The home computer industry has been growing rapidly in the United States for the last ten years . Computers used to be large, expensive machines that were very difficult to use . But scientists and technicians have been making them smaller and cheaper while at the same time they have been made easier to use. As a result, their popularity has been increasing as more people have been buying computers for their homes and businesses. Computers have been designed to store information and compute problems that are difficult for human beings to work out. Some have voices that speak with the operators. Stores use computers to keep records of their inventories(库存货物) and to send bills to their customers(顾客) . Offices use computers to copy letters, record business and keep in touch with other offices. People have been using computers in their homes to keep track of the money they spend.
One important new use for computers is for entertainment(娱乐). Many new games have been designed to be played on the computers. People of all ages have been playing these games, People also have been buying home computers to play computer games, watch movies and listen to concerts at home. They have become very popular indeed. Computers used to _____.
| A．work rapidly | B．be large and expensive |
| C．be easy to use | D．be used for fun |
In recent years , computers are being made ______.
| A．larger and more expensive | B．smaller and cheaper |
| C．more difficult to use | D．to work more slowly |
Home computers can be used for ______.
| A．writing letters | B．playing games |
| C．doing business | D．all of the above |
Salesmen use computers mainly to ______.
| A．check the list of goods and materials that are kept in the store house |
| B．play games for pleasure |
| C．talk with their friends |
| D．write letters |
Dear Alcohol,
You've been around forever. I can remember all the pain you've caused for me.
Do you remember the night you almost took my father's life? I do. He loves you. Sometimes I think he loves you more than he loves me. He's addicted to you, to the way you promise to rid him of his problems only to cause more of them. You just sat back and laughed as his car went spinning through the street, crashing into two other cars. He wasn't the only one hurt by you that night.
Do you remember the night of my first high school party? You were there. My friends were intrigued by you. They treated you as if they were never going to see you again, drinking all of you that they could. I spent two hours that night helping my friends who had fallen completely. "I'm so embarrassed," they said as I held their hair back so that they could vomit (呕吐). "I'm sorry," they said when I called taxies for them, walking them out and paying the driver in advance. "This won't happen again," they said as they were sent to the hospital to have their stomachs pumped. Two 15-year-old girls slept in hospital beds that night thanks to you.
Do you remember the night when you took advantage of my 17-year-old neighbor who had to drive to pick up his sister from her dance lessons? Do you know how we all felt when he hit another car and killed the two people in the other car? He died the next morning too. His sister walked home from her dance lesson, and passed police cars and a crowd of people gathering on the sidewalk just two blocks away from the dance studio. She didn't realize her brother was in the midst of it all. She never saw him again. And it's all your fault.
I wish you'd walk out of my life forever. I don't want anything to do with you. Look at all the pain you've caused. Sure, you've made people happy too from time to time. But the damage you've caused in the lives of millions is inexcusable. Stop luring (引诱) in the people I love. Stop hurting me, please.
Sincerely,
AnonymousWhat is author's purpose in writing to alcohol?
| A．To introduce Mr. Alcohol to the readers |
| B．To describe the harm alcohol did to his family. |
| C．To show how much alcohol can hurt people. |
| D．To show the great fun that alcohol can bring to people's life. |
What did alcohol do to the author's father?
| A．It made him crash into two other cars and took his life. |
| B．It made him drink too much and he had to get his stomach pumped. |
| C．It made him kill two other people when driving. |
| D．It made him get into a car accident and badly injure himself. |
The underlined phrase "were intrigued by" is closest in meaning to ______.
| A．were familiar with | B．were interested in |
| C．were disappointed with | D．were satisfied with |
What is the tone of the article?
| A．Critical. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Unconcerned. | D．Humorous. |
BEING an astronaut sounds cool, doesn't it? In space, they get to do some pretty amazing things, like floating in zero gravity(重力).
However, there are also plenty of things that astronauts can't do because of their weightless environment, and that's very sad. What's worse, they can't even let their sadness show – because it's impossible to cry in zero gravity.
Of course, astronauts can still produce tears. But crying is much more difficult in space, reported The Atlantic in January. Without gravity, tears don't Flow downward out of the eyes like they do here on Earth. This means that when you cry in space, your tears have nowhere to go—they just stick to your eyes.
In May 2011, astronaut Andrew Feustel experienced this during one of his spacewalks. "Tears," he said, "don't fall off of your eye... They just kind of stay there."
