The average British 22 year-old has more than 1,000 online friends on sites like Facebook, compared to those in their fifties who have fewer than 20, according to a new study.
The “Facebookgeneration gap” has been highlighted in a new piece of research which shows that the average 22 year-old claims to have 1,000 or more friends on sites like Facebook.
People in their twenties have more than 50 times as many digital friends as those who are over 50 years old, despite the popularity of sites like Facebook with the older generations, says a study conducted by consumer research group Intersperience.
The news comes during the same week Facebook's second-in command, Sheryl Sandberg, is visiting the UK to deliver a speech at the London School of Economics.
Facebook's chief operating officer is going to speak about how the social web has transformed people's friendships and relationships.
The survey found that there was a clear link between people's age and the number of online friends they have．The researchers found that those aged 13 to 16, have an average of 450 friends on social networks, with girls having slightly more friends that boys．People in their thirties tend to have between 100 and 200 friends, while those in their forties have between 50 and 100.
However, those using sites such as Facebook over the age of 50, tended to have 20 or less friends．The oldest person surveyed was 70 years old.
Paul Hudson, Intersperience's chief executive, said: "Our research underlines fundamental （根本的）changes taking place in British society as a result of finally entering the digital age．Half of the UK population are on Facebook now．In a social media context, a 'friend' means something different to a 20 year old than to a 50 year old."
He added: “Social networking activity is just one example of how different groups are adapting to the digital age at different paces．In this case, age is the determining factor - however in other instances it is not.”Which is the determining factor in social networking activity?
| A．Gender | B．Age | C．Relationship | D．Pace |
What can we learn from the survey?
| A．The older a person is, the less online friends he may have |
| B．Girls have remarkably more friends than boys |
| C．People in their thirties tend to have between 50 and 100 friends |
| D．The link between people’s age and the number of online friends they have is not clear |
According to the passage, the following statements are True except .
| A．The oldest people surveyed is 70 |
| B．Paul Hudson will deliver a speech at the London School of Economics |
| C．Different groups are adapting to the digital age at different paces |
| D．Facebook is popular in UK now |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Social networking activity |
| B．The digital age |
| C．“Facebook generation gap”—Facebook generation has more than 1,000 friends |
| D．Changes taking place in British society |
Martha was busy with her job. She believed she had to work harder because she loved her father who was sick with cancer. She had to provide for his expensive medicines. Her brothers and sisters meanwhile stayed with their father most of the time. They bathed him, sang for him, spoon-fed(用匙喂) him or simply kept him company.
One day Martha was hurt. She overheard(无意中听到) her father telling her mother, "All our children love me except Martha."
"How can this be?" Martha thought. "Am I not the one killing myself in my work to have money to pay for his medicines? My brothers and sisters do not even provide their share in the expenses."
One night, as Martha was as usual late in going home, she saw her father was lying awake. She walked close to his bedsides. Her father held her hands and said, "I miss you. I don't have much time. Stay with me." And she stayed with her father holding his hand the whole night.
The next morning Martha said to everybody, "I have taken a leave of absence. I would like to be with father. I will bathe him and sing for him from now on." Her father had a beautiful smile. He knew Martha loved him, too.
As children, we need the presence of our loved ones. Adults need no less. I have observed my mother’s orchids(兰花). When she is away for a long time, they are unhealthy and many of them wither(干枯). But when she is around , they bloom with beautiful flowers. My mother does nothing special . She just spends her time looking after them.Before Martha heard her parents’ talk ,she thought her father _____.
| A．was satisfied with her love for him |
| B．disliked her brothers and sisters |
| C．was proud of her |
| D．would recover from the disease |
After staying with her father for one night, Martha _____.
| A．decided to give up her job |
| B．understood what her father really needed |
| C．realized her father loved her most |
| D．loved her father more than before |
By telling Matha’s story, what does the author try to express?
| A．Nothing is more important than the company of loved ones. |
| B．Money and a successful career don’t always bring happiness |
| C．Adults need the presence of their loved ones more than children do. |
| D．Plants like orchids do have feelings. |
About ten years ago when I was an undergraduate in college. I was working as a practice student at my University's Museum of Natural History. One day while working at the cash register in the gift shop, I saw an elderly couple come in with a little girl in a wheelchair.
