A new generation addiction is quickly spreading all over the world. Weboholism(醉心于网络), a twentieth century disease, affects people from different ages. They surf the net, use e-mail and speak in chat rooms. They spend many hours on the computer, and it becomes a compulsive habit. They cannot stop, and it affects their lives.
Ten years ago, no one thought that using computers could become compulsive(强迫性的)behavior that could affect the social and physical life of computer users. This obsessive behavior has affected teenagers and college students. They are likely to log on computers and spend long hours at different websites.
They become hooked on computers and gradually their social and school life is affected by this situation. They spend all free time surfing and don’t concentrate on homework, so this addiction influences their grades and success at schools. Because they can find everything on the websites, they hang out there. Moreover, this addiction to websites influences their social life.
They spend more time in front of computers than with their friends. The relation with their friends changes. The virtual(虚拟的)life becomes more important than their real life. They have a new language that they speak in the chat rooms and it causes cultural changes in society.
Because of the change in their behavior, they begin to isolate(孤立 themselves from the society and live with their virtual friends. They share their emotions and feelings with friends who they have never met in their life. Although they feel confident on the computer, they are not confident with real live friends they have known all their life. It is a problem for the future. This addictive behavior is beginning to affect the whole world.The main idea of the passage is about _______.
A.the cause of weboholism | B.the advantage of weboholism |
C.the popularity of weboholism | D.the influence of weboholism |
The underlined work “obsessive” in the second paragraph most probably means “______”.
A.attractive | B.addictive | C.professional | D.potential |
We can infer from the passage that ________.
A.weboholism has the greatest effect on teenagers. |
B.students can hardly balance real and virtual life. |
C.people are addicted to games on the Internet. |
D.virtual life is more vivid and attractive anyway. |
Which of the following is NOT true of weboholism?
A.It contributes to the development of the web. |
B.The chat room language may change social culture. |
C.The problem will be getting more and more serious later. |
D.People addicted to the web often become inactive in real life. |
The author’s attitude towards weboholism is that of being ________.
A.optimistic | B.positive | C.oppositive | D.acceptable |
A research by the National Center for Health Statistics is seen as an important confirmation of the“Hispanic mortality paradox(西班牙裔死亡率悖论).”
On average,Hispanics outlive whites by 2.5 years and blacks by 7.7 years. Their life expectancy at birth in 2006 was 80.6 years,compared with 78.1 for whites,72.9 for blacks and 77.7 years for the total population.
The report shows that the Hispanic population has higher life expectancy at birth and at almost every age despite a socioeconomic status lower than that of whites.“Mortality is very correlated with income,education and health care access,”says Elizabeth Arias,author of the report.“You would expect the Hispanic population would have higher mortality,”in line with the black population.
The Hispanic paradox has been documented for more than two decades,but this is the first time the government has had enough data to issue national numbers. Researchers are struggling to explain why Hispanics live longer.
“We don’t know,”says David Hayes-Bautista,director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine.“We thought it was a problem in the data,but we can pretty much say this is real.”
Potential factors:
·Culture and lifestyle. Support from extended family and lower rates of smoking and drinking.Latino groups in particular have very strong family and social ties.
·Migration. The“healthy migrant effect”argues that healthy people are more likely to emigrate. And when immigrants become ill,they might return home and die there.
Solving the puzzle may help the nation deal with health care issues because Hispanics use health services less—they make fewer doctors visits and spend less time in hospitals,Hayes-Bautista says.“It’s clearly something in the Latino culture,”he says.In 2006,Hispanics’life expectancy is years longer than the average of the total population.
A.2.5 | B.7.7 | C.2.9 | D.80.6 |
What does the underlined word“outlive”in the second paragraph probably mean?
A.To live longer than… | B.To live shorter than… |
C.To die out. | D.To expect to live. |
What is the main idea of paragraph three?
A.Hispanics were born better than whites. |
B.Morality is closely related with health care access. |
C.Whites should have longer life expectancy. |
D.Even experts can’t explain the phenomenon. |
What is Mr.Hayes-Bautista’s opinion about the paradox?
A.He supports there is a problem with the data. |
B.He intends to trust the cultural factor. |
C.He believes in the“healthy migrant effect”. |
D.He thinks health care the most important factor. |
Which of the following inferences is true according to the passage?
A.Black people suffer the lowest social status in America. |
B.Hispanics might have healthier ways of life. |
C.Only healthy people can immigrate into America. |
D.White people don’t have strong family ties. |
NEW YORK—Microsoft on Monday made another effort to challenge Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android in the exploding smartphone market—launching a wireless operating system,Windows Phone 7.
