The average college student in America spent an estimated seven hundred dollars on textbooks last year. The National Association of College Stores reported more than five billion dollars in sales of textbooks and course materials. Association spokesman Charles Schmidt says electronic textbooks now represent just two to three percent of sales. But he says that is expected to reach ten to fifteen percent by 2012. Online versions are now available for many of the most popular college textbooks. E-textbooks can cost half the price of a new print textbook. But students usually lose access after the end of the term. And the books cannot be placed on more than one device (装置) so they are not easy to share.
So what do students think of e-textbooks? Administrators at Northwest Missouri State University wanted to find out. Earlier this year they tested them with five hundred students in twenty classes. The university is unusual. It not only provides laptop computers to all seven thousand of its full-time students. It does not require students to buy their textbooks either. They rent them to save money. The school aims to save even more by moving to e-textbooks. The students in the survey reported that downloading the books from the Internet was easy. They liked the idea of carrying lighter backpacks. And fifty-six percent said they were better able to find information. But most found that using e-textbooks did not change their study habits. And sixty percent felt they read more when they were reading on paper. In all, almost half the students said they still liked physical textbooks better. But the survey found that cost could be a big influence. Fifty-five percent said they would choose e-textbooks if using them meant their textbook rental fee would not increase. Roger Von Holzen heads the Center for Information Technology in Education at Northwest Missouri State. He tells us that administrators are disappointed with the e-textbooks now available because the majority are not interactive. He thinks growth will come when more digital books include video, activities, games and other ways to interact with the information. The technology is improving. But for now, most of the books are just words on a screen. The passage mainly tells us about ________.
| A．the development of e-textbooks |
| B．different attitudes towards e-textbooks |
| C．the sales of textbooks and course materials |
| D．the differences between e-textbooks and physical text-books |
According to the survey, over half of the students think e-textbooks ________.
| A．can be rented for less money | B．help in finding more information |
| C．are convenient to carry around | D．help them do better in their lessons |
It can be inferred from the passage that e-textbooks ________.
| A．will replace physical textbooks | B．are available at any time |
| C．have a very bright future | D．still have a lot to improve |
If you do not use your arms or your legs for some time, they become weak. When you start using them again, they slowly become strong again. Everybody knows this. Yet there are many people who do not seem to know that one’s memory works in the same way. When someone says that he has a good memory, he really means that he keeps his memory in practice by exercising it regularly. When someone else says that his memory is poor, he really means that he does not give it enough chance to become strong.
If a friend complains that his arms are weak, we know that it is his own fault. But if he tells us that he has a poor memory, many of us think that his parents are to blame, or that he is just unlucky, and few of us realize that it is really his own fault. Not all of us can become very strong or very clever, but all of us can improve our memory by the same means —practice.
Have you ever noticed that people who cannot read or write usually have a better memory than those who can? Why is this? Of course, because people who can’t read or write have to remember things: they cannot write them down in a little notebook. They have to remember dates, prices, names, songs and stories, so their memory is exercised all the time.
So if you want a good memory, learn from those who cannot read or write: practice remembering. According to the passage, few people know that _____.
| A．arms or legs become weak if they are not used for some time |
| B．when they start using their arms or legs again, they slowly become strong again |
| C．a person’s memory becomes weak if he does not practice remembering things |
| D．it is their own fault if their arms or legs are weak |
The author thinks that if a person has a poor memory, ____.
| A．it is his own fault | B．his parents are to blame |
| C．he is just unlucky | D．his arms must be weak |
According to the passage, we learn that all of us can ____.
| A．become very strong | B．become very clever |
| C．improve our memory by practicing | D．know how to improve our memory |
It’s great fun to explore new places—it feels like an adventure, even when you know you’re not the first to have been there. But make sure not to get lost or waste time going round in circles.
·Do the map reading if you’re being driven somewhere. It’ll be easier if you keep turning the map so it follows the direction you’re traveling in. Keep looking 
ahead so that you can give the driver lots of warning before having to make a turn, or you’ll have to move to the back seat.
·Get a group of friends together and go exploring. You’ll need a good map, a compass(指南针), a raincoat, a cellphone to call for help in case you get lost, and a bit of spare cash for emergencies. Tell someone where you’re going before you set out and let them know what time you expect to be back. The test is not in getting lost, not in seeing how fast you can go, so always stick together, waiting for slower friends to catch up.
See if your school or a club organizes orienteering(越野识途比赛) activities, in which you need a map and a compass to find your way. This can be done as a sport, with teams trying to find the way from A to B (and B to C, etc) in the fastest time, or simply as a spare-time activity. Either way, it’s not only good fun, but a great way to keep fit. Sitting beside the driver, you should _______.
| A．direct the driver when necessary |
| B．look ahead to see where there’s a turn |
| C．move to the back seat if feeling uncomfortable |
| D．Keep looking at the map to find a place to go to |
Why do you need to tell someone your exploration plan before setting out?
| A．To get information when in danger. |
| B．To be saved in case of an accident. |
| C．To share the fun with him/her in exploration. |
| D．To tell him/her what’s going on with the group members. |
Orienteering activities can _______.
| A．make people work fast | B．help people stay healthy |
| C．help people organize other activities | D．make people get prepared for sports. |
The
text mainly talks about _____.
| A．the fun of exploration | B．what to bring for exploration |
| C．the way to use a map in exploration | D．how to prevent getting lost in exploration. |
Benjamin Franklin only studied in school for two years. But he liked to read and write very much. Once he discussed a question with his friend in letters. His father found the letters and read them. He felt Ben did not express himself well. Nor did Ben make his meaning clear. He agreed that his father was right, From then on, he paid more attention to the style of his writing so that he could write better
.
