Television will turn 86 years old on September 7, 2013, and it has never looked better. In its youth, television was a piece of furniture with a tiny, round screen showing unclear pictures of lowbudget programs. In spite of its shortcomings, it became well-received. Between 1950 and 1963, the number of American families with a television jumped from 9% to 92% of the population.
As the audience got larger, the technology got better. Television sets became more reliable through the 1960s. Both of the reception and the picture improved. The major networks started broadcasting programs in color.
Even greater improvements were coming according to Sanford Brown, who wrote an article for the Post in 1967. Surprisingly, just about every prediction he made in the article became a reality. For example: All sets in the notdistant future will be color instruments. He also predicted that TV sets would become smaller, simpler, more reliable and less expensive and may forever put the TV repairman out of work. Smaller sets do not, of course, mean smaller screens. TV engineers expect screens to get much bigger. However, today's 3D TV is even farther away, if it's coming at all. There is some doubt whether the public would be eager to pay for it, in view of people's cold reception given to 3D movies.
But the technology with the greatest potential, according to Brown, was cable television (有线电视), which was still in its early stages then. As he predicted, the future of cable television was highly interactive. It wasn't cable television that gave Americans their electronic connection to the world, however. It was the Internet. He even foresaw the future office: using picture phones, bigscreen televisions for conferences, and computers providing information, at the touch of a button.
Brown ever said, “The future of television is no longer a question of what we can invent. It's a question of what we want.”What can we infer about television sets in the 1960s?
| A．They were very popular with Americans. |
| B．Their appearance remained unchangeable. |
| C．They showed blackandwhite pictures. |
| D．Their pictures were of poor quality. |
Which of the followings did Sanford Brown fail to predict?
| A．Television's good quality. |
| B．The invention of 3D TV. |
| C．The more functions of TV. |
| D．The potential of cable TV. |
From the passage we know _________.
| A．TV will certainly take the place of computers |
| B．There won’t be further improvement on TV |
| C．TV repairmen will be out of work in the future |
| D．3D movies don’t appeal to people very much |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．The shortcomings of television. |
| B．The advantages of television. |
| C．The development of television. |
| D．The invention of television. |
We lived in a very quiet neighborhood. One evening I heard a loud crash in the street. Earlier that evening my wife had asked me to go to the store to get some soft drinks. It seemed like this would be a good time to let my teenage daughter Holly practice her driving, so I sent her to the store in my truck. At dinner my son talked about how much he liked my truck. I enjoyed having it, but I said, "Guy, my heart is not set on that truck. I like it but it is just metal and won't last forever. Never set your heart on anything that won't last." After hearing the loud noise, the whole family ran outside. My son shouted, "Dad! Dad! Holly crashed your truck."
My heart sank and my mind was flooded with conflicting thoughts. Was anyone hurt? Who else was involved? As I ran to the door, I heard a voice in my heart say, "Here is a chance to show Holly what you really love. She'll never forget it."
The accident had occurred in my own driveway. Holly had crashed my truck into our other vehicle, the family van. In her inexperience, she had confused the brakes and the gas pedal (油门). Holly was unhurt physically but when reached her, she was crying and saying, “Oh, Dad, I'm sorry. I know how much you love this truck." I held her in my arms as she cried.
Later that week a friend dropped by and asked what had happened to my truck. I told her the whole story. Her eyes moistened（润湿） and she said, "That happened to me when I was a girl. I borrowed my dad's car and ran into a log that had fallen across the road. I ruined the car. When I got home, my dad knocked me to the ground and began to kick me."
Over 40 years later, she still felt the pain of the night. It was a deep wound on her soul. I remember how sad Holly was on the night she crashed our truck, and how I comforted her. One day, when Holly thinks back on her life, I want her to know that I love her a thousand times more than any piece of property. I repaired the van, but the dent (凹陷） in my truck is still there today. Every day it reminds me of what really matters in my life.What caused the crash?
| A．The brakes weren't working. |
| B．Holly stepped on the gas pedal instead of the brakes. |
| C．Holly was drinking a soft drink while driving. |
| D．The car got a fiat tire and Holly lost control. |
What happened to the author's friend after she ruined her dad's car?
| A．She suffered physical pain for a long time. |
| B．She lost the courage to drive. |
| C．Her father kicked her out of the house. |
| D．Her father was violent towards her. |
Which of the following descriptions is true according to the passage?
