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. |
Elizabeth Blackwell was born in England in 1821, and moved to New York City when she was ten years old. One day she decided that she wanted to become a doctor. That was nearly impossible for a woman in the middle of the nineteenth century. After writing many letters asking for admission(录取) to medical schools, she was finally accepted by a doctor in Philadelphia. She was so determined that she taught school and gave music lessons to get money for the cost of schooling.
In 1849, after graduation from medical school. she decided to further her education in Paris. She wanted to be a surgeon(外科医师) , but a serious eye problem forced her to give up the idea.
Upon returning to the United States, she found it difficult to start her own practice because she was a woman. By 1857 Elizabeth and her sister, also a doctor, along with another woman doctor, managed to open a new hospital, the first for women and children Besides being the first woman physician and founding her own hospital , she also set up the first medical school for women.Why couldn’t Elizabeth Blackwell realize her dream of becoming a surgeon?
A.She couldn’t get admitted to medical school |
B.She decided to further her education in Paris |
C.A serious eye problem stopped her |
D.It was difficult for her to start a practice in the United States |
What main obstacle(障碍) almost destroyed Elizabeth’s chances for becoming for a doctor?
A.She was a woman. |
B.She wrote too many letters. |
C.She couldn’t graduate from medical school. |
D.She couldn’t set up her hospital. |
How many years passed between her graduation from medical school and the opening of her hospital?
A.Eight years | B.Ten years | C.Nineteen years | D.Thirty-six years |
According to the passage, all of the following are “firsts” in the life of Elizabeth Blacekwell except that she ______.
A.became the first woman physician |
B.was the first woman doctor |
C.and several other women founded the first hospital for women and children |
D.set up the first medical school for women |
Eilzabeth Blackwell spent most of her lift in _______.
A.England | B.Paris | C.the United States | D.New York City |
A young British sailor was missing at sea yesterday in similar circumstances(情况)to the way his father died five years ago.
The dinghy(救生橡皮船),used to take Richard Smith,21,to his yacht(快艇),was discovered empty, floating in seas off the Caribbean island.An air and sea search was carried out but he has still not been discovered.
Richard’s mother, Bicknell,said from her home in Hampshire,“It’s so much coincidence.Richard always carried a photograph of his father attached to a poem,which included the date of his disappearance.”
“Now, it’s very strange because all they have found is Richard’s dinghy.We need to know this time what has happened one way or another.If you know at least you can go through the grieving process(悲痛的过程).”
In November 1996,Mr. Smith’s father, Charlie,was sailing in the Tasmen sea between the Australian mainland and the island of Tasmen with his new wife.They lost radio contact with the shore and they, together with their yacht were never seen again,and their disappearance remains a mystery.
Richard is described a talented(有才能的)and experienced sailor who has crewed for the champion ocean racer.He had sailed to the。Caribbean in November to crew ocean racing yachts for entertainment.He ended the evening drinking in the Abracbabra bar but left after local police closed it for being too noisy.
About 2 am the following day Richard headed back for his dinghy.He started its outboard motor before giving all elderly woman a lift to her yacht after her dinghy had gone missing.It was the last time he was seen.Riehard Smith was in 2000.
A.ten | B.fifteen | C.twenty | D.eighteen |
People searched for Richard using.
A.ship only | B.ship and radio | C.ship and plane | D.yacht and car |
According to the passage,we know Richard died because.
A.he was a green hand in sailing |
B.some unknown animal attacked him |
C.that was a maze in the area he was sailing |
D.of something we don’t know |
Which statement is NOT true according to this passage?
A.Young Smith had lost radio contact with the shore before he died. |
B.Richard’s father had married two women at least. |
C.Richard didn’t drink on the evening before he was lost because the policeman closed the bar. |
D.Richard was seen at about 2 am the day he disappeared. |
The writer tells us.
A.a story about two heroes | B.a piece of news about a merchant ship |
C.a coincidence | D.the dying process of Richard |
Satellites are an important part of our ordinary lives.For example, the information for weather forecasts is sent by satellite.Some satellites have cameras which take photographs of the Earth to show how clouds are moving.Satellites are also used to connect our international phone calls.
Computer connections of the World Wide Web and Internet also use satellites. Many of our TV programs come to US through satellites.Airplane pilots also sometimes use a satellite to help them find their exact location.
We use satellites to send television pictures from one part of the world to another.They are usually 35,880 kilometers above the equator.Sometimes we can see a satellite in the sky and it seems to stay in the same place.This is because it is moving around the world at 11,000 kilometers an hour—exactly the same speed that the earth rotates.A satellite must orbit the Earth with its antennae(天线)facing the earth.Sometimes, it moves away from its orbit,So there are little rockets on it which are used to put the satellite back in the right position.This usually happens about every five or six days.
Space is not empty! Every week, more and more satellites are sent into space to orbit the Earth.A satellite usually works for about 10-12 years.Satellites which are broken are sometimes repaired by astronauts or sometimes brought back to Earth to be repaired.Often,very old or broken satellites are left in space to orbit the Earth for a very long time.This is very serious because some satellites use nuclear power and they can crash into each other.Which of the following is NOT done by satellites according to the passage?
A.Sending information for weather forecast. |
B.Taking photographs of the Earth. |
C.Sending TV pictures. |
D.Providing food for airplane pilots. |
What’s the speed the earth rotates at?
A.35,880 kilometers per hour. | B.335,880 kilometers per hour. |
C.11,000 kilometers per hour. | D.110,000 kilometers per hour |
Why does the satellite move around the world at the same speed as the Earth rotates?
