Anyone who works in an office knows the power of technology. When it works, life is wonderful. Information files across the world in seconds. It saves time and makes our jobs easier. But when technology goes wrong, everyone hates it.

   In March, Peter Golota received a gas bill for $0.00. He threw it away. In April, he received another bill for $0.00. He threw that one way, too. In May, the gas company sent him a letter which said he had to pay his gas bill. If he didn’t pay it, they were going to cut off his gas. He called and told them the bill was for $0.00. They said it was a computer error. But the bills continued. Finally, he sent a check for $0.00. This caused the bank’s computer to crash. After a lot of angry phone calls and the letters between the man, the gas company, and the bank, the case went to court. The gas company lost, and had to pay Peter Golota $8,000. It all happened because of a bill for $0.00.

   A man from Colorado appeared on the news when he shot his computer because it crashed all the time. The man, who owned a bar, put the “dead” laptop on the wall for everyone to see. The police said, “It’s the first time someone shot a computer because he was angry with it.” They arrested him.

   In December, Margaret Smart, of Energies Solutions, stood up in front of 2,000 people in Taxes. As she began to speak, her microphone stopped working. They found another one. After two minutes, that one also died. When she decided to show her notes on PowerPoint, the computer refused to start up. The title of her presentation was “Technology: The way Forward”.

1.Why did the bank’s computer crash?

   A. Because it kept sending gas bills for $0.00.

   B. Because Peter Golota sent a check for $0.00.

     Because the gas company sent a letter to the bank.

   D. Because the gas bill case went to court.

2.Who got angry with his computer and shot it?

   A. A bar owner.                                          B. A policeman.

  Peter Golota.                                        D. A bank manager.

3.Margaret Smart’s computer refuses to start up probably because ________.

   A. there was a power failure                  B. it worked too long

     it went wrong                                D. someone shot her computer

此题要求改正所给短文中的错误。对标有题号的一行作出判断：如无错误，在该行右边横线上画一个勾(√)；如有错误（每行只有一个错误），则按下列情况改正： 此行多一个词：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉，在该行右边横线上写出该词，并用斜线划掉。
此行缺一个词：在缺词处加一个漏写符号（∧），在该行右边横线上写出该加的词。
此行错一个词：在错的词下划一横线，在该行右边横线上写出改正后的词。
注意：原行没有错的不要改。
Lucy was one of my best friend at high school.
At that time, we often spend time together.
Thanks to his great help, I made much progress
of my study. Last year, she decided to study abroad.
That is to say, we would no longer see and
talk with each other for long time.
After her leaving, I prepared a gift to show my best
wishes to her. She said it was the most best gift she had
ever had. From then, we’ve kept in touch with each
other through E-mails. I look forward to see her again.

In the fall of 1985．I was a bright-eyed girl heading off to Howard University, aiming at a legal career and dreaming of sitting on a Supreme Court bench somewhere．Twenty-one years later I am still a bright-eyed dreamer and one with quite a different tale to tell．

My grandma, an amazing woman, graduated from college an the age of 65．She was the first in our family to reach that goal．But one year after I started college, she developed cancer．I made the choice to withdraw from college to care for her．It meant that school and my personal dream would have to wait．

Then I got married with another dream: building my family with a combination of adopted and biological children．In 1999, we adopted our first son．To lay eyes on him was fantastic---and very emotional．A year later came our second adopted boy．Then followed son No．3．In 2003, I gave birth to another boy．

You can imagine how fully occupied I became, raising four boys under the age of 8! Our home was a complete zoo---a joyous zoo．Not surprising, I never did make it back to college full-time．But I never gave up on the dream either．I had only one choice: to find a way．That meant talking as few as one class each semester．

The hardest part was feeling guilty about the time I spent away from the boys．They often wanted me to stay home with them．There certainly were times I wanted to quit, but I knew I should set an example for them to follow through the rest of their lives．

In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Carolina．It took me over 21 years to get my college degree！

I am not special, just single-minded．It always struck me that when you’re looking at a big challenge from the outside it looks huge, but when you’re in the midst of it, it just seems normal．Everything you want won’t arrive in your life on one day．It’s a process．Remember: little steps add up to big dreams．

1.When the author went to Howard University, her dream was to be         .

