Have you ever used Facebook? Many people are being lured (引诱) onto it with the promise of a fun, free service without realizing they’re paying for it by giving up large amounts of personal information. Facebook then attempts to make money by selling their data to advertisers that want to send targeted messages.
Most Facebook users don’t realize this is happening. Even if they know what the company is up to, they still have no idea what they’re paying for Facebook because people don’t really know what their personal data is worth.
The biggest problem, however, is that the company keeps changing the rules. Early on, you keep everything private. That was the great thing about Facebook — you could create your own little private network. Last year, the company changed its privacy rules so that many things — your city, your photo, your friends' names—were set, by default (默认) to be shared with everyone on the Internet.
According to Facebook’s vice-president Elliot Schrage, the company is simply making changes to improve its service, and if people don’t share information, they have a “less satisfying experience”.
Some critics think this is more about Facebook looking to make more money. Its original business model, which involved selling ads and putting them at the side of the page, totally failed. Who wants to look at ads when they’re online connecting with their friends?
The privacy issue has already landed Facebook in hot water in Washington. In April, Senator (议员) Charles Schumer called on Facebook to change its privacy policy. He also urged the Federal Trade Commission to set guidelines for social-networking sites. “I think the senator rightly communicated that we had not been clear about what the new products were and how people could choose to use them or not to use them,” Schrage admits.
I suspect that whatever Facebook has done so far to invade our privacy is only the beginning, which is why I’m considering deactivating (撤销) my account. Facebook is a handy site, but I’m upset by the idea that my information is in the hands of people I don’t know. That’s too high a price to pay.What do we learn about Facebook from the first paragraph?
A.It is a website that sends messages to targeted users. |
B.It makes money by putting on advertisements. |
C.It profits by selling its users’ personal data. |
D.It provides loads of information to its users. |
What does the author say about most Facebook users?
A.They are reluctant to give up their personal information. |
B.They don’t know their personal data enriches Facebook. |
C.They don’t identify themselves when using the website. |
D.They care very little about their personal information. |
Why does Facebook make changes to its rules according to Elliot Schrage?
A.To provide better service to its users. |
B.To follow the Federal guidelines. |
C.To improve its users’ connectivity. |
D.To expand its scope of business. |
Why does the author plan to cancel his Facebook account?
A.He is dissatisfied with its current service. |
B.He finds many of its users untrustworthy. |
C.He doesn’t want his personal data abused. |
D.He is upset by its frequent rule changes. |
第三部分阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分)
Sweetest Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in October as a day to make someone happy. It is an occasion which offers all of us an opportunity to remember not only the sick, the aged, and children who have lost their parents, but also friends, workmates, relatives and neighbors whose helpfulness and kindness we have enjoyed.
Over 60 years ago, when a Cleveland man noticed that some people, such as children who lost their parents and patients who lay in bed, too often felt forgotten and neglected, he developed in his mind the idea of showing them that they were remembered. He did this by giving them small gifts. With the help of his friends and neighbors, he gave those people small gifts on a Saturday in October. During the years that followed, other Clevelanders began to take part in the celebration, which came to be called “Sweetest Day”. Over time, the Sweetest Day idea of spreading cheer to the poor, the sick and children who had lost their parents was broadened to include everyone, and became an occasion for remembering others with a kind act or a small gift. Soon the idea spread to other cities all over the USA.
Sweetest Day is not based on any single group’s religious (宗教的) beliefs or on a family relationship. It is a reminder that a thoughtful word or deed enriches life and gives it meaning.
Because for many people remembering takes the form of gift giving, Sweetest Day offers us the opportunity to show others that we care, in a positive way.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?
A. Sweetest Day is a day to make others happy.
B. Sweetest Day is just an occasion to care about disabled people.
C. Sweetest Day is an occasion for lovers to express love.
D. Sweetest Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in October.
2. Which of the following has little relationship to Sweetest Day?
A. Visiting sick people of the hospital.
B. Visiting children who have lost their parents.
C. Giving friends small gifts.
D. Giving flowers to sweethearts.
3. What is Cleveland?
A. An island. B. A country.
C. A village in England. D. A city in America.
4. What do most people usually do to show their care to others according to the passage?
A. They give money. B. They give gifts.
C. They send regards. D. They offer help.
5. The underlined word “neglected” in the second paragraph means “______”.
A. remembered B. hated
C. paid little or no attention toD. disappointed
Traveling can be a way to gain life experiences, especially during Spring Break — a week long school vacation in the United States. But what if you’re a student and don’t have enough money for a trip? Don’t worry. Here are some useful suggestions.
