Everywhere I look outside my home I see people busy on their high-tech devices, while driving, walking, shopping, even sitting in toilets. When connected electronically, they are away from physical reality.
People have been influenced to become technology addicted. One survey reported that “addicted” was the word most commonly used by people to describe their relationship to iPad and similar devices. One study found that people had a harder time resisting the allure of social media than they did for sleep, cigarettes and alcohol.
The main goal of technology companies is to get people to spend more money and time on their products, not to actually improve our quality of life. They have successfully created a cultural disease. Consumers willingly give up their freedom, money and time to catch up on the latest information, to keep pace with their peers or to appear modern.
I see people trapped in a pathological（病态的）relationship with time-sucking technology, where they serve technology more than technology serves them. I call this technology servitude. I am referring to a loss of personal freedom and independence because of uncontrolled consumption of many kinds of devices that eat up time and money.
What is a healthy use of technology devices? That is the vital question. Who is really in charge of my life? That is what people need to ask themselves if we are to have any chance of breaking up false beliefs about their use of technology. When we can live happily without using so much technology for a day or a week, then we can regain control and personal freedom, become the master of technology and discover what there is to enjoy in life free of technology. Mae West is famous for proclaiming the wisdom that “too much of a good thing is wonderful.” But it’s time to discover that it does not work for technology.
Richard Fernandez, an executive coach at Google acknowledged that “we can be swept away by our technologies.” To break the grand digital connection people must consider how life long ago could be fantastic without today’s overused technology.The underlined word “allure” in Paragraph 2 probably means ______.
| A．advantage | B．attraction | C． adaption | D．attempt |
From the passage, technology companies aim to ______.
| A．attract people to buy their products |
| B．provide the latest information |
| C．improve people’s quality of life |
| D．deal with cultural diseases |
It can be inferred from this passage that people ______.
| A．consider too much technology wonderful |
| B．have realized the harm of high-tech devices |
| C．can regain freedom without high-tech devices |
| D．may enjoy life better without overused technology |
What’s the author’s attitude towards the overusing of high-tech devices?
| A．Neutral.( 中立的） | B．Doubtful |
| C．Disapproving.(不赞成） | D．Sympathetic.（同情的） |
A ship was damaged during a storm at sea and only two of the men aboard were able to swim to a small island. Not knowing what else to do, the two survivors decided that they should pray to God.
However, to find out whose prayers were more powerful, they agreed to divide（分割开）the land between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.
The first thing they prayed for was food. The next morning, the first man saw a tree on his side of the island, and he was able to eat its fruit. But the other man’s side of land remained barren.
After a week, the first man became lonely and decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship was damaged and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the island. But on the other side of the island, there was nothing.
Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes and more food. The next day, like magic, all of these things were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing.
Finally, the first man prayed for a ship so that he and his wife could leave the island, and in the morning he found a ship stopped at his side of the island.
The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island. As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from Heaven, “Why are you leaving your partner on the island?”
“My blessings are mine alone since I was the one who prayed for them.” The first man answered. “ His prayers were all unanswered so he doesn’t deserve anything.”
“You are mistaken!” the voice said. “He had only one prayer, which I answered. He prayed that all your prayers would be answered.”Why didn’t the two men stay together on the island?
| A．Because they both wanted to live a quiet life |
| B．Because they couldn’t get along well with each other |
| C．Because they wanted to test the power of their prayers |
| D．Because they wanted to keep their own life secret from others |
The underlined word “barren” is closest in meaning to ______.
| A．noisy | B．empty | C．dangerous | D．calm |
Which of the following words can best describe the first man?
| A．Hard-working | B．Lucky | C．Selfish | D．Dishonest |
What does the author try to express through the story?
| A．God helps those who help themselves |
| B．A life without a friend is a life without a sun |
| C．A man of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds |
| D．What we do for others is more important than what we do for ourselves |
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 |
We might not be alone in the universe. Actually, it may be confirmed as a very crowded place by new computer models developed to help identify habitable planets.
Estimates of places where life can exist have been based on the possibility of them having surface water. But software recently developed by the Aberdeen University allows researchers to identify planets with underground water kept liquid by heat from planets.
Water is fundamental for life and planets too close to the sun lose water to the atmosphere through evaporation. On the other hand, planets located in distant reaches from their star have their surface water locked away as ice.
Sean McMahon, who is carrying out the work, explained: "Traditionally people have said that if a planet is in this Goldilocks zone—not too hot and not too cold—then it can have liquid water on its surface and be habitable."
But this concept might change when considering that planets can receive two sources of heat—heat direct from the star and heat generated deep inside the planet.
It is easy to observe it in our own planet. As you go down through the crust (壳) of the Earth, the temperature gets higher and higher. Even when the surface is frozen, water can exist below ground.
There could be immense quantities of water in fact—full of primitive life.
Professor John Parnell, also from Aberdeen University said: "There is a significant habitat for microorganisms below the surface of the Earth, extending down several kilometres".
"And some believe that the majority of life on Earth could even reside in this deep biosphere."
