Engineering students are supposed to be examples of practicality and rationality (理性), but when it comes to my college education I am an idealist and a fool. In high school I wanted to be an electrical engineer and, of course, any reasonable student with my aims would have chosen a college with a large engineering department, many famous professors and lots of good labs and research equipment. But that's not what I did.

I chose to study engineering at a small liberal-arts (文科) university that doesn't even offer a major in electrical engineering. Obviously, this was not a practical choice; I came here for more noble reasons. I wanted a broad education that would provide me with flexibility and a value system to guide me in my job. I wanted to open my eyes and expand my vision by communicating with people who weren't studying science or engineering. My parents, teachers and other adults praised me for such a wise choice. They told me I was wise and grown-up beyond my 18 years, and I believed them.

　I headed off to the college and sure I was going to have an advantage over those students who went to big engineering "factories" where they didn't care if you had values or were flexible. I was going to be a complete engineer: technical expert and excellent humanist all in one.

　Now I'm not so sure. Somewhere along the way my noble ideas crashed into reality, as all noble ideas finally do. After three years of struggling to balance math, physics and engineering courses with liberal-arts courses, I have learned there are reasons why few engineering students try to reconcile engineering with liberal-arts courses in college.

　The reality that has blocked my path to become the typical successful student is that engineering and the liberal arts simply don't mix as easily as I supposed in high school. Individually they shape a person in very different ways. The struggle to reconcile the two fields of study is difficult.

1.Why did the author choose to study engineering at a small liberal-arts university?

2.According to the author, by communicating with people who study liberal arts, engineering students can ___________.

3. Which word below can replace the underlined word “reconcile”?

4.The underlined sentence in 1st paragraph means ___________.

5. The author suggests in this passage that ___________.

　A few months ago, it wasn't unusual for 47-year-old Carla Toebe to spend 15 hours per day online. She'd wake up early, turn on her laptop and chat on Internet dating sites and instant-messaging programs – leaving her bed for only brief breaks. Her household bills piled up, along with the dishes and dirty laundry, but it took constant complaints from her four daughters before she realized she had a problem.

　　"I was starting to feel like my whole world was falling apart – kind of slipping into a depression," said Carla. "I knew that if I didn't get off the dating sites, I'd just keep going," detaching (使脱离) herself further from the outside world.

　　Toebe's conclusion: She felt like she was "addicted" to the Internet. She's not alone.

　　Concern about excessive Internet use isn't new. As far back as 1995, articles in medical journals and the establishment of a Pennsylvania treatment center for overusers aroused interest in the subject. But as reliance on the Web grows, there are signs that the question is getting more serious attention: Last month, a study published in CNS Spectrums claimed to be the first large-scale look at Internet overuse. The American Psychiatric Association may also consider listing Internet addiction in the next edition. And scores of online discussion boards have popped up, on which people discuss negative experiences tied to too much time on the Web.

    The new CNS Spectrums study was based on results of a nationwide telephone survey of more than 2,500 adults. Like the latest survey, this one was conducted by Stanford University researchers. About 6% of respondents reported that "their relationships suffered because of excessive Internet use." About 9% attempted to conceal "nonessential Internet use," and nearly 4% reported feeling " still occupied by the Internet when offline."

　　"The Internet problem is still in its early stage," said Maressa Orzack, a Harvard University professor. No single online activity is to blame for excessive use, he said. "They're online in chat rooms, checking e-mail, or writing blogs. The problem is not limited to porn (色情) or gambling websites.”

　　“Excessive Internet use should be defined not by the number of hours spent online but in terms of losses.”said Maressa Orzack. "If it's a loss where you're not getting to work, and family relationships are breaking down as a result, then it's too much."

　　Since the early 1990s, several clinics have been established in the U. S. to treat heavy Internet users. They include the Center for Internet Addiction Recovery and the Center for Internet Behavior.

　　The website for Orzack's center lists the following among the psychological symptoms of computer addiction:

　　● Having a sense of happiness or excitement while at the computer.

　　● Longing for more and more time at the computer.

　　● Neglect of family and friends.

　　● Feeling empty, depremssed or irritable when not at the computer.

　　● Lying to employers and family about activities.

　　● Inability to stop the activity.

　　● Problems with school or job.

　　Physical symptoms listed include dry eyes, backaches, skipping meals, poor personal hygiene (卫生) and sleep disturbances.

