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. | B．Skeptical. |
| C．Disapproving. | D．Sympathetic. |
What makes a person a scientist? Does he have ways or tools of learning that are different from those of others? The answer is “no”. It isn’t the tools a scientist uses but how he uses these tools which make him a scientist. You will probably agree that knowing how to use a power is important to a carpenter. You will probably agree, too, that knowing how to investigation, how to discover information, is important to everyone. The scientist, however, goes one step further; he must be sure that he has a reasonable answer to his questions and that his answer he gets to many questions is into a large set of ideas about how the world works.
The scientist’s knowledge must be exact. There’s no room for half right or right just half the time. He must be as nearly right as the conditions permit. What works under one set of conditions at one tim
e must work under the same conditions at other times. If the conditions are different, any changes the scientist observes in a demonstration(实证) must be explained by the changes in the conditions. This is one reason why investigations are important in science. Albert Einstein, who developed the Theory of Relativity, arrived at the theory through mathematics. The accuracy(正确性) of his mathematics was later tested through investigation. Einstein’s
ideas were proved to be correct. A scientist uses
many to
ols for measurements. Then the measurements are used to make mathematical calculations(计算) that may test his investigations What makes a scientist according to the passage?
| A．The tools he uses. | B．His ways of learning |
| C．The way he uses his tools | D．The various tools he uses |
“…knowing how to investigation, how to discover information, is important to everyone.”
The writer says this to show ___________.
| A．the importance of information |
| B．the difference between scientists and ordinary people. |
| C．the importance of thinking |
| D．the difference between carpenters and ordinary people |
A sound scientific theory should be one that _________.
| A．works under one set of conditions at one time and also works under the same conditions at other times |
| B．doesn’t allow any change even under different conditions |
| C．Can be used many times under different conditions |
| D．Can be used for many purposes |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Scientists are different from ordinary people. |
| B．The Theory of Relativity. |
| C．Exactness is the core (核心) of science. |
| D．Exactness and way of using tools are the keys to making of a scientist. |
The disaster at the Chernobyl(former USSR前苏联) power station happened quickly and without warning. It was in the early hours of April 26, 1986 when the cooling system of the reactor(反应堆) failed. Minutes later, a violent (猛烈地) explosion blew the top off the reactor and blasted(爆炸生成) a huge cloud of radioactive gas high into atmosphere. Two people were killed imm
ediately. Hundreds received powerful radiation overdose (过量). And more than 25,000 had to b
e taken away from their homes.
Days later, the radioactive cloud had spread as far as Scotland. Its radiation was weak, but all over Europe radioactive rain was falling. In some areas people were advised not to eat fresh vegetables, or drink fresh milk, and the sale of meat was forbidden.
The accident at Chernobyl was the world’s worst nuclear accident. In Britain, it convinced (使……相信) many people that all nuclear power stations should be shut down for good. But the Central Electricity Generating Board didn’t agree. They claimed that ·similar disasters could not happen in Britain because of safer designs, fewer deaths are caused using nuclear fuel (燃料) than by mining for coal or drilling for oil and gas. Nuclear accidents are unusually fewer compared with other types of accidents-such as air crashes, fires or dam break-down more nuclear power stations are necessary because the world’s
supplies of oil, coal and natural gas are running out.
In 1957 in Cumbria (Britain) a nuclear reactor overheated and caught fire. No one was killed but fourteen workers received radiation overdose. Small amounts of gas and dust were let out over the local countryside.
An official report said the accident was nearly a full-scale disaster. The Nuclear Authority wanted the report published but the Prime Minister at the time refused. He thought that it would make people less confident in Britain’s nuclear industry. Thirty years later, the cabinet(内阁) records of 1957 were published. Only then did the public discover what had really happened in Cumbria.. One result of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster was that ______.
| A．25,000 people were killed |
| B．fresh foods were polluted |
| C．people in Scotland were taken away from their homes |
| D．hundreds of houses in Chernobyl were destroyed |
.According to the passage, nuclear accidents______.
| A．are most unlikely to cause death | B．are always kept secret from the public |
| C．can only happen in underdeveloped countries | D．may happen in any country that has nuclear power station. |
. After the nuclear accident at Chernobyl many people in Britain _______.
| A．still believed it could not happen in their country. |
| B．were not convinced that nuclear power stations could be safe |
| C．accepted that there would be fewer deaths than in drilling for oil |
| D．supported nuclear power stations because world fuel supplies were low |
.. The British Government refused to publish the report on the Cumbria accident because _______.
| A．Britain’s supplies of oil, coal and gas were running out |
| B．it takes thirty years for the effects of radiation to appear |
| C．fewer people died in that accident than in other types of accidents |
D．it was conce rned that the British people would doubt their country’s nuclear expertise (核技术) |
A Battery’s Worst Nightmare(噩梦)
Portable electronics that can be carried about easily are only as good as their batteries and, let’s face it, batteries aren’t very good, especially when compared with, say, petrol, which packs 100 times a battery’s energy into an equal space. That’s why a large group of mechanical engineers (centered at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, but with partners at other universities and companies) are hard at work in an effort to replace batteries with a tiny engine that runs on fuel. Imagine a battery-free life!When the fuel runs out in your laptop or mobile phone, you just fill
up and go.
The engine, about the size of a ten-cent coin, starts with a combustion chamber (燃烧室) that burns hydrogen (氢). Its tiny parts are etched onto silicon wafers (硅片) in the same manner that computer parts are imprinted onto integrated circuits (集成电路). The first engine is made up of five wafers. And since these wafers could be produced in much the same way as computer chips, they could probably be produced quite cheaply.
