People who put a smiley face at the end of a message, in an attempt to show feeling, show no feeling. I wish there was a symbol for two fingers in the air.
I had some bad news this week. My manager informed me of this news via email. It was like hearing about the death of a loved one via pigeon. Bad news should only ever be delivered face to face or voice to voice.
We seem to celebrate our numerous methods of communication, but really there is no communication at all. I talk to my plants more than I talk to my neighbors, I get text messages that take me three hours to read because they’re written like this: “Hi, I ope you av a gr8 day. Call me La8tr.” I had an email from someone this week that read, “Da ut ov 2day are really annoying me!” Ut? I had to say this 20 times before I understood it. Youth has now become ut. Haven’t we taken enough from them—now we have to take their letters?
I had an email recently from a girl who used to live over the road from me as a child. She wrote, “Hi Shazia, howz u? Im sure u used 2 live across the road from me. We sumtimes played tennis 2 gever at the park and you was in your eliment. I am married now wif 3 daughters.” Then, to my horror, she ended the email with: “Im now teachin in Leeds. Luv Clare.”
Teaching? With English like this. It’s like saying you’re a train driver when you’ve never seen a train. It was like reading modern Morse code.
Getting bad news via email makes it seem so much worse than it actually is. Just a few lines, no emotion, no comfort, not really an explanation. Just a few cold hard words. It’s an excuse. Just write a few words and the problem of delivering it is no longer yours. A close friend recently told me she was very happy to announce she was getting married—and made the announcement by email. I don’t know how she didn’t fall off her chair with excitement while writing it. If you are really happy or really sad to announce something important, wouldn’t you like a human reaction? Some euphoria, elation, tears, a punch in the face?
I receive long text messages every day with information and explanations that I don’t bother reading. They’re boring, and annoy me. In the time it took someone to write me three laborious texts, they could have called, spoken to me, made some tea. People who put a smiley face at the end of a sentence, in an attempt to show feeling, show no feeling. I wish there was a symbol for two fingers in the air, because that’s the one I’d send back.
The telegram has been responsible for reporting world-shattering events when there were very few other options(选择权). Now we have options, and people opt for the least humane one. My mum, in an attempt to get down with the ut of today, asked me to teach her to text. Now she constantly texts me in block capitals, so it looks as if she is still angry and annoyed with me after all these years.
People don’t even write by hand any more. My doctor prints out prescriptions from his computer; even my mechanic prints out a receipt. I get typed Christmas cards and my friends send me emails. I get very excited when hand-written letters come through my door, only because they rarely do.
When I was at school, the girls used to write letters to each other, even though we sat side by side and spoke to one another all day. I think it was a way of expressing private things we were afraid to say when we were 14 and too shy. We used to write things like, “You are my best friend, can’t wait to sit next to you in math.”
I miss the personal method of communication. Once the pen was mightier than the sword, now it seems the keyboard is mightier than the pen.

1. 1.

   We can learn from paragraph 3 and paragraph 4 that the writer wants to say ________.

   1. A.
      the spelling mistakes in the messages make her very annoyed
   2. B.
      only writing letters will bring friends and neighbors much closer
   3. C.
      she talks to plants more because no one shares her joys and sorrows
   4. D.
      gestures and the pen can express a lot more than the cold keyboard
2. 2.

   According to the writer, which of the following can support her opinion?

   1. A.
      She has been separated from all his classmates many years.
   2. B.
      No doctors write prescriptions by hand because of computers.
   3. C.
      In communication, we should write more letters than send messages.
   4. D.
      Less shy than school girls, boys rarely write letters to their friends.
3. 3.

   According to the passage, we can conclude that ________.

   1. A.
      the writer is a person full of emotions and treasures friendship and affections
   2. B.
      the writer becomes excited when she gets priceless gifts from other people
   3. C.
      her classmates would write to each other because they couldn’t send messages
   4. D.
      people put a smiley face at the end of a message just to show they are happy
4. 4.

   What message is conveyed in the passage?

   1. A.
      The writer wastes much time in reading many rubbish text messages every day.
   2. B.
      Few people can write letters well in modern society owing to texting messages.
   3. C.
      Now people are too busy to communicate with each other face to face often.
   4. D.
      The writer prefers personal communication rather than electronic equipment.
5. 5.

   Why does the writer mention the telegram?

   1. A.
      Because she thinks the annoyance of reading text messages is originated from it.
   2. B.
      Because we have more options to keep in touch with each other than ever before.
   3. C.
      Because advanced technology partly takes the blame for lacking the human touch.
   4. D.
      Because she thinks humans today become colder with the development of society.
6. 6.

   Which of the following best describe the tone of this passage?

