As computers become more popular in China , Chinese people are increasingly relying 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 widespread among university students . Almost all their assignments 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 efficient 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 maintain their practical value . All the artistic beauty of the characters is lost . And handwriting contains the writer’s emotion . 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 .Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage ?
| A．The Importance of Handwriting and Typing . |
| B．To Type or to Handwrite . |
| C．Writing by Computer Will Replace Writing by Hand |
| D．Practical and Aesthetic Value of Chinese Characters |
The students interviewed prefer to write using a computer mainly because .
| A．they are usually asked to email their homework and essays |
| B．they can correct the mistakes they make quickly and conveniently |
| C．they find it not easy to remember how to write a character |
| D．computers have become a trend and fashion in China |
Which of the following statements is NOT true of the advantages of handwriting ?
| A．Handwriting contains the writer’s emotion . |
| B．The writer’s thinking and personality are shown in his or her handwriting . |
| C．Handwriting can impress people well and build one’s self-confidence . |
| D．Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic value . |
The underlined expression “ taking stock in ” ( Paragraph 4 ) probably means .
| A．getting bored with | B．getting dependent on |
| C．becoming crazy about | D．getting curious about |
We can draw the conclusion from the passage that .
| A．more and more students will give up writing on a computer |
| B．writing by hand will give way to typing by computer one day |
| C．more and more students will pay attention to handwriting |
| D．the typing article better expresses one’s emotion and quality |
When I learned that my 71-year-old mother was playing Scrabble—a word game—against herself, I knew I had to do something. My husband suggested we give her a computer to play against. I wasn’t sure my mother was ready for it. After all, it had taken 15 years to persuade her to buy an electric cooker. Even so, we packed up our old computer and delivered it to my parents’ home. And so began my mother’s adventure in the world of computers.
It also marked the beginning of an unusual teaching task for me. I’ve taught people of all ages, but I never thought I would be teaching my mother how to do anything. She has been the one teaching me all my life; to cook and sew; to enjoy the good times and put up with the bad. Now it was my turn to give something back.
It wasn’t easy at the beginning. There was so much to explain and to introduce. Slowly but surely, my mother caught on, making notes in a little notebook. After a few months of Scrabble and other games, I decided it was time to introduce her to word processing(文字处理). This proved to be a bigger challenge(挑战) to her, so I gave her some homework. I asked her to write me a letter, using different letter types, colors and spaces.
“Are you demanding this with your kindergarten pupils?” she said.
“No, of course not,” I said. “They already know how to use a computer.”
My mother isn’t the only one experiencing a fast personal growth period. Thanks to the computer, my father has finally got over his phone allergy(过敏反应). For as long as I remember, and time I called, my mother would answer, Dad and I have had more phone conversations in the last two months than we’ve had in the past 20 years. What does the author do?
| A．She is a cook. |
| B．She is a teacher. |
| C．She is a housewife |
| D．She is a computer engineer. |
The author decided to give her mother a computer__________.
| A．to let her have more chances to write letters |
| B．to support her in doing her homework |
| C．to help her through the bad times |
| D．to make her life more enjoyable |
The author asked her mother to write her a letter__________.
| A．because her mother had stopped using the telephone |
| B．because she wanted to keep in touch with her mother |
| C．so that her mother could practice what she had learned |
| D．so that her mother could be free from housework |
After the computer was brought home, the author’s father__________.
| A．lost interest in cooking |
| B．took more phone calls |
| C．played more games |
| D．began to use it |
Two brothers, Herbert and James, lived with their mother and a cat named Edgar. James was particularly devoted to the cat, and when he had to leave town for several days, he left Herbert careful instructions about the pet’s care. At the end of his first day away, James telephoned his brother, “How is Edgar?”
“Edgar is dead.” Herbert answered. There was a pause. Then James said, “Herbert, you’re insensitive (漠然的). You know how close I was to Edgar. You should have broken the news to me slowly. When I asked about Edgar tonight, you should have said, ‘Edgar’s on the roof , but I have called the fire department to get him down.’ And tomorrow when I called, you could have said the firemen were having trouble getting Edgar down, but you were hopeful they would succeed. Then when I called the third time, you could have told me that the firemen have done their best, but unfortunately Edgar had fallen off the roof and was at the veterinarian’s (兽医站). Then when I called the last time, you could have said that although everything possible had been done for Edgar, he had died. That’s the way a sensitive man would have told me about Edgar. And, oh, before I forget,” James added, “how is mother?”
“Oh,” Herbert said, pausing for a moment, “She’s on the roof.” James telephoned his brother at the end of his first day away because he wanted to know _____.
| A．what he was doing |
| B．whether he was good |
| C．whether the cat was good |
| D．where his mother was |
Why did James say his brother was insensitive?
| A．Because he told him the news directly. |
| B．Because he killed their pet. |
| C．Because his mother was on the roof. |
| D．Because he missed the truth about the cat. |
From the last paragraph of the passage, we can know that the mother was probably _____.
