to wear non-school uniform cardigans (开襟羊毛衫) in Newport High School. It is the responsibility of parents to make sure your son or daughter wears the correct uniform to school. This includes completely black shoes. Over the next half term we will be working with students to develop a cardigan with the school logo which will provide an alternative to the current school jacket.
School Catering.
We are currently seeking a new company to provide school meals. Our new catering provider will be in place at the start of the summer term and will be working with students, parents and staff to provide improvements to our current provision. I look forward to keeping you updated on this development.
Some key dates for you to be aware of over the next half term are:
| Tuesday 15March |
Year 9&10 Revision Conference |
| Wednesday 23 March |
Year 12& 13 Parents Evening (4：00—7：00 p.m.) |
| Thursday 31st March |
Academic Review Day |
| Friday 1st April |
Teacher Training Day (school closed to students) |
| Friday 15st April |
End of Spring Term |
| Tuesday 3rd May |
Start of Summer Term |
Thank you for your continued support.
Your faithfully,
Karyn KeaneKaryn Keane wrote the letter on behalf of ______.
| A．Bassaleg Comprehensive School | B．Newport High School |
| C．St Joesph’s High School | D．Duffryn High School |
What can be learned about the new collaboration?
| A．It involves four schools altogether. |
| B．Course information will be mailed to every student. |
| C．Students can choose as many courses as they want. |
| D．It allows students to learn at other schools. |
When will the new catering company start working?
| A．In May | B．In April | C．in March | D．In June |
What do we know from the passage?
| A．Students will develop a logo for the school. |
| B．All parents will be invited to school on 23rd March |
| C．Students won’t go to school on 1st April. |
| D．The letter was written at the start of the spring term. |
I looked at my beautiful Christmas tree and sighed. It was time. The New Year was a week old and my tree still stood in the corner of our room with its collection of memories proudly displayed in a shower of colorful lights. I’d procrastinated（拖延，耽搁）long enough.
I got up, went to the garage and dragged all the boxes into the room. The garland(花环)was the first to come down. The tree looked naked(光秃秃的)already. I took the large ornament（装饰物）off next. They made a large pile on our bed. An hour later, our bed was covered with Christmas memories. Each pile contained an ornament along with its matching brothers and sisters from sets purchased many years ago.
I prepared the boxes and carefully placed ornaments in their protective packaging, pausing every few minutes to admire a favorite. “Hey, little Santa!” I held the Santa from my childhood. “Thanks for being my friend for almost fifty years.” He was a little ragged but still gives me a flood of wonderful memories. “Until next year, my dear friend.”
There was a collection of handmade ones. My children made in the their first years of school, more than twenty years ago. Made by tiny hands, they are far from perfect in design, but every year they go on my memory tree－memories of young giggles(咯咯地笑)on Christmas morning and a smiling face when they handed them to me when I came home from work. “Look what we made, Daddy!”
“Oh! It is beautiful. Let’s find a special spot on the tree for it.” Every year since, they are displayed.
A few hours after I started, the filled boxes were back in the garage, the room was vacuumed(用吸尘器清扫)and I sat staring at a barren(空荡荡的)corner. The room seemed so empty. It took me two days of work to assemble(收集)and decorate my tree, but only a few hours to take it apart.
My tree is like a good marriage or a great friendship. Like the tree, they take a long time to assemble and decorate with memories, but can be torn down quickly.
Every year I have to put my tree away, but not my marriage or friendships. I take great care of those. They get to glow in the corner of my life for as long as I live. I get to analyze my tree and find memories for a few weeks every year. I can do the same with the loves in my life every day. Take great care of your friendships and your marriage. Once they come down, they aren’t as easy to put back together as a Christmas tree. Stand them in that special spot in the corner of your heart and admire their glow.In the author’s eyes, the Christmas tree .
| A．is a collection of childhood memories |
| B．is a symbol of long-lasting relations |
| C．takes too much time to decorate |
| D．is full of out-of-date ornaments |
To the author, a Christmas tree is similar to a good marriage in that .
| A．both take time to build but fall apart easily |
| B．both remind him of bittersweet memories |
| C．both need to be admired for some time |
| D．both get less attractive over the years |
What is the main theme of the article?
| A．We’d better put away Christmas decorations and recycle them each year. |
| B．Friendships and marriages should be valued and managed carefully. |
| C．Memories with friends and family should be cherished and relived. |
| D．We should decorate Christmas trees with personal stuff and recycle. |
People are being lured (引诱)onto Facebook with the promise of a fun, free service without realizing they’re paying for it by giving up large amounts of personal information. Facebook then attempts to make money by selling their data to advertisers that want to send targeted messages.
