Recently the barbican museum in London held an exhibition called the rain room. During the time this exhibition was open, my twitter stream was filled with photos of people standing in the rain room, accompanied by the caption “rain room@ the barbican!” and a location attachment to prove that they were indeed in the rain room.
This got me thinking. What were people actually saying by Tweeting about their visit? I think all they were doing was fulfilling the obligation that we have to share. Not sharing in the sense of treasuring a moment with people close to us, but sharing in the sense of “tell the world that I am doing a thing”.
It’s not sharing; it’s showing off. When we log in to Facebook or Twitter we see an infinitely updating stream of people enjoying themselves. It’s not real life, because people only post about the good things whereas all the dull or deep stuff doesn’t get mentioned. But despite this obvious fact, it subconsciously makes us feel like everyone is having a better time than us.
This is the curse of our age. We walk around with the tools to capture extensive data about our surroundings and transmit them in real-time to every friend we’ve made. We end up with a reduced understanding of reality because we’re more concerned about choosing a good Instagram filter(过滤器) for our meal than how it tastes.
I don’t think that it’s inherently wrong to want to keep the world updated about that you’re doing. But when you go through life robotically posting about everything you do, you’re not a human being. You’re just a prism that takes bits of light and sound and channels them into the cloud.
The key thing to remember is that you are not enriching your experiences by sharing them online; you are detracting from them because all your efforts are focused on making the look attractive to other people. Once you stop seeing things through the eyes of the people following you on Twitter or Facebook or Instagram, you can make your experiences significant, because you were there and you saw the sights and smelled the smells and heard the sounds, not snapped a photo of it through a half-inch camera lens.What do we learn from the first two paragraphs?
| A．Rain Room exhibition received a large audience in London. |
| B．Most of people feel obligated to share their experience with friends. |
| C．Many people want to inform others of their experience by Tweeting. |
| D．All people having gone to the Rain Room took pictures. |
It seems to the author that ___________.
| A．Facebook or Twitter is a good place where we share personal experience |
| B．people seldom show depressing stuff on the social networking websites |
| C．most of people tend to show off that they are having a better time than others |
| D．sharing experience on the social networking websites is not real life |
By talking of “a good Instagram filter for our meal” (Line 3-4, Para.4), the author wants to show _____________.
| A．we are surrounded by various tools to capture our daily data |
| B．we are more concerned about how our life seems to be to others |
| C．we transmit our experience immediately to everybody we know |
| D．we gain more extensive perception of reality with digital tools |
What suggestion does the author give in the last paragraph?
| A．Enrich your experiences by sharing them online. |
| B．Make efforts to make your life attractive to others. |
| C．Stop showing your personal experience. |
| D．Record the details of what you see, smell and hear. |
Too cold for recess? School policies vary as much as temps
When is it too cold for schoolchildren to go outsi
de for recess（课间休息）? The answer varies widely based on where a school is located and what the kids are used to.
Consider: One northern Minnesota school says it has to be 15 below zero before kids are kept inside. But in areas along the East Coast, temperatures below 35 to 40 degrees could keep kids inside. Canceling recess because of the cold is no small issue considering that much of the USA is trembling through what may be its coldest winter in a generation, according to AccuWeather.
There is no national temperature standard for when to keep kids inside during the winter months, the U.S. Department of Education says. Decisions are made at the local level, either by principals or school districts.
Consequently, policies are all over the map:
• In International Falls, Minn., the self-described "Icebox of the Nation," where the average high temperature in January is 13 degrees, Falls Elementary School Principal Jerry Hilfer says, "if it's 15 below (or warmer), they go out, no matter what." "At 20 below, it gets iffy," he adds.
• In Wicomico County, Md., principals typically keep children indoors when temperatures drop below freezing, or if it's raining or snowing, says Susan Jones, the school system's director of elementary education.
"That's the bottom line," says Curtis Twilley, principal of Pemberton Elementary School in Salisbury, Md. Twilley says students get little exercise when recess stays indoors. At Pemberton Elementary, the students will typically play board games or computer games in a classroom because the school's gym is occupied with other classes, he says.
