Microblogging is a broadcast medium in the form of blogging. A microblog differs from a traditional blog in that its content is typically much smaller, in both actual size and aggregate file size. Microblogs “allow users to exchange small elements of content such as short sentences, individual images, or video links”.

As with traditional blogging, microbloggers post about topics ranging from the simple, such as "what I'm doing right now," to the thematic(主题的), such as "sports cars.” Commercial microblogs also exist, to promote (促进) websites, services and/or products, and to promote collaboration within an organization.

Some microblogging services offer features such as privacy settings, which allow users to control who can read their microblogs, or other ways of publishing rights besides entering the web-based interface.(界面) These may include text messaging, E-mail, or digital audio.

The first microblogs were known as tumblelogs. The term was invented in a blog post on April 12, 2005. However, by 2006 and 2007, the term microblog came into greater usage for such services provided by Tumbler and Twitter. Other leading social networking websites Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, and XING also have their own microblogging features, better known as status updates.

Several studies, especially by Harvard Business School have tried to analyze the usage behavior of Microblogging services. Many of these studies show that for services such as Twitter, there is a small group of active users contributing to most of the activity.

Twitter, Facebook and other microblogging services are also becoming a platform for marketing and public relations, with a sharp growth in the number of social media marketers. The Sysomos study shows that this specific group of marketers on Twitter is much more active than general user population, with 15% following more than 2,000 people.

1.Why is a microblog different from a traditional blog?

   A. Because a microblog doesn’t include pictures, but a traditional blog does.

   B. Because a microblog doesn’t include videos, but a traditional blog does.

   C. Because a microblog has smaller contents than a traditional blog in actual and total file size.

   D. Because a microblog can only be written on the cell-phones.

2.Microblogging can protect the following privacy EXCEPT_______.

   A. deciding the readers of the microblogs

   B. allowing readers to publish their views

   C. readers’ deleting what a microblog says

   D. deciding whether readers can enter it

3.We can infer from the passage that______.

   A. microbloggers always post about the thematic topics instead of the simple ones

   B. microblogging has developed so quickly and brought the owners more and more benefits.

   C. microblogging protects both the owners’ and the readers’ privacy

   D. the studies by Harvard Business School have analyzed the usage of microblogging services

 

The evidence for harmony may not be obvious in some families. But it seems that four out of five young people now get on with their parents, which is the opposite of the popularly-held image(形象) of unhappy teenagers locked in their room after endless family quarrels.

An important new study into teenage attitudes surprisingly shows that their family life is more harmonious than it has ever been in the past. "We were surprised by just how positive today's young people seem to be about their families," said one member of the research team. "They're expected to be rebellious(叛逆的) and selfish but actually they have other things on their minds; they want a car and material goods, and they worry about whether school is serving them well. There's more negotiation(商议) and discussion between parents and children, and children expect to take part in the family decision-making process. They don't want to rock the boat."

So it seems that this generation of parents is much more likely than parents of 30 years ago to treat their children as friends. "My parents are happy to discuss things with me and willing to listen to me," says 17-years-old Daniel Lazall. " I always tell them when I'm going out clubbing. As long as they know what I'm doing, they're fine with it." Susan Crome, who is now 21, agrees. "Looking back on the last 10 years, there was a lot of what you could call negotiation. For example, as long as I'd done all my homework, I could go out on a Saturday night. But I think my grandparents were a lot stricter with my parents than that."

Maybe this positive view of family life should not be unexpected. It is possible that the idea of teenage rebellion is not rooted in real facts. A researcher comments, "Our surprise that teenagers say they get along well with their parents comes because of a brief period in our social history when teenagers were regarded as different beings. But that idea of rebelling and breaking away from their parents really only happened during that one time in the 1960s when everyone rebelled. The normal situation throughout history has been a smooth change from helping out with the family business to taking it over."

1.According to the author, teenage rebellion ________.

A．resulted from changes in families

B．may be a false belief

C．is common nowadays

D．existed only in the 1960s

2.What is the passage mainly about?

A．Education in family

B．Negotiation in family

C．Teenage trouble in family

D．Harmony in family

3.The study shows that teenagers don't want to ________.

A．go boating with their family

B．share family responsibility

C．make family decisions

D．cause trouble in their families

4.What is the popular images of teenagers today?

A．They dislike living with their parents

B．They quarrel a lot with other family members

C．They worry about school

D．They have to be locked in to avoid troubles

5.Compared with parents of 30 years ago, today's parents ________.

A．care less about their children's life

B．give their children more freedom

C．go to clubs more often with their children

D．are much stricter with their children

 

Asian athletes have had a spare time in the first two days of the World Indoor Championships in Birmingham, England. But Chinese hurdler(跨栏运动员) Liu Xiang surprised everyone by taking the bronze medal in the men's 60-meter hurdles.

Liu became the first Chinese male athlete to get a world indoor medal in the 18-year history of the championship and was the only Asian medallist this time. 

"Karaoke (卡拉OK)! That's what I'm going to do. I'm going to get a big group of my friends together and sing. I love both Western and Chinese music but especially Michael Jackson," said Liu after clocking 7.52 seconds in the final to take his place on the podium (领奖台).

"Frankly speaking, I didn't think I was in the shape to win a medal," Liu said. "On my arrival here, my aim was just to fight my way into the final. After I did that, I thought I might just get into the top six. I knew British hurdler Colin Jackson was going to be here and he's the world record holder indoors and out."

"There was also Cuba's reigning (统治的) Olympic champion Anier Garcia and Allen Johnson, from the United States." It was Johnson, the reigning world outdoor champion, who was successful in 7.47 seconds with Garcia second and Jackson finished back in fifth. 

