When almost everyone has a mobile phone,why are more than half of Australian homes still paying for a landline (座机)?
These days you'd be hard pressed to find anyone in Australia over the age of 15 who doesn't own a mobile phone. In fact plenty of younger kids have one in their pocket. Practically everyone can make and receive calls anywhere,anytime.
Still,55 percent of Australians have a landline phone at home and only just over a quarter（29%） rely only on their smartphones ,according to a survey（调查）.Of those Australians who still have a landline,a third concedethat it's not really necessary and they're keeping it as a security blanket - 19 percent say they never use it while afurther 13 percent keep it in case of emergencies. I think my home falls into that category.
More than half of Australian homes are still choosing to stick with their home phone .Age is naturally a factor （因素）-only 58 percent of Generation Ys still use landlines now and then, compared to 84 percent of Baby Boomers who've perhaps had the same home number for 50years.Age isn't the only factor;I'd say it's also to do with the makeup of your household.
Generation Xers with young families,like my wife and I,can still find it convenient to have a home phone rather than providing a mobile phone for every family member. That said, to be honest the only people who ever ring our home phone are our Baby Boomers parents,to the point where we play a game and guess who is calling before we pick up the phone （using Caller ID would take the fun out of it）.
How attached are you to your landline? How long until they go the way of gas street lamps and morning milk deliveries?
4.What does paragraph 2 mainly tell us about mobile phones?
| A． |
Their target users. |
| B． |
Their wide popularity. |
| C． |
Their major functions. |
| D． |
Their complex design. |
5.What does the underlined word "concede"in paragraph 3 mean?
| A． |
Admit. |
| B． |
Argue. |
| C． |
Remember. |
| D． |
Remark. |
6.What can we say about Baby Boomers?
| A． |
They like smartphone games. |
| B． |
They enjoy guessing callers'identity. |
| C． |
They keep using landline phones. |
| D． |
They are attached to their family. |
7.What can be inferred about the landline from the last paragraph?
| A． |
It remains a family necessity. |
| B． |
It will fall out of use someday. |
| C． |
It may increase daily expenses. |
| D． |
It is as important as the gas light. |
Throughout the centuries, various writers have contributed greatly to the literary treasure of books lining the shelves of today’s libraries. In addition to writing interesting material, many famous writers, such as Edgar Allan Poe, were larger-than-life characters with personal histories that are as interesting to read as the stories they wrote. Poe’s rocky life included being driven off from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1831 and an ongoing battle with alcohol. Yet, despite heavy gambling debts, poor health, and terrible unemployment, Poe managed to produce a body of popular works, including" The Raven" and "The Murders in the Rue Morgue．”
Herman Melville, author of Moby Dick, once lived among the man-eaters in the Marquesas
Islands and wrote unusual tales inspired by his years of service in the U.S. Navy. Dublin-born Oscar Wilde was noted for his charming personality, his outrageous lifestyle, and creating witty phrases such as, "Nothing succeeds like excess." D.H. Lawrence wrote shameful novels that were often cut, and Anne Rice led a double life writing bestselling horrible novels under her real name and using "A.N. Roquelaure" for the lowbrow(文化低)unhealthy novels she penned on the side. Nonconformist不墨守成规的)author and naturalist Henry David Thoreau once fled to the woods and generated enough interesting material to fill his noted book Walden. Thoreau wrote on
the issue of passive resistance protest in his essay "Civil Disobedience”and served time in jail for refusing tax payments in protest of the United States government’s policy towards slavery. American short story writer O. Henry’s colorful life was ruined by tragic events, such as being accused and sentenced for stealing money from an Austin, Texas bank. Despite his success selling his short stories, O. Henry struggled financially and was nearly bankrupt when he died.
As diverse as these famous authors’backgrounds were，th即all led unconventional lives while writing great literary works that will endure throughout the ages. The next time you read an interesting book, consider learning more about the author by reading his or her biograp卜y so you can learn about the unique life experiences that shaped his or her writing.Which of the following is NOT TRUE about Edgar Allan Poe?
| A．He had his own interesting personal history as other famous writers. |
| B．He graduated from United States Military Academy at West Point in 1831． |
| C．He once had heavy gambling debts and fell down with illness. |
| D．He managed to produce popular works no matter how rocky his life was. |
What can you infer from Para. 2?
