Most people will praise many technological gadgets(小装置) that they use in their everyday lives. Technology is developing at a very fast rate, and what most people did not even think could be real a few years ago is now becoming a reality. Although many will use and advertise modern technology for many of its achievements and advancements, what many don’t realize is that it has affected and continues to affect society and people in general in a negative way.
Newspaper companies, as we all know, have been hit very hard by the advancements in technology. Big newspapers have been forced to either lay off a percentage of their work force or shut down altogether because news is readily available for free on the Internet. Music does not have to be purchased at a music store any more because MP3 files are readily available on the Internet as well, thus causing big music store chains to shut their doors for good. The movie industry has also been hit hard because DVD sales have decreased since people can pay for and download their favorite movies online.
Technology has its benefits, but when you take a look at how people communicate with one another, you will quickly see that it has a negative impact. Modern technology has allowed people to communicate with just about anyone they want to at any given time. The fact remains that people do not interact personally with one another as often as they used to. This has created a barrier for face-to-face communication among people because they no longer have to hold a meeting in an office or they no longer have to call friends or family members together to wish them a happy birthday or congratulate them on their recent success.
As a result, people don’t feel the urgent need to step outside of their home to find entertainment, such as participating in a dynamic game of basketball with friends, meeting a friend at a coffee shop, etc.The first paragraph is mainly to tell us that _____.
A.technology is developing rapidly |
B.many dreams have come true. |
C.technology benefits us a lot |
D.technology has its disadvantages |
The author shows us the negative effects of the technology by _____.
A.telling some stories | B.giving some examples |
C.listing some figures | D.doing some experiments |
What does he underlined word “interact” in the third paragraph probably mean?
A.argue | B.consult | C.communicate | D.work |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A.The negative effects of advancing technology |
B.The benefits of the modern technology |
C.The development of the modern technology |
D.The social problems caused by the technology |
The way people hold to the belief that a fun - filled, pain free life equals happiness actually reduces their chances of ever attaining real happiness. If fun and pleasure are equal to happiness then pain must be equal to unhappiness. But in fact, the opposite is true: more often than not things that lead to happiness involve some pain.
As a result, many people avoid the very attempts that are the source of true happiness. They fear the pain inevitably brought by such things as marriage, raising children, professional achievement, religious commitment (预担的义务), self - improvement.
Ask a bachelor(单身汉) why he resists marriage even though he finds dating to be less and less satisfying. If he is honest he will tell you that he is afraid of making a commitment. For commitment is in fact quite painful. The single life is filled with fun, adventure, excitement. Marriage has such moments, but they are not its most distinguishing features.
Couples with infant children are lucky to get a whole night’s sleep or a three - day vacation. I don’t know any parent who would choose the word fun to describe raising children. But couples who decide not to have children never know the joys of watching a child grow up or of playing with a grandchild.
Understanding and accepting that true happiness has nothing to do with fun is one of the most liberating realizations. It liberates time: now we can devote more hours to activities that can genuinely increase our happiness. It liberates money: buying that new car or those fancy clothes that will do nothing to increase our happiness now seems pointless. And it liberates us from envy: we now understand that all those who are always having so much fun actually may not be happy at all.According to the author, a bachelor resists marriage chiefly because ________ .
A.he is reluctant to take on family responsibilities |
B.he believes that life will be more cheerful if he remains single |
C.he finds more fun in dating than in marriage |
D.he fears it will put an end to all his fun adventure and excitement |
Raising children, in the author’s opinion is ________ .
A.a moral duty | B.a thankless job |
C.a rewarding task | D.a source of inevitable pain |
From the last paragraph, we learn that envy sometimes stems from ________ .
A.hatred | B.misunderstanding | C.prejudice | D.ignorance |
To understand what true happiness is one must ________ .
A.have as much fun as possible during one’s lifetime |
B.make every effort to liberate oneself from pain |
C.put up with pain under all circumstances |
D.be able to distinguish happiness from fun |
What is the author trying to tell us?
A.Happiness often goes hand in hand with pain. |
B.One must know how to attain happiness. |
C.It is important to make commitments. |
D.It is pain that leads to happiness. |
America is growing older. Fifty - eight years ago, only 4 out of every 100 people in the United States were 10 or older. To day, 10 out of every 100 Americans are over 10. The aging of the population will affect(影响)American society in many ways—education, medicine, and business. Quietly, the graying of America has made us a very different society—one in which people have a quite different idea of what kind of behavior(行为) is suitable(合适)at various , ages.
A person s age no longer tells you anything about his/her social position, marriage or health. There’s no longer a particular year in which one goes to school or goes to work or gets married or starts a family. The social clock that kept us on time and told us when to go to school, get a job, or stop working isn’t as strong as it used to be. It doesn’t surprise us to hear of a 29 - year - old university president or a 35 - year -old grandmother, or a 15 year - old man who has become a father for the first time. Public ideas are changing.
Many people say, “I am much younger than my mother— or my father— was at my age. ”No one says“Act your age” any more. We’ve stopped looking with surprise at older people who act in youthful ways.
12.It can be learnt from the text that the aging of the population in America ________ .
A. has made people feel younger B. has changed people’s social position
C. has changed people’s understanding of age D. has slowed down the country’s social development
13.The underlined word “one”refers to ________ .
A. a society B. America C. a place D. population
14.” Act your age” means people should ________ .
