Picture a library without books? Well, I can’t. Ever since I was little I would go to the library and take out numerous books. From picture books to beginning chapter books to YA books, books have always been a part of my life. Unlike many people today, I don't own a Kindle or a Nook or any type of e-reader. I prefer the old-fashioned book. There is something about holding a book and being able to turn the pages that I find comforting. In today's 21st century, books may become obsolete. For me that's something I find scary.
I am a fan of the old TV science-fiction series Twilight Zone. One episode（一段情节）is about a librarian who has become obsolete. Though this episode aired in 1961, the writer of the series, Rod Serling was exactly on point when it came to predicting the future.
In fact, in San Antonio, Texas the first-ever bookless library in the country opened. The library is full of iMacs, tablets and iPads which cost a huge $2. 3 million. The library offers around 10,000 e-books. So the question is, is this what the future will soon be? Mary Graham, vice president of South Carolina's Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce states, "This is the future…If you're going to be building new library facilities, this is what you need to be doing."
It is our generation that will be the guinea pigs（试验品）of increasing technology like this. Is this a good or bad thing? Well, digital libraries may help the environment by not using paper; however, I feel like something will always be lacking with a digital book. A digital library is just the beginning.
With all of this new technology, people seem to be more absorbed in their own world. One of my biggest complaints is when I am with my friends and they can't seem to get off their smart phone and talk to me. To make plans with a friend and then have them stuck on their phone the whole time is extremely rude. Not only is it disrespectful, but it reflects the direction of where human interactions are heading. Though social media is great, it also is addicting and has negative effects.
Often when I go on Facebook it just makes me feel worse about myself. I'll see many of my 800 Facebook friends showing off their newest accomplishment or acceptance to college. Additionally, our society is becoming increasingly lazy. For instance, instead of doing mental math, people use their phone to solve 89 + 74. It is simple tasks like these that are allowing people to lack important educational and social skills.
It is up to us to find a balance between technology and human values and interactions. With new technology being created every day, we need to learn how to use it alongside our great minds. After all, inventions are supposed to benefit society not harm it. In the day of technology, who knows what's next?The underlined word "obsolete" （Paragraph l）is closest in meaning to .
| A．outdated | B．complex | C．expensive | D．meaningless |
What can we infer from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2_______?
| A．The episode still enjoys great popularity nowadays. |
| B．Rod Serling liked making predictions about the future. |
| C．The situation of books today is similar to what Rod Serling predicted in the episode. |
| D．The episode airing in 1961 was the most entertaining of the TV science-fiction series. |
What can we learn about the library in San Antonio, Texas?
| A．It is the first-ever library in America. |
| B．It is of no practical use although it costs so much. |
| C．It holds an exhibition of much electronic equipment. |
| D．People can read e-books there with the help of the new facilities. |
Which of the following will the writer probably disagree with_______?
| A．Great as social media is, it does have some negative effects. |
| B．With the increasing use of social media, something will actually be lost. |
| C．Through social media, people can develop educational and social skills around. |
| D．As a result of social media, people may communicate less with the people around. |
The tone of the passage is best described as .
| A．Optimistic | B．Skeptical | C．Supportive | D．Objective |
A few years ago I had an “ aha ！ ” moment regarding handwriting.
I had in my hand a sheet of paper with handwritten instructions on it for some sort of editorial task. It occurred at first that I did not recognize the handwriting, and then I realized whose it must be. I finally became aware of the fact that I had been working with this colleague for at least a year, maybe two, and yet I did not recognize her handwriting at that point.
It was a very important event in the computerization of life—a sign that the informal, friendly communication of people working together in an office had changed from notes in pen to instant messages and emails. There was a time when our workdays were filled with little letters, and we recognized one another's handwriting the way we knew voices or faces.
As a child visiting my father's office, I was pleased to recognize , in little notes on the desks of his staff, the same handwriting I would see at home in the notes he would leave on the fridge—except that those notes were signed" dad" instead of "RFW".
All this has been on my mind because of the talk about The Rise and Fall of Handwriting, a book by Florey. She shows in her book a deep concern about the fall of handwriting and the failure of schools to teach children to write well, but many others argue that people in a digital age can't be expected to learn to hold a pen.
I don't buy it.
I don't want to see anyone cut off from the expressive，personal associations that a pen still promotes better than a digital keyboard does. For many a biographer, part of really getting to know their subjects is learning to read their handwriting.