　　“People who struggle with Internet overuse maybe depressed or have other mood disorders.” Orzack said. When she discusses Internet habits with her patients, they often report that being online offers a "sense of belonging, and escape, excitement and fun," she said. “Some people say relief…because they find themselves so relaxed.”

　　Some parts of the Internet seem to draw people in more than others. Internet gamers spend countless hours competing in games against people from all over the world. One such game, called World of Warcraft, is cited on many sites by posters complaining of a "gaming addiction."

　　Andrew Heidrich, an education network administrator from Sacramento, plays World of Warcraft for about two to four hours every other night, but that's nothing compared with the 40 to 60 hours a week he spent playing online games when he was in college. He cut back only after a full-scale family intervention (干预), in which relatives told him he'd gained weight.

　　“There's this whole culture of competition that sucks people in with online gaming, ”said Heidrich, now a father of two. People do it at the expense of everything that was a constant in their lives." Heidrich now visits websites that discuss gaming addiction regularly “to remind myself to keep my love for online games in check”.

　　Toebe also regularly visits a site where posters discuss Internet overuse. In August, when she first realized she had a problem, she posted a message on a Yahoo Internet addiction group with the subject line:“I have an Internet Addiction.”

　　“I'm self-employed and need the Internet for my work, but I'm failing to accomplish my work, to take care of my home, to give attention to my children,”she wrote in a message sent to the group. “I have no money or insurance to get professional help; I can't even pay my loan and face losing everything.”

　　Since then, Toebe said, she has kept her promise to herself to cut back on her Internet use. "I have a boyfriend now, and I'm not interested in online dating," she said by phone last week. "It's a lot better now."

1. What eventually made Carla Toebe realize she was spending too much time on the Internet?

　A. Her daughter's repeated complaints.

　B. Tiredness resulting from lack of sleep.

　C. The poorly managed state of her house.

　D. The high financial costs adding up.

2.What is the main idea of para4?

A. A study claimed to be the first large-scale look at Internet overuse.

B. The American Psychiatric Association plans to list Internet addiction in its edition.

C. There are heated discussions about negative experiences over internet overuse.

D. There is a growing concern towards internet addiction.

3. According to Professor Maressa Orzack, Internet use would be considered excessive if ______.

　A. it seriously affected family relationships

　B. one visited porn websites frequently

　C. too much time was spent in chat rooms

　D. people got involved in online gambling

4. According to Orzack, people who struggle with heavy dependence on    

the Internet may feel ______.

　A. discouraged   B. pressured    C. depressed    D. puzzled

5. Andrew Heidrich now visits websites that discuss online gaming addiction to _____.

　A. improve his online gaming skills

　B. control his desire for online gaming

　C. show how good he is at online gaming

　D. exchange online gaming experience

6.Which of the following best describes the tone(口吻) of the passage ?

 A. Humorous      B. Ironic       C. Objective      D. Casual

Britain and Ireland
　　The British Isles is made up of two large islands: One is called Ireland and the other __16  . Britain, or Great Britain, is the larger of these two islands, and it is17  into three parts: Scotland, Wales and England.
　　The United Kingdom is that 18  of the British Isles ruled over by the Queen. It is made up of Scotland, Wales and England, that is, the 19  of Britain, and also about one sixth of Ireland, the Northern part. The  20  of Ireland is self-governing. The 21  name of the United Kingdom is  22  “The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”.
　23 is larger and richer than Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and has the largest  24   of the United Kingdom, so people often use the 25 “England” and “English” when they  26  “Britain” and “British”. This sometimes makes the Scots and the Welsh a little 27 . The Scots in particular are very  28 of their separate nationality. The Welsh too do not regard   29  as English, and have a culture and even a   30 of their own.
　　Ireland became part of the United Kingdom in 1801, but for forty years the “Irish  31  ” was the greatest headache of the United Kingdom.  32 , Ireland is divided into two: Northern Ireland still  33 to the United Kingdom, and in 1922 the rest of Ireland   34  to found an Irish Free State, later called Eire and now the Republic of Ireland.
　　The Republic of Ireland does not regard itself as part of Britain, and is not now even a supporter of the Commonwealth of Nations (英联邦). Unlike the major Commonwealth countries it did not lift a finger to   35 British in the Second World War and now wants the whole of Ireland to be a republic.

