Be Brave With New Things

   The old advertising slogan, “so simple a child can do it ,” has taken on new meaning to me. A few weeks ago I got a computer, but I an mechanically illiterate. I knew that children had no fear of the future, so that seemed a good place to seek help. I asked my nephew, twelve years old, at an elementary school, to help me.

   My nephew took the machine for granted and has simply accepted the fact that computers are now a way of life. He plays with them and does his homework on them and even creates programs for them. I , on the other hand, are terrified by what this equipment can do. It can interchange paragraphs, switch words around and even correct my spelling. It informs me of Its limitations, takes commands and asks questions. It even seems to have a sense of communication. Rather than accusing me of making an error, it prints “One of us has made a mistake!” It never gets tired and is always patient and ready to go when I am.

   I think it was somewhat normal for me to be suspicious of computers. They represent a break with some very familiar habits and traditions. It is only human to instinctively avoid anything that shifts thoroughly from the acceptable, comfortable past. But the world is governed by ceaseless change and we must therefore establish links with the present and future as well as the past. Computer technology is an excellent case in point, as the newest systems grow out of date in only a few years, or even months.

   This ability to see, experience and accept the new is one of our saving characteristics. To be fearful of tomorrow, to close ourselves to possibilities, to resist the inevitable, to advocate standing still when all else is moving forward, is to lose touch. If we accept the new with joy and wonder, we can move gracefully into each tomorrow. More often than not, the children shall lead us.

6．What is the new meaning of  “So simple a child can do it” for the author?

A．computers are so easy to operate that even a child can play them well

B．A child can always do more complex things than an adult.

C．It is easier for a child to accept new things than for an adult.

D．A child has greater ability than an adult in operating computers.

7．According to the second paragraph, which of the following statements is true?

A．The nephew thought it is natural to accept the fact that computers are now a way of life.

B．The nephew believed that machines were made for people to do whatever they wanted.

C．computers are not only used to communicate, but also to remove their limitations.

D．It is a fact that both adults and children have accepted computers as a way of life.

8．Which of the following doesn’t the author’s computer do ?

A．It asks the author if she has made a mistake.

B．It accuses the author of making mistakes.

C．It corrects the author’s spelling mistakes.

D．It informs the author of her mistakes.

9．According to the third paragraph, it is human nature that we resist those things which   

A．only represent the comfortable and acceptable past

B．change thoroughly into the comfortable and acceptable past

C．make people stand still when all else is moving forward

D．change completely from the acceptable and comfortable past

10．How do you understand the underlined sentence in the  text?

　　A. It is always ready to inform me when I am ready to go.

　　B. It is always ready to start working when I am ready for work.

　　C. When I am ready to go, it is patient to wait.

　　D. When I am ready to go, it has already gone.

　　When I was in the third grade, I was picked to be the princess(公主）in the school play. For weeks my mother had helped me practice my lines. But once on stage, every word disappeared from my head. Then my teacher told me she had written a narrator's（解说者的）part for the play, and asked me to change roles. Though I didn't tell my mother what had happened that day, she sensed my unhappiness and asked if I wanted to take a walk in the yard.

    It was a lovely spring day. We could see dandelions(蒲公英）popping through the grass in bunches, as if a painter had touched our landscape with bits of gold. I watched my mother carelessly bend down by one of the bunches. "I think I am going to dig up all these weeds, "she said." From now on, we'll have only roses in this garden."

    "But I like dandelions, "I protested." All flowers are beautiful-even dandelions!"

    My mother looked at me seriously. "Yes, every flower gives pleasure in its own way, doesn't it?" she asked thoughtfully. I nodded. "And that is true of people, too," she added.

    When I realized that she had guessed my pain, I started to cry and told her the truth.

　　“But you will be a beautiful narrator,”she said, reminding me of how much I loved to read stories aloud to her.

    Over the next few weeks, with her continuous encouragement, I learned to take pride in the role. The big day finally came. A few minutes before the play, my teacher came over to me. “Your mother asked me to give this to you,” she said, handing me a dandelion. After the play, I took home the flower, laughing that I was perhaps the only person who would keep such a weed.

1.The girl did not play the role of the princess mainly because_______.

    A. she felt nervous on the stage.

    B. she lost her interest in that role.

    C. she preferred the role of the narrator

    D. she had difficulty memorizing her words

2.Why did the mother suggest a walk in the garden?

    A. To remove the dandelions

    B. To enjoy the garden scene

    C. To have a talk with her daughter.

    D. To help her daughter with the play.

3.What is the main idea of the story?

    A. Everybody can find his or her own way to success.

    B. Everybody has his or her own value in the world.

    C. Everybody should learn to play different roles

    D Everybody has some unforgettable memory.