Besides making your Vision unclear, this can also cause physical pain. Back on Earth, tears are supposed to bring comfort to the eyes. But that's not the case in space. The space environment dries out astronauts' eyes, and when tears suddenly wet the eyes, it can cause pain rather than comfort. "My right eye is painful like crazy." Feustel told his teammate during the walk.
Since gravity doesn't work in space, astronauts need some extra help to get rid of the tears. Feustel chose to rub his eyes against his helmet to wipe the tears away. Another choice is to just wait—"When the tears get big enough they simply break free of the eye and float around," astronaut Ron Parise told The Atlantic.
There are lots of small things—things like crying – that we are so used to on Earth. We usually take them for granted, until they become a problem in a totally different environment, like space. There, astronauts can't talk to each other directly. They also can't eat or drink in normal ways. They can't even burp (打嗝), because there is no gravity to hold the food down in their stomach. If they do burp, they just end up throwing up (呕吐) everything in their stomach, according to the UK National Space Center.
Thus, perhaps it's only space explorers who can honestly say: "Gravity, you're the best."What can we conclude from paragraphs 2 and 3?
| A．Astronauts are unable to feel sad in space. |
| B．Astronauts produce fewer tears in space. |
| C．Tears produced in space flow down more slowly. |
| D．Tears produced in space don't flow downward. |
What effect do tears have on astronauts?
| A．They cause physical pain. |
| B．They bring comfort to them. |
| C．They make their vision clearer |
| D．They float around and cause trouble. |
What can the astronaut do to get rid of the tears?
| A．Rub his eyes against his helmet to let the tears float forward. |
| B．Rub his eyes by hand to let the tears float around. |
| C．Get the tears big enough to fall off of his eyes. |
| D．Get the tears big enough to break away from his eyes. |
When of the following can be the best title for the text?
| A．In the sky, you can't burp |
| B．Better life with gravity |
| C．In the sky, you can't cry |
| D．No Gravity, no tears |
A popular saying goes, “Sticks and stone may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” However, that’s not really true. Words have the power to build us up or tear us down. It doesn’t matter if the words come from someone else or ourselves– the positive and negative effects are just as lasting.
We all talk to ourselves sometimes. We’re usually too embarrassed to admit it, though. But we really shouldn’t be, because more and more experts believe talking to ourselves out loud is a healthy habit.
This “self-talk” helps us motivate ourselves, remember things, solve problems, and calm ourselves down. Beware, though, that as much as 77% of self-talk tends to be negative. So in order to stay positive, we should only speak words of encouragement to ourselves. We should also be quick to give ourselves a pat on the back. The next time you finish a project, do well in a test, or finally clean your room, join me in saying, “Good job!”
Words possess power because of their lasting effects. Many of us regret something we once said. And we remember unkind words said to us! Before speaking, we should always ask ourselves: Is it true? Is it loving? Is it needed? If what we want to say doesn’t pass this test, then it’s better left unsaid.
Words possess power: both positive and negative. Those around us receive encouragement when we speak positively. We can offer hope, build self-esteem(自尊) and motive others to do their best. Negative words destroy all those things. Will we use our words to hurt or to heal? The choice is ours.The author argues in the first paragraph that ________.
| A．words will never hurt us at all |
| B．positive effects last longer than negative effects |
| C．words have lasting effects on us |
| D．negative words last longer than positive effects |
Why should we not feel embarrassed when talking to ourselves?
| A．Talking to ourselves is believed to be good for our health. |
| B．It does harm to have “self-talk” when we are alone. |
| C．Talking to ourselves helps us to solve all the problems. |
| D．Almost everybody has the habit of talking to oneself. |
The underlined phrase “give ourselves a pat on the back” in Paragraph 3 means _______.
| A．blame ourselves | B．punish ourselves |
| C．talk to ourselves | D．praise ourselves |
Which of the following statements would the author agree to?
| A．It is impossible for unkind words to be forgotten. |
| B．It is better to think twice before talking to others. |
| C．Words always possess long positive effects. |
| D．Kind words are sometimes not needed at all. |
Imagine, one day, getting out of bed in Beijing and being at your office in Shanghai in only a couple of hours, and then, after a full day of work, going back home to Beijing and having dinner there.
Sounds unusual, doesn’t it? But it’s not that unrealistic, with the development of China’s high-speed railway system. And that’s not all. China has an even greater high-speed railway plan-----to connect the country with Southeast Asia, and eventually Eastern Europe.
China is negotiating to extend its own high-speed railway network to up to 17 countries in 10 to 15 years, eventually reaching London and Singapore.
