As civilization proceeds in the direction of technology, it passes the point of supplying all the basic essentials of life-food, shelter, clothes and warmth. Then we are faced with a choice between using technology to provide and fulfill needs which have now been regarded as unnecessary or, on the other hand, using technology to reduce the number of hours of work which a man must do in order to earn a given standard of living. In other words, we either raise our standard of living above that necessary for comfort and happiness or we leave it at this level and work shorter hours.
I shall take it for granted that mankind has, by that time, chosen the latter alternative. Men will be working shorter and shorter hours in their paid employment. It follows that the housewife will also expect to be able to have more leisure in her life without lowering her standard of living. It also follows that human domestic servants will have completely ceased to exist. Yet the great majority of the housewives will wish to be relieved completely from the routine operations of the home such as scrubbing the floors or the bath of the cooker, or washing the clothes or washing up, or dusting or sweeping, or making beds.
By far the most logical step to relieve the housewife of routine is to provide a robot which can be trained to the requirements of a particular home and can be programmed to carry out half a dozen or more standard operations, when switched by the housewife. As civilization develops in the direction of technology, ________.
| A．the basic essentials of life must be supplied |
| B．it is important to supply the basic essentials of life |
| C．it is no longer so important as it was in the past to supply all the basic essentials of life |
| D．it is not necessary to supply the basic essentials of life |
According to the author, we are faced with________.
| A．the choice of providing and fulfilling our needs |
| B．the choice of using technology |
| C．the choice of earning a standard of living |
| D．a choice between using technology to provide and fulfill needs to reduce the number of working hours |
What alternative will mankind have chosen in future?
| A．To leave our standard of living at this level and work shorter hours. |
| B．To raise our standard of living. |
| C．To fulfill needs which have been regarded as unnecessary. |
| D．To lower our standard of living and work shorter hours. |
Now most housewives wish to________.
| A．stop doing their housework |
| B．do more housework to improve their life |
| C．get rid of the heavy burden of their housework |
| D．do only simple and light housework |
It can be inferred that robots will be invented ______.
| A．to take the place of housewives |
| B．to help manage a family |
| C．to do the routine of housework instead of human |
| D．to provide the daily necessities for man |
How many men do housework? Recently a European commission(委员会) tried to find out people’s ideas and reactions to the women’s movement. As part of their survey(调查), they asked many men and women the question, “Who does the housework?” The men answered very differently from the women!
The housework they asked people about was: preparing meals, washing dishes, cleaning the house and babysitting. 48% of British husbands said they did these things. 37% of Danish(丹麦的) men helped in the house. But only 15% of Italian men said they did the housework; many of them said they never helped at all!
But there was an interesting point of view from the wives. According to British wives, only 38% of their husbands helped in the house. And Italian wives said that their husbands hardly ever helped. The Italian and British men did not tell the truth! The Commission found that Danish men were the most truthful husbands; their answers were the same as their wives’ answers.
Do the men you know help in the house? Do you think the survey gives a true picture in your experience? Write and tell us what you think. The survey was carried out in _______.
| A．Britain | B．Italy | C．Denmark | D．Europe |
The subject for the survey is_______.
| A．how many boys do the housework? | B．who does the housework at home |
| C．how many women do the housework? | |
| D．who are more diligent, wives or husbands |
From the passage we can see that _______.
| A．there are more husbands who did the housework than wives |
| B．husbands do half of the housework all the time |
| C．there are more wives who do the housework than husbands |
| D．wives do almost all the housework at home |
More _______ husbands help in the house than _______ husbands.
| A．British; Danish | B．Italian; Danish |
| C．Danish; British | D．Italian; British |
Industrial pollution is not only a problem for the countries of Europe and North America but also an extremely serious problem in some developing countries. For these countries, economic growth is a very important aim. They want to introduce industries, and so they put few controls on the industries which cause pollution.
Cubatao, an industrial town of 85 000 people in Brazil, is an example of the connection between industrial development and pollution. In 1954, Cubatao had no industry. Today it has more than twenty large factories, which produce many pollutants(污染物). The people of the town are suffering from the poisonous matter in their environment and the bad effects can be clearly seen. Birth shortcomings are extremely common. Among children and adults, lung problems are sometimes twelve times more common in Cubatao than in other places.