Now Liu will never underestimate his chances again and is aiming for glory in Paris later this year.

"There is the World Championship outdoors in the summer and I have now got to think that I can get a medal. I can never again think that I can't get a medal," he said. Liu's success here marks his rapid transition into the senior ranks.

"The university gives me a lot of flexibility. My courses are very easy and the teachers are very helpful," said Liu.

They might have to be even more accommodating(乐于助人的) now if Liu starts taking on celebrity status, although an invite to his homecoming karaoke party may help.

The first sentence "Asian athletes have had a spare time in the first two days…" means "________".

A. Asian athletes can do things at their will in the first two days

B. Asian athletes haven't any achievements in the first two days

C. Asian athletes could match athletes from other continents

D. Asian athletes are tired of competing in the first two days

The underlined sentence means "________".

A. I was not satisfied with my performances

B. winning a medal can't show what I have done

C. I didn't think I was able to win a medal

D. I haven't told anyone about my achievements in the hurdles

Liu ________ the World Championship outdoors in Paris later this year.

A. is busy preparing for

B. has great pressure on

C. is more confident of his ability in

D. pays little attention to

Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Liu Xiang was the youngest athlete to take part in the competition in England.

B. Liu Xiang was the first Asian medallist to get a world indoor medal.

C. Liu Xiang is not only a good athlete but a music-lover.

D. Liu Xiang finds it hard to get along with teachers in university.

Worried about how many calories you will get in that piece of pizza, chocolate cake or bag of chips? A new iphone application Mealsnap may help. Users just need to take a picture of the meal with the phone, and it will give a calorie read-out almost immediately.

Mealsnap was developed by DailyBurn, a health social network that focuses on helping its users lead healthier lifestyles. It has created several other health and diet-related iphone applications. The applications gives users a quick reply. To do that, it matches the taken picture to a databank containing the calorie information of nearly 500,000 kinds of food. Users then get the range of calories for the meal that is photographed.

We started with something simple — an apple. A couple of minutes later the application replied that it was an apple and between 64 and 96 calories. More impressive was the reply we received after sending a photo of mixed salad bowl. Mealsnap replied that the bowl contained “yellow rice with corn, boiled eggs and beans” and that the food was between 532 and 798 calories.

Mr. Smith, director of DailyBurn, said that usual calorie counting needed a long time, but that the application made it easier to know the calories in food. That’s why it is so popular among those who are trying hard to lose weight.

In addition, Mealsnap can serve as a food diary. No need to write down what they’ve eaten, the photos will be stored. Then users can keep a visual log (记录). Mr. Smith said: “It’s like a food journal, but easier. All you do is to take the picture. The simple act of recording something can cause a psychological change that can help people on their health journey. Knowing the calorie range makes me think more about what I’m eating.

60. 1.The purpose of DailyBurn is to _______.

A．help people have a healthy life

B．make iphone more popular

C．help people find ways to lose weight

D．persuade people to buy iphone products

61. 2. We can know from the passage that Mealsnap is ________.

A．a camera          B．a phone           C．a calculator        D．an application

62. 3.What can be learned from the third paragraph?

A．Mealsnap can also tell what the food is.

B．Mealsnap is only useful for simple things.

C．The result of Mealsnap isn’t always right.

D．Mealsnap needs a long time to show the calorie range.

63. 4.Which would be the best title for the passage?

A．Mealsnap iphones work as a health signal

B．Mealsnap iphones offer you a health signal

C．Mealsnap iphones — the best-selling phones

D．Mealsnap iphones count your calories

 

The evidence for harmony may not be obvious in some families. But it seems that four out of five young people now get on with their parents, which is the opposite of the popularly held image (印象) of unhappy teenagers locked in their room after endless family quarrels.

An important new study into teenage attitudes surprisingly shows that their family life is more harmonious than it has ever been in the past. “We were surprised by just how positive today’s young people seen to be about their families,” said one member of the research team. “They’re expected to be rebellious(叛逆的) and selfish but actually they have other things on their minds: they want a car and material goods, and they worry about whether school is serving them well. There’s more negotiation(商议) and discussion between parents and children, and children expect to take part in the family decision-making process. They don’t want to rock the boat.”

So it seems that this generation of parents is much more likely than parents of 30 years ago to treat their children as friends.” My parents are happy to discuss things with me and willing to listen to me,” says 17-years-old Daniel Lazall. “I always tell them when I’m going out clubbing. As long as they know what I’m doing, they’re fine with it.” Susan Crome, who is now 21, agrees. “Looking back on the last 10 years, there was a lot of what you could call negotiation. For example, as long as I’d done all my homework, I could go out on a Saturday night. But I think my grandparents were a lot stricter with my parents than that.”

Maybe this positive view of family life should not be unexpected. It is possible that the idea of teenager rebellion is not rooted in real facts. A researcher comments, “Our surprise that teenagers say they get along well with their parents comes because of a brief period in out social history when teenagers were regarded as different beings. But that idea of rebelling and breaking away from their parents really only happened during that one time in the 1960s when everyone rebelled. The normal situation throughout history has been a smooth change from helping out with the family business to taking it over.”

What is the popular images of teenagers today?

A. They worry about school                B. They dislike living with their parents

C. They have to be locked in to avoid troubles  D. They quarrel a lot with other family members

The study shows that teenagers don’t want to ___

A. share family responsibility                 B. cause trouble in their families

C. go boating with their family         D. make family decisions

Compared with parents of 30 years age, today’s parents___.

A. go to clubs more often with their children      B. are much stricter with their children

C. care less about their children’s life            D. give their children more freedom

According to the author, teenage rebellion____.

A. may be a false belief                  B. is common nowadays

C. existed only in the 1960s               D. resulted from changes in families