China has proposed three such projects. The first would possibly connect Kunming with Singapore via Vietnam and Malaysia. Another could start in Urumqi and go through Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and possibly to Germany. The third would start in the northeast and go north through Russia and then into Western Europe.
If China’s plan for the high-speed railway goes forward, people could zip over from London to Beijing in under two days.
The new system would still follow China’s high-speed railway standard. And the trains would be able to go 346 kilometers an hour, almost as fast as some airplanes.
China’s bullet train (高速客车), the one connecting Wuhan to Guangzhou, already has the world’s fastest average speed. It covers 1,069 kilometers in about three hours.
Of course, there are some technical challenges to overcome. There are so many issues that need to be settled, such as safety, rail gauge (轨距), maintenance of railway tracks. So, it’s important to pay attention to every detail.
But the key issue is really money. China is already spending hundreds of billions of yuan on domestic railway expansion.
China prefers that the other countries pay in natural resources rather than with capital investment. Resources from those countries could stream into China to sustain development.
It’ll be a win-win project. For other countries, the railway network will definitely create more opportunities for business, tourism and so on, not to mention the better communication among those countries.
For China, such a project would not only connect it with the rest of Asia and bring some much-needed resources, but would also help develop China’s far west. We foresee that in the coming decades, millions of people will migrate to the western regions, where the land is empty and resources unused. With high-speed trains, people will set up factories and business centers in the west once and for all. And they’ll trade with Central Asian and Eastern European countries.China’s new high-speed railway plan will be a win-win project because ____________.
| A．China will get much-needed resources and develop its western regions |
| B．China and the countries involved will benefit from the project in various ways |
| C．China will develop its railway system and communication with other countries |
| D．the foreign countries involved will develop their railway transportation, business and tourism |
According to the passage, the greatest challenge to the new high-speed railway plan is___________.
| A．technical issues | B．safety of the system |
| C．financial problems | D．maintenance of railway tracks |
Which of the following words best describes the author’s attitude towards China’s high-speed railway plan?
| A．Critical. | B．Reserved. |
| C．Doubtful | D．Positive. |
Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
| A．New Railway Standards |
| B．Big Railway Dreams |
| C．High-speed Bullet Trains |
| D．International Railway Network |
B
| Gallery Policies for Visitors to National Gallery of Art, Washington |
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| Visitors must present all carried items for inspection upon entry. After inspection, all bags, backpacks, umbrellas, parcels, and other things as determined by security officers must be left at the checkrooms, free of charge, close to each entrance. All oversized bags, backpacks and luggage must be left at the checkrooms near the 4th Street entrance of either the East or West Building. These items will have to be x-rayed before being accepted. Items of value, such as laptop computers, cameras, and fur coats, may not be left in the checkrooms but may be carried into the galleries. We regret that we do not have enough space for visitor items larger than 17×26 inches into the Gallery or its checkrooms. Additional security procedures and checks may be taken according to the decision of the Gallery. |
For the safety of the artworks and other visitors, nothing may be carried on a visitor’s back. Soft front baby carriers are allowed, but children may not be carried on shoulders or in a child carrier worn on the back. Pushchairs are available free of charge near each checkroom. Smoking is prohibited. Food and drink are not permitted outside the food service areas. Unopened bottled water may be carried only in a visitor’s bag. Cell phones may not be used in the galleries. Animals, other than service animals, are not permitted in the Gallery. Skateboarding is prohibited. Picture-taking (including video) for personal use is permitted except in special exhibitions and where specifically prohibited. Tripods (三角架) are not allowed. Please do not touch the works of art. |
When people come to visit the Gallery, they should ____________.
| A．leave all their carried items at the checkrooms |
| B．have all their carried items x-rayed at the entrance |
| C．take all their carried items with them without inspection |
| D．have all their carried items inspected at the entrance |
What does the Gallery feel sorry for?
| A．Visitors have to keep their valuable items in the checkrooms. |
| B．The size of visitor items allowed into the Gallery is limited. |
| C．It cannot keep oversized visitor items due to limited space. |
| D．Visitor items over 17×26 inches must go through additional checks. |
Parents with small children visiting the Gallery _____________.
| A．can carry their children in soft front child carriers |
| B．can carry their children on their shoulders |
| C．can carry their children in child carriers worn on the back |
| D．ought to pay if they want to use pushchairs for their children |
Visiting photographers should make sure that ____________.
| A．pictures and videos are allowed for personal use anywhere in the Gallery |
| B．tripods are allowed except in some special exhibitions |
| C．picture-taking and videoing are totally forbidden in the Gallery |
| D．pictures and videos can be taken in some places for personal use |