Traveling on the Information Superhighway

In the early 1990s, few people outside of governments and universities had ever heard the term internet. The World Wide Web was in its infancy（初期）, Back then if you said to someone, “Send me an e-mail with directions to your house.” All you would have received is a puzzled look . Technology has come a long way since those days. Today, the Internet connects millions of computers around the globe, making a worldwide exchange of information possible.

The Internet is often called the “information superhighway.” That’s because vast amounts of information travel over it. If you searched the word grasshopper, for instance, you would have thousands of sites to look at. Some sites would give information on these insects. Other sites would be companies with “grasshopper” in their names. Still other sites might want to sell you books about grasshoppers.

In addition to information, the Internet also offers one of the greatest inventions in communications, electronic mail, or e-mail for short. E-mail is the brainchild of a shrewd（精明的）man named Ray Tomlison. He developed the program and sent himself the first e-mail in 194. He isn’t sure, but he thinks his first message was QWERTYUIOP （ the top row of letters on a key-board）. As a result of Tomlinson’s invention of e-mail, the way in which the world communicates has changed.

　 Thanks to e-mail, you can communicate with a student in London and find out how his weather experiment is going. E-mail has also changed the speed with which we exchange information. In minutes, you can contact another person who shares your love of kites or stamps. Your aunt and uncle can send you pictures of their new puppy without ever leaving their home. If you are sick and can’t attend school, your teacher can e-mail you the assignments you have missed. You can even send e-mail to a grasshopper expert and ask questions for a research paper.

However, there is one big disadvantage when you use e-mail. Unlike a letter you send through the mail, e-mail is NOT private. It can be reviewed by anyone with access to your receiver’s computer. Your receiver could also forward it to other people—so be careful. Do not say anything in an e-mail that you wouldn’t say in front of crowd!

Books, software, and videos, no matter what you are looking for, if you turn on a computer and log (登录) on the Internet, you are sure to find something.

     E-books are all over the Internet; some are free, and some are not. E-books are basically electronic books you can read without having to carry heavy books and flip through (翻阅) all the pages. Now authors not only sell regular books in bookstores but also sell e-books on the Internet. Some e-books are sold on CDs, too.

     You can get all types of software right from the Internet. After you download it, you have it. It is so convenient that you can get it even without leaving the house. These are the advantages we have in today’s high-tech world.

     We can find videos of different people. There are so many websites with videos that it would take you some time to actually go through them all. The cool thing about videos is that some people have their own websites or their own spaces where they can upload (上传) videos of their families or of different events and allow other people to view them. It is amazing.

     The Internet is an exciting place and it plays a big part in our lives today. You can even pay your bills on the Internet if that’s what you want to do. The marketing industry is also doing a lot better because of the Internet. Companies can communicate very quickly with each other over the Internet.

1. What can we know from the second paragraph?

   A. People are free to read e-books on the Internet.   

B. People prefer e-books to paper books.

C. Some authors sell e-books in bookstores.        

D. Some people sell e-books on CDs.

2. What can we know about the videos online according to the passage?

A. They are making human rights harder to protect.

B. They can include a lot of personal information.

C. They allow viewers to get to know each other more easily.

   D. It’s a waste of time to watch videos online.

3. It can be inferred from the passage that _______.

   A. people have to pay to download software

B. people usually pay their bills on the Internet these days

C. the Internet allows people to communicate more quickly

   D. a lot of people still like paper books

4. The purpose of the passage is to______.

   A. suggest that people start reading e-books on the Internet

B. advise people to form good computer habits

C. introduce many uses of the Internet

D. discuss problems people have online

If you watch British television on Friday March 15, you might be surprised to see celebrities wearing funny red noses and joking around. But don’t worry, they’re not mad, it’s all part of a biennial fund-raising event called Red Nose Day.

Organized by the charity Comic Relief, founded in 1985 by two British comedians, the aim of the event is to raise money to fight poverty and injustice in the UK and Africa.

Celebrities and public figures support the event by making appearances on comic TV shows broadcast by the BBC. This year, for example, UK Prime Minister David Cameron appeared in a music video by One Direction, which the band produced for the event.

But Britons don’t just raise money for charitable causes on one day a year, they do it all year round. One way of doing so is by shopping in charity shops.

These small, inconspicuous shops sell clothes, books and household goods just like any other shop. But there’s one big difference—it’s all secondhand.

There are nearly 10,000 charity shops in the UK, according to the Charity Retail Association. Their business model is simple: Anybody who has things they don’t want anymore can donate them to a charity shop, where they are checked for damage, cleaned and priced. Most items go back on sale at a small part of their original price and the money that is made by selling them is used for a charitable cause.

