Technology is the application(应用) of knowledge to production. Thanks to modern technology, we have been able to increase greatly the efficiency of our work force. New machines and new methods have helped cut down time and expense while increasing overall output. This has meant more production and a higher standard of living. For most of us in America, modern technology is thought of as the reason why we can have cars and television sets. However, technology has also increased the amount of food available to us, by means of modern farming machinery and animal breeding techniques, and has extended our life span via(通过) medical technology.

Will mankind continue to live longer and have a higher quality of life? In large measure the answer depends on technology and our ability to use it widely. If we keep making progress as we have over the past fifty years, the answer is definitely yes. The advancement of technology depends upon research and development, and the latest statistics(统计) show that the United States is continuing to pump billions of dollars annually(每年) into such efforts. So while we are running out of some scarce resources(少的资源) we may well find technological substitutes(代用品)for many of them through our research programs.

Therefore, in the final analysis the three major factors of production(land, labor and capital) are all influenced by technology. When we need new skills, on techniques in medicine, people will start developing new technology to meet those needs. As equipment proves to be slow or inefficient, new machines will be invented. Technology responds to our needs in helping us maintain our standard of living.

What is the best title for the passage?

A. The definition of technology           B. Modern technology

C. The application of technology          D. The development of technology

Which is the main idea of the passage?

A. Modern technology is the key to the improvement of standard of living.

B. The three major factors of production (land, labor and capital) are all influenced by technology.

C. Technology is the response to our needs.

D. The United States is making great efforts to advance its technology.

According to the passage, people can live a long life with the help of _______.

A. higher quality of life                     B. medical technology

C. modern farming machinery             D. technological substitute

Scientists find that hard-working people live longer than average men and women. Career women are ___1___ than housewives, Evidence (证据) shows that ___2___ are in poorer health than the job-holders. A study shows ___3___ the unemployment rate increases by 1%, the death rate increases correspondingly (相应地) by 2%. All this ___4___ one point: Work is helpful to health.

Why is work good for health? It is because work keeps people busy, __5___ loneliness and solitude (孤独). Researches show that people feel __6___ and lonely when they have nothing to do. Instead, the happiest are those who are ___7___. Many high achievers who love their careers feel that they are happiest when they are working hard. Work serves as ___8___ between man and reality. By work, people ___9___ each other. By collective (集体的) activity, they find friendship and warmth. This is helpful to health. The loss of work __10___ the loss of everything. It affects man spiritually and makes him liable to (易于)___11___.

__12___, work gives one a sense of fulfillment (充实感) and a sense of ___13___. Work makes one feel his value and status in society. When ___14___ finishes his writing or a doctor successfully __15___ a patient or a teacher sees his students ___16___, they are happy __17___.

From the above we can come to the conclusion ___18___ the more you work, __19___ you will be. Let us work hard, __20___ and live a happy and healthy life.

1. A. more healthier              B. healthier           C. weaker             D. worse

2. A. career women         B. the busy          C. the jobless   D. the hard-working

3. A. that whenever          B. whether           C. that though               D. since

4. A. comes down to        B. equals to          C. adds up to               D. amounts to

5. A. 不填                    B. off                  C. in touch with      D. away from

6. A. happy, interested      B. glad, joyful      C. cheerful, concerned   D. unhappy, worried

7. A. busy                      B. free               C. lazy                  D. empty

8. A. a river                   B. a gap         C. a channel           D. a bridge

9. A. come across    B. come into contact with  C. look down upon      D. watch over

10. A. means                  B. stands           C. equals                      D. matches

11. A. success                       B. death         C. victory              D. disease

12. A. Besides                   B. Nevertheless    C. However        D. Yet

13. A. disappointment        B. achievement      C. regret             D. apology

14. A. a worker                B. a farmer        C. a writer            D. a manager

15. A. manages                 B. controls         C. operates on        D. deals with

16. A. raise                    B. grow         C. rise                   D. increase

17. A. in a word             B. without a word  C. at a word         D. beyond words

18. A. that                     B. which                C. what                 D. 不填.

19. A. the lonelier and weaker            B. lonelier and weaker

C. happier and healthier                    D. the happier and healthier

20. A. study well            B. studying well     C. study good        D. studying good

A few months ago I was at a bus stop in town in the evening. The bus came on time and I took the window seat. The bus route was by the seashore and I was enjoying the breeze (微风) while watching the sea waves. After a few minutes the bus made its next stop. A young boy and a girl got on. They were standing on my left when the bus pulled off. I looked at them curiously and realized that all the window seats were occupied (占据). They could sit but not together. Suddenly a different wave passed through my body and my inner mind gave me the advice to get up. I got up and offered them my seat. The young lady smiled kindly and said thanks. I occupied another seat and we parted our ways. I don’t remember whether I got off the bus before them or not.

       Months passed by. Suddenly one day while I was standing at the same bus stop waiting some time for the bus to arrive I heard a voice.

