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When I was seven my father gave me a Timex, my first watch. I loved it, wore it for years, and haven’t had another one since it stopped ticking a decade ago. Why? Because I don’t need one. I have a mobile phone and I’m always near someone with an iPod or something like that. All these devices(装置)tell the time—which is why, if you look around, you’ll see lots of empty wrists; sales of watches to young adults have been going down since 2007. 
But while the wise have realized that they don’t need them, others—apparently including some distinguished men of our time—are spending total fortunes on them. Brands such as Rolex, Patek Philippe and Breitling command shocking prices, up to £250.000 for a piece.
This is ridiculous. Expensive cars go faster than cheap cars. Expensive clothes hang better than cheap clothes. But these days all watches tell the time as well as all other watches. Expensive watches come with extra functions—but who needs them? How often do you dive to 300 metres into the sea or need to find your direction in the area around the South Pole? So why pay that much of five years’ school fees for watches that allow you to do these things?
If justice were done, the Swiss watch industry should have closed down when the Japanese discovered how to make accurate watches for a five-pound note. Instead the Swiss reinvented the watch, with the aid of millions of pounds’ worth of advertising, as a message about the man wearing it. Rolexes are for those who spend their weekends climbing icy mountains; a Patek Philippe is for one from a rich or noble family; a Breitling suggests you like to pilot planes across the world. 
Watches are now classified as“investments”(投资). A 1994 Philippe recently sold for nearly £350, 000, while the 1960s Rolexes have gone from £15, 000 to £30, 000 plus in a year. But a watch is not an investment. It's a toy for self-satisfaction, a matter of fashion. Prices may keep going up—they’ve been rising for 15 years. But when fashion moves on, the owner of that £350, 000 beauty will suddenly find his pride and joy is no more a good investment than my childhood Timex.
It seems ridiculous to the writer that_______________.

A.people dive 300 meters into the sea
B.expensive clothes sell better than cheap ones
C.cheap cars don’t run as fast as expensive ones
D.expensive watches with unnecessary functions still sell

What can be learned about Swiss watch industry from the passage?

A.It’s hard for the industry to beat its competitors.
B.It targets rich people as its potential customers.
C.It wastes a huge amount of money in advertising.
D.It’s easy for the industry to reinvent cheap watches.

Which would be the best title for the passage?

A.Watches? Not for Me! B.My Childhood Timex
C.Timex or Rolex? D.Watches—a Valuable Collection
科目 英语   题型 阅读理解   难度 中等
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Being green is everywhere these days, whether it is in the school, factory or anywhere on the Internet. This is because our planet is in danger, losing resources, polluting resources and destroying ecosystems(生态系统). Different species are dying because we can’t take care of our home. Now ask yourself why you don’t want a green healthier lifestyle and to save animals. Keep that in mind as you read on.
There are many ways to be green, first of all, everyone should recycle; it’s something easy and helps our planet in many ways. All you’d have to do is put recycling in recycling and garbage in garbage. Another popular thing is to try your best not to drive a car. Sometimes you can just walk, bike, or take a subway. This ensures that our air won’t be polluted, which in turn helps our lungs and everything else on our planet. Next thing is saving energy. We can do this by not using too much heat or air conditioning in summer or winter. It’s not preferable because it’s hard, but you can try and put your washing machine on cold whenever possible and try to keep electronics out of the rubbish. What’s more, remember to stop drinking from plastic bottles because plastic can only be used once and if used many times, it will become unhealthy. So you’d better use a glass or buy a reusable water bottle. The last and most important thing is, spread this news to the world and tell them what’s happening in our world. I’ve only listed a small part of the endless possibilities to save this world. The least you can do is do the simple ones.
What does the underlined word “that” in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A.The importance of being green.
B.The question asked in this paragraph.
C.The present situation of the Earth.
D.The reader’s contribution to the Earth.

How many ways to be green are mentioned in the passage?

A.Two. B.Three.
C.Four. D.Five.

According to the passage, the most important way to be green is to .

A.call on others to protect our Earth
B.recycle what we have used
C.try our best to stop driving cars
D.save as much energy as possible

The passage is intended to .

