Today, there’s hardly an aspect of our life that isn’t being upended by the tons of information available on the hundreds of millions of sites crowding the Internet, not to mention its ability to keep us in constant touch with each other via electronic mail. “If the automobile and aerospace technology had exploded at the same pace as computer and information technology,” says Microsoft, “a new car would cost about $ 2 and go 600 miles on a small quantity of gas. And you could buy a Boeing 747 for the cost of a pizza.”
Probably the biggest payoff, however, is the billions of dollars the Internet is saving companies in producing goods and serving for the needs of their customers. Nothing like it has been seen since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, when power-driven machines began producing more in a day than men could turn out in nearly a year. “We view the growth of the Internet and e-commerce as a global trend,” says Merrill Lynch, “along the lines of printing press, the telephone, the computer, and electricity.”
You would be hard pressed to name something that isn’t available on the Internet. Consider: books, health care, movie tickets, construction materials, baby clothes, stocks, cattle feed, music, electronics, antiques, tools, real estate, toys, autographs of famous people, wine and airline tickets. And even after you’ve moved on to your final resting place, there’s no reason those you love can’t keep in touch. A company called FinalThoughts.com offers a place for you to store “afterlife e-mails” you can send to Heaven with the help of a “guardian angel”.
Kids today are so computer literate that it in fact ensures the United States will remain the unchallenged leader in cyberspace for the foreseeable(能预测的) future. Nearly all children in families with incomes of more than $75,000 a year have home computers, according to a study by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. Youngsters from ages 2 to 17 at all income levels have computers, with 52% of those connected to the Internet. Most kids use computers to play games (some for 30 hours or more a week), and many teenage girls think nothing of rushing home from school to have e-mail chats with friends they have just left.
What’s clear is that, whether we like it or not, the Internet is an ever growing part of our lives and there is no turning back. “The Internet is just 20% invented,” says cyber pioneer Jake Winebaum. “The last 80% is happening now.”
【小题1】What can we learn from the Microsoft’s remark?

A．Today’s cars and airplanes are extremely overpriced.

B．Information technology is developing at an amazing speed.

C．Information technology has reached the point where improvement is difficult.

D．There’s more competition in information technology industry than in car industry.

【小题2】According to the author, the biggest benefit of the Internet is that___.

A．it saves companies huge amounts of money	B．it speeds up profit making
C．it brings people incredible convenience	D．it provides easy access to information

【小题3】The author gives the example of FinalThoughts.com to make the point that____.

A．there are some genius ideas on the Internet	B．almost anything is available on the Internet
C．people can find good bargains on the Internet	D．some websites provide novel services to increase hits

【小题4】What can we learn from the fourth paragraph?

A．There is a link between income and computer ownership.

B．Many American children don’t put computers to good use.

C．Studies show that boys are more computer literate than girls.

D．The U.S. will stay ahead in the information technology in years.

【小题5】Which sentence has the phrase that possesses the same meaning as the one underlined in the fifth paragraph?

A．Some can tell you that he has changed their lives, while others think nothing of him.

B．Think nothing of it. It was my pleasure.

C．He thinks nothing of staying up all night in the Café bar.

D．He thinks nothing of the pain in his back for the moment.

【小题6】What is the message the author intends to convey?

A．The Internet is going to get firm hold of our lives some day.

B．The Internet is going to influence our lives even more greatly.

C．We should have a positive attitude towards the changes the Internet brings.

D．Children should be well prepared for the challenges in the information age.

The desire for a better life is sometimes so big that it makes people leave their countries and their families and work in other countries. They know that they will have to face difficult moments，that they won’t be able to communicate with the persons around them，and that maybe they will have to work in illegal conditions to get the money they need for their families，but they all take these chances and they hope they will succeed.
On the other hand，there are people who immigrate(移民)just for the sake of the people they love. They leave their families to make other families with the people they love. Women go to meet their men who have chosen other countries to start a new life，even if they miss their families and friends. Maybe they don’t have a place to work but they are able to wait to see what destiny(命运) has for them.
There are also the cases of the people who are forced to leave their countries because of a war which threatens their lives. They’d rather start from the very beginning again than risk putting their lives in danger.
When well­developed countries see that their homeland is being “invaded” by lots of immigrants，they set new laws that make immigration harder. As a result of this，many illegal immigrants cross the borders and are eager to work，although they are paid only half the amount of money native workers receive for the same kind of job.
The opinions of the local people are varied and they range from total refusal to complete acceptance. Immigrants in countries which have large communities of them are fighting for the recognition of their social rights and for equal treatment.
Many immigrants have managed to be fully accepted by the communities where they live and have managed to change the opinions of the local people about them.
【小题1】Which of the following reasons for immigration is NOT mentioned in the passage?