●Save: This probably is the most important preparation for traveling. Cut expenses to fatten your wallet so you’ll have more choices about where to go and how to get there.
●Plan ahead: Don’t wait until the last minute to plan your trip. Tickets may cost more when bought on short notice. Giving yourself several months to get ready can mean security(安全) and savings.
●Do your homework: No matter where you go, research the places you will visit. Decide what to see. Travel books will provide information on the cheapest hotels and restaurants.
●Plan sensibly: Write down what you expect to spend for food and hotels. Stick to your plan or you may not have enough money to cover everything.
●Travel in groups: Find someone who is interested in visiting the same places. By traveling with others you can share costs and experiences.
●Work as you go: Need more money to support your trip? Look for work in the places you visit.
●Go off the beaten path: Tourist cities may be expensive. You may want to rethink your trip and go to a less-known area. Smaller towns can have many interesting activities and sights.
●Pack necessary things: The most important things to take are not always clothes: Remember medicine in case you get sick and snacks in case you cannot find a cheap restaurant.
●Use the Internet: The Net can help to save money. Some useful websites include www. Travelocity. com, www. bargains-lowest fare. com and www. Economic travel. com.
By planning sensibly, even students can enjoy the travel. Your travel experiences will be remembered for a lifetime.
1.This passage is about _______.
A.how to plan your travel B.how to travel with enough money
C.how to make your travel interesting D.how to get life experiences
2.Before your trip, the first thing you should do is _______.
A.to make a plan of the route B.to get information in the Internet
C.to save money by spending less D.to buy tickets in advance
3.The writer advises you _______.
A.to share costs with any other people B.not to go to well-known places
C.not to visit dangerous places D.to buy anything you want to buy
4. During your trip, _______.
A.you need more shoes than clothes
B.you shouldn’t look for work all the way
C.you can gain valuable life experiences
D.you should forget to do your homework
A child who has once been pleased with a tale(神话故事) likes, as a rule, to have it retold in almost the same words, but this should not lead parents to treat printed fairy stories as formal texts. It is always much better to tell a story than read it out of a book, and, if a parent can produce what, in the actual situation of the time and the child, is an improvement on the printed text, so much the better.
A change made against fairy tales is that they harm the child by frightening him or making him sad thinking. To prove the latter, one would have to show in a controlled experiment that children who have read fairy stories were more often sorry for cruelty than those who had not. As to fears, there are, I think, some cases of children being dangerously terrified by some fairy story. Often, however, this arises(出现) from the child having heard the story once. Familiarity with the story by repetition turns the pain of fear into the pleasure of a fear faced and mastered.
There are also people who object to fairy stories on the grounds that they are not objectively true, that giants, witches, two-headed dragons, magic carpets, etc. do not exist; and that, instead of being fond of the strange side in fairy tales, the child should be taught to learn the reality by studying history. I find such people, I must say so peculiar(奇怪的) that I do not know how to argue with them. If their case were sound, the world should be full of mad men attempting to fly from New York to Philadelphia on a stick or covering a telephone with kisses in the belief that it was their beloved girl-friend.
No fairy story ever declared to be a description of the real world and no clever child has ever believed that it was.
