Why should mankind explore space? Why should money, time and effort be spent exploring and researching something with so few apparent benefits? Why should resources be spent on space rather than on conditions and people on Earth? These are questions that, understandably, are very often asked.
Perhaps the best answer lies in our genetic makeup (基因构成) as human beings. What drove our ancestors to move from the trees into the plains, and on into all possible areas and environments? The wider the spread of a species, the better its chance of survival. Perhaps the best reason for exploring space is this genetic tendency to expand wherever possible.
Nearly every successful civilization has explored, because by doing so, any dangers in surrounding areas can be identified and prepared for. Without knowledge, we may be completely destroyed by the danger. With knowledge, we can lessen its effects.
Exploration also allows minerals and other potential (潜在的) resources to be found. Even if we have no immediate need of them, they will perhaps be useful later. Resources may be more than physical possessions. Knowledge or techniques have been acquired through exploration. The techniques may have medical applications which can improve the length or quality of our lives. We have already benefited from other spin-offs including improvements in earthquake prediction, in satellites for weather forecasting and in communications systems. Even non-stick pans and mirrored sunglasses are by-products (副产品) of technological developments in the space industry!
While many resources are spent on what seems a small return, the exploration of space allows creative, brave and intelligent members of our species to focus on what may serve to save us. While space may hold many wonders and explanations of how the universe was formed or how it works, it also holds dangers．The danger exists, but knowledge can help human being to survive. Without the ability to reach out across space, the chance to save ourselves might not exist.
While Earth is the only planet known to support life, surely the adaptive ability of humans would allow us to live on other planets. It is true that the lifestyle would be different, but human life and cultures have adapted in the past and surely could in the future.Why does the author mention the questions in Paragraph1?
| A．To express his doubts. |
| B．To compare different ideas. |
| C．To introduce points for discussion. |
| D．To describe the conditions on Earth. |
What is the reason for exploring space based on Paragraph2?
| A．Humans are nature-born to do so. |
| B．Humans have the tendency to fight. |
| C．Humans may find new sources of food. |
| D．Humans don’t like to stay in the same place. |
What makes it possible for humans to live on other planets?
| A．Our genetic makeup. |
| B．Resources on the earth. |
| C．The adaptive ability of humans. |
| D．By-products in space exploration. |
Chinese people are now spending more time surfing the net than watching TV, according to results of a survey by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) published Thursday.
The survey, of citizens of five Chinese cities, found that 79 percent of interviewees use the internet for information, and 55.1 percent to read news on the internet. About 63 percent of the interviewees use e-mail. The average times spent surfing the net and watching TV were 2.73 hours and 1.29hours, respectively.
Only 10.4 percent reported use the internet primarily to send and receive email; 65.9 percent read online news; 62.2 quite often play games on-line. More and more people have taken an interest in the entertainment opportunities online. Up to 56.5 percent of interviewees quite often download music, and 53.5 percent get entertainment messages from the internet.
Yet the survey found that television is still the dominant mass medium. Seventy-nine percent of interviewees choose to watch TV to get information, and another 75 percent take newspapers as important as TV.
Five major web sites in the Chinese language, namely Sina, Sohu, Netease, Baidu and Yahoo are still ranked top ones by web users, and those that voted for Sina as the best among them were 30.9 percent.
Authorized statistics showed that web users in China have already exceeded 100 million, second to that of the United States.Which of the following is not true?
| A．Chinese people are now spending more time surfing the net than watching TV. |
| B．There are more Chinese people using the internet for information compared with those reading news on the internet. |
| C．There are more people using e-mail compared with those searching information on the internet. |
| D．There are more people using e-mail compared with those reading news on the internet. |
The survey shows that .
| A．Only 10.4% reported use the internet to send and receive email. |
| B．Less than half of the people use the internet for enter fain-ment. |
| C．All of the people reported like to play games on-line. |
| D．Most of the people reported read online news. |
Which will you choose if you want to chat with your friends on the internet?
| A．TV | B．Sina | C．telephone | D．QQ |
The underlined word “exceeded” means .
| A．increased to | B．increased by | C．risen | D．decreased |
Woman’s Day
Published by ACP Magazines Ltd, 54 Park St, Sydney
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法案) 1968.
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P.O. Box: 5252, Sydney, NSW 2001 (Postage free within Australia) Which of the following is included in the requirements for the manuscripts?
| A．They should be handwritten. |
| B．They should have no empty lines between lines. |
| C．They should be on the front of the page only. |
| D．They should include contributor’s (投稿人) age. |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．The contributors must keep copies of their manuscripts. |
| B．Woman’s Day is most probably a monthly magazine. |
| C．The editor will pay for the damage or loss of the manuscripts. |
| D．It takes several weeks before the manuscripts are published. |
According to the passage the copyright holders are ____ .
| A．those who copy the articles in Woman’s Day |
| B．the producers of Woman’s Day |
| C．the readers of Woman’s Day |
| D．those who subscribe Woman’s Day |
Apart from the website, how many other ways can people gain information from the magazine?
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
At one time, computers were expected largely to remove the need for paper copies of documents because they could be stored electronically. But for all the texts that are written, stored and sent electronically, a lot of them are still ending up on paper.
It is difficult to measure the quantity of paper used as a result of use of Internet-connected computers, although just about anyone who works in an office can tell you that when e-mail is introduced, the printers start working overtime. “I feel in my bones this revolution is causing more trees to be cut down,” says Ted Smith of the Earth Village Organization.
