There are many famous museums throughout the world where people can enjoy art. Washington, D.C. has the National Gallery of Art; Paris has the Luvre; London, the British Museum. Florida International University (FIU) in Miami also shows art for people to see. And it does so without building, or even a wall for its drawing and paintings. FIU has opened what it says is the first computer art museum in the United States. You don’t have to visit the University to see the art. You just need a computer linked to a telephone. You can call the telephone number of a university computer and connect your own computer to it. All of the art is stored in the school computer. It is computer art, produced electronically by artists on their own computers. In only a few minutes, your computer can receive and copy all the pictures and drawings. Robert Shostak is direction of the new computer museum. He says he starts the museum because computer artists had no place to show their works.

A computer artist can only record his pictures electronically and send the records to others to see on their computers. He can also put his pictures on paper. But to print good pictures on paper, the computer artist needs an expensive laser printer (激光印刷) . Robert Shostak says the electronic（电子的） museum is mostly for art or computer students at school and universities. Many of the pictures in the museum are made by students. Mr Shostake said the FIU museum will take computer art more fun for computer artists because more people can see it. He says artists enjoy their work much more if they have an audience. And the great number of home computers in America could mean a huge audience for the electronic museum.

1.The main purpose of this text is to give information about_______.

A. museums throughout the world

B. an electronic art museum in Miami, U.S.A.

C. art exhibitions（展览会） in Florida International University

D. latest development of computer art

2.To see the art in FIU museum, you need______.

A．floppy discs（软盘）

B．a computer and a printer

C．pictures and drawings on paper

D．a computer connect to the museum by telephone line

3.The museum was started when______.

A Robert Shostak wanted to do something for computer scientists

B. Robert Shostak wanted to help computer artists

C. art students needed a place to show their works

D. computer scientists wanted to do something about art

4.The words “an audience” in the last paragraph refer to ________.

A．art students                           B．computer owners

C．exhibits in the museum                   D．those who will enjoy art.

 

It's 10:30 pm, and 11-year-old Brandon Blanco is sound asleep at home. Suddenly, a loud noise wakes him up. Naturally, Brandon reaches for his cell phone. The message becomes clear: "R U awake?"

Brandon' s use of technology doesn' t stop there. He also has a computer, a TV and three video-game consoles (控制台 ) in his room. With so many choices, it' s no surprise that when he isn' t at school, he spends nearly every waking minute using one or more of these devices

Brandon is hardly alone. According to a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, kids aged 8 to18 are spending more time than ever before using electronic devices. How much time? More than seven and a half hours a day on average, the study found.

The jump is the result of a huge explosion in mobile devices, says Victoria Rideout, the lead author of the study. Today, nearly seven out of ten kids have cell phones. Just five years ago, it was four out of ten.

Often, kids multitask, or use more than one device at a time. " If you’ve got a chance to do something on your computer and take a phone call and have the TV on in the background, why not?" media expert Cheryl Olson says.

Most experts agree technology has much to offer kids. But some worry the kids could be missing out on other activities like playing outside or hanging out with friends. " It' s a matter of balance," says Olson." You’ve got to work on it. "

Multitasking while doing homework is another concern. Some kids listen to music, watch TV or use the phone while doing their homework. "It' s important to make sure that you can stop and concentrate on one thing deeply, " says Rideout.

With new and exciting devices hitting stores every year, keeping technology use in check is more important than ever. " Kids should try," adds Rideout. " But parents might have to step in sometimes. "

1.Why do children spend more time in using electronic devices?

A．Because more electronic devices are available to them.

B．Because electronic devices are more exciting than before.

C．Because they have less other activities.

D．Because they have less homework to do.

2.It is known from the passage that  ____.

A．Brandon Blanco feels very annoyed about his late-night text

B．the teenagers using mobile devices have increased by 30% in the past five years

C．Cheryl Olson is not surprised about kids' increasing use of mobile devices

D．most experts think teenagers should not use electronic devices for their studies

3.Which of the following is an example of multitasking according to the passage?

A．Watching TV while using the computer.

B．Talking on the phone while staying with others.

C．Playing video games on the Internet.

D．Listening to music while relaxing.

4.According to the passage, Victoria Rideout would probably agree that ____.

A．kids should do homework while surfing the Internet

B．kids should do homework in a place without disturbance

C．kids should spend more time on homework

D．kids should have more homework than before

 

People are talking about the “new economy.” It’s very different from the “old economy”.

In the old economy, people travel to work. They buy things in stores. They use the post office, the fax and the telephone to send information. They see people face-to-face at their jobs or in stores. People get information from newspapers, radio, television, books and libraries.

In the new economy, people do business through the “net,” which is a connection of millions of computers everywhere in the world. In the new economy, workers often work at home. They can get information online. They can communicate with employers and co-workers by e-mail. Businesses have “virtual (虚拟)stores”. They are websites on which customers can see the products. Businesses can sell to customers anywhere in the world.

In the new economy, people live a fast paced, convenient and colorful life. The whole world develops more quickly than before. But the new economy is a double-edge sword. Its disadvantage is also obvious. For example, the Internet has led to a huge increase in credit card cheating. Some illegal websites offer some cheap or banned goods or services. Online shoppers who enter their credit card information may never receive the goods they want to buy and their card information could even be for sale in an illegal website. So people in the new economy should be smarter and knowledgeable.

1.The cause of the differences between the new economy and the old economy is ____.

