I was appreciating my family photos on my computer, admiring my two beautiful babies, when I found a disturbing trend: my laptop was in almost all the pictures. There was my daughter, 8 months old, playing at my feet while I was typing away on the couch. There was me and my son, with the laptop at my side as I held him in my arms.
I’d heard about the Internet addiction before, but always assumed I was something limited to socially challenged guys who played too much World of Warcraft (a computer game). Now it seemed my Internet “habit” is slowly but surely crossing the line. Sometimes I find myself up at midnight, surfing the Web while my family are sleeping. I read news, keep up with friends and write my blog … just for something to do.
It turns out that I’m not the only mama who is addicted to the computer. These moms are contributing to a growing global addiction. There’s a movement among psychiatrists (doctors who specialize in mental diseases) to recognize the Internet addiction as an official mental disorder. And a recent Stanford University national survey found that 14 percent of Internet users find it hard to stay away from it for several days at a time; 9 percent try to hide their “unnecessary Internet use” from their loved ones; 8 percent admit they use the Web as a way to escape problems.
You’re likely not the kind of addict who doesn’t bathe and abuses drugs to help her stay “up” for more online time. You may have noticed, though, that going online has become a necessary part of your life, which, at least, means a load of clothes go unwashed.
It may also mean you’re missing much time with you baby – something you probably do care about.From Paragraph 1, we can conclude that _______.
| A．the author was busy taking care of her babies |
| B．the author’s job had something to do with computers |
| C．the author was not good at taking photos of her babies |
| D．the author looked after her babies while using the computer. |
The author used to think that the Internet addiction is ________.
| A．using the web at midnight | B．keeping up with friends online |
| C．spending too much time online | D．being addicted to computer games |
In medical terms, the Internet addiction is ________.
| A．a personal life habit | B．a way to escape problems |
| C．an official mental disorder | D．the unnecessary use of the Internet |
What does the author want to express in the last but one paragraph?
| A．Many women still can control their online time. |
| B．The Internet addiction influences housewives’ lives a lot. |
| C．Going online has become a necessary part of women’s lives. |
| D．Many people don’t realize that they are addicted to the Internet. |
One day, Jack threw some papers on my desk. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “Next time you want to change anything, ask me first,” he said, and left. I had made just one small change. But it’s not that I hadn’t been warned. My colleagues had said he was responsible for the resignations of the two previous secretaries. As the weeks went by, I came to look down on Jack.
After another of his episodes had left me in tears I stormed into his office. “what?” he said suddenly. “Jack, the way you’ve been treating me is wrong. I’ve never had anyone speak to me that way. As a professional, it’s wrong for me to allow it to continue,” I said. Jack smiled nervously, “Susan, I make you a promise that I will be a friend. I will treat you as you deserve to be treated, with respect and kindness.”
Jack avoided me the rest of the week, and never questioned my work again. I brought cookies to the office one day and left some on his desk. Another day I left a note: ”Hope your day is going great. ” Over the next few weeks, there were no more Jack episodes. One year later
I discovered I had breast cancer, and was scared. The statistics were not great for my long-term survival.
One day, however, Jack visited me in the hospital and silently handed me a bundle with several bulbs inside. “Tulips(郁金香),” he said. I smiled, not understanding. “If you plant them when you get home, they’ll come up next spring. I think you will be there to see them when they come up. Next spring you will see the colours I picked out for you.” Tears clouded my eyes and he left. I have seen those red and white striped（有条纹的） tulips push through the soil every spring for over ten years now. This past September the doctor declared me cured. At a moment when I was praying for just the right word, a man with very few words said all the right things. After all, that’s what friends do.Jack became angry that day because__________.
| A．he was feeling unwell |
| B．Susan had failed to keep his office clean |
| C．he felt Susan changed too much about the papers |
| D．Susan had changed something without his permission |
Susan stormed into jack’s office to tell Jack that__________.
| A．he wasn’t worthy of respect |
| B．he should apologize to her right away |
| C．she would treat him the way he treated her |
| D．one should show others respect and kindness |
Which of the following describes Susan?
| A．Moody but firm. |
| B．Shy and demanding |
| C．Confident and friendly. |
| D．Tough and troublesome. |
From the passage, we can conclude that__________.
| A．Jack cares about his employees |
| B．Jack gets along well with his employees |
| C．Jack is always particular about his work |
| D．Jack doesn’t care about the feelings of others |
We can infer from the passage that__________.
| A．a friend in need is a friend in deed |
| B．a few words can be as meaningful as many |
| C．a friend who says little must be a good friend |
| D．we must treat disrespectful people with disrespect |
Imagine living in a city made of glass. No, this isn’t a fairy tale. If you could grab your diving gear and swim down 650 feet into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Washington State, you would witness the secret world of glass reefs.
