“Life is speeding up．Everyone is getting unwell．”

　　This may sound like something someone would say today．But in fact， an unknown citizen who lived in Rome in AD 53 wrote it．

We all love new inventions．They are exciting， amazing， and can change our lives．

But have all these developments really improved the quality of our lives?

Picture this：You're rushing to finish your homework on the computer．Your mobile phone rings，a QQ message from your friend appears on the screen， the noise from the television is getting louder and louder．Suddenly the computer goes blank and you lose all your work．Now you have to stay up all night to get it done．How calm and happy do you feel?

　　Inventions have speeded up our lives so much that they often leave us feeling stressed and tired．Why do you think people who live far away from noisy cities ，who have no telephones， no cars，not even any electricity often seem to be happier? Perhaps because they lead simple lives．

　　One family in the UK went “back in time” to see what life was like without all the inventions we have today．The grandparents，with their daughter， and grandsons Benjamin， 10， and Thomas，7，spent nine weeks in a 1940s' house．They had no washing machine， microwave， computer or mobile phone．

　　The grandmother， Lyn， said， “It was hard physically．But not mentally （精神上）．”She believed life was less materialistic（物质的）．“The more things you have，the more difficult life becomes， ”she said．The boys said they fought less．Probably， they said， because there was less to fight over， such as their computer．Also Lyn changed from being a“ fashionable， beer-drinking granny， to one who cooked things．”

　　Here are some simple ways to beat the stress often caused by our inventions！

　　●Don't be available all the time．Turn off your mobile phone at certain times of the day．Don't check your e-mails every day．

　　●Make sure you spend some time talking to your family．Set aside one evening a week when you don't turn on the television．Play cards and chat instead．

　　●Get a low-tech hobby．Everyday， do something in the old-fashion way， such as walking to have a face-to-face meeting instead of using the e-mail or telephone．

　　●Don't worry too much about life—laugh more！

1．The passage is mainly about________．

A．problems with technology

B．improvements of our life with technology

C．the important roles technology plays in our everyday life

D．major changes which will be likely to happen to technology

2．The writer uses the quote（引语） at the beginning of the story to________．

A．share a truth about life

B．tell us what life was like a long time ago

C．make us wonder what causes such a thing to happen

D．point out that you experience some big problems and they may be the same

3．Why did the family choose to spend some time in a 1940s' house?

A．Because they loved to live simple lives．

B．Because they were curious about how people lived without modem' inventions．

C．Because they were troubled by modern inventions．

D．Because living in a different time would be a lot of fun for them．

4．What do you think the underlined word“ available” in the last suggestion offered by the writer means?

A．Busy on time．

B．Free．

C．Be able to．

D．To be found by others．

We all have our wish lists, whether it is for the holiday season, a birthday or a get-together．The fact is that we are all human and we all desire nice things and fun things．One thing that should not be missed is putting Cuponk on your wish list so that you can have years of fun and entertainment.

For adults, they can start playing Cuponk with their kids, spending quality time together, which is good for close family ties. Adults can also enjoy Cuponk with their own friends, turning a dinner party into something memorable (难忘的)．The game is made for everyone, regardless of age or gender (性别).

It comes with a special cup with a backboard funnel (漏斗), special balls and trick cards．There are different styles of cups to choose from, just to make it even more personal an experience. The players must pick a trick card when it is their turn. The card will tell them what to do and how many times they're allowed to try that particular trick. The tricks always involve getting the ball into the cup, which will light up and make some crazy sounds of victory afterwards.

The rules allow for everything in the home to be allowable. That means that you can bounce (反弹) the ball off the wall into the cup as creatively as possible, or you can also use tables, chairs, stairs, the ceiling and whatever else you have. What makes it even more special than most others is the fact that all ages can play together. So, a family with different age groups can enjoy a few games together, without any real concern for damages, as the balls are quite light. It’s kind of like beer pong rules, but without the beer.