.
III. Reading Comprehension     
Section A
Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D.  Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.
Your cell phone holds secrets about you. Besides the names and   50   that you’ve programmed into it, traces of your DNA remain on it, according to a new study.
　　DNA is genetic material that appears in every cell. Like your fingerprint, your DNA is unique to you   51   you have an identical twin. Scientists today routinely analyze DNA in blood, saliva (唾液), or hair   52   behind at the scene of a crime. The results often help detectives identify   53   and their victims. Your cell phone can   54   more about you than you might think.
　　Meghan J. McFadden, a scientist at McMaster University1in Hamilton, Ontario, heard about a crime in which the suspect（嫌疑犯）bled onto a cell phone and later dropped the   55  . This made her wonder whether traces of DNA remained on cell phones ___ even when no blood was involved.　    56   she and colleague Margaret Wallace of the City University of New York analyzed the flip-open phones(翻盖手机) of 10 volunteers. They used swabs(药签) to collect   57   traces of the users from two parts of the phone: the outside, where the user holds it, and the   58  , which is placed at the user’s ear.
The scientists scrubbed the phones using a solution made mostly of alcohol. The aim of washing was to   59   all detectable (可查明的) traces of DNA. The owners got their phones back for another week.   60   the researchers collected the phones and repeated the swabbing of each phone once more.
The scientists discovered DNA that   61   to the phone’s owner on each of the phones. Better samples were collected from the outside of each phone, but those swabs also   62    DNA of other people who had apparently also handled the phone.   63  , DNA showed up even in swabs that were taken immediately after the phones were scrubbed. That suggests that washing won’t remove all traces of evidence from a criminal’s device. So cell phones can now be added to the   64   of clues that can settle a crime-scene investigation.
50. A. secrets　                B. music                      C. numbers                  D. films
51. A. because                   B. unless                      C. although                  D. if
52. A. kept                        B. dropped                   C. stayed                      D. left
53. A. criminals                 B. clues                   C. witnesses                 D. policemen
54. A. reveal                     B. convince                  C. acquire                     D. value
55. A. document                 B. paper                             C. card                        D. device
56. A. However                 B. But                          C. So                          D. For
57. A. invisible                  B. non-existent             C. missing                   D. apparent
58. A. microphone           B. keys                        C. screen                     D. speaker
59. A. preserve                   B. revise                      C. remove                    D. protect
60.   A. Then                        B. Thus                       C. Meanwhile               D. Otherwise
61.   A. stuck                       B. belonged                 C. happened                 D. contributed
62. A. took in                    B. mixed with              C. picked up                D. gave out
63.   A. Generally                B. Shortly                    C. Disappointedly         D. Surprisingly
64. A. explanation              B. list                          C. book                       D. discovery

   When I was in the third grade, I was picked to be the princess(公主)in the school play. For weeks my mother had helped me practice my lines. But once onstage, every word disappeared from my head. Then my teacher told me she had written a narrator's(解说者的)part for the play, and asked me to change roles. Though I didn't tell my mother what had happened that day, she sensed my unhappiness and asked if I wanted to take a walk in the yard.

    It was a lovely spring day. We could see dandelions(蒲公英)popping through the grass in bunches, as if a painter had touched our landscape with bits of gold. I watched my mother carelessly bend down by one of the bunches. "I think I am going to dig up all these weeds," she said. "From now on, we'll have only roses in this garden."

    "But I like dandelions," I protested. "All flowers are beautiful—even dandelions!"

     My mother looked at me seriously. "Yes, every flower gives pleasure in its own way, doesn't it?" she asked thoughtfully. I nodded. "And that is true of people, too," she added.

    When I realized that she had guessed my pain, I started to cry and told her the truth.

　“But you will be a beautiful narrator, ”she said, reminding me of how much I loved to read stories aloud to her.

    Over the next few weeks, with her continuous encouragement, I learned to take pride in the role. The big day finally came. A few minutes before the play, my teacher came over to me. “Your mother asked me to give this to you,” she said, handing me a dandelion. After the play, I took home the flower, laughing that I was perhaps the only person who would keep such a weed.

56.The girl did not play the role of the princess mainly because_______.

A.she felt nervous on the stage.                                 B.she lost her interest in that role.

C.she preferred the role of the narrator                      D.she had difficulty memorizing her words

57.Why did the mother suggest a walk in the garden?

A.To remove the dandelions                                     B.To enjoy the garden scene

C.to have a talk with her daughter.                            D.to help her daughter with the play.

58.What is the main idea of the story?

A.Everybody can find his or her own way to success.  B.Everybody has his or her own value in the world.

C.Everybody should learn to play different roles        D.Everybody has some unforgettable memory.

The tea gardens in Sri Lanka are actually large estates(种植园). The best tea usually comes from plants grown on high grounds, the cool hilltops with rows and rows of tea plants. The plants are about one metre apart. The plant is often pruned so that it remains only 60 to 90 centimetres high. Pruning is important because it encourages the growth of tender hoots, or young leaves. It is from these shoots that the best in got.
Practically all the tea pickers are women. The estates like to employ women pickers because they are more careful. Their thin fingers can easily remove the twin leaves and new shoots from the plant, which are the parts used for processing(加工)tea. The pickers carry large baskets into which they throw their pickings. A skilled worker can harvest between 9 to 14 kilogrammes of tea leaves a day. Usually new shoots can be picked from the plants about every ten or fifteen days.
Processing tea shoots into the familiar dry tea leaves requires great care and skill. There are various methods of processing depending on the type of tea required. For black tea, the young green leaves are first spread out on shelves to dry. This process removes much of its water and the leaves become soft. After this, the leaves are passed through heavy rollers. This operation will press the leaves for juices which give the tea both its colour and taste. Then the leaves are spread out on floors and left to ferment(发酵)under wet conditions. Fermentation develops the rich taste of black tea. The fermented leaves are then dried with a hot­air blower until they become rolled­up black leaves. The final step is to sort and grade them before the black tea is ready for sale to countries all over the world.
【小题1】In the first paragraph, the word“pruning”means______.