Fix it on your own
Did you know that a bowl of rice could save your iPod if you drop it in a swimming pool by accident? Or that the camera on your phone could tell you what’s wrong with your TV remote control? The experts at Geek Squad （geelsquad．co．uk） have made a gadget （小机件） rescue guide．So, let’s take a look at some of their useful advice．
♦How to get more juice out of your phone batter
If your battery goes dead but you need to get a number or send one last text, try warming it up．That may give you a tiny bit of power．Take the battery from the phone and rub it between your hands．Or warm it under your arm for a few minutes．Then try to start the phone but use it quickly．
♦What to do if your gadget gets wet
First, try drying it out with a vacuum cleaner （真空吸尘器）．If a vacuum cleaner isn’t at hand, fill a pot or bowl with uncooked rice and put your wet gadget inside．The dry, uncooked rice will absorb all the water and, after a few hours, you should be able to use the gadget．Don’t forget to remove the battery and SIM card before you dry it．
♦What to do if your TV remote control stops working
If replacing the batteries doesn’t work, get the camera function up on your phone and point the remote at the lens （镜头）．When you press a button on the remote, if it is working, the glass bobble （小球） at the front of the remote will light up when you look at it on the screen of your phone．This is because the screen on a phone or digital camera picks up infrared rays （红外线）, even though your eyes don’t．If the glass bobble doesn’t light up, the remote is broken．If it does, the receiving device （装置） is broken．If your cell phone falls into a sink, you can _________．
| A．warm it up under your arm |
| B．remove the battery after you dry it |
| C．put it into the uncooked rice |
| D．press it with both of your hands |
Why can a phone be used to prove the TV remote control works well? Because it can _____．
| A．improve the TV remote control | B．receive infrared ray |
| C．picture the TV remote control | D．reflect infrared ray |
In which section of a newspaper can we possibly read this text?
| A．Life | B．Entertainment | C．Finance | D．Culture |
The purpose of this passage is to give people __________．
| A．personal opinions | B．professional guides |
| C．necessary warnings | D．practical tips |
If we bought only things we needed，there would be enough for everybody.What do we need？What you need depends on how old you are and your way of life.Rearrange the list of things you can buy and put the things you think we most need at the top of the list.
Coat
Designer jean
Water
CD player
Dental check up
Restaurant meal
Telephone
Jewelry
Food
Shampoo
MP3 player
Beer
Toothpaste
Bar of chocolate
Cushion cover
If we don’t need to buy so much，we don’t need to work so much.We can take parttime jobs or reduce our working day from eight hours to six hours.Some people are leaving very well paid jobs to live a healthier life in the countryside or a more exciting life abroad.Parents can spend more time with their children and the unemployed are given more opportunities to work.
If we start to respect saving the earth more than spending money，we will become“conservers”(保护者)．When we are conservers，we try to choose environmentally friendly products that last a long time.We may find growing our own vegetables or making our own clothes more rewarding than buying them.
Next time you go shopping，think about what you really need to buy.Don’t deprive (剥夺) yourself of things you like，but decide what you should buy before you go out，so that you won’t be influenced by advertisements or promotions.If it is more expensive to buy goods that don’t have much packaging and things that are more durable (耐用的)，buy less.If you can choose to work less，decide which things you would like to make，do or grow yourself.Even though you have less money，your life will become richer.From the passage，we can see the author suggests us consumers________．
| A．find out more about a product instead of buying blindly |
| B．consider what we really need before going shopping |
| C．avoid regret at not buying enough |
| D．find a real bargain |
The writer will agree with you if you buy products that are________．
| A．beautifully packaged |
| B．extremely cheap |
| C．usable for a long time |
| D．fashionable now |
According to the passage，if we don’t need to buy so much，the benefits will include________．
a．we will have more time enjoying life
b．the employment rate will increase
c．we will get better paid job
d．we as consumers will have more choices of what to buy
| A．a，b，c |
| B．a，b，d |
| C．a，b |
| D．a，d |
This passage is mainly written to________．
| A．persuade people to buy less and buy environmentally friendly product |
| B．put forward some questions so that you can become a smart buyer |
| C．introduce some good ways to make a wiser choice when shopping |
| D．criticize the consumer society in which people buy too much |
Ever wonder why there are so many people polluting the earth？Ever say to yourself：Hey，I wish that I could do more to help the environment？Have you ever thought about trying to help the earth but never really did？Well，here are some pretty easy and skillful ideas for that greenearth desire inside you.
