The NSA(美国国家安全局) and GCHQ(英国政府通讯总部) are tapping popular smart phone apps such as Angry Birds to gather the enormous amounts of very personal data those bits of software collect—including age, gender, marital status, income, education level and more, according to new reports from the New York Times and The Guardian.
Citing secret documents provided by Edward Snowden, former NSA staff, the reports detail efforts to gain data collection from cell phone carriers and smart phones by tapping into “leaky”(有漏洞的) apps themselves.
Both spy agencies showed a particular interest in Google Maps, which is accurate to within a few yards or better in some locations and would clearly pass along data about the area where phone owner is.
“It effectively means that anyone using Google Maps on a smartphone is working in support of a GCHQ system,” reads a secret 2008 report by the NSA's sister spy agency, according to the New York Times.
More surprising is the wide range of apps that the agencies search for data, including innocent-seeming apps such as Angry Birds. One document in particular from GCHQ listed what information can be found from which apps, mentioning Android apps but suggesting the same data was available from the iPhone platform.
Angry Birds maker Rovio Entertainment of Finland said it had no knowledge of any NSA or GCHQ programs for tapping into its users’ data.
"Rovio doesn't have any previous knowledge of this matter, and have not been aware of such activity in 3rd party advertising networks," said Saara Bergstrom. "Nor do we have any involvement with the organizations you mentioned."
Mobile photos uploaded to social media sites like Facebook and Twitter appear to be a particularly rich source of information for the spy agencies as well. Metadata in the photos is briefly available. The NSA and GCHQ are able to tap into that metadata to collect a wealth of key data points about a person’s life.
“NSA does not profile everyday Americans as it carries out its foreign intelligence mission,” the agency told the Times in response to questions about the program.
During a Monday press conference, White House press secretary Jay Carney stressed that same position. "As the president said in his Jan. 17 speech, to the extent data is collected by the NSA, through whatever means, we are not interested in the communications of people who are not valid foreign intelligence targets（情报目标） and we are not after the information of ordinary Americans," he said.American and British spy agencies were both particularly interested in the information gathered from_________.
| A．Google Maps | B．Twitter | C．Angry Birds | D．Facebook |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The iPhone platform is more reliable than that of Android. |
| B．The New York Times interviewed Edward Snowden secretly. |
| C．It is difficult for common users to protect their personal information. |
| D．A document from NSA listed what information can be found from which apps. |
What did Jay Carney’s words imply?
| A．NSA didn’t gather any worthy information from Americans. |
| B．NSA would stop its foreign intelligence mission in the future. |
| C．NSA and White House shared different attitude towards the affair. |
| D．NSA collected information with the permission of White House |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Angry Birds Give You Away |
| B．NSA Gather Information from Apps |
| C．Reports from the New York Times |
| D．Documents from Edward Snowden |
On a hot summer day, a soft drink can really take away your thirst. At home, at school, in the park or at the movies---you can find one almost anywhere.
Carbonated
You can see bubbles(泡沫) in these! Of all soft drinks sold, about 75 percent are carbonated(碳酸的). But be careful, carbonated soft drinks have lots of sugar and caffeine(咖啡因). Caffeine is not very good for you in the summer because it takes water out of your body. And the sugar can make you overweight if you drink too much.
Fruit juice
There are different kinds of juice. One kind is made only from fresh fruit. This kind of fruit juice may not taste sweet enough for some people, but it is nutritious(有营养的). Another kind of fruit juice tastes good but has lots of sugar in it. Many young people buy this kind because the advertisements are good. It is bad for your teeth and bones to drink lots of this.
Energy drinks
These kinds of drinks have caffeine and things that make people get excited in them. They are sometimes called “party drinks”. Doctors say that if you drink too much of this kind, you may have a heart attack.
Bottled water
We have lots of different kinds of bottled water, such as mineral water, purified water and distilled water(蒸馏水). They are clean and easy to drink. But it is best not to drink very cold water. It may make your stomach feel bad.
Sports drinks
Most of these have funny names like “Scream(尖叫)” and “G-Vital(激活)”. They have lots of vitamins and minerals in them. After you play sports, you may want to drink one of these.