A. D.H. lawrence and Anne Rice once wrote similar type of novels.
B. Anne Rice used a pen name because her novels were quite popular.
C. Anne Rice used different names when she wrote bestselling novels.
D. Henry David Thoreau enriched his books by living in the forests.Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Henry David Thoreau was passionately opposed to horrible events. |
| B．Anne Rice always used a pen name to hide her true identity. |
| C．Herman Melville stayed with man-eaters during his naval service. |
| D．O. Henry’s life was colorful though he had lots of difficulties. |
The passage mainly tells us that＿＿．
| A．many famous writers lived nontraditional lives |
| B．most famous writers were usually troublemakers |
| C．writers had to lead interesting lives to generate materials |
| D．the biographies of famous writers are always inspirational |
It helps to choose the colors you plan to live with in your home with awareness of how different colors affect your emotional and physical states. Every color has a unique meaning, and this can significantly affect how you feel in a room.
A room that is painted red will energize, inspire activity and movement, help passion, and be powerful and stimulating. A red room can also be exhausting and overpowering, and stressful for those who are anxious.
Orange rooms encourage happy, joyful, social gatherings. While an orange dining room or family room can stimulate the appetite, it is a great choice for such gathering places. Orange enhances parties, communication, positive feelings, and general good cheer.
Yellow rooms inspire intellectual clarity, organization, clear -headed thinking, and happy energy. Yellow is considered a color for the logical left side of the brain. Yellow is also very bright and somewhat energizing.
Blue rooms are often chosen for bedrooms and meditation（冥想）rooms because its cool energy is very calming, restful, peaceful, and spiritual. Blue helps inspire a quiet meditative quality, and color therapy with blue has been found to reduce blood pressure. Blue is also useful to make one to sleep.
Green rooms are very restful but combine with an energizing quality. Green is the color of outdoors, calm and active at the same time. Green brings balance and harmony to a room, and can be used as a calming place for people who are troubled or in need of refreshment.What impression can green rooms give to you?
| A．Passionate and powerful. |
| B．Refreshing and harmonious. |
| C．Cool and calming. |
| D．Inspiring and bright. |
If you are going to hold a family gathering, which color of the room can best enhance your atmosphere?
| A．Red. | B．Orange. | C．Blue. | D．Green. |
Which of the following statements about color is NOT true?
| A．Yellow rooms inspire logical and clear thinking. |
| B．Blue creates a quiet meditative quality. |
| C．Different colors affect you emotionally and physically. |
| D．Red rooms are acceptable when you are in a bad mood. |
What color should his room be painted if a person likes meditation?
| A．Blue. | B．Orange. | C．Green. | D．Red. |
Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart，was born in Kingfish，Oklahoma on March 29，1918. He was raised in Missouri where he worked in his father's store while attending school. This was his first retailing（零售业）experience and he really enjoyed it. After graduation, he began his own career as a retail merchant.
He soon opened his first Wal-Mart store in 1962 in Rogers, Arkansas. Wal-Mart specialized in name brands at low prices and Sam Walton～surprised at the success. Soon a chain of Wal -Mart stores sprang up across coral America. His management style was popular with employees and he founded some of the basic concepts of management that are still in use today.
After taking the company public in 1970, Walton introduced his "profit sharing plan"．The profit sharing plan was a plan for Wal-Mart employees to improve their income dependent on the profits of the store. Sam Walton believed that "individuals don't win, teams do". Employees at Wal-Mart stores were offered stock options（认股权）and store discounts. These benefits are commonplace today, but Walton was among the first to achieve them. Walton believed that a happy employee meant happy customers and more sales. He also believed that by giving employees a part of the company and making their success dependent on the company’s success, they would care about the company growing complaints that the "superstore" was stopping smaller and traditional stores from developing. By 1991,Wa1-Mart was the largest US retailer with 1,700 stores. Walton remained active in managing the company, as president and CEO until 1988 and chairman until his death. He was awarded the Medal of Freedom shortly before his death.Sam Walton first made a hit in retailing when he＿．
| A．worked in his father's store |
| B．created Walton's management style |
| C．specialized in name brands at low prices |
| D．opened his stores across rural America |
Walton’s management style emphasized＿very much.
| A．individual efforts | B．team spirit |
| C．employees' loyalty | D．fair distribution |
What is the purpose of Walton’s carrying out "profit sharing plan”？
| A．To encourage the employees to work hard and make joint efforts. |
| B．To make sure all the employees had their own shares. |
| C．To select excellent employees for his stores. |
| D．To make more profit for himself. |
Which of the statements is TRUE?
| A．In his old age, Walton gave all the management to his men |
| B．Walton wasn't one of the merchants who first achieved stock options. |
| C．The smaller and traditional stores were well affected by Walton's stores. |
| D．With Walton's management style, employees treated the stores as their own. |
"Get out of the plane!” Justin shouted. Teddy and he dropped to the ground...
