A few minutes ago, walking back from lunch I started to cross the street when I heard the sound of a coin dropping. It wasn’t much but, as I turned, my eyes caught the heads of several other people turning too. A woman had dropped what appeared to be a dime.

       The tinkling sound of a coin dropping on sidewalk is an attention-getter. It can be nothing more than a penny. Whatever the coin is, no one ignores the sound of it. It got me thinking about sounds again.

       We are surrounded y so many sounds that attract the most attention. People in New York City seldom turn to look when a fire engine, a police car or an ambulance comes screaming along the street.

       When I’m in New York, I’m a New Yorker. I don’t turn either. Like the natives. I hardly hear a siren (警笛) there .

       At home in my little town in Connecticut, it’s different. The distant loud noise of a police car , an emergency vehicle or a fire siren brings me to my feet if I’m seated and brings me to the window if I’m in bed .

       It’s the quietest sounds that have most effect on us, not the loudest. In the middle of the night, I can hear a dripping tap a hundred yards away through three closed doors. I’ve been hearing little creaking noises and sounds which my imagination turns into footsteps in the middle of the night for twenty-five years in our house. How come I never hear those sounds in the daytime?

       I’m quite clear in my mind what the good sounds are and what he bad sounds are

       I’ve turned against whistling, for instance. I used to think of it as the mark of a happy worker but lately I’ve been connecting the whistler with a nervous person making noises.

       The tapping, tapping, tapping of my typewriter as the keys hit the paper is a lovely sound to me. I often like the sound of what I write better than the looks of it.

1．The sound of a coin dropping makes people _________

       A．think of money                                          B．look at each other          

C．pay attention to it                                D．stop crossing the street

2．How does the author relate to sounds at night?

       A．He imagines sounds that do not exist.

B．He thinks taps should be turned off

C．He believes it’s rather quiet at night

D．He overstates quiet sounds

3．He dislikes whistling because __________.

       A．he is tired of it                                           B．he used to be happier

C．it reminds him of tense people               D．he doesn’t like workers

4．What kind of sound does he find pleasant?

       A．Tapping of his typewriter                            B．Clinking sound of keys

C．Tinkling sound  of a coin dropping              D．Creaking sounds

5．How does the writer feel about sounds in general?

       A．They make him feel at home                

B．He thinks they should be ignored

C．He believes they are part of our lives    

D．He prefers silence to loud noises

The three biggest lies in America are: ( 1 ) “ The check is in the mail ” ( 2) “ Of course I’ll respect you in the morning .” ( 3 ) “ It was a computer error . ”

       Of these three little white, the worst of the lot by far is the third. It’s the only one that can never be true. Today , if a bank statement cheats you out of ＄900 that way , you know what the clerk is sure to say: “ It was a computer error . ” Nonsense. The computer is reporting nothing more than what the clerk typed into it.

       The most annoying case of all is when the computerized cash register in the grocery store shows that an item costs more than it actually does. If the innocent buyer points out the mistake, the checker , bagger and manager all come together and offer the familiar explanation: “ It was a computer error . ”

       It wasn’t, of course . That high-tech cash register is really nothing more than an electric eye. The eye reads the Universal Product Code—that ribbon of black and white lines on the package—and then checks the code against a price list stored in memory . If the price list is right, you’ll be charged accurately.

       Grocery stores update the price list each day—that is , somebody sits at a keyboard and types in the prices . If the price they type in is too high, there are only two explanations: carelessness or dishonesty. But somehow “a computer error is supposed to excuse everything”.

       One reason we let people hide behind a computer is the common misunderstanding that huge, modern computers are “electric brains” with “artificial intelligence.” At some point there might be a machine with intelligence, but none exists today. The smartest computer on earth right now is no more “ intelligent ” than your average screwdriver (螺丝刀) . At this point in the development of computers, the only thing any machine can do is what a human has instructed it to so .

1．We are told that a high-tech cash register is really just __________

       A．a simple adding machine                B．an electric instrument of sight

C．a way to keep employees honest    D．an expensive piece of window dressing

2．Grocery store price lists are updated by ___________

       A．an employee                                               B．a telephone receiver 

C．an adding machine                               D．a typewriter

3．According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

       A．That high-tech cash register is anything but an electric eye.

B．The grocery stores update the price list every other day

C．There is no machine with intelligence today.

D．There are four biggest lies in America.

4．Which of the following describes the main idea of the passage?

       A．Computers are stupid and inefficient

B．Computers errors are basically human errors.

C．Computers can help department stores update the price list.

D．Supermarket price errors are often made through dishonesty.

根据下面英文提示写一篇短文，词数不少于50。

       Success and failure ate common in our life , We win or lose games to others ; we succeed in doing a good job or we fail at times . Every one of us has such kind of experiences from time to time. Give your opinion on failure and success with at least one example.

Ding Junhui,      most famous snooker player , is      quiet young man .

A．不填；a   B．the ； 不填    C．a；a  D．a；the

—Oh no ! This stupid computer has crashed again !

—Well, you can try        one , since there are so many available .

A．another                      B．other                  C．the other             D．others

With the capital       to greet even more people from around the world , Beijing is doing its best to make herself more open .

A．prepare    B．preparing C．prepared D．prepares

At what age are children able to distinguish       right and wrong ?

A．among     B．during      C．with          D．between

I am sick of rain and bad weather ! Hopefully , when we       up tomorrow morning , the sun       .

A．wake ; will be shining                                 B．will wake ; is shining

C．will wake ; shines                                      D．wake ; shines

You’d better take a pen when you go to the meeting        there is something important to write down .

A．as if B．so that     C．in order    D．in case

Lydia really regrets       out of high school . She has really had to struggle to make a living because of that decision .

A．drop        B．to drop     C．dropping D．dropped