The engineer Camilla Olivetti was 40 years old when he started the company in 1908. At his factory in Ivrea, he designed and produced the first Italian typewriter. Today the company’s head office is still in Ivrea, near Turin, but the company is much larger than it was in those days and there are offices all around the world,
By 1930 there was a staff of 700 and the company turned out 13.000 machines a year. Some went to customers in Italy, but Olivetti exported more typewriters to other countries.
Camillo’s son, Adriano, started working for the company in 1924 and later he became the boss. He introduced a standard speed for the production line and he employed technology and design specialist. The company developed new and better typewriters and then calculators(计算器). In 1959 it produced the ELEA computer system. This was the first mainframe(主机) computer designed and made in Italy.
After Adriano died in 1960, the company had a period of financial problem. Other companies, especially the Japanese, made faster progress in electronic technology than the Italian company.
In 1978, Carlo de Benedetti became the new boss. Olivetti increased its marketing and service networks and made agreements with other companies to design and produce more advanced office equipment. Soon it became one of the world’s leading companies in information technology and communications. There are now five independent companies in the Olivetti group—one for personal computers, one for other office equipment, one for systems and service, and two for telecommunications.From the text we learn that
| A．by 1930 Olivetti produced 13.000 typewriters a year |
| B．Olivetti earned more in the 1960s than in the 1950s |
| C．some of Olivetti’s 700 staff regularly visited customers in Italy |
| D．Olivetti set up offices in other countries from the very beginning |
What was probably the direct result of Olivetti’s falling behind in electronic technology
| A．Adriano’s death | B．A period of financial problems |
| C．Its faster progress | D．Its agreements with other companies. |
What do we know about Olivetti?
| A．It produced the best typewriter in the world. |
| B．It designed the world’s first mainframe computer. |
| C．It exported more typewriters than other companies. |
| D．It has five independent companies with its head office in Ivrea. |
The best title for the text would be
| A．The Origin of Olivetti. | B．The Success of Olivetti. |
| C．The History of Olivetti | D．The Production of Olivetti. |
Do you want to watch a hot movie while chatting with your friend on the phone, or shop with mobile while on a train? 54
It is reported that China is to issue its first licence for the commercial use of the third generation telecommunication technology early next year.
The so-called 3G technology will enable mobile phone users to enjoy highspeed Internet-based services. 55
Nowadays, many mobile phones also allow you to send e-mails or read the latest stories on the Internet, but their services are limited by their transporting speed, which is only 10 kilobytes per second. 56
If recently mobile technology is like riding a bike on a country road, then 3G will make you fly on the information highway. For example, a mobile phone with 3G technology will enable you to download a three minutes’ MP3 song within two minutes. 57
In the near future, we’ll expect high-speed access to the Internet, entertainment, information and electronic commerce services wherever we are—not just at our computers or television sets.
In the UK and many other European countries where 3G services have been around since 2003, 3G has already become a part of modern business life. Nowadays, employees are able to spend some of their working hours at home. 58
| A．The ongoing construction of a new telecommunication service will make these things reality very soon. |
| B．But 3G will enable you to connect to the Internet with a speed of up to 2 megabytes per second, a thousand times faster than what you use now. |
| C．3G technology will offer you high-speed access to the Internet wherever there is a computer. |
| D．It will help increase mobility in many areas of our life. |
E. The new technology allows a doctor to examine a patient through a video link.
F. But at the moment, it will take you up to an hour to do this with your mobile phone
G. The new technology allows the emergency services to provide a video link with a hospital or doctor for patients who need special care.
Handshaking, though a European practise is often seen in big cities of China. Nobody knows exactly when the practice started in Europe. It is said that long long ago in Europe when people met, they showed their unarmed （无武器的） hands to each other as a sign of goodwill. As time went on and trade in cities grew rapidly, people in cities began to clap each other’s hands to make a deal or to reach an agreement. This practice was later changed into shaking hands among friends on meeting or leaving each other. “Let’s shake （hands） on it” sometimes means agreement reached.
Do the Europeans shake hands wherever they go and with whomever they meet? No. Sometimes the Chinese abroad reach out their hands too often to be polite. It is really very impolite to give your hand when the other party, especially when it is a woman, shows little interest in shaking hands with you and when the meeting does not mean anything to him or-her. Even if, for politeness, he holds out his unwilling hand in answer to your uninvited hand, just touch it slightly- There is generally a misunderstanding （误解） among the Chinese that westerners are usually open
and straighforward, while the Chinese are rather reserved （保守的） in manner. But in fact some people in western countries more reserved than some Chinese today. So it is a good idea to shake hands with a westerner only when he shows interest in further relations with you.In the old days in Europe, people put out their unarmed hands to each other ______.
| A．to make a deal | B．to greet each other |
| C．to show friendliness | D．to reach an agreement |
The first paragraph mainly tells us ______.
| A．where handshaking was first practised |
| B．how handshaking came about |
| C．about the relationship between handshaking and trade |
| D．about the practice of handshaking both in Europe and in China |
According to the text. which of the following statements is true?
| A．Westerners are more reserved than the Chinese. |
| B．Westerners are unwilling to shake hands. |
| C．We should make a judgment before shaking hands. |
| D．We shouldn’t shake hands with European women. |
The main purpose of the text is ______.
