People are being lured(引诱) onto Facebook with the promise of a fun, free service, and don’t realize that they’re paying for it by giving up loads of personal information. Facebook then attempts to make money by selling their datato advertisers that want to send targeted messages.
Most Facebook users don’t realize this is happening. Even if they know what the company is up to, they still have no idea what they’re paying for Facebook, because people don’t really know what their personal details are worth.
The biggest problem, however, is that the company keeps changing the rules. Early on, you could keep everything private. That was the great thing about Facebook—you could create your own little private network. Last year, the company changed its privacy rules so that many things—your city, your photo, your friends’ names—were set, by default(默认), to be shared with everyone on the Internet.
According to Facebook’s vice president Elliot Schrage, the company is simply making changes to improve its service, and if people don’t share information, they have a “less satisfying experience.”
Some critics think this is more about Facebook looking to make more money. Its original business model, which involved selling ads and putting them at the side of the page, totally failed. Who wants to look at ads when they’re online connecting with their friends?
The privacy issue has already landed Facebook in hot water in Washington. In April, Senator Charles Schumer called on Facebook to change its privacy policy. He also urged the Commission to set guidelines for social-networking sites. “I think the senators rightly communicated that we had not been clear about what the new products were and how people could choose to use them or not to use them,” Schrage admits.
I suspect that whatever Facebook has done so far to invade(侵犯)our privacy, it’s only the beginning,which is why I’m considering deactivating(撤销)my account. Facebook is a handy site, but I’m upset by the idea that my information is in the hands of people I don’t trust. That is too high a price to pay.What do we learn about Facebook from the first paragraph?
A.It is a website that sends messages to targeted users. |
B.It makes money by putting on advertisements. |
C.It earns money by selling its user’s personal data |
D.It provides a lot of information to its users |
What does the author say about most Facebook users?
A.They don’t know their personal data enriches Facebook |
B.They are unwilling to give up their personal information |
C.They don’t identify themselves when using website |
D.They care very little about their personal information |
Why does Facebook make changes to its rules according to Elliot Schrage?
A.To help its users make more friends |
B.To obey the Federal guidelines |
C.To make money by attracting more users |
D.To offer better service to its users |
What does Senator Charles Schumer argue for?
A.Setting guidelines for advertising on websites |
B.Setting rules for social-networking sites |
C.Stopping sharing user’s personal information |
D.Removing ads from all social-networking sites |
Why does the author plan to stop using his Facebook account?
A.He is dissatisfied with its service. |
B.He finds many of its users untrustworthy. |
C.He doesn’t want his personal data abused. |
D.He is upset by its frequent rule changes. |
Recently a Beijing father sent in a question at an Internet forum (论坛) asking what "PK" meant.
"My family has been watching the 'Super Girl' singing competition TV programme. My little daughter asked me what 'PK' meant, but I had no idea," explained the puzzled father.
To a lot of Chinese young people who have been playing games online, it is impossible not to know this term. In such Internet games, "PK" is short for "Player Kill", in which two players fight until one ends the life of the other.
In the case of the "Super Girl" singing competition, "PK" was used to refer to the stage where two singers have to compete with each other for only one chance to go up in competition ranking.
Like this father, Chinese teachers at high schools have also been finding their students' compositions using Internet jargons which are difficult to understand. A high school teacher from Tianjin asked her students to write compositions with simple language, but they came up with a lot of Internet jargons that she didn't understand.
"My 'GG' came back this summer from college. He told me I've grown up to be a 'PLMM'. I loved to 'FB' with him together; he always took me to the 'KPM'," went one composition.
"GG" means Ge Ge (Chinese pinyin for brother). "PLMM" refers to Piao Liang Mei Mei (beautiful girl). "FB" means Fu Bai (corruption). "KPM" is short for KFC, Pizza Hut and McDonald's.
Some specialists welcome Internetjargons as a new development in language.
If you do not even know what a Kong Long (dinosaur, referring to an ugly looking female) or a Qing Wa (frog, referring to an ugly looking male) is, you will possibly be regarded as a Cai Niao! By writing the article, the writer tries to ________ .
A.explain some Internet language | B.suggest common Internet language |
C.laugh at the Beijing father | D.draw our attention to Internet language |
What does the writer think about the term "PK"?
