The most frightening words in the English language are, “Our computer is down.” You hear it more and more when you are on business. The other day I was at the airport waiting for a ticket to Washington and the girl in the ticket office said, “I’m sorry, I can’t sell you a ticket. Our computer is down.”
“If your computer is down, just write me out a ticket.”
“I can’t write you out a ticket. The computer is the only one allowed to do so.”
I noticed every passenger was just standing there drinking coffee and staring at the black screen. Then I looked down on the computer and asked her, “What do all you people do?”
“We give the computer the information about your trip, and then it tells us whether you can fly with us or not.”
“So when it goes down, you go down with it.”
“That’s good, sir.”
“How long will the computer be down? I wanted to know.”
“I have no idea. Sometimes it’s down for 10 minutes, sometimes for two hours. There’s no way we can find out without asking the computer, and since it’s down it won’t answer us.”
After the girl told me they had no backup computer, I said. “Let’s forget the computer—What about your planes? They are still flying, aren’t they?”
“I couldn’t tell without asking the computer.”
“Maybe I could, just go to the gate and ask the pilot if he is flying to Washington,” I suggested.
“I wouldn’t know what gate to send you to. Even if the pilot was going to Washington, he couldn’t take you if you didn’t have a ticket.”
“Is there any other airline flying to Washington within the next few hours?”
“I wouldn’t know,” she said, pointing at the dark screen. “Only ‘IT’ knows. It can’t tell me.”
By this time there were quite a few people standing in lines. The words soon spread to other travelers that the computer was down. Some people went white, some people started to cry and still others kicked their luggage.Where do you often hear the frightening words “Our computer is down”?
| A．at the airport. | B．At the gate. |
| C．On business | D．In the ticket office |
What could the girl in the ticket office do without asking the computer?
| A．She could do nothing. |
| B．She could write out a ticket. |
| C．She could still sell a ticket. |
| D．She could answer passengers’ questions. |
What does the underlined word “down” in Paragraph 1 mean?
| A．White | B．Broken | C．Black | D．Dark |
We can learn from the last paragraph that .
| A．a modern computer won’t be down |
| B．computers can take the place of human |
| C．there will be great changes in computers |
| D．sometimes a computer may bring suffering to people |
Every year thousands of tourists visit Pompeii, Italy. They see the sights that Pompeii is famous for ― its stadium (露天大型运动场) and theatres, its shops and restaurants. The tourists do not, however, see Pompeii’s people. They do not see them because Pompeii has no people. No one has lived in Pompeii for almost 2000 years. Once, Pompeii was a busy city of 22000 people. It lay at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, a grass-covered volcano . Mount Vesuvius had not erupted for centuries, so the people of Pompeii felt safe. But they were not.
In August of AD 79, Mount Vesuvius erupted. The entire top of the mountain exploded, and a huge black cloud rose into the air. Soon stones and hot ash began to fall on Pompeii. When the eruption ended two days later, Pompeii was buried under 20 feet of stones and ashes. Almost all of its people were dead.
For centuries, Pompeii lay buried under stone and ash. Then, in the year 1861, an Italian scientist named Ginseppe began to uncover Pompeii. Slowly, carefully, Ginseppe and his men dug. The city looked almost the same as it had looked in AD 79. There were streets and fountains（喷泉）, houses and shops. There was a stadium with 20000 seats. Perhaps the most important of all, there were everyday objects, which tell us a great deal about the people who lived in Pompeii. Many glasses and jars had some dark blue colour in the bottom, so we know that the people of Pompeii liked wine. They liked bread, too; metal bread pans were in every bakery. In one bakery there were 81 round, flat loaves of bread ― a type of bread that is still sold in Italy today. Tiny boxes filled with a dark, shiny powder tell us that women liked to wear eye makeup.
