By today's standards, my mobile phone is pretty rubbish. It's a Nokia 1616. If that doesn't mean much to you (it's not the kind of phone you see advertised on television), all you need to know is that it's a small, not very heavy device with which you can send and receive telephone calls and text messages. It also has a very handy torch on the top for when you can't find your keys, or when you drop something on the floor in the cinema. Other than that, my phone doesn't do much. Well, it has an alarm, and it probably has a calculator and things like that, but it's nothing compared to a smartphone. Why would I want one of those?
I have often been told that the big advantage of having a smartphone is that "you can do everything with them!" But when was the last time you saw someone doing "everything" with a smartphone? Okay, so they may have an endless list of functions, but generally they are used for checking social networking sites, playing games, and receiving and replying to emails. I'm happy just doing all of those things at home on my laptop.
As far as I can tell, the best thing about having a smartphone is that you can be connected to the Internet all the time. Don't get me wrong, I love the internet, but I just don't see the point of constantly being online. I can't remember the last time I received a Facebook update which was so very urgent that I had to read it as soon as it appeared, and I can't imagine ever having a job which was so important that I would need to read work-related emails immediately. I would think that if someone needed me urgently, they would just ring me rather than send an email. And my trusty Nokia can manage that.
One of the most peculiar effects of the smartphone is, in my opinion, the newly-found addiction to maps and navigation (导航) systems. Is there anything more boring than knowing exactly where you are all of the time?! How do you get to know an area if you don't get lost there a few times? And if you are dependent on online maps, what happens to those great places you find just by chance? You can't exactly find out from Google maps the journey from "here" to" that hidden cafe with the tasty-looking cakes" , or to "that pond next to the church which looks really pretty in the evening sun. " It is, of course, true that we all occasionally need to be pointed in the right direction, but I find that there are often real life humans you can ask.
There are many benefits of having a very basic mobile phone, like the face that it cost me about twenty pounds, and that I don't have to worry too much about it being stolen .But the main benefit has to be the fact that it provides me with the word 'greatest excuse for my bad habits. Whether it's turning up late to events ,or getting lose on a trip ,or missing buses or trains ,or forgetting about an appointment at work ,I'm pretty sure I'm covered with the following explanation: “I’m really sorry, I don't have a smartphone."The writer uses his Nokia 1616 mainly to _______.
| A．play online games |
| B．do calculating work |
| C．check social network sites |
| D．make calls and text messages |
It can be inferred from the above passage that_______.
| A．work-related emails should be answered immediately |
| B．a laptop and a smartphone share many functions |
| C．smartphones should always be connected to the net |
| D．a Facebook update is usually very important |
According to the passage, if you use navigation systems, you may _____
| A．miss some really wonderful places |
| B．find a boring trip actually exciting |
| C．be persuaded to eat in a certain café |
| D．be misled to a totally wrong place |
To the writer, one benefit of having a basic mobile phone is that__________.
| A．it can remind him of important appointments |
| B．it can often be found back after it is stolen |
| C．it can be used as an excuse for his bad habits |
| D．it can save him the trouble of catching trains |
The writer's purpose for writing this article is to_____.
| A．explain why he doesn't want a smartphone |
| B．warn readers of the risks of using smartphones |
| C．complain about the troubles caused by smartphones |
| D．inform readers of the latest development of mobile phones |
I heard many parents complaining that their teenage children are rebelling. I wish it were so. At your age you ought to be growing away from your parents. You should be learning to stand on your own two feet. But take a good look at the present rebellion. It seems that teenagers are taking the same way of showing that they disagree with their parents. Instead of striking out boldly on their own, most of them are clutching (紧握) at one another’s hands for reassurance.
They claim they want to dress as they please. But they all wear the same clothes. They set off in new directions in music. But somehow they all end up huddled (聚在一起) round listening to the same record. Their reason for thinking or acting in thus-and-such a way is that the crowd is doing it. They have come out of their cocoon (蚕茧) into a larger cocoon.
It has become harder and harder for a teenager to stand up against the popularity wave and to go his or her own way. Industry has firmly carved out a teenage market. These days every teenager can learn from the advertisements what a teenager should have and be. And many of today’s parents have come to award high marks for the popularity of their children. All this adds up to a great barrier for the teenager who wants to find his or her own path.
