How many times a day do you check your email? When you wake up? Before bed? A dozen times in between? The technology that was supposed to simplify our lives has become the vital time-suck: the average teen spends more than seven hours a day using technological devices, plus an additional hour just text-messaging friends.
The advantage of technological devices is connectedness: email lets us respond on the go, and we are in touch with more people during more hours of the day than at any other time in history. But is it possible we’re more lonely than ever, too? That’s what MIT professor Sherry Turkle observes in her new book, Alone Together, a fascinating portrait of our changing relationship with technology. Turkle details the ways technology has redefined our comprehension of closeness and loneliness—and warns us of the danger of accepting such virtual(虚拟的) relationships in place of lasting emotional connections.
For Turkle, the biggest worry is the effect all these shallow connections have on our development. Is technology offering us the lives we want to live? “We’re texting people at a distance,” says Turkle, “We’re using lifeless objects to convince ourselves that even when we’re alone, we feel together. And then when we’re with each other, we put ourselves in situations where we are alone—constantly on our mobile devices. It’s what I call a perfect storm of confusion about what’s important in our human connections.”
What can’t be denied is that technology, whatever its faults, makes life a whole lot easier. It allows us to communicate with more people in less time and makes conversation simple. But it can also be seductive(具有诱惑性的), providing more stimulation than our natural lives. There are usually some unhealthy videos online which remove teenagers’ attention from their schoolwork. Besides, some online activities make people addicted, which occupied their daily life and affected their ability to form real-world relationships.“Technology can be more immediately satisfying than the labor of building an intimate relationship,” said one highschool student, “Every time I text, I start to have some happy feelings.”
But are any of those feelings equal to the kind we feel when engaged in real, face-to-face communication? Online, you can neglect others’ feelings. In a text message, you can avoid eye contact. A number of studies have found that this generation of teens is less sympathetic than ever. That doesn’t spell disaster, says Turkle—but,From the first paragraph we can infer that_________.
A.email checking helps people wake up early |
B.technological device production has been simplified |
C.using technological devices costs teens much time |
D.people communicate mainly by text-messaging now |
Turkle’s new book mainly discussed________.
A.ways to draw a fascinating portrait |
B.how technology influences human relationships |
C.the dangers of accepting emotional connections |
D.the advantages of technology |
What worries Turkle most is that more and more people are_________.
A.starting to accept emotional connections in place of virtual connections |
B.convincing themselves by using fewer lifeless objects in connections |
C.dropping the use of technological devices for connection with each other |
D.being affected by the shallow connections through the mobile devices |
Which of the following is True according to the passage?
A.Others’ feelings can be ignored in online communication. |
B.No stimulation is provided in natural life connections. |
C.People always send text messages to avoid eye contact. |
D.It may be a disaster that teens are less sympathetic than ever. |
What is the main purpose of the passage?
A.To instruct people how to do with emails. |
B.To stress the importance of technology. |
C.To promote a wider use of technological devices. |
D.To lead us to consider what’s important in human connections. |
There were smiling children all the way. Charily they knew at what time the train passed their homes and they made it their business to stand along the railway, wave to complete strangers and cheer them up as they rushed towards Penang. Often whole families stood outside their homes and waved and smiled as if those on the trains were their favorite relatives. This is the simple village people of Maiaysia. I was moved.
I had always traveled to Malaysia by plane or car, so this was the first time I was on a train. I did not particularly relish the long train journey and had brought along a dozen magazines to read and reread. I looked about the train. There was not one familiar face. I sighed and sat down to read my Economics.
It was not long before the train was across the Causeway and in Malaysia. Johore Baru was just another city like Singapore, so I was tired of looking at the crowds of people as they hurried past. As we went beyond the city, I watched the straight rows of rubber trees and miles and miles of green. Then the first village came into sight, Immediately I came alive; I decided to wave back.
From then on my journey became interesting. I threw my magazines into the waste basket and decided to join in Malaysian life. Then everything came alive. The mountains seemed to speak to me. Even the trees were smiling. I stared at everything as if I was looking at it for the first time.
The day passed fast and I even forgot to have my lunch until I felt hungry. I looked at my watch and was surprised that it was 3:00 pm. Soon the train pulled up at Butterworth. I looked at the people all around me. They all looked beautiful. When my uncle arrived with a smile, I threw my arms around him to give him a warm hug (拥抱). I had never done this before. He seemed surprised and then his weather-beaten face warmed up with a huge smile. We walked arm in arm to his car.
I looked forward to the return journey
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The author expected the train trip to be
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2. |
What did the author remember most fondly of her train trip?
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3. |
Which of the following words can best take the place of the word "relish" in the second paragraph?
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4. |
Where was the writer going?
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5. |
What can we learn from the story?
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阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题页上将该项涂黑。
Shakespeare's Birthplace and Exhibition of Shakespeare's World
Welcome to the world-famous house where William Shakespeare was born in l564 and
where he grew up The property(房产)remained in the ownership of Shakespeare's family until
1806 .The House has welcomed visitors traveling from all over the world ,for over 250 years.
