Aren't mobile phone，e﹣mail and voice mail supposed to help us communicate more easily？Sadly，that's not always the case．Take the other day for example，when I was walking through the park with my friend，suddenly his mobile phone rang and he answered it﹣﹣leaving me alone and cutting our conversation dead! In fact，the park was filled with people talking on their mobile phones．They were passing other people without even looking at them，or stopping to walk their dogs．Clearly，people preferred the voice on the mobile phone to human contact（联系）．
Why is it that the more connected we get，the more disconnected I feel？Development in communication technology seems to keep people from human contact．With e﹣mail over the Internet，we can communicate without seeing or talking to one another．With voice mail，you can have conversations without even meeting that person．Even some food stores are using self﹣scanners（自助扫瞄仪）so that you can check yourself out．As the contact between human beings becomes automated（自动化的），my feeling of being disconnected gets stronger．Don't get me wrong．I'm not against machines．I also own a mobile phone，a voice mail system，and an e﹣mail account．Giving them up isn't a good idea，as they are useful to have around．It's just that when they keep us away from human contact，I begin to feel sad．More and more，I find myself answering e﹣mail instead of talking to people．The technology that was made to help keep us in contact with each other is，in fact making me feel more lonely．
What is to be done？Well，I've made myself a plan to use less technology：no e﹣mailing people who live near me，and no letting the voice mail pick up when I'm at home．
42．The example in Paragraph I shows that people now ．
A．communicate more easily
B．dislike talking face to face at all
C．prefer talking on their mobile phones
D．are only good at using mobile phones
43．The underlined word disconnected in Paragraph 2 probably means ．
A．lonely
B．satisfied
C．stupid
D．interested
44．It can be inferred（推断）from the passage that ．
A．the writer is going to give up mobile phones
B．machines are now not useful to have around
C．machines actually keep people closer to each other
D．the writer decides not to phone others a lot when with friends
45．Which is the best title of the passage？
A．Technology and Human Life
B．The Importance of Technology
C．Technology and Human Contact
D．The Development of Technology．
If you need to call your parents but your phone is not with you, can you remember their numbers?
To remember 11 numbers is not difficult. However, because of the smartphone, many of us are losing this ability. What’s more, smartphones weaken（削弱）our skills at giving directions, as well as killing face-to-face communications. Even when friends are having a meal together, it’s common for most to check their phones.
According to a report by Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers, an American company, Chinese people spend about 170 minutes on their smartphones daily.
Many students are addicted to using smartphones. It does no good to their study. Research by Japan’s Education Ministry showed children who spend more than four hours a day on their phones perform much worse in school test than those who play with their phones for 30 minutes.
It’s true that the smartphone has made our lives easier. But many also think they spend too much time on it, and this is bad for their study or work. People are trying to change that.
A new app（应用软件）called Forest was introduced this month. It lets users plant a seed that grows into a tree over the next 30 minutes. During the half hour, users cannot use their phones, or the tree will die.
A restaurant in Los Angeles, US, gives people a 5% discount (折扣) if they don’t check their phones during a meal. Owner Mark Gold said he hopes it gives people a way to enjoy their meal and actually talk with friends and family in person.Many people can’t remember their parents’s phone numbers because _______.
| A．they don’t care about their parents |
| B．they depend too much on smartphones |
| C．they find it difficult to remember numbers |
| D．they don’t know how to remember numbers |
What does the word “addicted” probably mean in Chinese?
| A．沉迷 | B．喜爱 | C．习惯 | D．擅长 |
The app “Forest” is used to _________.
| A．encourage people to plant more trees |
| B．get people to change their smartphones |
| C．help people better control smartphone using |
| D．offer people a new game to enjoy themselves |
By giving people a 5% discount, Owner Mark Gold wants his customers to ___________.
| A．enjoy a cheaper meal |
| B．say no to smartphones |
| C．check phones after the meal |
| D．improve face-to-face communication |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．Smart or harmful? |
| B．Stop using smartphones? |
| C．Why not try smartphones? |
| D．How to make your phones smart? |
Just as I came back home. I heard a sound coming from the bedroom upstairs—it was from my favourite violin.