A．Escaping from a war.	B．Being reunited with the beloved people.
C．Seeking a better life.	D．Studying a foreign language.

【小题2】What’s the usual response to immigrants in well­developed countries?

A．To accept them.	B．To put limitations on immigration.
C．To refuse them.	D．To encourage them.

【小题3】The passage implies that ________.

A．culture shock causes great anxiety in some immigrants

B．illegal immigrants cause great damage to developed countries

C．stricter laws should be set to prevent immigration

D．many people go to other countries with great determination

They are among the 250, 000 people under the age of 25 who are out of work in the Netherlands, a group that makes up 40 percent of the nation’s unemployed．A storm of anger boils up at the government-sponsored （政府资助的） youth center, even among those who are continuing their studies．
“We study for jobs that don’t exist,” Nicollets Steggerda, 23, said．
After thirty years of prosperity, unemployment among 10 member nations of the European Community has reached as much as 11 percent, affecting a total of 12．3 million people, and the number is climbing．
The bitter disappointment long expressed by British youths is spreading across the Continent．The title of a rock song “No Future” can now be seen written on the brick walls of closed factories in Belgium and France．
One form of protest（抗议） tends to put the responsibility for a country’s economic troubles on the large numbers of “guest workers” from Third World nations, people welcomed in Western Europe in the years of prosperity．
Young Europeans, brought up in an extended period of economic success and general stability, seem to be similar to Americans more than they do their own parents．Material enjoyment has given them a sense of expectation, even the right to a standard of living that they see around them．
“And so we pass the days at the discos, or meet people at the café, and sit and stare,” said Isabella Cault．"There is usually not much conversation．You look for happiness．Sometimes you even find it．”
【小题1】Unemployment in the Netherlands has affected      

A．about 0．6 million people	B．250,000 people
C．1ess than half of the population	D．one million people

【小题2】 What Nicollete Steggerda said （para 2） means that      ．

A．what the students learn is more than necessary

B．the students cannot get work after graduation

C．the students’ aim in study is not clear

D．school education is not sufficient

【小题3】The underlined word ‘‘it” in the last paragraph most probably refers to      ．

A．material enjoyment	B．a sense of expectation
C．a job	D．happiness

【小题4】Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．British youths have pity on the unemployed on the Continent．

B．British youths care about unemployment in France and Belgium．

C．British youths show their disappointment over joblessness．

D．British youths have confidence to find work on the Continent．

Recently I spoke to some of my students about what they wanted to do after they graduated, and what kind of job prospects they thought they had.
Given that I teach students who are training to be doctors, I was surprised to find that most thought that they would not be able to get the jobs they wanted without “outside help”. “What kind of help is that?” I asked, expecting them to tell me that they would need a relative or family friend to help them out.
“Surgery(外科手术)”, one replied.
I was pretty alarmed by that response. It seems that the graduates of today are increasingly willing to go under the knife to get ahead of others when it comes to getting a job.
One girl told me that she was considering surgery to increase her height. “They break your legs, put in special extending screws, and slowly expand the gap between the two ends of the bone as it regrows, you can get at least 5cm taller!”
At that point, I was shocked. I am short, I can’t deny that, but I don’t think I would put myself through months of agony(痛苦) just to be a few centimeters taller. I don’t even bother to wear shoes with thick soles, as I’m not trying to hide the fact that I am just not tall!
It seems to me that there is a trend toward wanting “perfection”, and that is an ideal that just does not exist in reality.
No one is born perfect, yet magazines, TV shows and movies present images of thin, tall, beautiful people as being the norm. Advertisements for slimming aids, beauty treatments and cosmetic surgery clinics fill the pages of newspapers, further creating an idea that “perfection” is a requirement, and that it must be purchased, no matter what the cost.
In my opinion, skills, rather than appearance, should determine how successful a person is in his chosen career.
【小题1】We can know from the passage that the author works as ________.

A．a doctor

B．a model

C．a teacher

D．a reporter

【小题2】Many graduates today turn to cosmetic surgery to ________.

A．marry a better man\woman	B．become a model
C．get an advantage over others in job-hunt	D．attract more admirers

【小题3】According to the passage, the author believes that ________.

A．everyone should purchase perfection, whatever the cost

B．it’s right for graduates to ask for others to help them out in hunting for jobs

C．it is one’s appearance instead of skills that really matters in one’s career

D．media are to blame for misleading young people in their seeking for surgery

【小题4】What does the author think of his height?

