Most British telephone cards are just plain green, but card collecting is becoming a popular hobby in Britain and collectors even have their own magazine, International Telephone Cards. One reason for their interests is that cards from around the world come in a wide variety of different and often very attractive design, There are 100,000 different cards in Japan alone, and there you can put your own design onto a bank card simply by using a photograph or a business card.
The first telephone cards, produced in 1976, were Italian. Five years later, the first British card appeared, and now you can buy cards in more than a hundred countries. People usually start collecting cards because they are attractive, small and light, and they do not need much space. It is also a cheap hobby for beginners, although for some people it becomes a serious business. In Paris, for example, there is a market where you can buy only telephone cards, and some French cards cost up to 4,000 pounds. The first Japanese card has a value of about 28,000 pounds. Most people only see cards with prices like these in their collectors’ magazine.The passage is mainly about __________.
A.the history of phone cards. |
B.phone card collecting as a hobby |
C.reasons for phone card collecting |
D.the great variety of phone cards |
When did people in Britain begin to use phone card?
A.In 1971. | B.In 1975 | C. In 1976. | D.In 1981. |
The main reason for most people to collect phone cards is that _________.
A.they find the cards beautiful and easy to keep |
B.they like to have something from different countries |
C.they want to make money with cards |
D.they think the cards are convenient to use |
The writer mentions a market in Paris in order to show that __________.
A.card collecting is popular among young people |
B.French and Japanese cards are the most valuable |
C.People can make money out of card collecting |
D.Card collectors’ magazines are very useful |
When I first got an email account ten years ago, I received communications only from family,friends,and colleagues.Now it seems that every time I check my e-mail ,I have an endless seriers of advertisement and otner correspondence that do not interest the at all.If we want e-mail to continue to be useful,we need special laws that make spamming(发送垃圾邮件) a crime.
If lawmakers do not do something soon to prohibit spam,the problem will certainly get much worse。Computer programs allow spammers to send hundreds of millions of e-mails almost instantly 。as more and more advertisers turn to spam to sell their products ,individual(个人的)e-mail boxes are often flooded with spam e-mails。Would people continue to use e-mail if they ahd to deal with an annoying amount of spam each time?
This problem is troubling for inviduals and companies as well. Many spam emails contain computer viruses that can shut down the entire network of a company.Companies rely on e-mail on on e-mail for their Comployees to communicate with each other. Spam frequently causes failures in their local commnications networks, and their employees are thus unable to communicate effectively.such a situationg results in a loss of productivity and requires companies to repeatedly repair their networks.These computer problems raise productton costs of companies ,which are,in the end,passed on to the consumer.
For these reasons,I believe that lawmakers need to legislate (立法) against spam.Spammers should be fined,and perhaps sent to prison if they continue to disturb people.E-mail is a tool which helps people all over the world to communicate conveniently,but spam is destroying this conwenience.
1.What does the underlined word “correspondence” in the Paragraph 1 probably mean?
A.messages B.ideas C.connections D.programs
2.According to the text, what is the major cause of the flooding spam?
A.Companies rely on e-mail for communications.
B.More people in the world communicate by e-mail.
C.Many computer viruses contain spam e-mail.
D.More advertisers begin to promote sales through spam.
3.According to Paragraph 3,who is the final victim of spam?
A. The businessB. The advertiser
C.The employeeD.The consumer
4.What is the purpose of the text?
A.To inform B.To educate C.To persuade D.To instruet
The 1900 house
The bowler family was one of more than 400 families who applied to 1900 house, a reality TV shout which took a typical family back a hundred years to se how people lived in the days before the internet, computer games and even electricity.
The bowler family spent three months in a London home without a telephone, computers, TV, or fast food. The bowlers wore clothes from 1900, are only food available in English at that time, and cooked their meals on a single stove. Paul bowler still went to work every day in a then uniform. The children changed their clothes on the way to and from school and their classmates didn’t know about then unusural home life. Joyce stayed at home, cooking and cleaning like a typical housewife of the time, though everything took three times as long.
So does Joyce think that people’s lives were better in the old days?
“I think people in the old days had just ad many troubles and worries,” Joyce said.
And I don’t think their life was better or worse, there were lots of things back then that
I’m happy I don’t have to deal with nowadays, but on the other hand life was simpler.” “We had a lot more time with our family, and it was hard being nice to each other all the time,” eleven-year-old Hilary said.
So what did the Bowler family miss most about modern life while living in the 1900 house?
Paul,39:” telephone and a hot shower”
Joyce,44:” a quick cup of tea from a kettle you could just turn on”
Hilary,11:” rock CD”
Joseph,9:” hamburger and computer games”
1.While the Bowler family was living in 1900 house,_____.
A the mother spent more time on housework
B the two children wore the then clothes for school
C they prepared their meals together on a stove
D they ate simple foods they had never seen
2. According to Paragraph 4, what’s Jovce’s opinion about life in 1900?
A There were fewer problems for the family
B Life was simpler but worse than it is now
C There were things she liked and disliked
D The family had more time to stay together
3.What would Hilary expect most from modern life in the three months?
A To play computer games B To make phone calls
C To listen to music D To chat on the Internet
Brave Frenchman Found Half-way Around the World
(NEW YORK) A French tourist highly praised for rescuing a two-year-old girl in Manhattan said he didn't think twice before diving into the freezing East River.