2.Why did the author quit school in her second year of college?

3.What dose the author mostly want to tell us in the last paragraph?

4.Which of the following can best describe the author ?

Chances

I really love my job because I enjoy working with small children and like the challenges and awards from the job. I also think my work is important. There was a time when I thought I would never have that sort of career(职业)．

I wasn't an excellent student because I didn't do much schoolwork. In my final term I started thinking what I might do and found I didn't have much to offer. I just accepted that I wasn't the type to have a career.

I then found myself a job, looking after two little girls. It wasn't too bad at first. But the problems began when I agreed to live in, so that I would be there if my boss had to go out for business in the evening. We agreed that if I had to work extra hours one week, she'd give me time off the next. But unfortunately, it didn't often work out. I was getting extremely tired and fed up, because I had too many late nights and early morning with the children.

One Sunday, I was in the park with the children, and met Megan who used to go to school with me. I told her about my situation. She suggested that I should do a course and get a qualification(资格证书)if I wanted to work with children. I didn't think I would be accepted because I didn't take many exams in school. She persuaded me to phone the local college and they were really helpful. My experience counted for a lot and I got on a part­time course. I had to leave my job with the family, and got work helping out at a kindergarten.

Now I've got a full­time job there. I shall always be thankful to Megan. I wish I had known earlier that you could have a career, even if you aren't top of the class at school.

1.What is the author's present job?

A．Working part­time in a college.

B．Helping children with their schoolwork.

C．Looking after children at a kindergarten.

D．Taking care of children for a family.

2.When staying with the two girls' family, the author________.

A．was paid for extra work

B．got much help from her boss

C．took a day off every other week

D．often worked long hours

3.Why did the author leave her first job?

A．She decided to attend a part­time course.

B．She found a full­time job.

C．She was fed up with children.

D．She needed a rest after working extra hours.

4.What has the author learned from her own experiences?

A．Qualifications are necessary for a career.

B．Hard work makes an excellent student.

C．One must choose the job she likes.

D．Less successful students can still have a career.

(B)

Sixty-year-old grandmother, Fiona McFee, is going to stop working next year and she decided to realize a childhood dream and sail around the coast of Scotland in a small boat. Although the inside of the boat is very cosy it has no running water or electricity. Fiona says she can live without these things but she plans to take her small CD player, her hot water bottle and a bag of books to make sure life isn’t too uncomfortable.

We asked her if she was afraid of being at sea for so long. She said, “Well, I’m going to take a good compass (指南针). Anyway I’m not afraid of death because I love the sea---I just hope it loves me.” Fiona certainly has plenty of energy; in her spare time, she enjoys playing the piano, rock-climbing, canoeing and dancing. Although she is sixty, she doesn’t want to have a quiet and peaceful life. “I’m looking forward to having fun in the rest of my life and that’s exactly why I’d like to be a sailor for a while.”

1.The underlined word cosy in the first paragraph means ____ .

A．bright            B．dirty             C．comfortable       D．dark

2.When Fiona McFee said “---I just hope it loves me.” What she meant was ____

A．Of course , it loves me , since I love it .

B．If I love it , it should love me.

C．I hope it will bring me a safe sailing as a return for my love of it .

D．I hope it will save my life when I am in time of danger .

3. The reason why she would like to have the sail is that ____.

A．she thinks it will be very exciting

B．she likes sports and enjoys canoeing

C．she has decided to realize a childhood dream

D．she wants to be still active when she gets old

4.What kind of person would you say the old woman is ?

A．Someone who does not show what she is feeling .

B．Someone who is very proud and sure of her success .

C．Someone who doesn’t use her head much .

D．Someone who is open , honest and brave .

5.The best title for this passage is ____ .

A．Life Begins at Sixty                      B．A Round Coast Sail

C．An Old Woman Sailor                    D．An Unusual Hobby(爱好)