As I looked closer at this girl, I saw that she was kind of set on her chair. I then realized she had no arms or legs, just a head, neck and main body. She was wearing a little white dress with red dots.
As the couple wheeled her up to me, I was looking down at the register. I turned my head toward the girl and gave her a wink(眨眼). As I took the money from her grandparents, I looked back at the girl, who was giving me the cutest(可爱的), largest smile I have ever seen.
All of a sudden her handicap (残疾)was gone and all I saw was this beautiful girl, whose smile just melted me and gave me a completely new sense of what life is all about. She took me from a poor, unhappy college student and brought me into her world--- a world of smiles, love and warmth.
That was ten years ago. I'm a successful business person now and whenever I feel down and think about the troubles of the world, I think about that little girl and the remarkable lesson about life that she taught me.What do we know about the author?
| A．He graduated from Natural History University. |
| B．He majored in Natural History at university . |
| C．He ran a gift shop in the university |
| D．He is a successful businessman |
When the author looked again, he saw that the little girl____.
| A．was wearing a beautiful red dress |
| B．wasn’t able to move in the wheelchair |
| C．was badly injured |
| D．was only able to smile |
In the author’s opinion, the little girl was not disabled at all because ______.
| A．she told everyone how to live a good life |
| B．she offered him suppport in his business |
| C．she could take good care of herself |
| D．she had a strong spirit |
What would be the best title for his passage?
| A．World of smiles | B．Love of a girl |
| C．A badly disabled girl | D．Secret of a businessman |
On 27th February 2008, something very unusual happened in the UK; there was a rather large earthquake. It was the biggest earthquake in 25 years in the UK. There have been very small tremors in the past but they pale into insignificance compared to this one.
It was felt in a large area across the country too, from as far north as Edinburgh in Scotland to as far south as Plymouth on the south coast of England.
The epicenter of the earthquake was in a small town in Lincolnshire, which is an area about two and a half to three hours north of London by car. A magnitude of 5.2 was registered on the Richter scale.
There were lots of reports in the news from people who felt the earth move. One man said, "We had loads of vibrating and wall shaking and stuff, noise coming off the roof. I came outside – the chimney's on the floor!"
A collapsed chimney was the cause of what was probably the worst injury from the earthquake; a man broke his pelvis when the chimney fell on him.
Another man who spoke to the BBC described the moment the earthquake occurred, "Everything was shaking. As soon as it happened we all went outside and saw everyone else down the street, coming out and just realized it was an earthquake."
The huge rumble, which was felt by a lot of people, surprisingly caused very little structural damage to property.
Most British people would be surprised to learn that there are 200-300 earthquakes in Britain every year, but most of them are so small, they go unnoticed. The magnitude of this earthquake is fairly small in comparison to some other natural disasters that have made international news, but for the people affected, it certainly came as quite a surprise.
60. Before this earthquake _______.
A. there was no signs of any shakings at all.
B. people did not feel anything unusual.
C. many people realized there would be a bigger one to come.
D. some small quakes were only too small to be ignored.
61. From this passage we know ______ is in the south of Great Britain.
A. LincolnshireB. Edinburgh
C. Plymouth D. Scotland
62. This earthquake _____.
A. hardly caused any damages to the people’s belongings..
B. brought down many buildings in England.
C. scared many people to death.
D. made the world greatly surprised.
63. After reading this passage we can infer_______.
A. people in England faced the earthquake bravely.
B. this earthquake seemed to be felt all over Great Britain.
C. this earthquake is the biggest one in history.
D. the chimneys in Britain are the most poorly built parts of the houses.
Speaking of Copenhagen, what do you think of? The little Mermaid, the fairy tale writer H.C. Anderson, the COP15 meetings , or a city where people bike even though they have cars.
When landing on Copenhagen Tasstrup Airport, you can see numbers of white propeller generators standing in the blue waterfront. The constant moving paddles are producing renewable energy to the city. During the recent Climate Change Conference, the city was introduced to the world as an example of climate-friendly city. Evidences other than wind power stations were obvious everywhere.
