When you're surfing the Internet on your laptop from your dorm or home, do you know your personal details are being gathered secretly? And would you be surprised to know the information may be sold cheaply to advertisers and marketers?
According to an investigation by The Wall Street Journal, all it takes is a tiny file in a computera single code consisting of a long series of numbers and letters to record the computer user's age, gender, location, favorite movies and hobbies. The newspaper reports that Lotame Solutions Inc.，a New York company, uses sophisticated software called a " beacon" to capture what people are typing on a website.
Lotame packages that data into profiles（个人资料）about individuals, only without their names, and sells the profiles to companies seeking customers. Batches of such data may be sold for a few dollars. The survey of The Wall Street Journal discovered that spying on Internet users is one of the fastest-growing businesses on the World Wide Web.
The "cookie"-a tiny text file put on your PC by websites or marketing firms which might be used to remember your preferences for one site, or to track you across many sites is already old news. There are new and more complex tools such as " beacons " which scan in real time what people are doing on a webpage. These beacons instantly assess the Internet user's location, income, shopping interests and even medical conditions. Millions of Internet users around the world also face unprecedented （空前的）threats. Private, sensitive, personal and business information is being gathered and sold without their knowledge.
Companies insist the information they gather is anonymous and the data is used harmlessly. But the technology has grown so powerful that even some of the biggest websites in the US don't know that they were installing intrusive files on visitors' computers. These include MSN. com and Yahoo, com.
Next time you visit a webpage and find an ad banner advertising something you've been planning to buy, don't be amazed that your computer can read your mind. The purpose of the passage is to __________.
| A．introduce a tiny file in a computer single code |
| B．show how your individual information was let out when you surf the Internet |
| C．show how to protect your privacy |
| D．introduce a sophisticated software called a " beacon" |
Which of the following statements is True?
| A．Lotame sells the profiles about individuals to companies seeking customers with their age, gender, location, hobbies and names. |
| B．spying on Internet users is the fastest-growing business on the World Wide Web. |
| C．some of the biggest websites in the US know they were installing intrusive files on visitors' computers. |
| D．a tiny file in a computer-a single code consisting of a long series of numbers and letters can record users' information. |
It can be inferred that __________.
| A．because the data is used harmlessly the Internet users around the world will not face threats |
| B．when a person surf the Internet, his personal details may be let out without his knowledge |
| C．your computer can really read your mind |
| D．MSN. com and Yahoo. com use software to capture what people are typing on a website |
According to the passage，"beacon"__________.
| A．is a tiny text file put on your PC by websites |
| B．is a software that can package that data into profiles about individuals |
| C．can assess the Internet user's location, income, shopping interests and even medical conditions |
| D．is not more complex than the "cookie" |
To Whom It May Concern:
My husband and I got married in 1965 and for the first ten years of our marriage I was very happy to stay home and raise our three children. Then four years ago, our youngest child went to school and I thought I might go back to work.
My husband was very supportive and helped me to make my decision. He emphasized all of the things I can do around the house, and said he thought I could be a great success in business.
After several weeks of job-hunting I found my present job, which is working for a small public relations firm. At first, my husband was very proud of me and would tell his friends , "My clever little wife can run that company she's working for."
But as his joking remark approached reality, my husband stopped talking to me about my job．I have received several promotions and pay increases , and I am now making more money than he is. I can buy my own clothes and a new car. Because of our combined incomes, my husband and I can do many things that we had always dreamed of doing , but we don't do these things because he is very unhappy.
We fight about little things and my husband is very critical of me in front of our friends. For the first time in our marriage, I think there is a possibility that our marriage may come to an end．
I love my husband very much, and I don't want him to feel inferior, but I also love my job．I think I can be a good wife and a working woman, but I don't know how .Can you give me some advice? Will I have to choose one or the other or can I keep both my husband and my new career?
