Very soon a computer will be able to teach you English. It will also be able to translate any language for you，too. It's just one more incredible result of the development of microprocessors - those tiny parts of a computer commonly known as "silicon chips". So give up going to classes, stop buying more textbooks and relax. In a couple of years you won't need the international language of English.
Already Texas Instruments in the United States is developing an electronic translation machine. Imagine a Spanish secretary, for example, who wants to type a letter from the boss to a businessman in Sweden. All he or she will have to do is this: first type the letter in Spanish. The letter will appear on a television screen. After a few seconds the translated letter will appear on another television screen in Stockholm in perfect Swedish.
And that's not all. Soon a computer will be able to teach you English, if you really want to learn the language. You'll sit in front of a television screen and practice endless structures. The computer will tell you when you are correct and when you are wrong. It will even talk to you because the silicon chips can change electrical impulses into sounds. And clever programmers can predict the responses you, the learner, are likely to make.
So think of it．You will be able to teach yourself at your own pace．You will waste very little time，and you can work at home．And if after all that，you still can't speak English，you can always use the translating machine．In a few years，therefore，perhaps there will be no need for BBC Modern English，or BBC English by Radio programmes - no more textbooks or teachers of English．Instead of buying an exciting new textbook，the computer will ask you to replace it with a microprocessor．Fast，reliable and efficient language learning and translating facilities will be available to you．Think of that，no more tears or embarrassing moments．One little problem is that a computer can't laugh yet - but the scientists are working on it．Happy learning！According to the writer, "you won't need the international language of English" because _____.
| A．learning English will no longer be a difficult task |
| B．textbooks are no longer necessary |
| C．it's better to buy a computer than to go to classes |
| D．the computer will be able to translate any language for you |
You will _____ if you use a computer to learn the language.
| A．waste much of your time |
| B． speak better English |
| C．need no translating machine |
| D．do everything at your own pace |
This passage is mainly about _____
| A．someone who learns English with the help of a computer |
| B．the computer teaching the language |
| C．fast, reliable and efficient language learning |
| D．what language learning could be like when computerized |
As a teenager, Simon Weston wasn’t particularly good at his studies, but he was a good football player. He could also be naughty sometimes so his mother decided Simon should join the army when he was sixteen to teach him some discipline(纪律).
She was right; Simon really enjoyed army life and became a well-respected member. However, Simon’s life was changed forever in 1982. Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, which belong to Britain, and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher declared war(宣战). Simon was on board a ship taking troops to the Falklands when it was attacked and set on fire. In an act of great heroism, Simon tried to save one of his friends from being burnt alive. Sadly, he failed and was seriously burnt himself. At the age of 21, Simon’s life seemed over.
Simon had 70 operations to rebuild his face and body. He was so badly burnt that his mother walked past him in the hospital without recognizing her son. Simon struggled to call out, “Mum, it’s me, Simon.” Hearing his voice, his mother broke down in tears. Many thought Simon would die, but to everyone’s astonishment, he survived. Although he experienced terrible pain, Simon never gave up hope. After months of treatment, Simon slowly started to recover and, although he would be terribly scarred for the rest of his life, he was able to leave hospital.
This was when the real battle started. The physical pain slowly disappeared; however, the emotional pain became worse. Simon started to gout but was wounded by the stares of people who looked at him like he was some kind of freak(畸形的人). He felt like saying, “I wasn’t born like this you know. I was injured defending my country.” It took great courage for Simon to continue to go out.
Eventually, Simon became involved in charity work and met his wife Lucy with whom he has three children. Life has never been the same for Simon but his Bravery is an example to us all.Simon’s mother wanted him to join the army because ________.
| A．he liked the life in the army |
| B．she wanted him to be fit |
| C．he was very good at playing sports |
| D．she felt it would change his behavior. |
What can we infer from the text about Simon?
| A．He succeeded in saving his friend in danger. |
| B．he became an excellent professional soldier. |
| C．he didn’t get along with other soldiers. |
| D．he found life in the army very terrible |
What does the underlined part “the real battle started ” in Paragraph 4 refer to ?
| A．Fighting against the physical pain. |
| B．The struggle to come out of hospital. |
| C．The misunderstanding by Simon’s mother. |
| D．Dealing with people’s unfriendly attitudes. |
Which of the following can best describe Simon?
