A few years ago my sister moved from her home in Alabama to Buffalo, New York. Since moving to Buffalo she’s become a big hockey fan and has encouraged me to start watching it. Unfortunately it’s very difficult to find hockey on television here in Alabama. Since hockey games don’t air very much on television I’ve had to look for different ways to watch hockey games.
I often see websites that claim if you go to their website you can watch television on your computer. I try out many of these websites hoping that one of the television stations is a northern station that airs hockey games. Unfortunately, most of them don’t work. Either the site doesn’t really give you what they advertise or their video player doesn’t work properly. But finally I’ve found one website that actually works.
Free Tube is a site that you can go to and watch Television online for free. You don’t have to download any kind of special software or pay money or even sign up for anything. All you have to do is go to Free Tube, choose your channel and start watching.
The different channels to choose from are separated into different categories like news, business, entertainment, music and sports. You’re not going to find channels like NBC or ABC so you can watch the latest episode of Heroes or Grey’s Anatomy but it does include some popular channels like Cartoon Network and ESPN.
There is also a movie section. Each movie channel airs different sorts of films like adventure, classics, comedy or horror and that channel will always air that kind of movies. The movie section also includes my favorite station called Maxx Trailers (预告片). Maxx Trailers airs nothing but movies trailers 24 hours a day. Some of the trailers are for movies coming out and some are for movies that have already been released but already released movies don’t go back farther than a couple of months.
So far I haven’t had any problems with Free Tube’s video player either. Whenever I choose a channel, the video almost always works and usually loads every quickly. The only problem I have with Free Tube is that there is currently a glitch if you’re using Firefox. Once you choose a channel you can’t select another channel to change to, your web browser will freeze up. So if you’re using Firefox, the only way to switch channels is to leave the site and re-enter the site, when choosing what channel you want to go to. However, Free Tube is aware of this glitch and is working with Mozilla to get it fixed right away.
If you’re missing some show everyone is talking about like Grey’s Anatomy or Heroes, this isn’t really a solution for that. But Free Tube is a good way to find channels that you weren’t aware of; there are several good stations to be found. The author mainly ________ in this passage.
| A．tells us his experience in using the Web |
| B．introduces Free Tube to the readers |
| C．shows us the disadvantages of Free Tube |
| D．shows us how to enjoy films online |
The author got interested in watching hockey games ________
| A．because he is a sports fan |
| B．due to his sister’s influence |
| C．since everyone enjoys the games |
| D．because he has nothing to do all day long |
From the passage we can learn that ______________
| A．the author is also very fond of movies |
| B．Maxx Trailers airs to-be-released movies |
| C．ABC is a very famous TV station in America |
| D．Firefox is the only software used to watch films online |
The underlined word “glitch” probably means _________
| A．cover | B．change | C．note | D．fault |
You may have heard of the American Dream, an ideal that has powered the hopes of Americans for generations.
It began as a belief that the US was a land of opportunity, and that anyone could achieve success through hard work. At times, the dream has referred to home ownership, a good job, retirement security or each generation doing better than the last.
Yet today, this concept seems to have greatly changed. As Time magazine pointed out, quite different from the older generation, many Millennials (the generation born after 1980) redefine(重新定义) the American Dream as “day-to-day control of your life”. They “prize job mobility, flexible schedules, any work that is more interesting than typing, and the ability to travel”, said the magazine.
Home ownership, once the cornerstone of the American Dream, is becoming a smaller priority for this generation. Meanwhile, nearly 40% of them choose travel as part of their dream. And entrepreneurship(创业) is a rising favorite, as nearly 26% of Millennials consider self-employment as part of their dream.
So what has led to this huge change?
Many point fingers at the poor economy. “Modern young Americans seem bound to face a world stamped by ever narrowing opportunity and social stagnation(停滞),”noted The Daily Beast.
“The rate of 16-to 24-year-olds out of school and out of work is unusually high at 15%. Many college graduates have taken jobs that don’t require a degree,” Time reported.
The magazine worries that these difficulties may lead to a lost generation who are “unable to ever truly find their feet on the corporation’s ladder”.