Please help."Distressed"The letter was most probable written ________.
| A．in 1975 | B．around 1980 | C．four years ago | D．in 1965 |
Her husband ________ when she first found her present job．
| A．was very critical of her | B．felt disappointed |
| C．was proud of her | D．was happy but critical |
What does the underlined word "promotion" mean?
| A．scolding | B．criticism | C．prize | D．advancement |
As her income increased, ________.
| A．she found a gap emerged between her and her husband |
| B．she bought more clothes and a house |
| C．she did the many things she and her husband dreamed of |
| D．she felt very proud of herself |
The famous American gorilla(大猩猩) expert Diane Fossey had a completely new way to study gorillas — she pretended to be one of them. She copied their actions and way of life — eating plants and getting down on her hands and knees to walk the way a gorilla does. It was a new relationship.
Diane Fossey was murdered in Rwanda in 1985 and her story was made into the popular film Gorillas in the Mist. It was a long way from King Kong, which is about a gorilla as a monster (a frightening animal), and helped to show a new idea: the real monster is man, while the gorilla is to be admired.
Today there are thought to be around 48,000 lowland gorillas and maybe 400—450 mountain gorillas in the wild. From the Congo in West Africa, to Rwanda and Uganda further east, they are endangered by hunting and by the cutting down of their forest homes.
Some time ago, I found in my letterbox a little magazine from the World Wide Fund for Nature. It had two photos side by side. One was of a young gorilla. “This is a species of mammal(哺乳类动物),” said the words below it. “It is being destroyed by man. We must save it for our own good.” The other photo showed a human baby. The words also read, “This is a species of mammal,” but then went on: “It is the most destructive(破坏性的) on earth. We must retrain it for its own good.”The text mainly talks about _____.
| A．Diane Fossey |
| B．the gorillas in Rwanda |
| C．the protection of the gorillas |
| D．the film Gorillas in the Mist |
We can learn from the text that _____.
| A．Gorillas in the mist was based Fossey’s experiences |
| B．Lowland gorillas live longer than mountain gorillas |
| C．King Kong showed us that a gorilla is admirable |
| D．Diane Fossey was murdered by a gorilla |
What message can we get from the two photos in the magazine?
| A．Gorillas are man’s close friends. |
| B．Both man and the gorilla need to be saved. |
| C．Young gorillas are as lovely as human babies. |
| D．Man should live peacefully with the gorilla. |
Life in 2060
Let us suppose it is now about A.D. 2060. Let’s make believe (假装；虚构) it is about sixty years from now. Of course, things have changed and life is very different.
Voyages to the moon are being made every day. It is as easy to take a holiday on the moon today as it was for the people in 1960 to take a holiday in Europe. At a number of scenic spots on the moon, many hotels have been built. The hotels are air-conditioned, naturally. In order that everyone can enjoy the beautiful scenery on the moon, every room has at least one picture window. Everything imaginable is provided for entertainment (娱乐) of young and old.
What are people eating now? People are still eating food. They haven’t yet started to take on heir (继承) supply of energy directly as electrical current or as nuclear power. They may some day. But many foods now come in pill form, and the food that goes into the pill continues to come mainly from green plants.
Since there are several times as many people in the world today as there were a hundred years ago, most of our planet’s surface has to be filled. The deserts are irrigated with water and crops are no longer destroyed by pests. The harvest is always good.
Farming, of course, is very highly developed. Very few people have to work on the farm. It is possible to run the farm by just pushing a few buttons now and then.
People are now largely vegetarians (素食者). You see, as the number of people increases, the number of animal decreases. Therefore, the people have to be vegetarians and we are healthier both in our bodies and in our minds, and we know the causes and cure of disease and pain, and it is possible to get rid of diseases. No one has to be ill any more.
Such would be our life in 2060.