Perhaps the best sign of how computer and Internet use pushes up demand for paper comes from the high-tech industry itself, which sees printing as one of its most promising new markets. Several Internet companies have been set up to help small businesses print quality documents from a computer. Earlier this week Hewlett-Packard Co. announced a plan to develop new technologies that will enable people to print even more so they can get a hard copy of a business document, a medical record or just a one-line e-mail, even if they are nowhere near a computer. As the company sees it, the more use of the Internet the greater demand for printers .
Does all this mean environmental concerns have been forgotten? Some activists suggest people have been led to believe that a lot of dangers to the environment have gone away. “I guess people believe that the problem is taken care of, because of recycling (回收利用)?” said Kelly Quirke, director of the Rainforest Action Network in San Francisco. Yet Quirke is hopeful that high-tech may also prove helpful. He says printers that print on both sides are growing in popularity. The action group has also found acceptable paper made from materials other than wood, such as agricultural waste. The growing demand for paper in recent years is largely due to ____.
| A．the rapid development of small businesses | B．the opening up of new markets |
| C．the printing of high quality copies | D．the increased use of the Internet |
Environmentalists believe one possible way of dealing with the paper situation is ____.
| A．to encourage printing more quality documents | B．to develop new printers using recycled paper |
| C．to find new materials for making paper | D．to plant more fast-growing trees |
Hewlett-Packard Co. has decided to develop new technologies because ____.
| A．people are concerned about the environment | B．printers in many offices are working overtime |
| C．small companies need more hard copies | D．they see a growing market for printers |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Computers and Printers | B．E-mail and the Business World |
| C．Internet Revolution and Environment | D．Modern Technology and New Markets |
In 1918, after four years of war which had left millions of people dead, the people alive began to look for a better and happier world. The cinema supplied an answer. For little money, people could forget their unhappy lives and dream of better ones. In the years between 1918 and 1939, going to the cinema became the most popular family free-time activity.
Hollywood in America, made more films than any other film center in the world. The warm climate and long hours of sunlight meant that film-making was easy and quite cheap. This was also a rich part of America and there were many businessmen who wanted to make money from the film industry. At first short cowboy films were popular because they added excitement and adventure to people’s lives. Later comedy films were made so that people could laugh and forget their troubles.
Charlie Chaplin was probably the most liked of all comedy actors. Cinema became the most popular in people’s free time because ____.
| A．it was cheap | B．it was safe |
| C．it could make people happy | D．both A and C |
Which, according to the writer, is true?
| A．Hollywood made more films than some film centers in the world. |
| B．Many businessmen came to Hollywood in order to make films. |
| C．Hollywood was not the biggest producer of films in the world. |
| D．No other film center made more films than Hollywood did. |
Hollywood became a film center because ____.
| A．film-making there was cheap and easy | B．it enjoyed long hours of sunlight |
| C．it was a rich part of America | D．many businessmen went there |
A “comedy” is something that is ____.
| A．funny | B．exciting | C．full of danger | D．Sad |
Televisiozn —— that most widespread and persuasive of modern technologies, marked by rapid change and growth —— is moving into a new era, an era of extraordinary advancement and diversity, which promises to reshape our lives and our world. It is an electronic revolution, made possible by the marriage of television and computer technologies.
The word ‘television’, coming from its Greek ( tele: distant) and Latin ( vision: sight) roots, can literally be interpreted as sight from a distance. Very simply put, it works in this way: through an advanced system of electronics, television provides the capability of changing an image ( focused on a special photoconductive plate within a camera ) into electronic impulses, which can be sent through a wire or cable. These impulses, when fed into a receiver (television set), can then be electronically reorganized into that same image.
Television is more than just an electronics system, however. It is a means of expression, as well as a tool for communication, and as such becomes a powerful tool for reaching other human beings. The field of television can be divided into two categories determined by its means of transmission(播送，中转). First, there is broadcast television, which reaches the masses through airwave transmission of television signals. Second, there is nonbroadcast television, which provides for the needs of individuals or specific interest groups through controlled transmission techniques.
Traditionally, television has been a medium of the masses. We are most familiar with broadcast television because it has been with us for about thirty-seven years in a form similar to that exists today. During those years, it has been controlled, for the most part, by the broadcast networks, ABC, NBC, and CBS, who have been the major providers of news, information, and entertainment. These giants of broadcasting have actually shaped not only television but our understanding of it as well. We have come to look upon the picture tube as a source of entertainment, placing our role in this dynamic medium as the passive viewer. What seems to be the best title for the passage?
| A．A Powerful Tool of Entertainment. | B．The Means of Transmission of TV. |
| C．TV: Its Working Rules and Functions. | D．A Brief Introduction to the Development of TV. |
The rapid change and growth of TV is due to the contributions of ____ .
| A．computer technologies | B．a new means of transmission |
| C．a powerful vehicle of communication | D．TV giants like ABC, NBC and CBS |
The use of the second means of transmission is to meet the requirements of ____.
| A．the people especially interested in nonbroadcast program. |
| B．certain groups of people. |
| C．the people with a special interest in cable TV. |
| D．the people interested in controlled transmission techniques. |
The underlined “very simply put” in Paragraph 2 means ____.
| A．when it is simply put down | B．when it is put to simple tasks |
| C．if it is put to simple uses | D．if it is expressed in a simply way |