People are being lured(引诱) onto Facebook with the promise of a fun, free service, and don’t realize that they’re paying for it by giving up loads of personal information. Facebook then attempts to make money by selling their data(资料) to advertisers that want to send targeted (目标的)messages.
Most Facebook users don’t realize this is happening. Even if they know what the company is up to, they still have no idea what they’re paying for Facebook, because people don’t really know what their personal details are worth.
The biggest problem, however, is that the company keeps changing the rules. Early on, you could keep everything private. That was the great thing about Facebook—you could create your own little private network. Last year, the company changed its privacy rules so that many things—your city, your photo, your friends’ names—were set, by default(默认), to be shared with everyone on the Internet.
According to Facebook’s vice president Elliot Schrage, the company is simply making changes to improve its service, and if people don’t share information, they have a “less satisfying experience.”
Some critics think this is more about Facebook looking to make more money. Its original business model, which involved selling ads and putting them at the side of the page, totally failed. Who wants to look at ads when they’re online connecting with their friends?
The privacy issue has already landed Facebook in hot water in Washington. In April, Senator Charles Schumer called on Facebook to change its privacy policy. He also urged the Commission to set guidelines for social-networking sites. “I think the senators rightly communicated that we had not been clear about what the new products were and how people could choose to use them or not to use them,” Schrage admits.
I suspect that whatever Facebook has done so far to invade(侵犯)our privacy, it’s only the beginning,which is why I’m considering deactivating(撤销) my account(账号). Facebook is a handy site, but I’m upset by the idea that my information is in the hands of people I don’t trust. That is too high a price to pay.What do we learn about Facebook from the first paragraph?
A.It is a website that sends messages to targeted users. |
B.It makes money by putting on advertisements. |
C.It earns money by selling its user’s personal data |
D.It provides a lot of information to its users |
What does the author say about most Facebook users?
A.They don’t know their personal data enriches Facebook |
B.They are unwilling to give up their personal information |
C.They don’t identify themselves when using website |
D.They care very little about their personal information |
Why does Facebook make changes to its rules according to Elliot Schrage?
A.To help its users make more friends |
B.To obey the Federal guidelines |
C.To make money by attracting more users |
D.To offer better service to its users |
What does Senator Charles Schumer argue for?
A.Setting guidelines for advertising on websites |
B.Setting rules for social-networking sites |
C.Stopping sharing user’s personal information |
D.Removing ads from all social-networking sites |
Why does the author plan to stop using his Facebook account?
A.He is dissatisfied with its service. |
B.He finds many of its users untrustworthy. |
C.He doesn’t want his personal data badly used. |
D.He is upset by its frequent rule changes. |
THEATRE
City Varieties
The Headrow, Leeds.Tel.430808
Oct10-11only A Night at the Varieties. All the fun of an old music hall with Barry Cryer, Duggle Brown, 6 dancers, Mystina, Jon Barker, Anne Duval and the Tony Harrison Tri- o. Laugh again at the old jokes and listen to your favourite songs.
Performances:8pm nightly.
Admission:£5;under 16or over 60:£4.
York Theatre Royal
St Leonard's Place, York.Tel.223568
Sept23-Oct17 Groping for Words - a comedy by Sue Townsend. Best known for her Adrian Mole Diaries, Townsend now writes about an evening class which two men and a woman attend. A gentle comedy.
Admission: First night, Mon:£2:Tues-Fri:£3.25-5.50;Sat:£3.50-5.75.
Halifax Playhouse
King's Cross Street, Halifax.Tel.365998
Oct 10-17 On Golden Pond by Ernest Thompson. This is a magical comedy about real people. A beautifully produced,well-acted play for everyone. Don't miss it.
Performances:7:30pm.
Admission:£2.Mon:2 seats for the price of one.
Grand Theatre
Oxford Street, Leeds.Tel.502116
Restaurant and Café.
Oct 1-17 The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13. Sue Townsend's musical play, based on her best-selling book.
Performances: Evenings 7:45October 10-17, at 2: 30pm. No Monday performances.
Admission: Tues-Thurs:£2-5;Fri&Sat:£2-6.
64.Which theatre offers the cheapest seat?
A. Halifax Playhouse. B. City Varieties.
C. Grand Theatre. D. York Theatre Royal.
65. If you want to see a play with old jokes and songs, which phone number will you ring to book a seat?
A.502116 B.223568 C.365998 D.430808
66. We may learn from the text that Sue Townsend is ____.
A. a writer B. an actress C. a musician D. a director
Shanghai: Car rentals(出租) are becoming more and more popular as an inexpensive way of taking to the roads. Business people, foreigners and families alike are making good use of the growing industry.
The first car rental firm opened in Shanghai in 1992 and now 12 car rental players are in the game, with more than 11,500 cars in their books.
The largest player - Shanghai Bashi Tourism Car Rental Center offers a wide variety of choices - deluxe sedans, minivans, station wagons, coaches. Santana sedans are the big favorite.