Consumers will consider it“always delightful and thoroughly mine,”Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said at a launch event. Ballmer said last year that Microsoft had“screwed up”with its Windows Mobile operating system.For example,it failed to keep up with touch-screen innovations that make iPhones and Android phones easy to use.
Microsoft fell from third to fourth place in market share this year,behind BlackBerry,iPhone and Android. Only 10.8% of smartphone owners used Microsoft’s system in August,down from 18% last December.
But Windows Phone 7 is“a total departure from anything they’ve done”.Microsoft says it sought to simplify common activities. For example,you can instantly take a picture with a phone’s camera by pushing a button on the device. You don’t have to first awaken it from its sleep mode and launch the camera application. You also can program the phones to automatically upload photos to Facebook or other social network sites in a couple of seconds. Users can easily work with Microsoft Office contact and calendar information as well as documents created in Microsoft’s Word,Excel and PowerPoint.
The phones will not show videos built on Adobe’s Flash platform,widely used by services including YouTube and Hulu.
AT&T will offer the first Windows Phone 7 smartphone,the Samsung Focus,on Nov.8.Soon after,it will have the LG Quantum and HTC Surround. Each will cost S| 199.99 with a two-year service contract. T-Mobile will have two Windows Phone 7 models out for the holiday shopping season:the HTC HD7 and Dell Venue Pro. It did not say how much they’ll cost.What is the main idea of paragraph 4?
A.Why Microsoft fell behind others. |
B.How to use Windows Phone7. |
C.Advantages of Windows phone7. |
D.Speed of Windows phone7. |
What does the underlined phrase“screwed up”in the 2nd paragraph probably mean?
A.To make a bad mistake. | B.To make big progress. |
C.To achieve main goals. | D.To keep up with others. |
Which of the following phones will NOT use Windows Phone 7 operating system?
A.Quantum. | B.Surround. | C.Android. | D.Focus. |
Why did Microsoft see a drop in market share last year?
A.Because its operating system didn’t catch up with changes. |
B.Because its phones can’t show videos from YouTube. |
C.Because it was inconvenient to take photos using its phones. |
D.Because its system was based only on Microsoft soft wares. |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
A.Smartphone Market Welcomes New Giant |
B.Microsoft to Fight Back on Smartphone |
C.Mobile Phones Getting Smarter and Easier |
D.Microsoft Proved a Failure in Smartphone |
Surveys of American teenagers find that about half of them do not get enough sleep on school nights. They get an average of 60 to 90 minutes less than experts say they need.
Experts say teens are biologically programmed to go to sleep later and wake up later than other age groups. Yet many schools start classes as early as seven in the morning.
As a result,many students go to class feeling like Danny,16 years old. He plays two sports,lacrosse and football. He is an active teen—except in the morning. DANNY:“Getting up in the morning is pretty terrible. I’m just very out of it and tired. And through first and second period I can hardly stay awake.”
Michael Breus,a clinical psychologist with a specialty in sleep disorders says:“These aren’t a bunch of lazy kids—although,you know,teenagers can of course be lazy. These are children whose biological rhythms,more times than not,are off.”Teens,he says,need to sleep eight to nine hours or even nine to ten hours a night. He says sleepy teens can experience a form of depression that could have big effects on their general well-being. It can affect not just their ability in the classroom but also on the sports field and on the road because any tired driver is dangerous,especially a teenager with a lack of experience.
So what can schools do about sleepy students?The psychologist says one thing they can do is start classes later in the morning.
Eric Peterson,head of St.George’s School in the northeastern state of Rhode Island,says,“In the end,schools ought to do what’s the right thing for their students,first and foremost.”And he wanted to see if a 30-minute delay would make a difference. It did.According to the passage,which of the following is the chief cause of sleepy teenagers?
A.Persona haibits. | B.Early school hours. |
C.Sports activities. | D.Too much home work. |
According to Michael Breus,.
A.Teenagers are too lazy to get up early for school. |
B.Teenagers should change their biological rhythms. |
C.Lacking sleep can cause serious problems. |
D.Sleepy teenagers shouldn’t drive to school. |
What is Eric Peterson’s opinion on the issue?
A.Schools should try their best to help students. |
B.Students should adjust to their school’s schedule. |
C.Changing school schedule is their last choice. |
D.Something has to change at the end of a school day. |
What does the underlined word“It”in the last sentence might refer to?
A.St.George School. | B.Rhode Island State. |
C.Students in St.George School. | D.30-minute delay of school day. |
What can you infer might follow the passage immediately?
