AAAGH! The Generation 90s is coming!
Wearing earphones, using complex Net language and constantly text messaging friends, the Gen-90s following the Gen-80s begin to make their world debut (初次登台).
Each generation or age group has its own symbols and lifestyle. Read on and judge for yourselves if you fit the Gen-90s group.                
Earphones
These little devices seem to grow on the heads of the Gen-90s. They might lead to MP3, MP4 or MP101 players, giving these young people a plugged-in, cool and perhaps self-addicted look, of course, life is not always music to the ears.      
Martian language
They have created their own code-like online language. It’s a mixture of English, Japanese and Chinese that perhaps only Martians can understand. This is an imaginative generation, though they need to be careful to keep it out of their term papers.                 
Self-Portrait
Saying “cheese” to their own digital cameras is usual for this generation. A little bit of narcissism (自恋) never hurts anyone. It helps them reflect a little on their own lives．But be aware of the risks of posting private photos online.
Text-messaging
They can type their mobile phones as fast as they can speak. This is a generation that respects efficiency. However, oral communication is important and will never go out of style.
【小题1】According to the passage, if you belong to the Gen-90s , you will _______ .

A．just appreciate yourself and ignore others’ strengths.

B．have your own symbols and lifestyle.

C．have the same symbols and lifestyle of the Gen-80s．

D．like music and dance very much.

【小题2】According to the text, the writer will choose ______ as a good example to the Gen-90.

A．Li Hua likes music and always wearing iPod

B．Zhang Chao is not only an imaginative boy but do everything efficiently.

C．Lily is a shy girl and she doesn’t like making friends.

D．Fangfang likes being taken photos and often posting them on line.

【小题3】According to this passage, which is FALSE?

A．Not all teens are cautious about posting photos．

B．They type their mobile phones so fast that it can catch the speed of speaking.

C．The Gen-90s have a preference for some music players, and even regard them as a necessary part of life.

D．They don’t use the cool and complex online language in formal writing.

【小题4】The main idea of the passage is about________.

A．the Gen-90s’ happy life

B．the difference between the Gen-80s and the Gen-90s

C．the Gen-90s’ unique lifestyle and some practical warnings

D．the similarities between the Gen-80s and the Gen-90s

The Haitian tsunami gave scientists a chance to find out how well vital and potentially life-saving warning systems were working.
Noaa’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory has developed a warning system that picks up signals of tsunamis directly from the sea-floor.
It is called Dart-the Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis. If seismometers(地震仪) detect an earthquake, the Dart buoys（浮标） will determine what is happening to sea levels, and whether a big wave might be on the way. This information is then sent via satellite to a central location which can organize an alarm. Within 50 minutes of the Haiti earthquake, this system was able to issue an alarm to other countries in the Caribbean to say that a small tsunami had been caused to start, and that was unlikely to affect them.
Dr Bernard said, “The first 30 minutes following the earthquake, we have to rely on education.” The critical aspects of this are: do you feel the earthquake; do you see the ocean draw down; and do you hear that loud roar? If so, you should run for higher ground.
“But after the first few minutes, it’s crucial that we have the technology—the measurements to avoid unnecessary evacuation(疏散撤离)and tell people when it is safe to return.” Right now, there are 50 of these Dart buoys all over the globe—four of which are in the Caribbean.
Dr Bernard says that, with 75 to 100 buoys worldwide, this system could provide global tsunami warnings within one hour.
“That’s for everywhere we know that tsunamis have happened. If we wanted to go to half an hour detection, we could probably double or multiply by four times that number,” he said.
“In some countries, including Haiti, there may not be enough resources to support a specific tsunami warning centre for something that happens so infrequently.”
He said that this system was relatively inexpensive to fix and operate.
“To get it down to an hour for everywhere affected would cost $50m initial investment and then 10% of that to maintain it,” he said.
“That’s not a terribly expensive system considering the potential savings of lives.”
【小题1】In which section would you probably read the passage in a newspaper?

A．Education and Society

B．Culture and Leisure

C．Science and Technology

D．Health and Medicine

【小题2】 How many buoys would at least be needed for global tsunami warnings within half an hour?

A．150

B．100

C．75

D．50

【小题3】Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?

A．The system can warn people of the coming of tsunami directly after the earthquake.

B．We can’t escape the danger of tsunami within 30 minutes following the earthquake.

C．Each country can easily afford a tsunami warning centre though it seldom happens.