| A．Aggressive and strong. | B．Calm and kind |
| C．Brave and generous | D．Strange and selfish. |
| Young Music Scene Concert Young musicians from all over Germany perform at Young Scene Concert at Berlin’s famous Quasimodo music hall. The concert is part of the Berlin Festival. Time: 15——20 Nov. Place: 45, 18756Berlin, Germany Cost: Various Email: info@quasimodo.de Phone: +34(0)45 839 5986 |
| Documentary Film Month Cinemas, schools and libraries across France and the French-speaking world take part in November’s Documentary Film Month. About 120, 000 visitors take part each year. Time: 1——20 Mar. Place: 25 Road Pyramids, 75001 Paris Cost: Various Phone: +12(0)1 43 38 1973 Email: info@paris-touristoffice.com |
| Craft Show You can come to the show twice a year, in spring and at Christmas. There are hundreds of artisans(手艺人) from across Canada selling jewellery, pottery, glass, ironwork and clothing. Time: 26 Nov. ——7 Dec. Mon.——Fri. 11 am——10 pm Sat. 10 am——8 pm Sun. 9 am——6 pm Place: Direct Energy Centre Cost: $ 10 Phone: +7 658 198 3245 Email: askus@oneofakindshow.com |
| Canada Blooms Toronto Garden and Flower Show The Canada Blooms Show every year at the Metro Toronto Convention Center is the country’s largest indoor garden show. Time: Mar. 9 am——6pm Sun. 11 am——5 pm Place: Metro Toronto Convention Center Cost: $ 18; under 12 free Phone: +1 235 4478768 Email: info@mtccc.com |
People can enjoy music at Young Scene Concert from________.
| A．1——20 Mar | B．15——20 Nov. |
| C．26 Nov.——7 Dec | D．1 Mar. ——20 Nov. |
You can e-mail ___________if you want to see Documentary Film.
| A．info@mtccc.com | B．askus@oneofakindshow.com |
| C．info@paris-touristoffice.com | D．info@quasimodo.de |
You can buy ________at the Craft Show.
| A．glass, ironwork and clothing |
| B．different kinds of flowers |
| C．classic music CDs |
| D．some books about film |
If two adults and two boys of 9 want to see Flower Show and Craft Show, it will cost them ________.
| A．$40 | B．$56 | C．$76 | D．$112 |
Which of the following is not true according to the passage?
| A．Young musicians from all over Germany perform at Quasimodo music hall. |
| B．Cinemas, schools and libraries across France take part in Documentary Film Month. |
| C．People can enjoy the Craft Show from 9 am to 6 pm on Sunday. |
| D．Toronto Garden and Flower Show is the world’s largest garden show. |
“Human beings are ruder today because they are rushed and more ‘time poor’ than ever before,” says Patsy Rowe, “ Manners have fallen off the radar(雷达).” Due to our strong attraction to electronic equipment it is a wonder more people don’t wake up each morning and greet the singing birds with a complaint（抱怨）about the noise. Here are some examples of rudeness.
Some people prefer to do almost everything over the internet. To them, dealing with an actual human is like an evolutionary step backward. It feels very slow because humans don’t work at 4G speeds. When you have dinner with friends, you will often notice someone paying more attention to his mobile phone. We have programmed ourselves to think that every new message brings life-changing news, so taking calls and checking our texts are more important than talking to the people we are with. What is worse, some people even tend to send anonymous（匿名的） rude messages by email.
However, rudeness is never acceptable, Don’t assume it is OK to be rude if the person you’re in touch with won’t recognize you. If you have something awful to say, have the courage to face the person and say it, write a letter or email and sign it, or forget it. Upsetting people with unsigned messages is cruel and disgusting.
We shouldn’t blame technology for our shortcomings.Technology is here to help us, but we should not allow it to take over our lives. An important step ia acknowledging our shortcomings.People spend a lot of time pointing out bad manners but it would be even more help if we′d publicly acknowledge good manners when we see them.What can be inferred from the underlined sentence in Paragraph I?
| A．People can tell good from bad behavior. |
| B．Radar is able to observe human behavior. |
| C．People care little about their behavior. |
| D．Radar can be used to predict human behavior. |
Some people are less willing to deal with humans because
| A．they are becoming less patient |
| B．they are growing too independent |
| C．they have to handle many important messages |
| D．they have to follow an evolutionary step backward. |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．We should applaud good behavior. |
| B．Technology can never be blamed |
| C．We should keep pointing out mistakes. |
| D．Technology will take over lives one day. |
When 19-year-old Sophia Giorgi said she was thinking of volunteering to help the Make-A-Wish Foundation (基金会)，nobody understood what she was talking about .But Sophia knew just how important Make – A –Wish could be because this special organization had helped to make a dream come true for one her best friends .We were interested in finding out more ,so we went along to meet Sophia listen to what she had to say .