It is true that Brazil, like many other countries, has laws against pollution, but these laws are not enforced strictly enough. It is cheaper for companies to take no notice of the laws and pay the fines(罚款) than to buy the expensive equipment that will reduce the pollution. It is clear, therefore, that economic growth is more important to the government than to the health of the workers. However, the responsibility(责任) does not completely lie with the Brazilian government. The example of Cubatao shows that international companies are not acting in a responsible way either. A number of the factories in the town are owned by large companies from France, Italy, and the U. S. They are doing things in Brazil that they would not be able to do at home. If they caused the same amount of pollution at home, they would be severely(严厉地) punished or even put out of business. Why don’t developing countries have strict pollution controls?
| A．The new industries they want to introduce do not cause much pollution. |
| B．Pollution is not a serious problem for developing countries. |
| C．They don’t realize the balance of nature will be destroyed by some pollutants. |
| D．If they put stricter controls on industry, fewer companies would build new plants in developing countries. |
What is the author’s purpose in taking Cubatao as an example?
| A．To show that industry can develop very fast in developing countries. |
| B．To show that the pollution problem in Brazil is extremely serious. |
| C．To show that industrial growth can cause pollution problems for developing countries. |
| D．To show that pollution is killing many people and destroying the whole economy of Brazil. |
How is the health of the population of Cubatao?
| A．There are more heart diseases among people who live near chemical factories. |
| B．More people suffer from lung diseases because of poisonous matter. |
| C．Their health is affected by pollutants the same way as that of other Brazilians. |
| D．Babies there are found not as bright as those who live in other places. |
Why do some foreign companies like to set up their plants in Brazil?
| A．The investment(投资) environment in Brazil is suitable for them. |
| B．They will not be severely punished if they cause pollution in Brazil. |
| C．They can make much money because they do not have to pay Brazilian workers much. |
| D．They can act in an irresponsible(不负责任的) way in Brazil because there are no pollution laws there. |
“Congratulations, Mr. Jones, it’s a girl.”
Fatherhood is going to have a different meaning and bring forth a different answer from every man who hears these words. Some feel proud when they receive the news, while others worry, wondering whether they will be good fathers. Although there are some men who like children and may have had considerable experience with them, others do not particularly care for children and spend little time with them. Many fathers and mothers have been planning and looking forward to children for some time. For other couples, pregnancy(怀孕) was an accident that both husband and wife have accepted willingly or unwillingly.
Whatever the reaction to the birth of a child, it is obvious that the change from the role of husband to that of father is a difficult task. Yet, unfortunately, few attempts have been made to educate fathers in this re-socialization process. Although many good books have been written about American mothers, only recently have some books discussed the role of a father.
It is argued by some writers that the transition to the father’s role, although difficult, is not nearly as great as the transition the wife must make to the mother’s role. The mother’s role seems to require a complete transformation of daily routine and adaptation to a new life, on the other hand, the father’s role is less demanding and immediate. However, even though we have mentioned the fact that growing numbers of women are working outside the home, the father is still thought by many as the breadwinner in the household. According to the author, being a father _______.
| A．brings a feeling of excitement to some men |
| B．has a different meaning for those who have daughters |
| C．makes some men feel proud and others uneasy |
| D．means nothing but more responsibilities. |
It is stated in the passage that ________.
| A．some parents are not prepared to have a child |
| B．young couples do not like children at all |
| C．working couples do not have much time to take care of their children |
| D．many parents look forward to having a boy as their first child |
The transition to the mother’s role requires that the wife _______.
| A．changes her life style in a quite different way |
| B．makes a complete change in her everyday life to deal with the new situation |
| C．stays at home to take care of the baby |
| D．helps her husband in his re-socialization process |
Some writers argue that with respect to the change of roles, fathers, compared with mothers, _______.
| A．have to do more in the household | B．have to make more difficult adaptations |
| C．have an easier job to do | D．can usually do a better job |
The Internet has led to a huge increase in credit-card (信用卡) fraud. Your card information could even be for sale in an illegal web site(非法网站).
Web sites offering cheap goods and services should be regarded with care.
