I am sure that everybody in his/her life has used computers. Nowadays you can feel their presence everywhere at home，at school，at work and they certainly make life easier．On the other hand，there are people who can’t work with them．
Anyway，I believe their presence is a good thing. Life with them seems easier, less difficult and more comfortable You can use them to choose your meal，to withdraw your money, and also save your time，because these operations are all controlled by computers. Therefore you can hardly imagine the modern world without them；the whole planet seems to be one big computer society．
Nevertheless，problems can often appear in this area, too．To have a computer means you have to be quite well－off and have the necessary skills to use it．However，think about questions like “Are computers so available for everyone, or rich and poor people，for people from villages and people from cities. Aren’t they too expensive？Is everyone able to learn how to use them and not everyone has the chance to access and work with them，how could everything in the future be dependent on them？”Therefore，I think our society will be split into two parts．One part will work with them and enjoy the benefits that computers can bring and the other part will be pushed out and will actually be far behind the other group．
Another question that bothers me is，on the one hand，computers are important  and good things in our life，but they aren’t everything．They are good as a help at school，quite often as entertainment，especially for young people，as an necessary tool to help in research etc，but I think we shouldn’t be so dependent on them，because computers are only machines and machines can’t feel anything be human and sympathetic，and every action performed by computer can be interfered with another person，which could cause these machines to crash or work badly．
In conclusion，I would like to say I am not against computers．I use computers，too，but people should be wary all the time．
【小题1】By saying “wary”（In the last paragraph）,the writer is trying to say “People should_______.

A．be strongly for the use of computers because of its convenience

B．be careful with computers that will also cause problems

C．master more necessary computer skills

D．not do something that causes computers to work badly

【小题2】Which of the following best shows the structure of the passage？

【小题3】 In the third paragraph，the author presents his idea by________

A．asking questions for people to think about

B．giving examples to support his argument

C．raising questions and answering them

D．expressing his opinion directly

【小题4】 The writer’s main purpose in writing the passage is__________

A．to encourage us to use computers in our society

B．to advise us to say no to computers from now on

C．to remind us to care about the problems that computers bring.

D．to inform us that the computer has become a necessary part of our life

Recently, scientists have developed a wireless brainmachine interface that help restore communication to people who can no longer speak by reading brainwaves using electrodes(电极) stuck on their heads. Unfortunately, these have proved very slow, at roughly one word typed per minute, making normal conversations and social interactions virtually impossible.

    Scientist Frank Guenther and his colleagues reveal a brainmachine interface that uses electrodes implanted directly into the brain for research into real time speech.

"It should soon be possible for extremely paralysed individuals who are incapable of speaking to produce speech through a laptop computer, " said Guenther.

The scientists worked with a 26-year- old male volunteer who experience near-total paralysis due to a stroke he suffered when he was 16. They implanted an electrode that had two wires into a part of the brain that help plan and execute movements related to speech. The electrode recorded brain signals when the volunteer attempted to talk and the wires spread them across the scalp(头皮)to help drive a speech synthesizer (合成器). The delay between brain activity and sound output was just 50 milliseconds on average, roughly the same with regular speech.

"He was quite excited, particularly on the first few days we used the system, as he got used to its properties, " Guenther recalled." I am sure the work proceeds slowly from his perspective, as it does from ours. Nonetheless, he was very excited about getting real-time audio feedback of his intended speech and happy to work very hard with us throughout the experiments."

"The current system uses data from just two wires. Within a year it will be possible to implant a system with 16 times as many." Guenther said." This will allow us to tap into neurons(神经元)，which in the end means better control over a synthesizer and thus better speech."

1.In the study of Guenther, electrodes are _______.

A.fixed on the heads                    B. put into the heads

C. tied to the heads                        D. separated from the heads

2.  The underlined word "them" in Paragraph 4 refers to _______.

A. movements        B. wires        C. brain signals        D. Scientists

3.  What might be the best title for the passage?

A. Wireless Device Are Used to Read Words in the Brain.

B. New Equipment Helps you read others’ mind.

C. Virtual tongue can make you speak fluently.

 It is no secret what you are thinking in mind.