| A．When the author first learned about the crash, he regretted sending his daughter to the store. |
| B．The author allowed his daughter to use his truck because his son was too young to drive. |
| C．When the author saw the crash, he was sorry for the damage to his beloved car. |
| D．By comforting his daughter, the author showed how much more he loved her than his truck. |
What does the underlined sentence imply?
| A．The wound recovered after 40 years. |
| B．Her soul was deeply hurt. |
| C．The hurt caused by her father affected her all the time. |
| D．Parents shouldn't beat their children. |
The main idea of the story is that ______.
| A．love is more important than possessions |
| B．parents should never let a teenager drive |
| C．there is no point blaming someone after an accident |
| D．we should always forgive others' mistakes |
Near the village, there is an old famous temple. Some people want to build new houses where the temple now stands, because they can find no other area to build them, while others disagree with them. They meet to decide how to solve the problem. Here are their opinions about it.
The expert wants to protect the temple and believes that there are some interesting things buried in the ground. If it is destroyed or moved, people may never learn about how people lived in the past.
The businessman thinks that the houses should be built. History is important, but we must think about the future. The village needs development and building new houses will offer jobs to hundreds of people.
Villager A says, “We should build the new houses because we need houses to live in.”
Villager B says, “We should protect the temple because it can attract many tourists to come for a visit. If the temple is destroyed or moved, we will lose a lot of business.”
The village leader thinks that he has a duty to make life better for the villagers. They need jobs and new houses. He also thinks the cultural site (遗迹) is important and they should be careful with it as well.The expert doesn’t want to _______ the old famous temple.
| A．rebuild | B．protect | C．pull down | D．fall down |
The businessman thinks building houses there can _______.
| A．help the village develop |
| B．attract many tourists to come for a visit |
| C．help people learn about how people lived in the past |
| D．help people learn about the interesting things buried in the ground |
_______ agree that they should build new houses there.
| A．The expert and the village leader |
| B．The businessman and Villager |
| C．Villager A and Villager |
| D．Villager B and the businessman |
The village leader thinks _______.
| A．they should destroy the temple |
| B．they needn’t build new houses |
| C．They should build the temple to make life better |
| D．they should not only build new houses but also be careful with the temple |
According to the passage, which of the following is RIGHT?
| A．It’s difficult to satisfy everyone. |
| B．The cultural site is not so important. |
| C．It’s easy to make a decision on the problem. |
| D．The villagers will lose their jobs with the development of their hometown |
For the British, the home is a private place in which he or she goes to hide away from the troubles of life. It is very seldom that one would be invited to a British person’s home. It is rude to knock on a person’s door if you are not invited. If you are invited, don’t ask to see more than the downstairs that your British host invites you into. Never ask how much the house or any of the items in it cost.
To the American, most of them want their home to be a place where they can entertain (款待) and share their lives with their friends. They may be delighted to give you a full tour of their houses. They may also be pleased when you show your interest and pleasure in their houses.
Both British and American people will engage in quite a bit of chat and a drink or two before the meal is served. After the first mouthful, you should say how delicious the food is and ask something about it. Remember, never eat with your mouth open and make very little noise while eating. It would be nice of you to help your host in any way. Maybe offer to pour some drinks or clear up after the meal.British people _______ invite friends to their home.
| A．often | B．always | C．seldom | D．never |
If your British friend invites you to his home, you can ____.
| A．see anything you like |
| B．ask how much his house is |
| C．ask the cost of any of the items in it |
| D．only see the downstairs that you are invited into |
When you show your interest and pleasure in American people’s house, they may be _____.
| A．angry | B．happy | C．sad | D．worried |
What does the underlined “engage in” mean in Chinese?
| A．陷入 | B．参与 | C．回避 | D．限制 |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Some manners on visiting British and American people’s home. |
| B．Different table manners between British and American people. |
| C．Different ideas about the home between British and American people |
| D．Different ideas about how to get along well with neighbors between British and American people. |
How to Get What I Want?
There’s an expression: “What you see is what you get.” My grandfather used to say: “If you looked at a tree long enough, it will move.” We see what we want to see. Psychologists tell us that nothing controls our lives more than our self-image. We live like the person we see in the mirror. We are what we think we are. If you don’t think you’ll be successful, you won’t. You can’t be it if you can’t see it. Your life is limited to your vision. If you want to change your life, you must change your vision of your life.