On-line shoppers who enter their credit-card information may never receive the goods they thought they bought. The thieves then go shopping with your card number — or sell the information over the Internet. Computers hackers(黑客) have broken down security(安全) systems, raising questions about the safety of cardholder information. Several months ago, 25, 000 customers of CD Universe, an on-line music retailer(零售商), were not lucky. Their names, addresses and credit-card numbers were posted on a Web site after the retailer refused to pay US $157, 828 to get back the information.
Credit-card firms are now fighting against on-line fraud. Mastercard is working on plans for Web — only credit card, with a lower credit limit. The card could be used only for shopping on-line. However, there are a few simple steps you can take to keep from being cheated(欺骗).
Ask about your credit-card firm’s on-line rules: Under British law, cardholders have to pay the first US $78 of any fraudulent(欺骗性的) spending.
And shop only at secure sites; Send your credit-card information only if the Web site offers advanced secure system.
If the security is in place, a letter will appear in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. The Website address may also start https: //—the extra “s” stands for secure. If in doubt, give your credit-card information over the telephone.
Keep your password(密码) safe: Most on-line sites require a user name and password before placing an order. Treat your passwords with care.What do most people worry about the Internet according to this passage?
| A．A lot of stolen credit-cards were sold on the Internet. | B．Fraud on the Internet. |
| C．Many Web sites are destroyed. | D．Many illegal Web sites are on the Internet. |
What is the meaning of “fraud”?
| A．Cheating. | B．Sale. | C．Payment. | D．Safety. |
How can the thieves get the information of the credit card?
| A．The customers give them the information. |
| B．The thieves steal the information from Web sites. |
| C．The customers sell the information to them. |
| D．The thieves buy the information from credit-card firms. |
How many pieces of advice does the passage give to you?
| A．Four. | B．Three. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
You are shopping on the site: http: // www. Shopping. com, and you want to buy a TV set, what does this article suggest to do?
| A．Order the TV set at once. | B．Do not buy the TV set on this site. |
| C．E-mail the site your credit-card information. | |
| D．Tell the site your password and buy the TV set for you. |
Right is right. Right? Of course. But is left wrong? Well, the Romans used to think so. They thought left-handed people were mistakes of nature. Latin, the language of the Romans, had many words that expressed this view. Some words we use today still have this meaning. The Latin word “dexter” means “right”. The English word “dexterous” comes from this word. It means “handy” (clever with hands). So, right is handy. But the Latin word for left is “sinister”. The English word “sinister” comes from this word. Sinister means “evil” (very bad). Is it fair to call right-handed people handy and left-handed people evil? Well, fair or not, many languages have words that express such beliefs. In old English, the word for left means “weak”. That isn’t much of an improvement over “evil”.
Not very long ago, children were often forced to write with their right hands. Doctors have since found that this can be very harmful. You should use the hand you were born to use.
People who use their left hands are just starting to get better treatment. But why they get all these bad names in the first place? One reason may be that there are not as many left-handed people as there are right-handed people. There is one left-handed person for every five right-handed ones. People who are different are often thought to be wrong. But attitudes do seem to be changing. Fair-minded right-handed people are finally starting to give left-handed people a hand.What does the passage lead us to believe when one writes?
| A．He can only use his right hand. |
| B．He can only use his left hand. |
| C．He can use either his left hand or his right hand. |
| D．He can use both his left hand and his right hand. |
The last sentence of this article means ________.
| A．Fair-minded right-handed people want to change the habit of the left-handed people |
| B．Fair-minded right-handed people are starting to help the left-handed people |
| C．Fair-minded right-handed people are starting to use left hand to write and so on |
| D．Fair-minded right-handed people are starting to give up using their left hands |
After we read the article we can certainly know that _______.
| A．left-handed people have been treated poorly |
| B．the number of the left-handed people is larger than that of right-handed people |
| C．right-handed people are much cleverer than left-handed people |
| D．left-handed people are less smart but hardworking |
Which of the following is NOT right, according to the article?
| A．At one time, left-handed people were forced to use their right hands. |
| B．Left-handed people today are being treated better than those in the past. |
| C．There are not as many left-handed people as there are right-handed people today. |
| D．“Dexterous” comes from Latin, means “evil” and English “sinister” means “handy”. |