Many businesses today use conferences as a means of discussing new plans of the company. As people are paying more attention to the environment and green problems, more businesses are looking for ways to reduce their negative effect on the environment. Many businesses do this by using Web conferencing.
Web conferencing is a technology that allows people to communicate more effectively over the Internet. It’s an easy way of hosting and attending conferences without having to leave the office. Each of the people involved in a Web conference will be posted an invitation to the conference with the time and date of the Web conference on it. When the conference is ready to begin, all participants (参与者) must sit at their computers and they will be connected over the Internet.
With Web conferencing all participants attend conference from the comfort of their own desks. Obviously, in doing this no fuel is used in traveling to and from a conference, and less work is taken up in attending a conference.
Any material to be used during Web conference is simply e-mailed to all the participants before the conference. Participants can then either choose to print material or read it on screen. This not only saves paper but also greatly reduces mailing costs for the business.
As a conference hall or business center isn’t being used, it means that the only power that is used is the power that is used by the participants’ personal computers. Similarly, conference organizers don’t have to arrange for food or overnight accommodation. All this means that less energy is used.
Often in business some companies actively choose to do business with other companies that do many things to reduce their negative impact on the environment. And Web conferencing helps you show other businesses that you are willing to work hard for the green cause.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Ways of protecting the environment |
| B．Green benefits of Web conferencing |
| C．Ways of hosting a Web conference |
| D．Impact of Web conferencing on costs |
According to paragraph 1, many companies use Web conferencing because they ______.
| A．are interested in using any new technology. |
| B．believe that Web conferencing is more convenient. |
| C．want to do something to protect the environment . |
| D．haven’t enough money to hold a traditional conference. |
The participants of a Web conference _____.
| A．will be e-mailed an invitation before the conference. |
| B．are required to sit in an office together. |
| C．will receive many paper materials. |
| D．must have access to the Internet. |
Which of the following words best describes the author’s opinion about a Web conference?
| A．Useless | B．Environmentally friendly |
| C．Inconvenient | D．Money-consuming |
Gunman Adam Lanza shot and killed 20 children in two classes of Grade One in Sandy Hook Elementary School. The only survivor(幸存者) is a six-year-old girl. She escaped by lying on the floor pretending to be killed.
After the accident , she ran out of the school building covered from head to feet with blood (血). The first thing she said to her mother was, “ Mommy, I was OK, but all my friends were dead,” Pasrtor(牧师) Jim Solomon told the ABC news’s Lara Spencer this weekend , “I thought it was impossible for her to escape from being killed without others’ help. She could behave so calmly in such a dangerous and frightening situation. She has wisdom beyond her age, for sure.”
The girl, whose name is not being written out for special reasons, was the first student to run out of the accident place at Sandy Hook, Solomon said. He said the young girl described the gunman to her mother in a way that only a young child could. “Well, she saw someone who she felt was angry, and someone who she felt was mad,” Solomon said. “Somehow, at that moment, thank God, she was able to act as if she were already dead and saved herself. And that is very unusual and admirable (令人钦佩的) for so young a girl.” she said.
There were 20 students killed on Friday in Sandy Hook Elementary School, eight boys and 12 girls. Six teachers were also killed. “Her parents told me that they couldn’t stand the feeling of a survivor’s guilt（ 负罪）, because so many of their friends no longer have their children but they have theirs.” Solomon said.
“I think you can understand their feelings as well,” he said how the girl’s mother and father were feeling about the disaster. “I don’t know whether I would have the kind of feeling that they have if the same thing happened to me.”How did the six-year-old girl escape from being killed?
| A．By fighting against the killer |
| B．By pretending to be killed |
| C．By running away quickly |
| D．By getting protection from teachers |
According to the passage, which word can best show the quality of the girl?
| A．Strong | B．Friendly |
| C．Wise | D．Curious |
From the passage, we can know that___________________.
| A．all students in Sandy Hook were killed |
| B．Solomon didn’t remember the name of the girl |
| C．eight other children escaped the accident |
| D．people didn’t know the six-year-old girl’s name |
Why did the girl’s parents feel guilty?
| A．Because they had some relationship with the gunman. |
| B．Because they didn’t tell the skills of escaping to other children. |
| C．Because their daughter survived while their friends didn’t. |
| D．Because they didn’t report the terrible accident ahead of time. |
As computers become all the more popular in China, Chinese people are increasingly depending on computer keyboards to input Chinese characters. But if they use the computer too much, they may end up forgetting the exact strokes（笔画）of each Chinese character when writing on paper. Experts suggest people, especially students, write by hand more.