Ginseppe has died, but his work continues. One-fourth has not been uncovered yet. Scientists are still digging, still making discoveries that draw the tourists to Pompeii.Why do large numbers of people come to Pompeii each year?
| A．To visit the volcano | B．To shop and eat there |
| C．To watch sports and plays | D．To watch how Pompeiians lived |
Why had so many Pompeiians remained by volcanic Mount Vesuvius?
| A．The city nearby offered all kinds of fun. |
| B．The area produced the finest wine in Italy. |
| C．Few people expected the volcano to erupt again. |
| D．The mountain was beautiful and covered with grass. |
Why did the city uncovered look almost the same as it had looked in AD 79?
| A．Because Ginseppe and his men dug it slowly and carefully. |
| B．Because the city was buried alive and remained untouched. |
| C．Because scientists successfully rebuilt the city with everyday objects. |
| D．Because nobody had lived in the city ever since the volcano erupted. |
What do we know about the Pompeiians who lived 2000 years ago?
| A．They lived more or less the same as Italians now do. |
| B．They liked women wearing all kinds of makeup. |
| C．They enjoyed a good life with drinking and eating. |
| D．They went back to Pompeii after the eruption in AD 79. |
A gentleman put an advertisement in a newspaper for a boy to work in his office. Out of the nearly fifty men who come to apply, the man selected one and dismissed the others.
“I should like to know,” said a friend, “the reason you preferred that boy, who brought not a single letter—not a recommendation (介绍信)，”
“You are wrong” said the gentleman. He had a great man. He wiped his feet at the door and closed the door after him, indicating that he was careful. He gave his seat immediately to that old man, showing that he was kind and thoughtful. He took off his cap when he came in and answered my questions, showing that he was polite and gentlemanly.
“ All the rest stepped over the book which I had purposely put on the floor.” He picked it up and placed it on the table; and he waited quietly for his turn instead of pushing and crowding.
When I asked to him, I noticed his tidy clothing, his neatly brushed hair, and his clean fingernails. “ Can’t you see that these things are excellent recommendations? I consider them more significant than letters.”A gentleman put an advertisement in a newspaper___________
| A．in order to hire an office boy |
| B．so as to dismiss the others |
| C．in order to select one among the fifty applicants |
| D．so as to select one and dismiss the others |
The underlined word “indicating” probably means ________.
| A．that is | B．and of course | C．so | D．suggesting |
___________ was the very person the gentleman preferred.
| A．He who has a great many letters |
| B．He who had no letters |
| C．He who wiped his feet before entering the room |
| D．he who was careful, kind , polite and thoughtful |
The gentleman dismissed the other boys because_________.
| A．they didn’t pick up the book lying on the floor |
| B．they pushed and crowded |
| C．they were impolite |
| D．all the above |
According to the passage, we know that the gentleman hired the boy______.
| A．not by his letters but by his good manners |
| B．by the relationship between them |
| C．by the feelings |
| D．by his letters |
Fear plays no part in this latest problem．“I’m not afraid I’ll lose my children．I won’t lose my children. We live together, and nothing, nothing,” she repeats, her voice rising when speaking to John’s lawyer, “will stop me from being with my children. A law? Yeah, right. Don’t disturb me when it comes to my children. You are never going to win. If John wants to see them, I cannot stop him. He’s their father—I want them to see him! However, his visit in his present condition will disturb the children’s stable (稳定的) life．”
John, who has spent much of his time in California, recently, has only hired a house for himself in Pennsylvania, according to his lawyer. "If he’d like to stick to a regular life, I’d be more than happy to do that，" Jane says. "The best thing for any child of a divorced (离婚的) parent is a stable life. I want nothing more than for him to set up a stable life for himself, so that he can be part of making our children’s lives more stable. "
While matters of money and care won’t be settled for weeks, Jane hardly puts her life on hold. Last week the ABC network announced that Jane would return with her own show, Twist of Jane, in which she gives advice to other moms．Jane and her eight children will also return to ABC in a series of Jane Plus 8 specials showing them on various adventures．It’s a rest for Jane, who insists that she needs her new，busy life to provide for her family．“I have to lead such a life, and I’m thankful that I’ve built it to the top where now I can support my children．”she says．
And whether a bellicose(好斗的)dance judge or a bellicose former wife, Jane plans to keep on facing attacks on her. “Some people try to knock me down—only to make me more fierce，more protective，more determined to do better，”she says．“Go ahead, take me on. This will just make me stronger．”According to Jane in the first paragraph, the law
| A．can’t take her children away from her |
| B．can’t do anything with the case |
| C．will best settle the problem |
| D．will disturb her children |
What does “to do that” refer to in the second paragraph?
| A．To live with John． |
| B．To hire a house for John． |
| C．To allow John to see the children |
| D．To ask John to set up a regular life. |
What does the underlined sentence in the third paragraph mean?
| A．Jane’s life is very difficult． |
| B．Jane continues to live as usual． |
| C．Jane almost can’t control her lire |
| D．Jane works very hard to live a happy life． |
Which word can best describe Jane?
| A．Proud． |
| B．Fierce． |
| C．Determined． |
| D．Independent |
Somali pirates(海盗) robbed three Thai fishing ships with 77 sailors on board nearly l,200 Miles off the Somali coast，the farthest-off-shore attack to date，an officer said Tuesday.