Dan Kadlec, a reporter of Time, sees Millennials as resetting their expectations.”This situation is different for young adults today,” he wrote. “A true American dream has to feel attainable, and many Millennias are feeling they can only attain a day-today lifestyle that suits them.”The underlined word “cornerstone” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to “ ”.
| A．growth | B．balance | C．basis | D．purpose |
What has changed Millennials’ view of the American Dream according to the passage?
| A．A lack of confidence in themselves |
| B．Fierce competition in the job market |
| C．Their dissatisfaction with the government |
| D．The discouraging economy and unemployment |
Dan Kadlec thinks Millennials’ new definition of the American Dream is ______.
| A．beautiful | B．understandable |
| C．worrying | D．positive |
What can be the best title for this passage?
| A．Redefinition of American Dream |
| B．Meaning of American Dream |
| C．Value of Achieving American Dream |
| D．History of Changing American Dream |
Decision-thinking is not unlike poker—it often matters not only what you think, but also what others think you think what you think they think you think. The mental process(过程) is similar. Naturally, this card game has often been of considerable interest to people who are, by any standards, good thinkers.
The great mathematician John von Neumann was one of the founders of game theory. In particular, he showed that all games fall into two classes; there are what he called games of 'perfect information', games like chess where the players can't hide anything or play tricks; they don't win by chance, but by means of logic and skills. Then there are games of 'imperfect information', like poker, in which it is impossible to know in advance that one course of action is better than another.
One mistaken idea about business is that it can be treated as a game of perfect information. Quite the reverse Business, life itself are games which we must normally play with very imperfect information. Business decisions are often made with many unknown and unknowable factors(因素), best poker players. But few business people find it comfortable to admit that they are taking a chance, and many still prefer to believe that they are playing chess, not poker.The subject discussed in this text is _________.
| A．the process of reaching decisions |
| B．the difference between poker and chess. |
| C．the secret of making good business plans |
| D．the value of information in winning games |
An important factor in a game of imperfect information is ___________.
| A．rules | B．luck |
| C．time | D．ideas |
Which of the following can be used in place of "Quite the reverse" in paragraph 3?
| A．Quite right. | B．True enough. |
| C．Most unlikely. | D．Just the opposite. |
In the writer's opinion, when making business decisions one should ___________ .
| A．put perfect information before imperfect information |
| B．accept the existence of unknown factors |
| C．regard business as a game of chess |
| D．mix known and unknown factors |
Elizabeth Mitchell’s new “Liberty’s Torch” is the fascinating story of how the Statue of Liberty came to be. The Statue of Liberty’s rough history is explored in “Liberty’s Torch”.
Frederic Auguste Bartholdi is an all-but-forgotten figure in American history. He was, however, responsible for one of the most enduring symbols of the United States: the Statue of Liberty. A Frenchman from Alsace, he designed and built the Statue of Liberty which stood on Bedloe’s Island in New York Harbor. How this statue came to be is the fascinating subject of Elizabeth Michell’s new book “Liberty’s Torch”.
The power of Mitchell’s narrative is convincing(令人信服的). We recognize the Statue of Liberty now as a symbol of hope and opportunity for a nation of immigrants. At the time, though, people could not see that－nor did they even imagine that. Instead, the construction of the statue was born of one man’s desire to set up a great monument.
For this reason, perhaps, “Liberty’s Torch” relies on Bartholdi as the connecting thread. Bartholdi went to Egypt to make photographic copies of the main monuments. On the boat, Bartholdi met and began a lifelong relationship with Ferdinand de Lesseps, the man who would build the Suez Canal. Maybe it was this friendship, or maybe it was seeing Egypt’s huge monuments, but finally the trip inspired Bartholdi’s dream to create the largest statue ever built. Failure to bring this to completion in Egypt, followed by his exile (流放) from Paris, led Bartholdi to sail to America.
By explaining the Statue of Liberty’s hard history and showing Bartholdi’s brave spirit, Mitchell has done a great service. It can be inferred from the text that ________.
| A．American people have never forgotten Frederic August Bartholdi |
| B．the Statue of Liberty wasn’t originally regarded as a symbol of hope |
| C．Bartholdi finished the Suez Canal |
| D．Bartholdi was a famous architect from Egypt. |
What was the main reason for Bartholdi to build the Statue of Liberty?
| A．To finish his education in the arts. |
| B．To mark his friendship with Ferdinand. |
| C．To create something better than Egyptian monuments. |
| D．To achieve his dream to create the largest statue. |
What type of writing is the passage?
| A．A travel guide. | B．A book review |
| C．An announcement | D．An architecture report. |
Hello. I’m Jan from Mrs. Lake’s class. My class wants to work together to help the public. We think we have found a great way to do this. Last month we did a class project on the highways near our town. We learned about the Adopt-a-Highway Program. This program brings people together to pick up litter along the roads. We think it would be a great idea for all students in our school to join the program and adopt a highway.