But the barrier is worth climbing over. The path is worth following. You may want to listen to classical music instead of going to a party. You may want to collect rocks when everyone else is collecting records. You may have some thoughts that you don’t care to share at once with your classmates. Well, go to it. Find yourself. Be yourself. Popularity will come – with the people who respect you for who you are. That is the only kind of popularity that really counts. In this passage, the author wants to tell _______.
| A．teenagers to try to pursue their real selves |
| B．readers to try to be popular with people around |
| C．parents to try to control and guide their children |
| D．people to try to understand and respect each other |
The author disapproves of rebelling teenagers _______.
| A．growing away from their parents |
| B．following the popularity trend |
| C．walking a new way on their own |
| D．turning to their friends for help |
The phrase “larger cocoon” at the end of the second paragraph refers to _______.
| A．the distractive and variable society |
| B．the dazzling music world |
| C．the parental care and love |
| D．the popularity wave in the society |
What does the author think of advertisements?
| A．Convincing. | B．Instructive. | C．Influential. | D．Authoritative. |
Robert Owen was born in Wales in 1771. At the age of ten he went to work. His employer had a large private library so Owen was able to educate himself. He read a lot in his spare time and at nineteen he was given the job of superintendent(监工) at a Manchester cotton mill. He was so successful there that he persuaded his employer to buy the New Lanark mill in Scotland.
When he arrived at New Lanark it was a dirty little town with a population of 2,000 people. Nobody paid any attention to the workers' houses or their children's education. The conditions in the factories were very bad. There was a lot of crime and the men spent most of their wages on alcoholic drinks.
Owen improved the houses. He encouraged people to be clean and save money. He opened a shop and sold the workers cheap, well-made goods to help them. He limited the sale of alcoholic drinks. Above all, he fixed his mind on the children's education. In 1816, he opened the first free primary school in Britain.
People came from all over the country to visit Owen's factory. They saw that the workers were healthier and more efficient than in other towns. Their children were better fed and better educated. Owen tried the same experiment in the United States. He bought some land there in 1825,but the community was too far away. He could not keep it under control and lost most of his money.
Owen never stopped fighting for his idea. Above all he believed that people are not born good or bad. He was a practical man and his ideas were practical. "If you give people good working conditions," he thought, "they will work well and, the most important thing of all, if you give them the chance to learn, they will be better people." For Owen, his greatest achievement in New Lanark was _____________.
| A．improving worker's houses |
| B．helping people to save money |
| C．preventing men from getting drunk |
| D．providing the children with a good education |
From the passage we may infer that Owen was born ___________.
| A．into a rich family | B．into a noble family |
| C．into a poor family | D．into a middle class family |
Owen's experiment in the United States failed because _______.
| A．he lost all his money |
| B．he did not buy enough land |
| C．people who visited it were not impressed |
| D．it was too far away for him to organize it properly |
We may infer form the passage that no children in Britain could enjoy free education until ____.
| A．1771 | B．1816 | C．1825 | D．1860 |
Sports News of the Week
Bolt regains 100m title in Moscow
Last updated: Mon, Aug-12-2013, 08:54
USAIN BOLT of Jamaica won the men's 100 meters final during the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Moscow on Sunday．
Usain Bolt was made to look human by a combination of a Russian rainstorm and a fired-up Justin Gatlin on Sunday but the Jamaican superstar was still good enough to regain his world 100 meters title in a surging 9．77 seconds．
With former world and Olympic champion and twice-banned doper Gatlin leading at halfway, Bolt was forced to race a rival, rather than the clock．
Jason Dufner wins PGA Championship
Last Updated: Monday, August 12, 2013, 10:38
Jason Dufner won his first major title at the 95th PGA Championship, the top U．S． golf competition, seizing an early lead on Sunday at Oak Hill, Texas and holding on for victory despite a bogey-bogey finish．
The 36-year-old American, who squandered a four-shot lead with four holes to play in losing the 2011 PGA Championship, fired a final-round two-under par 68 to finish on 10-under par 270 for 72 holes．
Isinbaeva leads harvest day for host Russia at Moscow worlds
Last updated: WeD．August 14, 2013, 10:35
Russia's "pole vault queen" Elena Isinbaeva ignited the Luzhniki stadium as she claimed her third world title on the fourth day of the 2013 IAAF World Championships here on Tuesday, which saw host Russia harvested two gold and one silver medals in seven finals,
Ireland's Heffernan wins world walk title at 35
Last Updated: Wednesday, August 14,2013,15:15
Ireland's Robert Heffernan won the world championship 50km walk title on Wednesday as the 35-year-old finally tasted glory after 13 years of heartbreak and near-misses．
Heffernan, fourth in the 2012 Olympic 50km and fourth in both walks at last year's European championships, broke clear of Mikhail Ryzhov after 35km to deny Russia a clean sweep of the walks after they took gold in both 20km events earlier in the week．When did Bolt regain the men's 100 meters final?
| A．August 11． | B．August 12 |
| C．August 13． | D．August 14 |
Where is the PGA held?