| A．to tell us some differences between the East and the West |
| B．to offer us some important facts about handshaking |
| C．to introduce us to some different customs in the West |
| D．to give us some advice before we travel abroad |
Collections were the inspiration（灵感） for a project at Thomas Tallis School, which formed part of the Imagine Children's Literature Festival last autumn. Each child （aged 12-13） beatified a box and wrote a story on the subject of collections to throw inside it. The boxes were spread within the Royal Festival Hall's Ballroom. Some were left empty to encourage
The subject chosen by Luren was an imaginative one. "It's a sort o f Cinderella （灰姑娘） story," she told me, inspired by a collection of letters from her cousin, ha the story these become love letters, burned by a creel stepmother. Lauren's best friend Charlotte is the stepmother. "I'm in Charlotte's story too," says Lauren, "and I get run over." Charlotte's tale was inspired by the girls' coin collection. "We've collected foreign coins for years - since our families went on holiday to Tenerife." she explains. "That was before the Euro, so we put pesetas in." Lauren continues: "I fred a coin in the road, go to get it and get run over. I'm in hospital and then I die." Charlotte adds: "Or she might not die. I haven't decided yet."
Millie Murray, who is a tea-novel author, thinks that setting the subject of collections was a useful inspiration to their creativity rather than a restriction（限制）。 "In the beginning I thought, 'Will the children be able to do it?'" she says. "But it's been fruitful. Some have their own collection, some have parents who do, and some have wlstten complete stories. It's made them think about something they wouldn't have otherwise, winch can only be a good thing."What were the children asked to do in the project?
| A．To meet friends at Thomas Tallis School |
| B．To write stories on the subject of collections. |
| C．To encourage visitors to write their own stories. |
| D．To have their friends for characters in the stories. |
The underlined word "pesetas" in Paragraph 2 is a kind of _____.
| A．story | B．collection | C．inspiration | D．foreign coin |
From the stories by Lauren and Charlotte, we know that _____ .
| A．Charlotte hurt herself when getting a coin |
| B．both of them developed their imagination |
| C．both of tram will die in each other's stories |
| D．Latwen's cousin posted her some love letters |
Millie Murray thinks ________.
| A．collections could inspire writing creativity |
| B．it was good for parents to have collections |
| C．inspirations were very useful in writing stories |
| D．setting collection subjects restricted inspirations |
A Frenchman went to a small Italian town and was staying with his wife at the best hotel there. One night, he went out for a walk alone. It was late and the small street was dark and quiet. Suddenly he felt someone behind him. He turned his head and saw an Italian young man who quickly walked past him. The man was nearly out of sight when the Frenchman suddenly found that his watch was gone. He thought that it must be the Italian who had taken his watch. He decided to follow him and get back the watch.
Soon the Frenchman caught up with the Italian. Neither of them understood the other’s language. The Frenchman frightened the Italian with his fist(拳头) and pointed at the Italian’s watch. In the end the Italian gave up his watch to the Frenchman.
When he returned to the hotel, the Frenchman told his wife what had happened. He was greatly surprised when his wife pointed to the watch on the table. Now he realized that by mistake he had robbed the watch and it was the Italian’s.The Frenchman went to a small Italian town _______.
| A．alone | B．with his wife | C．with his friend | D．with an Italian |
The Italian gave up his watch to him at last because ________.
| A．he had stolen the watch from the Frenchman |
| B．he understood what the Frenchman wanted |
| C．he had picked up the watch on his way from work |
| D．he was afraid of the Frenchman |
Who was robbed of the watch in fact?
| A．The Frenchman was. | B．The Italian was. |
| C．Both of them were. | D．Neither of them was. |
Hurricane(飓风) reached the northeastern United States today and caused death and destruction everywhere. The killer storm carried winds of 135 miles per hour. The high winds and heavy rains created extremely dangerous waves. It is not yet known how many people died or were hurt in this storm, but it is said that the numbers will be very high.
With the arrival of the tornado season, the National Weather Service is again telling people how to protect themselves from these deadly storms. The winds from tornadoes are the most violent winds on earth. They can blow up to 400 miles per hour. A tornado looks like a funnel(漏斗). It is also very loud. It may sound like a train coming at you. In fact, the winds from a tornado can pick up a train and throw it around. If a tornado is seen in your area, it is very important that you protect yourself. A basement (地下室) is the safest place to go. Try to wait under a table in the basement. Stay away from windows. If you are outside or in your car, try to find a narrow place to hide.
As the area tries to deal with the worst flood of the century, there are many heartwarming stories of people helping other people. From all over the world people have sent food and clothes to help the thousands who have had to leave their homes. Many volunteers have come to help to make sandbags and use them to build walls against the overflowing river. While the result of this disaster will be terrible for many, it is beautiful to see people coming together to help others and save lives.What does the underlined word “tornado” mean?
| A．台风 | B．龙卷风 | C．洪水 | D．冰雹 |
Which of the following is WRONG about tornados?
| A．They look like a funnel. |
| B．They come regularly every year. |
| C．They are the most violent winds on Earth. |
| D．They carry winds of 135 km per hour. |
According to the passage, a person who sees a tornado in his area had better NOT ______.
| A．drive his car away as fast as possible |
| B．go to the basement and wait under a table |
| C．find a narrow place to hide |
| D．stay away from windows |
We can learn from the passages that ______.
| A．nobody tried to help the local people |
| B．hurricane damaged the northwestern coast of US |
| C．when there is flooding, sandbags can be made and used to build walls |
| D．people are often taught how to protect themselves from snowstorms |