Do you write by hand more or type more? In Beijing, students start using a computer as early as primary school. And computer dependence is more wide-spread among university students. Almost all their homework and essays are typed on a computer.
All the students interviewed say they usually use a computer.
It’s faster and easier to correct if using a computer. And that’s why computers are being applied more and more often to modern education. But when people are taking stock in computers increasingly, problems appear.
“When I'm writing with a pen, I find I often can't remember how to write a character, though I feel I’m familiar with it.”
“I’m not in the mood to write when faced with a pen and paper.”
Many students don't feel this is something to worry about. Now that it's more convenient and quick to write on a computer, why bother to handwrite?
Many educators think differently. Shi Liwei , the headmaster of a famous primary school in the capital said “Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic(审美的) value. But those characters typed with computer keyboards only have their practical value. All the artistic beauty of the characters is lost. And handwriting contains the writer’s emotion(情绪). Through one’s handwriting, people can get to know one's thinking and personality. Beautiful writing will give people a better first impression of them.”
To encourage students to handwrite more, many primary schools in Beijing have made writing classes compulsory(必修的)and in universities, some professors are asking students to turn in their homework and essays written by hand.The students interviewed prefer to write using a computer mainly because______.
| A．they can correct the mistakes they make quickly and conveniently |
| B．they are usually asked to e-mail their homework and essays |
| C．they find it not easy to remember how to write a character |
| D．computers have become popular in China |
Which of the following statements of the advantages of handwriting is NOT TRUE ?
| A．Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic value. |
| B．Handwriting can impress people well and build up one’s self-confidence. |
| C．Handwriting contains the writer’s emotion. |
| D．The writer’s thinking and personality are shown in his or her handwriting. |
The underlined expression “taking stock in”(Paragraph 4) probably means __________.
| A．getting bored with | B．getting curious about |
| C．becoming crazy about | D．getting dependent on |
We can infer from the passage that __________.
| A．writing by hand will give way to typing by computer one day |
| B．more and more students will give up writing on a computer |
| C．more and more students will pay attention to handwriting |
| D．the typed article better expresses one’s emotion and quality |
Many years ago, when I was fresh out of school and working in Denver, I was driving to my parents’ home in Missouri for Christmas. I stopped at a gas station about 50 miles from Oklahoma City, where I was planning to stop and visit a friend. While I was standing in line at the cash register I said hello to an older couple who were also paying for gas.
I took off, but had gone only a few miles when black smoke poured from the back of my car. I stopped and wondered what I should do. A car pulled up behind me. It was the couple I had spoken to at the gas station. They said they would take me to my friend’s. We chatted on the way into the city, and when I got out of the car, the husband gave me his business card.
I wrote him and his wife a thank-you note for helping me. Soon afterward, I received a Christmas present from them. Their note that came with it said that helping me had made their holiday meaningful.
Years later, I drove to a meeting in a nearby town in the morning. In late afternoon I returned to my car and found that I’d left the lights on all day, and the battery was dead. Then I noticed that the Friendly Ford dealership --- a shop selling cars --- was right next door. I walked over and found two salesmen in the show room.
“Just how friendly is Friendly Ford?” I asked and explained my trouble. They quickly drove a pickup truck to my car and started it. They would accept no payment, so when I got home, I wrote them a note to say thanks. I received a letter back from one of the salesmen. No one had ever taken the time to write him and say thank you, and it meant a lot, he said.