1. When was the passage written?
A. In about A.D. 2060.
B. In about 1960.
C. In about 2000.
D. In about 2004.
2. According to the passage, what will be on the moon in about A.D. 2060?
A. Many tourists.
B. Many other animals.
C. Many plants.
D. A sea.
3. What will people eat then according to the passage?
A. Biscuits in pill form.
B. Foods in pill form.
C. Foods in water form.
D. Foods in gas form.
4. The passage tells us that in 2060, ____ on the earth than now.
A. there are fewer population
B. there are more pests
C. there is less water
D. the crops are getting better
5. Why are people largely vegetarians in 2060?
A. Because they don’t eat meat.
B. Because doctors advise them not to eat meat.
C. Because the number of animals decreases.
D. Because all the animals have died of diseases.
Michael, a typical (典型的) American, stays home on workdays. He plugs into his personal computer terminal (接线端) in order to connect with the office. After work, he puts on his headphones, watches a movie on his home video recorder, or plays baseball on the computer. On many days, Michael doesn’t talk to any other human beings, and he doesn’t see any people except the ones on television. Michael is imaginary, but his lifestyle is very possible. The inventions of modern technology seem to be cutting us off from contact with our fellow human beings.
The world of business is one area in which technology is isolating (使隔离) us. Experts say, for example, that many people will soon be able to work at home. With access to a large central computer, employees such as office clerks, insurance agents, and accountants could do their jobs at display terminals in their own homes. They would never have to actually see the people they’re dealing with. In addition, the way employees are paid will change. Workers’ salaries will be automatically paid into their bank accounts(账户), making paper checks(支票)unnecessary. No workers will stand in line to receive their pay or cash their checks. Personal banking will change, too. Customers will deal with machines to put in or take out money from their accounts.
Another area that technology is changing is entertainment. Music, for instance, was once a group experience. People listened to music at concert halls or in small social gatherings. For many people now, however, music is an individual experience. Walking along the street or sitting in their living rooms, they wear headphones to build a wall of music around them. Movie entertainment is changing, too. Movies used to be social events. Now, fewer people are going out to see a movie. Many more are choosing to wait for a film to appear on television or are borrowing videotapes to watch at home. Instead of laughing with others, viewers watch movies in their own living rooms.
13. The sentence “Michael is imaginary, but his lifestyle is very possible” means ____ .
A .Michael is a person full of imagination and he can make his dreams come true
B. Michael is not a real person but probably the lifestyle does exist
C. Michael has ambitions but he cant make his dreams come true
D. Michael is a person full of imagination and his lifestyle is common nowadays
14. What will the author most probably discuss after the last paragraph?
A. Games and sports.
B. Personal banking.
C. Music and films.
D. International business.
15. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. We may no longer need to communicate with other human beings.
B. Modern technology seems to be separating human beings.
C. We may no longer need to work in the office.
D. Modern technology makes it possible for us to work and entertain ourselves at home.
One day when the famous American scientist Edison was on his way home, a young man stopped him and required to have a word with him. Edison accepted his request.
The young man asked, “How, Mr. Edison, can you invent so many things and get your fame (名声)?”
The scientist said, “It seems that you have been thinking of becoming famous every day, “
The young man nodded, “Yes. I have been dreaming of being a person as famed as you. Every minute I am thinking of how to become reputable(有声望的). I don’t know when I can achieve my fame. “
Edison told him, “Don’t worry, young man. If you want to be a famous man this way, you will have to wait until you die!”
“Why should I?” the young man was puzzled.
Edison said, “What you dream is actually a high building. You never think of how to build it with bricks. Thus the building will never come into reality. However, your story can serve as a mirror. People will remember you because of your illness and laziness. They will often speak of your name while they give warnings to their children. Aren’t you a notorious person by then?”
9. What happened to Edison when he was on his way home?
A. a beggar stopped him
B. a robber stopped him.
C. A man wanted to speak to him.
D. A man wanted to have words with him.
10. The man asked Edison to tell him______.
A. how to invent new things. B. how to become famous
C. how he became a nobleman D. how to become a scientist
11. After hearing his talk, the young man was puzzled because Edison told him ______.
A. he would die after he was famous B. he would be famous before he died
C. he would die before he was famous D. he would never be famous
12. The story mainly tells us ________.
A.a person needs high spirit
B. one shouldn’t dream of becoming famous
C. only by hard work can one’s wish come into reality
D. one person should be idle and lazy.