(2013·安徽，C)
When 19yearold Sophia Giorgi said she was thinking of volunteering to help the MakeAWish Foundation (基金会)，nobody understood what she was talking about. But Sophia knew just how important MakeAWish could be because this special organization had helped to make a dream come true for one of her best friends. We were interested in finding out more, so we went along to meet Sophia and listen to what she had to say.
Sophia told us that MakeAWish is a worldwide organization that started in the United States in 1980. “It's a charity (慈善机构)that helps children who have got very serious illnesses. MakeAWish helps children feel happy even though they are sick, by making their wishes and dreams come true，” Sophia explained.
We asked Sophia how MakeAWish had first started. She said it had all begun with a very sick young boy called Chris, who had been dreaming for a long time of becoming a policeman. Sophia said lots of people had wanted to find a way to make Chris's dream come true，so with everybody's help, Chris, only seven years old at the time, had been a “policeman” for a day. “When people saw how delighted Chris was when his dream came true, they decided to try and help other sick children too, and that was the beginning of MakeAWish，”explained Sophia.
Sophia also told us the Foundation tries to give children and their families a special, happy time. A MakeAWish volunteer visits the families and asks the children whatever they would wish for if they could have anything in the world. Sophia said the volunteers were important because they were the ones who helped to make the wishes come true. They do this either by providing things that were necessary, or by raising money or helping out in what way they can.
Sophia found out about MakeAWish because her best friend had ________.
| A．benefited from it | B．volunteered to help it |
| C．dreamed about it | D．told the author about it |
According to Sophia, MakeAWish ________.
| A．is an international charity |
| B．was understood by nobody at first |
| C．raises money for very poor families |
| D．started by drawing the interest of the public |
What is said about Chris in Paragraph 3?
| A．He has been a policeman since he was seven. |
| B．He gave people the idea of starting MakeAWish. |
| C．He wanted people to help make his dream come true. |
| D．He was the first child MakeAWish helped after it had been set up. |
Which of the following is true about MakeAWish volunteers?
| A．They are important for making wishes come true. |
| B．They try to help children get over their illnesses. |
| C．They visit sick children to make them feel special. |
| D．They provide what is necessary to make MakeAWish popular. |
Harry potter and The Hunger Games haven’t been big hits for nothing．Lots of teens still read quite a lot．But a study shows a clear decrease over time．Nearly half of 17-year-olds say they read for pleasure no more than one or two times a year．That’s way down from ten years ago.
The digital revolution (革命) means there are more platforms (平台) than ever to read on．Jim Steyer has been studying the effect of technology on children．He has four kids and has seen the trend most with his 16-year-old．“I start to see it in our 10-year-old as well, because he is reading less and less, and more and more attracted to some of the digital media platforms that he has access to, and that he didn’t have access to when he was 6 or 7 years old,” he says.
The studies don’t say that kids are reading less because they’re spending more time online．But Steyer is convinced that’s at least part of the answer.
“First of all, most children now have access to e-readers, or other smart electronic devices like phones and tablets (平板电脑),” he says．“And they’re spending time on that．Many reports show the increasing use of new technology platforms by kids．It just strikes me as extremely logical that that’s a big reason.
Researchers want to know more about how teens are spending their time in the digital age．But Kathryn Zickuhr of the Pew Research Center says it’s tricky．If a kid is looking at a book, you may think he or she is reading．But when it comes to looking at a smartphone or tablet, who knows?
“We’ve heard from middle and high school teachers that sometimes the Internet is wonderful for enthusiastic students to do deep research,” says Zickuhr．“But on the other side, obviously there are many distractions on the Internet.”
However, Jim Steyer says, “Kids with parents who read, who buy or take books out of the library for their kids, and who then set time aside in their kids’ daily schedule for reading, tend to read the most — whether it’s on a book, an e-book or some other devices.”What did Jim Steyer see in his four kids?
| A．They tend to read more on electronic devices. |
| B．They created their own digital media platform. |
| C．They improved their reading on electronic devices. |
| D．They have become more addicted to digital media. |
What statement may Kathryn Zickuhr agree to?
| A．Kids are easily distracted on the Internet. |
| B．Most kids pretend to be doing online reading. |
| C．Most kids like to read on a smartphone or tablet. |
| D．Kids rarely use the Internet to do serious research. |
The last paragraph suggests that ________.
| A．parents need to spare time to read for kids |
| B．parents should make a reading plan for kids |
| C．parents can do a lot to encourage more reading |
| D．parents working in a library tend to read the most |
What is the main idea of the text?
| A．What books do teens like to read the most? |
| B．Why aren’t teens reading like they used to? |
| C．How can teens read on electronic platforms? |
| D．When will teens turn to books for fun again? |
I am usually in a bad mood after a long day at work, but on this particular Friday afternoon I was in a high mood．I planned to have a good meal and watch Bridget Jones’s Diary.