So the Aberdeen team are developing models to predict which distant planets might harbour underground reservoirs of liquid water with the possibility of alien life.What is considered as the symbol of life existence traditionally?
| A．Solid water on its surface. | B．Solid water below ground. |
| C．Liquid water below ground. | D．Liquid water on its surface. |
Why did John Parnell mention the fact about Earth?
| A．To prove that there is majority of life on Earth. |
| B．To prove that life may also exist in other planets. |
| C．To prove that there is primitive life down through Earth. |
| D．To prove that there is a habitat for microorganisms below Earth. |
What theory is the Aberdeen team’s study based on?
| A．Planets can lose water through evaporation. |
| B．Planets can receive heat direct from the star. |
| C．Planets can have their surface water locked away as ice. |
| D．Planets can receive heat generated deep inside the planet. |
What can we know about the computer models?
| A．They will help identify planets where there is life. |
| B．They will help researchers find Goldilocks zones. |
| C．They have helped find some significant discoveries. |
| D．They have already located some habitats for life. |
The Lunar New Year, which starts in late January this year, is the most important festival for Chinese people as most of them drop any business at hand to go back to their hometown to see their families. It is a tradition that has been cherished since ancient times, but as social mobility increases in modern times, the road to family reunions has become very uneasy.
It is not the higher travel costs, nor the expected big spending on gifts and other festival items, but the train ticket that has driven many travelers mad. I’ve heard some colleagues complain that they have tried every means to secure a train ticket, only to find it a mission impossible. Some of them have turned to the latest software to aid online booking; others have sought help from friends to increase the possibility of successful booking.
No doubt chunyun, the Spring Festival travel season, is the largest-scale annual human migration in the world. Last year, 220 million passengers traveled by train during the Spring Festival season, which usually lasts 40 days. It is a huge jump from 10 years ago, when the number was 128 million.
With the big sudden increase in demand, the railway company has increased investment in railway construction; still, it cannot bridge the supply gap, leading to fierce public complaints and criticism.
Admittedly, it is almost impossible for the railway company to suddenly improve its capacity to meet the explosive demand during the Spring Festival holiday. Moreover, any temporary increase in capacity would become unnecessary after the holiday and mean great commercial losses during the off season.
What the company can reasonably do is gradually improve its capacity while focusing on better distribution of its existing resources during the special peak season. At any rate, however, the problem cannot be solved overnight.Compared with ten years ago, the percentage of passengers last year increased by________.
| A．40% | B．58% | C．71% | D．83% |
Which of the following does the author probably agree with?
| A．Social mobility in modern times hasn’t changed much in these years. |
| B．The latest software may increase the possibility of successful booking. |
| C．Higher travel costs discourage travelers from reunions with families. |
| D．People nowadays cherish reunion with their families more than before. |
Which word can be used to best describe the way to solve the problem only by increasing capacity?
| A．Expensive | B．Effective | C．Hopeful | D．Impractical |
What’s the tone of the whole passage?
| A．Optimistic. | B．Objective | C．Subjective | D．Critical |
America's child movie star Shirley Temple Black died late Monday evening at the age of 85. Her fans in China are also deeply saddened. Temple is just one example of movie stars that China adored, and still adores. Here's our editor's pick of the top movie stars who have influenced China.
1. Sylvester Stallone
Oh, Rambo! The first strong American man that China knew. His accented English, easily recognizable even for someone who doesn't speak English, and his eyes that never seemed to smile, makes him someone whom cannot be forgotten. He represented the strong American image, and even stirred a boxing and bodybuilding fever in China.
2.Charlie Chaplin (April 16, 1889 – December 25, 1977)
In the 20th century, it is not too much to say that Einstein made the greatest contributions to science, and not many would disagree that Chaplin did the same for film. He was the first actor that introduced comedy to most Chinese viewers, and politically, he was also a close friend of China’s. His silent films broke the barrier of language and his form of art was recognized by all. It will be a difficult task to find a person in China who does not recognize Chaplin, even today.
3. Shirley Temple ( April 23, 1928 – February 10, 2014)
When Chinese audiences saw this adorable child star for the first time on screen, Shirley Temple had already lived for more than half a century. In her movies, she was always alone or in trouble, but this adorable little blonde(金发女郎) could always resolve anything with her kindness, push away the fogginess and bring about light. The brand "Shirley Temple" was a product of the Great Depression. People watched her act to forget their hardships as Temple entertained the poor, the rich, adults and children alike. Several decades later, when her films were screened in China, the effects were the same.
4. Audrey Hepburn( May 4, 1929 – January 20, 1993)
She will forever be the princess in Chinese people's hearts. Even to this day, a large number of tourists go to Rome to visit the Mouth of Truth with their lovers and eat ice cream on the Spanish Steps. Her sense of style seems to never go out of style. When she was alive, she was living perfection. Even after her death, she has remained an icon. That's something that only Audrey Hepburn is capable of.According to the passage, who was most known for comedy in China?
| A．Sylvester Stallone | B．Charlie Chaplin | C．Shirley Temple | D．Audrey Hepburn |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Sylvester Stallone taught boxing and bodybuilding and caused a fever in China. |
| B．Charlie Chaplin was China’s close friend because he introduced comedy to China. |
| C．Audrey Hepburn’s movie made the Mouth of Truth and the Spanish Steps popular. |
| D．Shirley Temple’s works can only help Americans forget hardships and enjoy life better. |
What does the underlined word “icon” mean in the passage?
| A．symbol | B．sign | C．mystery | D．heroine |
In which part can we most probably read this passage?
| A．Art | B．Columns | C．Music & Theater | D．Film &TV |