• For schools in Marquette, Mich., which averages about 12 feet of snow per season, school officials acknowledge students are probably a little more prepared than those in some more mild climates.Which of the following is not true according to the passage_________.
| A．No national temperature standard is made for when to keep kids inside during the winter months |
| B．Susan Jones insists students get little exercise when recess stays indoors. |
| C．In Wicomico County, children are kept indoors when temperatures dip below freezing. |
| D．Mich has about 12 feet of snow per season on average. |
Which place calls itself Box of Ice?
| A．Wicomico County | B．Marquette | C．Salisbury | D．Minn |
Considering_______, canceling recess In USA because of the cold is a big issue.
| A．different schools have different principles. | B．much of the USA has very cold winter. |
| C．physical activity can boost student performance. | D．decisions are made at the local level, |
The underlined word iffy means _______.
| A．uncertain | B．surprising | C． serious | D．worse |
What will be talked about next?
| A．More school policies | B．The reasons why school policies vary. |
| C．Measures to improve the situation. | D．Necessities to improve the situation. |
One day in my class，Maria shared her feelings about money，“Money worries me.I think I want to live without money because I hate it.I HATE MONEY.”We were all touched by Maria's words as they reminded us of the spiritual burdens that money managing can bring to us.After class I offered to help Maria deal with her financial problems.She hesitated to accept my offer，and I could see from the expression on her face that she was afraid of what it might involve.I quickly promised her that I wouldn't make her do more than she was able to.I told her frankly that I didn't enjoy managing my money any more than she did hers and wouldn't burden her with guilt，judgments，or impossible tasks.All I would ask her to do was to let me help her look at her fears and try to make some sense of them.
Maria still resisted my offer，and I can remember the excuses she gave me as they were the repeated complaints I had heard from so many people.“I'll never understand money，”she said.“My facts are meaningless.”“I don't deserve to have money.”“I never have enough.”“I have too little to manage.”“My financial position isn't worth looking at.”and the most devastating one of all，“I just can't do it.”
Going home that day，I couldn't get Maria out of my mind：her attitude conveyed the same negativity and fear that I believed annoyed many people.I was sure it was this attitude that prevented people from managing their money effectively.My counseling(咨询)has taught me that these anxieties are inseparably connected to our selfdoubts and fear for survival.Many of us are terrified of handling our money because we don't believe we can do it well，and to do it wrong would put our very existence at risk.
On a deeper level we know that money is not the source of life，but sense of worth drives us to act as if it were.It locks us up in selfdoubts and prevents us from tapping into the true source of our management power，our spirit.The underlined word“devastating”in Paragraph 2 probably means ________.
| A．convincing | B．interesting | C．shocking | D．valuable |
Maria's words moved the author and others because they were ________.
| A．in the same financial trouble | B．in the same financial condition |
| C．of the same family background | D．of the same feeling over the issue |
As for money managing，the author intended to tell Maria how to ________.
| A．overcome her fears | B．make wise decisions |
| C．avoid making mistakes | D．learn the necessary skills |
Maria wouldn't take the author's offer of help for fear of________.
| A．being forced to share her money with others |
| B．having to do something beyond her reach |
| C．being found guilty of making impossible errors |
| D．showing her judgment about money |
According to the author，people's anxieties about managing money result from their understanding of money as the only source of ________.
| A．life | B．values | C．spirit | D．power |
Alex London Research Laboratory (ALRL) is part of Alex Co., Ltd., a major Australian medicine-making company. Opened in 1992, ALRL specialises in the development of new medicines for the treatment of heart diseases．
A position is now open for a Research Operations Manager(ROM) to support our growing research team at the new laboratories in Hatfield，due to open in the autumn of 2010．
Reporting to the Director，you will help set up and run the technical and scientific support services of our new laboratories now under construction．You will be expected to provide expert knowledge about and be in charge of all areas of ALRL’S Health and Safety，and to communicate (沟通)with support employees at ALRL’s laboratories based at University College London．Working closely with scientists and other operations and technical employees，you will manage a small number of research support employees providing services to help with the research activities to be carried out at the new laboratories．
Candidates(申请人) will have experience of both management and research support／technical services．Knowledge of research operations and excellent communication skills are necessary. Education to degree level is also desirable．
If you are interested in this position，please send your CV(简历) to Alex London Research
Laboratory，University College London，Hatfield，London，W1E 6B7 or by email to ALRL@alex.co.uk．For more Information，please visit www.alex.co.uk．What can be learnt about the new laboratories from the text?
| A．They have not yet been set up． |
| B．They are in Hatfield，Australia． |
| C．They belong to University College London． |
| D．They are new workplaces for Australian researchers only． |
What does the fourth paragraph mainly talk about?
| A．The technical skills of a would-be ROM． |
| B．The practical experience of a would-be ROM． |
| C．The personal information of a would-be ROM． |
D．The necessary requirements for a would-be ROM． |
What is the purpose of the text?
| A．To describe the job of a ROM． |
| B．To provide information about ALRL． |
| C．To announce an open position at ALRL． |
| D．To make known the opening of the new laboratories． |
“A very disruptive(扰乱型的) six-year old child kicked my legs and clawed at my hand，”said one teacher. “I broke up a fight and was kicked between my legs，”said another. Many people have heard stories like this. But the situation is more worrying still and it involves parents.