D．It’s worthwhile to spend money on the warning system for possible savings of lives.

【小题4】 Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

A．Tsunami Assessment

B．Earthquake detecting

C．Disaster Warning System

D．Life Saving System

The New York Times announced Wednesday that it intended to charge frequent readers for access to its website, a step being debated across the industry that nearly every major newspaper has so far feared to take.
Starting in early 2011, visitors to NYTimes.com will get a certain number of articles free every month before being asked to pay a standard and fixed fee for unlimited access. Subscribers to the newspaper’s print edition will receive full access to the site.
But executives of The New York Times Company said they could not yet answer fundamental questions about the plan, like how much it would cost or what the limit would be on free reading. They stressed that the amount of free access could change with time, in response to economic conditions and reader demand. Still, publishers fear that money from digital subscriptions would not make up for the resulting loss of audience and advertising income.
NYTimes.com is by far the most popular newspaper site in the country, with more than 17 million readers a month in the United States, according to Nielsen Online, and analysts say it is the leader in advertising income, as well. That may make it better positioned than other general-interest papers to charge—and also gives The Times more to lose if the move produces an opposed result.
The Times Company has been studying the matter for almost a year, searching for common ground between pro-and-anti pay campaigns—a debate mirrored in dozens of media-watching blogs-- and the system will not go into effect until January 2011. Executives said they were not bothered by the possibility of absorbing barbs(挖苦) for moving cautiously.
“There’s no prize for getting it quick,” said Janet L. Robinson, the company’s president and chief executive. “There’s more of a prize for getting it right.”
【小题1】 What’s the function of the first paragraph?

A．It servers as a comment.

B．It serves as a background

C．It serves as a lead-in

D．It serves as a conclusion.

【小题2】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．Non-paying subscribers will get no access to NYTimes.com.

B．Readers will be charged more to read articles on NYTimes.com.

C．Readers will get more free online articles to log on NYTimes. com more often.

D．Subscribers to the paper’s print edition will also enjoy full access to the site.

【小题3】Which of the words can best describe The Time Company’s attitude towards its announcement?

A．Unwilling.

B．Serious.

C．Hasty

D．Doubtful

【小题4】 What is the main idea about the passage?

A．The Times to offer free access to its web site.

B．The Times to increase audience to its web site.

C．The Times to attract advertisement to its web site

D．The Times to charge for frequent access to its web site.

Long queues at cinemas buying hot tickets for blockbusters(巨片) will become rare as Beijing residents will be able to order film tickets via cell phone networks in a month.
Film ticket circulation service on cell phone, also called the “Green channel of film tickets ordering”, is aiming at lowing the cost of ticket circulation and easing the ticket distribution pressure on such popular film-watching days as summer and winter vacations or Valentine’s Day.
“People log onto the net through cell phones, then choose cinema seats, watch trailers, browse information for new films and read cinema introductions,” said Guan Zheng, the publicity chief of Xingmei Digital Media Company Ltd., the service provider.
“Film fans can enjoy various discount prices if they order tickets via cell phones,” Guan said.
Meanwhile, the cell phone ticket circulation platform provides subscribers general mobile phone services like jokes, videos, flashes, phone ring downloads and games.
The service is about to be put into trial at the Beijing-based Xingmei International Cinema for a month before being putting into use at other cinema chains both in and outside Beijing, as the service is going to be improved through gradual expansion, said Guan.
China’s film industry that is being restored has seen more and more enthusiastic moviegoers. Up to the end of 2009, China has had more than 5,000 specialized cinemas, among which there are 2,243 modern cinemas with 3, 668 silver screens and 56 cinema chains.
Currently, many people buy film tickets on the Internet or by phoning the cinema’s ticket office or simply queuing at the cinema gate. More people want to buy tickets on popular days like May Day holiday, National Day holiday or Valentine’s Day. Yet the inefficient ticket circulation system contributes the most to the failure.
【小题1】What can we learn from the passage?

A．The price of the ticket ordered via cell phone will be lower.

B．Ordering tickets through the net can get good seats.

C．Few people would like to watch films on the net.

D．More and more people like to watch films on the net.

【小题2】What does the underlined part “watch trailers” in the third paragraph mean?

A．You can watch films after downloading them.

B．You can watch commercial ads free of charge.

C．You can watch short ads for new movies.

D．You can watch films on the net at home.

【小题3】What does the passage imply?