A．He hates to be called a short man.

B．He tries to increase his height through surgery.

C．He just accepts it as it is.

D．He always wears shoes with thick soles to hide the fact.

【小题5】The best title for the passage should be “________”.

A．Young Graduates Have Higher Expectation

B．Young Graduates Look to Surgery for Better Jobs

C．Young Graduates’ Opinion About Cosmetic Surgery

D．Young Graduates Face a Different Situation in Job-hunt

Five years ago, David Smith wore an expensive suit to work every day. “I was a clothes addict,” he jokes. “I used to carry a fresh suit to work with me so I could change if my clothes got wrinkled.” Today David wears casual clothes—khaki pants and sports shirt—to the office. He hardly ever wears a necktie. “I’m working harder than ever,” David says, “and I need to feel comfortable.”
More and more companies are allowing their office workers to wear casual clothes to work. In the United States, the change from formal to casual office wear has been gradual. In the early 1990s, many companies allowed their employees to wear casual clothes on Friday, but only on Friday. This became known as “dress-down Friday” or “casual Friday”. “What started out as an extra one-day-a-week benefit for employees has really become an everyday thing.” said business consultant Maisly Jones.
Why have so many companies started allowing their employees to wear casual clothes? One reason is that it’s easier for a company to attract new employees if it has a casual dress code. “A lot of young people don’t want to dress up for work,” says the owner of a software company, “so it’s hard to hire people if you have a conservative dress code.” Another reason is that people seem happier and more productive when they are wearing comfortable clothes. In a study conducted by Levi Strauss Company, 85 percent of employers said that they believe that casual dress improves employee morale（士气）. Only 4 percent of employers said that casual dress has a negative effect on productivity. Supporters of casual office wear also argue that a casual dress code helps them save money. “Suits are expensive, if you have to wear one every day,” one person said. “For the same amount of money, you can buy a lot more casual clothes.”
【小题1】 David Smith refers to himself as having been “a clothes addict,” because __________.  

A．he often wore khaki pants and a sports shirt

B．he couldn’t stand a clean appearance

C．he wanted his clothes to look neat all the time

D．he didn’t want to spend much money on clothes

【小题2】David Smith wears casual clothes now, because __________.  

A．they make him feel at ease when working

B．he cannot afford to buy expensive clothes

C．he looks handsome in casual clothes

D．he no longer works for any company

【小题3】According to this passage, which of the following statements is FALSE? 

A．Many employees don’t like a conservative dress code.

B．Comfortable clothes make employees more productive.

C．A casual clothes code is welcomed by young employees.

D．All the employers in the U.S. are for casual office wear.

【小题4】 According to this passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?   

A．Company workers started to dress down about twenty years ago.

B．Dress-down has become an everyday phenomenon since the early 1990s.

C．“Dress-down Friday” was first given as a favor from employers.

D．Many workers want to wear casual clothes to impress people.

【小题5】In this passage, the following advantages of casual office wear are mentioned except
__________.    

A．saving employees’ money	B．making employees more attractive
C．improving employees’ motivation	D．making employees happier

With the development of society and economy, animals and their habitats are getting pushed aside as households decrease in size and increase in number.
Small numbers of people per household on average use more energy and goods per person. Greater numbers of households require more natural resources for construction. The possible result of this problem may be insufficient natural resources to meet consumer demand without endangering habitats important to biodiversity.
Personal freedom and social choice may come at huge environmental cost. Direct costs include visible damage to animal habitats and plant life. Indirect costs include the release of more greenhouse gases.
The effects of such “personal freedom and social choice” have already surfaced in south-west China’s Wolong Nature Reserve. In Wolong, they found that a reduced average household size was directly tied to an increase in homes, and thus an increase in the amount of firewood consumed for cooking and heating. The rise in wood fuel use has contributed to disappearance of forests and to the loss of habitats for giant pandas. 
Curious about whether other parts of the world were experiencing similar phenomena, they got the support of a team of researchers including Stanford’s Paul Ehrlich, well-known for his population studies, to find out the household dynamics in 141 countries between 1985 and 2000. Their study proved that the difficult choice of Wolong is part of a global trend.
In the 76 countries considered biodiversity “hotspots”, such as the United States, Brazil, Australia, and Kenya, the number of households grew by 3.1% every year, while the population increased just 1.8%. Meanwhile, the number of people per home dropped from 4.7 to 4.0. The decline in household size has resulted in 155 million additional households in hotspot countries, almost always limiting biodiversity.
In the 10 non-hotspot countries — those without high-density areas of animal and plant species — similar results were found, though on a lesser scale. Even in countries experiencing population decline, such as New Zealand, the number of households still increased because of a reduction in household size.
【小题1】What does the underlined word “insufficient” mean?