But if you just spend your summer holiday sitting around watching TV, you won’t need them at all!Which two types of drinks may make you overweight?
| A．Carbonated and fruit juice. |
| B． Energy drinks and sports drinks. |
| C．Carbonated and energy drinks. |
| D．Fruit juice and bottled water. |
Which one may lead to your heart disease?
| A．Carbonated. | B．Fruit juice. |
| C．Energy drinks. | D．Sports drinks |
After sports, you have sports drinks because______.
| A．they can take away your thirst |
| B．they can put back minerals you’ve lost in sweat |
| C．they have funny names that sound very exciting |
| D．they have no sugar |
The writer wrote this passage to______.
| A．warn us to keep away from soft drinks |
| B．teach us some useful ways of keeping healthy |
| C．tell us how to choose a good one from all kinds of drinks |
| D．make the advertisements for soft drinks |
First Lady Michelle Obama is a big fan of volunteering. Volunteering means working for free to help someone else. Mrs. Obama says volunteering is very important. “It should be part of everyone’s life,” she says.
Many teens agree. They say that helping others feels great and makes a difference. These days, more teens volunteer than work for pay. Teens clean up parks, walk dogs at animal shelters, visit the elderly and more.
Some cities ---- including Seattle, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. ----require high school students to volunteer. Students must volunteer in order to graduate. The student volunteers learn new skills and help their communities.
Many parents are in favor of the idea ---- they say volunteering helps teens build job skills. But most teens don’t want to be forced to volunteer. They say they are busy. And they say volunteering is only fun if it’s a choice.
Read both sides of the debate and decide.
YES
Volunteering can help teens get into college or get a job.
Many cities and towns need help. Volunteers can help keep important programs going.
Not all teens will volunteer if it isn’t required. Schools should require students to do all they can to get ready for adult life.
NO
Most teens are already very busy with classes, homework, jobs and sports. Forcing them to do more isn’t fair.
It should be up to each person. Helping out doesn’t feel as good if you have to do it.
Finding a volunteer job isn’t always easy. Students shouldn’t be kept from graduating because of something they can’t control.The writer mentions Michelle Obama in order to___________.
| A．show she enjoys volunteering | B．explain what volunteering is |
| C．tell what she does for the US | D．introduce the topic of the text |
According to the text, in Chicago,.
| A．finding a volunteer job is quite easy |
| B．volunteering is a must for high school students |
| C．more people would rather work for pay |
| D．college students have to volunteer before graduation |
Which question does the text mainly discuss?
| A．Should students be required to volunteer? |
| B．Is volunteering good for students? |
| C．What is the best time to volunteer? |
| D．Which volunteer jobs should students do? |
If you, a man, are looking through this, congratulations: you are a survivor (幸存者). According to a survey, you are more than twice likely to die of skin cancer than a woman, and nine times more likely to die of AIDS. If you make it to the end of your natural term, about 78 years for men in Australia, you will die on average five years before a woman.
There are many reasons for this. Men take more risks than woman and are more likely to drink and smoke—but perhaps more importantly, men don’t go to the doctor.
“Men aren’t seeing doctors as often as they should.” says Dr. Gullotta,“This is particularly so for the over 40s, when diseases tend to strike.”Gullotta says a healthy man should visit the doctor every year or two. For those over 45, it should be at least once a year. Two months ago Gullotta saw a 50-year-old man who had delayed(延迟) doing anything about his smoker’s cough for a year. “When I finally saw him it had already spread and he has since died from lung cancer.”he says.“Earlier finding and treatment may not have cured him, but it would have made him live longer.”
According to a recent survey, 95% of women aged between 15 and early 40s see a doctor once a year, compared to 70% of men in the same age group.
“A lot of men think they are strong enough. While some men are scared of what might be there and would rather not know. Most men get their cars serviced more regularly than they service their bodies.” Dr. Gullotta says. He believes most diseases that commonly affect men could be found out by check-ups. Regular check-ups for men would place strain on the public purse, Gullotta says. “But prevention is cheaper in the long run than having to cure the diseases. Besides, the final/highest cost is far greater: it is called premature death(过早死亡).”
