In the computer age, most of us take a broadband（宽带）Internet connection for granted. Whether cable or mobile broadband, today’s connections are many times faster than those in the early days. Videos play smoothly, complex websites load quickly, and files（档案文件）download much faster than ten years ago. And the files are much bigger too.
There’s a catch, of course: You have to live near enough to a major city to get broadband Internet. If you don’t, it’s slow dial-up access for you. And for those living really far out, there may be no Internet access at all.
Technology experts often talk about the “last mile” problem, which refers to the difficulty of bringing Internet access to remote locations. In cities and suburbs（郊区）, it’s relatively easy to provide access for everyone. It is much more difficult to deliver access to those living far from cities, especially in developing countries. Internet service providers, for their part, have been reluctant to provide access to sparsely (稀疏地) populated areas. The handful of Internet users they would reach wouldn’t cover the expense.
But every year, technological advancements allow of more and more Internet users. Most broadband connections today run over existing cable TV and telephone lines although these technologies aren’t available everywhere.
Some companies have delivered the Internet over standard power lines. Advancements in cheaper, more efficient fiber optics cables (光纤电缆) promise to bring extremely fast Internet connections to more users.
Still, the “last mile” problem remains hard to deal with. There will always be somewhere that doesn’t have an affordable broadband connection. But someday that might not matter. If the rapid progress in cell phone technology is any indication (迹象), it may not be too long before an Internet connection simply follows you wherever you go.The underlined part “a catch” (in Paragraph 2) probably means “_____”.
| A．a rare challenge | B．a desirable plan |
| C．an efficient device | D．a hidden problem |
What can we know from the third paragraph?
| A．Internet connection has not been popular in most cities. |
| B．Internet service providers care about rural（农村的）customers. |
| C．Computer is popular in developing countries. |
| D．It is hard to bring Internet access to users in remote areas. |
Paragraph 4 mainly tells us that technological advancements _____.
| A．make TV and telephone available everywhere |
| B．bring great change to people’s everyday life |
| C．make it possible for more people to use the Internet |
| D．bring faster Internet connections to users |
What may eventually settle the “last mile” problem?
| A．The broadband connection’s getting faster. |
| B．More and more Internet users. |
| C．more and more Internet connections. |
| D．The rapid progress in cell phone technology. |
Do you know that many clowns go to school to learn how to be funny? How would you like to go to that school? You could learn how to walk and talk like a clown. Then you could make people laugh.
Clowns may go to school for a year. There they learn to move in funny ways. They learn to run and jump like different animals. They also learn how to fall down in a special way. They make sure they don’t get injured. They make every move look easy. But really it’s hard work.
In a school clowns decide how they will look. They make funny pants and tops. Then clowns have their funny long shoes made. They also learn to make up their faces. Clowns carefully put special paint on, so they look silly.
They start by making every part of their feces white. Then they use red paint around their mouths to make them look big. Clowns may paint re spots on each side of their faces, too. Big red noses are added. They put on funny hair or funny hats.
Now they look silly. They are ready to go to work! You can see clowns at the circus or parade. They do funny things to surprise people. Ten big clowns may get out of a very small car. Or they may walk on a high rope. Then they almost fall. The faces they make when they try to stand up again make people laugh.The word “clown” in this passage refers to ____.
A．a person who tries to make people laugh by th is funny looks, clothes and tricks and actions |
| B．a person who copies others in speaking, actions and way of walking |
C．a person who gives performances only to make p eople laugh. |
| D．a person whose job is very easy to do. |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．Clowns learn to be funny at school to make people laugh |
| B．Clowns wear strange pants and tops and funny long shoes. |
| C．Clowns don’t feel frightened when they walk on a high rope. |
| D．Clowns put on funny hair and hats and make faces |
From the passage, we can learn that clowns play at ____.
| A．a parade | B．the circus | C．school | D．both A and B |
From the passage, we can infer that _______.
| A．there are quite a number of clown schools in the world |
B．people laugh when they watch clowns play at the circus |
| C．clowns like animals very much so they jump like different animals |
D．clowns make people laugh b ut they seldom laugh |
Before going outside in the morning, many of us check a window thermometer(温度计)for the temperature. This helps us decide what to wear.____. We want our food to be a certain coldness in the refrigerator. We want it a certain hotness in the oven. If we don’t feel well, we use a thermometer to see if we have a fever. We keep our rooms a certain warmth in the winter and a certain coolness in the summer.