A.tell us the importance of protecting our Earth
B.Help us to cut down the pollution on our Earth
C.teach us some knowledge about our health today
D.guide us to some ways of protecting our Earth

In ninth grade, I thought Jennifer Fever, the dark-haired girl who sat behind me in classroom, was an alien(外星人). Our class organized an activity to raise money for the library, and in one month, Jennifer read 34 books. I couldn’t believe it. Surely, she was from some faraway planet where creature lived and they didn’t own television sets. How could a human being, a 13-year-old girl, read 34 books in one month?
I had read three books. And by “read”, I mean skimmed. I mean opened and placed them on my lap while watching cartoons.
Who had time to read? In addition to my favorite cartoons, I had a basketball that required playing, a baseball that required throwing, and a volleyball that required volleying. And it wasn’t as if my bike could ride itself.
Besides, reading was boring. And if I wanted to be bored, it would be much easier just to pay attention during Mr. Kearly’s social studies class.
After senior high school, my education had become very narrow: computer engineering, mathematics, physics, and not much else.
Years later, I realized something: I had not memory of ever reading a book for pleasure. But there was a world of knowledge outside science and engineering, and I was tired of being ignorant(无知的)of it, so I decided I would become a reader. I dived into book after book. In short, the bookworm within me had awakened.
Today, I carry a book(if not two or three) with me wherever I go. An hour-long waiting for the bus is not trouble; rather, it’s a chance to enjoy a few chapters of Malcolm Gladwell’s latest works. Sometimes, I wish my waiting was longer.
From the first paragraph, we learn that Jennifer Fever .

A.was an alien B.couldn’t believe me
C.organized an activity D.was my classmate

What used to make the author bored?

A.Watching cartoons.
B.Reading.
C.Playing basketball.
D.Riding her bike.

Which of the following is TURE according to the passage?

A.My education had become very narrow after high school.
B.A 13-year-old girl could also read 34 books in one year.
C.I skimmed my three books while reading in the library.
D.I was still tired of reading during my study in the university.

We can infer from the passage that the author .

A.enjoyed some faraway planet very much
B.felt surprised to study computer engineering
C.loved reading very much after growing up
D.became wise and rich after high school

Feeling blue about the world? “Cheer up,” says science writer Matt Ridley. “The world has never been a better place to live in, and it will keep on getting better both for humans and for nature.”
Ridley calls himself a rational optimist—rational, because he’s carefully weighed the evidence; optimistic, because that evidence shows human progress to be both unavoidable and good. And this is what he’s set out to prove from a unique point of view in his most recent book, The Rational Optimist . He views mankind as grand enterprise that, on the whole, has done little but progress for 100,000 years. He backs his findings with hard facts gathered through years of research.
Here’s how he explains his views.
1)Shopping fuels invention
It is reported that there are more than ten billion different products for sale in London alone. Even allowing for the many people who still live in poverty, our own generation has access to more nutritious food, more convenient transport, bigger houses, better cars, and, of course, more pounds and dollars than any who lived before us. This will continue as long as we use these things to make other things. The more we specialize and exchange, the better off we’ll be.
2) Brilliant advances
One reason we are richer, healthier, taller, cleverer, longer-lived and freer than ever before is that the four most basic human needs—food, clothing, fuel and shelter—have grown a lot cheaper. Take one example. In 1800 a candle providing one hour’s light cost six hours’ work. In the 1880s the same light from an oil lamp took 15 minutes’ work to pay for. In 1950 it was eight seconds. Today it’s half second.
3) Let’s not kill ourselves for climate change
Mitigating(减轻) climate change could prove just as damaging to human welfare as climate change itself. A child that dies from indoor smoke in a village, where the use of fossil-fuel(化石燃料) electricity is forbidden by well- meaning members of green political movements trying to save the world, is just as great a tragedy as a child that dies in a flood caused by climate change. If climate change proves to be mild, but cutting carbon causes real pain, we may well find that we have stopped a nose-bleed by putting a tourniquet(止血带) around our necks.
What is the theme of Ridley’s most recent book?

A.Weakness of human nature.
B.Concern about climate change.
C.Importance of practical thinking.
D.Optimism about human progress.

How does Ridley look at shopping?

A.It encourages the creation of things.
B.It results in shortage of goods.
C.It demands more fossil fuels.
D.It causes a poverty problem.

The candle and lamp example is used to show that__________.

A.oil lamps give off more light than candles
B.shortening working time brings about a happier life.
C.advanced technology helps to produce better candles.
D.increased production rate leads to lower cost of goods.

What does the last sentence of the passage imply?

A.Cutting carbon is necessary in spite of the huge cost.
B.Overreaction to climate change may be dangerous.
C.People’s health is closely related to climate change.
D.Careless medical treatment may cause great pain.

According to the passage, which of the following statements is True?

A.Matt Ridley doesn’t think the world is a good place to live in.
B.Climate change won’t cause a child’s death.
C.Matt Ridley based his unique point of view on his long-term research.
D.People will have more freedom for the development of the world.