Tuesday's Daily News said 29-year who left the spot quickly after the rescue last Saturday.
He lifted the little girl out of the water after she fell off the bank at the South Street Scaport museum. He handed the girl to her father ,David Anderson, who had dive in after him.
"I didn't think at all," Duret told the Daily News. " It happened very fast. I reacted very fast."
Duret, an engineer on vacation ,was walking with his girlfriend along the pier(码头)when he saw something falling into the water .He thought it was a doll, but realized it was a child when he approached the river. In an instant ,he took off his coat and jumped into the water.
When he reached the girl, she appeared lifeless, he said . Fortunately, when she was out of the water, she opened her eyes.
Anderson said his daughter slipped off the bank when he was adjusting his camera. An ambulance came later for her, said Duret, who was handed dry clothes from cookers. Duret caught a train with his girlfriend shortly after.
The rescue happened on the day before he left for France. Duret said he didn't realize his tale of heroism he was leaving the next morning .
"I don't really think I'm a hero," said Duret. "Anyone would do the same ting."
1. |
why was Duret in NewYork?() |
2. |
What did duret do shortly after the ambulance came?() |
3. |
Who divide after duret into the river to save the little girl?() |
4. |
When was duet most probably found to be the very hero?() |
阅读下列四篇短文,从每小题后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。
Ask Dr ? Jeffers |
This month Dr. Jeffers is answering questions about the human brain and how it works. |
Dear Dr. Jeffers, One of my colleagues, Felix Moeller, told me that scientists are learning to use computer to 'read minds'. Is there any truth to this story/ -Jane Leon, New York, USA Dear Ms. Leon, Well, a lot of research is being conducted in this area, but so far, the brain scanning equipment and corresponding computer programs haven't been able to actually read thoughts. In one experiment, test subjects(受试者)were connected to scanning equipment and shown two numbers on a screen. They were then asked to choose between adding or subtracting(减)the two numbers. Using this method, researchers were able to follow brain processes and make the correct assumptions(假设)70 percent of the time. It's not quite mind reading, but it's certainly a first step. -Dr. J. |
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Dear Dr. Jeffers, My three-year-old son loves it when I dig my fingers into his sides and tickle (胳肢)him until he laughs uncontrollably. The other day I noticed him trying to tickle himself but he couldn't do it. Why not? -Glenn Lewis, Vancouver, Canada Dear Mr. Lewis, It's because of how the brain works. The brain is trained to know what to pay attention to and what to ignore. It causes us to ignore physical feelings we expect to happen, but it causes a mild panic reaction when there is an unexpected feeling. For example, you don't notice how your shoulder feels while you're walking down the street. But if someone comes up behind you and touches you lightly on the shoulder, you may jump in fear. It's that unexpected part that causes the tickle reaction. -Dr. J. |
1. |
What can we learn from the answer to the first question?()
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2. |
People laugh when tickled by others bedause the feeling is().
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3. |
Who has got a little child according to the text?()
|
4. |
According to the text, Jeffers is probably().
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Batteries can power anything from small sensors to large systems. While scientists are finding ways to make them smaller but even more powerful, problems can arise when these batteries are much larger and heavier than the devices themselves. University of Missouri(MU) researchers are developing a nuclear energy source that is smaller, lighter and more efficient.
“To provide enough power, we need certain methods with high energy density(密度)”,said Jae Kwon, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at MU. “The radioisotope(放射性同位素) battery can provide power density that is much higher than chemical batteries.”
Kwon and his research team have been working on building a small nuclear battery, presently the size and thickness of a penny, intended to power various micro / nanoelectromechanical systems (M/NEMS). Although nuclear batteries can cause concerns, Kwon said they are safe.
“People hear the word ‘nuclear’ and think of something very dangerous,” he said, “However, nuclear power sources have already been safely powering a variety of devices, such as pace-makers, space satellites and underwater systems.”
His new idea is not only in the battery’s size, but also in its semiconductor(半导体). Kwon’s battery uses a liquid semiconductor rather than a solid semiconductor.
“The key part of using a radioactive battery is that when you harvest the energy, part of the radiation energy can damage the lattice structure(晶体结构) of the solid semiconductor,” Kwon said, “By using a liquid semiconductor, we believe we can minimize that problem.”
Together with J. David Robertson, chemistry professor and associate director of the MU Research Reactor, Kwon is working to build and test the battery. In the future, they hope to increase the battery’s power, shrink its size and try with various other materials. Kwon said that battery could be thinner than the thic
kness of human hair.
1. Which of the following is true of Jae Kwon?
A. He teaches chemistry at MU.
B. He developed a chemical battery.
C. He is working on a nuclear energy source.
D. He made a breakthrough in computer engineering.
2. Jae Kwon gave examples in Paragraph 4_________.
A. to show chemical batteries are widely applied.
B. to introduce nuclear batteries can be safely used.
C. to describe a nuclear-powered system.
D. to introduce various energy sources.
3. Liquid semiconductor is used to _________.
A. get rid of the radioactive waste
B. test the power of nuclear batteries.
C. decrease the size of nuclear batteries
D. reduce the damage to lattice structure.
4. According to Jae Kwon, his nuclear battery _______.
A. uses a solid semiconductor
B. will soon replace the present ones.
C. could be extremely thin
D. has passed the final test.
5. The text is most probably a ________.
A. science news report B. book review
C. newspaper adD. science fiction story