Technology and the present generation of kids go hand in hand. Taking advantage of this factor, Lim Hojoon, the designer from South Korea, has come up with an educational gadget (小装置) especially for children.
Kidget, as the name suggests, is a combination of two words – kid and gadget. This kid-friendly gadget has various uses. When your child is in a mood to read, it takes the form of a storybook. When the mood is to draw and color this wonder gadget turns into a perfect canvas (画布). Your child can freely give color to all his/her imaginations. Should he or she wish to have some fun, see this device change into a musical instrument. You too would enjoy doing activities with your loved one using this gadget. This touch screen device will definitely prove to be an ideal friend.
As many parents agree, in this age of technological advancements it is much easier to introduce children to new gadgets than adults. While many adults refrain (克制) from trying out something new, kids are more than prepared to take the leap. Keeping this fact in mind, Kidget is the perfect gift for the child of the 21st century. You will be surprised to see how fast your little one gets acquainted with the device. You might even find yourself lagging (落后) behind at times.
Kidget has another hidden advantage. It helps take the load off young shoulders. With three things rolled into one, a child has much less books, stationary items and related goods to carry. It comes with a promise to make life simpler for kids. Not only is it simple to use but also easy to carry along. The stylish protective case comes with a belt attached to it. Children up to 14 years of age, the targeted audience, enjoy the freedom that comes with it.The Kidget probably can’t serve as a ______.
| A．storybook | B．perfect canvas |
| C．musical instrument | D．television |
We learn from the second paragraph that Kidget ______.
| A．has many functions |
| B．is only suitable for kids |
| C．can make kids addicted if not properly used |
| D．can change its shape and color |
A hidden advantage of Kidget is that ______.
| A．it can be put into a schoolbag |
| B．children can carry much less with it |
| C．it has a stylish protective case |
| D．it contains all the textbooks |
We can infer from the text that Kidget ______.
| A．has both advantages and disadvantages |
| B．hasn’t been put into use |
| C．needs to be further improved |
| D．is a perfect gift for kids |
For many people – especially those juggling (兼顾) family and work at the same time --- it can be difficult to stick with a college degree. Kathy Bitzthum thought many times about dropping out of her accounting program at Iowa State University: She had two children and a job at Electronic Technology Corp. She’d only enrolled in the first place because her boss would offer her a promotion if she took a few accounting courses.
Because she only had enough time to take one class at a time, it took her seven years to complete the courses her boss asked her to take on. She received the promotion as her boss promised and wasn’t planning to continue a degree. But a request from her father, who was dying of cancer, made her think twice. He said to her, “Kathy, why don’t you just keep going and get your degree?”
Before he passed away, he made her promise that she would finish it. And he made her a promise in turn. Vitzthum’s parents had agreed to give each of their children a valuable gift when they graduated from college, and Vitzthum was obsessed with an antique she’d come across and knew that she couldn’t afford. After she promised to graduate from college, her parents bought her the antique. Her father told her, “I’m not going to be around when you graduate, so I’ll give this to you now. But it doesn’t _________ until you graduate from college.”
Since then, Vitzthum has looked at that antique every day and remembered the promise she had made to her father. Despite a hectic life as a wife, mother and full-time employee, she’s taken one course every semester for the last 19 years. And finally, at the age of 48, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in accounting --- and she was excited to accept full ownership (所有权) of the antique that she’d borrowed for more than a decade.What had contributed to Kathy’s studying the accounting program at Iowa State University?
___________________________________________________________________Why did it take Kathy seven years to finish the accounting program?(no more than 10 words)
___________________________________________________________________What did Kathy’s father make her promise to do before he died?(no more than 10 words)
___________________________________________________________________Fill in the blank in Paragraph 3 with proper words.(no more than 3 words)
___________________________________________________________________What does the passage mainly talk about?(no more than 12 words)
___________________________________________________________________
Many adults in the United States can remember crying the nursery rhyme in the street "Hot cross buns!" But only a few people realize this was an early form of advertising.
Written advertisements probably began with hieroglyphics more than three thousand years ago, but only a few people could read these symbols. So merchants made signs with pictures or hung their tools over their doors to identify their businesses.
In the time of the Roman Empire, wall paintings were a popular form of advertisement. An ad for a play, or some other performance was painted on part of a building or on a wall around a city. People often advertised a house for rent or a freshwater bath in this way, too.
