People are being lured (引诱)onto Facebook with the promise of a fun, free service without realizing they're paying for it by giving up loads of personal information. Facebook then attempts to make money by selling their data to advertisers that want to send targeted messages.
Most Facebook users don't realize this is happening. Even if they know what the company is up to, they still have no idea what they're paying for Face book because people don't really know what their personal data is worth.
The biggest problem, however, is that the company keeps changing the rules Early on you keep everything private. That was the great thing about facebook you could create own little private network. Last year. The company changed its privacy rules so that many things your city. Your photo, your friends' names-were set, by default (默认)to be shared with every one on the Internet.
According to Facebook's vice-president Elliot Schrage, the company is simply making changes to improve its service, and if people don't share information They have a "less satisfying experience".
Some critics think this is more about Facebook looking to make more money. In original business model, which involved selling ads and putting then At the side of the pages totally Who wants to look at ads when they're online connecting with their friends?
The privacy issue has already landed Facebook in hot water in Washington. In April. Senator Charles Schumer called on Facebook to change its privacy policy. He also urged the Federal Trade Commission to set guidelines for social-networking sites."I think the senator rightly communicated that we had not been clear about what the new products were and how people could choose to use them or not to use them," Schrage admits.
I suspect that whatever Facebook has done so far to invade our privacy, it's only the beginning. Which is why I'm considering deactivating(撤销)my account. Facebook is a handy site, but I'm upset by the idea that my information is in the hands of people I don't trust. That's too high a price to pay.What do we learn about Facebook from the first paragraph?
| A．It is a website that sends messages to targeted users. |
| B．It makes money by putting on advertisements. |
| C．It profits by selling its users' personal data. |
| D．It provides loads of information to its users. |
What does the author say about most Facebook users?
| A．They are reluctant to give up their personal information. |
| B．They don't know their personal data enriches Facebook. |
| C．They don't identify themselves when using the website. |
| D．They care very little about their personal information. |
Why does Facebook make changes to its rules according to Elliot Schrage?
| A．To render better service to its users. |
| B．To conform to the Federal guidelines. |
| C．To improve its users' connectivity. |
| D．To expand its scope of business. |
Why does Senator Charles Schumer advocate?
| A．Setting guidelines for advertising on websites. |
| B．Banning the sharing of users' personal information. |
| C．Formulating regulations for social-networking sites. |
| D．Removing ads from all social-networking sites. |
Why does the author plan to cancel his Facebook account?
| A．He is dissatisfied with its current service. |
| B．He finds many of its users untrustworthy. |
| C．He doesn't want his personal data abused. |
| D．He is upset by its frequent rule changes. |
E
Manners nowadays in big cities like London are particularly non-existent. It’s nothing for a big, strong schoolboy to elbow an elderly woman aside in the dash for the last remaining seat on the tube or bus, much less stand up and offer his seat to her.
This question of giving up seats in public transport is much argued by young men, who say that, since women have claimed equality, they no longer deserve to be treated with courtesy(谦恭有礼) and that those who go out to work should take their turn in the rat race like anyone else. Women have never claimed to be physically as strong as men. Even if it’s not agreed, however, that young men should stand up for older women, the fact remains that courtesy should be shown to the old, the sick and the burdened. Are we really so lost to all ideals of unselfishness that we can sit there indifferently reading the paper or a book, saying to ourselves “ First come, first served”, while a gray-haired woman, a mother with a young child or a cripple stands? Yet this is too often seen.
Older people, tired and easy annoyed from a day’s work, aren’t angels, either—far from it. Many a brisk argument or an insulting quarrel breaks out as the weary queues push and shove each other to get on buses and tubes. One cannot commend(推崇) this, of course, but one does feel there is just a little more excuse.