Arnold Schwarzenegger was not that famous in 1976 when he met with a newspaper reporter. The reporter asked Schwarzenegger: “Now that you’ve retired from bodybuilding, what do you plan to do next?” Schwarzenegger answered very calmly and confidently: “I’m going to be the No. 1 movie star in Hollywood.” The reporter was shocked and amused at Schwarzenegger’s plan. At that time, it was very hard to imagine how this muscle-bound bodybuilder, who was not a professional actor and who spoke poor English with a strong Austrian accent, could ever hope to be Hollywood’s No. 1 movie star!
So when the reporter asked Schwarzenegger how he planned to make his dream come true, Schwarzenegger said: “I’ll do it the same way I became the No. 1 bodybuilder in the world. What I do was create a vision of who I want to be, and then I start living like that person in my mind as if it were already true.” Sounds almost childishly simple, doesn’t it? But I worked! Schwarzenegger became the No. 1 highest paid movie star in Hollywood. Remember: “If you can see it, you can be it.”
There’s a successful businessman who often wears a shirt with these words on it: “Don’t just pursue your dreams. Chase down and tackle! ” you only get one life to live, so why not live the best life possible? So you can be fully satisfied at what you see and get.What did Arnold Schwarzenegger do before he became a Hollywood star?
| A．He worked for a newspaper. |
| B．He was a man working on bodybuilding. |
| C．He worked in a small film company. |
| D．He was a businessman. |
Why was it hard for the reporter to believe that Schwarzenegger would become a star one day?
| A．Because he was not famous. |
| B．Because he was not professional and spoke poor English. |
| C．Because he was good at nothing except bodybuilding. |
| D．Because he only spoke English fluently. |
What did Schwarzenegger plan to do to make his Hollywood star dream come true?
| A．He continued to build his body. |
| B．He went to make more movies. |
| C．He lived a life like a movie star. |
| D．He tried his best to meet the movie directors. |
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 mean?
| A．Have a dream and make it come true. |
| B．Stop your dream and find realistic things to do. |
| C．You can just daydream alone. |
| D．There’s nothing to do in the world but dream. |
Scientists know of more than 1,000 volcanoes on the surface of Venus, Earth’s “sister” planet. A big question has been: Are they still active? The scientists say yes.
Their evidence for recent volcanic activity on Venus comes from a lava(熔岩) flow in the planet’s northern hemisphere. The flow is hotter than the rocks around, which means the lava might still be cooling off. “The flow we studied seems to be very young---it is still warm inside,” Nataliya Bondarenko said.
Venus is a difficult planet to study from Earth because it is surrounded by thick clouds. Telescopes on Earth can’t see through these clouds, so the best information about Venus comes from spacecraft orbiting it.
Bondarenko and her colleagues studied the lava flow using data from NASA’s Magellan mission. That spacecraft spent four years in orbit around Venus and used radar to make a map of 98 percent of the planet’s surface. On October 11th, 1994, the mission ended, and the spacecraft plunged (跌落) through Venus’ heavy cloud cover and crashed onto the planet below.
While in orbit, the Magellan craft sent microwaves, which can go through Venus’ clouds, to the surface. Microwaves are invisible and can be as long as three feet. These waves are a kind of energy, like light. And like light, they bounce off surfaces. The way the waves bounced off the Venus’ surface and back to the craft supplied information that the scientists used to estimate the temperature of various parts of the planet’s surface. Bondarenko’s team found that the lava flow was hotter than its surroundings---which may mean the lava flow is in the process of cooling.
The scientists say the lava flow can’t be very old because if it were, it would have cooled off enough that Magellan wouldn’t have noticed the difference in microwaves. She adds that the flow appears in a 1978 view of the surface that a craft called the Pioneer Venus Orbiter captured.What happened to Magellan in the end?
| A．It was floating in space forever. |
| B．It flew into heavy clouds. |
| C．It returned to the Earth. |
| D．It fell onto Venus. |
How could Bondarenko judge the temperature of the Venus?
| A．By looking at it with a powerful telescope. |
| B．By measuring the thickness of clouds over Venus. |
| C．By calculating the microwave bouncing off Venus’s surface. |
| D．By orbiting Venus for 4 years in a spacecraft. |
The best title for the passage may be “______ ”.
| A．Warm lava on Venus |
| B．More volcanic eruptions on Venus |
| C．Venus is just like a big active volcano |
| D．Lava flows are first found on Venus |