The most frightening words in the English language are, “Our computer is down.” You hear it more and more when you are on business. The other day I was at the airport waiting for a ticket to Washington and the girl in the ticket office said, “I’m sorry, I can’t sell you a ticket. Our computer is down.”
“If your computer is down, just write me out a ticket.”
“I can’t write you out a ticket. The computer is the only one allowed to do so.”
I looked down on the computer and every passenger was just standing there drinking coffee and staring at the black screen. Then I asked her, “What do all you people do?”
“We give the computer the information about your trip, and then it tells us whether you can fly with us or not.”
So when it goes down, you go down with it.”
“That’s good, sir.”
“How long will the computer be down?” I wanted to know.
“I have no idea. Sometimes it’s down for 10 minutes, sometimes for two hours. There’s no way we can find out without asking the computer, and since it’s down it won’t answer us.”
After the girl told me they had no backup(备用) computer, I said. “Let’s forget the computer. What about your planes? They’re still flying, aren’t they?”
“I couldn’t tell without asking the computer.”
“Maybe I could just go to the gate and ask the pilot if he’s flying to Washington, ” I suggested.
“I wouldn’t know what gate to send you to. Even if the pilot was going to Washington, he couldn’t take you if you didn’t have a ticket.”
“Is there any other airline flying to Washington within the next few hours?”
“I wouldn’t know, ” she said, pointing at the dark screen. “Only ‘IT’ knows. ‘It’ can’t tell me.”
By this time there were quite a few people standing in lines. The word soon spread to other travelers that the computer was down. Some people went white, some people started to cry and still others kicked their luggage.The best title for the article is _______.
| A．When the Computer Is Down |
| B．The Most Frightening Words |
| C．The Computer of the Airport |
| D．Asking the Computer |
What could the girl in the ticket office do for the passengers without asking the computer?
| A．She could sell a ticket. |
| B．She could write out a ticket. |
| C．She could answer the passengers’ questions. |
| D．She could do nothing. |
Why do you think they had not a backup computer?
| A．Because it was easy down |
| B．Because it was very expensive. |
| C．Because it was not advanced enough. |
| D．Because it was not as big as the main computer. |
The last paragraph suggests that _______.
| A．a modern computer won’t be down. |
| B．computers can take the place of humans |
| C．sometimes a computer may bring suffering to people |
| D．there will be great changes in computers |
He’s an old cobbler(修鞋匠) with a shop in the Marais, a historic area in Paris. When I took him my shoes, he at first told me, “I haven’t time. Take them to the other fellow on the main street; he’ll fix them for you right away.”
But I’d had my eye on his shop for a long time. Just looking at his bench loaded with tools and pieces of leather, I knew he was a skilled craftsman(手艺人) . “No,” I replied, “The other fellow can’t do it well.”
“The other fellow” was one of those shopkeepers who fix shoes and make keys “while-U-wait” —without knowing much about mending shoes or making keys. They work carelessly, and when they have finished sewing back a sandal strap(鞋带) you might as well just throw away the pair.
The man saw I wouldn’t give in, and he smiled. He wiped his hands on his blue apron（围裙）, looked at my shoes, had me write my name on one shoe with a piece of chalk and said, “Come back in a week.”
I was about to leave when he took a pair of soft leather boots off a shelf.
“See what I can do?” he said with pride. “Only three of us in Paris can do this kind of work.”
When I got back out into the street, the world seemed brand-new to me. He was something out of an ancient legend, this old craftsman with his way of speaking familiarly, his very strange, dusty felt hat, his funny accent from who-knows-where and, above all, his pride in his craft.