While private cars can be a great source of pollution in other cities, the main form of transport in the capital of Denmark is, however, public transportation. By public transportation, I mean one of very good quality. Buses are usually Volvo and most of the traffic lights are of Siemens. Additionally, buses, metros and intercity-trains (named S-train) are well equipped, constantly maintained, special and good-looking. The seats in the trains are of sofa-designed. Sticky gum or dirty spot rarely appear. Thanks to a small population, it is much easier to maintain the condition of the vehicles. Free wireless internet service is provided in S-trains. Seats are always possible even at rush hours if the passenger is patient enough to look for it. Taking the convenience for granted, Danish people find it hard to imagine how the metro in Tokyo can be as crowded as a “sardin can”. Pets and baby-wagons are allowed in buses, subways and S-trains. All the facilities enable better service to bigger passenger group. It is also notable that the mass transit uses green fuels and electricity.
Cars are common in Copenhagen, but people have an alternative of short distance transport: bikes. Denmark is known as bike-friendly for many reasons, such as flat land, splendid cycle ways, and the Danish fond of motion. But please be aware that riding a bike in Copenhagen is not like biking in Beijing. First of all, it is quite speedy. Many people ride to work every morning. Punctuality is important and they have to ride as fast as possible to be on time. So why not speed up? Not my philosophy. As a result, I am often hastened by impatient riders who unfortunately piled up after me. Second, considering the speed, bike helmets, front and back lights and other necessary accessories are required. Riders need to set a white light in the front of the bike and red light at the back. One may end up with a big fine if not riding with them.
72. In the passage we get to know that _____.
all energy come from wind power stations
different kinds of green energy keep this city running
a lot of electricity is imported from other countries
people in this city use little energy
73. S-trains are a kind of transportation______.
A. which send their passengers from one city to another.
B. which uses wind to run their ways
C. which is the only way for you to go from one city to another.
D. which you are not allowed to take if you take a pet.
74. In the last paragraph what does “Punctuality” mean?
A. Being fit B. Not being scolded C. Not being late D. Speeding
75. In Copenhagen if you ride too slow ,_____
A. you will be fined by police.
B. it means that you need to buy a better bike.
C. you may block the traffic flow.
D. many bike riders will shout at you.
In a recently published book , I came across some exercises with interesting names such as fishbone diagrams , lotus flowers and clustering . As I used these exercises in my classes , I noticed that students were interested . They said more and wrote more . They enjoyed expressing their ideas and sharing them in groups .They were no longer passively waiting for the bell, but actively took part in the lesson . I find that creativity can act as a way to increase participation and improve fluency (流利程度).
Creativity has become a popular word in recent years . Scholars in the arts ,psychology (心理学), business , education , and science are all working to get a deeper understanding of it . Robert J. Sternberg is a creativity specialist and Yale professor of psychology . He defines creativity as “the ability to produce work that is both new (original )and appropriate (applicable to the situation )”. This definition is useful, as we want our students to use language in a new way , and to use it correctly and properly . Most scholars say there are two types of creativity : big “C” creativity and small “c” creativity. Big “C” creativity refers to genius level thinking that results in artistic masterpieces and scientific breakthroughs . Small “c” creativity refers to everyday level thinking that can be used in any situation . Our emphasis is on the latter . While it goes without saying that any of our students could go on to be the next Picasso or Edison , our aim is to help students produce more ideas and use language in new ways .
64．The underlined words “waiting for the bell” in the first paragraph probably mean .
A．longing for a phone call B．hoping to have a bell
C．expecting the end of the class D．wanting to speak in class
65．It can be inferred from the passage that the author thought the exercises in the book were .
A．popular B．useful C．scientific D．creative
66．When you use a very familiar word in a new way , you are .
A．creative in the sense of big “C” creativity
B．creative in the sense of small “c” creativity
C．not creative in the sense of big “c” creativity
D．not creative in the sense of small “c” creativity
67．The main purpose of the passage is to .
A．show how useful the book is B．explain what creativity is
C．discuss how one can be creative D．tell what teaching aims at