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。

Nancy had just got a secretary's job in a big company to work in the sales department. Monday was the first day that she went to work, so she was very 　31 .She got up very early and arrived at the 　32　 at twenty to eight. She 　33　 the door open and found nobody there. “I am the 　34　 to arrive.” She thought and came to her desk. She was surprised to 　35　 a large bunch of flowers on it. They were fresh. She 　36　 the flowers from the desk and smelled them. “Oh, how lovely!” Nancy 　37　 joyfully. She then looked round for a 　38　 to put them in. “Somebody has sent me flowers the 　39　 first day!” She thought happily. “But who could it be?” She began to wonder.

    The day passed very 　40　 and Nancy did everything with great interest and 　41　 .For the following days of the week, the first thing Nancy did was to change water for the flowers. And then she 　42　 herself in her work.

    Then came another Monday. When she came near her desk she was overjoyed to see a(an) 　43　 bunch of flowers there. She quickly put them in the vase, replacing the old ones.

    The same thing happened again the next Monday, Nancy felt it 　44　 and this time she began to think of ways to find out the 　45　 .

    On Tuesday afternoon, she was sent to 　46　 a plan to the general manager's office. She had to stay for a while at his secretary's desk 　47　  his directives .She happened to see on the desk a big note book 　48　 “Records of managers' meetings”, and glanced at the 　49　 pages. Suddenly her eyes fell on these words: “In order to keep the secretaries 　50　 ,the company has decided that every Monday morning a bunch of fresh flowers should be sent to each secretary's desk.”

    Later, she was told that their general manager was a business management psychologist.

A. depressed              B. encouraged              C. excited              D. surprised

A. office                   B. workshop                C. Classroom               D. bookshop

A. forced                  B. pushed                    C. Turned             D. knocked

A. last                B. second                     C. Third                      D. first

A. uncover              B. smell                       C. Find                 D. pick

A. picked up             B. threw away              C. stared at           D. took up

A. cried                    B. Laughed                  C. wept                D. replied

A. jar                      B. Box                        C. bottle                      D. vase

A. happy                 B. very                        C. funny               D. quite

A. slowly                B. normally                 C. quickly             D. hardly

A. wisdom               B. bravery                   C. passion             D. enthusiasm

A. buried                      B. dressed                    C. Devoted           D. seated

A. old                     B. Red                         C. blue                 D. new

A. special                     B. angry                             C. strange            D. difficult

A. sender                 B. receiver                   C. manager           D. waiter

A. send for            B. hand out                  C. try out              D. hand in

A. asking for            B. waiting for           C. looking for         D. searching for

A. marked               B. written                    C. printed             D. signed

A. closed                 B. damaged                  C. pinned              D. half-opened

A. at home              B. on time                   C. in high spirits    D. in low spirits

Tourism probably started in Roman times. Rich Romans visited friends and family who were working in another part of the Roman empire. But when the empire broke down, this kind of tourism stopped.
　　In the early 17th century, the idea of the“Grand Tour”was born. Rich young English people sailed across the English Channel. They visited the most beautiful and important European cities of the time, including Paris in France, and Rome and Venice in Italy. Their tours lasted for two to four years, and the tourists stayed a few weeks or months in each city. The“Grand Tour”was an important part of young people’s education—but only for the rich.
　　In the 18th century, tourism began to change. For example, people in the UK started to visit some towns, such as Bath to“take the waters”.They believed that the water there was good for their health. So large and expensive hotels were built in these towns.
　　In the 19th century, travel became much more popular and faster. When the first railways were built in the 1820s,it was easier for people to travel between towns, so they started to go for holidays by the sea. And some started to have holidays in the countryside as cities became larger, noisier and dirtier.
　　Traveling by sea also became faster and safer when the first steamships were built. People began to travel more to far away countries.
　　The 20th century saw cars become more and more popular among ordinary people. Planes were made larger, so ticket prices dropped and more people used them.
　　Thus tourism grew. In 1949, Russian journalist Vladimir Raitz started a company called Horizon Holidays. The company organizes everything—plane tickets, hotel rooms, even food—and tourists pay for it all before they leave home. The package tour and modern tourist industry was born.
　　The first travel agency in China was set up as early as 1949.But tourism did not take off until 1978.In 2002,the industry was worth 500 billion Yuan and became an important part of China’s social development.
【小题1】In the early times, the travelers ________.