Random ramblings from a guy who is too busy to have a Web site. On the bright side, you won't find any ads, pop-ups, hype, or any attempts to sell you anything at all. Furthermore, you won't find any pages divided into a hundred little boxes. And the text is so large, you don't need an electron microscope to read it. A refreshing break from reality.  Anyway, here's what I have so far as I gradually resurrect my poor neglected Web site.

PC Survival Camp

Being new to computers, or even just being a “casual user”, isn’t always fun. It's as though everybody on the planet assumes you already know all the buzzwords, and already possess all the skills necessary to use a computer.  Which is a really big assumption, when you consider that nobody was ever born knowing how to use a computer. The links below provide some quick mini-tutorials on all the skills and buzzwords that everyone else seems to assume you already know. Click on any link (underlined text) for a quick mini-lesson. Use the Back button at the bottom of any

page to work your way back to this page.

TechFear Camp	Jargon Camp	Internet Camp	Windows XP Camp
Wrong button!	Hardware	What is the Net?	Desktop
Crash the Internet!	Ports	What's Bandwidth?	Start menu
Erase everything!	KB, megabytes, etc.	What's Download?	Taskbar
Run out of space!	Software	What Web browser?	Quick Launch
Email privacy!	Toolbars	Getting around	Notifications
Viruses!		What e-Mail client?	Moving and Sizing
Hackers!		Death to pop-ups	Control Panel
			More...

If you're looking for Microsoft Access stuff, click here.

l I'm gradually bringing back some of my old HTML stuff here.

l If you have a question, Ask Alan

1.Who is the passage written for?

A．Everyone                             B．College students.

C．Anyone who wants to use a computer.       D．An expert on computers.

2.What’s the advantage of this web site?

A．It’s cheap.                           B．There are no ads.

C．It’s modern.                          D．It provides an electron microscope.

3.You can learn computer skills except_____.

A．Erase everything!   B．Software.          C．Flash .            D．Taskbar.

4.If you have problems, ask____ for help.

A．Coolnerds.com                         B．PC survival Camp

C．Alan                                 D．HTML Stuff

 

On a cold winter day, I waited in line to see my hero, Jack Canfield, the author of The Success Principles, who was going to deliver a speech on his new book.

During his talk, Jack   41   his wallet, pulled out a hundred-dollar bill, and said, ‘‘Who wants this?”   42   shot up in the audience; people leaned forward to see whom Jack would   43  . But I jumped up, ran up the   44   to the stage, and grabbed the bill. As I was launching myself in the air,   45  raced through my mind — was I about to be humiliated(羞辱) in front of 800 people? Would they   46   security guards and take me from the stage?    47   my desire for bold （大胆的）action was louder than any   48  voice. As I got the bill from his hand, he said, “That’s it! We can’t wait for the   49   to come to us. We must take    50    to create what we want!’’

After his talk, I   51   to formally meet Jack and boldly asked for his personal e-mail address. Over the next months, I sent him emails   52   my points of view and dreams with him. He kindly e-mailed back lots of encouragement. But my life got busy   53  other things. I stopped e-mailing Jack.

A year later, my dreams had worn away. I thought Jack would inspire me into action, like a giant arrow that would show me the way.

I e-mailed him, and then again — but got no   54  . As I sat down at my computer to 55   my e-mails, I  56   woke up. What was I doing? I was waiting! Now I remembered the crowd, most likely   57   that hundred-dollar bill, while they sat glued to their chairs.

Usually we all have a “Jack” for whom we wait — whether it’s a person, a place or a thing. We   58   believe the gifts of life are just around the corner, and that everything will come in a(n)   59   way. So we don’t try. We  60  . But as Wayne Gretzky said，“You’ll always miss 100% of the opportunities you don’t take!” So I stopped waiting and started my writing career.

Now what are you waiting for?

