The Internet provides opportunities galore, and can be used for a variety of things. Some of the things that you can do via the Internet are:

    E-mail: E-mail is an online correspondence（通讯）system. With e-mail you can send and receive instant electronic messages, which are like written letters, but unlike traditional mail which takes a long time. Your messages are delivered instantly to anyone anywhere in the world.

    Access Information: The Internet is a virtual treasure trove of information. Any kind of information on any topic under the sun is available on the Internet. The “search engines” on the Internet can help you to find data on any subject that you need.

    Shopping: Along with getting information on the Internet, you can also shop online. There are many online stores and sites that can be used to look for products as well as for buying them by using your credit card. You do not need to leave your house and can do all your shopping at your convenience.

    Online Chat: There are many “chat rooms” on the web that can be accessed to meet new people, make new friends, or stay in touch with old friends.

    Downloading Software: This is one of the most happening and fun things to do via the Internet. You can download innumerable games, music, videos, movies, and a host of other entertainment software from the Internet, most of which are free.

56. The passage is mainly about _____.

   A. how to use computers properly         B. the advantages of computers

   C. entertainment on the Internet             D. the advantages of the Internet

57. “Chat rooms” probably means _____.

   A. places where you can find lots of information

   B. places where you can telephone your friends

   C. places where you can talk with your friends

   D. places where you can play with your friends

58. The following statements about online shopping are true EXCEPT that _____.

   A. we don’t need to leave the house to do the shopping

   B. we can buy products with a credit card as well as in cash

   C. there are many online stores for us to visit on the Internet

   D. online shopping is very convenient

59. The underlined sentence “Any kind of information on any topic under the sun is available on the Internet.” means that on the Internet _____.

   A. we can get information about things that have happened under the sun

   B. we can’t get information about things that have happened indoors

   C. we can get information only about things that have happened in the daytime

   D. we can get any information about anything that has ever happened anywhere

60. Which of the following things can NOT be done free on the Internet?

   A. Sending e-mails to friends.   

   B. Listening to old songs.

   C. Searching for information

   D. Downloading any software you want to your computer.

 

     When I first got an email account ten years ago, I received communications only from family,friends,and colleagues.Now it seems that every time I check my e-mail ,I have an endless seriers of advertisement and otner correspondence that do not interest the at all.If we want e-mail to continue to be useful,we need special laws that make spamming(发送垃圾邮件) a crime.

If lawmakers do not do something soon to prohibit spam，the problem will certainly get much worse。Computer programs allow spammers to send hundreds of millions of e-mails almost instantly 。as more and more advertisers turn to spam to sell their products ，individual（个人的）e-mail boxes are often flooded with spam e-mails。Would people continue to use e-mail if they ahd to deal with an annoying amount of spam each time？

   This problem is troubling for inviduals and companies as well. Many spam emails contain computer viruses that can shut down the entire network of a company.Companies rely on e-mail on on e-mail for their Comployees to communicate with each other. Spam frequently causes failures in their local commnications networks, and their employees are thus unable to communicate effectively.such a situationg results in a loss of productivity and requires companies to repeatedly repair their networks.These computer problems raise productton costs of companies ,which are,in the end,passed on to the consumer.

For these reasons,I believe that lawmakers need to legislate (立法) against spam.Spammers should be fined,and perhaps sent to prison if they continue to disturb people.E-mail is a tool which helps people all over the world to communicate conveniently,but spam is destroying this conwenience.

1.What does the underlined word “correspondence” in the Paragraph 1 probably mean?                                                          

  A.messages     B.ideas          C.connections         D.programs

2.According to the text, what is the major cause of the flooding spam?     

  A.Companies rely on e-mail for communications.

B.More people in the world communicate by e-mail.

C.Many computer viruses contain spam e-mail.

D.More advertisers begin to promote sales through spam.

3.According to Paragraph 3,who is the final victim of spam?            

 A. The business                 B. The advertiser        

 C.The employee                D.The consumer

4.What is the purpose of the text?

         A.To inform                         B.To educate                      C.To persuade                    D.To instruet

 

At one time, computers were expected largely to remove the need for paper copies of documents (文件) because they could be stored electronically. But for all the texts that are written, stored and sent electronically, a lot of them are still ending up on paper.
It is difficult to measure the quantity of paper used as a result of use of Internet-connected computers, although just about anyone who works in an office can tell you that when e-mail is introduced, the printers start working overtime. "I feel in my bones this revolution is causing more trees to be cut down," says Ted Smith of the Earth Village Organization.
Perhaps the best sign of how computer and Internet use pushes up demand for paper comes from the high-tech industry itself, which sees printing as one of its most promising new markets. Several Internet companies have been set up to help small businesses print quality documents from a computer. Earlier this week Hewlett-Packard Co. announced a plan to develop new technologies that will enable people to print even more so they can get a hard copy of a business document, a medical record or just a one-line e-mail, even if they are nowhere near a computer. As the company sees it, the more use of the Internet the greater demand for printers.
Does all this mean environmental concerns (环境问题) have been forgotten? Some activists suggest people have been led to believe that a lot of dangers to the environment have gone away. " I guess people believe that the problem is taken care of, because of recycling (回收利用) " said Kelly Quirke, director of the Rainforest Action Network in San Francisco. Yet Quirke is hopeful that high-tech may also prove helpful. He says printers that print on both sides are growing in popularity. The action group has also found acceptable paper made from materials other than wood, such as agricultural waste.
【小题1】 The growing demand for paper in recent years is largely due to ________.

