The personal computer has overtaken the family dog as man's best friend.according to a study.
Researchers found that just 6 per cent of us believe that“ most people rely more on their dog than they do on their PC”,while 67 per cent think the opposite to be true.
Even 38 per cent of dog owners admitted to relying more on their PC than on their dog, although 36 per cent disagreed.
And 71 per cent of 18 to 24-year-old dog owners said they relied more on their computer.
Paul Allen,editor of Computeractive magazine said:“These days you can even you’re your PC for fl walk,provided you have a laptop or tablet.”
“It's only a matter of time until the first PC that fetches your slippers.”
Researchers questioned 2,000 British adults to find out the change modern technology has brought to their home life.
They found that male dog owners are almost twice as likely as female owners to rely on their computer than a canine companion.
Mr.Allen said:“With broadband bringing them global news and newspaper sales falling,the family dog even misses out on the pleasure of taking the paper to his owner.”
But it's not all bad news for obedient dogs.
“The family PC has given dog owners access to a wealth of resources and information that can help with the long-term care that a dog needs,”Mr.Allen said.Who are most likely to rely on computers?
A.Teens. |
B.People in their early twenties. |
C.People in their early thirties. |
D.People in their early forties. |
What is the general idea of the passage?
A.The personal computer has replaced the dog as man's best friends. |
B.The computer and the dog as man's best friends. |
C.Modern technology has brought changes to people's home life. |
D.The dog as a pet will disappear completely from people's life. |
The advantage of dogs as pets over the personal computer now is that
A.the dog can go out for a walk with people |
B.the dog can help people fetch something |
C.the dog can bring people more pleasure |
D.the dog is more likely to follow its owner's orders |
The underlined word“canine”in Paragraph 8 probably means
A.human | B.pet | C.family | D.dog |
According to Mr. Allen,the personal computer
A.won't have effect on newspaper sales |
B.can't help people take better care of the dog |
C.will drive the dog as a pet out completely |
D.will be able to help people fetch something |
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项。
A
“Mr. Mandela has spent 67 years making the world a better place. We’re asking you for 67 minutes”. Nelson Mandela turns 91 on the 18th of July, and the call has gone out for people everywhere to celebrate his birthday and the global launch of Mandela Day by acting on the idea that each person has the power to change the world.
The call by the Nelson Mandela Foundation and its sister organizations for the creation of an official global Mandela Day is gaining great support. It is to be celebrated on the 18th of July every year-Mandela’s birthday.
“The celebration of Mandela Day aims to call on people to recognize their power and devote 67 minutes to making an imprint (印记) and helping change the world around them for the better”, the Nelson Mandela Foundation said at the launch of the campaign in April.
“Nelson Mandela has been making an imprint on the world for 67 years, beginning in 1942 when he first started to fight for the human rights of every South African. He has set a good example to the world. ”
Mandela said at the time of the launch that he would be honoured if such a day can serve to bring together people around the world to fight poverty and improve peace.
Former US president Bill Clinton said Mandela’s example showed that the power of public kindness does not require public office, but a well-placed heart and a determined mind .
South African President Jacob Zuma said it would give people in South Africa and all over the world the opportunity to do something good to help others. Let us wholeheartedly support Mandela Day and encourage the world to join us in this wonderful campaign.
51. The underlined word “launch” in the first paragraph can be replaced by“________”.
A.celebration B.creation C.realization D. activity
52. The aim of setting up Mandela Day is to________ .
A.celebrate Nelson Mandela’s 91st birthday
B.improve the international position of South Africa
C.encourage people to fight poverty
D.call on people to make the world a much better place
53. It can be inferred from the passage that Bill Clinton and Jacob Zuma________.
A.do not support some ideas of Nelson Mandela
B.were too busy to attend Nelson Mandela’s 91st birthday celebration
C.think highly of the contribution Nelson Mandela has made to the world
D.disagree with the idea of setting up a global Mandela Day
54. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Nelson Mandela began to fight for the human rights in 1942.