●Turn off your computer.By leaving it on all day you are creating more CO2 than a regular passenger would，driving to and from work in one day.
●Ride your bike or carpool (合用汽车)．Obviously，you are creating less CO2，which will help the ozone (臭氧)．
● Make a garden.Even simply grow some plants in your kitchen，which will help produce more oxygen while eating up some of that evil CO2.
● Buy local groceries.It creates less impact on the environment.Besides，you’re supporting your local farmers.
●Recycle.You had to see this coming.But you have no idea how much you are helping the environment by simply reusing a water bottle instead of buying a huge pack at the store.
● Don’t run the water while brushing.It saves you money and helps the water resources.
● Open the curtains.Natural light is much prettier and it will keep the energy usage down.
● Rechargeable batteries.You have no idea how much it takes to get rid of batteries.Do yourself a favor.Save some money and some energy.The underlined word “impact” in the fourth suggestion means“________”．
| A．disadvantage |
| B．rubbish |
| C．effect |
| D．damage |
If you don’t want to create more CO2，you may________．
| A．turn off your computer or open the curtains |
| B．turn off your computer or ride your bike or carpool |
| C．reuse a water bottle or buy local groceries |
| D．use rechargeable batteries or make a garden |
Which of the following can best describe the function of the first paragraph?
| A．Leadin. |
| B．Argument. |
| C．Main body. |
| D．Conclusion. |
The main idea of the passage is about________．
| A．the importance of environmental protection |
| B．some ways about how to prevent pollution |
| C．some suggestions about how to save energy |
| D．some suggestions about environmental protection |
Every Thursday afternoon, my art history class meets not in our usual lecture hall but in the Yale University Art Gallery(美术馆）.
We spend our one-hour class discussing two or three of the paintings, many of which are by artists that we have already studied in class.
The professor begins by selecting one work of art. After giving us a quick background on the artist, he'll open up for class discussion. Everyone is strongly encouraged to give opinions to the work. Not every piece we study is necessarily famous or striking in appearance and subject matter, yet we always manage to make some interesting observations.
In America, professors always take every opportunity to push textbooks aside and expose students to real world experiences.
With some creativity, almost any subject can be applied to such beyond the classroom learning.
My art history class trips to the gallery are but one example.
Many other subjects also offer opportunities to learn outside the classroom, for example business psychology, art, journalism and biology.
A friend of mine from Yale taking an advanced psychology course spends every Saturday working with mentally disabled children.
Her mornings are spent playing with the kids and studying their sometimes uncontrolled behavior. Then in the afternoon she writes a report on her observations.
Students generally appreciate these unique learning opportunities. They're almost always fun and interesting, and professors like them because students learn so much in just a few short months.
No one denies (否认）the value of classroom learning. But it can only take students so far.
Slides and textbooks may do a good job of carrying facts and dates, but creativity and originality (创造性）of thought cannot be taught. They can only be got through first-hand experience. The writer studies art history __________.
| A．in a lecture hall |
| B．in an art gallery |
| C．in a simple way |
| D．in a practical way |
In American universities it is popular for professors to __________.
| A．create textbooks by themselves |
| B．teach their lectures through real world experiences |
| C．ask their students to memorize the texts |
| D．share their experiences with the students |
“Slides and textbooks” in the last paragraph refer to __________
| A．the books students may use in class |
| B．the practical experience |
| C．the theoretical experience |
| D．the advice from the professors |
The writer holds the opinion that __________.
| A．learning outside the classroom is the best way |
| B．teachers should develop students' creativity |
| C．professors had better shorten their lectures |
| D．students should put their textbooks away |
When I was in primary school, sometimes I would meet a girl of the same age as me. Lisa was never active, but she was always very sweet and nice. In the 5th grade she came to my class.
She was absent a lot, and one day I had the courage to ask why. She told me she was sick, and she explained she wore a wig(假发）because her medicine made her lose her hair. We left it at that. Anytime Lisa came to class—seldom—I would hang with her on the playground.
I received much ridicule(嘲弄）from my friends for this because they thought I was ignoring them for Lisa. My family education taught me to be nice, and I felt Lisa's needs were much more important than others I knew.