1.A. brought in                    B. reached for                     C. took over                         D. handed in

2.A. Cheers                                    B. Shouts                              C. Heads                     D. Hands

3.A. offer                              B. trust                                  C. like                                   D. choose

4.A. path                               B. road                                  C. steps                                 D. route

5.A. thoughts                       B. opinions                           C. ideas                      D. plans

6.A. ask                                 B. call                                    C. demand                            D. order

7.A. And                               B. So                             C. But                                    D. Or

8.A. noisy                             B. doubtful                           C. meaningful                      D. helpful

9.A. opportunities                  B. consequences                  C. results                              D. aims

10.A. step                         B. measure                           C. way                       D. action

11.A. expected                            B. tried                                  C. permitted                        D. managed

12.A. stating                       B. describing                        C. presenting                       D. sharing

13.A. with                             B. in                                  C. about                                 D. over

14.A. news                                    B. message                           C. response                          D. reaction

15.A. check                                   B. examine                           C. inspect                             D. review

16.A. gradually                    B. suddenly                          C. immediately           D. slowly

17.A. desiring                               B. claiming                            C. begging                            D. dreaming

18.A. particularly                         B. honestly                           C. falsely                      D. correctly

19.A. difficult                B. impressive                C. early                         D. natural

20.A. give up                                 B. put up                         C. take up                     D. set up

 

Take Action for a Better World: Volunteers Needed Six months’ preparation in Denmark: Africa studies, team work combined with social work with risk group teenagers.   Six months’ community work in Malawi in People to People Projects: Child Aid, HIV / AIDS. Fights and Teacher Training.   Qualifications: 18 years, hard working and social engagement.   Please contact us by e-mail: takeaction@ betterworld.com.

Part-time work with Exchange Students YOUTH International is a non-profit high school foreign exchange students organization. We welcome teenagers from over 80 countries worldwide and provide host families. The community Representative is a part-time position designed for people with a strong desire to do something rewarding in the community and earn some extra money.   Applicants best suited for this work should enjoy teenagers, have a strong interest in cross-cultural communication and feel comfortable networking. Full training and support will be provided through branch offices throughout the US. Positions available in most states.   If interested, please email staff@ youth.org or call 888—123—9872.

International Summer Job   Hi, I’m an ESL student in China. I’m 20, quiet and polite, and I speak reasonable English. I’m looking for a summer job in an English-speaking country. I can teach Chinese or do house and garden work and cook Chinese dished. Can anybody offer me a job? I don’t need to earn much, just enough in two months (July—August) to pay for my return ticket to China. My goal is to improve my English and see a bit more of the world.  My email is: ram3462@ hotmail.com.

Call for Native Speaker of English I am looking for native speakers of English to join in an experiment. This experiment is carried out over the Internet. You don’t need any specific knowledge other than understanding and speaking English at a native level. The first task will take you around 15 minutes. After this task, you can decide whether you want to continue the experiment. The tasks involve reading texts and designing questions and answers.   If you are willing to help me, then please email us: club3864@ hotmail.com

Who is suitable to work as a Community Representative in YOUTH International?

A. One who enjoys working with teenagers from different countries.

B. One who hopes to take action in fighting against diseases.

C. One who has a strong desire to improve his or her English.

D. One who wants to earn some pocket money in the program.

Where will jack, a volunteer, receive the training before he is sent to work in Malawi?

A. In some local offices in the US.       

B. In an ESL organization in China.

C. In a preparation program in Demark.   

D. In an exchange student center in Africa.

Mrs. Black in the US hopes to learn some Chinese at home, she may contact _______.

A. takeaction@betterworld.com          B. ram3462@hotmail.com

C. club3864@hotmail.com              D. staff@youth.org

What are volunteers for an experiment over the Internet supposed to do?

A. To interview people online.            B. To do some housework.

C .To offer advice on Child Aid          D. To provide language exercises.

Girls can easily get sad. If your friend is feeling blue and calls you, what will you do? Here are some tips on how you can make her smile again.