What some people advocate is teaching one of the many attractive handwritings based on the handwriting of 16th-century Italy. That may sound impossibly grand—as if they want kids to learn to draw by copying classical paintings. However, they have worked in many school systems. Why was the author surprised at not recognizing his colleague's handwriting?
| A．He had worked with his colleague long enough. |
| B．His colleague's handwriting was so beautiful. |
| C．His colleague's handwriting was so terrible. |
| D．He still had a lot of work to do. |
People working together in an office used to __________.
| A．talk more about handwriting |
| B．take more notes on workdays |
| C．know better one another's handwriting |
| D．communicate better with one another |
The author's father wrote notes in pen __________.
| A．to both his family and his staff |
| B．to his family in small letters |
| C．to his family on the fridge |
| D．to his staff on the desk |
According to the author, handwritten notes __________.
| A．are harder to teach in schools |
| B．attract more attention |
| C．are used only between friends |
| D．carry more message |
We can learn from the passage that the author __________.
| A．thinks it impossible to teach handwriting |
| B．does not want to lose handwriting |
| C．puts the blame on the computer |
| D．does not agree with Florey |
Isabella Stewart was born in New York City in 1840. Her father made a great deal of money in trade. During school，her parents took her to Italy to explore the country's many cultural treasures.
One of the private art collections Isabella visited in Milan had a deep influence on her. She wrote to her friends about her dream of owning a house one day with an art collection like the one she had seen in Italy.
In Paris, Isabella became a close friend of one of her classmates, Julia Gardner, whose family was from Boston. Julia would later introduce Isabella to her brother, Jack. In 1860, Isabella Stewart married Jack Gardner.
The couple had too much art to fit inside their home. So they decided to start planning a museum. Mrs. Gardner didn't like the cold and empty spaces of many museums during her time. She wanted a warm museum filled with light. She once said that she decided years ago that the greatest need in her country was art. America was a young country developing quickly in other areas. But the country needed more chances for people to see beautiful examples of art.
After her husband's death in 1898, Isabella knew she had no time to lose in building her museum. She bought land, hired a building designer, and supervised (监督)every detail of her museum's construction.
Mrs. Gardner opened her museum on January 1,1903. The museum was then called Fenway Court. She invited her friends that night for a special musical performance. The next month, she opened the museum to the public. At first, visits were limited to twenty days out of the year. Visitors paid one dollar to enter.
Isabella Stewart Gardner died in 1924 in Boston. In her will, she left the museum a million dollars and a series of requirements about how it should be managed. One requirement is that the permanent collection cannot be changed. The text is mainly about __________.
| A．how Isabella Gardner realized her dream of being an artist |
| B．how Mr. and Mrs. Gardner added to their collection of art |
| C．how Isabella's museum was opened |
| D．Isabella Stewart Gardner and her museum |
By saying“the greatest need in her country was art” in Paragraph 4 Mrs. Gardner meant that __________.
| A．America was still a young developing country |
| B．there were no museums in America at that time |
| C．art fell far behind other fields of the American society |
| D．Americans had no chance to enjoy beautiful art |
In order to achieve her dream of owning an art museum, Mrs. Gardner __________.
| A．raised money from her friends and relatives |
| B．sold out all her land and houses |
| C．held special musical performances for money |
| D．watched over the process of building the museum |
Which statement is NOT true according to the text?
| A．Isabella and Jack were classmates when studying in Paris. |
| B．The museums at that time were not comfortable. |
| C．Isabella opened the museum about five years after Jack's death. |
| D．Great as the museum was，visitors had to wait and pay to enter. |
From the passage, we can learn that the museum __________.
| A．helps earn much money for its collections of art |
| B．is called Fenway Court by the visitors |
| C．was opened to the public on January 1st, 1903 |
| D．is still affected by Isabella Gardner in management now |
Sports account for a growing amount of income made on the sales of commercial time by television companies. Many television companies have used sports to attract viewers from particular sections of the general public，and then they have sold audiences to advertisers.
An attraction of sport programs for the major U. S. media companies is that events are often held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons—the slowest time periods of the week for general television viewing. Sport events are the most popular weekend programs, especially among male viewers who may not watch much television at other times during the week. This means the television networks are able to sell advertising time at relatively high prices during what normally would be dead time for programming.
Media corporations also use sports to attract commercial sponsors that might take their advertising dollars elsewhere if television stations did not report certain sports. The people in the advertising departments of major corporations realize that sports attract male viewers. They also realize that most business travelers are men and that many men make family decisions on the purchases of computers, cars and life insurance.
