IfyouliveinAmericainthe21stcen-优题课

★The regular use of text messages and e-mails can lower the IQ more than twice as much as smoking marijuana(大麻). Psychologists say that sending/receiving messages or looking through the many menu options your mobile phone has, lowers a person’s IQ by almost 10 points. British researchers have named this situation “infomania”. Instead of fixed on what they are doing, people’s minds are constantly focused on reacting to the technology surrounding them. This means they don’t pay full attention to the work they are paid to do. The report also added that the brain can not do so many things at once. If you try to do too many things, mistakes begin to occur. And while modern technology can have huge benefits, too much use can be damaging not only to a person’s mind, but to their social life.
★The more televisions 4-year-old children watch, the more likely they are to become bullies later on in school, a newest U.S. study said. At the same time, children whose parents read to them, take them on outings and just generally pay attention to them are less likely to become bullies, said the report from the University of Washington. Researchers also found gaps in learning and understanding such things as social skills early in life makes it more difficult for children to relate with other children. Watching violence on television leads to aggressive behavior.
★You could soon be able to add your favorite perfume to your e-mails. UK net provider Telewest Broadband is testing a system to let people send e-mails over the Internet with sweet smell. It has developed a kind of hi-tech air freshener that plugs into a PC and sprays a smell linked to the message. Telewest says it could be used by supermarkets to attract people with the smell of fresh bread or by holiday companies seeking to stir up images of sun-kissed beachers.
.
What does “infomania” refer to according to the first part of the text?

A．A situation in which a person uses his mobile phone too much.

B．A situation in which a person has his IQ lowered using his mobile phone.

C．A situation in which a person performs badly at work..

D．A situation in which a person lowers his IQ using his mobile phone improperly.

.
According to the second part of the text, _____ are less likely to become bullies.

A．children whose parents care about them

B．children whose parents give them more freedom

C．children whose parents direct them over watching TV

D．children whose parents stop them watching TV

.
The children who watch TV frequently will not ______.

A．be aggressive

B．be likely to become bullies

C．have difficulty in communicating with other children

D．understand socially skills as easily

.
The new system provided by Telewest Broadband can _____.

A．be used as a kind of air freshener

B．make people have imagination of sun kissed beachers

C．make people smell fresh bread

D．make e-mails smelly over the Internet

BEIJING (Associated Press 美联社) —China has a growing middle class, a tradition of expecting education and 21 million new babies every year. Selling educational toys should be easy.
While China may be the world’s biggest toy-maker, many of the best are exported. Department stores here do not have enough high quality toys. It is said that the demand for educational toys is low.
A US company, BabyCare, is trying to change that with a new way to sell toys in China.
BabyCare works basically together with doctors in Beijing hospitals. People who join the company’s "mother club" can get lectures and newsletters on baby and child development at no extra cost, if they agree to spend 18 dollars a month on the company’s educational toys and child-care books.
"We want to build a seven-year relationship with those people," said Matthew J. Estes, BabyCare’s president. "It starts during pregnancy, when the anxiety and needs are highest." BabyCare works on a one-to-one basis. Doctors, nurses, and teachers paid by BabyCare advise parents, explain toys that a re de signed for children at each stage of development to age six.
BabyCare opened its first store in China last June in a shopping center in central Beijing and another near Beijing Zoo. It plans to have 80 stores in China within six years.
It is a new model for China and develops a market in young children’s education and health that no other companies are in.
.
What do the first two paragraphs mainly tell us?

A．Educational toys and foreign toy markets.

B．Problems with China’s toy market and education.

C．Reason s for pushing sales of educational toys in China.

D．Baby population and various kinds of toys made in China.

.
Which of the following is a fact according to the passage?

A．Club members buy BabyCare products for free child-care advice.

B．Doctors in Beijing help in making BabyCare products.

C．Parents are encouraged to pay $ 18 for club act ivities.

D．BabyCare trains Chinese doctors at no extra cost.

.
BabyCare is developing its business in China by________.

A．opening stores in Beijing hospitals

B．offering 18-month courses on child-care

C．setting up children’s education centers

D．forming close relationships with parents

.
Which of the following would be the most suitable title for the passage?

A．Mother Club in China	B．BabyCare and Doctors
C．American Company Model	D．BabyCare’s Educational Toys in China

When I was struggling with cancer a few years ago, my wife and I formed our own "couple caution circle". Anytime a doctor came with news of my progress, my wife would give me a big hug. The reports were seldom good during the early stages of my illness, and one day a doctor brought particularly frightening news. Staring at my reports, he said in a low voice, “It doesn't look like you're going to make it.”
Before I could ask him a question, my wife stood up, handed me my clothes, adjusted the tubes fastened to my body and said, “Let’s get out of here. This man is a risk to your health.” As she helped me struggle to the door, the doctor came near us. “Stay back,” demanded my wife. “Stay away from us.”
As we walked together down the hall, the doctor attempted to catch up with us “Keep going,” said my wife, pushing the intravenous（静脉注射的）stand. “We’re going to talk to someone who really knows what is going on. Then she held up her hand to the doctor. “Don't come any closer to us.”
The two of us moved as one. We escaped to the safety and hope of a doctor who did not confuse diagnosis with conclusion. I could never have made that walk toward wellness alone.
.
From the passage we know__________.

A．hearing that her husband was not going to make it, the wife went out of her mind

B．the wife's decision in crisis contributed to the husband’s wellness

C．the husband was diagnosed with cancer by mistake

D．the husband became weaker and weaker as a result of the treatment conducted by the doctor

.
What's the author's feeling when writing the passage?

A．Angry.