Every child , regardless of the circumstances into which they are born，has the right to achieve their potential，regardless of their parents’ wealth and class. And we recognize that, as a nation，it is a long way to achieve this goal.But rights come with responsibilities and what worries people is that we are in danger of neglecting the latter.
Far too many children are behaving badly at school，even to the point of b
eing violent to staff. This is terrible enough，but it is hard to be surprised since many children are just mirroring the behavior of their parents. Too many are starting school unable to hold a knife and fork, unused to eating at a table，and unable to use the lavatory properly.
We are in danger of becoming a nation of families living separate lives under one roof. The bedroom, once a place to sleep，has become the living space for the young. Spending hours in front of computer screens, on social networking sites or being immersed in computer games, children and young people spend little time with their par
ents. Parents are unable to monitor just what their children are watching.
Schools cannot right the wrongs of society and teachers cannot become substitute parents. Both parties need to work together. Parents must be helped and given confidence to take back control. They are responsible for setting boundaries for their children’s behavior and sticking to those boundaries when the going gets tough. They are responsible for setting a go
od example to their children and for devoting that most precious of resources—time—so that children come to school ready and are willing to learn. In the opinion of the writer, what problem do people ignore?
| A．The school violence. |
| B．The pressure of students’ learning. |
| C．The right to achieve students potential. |
| D．the responsibilities of the students. |
The writer’s attitude to the behaviors of parents may be that of ________.
| A．dissatisfied | B．unconcern | C．understanding | D．tolerance |
The underlined part in Para. 4 may means__________.
| A．parents and children live in their separate rooms |
| B．parents care little about children’s life at home |
| C．children don’t live with their parents in the same room |
| D．at home children live a different life from that of parents |
What might be most suitable title for the passage?
| A．Children’s behavior at school is worrying people |
| B．Parents expect schools to correct their children’s bad habits |
| C．There is no point in parents’ teaching children at home |
| D．Don’t blame teachers when it’s parents who are failing |
Why should I teach my children history? That sounds like a stupid question to even ask. But, as I hear different home schooling teachers discuss history, I get the idea that there may be different reasons for teaching history. Let me briefly explain the three good reasons for studying history and two bad reasons for studying history.
The major reason I see for studying history is that we can learn from the past. I am convinced that the world would be a much better place if more people understood the successes and failures of the past and the things that made these successes and failures. However, as the unfortunately true statement goes “the one thing we seem to learn from history is that we don’t seem to learn from history ”.Perhaps at least in teaching history, to my children I can do a small part in changing this.
A second major reason for studying history is that it is hard to understand the current political climate in the absence of an understanding of its historical context. We can not even understand who we are and where we are without history, much less try to figure out where we are going or how we should get where we want to be.
I teach my children history, for one more reason. I purchased a set of historical audio tapes for our children. My seven-year-old son listened to them over and over. It was my hope that he would become inspired by the accomplishments of people like the Wright brothers to accomplish things by himself. I think that it is good that we celebrate the accomplishments of people like Martin Luther King Jr. In doing so, young people are called on to stand for the principles that he stood for and accomplish what he accomplished. I also think that by studying people like Adolph Hitler, people can learn to stand against the things that he stood for.What message can we get from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2?
A．Many people  aren’t clever enough to learn well from the past. |
| B．Many people fail to make good use of history and make the same mistakes. |
| C．Many people feel it hard to understand history. |
| D．Many people have no interest in studying history. |
In Paragraph 3, the author shows that history is useful because_____.
| A．it makes the current political situation go smoothly |
| B．it helps us realize the importance of historical events |
| C．it helps us understand why things are the way they are |
| D．it helps people accept the present situation where they live |
Some historical figures are mentioned in the last paragraph to show_____.
| A．people can be inspired to do good, while also learning to fight against evil |
| B．people may also learn from bad historical figures |
| C．more celebrations should be held to honor their achievements |
| D．today’s people can also achieve what they achieved |
What would be talked about in the following paragraph?
| A．How to teach history effectively. |
| B．Some negative reasons for studying history. |
| C．How to get more people to study history. |
| D．Some bad historical figures. |