Golf and tennis are special cases for television programming. These sports attract few viewers, and the ratings (收视率)are unusually low. However, the audience for these sports is attractive to certain advertisers. It is made up of people from the highest income groups in the United States, including many lawyers and business managers. This is why television reporting of golf and tennis is sponsored by companies selling high-priced cars，business and personal computers，and holiday trips. This is also why the networks continue to carry these programs regardless of low ratings. Advertisers are willing to pay high fees to reach high-income consumers and those managers who make decisions to buy thousands of “ company cars” and computers. With such viewers，these programs don't need high ratings to stay on the air. Television sport programs on weekend afternoons __________.
| A．result in more sport events |
| B．get more viewers to play sports |
| C．make more people interested in television |
| D．bring more money to the television networks |
Why would weekend afternoons become dead time without sport programs?
| A．Because there would be few viewers. |
| B．Because the advertisers would be off work. |
| C．Because television programs would go slowly. |
| D．Because viewers would pay less for watching television. |
In many families, men make decisions on __________.
| A．holiday trips |
| B．sports viewing |
| C．television shopping |
| D．expensive purchases |
The ratings are not important for golf and tennis programs because __________.
| A．their advertisers are carmakers |
| B．their viewers are attracted by sports |
| C．their advertisers target at rich people |
| D．their viewers can afford expensive cars |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Television ratings are determined by male viewers. |
| B．Rich viewers contribute most to television companies. |
| C．Sports are gaining importance in advertising on television. |
| D．Commercial advertisers are the major sponsors of sport events. |
Many young people want to become pop stars. It is their great ambition(雄心)in life. They think ： pop stars make a lot of money ； they lead interesting and exciting lives ； thousands of fans adore them ； they become famous.
Yes, but first they must become stars. Most performers start life with a group. This is the pattern nowadays. But there are many groups and the competition is hard. Groups appear and disappear almost overnight. Only a small number stay. Almost without exception (例外)they have to work very hard before they reach the top.
And very few reach the top and stay there. In England there are perhaps thirty or so groups at the top. Most of these do not earn so much money ； perhaps $ 400 each time they perform. What is more，they have quite a lot of expenses. They have to pay a manager, for example. He is the key person in their lives and he takes about 20% of their earnings—perhaps more. Then there are their clothes，their instruments and their van(车)•
And don't forget they have to travel a great deal, sometimes 2,000 miles in one week. At times they even sleep in their van instead of a hotel, just to save money.
So now, what do you think? Are pop stars so rich? And do they have such exciting lives?Which of the following is the reason why many young people want to become pop stars?
| A．Living an exciting life. |
| B．Being loved by thousands of fans. |
| C．Becoming rich. |
| D．All of the above. |
The right statement in the following about pop stars is that __________.
| A．most of them fail to reach the top |
| B．they lead relaxed lives. |
| C．they can travel all over the world |
| D．they spend a lot of money on their clothes |
Why is the group's manager well paid?
| A．Because he runs this group. |
| B．Because he looks after them. |
| C．Because he is important to them. |
| D．Because he buys them clothes and instruments. |
How do pop groups spend the money they earn?
| A．They pay the manager 20% of their earnings or more. |
| B．They have to pay for clothes, instruments and their van. |
| C．They often make trips. |
| D．All of the above. |
The writer makes us believe __________.
| A．it is pleasant to become a pop star |
| B．that if you work very hard in pop groups, you will reach the top |
| C．pop stars are neither too rich nor too happy |
| D．general persons had better not dream of pop stars |
At the beginning of the 20th century there was a big farm called Hollywood Ranch. It was near Los Angeles in California. A few years later Hollywood was one of the famous places in the world. From the 1910s to the 1950s Hollywood was the film center of the world. Every family knew the names of its film stars—Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Ingrid Bergman and hundreds more.
The reason why people went to Hollywood to make films was the sun. At first，people made films in New York on the east coast of the United States. But then they heard about Los Angeles where there are 350 days of sun every year. As they made all the films by sunlight，the west coast was a much better place to make films. Also near Hollywood you can find mountains，sea and desert. They did not have to travel far to make any kind of film.
When TV became popular, Hollywood started making films for television. Then in the 1970s they discovered people still went to the cinema to see big expensive films. After about thirty years they are still making films in Hollywood and people watch them all over the world. Hollywood used to be a __________.
| A．cinema |
| B．big farm |
| C．park |
| D．market |
In the 1910s Hollywood became a __________.
| A．famous theater |
| B．good place to have holidays |
| C．film center |
| D．home for stars |
Who was not mentioned as a film star in the passage?
| A．Charlie Chaplin. |
| B．Marilyn Monroe. |
| C．Ingrid Bergman. |
| D．Greta Garbo. |
People went to Hollywood to make films because __________.
| A．it was a beautiful place |
| B．you could find many film stars |
| C．there was a lot of sunlight |
| D．it was a famous place |
Which statement is true?
| A．The west coast was a better place to make films. |
| B．There are no mountains near Hollywood. |
| C．People no longer went to the cinema after television became popular. |
| D．Hollywood began to make films for television after the World War I. |