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 |
BRITAIN is a popular tourist place．But tours of the country have advantages and disadvantages.
GOOD NEWS
Free museums．No charge for outstanding collections of art and antiquities（文物）.
Pop music．Britain is the only country to compare with the US on this score.
Black cabs．London taxi drivers know where they are going even if there are never
enough of them at weekends or night.
Choice of food．Visitors can find everything from Ethiopian to Swedish restaurants.
Fashion．Not only do fashion junkies love deeply and respect highly brand names such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen; street styles are justly loved, too.
BAD NEWS
Poor service．“It’s part of the image of the place．People can dine out on the rudeness they have experienced,” says Professor Tony Seaton, of Luton University’s International Tourism Research Center.
Poor public transport．Trains and buses are promised to defeat the keenest tourists, although the overcrowded London tube is inexplicably (难以理解的) popular.
Rain．Still in the number one complaint.
No air-conditioning．So that even splendidly hot summers become as unbearable as the downpours.
Overpriced hotels．The only European country with a higher rate of tax on hotel rooms is Denmark.
Licensing hours．Alcohol (酒) is in short supply after 11 p.m. even in “24-hour cities”.What do tourists complain most?
| A．Poor service． | B．Poor public transport. |
| C．Rain. | D．Overpriced hotels. |
What do we learn about pop music in Britain and the US through this passage?
| A．Pop music in Britain is better than that in the US. |
| B．Pop music in Britain is as good as that in the US. |
| C．Pop music in Britain is worse than that in the US. |
| D．Pop music in Britain is quite different from that in the US. |
When are people not able to get alcohol?
| A．At 12: 00 p.m. | B．At 10: 00 p.m. |
| C．At 11: 00 p.m. | D．At 9: 00 p.m. |
Which of the following is True according to the passage?
| A．You have to pay to visit the museums |
| B．It’s very cheap to travel by taxi there. |
| C．You cannot find Chinese food there |
| D．The public transport is poor there. |
For years I wanted a flower garden．But then we had Matthew．And Marvin．And the twins, Alisa and Alan．And then Helen．Five children．I was too busy raising them to grow a garden．
Money was tight, as well as time．Often when my children were little, one of them would want something that cost too much, and I' d have to say, “Do you see a money tree outside? Money doesn't grow on trees, you now．”
Finally, all five got through high school and college and were off on their own．
One spring morning, on Mother's Day, I was working in my kitchen．Suddenly, I realized that cars were tooting their horns as they drove by．I looked out the window and there was a new tree, planted right in my yard．I thought it must be a weeping willow, because I saw things blowing around on all its branches．Then I put my glasses on－and I couldn't believe what I saw．
There was a money tree in my yard!
I went outside to look．It was true! There were dollar bills, one hundred of them, taped all over that tree．Think of' all the garden flowers I could buy with one hundred dollars! There was also a note attached: ‘‘IOU eight hours of digging time．Love, Marvin．"
Marvin kept his promise, too．He dug up a nice ten－by－fifteen foot bed for me And my other children bought me tools, ornaments , a trellis（格架）, a sunflower stepping stone and gardening books．
That was three years ago．My garden's now very pretty, just like I wanted．When I go out and tend my flowers, I don't seem to miss my children as much as I once did．I feel like they're right there with me．
I'm still not sure that money grows on trees．But I know love does!Why did the mother say "Money doesn't grow on trees"?.
| A．She wanted them not to spend extra money |
| B．She was too sad to say anything else |
| C．She told them a truth on money |
| D．she just played a joke with them |
What do we know about the mother according to the text?．
| A．She is a bad-tempered woman |
| B．She believes money can grow on a tree now |
| C．She is a writer |
| D．She is hard-working in housekeeping |
What can be inferred from the text?．
| A．The author raised five children |
| B．The money tree was a Mother Day's gift |
| C．It cost Marvin eight hours to dug up the bed |
| D．Children planted a weeping willow in the yard |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text? ___．
| A．My Money Tree | B．The Garden of My Children |
| C．Mother's Love | D．Marvin's Promise |
Many a young person tells me he wants to be a writer. I always encourage such people, but I also explain that there’s a big difference between “being a writer” and writing. In most cases these people are dreaming of wealth and fame, not the long hours alone as a typewriter. “You’ve got to want to write,” I say to them, “not want to be a writer.”
The reality is that writing is a lonely, private and poor-paying affair. For every writer kissed by fortune there are thousands more whose wish is never rewarded. When I left a 20-year career in the U.S, Coast Guard to become a freelance writer(自由撰稿者), I had no hope at all. What I did have was a friend who found me my room in a New York apartment building. It didn’t even matter that it was cold and had no bathroom. I immediately bought a used typewriter and felt like a real writer.