The reef you’d be looking at is made up of glass sponges(海绵). But how can animals be made of glass? Well, glass is formed from a substance called silica. The sponges use the silica found in ocean waters to build glass structures that will give them shape and support. Be careful! Some of the fragile creatures are up to 200 years old.
When sponges die, new ones grow on top of the pile of old ones. Over centuries, a massive and complex reef takes shape. Some sponges look like wrinkled trumpets, while others look like overgrown cauliflower or mushrooms.
Dr. Paul Johnson, who discovered the Washington reef in 2007, also found other surprises such as bubbles of methane(甲烷) gas flowing out of the seafloor nearby. The methane feeds bacteria, and the bacteria feed the glass sponges.
“It’s a new ecosystem we know nothing about,” said Dr. Johnson.
The reef of yellow and orange glass sponges is crowded with crabs, shrimp, starfish, worms, snails, and rockfish. The glass reef is also a nursery for the babies of many of these creatures and was called a “kindergarten” by scientists.
Many animals that live in the reef hang around for a long time, just like the sponges. Rockfish, for example, live for more than 100 years. Scientists are just beginning to study all the species that call the reef home.
The Washington coast isn’t the only place where a living glass reef has been found. The first was discovered in Hecate Strait off the coast of British Columbia in 1991. Scientists all over the world were stunned to see it. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．Man-made cities under the sea | B．The world under the sea |
| C．Glass “cities” under the sea | D．Creatures under the sea |
It can be learned that the glass reef _______.
| A．is made up of a kind of materials called sponges |
| B．is a work of art made by some American scientists |
| C．is a new ecosystem people are not familiar with |
| D．was first discovered off the coast of Washington State |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The sponges must feel soft. |
| B．Silica comes from animals’ body fluid. |
| C．Methane is harmful to glass sponges. |
| D．Glass sponges depend on the bacteria for a living. |
Why did scientists call the glass reef a “kindergarten”?
| A．Because the babies of many sea creatures grow well there. |
| B．Because thousands of children visit it every year. |
| C．Because it is crowded with snails and rockfish, etc. |
| D．Because all the species call the reef home. |
What does the underlined word “stunned” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．Greatly surprised. | B．Extremely scared. |
| C．Highly satisfied. | D．Very pleased. |
Most employers say that they wish to employ the right person for the right job. A recent report by Britain’s Independent Institute of Manpower Studies, however, disagrees with this. The report states that most employers wish to avoid employing the wrong person. Rather than looking for the right person they are looking for applicants to turn down.
The report also suggests that in Britain and in many other parts of the world the selection methods used to pick out the right person for the job certainly do not match up to those used to judge a piece of new equipment. Employers used three main selection methods: interviewing, checking resume or application forms and examining references. Most of the employers asked in this survey stated that these selection methods were used more for weeding out unsuitable applicants rather than for finding suitable ones.
Interviews were considered to be more reliable than either resume checks or references from past employers. Research, however, proves otherwise. Interviewers’ decisions are often strongly influenced by their earlier judgment of the written application. Also different employers view facts differently. One may consider applicants who have frequently changed jobs as people with broad and useful experience. Another will see such applicants as unreliable and unlikely to stay for long in the new job.
Some employers place great importance on academic qualifications whereas the link between this and success in management is not necessarily strong. Some employers use handwriting as a standard. The report states that there is little evidence to support the value of the latter for judging working ability. References, also, are sometimes unreliable as they are not very important while checks on credit and security records and applicants’ political opinions are often the opposite.
The report is more favorable towards trainability tests and those which test personality and personal and mental skills. The report concludes by suggesting that interviewing could become more reliable if the questions were arranged in a careful, organized system and focused on the needs of the employing organization.
| A．they will try to find suitable people |
| B．they will look for the right applicant |
| C．the wrong applicants are to be turned down |
| D．to turn down the wrong people is what they say they aim to do |
| A．to evaluate a right person is more difficult than to evaluate equipment |
| B．employers are more successful in selecting the right equipment than the right persons |
| C．criteria will be set up according to the real situation of the applicants |
| D．resumes means application forms |
| A．consult the applicants |
| B．can find suitable people |
| C．prefer resumes or references |
| D．use different ways to sort out the unsuitable applicants |
| A．Employers get different conclusions from the facts. |
| B．Changing jobs frequently will reduce the chance to be recruited. |
| C．Academic qualifications will guarantee the applicant managing ability. |
| D．Handwriting is a valid way to evaluate an applicant. |
| A．have outstanding references |
| B．are strong in emotional quotient |
| C．take interviewing seriously |
| D．have strong political leanings |
Many of us mistakenly believe that it’s wrong to think we have any good qualities. We may spend a lot of time blaming ourselves for our negative qualities, thinking that self criticism is the key to improving our performance. However, a constant focus on our supposed shortcomings can stop our efforts to make friends with other people. How can we believe that others could like us if we believe our inner being is flawed?