These are times when nothing is important but the bottom line, when you can do things any old way as long as it “pays”, when, in short, people look on work as a path to ever-increasing consumption(消费) rather than a way to realize their own abilities. In such a period it is a rare comfort to find a cobbler who gets his greatest satisfaction from pride in a job well done.Which of the following is true about the old cobbler?
| A．He was equipped with the best repairing tools. |
| B．He was the only cobbler in the Marais. |
| C．He was proud of his skills. |
| D．He was a native Parisian. |
The sentence “He was something out of an ancient legend”(Paragraph 7) implies that .
| A．nowadays you can hardly find anyone like him |
| B．it was difficult to communicate with this man |
| C．the man was very strange |
| D．the man was too old |
According to the author, many people work just to .
| A．realize their abilities |
| B．gain happiness |
| C．make money |
| D．gain respect |
This story wants to tell us that .
| A．craftsmen make a lot of money |
| B．whatever you do, do it well |
| C．craftsmen need self-respect |
| D．people are born equal |
Science Textbooks for Sale!
Used, but in like-new condition with absolutely no writing.
+ (2-Volume Set)
Third Edition (ISBN 978-1-55581-479-3 & 978-1-55581-480-9),
Paperback—$ 110
Introduction to Genetic Analysis
Ninth Edition (ISBN 978-0-7167-6887-6), Hard Cover—$ 110
Please call 646-470-1770 or email for details. No text messages, please. Thank you!
Help an Elder
Having a fruitful life depends upon oneself. Join our Elder Helpers Program and start becoming productive now!
We will connect you with elders who are in need of care in your community. If you have a kind heart and some extra time, feel free to join our program. Register here: http://www. elderhelpers. org.)
Citizens of all states and countries are encouraged to join!
Profiles(简介)with a picture always get more attention!
(Wonderful angel who helped me greatly by Kim)
I was so lucky to find Elder Helpers on the web and even luckier that Laura decided to help me get organized. I was hit by a car in January and couldn’t do much in my house for several months so things really got messy here. But this Angel of a person came and rescued me. I am so lucky and grateful to have met her and to have received her generous help.
Learn To Play Chess or Improve Your Game
Chess lessons are offered by a skilled, experienced, patient chess teacher who is also a very strong practical player.
Whether you are a complete beginner or want to improve your game, it may be a good idea for you to call me.
I work with adults and with children as young as 4.
If interested please call me directly at 1-(347)-694-0072.We can know that Introduction to Genetic Analysis sold in Ad 1 .
| A．is in its third edition |
| B．is an old science textbook |
| C．has notes on some pages |
| D．is in paperback |
What’s the purpose of Ad 2?
| A．To give tips on volunteering. |
| B．To introduce an active lifestyle |
| C．To find volunteers. |
| D．To help older people. |
What’s the meaning of the word “messy” (underlined in Ad 2)?
| A．Untidy. | B．Broken. |
| C．Unpleasant. | D．Changed.\ |
The chess lessons in Ad 3 will .
| A．mainly include beginners |
| B．be taken mainly by adults |
| C．be taught by an old teacher |
| D．have learners of different ages |
Rembrandt was an extraordinary Dutch painter. He was most well-known for his brushwork and the way in which he connected with the human soul. His life, however, was not happy.
He was born on July 15,1606 in Leiden, the Netherlands. His father wanted him to have a real, learned profession but Rembrandt left the University of Leiden after becoming bored. He began studying art under a local teacher but soon left and studied in Amsterdam where he mastered all his lessons in six months!
At the age of 22, he moved back to Leiden and began to get his own students. One of his students was the famous artist Gerrit Dou. In 1631 he returned to Amsterdam where he became the most popular portrait painter in Holland. Rembrandt met Saskia and married her in 1634. She was a cousin of a very successful art dealer and she helped him to meet wealhy people who commissioned(委任制作) many paintings from him. He used her as a model in many of his paintings.
Rembrandt’s private life, however, was very unfortunate. He had four children with Saskia but only one, Titus, survived. Saskia died in 1642 at the age of only 30. In 1649, his housekeeper became his second wife and was also a model for many of his paintings. Even though Rembrandt was very successful as an artist, art dealer and teacher, he lived in a careless way and had to declare bankruptcy(破产) in 1656. He even had to sell his whole art collection and his house to pay off his debts.
