Somesaycollegeiswastedontheyou-优题课

For millions of Chinese Internet users, the penguin is more than a flightless bird from the Antarctic. To them it is the symbol of QQ, the instant-messaging service marking its 10th anniversary.
QQ’s creator, Ma Huateng, 38, is a lover of stargazing, and describes himself as a combination of idealist and realist. “ I’m introverted. My friends believed I was too shy to find a girlfriend,” Ma said. He found a girlfriend, now his wife, through chatting online on QQ. Born in Hainan province, Ma loved watching stars and dreamed of becoming an astronomer. He moved to Shenzhen, along with his parents, in southern Guangdong province when he was in his teens. Ma was impressed by the slogan “ Time is money, efficiency is life” found all over the city. It was the most famous slogan born in Shenzhen, representing China’s reform and opening. The pioneering city provided chances for Ma to watch burgeoning reforms. He saw people carry big bags of cash to buy stocks after China launched a capital market in Shenzhen and Shanghai in the late 1980s. When he graduated from Shenzhen University in 1993, Ma designed a stock exchange software system and sold it for 50,000 yuan ($ 7,3000). He then worked as an IT engineer for five years.
It was in 1998 that Ma realized Internet would transform China and the world, and launched his own company, Shenzhen Tencent Inc. A unit of Tencent, Tencent Holdings Ltd, went public on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2004. “ China’s reform and opening provided me with a chance to grow the company,” Ma said. The country had only 3 million Internet users when QQ made its debut in 1999, but now China has around 300 million Internet users, Ma said. Hu Qiheng, chairwomen of the Internet Society of China(ISC), said reform and opening not only improved people’s living standards, but also gave them a chance to explore the outside world and a chance for the Internet to boom in the country.
It was in the late 1990s that China’s major Web portals mushroomed, including Sina, Sohu, 163, Tencent and Alibaba. That boom came to sa sudden halt when the internet bubble burst in 2000. “We were under great pressure when the Internet bubble burst. Things have only recovered since 2005,” Ma said. The IT sector was among the first batch of industries in China to experience zero-tariff treatment, meaning that the nation’s Internet sector had to face challenges from international peers.
QQ, with around 450 million users, provides services such as chatting, music, games and QQ currency-an indispensable currency in china’s virtual community. “ Chinese websites have survived the competition with foreign peers over the past ten years, but it will be the next ten years that decide Chinese Internet enterprises’ fate,” Ma said. Domestic enterprises have to compete with international companies on services, innovation and core technology, he said. One of Ma’s favorite films is March of the Penguins-a French documentary directed by Luc Jacquet. He said: “Penguin is a lovely animal to me. It is a combination of love, courage and adventurism.”
1.Which of the following is true about the founder of QQ?
A．Creating an IT company of his own had always been his dream since childhood.
B．He constantly moved from place to place when he was in his teens.
C．The instant-messaging service he created brought him not only money but also a family.
D．He worked for the Shenzhen Stock Exchange after graduation.
2.China’s reform and opening led to the following results EXCEPT_________.
A．a rise in the living standards of Chinese people
B．an opportunity for IT companies to grow
C．potential industrial competition from other countries
D．a chance for people to invest in overseas stock market
3.Which of the following events did actually take place?
A．QQ suffered from a sudden decrease in the number of users when the Internet bubble burst in 2000.
B．QQ heped China’s Internet take flight.
C．QQ was equipped with the most advanced technology in the world when it made its debut in 1999.
D．QQ went public on the main board of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in the late 1980s.
4.What can be inferred from the passage?
A．Sina and Sohu will develop services like chatting, music and games in order to survive the future international competition.
B．For the sake of domestic enterprises, the tariff needs to be adjusted to a higher value.
C．Ma Huateng views penguin as a lovely animal because it processes the characteristics that he does not.
D．The 50,000 yuan Ma earned from selling the stock exchange software system might be a part of his initial investment in Tencent.