Pirates have gone farther south and east in answer to increased patrols(巡逻) by warships off the Somali shore. The robbing of the three ships Sunday was about 600 miles outside the normal operation area for the international force，said a spokesman．
The spokesman said the attack so far out at sea was a clear sign that the international patrols against pirates were having a “marked effect on pirate activity in the area”．
“Once they start attacking that far out，you’re not even really talking about the Somali basin or areas of water that have any connection with Somalia,” said an officer，Roger Middleton．“Once you’re that far out, it’s just the Indian Ocean，and it means you’re looking at trade going from the Gulf to Asia，from Asia to South Africa.”
"This is the farthest robbing to date．They are now operating near the Maldives and India,” said another officer．
The three ships--the MV Prantalay 11，12，and l 4—had 77 members on board in total．All of them are Thai, the spokesman said．Before the Sunday robbing，pirates held 11 ships and 228 sailors．
Pirates have increased attacks over the past year in hopes of catching more dollar payments. Because of increased patrols and defenses on board ships，the success rate(率)has gone down，though the number of successful attacks has stayed the same year over year.The pirate attack reported in the text happened．
| A．far out in the Indian Ocean |
| B．in the normal patrol area |
| C．near the Somali, coast |
| D．in the south of Africa |
According to the text, which can best describe the situation of the pirate problems?
| A．More goods on board are lost. |
| B．Pirate attacks happen in a larger area now. |
| C．The number of attacks has stayed the same these years. |
| D．Pirate attacks are as serious as before along the Somali coast. |
Which is true about the warship patrols according to the text?
| A．The patrols are of little effect. |
| B．The patrols are more difficult. |
| C．More patrols are quite necessary even in Asia. |
| D．The patrols only drive the pirates to other areas. |
How many sailors were held by the pirates before the time of the report?
| A．228. | B．77. | C．383. | D．305. |
Alex London Research Laboratory (ALRL) is part of Alex Co., Ltd., a major Australian medicine-making company. Opened in 1992, ALRL specializes in the development of new medicines for the treatment of heart diseases．
A position is now open for a Research Operations Manager(ROM) to support our growing research team at the new laboratories in Hatfield，due to open in the autumn of 2010．
Reporting to the Director，you will help set up and run the technical and scientific support services of our new laboratories now under construction．You will be expected to provide expert knowledge about and be in charge of all areas of ALRL’S Health and Safety，and to communicate (沟通)with support employees at ALRL’S laboratories based at University College London. Working closely with scientists and other operations and technical employees, you will manage a small number of research support employees providing services to help with the research activities to be carried out at the new laboratories．
Candidates(申请人) will have experience of both management and research support／technical services．Knowledge of research operations and excellent communication skills are necessary. Education to degree level is also desirable．
If you are interested in this position，please send your CV(简历)to Alex London Research Laboratory，University College London，Hatfield，London，W1E 6B7 or by email to ALRL@alex.co.uk．
For more Information．please visit www.alex.co.uk．What can be learnt about the new laboratories from the text?
| A．They have not yet been set up． |
| B．They are in Hatfield，Australia． |
| C．They belong to University College London． |
| D．They are new workplaces for Australian researchers only． |
What are the duties of a ROM，according to the text?
| A．a，b，c． | B．a，b，d． |
| C．b，c，d． | D．a，c，d． |
What does the fourth paragraph mainly talk about?
| A．The technical skills of a would—be ROM． |
| B．The practical experience of a would—be ROM． |
| C．The personal information of a would—be ROM． |
| D．The necessary requirements for a would—be ROM． |
What is the purpose of the text?
| A．To describe the job of a ROM． |
| B．To provide information about ALRL． |
| C．To announce an open position at ALRL． |
| D．To make known the opening of the new laboratories． |