◆Enter through the Visitors' Centre and see the highly-
praised exhibition Shakespeare's World,a lively and full
introduction to the life and work of Shakespeare
◆Stand in the rooms where Shakespeare grew up
◆Discover examples of furniture and needlework fromShakespeare's period
◆Enjoy the traditional(传统的)English garden,planted
with trees and flower mentioned in the poet's works
pThe Birthplace is within easy walking distance of all the car
parks shown on the map;nearest is Windsor Street(3 minutes'
Walk)
㊣The House may present difficulties but the Visitors' Centre,
its exhibition.and the garden are accessible (可进入的)to wheelchair users
⊙The Shakespeare Coffee House(opposite the Birthplace)
1. |
How much is the admission for a family of two grown-ups and two children?
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2. |
Where is the nearest parking place to Shakespeare's Birthplace?
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3. |
A wheelchair user may need help to enter.
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Science can't explain the power of pets, but many studies have shown that the company of pets can help lower blood pressure (血压) and raise chances of recovering from a heart attack, reduce loneliness and spread all-round good cheer.
Any owner will tall you how much joy a pet brings. For some, an animal provides more comfort than a husband/wife. A 2002 study by Karen Allen of the State University of New York measured stress (紧张) levels and blood pressure in people - half of them pet owners -while they performed 5 minutes of mental arithmetic (算术) or held a hand in ice water. Subjects completed the tasks alone, with a husband/wife, a close friend or with a pet. People with pets did it best. Those tested with their animal friends had smaller change in blood pressure and returned most quickly to baseline heart rates. With pets in the room, people also made fewer math mistakes than when doing in front of other companions. It seems people feel more relaxed (放松)around pets, says Allen, who thinks it may be because pets don't judge.
A study reported last fall suggests that having a pet dog not only raises your spirits but may also have an effect on your eating habits. Researchers at Northwestern Memorial Hospital spent a year studying 36 fat people and their equally fat dogs on diet-and-exercise programs; a separate group of 56 people without pets were put on a diet program. On average, people lost about I1 pounds, or 5% of their body weight. Their dogs did even better, losing an average of 12 pounds, more than 15% of their body weight. Dog owners didn't lose any more weight than those without dogs but, say researchers, got more exercise overall-mostly with their dogs - and found it worth doing.
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What does the text mainly discuss?
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2. |
We learn from the text that a person with heart disease has a better chance of getting well if
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3. |
According to Allen, why did the people do better with pets around when facing stressful tasks?
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4. |
The research mentioned in the last paragraph reports that
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Along the river banks of the Amazon and the Orinoco there lives a bird that swims before it can fly, flies like a fat chicken, eats green leaves, has the stomach of a cow and has claws (爪) on its wings when young. They build their homes about 4.6m above the river, an important feature (特征) for the safety of the young. It is called the hoatzin.
In appearance, the birds of both sexes look very much alike with brown on the back and cream and red on the underside. The head is small, with a large set of feathers on the top, bright red eyes, and blue skin. Its nearest relatives are the common birds, cuckoos. Its most striking feature, though, is only found in the young.
Baby hoatzins have a claw on the leading edge of each wing and another at the end of each wing tip. Using these four claws, together with the beak (喙), they can climb about in the bushes, looking very much like primitive birds must have done. When the young hoatzins have learned to fly, they lose their claws.
During the drier months between December and March hoatzins fly about the forest in groups of 20 to 30 birds, but in April, when the rainy season begins, they collect together in smaller living units of two to seven birds for producing purposes.
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What is the text mainly about?
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2. |
Young hoatzins are different from their parents in that
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3. |
What can we infer about primitive birds from the text?
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4. |
Why do hoatzins collect together in smaller groups when the rainy season comes?
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EDGEWOOD - Every morning at Dixie Heights High School, customers pour into a special experiment: the district's first coffee shop run mostly by students with special learning needs.
Well before classes start, students and teachers order Lattes, Cappuccinos and Hot Chocolates. Then, during the first period, teachers call in orders on their room phones, and students make deliveries.
By closing time at 9.20 a.m., the shop usually sells 90 drinks.
"Whoever made the chi tea, Ms. Schatzman says it was good," Christy McKinley, a second year student, announced recently, after hanging up with the teacher.
The shop is called the Dixie PIT, which stands for Power in Transition. Although some of the students are not disabled, many are, and the PIT helps them prepare for life after high school.
They learn not only how to run a coffee shop but also how to deal with their affairs. They keep a timecard and receive paychecks, which they keep in check registers.
Special-education teachers Kim Chevalier and Sue Casey introduced the Dixie PIT from a similar program at Kennesaw Mountain High School in Georgia.
Not that it was easy. Chevalier's first problem to overcome was product-related. Should schools be selling coffee? What about sugar content?
Kenton County Food Service Director Ginger Gray helped. She made sure all the drinks, which use non-fat milk, fell within nutrition (营养) guidelines.
The whole school has joined in to help.
Teachers agreed to give up their lounge (休息室) in the mornings. Art students painted the name of the shop on the wall. Business students designed the paychecks. The basketball team helped pay for cups.
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What is the text mainly about?
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2. |
The Dixie PIT program was introduced in order to
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3. |
How did Christy McKinley know Ms. Schatzman's opinion of the chi tea?
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4. |
We know from the text that Ginger Gray.
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