Listen to her. When people feel sad, they often have the feeling of needing to be heard. So, listen carefully to what she is saying and do nothing else. Your friend will surely thank you for being the shoulder she can cry on.

Once you are done with listening, you can offer some advice or remain silent and let her feel everything and let it all out by crying. As a friend, you might think you should give her some advice. But if you have no idea about what to say, just remain silent and be there for her.

In order to be able to help your friend in need, don’t be sad for yourself. How can you help your friend when you are also feeling down?

A hug can make a difference in the word. It makes you feel warm and special. A hug makes you feel safe. So give your friend a hug when she needs it the most.

Spend more time with your friend who wants to be happy. Do things together like washing dishes, cleaning, or going out for fun. The more time you spend together, the stronger your friendship will become.

Sometimes, it is much better that you avoid a crying friend in your life. But by doing so, you are also keeping your friend at a distance and will make her wonder if you are her true friend. If you are there when she needs you, your friendship will be much stronger.

1.The writer wrote this passage mainly to tell us_______.

A．why girls can easily get sad.

B．what to do when we are sad.

C．how to make new friends with girls.

D．how to make a sad female friend happy again.

2.According to Paragraph 2, when a female friend is sad, what should we do?

A．We should ask her why she feels sad.

B．We should say something nice to her.

C．We should spend time listening to her.

D．We should give her some good advice.

3.We can learn from the passage that______.

E.       Hugging a sad friend can make you feel warm and special.

F.       Your sad friend may feel much better if you also sad.

G.      It’s not a good idea to be silent facing a sad friend.

H.      Giving a hug to a sad friend is very helpful.

4.In paragraph 6, the writer mainly suggests that we_____.

I.         spend more time with your friend.

J.        help our friends with their housework

K.      spend time with our friends everyday

L.       ask our friends to take part in activities

 

Dear Aunty,

I work at a supermarket, and another girl and I share tasks we must finish before leaving. But she takes half an hour to do something I can do in ten minutes. She always has a story to tell me and stops working when she does. My boss is angry at both of us, but It’s not my fault. I don’t want to rat on her, but what else can I do?

Flustered

Dear Flustered,

Let me propose a better way. Make a log of all the tasks you share, then suggest to your boss that for efficiency your duties could be divided into two separate checklists. If he’s reluctant, go to plan B: the next time this girl starts telling you a story, stop working to listen and call your boss over to hear what a great storyteller she is. I’m sure he’ll take it from here.

Aunty

Dear Aunty,

I’m a college student in the Philippines who wants to be wise with money. I’m not an economics or business major student and I don’t know anything about stocks. But I really want to buy assets and invest. I receive about 15,000 pesos（比索）every school term from my education plan. I don’t have any idea how I should spend it. I don’t want to just buy new clothes, or hang out with my friends because it would not be wise. I want my money to grow. Please enlighten me.

Fastbreakplay

Dear Fastbreakplay,

Being wise with money is the No. 1 thing to learn. Start with a disciplined and systematic savings plan. When your savings reach a sizeable amount, then you may start investing. In the meantime, invest in yourself by reading up on stock markets and capital markets. Follow the news. Before I started investing during my senior high school years, I had already studied stock market data of the past century as I believe markets tend to repeat themselves. If you master this skill, you will master your reading of the markets.

Aunty

1.When Flustered’s boss isn’t willing to separate their work, Flustered can _____.

A．follow the second advice                 B．invite the boss to listen to the girl

C．stop working or do other things             D．report to the boss on time

2.Fastbreakplay writes a letter to Aunty in order to _____.

A．buy some pesos                        B．become an expert on stocks

C．get ways to grow money                  D．study economics as his major

3.In Aunty’s opinion, one should _____ at the beginning to be wise with money.

A．start investing                          B．have a saving plan

C．study stock markets                      D．master market reading

4.From letters above, we know Aunty should be ________.

A．an elder kind woman                    B．a lady in the community

C．a famous singer                         D．a name of a columnist