As Internet users become more dependent on the Internet to store information, are people remember less? If you know your computer will save information, why store it in your own personal memory, your brain? Experts are wondering if the Internet is changing what we remember and how.
In a recent study, Professor Betsy Sparrow conducted some experiments. She and her research team wanted to know the Internet is changing memory. In the first experiment, they gave people 40 unimportant facts to type into a computer. The first group of people understood that the computer would save the information. The second group understood that the computer would not save it. Later, the second group remembered the information better. People in the first group knew they could find the information again, so they did not try to remember it.
In another experiment, the researchers gave people facts to remember, and told them where to find the information on the Internet. The information was in a specific computer folder (文件夹). Surprisingly, people later remember the folder location (位置) better than the facts. When people use the Internet, they do not remember the information. Rather, they remember how to find it. This is called "transactive memory (交互记忆)".
According to Sparrow, we are not becoming people with poor memories as a result of the Internet. Instead, computer users are developing stronger transactive memories; that is, people are learning how to organize huge quantities of information so that they are able to access it at a later date. This doesn't mean we are becoming either more or less intelligent, but there is no doubt that the way we use memory is changing.The passage begins with two questions to ______.
A.introduce the main topic |
B.show the author's altitude |
C.describe how to use the Interne. |
D.explain how to store information |
What can we learn about the first experiment?
A.Sparrow's team typed the information into a computer. |
B.The two groups remembered the information equally well. |
C.The first group did not try to remember the formation. |
D.The second group did not understand the information. |
In transactive memory, people ______.
A.keep the information in mind |
B.change the quantity of information |
C.organize information like a computer |
D.remember how to find the information |
What is the effect of the Internet according to Sparrow's research?
A.We are using memory differently. |
B.We are becoming more intelligent. |
C.We have poorer memories than before. |
D.We need a better way to access information. |
C
Odland remembers like it was yesterday working in an expensive French restaurant in Denver. The ice cream he was serving fell onto the white dress of a rich and important woman.
Thirty years have passed, but Odland can’t get the memory out of his mind, nor the woman’s kind reaction (反应) . She was shocked, regained calmness and, in a kind voice, told the young Odland. “It’s OK. It wasn’t your fault.” When she left the restaurant, she also left the future Fortune 500 CEO (总裁) with a life lesson: You can tell a lot about a person by the way he or she treats the waiter.
Odland isn’t the only CEO to have made this discovery. Rather, it seems to be one of those few laws of the land that every CEO learns on the way up. It’s hard to get a dozen CEO’s to agree about anything, but most agree with the Waiter Rule. They say how others treat the CEO says nothing. But how others treat the waiter is like a window into the soul.
Watch out for anyone who pulls out the power card to say something like, “I could but this place and fire you,” or“I know the owner and I could have you fired.” Those who say such things have shown more about their character(人品) than about their wealth and Power.
The CEO who came up with it, or at least first wrote it down, is Raytheon CEO Bill Swanson. He wrote a best-selling book called, Swanson’s Unwritten Rules of Management.
“A person who is nice to you but rude to the waiter, or to others, is not a nice person,” Swanson says. “I will never offer a job to the person who is sweet to the boss but turns rode to someone cleaning the tables.”
49. What happened after Odland dropped the ice cream onto the woman’s dress?
A. He was fired. B. He was blamed.
C. The woman comforted him. D. The woman left the restaurant at once.
50. Odland leaned one of his life lessons from ________.
A. his experience as a waiter. B. the advice given by the CEOs
C. an article in Fortune D. an interesting best-selling book
51. According to the text, most CEOs have the same opinion about __________.
A. Fortune 500 companies B. the Management Rules
C. Swanson’s book D. the Waiter Rule
52. From the text can learn that __________.
A. one should be nicer to important people B. CEOs often show their power before others
C. one should respect others no matter who they are
D. CEOs often have meals in expensive restaurants
A
Growing up in Philadelphia, Lieberman started cooking with his stay-at-home dad when he was seven. His food-loving family had two kitchens, and he quickly learned what was the best way to bake his cakes. Lieberman improved his kitchen skills greatly during a year abroad before college, learning from a cook in Italy and studying local specialties(地方特色菜) in Germany, Spain and France. At Yale, he was known for throwing dinner parties, single-handedly frying and baking while mixing drinks for dozens of friends. Just for fun, he and some friends decided to tape a show named Campus Cuisine about his cooking. Lieberman was a real college student showing his classmates how to do things like make drinks out of dining-hall fruit. That helped the show become very popular among the students. They would stop Lieberman after classes to ask for his advice on cooking. Tapes of the show were passed around, with which his name went beyond the school and finally to the Food Network.