Most Facebook users don’t realize this is happening. Even if they know what the company is up to, they still have no idea what they’re paying for Facebook because people don’t really know what their personal data is worth.
The biggest problem, however, is that the company keeps changing the rules. Early on, you keep everything private. That was the great thing about facebook—you could create your own little private network. Last year, the company changed its privacy rules so that many things— your city, your photo, your friends' names—were set, by default (默认)to be shared with everyone on the Internet.
According to Facebook’s vice-president Elliot Schrage, the company is simply making changes to improve its service, and if people don’t share information, they have a “less satisfying experience”.
Some critics think this is more about Facebook looking to make more money. Its original business model， which involved selling ads and putting them at the side of the page， totally failed. Who wants to look at ads when they’re online connecting with their friends?
The privacy issue has already landed Facebook in hot water in Washington. In April. Senator Charles Schumer called on Facebook to change its privacy policy. He also urged the Federal Trade Commission to set guidelines for social-networking sites.“I think the senator rightly communicated that we had not been clear about what the new products were and how people could choose to use them or not to use them,” Schrage admits.
I suspect that whatever Facebook has done so far to invade our privacy, it’s only the beginning, which is why I’m considering deactivating(撤销)my account. Facebook is a handy site, but I’m upset by the idea that my information is in the hands of people I don’t know. That’s too high a price to pay.What do we learn about Facebook from the first paragraph?
| A．It is a website that sends messages to targeted users. |
| B．It makes money by putting on advertisements. |
| C．It profits by selling its users’ personal data. |
| D．It provides loads of information to its users. |
What does the author say about most Facebook users?
| A．They are reluctant to give up their personal information. |
| B．They don’t know their personal data enriches Facebook. |
| C．They don’t identify themselves when using the website. |
| D．They care very little about their personal information. |
Why does Senator Charles Schumer propose?
| A．Setting guidelines for advertising on websites. |
| B．Banning the sharing of users’ personal information. |
| C．Working out regulations for social-networking sites. |
| D．Removing ads from all social-networking sites. |
Why does the author plan to cancel his Facebook account?
| A．He is dissatisfied with its current service. |
| B．He finds many of its users untrustworthy. |
| C．He doesn’t want his personal data to be used in a wrong way. |
| D．He is upset by its frequent rule changes. |
 HOW TO BOOK  By phone:Call Ticketmaster 24 hr Booking Line on 0844 847 2484  Online:www.PalaceandOperaHouse.org.uk or www.ticketmaster.co.uk  In Person:The Palace Theatre Ticket Centre, Oxford Street. Manchester, Ml 6FT (Mon Sat 10am-8pm)  By Post:Stating the performance and choice of seats ,enclosing（附寄）a cheque , postal order ,or your credit card details to The Palace Theatre Ticket Centre , Oxford Street , Manchester , Ml 6FT . Please enclose a stamped addressed envelope. |
 Save pounds on tickets NOW!Join Live Nation’s Card for just ￡30 a year and enjoy a whole range of discounts and benefits .You’ll save money from the first time you use your Live Card—not just on tickets ,but on programmes and reduced booking fees . Live Card members often join the audience on opening nights or enjoy generous discounts throughout the run of a show. Call 0844 499 6699 to join Live Card today.  By getting together as a group of 10 or more you can save money on tickets for your favourite shows. Group bookers benefit from a direct free telephone booking line, and don’t pay booking fees .Invitations to parties and book-now-pay-later programmes are all part of our great service to group bookers. Join the hundreds of people already taking advantage of our group booking. Call 0800 587 5007 to talk to one of our group booking assistants about your group visit to the Palace Theatre or Opera House. For further information please call 0161 245 6609. |
If you want to join Live Card to save money on tickets, you can call________.
| A．0844 847 2484 | B．0800 587 5007 |
| C．0844 499 6699 | D．0161 245 6609 |
How can you pay for a ticket when you book by post?
| A．By visiting the website of a post office. |
| B．By going to your local bank in person. |
| C．By enclosing your Live Card in an envelope. |
| D．By providing your credit card information. |
What benefit can group bookers enjoy according to the text?
| A．Delayed payment for tickets. | B．Invitations to opening nights. |
| C．Reduced booking fees by phone | D．Generous discounts on tickets. |