A．the change of people’s idea

B．the business people do

C．the use of the Internet

D．the change of people’s life

2.“But the new economy is a double-edge sword ” in the last passage means_____.

A．The new economy is as sharp as a sword

B．The new economy has advantages and disadvantages

C．The new economy is better than the old economy

D．Both the new economy and the old economy have disadvantages

3.Which of the following is NOT true?

A．People can get all kinds of information on the Internet.

B．Telephone, radio, television, newspapers and so on will disappear in the new economy.

C．People in the new economy should have high quality.

D．Life in the new economy is more comfortable than the one in the old economy.

 

Barack Obama urged congressional leaders on Monday to act quickly to pass a huge stimulus package for the U.S. economy. He met with a bipartisan (concerning or involving two different political parties) group of lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Later he met individually with Democratic and Republican House and Senate leaders and spoke to a bipartisan leadership gathering. In comments to reporters early on Monday, he emphasized the urgency of finalizing economic legislation (立法). “We have got an extraordinary economic challenge ahead of us,” he said, “We are expecting a sobering job report at the end of the week. Nancy Pelosi and her staff have been extraordinarily helpful in working with our team so that we can shape an economic recovery and reinvestment plan that starts putting people back to work.”

Mr. Obama wants tax cuts for individual Americans and businesses to make up a significant portion of expected legislation. This could involve as much as $300 billion of a bill that is likely to go beyond $700 billion and include aid to cash-poor U.S. states, and money for alternative energy and a range of infrastructure (基础设施) projects. Later, Mr. Obama said he expects to be able to sign legislation as soon as the end of this month, adding that quick action is necessary to “break the drive of the U.S. economic depression”.

Emerging later from bipartisan talks with Mr. Obama, Nancy Pelosi said lawmakers discussed with the president how to pass a stimulus package as quickly as possible. “An economic recovery package that will create jobs immediately and will grow the economy and that is what we talked about today,” said Nancy Pelosi. “How we could do this fast, deliberatively and to act upon it soon.” Just how soon that would be, Pelosi would not say.

How much support Democrats can obtain from Republicans will depend on the details. But the severity of the U.S. economic depression has created considerable bipartisan backing for quick action. Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid said: “There are investments that we need to make on behalf of the American people to turn around this economy. We felt very good about the meeting; we are confident that we can do this and we have to do this.”

“I think the best thing I can do is to decline to comment on what they are going to do going forward,” said Dana Perino. “Obviously, we think that tax cuts were the right way to help our economy get out of the economic depression that this president inherited and we know that tax cuts can stimulate innovation.” Asked by reporters how large the economic stimulus package might be, Senate Majority Leader Reid said Obama indicated that all but one of some 28 economists advising him had said it should range from $800 billion to $1.3 trillion.

1.Barack Obama urged congressional leaders and met with bipartisan leaders to _____.

A．take over the White House

B．end economic decline

C．understand each other better

D．negotiate political issues

2.If the stimulus package is passed quickly and successfully, it can _____.

A．obtain support from Republicans

B．finalize economic legislation

C．enhance America’s international position

D．provide job opportunities

3.What is the bipartisan leaders’ attitude towards this meeting?

A．Uncertain.         B．Hopeful.          C．Disappointed.      D．Indifferent.

4.What can we infer from the passage?

A．The best way out of the economic depression is tax cuts.

B．The Republic Party plays the key role in coping with the economic depression.

C．Democrats and Republicans will team up in the economic depression.

D．When the stimulus package will be passed is known to the lawmakers.

 

A well-known manufacturer of weighing machines produced a new model.

The machine had a computer inside it, and this computer could do wonderful things: it could weigh people very accurately; it could tell them their weight in their own language; and it could tell them what they should eat to reduce their weight.

The manufacturer decided to try out his machine before he sold it to the shops.

He looked around for a good place to put it and finally decided on an airport. There were always people at an airport from many different countries.

The first person to use the machine was an Italian woman. She stood on the machine, put a coin in and waited to hear her weight.

The machine took only a second or two to weigh her, decide on her nationality and the language she spoke, and figure out what kind of food she should eat.

“Good morning, madam,” it said in perfect Italian. “Your weight is 72 kilos, three more than it should be for a woman of your height, age and nationality. This is because you have been eating too much spaghetti. I suggest you eat more fruit and vegetables. Please have a nice day”.

The second person to use the machine was a Chinese girl. She stood on the machine, put a coin in and waited to hear her weight.

“Good morning, Miss," the machine said in perfect Chinese. "Your weight is 38 kilos, exactly the correct weight for your height, age and nationality. Continue to eat what you are eating. Please have a nice day.”

The third person to use the machine was a huge Australian woman. She walked up to the machine and looked at it for a long time. At last she found the courage to stand on the machine and put a coin in. The machine spoke immediately.  “Good morning. Will one of you ladies please get off?”

1.What could the computer do?

A．Weigh and talk to people.                 B．Translate information.

C．Give them diet pills.                      D．Make them lose weight.

2.What did the machine say to the Italian woman?

A．She was a little too light.                  B．She was a little too heavy.

C．She disliked spaghetti.                    D．She couldn’t speak Italian.

3.What did the machine say to the Chinese woman?

A．She should eat more.                    B．She could speak Chinese.

C．She would have a nice day.                D．She was fine.

4.What did the machine suggest about the Australian woman?

A．She was unwell.                        B．She was courageous.

C．She was too heavy.                      D．She had dieted well.