I’ve always known my kids use digital communications gear (装置) a lot.But my cellphone bill last month really grabbed my attention.My son had come up to nearly 2,000 incoming text messages，and had sent nearly as many.Of course，he was out of school for the summer and communicating more with friends from a distance.Nevertheless，he found time to hold down a summer job and complete a college course in between all that typing with his thumb.
I was even more surprised to learn that my son is normal.“Teenagers with cellphones each send and receive 2,272 text messages a month on average，” Nielsen Mobile says.
Some experts regret that all that keyboard jabber is making our kids stupid，unable to read nonverbal cues such as facial expressions，gestures，posture and other silent signals of mood and attitude.Unlike phones，text messaging doesn’t even allow transmission of tone of voice or pauses，says Mark Bauerlein，author of a book called The Dumbest Generation：How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future.
Beyond that，though，I’m not sure I see as much harm as critics of this trend.I’ve posted before on how I initially tried to control my kids’ texting.But over time，I have seen my son suffer no apparent ill effects，and he gains a big benefit，of easy，continuing contact with others.
I don’t think texting make kids stupid.It may make them annoying，when they try to text and talk to you at the same time.And it may make them distracted，when buzzing text messages interrupt efforts to noodle out a math problem or finish reading for school.
But I don’t see texting harming teens’ability to communicate.My son is as accustomed to nonverbal cues as any older members of our family.I have found him more engaged and easier to communicate with from a great distance，because he is constantly available via text message and responds with faithfulness and speed.What does the underlined word “distracted” in the fifth paragraph mean?
| A．Confused. | B．Absentminded. |
| C．Comfortable. | D．Badtempered. |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．For Teens，Texting Instead of Talking |
| B．For Parents，Caring Much for Their Kids |
| C．Advantages and Disadvantages of Texting |
| D．The Effect of Communication |
The author’s attitude towards texting is________.
| A．objective | B．opposed |
| C．supportive | D．doubtful |
According to the passage，which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．It is normal for a teen to send or receive 60 text messages a day. |
| B．Texting is a very popular way of communication among teens. |
| C．When texting，teens never mind talking with others. |
| D．The writer limited his son to send or receive text messages at first. |
In 1947 a group of famous people from the art world headed by an Austrian conductor decided to hold an intemational festival of music, dance and theatre in Edinburgh. The idea was to reunite Europe after the Second World War.
At the same time, the “Fringe” appeared as a challenge to the official festival. Eight theatre groups turned up uninvited in 1947,in the belief that everyone should have the right to perform, and they did so in a public house disused for years.
Soon, groups of students firstly from Edinburgh University, and later from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, Durham and Birmingham were making the journey to the Scottish capital each summer to perform theatre by little-known writers of plays in small church halls to the people of Edinburgh.
Today the “Fringe”, once less recognized, has far out grown the festival with around 1,500 performances of theatre, music and dance on every one of the 21 days it lasts. And yet as early as 1959, with only 19 theatre groups performing, some said it was getting too big.
A paid administrator was first employed only in 1971, and today there are eight administrators working all year round and the number rises to 150 during August itself. In 2004 there were 200 places housing 1,695 shows by over 600 different groups from 50 different countries. More than 1,25 million tickets were sold.Point was the purpose of Edinburgh Festival at he beginning?
| A．To bring Europe together again. |
| B．To honor heroes of World War 11. |
| C．To introduce young theatre groups. |
| D．To attract great artists from Europe. |
Why did some uninvited theatre groups come to Edinburgh in 1947?
| A．They owned a public house there. |
| B．They came to take up a challenge. |
| C．They thought they were also famous. |
| D．They wanted to take part in the festival. |
Who joined the "Fringe" after it appeared?
| A．they owned a public house there |
| B．University students. |
| C．Artists from around the world. |
| D．Performers of music and dance. |
We may learn from the text that Edinburgh Festival________.
| A．has become a non-official event |
| B．has gone beyond an art festival |
| C．gives shows all year round |
| D．keeps growing rapidly |
Doctor are known to be terrible pilots. They don't listen because they already know it all. I was lucky: I became a pilot in 1970, almost ten years before I graduated from medical school. I didn't realize then, but becoming a pilot makes me a better surgeon. I loved flying. As I flew bigger, faster planes, and in worse weather. I learned about crew resource management (机组资源管理), or CRM, a new idea to make flying safer. It means that crew members should listen and speak up for a good result, regardless of positions.
