It was late in the afternoon, and I was putting the final touch on a piece of writing that I was feeling pretty good about. I wanted to save it, but my cursor(光标) had frozen. I tried to shut the computer down, and it seized up altogether. Unsure of what else to do, I yanked (用力猛拉) the battery out.
Unfortunately, Windows had been in the midst of a crucial(紧要关头) undertaking. The next morning, when I turned my computer back on, it informed me that a file had been corrupted and Windows would not load. Then, it offered to repair itself by using the Windows Setup CD.
I opened the special drawer where I keep CDs. But no Windows CD in there. I was forced to call the computer company's Global Support Centre. My call was answered by a woman in some unnamed, far-off land. I find it annoying to make small talk with someone when I don't know what continent they're standing on. Suppose I were to comment on the beautiful weather we've been having when there was a monsoon(季风) at the other end of the phone? So I got right to the point.
"My computer is telling me a file is corrupted and it wants to fix itself, but I don't have the Windows Setup CD."
"So you're having a problem with your Windows Setup CD." She has apparently been dozing and, having come to just as the sentence ended, was attempting to cover for her inattention.
It quickly became clear that the woman was not a computer technician. Her job was to serve as a gatekeeper. Her only duty, as far as I could tell, was to raise global stress levels.
To make me disappear, the woman gave me the phone number for Windows' creator, Microsoft. This is like giving someone the phone number for, I don't know, North America. Besides, the CD worked; I just didn't have it. No matter how many times I repeated my story, we came back to the same place. She was calm and polite.
When my voice hit a certain decibel (分贝), I was passed along, like a hot, irritable potato, to a technician.
"You don't have the Windows Setup CD, ma'am, because you don't need it," he explained cheerfully.
"Windows came preinstalled on your computer!"
"But I do need it."
"Yes, but you don't have it." We went on like this for a while. Finally, he offered to walk me through the use of a different CD, one that would erase my entire system. "Of course, you'd lose all your e-mail, your documents, your photos." It was like offering to drop a safe on my head to cure my headache. "You might be able to recover them, but it would be expensive." He sounded delighted. "And it's not covered by the warranty (产品保证书)!" The safe began to seem like a good idea, provided it was full.
I hung up the phone and drove my computer to a small, friendly repair place I'd heard about. A smart, helpful man dug out a Windows CD and told me it wouldn't be a problem. An hour later, he called to let me know it was ready. I thanked him, and we chatted about the weather, which was the same outside my window as it was outside his.Why did the author shut down her computer abruptly?
| A.She had saved what she had written. |
| B.She couldn't move the cursor. |
| C.The computer refused to work. |
| D.The computer offered to repair itself. |
Which of the following is the author's opinion about the woman at the Global Support Centre?
| A.She sounded helpful and knowledgeable. |
| B.She was there to make callers frustrated. |
| C.She was able to solve her computer problem. |
| D.She was quick to pass her along to a technician. |
According to the passage, the solution offered by the technician was_________________.
| A.effective | B.economical | C.unpractical | D.unsatisfied |
"It was like offering to drop a safe on my head to cure my headache" in the last but one paragraph means that_____________________.
| A.the technician's proposal would make things even worse |
| B.the technician's proposal could eventually solve the problem |
| C.files stored on her computer were like a safe |
| D.erasing the entire system was like curing a headache |
It can be inferred from the passage that the differences between the Global Support Centre and the local repair shop lie in all the followings except ________________.
| A.efficiency | B.location | C.setup CDs | D.attitude |
Most of us know about the Nobel Prize, especially the Nobel Peace Prize, but few of us know anything about the man who set them up. His name was Alfred Nobel. He was a great scientist and inventor himself. Besides, he had a big business. His business may surprise you. He made and sold explosives(炸药). His companies even made and sold weapons. Isn’t this something that surprises you? The man who made money from weapons should set up the Peace Prize?
Though Alfred Nobel had a lot of money from weapons, he hated war. He hoped that there would be no war in the world. He was one of the richest in Europe. When he died in 1896, he left behind him a lot of money and his famous will. According to his will, most of his money was placed in a fund(基金). He wanted the interest(利润) from the fund to be used as prizes every year. We know them as the Nobel Prizes. The Nobel Prizes are international. Alfred Nobel wanted the winners to be chosen for their work, not the country they came from.
Alfred Nobel had given his whole life to his studies and work and to the benefits of mankind. He made money all by his own efforts, but he left the world share his wealth. His inventions and wealth stay with the world for ever.Alfred Nobel did the following EXCEPT ______________
| A.choosing the winners of Nobel Prize |
| B.making and selling weapons |
| C.setting up the Nobel Prize |
| D.making and selling explosives |
Nobel wanted to set up the Nobel Peace Prize because _____.
| A.he made enough money |
| B.he hated war |
| C.he wanted to get more interest from the fund |
| D.he liked to live in a peaceful world |
Nobel Prizes come from _____.
| A.all Nobel’s money in the fund |
| B.all Nobel’s money in his company |
| C.all the interest from the fund |
| D.some of the interest in the fund |
Nobel was a (an) _____ person in the world.
| A.interesting | B.unselfish | C.kind-hearted | D.richest |
Which statement of the following is Right according to the passage?
| A.Nobel set up his company to sell clothes. |
| B.Most of Nobel’s money was used for the world wars. |
| C.Nobel Prizes are only for some people from some special countries. |
| D.Nobel worked hard in his life and saved lots of money for the world to share. |
A group of people asked this question to a group of 4-to-8-year-old children. “What does love mean?” The answers were surprising. The children would answer like they did below.
“When my grandmother hurt her knees (膝盖), she couldn’t bent (弯腰) over and paint her toenails (脚指甲) any more. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands hurt too. That’s love.”