A．JamaicA． B．RussiA
C．AmericA． D．Ireland______ won the world championship at last after trying hard for 13 years．
| A．Jason | B．Bolt |
| C．Isinbaeva | D．Heffernan |
Most summer camps for teens center around sports, or music and arts, or just for having fun． But some girls in the Washington suburb of Arlington County, Virginia, went to camp to get a taste of what its like to be a firefighter．
This is not a typical summer camp． But Michelle Pawlaw is glad she signed up for it．"Getting to experience the fires hands-on is really cool and something that most people don't get to do," she said．
Michelle and eight other teenage girls are participating in the three-day camp offered by the Arlington County Fire Department located just outside of Washington．
“The purpose is to try to get young women interested in considering the fire service as a career” said firefighter Clare Burley, who is in charge of the program．
The free of charge, overnight camp is designed to let the girls experience what firefighters do in the line of duty to protect the community．
They take classes and learn how to climb the ladder on a fire truck, operate emergency tools and rescue on injured person． They also do their share of cleaning the firehouse and the equipment Firefighting is still a male-dominated （男性主导） service． Clare joined the department seven years ago, saying "We do everything that the guys do to the same standarD．We are tested to the same standarD．We are expected to operate at the same standard．"
Most of the girls say they had never thought about becoming a firefighter, but the camp was a great learning experience．
"I think it is definitely not a job that only men can do. Women can do it just as well as men can," said Michelle Pawlaw．
'I think I can help other people if they need help and know what to do in case I am at a fire myself," said Kayla Ehrlich．
"I think it's fantastic; I could consider taking it as a career some day．" said Monica Bartorsh．
And, the girls say, by spending three days together, they also made new friends and had a lot of fun．____might become a firefighter in the future．
| A．Monica | B．Kayla |
| C．Michelle | D．Clare |
What can be inferred from the text?
| A．The camp offers classes on curing the injured |
| B．Teenage girls will become volunteer firefighters |
| C．Women can perform as well as men in firefighting |
| D．Firefighting will soon be a female-dominated service |
What do we know about Clare Burley from the passage?
| A．She has served the department for 7 years |
| B．She doesn't like her career as a firefighter |
| C．She is the designer of the camp program |
| D．She does better in firefighting than men |
The purpose of the text is____．
| A．to attract more campers |
| B．to introduce a new type of camp |
| C．to praise women firefighters |
| D．to gain support from government |
One spring, when I was 10, during one of my father's layoffs, I could tell my mother was dispiriteD．I decided to cheer her up by buying her a special Mother's Day gift．
One day after school I rode my bike to the Agins, which, I learned years later, was known for its high-end fashions and style．I introduced myself to Sylvia Agins, telling her I was looking for a Mather's Day present．
"Do you think she'd like a purse?" she askeD．I told her．I thought she might．
She took out an Italian handbag made of leather． She asked me what I thought, and I told her that my mom would like it．
"How much money do you have?" she asked．
"Twelve bucks," I said．
“You’re in luck,” she told me． "It's only $11． You have a dollar left over for the card．" She gift-wrapped the purse and thanked me for my business, and I rode off home with the package under my arm.
When my mother opened the gift the next Sunday morning, she asked in an accusing tone, “Where did you get this?"
"I bought it at the Agins． It cost me $11．" I said．
My mother was shocked into silence．
It wasn't until many years later, when I learned that the purse was worth several hundred dollars, that I appreciated just how wonderful Sylvia Agins had been to me． I always felt bad that I never had a chance to properly thank her．
"You know, my son, what really amazes me to this day," my mother saiD．"Letting you have the purse for just a few dollars was unbelievable enough． But the fact that she let you leave the store with a dollar for the card was a touch of kindness that I'll never forget． "The author bought his mother a purse to _____．
| A．surprise his mother |
| B．make his mother happy |
| C．show his ability of making money |
| D．thank his mother for buying him a bike |
Why was the author's mother shocked?
| A．She wasn't expecting a gift from her son． |
| B．The purse was bought from the Agins． |
| C．The author bought a card to go with the purse． |
| D．The Agins charged so little money for the purse． |
Sylvia Agins behavior shows that_____．
| A．she is good at making money | B．she is kind and thoughtful |
| C．she knows how to choose presents | D．she is critical and mean |
Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
| A．An Unforgettable Event． | B．A Considerate Mother． |
| C．A Priceless Mother's Day Gift． | D．A Kind-hearted Shop Owner． |