If someone seems to dislike you, the reason for that dislike might have little or nothing to do with you. The person who doesn’t like you might be fearful, or shallow or busy or shy. Perhaps you and that person are simply a mismatch for each other at this particular time.
Don’t take yourself out of the game by deciding that your flaws are bigger than your good qualities. In fact, some of the very qualities you consider to be flaws may be irresistible to someone else. Although some factors that might cause one person to reject you, there are at least many factors that will work in your favor.
You might be thirty pounds over your ideal weight, but you may have a wonderful laugh and a real enthusiasm for life. There are many people who don’t mind your extra pounds. You may drive a shabby car, but you might be a great dancer and a loyal friend. There are people out there looking for loyalty, or fun, or sweetness, or wisdom, and the package it comes in is not important. If you are worried that you are not beautiful enough to attract friends, keep in mind that not everyone is looking for physical beauty in their friends. You can decide to feel inferior because you don’t have much money and you don’t drive a nice car. You can believe that this is the reason
that you don’t have many friends in your life. On the other hand, if you are very wealthy you may be suspicious that everyone is after your money and that nobody really likes you as a person.
The point is that you can focus on just about anything and believe it’s the reason you do not have friends and cannot make any.
| A．admitting your shortcomings | B．self criticism |
| C．modesty | D．confidence |
| A．you should find the reason in yourself |
| B．you’d better talk with the person face to face |
| C．you may not be the one to be blamed |
| D．you and that person misunderstand each other |
| A．your good qualities may make you earn more money |
| B．your weakness may also be your strengths in some way |
| C．your negative qualities may cause you to lose friends |
| D．you’ll have few friends if you don’t share the same interest |
| A．It is important to lose weight. |
| B．It is easier for a wealthy person to make friends. |
| C．Inner qualities are more important than physical appearance. |
| D．If you are not beautiful enough, try to improve your physical beauty. |
| A．How to find your good qualities. | B．How to make friends. |
| C．How to make self criticism. | D．How to keep fit. |
“A very destructive seven-year old child kicked my legs and scratched at my hand,” said one teacher. “I broke up a fight and was kicked,” said another. Many people have heard stories like this. But the situation is more worrying still and it involves parents.
Every child, regardless of the circumstances into which they are born, has the right to achieve their potential, regardless of their parents’ wealth and class. And we recognize that, as a nation, it is a long way to achieve this goal. But rights come with responsibilities and what worries people is that we are in danger of neglecting the latter.
Far too many children are behaving badly at school, even to the point of being violent to staff. This is terrible enough，but it is hard to be surprised since many children are just mirroring the behavior of their parents. Too many are starting school unable to hold a knife and fork, unused to eating at a table，and unable to use the lavatory properly.
We are in danger of becoming a nation of families living separate lives under one roof. The bedroom, once a place to sleep, has become the living space for the young. Spending hours in front of computer screens, on social networking sites or being immersed in computer games, children and young people spend little time with their parents. Parents are unable to monitor just what their children are watching.
Schools cannot right the wrongs of society and teachers cannot become substitute parents. Both parties need to work together. Parents must be helped and given confidence to take back control. They are responsible for setting boundaries for their children’s behavior and sticking to those boundaries when the going gets tough. They are responsible for setting a good example to their children and for devoting that most precious of resources---time---so that children come to school ready and willing to learn.
| A．The school violence |
| B．The pressure of students’ learning |
| C．The right to achieve students’ potential |
| D．Students’ responsibilities |
| A．dissatisfaction | B．sympathy | C．understanding | D．tolerance |
| A．children don’t live with their parents in the same room |
| B．parents care little about children’s life at home |
| C．children spend little time with their parents at home |
| D．parents attempt to establish a good relationship with their children |
From the last paragraph,we can infer that.
| A．school can’t correct the wrongs that society does to teachers |
| B．teachers have no responsibility for playing the role of parents |
| C．parents should spend time with children making them ready to learn |
| D．students are responsible for making themselves known in society |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Children’s behavior at school is worrying people |
| B．Parents expect schools to correct their children’s bad habits |
| C．There is no point in parents’teaching children at home |
| D．Don’t blame teachers when it’s parents who are failing |