Increasing affluence（富裕）and currency appreciation are behind the spike in Chinese students traveling abroad for their undergraduate studies, industry insiders said.
The Ministry of Education last month reported that a record 840,000 high school graduates did not register for the gaokao (university entrance exam) this year. Those numbers are fueling speculation that this was due to the increasing number of Chinese students wanting to study abroad.
The total number of students traveling abroad to study increased from 144,000 in 2007 to 170,000 last year. This figure will probably top 200,000 this year, said Feng Jishang, marketing manager of Wiseway, a consulting firm that advises students and their parents about overseas schools.
Years ago, most Chinese students who went abroad would first complete their undergraduate studies in China before applying to an overseas graduate school. But this traned is changing. According to industry estimates, the proportion of students seeking their first degree abroad has risen to 30 to 50 percent of all overseas-bound students. That means there could be as many as 60,000 to 100,000 such students this year—— triple the number in 2003.
Foreign college campuses are beginning to notice the trend. A source tat the University of San Francisco told China Business Weekly that the campus used to accept three or four Chinese undergraduate students every year. Today, the number has hit 80, the university source said.
Rapid economic growth, coupled with a currency that has risen by more than 20 percent against the US dollar over the last four years, is making an overseas education more affordable for Chinese students. That’s making US campuses such as the University of San Francisco, or USF, more of a bargain. “ Students used to tell me that they did not have the money to go to USF, and they needed full scholarships. That is not the case now,” said Stanley Nel, vice-president of international relations at the San Francisco campus.
Another reason is that there simply aren’t enough places in Chinese colleges, especially the higher-rated ones, to satisfy the demand for a university education. “ Four in ten students taking the gaokao won’t get university places. Furthermore, of those that do many don’t get into the schools of their choice. That is why more are going abroad,” Feng of Wiseway said.
A widespread perception among students is that going overseas for college improves their career prospects, sources said. “ For Chinese students, capability is not a problem, but they need work experience and communication skills,” said Alan McNeilly, assistant dean at Teeside University in the United Kingdom. “ If they get a degree overseas, they can expect higher salaries and better positions when they return,” McNeilly said. His university will set up an office in China next month to attract more students, Mc Neilly added.
1.More and more Chinese students have recently traveled abroad for studines because______.
A．they don’t want to take part in the gaokao
B．most Chinese students want to study abroad
C．many Chinese people become richer and US dollar has been devalued
D．it is easy to complete their undergraduate studies
2.Which of the following statistics-related statements is NOT true?
A．The number of students seeking their first degree abroad is around 20,000 to 33,000 in 2003.
B．The increment of the total number of students traveling abroad to study is probably bigger from 2008 to 2009 than that from 2007to 2008.
C．The number of Chinese undergraduate students accepted at USF is about 20 to 26 times of that in the past.
D．200,000 out of the 840,000 high school graduates who did not take the gaokao this year started their undergraduate study abroad.
3.Students interested in studying abroad take the following factors into account EXCEPT_____.
A．financial affordability
B．work opportunities after graduation
C．accommodation standard
D．the chance of getting into a more desirable university
4.What can be inferred from this passage?
A．If the Chinese RMB decreases 20 percent against the US dollar, the number of Chinese students traveling abroad to study will decrease 20 percent.
B．If more universities are established in China, fewer students will choose to study abroad.
C．Teeside University will set up an office in China to attract those students who have been admitted to USF but have not been offered full scholarships.
D．Without a degree overseas higher salaries and better positions are not impossible if you are experienced and have outstanding communication skills.

With the Tesla Roadster and other plug-in（插入式）electric vehicles hitting the road, demand is growing for accessible refueling points to recharge them. Carbon Day Automotive, a Chicago-based company, has now demonstrated a solar-powered recharging point, known as the Solar plug-In Station, which lest motorists easily charge their cars using electricity that has been produced without any environmental damage.
The Solar Plug-In Station has gone on show in Chicago as part of the city’s bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games. According to Carbon Day Automotive, the Solar Plug-In Station on show in Chicago is part of the vital infrastructure （基础设施）required for electric vehicles in Chicago and was the focus of a recent visit by the International Olympic Committee.
These solar-powered electricity points will be used daily to fuel the city’s electric vehicles with power from the sun. by producing the electricity from pollution-free solar cell, the CO2 emissions are reduced to zero.
“Solar energy and electric vehicles are a partnership that is one more step to reducing our dependence on foreign oil,” says Richard Lowenthal, CEO of Coulomb Technologies. Coulomb Technologies recently developed the components （部件）required for individual recharging stations, marketed as ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations. Carbon Day Automotive is the Midwest distributor for the ChargePoint stations.
The Solar Plug-In Station consists of giant solar panels（电池板）that shade the tiny ChargePoint Networked Charging Station. The solar panel is conneceted to an underground battery pack, ready for everyday refueling.
“Without these stations it would be like driving around in traditional car without the availability of gas stations,” says Scott Emalfarb, CEO at Carbon Day. “The day of true plug-in electric vehicles will be here sooner than most people realize and the world needs to be ready to accommodate them.”
1.The Solar Plug-In Station is used as part of the bid to host the Olympics mainly because____.
A．it’s environmentally friendly
B．it makes up for the lack of electricity
C．it’s a new idea and attracts people’s attention.
D．it brings convenience to electric vehicle users
2.We can learn from the passage that_______.
A．to recharge the electric vehicles takes a long time
B．the Solar Plug-In Station will come into use in 2010
C．the Solar Pug-In Station has gone on show internationally
D．Chicago is promoting the use of electric vehicles
3.According to the passage, how many of the following statements are TRUE?
a．Tesla Roadster is a kind of plug-in electric vehicle.
b．The Solar Plug-In Station uses solar power to charge all of the cars.
c．Chicago is a city which is rich in oil.
d．The Solar Plug-In Station consists of underground battery packs.
e．Scott Emalfarb is optimistic about the future of plug-in electric vehicles.
A．3. B．2. C．4. D．5.
4.The passage implies that when the Solar Plug-In Station becomes popular,_______.
A．more visitors will come to Chicago
B．more space for electric vehicles will be needed
C．the citizens of Chicago will be able to go to work faster
D．the cost of electric vehicles will be lower than that of traditional cars
5.What would be the best title for the passage?
A．Chicago will soon be full of electric vehicles.
B．Chicago calls on people to buy electric vehicles.
C．Chicago fights for its bid to host the 2016 Olympics.
D．Chicago shoes its solar-powered recharging stations.