A．The service is only intended to put into use at the cinema in Beijing for a month.

B．China’s film industry saw the decreasing number of moviegoers by the end of 2009.[

C．The traditional ticket selling system makes it hard to get film tickets on popular days.

D．The green channel of tickets ordering is aiming at provides general mobile phone services..

【小题4】The best title for the passage would probably be ________.

A．Rare Beijingers to watch films on the net

B．Few Beijingers to buy film tickets in line

C．Beijingers to watch films via cell phone

D．Beijingers to order film tickets via cell phone

What do those countries have in common? People are killing each other or drive others out of their homes. Why is this happening? Very simple, in each of these, one group of people believes another group is different from them and dangerous to them. It has been thus through history. How different are humans from each other?
We come in different colors: red, black, white, yellow and brown; we have a variety of political systems, social systems, religious views or none at all; We are different in mind, have different educational systems, different economic classes. We speak different languages, and have different customs and dresses.
If we were to break each of these further, we would have quite a long list of qualities and characteristics that make humans appears to be different from each other. I say they appear to be different, because most of what have been listed stand for what we see or hear, not what is true of human. Man is man everywhere. It is only where he lives, when he lives there, with whom he lives there, and al the others that have effect on how he lives, that is, what he believes, what he wears, his customs, his language and so on. These are man-made facts that each group develops over tome, living together, facing the same problems, needing and desiring the same things. They are his culture. The truth is that we are much more same than different. If you wear one type of clothing and I wear another, we both wear some kind of clothing. Our culture demands it. If you speak one language and I another, we both speak so that others will understand us; we must communicate with each other. Nothing is gained by giving too many differences, but much is lost. If we understood our differences as the ones of culture, then we could make our world more peaceful.
Differences does not mean better or worse, right or wrong. It means only that differences have been made by society. Differences produce variety of thoughts, work out human problems peacefully.
【小题1】 Which of the following is the best tile for this passage?

A．Differences.

B．Humans

C．Cultures.

D．Customs.

【小题2】People in those countries fight each other because______

A．They have different colors.

B．They have different customs and dresses.

C．They have different education systems.

D．They think that others are different and harmful.

【小题3】If you pay much attention to differences, ________.

A．we will get something.

B．we will produce problem.

C．we will develop further.

D．Nothing will be lost.

【小题4】 From this passage it can be inferred that ________.

A．Our world would be more peaceful if we understand and communicate with each other.

B．People don’t know how differences are caused.

C．It is only differences that can solve man’s problems.

D．Man is man everywhere but not woman.

Have you ever noticed what happens to an idea once you express it? Just talking about it or writing it down causes you to make it clear in your own mind. How can you use this to increase your brain power? Start writing.
By putting thoughts into words, you are telling yourself the logic (逻辑) behind what you think, feel, or only partly understand. Often, explaining a thought is the process of understanding. In other words, you increase your brain power by exercising your “explain power.”
Try this experiment. Explain how you’ll increase your brain power, even if you have no idea right now. Just start with anything, and create an explanation. For example, start with “I’ll learn chess,” or “I’ll read an article on the mind every week.” Explain how that will help. You’ll be surprised how often this becomes a workable plan, and if you actually do this, you’ll have a better understanding of your brain from now.
Another benefit of writing is that it helps you remember. Many, if not most, highly productive people are always taking notes. You can try keeping it all in your head, but if you keep a journal of your ideas the next time you’re working on a big project, you’ll probably have more success.
Want to understand a topic? Write a book about it. That’s an extreme example, but if you are learning something new, write a letter to a friend about it, and you will understand it better. Want to invent something? Write an explanation of the problem, why you want to solve it, and why it is worth solving, and you’re half-way there.
Writers don’t always write because they clearly understand something beforehand. Often, they write about something because they want to understand it. You can do the same. Writing will help bring you to an understanding. Give it a try.
【小题1】What would be the best title for the text?

A．A Way on How to Write.

B．Increase Your Brain Power through Writing.

C．Brain Power Helps Improve Your Writing.

D．How to Start Your Writing.

【小题2】According to the text, writing can help you a lot in the following ways EXCEPT ______.

A．the increase of your brain power

B．the ability to remember

C．the development of your interest in study

D．the better understanding of a topic

【小题3】 If a writer writes something, it means that he or she ______.

A．has understood it very well

B．needs to understand it better

C．wants to remember it in his or her mind

D．is exercising his or her “explain power”

【小题4】The underlined sentence “you’re half-way there” in the fifth paragraph implies
that ______.