Today, large wall signs are still used for outdoor advertising. But outdoor advertising is only a small fraction of the total advertising. About forty per -cent of all ads are printed in daily newspapers. Radio commercials also provide this kind of information. Some people think they are the best form of advertising because radio broadcasts reach almost everyone in a nation.
Advertisements in magazines and on television reach many people, too. However, usually only large companies can advertise on a national network, because TV commercials shown across the country can cost many thousands of dollars.
Then there are ads that are almost part of daily living. If you use public transportation, you will see large printed ads, called ear cards, on buses and taxis and in trains. Ads are painted on the trucks that deliver products people are buying or selling.Which is the passage mainly discussing?
| A．Modern advertising | B．Significance of advertising |
| C．Development of advertising | D．Origin of advertising |
Which of the following is the original form of advertising?
| A．Signs with pictures | B．Wall signs |
| C．Street crying | D．Wall painting |
Which of the following can best replace the underlined word “hieroglyphics” in Paragraph 2?
| A．A signal | B．A signature | C．A symbol | D．A form |
Why did the merchants make signs with pictures or hang their tools over their doors ?
| A．To have their houses decorated. |
| B．To make their business known by public. |
| C．To enable people to learn how to read |
| D．To advertise their houses to rent |
Radio commercials are the best form of advertising because ____________.
| A．they can be heard everywhere in a country |
| B．they are cheap and fast |
| C．they are most recently developed |
| D．they can be understood by those who can neither read nor write |
Surgeons in Spain have successfully carried out the world’s first organ transplant using new stem cell technology. Some people are calling it the greatest medical breakthrough so far this century.
But what are stem cells? As we know, most cells in our bodies are designed to serve specific purposes – for example, a liver cell develops to work in the liver and cannot become a heart cell. But stem cells are different. They are very young, and in the laboratory scientists can grow them into different types of cell.
Claudia Castillo needed a new windpipe after getting a serious disease. Scientists from the University of Bristol in the UK took a donor windpipe, or trachea, from someone who had recently died. They used strong chemicals to remove the donor’s cells, leaving a tissue scaffold(组织支架). This was refilled with cells from Ms Castillo’s windpipe, and stem cells from her bone. After four days the cells had grown sufficiently for the windpipe to be transplanted into Ms Castillo.
Currently, transplant patients have to take drugs for the rest of their lives to prevent their bodies rejecting the new organs. These drugs can have bad side-effects, and do not always prevent rejection. But by using Ms Castillo’s own cells, doctors were able to trick her body into thinking the new windpipe was her own organ. Five months on, Claudia Castillo is in perfect health.
This ground-breaking procedure could be used in other transplant operations in the future. Scientists also believe stem cells might be used to treat Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, diabetes, burns and so on.
However, stem cell research is extremely controversial. The most effective stem cells do not come from adults but from embryos created in laboratories and which are just a few days old. Many people have religious or ethical objections to growing embryos, even if they can be used to cure diseases.This transplant is considered the greatest medical breakthrough because _________.
| A．this is the first organ transplant in the whole world |
| B．the patient is in perfect health after the operation |
| C．it is the first success with new stem cell technology |
| D．the stem cells are from an embryo developed in a lab |
Stem cells are different from the other ceils in the way that __________.
| A．they are grown in the lab only |
| B．they can grow into different types of cell |
| C．they are designed for a specific purpose |
| D．they can work in the liver not in the heart |
What is the main idea of the third paragraph?
| A．How Claudia survived in the operation |
| B．How to remove the cells from the donor’s organ |
| C．Why stem cells are needed in the transplant |
| D．How the windpipe is transplanted |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Human bodies always reject transplanted organs even with their own cells |
| B．The donor’s cells had to be removed because they were unhealthy |
| C．The transplanted organ was refilled with the stem cells only |
| D．Claudia will not have to take drugs to prevent rejection. |
Which word can best describe the scientists’ attitude towards the stem cell technology?
| A．controversial | B．confident |
| C．conservative (保守的) | D．critical |
Hoffman，40，a former senior vice president of a financial company，had what she describes as “one of those extreme jobs.” “I loved working,” she says. But her career path reached a crossroad when her second child was born，and she left her job in February 2007. Hoffman is one of many people who have left the work force to take a break，but she has a position as a consultant．She has described this type of career detour(绕路) ----- which is more common for women than for men—as “off- ramping．” Typically it occurs when the balancing act of parenting and work becomes too tough．
A study by the center found that more than 90 percent of women who off-ramp want to on-ramp back into the work force eventually．But making the transition back to work is rarely easy，and it is even harder in this economic climate of layoffs and hiring freezes.