B.It took 67 minutes to celebrate Mandela’s birthday.
C.Presidents form all around the world will attend the celebration.
D.The Nelson Mandela Foundation made 18th July Mandela Day.
E
It is true that good writers rewrite and rewrite and then rewrite some more .But in order to work up the desire to rewrite, it is important to learn to like what you write at the early stage.
I am surprised at the number of famous writers I know who say that they so dislike reading their own writing later that they even hate to look over the publishers’ opinions .One reason we may dislike reading our own work is that we’re often disappointed that the rich ideas in our minds seem very thin and plain when first written down .Jerry Fodor and Steven Pinker suggest that this fact may be a result of how our minds work..
Different from popular belief ,we do not usually think in the works and sentences of ordinary language but in symbols for ideas (known as “mentalese”), and writing our ideas down is an act of translation from that symbolic language .But while mentalese contains our thoughts in the form of a complex tapestry (织锦),writing can only be composed one thread at a time .Therefore it should not be surprising that our first attempt at expressing ideas should look so simple .It is only by repeatedly rewriting that we produce new threads and connect them to get closer to the ideas formed in our minds.
When people write as if some strict critics (批评家) are looking over their shoulder, they are so worried about what this critic might say that they get stuck before they even start. Peter Elbow makes an excellent suggestion to deal with this problem. When writing we should have two different minds. At the first stage, we should see every idea, as well as the words we use to express it, as wonderful and worth putting down. It is only during rewrites that we should examine what we excitedly wrote in the first stage and check for weaknesses.
68. What do we learn from the text about those famous writers?
A. They often regret writing poor works
B. Some of them write surprisingly much.
C. Many of them hate reading their own works
D. They are happy to review the publishers’ opinions.
69. What do people generally believe about the way human minds work?
A. People think in words and sentences.
B. Human ideas are translated into symbols.
C. People think by connecting threads of ideas.
D. Human thoughts are expressed through pictures.
70. What can we conclude from the text?
A. Most people believe we think in symbols.
B. Loving our own writing is scientifically reasonable.
C. The writers and critics can never reach an agreement.
D. Thinking and writing are different stages of mind at work.
D
Remembering names is an important social skill.Here are some ways to master it.
Recite and repeat in conversation.
When you hear a person’s name,repeat it.Immediately say it to yourself several times without moving your lips.You could also repeat the name in a way that does not sound forced or artificial.
Ask the other person to recite and repeat.
You can let other people help you remember their names.After you’ve been introduced to someone,ask that person to spell the name and pronounce it correctly for you.Most people will be pleased by the effort you’re making to learn their names.
Admit you don’t know.
Admitting that you can’t remember someone’s name can actually make people relaxed.Most of them will feel sympathy if you say.“I’m working to remember names better.Yours is right on the tip of my tongue.What is it again?”
Use associations.
Link each person yon meet with one thing you find interesting or unusual.For example,you could make a mental note: "Vicki Cheng -- tall, black hair.” To reinforce (加强) your associations, write them on a small card as soon as possible.
Limit the number of new names you learn at one time.
When meeting a group of people, concentrate on remembering just two or three names. Free yourself from remembering every one. Few of the people in mass introductions expect you to remember their names. Another way is to limit yourself to learning just first names. Last names can come later.
Go early.
Consider going early to conferences, parties and classes. Sometimes just a few people show up on time. That's fewer names for you to remember. And as more people arrive, you can hear them being introduced to others -- an automatic review for you.
64. How will most people feel when you try hard to remember their names?
A. They will be moved. B. They will be annoyed.
C. They will be delighted. D. They will be discouraged.
65. If you can't remember someone's name, you may ________
A. tell him the truthB. tell him a white lie
C. ask him for pity D. ask others to help you
66. When you meet a group of people, it is better to remember _______
A. all their names B. a couple of names first
C. just their last names D. as many names as possible
67. What does the text mainly tell us?
A. Tips on an important social skill. B. Importance of attending parties.
C. How to make use of associations. D. How to recite and repeat names.
C
We have met the enemy, and he is ours. We bought him at a pet shop. When monkey-pox, a disease usually found in the African rain forest, suddenly turns up in children in the American Midwest, it’s hard not to wonder if the disease that comes from foreign animals is homing in on human beings. “Most of the infections (感染) we think of as human infections started in other animals,” says Stephen Morse, director of the Center for Public Health Preparedness at Columbia University.