If cities are to remain pleasant places to live in at all, however, it seems necessary, not only that communication in transport should be improved, but also that communication between human beings should be kept smooth and polite. Shop assistant won’t bother to assist, taxi drivers growl at each other as they dash dangerously round corners, bus conductors pull the bell before their desperate passengers have had time to get on or off the bus, and so on. It seems to us that it’s up to the young and strong to do their small part to stop such deterioration (恶化).What is the writer’s opinion concerning courteous manners towards women?
| A．They no longer need to be treated differently from men. |
| B．Young men should give up their seats to young women. |
| C．“Lady first” should universally practiced. |
| D．Special consideration ought to be shown to them in some cases. |
What does “ the rat race” in paragraph 2 probably mean in the passage?
| A．A race that involves many people |
| B．A well-paid job |
| C．A fierce competition |
| D．A race for rats |
According to the passage, communication between human beings would not be smoother unless ____.
| A．people become more considerate towards each other |
| B．people are not so tired and easily annoyed |
| C．women are treated with more courtesy |
| D．public transport is improved |
The main purpose of the passage is to ______.
| A．call on people in big cities to pay more attention to politeness |
| B．blame the schoolboy’s rude behavior towards elderly women on tube or bus |
| C．criticize the fast pace of life in most of the big cities |
| D．tell young men to give their seats to elderly people and women |
D
Whoever has made a voyage up the Hudson River must remember the Catskill Mountains. They are a branch of the great Appalachian family, and can be seen to the west rising up to a noble height and towering over the surrounding country. When the weather is fair and settled, they are clothed in blue and purple, and print their beautiful shapes on the clear evening sky, but sometimes when it is cloudless, gray steam gathers around the top of the mountains which, in the last rays of the setting sun, will shine and light up like a crown of glory.
At the foot of these mountains, a traveler may see light smoke going up from a village.
In that village, and in one of the houses (which, to tell the exact truth, was sadly time-worn and weather-beaten), there lived many years ago, a simple, good-natured fellow by the name of Rip Van Winkle.
Rip's great weakness was a natural dislike of all kinds of money-making labor. It could not be from lack of diligence, for he could sit all day on a wet rock and fish without saying a word, even though he was not encouraged by a single bite. He would carry a gun on his shoulder for hours, walking through woods and fields to shoot a few birds or squirrels. He would never refuse to help a neighbor, even in the roughest work. The women of the village, too, used to employ him to do such little jobs as their less helpful husbands would not do for them. In a word, Rip was ready to attend to everybody's business but his own.
If left to himself, he would have whistled life away in perfect satisfaction; but his wife was always mad at him for his idleness (懒散). Morning, noon, and night, her tongue was endlessly going, so that he was forced to escape to the outside of the house -- the only side which, in truth, belongs to a henpecked husband.Which of the following best describes the Catskill Mountains?
| A．They are on the west of the Hudson River. |
| B．They are very high and beautiful in this area. |
| C．They can be seen from the Appalachian family. |
| D．They gather beautiful clouds in blue and purple. |
The hero of the story is probably_____________.
| A．hard-working and likes all kinds of work |
| B．idle and hates all kinds of jobs |
| C．simple, idle but very dutiful |
| D．gentle, helpful but a little idle |
The underlined words "henpecked husband" in the last paragraph probably means
a man who .
| A．likes hunting |
| B．is afraid of hens |
| C．loves his wife |
| D．is afraid of his wife |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Catskill Mountains. |
| B．A Mountain Village. |
| C．Rip Van Winkle. |
| D．A Dutiful Husband. |
C
Parties and social gatherings no longer excite us the same way they once did. This is not due to a lack of desire to socialize, but the smartphone.
At parties, more people are on their smartphones than on their drinks. According to a recent International Data Corporation study, well over half of all Americans have a smartphone and reach for it the moment they wake up, keeping it in hand all day. In addition, too much of society is using smartphones while driving and as a result getting into car crashes. 34 percent of teens admit to text while driving, and they confirm that text messaging is their number one driving interruption. People's attachment to their smartphones is unbelievably becoming more important than the lives of themselves and others.
Just as drivers dismiss the importance of focusing while on the road, many people also fail to recognize the significance of human interaction. When with their friends, some people pointlessly check or send text messages in the presence of a friend, which sends a message to that friend the person I am texting is more important than you. In addition, relying on our smartphone to make friends does not give us the same advantage as being able to make new friendships in the real world. Face-to-face conversations will give us much stronger communication skills in the long run.