A.Fathers can't possibly know it. | B.The daughter should understand it. |
C.Online game players may know it. | D."Super Girl" shouldn't have used it. |
The examples of the Beijing father and the Tianjin teacher are used to show that Internet jargons________ .
A.are used not only online | B.can be understood very well |
C.are welcomed by all the people | D.cause trouble to our mother tongue |
What would be the best title for the passage?
A.A puzzled father | B.Do you speak Internet-ish? |
C.Keep away from Internet-ish | D.Kong Long or Qing Wa? |
I travel a lot, and I find out different “styles” of directions every time I ask “How can I get to the post office?”
Foreign tourists are often confused(困惑) in Japan because most streets there don’t have names; in Japan, people use landmarks(地标) in their directions instead of street names. For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit market. The post office is across from the bus stop.”
In the countryside of the American Midwest, there are not usually many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat; in many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distances. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, “Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.”
People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map; they measure distance in time, not miles. “How far away is the post office?” you ask. “Oh,” they answer, “it’s about five minutes from here.” You say, “Yes, but how many miles away is it?” They don’t know.
It’s true that a person doesn’t know the answer to your question sometimes. What happens in such a situation? A New Yorker might say, “Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers “I don’t know.” People in Yucatan believe that “I don’t know” is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A tourist can get very, very lost in Yucatan!When a tourist asks the Japanese the way to a certain place, they usually ______.
A.describe the place carefully | B.show him a map of the place |
C.tell him the names of the streets | D.refer to recognizable buildings and places |
What is the place where people measure distance in time?
A.New York.. | B.Los Angeles. | C.Kansas. | D.Iowa. |
People in Yucatan may give a tourist a wrong answer ______.
A.in order to save time | B.because of honesty |
C.so as to be polite | D.for fun |
What can we infer from the text?
A.It’s important for travelers to understand cultural differences. |
B.It’s useful for travelers to know how to ask the way properly. |
C.People have similar understandings of politeness. |
D.New Yorkers are generally friendly to visitors. |
Of all the animals in the animal kingdom, which one (aside from man) is the cleverest?
There are several ways of measuring the intelligence of animals. In one test a scientist sets three same cans on a table. While the animal watches, he puts food under one of the cans. Then he leads the animal away. Some time later, he brings it back to see if it remembers which can has the food. No smelling is allowed; the animal must go directly to the correct can or it fails.
This is called a delayed- response text. The idea is to find out how long an animal’s memory can keep information. The scientists would try showing the cans to the animal one hour later, or two hours later, or even a full day later. They discovered that chimpanzees and elephants had the best memory, and were able to remember the correct can for at least twenty hours. No other animal is close. Dogs came next, but they only remembered for nine hours.
To settle the matter, the scientists designed a huge maze (迷宫) and ran the chimps and elephants through it. The maze was very difficult, with many blind paths and dead ends. It took the chimps (chimpanzees) ten minutes to find their way out. The elephants needed half an hour. Even allowing for the elephants’ slower rate of speed, the test shows that chimpanzees are the cleverest animals.
From this and other tests, the scientists drew the following conclusion: an animal’s intelligence depends on the size of its brain in proportion (比例) to the size of its body. The elephant’s brain weighs ten pounds. But this is only 1/600th of its 6,000 pounds body. A chimp’s brain weighs about one pound, or 1/120th of its total body weight. So in proportion to its body size, the chimp has four times as much brain as the elephant----more brain for less body. The chimp is the champ!
51. Which is the best title ?
A. The Elephant’s Memory B. The Cleverest Animal
C. Judging Intelligence D. The Chimp’s Brain
52. The main idea of this passage is that ________.
A. there are several ways of measuring the intelligence of animals
B. chimps and elephants have the best memory
C. intelligence tests show that the chimp is the cleverest animal
D. the scientists designed a huge maze and ran the chimps and elephants through it
53. The delayed-response test is designed to test an animal’s________.
A. eyesight B. intelligence C. learning ability D. memory
54. The passage tells that elephants ________.
A. never forget things B. are more clever than chimps
C. are slower-moving than chimps D. have better memories than chimps
55. According to the passage, a rhinoceros (犀牛) that weighs 2100 pounds, and has a 3-pound brain is
________.
A. as clever as a chimp B. more clever than an elephant
C. less clever than an elephant D. as clever as an elephant
In the past, people who graduated from college felt proud of their academic achievement and confident that their degree would help them find a good job.