1. The author considers that a fairy story is more effective when it is _______.
A. repeated without any change B. treated as a joke
C. made some changes by the parent D. set in the present
2. According to the passage, great fear can take place in a child when the story is _______.
A. in a realistic setting B. heard for the first time
C. repeated too often D. told in a different way
3. The advantage claimed(提出) for repeating fairy stories to young children is that it _______.
A. makes them less fearful
B. develops their power of memory
C. makes them believe there is nothing to be afraid of
D. encourages them not to have strange beliefs
4. One of the reasons why some people are not in favor of fairy tales is that _______.
A. they are full of imagination.
B. they just make up the stories which are far from the truth.
C. they are not interesting.
D. they make teachers of history difficult to teach.
June 26, 2000 — the Human Genome(基因组) Project, a great $3 billion, 15-year task aimed at drawing the genetic(遗传的) map of humans, is now more than 90 percent completed. The scientific and medical communities are very excited about the chances genetic research provides for getting rid of diseases and prolonging human life. But those communities and policy makers also are careful about the scientific door they are opening as the project uncovers the mysteries of life.
For the last few years, the genetic advances in the developing field of biotechnology have provides material for all kinds of work, but the developments of modern science in unlocking the secrets of the human genetic code(密码) have opened a world of possibilities for human health, as well as for the popular imagination.
While European and Japanese researchers are making rapid progress in decoding(解码) human DNA, the leading organization for genetic research is in the United States, which began in 1990, is “unlocking the code” of the human body to learn how to defeat fatal diseases. Already, the Human Genome Project has become widely known and praised for finding the genes(基因) connected with terrible diseases as yet, and making progress toward separating the genes that show a sign of breast cancer or AIDS.
Once these genes are found and studied, researchers can develop new ways to attack infections(传染), and genetic diseases. Medical companies are very interested in mapping the human genome, as they expect to develop a lot of new drugs for these illnesses.
1.Why did the scientists work hard at mapping the human genome?
A. Because the human genome can destroy many illnesses.
B. Because the human genome's completion can help them get rid of many diseases.
C. Because they wanted to be better known than others.
D. Because the human genome can provide a lot of chances of work.
2.Which of the following is NOT true?
A.If the genes can be found, scientists can study many new ways to cure illnesses.
B.The scientists have made great progress in connecting the genes with the cancers.
C. Many medical companies show great interest in drawing the human genome map.
D. The United States began the Genes Study early in the 19th century.
3.The author suggests that the Human Genome Project can cause _______.
A. the policy makers to feel very worried and careful
B. the scientists to work harder.
C. many people to find work easily.
D. a lot of companies to produce many new drugs.
4.The main idea of this article is about _______.
A. unlocking genetic code B. the genes' discovery
C. the great human genome D. the genes and the scientists
In the past decade the popularity of rock climbing has greatly increased, and so has the number of injuries. It has been estimated that rock climbing is now enjoyed by more than 9 million people in the US each year. Study findings revealed a 65 percent increase in the number of patients that were treated in US emergency departments for rock climbing-related injuries between 1991and 2008.
The study, published in the online issue of the American Journal of Preventive medicine,found that about 40,000 patients were treated in US emergency departments for rock climbing-related injuries between 1991 and 2008. The most common types of rock climbing –related injuries were fracture(骨折) and sprains (扭伤)。The ankle was the most common body part to be injured (40%).Climers in the study ranged in age from 2 to 74, with an average age of 26. The study also found that women took up a quarter of the injuries.
Falls were the primary reason for injury with over three-quartes of the injuries occurring as the result of a fall. The severity of related injuries had a lot to do with the height of the fall. Patients who were injured after falling from a height over 20 feet were 10 times more likely to be treated than patients who were injured falling from 20 feet or lower.
“We found that the climbers who fell from heights higher than 20 feet took up 70 percent of the patients treated for a rock climbing-related injury, explained the study author Lara McKenzie, PhD, director at the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Hospital. “This trend, combined with the fact that rock climbers have a higher hospitalizaton rate than other sports and recreational injuries, demonstrates the need to increase injury prevention efforts for climbers.
1.Which body part is most likely to get injured for a climber ?
A.The arm B.The ankle C. The knee D. The hand
2.How many women climbers in American got injured while climbing a rock between 1991 and 2008 ?
A.About 40,000 B.About 30,000 C.About 20,000 D.About 10,000
3.The severity of climbers’fall-related injures is mainly related to ______.
A.the height of the fall. B.the climber’s age.
C.the climber’s health condition D.the climber’s climbing experience.
4.The underlined word “demonstrates” in the last paragragh can be replaced by ________.
A.demands B.prevent C.proves D.describes