Firms can attract enough customers for 70 percent of their cars every month. This figure shoots up during holiday seasons like National Day, Labor Day and New Year's Day, with some recording 100 percent rental.
The major market force rests in the growing population of white-collar employees (白领雇员), who can afford the new service, said Zhuang Yu, marketing manager of Shanghai Angel Car Rental Co.
56. The words "deluxe sedans, minivans" and "station wagons" used in the text refer to ______.
A. cars in the making B. car rental firms C. cars for rent D. car makers
57. Which of the following statements is true according to the text?
A.70% of the cars can be rented out on holiday.
B. 70% of the customers are white-collar employees.
C. More firms are open for service during holiday seasons.
D. Some firms rent out all their cars during holiday seasons.
58. Shanghai's car rental industry is growing so fast mainly due to ______.
A. better cars supplied by producer
B. fast service offered by car rental firms
C. the increasing number of white-collar employees
D. People's growing interest in travelling during holidays
Geneva is situated between the Jura Range and the Alps on the western end of Lake Geneva. Capital of Peace is one of its names— the European headquarters of the United Nations lies here in Palais des Nations. Another worthy name for this city with a humanitarian tradition(人道主义传统)and international character is the World’s Smallest Metropolis. Parks, splendid stores and lively streets in the old part of town and its 2000-year history wait to be discovered.
The Jet d’Eau together with the Flower Watch are the main attractions every year for the tourists visiting Geneva. The Jet d’Eau has become the symbol(象征)of Geneva for a long time. This is a 140 meters high water monument with a rich history. Eight 13,500-watt projectors light the grand column(圆柱)of the fountain in the evening, from early March until the second Sunday of October. The Flower Watch, which was created at the edge of the English Garden in 1955, reminds us about that Geneva is the birthplace of the Swiss clock and watch making, and that this industry has become internationally famous, as well through the quality of the watches as through their beautiful appearance.
Sails on Lake Geneva are also enjoyable. The Lake of Geneva, lying among the Alps, is a true inland sea, making possible a wide range of pleasant boat trips, you can relax and watch the beautiful scenes pass by.
56. Which of the following is NOT suitable for describing Geneva?
A. Capital of Peace. B. Palais des Nations.
C. The World’s Smallest Metropolis.
D. The birthplace of the Swiss clock and watch making.
57. The Jet d’Eau in the second paragraph refers to .
A. the water fountain B. the English Garden
C. a new scene with electric lighting D. the name of a famous watchmaker
58. What do we learn about the Lake of Geneva from the text?
A. It is the symbol of Geneva.
B. It lies among the Jura Range.
C. It has a direct passage to the ocean.
D. It is a large body of water of tourist interest.
All people, ____they are old or young,black or white,all hold the same dream to have a peaceful world.
A.whether | B.however | C.no matter | D.even though |
To face the music
Like every language, American English is full of special expressions, phrases that come from the day-to-day life of the people and develop in their own way. Our expression today is “to face the music”.
When someone says, “well, I guess I’ll have to face the music,” it does not mean he’s planning to go to the concert. It is something far less pleasant, like being called in by your boss to explain why you did this and did that, and why you didn’t do this or that. Sour music indeed, but it has to be faced. At sometime or another, every one of us has had to face the music, especially as children. We can all remember father’s angry voice, “I want to talk to you.” and only because we did not obey him. What an unpleasant business it was!
The phrase “to face the music” is familiar to every American, young and old. It is at least 100 years old. And where did this expression come from? The first explanation comes from the American novelist, James Fenimore Looper. He said, in 1851, that the expression was first used by actors while waiting in the wings to go on the stage. When they got their cue to go on, they often said, “Well, it’s time to face the music.” And that was exactly what they did — facing the orchestra which was just below them. And an actor might be frightened or nervous as he moved on to the stage in front of an audience that might be friendly or perhaps hostile, especially if he forgot his lines. But he had to go out. If he did not, there would be no play. So the expression “to face the music” come to mean “having to go through something, no matter how unpleasant the experience might be, because you knew you had no choice.”
Other explanations about the expression go back to the army. When the men faced an inspection by their leader, the soldiers would be worried about how well they looked. Was their equipment clean, shinny enough to pass the inspection? Still the men had to go out and face the music of the band as well as the inspection. What else could they do?
Another army explanation is more closely related to the idea of facing the results and accepting the responsibility for something that should not have been done. As, for example when a man is forced out of the army because he did something terrible, he is dishonored. The band does not play. Only the drums tap a sad, slow beat. The soldier is forced to leave, facing such music as it is and facing the back of his horse.
1. How many ways does the phrase “to face the music” comes from?
A. 1B. 2 C. 3 D. 4
2. What’s the meaning of “to face the music?”
A. To face something far less pleasant.
B. To face the stage.
C. To face the back of one’s horse.
D. To face one’s leader.
3. Which of the following is a situation of facing the music?
A. When we are playing basketball.
B. When we are making a speech.
C. When we are having a party.
D. When we are talking with somebody.
4. The underlined word “hostile” means _______.
A. unfriendly B. dislike C. unkind D. unnecessary