A.In order to take photographs. |
B.In order to stay in a certain position in the orbit. |
C.In order to move away from its orbit. |
D.In order to send television pictures. |
What does the underlined word “This” refer to?
A.A satellite. | B.A little rocket. |
C.A satellite seems to stay in the same place in the sky. | |
D.The satellite puts the rockets in the right position. |
Which is true of satellites?
A.A satellite usually works for about 10-2 years. |
B.Every time a satellite gets broken,it is brought back to the Earth to be repaired. |
C.A broken satellite is never left in space. |
D.They often crash into each other. |
A religious person will have a different thought from one who is not.And a Democrat usually doesn’t view issues the same way as a Republican.
Take the shoes for example.It has the same principle.Some like custom shoes for personalization.But some don’t.Someone will buy a shoes printer only for one desired image.That all depends on different conceptions.So when you have a negative thought about yourself, don’t consider it a fact until you also reflect on the opposite view.And if the alternative is more positive, accept that to be your truth.
An anorexic (厌食症患者) looks in the mirror and thinks she’s fat.As a result she starves herself and rids her body of vital nutrition.But society thinks she’s too skinny.Unless she can change her perception, she’ll never agree with society.And she’ll never get better.What are you seeing in you that is preventing you from realizing how beautiful you are? Or how smart you are? Or how lovable? If you take the positive view, that is how other people will see you too.
More often than not the critical statements that damage your self-esteem come from your own mind.Now you know how you can silence them.A bad comment is usually not about you; it’s about something that is going on with the commenter.Don’t believe anything that is said to you that isn’t in your best interest.And don’t waste any time or brainpower on anyone who doesn’t think you are amazing.
It’s what you think that creates how you feel.Design your own custom shoes, despite other one’s critical eyes.If you like it, it will be the top one.If someone tells you you’re fat, or stupid or otherwise unappealing, the only person you should think badly about is them!
1.What is the passage mainly about?
A.Try to be different. B.Different beliefs make different views.
C.You are actually amazing. D.Trust what people say to you.
2.Which of the following sentences contains a metaphor (暗喻)?
A.A Democrat usually doesn’t view issues the same way as a Republican.
B.Some like custom shoes for personalization.
C.An anorexic looks in the mirror and thinks she is fat.
D.Design your own custom shoes, despite others’ critical eyes.
3.The reason why the writer wrote this passage is to.
A.confuse people as how to think
B.help people learn how to do self – reflection
C.tell people different ways of thinking
D.show he is smarter than most of the people
A 17-year-old boy, caught sending text messages in class, was recently sent to the vice principal's office at Millwood High School in Halifax, Nova Scotia.The vice principal, Steve Gallagher, told the boy he needed to focus on the teacher, not his cellphone.The boy listened politely and nodded, and that's when Mr.Gallagher noticed the student’s fingers moving on his lap.He was texting while being scolded for texting.“It was a subconscious act,” says Mr.Gallagher, who took the phone away.“Young people today are connected socially from the moment they open their eyes in the morning until they close their eyes at night.It’s compulsive.”
A study this year by psychology students at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Ga., found that the more time young people spend on Facebook, the more likely they are to have lower grades and weaker study habits.Heavy Facebook users show signs of being more sociable, but they are also more likely to be anxious, hostile or depressed.( Doctors, meanwhile, are now blaming addictions to “night texting” for disturbing the sleep patterns of teens.)
Almost a quarter of today’s teens check Facebook more than 10 times a day, according to a 2009 survey by Common Sense Media, a nonprofit group that monitors media’s impact on families.Will these young people get rid of this habit once they enter the work force, or will employers come to see texting and “social-network checking” as accepted parts of the workday? k5u
Think back.When today’s older workers were in their 20s, they might have taken a break on the job to call friends and make after-work plans.In those earlier eras, companies discouraged non-business-related calls, and someone who made personal calls all day risked being fired.It was impossible to imagine the constant back-and-forth texting that defines interactions among young people today.
Educators are also being asked by parents, students and educational strategists to reconsider their rules.“In past generations, students got in trouble for passing notes in class.Now students are adept(熟练的) at texting with their phones still in their pockets,” says 40-year-old Mr.Gallagher, the vice principal, “and they’re able to communicate with someone one floor down and three rows over.Students are just fundamentally different today.They will take suspensions rather than give up their phones.” .
1.The underlined word “a subconscious act” refers to an act __________.
A.on purpose B.without realization
C.in secret D.with care
2.Young people addicted to the use of Facebook _________.
A.are good at dealing with the social relationships and concentrate on their study
B.have high spirits and positive attitudes towards their life and work
C.have been influenced mentally in the aspects of behaviors and habits
D.are always in bad mood and have poor performance in every aspect
3.Through the situation of today’s older workers in their 20s, it can be inferred that ___.
A.the employers will accept young people’s sending text messages
B.a cellphone is a must for today’s older workers instead of young people
C.the employers prefer older workers to young people
D.the employers will find it hard to control the interaction among young people
4.Mr.Gallagher reminds us that the students in the past and those today _________.
A.like to break rules and have the same means of sending messages
B.are always the big problem for the educators and their parents
C.like sending text messages but those today do it in a more secret and skillful way
D.cannot live without a cellphone
5.What’s the best title of the passage?
A.Teenagers and Cellphones B.Teenagers’ Texting Addiction
C.Employers and Teenagers D.Teenagers’ Education