C. A new Centro phone and two years’ service are worth $99. D. Not every smart phone has functions like MobiTV or GPS. DThe village of Kivalina has never been very safe. Just off the northwestern coast of Alaska, it's truly a town on the edge. For most of the year, Kivalina is surrounded by ice; when it melts during the brief summer, waves bite the shore from the west and rivers attack it from the east.Erosion, which has made the island by nearly 20 acres smaller over the past 50 years, is something former school headmaster Pickner has spotted firsthand. As the first big fall storm approached in 2004, the ground behind his tractor broke. Where there had once been a broad beach between the town and the ocean, the earth behind the buildings now dropped directly into the water. 【查看更多】
题目列表(包括答案和解析)
Steve Jobs made technology fun.The co-founder of Apple died last Wednesday at the age of fifty-six He had fought for years against cancer.Mourners gathered outside his house in Palo Alto, California, and Apple stores around the world. Tim Bajarin, president of a high-tech research and consulting company, said "If you actually look at a tech leader, they're really happy if they have one hit in their life.Steve Jobs has the Apple II, the Mac, the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad and Pixar." Steve Jobs was a college dropout.He was adopted by a machinist and his wife, an accountant.They supported his early interest in electronics. He and his friend Steve Wozniak started Apple Computer—now just called Apple—in nineteen seventy-six.They stayed at the company until nineteen eighty-five.That year, Steve Wozniak returned to college and Steve Jobs left in a dispute（分歧）with the chief executive. Mr.Jobs then formed his own company, called NeXT Computer.He rejoined Apple in nineteen ninety-seven after it bought NeXT.He helped remake Apple from a business that was in bad shape then to one of the most valuable companies in the world today. Steve Wozniak, speaking on CNN, remembered his longtime friend as a "great visionary and leader'' and a "marketing genius（天才）". President Obama said in a statement: "By building one of the planet's most successful companies from his garage, he exemplified the spirit of American ingenuity.By making computers personal and putting the Internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only accessible, but intuitive and fun." David Carroll is a professor at Parsons School of Design in New York City.He says Steve Jobs not only revolutionized technology, he also revolutionized American business. "The fact that he was able to redesign American commerce top to bottom and across is really stunning （令人惊奇的）.He probably will be considered an industrial giant on the scale of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, so one of the great[s] of all time." David Carroll said. Steve Jobs stepped down as Apple's chief executive in August because of his health.He died a day after the company released a new iPhone version that met with limited excitement.Apple's new chief, Tim Cook, will also have to deal with the new Kindle Fire tablet computer from Amazon.com.It costs less than half as much as an iPad but also does less.
1.
Why did people all over the world mourn Steve Jobs?
A.
He was very courageous in the face of cancer.
B.
He became very rich though dropping out college.
C.
He released a new iPhone version before death.
D.
He revolutionized technology and made it enjoyable.
2.
Which of the following can easily prove that Jobs is a "marketing genius"?
A.
After Apple, he founded NeXT Computer.
B.
He made Apple very valuable once again in the world.
C.
He developed a series of Apple products.
D.
He was considered the greatest industrial figure of all time.
3.
What does the underlined part in Paragraph 7 mean?
A.
Jobs was a typical example of American spirit of creation.
B.
Jobs enriched the American spirit of science and freedom.
C.
Jobs eventually realized his American dream.
D.
American people are good at inventing things.
4.
Which of the following is true according to the text?
A.
Jobs's parents discouraged him from working on electronics
B.
Jobs stayed in Apple as chief executive for about 24 years.
C.
Jobs started his career in his family garage.
D.
Run unsuccessfully, Apple was sold to NeXT Computer.