A．Plenty of.

B．Not enough.

C．Abundant.

D．Little.

【小题2】It can be learned from the passage that China’s Wolong Nature Reserve__________.

A．is facing the same threat as many other parts of the world

B．sets a good example in protecting animals

C．is a place where giant pandas and their habitats are not affected

D．is a place where animals and their habitats are seriously damaged

【小题3】Which of the following is best supported by the last two paragraphs?

A．Biodiversity is better kept in countries with smaller populations.

B．Biodiversity is better kept in hotspot countries.

C．The threat to nature from reduction in household size is a worldwide problem.

D．Both hotspot countries and non-hotspot countries face the threat of the same scale.

【小题4】What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．Reduced household size leads to an increase in household number.

B．Modern homes consume more natural resources.

C．How to meet consumer demand without endangering animals and their habitats.

D．Reduction in household size as well as increase in household number threatens nature.

Recently, online high schools in America have sparked (激发) a debate about whether or not taxpayers’ money should be used to support online education. Online schools receive the same amount of funding as all other public schools, even though they don’t have to pay for rent or school equipment. States should use their educational funds to improve education at real schools, not to support online programs.
Some students only use online classes to supplement their school work. They benefit from the social experience of a traditional high school, while still taking online courses.
However, about 90 thousand students in America receive their education only from online schools. 50 thousand of these students take courses at Florida Virtual School, the largest online school in the country. While this method of schooling helps students who live in remote regions, most school systems are upset that they are losing more students each year to these online programs. 
Although online learning allows children to work at their own pace, these online schools have only one teacher per several hundred students. Often, teachers can’t give struggling students the help they need as they are unable to talk face-to-face with them, to find exactly what they’re having difficulty with.  
Additionally, even though online schooling accommodates (顾及) students who live in more remote states, students in online programs may suffer in social situations because they will not learn valuable communication skills from their schooling. Similar to students who are home schooled, those who take only online classes won’t learn social etiquette (礼节), and will be treated differently by their peers.
Online schooling might be useful for places where there are not enough students for a real school, such as agricultural regions, but states should only spend taxpayers’ money on online schools in extreme cases.
【小题1】What is the passage mainly about?

A．Whether students should study at online schools.

B．Whether online schools should be allowed to exist.

C．Whether taxpayers should pay for online schools.

D．Whether traditional schools should be replaced.

【小题2】According to the passage, online schooling _____.

A．is helpful to students living in remote regions

B．allows students to work together

C．makes it possible for students to get immediate help

D．develops students’ critical thinking

【小题3】According to Paragraph 5, the author worries that students at online schools _____.

A．might lose interest in learning

B．would play online games

C．could not receive teachers’ help

D．could not become fully developed

【小题4】What is the author’s attitude?

A．Taxpayers should not pay for online schools at all.

B．Taxpayers should pay more for online schools than real schools.

C．Taxpayers’ money should be spent on online schools conditionally.

D．Taxpayers should support online schools in different ways.

A teddy bear from Cumbria is launching into space to raise cash for charity(慈善)
Terence,an experienced traveller who has been to Iraq,will be the guest of honour on aviation（飞行）legend Burt Rutan’s Spaceship One when it flies above Earth.The mission takes off from California on September 29, and on his return the loveable toy will be auctioned off（拍卖）in aid of the North AIR Ambulance Appeal(北部空中救护服务中心).
Spaceship One is the world’s first private spacecraft,and is competing for a prestigious space travel prize.Chief executive of the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS),Graham Pickering,said”flying officer”Terence had been handed over to the RAF six months ago and staff had been receiving postcards from him ever since.
He said,“Terence was a fundraising idea that really took off. We have received pictures of him in a U2 craft,trying parachuting and even looking drunk and disorderly.When the RAF finally discharege him he will be a very rare bear indeed?--we just hope he does not bum up on re?entry to Earth”.
GNAAS,which needs charitable donations of more than ￡2m a year,has three air ambulances(空中救护机).
Peter Bond,spokesman for the Royal Astronimical Society,said Terence’s safety was not guaranteed. He said,“This is a new experimental craft and this will only be the second time it has flown.During its first voyage it developed technical problems but hopefully they have now been resolved.”
Since May,Terence has spent time with members of 100 squadron（空军中队）based at RAF Leeming Basra.Iraq,and at air shows with performing fighter planes.
Spaceship One will fly 100km(62 miles) above the Earth’s surface,just breaking through the planet’s atmosphere.
If it repeats the feat（技艺）inside two weeks,it will claim the $ 10 million Ansari X-Prize set up to encourage the private space flight business.
【小题1】Which of the following is the best title?

