With only a click of the mouse, rumors can be forwarded between microblogs very quickly. As an example, recently, perceptive netizens discovered that some photos displayed on microblogs depicting Beijing’s June rainstorm had actually been fabricated.
Sina.com is one of the major internet portals(门户网站) in China with hundreds and thousands of users, and a majority of celebrities and renowned citizens have their microblog accounts on this portal. As recently as six months ago, the website decided to establish a specialized team to verify rumors and provide accurate information for its users. Tan Chao is in charge of the team.
“Before I took the job, I usually couldn’t identify what information was real and what was fake. But during the rumor verification process, we discovered that a lot of information was false, including fake photos, fake news stories and rumors that had been spread through microblogs.”
It‘s not just website portals which are taking on fact-checking responsibilities, but also a number of civic-minded netizens, who recently set up a Rumor Verification Federation on Sina.com’s microblog system to help netizens identify fake information online.
Dianzizheng is the team leader of the federation. He says they’ve publicized more than 150 pieces which refute rumors, which attracted more than 10 thousand visitors within two months.
“We live in an age of new media, so we can’t use the old methods to verify rumors. We can’t wait for the media to verify the facts with related administrative departments and then release a formal announcement. We can’t allow rumors to run rampant and then deal with it, we need to fight rumors while they’re spreading. I think that this is the best way to deal with rumors nowadays.”
Some experts say this demonstrates the advantages of the internet compared to other traditional media. The open platform allows information to be examined and clarified by netizens. But experts like Ding Wenguo, President of the Journalism and Communication College at the China University of Political Science and Law says this self-correction function of the internet is still quite limited.
“It’s still quite difficult to tell which information is true in such an open environment by just reading a number of different opinions on the same issue. This is something which we need to pay attention to. If society is deluged with too much false information, and it’s allowed to spread in such a fast manner, then people will be suspicious of all kinds of information including important information from authorities. It also exacerbates(恶化) problems relating to social communications and mutual-understanding, which in turn harms society as a whole.”
Experts suggest that the government should react more quickly in the internet age. Once a rumor begins to spread, administrative departments should make announcements as early as possible to dispel rumors before they lead to bad outcomes.Sina.com decided to found a specialized team to ____.
| A．limit the number of microblogs |
| B．advance the development of microblogs |
| C．prevent the spread of rumors on the Internet |
| D．urge the government to react quickly to the rumors |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
| A．All the rumors have been spread through microblogs. |
| B．Sina.com is the most popular Internet portal in China. |
| C．The photos displayed on microblogs might be fake. |
| D．Traditional media tend to get rumors examined and clarified. |
The underlined word "fabricated" in the first paragraph can be replaced by "__".
| A．dug out | B．made up | C．got round | D．given away |
What is the best way to prove rumors on microblogs?
| A．Examining and checking while they are spreading. |
| B．Substituting the Internet for traditionally media. |
| C．Shutting down the website immediately. |
| D．Making announcements after they are spread. |
The writer cited Ding Wenguo's words in Paragraph 8 to __.
| A．draw a conclusion | B．support an argument |
| C．introduce a topic | D．describe a scene |
Francis Bacon, one of the most important philosophers(哲人) of England, was born in London and educated at Cambridge University. When he was only 15, he went to France to work for the English ambassador (大使) . Two years later he went back to England to study law. At the age of twenty-three he was chosen to parliament (议会). His ideas about how scientists should study things in nature help to bring the modern way of thinking, called the scientific method.
One of the Bacon’s best-known books was his Essays. Each essay was a short piece of writing in which he tried to give a lesson by discussing sides of a subject such as studying, conversation, friends and healthy living. In many of his books, Bacon explained how scientists should study things as they really existed in nature and then tried to figure out what caused a particular thing to be as it was. Later, by doing experiments, the scientist could see that any one cause would always have the same result. This method, which is called inductive reasoning, is used by all the scientists today, but it was new in Bacon’s time.
5. According to the passage we know that ____.
| A．Francis Bacon was the most important philosopher of England |
| B．Francis Bacon had good education |
| C．Francis Bacon worked for a French ambassador at the age of 15 |
| D．Francis Bacon stayed in France until he was 23 |
6. The underlined phrase “inductive reasoning” in the last paragraph means____.
| A．to discover general laws from particular facts or examples |
| B．to reach a conclusion by reasoning from general laws to a particular case |
| C．to study things as they used to be |
| D．to study things in a particular way |
7. Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Bacon was a learned man. |
| B．Bacon did a lot of philosophy. |
| C．The inductive reasoning was widely used both today and in Bacon’s time. |
| D．Bacon gave scientists much useful advice. |
Do you suppose Darwin, one of the greatest scientists of all time, really did foolsexperiments? Or did he do experiments that were so simple and basic that other people just thought they were foolish?
Sometimes, people think they already know the answer to a question or the solution (解决办法) to a problem. Sometimes, they really do know an answer or a solution, but without thinking they are important.
Charles Darwin didn’t settle for (满足于) just thinking he knew something. And, he believed all things could be important however simple they seemed to be.
Suppose you drop sheets of paper that are of exactly the same size and shape. If you drop them at the same time in the same place, they will fall in the same way. Now make one of the sheets of paper into a tight (紧的) little ball and let it drop along with the other sheets. What happens? You have done an experiment that is so simple that you might think it couldn’t be worth anything.
But this simple experiment is important. It explains part of our present-day understandings of physics, ideas that were worked out long ago by Galileo and Newton. And these understandings set aside some of ancient Greek physics.
Scientist sometimes stops to look at very simple things and to think very hard about them. Even the simplest idea, which we might think is foolish, can shake the foundations of science.