It had been months since Lisa was in our class, and one day our teacher was crying. She explained Lisa died the day before and would no longer be our classmate. She told us Lisa had fought a battle(斗争）with cancer for years.
I was shocked. Lisa never spoke of her illness as if it could kill her. Well, all these years I have kept Lisa in my mind and heart. When I go through the important events in my life, I think of Lisa.
I've had a strong wish recently to find her mother and father. I'd like to tell them that though they never met me, their daughter had a sweet effect(影响）on my life. I have no idea what her parents' first names are. I write to your column(栏目 ) and hope you can point me in the right direction.
Lisa was such a lovely girl. Maybe her parents would be comforted by the fact that after all these years they are not the only ones who remember her. The underlined sentence in Para. 2 probably means __________
| A．we kept on talking about her illness later |
| B．we discussed the topic and then left together |
| C．we just stopped talking about her illness |
| D．we went away after talking about her illness |
Why was the author being laughed at?
| A．Because she wore a wig to school. |
| B．Because she always played with Lisa. |
| C．Because she cried in the classroom. |
| D．Because she lost her friends because of Lisa. |
What did the author learn from Lisa?
| A．To keep your illness a secret. |
| B．To be nice to everyone everywhere. |
| C．To face challenges in life bravely. |
| D．To put others' needs above yours. |
The author wrote this passage mainly to __________.
| A．remember a true friend |
| B．ask for help to find a friend's parents |
| C．show her concern for a friend |
| D．tell her experience of fighting cancer |
Walter Wetzel had met Ryan Lamantia nearly eight years ago in a hospital waiting room. Both were very sick—Ryan with brain cancer, Walter with leukemia. Walter, then 9，began making silly faces at the little boy sitting across from him.
Soon after, Ryan, who was 3 at the time, made his way into Walter's room and chatted about going home to change into his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles costume and ride his Big Wheel to his cousin Catlyn's house.
Though they saw each other only a handful of times after that, Walter never forgot Ryan. “He inspired me to survive my cancer，” said Walter, now 17，a football player and snowboarder. “Seeing him happy all the time made me happy. How could I be upset if he had it so much worse than me?”
For the past few years, Walter, who lived with his family in Elgin, wondered what had happened to his little friend. Without so much as a last name, Walter asked the hospital staff to track down a number or address, but privacy laws prohibited the staff from giving out information.
"As I was going to bed one night, it popped in my head：6Google it. Google what you know，"said Walter's mother, Erzsi Gemzsi. She typed in "Ryan Lake in the Hills brain tumor”. Much to her surprise a link to a Facebook page for Ryan came up. Finally, they had found him. But when she clicked her mouse, the news was devastating.
Ryan had died on Sept. 8，2005. He was 6.
When she picked up Walter from school the next day, she broke it to him. “It hit me pretty hard，” Walter said. “ I was crying for a week straight. ”
The Facebook page was for the Ryan Lamantia Foundation, a nonprofit foundation that Ryan's family formed after his death. The organization raises money for pediatric (小儿科的）brain tumor research.
Walter logged on right away and left this message：
"I have wanted nothing more than to talk to (Ryan's) parents and tell them ( their) son is my hero. My trips to（the hospital)were always dreadful, until the day I(met) Ryan. ”
Ryan's mom's eyes filled with tears as she read Walter's post. She said，“It made us so proud. ”What made a deep impression on Walter Wetzel?
| A．Ryan's way to communicate with others. |
| B．Ryan's love for his costume and Big Wheel. |
| C．Ryan's panic when suffering from brain cancer. |
| D．Ryan's happiness though suffering from brain cancer. |
What can be learned from the passage?
| A．Ryan was working for a foundation. |
| B．Walter was recovering from his leukemia. |
| C．Walter and Ryan often wrote to each other after they left the hospital. |
| D．After Ryan left the hospital, he was in good health. |
The underlined word "prohibited" in Paragraph 4 is the closest to "__________" in meaning.
| A．banned |
| B．permitted |
| C．advised |
| D．published |
How did Walter manage to know Ryan's information?
| A．One of his friends came to tell him. |
| B．Ryan's mother telephoned Walter and told him. |
| C．His mother googled Ryan's information and found it. |
| D．The Ryan Lamantia Foundation contacted him and told him. |