However, in the past four years the job market has changed dramatically. This year’s college graduates are facing one of the worst job markets in years. For example, Ryan Stewart, a graduate of San Jose University, got a degree in religious studies, but no job prospects. He points out that many people already working are getting laid off and don’t have jobs, so it’s even harder for new college graduates to find jobs.
Four years ago, the future looked bright for the class of 2003. There were many high-tech job opportunities. Graduates received many job offers, and they were able to get jobs with high salaries and benefits such as insurance and paid vacations. However, “Times have changed and it’s a new market,” according to Cheryl Allmen- Vinnidge of the San Jose State Career Center.
Allmen-Vinniage says students who do find jobs started preparing two years ago. They worked during summer vacations, they have had several internships(实习), and they’ve majored in one of the few fields that are still hot, like chemical engineering, accounting, or nursing, where average starting salaries have actually increased over last year. Other popular fields (like information system management, computer science, and political science) have seen big declines in starting salaries.
Ryan Stewart (he had hoped to become a teacher) may just end up going back to school. “I’d like to teach college some day and that requires more schooling, which would be great in bad economy.” he said.
In conclusion, these days, to some students a degree may not be a ticket to instant wealth. For now, they can only hope its value will increase over time.
46. The word in the second paragraph is closest in meaning to ________.
A. skill B. interests C. opportunities D. applications
47. Which of the following majors can get a job easily?
A. teaching B. accounting C. political science D. computer science
48. The underlined sentence in the last paragraph means ________.
A. the best way to get rich is not to get a college degree
B. most students with degrees will not be able to find jobs
C. having a college degree does not qualify one for travel discounts
D. a college degree does not mean that one will find a well-paid job
49. Ryan Stewart will have to ________.
A. change his major B. get a job teaching
C. go back to school D. become a religious leader
50. The main idea of this passage is that ________.
A. a lot of graduates are losing their jobs
B. Ryan Stewart has not been able to find a job
C. salaries in some fields have increased in the past year
D. the job market has changed dramatically over the past 4 years
III. 阅读(共两节,满分35)
第一节阅读理解 (共15小题;每小题2分,满分30分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C、和D四个选项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
When my first wartime Christmas came, I was in basic training in New Jersey and not sure if I could make it home for the holidays. Only on the afternoon of December 23 was the list of men who would have three-day passes (通行证) posted. I was one of the lucky soldiers.
It was Christmas Eve when I arrived, and a light snow had fallen. Mother opened the front door. I could see beyond her, into the corner of the living room where the tree had always stood. There were lights, all colors, and ornaments (装饰物) shining against the green of a pine.
“Where did it come from?” I asked.
“I asked the Gates boy to cut it,” my mother said. “I wouldn’t have had one just for myself, but when you called--- oh, such a rush! He just brought it in this afternoon…”
The pine reached to the proper height, almost to the ceiling, and the Tree Top Krystal Star was in its place. A few green branches reached about a little awkwardly (不够美观地) at the side, I thought, and there was a bit of bare trunk showing in the middle. But the tree filled the room with warm light and the whole house with pleasant smell of Christmas.
“It’s not like the ones you used to find,” my mother went on. “Yours were always in good shape. I suppose the Gates boy didn’t know where to look. But I couldn’t be picky.”
“Don’t worry, ” I told her. “It’s perfect.”
It wasn’t, of course, but at the moment I realized something for the first time: all Christmas trees are perfect.
41. From the passage, we can infer that ________.
A. the writer spent his Christmas during the war
B. soldiers did not all go home for Christmas during the war
C. all the soldiers had three-day passes
D. the writer could not go home for Christmas
42. When the writer got home, ________.
A. it was December 23
B. it was snowing heavily
C. he found a Christmas tree in the living room
D. the Gates boy was cutting a Christmas tree for his mother
43. From the passage, we can conclude that ________.
A. the writer used to cut very beautiful Christmas trees
B. his mother didn’t like perfect trees
C. his mother didn’t want to have a tree
D. the writer wouldn’t have a tree cut by someone else
44. “All Christmas trees are perfect”, because they can remind you of ________.
A. the wartime B. the green of a pine C. the pleasant smell D. the sweet home
45. The best title for this passage would be “________”.
A. How to Choose a Christmas Tree B. How Soldiers Spent Christmas
C. The Perfect Christmas Tree D. The Christmas Without a Tree