A.Some positive changes in St.George’s school. |
B.Some complaints from teachers and parents. |
C.Some tips on how to help students foremost. |
D.Some unexpected outcome of the delay. |
“It was cool,because I got a chance to be in a studio and see how a record is made,”says 14-year-old Javon Martin,who joined the music clubhouse 3 years ago.“It has impacted my life in a big way. People are actually starting to see me as an artist.”Ten-year-old Akheylah Hunter didn’t play an instrument when she became a club member last year. Now,she plays piano and sings with the band. What she likes best,she says,is performing.“We performed in different places,”she says.“We go on trips and it is fun.”
Since the Music Clubhouse opened three years ago,it’s served almost 500 kids.Aggeler says performing in front of different audiences helps the young musicians build self-esteem.Coming to the club to prepare for those performances helps them learn how to deal with their personal problems and concerns.
“I can see what it does for them and it just develops confidence,”he explains.“It’s also an escape from the big problems we have in the neighborhood. So whether they feel embarrassed about a zit on their face,or they feel embarrassed because they’re not as tall as somebody,they can rap about it and let it out a little bit.”
To expand the club and help more kids learn music,Aggeler sought the support of the community. The Berklee College of Music and local music stores have provided free equipment. The club has also gotten support from the Music and Youth Initiative,a nonprofit that develops after school music education programs in underserved communities in Massachusetts. All these have made it possible to provide kids who may not have the means to get private music lessons the opportunity to still learn music and get all the benefits that music education brings.”Why does the writer mention the two children in the first paragraph?
A.To tell readers that all children like music. |
B.To provide examples of how children like the club. |
C.To convince readers that music can solve many problems. |
D.To show readers how to discover children’s potentials. |
Which of the following was NOT mentioned as a benefit of joining the club?
A.Helping the youngsters to build self-confidence. |
B.Helping its members escape from problems. |
C.Learning to deal with personal problems. |
D.Learning to get help from nonprofit groups. |
What is Mr.Aggeler’s possible post?
A.An organizer of the club. | B.A conductor of the band. |
C.An expert in child problems. | D.A parent of one of the children. |
What does the writer intend the passage to be?
A.An advertisement for a club. |
B.A promotion of some non-profit groups. |
C.An introduction of a music club for children. |
D.A try to call for attention on children’s needs. |
Which of the following might NOT be included in activities of the club?
A.Putting on performances. | B.Making records. |
C.Traveling to different places. | D.Giving private music lessons. |
If you feel at present that you don’t have enough friends in your life, one reason may be that you have let yourself become too busy to make time for the relationships you already have. Starting and keeping friendship requires effort and commitment.
Many of us let our lives become so busy with work and other commitments that we don’t get around to scheduling time for pleasure and renewal(叙旧)with the friends, relatives and acquaintances we already have.
Making the effort to call your friends more regularly and to accept more of the invitations you receive from others can improve your social life in a hurry!
Are there any people you could call right now and be assured of a pleasant welcome? Are there people that you could count on to help you in time of difficulty? Can you have close talks with them? Do you have fun when you are together? Are you happy to have them in your life?
If you haven’t seen much of them lately, is it because you have become too busy? Have you grown apart? Was there an argument?
If the main reason you haven’t been getting together with the people you already know is that you have got too busy, take a good look at how you spend your time. Compare it with your real values and priorities(优先考虑的事)in life. Is your busy lifestyle really bringing you the quality of life that you want?
If you have become too busy for friends, why has this happened? Are you seeking material toys in your life at the expense of relationships with other human beings? Have you allowed your time to be over-committed because you never say “No” to anyone? Do you insist on doing things yourself that could be appointed to others? If so, why? Do you believe that everything depends on you?
Examine whether the way you are now spending your time accurately reflects your deepest values and priorities. Make sure that you schedule adequate time for the things that are truly most important to you.
If you really want to keep friends in your life, make a space in your schedule, and a space in your heart for them.In this passage the author mainly discusses ____.
A.how to balance friendship and work |
B.how to spend our spare time |
C.whether we should keep friendship |
D.whether we should invite friends to dinner |
Which of the following doesn’t indicate a good relationship?
A.You have someone to count on when you ![]() |
B.You have someone to have close talks with. |
C.You have fun when you are with someone. |
D.You feel depressed with others in life. |
The reason why you have become too busy for friends may be the following EXCEPT that ____.
A.you spend too much time seeking material toys in your life |
B.you feel it difficult to keep friendship |
C.you stick to doing everything all by yourself |
D.you never refuse whatever other people ask you to do |
Which would be the best title for the text?
A.Too Busy for Friendship? | B.Too Busy with Work? |
C.How to Spend Your Time | D.How to Make New Friends |