I first read about CRM in 1980. Not long after that, an attending doctor and I were flying in bad weather. The controller had us turn too late to get our landing ready. The attending doctor was flying; I was safety pilot He was so busy because of the bad turn, he had forgotten to put the landing gear (起落架) down. He was a better pilot - and my boss - so it felt unusual to speak up. But I had to: Our lives were in danger. I put aside my uneasiness and said, "We need to put the landing gear down now!" That was my first real lesson in the power of CRM, and I've used it in the operating room ever since.
CRM requires that the pilot/ surgeon encourage others to speak up. It further requires that when opinions are from the opposite, the doctor doesn't overreact, which might prevent fellow doctors from voicing opinions again. So when I'm in the operating room, I ask for ideas and help from others. Sometimes they're not willing to speak up. But I hope that if I continue to encourage them, someday someone will keep me from ”landing gear up”.What does the author say about doctors in general?
| A．They like flying by themselves. |
| B．They are unwilling to take advice. |
| C．They pretend to be good pilots. |
| D．They are quick learners of CRM. |
The author deepened his understanding of the power of CRM when_______.
| A．he saved the plane by speaking up |
| B．he was in charge of a flying task |
| C．his boss landed the plane too late |
| D．his boss operated on a patient |
In the last paragraph”landing gear up” probably means ______.
| A．following flying requirements. |
| B．overreacting to different opinions. |
| C．listening to what fellow doctors say |
| D．making a mistake that may cost lives |
Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
| A．CRM: A New Way to Make Flying Safe |
| B．Flying Makes Me a Better Doctor |
| C．The Making of a Good Pilot |
| D．A Pilot-Tumed Doctor |
It is natural that young people are often uncomfortable when they are with their parents. They say that their parents don’t understand them. They often think that their parents are out of touch with modern ways, that they are too serious and too strict with their children, and that they seldom give their children a free hand.
It is true that parents often find it difficult to win their children’s trust and they tend to forget how they themselves felt when young. For example, young people like to act on the spot without much thinking. It is one of their ways to show that they have grown up and they can face any difficult situation. Older people worry more easily. Most of them plan things ahead, at least in the back of their minds, and do not like their plans to be upset by something unexpected. When you want your parents to let you do something, you will have better success if you ask before you really start doing it.
Young people often make their parents angry with their choice in clothes, in entertainment and in music. But they do not mean to cause any trouble: it is just that they feel cut off from the older people’s world, into which they have not yet been accepted. That’s why young people want to make a new culture of their own, and if their parents do not like their music or entertainment or clothes or their way of speech, this will make the young people extremely happy.
Sometimes you are so proud of yourself that you do not want your parents to say, “Yes” to what you do. All you want is to be felt alone and do what you like. It is natural enough, after being a child for so many years, when you were completely under your parents’ control. If you plan to control your life, you’d better win your parents over and try to get them to understand you. If your parents see that you have a high sense of responsibility, they will certainly give you the right to do what you want to do.________are to blame for the quarrels between parents and their children according to this passage.
| A．Only parents |
| B．Young people |
| C．Both parents and their children |
| D．Neither parents nor their children |
According to the passage, young people prefer to _________.
| A．do things without thinking carefully ahead. |
| B．ask for advice before they really start to do anything. |
| C．think in the same way as their parents do. |
| D．be very strict with themselves |
According to the passage, young people want to make a new culture of their own because________.
| A．they don’t feel they belong to the world of the older people. |
| B．they do not want to get into trouble. |
| C．they feel they are as clever as old people. |
| D．they want to show they have grown up. |
The underlined word “this” in the third paragraph stands for _______.
| A．the young people’s choice |
| B．their being accepted by their parents |
| C．developing a new culture of their own |
| D．their parents’ dislike of their choice |
If a young man intends to control his own life, it’s better for him to _______.