       “Excuse me, Uncle.” I looked in the direction of the voice. It was a beautiful young lady.

       Puzzled, I said, “I do not recognize you.”

       She said, “Do you remember you gave us your window seat?”

       Puzzled, I said, “Maybe, but what is so great in that?”

       She said, “If you had not given your seat that day, perhaps I would have not sat with my friend. By sitting together it helped us bridge a misunderstanding that had been between us forever. Do you know we are getting married next month?”

       “Good! God bless both of you,” I replied.

       The young lady again said thank you and went on her journey. I realized the importance of giving that day.

Why were the young boy and the girl standing on the bus?

A. Because they wanted to enjoy the sea view.

B. Because they couldn’t sit together.

C. Because there were no empty seats.

D. Because they preferred to stand.

The underlined sentence in the first paragraph probably means that the author had a feeling that ______.

A. he wanted to do something special        

B. the sea wave made him upset

C. a wave from the sea flooded him  

D. he wanted to make a sea wave in his heart

From the story, we can conclude that ______.

A. small things can create great happenings in life

B. it is giving rather than receiving that matters

C. offering one’s seat to others may win respect

D. we sometimes forget what happened in the past

There are good Santas and there are bad Santas. The good Santas all realize one thing: In the mind of a child, Santa Claus is perfect.

That’s difficult. And so they come from around the world to attend the Charles W. Howard School in Midland, Mich. The school offers a three-day, 40-hour course for Santas hoping to be excellent. There’s a real range to what Santas earn, from big bucks for large events to no pay for charities^①. One thing for them all is a pure love for children.

A former Macy’s Santa named Charles Howard founded the Michigan school in 1937. “Many people will think if you have a suit and you’re a Santa,” said Tom Valent, the school’s current dean. “It’s more than that.” So with a pet reindeer^②, his properly named wife Holly and a workshop full of wonder.

The school teaches everything from breathing techniques for carol singing to the beard maintenance. There are lessons in child psychology, sign language and even media training for talk-show appearances and call-in shows. Santas also need to make sure they know all the names of the reindeer. What’s harder to deal with, however, is children who ask for Christmas gifts like bringing daddy home or making mommy happy again.

After spending time in the classroom, Weir went to the mall to test his training. However, at one point, his hat fell off, and he was unsure how to react. “You’re the real Santa,” Valent said. “Pick that hat up, slip it back on, keep smiling and do your job. You’ve got to stay on top of your game. Even the last one at night, when you’re tired, you’ve got to remember: This one’s forever, so do a good job.”

Notes:

charity  n. 慈善，慈善团体

reindeer  n. 驯鹿

According to the passage, good Santas should be the ones that ________.

        A. can offer the children some gifts        B. help adults look after their children

        C. have ability to make children happy     D. should be perfect in the mind of children

The underlined words “big bucks” should refer to ________.

        A. lots of money   B. many gifts    C. loves for children    D. gifts from children

The Michigan school was founded by Charles Howard with the purpose to ________.

        A. train the pet reindeer for the Santas       B. earned money from its students

        C. train perfect Santas for the world         D. show the world’s concern to the poor

According to Weir’s performance, we can conclude that ________.

        A. Weir was short of experience            B. Weir was not fit for the job as a Santa

        C. Weir did very badly in the game         D. Weir was not a good student in school

When someone says, “Well, I guess I'll have to go to face the music,” it doesn’t mean he is planning to go to a concert. It is something far less pleasant, like being called in your boss to explain why you did this and did that, and why you did not do this or that. Terrible music, indeed, but it has to be faced. At some time or another, every one of us has had to “face the music”, especially as children. We can remember father’s angry voice: “I want to talk to you!” And only because we did not obey him. What an unpleasant business it was!

The phrase “face the music” is known to every American, old and young. It is at least one hundred years old. Where did the expression come from?

The first explanation came from the American novelist James Fenimore Cooper. He said, in 1851, that expression was first used by actors while waiting in the wings (舞台的两侧) to go on stage. After they got their clue(暗示) to go on , they often said, “It’s time to go to face the music. ” And that is exactly what they did face the orchestra (乐队) which was just below the stage.

An actor might be frightened or nervous as he moved on to the stage in front of the audience(观众) that might be friendly, or perhaps unfriendly, especially if he forgot his lines. But he had to go out. If he did not, there would be no play. So “face the music” came to mean: having to go through something, no matter how unpleasant the experience might be, because you knew you had no choice.

The expression “face the music” means ______.

A. plan to go to a concert

B. get one’s clue to do something

C. have to go through something far less pleasant

D. disobey what one's father says

The passage tells us that the expression was first used by _____.

A. children       B. novelists       C. actors       D. audience

In the last paragraph the Chinese meaning of the word “line” is _______.

A. 老板           B. 同事           C. 角色       D. 台词