As a first –year teacher at a Christian school ,I was expecting my fifth grade students to be prefect , perfect in behavior , in attitude , and I even expected the home-life of each student to be nearly perfect . I found , of course , that these students were not different from the children I taught in public school .These kids had behavior problems , bad attitudes ,and some even had strikingly difficult family lives .
One of my students in particular stands out in my mind .I’ll call him Timothy for safety’s sake. During the first day of class , I noticed that Timothy was different .Not only in physical appearance , but he also spoke strangely , as though a 35-year-old man were trapped inside his tiny , weak body .On many occasions , I heard Timothy speak of hate, how he hated his family .
I observed Timohy for several months and read up on his background and searched for any clue that would lead me closer to understanding this child’s strange behavior .Finally I was directed to Timothy’s older brother’s cheating in an exam and had taken his anger out on Timothy at home .Timothy’s parents , in turn , had contacted the school, blaming them for Timothy’s problems.
I had written a letter to the administration asking that Timothy see a counselor(咨询师). The school was in the process of contacting a counselor when Timothy was transferred to another school. His father hurried around my room collecting Timothy’s things and left. That is the last we have seen or heard from Timothy. I was left with an empty desk and a broken heart. I cried for days afterwards. I felt as though I had done Timothy a disservice …I did not help him when he needed me. I still think about Timothy every day, and pray for him every morning.
What was wrong with Timothy?

A.He seemed to have deep emotional problems.
B.He seemed not to be getting along well with his classmates.
C.He mainly had behavior problems at school.
D.He wanted to transfer to another school.

What was Timothy like during the first day of class?

A.He looked old in appearance but lively in spirit.
B.He looked common but talked strangely.
C.He spoke strangely and looked weak in body.
D.He acted as if he were as experienced as a 35-year-old man.

The reason why Timothy hated his family included that________.

A.his father treated him differently from his brother.
B.his family didn’t care about what he was doing at school.
C.his father blamed the teachers for his problems.
D.his brother treated him in an unreasonable way.

The underlined word “disservice” in the last paragraph probably refers to_______.

A.something meaningless B.something harmful
C.something secret D.something funny.

. From the passage we know that____________.

A.Timothy’s father blamed the author for reading his son’s file.
B.The school didn’t approve Timothy’s seeing a counselor.
C.The author felt guilty for not helping Timothy in time.
D.Students at the Christian school don’t have family problems except Timothy.

A world-famous Canadian author, Margaret Atwood, has created the world’s first long-distance signing device(装置), the LongPen.
After many tiring book-signing tours from city to city, Atwood thought there must be a better way to do them. She hired some technical experts and started her own company in 2004. Together they designed the LongPen. Here’s how it works: The author writes a personal message and signature on a computer tablet(手写板) using a special pen. On the receiving end, in another city, a robotic arm fitted with a regular pen signs the book. The author and fan can talk with each other via webcams(网络摄像机) and computer screens.
Work on the LongPen began in Atwood’s basement(地下室). At first, they had no idea it would be as hard as it turned out to be. The device went through several versions, including one that actually had smoke coming out of it. The investing finally completed, test runs were made in Ottawa, and the LongPen was officially launched at the 2006 London Book Fair. From here , Atwood conducted two transatlantic book signings of her latest book for fans in Toronto and New York City.
The LongPen produces a unique signature each time because it copies the movement of the author in real time. It has several other potential applications. It could increase credit card security and allow people to sign contracts from another province. The video exchange between signer and receiver can be recorded on DVD for proof when legal documents are used.
“It’s really fun”, said the owner of a bookstore, who was present for one of the test runs. “Obviously you can’t shake hands with the author, but there are chances for a connection that you don’t get from a regular book signing.”
The response to the invention has not been all favorable. Atwood has received criticism from authors who think she is trying to end book tours. But she said, “It will be possible to go to places that you never got sent to before because the publishers couldn’t afford it.”
Why did Atwood decide to invent the LongPen?

A.To set up her own company.
B.To win herself greater popularity.
C.To write her books in a new way.
D.To make book signings less tiring.

How does the LongPen work?

A.It copies the author’s signature and prints it on a book.
B.It signs a book while receiving the author’s signature.
C.The webcam sends the author’s signature to another city.
D.The fan uses it to copy the author’s signature himself.

What do we know about the invention of the LongPen?

A.It has been completed but not put into use.
B.The basement caught fire by accident.
C.Some versions failed before its test run.
D.The designers were well-prepared for the difficulty.

How could the LongPen be used in the future?

A.To draft legal documents.
B.To improve credit card security
C.To keep a record of the author’s ideas.
D.To allow author and fan to exchange videos

What could be inferred from Paragraphs 5 and 6?

A.Atwood doesn’t mean to end book tours.
B.Critics think the LongPen is of little use
C.Bookstore owners don’t support the LongPen
D.Publishers dislike the LongPen for its high cost.

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