A. be active when they are old
B. do the right thing at the right age
C. show respect for their parents young or old
D. take more physical exercise suitable to their age
15.If a 25 - year - old man becomes general manager of a big firm, the writer of the text would most probably consider it ________ .
A. normal B. wonderful C. unbelievable D. unreasonable
The following are four forms about medicine. How to use the medicine is very important. Never take any by mistake.
1)Take the medicine with water, followed by one tablet every eight hours, as required. For further night - time and early morning, take two tablets at bedtime. Do not take more than six tablets in 24 hours. For Children six to twelve years old, go to your doctor for advice. Reduce dosage if nervousness, restlessness or sleeplessness takes place.
2)Each pill of the medicine taken three times every day for fourteen years old. As usual, a pill 6∶00 a. m., before breakfast, one before 11∶00 and one before sleep. Not for children under six years old and old persons with heart attack.
3)The medicine for a person with a fever. Once two pills a day before sleep for adult. Not take the medicine without fever. Half for Children under 12 years old. Children with a high fever, go to see a doctor.
4)The medicine taken three times a day, once five pills for adult with a cold. Half of the pills for children 10 years old. Take the medicine before breakfast, lunch, supper or before sleep.Obviously a kind of medicine can’t be proper for ________, judging from the information.
A.children over twelve years old | B.some old persons with a fever |
C.some old persons with heart attack | D.neither adults nor heart attack |
When a person has a cold, he had better ________ .
A.have about more than fourteen pills a day | B.have twice a day |
C.have four times a day | D.have nine pills a day |
How many kinds of medicine are used for the children six years old?
A.All of them. | B.Three kinds of medicine. |
C.Two kinds of medicine. | D.Almost not any medicine. |
Some researchers claim that people´s personalities can be classified by their blood types.If you have blood type O, you are a leader. When you see something you want, you strive to achieve your goal. You are passionate, loyal, and self-confident, and you are often a trendsetter. Your enthusiasm for projects and goals spreads to others who happily follow your lead. When you want something, you may be ruthless about getting it or blind to how your actions affect others. Another blood type, A, is a social, “people” person. You like people and work well with them. You are sensitive, patient, compassionate, and affectionate. You are a good peacekeeper because you want everybody to be happy. In a team situation, you resolve conflicts and keep things on a smooth course. Sometimes type As are stubborn and find it different to relax. They may also find it uncomfortable to do things alone.
People with type B blood are usually individualists who like to do things on their own. You may be creative and adaptable, and you usually say exactly what you mean. Also you can adapt to situations, you may not choose to do so because of your strong independent streak. You may prefer working on your own to being part of a team. The final blood type is type AB. If you have AB blood, you are a natural entertainer. You draw people to your because of your charm and easygoing nature. ABs are usually calm and controlled, tactful and fair. On the downside, though, they may take too long to make decisions. And they may procrastinate, putting off tasks until the last minute.People with type O will do the following things except____.
A.direct a board | B.burn the night´s oil |
C.be considerate | D.self-oriented |
Which of the following is not the feature of type A?
A.Stubborn. | B.Sensitive. | C.Reserved. | D.Patient. |
What is Not true to type B?
A.He likes to work by himself. | B.He doesn’t think much before he speaks. |
C.He has many original ideas. | D.He cannot fit in with the environment. |
The best profession for a type AB is ____.
A.Musician | B.Peacekeeper | C.Actor | D.Spokesman |
A device that stops drivers form falling asleep at the wheel is about to undergo testing at Department of Transport laboratories and could go on sale within 12 months.
The system, called Driver Alert, aims to reduce deadly road accidents by 20% - 40% that are caused by tiredness. Airline pilots can also use it to reduce the 30% of all pilot-error accidents that are related to fatigue.
Driver Alert is based on a computerized wristband. The device, worn by drivers or pilots, gives out a sound about every four minutes during a car journey. After each sound the driver must respond by squeezing the steering wheel (方向盘). A sensor in the wristband detects this pressing action and measures the time between the sound the driver’s response.
Tiredness is directly related to a driver’s response time. Usually, a watchful driver would take about 400 milliseconds to respond, but once that falls to more than 500 milliseconds, it suggests that the driver is getting sleepy.
In such cases the device gives out more regular and louder sounds, showing that the driver should open a window or stop for a rest. If the driver’s response continues to slow down, the sounds become more frequent until a nonstop alarm warns that the driver must stop as soon as possible.
The device has been delivered to the department’s laboratories for testing. If these tests, scheduled for six months’ time, are successful, the makers will bring the product to market within about a year.According to the text, Driver Alert ______.
A.aims to reduce tiredness-related accidents |
B.has gone through testing at laboratories |
C.aims to prevent drivers form sleeping |
D.has been on sale for 12 months |
How should a driver respond to the sounds from Driver Alert?
A.By sounding a warning. | B.By touching the wristband. |
C.By checking the driving time. | D.By pressing the steering wheel. |
We can learn form the text that the driver needs to stop for a break when his response time is ______.
A.about 400 milliseconds | B.below 500 milliseconds |
C.over 500 milliseconds | D.about 4 minutes |
When the driver gets sleepy while driving, Driver Alert ______.
A.moves more regularly | B.stops working properly |
C.opens the window for the driver | D.sounds more frequently and loudly |