When Kathy and Victor reached the edge of the meadow, flames of the fire were shooting more than five meters into the air.
Kathy couldn't believe what she was seeing. One glance told her they needed medical
attention immediately. She questioned Victor, "Are you able to find someone nearby for help?"
"There are no farmers, nor villagers nearby," he replied.
“I’m a distance inner, and I’B go for help." Looking at the seriously injured men, Kathy said to Victor, "It may take me several hours to get out." She started out.
When she was 23, Kathy set a women’s record in a Marathon of 42 kilometers. But now shewas runnine the race of life. She had nearly 30 kilometers of hard wilderness to cover to get help.
Kathy had been running for two hours. This was far back into the wilderness. The country
path was growing vague(模糊的），She stopped to take a quick compass reading. Yes, she had run
almost for more than 20 kilometers. Her heart fell, her muscle aching. And finally she saw her car in the distance She jumped into the car and sped away. She reached a holiday house and called the police.
During the wait, she walked around, relaxing her legs and drinking water. It took almost two
hours for a police helicopter to reach her at the trail end. They needed her for one more task.Who actually had the airplane accident?
| A．Justin and Teddy. | B．Kathy and Victor. |
| C．Justin himself. | D．Kathy herself. |
The underlined part "Now, she was running the race of life" means that Kathy
| A．would set up a new record |
| B．would run a race alone |
| C．was inning for the lives of others |
| D．couldn’t rely on Victor this time |
Kathy stopped to have a look at her compass because___.
| A．she wasn’t sure of her own memory |
| B．she had completely lost her way |
| C．the country path was getting vague |
| D．there was only the wilderness |
What do you think Kathy’s final task would be?
| A．Giving the injured food and drinks. |
| B．Showing the police the crash site. |
| C．Going back to put out the big fire. |
| D．Taking the injured to the hospital. |
If you are not any kind of a longtime A-list New Yorker celebrity like Woody Allen，chances are that you have never experienced，and will never experience-a meal in a legendary(神奇) Italian-American restaurant called Rao’s.
Rao’s，the East Harlem restaurant with a history of more than l00 years，is simply the toughest restaurant to get a reservation in the US, if not the world．Michelin three-star restaurants like elBulli in Spain，often ranked the world’s top restaurant，would sell out the second phone lines opened．But in the case of Rao’s，the phone lines never open．
There are about a dozen tables in the tiny restaurant, and each is spoken for, semi-permanently, as regulars have had their reservations for years, and when they can't use them，they often gift them to friends. The place is so small that the owners rarely have the flexibility to do favors even for people they know．
Since it is always busy，there has never been a need for publicity．The last remarkable national review of the restaurant came from The New York Times more than 35 years ago．It was already tough to get a table at Rao’s but reservations have been non-existent ever sincce the magic review．
According to a critic who is “very, very lucky to have dined at Rao’s a few times，”the experience rivals(堪比)the tasty food．There are no menus at Rao’s, and one of the owners will pull up a chair and run through the massive list of options, allowing people to have diner by mixing and matching nearly any ingredient(原料)with any classical Italian style of cooking. The place doesn’t take credit cards, isn’t open on weekends or for 1unch, and “at some point during your meal the one-room restaurant will almost unavoidably break out in song.” It is truly one of a kind，”the critic wrote．Which is probably the best title for thistext?
| A．A lucky critic． | B．The best restaurant |
| C．A magic review． | D．A legendary restaurant |
Why does the author refer to elBulli in Spain in Paragraph 2?
| A．To prove the long history of Rao’s． |
| B．To show the popularity of Rao’s． |
| C．To describe the service of Rao’s． |
| D．To attract customers to eat in Rao’s． |
What was Rao’s like before The NewYork Times review?
| A．Unique and attractive． | B．Tough and greedy． |
| C．Terrible and unknown． | D．Poor and hopeless． |
Which of the following about Rao’s is true?
| A．If yoh want to get a reservation in Rao’s, you’d have to phone ahead of time． |
| B．Rao’s history is much longer than that of elBulli in Spain． |
| C．It’s hard fo dine in Rao’s partly because it has a limited number of tables． |
| D．Only the most famous persons can have the chance to have lunch in Rao's． |
We can conclude from the critic’s words that ．
| A．Rao’s menus are specially designed for its regular diners |
| B．customers of Rao’s can use credit cards on weekends |
| C．the experience dining in Rao’s is as unforgettable as its food |
| D．diners in Rao’s are used to being disturbed by sudden noises |