After a year or so, however, I still hadn’t got a break and began to doubt myself. It was so hard to sell a story that barely made enough to eat. But I knew I wanted to write. I had dreamed about it for years. I wasn’t going to be one of those people who die wondering. What if? I would keep putting my dream to the test even though it meant living with uncertainty and fear of failure. This is the shadow land of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there.The writer wrote the passage to ________.
| A．warn young people of the hardships that a successful writer has to experience |
| B．advise young people to give up their ideas of becoming a professional writer |
| C．show young people it’s unrealistic for a writer to dream of wealth and fame |
| D．encourage young people to gain a writing career |
What can be concluded from the passage?
| A．Real writers often find their works interesting and rewarding. |
| B．A writer’s success depends on luck rather than on effort. |
| C．Famous writers usually live in poverty and loneliness. |
| D．The chances for a writer to become successful are small. |
The underlined part “people who die wondering. What if?” refers to “those _______.”
| A．who think too much of the dark side of life |
| B．who regret giving up their careers halfway |
| C．who think a lot without making a decision |
| D．who are full of imaginations even upon death |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．how to be a writer | B．how to earn fame |
| C．how to write well | D．how to keep dreaming |
Bill Gates was born on October 28th, 1955. He and his two sisters grew up in Seattle. Their father, William H. Gates II, was a Seattle lawyer. Mary Gates, their late mother, was a school teacher.
Gates attended public elementary school before moving on to the private Lakeside School in North Seattle. It was at Lakeside that Gates began his career in personal computer soft ware, programming computers at age 13.
In 1973, Gates entered Harvard University as a freshman, where he lived down the hall from Steve Ballmer, who is now Microsoft's president. While at Harvard, Gates developed a version (版本) of the programming language BASIC for the first microcomputer---the MITS Astair. In his junior year, Gates dropped out of Harvard to devote his energies full-time to Microsoft, a company he had started in 1975 with his boyhood friend Paul Allen. Guided by a belief that the personal computer would be a valuable tool on every office desk-top and in every home, they began developing software for personal computers.
Gates' foresight has led to the success of Microsoft and the software industry. He plays an important role in the technical development of new products. Much of his time is devoted to meeting with customers and staying in touch with Microsoft employees around the world through e-mail.
In the dozen years since Microsoft went public, Gates has donated more than $ 800 million to charities, including $ 200 million to the Gates Library Foundation to help libraries in North America make use of new technologies and the Information Age.Where did Bill Gates begin his career in personal computer software?
| A．At public elementary school. | B．At the private Lakeside School. |
| C．At Harvard University. | D．At Microsoft Company. |
Why did he drop out of Harvard?
| A．To change school. | B．To spend all his energies to Microsoft. |
| C．To find a full-time job. | D．To earn money. |
How does Gates spend much of his time?
| A．Meeting with people. |
| B．Travelling around the world. |
| C．E-mailing some friends. |
| D．Meeting with customers and e-mailing Microsoft employees. |
What does the underlined word “donated” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．gave. | B．earned. | C．made. | D．received. |
The eight airlines of the Oneworld alliance (联盟) have joined forces to give world travelers a simple way to plan and book a round-the-world journey. It's called the Oneworld Explorer program.
Oneworld Explorer is the perfect solution for a once-in-a-lifetime holiday or an extended business trip. It's a great way for you to explore the four corners of the earth in the safe hands of the eight Oneworld airlines.
You can have hundreds of destinations to choose from, because the Oneworld network covers the globe、And as you travel around the world, you'll have the support of 260,000 people from all our airlines, who are devoted to the success of our journey, helping you make smooth transfers and offering support all along the way.
The Oneworld goal is to make global travel easier and more rewarding for every one of our travelers、We try our best to make you feel at home, no matter how far from home your journey may take you.
We can offer travelers benefits on a scale beyond the reach of our individual（个人的）networks. You'll find more people and more information to guide you at every stage of your trip, making transfers smoother and global travel less of a challenge.The Oneworld Explorer program is said to be most suitable for those who _____.
| A．have been to the four comers of the earth | B．travel around the world on business |
| C．want to explore the eight airlines | D．need support all along the way |
The advantage of the alliance lies in ________.
| A．its detailed travel information | B．its unique booking system |
| C．its longest business flights | D．its global service network |
We can learn from the last paragraph that Oneworld __________.
| A．offers the lowest prices to its passengers |
| B．keeps passengers better informed of its operations |
| C．offers better services than any of its member airlines alone |
| D．is intended to make round-the-world trips more challenging |
The purpose of the advertisement is to ___________.
| A．promote a special flight program | B．recommend a long business trip |
| C．describe an alliance flight | D．introduce different airlines |