As many people risk their lives and the lives of people around them just to send a text or mindlessly check their massages, smartphones are in many ways more dangerous to people. The quality of this technology is de-advancing societal achievements and weakening the value of communication. Not only is the smartphone affecting our desire to interact (交流) face-to-face but it is also lowering society's ability to communicate.The purpose of this text is to ______.
| A．call for an end to use the smartphone while driving |
| B．appeal to us to pay attention to communication skills |
| C．express concern about the overuse of the smartphone |
| D．advise us to be cautious about the addiction to the smartphone |
The second paragraph is developed by ______.
| A．giving examples |
| B．listing figures |
| C．comparing facts |
| D．analyzing the effects |
The author advocates us to make new friends ______.
| A．by using smartphones |
| B．in a face-to-face way |
| C．in different ways |
| D．under a free circumstance |
Over dependence on the smartphone leads to the fact that ______.
| A．parties and gatherings limit their social circle |
| B．people are more and more narrow-minded |
| C．people's communication skills are weakened |
| D．face-to-face communication becomes less important |
B
Last year, A Bite of China, made by CCTVs Documentary Channel, sparked discussion not only on Chinese food, but also on locally made documentary programs.
With fascinating footage（影片片段） and stories, documentaries encourage us to think about interesting issues we wouldn’t necessarily know about.
So, what makes a good documentary, and what should we pay attention to when we watch one? Here, we offer a few easy strategies to help you get the most out of watching documentaries.
Pay attention to the themes
While watching a documentary, keep your eyes and ears peeled for the themes people talk about and what ideas they focus on. Is it meant to be informative or raise a certain emotional response?
Think critically
Listen to what the people in the documentary are saying and ask yourself the following questions If you were debating with someone or introducing a new concept, would you say the things the people in the documentary are saying? Do the arguments make sense?
Check the sources
If you’re sitting at the computer and can’t think of anything to do, why not look up the points the documentary made and see if they are accurate? You could even read more about what is presented in the documentary.
Who are the creators?
The creators or financial backers of a film will usually be involved with how the subject matter is presented. For instance, as the documentary 2016 Obama’s America was directed in large part by a conservative writer, it’s not surprising that it’s critical of President Obama from the beginning.Which of the following is the most proper to describe documentaries?
| A．non-fictional | B．controversial |
| C．subjective | D．thoughtful |
The passage is mainly written to ______.
| A．inform us of factors of good documentaries. |
| B．help us enjoy documentaries better. |
| C．introduce ways of making documentaries. |
| D．help us figure out themes of documentaries. |
Why is 2016 Obama’s America mentioned in the article?
| A．Because the author dislikes Obama. |
| B．Because it is directed by a writer. |
| C．Because it is quite popular in China. |
| D．Because it is a persuasive example. |
According to the passage, ______.
| A．it is always difficult to get the themes of documentaries. |
| B．financial backers often appear in documentaries. |
| C．it’s better to think twice about what is in documentaries. |
| D．many points of documentaries are not accurate. |
A
Since I started working part-time at a grocery store, I have learned that a customer is more than someone who buys things. To me, a customer is a person whose memory fails entirely once he or she starts to push a shopping cart. One of the first things customers forget is how to count. There is no other way to explain how so many people get in their express line, which is clearly marked 15 items(件) or less, with 20, 25 or even a cart load of items.
Customers also forget why they came to the store in the first place. Just as I finish ringing up an order, a customer will say, “Oops, I forgot to pick up a fresh loaf of bread. I hope you don’t mind waiting, while I go to get it.”Five minutes later, he’s back with the bread, a bottle of milk, and three rolls of paper towels. What is strange is that customers also seem to forget that they have to pay for their groceries. Instead of writing a check or looking for a credit card while I am ringing up the groceries, a customer will wait until I announce the total. Then, in surprise, she says, “ Oh no, what did I do with my check book?” After 5 minutes of digging through her purse, she borrows my pen because she has forgotten hers. But I have to tolerate customers because they pay my salary, and that’s something I can’t afford to forget.What does the author say about his customers?
| A．They cannot count numbers. |
| B．They sometimes jump the queue. |
| C．They don’t know how to express themselves. |
| D．They behave as if their memories had totally failed. |
According to the text, who are supposed to be in the express line?
| A．Customers with nothing purchased. |
| B．Customers with not more than 15 items. |
| C．Customers with items between 16 and 25 |
| D．customers with 25 or even a cart load of items. |
When customers arrive at the check-out counter, they_______
| A．find their pens lost |
| B．go back and get more items |
| C．cannot wait to pay for their groceries. |
| D．prefer paying by check to paying with a credit card. |
We can infer from the text that ________
| A．business in the grocery store runs well |
| B．the author finds his present job full of fun |
| C．the author’s part-time job calls for patience |
| D．customers go to grocery stores without planning. |