A．you are already successful

B．you still need to work hard

C．writing can help you walk half way

D．writing is important to solve problems

【小题5】 What’s the main purpose of the writer writing the text?

A．To advise readers to start their writing.

B．To explain the importance of writing.

C．To persuade readers to become writers.

D．To increase readers’ brain power.

When is the right time to get kids involved in teamwork and what does it mean to be part of a team? There are many great ways to introduce kids to team building. Use team building games and activities to get kids to understand the meaning of being in a team.
Try to find some games that have kids work together on some kind of problem solving. Children naturally have a shorter attention span (一段时间) than adults so present it in a funny way. Create a reward system for teams that are able to work together in order to reach a common goal. When they solve the problem and receive a reward, it gives them initiative to keep working hard and cooperating with others. The best games are those that require direct communication between team members.
Organize a game of 20 questions for the kids to play while building a team. Draw up a series of cards with different questions on each. Have each child select a card and then ask another question on it casually. It’s a great way for the kids to share and discover common interests. Kids need to be entertained and social when in a large group. This will lighten the mood greatly and help the quieter team members to come out of their shells.
Have the kids sit in a circle or around a table and share their favorite things. Start with something like movies or books and move on to anything from toys to animals. Sharing interests creates discussion. When you share interests with someone, it is easier to relate to them. Kids finally want to be friends with most other kids. Encouraging them to get along socially is always positive. By sharing interests they can form valuable bonds that will serve them as both individuals and as a team.
【小题1】What’s the main idea of the passage?

A．How to be active in a game.

B．How to share common interests with others.

C．A game for the kids to play

D．Ways to get kids to understand the meaning of being a team.

【小题2】Which of the following is TRUE?
A. Children have a shorter attention span than adults.
B. The game of 20 questions requires kids to answer questions in turn.
The best team game is having the kids sit in a circle.
A reward is the most important part in team activities.
【小题3】Who is the passage meant for?

A．Teenagers.

B．Parents.

C．Teachers.

D．Managers.

       TV talk shows dominate daytime television. And anyone who watches them regularly knows that each one is different in style. But no two shows are more opposite in content, while at the same time standing out above the rest than the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey shows.
Jerry Springer could easily be considered the king of “rubbish talk”. The contents on his show are as surprising as possible. For example, the show takes the forever-common talk show titles of love, sex, cheating, and hate to a different level. Clearly, the Jerry Springer show is about the dark side of society, yet people are willing to eat up the troubles of other people’s lives.
Like Jerry Springer, Oprah Winfrey takes TV talk show to its top, but Oprah goes in the opposite direction. The show is mainly about the improvement of society and the quality of life. Contents are from teaching your children lessons, managing your work week, to getting to know your neighbors.
Compared with Oprah, the Jerry Springer looks like poisonous waste being poured into society. Jerry ends every show with a “final word”. He makes a small speech about the main idea of the show. Hopefully, this is the part where most people will learn something very valuable.
Clear as it is, the Oprah show is not for everyone. The show’s main viewers are middle-class Americans. Most of these people have the time, money, and ability to deal with life’s tougher problems. The Jerry Springer show, on the other hand, has more of connection with the young adults of society. These are 18-to-21-year-olds whose main troubles in life include love, relationship, sex, money and drugs. They are the ones who see some value and lessons to be learned through the show’s exploitation (开发，挖掘).
【小题1】Compared with other TV talk shows, both the Jerry Springer and the Oprah Winfrey shows are _____.

A．more popular

B．less interesting

C．more uninviting

D．more informal

【小题2】What is the audience’s reaction to the social problems that Jerry Springer talks about?

A．They are interested in them.	B．They are not ready to face them.
C．They are cold to them.	D．They want to get away from them.

【小题3】Which of the following topics is the most suitable one for the Oprah show?

A．Cheating.

B．A love story.

C．Mental health.

D．Sex.

【小题4】From the passage we can learn that the two talk shows _____.