“Thief （小偷）!”
I rushed upstairs and saw a boy in dirty clothes pulling my violin down. At first sight, I found a new pair of shoes missing. It seemed he was surely a thief.
However, when I saw his eyes full of fear, my anger disappeared. I smiled and asked, “Are you Mr. Ram’s student Rubens? I’m his butler（男管家）. I’ve heard Mr. Ram say his student will come. It must be you.”
“Has my teacher gone out ?” the boy said, “I think I’d better visit him again in a while/”
I nodded and asked him, “Do you like playing the violin?”
“Yes, but I’m too poor to afford one.” the boy replied.
“Then, I’ll give you this violin.” The boy looked at me surprisingly, but he picked up the violin. While going out of the room, he suddenly saw a huge photo of me playing the violin at the Grand Theatre of Sydney on the wall. His face turned pale. He stood there for a moment and ran out. He must have understood what had happened because no master（主人）would put up the butler’s photo on the wall of his living room.
A few years later, at a music competition in Melbourne, I was invited to be the judge （评委）. Finally, a violin player called Merritt won the first prize.
After the prize-giving, Merritt ran to me holding a violin box, his face red, and asked, “Mr. Brian, do you still know me? You gave me the violin, which I have treasured ever since! Today, I want to say sorry and give back this violin to you without regret…”
He was just the “Mr. Ram’s student”!
The writer felt ______ when he saw the boy pulling his violin down.
| A．afraid | B．angry | C．sad | D．disappointed |
In fact, the boy was ________.
| A．Mr. Ram’s student |
| B．a visitor to the Ram family |
| C．the butler’s friend |
| D．a thief to the writer’s home |
The boy’s face turned pale probably because he realized______.
| A．the butler was a great musician |
| B．he would be found as a thief soon |
| C．the master had come back home |
| D．the butler was just the master |
The passage mainly wants to tell us that _______.
| A．It’s never late to say sorry |
| B．the future is what we make it |
| C．kindness can bring one power |
| D．success depends on trust and support |
| Stay Fitness Club—the Club with a Difference Get off the sofa! It’s summer! Let’s spring into action! We want to help you get fit and stay fit. Join our fitness club and become a member. Then, you can enjoy our classes for free. You can enroll（注册） for as many classes manage. We offer classes in: Yoga Indoor cycling Dancing Taekwondo Chinese kong fu We also have fantastic facilities（设施）：  Machines—They use the very latest technology. Changing room—There are excellent showers and lockers to keep your things safe. Lounge area—You can relax and enjoy a cooling drink and a healthy snack. The membership fee（会费）is very low. You can pay weekly or monthly. It is up to you. When you have paid the fee, you can come as often as you want. Our friendly staff（工作人员）will be glad to answer your questions. Come to Stay Fitness Club. You are never too old or too young to start a fitness programme. Look after you body and it will look after you! |
There are ______ kinds of classes in Stay Fitness Club.
| A．three | B．four | C．five | D．eight |
Members can ______ in the lounge area.
| A．have a rest | B．use machines |
| C．store things | D．change clothes |
What can we know about the club?
| A．It offers free classes. |
| B．It is open for 24 hours. |
| C．It has experienced staff. |
| D．It is for people of all ages. |
The passage is ________.
A, a diary B. a poster
C. a menuD. a letter.
It is believed in some ways that the daughter is father’s lover. But my experience has taught me in a different way. For a long time, my father has been a very vague figure（模糊的形象）to me. He was a man of few words, tall but slim and nothing else.
When I was in primary school, my father was never there to pick me up, and he never came to any of my parent-teacher meetings. He was always busy doing projects. I remember when I was in middle school and my head was badly hurt in a PE class. During my operation, my father was nowhere to be found. This hurt me most. At that moment, I considered my father as a cold-blooded man who did not care about me at all.