In a time with economic instability (不稳定), where consumers have chosen to stay at home to save a few dollars, it is a great way to do that without being bored．Playing games with friends or family members is a good way to laugh and pass the time pleasantly, rather than just sitting in front of a television or a computer wasting valuable time．No one will remember watching television, but everyone will remember those memorable moments playing fun games and spending good quality time with the people they love.

68. Cuponk can be put on the wish list because　　　　 ．

A. it is for the holiday season　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. it can help us pass time

　 C. it is better than a dinner party　 　　　　　　　　　　 D. it brings us pleasure

69. The underlined “it” in the third paragraph refers to 　　 ．

　 A. the cup　　 　　　　　　 B. the game　　 　　　　 C. the rule　 　　　　　　 D. the ball

70. According to the text, the following can be used in the game Except　　　 ．

　 A. the wall　　 　　　　　　 B. trick cards　 　　　　 C. the stairs　 　　　　　　 D. the beer

71. In this passage, the author is suggesting that people should　　　 ．

A. stay at home to live through economic problems

　 B. spend no time in front of a television or a computer

　 C. be careful because the balls are heavy

　 D. play Cuponk with their family members or friends

 

       Since the 1950s, most of the stars of pop music have come from Britain and America．Howver, in the last ten years, when many different kinds of music have established themselves on the pop scene, more and more stars have come from other countries．

       Pop music changes all the time and new stars appear and become famous．For a musician to stay popular and still produced good, original music over a long period of time, is a sign of true star．

       Most stars start their careers in a simple way---- playing in unknown night clubs or dance-hall where people want to dance to the music, not listen to it．They may have continued doing this for many years untill they get a “break”---- a chance to perform in a well –known place or get a recording contract．To become a star is the aim of every singer or musician and the dream of many a pop-crazy teenager．

       However a group or star makes it to the top, they can be sure that their lives will change once they are successful．Ordinary teenagers living at home with their parents may suddenly find themselves rich enough to buy their own houses．An established superstar may be able to buy several．

       Despite the large amount of money that are earned, life at the top is not easy for many stars．．The pop scene is hard work and many stars need to spend a lot of time away from home．For a lot of them, this means they have no home life and their personal relationships suffer．Despite great public success, life at the top can be very lonely．

1.Since the 1950s,most of the stars of pop music have come from______．

       A．America                                B．America and Britain 

       C．America and Europe                      D．other countries

2.According to the passage， a “break” may mean a chance to ______．

       A．perform in a well-known concert                                     B．get a recording contract

       C．play in dance-halls                   D．meet a lot of pop-crazy teenagers

3.If a star becomes successful,．he ______ according to the passage．

      A．will live at home with their parents

      B．will have an easy life because of the larger amount of money earned

      C．may have a happy home life and good person relationships

      D．may have a lonely life

 

    The Suzukis is live in a big city. They have a son named Masao. His hobby is reading. When he comes home from school, he always goes to his room and just reads books. He never plays outdoors.

    One day, Mrs. Suzukis said to her husband, “It is not good for Masao’s health to live in the city all the time.”They found a small house in the country. They took him there for a vacation.

    They left home at eight and got there at eleven in the morning. When they reached the house, his mother said, “How clean the air is!” She said to Masao, “We are going to stay here for a week.

    Masao ran into the house. A few minutes later, he ran back to his mother and said, “I can’t find a desk.” His mother answered, “We came here to spend our vacation in the country. You must play outdoors and not read books here. Enjoy your vacation!” Masao cried, “Oh, how terrible!”

1. Masao likes________.

A．to read

B．to play baseball

C．to live in the country

D．to play outdoors

2. Masao’s parents took him to the country because they wanted him________.

A．to read in the country

B．to spend the vacation in the city

C．to study

D．to play outdoors

3. How long did it take them to get to the country?

A．Two hours

B．Three hours

C．Four hours

D．Five hours

4. Why did Masao say, “Oh, how terrible!”?

A．Because he could not play outdoors.

B．Because he had to read.

C．Because he was told not to read there.

D．Because he wanted to play outdoors.