His unfortunate life, however, didn’t affect his art. He painted many great paintings during that time. His new love, Hendrickje, died in 1663 and his 27-year-old son, Titus, died in 1668. Eleven months later, on October 4, 1669, Rembrandt died in Amsterdam. He produced more than 600 paintings and over 2,000 drawings!Which of the following is the reason that made Rembrandt’s business fail?
| A．As an extraordinary Dutch painter, he knew nothing about business. |
| B．He spent most of his time on art, leaving no time to care his business. |
| C．All his children but Titus died, which made him very sad. |
| D．Like other famous artists, he was thoughtless. |
From the passage we learn that Rembrandt .
| A．graduated from the University of Leiden |
| B．began his teaching career in 1628 |
| C．married Saskia when he was 22 years old |
| D．was good at drawing animals and flowers |
How many members of Rembrandt’s family died before him, not including his parents?
| A．Four. | B．Five. | C．Six. | D．Seven. |
What’s the best title for this passage?
| A．A brief biography of Rembrandt |
| B．A great Dutch painter |
| C．The greatest painter in the world |
| D．Rembrandt’s unhappy family |
His first successful fight was for the equal rights of black people in South Africa. Then, as the first black president, he fought to unite the country and organize the government. Now Nelson Mandela has set his sights on a new enemy, AIDS.
On March 19 the former president, hosted his second AIDSawareness concert. He warned that 25 million people in Africa were already infected with the fatal disease.
Mandela was born in a small village in South Africa in 1918. He was adopted by the chief of his tribe and could have been a chief himself and lived a happy country life.
But he refused to be a chief when his people lived under racial discrimination(歧视). He decided to fight for equal rights for all the people in South Africa. Before 1990, under the country’s Racial Segregation Law, coloured people and white people lived separately. Black people were treated unfairly even when taking a bus. Blacks had to stand at the back of the bus to make room for white people even when there were only a few of them on board.
For his opposition to the system, Mandela was arrested and spent 27 years in prison. He was freed in 1990 and became the president of the country after the first election was held in which everyone could vote.
Mandela was not only a political fighter who attacked with speeches. He was also a trained boxer and fought in the ring when he was young.
“Although I did not enjoy the violence of boxing, I was interested in how one moved one’s body to protect oneself, how one used a strategy both to attack and retreat，”he wrote in his autobiography.
As a skillful fighter, he chose music as his weapon against AIDS. He hopes to win another victory against AIDS.When was Mandela arrested?
| A．In 1963. |
| B．In 1990. |
| C．When he refused to be a chief. |
| D．When he became the president. |
Nelson Mandela succeeded in doing the following EXCEPT ________.
| A．winning the equal rights for the black people in South Africa |
| B．uniting South Africa |
| C．organizing a government in South Africa |
| D．controlling the spread of AIDS |
Which of the following statements can best describe the life of Nelson Mandela?
| A．Struggle is his life. |
| B．Sports make his fame. |
| C．Fight for equal rights. |
| D．A great fighter against the government. |
Travel Information
| Placeofinterest |
 WaterCube |
 WestLake |
 Disneyland |
 DragonTower |
| Location(位置) |
Beijing |
Hangzhou |
HongKong |
Harbin |
| PhoneNumber |
010-28135589 |
0571-68345579 |
00852-28029822 |
0451-81187899 |
| PriceofTicket |
￥60 |
￥50 |
￥300 |
￥150 |
| Feature |
Specialbubbly(气泡状的)design |
TheBrokenBridge |
Cartooncharacters |
Skywalk |
It is said that the love story about Xu Xian and the White Snake happened on _____.
| A．Dragon Tower | B．West Lake |
| C．Water Cube | D．Disneyland |
If a person in Hangzhou feels like visiting Water Cube, he should call _____to get information.
| A．010-28315589 | B．0451-82187899 |
| C．0571-68345576 | D．0l0-28135589 |
Disneyland, which attracts a lot of tourists from home and abroad every year, is in_____ according to the travel information.
| A．Beijing | B．Harbin |
| C．Hong Kong | D．Hangzhou |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the travel information?
| A．Water Cube is special in design. |
| B．The price of a ticket for West Lake is the highest. |
| C．In Disneyland.you can’t see any cartoon characters. |
| D．The price of a ticket for Dragon Tower is the lowest. |