But the devil in all this nice detail is efficiency(效率). Tiny engine parts don’t always behave like their scaled-up parts of the first engine. Something between the parts can slow down th
e work, according to Columbia University professor Luc Frechette, one of the engine’s designers. Extreme heat from the combustion chamber is also a problem, often leaking to other parts of the engine.
The scientists’ goal is to create an engine that
will operate 10 times better than batteries do. Frechette says that a complete system, with all parts in place and working, will be set up in the next couple of years, but commercial models aren’t available until at least the end of the next ten years..
. According to the passage, the title suggests that ________.
| A．batteries should be greatly improved | B．petrol will be used instead of batteries |
| C．the time of batteries will be gone forever | D．pollution caused by batteries must be prevented |
.
What’s the meaning of the underlined word “devil” (In Paragraph 3)?
| A．Problem. | B．Advantage. | C．Invention. | D．Technique. |
.
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．The new invention doesn’t need any fuel. |
| B．The new engine has been produced in quantity. |
| C．The new invention is much cheaper than the battery. |
| D．The new engine needs to be improved before it’s on sale. |
.
. What is the main purpose of this passage?
| A．To introduce a new invention to readers. | B．To persuade readers not to use batteries. |
| C．To show us how the new invention works. | D．To declare when the engine will be on sale. |
Of all the areas of learning the most important is the development of attitudes. Emotional reactions as well as logical thought processes affect the behavior of most people. “The burnt child fears the fire” is one example. Another is the rise of despots(独裁者) like Hitler. Both these examples also point out the fact that attitudes come from experiences. In the one case the experience was direct and impressive; in the other it was indirect and cumulative(累积的). The Nazis got certain ideas largely by the speeches they heard and the books they read.
The classroom teacher in the elementary school is in a key position to influence(影响) attitudes. This is true partly because children obtain attitudes from those adults who they respect.
Another reason is that pupils are often curious about a subject in school that has only been touched upon at home or has possibly never occurred to them before. To a child who has previously got little knowledge of Mexico, his teacher’s method of dealing with such a unit will greatly affect his attitude toward Mexicans.
However, when children go to school with undesirable attitudes, it is unwise for the teacher to change their feelings by praising or scolding them. She can achieve the proper effect by helping them obtain good experiences.
For example, first-grade pupils afraid of policemen will probably change their attitudes after a classroom 
chat with the neighborhood officer in which he explains how he protects them. In the same way a class of older children can develop attitudes through discussio
n, research outside reading and all-day trips.
Finally a teacher must not constantly show her own attitudes because her influence can be no good if she has personal prejudices(偏见). This is especially true in respect to controversial(引起争议的) questions on which children should be encouraged to reach their own decision as a result of objective analysis(分析) of all the facts.. The passage mainly tells us _____.
| A．attitudes affect our actions |
B．teachers play an important role in develop ing children’s attitudes |
| C．attitudes can be changed by some classroom experiences |
| D．teachers gradually affect pupils’ attitudes by their attitudes |
. In the first paragraph the writer gives us two examples to _____.
| A．show that attitudes come from experiences | B．compare with each other |
| C．show all experiences are direct and impressive | D．tell experiences from attitudes |
.When children in school have unpleasant attitudes, teachers should _____.
| A．change their feelings by scolding them | B．think highly of their good attitudes |
| C．help them by giving them good experiences | D．take no notice of their feelings |
.The passage specially states in the last paragraph that _____.
| A．direct experiences are more valuable than indirect ones |
| B．what a child learns in school has already been introduced at home |
| C．teachers can sometimes have a bad influence on children |
| D．teachers should always cover up their own attitudes |
Most of us use the telephone several times a day to talk with friends or make social arrangements(安排). These calls are usually quite easy and require little planning.
Using the telephone for business purpose is different. In any organization the person on the telephone represents the company and gives an impression of the firm to the outside world.
If you want to ensure good public relations, you need to master effective telephone techniques.
You should try to give an impression of an efficient, friendly, progressive company eager to give good service.
Before calling
Choose the right time. Consider the cost, urgency and convenience. When calling overseas, you need to consider the time difference.
Check the number. A great deal of money is wasted each year on dialing wrong numbers.
Plan your call. Make a list of points and questions to be raised.
Be prepared. Gather any files, papers or information that may be needed during the call. It is unprofessional to have to say “Hold on while I look for that.”
If y
ou have to ask a caller to hold on, keep going back and assuring him/her that you will be as quick as possible.
Avoid interruptions. Call at a time when you are unlikely to be distracted(分心).
During the call
Be courteous, polite. Make time for suitable greetings like “How are you today, Jim?” and “Did you enjoy your holiday”?
Put a smile in your voice. Remember, your caller can not see you, so use intonation to good effect and try to sound confident, decisive, helpful, and interested.
Check your notes. Look back at your notes to ensure that you have covered everything and quote figures and other data correctly.
Get feedback. Make sure the caller understands the message correctly, especially deadlines and actions that are involved.
Be courteous. Finish by thanking the caller for his or her time and trouble.
After the call
Make notes. Let it become a habit to make notes of the call and place them in an appropriate file.
Take actions. If you need to send a letter of confirmation or inform someone in your organization about any details of the call, do it immediately so that you do not forget important points. Before calling, you have to _____.
| A．stay at your company only | B．learn important data and figures by heart |
| C．get things ready for the communication | D．choose the right time and place |
During the call, it is unsuitable to _____.
| A．be decisive | B．be heard in low spirits | C．check your notes | D．get feedback |
What does the underlined word “courteous” in the passage mean?
| A．Polite. | B．Active. | C．Effective. | D．Correct. |