Food Network producer Flay hopes the young cook will find a place on the network television. He says Lieberman’s charisma is key. “Food TV isn’t about food anymore,” says Flay “Its about your personality (个性) and finding a way to keep people’s eyeballs on your show.”
But Lieberman isn’t putting all his eggs in one basket. After taping the first season of the new how, Lieberman was back in his won small kitchen preparing sandwiches. An airline company (航空公司)was looking for some one to come up with a tasteful, inexpensive and easy-to-make menu to serve on its flights, Lieberman got the job.
41. We can learn from the text that Lieberman’s family__________.
A. have relatives in Europe B. love cooking at home
C. often hold parties D. own a restaurant
42. The Food Network got to know Lieberman _______.
A. at one of his parties B. from his teachers
C. through his taped show D. on a television program
43. What does the word “charisma” underlined in the text refer to?
A. A natural ability to attract others. B. A way to show one’s achievement.
C. Lieberman’s after-class interest. D. Lieberman’s fine cooking skill.
44. Why did the airline company give Lieberman the job?
A. He could prepare meals in a small kitchen. B. He was famous for his shows on Food TV.
C. He was good at using eggs to make sandwiches.
D. He could cook cheap, delicious and simple meals.
45. What can we learn about Lieberman from the text?.
A. He is clever but lonely. B. he is friendly and active.
C. He enjoys traveling around. D. He often changes his menus.
(2007年普通高等学校夏季招生考试英语(全国Ⅰ))C
Our “Mommy and Me” time began two years ago. My next-door neighbor and fellow mother, Christie, and I were out in our front yards, watching seven children of age 6 and under ride their bikes up and down. “I wish I could take one of my children out alone,” said Christie.
Then we worked out a plan: When Christie takes one of her children out, I’ll watch her other three. And when she watches two of mine, I’ll take someone out.
The children were extremely quick to accept the idea of “Mommy and Me” time. Christie’s daughter, McKenzie, went first. When she returned, the other children showered her with tons of questions. McKenzie was smiling broadly. Christie looked refreshed and happy. “She’s like a different child when there’s no one else around,” Christie shared with me quickly. With her mother all to herself, McKenzie didn’t have to make an effort to gain attention.
Just as Christie had noticed changes in McKenzie, I also discovered something different in each of my children during our alone times. For example, I am always surprised when my daughter, who is seldom close to me, holds my hand frequently. My stuttering(口吃的)son, Tom, doesn’t stutter once during our activities since he doesn’t have to struggle for a chance to speak. And the other son, Sam, who’s always a follower when around other children shines as a leader during our times together.
The “Mommy and Me” time allows us to be simply alone and away with each child —talking, sharing, and laughing, which has been the biggest gain. Every child deserves(应得到)to be an only child at least once in a while. 64. What is the text mainly about?
A. The experience of the only child being with mother.
B. The advantage of spending time with one child at a time.
C. The happy life of two families.
D. The basic needs of children.
65. Right after McKenzie came back, the other children were _____________.
A. happy B. curious C. regretful D. friendly
66. What is one of the changes the author finds in her children?
A. The daughter acts like a leader. B. Sam holds her hand more often.
C. The boys become better followers. D. Tom has less difficulty in speaking.
67. The author seems to believe that ___________.
A. having brothers and sisters is fun
B. it’s tiring to look after three children
C. every child needs parents’ full attention
D. parents should watch others’ children
It was a winter morning, just a couple of weeks before Christmas 2005. While most people were warming up their cars, Trevor, my husband, had to get up early to ride his bike four kilometers away from home to work. On arrival, he parked his bike outside the back door as he usually does. After putting in 10 hours of labor, he returned to find his bike gone.