The idea of buying used clothes may sound off-putting, but for shoppers who have less spending money, such as the elderly or those in low-paying jobs, it has been a welcome option for years.

Now, “thrifting”—shopping at charity shops— is also becoming popular with young people looking for alternative fashion.

“I love shopping at thrift stores. You can find very unique clothes for a very cheap price. It doesn’t bother me that other people may have worn them, I simply wash them before I wear them,” said Anne Marie, a 19-year-old Internet user from the US, in a comment on a Yahoo forum.

So next time you spot a charity shop, why not go inside? Who knows, you might find a lovely dress for just a few pounds. Even better, you can enjoy wearing it in the knowledge that your money helped a good cause.

1.What do famous people in Britain do in support of the Red Nose Day event?

A．Appear on comic TV shows.

B．Donate large sums of money.

C．Donate expensive clothes to charity shops.

D．Play in a music video with the Prime Minister.

2.What do we learn from the passage about Comic Relief?

A．It was founded in 1985 by two British comedians in Africa.

B．It organizes the Red Nose Day fund-raising event.

C．It runs nearly 10,000 charity shops in the UK.

D．It is financially supported by the UK government.

3.One reason for the popularity of the thrift shops is that __________.

A．they sell a wide variety of goods

B．their business model is simple

C．their goods are carefully checked, cleaned and priced

D．they provide things, sometimes special, at low prices

4.The passage is written mainly to __________.

A．inspire more people to join in charitable causes in the UK

B．introduce the traditions of the Red Nose Day

C．analyze why charity shops are popular in the UK

D．explain how charity shops work in the UK

If you watch British television on Friday March 15, you might be surprised to see celebrities wearing funny red noses and joking around. But don’t worry, they’re not mad, it’s all part of a biennial fund-raising event called Red Nose Day.
Organized by the charity Comic Relief, founded in 1985 by two British comedians, the aim of the event is to raise money to fight poverty and injustice in the UK and Africa.
Celebrities and public figures support the event by making appearances on comic TV shows broadcast by the BBC. This year, for example, UK Prime Minister David Cameron appeared in a music video by One Direction, which the band produced for the event.
But Britons don’t just raise money for charitable causes on one day a year, they do it all year round. One way of doing so is by shopping in charity shops.
These small, inconspicuous shops sell clothes, books and household goods just like any other shop. But there’s one big difference—it’s all secondhand.
There are nearly 10,000 charity shops in the UK, according to the Charity Retail Association. Their business model is simple: Anybody who has things they don’t want anymore can donate them to a charity shop, where they are checked for damage, cleaned and priced. Most items go back on sale at a small part of their original price and the money that is made by selling them is used for a charitable cause.
The idea of buying used clothes may sound off-putting, but for shoppers who have less spending money, such as the elderly or those in low-paying jobs, it has been a welcome option for years.
Now, “thrifting”—shopping at charity shops— is also becoming popular with young people looking for alternative fashion.
“I love shopping at thrift stores. You can find very unique clothes for a very cheap price. It doesn’t bother me that other people may have worn them, I simply wash them before I wear them,” said Anne Marie, a 19-year-old Internet user from the US, in a comment on a Yahoo forum.
So next time you spot a charity shop, why not go inside? Who knows, you might find a lovely dress for just a few pounds. Even better, you can enjoy wearing it in the knowledge that your money helped a good cause

1. 1.

   What do famous people in Britain do in support of the Red Nose Day event?

   1. A.
      Appear on comic TV shows
   2. B.
      Donate large sums of money
   3. C.
      Donate expensive clothes to charity shops
   4. D.
      Play in a music video with the Prime Minister
2. 2.

   What do we learn from the passage about Comic Relief?

   1. A.
      It was founded in 1985 by two British comedians in Africa
   2. B.
      It organizes the Red Nose Day fund-raising event
   3. C.
      It runs nearly 10,000 charity shops in the UK
   4. D.
      It is financially supported by the UK government
3. 3.

   One reason for the popularity of the thrift shops is that______.

   1. A.
      they sell a wide variety of goods
   2. B.
      their business model is simple
   3. C.
      their goods are carefully checked, cleaned and priced
   4. D.
      they provide things, sometimes special, at low prices
4. 4.

   The passage is written mainly to ______.

   1. A.
      inspire more people to join in charitable causes in the UK
   2. B.
      introduce the traditions of the Red Nose Day
   3. C.
      analyze why charity shops are popular in the UK
   4. D.
      explain how charity shops work in the UK