“Thank you”--- two powerful words. They’re easy to say and mean so much.The author planned to stop at Oklahoma City ________.
| A．to pay at the cash register |
| B．to see his parents |
| C．to visit a friend |
| D．to make a plan with his friend |
The words “took off” underlined in Paragraph 2 means “_________”.
| A．put up | B．turned off |
| C．moved off | D．set up |
What happened when the author found smoke coming out of his car?
| A．The couple offered to help him. |
| B．The couple sent him a business card |
| C．He had it pulled back to the gas station. |
| D．He called his friend for help. |
How does the author explain the importance of expressing thanks in the passage?
| A．By telling his own experiences |
| B．By doing an experiment |
| C．By explaining cause and effect |
| D．By using quotations(引语) |
TENNIS
Indoor and outdoor courts. Coaching from beginners to advanced, every day not
evenings.Children only-Sat. mornings.
SKIING
Dry slopes—3 levels instructors at weekends and Fridays. Daytime parcitice. 8 years upwards.
SWIMMING
2 pools I heated Olympic length. Tuition available.
Women: Tuesday and Thursday.
Men: Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Children: Saturday
Family day: Sunday
GOLF
9 hole practice course. Professional Coaching. Lessons must be booked in advance in daytime. Evening practice. Minimum age — 9 years.
GYMNASTICS
Maximum age—18 years. Children aged 5—10. Monday and Wednesdays. 4:00—6:00 p.m. 10—18 year-old. Friday evenings. Bar work on Sunday mornings.
AND MUCH MORE
Table Tennis, Snooker, Darts（标枪）, Chess（everyday and evening）, Café （all day），Bar（lunch time and evenings）, Nursery（weekdays and weekends, not evenings）. Centre open 10:00 a.m.—10:00 p.m. Daily. Interested? More details inside. Quote Card Number: 99.What is this ad mainly about?
| A．It mainly shows us some ways to spend weekends. |
| B．It Shows the ways of saving our time. |
| C．It mainly shows us a place to relax ourselves. |
| D．It shows us a lot of ways to spend our holidays. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to this passage?
| A．People can play tennis day and night. |
| B．People under 20 can all take gymnastics． |
| C．Children at any age can play golf in the SPORTS CENTER． |
| D．Men and women swim in the SPORTS CENTER separately． |
How many sports items are mentioned in the passage?
| A．5 | B．7． | C．9． | D．12． |
Where can we find this ad in your opinion?
| A．In a company． | B．On a newspaper． |
| C．In a park | D．In a restaurant． |
Lao Yang was born in a small town. He liked reading when he studied at school. He thought the writers were respected and could get a lot of money. He wrote a lot of stories and posted them to the editorial departments (编辑部) but didn’t receive any answers.
Now he works in a factory.h He’s busy at work. When he’s free, he always reads something. He always remembers he hoped to be a writer when he was young. One day, Xiao Ping, his ten-year-old daughter, came back. She looked worried and didn’t eat anything. She said Miss GAO, her Chinese teacher, told them to write a solicit article(征文) “My Father” that evening. But she did not know what to write.
“That’s easy,” said Lao Yang. “Let me help you.”
Then he sat down to write the solicit article at once. He easily finished it on time. He was sure Miss GAO would like it. But one afternoon he asked his daughter if the article had been chosen to post to the editorial department.
“My teacher said your article digressed from the subject(离题),” said the girl.
“I don’t think so,” Lao Yang shouted angrily. “I described just my father!”Lao Yang wrote a lot of stories because _______.
| A．he likes reading |
| B．he learned much at school |
| C．he wanted to be a writer |
| D．he wanted to help others |
Lao Yang hoped _______.
| A．his article could surprise the teacher |
| B．the children could like his article |
| C．everyone could soon know him |
| D．his article could be chosen |
Lao Yang’s solicit article digressed from the subject _______.
| A．because he couldn’t write it at all |
| B．because he didn’t know his father well |
| C．just because he described his father |
| D．because it was too bad to be chosen |