B．Thankful.

C．Excited.

D．Sad.

.
What can be inferred from the passage?

A．The wife was a woman hard to get along with.

B．The doctor was a dangerous man.

C．The wife loved her husband very much.

D．The husband was a man who believed everything would be OK.

.
What would be the best title for the passage?

A．A Happy Couple in Crisis	B．Struggle with Cancer
C．In Crisis, Become As One	D．Don't Believe the Doctor

In the eyes of dog lovers, the dog is man’s best friend. But for much wildlife, loose dogs may be a dangerous enemy, according to a study by a biologist from Utah State University in the US.
Based on much existing research and their own case studies, Julie Young of Utah State University and four other scientists conclude that loose dogs may represent a huge danger to wildlife, especially endangered species, by hunting down or worrying them and by spreading diseases. They also found that dogs, their worldwide numbers around 500 million, can cause more damage to wildlife and livestock(牲畜) than wolves and other enemies of these animals.
Young gave examples from the US state of Idaho, where research showed the presence of dogs reducing some deer populations. On the Navajo American Indians’ reservation in northeastern Arizona, packs of loose dogs are chasing livestock. They have killed populations of small animals such as rabbits and act as a disease carrier for rabies(狂犬病) among people and other animals, she said. Loose dogs also were to blame for distemper outbreak leading to a die-off of endangered black-footed ferrets in northwestern Wyoming in the 1980s.
The phenomenon is not just limited to US; it’s a global problen. Julie Young once studied three endangered species in central Asia: wild sheep, gazelles and antelope. The rate of injury and death to these animals by loose dogs was very high. In another case, Young found that dogs, not wolves, as originally suspected, were responsible for a large number of livestock killings in the mountainous Basque country between Spain and France.
Authors of the new study said the problem is likely to worsen as communities expand. Then how to deal with it?
Indeed, in many countries, leash(拴狗的皮带) laws permit punishment of dog owners whose pets chase wildlife. But lawbreakers are rarely punished because the police lack both people and money.
Young has low-cost solutions to the problem for dog lovers, though. They include public dog-training programs and vaccinating (预防接种) dogs against rabies and other illnesses.
. What is the main point of Julie Young’s study?

A．Many species are endangered because they are killed by loose dogs.

B．Wild dogs are immune to many diseases.

C．Wolves are still the greatest enemy of livestock.

D．Loose dogs pose a great danger to wildlife.

. Which of the following statements about loose dogs is TRUE according to the research?

A．There are around 500 million loose dogs around the world.

B．The black-footed ferrets in northwestern Wyoming were once the main food source of local loose dogs.

C．The problem caused by loose dogs is the most serious in the US.

D．People used to think that wolves, rather than loose dogs killed livestock in the Basque country.

. Which of the following is among Julie Young’s solutions to the trouble caused by loose dogs?

A．More strict leash laws

B．Public dog-training programs.

C．Vaccinating people against rabies and other illnesses.

D．More support from the police.

. What is the main point of the article?

A．A global disaster caused by loose dogs.

B．What makes the dog man’s greatest friend.

C．The problem of loose dogs and the possible solutions.

D．The danger of the increasing numbers of dogs.

I was working with a client who was completely burned out on her career and life and then ready for a career change. As we were talking, she said, “I just wish I had meaningful work. I don’t feel like I am making a difference. I am just wasting my life.” This is the theme I hear most often from clients who have been in the workforce awhile.All of us want to feel like we are making a difference. We want to believe our work means something. The problem comes in defining “meaningful work”. What is it? That answer is different for everyone. For some meaningful work might be helping others organize their office. For others it may mean making a million dollars.
What really matters is how you see it. What is meaningful work to you? Take out a piece of paper and answer these questions. How do you define meaningful work? When do you feel like you are really making a difference? What work have you done so far that feels the most meaningful? Write down whatever comes to mind.
What you want to do is meaningful. It is very easy to start judging yourself as being selfish. Stop! Allow yourself to be honest. The fact is when Picasso painted; he was doing it because he liked to paint. He was not thinking, “Oh, I hope this brings joy to others’ lives.” He painted because he wanted to. When Beethoven composed, he did it because he loved music. Even scientists searching for a cure for cancer are immersed in their work because it fascinates them.
Don’t look down on your work. It is easy to downplay the importance of work that feels meaningful. I remember Tony Robbins told a story of talking with the owner of a major company. The man said to Tony, “I wish I could do what you do because it makes such adifference in people’s lives”. Tony said, “You have got to be kidding! Look at what adifference you make. You provide work, health insurance and security for thousands ofpeople!” Don’t underestimate the value you provide.
Take a look at what you have written about meaningful work. Do you see any themes? How do you wish to contribute to this world? Whatever you choose, remember that the greatest gift you can give is to find work that makes you feel fulfilled and delighted. Respect your preference because giving your gifts to the world, whatever they look like, is the most meaningful action you can ever take.
. What does the writer mean by mentioning the famous people?

A．Famous people are selfish to start work for themselves.

B．Doing meaningful work requires our interest in it.

C．Interest is the best teacher in learning.

D．Honesty makes for the greatest people.

. When you downplay the value of your work, you tend to think it is ______.

A．quite different

B．very successful

C．not meaningful

D．less important

.According to the passage, what meaningful job does the writer advise us to take?

A．The one which is popular in society.

B．The one which brings you profits.

C．The one which wins you fame.

D．The one which interests you.

. The article is intended to ________.

A．explain what is the most important in changing one’s job

B．advise taking an immediate action to find meaningful work

C．suggest we should show confidence and talent in work

D．tell us the problem that the author’s client met