From the first paragraph, we can know that _________.
| A．women are more likely to die of skin cancer |
| B．men are more likely to get some deadly diseases |
| C．men can live five years longer than women |
| D．men who live long are very lucky |
What is a more important reason for man’s death?
| A．Men take more risks than women. |
| B．Diseases tend to strike men easily |
| C．Men don’t go to doctors for check-ups. |
| D．Men like drinking and smoking. |
Why does the author take a 50-old-man as an example?
| A．To realize the importance of disease prevention. |
| B．To show he could have avoided death. |
| C．To prove smoking leads to lung cancer. |
| D．To think highly of the doctor’s work. |
What can be drawn from the last paragraph?
| A．Treatment would cost a lot of money. |
| B．Cars are more valuable than health. |
| C．Men are brave to accept the reality. |
| D．Check-ups are necessary and worthwhile. |
Blogs have become an important part of life. Millions of people have blogs. Perhaps you would like to have one; you would like to improve your blog; perhaps you would like to make your blog as a means of earning money or attracting more people. Whatever your aim is, this course shows you how to become better bloggers. You will learn how to find the right tone for your blog, set it up and keep it, write something that are effective and worth reading, and attract people from all over the world to your blog. While it’s simple to start a blog, it takes energy and skill to do it really well, as is true of any kind of writing.
Among the topics covered: introduction to the blog, the benefits of blogging, focusing on your blog concept, how to set up and keep a page, tips for effective blog writing and drawing visitors to your blog.
Course offered
How to blog
In this four-week course, a blogging expert will guide you through the process of designing, setting up, writing, and improving a blog. Each student will talk with the expert on blog, then set up a “live” blog and introduce it to the rest of the class for suggestions. Students will also have chances to ask the expert questions.
Online classes
Tuition(学费): $ 125. Registration(注册): $ 25.
Each class is strictly limited to 25 students aged 18 and up.
| Start |
New Lecture |
Location |
Time |
| Jan.12 |
Wednesday |
Online |
24 hrs. a day |
| Feb. 9 |
Wednesday |
Online |
24 hrs. a day |
| Mar. 16 |
Wednesday |
Online |
24 hrs. a day |
In the course, you will learn something Except _________.
| A．focusing on your blog concept | B．how to set up a blog |
| C．the benefits of blogging | D．how to follow others’ blog |
What do we know about the course?
| A．There are more than 25 students in each class. |
| B．The course is intended for teenagers under 18. |
| C．It will cost you $ 150 to learn the course. |
| D．New lectures are given each day. |
The passage is mainly about _________.
| A．an online course about how to blog |
| B．an online plan on writing |
| C．an online program about blog history |
| D．an online competition in writing blogs |
Which word can be used to describe the course for bloggers?
| A．Difficult. | B．Helpful. | C．Simple. | D．Boring. |
On Christmas, children are curious about what to be in the stockings (长筒袜). It might be safe to think children will ask Santa for an extensive list of toys, games and big dinners. But a survey of their lists for Father Christmas has shown many have more serious concerns, requesting "a dad" instead. Despite their material requests, a 'dad' is tenth most popular Christmas list request for children who would be happy to give up the latest iPad, toy or new pet, a survey of 2,000 British parents has found.
Most children will put a new baby brother or sister at the top of their Christmas list, closely followed by a request for a real-life reindeer (驯鹿). A "pet horse" was the third most popular choice, with a "car" at number four.
The survey also found children aged 3 to 12 years also wanted a dog, chocolate and a stick of rock. Traditional hopes for a white Christmas were represented by a wish for "snow" in ninth place, with sensible youngsters also requesting a "house". Of the top 50 festive requests, 17 related to pets and animals, with some imaginative children hoping for a chicken and an elephant. iPhones and iPads also appeared on the list, with some quirky children asking for the moon, a time machine, and a pond cover. A request for a "mum" reached number 23 on the list.
What’s the No.1 on the children’s Christmas list?
| A．A new baby brother or sister. | B．A real-life reindeer. |
| C．A pet horse. | D．A house. |
Which of the following is not included on the Christmas list?
| A．A car. | B．A chicken. |
| C．A stick of rock. | D．A monkey. |
What do quirky children in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
| A．Children with quick reaction. | B．Children with wild ideas. |
| C．Children with cleverness. | D．Children with good manners. |
Which of the statements is Not True according to the passage?
| A．Some children would rather request a dad than the latest iPad for Christmas. |
| B．Children of different character or ages may ask for different Christmas gifts. |
| C．A real-life reindeer is next to a car on children’s Christmas list. |
| D．According to the survey, a ‘dad” is tenth most popular Christmas list request. |