A．the rapid development of small businesses

B．the opening up of new markets

C．the printing of high quality copies

D．the increased use of the Internet

【小题2】Environmentalists believe one possible way of dealing with the paper situation is ________.

A．to encourage printing more quality documents

B．to develop new printers using recycled paper

C．to find new materials for making paper

D．to plant more fast-growing trees

【小题3】Hewlett-Packard Co. has decided to develop new technologies because _______.

A．people are concerned about the environment

B．printers in many offices are working overtime

C．small companies need more hard copies

D．they see a growing market for printers

At one time, computers were expected largely to remove the need for paper copies of documents (文件) because they could be stored electronically. But for all the texts that are written, stored and sent electronically, a lot of them are still ending up on paper.

    It is difficult to measure the quantity of paper used as a result of use of Internet-connected computers, although just about anyone who works in an office can tell you that when e-mail is introduced, the printers start working overtime. "I feel in my bones this revolution is causing more trees to be cut down," says Ted Smith of the Earth Village Organization.

    Perhaps the best sign of how computer and Internet use pushes up demand for paper comes from the high-tech industry itself, which sees printing as one of its most promising new markets. Several Internet companies have been set up to help small businesses print quality documents from a computer. Earlier this week Hewlett-Packard Co. announced a plan to develop new technologies that will enable people to print even more so they can get a hard copy of a business document, a medical record or just a one-line e-mail, even if they are nowhere near a computer. As the company sees it, the more use of the Internet the greater demand for printers.

   Does all this mean environmental concerns (环境问题) have been forgotten? Some activists suggest people have been led to believe that a lot of dangers to the environment have gone away. " I guess people believe that the problem is taken care of, because of recycling (回收利用) " said Kelly Quirke, director of the Rainforest Action Network in San Francisco. Yet Quirke is hopeful that high-tech may also prove helpful. He says printers that print on both sides are growing in popularity. The action group has also found acceptable paper made from materials other than wood, such as agricultural waste.

1. The growing demand for paper in recent years is largely due to ________.

A. the rapid development of small businesses

B. the opening up of new markets

C. the printing of high quality copies  

D. the increased use of the Internet

2.Environmentalists believe one possible way of dealing with the paper situation is ________.

A. to encourage printing more quality documents

B. to develop new printers using recycled paper

C. to find new materials for making paper 

D. to plant more fast-growing trees

3.Hewlett-Packard Co. has decided to develop new technologies because _______.

A. people are concerned about the environment

B. printers in many offices are working overtime

C. small companies need more hard copies

D. they see a growing market for printers

 

Personal computers and the Internet give people new choices about how to spend their time.

Some may use this freedom to share less time with certain friends or family members, but new technology will also let them stay in closer touch with those they care most about. I know this from personal experience.

E-mail makes it easy to work at home, which is where I now spend most weekends and evenings. My working hours aren’t necessarily much shorter than they once were but I spend fewer of them at the office. This lets me share more time with my young daughter than I might have if she’d been born before electronic mail became such a practical tool.

The Internet also makes it easy to share thoughts with a group of friends. Say you do something fun or see a great movie, perhaps there are four or five friends who might want to hear about it. If you call each one, you may get tired of telling the story.

With E-mail, you just write one note about your experience at your convenience, and address it to all the friends you think might be interested. They can read your message when they have time, and read only as much as they want to. They can reply at their convenience, and you can read what they have to say at your convenience.

E-mail is also an inexpensive way to stay in close touch with people who live far away. Quite a few parents use E-mail to keep in touch, even daily touch, with their children off at college.

We just have to keep in mind that computers and the Internet offer another way of staying in touch. They don’t take the place of any of the old ways.

1.The purpose of this passage is to ________.

A. explain how to use the Internet

B. describe the writer’s joy of keeping up with the latest technology

C. tell the merits(价值) and usefulness of the Internet

D. introduce the reader to basic knowledge about personal computers and the Internet

2.The use of E-mail has made it possible for the writer to ________.

A. spend less time working

B. have more free time with his child

C. work at home on weekends

D. work at a speed comfortable to him

3.According to the writer, E-mail has an obvious advantage over the telephone because the former helps one ________.

A. reach a group of people at one time conveniently

B. keep one’s communication as personal as possible

C. pass on much more information than the later

D. get in touch with one’s friends faster than the later

4.The best title for this passage is ________.

A. Computer: New Technological Advances

B. Internet: New Tool to Maintain Good Friendship

C. Computers Have Made Life Easier

Internet: a Convenient Tool for Communication