My local supermarket is always busy．The first parking space I spotted was convenient, but I’d noticed a woman in an old car circling for a while．I let her have it．On the edge of the car park I backed into the next available spot — it was a tight fit.
In record time I’d made my way through the supermarket and was back in the fresh air．In a rush of good spirits, I emptied my purse change into the hands of a homeless man and helped a struggling woman reverse (倒车) into a parking space.
Just as I spotted my car, I saw the woman I’d let have my car spot earlier．I smiled and wished her a pleasant day.
As I got back into my car, I spotted the same lady looking in at me．“Hello,” she said, hesitantly (犹豫地)．“This might sound crazy but I was on my way to drop some of my mother’s things off at the charity bins.” I looked quickly at the orange bins in the corner of the parking lot, confused．“I saw you helping those people, and you seemed so happy．My mom had a dress just like that.”
She looked at me meaningfully．I smiled at her in encouragement, hoping she wouldn’t notice that the dress she was admiring was now full of holes．“I was going to give these away, but you are just so much like her.” She passed a box in through the window．Shocked, unthinking, I took it automatically (无意识地)．“I think she would like you to have it.” She smiled and walked away.
After a pause, I opened the box．Inside was a beautiful gold necklace．It was the nicest gift I’d ever received, and it was from a complete stranger.
Later, I thought back on the day．I didn’t feel the usual sense of exhaustion．The necklace was around my neck, a warm reminder of human kindness.
This Friday afternoon, the author ________.
| A．watched a new movie |
| B．had trouble parking her car |
| C．was in the mood to help others |
| D．spent a long time in the supermarket |
Which of the following is TRUE about the author?
| A．She was not very wealthy actually. |
| B．She considered her dress beautiful. |
| C．She had met the lady’s mum. |
| D．She was living on charity. |
What does the author mainly intend to tell us?
| A．Success leads to happiness． |
| B．Good is rewarded with good. |
| C．Two heads are better than one. |
| D．A friend in need is a friend indeed. |
A． FREE AT LAST
The author，Matthew Hunt，who spent half of his life in jail for a crime he did not do，has written the moving story of his lengthy fight to be set free．Now out of prison，he has taken the advice of judge to describe his experience in the book．
Call Tom at 23233388．Free delivery for the book．
B． WANTED
A 3-bedroom apartment in the city center is for rent．Very comfortable home with great garden．Free parking．49 bus stops directly outside the apartment．
Rent fee below $ 800 per month．Call Tony at 38363688
C． SINGLE CLUB
A club for singles who are looking for new friends．
Ages: 25-4 S
Activities: parties，meals，swimming，concerts，dances…
Time: We meet every Thursday at 8:30 p．m．
Address: 19 Jiangnan Road．
Tele: 34283488
D． SUNSHINE CLUB
Join us for a 10-mile country walk on Saturday，October 11th．Experienced guide offers some advice on how to keep fit．
Children and pets are welcome．
Meet at the No．I Super Market at 2 p．m．
Call at 68484866
E．SUMMER JOB
Do you like to talk with people？ Do you like to write stories？ Do you want to develop your imagination？ Do you have something special to share with the readers？ Do you want to work for a magazine？ Then come and work for us as a reporter．
Please call Laura at 55558888
F．GREEN TEAHOUSE
This teahouse is designed for couples--most of the tables are for two．And all the tables look different．Good music and excellent atmosphere．The food is a little expensive，but the service is the best．Free car parking．
Please call at 75658318 for reservation．
请阅读以下读者的相关信息，然后匹配他／她感兴趣的广告。Adam has just graduated from Beijing University recently，He would like to be a newspaperman．
Summer holiday is coming．Silvia is looking for a book．She likes reading true stories which people have written about themselves．She's particularly interested in people who have had unusual or difficult lives．
It is Mr．Brown and his wife's third wedding anniversary．He plans to invite his wife out to a romantic place to celebrate．
Anthony is on a business trip to Brighton．His wife and the five-year-old daughter are coming with him．They will stay there for 3 months．They figure it would be cheaper to rent a house than live in a hotel．They want to find a house with convenient transportation in the center of the city．
Susan is a famous dancer with attractive figure．She is putting on weight these days，though．She is anxious to take some efficient action．
According to Warranty Limitations，a product can be under warranty if ______．
A． shipped from a Canadian factor
B． rented for home use
C． repaired by the user himself
D． used in the U．S．A．According to Owner’s Responsibilities，an owner has to pay for ______．
| A．the loss of the sales receipt |
| B．a servicer’s overtime work |
| C．the product installation |