In Greek mythology（神话）, the gods punished Sisyphus by forcing him to roll a rock up a steep hill for eternity（来世）. But he was probably better off than if they’d forced him to sit and stare into space until the end of time, conclude the authors of a new study on keeping busy. They found that people who have something to do, even something pointless, are happier than people who sit around. “The general phenomenon I’m interested in is why people are too busy doing what they are doing in modern society,” says Christopher K. Hsee, of the University of Chicago. “People are running around, working hard, the way beyond the basic level.” Sure, there are reasons, like making a living, earning money, and so on. But, Hsee says, “I think there’s something deeper: We have extra energy and we want to avoid idleness.” In a study 98 students were asked to complete two surveys. After they had completed the first they were made to wait 15 minutes to receive the next one. They were given a choice of either handing in the first survey nearby or at a more distant location they had to walk to. Whichever option they chose, they received a chocolate bar. Not everyone chose to go to the faraway location. Two-thirds chose the lazy option. Yet those who chose to stay busy by going to the faraway location were found to be happier than those who had stayed put. But if the chocolate bars offered at the two locations were different, they were more likely to choose the far location—because they could make up a good and acceptable reason for the trip, Hsee and his colleagues say. Hsee thinks it may be possible to use this principle—people like being busy, and they like being able to show being busy right or reasonable—to benefit society. “If we can find a way for idle people to engage in activity that is at least not harmful, I think it is better than destructive business,” he says. Hsee himself has been known to give a research assistant a useless task when he doesn’t have anything to do, so he isn’t sitting around the office getting bored and depressed.
1.
The author starts the passage with the Greek mythology story to ________.
A.
make it easier to understand the passage
B.
draw readers’ attention to Greek culture
C.
show Greek people enjoyed being busy
D.
bring about the subject of the passage
2.
According to Hsee, people are busy in modern society because they want to _________.
A.
make others think they are not lazy
B.
keep their energy at the basic level
C.
earn more money to support their family
D.
avoid the state of having nothing to do
3.
The underlined phrase “stayed put” in Paragraph 3 probably means __________.
A.
remained there
B.
kept occupied
C.
got around
D.
stayed awake
4.
How does Hsee’s assistant probably feel while performing a task?
When Boris left school, he could not find a job. He tried hard and pestered (纠缠) his relatives, but they had problems of their own. He answered advertisements until he could not afford to buy any more stamps. Boris grew annoyed, then depressed, then a little hardened. Still he went on trying and still he failed. He began to think that he had no future at all. “Why don't you start your own business?” one of his uncles told him. “The world is a money-locker. You'd better find a way of opening it.” “But what can I do?” “Get out and have a look round.” advised his uncle in a vague sort of way. “See what people want; then give it to them, and they will pay for it.” Boris began to cycle around the town and found a suitable piece of a waste ground in the end. Then he set up his business as a cycle repairer. He worked hard, made friends with his customers and gradually managed to build up his goodwill and profit. A few months later, he found that he had more work than he could deal with by himself. He found a number of empty shops but they were all no good: in the wrong position, too expensive or with some other snag(障碍). But at long last, he managed to find an empty shop on a new estate where there were plenty of customers but no competition. Boris and his assistant taught themselves how to repair scooters and motor-cycles. Slowly but surely the profits increased and the business developed. At last, Boris had managed to open the money-locker and found bank notes and gold coins inside.
1.
Which of the following best describes Boris' job hunting experience?
A.
Surprising.
B.
Encouraging.
C.
Boring.
D.
Disappointing.
2.
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.
Goodwill is the key to success
B.
The world is a money-locker
C.
No education, no future
D.
Difficulty of starting a small business
3.
Boris started his career by .
A.
repairing cycles
B.
developing a waste ground
C.
cycling around the town
D.
buying empty shops
4.
Boris finally chose an empty shop on a new estate because .