It’s not just that we’re going to where the animals are; we’re also bringing them closer to us. Popular foreign pets have brought a whole new disease to this country. A strange illness killed Isaksen’s pets, and she now thinks that keeping foreign pets is a bad idea. “I don’t think it’s fair to have them as pets when we have such a limited knowledge of them,” says Isaksen.
“Laws allowing these animals to be brought in from deep forest areas without stricter control need changing,” says Peter Schantz. Monkey-pox may be the wake-up call. Researchers believe infected animals may infect their owners. We know very little about these new diseases. A new bug (病毒) may be kind at first. But it may develop into something harmful. Monkey-pox doesn’t look a major infectious disease. But it is not impossible to pass the disease from person to person.
60. We learn from Paragraph 1 that the pet sold at the shop may _________.
A. come from Columbia B. prevent us from being infected
C. enjoy being with childrenD. suffer from monkey-pox
61. Why did Isaksen advise people not to have foreign pets?
A. They attack human beings. B. We need to study native animals.
C. They can’t live out of the rain forest. D. We do not know much about them yet.
62. What does the phrase “the wake-up call” in Paragraph 3 most probably mean?
A. a new diseaseB. a clear warning
C. a dangerous animal D. a morning call
63. The text suggests that in the future we _______.
A. may have to fight against more new diseases
B. may easily get infected by diseases from dogs
C. should not be allowed to have pets
D. should stop buying pets from Africa
B
“In only six days I lost seven pounds of weight.”
“Two full inches in the first three days!”
These are the kinds of statements used in magazine, newspaper, radio and television ads, promising new shapes and new looks to those who buy the medicine or the device of such products say they can shape the legs, slim the face, smooth wrinkles, or in some other way to beauty or desirability.
Often such products are nothing more than money-making things for their promoter. The results they produce are questionable, and some are dangerous to health.
To understand how these products can be legally promoted to the public, it is necessary to understand something of the laws covering their regulation. If the product is a drug, FDA(Food Drug Administration)can require proof under the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act that it is safe and effective before it is put on the market. But if the product is a device, FDA has no authority to require premarketing proof of safety or effectiveness. If a product already on the market is a danger to health, FDA can request the producer or distributor to remove it from the market voluntarily, or it can take legal action ,including seizure (查封) of the product.
One notable case a few years ago involved an electrical device called the Relaxacisor, had been sold for reducing the waistline. The Relaxacisor produced electrical shocks to the body through contact pads. FDA took legal action against the distributor to stop the sale of the device on the grounds that it was dangerous to health and life.
Obviously, most of the devices on the market have never been the subject of court proceedings (法律诉讼), and new devices appear continually, Before buying, it is up to the consumer to judge the safety or effectiveness of such items.
55. It can be inferred that ads mentioned in the text are ______.
A. objective B. costly C. unreliable D. illegal
56. Which of the following is true according to the text?
A. The court is in charge of removing dangerous product.
B. New products are more likely to be questionable.
C. The production of a device must be approved by FDA.
D. The promoters usually just care about profits.
57. FDA can ask for the proof of safety and effectiveness of a product ________.
A. if it is a drug
B. if it is a device
C. if its consumers make complaints
D. if its distributors challenge FDA’s authority
58. The Relaxacisor is mentioned as_______.
A. a product which was designed to produce electricity
B. a product whose distributor was involved in a legal case
C. a successful advertisement of a beauty product
D. an example of a quality beauty product
59. The author intends to __________
A. make consumers aware of the promoters’ false promises
B. show the weakness of the law on product safety
C. give advice on how to keep young and beautiful
D. introduce the organization of FDA