Cole Bettles had been rejected by a number of universities when he received an e-mail from the University of California, San Diego, last month, congratulating him on his admission and inviting him to tour the campus. His mother booked a hotel in San Diego, and the 18-year-old Ojai high school senior arranged for his grandfather, uncle and other family members to meet them at the campus for lunch during the Saturday tour.

“They were like ‘Oh my God, that’s so awesome （棒的）’， ” Bettles said. Right before he got in bed, he checked his e-mail one last time and found another message saying the school had made a mistake and his application had been denied.

In fact, all 28, 000 students turned away from UC San Diego, in one of the toughest college entrance seasons on record, had received the same incorrect message. The students’ hopes had been raised and then dashed （破灭） in a cruel twist that shows the danger of instant communications in the Internet age.

UCSD admissions director Mae Brown called it an “administrative error” but refused to say who had made the mistake, or if those responsible would be disciplined （受训）。

The e-mail, which began, “We’re thrilled that you’ve been admitted to UC San Diego, and we’re showcasing （展示） our beautiful campus on Admit Day, ” was sent to the full 46, 000 students who had applied, instead of just the 18, 000 who got in, Brown said.

The error was discovered almost immediately by her staff, who sent an apology within hours.

“It was really thrilling for a few hours; now he’s crushed （压垮）， ” said Cole’s mother, Tracy Bettles. “It’s really tough on them.”

The admissions director said she was in the office on Monday until midnight answering e-mails and phone calls from disappointed students and their parents. She said she took full responsibility for the error. “We accessed the wrong database. We recognize the incredible pain receiving this false encouragement caused. It was not our intent.”

How many students received an admission e-mail from the University of California, San Diego （UCSD）？

A. 18, 000     B. 28, 000   C. 46, 000    D. 18

Which of the following statements is TRUE about the wrong e-mail message?

A. The mistake was made on purpose to cause pain among the applicants.

B. It was UCSD admissions director Mae Brown who made the mistake.

C. UCSD admissions staff got information from the wrong database.

D. Staff did not discover the mistake until next Monday.

The admissions director Mae Brown did what she could to __________.

A. protect the person who made the mistake

B. punish herself for the mistake

C. make up for the mistake

D. help the disappointed students enter the university

What does the passage mainly talk about?

A. Cole Bettles was admitted to the UCSD.

B. Cole Bettles was rejected y a famous university.

C. USCD admissions office often makes “administration errors”。

D. False admission information raised the students’ hopes and then dashed them.

－Have you finished your experiment report, Jane?

－Oh, my God. I’ve _______ forgotten all about that.

A. strongly                            B. extremely            C. entirely                 D. freely

 

Lisa was running late. Lisa, 25, had a lot to do at work, plus visitors on the way: her parents were coming in for Thanksgiving from her hometown. But as she hurried down the subway stairs, she started to feel uncomfortably warm. By the time she got to the platform, Lisa felt weak and tired—maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to give blood the night before, she thought. She rested herself against a post close to the tracks.

Several yards away, Frank, 43, and his girlfriend, Jennifer, found a spot close to where the front of the train would stop. They were deep in discussion about a house they were thinking of buying.

But when he heard the scream, followed by someone yelling, “Oh, my God, she fell in!” Frank didn’t hesitate(犹豫). He jumped down to the tracks and ran some 40 feet toward the body lying on the rails. “No! Not you! ”his girlfriend shouted after him.

She was right to be alarmed. By the time Frank reached Lisa, he could feel the tracks shaking and see the light coming. The train was about 20 seconds from the station.

It was hard to lift her. She was just out. But he managed to raise her four feet to the platform(站台) so that bystanders could hold her by the legs and drag her away from the edge. That was where Lisa briefly regained consciousness(知觉), felt herself being pulled along the ground, and saw someone else holding her purse.

Lisa thought she’d been robbed. A woman held her hand and a man gave his shirt to help stop the blood pouring from her head. And she tried to talk but she couldn’t, and that was when she realized how much pain she was in.

Police and fire officials soon arrived, and Frank told the story to an officer. Jennifer said her boyfriend was calm on their 40-minute train ride downtown - just as he had been seconds after the rescue(营救), which made her think about her reaction at the time. “I saw the train coming and I was thinking he was going to die,” she explained.

1.What was the most probable cause for Lisa’s weakness?

A. She had run a long way.       B. She felt hot in the subway.

C. She had done a 1ot of work.    D. She had donated blood the night before.

2.Why did Jennifer try to stop her boyfriend?

A. Because they would miss their train.

B. Because he didn’t see the train coming.

C. Because she was sure Lisa was hard to lift.

D. Because she was afraid the train would kill him.

3. How did Frank save Lisa?

A. By lifting her to the platform.     B. By helping her rise to her feet.

C. By pulling her along the ground.   D. By dragging her away from the edge.

4.When did Lisa become conscious again?

A. When the train was leaving.

B. After she was back on the platform.

C. After the police and fire officials came.

D. When a man was cleaning the blood from her head.

5.The passage is intended to _____________

A. warn us of the danger in the subway     B. show us how to save people in the subway

C. tell us about a subway rescue        D. report a traffic accident

 

Imagine being able to recall just about anything, your mind functioning as a nearly endless encyclopedic（百科全书的）book of names, pictures, dates and events.

       Brad Williams’ excellent memory recall makes him a personified version（个人版）of Google. His wide memory allows him to recall almost any news event and anything he has experienced, including specific dates and even the weather. “I was sort of a human Google for my family. I’ve always been able to recall things,” the 51-yearold said on Good Morning America in his first television interview.

       Williams’ type of detailed, complete memory is called hyperthymesia and few known cases exist. Brad’s brain scan are now being studied by scientists at the Center for Neurobiology（神经生物学）of Learning and Memory, at the University of California.

       At first, the drive-time radio broadcaster didn’t think his ability to recall so much was anything special. Gradually, over the years, other people noticed how much he was able to remember in detail about events. Then in 2006, he read an article about a wman whom scietists called AJ, which prompted Williams to come forward. AJ is a writwer of a medical journal, and the only scientifically-documented case of superior memory.

       “When I read about AJ, my immediate thought was : Oh my God. That’s Brad!” said williams’ brother, Eric Williams.

       Eric Williams is eager to learn about the inner working of his brother’s mind. He is in the process of making documentary（纪录片）about Brad, appropriately titled: “Unforgettable.” In the film, which hasn’t been finished yet, Williams takes on a person who is Googling answers to 20 questions. He answers 18 of them correctly and is 11 minutes faster than the Google user.

       “All of us have the ability to store this information, but the difference with Brad is that he can recall it,” Eric Williams said.

According to the passage, which of the following is true about Brad Williams?

       A．He has worked for Google, so he recall any news events.

       B．He may be one of the rare cases of people with a superior memory.   

       C．He is now the host of Good Morning America.

       D．He is working as a teacher in California.

Why does Brad Williams have such a good memory?

       A．Because he was born with a rare ability.

       B．Because his work requires a good memory.

       C．Because he has to answer others’ questions.

       D．Because he was specially trained in his chilhood.

The underlined word “prompted” most probably means _______.

       A．helped             B．wanted     C．warned     D．encouraged

The best title for this passage might be ___________.

       A．The Ability to Store All Information

       B．A Documentary called Unforgettable

       C．“Google Man” Recalls Nearly Every Thing

       D．Brad Williams and Google User

 

--- I’ve lost the game again.

--- ____! It’s not that bad!

         A. Cheer up     B. I’m sorry    C. It doesn’t matter   D. Oh, my goodness