Listening to music can help me focus better. Since I discovered it two years ago, I’ve used music to get through boring work or to focus creatively. I’ve found that it can make even the dullest jobs enjoyable and help clear mental blocks to creativity. I first noticed the good effects of music while playing video games. It was a few days before Christmas in 2005 and I was playing online video games. My parents had just given me a new MP3, so I decided to listen to music through the headphones while I played. After a few minutes I noticed a great change in my style of play. I was playing more naturally. The music relaxed me, and, to a certain extent, distracted me from the game, allowing my subconscious (潜意识的) talent to come through. The music also helped me block out the outside world. With those headphones on I was like a machine, moving from one task to the next without unnecessary thoughts or actions. Music can also have a great effect on mood. If I’m in a bad mood at work, I’ll listen to some of Bob Marley’s and get down to business. It always takes my mind off what I’m doing and makes me a happier person. The same is true for classic rock. One summer, I did a boring job collecting bottle openers by hand. Without a radio playing classic rock in the background, I would have hated life. Listening to music with relaxing rhythms and a positive message helps you forget your work and think happy thoughts. But the results you see will depend heavily on your personal tastes. Experiment with the types of music you listen to during certain tasks. By trial and error you’ll finally discover your best choice. I’m always looking for new concentration aids, so I’d love to know what type of music works best for me.
1.
We can infer that the passage was written in __________.
A.
2005
B.
2006
C.
2007
D.
2008
2.
The author first discovered the effects of music __________.
A.
from his parents
B.
by chance
C.
at work
D.
when he was a child
3.
Which of the following statements is NOT an effect of music for the author?
A.
It helps him block out the outside world.
B.
It arouses his subconscious talent.
C.
It helps his mind relax.
D.
It makes him work without any thought.
4.
The author mentions the experience of collecting bottle openers in Paragraph 3 to ________.
A.
tell us that life is dull
B.
prove that music affects mood
C.
tell us how to seek happiness
D.
tell us bad mood can affect work
5.
In order to get the greatest effect of music, you are advised to ________.
Dr Asim Syed, 32, has performed more than 100 operations at London’s Hammersmith Hospital in the country’s busiest transplant unit, but never imagined that he would one day become a donor himself. He stepped forward when was told his 64-year-old mother might be dead within months unless she got a new kidney (肾). The worried surgeon brought her to London to be cared for at his hospital. However, it was not all plain sailing. Tests showed Dr Syed was the wrong blood group, so the only way was to go through a special blood-washing process. He consulted colleagues about that, but they didn’t agree, because the risk of rejection is still too high. Dr Syed and his mother were then advised to consider a new way of donating and receiving, called an organ-paired. That is, Dr Syed donated his kidney to an unknown person and another donor in the chain was a successful match for his mother. The chain of three transplants took place at the same time on July 31 with Dr Syed’s kidney going to a recipient in the Midlands and Mrs. Syed receiving her kidney from a person in the south of England. Just hours after donating his own kidney, Dr Syed found himself recovering in bed next to his mother. Mrs Syed said, “When I came round from my operation Asim was in the next bed and the first thing he said was, ‘Mum now all your worries are over.’ Tears fell down.” Now mother and son are recovering well with Dr Syed already back at work. Mrs. Syed is staying with him for several months while the hospital monitors her progress. He said, “I did what anyone would do when they see a relative suffering disease. Although I wasn’t able to help mum directly, by agreeing to be part of a chain, I was also very happy.”
1.
Why isn’t it a plain sailing?
A.
No one can treat his mother well.
B.
Dr Syed was the wrong blood group.
C.
They didn’t have money to be in hospital.
D.
Mrs. Syed was unwilling to receive the operation.
2.
Why didn’t his colleagues agree to the method of blood-washing?
A.
It is very dangerous.
B.
It costs too much.
C.
They didn’t know how to do it at all.
D.
They didn’t have the relative equipment.
3.
What can we learn about Mrs. Syed?
A.
She was touched by his son’s deed.
B.
She has already recovered completely.
C.
After operation, she went her own home.
D.
She was in hospital in London for many years.
4.
What can be inferred from the text?
A.
The hospital still needs improving.
B.
Dr Syed has love and devotion to his parents.
C.
The expense in the hospital is too high to afford.
D.
Dr Syed donated his kidney to his mother directly.