Sophia told us that Make – A –Wish is a worldwide organization that started in the United States in 1980.”It’s a charity(慈善机构)that helps children who have got very serious illnesses. Make – A –Wish help children feel happy even though they are sick, by making their wishes and dreams come true ,” Sophia explained .
We asked Sophia how Make – A –Wish had first started .She said it had all begun with a very sick young boy called Chris ,who had been dreaming for a long time of becoming a policeman .Sophia said lots of people had wanted to find a way to make Chris’s dream come true ----so, with everybody’s help , Chris, only seven years old at the time ,had been a “policeman” for a day .” when people saw how delighted Chris was when his dream came true, they decided to try and help other sick children too ,and that was the beginning of Make – A –Wish,” explained Sophia
Sophia also told us the Foundation tries to give children and their families a special, happy time. A Make-A-Wish volunteer visits the families and asks the children what they would wish for if they could have anything in the world. Sophia said the volunteers were important because they were the ones who helped to make the wishes come true. They do this either by providing things that are necessary, or by raising money or helping out in whatever way they can.SophiafoundoutaboutMake-A-Wishbecauseherbestfriendhad.
| A．volunteeredtohelpit | B．benefitedfromit |
| C．dreamedaboutit | D．toldtheauthoraboutit |
AccordingtoSophia, Make-A-Wish.
| A．isaninternationalcharity |
| B．wasunderstoodbynobodyatfirst |
| C．raisesmoneyforverypoorfamilies |
| D．startedbydrawingtheinterestofthepublic |
What is said about Chris in Paragraph3?
| A．He has been a policeman since he was seven. |
| B．He gave people the idea of starting Make-A-Wish |
| C．He wanted people to help make his dream come true. |
| D．He was the first child Make-A-Wish helped after it had been set up. |
Which of the following is true about Make-A-Wish volunteers?
| A．They are important for making wishes come true. |
| B．They try to help children get over their illnesses. |
| C．They visit sick children to make them feel special. |
| D．They provide what is necessary to make Make-A-Wish popular. |
Using too much water or throwing rubbish into our rivers are clear ways that humans can put our water supply in danger ,but we also affect our water supply in less obvious ways .
You may wonder how paving(铺砌) a road can lead to less useable fresh water . A major part of the water we use every day is groundwater . Groundwater does not come from lakes or rivers .It came from underground . The more roads and parking lots we pave ,the less water can flow into the ground to become groundwater .
Human activity is not responsible for all water shortages(短缺). Drier climates are of course more likely to have droughts(干旱) than areas with more rainfall ,but in any case, good management can help to make sure there is enough water to meet our basic needs .
Thinking about the way we use water every day can make a big difference ,too. In the United States ,a family of four can use 1.5tons of water a day ! This shows how much we depend on water to live ,but there’s a lot we can do to lower the number .
You can take steps to save water in your home .To start with ,use the same glass for your drinking water all day .Wash it only once a day .Run your dishwasher (洗碗机)only when it is full 。Help your parents fix any leaks in your home . You can even help to keep our water supply clean by recycling batteries instead of throwing them away ..Which of the following is most likely to lead to less groundwater ?
| A．paving parking lots . | B．Throwing batteries away . |
| C．Using river water | D．Throwing rubbish into lakes . |
What can be inferred from the text ?
| A．All water shortages are due to human behavior . |
| B．There is much we can do to reduce family size . |
| C．It takes a lot of effort to meet our water needs . |
| D．The average family in America makes proper use of water . |
The last paragraph is intended to .
| A．show us how to fix leaks at home |
| B．tell us how to run a dishwasher |
| C．prove what drinking glass is best for us |
| D．suggest what we do to save water at home |
The text is mainly about .
| A．Why paving roads reduces our water |
| B．how much we depend on water to live |
| C．why droughts occur more in dry climates |
| D．how human activity affects our water supply |