The bike, a black Kona 18 speed, was our only transport. Trevor used it to get to work, putting in 60-hour weeks to support his young family. And the bike was also used to get groceries(食品杂货),saving us from having to walk long distances from where we live.
I was so sad that someone would steal our bike that I wrote to the newspaper and told them our story. Shortly after that, several people in our area offered to help. One wonderful stranger even bought a bike, then called my husband to pick it up. Once again my husband had a way to get to and from his job. It really is an honor that a complete stranger would go out of their way for someone they have never met before.
People say that a smile can be passed from one person to another, but acts of kindness from strangers are even more so. This experience has had a spreading effect in our lives because it strengthened our faith in humanity(人性)as a whole. And it has influenced(影响)us to be more mindful of ways we, too, can share with others. No matter how big or how small, an act of kindness shows that someone cares. And the results can be everlasting.
56. Why was the bike so important to the couple?
A. The man’s job was bike racing. B. It was their only possession.
C. It was a nice Kona 18 speed. D. They used it for work and daily life.
57. We can infer from the text that ____________.
A. the couple worked 60 hours a week. B. people were busy before Christmas
C. the stranger brought over the bike D. life was hard for the young family.
58. How did people get to know the couple’s problem?
A. From radio broadcasts. B. From a newspaper.
C. From TV news. D. From a stranger.
59. What do the couple learn from their experience?
A. Strangers are usually of little help. B. One should take care of their bike.
C. News reports make people famous. D. An act of kindness can mean a lot.
A press report stating that Microsoft has restarted talks to buy Yahoo's search business for 20 billion U. S. dollars. "It has no basis in fact," the San Francisco Chronicle said on Monday.
The Times of London reported on Sunday that the deal under discussion would put former AOL CEO Jonathan Miller and Ross Levinsohn, a former president of Fox Interactive Media, in charge of Yahoo. The report also said executives (管理人员) at both companies had agreed to the broad terms of a deal.
In fact, there are no current talks between the two companies. The Chronicle quoted an executive at one of the firms who requested his name to be kept secret as saying. Furthermore, the 20-billion-dollar price mentioned in the Times of London article for Yahoo's search business appears questionable given that the market capitalization (资本总额) for all of Yahoo is 16 billion dollars, said The Chronicle.
Yahoo and Microsoft had had on-again, off-again talks over several months earlier this year about a 47. 5-billion-dollar takeover, and later a proposal focused only on Yahoo's search business. Discussions regarding both plans collapsed without an agreement.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has said repeatedly that he is no longer interested in buying all of Yahoo, but that he is open to some sort of partnership involving their respective search businesses.
Brad Williams, a Yahoo spokesman, said Sunday "We don't comment on rumors." Frank Shaw, a Microsoft spokesman, declined to comment.
Yahoo's shares have plummeted since Microsoft withdrew its 33-dollar-a-share acquisition offer earlier this year, leaving people to think that discussions would eventually be restarted. Yahoo's shares closed Friday at 11. 51 dollars, nearly one-third of the original offer.
1. From this passage, we can know that ______.
A.Microsoft has given up buying all of Yahoo but its search business |
B.Microsoft has already taken over the whole company of Yahoo |
C.the market capitalization for all of Yahoo is over $ 20 billion |
D.the market capitalization for all of Microsoft is only $ 6 billion |
2. What is the author trying to convince readers of in the third paragraph?
A.Yahoo and Microsoft are talking about takeover. |
B.Microsoft is buying Yahoo’s search businesses for $ 20 billion. |
C.Yahoo would like to sell its search businesses to another company. |
D.There are no current talks between Yahoo and Microsoft. |
3. What does the underlined word “plummet” in the passage most probably mean?
A.develop rapidly | B.increase quickly | C.fall quickly | D.keep balanced |
4. You can find this passage most probably in ______ .
A.an entertainment website | B.an economical newspaper |
C.a sports magazine | D.a biological dictionary |