Considering some of the obstacles faced by on- rampers , a three-day program called “Greater Returns：Restarting Your Career” was held at Columbia University. The goal of the three days was to have them walk away with a big shot of confidence.
According to one school of thought, women looking to make a comeback might even have an advantage in the current economy，especially if they are looking for part-time or consultant positions that do not offer benefits. And a majority of on-rampers are women with extensive working experiences that could give them a slight advantage over less-experienced competition．
“You absolutely cannot be defensive about why you off-ramped,” Ms Hoffman says, “ defensive” would have put her into a hard situation if the Greater Returns program had had not taught her how to describe the years she spent at home．“I now feel confident talking to an employer and saying，‘ Yes，I have been out of the work force，but here is where I can make significant contributions.’”What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Off ramp：it is common |
| B．On ramp：it is easy |
| C．Off ramp or on ramp：it depends on confidence |
| D．Off ramp to on ramp：it can be a hard Journey |
According to the passage，Greater Returns___________．
| A．is intended to relieve the pressure of the jobless women |
| B．has all the jobless women restart their career |
| C．will build up the confidence of those in search of jobs |
| D．is to last a11 the year around for the jobless women |
The main reason for the women’s off-ramping is that_________．
| A．they have to suffer the sexual discrimination |
| B．they have to parent their children |
| C．they reach a crossroad of career |
| D．they have great work pressure |
From what Ms．Hoffman says in the last paragraph，we can conclude________ .
| A．she didn’t get advice from the Greater Returns program |
| B．she was defensive about her off-ramping |
| C．she didn’t get the job because she lied about her experience |
| D．she is off ramp partly due to her straightforward manner |
Which job is easier to get for a woman off-ramper?
| A．Regular workers. | B．Casual workers. |
| C．Company managers. | D．Bank clerks. |
Do you know what your child is going to do when the school bell rings at the end of the day? More than 14 million students leave school every afternoon and have nowhere to go, since they do not have access to affordable after-school opportunities. According to the National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center (NYVPRC), nine out of ten Americans think all youths should have access to after-school programs, but two-thirds of parents say they have trouble finding programs locally. The bad news is that situation may be getting worse.
After-school hours are the peak time for juvenile crimes and risky behaviors, including alcohol and drug use. The NYVPRC states that children who do not spend any time in after-school activities are 49 percent more likely to use drugs and 37 percent more likely to become a teen parent. Kids are also at the highest risk of becoming a victim of violence after school, particularly between the hours of 2p.m. and 6p.m.. The highest amount of juvenile crime occurs between 3p.m. and 4p.m. , when most children are dismissed from school.
The NYVPRC defines after-school programs as safe and structured activities that offer children opportunities to learn new skills. The skills students learn can range from technology and math to reading and art. Some programs also offer opportunities for internship(实习), community services , or mentoring. These programs have been shown to improve academic achievements, as well as relieve the stresses on working families. A report by the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of justice shows that students in after –school programs have fewer behavioral problems and more self-confidence , and can handle conflicts better than students who are not involved with these programs. In addition, according to the Harvard Family Research Project, after-school programs help students from low-income families overcome the inequities (不公平) they face in the school system. What is the theme of the passage?
| A．Prevention of juvenile crimes. |
| B．Risks kids face after school. |
| C．A research report on the stresses of students. |
| D．The benefits of after-school programs. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the first paragraph?
| A．Most parents don’t believe in after-school programs. |
| B．Students are not willing to attend after-school programs. |
| C．It’s difficult for parents to find after-school programs for their children. |
| D．Parents don’t care about where their children go after school. |
We learn from the second paragraph that __________________ .
| A．the teachers should watch over kids after school |
| B．children are dismissed from school too late |
| C．after-school hours are a risky time for children |
| D．children should go home immediately school is over |
The author of the passage probably __________.
| A．fully support after-school programs |
| B．doubts the effects of after-school programs |
| C．believes structured activities are useless for children |
| D．thinks students today are too stressed |
The underlined word “juvenile” in Paragraph 2 has a similar meaning to “_____” .
| A．student | B．teenager | C．adult | D．campus |