 

根据短文内容，从下框的A-F选项中选出能概括出每段主题的最佳选项。选项中有一项是多余项。

	A.    Think while you are reading                B. Select a proper material C.     Five suggestions for achieving better results   D. Read loudly and passionately E.     Read on and keep reading as a habit         F. Use a dictionary at a right time

 

 

1.

Don’t choose a rather difficult book or a too easy one for yourself to read. A book full of new words will make you feel discouraged quickly. To understand those new words, you have to turn to the dictionary quite often. It seems that you are not reading the book but the dictionary. It has no fun at all! On the contrary, a too easy will only waste your time and cannot do any help. The two extremes may at last make you give up reading. So it’s better for you to find a proper book with no more than five new words on each page.

2.

  If you come across a new word, do not look it up in a dictionary as quickly as possible. Leave it alone and guess the meaning of it based on the content of the text. This ability is quite necessary in reading. If you know your guess is right later, you will be highly excited at your “success”, and your interest in reading is well stimulated. If a word really prevents you from understanding the whole passage, turn to the dictionary by then. I am sure you can remember this word very well, as it has left you such a deep impression for its “troublesome image”.

3.   

  To comprehend what you are reading, you should think while you are reading, then form your own ideas on some special issues. Try to scribble some lines—a very short journal, to express your ideas. Your writing does not need to be quite formal but very expressive. This practice can make you communicate with the original English authors. Day by day, your way of thinking in English will turn into a native way, which is quite important for English writing.

4.

   Language has its own beauty, no matter Chinese or English. Don’t merely take English as a “test”. Take it as an “entertainment” instead and you will enjoy it through learning. Maybe you should find some beautiful literary works such as a prose or a poem to read, if you like. Try to read them as loudly and passionately as you can. During this process, not only can you enjoy yourself by the great emotions of the writers, but also your pronunciation and your manner of speaking English will be improved.

5.

  The last but not the least, keep on reading. If you cannot keep it as a habit, you will suffer from paying without gaining.

 

One day while shopping in a small town in southern California, it was my misfortune to be approached by a clerk．He seemed most unfriendly and not at all concerned about my intended purchase．I bought nothing, and marched angrily out of the store．
On the outside was a dark-skinned young man in his early twenties．His expressive brown eyes met and held mine, and in the next instant a beautiful, bright smile covered his face．I gave in immediately．The power of that broad smile dissolved all bitterness within me, and I felt the muscles in my own face happily responding．
"Beautiful day, isn't it?" I remarked, passing．Then I turned back．"I really owe you a debt of thanks," I said softly．
His smile deepened, but he made no attempt to answer．A Mexican woman and two men were standing nearby．The woman stepped forward and volunteered, "Sir, but he doesn't speak English．Do you want me to tell him something?" In that moment I felt transformed．The young man's smile had made a big person of me．My friendliness and good will toward all mankind stand ten feet tall．
“Yes,” my reply was enthusiastic and sincere, “tell him I said, ‘Thank you!’”
“Thank you?” The woman seemed slightly puzzled．
I gave her arm a friendly pat as I turned to leave．"Just tell him that," I insisted．"He'll understand．I am sure!"
Oh, what a smile can do! Although I have never seen that young man again, I shall never forget the lesson he taught me that morning．From that day on, I became smile-conscious, and I practice the art diligently anywhere and everywhere, with everybody．n
【小题1】Why did the author leave the store angrily?

A．He couldn't buy what he wanted．

B．The clerk treated him unkindly．

C．The clerk didn't speak English．

D．The store's goods were too dear．

【小题2】By saying "I felt the muscles in my own face happily responding"(in Para. 2), the author means _       _.

A．he smiled back at the young man	B．he did not want to smile
C．he would thank the young man	D．he was still in a bad mood

【小题3】．The author asked the woman to say "Thank you!" to the young man because the young man        .

A．had helped the author before	B．taught the author how to smile
C．taught the author a valuable lesson	D．was a kind employee of the store

【小题4】．In the passage, the author seems to suggest that we should __  ___.

A．be generous to strangers	B．practice smiling every day
C．help people in trouble	D．smile at other people

New comer as you are, if you spend a little more time on your work, I am sure you’ll ________ ahead in the end.

A. come up              B. come about   C. come through         D. come out