About that time he bought a copy of the British periodical(周刊) called The Spectator (《观察家》). He read it over and over. He thought the writing excellent, and wished, if possible, to write in the same style.
With this in mind, he studied some of the stories and made a note of the thought in each sentence. Then, a few days later, without looking at the magazine, he tried to write the stories. He tried to express each thought as fully as it had been expressed before. Then he compared his writing with the magazine. He found some of his faults in the compositions.
In this way he discovered he needed to know many more words. He felt that writing poetry would help him since that needed to use many different words which had the same meaning. So he turned some of the stories into poems; and after a time, he wrote them as stories again. He insisted on doing this for a long time.
He learned much from his efforts and went on to practise his writing. Then he became the first famous writer in American history.Benjamin liked ______ very much when he was ______ .
| A．languages; young | B．writing; young | C．writing; old enough | D．languages; old enough |
What did his father do to him?
| A．He found his son’s letters written very well |
| B．He felt his son expressed himself very well |
| C．He told his son what he wrote wasn’t so good |
| D．He bought a copy of The Spectator for him |
How did Benjamin practise writing?
(1) He studied
the stories in the magazine and made notes.
(2) He rewrote some of the stories and tried to express their thought fully.
(3) He turned some stories into poems, and then turned them back again.
(4) He tried hard to publish his poems in the periodical The Spectator.
| A．(1)(2)(3) | B．(2)(3)(4) | C．(1)(3)(4) | D．(1)(2)(4) |
Coolest Hotels in the World
Ariau Amazon Towers
The Ariau Amazon Towers hotel lets you sleep in a tree house. Eight towers make up this hotel that offers over 300 rooms. If you really want to get into the spirit, book the Tarzan suit which is large enough for a big family. You’ll be thirty feet up in the air and can travel between the towers through their wooden walkways.
Prices, starting at $300 one night for each person for a regular room and going all the way up to$3000 for the Tarzan Suite.
For more information,visite the website:http://www.ariautowers.
com
The Ice Hotel
Every winter in Jukkasjarvi, Sweden kind of hotel called the Ice Hotel is built. Each year,world
-famous artists are invited to design and produce works of art from the ice, many of which can be found in the rooms. You’ll have your choice between hot or cold rooms,but you will be well advised to stay at least one night in a cold room for a true experience.
Prices: starting at $318 one night for each person for either a cold room or a warm one.
For more information, visit the website:http://www.icehotel.com
Propeller Island
Propeller Island City Lodge is a very special hotel that was designed by a German tist. Each room provides you with the promibility of living in a work of art. Every single piece of furmiture in the thirty rooms of the hotel has been hand-made and each room is completely different. You’ll be able to choose a room based on your own personal tastes.
Prices:starting at just $91 a night,and an additional person for only 20 extra dollars.
For more information,visit the website:http://www.propeller island. com
For information about other cool hotels in the world ,visit the website: http://www.bahamabeachclub. comWhat is special about the Ariau Amazon Towers hotel?
| A．You can sleep in tree houses. |
| B．You can choose any of the towers. |
| C．It is designed for big families. |
| D．Every room has a walkway. |
For two persons spending a night in one of these hotels,they have to pay at least______.
| A．$111 | B．$182 | C．$600 | D．$636 |
Which website should you visit if you want to find out whether there exists a hotel the sea?
| A．http://www.icehotel.com |
| B．http://www.ariautowers.com |
C．http://www .propeller-island. com |
| D．http://www.bahamabeachclub. com |
Which hotel would invite artists to come to work every year?
| A．Propeller Island City Lodge | B．Ariau Amazon Towers |
| C．The Ice Hotel | D．Bahama Beach Club |
Old age may not sound exciting.But recent findings offer good news for older pepole and for people worried about getting older.
Researches found that people become happier and experience less worry after they reach the age of fifty.In fact,they say by the age of eigh
ty—five,people are happier with their life than they were when they were eighteen years old.
The findings came from a survey of more than 340,000 adults in the United States.The Gallup Organization questioned them by telephone in 2008.At that time,the people were between the ages of eighteen and eighty—five.The searches asked questions about emotions like happiness,sadness and worry.They also asked about mental or emotional stress.
Arthur Stone in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at Stony Brook University in New York led the study.His team found that levels of stress were highest among adults between the ages of twenty—two and twenty—five.The findings showed that stress levels dropped sharply after people reached their fifties.Happiness was highest among the youngest adults and those in their early seventies.The people least likely to report feeling negative emotions were those in their seventies and eighties.
The study also showed that men and women had similar emotional patterns as they grew older.Hower,women at all ages reported more sadness,stress and worry than men.Researchers say they do not know why happiness increases as people get older.One theory is that,as people grow older,they grow more thankful for what they have and have better control of their emotion .They also spend less time thinking about bad experiences.
The researchers also considered pos
sible influences like having young children,being unemployed or being single.But they found that influences like these did not affect the levels of happiness and well—being related to age. How did the researchers find older people happier?
| A．They did a series of experiments. |
| B．They made a written survey about the old people. |
| C．They interviewed people of different ages face to face. |
| D．They telephoned people between the ages of 18 and 85. |
When do people feel happier according to the passage?
| A．In their twenties | B．In their fifties |
| C．After their seventies | D．When they were born |
Which one is NOT related to the happiness of old people?
| A．Less stress | B．Away from working |
| C．Controlling of emotions | D．More thankfulness |
Which is the best title for the passage?
| A．No Worrying about Getting Older |
| B．Older Men are Happier than Older Women |
| C．The Factors Affecting the Happiness of Old people |
| D．For Lots of people,Getting Older Means Getting Happy |