Can you remember the first time you learned to ride a bike or drive a car?Learning these skills changed your life forever and opened up new horizons(视野). Learning about computers can be like learning how to ride a bike or drive a car. Once you have invested the time to master the skills,you will never go back to the old days. The new technology is simply too convenient and too powerful.
Technological developments through the years have enabled us to do more with less effort. We have continuously looked for better ways of doing things. Each invention and new development has allowed us to extend our capabilities. Today we see one of the most dramatic technologies ever developed—the computer. It extends the capabilities of our minds.
Computers have saved organizations millions of dollars. Furthermore,these same computer systems have opened up new opportunities that would have gone undiscovered or neglected. The computer may multiply what we can do,and the return on investment is high. The growth of computer usage is surprising. On the other hand,the computer can do serious damage. Invasion of privacy(侵犯隐私),fraud(欺诈),and computer-related mistakes are just a few shocking examples.The computer is like a double-edged sword. It has the ability to cut us free from some activities,but it can also cut deep into profits,personal privacy,and our society in general. How it is used is not a function of technology. It is strictly a function of how people decide to use or misuse this new technology. The choice is yours,and only through a knowledge of computer systems will you be able to avoid the dangers while enjoying the many,many benefits of the computer age.The writer thinks learning about computers is like learning how to ride a bike or drive a car because ______.
| A.it is simple and practical |
| B.it needs a lot of practice |
| C.it leads people to new life experiences |
| D.it takes much time to master the skills |
According to the passage,computers bring people the following benefits EXCEPT ______.
| A.avoiding mistakes | B.saving money |
| C.making money | D.opening up opportunities |
This passage is probably written for ______.
| A.computers | B.computer producers |
| C.computer learners | D.computer programmers |
A teacher let her class play a game. The teacher told each child to bring a bag with some potatoes. Each potato would be given a name of a person that the child hated, so the number of potatoes in his/her bag would depend on the number of people the child hated. Some children had two potatoes, some had three and others had up to five potatoes. The teacher then told the children to carry the bag wherever they went for a week. After a week, the teacher asked, ”How did you feel?” The children started complaining about the unpleasant smell coming from the rotten potatoes when they had to carry the heavy and smelly potatoes everywhere they went.
Then the teacher said,” This is the same when you carry your hate for somebody inside your heart. The smell of hate will pollute your heart and you will carry it with you wherever you go. If you cannot bear the smell of rotten potatoes for just one week, can you imagine what it is like to have the smell of hate in your heart for your lifetime?”In the game, the students should _________.
| A.keep the bag of potatoes in the classroom |
| B.carry the bag of potatoes everywhere they go |
| C.leave the bag of potatoes at home |
| D.count the bag of potatoes every day |
The underlined word “rotten” most probably means ___________ in Chinese.
| A.美味的 | B.新鲜的 | C.甜的 | D.腐烂的 |
According to the last paragraph, we can learn that ________.
| A.potatoes are very important to the students |
| B.hating others can make the life unhappy |
| C.the smell of hate is good for our health |
| D.the students like to carry the bag of the potatoes |
Which is the best title of this passage?
| A.An interesting game |
| B.Carry the smelly potatoes |
| C.The rotten potatoes |
| D.To excuse others is to excuse yourself |
I will never forget the lesson about my window. Four years ago, I moved to a house in a large town. One of my new neighbors’ house was only a few feet away from mine. There lived a woman. Through one of my windows, I could see her reading by her window every afternoon.
Several months later, I found I couldn’t see the woman clearly. I thought her window was too dirty. I said to myself, “Why doesn’t she clean her window? It looks terrible!”
One afternoon, I decided to clean my house including (包括) the window. I felt tired after three hours of hard work. So I sat down by the window for a rest. What a surprise! I could see the woman reading there clearly again! By that time, I realized that my own window was too dirty, not hers! I really felt ashamed for myself. I had been watching her through my dirty window in the past days!
The experience is very important for me. So I try to clean the window of my heart before judging(评判) others.How long has the writer lived in the house according to the passage?
| A.One years. | B.Two years. |
| C.Three years. | D.Four years |
The writer couldn’t see the woman clearly because ______________.
| A.the writer’s window was dirty |
| B.the woman’s house was too far |
| C.the woman didn’t open her window |
| D.there was something wrong with his eyes |
3The underlined word “ashamed” means _________________.
| A.高兴的 | B.放松的 |
| C.羞愧的 | D.骄傲的 |
According to the passage, the writer has learnt how to __________________.
| A.clean the house | B.judge others |
| C.help neighbors | D.learn English |
A friend of mine named Paul received an expensive car from his brother as a Christmas present.On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office,a street urchin(顽童) was walking around the shining car.“Is this your car,Paul?”he asked.
Paul answered,“Yes,my brother gave it to me for Christmas.”The boy was surprised.“You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn’t cost you anything?Boy,I wish…”He hesitated.
Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for.He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the boy said surprised Paul greatly.
“I wish,”the boy went on,“that I could be a brother like that.”Paul looked at the boy in surprise,then he said again,“Would you like to take a ride in my car?”
“Oh yes,I’d love that.”
After a short ride,the boy turned and with his eyes shining,said,“Paul,would you mind driving in front of my house?”
Paul smiled a little.He thought he knew what the boy wanted.He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big car. But Paul was wrong again. “Will you stop where those two steps are?” the boy asked.
He ran up to the steps. Then in a short while Paul heard him coming back,but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the step and pointed to the car.
“There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn’t cost him a cent. And some day I’m going to give you one just like it...then you can see for yourself all the nice things in the Christmas windows that I’ve been trying to tell you about.”
Paul got out and lifted the boy to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began an unforgettable holiday ride.The street urchin was very surprised when ________.
| A.Paul received an expensive car |
| B.Paul told him about the car |
| C.he saw the shining car |
| D.he was walking around the car |
From the story we can see the urchin ________.
| A.wished to give his brother a car |
| B.wanted Paul’s brother to give him a car |
| C.wished he could have a brother like Paul’s |
| D.wished Paul could be a brother like that |
The urchin asked Paul to stop his car in front of his house ________.
| A.to show his neighbors the big car |
| B.to show he had a rich friend |
| C.to let his brother ride in the car |
| D.to tell his brother about his wish |
We can infer(推断)from the story that ________.
| A.Paul couldn’t understand the urchin |
| B.the urchin had a deep love for his brother |
| C.the urchin wished to have a rich brother |
| D.the urchin’s wish came true in the end |
The best name of the name story is _________.
| A.A Christmas Present |
| B.A Street Urchin |
| C.A Brother Like That |
| D.An Unforgettable Holiday Ride |
There are fifty states in the United States. The largest in population is California,the largest in area is Alaska. Alaska is the smallest in population and Rhode Island is the smallest in size. The oldest states are the ones along the Atlantic coast. The newest states are Alaska and Hawaii. Alaska is also the coldest state. California and Florida are the warmer. Henry and his family live in Seattle,a big city,on the Pacific coast. But Los Angeles and San Francisco,also on the Pacific coast,are larger than Seattle. Henry’s cousin,Susan,lives in New York. It is the largest city in the United States. Thousands of people visit New York each year. The most important city in the United States is Washington,D. C. It is the capital,but it is much smaller than New York.How many states are there in the U. S. A. ?
A. Five B. Forty- Five C. Fifty D. FifteenWhich state is the largest in population?
| A.California | B.Rhode-Island |
| C.Alaska | D.Los Angeles |
Which state is the coldest,the newest,and the smallest in population?
| A.Rhode Island. | B.Seattle. |
| C.San Francisco. | D.Alaska. |
Which of the following is true?
| A.The oldest states are the ones along the Pacific coast. |
| B.Washington is the most important and the largest city. |
| C.New York is the largest city in the United States. |
| D.Henry’s cousin lives in the Seattle. |
Why is Washington, D. C. the most important American city?
Because _________.
A. it is the largest city
B. it is the largest in population
C. it is the most beautiful city
D. it is the capital of the United States
This is a talk by a London taxi(出租车)driver.
“I’ve been a taxi driver for nearly ten years. Most London taxi drivers have their own taxis.”
“It’s a nice job most of time. you meet a lot of people. I always work at night,because there is too much traffic during the day. I live twenty miles(英里)outside London and I go to work at 5:30 in the afternoon.”
“I usually go home between 2 and 3 in the morning.”
“Some very strange things happened late at night .The other day I was taking a woman home from a party .She had her little dog with her. When we got to her house,she found that she had lost her key. So I waited in the car with the dog while she climbed in through the window.”
“I waited and waited. After half an hour of ringing the bell I decided to find out what was going on.I tied the dog to a tree and started to climb in through the window. The next thing I knew was that the police came. They thought I was a thief(小偷).
Luckily the woman came downstairs(下楼).She must have gone to sleep and forgotten about me and the dog!”The driver always worked at night because it was easier to _____.
| A.drive |
| B.make money |
| C.climb in through the window |
| D.meet a lot of people |
The woman climbed in through the window because _____.
| A.she wanted to have a sleep |
| B.her husband didn’t open the door for her |
| C.she didn’t want to pay the driver |
| D.she couldn’t find her key |
The story happened _____.
| A.early in the morning |
| B.late at night |
| C.20 miles outside London |
| D.near the police station |
Which of the following is wrong?
| A.The driver worked until between 2 and 3 in the morning. |
| B.The police made a mistake. |
| C.The woman had no money to pay the driver. |
| D.The woman had forgotten about the driver and the dog. |
The driver climbed in through the window to
| A.get money from the woman |
| B.return the dog to the woman |
| C.see what was happening in the house |
| D.phone the police |