Not all the thermometers use the same system to measure temperature. We use a system called the Fahrenheit scale. But most other countries use the Centigrade scale.
Both systems use the freezing and boiling points of water as their guide.____.
The most common kind of thermometer is made with mercury(水银)inside a clear glass tube. As mercury (or any other liquid ) becomes hot, it expands. As it gets colder, it contracts(收缩). That is why on hot days the mercury line is high in the glass tube.____.
First. Take a clear glass juice bottle that has a cap ; fill the bottle with coloured water. Tap a hole in the center of the cap using a hammer and thick nail. Put the cap on the jar. Then stick a plastic straw(吸管) through the nail hole.________.
Finally. Place a white card on the outside of the bottle and behind the straw. Now you can see the water lever easily. ________.
As the temperature goes down, the water will contract, and the lever in the straw will come down. Perhaps you will want to keep a record of the water lever in the straw each morning for a week.
| A．People use thermometers which are made by themselves when travelling around the world. |
| B．We use and depend on thermometers to measure the temperature of many other things in our daily lives. |
| C．Thermometers measure temperature, by using materials that change in the same way when they are heated or cooled. |
| D．Now that you know this rule you can make a thermometer of your own that will work. |
E．The water will rise in the straw. As the temperature of the air goes up, the water will expand and rise even higher.
F．They label these in different ways. On the Fahrenheit scale water freezes at 32 degrees and boils at 212 degrees. On the Celsius scale water freezes at 0 degrees and boils at 100degrees.
G．Take wax (you may use an old candle if you have one) and melt some of it right where the straw is struck into the cap to seal(把..粘住) them together.
They are among the 250, 000 people under the age of 25 who are out of work in the Netherlands, a group that makes up 40 percent of the nation’s unemployed．A storm of anger boils up at the government-sponsored （政府资助的） youth center, even among those who are continuing their studies．
“We study for jobs that don’t exist,” Nicollets Steggerda, 23, said．
After thirty years of prosperity, unemployment among 10 member nations of the European Community has reached as much as 11 percent, affecting a total of 12．3 million people, and the number is climbing．
The bitter disappointment long expressed by British youths is spreading across the Continent．The title of a rock song “No Future” can now be seen written on the brick walls of closed factories in Belgium and France．
One form of protest（抗议） tends to put the responsibility for a country’s economic troubles on the large numbers of “guest workers” from Third World nations, people welcomed in Western Europe in the years of prosperity．
Young Europeans, brought up in an extended period of economic success and general stability, seem to be similar to Americans more than they do their own parents．Material enjoyment has given them a sense of expectation, even the right to a standard of living that they see around them．
“And so we pass the days at the discos, or meet people at the café, and sit and stare,” said Isabella Cault．"There is usually not much conversation．You look for happiness．Sometimes you even find it．”Unemployment in the Netherlands has affected _______
| A．one million people | B．250,000 people |
| C．1ess than half of the population | D．about 0.6 million people |
What Nicollete Steggerda said （Para．2） means that ________．
| A．the students cannot get work after graduation |
| B．what the students learn is more than necessary |
| C．the students’ aim in study is not clear |
| D．school education is not sufficient |
The underlined word ‘‘it” in the last paragraph most probably refers to ________．
| A．material enjoyment | B．a sense of expectation |
| C．happiness | D．a job |
With alarming regularity, we read about oil tankers having accidents near land and the terrible consequences of the oil spills（泄露） on people, nature, and the environment．
Millions of dollars have been used in developing special chemicals to help dismiss the spills and to clean up the animals, beaches, and land spoiled by the oil．Unfortunately, when many of these chemicals are used, more damage is caused to the environment, especially to lives in the sea．
Of all of today’s environmental disasters, an oil spill may actually be one of the least serious．Although oil is poisonous, it is a natural material．In the end, it breaks down naturally．There are, of course, long-term effects, but it is usually more serious in the short term．
Nature by itself works better than chemical materials, but when there is a spill we demand that governments act immediately with as much hi-tech knowledge as possible．In 1967 the tanker Torrey Canyon sank off the Sicily Isles near the coast of England and spilled 120,000 tones of oil into the ocean．If you go there today, you will find it hard to see any sign that it ever happened．
Governments seem to accept the risk of transporting millions of tons of oil by ship every day so that we can fill up our cars and drive around and cause even more environmental damage．Interestingly, the biggest companies in the world produce cars, and the next biggest supply the gasoline to make them run!