You often hear people refer to Africa as a country, not a continent. It is often a region that is described as being unified around poverty, disease and despair. Africa is far from being a homogenized continent. It has more than 50 countries, each with unique culture, landscape and tradition.
Africa’s diversity is apparent to anyone who travels to the continent. In the north, you have countries like Morocco, Algeria and Egypt, which have a long tradition of welcoming visitors. Further south there is Kenya and Tanzania, both renowned for their wildlife and for Africa’s tallest peak, Mt. Kilimanjaro. On the southern tip of the continent is South Africa, the region’s economic and political superpower which in itself lies many fascinating cultures. There are also the trouble spots like Congo and Sudan which are almost all but avoided by travelers.
Travel in Africa can be rough. It can also be a great joy. If you have patience, a willingness to maintain an open mind, a desire to explore and the ability to laugh at the strange, your African travels will change your life.
There are many entry points to Africa. Your best bet in terms of cheap airfare is to fly into one of the bigger cities like Johannesburg or Nairobi. Depending on where you are starting from flights to Africa can be either quite cheap or outrageously expensive. As is true nearly everywhere, flying into the biggest cities is usually your best bet for a cheap ticket.
Many people who travel to Africa prefer to do so in a group or through an organized adventure trip. This is especially the case with safari trips. BootsnAll has some of the best African adventure trips and safaris in the world. We work closely with local tour providers to offer you many options at very affordable rates.
If you are looking for a place to stay in, check out the hotels in Africa or the hostels in Africa for those on a tighter budget.
Still want more? You can learn from those who have been to Africa by sharingideas and thoughts on our Africa community message board.
1.From the first paragraph, we know when mentioning Africa, people often_______.
A．regard it as a continent, nota country
B．connect it with poverty, disease and despair
C．consider it a nice place to travel in
D．admit there are more than 50 countries.
2.Africa’s tallest peak, Mt. Kilimanjaro is________.
A．in the north B．in the south C．in the middle D．off the sea shore
3.What can we infer from the underlined part in Para.2?
A．Travelers seldom go to visit Congo or Sudan.
B．People in Congo and Sudan are trouble-makers.
C．Congo and Sudan are as powerful as South Africa.
D．There are few sightseeing spots in Congo or Sudan.
4.Your African travels will be a great joy, if you have_________.
①patience②a willingness to maintain an open mind
③a desire to explore④the ability to laugh at the strange
A．①②③ B．①③④ C．②③④ D．①②③④
5.What’s the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
A．Introducing some information of Africa.
B．Encouraging people to travel in Africa.
C．Reminding travelers of the danger in Africa.
D．Telling people the cheap air fare to Africa.

第三部分阅读理解（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。
If you’ve ever seen a James Bond movie you’ll know that the hero gets around in a smart Aston Martin car. Even if you know full well that you could never afford such an expensive vehicle, you don’t forget the name, or the car.
Why? You have been subjected to product placement.
Companies pay a film to place their products in the movie. Product placement took off in the West in the 1980s and is now catching on in China. Two Hunan Satellite TV dramas arerecent examples：Ugly Wudi and Let’s Go Watch the Meteror Shower（《一起去看流星雨》）.
Shampoo, mobile phones, cars and fitness centers-anything can be product-placed. Advertisers value the mass appeal of the movies, knowing that a successful film can showcase their goods to hundreds of thousands of viewers. But when product placement takes over, artistic considerations can take a back seat.
Cai Zhiyong has been product-placing for years. The Beijing-based advertiser admits there is a conflict between art and business. He explains the way one ad works. In If You are the One（《非诚勿扰》）,the actress Shu Qi plays a flight attendant. The movie contains product placement for airline companies.
Cash-strapped filmmakers often have to sacrifice the quality of their work because they need money form advertisers. In the original story for Meteor Shower, the heroine’s mother owned an ice cream shop. But no ice cream company wanted to sponsor the film. For this reason, the story was changed. In the film the man drinks20 cups of milk tea where it was originally intended that he would eat ice cream.
Even here tough, you may see the power of business over the movies, since the script was perhaps written so a product could be placed-whether it was ice cream or milk tea.
1.James Bond movies are mentioned in the first paragraph to show_________.
A．how popular James Bond is B．how great the Aston Martin car is
C．how to make a movie more artistic D．how effectively product placement works
2.Product placement can have a bad effect on the_________ of a movie.
A．atmosphere B．mass appeal C．commercial success D．artistic value
3.What does the underlined word “cash-strapped” in Paragraph 6 probably mean?
A．Short of money. B．Self-financed
C．With abundant cash. D．Intending to earn money
4.We can learn from the adaptation of Meteor Shower that__________.
A．business has a big say in the movie
B．the original story was not suitable for a movie
C．filmmakers are more concerned about making money.
D．milk tea companies are more successful than ice cream companies.