A．are the only ones of their kind	B．exploit weaknesses in human nature
C．appear at different times of the day	D．have their own specific viewers

The new iPhone 3G should please everyone. Its look and feel are only slightly improved, but a faster network loads Web pages more quickly, true GPS functionality allows it to easily find places nearby, and the new $199 price (down from $400) makes it an affordable luxury.
Before deciding whether to buy, however, make sure you can actually take advantage of the iPhone 3G's high-speed data network. 3G stands for third-generation, which in non-geek speak translates to Web pages and mail messages that, ideally, load about three times faster than on the original iPhone. Even better, 3G coverage enables you to make a phone call and surf the Web at the same time. That's great, if you live or work in a place where the 3G network of AT&T（美国电话电报公司） (the sole wireless carrier of the iPhone) is active. That's not so great in cities like New York where AT&T's cellular coverage is awful. As one of my colleagues in New York City, who bought the original iPhone, commented, "It's just a toy. You can't make phone calls on it, so I carry my Verizon phone with me all the time."
The real fun begins when you tap on the icon called "App Store" and start browsing the hundreds of add-on applications that have been developed just for the iPhone. You'll find tons of games (I like JirboBreak, a free game inspired by the Atari classic Breakout) and mobile versions of popular websites like Pandora, Facebook, MySpace and the New York Times. Most apps will cost you, but the vast majority are $9.99 or less. The apps work on the old iPhones too, but you'll enjoy them a lot more on the iPhone 3G because many of the programs, including Yelp (local business reviews), Whrrl (mobile social networking) and UrbanSpoon (restaurant reviews), use your exact location — provided by the iPhone 3G's GPS chip — to make recommendations. The apps also load much faster over the 3G network.
【小题1】The new iPhone 3G has following features except that _______

A．It looks and feels better	B．It has a faster network
C．It is easy to locate a place	D．It is too expensive for people to buy

【小题2】Why do one of my colleagues carry Verizon phone with him all the time? ______.

A．Because iPhone 3G is just a toy.

B．ecause he prefers Verizon phone better.

C．Because AT&T's cellular coverage is terrible there

D．Because Verizon phone enables him make a phone call and surf the Web at the same time

【小题3】Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage. ____.

A．App Store will offer you great fun.	B．many apps have been developed for the iPhone.
C．Most apps are very expensive.
D．Pandora, Facebook, MySpace and the New York Times are popular websites.

【小题4】From the passage we know that the attitude of the author toward iPhone 3G is _____.

A．doubtful

B．appreciative

C．optimistic

D．pessimistic

  With its budget of $80 million , John Woo as director, and an all-star cast（明星云集的演员阵容）, Red Cliff is the most expensive and ambitious Asian-financed film ever. Last week I saw the release of the second part, and boy oh boy does it shows.
But watching the film as a foreigner I felt I was missing out on something. Not knowing my Cao Cao’s from my Zhou Yu’s, I was not even sure whom I wanted to win. Certainly after the opening scene, in which Cao Cao is seen watching a game of Cuju, an ancient Chinese variation of football, I knew who had my support. After all, any man who enjoys his football is someone after my own heart. But after Cao Cao resorted to some evil strategies against his enemies in the south, I wasn’t so sure he was the man I should be rooting for.
And there is a lot more to Red Cliff 2 than just extravagant battle scenes. The film does not take itself too seriously. Conversations between leaders are littered with one-liners, many of which had the audience in laughter. There is even enough to keep fans of more romantic entertainment happy too. This includes a charming relationship between a southern spy（侦探）and an innocent northern soldier. The characters’ interaction provides some genuinely heart-warming moments in the middle of the battle.
Clocking in at（结束于）around two hours, the film certainly does justice to the history story. When I walked out the cinema, I felt as drained（精疲力竭） as Cao Cao’s soldiers must have 1,800 years ago.
【小题1】By expressing “boy oh boy” in the first paragraph, the author seems to show that _______.

A．the film characters are like boys who are childish.

B．the film provides amazing and surprising scenes for audience.

C．the film is suitable for younger boys to watch.

D．the film scene is so bloody that boys shouldn’t watch it.

【小题2】When did the author change his attitude toward Cao Cao?

A．When he read the history story about Cao Cao.

B．When he saw Cao Cao was watching a game of Cuju,

C．When he realized that Cao Cao took some bad measures to beat his enemies.

D．When he saw the romantic love story of Cao Cao and a southern spy.

【小题3】The following factors of the film are all mentioned in the passage except_______.

A．high budget

B．leading roles

C．actors and actress

D．conversations

【小题4】From the passage we can infer that_______.

A．the author is a football fan in a foreign country.

B．Cuju is the name of an ancient Chinese variation of football.

C．the film Red Cliff 2 lasts about two hours.

D．the author was very tired after about two hours’ battle.