| D．a mechanic's transportation |
Which of the following is true according to the warranty？
| A．Consequential damages are excluded across America． |
| B．A product damaged in a natural disaster is covered by the warranty． |
| C．A faulty cabinet due to rust can be replaced free in the second year． |
| D．Free repair is available for a product used improperly in the first year． |
Why does the writer mention Warranty Limitations ？
| A．To arouse the readers’ attention |
| B．Users must know something about the product in case that you are involved in some problems |
| C．Users must know something about the product． |
| D．Know something about the products used on a commercial or rental basis |
What can we know from the passage？
| A．It informs all aspects of the Home Laundry Automatic Dryer Product about the warranty |
| B．Anything wrong about the Home Laundry Automatic Dryer Product can be in warranty． |
| C．Servicer can use the Home Laundry Automatic Dryer Product freely |
| D．Service must be performed by an Amana servicer． |
Consumer electronics once again topped the list of the most wanted gifts this holiday season．“Seventy-six percent of consumers who plan to buy holiday gifts say that they will spend money buying at least one technology product; definitely a solid vote of confidence for technology．” Steve Koenig is with the Consumer Electronics Association．He says the group’s latest research also shows that Americans this year are spending more on technology products．
“Here in 2012，$252 on average–the technology spend for consumers this year．” From tablet computers to smart phones，American shoppers have been lining up to get the newest and coolest electronic devices on the market．There are more choices today than ever before．“It’s kind of hard to make a decision．”
Tablet computers are one of the best-selling products this year．Brian Tong is Senior Editor of CNET．com．The website reports on tech news and examines the latest electronic products．He says the Apple iPad Mini is one of the most popular tablets．Its starting price is $329．One of Apple’s biggest competitors is the Google Nexus 7．It starts at $199．
“The hardware inside is more powerful than what’s in the iPad Mini，but also it offers you a lot of things like maps that work better than Apple’s maps．” Brian Tong says there is one reason why people may like the iPad Mini more than the Nexus 7．“If you just want to read books and surf the Internet，you don’t really need to get an iPad Mini，but if you want the largest group of apps that’s where the iPad and Apple’s ecosystem shines the most．”
Elman Chacon is with the electronics store Best Buy．He says another hot product this season is smart cameras．They connect to the Internet through Wi-Fi．This makes it easy for users to email or upload photographs directly from the camera． “You can literally take a picture，upload it into your Facebook in a matter of seconds．These things are pretty cool because they do a lot of things．”
Streaming media boxes also connect to the Internet．People are able to watch web content such as movies and YouTube videos on their televisions．Another popular item is wireless speaker systems．The newest ones work with any device that has Bluetooth technology，including smart phones，laptops and tablets．
With the growing popularity of Internet shopping，many consumers will visit a store first to look at a product，and then go online to find it at a lower price．Stores like Best Buy understand that and they want to stay competitive．
“We have something called the perfect match promise which means if you buy a certain device and you find it cheaper within 30 days we’ll go ahead and price match that for you．” Elman Chacon said．According to Brain Tong，________．
| A．the Apple’s iPad Mini is more suitable for enthusiastic readers |
| B．the hardware in iPad Mini is more advanced than that in Nexus 7 |
| C．iPad Mini is more eco-friendly |
| D．Nexus 7 has fewer apps than iPad Mini |
If you’ve discovered that a certain device you bought at Best Buy is more expensive than one at another store，________．
| A．you are sure to get double the amount you paid |
| B．the store will return the price differences |
| C．you can return the device and get your money back |
| D．the store will lower the price within 30 days |
Which of the following would be the best gift for a cab driver？
| A．Smart cameras． |
| B．Streaming media boxes． |
| C．Tablet computers． |
| D．Wireless speaker systems． |
What is true about the smart cameras？
| A．To show the varieties of products |
| B．The smart cameras are more powerful |
| C．It can make the users upload their photographs easily |
| D．The smart cameras makes it more convenient to go on Internet |
From the passage ，we can infer _______．
| A．Electronics have become one of the biggest consumer industries in the US． |
| B．There are many electronics in the United States． |
| C．The US becomes the Number One electronics consumers． |
| D．We can buy much cheaper products in US． |