Adopting a highway is not like adopting a pet. When a highway is adopted, only part of the highway is cared for by a group of people. The group agrees to work every week to keep its part of the highway clean. Each group gets its own sign that has the name of the group printed on it. The sign is put up at the side of the road. This sign lets drivers know who is keeping that area of the road clean.
The Adopt-a-Highway Program is a great way for people to help their environment look nicer. Also, the government does not have to send out as many road workers. This saves money. Finally, people may try harder to keep roads clean if they see people, especially teenagers like us, cleaning them up.
We will need helpers to care for our adopted highway. If you want to feel great and keep our roads clean，please come with your parents to the meeting next week. We will meet in Mrs. Lake’ room on Wednesday at 6:00 P.M. At the meeting, we will talk about which roads are the dirtiest as a result of people's unkind acts. Then we' ll
try to pick an area to adopt and clean.
I look forward to seeing you at the meeting. Remember to keep our roads clean!What is the Adopt-a-Highway Program about?
| A．Giving names to the highways. |
| B．Drawing pictures of highways. |
| C．Picking up litter along the roads. |
| D．Putting up signs near the roads. |
What should the students do first if they want to join the program?
| A．Pick a spot to care for. |
| B．Call Mrs. Lake next week. |
| C．Write a letter to their parents. |
| D．Go to a meeting on Wednesday. |
What is the purpose of this speech?
| A．To encourage students to join the program. |
| B．To introduce the traffic system. |
| C．To show drivers how to drive safely. |
| D．To tell a story about adopting a pet. |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Adopt-a-Pet |
| B．Adopt-a-Highway |
| C．Ways to Protect the Environment |
| D．Volunteers on Roads |
Service Foods makes it easier for cooks to reduce mealtime complains. Service Foods is so confident that they can reduce complaints, in fact, that the company is offering a series of mealtime complaint-reduction tips.
According to a representative of Service Foods, complaints can occur when busy cooks serve substandard, low quality meats. As products sit in packaging in the meat case at the store, the meat can age out too much. The natural flavor disappears, and it can be replaced with an undesirable strange flavor. According to Service Foods, complaints from children are common when you serve substandard meats. Kids may not have the words to describe why they don't like the meats, but they're certainly willing to express their displeasure. By serving meats from Service Foods, complaints can be reduced. Service Foods meats are all natural and organic, meaning the meats have-no chemicals or water or colorings that could change the taste. And the meats are flash-frozen right after cutting, so they won't taste strange to your children.
If you're facing different types of complaints, Service Foods may still be able to help you. Some families have mealtime boredom. The same meals, served in the same way, week after week, can be incredibly boring and hard 'to look forward to. When it comes to these complaints, Service Foods has the answer right on the web. Just go to http: //www. servicefoods.com and you'll find a long list of recipes to try. Some of these recipes are made in demonstration format, so you can watch the video and get step-by-step instructions on how to prepare the meals. By following these recipes from Service Foods, complaints relating to boredom can certainly be reduced.
While Service Foods knows complaints at mealtime can never be totally eradicated, as picky kids will always be picky kids with concerns, the company is doing everything possible to deal with the problem and get cooks the help they need.Service Foods can solve mealtime boredom by ______.
| A．serving flash-frozen meat |
| B．expressing children's complaints |
| C．instructing different ways of cooking |
| D．supplying natural food without chemicals |
The underlined word "eradicated" in the last paragraph can be replaced with ______.
| A．covered | B．removed |
| C．reduced | D．accepted |
From the passage we can learn that Service Foods can do the following EXCEPT ______.
| A．cook food for picky kids |
| B．teach how to prepare meals |
| C．provide natural and organic meat |
| D．help reduce complaints about foods |
What will the readers probably do after reading the passage?
| A．Pay for Service Foods service. |
| B．Buy organic meat from now on. |
| C．Write recipes for Service Foods. |
| D．Answer complaints on the web. |