A．The Toy Bear Will Be Auctioned Off

B．Space Flight

C．Spaceship One to Lift Off

D．Teddy Bear Astronaut to Lift Off

【小题2】Terence is      .

A．an experienced astronaut

B．a toy bear

C．a real bear living in England

D．an air force officer

【小题3】Which of the following is true of Speaceship One?

A．Spaceship One is the world’s first speacecraft.

B．The purpose of its flight is to collect money for the charity.

C．The purpose of its flight is to comepete for a prestigious space travel prize.

D．Spaceship One has never flown.

【小题4】We can infer that      .

A．after this space flight,Spaceship One will get the $ 10 million Ansari X-prize

B．it is dangerous for a spaceship to re-entre the earth atmosphere

C．Terence will be very safe on the flight

D．Spaceship One is just an ordinary plane

Since we are social beings，the quality of our lives depends in a large measure on our interpersonal relationships．One strength of the human condition is our possibility to give and receive support from one another under stressful(有压力的)conditions．Social support makes up of the exchange of resources among people based on their interpersonal ties．Those of us with strong support systems appear better able to deal with major life changes and daily problems．People with strong social ties live longer and have better health than those without such ties．Studies over types of illnesses，from depression to heart disease，show that the presence of social support helps people defend themselves against illness，and the absence of such support makes poor health more likely．
Social support cushions stress in a number of ways．First，friends，relatives and co-workers may let us know that they value us．Our self-respect is stengthened when we feel accepted by others in spite of our faults and difficulties．Second，other people often provide us with informational support．They help us to define and understand our problems and find solutions to them．Third．we typically find social companionship supportive．Taking part in free-time activities with others helps us to meet our social needs while at the same time distracting(转移注意力)us f rom our worries and troubles．Finally，other people may give us instrumental support--money aid，material resources，and needed services--that reduces stress by helping us resolve and deal with our problems．
【小题1】What does the word“cushions”mean?

A．gets rid of

B．makes up of

C．takes place of

D．lessens the effect of

【小题2】The researches show that people’s physical and mental health_____.

A．depends on their ability to deal with daily werries and troubles

B．is related to their courage for dealing with major life changes

C．lies in the social medical care systems which support them

D．has much to do with the amount of support they get from others

【小题3】Helping a sick neighbor with some repair work in spare time is an example of_____.

A．informational support	B．social companionship
C．the strengthening of self-respect	D．instrumental support

【小题4】Why are interpersonal relationships important?

A．They can cure types of illnesses．	B．They can deal with life changes．
C．they can smooth away daily problems．	D．They can make people live more easily．

Perhaps the most astonishing theory to come out of kinetics，the study of body movement,was suggested by Professor Ray Birdwhistell.He believes that physical appearance Is often culturally programmed.In other words,we learn our looks;we are not born with them.
A baby generally unformed facial features.A baby,according to Birdwhistell,learns where to set the eyebrows by looking at those around family and friends．This helps explain why the people of some regions of the United States look so much lilke．New Englanders or Southerners have certain common facial characteristics that cannot be explained by genetics(遗传学)．The exact shape of the mouth is not set at birth,it is learned later．In fact，the final mouth shape is not formed until well after permanent(永久的)teeth are set．For many，this can be well into adolescence(青春期)．A husband and wife together for a long time often come to look somewhat alike．We learn our looks from those around us. This is perhaps why in a single country there are areas where people smile more than those in other areas．In the United States，for example，the South is the part of the country where the people smile most frequently．In New England they smile less，and in the western part of New York State still less．Many Southerners find cities such as New York cold and unfriendly，partly because people on Madison Avenue smile less than people on Peach Tree Street jn Atlanta，Georgia．People in densely(稠密地)populated urban areas also tend to smile and greet each other in public less than people in rural areas and small towns．
【小题1】The passage might be taken out of a book dealing with______

A．physics

B．health

C．chemistry

D．body movement

【小题2】Ray Birdwhistell believes that physical appearance_______．

A．has little to do with culture	B．is decided by our parents
C．can be infiuenced by culture	D．varies from place to place

【小题3】Ray Birdwhistell can tell what region of the United States a person is from by     .

A．the way he or she talks	B．how he or she raises his or her eyebrows
C．what he or she likes best	D．how much he or she laughs

【小题4】According to the passage，people who live_______are more friendly.

A．in the north	B．in the country
C．in New York City	D．in densely populated areas