We should be thinking more about reducing our dependency on oil．Governments should be encouraging research into new technologies, such as cars run by solar power（太阳能）, electricity, hydrogen, and so on．Much of this research has, in the past, been held back by the oil, gas, and coal．
If the world’s millions of cars were 10% more efficient（高效的）— and the industry could easily produce cars at least twice as efficient — we would need many fewer tankers crossing the oceans each year．If this happened, the risks of oil spills would be reduced, and the air we breathe would be cleaner and fresher, too．What is the passage mainly talking about?
| A．Oil tanker accidents． | B．Oil spills pollution． |
| C．What oil pollution is． | D．How to reduce oil pollution． |
How does the author support the idea that oil spills are not as serious as people believe?
| A．By giving a description． | B．By making an argument． |
| C．By giving an example． | D．By drawing a diagram． |
What does the underlined word “risk” in Paragraph 5 refer to?
| A．Transportation depending more on oil． |
| B．Poisonous oil breaking down naturally． |
| C．Millions of tons of oil spilling into the sea． |
| D．More environmental damage being caused． |
Which suggestion is made for reducing oil tank accidents according to the passage?
| A．We should develop new technologies to cut oil use |
| B．Tankers should not be allowed to sail near the coastlines． |
| C．We should build safer oil tankers in the near future． |
| D．Countries should build more oil pipelines under the sea． |
Volunteers, as an essential part of a successful world exposition, are a major channel for the public to participate in, serve and share the world exposition and a means to showcase the image of the host country and city．The following information is about the volunteer for the World Exposition 2010 Shanghai China．
I．Basic Requirements for Volunteers
Be willing to participate in voluntary services of Expo 2010;
Age limit: Expo Site volunteers must be born before April 30, 1992 and Expo City Voluntary Service Station volunteers before April 30, 1994;
Obey the laws and regulations of the PRC;
Be able to participate in training and relevant activities before the opening of Expo 2010;
Possess necessary knowledge and skills needed by the position;
Be in good health to meet the requirements of corresponding voluntary positions．
II．Further Information for Volunteers
Source
Residents of Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, as well as overseas Chinese, and foreigners can all apply to be the volunteers．
Signup methods
Applicants may log in onto the official websites for online signup．They may also consult or connect with the Expo Volunteer Stations．
Time
May 1 – December 31, 2009
III．Volunteer Training
Volunteer training includes general training, special training and position training．General training is carried out through the Internet, while special training and position training are provided through classroom lectures and field practice．
IV．Volunteer Types
Expo Site volunteers refer to those offering voluntary services to visitors and the Organizer in the Expo Site, mainly including information, visitor flow management, reception, translation and interpretation, assistance for the disabled, and assistance in media service, event and conference organization and volunteer management．
Information booth volunteers are stationed in the Expo’s information booths at key transportation centers, commercial outlets, tourist attractions, restaurants, hotels and cultural event places outside the Expo Site．They offer services including information, translation, interpretation and even first aid．What’s the purpose of this writing?
| A．To recruit（招募） the volunteers for the World Expo 2010 |
| B．To give some basic information of the World Expo 2010 |
| C．To praise the hard work of the volunteers |
| D．To attract people to visit the World Expo 2010 |
If you were born in April 1993, where can you be a volunteer?
| A．In the Expo Site． | B．In the host country． |
| C．In the Expo City． | D．In Chinese mainland． |