But things seemed different at my high school graduation ceremony, where I was chosen to represent my class and give a speech. My father, once again, told me he had a business trip in a place outside the city and would be unable to show up（露面）. “Don’t come. I will be very nervous if I see you,” I told him.
I remember my speech went smoothly. After the ceremony was over and I was about to leave. I suddenly noticed a familiar（熟悉的）looking man sitting in a corner of the hall. It was my father! I was so surprised that I rushed to him with tears（眼泪）running down my face. “Well done,” he said. His eyes were also filled with tears.
Later, I found out that my father had managed to finish his work by staying up late, and he drove for eight hours to get back. He had been sitting in the corner because he didn’t want me to see him. My father remembered every word in my speech.
For much of my life, I described my father was a cold-blooded man who only cared about his work. But when I thought deeply about this, it was obviously（明显地）not true. At my graduation ceremony. I could feel my father’s deep love. The fact is that seeing is not believing, and seeing may not be the fact if we don’t perceive（感知）the world with our hearts and minds. There’s no doubt that life doesn’t lack（缺少）love, but sometimes our eyes have trouble seeing it.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The writer’s father was in the hospital during her operation. |
| B．The writer’s father attended her high school graduation ceremony. |
| C．The writer’s father sometimes picked her up when she was in primary school |
| D．The writer’s father went to parent-teacher meeting when she was in primary school. |
The writer rushed to her father with tears running down her face mainly because .
| A．she gave a speech successfully |
| B．the graduation ceremony was over |
| C．she was so nervous that she couldn’t help crying |
| D．she was touched to find her father cared about her |
What does the underlined word “this” in the last paragraph refer to（指代）?
| A．That my father was always doing projects. |
| B．That my father was a cold-blooded man. |
| C．That my father sat in the corner of the hall. |
| D．That my father’s eyes were filled with tears. |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．My busy father | B．Life is full of love |
| C．Seeing is not believing | D．A wonderful speech |
For many Chinese, winter holiday season doesn’t seem complete without the CCTV Spring Festival Gala. But it’s impossible to satisfy all 1.3 billion Chinese.
Even if you, especially young audience（观众）complain about the Spring Festival Gala, watching it while having Lunar New Year’s Eve dinner has become a common way for families to get together. It’s much more than just a TV program, it’s also a way to bring family members together and get them talking during the holiday. Think about how you’ll watch the gala and discover its fun.
1. Share your opinions（观点）about the programs and artists with your family members. Introduce artists who young people enjoy to the elderly memebers of your family, such as “fellow brother” William Chan, or former（以前的）singing group EXO members Kris Wu and Lu Han.
2. Post your compliments and complaints on micro blogs and WeChat moments to share with friends. Then they will know what you’re satisfied with and what you complain about. In recent years, the gala is trying to attract young people by using Internet slang（俚语）. Guessing when and what Internet chat lingo（术语）will be mentioned in the show is surely going to be hot on social media. Will there be “drunk and tired”（也是醉了）? Have a bet with friends.
3. Online video websites such as IQiyi and Youku have introduced a real-time online discussion system. All comments（评论）are displayed on the screen. You can try watching the show in this interactive（互动的）way instead of the traditional TV sets so that you may know others’ opinions about the programs in the Spring Festival Gala.What does the underlined word “compliments” mean?
| A．praise | B．advice |
| C．messages | D．instructions |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．Using Internet slang to attract young audience. |
| B．Introducing types of programs in the Spring Festival Gala. |
| C．Watching the Spring Festival Gala on the online video websites. |
| D．Posting compliments and complaints on micro blogs and WeChat moments. |
The writer mainly wants to tell us .
| A．not all 1.3 billion Chinese are satisfied with the Spring Festival Gala |
| B．winter holiday season is the time when family members get together |
| C．several ways for audience to discover the fun of the Spring Festival Gala |
| D．the Spring Festival Gala is the best way to bring family members together |