1. The passage tells us that Charles Darwin ____.
| A．was a great English scientist |
| B．always liked doing the experiments that others thought difficult |
| C．thought even the simplest thing was important |
| D．didn’t get well with others |
2.The phrase “set aside” most probably means____ .
| A．throw away | B．store up |
| C．put to use | D．realize |
3. The author of the passage tries to ________.
| A．convince us that Charles Darwin, Galileo and Newton are the greatest scientists in the world |
| B．draw the conclusion that basic sciences are simple things |
| C．prove that two sheets of paper, with the same size and shape, will fall at the same speed |
| D．draw our attention to everyday happenings around us |
4Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Darwin really did fools experiments. |
| B．According to some people Darwin did foolish experiments. |
| C．It is believed by all the people that things could be important though they seemed to be simple. |
| D．Galileo and Newton worked out ancient Greek physics. |
For as long as humans have lived on the earth, they have made use of various forms of communication. Generally, this expression of thoughts and feelings has been in the form of oral speech. When there is a spoken language problem, communication can be carried out through sign language, in which gestures stand for letters, words, and ideas. Tourists and people unable to hear or speak have often had to turn to this form of expression. When gestures describe words or ideas, they can often be used internationally. When used for spelling words however, where each gesture stands for a single letter, people must share the same written language.
Body language sends ideas or thoughts by certain actions, either meaningfully or not. A wink can be a way of showing that the person is only joking. A nod means agreement, while shaking the head indicates disagreement.
Other forms of language can be found in Braille (a reading system of raised dots read with the fingertips used by the blind), signal flags, Morse code, and smoke signals. Road maps and picture signs also guide and warn people. While language is the most common form of communication, other systems and techniques also express human thoughts and feelings.What does the author mainly want to say?
| A．People can communicate in many different ways. |
| B．Everybody uses only one form of communication. |
| C．Language is invaluable to foreigners. |
| D．Non-spoken communication is of little value. |
According to the text, which part of the body can be used to show you are joking?
| A．Fingers. | B．Eyes. | C．Head. | D．Feet. |
What can’t be effectively communicated by sign language when people belong to different language groups?
| A．Spelling. | B．Idea. | C．Whole words. | D．Expressions. |
How many different forms of communication are mentioned in the text?
| A．Three. | B．Five. | C．Six. | D．Nine. |
Body language is a very powerful tool of a communication, not only between people but in the animal world as well.
In many instances, we produce idioms which are all understandable by borrowing examples from animal communication.
For example, we know that a frightened cat will arch（拱型）. From this starting-point we might hear the expression. “He gets my back up!” meaning “He makes me angry.”
In the same manner, we know that many animals, if challenged（挑战）by attackers, will not turn and run away because this will encourage the attackers to attack them more forcefully. Instead, they will move backwards slowly to get out of harm’s way, always facing their attacker. We call this action “backing off” and it can be used as well with humans as with animals.
In the case of humans, however, the back-off may not be physical but oral, as in using a kinder tone of voice and gentle words instead of fighting against the attackers.
8. When a cat arches its back high in a rigid curve, it shows that it is .
| A．angry | B．pleased | C．frightened | D．defeated |
9. In the article “back off” means .
| A．to escape from the attackers |
| B．to get away quickly |
| C．to keep out the attackers |
| D．to avoid the attackers in words |
10. Which of the following is wrong according to the article?
| A．To learn knowledge, humans must learn from animals. |
| B．Both humans and animals have the body language. |
| C．Both humans and animals have ways of getting out of harm. |
| D．“Face your attackers” means to encourage yourself. |
11. What is mentioned（提到）in this article belongs to study of English .
| A．grammar | B．idioms | C．expression | D．communication |
Comera is the only place in the world which has a whistle language. We do not know how and why it began because we do not know the complete history of the island. But we can certainly imagine the reasons for the beginning of the whistle language. There are many deep valleys on the island. A person on one side of valley can not easily shout to a person on the other side. But he can whistle and be heard from four miles away, and the record is seven miles. The people who live on the island usually have good teeth, and this helps them to whistle well. They must also have good ears so that they can hear other whistlers.
We can understand why the whistle language continues. It is very useful on the island, and quite easy to learn. When somebody is hurt or ill, the whistle language takes the place of telephone. If the sick person is a long way from the town, boys and men pass the news from one to another. A boy guarding cattle on a hillside whistles to a man fishing from his boat. The last one is able to describe the trouble fully and exactly to the doctor in town. People help each other in the same way when a car breaks or a cow is lost.
The whistle language is hundreds of years old, and probably it will continue to live for hundreds of years more. Radio and TV often kill the special ways of speaking in the different parts of a country. But on Comera you are nobody if you cannot whistle. Perhaps soon after TV arrives on the island, the people there will be whistling the news and other facts and opinions.
4. If a person on Comera island is ill, .
| A．others will phone the doctor in town |
| B．whistle language will pass the news to the doctor |
| C．his family will take him to the doctor |
| D．people will take him to the hospital |
5. From the passage we know radio and TV at that time.
| A．killed the special way of speaking |
| B．whistled all the news and opinions |
| C．helped Comera people to communicate |
| D．did not appear on Comera island yet |
6. Comera island is special in that .
| A．it attracts visitors every year |
| B．no visitors have ever been there |
| C．people there have special ears to hear whistles |
| D．people there use the whistle language to communicate with each other |
7. Which of the following is not true according to the passage?
| A．It is not easy for a person to live on Comera island if he cannot whistle. |
| B．The whistle language can only be found in Comera. |
| C．The whistle language has been used for hundreds of years on the island, but will not be used any longer. |
| D．The record shows that one best whistler can be heard by others seven miles away. |