| A．on the roof | B．ill or even dead |
| C．repairing the house | D．playing games |
The day after news broke of a possible revolution in physics ——particles （粒子） moving faster than light ?a scientist leading the European experiment that made the discovery calmly explained it to a standing-room- only crowd at CERN．
The physicist, Dario Auterio, did not try to explain what the results might mean for the laws of physics, let alone the broader world．After an hour of technical talk, he simply said, "Therefore, we present to you today this difference, this unusualness．"
But what unusualness it may be．From 2009 through 2011, the massive OPERA detector （探测器）buried in a mountain in Gran Sasso, Italy, recorded subatomic particles called neutrinos （ 中微子） arriving faster than light can move in an empty space．The neutrinos generated at CERN are hardly detectably early．If confirmed, the finding would throw more than a century of physics into disorder．
"If it's correct, it's phenomenal．" said Rob Plunkett, a scientist at Fermilab, the Department of Energy physics laboratory in Illinois．"We'd be looking at a whole new set of rules" for how the universe works．Those rules would bend, or possibly break, Albert Einstein's special theory of relativity, published in 1905．Basical at the time, the theory tied together space and time, matter and energy, and set a hard limit for the speed of light, later measured to be about 186, 000 miles per second．
No experiment in 106 years had broken that speed limit．Physicists expect strict study to follow, which OPERA and CERN scientists welcomed．
Fermilab operates a similar experiment, called MINOS, that shoots neutrinos from Illinois to an underground detector in Minnesota．In 2007, MINOS discovered a just detectable amount of faster than-light neutrinos, but the permissible difference of error was too big to "mention" , Plunkett said．
Fermilab scientists will reanalyze their data, which will take six to eight months．In 2013, the MINOS detector, now offline, will restart after an upgrade．It could then offer confirmation of the results．Why are the European scientists not sure about the results of the experiment?
| A．Because they are so unexpected． |
| B．Because the scientists do not believe them． |
| C．Because the scientists are careful and calm． |
| D．Because they are against the present law of physics． |
The underlined word " phenomenal" in the fourth paragraph has the closest meaning to.
| A．amazing | B．attractive | C．embarrassing | D．sensitive |
The best title for the passage may be _____．
| A．Are the laws of physics in disorder? |
| B．Particles faster than light; Revolution or mistake? |
| C．Faster than light measurement: right or wrong? |
| D．Is Einstein's theory still right today? |
What may be discussed in the paragraphs to follow?
| A．Different opinions about the experiment． |
| B．How Albert Einstein's theory developed． |
| C．The new rules for how the universe works． |
| D．How Fermilab scientists will reanalyze their data． |
For thousands of years, the most important two buildings in any British village have been the church and the pub．Traditionally, the church and the pub are at the heart of any village or town, where the people gather together to socialize and exchange news．
As a result, British pubs are often old and well preserved．Many of them have become historic sites．The most famous example is the pub in the city of Nottingham called " Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem" , which dates back to the year 1189 AD and is probably the oldest pub in England．
However, British pubs are not just for kings and queens; they welcome people from all classes and parts of society．On a cold night, the pub's landlord or landlady can always find a warm place for you by the fire．There is always honest and hearty food and plenty of drinks available at an affordable price．
That's how things used to be．Things are beginning to change．It is said that the credit crunch （信贷紧缩） is causing 39 British pubs in a week to go out of business．People do not have enough spare money to spend on beer．Recently, the UK government banned smoking in all pubs, and that may also have affected the number of customers going to pubs．
This decline is happening despite the fact that in 2005 the UK government started to allow pubs to stay open after 11 p．m．．Previously, with 11 p．m．as closing time, customers would have to drink quite quickly, meaning they sometimes got more drunk than they would if allowed to drink slowly．The British habit of drinking a lot very quickly is known as "binge drinking" , and it causes long-term health problems for people and problems with violent crime for communities．
In order to save their businesses, pubs are trying to change with the market．British pubs now offer something for everyone．A lot of pubs used to be "Working Men's Clubs" , meaning that women could not usually enter．Today, however, women can freely enter 99% of pubs without experiencing any problems．Perhaps things are changing for the better after all．British people have the habit of gathering in the pubs to _____．
| A．have the hearty food |
| B．enjoy the historic sites |
| C．make themselves known |
| D．communicate with each other |
The British pubs are allowed to stay open after 11p．m．to ______．
| A．urge customers to drink quickly |
| B．affect the number of customers |
| C．help reduce social problems |
| D．give pub owners better income |
We can learn from the last paragraph that the author _____．
| A．is against the admission of too many women to the pubs |
| B．holds an optimistic attitude towards the future of the British pubs |
| C．thinks that women in the pubs will cause less social problems |
| D．holds the view that British pubs should offer everything you need |
The passage mainly tells us ______．
| A．the long history of British pubs |
| B．the present situation of British pubs |
| C．the reason why British people go to pubs |
| D．the disadvantages of running pubs in Britain |
The World’s Most Impressive subways
Which of the following gives the passengers the best visual enjoyment?
| A．The Tokyo Metro and Toei Lines． | B．The Moscow Metro． |
| C．The London Metro． | D．The Hong Kong MTR． |
According to the passage, the only subway that can bring more financial gains is ______．
| A．the Tokyo Metro and Toei Lines | B．the Moscow Metro |
| C．the London Metro | D．the Hong Kong MTR |
We can learn from the passage that Shanghai Metro ______．
| A．is the busiest system in the world |
| B．carries the most people each day |
| C．may be larger than the Chicago Subway in the future |
| D．has become the world's largest subway since it opened |
The purpose of the passage is to _____．
| A．give us a brief introduction to some subway systems |
| B．introduce the working system of some railways station |
| C．tell the general background of world-wide transportation |
| D．show the historical development of underground system |