Rebecca–age 8
“Love is when someone hurts you. And you get so mad but you don’t shout at them because you know it would hurt her feelings.”
Samantha–age 6
“Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.”
Terri–age 4
“I let my big sister pick on (捉弄) me because my mum says she only picks on me because she loves me. So I pick on my baby sister because I love her.”
Bethany–age 4
“I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new clothes.”
Lauren–age 4
“Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.”
Elaine–age 5
“My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.”
Clear–age 5
“You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.”
Jessica–age 8The passage mainly tells us about ______.
| A.what “life” means to children |
| B.what “family” means to children |
| C.what “friends” means to children |
| D.what “love” means to children |
Who told us the love between mum and dad?
| A.Clear. | B.Elaine. | C.Rebecca. | D.Lauren. |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A.Rebecca’s grandmother ever couldn’t bend over. |
| B.Bethany is willing to be picked on by any other person. |
| C.If Samantha becomes angry, she will not shout at others. |
| D.Lauren prefers to wear her sister’s old clothes. |
What does Jessica mean about love?
| A.Too much love is no love. |
| B.You should say love more often. |
| C.You mean what you think. |
| D.Say love more often if you have it. |
What is love according to Terri?
| A.Love is the care between husband and wife. |
| B.Love is a rest when you are tired. |
| C.Love is what cheers you up when you are tired. |
| D.Love is a kiss from parents. |
A teacher stood in front of his history class of twenty students just before handing out the final exam. His students sat quietly and waited for him to speak.
“It’s been a pleasure teaching you this term,” he said. “You’ve all worked very hard, so I have a pleasant surprise for you. Everyone who chooses not to take the final exam will get a ‘B’ for the course.”
Most of the students jumped out of their seats. They thanked the teacher happily, and walked out of the classroom. Only a few students stayed. The teacher looked at them. “This is your last chance,” he said. “Does anyone else want to leave?” All the students there stayed in their seats and took out their pencils.
The teacher smiled. “Congratulations (祝贺),” he said. “I’m glad to see you believe in yourselves. You all get A’s.”This story most probably took place.
| A.at the beginning of the term |
| B.in the middle of the term |
| C.at the end of the term |
| D.at the beginning of the school year |
Most of the students got Grade ______.
| A.‘A’ | B.‘B’ | C.‘C’ | D.‘F’ |
Why did some students stay in their seats?
| A.Because they wanted to take the exam. |
| B.Because the teacher told them to stay in their class. |
| C.Because they were afraid to leave. |
| D.Because they didn’t have anything to do. |
The teacher gave the students who stayed in the classroom A’s because ______.
| A.the teacher liked them |
| B.they were cleverer than the other students |
| C.they believed in themselves |
| D.they studied hard |
The underlined word “them” in Paragraph 3 refers to “______”.
| A.students staying in their seats |
| B.students leaving the classroom |
| C.their seats |
| D.all the students |
Spring is coming, spring is coming,
Birdies, build your nest;
Weave (编织) together straw and feather,
Doing each your best.
Spring is coming, spring is coming,
Flowers are coming too:
Pansies, lilies, daffodillies
Now are coming through.
Spring is coming, spring is coming,
All around is fair,
Shimmer (闪烁) and quiver (轻微颤动) on the river,
Joy is everywhere.
——William BlakeThe poet felt _____ when he was writing the poem.
| A.surprised | B.lonely | C.happy | D.sad |
What does the underlined word “fair” mean?
| A.Pleasant. | B.Noisy. | C.Dirty. | D.Busy. |
Many a online shopper stayed up until 2 am on Sunday, looking through the Internet to buy products being sold at half price before they could be snapped up(be bought)by other shoppers. Tens of millions of the Internet users were crazy to take advantage of the halfprice promotion, started by the ecommerce(电子商务) giant Alibaba Group on Sunday, Nov. 11, which is known as Singles’ Day in China, and is the Chinese answer to Cyber Monday in the United States.
By 7 pm on Sunday, 14.1 billion yuan’s worth of sales was made on tmall. com and taobao. com. That could make Singles’ Day the biggest ecommerce sales day on record. The research company comScore said US online retailers (零售商) saw $ 1.25 billion of sales during last year’s Cyber Monday, the day after Thanksgiving weekend and the busiest day for online retailers as US shoppers start to prepare for Christmas.
Singles’ Day originated with university students, and was later adopted by ecommerce companies as a promotional opportunity. Ecommerce companies, including Jingdong Mall and Amazon China, also took part in the promotion.“ In the past, people only shopped online occasionally, but now, online shopping is a lifestyle accepted by many,” said Zhang Yong, Tmall president.
Alibaba began to hold Singles’ Day promotions in 2009, and last year, its sales totaled 5.2 billion yuan.“I don’t know whether we would lose money, but I don’t think we could earn much on this day by selling goods at half price,” said Hao Hongfeng, chairman of Beijing Jiuxian ECommerce, a liquor retailer in Beijing who took part in the event. He said it is a good opportunity for online retailers to get their names known.Who first introduced Singles’ Day to the public?
| A.Some college students. |
| B.The online shoppers. |
| C.Researchers in comScore. |
| D.The online retailers. |
Why were the online retailers so active in the promotion?
| A.To make their names known to more people. |
| B.To make a lot more money. |
| C.To make more business friends through the event. |
| D.To sell more products. |
What’s the secret behind the success of this promotion?
| A.The quality of the products. |
| B.The fame of the retailers. |
| C.The favorable price. |
| D.The aftersales service. |
Which title do you think is more suitable for this article?
| A.Chinese Shopping Style |
| B.The Origin of Singles’ Day |
| C.Online Purchasing Power |
| D.A Craze for Online Promotion |