| A．do everything according to his own wish. |
| B．be responsible for what he does |
| C．do everything beyond his parents’ control |
| D．do everything the way his parents do. |
After ten years, the world' s largest music festival, Rock in Rio, returned to its hometown Rio de Janeiro for seven days of concerts from Friday, September 23rd, attracting 700,000 people over the whole week．
It is the 10th edition of the Rock in Rio festival, but only the 4th to be held in Rio as the organizers exported the festival to Lisbon and Madrid ten years ago．The first edition of the festival was in 1985 and the most recent edition in Rio was held in January, 2001．A total of 700,000 tickets were sold out for this year' s festival．
The festival consists of four stages with the participation of International stars including Elton John, Katy Perry, and bands Metallica, Evanescence and System of a Down．Several stars which performed in previous editions are also on the list this year．In addition, a number of local singers and bands will also join this year．
The performance site, named as Rock City, is a 150,000-square-meter area．Besides the concert area, the site also has a giant Ferns wheel, a roller coaster, and a small shopping mall．After the festival, the Rock City area will be converted into a leisure area to athletes in the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro
According to Rio' s tourism company Riotur, out of the 700,000 people expected in the festival, some 315,000 will be tourists, who raised the hotels' occupation rate to 98 percent．Riotur estimated that the Rock in Rio festival will bring 419 million U．S．dollars for the city and create 10,000 jobs．
The creator of the festival, Brazilian businessmen Roberto Medina, insisted on opening the Rock City gates himself, in the early afternoon, and greeted the first fans to enter the site．"We come to the gate because the Brazilian audience is even more important than the bands．We applaud them．They make the greatest show," he said．The first edition of the festival may be held in ____．
| A．Rio de Janeiro | B．Lisbon |
| C．Madrid | D．a place not mentioned |
Up to now, the festival has been held in Rio for at least _____．
| A．ten times | B．four times |
| C．three times | D．twice |
The number of native people to attend the festival is probably ____．
| A．700,000 | B．315,000 | C．10,000 | D．385,000 |
From the passage, we can know ____．
| A．Rock City is a great theatre |
| B．Only rock bands are invited to the festival? |
| C．The festival will improve the employment of Rio |
| D．The gate of Rock City was opened by the Brazilian audience |
The purpose of the creator’s opening the Rock City gates was to _________.
| A．prepare for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro |
| B．applaud the International stars as well as local singers and bands |
| C．welcome the Brazilian audience who make the grand show |
| D．celebrate the returning of the music festival to Rio de Janeiro |
A well-dressed man came to a famous jewelry shop. He explained that he wished to buy a pearl for his wife’s birthday. The price didn’t matter. Since business had been very good for him that year. After examining a nice black one that cost $5000, he paid for the pearl in cash, shook hands with the jeweler, and left.
A few days later the man returned and said that his wife liked the pearl so much that she wanted another one just like it. It had to be exactly the same size and quality, because she wanted a pair of earrings made, “Can you give me any advice on how to get such a pearl? ” said the man. The jeweler regretfully replied, “I would say it’s exactly impossible to find one exactly like that pearl.”
The rich man insisted that the jeweler advertise in the newspapers, offering $ 25,000 for the matching pearl. Many people answered the advertisement but nobody had a pearl that was just right.
Just when the jeweler had given up hope, a little old lady came into his store. To his great surprise, she pulled the perfect pearl from her purse. “I don’t like to part with it,” she said sadly, “I got it from my mother, and my mother from hers. But I really need the money. ”
The jeweler was quick to pay her before she changed her mind. Then he called the rich man’s hotel to tell him the good news. The man, however, was nowhere to be found.He paid $ 5,000 for the black pearl without bargaining because ______.
| A．he loved his wife deeply |
| B．the jeweler’s business had been successful |
| C．he was anxious to get it |
| D．he wanted to make the jeweler believe him |
He told the jeweler to get him another pearl that must be ______.
| A．exactly the same size as the black one |
| B．exactly as big and nice as the black one |
| C．exactly as expensive as the black one |
| D．exactly the same quality as the black one |
Many people answered the advertisement because they wanted _______.
| A．to see the perfect pearl |
| B．to sell their own pearl at a high price |
| C．to get in touch with the rich man |
| D．to help the rich man’s wife |
The little old lady was probably________.
| A．the man’s partner | B．short of money |
| C．unwilling to sell the pearl | D．the man’s wife |
The jeweler couldn’t find the man anywhere because ______.
| A．his wife had found another perfect pearl already |
| B．he happened to be out at that time |
| C．he got $ 20,000 by cheating and had run away with the money |
| D．he was angry with the jeweler for waiting too long |