   1. A.
      Optimistic.
   2. B.
      Critic.
   3. C.
      Sympathetic.
   4. D.
      Pessimistic.

There was a very special teacher who made far –reaching difference in my life

Fall, 1959, the first day of class at Bethesda Chevy Chase High School was about to begin. “Who”, I asked a senior, “is Mrs. McNamara, my 10th grade English teacher? ” He just __1_and said something about my being in __2__Soon, I understood what he meant Mrs. McNamara had a pattern of ___3___that she repeated again and again. We would have a literature reading task for_4__The next day, when we came to class, there would be two or three topics on the blackboard  5  to the homework reading. We were___6__to write an in –class essay about one of the topics. The following day, she would ___7__the corrected and graded essays and each person would be called __8__to stand in front of the class and to__9___his\her essay The class were required to criticize（评论）that essay,___10__the grade of everyone in class would be reduced

The first time that I_  11__her read–write–criticize method, I had not __12 _to do the homework and had written something without knowing what it meant ___13___the extreme embarrassment I suffered ,standing before my classmates ___14__myself, No one laughed at me ,no one would be __15___enorgh ,or foolish enough, to do that in Mrs. McNamara’s class. The embarrassment came from __16__and along with it came a strong ___17__not to let it happen again.

Mrs. McNamara kept all of our written work in files. it was easy to see the __18____in writing that had occurred. What was not so easy to see was the inner transformation that had taken place, at least for me. What Mrs. McNamar___19__me to do was to see myself as others see me and, having done that, I could improve myself. And I ___20__. Thank you Mrs. McNamara

1．A．nodded               B．laughed              C．apologized           D．shouted

2．A．trouble            B．sorrow                 C．danger              D．anger

3．A．behaviour             B．evaluation             C．activity            D．thought

4．A．review               B．performance         C．practice             D．homework

5．A．added               B．related               C．contributed       D．advised

6．A．expected             B．persuaded        C．allowed          D．advised

7．A．collect               B．return                C．send                   D．receive

8．A．on purpose           B．at first              C．by chance            D．in turn

9．A．talk through          B．hand over           C．read out                D．show off

10．A．so                       B．and                    C．but                           D．or

11．A．tried                     B．adopted          C．examined           D．experienced

12．A．undertaken         B．attempted         C．bothered           D．hesitated

13．A．Remember        B．Predict           C．Bear              D．Imagine

14．A．playing jokes on                           B．making a fool of

     C．setting a trap for                        D．taking advantage of

15．A．brave                   B．careless               C．proud                D．selfish

16．A．above                  B．within                 C．behind                D．below

17．A．tendency               B．preference            C．determination        D．sense

18．A．improvements       B．pains                     C．difficulties           D．advantages

19．A．trusted                   B．invited                    C．forced                   D．permitted

20．A．did                      B．could                   C．had                     D．would

 (09·湖北)

There was a very special teacher who made a far –reaching difference in my life

Fall, 1959, the first day of class at Bethesda Chevy Chase High School was about to begin. “Who”，I asked a senior , is Mrs. McNamara, my 10^thgrade English teacher? He just __31__and said something about my begin in __32__. Soon , Understood what he meant Mrs. McNamara had a pattern of ___33___that she repeated again and again , we would have a literature reading task for_34__The next day , when we came to class , there would were____36__to write an in-class essay about one of the topics , The following day , she would ___37__thd corrected and graded essays and each person would be called ___38__to stand in front of the class and to _____39____his\her essay The class were required to criticize（评论）that essay ___40__the grade of everyone in class would be reduced

The first time that I_41__her read-write criticize method I had not ___42to do the homework and had written something without knowing what it meant _____43___the extreme embarrassment I suffered , standing before my classmates _____44____myself No one laughed at me , no one would be ___45_____enorgh , or foolish enough, to do that in Mrs. McNamara’s class. The embarrassment came from ___46_____and along with it came a strong ____47____not to let it happen again

Mrs. McNamara kept all of our written work in files. It was easy to see the ____48____in writing that had occurred. What was not so easy to see was the inner transformation that had taken peace, at least for me. What Mrs. McNamar______49_____me to do was to see myself as others see me and, having done that, I could improve myself And_____50__, Thank you Mrs. McNamara

31. A. nodded                            B. laughed               C. apologized              D. shouted

32. A. trouble                            B. sorrow                C. danger                    D. anger

33. A. behavior                          B. evaluation            C. activity                   D. thought

34. A. review                            B. performance        C. practice                  D. homework

35. A. added                              B. related                 C. contributed             D. advised

36. A. expected                         B. persuaded            C. allowed                  D. advised

37. A. collect                             B. return                 C. send                       D. receive

38. A. on purpose                      B. at first                 C. by chance               D. in turn

39. A. talk through                     B. hand over            C. read out                  D. show off

40. A. so                                   B. and                     C. but                         D. or

41. A. tried                                B. adopted               C. examined                D. experienced

42. A. undertaken                      B. attempted            C. examined                D. experienced

43. A. remember                        B. attempted            C. bothered                 D. hesitated

44. A. playing jokes on               B. making a fool of   C. trying a trap for of   D. taking advantage  

45. A. brave                              B. careless               C. proud                     D. selfish

46. A. above                              B. within                 C. behind                    D. below

47. A. tendency                         B. preference           C. determination       D. sense

48. A. improvements                  B. pains                   C. difficulties              D. advantages

50. A. did                                  B. could                  C. had                        D. would